THIS - The Nike Women's Marathon San Francisco 2013

Susan and I are coaches for Team in Training. 

We have day jobs that pay the bills, but our coaching job is what feeds our spirits.

THIS is our job description.

THIS is my office

Mile 6: The start of the first hill at Crissy Field.

THESE are our mentors

Coach Al and Mama Lisa have trained thousands of marathoners and ultra marathoners between them and they continue to inspire generations of coaches to follow their example.

Florencia Borelli (Half Marathon) and Emily Gordon (Full Marathon) won the race.

THIS woman also won.

Coach MaryAnne Ravano with Shellie David. Shellie trimmed 15 minute off her previous full marathon PR.

so did THIS one,

Tiana showing her heart in the half marathon on the Cliff House hill. I tell people she was so far in front of the pack that you couldn't see anyone else.

and THIS one,

Lally Reyes finishes her first half marathon. We had to pry her away from her family at mile 12.9 to do it.

and all of THESE women. 

The San Francisco All Bay Walk Team - Team Remo. We raised over $140,000 this season.

and so did 30,000 more.

THIS is how the mission started.

Bruce Cleland and his daughter Georgia. Bruce started Team in Training 25 years ago. He and his friends raised over $300,000 for cancer research in honor of his daughter. 

THESE are our customers. They are the reason we have our jobs.

The Honored Patients at the Inspiration Dinner representing close to a million people in the US with blood cancer.

THESE are our coworkers. They all stay until the lights go out.

THIS is our annual report.

$9 million raised in 2013 for Nike alone.

and THIS...

Sue Yee is a long time participant and cancer survivor. She had been worried about not being allowed to finish the full marathon because of the new cut off time.

THIS is our paycheck.

She made it. And she set a personal best.

With four weeks left to our two state, double half marathon, this was our longest mileage of the season. Our legs are ready.

And now our hearts are full. That should carry us the rest of the way.

~//~

The Nike Women's Marathon San Francisco celebrated its 10th year in 2013. The 30,000 participants makes it the largest women's race in the world. There were 26,404 finishers in the Half Marathon (median finish time 2:36) and 4,261 finisher in the Full Marathon (median finish time 5:14). Despite the name, men are welcome to participate as 383 did in 2013).

The 2013 course had a slight modification near mile 4, heading up Van Ness instead of through Fort Mason. The Government shut down was rumored to have some effect on route planning. The Full course was modified to be an out and back to Lake Merced instead of a loop, giving some flexibility in sweep points. Fortunately, the race organizers were generous this year and none of our participants had to hop the sag wagon. 

Weather (2013): low 50's F at race start and fog that held through the entire morning. It got a bit chilly on the Great Highway. We apologize for not having the spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Race weekend activities: Fortunately, the Government run tourist sites were open. Locals were fighting the Bart Strike to pick up bibs during the week, but Bart had no effect on the race. Susan was busy working since she was doing a quick turnaround back to Bethesda for a conference.  We DID manage to get a post-race dinner with the walk coaches and a few of our rock star participants at Zingari.

This year was our 9th time participating in Nike. It's still my favorite race to support. Be sure to Like our Marathoning For Life Facebook community page!

The First of the October Milestones - Staying in step at Rock n Roll Cleveland

This weekend marked the first of several races with major milestones for us. Earlier this year, we both crossed off "50 events (half and full marathons combined) by age 50" from our bucket lists - years ahead of schedule. We reset goals to be 100 events by 50 and started ramping up the frequency. The Inaugural Rock n Roll Cleveland was Susan's 50th Half Marathon. Because of our previous schedules, she's one Half ahead of me and that's fine because this race would be all about her. The room was decorated with 50's. Her shirt was decorated front and back. Susan was coming off the IPM weight loss contest feeling (and looking) fantastic.

(This blog is co-written from Ron and Susan's different perspectives)

The universe gave us clear skies on race day despite the forecasts for thunderstorms as late as 10 PM the night before. If you have an outdoor event planned in the near future and want to have a clear day, feel free to call us to keep the rain away :)

Kevin Gonzalez and I planned to race together since we've always seen him bolt out of the gate fast and then have his last 5K be painfully slow. The concept of negative splits had never crossed his mind so we fitted him with Susan's old Garmin 405 so he could better track his progress. As the air horn went off in the shadow of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame I started calling out mile splits. This race was an education for Kevin, but also an incredibly proud event for me in quite a few ways.

I've always told people that Susan is a better walker than I am. She has better form and in the short distances, she's faster than I am, walking a 10:20 mile even a few years ago. She never seemed to push herself because in the back of her mind, she didn't want to risk injury. As usual at the start of the race, I kissed her, wished her a good race and told her I'd wait for her at the finish line no matter what the weather had in store for us that day.

Susan: Usually my races go exactly as I had trained. Today, however, was different in more ways than I could have ever imagined. I wasn't taking this race very seriously based on the number of desserts I sampled at the Horseshoe Casino buffet the night before. The forecast was for rain so I wore my oldest pair of running shoes that I planned to throw away at the end of this trip. I forgot to bring electrolytes with me and couldn't find any Nuun at the expo so I just put plain water in my bottle and did without. Nothing leading up to the start indicated that this was going to be a particularly good race day. But then it was time to head to the corrals tiptoeing between a few raindrops. Oh no, here comes the rain.... But it never materialized. I followed Ron and Kevin into the front of the corral and realized that I was going to get trampled once our wave started. We always start at the back if the corral - not today. I looked up and saw Kamika taking pictures of us on the sideline! Wait! Did he have a race bib on? What's he doing taking pictures of us when he should be lining up?! If we had been at the back if the corral we would have missed him and him us. We were already a step ahead having no idea what was in store for us next.

Photo by Kamika Smith who has been flying all over the US for the last few months. He came in after a race in Plymouth Michigan the day before.

Ron: Kevin had a great first 3 miles, knocking out a good 11:15min/mile pace even with a few slight hills. We agreed I'd lead so that he would be able to hold back, and we were helping each other call out the tangents to shave the distance down as much as possible. At the 3 mile mark, we were walking right on schedule at 34:41 at the 5K mark. It was a muggy start at 70 degrees and my shirt was soaked already. This was Kevin's element being the Florida native that he is.

Susan: Within the first mile, there already were more hills than I had expected. Apparently Western Cleveland is flat but we were on the Eastern side of Cleveland - not so flat. Ahead I saw a group if 3 women racewalkers. I was busy admiring their form (great arms, great turnover, great race etiquette walking only 2 abreast) and decided to follow them for a while. I quickly realized that my top walk pace was slightly slower than theirs and I was going to lose them if I didn't run to catch up. I hadn't run in training for quite a while but decided following these women was worth it. I hung back so as not to disturb them with all the "Congratulations!" comments I was getting on my 50th half marathon. But I kept jogging to catch them and didn't want to let them get too far ahead of me. I said to myself, "Susan, you're a veteran half marathoner. You know better than to let someone else set the pace for you." But what the heck. I decided to ride the tidal wave of supporters who were in awe of my 50 halves accomplishment while I was mesmerized by the trio in front of me. So be it if I burn myself out today. Let's just see how long I can hang with them using them as my butt magnets and I tried not to look at my GPS which would have told me that I was averaging 2+ min per mile faster than I had trained. Next thing I know, around mile 5 the trio of race walking ladies were catching up to Ron and Kevin which meant so was I! I'm not sure who was more surprised. Them or me!

Ron: Susan had picked up a group of three racewalkers from Cincinnati. The ladies had excellent turnover and were keeping a solid 11:10 - 11:15 pace for the first half. Susan was putting in some time jogging, but still holding her own during the walk intervals. We stayed within 20 yards of each other for the next 5K. Kevin dropped our pace to about 11:10 through 6 miles. I had thought about letting him go and see what he had left for the second half. The Cincinnati gals were matching us stride for stride so I decided to see how the group could work off each other. I have to say, something about having a good pace group really made it easy! We hit the 10K mark at 1:11:06.

Susan:There comes a point in every race where you know you're going to finish. Sometimes it's before you start and sometimes it's not until you actually see the finish line at the very end. Today, I realized around the 10k mark that not only was I going to finish, I was going to do it in record time. The continued adrenaline rush from my fellow racers who went as far as to take out their headphones to congratulate me on my 50th must have been the fuel I needed to keep going at this blistering pace.

(Ron) Miles 7 to 10 were still in the low 11's. Susan was right along side us the whole way. She mentioned some of the comments she was getting about her "Celebrating my 50th Half Marathon" sign on her back. Major swelling of pride. I was just beaming.  We left one of the Cincinnati walkers behind us, but were still trailing two others. A few short, but good sized hills shot my heart rate into the mid 180's as Kevin telemarked his way to a 10 meter lead. Geez. I thought I walked hills well.  The heat and grades were getting to us though. We finished the first 10 miles at 1:54:08.

Susan: At this point my trio was starting to slow down into the 12's. I made the conscious decision to catch up to Ron and Kevin up ahead. They were still holding their pace in the 11's and I was still going strong so why not use them to get me the rest of the way. We never planned for this and we weren't even sure what to make of the three if us being together. I could tell Ron was focused on Kevin and I quickly switched my focus to the lead Cincinnati gal who had broken away from the pack and was charging ahead.

Ron: The last three miles got mental pretty quickly. I was going through my checklist. Ate too much right before the race, didn't have enough water. Took the hills too fast to keep up with Kevin. Between shouting some form adjustments and telling Kevin to give it more, I'm surprised he didn't go into John Binghan's "Bite Me Zone" before we finished. We caught sight of Kamika Smith on the Carnegie bridge during one of the Polka DJ's songs. Coming down the last two turns, Susan passed us, looking annoyingly fresh.

Susan: The "run breaks" were paying off. Training with my new heart rate monitor with my Garmin GPS, I learned that my heart rate dropped when I was running at the same pace as walking. Therefore, I broke up muscle fatigue from walking with some light jogging until I caught up to the Cincinnati race walker in front of me. One of the ladies broke off from her girlfriends and charged ahead. I looked at Ron and he kindly said, "Go ahead and finish strong!"  I took off after her but never caught her. At this point she was cruising in strong and I was jogging in at my only sub 11 min/mi of the race. I had no desire to finish ahead of her even if I could have caught her. After everything those Cincinnati Racewalkers did to help pace me, it was an honor to finish behind the leader of the pack.

Coming down the chute I saw John Bingham. I quickly turned around (dancing) so he could see my "Celebrating my 50th half marathon" sign on my back. In true Bingham style, he announced to the crowd that not only was I celebrating my 50th half marathon but that I had just started running a few months ago! Then he kept saying, "Where's Ron? Where's Ron?"

Ron: Kevin and I came down the chute following one of the Cincinnati walkers. Neither of us had much left so I felt great that we left it all out on the course. Near the finish, John Bingham congratulated Kevin on finishing his '422nd Rock n Roll race'. Those of us in the know like to bet on the number.  John also let me know that Susan
finished about '20 minutes earlier.'  I know she was ahead of us, but wanted to see where her final time was.  Kevin and I matched finish times at 2:30:53.

Susan: This was a new experience. Normally Ron is the one waiting for me at the finish line. I did the only thing I could think to do. I pulled out my phone and started taking pictures of Ron and Kevin crossing the finish line. Kevin was striking up conversations with those around him. Ron was stopping to stretch to ward off near cramping. Susan was feeling great and amazed that the walk-run routine had worked as well as it did. 50 in the bag!

We made our way to the VIP tent that CGI was so gracious to extend to us in Cleveland. We waited for Kamika to come in so we could take the official "Rock n Roll Gypsy" pictures before going our separate ways.

Ron, Beth Deloria-Austin, Sherry Ricker, Joe Harris, Jim Austin, Krissy Foley, Kevin Gonzalez, Michelle Johnson, David DeNeire with 50 Half Marathoner Susan

Susan is off to do the Rock n Roll Brooklyn 10k next weekend and to get her Rock Idol while Ron will be with Team Remo in San Francisco for send off and the last training before Nike. We'll be traveling to St. Louis at the end of the month to get our third Rock Idol as a married couple.

Then it gets crazy.

~//~

The Inaugural Rock n Roll Cleveland Half Marathon had 5044 finishers (Median finish time of 2:19:43). There was also a Mini-Marathon that was not timed (or at least there are not results posted at this time). The course starts on Erieside and Rock n Roll Boulevard on the steps of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and crosses west over the Cuyahoga River as far as W 6th Street, taking a southern loop around Tremont Park before crossing back over the Carnegie Bridge. The last few miles head into downtown, ending at the Tower City Center in the plaza outside the Horseshoe Casino. 

Weather (2013): 60 F and high humidity at the starting line, warming to 70. The thunderstorms held off and there was almost no rain to speak of on race day.

Race weekend activities: Minimal due to the rain threat, but the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame was a great few hours of history. Thanks RNR for the discounted tickets that helped us skip the line at the opening! Had the Indians not lost the wild card game, it may have been a lot more crowded near our hotel on Carnegie.


RNR Cleveland was our first race in Ohio, checking of our 16th state including Washington DC. This was Susan's 50th Half Marathon, her 61st event and her overall PR (2:30:05). Ron and Kevin finished at 2:30:52. 

An Amazing Run of Luck - Allard USA and the Oasis Rock n Roll Montreal 2013

For the past eight years, it seems Susan and I have had an incredible run of what I refer to as "weather luck". With rare exceptions, it seems like we hit a sweet spot in the weather systems for our races. In 2010 in New Orleans, it poured all night before the race and storms hit hard the day after. Race day was perfectly sunny and clear. In 2011 in Nashville, we barely missed a row of storms and tornadoes and were even able to visit Graceland down in Memphis before flying out just ahead of the next storm front. This year in Chicago, the heat wave broke and we started the race about 10 degrees cooler than the forecasted mid 70's for the race start.

Granted, we have had our share of deluges, notably at our first full marathon (2005 Mayors Marathon Anchorage) and Rock n Roll Providence in 2011. Providence was my first time walking under 2:40 though, so maybe walking on water actually helped.

I was re-evaluating our 'weather luck' as we stood in corral 21 on the Jacque Cartier Bridge overlooking Montreal a few weeks ago. It was in the low 50's (10 C for those keeping score) with a stiff breeze and a steady drizzle. Being on the bridge made it a little more exposed as we waited about a half hour for the wave start to get us moving. Fortunately, we prepared well for the conditions. We wrapped ourselves in a space blanket from a previous race and shared body heat like a pair of foil-wrapped hot dogs in a street vendor cart. Susan later said that was one of the fondest memories she's had for our races this year.

About 10 minutes earlier, we had another type of luck. This seems to happen to a lot of marathoners we know, but out of the 30,000 people who were in the race that morning, we only knew three other people. Two of them - Beth Deloria and Jim Austin - happened to find us on the way to our corral. We've had the privilege to share our Rock n Roll journey with some inspiring people and these two are near the top of our list. In Montreal, we spent a lot of time with Beth Deloria and Jim Austin, a couple from North Carolina who, as far as I know, are the only other married couple to each have two Rock Idol medals. Jim was joking that he wanted to stay close to us to keep the rain away.  He's also the one who coined the term "Rock n Roll Gypsies" to refer to a group of us who follow the Tour.

Beth has foot drop, a condition resulting from a spinal surgery that paralyzed her left ankle. This is a common injury that prevents many people from walking without canes or walkers. She wears a custom orthotic brace from Allard where she is the Director of Community Outreach. Not only can she walk without assistance, she can  run. Jim beams at the fact that she's even faster than him! She and Jim are nearly done with a 24 month schedule where they'll be doing 48 races, mostly half marathons. As they race they'll be spreading awareness for Allard products.  At dinner the night before RNR Montreal, she told us about visiting a clinic near Montreal where they met a woman who had spent years using a cane. They fitted her with a brace and within minutes, she was able to walk across the room without assistance. The woman was in shock and overwhelmed with emotion. It was the kind of freedom she hadn't experienced in years. The story of Beth's racing journey was picked up across the Canadian newswire. The device has been available for years, but Beth's passion and her campaign through racing is really bringing the possibilities to the spotlight.

The rain held off for the most part. Other than having to splash through some very wide puddles in the amusement park before mile 2, both Susan and I did very well.
After the race, we walked by the CGI VIP tent just as they were coming out. We exchanged hugs and parted ways. We'll be seeing Beth and Jim in Cleveland, St. Louis and in our Double in San Antonio and Vegas.

Luck is something you can make for yourself. Put yourself in the position to experience new things and take advantage of the situations that present themselves. There's an exciting life at the intersection of opportunity and initiative.

Beth, Jim, Susan and Ron before the start of Rock n Roll Montreal 2013.

For more information on Allard and their life-changing product line, visit www.allardusa.com. Follow Beth by liking her Facebook page at Get Back Up Today.

Rock n Roll Montreal had it's second running in 2013. It was previously sponsored by the Oasis Juice company before being acquired by Competitor Group Inc. In 2013, the Half Marathon had 11488 finishers (median time 2:09) and the full marathon had 2885 (median time 4:07). Montreal also held a 10K and a 1K fun run.  Every distance is a point to point course. The half and full marathons start on the Jacque Cartier bridge and proceed east and downward onto the island into the amusement park before crossing back into eastern Montreal. The race finishes at Parc La Fontaine.

Weather (2013): 10 C (49 F) at the starting line, warming slightly by the finish. The rain was light for the most part, thankfully. Winds were infrequent except for a few strong headwinds in the downtown area and the bridges.

Race weekend activities: Il Campari Centro (an Al Hernandez recommendation and Susan Approved Eatery), Chinatown and the Notre Dame  Basilica, fresh hot bagels at Fairmont Bagels, climbing Mont Royal and seeing La Croix at night with my cousin Marites. The Metro is very reliable and a weekend pass for $18 for 3 days is a bargain.

This was our first race in Montreal and our first half marathon outside the United States. Susan's 49th Half Marathon was a minute off her walking PR at 2:40:40. Ron's 48th Half was a respectable 2:29:29 (the fact that Kevin Gonzalez had a 2:29:38 the previous week at RNR Philadelphia had absolutely nothing to do with my finish time). We'll be celebrating our respective 50th Halfs in Cleveland (October 6th) and St. Louis (October 27th).

On The Road Again - TriRock Austin, Adventures on the Bay and Off on an Island

Seven weeks off. Between Rock n Roll Chicago and Rock n Roll Montreal, we haven't been idle. A week after Chicago, I took advantage of the down time to get surgical work done to fix a nagging injury and get back up to speed. With modern laproscopic procedures, the recovery was surprisingly quick. Three weeks after surgery, I was up to 12 miles, albeit in two six mile segments. The following week we were up to 14 miles, half with Team Remo in the morning at Heather Farms and the rest on the Alameda Creek Trail in the afternoon.

Week 4: The best part about not having races is not having to worry about a lot of details. Things are open to you that you wouldn't usually do, like having rich food, doing excess mileage the day before, trying new things and wearing new clothes.

Oh. And costumes. Susan was getting dressed and said "it feels like Halloween and I'm dressing up as Ann Wessling!" I debuted an Ann original at TriRock Austin - Swim Cap Chaps.

What can you do when you don't worry about your own race? Sleep in. Get a big breakfast. Have more coffee. Wander around the race venue. This was the prize we 'won' at the LLS Gala auction. We couldn't think of a better prize than a day with our friend Ann.  We even had a bonus treat of an early training run with two time Ironman World champ Chris "Macca" McCormack. I use the conjunction "with" loosely.

Week 5: It's always a treat to train with other TNT teams and our favorite is the East Bay Run team. Coach Al, Coach Rudy, Coach Karen and Coach Tim along with Captain Robin and dozens of familiar faces joined us on a last minute change of route from the Berkeley Marina to the newly opened eastern span of the Bay Bridge. We still haven't driven across it, but we've walked it as far as we can go.

Week 7: Susan's company flew us out to beautiful Mackinaw Island for their 25th Anniversary celebration. IPM was once again named as one of the top 25 small companies to work for in 2013. Their CEO Rich Panico was gracious in inviting all of the spouses as well. The island was a perfect training ground for our Double Live training, exactly 8 miles around so we could do one lap in the morning and one in the afternoon.

During the second lap, I stopped a few times to talk to the bikers taking the scenic path. One had a relative who was a racewalk judge and asked me what kind of pace I was keeping. She was impressed, I hope. I stopped to help an elderly lady fix the brakes on her rented bike. She thanked me, as as I walked away, she asked if I'm able to fit my calves into a pair of jeans. Heh.

It's week 8. We're on our way to Montreal as I finish this. I put some pictures on Facebook already but can't add them through an iPad easliy. I'm watching our friend Caryn's progress with great interest. Her Double will effectively be her first full marathon. Al is starting to get over a nagging infection and is getting his lap splits into times I could only dream of.  It's going to be a great two months to San Antonio/Las Vegas.

I was glad to make the quick recovery. Skippng a few weeks of walking really made me appreciate how blessed I am that we can continue to do this. Getting back up to race speed on vacation was a really liberating experience.

Coming back to put in on the course for Rock n Roll number 8 this year?

Priceless.

Down Time. Regaining Perspective.

I sometimes forget how lucky we can be. Life rolls along great and you don't think about how good you have it until something comes up and you're back at square one.

Since I started my marathoning career in 2005, there have only been two times where I physically couldn't race. In 2008, hamstring strains kept us out of the Big Sur Marathon back when walking under the 6 hour cut off was a bit more challenging than it would be today. In 2010, I had the ACL in my left knee reconstructed and I was on the sidelines for 5 months.

This year, I had a hernia flare up in the middle of Rock n Roll Seattle and I needed some down time to have it patched up. We have six weeks between Rock n Roll Chicago and Rock n Roll Montreal, so there is a decent window of recovery time. I figured I'd better get it taken care of before the schedule got crazy - seven half marathons and four 15+ miles support weekends for Nike between now and Thanksgiving. After that, we ramp up training for the back to back full marathons in Antarctica and Chile.

Some people think we're obsessed. I honestly have no idea what they're talking about.

After surgery, I woke up groggy and apparently had about 40 minutes of coherent conversation with Susan that involved a lot of "I love yous" that I don't for the life of me remember. Just like the 2010 knee surgery, she was an absolute angel taking care of me for the first week. She brought me ice packs, copious fluids and took care of the dogs while I was moving slowly. I can not say enough how blessed I am to have her in my life.

I remember how to reset expectations. Between the knee surgeries, broken legs and twisted ankles, I've had to learn how to walk 6 times in my adult life and since good walk form demands a lot of core strength and flexibility, this was going to be number 7. Starting over is nothing new to me. It was nice that between Facebook posts, Fitbit, Runtastic and Garmin Connect and Project 365, I've been able to track how quickly I've been progressing. The day after surgery I was supposed to get back on my feet and keep things moving. I did a half mile to the creek and back with the dogs at a blistering 40 minute per mile pace. Four days of forced rest and a liquid diet made me lose eight pounds. I had almost no stamina. Breathing was painful and labored. I had a ways to go.

I set goals realistically and followed the doctor's guidance of 'activities as tolerated'. I hit 10,000 steps on day 5 and started climbing stairs to hit my daily goal of 20 flights by day 6. The doc cleared me to get back to whatever I wanted to do short of lifting anything over 10 pounds. I couldn't pick up either of the dogs, but salsa dancing was an option. He did mention that it probably would hurt for a while. Ice packs became my friends.
 
On day 8, I was able to walk the three mile loop at work without stopping. I started with just getting through the mileage, then pushing my times down from 16 minute miles to 15, then down to 14. By day 13, I was on the Alameda Creek trail doing 6 miles, two miles at a time to Starbucks and back. This Sunday I was on the road walking the first extended mileage and speed since surgery. Six miles in the morning at 12:30 min/mile pace. Four miles in the late afternoon heat at a 13:10 min/mile pace. I think I'm ready to string a full dozen miles next week during our coached workout at Heather Farms.

I'm nowhere near full speed yet, but I know that will come in time. I can't help but think how these last few weeks are like my last eight years in fast forward. I started from the couch and each day got faster, stronger.  Yesterday, I reached the pace I was in 2010. I hope to be at 100% in a few more weeks.

I miss being on the trails. And while it's frustrating to have to wait to get out for a real road test, it's good to have perspective and look back on how far I've come.

I'm grateful for this break. It'll make it all that much sweeter when the next race rolls around.

A few days after my surgery, Susan and I did an interview for Runner's World for their November issue. We may be included as a part of a panel of experts giving tips to first time run/walkers who want to complete a marathon. Thanks to Erin Allday and TNT alum Victoria Colliver at the San Francisco Chronicle for the exposure in the article back in March!

Under the Same Roof - Rock n Roll Chicago Half Marathon 2013

"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof."

- Richard Bach, Illusions

I've said before that the marathoning community is more than just a group of people who share a hobby. There's a big gap between people who've never done a half or full marathon and people who've completed even just one. This April, during the Boston Marathon bombings, I noticed that gap closed quite a bit. Outside the race, marathoners are just people. We grieve. We suffer. We celebrate. We do this with people we barely know for no other reason but that we share a course for a few hours on a weekend.

The Rock n Roll Chicago Half Marathon was a three-act journey along the family theme. 

Act I:
(Remembrance)
First and foremost, we remembered a recent death of a fellow Half Fanatic, Bobby Prayther, who recently died suddenly at the age of 47. There was a moment of silence before the group picture at the Buckingham Fountain. Bobby completed at least 31 half marathons and was a double agent as a member of the Marathon Maniacs. Susan and I met him in St. Petersburg earlier this year. We didn't connect for very long, but we're sad to see him leave this world.  Our friend Kevin dedicated his race to Bobby's memory. Several racers were wearing signs on their jerseys with Bobby's numbers. HF#1807/MM#3492.

The Half Fanatics pre-race picture at Grant Park

Act II:
(geshundeit)
Ron's Race: Al made a last minute decision to register for the race since he was working a triathlon expo just over the border in Wisconsin. Long story short, with the pollen count off the charts, his nagging lung infection still not completely clear and a late arrival Saturday night, this was not looking like a banner race. After some early morning struggles to get his 4 bags down from the 34th floor without a working elevator, he was able to hop on the CTA and meet me at our hotel about 30 minutes before the 6:30 gun. We still had to pick up his bib for the race. 

Our hotel was about a mile from the starting line and we decided to take a cab. This should have been my first red flag about how Al was feeling. A cab? For just a mile? Since our hotel was on the course, the surrounding streets were closing down and the cab was diverted to a route even further than where we started. By 6:10, the cab driver was ready to run a barrier in the underground streets when a Chicago policeman yelled at him to stop. The policeman was actually reaching for his holster and radioing in for help before we backed out. We got about a half mile from the starting line before hopping out (tipping the cab generously, I would say).  The wave start helped us a lot. The line for race-day pick up was 300 deep and we had enough time to get into corral 25 to start. 

The second red flag came up about mile 2 when Al told me to slow down a bit. Apparently the NyQuil he'd taken to clear his lungs was still in his system and after describing the spots in front of his eyes that looked like Bat signals, I figured it was time to go into full support mode. He didn't think about leaving me in Seattle when I was hurting, so I was damned sure I was going to look after him this time around. By mile 6, I was walking at a relaxed pace and making sure he stayed vertical. Things got better by mile 7, but it was going to be a slow day for both of us.

Coming off the turn at 31st and Lake Shore, we were certain that Susan would have caught us by that point. A quick location check on Find iPhone showed her about a mile back. She was texting regularly, but something just wasn't feeling right. We ran into fellow Half-Fanatic, Wilbert, at mile 8 and Maryland TNT Mentor Caitlyn at mile 9. I checked in with Al and he sounded like he was OK to continue with Wilbert and Caitlyn for the last mile. Like I did in 2012, I turned back to find Susan and make sure SHE was OK.

Act III:
(Heaven on Earth)
Susan's Race: At the expo the day before, Beth gave Ron and me "get back UP today" today medals for being ardent supporters of a cause near and dear to her heart. This must have been some sort of foreshadowing of how my race was going to be that day. After hooking up in the corral and hearing about their adventures that morning, I let Ron and Al go ahead and decided to ease up and enjoy the race that day. 

Around mile 2 I saw two people carrying a sign that said, "Get back UP today Shannon!" I instantly recognized the sign and starting taking pictures. I introduced myself, asked them if they knew Jim and Beth (which of course they did) and said that I wanted to take a few pictures of them on the course. My plan was to continue on my way until I started to chat with Barbie. This was Barbie's second attempt at completing the RnR Chicago Half Marathon with her leg brace. Rick (who helped Barbie get fitted in the right brace) had decided the day before to do the half marathon (without training) so that he could be there to support Barbie. This was his first half marathon but his whole focus was making sure that Barbie had a good time this time around. 

While Rick was chilling to the music in his earphones, Barbie told me that Shannon (who the sign was for) was having back surgery the next day and they they were walking in her honor to give her strength. That's what seems to connect us back-of-the-packers most - the selfless attitude of helping others no matter what our own circumstance.

Barbie and Susan (with Rick from Allard in the background)

As soon as Barbie mentioned that she got swept at mile 9.5 last year and forced to take a bus to the finish, she had me at "swept." I instantly decided to stay with her and first-timer Rick to help them BOTH finish the race that day. We made it past both cut-off points at mile 9.5 and mile 11.9 with at least 10 minutes to spare. My most memorable moment of the race was when Barbie told me how elective back surgery had led to a severed nerve leaving one foot paralyzed and one foot numb. For five years she suffered until a friend saw Beth on TV describing foot drop syndrome and brace technology that can help you walk again. Barbie contacted her doctor who put her in touch with Rick at Allard. She went from stumbling and falling routinely without the brace to being able to dance at a wedding! Her spirit has not been crushed and she's on a mission to find others in need whose lives can be transformed just as hers has. Her students call her the bionic woman and she inspires kids with a variety of disabilities in her school because she's not afraid to "look different." 

Barbie and Rick nicknamed Susan their "Angel" for helping them finish the race.

Out in front of us were two women wearing MY sensational Gypsy Runner outfit for the upcoming TriRock Austin race that Ron and I will be supporting. It wasn't until Barbie, Rick, and I passed them that I realized that I knew them! We've been to so many Expos across the country that our frequently visited vendor acquaintances soon become destinations to say hello to at the exhibit hall. At each race I find something new to add to my collection of race gear and to share with friends and family as gifts. (Alisa - Your blinged out 13.1 car emblem is waiting for you!) This was a rare occasion where our vendor friends became fellow course participants. My favorite moment after the race was seeing Dave unveil that he shared the same bright spirit (underneath a pair of black shorts.) 

Amy, Dave, and Amy's sister Brenda from Gypsy Runner

Everyone on the course has a story. Some are whimsical ("I did this on a dare", "my significant other made me do it"). Some are moving, like dedicating a race to a fallen friend or coming back to overcome the odds. If you stop and listen to a few of these stories you'll start to bond with a wide variety of people like we have. 

Every race weekend becomes a family reunion.

The Rock n Roll Chicago Half Marathon was first held in 2009. Before being bought by Competitor Group, it was known as the Chicago Distance Classic and had been around for over 20 years. The event is held in mid July to early August.  In 2013, there were 14016 finishers (2:18 median time). There was a "Mini Marathon" (5K) added this year.

The course starts in Grant Park, crossing the Chicago River four times, first heading north towards the Magnificent Mile, back south then towards the Near West Side and Greektown, coming back east to Michigan Avenue down to 31st and back along Lake Shore Drive to finish right back at Grant Park. Ron still says this is his favorite urban race due to the scenery though the summer Midwest weather can make you feel like you're racing while wearing a Saran wrap suit. There are two cut-off points at mile 9.5 and 11.9. Participants are either bused to the finish line area or bused to the finish chute.

Weather: Temps range from high 60's to mid 70's for the 6:30 AM start. Humidity is a fact of life in Chicago in the summer and temps can climb 10 - 20 degrees by 10 AM. Hydrate, take advantage of the ice at the med stations and look for the cooling sponges t mile 10. Several local residents come out with hoses. Just remember to cover your electronics as you get a soak.

Things to do (or at least what WE did): We spent much of the weekend at the Expo and getting some extra steps in for our Weight Loss Challenge. Ron was able to complete his 2,000,000 steps in 5 months goal and Susan continues to lead her company contest with a 7% drop in the first month. The expo featured our friend and Rock n Roll gypsy, David DeNeire (runlikeaclydsedale.com) and three contestants from Season 14 of The Biggest Loser (Danni, Jeff and Francelina). Kevin, Susan, and Ron carbo loaded for the race at Noodles. Al recovered enough to be able to introduce us to The Purple Pig, The pork shoulder, the fried eggplant Parmesan balls and the assortment of cheeses were a fantastic way to top off the weekend.

Course setting: City streets, park and lake views. There's a great breeze near the south end of the course in the later miles. The tunnels under McCormick Plaza were a lot less oppressive with the addition of the lights display this year. Maybe next time they'll let us go though the inside with the AC going full blast.

Support: Excellent. Water, Gatorade Endurance every couple miles, Gu at mile 9, Med tents at regular intervals with bags of ice. The misting structure before McCormick was a good touch. Even at the 3:25 finishing time, there was plenty of chocolate milk, bananas, water and cold towels at the finish line. Since Rock n Roll Los Angeles in 2012, Competitor Group has used the Race Guard organization to monitor races. The volunteer first-responders are trained in race first aid and really make you feel safer on a course. With the hot and humid conditions, many of the dangerous conditions like heat exhaustion and heat stroke can be caught before they become life threatening.  

We signed up for RNR Chicago this year as a 'safety race' to ensure we'd get our 10 races in for Rock Idol. The 2014 race is on our calendar, but we haven't registered yet. That may change when the Tour Pass is announced for 2014... any day now...

Nothing Left to Lose - Apps, Gadgets and Challenges

This morning, Susan and I did our one-month weigh-in for her company's three-month weight loss challenge that started on June 16th.

"Huh? Why the heck do you guys need to lose weight?"

Let me clarify. I joined the program because her company was matching the $25 entry fee that goes into the winners' pot. I figure if I grow the pot, it'll reward the folks who are joining the contest with a bigger prize. I don't expect to get anywhere close to winning but we'll all be winners by participating in the end. 

Susan came to the conclusion that studying for exams last year and her work-from-home assignment this year had decreased her activity level with a detrimental effect on her overall health and well-being. With the race heavy 2013 race schedule, she wanted to shed a few pounds to keep her legs fresh. She was already 2 months into her progress, losing about 10 pounds even before the contest was announced. 

Losing weight for us has had short and long term positive effects on our life styles. I celebrated my 2-year anniversary of coming off blood pressure medication on July 14th. It's been about that long since my weight stabilized where it is today. I had a few people say how good I looked, but then ask me in quiet tones why I was losing weight.  Was I sick? Am I undergoing some kind of treatment? Did I have some drastic surgical procedure?  

None of the above. I just decided to get well. I got tired of seeing my triglyceride levels climbing with every blood panel and didn't like the soreness in my knees after doing an easy training.  In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 35.7% of adults and 17% of children in America are obese. I decided I didn't want to be on the wrong side of that statistic. I'm qualified to be listed in the National Weight Control Registry for having lost 30 or more pounds and kept it off for more than a year.  NWCR surveys their members to check on progress and gather behavioral data to see what works.

Susan is already seeing short term race benefits of faster half marathon times dropping her half marathon PR by over 16 minutes this year alone. The rule of thumb of getting faster by two seconds per mile per pound of weight loss is holding pretty true.

So say, like us, you've decided you want to lose some weight but didn't want to resort to anything drastic. What's our secret? More importantly, how do we keep it sustainable?

Lord Kelvin said "If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it." While there are certainly psychological and specific medical conditions that affect the ability to lose weight, the simplest formula is to burn more calories than you take in.  With today's technology, it's a lot easier than the old days when you'd have to bring a scale everywhere and work out on a machine that would give you a generic calorie burn value. Now you can track things yourself.

Calories In: Counting calories is step one. There are many free sites that have great databases of foods and their nutritional values - calories, fat, protein, carbs, micronutrients - and corresponding mobile apps that allow you to input values by scanning bar codes on your phone.  We're using MyFitnessPal and have connected with a number of friends on the MFP network to encourage each other as we work towards our goals. Other free sites include Sparkpeople, Livestrong's MyPlate. Weight Watchers has a companion app for those in the program as well. The great thing about these apps is that you can also set goals and they'll give you a day-to-day target for net calorie burn (intake minus exercise) and monitor it as you enter food during the day.

MyFitnessPal app - first thing in the morning

The Fooducate app even gives commentary on additives and artificial ingredients to give a grade on the 'general healthiness' of a particular food. Eat This, Not That is a great iPhone app if you find yourself stuck at a fast food restaurant and want to find the healthier items on the menu. Yes, those do actually exist!

Remembering to enter food takes some getting used to, but since most people are never without their phones these days, it's much easier than toting around a notepad or depending on your memory to enter what you ate. I think the most important thing is to learn how many calories each food contains and what your 'normal' intake translates to on the scale.  For friends who are starting out, I recommend making no changes to diet for the first week or even two, but just get into the habit of tracking food, and I mean EVERYthing, so you know what your baseline is. 

Calories Out (Exercise): Recent studies are showing that lack of activity are more dangerous than people thought. Sitting 6+ hours a day raises blood sugar and blood pressure and increases your risk of dying in the next 15 years by 40% ("Sitting is Killing You").  By monitoring your activity and setting a daily goal, you can remind yourself to keep moving. Our technology of choice is the Fitbit One (shown below). It's amazingly portable and I wear it clipped inside a pocket. It can even go through airport security if you have it clipped to undergarments (or so I'm told).

Other devices such as the Nike FuelBand and the BodyMedia Fit Core are great options as well. These devices are essentially high tech pedometers that not only measures steps, but also elevation change to count flights of stairs climbed. They regularly sync to a computer (and your smartphone) and send the data to the website, translating the activity and your personal measurements into calorie burn. The FitBit calorie burn even syncs to MyFitnessPal so we don't have to enter the exercise while doing incidental steps during the day. The social media aspect of the sites also creates a good support network (or a competition, if you're into that sort of thing).

Again, get used to the device before you make major changes to your routine. Susan used to have a BodyBugg (an older model of the BodyMedia Fit), but eventually wasn't comfortable with how the armband felt and looked. Having to start over because you don't like the device can be a big deal but getting the right device for you can help a lot.

Put it together and think long term:
Once you get a good handle on how much you're eating and how much you're burning, THAT is when you can start moving the numbers in the right direction. I like to say that there are two things I wish I knew when I was growing up: 
1) learning how to spend my money to fit within my income to become financially secure and 
2) Knowing how important it was to 'spend my calorie intake' to fit within my calorie burn.   

Basically, once I worked out what my baseline intake/burn was, I started to make a few choices to reduce my 'spend' (eat less) to build up a calorie 'savings'. I started by going for smaller portions, getting a smaller side of fries and then eventually skipping the fries all together. Little tricks like using smaller plates and eating slower helped.  I chose filling calories like protein (our favorite supplement is the Power Crunch line of products) and fiber instead of simple sugars and fat and the pounds start to come off. Fruits and veggies started getting back into my diet replacing chips and cookies. I still had the sweets, but as occasional treats and not every day.

Exercising and burning a few extra calories a day is equivalent to taking a part-time job. You earn the 'budget' to eat more, or you can put those calories 'into savings' and make the road to physical security that much easier. I use a standing desk at work for 6 - 8 hours a day and a few hours at home. That alone burns an additional 300 - 400 calories just by engaging more muscles.  I also take advantage of the great California weather to get a 2 - 3 mile walk in at lunch when I can.

How long does it take to see results?  It depends on how much of a calorie deficit you can sustain. One way I like to look at it is the "10 Calorie Rule." For every 10 calories per day you can reduce your net intake, you'll lose 1 lb/year.  So set your goal for 20 lbs and you're looking at 200 calories per day. It actually isn't much. Skip a half of your order of fries or walk for 30 minutes extra on a daily basis. 

A safe weight loss rate is 1 - 2 lbs/week. It may not seem like much, but 50 - 100 lbs/year is nothing to sneeze at. I found it tough to lose more than 20 pounds a year, BUT what I was doing was completely sustainable. Losing 2 lbs/week put my net calorie intake at 1200 calories/day. Even the most dedicated people get busy and missing a tough target for a few days can discourage you enough to give up all together. Keep it sustainable and be patient. Above all, look long term. That way, you'll have a lot longer to enjoy the results.  

Month one weigh-in results:  I'm down 2.8% from my starting weight. Susan is down 7%. Since we both lost at least one pound, we qualify for this month's drawing in the weight loss competition. 

What have you got to lose?

#MarathoningForLife

Resources:
"The Best Activity Trackers for Fitness" -  PC Magazine, May 22, 2013
"The Best Free Apps to Help You Lose Weight" - Shape 
"The 8 Best Smartphone Apps for Weight Loss" - Forbes, August 2012