Jun
17
This week’s profile is on another well-known and inspiring early riser on Dailymile, Brian Adkins (aka @MarathonBrian on Twitter). From his early morning workouts to his regimented strength training routines to his precisely targeted running goals and reports to his support and encouragement towards others, it is clear that Brian is intense about his training. Many of the “Boston Legends” (as Jon Flex Leiding refers to them) had the opportunity to meet Brian during marathon weekend. I was curious to find out what drives this man to set and meet aggressive performance targets, and hope he’s as much of an inspiration to others as he is to me, though he can feel free to sleep in another hour or so in the morning so I feel like less of a slacker.
Predawn Runner: How did you start running? How long you’ve been doing it?
Brian Adkins: Running has always been part of me since I was a scrawny kid growing up in Milwaukee, but I didn’t formally use running as a fitness-training vehicle until 1996, when I was 29. At that time, my physical conditioning had taken a nosedive and my weight ballooned to 220 pounds; 2 years earlier, I weighed 178 pounds at 5% body fat. It took some time, but within a year I lost 35 pounds largely from running and watching my diet. Unfortunately, I’ve had some yo-yo cycles where I’ve lost and regained weight since then, but I always knew that I could restore my health and soul through running.
PR: When did you start racing?
BA: I largely ran in charity 5k and 10k races largely through work initiatives a few years ago, but the race that initially shaped me was running the 2007 Chicago Marathon on a dare from a friend; who plopped a bib in my hands the night before the marathon. Crazy me, I actually ran 4:16 in a race I didn’t train for in advance and went down in history for some of the most brutal temperatures in the history of the event.
PR: Your training was derailed due to injury, how did that affect you?
BA: After the experience of Chicago, 2007 I went into 2008 full of anticipation and high expectations running-wise. However, a month before the Chicago Marathon, I broke my left ankle attempting to beat a traffic light in new dress shoes and began a 16-month cycle of frustration and despair as the ankle never fully healed and I began another one of my legendary weight gain cycles; this time ballooning to 230 pounds and more than 30% body fat.
PR: How were your running performances post-injury?
BA: I didn’t run very well in 2009, with crummy training sessions and inconsistent race performances. A prime example was the outcome in two events within 2 weeks of each other in the fall of 2009. On September 20, I ran 2 two-mile legs in the Dousman (Wisconsin) Duathlon around an 8:38 overall pace. Two weeks later, I ran in Aids Run Walk Chicago at a 9:15 overall pace; the first and only time I ever ran above a 9-minute pace in a 5k competition.
PR: What have you accomplished since you re-ignited your running program this year?
BA: The biggest thing I’ve accomplished in 2010 is successfully arresting a performance slide that had taken hold of me for the past 3 years. Now, I expect to improve in races and training sessions; that hadn’t been the case in recent years. It’s amazing to be 43 and set new personal records in every event; never would have believed that was possible to start the year, but that’s what has happened.
PR: What are your goals for the rest of the year?
BA: I’m expecting a strong running season in the second half of 2010. I spent most of the first quarter of 2010, shedding blubber and trying to learn to run uninjured again; with good results in the second quarter so far. But I’m really ramping up my efforts starting on July 4, with a half marathon I’m running in the Twin Cities with a goal of securing a starting corral for the Chicago Marathon. I’m also running in the San Francisco Marathon on July 25, with 2 additional half marathons on the calendar prior to the Chicago Marathon on October 10.
PR: You traveled to Boston for a 5K in conjunction with the Marathon – what did that race do for you?
BA: In March and April I devoted my heart and soul to preparing for the BAA 5k. The race was tied to the marathon and my terrible performance at Aids Run Walk Chicago, six months earlier, was a huge wakeup call for me. I needed validation that I had improved or even could improve; willing to pay the price to ensure there would be gains on race day. The 3 minute improvement in my overall 5k time in Boston cleansed the frustration of the past 3 years away and allowed me to focus on the future, whether its the next workout or the next event.
PR: You are very thorough and precise in your training plans and execution – how did you develop the plans?
BA: My training approach comes from my past background as a weight lifter and bodybuilder in the 80′s and 90′s. I was exactly the kind of person that fitness legend Charles Atlas would have targeted in his era to build muscle and not have sand kicked in my face. I know how my body reacts to changes in training and nutrition and I use that knowledge to prepare for events/training.
I’m not a big fan of most running programs commonly touted, but I’ve embraced McMillan’s “Go Zone” strategy where a runner sets performance goals for individual events and strategically uses training to achieve event goals. For example, on May 9, I ran 13.1 miles just under 2:20 in training; running the same distance in 2:06 on the 19th; 2:05 on the 26th; and 2:03 on June 6: a 17-minute performance improvement in less than a month with my actual race day timing at 13.1 Chicago on June 13 being just over the 1:57 mark.
“Go Zone” isn’t for softies. Runners have to push themselves hard in training, fostering gains in every workout prior to events. You also have to use training runs to refine potential weaknesses that can derail race performances and desired outcomes.
PR: Is your overall program consistent with how you approach your job (and what is that, by the way)?
BA: Yes. I’m the number two officer at a Chicago-based advertising and marketing company working for the organization’s founder. My boss is brilliant man, a visionary, and suffers no fools; he expects me to be able to forecast success and deliver victories. I use the same approach in my running. 13.1 Chicago had been on my race schedule since early-January, every thing I did for 4-5 months prior to the race built momentum towards that event. A sub-2 hour performance was forecasted in January and expected in June.
PR: You are often up at, what, 3:00 AM or so? How much do you sleep? Have you trimmed sleeping hours as quickly as you’ve trimmed weight?
BA: Good question, Greg. I’ve always been an early riser (generally going to bed around 9pm), so I’ve incorporated that into my training. I also don’t like crowds, so if I get to the 24-hour gym in our building early, I can beat members who arrive around 5am, who tend to be nosier than members who come earlier. They also don’t blast the music in the gym until 5am as well. It’s a totally differrent world for early morning trainers and I’ve embraced the quietness of that time.
PR: What do you do when you are not running or working?
BA: I’m a collector of vintage books, magazines, newspapers, etc; with a major focus on American culture, athletics, and physical culture. I have copies of U.S. Army training manuals from the 1890′s until the modern era as well as Indian Clubs and steel spring chest expanders from the 1920′s. I’ve been a passionate collector since I was a teenager and wish I had more time to read all the magazines and use items that come my way. I’m also a big fan of online social media, but only recently with the advent of Twitter. I never put any effort into Friendster or MySpace when they were hot platforms; with only passive interest in Facebook. Twitter for some reason changed all that. In fact, many of the strongest relationships I have on Daily Mile, were forged on Twitter.
PR: Can we check in again after the Chicago Marathon, or will you have evaporated away to nothing at your pace of losing weight?
BA: LOL. I’d be happy to hear from you after Chicago in October and hopefully by then I’m not worrying about weight loss, but one never knows.
Pingback: Tweets that mention Predawn Profile - Brian Adkins (aka MarathonBrian) | Predawn Runner -- Topsy.com