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.