WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Dallas, TX
WHEN?
Sunday, Jan. 23
WHY?
Too Cold to Hold 15K
NO REALLY, WHY?
This race sort of fits into my longer-term training for Cowtown. I'm supposed to run for 90 minutes; this won't take me that long so consider it a speed workout of sorts.
WHO ELSE IS GOING?
The race has had terrific growth over the last few years, and thanks to a big marketing push and great weather I expect that to continue this year with over 800 finishers in the 15K.
WHAT'S THE FORECAST?
Upper 30s, light winds, no rain. Just about as good as you're gonna get.
HOW DO WE WIN?
The goal here is pretty easily defined: PR. I set my 15K PR at the 2010 edition of this event, but 1:06:38 is pretty low-hanging fruit by now. Even with the course re-mapped (I think) to go up the hill at the Winfrey Point parking lot, I plan to break my PR at a minimum -- I'll be looking to go under 1:05 to consider myself pleased. (The age group awards will be gone in 60 minutes so that's not even on the radar.)
WHAT'S THE PLAN?
Very easy mileage all week: 2 Tuesday, 3 Wednesday, 4 Thursday, 6 Saturday. Then I'll lace up the racing shoes in competition for the first time and go kill this thing.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Race review: First Light Marathon
ENOUGH WITH THE SMALL TALK. HOW'D IT GO?
I thought I had mixed emotions after Tucson, but that was nothing compared to this. I ran a 3:16:30, a PR by 2:48... and as of today, exactly 31 seconds shy of qualifying for Boston.
DID YOU WIN?
Winning my age group tipped me more towards feeling good about the race than not. I was first of 29 in my age group and 20th of 471 overall. That was a true AG win, too; no one got pulled out for an overall award.
HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?
Coming four weeks after Tucson, my expectations were tempered. I decided ahead well before race day that I'd follow the Galloway run-walk-run method (5 minutes run, 30 seconds walk for a 7:30 race pace), not because I thought it'd help my time but because of the promise of not feeling completely trashed at the end of the race. (Spoiler alert: I felt completely trashed. If I came up 31 seconds short of a BQ and still had something left in the tank, there wouldn't have been any mixed emotions.) I was sore for several days after Tucson, and even though I know that had more to do with all the downhill running than anything, I was receptive to doing something different.
The forecast called for bitter cold and gusty winds, so I headed out for my warm-up in all the cold-weather gear I brought: beanie, compression shirt under tech shirt, gloves, tights, compression knee socks. I hadn't bothered to check the current weather first, so I was surprised by mid-30s and manageable winds, with the wind chill about 15 degrees warmer than expected. A quick mile or so had me sweating, so I went back to my room and ditched the hat and tight shirt (but kept the gloves, since I had a Gu packet wedged into each).
It felt really awkward pulling over to walk 5 minutes into the race. It seemed like almost all of my walk breaks east of I-65 -- the first 10 miles -- began just as I was approaching a group of spectators. It's a weird feeling to know what you're doing, and know that it looks odd, with no time to explain it. I could've given a very succinct explanation to the woman who passed me about 7 miles in and shouted, "Don't give up now!", but I passed. She was hardly out of line compared to the spectators at the 4-mile mark who reminded us that we had more than 20 miles to go. For some folks, math is hard.
I knew I had gone out a little faster than anticipated, but I was pretty shocked to see a 6:57 first mile that included a walk break. Nevertheless, I went right back to what felt like a comfortable half marathon pace with each interval. Before I knew it, I was banking a bunch of time against a 3:15:59 finish -- 4:10 at the 10-mile mark. Sure, I'd covered totally flat terrain with the wind at my back and had much tougher sledding ahead, but it was somewhere around this time that I started to think that maybe this walking thing was going to propel me all the way to Boston. With 10 miles to go, I was more than 5 minutes ahead of BQ pace.
Mile 18 brought a pretty awful climb that prompted me to take an extra walk break. I figured it was worth withdrawing a few seconds from the bank in order to save some energy for later. We turned east for the last 6 miles back downtown, into the wind. I was fighting it, but 22 miles in, I was still 3:38 ahead. At mile 25, I still had 10 full minutes to finish.
But there was just nothing left in the tank. Even running as hard as I could, I could barely get my pace under 8:00. And by running as hard as I could, I had to take a couple extra breaks. I could see the finish line a few hundred yards away as the last few ticks of the 196th minute dissolved. There was nothing I could do.
As much as the race wore out my legs, it turned my brain into mush, too. Normally when I run, all I do is count my steps. Breathe in, breathe out, keep the slowest rhythm I can to conserve energy. Sometimes I'll mentally break the race into smaller pieces or encourage myself with "only xx far to go." This was great for running with a pacer in Tucson; the speed was set, the course had very few turns, and I could be on total auto-pilot.
None of that applied here. Just trying to remember when I was supposed to take my walk breaks was too much; I missed a couple and had to fumble around to get back on track. I had wanted to print something out and tape it to my sleeve, but that never happened, and because of it, I was too preoccupied for other tasks, like taking my gels (late on all but the 1st) or even staying on course (twice almost went straight when I was supposed to turn; special thanks to the policewoman who shouted to me around mile 18).
Afterward, my friends asked me if I was pissed about the near-miss. I did all I could. When a basketball team loses by a point, they can pore over details forever and drive themselves nuts trying to figure out what one play cost them the game. I could do the same. Maybe it was too warm for the tights, too. Maybe I should've banked more time early or skipped or shortened some walk breaks. Maybe I should've had more Gatorade instead of just water (more on this in a minute). There are as many facets to analyze as steps I took and yet hardly any of them would produce something constructive, if any at all. I'm not going to worry about it.
WHAT ELSE?
Right off the top I must point out that the phrase "Southern hospitality" isn't something someone constructed from a myth. Everyone involved with the race was incredibly pleasant and welcoming. I also highly recommend staying at the Candlewood Suites on Royal. If it's not the closest hotel to the finish line, the difference is negligible... and again, very hospitable folks there.
The race is not chip-timed, but even when you include the half-marathoners, it's not a very large event -- and the starting line stretches all the way across 6 lanes of Government Street, so anyone who cares about his/her time is over the line within seconds. By the time I went back to my room, showered, got dressed and walked back over to race HQ, some results were already posted.
I had read comments about the Gatorade-like product that was available along the route, so I stuck to water for every stop but one. Big mistake on that one. The taste, though familiar, is way too strong. It couldn't have been a bad mix because others had written about the same thing. Go with just the water and take an extra gel or two if you think you'll need them. There were 18 water stops along the course. I usually take water at every single stop but even I had to skip the last 2 or 3 because I'd just had too much.
SPLITS?
These are kind of weird with the walk breaks mixed in, but:
6:57
7:01
7:06
7:15
7:08
6:59
7:10
7:01
7:00
7:04
7:31
7:26
7:14
7:23
7:00
7:19
7:38
8:10
7:40
7:28
7:31
8:03
7:54
8:12
8:03
8:26
7:59 pace last 0.37
OK, WHAT ABOUT THE REAL REASON WE ALL RUN, THE STUFF?
This is not a race for the person who must have a shiny memento. The wooden medals are painted by the members of L'Arche Mobile, a local group that meets the needs of the developmentally disabled. They also design the plaques that go to the age group winners (as before, I'll post pictures eventually). The awards are simple and may not appeal to everyone, but they are certainly unique and memorable.
The goody bag is an actual drawstring sling sack, with a long-sleeve cotton event T. I chipped in a few extra bucks for a long-sleeve tech shirt with a 10th anniversary logo. That's all you get for stuff, but the draw is the free night-before pasta dinner and free post-race lunch. Granted, the food was very bland for my tastes, but I heard praise from others. The massive setup in the atrium of the government building encourages visiting with your fellow runners.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Too Cold to Hold 15K, Dallas, Jan. 23.
I thought I had mixed emotions after Tucson, but that was nothing compared to this. I ran a 3:16:30, a PR by 2:48... and as of today, exactly 31 seconds shy of qualifying for Boston.
DID YOU WIN?
Winning my age group tipped me more towards feeling good about the race than not. I was first of 29 in my age group and 20th of 471 overall. That was a true AG win, too; no one got pulled out for an overall award.
HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?
Coming four weeks after Tucson, my expectations were tempered. I decided ahead well before race day that I'd follow the Galloway run-walk-run method (5 minutes run, 30 seconds walk for a 7:30 race pace), not because I thought it'd help my time but because of the promise of not feeling completely trashed at the end of the race. (Spoiler alert: I felt completely trashed. If I came up 31 seconds short of a BQ and still had something left in the tank, there wouldn't have been any mixed emotions.) I was sore for several days after Tucson, and even though I know that had more to do with all the downhill running than anything, I was receptive to doing something different.
The forecast called for bitter cold and gusty winds, so I headed out for my warm-up in all the cold-weather gear I brought: beanie, compression shirt under tech shirt, gloves, tights, compression knee socks. I hadn't bothered to check the current weather first, so I was surprised by mid-30s and manageable winds, with the wind chill about 15 degrees warmer than expected. A quick mile or so had me sweating, so I went back to my room and ditched the hat and tight shirt (but kept the gloves, since I had a Gu packet wedged into each).
It felt really awkward pulling over to walk 5 minutes into the race. It seemed like almost all of my walk breaks east of I-65 -- the first 10 miles -- began just as I was approaching a group of spectators. It's a weird feeling to know what you're doing, and know that it looks odd, with no time to explain it. I could've given a very succinct explanation to the woman who passed me about 7 miles in and shouted, "Don't give up now!", but I passed. She was hardly out of line compared to the spectators at the 4-mile mark who reminded us that we had more than 20 miles to go. For some folks, math is hard.
I knew I had gone out a little faster than anticipated, but I was pretty shocked to see a 6:57 first mile that included a walk break. Nevertheless, I went right back to what felt like a comfortable half marathon pace with each interval. Before I knew it, I was banking a bunch of time against a 3:15:59 finish -- 4:10 at the 10-mile mark. Sure, I'd covered totally flat terrain with the wind at my back and had much tougher sledding ahead, but it was somewhere around this time that I started to think that maybe this walking thing was going to propel me all the way to Boston. With 10 miles to go, I was more than 5 minutes ahead of BQ pace.
Mile 18 brought a pretty awful climb that prompted me to take an extra walk break. I figured it was worth withdrawing a few seconds from the bank in order to save some energy for later. We turned east for the last 6 miles back downtown, into the wind. I was fighting it, but 22 miles in, I was still 3:38 ahead. At mile 25, I still had 10 full minutes to finish.
But there was just nothing left in the tank. Even running as hard as I could, I could barely get my pace under 8:00. And by running as hard as I could, I had to take a couple extra breaks. I could see the finish line a few hundred yards away as the last few ticks of the 196th minute dissolved. There was nothing I could do.
As much as the race wore out my legs, it turned my brain into mush, too. Normally when I run, all I do is count my steps. Breathe in, breathe out, keep the slowest rhythm I can to conserve energy. Sometimes I'll mentally break the race into smaller pieces or encourage myself with "only xx far to go." This was great for running with a pacer in Tucson; the speed was set, the course had very few turns, and I could be on total auto-pilot.
None of that applied here. Just trying to remember when I was supposed to take my walk breaks was too much; I missed a couple and had to fumble around to get back on track. I had wanted to print something out and tape it to my sleeve, but that never happened, and because of it, I was too preoccupied for other tasks, like taking my gels (late on all but the 1st) or even staying on course (twice almost went straight when I was supposed to turn; special thanks to the policewoman who shouted to me around mile 18).
Afterward, my friends asked me if I was pissed about the near-miss. I did all I could. When a basketball team loses by a point, they can pore over details forever and drive themselves nuts trying to figure out what one play cost them the game. I could do the same. Maybe it was too warm for the tights, too. Maybe I should've banked more time early or skipped or shortened some walk breaks. Maybe I should've had more Gatorade instead of just water (more on this in a minute). There are as many facets to analyze as steps I took and yet hardly any of them would produce something constructive, if any at all. I'm not going to worry about it.
WHAT ELSE?
Right off the top I must point out that the phrase "Southern hospitality" isn't something someone constructed from a myth. Everyone involved with the race was incredibly pleasant and welcoming. I also highly recommend staying at the Candlewood Suites on Royal. If it's not the closest hotel to the finish line, the difference is negligible... and again, very hospitable folks there.
The race is not chip-timed, but even when you include the half-marathoners, it's not a very large event -- and the starting line stretches all the way across 6 lanes of Government Street, so anyone who cares about his/her time is over the line within seconds. By the time I went back to my room, showered, got dressed and walked back over to race HQ, some results were already posted.
I had read comments about the Gatorade-like product that was available along the route, so I stuck to water for every stop but one. Big mistake on that one. The taste, though familiar, is way too strong. It couldn't have been a bad mix because others had written about the same thing. Go with just the water and take an extra gel or two if you think you'll need them. There were 18 water stops along the course. I usually take water at every single stop but even I had to skip the last 2 or 3 because I'd just had too much.
SPLITS?
These are kind of weird with the walk breaks mixed in, but:
6:57
7:01
7:06
7:15
7:08
6:59
7:10
7:01
7:00
7:04
7:31
7:26
7:14
7:23
7:00
7:19
7:38
8:10
7:40
7:28
7:31
8:03
7:54
8:12
8:03
8:26
7:59 pace last 0.37
OK, WHAT ABOUT THE REAL REASON WE ALL RUN, THE STUFF?
This is not a race for the person who must have a shiny memento. The wooden medals are painted by the members of L'Arche Mobile, a local group that meets the needs of the developmentally disabled. They also design the plaques that go to the age group winners (as before, I'll post pictures eventually). The awards are simple and may not appeal to everyone, but they are certainly unique and memorable.
The goody bag is an actual drawstring sling sack, with a long-sleeve cotton event T. I chipped in a few extra bucks for a long-sleeve tech shirt with a 10th anniversary logo. That's all you get for stuff, but the draw is the free night-before pasta dinner and free post-race lunch. Granted, the food was very bland for my tastes, but I heard praise from others. The massive setup in the atrium of the government building encourages visiting with your fellow runners.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Too Cold to Hold 15K, Dallas, Jan. 23.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Race preview: First Light Marathon
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Mobile, AL
WHEN?
Sunday, Jan. 9
WHY?
BankTrust First Light Marathon
NO REALLY, WHY?
After putting together my 2011 race schedule, I heard that the Marathon Maniacs had better candy, so I rearranged things to fit a 3rd marathon within a 90-day window -- the "easiest" way to qualify. This was the best fit.
WHO ELSE IS GOING?
The full marathon field should top out at just 500, though there's pretty good national representation in that small group. The field size is surely held down by the fact that there's another very much larger race the same day, not terribly far away. In a sense, this is the anti-Disney.
WHAT'S THE FORECAST?
Mid-30s start, mid-40s finish, gusty north winds, one-in-four chance of rain. This could be really, really rough.
HOW DO WE WIN?
It's probably not reasonable to think I can pull off a PR only 4 weeks after Tucson. I'm going to run this one by the Galloway method -- run 5 minutes, walk 30 seconds -- and see where it gets me. Third place in my age group has averaged 3:26:08 over the last 5 years, so that's certainly something to shoot for.
WHAT'S THE PLAN?
Core work Monday, Thursday and Friday -- this is going to be more of a priority now on days that I don't run. Couple easy miles Tuesday and 3 Wednesday to break in the shoes I'll be racing in (they'll come by UPS on Monday). Drive to Mobile on Saturday and loosen up with a couple more miles, and off we go Sunday morning.
Mobile, AL
WHEN?
Sunday, Jan. 9
WHY?
BankTrust First Light Marathon
NO REALLY, WHY?
After putting together my 2011 race schedule, I heard that the Marathon Maniacs had better candy, so I rearranged things to fit a 3rd marathon within a 90-day window -- the "easiest" way to qualify. This was the best fit.
WHO ELSE IS GOING?
The full marathon field should top out at just 500, though there's pretty good national representation in that small group. The field size is surely held down by the fact that there's another very much larger race the same day, not terribly far away. In a sense, this is the anti-Disney.
WHAT'S THE FORECAST?
Mid-30s start, mid-40s finish, gusty north winds, one-in-four chance of rain. This could be really, really rough.
HOW DO WE WIN?
It's probably not reasonable to think I can pull off a PR only 4 weeks after Tucson. I'm going to run this one by the Galloway method -- run 5 minutes, walk 30 seconds -- and see where it gets me. Third place in my age group has averaged 3:26:08 over the last 5 years, so that's certainly something to shoot for.
WHAT'S THE PLAN?
Core work Monday, Thursday and Friday -- this is going to be more of a priority now on days that I don't run. Couple easy miles Tuesday and 3 Wednesday to break in the shoes I'll be racing in (they'll come by UPS on Monday). Drive to Mobile on Saturday and loosen up with a couple more miles, and off we go Sunday morning.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Runners are nice people
Every so often I'm spurred to repay some of my running debts by volunteering at a race. Such was the case today at the inaugural New Year's Day Half Marathon in Allen.
I was the course monitor at a somewhat tricky part of the course near the 2-/11-mile marker. With a wind chill in the low 20s, standing around for three hours was surely less desirable than actually running the race, but someone had to do it.
As a runner, I've always appreciated the volunteers for pretty much just this reason. Sometimes the weather's great and it's a short race and volunteering is just glamorized hanging-out. But most of the time, there's some level of work or discomfort, and to just get up early on a weekend and go do it is pretty remarkable.
But today I enjoyed seeing the relationship in reverse. No fewer than a dozen people gave me a whole "thanks for being out here this morning" (and this is in a race of 200 people, mind you), and many others gave a "thanks" or a wave or a smile. Probably fewer people didn't acknowledge me than did.
When I race, I am pretty much silent. Occasionally I'll say thanks to a police officer holding up traffic, or wave to an enthusiastic cheerer, but that's about it. Maybe it should be my resolution for 2011 to be more vocal toward the volunteers. All the cool kids are doing it.
I was the course monitor at a somewhat tricky part of the course near the 2-/11-mile marker. With a wind chill in the low 20s, standing around for three hours was surely less desirable than actually running the race, but someone had to do it.
As a runner, I've always appreciated the volunteers for pretty much just this reason. Sometimes the weather's great and it's a short race and volunteering is just glamorized hanging-out. But most of the time, there's some level of work or discomfort, and to just get up early on a weekend and go do it is pretty remarkable.
But today I enjoyed seeing the relationship in reverse. No fewer than a dozen people gave me a whole "thanks for being out here this morning" (and this is in a race of 200 people, mind you), and many others gave a "thanks" or a wave or a smile. Probably fewer people didn't acknowledge me than did.
When I race, I am pretty much silent. Occasionally I'll say thanks to a police officer holding up traffic, or wave to an enthusiastic cheerer, but that's about it. Maybe it should be my resolution for 2011 to be more vocal toward the volunteers. All the cool kids are doing it.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Race review: Tucson Marathon
ENOUGH WITH THE SMALL TALK. HOW'D IT GO?
Mixed. My goal of 3:15:59 slipped away over the last three miles, but my time of 3:19:18 was a PR by 19:19. Granted, this was only my second full marathon, and 2nd-timers tend to lop off some pretty remarkable chunks of time, but that shows I learned something from last time.
DID YOU WIN?
Based on my single goal of qualifying for Boston, no. But in the official sense, I did win -- I was 1st out of 14 35-year-olds. Overall I was 82nd of 1075 finishers, 70th of 597 men and 13th of 78 in my age group.
HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?
I pretty much locked arms with the 3:15 pacer and off we went. My race plan was to conserve some energy over the first 5 miles, which included some rolling hills after the initial steep descent. Once we got to the main road, then I could open it up and start ticking off some fast downhill splits.
Well, pacer Matt had different ideas. (Just for the record, I say none of this with a harsh tone -- the guy hit 3:15 on the dot so not getting there is my fault, not his.) He wanted to bank some time over the first 10 miles, then give it back over the difficult section from 10 to 13.5, before staying more or less on goal until 23, then banking a little more time for the tough uphill finish.
That plan went as advertised. Matt encouraged us all up the few tough hills through mile 5. We started at 4800 feet and were still around 4400 through 5, but I didn't feel all that taxed. We did clock a few pretty quick miles before turning onto the out-and-back on Biosphere Road.
Navigating the halfpipe-shaped section made for a pretty tough intermission. We saw the leaders coming back in the other direction, but I didn't bother to count because I couldn't have cared less about what place I finished in. In fact, beyond my goal time, I was mostly concerned about some stomach pain I was developing. I wasn't sure if it was from the amount I was drinking or the actual drink (more on this later), but I tried just not to think about it until it eventually went away. We passed the line at 13.1 in 1:37:20, putting us 10 seconds ahead of 3:15 pace -- a cushion that evaporated by the time we got back to the highway.
By now the pace group was starting to dwindle. We dropped a few folks, while a few others took off in front of us. I chatted a little with Matt, feeling good that I was strong enough for conversation (at my debut at the Route 66, I already knew by the halfway mark that the end was nigh). We stayed on our goal pace, coming within a second or so of the 7:24 target for a few more miles.
Mile 18 was a big one for me, as that was where I had hit the wall before. There was really no danger of that happening today, and that mile passed easily, along with the next couple.
At about 19.5, the course veered from west to south and leveled off some. There was a little wind in our faces on occasion but nothing like the headwind from 2009. With just 4 or 5 folks left in the 3:15 group, Matt turned to me a little more frequently to encourage me along. I needed it because I could sense I'd have to start gutting it out to get to the finish. He shared the plan to speed up for mile 24, and I started thinking about that 59-second cushion that Boston allows.
It would end up not mattering, though. Things started getting away quickly on mile 24, and when I turned to head up the sizable two-tiered hill, getting one foot in front of the other was the most I could manage. My reward at the top was another powerful stomach pain. Just three-quarters of a mile from the finish, the urge to finish the whole thing running gave out and I walked for maybe half a minute, trying to work things out. A couple minutes later I briefly stopped again, but the thought of salvaging a time under 200 minutes was enough to push me to the finish.
It might come to be that 3:15 wouldn't be enough to get me to Boston anyway. Going under 3:20 would get me to Boston as a 40-year-old, but we'll have to see if that changes too. I thought this would be my last serious crack at Boston until 40 if I didn't make it, but I might re-evaluate that based on my schedule and whatever the new cutoff is, if there is one.
WHAT ELSE?
It was hot. Of course, I live in Texas so the upper 60s is not hot, but on this December morning in Tucson it was certainly well above average. There's no question this affected me by the end of the race and it's quite possible it's the reason I didn't make my goal time. It didn't help that my legs just didn't have the strength; I probably should have worked in more lifting because there's just no way to replicate the course experience at home -- you're lucky to find downslopes of half a mile, let alone several miles in a row.
I probably offset some of these issues by going with the CEP compression socks I bought last week. I ran once in them to break them in, which I know is still close enough to count as doing something new on race day, but I figured my Feetures socks are basically the same thing in ankle variety. I have no proof they helped my time as they claim to do, but I did not have the kind of post-race soreness I would have expected. My left hip flexor was in pretty bad shape, but that eased pretty quickly and I was back to walking normally by the evening. (We'll see how I do tomorrow.)
I must comment on the aid station situation. First and foremost, the volunteers were great -- very enthusiastic, and all called out what they were holding. The problem was that there seemed to be no pattern to the positioning of water and energy drink. At some stations one was first, at some the other, and at a couple, folks seemed to be standing in completely random order. As I said, yes, they called out what they held. But I don't slow down at aid stations -- in fact I speed up -- so I am going to grab whatever because I don't want to miss out.
Normally even this is no big deal, because I can handle most any flavor of Gatorade. But the stuff being distributed was XOOD, and for lack of a better description, the stuff tasted like shit. I don't even know what flavor it was supposed to be other than some kind of pink melony something. Taking shots of that stuff to wash down my lemon-lime Gu was just gross. I understand it's some kind of locally-made or -owned product, and that's great, but I would really rather have something familiar.
SPLITS?
7:11
7:25
7:22
7:29
7:17
7:05
7:05
7:18
7:23
7:27
7:52
7:53
7:18
7:30
7:26
7:23
7:24
7:37
7:20
7:24
7:31
7:33
7:32
7:53
8:45
9:18
8:40 pace last .31
OK, WHAT ABOUT THE REAL REASON WE ALL RUN, THE STUFF?
The medal is a good one, with a full-color ribbon and heavy bronze medal depicting cacti under a partly cloudy sky:
The post-race food included bananas, oranges, cookies, pretzels and maybe some other things I didn't see, but a strong point was the selection of at least a dozen different varieties of flavored waters and Muscle Milks, more than I'd seen anywhere else. Drop bag pickup and hotel shuttles -- OK, school buses back to the hotels -- were close to the finish.
The goody bag had a trial box of Wheaties Fuel -- far better tasting than regular Wheaties -- but other than that, not much. The event shirt is a boring white cotton T, but I also bought a gray tech T at the expo, where a good variety of event merch was available for reasonable prices. I sorta just skimmed through the rest of the expo but it seemed to offer a small but thorough selection.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Why stop now? First Light Marathon, Mobile, AL, Jan. 9.
Mixed. My goal of 3:15:59 slipped away over the last three miles, but my time of 3:19:18 was a PR by 19:19. Granted, this was only my second full marathon, and 2nd-timers tend to lop off some pretty remarkable chunks of time, but that shows I learned something from last time.
DID YOU WIN?
Based on my single goal of qualifying for Boston, no. But in the official sense, I did win -- I was 1st out of 14 35-year-olds. Overall I was 82nd of 1075 finishers, 70th of 597 men and 13th of 78 in my age group.
HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?
I pretty much locked arms with the 3:15 pacer and off we went. My race plan was to conserve some energy over the first 5 miles, which included some rolling hills after the initial steep descent. Once we got to the main road, then I could open it up and start ticking off some fast downhill splits.
Well, pacer Matt had different ideas. (Just for the record, I say none of this with a harsh tone -- the guy hit 3:15 on the dot so not getting there is my fault, not his.) He wanted to bank some time over the first 10 miles, then give it back over the difficult section from 10 to 13.5, before staying more or less on goal until 23, then banking a little more time for the tough uphill finish.
That plan went as advertised. Matt encouraged us all up the few tough hills through mile 5. We started at 4800 feet and were still around 4400 through 5, but I didn't feel all that taxed. We did clock a few pretty quick miles before turning onto the out-and-back on Biosphere Road.
Navigating the halfpipe-shaped section made for a pretty tough intermission. We saw the leaders coming back in the other direction, but I didn't bother to count because I couldn't have cared less about what place I finished in. In fact, beyond my goal time, I was mostly concerned about some stomach pain I was developing. I wasn't sure if it was from the amount I was drinking or the actual drink (more on this later), but I tried just not to think about it until it eventually went away. We passed the line at 13.1 in 1:37:20, putting us 10 seconds ahead of 3:15 pace -- a cushion that evaporated by the time we got back to the highway.
By now the pace group was starting to dwindle. We dropped a few folks, while a few others took off in front of us. I chatted a little with Matt, feeling good that I was strong enough for conversation (at my debut at the Route 66, I already knew by the halfway mark that the end was nigh). We stayed on our goal pace, coming within a second or so of the 7:24 target for a few more miles.
Mile 18 was a big one for me, as that was where I had hit the wall before. There was really no danger of that happening today, and that mile passed easily, along with the next couple.
At about 19.5, the course veered from west to south and leveled off some. There was a little wind in our faces on occasion but nothing like the headwind from 2009. With just 4 or 5 folks left in the 3:15 group, Matt turned to me a little more frequently to encourage me along. I needed it because I could sense I'd have to start gutting it out to get to the finish. He shared the plan to speed up for mile 24, and I started thinking about that 59-second cushion that Boston allows.
It would end up not mattering, though. Things started getting away quickly on mile 24, and when I turned to head up the sizable two-tiered hill, getting one foot in front of the other was the most I could manage. My reward at the top was another powerful stomach pain. Just three-quarters of a mile from the finish, the urge to finish the whole thing running gave out and I walked for maybe half a minute, trying to work things out. A couple minutes later I briefly stopped again, but the thought of salvaging a time under 200 minutes was enough to push me to the finish.
It might come to be that 3:15 wouldn't be enough to get me to Boston anyway. Going under 3:20 would get me to Boston as a 40-year-old, but we'll have to see if that changes too. I thought this would be my last serious crack at Boston until 40 if I didn't make it, but I might re-evaluate that based on my schedule and whatever the new cutoff is, if there is one.
WHAT ELSE?
It was hot. Of course, I live in Texas so the upper 60s is not hot, but on this December morning in Tucson it was certainly well above average. There's no question this affected me by the end of the race and it's quite possible it's the reason I didn't make my goal time. It didn't help that my legs just didn't have the strength; I probably should have worked in more lifting because there's just no way to replicate the course experience at home -- you're lucky to find downslopes of half a mile, let alone several miles in a row.
I probably offset some of these issues by going with the CEP compression socks I bought last week. I ran once in them to break them in, which I know is still close enough to count as doing something new on race day, but I figured my Feetures socks are basically the same thing in ankle variety. I have no proof they helped my time as they claim to do, but I did not have the kind of post-race soreness I would have expected. My left hip flexor was in pretty bad shape, but that eased pretty quickly and I was back to walking normally by the evening. (We'll see how I do tomorrow.)
I must comment on the aid station situation. First and foremost, the volunteers were great -- very enthusiastic, and all called out what they were holding. The problem was that there seemed to be no pattern to the positioning of water and energy drink. At some stations one was first, at some the other, and at a couple, folks seemed to be standing in completely random order. As I said, yes, they called out what they held. But I don't slow down at aid stations -- in fact I speed up -- so I am going to grab whatever because I don't want to miss out.
Normally even this is no big deal, because I can handle most any flavor of Gatorade. But the stuff being distributed was XOOD, and for lack of a better description, the stuff tasted like shit. I don't even know what flavor it was supposed to be other than some kind of pink melony something. Taking shots of that stuff to wash down my lemon-lime Gu was just gross. I understand it's some kind of locally-made or -owned product, and that's great, but I would really rather have something familiar.
SPLITS?
7:11
7:25
7:22
7:29
7:17
7:05
7:05
7:18
7:23
7:27
7:52
7:53
7:18
7:30
7:26
7:23
7:24
7:37
7:20
7:24
7:31
7:33
7:32
7:53
8:45
9:18
8:40 pace last .31
OK, WHAT ABOUT THE REAL REASON WE ALL RUN, THE STUFF?
The medal is a good one, with a full-color ribbon and heavy bronze medal depicting cacti under a partly cloudy sky:
The post-race food included bananas, oranges, cookies, pretzels and maybe some other things I didn't see, but a strong point was the selection of at least a dozen different varieties of flavored waters and Muscle Milks, more than I'd seen anywhere else. Drop bag pickup and hotel shuttles -- OK, school buses back to the hotels -- were close to the finish.
The goody bag had a trial box of Wheaties Fuel -- far better tasting than regular Wheaties -- but other than that, not much. The event shirt is a boring white cotton T, but I also bought a gray tech T at the expo, where a good variety of event merch was available for reasonable prices. I sorta just skimmed through the rest of the expo but it seemed to offer a small but thorough selection.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Why stop now? First Light Marathon, Mobile, AL, Jan. 9.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Race preview: Tucson Marathon
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Oracle, AZ
WHEN?
Sunday, Dec. 12
WHY?
Holualoa Tucson Marathon
NO REALLY, WHY?
To qualify for Boston. No other reason. I would not run this race otherwise (no offense, Tucson, but you must admit, that's your top selling point).
WHO ELSE IS GOING?
Somewhere around 1300 folks for the full marathon. The race grew 20 percent from 2008 to '09, but last year's course change was so thoroughly panned that I'm sure it turned some folks off, even though this year's course is largely back to the old one.
WHAT'S THE FORECAST?
Low 40s start/upper 60s finish, no chance of rain. The double whammy of the drop in elevation and the rise of the sun will make this uncomfortable by the finish. The big X factor, though, is the wind. Last year's race featured a brutal headwind, but right now Accuweather is indicating winds from the north, which would be just perfect.
HOW DO WE WIN?
We won't know until the Boston Athletic Association sets the qualifying standards for 2012. That's what will make this race so agonizing. I'm going to stick with the 3:15 pace group because in today's world, that's the time I need. If I don't finish with them, so be it. If I do, that'll be great, but the celebration will be delayed until I hear that the BAA is only going to stick it to women or the under-30s. (Oh, and then I still have to get online and register successfully on the day registration opens, but we'll get to that then.) Age-groupwise, I'd need at least a 3:08 to make the top 3, so forget it. I may well be capable of something faster than 3:15, but I'm sticking with the pace group to be sure I get it.
WHAT'S THE PLAN?
Not sure about Monday, maybe an easy bike ride at the gym, then 3 miles easy Tuesday, 4 Wednesday (I'll mix in some last few hills), rest Thursday, hit the road Friday, and 2 easy Saturday.
Oracle, AZ
WHEN?
Sunday, Dec. 12
WHY?
Holualoa Tucson Marathon
NO REALLY, WHY?
To qualify for Boston. No other reason. I would not run this race otherwise (no offense, Tucson, but you must admit, that's your top selling point).
WHO ELSE IS GOING?
Somewhere around 1300 folks for the full marathon. The race grew 20 percent from 2008 to '09, but last year's course change was so thoroughly panned that I'm sure it turned some folks off, even though this year's course is largely back to the old one.
WHAT'S THE FORECAST?
Low 40s start/upper 60s finish, no chance of rain. The double whammy of the drop in elevation and the rise of the sun will make this uncomfortable by the finish. The big X factor, though, is the wind. Last year's race featured a brutal headwind, but right now Accuweather is indicating winds from the north, which would be just perfect.
HOW DO WE WIN?
We won't know until the Boston Athletic Association sets the qualifying standards for 2012. That's what will make this race so agonizing. I'm going to stick with the 3:15 pace group because in today's world, that's the time I need. If I don't finish with them, so be it. If I do, that'll be great, but the celebration will be delayed until I hear that the BAA is only going to stick it to women or the under-30s. (Oh, and then I still have to get online and register successfully on the day registration opens, but we'll get to that then.) Age-groupwise, I'd need at least a 3:08 to make the top 3, so forget it. I may well be capable of something faster than 3:15, but I'm sticking with the pace group to be sure I get it.
WHAT'S THE PLAN?
Not sure about Monday, maybe an easy bike ride at the gym, then 3 miles easy Tuesday, 4 Wednesday (I'll mix in some last few hills), rest Thursday, hit the road Friday, and 2 easy Saturday.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The magic word
Perhaps the best way to motivate an athlete is to push him to go beyond his limitations, with maybe a slight implication that you don't think he can do it. It's summed up in one word: challenge. Throw "challenge" at me, and you've got my attention.
And so, I perked up when the e-mail came today from Mellew Productions announcing the Four Seasons Half Marathon Challenge. Starting in 2011, if you run their half marathons in four consecutive seasons, you'll earn an additional medal and tech shirt recognizing the feat (that would be the Texas Half in winter, the Big D in spring, the Hottest Half in summer and the Tyler Rose in fall).
I'm already signed up for the first two (including the Big D full marathon, which counts for this challenge) so it's a no-brainer for me to swap in the last two -- including the full at Tyler -- for a couple other races I had penciled in. There have been criticisms of Mellew in the past -- some justified, some not -- for skimping on the perks, so maybe this is a sign they're stepping up their game.
Since I hadn't yet posted my full 2011 race schedule on here -- though you've probably seen it on dailymile, no? -- here you have it, updated (* = registered):
1/9/11 First Light Marathon, Mobile AL
*1/23/11 Too Cold to Hold 15K, Dallas
*1/29/11 Texas Half, Dallas
2/20/11 Run the Line HM, Texarkana TX/AR
*2/26/11 Cowtown 5K, Ft. Worth
*2/27/11 Cowtown Ultra (50K), Ft. Worth
3/12/11 Dash Down Greenville (5K), Dallas
*3/27/11 Rock 'n' Roll Dallas HM
*4/10/11 Big D Texas Marathon
4/30/11 Wimberley 4
5/7/11 White Rock & Roll HM, Dallas (or whatever they name it)
6/11/11 Dublin Dr. Pepper 10K
*6/18/11 Grandma's Marathon, Duluth MN
7/10/11 Too Hot to Handle 15K, Dallas
7/24/11 (ish) El Scorcho 50K, Ft. Worth
8/14/11 The Hottest Half, Dallas
9/17/11 (ish) Katy Trail 50, Boonville MO
10/9/11 Mother Road Marathon, Miami OK to Joplin MO
10/9/11 Tyler Rose Marathon
*10/23/11 13.1 Dallas
11/13/11 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon
12/4/11 White Rock Marathon, Dallas
And so, I perked up when the e-mail came today from Mellew Productions announcing the Four Seasons Half Marathon Challenge. Starting in 2011, if you run their half marathons in four consecutive seasons, you'll earn an additional medal and tech shirt recognizing the feat (that would be the Texas Half in winter, the Big D in spring, the Hottest Half in summer and the Tyler Rose in fall).
I'm already signed up for the first two (including the Big D full marathon, which counts for this challenge) so it's a no-brainer for me to swap in the last two -- including the full at Tyler -- for a couple other races I had penciled in. There have been criticisms of Mellew in the past -- some justified, some not -- for skimping on the perks, so maybe this is a sign they're stepping up their game.
Since I hadn't yet posted my full 2011 race schedule on here -- though you've probably seen it on dailymile, no? -- here you have it, updated (* = registered):
1/9/11 First Light Marathon, Mobile AL
*1/23/11 Too Cold to Hold 15K, Dallas
*1/29/11 Texas Half, Dallas
2/20/11 Run the Line HM, Texarkana TX/AR
*2/26/11 Cowtown 5K, Ft. Worth
*2/27/11 Cowtown Ultra (50K), Ft. Worth
3/12/11 Dash Down Greenville (5K), Dallas
*3/27/11 Rock 'n' Roll Dallas HM
*4/10/11 Big D Texas Marathon
4/30/11 Wimberley 4
5/7/11 White Rock & Roll HM, Dallas (or whatever they name it)
6/11/11 Dublin Dr. Pepper 10K
*6/18/11 Grandma's Marathon, Duluth MN
7/24/11 (ish) El Scorcho 50K, Ft. Worth
8/14/11 The Hottest Half, Dallas
9/17/11 (ish) Katy Trail 50, Boonville MO
10/9/11 Tyler Rose Marathon
*10/23/11 13.1 Dallas
11/13/11 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon
12/4/11 White Rock Marathon, Dallas
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)