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| The Houston 2018 Gang |
I ran a marathon earlier this month. Here are answers to some of the questions I've been frequently asked:
Why did you run a marathon?
A bit more than a year ago, when I was 25 years old, I had sort of a quarter-life crisis. I wasn't particularly happy with my life: my life was (is?) straight-up boring, and I was simply going through the motions.
So I gave myself an annual project: to do something awesome and memorable every year. I preferred my projects to be something physically and mentally challenging, preferably a long-term goal that I could work towards and look forward to for at least several weeks. Projects that would help challenge my perspectives, experience great internal growth, meet new people, and have better stories to tell.
Last year, my first year with this new annual project mindset, I solo-cycled the 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway in about a week. It was a life-changing experience that worked out so well I had to continue this annual project mindset. And so this year I decided to run a marathon, which had been on the short-list of projects I wanted to take on anyways. And the timing couldn't have worked out better.
You were very particular in choosing your marathon: March 3, 2018, in The Woodlands, TX. How did you choose the date and location of your marathon?
I actually decided to run my marathon while I was cycling the Natchez Trace. My friend Daniel, who I fortunately met up with while on the Trace, told me how he had recently run his first marathon on his 26th birthday. I thought that was totally awesome; 26 miles at 26 years... it'll make turning 26 years old not feel so useless.
My birthday is in November, but the timing was no good. Ultimate season ended in late September, and a month wouldn't be enough time to train properly, given that most training programs recommend at least 16-18 weeks. But fortunately, my 26.2nd birthday fell right about 16-20 weeks following the end of the ultimate season, in February and early March, perfectly situated during the ultimate frisbee offseason. So running it within that time frame worked out wonderfully. I just had to find a race within those five weekends when I was 26.2.
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| The Woodlands Marathon, March 3, 2018 |
So how I chose the The Woodlands, TX: one of my two closest friends from my childhood, PJ, and one of my two closest friends from high school, Tyler, were visiting me in Atlanta on my birthday in November to watch the Celtics play in Atlanta--we're big Celtics fans.
We were drinking at a brewery before the game, and I had previously told them of my marathon schedule and mentioned that Houston--the marathon and Celtics at the Rockets over the March 3 weekend--were an option. We're pretty drunk at this point and then, PJ, out of the blue just said: "Yep I just booked my (plane) tickets to Houston. Going whether you are or aren't." and he showed me his non-refundable flights.
And next thing you know I was committed, Tyler too. Then we invited Andrew, who was close friends with Tyler and I at Andover. Then we invited Kelley, who is close friends with PJ and I from North Reading. And Tyner--who i was close with in middle school but didn't see in over eight(!) years, lives in Austin so we reached out to him and he was in too. And they all said they were game without any hesitation really. They're all great friends. And that's how we ended up in Houston.
Tell me a bit about the training program you used.
One of my ultimate teammates who had recently run a marathon recently suggested the Nike Marathon Training Plan, so I based all of my workouts and runs after that. The program consisted of one long run and two speed/training workouts--hills, fartleks, intervals, etc.--during the week. Additionally, I'd be playing some ultimate or goaltimate during some off days.
What was training like?
My first month and a half of training was smooth and very enjoyable, perhaps in large part because I ran fast (sub 9:00 minute miles) and never ran more than ten miles per run. The runner's high is real, and after every run I felt energized and accomplished. I completed my first-half marathon with a GREAT time (1:40:00 // 7:38 clip) about five weeks into training.
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| A strong half marathon result had my hopes up early. |
Shortly after the half marathon, however, things changed. Encouraged by my half-marathon performance, I decided to push myself a bit more during a 14 mile run, running at an 8:30 pace. At around mile 10 however, I injured by IT band through over-training, but decided to push through the pain for an additional four miles...
It was a poor decision. When I got home, the pain was so excruciating that it hurt to walk up the stairs or lift my legs to get into the shower. That night, I couldn't sleep, as slight movement of my leg resulted in pain. The pain stuck around for a few days, and I ended up taking off a few weeks during the holidays. But whenever I tried to run, 1.5-2 miles into the run my IT band began to flare up. I couldn't really do anything at that point. At this point, I realized it was time to adjust my goal: To simply finish the marathon.
So in January, I made small but significant lifestyle changes to put myself the best position to simply finish on race day. I transitioned into a mostly vegetarian based diet to promote recovery. I increased my daily intake of water. I gained an extra 30-60 minutes of sleep each night. I went dry (onalcohol) for the last several weeks. I persistently rolled out my legs and bought a therapy band to stretch and strengthen. Combine the improved lifestyle with a rehab plan provide by a physical therapist friend, Zach, I had a plan in place to cross the finish line.
Still, my post-injury training was simply not fun. In addition to 20-30 minutes of daily rehab/stretching, I severely slowed my pace, to a grandma-like 11-12 minute pace, a pace that sometimes didn't even push me enough to sweat while running. Gone were the peaks of the runner's high and the confidence that I was an athletic running marvel. I actively had to tell myself to slow down to avoid potential injury sometime down the road.
With rehab and rest, I saw signs of improvement, but my IT band was inconsistent. One week I could run six miles before the injury would reappear. The next week it was twelve miles. But the following week back down to only five miles. A few weeks later I peaked at twenty miles, but did the last ten miles with discomfort, the last two miles in severe pain. My last two long runs of fifteen and ten miles went injury-free, although I ran very conservatively to avoid further injury...
I went into race day hopeful and optimistic that'd I'd be able to finish with a slow time, but I knew it was far from a sure thing.
Did training for and running a marathon help you on the ultimate field?
The short answer is no.
Effective elite ultimate players almost never run at an endurance pace. While ultimate is often billed as an endurance sport, it's more of a series of sprints and changes of direction and acceleration than one-speed, one-dimensional jogging. Even a 7:30 pace is a slow jog down on the pull, where a 10:30 pace is literally a slow grandma run.
That said, the training regime I used, outside of the long-distance running, isn't that terrible for ultimate I suppose. Running a few miles, running hills, and running fartleks and intervals all seem like they could have some pretty good impact on ultimate skills.
And I'm sure that some of the mental training I did will indirectly help my ultimate game in the long-run. I also earned a lot about some muscles--hips, IT band, groins, hamstrings--and how to stretch and strengthen them, which could carry over to the field as well. I know some killer hip/IT band stretches these days.
So long answer: maybe indirectly, in the long run. Although I'm fairly certain I would have been better off actually training for ultimate.
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| Being an ultimate player helped my marathon prep... But marathoning didn't directly help my ultimate training. |
Being an ultimate player definitely helped me prepare for the marathon. I had already been primed with many preparation techniques -- how to eat the week before, adequate stretching and warming up and cooling down, lubing up my thighs and chest, eating a shitton of food and drinking lots of water, mentally preparing for the day -- that directly applied to marathons.
How do the challenges of running a marathon compare to that of high-level ultimate tournaments?
Both are very challenging, and both have different sets of challenges.
I'd argue that ultimate, a competitive tournament let's say, is MORE physically taxing than a marathon. A full slate of games on a tournament day is longer and more high intensity than slow-jogging for a long time. I was more tired after a full day of ultimate than my marathon. Additionally, ultimate is a sport where you have to think and react physically and mentally--whether it's a turnover, a throw, a cut, a defensive set, etc.--and adapt on the fly. It's a much higher paced, more stressful and a more intense experience than simply running. I always had the mindset that playing elite ultimate for four straight hours would be more taxing than slow jogging for four straight hours. And I was right.
But running a marathon is much more of a mental challenge: can you train yourself to do virtually the same exact thing for a long time? Can you keep good form--back up, forward-backward arm swings, head up, short strides, long breaths, etc.--the entire race? Do you have the patience to conserve your energy and maintain a reasonable pace so you still have stuff left in the tank the last five miles? Can you stick to a training plan? Can you prepare, stretch, and fuel yourself the right way every day? The discipline and focus required to complete a marathon isn't something that comes naturally to most and stretched me (great pun, Josh) in different ways that ultimate cannot.
Cycling the Natchez Trace or Running a Marathon--which did you prefer?
Distance cycling and distance running are similar. Consistency is a main factor in both -- can you do the same thing for several straight hours? They both test you similarly mentally, being by yourself for a long time, a battle between you and yourself to keep grinding. But cycling has a bit more variety -- speeds, hills, rest stops, scenery, etc.--than running does. And you can be cruising a downhill on a bike without exerting much energy, something you are never able to do while running. But cycling also requires more prep and knowledge in regards to equipment, maintenance, etc.
In short, I'd still say I find cycling more enjoyable because of the variety.
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| Perhaps our favorite breed of rabbit, the English Lop. |
Houston was the perfect host. We flew in on Friday morning. Went to Rodeo Houston, which in itself is a worthy reason to go to Houston. The livestock was cool, I mean, where else could you learn that there are 48 unique breeds of rabbits? Or see a Texas Longhorn with 6 ft horns? Or a lamb being born live? (It was weird). There were shows and carnival games. Think of a large state fair... but way larger.
But better than all of the cows, hogs, carnival games, and piglet races, Our highlight of was undoubtedly Mutton Bustin'. Mutton Bustin', for those of us who are unaware, is basically the kiddie version of bull riding. But instead of grown men and women staying as long as they can on a bull, it's five and six year old children holding (bear-hugging) sheep for dear life as long as they can as the sheep sprints across the area.
The most memorable moment was the second rider--remember, they're five or six years old-- went the distance on the sheep! Which was awesome until the sheep slammed the kid's head directly into the rail... even though he had padding and a helmet, he was definitely concussed. Yet the Rodeo clowns immediately brushed it aside as if it were no big deal. How was all this legal?
Anyways, The Woodlands Marathon itself was spectacular as well. Bib pickup was painless the night before. Parking was plentiful and close to the starting line the day of. The weather was sunny and a cool (for Houston standards) 50 degrees at start and 65ish by my finish. The town of The Woodlands is such a pretty, almost glitzy suburb of Houston (think a larger, greener prettier Atlantic Station) with lots of shops, restaurants, walkways, grassy areas, and a man-made lake/waterway. The course was rather flat, and well stocked with enthusiastic fans cheering and holding signs, water and gatorade stops, and port-a-potties.
The barbecue and the Tex-Mex was delicious, and the Celtics @ Rockets was a fantastic game despite a close loss by the Celtics. The Toyota center was an incredible atmosphere to watch a game in as well. The night life seemed vibrant as well.
Overall, Houston is a swell town and The Woodlands Marathon was awesome and well-run. Definitely recommend for someone looking for a good race to run!
What were you thinking about right before / during the race?
I woke up at 4:45 on race day. I made sure to stretch thoroughly (for about a half hour), eat and drink a ton (I ate a few packs of Welch's fruit chews, 4 Clif bars, a peanut butter sandwich, and drank several cups of water and gatorade).
And next thing I knew I was in the race corral ready to go.
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| In the corral, ready to go! |
Give me a play-by-play about your thoughts during the marathon. Did you enjoy running it?
The entire first half of the marathon, I was thinking to myself, "slow and steady wins the race." I simply wanted to finish and ensure my IT band would not flare up. Avoiding the dreaded "Did Not Finish" was goal number one.
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| Me taking the pic at mile ~20... |
At about the 15 mile mark though, I still felt pretty good, with no signs of my IT band flaring up. So I decided to pick up the pace just a bit, running at about a 10 minute pace versus the 11-12 minute pace I started with. I felt like I could have pushed a bit faster still. But at about mile 20, still feeling relatively good and with no signs of IT band fatigue, I thought "Fuck it, let's go!"
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| ...how the pic turned out lol |
Then about a quarter of a mile later, an asian guy yells at me "Hey, Josh!" and there's Andrew--who just moved to Arkansas and had been living in India for the past several months, and who I hadn't seen since our Canada Trip-- casually standing there! I stopped, gave him a quick hug, with a huge smile on my face.
I was cruising at this point, energized by the presence of my friends. About another half mile later, I saw the other four guys again -- they heckled me and drove alongside the route and parked ahead to see me again. This time I stopped, took a (terrible) picture of them, gave Jeff a hug, and scurried on.
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| This is when I was racing Andrew. |
I definitely had more adrenaline knowing people were cheering and heckling me on the route. It was certainly an energy boost--I was peaking at close to an 8:00 clip during miles 20-24, supposedly the most difficult miles of the race.
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| A feeling of true elation. |
How fast did you run? What was your time?
My time was 4:36:53... a 10:34 min/ mile pace. It was a fair bit slower than I had hoped after my half marathon (I ran a 1:40:00/ 7:38 pace for my half in November), but much faster than anything I expected following my injury. Overall a great time given my (post-injury) expectations. Maybe one day I go for the sub 10 minute marathon, or even try to hit the sub 8:00 clip if completely healthy.
How did you celebrate your successful finish?
After picking up my medal and t-shirt, hugging my friends, eating the marathon food, taking pictures, downing the marathon beer, etc., we went to downtown Houston, got some barbecue, went to some bars with outdoor patios. I was convinced when we were eating it was already like 6:00pm when in reality it was only 2:30. Waking up at 4:45 and running 26.2 before noon will do that to you!
That evening we went to the Celtics @ Rockets game (it was a fantastic game to be at, even though the Celtics fell short in the final seconds), and after the game we went out again. By the end of the night I could barely walk/bend my knees, and the booze hits you a bit quick after staying dry for 2 months and running for 26.2 miles, but overall it was an incredible day.
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| Celtics @ Rockets 3/3/18 |
Tips for anyone thinking about running a marathon?
1) Better to start out too slow than too fast. This applies to both training and the race itself. I've heard horror stories about how people struggle to the finish and how they hated running it. Meanwhile, I passed like 200-300 people on the course of the last half of my marathon.
In any race, make sure you run a negative split (your second half of the race should be faster than the first half). You'll feel better at the end finishing full throttle passing a bunch of people, and you'll hate yourself much less after the race if you can walk properly.
2) Don't skimp on warming up and stretching. A reason I likely injured myself was because during the first half of my training plan, I skimped on stretching. I thought "Oh, running slow is way easier than ultimate... I'm basically jogging at a warmup lap pace the entire time. So why stretch?" While this was true, repeating the same motion for hours adds up and will get to you.
Do yourself a favor and stretch properly BEFORE you get injured. Trust me.
3) "No Pain, No Gain" is not a useful mindset while running. There's a popular saying that no pain, no gain. This may be true in some aspects in life, but not while running.
While there will certainly be times that suck and when you'll have to push yourself, pain is NOT something you should ever have to endure while running. There's a difference between discomfort and pain. If something hurts, STOP, rest, and take care of it. Pushing through pain will only make things worse... I learned that the hard way. Trust me.
4) Running a marathon is more of a mental game than a physical one. I touched on this a bit earlier, but running a marathon is more of a mental challenge than a physical challenge. If you really think about it, the concept of slow jogging is much less taxing than sprinting, turning, or accelerating.
The preparation, focus, stretching, consistency, restraint, and patience are the true challenges that a marathon offers, at least in my opinion. And those are mental hurdles, not physical ones. There's a reason most successful marathon runners are in their 40s and not their 20s. It's at that age that people are more mentally mature and strong enough to carry out the mental challenge that the marathon brings.
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| Post-Marathon beers |
5) Go somewhere awesome and grab some friends if you can. Use the marathon to go somewhere awesome, and grab some friends! It's better this way. More on this in a sec.
6) Have fun and enjoy it! There were definitely times when I thought "Why the hell am I doing this? This sucks!". But at large, if you aren't looking forward to the challenge, if you aren't feeling good about your decision to run the marathon or training, go do something else. I can't stress this anymore.
Will you run another marathon?
If someone asked me to run one with them I'd think about it. But I definitely plan to take a few years off at least. Another half-marathon is likely. But a full marathon isn't easy; you're sacrificing every other athletic pursuit and a lot of your free weekend and evening time. So I'd say a firm maybe.
What was your main takeaway from the whole experience?
I learned a hell of a lot from my marathon experience. Running a marathon is an impressive feat. I'll give myself that. It was neat, and rewarding.
But it wasn't crossing the finish line that made the whole experience unforgettable. It was crossing the finish line knowing that friends who actually gave a shit about me were there cheering me on, helping me complete my goal.
I mean, I'll reiterate. Three guys took days off from work and flew halfway across the country to cheer me on. One guy drove ten (!) hours each way to cheer me and hang out. The last guy drove four hours to see me... even though we hadn't seen each other in eight years. I'm not used to having friends around that actually give two shits.
Their presence and cheering undoubtedly helped my performance during and long before the race--I had been looking forward to the weekend for months. And I definitely sped up my pace when they were physically on the course.
It was the combination of doing something internally significant AND the connections I was able to develop with people I cared about that made the experience unforgettable. While I'll definitely remember crossing the finish line, my favorite moments are memories that I can share and cherish for years: finally (somewhat surprisingly) seeing each other on the marathon course, watching 5-6 year olds hold onto sheep for dear life, obnoxiously cheering for the road team in the nosebleeds of the Toyota center, stumbling back to the hotel barely able to walk at 2:00am, and waking up to a bunch of drunk texts, snapchats, and stories the morning after the race.
I'm so fortunate to have my friends, thanks for putting this experience over the top, guys. If you are fortunate to have friends even nearly as good as mine in your life, cherish them. They'll help you make your greatest goals that much more worthwhile.
Let's hang again soon boys.
-JTF
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| The North Reading Guys |
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| The Andover Guys |
