Blog of a Middle Aged Athlete

Just 2 days after the best race of my life, this wonderful gift showed up!  What a great couple of days I had!

I deserved the outcome of this race.  I had it coming.  I was feeling pretty darn good about myself after both CIM and Boston.  Then came South Dakota.

Deadwood is a little town about 1 hour from Rapid City, SD (don’t worry, I didn’t know where that was either).  This area’s claim to fame is the town of Sturgis, which apparently holds one of the largest biker rallys in the U.S., and Mount Rushmore.  It really is beautiful country, but not exactly optimal marathon territory if time is important (Isn’t it always?).

The weather leading up to the race was looking pretty good.  In fact, when we landed on Saturday, the low that morning was in the mid-40s.  Exactly what we were looking for in a June marathon.  Unfortunately, the race was being held on Sunday.

When we woke up on Sunday, the temperature was around 60, which usually is not terrible, but this was at 5:30am and the race didn’t start until 8:00am.  I was concerned until we arrived at the start line.  Due to the shade and the altitude, it felt at least 5-10 degrees cooler here.  Did I say altitude?  The race started at about 5400 feet, climbed to 6200, then descended into Deadwood at about 4800 feet.  Seemed like the perfect recipe for my negative split running strategy.

I was running this race with my neighbor Sean and brother in law Chris.  Sean and I have run several marathons together, including Boston, but this would be my first with Chris, who unfortunately had not run a marathon in 4 years.

The first mile of the race was a pretty good downhill on the road before we turned onto the Mickelson Trail.  The Trail was a nice crushed rock trail that long ago was cut through the hills to accommodate a railroad line.  It was quite nice to run among the trees and fields that lined the course.  Around mile 3 we started the slow, gradual climb that would not end until mile 13.  The three of us ran together with the mindset that we would take it a little slower due to the altitude.

Mile 1 7:47
Mile 2 7:30
Mile 3 8:15
Mile 4 8:00
Mile 5 8:31
Mile 6 8:09
Mile 7 8:15

Everything seemed to be going according to plan.  I wasn’t terribly concerned about my pace, but I was struggling a bit with my breathing.  I was coughing every few minutes, but no big deal.  I figured I just needed to wash down GU #2 with some fluid to get the tickle out of my throat.  Shortly after mile 8, Sean picked up the pace a bit, but Chris and I hung back and hoped the top of the hill would come soon.

Mile 8 8:14
Mile 9 8:25
Mile 10 8:19
Mile 11 8:45
Mile 12 8:54
Mile 13 8 47

Around the halfway point, the course definitely got better, and that’s a good thing, because the sun had been beating down on us for almost 2 hours, and it was getting hot.  I could tell I was struggling, but was hoping that the downhill and lower altitudes would bring me some much needed energy.  I sped up my consumption of GUs to one per water stop.  Just passed the half marathon start, the course turned downhill and Chris and I picked up the pace.

Mile 14 8:50
Mile 15 7:45
Mile 16 8:07
Mile 17 7:46
Mile 18 7:56

Not feeling great at this point, Chris sped up (or did I slow down?).  I was trying to hold it together, but the downhill portion of the course took a pause and some uphill came back for a visit.  I was struggling, and during the 20th mile I decided to do something I haven’t done since South Bend exactly 1 year ago…I took a walk break.

Mile 19 8:18
Mile 20 9:36

The rest of the miles were kind of a blur.  I told myself I would take a 1 minute walk break each mile, but that quickly changed to every half a mile, and despite the downhill, my times slowed considerably.  I was in full “crash and burn” mode now, just trying to survive and hang on with some respectability left.  I had many thoughts running through my head, so I thought I would document them at the approximate point in the race they occurred.

Mile 21 8:45
Mile 22 8:46

“I hate red Powerade, why isn’t isn’t it cold?”
“I have never quit a race before, and I’ll be damned if this is the first.”

Mile 23 9:19

“Why am I doing this”
“Marathon’s suck”
“Did someone just pass me near the end of the race?  That does not happen to me!”

Mile 24 8:52

“Thank you to the nice half marathon walker that said I look good…but you are a liar!”
“Darn, passed by another and I can’t even attempt to keep up.”

Mile 25 10:23

“I hope I never set foot in South Dakota again.”

Mile 26 9:51

“Damn, did that chick just pass me?”

.2 + Garmin Bonus 4:16

“Thank you kind sir for asking me 4 times after I finished if I am OK.  This is as good as I’ve felt in hours.”

Final time:  3:46:16, a personal worst.  I was somewhat comforted by the fact that I was 9th out of 38 in my age group and 31st overall out of 396.

The fact that it took me 11 days to get this race report produced should tell you how much fun I had at this race.  This one hurt in every way.  I have struggled to get back up and running, and when I did I did not feel too good.  I am not scheduled for another marathon until October, and I think that is good.  I need to erase this one from my memory before I toe the line at another race.

Much to talk about.  No time to say it.

I will communicate soon.  Sorry for the short post.

1 year and 2 weeks since my first marathon, I am preparing for number 7.  Why does it feel different each time?

Since I had 6 weeks to recover/train/taper, I’m not really sure how I should feel.  Everything has gone according to plan, and I feel fine.  Why am I worried?

I’ll tell you why.  I want to BQ.  Now.  I want to get this monkey off my back (it is a little monkey, but a monkey nonetheless) and start planning a vacation in New England in 2011.

For my last race, a PR, I had no strategy, just to run comfortably and hopefully negative split.  I did that, and surprisingly came up just 3 minutes (or 2 min 46 sec) short of a BQ.  So what’s the problem?  I just looked at the elevation chart.  Houston’s looked as flat as…well…Houston.  But there are a few bumps in Ft. worth, and we will be running some of them.

Now I know that elevation charts can be deceiving.  True, there is only 200 feet separating the low point and the high point on the course.  It is not like we are talking about oxygen changing elevation swings here.  But there seems to be a 100 foot drop within the first half mile, and don’t even talk to me about mile 24-25 (uphill).

So, to develop a strategy.  In Houston, I used the 10-10-6 strategy.  Use the first 10 miles to warm up, the second 10 miles to get my time in line, and the final 6 to “sprint” and hang on.  This course seems to lay out nicely for that same strategy.  Putting pen to paper (or pulling out the trust spreadsheet), this means running the first 10 in 1:17:35 (7:45/mile pace), the second 10 in 1:15:57 (7:35/mile pace), and the final 6.2 in 47:20 (7:38/mile pace), leaving exactly 7 seconds to spare for a 3:20:52.

Easy enough, right?

Sure I’ve run a few marathons, but I definitely don’t consider myself an expert.  However, the other day while running…alone…again, I thought it would be a fun exercise to rate the marathons I have run.  But how does one rate a race?  By my finishing time?  By on course entertainment?  Scenery? Organization?  Post race food?  Tshirt?  Finisher’s medal?  Yes, Yes and Yes to all of these.So at the risk of offending many, in order of worst to first, here is the my unscientific ranking of the marathons I have run.

• Number 6:   San Antonio Rock n Roll Marathon - I was really looking forward to this race.  But the weather was terrible, I crashed and burned, and the expo was crowded.  Start line being near my father’s house was a huge plus, and the shirt was pretty cool.  I did my first in race audio during this race.

• Number 5:  Davy Crockett Bear Chase Marathon - This was my second marathon ever, and I had a great time.  The race is held in Groveton, TX, which is a small town near the Davy Crockett National Forest, so most of the race was pretty scenic.  However, there were very few fans, and the small race size meant there were a lot of lonely miles.  The race shirt was pretty ugly, but a free pasta dinner the night before was a nice touch.  I would gladly run this race again someday.

• Number 4:   San Francisco Marathon - To say I have mixed feelings about this race is an understatement.  When I finished this race, I never wanted to run again.  The next day, I was already planning next year’s trip.  Logistically, this was an easy race.  My hotel was on the starting line, so I basically went from room to corral in 5 minutes.  Awesome.  Since it was a loop course, the finish was just as nice, although it took me 3 times as long to walk back up!  Great city, great restaurants for refueling.  Tough course.  Tough, tough course.

• Number 3:  Frankenthon - A race for runners by runners.  Frankenthon was a nice local race, and was organized by a member of my running group.  Despite its small size, it was an official Boston Qualifier.  Because it was only 3 weeks from my goal race (San Antonio) I decided (wrongly!) to run it as a training run and not race it.  Perfect weather, flat course, great volunteers, post race pizza, tech shirt AND socks, and a free massage at the end made this one of the most fun marathons I have run.  Did I mention I actually won some hardware?  I can’t wait to run this one again!

• Number 2: Houston Marathon -  Good weather (were we lucky?), great fans lining the entire course, a flat course and a PR.  What’s not to like?  I can easily see why this race sold out in less than 2 days.  The finishers shirt may be the highest quality tech shirt I own.  This race convinced me that a BQ was not far away. 

• Number 1:  Austin Marathon - You never forget your first time, right?  After running a few half marathons during the previous two years, I thought I would give the big race a shot.  I had no idea what to expect, and my only time goal was to break 4 hours.  I learned during this race that I was capable of being a decent runner.  I learned that anything is possible with some desire and discipline.  I learned that there is a good reason why people run marathons.  When I finished this race, I was officially a runner.

After a week of rest following the 2010 Houston marathon, I am ready to start up again to be ready for The Cowtown Marathon 4 weeks from now. As my Pfitzinger training books states - 6 weeks between races is extremely difficult. It is just enough time to lose fitness, but not enough time to properly recover before I can get any meaningful training in. So why am I doing this?

Reason 1. There are only a few good weeks/months of cool weather left to run these races nearby. Once April hits, most of the races would require substantial travel.

Reason 2. I have not qualified for Boston…yet. And I will. Soon.

Reason 3. My friend Mike, who started me running back in the fall of 2006, wants to run his second marathon, and I told him I would do it with him.

Reason 4. Why not? I have spent a fair amount of money on shoes, shirts, socks, etc. I may as well use them as often as I can!

The Houston Marathon is coming up this weekend, and I have a few things on my mind. 

• Should I wear my newer and “cushier” NB, which have about 125 miles on them, or my older, but sleeker 2140s which have 275 miles and 2 marathons on them?
• What race strategy should I use?  Last marathon I ran (San Antonio) I came out on BQ pace and died mid-race.  Was it the humidity, or is that pace just too fast for me at this time?
• What is my real goal?  The safe bet, if there are any safe bets in a marathon, is to PR (<3:34 or 8:08/mile pace).  However, when I run the race calculator based on my last half marathon, it says a 3:23 is in the cards (7:45/mile pace).  My current thought is to start at 8:00/mile and attack from there.
• Weather looks great for Houston on Sunday, and the course is relatively flat.  Course support is supposed to be great, so everything is pointing towards a great race.
• When am I going to finalize my mp3 playlist?  I have put the songs together, but now need to organize them to synchronize with my course strategy (this is serious stuff).
• Why is my race bib number the same as my father’s birth year (1946) and is there any cosmic connection to this that will allow me to qualify for Boston at this race?
• Should I bring a 5 hour energy with me?  I have tried half a bottle before a long training run with no ill effects, but with nerves, GUs, etc, who knows how I will react.
• How often should I record my thoughts on my digital recorder?  Did anybody enjoy listening to them?

Maybe I’ll just run and not worry about anything…….Maybe.

I have been meaning to post a quick review of my 2009 running experiences for 10 days now.  Better late than never!

 2009 marked the year I became a runner.  Sure, I had run in the past, but never have I been so committed and disciplined (some may say obsessed).  As usual, I began my seasonal running in late August of 2008, but this time decided to run the Austin Marathon in February of 2009 (thanks Mike D!).  Ten months later, I had completed 5 marathons (PR of 3:34:43 in Groveton, TX), a trail run (ugh!) and a half marathon.  I also ran a 5k with my mother and daughter, both who I hope will continue this wonderful hobby.

According to my online training log (see the Buckeyeoutdoors link on the right), I ran a total of 1,550.2 miles last year burning a sweet 189,555 calories!  These runs came in all shapes and sizes.  I remember running 11 miles on the treadmill at the gym (boring), running 20 miles during the hot summer at 4:45am (and being freaked out by a deer in my path in the pitch dark), discovering that you actually can find places to run in Vegas, and running Yasso 800s with my running group.  I remember the fartleks, the recovery runs, the tempo runs, and my brief bout with heat exhaustion (thanks RunTex for the phone and Gatorade).  I remember runs with friends, family and nobody except God and my mp3 player. 

I remember each and every race.  My “first time” at the Austin Marathon, the hills of San Francisco, the San Antonio humidity, and receiving my first hardware at The Frankenthon.  I remember by gold/black Asics Nimbus 10s, 3 pairs of 2140s, and my spanking new New Balance 1065s.

My running goals for 2010 are simple.  Continue to have fun, make friends, encourage others to run, and race many different distances.  I will continue to strive for a Boston Qualifying time in the marathon, but I will not be discouraged if it does not happen as soon as I might like.

Onward to 2010!

The Houston Marathon is 3 1/2 weeks away, and I’m at the end of the second trimester of my recover-train-taper schedule between the marathons in San Antonio and Houston.  The training has gone well, and although my mileage has been averaging 40+ miles for each of the past few weeks, including long runs of 17 and 18 miles, I feel like I’m not doing enough.  I guess a “sane” person would say that the workouts are getting easier due to the cooler weather conditions and being in better shape.  Whatever the reason, the fact that I didn’t follow a 16 or 20 week training plan between races feels odd.

Now come the holidays, and I need to find time to fit in runs in between the opening of gifts and stuffing of my belly (or should I just call that fueling?), not to mention the Christmas and New Year’s parties, which start tonight, offering plenty of opportunities to overindulge.  Life is a series of trade-offs, and marathon training is no exception.

I am beginning to formulate my race strategy for Houston.   I will not reveal it here (yet), as my research is not complete.  I will search the internet for race reports from previous years to understand the course, and combine that with my own experience and training to come up with a way to set a PR.  Oh yea, did I mention that I decided to take “baby steps” to get to that Boston Qualifying time?  You see, I realized it might have been a little aggressive for me to jump from a 3:43 finish in my first marathon to get a 3:20 BQ time in under a year.  Heck, I haven’t PR’d in 3 races!  So I’m setting the following goals for Houston (easiest first).

1. Set a PR (less than 3:34:45)
2. Go sub 3:30
3. BQ (< 3:20)

I plugged my last half marathon time into a race time calculated I found online, and it said I could get a 3:23 marathon.  Of course, my half marathon time was on a hilly course, and the Houston marathon is a flat course, so maybe with a little help from Mother Nature…

Merry Christmas to everyone, now let’s go run!

Due to the 5 marathons I have run this year, it has been 1 year since I had run a half marathon.  Why did I wait so long?!  Despite the cold temps around 40 degrees and the light rain that persisted throughout the race, I had a blast.

It was nice to run a race and not to have to worry too much about pacing or bonking.  The course was definitely hilly, but I still managed a 1:35:58, which is a new half marathon PR for me.  I used the race as my official (psychological) kick off point to transition from “recovery mode” to “training mode” again.  The Houston marathon is in 5.5 weeks, and I want to set a new PR.

In hindsight, I might have been a little aggressive in thinking that I could go from first time marathoner to BQer in under 1 year.  I have really struggled with the 7:37 pace that would be necessary.  Instead of going for the BQ goal of 3:20 in Houston, I think am going to mellow out a bit and try to run my first sub-3:30 race.  From there, I can worry about a BQ.  However, I can always change my mind, right?