Nearly one year ago I decided to try my go at running a “marathon”. I admit, I was one of those guys that asks the infamous question, “how far is a marathon?” On May 17, 2008, I started, and yes, FINISHED my first full marathon (26.2 miles) for those of you who are still wondering what the answer is to my earlier question. It was a quiet finish for the most part, a modest time just over 3 hours and 30 some minutes. With a few congratulations, hugs and high fives, I knew immediately upon crossing the finish line that I was not satisfied. Don’t get me wrong, I was internally proud that I had FINISHED a marathon, but my hunger for the MARATHON was not satisfied. 

With in a day, I began experiencing symptoms…strange symptoms (felt a little down, slightly defeated, without purpose). Through some due dilligence within my running circles I determined I was experiencing the post race blues. I knew that the only cure was to run another race and SOON! So, literally the day after my first marathon, I signed up for the Portland Marathon. Not only did I sign up for that marathon, I signed up for a third marathon called California International (CIM). If that wasn’t enough, I decided to raise the bar a bit…chantings of “Boston, Boston, Boston” rang through my head. Yep, that’s right, after one lousy marathon finish I set the goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, and gave myself two opportunities in 2008 (October and December) to accomplish the task.

I then made one mistake every runner should avoid (I actually made several, but one very important one). I TOLD PEOPLE. Never, never, never, tell people that you are trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon. The pressure in itself is hard enough to burden, but to bring added pressure to yourself by mentioning to others that your goal is to qualify for Boston is another. Do you know what that means, Troy? You are saying you are going to shave 27 minutes off of your first marathon time and run a SUB 3:10 marathon? That’s right, I was going to prove the nay sayers wrong (believe me, there are plenty of nay sayers out there, and they just love to see you fail; I actually love the nay sayers, without them, my fire may not burn as hot as it does).

Portland Marathon - October 5, 2008, arrives… I run, I finish, I set a PR (Personal Record) AND…I miss my BQT (Boston Qualifying Time) by approximately 98 seconds!  The nay sayers, got me.  They proved that I couldn’t do it. They were right, I was too old, too slow, and too new to running. 

 Yeah right. You think for a moment I believed any of that? I admit, after the race, I again experienced severe post race blues (among many other symptoms that require a separate post). There wasn’t time for the blues. CIM was just 8 weeks away. All those people that had known I was trying to qualify began calling, texting, and emailing me to see if I had accomplished the goal. The answer, a humble “no”. I would quickly respond to each inquiry with, “I have another marathon in a few weeks, and I will try and have a better race”. Their reply, “Oh, is that a Boston Qualifier?” Oh, no I did it again, I set myself up! I made it public for a second time that I was trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I am a competitor by default. The competition drive is mostly with myself. I can handle pressure, but I had created a real pressure cooker and it was my own fault. 

California International Marathon - December 5, 2008, I run, I finish, I set a PR, AND…I miss my BQT by approximately 33 seconds! The nay sayers, got me again. They proved that I couldn’t do it. They were right, I was too old, too slow, and too new to running.

WOW! “Again?” I asked myself. I was embarassed, disappointed, defeated and down right humbled. At this point, I knew I had to do two things: 

1. Sign up for another marathon and

2. Don’t tell anyone except for my wife (and a select few of my inner running circle).

Utah Valley Marathon - June 13, 2009 arrives. Just 10 days before my 35th birthday, I quietly set out on my mission for a 3rd time. Racing at 5,700 above sea level, on 3 hours of sleep, with severe thunderstorms in the forecast…

Will this run be different from the others?

Is Boston in my future? 

Here’s a clue…on mile 4, severe runner’s drag has already set in. My feet feel like they have magnets taped to the bottom and the earth is a huge U shaped magnet.  I think to myself, “This is going to be a long day”….

- RITN, Schritter

This is my first real post related to RUNNING and I have to admit I am having a bit of a challenge clearly organizing my thoughts. Why? Well there is a phenomenon that occurs before every major individual running event. I have officially branded it TAPER TORTURE.  If you are a newbie to running marathons, the “Taper” is the segment of your training that includes a gradual reduction in mileage and intensity. At first, you might think the taper sounds great giving your body a much needed break from the pounding and beating you have been dosing it with the past 16 plus weeks. While your body deserves and needs the much needed time to rest and recover (rebuild muscle damage), the psychological torture that comes with this segment of the training can be difficult to manage. Water boarding sounds pretty good right about now.  

Intellectually I know and understand the benefits of the TAPER, but psychologically, it can play tricks on you.  Makes you question your training, your fitness level, your weight, your speed, your VO2 Max, your max lactic threshold limits, your marathon plan, your pace…you name it and I have thought about it, obsessed, fixated, worried and mentally tortured myself about it.

With less than two days before my next marathon event, the torture is becoming increasingly more intense. There are moments I feel like an untreated adult with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder for you DSM and mental health folks). All joking aside, the Utah Valley Marathon is a BQ (Boston Qualifier) and is an important pre-summer race for me. My last full marathon was California International- CIM (Sacramento, California) in December of 2008. Running fitness isn’t my worry at this point. I trust I have worked hard enough in my training to have a good run on Saturday. I had planned to run two marathons in the spring only to cancel due to relocating to the Boise, Idaho area making travel to a marathon nearly impossible during a life move. I did however, run several half marathons this year (including a PR 1:26:29 Boise Famous Potato Half Marathon) in the Boise area that were used as part of my overall marathon training plan. I realize as I become battle bourne, it is the mental aspect of running that is sometimes the most difficult to master. I had a great running friend once tell me that running is totally cerebral (thanks “E”). Intellectually I understood what he meant, but after running and training extensively as a marathoner, I truly understand what he means. 

Training your mind is equally as important as training your legs and your body. What have I done to help prepare mentally for this upcoming race?

1. Trust my training
2. Sleep
3. Cross train on “rest days”
4. Iced an injured arm (cross-training accident; post forthcoming)
5. Stretch and Roller Massage.

Now, there’s a lot more in terms of details, but simply stated, I have really focused on those 5 areas to try and remain relaxed prior to the starting gun. It will be a short, but long couple of days, including a 3:00 a.m. wake up call on Saturday morning to catch the marathon bus to the start. Race time: 6:00 a.m. Start: Provo Canyon and Wasatch Mountain Range Finish: No public predictions (I like to keep those to myself). 

Taking your mileage from 60-70 mile weeks down to 20-25 is not easy.  Your body and brain are telling you to run, cleanse the soul, feel some pain, crank up your heart rate, get some fresh air, clear your head, burn some calories, stay fit…while my mind and body are telling me to GO, I know they’ll be plenty of that in less than 48 hours and this resting time known as the TAPER TORTURE will be well worth it.

- RITN, Schritter

Just over three years ago in the sweltering heat (115+ degrees) of Las Vegas, Nevada, one man set out on a journey from a downtown office location to the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa located in the outskirts of town. While this man ventured out on his own two feet to pound the pavement for the next 5+ miles, members and guests of the American Media Corporation traveled to the same resort in air conditioned luxury cars and plush leather bucket seats. Among many of the guests traveling the lazy man’s way was this writer…Troy Schrenk. Yep, that was me. That is, until I saw the Man, the Running Man that is, appear before me and all of the other guests just moments after arriving by car.

At first I thought it was a mirage of a man. I asked myself, “How could anyone possibly run in heat like this?” Sure enough, the Running Man was REAL…not a mirage. Who was this guy? His name and reputation was best known in hockey circles.  To me he was known as “E”, the bruising, bashing hockey star that could body check you into to tomorrow if you weren’t careful.  Little did I know that “E”, the former hockey star from North Dakota had become a “runner”. “E” a runner? How could that be? Well, it only took one look to know that this bruising body checker had truly become a refined athlete who could withstand the unbearable L.V. summer heat and had carved his body into a lean, mean running machine!

What an inspiration…I was in awe of the transformation that had taken place over the course of one year as “E” (Eric Selvig) had taken up running to transform his life (literally): physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It was in that moment, seeing him appear like a mirage in the Las Vegas desert that I too wanted and needed to transform my life.

So, it was then that my running journey began. I was inspired! That was the first step and nearly three years later my personal transformation through running is ongoing, ever changing and constantly evolving. Just as I was inspired, it is my hope that others will be inspired, motivated, and encouraged as a result of our writings, experiences and thoughts. I am thrilled to be a part of the ORB team and look forward to running with each of you.

RITN, Schritter