Just Run Jim

Seattle Marathon Race Report ( or my 11th Marathon)

2015-12-17T12:20:00.002-06:00

The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and... - Nigel Tufnel (Spinal Tap)

I made the decision after Boston to run a late fall marathon because I just didn't want to train in the heat of the summer. I know my limitations and racing in early October has bitten me twice with heat. So I was going to take it entirely out of the question. The decision was made to run Seattle after brunch when we already had a few adult beverages. My sister-in-law also decided to run her first half marathon there as well. It was on.

Training went well except for some days when work responsibilities just made it impossible to run during the week when I traveled. I trained with the Pfitzinger 18/70 plan once again. I did all of my long runs. I really didn't race much this year so I ran the Prairie State Half as a fitness test in early October. I ran in in 1:37:32 (missing the AG podium by a spot) and it encouraged me to shoot for another Boston Qualifier time. The entire family came with me and we stayed at our first Airbnb. It was a great condo in the heart of Seattle's downtown, closer than the host hotel to the start/finish and cheaper. A downstairs coffee house put an exclamation point on it. We visited with my cousin and her family on Friday night for dinner who live out there.


Seattle View

My wish for cold weather came true. In fact it was my coldest marathon start ever at 34F. Fog was everywhere. There was a very light zephyr of wind which made it bearable and made running in shorts comfortable. I wore my long sleeve Boston shirt over a short sleeve tech shirt. Running events are where I never feel like I'm bragging about Boston. The marathoners were last to go after the half marathoners. I saw my sister-in-law and wished her good luck as she was in her first mile as I walked to the race start. She was incredibly nervous/excited prior to race day and just wanted to finish. At 8:15 AM we were off. The course is mostly flat but the race director had said at the expo that "no one negative splits this course". The course elevation did not look that formidable, but I took the man at his word and decided to go out a bit faster than my 3:28:xx qualifier pace.

Mile 1 was slightly downhill so I tempered the pace a bit and it came in right at the planned 7:55. After Mile 2 we prepared to enter the express lanes of I-90.   Hell we're not that fast.   It was here I noticed a few tents in the grass on the sides of the expressway from homeless people. Not cardboard boxes but lightweight camping tents. I thought about throwing my long sleeve cotton shirt here over the fence near the tents. They need it more than I do but it was still too cold at this point. Off to our right was Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field. No tailgaters that I could see for the Seahawks game later. The half marathoners and Marathon walkers (yes you read that right) were separated in another lane when I noticed a woman face down and not moving. It must have just happened because no one was helping her yet. It was then I noticed frost had formed on the bridge we were running.   She was up by the time I passed and she had a nasty cut on her face and was being helped. Better watch my footing. The first timing mat was at Mile 4.5. 34:34 (7:41 pace). Better back it off a bit.

We headed for an out and back on the I90 floating bridge (second longest on Earth) which heads to Mercer Island.   It was cool running that close to the water and being surrounded by it.

Mile 5 - 7:32 Ummm...back it off there killer
Mile 6 - 8:23 What...don't back it off that much.
Mile 7 - 7:23 Did I forget what pace feels like...this is nuts.
Mile 8 - 8:23 But I had an excuse. Had to leave some liquid in the porta-a-potty which were conveniently located with the mile marker sign taped to it. We head off the bridge and west along Lake Washington's shore.
Average is 7:52 pace at the second timing mat. Mile 8.1 and all systems go.

The next 3 miles are enjoyable but if there was less fog I could see more Pacific Northwest scenery. Houses were along our right side and the race leaders were headed past us on the other side of the road.

Mile 9 - 8:07    Mile 10 - 7:51 Mile 11- 7:54 Mile 12- 7:55 I was glad to be slightly ahead of pace but could not figure out why pace was so erratic. The race field is not huge and no one is running in packs.   I am not running with anyone as we are spaced out. Usually there are giant packs all running the same pace.
Mile 13.1 - 1:43:37 (7:55 pace)

It was here we ran around Seward Park. No roads just an asphalt path


A Wikipedia Seward Park photo. The fog made it look way different.

Mile 14 - 7:56 We head north on the opposite side of the path and view the slower runners going the other way

Mile 14-15. Good to see both feet of ground.

Mile 15 & 16 - 8:20 average. I have to hit the portable again at Mile 16. I need to figure this fluid thing out in future marathons because it's costing me 20-30 second every time I stop.

Mile 17 - 8:02 Mile 18 - 8:02 Mile 19 - 8:01 Got the pace finally knocked trying to hold back for the next stretch

It is about here I begin to run with a younger couple maybe in their late 20's. We're running the same pace so I try to stick with them. She is looking stronger than he is and wearing a neon orange long sleeve shirt and slightly ahead. We're about to head into the toughest section of the course. Mostly uphill from Mile 20-23. Cruel. Just cruel.

A look at the hill grading from 20 -26.2

Mile 20 - 2:36:58 Overall (7:51 pace) Holy crap. As we make a left hand turn at Galer St (Mile 20.44) The street goes straight up (5% grade). It's not long but steep. My muscles were temporarily overwhelmed and I walk about 15 steps up the first part and resume running. It was more the shock than fatigue. We climb 135ft in the next half mile . Mile 20 clocked in at 8:30
Mile 21 - 8:45 We enter the Botanic Gardens. Lots of turns and more uphill. This would be a cool place to just walk. I'm picking off people slowly. Pass someone and find the next victim. So I'm surprised at the pace here. Orange girl and her partner are keeping pace behind me.
Mile 22 - 8:06 Still passing people.
Mile 23 - 8:32 The grade gets a bit silly here. Strava calls it the East McGaw Street Climb. Strava puts me in the top 10 for this section so I'm not fading.

Mile 24- 8:10 Almost home now and I haven't looked at my watch in 3 miles because I don't want to get discouraged. Just run on feel baby and love that fatigue in your legs. At the water stop which is uphill, I walk through it to get one last drink. Orange girl passes me and yells to me "C'mon you can do this". I yell back, "I got this". I start running and pass her at the top of the hill...and never saw her again.
Mile 25- 8:09 There was a very short insane downhill on Republican St. that I brake a bit because it surprised me. Almost home now. A pacer passes me running by herself with no pacer sign. Is she the 3:30 pacer? For some I still have not looked at my watch since Mile 21 but decide to go with her just in case.
Mile 26 - 8:14 Uphill one more time as we head into Memorial Stadium and finish on the field. I blow past pacer girl and see my family. Glance at the clock.

Pacer girl in green. Still have no idea which pacer she is.

Finish time: 3:31:26   My third fastest marathon out of 11. 12th out of 97 in my AG. 72nd out of 466 Male masters (must be a destination race for fast old guys). I'm good with the time due to the late hills on this course. A flatter course might have been a BQ time. The elevation chart on the website was very deceiving since there is a lot of up/down in the last 10k. A positive split for sure and the RD was right. Garmin read 26.29 miles so I ran the tangents well.

I get a big hug from my son and it made me really emotional for a second. My sister-in-law was shooting for a 3:20 time in the half. I joked she needed to beat Al Roker's time at the 2010 Chicago Rock n Roll half.   Turns out she had some ankle pain from Mile 8 on and I told her it was a big accomplishment to finish even if it was in 3:40 something. She was mad just the same which makes her an official racer because of that kind of thinking. The recovery area was indoors which was plus to get warm. The drop bag recovery is cruel though because you have to climb stairs of the stadium to get it. Just mean.....
There weren't a lot of spectators on the course. I should have known because my cousin and her husband who live here weren't really aware of the race. It's a small race, only 1633 marathon finishers in total but scenery was very different for this Chicago guy (aka Flatlander).   This was a day that fit the Pearl Izumi motto: Endure and Enjoy

THE Boston Marathon

2015-04-27T22:31:00.001-05:00

There is really one race you to you need to run as a marathoner.   Boston. This was my very first Boston.

I qualified in October of 2013 and it was a long wait until my turn came around.   In anticipation of the Newton hills, I did all of my long runs in Barrington on hills more severe than the race.   I also ran more than I ever had for a spring full and found a happy medium between the Pfitzinger 55 and 70 mile plans. I had a good cycle (no injuries) with the exception of a couple of work heavy weeks dropped two weeks into the 30mile range.   I did all of my long runs. I tried to run some of them glycogen depleted.

Two prep races did not excite me about my fitness. A hilly March Madness Half resulted in 1:40:13. The Shamrock Shuffle 8k ended in 35:24.   Neither got me excited about my fitness although I did not taper for either. I plugged my times into Greg Maclin's calculator and it spit out 3:36:00 which was using the fairly aggressive setting. That is 8 minutes slower than my qualifying time.   I had no idea how to pace Boston.

I met Amanda on the bus ride to Hopkinton. She had traveled all the way from Adelaide, Australia and a 30 hour plane ride to get to Boston. Just another cool part of the Boston experience. We were both in the second wave.   I relaxed in the Athlete's Village and made the customary bathroom stops.   It's basically a series of tents that we all huddled under to keep warm.   They had all the necessary stuff in case someone needed some last minute supplies or Shot Bloks. I was impressed that the loudspeakers were playing Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc. Tough to get psyched if they were playing Beautiful Day by U2 and according to the weather it would have been a lie. My wave was called and we began the .8 mile walk to the start line.   As I stood in the 7th corral unbelievably I had to hit the bathroom again. I dumped my K State sweatshirt and old softball pants that were keeping me warm. We were off and I crossed the start line at 10:30.

I put the crowbar in my wallet pre-race for $5 and printed out two of Greg Maclin's pace bands. One for 3:30 and one for 3:35 because I just didn't know what kind of shape I was in. The first mile was beyond slow (8:49) but only because I needed to make a bathroom pit stop. Honestly, I don't know where all the liquid came from.   Then I was able to settle in.

Mile Marker
2 7:56                  5 8:02              8 8:00
3 7:56                  6 7:57              9 8:00
4 7:55                  7 8:01             10 7:53

The crowds were awesome. In the rain, they cheered for every runner as if they knew them personally.   I felt the gusts of headwind and tried to tuck in occasionally behind another runner. The rain was annoying but I've run a marathon in a monsoon before so I didn't mind it. I was clicking off the miles with very little effort. Mile 11 came and I had to go again and found a tree in the woods along with about five other runners. I really didn't drink that much in the past two days but apparently I was super hydrated.

11 8:03            12   8:20            13 7:58           Half 1:45:46

We approached the Wellesley scream tunnel at the half way point and I wasn't about to kiss any of the girls here since I have daughters that age. It seemed creepy to me. I did give almost all of them high fives as I ran. It made me forget about the wind and rain for a bit and gave me a jolt of energy. It was here I made a conscious decision to back it off slightly.   I worried as the Newton Hills approached that I may not have enough for the finish. The weird part is that I welcomed the upcoming hills.   All of the downhill running at the front of the race, I thought the change in muscle use would be good for me. My stomach behaved. No issues as I took three Hammer gels and got water and Gatorade occasionally throughout the race.

I saw my family a at Mile 16 and sprinted over to give my wife a quick kiss.

Quick detour to acknowledge the family

The first of the three Newton hills begins at Mile 16 and the last is at 19.3.   None of them were very difficult and maybe that was my training.   My quads were very cold at this point and maybe it was the hills having some effect on them as well.   The cheap cotton gloves I bought stayed on for the rest of the race.

14 8:02       15    8:05         16 7:57         17 8:15        18 8:16     19 8:06       20 8:20

Heartbreak Hill wasn't very tough either for me. A bunch of us runners cheered loudly when we saw the woman holding a sign saying we had just conquered Heartbreak. Mile 21 8:34.   It was all pretty much downhill from here.   I decided to run on feel at this point and it felt like I was running faster and easier than the splits turned out.

22 8:03       23 8:19

The Citgo sign was now in sight. The crowds got louder. The crowds got deeper. I kept raising my arms to get them to cheer louder. I actually caught myself saying out loud to no one "There will be no fade today!" Not sure anyone heard me and/or cared about what I said. At Mile 24 I checked my watch and it read 3:14:xx and I thought for a brief moment I had a shot at sub 3:30.   Umm, race math this late in a race is dangerous and I forgot about the extra .2.   I was passing a bunch of runners at this point. While passing a runner and looking next to me to make sure I didn't bump them I stepped ankle deep in a puddle. I didn't care and tried to push the pace.

24 7:54 25 7:59


Final push on Boylston and my fastest mile of the day

Right on Hereford and left on Boylston. My family saw me one last time right in front of the expo center but it was so loud I had no clue they were there. The atmosphere was beyond electric at this point. My last 2k was at 7:51 pace. My Garmin claims I did the last .2 miles at 6:54?

I crossed the finish in 3:32:18. As good as I felt, I think I underestimated my fitness. In my tenth marathon, I have never run this consistently all the way through. Maybe I could have re-qualified here but I didn't care as enjoyed every step of the race. Boston, I'll be back.

We're All in This Together

2014-11-08T09:30:00.000-06:00

Most of us envery day runners look at elite runners with awe. I do. A top marathoner can run 26.2 miles in splits that I cannot run for 1 mile. Sigh...I guess that's what happens when you start to run in your forties. But I still love watching the big races. Paris, Chicago, Boston, etc. Most of them aren't televised (damn you Universal Sports and your feud with Comcast) but I do get to see a few. I love getting up early and watching the elites battle each other with a cup of coffee in hand.   I usually know some mortal runner like myself who's doing the same race. But the mortal runners are never seen on TV.

For some reason I seem to enjoy watching the women's races more. Maybe they are more competitive, maybe I'm more familiar with the women elites.    But the coolest thing about the sport is that we all run the same course on the same day in the same conditions, albeit slower.   My first marathon was the 2008 Twin Cities.   As I was heading to the start line, I saw the elites warming up for the Elite TC10 Miler that takes place right before us.   I saw Kara Goucher, not knowing who she was at the time, and being a guy and uninformed I just thought wow she's attractive. Turns out she won that race in 53:16. The following spring I ran the slushy and snowy 2009 Shamrock Shuffle. That race was won by Deena Kastor in 27:15.   I ran the Chicago Marathon and was in the Brooks expo booth right next to Desi Davila ,who is now Desi Linden, because Brooks is her sponsor. I lost to her too in case your wondering. So when I watched the New York marathon last week I was secretly rooting for all three of them.

The wind pretty much decimated the fast times. Desi was top American in Brooks T7 racers. (Sorry, I had to throw in the Brooks plug being one of their Fanatics). Deena attempting to get the master record fell short.   Kara admitted she was in 2:28 shape but would not win. The wind had other plans for her. But we all have bad days.   Even the elites find it hard to explain why their race falls apart despite being fit. Oh and my friend Ed who ran the same race didn't exactly shine either.

I encourage you to read Kara Goucher's race report. It reads like the hundreds of Runners World forum race reports by friends and others.   Honest, frustration, doubt. We all have it no matter how fast or slow you are.

Double Good News

2014-11-07T19:08:00.000-06:00

Well I got double good news today. First was the official snail mail notification of Boston Marathon acceptance!

Second and more importantly, I was told I do not have a hip fracture!! It's a big relief but I was getting quite irritated worrying about the whole mess. I saw a PT from Illinois Bone & Joint who is a certified athletic trainer. They offer free injury assessments. My ortho belongs to the same group so it would have made for an easy referral.

We could not duplicate any hip pain. She tried pushing my hips together...nothing. Pushing on my knee and forcing my leg toward my hip...nothing. She did tell me my hips and legs are extremely tight which as absolutely no new news to me. I got several pages of stretching and strengthening exercises of which I only was in the habit of one of them. The Dynamic Hamstring Stretch.

The biggest question was how much down time do I take from running? The answer is zero. Except for injury and when my schedule is just impossible, I run all the time. Six days a week most of the year and since April of 2008 I have not really taken any time away. And although I hate to admit I'm getting older and still want to outperform the 30 somethings, it's good advice. So I've been told to cross-train (swimming, biking, etc) for the next two weeks and let my body reset.

Can't I just hit this thing instead?

So it's on to cross training and slowly resume running. If I'm still having issues in two weeks we'll see what else can be done.

A Solution to the Problem

2014-11-04T16:31:00.001-06:00

So here I sit almost four weeks post marathon without a solution. I took one whole week off from running immediately after the race. The second week was a slow return to running and I put in 25 miles. But something was still not right. Those adductors never felt perfect. Maybe I strained them and so another full two weeks off. This past Sunday, I ran 5 miles and that same soreness is still there. There has also been some soreness right along in my pelvic area that should have been gone by now if it was a muscle pull. Keep in mind at no point is there any pain. Just a general soreness.

So I've been to the internet and back a few times to see if I can self-diagnosis this thing. Any strains should have been healed by now.   It does not hurt to stand, climb stairs, walk or jump.   There is no pain when I run, just soreness. What I really think this might be is a hip stress fracture or stress reaction.   Bottom line: I have given up the hope that this will go away on it's own.   And since the Boston Marathon looms in April I need to get this resolved...NOW!

There is a really good article from Methodist Hospital in Houston which makes me think I'm right. They cite, "Research suggests that most athletes who develop stress fractures have been training for at least two years, six or more times a week. A stress fracture is more likely to occur after an increase in how far, how often, and how hard a person goes." Guilty as charged. But that also describes almost every other marathoner I know.

What is the possible good news: "One of your doctor's main goals will be to determine if other problems, such as muscle or tendon injuries, are causing some or all of your pain."   I would much rather have this diagnosis since hip stress fractures are slower to heal.

The solution starts with a diagnosis. I've scheduled an appointment with a sports medicine physical therapist.   I'll start there and not really sure what they can tell me. I may have to go see my ortho at some point. Boring deep water pool running may be in my near future.

I would have never run Milwaukee if I had even suspected this injury.   Maybe running a 3:37 marathon with a hip stress fracture proves I'm not as soft as I appeared during the race.

The Race That Went South...Twice

2014-10-10T14:39:00.000-05:00

The Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon (Marathon #9 for me) is a point to point race.   It starts at Grafton High School and proceeds south to Veteran's lakefront park.   It's a fast race which usually negates the prevailing west wind. Unfortunately, my actual running went south as well and led to a disappointing day.

I can't put my finger on any one thing the destroyed the race. My parents decided to join us for the trip. The day before the race was very relaxing.   I got plenty of sleep the night before and we grabbed lunch about 2pm at AJ Bombers which is known for it's peanut delivery system.   A quick stop at the very small expo to get my bib and back to the hotel for some rest before dinner.   We found a fantastic restaurant before last year's race. If you are into homemade Italian everything while in Milwaukee, go to Mimma's Café.

I slept probably better than most nights before a race.   Usually, I'm waking every hour but not this night. I got up about 4:45 and had brought my own breakfast. Oatmeal and a half bagel w/peanut butter. Standard issue marathon runner race breakfast.   I sipped on some Hammer Perpetuem.   The only thing missing was coffee. But the Hyatt had promised to open their shop up at 5:30 for some Starbucks.   I refuse to drink in-room coffee. Not because I'm a snob and I actually prefer non-corporate coffee. but who only knows what bacteria grows inside of the in-room makers and the coffee just plain tastes bad.   I got to the lobby to catch the bus to the start at the high school at 5:45 only to find there was ZERO coffee to be had anywhere in the lobby.  Even Holiday Inn's have some sort of coffee free in all of their lobbies.  Hyatt fail! (you could have sold overpriced coffee and breakfast and runners would have gladly paid it). Luckily there was a coffee shop open across the street from the hotel and I grabbed some to go before boarding the bus.   I sipped on some PowerAde while at the school to top off any hydration deficit. I really don't think I drank all that much but the race proved otherwise.

It was cold (36F) but the sun was out so I wore some layers and my Brooks gloves.    My goal was to go out at my PR pace of 3:27:00 and negative split the race. My "A" goal would have been 3:25:00. At 7:30 we were off.   I had no problem hitting pace early as the first two miles were downhill.  I felt good but my stomach felt bloated and slightly upset.  It took two port-a-potty stops to get rid of the excess liquid at Miles 4 and 12.    I brought four Hammer Gels but while rearranging them in my back pockets I dropped one and did not want to stop to get it for fear of being trampled to death.

I knew early that it wasn't going to be my day with some stomach issues and legs felt beat up way too early.   I took my first gel at Mile 6 1/2.   The second gel I only took about half of it at Mile 12 1/2 because my stomach was feeling weird.   I tried to keep on pace thinking it would all pass eventually and I would be back to normal. After Mile 12 when I took the second gel I actually gagged because I almost hurled. Sometimes niggles, pain or discomfort do magically go away for no apparent reason during a run. But they never did. About Mile 11 I felt my adductor muscles sore. During training they would get this way after a hard week or a really long run.  It never affected my running really. Taper did not heal it I guess. I saw my family at Mile 15 and even they said I looked like I wasn't having much fun.   I kept plugging away telling myself I might right the ship.   I was on pace early but it just kept slipping away. I just refused to walk and let this become a complete disaster.

The cold hard numbers:
1 - 7:45
2 - 7:44.8
3 - 7:57:2
4 - 8:13:8 First stop
5 - 7:41.3
6 - 8:01.6
7 - 7:59.4 Expected finish 3:27:19
8 - 7:50.8
9 - 7:57.2
10 - 7:56.8 Not a good sign.   Fatigue in my inner thighs.
11 - 7:58.3
12 - 8:20.1 Second bathroom stop
13 - 8:04.6 Uh oh, it's slipping.
13.1 - Expected Fish time 3:29:11
14 - 7:59.1
15 - 7:58.6
16 - 8:10.2   The wheels starting to come off.
17 - 8:15.3
18 - 8:28.9   C'mon fight this thing.
19 - 8:26
20 - 8:36.5 Can only break 3:30 if I finish at 8:00 pace the rest of the way
21 - 8:14.7 Well so much for 8 minute pace the rest of the way.
22 - 9:00.7 Yep, the wheels are off.
23 - 9:21.7   What the...
24 - 8:59.4   Probably just quicker because I was angry at the last mile
25 - 9:21.5   No longer angry I guess
26 - 8:59.1   Final time 3:37:07

In last year's race, my slowest mile was the last and even then I only slowed to 8:20. So what was my major malfunction? Too much food pre-race? Too much liquid? It feels like I didn't sweat much in this cool weather. Overtraining or sore adductors not resolved by taper? Bad nutrition during training?   I've run three faster races on less training! Sometimes it's as simple as it's just not your day.   Time to move on and schedule a shorter race within the next 30 days. At least I have Boston for redemption.

"At mile 20, I thought I was dead. At mile 22, I wished I was dead. At mile 24, I knew I was dead. At mile 26.2, I realized I had become too tough to kill" - Unknown quote

Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon Countdown

2014-10-04T09:45:00.000-05:00

So my fall marathon in now less than 24 hours away. I stopped by my running store on Thursday to replace the sunglasses that got stepped on accidentally. As usual, the owners ask what I was training for and they go out of their way to make customers happy. I snagged a new pair of Tifosi Saxons. When I checked out they gave me some Shot Blocks on the house and Pom told me I look a little bit like Dick Beardsley?! I don't see it but I hope I run like him in three days. After all his PR is 2:08 something. Thanks for the ego boost.

Where does the time go? Work, work travel, coaching flag football, etc have all conspired against me writing my blog.   Anyways....I am in full taper for Milwaukee.   I have averaged 64 miles over the last 8 weeks.   I was using Pfitz 18/70, the same plan from my PR.   My training has been pretty solid except missing a day here or there for non-injury reasons. I am hoping the second year of Pfitz 18/70 will give me some benefits and make me stronger.

Here is the thing though, I have ZERO races to gauge my fitness. My last race was a trail half on tired legs at the end of July (1:41:0) so I can't use that. Or a 4m race on 7/4 at 27:56? Or a 5k race on 6/14 at 21:04? Or a 10m race on 4/10 at 1:12:39? I'm flying blind so I only have to point to last year's training and race. My longest MP run on 9/6 was 18m w/ 15 at MP. A really good run, buoyed by the cooler temps. Average was 7:53 pace but most of it was at 7:51.   The weather will be cold (high 40's F and dry) so there should be no excuses there.   The course runs north to south and the predicted wind will be out of the west.

I did my final 5m run yesterday before Sunday's race. I make it a point never to run the day before a full because my legs feel much fresher.   My training paces have been equivalent to last year. My hope is to PR.   My goal is to run between 7:49 (3:25:00) and 7:53 pace (my PR).   The weather will be cool the entire way with a an 11:00 AM finish at 49F.

I would love to hear your wild guesses on my time tomorrow.

In other confidence boosting news, I am officially accepted into the 2015 Boston Marathon! I got my confirmation a couple of weeks ago. It will be my first after qualifying last year in Milwaukee. I have have been chasing the Super Bowl of marathon racing since 2009 and it's been a long term goal of mine. I don't think I'll run Boston in 2016 but I would love to qualify again.

Lastly, a little bit of motivation.   Yes, I'm a sap and running geek but this trailer has always been my pre-game pep talk.

Marathon Training Doldrums

2014-07-31T14:38:00.000-05:00

Back from vacation and an incredibly busy week at work playing catch up. I used vacation as a cutback week and only put in 31m. I did the same last year, however, this year I added a trail half marathon. The Bear Cupboard Run which benefits the local food pantry. The Bearskin Trail was not technical by any means but the surface was packed sand/gravel. Final time was 1:41 flat. I did get 2nd in AG but feel iffy about my time. I do not run many trails so not sure how the surface impacted my time. I feel indifferent about my pace since I do not know if this was due to fatigue (7 mi previous day), surface or something else. I did get 2nd in my AG and the announcer said the course might have been 0.5 km long?? Mile 9 might have been the culprit since I did not walk or stop.
I did not get the Garmin synced until midway in Mile 1 so I couldn't verify that and there was many tress that could have blocked the signal.

Mile paces: 7:45, 7:43, 7:25, 7:35, 7:31, 7:45, 7:43, 7:30, 8:38, 7:56, 7:23, 7:41, 7:42

Age Group award compared to my keyboard

I'm so tired and feel beat up on every run after 5m since then. Paces have fallen off in the second half of my runs with paces near 9:20. I realize it takes about 2 weeks to fully recover. I do tend to overdo it on vacation with fishing etc also.


It's relaxing but I tend to overdo it

A look at my easy pace runs from last year show roughly a 8:58-9:00 so I don't think there is any reason for concern. I may move my 3rd 20m for this cycle to Monday and use tomorrow as a rest day. Some additional sleep wouldn't hurt either.

Elmhurst 4 on the 4th

2014-07-08T17:25:00.001-05:00

This is probably one of the fastest competitor fields in all of Chicago.   If there is a race that attracts more speed, I haven't done it. And you need to tell me about it. It probably has to do with the fact that there aren't many other races on the 4th of July and this is a CARA Race Circuit race.   The streets swarm with club runners doing their warm-ups. My own included....the mighty LFLB team!

I consider doing this race a major accomplishment considering my wife had emergency eye surgery Thursday.   It freaked me out. She'll be fine and needless to say she is unable to run for a while. My son was racing and agreed to run with my sister-in-law instead of my wife.   I know she talked him into it so I could race. Otherwise, I would have been happy to "race" with him.

I've run this course seven consecutive years and I can't help thinking I should be faster. McMillan assumes 27:23 on a flat course based on my recent 5k. I do not taper for it (see the training page). Not sure if it has been fatigue from high miles in my marathon build-up or running the underpass hill twice in the race.

Mile 1 is a slight downhill at the start and then flat thereafter.   I managed to not do anything stupid and run too fast at the start. It actually felt easy and the first split was 7:00 flat.   Mile 2 is under the railroad tracks and up the first hill. My goal every year is to get to the top of the hill before the leaders are heading back the other way. I just barely made it this year.   My second mile was 6:54.

Mile 3 is always a bit slower for me. I think it's the hairpin turnaround and the second uphill portion back under the railroad tracks. I saw my son heading toward Mile 2 at this point and yelled to him. Mile 3 was 7:06 I still had gas in the tank but the last portion is a steady uphill. Halfway up the hill my gag reflex kicked in. I slowed slightly and managed to fight off the "reversal of fortune". Last mile was 6:52. I PR'd the race by 4 seconds and finished in 27:56. I still think I could race faster.

I managed 16th in my AG and if I was 3 seconds faster I would have placed 13th. The winner in the group ran 5:54 miles! Yeah he was in no danger of me passing him....ever. One of the LFLB members posted pictures of everyone of our racers they could see so that was cool. Thanks for the pic.

Fighting off the urge to hurl in the home stretch

I walked back along the course until I found my son at about 2 1/2 miles. A third grader who likes to negotiate when we run and walk. I'm fine it and I never push him. Whatever he wants to do is OK with me. Dad, lets walk. Dad, lets slow down. Dad, my feet hurt. We ran/walked to the finish together and he did manage to sprint across the finish line. I was proud he did this race at all considering his age. All of the kids his age were doing the 1k!

I'm going out of town next week and will use it as a cutback week. However, I will actually race my first half this year. It is a trail race on crushed gravel so we'll see how I do. I do not think sub 1:35 is in the cards for this one but I should be rested from the cutback. My only other 13.1 races have been as a pacer this year.

The Ghost and a Race

2014-07-03T12:13:00.000-05:00

I really enjoy my relationship with Brooks and being one of their Fanatics. According to Merriam-Webster the definition is as follows: marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion. Excessive enthusiasm...check. Intense devotion...check. Uncritical devotion is the part that does not apply to me. If something does not work for me or would hinder my running in any way I would not keep purchasing it. So as Fed Ex delivered this care package to my door the other day, I was convinced it would lead me to another successful marathon season.


Brooks Ghost 7

The Ghost 6 was Runner's World Editor's Choice winner. The Ghost 7 is a perfect neutral shoe for me. Enough support to accompany my higher miles and the ability to respond to faster session. The main difference between the Ghost 6 and 7? It is smoother and lighter. The Ghost 7 weighs in at 10.4 ounces (0.3 less than the Ghost 6). Bigger lugs in the forefoot make the Ghost feel more responsive.

The Elmhurst 4 on the 4th takes place tomorrow and I'll be running it for the seventh consecutive year. As usual, I needed to find a way to fit this into my marathon training. I didn't need to do much as I had a 5 mile recovery today and am scheduled for 12 tomorrow. So I simply switched the 4 mile tempo that I was supposed to do on Monday to Friday and race it instead. Between warm-up and cool down, I'll probably run another 6 miles later in the day. My goal tomorrow is simple. Run faster than 7 minute pace and take down my PR of 28:00 flat. I have a tendency to run the first half mile too fast so we'll see if I can control it. I've also underperformed at this race. Not sure if it has been fatigue from high miles, running the underpass hill twice in the race or hot weather. The weather is fully cooperating this year and my recent 5k all show it shouldn't be a problem. McMillan's calculator says it should not be problem based on my 5k time.

Training Page is Active

2014-06-25T11:10:00.002-05:00

After a whole year I decided to post my training miles on the page that was previously blank. Right now I am only using the Runner's World Classic Log calendar page. However, for the stat geeks I will be improving it so you can see my pace times. Watch this space.

That is all...

Time to Get Serious

2014-06-21T12:54:00.000-05:00

Marathon training is officially underway. I expect my running will continue to be focused until April 2015 before I exhale. It's one of the reasons why I decided to skip a spring marathon this year. The Pfitz 18/70 plan calls for 57m this week. Additional miles next week. Like I said, time to get serious.

My running has gone pretty much as planned in the last month. My PF in my left heel has completely disappeared. It had to be the road camber. I've consciously tried to run in the middle of the road on less busy streets and my long runs have been moved to the crushed gravel surface of the Prairie Path. Not too many people could rid themselves of PF by running more. But it appears that is what I've done.

My last pacing assignment of the year at the Michelob Ultra 13.1 went perfectly. We finished exactly at 1:45 and ran consistently. Our mile pace never varied more than four seconds off the 8:01 pace and no more than one second on half of the miles. We ran with a great group. Three women who were attempting PRs (one of them who looked shockingly like Kara Goucher) and one guy in a cardboard birthday hat because it was his birthday. One of them hung near us for the entire race and got her PR by four minutes (great job Ashleigh). Not sure about the rest of them. Everyone seemed to approve of our pacing.


Walter and I driving the 8:01 bus

In a weird twist, I managed to grab some CARA race circuit points....as a pacer! The 9th place finish in my age group got me into 15th place overall despite only racing one out of eight races so far.

Last week was the neighborhood Super Strive for Five 5k race. I wanted to defend my AG title and at least be the fastest guy in my zip code. I went out too fast in the first half mile which probably kept me from running a PR. I finished in 21:04 which is my course record by two seconds and got 1st place. Splits were 6:38, 6:50 and 7:33 (6:49). But the coolest part of the race was watching my son get a 3rd place medal. He ran/walked it with my wife but there were only three boys under 10 who ran. You can't control who shows up.

Next on the race list is the Elmhurst 4 on the 4th where I want/need to go sub 28:00.

Random Five Month Recap

2014-05-30T13:36:00.000-05:00

The last time I posted was New Year's Eve.   So many have turned off this TV station and moved on with their lives.   But another reason I write this blog is to document things I might want to remember.   So I'll try a random shotgun approach to update this piece of the internet.

1. I am still running.   I decided not to run a spring marathon and it was a great decision since the Polar Vortex would have made my running miserable.   I ran a lot on the treadmill when it was 5 degrees with a 20 MPH wind. If you trained through it for a marathon this year, you should get a special medal.

2. My monthly mileage has not been as high as I want it to be.   A flare up of runner's knee and some nagging plantar fasciitis in my left heel. I think it may all be related to road camber.   The streets were covered with ice and snow this winter so I was running against the curb a lot. The good news is that after wearing a night splint and running more on flat surfaces it is almost gone.

3. I have only done two races this year so far.   The first was the world's largest 8k Shamrock Shuffle with 30,066 finishers.   The second was a 10 miler where I got to race with my on-line friend ilanarama. I ran really well in both races despite my less than ideal mileage.   As Ilana would call it, race day magic.   The 10 miler was a CARA Race Circuit race so I was able to score some points for the 5th place AG finish.   Ilana grabbed 2nd in her AG.

4. Thanks to Chicago Endurance Sports/Lifetime Fitness and Fleet Feet I am continuing my pacer gigs. So far this year I have paced the Chicago Spring Half (8:23 pace) and the Soldier Field 10 miler (8:30 pace). Both events were successful and I got to run with a couple of good co-pacers. We nailed our times and I always enjoy helping out other runners. We got some after race thank yous from people hanging on our bus so we must have done something right. Next up:   I'm pacing the Michelob Ultra 13.1 on June 7th 1:45 group in one week. See you there.

5. Both my wife and son are now officially runners. My son joined the running club at his elementary school. My wife has been running with a group out of our local running store. We all ran a 2.62 mile mini-marathon two weeks back. It was fun run/walking with one of my kids.   His only goal was to beat mom which he accomplished.   I am very proud of both of them for their new found addiction to the running thing.

6. My running gets serious for the rest of the year.   I have some 5k AG titles to defend through early July.   I'll run some more CARA circuit races. The Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon training kicks off shortly.   There is still that popular Boston race possibility that I can register for in September.

7. I have cleaned up the blogs that I follow.   Many were inactive or gone altogether. So I've left the best ones and am actively searching for one that interest me.   Congrats if you made my personal cut list.   I also need to post some photos and working on my training page.   It's only been under construction for a year or so.

2013 Knocking Down the Goals

2013-12-31T16:49:00.000-06:00

                                                      The Raw Numbers

Miles run: 2235 which does not include today's run. Not sure if I'll get one more in.

Time Run: 321 hours 18 minutes.   Or 13 days and 9 hours.
Races: 11 and this year it was void of a half marathon
Distances Raced: 4m - 1, 5k - 4, 8k -1, 10k - 2, 10m -1, Marathon - 2
PR's: 3 (5k, 4m and Marathon)

My running goals for 2013:
Run a spring and fall marathon. Check
Qualify for 2014 Boston this April. Check. Finally got my qualifier but it happened in October! BQ -3:08
Win an age group in any race. Check. Three AG wins. All at 5k and one of those was a trail race
Go sub 21 minutes in a 5k. Check. 20:55
Enter more races. Check
In particular, the CARA race circuit and help my club with great results. Incomplete as club results aren't in.
Run more with my running club. Check
Stay healthy and be in the best running shape of my life. Check.

I managed to achieve everything I wanted in 2013. The monster goal of getting the Boston Qualifier was the most difficult and rewarding.   I started running in 2008 but the Boston goal was not truly a goal until summer of 2009 when I ran a a half in 1:38 and change.   I got there simply by running more miles.   I learned you need to get out of the comfort zone and push the limits a bit.   After peaking at 70 miles per week in August and averaging over 65 miles for two months, I knew I put in the work.   Now at age 50 I am in the best shape of my life.

So what do I do in 2014? I', somewhat lacking in motivation but I'm pretty sure that is wind chill related. I will run another marathon but I may hold off until the fall.    I just may try to push the envelope at the half marathon in the spring. At a minimum I want to beat my PR for the half.
I want to go sub 3:25 in the marathon which will get me a BQ minus 5 minutes. Improve from 23rd place in the CARA 50-54 AG standings. I only entered three out of 17 races.   If I enter more races I think the top 15 is doable. Do more hill work. Do core work which I've never really done.
How about 2400 miles for 2014?!   I'll be gearing up for Boston 2015.

Addicticted to Being High on Life

2013-11-06T21:22:00.001-06:00

I think I've become an endorphin/adrenaline junkie.   After the recent elation of posting a Boston qualifying time and subsequent recovery time, I got depressed.   I had finally achieved a goal I had been chasing for over four years. I can't register even register for Boston until the end of next summer. Also, my running recovery program is very conservative.  I won't even get back to 40 miles per week until this coming week. So maybe all those exercise induced miles pre-race got me hooked on the runner's high?   I decided to enter a Halloween 5k to get my mind off things.

I got a slight reprieve from my gloominess with son's flag football team which I coach.   The team had an average season and they only scored one touchdown in their first three games. However, we got better and went about .500 for the rest of the season. The playoffs began after my marathon so it was a welcome distraction.   The first playoff game they caught fire.   We were up 30-0 at one point and every kid played their heart out.   We won easily and I was so wound up after the game I barely slept that night. Our second playoff game saw us score another 30+ points and win again. Our playoff run ended with a loss that would have put us in the championship game.   It was exciting to watch and help them win.  More natural adrenaline.

Which leads me back to the Halloween Hustle 5k in Palatine.  Nothing gets my blood pumping like a blistering 5k. My wife and son came to watch which rarely happens. Not that I blame them since they get to stand around in the cold for however long the race takes. The Halloween theme gave my son an excuse to wear his Darth Vader costume. It was odd though to pick up my race packet inside of a parking garage.   Reading the website the actual race used to start in the parking garage!

At least they are leaving the garage with traffic

This year it started on the street. It was a CARA circuit race which meant any age group award was out of the question. I really had zero expectations. After all it was only 20 days since my marathon and my weekly recovery miles were 15, 22 and 17 the week of the race. The only thing I told myself to do was to pace evenly. It was a flat course but there was a pretty stiff 18mph wind out of the northwest.

The first mile as usual started out quick. Like 6:15 pace quick. Which is fall down and pass out quick for me. Thanks to the Garmin I got it under control and passed the first mile marker at 6:40. Mile 2 of any race I tell myself to relax and just maintain the pace. But what usually happens is I go too fast since Mile 1 has my muscles warmed. Mile 2 went down in 6:35. Only 1.1m left and I am chasing this guy who appears to be a bit older than me. I decide to hang near him and blow past him in the home stretch. However, just as I am about to light the after burner my gag reflex kicks in. I didn't lose my breakfast but did cough a bit. To make matters worse the guy I was about to pass runs of the course prior to the finish line. Damn bandit! At least I passed him...I guess. Looking through the race photos I found one of him directly ahead of me near a last turn.

BANDIT MOST WANTED POSTER

As I crossed the finish line, it turned out the last 1.1 was in 7:40 (6:58 pace) and I had a new 5K PR of 20:55 by 11 seconds. One of my goals this year was to go sub 21 and I did it when I didn't even expect it. More endorphin/adrenaline induced fun despite choking near the finish. I could have worse habits.

Milwaukee to Boston in 3 1/2 hours

2013-10-09T22:11:00.000-05:00

I have to admit in the days leading up to the race I wasn't excited as usual.   I was experiencing a quiet confidence.   I took a business like approach to marathon number eight. I upped the mileage to an average of 65 miles per week. I had never trained this hard before so there were no regrets.

We got to Milwaukee after some pancake carbo loading at Cracker Barrel on the way north.   I was tired from only about 6 hours of sleep after playing poker with some friends the night before.   The expo at the Milwaukee School of Engineering was really small. Pretty much what I expected for a race of only 3000 people.   No frills, no food samples, no blaring DJ booth like the Nike display at the Chicago marathon.   I think it fit with the way I trained.  No nonsense and just get the job done. We had time to kill so we checked into the hotel and I managed to get about an hour nap in before dinner. My wife found a fantastic Italian restaurant that night called Mimma's. Forty six different kinds of homemade pasta among other entrees. I was in bed before 9PM and unlike other marathon eves, I slept like a rock.   No nervousness, no pre-race jitters. I woke only once about 4AM but was immediately back to sleep until 5AM when the alarm went off.

The marathon had school buses pick us up at the hotel for the 26 mile journey to the race start in Grafton. The entire high school was open to the runners and spectators.  We had multiple bathrooms and locker rooms to use and runners took advantage of the gym and cafeteria to stretch out.

The race organizers had a sense of humor. The start line had the usual signs with paces of 8, 9 and 10 minute pace. But the there was a a special sign for anyone running under 2:02:00. My BQ time was 3:30 so I had printed out a 3:27 pace band for my wrist. I decided to give myself the freedom to keep my pace between 7:49 (3:25) and 7:54 (3:27). I lined up behind the 3:25 pacer and planned to negative split this race and pass the pace group near the end. It was PR weather. Mostly cloudy, 54F and 86% humidity.

We were off.   No traffic problems and it was easy to settle into pace early.   The first part was along rural country roads.

Mile 1 - 7:41 A bit quick but plenty of time for correction.
Mile 2 - 7:34 I made the mistake of just following the pacer and he was going too fast. Time to slow up.
Mile 3 - 7:59 The pacer must have noticed his mistake because even though I slowed down the gap between me and him remained the same.
Mile 4 - 7:56 Kept it slow. It was about here we ran past a field of cows and spooked them They were mooing and running in circles. Call it a half-hearted stampede.
Mile 5 - 7:42 Still too fast but it feels so easy.  Saw my second favorite sign of the day. "Can any of you return punts for the Packers?"   Their punt returns have been pitiful this year
Mile 6 - 7:47 I know were in Wisconsin now.  We pass on old guy sitting in his driveway playing polka music on his accordion.
Mile 7 - 7:49 (54:28 Projected finish 3:23:55) First Hammer gel as we enter the Concordia University campus.   Surprisingly the 3:25 group is nowhere in sight.
Mile 8 - 7:45
Mile 9 - 7:49
Mile 10 - 7:49 My pace has settled but it's still feeling easy. We're running through residential neighborhoods now. The course up this point has been overall downhill but there are rolling hills which I'm convinced is easier on your legs than a pancake flat course.

Mile 11 - 7:49
Mile 12 - 7:51
Mile 13 - 7:53    13.1 1:42:31 Project finish 3:25:14
Mile 14 - 7:48 Second Hammer gel.
Mile 15 - 7:49 Still on pace. Here I saw my favorite signs. First Sign: Faster, Harder, Don't Stop Second sign: That's what she said
Mile 16 - 7:50
Mile 17 - 7:51 About here I started to feel a bad patch. Nothing really wrong other than my energy seemed to get low.   My pace was OK but the crowds were sparse here and they weren't making any noise.
Mile 18 - 7:50 Still feeling low on energy but pace has not reflected it. If this continues I gave myself permission to walk through the water stop at Mile 20.
Mile 19 - 7:45 The crowds are little more energetic here and my energy returns.  I actually stepped on the gas here a little.   Maybe I can still 3:25. Third gel
Mile 20 - 2:36:35 On pace for 3:25:16. Feeling good, no walking yet.
Mile 20 & 21 7:46 pace. I forgot to hit the mile split on my Garmin at Mile 20. Projected 3:24:59
Mile 22 - 7:52 The view is fantastic of Lake Michigan now and the sun is out.
Mile 23 - 7:54 My energy is now gone as fast as it came back at Mile 19.   Maybe I should pop one more gel but my stomach really doesn't want a thing now except water.   I talk a quick walk break as I pass the aid station. It's Mile 23.5 and the volunteer tells us to enjoy this section.   It's a big downhill and I take off running again.
Mile 24 - 8:05 Started to fade but I just kept repeating: Pain is temporary
Mile 25 - 8:11 Pain is temporary.   BQ is only a mile away.   Pain is temporary. Guess what? I caught the 3:25 pacer.   He's alone. Walking.   I pass him.
Mile 26.2 8:26. My son sees me about .3 from the finish and screams. There are no fences here and he's right next to the running path. We're going to Boston daddy! He's taking pictures with my wife's iPhone.

Photo courtesy of my eight year old

Ummm, where the hell is my wife anyways. About 50 yards further, she's taking pictures and tells me congratulations. I head to the chute pumping my fist most of the way.   Finish time 3:26:52.   BQ minus 3:08!!!

I cross the finish line as the announcer calls my name. I get my medal.   This one's gonna mean something. It was here a medical worker starts talking to me. I wasn't really ready for a conversation.   I'm wondering if I look like I'm out of it. It turns out they are assisting everyone out of the chute.   Nice touch Milwaukee!   Make sure every runner who might need help gets it.

I'm going to let this one soak in for a while.   No need to go out and plan another race right away.
I do have to wait almost a year to enter Boston though.   I don't think I'll mind the wait.

Time To Put the Rubber to the Road

2013-10-04T15:50:00.000-05:00

It's really October kids. My big race of the year is Sunday. Almost hard to believe that I committed to this date back in April. The weather forecast shows mostly cloudy 53F at the race start and 58F when we finish. Wind from the southwest at 12MPH. Can you tell I have been obsessing during taper?

I have had close to a perfect cycle.   Back in June, I was worried about getting injured as I upped the mileage into the mid sixties per week.  I did it slowly.  Half as fast as the 18/70 plan would ask me to and by Week 6 or 7, I finally matched the mileage of the plan. Before taper I averaged 64-65 mpw for 9 weeks. I took some of my LR's to softer surfaces. Before, I would bang them all out on asphalt. My longest run of 22m was around Lake Geneva with mostly dirt, grass and even some stairs! I made sure my club runs on Saturdays were at marathon pace or better. 13 to 15m mid week runs became routine. I just needed to get up earlier. If you want something bad enough you just need to make time right? I also felt I needed more protein in my diet. I take Lipitor as a genetic disposition to higher cholesterol. It's a small dose but adding more meat protein was a concern that might affect it. I allowed myself to eat just a little more red meat this cycle. Previously, I would avoid it like the plague unless it was bison. I think it helped me gain muscle mass. I have not gained any weight (163#) and feel my body fat has decreased. I walked into my running store two weeks ago and was shocked to hear them tell me how in shape I looked. I must have looked like crap before huh.

Running expert friends have been consulted and I've plugged my recent 10k race time in the most reliable calculator as provided by Greg Maclin. Everything points to a 3:25 on good day.   It looks like that day might happen. It will be possible to Boston qualify on marathon number eight by five minutes.

It will be weird not running Chicago this year but switching to a smaller race on a fast unknown course may be just what I need.    I knew every inch of the Chicago course that might hurt. I keep telling myself to enjoy the pain that might come late. The most reassuring thing is that I have never trained harder. If I was able to run a shade over 3:30:25 two years ago, the extra mileage gives me the confidence that five minutes better is doable.

Stay tuned for the result.

Late Summer Fitness Check

2013-09-12T21:38:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've raced. Two month of marathon prep without a benchmark.   When the summer started and I signed up for the Milwaukee Lakefront marathon I decided I needed to do something different. That different was more miles.

I have always enjoyed Pfitzingers plans.   I've done his 18 week 55 mile plan several times and I've gotten to within 25 seconds of qualifying for Boston.   Twice I attempted to bump the miles from this plan and got injured twice.   But doing the same thing and getting the same results was getting old.   This summer I've progressed to the 18 week 70 mile plan.   I upped the miles slowly and have stayed healthy. Tired but healthy.  I've averaged 64 miles over the last seven weeks. The 14 mile mid-week runs at 5AM are no longer daunting. I can tell my fitness has gotten better but I had no proof.   I needed to race. A scheduled half marathon two weeks ago was a DNS due to family stuff. I was running out of time so I signed up for the Run for Home 10k.   It was a CARA emerging race.

The race site race map did not show elevation. I was hoping for a flat course.   Turns out one of the race prizes was for King of the Hill. Ummm, so much for flat.   The course combined 5k and 10k races and the 10k was two laps.   Rolling hills was the best description. It was run on the streets of Wheaton right where the Illinois Prairie Path splits into two different directions. I warmed up by running for about a mile and half.   Fifteen minutes pre-race I drank a Gatorade Prime Fruit Punch. I'm not sure I get anything out of it other than it eliminates a dry mouth for the first portion of the race.   Other sports drinks don't seem to accomplish this for me.

The race start had one sign up which read Sub 8 minute mile.   No one was lined up there.   My PR is sub 7 but I hung back short of the sign in the second row with everyone else.   Just before the race started everyone moved up. We were off.

I started off a bit fast. Actually below my 5k PR pace. I was feeling good and decided to let it fly for the first mile. A mistake but I wanted to see where my fitness was.

Mile 1- 6:32 It included the King of the Hill. First male and female to get to the top and finish the race win the title but I was out way too fast.

I hit the top of the hill chasing only the candy stripe dude.

Mile 2- 6:52
Mile 3- 6:59 Here the 10k and 5k split but soon we would be catching the 5k walkers.
Mile 4 - 7:00 The heat/humidity began to get to me. We attack the hill a second time.
Mile 5 - 7:02 Here I began to run into the back of the pack of the walkers. This is my only complaint with the race. Walkers took up 3/4 of the street and I was forced to run wide and off of the tangents. Several times I had to weave between walkers. There was a race official on a bike ahead of me trying to tell people to get over but there was only so much he could do. I really appreciate the help he did give. Thanks. But if this race wants to bell full fledged CARA it needs to do something else with the walkers or 10k.
Mile 6- 7:09 As I hit the mile marker there is one more hill to conquer.
Last .2 - 1:32 (6:57 pace)

My final time was 43:07. I snagged first place in my age group. My third win of the year. I was eighth overall. I really think this was my best 10k ever. The hills and warmer temps were not present in my PR race in November of 2011. More importantly, I now have a handle on my fitness. Running friends and calculators all point to a possible 3:25 for the marathon.

A Win, A Cold and High Miles

2013-07-03T17:07:00.000-05:00

Despite my running for health and lifestyle reasons, I am still a competitor above all else.   Race time comes and I want to do my very best.   At the very least blow the doors off everyone in my age group.   So to give you an idea how I think, in order to beat the population at large I should at least be the best in my own neighborhood.

I entered the Strive for 5k which was renamed to the Super Strive for 5. The twist being it had a super hero theme. Great for the kids, meh for me since I was more into sports than super heroes as a kid.  Sign up was clunky at best. Instead of signmeup or active.com you needed to sign up through the park district website. Then you get an email from the RD who emails you a consent form to complete. Awkward.   Anyways, I've run this race before and got second and thrid in separate years.  The only goal this year was to win the AG.   I had just PR'd two weeks earlier and thought I could do it again AND break 21 minutes.

This is not a chip timed race but an old fashioned chute finish.   I lined up at the line and took my best shot.   I ran even splits but failed to record my mile splits.   I ran pretty much on my own and was only surrounded by a few runners.   I hit the finish and found myself with a new PR by a slim 1.5 seconds at 21:06.5.   The quest for sub 21 continues.   However, I succeeded in a neighborhood AG win.   I'm not sure where I go to conquer after the neighborhood.  Frankly, I'm not fast enough to crush anything else really.

If you always do what you've always done, you'll never qualify for Boston. So I am taking that advice to heart and upping my game using Pfitz 18/70 plan. My only fear really is injury. However, in week 15 of the plan I managed to get sick. A one day fever which reached 101F and subsequent head cold put me on the shelf for a few days. I skipped three days of running including a long run. So to avoid upping the mileage too quickly, I treated it as a cutback week. When I resumed running after four days, I simply repeated week 15. This works on more than one level. The actual Pfitz cutback week of 55 miles will be during my vacation week since I delayed it. I love it when a plan comes together.

On the higher miles, which means getting up really early before work. Like 5AM early. This is that part of sacrifice you hear athletes ramble on about. I hit 58 miles last week and the build-up continues. This week I aim for 62. I fully intend to do my long run on a softer surface. Today's run of 13 rainy miles was at a leisurely 8:57 pace.

Finally, the 4th of July holiday is here. Tomorrow, I will run the Elmhurst 4 on the 4th for my club. Yes, I aim to PR in my sixth year running this CARA circuit race. Speed work in disguise. I am really hoping to go under 28 minutes for the four miles since it will not be hot this year as it has been every other year.

Have a terrific holiday and if you are out of the US have a terrific Thursday.

New Shoe Smell

2013-06-14T09:01:00.000-05:00

Two brand new pairs just arrived. As I plan to push towards 70 miles per week I will need them

BROOKS GHOST 6

If you scan the QR code and type in your estimated mileage, Brooks will remind you via email when it is time to replace them. I hope it's not a Certificate of Death.

Spirit of the Marathon II - Movie Review

2013-06-13T10:25:00.003-05:00

It has been a really long time since I've gone to the movies by myself.   However, when I saw Spirit of the Marathon II was being released in theatres I simply had to see it on the big screen. I asked my wife and she opted out.   In all fairness though, she let me opt out of seeing Les Miserables. Sorry, but Russell Crowe singing is not my idea of entertainment. But I digress. I'm not a good movie reviewer but I'll attempt it.

The movie was shown at the local AMC last night. One show, one night only.   I figured this movie would either be packed or empty.   There were only about 20 people in the theatre but I'm sure it was hindered locally by the Blackhawks playing Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals.

For anyone who has run a marathon, there is complete exhilaration when you cross the finish line. We all have our reasons for running one. Those reasons are as unique as the runners who have them.   The movie excels in bringing those passions, desires and hopes to a personal level.  To quote the movie "It's the journey that is most significant..."    The marathon is not just a one day race.   It's a commitment that will change your life even if you only run once.

The movie follows seven runners from four countries preparing for the Rome Marathon. Running to end disease, making the Olympics, social change, and running for highly personal reasons are all covered. It has a more international flavor than the first movie which was American in focus so it should be more popular worldwide than the original SOTM. The backdrops of Rwanda, Italy and Rome are stunningly captured.   It follows elite runners and first timers.   Each and every one of them inspiring. More importantly the stories can be related to any runner.

You also see interviews from Bill Rodgers, Paula Radcliffe, Jeff Galloway, Hal Higdon, Frank Shorter, Kathryn Switzer, Mary Wittenberg, and past marathon champions.   Some historical content is given as well. It was a little less emotional for me than the first movie but I think that is because the original was built around the Chicago marathon. Since I live in Chicago so I connected more with that.

I am sure the movie will be shown or available for sale at fall marathon expos everywhere.

Notes:
A portion of the movie proceeds will benefit The One Fund Boston
The end credits list the movie crews' best marathon times.
There will be 632 marathon in the US this year.
The movie claims that an average recreational runner will run 880 miles in preparation for a marathon but I'm not sure over what time period.

Uh Oh...This is a Trail Race?

2013-06-05T15:06:00.000-05:00

I guess we forgot to read the fine print.   I've been racing since 2008 and never made this mistake.   Let me explain.

My sister-in-law has been on a fitness rampage for the last two years. She was very heavy and through diet and exercise has lost a lot of weight. It's not easy to stay disciplined and achieve those kinds of results so I applaud her.  Currently she has become a CrossFit, dare I say, addict.   There have been many family parties where the runners in the family go on and on to the interest and/or boredom of everyone.   Well, she decided she wanted to run her first 5k.

She has run the distance before in her workouts. Slowly, but she is doing it. So I let her pick the time and place. That time and place was the Dash for Dogs in Cary, IL. It is the same animal shelter where her and her husband got their cats. Race fees went to the shelter. The master plan was for me to pace her.   That pace would be somewhere around 11 minute miles. As with all first time runners, she was scared she would be dead last.   I assured her that would not happen and I would get her to the finish line. Unknowingly, we signed up for a trail race.   Not the flat, paved road all first timers should probably run. No, a single track, stump and rock filled, branch ducking course around a conservation area.  The Fel-Pro Conservation area. Uh oh!

Turns out she twisted her ankle two week before the race.  The weather called for rain. Which meant mud on top of the other obstacles.   She made the wise decision to pass so she wouldn't get hurt any worse. I made the decision to run by myself and run it hard. By the way, I have never run a trail race.

Well it never rained.  There were 220 racers on hand. I lined up near the start line after my warm-up and was shocked to see nobody wanting to be near the front.   I though it was odd but on the single track portion I didn't want to slow down. The first portion was on an asphalt trail.   I let any speedsters go by me. There were very few. We turned onto the grass portion and headed over a foot bridge and onto single track through the bushes and around a pond. It was here I noticed very few people ahead of me. The grass/mud track continued with lots of short but steep hills.   My 5k road pace deteriorated with the course difficulty. I was breathing hard up another sharp hill and decided to ignore the Garmin. Run on feel and run as fast as I could.   I was gassed at the top of some of those hills.  Runners were well spread out around me.   Two younger guys about 25 yards in front of me, someone about 30 yards behind me.   We hit the asphalt again (where I know how to run), I sped up and cross the finish line.   Wow, 24:01. Almost three minutes slower than my 5k road PR two weeks ago.

Trail racing is not for the faint of heart. My sister-in-law might have never run again after this course. However, my almost good deed was rewarded with a first place finish in my age group.  My only AG win to date. I finished 8th overall and just narrowly beat the women's overall winner.   The men's overall winner was 51 years old.   A 55 year old guy finished just in front of me.   Take that kids!

Brooks Ghost 5 shoe dominates this trail today

Life as a Pacer

2013-06-01T13:39:00.001-05:00

Running is a social thing for me. Hanging out with friends or family, putting in a good workout and grabbing a beer or two afterward is not a bad way to spend a day. There is only one problem. My friends and family are running less and less these days. Time to replace them huh? Just kidding.

The other thing I like is helping people who aren't as nuts as I am about running. Helpful tips, confidence or just making them feel good about their health is fun. Two years ago I got my first pacing gig at the Fort 2 Base 10 Nautical Mile run. That's 11.5 regular miles for those of you who weren't in the Navy. I enjoyed the whole experience. I got to run with some cool people and get in a training run at the same time. I couldn't do it last year due to injury but it did get me involved with the great people at Chicago Endurance Sports. So my name is on a list and the opportunity rolled around again this year. My assignment was the Soldier Field 10 miler. 8:30 pace group.

Finish Line Pre-race

Neon Green makes pacers easy to find I guess

A shout out to my co-pacer Rachel who was great. She ran Boston this year and wasn't too far from the finish when the bombs went off. She was also at the some convenience store the bombers were at the night before the race. Luckily all her friends and family were safe. Scary stuff.

You hardly notice the sign you have to carry for the race. The only reason I bring it up is that it was the most asked question that day. It was a problem holding a consistent pace. The weather was perfect for racing. So after trying to run a marathon at 8 minute pace, it was tough to hold it in check for a much shorter distance. It was very cool to cross the 50 yard line of Soldier Field as we finished. Even if it is in the house of the enemy. I'm a Green Bay Packer fan. But I restrained myself from doing this:

We finished 14 seconds ahead of our 1:25 pace time. In fact 92% of all the pacers in the race finished within thirty seconds of our time. Racers were treated to a Soul Asylum (meh) concert afterwards and some great Goose Island 312 beer. Not the usual MGD64 swill races try to push. Hopefully, we helped some people run a great race.

Ironically Only Three Bridges

2013-05-28T21:42:00.003-05:00

I almost didn't run the Seven Bridges Season Starter 5k. I signed up a long time ago because I figured I would be completely recovered from the Carmel marathon. The only problem was that I did not qualify for Boston in Carmel. So I debated running the Chicagoland Spring Marathon instead. I followed Pfitzinger's multiple marathoning four week plan and felt ready to go after another 26.2. The weather had other plans for me. A marathon start temp of 70F with highs expected in the 80's by mid-day scared me away. If there is one thing I know I can't handle, it's a hot weather marathon. Not to mention that attempting a BQ in the heat would have been a disaster.

Actual race day conditions would have meant spontaneous combustion

This is a part of the CARA race circuit. One of my goals earlier in the year was to run in more CARA circuit races for my running club, despite the fact that CARA races bring out severe speed.   It turns out I didn't run any 5k races in 2012.   So I was clueless about fitness. Yeah I ran a marathon but 8:00 pace is a lot different from sub 7 pace.

I got there early and drank about half of my coffee before warming up. I ran easy for about a mile and a quarter and threw in some fast strides.   The problem with coffee is that it dries my mouth out. So I am now drinking Gatorade 01 Prime thanks to my friend Erin.   It's the answer!

Since it wasn't a chip timed race, I needed to be almost at the start line.   Any further back and it actually hurts your final time.   The race started and my Garmin told me I was running a 6:10 pace.  Time to back off.   We cross over the east branch of the DuPage river. Mile 1 was a little quick at 6:42.   I was aiming for a 6:49 so I could negative split this sucker.

Mile 2 finds me passing what appears to be 13 year old girls and their mom. The mom tells them that they are running well and have a chance to break 21 minutes.   Oooof....I'm jealous of that youth speed.   Apparently I relaxed too much this mile and hit the marker at 6:54.

Last mile and the street seems like it goes on forever.   No one is passing me and I manage to reel in one guy in the home stretch. I can see the clock and see it click past 21 minutes even.   I hit the line and enter the finishing chute.   Final 1.1 was 7:32 (6:47 pace).

I have myself a new PR by a whole six seconds. I managed to grab some CARA race points and helped our club get second place in my division. So at age 50, I am still getting faster. I'm not sure how long I can continue to do that.

Multiple Marathoning...No

2013-05-18T15:20:00.001-05:00

I was a little disappointed after my spring marathon. The effort was there but I think I was short on fitness.  The desire to run in Boston next year is the motivating factor.   In the four weeks since Carmel, I've been doing Pfitz's multiple marathoning plan with four weeks between races.   The goal was to run the Chicagoland Spring marathon tomorrow.

It really leaves little time for recovery or what some call a severe inverse taper.   My mileage has been 19.5, 40.6, 46.2 and 30.5 so far this week.  I am shocked my body has bounced back so quickly.   Even finding extra speed with Saturday club runs at marathon pace.   But I've decided to skip another 26.2.   With such a short turn around it could have been epic or epic fail.   The predicted weather tomorrow is 70F at the start and hitting 83F at some point tomorrow.   One thing I know is that Heat + 26.2 + Me = Hot Slow Mess (aka EPIC fail).  I decided last week that there was no way I could run fast.

Instead I'll run the Seven Bridges Season Starter 5k which is part of the CARA race circuit.   The 5k is whole different kind of pain for a long distance runner.   One of my goals this year was to run a sub 21 minute 5k.   I decided to plug my recent races into Running Ahead's race predictor.

Hmmm, 20:59?! Here goes nothing.