Well… after my last four weeks I’ve decided that I’m out of the Half Marathon this fall.  Let me tell you what happened.

After a long run I always – and I mean ALWAYS – stretch immediately after I finish.  It’s like clockwork… I run at Blacklick Woods, finish next to the stretch station, spend 20-30 minutes loosening up, then I get in my car, stop to pick up a sports drink and drive home. Back in early August I finished a long run but had to get home quickly to watch the kids while my wife went for her run.  We were in a rush because we had to go to church earlier than usual in order to make it to a party in the afternoon. I finished my run, got in my air conditioned car, drove home, made breakfast for the kids, then started my stretch routine, only this time it felt different. I felt something pull in my upper thigh, probably from stretching what had become a cold muscle.

Diagnosis: strained groin.

I had to cut out my interval run for the week and stick with tempo runs. It wasn’t a big deal, but then the following weekend I noticed a bit of a cough and skipped my long run for the week. Then that cough got worse…  Being a typical guy in his mid-30s, I waited until I was struggling to breathe through the phlegm on my way to cutting my 7-mile run in half before seeing a doctor.

Diagnosis: bronchitis with a bilateral ear infection.

Once again I missed a long run while recovering.  I finally got back on the horse last week with a great speed workout on Monday and a 3-mile tempo run on Tuesday while I was on the road. But on my trip back to Columbus my back started to ache, probably from carrying a ton of stuff (two laptops, two blackberries, notepads, etc.) in my messenger bag. Then that night my back wrenched when I was leaning over to look at my sleeping nephew in his crib.

Diagnosis: I don’t know, but my back hurt bad enough that I couldn’t run that weekend.

All of this brings us to today. I have gotten in six runs in the last 4+ weeks. I missed a 5k at race pace, a 7-mile run, an 8-mile run, and a 10k at race pace. I’ve missed three speed workouts, quite a few cross-training sessions, and a couple of easy runs.  After all of this, I don’t think I can get back on schedule for the race this fall.  I’m officially out this year.  I should probably say something about discretion being the better part of valor, knowing my limits, or that I’m living to fight another day, but frankly I’m too disappointed.  Instead of a runner I’ll be a spectator this October.

The good news is that I’ll be able to track my wife as she pursues her goal of a sub-2:00 half marathon. Anyone out there have good suggestions for following runners around the course? I’m thinking about bringing my bike downtown so I can ride the side streets to yell words of encouragement to my wife every couple of miles (note I say side streets, because no bikes are allowed on the course!).

Anyone out there want to join me?

Photo by shyb via Flickr

“Travel is glamorous only in retrospect.” – Paul Theroux

I hear you, Paul. And that’s doubly true for business travel. I remember landing my first job after college at a consulting firm and my boss was telling me about meeting with Blue Chip Client X over lunch at Spago in Los Angeles after a brief stop in Scottsdale for a retreat with Business Guru Y… Three months later I was flying puddle jumpers in and out of Kalamazoo, eating sloppy Taco Bell nachos in my cheap rental car, and wishing I had more seriously considered a career as a beach bum.  Everything about business travel screams UPHEAVAL, and that can extend to your training plan if you’re not careful.  I’m on the road every so often now and have managed to never let it impact my preparation for the half marathon this October.  Here are my tips for fellow business travelers and vacationers:

Always pack your running shoes

You never know when you’re going to have time for a workout.  I’ve had a couple of times where I’ve left the office with dinner plans, squeezed in a 3-mile run, stretched, showered, and met my co-workers an hour later without missing a beat.

Invest in fitness DVDs

If it rains and you’re staying at a hotel that has limited (or, gasp, NO) treadmills, then you might have to go to plan B. I’ve found that the P90X Cardio workout is a good substitute for interval training when I’m rained in and can’t get on the treadmill. I just pop a DVD into my laptop and go. Several of the other workouts are great for cross-training, too.

Use mapmyrun.com and/or a Garmin

Mapmyrun.com is a great site that lets you map out your run and track your mileage. You just click on the map and plot out your route. The site does the rest.  And for any runner with $300 burning a hole in their pocket, a Garmin GPS watch might be the coolest toy you can buy. You can track your distance, time, pace, splits, and with some models your heart rate.

Utilize Facebook

You can reach out to friends in the area to run with.  You can search local running clubs and get their thoughts. Or you can do what my new friend Jeff Huddleston did, which is send a message to a local running blogger asking for information on running paths in the area. Jeff is going to be here in town in a few weeks and saw a post I had written about the running path at Blacklick Woods and wanted to know if it was really heaven on earth. Yes, Jeff.  It is.

I’ve found that following these tips has not only kept me on track for my training plan but it has also allowed me to minimize jetlag.  I just wake up at about 4:00 a.m. when I’m on the West Coast and get moving!

Does anyone out there have other tips to share with travelers?

“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”
- Edmund Hillary

I failed, but I still feel good about it. In my quest to set a personal record in the half marathon, I fell well short of my goal. I was right on pace at the 10k mark – within one second per mile of my target time – and then I fell apart. I gave up 13 minutes to my pace over the last 6.9 miles, but I’m OK with it. Not about my race time, but about the experience. To paraphrase Michelangelo, I am better off for stretching myself and falling short than to never have tried at all.

Rather than a minute by minute summary of my race, I think I’ll close this year with a few awards… let’s call them the Runnies.

The Runnie for the best change in race day experience from 2009 to 2010 goes to…
The starting line experience, with the finish line experience as a close second

The corrals this year seemed to even out the pace for the first few miles, the live rendition of the National Anthem was a huge upgrade, and the fireworks launched from the roof of the Athletic Club of Columbus was an unexpected surprise.

Having runners funnel straight into McConnell Park after crossing the finish line instead of them milling around on a narrow side street was a great change. Also, the cups of chicken broth right at the McConnell Park arch were much appreciated.

The Runnie for the best music on the course goes to…
A three-way tie between CD101, the band in front of Wolfe Park, and the marching band on Nelson Road.

CD101 had speakers set up at about mile 10 in German Village, blasting out good running tunes. The band at Wolfe Park launched into “Sweet Caroline” in time for everyone around me to join in for the sing-along chorus – “Sweet Caroline (dah, dah, dah), The good times never were so good (So good! So good! So good!)…” And the marching band on Nelson Road had the percussion pounding. Great work, guys!

The Runnie for the neighborhood with the best crowds goes to…
Bexley, with German Village as a close second.

The crowds in both neighborhoods were deep, vocal, and positive in their encouragement.

The Runnie for best view for a half marathon runner goes to…
The corner of Nationwide & High

Like I said last year, turning that corner and seeing all of the people packed onto the sidewalks was kind of like when The Wizard of Oz turns from black & white to color. It’s pretty cool to see that stead downhill slope lined by thousands of people.

The Runnie for best spot for a spectator to find their runner goes to…
Mile 7.5 at the corner of Broad and Monroe

The crowd is thin enough to find people easily, there’s a 90-degree turn in the course, and it’s easy for spectators to stand on the southwest corner of the intersection and see runners coming straight toward them instead of having to look sideways through the pack to see someone.

And finally, the Runnie for best friends and family on the course goes to …
My friends and family who came out to cheer us on

Thanks to my wife Jennifer, my parents, Karey, Jeremy, Mike, Elenita, Gary, Alice, Donna, Jim, Ashley and Julie for the support and the words of encouragement on Sunday.

What was your favorite race day experience?

“Success comes when preparation meets opportunity”
- Henry Hartman

You’ve prepared for this for months. You’re ready. You’re ready. Seriously. You’re ready. You’ve trained for months, finished several long runs, and mapped out targeted mileage splits. You’ve fed and hydrated your body properly. You’ve broken in your new shoes, perfected the art of eating GU on the run without choking, and plotted spots along the course where family and friends can be found cheering you on. There’s nothing left to do. Just get there on Sunday without injury and you’ll be fine. You’re ready. You’re ready!

In order to check a few things off the list for you so you can maintain 100 percent focus on the race, below are a few race-weekend questions I’ve received from friends, co-workers, fellow runners and first-timers.

Q: Can I pick up my packet on race day?

A: No. You should pick up your packet at the Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon Health & Fitness Expo on either Friday or Saturday. The Expo is held at the Columbus Convention Center, Hall D. Hours are noon to 7 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Q: Are you really going to play your marathon mix playlist as the guest DJ on CD101 Friday from 1-2 p.m.? I didn’t think you were cool enough to do something like that…

A: Yes, I am playing part of my workout mix, and no, I’m typically not cool enough to do something like that. I can’t imagine the effort that went into convincing CD101 that I wasn’t going to go on there and play bad 80s music. I owe somebody a big thank you.

Q: What should I wear on race day?

A: According to Weather.com, the overnight low on Saturday will be in the high 40s, which means it will be close to 50 degrees at race time. Sunday is projected to be sunny with a high temperature in the mid-60s and no chance of rain. We’ve all had training runs at this approximate temperature, so gauge your clothing based on past experience. Personally, I’m planning to wear shorts, a short sleeve technical shirt, and probably a hat to keep the sun off my face. I’ll also wear a long sleeve cotton shirt over my race shirt to stay warm while waiting for the starting gun, but will likely take it off and throw it aside before I even cross the starting line.

Q: Where should I park?

A: As close to the finish line as possible. Also, if you get there early enough, try to find a spot that isn’t too far uphill. You aren’t going to want to walk uphill for a mile to get to your car after finishing your race. Trust me. See this map for downtown parking options close to the finish line.

Q: Any other advice?

A: Make sure you smile for the cameras as you cross the finish line. In my first half-marathon I was so concerned with my time that my finish line photo is me pulling up my sleeve and looking down at my watch. It was a rookie mistake. Now the lasting image I have from that race is a picture where you can’t even see my face.

You’re ready. Now go out there and make it happen. Enjoy the day. Enjoy the course. Enjoy the crowd. And enjoy the Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon.

Any other advice out there from marathon veterans?