Doing What I Can

easy run tonight after a day outside watching the USAFA graduation - it was fun but I got pretty zapped by the sun. Run was 5.75 in 7:15 avg pace

easy morning run 3.85 in 7:30 pace, strides

decided to try a local small town race here today in Berthoud, Colorado, just up the road from Denver. Weather was perfect again, low 60s and light breezes at the start. Course looked really flat on mapmyrun, so I wanted to see what I could do off of short rest from BolderBoulder earlier this week. kids race started at 8 with the 5k set to begin "when the kids race finished" so no official start time - that was kind of odd. I guessed we'd get under way at 8:15 and warmed up aiming for that, turns out thats almost exactly when we started. Had my watch set to kilometers and this time my splits saved, so that was a positive. goal was to hit 3:30s throughout and shoot for a 17:30. First k was 3:23, felt super easy , 2nd was 3:35, 3rd was 3:39, started slipping a little off the pace. Had one guy out front of me and we were doing the accordian, where he would come back to me then pull ahead - I ran the whole race sure I was going to pass him but never did, that was kind of a bummer. 3k was in 10:37, 7 seconds above pace. Then the course had a slight downhill for the 2k, but so gradual it was hard to notice. went 3:32 and 3:35 for these splits, so 17:47, and yet the race wasn't done yet. Still ran for another .15-.2 of a mile and crossed the line in 18:27 or something. The course was actually around 3.25 or 3.3 miles, the winner had the same thing. Luckily since I had my watch at km splits, I stopped it at 5.02 and thats the 17;47 I got - so I am going with that as my unofficial 5k split for this race. It's always frustrating when races are clearly longer or shorter (in this case, long by at least 40-45 seconds). It was for a good cause though, and it was a beautiful morning to run, so aside from the annoying fact that our "official" times are all reflective of the actual 3.3 distance, I enjoyed the race. Overall, having clocked a legit 17:47, that is an unofficial altitude PR (this race was at 5000 feet, a little lower than denver). I am happy with that time and although not quite the 17:30 i was shooting for, I have to remember I just ran a very strong BolderBoulder earlier this week and so I'll take the speedwork today. Cooled down for 6.2 for a total of 12.5 on the day. Marathon a week from tomorrow!

7.3 on a warm afternoon, in the 80s, but low humidity so not bad, 7:11 avg pace + strides, feeling pretty good still

My legs felt pretty awful today - actually my whole body felt tired, 7:32 avg pace for 6.3

7.2 in 7:15 avg pace or so, strides + ice bath

7:38 avg pace I think, strides, early am run

4.7 on a hot one, 7:28 avg pace, felt really easy - 7:30, 7:29, 7:29, 7:24 for the 4 for miles, very even

2.7 easy this morning. 19:53 or so. strides after, marathon tomorrow, all downhill - should be pretty warm, but hopefully i'll be done before it gets too warm. goal is sub-3

I started this blog back in 2009 with the goal of qualifying for Boston. In that time, I have struggled to train for the marathon specifically and my 2 previous attempts were both derailed at mile 20 with hitting the wall - rendering a 3:25 and 3:10 on two chances that were on pace for BQs. In the 7 years of tracking my racing, I have met goals at all shorter distances, but the marathon remained a mystery to me. Today, in my 3rd attempt I finally did it and not only hit my BQ, but got well under 3 hours. The course was a huge downhill course, but it was between elevations of 10,500 and 6000 feet with several hills between 12-15. Technically, this is probably an aided PR, but on a certified course, it is a qualifer nonetheless and the way I ran the race was perfect regardless. Here is the extended RR (mainly for my future reference in training):

Pre-race - Race start was 6 am and because it was point-to-point, there was bus transport to the start for the marathoners, which meant a 2:40 am alarm clock. I was wide awake at 2 though and couldn't get back to sleep. Luckily, I was out by 9:30 last night so got a little sleep. Had my normal pre-race white bread and turkey sandwich. Build-up was pretty good on this marathon. I was unable to get any long runs of longer than 16 miles in, which I know is in violation of the timeless wisdom that long run training is the only way to get through the wall. However, in light of my lack of long runs, I did several back-to-back long-ish runs (i.e. 14 -13 back-to-back 3 weeks ago). For me, this seemed to work much better than past efforts at getting long runs in, which I struggle with. Got to to bus loading at perfect timing, got on the bus, it was really warm and I was sweating some, but I compensated with drinking extra gatorade on the 1-hour+ drive to the start line. Start line was a little turn-off high up in the mountains and as the sun came up, the view was amazing. Cool, but not too cool, although temps were predicted to be warm. About 30 minutes prerace, I did a little jogging for about .7, was able to take a few minutes on my own away from the chaos of the staging area and just take in the scenery and enjoy the world for a second. Made a decision to actually run the marathon in my training shoes, which are heavier than my DS trainers that i also brought and considered running in. In the end, it came down to wanting to survive the race and with no long runs under my belt and a sore foot (for several weeks now :/), I figured the cushioning would help. Plus - no downhill training meant that the pounding on the quads would be murder in anything lighter. GU 15 minutes before, was peeing a ton before the race, a sure sign of great hydration (honestly thought I had overdone it, but I was wrong and I think this was key to my race today). Race started right at 6.

Race:

People ran crazy fast out of the gate - I guess the promise of a downhill course encouraged them to go for broke. I laid back and settled in, intentionally dialing it back with the goal of running equal halves (wanted 6:50s for the race as I was shooting for sub-3 so I would have a BQ with some cushion). By mile 4 or so, I was probably in 50th place, but I had settled into my pace and was obvlious to all else (well, except maybe for the amazing views of the still snow--capped rockies. Here are my splits:

1- 6:48

2- 6:48

3- 6:43

4- 6:35

5- 6:50 (33:44, 6:45 pace)

6- 6:45

7- 6:39

8- 6:49

9- 6:40

10 - 6:51 (1:07:28, 6:45 pace -another perfect 33:44 for the last 5 by the way.) The pace felt remarkably easy at this point and I was super comfortable with how the race was playing out. I was able to take in fluids at evey single aid station today alternating gatorade and water as I saw fit. More gatorade than water though, the electrolytes helped my stomach and also kept me hydrated.

11- 6:40

12- 6:44

13- 6:39

   13.1 half - officially 1:28:03, 6:45 avg pace, spot on. Started hitting some hills at this point, but I have trained on hills and actually passed about twenty other runners during the hills between miles 12-15

14- 6:41

15- 6:49 ( 1:41:01 for 15 miles, 6:44 pace for the race- 33:33 for these 5 miles, 6:42 pace) 

16- 6:29

17- 6:34

18- 6:39

19- 6:47

20- 6:43 (2:14:13 for 20 miles - 6:42.5 pace for the race so far, 33:12 for this 5 miles, ratcheted up the pace, I'm not sure if this section was off even with my watch because my splits don't equal out later on, regardless, this was the key portion of the race - instead of fading, I was hammering) 1:48

Normally, I hit the wall at 20 and I am acutely aware of that, but today, mentally more than anything, I stayed intensely focused on what I was doing and with my aggressive hydration and GU strategy (miles 7, 14, and 21), I was trying to avoid the wall at all cost and I did! In fact, not only had I been picking people off the whole race, I probably passed another 15 or so the last 10k and I blazed passed most of them as they faded. I was very happy with myself for this effort late in the race.

21- 7:04 (had to stoppish quick lyat the aid station before this mile to pick up a GU, kind of a mishap, just a momentary stop to make sure I was able to secure one from the volunteer she didnt say gel available til I was almost past her, so I had to brake hard to get one, I was needing one more to finisht he race off- it was a caffeine one, but I downed it anyway and it seemed to do the trick

22- 6:59

23- 6:41

24- 6:35!

25- 6:46 (2:48:18 at 25 miles, 6:44 pace overall, 34:05 for this 5 miles, 6:49 pace

26 - 6:48

loose change = 2:29 -my watch had .31, I think the course was accurate, I missed a lot of tangents the last 8 miles as we merged with the half-marathon walkers and runners and I had to do a lot of weaving/not able to run tangents.

total 2:57:04, 6:45 avg pace, 10th overall, 2nd in AG

Reaction: I was very happy with how I ran this. I did not hit the wall, I got tough and ran hard the last 10k, even throwing a 6:35 in at the 24th mile. Passing runners the entire race, but especially the last 10k was an amazing feeling and it just snowballed my confidence in being able to finish under 3. This course was downhill and that certainly helped, but a marathon is still hard (especially at these elevations). I was also shocked to have worked my way up to 10th overall and 2nd in my age group - that is pretty cool to do in a bigger marathon like this. Got home and immediately got into an ice bath, quads were so trashed that I couldn't even feel the cold.

I always knew my marathon PR should be more in-line with my shorter distance races and now that is true. I will be running my first Boston in the spring and cannot wait to have that experience! I can't help but wonder what my PR will be at sea level after getting more marathon specific training and maybe using some lighter shoes (and hopefully a healed-up foot).

5.7 super easy tonight, very painful for the first two miles and really uncomfortable for the whole run. 7:51 avg pace, which is actually pretty surprising considering my level of soreness.

5.3 tonight, not pretty, sore again 7:56 avg pace

still hurting but not as bad, 7.2 in 7:25 pace, strides at the end of the run. Probably taking tomorrow off to give myself some additional rest

9.2 in 7:30 avg pace, felt a lil sore still, but was able to stride out more fully. really warm this morning but glad i beat the 95 degree high forecast for later today

another 9.2 this morning, almost same pace - 7:34 avg, felt pretty good throughout, really hot already though. strides + ice bath afterwards, hoping this gets my legs back feeling good before saturday

6 this morning, easy pace

6.4 in 7:40 this morning, strides after. felt decent but was tired.

easy paced - 7:30

easy pre-race 3.7 today in 7:30 pace, strides

Decided to run the Slacker half marathon today only two weeks after my marathon. Kind of on a limb, but I felt pretty well recovered and thought I could put in a good effort. This course is downhill, starts at around 10,600 feet and drops to around 8800, but it does have several hills and although the downhills are staggering, the rolls keep you on your toes. Even if this is aided, the elevation certainly affected me and so I am just as happy with my time today as with a flat course. 

Pre-race -- woke up at 4:18, had my regular pre-race meal, drove to the start line, registered and boarded a bus for the start line. Short trip and was at the loveland ski area very early (6:30 for an 8:00 start). A little chilly until the sun emerged and warmed everything up rapidly. The race started about 10 minutes late as they waited for the last bus to get there. I had heard this may happen because it has happened in the past, but it is still a little annoying when it does happen...but then again, what can you expect from a race that names itself the slacker half marathon? Warmup consisted of about 1.5 miles, very hilly up there, so was breathing pretty heavily in the low oxygen.

Race - fun start as it immediately entered this curshed rock, hiking trail and so it was kind of neat. I could tell from the start this would be a very scenic race and it was the whole time -- a fact I actually tried to notice and enjoy despite my hard effort. My goal was 6:06 per mile so that I could break 1:20, aside from that, I just wanted to see what I could do. Here are my splits:

1- 6:11

2- 6:09 (12:20)

3- 6:03 (18:23, goal was 18:18, nice thing about 6:06's is its easy to determine your marks)

4- 5:57 (24:20, just like that I was right where I needed to be, 6:05 avg pace)

5- 5:58 (30:18, 6:03.5 for the first 5 miles)

6- 6:06 (36:24, first 10k was somewhere near 38:00, halfway point was somewhere over 39:XX, knew I had some cushion but not much)

7 - 6:03 (42:27)

8- 6:01 (48:28) and then I dropped the hammer. It was unconscious, but for some reason, I felt decent and decided to take advantage of the course and put down some hard miles. I was all alone after the 4 mile mark, and so this was basically a solo training effort, but I think at mile 8 I remembered it was a race!

9- 5:51 (54:19, 6:02 avg)

10- 5:53 (1:00:12 for the 10 mile mark, 6:01 avg pace. My goal had me coming through here at 1:01:00, so had 48 seconds cushion at this point, Just 5k to go - my legs were heavy on the flat and hill sections, probably residual soreness from the full, but I got tough and kept walloping the downhills.

11- 5:57 (1:06:09)

12- 5:45 (1:11:54, 5:59 avg pace) probably in uncharted territory here, I think I may have hit a 20k PR, but without the actualy split, it is unclear. In my PR a few years back, I think I was around 1:14 low at 20k, should have been very close today.

13- 6:02 (1:17:56)

loose change -- :51 (For whatever reason at 12.8, my body completely quit and the last .3 was as hard as any race I've ever done, but I still managed to cross in 1:18:47, my 2nd best time ever, around 32 seconds slower than my PR)

Total -- 1:18:47, 6:00 pace

Post-race -- Very happy with this effort and the result. I came in hoping to go under 1:20 and came away breaking 1:19. I also finished 3rd overall! The course was beautiful, the weather was warm, but not terrible, I hydrated well and I felt comfortable in the first half of the race to be able to open it up in the second half. My watch said I set a new 10k best (according to its not-all inclusive memory) of 36:11, so somewhere (probably the 2nd half before the last .1), I ran pretty good splits. Regardless, my negative split is pretty clear and substantial (probably around 50 seconds to a minute I would guess). The 4 miles 9-12 were split at 23:26, 5:53 avg pace - Several years ago when I was having trouble with my mileage, I distinctly remember these miles usually being my roughest in a race, now they were my fastest and I am happy with the surge I was able to  muster at that portion of the race!  Had some pretty sore feet for the last 3 miles, felt like I was landing on a marble every step on my right heel and I now have a substantial blister there - I don't usually heal-strike, but with the downhill I must have been braking hard! 1.XX cooldown, very slow and easy - stuck around for the awards which took quite a while - got a pretty huge medal for 3rd overall. Neat race, awesome scenery, near PR pace - felt good to get back under 1:20 and 1:19 as I haven't been in that territory since Germany in 2012. May get one more 5k in this session before resetting.

decent pace given the soreness - 7:21 avg for 7 + strides + ice bath

6 morning

6 easy in 7:25 avg pace tonight