​This year I ran over 665 miles (according to Strava). While I did not explicitly set a mileage goal for 2018, I was hoping to get over 500 miles and I sailed clear over that.

So to make 2019 more interesting for me, I’m going to now set a goal to run 1000 miles.

One. Thousand. Miles.

Since I already covered 665 miles this year, I’m sure a bunch of you are thinking, “What are you stressing about? That’s just a little more than what you ran in 2018.”

If you’re thinking that, you would be right. In pure mileage terms, it isn’t that much more. For me, the main block is more mental than anything else. I’ve never run that much in my life and who knows that might happen to me or my body in the coming year. It might be easy for some but to me, it’s still a metaphorical mountain.

On top of the unknowns, I’m trying to balance my time with other training such as swimming, cycling, strength training and plyometrics. More importantly, I’m also first a husband and a father. That’s a lot of balls to juggle in the air and more opportunities to drop something.

But then again...

I never ran 665 miles in a single year and I did it this year.

I never ran a half marathon and I did two of them this year.

I never completed a duathlon and I did two of them this year.

I could not swim the length of a pool and now I can swim over 1000 yards without stopping (albeit poorly).

I did this all while being a husband and a father.

This year has been a year of firsts for me and as long as I keep setting goals like this, I’ll keep pushing myself to be a better me.

Thank you 2018, you made me a better person. Let’s do this 2019.

Right around when my New Balance Zantes started to hit about 300 miles, I figured I should start looking around for a new pair of sneakers since running shoes tend to have a limited lifespan. It had occurred to me that I should just buy another pair of the New Balance and call it a day, but with an almost limitless number of choices and options out there, I figured it would be worth it to try out a different pair.

Oh boy were there a lot of choices...

I decided to narrow down the candidates to shoes that fit (snicker snicker) the following criteria:

1. Lightweight
2. Supportive midsole
3. 4 to 6 mm heel-to-toe drop

So that limited the choices down to about a million pairs of shoes... sigh...

Image courtesy of Boston.com 

I had narrowed the choices down to Brooks or Hoka based on reviews and feedback from other runners and was about to call it until I read an article about Meb Keflezighi who won the 2014 Boston Marathon... in a pair of Skechers...

Whaaaat....?

I never ever associated Skechers with performance of ANY kind. In fact, the only notable thing I recall of Skechers is the company getting sued for false advertising on their shape up shoes. However, after looking into their Performance brand, it sounds like their Skechers Performance department warranted a consideration.

I poked around Amazon (which is something I do 5 times a day) and actually found a pair of GoMeb performance running shoes for $45. This made the decision fairly easy since, if they stunk, I could still use them to mow the lawn and not feel so bad about it (I’m looking at you Under Armour HOVR Sonic).

I have to say, I was very surprised by these shoes. They are extremely lightweight and supportive enough for a half marathon distance. They have a 4 mm drop so it helped me with my heel striking. I was impressed.

It wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns though. The laces that came with the shoes were essentially twine, I couldn’t remove the insoles and replace them with my own, and 13 miles is definitely their limit in terms of support and comfort. Those shortcomings though were more nit picky than anything else.

The only knock I have against Skechers as a brand is that their naming for their performance shoes is terrible. It seems like they have two major performance models; GoMeb and GoRun. However, if you look under those models, there are so many sub-models (?) that you can’t really make heads or tails of it. GoMeb Speed 5? Razor 2? GoRun Ride 7? Helicopter turbo jet Optimus Prime 2?

One of those may have been made up...

Naming goofiness aside, I’m sold on Skechers Performance shoes and, as long as I can figure out which pair fit my needs, I will consider them first when I need to buy my next pair.

Although if they did name a pair called “Helicopter turbo jet Optimus Prime 2” I would probably buy those just because...

After the Vineyard half marathon, I took a bit of a break from running. The training did a number on my knees and hips and it probably was a good idea to back off from running for a bit at least. However, the thought of going back to a sedimentary lifestyle was terrifying to me so I decided to fill the running void with biking. I dusted off my old road bike and started focusing on riding for a while.

What I didn’t realize is how much i loved being on the bike. Personally, there is a certain freedom while being on it that I don’t get with running. As I put more and more miles on the bike, the thought of a triathlon kept creeping into my mind, except there was one problem...

I FREAKING HATE SWIMMING

Call it an irrational fear, I don’t care; it’s not my thing. I gave it a try and failed. With practice and training, I’m sure I can get over it but I’m not a fan of it right now. So this basically killed any thoughts of a triathlon until i found out that some triathlons also have a duathlon, which is just the running and cycling portion of a triathlon. 

Perfect.

My first attempt at this was on July 29th at the Whaling City Triathlon/Duathlon and let me tell you, it was a blast. The race itself was a ton of fun and it was a beautiful course that went along the coast of New Bedford centering on Fort Tabor. It was well executed and had a ton of friendly volunteers. My two cents; do this race at least once. It’s just a sprint length so none of the legs of the course was overly long. Heck, I even saw an older lady with a RENTAL bike do this. 

As for my thoughts on my first duathlon; overall I felt less prepared for this than I was for my half marathon. The whole running + cycling thing was really just a recent thing I’ve been doing so diving right into an event felt a bit rushed. 

During my training, I focused on running and I focused on cycling but doing them back to back really only happened about 2 weeks before the race itself. These “brick” workouts should have been more of a focus in my training. During the 5k part of the race, which followed the cycling part, my legs felt like jello for about 1.2 miles until they started to feel normal again.

I was also nervous about the transitions (the staging area between events) but I was prepared for that. I read up on all of the USAT rules so i pretty much had that down.

Overall, it was a great event for my first duathlon and I’m pretty hooked now.

Personally, I’ve never been a fan of manufactured holidays like Father’s Day.

Don't get me started on Valentine's Day...

I believed that you show respect to the father-figures in your life as often as you can and you don’t need a special day to do it.

But then I got older, busier, and had a couple of kids of my own…

As a father of two, the vast majority of my free time is spent with my children. My fitness plans always revolve around their sleep schedule. Run or bike before they wake up and hit the gym after they go to bed. Everything in-between is either work or family. And as a result, I forget to reach out to the important father figures in my life - so a reminder may not be such a bad thing after all.

Just, no gifts…

If you’ve been wondering why I keep using the phrase “father figures” instead of just “father” - it’s actually because my father and I are not close. In fact, we haven’t spoken to each other since 2001 for various reasons that I won’t bore you with. As a result, many men stepped up to fill that gap in my life.

These guys have shown me how to be a good husband to my wife and good father to my own children and you know what? A single day in the calendar dedicated to “fathers” is the least they deserve. 

So happy father’s day to all of the great men out there who have helped children (their own or someone else’s) to grow up and be great parents of their own.

I'd raise a beer for you... but I don't drink alcohol... it'd just be a waste of a perfectly good beer...

Since this blog is called runningofthenerd - I decided it’s finally time to turn the nerd dial up to 11. It’s time to use my agile certifications and hold a retrospective on my first race. Oh yeah - it's about to get nerdy up in this joint.

(cue action music)

In all seriousness, I thought about how I should approach talking about the Martha’s Vineyard Half Marathon and ultimately decided that really there are two topics; my first race and the marathon itself. I felt the best way to go over my first race is to do what I do at work, which is to hold a retrospective on it. 

If you don’t know what this means - consider yourself lucky…

What went well?

I think the easiest thing I can say went well for me was the Hal Higdon training I followed for the past 12+ weeks. I can honestly say that, while the run was tough, I didn’t feel like I couldn’t do it at any point. My body was use to this and fell into a rhythm as soon as the race started for me.

I also felt like I dialed in my nutrition correctly for the race too. I woke up early and had some chia seeds soaked in water, a banana, some pecans, and (of course) a cup of coffee. I didn’t feel hungry or tired at all during the race and I also didn’t feel bloated or uncomfortable either. I’m sure if I had to run more than the 13 miles, I would have had to refuel but I got by without any issues.

Lastly, I felt that my practice run the week before was key in figuring out the logistics for race day. What to wear, which pair of shoes to run with, what to eat, when to eat and other minor details were all ironed out before the day of the race.

I could go on and on about other minor things that worked but these were the major ones I wanted to hit.

What could have gone better?

Right out of the gate, I should have made a list for packing after my practice run. Work got the better of my time and I packed on the fly. This resulted in me forgetting a bunch of stuff and left me feeling a bit grumpy. Luckily, I was able to find the things I forgot to pack at a grocery store, but it was some unnecessary stress that could have been avoided.

Another thing I didn’t plan for was running on anything OTHER than pavement. There was a stretch of the course (about 1/3 of a mile) that was completely sand. I managed to muddle through it but it was something that should have planned for - I mean it’s the vineyard for crying out loud.

Finally, for my next race, I want to look into training programs that incorporate speed and hill training. While my pace was steady, I would have liked it to finished a bit faster. I think I handled hills well but I’m sure I could still use some work in that area too.

What I learned.

A lot of brides to be decide that they want to spend some part of their bachelorette party running a half (or full) marathon. More power to you ladies - I certainly would not have been able to focus on the running with a wedding looming over the horizon but for at least 3 bachelorettes that were there, they were able to knock it out of the park. 

While I didn’t use pacers, I did find the pacer that was roughly my time so I could at least start off with the right tempo. When the race starts off, my adrenaline was naturally trying to push me into sprinting mode and I found that uses the pacers to gauge where I am useful. After the first mile (probably even before then) the crowds start to separate and I was able to start running at my own tempo.

Not everyone tackles hills the same way so if you’re pretty close behind someone, make sure to give yourself some room when a hill comes up. Some people can maintain their tempo but the majority of the people I was behind slowed down significantly and I found myself almost stepping on them. Give yourself some room to pass if necessary.

Drink if you need it. Just become there’s a water stop doesn’t mean you need to get something. Grabbing the water and trying to drink it will likely interrupt your momentum so make sure to use those water stops wisely. During my training I would only stop to get water once and I should have done that too rather than the multiple stops I did during the race. Trust your training young padawan. 

Conclusion

For my first race since the fall of 1999, I have to say it wasn’t bad. I definitely felt like I could have done better but at least I was able to finish, which in the end was my ultimate goal. 

Now, on to the next…

The other night, my wife and I joked about how my goal to lose weight and get in shape has actually increased our grocery bill significantly. She laughed it off and said it helps her stay in shape because now she has to carry more bags from the car.

In reality though, this is a real challenge for a lot of people. Foods that are meant to keep you healthy are not cheap. It’s very tempting to get a combo meal from a fast food restaurant for under $10 but if you wanted a nice salad with some grilled salmon - that’s likely going to cost more than that combo meal. This is probably another post for another day…

My point is, my wife has never once complained about this. She’s actually happy that I’m enjoying eating vegetables and says that this is setting a good example for the kids. Roasted Brussels sprouts are the bomb. 

Do people still say “the bomb”…?

The spending increase isn’t limited to just food. Any fitness area you want to get into usually has some startup cost. Running needs shoes, biking needs a bike, general fitness needs a gym membership and the list goes on and on. And if you’re like me, I don’t just dabble in something, I go full throttle.

Take running for example, I now own 4 pairs of shoes that I swap around for various usage just for running alone. Then there was cold weather running gear and warm weather running stuff, GoPros and… well… you get the point.

Much like the food situation - my lovely wife never made me feel bad about any of this. Every once in a while with the gear she will ask “do you really need that?” but never forbade me from buying anything.

She’s funny… do I really need that… like that’s even a question.

My journey so far has been paved with nothing but support from her. Any time within the last year she could have put her foot down and said “enough is enough” but not once did she ever do that.

The support didn’t just come from her either, I received tons of support from my family and friends. Each time I hit a milestone and shared it with them, they would always respond back right away with words of encouragement and pride. This may not sound like a lot but, I’m telling you, this is what I needed to push to the next mile… drive to the next goal.

The support doesn’t stop at money and praise; just allowing me the time to do the things I needed to do is support. I’ve lost track of how many times on a weekend when I’ve had to go out for a long run which took close to 2 hours. Those 2 hours could have been spent with my family. But instead, my wife would just say “have a good run and stay safe”.

My children, while they don’t really understand what is their dad doing, they show your support in their own ways. When I get back from a run, my daughter will ask me how far I ran and if she can see the map of my route. She’ll write me little notes of encouragement, which I proudly display on the wall of my office. My son will say things like “I want to run like daddy”.

This is support and I’m blessed to have this in my life.

Not everyone is so lucky and when you hit those speed bumps on your journey, it’s much easier to dust off and get back up when you have this kind of support.

If you find it, hold on to it. Don’t take it for granted. It will fuel your passion and drive (better than Brussels sprouts).

No, it wasn’t the Martha’s Vineyard half marathon that I signed up for - that’s next week.

No, it was my own half marathon. Today I ran 13.1 miles to prove to myself, and my body, that I could.

No cheering spectators on the side of the road.

No closed off roads; I had to share it with cars.

No other runners with the same goal.

No finish line.

No medal at the end.

Just me.

I did this because my nearly year long training has taken me from couch potato to running the longest distance I have ever ran in my life.

I did this because who knows what might happen between now and 5/19 (the date of the vineyard half).

I did this because who knows that might happen during the actual race on the vineyard itself.

My body wanted to quit at mile 10. My mind started to quit at mile 11. But my heart pushed forward.

And I finished. In my mind, I won and nothing can defeat me today.

Except going up and down stairs... stairs are evil...

Man, 13.1 miles is far...

I'm sorry Dave Pete. I'm afraid I can't do that...

I found the best way to motivate me to keep going and stay in shape is to set goals. So in a moment of weakness I decided to sign up for a half marathon in May. 

What did I do…?

At this point, the most I’ve ran in one session is about 5 miles so the thought of running 13 seems borderline impossible. But I’m signed up… they already charged my credit card… no turning back now.

After the reality of the situation set in, I realized I needed to get on a running plan to build up my stamina and run longer distances. I asked around and the common running plan that kept coming up was the Hal Higdon marathon training plan (http://halhigdon.com).

The thing I liked the most about Hal’s training plan is that there are a series of different training options for both a half and full marathon. The plans range from novice to expert.

Available training plans from http://halhigdon.com

I originally thought about using one of the novice plans but since I was able to run 5-ish miles already, I thought those options might be a bit slow for me. Another concern I had for the novice plans is that it had fairly low miles for the majority of the 12 weeks and then in the last few weeks of the plan, I would suddenly be hit by 10+ mile runs. I eventually went with the “Intermediate 1”, which seemed to fit me the best.

Now, this may be just my personality, but once I was on this plan I became a bit obsessed with following it. On days when I wasn’t able to complete the distances or if I didn’t have the best times to run, such as late at night, would end up causing me anxiety - which is the opposite of what I needed out of running.

It wasn’t until about 2/3 through the plan when I realized that it’s okay to miss a day here or there or to replace running with something else like riding my bike. Every once in a while, my body needed a break and I had to listen to it rather than blindly following a training plan.

I think these kinds of plans, whether it is Hal Higdon or any other plan, are great guidelines but they cannot be your only plan. You need to listen to your own body.

Pete, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.

The Hal Higdon program was recommended to me by several runner friends. They are not a paid sponsor and my thoughts on his program are my own and do not reflect the thoughts of opinions of anyone else.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first - fitness does not equal athleticism. Someone who is fit does not mean that they’re great at throwing a ball.

Running, in my opinion, was the simplest of my choices.

Note that I said “simplest”. I would never ever say that running was simple. While the barrier to entry could just be a pair of running shoes, in the end, if you want to get serious about it then there is a lot to running that makes it far from being simple.

I actually ran cross country in high school so this contributed to my decision (some may say delusion) to try and challenge myself with running again. I mean, how hard could it be? Hard… really really hard (and pretty ugly too).

Yeah you read that right; 12:37 mile. I’m pretty sure there are many people out there that could walk that pace... on their hands... 

My chest was burning, my stomach had cramps, and I stopped several times. But I finished.

1 mile done.

I wish I could say it got easier the next day but it didn’t. It took a while but eventually did get easier. The more I ran, the easier it got and eventually it got to the point where I know I had to upgrade my gear and, while runnings shoes aren’t cheap exactly, it’s still cheaper than the other things I could have decided to challenge myself with..

So, why running? Because in the end, it’s just me and the road. I can listen to music or just be lost in my thoughts. It gives me an escape from my hectic life.

I think we all need something like that in our lives.