To change things up a bit I decided to take a drive down to Colorado Springs and run at the Air Force Academy. I heard it was a nice run so me, my girlfriend, and another friend decided to give it a try. The trail was all dirt which was nice but unfortunately there was no tree coverage. The first 4 miles was flat and wide open as if running through the desert. The next 3.5 miles had steep but small rolling hills. Then we had to turn around and do it all over again. I liked the trail but next time I think it would be a good idea be out running before 9AM if the forecast is hot and sunny.
I ran with my friend for the first 6 miles at a somewhat inconsistent pace. He is training at a slightly slower pace and we kept alternating from a pace that I felt comfortable at to one that he felt good with. This was definitely not done on purpose but it's just the way it turned out. My friend turned around here and I kept going for another 1.5 miles. I felt great until about mile 10. I don't know if it was the heat, the hills, or dehydration setting in but I began to feel pretty bad at this point. I've been trying to run near race pace for the second half of my long runs and I did until I hit all the hills.
My new approach for nutrition seemed to be a success. I normally eat a Cliff bar every hour and alternate drinking water and Gatorade. This time I ate 2 GU Chomps every half hour then took a GU gel at mile 10. Surprisingly I didn't feel hungry at all during my run. The only problem I ran into was failing to drink enough. I ended the run with half of my fluids left. I think this might have played a role in the way I felt at the end of the run. Next time I'm going to force myself to drink more and I'll try eating the same thing to see what happens.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Friday 6/18 - 3.75 miles
I ran this one with my girlfriend at a comfortable pace. The run was supposed to be 3 miles and I often skip Fridays for a bike ride but I figured I needed some extra miles this week since I already missed a few workouts.
Thursday 6/17 - 5.5 miles
This was my first day of running back at altitude. While my legs felt great during the run, my breathing however did not. The 7:07 min/mile pace should have felt like an average run but it felt more labored than I remember it being. All in all I can't complain too much and I'm still happy with my progress.
Wednesday 6/16 - 16 mile bike ride
My first day of exercise since coming back to Colorado. I was a little nervous to jump back into training after being at sea level for a full week so I decided to go on a easy bike ride. My heart and breathing rate seemed relatively normal and the ride felt easy.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday 6/15 - Day off
Hung over from going out with old friends from NY the night before. Luckily this is early enough in my training that it won't affect much.
Monday 6/13 - (4) mile repeats @ 5K pace
This was my first interval session for this marathon. I drove around Long Island for nearly an hour looking for a track. I finally found a "track" made of broken pavement with a little bit of crushed stone on top. The mile repeats definitely didn't feel like a walk in the park but it turned out to be the fastest I've run since high school.
Mile 1 - 6:02
Mile 2 - 5:53
Mile 3 - 5:50
Mile 4 - 5:45
Mile 1 - 6:02
Mile 2 - 5:53
Mile 3 - 5:50
Mile 4 - 5:45
Sunday 6/13 - day off
Supposed to be a 3 mile run but I decided to play tennis instead. I think cross training on days with short mileage might be more beneficial than doing the run.
Saturday 6/12 - 10 miles
Saturday was an easy 10 mile run. It didn't feel nearly as good as my first 2 runs at sea level but I still managed to run around a 7 min/mile pace. My legs began to feel fatigued around mile 6 but that's probably because my legs aren't used to running at this pace for this distance 3 days in a row. I tried to pick up the pace for the last 3 miles but wasn't able to determine how much faster I was running.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Friday 6/11 - 4 miles
Supposed to be an easy 4 mile run through a park in Montauk but it didn't feel so easy. I was actually a bit sore from my run the day before and the humidity didn't help either. I ended up running at a sub 7 minute pace but it didn't feel nearly as good as my 9 mile run.
It was nice to run in the woods in the northeast again. It almost felt like running in a rain forest compared to the arid parks I usually run in. While I did enjoy the surroundings, I did not enjoy the humidity. I forgot what it was like to walk outside and break into a sweat without any physical activity. Overall I don't think it slowed me down too much.
It was nice to run in the woods in the northeast again. It almost felt like running in a rain forest compared to the arid parks I usually run in. While I did enjoy the surroundings, I did not enjoy the humidity. I forgot what it was like to walk outside and break into a sweat without any physical activity. Overall I don't think it slowed me down too much.
Thursday 6/10 - 9.25 miles
This was supposed to be a 10 mile run but I didn't have a computer to map it out at the time. It was my first run back at sea level and I had no idea what to expect. I've read plenty of articles about high altitude training but never had a chance to experience it until this run. My plan was to pace myself based on my rate of breathing. I ran completely based on how my body felt and it turns out my body felt great at sea level. Normally I'd run 9 miles on fairly flat terrain around a 7:45 pace. I ended up running at a 7 minute pace on a very hilly run! The entire run felt great and the best part was that my breathing and heart rate never seemed to affect me. If anything my legs weren't used to running at that pace for that distance.
About 30 minutes after coming back from the run I took a 22 mile bike ride. Again it felt incredibly easy. I biked on another road with large rolling hills and had no problems the entire time. I think running the marathon at sea level is going to turn out to be a good decision.
About 30 minutes after coming back from the run I took a 22 mile bike ride. Again it felt incredibly easy. I biked on another road with large rolling hills and had no problems the entire time. I think running the marathon at sea level is going to turn out to be a good decision.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Wednesday 6/9 - day off
Wednesday was planned to be a 10 mile run. I woke up at 4:30am to fly to NY and hoped to do the run there. I was exhausted and it rained most of the day so I pushed back the run. I hate taking a day off and messing up my training schedule. I guess it's all part of the training.
Tuesday 6/8 - 4 mile tempo run
I woke up on Tuesday and didn't feel any discomfort after my hill workout on Monday. I was a little upset after I found out the elevation gain on the hills were much less than I thought so I decided to do a tempo run. The run was decently fast for me, 6:45 pace and made me feel better about a weak workout on Monday.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Monday - 6-7 hills
Ran 7 hill sprints today. First 6 were on a hill approximately .2 miles long while the 7th was about .1 mile long. The first hill was longer but not very steep, with an elevation gain of only 40 ft or so. The second hill was half the length but had the same elevation gain.
This was my first experience at running hills at a high elevation and made for a more painful workout than it usually is.
This was my first experience at running hills at a high elevation and made for a more painful workout than it usually is.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Sunday - 5.4 miles
My original plan was to run 14 miles today. However, many things led to a much shorter distance. The only thing I drank all day yesterday was beer and margaritas then finished off the day with a sausage sandwich. I figured this can't be a great diet the day before a 14 mile run. On top of that I was exhausted last night after the race. I didn't get to bed until nearly midnight so I decided to sleep in. I got out of bed around 9:45 and was running by 10:15. Once I got running in the heat I knew it wasn't going to be a good day.
My main goal after deciding to skip the long run was to just log in some miles. I'm sure that between yesterday's 7 miles and today's 5 I will be fine. I still have 17 weeks of training so there's no need to worry. I ran at a comfortable 7:30 pace and felt good.
My main goal after deciding to skip the long run was to just log in some miles. I'm sure that between yesterday's 7 miles and today's 5 I will be fine. I still have 17 weeks of training so there's no need to worry. I ran at a comfortable 7:30 pace and felt good.
Friday - 16 mile bike
Today was scheduled to be a 3 mile run but I'm not a huge fan of running under 4 miles. A 3 mile loop barely gets me to Cherry Creek State Park and back. In order to keep my legs loose and moving I usually opt for a bike ride on these days instead. I rode one loop with Justin in CCSP. We rode at a pretty decent pace and our speed probably averaged in the low to 20s. Picked it up at the end and even finished the last hill around 17-18 mph. Not bad in 90 degree weather.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Thursday - 3 miles plus gym workout
Today was the first time that I worked out in the morning and ran in the evening. It certainly makes for a pretty hectic day but I don't mind it as long as I go to the gym first. Today like most days I did the Spartacus Workout. The workout is a high intensity low weight workout but it kicks my ass every time.
I signed up to run with a group associated with a bar in downtown. I didn't have high expectations about the run and I was right. It's a very casual crowd that goes out for a 3 mile run then back to the bar for beer and free food. It was kind of fun but not very good for my training. I think I'll only do these runs if I get my workout in the morning first.
I signed up to run with a group associated with a bar in downtown. I didn't have high expectations about the run and I was right. It's a very casual crowd that goes out for a 3 mile run then back to the bar for beer and free food. It was kind of fun but not very good for my training. I think I'll only do these runs if I get my workout in the morning first.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Wednesday - 7 miles, easy
Today was an easy 7 mile run at a 7:49 pace. I felt great for the entire run, even the last hill in the park which has a tendency to get me. Although I know I should run at a slightly faster pace I've been trying to take it easy. My right quadricep keeps feeling like it was tweaked from a bike ride up Deer Creek Canyon about a month ago and won't go away completely. I've decided to run a little slower than normal until it feels 100%. I just hope that will be my only injury.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
BolderBoulder 10K
I took part in the US's largest 10K race yesterday. I used my qualifying time (20:20) from a 5K that I ran a few weeks ago. I thought my 6:36 per mile pace was a fluke and got pretty nervous since that placed me in a similar wave start for the 10K. I typically train at a 7:30 - 7:55 pace depending on the length of the run and thought that a 7 minute pace would be pushing it for 6.2 miles.
I started in the back of the AB wave assuming I had gotten myself in over my head and would get crushed by the runners around me. As usual I started off fairly fast then tried to settle into a comfortable pace. While doing this a girl wearing a ballerina skirt passed me. She looked extremely fit but I just couldn't let a girl wearing a skirt beat me in a race, so I followed her. Our first mile was a 6:41, probably too fast for me. Luckily at the time that pace didn't feel too bad so I figured I'd be able to keep up with her. Miles two and three were 6:43 and 6:48. That was right where I wanted to be, comfortable and consistent. After that the pace only got faster, mile 4-6 were 6:31, 6:19 and 6:24. I was hurting during the final hill in the last 200 meters as we entered the stadium but managed to finish in 40:51. I came in 695th overall and 25th in my division while getting a new PR by nearly 6 minutes.
The race came only 2 weeks into my official training and also served as a gauge of my fitness level. Now I have a good idea of what pace I should be running for tempo, interval, and long runs and will be able to see improvements or setbacks during future races. I'm pretty happy (and sore) with my results but I still have 18 weeks of training ahead of me. Now it's back to focusing on the task at hand, run a sub 3 hour marathon.
I started in the back of the AB wave assuming I had gotten myself in over my head and would get crushed by the runners around me. As usual I started off fairly fast then tried to settle into a comfortable pace. While doing this a girl wearing a ballerina skirt passed me. She looked extremely fit but I just couldn't let a girl wearing a skirt beat me in a race, so I followed her. Our first mile was a 6:41, probably too fast for me. Luckily at the time that pace didn't feel too bad so I figured I'd be able to keep up with her. Miles two and three were 6:43 and 6:48. That was right where I wanted to be, comfortable and consistent. After that the pace only got faster, mile 4-6 were 6:31, 6:19 and 6:24. I was hurting during the final hill in the last 200 meters as we entered the stadium but managed to finish in 40:51. I came in 695th overall and 25th in my division while getting a new PR by nearly 6 minutes.
The race came only 2 weeks into my official training and also served as a gauge of my fitness level. Now I have a good idea of what pace I should be running for tempo, interval, and long runs and will be able to see improvements or setbacks during future races. I'm pretty happy (and sore) with my results but I still have 18 weeks of training ahead of me. Now it's back to focusing on the task at hand, run a sub 3 hour marathon.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
My Training Program
I officially began training today. I've decided to use the same program I've used in the past only I will be using a modified version of the advanced program. It consists of running 7 days a week with one day off every other week for 20 weeks. I will max out around 65 miles with my longest run being 28 miles. Interval training will begin at one day a week then increase to 2 days a week as the program becomes more intense. I revised my schedule slightly to include cycling and or going to the gym at least one day a week. I've also added a few days off or swapped out easy runs for cycling. I'm hoping this will keep me from getting burnt out which usually happens mid way through. I've decided to make adjustments accordingly as my training progresses. Since I've never trained with this intensity or mileage I'll be learning as I go.
Another decision I've decided has been to alter my pace for long runs. Most programs encourage runners to to do long runs 90-120 seconds slower than their 10K pace (this is often 45 seconds slower than expected race pace). However, I've read several articles that say to run the second half of the long run at race pace. This supposedly gets your body used to running at that pace while it is fatigued. I'm going to try this but will change it if it begins to take a toll on my body.
I'm pretty excited about my new training regimen but of course there are worries. The first being injury. I've never run more than 35-40 miles a week so this type of increase will certainly have some effects. Pounding away on the pavement for up to 65 miles in a week will most likely bother my knees and chins. I'll have to try to run on dirt trails and stretch routinely to prevent this from happening. My second concern is getting burnt out. Usually after 12 weeks in I'm ready for the marathon to be over. My body is tired, my food bills are high, and I just get bored. I'm hoping that setting such a high goal for myself as well as recording my experiences on this blog will keep me motivated. In an attempt to combat the repetitiveness and boredom of the training, I will try to find new places to run as often as possible. Unfortunately this will most likely only happen on the weekends but I think by keeping things new and exciting I will be able to keep motivated. Lastly I worry about missing runs. Currently I only work part-time which definitely helps but the summer is sure to bring about lots of fun weekend activities. Any plans of fun races, camping, biking, vacation or weddings will be sure to hinder my training. At least this is something I can control. It won't be easy but marathon training will have to come first.
Another decision I've decided has been to alter my pace for long runs. Most programs encourage runners to to do long runs 90-120 seconds slower than their 10K pace (this is often 45 seconds slower than expected race pace). However, I've read several articles that say to run the second half of the long run at race pace. This supposedly gets your body used to running at that pace while it is fatigued. I'm going to try this but will change it if it begins to take a toll on my body.
I'm pretty excited about my new training regimen but of course there are worries. The first being injury. I've never run more than 35-40 miles a week so this type of increase will certainly have some effects. Pounding away on the pavement for up to 65 miles in a week will most likely bother my knees and chins. I'll have to try to run on dirt trails and stretch routinely to prevent this from happening. My second concern is getting burnt out. Usually after 12 weeks in I'm ready for the marathon to be over. My body is tired, my food bills are high, and I just get bored. I'm hoping that setting such a high goal for myself as well as recording my experiences on this blog will keep me motivated. In an attempt to combat the repetitiveness and boredom of the training, I will try to find new places to run as often as possible. Unfortunately this will most likely only happen on the weekends but I think by keeping things new and exciting I will be able to keep motivated. Lastly I worry about missing runs. Currently I only work part-time which definitely helps but the summer is sure to bring about lots of fun weekend activities. Any plans of fun races, camping, biking, vacation or weddings will be sure to hinder my training. At least this is something I can control. It won't be easy but marathon training will have to come first.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Choosing the Right Course
Running a marathon in under 3 hours isn't going to be easy, especially for someone whose previous best time was 3:39, so I've decided I need all the advantages I can get. I believe that choosing a flat and fast marathon will help out tremendously. I originally thought I'd run the California International Marathon in December. Bart Yasso said this is an extremely fast marathon since there is a -300 ft elevation change. However the more I thought about it the harder I believed it would be for me to run. Living in Colorado requires a lot of patience with the weather and training into December would mean a lot of running in the snow (since I refuse to run on a treadmill). Between training in the snow and having an average of low 40 degree starting temperatures helped me forget this race. My search soon led me to a page on the Boston Marathon's website. This page breaks down marathons by the number of Boston Qualified finishers and the percentage of finishers who qualify. At this point I looked at a number of things. One, I want a race that will be near sea level. Since I'm training at elevation, this is another advantage I will need. Two, I want to run a race in a new area. If I'm going to be traveling I'd like to see something new. Three, overall elevation change shouldn't be too drastic. And four, it has to be in the fall.
Breaking down the list.
1. Boston Marathon. Obviously I have to qualify for this race first.
2. Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon. This race is very close to the town I grew up in so I know the roads fairly well. After looking at the course map it looks like it would be a pretty boring and ugly run. Not to mention I'd like to see something new.
3. Bay State Marathon. I couldn't really find much wrong with this race.
4. Road to Hope. Its in Canada, need I say more?
5. Pocono Mountain Run. This race is in May.
6. Steamtown Marathon. While many think it would be great to run a marathon that is mostly down hill, they don't think about the toll their quads and knees will take. Changing -3000 ft in elevation might be nice, but if my legs aren't used to all that downhill then I don't think it's worth the risk.
7. Wineglass Marathon. This is the one. Its flat, Runner's World claims it to be one of the fastest, and it's in the fall. I like that the race is in the beginning of October too. This means I won't miss any training for the weddings that I have in October. Being in NY also means my family and girlfriends family will be able to go there for support. And we all know that support is HUGE, especially when you hit the wall and are hurting. Now that I know my race, let the training begin!
Breaking down the list.
1. Boston Marathon. Obviously I have to qualify for this race first.
2. Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon. This race is very close to the town I grew up in so I know the roads fairly well. After looking at the course map it looks like it would be a pretty boring and ugly run. Not to mention I'd like to see something new.
3. Bay State Marathon. I couldn't really find much wrong with this race.
4. Road to Hope. Its in Canada, need I say more?
5. Pocono Mountain Run. This race is in May.
6. Steamtown Marathon. While many think it would be great to run a marathon that is mostly down hill, they don't think about the toll their quads and knees will take. Changing -3000 ft in elevation might be nice, but if my legs aren't used to all that downhill then I don't think it's worth the risk.
7. Wineglass Marathon. This is the one. Its flat, Runner's World claims it to be one of the fastest, and it's in the fall. I like that the race is in the beginning of October too. This means I won't miss any training for the weddings that I have in October. Being in NY also means my family and girlfriends family will be able to go there for support. And we all know that support is HUGE, especially when you hit the wall and are hurting. Now that I know my race, let the training begin!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
NYC Marathon 2008
Its strange how sometimes you think you can be ready for a race but for some reason its just not your day. This was one of those races. I'll admit, my training wasn't the most rigorous this time around but I shouldn't have hurt as much as I did for this one.
This was surprisingly my least favorite marathon out of all the one's I've run. I blame it on many reasons but I believe a lot of it had to do with the training. I began my training shortly after moving to Astoria in Queens. Like most of NYC, Astoria is flat, covered in pavement, and lacks any sort of running park. This meant that Monday through Friday we had to run on the sidewalks through the city. Constantly stopping for cars and lights was a pain but the monotony of the runs was the worst part. I trained with my girlfriend and a mutual friend of ours every morning and no matter which new route we tried it all looked and felt the same. We managed to get out of Astoria on the weekends and did long runs in Central Park or along the West Side Highway which helped a lot. However, this just wasn't enough to keep my interest. On top of the boring training those particular 4 months were filled with plenty of non running activities. I sacrificed one long run to do an urban adventure race. Although I ran in between each point and did a half marathon the following day, none of it made up for the 18 miles I should have ran. I took a trip to Las Vegas the following month. I had a great time on the trip but missed another long run and several days to recover from the amount of drinking I did. Less than one month after that my older sister got married. I tried to get in a long run the day before the wedding but it had to be cut short to make our train.
Race day didn't treat us much better. Once again we were loaded onto a bus and driven to Staten Island where we arrived over 4 hours before the race. Normally a situation like this would be a minor annoyance but that day was freezing cold and windy. We brought several extra layers and managed to find a good spot to sit in an alcove but it wasn't enough. Both my girlfriend and I sat there literally shivering for nearly 3 hours until the sun rose. We arrived at the starting line excited, tired, and tight. Again I wanted to run a 3:40 marathon so my girlfriend would qualify for Boston so we started off fast, too fast. Its easy to get caught in the hype of the marathon and the excitement of the crowd and that's exactly what we did. After mile 6 we slowed down to a much more comfortable pace but the damage was already done. The week before the race I idiotically made a dive on a wooden gym floor during a volleyball and hurt my knee. It caught up to me by mile 10. The pain would come and go and was tolerable until mile 15 and for the first time in my life I thought about quitting during a race. My girlfriend talked me out of it and we kept going. The rest of the race was like most marathons, painful, and it kept getting worse. We crossed the finish line, barely, in 3:49 and it wasn't a pleasant run for either of us. It's a shame that this race left such a bad taste in my mouth. The NYC Marathon is supposed to be one of the greatest to run because of the crowd and the atmosphere. After the race I could barely remember anything after Brooklyn and that certainly isn't how I wanted it to be.
I can sit back now and point out a lot of things that went wrong with that race. I guess it's the nature of any sport. Everyone has bad days now and again. The only thing I can do now is to fix those mistakes and hope I wake up feeling good and ready for the next time.
This was surprisingly my least favorite marathon out of all the one's I've run. I blame it on many reasons but I believe a lot of it had to do with the training. I began my training shortly after moving to Astoria in Queens. Like most of NYC, Astoria is flat, covered in pavement, and lacks any sort of running park. This meant that Monday through Friday we had to run on the sidewalks through the city. Constantly stopping for cars and lights was a pain but the monotony of the runs was the worst part. I trained with my girlfriend and a mutual friend of ours every morning and no matter which new route we tried it all looked and felt the same. We managed to get out of Astoria on the weekends and did long runs in Central Park or along the West Side Highway which helped a lot. However, this just wasn't enough to keep my interest. On top of the boring training those particular 4 months were filled with plenty of non running activities. I sacrificed one long run to do an urban adventure race. Although I ran in between each point and did a half marathon the following day, none of it made up for the 18 miles I should have ran. I took a trip to Las Vegas the following month. I had a great time on the trip but missed another long run and several days to recover from the amount of drinking I did. Less than one month after that my older sister got married. I tried to get in a long run the day before the wedding but it had to be cut short to make our train.
Race day didn't treat us much better. Once again we were loaded onto a bus and driven to Staten Island where we arrived over 4 hours before the race. Normally a situation like this would be a minor annoyance but that day was freezing cold and windy. We brought several extra layers and managed to find a good spot to sit in an alcove but it wasn't enough. Both my girlfriend and I sat there literally shivering for nearly 3 hours until the sun rose. We arrived at the starting line excited, tired, and tight. Again I wanted to run a 3:40 marathon so my girlfriend would qualify for Boston so we started off fast, too fast. Its easy to get caught in the hype of the marathon and the excitement of the crowd and that's exactly what we did. After mile 6 we slowed down to a much more comfortable pace but the damage was already done. The week before the race I idiotically made a dive on a wooden gym floor during a volleyball and hurt my knee. It caught up to me by mile 10. The pain would come and go and was tolerable until mile 15 and for the first time in my life I thought about quitting during a race. My girlfriend talked me out of it and we kept going. The rest of the race was like most marathons, painful, and it kept getting worse. We crossed the finish line, barely, in 3:49 and it wasn't a pleasant run for either of us. It's a shame that this race left such a bad taste in my mouth. The NYC Marathon is supposed to be one of the greatest to run because of the crowd and the atmosphere. After the race I could barely remember anything after Brooklyn and that certainly isn't how I wanted it to be.
I can sit back now and point out a lot of things that went wrong with that race. I guess it's the nature of any sport. Everyone has bad days now and again. The only thing I can do now is to fix those mistakes and hope I wake up feeling good and ready for the next time.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
My 3rd
I ran in Philadelphia for my third marathon. A lot of people claim that this is a fast and flat course but I disagree. Although my best time came from this race, I doubt it was from its "flatness". It started with a friend of mine back in NYC who ran his first ever marathon here in approximately 3:15. He said he thought it was nice fairly flat. Maybe it was compared to his training in Central Park. However neither of us believed that to be true after running it in 2007.
This was the first marathon I ran with my girlfriend (since she waived her NYC Marathon entrance after paying $140 to run with me). We used our usual training schedule from previous marathons and stuck to it fairly well. She ran track in high school and college and her first marathon in sub four hours so we were relatively the same speed. Neither of us had plans to run super fast so we both figured training together would work out well. Our training schedule called for us to run 5 days a week with Sundays and Thursdays off. Originally I was worried that reducing my training 1 day a week would affect my time but it actually worked out nicely. We ran together once or twice a week because of different work schedules but always did our long runs together on the weekend. When we ran together we were never very competitive but if I ran in the morning and told her my pace she always made sure to match it on her run in the afternoon. I think this was part of the reasoning it was my fastest marathon. I never thought much of my training pace until the week before the race I ran into my friend in CP who was training for Philly. He was trying to qualify for Boston so our pace was around 7:20 for 5 miles or so. I never even thought about making it to Boston until afterward when he told my sister that he thought I was capable of doing it. Apparently he didn't notice my labored breathing during the run. Still it got me thinking. I knew I wouldn't be able to run a 3:10 for Philadelphia but his encouragement made me want run faster than originally planned. I set out to run a 3:40 and help my girlfriend qualify, only I didn't really mention this idea to her.
Race day started off like any race in the Northeast in mid November, cold. To make matters worse rain was in the forecast, and if you haven't run in the rain let me tell you that it's not a pleasant experience. The start of the race was chilly but dry and we brough a large cheering squad. We began around an 8 min pace, faster than we trained for long runs. Immediately my girlfriend got worried, I assured her we'd be fine at that pace even though our running styles are completely different (she likes to start slow and get faster, I like to start fast and keep that pace). The first half of the race was fast despite the rolling hills and we ran it in 1:50 or about 8:20/mile. This part of the course took us through downtown Philly then over the river and through a more rural area near some local colleges. All in all it was nice section. After that the things got worse. The temperature slowly dropped and it began to drizzle. The second half of the race took us out of the city. Six miles out, turn around at a cone, and 6 miles back. The stretch of road had a large rock face on one side and a river on the other making for a poor viewing area and very desolate of spectators. At mile 16 (and mile 22 after turning around) a group of college kids were handing out beer. I felt good at the time and thought how great it'd be to grab one on the way back. Around mile 17 my girlfriend needed to go to the bathroom. For the first time during a long run or marathon I didn't need to make a pit stop. I asked if it was OK that I left her and keep running and she agreed (I still feel bad about doing that but my legs felt good and I didn't need to go). Within 3 miles of ditching her I hit the wall. There was going to be no beer for me. It was shortly after the turnaround when it hit me and I started to realize why, I just ran the last few miles at a slight decline which meant I had to run back up. I can't remember if I walked during the race but I imagine I did, like any marathon it was painful. It's tough running with no spectators and even worse, no running partner. I muscled through the wall keeping a close eye on my watch with the hopes of a decent time.
Watching the clock and cheers from the crowd while running back into the city helped me finish. I made the woman's qualifying cutoff time for the Boston Marathon in 3:39. While it's not a huge feat for many, I cut my previous best time by over 13 minutes and I was happy. Afterward I met up with my friend who claimed Philly was a fast race and he told me the course changed from the previous year, of course this was after Runner's World published an article on how fast the course was. He didn't qualify for Boston that year and retracted all the statements he made about the Philly Marathon. Maybe it was the altered route or the cold rain, but I didn't meet anyone who ran well that day. It makes me wonder, how did I run my PR there?
This was the first marathon I ran with my girlfriend (since she waived her NYC Marathon entrance after paying $140 to run with me). We used our usual training schedule from previous marathons and stuck to it fairly well. She ran track in high school and college and her first marathon in sub four hours so we were relatively the same speed. Neither of us had plans to run super fast so we both figured training together would work out well. Our training schedule called for us to run 5 days a week with Sundays and Thursdays off. Originally I was worried that reducing my training 1 day a week would affect my time but it actually worked out nicely. We ran together once or twice a week because of different work schedules but always did our long runs together on the weekend. When we ran together we were never very competitive but if I ran in the morning and told her my pace she always made sure to match it on her run in the afternoon. I think this was part of the reasoning it was my fastest marathon. I never thought much of my training pace until the week before the race I ran into my friend in CP who was training for Philly. He was trying to qualify for Boston so our pace was around 7:20 for 5 miles or so. I never even thought about making it to Boston until afterward when he told my sister that he thought I was capable of doing it. Apparently he didn't notice my labored breathing during the run. Still it got me thinking. I knew I wouldn't be able to run a 3:10 for Philadelphia but his encouragement made me want run faster than originally planned. I set out to run a 3:40 and help my girlfriend qualify, only I didn't really mention this idea to her.
Race day started off like any race in the Northeast in mid November, cold. To make matters worse rain was in the forecast, and if you haven't run in the rain let me tell you that it's not a pleasant experience. The start of the race was chilly but dry and we brough a large cheering squad. We began around an 8 min pace, faster than we trained for long runs. Immediately my girlfriend got worried, I assured her we'd be fine at that pace even though our running styles are completely different (she likes to start slow and get faster, I like to start fast and keep that pace). The first half of the race was fast despite the rolling hills and we ran it in 1:50 or about 8:20/mile. This part of the course took us through downtown Philly then over the river and through a more rural area near some local colleges. All in all it was nice section. After that the things got worse. The temperature slowly dropped and it began to drizzle. The second half of the race took us out of the city. Six miles out, turn around at a cone, and 6 miles back. The stretch of road had a large rock face on one side and a river on the other making for a poor viewing area and very desolate of spectators. At mile 16 (and mile 22 after turning around) a group of college kids were handing out beer. I felt good at the time and thought how great it'd be to grab one on the way back. Around mile 17 my girlfriend needed to go to the bathroom. For the first time during a long run or marathon I didn't need to make a pit stop. I asked if it was OK that I left her and keep running and she agreed (I still feel bad about doing that but my legs felt good and I didn't need to go). Within 3 miles of ditching her I hit the wall. There was going to be no beer for me. It was shortly after the turnaround when it hit me and I started to realize why, I just ran the last few miles at a slight decline which meant I had to run back up. I can't remember if I walked during the race but I imagine I did, like any marathon it was painful. It's tough running with no spectators and even worse, no running partner. I muscled through the wall keeping a close eye on my watch with the hopes of a decent time.
Watching the clock and cheers from the crowd while running back into the city helped me finish. I made the woman's qualifying cutoff time for the Boston Marathon in 3:39. While it's not a huge feat for many, I cut my previous best time by over 13 minutes and I was happy. Afterward I met up with my friend who claimed Philly was a fast race and he told me the course changed from the previous year, of course this was after Runner's World published an article on how fast the course was. He didn't qualify for Boston that year and retracted all the statements he made about the Philly Marathon. Maybe it was the altered route or the cold rain, but I didn't meet anyone who ran well that day. It makes me wonder, how did I run my PR there?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
My second Marathon - New York City
After recovering from my first marathon in NJ I decided I was ready for another one. Since watching my sister in the NYC Marathon was my inspiration for running I figured this is the next one I wanted to run. I applied to the lottery with 80,000 other entrants and miraculously got in. I've heard stories of people doing this for years and not getting selected so I was excited. My sister, her boyfriend, and another one of our friends also got in which was helpful since we all lived close to one another. I increased my training to an intermediate program and began running 6 days a week. While I'm sure this helped to some degree, the intensity remained low. I ran with my friend, also named DJ, about 3 days a week which helped. His goal was the same as my first marathon, break 4 hours. My only goal was to break my previous time of 3:54 so I continued to train at a 4 hour pace with DJ.
When race day in NY comes everybody knows it. The race that year had nearly 40,000 runners and over 2 million spectators. Every Italian restaurant booked the night before and there are even more tourists than usual. The day of the race I woke up around 4:30am. DJ and I took a cab from the upper east side down to the NYC Public Library where buses waited to drive people to the start in Staten Island. Since all the cabs were full in midtown we stopped along the way and picked up a random runner waiting for a ride. On our ride down he told us this was going to be his first ever marathon and his goal was 2:45 or to beat Lance Armstrong. Later it came out that he's run several marathons in iron man competitions. Him running a 2:45 didn't seem so impossible after all, however it did make me feel pretty slow.
After waiting on Staten Island for 3 hours the race started. DJ and I decided we would to try to run together the whole race. Around mile 6 he had to stop and use the bathroom, and I don't mean to go pee. I had a decision to make, either abandon my friend who has been excited for me to help keep him on pace and probably break my previous time or wait for him and run it together. I decided to wait. Although it seemed like forever since I had to watch thousands or runners pass by, DJ was in and out in a record time of 2 minutes and we were off again. The race went fairly smoothly even though we started off 45 secs/mile faster than our pace. Around mile 18 we hit the wall. DJ hit it much worse than I did this time. Its never a pleasant feeling but sometimes its nice to know other people are hurting more than you are. We eventually finished the race together in 3:56. I felt pretty decent for most of the race, much better than I did in NJ, but I doubt I would have run much faster if I ran on my own. It was a great experience and I helped get a friend cross the finish line in under 4 hours.
When race day in NY comes everybody knows it. The race that year had nearly 40,000 runners and over 2 million spectators. Every Italian restaurant booked the night before and there are even more tourists than usual. The day of the race I woke up around 4:30am. DJ and I took a cab from the upper east side down to the NYC Public Library where buses waited to drive people to the start in Staten Island. Since all the cabs were full in midtown we stopped along the way and picked up a random runner waiting for a ride. On our ride down he told us this was going to be his first ever marathon and his goal was 2:45 or to beat Lance Armstrong. Later it came out that he's run several marathons in iron man competitions. Him running a 2:45 didn't seem so impossible after all, however it did make me feel pretty slow.
After waiting on Staten Island for 3 hours the race started. DJ and I decided we would to try to run together the whole race. Around mile 6 he had to stop and use the bathroom, and I don't mean to go pee. I had a decision to make, either abandon my friend who has been excited for me to help keep him on pace and probably break my previous time or wait for him and run it together. I decided to wait. Although it seemed like forever since I had to watch thousands or runners pass by, DJ was in and out in a record time of 2 minutes and we were off again. The race went fairly smoothly even though we started off 45 secs/mile faster than our pace. Around mile 18 we hit the wall. DJ hit it much worse than I did this time. Its never a pleasant feeling but sometimes its nice to know other people are hurting more than you are. We eventually finished the race together in 3:56. I felt pretty decent for most of the race, much better than I did in NJ, but I doubt I would have run much faster if I ran on my own. It was a great experience and I helped get a friend cross the finish line in under 4 hours.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Attempt #1 - Long Branch Marathon, NJ
I've run 4 marathons so far but never attempted to run one in under 3:10 (Boston qualifying time). My first marathon was probably the most memorable for me. I didn't train properly or have proper clothing but I was determination got me through. My older sister had run about 6 marathons at that point but was unable to break 4 hours (although she did run 4:00:21). Her boyfriend at the time, now husband, had also run a handful of marathons but never beat my sister. At some point during our trash talking with him he decided to make a bet with me. All I had to do to win the bet was run faster than my sister at the Long Branch Marathon in NJ. I began running in Newark, NJ with a friend who stopped running shortly after. I trained about 5 days a week through the streets in Newark (not recommended for many reasons) but rarely completed my long weekend runs. I used to cut short long runs for various reasons including weather, laziness, or just miscalculating the distance. Three quarters of the way through training my sister invited me to do a 17 mile run with her in Central Park. I jumped at the opportunity to run somewhere besides Newark despite the fact that my longest run was only about 12 miles at that point. We began our run on a sunny Sunday morning. She was perky the whole time as usual but after 10 miles I started hurting. Around 14 miles into the run without Body Glide, the inside of my thighs started to chafe. My legs hurt and my thighs burned. I was close to stopping but in doing so I would be admitting defeat and my ego wouldn't allow that. I finished the run but walked around like an 80 year old man for the next few days while all my friends made fun of me. My sister was fine.
When race day came I knew I was under prepared and nervous. Luckily the weather was beautiful and plenty of friends and family came to cheer me on. I started the race running with my sister and her boyfriend. We ran at a leisurely but comfortable pace for the first half. I felt great at the time and slowly pulled away from the two of them. Around mile 18 I started to get tired. I passed another runner, Tina, who was walking but she didn't look nearly as tired as I was. I gave her a few words of encouragement and she began running with me. We chatted for a few minutes about how we both wanted to break 4 hours then I slowly started pulling away from her as well. Near mile 20 it hit me, the dreaded wall. I started to walk. After jogging and walking for another 2 miles Tina caught up. She grabbed me and forced me to start running again. We decided to run the rest of the way but walk through water stations. This was fine with me, I got to rest for 30 seconds every mile or so and didn't have to worry about spilling water all over myself. Eventually we made it to the finish line in 3:54, and most importantly in front of my sister. My girlfriend ran over to congratulate me at the finish and told me she was inspired to run a marathon herself. Sitting there in the most pain I've ever been in, I simply looked her straight in the eye and said "Don't! This was the worst idea of my life."
When race day came I knew I was under prepared and nervous. Luckily the weather was beautiful and plenty of friends and family came to cheer me on. I started the race running with my sister and her boyfriend. We ran at a leisurely but comfortable pace for the first half. I felt great at the time and slowly pulled away from the two of them. Around mile 18 I started to get tired. I passed another runner, Tina, who was walking but she didn't look nearly as tired as I was. I gave her a few words of encouragement and she began running with me. We chatted for a few minutes about how we both wanted to break 4 hours then I slowly started pulling away from her as well. Near mile 20 it hit me, the dreaded wall. I started to walk. After jogging and walking for another 2 miles Tina caught up. She grabbed me and forced me to start running again. We decided to run the rest of the way but walk through water stations. This was fine with me, I got to rest for 30 seconds every mile or so and didn't have to worry about spilling water all over myself. Eventually we made it to the finish line in 3:54, and most importantly in front of my sister. My girlfriend ran over to congratulate me at the finish and told me she was inspired to run a marathon herself. Sitting there in the most pain I've ever been in, I simply looked her straight in the eye and said "Don't! This was the worst idea of my life."
Friday, April 30, 2010
Why Run the Boston Marathon?
There are only 2 marathons in the United States that need qualifying times, the Olympic Qualifiers and the Boston Marathon. After learning this fact my competitive instincts took over I've had the desire to make it to Boston. It was never because Boston is the most scenic or best marathon to run (although I have heard its pretty incredible), but because not a lot of people make it there. My age group requires me to run under 3 hours and 10 minutes. If I do run it in under 3:10 I don't even know that I'll necessarily go to Boston and do it. I just want to know that I'm good enough to do it. That I can set goals and reach them, that I can do what not a lot have done, but what most serious marathon runners dream of.
After running 4 marathons, I think I know what it will take to run a Boston qualifier. My previous races were never an attempt to qualify but more for the enjoyment of the sport and to try for new PRs. This fall is going to be different.
After running 4 marathons, I think I know what it will take to run a Boston qualifier. My previous races were never an attempt to qualify but more for the enjoyment of the sport and to try for new PRs. This fall is going to be different.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Setting Goals
This fall I will run my 5th marathon. I followed a training schedule for the first 4 but I never set any goals for them other than to finish and beat my previous time. I'm hoping that sitting down 5-6 months before the race to decide exactly what I want will help me get through this. My fastest marathon time is 3:39:34. I want to prove that a little dedication and determination can help an average runner such as myself cut 40 minutes from their marathon time to reach Boston.
My goals for this fall's marathon are as follows:
1. Qualify for the Boston Marathon by running 3:10 or faster (current PR 3:39)
2. Run the marathon under 3 hours
Other PR goals:
3. Drop my body weight to 145lbs (current weight 157lbs)
4. 5K: 17 mins (current PR 18:09)
5. 10K: 38 mins (current PR 46:35)
6. Half Marathon: 1 hour 26 mins (current PR 1:42)
My goals for this fall's marathon are as follows:
1. Qualify for the Boston Marathon by running 3:10 or faster (current PR 3:39)
2. Run the marathon under 3 hours
Other PR goals:
3. Drop my body weight to 145lbs (current weight 157lbs)
4. 5K: 17 mins (current PR 18:09)
5. 10K: 38 mins (current PR 46:35)
6. Half Marathon: 1 hour 26 mins (current PR 1:42)
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