I like to try to do things the right way but it seems I’ve dropped the pooch and screwed the ball in my attempt at consistent blogging. My most recent post was nearly 2 months ago, which was a lone entry after a prior month of nothings. Now just might be the time for me to get back on course with more frequent updates, all of which should be as informative as they are witty, with prose as good for the eyes as the accompanying photos are for the ears. Or something like that. Or I might just wait another month or three before getting back on here.
Now, for the excuses. Since the last post, some 57 days ago, I’ve been busy. There was, of course, the Birthdays of MLK and some prominent former Presidents and my dad, Groundhog Day, some Hallmark Holiday, a February 29th, and The 14th Anniversary of My First Date With Alison. There was a steady stream of out-of-town friends and family visits and the sudden, unexpected death of our minivan. Oh, and we had a baby girl we named Story Carlin Randall. That took a chunk of time out of the day on January 28th but, whew!, I was able to get through the entire process without missing much sleep or a single run. Alison is super impressed.
Obligatory baby photo:
But, back to my running. I mean, that’s what people want to hear about, right? [For the running data nerds, I am logging my mileage on a spreadsheet until I get sidetracked.] In the same 57 days I’ve run roughly 532.28 miles (684 miles going back to Jan 1). That’s an average of 9.34 daily miles, inclusive of rest days and a few missed workouts when I thought I broke my ankle (don’t worry mom, it’s fine). All told, I’ve logged 18 days with at least 15 miles for 2012, plus another 6 of 11-14 miles, meaning I’ve run “longish” about once every 3 days for over 10 weeks. Adding in at least a dozen hard efforts to focus on speed and this has already probably shaped up to be the toughest block of run training I’ve ever done. I guess that’s what runners do. They run. And if I want to consider myself a genuine “ultra-runner” I best keep on ultra-ing my training.
Last night I tried something a little different. I ran 30 miles by myself on some of the tougher local trails. It took me over 6 hours, with at least half of it in the dark. Being totally alone (I didn’t even see anyone for the last 3-4 hours), in the woods, on the technical (rocky, wet, steep) terrain, was more fun than I expected. Going into the run I thought I’d do 22.5 miles, which is 3 loops, but I felt so good I went on to get a nice round 30 in. It wasn’t easy but the surprise was it wasn’t that hard, either. Granted my pace was slow – over 12 minutes per mile average since I hiked many of the climbs and kept a running clock for fluid breaks (whether to refill by backpack bladder or empty my own). Still, given the conditions and my cumulative fatigue, it was great to cover the distance without any real suffering.
It was my last very long run before a couple of upcoming races. The first, on March 24th, is the track one-miler mentioned in my previous post. That will be quite a test, as I sorta suck at short distances and this one will be run in full view of a stadium crowd, my family, and some of the best milers around, some of whom are attempting to run sub-4:00. My current best is 5:39 – a so-so time for a casual daily runner but not good enough for a middling high school girl trying to make the track team. I sure hope to improve on my current PR, ideally to at least be competitive with the more accomplished of the 10-12 year old runners.
Next up is a race that plays more to my strengths: stubbornness and the ability to be uncomfortable for many consecutive hours while still moving forward. On April 7th is the Hells Hill 50-Mile Trail Run.
If the weather cooperates and I’m patient enough in my training to go into the race rested, I have a great shot of making this my fastest effort at the distance. While all on trail with plenty of twists and turns and some real ups and downs, the course is isn’t overly difficult and I ran well last year in the 25K that shared much of the same route. I’m still new enough to running ultras to not really know how long any given race might take but I’m hoping to go a good bit under my most recent time of 9:47.
The 50-miler will be a good way of gauging how effective my recent higher-mileage training has been and give me some direction for what I need to do between April and October to get myself ready for my biggest planned undertaking of the year: the unrelenting 100 continuous miles of harsh, steep trail I’m running on October 27th. I’ve mentioned wanting to do “a hundred” quite a bit, including in my previous post. I think about it a lot, with a mix of excitement and anxiety and a bit of sense of urgency. While anyone who runs more than a marathon is rightfully considered an “ultramarathoner”, there remains a distinction between those who have tackled the 100-mile distance and those who have not. Being out there for that long (the course record is 19 hours but many take the full 36 hours allowed and only about half of all entrants finish at all) is a quest more than a race. It is a real adventure, with highs and lows and pain and joy and peaks of excitement and hours of monotony. That’s what makes covering the distance such a huge accomplishment and a goal worth reaching for, regardless of whether I finish in something under 24 hours (my goal, only 14 people have done so in the history of the race) or 36 hours or not at all. I realize that nobody else really cares if I try this or, if I run it how fast I go or even if I finish. That’s just it – the goal is by me and for me, though I’ll take whatever support I can wherever I find it.
So, in short, I’ve been running a lot and plan on running a lot more. Some I’ll run hard but most is more of an extra-quick trip through the woods. I’ll do my best to share my journey now that I’ve gotten past the craziness of the last couple of months, with this blog functioning more as a stream-of-consciousness training log than any attempt at great writing, though I do anticipate it will continue to have a decidedly non-fiction bias. To the adoring masses, sorry for the hiatus and thank you for your continued support. Comments are always encouraged and thanks for reading!
A month between posts, again. Fortunately, it has been a great month and an encouraging start to 2012 and my build-up to what comes next. I pretty much look at everything that I’ve done up to the present as little more than a prelude to what’s ahead. For me, the last 10+ years of running and 23+ years of fitness are now my backdrop for the next in an uncertain series of new challenges.
While there will be a lot of interim challenges over the course of 2012, the big one is my first attempt at running 100 consecutive miles, hopefully in less than 24 hours. I’m looking at tackling the Cactus Rose 100 Mile Endurance Run on October 27, 2012 back out at Bandera, Texas.
I ran the 50-mile version of the race in October 2010 and know that a finish for the 100, in any amount of time, is far from a given regardless of how well I train. There are just too many variables to ever feel too confident about doing anything successfully for 24 hours straight. Add in extreme physical exertion of running all day and all night and into the next day, over steep hills covered with loose rocks and countless pokey things, and with the knowledge that the effort will be roughly twice as long as anything I’ve ever attempted, and there’s no telling. But I’m going to give it a shot.
With this in mind but still most of a year away, my recent training has been two-fold. First, I want to continue to improve my speed, since faster paces at shorter distance usually translate to faster paces at longer distances. I kicked off 2012 with a New Years Day 5K where, despite a bit of a breakdown in dietary discipline in the weeks before and little rest, I was able to set a new 5K PR by 45 seconds, beating my previous PR set on the same course the year before. Good for 15th overall out of 345 runners. And I am absolutely sure that I have a good bit more speed in me so I’m trying to tap it.
I really haven’t ever concentrated primarily on speed over shorter distances. And I’m not exactly making that my main focus now but am doing 2-3 workouts a week that will at least help. I also plan on jumping into shorter (10K and under) races whenever I can to see where I’m at. One of the more interesting events I’m eyeing is a 1-mile race, The Manzano Mile, where I’ll get to see what my true 1 mile time is, at sea level, on a track, no excuses. As a decidedly non-miler, I may well embarrass myself, even running at the best of my potential. Most of the guys in my heat will probably have times starting with “4” and my current best is 5:39 but it’ll be fun to see what I can do.
The second, and arguably much more important, path to completing the 100-miler is getting my body prepared for the rigors of relentless miles over tough terrain. Runners approach ultra-marathon training in different ways but most agree that to be able to run a lot of miles you have to train by running a lot of miles. So, that’s what I’m doing. Over the last few years, as I’ve ramped up my running volume, I’ve typically run somewhere in the range of 40-55 miles a week most weeks, with peak weeks in the 70s. A few times I’ve gone higher, most notably a 90-mile week this past summer. For 2012, I’m shooting for something more along the lines of a 70-miles-per-week average, with a number of weeks closer to 100 miles, body permitting. To track my progress and remain accountable, I’m keeping my 2012 mileage on a spreadsheet, so feel free to check out how I’m doing.
The frequent, really long training runs (20-30+ miles) will probably not start until summer. In the meantime, I’m mixing quantity with quality, with at least a couple of two-a-day runs per week. To keep myself from breaking down, I’m increasing strength and core work and eating as much nutrient-rich food as my stomach can handle, basically all day long. Still, I’ve been working around a tweaked right ankle and a few other minor issues so time will tell how much training load I can handle. I’m happy to say, at least, that I’m enjoying the miles and the variety in training.
There’s also a matter of the rest of life to incorporate into my running adventures. The picture below is actually a month or so old but the story is pretty much the same:
With a new baby arriving any day now, all of my determined plans remain somewhat tentative. Let’s say that, as I’ve outlined in this post, my training and racing aspirations are something of a best-case scenario. One way or another, at least I’m left without any doubts that 2012 will be eventful, if not entirely restful.
I’m eager to get in as many miles as possible with friends and look forward to a year of adventures, big and small.
With the year almost gone and no races scheduled, it’s time for just a bit of contemplation. Nothing existential, no soul searching, just some wrap up and moving forward.
In 2011 I raced 14 times, setting new race PRs in the 1M, 5K, 10K, 25K (my first race at the distance), Marathon, 50K, and 50M. I actually also saw PRs at virtually every distance up to 10 miles in training, thanks to lots of downhill runs, and came close to other distance PRs within a few of my races (I tied my 5K PR within a 10K, and came close to my half marathon PR in each half of the St. George Marathon. With significant training in Orlando, Taos, Santa Fe, Boulder, St. Louis, Kona, and Germany, I was able to experience running across sand and snow and through jungle and forest and mountains and open high desert. With (at least) 26 long runs and weekly mileage hitting a peak of 90, I’m feel like I’m just now starting to break through to find my potential. More importantly, the goal setting and daily work is fun and exciting.
Now, with 2012 almost here, what’s next? I know what I like the most: running trail for long stretches, preferably in the mountains, at about 55 degrees with just a hint of sun. Hopefully I’ll get at least some of that. But, I want to be a stronger, faster runner, too. That means doing some of the less-fun stuff. Probably a lot more. Lower body strength training will need to be a staple. Long uphills training will help, too. And probably some proper speed work, at least in the key weeks of race build ups. I expect to race a lot, opportunistically jumping into whatever I can based on scheduling and geography. While my primary focus will be running ultras, I do plan on pushing hard in shorter races, both for fun and to get in some faster miles.
Andres (long-time running buddy) and Ted Larison (friend and newly minted ultra-marathoner) are committed to running the 2013 Leadville Trail 100 Mile Run, one of the most challenging races in the world. Even with 20 months to prepare, I’m not entirely convinced I can be ready for it but it is certainly in the back of my mind. A lot will depend on the kind of mileage I am able to physically handle, enjoy, and find time for in 2012. If I can build a consistent weekly base of about 70 miles for the year, maybe with some peak weeks nearing 100 miles, I think I’ll have the confidence to commit to something like this.
In the meantime, while in Austin I’ll hit the local trails and races as often as possible. I’m trying to figure out good ways to include Sagan, Baby Two, and Alison in the adventures. I envision some rig with Sagan on my back and Baby on my front and Al at my side, making even an hour hike something of a solid effort that the whole family can enjoy.
It is a bit uncomfortable to be completely without a next race to think about but I’m going to enjoy the time to just run whatever seems like a good time. There is a New Year’s Day 5K race that looks like a good way to start the year so maybe I’ll see if I can start 2012 with a new PR?
It has been busy times for my legs since my last post. After the October 1st St. George Marathon I had originally planned on following up with the December 10th California International Marathon. But, the required time away from family and the expense of another solo trip helped me change plans, sticking closer to home for a local 50M trail race, El Sendero. In the build up, I decided I really needed a genuinely long run to be properly prepared and it just so happened that an intriguing 50K fell at an opportune time. So, on November 15th, I decided to jump into the Wild Hare 50K in Warda, Texas, just 4 days later.
No long-winded race report for this one but some of the highlights…
After sleeping on a barn loft floor the night before the race, literally right above the start line, I made my way downstairs, toed the line, and ran a solid race. The course was nice and twisty, with 4 loops, and sunny, slightly warm temps. I ran hard but even, approaching the race as more of a training run with a pinch of extra suffering thrown in. My nutrition strategy is finally worked out – a gel with water every 20 minutes and nothing else – and it left me with steady energy and no stomach issues. I’m finally learning that time in aid stations has really killed my results so this race (along with the STG Marathon) were quick in, quick out, losing almost no time along the way.
I still have some chaffing issues to figure out and a single fall scuffed me up and resulted in a purple sausage of a finger but I made it through without anything going really wrong. I’m convinced that is the key to running long relatively well and enjoying the experience: don’t screw up on anything major and the miles just tick off. I finished up 8th of 94 starters (81 finishers) in a 50K PR time of 5:03:07. I’d have liked to dip under 5 hours and, with some minor race tactic changes I think I could have moved up a couple of spots, but all-in-all I consider the performance a success.
In the 3 weeks between the 50K and the 50M, I headed to St. Louis for Thanksgiving to see family and put on some unproductive pounds. Still, I was able to get quality runs most days and I’m nearly convinced that Tofurkey has some sort of performance-enhancing properties, when consumed in equal proportions with beer and pizza.
Leading up to the 50M I did something along the lines of a proper taper, with just some elliptical and short treadmill running to keep my head straight and avoid hurting myself before the race. The night before the race I headed out to Burnet, Texas, with running buddy Andres Capra, snuggling in a the bed together in the dumpy roadside motel near the race site. Up well before 5am we found coffee and made the short drive to Reveille Peak Ranch for the 6:30am start. Mile-by-mile race reports are about as interesting to write as they are to read (not very) so here are the goods and the bads:
The Good:
- Entry was free for Andres and me, as a gesture to make up for a less-than-positive experience we had at a previous event by the same race directors at Rogue Running.
- While the weather wasn’t pretty – mostly 40s and dreary – it did make for good running.
- The staff, both for the race and the ranch, were super nice and accommodating.
- The terrain was challenging without being ridiculous, with about 11,000 feet of elevation change over the 50M course. Each loop had multiple shallow creek crossings, many rock ledges, switchbacks through forest, a bit of flat gravel road, and tons of technical, rock- and root-strewn single track.
- I raced well, with reasonable splits on each of the 3 loops, and a finish time of 9:47. Good for 5th out of the 13 starters.
- I liked having livestock on the course – it felt like a genuine ranch experience weaving through cows and added a bit of excitement not knowing if the 1000lb horned beasts might not take kindly to be shooshed aside by head lamp-wearing people running right at them.
- For the 50M event (there were also 50K and 25K races going on), there were only 13 entrants. 13! I’d consider anything less than 50 runners to be a small race but 13 is kind of an embarrassment.
- The distance was definitely off, probably by at least a half mile per loop, making it more like a 51.5-52 mile race, as indicated by multiple runners’ GPS watches and the finishing times. At 50.00 miles on my watch, which was almost certainly something greater than 50 miles (GPS watches often reflect shorter-than-actual distances since small sections are missed when there are switchbacks, for example), I was at 9:28.
- No race medals*. This sounds petty and surely reflects my admittedly amateur running experience but 50 (or 52) miles is a long way to go. I trained a lot for it, I ran it hard, with pain, and I was very proud to finish in a respectable time. True, I didn’t pay to enter this race but for those who did spend up to $130 and all of us who dug deep to cover the distance, a medal is both expected and deserved. Every other ultra-marathon race does this and I wasn’t the only one left disappointed and empty handed after gutting myself for nearly 10 hours.
*I’m not one to say that a kid should get a medal every time they make it through a dinner without wiggling or wipe their own butt (Sagan has yet to earn either) but I like the fact that Sagan has an appreciation for achievement. And being a 5-year-old rocket scientist is no small deal.
My intention was to update this blog every day or two. I think that many ambitious bloggers start with a similar plan. While my training has been fairly inspired since my last post, my enthusiasm for talking about it has not. A big reason for not sharing as much is that there hasn’t been as much to share. At least, nothing that includes harrowing tales of narrow escapes or superhuman feats. But, that’s not to say I’ve been sitting around playing with my calluses for a month.
I don’t feel the need to go into great detail of how I’ve spent each of the last 30 or so days but here are some highlights:
* On October 29th I got to see what a race was like from the other side of the aid station table. Training partner/friend/pain seeker Andres Capra was running the Cactus Rose 50-miler out in Bandera, Texas – the same race we ran together last year – and I came along this time to crew for him. In the world of ultra-running, having some help out along the course makes a big difference and I got all the glory that you might expect goes along with spending most of a day re-filling a friend’s water bottles and relocating coolers from one semi-random spot along a trail to another similarly semi-random spot a few miles away. But, I got to do it with Sagan at my side, after a night of snuggle-tent-camping in the middle of nowhere. And Andres had a great run, covering the 50 miles in just under 10.5 hours, improving on our previous year’s time by more than an hour.
* I’m back on a daily, measured push-ups and pull-ups routine. Basically I alternate days, with a day off here and there. The big difference is the quantities and approach. Rather than a set time for a structured workout, I do my strength training throughout the day, whenever it feels right, wherever I am. That sometimes means taking breaks during a run to crank out some push-ups or getting in a set or two of pull-ups between answering emails and putting away groceries. Back in high school, even when I was doing obsessive amounts of strength training, pull-ups were a particular weakness. Getting 8-10 proper reps was a real challenge. Now I’m routinely getting 100+, every other day. On November 4th I got in ten sets of 12 and 3 sets of 10, for 150 over the day. My new norm is 8 sets of 13. For push-ups, I shoot for sets of at least 50 reps and I typically try to get at least 300 throughout the day, though the range has been as low as 250 and as high as 500. Getting a little bit of focused strength training all day long seems contrary to just about every workout plan I’ve heard about but I like the mini-challenges I get all day long.
* My endurance training has been a bit mixed up the last few weeks. Alison and I got to take a short trip to Germany, where I got to get some beautiful runs through hilly forest trails and in picturesque old-timey places like this:
But, perhaps for the first time since I started really running, I got an injury that I thought might be a real problem. The bottom of my right foot started swelling with each run, making it feel like I was running with a marble in my shoe. I feared a stress fracture but it turned out to just be a pinched nerve. With some steroids (doctor-prescribed) and something like rest, it is healing up.
* Getting my foot right has been a top priority, with my 50-miler coming up in less than a month. So, I’ve backed off running quite a bit, instead spending a lot of time on the elliptical machine. Most days I do 90 minutes to 2 hours but there have been a couple of 3-hour sessions. In just the last week, I think I’ve gotten in about 10 hours on the elliptical, which is about 10 hours more than I’d like in a perfect-foot universe. But, with the foot healing up, I’ve been able to get back to some quality running over the last week.
* For the first time since the summer, this week I was able to get in 3 long runs (15M, 15M, 21M), all on trail and at reasonably decent paces. This past Sat/Sun was also my first time doing long back-to-back runs in some time and I am, for the first time since the October 1 marathon, starting to feel like I’m back in the running groove.
* With Thanksgiving in St. Louis coming up fast and my 50-miler soon after I return to Austin, it is again crunch time. The plan, though not methodical like marathon training, is to fit in as many quality miles as I can over the next 10 days or so, then back it off so I’m rested for the actual race.
* Oh, and a second dose of fatherhood is fast approaching. Here’s what our fetus looked like as of Halloween:
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It has been over two weeks since I updated the blog. There is a weirdness after a big race and it is kind of an uneasy place for many runners to be. There is the pride of accomplishment contrasted against the questions about what could have been done differently and how the performance could have been improved. There is the exhaustion, physical and mental, from both the race and the months of training that led up to it, that really calls for a break in training to allow for proper recovery. But the enthusiasm for working towards the next goal is already bubbling up and it gets really hard to just do so little.
For my first week after the race, I did some nice but relatively short daily hikes and just a single easy run of 3 miles. But after 7 days of being largely sedentary (by runner standards, at least), I was ready to get back at it. Knowing that it would be pretty dumb to put in any long or strenuous efforts just yet, I calmed my nerves and stretched my legs with 46 easy miles over the second week, including time to catch up with friends on some of my favorite trails around town.
Today, 16 days since the marathon, was my first “real” workout back. I still love the treadmill and got in a solid 90-minute effort. [For those into the actual workout, I set a program to alternate 3 minutes at 0% incline, 3 minutes at 2% incline for 90 minutes. First 30 minutes easy, around 10 min/mile pace, then 15 minutes at 8 min/mile, 30 minutes at 7:24/mile, finishing with 15 minutes easy, for a total of 45 minutes easy, 45 minutes at solid pace, totaling a bit over 10 miles.] It certainly wasn’t an epic session but it felt good to get some harder running in. Other than a mystery bump causing some pain on the bottom of my right foot, everything felt pretty good.
The plan for the next couple of months is going to remain flexible but the general idea is to get my mileage back up to have a peak week or two in the 80-90 miles/week range before tapering for the December 10th 50-mile race. I imagine I’ll try to get at least one workout a week with some real intensity in it but I’m more focused on getting the base back up, staying healthy, and regaining some of the strength I’ve likely lost in recent months. I’m also looking forward to splitting time on the trails and roads with friends and enjoying to cooler weather, running whatever looks good on any given day, expecting that 2-a-days will be somewhat common this fall.
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Over the last year or two I’ve seen friends from all corners of my life get into running. It is really exciting to see them set goals and step up to greater distances and/or greater performances in training and racing. A huge congratulations to you all, with special mentions to the following:
David Jacobs, who started running just 8 months ago, recently ran his first 26.2 at the Chicago Marathon, coming in under his target time and claiming to enjoy the entire experience (which must mean he has a lot more speedy results ahead of him). As with so much he has accomplished, I’m duly impressed. Here’s what Dave looks like, though in real life his head is bigger:
Matt and Jessica Carter are tearing through half marathons together across the upper Midwest, with fantastic results and the absolute bare minimum of gear and maximum of improvement. Matt does most of his increasingly speedy running shoe-less and Jessica seems to set a new PR each with each new race start. Matt and Jess, as always, being cool without trying:
The Halwes/Chopp Clan – an entire family of something close to 10 people with spouses and the like, most fairly new to running, ran a half marathon together yesterday in Detroit. Jen Halwes has been logging the miles for quite a while now but how cool is it that the whole family- including husband Shawn – got into it this time? Good job to all of you and I hope to be able to get some running in together with your whole group sometime soon. Most of the group:
Josh Wallach is also new to running but is quickly approaching his first half marathon on 10/23, with an eye towards his first full marathon April 15th (St. Louis) and, possibly his SECOND full marathon on June 24th (Kona). Another guy who started with just a mile or two and in a matter of months is knocking out 10 miles in training with energy to spare. With his determination and dedicated training, I wouldn’t be surprised if he runs his marathon next April at a faster pace than his half next weekend. Maybe not current, buy an undeniably awesome pic of Josh:
Brian Rockette has been nice enough to join me on a couple runs during my visits to St. Louis over the last year. He’s fast and getting faster and it was especially nice to have him along during part of a quite warm 20-miler some months back. Though he was sidelined with injury and missed the Chicago Marathon this year, I fully expect to see him back out soon…and knocking down my PRs at any distance he chooses to race. Brian, you keep running and I’ll be sure to keep chasing. Yeah, Brian pretty much looks this good in every one of his FB photos so I just selected this basically at random for the backdrop:
And for the more veteran runners in my life – Andres Capra, Olga Varlamova, Richard Letsinger, Steve Levine, pretty much everyone who lives in Boulder – thank you for keeping me inspired. I won’t likely ever crank out sets of 30 pull-ups and 80 push-ups between 5:30 mile repeats like Andres or run (and often win) 100-milers every few months as Olga has been known to do or win my age group in virtually every race I enter like Richard or be able to smash 2-a-days of hard training after after 16 hours of partying like Steve or run sub-2:30 marathons like pretty much every guy I hung out with in Boulder but hearing about (and seeing) those kind of efforts push me to see what I can do. As do the somewhat slower but no less hard-earned finishes by many of the others I’ve just mentioned.
So to all of you, thanks and keep it up.
Steve at Austin 70.3:
Olga’s most recent transformation:
I want to run 50 miles again, but faster this time. And I don’t want to be half a country away from my wife and son for multiple consecutive days, by choice, for the a 5th time in the same calendar. So, despite being registered to run the California International Marathon in Sacramento on December 4th, I’ve changed my plans. Instead, next up is “El Sendero,” a 50-miler off-road race at the Reveille Peak Ranch in nearby Burnet, Texas on December 10th.
My lone experience at this distance was nearly a year ago at the rugged Cactus Rose 50-Miler in Bandera, TX (race report). It was a tough but great experience and I’m curious to see how I can do on what I expect will be a somewhat easier course.
After yesterday’s St. George Marathon, I do feel like I have unfinished business with 26.2 on the road but right now I feel like some time on the trails will do me good. And as far as making sure I have a proper challenge ahead in the not-too-distant future, I think 10 or 11 or 12 hours of constant running should suffice.
Oh, and right now I’m so sore I can’t walk without my legs apart, cowboy-style, with my right foot jutting out perpendicularly from my left foot. So the idea of trying to keep all my body parts moving forward over rocks and roots cacti and logs and sand for more than about 50 feet seems pretty challenging.
Any running friends who might want to come out out for some of the fun on the trails, let me know. 25K, 50K, and 50M options are available.
It was a very good day and about 75 seconds from being a great day. First, the results and some stats. My race time was 3:16:14, an average pace of 7:29/mile and average speed of 8.0 mph. That was good for 406th out of 5294 finishers, whose average time was 4:30:03. I’m not sure how many runners started or dropped out of the race but I know that 7400 were registered. So, based on the finished, I was in the top 7% of the field. From all who started the race, I was somewhere in the top 5-6%.
Here’s how the folks in charge have actually illustrated my result:
Like so many of my key races, this one has a bitter-sweet aspect to it. My “A” goal had been to break 3:15:00. My “B” goal was to break 3:16:00. Both are somewhat arbitrary, with the “B” goal being what it would have taken to qualify for the Boston Marathon through 2012. I say arbitrary because even had I hit my time it wouldn’t have mattered, as the qualifying times for Boston have gotten tougher for 2013 and the registration period for 2012 had passed prior to my race. There still would have been something special in knowing that I had hit the time historically necessary to achieve the much sought-after “BQ” (Boston Qualifier).
But I didn’t and, much to my own surprise, it doesn’t bother me much. I feel like I could have done some things differently in my race build up but, for the most part, I did things right. My training was solid and consistent. (For those looking for an opportunity for some bathroom humor, here’s your chance.) I came into the race rested, uninjured, without much stress, and appropriately enthusiastic and optimistic. My diet had been just right and I was lean and fit. I had worked out and practiced my race nutrition plan and running gear so I knew exactly how to avoid blisters, chaffing, stomach distress, and dehydration. And I was without distractions in the days leading up to the race, able to relax and have all the tiny details worked out so when the alarm went off at 4am on race day, I was already up and alert. And all these factors collectively came together during the race just as I had hoped they would, ultimately resulting in a hard run but enjoyable race with an almost 14-minute PR (personal record).
So, why is there any bitter in the sweet? I’ll come to that in a second. Before being a downer I want to go into how the race unfolded. I had already decided a couple of things beforehand. (1) I’d start out slow and shoot for a negative split, and, (2) I’d stay behind the 3:15 pace leader for at least the first 20 miles, even if I was feeling strong. The course has some real climbs, mostly from miles 7-12 and another around mile 20. Other than that, it’s all downhill, with a net drop of about 2500 feet.
While the second half is almost entirely downhill, it can be a lot of stress on the legs and it is all run as the temperature is rising. We had something approaching a record high temperature for the race, with it in the 80s and fully sunny at the time I finished. Even so, I was good about sticking to my plan, starting out easy and getting through halfway, even with the hills, in just under 1:39 (a marathon pace of 3:18). Up to that point I was steady, sometimes falling up to 100 yards behind the pace leader but unconcerned, as I know I am good at closing that sort of gap easily on the long downhills. The pace wasn’t exactly conversational but I knew it wasn’t taking much out of me, either.
At the halfway point, I knew it was time to pick up the pace and take advantage of the downhills. All along, I was diligent in taking a gel every 20 minutes and drinking a couple of ounces of water at each aid station. My energy remained level and I felt neither thirsty nor bloated. Really, things were going as well as I could have imagined they might. Anyone who has run a marathon (or had the misfortune of having a marathoner in their life) knows about The Wall that runners hit, usually somewhere between miles 17-22, making the remainder of the race quite difficult, often resulting in a major drop off in pace. I waited for it to hit. And waited. And waited. But it didn’t. I felt some fatigue setting in, of course, but nothing unbearable. The miles kept ticking off and I just focused on passing whichever runner was the closest in front of me.
One by one, I was passing people and concentrating on running a straight line down the course. I kept the pace leader within striking distance, at times running on his shoulder, to ensure I wouldn’t miss my goal. Then, at the Mile 21 aid station, I took some water while running and looked ahead and no longer saw the pacer. There was a sight line of at least a quarter mile and I hadn’t hardly slowed at the aid station so I figured I had dropped him, which was ok at this point in the race. With 5.2 miles left and energy to spare, I had visions of greatness. I stayed on pace the next three miles, telling myself I’d just hold myself back then push hard to the finish with a couple miles left. I figured, at that point, my “A” goal was all but locked in and was thinking that 3:13 might even be doable.
I never did again see the pacer (even as I slowed below the 3:15 pace – a mystery I’m not sure I’ll ever have a chance to unravel) so I figured as long as he was behind me, all was well. For a few minutes I had some twinges in my calves that I knew could be a problem but then, with less than 3 miles left, BOOM: Cramps, alternating between both calves and both hamstrings. Not just the usual aching muscles but genuine seizures in the muscles. I hobbled along as fast as I could, somehow staying under 8 minute miles but the pace was slowing and I couldn’t figure out what to do about it. So I just kept pressing forward. Without water, I swallowed a salt tablet but its coating made it stick to my dry throat, causing me to briefly choke until it popped from somewhere deep in my throat below my Adam’s apple back out of my mouth and onto the pavement. All while half limping, half sprinting, knowing the finish line was than 2 miles away.
I’d have 15 or 20 seconds where the intense pains would subside and I’d feel like maybe they were over and pick the pace back up then LEFT CALF, RIGHT HAMSTRING. It was super frustrating, knowing I had timed almost everything right, with enough reserve energy for a proper hard finish, but limited by some minor imbalance in salt or water or something. I really wanted to run hard but just couldn’t move any faster, seeing my goal time slip away. The final push to the finish line was miserable. Normally, I look forward to that last 15-30 seconds of redlining through the finish, on the edge of passing out, trying to catch just one more runner ahead of me. But my dumb ass legs took that away from me and I saw the bright red 3:16:XX ticking upwards as I struggled through the line.
So, yeah, some disappointment at the end of the race but I learned a few things. The first is that if it is even a little bit warm, go ahead and take the salt tabs early and often, even if it doesn’t seem necessary. The second is that I have more speed than I once thought. Running in the low 7-minutes-per-mile isn’t that hard anymore and I need to reorient my future goals and training. Also, even though the last couple miles sucked, overall the effort was easier this year to run 3:16 than it was last year to run 3:30. Some of the difference was course – St. George is certainly faster than Austin – but a lot comes down to better training, better discipline, and better pacing. That might just mean future big PRs are a real possibility.
My stand-alone half-marathon PR, set in 2010, is 1:35:06. The second half of this marathon, even with the cramps and a hilly 13.1-mile warm-up, was run in about 1:36. That’s pretty cool. What this tells me is that I’m getting significantly faster at all distances, something that I’m guessing isn’t all too common for guys on the back end of their 30s.
The big take-a-ways – I’m proud to still have the health and will and support of family and friends to keep on pushing to see what I can achieve. There is a satisfaction that comes from working hard at something meaningful, with an objective goal, and putting that out there for the world to see. Even if you fall short. I don’t imagine there’s a person on earth who cares what pace I maintain over 26.2 miles but I hope that the fact that I care says something positive about me.
——
Mile-by-mile splits:
Not much left but the wait. With all the training behind me, travel booked, and feeling well, I think I’m ready. This week I have almost no running planned, just a couple short sessions mostly to help with nerves. The focus is on eating and sleeping enough and, when I get to St. George, I’ll drive the course (maybe get out and walk some miles of it) and attend the race expo, just to make sure nothing slips through.
I don’t know exactly how I’ll do. 3:15 seems doable if all goes as planned. But, that is a good bit faster than my previous best and there are a lot of variables come race day. The one thing that I’m confident about – I have worked hard, with focus, and I certainly look like a runner now. Almost every time I meet another runner and conversation turns to PRs (mine, in particular), I hear the same thing: “Oh, you look a lot faster than that.” Or, “Oh, I figured you were one of those fast guys”. I’ve never know whether I should say “Thank you” or “Fuck you” but usually I just half mumble “uh, yeah”.
Now that my weight is solidly back up to the 150s, I’m feel like I look more fit than emaciated. (Though I’m sure my grandmother would disagree.) And if I told folks I was going for a 2:15 marathon, rather than a 3:15, I bet most would believe me. My primary goal isn’t to be super lean or ripped or “look like a runner”. What I want is to be healthier and perform better, to run faster and longer, while maintaining some strength and, hopefully, looking more like an anatomy chart than a skeleton.
I mean, this is sexy, right?
Come 2012 I’ll try to put on a few productive pounds. For now, I’ll consider my thinner self to be “race fit,” secure in the knowledge that good food and hard training are to blame. Just in case I ever run for elected office, here’s me in my underpants this morning:
With just 13 days left until the marathon, I’m backing off the training quite a bit. But, I’m still drinking coffee and watching the ultra-fit Ironmen (and Ironwomen) tear up the roads on foot and bike, a combination that has me wanting to train more when I am absolutely certain I shouldn’t. So, with a fairly solid 6M pace run Thursday, my final long(ish) run of 15M on Friday and five 1M repeats today at a respectable pace, it is all short and/or easy efforts from here until race day.
This is, in many ways, the hard part. There’s the anticipation of the race, which can lead to doubts about my fitness, past training, and eventual performance. And my best stress buster – lots of exercise – is about the worst thing for me right now, at least as far as improving the odds of a good day on October 1st. What my body needs most is to rest up and repair from the nearly 4 months of daily self-inflicted fitness punishment. So, I’ll try to be a “regular American guy” a little bit leading up to the race, with feet up, relaxing on the couch. But, no alcohol, no deserts, no soda, nothing fried or breaded, and limited “white” foods (flour, rice, potatoes, sugar). And very little football. Actually, almost nothing like a “regular American guy,” I guess.
In non-running news, we’ve been getting in a good mix of daily island life, including sea kayaking and some hiking over lava and trips to some waterfalls and a farmer’s markets and local restaurants and the obligatory (highly contrived and for-tourists-only) luau. I even ate some kalua pig, which is weird times three for a Jewish vegetarian health nut.
Oh, and I got to do some small game hunting. Tired of holes being chomped through the exterior of all of our food products while we slept, I set up some rat traps, as much as a way to teach Sagan some physics as to catch anything. But, after just one night of some avocado-baited traps, we awoke to this scene on the kitchen counter:
It isn’t all as much fun as rat neck breaking, though. Yesterday about all we got to do is go to a place that had this:
Kind of Like Fun 
