This was my first race since the Joe Kleinerman 10K in the beginning of December and my first race of 2009. It was good to finally get back out there again. I signed up for several races in January/beginning of February but passed on them either due to the weather or lack of desire.
Although I felt good physically after the Philadelphia Marathon, I think it took me a little while to get into a post marathon "funk". I thought I could avoid it this time around but I think it is inevitable. After the 10K in December, I became a bit sluggish and didn't have the drive to run for a little while. I was running about 15 miles a week for a month and a half or so just to keep myself in a maintenance mode. After a marathon, you can't force yourself to get the "itch" again, it has to come naturally.
By the beginning of February, I was ready to start my longer runs again and get back on a schedule. My off-season strategy from last year seemed to work very well for me, so I was looking to repeat it again this year. By the beginning of February, I was back to running about 20-22 miles a week, and including a longer run of 9-10 miles each weekend, in addition to a day of spinning and strength training. This gives me plenty of rest at the same time I am able to slowly build myself back up.
When I heard about the Cherry Tree 10 miler in Prospect Park, it seemed to be a good first race back. I was finally back to feeling comfortable and running well on my own at the 10 mile distance again and it was a close race out of Central Park. As I did last year, I am looking to mix things up a bit and run some races outside of Central Park. This was my first race in Prospect Park and my first race in Brooklyn. I was excited about and I even managed a 10 mile PR! I didn't think I would get down this low again in a 10 miler - I did my previous PR in 2006 when I ran the NYC marathon. This was definitely a very good start to the year for me and gives me a good idea where I am at.
I was a little worried about the weather given the fact that Accuweather.com and Weather.com were both predicting rain all morning. However, the weather turned out great - very good running weather in the low 40s, cloudy, cool, and very light rain, which was very refreshing.
It is a three loop course that has a "Central Park" feel to it. I usually don't like doing three loop races (due to the usual tough second loop) but I liked this one alot. Since I didn't know the course at all, I tried to maintain a steady pace for the first loop to get a feel for the course. For a park that is only a little over three miles, there are two pretty big hills that I knew I had to watch out on the second and third time around. I tried to be smart and take the hills somewhat conservatively. It took me about the length of the first loop to feel comfortable out there, but I seemed to feel better and stronger as the race went on. I think the weather definitely had something to do with. I felt very good during the last loop and picked up the pace a bit and was even able to attack the hill located on the middle mile. My last mile was my fastest one, with a time of 7:00.
There were no chip times, only a gun time. Therefore, my overall "net" time of 1:15:02 is the time that I had on my watch (the "official" time on the PPTC website is 1:15:09). There was no starting line so it was hard to figure out when to start my watch. Either way, I beat my previous 10 mile PR by more than a minute and 40 seconds (previous best was 1:16:51).
Mile Splits
Mile 1 - 7:27 (might be off by several seconds since there was no starting line)
Mile 2 - 7:49
Mile 3 - 7:24
Mile 4 - 7:20
Mile 5 - 7:56
Mile 6 - 7:53
Mile 7 - 7:14
Mile 8 - 7:21
Mile 9 - 7:37
Mile 10 - 7:00
Total - 1:15:02 (my watch); 1:15:09 (official time on PPTC website)
Avg - 7:30
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Back On the Road - Joe Kleinerman 10K
I've definitely had a bit of a lull/lack of motivation since the marathon. I allowed myself to cave into some of the excuses not to run - too cold, too tired, etc. It has only been two weeks so far, so this is not unexpected. After my last two marathons, it takes several weeks or a couple months to get back in the swing of things and feel back to your old self. I took it very easy the week after the marathon only running once (4 miles) and doing one day of light legwork in the gym. In order to not pressure myself to come back too quickly, I gave myself the license to take it easy for the rest of the year. That doesn't mean no running, merely getting outside several times a week at a comfortable pace and beginning to slowly build my body back up and give myself an overdue mental break. I am hoping to get back to my 9-10 mile "long" run every weekend which I want to begin by the end of December.
This week started off sluggish as well. I went out for a 4 miler on Monday, which was cut down from a scheduled five or six mile run. I was out there by myself which was a bit tough. On Thursday I had the group run which luckily made me get outside. I stayed at the back of the pack with one of my fellow Philly marathoners at a 9:05 pace. That 6 mile run was the longest I ran over the past two weeks and it felt tough. As for the Kleinerman 10K, I signed up for it a while back hoping to used it as a bounce back race after the marathon. It was scheduled to possibly rain or snow, which would have derailed my plans. Luckily the weather cooperated and I was able to roll out of bed and head on over to the starting line. I was not looking to go out fast, but merely to have an enjoyable race. Luckily, I met up with Runner26 and we ran the entire race together and it was just what I needed. We both wanted to go out at about an 8:30 pace, and after running an up and down first three miles, we settled into our goal pace. Having her there to chat with allowed me to not concentrate on my time, but just to go out there and have a good time. Thanks so much AG! This race definitely boosted my morale and will hopefully kick start my post marathon running. With the colder temperatures and less daylight, the winter is a tough period to get motivated to run. The goal is to have fun for the rest of the year/beginning of January and get in my runs without regard for pace.
The splits for the race are:
Mile 1 - 8:40
Mile 2 - 8:21
Mile 3 - 8:15
Mile 4 - 8:30
Mile 5 - 8:32
Last 1.2 miles - 9:51 (8:13 pace)
Total time: 52:12
Overall pace: 8:25
This week started off sluggish as well. I went out for a 4 miler on Monday, which was cut down from a scheduled five or six mile run. I was out there by myself which was a bit tough. On Thursday I had the group run which luckily made me get outside. I stayed at the back of the pack with one of my fellow Philly marathoners at a 9:05 pace. That 6 mile run was the longest I ran over the past two weeks and it felt tough. As for the Kleinerman 10K, I signed up for it a while back hoping to used it as a bounce back race after the marathon. It was scheduled to possibly rain or snow, which would have derailed my plans. Luckily the weather cooperated and I was able to roll out of bed and head on over to the starting line. I was not looking to go out fast, but merely to have an enjoyable race. Luckily, I met up with Runner26 and we ran the entire race together and it was just what I needed. We both wanted to go out at about an 8:30 pace, and after running an up and down first three miles, we settled into our goal pace. Having her there to chat with allowed me to not concentrate on my time, but just to go out there and have a good time. Thanks so much AG! This race definitely boosted my morale and will hopefully kick start my post marathon running. With the colder temperatures and less daylight, the winter is a tough period to get motivated to run. The goal is to have fun for the rest of the year/beginning of January and get in my runs without regard for pace.
The splits for the race are:
Mile 1 - 8:40
Mile 2 - 8:21
Mile 3 - 8:15
Mile 4 - 8:30
Mile 5 - 8:32
Last 1.2 miles - 9:51 (8:13 pace)
Total time: 52:12
Overall pace: 8:25
Monday, November 24, 2008
Philadelphia Marathon - Mission Accomplished!
My third marathon is now complete. I finished the Philadelphia Marathon in 3:48:03, a PR by nearly nine minutes - woo hoo! While my first goal was to merely get a PR (previous best was 3:56:56), I was really hoping to go under 3:50. Training was going very well and I wanted to have a big PR to show for all of the hard work I was putting in. The last few weeks before the marathon, I was calculating what I thought was possible, but realistic: 3:50 was definitely doable and 3:45, while I would need to push myself hard, was attainable. So in my head, I was planning to try and get in between 3:45 and 3:50 which is almost exactly what happened. Mission accomplished!
Traveling - I was glad that I chose a relatively local marathon. It was very easy to travel back and forth to Philadelphia, which eliminated most of the stress surrounding the race. In addition, by running in a local race, a large number of my teammates ran as well. It helps a great deal to have people to hang out with the night before the race and to swap war stories with afterwards, as well as having the chance to see a familiar face on the course when you might need a quick pick me up. There were over 10 Flyers in all doing either the full marathon or the half and it was extremely helpful to have that support.
Weather- I was checking the weather report all week and unfortunately it was getting worse instead of better. Each day it seemed as if the forecast was getting colder and colder. Based on all of the weather reports, we were expecting the start of the race to be at about 25-26 degrees with the high for the day not going up above 35 degrees. I definitely do not like running in the heat, so I would take a cold marathon over a hot one any day. However this was pushing it a bit. I get hot very quickly in a race, so staying warm wasn't really the problem, as opposed to staying dry. I was able to get away with only a long sleeve base layer and my Nike long sleeve hand warmer top, running pants, and my new lightweight Nike Skullcap (this was perfect since my hair usually gets very wet). The start of the race was about 27 degrees, but the temps did not really bother me at all. I was fine after only the first few miles, when I even began to think to myself how comfortable I felt. It was as if it was 45 degrees outside for me. I think that the weather bothered some of the other Flyers alot more. The only problem for me came towards the end of the race when I began to slow down and my clothes were now soaking wet. The last few miles I was really feeling the cold.
Course - I thought the course was great. Except for a couple significant hills (mile 8 or 9 and at about mile 15 or so if I remember correctly), the course lived up to its flat reputation. After being used to the throngs of spectators at the NYC marathon, I was afraid that there was not going to be a lot of spectators lining the course to help give me a boost. Since the race started at 7AM, the first 10 miles of the course was pretty empty as expected. However, by the time I reached the halfway point, the number of spectators grew considerably and they were a fun and lively bunch. By the end of the race, there were so many people lining the narrow streets, that we all had to run single file from mile 26 to the finish line. I was pleasantly surprised by the crowds.
The race - I have been ready and waiting for this race for several months now and I was getting very excited for it to begin. I knew the training went well and I was ready and anxious to have a great race. The cold temperatures were not bothering me and I was ready to go. The first wave went off at about 7:08 or so and after they took off, I was pretty close to the starting line. At around 7:16AM, my day began. While at the starting line, I debated whether or not to join one of the pace groups, but I decided against it. I knew there was a chance I would regret it later on but, oh well.
I felt great right from the beginning. My original plan was to run at 8:40s and then adjust my pace accordingly at the halfway mark. I guess through all of the excitement, I went out faster than expected for the first 3 or 4 miles. I was running at around 8:20 and I knew that that was way too fast. I didn't want to derail my race after only a few miles, so I needed to slow down. I relaxed as much as possible after that, however, I was still running at around an 8:30 pace. Since I felt good, I didn't fight it and kept going as long as I could - exactly the same thought rationale I had at the Staten Island Half last month. The miles kept flying by and I felt strong and relaxed. There was only one big hill so far, at around mile 8 or 9, but I adjusted accordingly and ran my slowest mile up until that point (but still only an 8:52). I was able to cross the halfway point in an astonishing (for me) time of 1:50 and then was still be able to run an 8:30 pace up through mile 20 (I couldn't believe it), before starting to deteriorate after mile 22 for the remainder of the race.
Through 5 miles - 8:20 pace
Through 10 miles - 8:26 pace
Half marathon - 8:26 pace
I try not to get ahead of myself too early, but sometimes it is impossible not to with all of the excitement of a marathon. After hitting the halfway point feeling great, there was a small part of me that was wondering if I can actually finish at or around 3:40, but I came down to earth right away after that. I knew that I would not be able to keep this pace up for the rest of the race, but I allowed myself to dream for just a little bit. By mile 16 or 17, I was thinking that if I can just get to mile 20 feeling good, then maybe I had a shot at the low 3:40s. As we all know, fortunes can take a turn for the worse in a marathon in the course of a mile or two. By mile 21, I was starting to decline, and my thoughts went from low 3:40s, to 3:45
, to under 3:50, to "please let this race be over as soon as possible". The end of the race could not come soon enough. As with any race, there many things to learn from to use moving forward, I was very satisfied that I set a tough but attainable goal for myself and I achieved it.
Through 20 miles - 8:32 pace
Through 23 miles - 8:36 pace
Through 25 miles - 8:40 pace
Full marathon - 8:42 pace
It was a substantial risk to deviate from my original plan so quickly, but a calculated one. Should I have slowed down for a larger portion of the race, and then hoped that I had enough left to pick it up in the final miles? That is always the million dollar question. No matter how meticulously you plan prior to a race, there are no guarantees so I decided to go for it. In order to run a negative split and run faster as the race goes on, you need a lot of confidence in your pacing ability and energy management throughout the race. Even if I stayed with my original plan and ran at an 8:40 pace, would have I been able to keep that up for the entire 26 miles - who knows, but the answer is probably not. Even if I did, my overall time would only have been less than a minute faster than what I ended up running. Therefore, taking a risk in this case did not hurt me. As they say, that is why you play the game. There is no way to know what will happen to you in a race until you go out and do it.
The only reason I stayed at the 8:30 pace for so long was because of how good I felt. I was calm and relaxed and knocking off one mile after another. I hit the halfway point at 1:50 (which was considerably faster than what I had planned), but I did not drop off that much at all for the next several miles. Even though I hit the half going at a 8:26 pace, I wasn't struggling and was even able to hit between 8:34-8:37 for the next five miles. I was still going at an overall 8:30 pace up until mile 20. I was even able to hang on for an 8:45 and 9:02 for miles 21 and 22 respectively. It wasn't until mile 23 that my pace began to plummet quickly. My last 4.2 miles were a struggle. At this point, I needed to take the race one mile at a time. Mentally I was pretty spent. Even though I wanted to, I couldn't move my legs any faster. I contemplated walking for a little bit, but knew myself and if I started to walk, I would not be able to get going again. Also, I felt that I didn't work so hard for these last several months, to let my race unravel with only a few miles to go after I did so well up until that point. My last miles were 9:10, 9:19, 9:29, and 9:29 (last 1.2). Even though I was definitely hurting the last few miles, they were not nearly as bad as they were in 2006 when I hit the wall. Back then, my "wall" miles were approaching nearly 9:45-10:00 minutes and my only saving grace was the fact was that I was able to pick up the last couple miles in Central Park.
Although in my mind it seems as if I went out too fast and then crumbled at the end, I was proud of the fact that I was able to keep up a brisk pace for nearly the entire race. Looking back now with a clear head, my second half struggles (even though they seemed to last a long time) were only limited to the last 3 or 4 miles. My mile paces didn't really start to substantially decline until mile 23-24. As with any of my marathons, I knew that I would slow down towards the end, but my goal was to try and have my slowest miles not go above 9:00 or 9:05 - which nearly happened. In addition, another silver lining was the fact that the second half of this marathon was the fastest of my three so far.
First Half: 1:50:34
Second Half: 1:57:29
Mile 15: 8:32
Mile 16: 8:34
Mile 17: 8:34
Mile 18: 8:37
Mile 19: 8:58
Mile 20: 8:55
Mile 21 - 8:45
Mile 22 - 9:02
Mile 23 - 9:10
Mile 24 - 9:19
Mile 25 - 9:29
Last 1.2 miles - 11:23 (9:29 mile pace)
Post Race - There was quad soreness hours after the marathon, but very minimal soreness or discomfort the day after and beyond. This is much different than after my previous two marathons in which I was in pain for several days and it was very difficult to walk down stairs. I pretty much felt back to normal only 2 days later. I guess I can attribute this to my strengthening throughout the year. I will go for a light jog probably on Wednesday and get back into a running routine again next week. Hopefully my post marathon lull won't be too bad this time around. To try and avoid or lessen it, I need to keep my running light and fun through at least the end of the year. I won't push anything too hard.
Training - Looking back on the last few months and my time for this race, my training went very well. This was the first time out of my three marathons so far in which I felt very good throughout the entire training cycle. I never felt exhausted physically or mentally, no burnout, and I was able to recover very quickly from hard races and long runs. I even avoided getting sick or injured for the entire 4 month cycle. My weekly schedule worked very well for me - four days of running and switching off spinning and weights every other week. This allowed me to get two days of rest per week, while the cross training gave me a day off from the pounding on the roads while keeping up my leg strength. I will definitely keep up my "off peak" schedule that I did this past year in order to keep up my maintenance mileage in the winter months - including a long run of 8-10 miles per week and a weekly mileage of about 20-22.
Thoughts - As this is only my third marathon, I am still in the process of learning all of the nuances of the race. Each time I've run, I pick up several key learnings that help me in my next marathon. I'm excited to see that my time dropped over 12 minutes from my first marathon (4:00:09) to my third (3:48:03). It shows how much you can improve yourself if you put in the time and effort. Pacing is still the biggest thing that I need to work on. Although my overall time probably would not have been substantially different if I ran a consistent pace throughout, I probably would have been able to finish stronger and felt better in the later miles. I should definitely consider joining a pace group for the next marathon I do. From what I hear, the Clif Bar teams at Philly were almost dead on for every pace group. I wouldn't have to worry about my pace fluctuating early on, and it would probably give me a chance at at time in the low 3:40s. I can't believe that I am now a sub 3:50 marathoner - awesome!
Looking past my health issues for the year, it was a great year running wise for me. I got PRs in 4 distances (4 mile, 5 mile, 10K (twice) and the marathon). Things just clicked. I kept up my cross training, strengthened my legs, recovered well after hard runs and got faster. I will savor this year for a while and think about it when my running hits a rough spot or lull in the future (it always does)
Traveling - I was glad that I chose a relatively local marathon. It was very easy to travel back and forth to Philadelphia, which eliminated most of the stress surrounding the race. In addition, by running in a local race, a large number of my teammates ran as well. It helps a great deal to have people to hang out with the night before the race and to swap war stories with afterwards, as well as having the chance to see a familiar face on the course when you might need a quick pick me up. There were over 10 Flyers in all doing either the full marathon or the half and it was extremely helpful to have that support.
Weather- I was checking the weather report all week and unfortunately it was getting worse instead of better. Each day it seemed as if the forecast was getting colder and colder. Based on all of the weather reports, we were expecting the start of the race to be at about 25-26 degrees with the high for the day not going up above 35 degrees. I definitely do not like running in the heat, so I would take a cold marathon over a hot one any day. However this was pushing it a bit. I get hot very quickly in a race, so staying warm wasn't really the problem, as opposed to staying dry. I was able to get away with only a long sleeve base layer and my Nike long sleeve hand warmer top, running pants, and my new lightweight Nike Skullcap (this was perfect since my hair usually gets very wet). The start of the race was about 27 degrees, but the temps did not really bother me at all. I was fine after only the first few miles, when I even began to think to myself how comfortable I felt. It was as if it was 45 degrees outside for me. I think that the weather bothered some of the other Flyers alot more. The only problem for me came towards the end of the race when I began to slow down and my clothes were now soaking wet. The last few miles I was really feeling the cold.
Course - I thought the course was great. Except for a couple significant hills (mile 8 or 9 and at about mile 15 or so if I remember correctly), the course lived up to its flat reputation. After being used to the throngs of spectators at the NYC marathon, I was afraid that there was not going to be a lot of spectators lining the course to help give me a boost. Since the race started at 7AM, the first 10 miles of the course was pretty empty as expected. However, by the time I reached the halfway point, the number of spectators grew considerably and they were a fun and lively bunch. By the end of the race, there were so many people lining the narrow streets, that we all had to run single file from mile 26 to the finish line. I was pleasantly surprised by the crowds.
The race - I have been ready and waiting for this race for several months now and I was getting very excited for it to begin. I knew the training went well and I was ready and anxious to have a great race. The cold temperatures were not bothering me and I was ready to go. The first wave went off at about 7:08 or so and after they took off, I was pretty close to the starting line. At around 7:16AM, my day began. While at the starting line, I debated whether or not to join one of the pace groups, but I decided against it. I knew there was a chance I would regret it later on but, oh well.
I felt great right from the beginning. My original plan was to run at 8:40s and then adjust my pace accordingly at the halfway mark. I guess through all of the excitement, I went out faster than expected for the first 3 or 4 miles. I was running at around 8:20 and I knew that that was way too fast. I didn't want to derail my race after only a few miles, so I needed to slow down. I relaxed as much as possible after that, however, I was still running at around an 8:30 pace. Since I felt good, I didn't fight it and kept going as long as I could - exactly the same thought rationale I had at the Staten Island Half last month. The miles kept flying by and I felt strong and relaxed. There was only one big hill so far, at around mile 8 or 9, but I adjusted accordingly and ran my slowest mile up until that point (but still only an 8:52). I was able to cross the halfway point in an astonishing (for me) time of 1:50 and then was still be able to run an 8:30 pace up through mile 20 (I couldn't believe it), before starting to deteriorate after mile 22 for the remainder of the race.
Through 5 miles - 8:20 pace
Through 10 miles - 8:26 pace
Half marathon - 8:26 pace
I try not to get ahead of myself too early, but sometimes it is impossible not to with all of the excitement of a marathon. After hitting the halfway point feeling great, there was a small part of me that was wondering if I can actually finish at or around 3:40, but I came down to earth right away after that. I knew that I would not be able to keep this pace up for the rest of the race, but I allowed myself to dream for just a little bit. By mile 16 or 17, I was thinking that if I can just get to mile 20 feeling good, then maybe I had a shot at the low 3:40s. As we all know, fortunes can take a turn for the worse in a marathon in the course of a mile or two. By mile 21, I was starting to decline, and my thoughts went from low 3:40s, to 3:45
, to under 3:50, to "please let this race be over as soon as possible". The end of the race could not come soon enough. As with any race, there many things to learn from to use moving forward, I was very satisfied that I set a tough but attainable goal for myself and I achieved it.
Through 20 miles - 8:32 pace
Through 23 miles - 8:36 pace
Through 25 miles - 8:40 pace
Full marathon - 8:42 pace
It was a substantial risk to deviate from my original plan so quickly, but a calculated one. Should I have slowed down for a larger portion of the race, and then hoped that I had enough left to pick it up in the final miles? That is always the million dollar question. No matter how meticulously you plan prior to a race, there are no guarantees so I decided to go for it. In order to run a negative split and run faster as the race goes on, you need a lot of confidence in your pacing ability and energy management throughout the race. Even if I stayed with my original plan and ran at an 8:40 pace, would have I been able to keep that up for the entire 26 miles - who knows, but the answer is probably not. Even if I did, my overall time would only have been less than a minute faster than what I ended up running. Therefore, taking a risk in this case did not hurt me. As they say, that is why you play the game. There is no way to know what will happen to you in a race until you go out and do it.
The only reason I stayed at the 8:30 pace for so long was because of how good I felt. I was calm and relaxed and knocking off one mile after another. I hit the halfway point at 1:50 (which was considerably faster than what I had planned), but I did not drop off that much at all for the next several miles. Even though I hit the half going at a 8:26 pace, I wasn't struggling and was even able to hit between 8:34-8:37 for the next five miles. I was still going at an overall 8:30 pace up until mile 20. I was even able to hang on for an 8:45 and 9:02 for miles 21 and 22 respectively. It wasn't until mile 23 that my pace began to plummet quickly. My last 4.2 miles were a struggle. At this point, I needed to take the race one mile at a time. Mentally I was pretty spent. Even though I wanted to, I couldn't move my legs any faster. I contemplated walking for a little bit, but knew myself and if I started to walk, I would not be able to get going again. Also, I felt that I didn't work so hard for these last several months, to let my race unravel with only a few miles to go after I did so well up until that point. My last miles were 9:10, 9:19, 9:29, and 9:29 (last 1.2). Even though I was definitely hurting the last few miles, they were not nearly as bad as they were in 2006 when I hit the wall. Back then, my "wall" miles were approaching nearly 9:45-10:00 minutes and my only saving grace was the fact was that I was able to pick up the last couple miles in Central Park.
Although in my mind it seems as if I went out too fast and then crumbled at the end, I was proud of the fact that I was able to keep up a brisk pace for nearly the entire race. Looking back now with a clear head, my second half struggles (even though they seemed to last a long time) were only limited to the last 3 or 4 miles. My mile paces didn't really start to substantially decline until mile 23-24. As with any of my marathons, I knew that I would slow down towards the end, but my goal was to try and have my slowest miles not go above 9:00 or 9:05 - which nearly happened. In addition, another silver lining was the fact that the second half of this marathon was the fastest of my three so far.
First Half: 1:50:34
Second Half: 1:57:29
Mile 15: 8:32
Mile 16: 8:34
Mile 17: 8:34
Mile 18: 8:37
Mile 19: 8:58
Mile 20: 8:55
Mile 21 - 8:45
Mile 22 - 9:02
Mile 23 - 9:10
Mile 24 - 9:19
Mile 25 - 9:29
Last 1.2 miles - 11:23 (9:29 mile pace)
Post Race - There was quad soreness hours after the marathon, but very minimal soreness or discomfort the day after and beyond. This is much different than after my previous two marathons in which I was in pain for several days and it was very difficult to walk down stairs. I pretty much felt back to normal only 2 days later. I guess I can attribute this to my strengthening throughout the year. I will go for a light jog probably on Wednesday and get back into a running routine again next week. Hopefully my post marathon lull won't be too bad this time around. To try and avoid or lessen it, I need to keep my running light and fun through at least the end of the year. I won't push anything too hard.
Training - Looking back on the last few months and my time for this race, my training went very well. This was the first time out of my three marathons so far in which I felt very good throughout the entire training cycle. I never felt exhausted physically or mentally, no burnout, and I was able to recover very quickly from hard races and long runs. I even avoided getting sick or injured for the entire 4 month cycle. My weekly schedule worked very well for me - four days of running and switching off spinning and weights every other week. This allowed me to get two days of rest per week, while the cross training gave me a day off from the pounding on the roads while keeping up my leg strength. I will definitely keep up my "off peak" schedule that I did this past year in order to keep up my maintenance mileage in the winter months - including a long run of 8-10 miles per week and a weekly mileage of about 20-22.
Thoughts - As this is only my third marathon, I am still in the process of learning all of the nuances of the race. Each time I've run, I pick up several key learnings that help me in my next marathon. I'm excited to see that my time dropped over 12 minutes from my first marathon (4:00:09) to my third (3:48:03). It shows how much you can improve yourself if you put in the time and effort. Pacing is still the biggest thing that I need to work on. Although my overall time probably would not have been substantially different if I ran a consistent pace throughout, I probably would have been able to finish stronger and felt better in the later miles. I should definitely consider joining a pace group for the next marathon I do. From what I hear, the Clif Bar teams at Philly were almost dead on for every pace group. I wouldn't have to worry about my pace fluctuating early on, and it would probably give me a chance at at time in the low 3:40s. I can't believe that I am now a sub 3:50 marathoner - awesome!
Looking past my health issues for the year, it was a great year running wise for me. I got PRs in 4 distances (4 mile, 5 mile, 10K (twice) and the marathon). Things just clicked. I kept up my cross training, strengthened my legs, recovered well after hard runs and got faster. I will savor this year for a while and think about it when my running hits a rough spot or lull in the future (it always does)
Sunday, November 16, 2008
One Week To Go
Although there were no more long runs left, I made sure to keep up with my training schedule. I don't want to overdue it during the taper, but I feel the need to keep busy running. My Bob Glover NYRR program told me to run 24 miles this week and that is exactly what I did - three runs of 6 miles and a 5 miler today which felt really good. Since I want to take next week as easy as possible, I used this past week's runs more as tempo runs going at a brisk pace but not all out.
I'm starting to get excited and checking off all of the things that I need to get done. The hotel is booked and I already printed out my bus ticket. I was originally taking the train but a bunch of us will all be taking the bus up together. Knowing that it will probably be cold, I made some purchases at the Niketown store and the Supper Runner's Shop picking up a fleece hat and microfiber skullcap. I made sure to not start checking the weather until 10 days prior, knowing that no matter what the weather report says, a lot can change in a week and a half. I checked it today and so far the weather looks pretty favorable - chilly and sunny. I will cross my fingers and pray that it stays that way. I don't really care if it is sunny or not, I just hope that there is no precipitation.
Well, 17 weeks of training and 3 twenty milers down and only 7 days remain. Am I ready - I hope so.
I'm starting to get excited and checking off all of the things that I need to get done. The hotel is booked and I already printed out my bus ticket. I was originally taking the train but a bunch of us will all be taking the bus up together. Knowing that it will probably be cold, I made some purchases at the Niketown store and the Supper Runner's Shop picking up a fleece hat and microfiber skullcap. I made sure to not start checking the weather until 10 days prior, knowing that no matter what the weather report says, a lot can change in a week and a half. I checked it today and so far the weather looks pretty favorable - chilly and sunny. I will cross my fingers and pray that it stays that way. I don't really care if it is sunny or not, I just hope that there is no precipitation.
Well, 17 weeks of training and 3 twenty milers down and only 7 days remain. Am I ready - I hope so.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Final Long Run Completed - Let the Taper Begin
Today's 15 mile long run was the final one on my training schedule and with only two weeks remaining until the Philadelphia Marathon, it is time to taper. The miles and long runs have been put in, and now I need to keep up the maintenance runs and keep my mind and legs busy until the big day.
Last weekend was my third and final 20 miler. This one was a bit tough since I had to run the whole thing by myself. It was the day before the NYC marathon, so most of my usual running partners were unavailable. I couldn't let that stop me. Therefore, I broke up the run into several parts to give me a change of scenery throughout the run and combat boredom. I started the run off by running 6 miles on the reservoir loop and then ran to the start of the "last 10 mile" run that I did the previous two weeks. Since I ran later in the morning than usual, there was quite a lot of traffic on 1st Avenue so I had to start and stop alot. However, it is a great route and I wanted to incorporate a bunch of hills on my run. Luckily, when I entered Central Park, I bumped into my friend and fellow Flyer, SR, and I was able to run with her for the remaining 4 or 5 miles. Since I was getting pretty sore by this point, it was nice to have someone to run and talk with the rest of the way to take my mind off of my pain. Overall the run was a good one. I was able to run at just about a 9 minute pace for the entire 20 mile run. It was great to be able to check off my third and final 20 mile run on the schedule and give me some much needed confidence going into the final weeks.
Today's 15 miler felt great. The weather was just about perfect - temperature in the low 50's and sunny. SR and I ran the first 6 mile loop together at a pretty brisk pace - about 8:30 per mile. I noticed toward the end of the loop that it seemed pretty quick but I felt relatively comfortable so it didn't bother me at all. SR went home after 6 miles so I ran the remaining 9 by myself. My main goal was to keep a consistent pace and feel as good a possible. I was pleasantly surprised to accomplish both. I was able to keep up an 8:35-8:40 pace for the remainder of the run. It felt good to complete the "mileage" portion of the training schedule.
Everyone gets a little nervous going into the taper portion. We are all used to running everyday, checking off our mileage, and using each day to get mentally prepared for the marathon. Now that the hard part of the training is over, I just want the marathon to get here as soon as possible. I will spend the next couple weeks finalizing what my strategy and pace will be. I want to go into the marathon with a plan in place and stick to it as long as I can.
Last weekend was my third and final 20 miler. This one was a bit tough since I had to run the whole thing by myself. It was the day before the NYC marathon, so most of my usual running partners were unavailable. I couldn't let that stop me. Therefore, I broke up the run into several parts to give me a change of scenery throughout the run and combat boredom. I started the run off by running 6 miles on the reservoir loop and then ran to the start of the "last 10 mile" run that I did the previous two weeks. Since I ran later in the morning than usual, there was quite a lot of traffic on 1st Avenue so I had to start and stop alot. However, it is a great route and I wanted to incorporate a bunch of hills on my run. Luckily, when I entered Central Park, I bumped into my friend and fellow Flyer, SR, and I was able to run with her for the remaining 4 or 5 miles. Since I was getting pretty sore by this point, it was nice to have someone to run and talk with the rest of the way to take my mind off of my pain. Overall the run was a good one. I was able to run at just about a 9 minute pace for the entire 20 mile run. It was great to be able to check off my third and final 20 mile run on the schedule and give me some much needed confidence going into the final weeks.
Today's 15 miler felt great. The weather was just about perfect - temperature in the low 50's and sunny. SR and I ran the first 6 mile loop together at a pretty brisk pace - about 8:30 per mile. I noticed toward the end of the loop that it seemed pretty quick but I felt relatively comfortable so it didn't bother me at all. SR went home after 6 miles so I ran the remaining 9 by myself. My main goal was to keep a consistent pace and feel as good a possible. I was pleasantly surprised to accomplish both. I was able to keep up an 8:35-8:40 pace for the remainder of the run. It felt good to complete the "mileage" portion of the training schedule.
Everyone gets a little nervous going into the taper portion. We are all used to running everyday, checking off our mileage, and using each day to get mentally prepared for the marathon. Now that the hard part of the training is over, I just want the marathon to get here as soon as possible. I will spend the next couple weeks finalizing what my strategy and pace will be. I want to go into the marathon with a plan in place and stick to it as long as I can.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
More Training - Week of 10/20/08
The schedule called for 40 miles this week, but it was tough to fit in that amount. I ran a hard twenty miles on the Sunday before this week, so I needed to give myself a rest day on Monday. And once I factored in my weights day on Tuesday, it would be a very hard feat to squeeze in 40 miles from Weds-Sunday, especially if my long run for the week was only 13 miles. Not wanting to bite off more than I could chew, I lowered the overall goal for the week from 40 to 35 or 36 miles.
This was a "step down" week anyway, so as long as I got in my long run, I figured that I would be fine. I was on track with my mileage going into the weekend. The Flyers had another "last 10 miles of the marathon" run on Sunday and I joined in. It is a great run and it is always easier running with a group. The problem was squeezing in the additional 3 miles. I went out the night before, but I was still optimistic that I would wake up early and get in the 3 miles beforehand. That wasn't going to happen. Since a bunch of us were going out to brunch after the run, I knew that I was only going to get in a long run of 10 miles. I was a disappointed since I wasn't able to squeeze in the allotted long run for the week, but I don't think the extra three miles would have made much of a difference. I felt great on the 10 mile run, which is all that really matters. I would much rather run a little less during a week that had a "shorter" long run than to skimp out on a 20 miler which is more important. I got in 33 miles for the week, which is still a sizeable amount. A step down week is intended to give your body a little bit of a rest before a harder week, and that is exactly what I did.
I am trying to make sure that I follow the schedule for this week and stay on track. This week is scheduled to be my last 20 miler and I am would like to get in 38 miles and then start to lower the weekly mileage. Less than a month before the Phila marathon - yeah! I am volunteering again this year at the NYC marathon and I'm hoping that it will excite me even more for my upcoming marathon.
Good luck to all the Flyers running this weekend. See you on the course!
This was a "step down" week anyway, so as long as I got in my long run, I figured that I would be fine. I was on track with my mileage going into the weekend. The Flyers had another "last 10 miles of the marathon" run on Sunday and I joined in. It is a great run and it is always easier running with a group. The problem was squeezing in the additional 3 miles. I went out the night before, but I was still optimistic that I would wake up early and get in the 3 miles beforehand. That wasn't going to happen. Since a bunch of us were going out to brunch after the run, I knew that I was only going to get in a long run of 10 miles. I was a disappointed since I wasn't able to squeeze in the allotted long run for the week, but I don't think the extra three miles would have made much of a difference. I felt great on the 10 mile run, which is all that really matters. I would much rather run a little less during a week that had a "shorter" long run than to skimp out on a 20 miler which is more important. I got in 33 miles for the week, which is still a sizeable amount. A step down week is intended to give your body a little bit of a rest before a harder week, and that is exactly what I did.
I am trying to make sure that I follow the schedule for this week and stay on track. This week is scheduled to be my last 20 miler and I am would like to get in 38 miles and then start to lower the weekly mileage. Less than a month before the Phila marathon - yeah! I am volunteering again this year at the NYC marathon and I'm hoping that it will excite me even more for my upcoming marathon.
Good luck to all the Flyers running this weekend. See you on the course!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
19 Miles - This Was A Tough One
This week the long run that was scheduled was a 20 miler. This will be my second 20 mile long run and I was looking forward to getting it out of the way. I was hoping not to do alone, so I was glad to see that the NY Flyers were planning a "Last 10 miles of the NYC Marathon" run. I decided to use that for part of the run and do the rest on my own.
I was hoping to run about 7 miles beforehand, but that was not to be. I was tired from the night before (my friend's birthday) and decided to sleep in and do more mileage after the Flyer run. I know how much harder it is to tack on mileage after an organized run but I had no other choice. I planned out a run beforehand that would get me to the start of the Flyer run only a few minutes before they took off. I started at Engineer's Gate and ran the 2.5 miles to the base of the Queensboro Bridge to meet up with my fellow teammates. We then followed the last 10 miles of the marathon course to Tavern on the Green. Then JT and I continued another 3 miles back to Engineer's Gate and then we did one loop of the Reservoir together and I continued on for another one and a half loops.
At the end of the day, I ran 19 miles and it was the hardest of the long runs that I've done so far. That's not to say that this run was extremely difficult (although it was tough), but rather it talks to how well I felt on my previous long runs, even the 20 miler from two weeks ago. I really felt the soreness and discomfort at the completion at the run and felt pretty wiped out afterwards, which I haven't felt in the past. While I was a little discouraged, I realized that not every long run is going to feel great and that I should be happy that I got another very long run out of the way. Training is hard work and sometimes you are going to have a rough day. Try and figure out what made this run different from the others and learn from this experience for next time.
The weather was a bit chilly, but great to run in. The temperature was one of the positive parts of the run. However, there were some things that probably contributed to the difficulty of the run for me. I went out last night for my friend's birthday and got to bed a lot later than I would have hoped. Usually, I make myself get to bed early the night before and make sure that I am as well rested as possible. Also, the course is a very hard surface to run on and probably took a large toll on my legs and ankles. I am used to running on the Reservoir surface one or twice a week to conserve my legs so running on the street and sidewalk for almost 15 miles must have been very jarring for my body. By the end of the run, my legs were very sore and I was shuffling quite a bit, just wanting the run to end. Rather than gut out another mile for no reason, I decided to stop the run at 19. In addition, when I am not doing a long run as part of a race (with mile markers) it is very hard to gauge what my pace is. I was hoping to go out at a relaxing pace but I definitely picked it up during the "last 10 mile" portion of the run and went out quicker than I should have. When you are going just by feel, it could get dangerous and I just need to remind myself not to do this during the marathon. I have been very good on the last few long runs keeping my pace in check and staying calm/consistent and I need to get back to that next time. Unfortunately, I let today's run get away from me a little bit. I know not to do that again. By the time we passed Tavern on the Green and I had another 7.5 miles to go, I knew that things were going to get very tough.
Well, two 20 milers are out of the way and only one more to go. To all the NYC marathoners, good luck with your tapers.
I was hoping to run about 7 miles beforehand, but that was not to be. I was tired from the night before (my friend's birthday) and decided to sleep in and do more mileage after the Flyer run. I know how much harder it is to tack on mileage after an organized run but I had no other choice. I planned out a run beforehand that would get me to the start of the Flyer run only a few minutes before they took off. I started at Engineer's Gate and ran the 2.5 miles to the base of the Queensboro Bridge to meet up with my fellow teammates. We then followed the last 10 miles of the marathon course to Tavern on the Green. Then JT and I continued another 3 miles back to Engineer's Gate and then we did one loop of the Reservoir together and I continued on for another one and a half loops.
At the end of the day, I ran 19 miles and it was the hardest of the long runs that I've done so far. That's not to say that this run was extremely difficult (although it was tough), but rather it talks to how well I felt on my previous long runs, even the 20 miler from two weeks ago. I really felt the soreness and discomfort at the completion at the run and felt pretty wiped out afterwards, which I haven't felt in the past. While I was a little discouraged, I realized that not every long run is going to feel great and that I should be happy that I got another very long run out of the way. Training is hard work and sometimes you are going to have a rough day. Try and figure out what made this run different from the others and learn from this experience for next time.
The weather was a bit chilly, but great to run in. The temperature was one of the positive parts of the run. However, there were some things that probably contributed to the difficulty of the run for me. I went out last night for my friend's birthday and got to bed a lot later than I would have hoped. Usually, I make myself get to bed early the night before and make sure that I am as well rested as possible. Also, the course is a very hard surface to run on and probably took a large toll on my legs and ankles. I am used to running on the Reservoir surface one or twice a week to conserve my legs so running on the street and sidewalk for almost 15 miles must have been very jarring for my body. By the end of the run, my legs were very sore and I was shuffling quite a bit, just wanting the run to end. Rather than gut out another mile for no reason, I decided to stop the run at 19. In addition, when I am not doing a long run as part of a race (with mile markers) it is very hard to gauge what my pace is. I was hoping to go out at a relaxing pace but I definitely picked it up during the "last 10 mile" portion of the run and went out quicker than I should have. When you are going just by feel, it could get dangerous and I just need to remind myself not to do this during the marathon. I have been very good on the last few long runs keeping my pace in check and staying calm/consistent and I need to get back to that next time. Unfortunately, I let today's run get away from me a little bit. I know not to do that again. By the time we passed Tavern on the Green and I had another 7.5 miles to go, I knew that things were going to get very tough.
Well, two 20 milers are out of the way and only one more to go. To all the NYC marathoners, good luck with your tapers.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Staten Island Half - 10/12/08
The marathon training continues and is still going well. Today was my first time doing the Staten Island Half Marathon (and my third half marathon in three weeks, although last week was part of a 20 mile run). The weather was great, although not necessarily ideal. The sun was out and it wasn't humid, however the late 9:40AM start allowed for some hotter temperatures during the second half of the run. There were stretches during the race on long, straight roads with no cover from the sun, but I never felt overheated. It was an out and back course, and was relatively flat with a few major hills, the last one coming with only a few miles remaining (yikes!). I was happy to have run the race and now I can check another borough off of my half marathon checklist (Bronx and Brooklyn remain). These days, I jump at the chance to run a local race outside of Central Park and usually am able to run a good time as well. Today was no different. I ran a time of 1:43:15 (7:52 pace) which is my fastest time in two years, and only one second off of my second best time (the Runner's World Half in April 2006 - 1:43:14).
Going into the race, I didn't have a definite strategy. I wanted to run quicker than last week (which was part of a 20 miler and run at a marathon pace), but I wasn't sure if I wanted to go all or not, or at least close to it. I decided to go a little bit easier in the beginning and start at an 8:30 pace (or 17:00 through two miles allowing for adjustments) and adjust my time accordingly depending on how I felt. At this point in my training, the specific pace isn't as important as being in control and feeling comfortable. The key for me is to not have huge swings in pace and to adjust my pace gradually if I want to go faster. If I am running a quicker pace, I am fine staying with it as long as it feels good and I am not straining.
I started the race at what felt like a relaxed pace. I was weaving through traffic a bit but became settled towards the end of the the first mile. As the mile 1 sign passed me by, I looked down at my watch and saw 8:00 on the dot. This was faster than I originally planned so I told myself to slow down a bit. Therefore, I relaxed a bit, so I thought, and got into a good groove. However, after going past the mile 2 sign, I saw that I ran faster than mile 1, with a time of 7:54. I did not want to tire myself out too quickly, so one more time, I tried to slow down a little bit but ended up completing mile 3 in 7:47. At this point, I realized that there was no use in trying to fight my pace. I felt good, comfortable and controlled and figured that I might as well stay at this pace throughout. It's one thing for me to try and go out at a fast pace right out of the gate (which can tire me out very quickly if I miscalculate), but if my pace naturally gravitates to a certain time then this must be my body letting me know what it can handle. Usually, I can tell within the first 3 or 4 miles how the rest of the race was going to go and this felt like a good day. It was just one of those days I guess, and I decided to take advantage of it. After mile 3, I revised my goal to around an 8:00 pace and to remain as consistent as possible. The rest of the race from that point forward went relatively smoothly - my pace hovered around 7:50 for most of the run, except for the huge hill towards the end. Nothing deflates you more than thinking you only have 3 or 4 miles to go and seeing a big hill in front of you and having no idea how far it goes.
I had my usual soreness in my knee and right ankle but nothing I couldn't run through. The turnaround point allowed me to say hi to a number of Flyers running the race. When I saw the Laminator, he was all by himself towards the front of of the pack and way ahead of me (congrats on your incredible PR). People tell me that the Philadelphia course is relatively flat with a few hills, so I am hoping that today's course gave me a small preview of what it is like to run on a flatter course. It allows me to lengthen my stride and makes it easier to keep a steady pace, since you don't have to continually adjust for hills. This was definitely a confidence booster for me, and helped me to further define what my strategy will be on race day and what pace I can handle.
Below are the mile splits from the race:
Mile 1- 8:00
Mile 2- 7:54
Mile 3- 7:47
Mile 4- 7:57
Mile 5- 8:07
Mile 6- 7:42
Mile 7- 7:57
Mile 8- 8:18
Mile 9- 7:49
Mile 10- 7:51
Mile 11- 7:55
Mile 12- 7:50
Last 1.1 miles - 7:21 pace (total of 8:05)
Total time: 1:43:15; average pace of 7:52
The key to the next week is to be smart. I have run three half marathons in three weeks and a total of 38 miles this week which is the most I have run since I last trained for a marathon. Even though I have been feeling pretty good post race, I need to get my rest days in and stay off my feet and keep up with my spinning/strength training throughout the remainder of the schedule. With my mileage increasing, rest and cross training are as important as ever to my overall well-being.
Going into the race, I didn't have a definite strategy. I wanted to run quicker than last week (which was part of a 20 miler and run at a marathon pace), but I wasn't sure if I wanted to go all or not, or at least close to it. I decided to go a little bit easier in the beginning and start at an 8:30 pace (or 17:00 through two miles allowing for adjustments) and adjust my time accordingly depending on how I felt. At this point in my training, the specific pace isn't as important as being in control and feeling comfortable. The key for me is to not have huge swings in pace and to adjust my pace gradually if I want to go faster. If I am running a quicker pace, I am fine staying with it as long as it feels good and I am not straining.
I started the race at what felt like a relaxed pace. I was weaving through traffic a bit but became settled towards the end of the the first mile. As the mile 1 sign passed me by, I looked down at my watch and saw 8:00 on the dot. This was faster than I originally planned so I told myself to slow down a bit. Therefore, I relaxed a bit, so I thought, and got into a good groove. However, after going past the mile 2 sign, I saw that I ran faster than mile 1, with a time of 7:54. I did not want to tire myself out too quickly, so one more time, I tried to slow down a little bit but ended up completing mile 3 in 7:47. At this point, I realized that there was no use in trying to fight my pace. I felt good, comfortable and controlled and figured that I might as well stay at this pace throughout. It's one thing for me to try and go out at a fast pace right out of the gate (which can tire me out very quickly if I miscalculate), but if my pace naturally gravitates to a certain time then this must be my body letting me know what it can handle. Usually, I can tell within the first 3 or 4 miles how the rest of the race was going to go and this felt like a good day. It was just one of those days I guess, and I decided to take advantage of it. After mile 3, I revised my goal to around an 8:00 pace and to remain as consistent as possible. The rest of the race from that point forward went relatively smoothly - my pace hovered around 7:50 for most of the run, except for the huge hill towards the end. Nothing deflates you more than thinking you only have 3 or 4 miles to go and seeing a big hill in front of you and having no idea how far it goes.
I had my usual soreness in my knee and right ankle but nothing I couldn't run through. The turnaround point allowed me to say hi to a number of Flyers running the race. When I saw the Laminator, he was all by himself towards the front of of the pack and way ahead of me (congrats on your incredible PR). People tell me that the Philadelphia course is relatively flat with a few hills, so I am hoping that today's course gave me a small preview of what it is like to run on a flatter course. It allows me to lengthen my stride and makes it easier to keep a steady pace, since you don't have to continually adjust for hills. This was definitely a confidence booster for me, and helped me to further define what my strategy will be on race day and what pace I can handle.
Below are the mile splits from the race:
Mile 1- 8:00
Mile 2- 7:54
Mile 3- 7:47
Mile 4- 7:57
Mile 5- 8:07
Mile 6- 7:42
Mile 7- 7:57
Mile 8- 8:18
Mile 9- 7:49
Mile 10- 7:51
Mile 11- 7:55
Mile 12- 7:50
Last 1.1 miles - 7:21 pace (total of 8:05)
Total time: 1:43:15; average pace of 7:52
The key to the next week is to be smart. I have run three half marathons in three weeks and a total of 38 miles this week which is the most I have run since I last trained for a marathon. Even though I have been feeling pretty good post race, I need to get my rest days in and stay off my feet and keep up with my spinning/strength training throughout the remainder of the schedule. With my mileage increasing, rest and cross training are as important as ever to my overall well-being.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Grete's Half Marathon Plus Seven
I finally took the plunge and signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 23rd. I've been using a training program for the last two and a half months and have been feeling pretty good so far. This weekend was the first 20 miler on the schedule (and my first one since training for NYC in 2006) and I was ready to give it a try. The Grete's Half Marathon was this weekend, so I decided to add another 7 miles (approx.) to it for a total of 20 miles. I originally planned to run a 9:00-9:10 pace for the entire run, but as I thought more about it, I realized that this would be a good opportunity for me to try running at a "marathon" pace. The more runs I do at my goal pace, the easier it will be to do during the marathon. Therefore, I had a goal pace of 8:45-8:50 for the half marathon portion, and a little slower for the 6.7 miles prior to the race. No reason to tire myself out. If this went well, then I felt that this could be a good race strategy for the marathon.
Today showed me what could happen when there is a combination of great weather and a consistent, controlled pace (finally). The weather was in the low-mid 50's which is what I like and there was a slight drizzle, but nothing heavy. As for the entire 20 mile run, I felt as good as I could have hoped for. My pace for the half marathon was very consistent and I was able to hit the same mile pace (within 10-15 seconds) for nearly the entire race. Other than my hips and ankles, which got sore by the end of the run, I felt really good and made sure to make a mental note of what this felt like. So if I start to struggle a bit in the coming weeks as the mileage increases, I want to be able to think back and remember that it is possible to feel strong on a 20 mile run.
My run before the half consisted of starting at the 72nd street transverse, running north to Engineer's Gate, then running 3 loops of the reservoir, and then running back to the start of the race on 70th street. I was able to go out at a 8:55-9:00 pace and it felt good and I stayed calm and relaxed throughout. It allowed me to loosen up well and remain only a little bit above my overall goal pace. I timed it perfectly so that I could just continue into the start of the race without any stopping. As for the half marathon, I started out at a 9:03 pace for the first mile and it turned out to be a good idea, forcing me not to go out fast. After weaving around some people traffic for the next mile, I tried to settle into my goal pace which I was able to do around mile 4. I made sure to stay relaxed and try and keep up the 8:50 as long as possible. I was in a good groove for the rest of the race and kind of had the "autopilot" feeling that I had at the Queens Half last year. While I was starting to get sore by the last few miles, I was able to pick up the pace a bit for miles 12 and 13. Although I was happy for the race to be over, I did not feel "spent" or exhausted.
I will continue to practice my race pace on upcoming runs, and try and hone the strategy that I used today since it seemed to work well. I also need to remember to ease into a race (which happened today) and gradually pick up the pace. It will come. Next up on the schedule is the Staten Island Half Marathon. Not sure yet if I will race it or not.
Below are the splits from today:
Prior to Half Marathon:
-About 6.7 miles: 58:16 total time
Grete's Half Marathon:
Mile 1 - 9:03
Mile 2 - 8:49
Mile 3 - 8:39
Mile 4 - 8:51
Mile 5 - 8:46
Mile 6 - 8:49
Mile 7 - 8:41
Mile 8 - 8:54
Mile 9 - 8:57
Mile 10 - 9:08
Mile 11 - 8:35
Mile 12 - 8:36
Last 1.1 miles - 9:10 (mile pace of 8:20)
Overall time for the half: 1:55:02; pace of 8:46
Approximate pace for 19.8 mile run - 8:45-8:46 (total time of 2:53:18)
Today showed me what could happen when there is a combination of great weather and a consistent, controlled pace (finally). The weather was in the low-mid 50's which is what I like and there was a slight drizzle, but nothing heavy. As for the entire 20 mile run, I felt as good as I could have hoped for. My pace for the half marathon was very consistent and I was able to hit the same mile pace (within 10-15 seconds) for nearly the entire race. Other than my hips and ankles, which got sore by the end of the run, I felt really good and made sure to make a mental note of what this felt like. So if I start to struggle a bit in the coming weeks as the mileage increases, I want to be able to think back and remember that it is possible to feel strong on a 20 mile run.
My run before the half consisted of starting at the 72nd street transverse, running north to Engineer's Gate, then running 3 loops of the reservoir, and then running back to the start of the race on 70th street. I was able to go out at a 8:55-9:00 pace and it felt good and I stayed calm and relaxed throughout. It allowed me to loosen up well and remain only a little bit above my overall goal pace. I timed it perfectly so that I could just continue into the start of the race without any stopping. As for the half marathon, I started out at a 9:03 pace for the first mile and it turned out to be a good idea, forcing me not to go out fast. After weaving around some people traffic for the next mile, I tried to settle into my goal pace which I was able to do around mile 4. I made sure to stay relaxed and try and keep up the 8:50 as long as possible. I was in a good groove for the rest of the race and kind of had the "autopilot" feeling that I had at the Queens Half last year. While I was starting to get sore by the last few miles, I was able to pick up the pace a bit for miles 12 and 13. Although I was happy for the race to be over, I did not feel "spent" or exhausted.
I will continue to practice my race pace on upcoming runs, and try and hone the strategy that I used today since it seemed to work well. I also need to remember to ease into a race (which happened today) and gradually pick up the pace. It will come. Next up on the schedule is the Staten Island Half Marathon. Not sure yet if I will race it or not.
Below are the splits from today:
Prior to Half Marathon:
-About 6.7 miles: 58:16 total time
Grete's Half Marathon:
Mile 1 - 9:03
Mile 2 - 8:49
Mile 3 - 8:39
Mile 4 - 8:51
Mile 5 - 8:46
Mile 6 - 8:49
Mile 7 - 8:41
Mile 8 - 8:54
Mile 9 - 8:57
Mile 10 - 9:08
Mile 11 - 8:35
Mile 12 - 8:36
Last 1.1 miles - 9:10 (mile pace of 8:20)
Overall time for the half: 1:55:02; pace of 8:46
Approximate pace for 19.8 mile run - 8:45-8:46 (total time of 2:53:18)
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Newport Liberty Half Marathon - 9/28/08
This morning was the Newport Half Marathon in Jersey City. I was looking forward to running a half marathon again since the last one I did was way back in January (the Manhattan Half in Central Park). Since I was looking for a local race to run that was outside of Central Park and relatively easy to get to, this race seemed like a good choice. It was mainly flat (some minor hills) and had nice views of the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan (the parts of it that I could see through the fog). It was also nice to see a number of Flyers at the race. I traveled in with LL (the Laminator) and BH (trakmaniak), and then saw TD, CM, and JAM in the pre-race area.
I had pretty good expectations for the race due to the lack of hills, but I wanted to be reasonable given the fact that this was my first half marathon in about 8 months. I was originally hoping for a time that was under 1:45 (due to the flatness of the course), however, I adjusted my time 4 or 5 miles into the race. This was a tougher race than I expected and I realized that I probably wasn't going to get my original goal for the day, but I still had the chance to run a good/smart race.
My total time for the day was a gun time of 1:46:45. This race did not have a "net" time, although we did wear a chip (since there was no starting line, everyone's first mile time was a bit off since you didn't know when to start your watch). All they needed was a banner that said "Start".
While there were very few hills, there were other factors that made the race a bit tougher than I expected. It was about 68 degrees at the start of the race and it was very muggy (about 90-100% humidity). I am not a great hot weather/humidity runner. While the overcast sky helped to keep the sun out, it was still very humid outside. It started to lightly rain during the second half of the race (which I was happy about), but this did not relieve the humidity that much at all. Probably the toughest part of the race was the frequent change in surfaces. The race started on a smooth asphalt road, but quickly changed to a very rough and uneven road surface (like when they dig up a street to re-pave it). You had to slow down a bit to prevent twisting your ankle, knee, etc. Then there were several miles on a concrete road surface resembling downtown Manhattan on the west side trail. The concrete surface was slick when it got wet, so you had to be careful about slipping. Besides being apprehensive running on the different surfaces, I was a little worried about what these hard surfaces would do to my legs. I guess we'll see in a couple of days.
I was happy to see that even in a race with less than ideal conditions, I was able to run a good/solid time. I realized that even though I have been running well the past several months, those times were mainly in shorter races and that I shouldn't expect my first half marathon in a long time to be a PR or close to it. When I saw that my mile times in the beginning were not getting down around 8 minutes or below, I knew that my goal time would be tough to achieve. My pacing was not what I would have liked. I went out too fast for the first two miles - I need to take a more conservartive approach in the beginning, even if I am feeling good. My mile times tended to go up and down throughout the day, and my beginning miles went up for five miles in a row before taking a dip. The Queens Half from last year was my best pacing effort so far, and I need to work on getting back to that. I was glad that I was able to adjust my expectations mid race and did not go out and try to make up time. Let's leave that for another day, with more favorable conditions. In the past, it would have been tough for me to say that.
Today was about getting a half marathon under my belt, and seeing what needs work. I was satisfied with the results. While it was a tough race, I felt relatively good and was not hurting at all or out of breath. While I will be running Grete's Great Gallop next week, I will be doing it as part of a 20 mile run, so I will have another half marathon chance at Staten Island in a few weeks.
Mile Splits:
Mile 1 - about 7:35 (there was no start line marked so I didn't know when to start my watch)
Mile 2 - 7:34
Mile 3 - 7:56
Mile 4 - 8:07
Mile 5 - 8:09
Mile 6 - 8:18
Mile 7 - 8:25
Mile 8 - 8:08
Mile 9 - 8:06
Mile 10 - 8:29
Mile 11 - 8:20
Mile 12 - 8:33
Last 1.1 miles - 8:52 (8:04 mile pace)
Total Gun Time (there was no net time) - 1:46:45; Overall pace - 8:08
I had pretty good expectations for the race due to the lack of hills, but I wanted to be reasonable given the fact that this was my first half marathon in about 8 months. I was originally hoping for a time that was under 1:45 (due to the flatness of the course), however, I adjusted my time 4 or 5 miles into the race. This was a tougher race than I expected and I realized that I probably wasn't going to get my original goal for the day, but I still had the chance to run a good/smart race.
My total time for the day was a gun time of 1:46:45. This race did not have a "net" time, although we did wear a chip (since there was no starting line, everyone's first mile time was a bit off since you didn't know when to start your watch). All they needed was a banner that said "Start".
While there were very few hills, there were other factors that made the race a bit tougher than I expected. It was about 68 degrees at the start of the race and it was very muggy (about 90-100% humidity). I am not a great hot weather/humidity runner. While the overcast sky helped to keep the sun out, it was still very humid outside. It started to lightly rain during the second half of the race (which I was happy about), but this did not relieve the humidity that much at all. Probably the toughest part of the race was the frequent change in surfaces. The race started on a smooth asphalt road, but quickly changed to a very rough and uneven road surface (like when they dig up a street to re-pave it). You had to slow down a bit to prevent twisting your ankle, knee, etc. Then there were several miles on a concrete road surface resembling downtown Manhattan on the west side trail. The concrete surface was slick when it got wet, so you had to be careful about slipping. Besides being apprehensive running on the different surfaces, I was a little worried about what these hard surfaces would do to my legs. I guess we'll see in a couple of days.
I was happy to see that even in a race with less than ideal conditions, I was able to run a good/solid time. I realized that even though I have been running well the past several months, those times were mainly in shorter races and that I shouldn't expect my first half marathon in a long time to be a PR or close to it. When I saw that my mile times in the beginning were not getting down around 8 minutes or below, I knew that my goal time would be tough to achieve. My pacing was not what I would have liked. I went out too fast for the first two miles - I need to take a more conservartive approach in the beginning, even if I am feeling good. My mile times tended to go up and down throughout the day, and my beginning miles went up for five miles in a row before taking a dip. The Queens Half from last year was my best pacing effort so far, and I need to work on getting back to that. I was glad that I was able to adjust my expectations mid race and did not go out and try to make up time. Let's leave that for another day, with more favorable conditions. In the past, it would have been tough for me to say that.
Today was about getting a half marathon under my belt, and seeing what needs work. I was satisfied with the results. While it was a tough race, I felt relatively good and was not hurting at all or out of breath. While I will be running Grete's Great Gallop next week, I will be doing it as part of a 20 mile run, so I will have another half marathon chance at Staten Island in a few weeks.
Mile Splits:
Mile 1 - about 7:35 (there was no start line marked so I didn't know when to start my watch)
Mile 2 - 7:34
Mile 3 - 7:56
Mile 4 - 8:07
Mile 5 - 8:09
Mile 6 - 8:18
Mile 7 - 8:25
Mile 8 - 8:08
Mile 9 - 8:06
Mile 10 - 8:29
Mile 11 - 8:20
Mile 12 - 8:33
Last 1.1 miles - 8:52 (8:04 mile pace)
Total Gun Time (there was no net time) - 1:46:45; Overall pace - 8:08
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