I finished 15 today. I feasted on mileage.
I am definitely catching the fever of running and dreaming the big goals of sub-5 miles and sub-3 marathons. I really want to hammer down a good regimen and stick with it throughout the next 6-8 weeks.
50-70 miles
After my recovery week from ES20 (42+) I am determined to get 50 miles again and build upon it until Sugarloaf week. If I plan it right I should be able to get around 70 miles on my 20-mile long run week. It's going to take some extraordinary discipline so I need to fight procrastination more than ever.
Speed Workouts
I was amazed at my Hyannis and ES20 times knowing I haven't done a single speed workout since last fall. I can't get away with that though. My big goals are not going to happen by just building mileage so I somehow need to fit in a midweek speed workout. I am thinking of using the Back Cove for this and on a Wednesday lunch hour but it's actually applying it that will be the trick. If needed I may try the workout in the mornings, but I'm not confident of having good workout speed at 6AM.
Races to Sugarloaf
Unity Spring 5K - April 21 - Unity College, Unity, Maine - I love running this and it's very easy to PR if I run the initial downhill right. My two finishes - 20:52 in 2008 and 18:52 in 2010 - were personal 5K bests at that point. I'd love to smash the 18:30 barrier on this course.
Orrington 10K - May 5 - Center Drive School, Orrington, Maine - This one is a nice test to see how my fast twitch muscles are coming along. I have generally posted sub-41 races here but I want to smash the 40-minute mark (I love smashing things) which would give me a nice PR to try and beat at B2B in August.
Ragnar Cape Cod Relay - May 11-12 - Not as much of a road race as it is a fun run relay. Of course the real fun is that I am running almost 25 miles over 3 legs. Why? Because I can. At least there will be plenty of time to rest (~8 hours) in between legs. Two 9s and a 10K should get me primed for the next week.
Early Sugarloaf Goals
2:15/:45 - This would be ideal if I can pull these times off. 2:15 through the first 20 would get me a PR for that distance and 45 minutes in the final 10K would also be the fastest time for my final 10K of a Marathon. If I stick to my workouts/mileage and stay healthy there's no reason why I can't meet these goals.
Showing posts with label marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marathon. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
10 days from Hyannis Year 5 - the beard is in full effect.
I love Hyannis. Not convincing enough?
I LOVE HYANNIS. A little better?
I mean, that should be the reason I keep coming back year after year. It shouldn't have nothing to do with the challenge factor of a New England marathon in winter, or the propensity of endurance runners to always take masochism to the next level. Right? Anyway. Here it is, for the fifth time. It's hard to believe I've already run 11 marathons, 4 of them in the same place. Hyannis was my first - perhaps that's the biggest reason to run it year after year - and always helps me set myself straight for the rest of the running year.
I've made the odd little tradition of growing a beard for February just for the race at the end of the month. I suppose it's largely symbolic to the ruggedness and chaos of the winter...because it is far from tame. At least it doesn't last long after the marathon. I'm not sure how acceptable looking like a lost band member of ZZ Top would be in the workplace.
My weight has stayed down between 185-190 in the months of January and February. Considering that these are my hibernation months and my metabolism naturally slows down in the winter, holding steady at this weight is a huge sign of progress for me. Perhaps there's hope for me to to hit 170 again - that hasn't been done since 2008 and that was when I had less muscle mass. It's exciting and I hope it will really reflect in my spring and summer running.
My running times - including the easy runs - have stayed amazing fast as well. I've only run one race since the new year (4.5 miler) but it was far faster than any of the previous years (29:12 compared to 31:31 in '11 and 30:03 in '09). Unfortunately I have not been able to run the other February races that prep me for Hyannis so I don't have much to go on in terms of speed preparation.
My weekly mileage has been consistent this year, too, which has always been a struggle. I have logged at least 35 miles every week so far, only going below 40 twice since the new year began. I even logged 50+ last week during my final long run. That will only help me improve my Hyannis time.
Pretty much the only thing left to do is to slowly start tapering and keep my diet and exercise in balance as I head into the final stretch leading to Hyannis 2012. Weather is the only thing out of my control at this point, but as many of us know, weather could be the huge factor for a Cape Cod February.
I LOVE HYANNIS. A little better?
 |
| 2008 - 4:42:35 |
 |
| 2009 - 3:32:03 |
My weight has stayed down between 185-190 in the months of January and February. Considering that these are my hibernation months and my metabolism naturally slows down in the winter, holding steady at this weight is a huge sign of progress for me. Perhaps there's hope for me to to hit 170 again - that hasn't been done since 2008 and that was when I had less muscle mass. It's exciting and I hope it will really reflect in my spring and summer running.
My running times - including the easy runs - have stayed amazing fast as well. I've only run one race since the new year (4.5 miler) but it was far faster than any of the previous years (29:12 compared to 31:31 in '11 and 30:03 in '09). Unfortunately I have not been able to run the other February races that prep me for Hyannis so I don't have much to go on in terms of speed preparation.
 |
| 2010 - 3:45:34 |
My weekly mileage has been consistent this year, too, which has always been a struggle. I have logged at least 35 miles every week so far, only going below 40 twice since the new year began. I even logged 50+ last week during my final long run. That will only help me improve my Hyannis time.
Pretty much the only thing left to do is to slowly start tapering and keep my diet and exercise in balance as I head into the final stretch leading to Hyannis 2012. Weather is the only thing out of my control at this point, but as many of us know, weather could be the huge factor for a Cape Cod February.
 |
| 2011 - 3:27:04 |
Friday, June 3, 2011
The Full Vermonty
I succeeded in completing three marathons in 90 days. This last one didn't go as well as the first two, but the major goal was the completion of this race.
Overall Time (Net): 3:46:50
Pace per mile: 8 minutes, 39 seconds
Overall place: 535/2403
Age group finish: 59/160
Splits (5-mile): 35:58 (0-5), 36:18 (5-10), 39:39 (10-15), 49:24 (15-20), 1:05:31 (last 10km)
Splits (Half): 1:37:16 (1st half), 2:09:34 (2nd half)
Little sleep, long travel, bad sleeping conditions, bad weather conditions, mistakes during the race...I can't blame any one factor, but those combined created a wall so immense that I almost dropped out at a few different places of the race.
I had spent the previous two nights camping over an hour away from Burlington. The air mattress I slept on was uncomfortable at best, which caused a sore lower back to develop and (maybe) a combined 8 hours of sleep in those two nights left me with almost no energy on race morning. In spite of adequate preparation and a relatively healthy start to the race, the cards were stacked against me.
The rain let loose around the start of the race and kept up for the first 3-4 miles, soaking every inch of my running gear. In spite of some good splits in the first few miles I could already feel an odd pressure in my right leg - muscle fatigue - and I had a bad feeling that I would not be able to hold a BQ pace for very long.
Miles 5-9 departed the city streets and entered an open stretch of highway. I was glad that the sun was not out; it would have cooked me early. The humidity was increasing with each mile but I stayed fairly consistent - hugging the 7:10-7:20 mile pace right up through the re-entry into the city. The one big mishap, however, came at mile 7 when I reached for my first GU packet and had it slip though my hand. I had considered stopping to pick it back up but I decided against it after noticing the large pack of runners behind me. I would have to try to find a way with only two gels instead of three.
The clouds partially gave way to a hazy atmosphere during miles 10-12. It was on this stretch where I hot my first wall and recorded my first mile over eight minutes. Desperate to ration my gel, I successfully took my first one on mile 11. Miles 13-15 were very rough as I tried hard to recollect myself but I had no energy. The first GU was only helping me to hold on by a thread.
Then there was mile 16 - the assault on Battery Hill.
I turned the corner to see the long ascent ahead of me. At that moment I had thought about stopping there and dropping - I could not will myself to go any faster and I could only think of the damage this hill was going to do to me. Then, I heard a wonderful thing. The rhythmic pounding of the taiko drums perked me up like no amount of caffeine could. It was like a rally for the defeated troops of my body. Renewed by adrenaline, I fought up the hill, raising a fist-clenched arm to the drummers as I went by (as they shouted back - which bolstered me further). For just a few minutes, I forgot what ailed me and conquered the hill.
I would carry the fleeting momentum through 17 and 18, but the endless labyrinth of streets could do nothing to maintain that energy. I go through a park forest on the first part of 19 and cross the makeshift plywood bridge that kept us from the flooded muck of the ruined trail.
I slid -slightly- on one of the floorboards and my left calf muscle seized up.
The pain stops my running for a few moments as I walk it off. After a couple minutes the pain gives way to a bit of soreness but I can resume running once again. I hobble through miles 20-22 though I walk through each water stop and put considerable effort into running again.
As I approach the long bike path on 23, the sun fully emerges from a break in the clouds. The air is set on fire and breathing slowly gets more difficult. The aid station announced that 'condition red' is up as I run by (meaning unsafe conditions for running - one step down from calling off the remainder of the race). I knew, however, that I had this last road to finish before I was done. I made it over 22 miles in spite of almost giving up at several places.
This was the point of no return. I needed to finish as long as I was physically capable of doing so.
The last 4 miles was a blur of hazy sun, shouting crowds, and broken racers. It wasn't until I passed a muddy stretch of trail that I realized I was opening into Waterfront Park and was a half mile away from the finish. I tried hard to push with anything I had in the tank and finally made it to the finish. After getting out of the way, I laid down for over 20 minutes to let the pain subside enough to walk.
My disappointment was in the fact that I will likely not be running Boston 2012, as I still have yet to qualify for it. I did succeed in finishing when for the longest time it didn't look like I'd make it. It's my third worst time (behind Hyannis and Sugarloaf 2008) but time was relative on a weekend that was clearly not the time for me to run my best. The best thing for me to do at this point is to focus on the summer ahead and prepare for MDI after that.
Overall Time (Net): 3:46:50
Pace per mile: 8 minutes, 39 seconds
Overall place: 535/2403
Age group finish: 59/160
Splits (5-mile): 35:58 (0-5), 36:18 (5-10), 39:39 (10-15), 49:24 (15-20), 1:05:31 (last 10km)
Splits (Half): 1:37:16 (1st half), 2:09:34 (2nd half)
Little sleep, long travel, bad sleeping conditions, bad weather conditions, mistakes during the race...I can't blame any one factor, but those combined created a wall so immense that I almost dropped out at a few different places of the race.
I had spent the previous two nights camping over an hour away from Burlington. The air mattress I slept on was uncomfortable at best, which caused a sore lower back to develop and (maybe) a combined 8 hours of sleep in those two nights left me with almost no energy on race morning. In spite of adequate preparation and a relatively healthy start to the race, the cards were stacked against me.
The rain let loose around the start of the race and kept up for the first 3-4 miles, soaking every inch of my running gear. In spite of some good splits in the first few miles I could already feel an odd pressure in my right leg - muscle fatigue - and I had a bad feeling that I would not be able to hold a BQ pace for very long.
Miles 5-9 departed the city streets and entered an open stretch of highway. I was glad that the sun was not out; it would have cooked me early. The humidity was increasing with each mile but I stayed fairly consistent - hugging the 7:10-7:20 mile pace right up through the re-entry into the city. The one big mishap, however, came at mile 7 when I reached for my first GU packet and had it slip though my hand. I had considered stopping to pick it back up but I decided against it after noticing the large pack of runners behind me. I would have to try to find a way with only two gels instead of three.
The clouds partially gave way to a hazy atmosphere during miles 10-12. It was on this stretch where I hot my first wall and recorded my first mile over eight minutes. Desperate to ration my gel, I successfully took my first one on mile 11. Miles 13-15 were very rough as I tried hard to recollect myself but I had no energy. The first GU was only helping me to hold on by a thread.
Then there was mile 16 - the assault on Battery Hill.
I turned the corner to see the long ascent ahead of me. At that moment I had thought about stopping there and dropping - I could not will myself to go any faster and I could only think of the damage this hill was going to do to me. Then, I heard a wonderful thing. The rhythmic pounding of the taiko drums perked me up like no amount of caffeine could. It was like a rally for the defeated troops of my body. Renewed by adrenaline, I fought up the hill, raising a fist-clenched arm to the drummers as I went by (as they shouted back - which bolstered me further). For just a few minutes, I forgot what ailed me and conquered the hill.
I would carry the fleeting momentum through 17 and 18, but the endless labyrinth of streets could do nothing to maintain that energy. I go through a park forest on the first part of 19 and cross the makeshift plywood bridge that kept us from the flooded muck of the ruined trail.
I slid -slightly- on one of the floorboards and my left calf muscle seized up.
The pain stops my running for a few moments as I walk it off. After a couple minutes the pain gives way to a bit of soreness but I can resume running once again. I hobble through miles 20-22 though I walk through each water stop and put considerable effort into running again.
As I approach the long bike path on 23, the sun fully emerges from a break in the clouds. The air is set on fire and breathing slowly gets more difficult. The aid station announced that 'condition red' is up as I run by (meaning unsafe conditions for running - one step down from calling off the remainder of the race). I knew, however, that I had this last road to finish before I was done. I made it over 22 miles in spite of almost giving up at several places.
This was the point of no return. I needed to finish as long as I was physically capable of doing so.
The last 4 miles was a blur of hazy sun, shouting crowds, and broken racers. It wasn't until I passed a muddy stretch of trail that I realized I was opening into Waterfront Park and was a half mile away from the finish. I tried hard to push with anything I had in the tank and finally made it to the finish. After getting out of the way, I laid down for over 20 minutes to let the pain subside enough to walk.
My disappointment was in the fact that I will likely not be running Boston 2012, as I still have yet to qualify for it. I did succeed in finishing when for the longest time it didn't look like I'd make it. It's my third worst time (behind Hyannis and Sugarloaf 2008) but time was relative on a weekend that was clearly not the time for me to run my best. The best thing for me to do at this point is to focus on the summer ahead and prepare for MDI after that.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Through Illness and Injury
Today's Run: 6.94 miles through Bath (work)
Time Finished: 55 minutes, 6 seconds (7 minutes, 56 seconds per mile)
Type of run: Easy - relaxed pace
Miles this week: 6.94
(Picture: Saturday's run in Portland.)
I won't sugar-coat it; it's been rough for the last 5-6 days.
Only today have I felt 100% on my run after the calf strain I suffered on tuesday. Part of it probably has to do with overuse and part of it with very old shoes as the heel area starts to disintegrate. (I need to break down and buy a new pair; I've almost logged 1,500 miles on these shoes.) I ran 2 runs more than 3 miles from that point until today, both times the muscle reminding me that it was not ready to go.
During this time struck a cold that knocked me for a loop. It wasn't until Saturday night that it really struck full-force but it kept my energy much lower than normal for much of the past week. As debilitating as it was, it may have been a blessing in disguise as it forced me to rest and recouperate a couple of extra days and not try to risk running though all of what I had.
Today I'm mostly over the sickness and, after gauging my leg with a relaxed 7-mile run, over the strain as well. It was a bit of a stumbling block in my training but with some discipline I should overcome it pretty quickly.
Oh, and I officially registered for Hyannis yesterday. It was a bit earlier than I usually do but with the registration closing within the next 48-72 hours I need to sign up now if I still wanted to go.
Believe me, I still want to go.
Time Finished: 55 minutes, 6 seconds (7 minutes, 56 seconds per mile)
Type of run: Easy - relaxed pace
Miles this week: 6.94
I won't sugar-coat it; it's been rough for the last 5-6 days.
Only today have I felt 100% on my run after the calf strain I suffered on tuesday. Part of it probably has to do with overuse and part of it with very old shoes as the heel area starts to disintegrate. (I need to break down and buy a new pair; I've almost logged 1,500 miles on these shoes.) I ran 2 runs more than 3 miles from that point until today, both times the muscle reminding me that it was not ready to go.
During this time struck a cold that knocked me for a loop. It wasn't until Saturday night that it really struck full-force but it kept my energy much lower than normal for much of the past week. As debilitating as it was, it may have been a blessing in disguise as it forced me to rest and recouperate a couple of extra days and not try to risk running though all of what I had.
Today I'm mostly over the sickness and, after gauging my leg with a relaxed 7-mile run, over the strain as well. It was a bit of a stumbling block in my training but with some discipline I should overcome it pretty quickly.
Oh, and I officially registered for Hyannis yesterday. It was a bit earlier than I usually do but with the registration closing within the next 48-72 hours I need to sign up now if I still wanted to go.
Believe me, I still want to go.
Monday, November 23, 2009
To Start Things Off...
Well, here we go. My first post on my first dedicated running blog.
To briefly recap my running history, I've been at this for over 37 months. I've taken part in well over 50 road races, 6 of them full Marathons. It's given me a body I never knew existed, a confidence unmatched by anything else in my life, and a hunger that I hope never goes away. The last three years of my life have been beset by many, many changes but one of the few constants in it has been the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other. Faster and faster.
I'm a far cry from the 300-pound dude with persistent knee pain and an unwillingness to put myself in motion for very long. In that alone, I know I've been an inspiration to many. However the greatest person inspired is the one who started this in the first place - me. The fact that I've accomplished a very difficult task in my life allowed me to break through the barriers I used surround myself with.
I can't say that I did it alone, though. There are quite a few people who have put various levels of encouragement in me at the right times to keep me focused and still continue to do so, but one stands out the most. My running coach and mentor (henceforth known in this blog as "RK") was the one that I lay the credit/blame for what I started back in early October 2006. Being a distance and Marathon runner himself, RK made a near-impossible task much easier to deal with by giving me a new focus every time I hit a certain goal. He knew which buttons to push to get me to the next step, even when he wasn't aware of pushing them. RK made it a mental test just as much as a physical one. If I thought I would skip out on a run, he would go anyway and challenge me to keep up with what he did. "Just completed your loop? Good, go sign up for your first race - a 5-miler." "Good time on your race! Now do a half-marathon." "Want to do a full Marathon? How about one on Cape Cod...in the dead of winter." It does help that I rarely back down from a challenge. RK learned that fact pretty quickly, I think. To this day he still makes sure I'm keeping myself up in the running scheme of things - and to this day I still am.
Speaking of keeping myself up on things, I do hope to provide you all with regular running updates on this blog. Everything from my (almost) daily running route results to road races to interesting stuff about running in general - I should have plenty to post about. Thank you for taking the time to read this first post!
To briefly recap my running history, I've been at this for over 37 months. I've taken part in well over 50 road races, 6 of them full Marathons. It's given me a body I never knew existed, a confidence unmatched by anything else in my life, and a hunger that I hope never goes away. The last three years of my life have been beset by many, many changes but one of the few constants in it has been the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other. Faster and faster.
I'm a far cry from the 300-pound dude with persistent knee pain and an unwillingness to put myself in motion for very long. In that alone, I know I've been an inspiration to many. However the greatest person inspired is the one who started this in the first place - me. The fact that I've accomplished a very difficult task in my life allowed me to break through the barriers I used surround myself with.
I can't say that I did it alone, though. There are quite a few people who have put various levels of encouragement in me at the right times to keep me focused and still continue to do so, but one stands out the most. My running coach and mentor (henceforth known in this blog as "RK") was the one that I lay the credit/blame for what I started back in early October 2006. Being a distance and Marathon runner himself, RK made a near-impossible task much easier to deal with by giving me a new focus every time I hit a certain goal. He knew which buttons to push to get me to the next step, even when he wasn't aware of pushing them. RK made it a mental test just as much as a physical one. If I thought I would skip out on a run, he would go anyway and challenge me to keep up with what he did. "Just completed your loop? Good, go sign up for your first race - a 5-miler." "Good time on your race! Now do a half-marathon." "Want to do a full Marathon? How about one on Cape Cod...in the dead of winter." It does help that I rarely back down from a challenge. RK learned that fact pretty quickly, I think. To this day he still makes sure I'm keeping myself up in the running scheme of things - and to this day I still am.
Speaking of keeping myself up on things, I do hope to provide you all with regular running updates on this blog. Everything from my (almost) daily running route results to road races to interesting stuff about running in general - I should have plenty to post about. Thank you for taking the time to read this first post!
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