2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PREDICTION

Here we go again. The ultimate exercise in futility. So far I am 3/5 (60%). Technically I got the last one right, but let's be honest, that was another huge polling miss for most the pollsters. So it's really hard to know what's going on! Is it really a coin flip like the polls are saying? Are they underestimating the Trump vote again? Or are they trying to avoid a third straight whiff on that and have overcorrected? Basically, you're going to believe whatever fits your determined world view.

Generally, I do feel like it is a coin flip. The country has not fundamentally changed since 2016 and 2020. We are still along our tribal lines. Those both were super close and we're probably going to see something similar again this year.

I think the "Blue Wall" will go in a similar fashion to 2020 (and for Trump in 2016), meaning these states will be decided by like 1.5% or less. Might take a day or two to figure out who won. Let's hope not though.

Popular Vote
Harris/Walz           50.4%
Trump/Vance        48.1%
Others                   1.5%

Electoral College
Harris/Walz           276
Trump/Vance        262

If you want to look at the older ones, here is 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020. Wow, this blog is over 20 years old. That's humbling.

FALL 2024 UPDATE

Shamrock 2024 8k

Hello there. It's been a while. I don't think I'll end up writing those delayed race recaps, haha! Basically, there is no point because I'm not really running competitively anymore. When I do a race, I basically just run it like a weeknight run group race. I did try pretty hard for that Silver Falls race though, and I even bought some photos, so maybe I will post about that. I was actually pretty pleased with my effort there. I'll have to at least add my times to my master race archive so they don't get lost to the winds of time.

I think I might have long COVID. My cardio is just really screwed up in a way I've never experienced before. Anything longer than 4-5 miles is basically impossible. Every time I go to ramp up and try to extend my mileage my heart rate spikes and it feels like I am going to die. So that's really limited my ability to do very much. Sometimes even a four mile run is way harder than it should be. My psoriatic arthritis is not the limiting factor anymore.

So that sucks. I've completed nine marathons and I feel like I need at least one more. I really would like to do Chicago. But I need my cardio situation to be resolved before I can even think about doing another training cycle. Right now it's pretty frustrating because even slow runs are so hard and I'm basically always the slowest person at the running group. Very discouraging.

HOLY CRAP IT'S FALL, HERE'S AN UPDATE

Silver Falls with the 'rents a few years ago.

I still need to write that Shamrock Recap. Gah. I have a few notes already saved, I just need to buck up and do it. It'll probably be a lot shorter and less elaborate than most my race recaps, but that's okay. I just feel the need to recap any race I really try at.

Unfortunately (or fortunately??), my body was not in a place to do a marathon this year. When I tried to ramp up to ten miles in late May to get ready for the "start" of training in June, I had a huge flair of my psoriatic arthritis. The "long runs" the previous two weeks, I think they were 8 and 9 miles, were absolute death marches with my heart rate in the high 170s. This after my ramp up from 5 to 6 to 7 went swimmingly. So I don't know what the fuck was up.

Anyways, by the time I could realistically try to run distance again, it was late June and the marathon was out the window. Around this time, the Silver Falls Half Marathon opened for registration, and over the years I guess it has gotten less popular. Back in the day you had to be ready to register at 7am to even have a chance. I registered at like 2pm the day it opened without issue. I think it was open for weeks before filling. Long story short, I kind of blacked out and somehow signed up for a trail half marathon in early November. Oops.

The trail half really appealed to me because worst case I could just walk most of it like it was a hike. Generally, a trail half is more forgiving goal. There are uphills you kind of have to walk, your time is going to suck because its a trail so you don't have weird mental hangups about getting "under 2:15" or something, and generally a trail sounds nicer to my body than a road. Basically, I can just go out there, try my best, finish in like three hours, and call it a day. Sounds good.

In preparation, I am increasing my "long run" again. I just did 8 miles last weekend and it actually felt pretty good. My heart rate was in the high 150s and my body was adjusting nicely to the slow increase in mileage. I'll try for 9 this weekend and then 10 the weekend after. I then have two more weekends before the race. We'll see. Basically, I'm now confident I can run a majority of the 13 miles. That wasn't the case a month ago when my runs were capping out at 4 miles.

So that's the update. Once that half is out of the way, I'm sure I'll go into my normal hibernation mode. Every winter I pretend I'm going to work on speed and I never do. So I won't even pretend this year. We've just had the first wave of "winter-like" weather and I could feel it in my body instantly. Hopefully I can feel good enough to try the 15k again next spring in the Shamrock Run.

2022-23 WINTER RECAP

What a fun, beautiful jaunt through the forest! What could go wrong?

Trying not to fall too far behind here on the blog. I will have a seperate post recapping the Shamrock 15k this year, but I've also been meaning to do a general update since the Portland Marathon. So that's what this post will be about.

The recovery from the Portland Marathon went really well! I attribute this to my decent amount of training and slower time not pounding the crap out of my body. I was definitely sore for a few days, but by Thursday or so I felt almost back to normal. I did take a full two weeks off before running again just to make sure I was rested enough. I could still feel the race a teeny bit that first run or two, but I was back to my normal self pretty quick. Unlike some years, there wasn't really a lingering hangover in my legs from the race. So that was encouraging.

In November I did the Silver Falls 7-Miler with Katie. She signed us up when it opened (hard to get into and you have to be right there ready at like 7am, so there's no hope I could ever register myself). I was excited to do it because I had never done a trail run. I knew we'd just run it for fun and not actually race it, so it would be a nice way to test out a trail run. I didn't have trail shoes or anything, but that loop at Silver Falls is improved enough where you didn't really need them. I felt okay in just normal running shoes and a lot of the "normies" running the race were in the same boat.

And it was pretty fun and great until Katie fell about four miles in and completely gashed her knee open. She was in a decent amount of pain but still able to run, so we walked/ran the rest of the way. Unfortunately for her, she really didn't have much of an option given the trail nature of the race. After we finished she stopped by the medical tent to get a bandage and OH MY GOD she lifted her running tights past the wound and it was like a horror movie. Anyways, I spent the rest of that morning and most of the afternoon in the Salem ER while she got that attended to with internal and external stitches. Poor Katie! I would definitely do that run again but I'm not sure she would!

Other than that, it was another winter just trying to stay above water with my fitness. The cold weather makes my joints hurt and that makes running really unappealing. It doesn't really make me feel better or worse (well, it would make me feel worse if I overdid it) but the motivation is just so hard to come by. I was able to mostly run twice a week for four miles, whether that be inside on the treadmill or with Sunstone on the weekdays. I just really, really dislike dark & cold running.

I did feel better than last winter though which is attributable to Cosentyx versus Simponi I believe. It still was FAR from perfect, but I did not experience a miserable amount of inflammation very often. Just kind of a constant dull pain with mini flares, but that is an improvement! I felt better to the point I was able to sign up and do the Shamrock 15k, which is a huge improvement over last year barely being able to stomach the thought of the 8k. I'm in about 8-mile long run shape right now, so if I can maintain and build on that, I'll me much farther ahead this year if I end up doing a marathon in the fall.

So yeah, that's the update. Still hate the winter, it still makes my body feel horrible, but it wasn't as bad as the last few years and I am in better shape at this point in the year than any year since... 2019. So that's encouraging. Now, I'm still slow as SHIT, that hasn't improved at all, but frankly that's the least of my concern. The goal is just to be out there trotting around, so I'll continue to make peace with whatever pace that is. Oh, and that AI picture is "arthritic man running the New York Marathon," I saw it and was like "yup, that looks about right!" Credit Bing photo generator.

2022 PORTLAND MARATHON RACE RECAP

At the start line before the race, when there was still light in my eyes and life in my body.

As the week approached I wasn't dreading the race very much this year. I had "home bed advantage," the weather looked dry, I had no pressure on my performance, and I felt confident I could do the distance without issue. So it was pretty nice that week leading up to the race, I was tapering, I didn't have to fly anywhere... it was very low key. Usually during race week I am nervous, this time, not so much. It was just kind of something I had to do on Sunday.

Okay, as I went to the expo on Saturday and picked up my bib, it became a little more real. Maybe a twinge of anxiety in the chest. This was definitely the least I planned ahead of time though, as I started thinking about what to eat for breakfast and my morning plan only hours before going to bed. I ran to the store to get bagels and cream cheese, my normal marathon morning breakfast, then set the alarm for 5:45am. The race started at 7:10am, so I was shooting to get there about 6:45. No reason in my mind to be there any earlier. Especially with such mild weather and no need to check any clothes for post-race.

THE MORNING OF

So let's talk about the weather. My main hope with every marathon is that it is dry. And thankfully, as the ten day forecast filled in, it looked certain to be dry. The issue would be the heat, as the high for that day started creeping from 78 up and up to the point on race day it was predicted to be 86 degrees. Now, if anybody knows me, they know I don't mind the heat all too much and that I'd rather run in 90 degrees than 45. So while I didn't mind that it would be a bit warmer, I wasn't so naive to think that it wouldn't slow me down a tad. You can't run as fast in 75 as you can in 55. Would I even be running fast enough for it to be an issue though?

My morning wake up plan worked perfectly, I was fed and downtown looking to park about 6:40am. Issue though... the parking garage I was planning on using was coned off. It looks like they put a few block buffer around the race from traffic, which meant I couldn't get into that lot. It was even listed on the Portland Marathon website as a parking option for that morning! Luckily, I had noticed another lot a few blocks before, so I just circled back and went in there instead. Plenty of other runners had the same idea, so I walked with a small pack toward the start line.

The Portland Marathon is a really easy race to attend because it's still small enough the start line isn't a giant fiasco. They have finish time arches and you self seed. Unlike Shamrock, they don't have metal fencing surrounding the road, so it was very easy to just wander to the right spot along the sidewalk and then pop onto the road. I lined up just behind the 4:40 finish time arch, which seemed to be a popular time. The density of the crowd definitely seemed highest between those 4:00 and 5:00 finish times.

In the chute with my fellow 4:40 homies.

MILES 1-7: THE NORTHERN LOOP (10:42, 10:57, 10:47, 10:05, 10:05, 10:29, 10:27)

Another thing I like about the Portland Marathon is they keep the half and the full completely separate. They line up in a different chute and, although we technically cross the start line together, they immediately turn and go their own way. This keeps the crowds down for the marathoners so there was no congestion of any sort that slowed me down at the beginning.

The goal this year was to try and replicate last year in New York. I wasn't confident I could completely match it again - last year felt so effortless and easy it was really baffling. But the thought was just to lock into what felt like my long run pace and try to run that out. And it felt very similar at the beginning, I was running what felt like my normal long run pace, it felt relatively easy, and it was just a touch quicker than training due to the race day "magic." So everything was lining up as it should.

One issue I was having though was my heart rate. It instantly went into the mid to high 160s, instead of the high 150s/low 160s of last year. So my average heart rate over these miles was 166 instead of the 159 of last year. It couldn't have been the weather yet; when the race started it was a perfectly reasonable 58 or so. Maybe my watch was just off, these things aren't super accurate to begin with. Basically, since I felt okay, I just went with it. I wasn't going to throttle myself to a 12:00/mile because an unreliable piece of technology was spitting a number at me.

Anyways, for this section, I felt pretty good! It definitely dragged by longer than the first time I ran it. Every mile felt like a mile. This wasn't the case last year in New York and usually isn't a sign of a good race. However, maybe it was just my familiarity with Portland. I mean, how many times can you run on Naito and around the Rose Quarter? As long as I was hitting my pace and felt good, then everything should align as needed. Those two faster miles were a result of a gradual downhill after climbing Broadway in mile three. I don't know why my third mile isn't slower, it was noticeably slower than the first two in 2019, so I may have accidentally ran that too fast.

MILES 8-13: HANGING ON INTO SELLWOOD (10:31, 10:56, 10:24, 10:40, 10:50, 10:58)

I kept chugging along, putting one foot in front of the other. The crowds in Portland were fine but nothing to match the energy of New York, which may have been one of the reasons the race felt like it was dragging on already. At some point during mile 8 or 9 you pass the start line again and have to run in the southbound lane while watching half marathoners finish in the northbound lane right next to you. It's a bit of a kick in the nuts seeing them done and knowing you are only "half" done. And I put half in quotes because every marathoner knows the first twenty miles is truly the first half.

Aside from that mental downer, I still felt okay. Not practically floating on air like the year before, but fine. My heart rate was climbing though and the high 160s quickly became the low 170s. And I'm sorry, but the low 170s is just an insane heart rate to have during a marathon. Again, this was if my watch was accurate. I still felt fine, but I had a feeling it was more accurate than I would have liked. I had a slower 10:56 mile during the uphill to Macadam Avenue, but my times rebounded back to what I wanted quickly after. I hadn't hit true adversity yet.

Mile thirteen was really where the shit hit the fan. Ironically enough, this was the spot I ate the ill-fated KitKat back in 2019 and derailed my race too. Damn you Sellwood Park, you are a bad omen. Anyways, the trip over the Sellwood Bridge seemed to sap any last "pep" that was in my step. As I approached the thirteenth mile marker my heart rate escalated into the high 170s. All of a sudden that "easy long run pace" was starting to feel like a tempo pace. My watch WAS right because I could feel my heart pounding through my chest. What was going on?

MILES 14-20: INITIATE TACTICAL ADJUSTMENT (10:39, 10:50, 11:23, 11:40, 11:35, 11:42. 11:26)

Something that has always been true in marathons for me is how I'm feeling at the halfway point. And it's pretty obvious, if you reach the halfway point already spent wanting to be done... you are in for a rough time. If you reach it feeling fresh thinking "halfway already?" you are probably in for a good race. I reached the halfway point this year feeling like a husk of a human completely regretting all his life choices. It was a little bit frustrating to train all summer and then have a performance like I was having. Why was my heart rate 178?! It NEVER got that high during summer long run training, even when it was hot. I'm only 14 miles in! What the fuck!

I tried to ignore it for a bit but reality was catching up to me. The hill up Bybee Boulevard over Macadam Avenue was the last straw in trying to pretend I could somehow gut this one out at my long run pace. I was DONE. My legs felt like they had already run a marathon, my heart rate was spiking into the low 180s... if I tried to keep this up I'd end up in the Good Samaritan emergency room. Might have been kind of a nice life loop, begin and end my life at Good Sam in the heart of Portland.

Joking aside, I knew I had to make an adjustment. Trying to keep my goal pace wasn't going to happen, so two options were available. Either I could run/walk it in and still run at my desired speed or I could dial back the pace and try to "run" it in. For me, slowing my pace by a minute was preferable. If I couldn't get the time I was hoping for, maybe I could at least have the accomplishment of running the damn thing in. So a decision was made. I was going to throttle my speed to something that felt like I could survive and try to not to walk. It's a stupid point of pride, I had my best times when I walked a little, but whatever. When you are this far off your glory days you take what you can get.

Reed College sucked. It was pretty but I felt like death and there were a lot of hills. Good crowds though. Thanks for coming out to cheer guys. Sorry I liked like death.

MILES 21-26.2: SLOWLY SHUFFLING TO THE FINISH (11:46, 11:21, 11:54, 11:41, 11:52, 11:27)

Fortunately, the change in pace did help me a bit. I went from feeling like I was going to die to feeling like maybe, just maybe, I could finish this thing. It was going to suck, but I could envision myself stumbling through the finish line, which was a big improvement in outlook from the halfway point. After the adjustment my heart rate did dip down to the low 170s for a few miles, which was a bit reassuring in terms of not having my heart explode. I've heard that's important to not have happen. It did creep back up though and by the last few miles it was pretty much pegged at 179. Oh well, it wasn't zero.

I was really worried about "the hill" that comes shortly after the Reed College bit. If you've down the Portland Marathon, you know which hill I'm talking about. Around mile 22.5 there is a killer uphill in the neighborhoods that dumps you onto McLoughlin Boulevard. Its only two or three blocks long but it's painfully uphill. The kind of uphill that sucks even if you are super fresh and prepared to run hills. If anything was going to break my "running" streak it was this hill. And I have to say, just about everyone around me walked it. It's the sane thing to do if you are running a five hour marathon. I was the only person I saw running it. I wasn't moving much faster than anyone else (about a 14:00/mile pace) but I was shuffling up it dammit. It felt like my calves were going to explode. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it. I let out noises. I limped. But I climbed that fucking hill without walking a step.

Running that hill was probably a stupid point of pride that could have derailed my entire race, but you know what? I got away with it. After that point I was able to resume a death march like shuffle. I was pretty confident I could finish. It was just taking FOREVER. I cannot emphasize enough how much longer this race took than any other race I had ever run. Yes, it was my slowest time, but not by much. The year before in New York felt just like all the other marathons I had run in the 3:30-3:50 range. This year, which was less than ten minutes slower, felt like eight hours. It was torture. I had no idea why I was there and did this to myself. But whatever, I was in it, might as well finish.

The final hills and bridges were pretty painful. My legs were gone at this point and it felt like at any moment my muscles would tear or explode. I was happy that I would finish under five hours. Once any 4:40ish hope was out the window, that was the next goal. Just try to keep it in the fours. So I kept shuffling. Crossing the finish line didn't even feel triumphant though. I just dead, inside and out. I did my best to take a good picture though and I have to admit, I think I fooled the cameras.

THE AFTERMATH

Honestly, I didn't feel too bad in the chute. Definitely not as good as New York, but I wasn't in any major pain or anything. I was just drained beyond belief. I grabbed some food and actually ate a decent amount, which is unusual for me after a race. Although to be fair, I did almost instantly demand a cheeseburger last year after the race, so I'm thinking these hobby jogger marathon times might actually mean I'm hungry after races now.

Anyways, I did know quite a few people that ran the race, but they all ran it in 3:30 or so, which meant they were long gone from the "after party" which I've never quite understood. The last thing I want to do after running twenty six miles is stand up and have loud music pumped into my ears. Who are these people? Anyways, my parents were also out of town so long story short, I took my sad, lonely ass home (after wolfing down my free ice cream, donut, and beer). My afternoon was spent in a hot bath and then taking a nap. All told, my muscles weird too bad, just very, very tried and drained.

Overall, I am really proud of my race. Nothing went right. I have no idea why my heart rate was spiking like that. All summer that pace was in the high 150s or low 160s. Why, on race day, is it suddenly in the 170s? It felt a bit unfair, but oh well, what can you do? Frankly, the fact I struggled that hard and still finished within spitting distance of last year is pretty awesome. That was a five hour GRIND and I bucked up and did it. Yay me.

OFFICIAL CHIP TIME: 4:51:47, 11:08/mi. 996/1745 male, 178/291 M35-39.

2022 PORTLAND MARATHON RACE PREVIEW

From 2019, the last time I did the Portland Marathon. I was much faster back then!

Well, I was able to hit that twenty mile run without too much issue after the last post. It was long and hard (heh) but I was able to get it done. The weather that day was overcast and smoky, some people at Sunstone actually cut the run short because of the smoke. I did NOT have that option. I'm sure it was the equivalent of smoking a few packs, but it was doable. The weather definitely helped as well, after so many runs in the heat and sun, overcast in the low 70s was downright dreamy.

That run felt good enough that I didn't feel the need to do an "emergency" third 20 mile run the next weekend. I decided to do my usual wind down to 16 and then 10 the last weekend before the race. The sixteen was ran at a quicker pace (10:20) due to an old friend showing up, so it was a hell of a workout. I was definitely sore for a couple days after that. Anyways, despite the August lull discussed in the last post, I do feel about ready as I can be for the race on Sunday.

So what are my plans/goals for Sunday? Not much. Basically I want to finish. I do NOT have any time goals. With my fitness being where it is, there is no sense in pushing my pace at all. If I tried to push the pace and get 4:38... who cares. I could run it comfortably and finish in 4:53. To everyone but myself 4:38 and 4:53 are the same thing. Not very fast. Nobody gives a shit. So basically my goal is to run it comfortably and don't get wrapped into a race day "challenging" of myself.

I feel I'm about in the same shape as last year, maybe slightly less in shape if anything. I'm a year older and I had that huge hole in my August training. So I'm definitely not in better shape. However, I'm in the ballpark of last year, which I think means if I just go out and do my normal long run pace, I should be able to finish without too much issue. Hopefully, knock on wood.

Last year I ran a 4:43 and I felt suspiciously amazing. I've never felt like that during a marathon before. Even if I felt that way again, Portland is a harder course and naturally I would probably be about five minutes slower due to all the hills. So my time, best case, is going to clock in around 4:50. Talk about getting your money's worth! I'm not going to be finishing this thing until after noon (7:10am gun time). Fuck.

There you have it. My biggest goal is to run it at a comfortable pace and hopefully not walk. If I can run the whole thing, that would be great. If I have to take little walk breaks towards the end, then whatever, I still did a marathon. Basically I'll just go out for a little jog and by the time it hurts, hopefully I have less than an hour left. Then I'll just mindfuck my way to the finish line. Runners know what I mean.

Anyways, if you want to stalk me on Sunday, here is the link: LIVE RUNNER TRACKING

SUMMER TRAINING RECAP

One of dozens of Sunstone weekday runs this summer.

Oops, I did not mean to go that long between posting. Broken record, I know.

Let's recap summer training for the Portland Marathon though! It was basically a repeat of last summer. I was able to slowly work my way up and hit my first 20 mile run in early August. What seemed impossible just a few months prior was indeed very possible. After that milestone I felt confident enough to actually sign up for the Portland Marathon (when you do your hometown race you have the privilege of pretending you don't have to do it).

The runs were a lot like last year. Mostly alone and slow. The twenty mile run took over four hours with my pit stops. However, I did nut up and wake up early enough to hit some 8am Sunstone runs, which was a major accomplishment. The problem there is, even though I'm going to a group run, nobody is really running an 11:00/mile. So I end up running by myself anyways. At least it is a different course and there is the novelty of seeing people and waving 'hi' along the way. One run I even had a companion for most of it. However, for the most part, the long runs are slow, independent affairs.

It was all going smooth until this last week. I had a couple of weekends packed with stuff where it was going to be hard to do the long runs. However, this came right after a long ramp up to twenty miles, so a brief lull in training to recharge made sense and actually might have been beneficial. I squeezed in a 14 mile run (deathmarch in heat, so it was a great workout) and then was all set to hit my second 20 on that third weekend. Well, I got horribly ill. A really bad stomach flu of some sort. I was up all night throwing up (on my birthday!) and then the next few days I just felt terrible. On the day I was supposed to do my long run I went out and tried to do four miles and almost passed out after three. Still sick!

I'm back healthy now, but the fact I haven't done any distance in three and a half weeks, other than the one 14 miler, is not great. I'm unsure how much fitness I have lost. So I don't know if I can do 20 this weekend, or if I should try for 16 and hopefully hit 20 the next week. That would be two weeks before the marathon, one week later on the final 20 than usual, but I've done that before and it worked out fine. At this point tapering to give my body rest is not an issue. So we'll see. I couldn't have gotten that out of shape in a few weeks, right?

As for my body, Cosentyx seems to be working pretty well! I think it is a definite upgrade over Simponi. So that's been encouraging. Like before, I'm not completely cured, but most of the time my psoriatic arthritis feels like an afterthought. Overall, I am pleased with the medication change.

This winter I may think about working on speed a little bit. Maybe that's optimistic, just getting outside to run in the winter is a challenge, but I think my body might be in the spot to increase my speed. If I could be doing long runs at 10:00/mile next year instead of 11:00, that would be huge. Not only do they get done quicker, but I might actually have some people to run with.

Anyways, that's the update. The Portland Marathon is just a few weekends away and at the moment I'm not feeling so confident, but hopefully the next two weekends will restore that belief.

TRAINING BEGINS & COSENTYX UPDATE

Hello again! Just thought I would pop by and give a quick update on how my training is going and how my new drug is working.

Let's start with the training. It always starts so much earlier than I think! I started my training long runs off at ten miles, so most of the spring I was working my long runs back up to that point. At one point five miles was a "long" run that kicked my ass, so getting back to a ten mile run to start the training cycle took some work. It's insane how quickly I've got out of shape after New York.

Happy to report I was able to hit the 10 mile training run no problem. And then a few days ago I was able to do 11 miles no problem. Now, when I say no problem, it means I was able to complete them injury and pain free. It does not mean I didn't feel completely wiped afterward and sore for days. They are definitely a challenge. I have no idea how I am going to run 20 miles, let alone 26.2. But it's normal to feel that, I've felt that before. You just slowly creep your miles up and eventually you get there.

So that's the plan. I'm just going to keep slowly increasing my mileage. As usual, I am hoping to hit three 20 mile training runs. I really think that helped for New York last year. It's tempting to follow the beginner plans that only have one, but I think three is really the key. It just really, really sucks when you are as slow as I am, because it takes over four hours! On Sunday for my 11 mile run I tried to keep it to an easy, "conversational" long run pace and averaged 11:20/mi. So I am not any faster this year. Some death marches on the horizon for ol' Thomas.

As for Cosentyx... the jury is still out. Right now it seems to be about on par with Simponi... After a few weeks I was thinking it wasn't going to work because my body seemed to be more arthritic and the further away my last Simponi shot was, the worse I felt. However, after all the loading doses and my first monthly dose, I do seem to be picking up some relief again... right now it feels about even with Simponi in that I'm not flaring and I can run and stuff, but there are times were I definitely still feel old and creaky.  So we'll see how it works out in the long run. Anything is still possible... Humira seemed to be working at first and then it flopped miserably. So I could still be in for that. Or we could have Simponi clone. And maybe, just maybe, it'll end up being better than Simponi. We'll see.

I am noticing one thing different, and that's that Cosentyx is actually working on my skin psoriasis. NONE of the treatments I used before did jack shit in that regard. I don't have much skin psoriasis, but what's there seems to be slowly disappearing without the use of any ointments or creams or whatever. Normally I have to use those to keep it from flaking and being gross, but I haven't touched a drop of the stuff in the last month and they all seem to be fading. The skin is still a little red but it's not being scaly and flakey. So that's a minor win. Even if the arthritis relief is just on par with Simponi, having my skin clear up without using anything is a definite plus.

Why do all the DALL-E creations look insanely more athletic than me? Sigh.

ATTEMPTING DRUG NUMBER.... I'VE LOST COUNT

Hello beautiful people. How are you? And the kids? Good to hear.

Well, nothing much to report. I want to try to update the blog once a month, but I often fail at that, as you can see. Anyways, two things to discuss, starting (another) new drug and my plans for a marathon this fall.

First, the drug. Simponi, the medication I am currently on, is working alright. If nothing else works and this was as good as it gets, I could live with it. It's not ideal and I appear to flare in the winters, but all told, I can be active and feel like a human most of the time. It is still a far cry from the near complete remission with leflunomide though. Oh leflunomide, you sweet, sweet mistress. You and your liver ripping tendencies.

So, while I have recovered from my winter flare with Simponi and seem to be back to the save level I was able to train for New York at, things could be improved. I went into the doctor in February, feeling like the picture on the right, and agreed to try a new med. We can always fall back on Simponi if we need to. But maybe one of these will really work well! So I've started Consentyx. We'll see how that goes. I have four loading doses (one per week for a month) and then it is a monthly shot like Simponi. Just hoping it doesn't completely fail and send me into horrible summer pain.

I was thinking about how many drugs I've been on and figured I should probably start writing them down before I forget. So here they are, in order: methotrexate tablets, injectable methotrexate, leflunomide, Humira, Simponi, Consentyx. So I guess this is attempt #6 to answer my title question. I'll report back on how well it is working. Cross your fingers for me!

As for this fall, I've decided to do the Portland Marathon again. I failed to get into both Chicago and New York, so I'll just stay close to home. Makes things easy with the lack of travel and time zone change. Assuming I do another marathon in 2023, I'll try for New York and Chicago again. Hopefully I can get into Chicago. I mean, come on. Otherwise, I could also look at other fall marathons. Anyways, that's a long ways off. I'm pretty set and excited for Portland this year.

Unfortunately, I did the math and it looks like I have to start training for Portland the first weekend in June. So, pretty much in two weeks. Yeah. Fear not though, I've been ramping up my run long in preparation. Last weekend I did 7 miles and this weekend I'll do 8. It's really sad how quickly my fitness dropped after NYC. Anyways, incrementing a mile at a time, I'll be ready for 10 miles that first training weekend. And then I'll slowly increase mileage throughout the summer again. Not looking forward to those four hours runs in August. Ugh. I just really, really need to re-regulate my sleep schedule so I can do a group run for at least part of them.

2022 SHAMROCK RUN 8K RACE RECAP

My first race since the New York Marathon! I like traditions, because they force me to do things I wouldn't otherwise do. If I didn't have a streak of Shamrock Runs going back to 2012, I definitely would not have been doing a race. I had to keep my streak alive though, so even though I was having a rough winter and was in really horrible shape, I signed up for the 8k. My recent runs had been as much as 4.4 miles at Sunstone, so what was another half mile at that point?

I last did the 8k in 2017 with Brandon. The route remains exactly the same, just a giant out and back along the not so exciting part of Naito. This is not a run I would recommend to anybody from out of town or looking to have beautiful distractions on the run. If you're just showing up so you can keep your Shamrock streak alive though... it works.

Mercifully, the 8k is the last race to go off (other than the family walk), so I didn't have to get downtown until 9:45am or so. The race kicks off at 10:10am, so I planned to be strolling up to the starting line minutes before. The weather this year wasn't great, it was kind of spritzing rain. Nothing too horrible though, I think the weather during 2016 takes the cake. Since the 5k goes off at 8am, just about everybody from that race was already cleared out before I even got there. This includes the close by parking spaces in the parking garage. So I was able to stick my car in a SmartPark a few blocks from the start no problem. Couldn't ask for a much better start time and parking situation for a major race downtown.

THE RACE

While I was able to find my way into the corral, it wasn't signed very well. A bunch of us 8kers could clearly see the corral with people lining up, but we had no idea how to actually get into it. Eventually someone found a gap in the fencing so we were able to slip in that way. I lined up a bit behind the 10:00/mile sign. I didn't know how fast I was going to go, but I figured that would be about right. It wasn't long before they sang the anthem and then started the race. They did "waves" of people to help crowding and I wasn't released until the third wave, so it did take a while before I was finally running. Luckily I dressed warm enough to stand around and never really got cold even with the the light rain shower.

There was quite the bottleneck at the beginning of the race. And it wasn't just a "I'm running a bit slower than I want to" type bottleneck, it was a "come to a complete stop before slowly walking a bit" type bottleneck. I have no idea why it was so bad this year. The race did go down to just two lanes pretty quick, but it was at the same point it always does that, so who knows. Anyways, my first mile time of 9:24 reflects that, because I was definitely running faster once I was up to speed.

In regards to speed, I had been doing all my runs at a 10:30ish pace. That was basically my speed all last summer training for the marathon as well. So my expectations for this race were not high, I was planning to run just under 10/mile and finish at like 9:55 or something. If I had a goal, it was to be in a "single digit" pace. So that's what I went out there trying to do. I wasn't hawking my watch though, I just kind of settled into a "moderately aggressive" pace for my physical ability and would live with whatever time it was.

Turns out my mile times were 9:24, 8:54, 8:58, and 9:12. Tired a bit at the end. And if I completed a 5th mile (an 8k is over right before #5), it would have been 8:59. So overall just a touch over 9:00/mile, but TWO miles under 9, which was a total surprise. I didn't except to be quite that "fast" for lack of a better word. Honestly, it wasn't too much of a struggle either, I probably could have gone a bit faster if I wanted my best possible time, but I was worried about finishing the distance without completely crapping out. I was definitely ready to be done by the time it was over. Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

THE AFTERMATH

While I definitely knew some people who would be at the race, unless you are actually attending with them they are nearly impossible to find. Nobody I knew was doing the 8k either. Anyways, I kept my eye out for them but didn't see anyone. So I just meandered through the finish corral, grabbed some food, then went to the beer tent for my beer. The band playing was pretty good, I wish the weather was better so I could have stood around longer, but by this time I was wet and the 40-something degrees was starting to creep in. So I hoofed it back to the warmth of my car.

Another Shamrock in the books! I really would like to get back to the 15k next year, so hopefully my body can hold up better this winter than it has for the last few.

Official Results: 45:10, 9:05/mile. 486/2289 overall, 295/921 male, 41/123 M35-39.

RETURN OF THE M(B)ACK (PAIN)

Well my friends, 2022 isn't off to the greatest start. For the second straight winter, my body has seemed to decide an inflammation flare would be an awesome way to make me lose all faith in the upcoming year early on. Gets it out of the way early. Kinda nice really when you think about it.

It's a lot like last year, which I blamed solely on Humira. And yeah, that drug failed miserably. Here we are at year two though and this time Simponi is not up to the case. When leflunomide had my arthritis in retreat I never had any of this crap. As discussed on this blog, Simponi sorta works alright, so this year is maybe like half as bad. Last year got pretty desperate. I'm having to keep that in mind, because while I don't feel good, it could be a lot worse. So I'll just have to hope I'll come out of it again in the next few months.

I honestly think it is weather related... I can literally feel the weather in my bones when it gets cold. Old people just aren't making that up. I think it slowly builds over the months as the weather turns and then just kind of lets loose in January. I can't really think of anything else that changes this time of year. My sleep habits, work stress, diet... everything stays exactly the same. People that know me know I am pretty consistent. So to be the same exact person feeling pretty spunky in the summer to absolutely puny in January is quite the confusing thing.

So yeah. Just gotta hope it gets better as it gets warmer outside. I'm sure it will. Also, I just need to give in and take ibuprofen more often. I tend not to take it, I imagine it ripping up my liver for some reason... but that's stupid. Two of them every so often isn't going to make me a liver transplant patient. I don't know why I avoid it and then lay around in pain instead. So you know what, I'm going to go take some right now because I could certainly use it.

END OF 2021 RECAP

In case you missed it, I finally got around to posting my race recap for the New York City Marathon. I backdated it to the actual month it took place, so I don't know if that causes it not to show up in an RSS feed or Reader list or whatever. Anyways, not that anyone reads this blog anyways, but there it is.

2021 was sort of a down year of running for me. Not as bad as 2017 I suppose, but I started off the year in a huge arthritis flare due to the absolute failure of Humira. Any progress I had made running was completely wiped away and I had to start fresh. Simponi was able to get me back to running and feeling mostly normal, but it really only gets me back to 70% of where I used to be. Any sort of speed or large mileage is still hard on my body, but I discovered if I take it easy and just go with the flow, I can get back to regular running without issue.

Most of the rest of the year was spent trying to build toward the New York City Marathon without my body rejecting the miles. And it worked! Maybe my "fast" days are behind me, but if I can still train for and run a marathon, I don't have much to complain about. I am very slow however, which means the training runs in the summer really drag on and I'm now too slow for my old long run training groups. So we'll see in 2022. I didn't get into the Chicago Marathon, which means I'll probably be doing Portland again.

My goals for 2022 are to continue to run pain free. We'll see how out of shape I get... I've been pretty bad since the New York City Marathon. First of all, I was horribly sick for almost the entire month of December. I got a couple runs in, but man they sucked. According to an at-home test it wasn't breakthrough COVID, but who knows. If not, it was the WORST cold of my life. And then, even when healthy, it is so hard to motivate myself to get out there when it is cold, dark, and wet. Same old dance every year. If I can somehow get my ass out there twice a week I'll call it good. That's the minimum hopefully. Still shooting for three, but man I fucking hate the winter.

Anyways, that's about it. Not sure what my next race will be. Don't know if Omicron is going to cancel anything. I might think about the Zena Road Runs, but if not that, then probably the Shamrock Run will be the next race. Other than that, just getting outside for a few miles will be a triumph.

2021 NEW YORK CITY MARATHON RACE REPORT

Lined up with my corral about to start and run over the Verranazzo Narrows Bridge.

I'll start off by saying that the New York City Marathon is hands down my favorite marathon experience to date. It really blows the other marathons I have done out of the water. If you want "big city spectacle," look no further! I was also lucky that the weather was absolutely perfect and I had a good race experience. Overall though, if you enjoy completing a marathon, New York has to be on your bucket list!

I left for New York on Thursday morning. My flight out was at 7am, meaning a 4:45am wake up call. I didn't do the work I should have to adjust to east coast time before then, so I went into that flight with about three hours of sleep. However, it all worked out because at midnight New York time that night I was wanting to go to bed. So I was able to slip right into an east coast sleep schedule after that first day.

In the days before the race I tried to not be on my feet all the time to varying success. New York is such a cool city and I need to go back there without a marathon looming over my head. So many sights to see, good food to eat, and people to watch! I enjoy a big spectacle race, but I also enjoy a big spectacle city. I need to get myself to Hong Kong and Tokyo at some point. I love just the mass of humanity and sheer unfathomable amount of things to do and see. Really makes Portland look like a podunk shanty town.

Anyways, onto the race!

THE MORNING OF

So, despite my best intention and being tired at midnight the night of the race, I got ZERO MINUTES of sleep before the marathon. That's right, not a wink. It was really frustrating. My mind was just racing and I was really nervous about the race. I think the uncertainty of my training this year was the main culprit... could I really comfortably run the marathon on two four mile runs and a long run each week? Would my legs hold up? Was I in for a completely miserable experience? I just could not get my mind to stop worrying. The room I was in was also a bit on the warm side, which I don't think helped. I just could not get comfortable.

On the bus after the ferry.

Anyways, I got good sleep the night before so I just hoped laying there with my eyes shut for seven hours would help. My alarm finally ended my torment so I was able to get some breakfast (leftover pizza) and coffee into my system. By the time I left for the subway, I was feeling decently awake and ready to confront whatever the marathon would present. I almost felt as if I had slept, so that gave me a little bit of confidence I could avoid a major fiasco.

I took two subway lines (transferred halfway) to the Staten Island Ferry. I then took the ferry and got on a race provided bus to shuttle to the start. I finally arrived just before 9am... about an hour and a half before my start. The starting village was huge and divided into three different colors. Each color had their own sea of portable toilets, food station, coffee/water station, clothes donation, etc. I grabbed a bagel and munched on it and also drank a couple cups of water. I also was able to do my "business" real quick which was a big shot of confidence.

Mostly though, I just sat around and waited for my starting time. Luckily the weather was clear, hardly a cloud in sight, and there was little wind to speak of as well. So I was able to find multiple curbs and sit on them to pass the time. I would sit for about fifteen minutes, then go do something. Then sit again for fifteen minutes. Eventually they asked my starting wave to get ready in the corrals. I backed into the slowest corral I could, but that took the pacer near me from 4:00 to 4:05. I just wanted to start near the very back so I wasn't in people's way as I targeted my slower pace.

MILES 1-7: START AND THE FIRST SEVEN (11:02, 10:13, 10:49, 10:39, 10:52, 10:50, 10:44)

I had bought "throwaways" at Goodwill before leaving on the trip, knowing I would be hanging out in the corral for hours beforehand. Luckily, they had donation bins right in the corrals themselves, so I was able to keep them on until the very last second. Eventually they moved our corrals forward toward the start line. This walk wasn't too bad, maybe a quarter mile at most? Eventually we were all lined up at the start near the base of the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge. They did the national anthem, the countdown, then we are off!

If you've seen pictures of the New York City Marathon, you've probably seen one of the start on this bridge, packed to the gills with people. It did not look like that this year. I think they opted for smaller, more frequent corrals due to COVID. Don't get me wrong, there were a ton of people and it was busy, but it wasn't the shoulder to shoulder affair like I was imaging. Also, I was able to settle into my pace at the back and there seemed to be a lot of people right there with me at that pace. So between those two factors I didn't feel like I was getting in many runners way, which was nice.

The hill up the bridge is definitely a long and gradual one. I could see this being a real problem for someone who wasn't used to hills. Luckily, running where I do, it was no issue. It crested about a mile in and then we got a nice extended downhill as we cruised toward Brooklyn. My pace up the hill was right around 11:00/mi and my pace down the hill was right around 10:00/mi, so I was curious what it would be once I settled into flatter territory. Eventually that question was answered and "Thomas The Human Metronome" settled into a very consistent 10:49ish pace. That was slightly quicker than my usual long run pace but it felt easy like my long run pace. My heart rate was also right where I wanted it. Things were looking good!

After the brief start in Staten Island before the bridge, the remaining distance of the first thirteen miles takes place in the borough of Brooklyn. The crowds were fantastic! Seriously, they were lining the entire course and being very loud. Whenever you ran past a series of bars it was basically like a party in the street. There were a lot of people hitting the sauce early to cheer us on! Pretty fun. This part of the race was also pretty flat, so I was able to churn out some consistent miles and get into a nice groove. At times you could see the race stretching before you for miles and the mass of humanity moving in the distance like a wave. It was pretty cool but also a grim reminder of just how long this frickin' thing was!

MILES 8-13: METRONOMING IN BROOKLYN (10:54, 10:51, 10:49, 11:00, 10:40, 11:02)

The race continued on in the relatively flat Brooklyn. I really settled into a groove here, the pace felt good and I was able to enjoy the sights around me. The New York City Marathon doesn't have a lot of bends and turns, so you could often see quite far ahead. I was trying to run the tangents where I could, but honestly, there weren't a ton of tangents to begin with! Luckily, they did mark them down on the road with a light blue line for the elites, so I just used that as my cheat code. My friend Jon was there to cheer me on about mile eight and I was happy to spot him in the large crowd.

Mile 8

Not a lot I can say about this part of the race that hasn't already been said. Amazing crowd support, cool sights from different neighborhoods in Brooklyn, relatively flat course... hmm. I guess I can talk about my fueling strategy! Like most marathons, I stopped at every aid station had tried to get one electrolyte drink and one water. One thing I did not want to happen was dehydration. Except for a few instances, I was able to get both cups at the aid stations. New York had a lot of aid stations, as one would suspect, so I was never wanting for fluid. In addition to that drinking, I ate 180 calories of gummies every six miles. So a big handful of gummies at 6, 12, 18 and 24. That worked out well and I really liked the Gatorade branded ones I bought at the expo. They weren't super chewy and went down very easy.

All those fluids did cause me to pee twice during the race. Luckily, in each instance, I was able to duck directly in to the bathroom without waiting. While I might have lost thirty seconds in there, I usually ran a bit quicker once back on the course before settling back into my normal groove. So while I definitely lost some time, I think overall for the race it was well short of a minute. All told, I think my drinking/eating strategy is a pretty good one. It's basically the same one I have used since my first few marathons.

MILES 14-20: QUEENS, MANHATTAN, AND THE BROX (10:45, 11:11, 12:02, 10:36, 10:36, 10:43, 10:48)

The half marathon mark was actually on one of the few places without hordes of cheering people... a bridge. These bridges were probably the toughest part of the race because not only were they uphill (for half at least), there wasn't the usual cacophony of sound to encourage you onward. At this point though, I didn't need it, as I was still feeling pretty good and motivated. You can tell a lot about your marathon by the halfway point... if you are tired and wanting it to be over, you are in for a rough time. If you still feel kind of fresh and like you haven't exerted yourself too terribly... you have a chance.

Mile 17ish.

Unlike normal, I didn't really study the course to death before running this race. I did know that we would touch all five boroughs and that there was an uphill about mile 23ish that was "killer" but for the most part I went in blind. It was honestly fun to be totally surprised, it felt like kind of an adventure. It was kind of funny, however, when we crossed the Pulaski Bridge into Queens. After the long time spent in Brooklyn, I had to figure we would be in Queens for a good five miles or so. So I was pretty surprised when after less than two miles we were routed onto a bridge over to Manhattan. You were fun while you lasted, Queens (seriously, the crowd support there was awesome!).

The twelve minute mile is because of said bridge. To me, this was the hardest part of the race. It seemed like an incline that was going on forever, every time I thought the Queensboro Bridge was cresting it just kept going up. I knew my mile time on that part wasn't great, but I just reminded myself to keep an even effort. I was not going for time, and trying to push it up the bridge would ruin the rest of my race. So I just kept chugging upward. Again, there is no crowd here and it is mile 16, so this was the first time any sort of doubt creeped into my mind. I was tired from the uphill and there was still ten miles to go. Would my legs be gone after this incline?

Luckily, once over the hump, my legs came back just fine. Whatever doubts I had were mostly relieved as I continued to be able to hit my pace without issue. I wasn't even hawking my watch at all, I just ran by feel and each time my watch beeped it threw back a number right where I wanted to be. The stretch in Manhattan was multiple miles of a literal straight road (1st Ave)... again, you could see the wave of humanity in the distance as far as the eye could see, which was awe inspiring in one respect but also depressing in another. Really reminded you how far you had to go!

MILES 21-26: BRONX POP BY AND THE PARK FINISH (10:41, 10:33, 10:45, 10:49, 10:16, 9:50)

Right at about mile twenty you cross over the Willis Ave Bridge and end up in the Bronx. If I thought the stopover in Queens was short, the stopover in The Bronx was even quicker. You cross the bridge, run about a mile there, then take the final (thank goodness) bridge back into Manhattan. Compared to the Queensboro Bridge though, these ones were a piece of cake. Short little bumps if anything. As expected, the crowd support there was great as the residents of The Bronx wanted to make sure you appreciated your brief time in their borough!

Mile 23 hill... feeling spry!

Once back in Manhattan there more long, straight stretches. These totally work in New York though because there is so much to see! I probably looked like such a tourist at times, my head craned to the sky admiring all the super tall buildings. The craziest part here was my body still felt good. I was a little tired and it had been four hours, sure, but overall this was definitely the best I had felt at this point in a marathon. Thank goodness too, because I was about to encounter the feared uphill at mile 23 that swallowed runners alive. This was where marathons went to die.

It was no biggie. Try to pick out my uphill time in those series of mile times, I dare you. It was the 10:49. It was about 100 feet over the course of a mile, so really nothing too terrible. I can see how it would have totally kicked my ass in some of my previous marathons, but since I was taking this one easier and just doing my long run pace... it was fine. I mean, I would have rather it had not been there, but it was fine. I honestly sped up a little because doing so used a slightly different set of muscles and I actually felt pretty fresh.

By the time I crested the hill, I was ready to push for the finish and push I did. You can see by my declining mile times, I was feeling pretty good. Honestly, I couldn't believe how much energy and how good I felt for being the final two miles of a marathon. I was really worried about this one between my legs and subpar training, but my commitment to stick to my pace really paid off. I wove through those final two miles in Central Park like nobody's business. It felt awesome to be zipping along as so many people were in zombie mode. Now, my time sucked, I know, but still... to finish a marathon feeling like that... amazing! This was the first, and likely last, marathon I had a negative split on.

THE FINISH AND THE AFTERMATH

I crossed the finish line and was able to stop and walk around no problem. I think that's another first. Usually my legs feel some sort of trashed and I have a little limping session. Sure, they were tired as hell, but I was able to walk around and I didn't have the urge to sit down and cry in pain like usual. So that's progress I guess. Like always, however, the chute seemed to go ON AND ON AND ON. The thing never ended! Finally I was able to exit into the masses. It took a bit but I was able to find Jon and then demanded to go to a restaurant with a cheeseburger. I'm typically not hungry after a race, but usually I feel way more trashed and exhausted.

Anyways, I got my cheeseburger and fries and then took the subway back to Brooklyn. For running a marathon on no sleep, I was feeling pretty okay. My legs were very tired but I was able to get up the three flights of stairs to the room no problem (a real worry earlier in the week). I even stayed up until 11pm watching Sunday Night Football before calling it an evening.

In all, it was such an unexpectedly amazing marathon experience. I went to New York knowing it could be an absolute shit show... or it could go okay. I honestly didn't expect to have one of my best marathon experiences ever. Yes, it was a PW by miles, but who cares. I loved the whole experience and didn't suffer through it. A definite win in my eyes.

Official Chip Time: 4:43:22, 10:49/mi. 14,582/24,949 overall, 9,100/13,584 male, 1574/2166 M35-39.

ALMOST THERE

Over the weekend I ran my third and final 20 mile training run. Every marathon training cycle I try to run at least three of them, and this one was no different. They are definitely harder this time around versus in 2019 when my psoriatic arthritis was in remission. Towards the end of my 20 milers these days my pace drops, my heart rate elevates, and my knees throb. However, they are still "doable," so I do them. This last one was a little harder than it should have been because I ran both Wednesday and Thursday and on Thursday I pushed the pace at the group run. So on Saturday morning I wasn't feeling particularly fresh. Self-inflicted wound.

On marathon day, I'm feeling pretty confident I'll be able to finish without much issue. My long runs have been on par with any other marathon training cycle I've done. So I'm pretty confident on fresh legs I can get to 20 without issue. Every other marathon I would speed up on race day and run about 1:30/mi or so faster than my long run pace. That won't be the case this time around. I'll just be doing my normal long run pace. However, that doesn't mean the run will be any easier, because I've greatly neglected the weekday runs. Previously I would average 20 miles a week on three weekday runs, this time around I've averaging 8 miles on two weekday runs. Not that I'm slacking, that's about all my body can take when coupled with the long runs.

Last weekend's 20 miler. Four 5 mile spokes!

So anyways, I think the slower pace but lack of miles will largely balance out. It will probably be like a normal marathon where I can get to 20 okay and then the last 10k is an epic slog. I'm just hoping my legs don't give out in some fashion or I'm not in a ton of pain at the end. By the end of the 20 mile training runs I'm definitely in some moderate overall pain, so hopefully another 6 miles doesn't send me over the edge in. I don't think it will. Also, I can just walk. Who cares, this is a PW anyways and completing the marathon will be a triumph regardless of time. It's all gravy baby.

The taper has officially begun! I am just ready for the race to be here and over. I'll post a race preview at some point but mostly I am just worried about the weather. I need it to be dry if at all possible. I can handle cold, I can handle hot... I don't want to handle wet. You have to queue up in the start village like three hours before the race, so standing there for that amount of time in the pouring rain would be absolutely miserable. 

A PATTERN HAS BEEN DETECTED

Gonna miss the blue skies.

So, as I was kind of suspecting in my last post, the Simponi starts wearing off toward the end of the month and I have more symptoms the closer I get to my next shot. For example, the last few days I've been feeling more creaky and arthritic than I have for some time and surprise, surprise, my next shot is in two days. At this point I can pretty confidently say the Simponi is providing somewhat decent relief that wanes in the last week or so of the treatment cycle. I was hoping to get to the point where the relief would build for the whole cycle, but I don't think it is going to get me there.

Usually a few days after the shot I start feeling pretty spunky again. I never get back to that 100% relief like I did with leflunomide though. The last runs this training cycle have made that pretty clear. My legs/knees definitely hurt toward the end of these longer runs and it is definitely tied to the remaining inflammation in my knees. I remember how glorious my twenty mile runs on leflunomide where, I had seriously never felt better after a run that long, even before my psoriatic arthritis really reared its head.

I should be able to finish this training cycle and run the marathon. I'll be very slow this year, probably 4:45ish, but that's okay. Just being able to run a marathon is cool. My training volume is much lower this year and I can't really do speedwork very comfortably while also pushing my mileage. My knees just aren't in condition to be back to 3:40s Thomas. Maybe they never will be again. Who knows? However, I can still train for and complete a marathon, so that's what I'm going to do.

My first twenty mile run went alright. It definitely hurt more than any twenty mile run I have done since maybe the first one. Cardio wise I felt okay but my legs were wiped out and the last few miles were definitely a struggle. Also, doing all these runs at like 11:15/mile or so... they take FOREVER. The twenty mile run was over four hours when you include the short pitstops for fluid and stoplights. I was seriously out there all afternoon. And since I'm too slow for my normal training group, these are all by myself. And so far they are all the same course. It's getting OLD. But, like, it's all over in six more weeks. So I can just power through.

Hopefully by next year I'll have more more relief and be able to get back to my normal routine. Part of me is hesitant to switch from Simponi because it is sort of working and it allows me to mostly feel human and do stuff most of the time. But it's far from perfect, and what if switching to Embrel gave me the leflunomide type relief? I'd be missing out! However, what if it fails horribly like Humira? Can I stomach another dark, rainy winter being in a fetal pain ball on the couch? Ugh!

I actually have an appointment with my rheumatologist like 11 days after the marathon. So, we'll see what she says. I won't be seriously training for anything at that time, so it's actually probably a good time to try a new medicine if we feel like that could help. If it takes me out of commission for a few months, who cares? I just can't quite believe none of these $80,000/year medications work as good as a pill for a fraction of that.

Anyways, the New York Marathon is on November 7th, which is actually PERFECT time wise. That's a week and a half after my shot, which is about when the relief seems to peak. So, in terms of feeling my best for race day, I should be good there. If the race was on the 24th of the month I would be screwed.

SIXTY? NINETY? HARD TO TELL

Weeknight four mile run with Sunstone

Ahoy! Mid-August update coming fast and hot. Make sure you are strapped in, because this is going to be some Earth shattering shit. Okay, not really.

Training for the New York Marathon is going fairly well. I made a "training plan" around the beginning of July because at that point it was four months until race day and I needed some kind of structure or something to keep me accountable. By that point I had worked up to a half marathon distance (as evidenced by the last post), so it was really just a matter of getting my way back up to 20 miles in a way I think my body could handle. And then hopefully get the normal three 20 miles runs in.

So far, so good! I have been able to hit each long run. So that's encouraging. My 16 last weekend went pretty darn well, all things told. Not quite as "easy peasy" as previous years, but it wasn't painful or anything. I'm starting to feel confident on my ability to work up to that 20 mile mark. That wasn't something I would have been confident about just a couple of months ago. If I can keep hitting these long runs as scheduled, I'll essentially do my normal long runs for a marathon training cycle.

The weekday runs are another story. Basically, I'm running twice a week and they are usually four miles a pop. Not exactly what I need to be doing for marathon training. However, in my mind, the weekend long runs are the most important to being able to shuffle painfully across the finish line, so I'm trying to make sure I can hit those without issue. Normally, I'd be running three times during the weekdays and total about 20 miles. I'm running twice totaling 8. That will be felt on race day.

I haven't let totally loose because I'm still not quite there with Simponi. If I were writing this post two weeks ago, I would have said it was working just barely enough to not immediately want to change to another medication. But the last ten days or so, I've felt fantastic! Not 100%, but the best I have felt on Simponi. I need to keep tabs on when I am feeling good and bad to see if there is any rhyme or reason to it. Maybe toward the end of the monthly "cycle" before my next shot it does wear out? That would square with my most recent "blah" period. And my most recent "wohoo" period started about a week after the shot when it had a chance to ramp up. Maybe. Or maybe not. I hadn't been paying attention closely enough in the previous months to know if that was a trend.

When I'm feeling crummy, it sucks. I have maybe 60% relief. Which, even that, I am grateful for. Because I know what 0% feels like and its miserable. So even when it's not working great, when it's enough to get me about my day and not be in a fetal pain ball, eh, I'll take it. But in terms of running or doing any sort of activity? It sucks. Right now? I feel like... 90% relief maybe? I mean, I feel pretty good. The arthritis is still there in a very mild fashion, but I feel like I can do active things and not get up from chairs like an old man. The problem right now is consistency. If it was consistently like when it's bad, I would have to try a new medication. If it was consistency like I have been feeling very recently, Simponi for life.

So yeah, that's the update. I will just ride these flares of good and bad all the way to the marathon. I plan to just run New York at my long run speed, 11:00/mi, and call it good. Running a marathon will be victory enough. Under five hours is like 11:20/mile or less, so I'll probably make that my informal goal.

In the meantime, hopefully the Simponi can continue to ramp. The 25th of August will be six months, when it is supposed to reach it's full efficacy. So technically I do owe it another two weeks. It's just frustrating when lefluonomide had it in 100% remission and I basically forgot I even had it.

2021 INDEPENDENCE DAY HALF MARATHON RACE RECAP

During the much more populated first loop of the race.

July 4th, 2021 marked my first in person race in nearly 17 months. Crazy to think about for someone that has been racing every few months since 2012. Since the pandemic hit, I've really been struggling with my psoriatic arthritis, so I guess the timing worked out in terms on not really missing out on anything. Races in Oregon have been doing in person events for a couple of months, but with the official "opening" of Oregon on June 30th, this one was particularly back to  normal. No wave starts, masks at the start/finish, nothing like that. Just a regular old race.

One thing that has happened with the pandemic is my sleep schedule getting really fucked up. It is painful to be awake by 9am. So with the race starting at 8am, a 6:45am wakeup call was in order. Couple that with not being able to sleep well the night before in anticipation of the early wakeup/race and it was particularly painful. I got, at best, three hours of sleep. I think it was more like two and a half. I tried to avoid looking at the clock. However, I've done Miami and other races plenty of times on that amount of sleep, so I knew I could do it.

Upon arriving at Champoeg State Park, I could almost immediately feel the energy of the race. It's crazy how much I missed that vibe. Any tiredness was immediately gone and I was starting to actually get pretty excited. It felt like there was electricity in the air. Damn, it was good to be back! I went and picked up my bib, put it on, and then went to the start line. In usual Thomas fashion, I didn't leave too much time to dally. By the time I had my bib on and my race shirt in the car, there was only 15 minutes until the gun went off.

THE FIRST LOOP (9:50, 10:19, 10:08, 10:16, 10:11, 10:00)

My plan going into this race was not to actually race it. While I am building mileage and feeling alright, if I were to actually race a half marathon at this point... it would probably take me out for a couple of weeks. Overall, it would just not be smart. My longest long run had been twelve miles and that was really tough, so I knew I had to take it easy. I figured I would just do my normal long run pace and make sure I didn't roped into anything faster. I needed to be smart and just enjoy an expensive, atmospheric long run.

Turns out my pace settled into about 10:10ish a mile, which was a little faster than I was expecting. I knew the race would motivate me a little bit, but I was expecting more of a 10:30. I didn't want to micromanage my pace though, and my heart race was right where it normally is for a long run, so I left it alone. I was very conscious to just stay within myself and do my thing. It felt great to be out there again! Even if I was seeing people I knew way ahead of me on the out and back, people I would normally beat, it was all gravy. I missed this so much, and the fact I wasn't suffering, like during a raced half marathon, was an extra bonus!

This first lap of 10k flew by pretty quick. I did have to go pee and skipped the first bathroom thinking I would hit it up later. The race director made a big deal of saying there were bathrooms all along the course at mile 2 and mile 4 or whatever. What he didn't mention was that was the same single port-a-potty at the one point the loop turns into an out-and-back So there was one bathroom at a highly trafficked portion of the course. Anyways, at mile 4 I was going to duck in but a dude just beat me to it, so I figured I'd hit it up again around mile eight. Aside from that, my race was going great. 

THE SECOND LOOP (10:08, 10:47, 10:06, 10:26, 10:02, 9:49, 8:40)

The second loop of the course is basically a repeat of the first, there is just an extra (hilly) out and back for the final kilometer or so you need to hit the half marathon distance. I was feeling really good! That 10:47 was not me tiring out, that was me peeing. I missed the bathroom again as someone ducked in right before me a second time. I couldn't wait any longer. I really had to pee. And holding it seemed to be starting some activation in the number two department. Well, the race is largely in a forest setting, so I found a good spot and darted off the course. Ah, sweet relief. I felt SO much better. And any tummy rumblings were also gone. Onward.

Frankly, there is not much to say about the second loop. I was still feeling great! A lot less people this time around as the 10Kers were all done, obviously, and the half marathon was the smaller of the two events. So a lot of time just running on my own. Which was fine... I was enjoying myself! I had been delaying drinking anything because of the pee situation, so the next aid station after fixing that I tanked a couple of cups of fluid. The uphill "extra" section kind of sucked, but I was able to get it done without issue. That's that 10:26 mile.

Otherwise, as you can see, I was rolling. I was feeling good! By the time I hit mile eleven I still felt relatively fresh. The magic of a race, even if you aren't racing! I decided if I still felt good at mile twelve I would allow myself to kick it in. It looks like I started a little early, but not too bad. I was feeling good at 12, so I started to gear up in that final mile. Felt good all the way through the finish. For how much of a struggle 12 miles the previous week was, I was honestly surprised at how good I felt. That final mile kick also allowed me to squeak my overall pace just below 10:00/mile. So that was a mini accomplishment, even if I wasn't trying for speed on this run.

THE AFTER PARTY

I knew a few folks at the race so I said "hi" and ate my free food and beer. Most of the 5k and 10k racers were already gone by that point and I imagine the biggest party was about an hour after the race started. Eventually I meandered back to my car and checked to make sure I didn't make the podium (hey, you never know with a small race). I didn't, so I headed back towards home.

Honestly, I felt great the rest of the day. There was no delayed pain or anything. In the days afterward I felt normal too. A little sore but no DOMS or anything. So, I call this race a great success! I feels good to be back at a half marathon distance. Getting my long runs up to twenty this summer in preparation for New York is going to be a bitch, so I'll take my victories as they come. Plus, the photographer at the race offered photos for $1.99 each, so those are gracing this post. TAKE NOTES OTHER RACE PHOTOGRAPHERS. I will actually purchase your photos if they are reasonably priced.

Official Results: 2:10:52, 9:58/mi. 67/123 overall, 40/61 male, 5/7 M30-34.