4 Keys to Successfully Running My First Marathon

I just completed week 2 of my 16-week training schedule with a "long run" on Saturday of 6 miles. I put that in quotes because I'm a little embarrassed to consider 6 miles a long run, considering I'm training to run 26.2. Nevertheless, it went really well!

Reflecting on what made it go so well, I've discovered at least 4 key ingredients to successfully training to run my first marathon that all came together over the weekend.

1) Hydration
I hydrated well on Friday night. Saturday morning I drank a lot of water before my 10am run and the
humidity and temperature were both low.

2) Nutrition
I ate plenty of carbs on Friday night (thank you Lasagna from Vezzo!) and a left over ciabatta sandwich for breakfast on Saturday. I'm still trying to figure out how to eat properly as a runner. So far, all I know is I get to eat carbs. In fact, I need to eat carbs and can tell such a difference when I do.  This is in contrast to the no wheat, no sugar, no dairy diet I maintained for about a year from June 2012 until just recently. But that is a whole other blog post.

3) Pacing
Yesterday I kept a steady pace throughout the 6 mile run. My goal for the marathon is to run 10 minute miles and finish in 4:30 hours (my real goal is to just finish the thing, but if I can do it in 4:30 that will be awesome). Yesterday my average pace was 9:30 for all 6 miles for a total time of 57 minutes. The run felt great and today I don't feel sore or injured.

4) Generosity
Last but not least, I received some incredibly generous donations last weekend. Wow! I am blown away by the generosity of people so far. I am amazed at how much spiritual and psychological fuel generosity provides me as I run. The generosity I've received helps me feel supported and accountable on each training run. It makes running this marathon about much more than a personal accomplishment. It is a communal endeavor to help us do something that reaches beyond ourselves.

My fundraising goal for the NYU Cancer Institute is $4000. I have already received $1075 in donations, which is 27% of my total goal! And that is with 14 weeks left to go.

I am so grateful to those who've donated. Thank you, thank you, thank you to:

Paul Greene
SC Connor
Lizzie Lowe
David Sommerville
Mia Simring

You all are amazing! Please know that your generosity gives me fuel to keep training and keep running!

Favorite exercise songs?

My running play list is stale. And I need your help. What are your favorite songs to exercise to?

Research shows that running to music with a fast tempo can improve your performance. From my experience, this is true. I find myself speeding up, giving extra effort as the tempo increases. I feel a surge of adrenaline and my pace quickens.

I read an interesting article on the web sometime ago (I can't locate it, unfortunately, or I would link to it) that said there are two types of runner: 1) associators, and 2) dis-associators.

Associators stay present to their bodies during the run, paying attention to their breath, the feelings and sensations in their bodies, etc.

Dis-associators, like me, rely on distractions like music to intentionally NOT pay attention to the breath, physical sensations, etc. One is not necessarily better than the other. I think what matters is what works for you.

I have to admit, though, that I'd prefer to be an associator. It just seems more spiritual :) In fact, I have a book on my bedside table that I am struggling to get through. It's called Running with the Mind of Meditation and is written by a Buddhist teacher Heather, my wife, and I follow. The Sakyong writes about his own marathon experiences and the lessons he's learned, both physical and spiritual.

I like the idea of meditating while running...in theory. But it just doesn't seem to work for me. I'd rather pound the pavement to the beat of a song, syncing my pace to the 150 beats per minute of the tune.

But as I said earlier, my play list is stale. So, if you have a minute, send me your recommendation of a fast paced song for my next long run. Write it in the comments section below.

(By the way, I am indebted to Lizzie Lowe for the idea to write this post and request your favorite running songs. She suggested it today while we were standing in Starbucks after church. Thanks Lizzie!)

How did a 15 year-old create a cheaper, more accurate test for pancreatic cancer?

I am a big fan of TED Talks. I love big ideas and I love to be inspired. If you haven't heard how 15 year-old Jack Andraka came up with a cheaper and more accurate test for pancreatic cancer, then you have to watch this video. Pretty amazing stuff!

The take-away for me is that we need fresh thinking on all of life's big and persistent problems. We need to make space for alternative perspectives from unlikely sources.And when we believe we hold an alternative perspective, then we need the courage and persistence that Jack Andraka exhibited to speak up, advocate for our position, and see it through to the end. Thanks for the inspiration, Jack! 

Why Do I Feel Like I Have Concrete Blocks for Shoes?

Some days when I run I feel as if I have concrete blocks for shoes and a corset tightly tied around my chest. On these days I know that I either have a nutrition or hydration problem. Lately, it's been the latter. 

I've been really surprised and dismayed at how slow my first two training runs have been. Prior to this week, I was running 8:30ish miles for 3-5 miles. This week I have been lucky to keep up a 10 minute mile pace for a 3 and a 4 mile run. My goal for the marathon is to run 10 minutes miles on average and finish the race in 4 hours and a half. 

It dawned on my today that my slower pace may have something to do with the weather, which is far more humid lately. Today in NYC the humidity was 82% and the high temperature was 96 degrees. A simple Internet search taught me that humidity and high temperatures reduce the evaporation of sweat from our skin, which reduces our body's ability to cool itself. We then sweat more as the body continues it's attempts to cool us down. The more we sweat, the higher our rate of dehydration. Thus, high humidity and high temperatures leads to higher levels of dehydration. This has been my problem. 

Dehydration is probably a rookie mistake. Better to learn that sooner than later, I suppose. 

Here is a helpful article from Runner's World that I found to help me better understand how to hydrate. I hope it is helpful to you.

Sipping Points: The latest research on how to prevent dehydration -- and boost your running performance. 

Marathon training begins today!

I've never had cancer, but I've known many friends and family members who have. As a health care chaplain, I've spent a lot of hours supporting people undergoing treatment. Their struggle makes training for and running a marathon look easy.

I've never run a marathon before. This will be my first. I'm inspired to run by friends, family members, and patients who have "fought the good fight" against cancer, whether they lived or died. I want to cross this off my bucket list while I have time. Cancer patients have taught me that you never know how much time you have left. They've taught me you have to live life fully and courageously now.

They've also taught me to take any measures I can to prevent cancer in my own body (90%-95% of cancers are preventable with major lifestyle changes). Not all cancer is preventable and being diagnosed with it does not always imply that we've engaged in unhealthy or sedentary behavior; sometimes its caused by environmental factors or just bad genes and bad luck.

Last summer I realized that I felt miserable. I was sedentary. I was a pre-diabetic and overweight. I made a decision that I was not going to go down like this. I knew as a then 37-year-old man I was facing a major life decision: would I give up on my health and continue as a couch potato or would I start exercising? The more I thought about it the more I realized that pain is inevitable. Either I will feel pain from a sedentary lifestyle or I will inflict pain on myself through exercise. I chose the latter. In the process, I lost 25 pounds and rediscovered my love for running.

As a member of the NYU Langone Medical Center Running Club, I have been given the opportunity to run the NYC Marathon on November 3rd and to fundraise for the NYU Cancer Institute. And I need your help.

I'm asking for your support. I want you to consider doing two things:

1) Make a donation here to help me achieve my fundraising goal of $4000 for NYU Cancer Center. Any amount will do. $5, $10, $25, $100. It all adds up, no matter how big or small.

2) Start running. Get off the couch. Decide that you will not go down like this! Kick your sedentary lifestyle in the teeth and start training to run a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, or marathon today!