2011 Marathon Schedule

2010 was a light year for running Marathons - I had run one less than my totals in 08 and 09 - but it was a successful year overall.  I set PR's in all distances but the 1-mile and 5-mile lengths, won a 5K (placed second and third in two others), and qualified for the Boston Marathon.  Even if I had accomplished all the other goals, the BM goal was the one achievement I have been striving for pretty much since I started running.  Now that the goal has been reached, I can start taking my running to the next level.

2011 will make up for the light Marathon running done this year as I have scheduled for myself five 26.2-mile races.  Two are very familiar, and three will be all-new.  (One of them should be obvious.)  Here they are, in chronological order:


Hyannis Marathon
Sunday, February 27, 10AM
Hyannis, Massachusetts
Number of times raced:  3
Best Finishing Time:  3:32:03 (2009)
Course Map

In spite of wild weather on the Cape in late February, I just can't stay away from the first place I ever ran a Marathon distance.  The terrain is mostly flat and the scenery is pleasant with the right balance of supporters and open places.  Winter Marathon running guarantees that you won't overheat outdoors as the temps almost never break 50 degrees.

Last year's run was not completely disastrous but I suffered through most of the second half of the race.  Stricken with fever and fatigue, it took me nearly 2 dismal hours to get through the last 12 miles of the race and I finished around the 3:45 mark.


Boston Marathon
Monday, April 18, 10AM
Hopkinton to Boston, Massachusetts
Course Map

"Finally made it, Ma.  Top of the world."

I can't describe enough how good it feels to finally be marking this date in my Calendar for racing purposes.  Every step of the way here has been marked with challenges and I'll likely continue with more challenges before setting foot in Hopkinton.  There will be a lot of factors that will affect my performance here - unpredictable weather, lodging conditions the night before, ability to weave through runners, distractions from the huge crowds of spectators -  but my biggest goal is to enjoy the experience.  This is one of the most coveted races in the world and I'm finally a part of it.


Sugarloaf Marathon
Sunday, May 15, 7AM
Eustis to Kingfield, ME (Route 27)
Number of Times Raced:  3
Best Finishing Time:  3:08:21 (2010)
Course Map

Like Hyannis, I can't stay away from this one - though for a slightly different set of reasons.  Not only is this one of the best courses for me to run, it is the one that qualified me for Boston.  There's something about the terrain and weather that makes it nearly perfect.

This year, the goal will be set more aggressively:  finish in under 3 hours.  If I have a chance in any 2011 course it'll be here.


MDI Marathon
Sunday, October 16, 8AM
Bar Harbor to Southwest Harbor, Maine
Course Map

This is a race I've set my sights for since I started running Marathons regularly.  This is easily the toughest of the 5 courses to run this year, but I am really looking forward to it.  I really do not have a goal set (yet) other than to finish and enjoy the scenery.

Elevation Map and Comparison to Boston

Philadelphia Marathon
Sunday, November 20, 7AM
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Course Map

There is a lot of time to study and strategize this course so there aren't many details yet.  The biggest reason for this run is not necessarily for the Marathon itself but for what I'll be doing after I reach the finish line.  The hint is in the picture below:

Da-daaa-duuuuuuuuuuuun... da-daaa-duuuuuuuuuuuuun...

...I think it'll be a great way to wrap up the Marathon year.

Burnout - PT 8K Results

Missing a personal best time it isn't necessarily a loss as much as it is a learning experience, trying to factor in all internal and external conditions to see what one could learn from and overcome next time.  Missing it by a mere 1 or 2 secods, however, can be frustrating.  Especially knowing that one or two adjustments could have made all the difference..

Overall time:  32:11
Overall Finish:  13th
Pace per mile:  6:28.5
Age Group Finish:  4th
Splits:  6:06, 6:06, 6:18, 7:02, 6:39

It's pretty obvious by the split times where I fell off.  I hit stomach cramps hard on the 4th mile and struggled to recover before the final approach to the finish line.  I pin a lot of this on running out just a bit too hard, and part of it to not being able to push through the pain and discomfort on the vital stretch of the race.  The terrain was flat, but I think that might have made me a bit overconfident.  I paced it like a shorter race - which showed as I was crossed the 5K mark at roughly 19 minutes flat before falling off.

With no single-mile and 5-mile races left for the year (in Maine anyway), my attempt to PR every major distance this year will come up a little short.  Disappointed? A bit.  Discouraged?  Not at all.  I'll make every effort next year to PR them all.

8K = 5 miles = Last Chance to PR in 2010

In spite of my failure to achieve my sub-180 weight so far this year (the last time I was at that weight was about two years ago), I look back and see that I've probably had my best running year yet.  I've set personal bests in all major course lengths save for two.  This Sunday may be the last chance to break my personal best in one of those lengths.

Physical Therapy 8K

Sunday, October 17 @ 9AM

Course Length:  8 kilometers (4.97 miles)

Personal Course best:  N/A

8K/5-mile best:  32:20

Granted, the 8K isn't exactly 5 miles, but the small distance left shouldn't be an issue if I'm on the top of my game.  Calculating my pace in my best 5-miler (6:28/mile), I would need to finish better than 32:09.  Given the way I've been running over the past couple months, all it should take is some good weather and a fairly favorable course.  We'll see what happens on Sunday.

Meeting Expectations - Maine (Half) Marathon Results

Everything in this was what I planned to have happen - a clear, cool, dry day, legs felt 100% ready to go, and my goal to break 1 hour, 30 minutes was met with relative ease.  This in itself is a rare event.

Overall Time:  1:28:36

Overall Finish:  54th (out of 2,030)

Pace Per Mile:  6:45

Age Group Finish: 8th (out of 106)

The only monkey wrench I had in my plan was the allergies that had kicked in this past week.  Through part of the run, my sinuses swelled up to the point where I was sniffling and one of my eyes started to shed tears.  Oddly enough it straightened out and it never really affected my race performance at all.

Miles 1-5

Splits:  7:00, 6:39, 6:50, 6:47, 6:50

Split total:  34:06

I started out going slow, though not by choice.  Even though I wasn't far from the start, there were many runners up to the front that were not going fast at all.  (I am really starting to like the pace markers at the larger road races because of this.)  I knew this course so well, however, and when I weaved my way to the left edge of the road I had a narrow slit that allowed be to leapfrog dozens - perhaps hundreds - of runners.  I was still gaining momentum after the first mile and by the time I turned on to route 1, I had found a comfortable pace.  At that point my goal was to just maintain this pace until the end.

Miles 6-10

Splits:  6:56, 6:51, 6:45, 6:41, 6:43 

Split total: 33:56

Overall:  1:08:02

Miles 5 through 8 were on route 88, the road that had the dreaded rolling hills.  In the Marathon leg, this terrain would wear down on me and beat me up.  Luckily I only stayed on this road for a few miles, turning around after the first major up and down hill.  Once I passed back on that hill, I extended my stride a bit and started to take the race with a bit more aggression.  On mile 9 I had approached a guy running the half and we proceeded to make conversation through the next few miles.  I tend to be pretty antisocial during a race but the talk was welcome and we helped each other keep up a stronger pace than what we've been doing.

Miles 11-13.1

Splits:  6:40, 6:40, 6:40, :34(~6:40)

Split total:  20:34

Overall:  1:28:36

I hit a harder pace than what I originally intended but I was determined to keep it up.  (What I didn't realize was that I had a 5K at such an even pace - only when I looked through my splits after the race did I notice I had done that.)  I broke away from the other runner as soon as we turned to the Back Cove and defied my tired legs.  The most interesting part was that I was passing runners on every mile from start to finish.  No one passed me after 4 miles.  

I was happy with my finish.  This is a very familiar course to me now - my 4th visit to this race - but this was my first half marathon in over 2 years.  I never had any doubt that I could finish it, but I always try to prepare for the unexpected.

Lucky for me, the unexpected never happened.  It was a solid, complete race.

The Return to the Maine (Half) Marathon

September was a pretty successful month including a second place overall in a 5K this past weekend.  Miles are on the increase, legs are feeling up to par, and the weather has been mostly cooperative. 

As October makes its introduction, Portland will play host to one of the biggest races of the year in Maine - aptly named the Maine Marathon.  The 3 heats are the Marathon itself (26.2 miles), Half Marathon (13.1 miles), and Marathon Relay (a team of 4 split the Marathon distance).  Attendance is at the cap (3,500) for the race which is no surprise.  Preliminary weather reports look typical as well, as temps will peak around the 60-degree mark and there will be plenty of sunshine.

I will be running in this race for the fourth year in a row - however I am running the half marathon instead of the full.  There are two reasons for this:  one, I am not fully trained nor have I had the time to train to run a marathon distance at the moment.  Two, I feel that there is no pressure to run a fall marathon now that I've qualified for Boston this year.  I suppose there may be a third reason to this as well:  I have only completed 3 half marathons in my running career.  Since I feel that I'm long overdue to set a new PR for this distance, I should take advantage of the opportunity to run another one.

The new logo for the Maine Marathon

Maine Half Marathon
Sunday, October 3 @ 7:30AM
Course Length: 13.1 miles
Personal course best: 2:03:15
13.1-mile best: 1:30:44
Course Map

As you can see, my best on this course for the H-M length won't be too difficult to break.  It was only my second road race and the longest distance I had ever run at once.  If everything feels good I should easily break the hour and a half mark on the course.

Fourth Year of Road Racing Begins

A third place and first place finish in the last two road races are a really good way to end August and my third road racing year.  Along the way, I've set new PR's in every noable race distance category except for three places: the 1-mile, the 5-mile, and the half marathon.  On Monday, I'll have a chance to knock down one of those three distances.

Bangor Labor Day Road Race
Monday, September 6 @ 9AM
Course Length:  5 miles
Personal course best:  33:45
5-mile best: 32:20
Course Map

In case you didn't know, this is the race that started it all for me.  This is also the most challenging 5-mile race that I've run so far, and each year it seems to throw me for a loop.  The first two miles are open and flat enough to post a great pace, but that's where it traps you.  By the time you realize what you're in for - usually when you turn off the road while going uphill and into a goat path.

To get to Holland St. direct from 14th St., one needs to go through the 'goat path.'

Though it's pretty rough and definitely a 'trail' grade path, the incline has only just begun.  Holland street is all uphill.  It definitely takes its toll.  Luckily, there is a break down Wiley St, but the hill begins again just before mile 3 is completed.  West Broadway is the salvation in this course as the uphills finally stop and the remainder of the course is slightly downhill and wide open.  However, runners live or die by the aforementioned hills.  It's very well possible that the energy levels are so low that the final two miles might as well be in the river.

My goal this year is to not let those hille kill me.  If I get to 3 miles in 19 1/2 minutes or less, I will get a personal best in this race.  The weather conditions are somewhat favorable  (55-60 degrees by race time) so that should help.

2007:  46:45, 96th overall, 9:21 pace
2008:  33:45, 22nd overall, 6:45 pace
2009:  35:39, 30th overall, 7:08 pace

Labor day race photo - left, 2007 - right, 2008

St. Peter's 4-mile Road Race - Results

Overall time:  25:58
Pace per Mile:  6:29.5
Overall Place:  36 (out of 277)
Age Group Place: 5 (out of 17)
Male Splits:  5:51, 6:37, 6:53, 6:37

This was the first evening race (outside of the weekly Back Cove series) so I came into this not expecting too much of myself.  My body performs much differently at 7PM than it does at 7AM.  Even with that, the weather was nice enough to not be a major factor this evening.

The route claimed to be 'downhill at the start and the end' which was true, but on the course are some long, slow inclines that would cause minor problems for people who started out a little too fast. 

Mile 1 had the familiar Fore St. hill to the Eastern Promenade (a route also used by the Irish Road Rover 5K and the Duo Duel relay) in which I easily scaled.  I was kinda surprised when I crossed the first mile under 6 minutes because I thought that the hill would have slowed me a bit.  Knowing that I would pay for it later, I just kept myself at a moderate race pace as much as possible.  Mile 2 would slowly sap my strength, making mile 3 much more difficult than it should have been.  The Fore st. hill was back - this time going down - at the end of 3 miles and I used it to regain momentum and I pushed harder to get through what felt like a very long last mile.

I crossed in just under 26 minutes, so I was satisfied with that time.  There were definitely some things I would have adjusted to run better overall but it was a good race and I'll likely run this one again next year.

Head-Light: Beach 2 Beacon Results

Overall Time:  40:17
Pace per Mile:  6:29
Overall Place:  357 (out of 5,670)
Age Group Place:  29 (out of 309)

It was a cool and beautiful morning to run.  After the humid weather we've been having over the last month it was a relief to get something almost fall-like.  I had a good feeling about the race; I set my goal to beat my PR (40:30) and possibly break the 40 minute-mark.

Start Line
It's kinda funny to see such a big start-line structure out in the middle of nowhere.  I suppose it belongs in the same 'funny' category as when you see 15,000 people crammed into this part of Cape Elizabeth.  Everything seemed very well-coordinated and professional.  The 6,000 runners were herded into this extra long chute that took up the width of the road and sorted according to what the runners thought their pace would be.  I placed myself in between the 6 and 7 minute pace signs (which would later prove to be very accurate).  They started about 10 minutes late but otherwise everything was smooth right up to the starting siren.

First Mile - 6:25
I was expecting to be held up badly in this first mile but the spacing was surprisingly sufficient to get the pace I wanted early in the run.  The terrain started as a slight downhill for the first 200 meters then leveled out to a nice, open route 77.  Just before the lighthouse pillars that marked the 1st mile, I passed a group of 5 or 6 runners dressed as smurfs.  And singing the smurf theme.  I'm not here to question anyone's sanity.

Second Mile - 6:33 (12:58)
I felt that I went ever so slightly fast in the first mile so I instead tried to draft behind someone who seemed to be keeping his pace.  The road made a slow bend but otherwise kept itself straight and even.  When I approached the road that would take us off route 77 I realized that the guy in front of me was laboring a bit.  I broke off the drafting and pushed myself ahead.

Third Mile - 6:23 (19:21)
I had a lot more energy than I realized so I turned it up slightly and charged through the airwaves filled with the sounds of "Bad Romance."  (I'm not sure if that's really runner-inspiring music, but whatever floats their boats..)  There were slight elevations in the road but not enough to make any impact.  This was the mile I passed a lot of runners.

Fourth Mile - 6:37 (25:58)
This mile led us back to route 77 and past the High School to the intersection and into Fort Williams Park.  This route was also even but this was also the mile that the sun came out briefly from behind the clouds.  I caught myself slowing down a bit through the mile even though the terrain was still fairly flat.

Taken at mile 5 - photo by Maine Running Photos

Fifth Mile - 6:25 (32:23)
The rolling hills were just starting but when the sun went behind the clouds I redoubled my efforts and forged ahead.  The little dash of adrenaline got me going again and pushed myself ahead of more people and through all the twists and turns of the road.  Things were looking good after 5 - in fact I crossed the markers just 3 seconds off my personal best for 5 miles.  Very nice.

Sixth Mile - 6:46 (39:09)
This mile taught me a valuable lesson:  I'm still running a race IN MAINE.  Turn, hill, bigger turn, bigger hill, and two crazy hairpin turns chock full of people tot he point where I almost thought I had reached the finish line, only to emerge with more than a quarter mile left to go.  Lesson learned.

Final Stretch - 1:06 (40:17)
I was a touch demoralized near the end of the mile - that is, until I crossed it. I realized that even with the bad mile I still had a good shot of making a PR, but only if I stepped it up. 

Go time. 

I gradually upped the tempo as I approached the big turn to the barricades of the final few hundred yards.  One guy zoomed past me but it gave me the surge of adrenaline that I needed at the right time. 

Sprinter's kick.

I 100-meter-dashed through the final leg of the race to the finish passing 4 or 5 people in the final couple hundred feet.  I crossed the finish and let my legs gradually slow me down.  I looked at my watch and smiled.  I beat my personal best. 

Finish
It was just then that the sun came out.  Vindication.  Even the march up the hill to get water in the dehydrating sun couldn't get me down.  In a race that I didn't expect to win any prizes, I at least accomplished a personal goal.  Not a bad way to spend a cool August morning.

The Force of July

In similar fashion to June, I'll go over what I've run this month so far and give a little preview on what's coming up.

Firecracker 5K - Thomaston, ME - Saturday, 7/3
Overall Time:  20:29
Overall Place:  9th
Age Group Place:  2nd
Pace per Mile:  6:36
Splits (half):  10:05/10:24

Overall I didn't feel too bad in this race though I ran the first mile much harder than I wanted.  Based on roughly where mile 1 was, I was at about 5:50-5:55 pace which knocked me down in the second half of the run.  Though cooler than Sunday, the temperature shot up at least 10 degrees when the sun came out about 7:30 AM.

L.L. Bean 10K - Freeport, ME - Sunday, 7/4
Overall Time:  44:32
Overall Place:  135th
Age Group Place:  15th
Pace Per Mile:  7:09
Splits (per mile):  6:42, 6:52, 7:08, 7:23, 7:37, 7:13, 1:37

I definitely did not feel 100% going into this race, and the harsh weather made things a lot worse for me.  After the first two miles, it felt like someone threw themselves on my shoders and my legs felt stiff.  By mile 4 it was a losing battle to keep myself under 7 minute pace.  I struggled through 5 miles and pushed with as much effort as I could in the last part of the race.  I crossed the line exhausted as if I had run in 90 degree heat.  Surprisingly, I found out later that I wasn't dehydrated.  It just seemed like this weekend was just not my weekend to run well.


With this upcoming weekend off from any races, I should be able to get rested and restored for what's ahead:

Clam Festival 5-miler - Yarmouth, ME - Saturday, June 17
Yarmouth Town Hall, 8AM

This is a big July race in Maine, probably bigger than the LL Bean 10K.  It's also pretty much right where I live, which makes travel to this very easy.  This is my first time running this but I have a feeling that this race will be a good one for me.

Fort Knox Bay Festival 5K - Bucksport, ME - Saturday, June 24
Verso Paper Fitness Center, 8AM

I set a 5K personal record on this course in 2008 - 19:12 - which stood until the Unity Spring race this year.  Hopefully with some discipline and a little luck weather-wise I can hit around the 19-minute mark again and possibly approach the 18:52 mark I set in April.


Not a lot left for this month but it's all building for the Beach to Beacon which will open up August's race month for me.  Let's hope the heat stays down just a little bit for these races.

Coup du Lac: Bucksport Tour du Lac 10-miler Results

Overall Time:  1:07:55
Overall Place:  16th
Pace Per Mile:  6:47.5
Age Group Finish:  4th
Mile 1-5 Splits:  6:47, 6:44, 6:36, 6:52, 6:50 (33:49)
Mile 6-10 Splits:  7:13, 6:54, 6:47, 6:42, 6:30 (34:06)

As shaky as this month has been for running overall, I couldn't have asked for a better end to it.

There aren't many 10-milers for me to compare myself to - I only have this and the Cape Elizabeth run in February to compare.  Also, with it being summer, Marathons (and even half marathons) are extremely rare.  That's what makes this race important from a personal stance.  It's a waypoint in my long distance summer running that ultimately sets the tempo for the fall marathon.  

The race time is early - 7:30AM - but that's actually a good thing when late June temps can soar past 90 degrees fast.  Luckily the sun stayed behind the clouds and gave us a fairly cool 60-65 degree run.  Unlike the Hampden race last week when temps were surging past 80 before the race began, the Tour du Lac would prove to be about as comfortable as a summer long distance race could be.

RK and I convened briefly before the race to discuss strategies.  Though most plans are thrown out the window after the first 10-20% of the race, it was still good to get a pre-race gauge of where we are.  I took a 1/2-mile jog to get a feel for my legs.  There was an ache in my left calf but it has been like this for the last few weeks and hasn't really come into play during any race or workout.  Once I'm warmed up or speeding up, the ache goes away.  Content that I'm good for at least a 70-minute run, I focus in and prep myself on the start line.

The first few miles are almost all inclines but are easily manageable provided one doesn't go out too fast.  This is the kind of course that is very unforgiving to people who are too fast too early.  Miles 4 and 5 are mostly small rolling hills and not much of a change in elevation which allows a bit of a momentum pickup.

Then there's mile 6.

I see it before I get to the marker - the big hill with a 5-6% grade for at least a quarter mile.  Though this hill doesn't necessarily take it all out, it does slow down runners significantly.  It makes the second hill at the beginning of mile 7 seem bigger than it really is.  Once I'm at the top, the next half mile of 7 is a free fall, followed by rolling hills until the end of 8.

For me, I am already building momentum and starting to accelerate on mile 7, continuing to build on 8 and 9 until I encounter a small hill at the start of mile 10.  I always push hard on this hill so I can ride that effort down the next half mile until I make it back on Broadway.  The final quarter mile is a bit uphill which puts a lot more effort on the legs to push to the finish.

I moved ahead of RK after 3 miles, Stephen Whalen (who finished right behind me) after 4, then there was no one for the rest of the race.  I did start to hear footsteps on 9 but I put my foot on the gas to make sure I stayed ahead.

What resulted was a personal record on the course by over 2 minutes and a new 10-mile PR by 43 seconds, crossing the line just barely under my intended goal of 68 minutes.  It's a great way to seal the month of June.

June 2010: What's Behind, What's Ahead

Though with an alarming lack of updates, I have still been very busy running this month.  Since the Marathon, I have run a 1-mile race (technically run on 5/31), five 5K races, and a 10K race. An 8.5-miler and a 10-miler are all that's left until the end of the month, but for long distance races during the summer, they are pretty important.  I'll start with what's been run so far:

Cumberland Memorial Mile - Cumberland, ME - Monday, 5/31
Overall Time: 5 minutes, 25 seconds
Half-mile splits:  2:44/2:41
Overall Finish: 9th
Age Group Finish:  1st

I was thankful for having a race that was only a single mile in length, because I don't think I'd be able to do better than that for the day.  Choking smoke from the Quebec forest fires combined with my own health issues (sore throat, weak feeling in the arms, hip aches from the Marathon) made even this short run a challenge.

We got under way a bit late due to a miscalculation in the kids 1/2-mile fun run.  The majority of the group had circled around the wrong flagger and came back too early, roughly 1/4 of a mile for a distance.  After a little confusion (and waiting for those who ran the correct distance to finish), they instructed the kids where to turn and re-ran it.

The race itself started one mile away from Greely Academy which gave me the ideal excuse to do a warm-up jog on the length of the course.  Though largely flat, main street does have some slight inclines that would definitely make a difference from other single miles I've run (only 2 to this point; both were mostly downhill).  After a little bit of delay, the runners assembled at the start line (some of them backed off when the announcer advised that those running slower than "6 minutes" not be right on the start line).

About 15-20 runners catapulted themselves off the start line, something that would bite some of them in the end.  I gently accelerated to get to what I felt was a roughly 5:30 pace and then worked to keep the pace up as long as I could.  I knew that my only waypoint was the 1/2-mile mark so I kept myself running hard in spite of the shell shock I was giving my body.  It was hard to believe that it had been roughly 2 years since I pushed myself to this level for any distance. 

I stepped on the .5 line at 2:44 and started to feel my arms ache and tingle.  I was still far from 100% and had broke a fever just 3-4 hours before the race; my body was reminding me of that.  I forced myself to ignore it for the next 3 minutes and propelled forward like I was on the track.  All this time I was passing people one by one like a sniper and slingshotting my way toward the finish.  Having such a clear shot to the finish with still being a half mile away gave me a vertigo feeling but it just made me drive with that much more determination.

I crossed the line with my second best single-mile time ever (5:18 still stands as my personal best, done exactly 2 years prior) in spite of all the aforementioned factors.  My reward was a delicious strawberry rhubarb pie - which didn't last 24 hours, by the way - and a confident feeling that I was still running at my best post-Sugarloaf.

Weekly Back Cove 5K Series - Portland, ME - Wednesdays

Letest Results

Personal Stats and Standings

I had been eyeing this series since I started road racing and had been curious to get involved with it.  This is pretty much the only race in Maine held on a Wednesday night which would pose its own interesting set of challenges.  Wednesdays are usually my designated speed workout days so this has effectively replaced them for the time being.

The first week was run a mere 72 hours after the Marathon - my body was nowhere near the peak of performance.  Each of the next 3 weeks saw me improve in time until last week when I fell about 30 seconds.  My 5K average - 20:30 - is something I'm happy with considering I'm holding myself back a bit in order to experiment and conserve.  I will not be running Week 7 because of the impending 10-mile race the following weekend but I should have a few more of these races in July and August.  I'm not sure if I'll make this a yearly thing but for now it's a lot of fun, and perhaps most importlant of all, it's FREE. 

Peter Ott's Camden 10K - Camden, ME - 6/6

Overall Time:  41:47

Pace (per mile):  6:44

Mile Splits:  6:35, 6:18, 6:25, 7:14, 6:47, 6:57, 1:31(7:06) 

Overall Finish:  9th

Age Group Finish:  2nd

This one went a little rougher than I wanted.  The conditions went from overcast to all-out rain during the race but the weather worked out to help more than hurt - at least from my perspective.  I had just purchased my new shoes yesterday from Maine Running Company and only had that day's run to break them in.  That day's run, however, may have contributed to my energy loss toward the end of mile 3.  The hip aches came back and the relentless inclines and rolling hills on the second half of the course contributed to the wrecking ball that struck me repeatedly.  Even with the downhill at the end I had little energy to surge.

In spite of all that, 41:47 is my second best time and I placed a lot higher than I had expected.  I got a little medal and a nice Peter Ott tavern glass...all it took was to bash through ten kilometers of hell.

Now that I've recapped the month so far, here's what I got left:

Hampden Father's Day 8 1/2 Miler - Hampden, ME

Sunday, 6/20, 8:30AM, Hampden Academy

Course PR:  1:00:33 (7:07 per mile) in 2008

If you find me another 8 1/2-mile road race anywhere in the United States or Canada, let me know and I will make arrangements to run it.  As of now, this is the only race of this length that I've ever run.  Additionally, I have never run this length in practice or training, either.  With all the 5K's, 10K's, 5 and 10 milers, half marathons and full marathons, it's good to find a race that goes way out of covention for distance. 

This is the 34th race - it was supposedly ending with its last run in 2008 but it has been picked up for this year and I hope to see it continue well into the future.  I encourage distance runners to go to this because I feel that it really is a special course.

Oh, and RK is running it, too.  And the duel continues.

Tour du Lac 10-miler - Bucksport, ME

Saturday 6/26, 7:30AM, Bucksport Public Pool

Course PR:  1:09:57 (6:59.7 per mile) in 2008

The Tour du Lac - named because of its long journey around Bucksport's Silver Lake - is a 10-mile epic.  When a course goes on an incline to start, you know it's going to be a ride.  Hills roll as you get to the northern leg and then things really get interesting around mile 5 as a mammoth hill awaits.  Eventually the aggression of elevation ceases but by then you're already on the home stretch.  Hope you have some energy left.

This will be my 3rd running of this course.  My plan is to blow past my course PR and my 10-mile PR (1:08:36) but knowing that any number of factors could really affect my performance here I can't be too overconfident.  This course is unforgiving to those who don't play it smart.  There's some nice jam awaiting age group winners, though, so that's always nice.  In the last two years I've barely missed out on that and I hope to remedy that in 2010.

Summer will be in full swing by then, as will the running season.

The Next Level - Sugarloaf Marathon 2010 Results

I did it.  I finally did it.  Here's how it all went down.

Wake-up Call:  5:30 AM
This was a self-wake up call as the cellphone greeted me with its obnoxious song (this is part of why it's always on vibrate).  I didn't have to be down tot he lobby for a half hour so I took my time, drank part of a bottle of water, ate a few triscuits (I had zero appetite but I at least ate -something-), and slowly changed to my running clothes and attached my bib.  I pocked everything up and brought it out to my car, then checked out of the hotel right at 6.  I met with RK and his wife shortly after and we drove to the start line, stopping briefly at my car to pick up my watch which I had almost forgotten (like I did in 2008).

6:30 AM:  T-30 Minutes
It was a chilly spring morning in the deep western Maine woods but the gigantic pine trees kept all the wind at bay.  I jogged lightly to warm me up, stopping whenever I passed by a peek of sunshine between the trees.  There's a bit of irony to this because I knew that in a couple of hours, that sun would not be so welcoming.

The crowd this year was definitely much bigger - about 350 runners alone, and the spectators/volunteers/officers drove the numbers up much higher.  I begin to wonder how the logistics will be pulled off once that number pushes past 500..

Start Time - (roughly) 7AM
My watch just passed the 6:58AM mark when the cannon went off.  I didn't expect it that early but I at least had everything ready and was lined up before then.  (Coincidentally this is why I try not to get any last-second warm-ups within 5 minutes of the projected start time.)  My hands were still a bit numb but I knew that wouldn't last long.

First 5 Miles:  The Flat Stretch
Mile splits:  7:15, 7:03, 7:15, 6:51, 7:15 
5-mile split/time so far:  35:39 (7:07.8/mile)
The first mile - as it has been for the last several races - was spent weaving my way through knots of people.  Knowing that this was a marathon, I was less concerned about being further back.  This was an opportunity for me to ease myself into the pace I wanted.  After the first two miles went by I kept myself at what I figured was an even pace in spite of what the time was telling me - it felt like the mile markers were slightly off in a couple of places.  Even with the slightly broken-up road due to construction on mile 4, the flat stretch through Stratton village felt fine.

Miles 6-10:  The Ascent
Mile Splits:  6:48, 6:49, 7:01, 7:49, 6:55
5-mile split:  35:22 (7:04.4/mile)
Time so far:  1:11:01 (7:06.1/mile)
The hills started to roll on 6 and 7 but there was still a lot of ease in this run.  It was 8 and 9 that would really push down on me.  8 had some bigger inclines followed by some small plateaus to recover on, but 9 really felt like I was going up the side of a mountain.  My legs felt like fire and for the first time in a while, I was getting short of breath in a Marathon run.  For about a half mile, it was a 500-600 foot rise which seemed like it would never stop.  (Ironically, I passed 3 people up this hill, one of them being RK.)  When it did, though, and I passed mile 10 at 1 hour, 11 minutes, I took a deep breath.  Things would finally start to level out and what goes up would come down.  

Miles 11-15:  The Drop
Mile Splits:  6:54, 6:41, 6:57, 7:03, 7:09
5-mile split:  34:44 (6:56.8/mile)
Time so far:  1:45:45 (7:03/mile)
Even before the big downhill after the 11-mile marker I had quickly built momentum and adrenaline and aimed to bank some time.  I followed fellow runner Judson Cake's advice (something he suggested to a running group a few years back) and took the dirt shoulder down that descent all the way, passing another 3 or 4 runners as I went.  I went back to the pavement as soon as it leveled out and cruised through mile 12 with my best mile split so far.  I eased up to put myself back into that more comfortable pace and let momentum increase or decrease as needed for the rest of this stretch.  I was a bit surprised to see how much time I had made up by the end of 15 - that stretch was run below 7 minutes per mile.

Miles 16-20:  Steady Momentum
Mile splits:  6:59, 6:38, 7:03, 7:11, 7:25 
5-mile split:  35:16 (7:03.2/mile)
Time so far:  2:21:01 (7:03.1/mile)
After 15, my calves started to tighten up and ache a bit.  Part of me was a little worried that I had gone out too fast and that the marathon pain was catching up to me quicker than I could prepare myself for.  I remained steady and rode the momentum down the hills like before, backing time where I could.  The next two miles surprised me because I was indeed going faster.  After 17, my watch read 1:59:22, which is the first time ever that I had finished 17 miles under 2 hours.  Though it was my fastest mile in the entire race, it would be the last time I got under 7 minutes in a mile.  The calves were complaining a bit more and I knew there were 9+ long miles left.  My momentum was slowing but I was determined to hold on.  The achievement at mile 17 was encouraging, and what I got after 20 was even more so.  At 2:21:01, my 20-mile split was the fastest I had ever run over that stretch by well over five minutes.

Miles 21-26.2:  Going All Out
Mile splits:  7:24, 7:27, 7:36, 7:41, 8:28, 7:36, 1:09 
10K split:  47:20  (7:34.2/mile)
Final time:  3:08:21  (7:11/mile)
That 20-mile split was what I needed to get me to push this last stretch.  I knew that all I needed to do was at least match what I did last year - I fell apart at 22 and lumbered my way to the finish with a 50-minute 10K split.  There were places where I was worried because of the condition of my legs.  I didn't have a lot of room for error.

21 and 22 were still downhill which were greatly to my benefit.  I ran them much like 20 which allowed me to bank some time early in this stretch.  Once the iron bridge passed near the 22-mile marker I saw the hill that I knew threw me for a loop last year.  I fought it hard this year and realized by the time I got to the top that there was an equal downhill that would allow me to get back some of that time.  24 was just like 23 which was more of a relief than anything.  With 2 1/4 miles to go, my watch was at 2:51:09.  Still not a lot of room for error with the legs begging me to stop but I wasn't going to let up. 

I was too close to what I wanted.  I worked too damn hard to let go now.

25 was tough.  It was a gradual incline and with the sun evaporating what moisture I put on myself at the last water stop, it was a rough segment.  It was here that I recorded my first mile over 8 minutes and would be my worst mile of the race.  Now the time was 2:59:30 with 1 1/4 miles to go.  I had less than 11 1/2 minutes to get to the finish.  I wasn't going to lose any ground; I wanted this too much and I knew that somehow, somewhere, I had energy reserves left in my body and I was going to use them.

I was taking my running to the next level.

There were still some small but tough hills in the first part of 26 but I put myself in the soft dirt shoulder and pumped my dying legs harder.  There was a guy I had been drafting since roughly mile 3 or 4 (he had gotten out of view for a couple of stretches) that I was going to use to slingshot myself to the finish with.  On the final turn that revealed the 26 mile mark and the finish line area, I pushed past him and churned out everything I possibly had.  I briefly glanced at my watch crossing 26 - 3:07:12 - and I knew I was home free.  I finished that last stretch at around a 7:30 pace, something I did not expect myself to so at this stage of the race.  When I got the the finish sign, my hand went up in the air in victory.  I qualified by 2 minutes, 34 seconds.


Aftermath
All the familiar pains rushed up to meet me after I stopped but I had such a euphoric high that I didn't care too much.  I had a small calf massage and then spent the next 15-20 minutes laying in the shade next to RK's car with a small smile on my face.  I had finally done it - another big stage in the running world has now opened to me.  2011 and 2012 Boston Marathons, here I come.

Sugarloaf Marathon 2010 Preview, Part 4

For the remainder of the week I'll be posting a 4-part breakdown of the Sugarloaf Marathon course. The fourth and final part covers the last segment of the course that leads into Kingfield village.

At this point, the long road has been good, the slight downhill giving no real surprises.   Even past 20, things still stay more of the same.  The downhill has leveled out now that the road hugs the river, so there wasn't a lot of downhill left to go anyway.

What can start to happen is that the time spent racing can wear down the legs fast.  Whether it has been a 2, 3, or 4 hour run at this point, the body still feels the mileage it has put down.  Weather can be crucial at this point because if it's sunny, temperatures will climb into the 60s and even touch 70.  An under-hydrated body feels this warmth badly as the sweat from the exposed part of the skin has long since dried or evaporated.

On the left, the iron bridge comes into view right before the mile 22 marker.  Those experienced with the course know that as a marker for the rolling hills coming next.  Yes, they're small in comparison to the earlier ones, but at 22 miles, every small incline feels like a mountain to climb.  Mile 23 is usually where the energy is knocked out of the legs and it becomes more of a mental game to keep any sort of consistency for the next 4 miles.

The last water stop during mile 25 is a big relief even if the small hills are still persistent.  After this point, houses start to pop up with regularity.  More village-related signs pop up and speed limits start going down.  The slight left turn in the road flanked by tall pines yields the final straightaway, about 25 1/2 miles into the course.  So close, and yet so far away...this stretch always feels like an eternity because of the viewable finish line area.  Nonetheless the straight route is a blessing as it prepares you to burn everything you have into the final bit of the course.  The lumber shop marks the 26 mile, 385 yard epic that the body carried itself on.

That lawn chair on the left?  Yeah, they're pretty damn comfortable.

Sugarloaf Marathon Preview 2010, Part 3

For the remainder of the week I'll be posting a 4-part breakdown of the Sugarloaf Marathon course. The third part covers everything from the half way point to mile 20, cradled in the forests of Carrabassett Valley.

The flat roads return after the half way point and give a lot of relief from the hills that are endured in the previous set of miles.  It's at this point where the lost time on the hills can be made up.  Most of this stretch descends slightly, allowing most people to gain momentum right up through the 20th mile.  Occasionally the tree line recedes and allows for a beautiful view of the countryside (such as seen at mile 17 when passing by the Carrabassett Regional Airport and Diner) before the trees settle back in.  All the turns along the road as you move from east to south are gradual, so there's little to fear about embankment issues. 

There's not a lot to the remainder of this stretch so it's a perfect opportunity to get some really good mile splits on this secion of road.  (In fact, it was on mile 18 in 2009 that I got my personal best mile for the course - 6:45.)  At this point, a 60-90 minute stretch of flat terrain has been conquered.  That finish line doesn't seem so far away after completing 20 miles, but once you get past that mile marker...

...there's still 10 kilometers to go.  As the saying goes, "you're not out of the woods yet."

Sugarloaf Marathon Preview 2010, Part 2

For the remainder of the week I'll be posting a 4-part breakdown of the Sugarloaf Marathon course. The second part covers everything from mile 7 to the half-marathon mark, from the outskirts of Stratton village until a short distance past the Sugarloaf entrance.

So this is where the challenge factor of the course starts.  From the 8th mile to the 12th the elevation ascends and doesn't let up.  It's not terribly steep but it's long and is a silent assassin of your energy if you're not careful.

When you get to the top - approximately mile 11 - the views of the surrounding mountaintops (including Sugarloaf) are beautiful. On a nice day - or even a more dreary day - you can't beat the scenery on this course, especially at this point.  Enjoy it while you can.  After the 11 mile mark, things go downhill, and fast.

The image above is deceptive (courtesy Google Maps) - after the 11 mile marker, it really does drop fast.  It's one thing a lot of long-distane runners know:  downhills can kill a runner's legs just as badly as an uphill climb.  It's much harder to slow down which makes your quadriceps work and burn as it tries to keep the brakes on.  Often it's how this downhill is handled that determines how you'll feel the rest of the race. 

When the nose-dive into the Carrabassett valley finally levels out, the entrance to Sugarloaf looms ahead.  At this point, small crowds have formed and are cheering you on.  Civilization once again, if but for a brief time.  Once the small village disappears behind view, the trees crowd in again, broken only by the occasinal building and glimpses of the river on the left.

Half way there.

Sugarloaf Marathon 2010 Preview, Part 1

For the remainder of the week I'll be posting a 4-part breakdown of the Sugarloaf Marathon course. The first part covers the first 6+ miles of the course, nestled deep in the woods of upper western Maine, from the Cathedral Pines Campground to the departure from Stratton village.

The Eustis Ridge Road site in perfect view of the start line, accompanied by a sign that lets you know how close you are to Canada. It's quite a remote spot to be at (provided you're not a camper). The peacefulness and serenity of an early sunday morning is broken significantly by the preparation of runners, the announcer, and finally the boom of the starting cannon (yes, seriously).



The first two miles consist of perfectly flat pavement surrounded on both sides by deep forest. Aside from the runners, the air and sound for that first bit is quite peaceful, at least until the traffic opens up once again. Aside from the people gathered at the beginning, don't expect anyone on the side of the road cheering you on. The only spectator at this point is mother nature.


The next two miles approach and enter the small village of Stratton. The course remains flat but the trees give way to water and the scenery completely opens up.  The first water station is seen just after mile 3 along with many of the first spectators.  Quite a few villagers come out in the early morning to cheer the Marathoners as they make their way through the heart of the town.  If you like the spectator part of running, it will at least satiate you until the next crowd at mile 12.

At the end of the village, the forest starts to surround the road once again and the level road starts taking on elevation.  Small rolling hills litter the course at miles 5, 6, and 7, a prelude to what's next...

Peak Week(end)

After finishing up a well-run double today, I now have a little under 37 for the week. Everything has been running pretty smoothly these past few weeks as my weekly total continue to climb. With the Sugarloaf Marathon a little over 2 weeks away, it's time to get the last bit of training in and glide in to T-0.

Tomorrow is my day off, only my second in 3 weeks. That small bit of rest - roughly 36 hours - should give me the restoration of energy I need for Saturday morning's race...

Orrington 10K
Saturday @ 9AM
Center Drive School, Orrington, ME




In 2008, this was the first 10K I had ever run. This distance is ideal for a handful of reasons, which is why I'm a bit disappointed that there are so few 10K's around these days. The lack of 10K races means that I have had only a few to record a personal best on. The last 10K I ran was in November of 2008, and at that race I set my PR which still stands (42:44). Provided everything goes smoothly up to race morning, I should have little trouble smashing that PR. This will also give me an opportunity to run with/against RK, something that hasn't been easy since I moved away from Bangor.


Sunday - 20-mile long run
This will not be a race, but just a conditioning exercise to give my legs that final prep for Sugarloaf. The goal is to get roughly 20 miles, more or less depending on where I'm running and how my legs feel to that point. I don't recall doing an extra long run the day after a road race but my only concern is that this will put my 7-day running total at roughly 64 miles. This will be the most that I've ever run in a single week, and will be a good gauge of how I'll handle it in the summer months as I try to push my weekly miles beyond anything I've done before.

Return to Two Years Ago

Between upping the intensity of speed workouts, increasing run mileage, restructuring my food intake, and prepping for the inevitable Sugarloaf run, the next 4-5 weeks are going to feel like hitting the acelerator of my running regimen.  With what I'm doing for training and the races that I'm picking up along the way, it's feeling like 2008 again - the year I had some of my best times in road races. There's going to be a lot going on, and I'll fill you in on the details.


Unity and Portland:  Two-Race Weekend
The Unity Spring 5K on Saturday and the Patriot's Day 5-miler on Sunday will be a good test of how well I'm running in the shorter distances.  I ran them both in 2008 (the 5-miler was on Monday that year) but skipped them in 2009 due to a conflict with dancing rehearsals. 





Unity starts with a long downhill for at least the first half mile.  There is a big temptation in this stretch to ride your adrenaline and let go of the brakes completely.  I did just that in 2008, landing my best mile I've run to that point (5:56) but faltering the rest of the way, missing my PR (20:52) at the time by 4 seconds.  Even though the rest of it is flat and open, the lesson I learned was that downhills can steal your energy just as fast (if not faster) than uphills.  My goal this time is to manage that downhill efficiently - letting up on the brake but not overstriding.  If anything it'll be a practice for what I'll encounter on mile 11/12 at Sugarloaf.





The Patriot's Day 5-miler was a little trickier than I first expected.  Not knowing the geography of Portland as well as I do now, I completely forgot that the stretch of Washington Street included in the route is all uphill.  Considering that this part is around mile 4 of the race, you can probably guess that it dragged me down quite a bit.  What makes it worse is that part of that stretch is run on the sidewalk of the Back Cove Trail and Washington Street exit of I-295, making that part of the course very congested if there's a lot of people around.  In other words, don't expect to pass people at that point.  Once back on Cumberland Avenue, though, the idea is to put everything down.  The half mile is slightly uphill but straight and open.  I got 37:36 the last time I ran it; I should have no issue getting past that and possibly getting close to my 5-mile PR (32:20).


Orrington 10K (May 1):  Return to Form





 
This wasn't my first run, but it was my first 10K and it was on this route where I started my very first speed workouts with RK.  Like the previous two races, I missed the 2009 edition but plan to run it this year.  This course has small rolling hills on miles 2 and 5 but it's mostly flat and very quiet.  I should have no problem breaking the 46:35 time I have on this course and should even break my PR (42:44).
 
 
In between these races will be my long runs - 16-18 on the weekend in between these races and 20 the day after the 10K.  Then it's 2 weeks until the big race.

The Master of Wind - (belated) Eastern States 20-mile Results

Overall time: 2:25:56

Overall Finish:  53rd (Out of 703 finishers)
Age Group Finish (39 and under, male):  46th
Splits:
7:55, 7:08, 7:11, 6:51, 7:12 (36:17)
7:12, 7:08, 7:14, 7:22, 7:27 (36:23, 1:12:40)
7:17, 7:36, 7:22, 7:13, 7:24 (36:52, 1:49:32)
7:26, 7:27, 7:16, 7:18, 6:57 (36:24, 2:25:56)

Yeah, it's kinda like that.

Though the temperatures were on the rebound from the dismal 30-degree days that suddenly popped up on us, the wind was far from forgiving, especially when it came to race time on the Maine and New Hampshire coastline.  The strangest part was that it was a south wind, which is usually warmer than its northern counterpart.  It wasn't.  The early spring weather in New England is unpredictable at best, and today was no exception.

It was chilly when the race started by the Naval Shipyard in Kittery, but that sensation always goes away once warmed up.  The first mile was slow as I employed my usual running at the middle of the pack and find pockets to pick up speed and break through.  By the time I passed the Memorial Bridge into Portsmouth, I could stretch out and find that ideal pace.

The next several miles were actually pleasant, and I found myself at times going faster than I expected.  Part of me wanted to turn it up but another part knew that this feeling wouldn't last for long.  Once I was within sight of the Atlantic Ocean on mile 7, the wind went to overdrive and blasted me in the face.   This is what I would experience for almost two-thirds of the race.

For the next 10 miles I would struggle to keep myself around 7:15, only managing to do so for a few of those miles.  The inland stretch between miles 13 to 18 gave me relief from the wind but my energy was already spent and I focused on conserving what I had left.  No matter what was flying in my face in the last two miles I would put as much effort as I could into it.

As I turned the corner to get back on Route 1A and passed the 18-mile mark, I stepped it up.  The wind once again pushed hard.  Sand, debris, dehydration, and breathing problems all hit on that final stretch but I let my adrenaline take over and fought the weather as much as I could.  I did notice, however, that many runners were also struggling and falling off their mark too.  This was killing everyone, but I was determind not to let it kill me.

I pushed myself over the finish line under 2 hours, 26 minutes.  While I didn't hit the sub-2:25:00 that I wished for, it was better than I was expecting when I started the race.  Mother Nature threw a lot at me today, and I still ran my best time for a 20-mile run - almost a full minute over last year's time.  It's another good mark on my path toward the 3:10:59 marathon goal.

2010 Eastern States 20-miler Preview

This is the time of year where we start seeing signs of spring.  Some days bring May-like temperatures, others reminding us that winter hasn't quite left yet.  It's been a strange series of weather patterns even for this time of year and this weekend only emphasizes that.  however, all this teaches me one important lesson.

When running outdoors in a New England spring, be prepared for any weather.

As of now the Eastern Sates 20-miler, which starts in Kittery and ends at the border of Massachusetts, will have overcast skies and mid-40s temperatures.  I will have prepared clothing in case it's sunny and above 50, or rainy and below 40.  Until the morning of the race, it'll hard to tell what the weather of a very early spring will bring.

As evidenced by the map, the long road skirts the Atlantic Ocean and its often unforgiving March winds.  This year, repairs to the Seabrook Bridge has diverted the path of the course for 2010, hooking miles 13-18 inland.  The elevation doesn't change a lot - this was the transition from rough cliffs to sandy beaches along the coast - but the small rolling hills are more drawn-out.  The end of the race also changes this year as the last mile no longer reaches Salisbury but ends in Hampton Beach, just short of the Massachusetts border.  It's a bit disappointing that it won't be a 3-state run this year but thankfully my goals have nothing to do with the geography.

Speaking of goals, some of you are probably wondering what they are.  To be quite honest, I have nothing definite.  I would like to set a PR for the distance and get myself below the 2 hour, 25 minute mark, but I have no definite gauge of how I'll do after the bump in the road that was Hyannis.  Mileage has been a little low for the last 4 weeks and the only race I had was the 5K in Portland. (The Kerrymen 5K was postponed due to weather and slated for this Sunday, a day in which I obviously can't run it.)  It's tough to say if my legs will feel good enough to hold 7-minute miles consistently or if I'll feel well enough to finish strong in the last few miles.

There's only one way to find out....run it.

The March Laundry List

Today's Run:  7.07 miles through Bath (Work)
Total Time:  55 minutes, 55 seconds (7 minutes, 55 seconds per mile)
Type of run:  Easy
Total Miles this week:  27.35

It's been a quiet work week as far as running goes.  The times of my easy runs are back to normal.  The weather is calm and pleasant, averaging in the upper 40s.  Everything feels good and ready for the 5K this weekend.

The planning and scheduling phase, however, is far from quiet.  Here's my to-do list for the month of March:

Recover from Hyannis.  After the monkey wrench in my Marathon goal, the objective was to just make sure there were no lasting effects from the race.  After a week of very sluggish running and a respectable 5K, I seem to have returned to normal.  In essence, this objective is complete, but I still want to pay attention to muscle aches in my body and not push too far in my non-race runs for another week.

Run a race PR in the Irish Road Rover 5K.  I didn't really have any particular goal set - I just had two benchmarks to see how well I would recover from Hyannis:  beat 21:29 and get as close to 20 minutes as possible.  The former was reached, the latter was a bit unrealistic.  All in all, mission accomplished.

Register for the Eastern States 20-miler.  Done today.  It wasn't really a high priority to register right away but I wanted to make sure I got that done so I didn't have to worry about it.

Register for the Beach to Beacon 10K.  Today is open registration for Cape Elizabeth residents (of which I am not).  Tomorrow morning at 8AM is when official registration begins.  4,000 open slots to grab.  Last year it took 2 hours to fill 6,000 which makes it extremely important that I register as soon as the site goes up.

Run a race PR and beat 20 minutes in the Kerrymen 5K.  The PR time to beat is 20:20.

Run a 20-mile PR in the Eastern States race.  Sunday, March 28.  This is the important big race in between Hyannis and Sugarloaf.  The closer to 2 hours, 20 minutes I get in the race, the better.  Some changes are taking place in the race due to construction, so I'll keep a close eye on things and plan my strategy accordingly.


Then it's on to April!

Breaking Through - Irish Road Rover 5K Results

Total Time:  21:12 (6 minutes, 51 seconds per mile)
Overall Finish:  65th (out of 715)
Age Group Finish (30-39):  16th (out of 111)
Mile Splits (approximate):  7:30, 6:45, 6:17, :33

This was probably the best weather I could have asked for in early march - sunny, no wind, temps in the upper 40s and rising.  It made the race itself feel more leisurely and, after running a Marathon the week before, much easier to get through.  5 kilometers?  Sheeyeah, bring it.

One thing that I always forget, however, is how narrow Fore Street is in Portland when you're trying to cram 750 running people through it.  As usual I placed myself conservatively at the middle of the pack to make sure I gradually get to my ideal pace.  What ended up happening was me getting caught behind people for most of the first mile.  As I scaled the steep hill leading to the eastern promenade, I was already over 7 minutes.  I knew I was going slow because I was just beginning to lengthen my stride as I leap-frogged the runners as they slowed down on the climb.

Mile markers were absent again this year - or at least I couldn't see them - and made timing the mile splits and tracking my pace difficult.  Once I got to the top I just kept myself steady at about what I figured was a 6:40-6:50 pace.  I came back down the hill about 14-15 minutes into the run and held myself back a little bit.  Once the course angled to India street, then to Middle street, I took off and ran at a increasingly reckless pace to the finish.  If I had to make a guess, I'd say I ran the last half mile of the race under a 6-minute per mile pace, which felt really good.

Though I figured I could have done at least a minute better if I had not positioned myself so far back at the start, I can take some positives from this.  First, 21:12 is my best time for this course (23:00 in 2008, 21:29 in 2009).  Fighting people and that steep hill always knocks me off from running my best 5K time but it's evident that I'm getting stronger with each year.  The other positive is that I did not get passed once in this race - I was passing everyone from the start line to the finish.  I was not concerned about overall finish but there is a little bit of satisfaction when I keep passing clumps of people throughout the entire race.

Next stop:  Kerrymen Pub (5K) in Saco.  Sunday, May 14.