tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57870826912724966052024-02-25T03:21:58.965-05:00Lesser is MoreMy journey throughout endurance sports and lifeLesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.comBlogger559125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-14926329238543880512017-05-19T12:21:00.000-04:002017-05-19T12:21:57.327-04:00Race Report - 2017 Pittsburgh Marathon
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve
imagined my “comeback” marathon a number of different ways in my head over the
last two years since I raced Boston.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another flat and fast race was usually the focus, with the idea of
qualifying and returning to Boston.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since my <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2016/05/race-report-2016-gw-parkway-classic-10.html">last post a year ago</a>, I had triumphantly returned to racing,
coming within 40s of my 10 miler PR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This mentally got me back in the game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Seeing that despite being a good 10-15 lbs heavier than my previous
marathon weight, I was still able to run within striking distance of what I consider <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/09/race-report-perfect-10-miler.html">one of my better PRs</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I restarted the dreaming
process of this return in my head and spent the summer slowly building up the miles, with a focus on the
longer endurance side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
comebacks rarely follow a straight line.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Road to the Start Line</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was on a
random Friday morning in late August, when I woke up at 4:45 am to get in a run
before the little ones in the house were stirring, that even my first few steps
out of bed felt off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a strange
soreness on the inside of my left calf/shin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I figured it would loosen up after my warm up, so I did my usual
routine, and was ready to start my run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>15 steps in, I could tell the pain was different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After 30s, I stopped dead in my tracks in the
pitch black morning and proceeded to do the walk of shame back home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know my body well enough to decipher good
pain from bad and this was unlike other pain I had before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It was very minor (maybe a 2 out of 10) but different, so </span>I gave a call to the Dr that day for an
appointment which would be a few days later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent
the next several days between my appointment searching my symptoms and came to one of two
conclusions – it was either shin splints (which oddly enough I’ve never had) or the early
onset of a stress fracture (which I’ve also never had).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the Dr., we went through a series of tests
which indicated it could likely be an early stress reaction, but the xrays came
out clean, so we waited a few weeks before checking again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My next appointment, nearly 3 weeks to the
day, showed promise as I passed all the tests I could not complete at the
original visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got the approval to
slowly restart running, so I began with 1:00 run/4:00 walk for 30 minutes and
built from there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t until 6
weeks later in mid-October that I ran without any walk breaks, shortly followed
by one hour of constant running. I wanted to be patient and do it right, not force it and end up back at square one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of my workouts were
done on the bike during this time to attempt to maintain some fitness, so my first running workout wasn’t until
November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slowly but surely, my running
was returning, but I lost much of the running specific fitness I had gained over the summer due to the 2-3 months away
from being able to effectively train. In many ways it felt like I was starting over. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I decided to
target a late April marathon with the idea of being able to get in 20 weeks of
training - longer than what I would typically do, but I
needed the extra time to build up safely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Training was going really well - I had been diligent about strength and mobility work, handling the training load without too much fatigue, and although it was difficult not to compare
myself to my former marathon times, I was actually running workouts pretty
close to where I was before I took my marathon break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was just as I was entering my
peak weeks of training in late March that my hamstring felt a bit tight
following a workout that I completed without issue the day before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Playing it safe, I opted for a spin on the
bike, rather than my usual run the day after.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>During the bike and in the 24 hours following, I felt no hamstring tightness and thought
I dodged a bullet by being smart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well that thought came
crashing down during my run the next day, when I couldn’t go 30 minutes before
pulling the plug due to it feeling progressively worse. I immediately made a PT
appointment and we agreed that I managed to suffer a minor hamstring strain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While not significant, you can’t rush the
recovery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent 10 days not running
(but cycling nearly every day), missing 3 key long runs while I was building
back up to healthy running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within 3
weeks of the strain, I was back to adding in some marathon paced running, but
only up to 14 miles total with 30 minutes at marathon pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew after the 10
days off and 3 missed key long runs that my goal race was not happening, but still held out hope I’d be
able to run one somewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started
looking for other races in early May before the weather turns too hot for good
and settled on Pittsburgh for a number of reasons, the first of which was far
from my initial reason for returning to marathoning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pittsburgh is a tough course, so my vision of
qualifying for Boston again went out the door and it allowed me to focus on my
true goal – to race a marathon from start to finish and feel good about the
effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This meant less pressure to ramp
my training up too fast, but it gave me the focus of completing the training to handle the tough course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second reason was because my friend Mark
was already signed up, so rather than go to a random race by myself, I thought
it would be more fun to have some company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So the rest of my training went well – I managed to get in a 22 miler
(all easy) and a 20 miler (with 8 miles near marathon effort), along with a couple
of 8-mile marathon paced runs on rolling terrain to simulate the course as much
as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All good stuff, but mind
you, much less marathon-specific work than I’ve typically prepared with prior
to a race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still felt good about my
training though, continued with hamstring therapy up until race week, and left
for Pittsburgh confident that my body could handle the marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I wasn’t sure of, was how it would
handle the Pittsburgh Course.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pre-Race</span></u></b></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPunqcJVpFi5wi7czP2bmdGb0mRjkxcMM4fAgVxiBTxGxN-kTOKUHi1pQkttftrWb5v8jGqLpcnGjjw_vPDY6vxkPQM5RWFxSR7P34_Pcf6Ia0rnr1bnsHyPvqSIdOBAO4DRIjQqKOny6S/s1600/Pittsburgh+Elevation+Profile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPunqcJVpFi5wi7czP2bmdGb0mRjkxcMM4fAgVxiBTxGxN-kTOKUHi1pQkttftrWb5v8jGqLpcnGjjw_vPDY6vxkPQM5RWFxSR7P34_Pcf6Ia0rnr1bnsHyPvqSIdOBAO4DRIjQqKOny6S/s320/Pittsburgh+Elevation+Profile.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pittsburgh Elevation Profile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When
considering my race strategy, I closely studied the course to determine the
best way to tackle the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark and I
also drove the 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> half of the course the day before the race to get
a better sense of things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sense after
driving it was that the hills were legit, but the feared big climb wasn’t as
long as I thought but still quite steep by any standard, much less in the middle of a marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
rollers concerned me more actually, since they were later in the course and much longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In summary, the first 11 miles are
relatively flat, followed by hills miles 12-23 (a few of which are 100+ ft
climbs), then a steep downhill and flat for the last 2 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt like I was in 3:10 pace going into the
race, so I figured I would run that pace through Mile 11 and then run by effort the
rest of the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had planned to stick
with the 3:10 pace group since they offered one in the hopes that I could just
tag along and not have to spend too much mental energy early on trying to
figure out if I was running the right pace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Race morning
came and we were welcomed to drying out conditions from the steady rains we had
the day before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I met Mark at my hotel
since it was close to the start, where we hung out for a bit before making our
way over to the corrals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Logistics were
super easy, so we waited until about 30 minutes before the race and hopped
right into the corral area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With about 20 minutes to go, I
found a little bit of space in the fenced off corral and did a few warm up
drills and strides before it got too crowded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
I should note that the half and full marathoners start the race together, so what is a 5,000 person marathon race is really a 20,000 person race including the half marathoners. So as time got closer to the start, it filled in quite a bit even where I was standing near </span>the 3:10 pacer since many half marathoners were running our pace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Race Start</span></u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyJi7m8D-KxwrpKNTNi9yyi0W2rTomu-1hrhB-50K4XGHKg2-y1Tts1B5YM5MvQDQbJSZBKSc-N3c8X671popYC4jLuuHFayTP0Sx6cGo3Wm3TrTNyZGTROyZtY9UBXrXJY3kBZe2Ogpb/s1600/Race+Start.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyJi7m8D-KxwrpKNTNi9yyi0W2rTomu-1hrhB-50K4XGHKg2-y1Tts1B5YM5MvQDQbJSZBKSc-N3c8X671popYC4jLuuHFayTP0Sx6cGo3Wm3TrTNyZGTROyZtY9UBXrXJY3kBZe2Ogpb/s320/Race+Start.JPG" width="214" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After what
seemed like forever following the elite half marathoners who set off five
minutes early, the announcer said one minute to go, and now it was our
turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I split the race into sections
with goals for each like I always do, which helps to mentally break it up into
smaller goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was essentially: Start
– Mile 6 (Getting into the groove), Miles 7 – 11 (Locking in race effort),
Miles 12 – 16 (Navigating the main hills), Miles 17-22 (Ride the rollers), 23 –
Finish (Just keep moving).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Miles 1-6 – Getting into the grove</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mile 1
should always be the easiest mile of a marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter the goal, it should feel pretty
easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since Pittsburgh starts half and
full marathoners together, it was a bit more crowded than I’m used to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stuck by the pacer who did a good job of
taking the tangent </span><div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">line without getting caught up in weaving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to navigate a few curbs that could
have easily ruined someone’s day pretty early, but I stayed wide of those to
avoid it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that brief turn, it was
essentially straight for a mile before turning left and then left again to come
back toward the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then went up
and over the first bridge of the day (David McCullough Bridge), which was short
and gave plenty of downhill on the other side as we rounded a park area, before
then going back uphill on the other side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The rest of the miles along this section were largely flat running past
the stadiums as we geared up for crossing the next bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I averaged 7:10/mi through this section,
which was right where I wanted to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Miles 7 – 11 – Locking in the effort</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shortly
after Mile 6 we were starting the climb on the West End Bridge, which was also
not a big climb, but a little larger than the previous bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The short loop into the West End was
welcoming and loud, with fans lining the street and music as we climbed up a
short but steep hill, turned left, and headed downhill on the other side before
exiting the crowds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next stretch was
relatively quiet and rolling until we got to the Station Square area and the
South Side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few more bumps in
elevation along the way, but nothing like what is to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just locked things in here and everything
felt pretty good as we approached the Birmingham Bridge, averaging 7:08/mi
through this section or about 5-6s/mi faster than the pace need to run a 3:10,
factoring in a little bit of weaving.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFjyW5nX7yJGEytYnd3LdtbaW9f1SWw6_b0KH8Sa4LNMW-e9PAsBM5pugzSn-jBoe2rPtyGZKl4r16MvKUR6wBVqxzaSeDL55FEGrqmapisHHT1uU90NdBVaGT_-7nEJzAv-CrBUCMKvQ/s1600/South+Side.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFjyW5nX7yJGEytYnd3LdtbaW9f1SWw6_b0KH8Sa4LNMW-e9PAsBM5pugzSn-jBoe2rPtyGZKl4r16MvKUR6wBVqxzaSeDL55FEGrqmapisHHT1uU90NdBVaGT_-7nEJzAv-CrBUCMKvQ/s320/South+Side.JPG" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running solo back from the pace group</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I should
note that between Miles 6-8, that I felt the 3:10 pacer was running a tad
harder than the early miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the
split times were all in the same ballpark as those we ran before, the effort to
run the splits through this section was a bit higher due to more elevation
change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So instead of being 5-10s faster
than 3:10 pace, the effort was the equivalent of 15-20s factoring in the relative grade of ups and downs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me that was too much too early in the
race and I started to let them go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe
that’s what he felt was needed to come in at 3:10, but I had to trust my
gut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were never much further off in
the distance, but I probably pulled back a few seconds a mile to maintain my
effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With so much of the work in the
race yet to come, I knew it was the right decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I liked the idea of having someone else set
the pace, but not by banking too much time early on that it would take away from
the rest of the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That wasn’t my
race strategy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pacer did come in
about 33s faster than 3:10 so pretty close to goal, but I don’t know how many
of the pace group stayed on through to the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Based on photos, it looks like only a
handful, but that could be based on a million factors none of which have to do
with the pacer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just felt like it was
too fast for me, so I had to back off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Miles 12 -16 – Navigating the Main Hills</span></u></b></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimY43EQegV64F0puEuUhDvsA0ymW8C9xuksmu-ZlH2A3Op_ST_M2VurM4yu6G8tYrADhWX4qokah202S4ng6YI1SRyqmam8Ih2N3hg7MCCcM-1ygHeJ_tuPW8fVWf20AWSYDZ2QMdVC3l7/s1600/Carnegie+Museum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimY43EQegV64F0puEuUhDvsA0ymW8C9xuksmu-ZlH2A3Op_ST_M2VurM4yu6G8tYrADhWX4qokah202S4ng6YI1SRyqmam8Ih2N3hg7MCCcM-1ygHeJ_tuPW8fVWf20AWSYDZ2QMdVC3l7/s320/Carnegie+Museum.JPG" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Around the halfway mark</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I found a
couple runners just as we were approaching the entry to the Birmingham Bridge,
so we grouped up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a few quick
words, they seemed to be following a similar plan of giving up to about 30s/mi
for the toughest section of the course and also felt the pace of the group was
too “hot” so soon, so we ran the bridge together and as we came off the brief
downhill exit, I mentally reset for the next 4 miles of hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first mile of that being 200 ft of
elevation gain - a .5 mi 130ft climb followed by a tiny .1 mi break, then into
a .3 mi 70ft climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was by far the
largest climb I’ve tackled in a marathon race and I was surprised to survive it
fairly well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I came through both
sections feeling a bit winded, but with plenty left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I split 7:41 up the largest portion of that,
while my next mile split 7:17 included some relief off the 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> part
of the climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that rolled right into
another double climb in the next mile for a total of 80 more feet of climbing –
a small .3 mi 30ft climb, a short .1 mi break, then into a .4 mi 50ft
climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I split that at 7:30 still
feeling ok, knowing that I had a mile of more down than up before the last
tough climb of this section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
confident with how I was feeling though, since I was back on pace through the
next <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgB7A3mDDF_1qgee9Zq6F0Baj3VM_gm-FFXdJqygM3M5rHmIf5giq0JeDjXvakr_SewkW80oOx6mBznd6fzb4yjiVMIJ99Yxg2l22xEI-7HW2S1i26RDP_ts1296IuIwyRlEDxsLk8dwug/s1600/St+Paul+Cathedral+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgB7A3mDDF_1qgee9Zq6F0Baj3VM_gm-FFXdJqygM3M5rHmIf5giq0JeDjXvakr_SewkW80oOx6mBznd6fzb4yjiVMIJ99Yxg2l22xEI-7HW2S1i26RDP_ts1296IuIwyRlEDxsLk8dwug/s320/St+Paul+Cathedral+.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Around Mile 16</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
mile of net downhill (7:08) and some loud cheers as we ran through
Shadyside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew Mile 16 was another
tough one with a short steep climb and another second climb after a short
break, so I put my head down, pumped the arms and churned away a 7:32
mile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My legs started to feel it by now
and I just didn’t have the turnover coming back as I crested the top that I had
early, so I could tell the hills did their damage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I averaged 7:22/mi through this section,
which I was happy with since I was just under 3:10 pace, averaging about
7:15/mi cumulative.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Miles 17 – 23 – Ride the Rollers</span></u></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I knew after
cresting the previous hill that I had a bit of a break for the next few miles
(17-19).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my pacing plans, I was
hoping to catch back on pace through this section before grinding up the last
couple of bigger climbs, but I ran into a few problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, my legs were starting to lose their
pop, so I couldn’t really get back on pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I split 7:15 for Mile 17, but that was with 60+ft of elevation
loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other problem and reason why
my pace <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloNqlgyz0ZGLR_Hcg203_hel_U4t1M9yjJwKk1B9-RQ4zosuSOQzw-nd05emGEErpmvggIclMGs2fbI12-k3Bv_Av-H6wnbIuySnqKwFwb8SdN6sX9e94d0v3fsiXx8oyBQwJ1D1UlmBl/s1600/Breweries.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloNqlgyz0ZGLR_Hcg203_hel_U4t1M9yjJwKk1B9-RQ4zosuSOQzw-nd05emGEErpmvggIclMGs2fbI12-k3Bv_Av-H6wnbIuySnqKwFwb8SdN6sX9e94d0v3fsiXx8oyBQwJ1D1UlmBl/s320/Breweries.JPG" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making use of the downhill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
wasn’t faster there was because the winds were really winding up at
this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stretch through Homewood
was the toughest part for me because I was running by myself into a 15 mph
headwind, gusting to 25 mph at times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I turned my hat around because it almost blew off during one of the early gusts! </span>I
would occasionally find someone to sit behind and draft, only to feel they were
going too slow and pull to the side to pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Except when I pulled to the side, I realized I was running the same pace
as they were when I thought they were running too slow because they were trying
to fight the wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I continued this
fight for the next two miles (7:36, 7:39), knowing I might have been a bit
closer to goal pace had it not been for the winds through this section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I still pressed on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything felt ok – nothing was cramping and
I still had good energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was just
grinding away the miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally, I
entered the next section I was mentally prepared for – the last significant
climbs (Mile 20 and 23).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was mentally
ready to just put my head down and grind on up these suckers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They weren’t steep, but Mile 20 was about 100
ft of gradual climbing (7:56 split) so it felt much longer than the other
shorter climbs before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mile 21 was
another longer downhill that I couldn’t take advantage of, because I lost
another gear grinding up the previous hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I split 7:39 coming mostly downhill because I was starting to feel
spasms and I didn’t want to push it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is where my slight undertraining came into play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few more solid long runs at marathon pace
would have given some more strength to power through here, but I just had a lot
of fatigue in my muscles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was still
mentally and physically ok, but my marathon fitness was my limiter at this
point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mile 22 was half up and half down
(7:44), but I spent that whole mile thinking about Mile 23 because it was the
last climb on the course (.8 mi with 85ft of gain).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I finally got there and pushed with
whatever I had left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I noticed however,
on the climb that my hamstrings were starting to spasm a bit, so I could tell I
needed to keep things in check. It wasn’t much, but I crested the hill (8:04
split) and rejoiced with the fact that I didn’t have any more hills to worry
about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By this point, I had averaged
7:42/mi through this section and 7:21/mi cumulative which was still on pace for
3:12ish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew I was going to give up
some more time based on how I was running but thought I could at least hold
things together as long as my legs would cooperate.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mile 24 – Finish – Just Keep Moving</span></u></b></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think the
mantra for anyone in the last few miles is always something along the lines of
relentless</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> forward progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter
how the race is going (even in my best races), this is the point where you
truly have to will yourself to keep going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Everything hurts and you’re on the verge of cramping, forcing you to lose
more time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So here I was with a steep
downhill mile (160ft loss), but my legs couldn’t afford the pounding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I moved down the steepest part as carefully
as I could, while trying to let gravity do it’s magic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That I squeaked a 7:40 mile is a testament to
how steep the downhill was, because on any normal day I would imagine running
at least a minute faster while still feeling like I was holding myself
back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But none of that mattered, because
I had to deal with the cards I had, which was not much as this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One foot in front of the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went to the distraction games – counting
100 steps, then starting over to do it again; finding a landmark and guessing
how many steps it would take to get there; smiling and waving to any spectators
and hoping for something to keep me going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All of these things worked, but what didn’t work was my hamstrings at
even the slightest rise in elevation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These last 2 miles were as flat as any part of the course with maybe 5ft
of elevation change each, but even those small undulations or when the
headwinds kicked up, it caused my hamstring to spasm just enough due to the
extra push.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I kept going at whatever
pace my body was letting me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My only
goal at this point was to finish the race happy and healthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I was gunning for a specific time, I
probably would have tried running harder, as that has worked for me in the past
(ie<a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/11/race-report-new-york-city-marathon.html"> New York City Marathon</a>), but I had no reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just wanted to enjoy these last bits of the
race as I reflected on the fact that I battled a stress reaction and a strained
hamstring – and here I am, running a hilly marathon in a pretty decent for me time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I enjoyed myself as best I could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was fortunate to be spotted by Mark’s
family with about a mile to go and that really brightened up my spirits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAImL_t3aTsMvNhqsUTz_MEi9K835zBYA07pkjOdPqp4sdAGlebeLHellyYZSC2v3_7XU6kKFiYeUMhXUIMaq-SHpyYrl21q6lEiCQftW4yKjU7byEb1yU8NR23iNPNX7GFE7WxVXl1wp/s1600/Almost+Done.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAImL_t3aTsMvNhqsUTz_MEi9K835zBYA07pkjOdPqp4sdAGlebeLHellyYZSC2v3_7XU6kKFiYeUMhXUIMaq-SHpyYrl21q6lEiCQftW4yKjU7byEb1yU8NR23iNPNX7GFE7WxVXl1wp/s320/Almost+Done.JPG" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost there!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I was now in the downtown area and knew that
the finish line mysteriously appears after a final turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept hoping after each turn that would be
it, but that seemed to carry on for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally, I could hear the crowd getting louder and I knew this was
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made a final right, with a slight
downhill roll into the finish line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
crossed the finish line smiling as I heard my name announced, with a final time
of 3:16:32.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><em><u>Final Stats:</u></em></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Time:
3:16:32</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Overall:
189/3439</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Age Group:
23/322</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pace: 7:29</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Post Race Thoughts</span></u></b></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVh8fZP9HkKjk1mBbM57bd4UJHm4S0SYoGba_T_uDUKIsSjg1vPfs5kSh88LGzXW0PC9f5cJ-MmMGQSi_Q1raSP9ilECg0leJ-hZ5txoOd6sx3PWvJPGZlyw2nGqs0xUKi16Y236PYQTg/s1600/Finish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVh8fZP9HkKjk1mBbM57bd4UJHm4S0SYoGba_T_uDUKIsSjg1vPfs5kSh88LGzXW0PC9f5cJ-MmMGQSi_Q1raSP9ilECg0leJ-hZ5txoOd6sx3PWvJPGZlyw2nGqs0xUKi16Y236PYQTg/s320/Finish.JPG" width="274" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I
accomplished my primary goal of running a solid marathon after taking the last
two years off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Completing a marathon
without major issue is an accomplishment regardless of the time on the
clock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That said, in hindsight I would have liked to
come in a little faster than I finished (we always do!) and I have no doubt I gave up some time
in the last 5k.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At Mile 20, I felt like
I was going to finish in the 3:12-3:13 range, which is where I thought I’d </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">be
with 3:10 fitness factoring in these hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While the winds slowed me down some, taking my foot off the gas in the
last 5k had the biggest impact on my time slipping a bit at the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I was looking at a 3:15 for a BQ (still
have a few more years), I’m sure I could have tried the run harder when it hurts
approach toward the end, but that was not my goal today so I didn’t have the
drive to push it over the line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve run
11 marathons, only 4 of which were faster than this, but none were as challenging of
a course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>After the race, I was able to
walk back to my hotel, shower, drive 4 hours home, and be back in time to watch
my little guy at his youth track workout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t recall ever being this mobile and in the few days after, there
was some residual soreness but I was going up and down stairs no problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I don’t have any specific running goals
over the next few months, it is good to know that my body will be ready when it
is time to get back to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The
Pittsburgh Marathon is a fantastic race – great spectators, lots of music along
the course, lots of runners (at least first the 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> half, but I’m
sure the some marathoners had plenty of folks to run with most of the way),
and a course that weaves through so many different sections of the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also able to stay at a hotel less than
.25 mi from the start, so I could chill inside until only 30 minutes to
go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can’t do that at most races,
especially those that are in cities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
truly enjoyed this race, but it is challenging versus some of the faster
courses out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, if you
aren’t pressed for the fastest possible time, I can’t recommend this race
enough.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAImL_t3aTsMvNhqsUTz_MEi9K835zBYA07pkjOdPqp4sdAGlebeLHellyYZSC2v3_7XU6kKFiYeUMhXUIMaq-SHpyYrl21q6lEiCQftW4yKjU7byEb1yU8NR23iNPNX7GFE7WxVXl1wp/s320/Almost+Done.JPG" style="left: 560.5px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 4891px;" width="73" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-18752349015701652882016-05-02T09:46:00.001-04:002016-05-02T09:46:30.396-04:00Race Report: 2016 GW Parkway Classic 10 MilerAfter nearly a year of letting go of running specific goals, I found myself toeing the line of the GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler for the 1st time in some semblance of shape. But before I get to the race, I wanted to give a background of how and why I approached the past year.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><em><u>Background</u></em></strong><br />
After Boston last year, I took a much needed break. For nearly 12 years, I've been pushing to go longer, faster and be stronger. And while I've enjoyed every second of it, I felt the time was right to let go for a bit. We can't always be progressing in a straight line and I wanted my step back to be on my terms versus burnout or injury. So my Summer consisted of running as much or as little as I wanted. On average, this was 3-4 days a week and mileage typically in the 20-25 mpw range. Enough to keep my mind and body happy, but never so much that I felt I had to will myself to run. For fun, I ran a 10k in the early Fall and finished about 3 minutes off my PR. That was the wake up call I needed to start changing the direction of my training. A solid 10 lbs heavier and race specific fitness largely gone, I needed some focus. So I set some initial process goals - mainly being the goal of returning to running 5-6 days a week on average. It didn't matter if it was 30 minutes, but I wanted to re-establish good habits that serve as the foundation for solid training. By the end of Fall, I had established a good routine, developed some consistency, and raised my weekly mileage into the 30-40 mpw range. Early winter, I set a goal of running a half or 10 mile race, so I started laying out the training plans. Personally, I struggled to get back into the mindset required to perform workouts. When an easy run was on tap, I was out the door running without thought. I developed a plan that I knew would prepare me for a race, but when a workout was planned, I noticed I was finding ways to talk myself out of doing it that day to do it "tomorrow", as if tomorrow was any different. For the past several months, I have had to will myself to get in the workouts. Some weeks I got them in, while others I simply couldn't get myself to a place mentally to get it in. I didn't want to force it, so some weeks I focused on the consistency goal and just made sure I ran a lot in the weeks I didn't do a workout. I trained with the mindset of "something is better than nothing" and that go me through most of those tough spots. Throughout winter, I managed to average most weeks in the mid 40 mpw range, with a few weeks in the 52-55 mile range. I knew I had a good foundation of mileage under me and a fair bit of fitness capable of getting back to racing. I had a couple of key tempo runs in the month or so leading up that led me to believe I was capable of running near my PR pace (6:30/mi). I had a 6 mi steady tempo averaging 6:36/mi on a rolling course and a 4 mi tempo a few weeks after averaging 6:30/mi on the same course. Both workouts were done comfortably with the intent of pacing 10 mile/half marathon effort. So after some conflicts with a different weekend of a planned race, I signed up for the GW Parkway Classic the week of the race knowing I was race ready. I've <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2010/04/race-report-gw-parkway-classic-10-miler.html">run</a> it a number of times before and knew I'd enjoy running it again, as it is one my favorite area races.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><em><u>Pre-Race</u></em></strong><br />
After parking in Alexandria at the finish around 5:45 am, I boarded the bus headed south to Mount Vernon at the start. I got there by about 6:40, which was the perfect amount of time for an 8 am start. I sat down for a bit so I wasn't standing the whole time (I remembered in previous years my back being sore from standing so much) and just soaked in the atmosphere. It was cool (50F) and the sun was up, setting the scene for a nice day ahead. Around 7:15, I ran a short warm up and a few 30s race pace pickups totaling about .75 mi. After that, I mostly just hung out near the start area by sitting down. With about 15 min till race start, I got back up and did some more dynamic stretching and strides. There didn't seem to be many folks interested in lining up in the 6:00-6:59/mi pace area, so the race staff had us all move up closer to the start. I found myself about 4 rows back from the start line.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><em><u>Miles 1-3</u></em></strong><br />
Right at 8:00 am, the horn sounded and off we went! With a race often described as a "net downhill", everyone assumes a flat and largely downhill course. The GW Parkway course is not flat, nor is it largely downhill. It has lots of different hills and very few flat spots, but it is a fast course, especially at the start. Mile 1 is where the majority of the downhill elevation loss occurs. I knew it would be fast in the first several miles, so I was prepared for a slight positive split on the race. I found a pack of some of the <a href="http://www.grcrunning.com/">GRC</a> women and a few other guys after the first few minutes when pace seemed to stabilize. We were still running downhill, but folks who went out too fast pulled back, while others continued pushing past us. It seemed like these women and those around us were all hanging at the same effort, so I felt like it would be a good idea to latch on to a group rather than find myself running solo. We hit Mile 1 in 6:17 and my breathing was very controlled, so I knew it would be fast but my effort was steady. I knew Mile 2 had a few rollers, so that pace would slide back some, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't pushing too much this soon on the up hills of the rollers. The pack I was running with was still largely together, but on the 2nd uphill, I let them go. It was a tough decision, because I knew hanging with a group would keep me pushing, but I thought it might have been a little too soon. Hard to tell in hindsight if I regret it, but I would like to know what would have happened if I stuck with them. Shortly after, one of their girls dropped past me and it seemed the group was breaking apart. I was in no man's land at this point, but my focus was on keeping them in visible contact. Mile 2 came through in 6:25, still a bit fast but the effort was in a good spot. Mile 3 was mostly flat but ending with the start of more hills, so my goal was to get in a steady rhythm and ready myself for the middle miles, which are the toughest. I clocked Mile 3 in 6:31 right on goal pace.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><em><u>Miles 4-5</u></em></strong><br />
After studying my previous race reports, I knew Miles 4 and 5 were the tough ones that could make or break your race. The majority of the elevation gain is in these two miles and if you push too hard, you have a long 5 miles left to go on tired legs. It was around this time, I was running alongside another female pretty much stride for stride. We didn't say much, but mostly alternated between one of us leading out front. It was around this time that I started feeling the headwind, which was forecast to come straight out of the N, so in a south to north race, that means a steady headwind. Nothing crazy like Shamrock level winds, but enough to make you work harder than if it weren't there. I ran steady through the uphill and tried to open up on the downhill to gain back a little time, clocking 6:34 in Mile 4 and 6:37 in Mile 5. At this point, I was on PR pace (65:04) as the running time on the race clock read 32:32. I just needed to hold on to have a solid race result.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><em><u>Miles 6-7</u></em></strong><br />
Mentally, I was in a good place as I came through the halfway mark. I was on PR pace and I knew Mile 6 was largely downhill, so I thought I would be gaining some additional time to offset expected losses with some later hills in Mile 8 and 9. I remember running downhill a fair bit and felt like I was moving fast, so I was expecting to see a 6:2x split, but was surprised to clock a 6:30. This lead to my 1st rough spot in a place I thought would propel me. I knew the next mile or two would be slower than average, so I panicked a bit mentally. However, my mantra for this race was "<strong><em>Be the best you today</em></strong>". I knew I was going to get to a point in the race where I would question myself. In any race, this happens. You just have to be prepared for it. Essentially, my mantra meant that I needed to let go of my previous (faster) self, stop comparing, and stay in the moment of my race results now versus where I used to be. I will get there, but it doesn't have to be today. I was still running with the same girl but at this point, my goal was just to stay with her, holding on her to pace. My next goal was to get to the 5k marker, which meant it was time to push a little more. Once we got there, I got a surge of excitement and passed her and encouraged her to come along so we could keep working together. She stayed on my shoulder for a bit, but seemed to fall off pace at the next hill and I didn't see her again until she finished after me. I pretty much ran the rest of the race solo, which I think caused me to slow more than I would have if I was still working together with someone. With the surge, I clocked 6:37 for Mile 7.<br />
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<strong><em><u>Miles 8-9</u></em></strong><br />
While Miles 4-5 are the toughest in elevation, 8-9 are the toughest mentally. Mile 8 is gradually uphill as a false flat, so you feel like you're going faster than the pace shows. I used Mile 8 to ready myself for the last big push on the course in Mile 9. I just held steady to the effort, which in hindsight is where I probably lost my shot at a PR. With less than 3 miles to go, I could have likely pushed harder here, but I settled a bit. The headwind really started to be stronger and I was running solo. When I saw 6:41 for Mile 8 and knowing Mile 9 was more uphill, I realized my PR was gone. So with the .5 mi grind up the bridge over 495, I pushed hard enough for the first time at the race where I truly felt out of breath. I tried to rally on the downhill off the bridge to gain back some time, but the downhill runs right into the last kicker of a hill - 1 short steep block. Mile 9 clocked 6:43.<br />
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<strong><em><u>Mile 10</u></em></strong><br />
After hitting the last mile marker during this last short steep hill, it was time to go for the finish. I flew down the hill and prepared for the nearly mile long grind to the finish line straight ahead off in the distance. It was at this point where I took stock of where I was in the race time wise and made the call to hold steady rather than go for broke. With previous miles of 6:37, 6:41, and 6:43, I knew I needed to run a 6:00 final mile to get close to my PR. I reminded myself that I was still on target to finish less than a minute from that PR time, which was run when I was in peak marathon shape and 10 lbs lighter. To be in that ballpark and having run solidly to this point made me feel like I accomplished what I set out to do. So I ran strong through to the finish with a final mile of 6:26 - still faster than average and pushing, but this allowed me to somewhat enjoy the last .25 mi which was lined with people. Since I was running solo, I had a lot of people cheering me home. I simply tried to relax and soak it in as I crossed the finish line with my 2nd fastest 10 mile time.<br />
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<em><strong>Final Time: 1:05:41</strong></em><br />
<em><strong>Overall Place: 65/3297</strong></em><br />
<em><strong>Age Group (35-39): 7/372</strong></em><br />
<strong><em><br /></em></strong><br />
<em><strong><u>Post Race Thoughts</u></strong></em><br />
Over the past six months, I've struggled to push myself past my comfort zone in running, which is a key element to racing well at any distance. Crossing the finish line only 37s off a PR I consider my best distance race result (ie longer than 5k) brings a huge confidence boost of where I stand fitness wise. To go from running a 10k nearly 3 minutes off my PR last year, to running the first 10k of this 10 miler 2:20 faster than that, shows I've made some serious gains back in my fitness. I do plan to return to racing marathons at some point, but I want to continue to build the foundation so that I am able to return to the level I left it at. I'm apparently closer to it than I thought and part of the equation is obviously working to lose the excess weight I've been hanging onto. We'll see how the rest of the Spring/early Summer goes as far as any potential Fall plans, but with another training cycle or two, I know I will be on the right path. For me, the struggle continues to be in mentally coaching myself through getting workouts in and a marathon is only going to increase the mental demands. I know I can do every workout I've assigned, so it isn't a confidence issue. It is the gradual reshaping of being comfortable with being uncomfortable. When you take extended time off, you lose that edge. That seems to be the most difficult element to get back after a break from racing. Focusing on pushing for an hour was a big step in the right direction and one that I'm proud of.<br />
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<br />
Since it has been so long since I last <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2010/04/race-report-gw-parkway-classic-10-miler.html">ran this race</a>, this ended up being a 5:24 minute course PR. Just shows the progress made over the last 5+ years of my running, not so much that I had such a great performance this time versus other years. Its always fun to go back to races you haven't done in a while and crush a performance that at time, seemed like a big deal. And since I started running this race 9 years ago, I've dropped more than 8 minutes off that time. A needed a solid race like this to give me a sense of where I stand and what I need to focus on. A great start, but I have lots more work to do!<br />
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<br />Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-8267257224124231962015-05-01T11:15:00.000-04:002015-05-01T11:25:49.529-04:00Race Report: 2015 Boston MarathonFor the better part of the last five years, the Boston Marathon has been something on my radar. Initially, it was a goal to work toward a qualifying time, then it became a goal within reasonable reach, before ultimately being a goal to chase and capture finally at the <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2014/03/race-report-2014-shamrock-marathon.html">Shamrock Marathon</a>. Thousands of miles run, 6 marathons prior to qualifying (though Boston would be my 9th), and who knows how many shoes; and it was finally here. My chance to toe the line with the most fit people in the world, yet somehow it felt surreal as though I didn't belong. I did afterall qualify just like everyone else, but seeing people all around you with year after year of qualifying for Boston humbles you a bit. I went into the race with an open mind, both due to my lack of experience on the course and also because I wanted to run this race the one way I would be proud no matter the result - fearless. Somewhere along the way as the weeks inched closer to race day, I developed a mantra: <i><b>never settle</b></i>. So while standing on the start line with everyone else drew feelings of questioning whether or not I belonged there, I knew it my head that no matter what, I was going to race the Boston Marathon with all I had and never settle for anything less.<br />
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So let me back up a bit and start with the beginning. Running the Boston Marathon means heading toward lots of friends and family, so we decided to make a longer trip of it all and make our way up north on Wednesday, stopping in Philly to cut up the drive north by a bit. This was our first trip as a family of four, so we knew the driving part would take time and didn't want to force the kiddos in the car for too long at one time. Our hotel was right in Independence Square in the old city, which proved nice for some short sightseeing with the limited time we had.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family of four selfie!</td></tr>
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The next day, we made the rest of our voyage north by way of western Massachusetts to see some family. While there, I got in some taper runs on seemingly never ending hills, including my last workout of 3 mi at marathon effort. This basically amounted to running up and down a mountain to the bottom of a ski resort and back. It would have been great training for Boston, if only I wasn't tapering and looking for some more flat. Trust me, there wasn't much of any to be found. Amazing as it sounds, I also got to see some areas that still had snow! Nevertheless, I still got the work in and we enjoyed our time in the Berkshires.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out the finish line!</td></tr>
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Next stop on the tour was our final destination - Boston! Technically, we were staying outside of Boston with friends in Natick, but shortly after arriving, we made our way into Boston to the expo. The whole area, from the finish line out to the expo and the several streets that parallel Boylston were just a mob scene, but in a good way. So many people out to support the marathon festivities and soak in the atmosphere. There were kids races, photo ops, vendors, etc.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CYKGZIwmcbHMgLXqmppAMMQFa65Tubl8tkms_h0QbaXWaek6q_xkR4Ddcsr0Qd46OrW27q-wE6hYDwsGC7xgW0zg7rej9hDTNfJzhw9_IYPyy7HbVxdww3vL1izQjjf__qPkMB__lIQy/s1600/Street+Sign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CYKGZIwmcbHMgLXqmppAMMQFa65Tubl8tkms_h0QbaXWaek6q_xkR4Ddcsr0Qd46OrW27q-wE6hYDwsGC7xgW0zg7rej9hDTNfJzhw9_IYPyy7HbVxdww3vL1izQjjf__qPkMB__lIQy/s1600/Street+Sign.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obviously!</td></tr>
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Packet pickup was a breeze with virtually no line, despite the place buzzing with people all around. The BAA did an excellent job with staffing sub groups of number ranges so nobody had to wait to get their number or shirt. After grabbing the essentials, it was time for the expo. Now, with two little kids including one 8 week old, I was not planning to spend much time at the expo. From doing some previous scouting, I only had a few places I wanted to hit up, including the official Adidas store. Amazingly, the lines moved quickly and I was in and out in only a few minutes. The rest of the expo was crammed with vendors and honestly, not impressive compared to other expos I'm used to. I had heard such great things of the Boston expo, but I wasn't impressed compared to NYC or Marine Corps. Major nutrition vendors were only selling their products rather than sampling and there was little room to walk. Intersections of people caused mass chaos simply to move and based on what I saw, it simply wasn't worth the time, so we left. I'm sure I missed a few free things here and there, but it wasn't worth dragging the kids all over the place for it. The end result was less time on my feet and I think everyone was happy to get out.<br />
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The rest of the day, as well as Sunday were largely spent hanging out locally in Natick, eating carbs, and giving the kids a break from the constant car trips. I made one trip to the local Marshall's to pick up some throwaways given the downward spiral of the forecasts, which I thought was a good choice of attire (kids xl Bruins hoodie in below photo).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race ready!</td></tr>
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I woke up race morning before my alarm (as per usual) and felt great. We had arranged for a friend to drop me off in Hopkinton, which was only a short 15 minute drive from Natick vs trying to head in to Boston for the buses. While I missed out on some of the pre-race experience, I also got to sleep much later. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just trying to relax, stay warm and dry</td></tr>
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I arrived at the Athlete's Village a little after 7 am, which was around the same time the Wave 1 buses would have been arriving. When I got there, it was pretty empty, which gave me plenty of time and space to find a good spot to hang out for the next few hours. <br />
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As I discussed in my <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2015/03/nailing-final-marathon-long-run.html">last training update</a>, I had found a crew to run Boston with that was all shooting for around the same time goal (sub 3 hours). We agreed on a meeting spot, so I found a spot that allowed me to sit undercover, against a pole, and also view our meeting spot. Somewhere along the way, it began raining. While the announcers said it was a passing shower, everyone in the vicinity of the planned meeting spot was gone because it offered no cover from the rain. It was at this point that I started to think I might be running the race solo. I had been chatting with a few of the people sitting near me under the tent, so that helped pass the time as I continued to scan the athletes entering the village to look for my friends. Only a short while later, I got up to use the portapotty and found my friend Erin (who I qualified with at <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2014/03/race-report-2014-shamrock-marathon.html">Shamrock</a>) along the way. We waited together for a while and started to wonder if we'd find the three others that were part of our group. He and I both had Wave 1 assignments, but we were planning to move back to Wave 2 to start together, since one of our group was in Wave 2. We agreed that if we couldn't find them, that it would make more sense to start in Wave 1 since the weather would get worse as time passed. It was only 5 minutes later that Nicole found us and we met up with the rest of the crew - all set to start together in the front of Wave 2.<br />
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We took advantage of first call for our Wave and made our way toward the start line, knowing there was another block of portapotties awaiting our arrival. The next chunk of time was spent continually in lines to get "everything" out. Once we all felt clear, we made our way to the actual start. By the time we got into our corral, there wasn't more than 15-20 minutes until the start. With about 5 minutes to go, I removed my throwaways. <br />
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<i>Quick tip - hold on to your throwaways as long as possible. There were collection bins starting with the exit from Athlete's Village all the way into the corrals, which would mean an extra 30-40 minutes hanging on to those extra layers. On a day like we had, you'd burn an awful lot of glycogen shivering. Best to hold on to them as long as you can.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Before I go into the actual race, I want to cover my race plan. Going into the race, I knew my fitness was at an all time high after the simulator long run our crew ran and a handful of other workouts. The goal of the crew was sub 3 and I felt I had it in me on the right day, but I was (rightly or wrongly) hesitant. However, I had an opportunity to see if I had it with a group I knew vs trying to run my race solo within my comfort zone. In the days leading up to the race, I repeated my mantra to myself over and over - never settle. So my plan was to go out with the group, hold on for as much as I could, and see how the day goes. Their plan was to start the first 2 miles close to 7 to ease into the race and then run close to 6:45/mi, factoring in the extra weaving of the course, to net a sub 3 time.<br />
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<b><i><u>Race</u></i></b><br />
Before we knew it, it was the final countdown - we all gave each other fist bumps and started the 119th Boston Marathon as a pack of five! The first mile was a bit of a cluster, more so than any other marathon I've run. Starting toward the front of Wave 2, you'd think people wouldn't be taking it out super slow, but there they were. We didn't panic, so we each sort of found our own paths through while remaining in contact with each other. By the time we hit Mile 1 our split was 7:30, which was pretty far off our plan of 7:00, especially considering Mile 1 had 100+ ft of elevation drop. By the time we hit Mile 2, we started to find some openings as we rolled along the course, still keeping everything in check coming in at 6:59 and essentially just writing off the first mile. I think what surprised me the most about the first 10k or so was how rolling they were. Sure, there was a net downhill, but each mile had some sort of uphill if not a few of them. While I studied the elevation map and saw some bumps in there, I really don't recall many race reports mentioning them, so I feel it important to note it. You can't just cruise that first 10k effortlessly downhill like many advice articles claim - there's some work in there. <br />
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By the time we got to Mile 3 (6:43), we were on pace and running as a pack, still weaving around people, but with more space to move. I believe it was around this point that it started to rain and the winds became more notable. And while the most direct route on the weaving course was typically the middle of the road, I tried my best to stay away from the dreaded yellow line, which when wet, proved to be slick. The challenge with the wind was that it never seemed to be coming from a specific direction. I tried drafting off others around me from every angle and never seemed to find the right spot, which meant I was working a bit more. Additionally, as the next few miles ticked by in a blur, I started to feel the effort become a bit more than comfortable at this point in the race. I wasn't sure if it was to earn back some time from the slower than planned Mile 1 or because the weather conditions weren't as bad as they will soon be, but the next several miles felt a bit over my head - 6:40, 6:46, 6:42, 6:40. As we clocked the 7th mile, I made the decision to pull back a bit. I still wanted to be aggressive, but I listened to what my body was telling me for the past several miles. The combination of the quick miles while running into a headwind was starting to push me over the edge. In hindsight, I wish I would have listened a bit earlier, but its difficult to define the line between racing a marathon to your potential and crossing over the line to blow up. Unfortunately, you only find out much later when its too late, which of those two options it was.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cracking a smile for the cheering squad</td></tr>
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Mile 8 made our way into Natick (6:48), where I knew I'd get to see my family and friends. At this point I was only a handful of seconds back from the pack, but I split off to the side of the road to make sure I'd see my cheering squad. It was uplifting to see them all out there in the rain and I have to give them credit for sticking around to see me - it was pretty miserable! With a number of little ones in tow, they left to go inside right after they saw me come through. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not how I was hoping this would turn out, but you see me at some point</td></tr>
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I was still clocking steady miles (6:50, 6:58, 7:03), while we began the slow and steady rise in elevation, which is another element of the course rarely mentioned. Miles 9-11 are a slow false flat rise, where you can easily cause some worry in your head as your paces start to slow a bit with a touch more effort. This didn't worry me, because I felt the effort steady within my zone. It was around this time that I started chatting with a girl who had been running at my pace for a bit now. She noticed our pack and the =PR= Race Team singlets and was asking where they went. I told her that I had to back off, but was happy to find a running buddy for a while. We stayed together for at least 4-5 miles I believe, crossing the 10 mile (?) mark mid conversation, but somewhere along the way, she pulled ahead for good.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPgyg98kHJEIbhmSL6oydqGGAKRw5_DanjZ3osDin0JHV4fDhztRVVRuOGI8ku1uudZGZ35xMvNxk7HP_734WQtl9WBQ8UDX4KQ7IJ8KbHZEHx4f4_BOuDt9gSm0MfYQMAEsSAKAKMw80/s1600/Mile+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPgyg98kHJEIbhmSL6oydqGGAKRw5_DanjZ3osDin0JHV4fDhztRVVRuOGI8ku1uudZGZ35xMvNxk7HP_734WQtl9WBQ8UDX4KQ7IJ8KbHZEHx4f4_BOuDt9gSm0MfYQMAEsSAKAKMw80/s1600/Mile+10.JPG" height="320" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chatting away the miles</td></tr>
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The next notable landmark was running through Wellesley. Now, I've watched the marathon on tv a million times and heard others speak of how loud it is, but I can say without a doubt it was the loudest I've ever run through and that includes any point of the NYC Marathon. Their screams were deafening and I think my ears are still ringing! I saw some people around me really pick up the pace here, but I just held it steady. As I neared the halfway point (7:03, 6:57, 6:59), I actually felt really strong and used some positive affirmations to compare how I felt now to how terrible I felt at this point during <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2014/12/race-report-marine-corps-marathon.html">Marine Corps</a>. My 13.1 split was 1:30:40, which was about 4:00 faster than at Marine Corps (and my PR) and felt I had the energy to keep it going.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDem8R4JcuHXmU71RJmlwTaKPWcX_D_ACZdgRb1XwV8wzBY6423G8CrIgNjIwc_XbMW505lYYfEHrZpU2UtRrZZXccMS19T34vaxXtSptxP7C_LuZviqI48m-wByXE1RqACIow5M9InyQ/s1600/Newton.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDem8R4JcuHXmU71RJmlwTaKPWcX_D_ACZdgRb1XwV8wzBY6423G8CrIgNjIwc_XbMW505lYYfEHrZpU2UtRrZZXccMS19T34vaxXtSptxP7C_LuZviqI48m-wByXE1RqACIow5M9InyQ/s1600/Newton.JPG" height="320" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty sure this was somewhere early in Newton</td></tr>
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The next few miles were really just mental prep for the Newton hills. You knew it was coming soon, but you weren't there yet, so I just cruised along to gather my strength. Miles 14 and 15 (7:00 and 7:10) were a gradual uphill.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CnV2pgXHx1CZurdzwpS_rczlWuonwMKebHYL3LmBuWzJFYndVus-LWZ1Qp_AuPFOqi_ibrjyxAUn6kKnYYSjci2mofnFtiUL6forJ8Hai3tWx2bSDYaBaOaK1-tQ-M42Ig2s8ngCeUBA/s1600/Newton+Firehouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CnV2pgXHx1CZurdzwpS_rczlWuonwMKebHYL3LmBuWzJFYndVus-LWZ1Qp_AuPFOqi_ibrjyxAUn6kKnYYSjci2mofnFtiUL6forJ8Hai3tWx2bSDYaBaOaK1-tQ-M42Ig2s8ngCeUBA/s1600/Newton+Firehouse.JPG" height="320" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nasty downhill before the start of the hills</td></tr>
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But then came the sharp downhill in Mile 16 (6:57) to bring us to the start the hills. It was on the downhill during Mile 16 that I got my first sense that those early miles had done me in. While I was still moving without restriction, I started to feel the onset of some cramps. I tried to push it out of my mind and focus on the start of the hills, hoping that the uphills would be fine. I think of the four Newton hills, the 1st climb was the worst. It's a double climb - first over 95, then a less severe up, before a 2nd bump up to finish up the long hill, the longest of the 4. I ran a 7:34 mile, which included the climb and the downhill after and was content with the split. I didn't push up these hills - I simply kept the same effort in the hopes that I'd be able to make time on the downhills. Unfortunately, that is where I ran into trouble. It wasn't so much the going up part that caused my hamstrings to tighten, it was the going down. It's funny that everyone talks about their quads being shot, because they were doing just fine!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The other unfortunate timing was the rain. Right in the thick of the hills is when the rain really started to come down. One of my most clear memories on the day was grinding up Heartbreak Hill, with the winds whipping the rain into my face like giant pellets. There was a point where I wondered if it was sleet, because it was stinging my face as it hit me. Nevertheless, I pushed on the ups and settled for a slower decent on the downs. During this entire section, I never once glanced at my watch, even as it beeped for each mile, because I knew they'd be slower but I didn't want to get discouraged in the midst of the toughest mental and physical point of the course. My splits through the Newton hills were (7:34, 7:29, 7:26, 7:43, 8:09). As you can see - Heartbreak, the wind, and the rain got me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAxnyGXzuRQrojkc7lZCQtHLNMx24V1E-bzrLE8Mw1H5gU_fxCV9EjU3bCwJtUstxUc5kYco-5uHDpI3PewVbe78r5KyGQa2SZ1hZIM0dYsQ_3JAA5VvlWZSnKn3P1rKjRZrBEOIssrQL/s1600/Heartbreak+Hill.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAxnyGXzuRQrojkc7lZCQtHLNMx24V1E-bzrLE8Mw1H5gU_fxCV9EjU3bCwJtUstxUc5kYco-5uHDpI3PewVbe78r5KyGQa2SZ1hZIM0dYsQ_3JAA5VvlWZSnKn3P1rKjRZrBEOIssrQL/s1600/Heartbreak+Hill.JPG" height="320" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grinding up Heartbreak in the pouring rain</td></tr>
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After cresting Heartbreak, I had a huge relief and knew the end was near. Of course, I now had to navigate a ton of downhill, which was the least kind on my body now. I did my best to push when I felt I could, but it certainly wasn't what I wanted to be putting out at this point. I knew I was still close to PR pace, but each steep downhill forced me to back off even more and I slowly saw the PR time slip away from my grip by the time I hit Mile 24 (7:42, 7:54, 7:57). I never let my mood sour however, because of where I was and the amazing crowd support as we went through Boston College and began to enter Boston proper. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uXlBASEUrxa1nEPFK4Jt-Z-74xgJO7gELYHt2gkVvQV-Ae5zapomcgsMWhK9Ak5ZbnfXn7N9NMJiuewSYkN_Xje3bWVEksskUjq9iZjhnV-gFcHxBA7bg3mtEHLXSEEkvb53T78ajQMw/s1600/Boston+College.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uXlBASEUrxa1nEPFK4Jt-Z-74xgJO7gELYHt2gkVvQV-Ae5zapomcgsMWhK9Ak5ZbnfXn7N9NMJiuewSYkN_Xje3bWVEksskUjq9iZjhnV-gFcHxBA7bg3mtEHLXSEEkvb53T78ajQMw/s1600/Boston+College.JPG" height="320" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wishing I could run just a bit faster on these downhills!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The rain was really coming down at this point and there was nowhere to run but puddles everywhere. I never felt cold the whole race, but in the last 5k I started to lose some feeling in my feet as they began to feel like ice blocks with each soupy puddle I'd land in. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgOTb4-igj3HRXIm8JFIfm9kegdfsbKX1VXgm4LyIYY65TxlfLpYjPL0T5X4lOGjz5HdcZfvXm6f5n4MWLEivWu1tvVOPcT-ldyvjHS1o5Q65bJ7AZn4C1S6E-vfRygm-EX9_vsnL1sWE/s1600/Comm+Ave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgOTb4-igj3HRXIm8JFIfm9kegdfsbKX1VXgm4LyIYY65TxlfLpYjPL0T5X4lOGjz5HdcZfvXm6f5n4MWLEivWu1tvVOPcT-ldyvjHS1o5Q65bJ7AZn4C1S6E-vfRygm-EX9_vsnL1sWE/s1600/Comm+Ave.JPG" height="320" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attempting to outrun the T</td></tr>
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The last few miles were a bit of a blur, but I (literally) soaked it all is as much as I could. About .5 mi away, I was finally able to spot the Citgo sign, which was a blessing because I didn't have to spend 2 miles staring at it. I quickly came upon it, while navigating the last of the hills and the crowds began to thicken. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhW3Z6h_4f5-ddonc7hPrHIopuE57tlOHf32yswymKlcuWO5e43dWV3CJ9eqQOHvoH3nKB0BrwOX-6EIPo6cM-CTpxvijopNHqg0sLA7b3HtR4tcC6KiQdvPwMx_VytY6zsMrReifBucu/s1600/Kenmore+Sq.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhW3Z6h_4f5-ddonc7hPrHIopuE57tlOHf32yswymKlcuWO5e43dWV3CJ9eqQOHvoH3nKB0BrwOX-6EIPo6cM-CTpxvijopNHqg0sLA7b3HtR4tcC6KiQdvPwMx_VytY6zsMrReifBucu/s1600/Kenmore+Sq.JPG" height="320" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dream is almost over</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
A few more minutes passed and I found myself entering the last moments of the race by turning right on Hereford (and up the hill nobody talks about), left on Boylston. Now typically, that final turn leaves you in a slow motion state where you feel like the finish line will never come any closer. Not the case for me - this part of the course went by in an instant. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEfdG9C1_EQ8_I4IwAgC34wZ3F6WaowT8GB28KriPEi_LbElHeSr8GNJkSA8Nxt865YzwAUOeKQogelQKMHQ9ydG4J-_9kgh0AKqha95IQYesVrROVzsd8_vqma6bChyphenhyphenGSr_Sq8wtHDge/s1600/Boylston.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEfdG9C1_EQ8_I4IwAgC34wZ3F6WaowT8GB28KriPEi_LbElHeSr8GNJkSA8Nxt865YzwAUOeKQogelQKMHQ9ydG4J-_9kgh0AKqha95IQYesVrROVzsd8_vqma6bChyphenhyphenGSr_Sq8wtHDge/s1600/Boylston.JPG" height="320" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keeping a smile the rest of the way!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While I'm doubtful I was running the 5:55/mi pace my watch claims I was doing (but I'll take it!), I did pick up the pace. And as I ran along, I looked at the crowd and made sure I had a huge smile on my face to soak it all in and thank them for being out there on such a tough day to spectate. I made note of the 2 places where the bombs went off and said a little prayer for those still suffering from that day, but also felt thankful that people can still come out in full force, even on a crappy day, to celebrate our sport and all that the Boston Marathon stands for.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMen3rg9YfWNM1pZjab4PdW_wtaFO7ND5ckODDOQEMFe1-R4l7Mm3fBlmAG9rPVugZBu3Tx8XugjP4r6ne1L75kyTolS97_Ec1jANlQVYpnUVTtH6-yFXoLd5nYyNcnRJgYJQKTsfVlew2/s1600/Finish+Line+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMen3rg9YfWNM1pZjab4PdW_wtaFO7ND5ckODDOQEMFe1-R4l7Mm3fBlmAG9rPVugZBu3Tx8XugjP4r6ne1L75kyTolS97_Ec1jANlQVYpnUVTtH6-yFXoLd5nYyNcnRJgYJQKTsfVlew2/s1600/Finish+Line+5.JPG" height="320" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Official Time: 3:11:09</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNp4Gy8p3qQF7RVrZR_77Jw9wKTd0J8AP9MZH4YrqbCA1TytKO0IpKWAb0uICH2gjar88Qm_I5JtKTuq666XPnafDc2eZ6ha_9h4cdpMuyCAE4voloLEiKUkQgkKXeMt3Y6L-QqVDD42K/s1600/Beer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNp4Gy8p3qQF7RVrZR_77Jw9wKTd0J8AP9MZH4YrqbCA1TytKO0IpKWAb0uICH2gjar88Qm_I5JtKTuq666XPnafDc2eZ6ha_9h4cdpMuyCAE4voloLEiKUkQgkKXeMt3Y6L-QqVDD42K/s1600/Beer.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A much deserved celebration beer!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So while I didn't PR or even come close to my goal, I was proud to have raced this course aggressively and never settle. For someone who has it nailed into their brain that the only way to run a great marathon is to negative split, I was initially disappointed to finish the way I did, but I have no regrets for the way I raced it. Like I said earlier, hindsight would have me back off a bit sooner and perhaps salvage my race with a slight PR, but otherwise I am ok with how it went. Heck, I managed to run nearly 2 minutes within my PR on a crappy day, on a tougher course, and oh - while managing life with a 2 month old (and a little maniac of a 3 yr old). Some of my crew went on to finish sub 3 and I am over the moon happy for them and their well deserved accomplishments, but I need to put my race in my own perspective with my own life constraints. And while I wish I could have PRd and/or run the race with them, my body wasn't ready for that yet. I know my fitness is there. I just need to execute better and likely enter the race under slightly different life circumstances. Their performance in that weather on that course shows me that I have it in me, which is the motivation I need going forward to do it. My overall stats also show me that I fared better than most of my peers relative to their fitness, as I started the race with a bib number ranked 7065 and finished 4886 overall.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jkt2ySOrKAfeN99Gn9pqXKfZdYztw3dz1vLxYv2725UQ9Mp4PjReKqQSr-rpAMGg_Jvtlx7bZ8sZNqHiMHH7WFnPISS-Xdv6euwQ7WR5DI1Hqsejg_65YLAQ5rIYpT2DrtnMqOJzIDNv/s1600/Post+Race+Gear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jkt2ySOrKAfeN99Gn9pqXKfZdYztw3dz1vLxYv2725UQ9Mp4PjReKqQSr-rpAMGg_Jvtlx7bZ8sZNqHiMHH7WFnPISS-Xdv6euwQ7WR5DI1Hqsejg_65YLAQ5rIYpT2DrtnMqOJzIDNv/s1600/Post+Race+Gear.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hard earned, but well worth it medal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I am thankful for the opportunity to race Boston and hopeful to return there soon and race the crap out of that course again! Below are my full splits for those that are interested:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4y5o8i5aa0VUtg5_fPrLli9YiqRRfjMudfHzTUiU0pzMPVAue7VGbCX4sf-_GzSChGirkeKzUTp92J65_mJKU-k2p5ewf_r_TU67QGkMH3A77uE1BfK43alfYanGNaGgDmIWvCipiQih/s1600/Boston+Splits.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4y5o8i5aa0VUtg5_fPrLli9YiqRRfjMudfHzTUiU0pzMPVAue7VGbCX4sf-_GzSChGirkeKzUTp92J65_mJKU-k2p5ewf_r_TU67QGkMH3A77uE1BfK43alfYanGNaGgDmIWvCipiQih/s1600/Boston+Splits.JPG" height="400" width="105" /></a></div>
Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-8692575038053908852015-03-30T11:01:00.001-04:002015-03-30T11:16:33.146-04:00Nailing The Final Marathon Long Run<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1zUzDYUHZo7GTYgiwyErXqfTlhRUuAkq7MdQcH8TmvCFM6VIf__DJaOsXM6eeFZIs01QVIUyvt4wo3crEEsuV20JQTAPi0OCbfgwHOWe-t3X1eNHlWEXCHpJdsIC0u10oOQDyC9p05Lv/s1600/Marathon+Simulation+Long+Run.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1zUzDYUHZo7GTYgiwyErXqfTlhRUuAkq7MdQcH8TmvCFM6VIf__DJaOsXM6eeFZIs01QVIUyvt4wo3crEEsuV20JQTAPi0OCbfgwHOWe-t3X1eNHlWEXCHpJdsIC0u10oOQDyC9p05Lv/s1600/Marathon+Simulation+Long+Run.JPG" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="319" /></a>Yesterday served as a breakthrough day for me and my training for Boston - I nailed my final long run. For those who have been grinding away through winter and the extended cold into early Spring, it feels like the monotony of bundling up, mustering enough excitement to go out there in the cold and run hard for an extended period of time has dragged on. Like any training cycle, you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel as it nears the end, but you just have to get those last few weeks of hard work done before you get there. And while that is where you find the "sexy" workouts, they are often the most difficult both mentally and physically.<br />
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I've written before about <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2012/09/creating-confident-athlete.html">creating the confident athlete</a>, how these big workouts play an important role, and this workout (which I'll describe below) certainly served its purpose. Depending on a runner's experience level, the last long run can be anywhere from the most miles you've ever run, to the duration of your goal time, to a run that simulates the marathon race. All of these runs are something you only do once in a marathon cycle, but a runner doesn't typically do all of them. Newer marathoners are more likely to go by time or distance, whereas more experienced runners focus on simulating the marathon race by running a significant portion of the run at marathon pace. However, it is important that a runner progress to this point before tackling such a workout. Consistently logging long runs throughout the training cycle is a requirement. If incorporating lots of marathon paced miles, its best to have done other shorter long runs where you've also done marathon paced miles. The reason is simple - you don't want this run to take so much out of you that you can't recover. If you are prepared and you run at appropriate paces, this run will be extremely challenging, but it should not leave you on the verge of collapse or not being able to function.<br />
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At the end of the day however, the final long run cannot determine how the actual race will go, either good or bad. It is simply another place to connect the dots toward peaking for your race. But with that said, I had a GREAT run and certainly one that I hope correlates to an amazing race day.<br />
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Sunday morning I set out with a crew of some speedy (faster than me) runners, all of whom are training for Boston as well. We had agreed on the basic structure of the workout, which was the 1st 10 miles out starting around 7:30/mi and running steady to around 7:00/mi, then sub 7 all the way back, with the last 5 around 6:45/mi. The course profile was 2 miles downhill, then 8 miles out on a slight uphill grade, before turning around and doing the reverse. This meant miles 19-20 would be all uphill pushing hard, kind of like how Boston will be. So how did it go?<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1st 10 - <span style="line-height: 18.8802909851074px;">7:32, 7:11, 7:28, 7:25, 7:15, 7:10, 7:09, 7:05, 7:11, 7:09 (7:15/mi avg)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.8802909851074px;">Last 10 - </span><span style="line-height: 18.8802909851074px;">6:56, 6:56, 6:47, 6:57, 6:49, 6:43, 6:42, 6:38, 6:50, 6:57 (6:49/mi avg)</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18.8802909851074px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: #444444;">Final Stats: 20 miles, 7:02/mi avg</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.9854001998901px; line-height: 18.8802909851074px;"><br /></span>
We all ran together basically until about 12 miles in and then a few people started to throw in some surges. Being the conservative runner that I am, I just held it steady, because I wanted to save my legs for the final 2 miles uphill. Some would surge ahead, then float back, until we got to 16 miles and I pretty much got dropped. I was right on pace with the plan, but these people were more fit than me and pushed faster. They never got out of my sight, but I had no desire to try and close down the gap. Since this was a marathon simulator, I wanted to run these miles as though I still had another 6.2 to go at the end. And while I'm thankful Boston won't have a 2 mile grinding uphill (at least the Newton hills have some breaks in between them), I came out of this workout knowing that I can grind uphill at sub 7. It was a very solid day and without a doubt the best long run I've had.<br />
<br />
So where does this leave me for Boston? Well, it leaves me knowing that I can shoot for a PR. I have the utmost respect for the course and the unique challenges it will bring, but I am hopeful that the work I've done will lead to the results I know I've worked hard for.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Do you have any favorite last long run workouts to share? </i></b>Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-8450101771273912292014-12-23T10:06:00.000-05:002014-12-23T10:06:06.864-05:00Race Report: Marine Corps MarathonWhere does one begin when it has taken nearly 2 months to write a race report? Well...to be honest, I've had the post written in my head since pretty much the race ended. However, as you tell by the frequency of posts recently around here, it hasn't happened. Until now, that is, because I need to move on from the race and nothing brings closure like getting the thoughts out of your head and onto <strike>paper </strike>a screen.<br />
<br />
My build up to Marine Corps started just like every other marathon: full of hope and dreams of a PR. I mean, I was just fresh off a <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2014/07/race-report-firecracker-5k.html">5k PR</a> and training was going great, so why wouldn't that seem natural? Fast forward my steady training through the summer until about September, when things suddenly changed. No, it wasn't an injury or anything running related. After months of discussing it, we finally put an offer down on a house that was quickly accepted. More importantly, it meant we needed to pack up our stuff ASAP, so we could prep our current house for listing. In a matter of 4 days, we essentially moved 75% of our stuff out of the house, thoroughly cleaned, repainted, prepped, etc everything. It was a lot of work and took even more out of my physically. I had no time, motivation or energy to run. From the moment I woke to the moment I went to bed (sometimes way later than I would prefer), I was doing house work. For those that know me, if I told you I had no motivation to run, you would wonder if someone stole my body and replaced it with a zombie. That is NOT me and never has been. But here I was, 4-6 weeks out from my goal race and I had no motivation or energy to train. 7 days went by without a run - not by choice, but dictated by how I could spend my time. On top of it all was the need to take care of the Z man. One of the things you learn as a parent especially, is that you lose your ability to be selfish in times of need. Its easy when its just the two of you to say, "I'm leaving for 3 hrs to go do my long run". Its much harder to do that when you have more to take care of and be responsible for. When I had free time (if any existed during this period), it was spent with my family, not out on my own running. I still got some training in, but less so than would be considered ideal given the timing in the training cycle. We all have priorities and for the first time in a while, running wasn't one of them.<br />
<br />
Now to be honest, I was doing plenty of cross training during this time, including tons of stairs with heavy boxes, lots of core work painting and assorted house tasks, etc. And life was pretty much like this up until 2 days before the race, when I drew a line in the sand and said I had to rest if I wanted any chance at the marathon. In fact, I was more sore during this time than any other time I can recall from running. Oh and closing on the new house was the Friday before the race, so life stress was totally at an all time low (that might be a <i>slight </i>understatement). So this was my long way of saying, I didn't make it to the start line knowing that I did everything I could to run to my potential. However, it doesn't mean I wouldn't try. You see, I was in the fortunate position of having nothing to lose. Since I <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2014/03/race-report-2014-shamrock-marathon.html">ran my BQ in March</a> and was already accepted into Boston, I honestly had nothing to lose by just going out to PR and seeing what happened. I had good training leading up to it and a few years of consistent uninterrupted training to base everything off of. Why not? So I decided to go for 3:05 as a soft goal.<br />
<br />
<u><i>Pre-Race</i></u><br />
Race morning came like every other one, an early wake up, cramming some food in my still asleep body, and heading over to the race. I parked in Rosslyn as I've always done when going to spectate, since I'm convinced it is no more walking than the other alternatives and you have a much easier pathway home with an easy walk to the car after you finish. I was parked by about 6:15, ate a bit more, and then made my way toward the start with the masses in the dark. Getting through security at Fort Myer was a breeze and I began walking toward the start line as the sun started to come up. It was a bit warmer than forecast, even in the morning, and I knew the day might get a little toasty with the sun out, so I made sure to hydrate with some extra electrolytes in the sports drink I was sipping all morning.<br />
<br />
About 45 minutes before the start, I went for a short jog with 2 x 1:00 pickups to race pace. My legs felt great and I remained positive that I could still have a great day. Either way, I'd rather run a marathon than move to a new house, so I saw the day as an opportunity to have fun, be out of the house, and see some friends.<br />
<br />
I made my way toward to front of the start area, since Marine Corps doesn't regulate corrals, and found the 3:05 pacer so I'd know where his group was. As the clock got closer to race start, the area filled in very quickly with what seemed like a lot of pretty fast people where I was standing. A few moments before the gun was to go off, I overheard the pacer telling those around him that Mile 1 was going to be a mess and he'd be doing a lot of weaving, but not to worry about pace, since they'd catch up once things opened up a bit. My approach was much in the same - I didn't want to fight the early crowds with too much weaving, so I'd run what I could and start slowly, then let the race come to me.<br />
<br />
In my head, I had the race broken out into a number of distinct segments with individual goals to help me get through the race: Miles 1-4 (Start to Key Bridge), Miles 5-11 (Georgetown through Rock Creek Park), Miles 12-15 (Haines Point), Miles 16-20 (Along the Mall), Miles 21-22 (14th St Bridge), Miles 23-25 (Crystal City to Pentagon), Mile 26 (Rt 110 to Finish)<br />
<br />
<i>Miles 1-4</i><br />
With the sound of the howitzer, we were off and running...except we weren't. I think its about time "The People's Marathon" gets real about proper race seeding and either institutes a pre-race seeding system that they enforce, or require runners to qualify into some of the earlier corrals, because it is simply unacceptable to line up at the front of a marathon and walk or even run at a significantly slower pace than the rest of the field around you. For the 1st half mile, I was boxed in, forced to weave, and running in the low to mid 8:xx range, which is not ideal when your goal pace is around 7:00/mi. Unfortunately, this mean a lot of energy wasted with the stop and go tactics of weaving. I ran goal pace when I had space, but more often found myself trying to avoid clipping feet with those around me running much slower. It was frustrating, but there was nothing I could do about it, so I just patiently waited till I had openings and ran, with as little weaving as possible. With some early downhill in the 1st mile, I still managed to come in at 7:05, but I know I wasted a whole lot of energy doing that, so it had me a bit worried. The 3:05 pacer was long gone, having weaved his way in and out and all over the course in that 1st mile and I had no desire to do that, so I let them go. The next 2 miles were pretty much uphill with the start of an extended downhill, so I gave myself the flexibility to slow down as needed, after the harder than planned first mile. I saw folks flying up the hill, while I just climbed as easily as I could with as little effort as possible to make it to the top. I made it up in 7:21, which was still faster than I had initially planned, but the legs felt good and breathing was very controlled, so I went with it. After we crested the hill, I let my legs go and tried to keep from braking too hard on the downhills, causing more tension. As saw a lot of my pace fall well into the 6:xx, which was expected, given the sharp downhills in this part of the course. This is where I expected to get back onto pace from the earlier slow miles. Mile 4 was 6:54 and I came through this segment averaging 7:07/mi, which was close to where I wanted to be by now.<br />
<br />
<i>Miles 5-11</i><br />
As we made our way up hill to the Key Bridge and into Georgetown, I tried to get myself into a rhythm, but I simply couldn't. My legs felt fine, breathing was still good, and I was on pace, but my thirst level was uncharacteristically high for this early in the race. I'm not typically a thirsty person when running, so to be only 4-5 miles into the race and already looking for the next aid station was sign #1 that something was off. Nevertheless, I cruised through the crowds in Georgetown, enjoyed the support, and made my way to Rock Creek Park, hitting Miles 5-6 in 7:09 and 7:10 respectively.<br />
<br />
In my race prep, I saw this section of the course as the largest unknown. I never had a chance to run it and when I always drove it, it seemed far more up hill than the race profile showed, which was more rolling, but more up on the way out and down on the way back. I'd agree that there wasn't as much up as I initially felt and I was thankful we didn't have to do the climb up to Calvert St that they do for the RnR DC race - no thanks. As I made my way gradually up the hill, I 1st spotted a fellow =PR= buddy who was working the aid station. As I worked my way up the last part of the hill, I saw the 3:05 pacer coming back to the other way, probably 1:00 ahead, so not terribly far ahead and still within striking distance. I moved up the out section a bit slower than goal, accounting for the hills in 7:17 for Miles 7 and 8, which included the start of the turnaround back. As I made my way back downhill, I heard <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRunster">Jamie </a>call me out and gave her a wave.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPqJgtm3RmVshyphenhyphenrqL5hIxiGD_b2wziYv9Q1YyUxkq_L4spHTMRsptktjA7lynFGJ5wnHrgcUCrn5zZ9Tjm9dMfQgUAz8fOUeUt32DxZLSuFCMopm2d0pRUEsEgV7sH_4ccWOVqIs5wZjG/s1600/Mile+10-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPqJgtm3RmVshyphenhyphenrqL5hIxiGD_b2wziYv9Q1YyUxkq_L4spHTMRsptktjA7lynFGJ5wnHrgcUCrn5zZ9Tjm9dMfQgUAz8fOUeUt32DxZLSuFCMopm2d0pRUEsEgV7sH_4ccWOVqIs5wZjG/s1600/Mile+10-2.JPG" height="320" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Passing the Kennedy Center just before Mile 10</td></tr>
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I was enjoying heading back downhill now, as the early hills were over. However, I still had that off feeling and it didn't seem to be going away. By the time I hit Mile 8, I told myself to run to the halfway mark and see how everything feels before making any further decisions. Miles 9-11, which brought the rest of the downhills and then on Rock Creek Parkway back into the crowds cruised through in 7:06, 7:01, 7:01. For this section, I averaged 7:08/mi and was right on track.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIru7LBDuxD_jHRTVhegh6XLq7tXdUaMVCSKROliFrfP6oz6iIAcwWrN1MAgq8sKASCJz3STufnyrPHZqfGvTYvGYB7C2jJB4EH6Alch4FjcDaBFAvYh8aq33VqnencW6_PZHOAdwwoC-/s1600/Mile+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIru7LBDuxD_jHRTVhegh6XLq7tXdUaMVCSKROliFrfP6oz6iIAcwWrN1MAgq8sKASCJz3STufnyrPHZqfGvTYvGYB7C2jJB4EH6Alch4FjcDaBFAvYh8aq33VqnencW6_PZHOAdwwoC-/s1600/Mile+11.JPG" height="320" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading Toward Haines Point at Mile 11</td></tr>
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<i>Miles 12-15</i><br />
As we entered Ohio Drive to start the Haines Point segment, I noticed my breathing starting to labor a bit. While my legs were still feeling solid, the breathing concerned me. We were now running into the full sun, with no shade to hide from it and I think my body was started to work a little harder than it should be. I was with a small pack and was using them to shield some of the headwind coming off the Potomac, so I didn't want to fall off the group.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRNuTy8-sAbLApb0wj72b7kMxstnDY_QNOoLXNteLVkfrE3bciuBv2AFLroaHkDulREECTEaAS1S4XrWOGOboS6r0ixfZSt0UVInPZ6m0a0M2XEf5CAIk4TRNiBeiT_E57enHrg3e0pvA/s1600/Mile+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRNuTy8-sAbLApb0wj72b7kMxstnDY_QNOoLXNteLVkfrE3bciuBv2AFLroaHkDulREECTEaAS1S4XrWOGOboS6r0ixfZSt0UVInPZ6m0a0M2XEf5CAIk4TRNiBeiT_E57enHrg3e0pvA/s1600/Mile+12.JPG" height="320" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small bridge crossing around Mile 12</td></tr>
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I stayed on and we made our way up toward my "reevaluation" spot. I hit Miles 12 and 13 in 7:09 and 7:11 as we rounded the tip of Haines Point and crossed the 13.1 mat in 1:34:15 (7:11 avg), which was about 30s faster than I ran at Shamrock, though I remember feeling a heck of a lot better at this point during that race than I did now. I was still on pace to PR, but far off 3:05 pace, and I knew I wasn't going to PR the way things were headed. So I reevaluated and decided to run it in rather than race the rest. I could tell my body wasn't going to fight at this pace for 13+ more miles and with everything else going on at home, I didn't need to end up in a medical tent. So I kept clocking the miles while slowly easing off the gas, though I was hoping that headwind we were fighting heading out on Haines Point would be a tailwind on the way back. Not so much - or at least I was hurting and didn't feel any benefit from it. I knew I had more friends at Mile 15, and I didn't want to disappoint, so I at least held it together through there. Miles 14-15 were 7:15, 7:13. For this section, I averaged 7:12/mi, still on target for a solid day, but knowing that I was slowing.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAnLJ9qnjpbDHSEG-G1JefaZuaOrw-awYGDlU-wR3frWbf0HzyAEPlxmuTpoTRagUwZILVi77HqCaDDJtOBWNwm5HW2WJzOcOb0uluH7d9N7ftwsNRhsHjYU03ThWQmZ-kjrq2jyLsJLXl/s1600/Mile+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAnLJ9qnjpbDHSEG-G1JefaZuaOrw-awYGDlU-wR3frWbf0HzyAEPlxmuTpoTRagUwZILVi77HqCaDDJtOBWNwm5HW2WJzOcOb0uluH7d9N7ftwsNRhsHjYU03ThWQmZ-kjrq2jyLsJLXl/s1600/Mile+15.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slowing a bit, but at least I got a good photo out of it!</td></tr>
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<i>Miles 16-20</i><br />
If I had provide some advice to those running Marine Corps for the 1st time, it would be that this section is deceivingly hard. I've run the Mall so many times over the years and never thought twice about the terrain, but 16 miles into a marathon, and every change seems to increase tenfold. Heading out on Independence toward the Potomac is slightly downhill, but once you hit the turnaround, it was carnage city.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-F4nd1cyjvFOqgf7fFO3uZGlE9n9ZgABs5i9rH9GnNjZ_Fx6QkhaMwtd0sF_XpNtNPgccrwE5BcG52EdDOFqztFBeLDHgYmc68U4PD4dc43SqdyvZgAfWY1TLY6ZTlXvi5HyjkMY7td8/s1600/Mile+16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-F4nd1cyjvFOqgf7fFO3uZGlE9n9ZgABs5i9rH9GnNjZ_Fx6QkhaMwtd0sF_XpNtNPgccrwE5BcG52EdDOFqztFBeLDHgYmc68U4PD4dc43SqdyvZgAfWY1TLY6ZTlXvi5HyjkMY7td8/s1600/Mile+16.JPG" height="320" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading out on Independence Ave and enjoying the downhill</td></tr>
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Folks were cramping and the road slants up a bit as you near the Washington Monument. I distinctly remember this being that point where my brain and body stopped working as one. I had every intent on easing my running for the rest of the race toward my usual easy pace (7:45/mi), but that hill forced my brain to shutdown the rest of my body.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDHTuhPc9ri3dOmBW67TIEGWSrjAlZknuRPMnWmqj39fx7UCqn_if-GMZeE8uVtcAxzZ9bW92MLJl8P1Tbre7ghosY3kzTV0glp0RzRlbfFFj1VifKSUQSWXOjAX7yh3AR5SEfXNCwH9V/s1600/Mile+17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDHTuhPc9ri3dOmBW67TIEGWSrjAlZknuRPMnWmqj39fx7UCqn_if-GMZeE8uVtcAxzZ9bW92MLJl8P1Tbre7ghosY3kzTV0glp0RzRlbfFFj1VifKSUQSWXOjAX7yh3AR5SEfXNCwH9V/s1600/Mile+17.JPG" height="320" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who knew a small hill could cause so much pain?</td></tr>
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I clocked Miles 16-18 in 7:22, 7:35, 7:43 but I could start to feel my body shutting down now that my mind was clearly out of it.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtD_RzsC-tWSUTFF1oxOAL3znWpYCgC_-H2cnmtNqYNc4tT9vxyKSBw4G-avMzYexQA46o_4x4T8fAfDEXrpBpyaaRArU8Uy8r6y1QToC26cR1vNHmCp598k8PNvut9Ter3Dm3Ue9Jr6SM/s1600/Mile+18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtD_RzsC-tWSUTFF1oxOAL3znWpYCgC_-H2cnmtNqYNc4tT9vxyKSBw4G-avMzYexQA46o_4x4T8fAfDEXrpBpyaaRArU8Uy8r6y1QToC26cR1vNHmCp598k8PNvut9Ter3Dm3Ue9Jr6SM/s1600/Mile+18.JPG" height="320" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barely holding it together</td></tr>
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<br />
Right between Miles 18 and 19 as we rounded the Capitol reflecting pool, my body showed its 1st protest in the form of a hamstring cramp. I walked for a few short seconds before going to back to running, quickly found the next aid station and doubled up on some Gatorade to hopefully help the situation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0dIgZhU0wM409XaFPh56iOfUh4NQ4AzCTEb8CRvsj5DEjvybREAj_tjo73Q_pHU4SUWGwGCRjSGaoCb0Y4fP7asjYgymojtxV7v43t6UcgpzRe5M22-aFdrMTgh_ynj4Rtg0Kol8nv3M/s1600/Mile+19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0dIgZhU0wM409XaFPh56iOfUh4NQ4AzCTEb8CRvsj5DEjvybREAj_tjo73Q_pHU4SUWGwGCRjSGaoCb0Y4fP7asjYgymojtxV7v43t6UcgpzRe5M22-aFdrMTgh_ynj4Rtg0Kol8nv3M/s1600/Mile+19.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running, but not for long</td></tr>
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<br />
Unfortunately, during Miles 19-20 the cramp came back and hit me pretty good. I happened to stop to stretch right by one of my other =PR= coaches who was standing shortly before Mile 20 and asked him for his phone to call Rebecca. I knew she was tracking me and I didn't want her to worry, so I spoke for a bit to let her know that I was ok, but going to finish slower than planned. In total after looking at my watch, I stopped for about 5 minutes, both to stretch and call Rebecca. All goals were out the window anyways, so I just wanted to enjoy my time as a marathon participant. I decided that I'd be there to support those around me and encourage everyone in the last 10k of the race. As I headed onto the bridge, I spotted Jamie one more time. For a second, I strongly considered coming over to chat, but remembered I was sort of in a race with a timer counting how long it will take to cross the finishline, so on I went. Miles 19-20 were 8:07 and 12:16 (including my 4-5 min rest stop).<br />
<br />
<i>Miles 21-22</i><br />
In not shocking news to anyone who has run the Army 10 Miler or Marine Corps, I hate the 14th St Bridge. I really do. There is nothing good about. Even during the week, as it causes way too much traffic. But for running, it harnesses the sun, is hilly, and offers no reprieve. To make matters worse, there is no aid station from Mile 19 until you get into Crystal City at Mile 22. Why can't they put one on that bridge? Most races have aid stations every 1-1.5 miles that late in the race in larger marathons. Seems odd to have 3 miles between them when most runners need the aid the most, but maybe that's just me, because all I wanted was more Gatorade, since I was forever thirsty and cramping. Given my state this late in the race, I just kind of took my time and cheered folks on without much urgency. If nothing else, I was getting my money's worth! Even though I was having fun and cheering folks on, I'll also admit that the bridge took forever. I was never so happy to see Crystal City and the next aid station in my life. Miles 21-22 were 9:34, 9:48.<br />
<br />
<i>Miles 23-25</i><br />
It was around this time that I started playing the mental math game and wondering if one of my running friends was near. It was his goal to run sub-3:30, so I figured I'd spot him coming the other way on Crystal City as I made the turn back up. I had been cheering on random strangers, but was hoping to find him, so I could help support him in his goal. I saw the 3:25 pacer pass and then a little while longer saw the 3:35 pacer go by and still no sign. Sadly, I continued on, hoping I had just missed him and that he was still on pace (I later found out he dropped at 15, so I'm glad I didn't stop everything to wait for him). Meanwhile, the miles clicked along, the walking of those around me increased, and the carnage on the road was clear. It was a warm, sunny day and taking its toll on everyone, including myself. I was running along fine and then suddenly during Mile 25, the cramps came back, so I had to take a few more moments to stretch. Miles 23-25 were 9:07, 8:23, 9:48.<br />
<br />
<i>Mile 26 - Finish</i><br />
Leading up to the race, I had grand visions of using the slight downhill in the last mile to run one of my faster miles, before hitting the painfully steep last .2. I still had plans to run that last mile, but my body had other plans. It was done. A long time ago. But with all the Marines around, I ran up that darn hill through to the finish, because I had no excuse. I was healthy. It just wasn't my day. So I ran - for myself, for others, for those who can't.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcz_Bi4Clm9dA4y6MLoZScrK9o4BmuGfDRhBZ-TxrrEMWr0s7Ptqe0CzOzdp64lROcM2IXz5ny3aSpCZkotSN0zuLsgAw34EkOf9q03-7_PvKeRPXew_JqxjwfaL50owY087ifKKjI0KFs/s1600/The+Hill.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcz_Bi4Clm9dA4y6MLoZScrK9o4BmuGfDRhBZ-TxrrEMWr0s7Ptqe0CzOzdp64lROcM2IXz5ny3aSpCZkotSN0zuLsgAw34EkOf9q03-7_PvKeRPXew_JqxjwfaL50owY087ifKKjI0KFs/s1600/The+Hill.JPG" height="320" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nearing the finish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I crossed the finish line in 3:31, happy, proud, and appreciative of the sacrifices service men and women make to allow for us to enjoy life the way we do.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_U9pX8Gc_5HtanT6Rlp_0OTevFwCdxo4XKBCiU_D5AEzhpimo9m0xSnRW-q54aMkPq6wcD5lpJ3M9UMogUGHW-j_qAcHg9WzL7rXiLw7o8Wn0YSyU_y5iFcLGGKuU0WgzR4jzMydwcssP/s1600/Finish+Line.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_U9pX8Gc_5HtanT6Rlp_0OTevFwCdxo4XKBCiU_D5AEzhpimo9m0xSnRW-q54aMkPq6wcD5lpJ3M9UMogUGHW-j_qAcHg9WzL7rXiLw7o8Wn0YSyU_y5iFcLGGKuU0WgzR4jzMydwcssP/s1600/Finish+Line.JPG" height="320" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy to cross the finish line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I thanked each and every single person I could find. While I didn't have the race I wanted, I made sure to show appreciation where it belongs - to those who don't complain about the mission they're assigned to. They do what is asked of them every day. On this day, it happened to be supporting a marathon, but on most other days, it isn't so easy.<br />
<br />
<u><i>Post-Race Thoughts</i></u><br />
A number of friends have asked me if I know why I didn't have a great race and there is no single answer, but I've done my best to summarize it below if it wasn't clear above:<br />
<br />
Stress is a variable that can manifest itself in many ways, most of which you may not ever know until it is too late. With everything going on, my body may have been perfectly well suited to run a PR, but I can assure you, my stress levels were so high leading up to to the race, that I can't think of anything I could have done differently to change the outcome to a PR. Could I started slower? Sure, I could have run a conservative race and finished with a faster final time, but as I said from the start, I had nothing to lose, so why compromise? Conditions on race day did not lend themselves to fast times, but I had no reason to back down. It was sunny, 60F (warmer accounting for real feel), and windy. While those are great conditions for watching a marathon, they are far from great for running in one. It just wasn't my day, but I finished happy, healthy, and ready to run another day.<br />
<br />
So that's the wrap on Marine Corps. I apologize for the long wait, but these are the same thoughts I had in my head since the moment I crossed the finish line. I can happily say that we have moved into our new house and are enjoying life, so there's a happy ending to the story. Just sucks that it took this long to write down :) Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-76417901538479069412014-07-07T12:40:00.001-04:002014-07-07T12:40:40.917-04:00Race Report: Firecracker 5kWhen I set out on my<a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2014/05/get-fast-now-how-to-prioritize-your.html"> plan to get faster</a> during the time between marathon training cycles, I didn't have a specific goal in mind, other than to change the focus of my training so I didn't get stale. After the success in the<a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2014/04/race-report-rockstar-5k.html"> last 5k</a>, I sort of felt like I had already accomplished my goal. I had logged about 6 weeks of decent training with a number of faster workouts. Then I let things go a bit, between vacations and other stuff going on. I still kept running mostly, but I just didn't have the urge to blast out faster workouts. Then about 3 weeks ago, everything changed and my mind and body synched back up. I reset, and was ready for more. So with about 2 weeks of actual training, entered the Firecracker 5k on the 4th of July with the expectation of racing well, but still training through it, as I was not specifically training for it. Given that the summer heat is in full force, racing well takes on a new definition. In my eyes, racing well meant running as close to PR pace as possible if the conditions allowed.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Pre-Race</b></i><br />
I awoke race morning to pouring rain, which is not exactly the most favorite thing a runner wants to see. It was in the upper 60s though, which would mean a decent temperature, so while the humidity was a bit high due to the rain (which went away about 45 minutes before the race started, it wasn't as hot as it could have been. <br />
<br />
I got to Reston Town Center about an hour before the race and set out for a 2.5 mi easy warm up. People were just starting to flow in, so I just did my thing, finishing up with a few strides. I ran into a few friends, chatted it up, and then hopped into the start area about 5 minutes before the gun was to go off. <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2014/03/race-report-2014-shamrock-marathon.html">Erin </a>decided to join me for the 5k, so I found him and we lined up together about 8 rows back. With 2200+ people, I knew it was a competitive field. I also looked at the course a bit beforehand and knew it would be a bad idea to get swept out too fast during the first mile.<br />
<br />
My race plan was pretty simple: Don't go out too fast in the first mile (rolling with more uphill), lock in goal effort in Mile 2 (rolling but mostly downhill), pick it up for Mile 3 (mostly uphill). I knew this was the winning strategy for this course and if my fitness was there, I could run PR pace.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Race</b></i><br />
Before I could give myself a pep talk about how much I was about to hurt, the gun went off and we made our way onto the course! I went out with the flow, which was a touch fast (5:30/mi), but once we hit the hill about 1/2 mi in, I slowed enough to save my legs and let my pace fall back a bit. Once at the top of the hill, we started a nice downhill as we cruised toward Mile 1. While I could see the marker in the distance, everyone's watch beeped a long ways before we got there, including mine with a 5:47. When we actually crossed the marker, I was showing 6:08 on my watch, which I knew was not accurate and the marker had to be off. Nevertheless, I carried on through the downhill as we made our way up a short hill before turning right to an extended downhill for most of Mile 2.<br />
<br />
I sort of put my legs in cruise control at this point and was running with a pack that was all staying together. This was good as a pace setter, but I also think I let myself hold back too much. I could have taken the downhills a bit faster, but I wanted to stay with the group, because we were about to hit a pretty windy section of the course where it would be beneficial to have a pack. Once at the bottom of the hill, we turned right and into a pretty stiff headwind. Though we never really got much rain from Hurricane Arthur, the whole area felt the increase in winds. On sections of the course, there was a 15-20 mph wind, which happened to be right where we were. I tucked in behind 4 others in front, which did a pretty good job of saving some energy. We hit Mile 2 in 5:42, thanks in large part to the extended downhill. Like I said, I might have been able to take an extra 5s off that split if I pushed harder, but I played it safe due to knowing the wind would be there. My clock time at this point was 11:46, so I knew I was right on pace and the Mile 1 marker was off. However, I could tell that I was still going to end up with a fair bit longer total distance run, given I was already about 16s off the race clock.<br />
<br />
After hitting Mile 2, I slowly began the pick up the effort. I told myself I had a choice - I could either be safe and hold my effort or be bold and go for it. I already had a PR in my last 5k, so my mind started telling me that was good enough. However, I chose to be bold and go for it, because I knew I had more in me. The race would be over soon and I was already on PR pace. Don't ever settle. Go for it!<br />
<br />
The start of the mile had a bit of a uphill grade and the pack I was with was starting to break apart. Erin was still with me, but when I started to push, I pretty much dropped everyone I had been running with. Shortly after, we hit a short but steep uphill curve, where I hit the gas hard and started passing more people. Less than a quarter mile later, I made the final turn back into the town center for a long straightaway uphill to the finish. I glanced down at my watch to see Mile 3 at 5:52 and total time was in the low 17:xx, so I hit it harder, passing more people and averaging 5:28/mi over the last bit. I knew my final time wouldn't end with a 17:xx due to the extra distance, but I still had a PR in the bag. Slowly, the finish line came into my closer sight and I crossed the line with a new 9s PR!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZMw_2fJHEyGEWqBDzGjhfQKrJ9HY2kbZf0RdAIqEodW3dSuIwSI67mkTJD8VJVl87UyjTfvH0clwtjgqkHOmfolMNd_2AwXiFZXbdJzNRh8OAp2RDM2IWApFfOG5sVrTk00ER9RcEgmHX/s1600/Firecracker+5k+Finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZMw_2fJHEyGEWqBDzGjhfQKrJ9HY2kbZf0RdAIqEodW3dSuIwSI67mkTJD8VJVl87UyjTfvH0clwtjgqkHOmfolMNd_2AwXiFZXbdJzNRh8OAp2RDM2IWApFfOG5sVrTk00ER9RcEgmHX/s1600/Firecracker+5k+Finish.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't look like I'm hurting as much as it felt like it did</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b><i>Stats</i></b><br />
Final Time: 18:26 (5:57/mi)<br />
Garmin: 3.19 mi (5:47/mi)<br />
Overall Place: 46/2138<br />
Male Place: 41/926<br />
Age Group: 5/122<br />
<br />
<b><i>Post Race</i></b><br />
Shortly after crossing the finish line, Erin came through. We chatted about the race and wanted to head out for our cool down. But before we could even make it to the cool down, the finish line was streaming in with friends and other runners I coach. After a few moments of chatting with people, we took off to get our cool down in. Two miles later, we raced back over tot he finish area, because it was time for the kids race! One of the great things <a href="http://prracing.enmotive.com/">=PR=</a> does at big events is make sure to keep it family friendly. Well there's no better way than to have a kids 100 yard fun run! They split the kids into different age groupings, with Z being in the last group for the kids 3 and under. It was so much fun to watch him and all the other kids get a chance to be just like mom and dad! They even got their own bibs and medals! Such a nice tough to an already great race.<br />
<br />
Having had some time to reflect on the race, I'm thrilled to be able to PR a race in July. I executed to my race plan as best I could. While I think I could have eeked a couple more seconds out, I can't complain. I really just need to make sure I race closer to 3.1 mi. The best way to get free speed is to run the shortest distance on the course. If I did that at this race, I might have been looking at something pretty close to sub18, which is right around where I feel my fitness is.<br />
<br />
This last 5k concludes my faster training cycle and I will now be shifting more of my workouts toward the Fall racing season. While I haven't signed up for a race yet, I know I'll be ready to race whichever one I end up running.Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-70354837789720981172014-05-02T12:36:00.002-04:002014-05-02T12:36:45.697-04:00Get Fast Now - How to Prioritize Your Training for a Fall Marathon<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Are you at the point now where your goal Spring race is
behind you and you’re looking at a long distance race for the Fall?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If so, then you’re probably at the point in
your training where you aren’t quite sure what to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe your Spring race went well, or maybe
you’re looking to avenge for a less than desirable race experience, but chances
are you’re trying to run faster for your Fall race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Common instinct is to prescribe yourself lots
of early long runs to “establish your base” and “get used to long distances”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get it – you likely cramped (for whatever
reason – nutritionally or muscularly) toward the end of your race and you feel
that running more long runs will better prepare your body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first glance, that would seem to make
sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If your body isn’t used to “going
there”, then you need to practice it so you don’t experience the same issues on
race day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the reality is that you
will achieve nothing by this approach other than getting used to running long
and slow and more importantly, you may risk burnout/injury by the time you
actually get closer to your Fall race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
makes no sense to pound away that long this far out from a goal race, yet this
is the first approach so many people turn to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In fact, some of the runners I’ve coached through our </span><a href="http://prtrainingprograms.com/group-training/distance-training-program"><span style="font-family: inherit;">=PR= DistanceTraining Program</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> come into the program expecting to run 18-20 miles at the
start of the training cycle (with 16-18 weeks until their goal race), because
they’ve already spent the month(s) before the program “getting ready”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find its best in these situations to take a
step back from the day to day, week to week looking glass and look at your
training from a greater holistic perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This usually helps people see the light and get them moving in the right
direction. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">So what should you do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Get faster now, so you can go long (and be faster) in the Fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Let’s take a look at why this approach makes more sense than
just mindlessly logging long run after long run for the next 5+ months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ever wonder why elite marathoners don’t
typically race multiple marathons throughout the year?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well for one, they realize that optimal
performance can really only be dedicated to 1 marathon per season or year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the other reason is because they aren’t
in marathon shape year round – they’re focused on training at shorter distances
to get faster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s easy to understand
why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s stick with elites as the
example for the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to
be an elite male marathoner, you need to be capable of running sub-2:10 (sub-2:05 for
world class) these days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Many of these same runners run 59:XX or faster for the half marathon too. So to run a faster marathon, you have to be able to run a faster half marathon, because the faster times at those shorter distances translate into faster times when those same athletes go back to marathon training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>If you’re
slower than that, no amount of training more at marathon pace is
going to get you faster. The training doesn't work like that. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Simply put in terms regular runners can understand, if your
goal marathon pace is an 8:00/mi pace, but your half marathon pace is 7:45/mi
pace, the best thing you could do would be to knock that 7:45/mi half marathon
pace down to 7:30 or 7:15.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because if you can run a half marathon (just
a bit slower than lactate threshold) at 7:15-7:30/mi, that 8:00/mi goal pace
will equal a much lower percentage of effort to hit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, it will cost you less (in terms
of the energy you’ll use) to run at that goal pace, therefore allowing you to
run farther at that pace without hitting the dreaded wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if you are properly trained, taking in
nutrition, and executing with proper pacing, there hopefully won’t be a wall at
all come race day.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Let me just interupt this message to remind you that you can't just start training at whatever pace you want. <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2012/10/so-you-want-to-run-faster-prove-it.html">You still have to train at your current fitness levels</a>, no matter the distance. So to get your half marathon times faster, you can't just train at those faster paces. You have to train at your current fitness first.</em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But don’t let the example of the half marathon fool you into
thinking that’s the only option.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every
distance all the way down can play a supporting role, which is why you often
see many of these same elites racing shorter distances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some cases, it’s just a workout as part of
a larger training cycle, but in others, it is because they are training to get
faster at shorter distances so they can ultimately get faster at the longer
stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And aside from the explanation above, there are many other
benefits for the everyday runner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here
are just a few:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Running faster encourages better running
form:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spending more time running fast
versus just slogging out the miles means you’re less likely to get
overuse/repetitive stress injuries that are common with endless long runs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Changing the stress stimulates new progress: If
your body has been training one way for a while (ie lots of long, easy,
moderate runs), jumpstarting it with some faster running can recruit additional
muscle fibers to support your running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These fibers can then be trained to act like slow twitch fibers when you
turn back toward the distance stuff, which will help prevent fatigue late in
the race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Faster running adds a strength element: While
hills tend to be a natural component of most runner’s training, faster running
forces your muscles to work harder in different ways, meaning you’ll get
stronger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A stronger runner is able to
maintain proper running form longer, which means you’ll likely slow down less
late in races.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Find a new definition of hurt: There is a huge
difference between the type of pain experienced in long distance races versus
the type of pain experienced in a 5k.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Long distance races are like someone flicking you a million times,
eventually leading you to get annoyed and feel some pain. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5k pain is a lung busting, muscle burning
feeling that takes some getting used to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Teaching your mind to be able to handle a variety of pain will help you
when things get tough, no matter the distance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In summary – you can always train your body to run longer,
but it is much more difficult to train it to run faster AND longer at the same
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the benefit of spending the
time you have now to get faster, is that you don’t have to add another foreign
stress to your body when it comes time to stack the miles up in preparation for
your goal marathon in the Fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Add the fast now, so you can focus on the far (with some moderate fast) later. </span>So do
the smart thing, and find some speed over the next month or so, get faster, and
use it to prep for your goal Fall race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-86128356560445030502014-04-28T12:56:00.004-04:002014-04-28T13:02:42.997-04:00Race Report: Rockstar 5k<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEQPnIwqkToWeAnxEKwvk55jssKrtkeeR6QK5VcZe7IT2RdPAgG2kjeaaAKci5tVeNhoLp_ff3ChyTG2tlQNKUqY5Rp_VH3gUobKPeR0VvPuUryoVx-dgSn8GbF7uqZkG8cZU_mKZlEpo/s1600/Rockstar+5k+Race+Gear.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEQPnIwqkToWeAnxEKwvk55jssKrtkeeR6QK5VcZe7IT2RdPAgG2kjeaaAKci5tVeNhoLp_ff3ChyTG2tlQNKUqY5Rp_VH3gUobKPeR0VvPuUryoVx-dgSn8GbF7uqZkG8cZU_mKZlEpo/s1600/Rockstar+5k+Race+Gear.JPG" height="200" width="199" /></a></div>
With <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2014/03/race-report-2014-shamrock-marathon.html">Shamrock </a>now in the past and the distant memories of the marathon starting to fade, I wanted to get down to business of seeing where my fitness is. I mentioned in <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2014/04/lessons-learned-and-post-shamrock.html">my last post</a> that I was looking to race some shorter distances, so what better than to race a 5k only a mile from my house? Well, aside from knowing the hilly course all too well, there wasn't much to argue against, so I signed up a few days before the race to see what my legs had in them.<br />
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<u><i><b>Pre-Race</b></i></u><br />
After a quick packet pickup, I went for a 2 mi warm up about an hour before the race. I ran into a running buddy who was also headed out for his warm up, so we ran together and caught up on things. Just nice easy paced running and good conversation. We split off after the 2 miles and I went to do a couple of strides to finish out the warm up. I took the next 15 or so minutes to relax, chat with some friends, and stay loose. With about 15 minutes to go, I threw on my <a href="http://www.saucony.com/en/type-a5/12009M.html?dwvar_12009M_color=20144-4#cgid=mens-competition-road-racing&start=3">racing shoes</a> to do a few more race paced strides and then jogged back over to the start line where folks were lining up. Since this was a<a href="https://prracing.enmotive.com/trophy-series"> =PR= Trophy Series race</a>, I knew there would be some competition, so I placed myself about 3 rows back from the front. In hindsight, I probably could have put myself on the line or at least 1 row back, given how I placed. Oh well, live and learn.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzD6kuQlPhTVupEkx6ZyQcbN4qoYozWiUn2JGl_FCqXbCfFBiFYzHy0AggMgDMa4P5vsdHr0HSHa88-ssv6iMI_1F9cjxjUZvJIOTchq-Hg43-c9lMwbu4DKHLdL1LNTY3y7xfKuYZfGk-/s1600/Rockstar+5k+Start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzD6kuQlPhTVupEkx6ZyQcbN4qoYozWiUn2JGl_FCqXbCfFBiFYzHy0AggMgDMa4P5vsdHr0HSHa88-ssv6iMI_1F9cjxjUZvJIOTchq-Hg43-c9lMwbu4DKHLdL1LNTY3y7xfKuYZfGk-/s1600/Rockstar+5k+Start.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's me, 3 rows back. And yes, Rory's got a kitten tank/tights combo going on!</td></tr>
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<b><i><u>Race</u></i></b><br />
With the magic "Go" word spoken, we were off...except I got an elbow in the side of my chest trying to move around the 4 people in front of me within the first 50 feet. So much for placing myself well! After about 100 yards, we make a right for another 100 yards, and then its out of the town center and onto the main roads for the rest of the race. That turn onto the road is followed by a 1/2 mile downhill, into a 3/4 mile uphill (I mentioned this was a hilly race!). So I knew I could let my legs go on the down and just try to lock in the effort once we hit the up. Flying downhill, I glanced down to see myself running around 5:15/mi, which is around where I figured I'd be. Then we started the uphill grind and that pace slowly creeped back to reality. By the time we hit the hill, I was essentially in no man's land. All the super fast guys were way out front and I was running solo with a couple of people I could hear behind me. While I was racing for time against myself, its always easier if there others to pace off and keep you in check. I hit Mile 1 in 5:43 and came to the realization that I was likely out there to run the rest of the race solo.<br />
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Still grinding up that hill, I finally approached the turn, but being familiar with the course, knew I still had another tenth of a mile to continue up. The rest of Mile 2 was essentially a rollercoaster, with a few smaller bumps, but a big downhill, followed by another big uphill. I was hurting, but calmed myself by repeating, "If you feel like death halfway into a 5k, then you're racing it right". While that sounds terrible, its the truth. 5ks are so short, but they seem like an eternity. As I crested the last uphill of the mile and tried to open up my stride on the down and get a breather before the next hill, I got hit with a decent headwind on the down. I noticed it while I was out on the warm up, but was hoping it would be gone during the race. It wasn't terrible like Shamrock, but it was about 10 mph per the weather, which is enough to make you hurt that much more. Shortly before starting the next roller, I crossed the Mile 2 marker in 5:47. It was at this point where I noticed I probably wasn't running the tangents very well, since my watch went a few seconds before I got to the mile marker.<br />
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The last mile is by far the hardest on the course. As a whole, Mile 3 is always the most difficult in a 5k, but on this course it is virtually all uphill. The legs are already burning and you just want to be done. I struggled on the hill here, but I gave it what I could. In the middle of the hill, 2 guys came moving past me, which motivated me to keep pushing a bit harder, but I couldn't go with them. I kept them in my view, but they came and went pretty quickly. I didn't think they'd be in my age group either, so my thinking at the time was to let them go and try to not blow up in the middle of the hill. It was at this point with about 1/4 mile to go in the uphill, that I had all those crazy thoughts, like pulling off the course and calling it a day. I had to slap my head for thinking that one up. 2.5 miles into a 5k and I want to quit? How stupid is that!?!? Again, I used those crazy thoughts as validating that I was racing hard. Gasping for air, I finally crested the hill and tried to burn out the legs toward the finish. I had another .1 mile to go before turning back into the town center for the last bit of the race. My Mile 3 split was 6:05 and I worked every second of it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5i963zqk0FCriDmkNFdhDsRSwTRfRyknYZWJdk2harsiNKvyrA8hGbll_cbh7gHshyjgKJixnGzpyPN9reKqVj3gtoWGK3bWIa6G8Fvq-v5rFYxx78i6oYe46CQ1_nnGf52t8h32DbJzn/s1600/Rockstar+5k+Finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5i963zqk0FCriDmkNFdhDsRSwTRfRyknYZWJdk2harsiNKvyrA8hGbll_cbh7gHshyjgKJixnGzpyPN9reKqVj3gtoWGK3bWIa6G8Fvq-v5rFYxx78i6oYe46CQ1_nnGf52t8h32DbJzn/s1600/Rockstar+5k+Finish.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last 100 yards or so - not the greatest pic, but they never are :)</td></tr>
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When my watch beeped, I realized that I really didn't do a good job on the tangents in that last mile, because those few seconds were now more than a few! Not that I had much time to think about it at that point, since I was so focused on just finishing, so I just put my head down and ran hard through to the finish line. As I crept closer to the line I could see the clock inching closer to my current PR and I decided at that moment to give it just a little more to make sure I set a new PR on the day. As I ran through the finish, I saw 18:35 on the clock and figured I had at least a 1-2s delay from crossing the mat, so I knew I had set a PR. I just wasn't sure by how much. I covered the last bit of the race at 5:38/mi pace, which I was glad to get my pace back down to. Turns out, that was my official time, so I PR'd by 3s on a much tougher course than the <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2012/05/race-report-nat-bresler-memorial-5k.html">previous PR</a>.<br />
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<i><u><b>Final Stats:</b></u></i><br />
<i>Time: 18:35</i><br />
<i>Pace: 5:59/mi</i><br />
<i>Overall: 10/386</i><br />
<i>Gender: 10/156</i><br />
<i>Age Group: 3/23</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_av0guHQPd8Y0ll6oT8D5_HUtMuLrBjS5JRRZgcjj-o04KRqLKEJ_yCnXATH0lA2IRNm_3L9p2Uba3RRpojZnjSXAbhz1eFqetJsm35XXCyGkiSE3ZS9NtcZnZN_L9o644bSE5tjYPHO/s1600/Rockstar+5k+Award.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_av0guHQPd8Y0ll6oT8D5_HUtMuLrBjS5JRRZgcjj-o04KRqLKEJ_yCnXATH0lA2IRNm_3L9p2Uba3RRpojZnjSXAbhz1eFqetJsm35XXCyGkiSE3ZS9NtcZnZN_L9o644bSE5tjYPHO/s1600/Rockstar+5k+Award.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speedy 30-34 Age Group</td></tr>
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My only regret on the race is that I ran 3.17 miles on the race, which means I really did a poor job of nailing the tangents. The course has a lot of turns and I wasn't always sure where the measurements would have been done to get the shortest distance. There were a few sections of the course that had shoulders in the road on a curve, so maybe the measurement was done in the shoulder? The guys I could see in front of me all stayed on the road, so I stuck to that course, as I didn't want to cut it short. To give some perspective, I ran .15 extra at Shamrock, which means I ran half the extra distance I did in a marathon, at this 5k. Not good, but its something to improve on and its free speed next time, so that's the good news.<br />
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I know I have a better 5k time in me and it'll come when I race on faster course soon. I just wanted to set a baseline, since it had been 2 years. So now that its set, I've got some more work to do.Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-19225925912674480132014-04-04T10:19:00.000-04:002014-04-04T10:19:01.938-04:00Lessons Learned and Post Shamrock ThoughtsIts now been nearly 3 weeks since I <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2014/03/race-report-2014-shamrock-marathon.html">raced the Shamrock Marathon</a> and achieved my long term goal of running a sub-3:10 marathon. This was a goal time I've chased for a number of years even before the BQ times shifted another 5 minutes faster. It just so happened that this time now qualified me for Boston since I'll be aging up for next year's race. And while I believe I was trained to run close to a 3:05 on a perfect day (the BQ time for men under 35), my original goal was to run sub-3:10, which is exactly what I set out to do. So with that goal checked off, its time to look back at the training behind the result, consider what worked well, what didn't, and lastly what is next on my schedule.<br />
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<i>My Training</i><br />
Looking back over the past 4 months of training leading up to the race, I was able to incorporate a wide variety of workouts, each with their own purpose. And while I had a rough idea of what I wanted to do over the course of the training cycle, I only kept that framework static. The actual workouts and specific progressions were determined within a week or so of the workout, depending on how my body felt. I've found this approach works best for me on multiple fronts. First, it forces me to stay focused on the week or day versus looking too far down the training cycle; and second, it forces me to listen to my body before I decide the workout. Its very easy to get caught up in a plan and feel you have to do "x" workout on a particular day when you have everything laid out. But I think this approach allows for you to stay in the moment, something we all should spend more time focusing on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="data:image/png;base64,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" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; 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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mileage During the Training Cycle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As you can see by the graph on the side, I was able to train pretty consistently throughout the training cycle. January was my highest monthly volume total ever, with December being only 5 miles shy of that previous total as well. My peak volume for a given week was 83 miles, but I also hit 81 miles another time. Both of these weeks came toward the end of my build phase, prior to the race specific phase. That laid down two months of high volume work, with lots of quality workouts throughout the time, to build upon for the final race specific focus in the last 4-6 weeks of training. For those wondering, I follow a funneled periodization model where the earlier training focus is on high volume and training at paces a fair bit faster (intervals, threshold runs, etc) and slower (long runs) than goal pace. As the race gets closer, the pace ranges creep closer toward goal pace, with less work spent at paces far away from what my race will require.<br />
<br />
<i>What Worked</i><br />
As a coach and an inquisitive runner, I am always looking for ways to better improve my training methods. On the whole, I am blind to one specific approach being "the best way to train". As a result, I like to tinker with my own training to see how it works, especially before recommending it to others. Just to be clear though, I never drastically change anything. I make small tweaks. Changing too much throws off everything and you lose control of the ability to measure the effectiveness of any one approach. So what was the change I implemented this training cycle?<br />
<br />
<i>Adding more quality to my long runs during the race specific phase by including marathon paced runs the day before my long runs.</i><br />
<br />
Let me give an example: On Friday, I'd run 8 total miles, with 6 of them at aerobic threshold (slightly faster than marathon pace). On Saturday, I'd do my long run, which might include a workout like 2 mi easy, 3 x 5 mi at marathon pace with 1 mi easy between each set, 1 mi cool down.<br />
<br />
The theory behind this training approach is to establish a moderate level of fatigue (and glycogen depletion) leading into the long run, which will simulate the fatigue experienced during the marathon. The long run workout is already challenging, but when you add in the work from the day before, it is tough but effective. I found myself hurting pretty good during the end of the long runs when I incorporated this type of workout, often forcing me make the call of giving in and going easy, or toughing out the rest of the workout. After one run early on where I gave in to the fatigue, I made sure to never let it happen again. I had to remind myself that the point of these workouts is to get to THAT point, where you have to decide to quit or keep going. And if you can keep going, it will make the race much easier. So after that one run, I made sure to remind myself whenever things got tough, to keep pushing. As a result of the difficulty of these workouts, I wouldn't recommend most runners jump right into this type of approach, as it is definitely more advanced and therefore, an injury risk. However, for those that have been training consistently and run high mileage, this training concept may provide a breakthrough in your performance.<br />
<br />
<i>What Didn't Work</i><br />
Because of the increased stress from the combined Friday/Saturday workouts, this meant I had to pull back one of the days I previously used for a quality workout, giving me only 2 quality workouts per week: a tempo run and the Friday/Saturday combo long run. I found the weekly cycle of 2 weekday workouts in addition to the Friday/Saturday workout a bit too much for me to handle, so I backed off what would have been a Wednesday or Thursday quality day, and turned it into a moderate day. This could be something like progression run, where the progression only goes down to aerobic threshold versus something more stressful like lactate threshold. That way, I still got a moderate training stimulus, but not so much that it would impact my ability to execute the long run workout.<br />
<br />
<i>What's Next?</i><br />
It's funny - almost everyone I talk to asks me what my next race is. At first, I laughed because I just want to enjoy myself for a bit before moving on to the next goal. Once the next goal is out there, the previous race experience goes out the window. I'm not ready for that....yet. Though now that the three weeks have passed since the race, I am starting to let those thoughts creep in. In short, I'm going to focus on some faster races. Since I've been on this marathon quest, I've had to hold off from all the shorter, faster stuff to focus on the training required to do well at the marathon. And while I jumped into a few races along the way to keep my racing chops up, I rarely raced a 5k or a 10k, as they were too different from the marathon to be beneficial. So now I want to spend some time focusing on them.<br />
<br />
To be honest, I feel like my PRs from the 5k, 10k and half marathon are soft and ready to be taken down. So my plan is to start back up and systematically reset those PRs. It's been nearly 2 years since I've raced the 5k and 10k distances. I KNOW I've got better times in me. Now I just have to go out there and prove it.Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-15628996921808434292014-03-24T14:48:00.002-04:002014-03-24T14:48:50.818-04:00Race Report: 2014 Shamrock MarathonFor some races, you have the perfect training leading up to it, but the results don't speak for the quality of the training you did during that cycle. For me, the <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/11/race-report-new-york-city-marathon.html">last </a><a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/03/race-report-va-beach-shamrock-marathon.html">two </a>marathons I had run, this was the case. My training cycles were filled with breakthroughs and I entered the races with the confidence of knowing I was going to PR. And while I did PR, I didn't have the race I wanted. It's easy to blame weather on specific results, and to a certain extent, it played a factor, but you have to hold yourself accountable for the results you earn. Going into this year's <a href="http://www.shamrockmarathon.com/">Shamrock </a>marathon, I KNEW I had a better race in me, no matter what the weather threw us. And I just wanted to get to race day to have an opportunity to prove it.<br />
<br />
<u><i><b>Pre-Race</b></i></u><br />
Unlike previous years, we decided to head down to VA Beach on Friday, both to make it more of a vacation, as well as a less stressful drive. Without the rush to get checked into the hotel, eat, get to expo, etc, it just made things more relaxing. And relaxing is exactly what I wanted in the days before the race. No reason to add excess stress on top of pre-race nerves! The drive down was easy - just 3 hours. Weather was chilly and windy, much as I expected race day to be, but that didn't stop a certain someone from getting his dig on. I mean, if you're used to digging in a tiny sandbox and find a whole beach filled with the stuff, wouldn't you be excited too?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVpbcAKnr2DMaqmN3awh_8AX21MO32xsMMe4oZJS_hiYZ088VDsUZpq65PQHwtCc9ZfFpmYv1me1uESbeXvZJj6MUvUzphMfWz9g6NAxKP-7VkUk9641WVZHar83_x8olB914zrtqYgSM/s1600/Z+Digging.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVpbcAKnr2DMaqmN3awh_8AX21MO32xsMMe4oZJS_hiYZ088VDsUZpq65PQHwtCc9ZfFpmYv1me1uESbeXvZJj6MUvUzphMfWz9g6NAxKP-7VkUk9641WVZHar83_x8olB914zrtqYgSM/s1600/Z+Digging.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the largest sandbox ever!</td></tr>
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<br />
By the time Saturday rolled around, much nicer weather found it's way in, and we were awakened to the sounds of race day, as the 8kers were making their way toward the start line. We quickly got our stuff together and headed over to our favorite breakfast joint in VA Beach, <a href="http://www.pocahontaspancakes.com/">Pocahontas</a>, which also happened to be right on the course for the race. We sat at a table that looked out at Atlantic Ave. so we could watch the runners come by. It helped me get into my race mindset, while I continued to stuff myself with some wonderful gluten free french toast (ie lots of carbs). Not too long after, I met up with a fellow <a href="https://potomacriverrunning.com/">=PR=</a> runner I coach through our <a href="http://prtrainingprograms.com/group-training/distance-training-program">distance training program</a>, and we went off for a short shakeout run. Nothing fancy, but a quick easy mile, followed by 2 x 2:00 at marathon pace, then some more easy jogging. Nothing more than a chance to spin the legs out a bit faster to create some muscle tension and get rid of some nerves.<br />
<br />
After the run, we drove over to the expo to pick up my packet. As is usual for Shamrock, there were very few lines if any. Pickup is always a breeze, even when you go on the busiest day. I didn't need anything at the expo, so we were in and out, even with a little exploring, in less than 30 minutes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gsjRam_hjpiKfy4mTiWUaMMCUVC1nfJSNX7wPhbLSmz93KFZv8IwtJ6HrRdaTJ-HzwlVbaV87rxJ5NX8ksdw8IXBhn7bjXLqZchyphenhyphendR4vci3NQYEoZgCWq2jEWc05LUCGeUkIRHAKlCDy/s1600/Expo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gsjRam_hjpiKfy4mTiWUaMMCUVC1nfJSNX7wPhbLSmz93KFZv8IwtJ6HrRdaTJ-HzwlVbaV87rxJ5NX8ksdw8IXBhn7bjXLqZchyphenhyphendR4vci3NQYEoZgCWq2jEWc05LUCGeUkIRHAKlCDy/s1600/Expo.JPG" height="320" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See, no lines!</td></tr>
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The rest of Saturday was spent lounging at the beach. With temps in the 70s, it was like a regular beach day. People were out sunbathing, running along the boardwalk, and a certain someone was back digging in the sand. It was nice to be outside and still stay off my feet. Just spent my focus on the race, relaxing, and eating more carbs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EE_SfEV-vi0l1urz8Egie0-75Hv3a8H1_-R-QGdjBj0IDvFABu-Tb87nGJhA1m3QJ40yHLzL9tkT1nUiC9lWkKv41TvBIjBK6cUukY29hs_HRlTnbwILywKv6iLCncGBAAatPSSjwhVO/s1600/Family+Beach+Time.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EE_SfEV-vi0l1urz8Egie0-75Hv3a8H1_-R-QGdjBj0IDvFABu-Tb87nGJhA1m3QJ40yHLzL9tkT1nUiC9lWkKv41TvBIjBK6cUukY29hs_HRlTnbwILywKv6iLCncGBAAatPSSjwhVO/s1600/Family+Beach+Time.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family Beach Shot!</td></tr>
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<u><b><i>Race Day</i></b></u><br />
The sleep before race day is always interesting. Sometimes I sleep incredibly well, other times I barely get any. This was one of those cases where I WAS sleeping incredibly well...until a certain little one was so excited from his big day playing in the sand that he decided he wanted to go back out there at 1 AM. Rebecca amused him for a bit, he ate a snack, then went back to bed. Then got back up at 4:30 AM for good. So that was that. Not much sleep. But if there was ever a testament to the saying that the sleep the night before a race doesn't matter, I'm pretty sure I've just verified it.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJDr2b7ViFi34qweofTOVWZ4ScUjfKy8EQkQUfbRiVjpsEAWyJf5cSBTe1H-T4t23YtbQmOD8Sl8Mc4ta-tcHeiTUFn7U10iRenjzZv2QM2L9PJhYBC8HUKTTTe4liPpmSH8mszbrDAW3/s1600/1+am+snack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJDr2b7ViFi34qweofTOVWZ4ScUjfKy8EQkQUfbRiVjpsEAWyJf5cSBTe1H-T4t23YtbQmOD8Sl8Mc4ta-tcHeiTUFn7U10iRenjzZv2QM2L9PJhYBC8HUKTTTe4liPpmSH8mszbrDAW3/s1600/1+am+snack.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 am snack time!</td></tr>
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<br />
After killing about 3 or so hours by continuing to stuff my face with a bagel at 4:30 am (carbs) and sipping sports drink (more carbs), I followed it up with my actual go to race day breakfast of applesauce, protein powder, and a banana (more carbs). I felt full, but with a solid 2 hours before race time, I knew I'd be in good shape by then.<br />
<br />
At about 7:45, I made my way down toward the start for a short warm up. Only a mile total of running, with 2 x 1:00 at marathon pace as pickups and then a few more strides closer to the actual race start. I met up with some other =PR= runners, including Erin, who was my training partner this cycle for our long runs. We met <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/03/race-report-va-beach-shamrock-marathon.html">last year</a> on the course at around Mile 2 and we formed the unofficial 3:10 pace group. We started training together this cycle when we both decided to sign up for Shamrock again. Our plan was to stick together and at the very least, work through the winds ourselves if we couldn't recruit others to join us. Our plan was broken into race segments:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Miles 1-5: Try to start out at 7:20/mi and then slowly progress, with 7:15/mi avg by Mile 5.</li>
<li>Miles 6-12: Pick up the pace a bit, hanging around 7:10/mi.</li>
<li>Miles 13-18: Goal pace time, sitting around 7:05/mi</li>
<li>Miles 19-23: Hold onto goal pace or anything under 7:10/mi</li>
<li>Miles 24-Finish: Anything under 7:15/mi</li>
</ul>
With that pacing plan, our simple goal was to break 3:10 We were right on pace to do it last year, but the nasty winds in the back half of the race shifted, leaving us with continued headwinds to fight with, which dropped us off goal pace. We were determined to have a different result this year. We knew the course, knew the conditions, and had a plan. All we had to do was <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/03/race-execution-done-right.html">execute </a>it.<br />
<br />
<i>Miles 1-5</i><br />
Erin and I were lined up about 8 rows back from the front. At exactly 8:30, the horn sounded and we were off. As per usual, some people were flying down Atlantic Ave. With a slight tailwind and race day nerves, we just let all those runners go and stuck to our plan. We were running easy and just chatting it up like any other long run. Shortly after the start, another =PR= runner Liz, who Erin runs with during the week, joined our group. Her stated goal was 3:25 and I knew we were running a fair bit faster than that, but she seemed to look and sound comfortable running our pace, so I welcomed the company. By the time we hit Mile 1, the three of us in our =PR= gear were racing down the road, chatting it up. No stress, just smooth running, clocking 7:16 for our first mile. A little fast, but I figured with the tailwind, it was close enough and we'd kept our effort super easy and would continue to for the early miles, so if that's what easy effort dealt, so be it. I tried to not focus too much on the actual pace and just made sure I felt like I was out for an easy run and was seriously holding myself back. If that feeling was confirmed, I was running the right way. Pace was only a reflection of what that yielded me. There would be plenty of time to work, but early in the marathon should not be one of them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDzj7Ppd9ggswgi87a550ktzPgiw0Yn0kY9QZirqh8N36dx6WwJmgt6Aqo6CdLadbbmrkyRDNNoChLYwyOzgmkXFhVQTDymRCUJKftodQfGDtUdFtxfnirgdnzeZHaLyHv_PNo-r5Tc_q/s1600/PR+Representing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDzj7Ppd9ggswgi87a550ktzPgiw0Yn0kY9QZirqh8N36dx6WwJmgt6Aqo6CdLadbbmrkyRDNNoChLYwyOzgmkXFhVQTDymRCUJKftodQfGDtUdFtxfnirgdnzeZHaLyHv_PNo-r5Tc_q/s1600/PR+Representing.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">=PR= Representing!</td></tr>
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<br />
The next few miles were pretty calm as we continued chatting. Around Mile 3, a group of 5-6 runners were chatting away, so I struck up a conversation with a few of them about their plans on the day. Turns out, they were all shooting for 3:05-3:10, so I figured we'd be running together for a while. Just like last year, I explained our plan to see if they'd be interested in joining when we got to the boardwalk later in the race. Without hesitation, they all agreed. I assured them that they'd all get equal time to recover and rotate, unlike our experience last year. <br />
<br />
Shortly before Mile 5, we hit the same spot that causes issues for everyone every year - the Mile markers were off. This being my 3rd time running the race, I knew they'd be off. So when everyone's watch beeped around us and they all groaned when they saw how far Mile 5 was still away from us, I quickly assured them that this happens every year and not to panic. Those who were hand timing their splits would have a really slow Mile 5 and a really fast Mile 6. Not sure why they haven't fixed this yet after all these years, but it helps to know it, so you don't suddenly speed up or panic when your splits aren't where you want them to be. So with the proper Mile 5, we came through in 7:13, averaging 7:13/mi over Miles 1-5, which was very close to our 7:15/mi goal - right where we wanted to be.<br />
<br />
<i>Miles 6-12</i><br />
Shortly after, we hit the turnaround and made our way back up the road with a chance to see all the other runners pouring down the street. It wasn't too long before I'd be hearing my name or shouting out to others. Literally, every 15s or so, there'd be another person. The runners we were with were joking if I was some celebrity. With a lot of runners in our =PR= distance training program and others that I've coached in year's past, it was quite the contingent. Once we made our way up the road a bit further, we turned off to head into Camp Pendleton. And unlike last year, this year was packed with service people cheering us on. I was thankful to have the support, as we did 3 years ago, but was careful not to make the same mistake I did then and speed up too much. I joked to one of the runners with us that Erin would speed up through this section, and sure enough, as we ran threw it, he put a 10 yard lead on us. We caught back up soon after, but the excitement of the streets being lined always gets the adrenaline pumping a little more. Looking back on our splits through that section of the course, we ran 7:07/mi, which was about 3-4s faster than we ran the other portions. Just goes to show that it does have an impact.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkdJnEhbPHfICD4ROzpf_olPRldC5QdKqYSGZxN0TTZPwE3R79EwqN4AirJpXkJsBYRIl8aUeJmc09fkZrbkyPnJjEA5t_w7R3mdqnBxxArUM7NDK4DLYZkmk808h9gvxNNBRXKsqmbzX/s1600/Mile+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkdJnEhbPHfICD4ROzpf_olPRldC5QdKqYSGZxN0TTZPwE3R79EwqN4AirJpXkJsBYRIl8aUeJmc09fkZrbkyPnJjEA5t_w7R3mdqnBxxArUM7NDK4DLYZkmk808h9gvxNNBRXKsqmbzX/s1600/Mile+10.JPG" height="320" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming off the Rudee Inlet Bridge</td></tr>
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<br />
Before we knew it, we were heading out of the camp and back into the road to head over the Rudee Inlet bridge. Some in our group charged the hill, but I took it as easy as I could and caught back up on the downhill. Just trying to save every ounce of energy, as it was still early in the race. We crossed Mile 10, which meant it was now time to head over to the boardwalk. Our group assembled in four sets of two, lined behind each other line a pace line. Each set of two would take 1-2 minutes out front, then fall back to the end to recover. This seemed to work really well and we were picking runners up who were fighting solo along the way. Group run tactics are the only way to battle these kinds of sections. The boardwalk wasn't actually as bad as it has been, so the time flew by pretty quickly. We actually threw down one of our faster splits on the day, running 7:04/mi at Mile 12 as we turned off the boardwalk and onto Atlantic. By the time we hit Mile 12, we averaged 7:08/mi over Miles 6-12, which was right where our goal was.<br />
<br />
<i>Miles 13-18</i><br />
Every year, this stretch of the course seems to be the most difficult, which it probably is in any marathon. You've been working for a while, but you're only halfway there, with most of the actual work yet to be done and it only gets harder. Running up Atlantic, I'd spot a few more =PR= runners that ran the half marathon and were out cheering. Our pack was still full in tact, though I could tell a few were starting to fade as I could hear their breathing, which is never a good thing to hear only 13 miles into a marathon. The bulk of our group continued to paceline it up Atlantic and onto Pacific. It was right at the turn into Pacific that we crossed the 13.1 mark in 1:34:42 (same EXACT split as last year) and I saw Rebecca and Z waiting to cheer me on. It gave me a sudden burst of energy and I mentally reset myself to keep my head down and run strong through this tough section.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNC0lGVI348AXChtjV-QNxKYPjomgkzdllAZCJURFSzmYlygW6NxyuqoJdogjfFDp1oqXh711ZKRL25wgNRihNq-ybkZMNwnX7z8qixCyQSrs3FnSMFdc2e1EYxYX1AWOU-3Je2IHof3M/s1600/Pack+at+Mile+13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNC0lGVI348AXChtjV-QNxKYPjomgkzdllAZCJURFSzmYlygW6NxyuqoJdogjfFDp1oqXh711ZKRL25wgNRihNq-ybkZMNwnX7z8qixCyQSrs3FnSMFdc2e1EYxYX1AWOU-3Je2IHof3M/s1600/Pack+at+Mile+13.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pack - and then there were four</td></tr>
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<br />
The 4 miles up Pacific are some of the longer miles in the race. No turns, an ever so slight uphill grade, and only your mind to bug you about how you're feeling. Fortunately, I had the pack to amuse me and half marathon runners going the other direction to distract. We cheered for the half marathoners and continued joking around, which was good, because it meant everyone still in our pack was feeling alright. We were down to four now, as the others dropped off along the stretch up Atlantic/Pacific, and we made our turn onto the tree lined streets away from the winds. It felt good to be running strong and even easier without the wind. We were clocking miles between 7:05-7:10, so I wasn't too stressed about sitting at exactly 7:05 per our goal. As long as the effort felt right and my legs were behaving, that's all I needed as confirmation that I was running the right pace. We just keep plugging away, hitting Mile 18 in 7:07, averaging 7:08/mi through this section.<br />
<br />
<i>Miles 19-23</i><br />
Now it was time to get down to work with the serious part of the race in front of us. We were right on pace, but we just needed to hold it. Mile 19 was my fastest mile on the day, 6:59/mi. It wasn't my intent to run that fast, but that's what happened. I quickly passed the mark where I cramped up and had to back away from our pack last year. I gave it the finger and hoped it wouldn't happen this time, so maybe that's where the 6:59 came from? Of course, it wasn't too long after that moment where I felt the ever present (for me) hamstring twinge. I immediately backed off and thought my day might be done, but quickly shut that part of brain off and focused back on positive thoughts. I told Erin to go ahead and he pulled a few steps ahead. After a few moments, the tightness went away and I was back on his shoulder. He looked back to see if I was there and gave him the thumbs up. <br />
<br />
We had now made the turn back toward the finish, but were slammed with some serious winds. I think if you asked anyone where the worst wind was on the course, everyone would say Fort Story. Maybe it was because it was later in the race, but it hurt. Our pack had fallen off and it was just Erin and I. We picked up a few others who were ahead of us fighting the winds solo, and got them to join in. It became 5 of us, but I'm pretty sure Erin was the only one doing much of the work. I was barely hanging on, as I was worried about pushing too hard with 5 miles still to go, so I just stayed at the back of the group and ran my own race. Erin on the other hand seemed to be feeling strong. At Mile 22, he dropped us with a sub-7 mile surge, that put a 50 yard gap between our group and him. I could still see him up ahead, but I just wanted to keep my consistent running without risking further cramping. I was still running around 7:10, so I knew if I could just hold pace, I'd come in easily under 3:10. So despite the urge to bridge back up and run the rest together, I played it safe.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig13ptEgqT75D95iWjYwDpiakp8OlPVY_DdY9N4EiGeHb6lfwwYPYxDGT-OPlqIhzwT9_0odB7rh20OUtKLSTCQhx2wxVpS7cs4VntrAeS7tgbRi6AlbYyyb5yeKnx5Prx6H43o4zLHPag/s1600/Mile+22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig13ptEgqT75D95iWjYwDpiakp8OlPVY_DdY9N4EiGeHb6lfwwYPYxDGT-OPlqIhzwT9_0odB7rh20OUtKLSTCQhx2wxVpS7cs4VntrAeS7tgbRi6AlbYyyb5yeKnx5Prx6H43o4zLHPag/s1600/Mile+22.JPG" height="320" width="197" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stupid wind, go away</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was still with the new group through Fort Story, working our way through the wind, while Erin would occasionally glance back to check on me. I was hoping he could just focus on his race and finishing strong and that I'd come in as best I could. We finally exited Fort Story, and were treated with a slight tailwind to head down Pacific. I was just clocking steady Miles. Mile 23 was 7:08. For that section, I averaged 7:08/mi, slightly slower than the 7:05 goal, but all things considered, I was right on average pace for where I wanted to be this late in the race.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKxJMxdBntSntI6VIhK6LLSkmSPAlC8N_n-QbYHatb9GSPy8tGuYMDXQZpZp967_UMFyj5hM5U5x7e-50LxvT2LzgBMx_HK0PxH12ozdan6hMEhd-niBZrhScKJNUEBrwIU4iqZ3LtaXX/s1600/Mile+25-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKxJMxdBntSntI6VIhK6LLSkmSPAlC8N_n-QbYHatb9GSPy8tGuYMDXQZpZp967_UMFyj5hM5U5x7e-50LxvT2LzgBMx_HK0PxH12ozdan6hMEhd-niBZrhScKJNUEBrwIU4iqZ3LtaXX/s1600/Mile+25-2.JPG" height="320" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruising down Pacific - almost there!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Miles 24-Finish</i><br />
Once I entered Fort Story around Mile 20, I covered my watch with my arm sleeve. I knew this part would get tough, but I didn't want a slow pace reading to influence my mindset. I peaked down once during that section and saw 7:07, so I knew I was doing fine. Once I exited Fort Story and had only a 5k to go, I took another peek at Mile 24 and saw a 7:07 mile and started playing the math game. I basically figured out that I could run an 8:00/mi and still get in under 3:10. Of course, I had no interest in doing that, but it was comforting to know. I slowed a tad in Mile 25, possibly due to that knowledge, posting a 7:17, but still well within my goal range at that time. I slowly began picking up the pace over the final bit after I could see the hotels located along the boardwalk in the distance getting closer. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDVimT6pEquTG1qZcYtF139BcQmFgKrMZm5MaejcjsHAMRJlx9WBU3x4KsdOEmIA-i-6zH-iRQx6HD7tzHygOc1Qg3UF7Fcxt4ghz1AdNOMC-NKsDwn7WPEcS5T3bJt7Gr-DuBjcVYyVp/s1600/Boardwalk+Finish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDVimT6pEquTG1qZcYtF139BcQmFgKrMZm5MaejcjsHAMRJlx9WBU3x4KsdOEmIA-i-6zH-iRQx6HD7tzHygOc1Qg3UF7Fcxt4ghz1AdNOMC-NKsDwn7WPEcS5T3bJt7Gr-DuBjcVYyVp/s1600/Boardwalk+Finish.JPG" height="320" width="235" /></a></div>
Mile 26 (on my watch) came through in 7:10 and I made the final turn toward the boardwalk, which meant a little over .3 mi of real running left to go. The wind slapped me nearly backwards at that point, but once I faced the finish line in the distance, the wind was the least of my thoughts. I just focused on picking up the pace and savoring the moment. I saw a fellow =PR= runner sitting on a bench cheering me in, listened to others as they yelled my name off my bib, and tried to keep it together. A few moments later, I heard the announcer say Erin's name as he crossed the finish line. Only 24s later, I heard mine. I did it! I qualified for Boston! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaO-ZLbdbCfdhHMvZ9DH3XnqU16bdtDppxDFZHs5ZT6tYDzm1fcUgfHiRvwaxWVASla8M2H3bNw0-AF71YPBX2UQVNi4_qLF_SOK8xPVSXxAm0gDW8THBn_hNJNlj3H000WwPFdPR0dcL/s1600/Finish+Line.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaO-ZLbdbCfdhHMvZ9DH3XnqU16bdtDppxDFZHs5ZT6tYDzm1fcUgfHiRvwaxWVASla8M2H3bNw0-AF71YPBX2UQVNi4_qLF_SOK8xPVSXxAm0gDW8THBn_hNJNlj3H000WwPFdPR0dcL/s1600/Finish+Line.JPG" height="400" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hells yea!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Erin and I both met each other after the finish and were in disbelief that we finally did it. All the hard work. For this moment. We did it! And we felt no more tired than after a hard long run!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazingly still able to celebrate!</td></tr>
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Standing around for a bit still in the finishers area, Rebecca came running over with Z and I couldn't wait to tell her that I qualified. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUHFK6rQ26uCSsL9YrhngCh5jpma9ad0J3PEB4aOq80AOyntxGci-U2kH_YfWXei6Ca66fgFmioA9uX-_C0fRHvwJ0jqDixy9WyozqIz2rd-BhGb67p-mEHwbxLNl3C5VnVFNztiVrojr/s1600/Smooch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUHFK6rQ26uCSsL9YrhngCh5jpma9ad0J3PEB4aOq80AOyntxGci-U2kH_YfWXei6Ca66fgFmioA9uX-_C0fRHvwJ0jqDixy9WyozqIz2rd-BhGb67p-mEHwbxLNl3C5VnVFNztiVrojr/s1600/Smooch.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm sure he'll appreciate this moment when he's older :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A few moments later, one of the girls in our original pack, Jen (in green in above photo), crossed the line in 3:09:54, right on goal for sub-3:10. And a little bit later, Liz (the other =PR= runner with an original 3:25 goal) came in at 3:15. It was a great day for everyone in our pack. We worked together and everyone PR'd. No better feeling than achieving your goal and seeing others do it at the same time!<br />
<br />
I have a lot more to say about the race, my thoughts, etc. but I'll save that for another day. <br />
<br />
Here are some of the final stats on the race, including my splits:<br />
<br />
Time: 3:08:53<br />
Pace: 7:12/mi (Garmin had me at 7:09/mi with extra weaving/running)<br />
Overall Place: 84/2788<br />
Age Group: 22/208<br />
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<br />Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-15128837047016575282014-03-10T15:07:00.002-04:002014-03-11T14:19:21.466-04:00The Highs and Lows of Marathon TrainingIts race week already and I can't believe it! Time has simply flown by, as it often seems to do when you're focused on a daily routine of life, training, work, etc. However, whenever you look back on the past training cycle, it's important to look at the whole picture. I can't help but reflect on the highs and lows that accompany every marathon training cycle. We all face them. Even the professionals. So for the ease of organization and reading, here is a quick list of the ones I've been able to reflect from my own training experiences:<br />
<br />
<u><i><b>The Highs</b></i></u><br />
<ul>
<li><i>The Runners High:</i> That daily dose from getting in a run, whether its a quick shakeout or an epic long run. Who doesn't love that hit of endorphins!</li>
<li><i>Being Part of the .5%: </i>Marathon training is accomplishing something few others will ever achieve. Its difficult, especially when you're immersed in the sub-culture of uber fit athletes, to realize just how many people don't work out. Turns out, 99.5% of the population don't run marathons. Clearly, you're not one of them. Congrats!</li>
<li><i>Marathon fitness:</i> There's something about being able to go out and crush 20+ miles on any given day that makes you feel super fit. Now granted, many marathoners probably can't do 25 pushups so its a different kind of fitness, but you simply feel like you're on top of the world when you're out there going long. </li>
<li><i>Food. Lots of it. </i> When you're in the thick of training, you rarely think twice about that second serving of dinner or dessert. Of course, once taper time hits, it all changes and that little devil on your shoulder is telling you to take another, while it takes all of your willpower to just say no.</li>
</ul>
<i><u><b>The Lows</b></u></i><br />
<ul>
<li><i><i> </i><i>Mental drain: </i></i>There's no doubt that training for a marathon is a
long process that requires consistency and patience. Toward the end of
training, no matter how dedicated you are, the training just gets old.
This doesn't happen every day or even every training cycle, and there are certainly tactics to beat
this mindset, but we all suffer from it at some point. The key is to just take things day by day and forget about the end result. You'll get there.<i> </i></li>
<li><i>Head Games:</i> We all have them. We try to ignore them. But they exist. Have you thought to yourself: "Can I really run THAT far or fast for that long? How am I going to do that on race day!" They can really get to you, especially with a string of bad runs during the training cycle. Just keep going. Those thoughts will fade.</li>
<li><i>Too much of a good thing: </i>It's easy to get caught up
in the training and feel invincible once you start hitting those big
mileage weeks. And often times, we just want to keep piling on more,
especially if we are still feeling good, without adequate rest. This
usually results in injury or overtraining a few weeks down the road when
the fatigue finally catches up to you. If you have a plan, stick with
it and don't try to overachieve. More does not always equal better.</li>
<li><i>Paralysis of Analysis:</i> How many times have you sat there and tried to figure out how many different ways you can achieve your goal time? By negative, even, and/or positive splitting? Run/walking? If it's hot, cold, or windy? Maybe it's time to step away from the Excel spreadsheet model you've just created with every variable plotted out.</li>
<li><i>Taper crazies:</i> Whether you like it or not, taper is part of the deal. From 3 weeks to 10 days, it makes you a little bit nutty no matter how long you taper. In the blink of an eye, you can be convinced you have a major injury, only to show up on race day and forget all about that random tightness in your hip. Here's a tip: those phantom pains aren't real. It's all in your mind.</li>
</ul>
With all the highs and lows, its easy to get stuck on one side or the other. Hopefully, you spend more time enjoying training than hating it, but not all training cycles are created equal. The important point is that neither side, good or bad, should determine what you do on race day. If you did the work, then you prepared for the race. It's as simple as that. And as long as you know you are entering the race prepared (even if you're a little under trained), you should feel confident that you'll be able to execute on race day.<br />
<br />
Some of the worst training cycle experiences have resulted in the best races. At the end of the day, you'll most likely remember the positives, once all the negative stuff fades away into a distant memory. So you might as well make the most of it, right?<br />
<br />
Here's to hoping you are able to bring out the best in yourself on race day! Go get it!Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-78648981236495595242014-01-20T08:00:00.000-05:002014-01-22T15:48:35.739-05:00Understanding The Recovery Run and Why You're Probably Doing It WrongFor any runner looking to improve, whether that means to get faster, run more consistently, log more miles, etc., recovery runs are a critical part of a training cycle.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"10 mile recovery run in the books! #trainhardrecoverharder"</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Ever seen someone post anything like that on social media? My response - You're doing it wrong. And that is part of the reason why I am inspired to write this. Too many people are putting their health at risk by failing to understand the recovery run and how it fits into the bigger picture. And worse yet, logging miles of useless running doesn't lead a runner any closer to achieving a given goal. So let me lay it out for you to understand the what, why, and how.<br />
<br />
But before I get there, let's take a look into better understanding some basic terminology before jumping into the specifics. When we speak about run training in general, there are really two key terms to think about: stress workouts and recovery runs.</div>
<ul>
<li><b>Stress workouts</b>: These are what we think about as the hard part of training - tempos, intervals, long runs. These workouts target different energy systems to directly stress you and ultimately increase your fitness. The specific stress workout to do, largely depends on what race you are training for and where in your training cycle you are in relation to your goal race.</li>
<li><b>Recovery runs:</b> As noted above, these are the "other" runs you do that support the work you do when you execute a stress workout. All training programs (regardless of race distance) should incorporate recovery runs. More about recovery runs can be found below.</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdSIzCYXV01O7eDwrU3LSOY3cHOVVTwzrWyzWCL26Pp3K7m0JU_InBNonLD2ZTvTj2T_gKDohBf1UC3D6Z280eQjLXmswgJSUngxnjG8xD5FtMw8Gu1ecEnt4jGVVwU50ps_RLeEI2Asj/s1600/Training+Adaptation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdSIzCYXV01O7eDwrU3LSOY3cHOVVTwzrWyzWCL26Pp3K7m0JU_InBNonLD2ZTvTj2T_gKDohBf1UC3D6Z280eQjLXmswgJSUngxnjG8xD5FtMw8Gu1ecEnt4jGVVwU50ps_RLeEI2Asj/s320/Training+Adaptation.jpg" height="242" width="320" /></a>The stress response model for general adaptation is a concept familiar to any sport. The simple explanation is that in order to improve, we must first stress the system, followed by a period of recovery, followed by supercompensation, which makes us more fit. Following a stress workout, the body needs to recovery prior to adding another new stress, otherwise one would continue to build fatigue. The result of too much of this fatigue is typically injury. If you're lucky, your body shows signs before injury hits, but those that push beyond their body's signals often end up with some sort of injury. Therefore, this cycle teaches us that when we place a stress upon our system, we need to allow adequate recovery so that we can continue to build up stronger and reach new levels of fitness as we train toward our goal race.<br />
<br />
You might be wondering, well if recovery is so important, why not just take every day after a stress workout off instead of a recovery run? Well there are multiple reasons why one should not necessarily take a day completely off after a stress workout. I'll cover them in a moment below. <br />
<br />
So with those two general concepts clear, its important to
understand why recovery runs are still important to every runner and how
you should customize your recovery runs to meet your specific needs. No matter what distance race you are training for, recovery runs serve the same purpose:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>To build volume of your running program and increase aerobic efficiency</i>: Easy runs provide a safe means of adding volume to a runner's weekly mileage. Running higher volume enables the ability to increase ones aerobic efficiency. If you only ran stress workouts and took off every other day, it would only lead to 2-3 days of running per week, thus minimizing
your ability to increase your aerobic efficiency (ie via too low volume). Lots of easy running provides a safer means of accomplishing this and the more efficient you can become, the faster you can run at given intensities. Further, the increased volume often provides a greater base of support to handle higher stress workouts, which can lead to even greater adaptations. In other words, it allows you do to more, which can make you more fit. </li>
<li><i>Promote moderate bloodflow</i>: While we hopefully all recognize now that the lactate, commonly associated with stress workouts,<a href="http://runnersconnect.net/running-training-articles/science-of-lactic-acid/"> isn't the evil it was once thought to be</a>, we also know that movement heals through bloodflow throughout the body to help remove toxins in the blodstream. This is one of the benefits of massage and other similar therapies -
to encourage bloodflow, which aids in recovery. Easy recovery runs enable you to promote bloodflow without causing much added stress. The key here is to limit the amount of stress by keeping the run easy and relatively short (more on that in a bit). </li>
<li><i>Allow your body to adapt to the stress placed upon it through workouts</i>: As noted in the adaptation diagram above, if you don't allow for sufficient recovery, you'll never reap the benefits of supercompensation to achieve higher levels of fitness. Simply put, you'll be digging a hole you can't get out of through higher and higher levels of breakdown and fatigue. So we do recovery runs to provide the limited stimulus, while still allowing our bodies to adapt.</li>
</ul>
So for all of these reasons (and probably many more I didn't include), it should be clear <i>what </i>recovery runs are, and <i>why </i>we should incorporate recovery runs. But let's talk about <i>how</i>.<br />
<br />
Like every recommendation/training principle, these are general guidelines. However, the vast majority of runners could benefit from following them. If <a href="http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/41/8/469.full.pdf">injury statistics of runners</a> are any indication, runners simply don't follow enough of these general guidelines. So my advice is to simply follow it if you want to be able to train consistently. So you want to know what the rule is? Its pretty simple:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Each recovery run should be no longer than 10% of your weekly volume</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Lastly, we all know that recovery runs should be done at a slower pace,
but by how much? I typically leave this up to how I'm feeling, but in
general, it should be no more than 65-75% of your max heart rate or about 90 - 120 seconds slower than your 5k pace. So combine the two guidelines of distance and pace and you've got a recipe for success. <br />
<br />
Putting this all into context, this means that someone who runs 40 miles/week and has a 5k time of 25:00 (8:00/mi pace) should run no more than 4 miles per recovery run at between 9:30 - 10:00/mi. So that 8-10 mile "recovery run" you just did wasn't much of a recovery at all. In fact, you just created new stress on your body, which will carry over into your next stress workout and could potentially spin you down through the fatigue back hole.<br />
<br />
Am I being a bit over dramatic about the impact? Possibly, but consistently breaking this guideline will not lead you in the most direct form of progression and may very well result in injury. So while doing this every once and a while isn't likely to have this impact, it may. So take this advice for what its worth - another guideline to keep you injury free and constantly progressing as a runner, no matter what your goals are. </div>
Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-27795550176952448212014-01-02T12:18:00.000-05:002014-01-02T13:08:20.082-05:002013 Year in Review2013 will certainly go down as a great year - both for running and in life. While the days, weeks, and months seemed to fly by, a lot happened over the course of that time. Taking a look back allows for a review of the year and a chance to decide what's next for 2014. Here's a brief look back:<br />
<br />
<u><i><b>January - March</b></i></u>: Training was in full force for the Shamrock marathon, where I set my eyes on a new PR. During that time, I reached <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/01/reaching-new-highs.html">new mileage highs</a>, topping out in the low 70s for a few weeks. Never did I think I'd be able to handle that kind of volume, but I proved myself capable of it through consistent training and a gradual build up over time. Many of those long runs were joined by an awesome crew of running buddies. Seriously don't know how I would have gotten through all of the training without the company.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZhcEBSnYw8UhgHF3809ER40f5tArqSbSpTbDij97K5yaMaOX2b7CBi50OYvbayKJLgX4T4XBZG_3YFevSPNV2OQfbEH0_5u2KPs6xCKQgNw7bjWVQx5qYCmbjNaRJJMQgI_7DpdziVTF/s1600/Pre-Run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZhcEBSnYw8UhgHF3809ER40f5tArqSbSpTbDij97K5yaMaOX2b7CBi50OYvbayKJLgX4T4XBZG_3YFevSPNV2OQfbEH0_5u2KPs6xCKQgNw7bjWVQx5qYCmbjNaRJJMQgI_7DpdziVTF/s320/Pre-Run.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best running buddies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With Shamrock in sight, I relentlessly checked the weather - partially because I have always been obsessed with the weather as I get closer to any race, but more so because the outlook was less than ideal. Despite by best mind tricks and anti-bad weather dances, the weather man did not change his forecast and we were dealt with 20-30 mph headwinds for the race. However, I ran a strong race resulting in a PR and <a href="http://www.outforaruntraining.com/">met some cool people</a> along the way. Nothing to complain about there!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QWRgiC2qVWv-NX-IwRl2XbXU4Pwq15PUQTcrWgKtyfxVySoryqJzKMVL42f6iu42tR06GTPJTafewJXdK15Vz3zT94L_YvqxUO_CZP_RajJlkBA-d3sPGiRrXO7BGK0NeRCViiShawg1/s1600/Boardwalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QWRgiC2qVWv-NX-IwRl2XbXU4Pwq15PUQTcrWgKtyfxVySoryqJzKMVL42f6iu42tR06GTPJTafewJXdK15Vz3zT94L_YvqxUO_CZP_RajJlkBA-d3sPGiRrXO7BGK0NeRCViiShawg1/s320/Boardwalk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leading our unofficial pace crew</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b><i><u>April - May</u></i></b>: With my race in the books, it was time to <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/04/life-as-sherpa-training-and-racing.html">focus on Rebecca</a>, who was training for the Nike Women's Half. I spent a number of weekends logging some stroller miles with her on her long runs. To this day, her longest run of that training cycle remains our longest stroller run - 13 miles.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcGJx8ADRVyhQ_zUK_WcOnfQlORAXZ8HGAaeeEIsgUw3eLyxGse5WeVKNaL-yk2S-zfmEiFLP2LFypPkg19ImXCN6Nu-0sMzbFQM6j4Ru5ND-VC5l9b5syUHljrgnU6qnMXJexIsNL-0s/s1600/13.1+Stroller+Run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcGJx8ADRVyhQ_zUK_WcOnfQlORAXZ8HGAaeeEIsgUw3eLyxGse5WeVKNaL-yk2S-zfmEiFLP2LFypPkg19ImXCN6Nu-0sMzbFQM6j4Ru5ND-VC5l9b5syUHljrgnU6qnMXJexIsNL-0s/s320/13.1+Stroller+Run.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the stroller</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As expected, <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/05/coaching-and-executing-2-races-2-prs.html">Rebecca rocked her race</a> and threw down a 30+ minute PR! Watching the crew I coached all run great races was such a fun experience. Sometimes life as a coach/sherpa can be even more rewarding than racing yourself. This was one of those days.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1X3qGJceUjL9d22F_u4_t42jMqEnVtjr9-emgmoZPAohZ4-cYf_rwdGnSDv4_IPoTZI8QwMENJbgzp1sR5hlf_YG6yna2CSGo42iWPvfShG6grv0QAJgj_SfvlvT-q1fYYOJ65UFLyCV/s1600/Family+PreRace.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1X3qGJceUjL9d22F_u4_t42jMqEnVtjr9-emgmoZPAohZ4-cYf_rwdGnSDv4_IPoTZI8QwMENJbgzp1sR5hlf_YG6yna2CSGo42iWPvfShG6grv0QAJgj_SfvlvT-q1fYYOJ65UFLyCV/s320/Family+PreRace.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The support crew</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With Rebecca's race in the past, it was time to hop back into focus on another goal race of mine -<a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/05/race-report-brooklyn-half-marathon.html"> the Brooklyn Half</a>. Fresh off Shamrock, I wanted to race the half distance to set a PR, but I wasn't quite ready to go all in on the training front yet. And while I didn't train for it quite as well, I still managed to PR in the distance. <br />
<br />
<b><i><u>June - August:</u></i></b> After a few weeks of downtime following Brooklyn, it was time to get back into the swing of things with training for the NYC Marathon. To my shock and amazement, <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/06/beating-odds-setting-up-my-fall-racing.html">I managed to get into the race through the lottery</a> after trying for a number of years. I was both excited for another go at the marathon distance, but also intimidated by the huge spectacle of the race. As a result, I got caught up in the minutia of it all and<a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/08/fighting-through-grind.html"> felt stuck in my training</a>. However, I resolved it all by just taking things one day at a time and by focusing on the little things to get me through.<br />
<br />
It was also during this time than <a href="http://dcrunster.com/">Jamie </a>reached out to me about being included in an article about running blogs in an upcoming edition of <a href="http://www.runwashington.com/">Run Washington</a>. I happily accepted and couldn't wait to get my copy when it was finally published. <a href="http://mydigimag.rrd.com/publication/?i=161623">Have a read</a> - lots of great blogs to read from!<br />
<br />
<b><i><u>September - November:</u></i></b> With NYC nearing, I <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/09/race-report-perfect-10-miler.html">raced the Perfect 10 Miler</a> as a tune up and fitness indicator of where I was before heading into the final few weeks of training. Similar to those races before, it resulted in another PR and clear sign that I was ready to rock NYC.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jess and I crushing the hilly 10 miler course</td></tr>
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Before I knew it, it was time to race NYC, so we made the trip up and I embraced the whole experience. And despite similar weather conditions as Shamrock (ie terrible winds),<a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/11/race-report-new-york-city-marathon.html"> I made the best of the race and PR'd</a> again at the marathon, while<a href="http://fueledbylolz.com/"> meeting some more fun people</a> along the way.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite shoe and my favorite marathon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u><i><b>December:</b></i></u> While there were no planned races (yet), my training has continued, since I am working on the foundation for a Spring race. During this time, I realized that I'd come painfully close (but likely short) to 2500 miles on the year. Well in the closing weeks, I noticed that I happened to be running a few more miles than planned. And slowly, I got it in my head that I had a shot at getting to 2500. With 180 miles over the last three weeks of the year, I managed to squeeze by 2500 to finish at <u><b>2503</b></u>. This set a new lifetime high by approximately 500 miles. And while I don't place much emphasis on raw mileage numbers, I know that this included tons of quality miles in there. Most of those miles were spread over two marathon cycles, which always included speedwork and tempos.<br />
<br />
This month also brought me a first - my first time being <a href="http://www.active.com/running/articles/how-to-cope-if-you-can-t-run-for-a-week-or-two-during-the-holidays">featured in an article through Active.com</a> (also written by <a href="http://dcrunster.com/">Jamie</a>), an online resource I've been reading for years since I started runner. It was pretty cool to see the final product and I couldn't be more proud.<br />
<br />
So what is my takeaway from 2013? Consistency is the name of the game. Always has been and will hopefully continue to be in 2014. I don't have many specific goals for 2014 other than to enjoy running as much as possible and keep inspiring others to do the same, whether through coaching, writing, and/or doing. If I do that, then I can pretty much guarantee success everywhere else. And in order for that to happen, I just need to keep running and set the example. And I'll do just that - for 2014 and beyond. Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-6132429947234035222013-12-16T16:00:00.001-05:002013-12-16T16:00:55.778-05:00How to Enjoy the TreadmillI like the treadmill. There, I said it. You heard me right...I LIKE IT. Now, I didn't say I LOVE it, but I do like it. It's definitely not running outside and far from perfect, but I don't have the same hatred of the treadmill as others. Commonly referred to as the "dreadmill", it can be a perfectly good tool to make you a better runner. This doesn't mean that every run should be on the treadmill, much like every run shouldn't be in the same pair of shoes. But what it does mean, is that you can benefit greatly by incorporating treadmill runs into your regular routine. Now before I go any further, I'd note than outdoor runs are almost always preferable, since it gives you the closest simulation to what your actual race will resemble. <br />
<br />
Let me clear that I haven't always been a huge fan of the treadmill. I've said my fair share of four letter words when realizing that I'd be running on one. But what I've learned or found over time is that it doesn't have to suck. It can be enjoyable and you can find some of the same appreciation for running on a treadmill as you can for doing it outside. So while there are plenty of reasons to dislike it, let's talk about why you should be enjoying the treadmill more than you do:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i>You are what you think you are -</i> Only the space inside your head decides it's a "deadmill" run versus another opportunity to improve your running. Change the mindset and your perspective of the run changes as well. It doesn't all have to suck. View the positive and focus on it. Use it as a mantra if you need it to get you through the run, but bringing a positive outlook will almost always result in a more positive experience.</li>
<li><i>Find the purpose - </i>As with any planned run, there should be a purpose to the workout. If you simply hop on the treadmill with no idea other than "just run", my bet is that you'll find it boring. But find a purpose, whether a speed/tempo workout or simply an easy run, and the clear goal helps bring clarity to your mind about why you are doing what you are doing.</li>
<li><i>Focus on new things - </i>When you're outside, chances are you're thinking more about your next step or something else you that requires your immediate attention. But treadmill running allows you to focus on things you might not have an opportunity to think about otherwise, such as form. Have a friend take a short video from multiple angles and use the run as motivation to run with good form. Then, when you're done (or even in the middle of the run), you can review it to determine if there are any immediate changes you'd like to implement.</li>
<li><i>Multitasking for the overachiever -</i> We're all busy people and sometimes life isn't ALL about running. Well, the nice thing about the treadmill is that it can allow you do accomplish other things. If you have an ipad or an e-reader, you can keep tabs on work or virtually anything else. An easy run can be a great opportunity to zip through some articles you've been wanting to read. Simply crank up the font size so you don't have to squint and read away.</li>
<li><i>TV/Movies galore -</i> The most surefire way to get through a run on a treadmill is to dial up your favorite series or movie and get running. Seriously, time flies when you don't have to think about running. Now, be sure you are running at a half decent speed and not slacking off. Its too easy to slog through at a slow pace and get stuck in the show, but you can log some serious miles by going through your Netflix queue. Just make sure they're quality miles.</li>
<li><i>Embrace the suck - </i>I'm not saying every run is rainbows and unicorns, so I am well aware that some runs just suck. Even 10 minutes can feel like torture. Embrace it and remember that the person that comes out the other end of that run is stronger because of the struggle to get through it. Training for something always takes effort, both physically and mentally. Sometimes, a treadmill can bring the more mental aspect of a workout to the table. That should be something you can embrace, knowing that you'll be more ready to fight when things get tough.</li>
</ul>
With the addition of a treadmill, you really don't have any excuse for missing a run. And as much as we all like to commiserate with being stuck on a treadmill, it can be beneficial, but you need to make peace with that fact. Trust me, you'll be better for it. <br />
<br />
With winter already rearing its ugly head in most of the country, its time to hunker down and get ready for some treadmill miles if they are called upon. Consistency is king, so don't let some nasty winter conditions prevent you from becoming your best. <br />
<br />
The real question is, will you be able to handle it or will winter get
the best of you? My recommendation is to be ready and willing to do
what it takes. I know I am.Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-52775931336055651982013-12-06T09:50:00.001-05:002013-12-06T09:50:08.259-05:00Lessons Learned From The 2013 New York City MarathonAfter any race, I like to go back and review the race itself, the training cycle, and anything else surrounding the race to determine areas for improvement. <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/11/race-report-new-york-city-marathon.html">New York City</a> has been a tough one to write an assessment about. The race report was easy. I had a great time enjoying the experience, raced well given the circumstances, and fully moved on from the race. However, it has been difficult to sit down and do a fair assessment and review. Why? Most likely because I've been savoring the race. I know there are things I'd do differently, which I'll describe below, but it has more to do with closure on the race. I feel like once I do my review, its over officially. And to be honest, I've been enjoying the post-race glow, freedom to run how I feel, and not be driven by a plan. The month since the race has felt like ages in some respects, while I can practically replay much of the day in my head as if it was yesterday. But the time has come to close this chapter and move onto the next, so without further adieu, my lessons learned from New York City:<br />
<br />
<u><i>- Hills - Do Them Up and Down:</i></u> No matter how the course of your goal race is designed - flat or hilly. They build strength, secretly work some speed, and help improve your running form. But most importantly, work both the ups and downs. One of the main reasons I believe I experienced early cramping at NYC was due to focusing primarily on the ups. Knowing I had bridges to cross, I wanted to make sure I had my climbing legs. However, what goes up must come down, and in order to run NYC or any hilly course well, you need to have the specific strength on both sides or else the fatigue will get you. Run short hills fast, long hills steady, both at race effort, but most importantly, alternate focusing on ups and downs. It frustrates me that I didn't think of this during training, but that's what these reviews are for, right?<br />
<u><i><br /></i></u>
<u><i>- Adjusting Paces - Gut It Out and Get Over It</i></u>: It's easy in the thick of training to opt for the less challenging route when you are fatigued both mentally and physically. The same could be said for life. Usually, if you have to work for it, the end result is better. For example, choosing the slower range for a workout, which may not provide as much benefit as would nailing the faster end (as long as it is still within the purpose of the workout). As my paces have progressed faster, I had gotten a little complacent in adjusting them downward. We all have mental barriers, such as easy runs that start with a 9:xx becoming 8:xx, even if it is only a matter of a few seconds. Well for me, my lactate threshold pace dropped below 6:30/mi for the first time to around 6:20/mi and it added a little mental stress/intimidation before those workouts. My marathon pace also dropped below 7:00/mi to around 6:55/mi. And while running a workout close to the goal still gave me a great workout, I'd be lying to myself if I didn't think I could have trained a bit harder. Too frequently, I hung on to my old training paces, which were still challenging, but I was more comfortable with those as my goal. I need to get over the mental barriers and just train at my ideal paces, even if they scare me a bit. I can't expect optimal results if I don't train to optimal paces.<br />
<br />
<u><i>- Strength Work: Add Variety:</i></u> Throughout this training cycle, I've held on to my commitment to <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/06/laying-foundation-how-to-prepare-for.html">make strength work a part of my usual business</a>, whether it was included in my warm ups, cool downs, or as a separate workout. I am proud to have kept that promise to myself, because I truly do believe in the power of strength work to building a better runner. However, I've been set in my ways through a few pretty <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXpK3bF9UlA">standard </a>(to me) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-eCt7lfigA">routines</a>. I know them like the back of my hand, which means I can do them anywhere and much faster than a routine I'm not familiar with. And while the targeting of different muscles through these routines no doubt made me a better runner, adding some variety will offer alternative ways of hitting those same muscle groups. Variety is good, as long as you know what you're doing. I need to seek out alternatives to add to my rotation so I don't get stale. There are plenty of other resources out there that I trust, but I just need to make the effort to learn those routines rather than defaulting to my usual ones.<br />
<br />
This is a relatively short list, but each one is meaningful and can provide direct results in future training cycles (for both myself and for any runner seeking to become better). I was very pleased with my race and felt like I mostly met my expectations (aside from the time on the finish line) given the conditions. I have more work to do and my commitment to do so never wavers. <br />
<br />
So you're probably wondering where I go from here? What's next? Well, I'm still trying to figure that one out. There are a handful of Spring marathons I am considering (primarily March-April time frame), but am always open to recommendations if you've got them! Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-3300083718852480962013-11-15T09:33:00.001-05:002013-11-26T16:15:52.458-05:00Race Report: New York City Marathon<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
There I was, standing on the left side of 1<sup>st</sup> Ave
in the middle of the <a href="http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/">New York City Marathon</a>, having just descended the
Queensboro Bridge around Mile 16, unable to run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Queensboro is often referred to as the
most difficult of the bridges in the New York City Marathon course for a number
of reasons: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1) It is the only place on the course where there are no
spectators, so you are on your own; </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2) Having already run 15 rolling miles including
the Verrazano and Pulaski Bridges, your legs are already tired before starting
the climb; </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3) Next to the Verrazano, which you run with fresh legs, the
Queensboro is the 2<sup>nd</sup> largest, so you need to save something to get
over it with relative ease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
So after
descending off the Queensboro, I entered the wall of noise that awaits runners
as we take a sharp downhill off the bridge and a left<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>turn onto 1<sup>st</sup> Ave, only to see my
race seemingly slip right away from me at the exact moment I had imagined
myself turning up the intensity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For 16
miles, NYC was the loudest, most amazing race I’ve ever participated in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But at that exact moment, I heard nothing
except the curse words that were coming out of my mouth as my left hamstring
abruptly decided its day was done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Literally thousands of people were yelling at me to keep going, but all
I could do was hold a slight stretch for a few seconds and attempt to jog off
in the hopes that my body would simply snap back.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But let me back up first and explain how I got to that
point, because there is way too much to say about this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In so many ways, it was one of the most
amazing races I’ve ever experienced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
it was also disappointment in my eyes, because I wasn’t able to soak in as much
of the race as I would have liked due to my predicament at Mile 16.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><i>Pre-Race</i></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The race weekend began much like most out of town races for
our family – an insanely early wake up Friday (on the road by 4 am!) to both beat rush hour traffic in
the DC/Baltimore area, as well as to ensure Z was able to sleep for most of the
ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In trying to minimize the time
spent in the car, we’ve found its best to simply drive when he is
sleeping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got up to Brooklyn Friday
morning and after unpacking the car, we left go head right over to the expo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowing all too well what a crowded expo can
do for one’s patience, let alone with a 1.5 yr old kid in tow, we wanted to get
there as soon as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived to
find a long snaking line outside the convention center, but it moved very orderly
and quickly, so we were inside within only a few minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kudos to the event staff for being able to
make it an easy process, despite the enhanced security presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The expo was decent sized, but not as large
as one might think for the largest marathon in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I honestly didn’t see many good deals being
offered either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, <a href="https://guenergy.com/">some nutritional vendors</a> present weren’t even sampling their products and were simply there to
sell and make some money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Lame and a missed opportunity IMO. </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrr5ypirTDKRFhDqkWbvtVyu5XFpOUlb7TtlQFj2VOlo2NL4OW954qk5Wh1T8F9-JBIrzq7eTC-HYP6_MTdnZj1kVg6tP-v5BzODQ508l2-Sb45xbFxxHrxXeTl5UUQpET6IgJJQvx3GwV/s1600/NYCM+Edition+Kinvara+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrr5ypirTDKRFhDqkWbvtVyu5XFpOUlb7TtlQFj2VOlo2NL4OW954qk5Wh1T8F9-JBIrzq7eTC-HYP6_MTdnZj1kVg6tP-v5BzODQ508l2-Sb45xbFxxHrxXeTl5UUQpET6IgJJQvx3GwV/s320/NYCM+Edition+Kinvara+4.JPG" width="320" /></a>We walked around to see
what else was there, but it wasn’t the kind of place you could spend all day
at.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think we were in and out in about
an hour, having spent most of the time shopping and waiting in line (again, a
very quickly moving line) to buy some official gear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one last place I needed to swing by
before leaving was the Saucony area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
found out a few days earlier that <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffCaronRun">Jeff </a>was working the expo, so I wanted to say
hi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was surprised to learn that Jeff
had a special present for me: the special edition <a href="http://www.saucony.com/store/SiteController/saucony/Men%27sKinvara4/4-113400/stockNumber/20197-2/showDefaultOption/true/skuId/***4********20197-2*M095/searched/true/iCID/men-navigation-kinvara4/productdetails">New York City Marathon Saucony Kinvara 4</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was super
excited and honestly was torn as to whether or not to simply wear the shoes in
the race, violating the marathoner’s #1 rule: Thou Shalt Not Wear New Shoes On
Race Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite those temptations, I
stuck with my plan to use the same Kinvaras I trained in (Kinvara 3), since they’ve
worked so well for me this training cycle, having never received a single
blister while wearing them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the
right call and I knew it, but a hard decision nonetheless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the day was spent mostly lounging
around, trying to spend minimal time on my feet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Saturday rolled around and I had 2 goals on the day: 1) Go
for a short taper run; and 2) Don’t spend much time on my feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being in NYC, it is nearly impossible to not
spend some time on your feet, but I did my best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went down to the Brooklyn Piers and while
Z played in a park, I went for my short taper run (1 mi easy, 2 x 3:00 at
marathon effort for those curious).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
felt like I was flying, which got me even more excited for race day, as I could
tell the taper had worked its magic. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
felt fit, fast, and ready to race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of
course, then it hit me that while Saturday’s weather was near perfection
(50-60F, no wind), Sunday would be anything but.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The forecast was calling for temperatures in
the 40s, but with 15-20 mph sustained winds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/03/race-report-va-beach-shamrock-marathon.html">Having already raced an equally windy course this year</a>, I knew too well
what that might mean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless, I
remained positive with the mindset that I cannot control the weather, only how
I react.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I prepared myself mentally for
a tough day, but was hopeful that the crowds might block some of the
winds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the winds remained in the
back of my mind (I might have checked 15 weather sites and their hourly
forecasts), I focused my thoughts in remaining relaxed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve put in the training, I’ve raced in similar conditions, and I knew in my head that I was ready for this race.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><i>Race Day</i></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RiTVHkGrAeDpLRNLOMQRbbOZvjVaOzm_C92Xp0q-dob3f-L_vZzrED79u3mBLVPy1K719khLpaaqC9XrXgc8Ahek0p-5ey2TZKpONQWg4bDaDMxFlggjglnhZwuStxT8rBdAM8ltf7pf/s1600/Throwaway+Outfit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RiTVHkGrAeDpLRNLOMQRbbOZvjVaOzm_C92Xp0q-dob3f-L_vZzrED79u3mBLVPy1K719khLpaaqC9XrXgc8Ahek0p-5ey2TZKpONQWg4bDaDMxFlggjglnhZwuStxT8rBdAM8ltf7pf/s320/Throwaway+Outfit.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super early and I'm rockin my throwaways</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sunday morning couldn’t have come any sooner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With so much anticipation and the excitement
of a big city cheering us on, I didn’t sleep much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, I woke up well before my alarm, due
to it being daylight savings and had to stare up into darkness thinking about
my race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when it finally came time
to get up, I threw everything on (including my kids sized XL throwaway ski jacket) and headed out the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I signed up for the Staten Island Ferry,
which was only 1 stop on the subway from where I was staying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I took it over and followed the masses
heading in the same direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
couldn’t help but notice the winds already starting to whip around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the forecast, the winds were to
get more intense as the day pressed on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Again, I told myself that I cannot control it, so I just focused on
soaking in the whole experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After waiting about 20 minutes in the terminal, we boarded
the ferry and were graced with views of the Statue of Liberty to the west and
the Verrazano to the east.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a
pretty quick ride, but the views helped pass the nervous time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we exited the ferries, it was time for
the next leg, the buses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We simply kept
walking along the endless line of buses queued up for transport until being
told to get on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After another 20 minute
ride, we finally arrived at Fort Wadsworth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was here where I first felt the heightened security presence (and
more wind).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As our bus pulled up to our
designated spot, we were swarmed by dozens of NYPD stationed at each bus exit
to check our bibs and make sure we only brought in a clear plastic bag provided
by the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we passed through each
checkpoint, we’d come across another, and another, and another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though it wasn’t crowded at the time I was
heading through this process (approximately 6 am), I would imagine either they
didn’t continue with that scrutiny later on, or there were incredibly long
lines as a result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either way, I felt
safe and content to show my credentials each and every time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were there for us and I hoped others
going through the same process realized that too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d rather be checked 100 times and feel
secure, than walk right in and wonder where all the enhanced security was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once through the multiple checkpoints, I
finally made my way to the Orange Runners Village, where I’d spend the next
four (yes FOUR!) hours.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Big races like NYC know how to make you feel better about
the simple fact that we’d have sit queued up in our designated runner’s village
for so long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dunkin Donuts was there to
hand out winter hats for those who didn’t have one, provide coffee, and
bagels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was also Gatorade and
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the hours passed, the crowds
within the runners village grew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
never packed like sardines, but the line for DD and the port potties was pretty
long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, since I was in no hurry
to go anywhere, I didn’t mind it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
laying on the ground in my throwaway winter jacket for a while, I finally heard
them announce that Corral 1 was now open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I eventually made my way over by doing a quick jog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Note that within the Runner’s Village or
anywhere, there was no actual place to warm up and run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While heading over to the corrals, I found a
small section of space (maybe 2-3 minutes worth) to slowly jog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since it was cold and I had been sitting
around for hours, I feared that 1<sup>st</sup> uphill mile on the
Verrazano.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone who knows enough about
running marathons well knows that you can’t go from 0-60 in the early miles or
else you’ll blow up later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But without
much of a choice, I tried to take any opportunity to get my muscles
moving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once I got into the corral
(numbers 5-000 through 5-999), I really felt like we were packed like
sardines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One end of the corral was
lined with porto potties and the remainder of the corral was filled with lines
for each of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was virtually no
space to sit down otherwise, except for on the ground between the lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was while waiting in line that I finally
met <a href="http://fueledbylolz.com/">Hollie</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had discussed meeting up
prior to the race since we were both targeting similar paces, so I was happy to
see her. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not too long after meeting up, our corral started moving
forward, which meant we were heading toward the start!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We continued to talk and then ran into <a href="https://twitter.com/susanruns">Susan</a>, who joined our slow walk toward the Verrazano.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we inched closer toward the bridge, it
became real that I was there to run a marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Up until that moment, it was all just a big spectacle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stepping foot on that bridge, one I’ve driven
over many times previously, gave me the chills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After Mayor Bloomberg gave his welcome and send off to the Elite Women,
it was our time to start the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
introduced the Elite Men and before we knew it, it was go time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cannon boom caught me by surprise, but I
still had about 2 minutes before we actually crossed the line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we made our way up, Frank Sinatra was
blasting and Hollie and I went off looking for some open space.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><i>The Race</i></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In my head, I had the course broken up into a number of
segments: the Verrazano (Miles 1-2), Brooklyn up to the base of the Pulaski
Bridge (3-13), Queens over to the Queensboro Bridge (13-16), 1<sup>st</sup> Ave
to Willis Avenue Bridge (16-20), Bronx to the finish (20-26.2).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each section had a goal or mental reset
associated with it, so my plan was to be in the moment of each segment and not
worry about the next until I was in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Be in the mile your in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So that’s
how I’ve broken it down below.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Miles 1-2 </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMMV0xTmj3bdv_UpCJ99_rXbdvgQnlAqkW8KcJV1WHVF5g8FlFe5UIt3OpFplZnPG356Pp5J6jTE2rbWwwICdHAPmcNWId2b_sr2VHORknl3GvsAouBgK9TtXOS9XrM3dgaayDIOnDyqy/s1600/Verrazzano+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMMV0xTmj3bdv_UpCJ99_rXbdvgQnlAqkW8KcJV1WHVF5g8FlFe5UIt3OpFplZnPG356Pp5J6jTE2rbWwwICdHAPmcNWId2b_sr2VHORknl3GvsAouBgK9TtXOS9XrM3dgaayDIOnDyqy/s320/Verrazzano+Bridge.JPG" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty sure I'm somewhere in there!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With fresh legs, I never even felt like I was working to run
the first mile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it was because I
was running above an 8:00/mi pace for ¾ of it, but my intent was to take this
mile easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew I’d gain most of the
time back in the 2<sup>nd</sup> mile back down the other side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For both miles, I simply wanted to remain in
control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was crowded and I had to
weave some, as I didn’t want to give up too much time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My limit was nothing slower than 8:00/mi, because I didn't want to have to run other parts faster than planned to make up the time. After that first ¾ mile, the bridge became
more flat and I began picking up the pace a bit to come through Mile 1 in
7:50.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right around this time, the bridge
sharply descended and with freshly tapered legs hopped up on adrenaline, many
runners ran way too fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would
cautiously glance at my watch to make sure I wasn’t falling into the same trap,
but my goal here was to stay in control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I ended up running a 6:40 mile, which is by far the fastest mile I’ve
ever run in a marathon, but given the context of running down a large bridge, I
felt it was a conservative way to start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><i>Miles 3-12</i></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZLKSFlxpfUVVcRkOSpzCPaUXR5uFkpp5s6eGwrnTBu6fYqDwr1hJKL7QOGNl6A4QXKvSQ8bsbFERn-3v6mTf_n4nFSe88qLQTJpA1HnnUZzPo55CcBY7dNIVodl4qAUd0i4iU1syMqw-/s320/Adam+and+Hollie.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="232" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We just met in real life but we're totally holding hands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mile 3 began as we entered Brooklyn and started the long
trek up 4<sup>th</sup> Ave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My goal for Mile 3 was to settle into an
easy/steady effort, which in my plan was between 7:10-7:15.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were immediately greeted with crowds and
loud music playing nearly every block.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
kept telling myself to don’t let the excitement force my pace, so I’d reign
myself in a number of times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I soaked it
all in and crossed Mile 3 in 7:12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had
lost Hollie in the 1<sup>st</sup> mile on the Verrazano, but didn’t want her or
myself to stress about sticking exactly together since it was pretty crowded
and we each needed to run our own races, despite having similar goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure enough, somewhere during Miles 3-4, she
ran up on me and we ran together for the next couple of miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuD5R2hvifr-m60l21rjW2slxkUlI7UnLX5ezIFZ9mjGwG3qkzcW6HNHGu7gjGltxg-zQCAOBsx4OcBZI1TNvk7XWgvM-bsSDRAOS8anYyu7BEd-xqhdsXD9soKxGC5pFIKD3jDGZz9KGH/s1600/Brooklyn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuD5R2hvifr-m60l21rjW2slxkUlI7UnLX5ezIFZ9mjGwG3qkzcW6HNHGu7gjGltxg-zQCAOBsx4OcBZI1TNvk7XWgvM-bsSDRAOS8anYyu7BEd-xqhdsXD9soKxGC5pFIKD3jDGZz9KGH/s320/Brooklyn.JPG" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sneaky uphill stretches through Brooklyn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The course generally trended uphill in the
form of extended false flats rather than actual hills, so you felt like it was
mostly flat, but it wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We both had
family expected to be spotting us between Miles 7-8, so we were on the
lookout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, I missed my
family, so I passed through without seeing them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a 1.5 yr old, I never assume anything,
so I figured he didn’t take so well to standing around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turned out, at around the exact moment I
probably came through, one of the NYPD nearby requested to randomly search my
sisters bag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh well, onto the race.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaghKMlHcN3E6u_H9peqZ3DFze1zt8_5tk4N9_juxhmR0zTcyE735ka24w5HTgxMNSlZcCxlq6SL53QEyfOAJRlYFAwX3IWKGQGZt04My3o6ohjsI_UCvV2uPMbseJlZ9O4b-_9oBQq-c/s1600/First+Half.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaghKMlHcN3E6u_H9peqZ3DFze1zt8_5tk4N9_juxhmR0zTcyE735ka24w5HTgxMNSlZcCxlq6SL53QEyfOAJRlYFAwX3IWKGQGZt04My3o6ohjsI_UCvV2uPMbseJlZ9O4b-_9oBQq-c/s320/First+Half.JPG" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruising through Brooklyn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As the miles ticked by, it was cool to see the changing
dynamics of the neighborhoods, both in the people spectating as well as the
music being played.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brooklyn was
loud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my opinion when I came through,
louder than any other borough (including 1<sup>st</sup> Ave in Manhattan).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while I’d like to think I soaked it all
in, the reality is that I spent most of my time looking 3-5 ft in front of
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone who has driven in NYC knows
that they aren’t known for the pristine shape of their roads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well when you cram all these people through
these streets, everyone has to put their foot somewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just wanted to make sure the place I put my
foot wasn’t a pothole or on top of someone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The worst thing that could happen in a race
like this is a stupid injury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I had
to spend much of my time watching the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I did make sure every once and a while to look up when I could, which
always left me in a better mental state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Seeing so many people along the course, literally without a gap, gave me
one of the most proud feelings to be there running this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I quickly came upon one of the only breaks in
crowds, which meant only one thing – the Pulaski Bridge was near.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOedgPYyfsBEJ9Z62_koKekDK8arHxEJUBqFWOfSg_M0oRbXHvYMH-exgMOrlmJUtOJrRy5fOj_PMLnpQ6_HuBO6FnOrDq4E0SJhHKK9UCdjHFL9S3nbemRfAjGn-UvWQ8-EoubV67kvB2/s1600/Pulaski+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOedgPYyfsBEJ9Z62_koKekDK8arHxEJUBqFWOfSg_M0oRbXHvYMH-exgMOrlmJUtOJrRy5fOj_PMLnpQ6_HuBO6FnOrDq4E0SJhHKK9UCdjHFL9S3nbemRfAjGn-UvWQ8-EoubV67kvB2/s320/Pulaski+Bridge.JPG" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Headed up the Pulaski Bridge at Mile 13</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><i>Miles 13-16</i></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Exiting the crowded masses onto the first of two big bridges
gave me a sense of accomplishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
now entering the section of course where I knew it was time to get started to
work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I never intended the push
the pace on the bridges, my goal was to hold steady effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found myself passing quite a few people, a
number of which were already cramping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Based on my research of the course in advance, I never considered the
Pulaski Bridge to be a big climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as
we started the climb at the foot of it, it sure seemed like it, not to mention
the wind that was fully slapping us in the face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pressed on and crossed 13.1 in 1:34:28,
which was right where I wanted to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was still feeling fresh and I loosened up on the downhill as we entered
Queens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After winding our way through
Queens for a short bit, we quickly entered a more industrial stretch that
brought us closer to the Queensboro Bridge, which was looming in the
distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were still crowds
around, but a bit less so than in Brooklyn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>DJs spun music with some fast beats to get us ready to hit the bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made sure not to push on the climb, so I
backed off the effort some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was still
passing lots of others who appeared to be struggling from the early miles and
felt really strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I didn’t have
a goal pace on the bridge, my goal was to run it by feel, knowing that I held
back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt I did a good job of keeping
a steady effort without going too far into the red.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we crested the top, we gradually headed
downhill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one thing I remembered
about descending the Queensboro Bridge was that the downhill wasn’t nearly as
steep as the uphill, meaning you didn’t get the chance to run equally fast
downhill and you had to slow on the uphill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That is, until we hit the exit ramp off the bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A sharp u turn literally drops you out onto
the street, with a quick turn onto 1<sup>st</sup> Ave and a return to the
crowds.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><i>Miles 17-20</i></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My pre-race plan was to get off the bridge feeling
relatively good and start to up the pace a bit slightly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I turned onto 1<sup>st</sup> Ave to find the
streets lined with people screaming (though still less loud than Brooklyn, but
with more people) and a wicked headwind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I haven’t much mentioned the wind, primarily because it was there all
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It never stood out for me, other
than being a nuisance to my overall time goals for the race, but once we hit 1<sup>st</sup>
Ave you could really feel it whipping right into our faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I started to pick up the pace, I quickly
received a shockwave down the back of my leg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Out of nowhere, my hamstring began to tighten up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t believe how good I still felt and
was having this happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pulled off to
the side of the street to stretch, only to find thousands of people yelling me
to get back and run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trust me people,
I’d be running if I could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So there I was, having the best marathon race, feeling
better than I’ve ever felt 16 miles into the race, and my hamstring has decided
it has had enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started with the
usual attempt at slowly running again in the hopes that my body would gradually
relax and I’d be able to get back on pace in a mile or two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the next couple of miles, I’d continue
to keep running, but would learn that every downhill would cause my hamstring
to tighten to the point of having to stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not good when you had every intention of blasting through this section
of the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started going into emergency
mode and grabbed Gatorade from each and every aid station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the past couple of marathons, I’ve found
this stuff, which I typically despise, to help me late in races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d run through an aid station and grab two
cups to drink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This section of the
course was very rolling, with a fair amount of uphills, but also some
downs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each time I hit a down, I’d get
that same shock into my hamstring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
only thing I could conclude was that the downhills from the bridges caused too
much fatigue that my body wasn’t ready for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Truth be told, I ran lots of hills in training in preparation for this
race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too bad it was the uphills I
focused on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while many of my tempo
runs and long runs included stretches of downhill running at race pace, I
probably should have spent a bit more time doing some focused downhill running
repeats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrwsvsU_wObU8GGerbj16ZE_FTWg2-d7p7sJxbpVWLpidpl22-9bXDyiM8cGOvb2Ej6pUVwdnKiqECQkubeMIoZ6EPcKeEEpsbiS1wylg2_sh3XgxTAa1W783sRIDWOjZKH_rYHsYAhpk/s1600/Mile+20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrwsvsU_wObU8GGerbj16ZE_FTWg2-d7p7sJxbpVWLpidpl22-9bXDyiM8cGOvb2Ej6pUVwdnKiqECQkubeMIoZ6EPcKeEEpsbiS1wylg2_sh3XgxTAa1W783sRIDWOjZKH_rYHsYAhpk/s320/Mile+20.JPG" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cresting the Willis Avenue Bridge at Mile 20</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By the time I got to the Willis
Avenue Bridge, I was mostly running ok, but if I kept the same pace, I was
pretty confident that I’d come in slower than my last marathon, which would leave me short of my goal to PR despite the tough course and conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So with nothing to lose, I made an executive
decision to do the one thing I’ve never considered doing in marathon when
things were tightening up and my body was slowing – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Go as hard as I can for as long
as I can</i></b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><i>Miles 21-26.2</i></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had only 10k left to go and my body had raised its white
flag to surrender.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I was not about
to have any of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I worked too hard,
spent too many early mornings, had come too far to give up that easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I fought with everything I had in my heart
and mind to say shut up to my body. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
for the first time in a marathon past the 20 mile marker, I felt reborn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the huddled masses were cramping and
slowing, similar to myself only a short bit ago, I was flying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I continued picking up the pace while
heading up and over the Madison Avenue Bridge, I passed by Hollie and wished
her a strong finish in her first marathon (<a href="http://fueledbylolz.com/2013/11/05/full-nycm-race-recap-317-23/">she killed it in 3:17!</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In her words, after discussing our races, “I took off like a missile”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB11VQDJwFPp3QptyY6fHNPiaGd5S0KuFmO_uvAzUKM1YGHsbUY-3jD-kgYhjfGn0dLrVxN4FDxcq-8BOb8DAdvYoMQ32qTZcxTU4yJXHDz0VzWPrfWgsowrlccJbFaQGdU9MNB6n5dvW7/s1600/Central+Park.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB11VQDJwFPp3QptyY6fHNPiaGd5S0KuFmO_uvAzUKM1YGHsbUY-3jD-kgYhjfGn0dLrVxN4FDxcq-8BOb8DAdvYoMQ32qTZcxTU4yJXHDz0VzWPrfWgsowrlccJbFaQGdU9MNB6n5dvW7/s320/Central+Park.JPG" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Despite it being Mile 24, I still look pretty good!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When planning my race strategy, I had read all about Mile 22/23 and the
long uphill stretch up 5<sup>th</sup> Ave once we came back into
Manhattan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew it would be tough no
matter how my race was going since it was so late in the race, but given my
recent revival, I hit that hill with a mental state of “bring it on!”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I passed by my family, who said I looked like
I was still moving really well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact,
I threw down a 7:09 on that uphill mile!<br />
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkLk2E0CKiXRaEsgjH5ckN1Wn-oko8Xs-038KTSS7hJ7Yr2qtmJyyt9Tb_dMeRJ_Wf379fbGlHd1WOng1xJLWpCrIHmWkCXIQ7iFdNbHQEVyEmhfQVoYtGtsbl3L2Igw_akus3OisR_J3/s1600/Last+Mile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkLk2E0CKiXRaEsgjH5ckN1Wn-oko8Xs-038KTSS7hJ7Yr2qtmJyyt9Tb_dMeRJ_Wf379fbGlHd1WOng1xJLWpCrIHmWkCXIQ7iFdNbHQEVyEmhfQVoYtGtsbl3L2Igw_akus3OisR_J3/s320/Last+Mile.JPG" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Focused on the finish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As we crested the hill, we entered Central Park, which
despite my tunnel vision of just wanting to be done, was loud and encouraging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, most of this section of the
course was yet more downhill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So despite
my ability to run again, the downhills still bothered me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did my best to keep pushing with everything
I had as I slowly counted down the minutes I had left to run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With only 2+ miles to go, I knew I’d be done
in 15+, so I just kept pushing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost done!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After weaving through the winding road in Central Park, we dropped back
onto the road along Central Park South, for what seemed like an eternity as we
headed toward Columbus Circle in the distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once I made it to Columbus Circle, Central Park West seemed like the
longest stretch ever, not to mention all uphill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having signs started with 800m to go helped
break things up, but I was starting to get a bit fuzzy in the head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was running on fumes by now and knew that
the finish line was near.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The difficulty
with the last ½ mile is that you can’t see the finish line until you’re virtually
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The emotional boost one gets from
seeing (not hearing) the line typically helps give you a little bit of extra
oomph for the last stretch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
hurting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew it was coming, because I
passed signs that said 400m, then 200m.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I visualized myself running on the track and how little I had left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But until I saw the actual finish line, I was
convinced those signs were a big fat lie. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Finally, after 3 hours, 13 minutes,
and 1 second I crossed the finish line with a new PR (by 1:34)and earned every bit of
it.</i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDLRIiH7POlQa4FOiBqeSrPZ1KEDYQUt_ENiu0SNbf9wiADPqX2YIyR1E-SexnXLYin55fjZrpztTqoGHt9DeQF4WJhrfsF3abNjyuBtz6hlzcq4j_OMYPFG7PhZ1__rfB2Ob44Qm4wqW/s320/Exhausted+at+Finish.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="227" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhausted at the finish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span>Division Place: 304 out of 4,259 Finishers</span><br /><span>Gender Place: 1,647 out of 30,589 Male Finishers</span><br /><span>Overall Place: 1,775 out of 50,134</span><br /><span>Pace: 7:23</span> <br />
<br />
Doing some rough math based on research I've come across of running into a headwind that is at about the equivalent speed as you are running (my pace is about 8.2 mph and it was <a href="http://tonireavis.com/2013/11/05/2013-new-york-city-marathon-in-pictures/">widely reported to be at least a 15 mph sustained headwind</a>), it would have cost me about 10-15s/mile. Seeings as how the winds were blowing faster than I was running for nearly 21 miles, I think its safe to assume I've left myself quite a bit of room for time improvement next time.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbA0k0yPhV8kpq7G2XQc6o390AXi2enmpSPBovKfhxleCpznEbjyTwovhaR450gQv5V_CBD-Bp9MpFI3L6iwtK_AVUvy0XIa7VRDge5nFiymOgBKoVEeBRdYvTspAuZO57o8bhzmF_hmO/s1600/Finisher.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbA0k0yPhV8kpq7G2XQc6o390AXi2enmpSPBovKfhxleCpznEbjyTwovhaR450gQv5V_CBD-Bp9MpFI3L6iwtK_AVUvy0XIa7VRDge5nFiymOgBKoVEeBRdYvTspAuZO57o8bhzmF_hmO/s320/Finisher.JPG" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud of my effort on a really tough day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sometimes you have the race you dreamed of, and sometimes
you don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, part of my dream was
completely fulfilled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran my absolute
best effort on the day, which gave me a PR of 1:34.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No amount of
“what ifs” have haunted me since this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I can’t control many things like the course or the weather, but I can
control my effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave this race
100%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while I have much greater
aspirations in terms of a finishing time, I have no regrets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This WAS the race I dreamed about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve always dreamed about having a race where
I ran the last 10k strong without sacrificing the early miles by going too easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while I
experienced some issues prior to getting there (cramping at Mile 16), those
only added to the accomplishment of it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This race had all the excitement and drama, and I came out the other
side stronger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stronger knowing that I
can push through the pain when it sets in no matter where on the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stronger knowing that even on a challenging
course in even more challenging conditions, I can still run my best effort. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqc2H0B7TXYMsc8mMHpbSFzBSlFFNohZZp_y6wWbrxcRfHVCyFbXXyVbq64tICdWHIgK-joocsC98AMQlDspeO6_mwftAO40-8DkXPEps4YCx8aSFpQSJR1OCZddnwIzB_PgWGqtGVCIzJ/s1600/ESPN+Screenshot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqc2H0B7TXYMsc8mMHpbSFzBSlFFNohZZp_y6wWbrxcRfHVCyFbXXyVbq64tICdWHIgK-joocsC98AMQlDspeO6_mwftAO40-8DkXPEps4YCx8aSFpQSJR1OCZddnwIzB_PgWGqtGVCIzJ/s320/ESPN+Screenshot.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not gonna lie - having my name on ESPN was one of the highlights of the day!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5787082691272496605" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Anyone who has spent some time with me knows that I have
greater goals than what I ran here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
anyone who knows me also knows that I will keep running no matter what.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My fire was lit before this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, it is bigger than ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m hungry for more and I have the patience
to do it right and keep chipping away.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOxx6rjEba90ugzgMJRxc6-qq8Y25JOapySKwiSBMo-vWIT_e5LfFIYeNT09YPYEtGH5AWL1_2vL8D4veuDOwraMjTzTSCuFiLayLhjRQQEHFPxk6_kyM5HoQs0HDvGqiiuSxxlKiRyTU/s1600/Family+Support.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOxx6rjEba90ugzgMJRxc6-qq8Y25JOapySKwiSBMo-vWIT_e5LfFIYeNT09YPYEtGH5AWL1_2vL8D4veuDOwraMjTzTSCuFiLayLhjRQQEHFPxk6_kyM5HoQs0HDvGqiiuSxxlKiRyTU/s320/Family+Support.JPG" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Couldn't have done it without the support of my cheering squad!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is already getting long enough, but I'll follow up in another post about my post-race thoughts and lessons learned going into the next one.</div>
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<br /></div>
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For those interested, below are my 5k splits, followed by my
hand timed splits at each mile marker:</div>
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</div>
<br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuo30z5FZe0Et6d-SWOwN9Hj7ERj4YgvhPy9tOekPZpAAu7dl-VfGpnpBqxUHw_6ogQwVas952HgBwxOPwKD8axQ1B_6aojkdcaa3d-H5kdl75XmV0auUx4MwAF1B1C9hasJWOwGlvb7u/s1600/Splits.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuo30z5FZe0Et6d-SWOwN9Hj7ERj4YgvhPy9tOekPZpAAu7dl-VfGpnpBqxUHw_6ogQwVas952HgBwxOPwKD8axQ1B_6aojkdcaa3d-H5kdl75XmV0auUx4MwAF1B1C9hasJWOwGlvb7u/s400/Splits.JPG" width="243" /></a></div>
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Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-50120219861792804452013-09-30T16:42:00.001-04:002013-09-30T16:42:23.312-04:00Race Report: Perfect 10 MilerOnce the temperatures start dropping in the morning after a long, hot, humid summer, you start to realize the fitness gains throughout those hard fought sweaty miles. Fall racing season is upon us and it was about time to kick things off by racing the <a href="http://www.prraces.com/perfect10/">Perfect 10</a> (which also offers a 10k), a relatively hilly race put on by<a href="http://potomacriverrunning.com/"> =PR=</a>. <br />
<br />
With 5 weeks to go until the <a href="http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/">NYC Marathon</a>, now is the perfect time to check in on my fitness. And the only way to truly test that fitness is by racing. The purpose of running a longer tune up race 4-6 weeks out from a marathon is primarily to make sure your goals are in check with the state of your fitness. It also helps to try and simulate some of the same things you'll be doing on race day (nutrition, gear, etc). By proving you can race at an equivalent performance (this can be validated against a <a href="http://www.runsmartproject.com/calculator/">running calculator</a>) in a slightly shorter distance, you are proving your goal paces are right in line for an equivalent performance at the marathon distance. And while a shorter race will never exactly correlate to a longer one, you should be in the ballpark. If you race slower or faster than expected, it means you have a few weeks to reevaluate your goals and adjust accordingly. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPB69N0UVoyDqkgfvMva5ZhHCl_esd76kiCVcLTz0iea8l3pCS0NqkHLb976y8U0RnWTFQW7zn65norS5jExZQeTs-OUPv670GrchCkvbfAKZvtpzzqpPGIQFo9p3c1J3bMIihICKljHI8/s1600/Running+Buddies.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPB69N0UVoyDqkgfvMva5ZhHCl_esd76kiCVcLTz0iea8l3pCS0NqkHLb976y8U0RnWTFQW7zn65norS5jExZQeTs-OUPv670GrchCkvbfAKZvtpzzqpPGIQFo9p3c1J3bMIihICKljHI8/s320/Running+Buddies.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running Buddies (me, Jeff, Jess, Natasha, Meghan) post-race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Race morning brought about perfect Fall conditions - 50 degrees, clear, and no wind. With the hills on the course, we didn't need any added factors to slow us down. About an hour or so before the race, I met up with a bunch of <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/09/digging-out-of-grind-and-starting-to.html">my running buddies</a> for a warm up. I quickly learned that <a href="http://www.paceofme.com/">Jess </a>was planning to race at a similar pace and Jeff was going to cruise along at his marathon-ish pace too, so that meant I'd have some company. The more the merrier! We ended up doing about 2.5 mi of mostly easy warm up running. I ran a couple of race paced pickups about 5-10 minutes before the start. Other than that, it was just a chill start before the race. I was nervous to prove to myself of the fitness I knew I had, mainly because I didn't know how my body was going to respond with a hard effort in the midst of peak marathon training. I knew I should be able to PR, since my previous 2 PRs have been during 13.1 races. However, my legs had felt pretty heavy all week, coming off 2 out of the last 3 weeks where I ran some rather speedy 22 milers. I was hopeful for some race day magic in my legs and a chance to prove my fitness.<br />
<br />
<u><i>The Race</i></u><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrGpSasRx_00YKVW_ddeosav-9tQ19VDLXvWapeFcq7EmRzhPSoVeQgjMueJw4-R1A_nvBRIdIw2lAanMf56ka9XJsGZrRvm7HwqSFCTOCtD7BKBb_mlP9glBHfyzi9ginZcfWM0CPMP4/s1600/Start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrGpSasRx_00YKVW_ddeosav-9tQ19VDLXvWapeFcq7EmRzhPSoVeQgjMueJw4-R1A_nvBRIdIw2lAanMf56ka9XJsGZrRvm7HwqSFCTOCtD7BKBb_mlP9glBHfyzi9ginZcfWM0CPMP4/s320/Start.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10k/10Milers are off!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After lining up and chatting for a few minutes, the gun suddenly went and we were off running. A bit surprised by the sudden start, we inched toward the line and hit our watches right as we crossed. Both races started at the same time, so it was difficult to determine the 10k runners vs the 10 mile runners. However, it was nice to have company along the route. It was only until Mile 5 or so when we learned who was running the 10k, as most of those runners sped up toward the finish, while we settled into our steady pace.<br />
<br />
<i><u>Miles 1-5</u></i> <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUkXNNIdozji_0mDvD1hkcUWsgv779yXZ913tpqW8v9CqTUyBIRsK4b8VVCvuBX6PJ7rgG-z1YagZF8ucIOZQwkQpDf6M49xYBWYrAp_phcIN3Zln3_RbBojN3ETCSBB6eSJMOEGQiIEH/s1600/Mile+5.5+Adam+and+Jess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUkXNNIdozji_0mDvD1hkcUWsgv779yXZ913tpqW8v9CqTUyBIRsK4b8VVCvuBX6PJ7rgG-z1YagZF8ucIOZQwkQpDf6M49xYBWYrAp_phcIN3Zln3_RbBojN3ETCSBB6eSJMOEGQiIEH/s320/Mile+5.5+Adam+and+Jess.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruising downhill through Mile 5 with Jess</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The entire course was rolling hills, but the 1st mile started on a bit of a downhill, so most runners went out a bit fast. Reviewing my splits show the first .5 mi of the race run at about 6:15/mi, but at about that same point, we hit a steep uphill to bring us back to finish out Mile 1 in 6:28. Once over that hill, my pace again shot down into the 5:45/mi range as we were thrust down a steep grade before entering the start of a longer uphill grind for the next 1.25 mi. Once we settled into the even effort on the climb, we just kind of locked in. It was nice having friends shooting for a similar pace range, as we all knew to stay in control and stick together. Mile 2 came through in 6:31 and we slowly crested the last bit of the climb. The next section of the course was the one I told myself would be the most challenging: a nice short, steep downhill, into a steep 1/4 mi uphill, followed by another short steep downhill, followed by a longer .5 mi steep climb. I crested the first steep uphill and hit Mile 3 in 6:32. I knew that if I could get through that tough stretch and recover on the next downhill, I'd have the legs to make it through the rest of the race. Only 4 miles into the race, but a lot of tough hills already conquered. Mile 4 was run in 6:36 and my legs felt like jello. I used the next mile of rolling (more down than up) to shake out and try to re-gain my composure. I crossed Mile 5 in 6:26 feeling really good still and ready for the 2nd half of the race. Toward the end of Mile 5, we split off with the 10k runners, so a few people who had started surging made their exists while we all cursed them for being done. Meanwhile, we started the longest climb of the course.<br />
<br />
<i><u>Miles 6-10</u></i><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5t7WGKAOTqL_VWSPa2TBd9KRuc6ABeOLvO_BguMNL-9oByPO1yooluD6ukSKWFuUtosSxqfOIsoUhleJFhXuFlfH0r88HNGY2Qs9xU8dfIex8e_a_kDv7k8WnyHqw50-PJSQ7Kxvw7Vrl/s1600/Mile+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5t7WGKAOTqL_VWSPa2TBd9KRuc6ABeOLvO_BguMNL-9oByPO1yooluD6ukSKWFuUtosSxqfOIsoUhleJFhXuFlfH0r88HNGY2Qs9xU8dfIex8e_a_kDv7k8WnyHqw50-PJSQ7Kxvw7Vrl/s320/Mile+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mile 6 - Jeff leading the pack, me in the middle, Jess right behind</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Moving steadily through the uphill section of the course, I spotted Rebecca and Z there cheering us on. It was a great pick me up and got me through a tough mental spot in the race. Mile 6 was hit in 6:32. Our little pack was still together at this point and we were all working to encourage a steady effort up the 1.5 mi climb. The climb started steep, but then became a consistently steady uphill with only a few short flatter sections. We finally crested the major uphill section, but were starting to split apart. The grind of the climb definitely was a tough one and with only a short downhill, followed by another steep climb, the course was unforgiving. I knew we had a long downhill coming, but I struggled a bit with the last climb before it. Mile 7 was 6:42 - I knew all the hard work was done, with less than 5k left and more downhills to push onward. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx73xBJfd7DualtcjkvXV2B8zzRIswmKYFeA1jJpM_pPYYd8Dj-acSIKhxhRczy5U_BgG9xCIQS4t8ayP4Sly0gpCFHTxqMqUJgV7Q2_xKerxvd2q7VGVrgPeIykJZBjtTZzH_P8GW8V8p/s1600/Closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx73xBJfd7DualtcjkvXV2B8zzRIswmKYFeA1jJpM_pPYYd8Dj-acSIKhxhRczy5U_BgG9xCIQS4t8ayP4Sly0gpCFHTxqMqUJgV7Q2_xKerxvd2q7VGVrgPeIykJZBjtTZzH_P8GW8V8p/s320/Closeup.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pushing up one of the final hills</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While I would have liked to run some of these downhills a little harder, my hamstrings were fatigued from the hills and I didn't want to risk any cramps, so I held back a bit. But don't worry, I was still moving. The downhill was so steep that I hit my fastest stretch of running on the day, topping out at 5:14/mi, while still holding back. Yep - that was a steep downhill! Of course what goes up must come down (and vice versa). That steep downhill rolled right into another .25 mi climb, which would be the last real climb of the day (thank goodness!). I hit Mile 8 in 6:34 and started picking up the pace a bit as the course started heading more downhill. While heading downhill, we took a sharp left taking us closer toward the finish and I could hear the announcer and music. I crossed Mile 9 in 6:20 and picked up the pace some more. I knew where we were now - heading right back to the school where we run all of our track workouts for the training program. Unfortunately, we had to run a bit of an out and back before heading down to the track for the finish. The out and back included a 180 degree turn on a slight downhill (meaning uphill on the return) about .25 mi from the finish, which threw a bit of a wrench into my pace. I quickly rounded the cone and tried to surge to get back up to speed and weaved through a number of 10k runners who were also headed toward the finish with a quick dump out on the track for the last .1 mi. I heard my name over the speakers get announced and I just ran steady through the finish. Mile 10 (and change, since I ran a little extra due to not hitting exact tangents) was 6:10. As I got closer, Rebecca snapped a photo of me as I narrowly missed sub-65.<br />
<br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNEm47S0AEyfzHUahWd6ypK7BYLcFG2KvFdkhqyrviYdbAHyHr8kglLYiSYoSLKUnfN2OA8TPiJ1mmegqNqscYHvjHpuF2Gis1Cvz3Mbr1WVQx0tw48v0RX9YLTZ20Z6R-OvD028osriU/s1600/Finishing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNEm47S0AEyfzHUahWd6ypK7BYLcFG2KvFdkhqyrviYdbAHyHr8kglLYiSYoSLKUnfN2OA8TPiJ1mmegqNqscYHvjHpuF2Gis1Cvz3Mbr1WVQx0tw48v0RX9YLTZ20Z6R-OvD028osriU/s320/Finishing.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bringing it home!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Final Time: 1:05:05<br />
Avg Pace: 6:30/mi<br />
Overall Place: 23/520; 19/224 Men<br />
AG Place: 3/33<br />
<br />
<i><u>Post Race Thoughts</u></i><br />
<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNT4Tugopz4oase6iuTz6fv2rZGY_O-wnbbGIL7U9CaOn2k4SSfGJY7exHS4jzQTiFYzclEwvCej_0b0-bIASUyg-H6je3GO9hoIJqpeOONd8u26GJbquIjVN3J6Eg7u4tqxTvBIY9q70-/s1600/AG+Award.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNT4Tugopz4oase6iuTz6fv2rZGY_O-wnbbGIL7U9CaOn2k4SSfGJY7exHS4jzQTiFYzclEwvCej_0b0-bIASUyg-H6je3GO9hoIJqpeOONd8u26GJbquIjVN3J6Eg7u4tqxTvBIY9q70-/s320/AG+Award.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<li>This race answered my inner voice and confirmed I am right on track for where I hoped I'd be. I actually ran a bit faster than expected, not even factoring the peak training load my body is under. All this points to keep doing what I am doing for the next 5 weeks. Mission accomplished!</li>
<li>The entire group earned some Age Group awards. It was pretty cool to be able to celebrate a hard earned effort with awards all around. </li>
<li>Nothing beats running buddies when it comes to racing. Whether its the pressure to not let them down or to keep up with them, racing with others you know is a good thing. I'm pretty sure I would have run a bit slower if I didn't have them to stick with me. I probably would have gone out a bit slower/more conservative.</li>
<li>I'm happy with the way I ended up executing my race. I turned in a 15s negative split (32:40/32:25), which is pretty close to an ideal race, especially given the hills. </li>
<li>This race result shows that my fitness has improved since running the <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/05/race-report-brooklyn-half-marathon.html?m=0">Brooklyn Half</a>. My race correlates to about a 1:26 half marathon. I could have run a 21:00 5k (6:45/mi) for the last 3 miles and still come in at 1:26:xx. This was on a more challenging course in my opinion, so I am pretty confident that my fitness is quite a bit better than it was in May. All of this bodes very well for <a href="http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/">New York</a>.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKEAMRBUiAiS07iY-xx4VsYQnIDbkg5tATGL67Wnc1Evz0Jt3xElgqVfAfHkzfaoXXA8JGOGD8av3jTrYq5w8ZFfIt2FiuyZJ1YHeBUHV4dKxm8m5o6_uhLfFq8tfd00sqonFydo9gyC6/s1600/AG+Winners.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKEAMRBUiAiS07iY-xx4VsYQnIDbkg5tATGL67Wnc1Evz0Jt3xElgqVfAfHkzfaoXXA8JGOGD8av3jTrYq5w8ZFfIt2FiuyZJ1YHeBUHV4dKxm8m5o6_uhLfFq8tfd00sqonFydo9gyC6/s320/AG+Winners.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Age Group winners!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-15877700754606978552013-09-27T11:10:00.003-04:002013-09-27T11:10:48.539-04:00Things I Don't Get<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOYUuSjv5eAo3MfoeATg7rmQDeHUCCB96sM5OcWonZzeFlA_KAsa_XEKH9WRfVsspxtSeET1p-LGeuPrKrvXu2WXUz2cLwDcRN8fSGGBRgnQnxR8N-gsT0n9gIhOFT9JRLZfH4zg0JUeM/s1600/Goofy+race+Medals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOYUuSjv5eAo3MfoeATg7rmQDeHUCCB96sM5OcWonZzeFlA_KAsa_XEKH9WRfVsspxtSeET1p-LGeuPrKrvXu2WXUz2cLwDcRN8fSGGBRgnQnxR8N-gsT0n9gIhOFT9JRLZfH4zg0JUeM/s200/Goofy+race+Medals.jpg" width="149" /></a>As someone who works with a variety of different athletes, I've got the bases covered on the different reasons people train. While most people train to push their limits, what that actually means can equate to a wide range of motivations. Everything from completing a new distance to setting a PR to not getting hurt; these are all valid reasons people train.<br />
<br />
However, at the same time, there are a number of things that I simply don't get. And while I support any method that gets one moving, I am constantly reminded of <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324807704579085084130007974.html">the premise of this article</a>, which is probably why I don't get the things I am about to mention. To me, it isn't about the slowing down of race times, which has nothing to do with the assumption that we are getting slower. The slowing down in actuality might have more to do with a larger sample size of participants and the fact that many of these runners are people who might not have participated in running races previously due to it being a fringe sport. We now find running as a sport that accepts people of all speeds and levels of experience, so we see a large participant base of runners just starting the sport spread across many more races that now exists, hence slower times. <br />
<br />
However, to me this article hits on the concept that many people aren't just into training for and running a given race. And I agree with that. Many see this as the anti-competitive runner mindset. Their schedules are filled with races with little to no interest in finishing them in a given time. Or in some cases, they aren't even "<a href="http://thecolorrun.com/">races</a>". To them, the goal is to complete them all. This is nothing new though. The <a href="http://www.marathonmaniacs.com/">Marathon Maniacs</a> have been around for a while now. This is just another spin off that same general mindset of quantity over quality. Anyways, my point is that whether
you like it or not, people get into the sport of running for a variety
of reasons, some of which have to do with performance and others are on
the exact opposite of the spectrum.<br />
<br />
<i><soap box="" rant=""> </soap></i><br />
I get the idea and hear many runners say it all the time: "We'll I'm not competitive, so I do races for fun." While I agree that there are many alternatives to competitive racing, I think many of these people fail to understand that everyone CAN be competitive. To me, running isn't about what others are doing. Your race results aren't defined by how everyone else did (unless you are racing to win, which most of us are not). Your results show how you are able to be competitive with yourself against your own times. Everyone can set a PR. Being competitive with yourself means training to beat that time. I just want to make sure people are clear - being a competitive runner has nothing to do with speed or place. It has to do with a mindset and how you approach your training.<br />
<i><stepping box="" off="" soap=""></stepping></i><br />
<br />
So while I understand many of these non-competitive reasons and motivations, I just don't get most of the actions these runners take or for that matter, actions some competitive minded runners make. Here are just a few off the top of my head:<br />
<i><u></u></i><br />
<ol><i><u>
</u></i>
<li><u><i>Training Marathons </i></u>- While there is a time and a place for putting races in the middle of a training cycle, some runners take training races to a whole new level. For example, when training for a marathon, there is no reason to run a full marathon before your race. This may sound foolish to those who know better, but so many people are under the false assumption that you need to run 26.2 miles before your actual marathon. You simply are putting too much risk of injury into a single workout, while also compromising future training as a result of the recovery time needed after the race. What results is a sub-par marathon performance in your training race, sub-par training because you need to factor in recovery, and likely a sub-par goal marathon because of a lack of optimal training. At the end of the day, you end up with less than optimal results and potential injury. In my eyes, if you are training to do well at a race, do it right.</li>
<li><u><i>Streaking</i></u> - I know many people who are oddly proud of their impressive run streaks dating back years or in some cases decades. That's great, but I don't see how a streak serves any purpose other than forcing you to compromise your health at the expense of continuing with a streak. I've known people who run through stress fractures to keep their streak alive and/or received them as a result of continual stress from run streaks. Your body is always sending feedback about how it feels. Refusing to listen to it will always result in one thing - injury. Count me on the list of people who tries to avoid the "i" word as often as possible. So while I'm all for non-performance goals, streaking is one of them that I believe encourages ignoring the signals your body gives you and can lead you down the wrong path.</li>
<li><u><i>Multiple Race Events</i></u> - Popularized by the <a href="http://www.rundisney.com/disneyworld-marathon/">Goofy Challenge</a>, and now the even more ridiculous Dopey Challenge, the whole goal of these events is to complete the races. Nobody can run them competitively (and I mean this in terms of your own relative best as mentioned above), so we are again faced with another situation of doing what you can to not get hurt. After shelling out so much money to both participate in the events and stay reasonably close, it seems like such as waste to jog a 5k, 10k, and half marathon, only to hope your body is still capable of supporting you for another 26.2 miles. Not only do you get 4 medals for each race, but you actually get 6 (!) because you get the Goofy and Dopey Challenge medals as well. Talk about a medal obsessed culture! If you are interested in running a long distance over an extended period of time, why not sign up for an ultra? Seems to make more sense, since you'd pay a whole lot less. Then again, you'd only get a buckle or something less blingy, so there's that.</li>
<li><i><u>Running Faster Than Planned in Workouts</u></i> - This doesn't
have to do with non-competitive types, but more of a general observation
of something I don't get. Some people don't have an idea of what paces
they <i>should </i>be running, so they just do what others do or they
simply run faster than planned to show how they "killed it". Wrong.
Running faster than planned, no matter if it is an easy run or speedwork
means you won't get the desired training benefit of the workout. What
do you get? More stress on your body than you bargained for and a
bragging instagram photo as your #proof. If you have a plan, stick to
it. Goal paces aren't meant to be "beaten". If you constantly beat
them, you are either running your workouts too hard or you don't have
realistic goals. Either option isn't great. </li>
</ol>
I'm sure there are lots more that I could list, but you get the idea. In my mind, this is why coaches exist: To encourage you to achieve your goals, while still keeping running fun. I'm not saying all training has to be serious. I simply mean that many runners would be better off listening to someone who knows what they are doing, rather than trying to do it themselves or copying what others do. Each person is an individual requiring individual approaches. Most of us lack the self awareness to train the right way without giving in to the temptation to do what everyone else is doing. Train smart and be consistent is all I like to say. The rest is just details.<br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i><b>Are there any other things about runners that you just don't get?</b></i><br />
<ol>
</ol>
Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-57849990485256897502013-09-13T13:00:00.000-04:002013-09-13T13:00:10.065-04:00Digging Out of The Grind and Starting to Feel Race ReadyWhen you're training for a marathon or any endurance event that causes you to create a large amount of fatigue, it seems logical to think about the workout you're executing and trying to correlate THAT workout to your race. Often times, we seek instant gratification that what we are doing today will pay off tomorrow. Unfortunately, training with this mindset often results in a constant war between your mind and your body to keep improving in the form of faster paces for every workout. And while you should see a general progression toward faster paces as you get closer to race day, you can't simply force it. The whole point of a training cycle is to stress the system appropriately so that you can improve your fitness and peak when it comes time to race. Training is a process and an art, so it is never as simple as "If I do this workout, it means I'll be able to run my race in this time". We know better than to turn a piece of art into a simple formula, but many of us do. Those running calculators and predictors help guide you, but they will not guarantee you anything. You have to work for it, day in and day out, over the course of a training cycle (or multiple training cycles) to teach yourself how to race. And for those with ambitious goals, it is ever so important to do this a few times throughout the training cycle so you know you are on the right path. However, the emphasis is on a <u><i>few times</i></u>, not every workout. I've written before about feeling <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/03/race-ready.html">race ready</a> and <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2012/09/creating-confident-athlete.html">creating a confident athlete</a>, both of which will help you get to where you need to be to know you are on the right path, so I won't delve back into that area. <br />
<br />
When I last posted, I was in "<a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/08/fighting-through-grind.html">the grind</a>", churning away those workouts, but a bit lost, as I was too far away from my race to feel the urgency, but close enough to know that every workout mattered. Well I'm happy to say that I believe I am on my way toward exiting that feeling. Some days, it really does feel tough to get out there. Others, I'm hitting the pavement without thinking. So how did I get there?<br />
<br />
First, I've had a few runs that went extremely well, giving me the confidence I needed to know I'm moving in the right direction. Second, the weather appears to be finally cooling off a bit, renewing my sense of enjoyment in being out in nature. Its no surprise that these two things go hand in hand. This is now the time to start reaping the reward for plowing through sweaty, humid miles all summer. Our bodies have become efficient at dealing with the heat and humidity, so cooler weather brings more efficiency at the same paces or faster paces at the same effort, both of which are huge benefits. <br />
<br />
With a quick shot of cooler weather last weekend (of course, immediately followed by extreme heat, but I digress), I set out with some running buddies for a 22 miler. Now these weren't just any running buddies. They were some runners I admire for many reasons, the least of which for the fact that they are fast by anyone's definition. They are all real people with real lives, and can make any long run feel like a short jog around the block. This was just what I needed with a tough 22 miler planned.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjwwWxZx8hKbB8IO57Z2xkNhPp-MU2mWyUxUvyCOKJ70JhIs365DoiG9lrUF3Gf41awtoe0VcTDItFw9S4ycnkpo8Ff-kUOH98SlXNfU13T9vieu02qkzygLBZUKrNwESkFhq5TrAgizs/s1600/Running+Buddies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjwwWxZx8hKbB8IO57Z2xkNhPp-MU2mWyUxUvyCOKJ70JhIs365DoiG9lrUF3Gf41awtoe0VcTDItFw9S4ycnkpo8Ff-kUOH98SlXNfU13T9vieu02qkzygLBZUKrNwESkFhq5TrAgizs/s320/Running+Buddies.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meghan, Jeff, and Jess (they were too cool for me and took a photo of themselves later)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I knew we'd be running faster than what I'd typically be running if doing this solo, but had a race simulation workout in mind, where the bulk of my miles would be at or close to my goal marathon pace, which happens to be Meghan and Jeff's easy pace (and probably slower than they'd be running if they were running solo). This run helped me not only to break the cycle of grinding out long runs, but also truly restore my confidence in my fitness. I never pushed the effort on this run and simply felt strong the whole way, even with a few miles that might have happened to sneak a 6:xx in there.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsPx81vLUGK6KBzlw6_hS6cViWfdmZwAswX4_ohbGMkdZdLwpoemo4NijxC7tmTkT_wxVAjLc99U8m9ZEeoWOtcuvxkMjT23YxSKJCsC3YmRcXNTHVmcY-roUORaReHK2BpqiOJj1Td2Ba/s1600/22+Miler.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsPx81vLUGK6KBzlw6_hS6cViWfdmZwAswX4_ohbGMkdZdLwpoemo4NijxC7tmTkT_wxVAjLc99U8m9ZEeoWOtcuvxkMjT23YxSKJCsC3YmRcXNTHVmcY-roUORaReHK2BpqiOJj1Td2Ba/s320/22+Miler.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probably one of my best long runs ever</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So while I hope to race at a bit faster paces, this was all done in the midst of some high mileage training. My legs were nowhere close to fresh and I had only taken two days completely off in the previous 3 weeks. I've been putting in the work, staying consistent, and getting it done. I KNOW I am moving in the right direction and now it seems like race day is inching closer. With only 5 more weeks of training, I've got some killer workouts planned, but nothing I don't think I can execute. Just have to take it one workout at a time, and not read too much into the result of each or any of them. I know where my fitness is, and it is exactly where I want it.Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-80845998054332307062013-08-19T13:58:00.000-04:002013-08-19T13:58:16.471-04:00Fighting Through the Grind<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGXjBuindTf_9fe5BBrogmHrvnqF2P8gyAeX5vaTSIQt_R55K50uxXOuRNcsMcZubMoBwUB5R0RY98fW0o_kAkFNeMr-vn-2zE5ddsmG5utcPYNTNKQaiqhJo5RGToIuxCoP9Po60jwmu/s1600/NYCMarathon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGXjBuindTf_9fe5BBrogmHrvnqF2P8gyAeX5vaTSIQt_R55K50uxXOuRNcsMcZubMoBwUB5R0RY98fW0o_kAkFNeMr-vn-2zE5ddsmG5utcPYNTNKQaiqhJo5RGToIuxCoP9Po60jwmu/s320/NYCMarathon.jpg" width="320" /></a>As I mentioned in my last post on <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/07/creating-marathon-fitness-building.html">Creating Marathon Fitness Building Blocks</a>, training for an endurance event takes an equal amount of <b><i> patience, persistence, and letting go of your ego. </i></b>The day in day out consistency required for training eventually reaches a point, typically in the middle of a training cycle when you are close to the race but still far enough away that it isn't THAT close, where the training becomes a grind. I'll be the first to admit that I am at that point right now. The cumulative effect of training, both on the body and mind, have started to take their toll. Running is always enjoyable, but to reach new heights and achieve tough, but realistic goals takes an extra effort to go above and beyond what is comfortable. Training for a difficult goal should be hard. If it isn't, it probably isn't a difficult goal. As a result, I am working through a few tough spots, but I am ok with that. It means I am pushing myself and am close, but not over the edge.<br />
<br />
I am now 11 weeks out from <a href="http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/">New York City</a> with two of the most important blocks, the core of my marathon-specific training, sitting right in front of me. I am also battling what I like to call <b><i>the grind</i></b>. My motivation is still high to get the workouts in and my body is still cooperating to execute them, but the grind just makes things a little extra blah. For lack of a better term, "blah" simply means that it feels like you're going through the motions. Still executing, still improving fitness, but without that big fire. <br />
<br />
However, there have certainly been moments of doubt where I let that blah feeling take over. Take this weekend for example. I was out of town officiating a few triathlons and had every intent on getting my long run done after the race. I had the motivation and even set out running immediately after getting back to my hotel room, but I could tell something was off. I knew it was a combination of spending all morning on my feet at the race and barely eating anything for 7 hours while working, but I still had it in my head that the run was going to happen. I started off and felt horrible, but I wanted to give my body a chance to respond. I've felt tired and off before, so sometimes it just takes a few miles to get that good feeling back. However, I wouldn't recommend running up and down mountains as a way to do that. Unfortunately, Luray, VA sits within the Shenandoah Mountains, right along <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2009/06/skyline-drive-virgin-no-more.html">Skyline Drive</a>, so there is nothing but hills and mountains. After about 4 miles, I knew my long run wasn't going to happen, so I ended it. At the end of a recovery week with some serious weeks ahead of me, I found little reason to use that extra mental energy it would have required to finish the run. The purpose of the week was to recover so I can hit my next phase of training hard, so recover is what I did and I have no regrets. While a missed long run isn't ideal, it isn't going to determine the outcome of anything. It was simply one run out of hundreds that I'll complete before race day. So I've put it in my past and am ready to move on. <br />
<br />
For me, this grind period usually lasts a week or two, when I finally get to the point where the race feels real. Fighting through the grind means you have to stay persistent and keep at it, even though you might not quite feel like it. But is also means being smart and knowing when it is ok to pull back a bit. Recovery is required in order to get stronger, so if I am going to miss a workout, I'd rather it be now as opposed to a key building week. The training that happens at this point has a direct impact on my ability to execute many of the simulation workouts that come toward the end of the training cycle, where I'll determine if my pace goals are realistic, so letting off the gas could mean that my goals for NYC might slip. With this recovery week and unexpected lower mileage behind me, I am putting my head down and going back to "work", taking it one day, one workout at a time. And before I know it, the grind will be over, race day will be here, and I'll be able to run the race I've trained for.<br />
<br />
While we all love to run, every run is not always rainbows and unicorns. Anyone who tells you otherwise is naive or lying. But what we can all agree on is that there is no feeling quite like crossing the finish line of a goal race with a shiny new PR. And at the end of the day, that is what this is all about.<br />
Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-12019711675053686392013-07-29T10:42:00.001-04:002013-07-29T10:42:22.230-04:00Creating Marathon Fitness Building Blocks - A Training Update<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAJAAAACtCAIAAADQwGGcAAAKCklEQVR4nO2aXVBU5xnHz13zMVPJNLmhN8YMI8TK0KFVKERGIm38ikntELU0nY7tJJ22F72wrWk7zU1z24tkqtDFtJ10VCSa14AosCxfGjS45+yugOsu7J5FOAQWiXt07a675+nFLrvLwn6ft/pknufGD9wff57fOe/7vO8oABWqEh51AKrcioQhKxKGrEgYsvpKCVNVVZxWrsjKZVkZlpXPPYqqqo86VMrKL+1XQZiqql12+Z1+8We9UmPf2A+HHHsGHD8YcGzvGX+5S/p5r3jO7nl8zBWYFrewUCjUfdPV2C3tG3T8xOp9W3542KM1yVqjW9vn0nZOattvPawa9Vb0OrZ1ih0TrlAohD0tYmGqqv52wLqtZ3zPDd8hWTvs0X45rSW1oN6p1TjC370V3izeLbkw/ot+26N61fRKi1WYZ2FxV5e4ZVDeYQ++5tIytqD8ZnjjWHB9n/ulC5J73os3LUphfr+/yWjdPCDXOMINk1qWLSidCD8/Hv6m0b2/1+b3+7P/dgXOMvqmxScsFAr98fLYC92OCns4nxaMhZ/ruvW74bGM+5kus4zuafEJE6eV4vO2EuuDvFvwrPig6JzF7FFSfQsdZxnd0yITFgqFmozW4sHZkolw/s/sjXBR/+xBo23NRus4y/BIi0yYa977zFmx2BossAVfl4JPfyy6Vk0f+s4yPNIiE/aBZaro0mTxWLjQFtjCT12cfN8ylQjXfZbhkRaZsDeMtqKhL/RpweAXjUZbjMxjluGRFpmwmk5p3dW7urTgyZG71R1ijMxjluGRNoMwTtepeWM5CeM0y/z/hHG6Ti0c+9xZaZ0trEsLnhCD3zgrRbCcZhkeaZOFcbpO1Qv7RLuoWwss4a+1R98wTrMMj7QrhHG6TtURy0kYp1mGrzBO16n6YjkJ47Q1chTG6TpVdywJE4DbdSoPLCdhnGYZXsI4XafywHIShggrcDqCcMIi6iwvYZyOIJywiDrLSxinIwiikw0urMDpCILoZIMLK3CaaBENyriwJAwZVuB0BEF0ssGFFRBlJSwJw4clYciwJAwZloQhw5IwZFgShgxLwpBhSRgyLAlDhiVhyLAkDBmWhCHDkjBkWBKGDEvCkGFJGDIsCUOGJWHIsCQMGZaEIcOSMGRYEoYMS8KQYUkYMiwJQ4YlYciwJAwZloQhw5IwZFgShgxLwpBhSRgyLAlDhiVhyLAkDBmWhCHDkjBkWBKGDEvCkGFJGDIsCUOGJWHIsCQMGZaEIcOSMGRYEoYMS8KQYUkYMiwJQ4YlYciwJAwZloQhw5IwZFgShgxLwpBhSRgyLAlDhiVhyLAkDBmWhCHDkjBkWBKGDEvCkGFJGDIsCUOGJWHIsCQMGZaEIcOSMGRYEoYMS8KQYUkYMiwJQ4YlYciwJAwZloQhw5IwZFgShgxLwpBhSRgyLAlDhiVhyLAkDBmWhCHDkjBkWBKGDEvCkGFJGDIsCUOGJWHIsCQMGZaEIcOSMGRYEoYMS8KQYUkYMiwJQ4YlYciwJAwZNpWwuV2trOHE0I/t2mGP1mSWag1sq4FVtrDyFlbWzEqOs/XH2PPDuWbVF+urPMUqWliVgdW1soYTbOcJ6dDKFtR2sLJmVmb05dLZtNhRKZZ202c5CUuH3TMwFG/Cp0rOwnZ2sbrW0SsAANCpaE1mqbZvFtaq3ts5CNMbq1Q0mz5cSv7s32PCrknlLezoFACA25t9Z1Njr0tbDazSGM/cZ9cBu+8i22pgh8y++N/OLuUi7JpUZWB/dUU/26loTbLWOL9mY3MRpjtWcmxuHu1f9dmIsFe6WGULK19ubg7CUmLV3e1sy6onrG+mQOzc9w3sXdeqLyxpWQrz1baxqoRY0c7G1tmrUlkz+/0UAAD8V9ub7ZKoP7a8d7D0jN0NAEH4w4pdQd3dzrYa2F+m4j9+9sJSYiec9QbTv5cAADx3tBqrY/91nw5pzVKtYXQAAAAuz2k1DmVTT7RLLZNZCKvqG6xoMf3nfvxHXdlZtfo0K+2NELWjWe+3PLDfOs/2R5YR12hdK2u4NJcgLPa9fK47uQlLiZ1w1n9slwEA4KRHq3Eom9rsUwAA2pGC0saXmfecWo3VUXp8tBcAUiwzwqrXlh0YCwDAtGiPbzYrdgVTa44t4IP1vXgyuj/Fa2bup8vbeHsQpu/crz6tH9Ys1S4Le8+p1TiUTcudXfNVyCnt8pSoVp5iJdHnIPMb5nvxJCs9Y5cBIHjv14nTQRSq1rXFdgXtT9kOSJywysZjURkr6gG8s+LFzVVYamzCiJQkLIsdN8u0rLTZ9I/IP/Nl3MOGxQ3HTK0+AICR+bldqzs75qxqMZ1YAgCQF7OeaDlhJ8IVdm0IAADab2uHZLXxarSbowuFCEuNnXHW5y8sY1q1ro3Flpk0+0Jc2IZP2IbIdjc1WmWIzd++U5fn4keQyLYJ8C93tp3lhC0ZFjccY2XNYl30KKo2njWdXgIAmP2yAGFpsF5PfeKSmLDZZF4SM6RVd5xhlctPbfplZoWwI5Owdt1fHpQjC1dAa8r6kM8JWzKhbIxOUw//5tIOmaWGE9EWFPaGpcGqu7sjwsInPVpV32BJDkNHurT7LrItBtM/l229m/1Nx58Tjm6rOqvuOLM8KKtaTrcynLDlvRN9AAAgi6a6VtbQH11k2GxBS2I67PWbkbHebTaVNbPXchvrU2CnnPXxc9js0UzXPWmuppI2G3XHmehTIC/mfY2mM/ZNV8JBIVL+pNNCHntYOuyrk18mfSXbg3MK7IGhodjwmVRZjPUrLyjNKzqrverSTgcAAIaUgu499cW+nTB6Kb41rlM/CuQsLAN2Lv6l/hkdsEeSn4F8hT1uF9WEJWH4sCQMGZaEIcOSMGRYEoYMS8KQYUkYMiwJQ4YlYciwJAwZVij/VFp39a4+0Gv3qjuiWQnLCSvUdOoGfXLkbiwrYTlhhTeMtqLLXn2gQwuNRlskK2E5YYUPLFNFPW5doE91u9+3RP9nEGE5YQXXvPeZT6zF1mChUCn49DmrTfFGshKWE1YIhUJNRmvx4GyB0KL+2YNGWygUimQlLCesAADitFJ83lZyI5g39FlLsOicxexRIKEIywMrRB6E3/RbX+idyv8p6J58y2SNPVmx54uwumOFyC+qqr58Qdw8IOcDNbqrOkRVVWFVEVZ3rBD7nWdhcVeXuGVQzgm6vs/90gXJPe9dHZSwPLBCEvctk3Wb0b534n5G6GbLvZKLNw8arWmCElZ3rJD0Z7/f/5HVufeS9Ppn8ptjS2tCq81L3x6Qv9MhtYi3/H5/+qCE1RebLCxStxcW22zOXxnFgz3SgWHHj0bkfZ/PvnJF3m5yfK9Tev2S+KHF6VlYzCYlYfXFri0sUoFAYMa7OCIrZ8ddx0VH25hr0K1MLywGAoFcUxJWL2w6YVSPYZEwZPU/kPdCJjcppJUAAAAASUVORK5CYII=" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="data:image/png;base64,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" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My weekly mileage progression</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With this past week in the books, I've wrapped up the first week in the next phase of my marathon training cycle - the general build phase. In this phase, the focus is still on adding volume as it was in the base phase, but more importantly, starting to progress into more marathon specific workouts. <b><i>Training for a marathon is a process of patience, persistence, and letting go of your ego.</i></b> The best laid training plans can go awry with the snap of the fingers if you don't incorporate all three of those elements.<br />
<br />
<i><b>- Patience</b></i>: The marathon training cycle is a long time (typically 4-5 months), so you need to make steady progress, one workout at a time. Jumping in too deep before it is safe can lead to overuse injuries and setbacks. There is such a thing as training too much too soon or too hard/fast. This often results in fitness peaking well before your goal race, leaving you exhausted and flat by the time you get to the start line. Patience always rewards those who let their fitness come to them.<br />
<br />
<b><i>- Persistence:</i></b> Training for marathon is tough - there's no doubt about that. Fatigue sets in pretty quickly after you've been at it for 4-6 weeks, as the cumulative toll starts to eek into your body. This is good though, because your body adapts and gets stronger. So you do eventually get used to the "always tired" feeling, but it takes some persistence to keep yourself going. Its easy to take extra days off when you feel fatigued, but that takes away from your training. Fatigue is normal, pain is not. Know the difference. You want to be persistent, but not injured.<br />
<br />
<b><i>- Lose the ego</i></b>: One of my favorite sayings is "Your ego is not your amigo". Don't fool yourself into thinking you are fitter, faster, injuryproof, etc. When things are going well and you feel the fitness starting to pick up, it is way too easy to keep pushing. But know that your ego is the one tell you to keep going farther, further, faster, not your body. Eventually it all catches up. If not now, then later, but know that it does. Stick to your plan or consult your coach if you think you should be increasing your workload. In most cases, you probably should just stay the course (ie have patience).<br />
<br />
Now as I mentioned in <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/06/laying-foundation-how-to-prepare-for.html">my last training post</a>, I had laid out some short term goals to get me through the initial base phase of training. Let's review those goals and see how I did:<br />
<br />
<i>Short term goals:</i><br />
<i>1) Slowly increase weekly volume to a sustainable (for me) level in the low to mid 50s</i><br />
In the past month, I've shown a steady progression, where I moved from 47 mi/wk up to 52. I would have liked to get that number a bit higher, but life got in the way, so I had to take a few unexpected days off. I still had 3 weeks of 50+ miles, so I'm right where I need to be. This past week, as my first week of building, I was up to 58 miles with no extra fatigue, so I can tell I was ready to start this phase.<br />
<i>2) Run consistently 6-7 days/week to get into the routine to support higher volume</i><br />
I've run at least 6, but typically 7 runs in every week over the last 7 weeks. This has worked out to 6 days of running, with 1 double. In this next phase, I'll likely be running 7 days a week as my body allows, but one of those days will simply be a 30 minute easy run as my rest day.<br />
<i>3) Add one double run per week on the same day as speedwork</i><br />
As noted above, I've been doing a double on my speedwork days. This means I do an easy 4-5 miles in the early morning, followed by my speedwork in the evening. There are a bit more than 12 hours between workouts, so it is actually a pretty large gap. No different than doing an evening workout followed by a morning run. This has worked well and hasn't impacted my ability to nail my paces or leave me overly fatigued the next day.<br />
<i>4) Gradually begin incorporating more dedicated strength routines following hard workouts (2x/week)</i><br />
I always do my strength routines after speedwork, so that is good for 1x/week. I occasionally do a 2nd dedicated strength routine later in the week, but more often, I do a little bit of this and a little bit of that at different times throughout every day. For example, while brushing my teeth, I often do single leg stands/squats. What I am doing right now is ok, but I need to make time for a 2nd dedicated strength workout. I know it will help me be a better runner. <br />
<i>5) On easy days following each run, incorporate 5-10 minutes of mobility to aid bloodflow/recovery</i><br />
This has actually been one of the harder items to achieve, simply because I haven't had the time to always do this. Because most of my easy runs are done in the morning, once I step through the door, it is usually a rush to shower and get everyone ready to head back out the door and onto work/daycare. Doesn't leave much wiggle room. When I do have the time, I have done the mobility work or done it later in the day. So for this one, I am still getting it done, just not right after my runs.<br />
<i> </i><br />
So as you can see, I was able to exit that phase of training while hitting pretty much all of my short term goals. Because of that, I've been able to pretty easily transition into this next build phase. The 58 miles I ran this past week, seemed easier than some of the early weeks in the base phase. This included 2 weekday workouts and an 18 mi long run, so it had a fair bit of quality in there. I'm hitting that point where the patience and persistence early on in my training has paid off. I just have to let my ego keep its thoughts to itself while I progress like I planned. So as I continue down the road to longer and more challenging workouts, I hope to feel the same way as I do right now.<i> Stay tuned...</i>Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-70152395988047031072013-07-01T11:13:00.000-04:002013-07-01T11:13:06.648-04:00Get Up, Get Out - A Minimalist Guide to Early Morning Running<a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BI8B10ZCIAAnvjX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BI8B10ZCIAAnvjX.jpg" width="320" /></a>If the thought of waking up in the morning when the hour hand starts with a 3 makes you quiver, it might surprise you that I too felt the same way. But life has a funny way of putting things in perspective. With busy work schedules between my wife and I, along with our future runner, my perspective of what is considered "early" has drastically changed. Early morning running has become my normal, because<a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2012/11/running-when-sun-dont-shine.html"> I made it my normal</a> through repetition and gradual transition. But it wasn't always that easy, trust me.<br />
<br />
There are lots of help articles and recommended guidelines for people to "become a morning runner", but at the end of the day, no number of guidelines will get your butt out the door if you don't have the motivation. I assume since most of you looking to get your runs accomplished first thing in the morning happen to be pretty motivated in general, we'll skip that step. If you aren't motivated, then maybe its time to assess why you workout and/or what your goals are.<br />
<br />
So going back to the simple act of being a morning runner...there are lots of reasons why one would want to make this a regular part of your weekly routine. Here are just a few:<br />
<br />
- <i>No distractions</i>: You get your run in while the rest of the world is sleeping, so you have the trails to yourself. No issues with work pulling a fast one just as you are ready to head home and lace up, or having to take care of any house chores. When you create time by waking up early, it is YOUR time.<br />
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- <i>Glycogen depletion:</i> All of my morning runs are done in a fasted state to take advantage of the benefits of glycogen depletion. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23053125?dopt=Abstract">Studies </a>show that training in a fasted state on low glycogen can increase fat oxidation and enhance metabolic adaptations in skeletal muscle. Why not get some additional adaptations, while saving yourself some time? <br />
<br />
- <i>No food worries:</i> This goes with the point above, since you don't have to think about what to eat. And trust me, you don't need to eat anything, unless you are going really long (20+ mi) or racing. This also means fewer digestive issues.<br />
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- <i>Start the day with a kick of endorphins:</i> I've never regretted getting out for a morning run. As hard as it might be to get out there, the reward once you are done is always worth it. You feel better about yourself knowing you've already accomplished something and the day has only just begun.<br />
<br />
- <i>Clothing choices are easier:</i> Aside from dressing appropriately for the weather, when its dark, nobody cares that you're wearing those neon orange hot pants, or that fugly race shirt you'd never sport in public. Save the "fashion" running clothes for the daytime. When its early in the morning, you can rock whatever you want*.<br />
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*Obviously, safety is the top priority, so aside from the awful looking clothes you might be wearing, you'd be smart to wear some type of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DKSJAG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004DKSJAG&linkCode=as2&tag=lesismor0a-20">Reflective Vest, Color</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=lesismor0a-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004DKSJAG" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
and/or a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018J76MC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0018J76MC&linkCode=as2&tag=lesismor0a-20">Headlamp</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=lesismor0a-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0018J76MC" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. I typically wear both. Plus my <a href="http://www.roadid.com/Common/default.aspx">RoadID</a>.<br />
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- <i>Time passes faster:</i> It may have to do more from the fact that your focus is on where your foot is next landing since your surroundings are black, but I find time passes way faster when I run in the dark.<br />
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So now that we all know several of the reasons why we <i>should </i>run early, how do you do it in a simple, minimal way:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Get Up, Get Out</b></i> </span></div>
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That's my mantra and I firmly believe it gives you the best odds of accomplishing your morning run. Some people like to toil around on the web, eat a snack, make coffee, etc. All that time spent gives you lots of easy excuses to never leave the house. If you want coffee, and sometimes I do, I set a timer for it to brew before I wake, or use some extra from the previous day, or make some before bed. No time should be wasted. My routine has me out the door within 15 minutes of my alarm going off. Yes, you read that right. 16 minutes before I take my 1st running step, I was sleeping. Here's how:<br />
<br />
<i><u><b>Get up </b></u></i><br />
When your alarm goes off, get up immediately without snoozing. I don't have any hard numbers on this, but I'm willing to bet that more than 50% of morning run attempts are fails due to the infamous snooze. Get up, brush your teeth, put on your clothes that you laid out the night before, and do some quick dynamic stretching to wake up your body.<br />
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<i><u><b>Get Out</b></u></i><br />
Once you are out the door, odds of you turning back are already much lower. You've now committed to the run. If you need to do any more warm up drills, do them outside, leaving you less likely to turn back. Otherwise, best be on your way toward being awesome while the rest of the world is sleeping.Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-74413492605371244682013-06-17T10:27:00.001-04:002013-06-17T10:27:45.880-04:00Laying the Foundation: How To Prepare For Marathon TrainingAnyone considering a Fall marathon has probably started at least thinking about their training if not just beginning following a plan. While I don't actually mean "formal" marathon training, since most races are still close to 20 weeks out, now is the time to start laying the foundation for the marathon-specific work you'll be piling on top as you get closer to your goal race. Every season around this time, I like take a glance back at my training over the last few months and identify some priorities or short term goals to get me through this initial period. Marathon training can be a long cycle and without short term goals, its easy to get wrapped up in the long term stuff, but over time, this frequently becomes a mental drag as the season wears on. So what I like to do is set up some short term goals to get me through this initial period, establish some consistency and good behaviors, and then pile on the marathon work. Hitting those short term goals means I'm ready to enter the actual marathon training cycle. Depending on your race, this could be a month or longer period dedicated to establishing a baseline level of fitness and a workable routine. So let me explain a bit more about what this means:<br />
<br />
I ask myself a few key questions at the outset: <i><b> </b></i><br />
<i><b>What has my training been like? </b></i><br />
<i><b>What areas can I improve on? </b></i><br />
<i><b>How do I get there?</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
The answers to these questions will lead you to establish these short term goals, IF you take a honest assessment of where you are today. Because remember, you can't just pull race goals out of a hat. They should be somewhat realistic and achievable, <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/02/finding-your-marathon-pace.html">based on your CURRENT fitness</a>. Pie in the sky goals are great for long term planning, but short term goals are what will get you out there day after day.<br />
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So once you've responded to those questions, you have to find a plan that gets you from Point A (today) to Point B (ready for marathon-specific training). Finding a training plan that looks good on paper is<i> </i>nice, but making sure it fits into both your current fitness level and your schedule is another thing.<br />
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Here is a quick glance back to summarize my responses to these questions:<br />
<br />
Taking a look back at my training from April through early June, I've let a few things slide to give myself (intentionally) less focus. My volume, intensity, and strength work is all down from where it was before <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/03/race-report-va-beach-shamrock-marathon.html">Shamrock</a>. I did this to give my body and mind a break. While I still trained hard for <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/05/race-report-brooklyn-half-marathon.html">Brooklyn</a>, I let a lot of the things I had been doing slide, because you can't be on your "A" game all year long or else you'll burn out eventually. So while I included intensity and strength work, it was less consistent. So now that I am looking toward <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/06/beating-odds-setting-up-my-fall-racing.html">NYC</a>, I have set up some short term goals to establish a pattern leading into the marathon-specific training I'll start up in about a month. These goals are centered around what I need to improve on, starting from where I am now, and creating goals that will get me to where I want to be in about 4 weeks.<br />
<br />
<i>Short term goals:</i><br />
<i>1) Slowly increase weekly volume to a sustainable (for me) level in the low to mid 50s</i><br />
<i>2) Run consistently 6-7 days/week to get into the routine to support higher volume</i><br />
<i>3) Add one double run per week on the same day as speedwork</i><br />
<i>4) Gradually begin incorporating more dedicated strength routines following hard workouts (2x/week)</i><br />
<i>5) On easy days following each run, incorporate 5-10 minutes of mobility to aid bloodflow/recovery</i><br />
<br />
So there you have it - a handful of small goals to keep me motivated. Each one is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound; otherwise known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria">SMART</a>.Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-11669753635999816752013-06-07T12:18:00.000-04:002013-06-07T12:18:04.388-04:00Beating the Odds - Setting Up My Fall Racing SeasonAs summer quickly approaches, I've been consumed with thoughts about how I want to plan my training and the races I'd like to target. With so many big fall marathons, it makes to difficult to plan too early, since the registration process is typically the most difficult part of getting into those races. While I love smaller races and the fun of just being able to show up and do my thing, I have a growing bucket list of races that I consider "must run" - among them: <a href="http://www.baa.org/">Boston</a>, <a href="http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/">NYC</a>, <a href="http://www.chicagomarathon.com/">Chicago</a>, <a href="http://www.marinemarathon.com/">MCM</a>, <a href="http://www.bsim.org/site3.aspx">Big Sur</a>, and <a href="http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/san-diego">San Diego</a>.<br />
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The New York City Marathon to me, is the quintessential example of a bucket list race. The hype, mass amounts of people, big city running, endless crowds, and overall history of the race makes it among the most special in my eyes. And while it can be frustrating to apply to the lottery for the race and repeatedly get shut out, I think the slim chance of making it is worth entering it each year. This year was my 3rd try at the lottery. When I first started putting my name in the hat, I figured if I didn't get in after 3 tries, I'd have a guaranteed entry on the 4th try as part of the NYRR's policy for the race. Well in 2011, along with a handful of other changes, <a href="http://runningblog.dallasnews.com/2011/10/new-guidelines-for-guaranteed.html/">that policy was removed</a>. I was resigned to just keep entering in the hopes that one year I'd get in. With last year's eventual cancellation due to Hurricane Sandy and the resulting slots going to those who wished to use their 2012 spot to race in 2013 (estimated at 19,000 runners), I knew my chances were slim. I even registered for the <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/05/race-report-brooklyn-half-marathon.html">Brooklyn Half</a>, because I figured this year wasn't going to happen. But I still entered anyways, because I have just as good a chance as anyone.<br />
<br />
So on May 29, when they were doing the actual lottery drawing, I was glued to the website. Unlike previous years where it seemed like you found out pretty quickly, this one seemed to linger. The drawing was to begin at noon. So I hit refresh on my account every 15-30 minutes to see if the status would change. I saw a lot of activity on social media with people wondering the same thing - was I selected? Some were watching their bank accounts, others like me, watching their NYRR profile. Well finally about 9 pm, I hit refresh and wouldn't ya know it, I GOT IN!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQ4HuVGU-JsF2P4XklB4L4tuHSEA32qb_4wvIRJwXc6l6G3qc2Oa0daNbR9NRs0FpPAVbb_UJSf7hKg0yKMFuuFMeK1ZOO4DFChmqXTS7zd5OwZzx2gZ600P3SK_lyVrQIAEqzCPeFzhJ/s1600/NYCM+Accepted.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQ4HuVGU-JsF2P4XklB4L4tuHSEA32qb_4wvIRJwXc6l6G3qc2Oa0daNbR9NRs0FpPAVbb_UJSf7hKg0yKMFuuFMeK1ZOO4DFChmqXTS7zd5OwZzx2gZ600P3SK_lyVrQIAEqzCPeFzhJ/s320/NYCM+Accepted.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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When I saw the results, I was nearly speechless. I didn't think it was official. I needed more confirmation. Then I got an email from NYRR notifying me that I had been accepted. That was just what I needed. If two things are saying I got it, then its gotta be true!<br />
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<a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/races/nyc-marathon-to-have-field-of-48000">Runners World posted an article</a> about the lottery for those interested in it. They broke it down pretty cleanly, which makes it easy to digest. About 4,500 slots were awarded through the lottery out of 33,000 entrants, which makes about a 13% chance of getting in. <br />
<br />
There will be 48,000 runners this year, which kind of scares the crap out of me, but also makes it exciting. This is what I signed up for, so I know what I am getting into. While it may not lead to the fastest time, I am going for the experience if nothing else.<br />
<br />
So with my "A" race locked in, I am starting to look at some shorter races to build into my plans. <b><i> </i></b><br />
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<b><i>Any locals have a favorite tune up race in the September/early Oct time frame that you consider a must run?</i></b> <b><i>Anyone else racing NYC?</i></b>Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787082691272496605.post-7182678544059426032013-05-24T11:49:00.000-04:002013-05-24T11:49:10.405-04:00Man Down - Finish Photos Tell The StoryAs I mentioned in my <a href="http://lesserismore.blogspot.com/2013/05/race-report-brooklyn-half-marathon.html">race report from the Brooklyn Hal</a>f, I had some pretty solid tunnel vision going on as I focused my way toward the finish line on the Coney Island boardwalk. But once the race photos were released, it opened up a whole other story that took place in those closing seconds, all of which is documented in my finish line photos.<br />
<br />
To give a bit of a back story, as we were closing in, I vaguely remember seeing a man to my side almost reaching toward the finish line, when it appeared he had a little too much forward lean going on and he lost his balance about 20 yards before the finish line and he went down (looks like he was fine thankfully). I remember seeing something out of the corner of my eye and shortly after I crossed the finish line, I remembered hearing medical staff calling for a wheelchair. I nearly forgot about this until I happened to notice something unusual in the background of my finish line photos. So the below sequence was captured over the 3 seconds of my crossing the finish line. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cWsI-ipLQtchgSlbO_QkrUtKp2jx1wFsp92VhlqN4lzPHF0LG1YeIH6Ql1ZdueRc99yTjibpcaPgH6eA0kTL0epExEIjJiKpMaVtbc1pC8UIL2_3MnPBcgzOpFRIic3DItuOUgVKKav1/s1600/Boardwalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cWsI-ipLQtchgSlbO_QkrUtKp2jx1wFsp92VhlqN4lzPHF0LG1YeIH6Ql1ZdueRc99yTjibpcaPgH6eA0kTL0epExEIjJiKpMaVtbc1pC8UIL2_3MnPBcgzOpFRIic3DItuOUgVKKav1/s640/Boardwalk.jpg" width="459" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading down the boardwalk toward the finish</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdunGJ0s-obMWgNV1B_mqDyToARDm5C5ks_gNQKQuYFHRrcWvs6w-DrMkdAQAylLQMs8pY0pdjAwQ_q5GkKLpLMOjkXbPrbjV3pZadWyixTEcK_BB8AT5u9Zfi0uy6EbFEU0Aops2Etvh/s1600/Finish+Line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdunGJ0s-obMWgNV1B_mqDyToARDm5C5ks_gNQKQuYFHRrcWvs6w-DrMkdAQAylLQMs8pY0pdjAwQ_q5GkKLpLMOjkXbPrbjV3pZadWyixTEcK_BB8AT5u9Zfi0uy6EbFEU0Aops2Etvh/s640/Finish+Line.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the finish, but the girl in above photo turned back to the man that went down</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbKnLW80DlPoVXTZqI7h-Q1CyV4ISv8r67MIOgvFNWfmsQNP0OPcN6NqK9bfiPa0-CJqvbEYGDYi-CHXTFGwWTvvTMranqx4BjmcxlWvKy6G2FRSwSxsohrklfj3OT67aXestvVYjEv-v/s1600/Finish+Sequence+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbKnLW80DlPoVXTZqI7h-Q1CyV4ISv8r67MIOgvFNWfmsQNP0OPcN6NqK9bfiPa0-CJqvbEYGDYi-CHXTFGwWTvvTMranqx4BjmcxlWvKy6G2FRSwSxsohrklfj3OT67aXestvVYjEv-v/s640/Finish+Sequence+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the girl's back facing the finish, heading to the down man</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuvTDBQRt9AImSuODlSyJ3qmthyBuyvnKPBgqUP3DhbmnY7gEtiny0JJYMiw59Iev9k7qORivGuoHO3NymX2qs6sKIwsB9GGCjsZ9h9G_0Ze36HUH5Tem2BME1bo-ZlafJFgLb15D_9_Z/s1600/Finish+Sequence+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuvTDBQRt9AImSuODlSyJ3qmthyBuyvnKPBgqUP3DhbmnY7gEtiny0JJYMiw59Iev9k7qORivGuoHO3NymX2qs6sKIwsB9GGCjsZ9h9G_0Ze36HUH5Tem2BME1bo-ZlafJFgLb15D_9_Z/s640/Finish+Sequence+3.jpg" width="447" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down man is trying to get up, while another runner plows into the girl</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgJSXn4ca7Co8TSuORzL_Ot-E37UZ67KLO7Iyw0m8CS06M897-5-BGf2C5e51iv7z22BAO9iyHs7ugI_bDu8XAi0y36rRlkJeOgJuF6KaMJAKE_y_OjNVNMeVjVKuvNTCQUR_vlJKFZig/s1600/Finish+Sequence+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgJSXn4ca7Co8TSuORzL_Ot-E37UZ67KLO7Iyw0m8CS06M897-5-BGf2C5e51iv7z22BAO9iyHs7ugI_bDu8XAi0y36rRlkJeOgJuF6KaMJAKE_y_OjNVNMeVjVKuvNTCQUR_vlJKFZig/s640/Finish+Sequence+4.jpg" width="450" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Runner in red and man down trying to recover, guy in green headband might have heard the commotion</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rli05SxxaU_9C4qQPl4HtW5GuppLwgzHid4C0IGYTHItIV8mYNtsCMDykY6LCzhMUVysoQRPTdtoApnkNa-ZCxOzCezARZ1tPjGZJcTDUPisSbk7PtNieSATbHqMb6sWX8TcYUTb4vjJ/s1600/Finish+Sequence+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rli05SxxaU_9C4qQPl4HtW5GuppLwgzHid4C0IGYTHItIV8mYNtsCMDykY6LCzhMUVysoQRPTdtoApnkNa-ZCxOzCezARZ1tPjGZJcTDUPisSbk7PtNieSATbHqMb6sWX8TcYUTb4vjJ/s640/Finish+Sequence+5.jpg" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Runner in red still losing his balance, man down still getting up</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPW8qWAkKEzh3V7TbeRc-qDhRh_rfEZU7WNsnp-pUmtO9EK8XVaTMaYQHljQOWNb8uQbwe3RTkNmo9Dkg6IgLir51anI6uEbrFBydX6wy6FuxCv1RW8fBtWk-wO-V6wudUTmBuM6hWxFS3/s1600/Finish+Sequence+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPW8qWAkKEzh3V7TbeRc-qDhRh_rfEZU7WNsnp-pUmtO9EK8XVaTMaYQHljQOWNb8uQbwe3RTkNmo9Dkg6IgLir51anI6uEbrFBydX6wy6FuxCv1RW8fBtWk-wO-V6wudUTmBuM6hWxFS3/s640/Finish+Sequence+6.jpg" width="454" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Runner in red starting to recover, as is man down</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6jw0yAyE4keWI2tEXh_jiA9F056AVNjSvYtWnH1Z5EocH5A6kTyQvLELg5Tc5bUB_iQFRqjXc9dPI_2_u3hhYeiZqHS2bRIT89DWN6AbbXmoUaUHsGC5tkLxfW2QwMSAVOpjGp01YSuH/s1600/Finish+Sequence+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6jw0yAyE4keWI2tEXh_jiA9F056AVNjSvYtWnH1Z5EocH5A6kTyQvLELg5Tc5bUB_iQFRqjXc9dPI_2_u3hhYeiZqHS2bRIT89DWN6AbbXmoUaUHsGC5tkLxfW2QwMSAVOpjGp01YSuH/s640/Finish+Sequence+7.jpg" width="454" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Runner in red wondering what the heck just happened</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVI8ECT4u_wyL_xlriXkD9qJu7MpE_s0iQPfms1lCUVWCBtfylcA7dJWoVpAn32rxUY5vo7-MDnQF4GA3oBgtr7EOWEJ1tCikZJGqv2X1wVPBrezzOk6TE48VASPrqJqVRjOl2vx5AYeg1/s1600/Finish+Sequence+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVI8ECT4u_wyL_xlriXkD9qJu7MpE_s0iQPfms1lCUVWCBtfylcA7dJWoVpAn32rxUY5vo7-MDnQF4GA3oBgtr7EOWEJ1tCikZJGqv2X1wVPBrezzOk6TE48VASPrqJqVRjOl2vx5AYeg1/s640/Finish+Sequence+8.jpg" width="452" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Runner in red recovered enough to finish, girl and help attend to man down</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12fhLy3j49TKp70xtOpqw1QnBCAGHZsXBXDLxax3IAjX4TyFtXW1JOMnMDbrRh3fPuUI4GcAzYeH1KVnrzxLLvDxsjhsYDf8-6n9Y4FbP_2uc22GDft9EucrTo9myERVcGO3VC-_tc_80/s1600/Finish+Sequence+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12fhLy3j49TKp70xtOpqw1QnBCAGHZsXBXDLxax3IAjX4TyFtXW1JOMnMDbrRh3fPuUI4GcAzYeH1KVnrzxLLvDxsjhsYDf8-6n9Y4FbP_2uc22GDft9EucrTo9myERVcGO3VC-_tc_80/s640/Finish+Sequence+9.jpg" width="456" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Runner in red still wondering what the heck happened, people helping man down back up</td></tr>
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These were all the photos I was able to see, since I would have to know the last names of the bibs shown in the photos to search for them, thus preventing my search for what else happened. I hope everyone ended up ok, but it was pretty heroic for the girl in white to stop just moments of the finish to go help the man that fell. Pretty cool that the photos tell the story. <br />
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However, I should also point out, that turning around in the closing moments of a race (luckily it wasn't that crowded yet) is kind of dangerous. Both she and the guy in red are lucky that nobody was injured. Most runners are at a nearly full sprint, so to have a collision at that point has got to be pretty painful. Just goes to show that you never know what is going to happen. <br />
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<br />Lesser is Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545194231939568710noreply@blogger.com0