Philadelphia Marathon - 11/23/08

So long time no posting. Busy family + busy job + 70 mpw left blogging on the cutting room floor. I did keep training this fall though and ran the Philly Marathon this past weekend.

My biggest fear going into the marathon was what would happen after mile 20. I was very confident in my ability to roll through mile 20 on a great pace, but what would happen to me physically after that was anyone's guess. Coming out of September and a hard HM I've struggled with a hamstring strain and I knew that at some point the marathon would expose this. It was more a question of when than if.

I spent a lot of time picking the brains of some friends - including one with almost 75 marathons under his belt and they were hugely helpful. The plan, based on my condition and background, was to take it out easy through 8 or 10 (the end of the bigger hills on the Philly course), then pick it up. I had run 15+ @ MP in training, so a plan like that would put me in the position of being pretty fresh at mile 10, then more or less doing a run I've done before, and left with just a few miles to wrap things up.

Race-week in Philly broke in a January cold come early. Sunday morning was low 20s with a teens windchill. Possibly the only upside to this was that it let me obsess for the last few days over something I at least had some control over - what to wear! Ultimately I went with my original plan, race shorts, tank top, compression sleeves.

Race morning I was up around 4 and it was as cold as predicted. Thankfully the corral was pretty packed and not too cold.

It was cold enough though that the air horn froze and would work, so the race started with a countdown instead.

I intentionally started a little further back than I would have knowing that it would force me to start at a more relaxed pace. We crossed the line and wooosh, underway. I tried to limit my picking and moving up.

The crowds in the first mile or two were thicker than I was used to, and I missed the first mile marker if it was even out there. Mile 2 split came by 13:27, 6:43 pace, a little on the slow side but around what I was looking for on those miles. As we moved onto Delaware Ave, I picked the pace up a bit and went through the 5k with a split just over 20:30.

The next few miles lead to a confusing cycle of "easy on the gas" / "easy on the brake". I don't know if my internal spedo was off or if some of the miles were mis-makred but I saw splits like mile 6 (6:16) then 7 (6:49)? Huh? The run up Chestnut street is one of the best parts of this course and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I remember moving up in that 6th mile and hearing 2 spectator guys commenting on me and how relaxed I looked. I took that as a good sign. Miles 8 & 9 have a good uphill portion and I settled in a small group. I was trying to be conscious to keep my pace & my breathing well under control - I wanted to hit the 10 and the HM feeling fresh. I settled in for most of miles 8 & 9 with a Philly guy and we just chatted about the weather and the pace.

The amount of conversation that goes on during a marathon was a surprise to me. I'm used to a little more spitting and gasping for air.

Coming up in mile 9 & 10 the course heads up toward Memorial Hall and a confusing set of twists and turns. Every time I looked up I saw hordes of runners shooting off in some opposing direction. The 10 mile checkpoint was a biggie for me. I thought that a number of the previous splits had been off and I knew that if I wanted to hit my goal for the first half (1:25) I needed to get through 10 in around 65. I saw the 10 mile marker and my watch and knew I wasn't close enough. 10 miles in 65:41.

I was a little pissed. I had wanted to be relaxed in the first 10 but I also wanted to put myself in a position for a strong time and being off pace at that point was not something I was happy about - I had planned for high 6:20s and averaged mid 6:30s.

I told myself not to get too fired up and not to try to make it all up by the half.

So of course, I ditched my last layer and got all fired up and made it all up by the half.

Next 3 miles as we worked down onto West River Drive and toward the Art Museum - 6:13, 6:15, 6:17. I made it to the HM just under 1:25.

I knew that my wife Jen and some family were waiting just after the half. As we came past the Art Museum and headed out toward Kelly Drive my heart started to sink - I was sure I had missed them. But no - they were right on the turn for our last last legit hill and I took the boost from seeing them into a spurt past the group I was with and up to 2 West Point cadets who I ran with for a bit (and who insisted on calling me sir!).

When we came back down Lemon Hill and onto Kelly Drive I all of a sudden felt at home in my race. The first half, starting slow and mixed in with the HM runners was much more crowded than I was used to, but by mile 14 I was in much more familiar territory - small groups of people, fairly spread out.

Outside of seeing family and friends on the course, in retrospect miles 14-19 were my favorites of the race. The crowds really disappeared, the packs had thinned out and it was just me and my thoughts. I started putting down the miles I had planned on and was feeling really good. I was just moving from small pack to small pack, chatting with them briefly, then moving on again. (Splits - 6:15,6:22,6:23,6:18,6:14).

A good friend of mine, and the guy who had really gotten me into running 3 years ago - rode his bike down to the bottom of Lincoln Drive (right before Manayunk) and I was ecstatic to see him there. Pretty much as soon as I passed him though things took a turn for the worse. I had started to feel some cramping in my hamstring back maybe as far as mile 15. But my pace had been ok. Now it was starting to hurt.

Mile 19 was a downhill mile into the turnaround. I would have through that would be easy on the hamstring, but it just started getting tighter and tighter. I was looking for a place to stretch and just not really able to comprehend that there were still 6+ miles left. I made the turnaround and a guy I had just passed passed me back. As best I can recall he was the only person to pass me after the 10 mile mark, but that could be a hazy lie. ;)

Mile 20 I was going back uphill and out of Manayunk. I tried to relax a little in that mile and looking for people I knew coming down the hill. I tried to keep the turnover going and mentally relax everything I could to take the stress of my hamstring. I made it up the hill and back to my friend. He remarked later that I looked a lot better on the way in (when we talked) than on the way out (where I just slapped his hand).

Somehow in mile 22 I came back around (6:18). I remember passing people and seeing a bit of a crowd at the Falls Bridge. I knew deep down at this point that I would make it, and probably in a decent time.

To be honest, I don't really remember much of 23-25. I would just focus on the person in front of me, reel them in a step at a time, then on to the next. Based on the crowd I knew I was moving up through the top 5 women (who has a good race going on) and I started keeping away to pass to not interfere in any of that.

I remember being careful going through the water stops, since they were icing up and putting down rock salt. I stopped drinking Gatorade after getting a slushy mix that dropped my core temp in a hurry.

As the crowds started to get thicker into mile 26 the cramps started to get worse, but at that point it was just a matter of trying to keep my leg tracking straight and moving forward.

At mile 26 or so I somewhat saw (or really heard) my wife, family, but I can't say I was really able to focus on them.

Then, as slowly in real life as it is now quick in memory, it was up a short hill and woosh, into the chute and I heard the kick cheer squad erupt in the stands, then I was done and my left leg was swinging at a crazy angle and I was grabbing at trash cans and people who looked more stable than me and trying to stay on my feet.

Official time - 2:49:11. 80th overall.

First 10: 1:05:41 6:34 pace
Second 10: 1:03:06 6:18 pace
Last 10k: 40:24 6:31 pace

I was lucky that my family was there when I came out of the chute - if for nothing else than to help me get some clothes on! Within minutes of finishing I was shaking like a leaf.

Perhaps my biggest regret at this point was that no one had a camera ready to capture my mom's expression when I started pulling various pieces of clothing out of my race shorts that I had stuffed down there in a desperate attempt to keep my crotch warm!

It was a great run and I was really ecstatic to hit my goal.

Here's some pictures that my wife took on race day:

Me at mile 26:


Going past:


Trying to warm up:


And that's the Philly Marathon for ya:



Numbers for those of you who care about that sort of thing:
1: 6:43.5
2: 6:43.5 (based on 13:27)
3: 6:20
4: 6:34
5: 6:21
6: 6:16
7: 6:49
8: 6:44
9: 6:26
10: 6:39
11: 6:13
12: 6:17
13: 6:15
14: 6:15
15: 6:22
16: 6:23
17: 6:18
18: 6:14
19: 6:27
20: 6:22
21: 6:29
22: 6:18
23: 6:27
24: 6:36
25: 6:31
26: 6:27
.2: ?

Some takeways:

- The weather was tough. I've never raced in weather that cold before and I can't say I'm anxious to do it again. On the plus side, you feet don't sweat much when they are frozen.
- I upgraded from my normal racing flats to a (slightly) heavier show (Asics Speedstar). I think I would have been fine with new T5s.
- I don't think I was really close to running out of gas at any point, but I was pretty close to running out of time on how much more pulling my hamstring could do. I think it might have been ugly if I had gone out hard.
- As everyone says, but you don't don't really know what they mean until you do it, the marathon really is a very different beast than the shorter races.
- The slow start / faster finish probably saved my leg enough for the end. It might not be an optimal plan for time, but it is fun passing people for the last 16! :)

The next few weeks will be an off season for me, so again with the no blogging! Hopefully in the spring the time will be there for some more.

Philly Distance Run - 9/21/08

This Sunday was the Philly Distance Run. This was my 3rd time running the PDR and my 3rd HM.

My goals going in were to PR and run 1:15.

My wife also ran this race as her first HM with a local friend - Alexis. Both got their goal with and both PR'd with a 1:55. I am so excited and proud of them both!

This race was not going to be a goal race for me. That said, I hurt my back early last week on a work all-nighter and ended up trying to balance enough rest to get my back in shape with a couple fast workouts to be ready for a HM.

Based on last years race, I also had some sub-goals - I wanted to get out quicker than I have in the past, stay focused through the middle miles, and get into a pack for the last 3-4 miles.

My plan this year was to go out at low 5:40 pace and give myself the chance to run a 1:15 low and have a chance at a 14 if everything went well. I went out on plan - 5k around 17:40 and 10k at 35:30.

Around mile 3 or 4 I picked out a guy about 30 seconds ahead of me that I knew from some local 5ks. His stride is unmistakeable. I made it my mission to keep my eyes locked on him and try to reel him in over the next couple miles. Last year I struggled to keep focus in miles 6-8.

The plan worked and around mile 8 I caught the guy. Looking at my splits now, it was as much him slowing down as it was me keeping up. We said our hellos and ran together a bit. He asked how I was doing and by 8 I knew I was getting tight.

I hung with a decent-sized pack from 8-10. 10 mile was about 57:30 - about 25 seconds off my 10 mile PR. A cool moment - as we came up the hill towards the Falls Bridge I looked off to my right and coming off the bridge and down Kelly Drive was the lead pack, and in the mile or so I could see between us all, all the chase packs. Very cool.

At the 10 mile mark I knew that I would need a sub-17:30 5k to get close to 1:14 high. With the rising sun and the heat, I was beginning to cramp up (hamstrings, back, shoulders), and I knew my chances weren't great. As the last 5k played out it became a battle to hang on for a PR. Every mile went by felt a little slower and while I knew I had some time in the bank, I knew it was slipping away.

That said I was running as fast as I could. Between the heat and the fast early pace, it was taking it's toll. I saw a lot of low 1:teens guys ripping off shirts, a few dropping out and a few slowing to a walk. That was surprising.

I was dry-mouthed and couldn't get enough water down in the water stops to change that.

Unlike last year, there wasn't a lot of horse-trading in the last few miles. I was in a small pack of guys that strung out as we got close to the finish and didn't swap any places for the last mile or 2.

Finish was 1:15:50 - a PR by about 25 seconds.

Overall I was really happy with the results. I ran according to plan - given better conditions I think there was a little more there, but it was easily the hardest I've run a HM.

My splits were: 5:40,5:40,5:44,5:42,4:56,6:33,(mile 5 was obviously off so probably 5:44, 5:45), 5:46, 5:49, 5:47, 5:49, 5:55, 5:54, 5:55

So what did I learn? Well, I ran the perfect race plan for 2007. :) I knew it was warming up faster than I thought by mile 1 or 2 but kept with the plan. By the time the 10K came around at that pace - there weren't many options left - I was committed. It was a struggle to hang on and PR but I was glad i did.

Overall: 1:15:50, 118th overall, 15th AG.

The PDR has always been a fun race - it's a great fun, fast race. It was great to see so many KR people there.

Some photos from Jen's husband Matt:

Me at mile 5 or so, feeling pretty good:



Then again, around 20K. As Matt said, I looked a little better at 5 miles:

Week of 9/1

Mon: 5 easy
Tue: 9+ with tempo, backed it off to start since the temps were over
80, but picked it up 5:56,5:51,5:50,5:44,5:50, felt good
Wed: 5 easy
Thu: 11 @ 7:10 pace
Fri: 13 @ 7 pace
Sat: 8 easy
Sun: 21 progression in 2:31, last 2 in the 6:30s, felt good

For a total of 72+, a new high for me.

Week of 8/25

Cutback week this week, and it was about time. The little nagging
things were piling up and my legs were a little tired, so it was nice
to take a little break. Of course a cutback week is also a good time
for a tune-up race, right? Right? That's was a funny.

Just over 52 miles.

Mon - 5 easy
Tues - 5000 on the track, 16:54, led for about a mile and a half to
pace a friend to a PR, 2nd OA
Wed - 5 easy
Thus - 11 harder
Fri - 14 hard
Sat - 0
Sun - easy 10

In September I've got 2 half marathons coming up, one this weekend and
then the PDR on the 21st. This weekend is just for fun - I'll
probably do it as a marathon pace workout. The PDR I will run hard.

Week of 8/18

Another week in the books. Still just putting on the miles but I had
a good tempo this week and my first 20 ever on Sunday.

Monday: 0. A real actual honest day off.
Tuesday: 9 with 4 at tempo - 5:37,5:39,5:35,5:43. I felt strong but
kind of all over the place form-wise.
Wednesday: 14, 7:30 pace overall, nothing fast than 7:15. Kinda sore
around the edges from the tempo.
Thursday: Easy 5
Friday: 10+
Saturday: 5 easy
Sunday: 20 in 2:26, felt pretty good, took a few slow to warm up then
just hovered in the 7:10 range. A little tired at the end. :)

Week of 8/11

I ran a total of 67+ miles last week, which is pretty high for me. At
this mileage I start to feel it a little with the aches and pains, so
I'm sure I'll get a few weeks into the 70s, but I don't have plans to
go significant;y higher - just to hang out between 60-75 mpw and build
some strength in that zone.

Monday: 5 easy
Tuesday: 9+ at a moderate pace with 10 striders
Wednesday: 14, average low 7s, middle 10 were all 6:40-7:00
Thursday: 5 easy
Friday: 18 @ 7:20 avg, started slow, then walked it down to the high 6s, low 7s
Saturday: easy 5
Sunday: easy 11

The long run right now is definitely the hardest workout I'm doing.
I'm pretty tapped out by 18 miles, so I know that these runs are doing
me some good.

Wha Happenin?

Now my 2 year old son's favorite line. "Daddy, wha happenin?". Sit
and watch Cars with him and you'll hear it an even hundred times.

So, wha happenin?

Mostly just got busy with life and work. I ran that 5K on the Fourth
of July - much the same as my other efforts this spring - 16:55 or
somewhere thereabouts. I took some downtime the next week or so after
that, then started in with a base building plan for the fall. I've
decided that I'm going to train this fall a little bit more like I did
last year - higher miles, more LT pace workouts, and focus on some
longer races for the fall. I decided that I could use some aerobic
development for the fall so I've started my season by following the
Pfitzinger 18/70 plan. The last 3 weeks have been just around 60
miles with a 15-17 long run.

I'll probably do a 5k late this month for a fitness check. In
September, I've got a couple half marathons. I'm doing a trail HM
early in the month - probably just as a good hard workout. Then the
PDR in late September. I'll run that one hard but don't really expect
to be in great shape by then. I'll probably plan on something at the
Philly Marathon in late November for a peak race.

This past week, 62 miles and my first tempo run of the fall season, 4
miles at 5:45 pace.

Ambler YMCA Summer Solstice 5K

This race report is subtitled by Jen: "I can't handle you and this 5K
thing anymore." <grin>

It was kinda stormy here last night but I figured as long as they were
going to have the race I would run it. When I got there I tried to
avoid the crowds by stretching out under the football stadium
bleachers. It was pretty muddy and drippy, but I thought that beat
just getting soaked in the parking lot.

I saw a few faces I recognized warming up, but not a ton.

The race was about 20 minutes late getting started. I don't know if
this was because they were really waiting for the storms to pass, or
if they were just a bit disorganized.

I was picking out all the fast looking people out front, and (as I
usually do) tried to pick out who I thought was the fastest. And as
usual, I was wrong.

My hamstring has been bugging me on and off since last week's race and
it was still tight in warmups. I don't think the 20 minutes of
standing at the line and occasionally doing a strider really helped.

The race had a funny start. They had been going through
announcements, letting sponsors talk, singing the national anthem,
etc. Then a woman got up and said "Runners I have one more
annoucement... take your marks HONK!". I was like, whoa crap, she
just started the race!

I got a spasm in my hamstring about 400m in, and that made me pretty
nervous, but it faded.

It was a big field, but we all got off cleanly. There were a lot of
high school kids there and one crazy dude with an iPod on who went
through the half mile in probably 2:20. I was thinking I did not want
to be that dude at mile 2. I was in maybe 10th place at the half
mile. I saw a local guy I know starting to settle into a groove and
some of the HS kids started coming back, so I got in behind him.

At mile 1 I was next to another guy and a few steps behind first.
Mile one was 5:04. Uh-oh! It sure didn't feel that fast.

Mile 2 went onto a short nature path that was a nice change up. I
felt pretty strong and was able to keep the leader less than 10-15m in
front of me. There was no 2 mile split, but I'm pretty sure I was
around 10:20 or so.

We went around a sharp turn on the course here and I could see that I
had a good gap on #3.

At this point I thought I was sitting pretty. I thought I could feel
#1 starting to fade and I thought that I might have enough to get him
and the PR.

Then right around minute 11 I got a sharp cramp in the hamstring.
Owie. I thought about stoppping, but this season has been too long to
give up on a race.

The last mile was just painful and my stride was falling apart.
Number 3 caught me just as we headed onto the track for the finish and
I really just couldn't extend to keep up with him.

So I was 3rd overall in 16:53, about 5 seconds behind #2 and 15
seconds behind #1 - both guys that I know.

I won a nice dinner gift certificate for placing. Now all I need is a
race that gives out babysitters!

Those ugly splits look something like 5:04, 5:15, 5:55 pace. Ouch!

The hamstring is still pretty sore today, but I'm going to see what I
can do about pulling one or two more races out of it before I call it
a season.

So I am a little disappointed, I thought I was in a good position for
a PR, but I knew it was a little risky going in. The hamstring was a
big factor, the first mile was too fast. Kind of a dumb mistake on my
part. It didn't feel that fast going out.

Fun race overall though, nice course.

Jenkintown Summer Sunset 5K - 6/11

Last night was my hometown 5k. This is really one of my favorite
races and it's the only race I've run every year since I started
running. Our town is an old-school small town just outside of Philly.
Picture 1920s houses, kids walk to school, small downtown, that kind
of thing.

The race winds in and around the town so I know the roads and the
course like the back of my hand. They have been running it for almost
20 years now.

The turnout is just great. I don't know how many people there were -
but it was easily 300-350 people. I was joking with a neighbor that
we probably knew half the field. That's only a slight exaggeration.
We run a team every year just from our street. Go Team Hillside!

It's a big event for our town. Kids come out with handmade signs,
people sit out on the front lawns to cheer, it's a blast.

So have I talked you into coming next year?

My brother's girlfriend was around to watch the kids, so Jen and I
went over to pick up numbers and warmup around 6. It was still warm
(low 80s?) but waayyy better then it was over the weekend. I was
happy to see that the guy who co-owns the local running store was
running it. He is an excellent runner so I knew there would be
someone to chase.

Warming up was fun, and I did a little bit of it with Jen. They had a
DJ warming up the crowd and when it was time to head for the line he
played the Chariots of Fire theme. Now that's knowing your audience!
I felt loose and ready to go.

I lined up front with the running store guy, a bunch of guys from the
running store team, practically the whole HS XC team and as many other
people who we could squeeze up there.

Things started fast as they tend to do when there are a ton of HS
kids. I let them go and just stuck off he shoulder of the running
store guy. By the half mile it was me, him and a guy in a backwards
hat.

The first mile of the course is almost entirely downhill. There's one
stretch with a pretty good downhill for about 4 blocks. I settled
into 3rd here - I really need to work on my downhill running. It was
still the 3 of us ahead by a bit but I could hear an enormous pack
thundering just behind me, so I was running scared.

I hit the first mile at 5:15. That would be a great split for me
right now for a flat race, but it worried me a little since what goes
down....

Mile 2 is rolling, but generally downhill. Here running store guy
really started to pull away and hat guy was slowly opening a a bigger
gap. Every time we hit a downhill he would add another meter or 2.

Jen told me later that there were all sorts of people we knew out on
this stretch cheering, but I honestly don't remember seeing any of
them.

I could totally feel the burn starting around 1.5 miles. Right at the
2 mile mark, you make a hard left and it's pretty much all uphill from
there.

At this point hat guy had maybe 15 meters on me and running store guy
was a good way up the hill.

I have really struggled in the 5k with making moves late in the race.
When I am running so close to the red line it's just mentally and
physically really hard to get it together and hunt somebody down.

As we started up the hill I thought about settling for third (I was
third last year). Then somehow I decided that I have run that hill
too many times to settle for third. 15 meters became 10, which became
5. About halfway up the hill I finally pulled up on his shoulder,
then pushed past.

I'd like to think that I hammered it hard and put a gap on him, but I
think the reality is that we were both dying and I was just dying
less. Maybe that's the same thing.

Once you hit the top of the hill, it's kind of deceiving. There's
about .75 left and you think it should be flattening out, but it's
still just trending uphill.

Once I got past hat guy, I tried to focus on just turning my legs
over. My hamstrings were totally starting to tighten up.

I pushed as hard as I could over the last .5 mile but the gap on
running store guy was too big for me to close at that point. He ran a
16:35, I was second in 16:50. The kiddos were at a playground and
there is nothing that can get you to hammer like hearing "GOOOO
DADDDYYYYY!!!" Hat guy was about 20-25 seconds back so I had put a
decent gap on him.

After the finish I was just obliterated and my legs were shredded. I
headed back out onto the course with the best jog that I could manage
to cheer on the neighbors coming in and look for Jen. When she came
by I hopped out and tried to run with her a bit, but she was going too
fast so I just gave a big cheer and walked over to meet her at the
finish.

Overall, I'm very happy with the race. I said yesterday that I would
be ecstatic with anything under 17 on that course, and I am. I'm
really proud of coming back to close a gap and beat somebody - I have
never done that late in a race and have sometimes doubted that I
could. Plus it was a 25 second improvement over last year on the same
course.

Grace and I after the race:

Oy Vey 5K

Oy Vey indeed. A bank sign across the street from the race said 91 at
9 am. Plus crazy muggy, which really is worse.

I met a guy before the race who's a local HS track coach and was
looking to run a similar time. We talked about maybe taking it out
hard, but by
the time we were done warming up, the sun had come out and it was just
brutal. I wasn't just wet after a 2 mile jog, I was saturated.

Jen and I had also had the kiddos out on Saturday at a carnival, so i
was already half-baked form that.

Needless to say, we took it out easy. If the guy with the watch was in
the right place, we ran a 6:10 first mile and the both of us were just
chatting. He might have been late, I think we started a little faster
than that. At that point there were 2 guys behind us.

There was no 2 mile split, so I'm just guessing that maybe we ran 5:50
for the second mile, and at that point there was no one within sight
behind us. Maybe all the smart
people stayed home.

We cranked the last mile, maybe 5:10 pace, if all those numbers add
up. He had a bigger kick than me and I was 2nd in 17:40.

Hopefully he weather breaks a little bit by Wednesday night for the
Jenkintown 5K.

Continued...

Jen's report of the VERY SAME RACE IN WHICH I AM REFERRED TO AS MCDREAMY. Thank you.

Sunday afternoon added 10 around 7:30 pace as a rare double.

June Fete 5k 6/1

Saturday I had plans to go to a track meet and try out a 5000 on the
track, but dicey weather led me to skip it.

Sunday though, my wife was already planning to run a low-key local 5k
that benfits our local hospital. So we got a babysitter and I came
along.

I ran into Chuck - a great local runner - warming up for the race. He
and I run together sometimes at the local running store, but with my
schedule I haven't made it there in a few months. He's a great runner
and I was sure he would keep the pace honest, although he had just
raced Saturday at the track meet that I bagged on. I didn't warmup
quite as much as I usually would, but did a some stretching and a
short jog and decided to let someone else go out first.

The race had a pretty goofy start - they lined us up in a narrow
driveway, and we would run down that driveway and make a quick hard
left out onto the road. I decided that I was going to be the first one
around that corner and it wasn't a bad idea, since I heard someone
behind get caught up on the curb and go down hard.

When we went around the corner I immediately backed off and let
someone else take the lead. It was funny, there was a pretty big pack
of us that stuck together, probably a dozen guys or so for the first
mile. It's pretty unusual to have that many people up front in a small
race. The first mile "marker" went by at maybe 5:35, but it didn't
really feel that fast. The course was really winding and hilly so it
was hard to judge. I think it was really probably closer to 5:50. It
was also not the best marked course - there were a few places they had
marked a turn and then sent someone back to say not to turn there.

For the first mile, Chuck and I stayed on either side of he pack, and
no one made a move get get away. After the first mile marker Chuck & I
started to pick it up and string the pack out a bit. One guy stuck
with us, between and just a little behind, but he was breathing pretty
hard.

I had seen a few guys at the start who looked slim and fast, and I
just kept expecting one of them to come busting by, but at mile 2 it
was Chuck and I and the other guy. The second mile was maybe high
5:30s? Hard to tell. Plus I had missed the start button on my watch,
so I was looking at 0s.

The course had a big loop, so when we rejoined I got to see my wife
going the other way. I wanted to high-5 her but there were too many
people in the way.

Right about the 2 mile mark we started a long hill, maybe about a half
mile or so and I decided to make a move. I didn't look back and just
punched it up the hill. By the top I couldn't hear anyone, so I
figured the gap was decent.

From there it was just down a hill, around a corner and in.

It was fun - there were a lot of people a the finish line cheering.
Finished 1st overall - time was 17:30 something. I looked at the clock
as I went across but promptly forgot what it said.

Who even knows how long the course was. I'll guess a little long. It
was so winding I couldn't even remember it if I wanted to go and try
to measure!

Chuck was maybe 25 seconds back so I grabbed a water for him and
headed back out to run in with DW. We metup maybe 3/4 a mile out and I
got to finish with her - her first real (i.e. no jog stroller) 5k - in
25:20!

She was ecstatic. Plus she won her AG and got a sweet little shoe bag.

I won a gift card to a local restaurant I've never been to. Plus they
had water ice at the finish. Sweet! Not a PR day or a PR course, but
fun nonetheless.

Up and down weeks

I've realized that unintentionally, the past month or so has become a
cycle of slightly overly hard weeks that then necessitated an easy
week the next week. Last week was one of those easy weeks, and I'm
going to try to break that cycle this week.

52+ miles:

Mon: easy 5
Tue: 8x400 at 5k with 200 at MP
Wed: 6+ easy
Thu: 7 easy
Fri: 6 easy
Sat: 7 @ 7:25ish
Sun - 15+ long run, 7:20-7:30 pace until a storm blew in, then 6:30s
to stay warm for the last 3-4 on the way home

Was that fun or what?

Jen & I at the Broad St finish..

Week of 5/5

Not a bad week running-wise. The weather has gotten nice except for
the odd pollen attack here and there. My hamstring has cleared up
nicely. I'm starting to head into my racing season and I'm excited.
I'm thinking I'll probably run a 5k this weekend, then one the last
weekend of May, then come June there is a fast local Wednesday night
5k series. After a few of those I'll aim to be ready for a big 4th of
July race and that's about it. Whew. I'm tired already. :)

Last week was just about 50 miles. Workouts were:

Tu: 9.6 with 6.5 at tempo - 5:52 avg pace, felt good. The long tempos
have been a really nice addition this year. I never used to take
these runs over 5 miles.
Wed: 7.5 at 7:15 pace
Fri: Lousy weather, so I turned my interval workout into a crazy Dean
Karzanes style TM time trial, 4 miles in 21:24, 5:21 pace. Goofy, but
fun.
Sun: A moderate, but hilly 10 around 7:20 pace.

And that's about it.

Broad Street Fun

This past Sunday was a Philadelphia running institution - The Broad St
Run. This 10 miler is point-to-point and has a nice downhill tilt to
it. I had been hoping for a PR showing this year, but an over-the-top
workout last Tuesday put me temporarily out of the running.

So I asked my wife Jen, who was running her first major race, if she
would mind if I ran it with her.

Her awesome results speak for themselves.

We got dropped off at the
start line by a neighbor and running buddy whose daughter we were also
running with. Jen and Molly set the pace and I was along for the
ride.

Broad St has swelled to 22,000 registered and has become quite the
traffic jam. It would have been difficult for us to have run
significantly faster than we did from where we were lined up if from
nothing else but the thick traffic. The race director suggested at
the start that they may move to a corral start next year and I think
that is an excellent ides.

I was amazed at the strength that Jen ran with, having only been
running since October (8:45 pace) and really enjoyed taking in the
race and the scenery on Broad St. For once I even noticed as we came
in to the Navy Yard the giant decommissioned warships that we race by.
In previous years I've been too busy looking for the finish line.

Jen ran a fantastic race and I was ecstatic to be there with her and
to be able to see her face as we crossed the finish line together.

It was a blast!

So last week was a down week for me. Yesterday I was back on the
horse with no major hamstring issues - 9.5 miles with 6.5 tempo at
just over 5:50 pace. Feeling good and anxious to get back to racing.

I want to be reincarnated as a bird...

I was out for a nice run on Sunday afternoon - a comfortable 15.
There is a nice stretch of this run that I do on a new trail along a
creek that I found in the Pennypack wilderness. I'm heading out of
the creek on Sunday down a small tree lined road, just noodling along,
minding my own business. All of a sudden a robin breaks through out
of the tree cover maybe 40 feet in front of me and all of a sudden
it's 1945 and I'm the USS Sitting Duck.

rat-tat-tat!!

rat-tat-tat!!

He weaves left, he weaves right. I cover my head.

Splat. Missed by inches.

I live to run another day.

Week of 4/21 Workouts:
Tu: 13 with 10 at tempo -
6:31,6:36,6:12,6:17,6:13,6:13,6:00,6:01,5:41,5:35 for 61:19
Fri: 16x400 100 jog every rep, 400 every set -
77,76,77,77,78,77,76,77,77,77,78,76,78,77,76,77. I hate morning track
workouts.
Sun: 15 comfortable

Week of 4/28
Tu: hard workout and I hurt myself. m1: 5:50 200-1: 34 m2: 5:52 200-2:
35 m3: 5:57 200-3: 36 m4: 5:54 1000 jog: 5:49 800-1: 2:50 30 sec rest
800-2: DNF

Tuesday I was trying to do rolling mile reps with 200 hard between and
tweaked my hamstring. All EZ miles since then. It's not too bad, but
it might put a crimp in Broad St. I'll figure that out on Saturday.

Broad St Special

Last night, 13 miles with the middle 10 progression. The plan was to
drop the pace every 2 miles from 6:30 down to 5:50. Nice night for a
run and it went well.

6:31,6:36,6:12,6:17,6:13,6:13,6:00,6:01,5:41,5:35 for 61:19

Of course I do a workout like that and it strikes me today as kind of
a mystery how I'll run a whole heck of a lot faster on race day, but,
I suppose, figuring that out is what races are about.

When life hands you lemons...

You can always mash them into a pulp with your forehead.

Sunday I headed to my track for some long intervals. I was stopped at
the gate by a guy in a respirator. He said they were spraying an
herbicide and the field was closed. Not going to argue with that one.

Run to another track.

Locked up tight as a drum. I will climb a 6 foot chain link, but this
place has 10 foot iron fences. Nope.

Run to another track.

Finally one that is open. Unfortunately this is on the top of a hill,
wide open, and completely exposed to the wiiiiiiinnnnnnnndddd.

It was windy enough that in the middle of my reps, it blew a trash can
off the baseball field and onto the track.

It was a debacle. The wind which was a straight line just bearing
down the whole front stretch. It was really all I could do to just
put my
head down and try to get some work in. I went pretty hard and was
totally caked in salt and dirt by the time this one was over, but the
times were just ugly.

2000: 6:54 (5:25 pace)
400: 76
400: 76
2000: 7:09 (5:35)
300: 59
300: 56
2000: 7:14 (5:42)
200: 34
200: 40

I will leave it as an exercise for you, loyal reader, to determine
which of those last 200s was with the wind, and which was against.

It was pretty surreal. All down the front straight it was just
roaring wind and trying to keep moving forward, then into the turn and
trying to stay on the track and not get pushed onto the infield and
then *pop* I was around and could feel the invisible hand just pushing
me down the back stretch in complete silence. Then I would feel the
heat of the sun and the sweat and then off the turn and back into it.
Crazy.

Last week about 53 miles.

m: easy 5
t: drunken man's 10k (400 @ 5k pace, 1600 at MP, repeat for 6.25)
w: easy 5
th: easy 7.5 with 3x1/5 (56,56,56), jog, 2x1/5 (55,56)
f: easy 5
s: 10 @ 7:20
s: wind blown debacle

Butterfly Run 5k

I've had this 5k on the calendar for a while. It's for a local charity but offers cash to the top 3, so there was quite a good turnout last year.

Short story: 16:44, 4th overall

There were thunderstorms in the forecast for Saturday morning, so on Friday night we abandoned plans of getting the kids up and out the door early and bringing the whole family. I got on the net and found an alternative race on Sunday which was close to my house, but who knows who would show up.

But come Saturday morning, the thunderstorms were nowhere to be seen. But already having considered waiting until Sunday, I was unsure if I wanted to head out or not. I'm really kind of a fruitcake on race mornings. I don't know if it's nerves, or fear of the oncoming rush of pain, or since I run hard mostly at night that I'm really just not primed to head out the door and race early.

My wife has another word for this, but it's not suitable for a family blog. :)

Anyway, it's a good thing races are early, because if I acted like this all day on race day I'd be divorced.

So after all that, I decided to head out to Great Valley since I figured there would be good competition there. I was a little late getting going, and was worried about having enough time to warmup, but this race director is notorious for not starting on time, so I ended up with an extra 15 minutes up at the line to do some striders.

I don't know if the weather scared people off, but I did not see a lot of people I knew (or knew of) at the start. I did see 3 guys who are local post-college runners, running-store sponsored guys and I knew they would be good for a fast race. One in particular can run sub 15, so I keyed on the other 2. Since I didn't see anyone else at the line who I thought would be running in the 16s I decided to stick a hook in these 2 and see how long I could hang near them.

When the gun went off, it was the 3 running store guys, myself and 2 high school kids. After about a half mile the high school kids dropped off and I just tucked in behind the lead pack. I was tempted to really get in close and try not to lose touch, but the ground was a little slick from all the rain last night and my flats don't get a ton of traction. So I gave them a yard or two.

The course is rolling, but only has some minor hills in the first mile. I was a few seconds behind the leaders at the first mile in 5:07. But the bigger hills come in miles 2 and 3. At about a mile and a quarter there was a decent hill and places 2 and 3 started to drift away. There was a brief moment on the hill where I thought I could pick it up and stick with them since I knew they were heading for 16 flat.

Like I said, it was a brief moment. :)

They got out ahead maybe 50 yards over the next few hills and more or less stayed there for mile 2.

About halfway through mile 2 I had a brilliant idea. I saw a low hanging cedar tree coming up on the corner and thought that I could just brush my head against it and shake some water off (it poured here all last night). These are the kind of brilliant ideas I have deep in oxygen debt. While I didn't knock myself out I hit the branch a little harder than I would have liked. I got nice and wet, but unfortunately also covered myself in tiny green crap. Oh well.

Mile 2 was solo and a slower 5:28. I couldn't hear if anyone was close behind me but I didn't look back. Judging from the spectators there was no one especially close.

Mile 3 was even hillier than mile 2 and I was just doing all the mental-deal making I could to keep the legs turning over. In particular the last hill leading up to the 3 mile marker was a kicker. Mile 3 was 5:34.

Then it was just a short .1 downhill to the finish and a 16:44.

In the chute I had to grab onto the arm of the woman who was tearing off the bibs. I took a knee when I came out and got a little woozy and dizzy. In retrospect, this was nice because I felt like I left it all out there for this one.

I met up with the top 3 guys after the race and had a nice time talking with them and hanging out while we caught the end of the race and the awards.

So although the time isn't a heck of a lot faster then my race a month ago, I'm really happy with it for 2 big reasons - this is a much tougher course with all the hills, and I was running solo for the last 2 miles. Combine that with the fact that it was over 70 for the first time this spring and I'm happy with the progress I'm seeing.

I ran a 17:25 on this same course last year so I'm really happy with the year over year performance too.

Plus my daughter wanted to take her nap on Saturday with my AG medal since it had a butterfly on it. That made it all the more worthwhile.