It had been only 5 days since the Cape Henry 10 miller but I wanted to run this race on Thanksgiving Day...besides it's only 10K. After running two marathons and a 10 miler in three weeks, a 10K should be a piece of cake and I wanted to see if I could improve on my time with hopes of breaking 40 minutes on this flat course.
The Turkey Trot 10K takes place in Virginia Beach at Mount Trashmore...Yes the Mount is a former mound of trash that has been capped and now it and it's surrounding land and lakes is a park...and probably the highest point of land in the lower Hampton Roads area...but we don't run up or down the mount, just around it, one of the lakes and the surrounding neighborhood.
All week the weather reports were calling for showers and mild temperatures. Last year I heard that it was run in a downpour...and I really didn't like the idea of running in heavy rain. I don't mind anything above my shoes getting wet...it normally does because I tend to sweat a lot...But I hate running in wet soggy shoes. But Thanksgiving morning dawned with now a forecast of slight chance of showers later with sun and clouds but also with higher temps...in the 70's...and winds in the 12-20 mph range.
I slept in...If you can call getting up at 5:30 sleeping in...I do, since I usually get up during the week at 4:00. I would have slept in longer but I had decided to do the same day registration and packet pickup and needed to get there earlier in order to do that. I got to the YMCA around 7:30, got registered, got my bib and timing chip and still had some time to kill since the race didn't start till 9:00. I warmed up by running up and down Mt Trashmore a couple of times and then walked to the start line. I had gone to the port-a-lets just before and when I got out to head to the start line I see hundreds of runners already there awaiting the start. I hadn't realized that so many people were running this on Thanksgiving morning thinking there would be the usual 4-600 people until I see all these people massing there...it looked like a couple of thousand. Since this is a gun start with a chip timed finish...meaning no chip mats at the start, just finish time mats...I found a place to await the start about 3-4 rows of runners back from the start line and did some final stretches. At 9:00 the horn sounds and we're off and I start my watch. The front of the pack rushes out with us all following. I don't want to go out too fast but all the runners around me are starting to kick it in from the start and I follow one of the "slower" packs out but we still seem to be going pretty fast. I just don't realize how fast we have started until Steve, a fellow local blogger ...who is a sub 39 10K'r and is a whole lot faster than I am...catches up to me just before the first mile marker. I'm surprised because I'm thinking he is in one of the packs out front. We chat a bit before he continues on ahead I try to find my pace. The pack I'm with finally goes pass the first mile marker remarking that its 5:50 something and I'm thinking, No Way!. I press the lap on my watch and it reads 5: 57...this is way to fast and I back down just a bit. We are now in a neighborhood looping around through the streets and mile two comes in at 12:23...a 6:12 average...still a bit fast since I was planning on 6:30 splits with the first ones a bit faster in the 6:20 range. Mile three comes in at 19:12, which gives me a 6:26 pace and all seems to be well. We head out of the neighborhood back towards Mt Trashmore that takes us behind the mount and around the surrounding lake and into a strong head wind. As we're leaving the neighborhood, a fast runner I recognize from other races as being in my age group overtakes me. I want to hang with him but it seems like the energy isn't there and I see him stretching his lead with every minute. There are others passing me now...kids...they can't be more than 16-18 year olds...they seem to have so much energy and are running effortlessly...oh to be young again. Mile four comes in at 26:16...that's over a 6:30 pace and I can feel I'm losing ground on my quest for sub 40. We are finishing the loop around the lake headed back towards Mt Trashmore and mile five comes in at 33:21 and I try to push faster. We go around Trashmore for the final time and hit the main road that takes us to the finish. Mile six comes in at 40:15 with the finish in view now and I pick up the pace some to try to finish strong and cross the mat in 41:37. Not a sub 40 but sill a 22 second PR from my best 10K. It still was a good day until the awards ceremony. The trophies for the top three AG finishers were turkey topped trophies and I thought I had a good chance of getting one...I had only seen...recognized...one other person in my AG that had passed me but it turns out my AG as well as all the others had a very strong field of fast runners and there were two others that were way up front that I never saw, and I ended up fourth with no Turkey...Oh well...maybe next year. It was a fun race and it was nice to talk with a couple of runners from my work as well as a couple of women from my gym. Then home to a wonderful feast of turkey and all the fix'ins with the family and a birthday party for my granddaugher Kaylee who is 2!
Race Results:
There were 75 finishers in the Male 50 to 54 age group and 1256 total finishers.
Overall finish place was 53 of 1256
Age group finish place was 4 of 75
Time: 41:37 for an overall pace of 6:41 per mile
Hope all are having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Cape Henry RunFest 10 Miler 17 Nov 07
Just had to do another race...well, I really didn't have to but why not! After the Richmond marathon, I have remained in training mode...did a mile after some cardio on Monday, 7 miles after cardio on Tuesday and 7.5 miles then a bit of cardio on Thursday. Steve had mentioned that he was doing a 10 miler...The Cape Henry RunFest and Duathlon...this weekend and since I was thinking of doing at least 10 miles as a training run during the weekend, I thought why not...besides, I have never done a 10 mile race and it would be interesting to see how I would do. Everything was still feeling good after Richmond and no real aches or pains to speak of, so Friday evening after work I went down and signed up at packet pickup.
The event is a multi-sport event that takes place mostly in Fort Story which is on the north end of Virginia Beach. The main event was the Duathlon...5K run, 32K bike and 5K run. They also have a 5K walk/run and the 10 miler. The 10 mile course winds through different sections of Fort Story with a couple of good hills...one which we go over twice. I've run most of the course at last years Army/Navy 10K and early this year for a 20K that was part of the Tidewater Striders Distance Series...so I was familiar with the terrain. The number of participants for the 10 miler was only a bit over 200...small but fun.
The weather was initially cold in the morning...in the low 40's...with a 4-5 mph breeze, which later warmed up nicely at the end. I got up around 5:45 with no sense of urgency since the start time for the 10 miler was at 8:30. I showered and ate breakfast and got my stuff ready and left the house around 7:00...thinking I had plenty of time to get there, get my chip, get a potty break in and get to the starting line...besides it's only about 30 minutes away. I get down to the gate entrance into Fort Story and the line of cars trying to get in seemed to be a mile long coming in from two directions and seemed to take forever to get through the gate. The time on my watch is a few minutes after 8:00 by the time I get through and the caravan of cars seemed to crawl through some winding back roads to the parking area. I finally get parked about a quarter mile away and try to walk/run to football field to get my chip. Once I get to the main area, I see Steve and his wife and can only manage a quick hello as I rush to get my chip. I do get my chip and even have time to wait in line at the port-a-lets before heading to the start line and get near the start mat about the second row of runners back.
The horn goes off at 8:30 and we are off. It is a very winding course with many loops and turn arounds. Looking at the course map provided, it was very confusing, but running along the course, there are traffic cones and volunteers stationed at almost every intersection to direct runners which way to go. The first mile comes in at 6:39...a little fast but I was planning on around a 6:45 pace to see if I could handle it. The next mile, I missed pushing my lap button on my watch, takes us up one of the hills, which I notice we will have to come back over near the finish because I also see the 9 mile marker there. The third mile comes in at 20:56 and the fourth shows 27:15. The fourth mile involves going around a block long loop and coming back we are able to see the rest of the pack coming the other direction. We come to mile 5 at 34:06 and mile 6 at 40:59. From miles 2-3 the field of runners have thinned out and by mile 5 I have set my sights on two runners about 100 yards ahead of me and make steady progress towards them. At the second water stop, one of them drops to a walk and I pass him grabbing my cup of Gatorade and the other slows a bit to get some water but still is a few yards ahead. I finally over take him around the 6 mile mark and a short ways later we come to a turn around point and head back. Mile 7 is yet another out and back and comes in at 47:56. By this time I have set my sights on another target a couple of hundred yards ahead and proceed to close the distance slowly. Between mile 7 and 8 we go over another hill and I have closed to about 50 yards and mile 8 comes in at 54:51. On the flats my prey speeds up and I try to maintain our distance. We get near mile 9 and the final hill and I push it a bit because I know we only have about a mile left but so does he. Mile 9 comes in at 1:02 and we head downhill and he seems to be drawing away again. I try to push it to the end and try to kick it in for the final 200 yards as I can see the finish mat...the final 100 yards are through the grass and finally I hit the finish mat and it reads 1:08:30 something and about 15 seconds behind the runner I was chasing. I meet him at the chip removal area and we congratulate each other. Seems he was aware of me but he was trying to set the record for his age group for this race...55-59. I find out he had just turned 55 a couple of months before and he had also set the record for the 50-54 age group with a 1:05...So I was kind a happy that I had been able to keep up with him. When the times are posted later, we find out he missed setting the record by about 10 seconds...he was close. My chip time was 1:08:30 and finished 1st in my age group.
Race results:
There were 10 finishers in the Male 50 to 54 age group and 214 total finishers.
Overall finish place was 12 of 214
Age group finish place was 1 of 10
Time: 1:08:30 for an overall pace of 6:51 per mile
I later watched some of the Duathlon participants racing up the road on their bikes, going through their transition and finally finishing their run as they cross the finish line...thinking...I could do that!
The event is a multi-sport event that takes place mostly in Fort Story which is on the north end of Virginia Beach. The main event was the Duathlon...5K run, 32K bike and 5K run. They also have a 5K walk/run and the 10 miler. The 10 mile course winds through different sections of Fort Story with a couple of good hills...one which we go over twice. I've run most of the course at last years Army/Navy 10K and early this year for a 20K that was part of the Tidewater Striders Distance Series...so I was familiar with the terrain. The number of participants for the 10 miler was only a bit over 200...small but fun.
The weather was initially cold in the morning...in the low 40's...with a 4-5 mph breeze, which later warmed up nicely at the end. I got up around 5:45 with no sense of urgency since the start time for the 10 miler was at 8:30. I showered and ate breakfast and got my stuff ready and left the house around 7:00...thinking I had plenty of time to get there, get my chip, get a potty break in and get to the starting line...besides it's only about 30 minutes away. I get down to the gate entrance into Fort Story and the line of cars trying to get in seemed to be a mile long coming in from two directions and seemed to take forever to get through the gate. The time on my watch is a few minutes after 8:00 by the time I get through and the caravan of cars seemed to crawl through some winding back roads to the parking area. I finally get parked about a quarter mile away and try to walk/run to football field to get my chip. Once I get to the main area, I see Steve and his wife and can only manage a quick hello as I rush to get my chip. I do get my chip and even have time to wait in line at the port-a-lets before heading to the start line and get near the start mat about the second row of runners back.
The horn goes off at 8:30 and we are off. It is a very winding course with many loops and turn arounds. Looking at the course map provided, it was very confusing, but running along the course, there are traffic cones and volunteers stationed at almost every intersection to direct runners which way to go. The first mile comes in at 6:39...a little fast but I was planning on around a 6:45 pace to see if I could handle it. The next mile, I missed pushing my lap button on my watch, takes us up one of the hills, which I notice we will have to come back over near the finish because I also see the 9 mile marker there. The third mile comes in at 20:56 and the fourth shows 27:15. The fourth mile involves going around a block long loop and coming back we are able to see the rest of the pack coming the other direction. We come to mile 5 at 34:06 and mile 6 at 40:59. From miles 2-3 the field of runners have thinned out and by mile 5 I have set my sights on two runners about 100 yards ahead of me and make steady progress towards them. At the second water stop, one of them drops to a walk and I pass him grabbing my cup of Gatorade and the other slows a bit to get some water but still is a few yards ahead. I finally over take him around the 6 mile mark and a short ways later we come to a turn around point and head back. Mile 7 is yet another out and back and comes in at 47:56. By this time I have set my sights on another target a couple of hundred yards ahead and proceed to close the distance slowly. Between mile 7 and 8 we go over another hill and I have closed to about 50 yards and mile 8 comes in at 54:51. On the flats my prey speeds up and I try to maintain our distance. We get near mile 9 and the final hill and I push it a bit because I know we only have about a mile left but so does he. Mile 9 comes in at 1:02 and we head downhill and he seems to be drawing away again. I try to push it to the end and try to kick it in for the final 200 yards as I can see the finish mat...the final 100 yards are through the grass and finally I hit the finish mat and it reads 1:08:30 something and about 15 seconds behind the runner I was chasing. I meet him at the chip removal area and we congratulate each other. Seems he was aware of me but he was trying to set the record for his age group for this race...55-59. I find out he had just turned 55 a couple of months before and he had also set the record for the 50-54 age group with a 1:05...So I was kind a happy that I had been able to keep up with him. When the times are posted later, we find out he missed setting the record by about 10 seconds...he was close. My chip time was 1:08:30 and finished 1st in my age group.
Race results:
There were 10 finishers in the Male 50 to 54 age group and 214 total finishers.
Overall finish place was 12 of 214
Age group finish place was 1 of 10
Time: 1:08:30 for an overall pace of 6:51 per mile
I later watched some of the Duathlon participants racing up the road on their bikes, going through their transition and finally finishing their run as they cross the finish line...thinking...I could do that!
Friday, November 16, 2007
What Did I Do Right?
The analytical person that I am is asking…What did I do this time that I haven’t done before? What was the magical thing I did or not did that allowed me to run the full marathon without so much as a muscle twitch? I didn’t even feel the “wall”…where usually I feel drained and my pace starts to slow. Oh, there were spots in the run that my pace did slow down. The first time was through the first series of hills…miles 10-12, which I was just trying to maintain a steady effort…but the splits were only off by about 15 seconds. Then crossing the Robert E Lee Bridge, going up Main St and Boulevard from miles 14-20 in the head wind…but again only off by 10-15 seconds. And the last 2 miles from 24-26 where I backed off a bit on purpose to make sure the evil cramps didn’t rear their ugly heads. And of course the first mile in 8:28 doesn’t count…but may have contributed to the success. So I looked at different parts of the race to see what made the difference.
The Weather: Was mostly overcast, cold in the 40’s with a good 10-12 mph chilling wind…but Shamrock in March was about the same and I still cramped then around mile 20. I love running in the cold more so than warm…so this was perfect weather as was Shamrock, Frederick and MCM.
The Terrain: It was mostly rolling hills at the beginning with some undulations towards the middle. You would think flat like Shamrock would be better on the legs but maybe the rolling hills let different muscles work…but again, Frederick, in May also was rolling hills and I cramped there around mile 21 and MCM had almost same type of terrain and I started cramping around 17.
The Nutrition/Electrolytes: I always eat well…pasta, breads, potatoes as well as greens and other nutritious foods at least a couple days before a marathon and always hydrate well. The morning of the marathon I eat a good breakfast that includes some type of oats, bananas, bagels and coffee…this time I didn’t get a chance to get my morning coffee and had planned to get some before the race. If I don’t have coffee during the day…I end up with headaches the rest of the day…Okay…I’m an addict! During the marathon I try to make sure to keep hydrated and will take offered water or electrolyte drinks after the first water stop. Last three marathons, I carried gel packs/Bloks, Endurolyte capsules and sometimes sports beans and try to take them regularly…every hour to half hour. I would also eat what is offered on the course…bananas, gels, sports beans, Fig Newtons, pretzels, gummy bears, etc…I’m a good eater before, during and after running. This last race…I carried a package of Clif Bloks, a package of sports beans and Endurolytes in a baggie. I only took the Endurolytes every hr after the first half hr for only two hrs or two doses. I didn’t touch the blocs or the beans but I did take an offered gel at around mile 14 which I carried till just before mile 18 where I washed it down with some water from. I did have the offered cup of Coke at the “Junk Food” stops at 16 and 22…This Coke junkie couldn’t resist…but I did resist the beer from the Hash House Harriers around mile 22…last year I took two cups of offered beer since it was hot that day and I was not setting any time/distance speed records with a finishing time of 5:33.
The Physical/Fitness Level: I had no real nagging injuries for this marathon…well, my left lower leg was still a bit tender from a problem sustained during a August Mud Run but it did well during the MCM and I didn’t notice any leg/foot problems anytime during this race. The Frederick Marathon in May also was injury free with no real problems other than the cramps during or after the race. For this marathon I had just run the MCM two weeks prior, the Fleet Week Half a month prior and RnR Half in early September. My training plan had been interrupted from August to September due to an injured left lower leg…but I set PRs in both the Fleet Week Half and MCM. Training for the Shamrock Marathon was interrupted by shin splint problems from January to middle of February but still managed my first under four hour marathon at 3:55. Before the Frederick Marathon in May, I had just run Shamrock in mid March, the Dismal Swamp Stomp Half in mid April…a PR…and ended up running Frederick two minutes slower than Shamrock even though I thought I was in the best shape that I could be at that time.
The Pace/Speed: I did start the race really slow with the first mile coming in at 8:28 but the pace increased to around 7:45 for the rest of the race with a few fluctuations due to hills or wind. Most races I start off fast…usually in the 6:45-7:20 mpm pace and end up suffering bad when the leg cramps come on later and my pace ends up in the 9-11 mpm. I did experiment in the RnR half by going out slower than normal and trying to maintain a steady pace throughout but ended up slowing down significantly towards the last third of the race…but not because of leg problems or cramps…more through mental fatigue. I ended up with a half that was six minutes slower than my last one. So for the next half I just ran it the way I normally did…relatively fast at the start and even though I had a bit of fade at the end, ended up with a new PR.
The Mental: The other marathons…I was on a mission…Break 3:30…Qualify for Boston. I like to talk to people when I run distance races…it takes my mind off running and the miles seem to go by faster. I usually end up finding someone that’s doing a pace that I want to do and hang with them until either one of us drops off…usually me. This race, the mission was to take it easy, enjoy the race, the scenery and the crowds. I didn’t attempt to hook up with anyone and stayed pretty much to myself, running the pace I wanted to run. There were occasions when I would talk with runners as I came upon them but never for long. There were lots of time to think and reflect…but none affected me negatively…I was always aware of my legs…wondering when they would start cramping…reveling in the fact that they were performing so well. As the miles drew to a close…my mental psyche started to soar…which had never happened before.
The Things that were Different: I’m just drawing straws here but…I didn’t get a chance to have my morning cup of coffee before the race…which in effect made me want to go to the bathroom less…I only had two potty breaks just before the race where normally I would have the urge to go 5-6 times and then one more during the race. This race, I had the urge to go around mile 7 but held off and pretty soon the urge was gone and I never had to stop during the race to go…which was a first for me. Maybe by not having the caffeine…a diuretic…in other words makes you go…in my system preserved body fluids and electrolytes which may have helped? Since I didn’t need to stop for a potty break, I ran the whole 26.2…Yes, I did slow down at water stops to get my drink down but never stopped or walked. How about the two Cokes I had during the race? The Coke has a bit of caffeine and mostly sugar…would that have helped in any way…I can see myself carrying a small flask of Coke on my next marathon…hey if it works…I will do it!
So in closing…I don’t know what the difference was. Maybe it was just one thing that I mentioned or something that wasn’t obvious….or it was a combination of the above…or a magical formula from a mixture of what was listed. Maybe my legs are now just used to that distance and now I can concentrate on faster paces and the dream of a sub 3:00 marathon. I just hope that the cramping problems don’t come back…Ever!
I can hope.
The Weather: Was mostly overcast, cold in the 40’s with a good 10-12 mph chilling wind…but Shamrock in March was about the same and I still cramped then around mile 20. I love running in the cold more so than warm…so this was perfect weather as was Shamrock, Frederick and MCM.
The Terrain: It was mostly rolling hills at the beginning with some undulations towards the middle. You would think flat like Shamrock would be better on the legs but maybe the rolling hills let different muscles work…but again, Frederick, in May also was rolling hills and I cramped there around mile 21 and MCM had almost same type of terrain and I started cramping around 17.
The Nutrition/Electrolytes: I always eat well…pasta, breads, potatoes as well as greens and other nutritious foods at least a couple days before a marathon and always hydrate well. The morning of the marathon I eat a good breakfast that includes some type of oats, bananas, bagels and coffee…this time I didn’t get a chance to get my morning coffee and had planned to get some before the race. If I don’t have coffee during the day…I end up with headaches the rest of the day…Okay…I’m an addict! During the marathon I try to make sure to keep hydrated and will take offered water or electrolyte drinks after the first water stop. Last three marathons, I carried gel packs/Bloks, Endurolyte capsules and sometimes sports beans and try to take them regularly…every hour to half hour. I would also eat what is offered on the course…bananas, gels, sports beans, Fig Newtons, pretzels, gummy bears, etc…I’m a good eater before, during and after running. This last race…I carried a package of Clif Bloks, a package of sports beans and Endurolytes in a baggie. I only took the Endurolytes every hr after the first half hr for only two hrs or two doses. I didn’t touch the blocs or the beans but I did take an offered gel at around mile 14 which I carried till just before mile 18 where I washed it down with some water from. I did have the offered cup of Coke at the “Junk Food” stops at 16 and 22…This Coke junkie couldn’t resist…but I did resist the beer from the Hash House Harriers around mile 22…last year I took two cups of offered beer since it was hot that day and I was not setting any time/distance speed records with a finishing time of 5:33.
The Physical/Fitness Level: I had no real nagging injuries for this marathon…well, my left lower leg was still a bit tender from a problem sustained during a August Mud Run but it did well during the MCM and I didn’t notice any leg/foot problems anytime during this race. The Frederick Marathon in May also was injury free with no real problems other than the cramps during or after the race. For this marathon I had just run the MCM two weeks prior, the Fleet Week Half a month prior and RnR Half in early September. My training plan had been interrupted from August to September due to an injured left lower leg…but I set PRs in both the Fleet Week Half and MCM. Training for the Shamrock Marathon was interrupted by shin splint problems from January to middle of February but still managed my first under four hour marathon at 3:55. Before the Frederick Marathon in May, I had just run Shamrock in mid March, the Dismal Swamp Stomp Half in mid April…a PR…and ended up running Frederick two minutes slower than Shamrock even though I thought I was in the best shape that I could be at that time.
The Pace/Speed: I did start the race really slow with the first mile coming in at 8:28 but the pace increased to around 7:45 for the rest of the race with a few fluctuations due to hills or wind. Most races I start off fast…usually in the 6:45-7:20 mpm pace and end up suffering bad when the leg cramps come on later and my pace ends up in the 9-11 mpm. I did experiment in the RnR half by going out slower than normal and trying to maintain a steady pace throughout but ended up slowing down significantly towards the last third of the race…but not because of leg problems or cramps…more through mental fatigue. I ended up with a half that was six minutes slower than my last one. So for the next half I just ran it the way I normally did…relatively fast at the start and even though I had a bit of fade at the end, ended up with a new PR.
The Mental: The other marathons…I was on a mission…Break 3:30…Qualify for Boston. I like to talk to people when I run distance races…it takes my mind off running and the miles seem to go by faster. I usually end up finding someone that’s doing a pace that I want to do and hang with them until either one of us drops off…usually me. This race, the mission was to take it easy, enjoy the race, the scenery and the crowds. I didn’t attempt to hook up with anyone and stayed pretty much to myself, running the pace I wanted to run. There were occasions when I would talk with runners as I came upon them but never for long. There were lots of time to think and reflect…but none affected me negatively…I was always aware of my legs…wondering when they would start cramping…reveling in the fact that they were performing so well. As the miles drew to a close…my mental psyche started to soar…which had never happened before.
The Things that were Different: I’m just drawing straws here but…I didn’t get a chance to have my morning cup of coffee before the race…which in effect made me want to go to the bathroom less…I only had two potty breaks just before the race where normally I would have the urge to go 5-6 times and then one more during the race. This race, I had the urge to go around mile 7 but held off and pretty soon the urge was gone and I never had to stop during the race to go…which was a first for me. Maybe by not having the caffeine…a diuretic…in other words makes you go…in my system preserved body fluids and electrolytes which may have helped? Since I didn’t need to stop for a potty break, I ran the whole 26.2…Yes, I did slow down at water stops to get my drink down but never stopped or walked. How about the two Cokes I had during the race? The Coke has a bit of caffeine and mostly sugar…would that have helped in any way…I can see myself carrying a small flask of Coke on my next marathon…hey if it works…I will do it!
So in closing…I don’t know what the difference was. Maybe it was just one thing that I mentioned or something that wasn’t obvious….or it was a combination of the above…or a magical formula from a mixture of what was listed. Maybe my legs are now just used to that distance and now I can concentrate on faster paces and the dream of a sub 3:00 marathon. I just hope that the cramping problems don’t come back…Ever!
I can hope.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
The Beast is Conquered!
The Richmond Marathon...Billed as "America's Friendliest" marathon...My very first marathon, which was just last year...A race where I finally knew what running a marathon meant...and failing miserable the first time because of lack of training and being unprepared...I foolishly thought I could conquer anything and 26.2 would be a challenge, but I could do it... even though the furthest I had run before then had only been 13.1... and Richmond last year showed me different. Oh, I finished last year...in a miserable 5:35...of course I walked about a third of the last half. Since then I have completed three other marathons...Shamrock in March for my first under 4 hr marathon, then Frederick in May, still under 4 hrs but barely, then the Marine Corps...just two weeks ago...with a PR of 8 minutes, but...what I still considered a failure, because I didn't meet my goals and felt I hadn't run a race that I am fully capable of running...mostly because of muscle cramps during the later stages of the race. In each of the previous marathons, I was stopped short of my goals because of these painful, unwelcome cramps. Cramps that stopped me in my tracks and took time to stop, stretch, massage and start slowly up again only to cramp again after a few more miles. At MCM...around mile 18...I was so disappointed and tired with the cramping that I swore I would never run a marathon again...I would stick to half marathons where I knew I could do well and improve, but of course crossing the finish line...I knew there was another marathon out there just calling my name and my running buddy Jon reminded me of it...and I answered. So...I kept my training going as if MCM was just a long hard training run.
The Richmond marathon takes place...of course...in the city of Richmond...the capital of Virginia! A city of tall buildings, narrow streets, quaint old houses as well as majestic stately homes. A city with undulating hills beside the mighty James River. The marathon starts off in downtown Richmond going up Broad St and Monument Ave, crossing the James River on the west end of the city by way of the Huguenot Bridge. Then we go down and run along the James River while climbing and descending a couple of hills before crossing the James River again over the long Robert E. Lee Bridge going back into the city. We race west on Main street and then north on Boulevard looping back towards the heart of the city, making twists and turns on the city streets until we race to a down hill finish on Cary St. A mostly spectacular view of the city and the James River in the fall with brightly changing autumn leaves.
Jon and I decide to drive together early Saturday morning, since we still had to pick our race packets up before the race, so I got my stuff together the night before. When the alarm went off at 3:45 I was up, got a quick shower ate breakfast and was just finished getting my stuff together when Jon arrived at 4:30. We drove up in drizzling rain that turned into a downpour when we were only 20-30 miles away...not a welcome sight. I had checked the weather radar before we left and it did show heavy rain over the city of Richmond and nothing behind it and I was sure by the time we reached the city it would be gone. As we neared the city, the rain did stop and we got parked near the Omni where the packet pickup was...also near the finish line. We got our packet and went back to the car to put our bib and chip on and final preparations for the race.
We finally headed to the starting line, in the cold and wind, which was about half a mile away. I made my final pit stop in the port-a-lets near the start line...I only made two bathroom breaks instead of the usual 5 or 6...one while we were in the Omni and this one...of course I had forgotten my morning cup of coffee...so that might be the reason. We get into the coral that Jon had registered for and waited for the starting gun.
My race plan was to take this marathon slow and easy since we had just run the MCM two weeks prior. This was just to be a fun race! We started off slow enough...the gun goes off...well, where we were near the middle we didn't hear anything...just the people in front of us started walking towards the start line. About three minutes later we finally get to the start line and start jogging...I start my watch and we are off. Up Broad St we go and I mean up, since in is a slight incline for the next four miles. By the first mile marker I punch my lap button and notice that it is almost 8:30...nice easy pace and still very crowded...but I feel warmed up and ready to cruise. Jon had decided to run even slower...at about a 9 minute mile pace and was by now a ways back. I gradually start increasing my pace until mile marker 2 shows I'm at a little over 16 minutes, which feels really comfortable...in the back of my mind I keep telling myself...slow and easy. We make a turn south to Boulevard and then go west again on Monument. Mile 3 comes in at a little under 24 min which tells me that I'm right around a nice 8 mpm pace and it feels really good...and decide to keep this pace...but later looking at my lap times, I noticed that my pace was actually around the 7:45 or better pace. After the 6 mile mark, I'm looking for the timing mats...usually at the 10K mark...but I don't see any. Around mile 7 we start going over the bridge that takes us over the James River to the other side of the city. The roads are still wet from the morning rains and some parts of the bridge are really slippery. About the time I'm saying to myself to be really careful of my stride, I hear this thudding sound behind me. Looking back, I see a runner that has slipped and came tumbling down on the roadway...I see he is getting backup and running again but I'm sure he would be really sore for the rest of the race. Mile 10 brings us to one of the hills on this side of the course and I am still cruising and then mile 11 brings another hill, back down a bit and then it seemed like a steady climb from 12-15. By the halfway point the clock at the timing mats said 1:44 something. I'm still feeling really good and the first visions of a 3:30-3:35 finishing mark fills my head...but I'm not all that optimistic because I know that I will be cramping around mile 20-21...so I try to relax and just enjoy the run. We reach the long Lee bridge taking us back to the city and the wind is pretty strong...but I don't care...because last year this time I was cramping and hobbling/walking across this bridge...and now I'm cruising. We enter the city again and mile 17-18 takes us west on Main St back to Boulevard and north for the next three miles...the most boring part of the race going north out of the main part of the city...except for the pockets of people cheering you on. Let me tell you the people were great. Here it is in the low 40's with probably a 12-15 mph cold wind and they are out there on all parts of the course cheering you on...some offering their own water, bananas, cookies, donuts...they were amazing! Just before mile 20 there is a bridge that goes over I95/64 expressway and it seems quite steep...but I just give it even effort and I'm up and over with the 20 mile timing mat in view in the distance. The clock at the timing mat reads 2:38 and change as I go across. 20 miles down and my legs are still feeling fresh...no sign of muscle twinges or cramps...I am amazed...but I caution myself that there is still the last 10K to go and anything can happen. All along I have been steadily passing runners...just one here and one there. As soon as one is passed, I set my sights on the next and continue on. At this point I notice that a young woman in pink, that I passed just before the Lee bridge, is still with me but staying a few paces behind. After the 20 mile mark we pass this older guy...at least older than I...but this guy apparently doesn't like to be passed and he passes us back at the next water stop when I slow a bit to get a cup and drink. We do this for the next four miles and the girl gets dropped during this time. By mile 24...2.2 miles to go...I know I have a nice PR and BQ in the bag...no cramps and I've been actually picking up speed since the 20 mile mark...mostly because of this old man that I've been playing leap frog with and we have been passing a whole bunch of people. I think to myself that I could actually just walk the rest of the way and still make 3:35 and it would be a shame if one of my wicked cramps came on and stopped me in my tracks...so I slowed a bit. We finally make the final turn onto Cary St with about a third of a mile to go. The street has a steep downhill with it leveling off near the finish. Each step down hill jolts my quads and I thought they were sure to go into spasms...I tried to slow a bit to ease my foot falls and when I reached the flat, I take off. I was pumping my arms up and down to get the crowd to yell louder as we entered the crowd lined finishing chute and they responded. I cross the finish line with the time showing 3:26 and change, with a very big grin on my face...I look down at my watch and it says 3:23 something. Oh Happy Days!
I had conquered the beast...My past demon had turned into a Boston Qualifier! Not a..."Just making it" BQ, but I crushed it by 12 minutes. How ironic that I missed my BQ at MCM by 12 minutes, yet 13 days later I make BQ by 12 minutes, which means a 24 minute PR from MCM.
My splits:
Mile 1 in: 8:28
Mile 2 in: 7:42
Mile 3 in: 7:43
Mile 4 in: 7:35
Mile 5 in: 7:42
Mile 6 in: 7:39
Mile 7 in: 7:24
Mile 8 in: 7:23
Mile 9 in: 7:34
Mile 10 in: 7:40
Mile 11 in: 7:58
Mile 12 in: 7:50
Mile 13 in: 7:36
Half in: 1:41:10 Timing mat total time: 1:44:20
Mile 14 in: 7:24
Mile 15 in: 7:31
Mile 16 in: 7:54
Mile 17 in: 7:56
Mile 18 in: 8:05
Mile 19 in: 7:59
Mile 20 in: 7:56 Timing mat total time: 2:38:14
Mile 21 in: 7:51
Mile 22 in: 7:45
Mile 23 in: 7:36
Mile 24 in: 7:41
Mile 25 in: 8:01
Mile 26 in: 8:00
Mile 0.2 in: 1:28
The finish is in: 3:23:26...First half in: 1:41:10...Second half in: 1:42:16 Almost even halfs! A race where everything seemed to come together nicely...and in my mind...I know I can do better.
Race results:
There were 249 finishers in the Male 50 to 54 age group and 3682 total finishers.
Overall finish place was 335 of 3682
Age group finish place was 18 of 249
Time: 3:23:26 for an overall pace of 7:46 per mile
What's my next marathon goal? Well, I know I can increase my pace to 7:30...even a 7:15 could be possible. Am I dreaming? Dreams are made from planning, training and effort.
Boston, Here I Come!
BTW...Here is a photo I found that the Richmond Times got of me on the final turn to Cary St before the finish...their caption says I'm hamming it up but actually I was acknowledging the crowd and trying to get them cheering louder.
The Richmond marathon takes place...of course...in the city of Richmond...the capital of Virginia! A city of tall buildings, narrow streets, quaint old houses as well as majestic stately homes. A city with undulating hills beside the mighty James River. The marathon starts off in downtown Richmond going up Broad St and Monument Ave, crossing the James River on the west end of the city by way of the Huguenot Bridge. Then we go down and run along the James River while climbing and descending a couple of hills before crossing the James River again over the long Robert E. Lee Bridge going back into the city. We race west on Main street and then north on Boulevard looping back towards the heart of the city, making twists and turns on the city streets until we race to a down hill finish on Cary St. A mostly spectacular view of the city and the James River in the fall with brightly changing autumn leaves.
Jon and I decide to drive together early Saturday morning, since we still had to pick our race packets up before the race, so I got my stuff together the night before. When the alarm went off at 3:45 I was up, got a quick shower ate breakfast and was just finished getting my stuff together when Jon arrived at 4:30. We drove up in drizzling rain that turned into a downpour when we were only 20-30 miles away...not a welcome sight. I had checked the weather radar before we left and it did show heavy rain over the city of Richmond and nothing behind it and I was sure by the time we reached the city it would be gone. As we neared the city, the rain did stop and we got parked near the Omni where the packet pickup was...also near the finish line. We got our packet and went back to the car to put our bib and chip on and final preparations for the race.
We finally headed to the starting line, in the cold and wind, which was about half a mile away. I made my final pit stop in the port-a-lets near the start line...I only made two bathroom breaks instead of the usual 5 or 6...one while we were in the Omni and this one...of course I had forgotten my morning cup of coffee...so that might be the reason. We get into the coral that Jon had registered for and waited for the starting gun.
My race plan was to take this marathon slow and easy since we had just run the MCM two weeks prior. This was just to be a fun race! We started off slow enough...the gun goes off...well, where we were near the middle we didn't hear anything...just the people in front of us started walking towards the start line. About three minutes later we finally get to the start line and start jogging...I start my watch and we are off. Up Broad St we go and I mean up, since in is a slight incline for the next four miles. By the first mile marker I punch my lap button and notice that it is almost 8:30...nice easy pace and still very crowded...but I feel warmed up and ready to cruise. Jon had decided to run even slower...at about a 9 minute mile pace and was by now a ways back. I gradually start increasing my pace until mile marker 2 shows I'm at a little over 16 minutes, which feels really comfortable...in the back of my mind I keep telling myself...slow and easy. We make a turn south to Boulevard and then go west again on Monument. Mile 3 comes in at a little under 24 min which tells me that I'm right around a nice 8 mpm pace and it feels really good...and decide to keep this pace...but later looking at my lap times, I noticed that my pace was actually around the 7:45 or better pace. After the 6 mile mark, I'm looking for the timing mats...usually at the 10K mark...but I don't see any. Around mile 7 we start going over the bridge that takes us over the James River to the other side of the city. The roads are still wet from the morning rains and some parts of the bridge are really slippery. About the time I'm saying to myself to be really careful of my stride, I hear this thudding sound behind me. Looking back, I see a runner that has slipped and came tumbling down on the roadway...I see he is getting backup and running again but I'm sure he would be really sore for the rest of the race. Mile 10 brings us to one of the hills on this side of the course and I am still cruising and then mile 11 brings another hill, back down a bit and then it seemed like a steady climb from 12-15. By the halfway point the clock at the timing mats said 1:44 something. I'm still feeling really good and the first visions of a 3:30-3:35 finishing mark fills my head...but I'm not all that optimistic because I know that I will be cramping around mile 20-21...so I try to relax and just enjoy the run. We reach the long Lee bridge taking us back to the city and the wind is pretty strong...but I don't care...because last year this time I was cramping and hobbling/walking across this bridge...and now I'm cruising. We enter the city again and mile 17-18 takes us west on Main St back to Boulevard and north for the next three miles...the most boring part of the race going north out of the main part of the city...except for the pockets of people cheering you on. Let me tell you the people were great. Here it is in the low 40's with probably a 12-15 mph cold wind and they are out there on all parts of the course cheering you on...some offering their own water, bananas, cookies, donuts...they were amazing! Just before mile 20 there is a bridge that goes over I95/64 expressway and it seems quite steep...but I just give it even effort and I'm up and over with the 20 mile timing mat in view in the distance. The clock at the timing mat reads 2:38 and change as I go across. 20 miles down and my legs are still feeling fresh...no sign of muscle twinges or cramps...I am amazed...but I caution myself that there is still the last 10K to go and anything can happen. All along I have been steadily passing runners...just one here and one there. As soon as one is passed, I set my sights on the next and continue on. At this point I notice that a young woman in pink, that I passed just before the Lee bridge, is still with me but staying a few paces behind. After the 20 mile mark we pass this older guy...at least older than I...but this guy apparently doesn't like to be passed and he passes us back at the next water stop when I slow a bit to get a cup and drink. We do this for the next four miles and the girl gets dropped during this time. By mile 24...2.2 miles to go...I know I have a nice PR and BQ in the bag...no cramps and I've been actually picking up speed since the 20 mile mark...mostly because of this old man that I've been playing leap frog with and we have been passing a whole bunch of people. I think to myself that I could actually just walk the rest of the way and still make 3:35 and it would be a shame if one of my wicked cramps came on and stopped me in my tracks...so I slowed a bit. We finally make the final turn onto Cary St with about a third of a mile to go. The street has a steep downhill with it leveling off near the finish. Each step down hill jolts my quads and I thought they were sure to go into spasms...I tried to slow a bit to ease my foot falls and when I reached the flat, I take off. I was pumping my arms up and down to get the crowd to yell louder as we entered the crowd lined finishing chute and they responded. I cross the finish line with the time showing 3:26 and change, with a very big grin on my face...I look down at my watch and it says 3:23 something. Oh Happy Days!
I had conquered the beast...My past demon had turned into a Boston Qualifier! Not a..."Just making it" BQ, but I crushed it by 12 minutes. How ironic that I missed my BQ at MCM by 12 minutes, yet 13 days later I make BQ by 12 minutes, which means a 24 minute PR from MCM.
My splits:
Mile 1 in: 8:28
Mile 2 in: 7:42
Mile 3 in: 7:43
Mile 4 in: 7:35
Mile 5 in: 7:42
Mile 6 in: 7:39
Mile 7 in: 7:24
Mile 8 in: 7:23
Mile 9 in: 7:34
Mile 10 in: 7:40
Mile 11 in: 7:58
Mile 12 in: 7:50
Mile 13 in: 7:36
Half in: 1:41:10 Timing mat total time: 1:44:20
Mile 14 in: 7:24
Mile 15 in: 7:31
Mile 16 in: 7:54
Mile 17 in: 7:56
Mile 18 in: 8:05
Mile 19 in: 7:59
Mile 20 in: 7:56 Timing mat total time: 2:38:14
Mile 21 in: 7:51
Mile 22 in: 7:45
Mile 23 in: 7:36
Mile 24 in: 7:41
Mile 25 in: 8:01
Mile 26 in: 8:00
Mile 0.2 in: 1:28
The finish is in: 3:23:26...First half in: 1:41:10...Second half in: 1:42:16 Almost even halfs! A race where everything seemed to come together nicely...and in my mind...I know I can do better.
Race results:
There were 249 finishers in the Male 50 to 54 age group and 3682 total finishers.
Overall finish place was 335 of 3682
Age group finish place was 18 of 249
Time: 3:23:26 for an overall pace of 7:46 per mile
What's my next marathon goal? Well, I know I can increase my pace to 7:30...even a 7:15 could be possible. Am I dreaming? Dreams are made from planning, training and effort.
Boston, Here I Come!
BTW...Here is a photo I found that the Richmond Times got of me on the final turn to Cary St before the finish...their caption says I'm hamming it up but actually I was acknowledging the crowd and trying to get them cheering louder.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Richmond is calling me!
Well, Jon, my running friend did last night...So...We're definitely running Saturday...Just 13 days after the Marine Corps Marathon. After finishing the MCM we decided that we just had to run it if our legs were feeling good in a few days...Since it was our first marathon...Just a year ago... And this year is also Richmond's 30th anniversary...Which all makes it special too.
I'm a little apprehensive running two marathons two weeks apart but as long as we take it easy we should be fine.
My work outs since the MCM has continued as if the MCM was a long, hard training run and my legs are feeling rather good. Following is the training since the MCM:
Mon: 30 min on the elliptical, 30 min on the lifecycle and 15 min on the treadmill
Tue: 45 min on the elliptical, 45 min on the lifecycle and 12 min on the stairstepper
Wed: 7.25 mile run with middle 6.2 at 7:30 mpm pace and 10 min on the stairstepper
Thur: 30 min on the elliptical, 30 min on the lifecycle
Fri: 7.75 mile run in one hour with warm up and cool down
Sat: Rest
Sun: 11 mile longish run at mainly 8 mpm pace
Mon: 45 min on the elliptical, 45 min on the lifecycle
Tue: 8 mile run at mainly 8 mpm pace
Today will be cardio on the elliptical, lifecycle and stairstepper
Thur will be my last run...probably at least 10K
Fri will rest and Saturday the marathon.
It will be interesting to see how this body will handle it...but...It's going to be fun...It will be fun!
Ms Natalie..You have a great race at Chickamuaga!
I'm a little apprehensive running two marathons two weeks apart but as long as we take it easy we should be fine.
My work outs since the MCM has continued as if the MCM was a long, hard training run and my legs are feeling rather good. Following is the training since the MCM:
Mon: 30 min on the elliptical, 30 min on the lifecycle and 15 min on the treadmill
Tue: 45 min on the elliptical, 45 min on the lifecycle and 12 min on the stairstepper
Wed: 7.25 mile run with middle 6.2 at 7:30 mpm pace and 10 min on the stairstepper
Thur: 30 min on the elliptical, 30 min on the lifecycle
Fri: 7.75 mile run in one hour with warm up and cool down
Sat: Rest
Sun: 11 mile longish run at mainly 8 mpm pace
Mon: 45 min on the elliptical, 45 min on the lifecycle
Tue: 8 mile run at mainly 8 mpm pace
Today will be cardio on the elliptical, lifecycle and stairstepper
Thur will be my last run...probably at least 10K
Fri will rest and Saturday the marathon.
It will be interesting to see how this body will handle it...but...It's going to be fun...It will be fun!
Ms Natalie..You have a great race at Chickamuaga!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Marine Corps Marathon 28 Oct 2007
The Marine Corps Marathon...One of the fourth largest marathons in the country...The Peoples Marathon...A must do marathon in my books...30,000 signed up…about 24,000 showed up…and less than 21,000 finished. The marathon starts at the Arlington Cemetery, winds through Rosslyn, across the Key Bridge to Georgetown, through Washington DC, looping around Haines Point, back to the Virginia side by crossing the 14th St Bridge, then looping through Crystal City, passing the Arlington Cemetery again, looping back up to Rosslyn and back and finally charging up the hill to finish near the Marine Corps Monument Iwo Jima. Packed with sights and sounds of our nation’s capital and surrounding cities and it was all that it's billed to be.
I've wanted to do this marathon way back when I was still in the Navy…I was a Navy Corpsman for 23 years and served with the Marines (the Marines…a Department of the Navy…use Navy Corpsmen and Navy Medical staff) as a FMF corpsman for the first four years of my career and again with them during Desert Storm. Some don't know that one of the six men raising that flag on Iwo Jima is a Navy Corpsman...'Doc' John Bradley. I first started training for this marathon about six years ago, but a knee injury, while cross training on rollerblades, ended that hope then. With some self-rehab and slow, steady progression in running, I was finally running, knee pain free for the last couple of years. I picked up a registration form from the Shamrock Marathon in March to ensure that I would be registered. I mailed in my registration in April and in June got my confirmation email stating that I was registered in the MCM...Oh Happy Days! The last week of June started my MCM training cycle which was filled with ups and downs all coming down to this day...Sunday 28 October 2007...the 32nd Annual Marine Corps Marathon.
I booked a room in Alexandria...about six miles from the start of the marathon...in June after receiving my confirmation. My wife and family were not making the trip so I shared my room with another runner, Brian. I drove up to the Expo Saturday morning with rain coming down in buckets, but half way there, the rain stops and the sun comes out. I went to the Expo first, which is in the Armory in DC, and got my race packet and shirt and then wander through the vendors picking up free things...sports beans, couple of different flavors of Clif Bloks...the one I was interested in was the Margarita flavor because it has extra sodium because I cramp a lot in long runs and I need all the help I can get...and it was free...plus there were other free stuff and samples. Then I drove around the starting area trying to find places to park for the next day and checking out Metro stops and parking areas next to them...I wanted to have a plan to get to the race the next day. I got back to the hotel at 3:00 in time to meet Brian for check in and we are told our room isn't ready for another 20-30 minutes. He gives us both complimentary parking because of the wait...Yeah, it was normally $10 per day for parking...amazing...having to pay to park at the hotel that your staying! We also find out that the hotel is providing transportation to the Pentagon...where the start is...and back from Pentagon City Metro when we are done. We finally get our rooms and Brian has to still go to the Expo and I have a dinner get together (FE) with a bunch of runners from the Runner's World forum. I have printed Google maps with directions and head out to find the place. I make two wrong turns, the first one which takes forever to find a place to turn back around and the second takes me to a traffic backup near the Kennedy Center with the river on the left and no exits to the right. I call and tell them I'm stuck in traffic and not to wait for me...45 minutes later I tell them there is no way I can get there before it's even over. Finally I get out of the traffic jam and go back near the hotel to find something to eat, get back to the hotel around eight and start preparing for the next days run.
Sunday dawns...well it was actually still dark at 4:45 in the morning when two alarms and the phone wake-up service wakes us up...we wanted to make sure we got up in time. The temperature forecasted for the day is in the low 50's in the morning with it warming to the low 60's for the high, with a bit of wind 10-12 mph in the morning building to about 15 mph around noon. It's not going to be hot and it's not going to be raining...what more could we ask for?
We get showered and dressed and go down to catch the van. We were told the service would start around 6:00 but we find out they have already been running since 5:00, but no big deal...the race doesn't start till around 8:00. We jam into the next van and which takes us the Pentagon City Metro and are told we should take the Metro to the Pentagon but we convince the driver to just drive us to the Pentagon and he lets us off there. We get out and join a long line of people walking around the south side of the Pentagon to the east and then north. It seemed like ages before we get to the staging area with tents, UPS trucks for our gear drop off and of course the all important port-a-lets...hundreds of them...so while we were there, there were no long lines. We explore to find the starting area and finally after asking directions find it. Both sides of a four lane road next to the Arlington Cemetery are roped off into corrals according to expected finish times. We go back to the UPS trucks and dump off our warm jackets and hoodies...it was cold with the wind and low temps...and then head back to the starting corrals. Brian wants to run with the 3:40 corral and I want to run with the 3:30 corral so we get in the middle so we can start together. It's about 7:40 now and we decide we need to make a pit stop so we walk back about a hundred yards to some port-a-lets, do our thing and get back to the corral. The wheel chair's go off about 7:45 and I get the urge to go again so I climb down to the trees on the right where a whole bunch of other men are 'watering' the trees and bushes. I get back in the corral and at about 7:55 I feel the urge again and go back to the trees. I get back in the corral just as the ropes separating the corrals are being released and everyone surges forward crowding together.
The starting gun goes off...well, I don't even remember if there was a gun or horn, but the runners start walking forward towards the start line. Near the start line we start to trot and then stop again, then start walking and then trot again. We finally get to the start line in a trot and I start my watch as we cross the beeping starting mats and we're off...still jogging, dodging, slowing down, speeding up...but we're on our way. Brian and I stay together for about the first half mile and I tell him that he will probably catch me later if I should cramp up. I then steadily make my way to the 3:30 pace group...I can see the balloons in the distance about 200 yards away and by the first mile, I had caught up to them. The first mile stripe, I hit the pace button on my watch and it says 9:19...and I am puzzled that it is soo slow, even with the slow pace at the start line, and everyone else is too...we think it was a long mile. About the one mile mark we even passed a woman doing it on crutches and we give her encouragements as we pass her. I see the balloons for the 3:20 pace group...which is the one that I really want to be with and I steadily made my way over a period of about 3 miles to them. The first 8 miles had two hills that even challenged a few of the wheelchair/hand bike participants as we passed a few who were struggling. At the 10 mile mark we pass the road that goes between the Kennedy Center and the Potomac River…the same place I was stuck in traffic for 45 minutes the night before…imagine that…I’m running faster than I was driving the night before. We loop through the Washington Mall area with the Washington Monument and all the other monuments, historic buildings and the Capital building. I pass the 13.1 timing mat in 1:37:38…faster than my Rock n Roll half time just two months ago, but still at the pace that I wanted to be and still feeling good…but I had to go…even with all those pre-start pit stops…I needed another and bad. I had been searching for a spot looping around the mall area but didn’t really want to stop and water a tree with our Nation’s Capital in full view. I finally see two port-a-lets just before the 14 mile mark and wait about a minute till one is vacated. It seemed like every thing slowed down at that point…I couldn’t find my pace…the stop seemed to have messed me up. By this time we are entering Haines Point and I feel my lower legs telling me that they are not happy…I try to alter/slow my pace so they won’t cramp, but after making the turn at the far end of Haines Point, the calves start cramping bad. I stop to massage and stretch and continue on for about a quarter of a mile and cramp up again. I have to stop to massage and stretch about four more times coming out of Haines Point and I am asking myself why I am doing this…I swear that this is the last marathon I do…I can’t stand cramping every time and that I am just going to stick to half marathons and shorter races…No.More.Marathons…then I hear the roaring crowds where the road circles around to get on the 14th street bridge. The crowd makes me want to get my pace up and I do a bit but when I am almost to the top of the ramp to the bridge, my legs cramp again. I do my stop to massage and stretch the cramps out about three more times on the bridge. At about the 20 mile mark my roommate Brian catches up to me and he is having ITBS problems too. We run together until one of us has to stop to massage/stretch and then catch up to each other as the other has to stop. We finally get off the bridge and again into a roaring mass of crowds lining the road looping Crystal City. We can also see all the runners coming back from the Crystal City loop on the other side and the line of runners seem to stretch out into the distance…with no end in sight. We finally make the turn around at the 22 mile timing mat and head through the cheering crowds out of Crystal City. Exiting Crystal City I am having my doubts and self pities again and plan to just jog it in…heck I’m barely running as it is! Just then Jon yells Charlie and tries to give me a bear hug as were running. Let me tell you about Jon. We ran our first marathon last year…Richmond…I was trying to find a person to drive with to Richmond for the marathon because I didn’t know if I could drive back after. We drove up together ran the marathon…well, he ran and I had to walked most of the last half…I was ill prepared to run a marathon and it was really hot that day…and of course I had cramping problems. We have been marathon running buds since. We ran Shamrock and when I ran Frederick, he was having leg problems but was up there as a volunteer with Kale Running. He had told me he was doubtful for MCM and I didn’t know he had even registered. Now here he was full of joy and enthusiasm…just what I needed. I found new energy running with Jon and Brian was still with us and the pace quickened a bit. Even Jon was having leg problems so now here the three of us are each with their own problems, each stopping now and then to massage and stretch and then catching up to the group. We run pass the Pentagon and back to the Arlington Cemetery…where we all had started a little more than three hours ago…it seemed so surreal…the starting corrals were gone, the starting mats and huge air filled red starting gates were gone…but we had been here before. I cracked that we were being force to do the marathon again because we were too slow…it was the Marine way…Do it again! But we knew we only had two more miles to go. We lost sight of Brian during the down hill loop that takes us to the morning start line…the down hill makes his ITBS worse and he has to stop to stretch. Back up to Rosslyn we go and do the final loop and finally head back to the finish. We get to the right hand turn going up hill to the finish and Jon starts yelling as he charges up the hill…THIS AIN’T NOTHING…We make the final right turn and see the finish line and charge to the finish, giving each other a low five across the first set of timing mats and then raising our arms in victory as we cross the finish. A great ending to a great marathon! We get our medals from the Marines and then are herded to the food/beverage line. We want a picture at the Iwo Jima Monument and realize we have to go back the way we came to get there. We are like salmon going up stream as we try to weave through the runners coming the other way through the food line. We finally reach the monument and get our pictures taken and head to Rosslyn…he to find his father in the crowds and me to the UPS truck and to find Brian. I also want to get back to the finish line to see if I can see the finish of some of the people that I was hoping to see around the 4:30 mark and get there just as the announcer is saying the 4:30 runners are coming through…I don’t see them and wait another five minutes or so and still don’t’ see them and think I must have missed them. I go back to the UPS trucks to get my stuff and see if Brian is there but I miss him too and with all the runners and crowds, it’s hard to meet up with anyone. Later I found out that Brian was only about 20 seconds behind us when we finished. I make my way to the Rosslyn Metro and find it crowded with people trying to get back down to the Pentagon area or Crystal City. It takes more than 45 minutes to get through the pass gates and to the escalators. We get to the escalators that take you down to the tracks…looking down it looked steep and seemed to go down into the bowels of the earth. We get on the escalators and had just started down when it lurches to a stop. The up escalators are still running but ours…the down escalator was stopped dead. We had to walk down the steps…when you have just completed 26.2 and your legs are cramping, the last thing you want to do is go Down some steps…especially down a lot of steps. We make it down but find we still need to get to the lower level of the tracks to get to our ‘Blue” line to take us to the Pentagon City Metro stop. So down we go again.
My watch splits and timing mat splits are as follows:
Mile 1 in at 9:19...I think was a long mile
Mile 2 I don't see the mile marker
Mile 3 in at 22:37
Mile 4 in at 29:15
Mile 5 in at 36:43…Timing mat time was 37:15
Mile 6 in at 44:25
Mile 7 in at 51:34
Mile 8 in at 58:55
Mile 9 in at 1:06:26
Mile 10 in at 1:13:50…Timing mat time was 1:14:22
Mile 11 in at 1:21:31
Mile 12 in at 1:28:53
Mile 13 in at 1:36:46
The Half in at 1:37:38…Timing mat time was 1:37:50
Mile 14 in at 1:46:36...I had to take a pit stop
Mile 15 in at 1:54:49…Timing mat time was 1:55:22
Mile 16 in at 2:03:22
Mile 17 in at 2:12:15
Mile 18 in at2:23:18…Timing mat time was 2:23:51
Mile 19 in at 2:35:02
Mile 20 in at 2:45:41
And then something went wrong with my watch and I have no other splits from my watch but the 22 mile timing mat was 3:07:10
The finish is in 3:47:28.
I think the discrepancy between the timing mat splits and my watch splits was the difference from gun time to actual chip time...the mat times seemed to be gun times...except for mile 18…and I think it was here that the Marine that was calling out the time said the time on the clock was wrong. But anyway...overall pace was a disappointing 8:40 per mile. But the finish although 12 minutes short of a BQ was a new 8 minute PR from my best of 3:55 at Shamrock...so...something to be pleased about.
Race results:
There were 1147 finishers in the Male 50 to 54 age group and 20631 total finishers.
Overall finish place was 2837 of 20631
Age group finish place was 120 of 1147
Time: 3:47:28 for an overall pace of 8:40 per mile
Next stop...Richmond? or OBX?
I've wanted to do this marathon way back when I was still in the Navy…I was a Navy Corpsman for 23 years and served with the Marines (the Marines…a Department of the Navy…use Navy Corpsmen and Navy Medical staff) as a FMF corpsman for the first four years of my career and again with them during Desert Storm. Some don't know that one of the six men raising that flag on Iwo Jima is a Navy Corpsman...'Doc' John Bradley. I first started training for this marathon about six years ago, but a knee injury, while cross training on rollerblades, ended that hope then. With some self-rehab and slow, steady progression in running, I was finally running, knee pain free for the last couple of years. I picked up a registration form from the Shamrock Marathon in March to ensure that I would be registered. I mailed in my registration in April and in June got my confirmation email stating that I was registered in the MCM...Oh Happy Days! The last week of June started my MCM training cycle which was filled with ups and downs all coming down to this day...Sunday 28 October 2007...the 32nd Annual Marine Corps Marathon.
I booked a room in Alexandria...about six miles from the start of the marathon...in June after receiving my confirmation. My wife and family were not making the trip so I shared my room with another runner, Brian. I drove up to the Expo Saturday morning with rain coming down in buckets, but half way there, the rain stops and the sun comes out. I went to the Expo first, which is in the Armory in DC, and got my race packet and shirt and then wander through the vendors picking up free things...sports beans, couple of different flavors of Clif Bloks...the one I was interested in was the Margarita flavor because it has extra sodium because I cramp a lot in long runs and I need all the help I can get...and it was free...plus there were other free stuff and samples. Then I drove around the starting area trying to find places to park for the next day and checking out Metro stops and parking areas next to them...I wanted to have a plan to get to the race the next day. I got back to the hotel at 3:00 in time to meet Brian for check in and we are told our room isn't ready for another 20-30 minutes. He gives us both complimentary parking because of the wait...Yeah, it was normally $10 per day for parking...amazing...having to pay to park at the hotel that your staying! We also find out that the hotel is providing transportation to the Pentagon...where the start is...and back from Pentagon City Metro when we are done. We finally get our rooms and Brian has to still go to the Expo and I have a dinner get together (FE) with a bunch of runners from the Runner's World forum. I have printed Google maps with directions and head out to find the place. I make two wrong turns, the first one which takes forever to find a place to turn back around and the second takes me to a traffic backup near the Kennedy Center with the river on the left and no exits to the right. I call and tell them I'm stuck in traffic and not to wait for me...45 minutes later I tell them there is no way I can get there before it's even over. Finally I get out of the traffic jam and go back near the hotel to find something to eat, get back to the hotel around eight and start preparing for the next days run.
Sunday dawns...well it was actually still dark at 4:45 in the morning when two alarms and the phone wake-up service wakes us up...we wanted to make sure we got up in time. The temperature forecasted for the day is in the low 50's in the morning with it warming to the low 60's for the high, with a bit of wind 10-12 mph in the morning building to about 15 mph around noon. It's not going to be hot and it's not going to be raining...what more could we ask for?
We get showered and dressed and go down to catch the van. We were told the service would start around 6:00 but we find out they have already been running since 5:00, but no big deal...the race doesn't start till around 8:00. We jam into the next van and which takes us the Pentagon City Metro and are told we should take the Metro to the Pentagon but we convince the driver to just drive us to the Pentagon and he lets us off there. We get out and join a long line of people walking around the south side of the Pentagon to the east and then north. It seemed like ages before we get to the staging area with tents, UPS trucks for our gear drop off and of course the all important port-a-lets...hundreds of them...so while we were there, there were no long lines. We explore to find the starting area and finally after asking directions find it. Both sides of a four lane road next to the Arlington Cemetery are roped off into corrals according to expected finish times. We go back to the UPS trucks and dump off our warm jackets and hoodies...it was cold with the wind and low temps...and then head back to the starting corrals. Brian wants to run with the 3:40 corral and I want to run with the 3:30 corral so we get in the middle so we can start together. It's about 7:40 now and we decide we need to make a pit stop so we walk back about a hundred yards to some port-a-lets, do our thing and get back to the corral. The wheel chair's go off about 7:45 and I get the urge to go again so I climb down to the trees on the right where a whole bunch of other men are 'watering' the trees and bushes. I get back in the corral and at about 7:55 I feel the urge again and go back to the trees. I get back in the corral just as the ropes separating the corrals are being released and everyone surges forward crowding together.
The starting gun goes off...well, I don't even remember if there was a gun or horn, but the runners start walking forward towards the start line. Near the start line we start to trot and then stop again, then start walking and then trot again. We finally get to the start line in a trot and I start my watch as we cross the beeping starting mats and we're off...still jogging, dodging, slowing down, speeding up...but we're on our way. Brian and I stay together for about the first half mile and I tell him that he will probably catch me later if I should cramp up. I then steadily make my way to the 3:30 pace group...I can see the balloons in the distance about 200 yards away and by the first mile, I had caught up to them. The first mile stripe, I hit the pace button on my watch and it says 9:19...and I am puzzled that it is soo slow, even with the slow pace at the start line, and everyone else is too...we think it was a long mile. About the one mile mark we even passed a woman doing it on crutches and we give her encouragements as we pass her. I see the balloons for the 3:20 pace group...which is the one that I really want to be with and I steadily made my way over a period of about 3 miles to them. The first 8 miles had two hills that even challenged a few of the wheelchair/hand bike participants as we passed a few who were struggling. At the 10 mile mark we pass the road that goes between the Kennedy Center and the Potomac River…the same place I was stuck in traffic for 45 minutes the night before…imagine that…I’m running faster than I was driving the night before. We loop through the Washington Mall area with the Washington Monument and all the other monuments, historic buildings and the Capital building. I pass the 13.1 timing mat in 1:37:38…faster than my Rock n Roll half time just two months ago, but still at the pace that I wanted to be and still feeling good…but I had to go…even with all those pre-start pit stops…I needed another and bad. I had been searching for a spot looping around the mall area but didn’t really want to stop and water a tree with our Nation’s Capital in full view. I finally see two port-a-lets just before the 14 mile mark and wait about a minute till one is vacated. It seemed like every thing slowed down at that point…I couldn’t find my pace…the stop seemed to have messed me up. By this time we are entering Haines Point and I feel my lower legs telling me that they are not happy…I try to alter/slow my pace so they won’t cramp, but after making the turn at the far end of Haines Point, the calves start cramping bad. I stop to massage and stretch and continue on for about a quarter of a mile and cramp up again. I have to stop to massage and stretch about four more times coming out of Haines Point and I am asking myself why I am doing this…I swear that this is the last marathon I do…I can’t stand cramping every time and that I am just going to stick to half marathons and shorter races…No.More.Marathons…then I hear the roaring crowds where the road circles around to get on the 14th street bridge. The crowd makes me want to get my pace up and I do a bit but when I am almost to the top of the ramp to the bridge, my legs cramp again. I do my stop to massage and stretch the cramps out about three more times on the bridge. At about the 20 mile mark my roommate Brian catches up to me and he is having ITBS problems too. We run together until one of us has to stop to massage/stretch and then catch up to each other as the other has to stop. We finally get off the bridge and again into a roaring mass of crowds lining the road looping Crystal City. We can also see all the runners coming back from the Crystal City loop on the other side and the line of runners seem to stretch out into the distance…with no end in sight. We finally make the turn around at the 22 mile timing mat and head through the cheering crowds out of Crystal City. Exiting Crystal City I am having my doubts and self pities again and plan to just jog it in…heck I’m barely running as it is! Just then Jon yells Charlie and tries to give me a bear hug as were running. Let me tell you about Jon. We ran our first marathon last year…Richmond…I was trying to find a person to drive with to Richmond for the marathon because I didn’t know if I could drive back after. We drove up together ran the marathon…well, he ran and I had to walked most of the last half…I was ill prepared to run a marathon and it was really hot that day…and of course I had cramping problems. We have been marathon running buds since. We ran Shamrock and when I ran Frederick, he was having leg problems but was up there as a volunteer with Kale Running. He had told me he was doubtful for MCM and I didn’t know he had even registered. Now here he was full of joy and enthusiasm…just what I needed. I found new energy running with Jon and Brian was still with us and the pace quickened a bit. Even Jon was having leg problems so now here the three of us are each with their own problems, each stopping now and then to massage and stretch and then catching up to the group. We run pass the Pentagon and back to the Arlington Cemetery…where we all had started a little more than three hours ago…it seemed so surreal…the starting corrals were gone, the starting mats and huge air filled red starting gates were gone…but we had been here before. I cracked that we were being force to do the marathon again because we were too slow…it was the Marine way…Do it again! But we knew we only had two more miles to go. We lost sight of Brian during the down hill loop that takes us to the morning start line…the down hill makes his ITBS worse and he has to stop to stretch. Back up to Rosslyn we go and do the final loop and finally head back to the finish. We get to the right hand turn going up hill to the finish and Jon starts yelling as he charges up the hill…THIS AIN’T NOTHING…We make the final right turn and see the finish line and charge to the finish, giving each other a low five across the first set of timing mats and then raising our arms in victory as we cross the finish. A great ending to a great marathon! We get our medals from the Marines and then are herded to the food/beverage line. We want a picture at the Iwo Jima Monument and realize we have to go back the way we came to get there. We are like salmon going up stream as we try to weave through the runners coming the other way through the food line. We finally reach the monument and get our pictures taken and head to Rosslyn…he to find his father in the crowds and me to the UPS truck and to find Brian. I also want to get back to the finish line to see if I can see the finish of some of the people that I was hoping to see around the 4:30 mark and get there just as the announcer is saying the 4:30 runners are coming through…I don’t see them and wait another five minutes or so and still don’t’ see them and think I must have missed them. I go back to the UPS trucks to get my stuff and see if Brian is there but I miss him too and with all the runners and crowds, it’s hard to meet up with anyone. Later I found out that Brian was only about 20 seconds behind us when we finished. I make my way to the Rosslyn Metro and find it crowded with people trying to get back down to the Pentagon area or Crystal City. It takes more than 45 minutes to get through the pass gates and to the escalators. We get to the escalators that take you down to the tracks…looking down it looked steep and seemed to go down into the bowels of the earth. We get on the escalators and had just started down when it lurches to a stop. The up escalators are still running but ours…the down escalator was stopped dead. We had to walk down the steps…when you have just completed 26.2 and your legs are cramping, the last thing you want to do is go Down some steps…especially down a lot of steps. We make it down but find we still need to get to the lower level of the tracks to get to our ‘Blue” line to take us to the Pentagon City Metro stop. So down we go again.
My watch splits and timing mat splits are as follows:
Mile 1 in at 9:19...I think was a long mile
Mile 2 I don't see the mile marker
Mile 3 in at 22:37
Mile 4 in at 29:15
Mile 5 in at 36:43…Timing mat time was 37:15
Mile 6 in at 44:25
Mile 7 in at 51:34
Mile 8 in at 58:55
Mile 9 in at 1:06:26
Mile 10 in at 1:13:50…Timing mat time was 1:14:22
Mile 11 in at 1:21:31
Mile 12 in at 1:28:53
Mile 13 in at 1:36:46
The Half in at 1:37:38…Timing mat time was 1:37:50
Mile 14 in at 1:46:36...I had to take a pit stop
Mile 15 in at 1:54:49…Timing mat time was 1:55:22
Mile 16 in at 2:03:22
Mile 17 in at 2:12:15
Mile 18 in at2:23:18…Timing mat time was 2:23:51
Mile 19 in at 2:35:02
Mile 20 in at 2:45:41
And then something went wrong with my watch and I have no other splits from my watch but the 22 mile timing mat was 3:07:10
The finish is in 3:47:28.
I think the discrepancy between the timing mat splits and my watch splits was the difference from gun time to actual chip time...the mat times seemed to be gun times...except for mile 18…and I think it was here that the Marine that was calling out the time said the time on the clock was wrong. But anyway...overall pace was a disappointing 8:40 per mile. But the finish although 12 minutes short of a BQ was a new 8 minute PR from my best of 3:55 at Shamrock...so...something to be pleased about.
Race results:
There were 1147 finishers in the Male 50 to 54 age group and 20631 total finishers.
Overall finish place was 2837 of 20631
Age group finish place was 120 of 1147
Time: 3:47:28 for an overall pace of 8:40 per mile
Next stop...Richmond? or OBX?
Monday, October 15, 2007
Fleet Week Half Marathon 14 Oct 2007
Haven't had any new posts since my last half marathon...haven't really had anything to post about but Sunday I ran the Fleet Week Half Marathon. This race is a significant mile stone in my running because it was the first race that I had ever entered...which was only one year ago...besides my MCM training schedule had me running 13 miles at marathon pace, and what a better way to run at marathon pace than a race with hundreds of other runners and people to cheer you on. Last year I ran this race in 1:45:58, 5th in my age group, 132nd overall with a pace of 8:05 minute miles...not bad for a first race ever being a half marathon. My best half marathon since then was a 1:32:26 in April's Dismal Swamp Stomp Half. My last half marathon was the Rock n Roll Half just completed six weeks ago in a disappointing 1:38:27...but it was on a bad leg. So my goal for this half I wanted at least something between the 1:32 and 1:38 and with a secret...wishing, if all goes extremely well...1:30 or better...which I knew wasn't likely because my training hasn't been what it should have been the last couple of months.
The race takes place at the Naval and Air Base here in Norfolk. The race course is a large loop consisting of running through the air base, down and back to Breezy Point...a recreational area, by the helo pads, by the base marina, by the monuments to the USS Cole and USS Iowa, along the piers with the massive carriers, cruisers, destroyers and other ships and finally back to the start finish. Quite a tour of the base. It even went by the building where I work on Morris Street! There was also a "Spirit on the Course" competition where different commands come to cheer on the runners and the top three winners would win cash prizes for their Moral and Welfare Recreational committees...these are people who organize fun things for the command to do...like picnics, dinners and other fun events for the whole family. Well, SPAWAR...which is the command I work for, decided to enter competition to win some funds and of course have fun cheering the runners on.
The temperatures were forecast to be in the mid 50's at the start (8:05) with it going up to around 65 by (10:00), sunny with a bit of a cool breeze from the northwest. A perfect day for a race in my books. I get up at 5:00 and do my normal routine...had everything laid out the night before like normal. The thing I was still contemplating was what shoes to wear...my red Kayanos where the right shoe was rubbing just under my right ankle or my blue Kayanos where the left shoe was rubbing my left ankle...or do I wear my new NB 767 that only had 3 miles on them. Then I had this strange notion to wear the blue one on my right foot and the red on my left...but...in the end I went with the red Kayanos with a sports Band-Aid on my right ankle to protect it. I head to the Naval base around 6:30 and arrive at the gates to the base around 7:00 in a slow stream of traffic of cars trying to get in and parked. I get parked and get my chip and start my warm-ups by walking/running around a track where the event is setup. Last year there were about 600 runners and this year they expect over a thousand. Also last year there were a few Kenyans but this year I didn't see any...even though there was cash prizes but only for 1st and 2nd. I hit the port a potties a couple of times and the last time I have this rumble in my lower abdomen and feel the urge to go and it's almost diarrhea...so I am a bit concerned...so I go scout out where all the port a lets are located along the course map in case I need to use them...and there seems to be plenty of them...and fortunately, I didn't have any problems during the race. I head to the start line and find the 1:30 pace group and get behind them and complete my stretches before the National Anthem is sung and the gun goes off at 8:05 starting the race and I start my watch as I cross the start line. I fall in behind the pace group going through the first half mile and then head to the front and past...the first mile comes in at 6:28...not bad and feeling really good...but that's normal for me to start fast...and I'm going to do what feels good to me...even though I probably will fade at the end...we'll see how it goes but i reign myself in a bit and the second mile comes in at 6:55, and that is where I find my SPAWAR cheer leaders cheering me on. Mile three comes in at 6:50 and the first water stop...I am disappointed that they are using plastic cups and not paper cups, but I grab a water and try to squeeze the plastic cup down so I can drink without it going all over me...it doesn't work...I get half of it down my shirt. On the way to the turn around point at the Breezy Park, I get to see the leaders coming back and upon my turn around I get to see the runners going by behind me and also size up my competition to see where they are...most seem to be quite a way back and I can't remember any being in front...at least the ones I knew were in my age group. I don't remember seeing the four-mile marker and time and so I didn't punch in my lap time on my watch either. About the 4.5 mark I again see my SPAWAR cheerleaders which gives me a boost and mile 5 comes in at 13:46 (miles 4 + 5), which is still at about a 6:53 average for the two miles. Mile 6 comes in at 6:56 and seven in 6:48...these miles I am running with a guy who is running at my pace but he is going through the water stops really fast and I have to expends some energy trying to catch up...I think I was having problems with the plastic cups and had to slow a bit to squeeze them down so I could get a decent drink. So even though it is nice to pace with someone going your pace, at the next water stop, I let him go rather than try to catch up to him. And it showed on my next time at mile 8, I dropped down to 7:18, picked it up at mile 9 to 7:09, dropped down to 7:23 at mile 10...and they finally had paper cups instead of plastic one... 7:27 at mile 11, 7:29 at mile 12, picked it up some for mile 13 at 7:13. I try to sprint to the finish and as usual...I forget to punch the lap time at the finish, but I see the race clock at 1:32: something and feel satisfied. No 1:30 but the 1:32 did feel good. My final official time was 1:32:24...a whole 2 seconds faster than my best at the Dismal Swamp Half...so a PR!
The last half where I had come in at 1:32, I came in first in my age group and I don't remember being passed by any "old guys", so I waited around for the posting of the race times...anticipating a first in AG...but not to be. A guy from Albuquerque, NM came in before me...and...I think it was the same guy that took my 1st place AG in a 10K I ran in the spring! Why can't he stay in Albuquerque? Turns out I meet the guy at the score sheet. He was up at the score sheet at the time I was looking for my name and it said I came in 3rd and the guy for Albuquerque had come in 2nd but we couldn't see a name or time for the guy who came in 1st...There wasn't any! WTF...I mean Hay? I told him it must be a recording error and that he was sure to be first and I was second. Then talking with him, he said he had flown in the day before to race...I jokingly told him next time stay at home so I could win. Next time he comes back I will be waiting for him...yes, I want him to come back...He came in at 1:27, and I have a way to go, but it will be nice to run with him next time. So we wait around for the awards he with his family and me with my SPAWAR cheerleaders and wait for the announcements. He does get 1st in AG and I come in 2nd...we get our awards and get our pictures taken and congratulate each other. My SPAWAR cheerleaders take second prize for the Spirit on the Course...they should have taken first but a group in cheerleader outfits took first.
In all a good race...my leg was still sore at the beginning of the race but wasn't too bad at the end. This morning there are some aches but nothing way out of the ordinary. So hopefully I will be able to give my best for the next two weeks training and the Marine Corps Marathon on the 28th.
Race Results:
There were 42 finishers in the Male 50 to 54 age group and 880 total finishers.
Overall finish place was 52 of 880
Age group finish place was 2 of 42
Time: 1:32:24 for an overall pace of 7:03 per mile
First 5 mile split was 34:01 for a pace of 6:48/mile
Second 5 mile split was 35:34 for a pace of 7:07/mile
Last 5K split was 22:48 for a pace of 7:21/mile
A typical race for me...start off fast and fade at the end...but I did take 6 minutes off from my last race (RnR Half) by running it this way...I need to find a solution to end the last half stronger. When I tried to start off slow at the RnR half, I just ended up going slower still at the end.
Two more weeks of training and on to the MCM!
The race takes place at the Naval and Air Base here in Norfolk. The race course is a large loop consisting of running through the air base, down and back to Breezy Point...a recreational area, by the helo pads, by the base marina, by the monuments to the USS Cole and USS Iowa, along the piers with the massive carriers, cruisers, destroyers and other ships and finally back to the start finish. Quite a tour of the base. It even went by the building where I work on Morris Street! There was also a "Spirit on the Course" competition where different commands come to cheer on the runners and the top three winners would win cash prizes for their Moral and Welfare Recreational committees...these are people who organize fun things for the command to do...like picnics, dinners and other fun events for the whole family. Well, SPAWAR...which is the command I work for, decided to enter competition to win some funds and of course have fun cheering the runners on.
The temperatures were forecast to be in the mid 50's at the start (8:05) with it going up to around 65 by (10:00), sunny with a bit of a cool breeze from the northwest. A perfect day for a race in my books. I get up at 5:00 and do my normal routine...had everything laid out the night before like normal. The thing I was still contemplating was what shoes to wear...my red Kayanos where the right shoe was rubbing just under my right ankle or my blue Kayanos where the left shoe was rubbing my left ankle...or do I wear my new NB 767 that only had 3 miles on them. Then I had this strange notion to wear the blue one on my right foot and the red on my left...but...in the end I went with the red Kayanos with a sports Band-Aid on my right ankle to protect it. I head to the Naval base around 6:30 and arrive at the gates to the base around 7:00 in a slow stream of traffic of cars trying to get in and parked. I get parked and get my chip and start my warm-ups by walking/running around a track where the event is setup. Last year there were about 600 runners and this year they expect over a thousand. Also last year there were a few Kenyans but this year I didn't see any...even though there was cash prizes but only for 1st and 2nd. I hit the port a potties a couple of times and the last time I have this rumble in my lower abdomen and feel the urge to go and it's almost diarrhea...so I am a bit concerned...so I go scout out where all the port a lets are located along the course map in case I need to use them...and there seems to be plenty of them...and fortunately, I didn't have any problems during the race. I head to the start line and find the 1:30 pace group and get behind them and complete my stretches before the National Anthem is sung and the gun goes off at 8:05 starting the race and I start my watch as I cross the start line. I fall in behind the pace group going through the first half mile and then head to the front and past...the first mile comes in at 6:28...not bad and feeling really good...but that's normal for me to start fast...and I'm going to do what feels good to me...even though I probably will fade at the end...we'll see how it goes but i reign myself in a bit and the second mile comes in at 6:55, and that is where I find my SPAWAR cheer leaders cheering me on. Mile three comes in at 6:50 and the first water stop...I am disappointed that they are using plastic cups and not paper cups, but I grab a water and try to squeeze the plastic cup down so I can drink without it going all over me...it doesn't work...I get half of it down my shirt. On the way to the turn around point at the Breezy Park, I get to see the leaders coming back and upon my turn around I get to see the runners going by behind me and also size up my competition to see where they are...most seem to be quite a way back and I can't remember any being in front...at least the ones I knew were in my age group. I don't remember seeing the four-mile marker and time and so I didn't punch in my lap time on my watch either. About the 4.5 mark I again see my SPAWAR cheerleaders which gives me a boost and mile 5 comes in at 13:46 (miles 4 + 5), which is still at about a 6:53 average for the two miles. Mile 6 comes in at 6:56 and seven in 6:48...these miles I am running with a guy who is running at my pace but he is going through the water stops really fast and I have to expends some energy trying to catch up...I think I was having problems with the plastic cups and had to slow a bit to squeeze them down so I could get a decent drink. So even though it is nice to pace with someone going your pace, at the next water stop, I let him go rather than try to catch up to him. And it showed on my next time at mile 8, I dropped down to 7:18, picked it up at mile 9 to 7:09, dropped down to 7:23 at mile 10...and they finally had paper cups instead of plastic one... 7:27 at mile 11, 7:29 at mile 12, picked it up some for mile 13 at 7:13. I try to sprint to the finish and as usual...I forget to punch the lap time at the finish, but I see the race clock at 1:32: something and feel satisfied. No 1:30 but the 1:32 did feel good. My final official time was 1:32:24...a whole 2 seconds faster than my best at the Dismal Swamp Half...so a PR!
The last half where I had come in at 1:32, I came in first in my age group and I don't remember being passed by any "old guys", so I waited around for the posting of the race times...anticipating a first in AG...but not to be. A guy from Albuquerque, NM came in before me...and...I think it was the same guy that took my 1st place AG in a 10K I ran in the spring! Why can't he stay in Albuquerque? Turns out I meet the guy at the score sheet. He was up at the score sheet at the time I was looking for my name and it said I came in 3rd and the guy for Albuquerque had come in 2nd but we couldn't see a name or time for the guy who came in 1st...There wasn't any! WTF...I mean Hay? I told him it must be a recording error and that he was sure to be first and I was second. Then talking with him, he said he had flown in the day before to race...I jokingly told him next time stay at home so I could win. Next time he comes back I will be waiting for him...yes, I want him to come back...He came in at 1:27, and I have a way to go, but it will be nice to run with him next time. So we wait around for the awards he with his family and me with my SPAWAR cheerleaders and wait for the announcements. He does get 1st in AG and I come in 2nd...we get our awards and get our pictures taken and congratulate each other. My SPAWAR cheerleaders take second prize for the Spirit on the Course...they should have taken first but a group in cheerleader outfits took first.
In all a good race...my leg was still sore at the beginning of the race but wasn't too bad at the end. This morning there are some aches but nothing way out of the ordinary. So hopefully I will be able to give my best for the next two weeks training and the Marine Corps Marathon on the 28th.
Race Results:
There were 42 finishers in the Male 50 to 54 age group and 880 total finishers.
Overall finish place was 52 of 880
Age group finish place was 2 of 42
Time: 1:32:24 for an overall pace of 7:03 per mile
First 5 mile split was 34:01 for a pace of 6:48/mile
Second 5 mile split was 35:34 for a pace of 7:07/mile
Last 5K split was 22:48 for a pace of 7:21/mile
A typical race for me...start off fast and fade at the end...but I did take 6 minutes off from my last race (RnR Half) by running it this way...I need to find a solution to end the last half stronger. When I tried to start off slow at the RnR half, I just ended up going slower still at the end.
Two more weeks of training and on to the MCM!
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