Cherry Blossom 10-miler

I ran in the Cherry Blossom 10-mile race on April 3, 2011. This was my second race of the year and my second race in about a week. I ran the Sun Trust National Half Marathon one week before this race. After getting a PR in that race, I decided that this would not be a PR race. My last 10mile race was the Frederick 10-miler last fall and I ran that in 71min.

The cherry blossom race was held in downtown DC and runs through the cherry blossoms (hence the name) that surround the tidal basin. The race started at the Washington monument, loops through DC, into Virginia and ends back at the Washington monument. Pretty cool. Can't find anything like that in Columbus Ohio.

Anyway, the race was to start at 7:40am, and since I was coming from Frederick, I had to take the subway from Shady Grove into DC. I got up at 4:30am, had my typical bagel, peanut butter and Dt. Mt. Dew and packed my stuff. The weather called for cool temperatures, so I put on a long sleeve tech shirt and my wind pants. I grabbed by coat and headed to the metro.

The ride to metro was uneventful. I had my check bag, and my running belt, so after locking up the car, I headed for the train. As I walked down the tunnel toward the train, I began hearing jingle bells. I looked behind me, but nothing. After I walked through the turnstile, I heard them again, this time I could tell they were in front of me. I headed up the escalator and looked around. It seemed I was the only one on the platform. I looked down the dark tracks and saw no trains in either direction. The sound of jingling startled me again and I quickly turned around to see a portly older man, with a long white beard, rosy cheeks, and a red Santa hat that matched his red running shorts. A timing chip on his left shoe and a jingle bell on his right rounded out his wardrobe. He looked at me and smiled. All I could say was "Hi Santa.". Santa and I talked for only a few minutes, but I did tell him that I'd like a PR for Christmas!

Once the train showed up, I wished Santa luck on his race, and boarded the train for DC. The ride was uneventful and after a transfer, I got off at the Smithsonian stop. Coming up the escalator I could feel the excitement in the air. Stepping onto the mall with the sun rising is an amazing experience. After taking a quick look around, I headed toward the large crowd of people at the Washington monument. Boy was it ever large. The cap for the cherry blossom run is 15,000 people, and they were all ascending on the Washington monument at the same time. Many, many people.

After finding bag check, I decided to head for the port-a-potties. To my surprise, there were no lines. I stood behind a crowd of people and waited, and waited, and waited. Turns out this bank of johns were locked.... Damn. Just as I was about to walk away, a guy with a key passes me and starts to unlock the johns.... Could be my lucky day, first Santa now this! But the guy seemed frustrated. Turns out the key that he had probably only worked on 1/3 of the johns there. Well, I was in line anyway, so I might as well wait. After about 2 minutes, he comes back with a huge hammer and starts smashing the locks on the remaining johns... Everyone cheered.

After finishing, I decided I should head to the start line. I was in the yellow corral. I saw many colors but no yellow. Turns out yellow was right next to the start line. I was yellow B.... Elite was yellow A. I prayed I did not get mowed down when the horn blew. I worked my way into the yellow corral and warmed up a bit. The start was to be progressive; each corral would start about 1-2min after the corral in front of it. As the clock approached 7:40am, I could see the start line both in front of me and on the big screen by the grandstand (the race was live streamed to the web). My goal for this race was to go out strong, but if my legs felt tired, I would not kill myself. The horn went off at 7:40am and we were off.

Did I mention 15,000 people?? The 10-miler in Frederick had about 300 people.. 15,000 is way more than 300. Tons of people, tons of feet. But I started fast.

Mile 1 took me down Independence Ave slightly around the tidal basin. I remember feeling good, and knew I was moving fast. At the 1-mile marker, I had a 6:50m/m. Not too shabby.

Mile 2 took us over the Memorial Bridge and back again. It was here I saw the lead runner on the other side of the bridge. Running over the bridge was cool. I have never been over that bridge before. The weather was just beautiful, but I was over dressed. I had a 6:49m/m in mile 2.

Mile 3 and 4 took us down Rock Creek parkway past the JFK performing arts building, which was a turn around. There was also a water stop along this way also. I gotta say the water stops were really well manned at the race, much better than the national marathon last week. Another u-turn down Ohio drive finished out mile 4. I was feeling really good now after clocking 6:47m/m and 6:35m/m for these two miles. Maybe I will PR??

Miles 5-6 were back down Independence and to the opposite side of the tidal basin. I thought this stretch was really neat because the crowds just lined the streets and were screaming, and cheering for the runners. It was a real booster. I finished these two at 6:52m/m and 6:47 m/m.

Miles 7-9 went through east Potomac Park, which is a kind of peninsula. These were hard miles, but beautiful. No crowds, but tons of blooming cherry trees. It was quite a sight, but after about a mile, I was done with them. Mile 7.5 we hit Haines point, which is the tip of the peninsula. Time to turn around and head back to the Washington monument. Into the wind...damn. By this point, I knew I could make a PR, so I figured if I slowed down a bit it would be ok. But the competitor in me told me to keep pushing so that's what I did. I finished these miles in 6:54, 6:54, 6:55. I was getting tired.

The last mile swooped around the edge of the tidal basin and back to the monument. Oh yeah, they also added a 0.25mile hill in there to make it interesting. It was the only hill the entire race and they stick it at the end.... Damn them. I could see the monument get closer and closer. As I turned the final corner, I could see the finish line up ahead. The clock looked like it said 1:08... No way... I pushed....the clock read 1:08:45. I need to beat 1:09!!! Why? Who the hell knows why that's just what I screamed to myself. As I got closer, I could tell it was going to be close........ I crossed at 1:09:02. (6:50 m/m) So close.

After slowing down, I clicked off my Garmin, which still said 1:08. And then it hit me.. It probably took me about 15 sec to cross the start line. I probably did beat 1:09!! I grabbed some water, a muffin, my finisher's metal, and sat down to stretch. I was feeling pretty good. My left hamstring was a bit sore, but I figured it would be since it was kinda bothering me throughout the race. I hung around to watch others finished before heading to the subway. I walked back to the Smithsonian stop, I couldn't help wonder how Santa did. I hope he did well. I need to remember to thank him for the PR when I see him in December!

Official time: 1:08:46
533/15970 overall
33/646 in age group
First race ever with every mile less than 7m/m
Also my front and back half were only 15 sec different in total time

National Half Marathon Race Report

This past weekend, I ran in the Sun Trust National Half Marathon. This race is totally contained with the Washington DC city limits, and is touted as flat, fast race. I signed up for this race in the fall, with hopes at making a PR. My training strategy was simple, I wanted to get my mileage to about 40 miles per week, and then I would add some speed work for the last month of training. My fastest HM was at Parks half marathon in 2009, where I finished in just over 1:37. I ran a HM in 2003 while I was living in Columbus OH, and kinda remember being in the high 1:35, but cannot find the finishers list to verify.

The race was to start at RFK stadium, loop through DC and finish at the stadium. There was also a full marathon which followed the half and finished with a second loop. Originally, metro was to open at 5am, and my plan was to be at the Shady Grove Metro station at 5am, so I could get down to RFK before 6:15am. The gun was to go off at 7am sharp. Well, about two the weeks off, the organizers and Metro decided to delay the opening of Metro until 6am. I would never make it from Shady Grove to RFK in time. I had to drive. I took the family to the Expo the day before and we travelled via Metro, so race morning was my first attempt at driving to RFK. Big mistake.

My alarm went off at 4:30am, and I got my breakfast ready: Bagel, banana and a Diet Mt Dew (breakfast of champions). I gathered my cold weather stuff (temp at 4:30 was 30F) and pulled out of my garage at 5:00am. I brought with me Google Map directions, but after about 15min, I realized I forgot the GPS. I had no trouble getting toward DC, I got off 270 and onto 495, I then got off 495 and onto the Baltimore parkway. No problem. But then all of a sudden I was on 50. It was not on my directions, and I started to freak out a bit. It was 5:45. I pulled over to the shoulder and thought, "What would I do if I was in the amazing race?" So I took the next exit and stopped at the first gas station. I ran in and asked the guy behind the counter how to get to RFK. He rattled off some directions and I just stared at him blankly. Just as I was asking him to show me on the map, a guy standing beside me said, "I'm going that way you can follow." It was a taxi driver taking a couple of girls to the race. So I ran back out to the car and followed the taxi toward the stadium. After a few turns, and bobbing and weaving, we made it near RFK stadium. But so did 15,000 other people. I got stuck in a line of cars that was not moving. I pulled up next to a guy in a black truck and asked him to roll down the window. I asked him if he was looking for parking. He said he was a medic and trying to get into the race area. I asked him where the parking was, and he pointed behind me. He told me to turn right here, turn right again, and again, and that would head me toward the parking. I thanked him and asked if I could cut in front of him, which he let me do. After making the multitude of right turns, I found my way to lots 6 and 7. But again long lines. I waited and waited, trying not to get anxious or nervous (yeah, right). After making my way to the back of lot 6, I was set and ready to go. I gathered my hat, gloves, phone, gu and started walking to the start line via the Armory.

When I got to the Armory, it was jammed packed. People stretching, talking, laughing and getting ready. I took a quick picture, and decided I should hit the bathroom, just in case. The line to the indoor bathrooms we long, but I decided to wait. It was about 6:35am. At 6:40, I still had not moved. So, I thought I would try and hit the port a potties. They had tons of them, but the lines were extremely long, and it was pushing 6:45. I decided I did not have to go that bad, and started to try and find my corral. I was in corral 2. I found 5-10, but where was 2. Well it was near the start line. No pressure there. When I finally found it, it was about 6:50. I jogged in place a little and took a few more pictures, when all of a sudden the national anthem started. By the time it was over, it was 6:55am, and the announcements were beginning. Guess what, now I had to pee. I thought about having to pee when I ran, and thought it might not be too bad, let's see how it goes. Before I knew it, the gun went off and the race began.

My plan was to see how the first couple of miles went, before deciding if I would try and PR. The first mile felt downhill and fast, but as I saw the electronic clock, which read 7:40, I knew I was going kinda slow.

The second mile headed straight for the capital. It was pretty neat to see the Capitol in the distance, I picked up my pace a bit and finished mile two at about 7:10

Mile 3 and 4 ran down along the mall, and by the white house. The view was pretty good. I kept a pretty steady 7:00 m/m. At about mile 4, my friend Rob passed me. We chatted for a while, but he is pretty quick, and soon he was pulling away from me.

Mile 5-8 headed north through DC, and consisted of several pretty tough hills. I was told is course was flat, but did notice some hills. Actually, what I really remember were the spectators yelling, "good job up that hill". It was funny, because I remember thinking I was feeling tired, but did not realize the grade was increasing until the spectators said that. I was at 7:18 at 5, 7:10 at 6, and 7:40 at 7. I slowed a lot at 7 since this is when I took my gu. I needed water, but the water stops were not well manned, and I actually had to stop and wait for water.... Kinda sucked.

Miles 8 and 9 were at about 7:00 again, and we pretty uneventful. There were several times when the crowd had huge boom boxes, and were singing and dancing. It was a big pick me up. Mile 10 (first official mile marker i saw since i saw the 1mile clock.... Did they forget the mile markers??) turned back south and started heading back toward the capital. I could see it in the distance, and it seemed really far away. I started picking up the pace, and hit 6:37 in mile 11. One we neared the capitol, we turned left and started heading back toward the finish.

Mile 12 and 13 went quickly, and I was able to keep the 7:00ish pace. My legs were starting to get tired and I started to think that it was a good idea I did not do the marathon. I looked at my Garmin as I passed 13.1, and knew I was a bit off. They told the half marathon people to stay to the right, and the full marathoners to the left. I knew we were getting close. As soon as we turned toward RFK, I kicked it up another notch, and watched the finish move toward me. I also saw the finish clock, just past 1:35. I crossed the finish line at 1:35:47 on the official clock. My Garmin read 13.30 and 1:35. I went and got my thermal cover, my metal, and my picture taken. I also picked up a banana and a soft pretzel and a bottle of water. The pretzel was really dry, but I was feeling pretty good. It was really crowded at the finish line, so I decided to go backhand stretch at the armory. I called Thea and told her how I did. After stretching a bit, I gathered my stuff and headed home. And guess what, I got lost trying to get home. Oh well, it was a good experience, and I think I PRed.

Officially I finished in 1:35:26. My fasted half in Maryland was Parks in 2009, where I finished in 1:37:46. I think I ran a faster one in Columbus, it was 1:35something, but I'm going to say this is my PR. Yeah for me!

Results
1:35:26
557/9485
25/375 in my age group

Cherry Blossom 10-mile race

A video of the finish.... see if you can find me. My race report will be coming soon!!

The Unrace Race Report

Today was supposed to be my first half marathon of the 2011 season, the High Cloud Snapple Half Marathon. This race is held on the C&O towpath. I ran the inaugural race last year, and was hoping to make this a yearly event for me. As you might recall from my race report on last year's Snapple half marathon, the race was cold, and after the first half of the race it began snowing. By the end I had icicles hanging off my eye lashes and there was about 2 inches of snow on the towpath. I slowed down in the back half because of the snow and the fear of bad footing. Anyway, on Wednesday this past week, we had about 6-8 inches of snow fall. The schools were closed and power was lost at my office so I had off work. Many people were stranded in the streets as the snow was coming down so fast, the plows could not keep up. With all this snow, I was concerned about them postponing the race until the towpath cleared up. Well, they did not. In fact, the night before the race, I got an e-mail stating that the race was on, and runners should run the race at their own risk. The subject of the e-mail I received was High Cloud Half Marathon – VERY CHALLENGING COURSE. Yikes. The body of the e-mail stated there were 6 inches of snow on the towpath, and with the warmer temperatures, there was much ice and slush and the occasional down tree limb. The temperature at the start of the race was to be in the upper 20, so all that slush should freeze, and runners need to be careful of slipping or twisting ankles. The e-mail ended with some talk of personal safety, and that runners need to use their best judgment about whether to run or not.

I was torn. I wanted to do the race, but I definitely did not want to hurt myself. This was never to be a goal race for me. I was using it as a measure of my fitness. My goal race is at the end of March, and I definitely did not want to hurt myself in the frozen slush. So I decided not to run the race. If I had trail shoes, I may have considered it. If it was a goal race, I may have considered it. But it was not worth the risk of injury, since the Sun Trust race is only 8 weeks away. As soon as I made the decision not run, I felt like a wimp.

So instead of running the race, I ran a 13.5 mile training run. I went at my typical training pace, and had a really good run. I was cold, but did not have many problems. I now have 8 weeks until the Sun Trust Half Marathon at the end of March. After that I have the Cherry Blossom 10-miler the next weekend. I need to keep myself healthy and uninjured. I made the right decision to not run that race.

For the next eight weeks, I'm going to add some speed work into my training. I plan to do some track work one day a week and a good tempo run one day a week. I hope to continue to put in 40 miles a week through the 8-week period (I've been around 40miles/week for the last 8 weeks). I'll be posting more through this training to let you know how it goes!!

Inaugural Frederick 10-miler Race Report

This past weekend I ran in the Inaugural Frederick 10-miler. This race was organized by the local YMCA and proceeds from the race went to Y Campaign for Kids. The funds raised help kids who may not otherwise have a chance to participate in Y programs, camps and childcare. I had signed up for this race a while ago, and planned just to use this race as a long run, since I was not training for anything in particular. The race was planned to start at 6:30am in front of the YMCA. I had picked up my race packet the day before, so I had planned to get there at about 5:45am, so that I could warm up and make sure I knew where the start line was. I set my clock for 4:45am, so that I could eat my breakfast (bagel with peanut butter), and get dressed. Waking up at that time was not too bad since that was the “fall back” day and we gained an hour of sleep. After eating, I looked at the local weather and it was clear, but only 35F, so added my long sleeve shirt, long pants and hat to my wardrobe. I headed out the door at 5:30ish

After getting to the Y, I pinned my Bib number to my shirt and headed inside the Y. It was very crowded, and people were laughing and talking. I used the washroom, and talked to a few fellow runners about the upcoming race. Around 6:00am, the race director mad an announcement that there would be last minute instructions and the national anthem at 6:25, with the race starting right at 6:30am. I quickly left, and took a quick 0.5mile warmup run. By the time I finished and made it to the start line, the national anthem was being sung.

At 6:30am, the race director used the “ready, go” method of starting the race, and we were off. There were about 300 people that began running down Market street toward downtown Frederick. After about 0.25miles, I was sure glad that I wore my cold weather clothes!!


Mile 1 – I began the race a bit easy… since I did not have a real goal, I wanted to see how my legs felt. The first mile took us to downtown Frederick. Right before the 1-mile mark, the course turned onto 2nd ave. However, the cone to make the turn got turned over, and about 20 or so runners missed the turn. The guy in front of me was yelling “right turn, right turn!!” I turned right, others did not – pace 7:22m/m

Mile 2 – During this mile, there were only two people in front of me. I have never been near the lead in a race, and it felt good. Maybe those fast runners would never turn around and I could come in 1st or 2nd. This thought made me push myself a bit harder. Took water at the water stop.. stopped to drink it Pace 7:21m/m

Mile 3 – Still in the lead. In this mile we started to move away from downtown by taking a long stretch of road (Rosemont) toward Fort Detrick. This stretch was a bit long and boring, but I did see my neighbor, Bob, who commented that I was on a good pace. I also noticed that a gal running near me was very popular on the course…. Several people kept yelling her name… Kimberly. Pace 7:18m/m

Mile 4 – This mile was mostly around the perimeter of Fort Detrick where Rosemont becomes yellow springs. It was still kinda boring. However, the worst thing happened this mile…. Someone passed me, and he was running real fast. I finally figured out it was one of the fast runners, who made up the ground lost by the wrong turn. The only problem was that it was not just one runners, it was two, then three, then four… damn, there goes my lead. Pace 7:18m/m.

Mile 5 – This miles zigzagged through a neighborhood just north of Fort Detrick. It was a pleasant break from the long stretch of road we were just on. About half way through the neighborhood Kimberly passed me.. After about another 0.25mile, a car slowly passed me, then approached Kimberly. The driver rolled down the window and said, “There is a strange man following you Kimberly” Damn did this gal know everyone. Took water at the water stop, stopped to drink. Pace: 7:14m/m

Mile 6 – After the half way point, I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to pass Kimberly. She seemed to be moving a bit slower, so I had no problem passing her. This mile took us past Frederick Community College and down Opossum Pike. Another long stretch. Pace: 7:06m/m

Mile 7 – This mile continued down Opossum Pike, but took a detour through a small subdivision. An in and out route, allowed me to see the lead runners exiting the subdivision as I entered… I was about 10 people back now. I was feeling good, so I picked up the pace. Took water at the water stop, stopped to drink. Also took my GU during this mile. Pace 6:58m/m

Mile 8 – This mile was back to Opossum Pike and it took us over MD15. This was the biggest hill in the race. I wanted to keep pace, so I shortened my stride and made my way up the hill. After passing the hill, Opossum becomes Motter, and we switched from the right side to the left side of the road. Pace: 7:02m/m

Mile 9 – The 9th mile travelled down Motter back toward the Y. As we reached Stanley Park, we took a left onto 10th and headed toward the Y. Right before the 9 mile mark, we took a sharp left, which was right next to the finish line, and headed toward our last mile. Did not stop at the water stop at mile 9. Pace 6:50m/m

Mile 10 – The worst part of the race was passing the finish line at mile 9. That really sucked. I knew I was doing well, so I really started to push. The last mile looped back to Market after about 0.5 miles. Once I got on Market, I could see the Y in the distance. I pushed. I could hear footsteps behind me. I pushed harder. The footsteps got closer. I could not push harder. A runner passed me about 100 feet from 10th, where we had to make a quick right. Pace 6:37m/m

Last 0.1 mile – I told the guy that passed me “Good Kick” and he said “You too” as we finished the last 0.1 mile. Pace: 5:35m/m

I crossed the finish line at 1:11:21, which is a 7:05m/m average pace. I gave the volunteers my bib number, picked up my finisher medal, and walked forward. The guy that passes me shook my hand and thanked me for pushing him so hard. I also thanked him, even though I wished I could have outkicked him. I then made my way into the shelter house (where my daughter had pre-school by the way) and got some bagels, water, and pretzels. On a side note, I had to drink the water from the drinking fountain since they only had milk, chocolate milk, soda and juice boxes to drink. I talked with the early finishers and found they want an additional 0.5miles before figuring out they needed to turn around.

Overall, I was really happy with my race. I had PRed for the 10-mile distance by just over a minute, and I finished 14th out of 300. However, I was 5th in my age group, with the guy who passed me at the last minute taking 4th. I also had a great negative split!!

I will do the race again next year… they course was good, the weather was perfect, and the volunteers were great!

Finish – 1:11:21 – PR!!
First 5 miles: 36:30
Last 5 miles: 34:51
14th/300 overall finishers
5th/47 – 45-49 age group

Hagerstown Duathalon Race Report

On Saturday October 16, 2010, I ran and biked in the Hagerstown duathalon. I decided to do this duathalon because of the cross training I was doing to help me through the injury I had after the Frederick Marathon. I figured, if I had to bike, I should sign up for a biking race to keep me motivated. This particular race was very similar to the triathlon Thea did earlier in the year, in that the biking route was almost the same. In fact I chose this race after Thea’s, but chose a duathalon, because I’m really bad in the water. Anyway, the race was set for a 2-mile run, a 10-mile bike and a 5K run.

My knee/IT band had been doing better and I was putting on about 25-30 miles per week while still biking 2-3 times per week. I was not worried about the run, but the bike kinda worried me, since I’m not a very fast biker. In the weeks leading up to this race, I felt pretty good, but was still dealing with some slight leg issues.

On that morning, I decided I should get there early to stage my bike. During training, I had done some bricks (run-bike-run back-to-back) but did not worry about staging or transition time. I was not out to win this race, so that stuff did not concern me, So, the race was to begin at 9:30am, with the transition open at 6:30am. (There was a kids duathalon and 5K also going on that day). Registration and packet pick-up was from 6:30-8:30am. I arrived about 7:15am and got my packet. There were not many people there. In fact, by about 7:45am, I was staged, body marked, and had my timing chip secured to my ankle. So now I had to wait, and wait. It was cold (45F), the wind was really blowing (18MPH with gusts up to 30mph). I sat in the car. First lesson learned: No reason to stage bike so early.

By 9:00am, the people were starting to gather. The kids race was about over, and people were getting ready for the duathalon. I got my gloves on, and headed toward the start. At 9:15am they had a pre-race meeting where they told us the details of the course route and how the 5K runners and the duathalon runners would follow the same course until 1.5 miles, then the duathalon runners would heard toward transitions. Our second 5K followed the same route as the 5K race. They also told us where to mount and dismount the bike, how was could not draft, and we must watch for traffic, since the roads were not closed. I saw Thea and the kids at about 9:25am, and after a quick kiss and hug, they started the race at 9:30am.

Mile 1 – The race started on the park path, I started out quickly. Wind was whipping, but did not bother me too much. I felt I was running pretty fast, but was having no problem so I went with it. Kept a 6:44m/m pace

Mile 2 – The course turned around at 1.55 miles. At this point, the 5K runners kept going and the duathletes started heading for the transition. I entered transition at 13:13 keeping a 6:30m/m pace. The pace is according to my Garmin. I turned off my Garmin once I was in transition, and it read 12:33:60… not sure why there was a difference. Official results put me at 6:58m/m, my Garmin put me at 6:39m/m

Transition 1: Official time in transition was 46 seconds. It seemed like about 5 minutes. I grabbed my helmet and tried to get it on my head…. I could not fasten the strap, I kept trying but it would not fasten. I knew I could not bike without the chin strap fastened…. I started to worry and freak out a bit, until I realized…. I was trying to put it on backwards. After a quick turn it went right on… I was off on the bike.

Mile 1-3 – Leaving the transition, the ride felt easy. The first three miles went well. My pace was 16.5, 17 and 20mi/hr for miles 1-3. No problem, I had this race.

Mile 4-5 – Shit… Mile 1-3 were with the wind at my back. I was now riding into the 18mph wind… Did I also mention there were gusts up to 30 mph. If I’m travelling at 15mph, and the wind is in my face at 18mph, does that mean I’m going backwards at 3mph?? It sure felt like it. Mile 4 was also uphill. I felt like crying. Also, people were all passing me, and they did not seem bothered by the wind or hills… damn bikers. Pace: 14.6mph for 4 and 16.5mph for 5.

Mile 6-9 – Hills and wind… that’s all I remember… that and people passing me. I began cursing my dad for giving my skinny Rudland legs. I passed a guy with a flat tire around mile 7. He was the only person I passed during the bike. Felt bad for him, that really sucks, but at least I passed someone!!. Pace: 15.6mph for 6, 14.4mph for 7, 15.5mph for 8 and 14.4 for 9…. I see a trend.

Mile 10 – Actually started to feel better…. I knew it was almost over, so pushed a bit harder. Wind was still strong, and it seemed to get stronger, but the end was in sight. When I turned back into the park, I was feeling better: Pace 16mph.
I entered transition after 37min (37:32 by my Garmin) on the bike and averaged 16.2 mph.

Transition 2 – This one felt smoother. I racked my bike, took a couple good sips of water, dropped my helmet, pick up my hat and I was off. Transition time: 45 sec. Guess Transition 1 was not as bad as I thought.

Mile 1 – First mile felt slow… my toes kinda felt numb, and my legs heavy. I knew the route, so I just pushed through. No real sights to see, it was in the park: Pace: 7:36m/m (Garmin)

Mile 2 – By mile 2 I was feeling better… legs felt good, so I pushed harder. Took a drink at the water station at the turn around. Last 0.5 of this was into the wind again. Pace: 7:11m/m

Mile 3 – Now I was passing people… the same people that passed my on the bike. They looked tired, but I felt pretty good. I picked up the pace again. At 2.8 miles I passed a teenager…. Damn kid was ahead of me the whole time… Pace: 7:00m/m

Last 0.1 miles I pushed hard. Race ends uphill, then flattens off at finish line. I crossed the finish mat with a 6:30m/m pace.

Official results say I finished the last leg in 21:52 giving me an average pace of 6:59m/m. My Garmin said I did it in 22:32 for an average pace of 7:17m/m. I like the official results better.

All in all it was a good race. I felt pretty good the whole time, and my leg held out. Lets hope I’m done being injured!

Official results:
Time: 1:13:25
43/117 Overall
39/77 men
5/9 in men 45-49
I placed 23rd in the first run, 73rd in the bike and 18th in the third run overall
I placed 1st in the first run, 5th in the bike and 1st in the third run in my age group

I’m definitely not a biker!

Catoctin Aqueduct 10K

On Saturday, September 25, 2010, I ran in the Catoctin Aqueduct 10K. I was held on the towpath of the C&O canal at the Point-of-Rocks, Maryland MARC station. This was the first race I have run since my injury, so I was a bit nervous. Things have been going real well in the recovery. I’m keeping up with the stretching and strengthening, and have had very little pain. In fact the only time I’ve felt pain in my left knee was during an 11 mile run in Ohio a week before this race. I ran down the Olentangy bike trail and after about 10 miles, my knee started to hurt. I immediately stopped and walked back to the hotel. Now, I have yet to run another 10mile run (maybe this weekend), but the rest of the run and this race were mostly pain free.

So this being my first race back, I was a bit nervous. When I awoke at 5:30am that morning, my legs were stiff and sore. I had taken the day off before, but other than that I’m not sure why my legs ached. Registration was 6:30am-7:30am with the race starting promptly at 8am. Packet pickup was only pre-race. I arrived at the MARC station at about 7:00am, not knowing how crowded it would be. It wasn’t. The race was being held at the same time as they were setting up for the point-of-rock art fair. So there were many people around setting up tables and getting things ready. I walked over to the registration booth, but they were still setting up. So much for 6:30am registration. Once they were ready, I picked up my race number (35) and was told I could pick up my t-shirt after the race. Kinda unusual, but I was ok with that. After that I just kinda stood around. Talk to a few people that had run the Frederick Marathon, who also complained about the hot humid conditions. At 7:30am, I hit the port-a-potty, and then headed to the start line. People milled around near the start, which was directly under the I15 bridge on the towpath. I took a quick warm-up run and stretched a little. At about 7:45am, people starting looking around and talking. It seemed they forgot to tell us we need to write our names on our bib number, since he race was not chipped timed. After I filled mine out, I saw that Thea and the kids had arrived to see me off. Jake had an early soccer game, and they could not stay for the finish, but got to see the start. After saying hi, getting hugs, and taking pictures, my watch told me it was 8am.

The steeplechasers timed the race, so after a few words, waves to the family, I was off about 8:03am. Since I was still a bit apprehensive about my knee, I started out slowly.

Mile 1- I found a person to pace off and the first mile went quickly at a pace of 7:48m/m. The towpath is a great place to run. The ground is not concrete hard, and the scenery is beautiful.

Mile2 – After the first mile, my legs were feeling good, so I thought I’d pick it up a bit to a pace of 7:29m/m. It was a rather cool day, probably in the upper 60s low 70s but it was kind of humid. At this point it did not bother me.

Mile 3 – Holding steady at 7:30m/m. The one and only water stop was on this mile. We ran past a cool lock, and a lock keepers house. The water stop was manned by only about 3 people, which was ok, since the race was pretty small. I learned my lesson during the Frederick Marathon, so I took a cup of water. I stopped, took a gulp, and moved on. After about 2.6miles, the lead runner past going the other way.

Turn around – The run was an out and back, so at 3.18 miles we hit the Catoctin Aqueduct. We crossed the bridge, and turned around. The view from the bridge was pretty cool. Not many people had passed me going the other way, so I knew I was near the front of the pack

Mile 4 – Pretty uneventful, kept a 7:29m/m pace

Mile 5 – The towpath is pretty, but it gets boring also. Always running straight, not many people around during this mile, so I thought I’d pick it up a bit. My knee was feeling ok. I tried to hold a 7m/m, but could not and had to slow down. Pace – 7:23m/m

Mile 6 – I could see two runners up a head. I wanted to catch them. So I turned it up a bit. One guy and one girl. I held a 7:24m/m pace, but tried to go faster. As my wind caught up to me, I slowed. By the end of mile 6 they only had about 100 yard lead.

Last 0.33 miles – I pushed the pace to 6:59m/m and chased those people. I could see the I15 bridge getting closer and closer. By the end, the gal was about 10sec ahead of me, and the guy only a few. But I could not catch them. I crossed the finish line and turned off my Garmin at 47:21, with an average pace of 7:29m/m.

All-in-all not bad. My leg held out, and my time was ok. Pre-injury I was much faster, but felt like this was a good effort. I felt winded a bunch of times, but slowed down until I caught my breath.

After the race, I got a bottle of water, and went back and ran two more miles, slowly.

I finished the race in 9th place, and 3rd in my age group

Whats up next – Haggerston Duathalon

Running, Biking and Being Barefoot

Well, its been a long time since I posted. I'm still going to PT, and I am getting better. If you check out my log, you can see that I'm increasing my mileage and am still biking 2-3 times a week. If you look real close, you can also see I'm doing "bricks" on Sunday. These workouts consist of back-to-back run-bike-run. There is a reason for this madness. I plan to compete in the Hagerstown Duathalon on October 16. The bricks are interesting workouts. Running focuses on hamstring use, while biking focuses on quad use. Therefore, the transition from one to the other makes your legs feel like bricks, hence the name. I feel the biggest effect when going from biking to running. When I get off the bike, my legs want to continue the circular, high RPM motion that occurs on the bike that is inconsistent with running. Takes me about a mile to get used to running again. I figured that training for this race will allow me to ramp up some mileage and still get the cross-training I need to complete my recovery.

Speaking of my recovery, when I first started going to PT, it was due to an IT band injury in my left leg. The PT started me on stretching and strengthening my legs and hips. My left leg adapted very quickly and my flexibility and strength really improved. My right leg, not so much. I now think my left leg is better, but I'm starting to have some problems with my right leg. Not pain, but lots of tightness when I run. After a longer run, my right leg will ache, where before I never had any problems with my right leg. I think the change in flexibility and strength of my left leg and my obsession with my gait may be causing the issues with my right leg.

My gait obsession stems from many comments that my IT band issue may be due to heel striking that may occur when I run. Therefore, I have been very conscious about my gait and running form. I'm trying really hard to strike mid foot and keep my gait short and quick. To help with that I've decided to incorporate some barefoot running into my training. When I was a kid, I did everything barefoot, with no problem. I enjoy walking around barefoot, so why not running?? They (people who run barefoot) say it will strengthen the foot and calf, while eliminating knee injuries. Sounds perfect!! At this point, I'm trying to do one short barefoot run per week on the treadmill. I've been reading lots about this type of running, and everyone says take it real slow. But if you know me, I do not do much slow.... I'll keep you posted!

Trying to Run

Well, the recovery is moving forward. I'm trying to run every other day, taking walking breaks when needed. Last Wednesday, I ran 4 miles for the first time in 2 months!! This morning my plan was 40min. Trying to do time and not worry about mileage. The morning was warm and humid. At 7am it was 77F and 80% humidity, but I was not going to let the weather stop me! I started down the road and ran for about 5min, before taking a minute walk break. I then ran until 2 miles, at which time I stopped and stretched. Everything was going well, and I ran over a mile without walking!! After stretching I ran another mile at which time I was stopped by a guy who was in town visiting and wondered where he could find a good place to run. After giving him some ideas, I set off again. Around 3.5 miles, I noticed a twinge in my knee and by 4 miles I had to stop.

I walked home, and stretched and iced my knee. I've run for the last couple of weeks without any pain, but hit a roadblock today. I will continue icing and stretching and see how the knee reacts. I will probably go back and put in more walk break for the next few runs and see how that does. I also need to continue the cross-training.

Injuries do not heal overnight, I know that, but this has been the longest process I have ever had to deal with in terms of injury. I plan to run the Baltimore Half in October, and plan to follow a 12 week training plan, which needs to start a week from Monday. I'll know if its possible after the first week of training.

If its not, I'm not going to let it get me down... I'll go back to cross training heavily and give it more time. I'll let you know how it goes!

Getting better

So, as you can tell, I have not been posting. That is because I have not been running. This IT band thing has really sidelined me. For the last two months, I have been cross training; bike riding, spinning, elliptical and some swimming. I got to say that I've really enjoyed the cross-training, but I miss running. I have also been going to Physical Therapy (PT) at least once a week. My PT has me doing stretches and strengthening exercises for my hips and IT. She also has me icing my IT band at my knee with ice. Direct ice. Kinda an ice message for five minutes until its numb. Each day, like its medicine.

About 3 weeks ago, my PT cleared me to try running. She wanted me to do 2 min of running and 2 min of walking for 30min. My first time out, I got about 15min, before I had to stop. IT band pain. I was pretty discouraged. When I went back to her, and told her what happened, she asked if I tried 1 min on and 2 min off. I said no, so set off the next week to try that.

I tried the 1 min on and 2 min off.... I went the whole 30 min!! My knee ached afterward but did not hurt during the run

The next week, I did two days of 2 min on and 2 min off... I made it both days without much problem. My IT started to ache at the end, but it seemed to be ok.

Last week, I ran four days. The first two I went 3 min on and two min off. Not bad runs, my knee ached a bit after, but no real problems. The next was 4 min on and 2 off. Made it 30min with no pain!! Finally this morning I ran 5 min on and 2 min off, with running the last nine minutes with no walking. I had no knee pain!!

I feel I'm beginning to make progress, but I have to be careful not to do too much too soon. I think I'll continue running four days a week, and keep upping the time between walks. I'll also see what the PT says at my appointment tomorrow.

Maybe I'll be able to do a 1/2 this fall...... maybe

I miss running

Its been four weeks now since the marathon. Four weeks since I ran more than 1.5 miles. Four week since my training ended. Four weeks since I had a half way decent run. It does not seem to be getting any better. My IT band, or what ever it is, does not seem to be getting any better. I have not run for about 1.5 weeks now, and I still feel slight pain in my knee. As I mentioned before, I'm trying to cross train. Actually, I'm cross training a lot. Biking, elliptical, swimming and lifting weights, something most days. I'm trying to keep my endurance while my knee heals. I'm also still stretching and rolling on the foam roller.

I enjoy the cross training. Elliptical is ok, gets me sweating and the biking gets my legs working. But the swimming, oh, the swimming is tough. I'm not the best swimmer, so when I get out there, I wear myself out quickly. I'm trying to work on form, but I feel real intimidated by the folks that can swim, and swim and swim.... without stopping.. As I remember this is how I felt when I first started running!

Went back to the doctors last week, who ordered an MRI on my knee. I had the MRI, and now have an appointment next Tuesday for the doctor to look at the MRI and hopefully tell me something other than everything looks ok. He also told me no high impact until the MRI results are in, which is why I have not even attempted to run in the last week or so.

On my way to the YMCA the other day, I passed no more than 6 people running. They were enjoying the day, enjoying the weather, enjoying the workout. As I got on the elliptical that day, plugged in my earphones, and turned on "30 Days of Night" on the TV attached to the elliptical, all I could think was..... I MISS RUNNING

Recovery

Recovering from a running injury is tough. I spent all winter training for the spring marathon, and ran through snow storms, high winds and low wind chills. Now that spring is really here and its beautiful outside, I'm injured. Since the marathon, I have tried to run every other day, and each time, I can only get a mile or so and the IT band issue stops me. The pain kinda moves around, side of my knee, front of my knee, shin. I have another doctors appointment one week from Monday, and we'll see where to go from here to get this thing fixed.

So, I've been trying different things to try to keep in shape. Been doing some biking, which is nice since I have not biked much in the last few years. Using muscles that I don't use running.... and boy does that seat hurt after an 8-mile ride... I'll keep doing that once or twice a week. I'm lifting weights some to build some strength in both upper body and legs. My inner thighs ache at the moment from the squats I was doing yesterday (probably too much information, huh?). I went to the Y today and did the elliptical for 20min (after my 1.25mile run...argh). I gotta tell you, that elliptical kicked my ass. It uses both lower and upper body, and by the end of 20-min, I was soaked in sweat. If it was more convenient, I'd do that more often.

I'm going to try swimming also. There is a place near my office, where I can buy a 11am-2pm membership for $175/year. During that time I can use either the lap pool, the cardio equipment or the weight room. I have not had the opportunity to look at the place yet, but I will after my travel to Tennessee next week. I think swimming will be harder than the elliptical. I can swim, but I would not consider myself a strong swimmer.

I'm also keeping up with the stretching and foam rolling. Even with the pain at the 1mile mark, I have no pain while foam rolling and my IT bands do not seem overly tight. I'm assuming I'll see a physical therapist after my Dr. appointment and she can tell me how tight they are!

So, as I heal from this injury, I plan to:

1. Bike once or twice a week
2. swim once or twice a week
3. Keep light running, but stop right when it hurts
4. Other cardio as available
5. weights twice a week
6. Stretch as usual

I'd like to run some race, probably a half later this spring before it gets to hot, but if the injury keeps me down, I will run something this fall; shorter races building back to a half.

I can hear the spring weather calling my name......

Looking ahead

Well, the big race is over. I ran the best I could and I learned a bunch about running and about myself. Here are some of those things:

• Running 26.2 miles is not double the effort of 13.1. In fact, its way more!


• I respect the marathon distance


• I underestimated nutrition and hydration during the race. The weather during the race dictated more water, etc. I just followed my plan..... I should have adjusted.


• I have never been more tired and physically drained as I was after that race.


• Injuries suck

In my mind, I keep coming back to the question about whether or not I was well prepared for this race, or if this race tells me I'm not suited for long distance running. I think from a training perspective I was prepared. I put in the miles and I kept most injuries to a minimum. I think I am in great cardiovascular shape. Where I went wrong was that I did not fully understand that long distance running is more than just running miles. Its about combining the miles with proper nutrition and hydration, its about listening to your body and adjusting when needed. But most of all, and the most important, is that every day and every condition is different. One race, one day does not dictate the level of fitness or the preparedness (is that a word?). Running is a journey that is not defined by one day. I could have done better, but I could have done a lot worse.

So, whats next.....

After the race, I took a couple of days off. The first day after the race, I was still feeling fatigued, so I took the day off from work. I had difficulty walking the kids to school because my left IT band was very sore. The day after I felt better. My legs hardly hurt. I stopped icing, but continued to use the foam roller and stretching each day. By Thursday, I was itching to run, but a late train messed up my evening, so I had to put it off until Friday (today).

I was planning on doing a couple of easy miles at lunch to check out the knee. I started out fine and felt good, but after 0.5 miles, I noticed the knee was a starting to ache. But 0.75 miles I had to walk. I walked back to the office feeling pretty discouraged.

This IT band thing is a real problem that I have to address. My next Drs appointment is not until May 24th. So until then, I will be icing, stretching, strengthening and trying to heal. I want to keep my fitness level up, so I think biking is in my future. I'd like to swim, but finding a time where the lap swim schedule and my schedule match is going to be tough. I'll run when I can, but I'm not going to push through the pain and make it worse.

I'm going to continue the journey....

Frederick Marathon

Sunday was the Frederick Marathon. It was a long time coming. It seems like I've been training for it forever. If you have read this blog in the past, you know how my training went, and the pains and fears I had leading up to this race. Well, I gotta say, what happened was unexpected. This post is my race summary.

The race was to start at 6:30am. I had my alarm set for 4:20am, but woke up about 2:30am and had a hard time falling back to sleep. I got up and used my foam roller and went down and had breakfast. I did not want to vary my breakfast much from my training, so I had a bagel and peanut butter and a bit of caffeine. My legs felt pretty good as I got ready that morning. I used the bathroom a couple of times, put on my shoes with timing chip, and headed off for the Frederick Fairgrounds. Thea drove me downtown so I would not have to carry keys, etc. We got downtown about 5:45am. We wondered around the fairgrounds a bit, watched the pace groups get their pictures taken, and saw some of the 6am worship service. By about 6:15, I headed to the start line. My plan was to stick with the 3:30 (8m/m) pace group and stop and stretch my IT band every four miles. I also planned to take my GU every 8 miles (like the training) and water when I felt I needed it. The pace group told me they planned to run the first half a bit fast (1 or 2 minutes) since the back half of the marathon was tough. I was ok with that. After the national anthem we were off at 6:30am.

The first half of the marathon was through a good portion of downtown and and was relatively flat. The first two miles took us from the fairgrounds to Baker park. Felt good after the first water stop. Mile three and four took us around Baker Park, the crowds were good and cheering, and everyone was feeling pretty fresh. Mile 4 marker was another water stop. Pace was holding strong at about 7:50m/m. I stopped quickly and stretched my IT band

Mile 5 and 6 took us through Hood College which is a pretty area, and my legs were feeling really good, so I just enjoyed the area. Mile 7 took us past the hospital and started to head north. My average pace was still about 7:50. Mile 8-9 took us to the furthest north of the route and around a Wal-Mart, which was packed with people cheering on the runners. It was really nice to see all those people. My IT band started to feel a bit funny at this time, so I changes my pace slightly, and it was feeling a bit better. I stopped and stretched the IT bands again at 8 miles and took a GU.

Mile 10-12 were down a long stretch of road, with not much activity. It was bit boring, but I knew the half was coming up and looked forward to that. My legs were feeling pretty good, with only the occasional tweek from my IT bands.

As mile 13 approached, I knew the half marathoners would be peeling off to the finish and the marathoners would be continuing on. I ran next to a half marathoner who was very happy to be finishing and he wished me luck as he turned toward the finish. I crossed the 13.1 mile timing mat at 1:43:46 (7:55m/m) I was feeling good and right on pace.

We turned back downtown and ran part of the scenic Carroll Creek, which was nice. We then headed back down to the fairgrounds. At mile 15 I passed the fairgrounds again and saw my family. They were screaming and yelling and it really picked me up. I was feeling good about the race.

As we headed out of town, I knew the hard part of the marathon was ahead of me. Heading east on 40, I knew the first big hill was next. Mile 16 was about 150 feet incline. It seemed like a long way. I slowed my pace some, but I knew I was getting tired. I stopped and walked through the water station, but the heat was starting to get to me. The entire 2.5 miles down 40 were directly into the sun, and by this point it was about 80F and very humid. My pace was now about 8:15m/m through this stretch.

At mile 18 we entered Springvalley subdivision. At the entry is a 275 foot rise in elevation over about 3/4mile. This kicked my butt. I ran about a quarter of it, but then had to walk. I continued to run walk to the top of this hill. This mile was 10m/m due to the walking. At mile 19 we were in the subdivision, but the damage was done. I was pooped and worse, my calves started cramping. I'd walk a bit, they would seize, and I'd have to walk. I did this until about mile 22, averaging about 10m/m. I crossed the 21mile timing pad at 2:56:38 (8:22 pace).

After mile 22, we headed out of the subdivision and back downtown. By now, my calves were bad. I walked a lot and probably could not run more than about 0.25miles before cramping. I tried stretching, but nothing helped. I also started to get tingling in my fingers, which scared me a bit, so I slowed down and took it a bit easy. I was able to keep the 10m/m pace till about mile 24, at which I could only walk.

Mile 24-26 were bad, my calves cramped while walking. I walked with another marathoner, who was having the same problem. It was his eighth marathon, and he contributed it to the heat and not being prepared for that. At mile 24 I passed a bank that read 85F. Through mile 24-26, I ran when I could, but it was not very long. I passed a guy and gal who were running the relay, and they were in bad shape. The gal was ready to quit due to the heat and humidity (at mile 25), but her friend kept pushing her. People were along the side of the road yelling things like "only mile to go", an "looking good". Where it helped me at mile 8 and 15, it just kinda annoyed me now. I wish they would have stopped. Mile 24-26 average 12m/m.

After 26, I started to run to the finish. As I turned into the fairgrounds, I could hear people screaming. I got two steps into the fairgrounds and my right calf cramped really bad and I almost fell. People started to scream for me to keep going (there were not many other runners near me at his point). I walked a few steps and then started running again. Once I hit the track, I actually felt ok as I ran to the finish. I crossed what I thought was the final timing mat and stopped. However, it was not the timing mat, but protective covering for the cables they strung across the track. I looked up and a gal was screaming at me to keep going I was not finished. I took off running, and within two steps, my calf cramped really bad. I passed the finish line at 3:56:58. Turns out that I was the 120th finisher out of 734 finishers (16%), 20th out of 94 in my age group (21%). Not too bad for my first marathon.

I grabbed some water and got my finishers metal, and went to stretch my calves. I was done. I walked off the track and saw my family waiting. I talked to them a bit, but then had to sit down. I was dehydrated, and spent. After a bit of water, and a banana, I felt better, but not good enough to walk around. Several times I had to sit. Thea said my color was really bad. We got to the car and went home.

I was pretty worthless the remainder of the day. At one time, I started to sweat profusely and felt as if I would pass out. It scared me. I laid on the ground and after a few minutes I felt better. Felt better later that day. Enjoyed a good dinner and talking about the race with family. The next day I was pretty sore. My left IT band was really sore, and my calves ached. The funny thing about the IT band is that it never really bothered me during the race.

Well, the big question is will I do it again?? I enjoyed the training, hated the injury, but enjoyed the race (except the last 6 miles!). I probably will, but I think I will have to rethink nutrition, which probably caused me some of the problems. But honestly, I'm looking forward to a few days off to heal. We'll have to wait and see what the next race will be.

One week to go

Well, I'm in my last week of tapering and one week before the marathon. This past week, I went back to the doctors about my knee. He basically said he did not want to do anything right now, but put me on some anti-inflammatory drugs until the race. So, I'm taking Aleve twice a day. The runs I went on last week were ok, the knee would hurt a bit, but it never got worse. So, I'm still stretching and resting, and hoping for the best.

This week, I only have two runs before the race, so its all about rest. I ran 31 miles last week, which is the shortest mileage in about 2 months. I think this week, excluding the marathon, I have only 10 miles to run. Big difference.

I look back at my training log and I've run over 30-miles a week for the last 32 weeks, and many of those weeks were over 35 miles. I've run a lot in the last year, 1,591.6 miles to be exact. I think I'm as ready for this race as I can be.

So here is my plan. Run. Finish. Enjoy myself. If it hurts, I'll stop and stretch. If it hurts too much, I'll walk. I've done all I can do to get ready.

Another Doctors Appointment

Well, ran twice so far this week, and had knee pain both times. Yesterday, I felt a pulling sensation in the side of my left knee, which went away after a bit, but then came back toward the end of the 5-mile run. Today, the pulling sensation was there the whole time. It did not get worse, but it did not get better either. This past weekend, I felt the pulling, but also my right IT band was hurting at the end of my 12-mile run. I'm still rolling and stretching each day, but not doing my leg exercises. So starting tomorrow, I'm back doing the exercises.

I'm freaking out a bit since the marathon is a week from Sunday. I'm considering pulling out of the race and concentrating on getting better, but Thea suggested going to the doctor one more time.

I called and luckily they had a cancellation and will be able to fit me in tomorrow. So, I'm going to go, explain the issues, and see what he says. Wish me luck!

Taper - Week 2

So, I've made it through my first week of tapering, and I gotta tell you, I feel more tired than I did during the heavy weeks of training. I'm not sure what it is, but my runs have been tough and body just feels worn down. Last week, I ran about 35 miles, which is about 75% of the week before. My long run was 12 miles, and I was really pooped after it.

In fact, my IT bands were really tight and my knees were sore after that run. I have not changed anything. I'm eating the same, still rolling the IT bands twice a day, and sleeping the same (which is not enough probably), but that run messed me up. My left quad near my IT band is still sore today.

Of course these pains and my performance this past week discouraged me. I fear I'm not going to be able to finish, or that I'll be hobbling across the finish line. I've decided I don't want to just finish this race, I want to be happy with my performance. This may be hard to accomplish since I'm so critical of myself, but I think if I can finish the race the way I've finished the 20-mile runs, I'd be happy.

I also want to enjoy the race. I think back to many other races, and they are such a blur. I'm thinking about pace and catching the person ahead of me instead of soaking in the experience. In my training lately, all I've been thinking about are the pains I'm feeling instead of enjoying the experience and dealing with the pain. I have to remember that running, like life, is a journey that is to be experienced and enjoyed and not just pushed through until the finish.

As I start my second week of tapering, the miles drop even more. My total this week is to be about 30 miles, about 60% of two weeks ago. I need to run slow and consistent. I need to deal with the pain, stretch when I have to, stop when I have to, and enjoy my final preparation. As I was driving last night, I could not believe that in two weeks it will be done. Now is the time to start enjoying it.

Time to taper

Well, I have three weeks left until the marathon. I've been running hard and am a bit tired. I had my last 20 mile run this past weekend and it went pretty well. I ran the back half of the marathon route first and then a portion of the front half. The back half is pretty hilly, so I wanted to test it out to see how bad it might be. I did ok, but I hit the hills at about mile 5 instead of mile 17 like I will during the race. I'm sure those hills are going to kill me come race day.

I have not really been having any IT band issues, but did have a "new" pain form in my knee near the end of the 20-mile run. This time the pain is on the inside of my left knee below the knee cap and was pretty sharp. It hurt for a second or two, then went away. After about 19 miles, it hit again, caused me to slow, but again went quickly away. I ran a recovery run on Sunday and did not have any problems. We'll see how this week of running goes.

Anyway, as for the taper, I've been reading a lot about tapering and why its necessary. Most say tapering is needed because a runners body/muscles are being broken down during heavy training and the taper allows the body to heal. I read somewhere that it takes three weeks to fully recover from a 20-mile run... yikes... and I've done three in the last seven weeks.. I guess I need that tapering.

From what I've read, for the three weeks proceeding the race, the weekly mileage should be cut. The first week, the mileage should be cut by 25%, the second 50% and the third 70%. That's a lot less running. I need to keep the intensity and pace up, but just cut the mileage. I've been running a lot of miles around race pace, so I figure, its time to cut that back a little and try and run a bit slower. The last thing I want is to get hurt during the tapering phase.

I've also heard that my body will begin to ache a bit more during this period. As the body repairs itself, it will hurt. They say don't freak out at each new pain... do they know who they are talking to???

Well, I get to run an easy 5-mile run today. I'm looking forward to getting out there and testing out that left knee. Hopefully everything will go well, and I can enjoy this tapering.

What a doof

The Frederick Marathon organizes two training runs to allow folks to meet other runners and have a chance to run part of the course. This weekend was the second scheduled training run. I missed the first due to other commitments, so I was excited to run in this one. They had two loops planned, a 10-mile and a 20-mile option. Since I ran 20 miles last weekend, my plan called for a 14-miler this weekend. So my plan was to run the 10-mile loop and then continue on for an additional 4 miles.

The advertisement for the training run said water and Gatorade would be available throughout the course, but I had to bring my own GU. So, as I got ready, I packed my GU, and hydration pack. I was not planning to run with the hydration pack, but brought it just in case. The weather was calling for pretty cold temperatures, 28F at 7am maybe warming to 35F by 9am, so I wore long pants, long sleeves, my hat and gloves. I also brought along a print off of the turn-by-turn directions for the 10-mile loop.

I got to the parking deck about 6:50am and gathered my stuff. The directions said to meet outside the parking deck near Carroll Creek. So as I headed to the creek, I noticed the town was very quiet and peaceful. The sun was just starting to rise, and the breeze was rather cool. When I got to the creek I looked for the people. I could see no people, anywhere. As I wondered why no one was around, I remembered the direction said outside the West Patrick parking deck... and I had parked at the Court St deck. So I ran down Patrick a bit to the deck. As I made my way back to the creek, I noticed it was just about 7am.

But when I got to the creek again there were no people.... it was kinda eerie, , absolutely no people. I began to wonder if I missed everyone. I had RSVPed for the training run, and responded to a post on Frederick Steeplechasers site, but the funny thing was I was the only person to respond... maybe no one else was running this training run???

So, I went back to the car, got the hydration pack, and started out on the course myself. Since the advertisement said there would be aid stations, I would stop at the first one and ask if I was the only one to respond.

The first mile took me down Market street to 5th, then onto Bentz. This was the same route I took during my first 20-mile run several weeks ago. Heading down Bentz took me to Baker park, where I knew I would see the other runners. As I circled Baker park, again it was totally dead... not a single runner, but the day was beautiful. After circling around Frederick High, I came back toward Baker park down 2nd. After about 4.5 miles I knew I had to be wrong about the day.

I stopped and stretched the IT band after mile 6 somewhere near Hood college. Mile 7 and 8 took me through a new subdivision and right by Thomas Johnson high school. I took my GU at 8miles and passed Emma's pre-school at mile 9. By mile 10 I was back at the parking deck down town.

At this point, I knew I had to be wrong, or someone had forgotten to tell me the training run was cancelled. I looped Baker Park one more time for the last four miles and finished in about 1 hour and 50 min. My left knee kinda started bothering me at 13.5 miles, but I stopped and stretched and it seemed ok after that. I realized I had not stretched it since mile 6... If I don't stretch, I can't make it...

When I got back to the car, I used my phone to go back to the website. The training run is scheduled for March 28... I knew I was right....I just kn.... wait..... today is March 27th.... damn, I am such a doof

2nd 20-mile run

In my training schedule for the Frederick Marathon are three twenty mile runs. The first was about three weeks ago and the details are here. At the end of that run, I was pretty sore and my IT band ached the last 5 miles. I could barely run for a couple of days and my next long run had to be cut short. So, as I prepared for this run, I was nervous.... about the distance, about my knee, about my attitude. I had gone to the Doctor about my knee and he gave me a cortisone shot, which was suppose to help and last for three months. I'm also suppose to start working on core exercises, which I am.

I got up at 6am to prepare to run. After dressing, I had a bagel and some caffeine. I got my hydration belt, my two GUs, my sunglasses, and my (extra) knee strap and got ready to go. I also taped my left knee with the KT tape. Kinda felt like batman with so much stuff strapped to my waste. I hit the road at 6:50am.

My plan was stop and stretch my IT band every 4 miles whether I needed it or not. I wanted to hydrate and take a GU every 8 miles. I had a 10-mile loop worked out, and I planned to run it twice.

First four miles went easy... I stopped and stretched... no problem

Second four miles went pretty easy... I stopped and stretched and had water and GU. Every once in a while, I felt something in my knee... but not bad... I was having tightness in my right hamstring, but the stretching helped.

I stopped at 10-miles to turn around. I stopped and stretched. So far feeling good.

At Mile 11, left knee started bothering me... my first thought was "shit!" and I almost stopped and turned toward home. I stopped and stretched, shorten my pace, and my knee stopped bothering me.

Mile 12, my right knee was getting achy... so i stopped and stretched... seems like a trend

Mile 14, felt pretty good, but still decided to stop and stretch.

Mile 16, stopped, had water and GU and stretched... my legs were tired, but nothing hurt

Mile 18, felt pretty good, but by now I was paranoid, so I stopped and stretched.

Last two miles were not bad... no real pain except for expected achy legs. And I never used the extra knee strap!

So, I did it, and without too much pain... afterwords, I showered, ate and went to the park with the kids. Ended up playing Trac Ball for about two hours. As I sit here and write this, my legs are tired, but feel good. I think I'll be able to run tomorrow!!

This run gave me a bit of confidence and made me think that I may be able to do this marathon thing..... which is in about 43 days... yikes!