Run for Life

Running with Boomer

One of the greatest benefits of a running lifestyle is the ability to be involved naturally in important causes. Today I was proud to run with former Jets QB Boomer Esiason in his second annual Boomer's Cystic Fibrosis Run to Breathe 10K at Central Park. The event raises funds and awareness for the Team Boomer efforts to help our friends with cystic fibrosis lead long and satisfying lives. His son Gunnar was born with CF in 1993, and at the start line Boomer told 5,000+ runners that his first goal had been to win a Super Bowl ("Joe Montana wouldn't let me do that") and his goal ever since has been for his son to eventually outlive him. Today, Boomer said, Gunnar is a student at Boston College. I am totally behind the Boomer Esiason Foundation and Team Boomer -- those were real tears and that was real inspiration at our start line today, for me anyway. Our friends with CF go the extra mile to wear ThAIRapy Vests to shake mucus out of their lungs, take breathing treatments with nebulizers, digest a regimen of pills right before a specific window in which they can eat -- a lot of work. I ran alongside Jerry ("YOU CANNOT FAIL") Cahill, 55, on the brutal north hill in mile 3, and he is just coming off double-lung transplant surgery. He was 11 when first diagnosed with CF, and that is the same age as Shayna Hersh, whom I wrote about on MLB.com the day she got to meet her hero, Justin Verlander. When you see someone like them bring cheer to the world on a daily basis, and when you are around the real-life heroic efforts of Boomer and his organization, you appreciate how much they mean and you realize what you can do.

On a less important note but just for my own record-keeping, this was my eighth New York Road Runners race of the year. One more NYRR race plus a volunteer assignment and I will have my 9+1 guaranteed entry for the 2013 ING New York City Marathon! I love Boomer's race on the NYRR calendar and hope it is there for a long time to come. Runners got fist bumps with him at the start line and then he was there to press some flesh at the finish line, and on top of that he ran along with us around Central Park.

My finish time was 1:06:57 for the 6.2 miles, a full loop around Central Park plus a quick left on the 72nd Street Transverse to the finish line near the bandshell. We ran up Cat Hill and we had to take on the mighty north hill, where I counted backwards from 100 and looked straight down, as my NYRR Team for Kids coach once taught me. The weather was picture-perfect: 65 degrees at the start with 87-percent humidity, a gentle breeze. I did a quick check of my NYRR membership history and it was my fastest 10K since the Joe Kleinerman in December 2009, almost identical for time and pace. I am finding lately that every race I run is my fastest since 2009, a sign of progress that is counter to the body's natural aging process. That happens when you schedule three marathons and some half marathons in the same year!

Now it is time to turn my attention toward long runs. My upcoming races include the NYC Marathon Long Training Run #1 (16-20 miles) next Saturday, July 28; NYC Marathon Long Training Run #2 (20 miles) on August 19; and the NYC Marathon Tuneup 18M on September 23. The marathon, my third of 2012 following the Miami Marathon in January and the Marathon de Paris in April, is on November 4. It will be my 10th marathon or ultra since I quit smoking and started breathing easier myself by becoming a runner back on December 1, 2006. Any other running between now and November 4 will be for endurance and speedwork, mixed in whenever I can around a busy baseball schedule. My goal is to step up my strength training and get more use out of my gym membership!

Yours in running...Mark

Back to Brooks

Goodbye, cushiony blue Sauconys . . .
 

Hello, old reliable Brooks Glycerin 9s. . . .



I hated to do this, but now that I'm about 15 pairs of running shoes into my marathoner life, I know that you don't mess with fire. My fellow runners will be able to relate to this, I think.

I bought the Sauconys nearly 3 weeks ago at Paragon near Union Square in Manhattan. Really wanted a pair, as my English Bulldog chewed my only previous Sauconys. But the last two times I ran with these, at the 4-mile mark a blister rub would begin in the instep of the left shoe. The edge of the factory insert sole was rubbing against my instep, and that would be bad, bad news for a Half or a full marathon.

I returned them today to Paragon, and props to the crew there for letting me swap inside of 30 days despite no receipt (I had the same credit card I used to buy them). They are also Neutrals, and I never have to think twice about Glycerin 9s. My advice for anyone just getting into distance running is this: If you find a shoe that works, don't change anything but the color. I wanted this color anyway. I'm set, and their first race is the MLB All-Star Game 5K Charity & Fun Run on Sunday morning in Kansas City, where I'll be running with '08 American Idol David Cook and other cool peeps, plus lots of MLB colleagues.

These probably will be my ride at the ING New York City Marathon on November 4, depending on how cushiony they feel when I am one month away. I have two other trainer pairs I will rotate in.

Nothing in running gear is more important than your shoes, so make sure you don't mess with any potential trouble that could turn into something big. We run for a long time.

Fear

I belong to an Episcopal church by our house, and in Sunday's service Father Tom gave a sermon about Fear. He used an example of having to attend a Roman Catholic service the previous week and hearing the priest say a half-dozen times that no one can take communion if they are not Catholic. He felt that it was an example of fear tactics, then citing some scriptures. Meanwhile my mind was drifting to the subject of Fear.

As a marathon runner, Fear is a good thing. It is what keeps me going. When you step into your corral before a race, knowing there are 26.2 miles out there to be traversed, perhaps elements to fight as well, you  had better be prepared. When you watch that youtube time-lapse video showing the entirety of the New York City or Miami Marathon courses, all their twists and turns, it can be a scary feeling.

No matter how many of them you have run, Fear keeps you going. You never approach a marathon thinking it is something automatic and comfortable. You know you are going to want your fastest finish, and you are going to train your ass off to get there. You know there are tough times ahead. Fear makes you go out for a run when it is too hot or too cold, when you are too tired, when you are too busy. Fear makes you sprawl out on the grass after that run and do 100 crunches and pushups. Fear makes you go to the gym.

I always laugh inside whenever people tell me that running is bad for your knees, bad for whatever. What they are saying is that they Fear that unknown and cannot rationalize it any other way. It is easier to tell yourself what you have heard, that people get bad knees from running. It is harder to work on quads and hamstrings to offload the strain on knee joints. Fear makes you do that. I needed 14 P.T. sessions to get over my I.T. Band syndrome that ripped up my Miami Marathon in January, when I dragged my left leg for 1 1/2 miles, and Fear reminds me to keep strengthening my hips so it won't happen again.

Fear is what makes me register for multiple races well in advance. Having that scary goal out there will keep pushing you and motivating you. I decided to run three marathons in 2012: Miami in January, Paris in April and New York City in November. I was excited about it but Fear has led the way. Now I can smell the buildup toward my third NYCM and all I can think about is how much it hurt when I got to Harlem in Mile 21, the nausea and the bonking quads. I try to remember only the good things about the Paris Marathon, but I can't forget the whimpering around Mile 20 as a steady cold wind refused to leave me alone and just badgered and butchered me all the way to the finish. Fear is not knowing what to expect.

It is natural to Fear that your body is aging and you might slow down and that one day running will not mean as much as it does to you now. I never want to stop running. I run out of Fear that one day I will. It is in those times that I remind myself why I love it so much, which is an entire other blog post. I'm off to train now.

What does Fear mean to you as a runner?

What I Won't and Will Miss

I don't know why it takes losing someone to fully appreciate them, but that is how I feel today about Nora Ephron. Sure, I knew all about her movies and could recite almost every line. But I wish I had known Nora Ephron the person, and I definitely wish I had met her as a fellow journalist for decades. Her list of "What I Won't and Will Miss" is so good, I think everyone should try that out. Here is mine.

What I Won't Miss

Losing loved ones
Monday morning
Poison ivy
Republican vs. Democrat
Gridlock traffic
TV commercials
Shoveling late-winter snow
Going up a waist size
Gossip
Running up hills
Money
Shaving
One-second attention span of social media
Overuse injuries
Book rejections
Poverty and hungry children
George Washington Bridge $12 toll highway robbery
Opening and closing our pool
Cancer everywhere
Tip jars
The color pink, with apologies to those who love it
Pro athletes who are jerks
Standing in line
Starbucks coffee
Tucking my shirt in
That magical way your hair disappears
College tuition costs and the whole system
Cramped flights and middle seats
Flossing
No retweets, Likes or comments
Pettiness
Racists and bad people in general
Weeds

What I Will Miss

Our kids
Lismo
Running around Central Park
Rainbows
My English Bulldog King Bingley
Stargazing
The first snow
Cold beer
Upper West Side
Summer
Oatmeal with berries
Baseball
Sardines
England pubs
Finishing marathons
My house
Our pool on the hottest days
Honesty
The common fight to end cancer
How it feels to help someone
Reading a great book
Tinkering on my workbench
Classic movies
Running friends as we support each other
Believing in yourself
New shoes
The smell of freshly cut grass
Making love
The Beatles
Indiana Hoosiers basketball
Red wine
"Free Bird"
An ocean with my toes in the surf
Mom
Cape Cod
Learning new things
Living on Earth

Mezamashii: The Most Brilliant Run Of My Life

Mezamashii is a Japanese word that means "brilliant" and looks like this:

  

@MizunoRunning is on a quest to deliver more Mezamashii – more ecstatic, electric, wind-in-your-heart running. More brilliant running. And along the way, someone who best describes a recent brilliant run is going to win a pair of Mizuno running shoes.

I just found out about it on my friend Michelle's blog. She's @nycrunningmama to those of us who follower her on Twitter. She has all the details there on how to enter, and make sure you follow @MizunoRunning as well.

First, let me tell you how I entered the competition...because papa needs a new pair of shoes to train for the ING New York City Marathon in November!

Mezamashii for me was in May of 2009. I arrived at the start line of the New Jersey Marathon when it was dark, giving a small box to a race organizer for safekeeping until later that day. I then ran 26.2 miles entirely in the rain, and I still get emotional when I think of how I felt for every one of those miles. I knew that at the end of that race my life would change. It is Mezamashii in every way, propelling you forward like you are flying, oblivious to the pounding torrents. At the Mile 25 fluid station I stopped and a whole group of volunteers handed me that little box and then told me, “What are you waiting for? Go propose to her!!!” So I did. I ran that last mile along the shore with some tears mixing with raindrops on my face, and then I saw her up ahead at the finish line, waiting for me. I crossed the finish line, no idea what my time was. I got down on one aching knee, and asked Lisa to marry me. She jumped on me, and I then bore the weight of two on one wounded knee, but somehow it was OK because it felt like it would feel in the future as a couple, carrying our weight together. She was so embarrassed by the official race photographer’s and videographer’s presence, but it was so perfect, and we lived happily ever after. My next Mezamashii is going to be in a pair of Mizunos, I hope!!! (I need new shoes.) 

You have already seen what the moment looked like.

You know what Mezamashii means, in your own special way as a runner. Please join Michelle in entering that competition. I hope I win but most of all I hope we all share really great stories. From what I have seen so far, that is no problem! Great blog, Michelle!

Giveaway Details:

• Contest will run from Tue, June 12, 2012 through 11:59pm EST on Mon, June 18, 2012
• Winner will be selected and announced on NYC Running Mama on Tue, June 19, 2012
• One reader will win an invitation to the Mezamashii Project (which includes a free pair of shoes of their choice valued at $149.99 or less)
• Open to US Residents Only
• Winner has until Fri, June 22, 2012 to contact me before a follow-up winner is selected
• Winner will be chosen via random.org

For more information on the Mezamashii Project, click here.

How marathons use social media

The New York City Marathon's Facebook page posts a daily question for those of us running the race in November. I understand the rationale, having experience putting a sports league into social media and building high-volume accounts from scratch. We're 144 days out. They just want to engage now, create a conversation, get people involved, and then when the numbers build up, pound the products and services.

But today was a good example why it would be a greater benefit to read DAILY TIPS from on-staff or consultant experts rather than ask questions. Here is what they posed:

Today's Question: When you are training for the ING New York City Marathon, do you have a stretching routine? Do you just hop out of bed and start the run? What's your warm up? Tell us in the comments!

I did just that, and then it occurred to me that I am serving as one of their experienced voices, basically doing their work for them, because I like sharing what I have learned after nine marathons or ultras. I wound up reading a bunch of comments from people who would say, "I just start running," or "jumpstart with fresh brewed coffee and go!" Are you serious? That had no value to me as a NYC Marathon entrant. I guess you get to click and  amass other commenters as Facebook friends if you really want (not me). Here's what I would have rather seen when I opened my Facebook app on my iPhone this morning:

Today's Tip: How to stretch at the start and end of your training runs.

Then that should link to a page on NYRR.org that gives experts' stretching routines complete with videos and/or photos. Use content from the people holding this event or the webinar. Or just ask me because I know. In 2007, I ran my first marathon (NYC) with Team for Kids. One of the benefits of running for charity was having elite coaches and team training runs. I learned most of what I know now from that summer, and that includes how to stretch. Never stretch cold muscles before a run. Get at least 5 minutes in, I usually run a mile. Then I do dynamic, or active, stretching. I stretch the hammies, achilles, quads, IT bands. Torso twists, arm circles, sometimes I break out Tae Kwon Do stretching from my black belt coursework. I end with high kicks as I run in place, front and back, then 10 or 15 jumping jacks, so I am sweating and then I am off. After I run, I do more cooldown stretching, easy does it. Foam roller before and/or after. I even have favorite stretching posts -- a massive London Plane tree along the bridle path in Central Park, a fence next to a railroad depot on my trail course in Piermont (NY), etc. So much to talk about with stretching!

Since that's what the NYC Marathon race organizing body taught me, I wonder why they aren't using their social media platform to give daily training tips like that, from their own coaches. I know there are training programs to purchase, so perhaps this would cannibalize that service. In any case, it's what I crave, and I don't want to pay for it (see: NYC Marathon entry fee).

It made me think: What is your favorite social media usage by marathons?

The best I have seen so far is the Virgin London Marathon, and they are so good that I actually got value by being rejected in their lottery. Here's how: I decided to run the Paris Marathon the preceding week instead, but I continued to receive my regular London Marathon emails. They were awesome, too. They gave good tips, and my favorite part was their "Be Inspired" quote, which I would always then tweet on @Marathoner.

I also like how they provided marathon training music packages, for those of us who jam and run.

So because I continued to receive email blasts along with social media interaction from the marathon that rejected me, I was doubling up as the Marathon de Paris fueled my preparation pretty well. I give NYC Marathon credit for at least having a social media presence several months out, because for a while I was wondering when Paris was going to finally update their Facebook, Twitter and website with anything relevant. Then I started to receive emails like this:



That's more like it! "The tip of the day." MERCI, BEAUCOUP! It is so natural because as a marathon runner you are in that daily world of training and focus, and wanting to gobble up tips and inspiring quotes and important info.

I started this year with the Miami Marathon in January, and the best thing they delivered was a PDF with Ryan Hall training gameplans. Their @RunMiami account was outstanding, and I loved their user-photo competition after the event. The @MarathonParis Twitter account was tremendously helpful -- especially to a foreigner, speaking in any language -- once the event got within a couple of months out. It means so much when you are panicking that your finish time did not show up on the race app, and the race's Twitter account can give you an answer of relief very quickly to put you at ease. I consider responsiveness crucial to a marathon social media platform...be there for me and have multiple people involved.

NYRR does email as well as any race organizer, and the @nyrr and @nyrrnews accounts are pretty good, along with ancillary accounts. But their NYC Marathon account should move beyond questions...starting to get old, even though I try to jump into the comments. Just give me expertise and motivation as I dive into the gruelling summer to come. Last year was like a century ago, it doesn't matter, habits change in weeks, so don't go by whatever cycle was used in 2011. Fire me up and quit the questions!

I am interested in hearing other runners' favorite marathon social media usages, including links to those accounts. I find that they still are helpful to others even if you don't run them, and I find that even if you get rejected in a lottery, you can benefit by what they should be sending to their database users.

Mark