Marathon Training has Begun

Just like that, I'm back to training with a purpose. Most of September was spent "exercising," recovering from surgery and just basically trying to re-establish a base (in addition to putting on a few pounds that I'm now starting to shed). But, with October now upon us, I'm back at it with dreams of a new PR at the Rock 'n Roll Arizona Marathon (a.k.a. the Phoenix Marathon). At this point, I'm not chasing after a specific time, though I want to PR (current PR is 2:58).

Basically, the training plan is to do three quality sessions a week: an interval session, a tempo run and a long run. Everything in between is going to be at "easy" pace. This morning I did 3x1600 at the track and had a great time. The last time I did 3x1600, which used to be my bread-and-butter track workout, was 2009. It was always a great indicator of my fitness. If I could run each interval in about 5:35, I knew I was in good shape. Today, my times were around 5:58-5:59--slow, but not super slow, and you can't overlook the fact that I'm now at elevation.

As winter rolls in, getting in quality may become tricky, but fortunately I have easy access to a treadmill in the event that the roads are icy.

I've been thinking a lot about what I want as a runner. I'm not yet sure what I want in the long-term, but right now I want to succeed at Phoenix and come away from that race satisfied and knowing I've earned a spot at Boston in 2014. I'm trying not to think about Leadville in 2013, even though Leadville is always lurking deep in my mind since that race is a big part of who I am as a person. I won't even start training for Leadville until early April.

For me, it's a hell of a lot harder to run 26.2 miles at 6:40 pace than it is to run a 50K or 50-miler in the mountains (notice I didn't include 100-milers--the difficulty of those is beyond the pale). The training for a PR effort in the marathon is a lot more focused, structured and specialized (and I like that), but not quite as grueling as training for a 100-miler. I think doing nothing but ultras is limiting. Over time, ultras can slow you down, especially if all you do are trail races. If improving and getting faster are important to you, then it's good to race different distances on different surfaces, and that includes the road. There are some awesome road ultras out there, such as Spartathlon and Comrades.

As far as volume, my goal through October is to keep my weekly mileage around 60-65. In November, I'll likely get into the 70s and in December I may bump things up to 80 miles a week. They key is not sacrificing quality for quantity. One of the big changes I'm making is not doing back to back long runs every week like I've done for years on end now. On Saturdays, I may do only 10 miles, and then on Sundays I'll go long. I want my long runs to be high quality, and I want to do several 20-milers in advance of Phoenix. This Sunday I'll be going 20 miles.

Here's to the joy of marathon training!

Oprah May Have Saved My Life

Here I am with my then-boss, the late
Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon. I was about
220 lbs. when this photo was taken in 2002.

The year was 1999 and Anne and I lived in Raleigh, North Carolina. I was fresh out of graduate school and working as a branch manager for a document-delivery company in Research Triangle Park--a truly God-awful gig. I remember the day in question. I saw my doctor for a routine physical exam. She checked my blood pressure, pulled some blood, had me stand on the scale and asked me a bunch of questions. I was about 215-220 pounds back then. When the time came for the doctor to tell me about my blood results, little did I realize what I was about to hear.

"Your iron is a bit high--we need to get that down. It's probably from too much red meat. I'd also like to see you lose some weight to get your back in better shape and reduce the discomfort you're living with. Since you mentioned your concern about your weight, here's some information on healthy eating and ways you can help prevent diabetes, heart disease, back pain and other conditions."


Here I am with some of our friends back in Indiana. Can you find me in this photo? I'm the guy in the back row on the far left, holding the beer bottle. I was easily 220  lbs. then.

Well, that's the Reader's Digest version of what she told me.

Like many Americans, I did nothing to heed my doctor's advice.

Fast forward about 4 years to 2003. By then Anne and I lived in Lafayette, Indiana, where she was working toward her small animal medicine residency at Purdue University and I was in politics (another God-awful gig). To put it mildly, we were making a modest living at the time. One night after dinner with some friends Anne suffered a terrible migraine headache that landed us in the ER of our local hospital in the wee hours of the night. When we entered the ER, she was incoherent. The doctor scanned her head to confirm the diagnosis and put her on an IV, which helped her feel better. I had to make a bunch of decisions on her behalf. She was referred to a neurologist for follow-up care. Though we were insured, the medical bills mounted. We paid all of the bills and sacrificed in the process. That seems like a lifetime ago.


50+ pounds lighter and a heck of a lot happier.
I had just won a 100-miler.

A few months later, Anne was at home--she was off-clinics at the time--and watching an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." I wasn't there, but the show centered around healthy eating and weight-loss. Oprah had a guest who espoused whole grains and warned of simple sugars. By this time we had made some tweaks to our diet to remove some migraine trigger foods, such as chocolate. But our cupboards and fridge were still full of fattening, sugar-laced foods--some of the very foods Oprah and her guests were warning us not to eat. Things like white rice, white potatoes, white pasta, white bread, sweet tea, and other sugary concoctions. Our freezer was lined with ground beef, pork chops, etc. All of it and more made up the Hornsby kitchen.

When I got home from work that night, Anne dropped the hammer on me. At the time I was easily north of 220 pounds and loving the KFC all-you-can-eat buffet. I was frustrated, too. By that time I was unhappy with my weight and had started running again. I could pretty easily run 4-5 miles and jogged a few times a week, but the weight was still there. Though still quite thin, Anne wasn't happy at all with her weight and was still thinking about her migraine attack. Changes had to be made, she demanded. No more simple sugars! We're going to eat brown rice, whole wheat pasta and whole grain bread. No more brownies and cookies. No more sweet tea! No more weekly pizza binges! (Note: Pizza is STILL our weak spot.) And the red meat needs moderation!

And so began a new life for us. For me, that was 53 pounds and 31 marathons and ultramarathons ago. For Anne, I'm not sure how many pounds ago it was, but today she looks better than ever. Vastly improved health, along with a little inspiration from a friend, Steve, and my father-in-law, Doug, an accomplished marathon walker, allowed me to achieve a dream I'd long had. In October of 2004, I traveled to Columbus, Ohio with Doug and finished the Columbus Marathon in 3:22. I'd wanted to run a marathon since I was 17. It was a dream come true and a new trajectory for my life. By this time I'd joined my first running club and quickly the running community became something of a second family to me.

I look back on those unhealthy years and I can't believe it. At age 25, I was having trouble getting out of my car due to lower-back pain. I wore size 38 pants and a size 46 suit (now size 33 pants and a 40/42 suit). I used to have to wear wide-width shoes. Now I wear regular-width shoes (when you're overweight your feet swell). I really believe that episode of Oprah was the tipping point for us. As soon as we made the changes, the weight came off. When we made more changes, more weight came off. Today, if I pick up two 25-pound dumbbells, it hits me that I was carrying all of that and more at one time in my life. It's no wonder my lower back hurt so badly.

I think I sometimes get really caught up in the next race and my training and let my ego rule my attitude. It's said you should never forget where you came from. I think I often forget what this blog is really about. I started it in 2007 as a guy who had just run his first 100-miler and was so full of love for this sport and the way of life that I wanted to share it with others.

Why am I saying all of this? Yesterday I got another e-mail from an inspired reader looking for a healthier life and a better way. Then I looked through some of this site's "followers" and discovered some incredible stories on their own blogs. Following me are not only fellow ultra runners, but also people who are fighting their weight, making breakthroughs in their personal health, enduring setbacks and wresting with temptation. They're fighting the good fight every day. I know many runners who at one time battled a weight problem or smoked or even faced a frightening diagnosis. One day, for whatever reason, they'd had enough, found an old pair of athletic shoes in their garage and gone for a little run. The rest is history. Many runners have that story to tell.

If you're reading this and unhappy about your health and want to do something about, check your garage or the back of your closet for that old pair of running shoes. Give 'em a go!

The journey toward better health is a difficult one with bumps in the road and a few diversions. The key for all of us is to stay on course and quickly find your way back when you get lost. Don't be hard on yourself; have faith in yourself. Keep at it. Never give up. Always search for better ways. Above all else....

Get 'er done.

2011 Goals / 7 Weight-Loss Tips

Happy new year! It's 2011 and many people (including yours truly) are setting goals for the new year. For me, the big goal for 2011, of course, is to get healthy. I've had a severe bout of plantar fasciitis since July and am only now seeing significant progress in my foot thanks to time off from running, physical therapy, a night splint, and self therapy. An orthotic designed for runners is on the way and I'm feeling optimistic about my foot for the first time in months. If my progress continues and I'm able to be at 100%--or damn close to it--by April, here are some goals for the year:

• Break 2:55 in the marathon. My current PR is 2:58 and since then I've run two 2:59s. I was planning to go for a sub-2:55 at the 2010 Vegas Marathon, but my foot injury dashed those hopes. A spring 2011 marathon PR effort is an outside possibility, but realistically I think my PR push will have to be in December 2011 at either the Vegas or Sacramento marathons.
• Top 20 at the Leadville 100. Entering the Mayqueen aid station (mile 86.5) at the 2010 LT100, I was in the top 25, but altitude sickness landed me in a cot at Mayqueen for 40+ minutes as more than 50 runners passed through. I still got the big buckle and a sub-25-hour finish, but I wasn't and am still not satisfied AT ALL with the result. In 2011, my big goal is to finish top 20 at Leadville.
• Break 4:30 at the Leadville Trail Marathon. This is an ambitious goal as the LT Marathon is one tough race. At the 2010 LT Marathon, I finished with a 4:55, which is a very solid time, but again I wasn't and am still not satisfied with my time. Is a theme emerging?
• Summit all of the Front Range 14'ers. The Front Range 14'ers are Evans, Bierstadt, Greys, Torreys, Long's and, of course, Pikes Peak, which I've already done twice.
• Stay healthy for the whole year. In the last three years, I've suffered injuries that really complicated things. In 2008, it was a patella femoral injury during the Mohican 100 (still finished 4th overall) that required PT and basically cost me 5 weeks of quality running (I still managed a 2:59 at the 2008 Columbus Marathon a few months later). In 2009, after a 131-mile effort at the USA 24-Hour National Championship in Cleveland, I suffered inflammation of the bursa sac behind my left Achilles heel, along with a sore arch and knee. It took me a full two months, including PT, to come back from that injury. And of course this year the story has been plantar fasciitis. With some recovery and cross-training built in in 2011, my plan is to stay healthy the whole year!

***

If your goal in 2011 is to lose weight and get healthy, I'm wishing you success! You can do it! What's stopping you?

I know what it's like to fight with weight and the aches and pains of carrying too many pounds. In 2003, Anne and I made some diet changes in our life together and we've never looked back. We started eating healthier and my weight plummeted. I went from a pudgy 219 pounds to 168 pounds--from a dude many perceived as a "big guy" to a dude many people see as "slim." I went from size 38 pants to size 33, from a size 46 suite to a size 42, from an XL to a large and sometimes medium, from a fat face to a bony face. But best of all, my lower-back pain went away, my confidence improved and success ultimately came my way.

Excess weight is devastating to one's health. Complications and problems from being over-weight or, even worse, obese include back and spine pain, joint problems, diabetes, heart disease, cancer (cancer cells feed off sugar), stroke and low self-esteem (which can contribute to depression). Simply put, the #1 killer in America today isn't heart disease or cancer; it's obesity!

For me, the weight-loss didn't happen overnight. Even when I was over-weight, I was still ripping off runs of 4-5 miles but eating the wrong foods (like KFC, mashed potatoes, too much red meat, cookies, etc.) and smoking a few cigarettes a day. Not until we changed our diet did the weight finally start coming off, allowing me to amp up my running and eventually focus on a dream I had since I was 17 or 18--finishing a marathon. This experience tells me that changing your diet is the single-most important thing you can do to bring weight-loss. Here are seven tips:

1. Eat whole grains. This includes whole-wheat pasta, whole-grain bread, brown rice, whole-grain cereals (preferably oat meal, but not the instant kind) and sweet potatoes. The grainy texture of these products may seem strange at first, but give them a shot and stick with it for a while. I'm now a big fan of flour-less bread, such as Ezekiel, that instead has whole grains. Whole-wheat and whole-grain products help prevent your blood sugar from skyrocketing like it would as a result of simple sugars. It takes a lot longer for the sugars in whole-grain products to be broken down, and so the release into the bloodstream is slower. Skyrocketing blood sugar, as is the case with simple sugars such white rice, white potatoes and really bad stuff like pop, is very bad for your weight and health. An added benefit of whole-grain foods is better digestive function. I really like Hodgson Mill whole-grain products and am a huge fan of Safeway's whole-grain organic pasta line. Uncle Ben's makes great brown rice; buy the kind that takes 30 minutes to cook. With oat meal, avoid the instant kind since it's loaded with sugar and instead buy the kind you cook on the stove top. Quaker's 1-minute oats are great!
2. Consume lean proteins and avoid red meat and pork. Lean proteins include everything from nuts, poultry and fish to skim milk and yogurt.
3. If possible and if resources allow, consume organic products and avoid meat and poultry from animals that were fed corn products. Cows are not supposed to eat corn, and yet that's a big part of their diet these days since corn-feed is so abundant and cheap. Cows were intended to graze in fields. Avoid red meat from cows that were fed corn (which is 99% of the meat at your local supermarket) as these cows just aren't as healthy, lean and happy as grass-fed cows. The same goes for poultry and, believe it or not, farm-raised fish. I'm a huge fan of free-range chicken, grass-fed beef (in strict moderation, as in once a month), wild-caught fish and cage-free eggs. You will probably need to buy these products at a higher-end grocer like Whole Foods, Fresh Market or, here in Denver, Sprout's (or, better yet, the farmer's market)...but it's worth it. The added cost of meats may ultimately cause you to eat less of them--a good thing--and cook more vegetarian meals (another good thing).
4. Focus on fruits and veges. I love salads with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I pretty much have given up all store-bought salad dressings since they're loaded with garbage. My favorite veges are broccoli, spinach and and red peppers. My favorite fruits would have to be fresh pineapple (wonderful anti-inflammatory qualities), apples, honey dew and bananas. I eat an apple a day.
5. Drink lots of water and stay hydrated. You can curtail your appetite significantly by just drinking lots of water.
6. At all costs, avoid refined sugars, fast food, processed "foods" and anything with high-fructose corn syrup. Popular refined sugars include white rice, white pasta, white bread (basically any bread that's not 100% whole wheat or 100% whole grain), white potatoes, soda pop, candy, and desserts. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is, in my opinion, the #1 worst thing you can eat with the possible exception of trans fat-laced foods (which usually also have HFCS). Science is now starting to show the critical danger of HFCS. A chemicalized product that is cheap, HFCS is super-sweet, makes you feel nasty and has secretly replaced good, old-fashioned sugar in literally thousands of products on the grovery store shelf. It makes us fat! HFCS is used in everything from mainstream mayonnaise, sauces, ketchup and dressings to cereals, cookies and pop. You can buy all of those things and more without HFCS--you're just going to have to pay more. If you rid yourself of products with HFCS, you will be amazed how much better you'll feel.
7. If you do nothing else, never, ever drink calories, especially soda pop which is laced with high-fructose corn syrup. Avoid sugary coffee drinks like mochas and lattes, pops (which are laced with HFCS), "fruit" juices, and sweet tea. If you love sweet tea, use Spenda instead of sugar. Try diet juices and diet pop, although pop in all forms should be avoided. I admit that I am a big fan of Crystal Lite, which contains the ever-controversial phenylalanine. At the end of the day, water reigns supreme.

Click here for more details. Exercise takes it all to the next level. Do it gradually and set realistic goals. Before I ran my first marathon (2004 Columbus, 3:22), I paid my dues, finishing a few 5Ks and a 20K and being an active member of a running club where I learned the ropes.

Then if you become a marathoner, as I did when I hit about 180 pounds in 2004, the weight really comes off. I didn't turn to marathoniong for weight-loss. I love running and it's only by good fortune that my passion is also a great way to get and stay healthy. Since 2004, I've shed about 12 more pounds and am holding steady at 168 pounds (around 165 if I'm really in good shape and primed for a big race).

Here's some off-the-charts motivation for you!



You can do it! Just do it. Now!

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