Boston Marathon 2010 Recap

Slept like a baby the night before Game Day and kept it pretty loose with the exception of some worries revolving around a tweaked calf. Opened it up a bit with Poo (Orin Schumacher) on Sunday to check it out and I had some get-up-and-go but could feel some tightness in each stride. Oh well, things happen…

Roll in the morning to the VIP area thanks to my buddy Al Whalen. On the bus ride out I realize that I am having a really good hair day and figure that’s got to be a good sign. Decided the night before that the calf sleeve I’d been sporting couldn’t go 26.2 so I pack my tall socks for Game Day. Once I got settled into the gym in Hopkington I decide I better do a couple strides down the hallway to make sure everything is going to hold up. Feels tight…shoot!!. So back in the beautiful people gym I decide I better go with the calf sleeve after all. “Anyone got an extra pair of socks”? Blank looks. No dice. Oh well, can’t wear the shin guard and the tall socks…would be like wearing a wool sweater. No bueno in a thon.

Off to the coral we go. Do some late coaching with my pupil Supa Freak (K.C. Taylor). Make sure that he understands game plan…chill for six, settle into pace for the next six, smile for the girls at Wellesley, take the right in Newton by the fire station and get ready to put in some work, crest Heartbreak, say a prayer by the cemetery and then hang on for dear life.

Bamski, gun goes off!! Stay in the middle of the road and let the crazies go crazy. The Commander (Al Whalen) is close by and then moves ahead. First mile 6:05. Keep it chill!! Mile 2 5:58 and I ease past Commando. Keep talking to myself through about seven miles trying to slow down. Mile four is fastest in 5:54.
Right about this point Poo eases past me. 10k just about 38 flat. Little quick…relax find your rhythm.

From 10k to the half I have two 6:06′s with the rest low teens. Half 1:21 and some change. Good but about 40 seconds faster then my plan. Keep rolling.
More of the same except for a 6:22 15th mile. Now it’s Newton time. 6:27, 6:28, 6:20, 6:26 and finally 6:36 up Heartbreak. Good. Twenty miles just under
2:06…this is the money split my friends. This is where the Dog starts doing some easy math. Forty min 10k gets me home in 246. Thirty nine gives me 245.
Let’s do this…

The backside of Heartbreak has more downhill then I remember. Not fun at this point because my quads are now feeling like hamburger helper after the early
downhill slopes. 6:14…that’s ok. Keep this going. I make it past the cemetery where I crumbled in ’03…these are all good signs. Run tall…6:20
23rd mile. This can work. What is it that I hear?? Go Oregon!! Go Oregon!! I hope that’s not my boy the Commander!! Holy crap. I just want to cruise this
in and take my 246. What’s so wrong with that? Shit, there goes a friggin blurrrr of neon blasting by me on the left.

This scene gives me flashbacks to a childhood cartoon and I play the role of
Wile E Coyote while the Commander is Road Runner.

“If you’re on a highway and Road Runner goes beep-beep!
Just step aside, or you might end up in heap!”

Vapor time!!! All that I see is Al’s limbs churning quickly with a distinct
ferocity. I have no answer. There is no other gear my friends because I am
already Red Lining. A couple more 620-somethings and my only chance against the
Beast is a late cracking….one last up and down that totally kicks my butt and
finally the right on Hereford. Time to swing left and get this beotch over.
Finish still looks a ways away and all I can think is to try and minimize how
much elapsed time I give away down this last stretch on Boylston. I get closer
and see the clock ticking and trying to take away my 246…that would suck.
Press…then a bit more…almost there…get passed by a sprinting gal (Kelly Flathers) about 20
meters from the finish…classic!!  Final 2:46:45

Notables:

Orin Schumacher 2:42:21, Al Whalen 2:45:35, K.C. Taylor 3:01:52

Workout 2-1/2 Weeks to Marathon

For those runners that are focused on shaving minutes or even seconds off their marathon times, weekly workouts become the norm.  The options are many.  Intervals, tempos, progressions, fartleks, marathon pace, etc.  As us marathoners get closer to game day the workouts are also important for our fragile psyche.  If the workout goes well then our confidence will rise.  However, if we struggle in the workout then we will inevitably begin the process of questioning our preparations.  For this Wednesday morning we had planned 3 x 1 mile followed by 2 x 800 and 2 x 400.  We had a nice group of guys which was helpful.  Another thing that is helpful when running hard is having some other bodies around.

The first mile felt good in 5:23.  After a jog rest we went again…another 5:23.  Rest, and then last mile in 5:20.  This was good and I always prefer to feel as if I can run the last rep the fastest.  First 800 in 2:40, still a bit winded from the 3rd mile.  Next 800 I gave a good push and held on for 2:32.  Now it was time for the 400′s but I was feeling pretty spent.  First one in 80 seconds, last one a bit quicker in 75 put the cap on the workout.

I felt good about this run and factored in the fact that I had capped off an 80 mile week with a long run just short of 24 miles just three days before.  The legs were feeling good (albeit my calves were feeling a bit tender from the hard effort).  I felt a swelling of confidence.  I was healthy, in the game and just 19 days away from the Boston Marathon…

20 Miler 4 Weeks Out

This mornings 20 miler Mckenize View run was a bread and butter outing.  The morning was calm and dry and perfect for a long run.  After 10 miles I launched into what became a nine mile progression run.  The plan was to start at Marathon Pace + 20 seconds and work done to MP.  First mile was a relaxed 6:25 followed by a 6:24 and then a mostly uphill 6:26.  Then came a 6:10 with some downhill love.  Heart rate was staying in the low 160′s so all was looking good.  With marathon HR being closer to 170 there was still plenty of room to stretch out.  After a 6:22 the last four miles were closer to marathon effort with 6:18, 6:12, 6:07 (up and over), 6:10.  Finished the run feeling like I gave a solid effort but there was still something left in the tank.  4 weeks til Boston…..

Shamrock 15k Recap

My race recap: Got out decent and felt good the first mile. However, when it
came in at 5:48 I was already realizing that averaging 5:45 was probably not
going to happen today. I watched Shoe and a nice pack roll away from me up
Broadway and I found myself running solo until the first hill on Terwilliger.
Mile two up Broadway, 6:13 was actually my slowest mile of the day. Up
Terwillger I find myself right behind two Lizards so I tried to keep contact all the way to the summit. Miles 3 and 4 are 6:06 and 6:08 (according
to Garmin so add a couple of seconds). Mile 5 which includes the summit and the
downhill that follows is 5:54. However, it’s not all downhill just quite yet.
There are a couple more pulls on mile 6 which gets me a 5:44. Now from there
it’s like Tom Petty’s late 90′s hit “free falling”. I drop the one Lizard and
am on the back of the other. 5:36 number 7 is OK, I feel in control, but I
can’t will myself to go any faster. The Lizard starts pulling away and now I am
just trying to keep him and another guy close. Mile 8 is another 5:36 and it
seems I’m stuck in that gear. I try doing some math and I come to a fuzzy
conclusion that a high 54 is still possible. There’s one more nice downhill
stretch as we merge with the 8k’s. I catch a dude that passed me on Terwilliger
right before the nine mile mark (5:25). I’m thinking that I’ll get him as soon
as I’m done gauging where I’ll start my kick. However, that last three-tenths
feels like a mile and this guy is more springy then me. He encourages me to
come with him before dropping me. I see the clock and my sub 55 slipping away
from me. There is nothing that I can do but get this beotch done. 55:07
officially. Only nine seconds faster then last year when we ran in horrible
conditions. A bit disappointing however I never felt like I was redlining so
maybe I just need some more races to work on my PTI (Pain Threshold Index).

Training Update

Ribs are starting to feel much better.  I can still only sleep on one side of my body but there is very little discomfort now when I am running.  The last two weeks I have logged 74 and 82 miles.  I ran the Fall Creek Run Around 20 miler as a workout and felt pretty good.  My last four weeks of training have been 72, 73, 74 and 82 miles.  I am getting comfortable now logging 70 mile weeks.  This weeks workout was 3 miles @ Half Marathon pace followed by 2 x 800m.  I got a bit tired towards the end of the 3 miler but kept my heart rate right around the correct effort.  Miles were 5:49, 5:46 and 5:42.  Halfs were 2:39 and 2:39.  Not a bad workout and hopefully will leave me something in the tank for the Shamrock 15k this Sunday in Portland.

5 weeks until Boston….

Don’t crack your ribs in the middle of marathon training

That’s right this past Monday I cracked my ribs while showing off on a bunny hill. I caught an edge and did a face plant on my son’s snowboard. He was impressed! I landed akwardly with my arm pinned under me. Now I can only sleep on one side of my body. I managed to log 73 miles this week but it was far from comfy. Note to self no winter sports while trainin for a thon. Duh…

311 Miles

This is my January deposit into the Bank O Boston (311 miles).  Without doing a bunch of research I’m feeling confident this is my biggest month of running EVER!!  Having thirty-one days was helpful but still I had weeks of 68, 66, 69 and 72.  I feel a bit like I’m running tired but also feeling like I might be getting a bit stronger.  It’s complicated….

This week I will chill out with 40-50 miles and race the Truffle Shuffle in Eugene on Sunday.  11 weeks to Boston….

16 Weeks til Boston

It’s Christmas day and while my focus is on enjoying and appreciating my wonderful family I am also taking advantage of this down time to start writing training for the Boston Marathon which looms 16 weeks from this Sunday.  My take away from my last two marathons is that I don’t necessarily require a super long buildup if I have already been running pretty solid volume.  Anyway, my head is now spinning with all the types of workout options at my disposal.  Steadys, tempos, progressions, fast finish long runs, Marathon Pace runs, hybrid workouts that include both threshold and intervals, intervals, hill repeats, hill loops, etc, etc….

Training plan or not I know that I need to run a lot (within reason), run fast sometimes and then recover so that I can do it again.  Simple and complicated all at the same time.  I am ready to hit the ground running in January.  I plan to work on increasing volume while focusing more on speed in January.  My theory will be speed first, increasing volume moderately during the entire buildup, and focusing more specifically on marathon pace as the marathon nears.  However, I will have all the basic elements included during each phase.  It’s kind of like making a marathon stew…you include all the ingredients and you never get too far from the basics.

I think I might go for a run….Boston Looms!!!

CIM Marathon 09

On Sunday December 6th at about 6:30am I found myself near Folsom Dam milling about with six thousand other runners as we prepared for the start of the CIM Marathon.  These are the types of moments in life where we have pretty serious conversations with our inner spirit as we ready ourselves for a huge task at hand.  This particular morning was notable for the very cold and clear weather.  A start temperature hovering just under 30 degrees caused me to think twice about my normal marathon attire.  For this morning I decided upon standard running shorts, singlet, compression socks and a long sleeve cotton t-shirt that I would toss in the first couple of miles. 

I met up with Ed Spinney & Sue Schmidt near the elite tent (Ed’s credentials allowed him access to the heated tent with it’s own set of porta potties).  Bastard!!  After waiting my turn in the standard issue porta potties it was all of a sudden getting pretty darn close to game time.  I needed a warmup jog so Ed and I worked our way towards the starting line.  I kept my gear bag with me so I had to run with one arm holding it.  Lame.  We ran for maybe three minutes or so past the starting line and then turned back when we saw Kevin Hutchins (Salem OR) getting his warmup on as well.  By the time I got back behind the starting line and near the gear bag check-in it was getting with 5 minutes of the start.  I fussed with my gear trying to double-check that I had what I needed, tossed it into the back of the truck, and made my way towards the front of the pack. 

“Just a couple of strides” was my next thought so I moved beyond the start and busted out a stride near some elites.  I figured then I could just cross the start line again and nestle back into the first few rows.  Not so much!!  Some young ladies in yellow jackets let me know demonstratively that I would need to go back around to get behind the start.  Darn, I realized then that my starting spot was not going to be great.  I dodged a bunch of folks and nestled in on the very edge of the start and maybe 15-20 rows back.  Oh well!  Looking down at my shoes I realized that they weren’t even snugly tied.  Shoot.  As I bent down to get to work I noticed that Greggie, a fellow Hacker from Eugene, was standing right next to me.  Cool.  So as I am working on these shoe laces I hear the guy on the blow horn saying 10, 9, 8…. 

I look over to Greggie and ask “is he counting down the wheelchair start”?  Greggie replies no, this is the start of the race.  Shit!!  I am about to finish the left shoe but when I go to untie the right shoe I get it all knotted up.  Great!!  I am going to get trampled while I am bent over, not good.  Panicked now I struggle and somehow get the laces untangled and retied just in time.  Whew!! 

Bam, gun goes off.  Pretty smooth start and it takes me about seven seconds to reach the actual starting mat.  Soon thereafter I have to split two runners who are getting swallowed up as a result of their 8 minute opening pace.  I turn my body sideways and sneak between the two.  Good, now the running finally gets under way. 

First mile in 5:52.  A little quick but Ed had warned me that the first mile was downhill.  Just after the mile mark there is a pretty decent climb.  Second mile in 6:10.  Good.  My plan coming in is to see what 6:10 to 6:15 miles feel like.  I try to find a pack that I can settle into.  5:52 3rd mile.  I figure here that the ups and downs of this course will make some splits difficult to evaluate.  Just run Stupid!!  

I find a nice group of about 10 runners (including three women) that is rolling about the same pace and duck in.  There is definitely some jockeying for position that is going on in this group so it takes me a little time to finagle my way into the pocket of the group.  I find out later that two of the women are elites from Russia and the other from Poland (past winner Wioletta Kryza).  This group stays together really well for mile after mile and we roll though 10k at about 37:17.  However, somewhere near 9 miles I start to worry that the pace of this group is going to take me out of my game plan.  So I begin evaluating the situation.  Staying with the pack will undoubtedly pull me along and help break the wind.  However, if I can’t handle the pace then I risk blowing up near 20 miles.  After a few minutes of serious consideration I take a peek back and see if there are any packs close behind.  I see a big one, so I decide to fall off the back of the current pack and wait for the next one to swallow me up. 

The result: I run the next two miles alone with no one to help break the wind (winds of about 15 mph coming from the SSE).  I hit 10 miles in 1:00:43 according to my trusty Garmin.  Around 11 miles I hear a couple of runners approaching from the rear and one is a gal that I heard chatting with other runners over the course of the first several miles.  I had noticed her Canadian singlet so I presumed she was Denise Robson (4th overall female 08 CIM and Canadian Masters record holder).  After she pulled alongside I started some type of chit chat with her and shortly confirmed that it was indeed Denise.  This chance meeting might have very well been one of the keys to my surviving the day and holding my pace.  Thank you Denise!!  We worked together well and came through the half in 1:20:08.  Right before hitting the mat a blonde gal came up from behind and joined our little pod.  She stayed with us for a bit but then shortly thereafter pressed ahead.  Turns out she was Elena Orlova (2nd overall in 2:40:00). 

Elena Orlova 2nd Female 2:40:00

 

Shortly after the half we took a sweeping left and unfortunately found out just how windy that morning was becoming!!  At this point we were running directly into gusting winds as we worked down Fair Oaks Blvd.  Denise was smart enough to suggest that we take turns running from the front in order to negate as much as we could the slowing of our pace.  

 

This plan definitely worked but even so miles 15 and 16 were 6:23 and 6:20 (book ended by 6:10 and 6:12 miles).  

Denise Robson 5th Female 2:43:30

However, this was a bummer because I also felt like I was working harder than I wanted to in order to squeeze out these 6:20′s and also I was working hard when this was the portion of the race that I wanted to relax and save energy for the struggle that would present itself past the 20 mile mark.  Another 6:20 in mile 18 had me concerned but we were still dealing with intermittent wind gusts and I knew there was a bit of time in the bank as a result of the 1:20 half.  Stay focused and find a rhythm.  The race doesn’t start until the last 10k.  This was my self talk.  Denise was still right there so that was helpful as well.  20 miles in 2:03 something.  A little disappointing after the sub 1:01 first ten mile split but I knew the wind had been more of a factor in the second 10 mile stretch.  Bear down but stay relaxed…find that rhythm!! 

Ken Vendley

Somewhere around the 21st mile a younger guy in a white singlet and black shorts burst past us with his head down.  I remember being impressed with his late race surge and while I was being impressed Denise moved into his wake and I fell back about 10-15 meters from both of them.  Hold on I thought.  Quick math told me that a 2:43…maybe 2:42 was possible if I could hold it together for the last 10k.  Mile 22 in 6:10…good, keep counting em down! 23 in 6:12 and all of a sudden I am back on the heals of Denise and the other guy (turns out to be Albert Lam, Red Lizard from Portland).  

Denise says “there you are” as I pull alongside.  At this point I know I’ve got 3.2 miles to go and I’m trying desperately to do math again.  Forget about it, just run.  I run with Denise and Albert for a while and then at some point around 25 miles I find myself totally alone.  More attempts at math after a 6:17 mile.  Just get me home I am thinking now because this is deep into PR land for me.  Just hold it together and don’t Chernobyl.  Counting down the blocks now as I know I need to make it to 8th street and then turn left into the Capitol Mall.  I remember counting about 5 street lights as I got closer to 8th.  Please…can I actually do this?  Cool, I see the 26 mile mark even before I swing left onto 8th.  Holy shit, I am going to make it!!  I hit the last straight away and can see the clock…what, what does it read??  2:42:32, 33, 34, 35…I give one last push to make it to the mats…I’m not giving this away now.  I am over come with emotion….my right arm goes up in a fist and flails back and forth with a demonstrative show.  Jeez dude, do you think you just won the Boston Marathon or something?  Sorry!!  I’m just relieved and thrilled all at the same time and can’t control myself.  2:42:42…good for 59th overall and a new PR by 3-1/2 minutes!! 

Notables: Kevin Hutchins 2:37:35, Albert Lam 2:43:15, Greg Nieckarz 2:58:46, Ed Spinney 3:19:45, Sue Schmidt 3:30:15

Full Results:

http://www.runcim.org/data/results/ResultsIndiv2009a.html

Friday Run

Shoes:  Inspire 2

It was a wet morning and I was feeling a bit spent from yesterday’s workout.  Logged an easy eight miler over the three hills course (sans two of the hills).  Came back via 30th Ave to shorten the route.  Good company this morning with Space, Spin, tk and the Commander.  Spent some time at Gary’s Coffee fussing with my new BlackBerry rather than bantering with the boys.  It’s all good.  Tomorrow morning we’ll sneak in a run and then volunteer at the EWEB Run to Stay Warm.  Sunday is looking like about 16 miles.