Let Me Interrupt …

… that dead space on this blog.  Hopefully, we have hit the valley here on amarathoner.com.  I mean death valley as in absence of life and blogging.  It’s been nearly a week since I’ve last keyed in my thoughts.  Why?  Laziness?  Maybe.  More likely wrapping up the last few work days before “vacation”.  I say “vacation” because we are packing up the crew to head back to Chicago to visit family.  It’s less a vacation and more like not working in a new location … the same stuff, different place.  Although, the benefit is that I am not in the office … so there is something.  What have I been doing since early last week?  Let’s see:

Tuesday:  After the 21 miler on the previous Sunday, I did not see much upside to running the assigned track workout with the team (4×1200 @ actual 5k pace).  While I felt not a single ache or pain, I wanted to make certain that all those little muscles that I tore up were well on their way to healing or at least do no further damage.  Instead, I jogged to, around and from the track at an easy pace to get circulation going.  10.5 mi @ 8:42.

Wednesday:  Getaway day.  We had a flight at 10am which put the run in serious jeopardy.  I guess a pre-dawn run was an option, but that increases the family stress levels.  Not happening.  Add to the fact a 4 hour delay courtesy of the idiots at American Airlines and the run was DOA.  Unscheduled rest day.

Thursday:  I felt fully recovered and a bit anxious to get on the roads.  If I don’t run very soon after traveling I get nervous that my legs will suddenly stop working.  Since I was missing The CPTC Staple Workout, I was highly motivated to do my best to get it done on my own.  What is The Staple.  8mi tempo (1st 4 @ MP, 2nd 4 @HMP) with no recovery.  I had never attempted the full workout during the last marathon season (Boston) since I was new to the team and in absolutely no shape to successfully attempt it.  Therefore, I was left to my own devices to try to bang it out.  I settled on this place:

Chicago Lakefront

Not bad, huh?  Benefits are obvious – stunning views, cool breeze, plenty of company and flat terrain.  I set off on Oak Street beach and headed south and then reversed course.  It was beautiful.  The only “negatives” would be it’s asphalt-only and there were a lot of cyclists jockeying for position.  There was a higher probability of getting run over.

I felt great during the initial 4 mi until I had the need to hit the restroom at the end … annoying.  Pace was decent at 7:26.  I was able to generate turnover much easier than during recent tempos (flat terrain probably helped some) and ended up at 7:18 for the last 4 mi.  I was pleased with the effort, but the real test comes on the hills of CP.  I’m certain there will be another 2×4 tempo coming though. 10.1mi @ 7:38 (with warm up and cool down).

Friday:  Standard recovery run amid suburban sprawl.  Truly nothing to see here.  7 mi @ 8:37.

Saturday:  Since August started I have rested the day before the long run.  Monday was scheduled.  Wednesday was unscheduled.  Therefore, I had to go off plan and get something done on Saturday.  Why?  I’m nuts.  The other reason was we were back along the Lakefront and I could not pass up the opportunity to run with the city as a backdrop.  In this case I had company … my wife.  We ran together for 5 lovely miles.

Sunday:  Long run day.  I would be remise if I failed to mention the weather in Chicago since we arrived … PERFECT.  Low to mid 70s without a trace of humidity … until Sunday.  I’d followed reports that summer would return so I planned on an early run.  Apparently it was not early enough.  The location of the run was here:

Now, I’m largely a city kid in my adult years.  As far as I’m concerned, this was the Amazon.  There were no water fountains … only 2 water pumps.  No lush restrooms.  Only outhouses and port-a-potties.  And certainly no friendly street vendors selling Gatorade.  The route itself was simple in theory.  9.5 mi loop on limestone amid swamps, corn fields and a whole bunch of forest.  My concerns were equally simple … not get lost.  You would think navigating a circle would be easy … meh.  Too bad my Garmin does not have a “Never Lost” feature where you can punch in a route and it commands you to “turn left at 30 feet” etc.  Instead, I had to follow the marked path and occasional passersby (fellow runners, off-road cyclists, walkers and cross-country skiers).

I came loaded … handheld, 2 GUs, plus more supplies left in the rental car.  The terrain itself was hilly … from rolling (constant) to scaling (select spots).  As such, the pace would have to be reduced to avoid bonking.  Save for the 8 foot deer I saw, the first loop was uneventful.  Temps were not too bad  - 70* and moderate humidity.  The sun started to become an issue in the more open areas, but the tree cover seemed to help.  I finished up feeling pretty good.

Now … do it again, but with the temps at 85* and humidity at 67% (I checked during the fuel refill at the car).  Oh yeah, and those hills I mentioned but did not feel on the first loop.  Foot,  meet ass.  Begin kicking repeatedly.  The 2nd time around was rough.  Legs felt like lead from mile 10-13.  I only perked up at that point because I got lost.  I was distracted by an ambulance picking up someone stranded (told you this was the woods) and missed my turn.  I realized my mistake after about .5 mi and retraced my steps and righted the ship.

From mile 14 on was work.   The sun was baking me and I was getting destroyed by mosquitos (I knew I was in trouble when I saw locals spraying insect repellant at the start).   Long runs are meant to be hard.  Not necessarily in the donate-quarts-of-blood-to-insects-hard, but hard nonetheless.  Good training.  Also, friendly folks.  Everyone I passed waved and the scenery was gorgeous.  I’m sure I’ll return next week for a shorter version.  The change from CP was pleasant, but definitely made me appreciate the convenience of my local park.  Total: 19.1 mi @ 8:47.

Monday:  Today is a special day … it’s been exactly 365 days since this blog went live.  August 30, 2009 I set off to capture and publish my running thoughts.  Here we are 1 year later … hopefully wiser, definitely more fit and thankful for all of the comments and experiences shared on these Interwebs.  Happy Birthday.  And thanks to all of you for following this little dog and pony show.  :-)

Healthy Kidney 10k: Race Plan

Tomorrow is race day.  After all the training, fueling and mental prep, the excitement is building.  Big races are fun.  Well, all races are fun.  However, the big races seem to amplify all the good stuff.  As a club points race, it guarantees a big turnout (7,000-8,000).  As a key race for NYRR (after NYCM, NYC Half), it guarantees a number of elite runners participating as well.  Always fun to see them perform.  And that’s really the point.  It should be exciting and it should be fun.  While I certainly have goals for this race and other races, I’m not competing for cash or an Olympic trials birth.  It’s about fitness and fun.  I tend to require a reminder of these basic principles as I try to balance the competitive, obsessive side of my personality.  Work in progress.

I “carbed” up over the last couple days … meaning that I ate pasta fairly regularly, but still feeling pretty lean actually.  I’m working on creating good habits.  Since I don’t foresee running anything longer than a 5-miler for the next couple of months, the lead up to tomorrow’s race gives me the chance to “practice” fueling for longer races. No need for a 2+ week taper, but I tried to be smart about getting some turnover this week while also preserving the legs.  The last bit is to get my morning routine down.  With a 9am start, I’ll likely wake up at 6am to get the last of the fuel in as well as getting the irrigation system going.  For the 4-miler last month, I think I warmed up appropriately ~1.5 miles.  For the last 10k, I warmed up probably closer to 2.5 miles, which for someone at my level, is just too much.  Tomorrow, I plan to stretch early and often, walk to the reservoir for a 1+ mile spin, do a few moderate hill pick-ups and then walk to the start.  None of this should raise any eyebrows.  The next bit might.

I surveyed many of my teammates on in-race fuel for a 10k.  With one exception, none of them stop for water or use energy gels.  Most treat these races like tempo runs in which you wouldn’t do either of those things anyway.  This is a tough call and I won’t have a definitive answer until I’m in the middle of the race, but I plan to NOT stop and I’ll only bring a GU, but not plan on using it.  Why?  Scotland 10k is a tough comparison because it was my first 10k in over a year, but it’s all I’ve got.  Admittedly I went out too fast on 3 miles of uphill terrain (6:56, 6:59, 7:06).  It was also the first warm, humid day we had all year.  My experience during mile 4 was … unpleasant (7:45).  In that race, I GU’d and hit the water at the 3-mile mark.  My guess is that going out too fast initially and losing my breathing rhythm with the attempt at water (I spilled most of it anyway) contributed to the blow up during mile 4.  It’s possible, but uncertain, whether I even needed a GU for such a short distance race.  I ate properly so the glycogen levels were more than adequate.   During Scotland, I also hit the water station at the 5-mile mark too.  Not sure that helped at all and also thru off my rhythm.  In the final analysis, chances are that I hit lactate threshold at mile 3 during Scotland and then just fought like hell to keep it together for the rest of the race.

The difference between then and now?  My fitness is much better.  The recent 2 x 2 mile tempo is a case in point: 14:04, 13:11.  Quick w/ a negative split, albeit on very, very favorable terrain.  The lesson learned is that if I go out slow (tempo = 7:18 for the first mile) and keep lactate to a reasonable level, I can then hammer on the back-end (on that day 6:30s).  The terrain is much less favorable in the first half of tomorrow’s race, so slow is the way to go.  My PR is 44:57 (7:13 pace).  My target for tomorrow is 43:30 (6:59).  Plan: 7:15 for the first half, 6:45 for the back.  After the first 800m, I don’t plan on looking at the watch.  Running by feel seems to work best.

I always say this, but it’s true – I have absolutely no idea if these goals are doable.  You know I’m not fishing for any more encouragement than what you guys already provide, but it’s just the facts.  If I run smart, I have a shot.  If I don’t, I don’t.  Running is complicated in its simplicity.

I had lunch with a great runner and teammate today who, when asked about how he prepares for races, said, “I try not to think about it too.”  I’m working on it.

Race Report: Scotland Run 10k

First off, thank you for the advice, encouragement and well wishes.  You all are the best.

Before we get to the guts of the race, I am happy to report that the comedy of errors that was the Coogan’s 5k did not occur at all in today’s race.  The only thing I could think of that didn’t go as planned was that I forgot my Clif Bar at home.  Compared to running over pylons, freezing and nearly losing a shoe mid-race, today went swimmingly.   The pre-race strategy went off without a hitch.

My prep started earlier in the week with a mini taper.  I had not run since Thursday, so the legs were as fresh as they were going to be … and in the end, I know it helped with the final .26 miles.  For the first time, I made the conscious effort to over-hydrate (if that’s a word) starting on Thursday.  Seemingly, I was in the restroom every 30 minutes since, but again, I do think it paid dividends as the temps and humidity were high for this time of the year.  I ate well and often … even carbing up with pasta Thursday and Friday and even more carbs this morning.  Yes, unlike Coogan’s, I jammed food down my throat even though I never, ever eat before running.  My wife lovingly made pancakes and blueberry muffins.  She deserves a medal for putting up with this running business.  After downing my cappuccino and stretching, I was ready to go.

Weather conditions were solid.  Spring is here, at least today.  50*, but 80% humidity, which is not uncomfortable, but none of us are conditioned to warmer temps yet, so it was a bit of a struggle.  I warmed up with a couple of teammates and nestled into the red corral (yes!).  I felt relaxed and ready to run my own race.  The goal was sub-43:00.  The plan was to start in 7:10-7:15 range for the first 3 miles (thru Harlem Hill) and then assess what I had left and make a decision to push for sub-7:00 miles or just survive.  What I did not need to happen was blasting off, blowing up and losing confidence.  The last point was the one I was most concerned with heading into the race.  New Yorkers will appreciate this, but for all of Central Park’s splendor and beauty, to run a 10k in it is an exercise in pain tolerance.  It will hurt, IMMENSELY, but depending on what you are willing to give, you might get a decent result.

After all the pre-race festivities (bagpipes, dignitaries, etc.) and the horn went off, I did fall into a zone immediately.

Miles 1-3:  I don’t remember hearing much of anything even though I was surrounded by teammates and fellow runners as we surged forward.  All the pre-race prep worked because I was limber and hit a rhythm quickly.  I checked my watch at the 800m mark and saw 7:00 pace exactly.  In hindsight, it was slightly too quick, but felt easy.  Unlike Coogan’s, crowding was not an issue.  I snaked through a couple folks, but by and large I expended no extra energy early on.  I saw Coach at mile 1 (6:56) who shouted words of encouragement and I felt solid.  The rolling hills continued, but I was rolling right along with them.  I felt balanced and relaxed as we cruised past mile 2 (6:57) and approached Harlem Hill.  I put my head down, pumped my arms hard and leaned forward to scale it in decent shape.  It felt alright.  I’m not sure if technically you should ever put your head down while running, but not knowing how much of that thing you have left seems to work for me.  I did the same thing in the Manhattan Half  (twice) and it worked.  On the decline, I reached for the GU.  Despite all the pre-race carbing up and still feeling ok, I knew the glycogen levels were dropping.  As I hit the 3-mile mark, I looked at my time and was pleased. 7:06 pace.  Not bad.  I might actually have a shot at this sub-43:00 thing.

Mile 4. BLEW CHUNKS.  Figuratively, not literally.  A wall of pain fell on me as the hills became less steep, but longer.  Most importantly, the effort expended on Harlem Hill comes back to not just bite you, but maim you.  I started sucking wind like someone was choking me.  I was struggling for survival.  I’m reading Lore of Running now and in the chapter devoted to the mental aspect of competition, the author goes into great detail about “self-talk”, where the muscles, tendons, etc. send signals to the brain at times of distress.

As an example, “Self-talk” basically goes like this: “Ok, you’ve run well, but now I am tired.  Stop this madness now.  You really don’t want to continue.  You could definitely hit your goal if you keep going, but you really don’t want to keep going.  In fact, you might get hurt or worse – you might give 100% and fail, miserably.  That would suck to fail like that.  So stop. Now.”

Mile 4 for me was the above paragraph spiced in with multiple expletives, kicks in the groin and an elephant sitting on my chest.  Now what makes the pain most seering is the “self-talk” does not abate.  In fact it intensifies as you continue.  I still had 3.2 miles left!  At this point, the plan got thrown out the window.  Screw sub-43:00.  I’m running for dignity at this point.  I have on the orange Central Park Track Club singlet.  I have a respectable race number and position.  If I quit, the shame will be unbearable.  I’ve put in so much time and effort.  To pull up (like a number of people I saw doing) would be embarrassing and I couldn’t face my coach or teammates.  As I approached the mile 4 marker, I heard my wife and kids cheering as a slugged by to the water station.  (Post-race, my wife would tell me, “You didn’t look good.”) “Self-talk” is a heinous beast.  Mile 4 = 7:45.  Death.

Mile 5.  Thankfully, the engineers or God or whomever designed Central Park included Cat Hill and the race organizers routed the 10k with Cat Hill as the downhill starting at the 5^th mile.  While I was wondering how in God’s name I am going to finish this thing with any dignity at all, the decline did help – some.  I’m still sucking major wind, but on a comparative basis, only the folks immediately next to me could tell.  During mile 4, I wasn’t so much as breathing as I was rhythmically screaming.  I saw Coach again during mile 5 and that definitely helped me keep it together.  No one ever wants to look like a jackass, but I definitely don’t want to do so in front of our coach.  The man placed 5^th at National Masters in Boston last week in the 800m!  More encouragement shouted from him and I seemed to re-gather myself … a bit.  Mile 5 = 7:15.

Mile 6 and .26. I’ll be honest, I don’t remember much of mile 6.  I’m fairly certain I blacked out because I stopped breathing.  At some point in mile 6 I decided that if I died, I died.  At least I died giving it my all.  Mile 6 = 7:16.  I do remember the last quarter-mile because it ends at Tavern on the Green on the tip of another frigging hill. For the love of God, why another hill?  It’s just mean-spirited.  I started flailing, pumping, grinding, doing whatever it took to stop the “self-talk” and pain.  Shockingly the last .26 of the 10k = 6:28.  Believe it or not, it’s that final .26 miles that made me happy despite the agony of the previous 6.  I gutted it out, pushed it as hard as I could on the final stretch.  Whether it’s the added juice from the taper, the training or getting a bit more mentally tough, that .26 @ 6:28 pace is encouraging for the rest of racing season.

Done.  44:57 or 7:13 pace (though Garmin had me at 44:56, 7:10).  Well short of sub-43:00, but a PR of nearly 8:00 (done in the same race, same course last Spring).  I feel ok about that.  Not overjoyed, but more clinical in reviewing the race than anything else.  I’m making progress and I’ve been running with CPTC for only 2 months.  Since it is April and NYC Marathon training starts in 3 months, it’s probably worth checking what today “predicts” my 26.2 time to be: 3:30:57.  Yes, 3:30 and NOT death is still in the mix, but today I saw the grim reaper in only a 10k.   My coach said it was a breakthrough performance for me.  I don’t know.  I finished and that’s all I know.

A couple folks sent me emails wondering what is so magical about sub-43:00?  Well, it kind of puts me on track to … Boston Qualifying.  I’ll need a 3:20 based on my age at the time.  With many of my teammates running on 4/19 or having already run on Patriot’s Day before, I’ve caught Boston fever.  Rational goal?  HELL NO!!  Will I train and race my guts out to hit it?  Yes.  So bye, bye 3:30 or Death.  It’s all about BQing, baby.  Yep, I want to BQ in my 26.2 debut on the New York City Marathon course.  Madness.

But first thing’s first.  I want a blue (1st) corral / bib BADLY and I get my next chance to earn it on April 18^th – City Parks Foundation Run for the Parks 4 miler.  Hereafter called “The Blue Bib Race!”  My guess is that I’ll need a 6:30 or so to get one for subsequent races.  Another reason why that last .26 @ 6:28 mattered to me.  I may be mad, but there is a method somewhere in there.

2010 Goals – March Review

Thanks to Marathon Maiden, I am committed to reviewing my 2010 running goals on a monthly basis … keeps the feet to the fire. I’m a little late for February, but I thought it made sense to wait until I had another race under my belt before providing an update.

General Fitness/XT: Status Quo. Trying to ratchet up the core work beyond simple planks, twists and dead bug exercises. If anyone has suggestions, I would be forever grateful.

Running Club: Done. Very proud member of Central Park Track Club.

Training Mileage: 2,100 miles (175m/mo.) On track. 175.1 miles in January and 171 in February. March is off to an ok start with 40 miles during a race week.

PR: 2 for 2. I beat the old HM and 5k PRs in the Manhattan HM and Coogan’s 5k, respectively. Next opportunity is the Scotland 10k on April 3^rd.

5K: Sub-22:00 (vs 23:52 current PR). Done. I’m glad I took another look at the 2010 goals. I almost forgot that my initial goal was sub-22:00 and later revised to be sub-21:41 (sub-7:00). Despite a couple of mishaps you may have read about (ha!), I hit that goal (6:54). That said, in my mind (and based on the Garmin splits from Coogan’s 6:37, 6:56, 6:56) I believe my 5k pace is 6:45 or sub-21:00. If I had distributed the same effort more evenly and not done so many stupid things, I would have broken 21:00. I have one more chance to prove this theory with a 5k in late August. Although, my (irrational?) hope is by that point in my training, I will be closer to Ian’s sub-20.

10K: Gunning for sub-45:00 (vs 52:03 current PR). Incomplete. This is the next challenge. I may regret doing this, but I’m raising the bar here … 10k goal is no longer sub-45. Instead, I want sub-43:00 or 6:54. Yep, my new 10k goal time is the same as my recent 5k time. Why? First, the April 3^rd 10k is on very familiar ground … Central Park. Second, while CP is hilly, it is not nearly as bad as the Coogan’s 5k; or maybe more importantly, I know how to run the CP hills more efficiently. Third, if I believe my 5k pace is 6:45, then the difference between 5k and 10k should not be significantly wide … ~10 seconds per mile in this case. Fourth, while I am seeing incremental improvement, in the next couple of months I do expect to see a more definitive leap from running with the club (or so I have been told to expect one).

HM: Gunning for 1:40. Incomplete. Put down a 1:48:33 in January. Grinding out another nearly 9:00 of total time is a big jump. Next opportunity is in May. In reality, this goal will be further revised after I run the 10k in April.

November 7, 2010 NYC Marathon: 3:30 or Death! No. Other. Options. Incomplete. Honestly, I’m not even thinking this far ahead.

It’s Review Time

I’m definitely feeling the after effects of last night’s tempo. The best way to describe it is that I feel hungover. My stomach is grumbly. I’m lethargic. I’m slightly sore in my shins and calves. The latter ailment is a result of pure stupidity.

When packing my bag yesterday, I left one of my shoe inserts at home. I had no time to circle back after work, therefore, I had to pull the other one out and run with no cushioning. My NB’s already run big with the inserts. So last night I was flopping around like Bozo the Clown trying to keep up with a bunch of cheetahs. Before we started running, I wondered whether I would bloody both socks before the night was finished. Luckily, I only have a few minor blisters.

In a sense, I am glad I feel terrible. It’s proof that I am busting my tail. My buddy who is a 6x NYC Marathon runner (sub 3:05) called the 2x5k “a big workout” and said if I remain consistent in running with CPTC I will put up a really good time in November. Encouraging.

Marathon Maiden (you need to read her blog if you don’t) does a great job of consistently reviewing her stated running goals. Since we are 1+ month into 2010, I thought it would be a good time to do the same.

- General Fitness/XT: Nada. If XT consists of switching up my daily running routine, then I crushed this goal! Otherwise, not happening. No time. After completely falling off the wagon with core exercises last week, I’ve come back with a vengeance this week.
- Running Club: 99% Done! I’ve had four workouts with CPTC and told Coach last night that I want in. He shook my hand and said “Welcome, baby!” A bit of administrative stuff and I’m official.
- Training Mileage: On track. 175.1 miles in January puts me on pace for 2,100. I’m incorporating vigorous speed work 2x a week. Balance of the week consists of 2 slow recovery runs, plus a slower LR. The grandpa shuffle will be in full effect.
- PR: 1 for 1. I crushed the old HM PR in the Manhattan HM. Next opportunity is the Coogan’s 5K in early March.
- 5K: Sub-22:00 (vs 23:52 current PR). On track. Last night I ran a 23:00 5K, followed by a 2nd 5K for 24:32 as part of our Thursday night tempo. Knowing that I have 4 weeks before my next race gives me hope of hitting a sub-22:00. Secretly, I want a sub-7:00 pace for this race … well, the secret is out now! Why? I think it moves me up one corral in NYRR races. I need to get humping.
- 10K: Gunning for sub-45:00 (vs 52:03 current PR). Incomplete. First opportunity is in April.
- HM: Gunning for 1:40. Incomplete. Put down a 1:48:33 two weeks ago. 8:00 of time is a big jump, but that’s why I’m killing myself during speed work. Next opportunity is in May.
- November 7, 2010 NYC Marathon: 3:30 or Death! No. Other. Options. Incomplete. Honestly, I’m not even thinking this far ahead.

A Streak of a Different Sort

Earlier this week (Monday to be exact) marked my 150^th post on amarathoner.com.  It’s kind of cool.  Hopefully, the posts have been interesting and/or informative in some way.  I have definitely enjoyed interacting with you and sharing my ongoing journey.  I started thinking a bit more about the blog and when was the last time failed to post something.  The answer?  Never!  I’ve managed to blog for everyday since the day of launch – August 30, 2009 … a total of 138 straight days!  That streak is only 3^rd behind the concurrent streaks of continuous days run and double-digit mile days run by Marathon Maiden.  Only a slight exaggeration.  After Boston, she’ll need to add Ultra to her web handle!

It’s been an honor getting to know and learning from you.  Thanks for hanging with me.  It will continue to be an entertaining ride.

A Running Club? Finally?

After months of noodling on the topic and habitually missing self-imposed deadlines, I have finally targeted a running club that I’d like to join. I have not signed up yet, as I need to hit a few group runs as a trial before making it official (assuming they’ll have me). I’ve targeted Central Park Track Club. By reputation, they are known to be among the “fastest” and “most competitive” of the local NYC running clubs. I certainly have no business joining anything viewed as the “fastest”, but I am fairly competitive in the sense that I really want to get better. I’ve traded a number of emails with the coach and he seems friendly and helpful.

Why a running club? Folks seem to join running clubs for any number of reasons such as community, making new friends, joy of running, improving performance, etc. I’m all for those reasons, but for me, right now, I need to be pushed hard … even if that means I am the slowest person on the team, which I’m most certain I would be. Aside from reputation, I’m also drawn to CPTC because I see so many members in the park on a daily basis. While there are a number of great clubs well-represented in the park, not a morning goes by when I don’t see at least 5-6 members in their bright orange gear running either together or individually. Even more encouraging is that I see as many older runners (50+ yrs old – who are still fast) as I do youngsters. I like the fact that once people join, they seem to stick with it and show tremendous pride in being a member.

The only hiccup is that CPTC group runs are at night (Thursday’s for road runners and Tuesday’s for track runners). While I am not a night runner (never done it), the Thursday night runs are intended for intervals/speedwork. If there are areas where I want instruction and dedicated practice, its intervals and tempos. My other hope is that I can link up with a few of the morning runners on a daily basis as well. While I don’t intend to abandon running solo … need my time away … I truly believe that for me to find and hit my potential, I can’t do it alone.

Well, there it is. Hopefully, it works out that I join. My first run is next Thursday night. Wish me luck. I’ll be guy breathing really hard and WAAAAAAAY behind.

2009 in Review / 2010 Goals

It’s that time of year … time to reflect and project! 2009 was a year of transition. In essence, it was the tale of two running seasons.

January – August

I committed to running the required 9 races to gain guaranteed entry to the 2010 NYC Marathon (there is a one year wait to gain guaranteed entry). However, in hindsight, I can honestly say I was pleased with the results of only 2 races … the only 5K I ran (23:52) and a 10K (52:03). The latter was a PR. After each of those races, there was a sense of accomplishment. Of the remaining 7 races, I felt like I was just checking a box (and wasting a lot of money). Again, hindsight is 20/20, but I undertrained for racing season and it showed as my race times steadily decreased as Spring turned to Summer. Outside of a 110 miles in March, I never hit triple digits from January to July. The bottom line is that I was not serious enough, nor was I committed to really compete. My fitness was okay for a casual runner, but I wasn’t even close to being prepared for the training, much less actually running, a marathon. Therefore, I backed out of running the 2009 NYC Marathon for charity.

In August, my running life changed dramatically during and after the NYC Half Marathon. I woefully undertrained (20-25 mpw), but managed to finish (without stopping) in 2:13:58. My unrealistic goal was sub-2:00. Something had to change, DRASTICALLY, if I wanted to feel good about this running thing.

September – December

Game On! I committed to not running another race (or wasting any more money) until my fitness was at a more competitive level. Marathon Maiden said it best in her year-end review when describing her approach to races:

“I don’t know how obvious it is or how clearly it comes across in my blogging but I race to race. I don’t sign up to “have fun”. I sign up so I can run hard enough to want to puke my guts out when I cross the finish line.”

In short, in the fall, I got religion. The monthly totals tell the story:

September	October	November	December
171.6	200.1	176.4	175.3

Some folks run for fun. Some folks run to stay healthy. I have finally accepted, admitted and committed that I run as a competitive outlet. Yes, running is fun. Yes, running is a healthy activity. But I am not running 170+ miles per month for just joy. I want to kick ass in the 2010 race season. I try to tone down the competitive streak in other aspects of my life. However, with running, I am turning the regulator off in 2010. And to be clear, when I mean “competitive” it’s only me against me. I’m not competing against anyone in particular. “Keeping up with the Jones” in general is silly, but it’s downright dangerous in running. Nearly everyone I keep constant contact with on this blog, RWOL and friends are far beyond my meager abilities. So I only care about how I’m progressing against my own goals. Which brings me to my goals:

I’m still deciding if I want to run the 9 races for guaranteed entry in the 2011 NYC Marathon. Right now, I am incredibly frustrated with the high entry fees and piecemeal scheduling of New York Road Runners. I have 5 HMs in mind, plus a couple of 5Ks and 10Ks. Nonetheless, I am seriously contemplating running the 2011 Chicago Marathon and just running races that interest me in 2010 without the handcuffs of running when NYRR allows me to run. Anyway, on with the goals!

- Long-term: I would love to run the 5 major marathons (NYC, Chicago, Boston, Berlin, London), plus the MCM. I’ve got to start somewhere and that “where” is NYC in November 2010, likely followed by a Spring 2011 marathon to get me ready for either Chicago or New York in the fall.

- General Fitness: I would like to incorporate XT, but it will be tough. I am stretching that 24 hours a day thing as it is and just cannot foresee squeezing in lifting weights, biking, etc to an already compressed schedule without sacrificing mileage. I will start going old school with push-ups, etc. at home, but that’s likely to be the extent of it. I will definitely keep up and hopefully add to the core exercises.

- Running Club: I have 2 clubs in mind and have training runs planned with each before I decide which way to go. This isn’t a 2010 goal. This is a first 2 weeks of January 2010 goal. This is something that is long overdue.

- Training Mileage: 2,100 total miles compared to 1,435 this past year. This really isn’t a goal. This is just a flat out requirement. I’ve hit minimum 175 miles per month since September, so I can keep this up. Also, I need to better incorporate speedwork on a more consistent basis.

- PR: I want personal records in the 5K, 10K and Half Marathon. I have loose targets for each of those. As for 26.2, I’ll save that for the last line of this post. In 2009, I ran a number of 4 and 5 milers. None of that this year. I want to crush the traditional races. My first opportunity is January 24^th for a HM in my home park. My fitness is light years head of where it was in August, so if run a tactically smart race, I should be okay to PR and get rid of that 2:13.

- 5K: Gunning for sub-22:00 (vs 23:52 current PR). I’m not sure how realistic it is because I have never trained for a 5K. Back in February, I just ran it and up popped the result. Since my focus is distance, I never really thought twice about it. Now, a 5K is my warm up so I’m a bit nervous about how quickly I can get out of the gates on shorter distances now.

- 10K: Gunning for sub-45:00 (vs 52:03 current PR). Same deal. Realistic? Maybe. Maybe not. That’s taking 7 minutes off my current PR. I got work to do!

- HM: Gunning for 1:40. This is potentially dangerous since I will get my first test in 3 weeks. I’m not expecting anything near 1:40 on January 24^th, but I would like to see serious improvement from 2:13. What’s that number? I don’t know yet. However, I do plan to run 5 HMs this year, so for one of them, I need to put it all together.

- November 7, 2010 NYC Marathon: 3:30 or Death! No. Other. Options.

Quick 6

What a weekend if you are a fitness, endurance, or running fan … Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii on Saturday and the Chicago Marathon on Sunday.  I watched the Ironman World Championship on my laptop yesterday … amazing performances by repeat winners Chrissie Wellington and Craig Alexander.  Both are incredibly strong runners.  I had Alexander’s very controlled stride as well as the participants running in my hometown of Chicago in mind as I went out for a quick recovery run this morning.  Big time inspiration.

The weather was perfect … sunny, 50* w/ slight wind.  I grabbed the gloves and lightweight jacket and headed out to the Reservoir Path.  No ill effects from the LR yesterday, but I did take it easy on the warm up mile (9:56) … my splits:  8:47, 9:01, 9:15, 8:49, 8:09, 6:45 for a total of 6.1 miles.  Other than a little blow up during mile 4 (9:15), I am pleased with the results … I lost some concentration at mile 4 as I was deciding whether a restroom break was in order … it was not, and therefore, I kept pushing.  The last 2 full miles were negative splits and very encouraging at 8:49 and 8:09.  Good progress on pacing and solid end to the week.

Plans for the day include family time and watching the Chicago Marathon to look out for friends as well as the elites.

Long Runs. Like a Box of Chocolate.

After yesterday’s false start, I am happy to report I did make it out for a long run this morning.  I slept a bit better last night and it looks like the girls’ colds have stabilized.  So before I could manufacture any additional excuses, I laced them up and headed out. (More on the potential effects my nurse duty holds for me below.)

While I do believe long distance running is cumulative (the more you do, the better you get), I am always slightly anxious before a LR.  Maybe with more running experience that feeling goes away, but for me … no matter how great the last LR or how solid the daily runs leading up to it … for me LRs “are like a box of chocolate, you never know what you’re going to get.”

I was surprised at the humidity … not terrible, but even at 61* I could notice the difference between most other mornings.  At the end of a 1.5-mile warm up on the Reservoir Path, I felt side cramps, which is usually the first sign that I’m either dehydrated or need water.   So I stopped for a quick drink before scooting over to the Outer Loop (asphalt) to get it on.   The cramps stopped within the first mile, but my mind became too focused on how I was feeling physically… which was not great and usually leads to excuse making and unnecessary stops.  As Harlem Hill approached (love Harlem, hate the hill) I was fortunate to find a group of 3 runners (2 women and a guy) ahead of me cruising at relaxed but decent pace.  I decided to be lazy and tuck in behind them and eavesdrop on their conversation … anything to get my mind off track.  It worked.  Next thing I knew I was well past them and rolling.

I hit a mini wall at mile 12, when I realized that I probably did not fuel up enough last night.  We had pasta and meatballs in the early evening.  The 1 GU and Gatorade did not do the trick.  The final two miles were a total grind, but overall pace acceptable (9:40) considering I was not pushing it.  But for those last two miles, I would have been in the 9:25 range.

I came to the conclusion that I didn’t feel the signs of catching the colds that are running wild in my household.  I was tired, but nothing unusual in terms of stamina or heavier breathing.  More likely, I suffered from being off schedule, not sleeping enough and improper fueling.  Nonetheless, 14 miles is 14 miles.  I’ll take it.

Otherwise the run was uneventful … except I saw an old guy in full on boxing gear (Everlast trunks, man boobs and gloves).  I laughed, but the guy was out there getting it done.  Good for him.  I saw a woman who was in full makeup and running whenever I saw her, but I did not notice a single bead of sweat.  I see that quite a bit … women in expensive gear, perfect hair, Starbucks in hand and full on make up.  Contrast that with me (and most Central Park runners), drenched, smelly and wondering “what am I doing out here.”