Here's November:
Swim: 10,850 yards
Cycling (outdoors): 0 miles
Cycling (indoors): 1:50 (hours)
Run: 115.80 miles
Strength Training/Yoga: 4 sessions
Approximate monthly total training/racing time: 27.5 hours
Weight: 168 pounds. A few pound increase since last month and about back to where I was in September.
I'm pretty amazed when I look at the above statistics. My first thought was that November was my lightest training month since I've been formally keeping track. So I checked. It wasn't. August was, by a few hours. That makes sense: I had just finished the Ironman, was trying to recover from the race and all those 40-50 training months and we took the trip to Alaska. The low volume this month makes sense because, except for one long running day in the beginning of the month and the JFK 50 itself, November was mostly tapering, racing and then recovery. I can't believe that I didn't get outside on the bike a single time. That's too bad, but I'll have plenty of time to make up for lost time on the bike over the coming months. The extended forecast does not look so good - it looks like winter is just about really here - so I might be re-acquainting myself with the trainer in a big way!
Last month I was worried about losing my swim speed (relative "speed", that is!) and technique because I haven't been spending much time in the pool since the Ironman. Yesterday, though, I did my first 1,000 yard time trial since April. In April, after a winter and spring of serious swim training, I knocked out 1,000 yards in 15:34 (1:33.4/100 yards). I was very pleased with that effort, especially since I'd improved a fair amount over my previous time trials. Going into yesterday's swim, I was a little nervous - not nervous like I couldn't do it or it would be too hard, but nervous that I would swim the 1,000 and be disappointed that I'd regressed too much since the summer. I decided that I would swim "all out" and push myself hard for as long as I could; if I pushed too hard and died before the end, so what? I would have learned about my current limits and tried again next week. I quickly checked my watch after the first 100 and saw 1:29 (after the flip turn), which I knew was too fast, even if I did want to push myself. I settled into a pace in the low 1:30's, which was still a strong effort, but a sustainable one. The first 500-600 went great; I was swimming fast and my form felt good. I was counting strokes every few lengths and was generally in the 16-17 strokes per length range, which is about normal for me. Around 600 yards, it became much more of an effort - my form starting slipping, my stroke count was up and it felt like I was muscling my way through the water. But I made it: 15:37. Just three seconds off my April time - and that on swimming just about once a week. I know that my form (especially once I'm a little tired) is a bit limiter and even though I can muscle through 1,000 yards, 1,500 or 1,800 or 2.4 miles is a totally different story. But that's what the next eight months are for. Compared to last year, I'll be starting this base building season from a much stronger point. One worry though - one reason for the time trials is to set my pacing for time being. With a "T-pace" of 1:34/100, did I just totally screw myself??? I guess I'll find out the first time I have to put that pace to work in training!
My back is still bothering me a little - it's not getting worse, but it's also not getting any better, even with nearly two weeks of recovery without running. I want to get a better idea of what the problem is - then I can decide how to treat it. So I finally made an appointment with a sports med doctor. My appointment is Monday. We'll see. After I figure out what's going on and what I need to do to make it better, I'll start working with John to figure out the plan for the next few months. I've got my race schedule pretty much set, I just have to put the steps in place to get me there in shape!
Strength - November 28
Swim - November 29
Distance: 2,200 yards
Time: 45 minutes
1,000 Time Trial: 15:37 (1:33.7/100)
Friday, November 30, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Ironman vs. Ultramarathon
One question that I've thought about a lot over the last few months is: Which is harder, an Ironman or an Ultramarathon? I see the question posted on message boards like Slowtwitch, and everyone has their own opinion. I figure that now that I've done both, I may as well share mine.
First, though, a caveat. Ironman is a defined length - 140.6 miles. "Ultramarathon" is used more broadly to describe any running race longer than 26.2 miles. Obviously for this post, I can only compare the Ironman to a 50 mile ultra and I can only compare Ironman Lake Placid to the JFK 50. Someday maybe I'll be able to make a broader comparison - :).
The first difference for me - and I imagine for most fit people who do an Ironman and a 50 - was the time it took to complete them. The 50 took me roughly three fewer hours (about 72% of the amount of time) to complete than the Ironman did. That's a huge difference no matter what sport you're doing for those three hours. Those three hours are really crucial ones. In any endurance racing, as you race longer, it gets progressively more difficult more quickly. (I know there's a scientific term for this - is it exponential growth?) Even though I was still racing strong after eight hours of running, at some point, my muscle endurance would have really started breaking down and each mile (or half mile or quarter mile) would have quickly started becoming harder than the prior one. This definitely happened at the Ironman. I distinctly remember willing myself to start running again and willing myself to continue running for another ten or twenty paces once I'd started. It got more and more painful as the miles passed and it didn't seem that the struggle was progressing (or regressing) at a ratio proportional to the amount of the race that I'd completed. For the first "X" hours my energy and strength had dripped out of me, but sometime during those last couple hours, it felt like the floodgates had opened and I was just draining. Also, speaking of energy, my stomach was fine for 8+ hours during the JFK, but I know that my calorie deficit would have started to catch up with me and eating/drinking and digesting and converting those calories would have become more and more of a struggle. To some degree this also happened at the Ironman. My stomach held up fine, but during the run I started getting hungry and I can only expect that the mild cravings I was experiencing at the aid stations were going to get worse and worse.
The bike to run transition is really tough in the Ironman, especially on a hilly course like Lake Placid. The six hours I spent on the bike at Lake Placid really took a toll on my legs. If you remember, it wasn't too far into the marathon that my legs hurt too much to sustain a run for any material amount of time. I never hit that point at the JFK and I finished strong, still feeling like I could have trudged along at that pace for a while longer. But, as I wrote above, who knows how long it would have been before my legs wore out and stopped cooperating like what happened at Lake Placid? At the 8:14 point in the Ironman, I was an hour into the marathon, a little less seven miles done, 19 miles to go.
Another big difference about my experiences was the level of perceived exertion I experienced during each race. During the JFK, I spent nearly 5 1/2 hours talking with someone - first Zeke, then Zeke and Assaf, then Assaf and Elizabeth and finally Andy. And we really talked ; I mean full conversations. I would call my pace during the 50 a "conversational pace" - I wasn't dogging it, but I was also much more comfortable just putting one foot in front of the other. [One question this raises, that I'm not even going to think about is whether I could have worked hard, talked less and finished faster...] On the other hand, there wasn't a whole lot of talking during the Ironman, especially not in the waning hours. Part of that is because during the bike portion of the race, you're never really riding "with" anyone else, but even during the run, when I could have been pacing with people (and was doing so at times), the only times I spoke with people was in short bursts of "Looking good!", "Keep it up!" or "I can't believe how much my friggin' legs hurt!" My heart rate during the run portion of the Ironman was about the same as it felt during the JFK, but I felt like I was working harder to maintain a similar pace. Again, I think the six hours on the bike before starting to run are a killer.
In other words, after all that, it's tough to compare the Ironman to ultras generally, but I would say that at this point in my life and comparing my two "A" races this season, running 50 miles was easier than doing an Ironman. There are so many factors to try to include in there that I can't really make any strong conclusion about Ironmans and 50's in general.
So, what's next? It's been a really long season of training and racing. Since May, I raced once every month except August. And that doesn't include the smaller half marathons or other local running races. But now, I won't be doing a big race again until the Boston Marathon in April. I've got the next five months to concentrate on building my base and preparing for my 2008 races. I'll get back in the pool more often and start on some regular strength training, but what I really want to work on between now and next May is my cycling. I know that's where I have the most room for improvement.
We had a great, long Thanksgiving weekend. We headed out east late Tuesday night and essentially did NOTHING for five days. It was great. There were a couple days when I pretty much never left the house. I managed to get a little bit of training in - a swim and some strength training - but the best "exercise" I got was doing sprints on the beach with my pint-sized running partner. Charlie and I went to the beach twice during the holiday and that little guy can move. I'd like to claim that it was just to get some exercise for him, but I think I had at least as much fun running on the beach as he did. Besides that, we spent most of the time relaxing around the house - napping, watching football and movies, and of course, eating. I really let it all go food-wise for those five days. My stomach will definitely thank me for getting back to my normal routine...
Strength/Core - November 22
Swim - November 24
Distance: 1,500 yards
Time: 30 minutes
Swim - November 26
Distance: 3,100 yards
Time: 1:00
Bike - November 27
Time: 40 minutes
Indoor ride
First, though, a caveat. Ironman is a defined length - 140.6 miles. "Ultramarathon" is used more broadly to describe any running race longer than 26.2 miles. Obviously for this post, I can only compare the Ironman to a 50 mile ultra and I can only compare Ironman Lake Placid to the JFK 50. Someday maybe I'll be able to make a broader comparison - :).
The first difference for me - and I imagine for most fit people who do an Ironman and a 50 - was the time it took to complete them. The 50 took me roughly three fewer hours (about 72% of the amount of time) to complete than the Ironman did. That's a huge difference no matter what sport you're doing for those three hours. Those three hours are really crucial ones. In any endurance racing, as you race longer, it gets progressively more difficult more quickly. (I know there's a scientific term for this - is it exponential growth?) Even though I was still racing strong after eight hours of running, at some point, my muscle endurance would have really started breaking down and each mile (or half mile or quarter mile) would have quickly started becoming harder than the prior one. This definitely happened at the Ironman. I distinctly remember willing myself to start running again and willing myself to continue running for another ten or twenty paces once I'd started. It got more and more painful as the miles passed and it didn't seem that the struggle was progressing (or regressing) at a ratio proportional to the amount of the race that I'd completed. For the first "X" hours my energy and strength had dripped out of me, but sometime during those last couple hours, it felt like the floodgates had opened and I was just draining. Also, speaking of energy, my stomach was fine for 8+ hours during the JFK, but I know that my calorie deficit would have started to catch up with me and eating/drinking and digesting and converting those calories would have become more and more of a struggle. To some degree this also happened at the Ironman. My stomach held up fine, but during the run I started getting hungry and I can only expect that the mild cravings I was experiencing at the aid stations were going to get worse and worse.
The bike to run transition is really tough in the Ironman, especially on a hilly course like Lake Placid. The six hours I spent on the bike at Lake Placid really took a toll on my legs. If you remember, it wasn't too far into the marathon that my legs hurt too much to sustain a run for any material amount of time. I never hit that point at the JFK and I finished strong, still feeling like I could have trudged along at that pace for a while longer. But, as I wrote above, who knows how long it would have been before my legs wore out and stopped cooperating like what happened at Lake Placid? At the 8:14 point in the Ironman, I was an hour into the marathon, a little less seven miles done, 19 miles to go.
Another big difference about my experiences was the level of perceived exertion I experienced during each race. During the JFK, I spent nearly 5 1/2 hours talking with someone - first Zeke, then Zeke and Assaf, then Assaf and Elizabeth and finally Andy. And we really talked ; I mean full conversations. I would call my pace during the 50 a "conversational pace" - I wasn't dogging it, but I was also much more comfortable just putting one foot in front of the other. [One question this raises, that I'm not even going to think about is whether I could have worked hard, talked less and finished faster...] On the other hand, there wasn't a whole lot of talking during the Ironman, especially not in the waning hours. Part of that is because during the bike portion of the race, you're never really riding "with" anyone else, but even during the run, when I could have been pacing with people (and was doing so at times), the only times I spoke with people was in short bursts of "Looking good!", "Keep it up!" or "I can't believe how much my friggin' legs hurt!" My heart rate during the run portion of the Ironman was about the same as it felt during the JFK, but I felt like I was working harder to maintain a similar pace. Again, I think the six hours on the bike before starting to run are a killer.
In other words, after all that, it's tough to compare the Ironman to ultras generally, but I would say that at this point in my life and comparing my two "A" races this season, running 50 miles was easier than doing an Ironman. There are so many factors to try to include in there that I can't really make any strong conclusion about Ironmans and 50's in general.
So, what's next? It's been a really long season of training and racing. Since May, I raced once every month except August. And that doesn't include the smaller half marathons or other local running races. But now, I won't be doing a big race again until the Boston Marathon in April. I've got the next five months to concentrate on building my base and preparing for my 2008 races. I'll get back in the pool more often and start on some regular strength training, but what I really want to work on between now and next May is my cycling. I know that's where I have the most room for improvement.
We had a great, long Thanksgiving weekend. We headed out east late Tuesday night and essentially did NOTHING for five days. It was great. There were a couple days when I pretty much never left the house. I managed to get a little bit of training in - a swim and some strength training - but the best "exercise" I got was doing sprints on the beach with my pint-sized running partner. Charlie and I went to the beach twice during the holiday and that little guy can move. I'd like to claim that it was just to get some exercise for him, but I think I had at least as much fun running on the beach as he did. Besides that, we spent most of the time relaxing around the house - napping, watching football and movies, and of course, eating. I really let it all go food-wise for those five days. My stomach will definitely thank me for getting back to my normal routine...
Strength/Core - November 22
Swim - November 24
Distance: 1,500 yards
Time: 30 minutes
Swim - November 26
Distance: 3,100 yards
Time: 1:00
Bike - November 27
Time: 40 minutes
Indoor ride
Thursday, November 22, 2007
JFK 50 Mile Run
Are you ready for this??
3:45 - 4:30am
The day started out early. Real early. My alarm went off at 3:45, but I was already pretty much awake. I had slept some during the night, but it wasn't a good sleep. I don't think I was too anxious or nervous about the race, just restless and ready to get going. I got out of bed, got dressed, had my standard oatmeal and left the house at 4:30 on the dot to go pick up Assaf for our drive to Boonsboro.
4:30 - 5:45am
It was still pitch-black dark outside, but the sky was clear, there wasn't much wind and, while it was chilly, it felt like it was going to be a great day for running. As I pulled up to pick up Assaf, he came running out of the house carrying a blanket and pillow, insisting that I lie down in the back and sleep. No way! I was far too jacked up at that point to possibly sleep. I wanted to catch up with Assaf, talk strategy and get my mind into the game. The drive from Chevy Chase to Boonsboro was quick and easy. I didn't use the blanket and pillow then, but they would come in very handy later in the day. One of the first things Assaf said to me was "How happy are you NOT to have to swim today." Amen to that. I love triathlon, but the thought of getting into the water sent shivers through my body.
5:45 - 6:45am
Check in at Boonsboro High School took about 25 seconds, giving me plenty of time to change, use the bathroom, have part of a Clif Bar and relax a little bit in the school gym. The pre-race briefing wasn't all that interesting or informative, but I think he could have told me the secret to world peace and I wouldn't have listened too closely. The sun was just starting to come out and it was turning into a beautiful morning. It was pretty chilly (high 20's or low 30's), but still totally clear and no wind at all. I deliberated over what to wear and finally decided on a short sleeve T, a light-weight longsleeve, gloves and a cap. I pinned my race number to the short sleeve, figuring that it wouldn't be long before I ditched the long sleeve. I decided to run the Appalachian Trail (AT) portion of the race in my trail runners and change in my trainers at the beginning of the Tow Path, around mile 15.5. I had my handheld full of water and my fuel belt with some InfiniT. I had gels stuffed into my shorts.
6:45 - 7:00am
At about 6:45, we started the walk from the high school to the starting line in the middle of town. It's a healthy walk. I was still feeling pretty relaxed and easy going. I think the knowledge that I was going out easy and had all day to run kept me from getting too amped up. The crowd seemed nice enough and people were laughing and joking. The clock on a bank in town said it was 28 degrees, but I think it was a little warmer than that. As we approached the start, I had a gel and some water, then quickly stripped off my sweats and fleece and before I was really ready, the gun sounded. Off we went!
7:00 - 7:25am
The first 2.5 miles of the race are on roads climbing up to meet the entrance to the Appalachian Trail. Supposedly, it's about 500 feet of climbing in those 2.5 miles. And you feel the climb. I took it really, really easy right from the gun. About three minutes into the race, my heart rate monitor started beeping - "Check Transmitter" my watch said. It was reading a reasonable heart rate, so I ignored it. It gave me another warning about a minute later and then quit. For good. The watch was still fine, it just wasn't giving me a heart rate. Whatever. Coach John had counseled me during the week that heart rate wasn't nearly as important as pace. I didn't need to know whether my heart rate was in the 130's or 140's or higher. I'd be able to feel my effort. The sky was getting lighter and the temperature felt nice. So far, at least, I'd chosen my clothing wisely. Assaf had warned me about the people who take off right from the gun - "Don't get caught up with them," he cautioned, "It's a very long day." I wasn't near the front at the start, so I didn't have to worry. The people around me were generally comfortably chugging along at 9:30-or-so pace. No temptation to exert myself at all. Cool as a cucumber. I contemplated walking up one of the biggest hills, but was feeling good and running easy, so I decided to continue running.
7:25 - 8:30am
I was pretty happy to get to the trailhead. I'd had fun training on trails and was looking forward to seeing how the AT compared to the Long Path in the Palisades. Assaf had prepared me for the fact that this AT portion was pretty hilly and that I should walk up any big hills. The crowds thinned out once we got on the trails - most of the AT section is pretty narrow and the running was generally single file. There's a a two-mile-long paved hill from miles 3.5 to 5.5. I ran up some of it, but decided to conserve my energy and walk the steepest bits. Pretty much everyone around me was following the same plan - run, run, run, walk up a hill, repeat. Even though we weren't all walking at the same time for the same amount of time, we were generally staying together as a big group. My handheld was doing great, but already by this point, I hated the Fuel Belt. It felt uncomfortable, heavy and the bottles were a pain to get in and out of the belt. I ran fine with it during my training runs, but for some reason, I couldn't stand it on race day. I decided that I would ditch it with Assaf at the first "Support" areas at mile 9.3. It would have been nice to have had the InfiniT, but I figured having plain water in the handheld was more important and I'd get my calories from the gels. And, as it turned out, I was able to guzzle some InfiniT each time I saw Assaf at the support areas - not an ideal solution, but it did give me access to those calories and electrolytes on a semi-regular basis. I got to the support area at mile 9.3 at around 8:30am. That's a about a 9:40 minute/mile pace. Honestly, I had expected to finish that first section a little faster, but that was naïve thinking. This first section was hilly and a little technical, also I still had over 40 miles to go. My pace was comfortable; there was no reason to rush. There are no mile markers along the course, so judging pace (without a GPS) is impossible. Also, I didn't have my heart-rate to judge it by. I went by feel and comfort and it was working just fine. I had my first gel somewhere near the end of this section. I was psyched to arrive at the support area. The first real spectators of the race were all lined up forming a chute for us to run through. The above picture shows the woods we came out of and we ran towards where Assaf was standing to take this picture. Assaf took my Fuel Belt, told me to keep it slow and sent me on my way. I still had plenty of water and hadn't taken any gels yet, so I didn't see any reason to stop for a refill.
8:30 - 9:40am
After the Support area, we got back on the trails. These next seven miles of trails were less hilly, but more "technical" than the first section. We ran mostly single file; I passed a few people here and there, but was content with my position in the group. Towards the middle of this section of the race, we started passing more and more of the "5AM Starters". The race organizers allow a relatively small number of people to start the race at 5AM - this gives them two extra hours to finish before the 7PM cut-off. That means that some of them are out there running and walking for 14 hours. They wear bright orange number bibs on their front and back, so you can tell who they are. During the race, I came to have a special admiration for the 5AM Starters - I can't imagine starting and finishing the race in the dark and being on my feet for that long. (There was one jerk with a T-shirt that said "5AM Starter. I'm slow, but I'll finish. NO TRAINING!" That's just stupid and disrespectful.) The end of this section of the race is the most technical bit - it's a bunch of pretty tight, steep, downhill switchbacks. For this part, you have to race single-file and I was pretty much constantly worried about falling! It's more challenging - but also more fun because you're flying (relatively) downhill, you know you're about to the end of the trail and you're still feeling good. I did actually run out of water towards the end of this section of the race, but I knew I was close to next support area and wasn't worried. I met up with Assaf at the support area at the end of this section - around mile 16. I paused to chug some InfiniT and change into my trainers. The trail shoes worked out great, but I was happy to get into lighter, softer shoes for the next 34 miles. My time to mile 16 was about 2:40, a 10 minute/mile pace. I was perfectly happy with that. It was time to start on the 27 mile-long towpath, flat, smooth, regular aid stations, easy sailing...
9:40 - 11:25am
The first 11 miles of the towpath are a bit of a blur. It's a beautiful place to run - on one side (runner's left) you have the C&O Canal, and on the other are trees and "nature". The running surface is a hard-packed, very smooth dirt path, and it's pretty much dead flat. It's just one foot after the other for as far as the eye can see... and then a little farther from there. At around mile 17, I started chatting with a fellow runner. We started off talking about pacing - he was comparing his GPS to the mile markers on the side of the towpath and found that something, either his GPS or the markers, were off, sometimes by quite a bit. We started chatting about the race and it soon became apparent that I was in the presence of ultrarunning royalty. Zeke Zucker (pictured with me, above) is a 64-year-old serious ultrarunning veteran. He's been doing ultras since about the time I could walk and this year alone has done two 100's, the Comrades Marathon (it's really nearly 60 miles) in South Africa, a 50K and then the JFK. He holds the Veteran Men (60+) record at the JFK 50 (7:53:10 in 2004). He was just cruising along, chatting with me. We ended up running together straight through to about mile 36, when I decided to start taking some walk breaks and he kept running. It was great running with Zeke. He kept me on pace, and calm and in control and never gave me the chance to even think about struggling. Zeke knew that his main competition to win the 60+ age group on Saturday was somewhere in front of him, but didn't know how far ahead. He just kept trucking along, hoping to catch him. Unfortunately, Zeke ended up in second in his age group (he ended up finishing 8:14:25, about 4.5 minutes ahead of me), but as he wrote me on Tuesday, he was just pleased that his age group record wasn't broken! Thanks, Zeke! According to Zeke's GPS, we passed the marathon at about 4:15 - perfect. Right on target. I was still feeling strong and running smooth. At this point, I realized that barring disaster, I would definitely go sub-nine hours, but I still wasn't sure by how much.
11:25 - 1:15pm
The Antietam Aqueduct support station is at mile 27.1. That's where I knew Assaf would be waiting to join in the fun. Zeke and I arrived there about 6:15 into the race and Assaf was waiting, with a backpack full of supplies strapped to his back. He fell right in step with me and Zeke. Zeke and Assaf has both run the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile Run in June, and Assaf can appreciate a sick runner even more than I can, so I think we made a good little team. I continued to feel good for the first six or eight miles after Assaf joined us. We were comfortably chatting and enjoying the day. The towpath was getting boring and my feet were beginning to hurt a little, but I was still in good spirits and feeling pleased with my race. Somewhere around here I had my first food that wasn't a gel or InfiniT. The aid stations tables were full of goodies - soup broth, pretzels, cookies, potato chips, candy - but the gels were doing me right, they were sitting well in my stomach and giving me strength. The cookies looked great, but I didn't want to mess with a good thing. Instead, I had half a peanut butter Powerbar. The Powerbar was a little too chewy, but went down well and made me feel pretty good. At around mile 34, just about as far as I'd ever run in a single day of training, I started feeling "it"; the miles were beginning to wear on me. Assaf could see it, and bless his heart, kept me encouraged and kept my spirits up. Tired or not, I was still consistently running around 9:30 miles. I was amazed that I was still running - I had assumed I would be walk-running by that point. But the combination of feeling good and running with Zeke and Assaf has kept me going. I didn't feel like I "needed" to start walking, but I realized that a little walking now could save me a lot of heartache and bodyache later. I also knew that Elizabeth and the Shaffers were waiting at the Taylor's Landing support area at mile 38.1 and I wanted to feel and look (!)strong when I got to them. So, at around mile 36, we bid Zeke adieu and I took my first walk break. Assaf and I walked for a couple minutes and then started up again. I was worried that I wouldn't want to run anymore or that my legs wouldn't let me. But, I got right back on it and back on pace. I took off my long-sleeve. I was getting warm, but also I wanted to be sure it was off so they'd identify me by my race number pinned to my T-shirt at the finish. (It might have been a little early to think of that, but, really, is it ever too early to think about how you're going to look at the finish line?) We ran right to the Taylor's Landing support area.
1:15 - 2:00pm
Elizabeth and the Shaffers were waiting at Taylor's Landing. I was excited to meet up with wifey. Elizabeth and Assaf were going to keep me company until mile 46. After that, I would be on my own. Elizabeth jumped right in and joined in the walk-running. We still had about four miles of the towpath to go before we hit the final section, eight miles on rolling country roads. Even by this point, the walk breaks were proving to be a very smart idea. Unlike the Ironman where I had to will myself to start and continue running each time I stopped to walk, in the JFK, I wanted to start running again. Don't get me wrong, the walking felt great, but I also knew that I could run, which gave me confidence to keep at it. At mile 42, we veered off the towpath and started on the roads to the finish line.
2:00 - 2:40pm
Immediately after you get off the towpath, you start up a steep climb. It really didn't seem fair, but it was as good a time as any to take another walk break. I don't think I saw anyone running up that hill. And I can't think of any reason why you would... The roads are nice. The rolling hills are a little painful, but something of a nice change from the flat towpath. There were aid stations every two miles and we stopped at each one to top off the water bottle and take a little walk break. Even with the walk breaks, my mile splits were mostly better than 10 minutes/mile and were getting faster as I continued on. It was getting a little chilly, but was still a nice afternoon. I could feel the end of the race getting closer and began realizing that an 8:30 finish was definitely in the cards. Somewhere near the beginning of this stretch from mile 42 to 46, we passed a local diligently working on spray-painting protest signs - against the race! He had proudly completed one sign that read, "NO JFK". As we passed, staring at him, he said, "These runners is giving me some bullshit." A couple miles later, we passed another local, standing on the side of the road with his son, holding a sign that read, "No JFK. Jerks, get off of our roads." I still can't figure out what about the race they don't like. The roads weren't closed. We weren't taking up much space or leaving trash on the roadside. I guess they're just lazy losers who don't like people in general. Assaf was going to get a picture of one of them, but I was worried that this was really the "back country" and those dudes certainly had guns! I'm sure the cows thought these guys were jerks too.
My splits in this section of the race, even with some walk breaks, were pretty great and much better than I'd expected:
Mile 46 - 10:18
Mile 47 - 9:34
The heaviness I'd felt in the 30's was gone and I was running strong. My stomach had held up great, my feet were feeling fine and I felt like I was comfortably cruising along. My heart rate monitor wasn't working, but I'd bet my heart rate was somewhere in the mid or high 130's. I wasn't exerting myself cardiovascularly. I wasn't supposed to be. I'd run a smart, controlled race for 46 miles and it was paying off.
2:40 - 3:18:54pm
Elizabeth and Assaf left me to finish on my own from mile 46. I was feeling great. I actually felt as good as I'd felt in hours. My plan was to continue walk-running. When I got to the mile 48 marker, I checked my watch to check my split: 8:44! Are you kidding me?! An 8:44 mile that far into the race? I was feeling good, but never would have expected that. As I passed the mile marker, I said to myself and whoever else might listen "Holy sh*t! Those mile markers can't possbily be right." A guy running next to me checked his GPS and told me that sure enough, the mile markers were right on. Wow. 8:44. I'm still amazed. Anyway, Andy (the guy with the GPS) and I got to talking. This was also his first ultra. We took a walk break after the 48th mile. I give Andy some credit for keeping me going. At the mile 49 marker, I said to him that I was going to take a walk break. He looked at me like I'd lost my mind and simply told me that we were going to finish strong. And I did. Thanks, Andy. We were together right until a hundred yards before the finish. I knew that we shouldn't finish together - I wanted my picture! - and asked him if he wanted to go ahead. He told me to feel free to go, and I did. I "sprinted" it right in to the end.
3:18:55 - end of day
I had seen and heard my support team cheering and shouting as I crossed the finish and once I was across and had my medal, Elizabeth was there with a huge hug for me. Assaf and the Shaffers were waiting right there too. I put on some warm shirts and gloves and took a few good pictures before heading inside the Williamsport High School gym to get some food and sit down. We found Blake Benke inside the gym and found out he'd come in sixth overall. My goodness. He also had to be put on an IV after finishing the race... What a stud that guy is (and what a 2007 season: Ironman CdA, Badwater, Hamptons Marathon, NYC Marathon...)
The rest of the evening is something of a blur. We had a hard time finding our way back to mile 27 where Assaf had left the truck he and I had drived up in. But once we found it, Assaf and Mark made me a nice little "bed" in the back and I slept most of the way home. My knees and feet ached and I couldn't walk all that well, but I was in pretty good shape, all things considered. The predominant feeling though, was pride. I knew I'd accomplished yet another gigantic physcial feat. And, relatively speaking, I'd killed it. I ran faster than I dreamed possible and I had fun doing it. My support team had totally hooked it up for me; to Assaf, Elizabeth, Mark and Susan, and my "accidental" team, Zeke and Andy, Thank you so much. I don't want to think about what that race would have been like without you.
Now it's time to rest and relax. I took Sunday off, rode the bike really easy on the trainer on Monday and jumped into the pool for an easy swim on Tuesday. We're out at the beach for Thanksgiving and I really love running and cycling out here, especially in this wonderful, crisp fall weather. But I didn't even bring my stuff. I'm giving my running shoes some well-deserved rest. Base building for the Ironman is coming up soon enough...
Some more vitals from the day:
Total fuel ingested during race:
3 vanilla Accel Gels (100 calories each)Approximate total calories: 2140. About 260/hour. This is pretty close to what I'd planned. One gel right at the start and then my first in-race gel at around 90 minutes. For the next few hours, I had a gel every 45 minutes or so and gulps of InfiniT when I saw Assaf. Beginning somewhere in the low 30's, 45 minutes became too long to wait between gels and I started taking them (or the Powerbar or fruit) about every half hour. I never got real hungry and never felt too full. Perfectly executed.
3 chocolate Accel Gels (100 calories each)
3 Strawberry Slam Crank Sport E-Gels (150 calories each)
1 vanilla Hammer Gel (90 calories)
1/2 peanut butter Powerbar (120 calories)
1/2 Vanilla Crisp butter Powerbar (115 calories)
1/2 banana (~50 calories)
1/4 orange (~15 calories)
InfiniT - not sure, but around 500 calories worth
Gatorade - no sure, but proabably around 200 calories worth
Official results:
Time: 8:18:54
Pace: 9:57/mile
Overall place: 116/1079
Age group place: 45/194
Bike - November 19
Time: 20 minutes
Average heart rate: 98
Swim - November 20
Distance: 1,500 yards
Time: 30 minutes
Saturday, November 17, 2007
8:19:XX
Unofficial time - 8 hours, 19 minutes and some seconds. Holy sh*t. I'm pretty pleased with myself right now. Faster that I ever would have guessed. And I felt great pretty much the entire time. My knees and feet are killing me and I'm super tired. I owe HUGE props to Assaf, Elizabeth and Mark and Susan for their support during the race.
Official results, full race report and pictures to come soon.
Official results, full race report and pictures to come soon.
Friday, November 16, 2007
50 miles
I was talking with someone yesterday about the JFK 50. "Fifty miles!" they said. "Why? Why would you do that?" they asked. "Isn't a marathon enough?"
Well? Isn't it? The answer, for me, is yes and no. A few years ago I would have been very satisfied finishing a marathon. A few years ago, I couldn't believe I finished an Olympic distance triathlon. But once those things became possible, human nature - or my version of human nature - took over. If I can train for a half-ironman, why can't I train for an Ironman? If I can run a marathon, if I can train for an Ironman, why not a 50 miler? It's "logic" that might not (ok, does not) make sense to everyone, but in my brain, it's perfectly linear thinking. I do this because I can - or because I want to see if I can. Back to the original question, Yes, a marathon is enough. Any race I do is a goal within itself - I ran my heart out when I ran New York in 2006 and thought I might collapse well before the finish. I didn't sign up for the 50 because the marathon was too easy; I signed up to attempt a different challenge. And that's what I've gotten - training for this 50 is similar to, but also very different from, training for a marathon. I've still been out there running my tush off, but I've been training myself to run more slowly and I've gotten used to running on trails. I've learned to carry more supplies while I run and to consider challenges in gear and clothing that don't come up during a "shorter" race. I have to think more - much more - about pacing and energy conservation and fueling. Variety is the spice of life.
While I was packing last night, I laid everything out on the bed just to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything. It's amazing how much stuff I'm packing for a "run" - two pairs of shoes, enough gels to stock an aid station, extra socks, shirts for every contingency, a hat and a visor, a watch, a back-up watch... Options, lots of options. Here's a picture of my clothing and gear for the race (including what I'll wear before the race):
My back is feeling better today. Still not perfect and I expect to feel it tomorrow morning before the race, but if it's anything like my recent training runs, I shouldn't notice it once I start running. I'll also have more than enough other things to be thinking about tomorrow morning to be worried about a little sacrum pain! We're headed up to DC shortly and then, bright and early tomorrow morning Assaf and I are driving up to Boonsboro for the start. Race report to follow as soon as I'm able to think. Here goes nothing!
Run - November 16
Distance: 2.25 miles
Time: 20 minutes
Average heart rate: Did not wear HR monitor
Course: Washington Square Park
Conditions: Sunny, cold (low 40's) and windy
Well? Isn't it? The answer, for me, is yes and no. A few years ago I would have been very satisfied finishing a marathon. A few years ago, I couldn't believe I finished an Olympic distance triathlon. But once those things became possible, human nature - or my version of human nature - took over. If I can train for a half-ironman, why can't I train for an Ironman? If I can run a marathon, if I can train for an Ironman, why not a 50 miler? It's "logic" that might not (ok, does not) make sense to everyone, but in my brain, it's perfectly linear thinking. I do this because I can - or because I want to see if I can. Back to the original question, Yes, a marathon is enough. Any race I do is a goal within itself - I ran my heart out when I ran New York in 2006 and thought I might collapse well before the finish. I didn't sign up for the 50 because the marathon was too easy; I signed up to attempt a different challenge. And that's what I've gotten - training for this 50 is similar to, but also very different from, training for a marathon. I've still been out there running my tush off, but I've been training myself to run more slowly and I've gotten used to running on trails. I've learned to carry more supplies while I run and to consider challenges in gear and clothing that don't come up during a "shorter" race. I have to think more - much more - about pacing and energy conservation and fueling. Variety is the spice of life.
While I was packing last night, I laid everything out on the bed just to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything. It's amazing how much stuff I'm packing for a "run" - two pairs of shoes, enough gels to stock an aid station, extra socks, shirts for every contingency, a hat and a visor, a watch, a back-up watch... Options, lots of options. Here's a picture of my clothing and gear for the race (including what I'll wear before the race):
My back is feeling better today. Still not perfect and I expect to feel it tomorrow morning before the race, but if it's anything like my recent training runs, I shouldn't notice it once I start running. I'll also have more than enough other things to be thinking about tomorrow morning to be worried about a little sacrum pain! We're headed up to DC shortly and then, bright and early tomorrow morning Assaf and I are driving up to Boonsboro for the start. Race report to follow as soon as I'm able to think. Here goes nothing!
Run - November 16
Distance: 2.25 miles
Time: 20 minutes
Average heart rate: Did not wear HR monitor
Course: Washington Square Park
Conditions: Sunny, cold (low 40's) and windy
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Pre-race mid-week update
It's Wednesday. The countdown on my watch says there are just three days until race-day. But, since Wednesday's essentially done, that leaves two days, really; not that I'm counting... I've already had my pre-race talk with Coach John and have spent a fair amount of mental energy this week thinking about clothing choices (flexibility), my nutritional plan (lots of calories), my pacing plan (slow) and logistics for my wife, in-laws and Assaf to see me during the race. Everything is pretty much set.
I'm excited to race. I'm especially curious to see what happens after I hit the 30-or-so mile marker. At about mile 26.21, I'll be in uncharted territory for a single run and somewhere around mile 36, I'll pass my longest single day of running. I'm confident that my body can do this. But, as I wrote many times during the final preparation for the Ironman, I have to keep in mind that just because my body can do this race, doesn't mean that November 17 will be the day that it happens. There are so many things that could happen on race-day, especially on a race-day as long as this one will be, that no matter how prepared or confident or "fit" I am, anything could happen. I think I'm covered for all of the reasonably foreseeable (good lawyerly phrase there...) issues and I'll keep my fingers crossed that nothing totally unexpected arises.
I've been thinking back on the Ironman training and the last few days leading up to that race. I remember (and thanks to my blog, have read) that I was both more prepared and more nervous. At this point before the race, we were up in Lake Placid, all settled and I was already immersed in the race festivities; in the weeks leading up to the race, I'd swam, biked and run every inch of the race course at least twice; I had a specific nutritional plan that covered me for just about the entire race and that I'd followed during my training; and from my training, I thought that I had a good idea of what to expect for the entire race (that proved not to be true about 3 miles into the marathon, but I obviously didn't know that pre-race). I was more nervous in large part because of that preparation - even though I tried not to think about them too much, I had time goals for each leg, or half-leg of the race and my goals were based on my race simulations; I had built this up for a year and imposed some pretty heavy expectations on myself; it would be my longest race - by far - and I wanted to do well.
On the other hand, I don't feel like I've given nearly as much thought to this race - not that it's any less of a big deal (it's not!) or because I think it will be easier (just the opposite, I expect this to be harder) - it just seems like maybe it will be more natural. I'll line up at 7AM and just run and then run and run and run and walk until the end. There's no transition areas (though I will be changing my shoes after the Appalachian Trail section), there's no other equipment or "personal needs bags" to worry about. It's stripped down and simpler - there somewhat less to plan and thus less details to get bogged down in and nervous about. All I have to worry about is focus - I'm healthy, I'm fit and I'm ready.
But, holy sh*t, I'm actually going to do this?!?!?!
Run - November 12
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 25 minutes
Average heart rate: 141
Course: Washington Square Park
Conditions: Crisp, partly cloudy
Yoga - November 12
Run - November 14
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 25 minutes
Average heart rate: 144
Course: West Village
Conditions: Warmer (high 40s), sunny
I'm excited to race. I'm especially curious to see what happens after I hit the 30-or-so mile marker. At about mile 26.21, I'll be in uncharted territory for a single run and somewhere around mile 36, I'll pass my longest single day of running. I'm confident that my body can do this. But, as I wrote many times during the final preparation for the Ironman, I have to keep in mind that just because my body can do this race, doesn't mean that November 17 will be the day that it happens. There are so many things that could happen on race-day, especially on a race-day as long as this one will be, that no matter how prepared or confident or "fit" I am, anything could happen. I think I'm covered for all of the reasonably foreseeable (good lawyerly phrase there...) issues and I'll keep my fingers crossed that nothing totally unexpected arises.
I've been thinking back on the Ironman training and the last few days leading up to that race. I remember (and thanks to my blog, have read) that I was both more prepared and more nervous. At this point before the race, we were up in Lake Placid, all settled and I was already immersed in the race festivities; in the weeks leading up to the race, I'd swam, biked and run every inch of the race course at least twice; I had a specific nutritional plan that covered me for just about the entire race and that I'd followed during my training; and from my training, I thought that I had a good idea of what to expect for the entire race (that proved not to be true about 3 miles into the marathon, but I obviously didn't know that pre-race). I was more nervous in large part because of that preparation - even though I tried not to think about them too much, I had time goals for each leg, or half-leg of the race and my goals were based on my race simulations; I had built this up for a year and imposed some pretty heavy expectations on myself; it would be my longest race - by far - and I wanted to do well.
On the other hand, I don't feel like I've given nearly as much thought to this race - not that it's any less of a big deal (it's not!) or because I think it will be easier (just the opposite, I expect this to be harder) - it just seems like maybe it will be more natural. I'll line up at 7AM and just run and then run and run and run and walk until the end. There's no transition areas (though I will be changing my shoes after the Appalachian Trail section), there's no other equipment or "personal needs bags" to worry about. It's stripped down and simpler - there somewhat less to plan and thus less details to get bogged down in and nervous about. All I have to worry about is focus - I'm healthy, I'm fit and I'm ready.
But, holy sh*t, I'm actually going to do this?!?!?!
Run - November 12
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 25 minutes
Average heart rate: 141
Course: Washington Square Park
Conditions: Crisp, partly cloudy
Yoga - November 12
Run - November 14
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 25 minutes
Average heart rate: 144
Course: West Village
Conditions: Warmer (high 40s), sunny
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Hiccup
When I went out for my run this evening I was thinking about my blog entry for this evening. I knew what I would be writing about generally, but still needed a title. Then, I spent the first 40 minutes of the run hiccuping every few steps and had my title. See, "hiccup" has another meaning in this post: after nearly a year of pretty hard-core training, first for the Ironman and now for the JFK50, I have trained virtually injury free. I got sick in January, had a little problem with my hip after my fall on the ice in February and some even-more-minor issues here and there throughout the year, but I've been fortunate that I haven't missed any serious time all year - and not a single training session that I can remember since early spring. Recently, though, I've had a little "hiccup".
Before I write anything more, I want to make clear that it's nothing serious and it's nothing that's going to stop me from showing up in Boonsboro, Maryland almost exactly five days and 12 hours from now. I also need to stress up front that, even though I'm going to use the phrase "lower back" below, this has NOTHING AT ALL to do with my 2003 surgery.
It started a couple weeks ago with a very localized pain smack dab in the middle of my lower back, a couple inches below my waist. I ran my scheduled runs without any pain while running and found that it was most bothersome in the evening after sitting on my rear end all day at work. I only have pain in my back; it doesn't radiate down my legs or bother my glutes or hamstrings at all, which seems like a good thing to me. I did some extra stretching (especially my hamstrings) and icing, both of which seem to help and took some Advil. It didn't get any better or worse for the first week or so (even after last Saturday's 35 mile effort), but as this week went on, it did start flaring up a little earlier in the day. I've gotten out of my chair at work to walk around a bit and do some extra stretching. This past week, I had an extra day off built into the schedule as part of my taper and I skipped yesterday's run as well. I considered skipping today's run, but it was feeling a little better and I decided to give it a go. That gave me about three-and-a-half days since my last run on Thursday morning. Thankfully it didn't bother me during the run. I stretched and iced and am feeling OK.
I've done my research on-line and looked through some books at the store today, but I still don't know what it is. The fact that ice and stretching help lead to me believe that it's a muscle or tendon.
In the end, the timing was actually pretty good (coming on right at my taper and after I'd done all of my serious long runs) and I really didn't miss much training. That's why it's just a "hiccup" - similar to the hiccup I had during my run this evening, it's annoying, but didn't stop me or affect my training or final race preparation. On the other hand, it doesn't seem like it's going to go away just by holding my breath or drinking a little sugar water. But, that's what the rest of November is for - I'll have plenty of time to rest my back beginning November 18.
Run - November 5
Distance: 3.25 miles
Time: 25 minutes
Average heart rate: 140
Course: West Side Highway
Conditions: Sunny, cool (high 40s)
Strength/Core - November 5
Swim - November 6
Distance: 2,550
Time: 52 minutes
Run - November 7
Distance: 3.2 miles
Time: 26 minutes
Average heart rate: 137
Course: East Village
Conditions: Sunny, cool (high 40s)
Run - November 8
Distance: 3.0 miles
Time: 25 minutes
Average heart rate: 142
Course: West Village
Conditions: Sunny, chilly (high 30s)
Bike - November 8
Time: 50 minutes
Average heart rate: 111
Indoor ride
Run - November 11
Distance: 7.5 miles
Time: 1:03
Average heart rate: 143
Course: West Side Highway
Conditions: Evening run, cool (high 40s)
Before I write anything more, I want to make clear that it's nothing serious and it's nothing that's going to stop me from showing up in Boonsboro, Maryland almost exactly five days and 12 hours from now. I also need to stress up front that, even though I'm going to use the phrase "lower back" below, this has NOTHING AT ALL to do with my 2003 surgery.
It started a couple weeks ago with a very localized pain smack dab in the middle of my lower back, a couple inches below my waist. I ran my scheduled runs without any pain while running and found that it was most bothersome in the evening after sitting on my rear end all day at work. I only have pain in my back; it doesn't radiate down my legs or bother my glutes or hamstrings at all, which seems like a good thing to me. I did some extra stretching (especially my hamstrings) and icing, both of which seem to help and took some Advil. It didn't get any better or worse for the first week or so (even after last Saturday's 35 mile effort), but as this week went on, it did start flaring up a little earlier in the day. I've gotten out of my chair at work to walk around a bit and do some extra stretching. This past week, I had an extra day off built into the schedule as part of my taper and I skipped yesterday's run as well. I considered skipping today's run, but it was feeling a little better and I decided to give it a go. That gave me about three-and-a-half days since my last run on Thursday morning. Thankfully it didn't bother me during the run. I stretched and iced and am feeling OK.
I've done my research on-line and looked through some books at the store today, but I still don't know what it is. The fact that ice and stretching help lead to me believe that it's a muscle or tendon.
In the end, the timing was actually pretty good (coming on right at my taper and after I'd done all of my serious long runs) and I really didn't miss much training. That's why it's just a "hiccup" - similar to the hiccup I had during my run this evening, it's annoying, but didn't stop me or affect my training or final race preparation. On the other hand, it doesn't seem like it's going to go away just by holding my breath or drinking a little sugar water. But, that's what the rest of November is for - I'll have plenty of time to rest my back beginning November 18.
Run - November 5
Distance: 3.25 miles
Time: 25 minutes
Average heart rate: 140
Course: West Side Highway
Conditions: Sunny, cool (high 40s)
Strength/Core - November 5
Swim - November 6
Distance: 2,550
Time: 52 minutes
Run - November 7
Distance: 3.2 miles
Time: 26 minutes
Average heart rate: 137
Course: East Village
Conditions: Sunny, cool (high 40s)
Run - November 8
Distance: 3.0 miles
Time: 25 minutes
Average heart rate: 142
Course: West Village
Conditions: Sunny, chilly (high 30s)
Bike - November 8
Time: 50 minutes
Average heart rate: 111
Indoor ride
Run - November 11
Distance: 7.5 miles
Time: 1:03
Average heart rate: 143
Course: West Side Highway
Conditions: Evening run, cool (high 40s)
Sunday, November 04, 2007
NYC Marathon and Olympic Trials - Part 2
What a weekend of running! Beginning Saturday morning at 6:30AM, my weekend went something like this (with a little bit of Elizabeth and Charlie time thrown in here and there):
Wake up
Eat
Watch running (Olympic Marathon Trials)
Run
Eat
Run
Eat
Sleep
Wake up
Eat
Watch running (NYC Marathon)
Eat
Run
Eat
Sleep
Phew!
Starting from the beginning, watching the Olympic Marathon Trials was awesome! It was really exciting to go out there and be a part of it. I went up with Ron and we watched with my friend Jonathan and Marcellus, a guy we met while we were up there. Marcellus is in town from Virginia and ran the marathon today.
The sad news, as you probably heard is that one runner, Ryan Shay, collapsed and died at about mile 5.5. It's so sad. The results of the initial autopsy were inconclusive , but the news reports are saying that he had an enlarged heart and presumably, his death was somehow related to that. It's amazing - he was probably in the best shape of his life and had no idea that there was something serious going on with his ticker. For obvious and good reason, they didn't say anything at the Trials, so I had no idea until much later in the day after I got back from my run and checked my voicemail. It really shook me when I heard the news - I was so pumped from watching the trials and thinking about how great U.S. distance running is right now, that to hear such tragic news was deflating. I've been fixated by the news coverage of his death. Such a tragedy... And knowing that he died definitely makes me think a little differently about the Trials, but while we were there, we had a great time. We saw the runners pass us five times and not far from where we were watching there was a big screen showing the race live, so we were able to follow it the whole time. It was stunning to see how fast these guys were running and, for the most part, looking pretty comfortable throwing down sub-5:00 miles!
This is the lead pack at about mile 14:
Here's Brian Sell (eventual third place winner) a little behind the lead pack at mile 14; this is my favorite picture that I took yesterday:
Here's Ryan Hall at about mile 20 - he made his break at about mile 17 and already had over a minute on the pack by this point (the picture at the top of this post is Hall as he's finishing - obviously not taken by me!):
After the Trials, I changed into my running clothes and took the train up to the George Washington Bridge to do my run. My plan was to run 25-26 miles in the morning and then, after resting a little bit at home, going back out for another 9-10 miles. I did my early run on the trails in the Palisades and had another great run up there. It was a nice fall day - cool, cloudy and some wind, and thankfully, dry. This time I stayed on the Long Path and ran to the State Line Lookout nearly at the northern end of the Long Path and then turned around and came back the same way. There is a little cafe at the State Line Lookout where I bought a bottle of water, which saved me from running out of water like the other week. On my way back, I saw a couple deer - as I was running down the trail, there was one standing in the middle of trail watching me approach. She (I think) waited until was 30-40 feet away before bounding off to the side to watch me pass.I as passed her, I noticed one watching me from the woods on the opposite side of the trail. It was pretty cool to see. I ended up doing about 26 miles in 3:50. I felt great for the first three hours and, even when I started "feeling it" during the last hour, I still felt like I was running pretty strong and keeping my pace. After my run, I came home and had a couple hours to try to take in some calories and sit on the couch before I had to get dressed again and head out for my second run.
Run #2 last night was tougher. I didn't get off my butt until close to 7 and since it was pitch-black dark outside and there was some exciting college football to watch on TV, I decided to go to the gym and run on the treadmill. It was a good choice - the treadmill was softer on my joints than the pavement would have been and the football was pretty good. It also forced me to run at a consistent pace. I wanted to do that run a little faster than a 9:00/mile pace and that's essentially what I did. The first three or so miles felt pretty good, then I muscled through to mile five before pausing the treadmill to walk for a minute or two around the gym. I got back on the treadmill, ran another two miles, walked another minute or so and then finished up my nine miles and just about wept with joy to be done! It was a tough day of running, but I pushed through it - walking when I needed to (but only after running about 31 miles on the day). Also, I pretty much nailed my nutrition and feel comfortable that my fueling plan for the JFK will carrying me through at least 35-40 miles (after that, I'll keep my fingers crossed, but who knows what's going to happen!)
This morning I got up, had some breakfast and went out to Park Slope (near mile 7 of the marathon course) to meet up with some friends to watch the marathon. I was feeling a little gimpy and sore - especially in my hips and feet - and I got a little tired being on my feet all morning to watch the marathon, but in general, I recovered well from yesterday's effort. I'll keep my fingers crossed that I still feel this good tomorrow!
It was exciting to be out on the marathon course and see the elite runners go flying by. Here's Paula Radcliff and Gete Wami as they passed mile 7:
Radcliff was looking great and, along with Wami, had already had opened up a nice little lead on the rest of the pack by the time she passed us. When I heard she won, I was very impressed that she had been able to hold her lead for that long. We also saw the elite men come by (in a much bigger pack at that point) and hung out there until pretty much the very last runner passed by. We saw all shapes and sizes, runners, walkers, very serious athletes and people in costumes. Here's a little artsy picture I took from the water station at mile 7; I think it came out nice:
I finished up my weekend of running with a slow, easy 3 mile run around the West Village this evening. Less than two weeks now...
Running - November 3
Run #1
Distance: 26 miles
Time: 3:50
Average heart rate: 148
Course: GW Bridge/Palisades (Long Path)
Conditions: Overcast, 50's, windy
Run #2
Distance: 9 miles
Time: 1:20
Average heart rate: 141
Treadmill run
Run - November 4
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 25 minutes
Average heart rate: 132
Course: West Village
Conditions: Clouds, low 50's
Thursday, November 01, 2007
NYC Marathon and Olympic Trials
It's marathon week here in New York City. And this year, New York has a special treat - the Men's Olympic Trials are taking place in the City on Saturday morning. So, Saturday morning, 130 of the top U.S. men's marathon runners will be racing in Central Park and then Sunday morning, 35,000+ marathon hopefuls will be racing throughout the five boroughs. I'm planning to head out and watch and cheer at both.
Running in the Marathon Kick Off last Sunday, seeing the posters in Subway and seeing messages on the various internet message boards has gotten me pretty excited for the weekend. I've been thinking back a little on my race last year and still can't get over how much fun it was (at least how much fun the first 20 miles were!). It's been a pretty exciting 12 months for me athletically - if I'm counting correctly, I raced 1 marathon, 1 Ironman, 1 half-ironman, 3 half marathons, 2 Olympic distance triathlons, 1 duathlon, 2 10-mile races and a few shorter races. I set PR after PR and have had a ton of fun doing it. And as you know, my 2007 race season isn't over just yet!
This morning I met up with Ron and we ran laps around Washington Square Park. It's a half mile around the Park and normally a pretty boring run, but Ron and I had a lot to catch up on, so the laps flew by. We did the same run almost exactly a year ago (I think last year it was on the Wednesday before the marathon) as we were both finishing our marathon tapers. Neither of us are running this year, but it was still great to run with him.
This afternoon, I walked up to the Javits Center to check out the marathon expo. They normally have some pretty good deals on running clothes and gear and the shoe companies show off their 2008 models. I was a bit underwhelmed. I think I got my expectations up a little too high - there were plenty of booths and all of the major shoe companies were there; I just wasn't that impressed with the selection of what was being sold. I did stop by the Mizuno booth to talk to them about the new Rider 11's. I don't know if I've gone into it much here, but I love the Mizuno Rider 9. I've been wearing it for nearly two years now. When they came out with the Rider 10 last year, I gave it a try, but hated it - they'd made some changes to the shape and it wasn't as comfortable and actually caused me some knee pain. So, I spent considerable effort finding as many pairs of size 11 Rider 9s as I could. I found a bunch, but I think the supply is now exhausted. I have two more unworn pairs, which should carry me through into early 2008. But then I'm going to have to find a new shoe. I talked to a really nice guy at the Mizuno booth and tried on the Rider 11's, which officially come out in January. They felt pretty good, but I'm not going to get my hopes up until they're out and I can I try them on a treadmill. I talked with the Mizuno rep for a little bit - he was a sick runner in the 70's. Ran at Oregon with Pre, ran in the Olympic Trials in 1972 (or 1976) with Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers and was a consistent top 10-20 finisher at marathons. Pretty cool stuff for a running nerd.
Watching the marathon this weekend should be a blast - I'm looking forward to giving back a little bit of that energy that I got from the crowds last year. I actually don't know that many people running this year. I think we'll station ourselves in Brooklyn. The marathon will be great, but I'm really looking forward to watching the trials - I've actually never seen pro marathoners racing in person, and this should be some of the best of the best. They start at Rockefeller Center, make their way through Times Square to the Park and then run five laps around the Park (they skip Harlem Hill each time and the first time around they cut through at 72nd street, making it one 4-mile loop and four 5-mile loops - more info and a link to a map is here. It should be very exciting to watch. I'll have to decide who to root for - Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi come to mind right now, but they're easy favorites, I need to find a dark-horse. One guy I know I'll be following is Adam Goucher. He was one of the "stars" of Running with the Buffaloes, a fantastic book written by a guy who spent a season following the University of Colorado Buffaloes cross country team. At the time, Goucher was a student and already a stud. He's not one of the highlighted names or favorites in the trials (his best distances are 10K and shorter), but he is trained by Alberto Salazar in Oregon and has a strong resume. Ron works down the hall from Karl Dusen, so I'll be on the lookout for him as well.
Run - November 1
Distance: 3.6 miles
Time: 31 minutes
Average heart rate: 129
Course: Washington Square Park
Conditions: Partly cloudy and comfortable (mid-50s)
Running in the Marathon Kick Off last Sunday, seeing the posters in Subway and seeing messages on the various internet message boards has gotten me pretty excited for the weekend. I've been thinking back a little on my race last year and still can't get over how much fun it was (at least how much fun the first 20 miles were!). It's been a pretty exciting 12 months for me athletically - if I'm counting correctly, I raced 1 marathon, 1 Ironman, 1 half-ironman, 3 half marathons, 2 Olympic distance triathlons, 1 duathlon, 2 10-mile races and a few shorter races. I set PR after PR and have had a ton of fun doing it. And as you know, my 2007 race season isn't over just yet!
This morning I met up with Ron and we ran laps around Washington Square Park. It's a half mile around the Park and normally a pretty boring run, but Ron and I had a lot to catch up on, so the laps flew by. We did the same run almost exactly a year ago (I think last year it was on the Wednesday before the marathon) as we were both finishing our marathon tapers. Neither of us are running this year, but it was still great to run with him.
This afternoon, I walked up to the Javits Center to check out the marathon expo. They normally have some pretty good deals on running clothes and gear and the shoe companies show off their 2008 models. I was a bit underwhelmed. I think I got my expectations up a little too high - there were plenty of booths and all of the major shoe companies were there; I just wasn't that impressed with the selection of what was being sold. I did stop by the Mizuno booth to talk to them about the new Rider 11's. I don't know if I've gone into it much here, but I love the Mizuno Rider 9. I've been wearing it for nearly two years now. When they came out with the Rider 10 last year, I gave it a try, but hated it - they'd made some changes to the shape and it wasn't as comfortable and actually caused me some knee pain. So, I spent considerable effort finding as many pairs of size 11 Rider 9s as I could. I found a bunch, but I think the supply is now exhausted. I have two more unworn pairs, which should carry me through into early 2008. But then I'm going to have to find a new shoe. I talked to a really nice guy at the Mizuno booth and tried on the Rider 11's, which officially come out in January. They felt pretty good, but I'm not going to get my hopes up until they're out and I can I try them on a treadmill. I talked with the Mizuno rep for a little bit - he was a sick runner in the 70's. Ran at Oregon with Pre, ran in the Olympic Trials in 1972 (or 1976) with Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers and was a consistent top 10-20 finisher at marathons. Pretty cool stuff for a running nerd.
Watching the marathon this weekend should be a blast - I'm looking forward to giving back a little bit of that energy that I got from the crowds last year. I actually don't know that many people running this year. I think we'll station ourselves in Brooklyn. The marathon will be great, but I'm really looking forward to watching the trials - I've actually never seen pro marathoners racing in person, and this should be some of the best of the best. They start at Rockefeller Center, make their way through Times Square to the Park and then run five laps around the Park (they skip Harlem Hill each time and the first time around they cut through at 72nd street, making it one 4-mile loop and four 5-mile loops - more info and a link to a map is here. It should be very exciting to watch. I'll have to decide who to root for - Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi come to mind right now, but they're easy favorites, I need to find a dark-horse. One guy I know I'll be following is Adam Goucher. He was one of the "stars" of Running with the Buffaloes, a fantastic book written by a guy who spent a season following the University of Colorado Buffaloes cross country team. At the time, Goucher was a student and already a stud. He's not one of the highlighted names or favorites in the trials (his best distances are 10K and shorter), but he is trained by Alberto Salazar in Oregon and has a strong resume. Ron works down the hall from Karl Dusen, so I'll be on the lookout for him as well.
Run - November 1
Distance: 3.6 miles
Time: 31 minutes
Average heart rate: 129
Course: Washington Square Park
Conditions: Partly cloudy and comfortable (mid-50s)
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