2019 Goal Results

Another year in the books and another set of goals to review. Here's how my 2019 goals turned out:

1. Run a PR in the 50K

Like a lot of my goals over the past few years, this one was derailed due to injury. I wanted to do the Afton 50K in July, but ended up spending February through April with a foot injury, during which time I averaged 30.5 miles a month from February through June. February was the month my foot really started bugging me toward the end, and I only ended up running 80 miles that month, all during the first three weeks, and then I only ran three miles in March and seventeen in April. There was no way I was going to PR in a 50K in July, and though I toyed with the idea of running the Surf the Murph 50K after I ran Twin Cities Marathon, I had developed a new foot injury, so I (with the help of Laura) decided against it.

Result: 0%

2. Write 52 blog posts

I almost feel like I cheated on this one. I was way short of posts coming into December, but I had a bunch of book reviews sitting in my drafts that I wasn't sure if I was going to publish or not (I still have a few more). Since I really wanted to hit this goal, I decided to go with them and reached 53 posts by the end of the year.

Result: 100%

3. Submit two stories to Runner’s World

I submitted two, and I felt pretty good about them. Alas, they were not accepted.

Result: 100%

4. Raise $1310 for Team World Vision

Thanks to the generosity of friends, family, and acquaintances, I raised over $1500.

Result: 100%

5. Break 18 minutes in the 5K

I did it, though I just squeaked under 18 minutes with a 17:59 at Juliette's Race. I'm a little proud of this one because with a quarter mile left I was almost certain I couldn't get under 18 minutes and thought about slowing down. Instead, I pushed myself as hard as I could and made my goal for the year.

Result: 100% 

This was one of my best years for meeting my goals. I spent some time looking over past goals, and it was nice to get some perspective on my past goals and to get some ideas for goals moving forward. 

By my count, this year I met my goals by 80%. A good number as I don't want to set the bar low enough that it's easy to clear, but I also want goals that are attainable.

In my next post, I'll lay out my goals for 2020.

Happy New Year!

The Lighthouse Trilogy

I've previously wrote about Adrian McKinty's Sean Duffy series. I thought that this post would make a good segue into some fantasy novels. McKinty is also the author of "The Lighthouse Trilogy," which I thoroughly enjoyed. The Lighthouse Trilogy is definitely less well-known than some of his other novels, but I was totally hooked on this trilogy.

The Lighthouse Trilogy is aimed at middle school students. I often enjoy reading/listening to young adult and middle school fiction simply because I can totally turn my brain off. While there are often young adult and middle school novels that end up feeling too simple, this trilogy did not.

The premise of the Lighthouse books is intergalactic travel between two planets via a mysterious device. The genre combines fantasy with science fiction and pulls off elements of both genres easily. The main characters, Jamie and Ramsay, travel to a distant planet, and the world McKinty creates is interesting and immersive. The characters on the planet are not as developed as Jamie and Ramsay, but are interesting nonetheless.

While some reviewers don't agree, there was a lot of this trilogy that was well-done. First off, the characterization was believable and interesting. The main characters were rounded and felt like real people. Their dialogue was authentic and the characters' actions were consistent with how they were developed.

The plot was also well-done and definitely page-turning (although I was listening to it, so there was no page turning involved). When I finished the first book, I had to listen to the next one right away.

Joe Pickett Series

C.J. Box's Joe Pickett series has kept me entertained for a while. The series follows a Wyoming game warden, Joe Pickett, who gets involved in mysteries that have little or nothing to do with being a game warden.

Because of his propensity to become involved in law enforcement issues beyond his scope as a game warden, it is sometimes a little more difficult to suspend my disbelief on some of these novels. However, if I just go with it and don't pay attention to the unbelievable situations that Joe gets into, these books are enjoyable.

I will say, however, that compared with the other mystery series I've reviewed, the Cork O'Connor, Walt Longmire, and Sean Duffy series, the Joe Pickett novels aren't as compelling.

Still, if you're looking for somewhat brainless entertainment, these novels aren't a bad way to go. Though there's several flaws, including unbelievable situations and some unnecessary politics injected into some of the more recent novels, they've still kept me interested enough to keep up with the series.

Walt Longmire Series

Many have heard of Walt Longmire through the popular TV series, "Longmire," which is loosely based on the characters and novels by Craig Johnson.

I've listened to or read all of the Longmire series up to "Land of Wolves" (which I'm in line for at the library), including short story collections and novellas, and I've enjoyed just about all of it. The series has been very entertaining, and the Longmire series has had me hooked.

After the first few novels, I really got interested in the characters and their arcs. I've also really enjoyed the setting in Wyoming. The narrator of the audiobooks is also excellent, so I was somewhat disappointed when I had to read the hard copies of the recent novels since the audiobooks weren't available from my library (though if I would have been patient I could have waited for a couple months -- shows how hooked I was to the series).

If you're looking for a mystery series with well-developed, interesting characters and think you might enjoy a Wyoming setting, I'd definitely recommend the Walt Longmire series by Craig Johnson.

The Cork O'Connor Series

I previously wrote about "Ordinary Grace," an excellent literary mystery by William Kent Krueger. After listening to "Ordinary Grace," I immediately looked for more books by Krueger.

What I found was the Cork O'Connor series, which I've really enjoyed. The novels are mostly set in northern Minnesota, and combine the worlds of a white town with an Ojibwe Indian reservation and characters from both settings.

Cork O'Connor is part Ojibwe part Irish and tows the line between both worlds, sometimes in conflict with each other. I really enjoyed Cork's character development, especially in the first few novels, as well as the development of several other characters, especially Ojibwe sage Henry Meloux.

The characterization and setting of these novels is especially well done, and really immersed me into the books.

This was one of the series where the novels later in the series weren't available on my free audiobooks library app, and I enjoyed them so much I had to check out the hard copies to keep up-to-date in the series. Sometimes there's a little let-down from the audiobooks to the hard copies as the voice acting can really bring a story to life, but I didn't find this to be the case with the Cork O'Connor novels. If you're into mysteries, this series is a must-read.

Happy Holidays from Twin Cities Runner

For the first time in a while, our family celebrated Christmas with just the three of us in Eagan. For those who don't know, we're expecting a baby girl any day now, so we decided it would be best to stay close to home, as the baby is due January 4.

It's been unseasonably warm for the end of December, so we've been enjoying some outdoor activities. Earlier this week, the little one and I played outside, shoveling some snow, playing
with the sled, filling the bird feeder, and going on a "hike."

I've been taking advantage of the warmer weather by running outside the past five days-in-a-row. Prior to that, I'd been doing a lot of running on the indoor track and treadmill, so it was a welcome change.

Today (Christmas Day), after opening some presents and eating breakfast, we went for a hike and then had hot chocolate at Lebanon Hills Regional Park. We followed that up with Chinese food, a game, and some Christmas movies.

Late this afternoon I went for a run along the Minnesota River. There were some really pretty icicles on the river bluffs, so I stopped to snap a picture.

I hope you had a nice holiday season and got to spend some time with people you love and doing things you enjoy!

The Sean Duffy Series

While there are several mystery/crime novels and series that I've very much enjoyed, the Sean Duffy series by Adrian McKinty may be my favorite. Set in the 1980s in Northern Ireland during the time referred to as "The Troubles," Duffy, the protagonist of the series, is a Catholic cop working on a mostly Protestant police force and living in a Protestant neighborhood.

There are quite a few things that make the novels in the series excellent. One is McKinty's absolute command of setting. As I listened to the novels, there was never a point where I couldn't visualize where the action was taking place. From the weather to the scenery, McKinty's descriptions are flawless. He also perfectly captures the historical setting--I felt totally absorbed into "The Troubles" of the Protestant/Catholic conflict in Northern Ireland which was carefully and skillfully weaved into the plot.

Part of what makes a great series is great characters, and the Sean Duffy series is no exception. While all of the supporting cast isn't in the entire series, they are all interesting, believable, and well-developed. The protagonist, Sean Duffy, is a character whose complexity kept me interested throughout the series. Duffy is a deeply flawed with echoes of Sherlock Holmes, especially in regard to his drug use, but, for me, it was impossible not to like him.

Plot is also amazingly well-done. There's no superfluous action--the side plots involving Duffy's personal life all serve to develop his character and never seem too tangential to the main mystery. Some of the books in the series contain mysteries that are "solvable," and readers may solve the mysteries before Duffy, and some mysteries don't give you enough information to solve them (or at least all elements) until the novel concludes.

I don't think I've ever come to the end of a series feeling as sad that it was over. When I found out McKinty is writing three more books, I was beyond thrilled. The thing I'm worried about, however, is that it's either going to take a long time for my library to make the books available in audio form, or that they won't make them available at all.

With other series, I've decided to check out or buy a book in hard copy form to continue the series, but with the Sean Duffy series it's going to be a tough decision. I wouldn't think twice about just getting a hard copy if I didn't love the narration by Gerard Doyle. I can't recommend this series highly enough--especially the audiobook version.

Book Reviews

Sometimes I get ideas for blog posts and throw up a post or two, then don't really follow through. I've been meaning to write some book reviews, but have been dragging my feet. I've read and listened to a good number of books in the past couple years, so I thought it would be good to actually share some.

If you're an avid reader and/or looking for something to listen to on your run besides podcasts or music, coming up I will be sharing some books I've enjoyed.

Before I do, however, I want to share with you how I listen to books on the run and what types of books I listen to and why.

So here's the how: My library offers three apps for audiobooks, and checking out books is free. Your library may offer one or more of them as well, so here they are:

• cloudLibrary
• Hoopla
• RBdigital

With three of these apps, I've been able to find quite a few books to listen to. The only downside I've found is that sometimes these apps offer the first book or two in a series, but then the others are not offered. After this happened to me on about four different series, I ended up getting a subscription to Audible for a while. For me it was worth it, but since we've been working on saving some money, I'm putting a pause on the subscription and going back to free books from the library.

When I listen to books on the run, I generally stick to a couple genres. First, I like fantasy novels--especially young adult and children's fantasy novels, though I did get hooked on an adult series similar to "Game of Thrones."

I like fantasy novels because if they're well-written they draw me in and make time fly when I'm running. I like the feeling of being immersed in an alternate world, and that transportation is especially nice when I've been doing a lot of long runs by myself and would like time to go by a little quicker.

Another genre I enjoy is mystery. I used to not be big into mystery novels, but after getting drawn into a series and listening to the whole thing, I started to seek out other mystery series. Mysteries, like fantasy, can really make time fly. Besides that, they keep my mind active as I work with the characters to try and solve the mystery.

Coming up, I've committed myself to write reviews of several series. I hope those reviews lead you to a book or two you enjoy.

Cost of Running Bonus: Watches

I've been through all of what I see as the main costs of running besides one: watches. There's a reason watches weren't on my original list. There is such a variety of costs associated with running watches that it's impossible to rank. Some don't run with a watch at all, some use their cell phones, which I wouldn't count as a "running watch," and some use high-end, expensive GPS watches.

If you're going for a watch specifically for running, techradar's list of 10 best running watches lists watches from $120 - $450. Again, a huge range of prices. And, if you're not looking for a GPS watch or heart rate monitoring or anything fancy, a cheap watch with a stopwatch function is all you really need for running.

So, you could spend $20 on a cheap watch that will tell you how long you ran, or you could spend $450 for a watch that will tell you a hundred other things.

Even if you do decide to drop the $450 on a watch, it's still barely cracking the top five when it comes to costs of running. Why? If you spend $450 on a watch, assume that watch is going to last at least four years, so the yearly cost will be around $112. I suppose that might beat clothes when you average out costs, but not by much.

So there they are -- the costs of running. I hope some of these tips have been helpful if you're looking to save a couple bucks on running -- especially if you're new to the sport.

Run well.

Cost of Running: Clothes

I put this as the cheapest one on my list of the costs of running, but honestly you can spend quite a bit on running clothes, especially initially. Running socks, shorts, pants, shirts, jackets, and shirts can all set you back, but they don’t need to break the bank. Plus, if you take care of them, running clothes last a long time, so while the initial cost may be high, the average yearly cost of clothes can be pretty reasonable.

Here are some tips for saving money on running clothes.

1. Don't buy everything brand name.

Buying brand name clothing from a running store is fine, but if you're new to running or your wardrobe needs replenishing, it's OK to get some store brand gear. I had a few pairs of Target tech shorts over the years, and they worked fine. I still have a sleeveless running shirt from Target that's lasted years. Honestly, I've had Target shorts last longer than some of the brand name clothes I've had.

2. Watch for sales.

Look for running jackets and pants toward the end of winter when they go on sale. Watch for sales on gear near big events. Running stores sometimes host packet pickup for races and offer promotions like 10% off clothing and shoe purchases.

3. Check the clearance rack.

The best running jacket I own came from a clearance rack in the back of a running store. I can't remember the exact discount, but it was 50% off or more.

The nice thing about running clothes is that they last a while -- especially compared to shoes. I think my newest pair of running shorts in my rotation is about four years old, and since I have so many race shirts, I probably haven't bought a running shirt in about a decade (although one could argue that paying for a race registration includes paying for a shirt).

This post concludes my list of the costs of running, but guess what? There'll be a bonus post on one more piece of running gear that you may want to spend money on as a runner.

Stay tuned.

Cost of Running: Food

Of the things one has to spend money on for running, food is often neglected. The fact is, running costs extra calories, and those extra calories aren’t free.

I put food as the second least expensive cost of running before clothing, but depending on how you do it, you can replace your calories from running at a not-so-expensive rate.

Say you run 30 miles a week. Running takes about 100 cal per mile, so that equals 3000 extra calories for the week. If you want to go an extremely cheap route, a banana will cost you about 12.5 cents per 100 cal. That’s only going to cost you $3.75 per week. Multiply that by 52 weeks, and you are only spending $195 per year.

It is not, however, quite so simple. Your fat stores also become depleted when you run, and you need protein to repair your muscles, so bananas alone aren’t going to cut it. Replenishing your fat stores on the cheap isn’t too hard. Cooking oil costs between two cents and seven cents per 100 cal — even cheaper than bananas.

Protein is going to cost a little more, but some sources are calorically dense, so you can double up on your fat and protein. Peanut butter costs around five cents per 100 cal, and many types of nuts will be a similar price. However, there is not a ton of protein in nut products, so you are going to have to find other sources of protein.

Eggs cost around $.19 per 100 cal, but each egg provides only around 6 g of protein, so again, eggs won’t be adequate to fulfill all your protein needs.

Better sources of proteins like beans and fish will cost around five cents per 100 cal for beans, and between $.56 and $1.25 per 100 cal for fish.

Obviously the above is not an exhaustive list. Dairy products, whole grains, and meats can also be included in an economical diet that meets all macro nutrient needs.

For arguments sake, let’s say you spend about $.25 per 100 cal. If you’re running 30 miles a week, that comes out to only $7.50 per week, or $390 per year.

Obviously, there is a wide variety you can spend on food. I am for foods that are nutrient dense, but are also cost-effective.

Stay tuned for the next post in my cost of running series.

The Cost of Running: Races

I have run a ton of races. I’ve run 20 marathons/ultramarathons, dozens of half marathons, along with a good number of 5Ks and 10Ks. Though I was a pacer at some of these races, in which case they were free, I paid for most of those races.

Races range a fair amount in price, but let’s say the average to be around $60 a race. If you do just 10 races a year, that comes to $600.

Saving on races is probably the easiest thing to save money on as a runner. Here are a few simple tips:

1. Race less.

I know this is a bummer, but if you want to save money on races, the easiest way is to race less. I race way less than when I first restarted my running career. Rather than running a race every month or so, I’ve only been doing a couple a year. You can save money by picking the races you think you will most enjoy and running those, then forgetting about the ones that might not be as fun.

2. Register early.

The earlier you register for race, the cheaper the registration fee. Plan out your training well in advance, so you can register as early as possible for each race.

3. Think in terms of value. 

That 5K you want to run is only $40, and there’s another one on the horizon that is only $50. Run several 5Ks per year,  however, and you could be spending a lot of money by the end of the year. Those two 5K’s come with an average cost of about $15 per mile. A $100 marathon registration would cost about $3.81 per mile. If you’re really want to race, consider running a half marathon or two and maybe a marathon or two to get more bang for your buck. If you really enjoy 5Ks and 10Ks, aim for a couple per year rather than every other weekend.

4. Join a running club.

I can’t say enough about MDRA (Minnesota Distance Running Association). Not only does being an MDRA member come with discounts to races (and running stores), it also has several free races throughout the year for members. 

5. Find cheap or free races

Sometimes there are community races that are cheap. And, there are even free races. If you’re in the Twin Cities, come to Eagan and run the Eagan parkrun 5K, a free race that takes place every Saturday. Depending on where you live, there may be a parkrun close to you.

Of course there’s always the options to forgo races altogether. Those who can just go out and run a few miles every day are awesome. I can’t. I need a race or two on the horizon to train for, otherwise I get lazy and run less and less.

Stay tuned for the next post on the cost of running.

The Cost of Running: Doctor’s Visits

Of all the costs associated with running, doctor and physical therapy visits are the biggest bummer for me. Unfortunately, over the past few years visits to the doctor and physical therapist have become a somewhat regular occurrence.

Medical provider visits aren’t cheap. Even if you have good insurance, you probably still have to pay a copay, and those add up quickly. Over the past couple years, the costs of my medical visits have surpassed the cost of pretty much anything else running-related — partly because injuries have kept me from running as much which has kept me from running as many races and buying as many shoes.

If you’re looking to avoid medical bills related to running, here are some tips:

1. Run less.

It’s my least favorite thing to do myself, but the fact is that more running leads to more injuries. Don’t get me wrong: running is good for you. Runners actually suffer less from arthritis of the knees, so don’t let anyone tell you running will ruin your knees. Still, more mileage means a higher chance of overuse injuries, so if you are injury-prone, consider cutting back your mileage.

2. Cross train.

Cycle, ski, pedal an elliptical — not only will these activities improve your aerobic fitness, they can also help you avoid injuries if you’re using those activities to replace some running.

3. Prehab.

Do running-specific strength training to strengthen muscle and connective tissue to help make your body more resistant. If you can find a personal trainer who specializes in running-related exercises to help you set up a routine, all the better.

4. If you do end up injured and visiting the doctor and/or physical therapist, do your exercises.

Do the exercises you’re given and avoid future office visits.

Being derailed by running injuries is no fun. Neither is having to pay for trips to the doctor. I hope these tips will help you avoid injury and save some money.

The Cost of Running: Running Shoes

In my post about the costs of running, I mentioned shoes as one of the main culprits of the cost of running.

It’s interesting how many brands of running shoes there are and how many models there are within those brands. In the ten years since I restarted my running career, I’ve ran in K-Swiss, Hoka, New Balance, Asics, Nike, Newton, Brooks, Mizuno, Altra, and Saucony, and in a most of those brands I’ve run in at least two different models.

I’ve run in so many different brands and so many different models because I’ve run a lot of miles. A few years back, I was running around fifty-miles-a-week. Your average running shoe is pretty durable if it gets to 500 miles before it needs replacing (three to five hundred is what you can expect depending on your weight and running conditions). So, if my shoes were making it the full 500 miles, I’d need a new pair every ten weeks. 

For quite a while, I worked at The Running Room and got a discount on shoes, but for the average runner a shoe will cost $100 - $160 brand new. At $100 a pair every ten weeks, you’re looking at about $500 for a year’s worth of running shoes.

There are, however, a few ways to cut down the costs:

1. Join a running club

Many running stores give a discount to running club members. I’m part of the MDRA, and I get a discount at several running stores in the Twin Cities. I highly recommend the MDRA because not only do you get a discount, but you also get several free or discounted races and a magazine that occasionally features articles by yours truly.

2. Ask for last year’s model

Often times a shoe store has the previous year’s model of a shoe for significantly less than the new one.

3. Shop online: with some caveats.

You can save at a couple websites like,  Road Runner Sports and Zappos along with some retailers like REI. However, keep a couple things in mind. First, it’s not cool to go into your local running store and get the expertise of an employee to help you pick a shoe, then leave the store and buy the shoe online. Pay the extra $10. Running stores usually do things like free group runs or speakers, and they support the local economy. Thing number two: Limit your online purchases to shoes you’ve worn in the past. Don’t buy something you’ve never run in before.

4. Get a part-time job at a running store..

I did this for several years. If you can get a part-time gig at a running store,  not only will you have a little extra money, you also will get a discount on shoes. 

5. My least favorite: run less

For some this might be a godsend: you don’t have to run a ton to stay in shape. Twenty - forty minutes a day four to five days a week is enough to stay healthy. Fewer miles on your shoes means buying fewer shoes. 

Stay tuned to my next post on saving money on running.

The Cost of Running

Running can get expensive. I have definitely spent quite a bit on running since I restarted my running career a decade ago. My beautiful wife is also a runner, so between the two of us our running expenses can get quite high. If you’re interested in some estimates of how much running may cost in a lifetime, I highly recommend the Runner’s World article, “How Much Does Running Cost Over a Lifetime?”

Before I go more into all the various costs associated with running, let me say a few quick things. I don’t regret a penny I spent, other than maybe some entries for races I didn’t enjoy. Running has helped keep me healthy, sane, and I’ve met lots of people and made several friends through the sport.

Now, let’s get into the costs. This will be different for each different runner, but here are how the costs break down for me:

1. Running shoes

2. Physical therapy/doctor’s visits

3. Race entries

4. Food

5. Running Clothes

You could also add one other cost associated with running: time. I can’t find the article, but a few years back I read an article that talked about how running takes time and that time spent could be spent making money. While there are some scenarios where this may be the case on a regular basis, the only one I see playing out for more than a few is taking unpaid time off to do a race.

In my next few posts I’ll look at each of these costs and how to bring these costs down.

Stay tuned.

Cramming

As the year winds down, I've revisited my 2019 goals, and there are a couple that I'm going to cram for. I had two goals this year involving writing. One was to write fifty-two blog posts, and I’m a little behind on that. I’m going to have to average three-a-week to finish by the end of the year. I think I can do it. I toyed with the idea of posting some book reviews and wrote several that are sitting in my drafts.

I wasn’t sure if book reviews on fiction were a good idea for this blog, but since Twin Cities Runner has expanded from being almost all about running to running and mental health, why not add some book recommendations? Besides, a lot of the books I’ve “read” I’ve actually listened to while running, so they relate to running at least tangentially.

Another writing goal was submitting two articles to Runner’s World. I was pretty stuck with that one for a while, but now I’ve got two that I’m almost ready to submit. I’m 95% sure that neither of them will get published online, and 99% sure they won’t make it into the print magazine, but hey, I’ll keep practicing.

Although this is a lame excuse, one reason for my lack in writing progress is our computer. It. Is. So. Slow. It takes forever to boot up, and often times freezes for several seconds to several minutes, and sometimes it freezes altogether and I have to restart it. 

So, I’ve been writing the vast majority of my blog posts on our iPad, which is OK with the keyboard (I’ve actually got pretty fast typing on it), but the app I use isn’t great for formatting, and I can’t add pictures as easily.

By publishing some book review posts along with trying to turn some ideas into actual blog posts, I think I’ve got a shot at those fifty-two posts.

Thanks for reading.

DBT - Distress Tolerance - Part 3

In my two previous posts on distress tolerance (here and here), I talked about ways to cope with uncomfortably past or present situations. Practicing distress tolerance skills is helpful for anyone who wishes to stay mentally healthy.

Think of a situation where you’ve been distressed. Maybe it’s an argument with a friend or family member. Maybe it’s a poor performance review or a disagreement with a supervisor or coworker. If you’re like me, your first inclination to deal with the problem isn’t always the most helpful. As someone who deals with anxiety, my usual go-to is worry and rumination. You’d think that I would learn by now that neither one of those things makes me feel good, not to mention that they don’t do anything to solve the problem.

In DBT, one aspect of distress tolerance is distracting oneself from worries. The acronym the distress tolerance skill of distracting is: ACCEPTS. I won’t go into a lot of details here (the DBT Self Help website has an article dealing with ACCEPTS here , but the acronym stands for: activities, contributing, comparisons, emotions, pushing away, thoughts, and sensations.

I haven’t used all of the strategies and have used some with only limited success, so I’ll share the two that have been most helpful for me.

Activities are a big one for me, and they’re easy to implement. Running is often helpful as I can concentrate on the physical exertion, but the drawback is that my mind is usually free to think about whatever it is I’m dealing with. Reading and listening to audiobooks are great ways to take my mind off of things that are worrying me. And sometimes I listen to audiobooks or podcasts while I exercise for the double bonus of exercising and distracting myself from my worries.

Watching TV shows, movies, or sports are also ways I distract myself from worries. Sometimes, when I’m feeling hypomanic, it’s hard to concentrate on reading, so watching something is an easier way to distract myself.

Contributing is another way I used to distract myself from worries. It’s easy to let stressful life situations give me a “woe is me” attitude, so contributing is a great way to help others and not worry about your own problems. I recommend scheduling some sort of volunteering so you don’t have to think about contributing when you’re feeling stressed out. Giving to a charitable organization is another way to contribute.

Distress tolerance skills are useful to have in your tool belt, but remember that they are not a solution to all your problems. They may, however, help you gain perspective and realize that some difficult situations can be ignored, or bring you to a place where you’re more emotionally stable to deal with a problem.

If you’re interested in learning more about DBT techniques, I recommend the website, DBT Self Help.

Be well.

DBT - Distress Tolerance - Part 2

Life will always deal difficult circumstances. It's part of the human experience. While some people deal with more difficult circumstances than others, everyone will have to deal with uncomfortable, if not tragic, situations. While these DBT skills can help those struggling with mental health issues or mental illness, they are also helpful to maintain mental health in general.

In my last post on distress tolerance, I wrote about dealing with difficult situations using radical acceptance. In this post I want to share in a little more detail how I use radical acceptance.

Radical acceptance means taking a look at a past event or current situation and deciding what to do about it. Rather than allowing the situation to consume you and lead to anxiety or depression, there are strategies to cope and deal with that event or situation without emotional turmoil.

As I touched on in the previous post on distress tolerance, the first part is accepting the situation for what it is. Then, it is accepting the emotions that go along with that situation. Finally, it is accepting that life will be OK, even with the painful situation.

It is hard for me to practice radical acceptance when feeling depressed. Instead of being able to accept a past mistake, I tend to ruminate and focus on that mistake with regret, which leads to more feelings of depression.

It's good to practice radical acceptance when I'm feeling balanced because then it's easier to accept a past event or mistake and realize that the only thing I can do is learn from that past event or mistake and that beating myself up or feeling depressed about it isn't going to help me. By practicing radical acceptance when I'm not experiencing bipolar symptoms, it helps me be more effective at it when I am dealing with anxiety, depression, or hypomania.

A big piece of radical acceptance is telling oneself that life can still be good despite a past painful event. Past events do not have to become self-defining. Though I had to leave two different jobs abruptly because of acute bipolar symptoms, I don't need to label myself a quitter. Instead, I can accept what happened and tell myself that even though those weren't ideal circumstances, I have a job now and am better prepared to stop or reduce bipolar symptoms that could lead me to miss work. Rather than focus on the past, I can enjoy the things that are good in my life, of which are many.

My next post will be my last post on distress tolerance.

Until next time.

DBT - Distress Tolerance - Part 1

In my last post, I wrote about how using DBT, specifically mindfulness skills, helped me through a rough patch of bipolar symptoms. The skill sets of DBT include mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. In my last post, I wrote about how I used mindfulness  skills to cope with symptoms from bipolar and how those skills can help keep one mentally healthy in general.

Distress tolerance skills were also helpful in getting me through my last rough patch of bipolar symptoms. Distress tolerance skills are similar to mindfulness skills in that many of the skills help one focus in the present rather than fretting about the future or feeling depressed about the past. I’ll spend a couple posts on distress tolerance as there are a lot of skills and several were helpful to me in getting through my last rough patch.

The main distress tolerance skills my therapist had me work on was radical acceptance. Radical acceptance means accepting the world and the moment exactly how it is in that moment. In my post on mindfulness, I wrote about using the observe and describe skills to recognize memories and emotions that may be painful. Using radical acceptance, I work on experiencing the moment, no matter how uncomfortable, and accepting that moment for how it is, without denial and without judgment.

By accepting the situation or emotion without denying it, I’m more able to effectively deal with it. Denial of a situation or an emotion does not get rid of it. By pretending a situation or emotion is not there, it merely prolongs the situation or emotion because one has no opportunity to deal with them.

Radical acceptance was helpful to me as I went through my last bout of bipolar symptoms. When I get into a cycle of symptoms, I can start to feel out of control and begin to worry that I’ll continue spiraling and end up in really bad shape, possibly landing in the hospital. By using radical acceptance, I can stay in the current moment and focus on that moment alone rather than worrying about what may happen in the future.

Using radical acceptance does not mean you have to shrug, say, “it is what it is,” and leave the situation at that. Instead, one can still radically accept something and still work to improve or learn from the situation.

In my next post I'll write more about how to get through difficult moments—both by exploring radical acceptance in more depth and by using other skills and strategies.

DBT - Mindfulness

About a month ago, I wrote about how I was using DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy) to help get me through a rough patch. I’m happy to report that since that post I’ve started to feel better, and I attribute at least part of that improvement to working on DBT skills. If one doesn’t have anxiety or depression,  DBT skills can still be useful for improving mental health in general.

The first category of skills I’ve been working on is mindfulness. Using mindfulness helps get me out of my head and focus on the current moment rather than ruminating on past mistakes or worrying about the future.

The three specific skills I’ve been working on are, “Observe: just notice,” “Describe: put into words,” and, “Nonjudgmental stance.”

When I talked to my therapist, I mentioned how my mind would often wander to past mistakes I’d made and how those thoughts led me to feelings of guilt, which in turn contributed to my depression.  Also, I was spending time worrying about future events, which was aggravating my anxiety.

So, she suggested using the observe skill and the describe skill along with the nonjudgmental stance to deal with the thoughts and emotions. 

Using the observe skill, rather than trying to counteract worry or the thought of a past mistake, I just notice it. I see that it’s there, then use my next skill, describe. I describe the thought in my head along with the feeling it elicits. In this way, I separate myself from the thought and emotion. The thought and emotion are simply there—they are not me. I then employ the nonjudgmental stance, which means I look at the thought and emotion and without judging them. In this way, I don’t let the emotion affect me further. Instead, I merely acknowledge it and not worry about when the thought and emotion will leave.

I can’t say these skills in mindfulness work every time. There are still moments were I succumb to guilt or anxiety, but putting these skills into practice definitely helps.

In a future post, I’ll write about some other skills I’ve been using that helped get me through that rough patch. 

Thanks for reading.

Twin Cities Marathon 2019 - Race Report

So I don’t usually do race reports anymore, but now this is my second in as many months. I thought this one would be important, however, given that I had so much support and so many people donate to my Team World Vision fundraiser. I thought about doing an abbreviated report, but I decided to just lay it all out. So many people helped motivate me along this journey of training for and racing the Twin Cities Marathon, so I wanted to give a detailed report of how my race went.

***

The night before the race went like many pre-race nights. Since high school, I’ve struggled with getting to and staying asleep before a big race. It took forever for me to fall asleep as I anticipated Twin Cities Marathon, and once I did fall asleep, I woke up several times.

Despite my poor sleep, I felt pretty good once I got out of bed. Laura was already up, so after I made my coffee, she helped me tape on my bracelet with the names of everyone who’d donated to my Team World Vision fundraiser and the miles I was dedicating to them. 

After getting dressed, I gathered my things and drove over to the Fort Snelling Park and Ride. I’d never taken the light rail to the start of a Twin Cities Marathon or 10 Mile before, but when I do the race in the future I will probably do it again—it was very convenient and stress-free.

When I got to the start I felt like I was there a little earlier than I wanted to be. I found a bench against a building and drank some Generation Ucan and finished my coffee. I still had plenty of time to use the Port-o-Potties (twice). Before the start I ran into several running friends and a former coworker. It was nice to see some friendly faces before the race.

I stayed in my warm clothes as close to the start as I thought was wise, then stuffed them in my drop bag, dropped off the bag, and headed to the start.

In the starting corral I took off the long sleeve shirt I was wearing and put it in one of the Goodwill bins along the side of the corral. I kept on an old pair of gloves and a stocking hat that I planned to toss off once I was feeling warm enough. 

As I started, I felt like I had to pee. It wasn’t bad, but I was afraid I’d have to stop to pee during the race. 

Like many big races, I felt boxed in at the beginning. There was a big crowd, and a lot of people moved at inconsistent speeds or weaved in and out of the crowds, cutting off other runners without a care. After a few miles, however, the crowd thinned out a bit, and I was able to get into a rhythm. And that’s where I started running not very smart. 

My “A” goal was to run under 3:05, but I was feeling pretty good. My right ankle started bothering, but it didn’t seem to be affecting my stride, so I decided I could go faster than I had any business going. Fortunately, the feeling of having to go to the bathroom passed, but the idea of running too fast stayed.

Through 30K I was cruising easily at a sub-3 hour marathon pace, but I was starting to feel like that pace was no longer sustainable. My legs and my body were starting to feel it, and I began doing the math of how fast I needed to run to break 3:05. By mile 20 it was clear I wasn’t breaking 3:05, and I took my first walk break, and then more walk breaks at miles 21 and 22. I knew I was coming up on Laura and Calvin around mile 23. I decided I’d make sure I was running then, and I ran as fast as a could, which happened to be about a minute per mile slower than I’d been running.

It was a big pick-me-up, and after taking one more short walk break after seeing them, I decided I was going to run the rest of the way to the finish. The race up to the point where the pace started to feel too fast had felt really good. I’d dedicated a mile to each person who’d donated to my Team World Vision Fundraiser and reading each of their names on the bracelet I’d made gave me a good feeling each mile.

I was able to run the last mile and a half without any walk breaks, and after getting passed again and again for the previous few miles, in the last mile I was able to do some passing myself.

I finished in 3:07:45, missing my “A” goal by about three minutes, but making my “B” goal by almost 8 minutes.

At the finish line I ran into a few old friends—I’ve always enjoyed the small world of running.

I had an unpleasant surprise when they couldn’t find my bag at the bag drop. There wasn’t much I could do about it beyond leaving Laura’s phone number (my phone was in the drop bag) and hope they called me.

Then, I headed to get a massage, then to the Team World Vision tent to have some pizza. Afterwards, I met up with Laura and Calvin, took a few pictures, and headed back to the Team World Vision tent so we could all eat.

We then went to the beer garden and I enjoyed a nice Summit beer. Before we left, I walked back to the drop bag area to check one more time, and thankfully they had the bag. Apparently I’d dropped it in the wrong spot and it went to the VIP area. Whoops.

Despite running a not-very-smart race, I’m pretty happy overall. I beat my “B” goal by a lot, and I surpassed my goal of raising $1310 for Team World 000Vision by over $200.

Now, I need to figure out what to do with the winter season. I have an idea of a race I’d like to do this spring, but first I’m hoping some new exercises I got from physical therapy will help clear up my nagging injuries. Once (I hope) that happens, I’ll think more seriously about training for a spring race.

Thanks for reading.

Twin Cities Marathon: It’s Goal Time

This has been one of the worst training cycles I’ve had for a marathon. Second worst in fact, and after the worst training cycle I ran just a hair under 3:21.

With such a lousy, injury-riddled training cycle, I’ve thought a lot about setting a goal. Part of me thought I’d just run at an easy pace, give high fives, and eat and drink anything and everything passed out on the course. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought about how that wouldn’t actually be that fun for me. Maybe some day, but right now I like to race. I like to push my body to its limit, and while just “running for fun” doesn’t sound like a bad idea, I honestly don’t think I’d enjoy it that much.

So, I’m going to race. It might be stupid and I might blow up and be miserable, but I’m going to try it. Here are my “A,” “B,” and “C” goals.

“A” Goal:

Run a Boston qualifying time, meaning under 3:05. This might be a really bad idea as I’ve missed a few long runs and haven’t done any fast-finish long runs that would normally give me confidence to run at race pace, but I’m going to go for it anyway. The past couple weeks, a 3:05 pace has felt easy, so who knows? Maybe it’ll happen.

“B” Goal:

Run under 3:16. That was the time of my first marathon, so it’d be nice to run faster than that.

“C” Goal:

Run under 3:21:46. My slowest time racing a marathon.

So there they are. I’m going to be aggressive, so there’s a pretty good chance it’s going to get ugly at the end. 

Thanks to all who have supported me in training for Team World Vision. Thanks to you, I’ve surpassed my fundraising goal of $50 per mile. I’ve got a wristband for tomorrow with the names of all those for whom I’m dedicating a mile.

If you’re interested in tracking me, you can download the Twin Cities in Motion app. My bib number is 3450. Here’s a link to get the app:

https://live.sporthive.com/event/4269/App

Team World Vision Training - 1 week to go

It’s almost here. On Sunday, I’ll be running the Twin Cities Marathon for the second time—ten years after my first marathon, also the Twin Cities Marathon.

This training cycle has been tough. It started with a lot of promise. The ankle and foot injuries I was dealing with both cleared up, and for most of the summer I was running injury-free. Then, one little thing after another started bothering me—quad, calf, ankle, ankle in a different spot. Overall, I’d say this is the second worst training cycle I’ve had for a marathon.

That said, I got some encouragement this week. For the second time, a physical therapist did dry needling on my strained quad, and it seems to have helped. With the quad feeling better, I ran a little faster last week, and on one run was cruising at a 3:05 marathon pace with minimal effort. Also, although I’ve had some aches while running, I’m feeling cautiously optimistic that my injuries will stay at bay during the marathon.

Some goals are starting to coalesce in my mind, but I’ll save those for another post.

Thank you to all who have supported me in this marathon journey. A special thanks to those who’ve donated to Team World Vision in order to help bring clean water to communities in need.

You can still help make a difference in bringing clean water to communities in need. Donate through my Facebook Fundraiser, or my Team World Vision donor page. 

Team World Vision Training - 2 weeks to go

This training cycle has me leaping from one pain to another. Last week my left quad, which has been bugging me for a few weeks ago, continued to act up along with my right calf. I got in to see a physical therapist, and he suggested some dry needling. So I agreed to have some small needles jabbed into my calf and quad muscles. 

My calf felt better after the dry needling, but my quad was about the same. Both pains didn’t bother too much on the handful runs I did. Unfortunately,  I felt flat on those runs. My legs didn’t have any pop to them, and I felt fatigued on almost every run.

On Saturday, I went out for a twenty mile run, and unfortunately my right ankle started acting up. Earlier when it acted up, it felt better after a day’s rest. The ankle started hurting just over eleven miles into my twenty mile run, and the pain came and went. Some miles it didn’t hurt at all, and others it was pretty sore.

After completing twenty miles, I feeling pretty confident I’ll be able to finish the Twin Cities Marathon. At one point I had visions of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, but at this point I’m just aiming to finish it and have fun.

I’ve surpassed my goal of raising $50 per mile for a total of $1310 for Team World Vision. Thanks to everyone for helping bring clean water to communities in need. You can still donate through my Team World Vision page: Nate Leckband - Team World Vision, or my Facebook fundraising page: Nate Leckband’s fundraiser.

5K - Yearly Goals Update

I ran Julliette’s Race last Saturday, and I was looking to complete one of my goals for 2019, running a 5K in under 18 minutes. I don’t do race reports anymore, but I figured for this one I’d do a report since I’d really geared up for this race.

I wasn’t overly optimistic about being able to break 18 minutes going into the race. I’d been dealing with a sore ankle, sore calf, and sore quad, and I hadn’t run hardly at all for two weeks. Then, last Wednesday my ankle and calf started feeling better, and my quad was a little better. I did a 12 mile run on Thursday (another reason why I wasn’t overall optimistic about the race), and while the quad was a little sore, it was definitely manageable. Before the run I saw a chiropractor, and he did some pressure point thing to my quad and calf, and on Friday my quad felt the best it had in a couple weeks.

***

The race itself started out pretty well. I needed to average 5:47 to break 18 minutes, and I started out running just under 5:40 per mile. 

I was running with a couple people for a while. The first was a guy who I’d beaten in the previous year (only because he was running with his dog and it stopped to poop), and he told me our pace after about a quarter of a mile. He pulled away from me around the half mile mark, and I pulled away from the guy behind me around the mile mark.

So, I was running alone, which wasn’t ideal as I sometimes get in my head too much. When I hit the second mile marker at a little slower pace than the first, I really had to battle the negative self-talk.

With a quarter mile left, I really was having a lot of self-doubt. I started to feel certain that I wasn’t going to make my goal, and began to think about slowing way down since I wasn’t going to make my goal anyway.

Feeling like giving up has happened many times, especially in 5K races, but often something happens that is hard to explain—it feels backwards from the mind of matter mantra. While my brain’s telling me to give up, my legs decide they have a little more left.

That’s was happened in Julliette’s Race. I picked up the pace, and cross the line at a decent pace—not the sprint I’ve managed at several 5Ks in the past, but still a little faster than I’d been running the last mile.

When I stopped my watch at the finish, it read 17:58—just sneaking in under 18 minutes. I didn’t get too excited—the official results weren’t yet in, and it was perfectly possible that my official time would be 18:00.

It wasn’t. I came in officially at 17:58. I’m pumped. A yearly goal, checked off the list. That makes two goals completed as I also hit my goal of raising $1310 for Team World Vision.

I’m pretty pumped about breaking 18 minutes at Julliette’s Race. When I ran 18:10 at the Eagan parkrun several weeks ago, I was certain I could hit 17:45 or faster at Julliette’s Race—a flatter course with no sharp turns or hills—but after all my little injuries and lack of running, I knew breaking 18 minutes was far from certain.

Two goals down for the year, three more to go.

Coping with Mental Illness - DBT

In my last post, I wrote about how I was dealing with a mixed state—a combination of hypomania and depression. While the manic side of the mixed stated is more prevalent, the depressive side is also bothersome. I hate how the manic side keeps me from focusing, pushes me to do or say things I wouldn’t normally, and makes it difficult to sleep. But I also hate how the depressive side saps my energy, makes me sad with little provocation, and has me feeling guilty about any past mistake that crosses my memory.

Last week, I went to see my therapist. I talked to her about what was going on and asked her what DBT skills I should work on. Several years ago, after a hospitalization for depression, I attended a six week class on dialectical behavioral therapy, or DBT. DBT includes four different skill areas including interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and mindfulness. I talked to my therapist about my problems, and she suggested several skills to work on. These skills have been helpful and have definitely improved my mood and increased my effectiveness. 

In some future posts, I’m going to share some of the skills I’ve been working on and how those skills have helped. If you want to read about the types of DBT skills, you can browse the “Skills Lessons” from the website, “DBT Self Help.”

I’m working on skills in three sf the four categories in DBT: mindfulness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance. Since I’m not dealing with any interpersonal issues, I’m not working on any skills in interpersonal effectiveness. Working on these skills has helped me get through this latest episode, and I really feel like I’ve turned a corner and am almost back to “normal.”

Thanks for reading.

Mania and Depression

The last couple weeks have been somewhat challenging but manageable. I’ve been dealing with some hypomania and mixed states. Hypomania is marked by an elevated mood, increased goal-driven behavior, and increased gregariousnes among other symptoms. It is not as severe as mania. A mixed state includes symptoms of both mania/hypomania and depression.

I usually notice something is wrong when I start sleeping poorly. Symptoms of hypomania include a decreased need for sleep and sleep difficulties. During most hypomanic episodes, I have difficulties falling or staying asleep. Thankfully, during this episode my sleep hasn’t been great, but I’ve only had one night that I slept less than six hours. 

Having sleep problems used to really bother me because I thought my poor sleep was making me manic. And though poor sleep can aggravate or cause bipolar symptoms, the doctor that manages my medications told me it’s more likely that the hypomania is causing the poor sleep and not the other way around. By thinking about the poor sleep as a symptom rather than a cause of hypomania, it helps me relax a little more about my sleep and not stress out about it, making it even more difficult to sleep.

For the last couple weeks I’ve been in a predominately mixed state with hypomania being most prominent. I have moments where I want to seek out conversation or do all the talking in a conversation. Thankfully, after going through bipolar cycles for years, I’ve been able to cope with these symptoms better than I used to. I try hard to say to myself, “Do I really need to talk to this person right now? Is this the best time to talk to her or him?” Then, when I’m having a conversation, I try to focus on listening and asking questions rather than thinking about what I want to say.

And while the hypomania can be bothersome, I’m sometimes able to focus enough that I can harness some of that energy and get more done than I normally would. Unfortunately, when I’m in a mixed state, I also fall into a depressed mood, which makes it hard to get anything done and generally has me wanting to do nothing but sit back in my recliner and do nothing.

While dealing with my latest mixed state hasn’t been fun, it has given me the motivation to go over some of my DBT skills and to use those skills to help get through it. In some later posts I might write about which DBT skills I’ve been working on and how they’ve been helping me through this episode.

Thanks for reading.

Team World Vision Training - 3 weeks to go

Three weeks out from most marathons are known as “peak weeks.” A peak week is the week with the highest mileage and the hardest workouts. This week was neither for me.

Though I didn’t do what I’ve done for every other marathons I’ve race, I’m actually pretty happy with this week. On last week’s long run I had to call Laura to come and pick me up because my right ankle hurt so bad. I feared it was peroneal tendinitis, an injury I had on my left ankle that nagged me for months.

Thankfully, my ankle doesn’t hurt at all, and the sore quad that just won’t get better along with a sore calf are now starting to improve, A chiropractor did some pressure point thing to my quad, and on the next day it felt better than it had in weeks.

I’m going to see a physical therapist who specializing in running on Thursday, so I’m hoping he can help me get even healthier before the race. 

This week I ran 27 miles—pretty low for a peak week, especially considering almost every one of my past peak weeks have been 50+ miles. But, I’m feeling much more confident about the race. Now I’m just trying to decide if I should race it as fast as I can, or enjoy it, take it the sights and the crowds, eat every type of food offered, and finish without feeling like my legs have been worked over by a meat tenderizer.

I’m still accepting donations to Team World Vision vision to help bring clean water to communities in need. While I run the race I’ll be dedicating each mile to a donor or donors, so if you feel so inclined, make a donation before the race and I’ll run a mile in your honor.

Here’s a statistic on clean water access:

Worldwide, 144 million people depend on surface water for their water supply.

If you would like to donate to Team World Vision, feel free to visit my Facebook Fundraising page or

Team World Vision Fundraising page.

5K Goal

One of my goals for this year was to run under 18 minutes for the 5K. Last year I didn’t come close to my goal of breaking 17 minutes. My closest effort was 17:45 on a fairly flat course.

So, this year I decided that it wasn’t likely that I was going to get much faster—especially since my main focus was going to be training for the Twin Cities Marathon. 

I have, however, been doing interval workouts geared toward a sub-18 minute 5K, and it was starting to look like those workouts are paying off. We have a local 5K called “parkrun,” a free weekly timed 5K. I knew my first 5K a week from this a month ago wasn’t going to be under 18:00, but I wanted to see where I was at. I ended up running an 18:41, but I was also running by myself for almost the entire race, so I thought I could have gone faster if I’d been racing someone else.

A couple weeks ago my only goal was to improve from the previous week, chipping away at breaking 18 minutes. That race there was a runner in front whom I only saw for the first mile or so. He was quite a ways in front, and ended up almost setting the course record,

I did have someone running with me, however. He ran right behind me for the entire race, and though it would have been helpful if he would have taken the lead for a while so I could draft, it was still motivating knowing that someone was running right behind me, presumably to try and beat me at the end.

After having him behind me for two miles, the competitive side of me started strategizing. I decided to slowly speed up until there was a quarter mile left, and then go as fast as I could to the finish. 

The quarter mile mark comes right after going up and down the biggest hill on the course, and I didn’t have a lot left when we hit the hill. Still, I was able to pick it up and finish relatively fast, beating the guy behind me by four seconds. My time was 18:10–a big improvement from the previous week.

Tomorrow I’m going to be running a flatter course with far fewer turns than the parkrun, so I’m hoping I can break 18 minutes. I’m not overly optimistic, however, as I’ve cut back my running pretty significantly because of injuries. Thankfully my ankle hasn’t been bothering me at all, and my quad strain feels a little better. 

So, wish me luck for tomorrow—I’ll need it. 

Team World Vision Training - 4 weeks to go

First off, I want to again share my joy for the thoughts, well-wishes, prayers, and generosity that so many of you have shared with me as I've training for Team World Vision. I've surpassed my fundraising goal for Team World Vision and have raised over $50 per mile of the Twin Cities Marathon. That money will bring clean water to communities in need. 

My training this week was difficult, and there's now some doubt in my mind if I will be able to run the Twin Cities Marathon. For several weeks I've been dealing with a sore quadricep muscle, and now for a couple weeks I've been dealing with a sore ankle.

On Saturday, when I tried to complete my long run, I had to call Laura to come and pick me up because my ankle hurt even when I was walking and I didn't want to do any further damage to it. Later that day, however, it felt fine, so it's hard to tell exactly what's going one. I did a 20 minute run yesterday, and my ankle didn't hurt at all. There's a chance my ankle might have started hurting because I stopped using my Superfeet insoles (my doctor recommended them), so I'm going to replace those.

I also have an appointment in a week with a physical therapist who specializes in running, so I'm hoping he'll help me get healed enough to complete the marathon.

Here's a stat for this week:

In 2017, Team World Vision helped bring clean water to 3.2 million people.

Though I've already surpassed my fundraising goal, we can still do more! You can donate through my fundraising page: Team World Vision - Nathan Leckband, or through my Facebook fundraising page: Nate Leckband's Facebook Fundraiser.

Team World Vision Training - 5 weeks to go

This week started out great and kept going well until Friday after my run. I'd been pretty injury-free since I'd taken those five days off for an ankle issue, but on Friday I had two issues crop up.

Part of why my week had been going well before Friday was that I'd been feeling healthy and strong on all my runs. I've had a bit of a sore right quad for a couple weeks, but it was really minor and I didn't notice it much if at all during my runs. The calf popped up on Wednesday, but I barely felt it, and on Thursday I had a strong interval workout where my calf and quad didn't bother me at all.

Then, on Friday, my right calf started aching during my run. It wasn't bad at first, but as the run went on it continued to get worse. Then, with about 3/4 of a mile left, my right ankle started bugging me. At the time I thought, Uh oh, this is a new pain, and it’s not good.

I don’t have a solid answer for why my calf and ankle started bugging me. I have a few guesses though: My volume was up the previous week, and though it wasn’t nearly as high as it’s been in the past, it was still up there. Then last week it wasn’t quite as high, but before Friday I was on my way to the two highest back-to-back weeks of mileage in over a year.

I also got a new pair of shoes with a zero drop that may have led to the calf soreness (and maybe ankle—who knows). Normally I run in shoes with between 5 and 10 mm drop, so I knew I needed to ease into my new Altra Escalantes, but when I was going to go for a short run with them, they were feeling so great I ended up going seven miles. I honestly don’t know if that made a difference on the injury front. I felt fine the rest of the day and the next day after the run, but it’s possible the run in the Escalantes contributed to my calf and ankle pain.

With the soreness I was a little worried, especially since my ankle felt similar to how the other ankle felt when I had peroneal tendinitis, and that injury took months to heal. Fortunately, I took Saturday and Sunday off, and by today (Monday), both my ankle and my calf are feeling much better. I’m taking today and tomorrow off of running too, and I’ve been cycling while taking a break from the running.

I’ll maybe give an update on my injuries mid-week. I hope it’ll be good news.

On a very positive note, I’ve achieved and surpassed my fundraising goal for Team World Vision. Thank you so much to all of you for your generosity in helping communities without access to clean water. Though I’ve reached my goal, you can still contribute. Your donation will make a big impact for those with water insecurity.

If you’re interested in donating to my Team World Vision fundraiser, you can donate through my Facebook fundraising page, or you can donate on my Team World Vision fundraising page.

World Vision Training - 6 weeks to go

For most of the marathons I’ve raced, six weeks before the race is about the time I start wishing that the marathon was here already. At that point, I’ve trained 10 - 14 weeks and I just want to be done training and run the race.

Not this year. This year, if you’ve followed my blog, you know that I dealt with a lot of foot injuries over the past year. Although I seem to have recovered from the injuries, I haven’t done the training I would have liked, and instead of wishing the race were here, I wish I had a few more weeks to train.

Though I wish I had more time to train, things have been going well. The sore ankle that I was worried about has cleared up completely, and I haven’t had any pain from my previous foot injuries in over a month. The only thing giving me a little trouble is a sore quad, but it doesn’t bother me much when I run, and I’m hopeful it won’t be an issue on race day.

I had some positive happenings in my running last week including a solid interval workout, a season best time in the 5K, and my highest weekly mileage this training cycle. 

In interval workouts, I’m not doing marathon specific work. Instead, I’ve been focusing my workouts for the 5K since one of my goals for the year was to run under 18 minutes, and I’d like to get that done before Twin Cities Marathon. This past week I did a 10 X 500m at a 17:50 5K pace, and I hit every one of my splits. The workout definitely gave me confidence that I can break 18 minutes in the 5K before Twin Cities Marathon. I’ll write more about my 5K training and racing in a future post.

I was glad to get in over 45 miles of training this week, finishing the week with 47 miles. I don’t know how smart it is, but a few times, including last week, I’ve run a warm up for the parkrun 5K, raced the 5K and then put in a bunch more miles to make it my long run. The weather was decent Saturday, and I ran 15 miles and still had some pop in my legs at the end. I ran 6:38 pace for the last couple miles, so my racing the 5K in the first part of my long run didn’t turn out too bad.

So there’s my week. Thanks for reading. If you’re interested in donating to my Team World Vision fundraiser, you can donate through my Facebook fundraising page (I’m matching the next $100 in donations), or you can donate on my Team World Vision fundraising page.

Team World Vision Training - 7 weeks to go

Good news from this week: after taking five days-in-a-row off last week and forgoing a long run for a long hike, I’ve been feeling great. The ankle that had been bothering me didn’t hurt at all last week including during a hard-ish workout, a 5K race and a 12 mile long run.

The workout I did this week was Yasso 800s. If you haven’t heard of them, Yasso 800s, named after runner Bart Yasso, are a marathon predictor workout. Basically, you convert your marathon goal time from hours:minutes to minutes:seconds. Then you run 800m (half mile) at your prescribed pace. For example: if your marathon goal is three hours, you would run each 800 in three minutes. In between 800s you jog an equal amount of time.

I’ve done this workout before and found that it predicts a marathon time of about five minutes faster than I actually run (which isn't unusual). Yasso 800s aren’t necessarily a great workout for marathon training—not that they’re not helpful, but I wouldn’t do them too many times as there are only so many hard workouts one can do before a marathon. For example: long runs with the last 6 - 10 miles at goal marathon pace or tempo runs at slightly faster than race pace are more beneficial for marathon training.

You can read all about the workout here: "The Real History of the Yasso 800s," or simply Google, "Yasso 800s" to read numerous opinions on the workout,

I’m thankful for a good bounce back week of training after spending the previous week with a sore ankle. I’m planning on putting in a few more miles this week and am hoping to keep staying injury-free.

Healthy Habits Update

This month I’ve made the goal of of maintaining two healthy habits — drinking one alcoholic beverage per week or less and eating 36 grams of sugar per day or less. Part of the reason I set this goal was to be more healthy, and part of the reason was that I wanted to get closer to the weight I was when I did my best racing. I’m by no means overweight, but I know I could run faster if I weighed a little less.

The healthy habits have been going OK. I’m doing great with the alcohol one. I’ve only had one drink as of this writing (August 17). The sugar goal is not going so well. I haven’t kept exact track, but I think I’ve been having 36 grams of sugar or less per day between 50% and 60% of the time. It’s definitely a weakness.

So, I want to adjust my goal on the fly here since staying under 36 grams a day hasn’t been that successful. Instead, since I have two weeks of August left, I’m going to limit myself to two sweets a week — four sweets between now and the end of the month. That way I know on the days I want to have a sweet I can save it for something I really want, and the other days I’m not going to be doing the math and figuring out exactly how much sugar I can consume. Instead, I’ll just be having no sweets at all.

How about you? Are you maintaining or starting any healthy habits? I’d love to hear from you.