My goal is complete: I completed the four most common races, all in one year.  While my objective of making regular updates throughout my training and immediately post-race fell by the wayside, I'm satisfied with the results nonetheless.

• May: Flying Pig 10K.                            Time: 56:24               Pace: 9:06
• Aug: Little Miami Half Marathon.       Time: 2:04:16            Pace: 9:29
• Sept: Air Force Marathon.                   Time: 4:29:55            Pace: 10:19
• Nov: MBC 5K.                                        Time: 24:51               Pace: 8:01

I'll dispense with the romanticism typically associated with avid and life-long runners.  I'm not one of them.  They are much more eloquent at describing the other-worldly feelings associated with running.  I shall instead focus on the observations gleaned as a result of my experiment in running.

The Shoes.  As I wrote in the kick-off post, my running experiment started with the all too important assessment of the shoes.  I started in minimalist shoes but as my mileage increased to roughly 25 miles per week I noticed more pain during my runs. I went to see an orthopedic doctor, a physical therapist, and a podiatrist to make the necessary adjustments.  I started doing more leg strengthening exercises via different tension rubber bands and changed to a more rigid running shoe; as my podiatrist instructed (he's an ultra-marathoner), "your form goes to crap after 20 miles so you'll want to have a shoe that can support you, especially if you're a first timer."  Net, the majority of my training was done on a pair of bright orange Saucony Progrid Guide 5s; very cushiony and a smooth ride.  Towards the end, when I was running 40+ miles per week, I transitioned to a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12s; not as pillowy as the Saucony's but more medial arch support.  My only recommendation when it comes to shoes, especially for first timers, is to visit multiple running stores and try different shoes; do the treadmill and camera thing that most of the top quality running stores offer.  If you can afford it, see a podiatrist, a running podiatrist preferably, so you can rule out any crazy physiological issues you may have before you start piling on the mileage.

The Gear.  Other really helpful equipment, once I surpassed the hour-long training runs, were: 

• Camelback: I didn't like running with anything in my hands.  I ran in the Classic; it had enough water for the long runs and a small pouch for the essentials while not being too bulky and bouncy.
  
• Patellar tendon stabilizers: helped on my left knee especially; I used Mueller straps (simple, effective).
• Reflection belt for those early morning runs when drivers haven't had their coffee.
• Garmin Forerunner 350: lightweight, easy to use, traveled well.  I had to do training runs in Chicago & northern Wisconsin and the watch / GPS picked up the satellites relatively quickly.
• Music strap & iPhone.  I use Rhapsody's music subscription service so I was able to download boatloads of music and create multiple training playlists.  The New Balance strap & iPhone held up great in all weather conditions.
• Pepper spray.  My long runs took me to some un-populated areas with lots of wildlife (including wild humans).
• Post running gear.  Therabands (for ankle, knee, & hip stability exercises), ice packs, and a foam roller (I went through two!) for my IT bands.

The Race.  I ran all the races I planned on racing except the Summit Fest 1/2 marathon, I opted instead to run the Little Miami 1/2 in late August.  Little to my knowledge but that course (very fast, super flat) is known to be a great prep race for the Air Force marathon.  Regarding The Race, my initial goal for the marathon was to finish; then, as I got closer to the race, I set a sub- 5hr goal.  Then, on race day, around the 8 mile mark, I decided to stay with the 4 hr 30 min pace woman.  Around the half-way point, there were ~15 people in our group and it started dwindling from there.  By mile 18, the 4:30 group was down to 7-8 runners, by mile 22, there were four of us, and finally in the end only three (me included) crossed together.  The woman in the pink shirt (pictured above) was amazing: she held the sign 90% of the time, kept the exact pace for 4 hrs 30 mins, and was chirpy / encouraging the entire time.  As for me, I cross the finish line and thankfully nearly passed out.  Why thankfully?  I had nothing left, I didn't hold back and conserve energy; I picked the right stretch pace.  I didn't train for 4:30 and I wasn't ready for 4:30 but I challenged myself: either I do it or pass out trying.  I'm a masochist apparently.

Other observations:

• Walkers suck.  I'm sorry to all those lovely people who walk daily for fitness and I know it's not all walkers, but seriously, move to side or the back of the starting line!  In nearly all the races, with the exception of the Air Force marathon, there were dozens of self-righteous walkers who go the very front of the line and block all the competitive runners.  Mind you I wasn't / am not a competitive runner, by a long shot, but even I had to do some side-to-side agility drills to get past all the walkers.  The worst part about the whole thing was the grumbling and cuss words every time a runner would run past a walker, as if we were doing them some injustice by actually running in the race.
• Go potty early.  I was fascinated to see nearly 50-75% of all the racers who lined up to use the portable restrooms 1-2 mins prior to the starting gun.
• Training times and racing times varied widely.  My pace prior to the 10K was roughly 10 min / mile.  For the 1/2 and full marathon, my average training pace time was 10:30 min / mile.  Nothing quite duplicates the race environment like, well, an actual race.
• Water station people are amazing.  I loved every one of them.  Imagine having to cheer and give hydration for up to 7 hrs to sweaty, stinky runners and walkers?
• Sign up early.  Not only do you have a target date (for motivational & training purposes) but you also save some coin.

I have no idea.  I'm currently not running.  I've gone back to my old fitness routine and I feel great.  Will I ever run again?  Probably.  I'm sure I'll start to remember the euphoria of the long distance run and the serenity of my mind simply shutting off while I piled up the mileage.  Perhaps I'll do a few short races just for the race high. Who knows, maybe I'll start long distance running again in the spring when the weather improves. Maybe. 

For now, my running experiment is complete, I accomplished my goals.  I learned a lot about what my mind & body can do when tested.  I confirmed my do now ideal.  I learned that my mind goes to some comical places when it has nowhere to go for 4 hours at a time - a useful tool for long road-trips as well.

Most importantly, I'm grateful that I was able to conduct this experiment.

[Disclaimer: These results may vary and I am not recommending or condoning anybody follows or adheres to my training routine, gear, or plan.  These are my results and my results alone.]

Sometime in February of this year I decided that I was going to run the Air Force Marathon.  I then thought, “well, why not just make this the year of running?”  So that’s what I’m doing this year, I’m running.  Like any new endeavor I started with research and an assessment of fitness and gear.  

Just Go.  As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve always been pretty fit and was a decent runner in the military – consistently scoring in the tops of my age group – so just going felt pretty low risk.  Admittedly, I was a bit weary given that I had tried to renew my running regimen several times after I left the military only to be consistently derailed by injuries.  Nevertheless, I assumed that being 40 lbs lighter versus last year (and 10 lbs lighter than when I left the military) would help my joints a bit.  So I started running three times a week on a basic 2 minutes walk / 1 min run tempo for 15 minutes.  I did this for many weeks starting back in October, slowly building up endurance, distance, and total run time. I took careful notes and was extra conservative.

The Shoes.  After reading Tim Ferris’ 4-Hour Body and Born to Run by Christopher McDougall I became a full convert to minimalist running and was immediately ready to start running barefoot.  I was ready for my body to remember how to run naturally, unimpeded by “stability” running shoes and running-store-recommended orthotics.  I wanted to break my legs’ & feet’s dependence on over-weight, chunky running shoes and was ready to step out and run on my bare tootsies. Bring on the dog poop & mud!  Fortunately, reason (aka my wife) prevailed and I decided (she decided) to slowly ease my way into lower drop running shoes.  I ran on Nike Free Run’s for 2-3 months and then switched to even lower drop New Balance Minimus for 3 months – all orthotics free, all pain free.  I’m now running on Skecher’s Go Run and I couldn’t be happier – a perfect blend of low drop and just enough cushion. The beautiful part – and key take-away – of using low drop running shoes is that I immediately feel the moment my stride or gait deviates from my naturally imbued running form.  I’ve actually become a more efficient runner and feel as if my feet and ankles are stronger (if that’s even possible).

The Races.  I’m currently signed up to race the Flying Pig 10K and the Air Force Marathon.  I’m also planning on running the Summit Fest ½ Marathon but haven’t yet signed up since I still have to de-conflict summer family travel plans.  Assuming my body holds up, I’d also like to run the Vegas Tough Mudder with my brother in October and then finish up the year with a few short races near Thanksgiving and over the Holidays.  Some might argue that the running plan & race schedule seem a bit aggressive especially for one year and my beginner status. Perhaps, but I have run in the past and my build up & prep to this year started 6 months ago.  I just wasn’t aware or thinking that I was going to make 2012 the year of running until a few weeks ago.  I don’t plan everything.  I often just go with what life presents me.  In this case, it happens to be running.