Crash!
Yesterday some idiot ran into me on I-94. Why can’t people drive? Conditions were perfect and we had been in stop-and-go traffic for like 10 minutes - I just don’t understand it… The driver was some young kid who obviously wasn’t paying any attention. Let me ask, just because someone’s car is a piece of shit, do they have to drive like one?! At least the damage wasn’t that bad - just a scratched and dented bumper. The good news is his insurance should pay for the repairs because it was his fault.
Day One
Yesterday was “Day One” at work. United Defense is now officially BAE Systems, Inc. The acquisition completed last Friday, and we had a ceremony at our facility yesterday here in Minneapolis. As a young employee, this is a positive change, opening additional opportunities for the possibility of relocation someday. Also, our product base is even broader now as BAE Systems is involved in more air and space technologies. After the ceremony, I had my photograph taken with some other employees with Mark Ronald, CEO of BAE Systems Land & Armaments.
Go Polish
Chris and I went to Milwaukee Friday to see the Sausage Race, uh… I mean the Twins-Brewers game at Miller Park. The Bratwurst won and so did the Brewers, neither of which I wanted. I suppose though the game itself was sort of a win-win situation since I like both the Brewers and the Twins. I’m becoming more of a Twins fan with every game I see though. Hopefully they start playing better soon. However, there was no doubt about which sausage I wanted to win. I made a “GO POLISH” T-Shirt and broke it out for the race after the sixth inning. On the back I had a picture of the July 10, 2003 incident where the Italian sausage was assaulted. Above this I wrote “We will remember…”. I know, I know it was 2 years ago, but there is no excuse for such sausage abuse! The weather was hot and humid which really seemed to drain us. Then again, maybe it was the beer or Polish sausage’s loss.
Marathon Lessons Learned
I want to capture some of my thoughts from my first marathon before I forget them…
Improvements
- Feet and Shoes
- Get a diagnosis on my right foot
- Get comfortably into my new orthotics
- Better shoe selection - more stability and a straighter last than Nike Structure Triax
- Blisters - nothing severe, but moderate ones on the toes of both feet possibly due to a less than ideal shoe
- Tapering - Due to my injury I tapered too severly too long. I think a week and a half taper is sufficent, with reduced mileage (~14 miles) for a long run two weeks prior to the race.
- Speed Training - Do longer intervals and Hills. Mile or 2K repeats instead or 2-3 minute intervals or hills.
- Pre-Race preparation
- My foot problems distracted me from preparing mentally.
- Food - Although we planned on eating spaghetti the night before we ate it for lunch and then had a late dinner at a cafe. I had soup and salad which sat okay for the race, but it wasn’t very good fuel. In hindsight I should bring an extra meal along in case things don’t go as planned.
- Equipment
- Find a lightweight hat or visor. The one I have is too heavy and I didn’t run with it.
- Dry-fit shirt was okay, but is very heavy when wet. I should have taken it off sooner or ran with something else in the warm weather.
- Race
- The first two miles were so crowded I wasn’t be able to run my pace. In hindsight this was okay, but be prepared for it.
Successes
- Feet and Shoes
- Buying another pair of Nike Structure Triax was a good decision. I had been running in this shoe and the pair of Mizuno’s I bought mid-training weren’t working. Although they weren’t perfect, I knew they would work without major problems.
- Running in my old orthotics worked, although maybe it caused my foot problems?
- Taking Naproxen for my foot problem helped a lot. I’ve only used Ibuprofen in the past, but 500mg Naproxen 3x daily had good results.
- Race
- I ran my own race, going out slow and having enough left to run slightly faster the second half of the course despite the rising temps. Pacing with Justin for the first ~18 miles helped a lot.
- Running with friends helped my anxiety and it helped to have people to talk through the pre-race jitters.
Recovery
We went out last night for Darrel’s birthday to Old Chicago. We all had a few beers and I met some of his co-workers. Old Chicago is always a good time, it’s a decent place with a great beer selection. I haven’t joined the world beer tour, mainly because I hate carrying around a card for every place I go to. Maybe someday we can have a single card for everything - credit card, drivers license, library, and subway stamps. Better yet, just use my fingerprint or something.
I’m feeling less sore today after the marathon. I haven’t done any active recovery (unless you count going to the bar) so that is probably why I’ve been sore so long. I think I’ll try some indoor cross training today to warm up and stretch out. It is nice to finally be able to stand up out of a chair and get in and our of my car normally.
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