The Day After Boston

Over the next couple of days I will be documenting my adventure running the 2010 Boston Marathon.

In the meantime, I am recovering and doing just fine, except for the sore legs.

Week 1 - "Race Week"

It has come down to the last week. 7 days left and I will be in Hopkinton, MA awaiting the 114th running of the Boston Marathon.

Sunday was a wonderful day (except for the pollen). I ran my last long run before the marathon. I ran 10 miles on the Cumming Greenway. I wish I could say I floated along with ease but that was not the case. The pollen was rough on the sinuses, every bone ached and every muscle burned. To top it off I could not for the life of me hold pace. I was actually too fast. I had to maintain marathon pace for the 10 miles but ended up being 9 seconds too fast per mile.

You could say, "Wow! That is great! You are ready!" But in long distance running I might be signing my own death warrant. Too fast and I will blow up in the hills of Newton and Chestnut Hill making the last 6 miles brutal to run.

Doubts are still there and I keep thinking about that I only need to run a 3:30:00 to BQ for 2011 so I can run with my wife Sarah and all my friends. But, this is not my nature to just get by. I need to and want to push my body to see what I am capable of.

This week I am going to stay focused to the goal paces I must achieve.

As for the rest of the weekend and the "Staycation" is was great. I enjoyed the time I spent with the girls with no pressure of worrying what was going to happen or having a set schedule.

This will be my last entry for until I have completed my goal. There is a lot of logistics I need to coordinate since I fly in on Sunday morning and fly home on Monday evening.

A race report will follow next week.

Week 2 - "Welcome to Doubtville"

“When in doubt, don’t”
Benjamin Franklin

Taper weeks are the hardest weeks of training. Your body and mind has been focused on distance and speed for 13 weeks then you need to adjust to a new set of rules.

Aches and pains have surfaced where I have no had pains before. Everything hurts and every move I make I feel like I have just pulled another muscle.

The workouts are tough as well. Where I used to be able to knock out a 20 miler, a 13 mile run is a struggle. Tempo runs are labored and track, well this is where the doubt of my ability to run a marathon hit.

Yesterday I ran track at the Lambert High School. First of all this track makes Alpharetta’s track look like a dirt track. The pristine lines, the soft forgiving surface, the clean field, the immaculate stadium made me feel as if I was at a World Championship Track and Field event. The surroundings got the blood pumping for 5 X 1000 meters at a 3:37 pace.

I ran 20 minutes around the high school and elementary school’s grounds then headed down the chute and onto the field. The sun was shining, the sky was crystal blue and the wind was blowing in from the North. The flags on the football goals pinpointed the wind direction and I knew the straightaway was going to be a direct headwind. This means I needed to increase speed on the turn before and after to make up the seconds lost driving right into a Northerly wind.

I changed into my Puma track shoes and figured that each 200M split needed to be achieved on the 43’s. The first 1000M was a snap hitting each 200M on the mark and coming in at 0:03:35. I took my R.I. run and headed to the line to reverse direction for the second 1000.

Rounding the first curve and hitting the 200 mark I was 2 seconds fast. I eased up a little and hit the 400 on 1:25. The legs started to feel the effects on the second 1000. In my head, I thought, “how can this be? I have trained hard and these should be a piece of cake!”

The 600 mark was at 0:02:10, one second behind pace. The effect was the wind, but in my head the doubts started to grow. I shook it off for a moment at I hit the 800 mark at 0:02:53. If I was to make the 0:03:35 goal I needed to knock it on the last 200. Time was 0:03:35.

At the end of the second 1000, I was gassed out. My breathing was hard, the legs were in pain and the gates to Doubtville were opened.

The third 1000 was directly into the wind at the start. The first 200 was at 0:00:43. Right on, but I knew the pressure was on to maintain. The second 200, 0:01:26. Still on track. By the time I rounded for the 800 I was at 0:02:55, 3 seconds too slow. I kicked it on the last 200 taking the turn hard and increasing on the straight coming in at 0:03:36. Still on, but I was toast.

This is where the doubts started in. 1000 meters was hard, how can I run 26.2 miles? The wind is strong, how can I run 26.2 in wind. The pollen is wrecking havoc on my sinuses, what if I have to run 26.2 miles in a pollen cloud?

I hit the line and started out. The legs were in pain, the wind felt as if it was hitting me in every direction, the pollen dust was burning my nose and eyes. I hit the 200 at 0:00:41. Okay, keep going I thought. Then it hit me, I can’t run this. I am done. The 400 mark was 0:01:27. Losing time. There is no way I can run 1000 meters and there is no way I can run a marathon. 600 meter mark, 0:02:14. Why am I putting myself through this, just stop. 800 mark 0:03:02. You are not a runner and cannot accomplish the times you want, so give up. 1000 meters at 0:03:46. This is nine seconds off the 1000 time I had to hit.

I walked around the track huffing and puffing. It usually takes 15-30 seconds for my breathing and heart rate to come back down. After 1 minute 30 seconds I was still breathing hard and my heart was trying to pound out of my chest. I started to laugh. “What a joke!” I said out loud. “There is no way I can do this!” Again out loud.

I started to think, “okay, all I have invested is time, entry fee and a flight. Minimal. I can just give up and forget the whole thing.” “I know I wouldn’t be able to make this last 1000 so, let’s just get out of here and go home.”

As I walked the last curve heading towards my shoes and keys that little competitive voice in me said, “what the heck are you doing!” You are not a quitter, why are you starting now?!” “Get back on that track and run this last 1000 meters!”

I stopped and looked down the straightaway and thought about the last 14 weeks and what I have gone through. I thought about the miles I have run and the past marathon’s I have raced. I have never come in after my goal time in a marathon or half marathon. Why start now?
I headed to the line, took a drink of water, blew out pollen snot from my nose, slapped both legs and told them to wake up, one more to go.

I hit the watch and I was off. Pace, pace, pace went through my head. The first 200M was at 0:00:43. Rounding the northern curve the wind picked up. I tucked in my head, leaned forward and pushed to the 400 mark, 0:01:26. Pace, pace, pace ran through my mind. The only thing I had in my mind as I pushed the doubt back behind the gates and kept moving.
At the 600 meter mark, I was at 0:02:09. Right on. The wind picked again as I rounded and I pushed again. 400 meters to go I thought, no sweat.

At the 800 mark I was at 0:02:53, one second behind the pace. Instead of, “Pace” I said out loud, “Finish”. I kept saying this as I felt doubt pushing against the gate, “Finish”. Coming off the last turn, the legs burned, the lungs burned, the sinuses burned, the eyes burned and all I could hear was my labored breath, “FINISH!” I kicked it pounding the track surface hard with my feet, kicking high, elbows and arms pumping as I crossed the 1000 meter mark.

I am starting to learn that taper is time for the body to relax but this is also a time for the mind to be active. During regular training, you tend to shut off the mind and allow the body to take control to push yourself further and faster than before. Now that the body prepares, the mind has control back and fills your head with thoughts that you have not had over the last couple months.

Every competitor goes through this I know, but not every competitor is me, nor are they running my race.

0:03:34.

Week 2 -"Staycation Week"

"A rolling stone gathers no moss."

A full week has flashed by since my last entry. This was not intentional; the time has just slipped away.

The week has been full of activities and time with the family. The girls are on Spring Break this week and we had decided after searching for a vacation spot to do a “Staycation” instead.
Last Friday started the morning off with leg weights. Since this was the last day in the office I hunkered down and got all the loose ends tied up so there would be minimal items left on my plate.

Sarah was busy at home as well. When I arrived home two men were carrying out our old office desk and putting it in the back of a truck. Sarah had totally cleaned out her office and is in the process of remodeling it. Paint, new desk, new look, new everything is in order.

Saturday was my long run. We were heading off to NC to stay with my P’s for Easter so I wanted to get the run in before we left. I ran the Cumming Greenway for 13 miles at marathon pace. It still amazes me that during Taper time every workout continues to be a struggle. I planned to run a positive split on the 13 miles and came in 45 seconds ahead of the total pace. Doubts filled my head the whole way. “How am I going to run 26.2 miles when 13 miles is tough? “ I guess these thoughts hit us all occasionally. I just cannot think about it and focus on the run in the next two weeks.

After the run, we packed the car and headed to NC. Arriving at my P’s house around dinner time we hung out and had a great dinner.

Sunday was Easter. The weather was perfect. Low 80’s and not a cloud in the sky. We attended 8:30AM service and then came home for an Easter Egg Hunt. The girls, though they are getting older still enjoy the thrill of the chase as they searched and collected eggs in the backyard. After a candy infusion, we headed out on the boat. The water was around 60 degrees but that did not deter the girls from playing off the side of the boat. We were out on the water for about 2 ½ hours until we made our way back for an Easter Dinner. Before dinner, Sarah went out for an 8 mile run. After her return, we had a feast.

Monday, the girls, my father and I headed down to the boat pier and fished for perch at around 7AM. They were not biting that well as we only caught five fish. I wanted to clean and fry them for breakfast but the girls would have no part of that and released them while I was fishing off the front of the boat. Sarah and I had planned an Open Water swim after breakfast. The water temperature was around 60 degrees. In our wet suits, the temperature was just right. My father dropped us off about 1.25 miles from an island in deep water. We swam to the island as my father and the girls trolled beside us. Reaching the island, Sarah and I decided to swim around it to make almost a full 2 mile swim out of it. After the swim, we hung out on the island for a while then made our way over to the Rusty Rudder in the boat for lunch. We had a great lunch out on the deck in the nice weather. We decided to head over to the Duke Emporium after lunch to check out the visitor center in the boat. All-in-all, we were out on the boat for 5 hours.
Tuesday, Ellie and I got up at dawn and fished some more. Very little bites with only one fish caught. This was the day we were heading home as well. We packed up and left NC around 9:30AM. Our short trip to my P’s was fun and everyone had a great time. The ride home for 3+ hours was uneventful. We unpacked, cleaned out the car and Ellie and I decided to clean all the cars in the sunny, warm weather. I took the top off the Jeep after we washed it and we headed out to dinner in the Jeep.

Wednesday was a day to sleep in. All four of us got up after 8AM, which is not normal for this household. Sarah headed off to Dynamo to swim and I headed off to run a tempo run. The pollen has plagued my sinuses this year and was not into a track workout. Sarah swam 3900 meters while I ran a 6-mile tempo run, 2 EZ, 3 @ 6:34’s and a 1 mile cool down. This run went a lot better than the long run on Saturday. The rest of the day, we went shopping. For me shopping is like running 15 miles on a treadmill. It is boring and the thought of walking around while the girls try clothes on is mind numbing. However, I wanted to hang with the females of my household, so I made the best of it. One the way home we were starved, so we swung by Johnny’s Pizza for a pie and a pitcher of beer. To end the night we went to the movies. The girls saw, “Alice in Wonderland” while Sarah and I saw, “The Green Zone”. It worked out perfect. The movies started and ended within a minute of each other.

This brings us to Thursday again. The weather outside is threatening to rain, which I am hoping for. The cleansing of the pollen would bring some relief to my sinuses. Grace is off to The Panhandle with her friend and her family for a couple of days. Sarah, Ellie and I are going to paint Sarah’s office and putz around the house today.

The Staycation is going by too fast. One more day and it will be over. We have had many activities and it is not over yet.

Week 3 - "Sin of the Runner"

Today I committed the training plan sin I alluded to yesterday. In my current marathon plan, I am not to run consecutive days in a row. The reason being is that each workout is a key run and you need to be fresh for that particular run and also each key run fries your legs setting you up for a possible injury.
With Easter weekend upon us I wanted to schedule the my runs around Sunday since this day is typically a long run day for me.
I ran a hard track workout yesterday, lifted weights (legs) at lunch and swam at the “other pool” this morning. I planned to run the 6-mile tempo run at 10:30AM today to make sure I had enough energy to get through it, but also late enough so I could recoup and eat from the swim.
The workout this morning in the “other pool” was perfect:
100M warm up
50M catch-up
50M right/left
100M Kick
Repeat
4 X 300M on the 5’s
600M pulls
16 X 25M’s descending in time
200M cool down
I swam with Hans and Trey. They both are stronger swimmers than me so it was not too long, but challenging enough. I was in and out and sitting in my office chair by 6:45AM. I am liking the new schedule and pool.
After a few meetings I was off to the gym to run the 6 mile tempo. The weather was beautiful, warm, sunny, just a pleasant day. I ran inside. Okay, I know you are thinking, “What a nut! It has been cold and miserable outside and now we get a great day and he runs inside?!” Believe me, I did not want to run inside, but I had two reasons:
1. Looking at my logs from last year when there was a spike in the temperature I ran outside and bonked. My body had not acclimated to the change and I overheated and became dehydrated. I finished the 15 mile run that day, but struggled off the pace to finish it.
2. After running yesterday and the pace I needed to hold on this run the most viable place would have been the Greenway. If anyone has run the Alpharetta Greenway they know the town must have used extra hard cement on the trail. This trail beats my body up from my toes to my neck.
With these two factors in play, I played it safe. There are plenty of nice days ahead and I did not want to jeopardize anything for 43 minutes in the nice weather.
I hit the treadmill and got the run done. The pace was fast, I thought really fast but I maintained the run and with a 1 mile warm up and 5 mile tempo finished in 0:43:34.
Now with this run out of the way, all I have is a short 13 miler on Saturday at marathon pace to complete before starting the Easter weekend.
I was apprehensive in doing this run since I have maintained the program and to veer off only 3 weeks from the marathon put me at risk for an injury. Nevertheless, to be able to get it done with no issues, the risk was worth it to be able to spend the whole day with my daughters, Sarah and my parents.

Week 3 - "Speed and Consistency"

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
John Rohn

Pace. I have a certain pace that needs to be achieved during the marathon. If I go out too fast at the halfway point my goal pace could be jeopardized on the back 13 miles by more than 4 minutes. If I go out too slow on the first half, I will be required to push the pace to make up the time leading to fatigue or injury. Pace. It is an elusive carrot that dangles in front of me that I continue to strive to master.

During the last 13 weeks I have been able to “stay on pace” for the full amount of the runs. This actually means I have achieved the total time needed to run the distance I needed to cover. There has been bouts of fast and slow paces but very few were consistent.

On Sunday, my main goal was to hang on to the pace. Focus on splits stay on track on remain constant. At the end of this 20 miler I felt I was disciplined enough to hold the average and hit the desired time.

Going into the last weeks I have changed my focus on will be cognitive of hitting the pace where needed and maintaining that pace. Not too fast or not too slow, but as Bob says, “right on”.

This morning was speed. The regular time and the regular group. There is consistency for you. I prefer the norm at this point. My regular friends running the regular track at the regular time. No surprises.

This morning everyone had a regular workout as well. It seems the distance on the menu was 800’s. The Twins had 800’s, Ann Marie had 800’s, Stacy & Shane had 800’s, Susan had 800’s and I had 800’s. Evan was there as well, but he ran mile repeats. I don’t even think he stopped to rest, but just kept going…
Heading down Webb Bridge the temperature started to drop. By the time, we were at the track the temperature must have been 5-10 degrees cooler than at LTF. There was a nip in the air as we scouted the track and started this morning’s program.

The Twin’s quickly connected their Wonder Twin powers and took off. I followed about 20 seconds behind them with Ann Marie tailing me soon after.

I can not speak for all during this workout on their times because they seem to be all over the place, but for me my goal was:

8 X 800M @ 0:02:52 with a R.I. 0:01:30.

The first 800M was 0:02:51 followed by:

#2 @ 0:02:52
#3 @ 0:02:52
#4 @ 0:02:53
#5 @ 0:02:52
At this point we switched direction. Going North to South on the track is a weakness of mine and it should in the times:
#6 @ 0:02:55
#7 @ 0:02:54
#8 @ 0:02:51

It takes me 2 reps to get acclimated to the change up. I was not concerned about the times since I knew I struggle on this direction but would be able to hone in towards the end.

Finishing up, I watched Ann Marie and her coach, Ken (he came a couple minutes after we started) complete the last 800M. It was good to hear Ken teach Ann Marie about pacing and what times they needed to hit on the 200M splits. The last 800M they had I think was a 0:03:02. I told Ken at this point that he needed to change up Ann Marie’s time and make them faster since she was been crushing the prescribed times on her workout sheets.

Not sure she liked to hear that, but consistently since February Ann Marie has been come in with faster times than what Ken has given her.

We left the track and headed back to the gym. One note on #5-800. I left a few seconds after the Twins started their 800M. I held my pace and in the final 100M turn I started to pace the Twin’s. As I moved ahead, both Bob & Jay kicked it up and beat me to the line. First thing Bob said was, “right on”. I turned to him and said, “right on what? “ “Pace”, he said. I estimated they hit a 0:02:59 or less on a 0:03:07 pace.

I enjoy the company and camaraderie of The Twin’s and Ann Marie on the track due to their natural speed. I let them go these days and stop chastising them for inconsistent pacing. They are all fast and can give me a run for my money. However, even with their natural talent for speed and the competitive edge they bring to the track that rubs off on my mere mortal body, I am grateful for have friends with such athletic prowess. Our goals are different at this point and I need to and will remain disciplined during these weeks to achieve the desired goal I have established for myself in the upcoming weeks.

Tomorrow I am going to commit a sin. Not a religious sin or a moral sin, but a sin against my program. This act is to allow me to spend time with my family and parents during the Easter Holiday. Let’s hope the gods are in my favor.

Week 3 - A Different Venue

Tuesday’s have been cross training days. Tuesday’s are swim days. Today is a swim day but one thing has changed. The pool. Well, in the way that I abandoned the poor quality, over promised and under delivered same old, same old pool for another pool.

I arrived this morning at 5AM to swim with the group. The group is a level lower than the Master’s Swim group I usually swim with but I swam with a group of good swimmers: Hans, Trey, Janny & Amy.

The workout was right from the Total Immersion Book:
200M Swim
200M Kick
200M Paddles
6 X 25M right side then left side kick no fins
4 X 100M with RI: 15 seconds. Hans, Trey and I were hitting 1:25’s and waiting for Janny & Amy
6 X 25M right side then left side kick no fins
4 X 100M with RI: 15 seconds. Hans, Trey and I were hitting 1:23’s and waiting for Janny & Amy
6 X 25M 3-5 Breath Strokes
4 X 100M with RI: 15 seconds. Hans, Trey and I were hitting 1:20’s and waiting for Janny & Amy
200M Cool Down

It was a short workout and I was in and out in less than 50 minutes. There were approximately 20 people in the water. The water quality was a B to B+ even after the swimmers were in the water. Clear, cool, no dirt. The pool maintenance actually came out and tested the water because the amount of swimmers in both pools halfway through the workout. The chlorine levels were a tad high, but no band-aids or clumps of hair floating in the bottom.

Good group of swimmers this morning. I was actually asked back to swim with them more often.
Lunchtime will be an upper body and core workout. I have 2 weeks of weights left before I stop completely 1 week before Boston.