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.