My best laid plans seemingly, were not laid well enough. I went into the Richmond Marathon with what I thought were solidly prepared legs. Those "solidly prepared legs" yielded a time not even worth mentioning. I'll give a story of the unraveling below....
After some trouble finding parking (according to the website, there was plenty of it), bag was checked, bowels were taken care of, and I was standing at the start line 7 minutes before the start with nearly perfect weather for running in the low 40s.
The gun went off, and we were off. I had taken a spot right at the front, and was actually ahead of the lead group of elite women (6-7 in a tight pack with a bicycle leading them). I would eventually yield to them, knowing they were running just a hair faster and had no intention of getting mixed up with that. My plan early was simple, stay on 6:20 and ignore what everyone else was doing.
On my final two runs before the race, I had a problem with cramping in my mid section, cramping I haven't had all year. But, it picked a hell of a time to come back. Right from the start it was bothering me, but I ignored it and within 7 miles it went away.
I was pleased with my early splits...
Mile 1: 6:23
Mile 2: 6:25
Mile 3: 6:16
Mile 4: 6:16
Mile 5: 6:24
Mile 6: 6:29
The course was somewhat hilly, and a couple of times I got "locked in" trying to chase people ahead of me but made sure to stay largely in control. I was taking water from each stop and even through mile 6 had consumed some of the honey stinger chews I carry with me. It took some coaxing on my part to keep my stomach from rejecting them.
Mile 8 took us over a bridge to the part of the course that was not in the city itself. It was lonely out there but I didn't mind. I still decent to this point.
Mile 7: 6:20
Mile 8: 6:14
Mile 9: 6:30
Mile 10: 6:20
Mile 11: 6:29
I kept going, starting to notice that my body was overall very displeased with me. I never felt right from the get go but figured if I just kept going with it, I would be fine. After all, I was sticking to the plan.
I was trading places with various people as some dropped back, others went ahead, while I stayed as steady as I could. I was hoping, just hoping my body would cooperate with me if I just kept going.
Mile 12: 6:36
Mile 13: 6:34
I came through the 13.1 mark at almost exactly 2:48 pace. It was not a PR, but at that moment, despite slowing kept telling myself it was fine. I'd take a sub-2:50, I just wanted something to go right for once.
The number of people passing me began to increase as we headed for another bridge to return to the city itself.
Mile 14: 6:42
Mile 15: 6:49
Mile 16: 7:00
And then "it" happened. It was like deja vu to the NCR Trail Marathon last year all over again. Somehow, somewhere a switch in my body flipped, and I couldn't run marathon pace anymore, and could barely run easy pace in the aftermath.
I won't report the rest of my miles, but after 18 it was just a march of despair to the finish line. I'm so sick of dropping out of marathons that I forced myself to finish, regardless of how long it took. It certainly took a freaking long time... 3:19. You can do the math for what kind of positive split it takes to be at 2:48 at the half.
So here I am at the end of another marathon with more questions and fewer answers. I thought I did everything right, perhaps could have run more marathon paced miles, maybe a few more miles overall, but more importantly, was not over trained. I knew that's why I failed in 2011, and even if it wasn't hot in Boston, why I may have failed in spring 2012.
I can't point to any specific cause, but the best words of wisdom I heard all weekend were that even if you do everything right, things may still not come together on race day.
As for the future, there will be no "take 2" fall marathon. I'm taking a week off to clear the slate and will focus on shorter stuff for the rest of the year including:
My hometown 4 mile turkey trot
USATF cross country club nationals; 10K in Kentucky with a fast FRR crew
Celtic Solstice 5 Miler
I am not going to race a marathon this spring. I've trained for one every spring and fall since 2008 and have had it. I can really only take so much stuff going bad!! I'm planning on focusing my running at distances of 13.1 miles and under for the spring. I've got a 10 mile PR that I think I can crush. I also really, really like lactic threshold paced running so it's about time I do what I really want to do.
On the bike front, I'm going to start riding again. In fact, half marathon and under training is probably more conducive to bike riding anyway, easier to get in miles for both disciplines. I will still pace the Kentucky Derby Marathon for 3:10 in April. A small handful of easy 20 milers should have me more than prepared for that one.
I plan on revisiting the marathon in Fall of next year.
Outside of my horrible running experience, I would highly recommend the Richmond Marathon to anyone! Great well put on race in a pretty cool city.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Richmond Marathon: 7 days
At long last, I have reached the final week before the Richmond Marathon. This race distance and I have had our differences since I ran my sub-2:45 nearly two years ago. However, a lot is going right for me this time around. My new measured, lower mileage, less frequent racing approach has paid off quite well. I've run a string of really good races and notched another PR this season. I've avoided major injury. I've steered clear of burnout.
Now all that's left is to race! I never exceeded 65 miles of running in any given week, kept my racing to about 2 a month, sometimes less than that, made sure to take it easy leading up to races and immediately after, and took days off when I needed them. If my bike and I hadn't become so acquainted with the pavement this Summer, I really only would have missed about 3-4 days total since late May. I've nailed all my workouts and long runs, save 1 which is quite the high batting average.
Now my legs are fresh, and dare I say, I'm fully confident going into this race. Last year, in early 2011, I never got my chance to run Boston, giving myself a stress fracture. In late 2011, going into Philly, I was physically and mentally exhausted, running myself into the ground before race day. In my "take 2" attempt at the NCR Trail marathon, I felt so good that I got way too eager way too early, and paid for it. Going into Boston 2012, I was also over trained, coming down with the start of a stress fracture, and then melted into a pool of despair somewhere between Framingham and mile marker 17.
But, that 1.5 years of marathon failure taught me a lot more than my rise from a 3:29 to a 2:45 marathoner over the course of its own 1.5 years. So now I'm entering race week with fresh legs, confidence, and high hopes of a PR. I have no lofty, and perhaps unattainable goal that could trap me into going too fast. I have no massive pace or race plan. I'm not treating this marathon any different than any other race I've done the last few months.
The plan is to go out relaxed and controlled. Hopefully that means 6:20 pace, but it doesn't have to. It can be slower, but it won't be faster. I crushed the Baltimore 10 Miler this year because I was smart, I PR'ed at Race for Our Kids 10K because I took what the course gave me, and I once ran a 2:45 marathon because I went out relaxed and dropped the hammer in the second half, when it really matters.
As long as I'm not an idiot, trust in the process that got me here, and have fun, next Saturday will go really well. I'm in the same exact shape I essentially have been over the last 1.5 years, but it has been accomplished on a more sustainable level of training, and with a body in much more sound shape.
My previous two weeks of training...highly summarized:
Week of the RM Classic...65 miles total with the 16:13 5K and a 17.6 miler on the NCR Trail at 6:33 pace with the last ~8 or so at 6:24 pace or better. Worked down to 6:10 pace by the end
This week....Hurricane Sandy threw me a bit for a whirl, but I haven't missed any miles...50 miles pending a 6 miler on Sunday. Monday became an off day to avoid the worst of the storm, though my afternoon/evening was just as good if not better than running anyway. Tuesday brought one last 5 mile tempo run averaged at 5:46 pace in the cold, dreary aftermath of the storm. It felt really, really good. Today, was an easy 12 miler.
Leading up to the race I'm running Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, around 20 miles total.
Then, it will be go time! I am looking forward to a race that no matter what, will have cooler temperatures than Boston.
Now all that's left is to race! I never exceeded 65 miles of running in any given week, kept my racing to about 2 a month, sometimes less than that, made sure to take it easy leading up to races and immediately after, and took days off when I needed them. If my bike and I hadn't become so acquainted with the pavement this Summer, I really only would have missed about 3-4 days total since late May. I've nailed all my workouts and long runs, save 1 which is quite the high batting average.
Now my legs are fresh, and dare I say, I'm fully confident going into this race. Last year, in early 2011, I never got my chance to run Boston, giving myself a stress fracture. In late 2011, going into Philly, I was physically and mentally exhausted, running myself into the ground before race day. In my "take 2" attempt at the NCR Trail marathon, I felt so good that I got way too eager way too early, and paid for it. Going into Boston 2012, I was also over trained, coming down with the start of a stress fracture, and then melted into a pool of despair somewhere between Framingham and mile marker 17.
But, that 1.5 years of marathon failure taught me a lot more than my rise from a 3:29 to a 2:45 marathoner over the course of its own 1.5 years. So now I'm entering race week with fresh legs, confidence, and high hopes of a PR. I have no lofty, and perhaps unattainable goal that could trap me into going too fast. I have no massive pace or race plan. I'm not treating this marathon any different than any other race I've done the last few months.
The plan is to go out relaxed and controlled. Hopefully that means 6:20 pace, but it doesn't have to. It can be slower, but it won't be faster. I crushed the Baltimore 10 Miler this year because I was smart, I PR'ed at Race for Our Kids 10K because I took what the course gave me, and I once ran a 2:45 marathon because I went out relaxed and dropped the hammer in the second half, when it really matters.
As long as I'm not an idiot, trust in the process that got me here, and have fun, next Saturday will go really well. I'm in the same exact shape I essentially have been over the last 1.5 years, but it has been accomplished on a more sustainable level of training, and with a body in much more sound shape.
My previous two weeks of training...highly summarized:
Week of the RM Classic...65 miles total with the 16:13 5K and a 17.6 miler on the NCR Trail at 6:33 pace with the last ~8 or so at 6:24 pace or better. Worked down to 6:10 pace by the end
This week....Hurricane Sandy threw me a bit for a whirl, but I haven't missed any miles...50 miles pending a 6 miler on Sunday. Monday became an off day to avoid the worst of the storm, though my afternoon/evening was just as good if not better than running anyway. Tuesday brought one last 5 mile tempo run averaged at 5:46 pace in the cold, dreary aftermath of the storm. It felt really, really good. Today, was an easy 12 miler.
Leading up to the race I'm running Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, around 20 miles total.
Then, it will be go time! I am looking forward to a race that no matter what, will have cooler temperatures than Boston.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Quick Note for a Quick Race: RM Classic 5K
What is the RM Classic 5K you ask? Well, it is the best kind of race. Now a yearly tradition amongst the TWSS group, it is a no frills show up to the track and agree to run a set distance at whatever pace you want...race.
A field of 20 showed up at 6:30PM with the sun setting for what promised to be a fast race. With an average finishing time of around 18 minutes (most 5Ks these days have average finishing times approaching 27-30 minutes) amongst the coed field, it certainly did not disappoint. With no race fees, parking, swag, crowds, walkers, chips, water stops, course marshals, etc to worry about, it was sure to be a simple night!
Of course, it is unfair to compare a race like this straight up to the road since it was in fact, a track race. Nonetheless, after a 2 mile warmup and some strides, we were ready to start at 7PM on the far end of the track for 12.5 laps of awesome.
Despite there being at least 3 people on this track who could wipe the floor with me, I was initially the only one of the low-16/high-15 5K runners who was opting to go hard from the start. The others all decided to go out at 5:20 pace to do just a workout.
Regardless, I held back momentarily on the first turn to see if anyone would go with me. I had the full intention to take a shot at breaking 16 minutes whether I was going to get help or not. By the end of the turn I realized I was on my own and proceeded to take the lead and try to hold 77/lap pace.
I figured my chances were decent. It was an unseasonably warm but comfortable night with no wind, and my 5K PR of 16:12 on a downhill road course the day after a long run back in March showed I have a sub-16 5K in me, somewhere.
The first two miles were largely uneventful as I went round, and round the track. Note, these splits are based off the finish line, rather than the start line. I felt it would be easier to see the full finish stripe rather than the 1 lane wide painted stripe in the back corner in the dark.
First 200 meters...39 seconds
Lap 1: 77
Lap 2: 76
Lap 3: 76
Lap 4: 76
Mile 1: 5:06 (when including tenths/hundredths of seconds)
I felt pretty good, though I was running a tad faster than the 5:10 I had wanted. Nevertheless, I wasn't sucking wind so I kept at it.
Lap 5: 78
Lap 6: 77
Lap 7: 78
Lap 8: 79
Mile 2: 5:12, 10:18 for two miles
Notice a pattern? It was hard to read my splits, but I knew I had begun to slow. After passing through the 2 mile and 200 meter point, the pack finally caught the lone breaker. I got passed by 4 people in rapid succession.
A field of 20 showed up at 6:30PM with the sun setting for what promised to be a fast race. With an average finishing time of around 18 minutes (most 5Ks these days have average finishing times approaching 27-30 minutes) amongst the coed field, it certainly did not disappoint. With no race fees, parking, swag, crowds, walkers, chips, water stops, course marshals, etc to worry about, it was sure to be a simple night!
Of course, it is unfair to compare a race like this straight up to the road since it was in fact, a track race. Nonetheless, after a 2 mile warmup and some strides, we were ready to start at 7PM on the far end of the track for 12.5 laps of awesome.
Despite there being at least 3 people on this track who could wipe the floor with me, I was initially the only one of the low-16/high-15 5K runners who was opting to go hard from the start. The others all decided to go out at 5:20 pace to do just a workout.
Regardless, I held back momentarily on the first turn to see if anyone would go with me. I had the full intention to take a shot at breaking 16 minutes whether I was going to get help or not. By the end of the turn I realized I was on my own and proceeded to take the lead and try to hold 77/lap pace.
I figured my chances were decent. It was an unseasonably warm but comfortable night with no wind, and my 5K PR of 16:12 on a downhill road course the day after a long run back in March showed I have a sub-16 5K in me, somewhere.
The first two miles were largely uneventful as I went round, and round the track. Note, these splits are based off the finish line, rather than the start line. I felt it would be easier to see the full finish stripe rather than the 1 lane wide painted stripe in the back corner in the dark.
First 200 meters...39 seconds
Lap 1: 77
Lap 2: 76
Lap 3: 76
Lap 4: 76
Mile 1: 5:06 (when including tenths/hundredths of seconds)
I felt pretty good, though I was running a tad faster than the 5:10 I had wanted. Nevertheless, I wasn't sucking wind so I kept at it.
Lap 5: 78
Lap 6: 77
Lap 7: 78
Lap 8: 79
Mile 2: 5:12, 10:18 for two miles
Notice a pattern? It was hard to read my splits, but I knew I had begun to slow. After passing through the 2 mile and 200 meter point, the pack finally caught the lone breaker. I got passed by 4 people in rapid succession.
I guess I stirred the pot a little since that group of 4 was originally going to run 5:20 pace. But, our 2 time defending champion (Dusty) probably didn't want to have anything to do with the likes of me taking the top spot! His BFFs (Nate, Alex, and Steve) were also along for the ride. Regardless, my shot for the prix de la combativité (aggressive rider award if you are a cycling nerd) was the right move on my part.
Mile 3 hurt, though maybe not as bad as it normally would.
Lap 9: 78
Lap 10: 79
Lap 11: 80
Lap 12: 79
Mile 3: 5:16
And so it was that I crossed in 16:13 and 5th. I missed my road PR by 1 second, but beat my track PR by about 13. Considering I have done exactly 0 miles of 5K training this year, I'll take it. Clearly, I could use a bit more fire power for that sub-16, but it will come with time.
With this little foray into shorter stuff out of the way, I can now focus on the grandest prize of them all...the Richmond Marathon! We're almost 2 weeks away now.
This is how races should be!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Training, the Baltimore Marathon, and More
In staying with my "keep it laid back" approach, I've got another post to sum up where I've been since my 10K PR just a few weeks ago.
Following that race, it was time to up the miles again after two consecutive weeks of pretty low mileage. The week immediately following the race, the 24th, I opted to put some work in, both volume-wise and mileage-wise. I was feeling good, and really needed to get the ball rolling on some solid training.
Tuesday night called for a 2x2400, followed by a 2x1600. I deleted the splits from my watch before writing them down, but recall the 2400's in the low 5:30s for pace, and right on top of each other. The 1600s had one in the 5:20s and the second just under 5:20. Rest was of moderate length. Overall, a pretty solid workout only shortly removed from a race.
With some more easy runs out of the way, by the weekend I was set for a 12 miler on Saturday and a 20 miler on Sunday. I would end up missing that Saturday run however, due to (yet another) bike incident. I had ridden from Baltimore to the BWI airport loop to take part in a bike charity ride in which myself and other "experienced" AFC riders led groups of kids on bikes around the BWI airport loop trail. After 26 miles of really soft pedaling, I headed back.
Once back in the city, while pedaling northbound on Charles St in Fed Hill, I got out of my saddle to try and pick up some speed. Next thing I know....my right speed play cleat disengages from my pedal while I'm pushing down on the right side. Disaster was imminent. I was saved by a few things, one of which being the shear luck that there were no cars in either direction on the road. My right foot hit the ground and the bike fell under me. I was moving fast enough before loosing control that I continued sliding upright with the bike under me. Through the course of this, my rear tire tube exploded, my rear wheel bent out of true, and my chain fell off the front cranks, getting pretty badly tangled. The exposed front crank teeth hit my right calf at least 6 times, leaving some nice cuts that still have my calf marked up.
Did I mention I just got the bike tuned up and had a new chain put on it? My left foot eventually unclipped too and I stumbled away from the bike as I and the bike came to a stop. I never actually slid on the ground. A few people came to check on me and we quickly discovered I had no road rash (sweet!). I was more mentally shaken that actually physically hurt. I had minor scrapes on my left knee and right side. My knee, right side and left side all felt pretty beat up, since it would seem the bike saved me from hitting the road by repeatedly slamming into me and keeping me upright (thanks bike!).
My poor bike didn't fare too well , as my rear wheel was visibly bent out of true. Regardless, I fixed the flat, realized my cleat was still good enough to clip in, and soft pedaled the last couple of miles home.
Needless to say, my 12 miler did not happen that day. On Sunday, I ran a hilly 20 around 6:58 pace in what turned out to be a pretty hot afternoon. My various bike injuries still hurt, but only after I stopped running. My right side actually still hurts occasionally as recently as my writing this post a few weeks later.
I haven't been on any bike since this incident, and won't get on one until after Richmond.
Overall for that week, I only ended up running 5 days, but still got mileage in the low 50s.
For the next week, my Tuesday workout consisted of a 1600, followed by a lap jog, a 3200, a lap jog, and another 1600. Each 1600 was supposed to be nearly all out with the 3200 at tempo pace. I nailed the workout, hitting 5:13 and 4:57 for the two 1600s, with a 5:33 average per mile pace for the 3200. That 4:57 was the first time I've run a sub-5 in training, and it felt pretty good.
By Saturday, I was all set for a 21 mile progression long run. I started at 7:00 pace and by the second half, was railing off miles anywhere from 6:10-6:20, ending up with a 6:32 pace overall, on flat terrain. A little cool down walk, and a very short, but nonetheless important quarter mile run in at 7:50 pace rounded off that awesome morning.
I hit mileage in the low 60s for the week.
Enter the week of the Baltimore Marathon. I had been looking forward to this race for a while. This would be my third year in a row as an official pacer, and my first at this race as a 3:10 pacer, a goal of mine for a while. I took Thursday and Friday off to work at the pacer booth at the expo (and filled those days with some other non-running stuff), so it was quite the running holiday weekend. I have to give a shout out to the Falls Road Running store for what was essentially a Thursday night dinner at the quite expensive Woodberry Kitchen. With $50 worth of gift certificates provided by FRR thanks to some luck and race volunteering, that dinner for two wasn't nearly as much a burning hole in food budget as it would have been.
My Tuesday workout consisted of 5x1600 with 200 meter jog in between. I progressed from a 5:35 to a 5:24, steadily taking time off with each repetition. It was hard but manageable, and felt like a good workout.
By Saturday morning, I was all set for an easy 7:15/mile long run through Baltimore, the one time of year I get to run down the middle of the street and not have to stop for any traffic lights! You can see from the following picture how ridiculously happy I was to be doing this...
Picture at the start line, at about 7:40, courtesy of my friend Ben F. It was cold, but I'm good at faking being warm. I won't get into the multitude of reasons why I have such a goofball smile, but lets just say there are a lot of things going right this fall, that I certainly couldn't say about 2011 (bleh to everything), or even 2010 (running was fine, everything else, same old).
There were three official pacers in our group including myself, and probably 15-20 people that started with us. By Mile 20, we had lost our pace group leader to a balky hamstring and all but 6 people in our group. After rounding Lake Montebello, we had but 3 left, and they all went ahead. 2 of them hit big PRs, so we did our jobs well. Overall, the other surviving pacer and myself came in at 3:09:31, 29 seconds under.
Another cool experience I had out there was all the crowd support I had/runners I recognized. Back in 2009, I had been living in Baltimore for a little over a year, barely knew anyone and still didn't know the city very well. 3 years later, I couldn't go more than a mile without someone cheering my name, without seeing someone I knew, or without someone I knew running alongside with us (not in the race) just to talk. I also knew every single yard of the course, and had probably run on each section of it countless times (except for the Zoo...I joked I've been to the zoo twice since living in Baltimore for 4 years, both during the marathon when the course started going through it last year).
So overall, it was a really, really awesome four days.
I took Sunday off, because well, I ran 65 miles in 5 days, crushed a track workout, and had too much fun on Saturday to slog through some crappy recovery run that I didn't need.
The following week (finally caught up!!), became a bit of a step back, with no tentative hard work scheduled, and a slight reduction in miles back to the low-mid 50s.
On Tuesday I did some pacing for 1200 meter repeats at ~6:50-7:00 pace. Outside of official pace groups, you've got to be pretty convincing to get me to pace you in a workout; thankfully this particular person had no trouble doing that.
Fast forward to Saturday, and I had done just easy runs, none exceeding 9.5 miles in length. I was feeling good running easy, and decided to try and push some marathon pace miles on a flat 17 mile long run to see how I would respond. About 5 miles in, 6:50 pace felt like shit, so 6:20s were out of the question. I opted just to cruise the rest of the way, finishing in around 6:55-7:00 pace.
It's tough to call that a failed long run since I was coming off of three weeks of pretty tough work both volume and intensity wise. If this was my worst long run of the cycle, I'll take it. After a little bit of extra distance, I closed with 17.5 miles for the day (something about waiting on the 1.25 mile bridge of the NCR trail to run someone in).
For the week, on 6 days of running, I managed 55 miles total, pretty solid post marathon pacing.
With Richmond drawing ever closer, I'm going one more week hard-ish, then spending the next two weeks tapering. I don't do well with long tapers, and should get this one last week with a good workout and good long run to sharpen the blade one last time.
I'm considering getting a 5K in sometime between now and the race. I really, really want to take a shot at sub-16 on a flat course. I'll do a freaking time trial on the track if I have to, but I feel like it's possible and worth at least a shot. I had two goals for this year...a sub-16 5k and a sub-2:40 marathon. I think the sub-2:40 may be a stretch, but I know I can at least give the sub-16 5K a reasonable shot.
We'll see. 3 weeks to go!!
Following that race, it was time to up the miles again after two consecutive weeks of pretty low mileage. The week immediately following the race, the 24th, I opted to put some work in, both volume-wise and mileage-wise. I was feeling good, and really needed to get the ball rolling on some solid training.
Tuesday night called for a 2x2400, followed by a 2x1600. I deleted the splits from my watch before writing them down, but recall the 2400's in the low 5:30s for pace, and right on top of each other. The 1600s had one in the 5:20s and the second just under 5:20. Rest was of moderate length. Overall, a pretty solid workout only shortly removed from a race.
With some more easy runs out of the way, by the weekend I was set for a 12 miler on Saturday and a 20 miler on Sunday. I would end up missing that Saturday run however, due to (yet another) bike incident. I had ridden from Baltimore to the BWI airport loop to take part in a bike charity ride in which myself and other "experienced" AFC riders led groups of kids on bikes around the BWI airport loop trail. After 26 miles of really soft pedaling, I headed back.
Once back in the city, while pedaling northbound on Charles St in Fed Hill, I got out of my saddle to try and pick up some speed. Next thing I know....my right speed play cleat disengages from my pedal while I'm pushing down on the right side. Disaster was imminent. I was saved by a few things, one of which being the shear luck that there were no cars in either direction on the road. My right foot hit the ground and the bike fell under me. I was moving fast enough before loosing control that I continued sliding upright with the bike under me. Through the course of this, my rear tire tube exploded, my rear wheel bent out of true, and my chain fell off the front cranks, getting pretty badly tangled. The exposed front crank teeth hit my right calf at least 6 times, leaving some nice cuts that still have my calf marked up.
Did I mention I just got the bike tuned up and had a new chain put on it? My left foot eventually unclipped too and I stumbled away from the bike as I and the bike came to a stop. I never actually slid on the ground. A few people came to check on me and we quickly discovered I had no road rash (sweet!). I was more mentally shaken that actually physically hurt. I had minor scrapes on my left knee and right side. My knee, right side and left side all felt pretty beat up, since it would seem the bike saved me from hitting the road by repeatedly slamming into me and keeping me upright (thanks bike!).
My poor bike didn't fare too well , as my rear wheel was visibly bent out of true. Regardless, I fixed the flat, realized my cleat was still good enough to clip in, and soft pedaled the last couple of miles home.
Needless to say, my 12 miler did not happen that day. On Sunday, I ran a hilly 20 around 6:58 pace in what turned out to be a pretty hot afternoon. My various bike injuries still hurt, but only after I stopped running. My right side actually still hurts occasionally as recently as my writing this post a few weeks later.
I haven't been on any bike since this incident, and won't get on one until after Richmond.
Overall for that week, I only ended up running 5 days, but still got mileage in the low 50s.
For the next week, my Tuesday workout consisted of a 1600, followed by a lap jog, a 3200, a lap jog, and another 1600. Each 1600 was supposed to be nearly all out with the 3200 at tempo pace. I nailed the workout, hitting 5:13 and 4:57 for the two 1600s, with a 5:33 average per mile pace for the 3200. That 4:57 was the first time I've run a sub-5 in training, and it felt pretty good.
By Saturday, I was all set for a 21 mile progression long run. I started at 7:00 pace and by the second half, was railing off miles anywhere from 6:10-6:20, ending up with a 6:32 pace overall, on flat terrain. A little cool down walk, and a very short, but nonetheless important quarter mile run in at 7:50 pace rounded off that awesome morning.
I hit mileage in the low 60s for the week.
Enter the week of the Baltimore Marathon. I had been looking forward to this race for a while. This would be my third year in a row as an official pacer, and my first at this race as a 3:10 pacer, a goal of mine for a while. I took Thursday and Friday off to work at the pacer booth at the expo (and filled those days with some other non-running stuff), so it was quite the running holiday weekend. I have to give a shout out to the Falls Road Running store for what was essentially a Thursday night dinner at the quite expensive Woodberry Kitchen. With $50 worth of gift certificates provided by FRR thanks to some luck and race volunteering, that dinner for two wasn't nearly as much a burning hole in food budget as it would have been.
My Tuesday workout consisted of 5x1600 with 200 meter jog in between. I progressed from a 5:35 to a 5:24, steadily taking time off with each repetition. It was hard but manageable, and felt like a good workout.
By Saturday morning, I was all set for an easy 7:15/mile long run through Baltimore, the one time of year I get to run down the middle of the street and not have to stop for any traffic lights! You can see from the following picture how ridiculously happy I was to be doing this...
There were three official pacers in our group including myself, and probably 15-20 people that started with us. By Mile 20, we had lost our pace group leader to a balky hamstring and all but 6 people in our group. After rounding Lake Montebello, we had but 3 left, and they all went ahead. 2 of them hit big PRs, so we did our jobs well. Overall, the other surviving pacer and myself came in at 3:09:31, 29 seconds under.
Another cool experience I had out there was all the crowd support I had/runners I recognized. Back in 2009, I had been living in Baltimore for a little over a year, barely knew anyone and still didn't know the city very well. 3 years later, I couldn't go more than a mile without someone cheering my name, without seeing someone I knew, or without someone I knew running alongside with us (not in the race) just to talk. I also knew every single yard of the course, and had probably run on each section of it countless times (except for the Zoo...I joked I've been to the zoo twice since living in Baltimore for 4 years, both during the marathon when the course started going through it last year).
So overall, it was a really, really awesome four days.
I took Sunday off, because well, I ran 65 miles in 5 days, crushed a track workout, and had too much fun on Saturday to slog through some crappy recovery run that I didn't need.
The following week (finally caught up!!), became a bit of a step back, with no tentative hard work scheduled, and a slight reduction in miles back to the low-mid 50s.
On Tuesday I did some pacing for 1200 meter repeats at ~6:50-7:00 pace. Outside of official pace groups, you've got to be pretty convincing to get me to pace you in a workout; thankfully this particular person had no trouble doing that.
Fast forward to Saturday, and I had done just easy runs, none exceeding 9.5 miles in length. I was feeling good running easy, and decided to try and push some marathon pace miles on a flat 17 mile long run to see how I would respond. About 5 miles in, 6:50 pace felt like shit, so 6:20s were out of the question. I opted just to cruise the rest of the way, finishing in around 6:55-7:00 pace.
It's tough to call that a failed long run since I was coming off of three weeks of pretty tough work both volume and intensity wise. If this was my worst long run of the cycle, I'll take it. After a little bit of extra distance, I closed with 17.5 miles for the day (something about waiting on the 1.25 mile bridge of the NCR trail to run someone in).
For the week, on 6 days of running, I managed 55 miles total, pretty solid post marathon pacing.
With Richmond drawing ever closer, I'm going one more week hard-ish, then spending the next two weeks tapering. I don't do well with long tapers, and should get this one last week with a good workout and good long run to sharpen the blade one last time.
I'm considering getting a 5K in sometime between now and the race. I really, really want to take a shot at sub-16 on a flat course. I'll do a freaking time trial on the track if I have to, but I feel like it's possible and worth at least a shot. I had two goals for this year...a sub-16 5k and a sub-2:40 marathon. I think the sub-2:40 may be a stretch, but I know I can at least give the sub-16 5K a reasonable shot.
We'll see. 3 weeks to go!!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Bombed Races, PRs and More!
I've done quite the 180 in how meticulously I've tracked my training of late. Instead of fretting over every detail and every mile, I've taken quite a laid back approach. I've got a training plan, and I know exactly what I need to do. However, if I've needed time off, I've taken it. If things have had to shift around, I've let it.
Something must be going right because I feel mostly in awesome shape. Of course, that means I have barely been doing much tracking in my spreadsheets, or updating this blog very much. No matter though, it's all about results!
So, here is a quick run down of where I've been since my last update:
The week following the A-10, I took it pretty easy doing no workouts during the week, but trying for a fast finish 19 miler the following Sunday. The NCR trail turned out to be the Amazon rainforest and I was terrible at controlling myself. When it was all said and done, I blazed through 17 miles at low 6:40s pace, partially drowning in my own sweat before I was forced by a tired body to take a break and jog in the last two miles. Not a big deal... 60 miles for the week.
That week also contained my first attempt at a bicycle road race. One word: FAILURE!! Myself and 44 other morons took part in an 8 lap, 20ish mile race in Lancaster, PA. I was basically freaking out before the race, being way, way too nervous. After a terrible position at the start line, and even more terrible positioning in the pack, I watched an early break of 5 riders get away, never to be seen again. The ensuing cluster fuck of riders was a crash waiting to happen, and it took all I could to dodge other riders while also trying to stay on the road. Needless to say I quickly exhausted myself without being able to keep my wheel behind someone and got dropped like a bad habit. Should of gone with that break....
So with that horrendous experiment behind me, I set out on the next week and put in another 60 miles. My Tuesday workout consisted of 7 miles of tempo running on the track which I nailed. According to a few people, it looked like I wasn't even trying as I started at 5:50 pace and worked down to 5:40 pace by mile 6, finishing with a 5:30. I felt, really freaking good. Sunday brought about my first 20 mile long run, which I opted to do at steady pace, finding every hill I could in Baltimore. I nailed that one at 6:51 pace.
Unfortunately, my right knee did not approve of my choices and voiced its concerns the rest of the week. Pain started in the knee itself, but eventually faded, to be replaced with tightness behind it. Regardless, I pressed on in hopes of running a half marathon PR at the Philly Distance Run (now of Rock and Roll brand). I took it easy for most of the week, save a 4xmile workout on Tuesday in which I ran in the 5:30s.
As race day drew near, I came down with a cold (and I know exactly who gave it to me too!). Despite a bum knee and a sore throat, I went out Sunday morning with the intention of doing well. After going out at 5:55 pace (I wanted 5:40) and feeling like shit, I realized the odds were not exactly on my side. I fought through mile, but eventually had no choice but to back off. I threw it on cruise control, which happened to be 6:18 pace and finished just under 1:20. A terrible time for sure, since I wanted to go sub 1:14:44 but 6:18 pace sure felt easy, and that was a bit of a lift. Hanging out in Philly Saturday afternoon/evening and Sunday morning was also cool and made up for it.
My knee was none too pleased with me the following week, so I opted to just chill out and try and let it get better. I was still peeved about my misfire in that race, my first poor performance essentially since Boston. I had nailed all my summer races despite heat, hills, and monsoons. When I finally got good weather and felt in PR shape, things didn't work out.
Enter...Race for our Kids. This is a local big prize money race that has both a 5k and the elusive 10K. After a friend offered me a chance for a free entry, I knew I had to do this race. Towards the end of the week, my cold had passed, and though my knee was (and still is) not 100%, I decided I just had to do the race.
I was greeted with 50 degree weather Sunday morning, and legs that were very pleased to get going. I had done 13 miles Saturday nice and easy, and felt ready to go after my 15 minute warm up. A few strides confirmed that it was likely to be a good day.
With $750, $500, and $250 on the line for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the 10K, I knew I'd have little shot of placing, but should at least have people to chase after. After taking my spot on the start line, we were off. The course started with a sharp downhill lasting about 0.25 miles.
I immediately realized something was wrong. Up ahead with the pace car was some fast looking guy. Behind him was a pack of 6 people, and a few strides back was me. In that pack was none other than Dave Berdan (injured, but still), and Alex B, a fellow TWSS runner. Dave exclaimed the leader was a 28 minute 10K guy and that we should let him go. This happened rather quickly leaving just that pack and me a few strides behind.
I told myself that I certainly shouldn't be anywhere near Dave or Alex, but I felt good and decided to "humor the situation" for a little.
Mile 1: 5:17
There was a downhill early, but I knew I was running just a hair too fast. I let myself slow just a tad and let the faster runners get away, allowing myself to fade out of contact. This course is notoriously challenging, and I had no intention of killing myself too early. I could hear people behind me, but they were slowly fading. It actually turned out to be the overall women battling for their top 3 spots. It's pretty obvious when you run through an aid station and are largely ignored (being just some ugly dude in 8th), but then hear a massive cheer behind you for the overall females.
The course started going up, and would continue to go up all the way to the turn around at the half way point. The hills never got steep, but were just enough to make you work.
Miles 2 and 3 were useless since 2 was clearly long and 3 was short. All I knew was, I was working, and stuck running by myself. The pack ahead had strung out and I could barely see anyone in front of me. It would likely be a time trial the rest of the way.
After hitting the turn around, I was glad to be going back downhill. I got myself at 5:07 for mile 4. I have no clue if it was accurate. I was hitting the downhill pretty hard, but wouldn't exactly count on it.
Off in the distance, I could see Alex ever so slightly coming back to me, but there was a ton of ground between us, and I would likely not catch him. My only option was to just keep blasting downhill.
The 5K started 25 minutes after us and the course was fully contained on the 10K course, with the turnaround about 1.5 miles away from the original start. I passed the turnaround before the leaders for the 5K came through, meaning I'd have the road to myself the rest of the way.
As I closed in on mile 5, I encountered the middle of the 5K pack and rather quickly realized the 5 and 10K courses actually intersect each other. I barely realized I was supposed to go straight instead of turning in the direction the 5K runners were coming from. However, a well placed Jim Adams (of Falls Road Running fame) yelled at me to keep going straight.
Disaster was quite imminent as the sea of 5K runners was now right in front of me, running perpendicular. I had no interest in even slowing down, so everyone certainly had to get the hell out of my way. Just as I was about to cross the path of the runners, a police officer stopped the 5K pack momentarily to let me sneak through. Relieved, I continued on hitting mile 5 in an overall time of 26:59, a PR.
The last mile of the race was mostly uphill, much steeper than the rest of the race. Were it flat, I think sub-34 was possible. However, as I fought the hill, I realized I would have to settle for something between 34 and my PR. I blazed through the finish in 8th overall, 2nd in my age group, and the last dude to finish ahead of the women (1st woman= 34:54, yea).
Time: 34:07, a 20 second PR.
Awesome, awesome stuff.
So through it all, I bagged another PR and am still in great shape. My knee is still meh, but it's not getting worse. It seems that if I keep my calf loose, the knee mostly cooperates. For this week, I'm going back up to 60+ miles and will hit a 20 mile long run on the weekend.
Overall, I'm very pleased with where I am.
Oh...and there was some bike riding in this mix, but I don't feel like recalling much of it.
My next event will be the Baltimore Marathon, for which I am pacing the 3:10 group. Then the Richmond full is on the horizon. Fall used to be for cross country, but I'll settle for marathon season!!
Something must be going right because I feel mostly in awesome shape. Of course, that means I have barely been doing much tracking in my spreadsheets, or updating this blog very much. No matter though, it's all about results!
So, here is a quick run down of where I've been since my last update:
The week following the A-10, I took it pretty easy doing no workouts during the week, but trying for a fast finish 19 miler the following Sunday. The NCR trail turned out to be the Amazon rainforest and I was terrible at controlling myself. When it was all said and done, I blazed through 17 miles at low 6:40s pace, partially drowning in my own sweat before I was forced by a tired body to take a break and jog in the last two miles. Not a big deal... 60 miles for the week.
That week also contained my first attempt at a bicycle road race. One word: FAILURE!! Myself and 44 other morons took part in an 8 lap, 20ish mile race in Lancaster, PA. I was basically freaking out before the race, being way, way too nervous. After a terrible position at the start line, and even more terrible positioning in the pack, I watched an early break of 5 riders get away, never to be seen again. The ensuing cluster fuck of riders was a crash waiting to happen, and it took all I could to dodge other riders while also trying to stay on the road. Needless to say I quickly exhausted myself without being able to keep my wheel behind someone and got dropped like a bad habit. Should of gone with that break....
So with that horrendous experiment behind me, I set out on the next week and put in another 60 miles. My Tuesday workout consisted of 7 miles of tempo running on the track which I nailed. According to a few people, it looked like I wasn't even trying as I started at 5:50 pace and worked down to 5:40 pace by mile 6, finishing with a 5:30. I felt, really freaking good. Sunday brought about my first 20 mile long run, which I opted to do at steady pace, finding every hill I could in Baltimore. I nailed that one at 6:51 pace.
Unfortunately, my right knee did not approve of my choices and voiced its concerns the rest of the week. Pain started in the knee itself, but eventually faded, to be replaced with tightness behind it. Regardless, I pressed on in hopes of running a half marathon PR at the Philly Distance Run (now of Rock and Roll brand). I took it easy for most of the week, save a 4xmile workout on Tuesday in which I ran in the 5:30s.
As race day drew near, I came down with a cold (and I know exactly who gave it to me too!). Despite a bum knee and a sore throat, I went out Sunday morning with the intention of doing well. After going out at 5:55 pace (I wanted 5:40) and feeling like shit, I realized the odds were not exactly on my side. I fought through mile, but eventually had no choice but to back off. I threw it on cruise control, which happened to be 6:18 pace and finished just under 1:20. A terrible time for sure, since I wanted to go sub 1:14:44 but 6:18 pace sure felt easy, and that was a bit of a lift. Hanging out in Philly Saturday afternoon/evening and Sunday morning was also cool and made up for it.
My knee was none too pleased with me the following week, so I opted to just chill out and try and let it get better. I was still peeved about my misfire in that race, my first poor performance essentially since Boston. I had nailed all my summer races despite heat, hills, and monsoons. When I finally got good weather and felt in PR shape, things didn't work out.
Enter...Race for our Kids. This is a local big prize money race that has both a 5k and the elusive 10K. After a friend offered me a chance for a free entry, I knew I had to do this race. Towards the end of the week, my cold had passed, and though my knee was (and still is) not 100%, I decided I just had to do the race.
I was greeted with 50 degree weather Sunday morning, and legs that were very pleased to get going. I had done 13 miles Saturday nice and easy, and felt ready to go after my 15 minute warm up. A few strides confirmed that it was likely to be a good day.
With $750, $500, and $250 on the line for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the 10K, I knew I'd have little shot of placing, but should at least have people to chase after. After taking my spot on the start line, we were off. The course started with a sharp downhill lasting about 0.25 miles.
I immediately realized something was wrong. Up ahead with the pace car was some fast looking guy. Behind him was a pack of 6 people, and a few strides back was me. In that pack was none other than Dave Berdan (injured, but still), and Alex B, a fellow TWSS runner. Dave exclaimed the leader was a 28 minute 10K guy and that we should let him go. This happened rather quickly leaving just that pack and me a few strides behind.
I told myself that I certainly shouldn't be anywhere near Dave or Alex, but I felt good and decided to "humor the situation" for a little.
Mile 1: 5:17
There was a downhill early, but I knew I was running just a hair too fast. I let myself slow just a tad and let the faster runners get away, allowing myself to fade out of contact. This course is notoriously challenging, and I had no intention of killing myself too early. I could hear people behind me, but they were slowly fading. It actually turned out to be the overall women battling for their top 3 spots. It's pretty obvious when you run through an aid station and are largely ignored (being just some ugly dude in 8th), but then hear a massive cheer behind you for the overall females.
The course started going up, and would continue to go up all the way to the turn around at the half way point. The hills never got steep, but were just enough to make you work.
Miles 2 and 3 were useless since 2 was clearly long and 3 was short. All I knew was, I was working, and stuck running by myself. The pack ahead had strung out and I could barely see anyone in front of me. It would likely be a time trial the rest of the way.
After hitting the turn around, I was glad to be going back downhill. I got myself at 5:07 for mile 4. I have no clue if it was accurate. I was hitting the downhill pretty hard, but wouldn't exactly count on it.
Off in the distance, I could see Alex ever so slightly coming back to me, but there was a ton of ground between us, and I would likely not catch him. My only option was to just keep blasting downhill.
The 5K started 25 minutes after us and the course was fully contained on the 10K course, with the turnaround about 1.5 miles away from the original start. I passed the turnaround before the leaders for the 5K came through, meaning I'd have the road to myself the rest of the way.
As I closed in on mile 5, I encountered the middle of the 5K pack and rather quickly realized the 5 and 10K courses actually intersect each other. I barely realized I was supposed to go straight instead of turning in the direction the 5K runners were coming from. However, a well placed Jim Adams (of Falls Road Running fame) yelled at me to keep going straight.
Disaster was quite imminent as the sea of 5K runners was now right in front of me, running perpendicular. I had no interest in even slowing down, so everyone certainly had to get the hell out of my way. Just as I was about to cross the path of the runners, a police officer stopped the 5K pack momentarily to let me sneak through. Relieved, I continued on hitting mile 5 in an overall time of 26:59, a PR.
The last mile of the race was mostly uphill, much steeper than the rest of the race. Were it flat, I think sub-34 was possible. However, as I fought the hill, I realized I would have to settle for something between 34 and my PR. I blazed through the finish in 8th overall, 2nd in my age group, and the last dude to finish ahead of the women (1st woman= 34:54, yea).
Time: 34:07, a 20 second PR.
Awesome, awesome stuff.
So through it all, I bagged another PR and am still in great shape. My knee is still meh, but it's not getting worse. It seems that if I keep my calf loose, the knee mostly cooperates. For this week, I'm going back up to 60+ miles and will hit a 20 mile long run on the weekend.
Overall, I'm very pleased with where I am.
Oh...and there was some bike riding in this mix, but I don't feel like recalling much of it.
My next event will be the Baltimore Marathon, for which I am pacing the 3:10 group. Then the Richmond full is on the horizon. Fall used to be for cross country, but I'll settle for marathon season!!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
2012 Annapolis 10 Miler, Nearly Washed Away!!
Last year, the Annapolis 10 Miler was cancelled due to Hurricane Irene. This year, for at least a little while, it was probably raining nearly as hard anyway. The Annapolis 10 miler is a rather challenging late summer race known for its hills, and hot weather. It is certainly no Cherry Blossom or Army 10 Miler in terms of competition, giving wannabes like myself a chance to "live the dream."
I ran this race once before in what feels like a different life now. In 2009 I ran a a 1:11:08 and came in 227th place. It wasn't exactly a good day, but I specifically remember trying for a sub 1:10. I also remember, while dying in the heat, wondering and dreaming what it would be like to start up front and duke it out for a top spot. I had my work cut out for me....
Fast forward to this year, and I was hoping for a 57:00 or under time, though once the weather was not ready to cooperate, I was willing to just get close to 57. The forecast was for relatively cool, though somewhat humid low 70s at the 7:45 start. Though, while driving down from Baltimore, I hit some nasty, nasty storms as in the kind where you can't see where you're driving.
I got to the race early, by 6:15 and had a lot of time to kill before having to warm up. The rain was coming and going, occasionally picking up. There was some lightning as well, which made me fearful they would call the race (I really wanted to run!). I checked the radar on my phone, and saw that it looked like the rain would break sometime before the race, but that we were likely to get slammed again during the race.
Right around 7:25, the rain had slowed to a drizzle and I got my warmup in. It actually felt pretty comfortable out, all things considered. Of course, it was no use keeping my feet dry before the race, as my shoes were water logged pretty quickly. I made my way to the front, and we were off right at 7:45.
The rain held off early, though of course the roads were covered in water and puddles. #1 and #2 quickly took the lead, never to be seen again. On long straights early, I could see them (and the lead vehicle), but it was clear 3rd place was the one up for grabs.
Mile 1 and 2: 5:39, 5:51
Mile 2 was definitely long. On the whole, I did what I wanted to do, go out at 5:40 pace. I was alone for a little bit until two guys caught up to me (an army and a navy guy, apparently there was a competition between academies going on). I opted to tuck in with them so we could work together as long as possible.
We meandered through downhill Annapolis, which I caught glimpses of as we powered through the early miles. I remembered 2009, running 7 minute, surrounded by other runners, and how different this experience was with a wide open road, running just over 10mph. I let myself savor it for a moment, but quickly got back to business.
As we approached mile 3, the rain started picking up. Before long, the stuff was coming down in buckets. It reached the point where breathing forced water into your nose and mouth, making it a bit difficult to stay in rhythm.
Regardless, we pushed forward for what was clearly a short mile 3:
Mile 3(?): 5:15
If only 5:15 was that easy. With the rain and the two guys I was with, the pace didn't really matter, and we were doing a good job at staying honest. Though, I could tell the Navy guy was having the easiest time of the three of us. I was definitely working the hardest, but did my best to hide it. If you can fake it long enough, interesting things can happen.
As we approached the Severn River, and the notoriously steep US Naval Academy Bridge, the rain had peaked, coming down so hard and so fast that we were basically running through a water fall. As we started climbing the bridge, and got more and more exposed, the wind started whipping around like crazy. I saw the mile 4 marker right before the wind blew it over...
Mile 4: 5:48
Not bad for running uphill in whipping wind with torrential rain. None of us could even see where we were going. In fact, it was impossible to even look forward with all the rain falling. There was only one way to go though, so we just pushed on.
Over the top we went and back down the other side. The next few miles of the course would prove tough, with constant unforgiving rolling hills. The rain finally started subsiding, and by mile 6, nearly stopped all together. I think we were all sick of it anyway.
Mile 5(?): 6:05
Terrible placement of mile markers, but we were holding steady. The Army guy's shoe came untied and he opted to stop and tie it, leaving just me and the Navy guy for a little while. Though, the army guy actually managed to catch back up.
We ran uphill for what felt like forever, eventually hitting the next mile.
Mile 6: 5:45
Next up would be the hardest part of the race, a turnaround. After turning around, we'd go back the way we came, taking the short way back to the start at the Navy Memorial Stadium. I hate turnarounds, and this one was no different. We hit a big downhill, and at the bottom, made the slick and slow turnaround, only to have to run back uphill.
That move broke me. I lost the race for 3rd in that moment, as Army and Navy guy pulled away. I refused to just give up though, and knew if I could just stick around, maybe I could pull this out.
Mile 7: 5:40
Not bad for getting broken I guess. As we turned back onto the main road, still combating the rolling hills, I got passed by a guy in Maryland flag shorts. I was still struggling to hold myself together, and couldn't stay with him.
Though, as we approached that horrid bridge for another go, all the tempo miles I've been doing on the track finally kicked in, and I started feeling better.
Mile 8: 5:51
I could see that Army guy was dropped by the Navy guy and was fading fast. Flag shorts passed him, and then there was me, not too far back. With the help of encouragement from the rest of the racers, since we were heading back, I started picking it up.
I turned onto the bridge, to be greeted by a wall of people that was the rest of the race still coming out. Then, I noticed there was a gap on the right side. Some people were coming down on the sidewalk, and everyone else was staying left. No where else, do I have the power to split a sea of people like that!
I powered up the bridge, focused very intensely on Army guy and Flag shorts ahead of me. At one point, someone still going out came off the sidewalk right into my path, only to be pulled back up by her fellow runners who said "don't get in his way!!" Good for her, because I likely would have just bowled right over her. I had a serious case of tunnel vision at that point.
We crested the hill and I realized that Flag shorts was going to get away, as he was opening up his stride, but Army guy was continuing to fall back to me. I could catch him, but it was going to hurt. I took half a stride to collect myself, and proceeded to hammer the downhill of the bridge as hard as I could.
Ever so slowly, the gap was decreasing. I eventually noticed something was going on with my left foot. All the rain had caused my foot to slide all over inside my shoe, and the bottom of my heel and big toe felt real gritty, like skin was coming off. I couldn't be bothered by such things at this point though.
Mile 9: 5:34
The gap was closing as we made the turn onto the final straight. Spectators were shouting at me to catch the guy, and I knew I was close enough that he could hear it. With about 2 minutes to go, I finally established contact. I knew the course was going to end on a section with soggy grass, and a slight uphill. A sprint to the finish would be a blood bath.
So I took the lessons of my high school coaches to heart, paused for a moment, then in my head shouted "go" and I blew past the guy without hesitation. Turns out he was only 16 years old, so let that be a lesson to him for future races!! With no chance to respond, I gaped him and took 5th place right there. It was a good thing too, because the last little bit sucked!
Mile 10: 5:53
Final result: 57:17 gun time, 57:19 chip time, 57:20 on my watch. Somewhat annoyingly, they did overall place on chip time rather than gun time. Although I was the 5th person across the line, my actual place was 7th. The Army guy is shown ahead of me in the results, but we both know who won and someone else who started real far back had a faster time... Overall should be by gun time (by the way) because it absolutely matters if a runner is there to influence the race.
In any event, clearly a monumental improvement over my previous A-10 time, and a time that given the conditions and course, is right where I need it to be, near my PR. My goal in this training cycle is not to get faster, but to maintain so I can go in with the fitness I already have and run a respectable marathon. So far, so good.
For my efforts, I did win the 25-29 year old age group. And regardless of my 5th or 7th place, I'll take it out of 3800+ finishers.
A couple of pictures:
Picture on left is the sweet award I got. What else would I get from a race in Annapolis but a sail boat?? Picture on the right courtesy of a friend, this was within minutes of finishing, about the first time I could stand up without the familiar "hands on knees pose" most runners know about.
I ran this race once before in what feels like a different life now. In 2009 I ran a a 1:11:08 and came in 227th place. It wasn't exactly a good day, but I specifically remember trying for a sub 1:10. I also remember, while dying in the heat, wondering and dreaming what it would be like to start up front and duke it out for a top spot. I had my work cut out for me....
Fast forward to this year, and I was hoping for a 57:00 or under time, though once the weather was not ready to cooperate, I was willing to just get close to 57. The forecast was for relatively cool, though somewhat humid low 70s at the 7:45 start. Though, while driving down from Baltimore, I hit some nasty, nasty storms as in the kind where you can't see where you're driving.
I got to the race early, by 6:15 and had a lot of time to kill before having to warm up. The rain was coming and going, occasionally picking up. There was some lightning as well, which made me fearful they would call the race (I really wanted to run!). I checked the radar on my phone, and saw that it looked like the rain would break sometime before the race, but that we were likely to get slammed again during the race.
Right around 7:25, the rain had slowed to a drizzle and I got my warmup in. It actually felt pretty comfortable out, all things considered. Of course, it was no use keeping my feet dry before the race, as my shoes were water logged pretty quickly. I made my way to the front, and we were off right at 7:45.
The rain held off early, though of course the roads were covered in water and puddles. #1 and #2 quickly took the lead, never to be seen again. On long straights early, I could see them (and the lead vehicle), but it was clear 3rd place was the one up for grabs.
Mile 1 and 2: 5:39, 5:51
Mile 2 was definitely long. On the whole, I did what I wanted to do, go out at 5:40 pace. I was alone for a little bit until two guys caught up to me (an army and a navy guy, apparently there was a competition between academies going on). I opted to tuck in with them so we could work together as long as possible.
We meandered through downhill Annapolis, which I caught glimpses of as we powered through the early miles. I remembered 2009, running 7 minute, surrounded by other runners, and how different this experience was with a wide open road, running just over 10mph. I let myself savor it for a moment, but quickly got back to business.
As we approached mile 3, the rain started picking up. Before long, the stuff was coming down in buckets. It reached the point where breathing forced water into your nose and mouth, making it a bit difficult to stay in rhythm.
Regardless, we pushed forward for what was clearly a short mile 3:
Mile 3(?): 5:15
If only 5:15 was that easy. With the rain and the two guys I was with, the pace didn't really matter, and we were doing a good job at staying honest. Though, I could tell the Navy guy was having the easiest time of the three of us. I was definitely working the hardest, but did my best to hide it. If you can fake it long enough, interesting things can happen.
As we approached the Severn River, and the notoriously steep US Naval Academy Bridge, the rain had peaked, coming down so hard and so fast that we were basically running through a water fall. As we started climbing the bridge, and got more and more exposed, the wind started whipping around like crazy. I saw the mile 4 marker right before the wind blew it over...
Mile 4: 5:48
Not bad for running uphill in whipping wind with torrential rain. None of us could even see where we were going. In fact, it was impossible to even look forward with all the rain falling. There was only one way to go though, so we just pushed on.
Over the top we went and back down the other side. The next few miles of the course would prove tough, with constant unforgiving rolling hills. The rain finally started subsiding, and by mile 6, nearly stopped all together. I think we were all sick of it anyway.
Mile 5(?): 6:05
Terrible placement of mile markers, but we were holding steady. The Army guy's shoe came untied and he opted to stop and tie it, leaving just me and the Navy guy for a little while. Though, the army guy actually managed to catch back up.
We ran uphill for what felt like forever, eventually hitting the next mile.
Mile 6: 5:45
Next up would be the hardest part of the race, a turnaround. After turning around, we'd go back the way we came, taking the short way back to the start at the Navy Memorial Stadium. I hate turnarounds, and this one was no different. We hit a big downhill, and at the bottom, made the slick and slow turnaround, only to have to run back uphill.
That move broke me. I lost the race for 3rd in that moment, as Army and Navy guy pulled away. I refused to just give up though, and knew if I could just stick around, maybe I could pull this out.
Mile 7: 5:40
Not bad for getting broken I guess. As we turned back onto the main road, still combating the rolling hills, I got passed by a guy in Maryland flag shorts. I was still struggling to hold myself together, and couldn't stay with him.
Though, as we approached that horrid bridge for another go, all the tempo miles I've been doing on the track finally kicked in, and I started feeling better.
Mile 8: 5:51
I could see that Army guy was dropped by the Navy guy and was fading fast. Flag shorts passed him, and then there was me, not too far back. With the help of encouragement from the rest of the racers, since we were heading back, I started picking it up.
I turned onto the bridge, to be greeted by a wall of people that was the rest of the race still coming out. Then, I noticed there was a gap on the right side. Some people were coming down on the sidewalk, and everyone else was staying left. No where else, do I have the power to split a sea of people like that!
I powered up the bridge, focused very intensely on Army guy and Flag shorts ahead of me. At one point, someone still going out came off the sidewalk right into my path, only to be pulled back up by her fellow runners who said "don't get in his way!!" Good for her, because I likely would have just bowled right over her. I had a serious case of tunnel vision at that point.
We crested the hill and I realized that Flag shorts was going to get away, as he was opening up his stride, but Army guy was continuing to fall back to me. I could catch him, but it was going to hurt. I took half a stride to collect myself, and proceeded to hammer the downhill of the bridge as hard as I could.
Ever so slowly, the gap was decreasing. I eventually noticed something was going on with my left foot. All the rain had caused my foot to slide all over inside my shoe, and the bottom of my heel and big toe felt real gritty, like skin was coming off. I couldn't be bothered by such things at this point though.
Mile 9: 5:34
The gap was closing as we made the turn onto the final straight. Spectators were shouting at me to catch the guy, and I knew I was close enough that he could hear it. With about 2 minutes to go, I finally established contact. I knew the course was going to end on a section with soggy grass, and a slight uphill. A sprint to the finish would be a blood bath.
So I took the lessons of my high school coaches to heart, paused for a moment, then in my head shouted "go" and I blew past the guy without hesitation. Turns out he was only 16 years old, so let that be a lesson to him for future races!! With no chance to respond, I gaped him and took 5th place right there. It was a good thing too, because the last little bit sucked!
Mile 10: 5:53
Final result: 57:17 gun time, 57:19 chip time, 57:20 on my watch. Somewhat annoyingly, they did overall place on chip time rather than gun time. Although I was the 5th person across the line, my actual place was 7th. The Army guy is shown ahead of me in the results, but we both know who won and someone else who started real far back had a faster time... Overall should be by gun time (by the way) because it absolutely matters if a runner is there to influence the race.
In any event, clearly a monumental improvement over my previous A-10 time, and a time that given the conditions and course, is right where I need it to be, near my PR. My goal in this training cycle is not to get faster, but to maintain so I can go in with the fitness I already have and run a respectable marathon. So far, so good.
For my efforts, I did win the 25-29 year old age group. And regardless of my 5th or 7th place, I'll take it out of 3800+ finishers.
A couple of pictures:
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Lums Pond Duathlon: Run Bike Run This Year
Before diving into this race I should mention I've fallen quite far behind on logging my training. There is a draft post I've got with a rolling update of what's been going on, but I have yet to catch up to the present. It will happen soon!
For a quick recap of cycling related events that occured leading up to this race...
2 weeks ago I wiped out on my bike going about 20mph trying to reach for a spare water bottle in my jersey pocket. I gave myself a nasty case of road rash on my right knee and elbow. There were three total wounds on my knee, one of which bled during the 10 miles I had to ride home. I eventually got a tetanus shot since it had been years since I got one and within 2 weeks, all but the nastiest of the abrasions were close to healed. The final one scabbed over in the days leading up to this race.
Last week I participated in a hill climb time trial, a short 1.0 mile time trial bicycle race up Illchester road in Catonsville, MD. It was my first true bicycle race, and I did pretty well for myself, placing 4th in Category 5, just 2 seconds from 3rd (bicycle racing is broken into categories, first based on experience, then on speed, 5 is for newbs). I also rode to the race, did some riding afterwards, and rode home. It would have been quite the successful day until I got clipped by an SUV's side view mirror while coming to a stop light. The mirror folded in, my forearm took a good shot but didn't bruise, and I managed to stay upright, though the car ended up helping with that.
This past Wednesday, the rear tube on my CAAD8 exploded as I was taking a corner. After some super elite bike handling skills (or a lot of luck), I managed to stay upright. It was certainly an unsettling experience, and it took a while before I stopped being gun shy around corners. I'm also pretty sure my rear rim is shot after it dragged on the road while I was attempting to stop the bike.
So I went into Lums Pond looking to both do well, and have an uneventful bike leg with my SuperSix, which thankfully, has two good rims! This would be my last Du of the season as the only other semi local one I know of is the same weekend as the Baltimore Marathon and of course, my "hometown" marathon takes precedent!!
With everything set to go in transition, and a special someone to serve as my enthusiastic cheering squad (who drove over an hour to see me, and ran between two places to see me as many times as possible!), I was off at 7:45AM. The distances... 2 mile run, 19.5 mile bike, 3.3 mile run.
Last year, this race was converted to a 10K mud run thanks the monsoon that rolled through the day before and day of the race. This year, we got to experience the somewhat unique cross country run courses. Three of us took out the run, going neck and neck most of the way. On the more rugged sections, I backed off a little, trading the lead with another guy who was clearly a runner. The 16 year old that was running with us eventually dropped off the pace. I wonder if his XC coach knew he was doing a DU just a week or two before the season started!!
Anyway, I came through run #1 in 11:34, right next to the other runner. As it turned out, we were not only both on the same rack, but our bikes were right next to each other. I was simultaneously relieved and disappointed when he went for a mountain bike as I grabbed my road bike. With only one other guy even in transition at that point, the race was likely determined.
I busted out of transition in 45 seconds, ahead of Mr. mountain bike, struggling only to get my 56cm frame free from the rather short transition racks. I clipped in, stood out of the saddle to get the bike going, then dove into the aero bars. The bike course was FLAT as anything, with long, long straight aways and roads in really, really good shape.
Such a course is terrible for someone like me who does better on hills, but I was looking forward to the challenge. After having to deal with a police motorcycle that was going way too slow, he finally moved and it was just me, and the lead pick up truck driving far enough ahead not to influence my pace.
I wanted to see if I could hold 25mph, though quickly realized that perhaps 24mph was more realistic. I plowed through about 15 miles of the course maintaining that 24mph average before I started running out of gas. I also got a little sick to my stomach, though was able to fight it off. Regardless, no one ever passed me, or even got close. I also had only one minor incident involving other racers....
The course has one "lollipop" section where you take a right off the main road, then three lefts to get back to the main road, riding back in the opposite direction you came. I hit that right without having to go too far into the travel lane. However, as I was coming back in the opposite direction, racers coming towards me decided they needed to swing so wide as to cross the double yellow line. One guy in particular swung so wide that he ended up in my path.
Besides being completely excessive and unsafe, it's also against the rules. I held steady, never letting up on the pedals and never flinching. I think the other rider got the point that I wasn't moving and he had to either get out of my way, or both our days were over.
Past mile 15, I could see my speed slipping. Rather than fight it, I opted to try and save something for the last run, remembering all too well the suffer fest that was my previous second run after going all out on the bike. I came back into transition first (the triathlon going on at the same time had a 10 minute wait after we started, so I wasn't the fastest bike on the day), hit my dismount well and ran through the timing mat in:
50:29, good for about 23.2mph. Not quite the 24mph I had hoped for, but 1.2mph faster average than the hilly 26 I did at my previous Du, so I suppose I rode well. Better than I would have last year at any rate!!
I had a pretty solid T2, getting out of there in 37 seconds. I realized though that I managed to bust open two of my scabs on my knee, and get a whole bunch of grass and some bugs caught in the wounds. Most of my transition is done on my knees, and unfortunately, I wasn't exactly careful in taking my right knee to the ground...
I started run #2 with a mountain bike leading the way for another cross country style course, which was actually really, really fun. I felt like shit running in transition, but after hitting the first turn of the run, started kicking it back into gear.
The run was uneventful, other than the fact that my heart rate was actually up, meaning my legs weren't so torn up that I couldn't run fast (unlike my last du). I finished the 3.3 mile run in 19:35 good for a time of 1:23:02, a win by over 3 minutes.
On the day, I tied for fastest first run, had the second fastest Du bike leg, and the fastest second run. Compared to the tri, I was top 15-20 on the bike, though only separated by a minute or two, mostly by guys that had actual tri bikes and disk wheels, and only one triathlete had a faster second run than me.
Overall, it was a great way to finish out a rather short 3 race duathlon season. I'm not done with my new found cycling engine though. I've got a road race in a couple of weeks, which I'm going to try and win. The course has "rolling hills" which are only rolling if you live in Lancaster, PA, and not if you are an Adventures for the Cure A rider. As long as there aren't any other Cat 5 newbs that should be Cat 3 because of who they ride with, I'll try and take the race on that rolling section on either the second to last or last lap (the course is 8 laps total, somewhere around 30K) with the intent of breaking away for the win. Cat 5 riders are notorious for taking each other out in finishing sprints since they can't hold a line, so hopefully I can just drop everyone before that.
Oh, and I also have the Annapolis 10 Miler next week. No workouts this coming week, that's for sure!
For a quick recap of cycling related events that occured leading up to this race...
2 weeks ago I wiped out on my bike going about 20mph trying to reach for a spare water bottle in my jersey pocket. I gave myself a nasty case of road rash on my right knee and elbow. There were three total wounds on my knee, one of which bled during the 10 miles I had to ride home. I eventually got a tetanus shot since it had been years since I got one and within 2 weeks, all but the nastiest of the abrasions were close to healed. The final one scabbed over in the days leading up to this race.
Last week I participated in a hill climb time trial, a short 1.0 mile time trial bicycle race up Illchester road in Catonsville, MD. It was my first true bicycle race, and I did pretty well for myself, placing 4th in Category 5, just 2 seconds from 3rd (bicycle racing is broken into categories, first based on experience, then on speed, 5 is for newbs). I also rode to the race, did some riding afterwards, and rode home. It would have been quite the successful day until I got clipped by an SUV's side view mirror while coming to a stop light. The mirror folded in, my forearm took a good shot but didn't bruise, and I managed to stay upright, though the car ended up helping with that.
This past Wednesday, the rear tube on my CAAD8 exploded as I was taking a corner. After some super elite bike handling skills (or a lot of luck), I managed to stay upright. It was certainly an unsettling experience, and it took a while before I stopped being gun shy around corners. I'm also pretty sure my rear rim is shot after it dragged on the road while I was attempting to stop the bike.
So I went into Lums Pond looking to both do well, and have an uneventful bike leg with my SuperSix, which thankfully, has two good rims! This would be my last Du of the season as the only other semi local one I know of is the same weekend as the Baltimore Marathon and of course, my "hometown" marathon takes precedent!!
With everything set to go in transition, and a special someone to serve as my enthusiastic cheering squad (who drove over an hour to see me, and ran between two places to see me as many times as possible!), I was off at 7:45AM. The distances... 2 mile run, 19.5 mile bike, 3.3 mile run.
Last year, this race was converted to a 10K mud run thanks the monsoon that rolled through the day before and day of the race. This year, we got to experience the somewhat unique cross country run courses. Three of us took out the run, going neck and neck most of the way. On the more rugged sections, I backed off a little, trading the lead with another guy who was clearly a runner. The 16 year old that was running with us eventually dropped off the pace. I wonder if his XC coach knew he was doing a DU just a week or two before the season started!!
Anyway, I came through run #1 in 11:34, right next to the other runner. As it turned out, we were not only both on the same rack, but our bikes were right next to each other. I was simultaneously relieved and disappointed when he went for a mountain bike as I grabbed my road bike. With only one other guy even in transition at that point, the race was likely determined.
I busted out of transition in 45 seconds, ahead of Mr. mountain bike, struggling only to get my 56cm frame free from the rather short transition racks. I clipped in, stood out of the saddle to get the bike going, then dove into the aero bars. The bike course was FLAT as anything, with long, long straight aways and roads in really, really good shape.
Such a course is terrible for someone like me who does better on hills, but I was looking forward to the challenge. After having to deal with a police motorcycle that was going way too slow, he finally moved and it was just me, and the lead pick up truck driving far enough ahead not to influence my pace.
I wanted to see if I could hold 25mph, though quickly realized that perhaps 24mph was more realistic. I plowed through about 15 miles of the course maintaining that 24mph average before I started running out of gas. I also got a little sick to my stomach, though was able to fight it off. Regardless, no one ever passed me, or even got close. I also had only one minor incident involving other racers....
The course has one "lollipop" section where you take a right off the main road, then three lefts to get back to the main road, riding back in the opposite direction you came. I hit that right without having to go too far into the travel lane. However, as I was coming back in the opposite direction, racers coming towards me decided they needed to swing so wide as to cross the double yellow line. One guy in particular swung so wide that he ended up in my path.
Besides being completely excessive and unsafe, it's also against the rules. I held steady, never letting up on the pedals and never flinching. I think the other rider got the point that I wasn't moving and he had to either get out of my way, or both our days were over.
Past mile 15, I could see my speed slipping. Rather than fight it, I opted to try and save something for the last run, remembering all too well the suffer fest that was my previous second run after going all out on the bike. I came back into transition first (the triathlon going on at the same time had a 10 minute wait after we started, so I wasn't the fastest bike on the day), hit my dismount well and ran through the timing mat in:
50:29, good for about 23.2mph. Not quite the 24mph I had hoped for, but 1.2mph faster average than the hilly 26 I did at my previous Du, so I suppose I rode well. Better than I would have last year at any rate!!
I had a pretty solid T2, getting out of there in 37 seconds. I realized though that I managed to bust open two of my scabs on my knee, and get a whole bunch of grass and some bugs caught in the wounds. Most of my transition is done on my knees, and unfortunately, I wasn't exactly careful in taking my right knee to the ground...
I started run #2 with a mountain bike leading the way for another cross country style course, which was actually really, really fun. I felt like shit running in transition, but after hitting the first turn of the run, started kicking it back into gear.
The run was uneventful, other than the fact that my heart rate was actually up, meaning my legs weren't so torn up that I couldn't run fast (unlike my last du). I finished the 3.3 mile run in 19:35 good for a time of 1:23:02, a win by over 3 minutes.
On the day, I tied for fastest first run, had the second fastest Du bike leg, and the fastest second run. Compared to the tri, I was top 15-20 on the bike, though only separated by a minute or two, mostly by guys that had actual tri bikes and disk wheels, and only one triathlete had a faster second run than me.
Overall, it was a great way to finish out a rather short 3 race duathlon season. I'm not done with my new found cycling engine though. I've got a road race in a couple of weeks, which I'm going to try and win. The course has "rolling hills" which are only rolling if you live in Lancaster, PA, and not if you are an Adventures for the Cure A rider. As long as there aren't any other Cat 5 newbs that should be Cat 3 because of who they ride with, I'll try and take the race on that rolling section on either the second to last or last lap (the course is 8 laps total, somewhere around 30K) with the intent of breaking away for the win. Cat 5 riders are notorious for taking each other out in finishing sprints since they can't hold a line, so hopefully I can just drop everyone before that.
Oh, and I also have the Annapolis 10 Miler next week. No workouts this coming week, that's for sure!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Rockville Twlight 8K: Chasing Dark Shadowy Ghosts
The Rockville Twilight 8K is a race I've had my eye on for the last couple of years but never got around to participating. It is an absolutely stacked race that goes off at 8:45PM in the "foreign" lands of Montgomery County. With the Falls Road crew putting a team together to go down there, I certainly had every reason to go this year.
The weather in Maryland finally took a turn for the better at least if you spend large portions of your free time running. Lots of rain rolled through on Friday and Saturday, with the sky being almost constantly overcast. It cooled everything off nicely and the general lack of sun finally allowed the ground to stop baking in summer heat. All of a sudden, our mid-July summer race was lining up to feel more like a late spring (or very late summer/early fall) race.
The rain let up slightly as the race approached, slowing down to a light mist. Temperatures hovered in the very high 60s to low 70s. I took my spot on the rather crowded start line, and we were off a few minutes after 8:45, with the course shrouded in darkness.
I've done a handful of relay races in the dark, but have never run an actual race in these types of conditions (first wet race of 2012 too). Those 200 mile relays are more like time trials than actual races since I would just spend my time passing people running substantially different paces than me. This was the first time I had to actually contend with other people, while barely being able to see anything. The course mainly rolled through residential streets with minimal lighting. Flashing lights of police cars in the distance made for a rather surreal feel.
The darkness also made for a few interesting perdiciments. First, I could barely see my watch forgetting of course, to activate the light up on button press feature. Second, it was really hard to tell who anyone was unless I ended up within a couple of strides of them. With these issues, I realized my best bet was to just chase down as many shadowy figures as I could.
I did manage to go out reasonably conservatively, opting to avoid the mad early dash while still breaking through the crowded start effectively. The first mile was mostly downhill...
5:26
I knew I wanted to go out somewhere around 5:30, but wasn't expecting it to feel as good as it did. Regardless, I told myself to stay in control. Thanks to a digital clock and intermittent light, I did see this split!
From miles 1 to 2, I stopped getting passed and slowly started picking people off, 1 small group at a time. There were one or two hills that weren't steep, but at least made you think. They didn't seem to bother me. We looped back towards the start for what seemed to be a slow mile, possibly in the wrong location.
5:39
At this point, I decided to just turn on the jets. I was feeling really good, despite being drenched in a combination of rain and sweat (it was still surprisingly humid) and decided to just see what I could do. I kept trying to guess who I passed, and who was in the distance.
I caught and passed one Falls Road guy, Tim who can kick my ass at short distances, but it's more of a fair fight at longer races.
As we continued, I just kept pouring it on.
Mile 3: 5:23 (I didn't know the pace, just that my 3 mile split was around 16:28, which would turn out to be a decent 5K with another 0.1).
I could see another familiar runner in the distance, and thanks to some intel from some cheering support, I knew it was Ed. The only reason I would ever end up near him would be a combination of a not so good day on his part, and a really good day on mine. Regardless, if I could catch him, maybe we could help each other out.
It took a hell of a lot of energy to bridge that gap. After almost falling on a cone taking a turn way, way too tight, I came up alongside him. We went back and forth for a little, but eventually I passed him, half in shock, but figuring he would be back before the end.
Mile 4: 5:28 (never saw it on my watch, but did see I came in right around 22:00 thanks to the course clock, and would have to fly to get sub-27).
The course made all kinds of turns from 3-4. It was kind of fun taking all the tangents, a bit easier when there is a whole train of fast runners ahead of you doing the same thing. I was still feeling decent, but reaching that point where the race had to end because that crash-and-burn feeling wasn't too far off.
We hit a flat, straight section of road for the next couple of minutes and I threw down anything and everything I had left. Sub-27 was a real possibility. I passed a handful of people who had no answer to my move. I could also see just ahead, another familiar figure. It was actually the shoes that gave it away, but it was none other than Dusty, another runner I had no business being around. Regardless of the circumstances causing us to be in each other's vicinity at the end of a race, I knew I had to at least try and get on his shoulder, even for a moment.
Imagine a car that has had its gas pedal through the floor, and is starting to fail catastrophically. I'm taking about smoke pouring out of the engine, and random parts flying off the back, but somehow, it keeps barreling down the road. That's what the last couple of minutes of this race felt like.
I never quite managed to bridge that gap, though I was closing until the last minute or two, when everyone started kicking it in. Ed managed to pass me back. I tried to at least make it a fight, but it wasn't one. No one else passed me in those final moments, and I flew through the downhill finish in..
26:56 for 5:25 pace and 40th overall. The last not-quite-a-mile split was 5:01.
That race was definitely an 8K PR. It's been a while since I've run an 8K, but I know for a fact I was completely incapable of running a 5K at that pace the last time I ran an 8K. For comparison, the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler in December was a 27:01 and 5:24 pace. So both races were right on top of each other. It's hard to compare what kind of shape I'm in now to what I was then. But regardless, the result was better than I expected and my legs felt really, really strong.
I think this bodes well for the start of training for the Richmond Marathon. The name of the game....conservative approach!!! If I can just take the fitness I have right now and extend my endurance for the marathon, I'll be happy.
The weather in Maryland finally took a turn for the better at least if you spend large portions of your free time running. Lots of rain rolled through on Friday and Saturday, with the sky being almost constantly overcast. It cooled everything off nicely and the general lack of sun finally allowed the ground to stop baking in summer heat. All of a sudden, our mid-July summer race was lining up to feel more like a late spring (or very late summer/early fall) race.
The rain let up slightly as the race approached, slowing down to a light mist. Temperatures hovered in the very high 60s to low 70s. I took my spot on the rather crowded start line, and we were off a few minutes after 8:45, with the course shrouded in darkness.
I've done a handful of relay races in the dark, but have never run an actual race in these types of conditions (first wet race of 2012 too). Those 200 mile relays are more like time trials than actual races since I would just spend my time passing people running substantially different paces than me. This was the first time I had to actually contend with other people, while barely being able to see anything. The course mainly rolled through residential streets with minimal lighting. Flashing lights of police cars in the distance made for a rather surreal feel.
The darkness also made for a few interesting perdiciments. First, I could barely see my watch forgetting of course, to activate the light up on button press feature. Second, it was really hard to tell who anyone was unless I ended up within a couple of strides of them. With these issues, I realized my best bet was to just chase down as many shadowy figures as I could.
I did manage to go out reasonably conservatively, opting to avoid the mad early dash while still breaking through the crowded start effectively. The first mile was mostly downhill...
5:26
I knew I wanted to go out somewhere around 5:30, but wasn't expecting it to feel as good as it did. Regardless, I told myself to stay in control. Thanks to a digital clock and intermittent light, I did see this split!
From miles 1 to 2, I stopped getting passed and slowly started picking people off, 1 small group at a time. There were one or two hills that weren't steep, but at least made you think. They didn't seem to bother me. We looped back towards the start for what seemed to be a slow mile, possibly in the wrong location.
5:39
At this point, I decided to just turn on the jets. I was feeling really good, despite being drenched in a combination of rain and sweat (it was still surprisingly humid) and decided to just see what I could do. I kept trying to guess who I passed, and who was in the distance.
I caught and passed one Falls Road guy, Tim who can kick my ass at short distances, but it's more of a fair fight at longer races.
As we continued, I just kept pouring it on.
Mile 3: 5:23 (I didn't know the pace, just that my 3 mile split was around 16:28, which would turn out to be a decent 5K with another 0.1).
I could see another familiar runner in the distance, and thanks to some intel from some cheering support, I knew it was Ed. The only reason I would ever end up near him would be a combination of a not so good day on his part, and a really good day on mine. Regardless, if I could catch him, maybe we could help each other out.
It took a hell of a lot of energy to bridge that gap. After almost falling on a cone taking a turn way, way too tight, I came up alongside him. We went back and forth for a little, but eventually I passed him, half in shock, but figuring he would be back before the end.
Mile 4: 5:28 (never saw it on my watch, but did see I came in right around 22:00 thanks to the course clock, and would have to fly to get sub-27).
The course made all kinds of turns from 3-4. It was kind of fun taking all the tangents, a bit easier when there is a whole train of fast runners ahead of you doing the same thing. I was still feeling decent, but reaching that point where the race had to end because that crash-and-burn feeling wasn't too far off.
We hit a flat, straight section of road for the next couple of minutes and I threw down anything and everything I had left. Sub-27 was a real possibility. I passed a handful of people who had no answer to my move. I could also see just ahead, another familiar figure. It was actually the shoes that gave it away, but it was none other than Dusty, another runner I had no business being around. Regardless of the circumstances causing us to be in each other's vicinity at the end of a race, I knew I had to at least try and get on his shoulder, even for a moment.
Imagine a car that has had its gas pedal through the floor, and is starting to fail catastrophically. I'm taking about smoke pouring out of the engine, and random parts flying off the back, but somehow, it keeps barreling down the road. That's what the last couple of minutes of this race felt like.
I never quite managed to bridge that gap, though I was closing until the last minute or two, when everyone started kicking it in. Ed managed to pass me back. I tried to at least make it a fight, but it wasn't one. No one else passed me in those final moments, and I flew through the downhill finish in..
26:56 for 5:25 pace and 40th overall. The last not-quite-a-mile split was 5:01.
That race was definitely an 8K PR. It's been a while since I've run an 8K, but I know for a fact I was completely incapable of running a 5K at that pace the last time I ran an 8K. For comparison, the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler in December was a 27:01 and 5:24 pace. So both races were right on top of each other. It's hard to compare what kind of shape I'm in now to what I was then. But regardless, the result was better than I expected and my legs felt really, really strong.
I think this bodes well for the start of training for the Richmond Marathon. The name of the game....conservative approach!!! If I can just take the fitness I have right now and extend my endurance for the marathon, I'll be happy.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Maryland 2xrip Duathlon: Burning Rubber
At long last, a race where I could test my new found bike legs. The race, 2 mile run, 26 mile bike, 4 mile run through the rolling hills of Howard County. This particular duathlon, one of the few competitive ones out there, welcomed a field of ~450 entrants, and an elite/open field of ~16 men. The field promised to be fast, though I was excited to see how everything would fall. Three other guys that I ride with, Adam, Pat, and Lance as part of AFC were all out there as well. Adam was the defending champ, and a favorite to win. Pat and Lance are significantly better riders than me, so it would take some seriously strong running to finish ahead of them.
The gun went off at 7AM, and we were off. Graham, a very strong runner took the first run out hard as we started on a big downhill. I separated myself a little bit from everyone else and ran through transition in 2nd, 10:49 overall. Honestly, it was probably way too fast, but I knew I needed a cushion.
Unlike last year, there was no fumbling in transition and I got out quick (despite this being the first time using an aero helmet in a race), though would never quite catch Graham. It turns out he is not only a better runner than me, but is also better on the bike. Within a mile of riding, I started feeling awful. Both my hips tightened up, and my right knee started bothering me. I never really experienced anything like that in training rides leading up to this race. I also couldn't get into much of a rhythm on the uphills and felt like I was fighting with my bike rather than cruising.
By around mile 8, things finally started getting better. I never really slowed down, or sped up very much, but the perceived effort finally became more what I expected. I made sure to keep drinking water, as it was quite humid and just kept pedaling away.
During the first 13 mile loop, I was passed by 6 people. I would get passed by one more on the second loop to fall to 9th overall. However, one of those guys, Adam F., (on his TT bike) never quite pulled away, so I made sure to keep him in sight, hoping to get him on the run. It would be tough, because he isn't a push over on foot.
As we continued on the second lap, I had to contend with people still on their first. For the most part I was ok, only having to straddle the double yellow line twice and yell "on your left" three or four times. Thanks to an event motorcycle (not a referee), I did have one close call. On one of the faster decents, with a sweeping left turn, I basically got blocked by the motorcycle. People on their first lap were two wide as people were passing each other. The motorcycle passed me, and then came up on the passing cyclists, but didn't go ahead and just stayed to their left. I began approaching 40mph and closed in a hurry on that motorcycle.
After realizing it wasn't going to move, I had to let up and coast, coming just up on his wheel, and slowing to 35mph. Whether it was my ratchet on my free wheel mechanism screaming (Mavic wheels are loud), or my "COME ON" shout, the guys on the bike looked behind and saw me right there. I took a hand off my aero bars to further illustrate my disgust. They sort of moved, but it was too late by then. Kind of ridiculous that they didn't think I would be trying to fly past all those people, but oh well. It also didn't help I was hopped up on adrenaline and had a really short fuse.
As we approached transition, I finally just passed Adam F, as every time we hit an uphill in the last few miles, I had to avoid his 3-bike length zone. A quick hard left back into the starting park, and a drama free dismount made me realize something unsettling......my body was fried. Despite being fried, my bike computer got me at 1:12:10, approximately 3:30 faster than my bike leg last year, and a full ~1mph faster, at 22mph avg.
Adam actually passed me in transition. My transition was quick, but he was just moving faster on his feet. As soon as I started running, things were not good. My legs just would not move. Adam by comparison, pulled away. I noticed I had worked a lot harder on the uphills and actually pedaled on the downhills, all in an effort to stay near him. I guess it was time to pay for that...
I don't have a time on the second run, but by math, it seems to be right around 27:00; the most painful 6:45 average I've done in a while. I even got passed within a quarter mile of the finish line, and had nothing, no way to respond. First time I got passed on the second run of a duathlon...
When it was finally over, I crossed the line in 1:52:58, about 2:30 faster than last year, despite my painfully awful second run. I ended up 10th overall with no age groupers beating me, so racing elite was the right call.
Overall, I'm really, really happy with the result, though it clearly could have been so much better. I was up big on last year's time coming off the bike, and had a chance at 9th and possibly 8th. Of course, I've done a total of 2 runs off the bike this entire year, neither of which being a hilly 4 miles. I also didn't eat anything on the bike, which was probably a mistake.
Regardless, I gave that bike leg everything I had and did much, much better. So I'll take it!
Monday will be a well earned day off. I'll run Tuesday, but will only do a workout if I feel up to it. It's almost time to start up that marathon training!
One picture of the race, afterwards. From left to right, Adam D (winner for two years in a row), Lance, myself, and Pat. Courtesy of Lance's wife. Note: we were all absolutely disgusting in that pic thanks to the humidity.
The gun went off at 7AM, and we were off. Graham, a very strong runner took the first run out hard as we started on a big downhill. I separated myself a little bit from everyone else and ran through transition in 2nd, 10:49 overall. Honestly, it was probably way too fast, but I knew I needed a cushion.
Unlike last year, there was no fumbling in transition and I got out quick (despite this being the first time using an aero helmet in a race), though would never quite catch Graham. It turns out he is not only a better runner than me, but is also better on the bike. Within a mile of riding, I started feeling awful. Both my hips tightened up, and my right knee started bothering me. I never really experienced anything like that in training rides leading up to this race. I also couldn't get into much of a rhythm on the uphills and felt like I was fighting with my bike rather than cruising.
By around mile 8, things finally started getting better. I never really slowed down, or sped up very much, but the perceived effort finally became more what I expected. I made sure to keep drinking water, as it was quite humid and just kept pedaling away.
During the first 13 mile loop, I was passed by 6 people. I would get passed by one more on the second loop to fall to 9th overall. However, one of those guys, Adam F., (on his TT bike) never quite pulled away, so I made sure to keep him in sight, hoping to get him on the run. It would be tough, because he isn't a push over on foot.
As we continued on the second lap, I had to contend with people still on their first. For the most part I was ok, only having to straddle the double yellow line twice and yell "on your left" three or four times. Thanks to an event motorcycle (not a referee), I did have one close call. On one of the faster decents, with a sweeping left turn, I basically got blocked by the motorcycle. People on their first lap were two wide as people were passing each other. The motorcycle passed me, and then came up on the passing cyclists, but didn't go ahead and just stayed to their left. I began approaching 40mph and closed in a hurry on that motorcycle.
After realizing it wasn't going to move, I had to let up and coast, coming just up on his wheel, and slowing to 35mph. Whether it was my ratchet on my free wheel mechanism screaming (Mavic wheels are loud), or my "COME ON" shout, the guys on the bike looked behind and saw me right there. I took a hand off my aero bars to further illustrate my disgust. They sort of moved, but it was too late by then. Kind of ridiculous that they didn't think I would be trying to fly past all those people, but oh well. It also didn't help I was hopped up on adrenaline and had a really short fuse.
As we approached transition, I finally just passed Adam F, as every time we hit an uphill in the last few miles, I had to avoid his 3-bike length zone. A quick hard left back into the starting park, and a drama free dismount made me realize something unsettling......my body was fried. Despite being fried, my bike computer got me at 1:12:10, approximately 3:30 faster than my bike leg last year, and a full ~1mph faster, at 22mph avg.
Adam actually passed me in transition. My transition was quick, but he was just moving faster on his feet. As soon as I started running, things were not good. My legs just would not move. Adam by comparison, pulled away. I noticed I had worked a lot harder on the uphills and actually pedaled on the downhills, all in an effort to stay near him. I guess it was time to pay for that...
I don't have a time on the second run, but by math, it seems to be right around 27:00; the most painful 6:45 average I've done in a while. I even got passed within a quarter mile of the finish line, and had nothing, no way to respond. First time I got passed on the second run of a duathlon...
When it was finally over, I crossed the line in 1:52:58, about 2:30 faster than last year, despite my painfully awful second run. I ended up 10th overall with no age groupers beating me, so racing elite was the right call.
Overall, I'm really, really happy with the result, though it clearly could have been so much better. I was up big on last year's time coming off the bike, and had a chance at 9th and possibly 8th. Of course, I've done a total of 2 runs off the bike this entire year, neither of which being a hilly 4 miles. I also didn't eat anything on the bike, which was probably a mistake.
Regardless, I gave that bike leg everything I had and did much, much better. So I'll take it!
Monday will be a well earned day off. I'll run Tuesday, but will only do a workout if I feel up to it. It's almost time to start up that marathon training!
One picture of the race, afterwards. From left to right, Adam D (winner for two years in a row), Lance, myself, and Pat. Courtesy of Lance's wife. Note: we were all absolutely disgusting in that pic thanks to the humidity.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Races for the Fall? Sure!
If it was up to me, I would register for all my races no more than a week in advance. Unfortunately, that is not the world we live in, so I finally broke open the wallet and filled out my fall schedule. This is subject to the addition of a 5K in September and a 5K or 10K in October...
July:
Maryland 2xrip "Olympic Duathlon" 2 mile run, 26 mile bike, 4 mile run (7/15)
Rockville Twilight 8K (7/21)
August:
Highway to Heaven Time Trial (bike race, up a hill): (8/11)
Lums Pond Duathlon: 2 mile run, 19.5 mile flat bike, 3.3 mile run (8/19) (sandbag 2.0?)
Annapolis 10 Miler: (8/26)
September:
Philadelphia Distance Run (Half Marathon): (9/16)
October:
Baltimore Marathon, 3:10 pacer (10/13)
November:
Richmond Marathon (11/11)
Despite my marathon troubles of late, I'm going for it again. The name of the training game this time though will merely be to maintain. I'll stretch out my endurance, but I have no intention of adding anymore "cylinders" to the engine. Despite my best efforts to sabotage myself, somehow I'm still in really good running shape, and I'm only running 35 miles a week. With some sharpening over the next couple of months, I have a feeling that a conservative mindset may pay dividends this fall. After the Maryland 2xrip race, there are 18 weeks to Richmond, a perfect time to start transitioning more to running.
However, I have no intention of exceeding 60-65 miles per week through at least the Philly Distance Run. Beyond that, I plan to top out at no more than 75 miles per week. I've gone above 80 miles per week in two clusters and both times it helped at first, and then everything came crashing down. Somehow, the "good" parts of that training are still in my legs, and I've rested and healed away all the "bad" parts. Maybe now I can get to November firing on the cylinders I already have, which should be good enough to get me a "reasonable" marathon time, even if I don't know exactly what that reasonable time is, yet.
But enough rambling, here is the miles report...
Monday: Run, easy, easy 3 miles. My calf muscles were sore as crap after that 5K roller coaster
Tuesday: Commute to and from work: 13 miles
Run: 6.5 miles, easy, calf muscles felt better
Wednesday: Arbutus 10K, 9.2 ish miles with warm up/cool down. 34:53, 5:38 pace.
Thursday: Bike: 38.5 miles total with a morning commute and a 31 ish mile ride from my office to my apartment. It was hot as shit out and I suffered. It also didn't help that I only used ice water in my bottles instead of frozen water. Everything got hot and nasty way too fast. Gatorade is also disgusting when it is warm. If it wasn't actually 100 degrees according to the forecast, I can guarantee you it was in downtown Baltimore on that awful pavement.
Friday: Run: AM: 4 miles, really easy PM (late night): 7 miles, easy
Bike: 14 miles (slightly extra), commute
I was originally going to ride on Friday, but the weather made me rethink that. Another 100+ day made me realize that perhaps I should wait for the sun to go down and just run at night instead. It is amazing how much easier it is to run at night, even when it's still hot as shit out.
Saturday: 45 mile bike ride. I started at 6:15AM and it was 80 degrees out. It was at least 90 when I finished. Despite feeling terrible, with tired legs I actually rode pretty well, not much slower than I usually ride. Though, I did cut it 5 miles short. No problems with food or drink on this ride!
Run: easy 5 miles after the sun went down. My running legs felt much better than my cycling legs.
Sunday: 31.7 mile bike ride with my aero bars, mostly just to practice for next week. I'm planning to stay glued to those suckers next Sunday unless I hit a climb I've got to get out of the saddle for, or have to take a sharp turn. All these bike miles, Wednesday night rides, and occasional sprinting have made me better able to grind out hills and tougher sections without having to downshift as much as I used to. Keep those watts up!
Totals:
Run: 34.7 miles
Bike: 142.2 miles
Still only 5 days of running, but I'm running well enough right now that I don't really care. This upcoming week may be my last of 5 days of running for a while.
July:
Maryland 2xrip "Olympic Duathlon" 2 mile run, 26 mile bike, 4 mile run (7/15)
Rockville Twilight 8K (7/21)
August:
Highway to Heaven Time Trial (bike race, up a hill): (8/11)
Lums Pond Duathlon: 2 mile run, 19.5 mile flat bike, 3.3 mile run (8/19) (sandbag 2.0?)
Annapolis 10 Miler: (8/26)
September:
Philadelphia Distance Run (Half Marathon): (9/16)
October:
Baltimore Marathon, 3:10 pacer (10/13)
November:
Richmond Marathon (11/11)
Despite my marathon troubles of late, I'm going for it again. The name of the training game this time though will merely be to maintain. I'll stretch out my endurance, but I have no intention of adding anymore "cylinders" to the engine. Despite my best efforts to sabotage myself, somehow I'm still in really good running shape, and I'm only running 35 miles a week. With some sharpening over the next couple of months, I have a feeling that a conservative mindset may pay dividends this fall. After the Maryland 2xrip race, there are 18 weeks to Richmond, a perfect time to start transitioning more to running.
However, I have no intention of exceeding 60-65 miles per week through at least the Philly Distance Run. Beyond that, I plan to top out at no more than 75 miles per week. I've gone above 80 miles per week in two clusters and both times it helped at first, and then everything came crashing down. Somehow, the "good" parts of that training are still in my legs, and I've rested and healed away all the "bad" parts. Maybe now I can get to November firing on the cylinders I already have, which should be good enough to get me a "reasonable" marathon time, even if I don't know exactly what that reasonable time is, yet.
But enough rambling, here is the miles report...
Monday: Run, easy, easy 3 miles. My calf muscles were sore as crap after that 5K roller coaster
Tuesday: Commute to and from work: 13 miles
Run: 6.5 miles, easy, calf muscles felt better
Wednesday: Arbutus 10K, 9.2 ish miles with warm up/cool down. 34:53, 5:38 pace.
Thursday: Bike: 38.5 miles total with a morning commute and a 31 ish mile ride from my office to my apartment. It was hot as shit out and I suffered. It also didn't help that I only used ice water in my bottles instead of frozen water. Everything got hot and nasty way too fast. Gatorade is also disgusting when it is warm. If it wasn't actually 100 degrees according to the forecast, I can guarantee you it was in downtown Baltimore on that awful pavement.
Friday: Run: AM: 4 miles, really easy PM (late night): 7 miles, easy
Bike: 14 miles (slightly extra), commute
I was originally going to ride on Friday, but the weather made me rethink that. Another 100+ day made me realize that perhaps I should wait for the sun to go down and just run at night instead. It is amazing how much easier it is to run at night, even when it's still hot as shit out.
Saturday: 45 mile bike ride. I started at 6:15AM and it was 80 degrees out. It was at least 90 when I finished. Despite feeling terrible, with tired legs I actually rode pretty well, not much slower than I usually ride. Though, I did cut it 5 miles short. No problems with food or drink on this ride!
Run: easy 5 miles after the sun went down. My running legs felt much better than my cycling legs.
Sunday: 31.7 mile bike ride with my aero bars, mostly just to practice for next week. I'm planning to stay glued to those suckers next Sunday unless I hit a climb I've got to get out of the saddle for, or have to take a sharp turn. All these bike miles, Wednesday night rides, and occasional sprinting have made me better able to grind out hills and tougher sections without having to downshift as much as I used to. Keep those watts up!
Totals:
Run: 34.7 miles
Bike: 142.2 miles
Still only 5 days of running, but I'm running well enough right now that I don't really care. This upcoming week may be my last of 5 days of running for a while.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Arbutus 10K: Hot, Hilly, but Good
I've known of this particular race for years, but could never quite fit it into my schedule. This time in 2012, I finally managed to throw my name in the mix. It is known for being somewhat hilly, more of a rolling course than one with big climbs, but certainly not flat. Being on the 4th of July, it is also guaranteed to be hot.
At the 8AM start, it actually wasn't that bad, temperatures were in the high 70s, and the sky was overcast. It was still humid out, as I was sweating a good deal after a 2 mile warm up. It wasn't quite as bad as my Sunday 5K, but still not ideal. I took it really easy Monday and Tuesday to try and recover as well as I could for this one, and after that warm up, felt reasonably good.
This race actually gives out prize money per 10 year age group, with no overall awards. What it basically means is if you are between the ages of 20-29 or 30-39, you would probably get nothing even if you finished close to the front. But no matter, I get paid to be an expert on pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment, not to win races.
At 8, the race went off, and we immediately started uphill. Going into this race blind, with no real idea what to expect as far as terrain, I made sure to go out reasonably conservative. About 8-9 people went out with the lead group, consisting of the legend himself, Dave Berdan. I knew that wouldn't last as there are few people that can keep up with Berdan, and was content to stay behind that group.
As we crested the hill, made a turn, and started going back down hill, more than a few people fell back and I found myself in 6th, behind Adam of AFC, and Tristram of Falls Road. This would be Tristram's last race before moving to Italy for a year, and talking to him earlier, had mentioned he wanted to do 5:30s. So I figured I was happy with where I was, even if I was a few seconds behind Adam...
Unfortunately, the mile markers on this course were pathetically placed and my mile splits are next to worthless. I went through mile 1 in 5:50 and was concerned with how bad it felt. After finding out it was long, and I likely was in the low 5:40s, it made me feel a little better, since I did exactly what I wanted on mile 1.
The course from that point went up and down, left and right, like a freaking roller coaster. After mile 2, the sun broke through the clouds and it started getting hot in a hurry. I just focused on taking every tangent, and trying to bridge the gap to Adam, especially since after running a "4:50" on mile 2, that I would have no feedback on my pace.
Since we were in AFC territory, two other guys I ride with were out on the course with their wives on tandem bicycles, cheering for Adam and me. It was actually extremely helpful to have them riding alongside. They never paced me (which is good), opting to stay between us, but the encouragement was awesome.
The course flattened out a little by mile 3, and I tried to turn it up and reel Adam in, but no matter what I threw at him, I just couldn't shrink the gap. Tristram eventually dropped Adam to continue ahead.
As we started approaching the finish, the hills and heat were taking their toll. A lot of people had sprinklers on the course, which I only used if they were on tangents or already in my path. It certainly helped a little, even if it broke up my rhythm a little.
We made yet another turn after mile 5, and to that point, had only managed to knock over two cups of water rather than taking any. One kid backed away as I tried to grab a cup, and I hit another trying to take a tangent. Oh well...
After the mile 5 marker, we hit the worst uphill of the course, a long, long steady climb. I hit the hill as hard as my legs would go, with one last ditch effort to catch Adam. Try as I could, I just could not make up that last bit of ground. As we passed mile 6, we finally got a little downhill to sprint down into the finish....
34:53 and 6th overall, for 5:38 pace. I finished 4th in my age group, so no money; I think Adam was more upset for me than I was!
I didn't really know what to think of the time at first, especially since I had no real splits to look at. I was 26 seconds slower than my PR, but that PR was in November temperatures on a slightly easier course. I was also in much better running shape back then. I finally decided that for running this course for the first time, in these conditions, I ran what I considered a smart race. I never fell apart, and probably ran somewhat evenly, taking what the course would give me. The overall pace also makes sense, a few seconds per mile faster than my Baltimore 10 Miler time, with a 5K average of 17:26, comfortably slower than the straight up 5Ks I have run lately.
So overall, I think I ran as well as I could have for today. Could I have gone faster if I didn't race a 5K on Sunday? Probably... But I got a free pair of shoes for winning that race, so it was worth it.
I already stuffed my face at one July 4th gathering, and will be going for #2 this afternoon. Overall, I think this is a good way to spend the 4th!
The next race up is a big one...Maryland 2xrip duathlon. I'm really, really looking forward to crushing my bike time on this course from last year!
At the 8AM start, it actually wasn't that bad, temperatures were in the high 70s, and the sky was overcast. It was still humid out, as I was sweating a good deal after a 2 mile warm up. It wasn't quite as bad as my Sunday 5K, but still not ideal. I took it really easy Monday and Tuesday to try and recover as well as I could for this one, and after that warm up, felt reasonably good.
This race actually gives out prize money per 10 year age group, with no overall awards. What it basically means is if you are between the ages of 20-29 or 30-39, you would probably get nothing even if you finished close to the front. But no matter, I get paid to be an expert on pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment, not to win races.
At 8, the race went off, and we immediately started uphill. Going into this race blind, with no real idea what to expect as far as terrain, I made sure to go out reasonably conservative. About 8-9 people went out with the lead group, consisting of the legend himself, Dave Berdan. I knew that wouldn't last as there are few people that can keep up with Berdan, and was content to stay behind that group.
As we crested the hill, made a turn, and started going back down hill, more than a few people fell back and I found myself in 6th, behind Adam of AFC, and Tristram of Falls Road. This would be Tristram's last race before moving to Italy for a year, and talking to him earlier, had mentioned he wanted to do 5:30s. So I figured I was happy with where I was, even if I was a few seconds behind Adam...
Unfortunately, the mile markers on this course were pathetically placed and my mile splits are next to worthless. I went through mile 1 in 5:50 and was concerned with how bad it felt. After finding out it was long, and I likely was in the low 5:40s, it made me feel a little better, since I did exactly what I wanted on mile 1.
The course from that point went up and down, left and right, like a freaking roller coaster. After mile 2, the sun broke through the clouds and it started getting hot in a hurry. I just focused on taking every tangent, and trying to bridge the gap to Adam, especially since after running a "4:50" on mile 2, that I would have no feedback on my pace.
Since we were in AFC territory, two other guys I ride with were out on the course with their wives on tandem bicycles, cheering for Adam and me. It was actually extremely helpful to have them riding alongside. They never paced me (which is good), opting to stay between us, but the encouragement was awesome.
The course flattened out a little by mile 3, and I tried to turn it up and reel Adam in, but no matter what I threw at him, I just couldn't shrink the gap. Tristram eventually dropped Adam to continue ahead.
As we started approaching the finish, the hills and heat were taking their toll. A lot of people had sprinklers on the course, which I only used if they were on tangents or already in my path. It certainly helped a little, even if it broke up my rhythm a little.
We made yet another turn after mile 5, and to that point, had only managed to knock over two cups of water rather than taking any. One kid backed away as I tried to grab a cup, and I hit another trying to take a tangent. Oh well...
After the mile 5 marker, we hit the worst uphill of the course, a long, long steady climb. I hit the hill as hard as my legs would go, with one last ditch effort to catch Adam. Try as I could, I just could not make up that last bit of ground. As we passed mile 6, we finally got a little downhill to sprint down into the finish....
34:53 and 6th overall, for 5:38 pace. I finished 4th in my age group, so no money; I think Adam was more upset for me than I was!
I didn't really know what to think of the time at first, especially since I had no real splits to look at. I was 26 seconds slower than my PR, but that PR was in November temperatures on a slightly easier course. I was also in much better running shape back then. I finally decided that for running this course for the first time, in these conditions, I ran what I considered a smart race. I never fell apart, and probably ran somewhat evenly, taking what the course would give me. The overall pace also makes sense, a few seconds per mile faster than my Baltimore 10 Miler time, with a 5K average of 17:26, comfortably slower than the straight up 5Ks I have run lately.
So overall, I think I ran as well as I could have for today. Could I have gone faster if I didn't race a 5K on Sunday? Probably... But I got a free pair of shoes for winning that race, so it was worth it.
I already stuffed my face at one July 4th gathering, and will be going for #2 this afternoon. Overall, I think this is a good way to spend the 4th!
The next race up is a big one...Maryland 2xrip duathlon. I'm really, really looking forward to crushing my bike time on this course from last year!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Track Work? Awesome!
Can you believe I'm actually watching/paying attention to the Tour de France this year? I am still a runner...I swear. The second half of this week proved to be another hot one, but I've acclimated pretty well. This was a week of staying steady with the running and dialing back the bike a little to accommodate a couple of harder runs. I know it's shocking, but I'm trying as hard as possible not to do anything incredibly stupid with training over the next few months.
Monday: Run: 8 miles, easy with the Fed Hill crew
Tuesday: Commute: 18.4 miles total (a little detour)
Run: 8.5 miles total...3 miles @ tempo pace: 5:50, 5:48, 5:45 2 laps easy, then 4x400...70, 71, 70, 69.
First the commute. Since I've quickly become a complete cycling nerd, I now use Strava to track all my rides. It basically uses a GPS enabled device to track the routes you take, and gives you all kinds of stats on your mileage, elevation gain, and if you have the hardware...power and heart rate. People can also create "segments" or specific stretches of road that they consider a good spot to race. Strava will then track everyone's efforts on the particular segments and rank you. The fastest gets to be king of the mountain. This of course, is perfect for a moron like me. So I took a little detour Tuesday afternoon to reclaim a KOM that was stolen from me. I've got a couple to my name, though they are mostly small time. Soon I'm going to start going after some of the better known ones to see what I can do..
Second, the track workout was awesome. It felt so good to finally do a workout and get the legs moving in a non racing setting. I set out specifically to keep myself in check and not do anything crazy this early. It worked pretty well. I've also decided that my tempo work will not dip under 5:40 until at least late September/early October (if ever). This is part of that don't be an idiot streak I've got going...
Wednesday: Ride: 35 miles total, West Side Worlds, yet again. One of the stronger riders out there, Pat was on fire and broke away more than a few times. I could tell this was going to be a fast one. I was smart about not overexposing myself, but I was also starting to realize that I could hang on this ride, even if I did take a few turns leading the pace line. I even helped pull Pat back in on one of the break aways between two of our bigger climbs, so that was a good confidence booster. I ended up getting dropped 25 miles in after getting stuck behind the wrong people, but managed to loop back around and finish strong. Overall, that was probably the fastest ride I had done.
Thursday: Hot as crap out...
AM: Commute: 6.5 miles
PM: ride from work, 30 miles total. It was 95 degrees, I wasn't hydrated going into the ride, and my water bottles got piss warm in a hurry. My legs were also tired from Wednesday. Not a very good day.
Run (PM): 5 miles. By comparison, the run felt a lot better, though I had to deal with some cramping.
Friday:
AM: Run, easy, easy, easy 3 miles
Saturday:
At around 11pm Friday, the state of Maryland was slammed with a really nasty storm that knocked out about 1/3rd of the state's power. I opted for an easy 40 mile bike ride, and went out early to beat the heat, and make time for other important Saturday stuff! Overall, I felt 100x times better than I did on Thursday. There were a lot of downed trees, debris, non functioning traffic lights, a couple of downed power lines, one closed road, and some slick spots, but it didn't take away from the ride one bit. It was however, humid as crap.
Sunday: 5K out at Banneker Park. This was an event to benefit Adventures for the Cure. Since their Wednesday night ride (and the bike in general) has kept me together over these last few weeks, I knew I had to go out there to represent. It was probably 80 degrees at the start, and real humid as I was completely covered in sweat after a 2 mile warm up. The course was crazy, flying downhill for 1.5 miles before turning up to make us climb all the way back to the start.
Splits: 4:55 (yea), 5:25, ~5:55. The splits tell the story. That 4:55 was with holding back. The downhill in this race was steeper and longer than the famed Shamrock 5K. But unfortunately, going back up cost a lot of time. I ended up with a 16:52 and the win. One of the other ridiculously strong AFC riders, Adam was neck and neck with me through the half way point. He tried to take it on the hill, but I knew it was coming so just stayed with him until I started pulling away.
I ran for another 35 minutes afterwards easy to try and get 5ish more miles in.
Compared to the Fiesta 5K I ran in early May, where it was just as hot, but on a completely flat course, I think I ran substantially better here, beating that flat course time by 3 seconds on a freaking roller coaster. A combination of heat acclimation, fresh running legs, and a crap ton of bike miles may be the cause.
Totals:
Cycling: 130 miles
Running: ~34 miles
Next up...Arbutus 10K on July 4th. Should be another hot as crap race, and I hear it's hilly. I can't wait! I'm not doing anything Monday, and will likely just commute on Tuesday and run easy.
Monday: Run: 8 miles, easy with the Fed Hill crew
Tuesday: Commute: 18.4 miles total (a little detour)
Run: 8.5 miles total...3 miles @ tempo pace: 5:50, 5:48, 5:45 2 laps easy, then 4x400...70, 71, 70, 69.
First the commute. Since I've quickly become a complete cycling nerd, I now use Strava to track all my rides. It basically uses a GPS enabled device to track the routes you take, and gives you all kinds of stats on your mileage, elevation gain, and if you have the hardware...power and heart rate. People can also create "segments" or specific stretches of road that they consider a good spot to race. Strava will then track everyone's efforts on the particular segments and rank you. The fastest gets to be king of the mountain. This of course, is perfect for a moron like me. So I took a little detour Tuesday afternoon to reclaim a KOM that was stolen from me. I've got a couple to my name, though they are mostly small time. Soon I'm going to start going after some of the better known ones to see what I can do..
Second, the track workout was awesome. It felt so good to finally do a workout and get the legs moving in a non racing setting. I set out specifically to keep myself in check and not do anything crazy this early. It worked pretty well. I've also decided that my tempo work will not dip under 5:40 until at least late September/early October (if ever). This is part of that don't be an idiot streak I've got going...
Wednesday: Ride: 35 miles total, West Side Worlds, yet again. One of the stronger riders out there, Pat was on fire and broke away more than a few times. I could tell this was going to be a fast one. I was smart about not overexposing myself, but I was also starting to realize that I could hang on this ride, even if I did take a few turns leading the pace line. I even helped pull Pat back in on one of the break aways between two of our bigger climbs, so that was a good confidence booster. I ended up getting dropped 25 miles in after getting stuck behind the wrong people, but managed to loop back around and finish strong. Overall, that was probably the fastest ride I had done.
Thursday: Hot as crap out...
AM: Commute: 6.5 miles
PM: ride from work, 30 miles total. It was 95 degrees, I wasn't hydrated going into the ride, and my water bottles got piss warm in a hurry. My legs were also tired from Wednesday. Not a very good day.
Run (PM): 5 miles. By comparison, the run felt a lot better, though I had to deal with some cramping.
Friday:
AM: Run, easy, easy, easy 3 miles
Saturday:
At around 11pm Friday, the state of Maryland was slammed with a really nasty storm that knocked out about 1/3rd of the state's power. I opted for an easy 40 mile bike ride, and went out early to beat the heat, and make time for other important Saturday stuff! Overall, I felt 100x times better than I did on Thursday. There were a lot of downed trees, debris, non functioning traffic lights, a couple of downed power lines, one closed road, and some slick spots, but it didn't take away from the ride one bit. It was however, humid as crap.
Sunday: 5K out at Banneker Park. This was an event to benefit Adventures for the Cure. Since their Wednesday night ride (and the bike in general) has kept me together over these last few weeks, I knew I had to go out there to represent. It was probably 80 degrees at the start, and real humid as I was completely covered in sweat after a 2 mile warm up. The course was crazy, flying downhill for 1.5 miles before turning up to make us climb all the way back to the start.
Splits: 4:55 (yea), 5:25, ~5:55. The splits tell the story. That 4:55 was with holding back. The downhill in this race was steeper and longer than the famed Shamrock 5K. But unfortunately, going back up cost a lot of time. I ended up with a 16:52 and the win. One of the other ridiculously strong AFC riders, Adam was neck and neck with me through the half way point. He tried to take it on the hill, but I knew it was coming so just stayed with him until I started pulling away.
I ran for another 35 minutes afterwards easy to try and get 5ish more miles in.
Compared to the Fiesta 5K I ran in early May, where it was just as hot, but on a completely flat course, I think I ran substantially better here, beating that flat course time by 3 seconds on a freaking roller coaster. A combination of heat acclimation, fresh running legs, and a crap ton of bike miles may be the cause.
Totals:
Cycling: 130 miles
Running: ~34 miles
Next up...Arbutus 10K on July 4th. Should be another hot as crap race, and I hear it's hilly. I can't wait! I'm not doing anything Monday, and will likely just commute on Tuesday and run easy.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Summer Has Arrived
In typical Maryland fashion, summer has made itself known with two days of 100 degree weather and some nice humidity to go with it. Now the fun really begins! The first half of this week was spent recovering from the 10 miler as that race did a wonderful job of tearing me up. By the end of the week, I was feeling much stronger.
Monday: Running: 8 miles total, easy, easy. Quads were very, very upset.
Tuesday: Running: ~8 miles total, easy, mostly on trails. Felt much much better, but still had some ways to go.
Cycling: 13 miles total, commuting
Wednesday: First of the hot days. Of course, it didn't stop West Side Worlds from happening. I hydrated my face off all day and managed to survive the ride. After ending up leading part of the first sprint and getting caught in the last push, I got dropped on the next climb. Thanks to a combination of stubbornness and motivation, I managed to catch back up to the group at the top of the biggest hill, the only place they momentarily stop. The last 20 miles of the ride went much better. Overall, another well earned 36 miles of cycling.
Thursday: Running: 5 miles easy in the afternoon, legs finally feeling normal. Hot as crap. You know it's bad when it's still 90 degrees after the sun goes down.
Cycling: 13 miles total, commuting. I was pretty sure I was going to drown in my own sweat on the afternoon ride back, but managed to survive.
Friday: Running: 3 miles, easy
Cycling: 40 miles, first 15 and last 15 in the aero bars for some practice. I can't ride slow while also in aero bars, so this basically ended up being a 2x"tempo" pace ride. The middle 10 were slow thanks to a passing rain storm that made it nice and slick out.
Saturday: Cycling: 66 miles with some nice hills. I joined someone on their last 100 mile ride before Ironman Lake Placid. The pace was a little slower than my typical long rides, but overall, still a good one to get in with lots of hills. Of course, my front derailleur stopped working 35 miles into the ride and I was stuck in the big chain ring for all the big hills, but was able to grind through it. That bike hasn't needed a tuneup in over 800 miles, but on one of my hillier long rides, BAM just like that!
Sunday: Running: 11.5 miles, easy-ish My legs felt good for all but the last mile of this run. So overall, the 10 miler is behind me, and so far, the miles I'm doing right now seem to be working!
Totals:
Cycling: 168 miles
Running: 35.5 miles
Up next...an actual running workout on Tuesday. It's about time! I'll likely look for a mix of tempo running and speed work to get those legs moving in more than just races. Rumor has it I may be doing a 5 or 10K in the next week or so, but we'll see. No rush to sign up...
Bike miles will stay the same, running mileage will go to 40+ this time.
Monday: Running: 8 miles total, easy, easy. Quads were very, very upset.
Tuesday: Running: ~8 miles total, easy, mostly on trails. Felt much much better, but still had some ways to go.
Cycling: 13 miles total, commuting
Wednesday: First of the hot days. Of course, it didn't stop West Side Worlds from happening. I hydrated my face off all day and managed to survive the ride. After ending up leading part of the first sprint and getting caught in the last push, I got dropped on the next climb. Thanks to a combination of stubbornness and motivation, I managed to catch back up to the group at the top of the biggest hill, the only place they momentarily stop. The last 20 miles of the ride went much better. Overall, another well earned 36 miles of cycling.
Thursday: Running: 5 miles easy in the afternoon, legs finally feeling normal. Hot as crap. You know it's bad when it's still 90 degrees after the sun goes down.
Cycling: 13 miles total, commuting. I was pretty sure I was going to drown in my own sweat on the afternoon ride back, but managed to survive.
Friday: Running: 3 miles, easy
Cycling: 40 miles, first 15 and last 15 in the aero bars for some practice. I can't ride slow while also in aero bars, so this basically ended up being a 2x"tempo" pace ride. The middle 10 were slow thanks to a passing rain storm that made it nice and slick out.
Saturday: Cycling: 66 miles with some nice hills. I joined someone on their last 100 mile ride before Ironman Lake Placid. The pace was a little slower than my typical long rides, but overall, still a good one to get in with lots of hills. Of course, my front derailleur stopped working 35 miles into the ride and I was stuck in the big chain ring for all the big hills, but was able to grind through it. That bike hasn't needed a tuneup in over 800 miles, but on one of my hillier long rides, BAM just like that!
Sunday: Running: 11.5 miles, easy-ish My legs felt good for all but the last mile of this run. So overall, the 10 miler is behind me, and so far, the miles I'm doing right now seem to be working!
Totals:
Cycling: 168 miles
Running: 35.5 miles
Up next...an actual running workout on Tuesday. It's about time! I'll likely look for a mix of tempo running and speed work to get those legs moving in more than just races. Rumor has it I may be doing a 5 or 10K in the next week or so, but we'll see. No rush to sign up...
Bike miles will stay the same, running mileage will go to 40+ this time.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Mileage?
And, here is the mileage update from last week...
Monday: Cycling: 13 miles, commute to and from work
Running: ~8 miles total around Fed Hill + the Monday night crew. That was my first time inside Ft. McHenry, which is apparently a sin for a Baltimore City runner, but I finally made it, so leave me alone!
Tuesday: Rain all day had me second guess taking out the bike.
Running: 8ish miles total, easy running around Gilman, not yet ready for TNT workouts
Wednesday: An adventure of sorts. There is a tri club down in Columbia, MD that holds weekly run-bike-run workouts. The AFC guys decided to nix the Wednesday night ride to go for the brick. The plan was to meet at the 195 Park and Ride and ride down to Columbia, do the workout, and ride back. Here was my day...
AM: Quick, short 2 mile ride to Fed Hill for an easy 4 miles with the BoMF crew, then a few more miles to work, for 8 total on the bike.
PM: Ride from work (nearly Dunkdalk) to the Park-and-ride, mostly easy pace, ~12-13 miles. After a 20 minute nap (I was early), I joined up with 3 other guys and we made our way down to Columbia, another 12ish miles in a pace line, at easy pace.
The workout: 2.1 mile run, 10.5 mile bike, 2.1 mile run. I took the runs faster than I have been running, but by no means all out. I worked the bike to see what I could do on the 5 lap course. It went well, until I busted my ass trying to dismount before transition. Bike and rider were mostly fine, so I got up and finished the second run, feeling really good. I think all the bike miles have actually made it easier to run after getting off the bike, just because I'm more used to cycling now.
Afterwards, with daylight running low, myself and the one remaining AFC guy from the original group made our way back to Catonsville. After we parted ways, I had to ride in the dark on Frederick Road back into the city. Thankfully, it was mostly downhill and well paved, until I hit the mine field that is Baltimore City. When it was all said and done, I got in a total of 64 miles on the bike, and 8.4 miles on foot.
Thursday: Rest, rest, rest!!
Friday: Commute/ride to packet pickup for the 10 miler, and an easy 4 miles with BoMF. 16 miles total on the bike.
Saturday: 10 Miler! 57:00. With my run there (I got a ride back because I was tired) and some more running to warmup, it was about 12.5 miles total.
Sunday: Rest, rest, rest. My legs were shredded from that race. It has taken until Monday afternoon for me to start feeling good again. Clearly, I left it all out there, and my running legs may be just a bit behind my heart thanks to cycling. But, my right leg is feeling good, no pain. So all systems are go to keep the running up!
Totals:
Run: 40.5 miles
Bike: 93 miles
Next up...still no running workout, but next week, I promise!! I'll try and repeat my performance Wednesday night and stick with that A group again. Running will stay in the mid-30s, cycling will not quite go back to 180, to "make room" for some running.
Monday: Cycling: 13 miles, commute to and from work
Running: ~8 miles total around Fed Hill + the Monday night crew. That was my first time inside Ft. McHenry, which is apparently a sin for a Baltimore City runner, but I finally made it, so leave me alone!
Tuesday: Rain all day had me second guess taking out the bike.
Running: 8ish miles total, easy running around Gilman, not yet ready for TNT workouts
Wednesday: An adventure of sorts. There is a tri club down in Columbia, MD that holds weekly run-bike-run workouts. The AFC guys decided to nix the Wednesday night ride to go for the brick. The plan was to meet at the 195 Park and Ride and ride down to Columbia, do the workout, and ride back. Here was my day...
AM: Quick, short 2 mile ride to Fed Hill for an easy 4 miles with the BoMF crew, then a few more miles to work, for 8 total on the bike.
PM: Ride from work (nearly Dunkdalk) to the Park-and-ride, mostly easy pace, ~12-13 miles. After a 20 minute nap (I was early), I joined up with 3 other guys and we made our way down to Columbia, another 12ish miles in a pace line, at easy pace.
The workout: 2.1 mile run, 10.5 mile bike, 2.1 mile run. I took the runs faster than I have been running, but by no means all out. I worked the bike to see what I could do on the 5 lap course. It went well, until I busted my ass trying to dismount before transition. Bike and rider were mostly fine, so I got up and finished the second run, feeling really good. I think all the bike miles have actually made it easier to run after getting off the bike, just because I'm more used to cycling now.
Afterwards, with daylight running low, myself and the one remaining AFC guy from the original group made our way back to Catonsville. After we parted ways, I had to ride in the dark on Frederick Road back into the city. Thankfully, it was mostly downhill and well paved, until I hit the mine field that is Baltimore City. When it was all said and done, I got in a total of 64 miles on the bike, and 8.4 miles on foot.
Thursday: Rest, rest, rest!!
Friday: Commute/ride to packet pickup for the 10 miler, and an easy 4 miles with BoMF. 16 miles total on the bike.
Saturday: 10 Miler! 57:00. With my run there (I got a ride back because I was tired) and some more running to warmup, it was about 12.5 miles total.
Sunday: Rest, rest, rest. My legs were shredded from that race. It has taken until Monday afternoon for me to start feeling good again. Clearly, I left it all out there, and my running legs may be just a bit behind my heart thanks to cycling. But, my right leg is feeling good, no pain. So all systems are go to keep the running up!
Totals:
Run: 40.5 miles
Bike: 93 miles
Next up...still no running workout, but next week, I promise!! I'll try and repeat my performance Wednesday night and stick with that A group again. Running will stay in the mid-30s, cycling will not quite go back to 180, to "make room" for some running.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
5th Time is the Charm: 2012 Baltimore 10 Miler
The Baltimore 10 Miler....a race, and honestly, race distance that has not treated me well. The B-10 is generally not a race for time. It's a relatively hilly course, and the weather in its first four installments was positively awful for running. Then something happened this year, and the high for the day was scheduled to "only" be 86 with decently low humidity. With a 7:30AM start time, we were looking at starting temperatures right around 70 degrees or less. All of a sudden, we had good weather for a June race.
I decided to go into this race with minimal expectations. I had done very, very little running in the three weeks prior, doing only one "long" run of 10.5 miles the week before. I was however, biking my ass off, as anyone who reads this blog can clearly see. So I figured I'd be in good aerobic shape for this race, but possibly not ready for the pounding of 10 hard miles. Combine that with the fact that my legs felt "meh" that morning, and I wasn't expecting much.
But, what did no expectations do for me? It took off all the pressure. I decided to keep it simple, and just run whatever felt comfortable early, and if I still felt good at mile 4/5, then turn it up a bit. The course was changed for this year, and getting to the front of the crowd proved difficult, but eventually I found my way up front. With the final hill in the course removed, times would hopefully be faster this year.
Historically, this race hasn't attracted the real top tier runners, but there was a Dave Berdan "sighting" which of course meant, the race was his to win. I really didn't care, since I figured just winning my age group and maybe breaking 60 would be good enough. With a 1:04:23 to my credit last year (terrible, terrible experience), it would be nice to just finally break 60.
The gun went off (10 minutes late) at 7:40AM, and I was quickly behind 15-20 others. Every year, I've fallen for the trap of going out too hard on the first two miles (screaming downhill) only to get absolutely destroyed on the second half. I was not having it this year. My plan was to go out conservative on the early downhills and keep it steady on the 33rd street rollers out to a flat loop around Lake Montebello.
I hit the first mile, running with a couple of guys I know, Keith and Jesse (just out for a morning "jog"): 5:43
My legs were not a fan of the downhill, but otherwise, I felt way, way too good. I honestly thought the mile marker was short because of how good I felt. But no matter, I continued running with Keith and we slowly started picking people off.
Mile 2: 5:41
I still felt good, way, way too good. Something wasn't adding up. Regardless, I stayed within myself and continued to be steady. A lot could still go wrong over 8 miles.
The downhills stopped at that point, as we began approaching the lake, hitting some decent hills. Though mile 3 looked slow, Keith and I continued to gain on the people around us, so we must have been doing something right...
Mile 3: 6:00
As we closed on the lake, I passed another guy I have run with, Dave (40 year old with a thick English accent, good guy), who was looking to run 59:59, but took it out hard. I had let him go early, knowing that was not going to work for me. Now I had caught and passed him, and still felt way too good.
We hit the lake, and I was still firing on all cylinders, so I decided it was time to institute my Baltimore 10 Miler plan that has never ever come to fruition: turn it up on the lake. Lake Montebello, is approximately a 1.2 mile flat loop where dreams in the B-10 and Baltimore Marathon/Half go to die. I know every B-10 I've done has died on that lake. But not today, this time I was planning on crushing everyone else's dreams.
I'm also going to momentarily rant at the race organizers. For a 4500+ person race which we paid a steep price for, it is completely unacceptable that there were cars ON THE COURSE at this point in the race, cars, heading straight for us. I know races these days are just about making money, but seriously, I can dodge cars for free any weekend. They will be hearing from me about that one, because honestly, it's just dangerous.
But back to the race...
Mile 4: 5:43
After what was supposedly a slow mile 3, I clearly rebounded well and ended up dropping Keith. A group of about 2 or 3 others started exchanging positions with me. One guy with some kind of orange bandana then put a small gap on me. As we started to come off the back side of the lake, I decided I had enough of looking at that bandana and passed him.
Mile 5: 5:49
I was still feeling strong, but knew crunch time was approaching. We would be leaving the lake next to roll back on 33rd street, and then climb all the hills we flew down at the beginning. The next 5 miles would determine the race. Though at this point, I running better than I ever have at the B-10 and knew I just had to take it a mile at a time.
After a complete BS out and back off 33rd street, I hit the next mile.
Mile 6: 5:43
I wasn't quite yet digging, but the pain was coming. Off in the distance I could see 4 guys, two of which I knew, "Beef" and Eton. I had been chasing those two guys basically since mile 3, but could see ever so painstakingly slowly, that the distance between us was shrinking. With the course looping over itself now, I also got a few shout outs from the Back on my Feet crew, and various Geico Pace Group Leaders.
It was certainly appreciated! Of course, the guys ahead of me knew I was coming, so there would be no sneaking up on them.
Mile 7: 5:41
I was in complete disbelief that I was still running this strong. The next couple miles would be the ultimate test, but at this point, I was going to make absolutely sure to hold on.
Time for one more rant. Once again, for the amount of money I paid, it is completely unacceptable to feel unsure of where to go. Between mile 7 and 8, besides the confusing cones, there was no course marking, and NO volunteers directing runners. The freaking Baltimore City Police were telling us where to go, and it is not their job to do such (as we are always told), they are supposed to keep us from getting hit by cars! Once again, for a race this size, completely unacceptable. I can get lost near Johns Hopkins for free any day of the week. But thankfully, beyond all hope, the cops directed us correctly. The organizers of this race seriously need to consider their priorities when it comes to putting this stuff on. I've run $2 races with better course marking and control.
But, once again, back to the race...
Over Miles 7 to 8, I finally caught up to that pack of 4. It took a lot of patience, but I got there. As soon as I hit the pack, it was beginning to crumble, with a guy in a DC Tri Club jersey pulling away. I went with him and managed to pull ahead, though I could still hear footsteps for most of the mile.
Mile 8: 5:24
Either this made up for mile 3, or I was actually burning up the pavement, but either way, I was starting to feel it. I had passed a lot of people and was still running strong, but the gas tank was running low. I used the downhills over that mile to help me along since Mile 9 would take me back UP into Druid Hill Park.
I had a few things working in my favor for this hill. First, I finally could no longer hear footsteps behind me. I had no interest in a sprint to the finish, and hoped I had just decided the race right there. Second, with the final hill taken out of the race, I only had one left. Third, the mile 9 water stop was likely to go absolutely crazy when they saw me. So I dug deep and told myself "just get to the water stop." As I approached the mile marker, someone shouted to me "you're in 4th!" to which someone else said "no, he's in 3rd!" I didn't have a damn clue what place I was in, but was quite surprised I was that close to the top. Regardless, I wasn't giving up my spot if I was second to last at that point.
Mile 9: (nearly at the top): 5:34
As I rounded the curve up the hill, I got a cheer from the official Back on My Feet water stop that I kid you not, was as loud as anything I heard at the Boston Marathon. My legs were fried at that point, but I knew I had to keep pressing.
We hit the "1 mile to go fudge factor loop" through a desolate area of Druid Hill Park, which I survived, continuing to feel my legs falling apart. After the loop, I turned back onto the main road for the final run to the finish.
I saw 56 tick away as I crossed the line in 57:00, my fastest B-10 time by far, and a mere 5 seconds slower than my all time PR (also on a hilly course). I was confirmed as the third place finisher, and actually got some pretty nice hardware for my efforts.
My legs were trashed, I felt tired, but overall, felt really, really happy. Running has been somewhat rough lately, and this was a perfectly timed confidence booster. I was also really really happy to have finally done well at the B-10, and even placed overall. I've done this race every year since it started in 2008, and have come a LONG way from my 1:15:51, and 125th place debut. If you don't believe me, check the 2008 results.
A couple pictures, first of my approaching that final water stop (courtesy of the hard working Back on my Feet volunteers), and a picture of the sweet trophy I got:
I'm taking the rest of the weekend off after this one. As far as I'm concerned, I freaking earned it!
I decided to go into this race with minimal expectations. I had done very, very little running in the three weeks prior, doing only one "long" run of 10.5 miles the week before. I was however, biking my ass off, as anyone who reads this blog can clearly see. So I figured I'd be in good aerobic shape for this race, but possibly not ready for the pounding of 10 hard miles. Combine that with the fact that my legs felt "meh" that morning, and I wasn't expecting much.
But, what did no expectations do for me? It took off all the pressure. I decided to keep it simple, and just run whatever felt comfortable early, and if I still felt good at mile 4/5, then turn it up a bit. The course was changed for this year, and getting to the front of the crowd proved difficult, but eventually I found my way up front. With the final hill in the course removed, times would hopefully be faster this year.
Historically, this race hasn't attracted the real top tier runners, but there was a Dave Berdan "sighting" which of course meant, the race was his to win. I really didn't care, since I figured just winning my age group and maybe breaking 60 would be good enough. With a 1:04:23 to my credit last year (terrible, terrible experience), it would be nice to just finally break 60.
The gun went off (10 minutes late) at 7:40AM, and I was quickly behind 15-20 others. Every year, I've fallen for the trap of going out too hard on the first two miles (screaming downhill) only to get absolutely destroyed on the second half. I was not having it this year. My plan was to go out conservative on the early downhills and keep it steady on the 33rd street rollers out to a flat loop around Lake Montebello.
I hit the first mile, running with a couple of guys I know, Keith and Jesse (just out for a morning "jog"): 5:43
My legs were not a fan of the downhill, but otherwise, I felt way, way too good. I honestly thought the mile marker was short because of how good I felt. But no matter, I continued running with Keith and we slowly started picking people off.
Mile 2: 5:41
I still felt good, way, way too good. Something wasn't adding up. Regardless, I stayed within myself and continued to be steady. A lot could still go wrong over 8 miles.
The downhills stopped at that point, as we began approaching the lake, hitting some decent hills. Though mile 3 looked slow, Keith and I continued to gain on the people around us, so we must have been doing something right...
Mile 3: 6:00
As we closed on the lake, I passed another guy I have run with, Dave (40 year old with a thick English accent, good guy), who was looking to run 59:59, but took it out hard. I had let him go early, knowing that was not going to work for me. Now I had caught and passed him, and still felt way too good.
We hit the lake, and I was still firing on all cylinders, so I decided it was time to institute my Baltimore 10 Miler plan that has never ever come to fruition: turn it up on the lake. Lake Montebello, is approximately a 1.2 mile flat loop where dreams in the B-10 and Baltimore Marathon/Half go to die. I know every B-10 I've done has died on that lake. But not today, this time I was planning on crushing everyone else's dreams.
I'm also going to momentarily rant at the race organizers. For a 4500+ person race which we paid a steep price for, it is completely unacceptable that there were cars ON THE COURSE at this point in the race, cars, heading straight for us. I know races these days are just about making money, but seriously, I can dodge cars for free any weekend. They will be hearing from me about that one, because honestly, it's just dangerous.
But back to the race...
Mile 4: 5:43
After what was supposedly a slow mile 3, I clearly rebounded well and ended up dropping Keith. A group of about 2 or 3 others started exchanging positions with me. One guy with some kind of orange bandana then put a small gap on me. As we started to come off the back side of the lake, I decided I had enough of looking at that bandana and passed him.
Mile 5: 5:49
I was still feeling strong, but knew crunch time was approaching. We would be leaving the lake next to roll back on 33rd street, and then climb all the hills we flew down at the beginning. The next 5 miles would determine the race. Though at this point, I running better than I ever have at the B-10 and knew I just had to take it a mile at a time.
After a complete BS out and back off 33rd street, I hit the next mile.
Mile 6: 5:43
I wasn't quite yet digging, but the pain was coming. Off in the distance I could see 4 guys, two of which I knew, "Beef" and Eton. I had been chasing those two guys basically since mile 3, but could see ever so painstakingly slowly, that the distance between us was shrinking. With the course looping over itself now, I also got a few shout outs from the Back on my Feet crew, and various Geico Pace Group Leaders.
It was certainly appreciated! Of course, the guys ahead of me knew I was coming, so there would be no sneaking up on them.
Mile 7: 5:41
I was in complete disbelief that I was still running this strong. The next couple miles would be the ultimate test, but at this point, I was going to make absolutely sure to hold on.
Time for one more rant. Once again, for the amount of money I paid, it is completely unacceptable to feel unsure of where to go. Between mile 7 and 8, besides the confusing cones, there was no course marking, and NO volunteers directing runners. The freaking Baltimore City Police were telling us where to go, and it is not their job to do such (as we are always told), they are supposed to keep us from getting hit by cars! Once again, for a race this size, completely unacceptable. I can get lost near Johns Hopkins for free any day of the week. But thankfully, beyond all hope, the cops directed us correctly. The organizers of this race seriously need to consider their priorities when it comes to putting this stuff on. I've run $2 races with better course marking and control.
But, once again, back to the race...
Over Miles 7 to 8, I finally caught up to that pack of 4. It took a lot of patience, but I got there. As soon as I hit the pack, it was beginning to crumble, with a guy in a DC Tri Club jersey pulling away. I went with him and managed to pull ahead, though I could still hear footsteps for most of the mile.
Mile 8: 5:24
Either this made up for mile 3, or I was actually burning up the pavement, but either way, I was starting to feel it. I had passed a lot of people and was still running strong, but the gas tank was running low. I used the downhills over that mile to help me along since Mile 9 would take me back UP into Druid Hill Park.
I had a few things working in my favor for this hill. First, I finally could no longer hear footsteps behind me. I had no interest in a sprint to the finish, and hoped I had just decided the race right there. Second, with the final hill taken out of the race, I only had one left. Third, the mile 9 water stop was likely to go absolutely crazy when they saw me. So I dug deep and told myself "just get to the water stop." As I approached the mile marker, someone shouted to me "you're in 4th!" to which someone else said "no, he's in 3rd!" I didn't have a damn clue what place I was in, but was quite surprised I was that close to the top. Regardless, I wasn't giving up my spot if I was second to last at that point.
Mile 9: (nearly at the top): 5:34
As I rounded the curve up the hill, I got a cheer from the official Back on My Feet water stop that I kid you not, was as loud as anything I heard at the Boston Marathon. My legs were fried at that point, but I knew I had to keep pressing.
We hit the "1 mile to go fudge factor loop" through a desolate area of Druid Hill Park, which I survived, continuing to feel my legs falling apart. After the loop, I turned back onto the main road for the final run to the finish.
I saw 56 tick away as I crossed the line in 57:00, my fastest B-10 time by far, and a mere 5 seconds slower than my all time PR (also on a hilly course). I was confirmed as the third place finisher, and actually got some pretty nice hardware for my efforts.
My legs were trashed, I felt tired, but overall, felt really, really happy. Running has been somewhat rough lately, and this was a perfectly timed confidence booster. I was also really really happy to have finally done well at the B-10, and even placed overall. I've done this race every year since it started in 2008, and have come a LONG way from my 1:15:51, and 125th place debut. If you don't believe me, check the 2008 results.
A couple pictures, first of my approaching that final water stop (courtesy of the hard working Back on my Feet volunteers), and a picture of the sweet trophy I got:
I'm taking the rest of the weekend off after this one. As far as I'm concerned, I freaking earned it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)