Progress (Baby steps) Ongoing Update

I'm a couple of weeks into counting calories and four days in to a strict Paleo diet. I'm happy to report that over the last two weeks, I have lost 4.5 pounds. I still have a long ways to go to get to my goal marathon weight, but I feel confident I will get there.

For accountability purposes and for my own records, i'll continually update this post after every couple of weeks with my weight.

Friday, March 29: 183 pounds
Thursday, April 11: 178.5 pounds

The Paleo diet has paid off already. I haven't noticed a dramatic dip in my energy level or my running. Hopefully I continue to drop the weight and hit that 170 mark!

Unexpected rain

I wrote this post a couple of years ago and never posted it. When I came across it today, I remembered the lesson I learned from it and how it's stuck with me ever since...

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where life just stops? Maybe you're having the greatest day ever and you get a flat tire...or you are enjoying time laughing with friends and your phone rings with horrible news. Life has a funny way of keeping us all humble.

I was out on a 16-mile run last Saturday and the weather could not have been better. Gray skies and even a light sprinkle of rain had me feeling great after the recent heat wave. My training has been disappointing to say the least, so I knew a good day would give me some much needed confidence. As I jogged out of my neighborhood in the early morning, the thunder rolled and I couldn't have been happier.

Fast forward two hours into my run and the rain picks up as I run by El Camino Park. I happen to love running in a light rain, so I continued on, until I was hit by hard rain. And by hard rain I mean hail.

In Orange County, we are used to sunshine and the three or four days of rain per year. We're even accustomed to a few weeks of temperatures below 60 degrees, but this ice falling from the sky? Completely foreign.

I decided to take some cover rather than getting pelted by hail...now there's something I never thought I'd say when I set out on my run. Eventually the hail subsided and I was left with a very heavy rain that I sludged through the final couple miles. I arrived back at the house drenched, but thankful for the life lesson.

You see, life has its obstacles. Sometimes the obstacle is like rain and we can run right through it. Other times the challenges are so tough that we must change course. The moral of this story is that no matter what life throws at you, adjust and keep going.

Trimming down

Step one in my quest towards Boston is to lose what's been weighing me down the last few years.

My weight.

I'm not overweight. I would consider myself to have an "athletic" build at 5-10, 180 lbs. Problem is, most marathoners with PR's of sub-3:05 never had an athletic build. You've seen these guys, they look like high schoolers, but they're 35 years old. Most of their wives probably weigh more than they do.

I realize that not all bodies are the same and I don't want to look like those guys, but I do realize the importance of trimming down as I try to trim down my marathon time.

I started counting calories last week and as tedious as it can be, I am already seeing some results. In the coming weeks, I will continue to crack down as I push towards my goal.

I realize that similar to my marathon goals, I won't reach my weight loss goals overnight. I won't go from 3:45 to 3:05 in one race and I won't drop 10 pounds in the blink of an eye.

When I started my trim down, I weighed in a 183 pounds. My short-term goal is 170 pounds.

Here we go...

Boston

"Beantown" is not just a city. For runners, it is a goal. It's something that motivates thousands to push themselves beyond their limits as they strive to be among the running elite.

The Boston Marathon is the most prestigious marathon in the world. The level of competition is simply unmatched and the historic course draws countless international runners every year.

It's the Super Bowl of running, if you will.

Of course, with such a popular race comes incredibly fast qualifying times. Most runners will never come close to their qualifying times as it takes not only hard work, but God-given talent to run 26.2 miles at such a pace.

Being a 26-year old male, I am among the lucky bunch who would face the toughest qualifying time of 3 hours and 5 minutes. For those of you keeping score at home, that is just a tick over a seven minute mile. For every mile. 26.2 of them.

You heard me right.

In the last four years I've completed over a dozen marathons and have witnessed some incredible runners. I say witnessed because I normally find myself slightly ahead of the middle-of-the-pack guys, usually finishing right around four hours.

I never dreamed of Boston because I didn't think it was possible. Then I had a thought...

Five years ago I never thought I'd run a marathon. I've run 12. After I finished my first marathon, I thought there was no way I could go further. I have, in three ultras. I've learned that the human body is capable of amazing things. Why should I limit myself?

I want to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

There. I said it. I avoided saying those words for four years. I'm giving in.

I want it.

I could surprise myself and reach my goal quickly, but chances are this could be something I chase after my entire life. All I know is one thing...

I WILL GET THERE.

Another loop...

Over the years, I have become oddly fascinated with course layouts. I don't study the layouts before a race like some serious runners do, but I find myself thinking about them often while i'm running a race.

I make a left turn to encounter a hill and wonder why on earth they'd put a turn there. Or maybe I look to my left at a beautiful downhill and wonder why we're not taking that road. Worst of all, I loath the race director who forces runners to do laps.

Running a course of any distance multiple times is defeating. You are robbed the thrill of seeing the finish line and instead you are gifted with the helpless feeling of retracing your steps.

I despise the idea of retracing my steps. I prefer to blaze new trails, run new races and to cover new ground.

Yet...

I will be retracing my steps in my next two races as I take on the Long Beach and LA Marathons in October and next March, respectively.

There will be one major difference. In each race I'll help a "newbie" train for their first marathon finish. I've had the pleasure of helping others train before and I can honestly say the only feeling better than finishing a marathon is helping somebody else finish.

My brother-in-law, Matt, will take on Long Beach this October. I'm excited to run with Matt, but also a little nervous that he will crush me and leave me in his wake. The guy is super athletic, so it is a definite possibility. Maybe he'll invite me to go along with him after he qualifies for Boston?

In March I'll be running alongside my boss, Doug, who is a die-hard Dodger fan. Of course he would pick to run the race that starts at Chavez Ravine. Homer. Anyways, this is a phenomenal race and - assuming there is no repeat of the 2010 hurricane I encountered running with Bill - it should be an amazing time.

I'm anxious to get back into training and excited to share the stories of training with these great guys.

Bruised but not beaten (Chino Hills 50K Race Report)

My day was cursed from the beginning...

I showed up to the start line of the Chino Hills 50K at 6:15, a line of cars rolling in with runners rolling out. I got in line and picked up my bib.

"Ryan Cavinder," I muttered in my half-asleep voice "With a 'C'".

The woman hands me a bib with the number '1' on it.

Surely this must be a mistake. In large marathons, those favored to win the race wear the single digit bibs. In other races, legacy runners or those heavily involved with the race wear these kinds of numbers. Why did I have the first bib?

My lovely wife thought I was somebody special and i'm sure others along the course did too. Those that saw me finish in the middle of the pack may have thought I was a charity case.

---

The race was scheduled for a 7 a.m. start, later than I had hoped for with temperatures projected to eclipse 85 degrees. Then came news that there was a delay - start time now at 7:30.

Fast forward 30 minutes and the sun was starting to peek out from behind the hills we would soon traverse. A couple hundred nut-jobs lined up ready to run...another delay.

---

It's 8 a.m. and the sun is shining in our faces as we finally take off into the canyon. The hills, standing a couple thousand feet above the canyon, provided some shade as the runners positioned themselves. Thirty minutes in, we'd say goodbye to the shade - forever.

I could recount the miles that followed as I have in other race reports, but i'd rather not relive the moments I spent on those hills. They were the most painful, draining, unbearable moments i've ever experienced in a race.

My entire body hurt - my head ached, my stomach was ready to spill out onto the trail, my quads felt like jello and I could feel several blisters forming on my feet.

---

I wobbled in to the final aid station, around 26 miles in, contemplating a DNF (Did Not Finish). Those letters are devastating to a runner, but my body felt like it was shutting down. The volunteers sat me down, refilled my water and gave me a nice snack of salt tablets and a PB&J.

The shade felt so good, but there's no way I was taking a DNF. I got my liquids, took a deep breath and started walking.

---

I walked for about a mile before my body started to regain some energy. I could feel the positive effects of hydration and jogged for about 30 seconds. It felt okay. I started into a walk-jog that probably looked more like a hop-waddle, but as I neared the finish my body went into survival mode and I started sprinting.

---

There were points in the race where I wanted to quit and even points where I thought my body would quit on me.

I have no idea where I pulled that  last bit of energy from.

It was like jumping head first into an empty pool and somehow making a splash.

Thank God for the splash and for seeing me through this one. One step closer to December 1st and the big race.

Put your best foot forward

You know that feeling when you finish a long race? The feeling of sheer joy and utter exhaustion, often accompanied by cramps, shortness of breath and the overwhelming desire to just collapse?

As unappealing as this will sound to most people, it's the moment a lot of runners CRAVE. I know what you're thinking, and yes we know we're weird - we're okay with it.

---

Thinking back on some of my toughest races and moments like the one I just described, I discovered something quite peculiar. After all those miles, my feet take the most severe beating, but wind up in much better shape than the rest of my body.

Some call it the benefits of evolution, I call it the advantage of good shoes.

---

Recently, there's been a lot of hype surrounding barefoot running. Sure, that's how humans ran for thousands of years, wearing animal furs or loin cloths...but how many marathon runners have you seen in loin cloths lately?

Exactly.

Some say the evolution of the running shoe has made runners more lazy, leading to bad form and injury. Well, the evolution of television has made people lazy, leading to obesity and unemployment. That's a lousy argument.

My point is, today's running shoe is like a luxury car. It's comfortable, looks good and if driven right, will be the best on the road.

Of course, there's more than one luxury car just as there are several shoes to choose from. In the past five years i've probably gone through at least 15 pairs of shoes. I've tried them all and have always come back to one.

Brooks.

With all due respect to some other shoe makers, Brooks has gotten it right. When I take to the roads, I lace up my Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12's and when I hit the trails, I do so in my Brooks Cascadia's. Something about these shoes makes it feel like they were made just for me, molded around my foot and giving me the perfect mix of comfort and performance.

My encouragement to you: Find the right shoe. Head to your local running store and have yourself properly fitted for shoes.

You'll be amazed to see what happens when you put your best foot forward.