This was the first year in 4 years or so I had been home for Thanksgiving, and I'm really glad i did. Part of the bonus of heading home was the ability to run a race with my youngest brother.
I've run this race over several years since I've started running, and it has been a very similar course in every time - I don't remember it ever not going into Kentucky - in fact, most races I have run that are in Cincinnati seem to cross the river into Kentucky - which is just part of the fun of running races in Cincinnati.
In general, I really do not enjoy the 10k distance. I feel like it is long enough to make me uncomfortable, but not long enough to really get fired up for - it is kind of a "blah" distance, and looking at my races over the years, my times in the 10k have not been as good as other distances (half seems to be my best distance).
Dave and I headed down there early Thanksgiving morning, and it was COLD. My phone said 19 degrees, and I had forgotten to pack running tights - so most of my effort before the race was just not to get frostbite on my thighs.
The race itself was crowded - as crowded as any race I think I had ever run, actually. between miles 5 and 6, I had Dave in my sights, but i got pinned in between a jersey barrier and about 15 people, and could not break out of it until I made the turn - which at that point Dave was gone (that being said, I shouldn't have been behind him to begin with - but hey, you get out of these things what you put in as far as training). But it was crowded - I think a total of 20 thousand people participated - it was pretty tough to move in these packs.
The Gun went off at 9am, and Dave and I took about 10 minutes to get to the starting line - again, IT WAS CROWDED.
Somewhere within the first 4 minutes, Dave was obviously itching to get going and I told him to go ahead - the one thing I've traditionally been good at is not going out too fast - my marathon times lately say otherwise, but all races previous to 2009 I was real good at overall race pacing.
I missed the first mile marker.
Mile 2 - 18:33
Mile 3 - 8:24
Mile 4 - 8:48
Mile 5 - 8:35
I managed to get in front of Dave at some point, because he came running up from behind me and gave me a whack in this mile. I then watched him take off again.
I will say this (and kudos to my little brother) he has a very good foot strike - i watched him for as long as I could keep up - and his footstrike looks really good. While i tend to be a heel striker (although much lighter than I used to be - still a heel striker) he has worked on his ability to land mid-foot and it looks really effortless.
Mile 6 - 8:37
.2 Miles - 1:34
Total - 54:33
Without looking back at my times over the years, I would say this is somewhere in the middle of my 10k times. 2013 Mike Kriston (yes, third person reference) is pretty happy with this result though - given that I am still trending around 235 pounds (20-30 pounds heavier than when I set my PR's) I can't complain about this effort and result.
This is a great race and highly recommended to anyone who has the opportunity to signup.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
2013.10.26 Eno River Trail Runs - 11 Miler
This is a race I hadn't planned to run. In fact, I was not even aware of its existence until the Tuesday before the race. I debated signing up for it or not, given that the previous two weekends I had done full marathons - but after a few beers Tuesday night I decided "What the heck - got nothing to lose!" When i went to register, they only had spots in the 11 miler, so by default I signed up for that.
This is more of a no-frills race than the other two I've done in the last three weeks - there were no mile markers or anything on this one - it was literally a run in the woods. Happened to see a co-worker at the race as well, that was a neat surprise.
I had told Gina I was shooting for about a 2 hour run, but really was not sure what to expect - I don't really have a good baseline these days - other than that everything has been slower than I had hoped.
As I mentioned, there were no mile markers, so I just left my watch on Autolap (which it pings every mile measured). My total watch measurement only went to 10.5, so not sure where the difference is.
This was not a chip race, so the start line was literally just that - a start line.
There was a brief run on the road, and then we went into the woods. There were 4 river crossings in this race - which was really interesting to me - the first time thru, my right shoe got wet. The second time, my left shoe got went. Third time, both got wet, and fourth time - which was about 1/10th before the end, i just powered thru it - and my shorts got wet from the splashing.
I also managed to get bitten or stung by something around mile 5 - I was mid stride, and all of a sudden there was a hot poker in my leg - I whacked at my leg, but still have no idea what it was - my leg is still warm and swollen around the bite/sting area - hoping it is not something serious.
Finally, my shoes came united about 3 times during the race - it must have been something with getting them wet - they would just unlace pretty quickly after the river crossings. I finally got them to stick the third time i stopped to re-tie them.
Here are the splits
Mile 1 - 12:22
Mile 2 - 12:06
Mile 3 - 10:57
Mile 4 - 12:54
Mile 5 - 12:53
Mile 6 - 11:14
Mile 7 - 11:46
Mile 8 - 14:39
Mile 9 - 12:50
Mile 10 - 10:20
Last split - 4:04
The Suunto shows it as being 10.5 miles. Regardless, it was a good run, and i finished in 2:05:47. Not the best race i've ever had, but a good run none-the-less.
I will say this, having used the Suunto Ambit for six months now, i'm hooked. The only thing I wish my ambit has (which the ambit 2 does have) is a mapping function. I used to run races with the cookie crumb tracker, and that would essentially help me figure out how much farther I would have to go in these types of races where I didn't have mile markers, etc...I think for Christmas I may need to look into an Ambit 2 - they're not cheap, but they are a darn good watch - making the jump from Garmin to Suunto is something I am glad I have done.
This is more of a no-frills race than the other two I've done in the last three weeks - there were no mile markers or anything on this one - it was literally a run in the woods. Happened to see a co-worker at the race as well, that was a neat surprise.
I had told Gina I was shooting for about a 2 hour run, but really was not sure what to expect - I don't really have a good baseline these days - other than that everything has been slower than I had hoped.
As I mentioned, there were no mile markers, so I just left my watch on Autolap (which it pings every mile measured). My total watch measurement only went to 10.5, so not sure where the difference is.
This was not a chip race, so the start line was literally just that - a start line.
There was a brief run on the road, and then we went into the woods. There were 4 river crossings in this race - which was really interesting to me - the first time thru, my right shoe got wet. The second time, my left shoe got went. Third time, both got wet, and fourth time - which was about 1/10th before the end, i just powered thru it - and my shorts got wet from the splashing.
I also managed to get bitten or stung by something around mile 5 - I was mid stride, and all of a sudden there was a hot poker in my leg - I whacked at my leg, but still have no idea what it was - my leg is still warm and swollen around the bite/sting area - hoping it is not something serious.
Finally, my shoes came united about 3 times during the race - it must have been something with getting them wet - they would just unlace pretty quickly after the river crossings. I finally got them to stick the third time i stopped to re-tie them.
Here are the splits
Mile 1 - 12:22
Mile 2 - 12:06
Mile 3 - 10:57
Mile 4 - 12:54
Mile 5 - 12:53
Mile 6 - 11:14
Mile 7 - 11:46
Mile 8 - 14:39
Mile 9 - 12:50
Mile 10 - 10:20
Last split - 4:04
The Suunto shows it as being 10.5 miles. Regardless, it was a good run, and i finished in 2:05:47. Not the best race i've ever had, but a good run none-the-less.
I will say this, having used the Suunto Ambit for six months now, i'm hooked. The only thing I wish my ambit has (which the ambit 2 does have) is a mapping function. I used to run races with the cookie crumb tracker, and that would essentially help me figure out how much farther I would have to go in these types of races where I didn't have mile markers, etc...I think for Christmas I may need to look into an Ambit 2 - they're not cheap, but they are a darn good watch - making the jump from Garmin to Suunto is something I am glad I have done.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
2013.10.19 Medoc Trail Races
The story of this race really begins the Sunday after the Baltimore Running Festival. Following my brother's wedding, we had to drive home, then i packed another bag and headed to Charleston for a meeting on Monday. I rolled into Charleston about 10:15, and I was really starting to feel that cold i had picked up. Monday morning when I woke up, I didn't feel great, but I did manage to get a 3.5 miler in. Charleston is a great city, and I would love to get a large portion of time to spend there. Following the run, I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down to get some work done Monday morning. Our meetings started at 12, and went the rest of the day. Tuesday I had to be in Wilson, NC which was a 4+ hour drive, so again I was up at 4 something, and made the drive up there. By the time I got home tuesday night, I was drained.
A little background: during signup for this race you were asked several questions that seemed strange to me at the time. One of them was "Describe your running style", another was "Where are you from", and there were about 3 more of them. It also asked if you had a trail name or you would like one to be assigned to you. I chose for them to assign me one, so the big question on my mind at packet pickup was 'What is my trail name?' When picking up my packet I was stoked to learn my bib number was 99(good hockey number!), and my trail name was "Bull City Brute". Racking my brain i remember i described my running style as brutal (referencing the comment my Lax teammates made in college that I ran like a blender), and I said I was from the Bull City. The name made sense - and I like it (in future trail races, I will roll with this name - it is a good description for me as a runner - I go thru things, not around them) :-D
I pretty much fought the cold via DayQuil/NyQuil (or Generic Eqivalent) the rest of the week. When saturday rolled around, I felt better than I had, but was still not 100%. Alarm went off at 5am and Hollister was an hour and a half away. I rolled up to the state park at 730, and quickly found my way to the packet pickup (race was at 8 for the Marathon and 830 for the ten miler).
A little background: during signup for this race you were asked several questions that seemed strange to me at the time. One of them was "Describe your running style", another was "Where are you from", and there were about 3 more of them. It also asked if you had a trail name or you would like one to be assigned to you. I chose for them to assign me one, so the big question on my mind at packet pickup was 'What is my trail name?' When picking up my packet I was stoked to learn my bib number was 99(good hockey number!), and my trail name was "Bull City Brute". Racking my brain i remember i described my running style as brutal (referencing the comment my Lax teammates made in college that I ran like a blender), and I said I was from the Bull City. The name made sense - and I like it (in future trail races, I will roll with this name - it is a good description for me as a runner - I go thru things, not around them) :-D
This race was limited to 450 people or so, and had a completely different feel than the big road races. When the starting conch shell was blown (yes they used a conch shell) it took me all of 15 seconds to cross the mat, and I was pretty far back. The first part of the race involved running out on the road, then turning around and running back before entering onto the grass and then the trail system. Entering into the woods I was excited, a little scared, and had no idea what to expect. I'd heard and read about trail races, but until you experience it, you just don't know....
On this race, the marathon was three loops of a loop course. There were signs roughly every mile, but it is not exact, because 3 loops for 26.2 does not yield an exact mile dividend. I'm just going to refer to these as "Splits".
Split 1 - 24:16 (pretty sure i missed a sign here)
Split 2 - 11:23
I was surprised how quickly the pack would stop to walk because therewere some BRUTAL Climbs on this course. One of the hills I decided to run up, but paid the price for it about 85% of the way up - that taught me a lesson and I followed the pack pretty much from there on out. I also saw 2 folks wipe out pretty hard in the first couple of miles - trail races are a totally different breed (but also TOTALLY AWESOME)
Split 3 - 10:43
Split 4 - 11:09
Split 5 - 11:47
Split 6 - 11:28
Split 7 - 13:10
Split 8 - 15:55
Split 9 - 15:33
One thing i learned here is that on my next trail race, I need to carry water. I didn't take water, and while I survived, 3 miles apart with this level of elevation change - I need to be more self supported. I think the Black Mountain marathon which I'm signed up for in February is much more similar to Medoc in that I will need to carry more of my own gear.
Split 10 - 14:21
Split 11 - 14:04
Split 12 - 13:46
Split 13 - 17:01
Here is where i really melted down. I ended up talking to a guy who had done several trail marathons, and was signed up to run the Army Ten Miler the next day (also a good race). He was saying the worst part about the back to back races was going to be the driving. We got talking, and he was talking about how it used to be signing up for races was enough to force yourself to do the training - but at some point you sort of just know you'll finish, it is a matter of how long - so you then sign up for a 50K and then a 50 miler, and etc...and before you know it you're going these long distances and say "WTF did i get myself into?" I think in my running 'career' I'm kind of at that point - but more on that later....
Split 14 - 17:19
Split 15 - 16:26
Split 16 - 24:31
This was at the end of the second loop when i rolled by the campsite bathrooms - I had to deal with a GI issue, and that added a fair amount of time.
Split 17 - 18:23
Split 18 - 17:32
Split 19 - 16:13
Split 20 - 17:23
Split 21 - 18:29
Split 22 - 18:01
Split 23 - 15:51
It was in this mile that I realized that I was actually running a Personal Record, because it was a trail marathon (and my whole outlook and demeanor changed). I also started concentrating on my breathing - my legs were sore, but not miserably sore. My brain was tired, but that wasn't a killer. Once i started focusing on my breathing, I was able to run, and run consistently - that shows up in this split and the next two.
Split 24 - 8:19
Split 25 - 1:56 (not sure why i hit my watch this time)
Total 6:15:11 - Trail Marathon PR
There were a couple of spots where I almost beefed hard. Late in the race in the last mile, my foot got stuck under a root, and I feel like I almost had a catastrophic injury - it tweaked my knee a little bit, but that was it. Amazing the amount of rocks/debris, unsteady footing, in this race.
There is something about going off the roads and into single track trails - it is an almost cathartic experience, and something I am glad I have experienced. I don't see myself going solely one way or the other, but a combination of both will be my plan moving forward.
I learned why people wear "gaiters" when running the trails. I am going to need to get a pair, i had several hitch-hiking rocks, and it forced me to stop several times.
I also had a lot of time to think on this trail - there were not a lot of people out there, so you really don't get a constant level of background noise. This is you, the trail and nature - at one point I came across a 4' black snake chilling on the trail and it startled me - you don't see that in the big races. I also had some time to think about me, my running, and what I'm really going for.
In my 11 year running career I've been both "Faster than Mid-Pack Mike" and "Back of Pack Mike". I miss mid/front of mid Mike - but the difference between then and now is that everything I used to do during training had a reason - I would do my LT runs, I would do Yasso 400's, I would do LSD's and fartleks. Now I just go bang out mileage with no real concern as to what it is other than mileage. If i'm going to find my way back towards the front, I need to better think about my training and re-incorporate these back in. I also need to get my long runs in. 3 marathon distance races on 13 miler long runs, and I've been miserable in each one - that needs to change. I need to become more disciplined to get back out there. I'm not signed up for City of Oaks, but that would actually time out well as I would have seen the benefits of these two marathons in that one - and I suspect that my times would go down. I'd also like to focus on getting my top end speed up, and bang out a few more 5k's - see if i can't get back down in the 22's like I was several years ago - but again, to get there, training has to be specific and disciplined.
On Medoc- THIS WAS AN AWESOME RACE. I will attempt to make this a permanent fixture on my race calendar. I wanted to copy and past a facebook post from the organizers that they put out earlier this week - I think it does a really good job of summarizing exactly what Medoc is, and what it is like. If anyone wants to experience trail running, I would HIGHLY recommend this race, there are 10 mile and 26 mile options, and the spring they do the loop course in reverse for an 8 miler (I think i'll probably sign up for that as well). See below for the post.
The Medoc Trail Races take place in the woods on trails. Yes we start on a road, but that does not last. Medoc is NOT about pavement, rails-to-trails, greenways or bike paths. Medoc is not about thousands of monotonous steps on asphalt. There are no police to tell you where to go, painted arrows in the road, cheer zones, bathrooms every 2 miles, hugs from mommy, or water-misting machines.
There are no 2% grade hills for people to brag about because there will be a rocky steep-ass climb that will burn a hole through your heart and smash your quads. . . . And the marathoners get to do it three times. Instead of relaxing on the downhill's you will be trying not to twist an ankle, dislocate a finger, or tumble into Little Fishing Creek.
Medoc requires a person to think about every step they take. You will trip over roots, run through spider webs, dodge holes, and descend down rocky single track paths. Even seemingly nice, benign wooden bridges are treacherous with a fresh hint of morning dew coating their mossy surface. Medoc will make a person run for miles over rocks, roots, and hills. Finding level ground is a rarity. There are bears, deer, unicorns and coyotes. There are snakes, deer flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. Welcome to Hollister, North Carolina.
There will be scrapes, bruises, and deflated egos. The word "pace" has no relevance at Medoc. Throwing your watch away may save you some frustration. A GPS that makes it look like you climbed a tree will show you how tough you really are!
Most importantly, Medoc is more about the experience than the numbers on your watch! It is about your trail name, the volunteers, the conch shells and the camping. It is about being in a select group of 450 runners that get to run. It is about the shirt, the medal, and the Finisher's Surprise. It is about. . . Well, Medoc.
Trail running is about the overall experience and camaraderie. It is about sitting around the finish line, eating red beans and rice and trading stories with one another. Its about cheering everyone on as they come across the finish line. And lastly, its about making hundreds of new friends! You will come back.
See you real soon!
There are no 2% grade hills for people to brag about because there will be a rocky steep-ass climb that will burn a hole through your heart and smash your quads. . . . And the marathoners get to do it three times. Instead of relaxing on the downhill's you will be trying not to twist an ankle, dislocate a finger, or tumble into Little Fishing Creek.
Medoc requires a person to think about every step they take. You will trip over roots, run through spider webs, dodge holes, and descend down rocky single track paths. Even seemingly nice, benign wooden bridges are treacherous with a fresh hint of morning dew coating their mossy surface. Medoc will make a person run for miles over rocks, roots, and hills. Finding level ground is a rarity. There are bears, deer, unicorns and coyotes. There are snakes, deer flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. Welcome to Hollister, North Carolina.
There will be scrapes, bruises, and deflated egos. The word "pace" has no relevance at Medoc. Throwing your watch away may save you some frustration. A GPS that makes it look like you climbed a tree will show you how tough you really are!
Most importantly, Medoc is more about the experience than the numbers on your watch! It is about your trail name, the volunteers, the conch shells and the camping. It is about being in a select group of 450 runners that get to run. It is about the shirt, the medal, and the Finisher's Surprise. It is about. . . Well, Medoc.
Trail running is about the overall experience and camaraderie. It is about sitting around the finish line, eating red beans and rice and trading stories with one another. Its about cheering everyone on as they come across the finish line. And lastly, its about making hundreds of new friends! You will come back.
See you real soon!
2013.10.12 Baltimore Marathon
My brother Matt had let us know he was going to get married in Northern Virginia the weekend of 10/12. Initially, the ceremony was going to be Friday, 10/11 - but he changed it and said everything was going to happen on 10/12. Being the resourceful guy i am, i was looking at Marathons and realized that the Baltimore Running Festival was the same weekend. Once i had cleared with him that we were not expected until 6pm, I locked it in. Traditionally (even when i was faster) Fall has been a slower marathon time for me - I think I just don't train as well in the heat as I do in the cold.
Headed up thursday because my dad had lined up a suite at the Capitals/Hurricanes game. My goal was to be able to roll into baltimore, then drive back to DC, but we were rolling into the DC area about 4pm - so that did not work out and we just ended up going straight to the game. It was great to go to the game, but we didn't end up rolling into our hotel until about 11pm, and by the time we went to bed it was 1130. Tyler had also been fighting a cold, and with the number of times he coughed on me, I had a bad feeling that it was only a matter of time before "The Sickness (lol)" took hold.
The next morning i was playing golf with my brothers, cousins and dad, so there was no sleeping in and relaxing. If i had to describe the weather, I would describe it as a 'Monsoon'. There were two groups playing the course that day, us, and one other group - we went off of 1, and they went off nine, so the course was ours. We also played as a Six-Some (usually a golf no-no, but since we pretty much owned the course, nobody cared). I had started to notice a cough and congestion, but nothing too terrible. After heading back to meet up with my wife and son, we hit the expo and then grabbed dinner at Phillips. The expo itself was not large, I was kind of disappointed that there weren't a ton of booths or anything - I really enjoy hitting the expos - there's almost always something i'll pick up at them. This one had some really cool stuff, but nothing that I "HAD" to have. Tried to get to bed early (i think it was around 9 or 10 that we crashed) but in general i didn't sleep all that well - between the congestion, and the bed, i just didn't sleep well.
Race morning I had the alarm set for 530, but I woke up at 5 and realized there was no going back to sleep, so I just got up. After showering and getting my stuff packed up in case I ran an ungodly slow marathon, I headed downstairs. It was a relatively cool morning, on again off again spitting rain, but not an awful day for a run. One of the things i was not a fan of was that the race didn't start until 8am - I'm a big fan of getting up, getting the run done, and getting on with your day. I found a few folks to speak with to pass the time since i had shown up about 7:15. Finally, at 8am, the gun went off and the race began.
Mile 1 - 10:09
Miles 2&3 - 19:38
Missed a mile marker here.
Mile 4 - 10:00
I felt pretty good thru these first four miles. I was amazed at how much we were climbing in elevation - looking at the elevation profile on my Suunto movescount website, we reached the highest point in the race at mile 3. The other thing that really struck me was the camber on the road. It was extremely noticeable, everything seemed to slant to our left - by the time we got to mile four, my sciatica/butt pain was starting to fire up.
Mile 5 - 9:46
Mile 6 - 9:59
Mile 7 - 9:34
Mile 8 - 9:40
Mile 9 - 14:00
One thing that differs between me trying to run a PR and me just running, i am much more likely to stop and hang out for a bit. I saw Gina and tyler somewhere between miles 8 and 9, and then saw my mom and brother in the same stretch. Dave was getting ready to run the half, so i stopped to talk to both sets of them. I will say, everytime i stopped, getting going again was hard, because my butt pain would kick back in. The best way to avoid butt pain it appeared was to just keep moving. The other thing though, once you stop, it is easy to keep stopping...
Mile 10 and part of 11 - 16:14 (this is 10 minute miles)
This part of the race was boring, until we got to Under Armour's Headquarters - that place was AWESOME. Next time I am in Baltimore, I will make it a point to go to UA HQ (assuming it is open to the public), that place just looked cool - and i really like a lot of their technical fabric materials. It is the same reason I would love to go to Oakley's HQ one day.
Rest of Mile 11 - 5:33
Mile 12 - 10:37
Mile 13 - 11:01
.1 for 13.1 - 1:05
Mile 14 - 11:14
Things had started to come unglued around Mile marker 13. I really never got comfortable in this race, I think part of it is because i was coming down with Tyler's cold, and then the obvious reason is that I didn't do the necessary work to get myself prepared.
Mile 15 - 13:22
Mile 16 - 11:50
Mile 17 - 13:55
It was around here that i came to realize that the residents of Baltimore haven't quite warmed up to the race just yet. Traffic was snarled all around the race course, and at one point a whole line of folks just started laying on their horns - resulting in a bunch of folks yelling at each other. It was slightly amusing. Later in the course i heard a guy on his cell phone sitting at a cross street go "These Da*n runners are tying up all the traffic!" I didn't see signs indicating the race route like I do in Cincinnati, not sure if that would help any, but if the organizers ever see this, it might be worth a thought.
Mile 18 - 16:14
BOOM.....wheels.....cart...UGLY
Mile 19 - 14:09
Mile 20 - 12:30
Mile 21 - 16:19
Mile 22 - 14:45
Mile 23 - 14:16
At this point i thought maybe i could run it in. It appeared to be mainly downhill and it was just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other - had a decent split for 24, but 25 was UGLY
Mile 24 - 12:44
Mile 25 - 17:05
Somewhere in here there were two guys dressed as cupid, and one of them had converted a lawn flamingo to a beer bong. He offered me one, but I wasn't sure how long the beer had been in the flamingo, so I declined.
Also, i saw my brother David who had finished the half, and he ran it in to the mile 26 marker with me (he claims he ran an extra mile, I don't agree :-D)
Mile 26 - 13:44
.2 for 26.2 - 2:09 (funny how when you know you are close to the end you can force yourself to run)
Gun time - 5:22:47
Chip Time - 5:21:37 for a New Personal Worst.
Overall, I enjoyed the race - I definitely want another shot at this one. The course was really good, it is a beautiful run thru a beautiful city. My hope is that I'll get to tackle this one again. The gear and slogans are among the best I have seen - Baltimore has a really awesome logo, "Blue the crab", and one of the best shirts they have says"We put the Hon in Marathon". I would have liked more time in the city on Saturday instead of having to rush to Northern VA - but the marathon was really external to the real reason we were in the area. The main reason to be up there was to go to my brother's wedding (which was wonderful!).
Headed up thursday because my dad had lined up a suite at the Capitals/Hurricanes game. My goal was to be able to roll into baltimore, then drive back to DC, but we were rolling into the DC area about 4pm - so that did not work out and we just ended up going straight to the game. It was great to go to the game, but we didn't end up rolling into our hotel until about 11pm, and by the time we went to bed it was 1130. Tyler had also been fighting a cold, and with the number of times he coughed on me, I had a bad feeling that it was only a matter of time before "The Sickness (lol)" took hold.
The next morning i was playing golf with my brothers, cousins and dad, so there was no sleeping in and relaxing. If i had to describe the weather, I would describe it as a 'Monsoon'. There were two groups playing the course that day, us, and one other group - we went off of 1, and they went off nine, so the course was ours. We also played as a Six-Some (usually a golf no-no, but since we pretty much owned the course, nobody cared). I had started to notice a cough and congestion, but nothing too terrible. After heading back to meet up with my wife and son, we hit the expo and then grabbed dinner at Phillips. The expo itself was not large, I was kind of disappointed that there weren't a ton of booths or anything - I really enjoy hitting the expos - there's almost always something i'll pick up at them. This one had some really cool stuff, but nothing that I "HAD" to have. Tried to get to bed early (i think it was around 9 or 10 that we crashed) but in general i didn't sleep all that well - between the congestion, and the bed, i just didn't sleep well.
Race morning I had the alarm set for 530, but I woke up at 5 and realized there was no going back to sleep, so I just got up. After showering and getting my stuff packed up in case I ran an ungodly slow marathon, I headed downstairs. It was a relatively cool morning, on again off again spitting rain, but not an awful day for a run. One of the things i was not a fan of was that the race didn't start until 8am - I'm a big fan of getting up, getting the run done, and getting on with your day. I found a few folks to speak with to pass the time since i had shown up about 7:15. Finally, at 8am, the gun went off and the race began.
Mile 1 - 10:09
Miles 2&3 - 19:38
Missed a mile marker here.
Mile 4 - 10:00
I felt pretty good thru these first four miles. I was amazed at how much we were climbing in elevation - looking at the elevation profile on my Suunto movescount website, we reached the highest point in the race at mile 3. The other thing that really struck me was the camber on the road. It was extremely noticeable, everything seemed to slant to our left - by the time we got to mile four, my sciatica/butt pain was starting to fire up.
Mile 5 - 9:46
Mile 6 - 9:59
Mile 7 - 9:34
Mile 8 - 9:40
Mile 9 - 14:00
One thing that differs between me trying to run a PR and me just running, i am much more likely to stop and hang out for a bit. I saw Gina and tyler somewhere between miles 8 and 9, and then saw my mom and brother in the same stretch. Dave was getting ready to run the half, so i stopped to talk to both sets of them. I will say, everytime i stopped, getting going again was hard, because my butt pain would kick back in. The best way to avoid butt pain it appeared was to just keep moving. The other thing though, once you stop, it is easy to keep stopping...
Mile 10 and part of 11 - 16:14 (this is 10 minute miles)
This part of the race was boring, until we got to Under Armour's Headquarters - that place was AWESOME. Next time I am in Baltimore, I will make it a point to go to UA HQ (assuming it is open to the public), that place just looked cool - and i really like a lot of their technical fabric materials. It is the same reason I would love to go to Oakley's HQ one day.
Rest of Mile 11 - 5:33
Mile 12 - 10:37
Mile 13 - 11:01
.1 for 13.1 - 1:05
Mile 14 - 11:14
Things had started to come unglued around Mile marker 13. I really never got comfortable in this race, I think part of it is because i was coming down with Tyler's cold, and then the obvious reason is that I didn't do the necessary work to get myself prepared.
Mile 15 - 13:22
Mile 16 - 11:50
Mile 17 - 13:55
It was around here that i came to realize that the residents of Baltimore haven't quite warmed up to the race just yet. Traffic was snarled all around the race course, and at one point a whole line of folks just started laying on their horns - resulting in a bunch of folks yelling at each other. It was slightly amusing. Later in the course i heard a guy on his cell phone sitting at a cross street go "These Da*n runners are tying up all the traffic!" I didn't see signs indicating the race route like I do in Cincinnati, not sure if that would help any, but if the organizers ever see this, it might be worth a thought.
Mile 18 - 16:14
BOOM.....wheels.....cart...UGLY
Mile 19 - 14:09
Mile 20 - 12:30
Mile 21 - 16:19
Mile 22 - 14:45
Mile 23 - 14:16
At this point i thought maybe i could run it in. It appeared to be mainly downhill and it was just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other - had a decent split for 24, but 25 was UGLY
Mile 24 - 12:44
Mile 25 - 17:05
Somewhere in here there were two guys dressed as cupid, and one of them had converted a lawn flamingo to a beer bong. He offered me one, but I wasn't sure how long the beer had been in the flamingo, so I declined.
Also, i saw my brother David who had finished the half, and he ran it in to the mile 26 marker with me (he claims he ran an extra mile, I don't agree :-D)
Mile 26 - 13:44
.2 for 26.2 - 2:09 (funny how when you know you are close to the end you can force yourself to run)
Gun time - 5:22:47
Chip Time - 5:21:37 for a New Personal Worst.
Overall, I enjoyed the race - I definitely want another shot at this one. The course was really good, it is a beautiful run thru a beautiful city. My hope is that I'll get to tackle this one again. The gear and slogans are among the best I have seen - Baltimore has a really awesome logo, "Blue the crab", and one of the best shirts they have says"We put the Hon in Marathon". I would have liked more time in the city on Saturday instead of having to rush to Northern VA - but the marathon was really external to the real reason we were in the area. The main reason to be up there was to go to my brother's wedding (which was wonderful!).
Monday, September 16, 2013
2013.09.15 Finish Strong Half-Iron Relay, Running Leg
Sometime over the last few months, one of the guys at work came across a half-ironman which was located about 1/2 hour away from our house. Although none of us had any desire to run the actual Half-Iron, each of us was convinced we were okay to attempt it as a relay team. We had set an arbitrary goal of 6 hours +/- with the thought that the swim would take less than 40 minutes, bike would take 3:20 minutes, and my run would take 2:10.
On paper it looked doable, but like so many things in life, you execute only as well as you prepare...and when looking back at my training logs, it was apparent that I was not trained to perform well this race. Since running the pig in may, I have 23 runs logged on my Suunto. I did do a couple of runs after the pig on my garmin, but I switched to the Suunto pretty much right after the pig due to the greater battery life. Doing the math, that really is just over 1 run a week - and the longest run was less than 7 miles. That being said however, at this point in my running "career", I am pretty confident I can go relatively long distances just by being stubborn and convinced in my mind I can do it. That is part of the appeal for an ultra, it scares me enough to get really serious again....13 and 26 miles are a long way, but 50 miles is even longer.
One thing that was odd about this race was that while i had to be there before 7am, I didn't actually start running until 1130 or 12pm. Driving down to the race, I thought about stopping to grab something, but I didn't - in retrospect I wish i had. Most of the morning, I was hungry - I was able to grab a quarter of a bagel, but that didn't do much - next year if we participate in this race as a relay, I will definitely eat something on my way in.
The other thing that struck me, was the amount of equipment required for a triathalon versus a marathon. The amount of money in the equipment was amazing - there were some beautiful tri-bikes there - I can see the appeal, and definitely am interested in one day trying a half-iron, but my more pressing interests really take me to ultras.
The first member of our relay team went off around 730, and finished the swim in 30 minutes. The second member of our relay team went off around 8 for the 56 mile bike ride, and that is where the waiting game began - pretty much from 11 on, we were sitting there going "he should be here soon..." and each time we saw a new bike guy come across, we would get excited, only to have it not be our relay partner. When he did come around, it was almost 1130, and the sun had gotten up there. According to the Suunto, the average temperature was 82.3 with a max temperature of 87.8. It had definitely warmed up from the much cooler 50's that we had experienced at the beginning of the race.
When it was my turn to go, I went out way too fast. I could feel myself running too fast, yet it was hard to back off at least initially - the excitement to finally be moving was too much and i was just glad to be running.
Mile 1 - 8:57
I passed a guy right off the bat and he said "Don't break my spirit man!" - I turned around and told him, "I'm a relay, you're good." He replied with a "Carry on then!" It was kind of funny.
Mile 2 - 9:51
That was more along the lines of what I wanted.
Mile 3 - 9:28
Mile 4 - 9:56
Mile 5 - 9:58
Mile 6 - 9:56
This was about the most consistent set of miles i put together - excluding the flyer in mile 3, this was good, solid and consistent - exactly what you want in a distance race.
This was an out and back X2 course, so it was 3 and some change out and back, and then out and back again. i'm not a huge fan of these types of courses, I tend to enjoy the change in scenery, but I understand why it was setup this way. Between Miles 6 and 7, you come back to the turnaround area, and I saw my fellow relay partners. I was right on where i needed to be to land a 2:10.
Mile 7 - 10:16
After this mile, the wheels started to fall off the cart. I also noticed the incline that i hadn't taken notice of on the first round thru - it made me unhappy and this is when i started to employ the old Run/Walk approach
Mile 8 - 13:21
Mile 9 - 12:44
Mile 10 - 10:09
This is a nice mile to see given what the rest of my back 6 looked like.
Mile 11 - 14:11
Mile 12 - 13:00
Mile 13.1 - 12:12
Total - 2:23:57
The good news - So this is about as long as a run i did for my spring marathon - seeing as i've got two marathons teed up in a month, I do have time to get one more decent run in - just need to grab the time for myself and do it. Running these things on poor training is no fun - it hurts and does a good job of breaking your spirit.
Bad news - I'm tons slower than I used to be - looking at my race times years ago, I am WICKED SLOW. I'm also 20-30 pounds heavier - so i understand why i'm slower, but i really need to make it a priority to get skinnier again. My hope is this time next year I'm down to 215-220 consistently. I'm writing this goal here because writing things down makes it easier to hold yourself accountable to them, as well as maybe somebody i know will read it and can also hold me accountable.
Also, this is the first time I've actually had a toenail turn black from a run. Previously, this has never happened to me. I guess this is almost like a right of passage for a runner - just wish it wasn't as close to my back to back fulls in a week next month.
I enjoyed this race overall, and i would totally do it again - it was great being on a team, reminded me of Reach the Beach in 2008 with the "Reach the Beee-otches" - the best relay team ever assembled, and forced me to get a 13 miler in for my fall marathons.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
2013.05.05 Flying Pig Marathon
Woke up at 5am Sunday morning, and did my typical pre-race shower (I know it seems counter-intuitive to take a shower prior to one of these, but i feel as though it wakes me up and gets me in the right mindset). Mom, Gina and Tyler also woke up and dressed to head down to Cincinnati - it was about 55-60 degrees and overcast - we had light showers off and on during the race.
Got down to Cincy and parked the truck a few blocks from the start line, grabbed a few photos with Gina and Tyler, and then started walking to Paul Brown Stadium. Granted it has been 4 years since I ran this race, but I was really impressed with the Corrals - the first year i ran it you just sort of plugged yourself in wherever, this year they were watching corrals and making sure people didn't jump them. Additionally, there were a TON of people - more than i remembered from Previous years.
I happened to look at my HR monitor during the anthem, and it was up at 118 - I thought to myself this is not where I want to be prior to actually starting the run. I hadn't managed to make my corral when the gun went off - i was still fighting the mass of people.
They had done a moment of silence for Boston prior to the start, and after the gun went off, Sweet Caroline was the first song playing over the loudspeaker. Dirty water was the second they played - I had been watching the Bruins game the night before the race, and the guy who got both his legs blown off was part of the pre-game ceremonies - I actually got a little choked up, because frankly, I am extremely lucky to be able to even attempt to log 26 miles on my own two legs - every time I run one of these I am reminded of how lucky i really am (and that's part of the reason people wearing earphones drive me nuts in these things - I get it for training, but earphones close you off and you don't fully take in the entire experience).
A rainbow had also appeared during the start, I didn't see it, but my mom did, and i saw several photos of it following the race - again - shows how lucky we are to be attempting these things.
Mile 1 - 11:11
Jumped into a portajohn to take a leak during mile 1.
Mile 2 - 10:21
Mile 2 takes you into Kentucky, you could see the other runners streaming along further up on the course from the Bridge over the river.
Mile 3 - 10:30
Mile 4 - 10:34
Saw Mom, Gina and Tyler after crossing back into Ohio. I had also passed some porta-johns, was experiencing some stomach discomfort, and figured at some point i would need to visit them again, but it was not an "Urgent" need yet.
We also passed the Jail this year(I think it may be closed). The first year I ran the pig we ran by the Jail, and the inmates were out for their excercise, this year there was nobody in the yard, and the signs weren't there - but the razor wire still was. I've always found it interesting the various iterations of the course each time I run it.
Mile 5 - 11:35
Stomach had pushed into more of an Urgent need - there were lines for the Johns, and then i heard there was no TP, so I lost a minute or so as I initially waited - but then moved on, since no TP would have equaled a BAD DECISION.
Mile 6 - 12:58
Between Miles 5 and 6 I found an open john, and took care of the "Urgent" need.
Mile 7 - 11:07
Mile 8 - 11:03
These miles take you up the big hills of the race. There is also the best view of the race in these miles - you can see for miles down the Ohio River, and the water stop was manned by Sycamore Aviators - thought it was awesome to see the old high school represented at the pig this year.
Mile 9 - 10:15
Somewhere in here i was starting to notice how much different it felt to be running a pace that was closer to 4:40 than the 4:00 I had run in previous years. In those years, i was driving for a certain pace, and it was a "hard" run, if I pooched a split, i was unhappy, etc...this day I was just in it to survive, and so whether i ran a 4, 5 or 6 hour Marathon it didn't matter to me (secretly i was hoping not to run a Personal Worst, but other than that, I was just in it to survive.)
Mile 10 - 10:26
Mile 11 - 9:50
This mile i had started talking to a few people. One guy was wearing his Marathon Maniacs T-shirt, and I got talking to him about it - when i told him about my 2 Marathons in a week, he told me I had already qualified and i should reach out the maniacs to get signed up. In retrospect, I wish I had looked into it earlier, because my Maniac number is in the 7000's, and if I had signed up in 2007 it would have been a lot lower.
I also talked to a woman who was running her first marathon, and had followed the Higdon Novice program to the letter- I told her she was SOLID - and was going to finish, she had done her work, and would be rewarded. On the other hand, I had not done the work and it was going to hurt at some point- I just didn't know when yet....
I also found myself running with a guy from New Jersey who was in town to visit a friend, and had signed up for the four way on a whim. He was scheduled to run a 24 hour race in a month or so, and was talking to me about ultras - told him my pipe dream is to one day get into them. I actually would see him at several points in the race, and he made for great company on the run.
Mile 12 - 10:19
Somewhere in these miles i saw the Sycamore Sports Medicine mobile (when i was there the "Perry Mobile" was one of those John Deere Gators) - now the "Perry Mobile" is like an old ambulance - It was pretty awesome to see both Sycamore well represented, and Perry was actually working the station - so i briefly said hi - totally awesome to see him.
Mile 13 - 10:41
Apparently Mom and Gina saw my back around the halfway mark, but i didn't see them.
Mile 14 - 11:00
Mile 15 - 10:58
Mile 16 - 11:54
I think 16 is where you come thru Mariemont - I started running out of gas here. I did see the shark guy who runs this thing wearing a full body shark costume - he's one that i've seen running this race a few times. I did get to see Mom, Gina and Tyler Twice thru this stretch so that was cool.
Mile 17 - 11:32
Mile 18 - 13:29
I was bonking here. The tip off to me is when I start losing track of what mile I am on, as well as my math skills begin to erode. i was thinking to myself at this point - Mile 18, 6 Miles to go, even at 15 minute miles i can break a 5 hour marathon. Something seemed wrong with that math, but it took me about 5 minutes to figure out I still had 8 miles to go, not 6. Bonking this marathon was not nearly as hard a bonk as when I ran my first one - I don't know if it is because i was pushing thru and trying to make a time then, whereas here i just started incorporating walk breaks, or just because I can recognize the signs at this point and have been thru it before. The Cincinnati Jimmy Buffet Club was manning a water break somewhere in here - they were the best station on the course in my opinion.
Also, the woman wearing the same pig hat as me that I had seen yesterday ran by me here....
Mile 19 - 11:51
Mile 20 - 13:09
The first Gu station was manned by the Big Blue alumni club. I thought that was cruel, giving them that station. I went thru without taking any Gu's partially because I don't think it would have helped, I hadn't used them in training, but also just because.
Mile 21 - 12:27
Mile 22 - 13:36
At mile 22 I had a great "Dad" moment. Tyler came running towards me as i was running along, and I took some photos with him. Great reminder of what is important in life.
Mile 23 - 15:23
Second Gu station was manned by the Penn State Alumni club...Again, i realize when it comes to Ohio State I am one of the "Truck Drivers", but couldn't they choose schools from different conferences?? I would have taken one from Louisville, Northern Kentucky, or Kentucky, but did it really have to be Big Ten Schools?
Mile 24 - 13:32
----------And then the Garmin Died.
Funny how things play out. If i would have been running on track for my previous personal worst, the Garmin would have died as i was crossing the finish line or so. It is also funny to me that i had never even considered the possibility that my garmin would have died, and then to have the guy yesterday talk about battery life - it was foreshadowed that my garmin was going to die...
I ran like i had trained - I didn't put the work in that I needed to. A 13 mile LSD run is not enough to execute a marathon well. The result of that is running a 20 minute Positive split - which is about as bad as i have run in my "career" (if you can call my running a career). I did have fun though - and i now remember what i enjoy about these things so much. They are a challenge, whether you are in awesome shape, poor shape, or somewhere in between - there's always improvement that can be made. It was neat to run number 10 in front of Tyler and Gina, and i'm looking forward to getting the streak back going again - getting a few knocked out a year. Also looking forward to attempting an ultra sometime in the next year or two.
Cincinnati loves their marathon and it is the best organized marathon I have run - this years iteration was no exception. There was much more security out there than in previous years, and following what happened in Boston, I was not surprised - and although there was a lot more security out there, they did a good job of not impacting the race or fan experience. I will say that if you are ever on the fence about what marathon to run and Cincinnati is in the mix, you owe it to yourself to give Cincy a try - it truly is a World Class Marathon as far as the runner and spectator experience.
Results From the Flying Pig Website:
6.8 - 1:16:56
Half - 2:22:05
19.7 - 3:41:46
Last Mile (25.2-26.2) -13:27
Finish - 5:09:13
Final 5:09:13 - Personal worst by 25 +/- Minutes
Four way total - 6:42:43
Placed 110/156
As an interesting aside, there is an Arnulfo Quimare who placed 4th in the 4-way challenge with a total time of 4:10:13 - google tells me he is the Arnulfo that was featured prominently in Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall - wish i would have come across him at some point - would love to have a conversation with him.
Got down to Cincy and parked the truck a few blocks from the start line, grabbed a few photos with Gina and Tyler, and then started walking to Paul Brown Stadium. Granted it has been 4 years since I ran this race, but I was really impressed with the Corrals - the first year i ran it you just sort of plugged yourself in wherever, this year they were watching corrals and making sure people didn't jump them. Additionally, there were a TON of people - more than i remembered from Previous years.
I happened to look at my HR monitor during the anthem, and it was up at 118 - I thought to myself this is not where I want to be prior to actually starting the run. I hadn't managed to make my corral when the gun went off - i was still fighting the mass of people.
They had done a moment of silence for Boston prior to the start, and after the gun went off, Sweet Caroline was the first song playing over the loudspeaker. Dirty water was the second they played - I had been watching the Bruins game the night before the race, and the guy who got both his legs blown off was part of the pre-game ceremonies - I actually got a little choked up, because frankly, I am extremely lucky to be able to even attempt to log 26 miles on my own two legs - every time I run one of these I am reminded of how lucky i really am (and that's part of the reason people wearing earphones drive me nuts in these things - I get it for training, but earphones close you off and you don't fully take in the entire experience).
A rainbow had also appeared during the start, I didn't see it, but my mom did, and i saw several photos of it following the race - again - shows how lucky we are to be attempting these things.
Mile 1 - 11:11
Jumped into a portajohn to take a leak during mile 1.
Mile 2 - 10:21
Mile 2 takes you into Kentucky, you could see the other runners streaming along further up on the course from the Bridge over the river.
Mile 3 - 10:30
Mile 4 - 10:34
Saw Mom, Gina and Tyler after crossing back into Ohio. I had also passed some porta-johns, was experiencing some stomach discomfort, and figured at some point i would need to visit them again, but it was not an "Urgent" need yet.
We also passed the Jail this year(I think it may be closed). The first year I ran the pig we ran by the Jail, and the inmates were out for their excercise, this year there was nobody in the yard, and the signs weren't there - but the razor wire still was. I've always found it interesting the various iterations of the course each time I run it.
Mile 5 - 11:35
Stomach had pushed into more of an Urgent need - there were lines for the Johns, and then i heard there was no TP, so I lost a minute or so as I initially waited - but then moved on, since no TP would have equaled a BAD DECISION.
Mile 6 - 12:58
Between Miles 5 and 6 I found an open john, and took care of the "Urgent" need.
Mile 7 - 11:07
Mile 8 - 11:03
These miles take you up the big hills of the race. There is also the best view of the race in these miles - you can see for miles down the Ohio River, and the water stop was manned by Sycamore Aviators - thought it was awesome to see the old high school represented at the pig this year.
Mile 9 - 10:15
Somewhere in here i was starting to notice how much different it felt to be running a pace that was closer to 4:40 than the 4:00 I had run in previous years. In those years, i was driving for a certain pace, and it was a "hard" run, if I pooched a split, i was unhappy, etc...this day I was just in it to survive, and so whether i ran a 4, 5 or 6 hour Marathon it didn't matter to me (secretly i was hoping not to run a Personal Worst, but other than that, I was just in it to survive.)
Mile 10 - 10:26
Mile 11 - 9:50
This mile i had started talking to a few people. One guy was wearing his Marathon Maniacs T-shirt, and I got talking to him about it - when i told him about my 2 Marathons in a week, he told me I had already qualified and i should reach out the maniacs to get signed up. In retrospect, I wish I had looked into it earlier, because my Maniac number is in the 7000's, and if I had signed up in 2007 it would have been a lot lower.
I also talked to a woman who was running her first marathon, and had followed the Higdon Novice program to the letter- I told her she was SOLID - and was going to finish, she had done her work, and would be rewarded. On the other hand, I had not done the work and it was going to hurt at some point- I just didn't know when yet....
I also found myself running with a guy from New Jersey who was in town to visit a friend, and had signed up for the four way on a whim. He was scheduled to run a 24 hour race in a month or so, and was talking to me about ultras - told him my pipe dream is to one day get into them. I actually would see him at several points in the race, and he made for great company on the run.
Mile 12 - 10:19
Somewhere in these miles i saw the Sycamore Sports Medicine mobile (when i was there the "Perry Mobile" was one of those John Deere Gators) - now the "Perry Mobile" is like an old ambulance - It was pretty awesome to see both Sycamore well represented, and Perry was actually working the station - so i briefly said hi - totally awesome to see him.
Mile 13 - 10:41
Apparently Mom and Gina saw my back around the halfway mark, but i didn't see them.
Mile 14 - 11:00
Mile 15 - 10:58
Mile 16 - 11:54
I think 16 is where you come thru Mariemont - I started running out of gas here. I did see the shark guy who runs this thing wearing a full body shark costume - he's one that i've seen running this race a few times. I did get to see Mom, Gina and Tyler Twice thru this stretch so that was cool.
Mile 17 - 11:32
Mile 18 - 13:29
I was bonking here. The tip off to me is when I start losing track of what mile I am on, as well as my math skills begin to erode. i was thinking to myself at this point - Mile 18, 6 Miles to go, even at 15 minute miles i can break a 5 hour marathon. Something seemed wrong with that math, but it took me about 5 minutes to figure out I still had 8 miles to go, not 6. Bonking this marathon was not nearly as hard a bonk as when I ran my first one - I don't know if it is because i was pushing thru and trying to make a time then, whereas here i just started incorporating walk breaks, or just because I can recognize the signs at this point and have been thru it before. The Cincinnati Jimmy Buffet Club was manning a water break somewhere in here - they were the best station on the course in my opinion.
Also, the woman wearing the same pig hat as me that I had seen yesterday ran by me here....
Mile 19 - 11:51
Mile 20 - 13:09
The first Gu station was manned by the Big Blue alumni club. I thought that was cruel, giving them that station. I went thru without taking any Gu's partially because I don't think it would have helped, I hadn't used them in training, but also just because.
Mile 21 - 12:27
Mile 22 - 13:36
At mile 22 I had a great "Dad" moment. Tyler came running towards me as i was running along, and I took some photos with him. Great reminder of what is important in life.
Mile 23 - 15:23
Second Gu station was manned by the Penn State Alumni club...Again, i realize when it comes to Ohio State I am one of the "Truck Drivers", but couldn't they choose schools from different conferences?? I would have taken one from Louisville, Northern Kentucky, or Kentucky, but did it really have to be Big Ten Schools?
Mile 24 - 13:32
----------And then the Garmin Died.
Funny how things play out. If i would have been running on track for my previous personal worst, the Garmin would have died as i was crossing the finish line or so. It is also funny to me that i had never even considered the possibility that my garmin would have died, and then to have the guy yesterday talk about battery life - it was foreshadowed that my garmin was going to die...
I ran like i had trained - I didn't put the work in that I needed to. A 13 mile LSD run is not enough to execute a marathon well. The result of that is running a 20 minute Positive split - which is about as bad as i have run in my "career" (if you can call my running a career). I did have fun though - and i now remember what i enjoy about these things so much. They are a challenge, whether you are in awesome shape, poor shape, or somewhere in between - there's always improvement that can be made. It was neat to run number 10 in front of Tyler and Gina, and i'm looking forward to getting the streak back going again - getting a few knocked out a year. Also looking forward to attempting an ultra sometime in the next year or two.
Cincinnati loves their marathon and it is the best organized marathon I have run - this years iteration was no exception. There was much more security out there than in previous years, and following what happened in Boston, I was not surprised - and although there was a lot more security out there, they did a good job of not impacting the race or fan experience. I will say that if you are ever on the fence about what marathon to run and Cincinnati is in the mix, you owe it to yourself to give Cincy a try - it truly is a World Class Marathon as far as the runner and spectator experience.
Results From the Flying Pig Website:
6.8 - 1:16:56
Half - 2:22:05
19.7 - 3:41:46
Last Mile (25.2-26.2) -13:27
Finish - 5:09:13
Final 5:09:13 - Personal worst by 25 +/- Minutes
Four way total - 6:42:43
Placed 110/156
As an interesting aside, there is an Arnulfo Quimare who placed 4th in the 4-way challenge with a total time of 4:10:13 - google tells me he is the Arnulfo that was featured prominently in Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall - wish i would have come across him at some point - would love to have a conversation with him.
2013.05.04 Flying Pig 5K
After finishing the 10K, I had roughly an hour before the 5K was going to start. I grabbed one of those foil blankets, and wrapped it around my legs, and went back up and sat on one of the benches outside the Great American Ballpark.
It was great people watching, i actually struck up a conversation with the gentleman facing me - he was wearing a Garmin Forerunner 110 - I had never seen the watch before and i asked him about it. He was running the 4-way as well - and he said he liked it a lot. One thing he did say got me thinking though - he mentioned that he had run a 5 and some change marathon and he didn't have any battery issues - I had never even thought of the possibility of the battery in my forerunner dying - I hadn't brought my charger with me....Knowing it was too late now i figured i'd just roll with it and see what happens.
I also noticed one other woman wearing the same Pig Hat i was wearing, she had run the 10K as well, so I assumed that she was running the 4-way.
I noticed that while i felt good when i was moving, stopping brought back the sciatica and pain in my left "cheek". The 45 minutes or so sitting on the bench hadn't helped - and when i stood up, i had to stretch out again.
Eventually 10am came and the race went off. I had never run this 5K course, but i did know that the back half of it mirrored the 10K course, because I had seen the 2 mile marker on my earlier run.
Mile 1 - 9:59
Mile 2 - 9:33
I actually started feeling really good after the second mile. I never really ever reached a feeling of being "tired" during this race - I just felt as though i was plugging along, on a LSD (Long Slow Distance) run of sorts.
Mile 3 - 9:14
Chute - 1:00
Final - 29:47
Again, not the fastest 5K I've ever run, but I kept it respectable and survived. I headed back to my parents house on the Northeast side of Cincy, and grabbed 44 pounds of ice for my ice bath. I figured it couldn't hurt to flush my legs, I was going to need every bit of luck i could get for tomorrow.
It was great people watching, i actually struck up a conversation with the gentleman facing me - he was wearing a Garmin Forerunner 110 - I had never seen the watch before and i asked him about it. He was running the 4-way as well - and he said he liked it a lot. One thing he did say got me thinking though - he mentioned that he had run a 5 and some change marathon and he didn't have any battery issues - I had never even thought of the possibility of the battery in my forerunner dying - I hadn't brought my charger with me....Knowing it was too late now i figured i'd just roll with it and see what happens.
I also noticed one other woman wearing the same Pig Hat i was wearing, she had run the 10K as well, so I assumed that she was running the 4-way.
I noticed that while i felt good when i was moving, stopping brought back the sciatica and pain in my left "cheek". The 45 minutes or so sitting on the bench hadn't helped - and when i stood up, i had to stretch out again.
Eventually 10am came and the race went off. I had never run this 5K course, but i did know that the back half of it mirrored the 10K course, because I had seen the 2 mile marker on my earlier run.
Mile 1 - 9:59
Mile 2 - 9:33
I actually started feeling really good after the second mile. I never really ever reached a feeling of being "tired" during this race - I just felt as though i was plugging along, on a LSD (Long Slow Distance) run of sorts.
Mile 3 - 9:14
Chute - 1:00
Final - 29:47
Again, not the fastest 5K I've ever run, but I kept it respectable and survived. I headed back to my parents house on the Northeast side of Cincy, and grabbed 44 pounds of ice for my ice bath. I figured it couldn't hurt to flush my legs, I was going to need every bit of luck i could get for tomorrow.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
2013.05.04 - Flying Pig 10K
Waking up Saturday morning i was pleased that my knee did not hurt terribly badly. I had been taking it very easy, skipped playing golf as was the plan before the knee happened, and had been on a steady diet of Naproxen and Ibuprofren Unfortunately, my sciatica had fired up however, and my rear end was killing me. The good news is, once i start get running, usually the sciatica seems to calm down, its just when i stop it starts to hurt again.
I got my shower in, and headed down to Cincinnati about 630, arriving downtown about an hour before the 10K was scheduled to go off.
Found a parking garage within five blocks of the start line, and walked down to the start. My plan was to go slow and slower. I wasn't in this race to win any land speed records, simply just to finish and not kill myself before the 5K in 2 hours and the Marathon in 22 hours.
This was my first time running any of the Saturday races at the pig, and I do have to say, it was pretty enjoyable. Cincinnati does a really good job with their races, each one i ran this year was a lot of fun and well supported.
I milled around the Great American Ballpark for the hour until about five minutes before the race went off, and then found myself a spot in the back of the corral.
Mile 1 - 11:08
This was a zoo, and i also stopped to use a porta john on this mile.
Mile 2 - 9:45
Mile 3 - 9:45
Looking back on this, i'm surprised how consistent miles 2 and 3 were, especially because i decided i was going to run and take photos as i was running. Taking photos was a pain in the butt, not something i would enjoy doing in a longer race like a half or full, but for the 10K it was a good way to keep me engaged.
Mile 4 - 9:41
Mile 5 - 9:27
Mile 6 - 9:27
Again, really surprised how consistent i was in miles 5 and 6. It makes sense, a number of years ago i ran a "Guess your finishing time" race in Norfolk, which involves not wearing a timing device, when you came to the finish line the clock was turned around, and the winner is chosen by the differential between your finish time and your guessed finish time. I finished third in this race, with a differential of 4 seconds. When i'm well trained, I have found i have a great ability to pace myself, but i would hardly call myself well trained for any of these races.
Chute - 1:57
Total - 1:01:11
Certainly not the quickest 10K i've ever run, but i survived and didn't go too hard. I felt pretty confident going into the 5K after this run.
I got my shower in, and headed down to Cincinnati about 630, arriving downtown about an hour before the 10K was scheduled to go off.
Found a parking garage within five blocks of the start line, and walked down to the start. My plan was to go slow and slower. I wasn't in this race to win any land speed records, simply just to finish and not kill myself before the 5K in 2 hours and the Marathon in 22 hours.
This was my first time running any of the Saturday races at the pig, and I do have to say, it was pretty enjoyable. Cincinnati does a really good job with their races, each one i ran this year was a lot of fun and well supported.
I milled around the Great American Ballpark for the hour until about five minutes before the race went off, and then found myself a spot in the back of the corral.
Mile 1 - 11:08
This was a zoo, and i also stopped to use a porta john on this mile.
Mile 2 - 9:45
Mile 3 - 9:45
Looking back on this, i'm surprised how consistent miles 2 and 3 were, especially because i decided i was going to run and take photos as i was running. Taking photos was a pain in the butt, not something i would enjoy doing in a longer race like a half or full, but for the 10K it was a good way to keep me engaged.
Mile 4 - 9:41
Mile 5 - 9:27
Mile 6 - 9:27
Again, really surprised how consistent i was in miles 5 and 6. It makes sense, a number of years ago i ran a "Guess your finishing time" race in Norfolk, which involves not wearing a timing device, when you came to the finish line the clock was turned around, and the winner is chosen by the differential between your finish time and your guessed finish time. I finished third in this race, with a differential of 4 seconds. When i'm well trained, I have found i have a great ability to pace myself, but i would hardly call myself well trained for any of these races.
Chute - 1:57
Total - 1:01:11
Certainly not the quickest 10K i've ever run, but i survived and didn't go too hard. I felt pretty confident going into the 5K after this run.
2013.05.03 - Flying Pig Marathon Weekend
On Veterans Day, 2002, I was 235 pounds(heaviest i had ever been), and I set myself a goal of running a marathon in 2003. I decided that my first marathon was going to be the Flying Pig in Cincinnati. I trained through the cold Boston winter, finished that marathon and was hooked.
Fast Forward to 2013, I'm 235 pounds, have run 9 full marathons, but haven't run a full since 2009. I decide to sign up for the pig in January, and learn they have a new category, the Skyline 4-way challenge. It totals 35.5 miles over the two days, and having a pipe dream of running ultras one day, this appealed to me.
The plan was to drive in Thursday afternoon, hit packet pickup on Friday, and then participate in the races Saturday and Sunday.
My training for this marathon was somewhere between minimal to okay(probably closer to minimal). I initially set out to follow the Hal Higdon Novice plan, but as has always been an issue with my training, I tend to not follow them to the letter. I've always been a low-mileage kind of guy, which partially makes me wonder what could happen if I followed a plan to the letter, but the demands of work and family always seem to get in the way. Looking back at my Garmin readings, it appears as though i started running in earnest in November - the last two months of the year i ran 9 times that were logged (although i know i had a few runs in there that i didn't have my garmin on). I planned my Higdon program to start in January to finish up with the start of the pig in May.
The Good:
I was reminded why i enjoy running so much. Once I get running, I generally can push through any discomfort. The biggest roadblock I have is the thought of how much effort it takes to begin with. I tend to figure if i can't go for 3 miles, then it is not worth the effort of changing my clothes, etc. to begin with. This training cycle, I was much more aware of this failing, and did many more 2 mile runs (although frankly, 2 mile runs don't get you to marathon shape)
The Bad:
Longest run was 13 miles. I went into this marathon knowing it was going to be painful, and it was....I didn't lose any weight this training cycle either. In 2003 I started running, and managed to get back down to 220 for the marathon, for this race, i was 235 pounds. In retrospect, I was much more disciplined in 2003 about running, for this marathon I was convinced i would finish, I just wasn't sure how long it would take me.
The Scary:
The 2 weeks leading up to the marathon were very demanding. The week of the 22nd, i was constantly moving, and a family obligation took me out of town that weekend (arriving in town late, and waking up extremely early). Week of the 29th was also brutal, involved a trip to Charlotte for a 7am meeting on Wednesday, the day before i was planning on leaving for Cincinnati. Meetings continued all day, with me leaving Charlotte about 7pm. Traditionally i would start slowing down on Wednesday to allow me to get enough rest. Thursday morning i woke up and my knee was stiff and painful to the point that i wasn't able to put full weight on it when getting out of bed (a byproduct of slipping at the gas station on my way home from Charlotte, I believe). A trip to the chiropractor that morning gave me the confidence that i hadn't totally screwed things up with my knee, but I was not sure how it was going to feel the weekend of the race. Finally, when driving to Cincinnati, I managed to get caught in the traffic from a major wreck on the West Virginia turnpike, turning an 8 hour trip into a 12 hour trip. Everything really seemed to line up against me leading up to the race.
Friday:
Friday I attended the expo. In previous years I wouldn't attend the expo until Saturday, but my participation in the 4-way necessitated Friday attendance, because my first race was 8am Saturday. My mom and I went down to the convention center right when it opened, and I was really surprised as to how crowded it was. As in previous years, it was extremely large. I was disappointed that the old race t-shirts had been picked pretty clean, that has always been one of my favorite booths at the race. I also didn't see any killer deals on shoes that i had seen there in the past. Still a great expo though.
Laying down in bed that night, i was thankful I'd managed to survive to the race weekend, I was now simply curious if I would survive the races.
My training for this marathon was somewhere between minimal to okay(probably closer to minimal). I initially set out to follow the Hal Higdon Novice plan, but as has always been an issue with my training, I tend to not follow them to the letter. I've always been a low-mileage kind of guy, which partially makes me wonder what could happen if I followed a plan to the letter, but the demands of work and family always seem to get in the way. Looking back at my Garmin readings, it appears as though i started running in earnest in November - the last two months of the year i ran 9 times that were logged (although i know i had a few runs in there that i didn't have my garmin on). I planned my Higdon program to start in January to finish up with the start of the pig in May.
The Good:
I was reminded why i enjoy running so much. Once I get running, I generally can push through any discomfort. The biggest roadblock I have is the thought of how much effort it takes to begin with. I tend to figure if i can't go for 3 miles, then it is not worth the effort of changing my clothes, etc. to begin with. This training cycle, I was much more aware of this failing, and did many more 2 mile runs (although frankly, 2 mile runs don't get you to marathon shape)
The Bad:
Longest run was 13 miles. I went into this marathon knowing it was going to be painful, and it was....I didn't lose any weight this training cycle either. In 2003 I started running, and managed to get back down to 220 for the marathon, for this race, i was 235 pounds. In retrospect, I was much more disciplined in 2003 about running, for this marathon I was convinced i would finish, I just wasn't sure how long it would take me.
The Scary:
The 2 weeks leading up to the marathon were very demanding. The week of the 22nd, i was constantly moving, and a family obligation took me out of town that weekend (arriving in town late, and waking up extremely early). Week of the 29th was also brutal, involved a trip to Charlotte for a 7am meeting on Wednesday, the day before i was planning on leaving for Cincinnati. Meetings continued all day, with me leaving Charlotte about 7pm. Traditionally i would start slowing down on Wednesday to allow me to get enough rest. Thursday morning i woke up and my knee was stiff and painful to the point that i wasn't able to put full weight on it when getting out of bed (a byproduct of slipping at the gas station on my way home from Charlotte, I believe). A trip to the chiropractor that morning gave me the confidence that i hadn't totally screwed things up with my knee, but I was not sure how it was going to feel the weekend of the race. Finally, when driving to Cincinnati, I managed to get caught in the traffic from a major wreck on the West Virginia turnpike, turning an 8 hour trip into a 12 hour trip. Everything really seemed to line up against me leading up to the race.
Friday:
Friday I attended the expo. In previous years I wouldn't attend the expo until Saturday, but my participation in the 4-way necessitated Friday attendance, because my first race was 8am Saturday. My mom and I went down to the convention center right when it opened, and I was really surprised as to how crowded it was. As in previous years, it was extremely large. I was disappointed that the old race t-shirts had been picked pretty clean, that has always been one of my favorite booths at the race. I also didn't see any killer deals on shoes that i had seen there in the past. Still a great expo though.
Laying down in bed that night, i was thankful I'd managed to survive to the race weekend, I was now simply curious if I would survive the races.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
2013.02.09 - Krispy Kreme Challenge
Every year in Raleigh, there is a race that is one of the dumbest ideas in the history of mankind. It is known as the Krispy Kreme Challenge, and when pursuing the "Challenger" status, you are required to complete a 2.5 +\- mile run, eat one dozen Krispy Kremes, and then run back. The last time i attempted this race was 2009, but then it was only a 4 mile run, versus the 5 miles they advertise this year. If you eat all dozen donuts, and complete the race in under an hour, you are considered to have Completed the Challenge.
This seemed like a good way to ensure a run on a saturday when i tend not to be as disciplined on my training. Prior to the race, we parked at Cameron Village, and i walked the 1/2 mile or so to the start line. Took me about 5 minutes to cross the start line after the gun went off.
Lap 1 - 1.0 Mile - 8:58
At this point, I grabbed my donuts, and started trying to find my wife thru the madness that is the Krispy Kreme Challenge. Water was hard to find, and i never actually saw my wife while eating the donuts. After the race, we realized we were probably less than 100' apart, but amongst 8000 runners, it's hard to find anything or anyone.
Lap 4 - .15 Mile - 17:18
I feel pretty good about 17 minutes for my dozen donuts. I ate them in the 4, 3, 2, 3 pattern. In retrospect, maybe i should have gone 4,4,4, but for only doing this every four years, i feel good with the effort.
Total - 59:54
End result being that i completed the challenge, in the goal time. My GI system wasn't right until about Tuesday following the race and I was reminded why it had been about four years since last attempting this race. I suspect it will be another 4 years before i attack it again.
This seemed like a good way to ensure a run on a saturday when i tend not to be as disciplined on my training. Prior to the race, we parked at Cameron Village, and i walked the 1/2 mile or so to the start line. Took me about 5 minutes to cross the start line after the gun went off.
Lap 1 - 1.0 Mile - 8:58
Lap 2 - 1.0 Mile - 8:43
Lap 3 - .36 Mile - 3:30
At this point, I grabbed my donuts, and started trying to find my wife thru the madness that is the Krispy Kreme Challenge. Water was hard to find, and i never actually saw my wife while eating the donuts. After the race, we realized we were probably less than 100' apart, but amongst 8000 runners, it's hard to find anything or anyone.
Lap 4 - .15 Mile - 17:18
I feel pretty good about 17 minutes for my dozen donuts. I ate them in the 4, 3, 2, 3 pattern. In retrospect, maybe i should have gone 4,4,4, but for only doing this every four years, i feel good with the effort.
Lap 5 - 1.0 Mile - 9:18
Lap 6 - 1.0 Mile - 9:26
Lap 7 - .31 Mile - 2:31
Total - 59:54
End result being that i completed the challenge, in the goal time. My GI system wasn't right until about Tuesday following the race and I was reminded why it had been about four years since last attempting this race. I suspect it will be another 4 years before i attack it again.
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