Runner Qualifies for 2017 Boston Marathon, Credits NTNM - The Bluejacket Newpaper

When Rome de las Alas returned from an individual augmentee (IA) assignment with a few bad habits and nearing retirement, he looked to the Navy Ten Nautical Miler (NTNM) to get back on track.

De las Alas was stationed at Navy Recruiting Command (NRC) and now serves as the civilian audit liaison for CHNAVPERS Office of Inspector General.

Overweight, out of shape, and with unhealthy vices, de las Alas registered for the 2014 NTNM the day before the race.

He started the race thinking “I’m going to blow this course away.”

“But I ended up getting blown away by the course itself and theother runners,” says de las Alas. “I was pissed off at the course; I was pissed off at myself.”

De las Alas used that anger to make a change. “Since that day, I have only missed six days of running,” he said.

He recently qualified for the 2017 Boston Marathon.

This isn’t de las Alas first foray into fitness. “I was sponsored by the North West Navy Fitness League back in 2002-2005. And I finished 12 marathons and four Iron Man triathlons. I was racing four, maybe five times a month.”

But in 2005 he went IA and picked up the local habit of smoking. “You’re sitting in the desert all day thinking ‘yeah this sucks’. I was working out too but I lost focus. I wasn’t racing. The races out there weren’t really races,” he said. “There were no qualifying events.”

“The locals weren’t really runners, they were just sitting around smoking,” he added. “So I ended up smoking.”  His bad habits followed him back to NSA Mid-South.

“I got stationed here at NRC and I still had these bad vices,” he said. “I was coming close to retirement. And I realized ‘this can’t be my life’”.  The impending retirement gave de las Alas a reason to examine his choices and lifestyle. He said he started to think about life beyond his Navy career.  “Obesity and that kind of stuff kills you! If you’re not healthy, you’re not going to live that long,” he said.

He was ready for a change and the NTNM was his starting point. “I picked up running and I started losing weight and I started getting faster,” he said, adding “I started enjoying the run!”

De las Alas said it is important to keep your goals realistic so they are easier to obtain.

“For a day of running to count, I have to run 1.5 miles,” he said.  “It was just a Navy standard that I could hold myself accountable for.”

De las Alas said he hopes other can use the new year and impending NTNM as a starting point for their own health and fitness journey.

“Write down promises to yourself,” he suggested. “I had to write down goals. Like go to Ironman Kona (Hawaii) by the time I’m 60; by the time I’m 90 still be able to run 10k. When I’m 100 still be able to run a 5k.

“Write stuff down so you can hold yourself accountable. When you write down all these goals and you’re accountable to these goals, they are life goals,” he said. “You’re going to fight to meet them.”

De las Alas said goals were even more important for those nearing military retirement.

“When you have something to look forward to in your life it gives you life,” he said. “I see that all the time. If you don’t (have goals) don’t be surprised if you shrivel up and die. You’ve got to have purpose.  That’s what life is all about.”

He added that staying healthy is a great fiscal choice when it comes to retirement. “If I were telling a retiree how to maximize their retirement (pay and benefits), I would tell them to be alive to receive it!”

De las Alas said that having goals and pushing to do better in all facets of life helps you compete not only on the course but in your career.  “You’re not going to be young forever! But what makes you young is continuously competing and trying to make yourself better,” he said. “That E5 or E6 or that O3 or O4 that is still early in their career; you’re in the prime of your life where you still have to compete to make rank, to make promotion,” de las Alas said. “PTing or participating in races gives you that physical focus that converts over to your professional performance.”

For those that think they don’t have time to invest in a fitness routine, de las Alas has advice on that as well.  “Running actually gives you time,” he said. “I use my runs on my lunch break to think through problems and contemplate what I am doing in my day.” He went on to say “find ways to make running part of your life. I don’t just mean scheduling it in your day, but incorporating it into your lifestyle.”  Earlier in the week he had been feeling sick and didn’t want to run, but decided to go on a run with his son. That time together was not only great time spent with his son, he said, but an easy way to get some miles in.

For new runners, de las Alas said to start slow.  Whether it be an hour, 30 or 45 minutes, just getting some exercise will get you started, he said. On the days he only logs 1.5 miles, de las Alas can achieve this in around 10 minutes.  “I started out with 30 minutes; only two miles,” he said.  Now he regularly runs 300 miles a month.

De las alas’ goal for this year is to bring his time down. Last year his finish time was around one hour and 21 minutes. With his recent half marathon times, he believes he can finish the race closer to one hour and 17 minutes.

“The competition has actually gotten harder,” he said pointing out that the competition is drawing more and more runners from around the country.  Goals are all very relative, he said. No person will have exactly the same goal at a race.  “My individual goal is to get better and hopefully to talk to more people about being more fit and being excited about the (NTNM) run.”

De las Alas said the NTNM is a unique and inspiring race with “undulation, southern living, and beautiful countryside.”

“You see the lake, you see cheering happy families, trees, long stretches where you can go as fast as you want,” he said. “And in the end you get one of the best medals ever made. It’s a pretty medal!”

For regular racers trying to decide if they want to add the NTNM to their schedule this year, de las Alas offered this review: “It’s well supported with lots of volunteers helping out. Lots of organizations are out there FCPOA, CPOA, and Filipino association. There’s always going to be somebody rooting for you. There are straightaways and coming into the finish is really cool because that announcer is wonderful and gets you pumped up.”

He said the NTNM is a unique experience that everyone at NSA Mid-South should take advantage of.  “You have the home field advantage and can train right here on the course,” he said. “And nobody in the world has a nautical miler! That in itself is unique.”

Runner Qualifies for 2017 Boston Marathon, Credits NTNM - The Bluejacket Newpaper

Page 2 The Bluejacket
Thursday, January 14, 2016

From NSA Mid-South

Public Affairs

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Why I Got a Coach

I have actually been laughed at for getting a coach.  Most recently I saw an associate who thought I was crazy for spending money.  Typically when I tell someone I have a coach they say, “All you need to do is run”, “You can learn all that from books”, or (my favorite) “What a waste of money.”  To be fair to all who doubt getting a good coach, you really DON’T NEED A COACH.  I knew I didn’t need one, but if I was going to get any better I WANTED someone who could see something I wasn’t seeing.

Here’s how I went about getting a coach and what he’s done for me.

MEETING COACH KEVIN LEATHERS & CAN’T STOP ENDURANCE (CSE)

I started the endeavor of hunting down a Boston Marathon Qualifier (BQ) since 1996.  However, doing it required training, proper nutrition and learning more about myself and capabilities.  I had always been a runner who died out especially at the mid to later stages of the Marathon.  I constantly read, sought advice and trained the best I knew how.  But I continually failed in almost every marathon by  bonking or giving up during crucial moments of the marathon.  I longed for the success I had in high school sprinting with my Track Coach, Mr. Danforth.  He knew what made me tick, how far he could push me and believed in me mostly because I did the work he asked.  With hard work and belief, we almost pulled off a state championship.

I heard of a running forms class by CSE.  I researched CSE and Coach Leathers.  I looked at his credentials as a Road Running Club of America certified Coach and his work with St Jude Heroes program.  I even called a local running store (Breakaway) about him and his work.  I ended up taking the class which improved my form and helped me gain a rhythm (180 beats to be exact).  Within a few runs over the next few days, I noticed that I was running more efficiently and not wasting so much energy.  I also noticed some aches going away, specifically plantar fasciitis.  The shooting pain from the fasciitis went away and I was going faster, much faster all because I changed my form by just a bit.

I contacted him again for a consultation if he could help me get a BQ.  He sent me a questionnaire about my goals, previous results and running/endurance sports experience.  Even though I was trying to hire him, I felt more like I was being interviewed.  But that was just part of the process.  We sat down for our first meeting and looked at where I was both physically and mentally to get to that BQ goal.  We also went through expectations on both sides which included fees, work, Seattle Seahawk football games and future meetings.  Although nothing could be assured in getting a BQ, with work and my current capabilities, it was more than possible.    

I got very excited by the BQ possibility and the pending workouts he proposed.  I hadn’t been in a structured running plan since high school.  But, I took them on with vivacity and determination.  They were neither easy or beyond my capabilities.  The idea was to start with speed and increase lung capacity then increase mileage.  He’d say start with low miles and build to big miles.    

TRAIN HARD - RACE FAST

My first race under the program was a 10K in my Road Racing Series (RRS).  My previous PR (personal record) was 43:17 (6:59Pace) and had run this course in 46:02 in 2014.  Once I hit the course, something was very different.  My lungs were much stronger, my legs turned over much faster (in cadence) and I cruised up hills like they were flat.  I finished the 10K in 40:35 (6:33Pace).  That’s a 2min40sec improvement from my 2001 PR  and the crazy thing was I could have gone faster. 

I’d hit my training even harder under his supervision and found speed where I never had it before.  I showed up to my next road race series event even more charged up.  I had a 10mile PR in April earlier in the year in which garnered a 1:12:09 (7:13Pace) on a fairly flat course.  I ran this same RRS course the previous year (2014) in 1:16:18.  The course was in Shelby Forest National Park over some serious hills and a upward switchback.  There was no way I should PR this course… Until, I did.  I took every hill in cadence (like a Jeep Willy) and crested the tops, when the road got flat or sloped down, I went even faster.  I was floating and flying.  I ran the course exactly like Coach Kevin told me.  I finished looking at the clock laughing.  I PR’d with a 1:06:31 (6:39Pace) on one of the hardest 10mile courses in the area. 

After the race, Coach Kevin gave me another sheet which included longer runs.  Distance miles in the teens and 20s while not sacrificing speed-work during the mid-week.  The concern now was body stress.  Aches started coming in the form of arches, Achilles, calf, and groin pains.  Kevin would continuously remind me of taking care of them and would monitor how they would be affected by the workout.  I kept plugging away knowing the last event in the series would be the Half-Marathon. 

I never broke the 1h30min thresh-hold. But Kevin calculated the work I had put into my running as well as current racing.  He estimated that I should be able to get below 1:28.  My best Half was 1:31:32 (6:59Pace) in May earlier in the year.  But, he believed in me and my training effort.  With that confidence, I took off on a cold windy Sunday morning and blasted the course, never once letting up.  When I came to the finish, I surpassed his expectations and came up with a 1:26:45 (6:37Pace).  Almost 5-minutes faster than my May PR and over 6minutes from the 2014 run on the same course.   

I had a great Road Race Series.  I had PR’d in 3 events.  I was in great shape and my confidence was at an all-time high.  But a good Road Race Series wasn’t the goal.  The BQ was the goal and Kevin refocused me with more miles at distance speeds I’ve never imagined I could meet.  It wasn’t necessarily that I needed to go fast, I needed to be patient and use pace.  That’s what long miles and adding “MP” (Marathon Pace) at the end was teaching me.  It was also teaching important lessons in endurance running.  Long Distance training means being on the road experiencing different trials and tribulations.  Whether it be weather, stomach pains, or a malfunctioning GPS watch.  Things will go wrong.  But, in training we learn from them so when the real thing (race) comes, we can handle it.  We put the “Gut Check” in “Check”. 

During my last meeting before my BQ Race (the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, AL), Coach Kevin and I sat down.  It was not so much technical as much as mental.  It was reaffirming that the work would get “US” (and I mean US) through and onto a BQ.  On paper I should crush this, but the course conditions (weather), my mind, and time have something to say about that.  Because when all else fails, it is the training, form, breathing and mentality that will get you to the end. 

I finished the Rocket City Marathon and earned the BQ.  But it was painful and took every ounce of my training to get me to the end.  If you want to know about it, please read this: Rocket City Marathon – Race Report.

TAKEAWAYS

Family are supportive but sometimes oblivious to the work, technical or mental aspects of running (unless of course they run with you).  Non-running Friends are just as supportive.  Other runners are great references, but they are running their own runs.  A Coach guides you to your best potential and design success defined by what you want.  That's what Coach Kevin did for me.  He listened to what I wanted to attain, devised a strategy and monitored my path to that success.  All I had to do was run it and do the work.  
 
That is the biggest key, WORK.  Kevin believed in me because of the work.  No magic pill or spell can make you go faster.  Running a 300 miles/month may not even make you faster.  It's the belief that you can go faster because you prepared under the guidance of someone who knew what they were doing.  Someone who combined sports science, physical fitness and threw in a mental game to build a person strong enough to race.  That's what my coach brought out in me.   



Lastly, I might talk up my Coach but that's because of the success I've had with him.  To me he's the best.  The Memphis Running community has a lot of great coaches for every level.  Find a coach in your budget sensitive to your goals.  Remember this is recreation, but it's also your chance to rev-up the engine and let it roar.  Let that coach bring it out of you.  

I'll see you on the Road!

Rocket City Marathon - Race Report

Bottom Line Up Front: Accomplished Boston Qualifier.

 

Rocket City Marathon

DATE/TIME:

12DEC2015 @ 0700

LOCATION

Huntsville Alabama –

Total: 26.2

RACE COURSE & GRADE

Flat with minor undulations.  Not many scenic views (except for the Rocket Museum).  Running through middle class and project housing.  Great local support.  Grade: B+

RESULT: 3:23:03 1  7:20 2  7:10 3  7:14 4  7:23 5  7:26 6  7:17 7  7:17 8  7:19 9  7:21 10  7:20 11  7:20 12  7:24 13  7:17 14  7:22 15  7:35 16  7:46 17  8:01 18  8:07 19  8:07 20  8:20 21    8:04 22    8:00 23    8:01 24    8:33 25    8:21 26    8:13 26.2 3:36                         Avg 3:06

Narrative: - Warm/Humid Day - Started well and on pace.  7:20s.  No Stress - Fueled at the goaled spots. - Went well until M16 and M17 when I felt twinges.  Went to Gatorade. - 1st Bite on M18.  Fought cramps for 8miles to the finish - Pissed at missing the Humidity Variable - Accomplished BQ time but not Guarantee.

Place

Gender

Age Group

Gun

Chip

10K

Half

30K

Bib

110 of 1272

91st

10th

3:23:06 (7:45)

3:23:02 (7:45)

45:44 (7:23)

1:36:35 (7:22)

2:20:25  (7:33)

355

HEART RATE MAX: 174/182BPM

Cadence 194Avg/227Max – Avg Stride length 1.08m

TEMP/WEATHER: 70°F at 78%Humid (unseasonal weather)

INJURY/AILMENT: Seizing cramps (calf/groin).  Black Toe Blisters

MISCELLANEOUS:

Shoe

Nike 5.0 2015 Yellow (122 miles)

Timer

Garmin 225 Forerunner

Attire

Nike 2inch shorts, Nike Breakaway singlet, Seahawks Socks & Visor

Music

Marathon Mixture

NARRATIVE

Day before	Ran 4 miles from hotel to finish line (.5mile), then 2mile mark and cut back to hotel.  Carbo Dinner: Chicken and Spag with water & tea and cookie. Slept at 9:30.  Good sleep.
Pre-Race	Awoke at 4:30.  Got rid of almost everything in stomach.  Ate my traditional granola and 18oz Mi0/Water.  Suited up and out the door by 6AM.  Warm-up to course with a mile out/back at 9-10min pace.  Did my prayer.  Took off
10K	Stuck with plan of going 7:20’s.  Noticed a bump at M2 because of the slight downslope.  Refueled as planned at M3.5.  Stayed in the rhythm of my music and cadence.
Half	All the way to the half, I was floating like I had been (Video at Half).  But I did notice a side stitch.  I had never felt that before in any training run or race.   I wasn’t hungry and just fueled at M14.   I went into diagnostics mode and consciously went to form.
Cramps	Me and My Rouge The first twinge happened at 16.  Not a bite but something firing in the calf.  Something is wrong.  At 17 it went to the right leg.  Then it happened.  A full snake (more like Shark) bite stopped me dead in my tracks and almost fell over.  Part of my mind went to panic over other failed marathons, but I fought the temptation of going into self-deprecation. Okay, Great (sarcasm) 8miles left and about 70minutes to BQ.  That’s when I went to happy places. 8 miles is the loop by my house I take Rouge.  I just did that run last Saturday with her.  “Okay Rue, Let’s Go!” I yelled (frankly I could care less who heard me).
20Mile	Every incline was painful.  Imagine going from flat to 1 on a treadmill.  That was the slope but it was just enough to trigger a cramp bite.  When I got to 20 I thought 10K (the actual 2nd Half everyone speaks of).  The GUT CHECK. But it was going to take more than guts to get this done.  I needed to be patient because every time I’d lift my effort the bite was coming soon after.  I measured each effort to what it was going to cost me in pain.  My internal engine was great but the tires were flat and the entire body could only go so fast.  I broke down the distance into 2mile pieces, then 5Ks, then small mile bits.  All the while I kept a smile on my face.  I refused to go down broken or sad.  Sure I could be mad, but I wasn’t going down disheartened because I didn’t try to give it everything.  Life has given me worse heartaches than this, “So Darn It, SMILE!!!”    I wanted to be as positive as possible. As other runners cramped too, I’d give them a boost, “Hey, we got this! KEEP GOING.”  (I’d never say almost there.  I hate that saying)
Finish	Mile 24 and two miles to go at 10:03AM.  That means I have 17mintues for the Guarantee.  The internal engine was revving up but it couldn’t go anywhere without some serious pain.   But then I asked myself, is the pain masking an injury or is it a matter of a big hurt?  Nothing was broken, my muscles would spasm, but I didn’t tear anything.  If I bumped it up right now, the pain would go away as soon as I got into the Arena Finish.  So I went for it.  I was still above an 8:30 pace but just a little more I though, even cutting 20sec per the last miles would help.  At least I’d be running in.  I got to the last mile mark.  “Boy does this hurt”.  I felt fast although my watch would say otherwise.  I was into the home stretch approaching the Arena.  An elderly man (probably in his 60s) who passed me earlier, was ahead of me.  But he fell forehead and right-shoulder first.  I wanted desperately to stop instead I yelled and pointed to spectators to call for a Medic.  People gathered around as I past him but hoping he was alright. Rounding the Arena, the last 100yds is a railing leading to a chute to the finish arch.  The first 3-digits on the clock read 3:23.  I made the BQ.  In the back of my mind I also knew I probably missed the guarantee.  But Right now, I was exhilarated by the finish, pumped my fist down and yelled “That’s my 1st BQ”.  A BQ I’ve been dreaming about for 19 years.
After	Everything below the hips hurt.  As I took inventory of all the ailments, both big toes were now black.  My calves and left groin seized to rock.  I could hardly walk out of the arena.  Surprisingly, my feet and arches were fine. I told Grace that I’d never run this race again.   I spent the afternoon in bed watching Navy Beat Army.  Drank a lot of water and cookies.  No beer. The next day I got up at sunrise.  I took the same Friday warmup path.  I went to the finish, then back around to the 1mile and 2mile marks.  Then split back to the 12-13mile mark into the Arena finish.  Just to look at it again.  I don’t know why but I became very angry.  This course relinquished a 2017 BQ to me, but I knew I didn’t beat it.  It took a lot out of me to get the BQ.  Regardless if I get to Boston in 2018, I told myself I’m coming back to run the 2016 Rocket City Marathon course again.  I'm going to run as fast as possible and beat this course.

Above its the format of my debriefs to my coach.  Here is a Link to a Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) Report (please cut and paste if you want to keep one for yourself).  I try to be concise on my scheduled (high-intensity) workouts and big races.  It serves as both a tool for improvement and a record of my personal history. 

 

RCM Course 2015

CAN'T STOP ENDURANCE
Thank you very much to CSE for giving me the chance to improve.  Not only in the run but throughout the four months leading to this marathon.  I was able to be a better running person.  I not only felt good on the outside, but felt pretty good on the inside about how I was competing. Thank you CSE!

RCM Finisher Medal