The Long Run

I feel like I'm going over the hump but I have to keep on reminding myself that I'm not over it yet and there are still some good weeks of training ahead before the marathon at the end of the month.  So, I had another challenging tempo run, similar to one that I did just a few weeks ago and one mile less than the last tempo run.  So, I had some confidence that I could do this again.   I lucked out on the weather as it was a much better morning to do a tempo run than it would have been yesterday morning.

I warmed up on my bike around the neighborhood loop.  While I'm doing this I usually turn on my garmin to let it warm up and catch the signal.  But today, it did not want to turn on.  I had charged up the batteries last not but I think it has finally given up.  Oh well, better now than in the marathon.  So, I borrowed my wife's garmin for today's run. 

I ran from my home to 54, towards Starkey Blvd about 1.6 miles for a warm up.   My legs felt a bit heavy, especially my calves.   Tried not to worry about it too much since this is what warm ups are for.   Got to my starting point, then got going.  Ran a little bit more on 54 before turning onto Starkey Blvd.   First mile came in a little bit faster than planned but didn't feel too bad.   About a mile and a half or so in, something smelled bad but I didn't see any roadkill.  Fortunately the smell passed in about a quarter of a mile.  I kept on my pace finally making it to the turn around point, that's always a big boost once the first half is knocked off.  I think my return trip was slightly faster.  Last mile felt hard again like last time.   But it felt good and ended up being just about the same speed as the first mile.

Splits were: 6:41, 6:48, 6:49, 6:46, 6:45, 6:45, 6:42

Average pace for entire run incl. warm up : 7:24 

Ran much slower for the trip back home.  Got into the pool for a bit then made sure to stretch out before getting ready for work..

Easy run today.  I did a pretty good job of keeping it that way.  Drove to the Y.  Warmed up on the bike first then did some core and stretching.   Got onto a treadmill for 4.48 miles at about an 8:20 pace.

Headed outside for the rest of my run.  It was nice and cool, a great morning for running.   Did another 4.56 miles at 7:54 pace.  Beginning and ending were a little bit slower than the middle.

Biked the kids to school so Jenny could get an early jump on her run.

Non running day.

Did some warm up , stretching, and relatively easy upper body weights.  Just enough so I don't atrophy.

Big run tomorrow - last 20!

Good run this morning with a group of friends.  I met up with Randall, Ryan, and Jorge just before 5:30 near the Longleaf pool.   We looped around the neighborhood then headed up Starkey blvd for a bit before turning around and then heading over to David's house.  There, our group got bigger, adding David, Laura, Keith, and Dixie as well as Melanie and Rebeca for part of the way.

We all headed back up Starkey Blvd. to Alico Pass neighborhood and ran around in there for a bit before heading back down Starkey.   We were about a half mile from 54 and I saw Jorge was lagging pretty far back, we got to 54 then turned around and all of the sudden Jorge was on my shoulder and then in front of me.  He got his second wind from some place.   We headed back into Longleaf for 3 more miles, finishing up the last mile at a good 7:30 pace.

Average pace: 8:36

It sure was nice to get this run out of the way as it was my last big run before the marathon and caps off my highest mileage week ever at over 61 miles.  The weather was great and having other people to run with made it go by quicker and also prevented me from going too fast and injuring myself.

I did my usual treadmill and then outside run at the Y this morning.  It felt like a big treat to only have to do 9 miles (it sounds weird to hear that).  Warmed up inside on the bike, did some core and stretching then got onto the treadmill for 4.48 miles at about an 8:20 pace.

Headed outside into the warm and humid air.  Streets were wet from last night's ran.  But, the run felt pretty good.   First mile just over 8:00, then the next 3.56 were a little bit faster.

Average pace outside: 7:38

Hopefully Dixie will do 9 with me tomorrow morning.

Ran with Dixie this morning in the Lansbrook area.  Arrived just before 5:30 and got going shortly after that.  Took it out nice and easy and did not pick up too much more after that.   Weather was nice out, about 1 degree short of being warm.  Streets were wet from last night's rain but were not slippery.   Stepped onto a curb a little funny on the last mile and could feel it afterward but fortunately it is not hurting now, it could have been a lot worse.

Average pace: 8:17

tomorrow is one last set of 1600's

One last track workout before the marathon.   Drove to the Y, warmed up inside on the bike and did some stretching and core as I usually do.   Headed outside for an easy pace 2 miles, then headed to the track across the field.  Temperature was decent although not quite cool enough for "superman weather".  

Goal was 4 X 1600 @ 6:17.

I knocked out each 1600 but didn't have a lot of enthusiasm.  It was more businesslike, still got the job done though.  800 jogging between the 1600's.  Splits were similar to last time.

actual:  6:05, 6:08, 6:06, 6:08

 The 1st and 3rd ones were run counterclockwise around the track and the other two ones were run clockwise.  It's odd that I run slightly faster when going clockwise.

I saw Kathryn out running 800's in the grass with the cross country team.

Finished with a little over a mile of easy running.

Just a little over 2 weeks left.  I'm keeping my eye on the weather, it could be nice, it could be cold or windy or rainy, or cold windy or rainy.  If everything lines up right it could be pleasant with a nice tailwind  - a person needs their dreams   :)

Switched my rest day from Friday to today, since I was going out of town and Jenny needed to do her run early.   Feels weird to not be in my routine.

Easy run day today.   Went to the Y and split up my run between the treadmill and outside.  4.3 miles on the treadmill @ 8:20 pace, after a 10 minute warm up on the bike and some stretching and crunches on the ball.

Headed outside, ran by feel and didn't look at my pace until the end of the run.  4.8 miles @ 7:37 average.   It was a pretty decent morning outside.  Wet from last night's rain, some humidity, temperature a little warm but pretty tolerable.

Good run this morning.  Since I have done a lot of miles much slower than marathon pace and a few faster, I wanted to do some miles around what felt like a marathon pace.   It's getting light out later and there was some fog this morning and no moon out, so it was pretty dark outside right up until 7:00.   I was at Starkey park about 6:45.   Warmed up a bit and walked out to the main bike trail.   

Got going for a 4 mile warmup, starting out at 9:25 pace and working up to 8:11 pace.  I stopped at the water stop then saw someone coming.  It was Mike.  This was good since he pretty much runs at the same pace on this route, about a 7:20.  So, I ran with him.  We got to his turn around point and I decided to run back with him and add any more on at the end.  We kept the pace pretty steady just under a 7:20 average.  On the way back we saw some leaves fall along with what looked like a stick fall from a tree up above (about 25 or 30 feet).  It was actually a squirrel.  Poor thing didn't land very well and I think he might have broken his back and probably wasn't going to make it. 

We made it back near the parking lot and Mike split off, I went on a little further for a total of just over 13 miles with 9 at marathon pace - well, I hope this is my marathon pace:

7:14, 7:15, 7:09, 7:22, 7:18, 7:14, 7:22, 7:10, 7:10

Temperature was pretty cool at the start but was about 74 degrees at the end, nice only slightly warm with the humidity.

Average pace for run: 7:42

I was feeling a little bit off this morning, slightly tight and heavy in the legs but not too far off.  Maybe still feeling effects of Saturday's run and a little bit of a less than ideal meal at Bonefish grill that night.    Then on Sunday, I spent a good part of the day cleaning the carpets in the house, they sure needed it and now look much better but it was not an ideal way to rest.

Anyway, went to the Y, did some warm up on the bike, stretching and core work then got onto the treadmill for 4.1 miles at about an 8:20 pace.

Headed outside where the humidity and warmth was back up and did 3.7 miles at a 7:57 pace.  So, this wasn't too far off from what I usually run on a Monday morning but it felt a little bit harder.

Met up with Dixie at the 7-11 near John  Chestnut park.  A little bit warm and humid this morning but nothing horrible.  Started out slowly  but it felt a little faster.  Legs felt better today.  Ran out to the lake park and back.  Dixie was feeling horrible so he was suffering the last two miles back.  We averaged 8:20 pace.

Went home, rode my bike around the neighborhood loop and then jumped into the pool for a bit.

Survived one more tempo run.  This one was a little shorter than previous ones but at a slightly faster pace.  I was getting better at those 6:5x pace tempo runs but maybe was feeling a little comfortable there which is good and bed.  It can be frightening to venture into new territory but that's  what you need to do sometimes to get to where you want to be.  I looked out on the weather as it went back to being cool and pleasant this morning.

I warmed up a little bit on the bike and parked it at a bike rack then started my warmup.  I did just a little bit over a mile, then started the tempo run.   Goal today was 5 miles @ 6:43.  It wasn't terrible but it wasn't easy.  I could keep going because it was only 5 miles today but harder in a good way.

Splits were: 6:39, 6:39, 6:40, 6:39, 6:38

Cooled down with a slow run back to where my bike was parked then rode home.

Average pace: 7:24

Basic easy run this morning.  It went pretty well although I had some tightness in my legs and my IT band has been feeling a little irritated the past few days.  The weather was good and I pretty much kept the pace around where I wanted to.

Average pace: 8:03

I biked the kids to school so Jenny could go do her run, she had to do 8 miles total with 6 at tempo pace.   She ended up going more than 15 seconds per minute faster than originally planned which is a really good sign for her half next weekend.  Way to go Jenny!

Non-running day.

Did some stretching, core, and light weight routine.

Shorter than usual run this morning.  Very nice weather outside, high 60's and clear.  Met the guys at Starkey park about 6:30.  Moon was bright so it wasn't too dark.  Took it easy on the way out.  Legs weren't feeling great at the beginning of the run, mainly outside left shin was tight - it used to do that all the time.  After turning around felt much better.  Pace picked up a little bit each mile.  Last full mile was at 6:57 which seemed very nice, not at all like I was pushing it. 

Average pace: 8:13

So, I think the key thing for next week is figuring out how to get warmed up quickly without expending a lot of energy.  Also, I'm trying to think of some strategies for running in the rain - looks like 60% chance of rain, temps will be high 40's to possibly low 50's.

Didn't do too much today.  Went to the Y, did some cross training, stretching and ab work.  Practiced going from warm up to marathon pace quickly and comfortably.   I'll do a few runs this week to keep myself loosened up.

Short and fairly easy run this morning.  Weather was perfect in the low 60's.   Warmed up and stretched inside the Y.   Ran 0.6 miles on the treadmill to practice a short warm up before starting a run.

Warm up must have worked because it was easy to get on pace quickly.  Started out and saw I was in the low 7's, since this was supposed to be an easy day I backed it down slowly to do the first mile in 7:30, did the next two miles a little slower, then the 4th mile at about 7:30.

Average pace outside: 7:40

Buffalo weather forecast for Sunday is looking ok, 40% chance of rain (I'll be happy if I don't get dumped on the entire way), low 50's, 13 mph wind from SW - slight tailwind would be sweet.  But, of course, you get what you get.

The weather went back to be a little bit warmer this morning, some humidity and some wind.  Despite this I was feeling pretty good at the start of the run.  My warm up mile felt a little bit easier than usual.

Did 4 miles at tempo pace, with the first mile feeling really good, the next 3 miles didn't feel as good but they weren't too bad either.

Splits were: 6:35, 6:41, 6:48, 6:43

I had originally wanted 4 @ 6:39 but I decided to just go with what I could do and not risking pounding them out with bad form and risking injury. Cool down felt pretty good and after a short recovery I was back on 7:20 pace which felt easy.  I did get a small side stitch at the end of the run but I think it was from the new water belt which I had on a little bit too tight.

Average pace for entire run: 7:27

4.1 easy miles on the treadmill at Gold's gym with my brother.  Getting ready for tomorrow's marathon.  I had been thinking about running outside but it was raining and although it might have been good preparation for a possibly rainy marathon, I didn't want to risk getting sick.

It was a good race and I met my main objective of a BQ.  It was also my best split with the second half only a minute slower than the first half.  Temperature was good, but the wind was a mixed bag.  Garmin lost signal at exactly mile 16 so it became a fancy stopwatch for the last ten miles.

I'm going to sign up for Boston tomorrow!!

Overall - 67

Overall Male - 60

Overall place at half - 117

The day before the race things did not look good for the weather, rain and 27 mph wind from WSW.   The forecast improved with wind from SW with the high winds not starting until the afternoon.  Race start time was 10:00 am.  The buses left the hotel starting at 7:00.  I had gotten up earlier after waking up throughout the night so I got onto one of the first buses.  The bus got to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo just after 8:00 after a fairly uneventful border crossing (the one guy that forgot his passport got off the bus before we left so no one held us up).  I chatted with the guy next to me on the bus.  He was Steve from Ottawa.   This was his third marathon and he was going for a 3:30.  It was really nice having the art gallery to hang out inside.  It was warm, the bathrooms were all open, they had live music (classical guitarist), and of course art to look at.  With the temperature almost 50 at this point I wasn't sure what to wear, when the wind picked up it felt a lot colder so I settled on wearing two shirts, a tight short sleeve under armour shirt and a long sleeve tech shirt, as well as hat and shorts.

I went outside as the time was getting closer and I saw my Dad.  Then my Mom, sister-in-law and niece and nephew showed up.  I talked with them for a bit then did a short 5 minute warm up.

One nice surprise is that I saw a pacer, there was a guy holding a 4:00 sign and had rabbit ears on his head.  I talked to him and asked about other groups and he said there was a 3:15, 3:20, and 3:30 group.  I soon saw the 3:20 guy.  In addition to the rabbit ears he was also wearing a full fuzzy bunny suit.   I was tempted to find the 3:15 bunny but thought I would stick with the 3:20 and play it safe.

I lined up next to the 3:20 bunny.  There were a couple of other guys wanting a 3:20 as well as a 20 something girl from Rochester (my home town).

The race started and we shuffled through the starting chute then pretty quickly got on pace.  The warm up had paid off and I didn't have any starting out problems like I sometimes do.  After one mile, the hat came off and I shoved it into my pocket.  Hit some wind on the second mile as we were going southwest.  Two more miles brought us to the foot of the Peace Bridge going into Canada.  It rises up quickly with a gradual descent on the other side.   The 5 mile point was not marked but it was someplace towards the end of the bridge.  It felt nice going down the bridge.   From the peak of the bridge to the finish line was a 120 foot elevation drop but mostly flat except for the bridge and the end.  At some point I had gotten ahead of the pace bunny.  I thought I would just go with what I felt running as long as it didn't feel too tough.

Mile 6 we were heading south to a turn around point at mile 7.  It was pretty windy here with gusts coming off of Lake Erie, but I knew we'd soon be turning around.   Mile 9 was just past the bridge and the start of a long steady stretch that looked mostly the same for the next 15 miles.   The Niagara River was on the right, and lots of nice houses were to the left with an occassional business or just some trees on the left.  The course varied between due north, northwest and due west.

I hit the halfway point at 1:39:30 (gun time).  Was slightly worried because I felt a little more tired than I should have for that pace and wasn't sure how I was going to hold up.  I could feel some small blisters starting on my left foot.

The aid stations were really cool, with each one a little bit different.  Some were staffed by high school students, one was run by bikers, another one by a fire department - everyone dressed in full fire fighting gear next to a fire truck with ladder extended over the course, and another station was staffed by doctors and nurses in scrubs.

As the miles went by I ran with various people, some of them I talked to and some I just ran next to or behind.  I spent several miles running behind a guy wearing a Mexico shirt.  I was a little jealous because all the spectators gave a big "Go Mexico" shout out to him.  Next time I'll wear a more exciting shirt!

Eventually I passed Mexico shirt guy.  Every now and then someone would pass me.

At mile 16 I experienced a technical malfunction.  The Garmin lost its signal.   I knew exactly what was happening when my pace went from 7:40 - 8:03 - 8:11 - 8:41 even though I wasn't really slowing down.   This was right at 16.0 miles one the Garmin, but just before the actual 16 mile marker point. 

Time for the backup plan, Garmin was now just a stopwatch.  I hit the lap button each mile marker and ran by feel in between.  Mile 17 came in at 7:41 which worried me.  I could not afford to slow down much this early on.

So, mile 18 was one of my best miles and gave me a huge confidence.  With no continuous Garmin feedback, that mile came in at 7:26.  I could still do this!!

Miles 20 and 21 were also great, coming in under 7:30.  The end felt like it was coming within reach.  I could see the Niagara Falls skyline.  I was passing up the half marathon walkers.  Physically this didn't make the running easier but it helped to keep me going.

About mile 23 the wind was picking up more and more, sometimes against me, sometimes just a crosswind.

Mile 24 went through the small town of Chippawa and across a small bridge.

Some time at mile 25 the pace bunny had caught up to me (but had ditched part of the costume).  I was worried I would not be able to keep up.  I also had a pace tattoo on my arm so I used that to keep a check on my progress.

Finally the last mile came up, the wind picked up more but it was downhill.  The river was rough and was dropping off.  I could see the mist coming up from the falls up ahead.  As I was getting closer,  and someplace on the last mile, I saw my brother Jim (who had just finished his first ever half marathon in 1:52).  He ran along side me for a bit then dropped off.  The pace bunny was right behind me and yelled at me to go for it.   Next, my nephew Brian ran with me "Go Uncle Mark!".   Last one was Jenny (who PR'd at 1:52 running the half with Jim).  She said "Mark, you're killing it! GO! GO!"  She ran with me to the 26 mile marker, then I ran in the rest of the way.  I wasn't sure exactly where I was for time.  Then I saw the clock, 3:19:3x ---- Yes, made it!

It was weird how time had seemed to slow down while on the course, then once I crossed I was back in the real world.  I was happy with my time and glad I played it safe because even with that it wasn't very easy.  I'm not sure what the final tally was with the wind, sometimes I was fighting it and every now and then it was giving me a small push.

It was so wonderful to have everyone there.  I downed a gatorade and a chocolate milk  We hung out for a bit by the falls and traded racing stories until we had to rush off to get back to our hotel before the late checkout time was up.

 Official splits:

First half : 1:39:30

Second half: 1:40:13

My mile splits:

1	7:39	:15 sync garmin w/ marker
2	7:28
3	7:37	:05 sync garmin w/ marker
4	7:31
5	7:28
6	7:43	:28 sync garmin w/ marker
7	7:39
8	7:21
9	7:31
10	7:31
11	7:31
12	7:38
13	7:38
14	7:27
15	7:32
16	7:43	Garmin died here
17	7:41
18	7:26	this mile gave me hope
19	7:43
20	7:29
21	7:24
22	7:54
23	7:53
24	8:03
25	7:56
26.2	8:49	7:17 pace - thanks family and pace bunny!

Summary race report - Niagara Falls Marathon 2008.  I would definitely recommend this race to anyone who wants a flat point to point race with great scenery.  Small/medium size race with not too many crowds, great volunteer support - although not a lot of spectators along the way but not so few that you ever feel lonely.

Ok, one more day of rest today.  I'll do something more active tomorrow, then go for a short run to ease back into things on Fri. or Sat.

Not wanting to procrastinate any longer, I actually did sign up for Boston today.

As promised yesterday, I did do something this morning. I went to the Y, did bike for 10 minutes, some stretching and core work, elliptical for 6 minutes, then some fast walking on the treadmill, and finally three sets on the bench press.

It was barely anything, but this was all I had planned for this morning - probably will walk Sammy tonight.

Maybe a baby run tomorrow.

I had to do this sooner or later.  First run after marathon.  2 easy miles on the treadmill.  I warmed up on the bike first then did lots of other stretching and warm up.  Legs felt pretty good, took it nice and easy.  I wanted to go faster but I kept it slow.  A little bit of tightness in the lower calf of my right leg.

I'm am going to start using the new Shoe Manager feature today, I was excited to see it show up - thank you Sasha!  This is a pretty cool site where everyone knows the person running it by name, not just some impersonal email to "webmaster"  :)

After the marathon my quads felt it the most and I didn't really notice anything going on with my calf.  Tuesday's massage helped a lot to get my quads fixed up.  I think the calf issues will work itself out in a few days.

Yesterday I remembered that I do have a race coming up in a few weeks, and although it is not listed as one of my goals, there is a goal attached to it.   The St. Pete Times Turkeytrot Wingding 5K is a pretty big race with around 15,000 runners in it.  It's not chip timed and they only list the top 125 men and top 125 women (up from 100 in past years).   I missed top 125 last year.   Sub 20:00 will probably get me there, I'd love to PR (sub 19:46) and possibly break 19:00.   The course starts with a gentle downhill on the first mile, flattens out for the second and has a small hill in the third mile.   They are having two start times this year, one for runners and one for walkers, so that should help with some of the congestion.   There is also a prize for being in the top 125 - a coffee mug!   We have been doing this race now for a number of years.  This year, I'll do the 5K, then do the 1 mile run with the kids, and Jenny is going to do the 10K and maybe also win a coffee mug (for 10K women, might be in top 125 with sub 51:00, definitely with a sub 50:00).