WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Gordonville, Texas
WHEN?
Saturday, Sept. 28
WHY?
Lost Loop 50K
NO REALLY, WHY?
I could use a trail race to get my head right for the Javelina Jundred, and even though the two courses probably could not be any more dissimilar, it sure won't hurt to go pick up my feet for a few hours.
WHO ELSE IS GOING?
There are 37 entrants for the 50K. A few more than that are driving up all the way up there just to run 12K.
WHAT'S THE FORECAST?
It's looking pretty gross. The good news is that it should be mostly cloudy to overcast, but it'll still be plenty warm (going from low 70s to low 80s) and quite humid. Storms are on their way; it looks like they won't show up until mid-afternoon but the threat should provide plenty of incentive for everyone to keep moving.
HOW DO WE WIN?
I've given up making predictions on trail races given that my last several have been grossly optimistic. If I make it through without falling down and I can get around OK on Sunday, I'll consider that a big win.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Race review: Queen City Marathon
ENOUGH WITH THE SMALL TALK. HOW'D IT GO?
As you might have guessed by how long it has taken me to post this report, it did not go well. I was on track for 3:05 throughout the first half but blew up on the way home, struggling to a 3:18:34 finish.
DID YOU WIN?
As I said before the race, the sole reason for this trip was to lower my Boston qualifying time. I didn't do that, so the trip was a failure. I had a lot of feedback afterward disputing this, but when you have a very specific goal and you come nowhere near accomplishing it, there's really no other way to categorize it. There's no "next time" in this case. Anyway, I was 34th of 666 finishers, 31st of 376 men, 7th of 46 in my age group, 4th American and 2nd Texan.
HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?
Honestly, I have blacked out most memories of this event, it was that forgettable. The splits below tell the story. I remember thinking at the halfway point that it was going to be extremely difficult to maintain that pace. I had built a small cushion but by the 18K mark I was already starting to give a little bit of time back with each passing kilometer. I tried to relax by reminding myself that 3:05 was the goal but any PR (under 3:09:42) would still qualify as a success.
I would start the second half of the figure-8-ish course with a little bit of a tailwind, but it hardly did me any good. And the combination of coming back into the wind and tired legs slowed me nearly to a halt. At about mile 21, a runner passed me and, noting my North Texas Runners shirt, shared that he was from Austin. Oh great, I thought, not only am I not the only Texan to come all this way, I can't even cling to the claim of being the fastest.
WHAT ELSE?
I spent a lot of time after the race trying to dissect it and figure out what went wrong. Did I log too many miles in training? Did I not run enough miles? Did I walk too much the couple days before the race? Did travel throw me off? Did I not get enough carbs? Was I dehydrated? Did I not get enough sleep? Was the course too flat (73 feet of total climbing)? Any and none of these could be at fault. I think most of all I just focused too much on running in the heat and not enough on doing more work at race pace. I had a couple of race-pace long runs during the summer but they were not long enough and the last one of note was too many weeks before the race. And let's face it, racing a marathon is hard. I don't mind running marathons, but running them as hard as I can is probably my least favorite thing to do.
SPLITS?
6:56
7:01
6:55
6:52
6:58
7:01
7:00
6:55
6:52
7:03
7:05
7:07
7:24
7:09
7:15
7:21
7:26
7:41
7:51
7:49
8:14
9:05
9:14
9:35
8:55
8:50
8:37 pace last .1 (the Garmin cut the corners quite generously)
OK, WHAT ABOUT THE REAL REASON WE ALL RUN, THE STUFF?
This race brought about the welcome return of the actual goodie bag: free samples of granola bars and Advil were among the items tossed into the drawstring bag. The long-sleeve shirt pays homage to the local Canadian Football League team, and the medal reminds you that the number 26.2 has little meaning elsewhere in the world:
WHAT'S NEXT?
Lost Loop 50K, tomorrow.
As you might have guessed by how long it has taken me to post this report, it did not go well. I was on track for 3:05 throughout the first half but blew up on the way home, struggling to a 3:18:34 finish.
DID YOU WIN?
As I said before the race, the sole reason for this trip was to lower my Boston qualifying time. I didn't do that, so the trip was a failure. I had a lot of feedback afterward disputing this, but when you have a very specific goal and you come nowhere near accomplishing it, there's really no other way to categorize it. There's no "next time" in this case. Anyway, I was 34th of 666 finishers, 31st of 376 men, 7th of 46 in my age group, 4th American and 2nd Texan.
HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?
Honestly, I have blacked out most memories of this event, it was that forgettable. The splits below tell the story. I remember thinking at the halfway point that it was going to be extremely difficult to maintain that pace. I had built a small cushion but by the 18K mark I was already starting to give a little bit of time back with each passing kilometer. I tried to relax by reminding myself that 3:05 was the goal but any PR (under 3:09:42) would still qualify as a success.
I would start the second half of the figure-8-ish course with a little bit of a tailwind, but it hardly did me any good. And the combination of coming back into the wind and tired legs slowed me nearly to a halt. At about mile 21, a runner passed me and, noting my North Texas Runners shirt, shared that he was from Austin. Oh great, I thought, not only am I not the only Texan to come all this way, I can't even cling to the claim of being the fastest.
WHAT ELSE?
I spent a lot of time after the race trying to dissect it and figure out what went wrong. Did I log too many miles in training? Did I not run enough miles? Did I walk too much the couple days before the race? Did travel throw me off? Did I not get enough carbs? Was I dehydrated? Did I not get enough sleep? Was the course too flat (73 feet of total climbing)? Any and none of these could be at fault. I think most of all I just focused too much on running in the heat and not enough on doing more work at race pace. I had a couple of race-pace long runs during the summer but they were not long enough and the last one of note was too many weeks before the race. And let's face it, racing a marathon is hard. I don't mind running marathons, but running them as hard as I can is probably my least favorite thing to do.
SPLITS?
6:56
7:01
6:55
6:52
6:58
7:01
7:00
6:55
6:52
7:03
7:05
7:07
7:24
7:09
7:15
7:21
7:26
7:41
7:51
7:49
8:14
9:05
9:14
9:35
8:55
8:50
8:37 pace last .1 (the Garmin cut the corners quite generously)
OK, WHAT ABOUT THE REAL REASON WE ALL RUN, THE STUFF?
This race brought about the welcome return of the actual goodie bag: free samples of granola bars and Advil were among the items tossed into the drawstring bag. The long-sleeve shirt pays homage to the local Canadian Football League team, and the medal reminds you that the number 26.2 has little meaning elsewhere in the world:
Lost Loop 50K, tomorrow.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Race preview: Queen City Marathon
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada (the city that rhymes with fun)
WHEN?Sunday, Sept. 8
WHY?
Queen City Marathon
NO REALLY, WHY?
I was pretty pleased with myself after ducking under my Boston qualifying time by 18 seconds in Houston this January, but between then and now it became clear that 2014 was not likely to be a good year for squeakers. When the mood shifted in late April from rescue to recovery and a client contacted me to write her a last-minute BQ plan (she made it by 35 seconds at Santa Rosa last month -- maybe not enough, but we'll see), I rushed to figure out my own backup plan. I considered Sioux Falls, Skagit Flats, Lehigh Valley and a couple others, but given the unpredictability of finding a temperate location in summer and knowing how I melt when it gets too warm, I went as cold as I could find.
WHO ELSE IS GOING?
As with many marathons around this time, interest in QCM was high and the race sold out long ago. The circumstances of all these record fields have to make many of these race directors uncomfortable, but hopefully they are taking the opportunity to put on the best races they can (although QCM is a little different; they've announced a sellout the last 4 years and probably would've gotten there anyway). I believe there are 800 folks signed up for this race.
WHAT'S THE FORECAST?
Good now, but at risk of changing. It's going to be hot up there this week -- close to 90 -- but there's a cold front coming. The problem is, it was originally supposed to come through on Wednesday. Then the updated forecast had it cooler on Thursday... then Friday... and now it's not expected to cool off until Saturday. The current consensus for race morning is low to mid-50s with a chance of a thunderstorm -- acceptable, but very iffy and not as good as previous guesses has been. My biggest concern had been that the wind would stay down -- and it seems like it will be reasonable -- but if I go up there and it's hot, I'm gonna be pissed.
HOW DO WE WIN?
No pressure, but if I don't go up there and set a new PR, the entire trip will be recorded as a waste, unless my BQ-:18 is miraculously good enough. No offense to Canadians or the folks putting on the event -- who have a tremendous sense of humor by the way -- but this race would never have been on my radar if not for the bombing. If I lower my time and I still don't get accepted for Boston, well, there's not a whole lot I can do about that. I'm feeling confident. It will have been 8 weeks since I pinned on a bib, the longest stretch in more than 3 years, but my taper has finally helped my nagging Achilles issue subside. I'd like to break 3:05.
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada (the city that rhymes with fun)
WHEN?Sunday, Sept. 8
WHY?
Queen City Marathon
NO REALLY, WHY?
I was pretty pleased with myself after ducking under my Boston qualifying time by 18 seconds in Houston this January, but between then and now it became clear that 2014 was not likely to be a good year for squeakers. When the mood shifted in late April from rescue to recovery and a client contacted me to write her a last-minute BQ plan (she made it by 35 seconds at Santa Rosa last month -- maybe not enough, but we'll see), I rushed to figure out my own backup plan. I considered Sioux Falls, Skagit Flats, Lehigh Valley and a couple others, but given the unpredictability of finding a temperate location in summer and knowing how I melt when it gets too warm, I went as cold as I could find.
WHO ELSE IS GOING?
As with many marathons around this time, interest in QCM was high and the race sold out long ago. The circumstances of all these record fields have to make many of these race directors uncomfortable, but hopefully they are taking the opportunity to put on the best races they can (although QCM is a little different; they've announced a sellout the last 4 years and probably would've gotten there anyway). I believe there are 800 folks signed up for this race.
WHAT'S THE FORECAST?
Good now, but at risk of changing. It's going to be hot up there this week -- close to 90 -- but there's a cold front coming. The problem is, it was originally supposed to come through on Wednesday. Then the updated forecast had it cooler on Thursday... then Friday... and now it's not expected to cool off until Saturday. The current consensus for race morning is low to mid-50s with a chance of a thunderstorm -- acceptable, but very iffy and not as good as previous guesses has been. My biggest concern had been that the wind would stay down -- and it seems like it will be reasonable -- but if I go up there and it's hot, I'm gonna be pissed.
HOW DO WE WIN?
No pressure, but if I don't go up there and set a new PR, the entire trip will be recorded as a waste, unless my BQ-:18 is miraculously good enough. No offense to Canadians or the folks putting on the event -- who have a tremendous sense of humor by the way -- but this race would never have been on my radar if not for the bombing. If I lower my time and I still don't get accepted for Boston, well, there's not a whole lot I can do about that. I'm feeling confident. It will have been 8 weeks since I pinned on a bib, the longest stretch in more than 3 years, but my taper has finally helped my nagging Achilles issue subside. I'd like to break 3:05.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Race review: GMM-MIBM Daily Double
ENOUGH WITH THE SMALL TALK. HOW'D IT GO?
I ran 2 marathons in 2 states in 1 day (mostly). They were vastly different affairs, but the principal goal of the trip was achieved. I knocked out Grandfather Mountain Marathon in 3:33:31, then dawdled and staggered my way to a 5:22:42 "effort" at the Make It By Midnight Marathon.
DID YOU WIN?
I managed to snag 3rd place (out of 28) in my age group at GMM so I did in fact come home with a trophy! I was 36th of 381 overall and 33rd of 277 men. MIBM was less competitive, so even with a personal worst I was 22nd of 52 overall and 13th of 23 men (no age groups).
HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?
The voyage started Thursday with a little over 11 hours in the car to Nashville. A short run and another 6 hours of driving -- with all kinds of white-knuckle twists and turns going over the Appalachians -- got me to Boone late Friday afternoon, with just enough time to walk the mile or so from the hotel to packet pickup.
The weather on race morning was tremendous: thick fog, low 60s, with the humidity cut by a light wind. Shortly before we lined up on the Appalachian State University track to begin, a couple of runners got married on the football field. We've all heard of engagements at the finish line, but a wedding at the start line? That's some serious business. (I saw them finishing together so if they made it together to that point, they're set for life.)
After a lap and a half on the track, we filed out of the stadium and through the edge of campus. I stayed relaxed through the downhill opening section and paid no mind to the folks running past me. As we turned off the main drag and started to head up the mountain, I could feel the increased effort in my chest and legs. I welcomed the chance to walk through the second aid station at mile 5 and take my first gel. I kept this pattern for the rest of the race; the short breaks gave me just the little bit of recovery I needed to get through the next few miles.
With the uphills came downhills, at least through the first half of the race. I found the drop just before mile 8 to be the most harrowing, ending at a very sharp left turn with the added difficulty of a pickup truck approaching from the right (thank you to the volunteer who caught the driver's attention). At this point I was still under an 8-minute average pace, far below the 10-minute pace I had budgeted.
Somewhere along the way I ran alongside a woman who advised me to look out for the gravel hill at mile 15 and not even bother trying to run it. I still had in mind that I'd be doing plenty of uphill walking in the second half so that seemed about right to me. I hopped onto the Blue Ridge Parkway around mile 11 and enjoyed 3 tame miles to the next aid station. I passed the halfway point in 1:43.
After that next turn came the gravel section I was warned about. I took a little extra time walking out of the aid station, feeling all the little rocks under my thin-soled Merrells. When the hill wasn't there, I started jogging carefully until I found it, a mile later. She wasn't kidding; it was a steep climb on loose, wet gravel. But it was only three-tenths of a mile, and by the top I was ready to run again.
It was a steady uphill the rest of the way, but with a few downhill bursts as well. I knew I'd be easily under 4 hours, but as the miles ticked off I realized that 3:50 was in the bag... and then 3:45... and 3:40. I pushed aside the idea of keeping energy in the tank for the night race and went for the best time I could. The climb up to the stadium hosting the Grandfather Mountain Games, a Scottish Highlands festival, provided one last brief challenge before I raced around the track to some generous applause.
I walked back to get something to eat and collect my bag. I needed to get on the road but I didn't want to leave behind an award in case I had won, so I headed back to the finish-line tent, passing the ethnic dancers and the men in kilts throwing telephone poles, to see that indeed, my name was written on the awards sheet. I tried to make the case that I would like my award now, please, so I could get going, but there was confusion about whether the top 3 or 5 overall would be pulled out of the age groups and it would be better if I just waited.
Fortunately the delay didn't last longer than I had budgeted anyway, so by the time I caught the shuttle bus back to another shuttle van back to the stadium, I wasn't really behind what I had scheduled. But when I got to the hotel 6 hours later, I realized I only had time to slap on a fresh application of Aquaphor, change clothes and head out. I wanted to start Make It By Midnight at 7; I started at 7:13, and when it came to trying to finish by midnight, those few minutes made the difference.
As with the morning race, we caught a tremendous break with the weather, possibly even more so. Normally it would be in the mid-90s with a heat index well over 100, but clouds held the temperature down 15 degrees. Nevertheless, I was already soaked just a few minutes into the run.
I went with the same plan of walking to take my gels and running the rest of the way, and that seemed to be working for a while. The course was more or less a short flat section followed by a short, steep uphill and downhill, repeated many times. I had to stop after the first of 4 6.55-mile loops to tie my shoes tighter, but otherwise I felt pretty good. At the end of the second loop, I took an extra walk up the last big hill, and on the third loop, I mixed in a few more uphill walks, less out of choice than necessity. The tank was running low, but I wasn't totally empty... yet.
As I finished the third loop, I had 92 minutes remaining before midnight. Normally that would be way, way more time than I would need, but these circumstances were different. I was worn out from a very long day and I knew I would only be slowing further. And, there really was nothing on the line: no age group awards, and what do I care about a plastic tiara? I considered that I had 8 weeks until a much more important race and decided to get an early start on recovery by just walking the last lap entirely. If I had started at 7 and had those extra 13 minutes, then sure, I would've gone for it.
Of course, by walking instead of running I was prompted to realize how very much my feet hurt. I loosened my shoelaces but that didn't help much. In hindsight, the adage "if it hurts to run and it hurts to walk, then run" comes to mind, but I'm not sure I had anything left to run if I had wanted to. I sat for a minute at the mid-loop aid station but my rest was truncated when the volunteer slapped an unwelcome wet washcloth on my neck (I wisely kept my mouth shut rather than risk disqualification for saying what I was thinking). The last mile was not terribly unlike the last steps of the guys you've seen crawling to the finish at Kona. Needless to say, I was never happier that a race was over.
Alas, the weekend wasn't officially over until I got in the car on Sunday and drove about 14 1/2 hours to get home. That was about as tough as the day before.
WHAT ELSE?
I hung out for a while afterward and chatted with the MIBM race director. He's a nice guy and so it greatly pains me to say this, but the only reasons to run this race are (A) you're local and up for a challenge, or (B) you're doing something ridiculous like I was. The weather, the hills... I'm not going to complain about these things because they're evident to everyone going into the race and I can't stand when people gripe about things like that. But the visuals are poor -- it's a gated neighborhood but with average houses -- and the streets are pretty beat up (not to mention fairly well-trafficked in places, so you're dodging cars well into the evening). A few residents came out to their curbs to cheer, but not many. And with folks coming and going all afternoon -- the course opens at 3 p.m. and several people were packed up and gone before 9 -- there's little start- or finish-line socializing. Like I said, there might be some appeal, but it's limited.
On the other hand, Grandfather Mountain is full of scenery with thick woods and numerous waterfalls all the way up. The track start and finish (on different tracks) is unique. The aid stations are pretty sparse through the first half, which wasn't a problem this time but could cause trouble on a warm day. The biggest issue, though, is with the published course profile. Compare their version to my Garmin:
Mine doesn't look quite so tough, eh? Well, my eagle eyes did not catch the X-axis of the GMM profile, which includes only selected points of the course and is not to scale. It's still a difficult course, sure, with about 2,900 feet of ascent, but most of it is much more gradual than you would be led to believe. (Blue Ridge, by comparison, has only 25% more gain, but its three long, steep climbs keep that race in a category by itself as far as road marathons go.)
SPLITS?
Grandfather Mountain:
7:22
7:20
7:36
8:11
8:43
8:00
8:43
6:40
8:43
8:44
8:17
6:51
7:43
7:59
8:00
9:29
10:30
8:53
8:52
8:26
8:19
7:59
8:47
8:06
8:57
7:47 pace last .82 (excessive Garmin trim on all the twists and turns)
Make It By Midnight:
7:37
7:25
7:48
7:53
8:32
8:27
10:14
8:47
9:08
8:59
9:36
9:42
11:16
11:26
10:47
12:29
12:11
11:28
11:53
13:05
17:55
17:32
18:25
20:47
19:14
21:57
21:33 pace last .38
OK, WHAT ABOUT THE REAL REASON WE ALL RUN, THE STUFF?
GMM gives you a shirt. The medal is small and kind of threw me a bit since the shirt says "46th running" and the medal says "45th anniversary", which are both true. The awards are simple but elegant acrylic trophies:
MIBM throws a little more in the bag, adding a water bottle and flashlight to the shirt, just in case you showed up totally unprepared. If you make it by midnight, you get a tiara; if you don't, it's an unmarked plastic pumpkin. I really like the medal:
WHAT'S NEXT?
Queen City Marathon, Sept. 8.
I ran 2 marathons in 2 states in 1 day (mostly). They were vastly different affairs, but the principal goal of the trip was achieved. I knocked out Grandfather Mountain Marathon in 3:33:31, then dawdled and staggered my way to a 5:22:42 "effort" at the Make It By Midnight Marathon.
DID YOU WIN?
I managed to snag 3rd place (out of 28) in my age group at GMM so I did in fact come home with a trophy! I was 36th of 381 overall and 33rd of 277 men. MIBM was less competitive, so even with a personal worst I was 22nd of 52 overall and 13th of 23 men (no age groups).
HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?
The voyage started Thursday with a little over 11 hours in the car to Nashville. A short run and another 6 hours of driving -- with all kinds of white-knuckle twists and turns going over the Appalachians -- got me to Boone late Friday afternoon, with just enough time to walk the mile or so from the hotel to packet pickup.
The weather on race morning was tremendous: thick fog, low 60s, with the humidity cut by a light wind. Shortly before we lined up on the Appalachian State University track to begin, a couple of runners got married on the football field. We've all heard of engagements at the finish line, but a wedding at the start line? That's some serious business. (I saw them finishing together so if they made it together to that point, they're set for life.)
After a lap and a half on the track, we filed out of the stadium and through the edge of campus. I stayed relaxed through the downhill opening section and paid no mind to the folks running past me. As we turned off the main drag and started to head up the mountain, I could feel the increased effort in my chest and legs. I welcomed the chance to walk through the second aid station at mile 5 and take my first gel. I kept this pattern for the rest of the race; the short breaks gave me just the little bit of recovery I needed to get through the next few miles.
With the uphills came downhills, at least through the first half of the race. I found the drop just before mile 8 to be the most harrowing, ending at a very sharp left turn with the added difficulty of a pickup truck approaching from the right (thank you to the volunteer who caught the driver's attention). At this point I was still under an 8-minute average pace, far below the 10-minute pace I had budgeted.
Somewhere along the way I ran alongside a woman who advised me to look out for the gravel hill at mile 15 and not even bother trying to run it. I still had in mind that I'd be doing plenty of uphill walking in the second half so that seemed about right to me. I hopped onto the Blue Ridge Parkway around mile 11 and enjoyed 3 tame miles to the next aid station. I passed the halfway point in 1:43.
After that next turn came the gravel section I was warned about. I took a little extra time walking out of the aid station, feeling all the little rocks under my thin-soled Merrells. When the hill wasn't there, I started jogging carefully until I found it, a mile later. She wasn't kidding; it was a steep climb on loose, wet gravel. But it was only three-tenths of a mile, and by the top I was ready to run again.
It was a steady uphill the rest of the way, but with a few downhill bursts as well. I knew I'd be easily under 4 hours, but as the miles ticked off I realized that 3:50 was in the bag... and then 3:45... and 3:40. I pushed aside the idea of keeping energy in the tank for the night race and went for the best time I could. The climb up to the stadium hosting the Grandfather Mountain Games, a Scottish Highlands festival, provided one last brief challenge before I raced around the track to some generous applause.
I walked back to get something to eat and collect my bag. I needed to get on the road but I didn't want to leave behind an award in case I had won, so I headed back to the finish-line tent, passing the ethnic dancers and the men in kilts throwing telephone poles, to see that indeed, my name was written on the awards sheet. I tried to make the case that I would like my award now, please, so I could get going, but there was confusion about whether the top 3 or 5 overall would be pulled out of the age groups and it would be better if I just waited.
Fortunately the delay didn't last longer than I had budgeted anyway, so by the time I caught the shuttle bus back to another shuttle van back to the stadium, I wasn't really behind what I had scheduled. But when I got to the hotel 6 hours later, I realized I only had time to slap on a fresh application of Aquaphor, change clothes and head out. I wanted to start Make It By Midnight at 7; I started at 7:13, and when it came to trying to finish by midnight, those few minutes made the difference.
As with the morning race, we caught a tremendous break with the weather, possibly even more so. Normally it would be in the mid-90s with a heat index well over 100, but clouds held the temperature down 15 degrees. Nevertheless, I was already soaked just a few minutes into the run.
I went with the same plan of walking to take my gels and running the rest of the way, and that seemed to be working for a while. The course was more or less a short flat section followed by a short, steep uphill and downhill, repeated many times. I had to stop after the first of 4 6.55-mile loops to tie my shoes tighter, but otherwise I felt pretty good. At the end of the second loop, I took an extra walk up the last big hill, and on the third loop, I mixed in a few more uphill walks, less out of choice than necessity. The tank was running low, but I wasn't totally empty... yet.
As I finished the third loop, I had 92 minutes remaining before midnight. Normally that would be way, way more time than I would need, but these circumstances were different. I was worn out from a very long day and I knew I would only be slowing further. And, there really was nothing on the line: no age group awards, and what do I care about a plastic tiara? I considered that I had 8 weeks until a much more important race and decided to get an early start on recovery by just walking the last lap entirely. If I had started at 7 and had those extra 13 minutes, then sure, I would've gone for it.
Of course, by walking instead of running I was prompted to realize how very much my feet hurt. I loosened my shoelaces but that didn't help much. In hindsight, the adage "if it hurts to run and it hurts to walk, then run" comes to mind, but I'm not sure I had anything left to run if I had wanted to. I sat for a minute at the mid-loop aid station but my rest was truncated when the volunteer slapped an unwelcome wet washcloth on my neck (I wisely kept my mouth shut rather than risk disqualification for saying what I was thinking). The last mile was not terribly unlike the last steps of the guys you've seen crawling to the finish at Kona. Needless to say, I was never happier that a race was over.
Alas, the weekend wasn't officially over until I got in the car on Sunday and drove about 14 1/2 hours to get home. That was about as tough as the day before.
WHAT ELSE?
I hung out for a while afterward and chatted with the MIBM race director. He's a nice guy and so it greatly pains me to say this, but the only reasons to run this race are (A) you're local and up for a challenge, or (B) you're doing something ridiculous like I was. The weather, the hills... I'm not going to complain about these things because they're evident to everyone going into the race and I can't stand when people gripe about things like that. But the visuals are poor -- it's a gated neighborhood but with average houses -- and the streets are pretty beat up (not to mention fairly well-trafficked in places, so you're dodging cars well into the evening). A few residents came out to their curbs to cheer, but not many. And with folks coming and going all afternoon -- the course opens at 3 p.m. and several people were packed up and gone before 9 -- there's little start- or finish-line socializing. Like I said, there might be some appeal, but it's limited.
On the other hand, Grandfather Mountain is full of scenery with thick woods and numerous waterfalls all the way up. The track start and finish (on different tracks) is unique. The aid stations are pretty sparse through the first half, which wasn't a problem this time but could cause trouble on a warm day. The biggest issue, though, is with the published course profile. Compare their version to my Garmin:
Mine doesn't look quite so tough, eh? Well, my eagle eyes did not catch the X-axis of the GMM profile, which includes only selected points of the course and is not to scale. It's still a difficult course, sure, with about 2,900 feet of ascent, but most of it is much more gradual than you would be led to believe. (Blue Ridge, by comparison, has only 25% more gain, but its three long, steep climbs keep that race in a category by itself as far as road marathons go.)
SPLITS?
Grandfather Mountain:
7:22
7:20
7:36
8:11
8:43
8:00
8:43
6:40
8:43
8:44
8:17
6:51
7:43
7:59
8:00
9:29
10:30
8:53
8:52
8:26
8:19
7:59
8:47
8:06
8:57
7:47 pace last .82 (excessive Garmin trim on all the twists and turns)
Make It By Midnight:
7:37
7:25
7:48
7:53
8:32
8:27
10:14
8:47
9:08
8:59
9:36
9:42
11:16
11:26
10:47
12:29
12:11
11:28
11:53
13:05
17:55
17:32
18:25
20:47
19:14
21:57
21:33 pace last .38
OK, WHAT ABOUT THE REAL REASON WE ALL RUN, THE STUFF?
GMM gives you a shirt. The medal is small and kind of threw me a bit since the shirt says "46th running" and the medal says "45th anniversary", which are both true. The awards are simple but elegant acrylic trophies:
MIBM throws a little more in the bag, adding a water bottle and flashlight to the shirt, just in case you showed up totally unprepared. If you make it by midnight, you get a tiara; if you don't, it's an unmarked plastic pumpkin. I really like the medal:
Queen City Marathon, Sept. 8.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Race preview: GMM-MIBM Daily Double
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Boone, North Carolina and Macon, Georgia
WHEN?
Saturday, July 13
WHY?
Grandfather Mountain Marathon and Make It By Midnight Marathon
NO REALLY, WHY?
The Year of Stupid marches on with this little endeavor. Some months ago I started looking for ways to cross off more states on my long, long road to running a marathon or ultra in all 50. The easiest way to do this is with a Saturday marathon in one state and a Sunday one in a neighboring state, but why go easy? I'll run Grandfather Mountain in the morning, hit the road for the 6-or-so-hour drive to Georgia -- pretty much another marathon in itself -- and run Make It By Midnight in the evening.
WHO ELSE IS GOING?
Grandfather Mountain hit an announced sellout of 500 runners (though the website only lists 471 names). Make It By Midnight also sold out with 175 total entrants, 84 in the marathon and 91 in the half. Two other Marathon Maniacs beside myself are running both.
WHAT'S THE FORECAST?
The morning race should be quite pleasant, relatively speaking: 60-70 degrees with a mix of sun and clouds, but humid. Obviously not perfect but for a July race, this Texan will be chilly when the gun goes off. The night race is closer to what I've run in a time or two recently: temps in the 80s with choking humidity that will make it feel 10 degrees warmer.
HOW DO WE WIN?
We win by finishing, no question. If I were only doing Grandfather Mountain, it would be a tough day. That race starts at about 3300 feet and ends nearly 1000 feet higher, with plenty of ups and a few downs in between. I expect it will be the second hardest marathon I've done behind Blue Ridge, and so I won't be surprised at all if I'm pushing 4:30 to finish (obviously I won't be going all-out, either). The moment I finish, I'll be in a panic trying to catch the shuttle back to the start so I can get on the road to Macon. The race there starts whenever each runner decides, as the goal as to finish at or just before midnight. It's a hilly 4-loop course through a gated neighborhood. I'd like to start at 7 just to give myself way more time than I ought to need -- and before this, I'd also like to be checked in to the hotel where I'll be spending the night. So there's little room for error. Stupid, indeed.
Boone, North Carolina and Macon, Georgia
WHEN?
Saturday, July 13
WHY?
Grandfather Mountain Marathon and Make It By Midnight Marathon
NO REALLY, WHY?
The Year of Stupid marches on with this little endeavor. Some months ago I started looking for ways to cross off more states on my long, long road to running a marathon or ultra in all 50. The easiest way to do this is with a Saturday marathon in one state and a Sunday one in a neighboring state, but why go easy? I'll run Grandfather Mountain in the morning, hit the road for the 6-or-so-hour drive to Georgia -- pretty much another marathon in itself -- and run Make It By Midnight in the evening.
WHO ELSE IS GOING?
Grandfather Mountain hit an announced sellout of 500 runners (though the website only lists 471 names). Make It By Midnight also sold out with 175 total entrants, 84 in the marathon and 91 in the half. Two other Marathon Maniacs beside myself are running both.
WHAT'S THE FORECAST?
The morning race should be quite pleasant, relatively speaking: 60-70 degrees with a mix of sun and clouds, but humid. Obviously not perfect but for a July race, this Texan will be chilly when the gun goes off. The night race is closer to what I've run in a time or two recently: temps in the 80s with choking humidity that will make it feel 10 degrees warmer.
HOW DO WE WIN?
We win by finishing, no question. If I were only doing Grandfather Mountain, it would be a tough day. That race starts at about 3300 feet and ends nearly 1000 feet higher, with plenty of ups and a few downs in between. I expect it will be the second hardest marathon I've done behind Blue Ridge, and so I won't be surprised at all if I'm pushing 4:30 to finish (obviously I won't be going all-out, either). The moment I finish, I'll be in a panic trying to catch the shuttle back to the start so I can get on the road to Macon. The race there starts whenever each runner decides, as the goal as to finish at or just before midnight. It's a hilly 4-loop course through a gated neighborhood. I'd like to start at 7 just to give myself way more time than I ought to need -- and before this, I'd also like to be checked in to the hotel where I'll be spending the night. So there's little room for error. Stupid, indeed.
Race review: Liberty 10K
ENOUGH WITH THE SMALL TALK. HOW'D IT GO?
I surprised myself and came within 4 seconds of a PR, finishing in 40:36. On an age-graded scale considering all distances, this comes in as my 5th best race.
DID YOU WIN?
I came in 15th place out of 324 runners overall, finished 15th of 152 men and was 3rd of 20 in my age group (only 6 seconds out of 2nd).
HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?
As I said before the race, I was less focused on running well than on seeing some other friends who were running. The Saturday before, I had tried doing some faster running with one of my clubs; I got through about a mile and a half and my heart was about to explode. So with low expectations, I just set off running until I couldn't take any more.
The 5K and 10K started together, with my group reaching a turnaround about two-thirds of a mile in. I counted about 25 folks in front of me, most of them looking like the high school cross country types who usually rule this race. I was still in passing mode after starting a little bit off the line, and a few cheers from friends going the other direction spurred me on.
The runners in front of me started spreading out, but every so often I approached another one who'd gone out too fast and reeled him in. This kept my eyes off my watch, which was a good thing since it would have told me that I, too, was slowing. I caught a peek at mile 3 and so I made it a point to keep checking until the 5K mark, which I passed in 20:01. At that point I knew my goal of a sub-43 was in hand.
Heading back up the trail around the 5-mile mark, I heard someone closing behind me. He passed me, I passed someone else, and so on the rest of the way. I didn't have a whole lot of kick in me but I wasn't totally dead at the finish either, so I was satisfied with my execution.
WHAT ELSE?
My friends are going to get tired of hearing me bring it up, but training in the heat is clearly doing great things for me. As a beginning runner I did all I could to stay out of the extreme heat. I would get up ridiculously early to get my long runs finished before the sun came up. But the last couple years, I've opted just to take the bull by the horns, diving into acclimatizing runs and getting used to the weather. Last year I ran a 15K PR at Too Hot to Handle, starting a pretty awesome string of races all the way through to the Houston Marathon. With a very important race (Queen City Marathon) just 9 weeks away, hopefully that kind of history will repeat this year.
SPLITS?
6:14
6:21
6:44
6:34
6:34
6:37
6:18 pace last .25
OK, WHAT ABOUT THE REAL REASON WE ALL RUN, THE STUFF?
You get a shirt. If you finish in the top 3 of your age group, you get a medal:
WHAT'S NEXT?
Daily Double: Grandfather Mountain Marathon and Make It By Midnight Marathon, July 13.
I surprised myself and came within 4 seconds of a PR, finishing in 40:36. On an age-graded scale considering all distances, this comes in as my 5th best race.
DID YOU WIN?
I came in 15th place out of 324 runners overall, finished 15th of 152 men and was 3rd of 20 in my age group (only 6 seconds out of 2nd).
HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?
As I said before the race, I was less focused on running well than on seeing some other friends who were running. The Saturday before, I had tried doing some faster running with one of my clubs; I got through about a mile and a half and my heart was about to explode. So with low expectations, I just set off running until I couldn't take any more.
The 5K and 10K started together, with my group reaching a turnaround about two-thirds of a mile in. I counted about 25 folks in front of me, most of them looking like the high school cross country types who usually rule this race. I was still in passing mode after starting a little bit off the line, and a few cheers from friends going the other direction spurred me on.
The runners in front of me started spreading out, but every so often I approached another one who'd gone out too fast and reeled him in. This kept my eyes off my watch, which was a good thing since it would have told me that I, too, was slowing. I caught a peek at mile 3 and so I made it a point to keep checking until the 5K mark, which I passed in 20:01. At that point I knew my goal of a sub-43 was in hand.
Heading back up the trail around the 5-mile mark, I heard someone closing behind me. He passed me, I passed someone else, and so on the rest of the way. I didn't have a whole lot of kick in me but I wasn't totally dead at the finish either, so I was satisfied with my execution.
WHAT ELSE?
My friends are going to get tired of hearing me bring it up, but training in the heat is clearly doing great things for me. As a beginning runner I did all I could to stay out of the extreme heat. I would get up ridiculously early to get my long runs finished before the sun came up. But the last couple years, I've opted just to take the bull by the horns, diving into acclimatizing runs and getting used to the weather. Last year I ran a 15K PR at Too Hot to Handle, starting a pretty awesome string of races all the way through to the Houston Marathon. With a very important race (Queen City Marathon) just 9 weeks away, hopefully that kind of history will repeat this year.
SPLITS?
6:14
6:21
6:44
6:34
6:34
6:37
6:18 pace last .25
OK, WHAT ABOUT THE REAL REASON WE ALL RUN, THE STUFF?
You get a shirt. If you finish in the top 3 of your age group, you get a medal:
Daily Double: Grandfather Mountain Marathon and Make It By Midnight Marathon, July 13.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Race preview: Liberty 10K
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
The Colony, Texas
WHEN?
Thursday, July 4
WHY?
Liberty 10K
NO REALLY, WHY?
A bunch of friends are running, I needed a race to add to the calendar, and it was super cheap ($17.50 with a Groupon). All excellent reasons.
WHO ELSE IS GOING?
Close to 1,000 folks will run the 5K and 10K, with a couple hundred more in the former than the latter.
WHAT'S THE FORECAST?
It should be a pretty nice morning, in the low 70s with reasonable humidity. Around here that's dang near as good as it's gonna get for July 4.
HOW DO WE WIN?
This race was somewhat of a late addition to the schedule and as such, I've done very little to prepare for it, given that my more important races are still to come. I'll be hanging out with the above-mentioned friends after the race, so I've decided to leave the car at home and run to the race, the post-race gathering, and back home. That puts the 10K in the middle of a 21-ish-mile training run. Combined with my utter lack of speedwork, I have a hard time seeing myself cracking 43 minutes. That may still be good enough for an age-group award, but that would be purely accidental.
The Colony, Texas
WHEN?
Thursday, July 4
WHY?
Liberty 10K
NO REALLY, WHY?
A bunch of friends are running, I needed a race to add to the calendar, and it was super cheap ($17.50 with a Groupon). All excellent reasons.
WHO ELSE IS GOING?
Close to 1,000 folks will run the 5K and 10K, with a couple hundred more in the former than the latter.
WHAT'S THE FORECAST?
It should be a pretty nice morning, in the low 70s with reasonable humidity. Around here that's dang near as good as it's gonna get for July 4.
HOW DO WE WIN?
This race was somewhat of a late addition to the schedule and as such, I've done very little to prepare for it, given that my more important races are still to come. I'll be hanging out with the above-mentioned friends after the race, so I've decided to leave the car at home and run to the race, the post-race gathering, and back home. That puts the 10K in the middle of a 21-ish-mile training run. Combined with my utter lack of speedwork, I have a hard time seeing myself cracking 43 minutes. That may still be good enough for an age-group award, but that would be purely accidental.
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