SLO 1/2 marathon race report

I need a tan

I decided to sign up for this race in preparation for another 1/2 marathon in June.  I didn't have high expectations after slogging through part of the course last weekend, I just didn't want to do terrible.  The elevation profile showed this race to be hilly, but it really does not do all the hills justice.  After running the whole course I didn't think it was accurate at all, but that is neither here nor there.  My plan was to run the flat and downhill parts around around 7:30/mile pace and the hills at 8:30/mile pace.  That would bring me in around 1:43:30.

Mile 1: 7:22
Mile 2: 7:25
Mile 3: 7:37

These were all flat, except for the end of last part of mile 3.  It winded through downtown SLO and was pretty uneventful.  The best part was the weather was overcast and in the low 50s, perfect.

Mile 4: 7:55

This mile was rolling hills on Johnson Ave.  I ended up running faster than my 8:30 pace, but I just ran how my body felt, which was pretty good. 

Mile 5: 7:02

The bonus of going up hills is being able to fly back down them.  I was running around 6:45ish/mile but I reigned it in because I didn't want to pay for it later.  The toughest part of the race was yet to come.

Mile 6: 7:45
Mile 7: 7:55

These hills were never ending.  I didn't run this part of the course prior but expected them to not be as tedious as they were.  Again the weather was ideal.  It has been super hot around here lately and I don't do well running in the heat.  After I made the turnaround, not only was it still overcast and in the 50s but I was also running into a slight breeze.

Mile 8: 7:16

This was the mile where I figured I could not only set a PR, previously 1:41:42, but go under 1:40.  I was going strong downhill, but I soon had to run up the hill I ran down on mile 5.

Mile 9: 7:42
Mile 10: 7:39
Mile 11: 7:36

I was starting to hurt near the end of mile 11.  On top of that we had to cross a bridge to get over the rail road tracks.  It had one of those ramps with 3 switchbacks to get to the top of the bridge.  WTF?

Mile 12: 7:58

At this point I wasn't hitting the wall like I have done in marathons, but my body was really hurting.  In the back of my mind there is always this voice that says "shut it down and walk."  I hate that.  I just had to press on.

Mile 13: 7:29

The end was near, all I had to do was run up the steep incline to get to the bike path where the race ended.  I REALLY wanted to walk, but I am glad I didn't because I would have lost the seconds I needed at the end.  When I was running up the hill I had to put my hands behind my head and interlock my fingers to try and get a little bit more air in my system.  Does that work, probably not, but at the moment it felt like it did.

The last stretch I was pushing hard and ran a 6:00/mile pace for the last .15 miles.  I ended up running 1:39:42, 2 minutes faster than my previous PR.  I was also 62nd out of 1810 runners.  For such a hilly course and not expecting to do anything close to this, I am very happy. 

And this was without a doubt the best post race experience ever!  They had all the normal goodies plus unlimited Jamba Juice!  And I had Shelly and Emme waiting for me at the finish line.  If that isn't a reason to run fast to get there I don't know what is. 

registered for SLO 1/2 Marathon

I feel pretty good so I just signed up for the SLO 1/2 Marathon on April 22nd instead of the 5k.  That gives me two weekends to get in two 2 hour runs.  I think I'll be ready. 

Modesto 5k race report

Training has been going really well in the weeks leading up to my 1st race of the Spring.  I have been pretty consistent in doing one set of 8x400 intervals at 5k race pace, one 40-45 min tempo run, one longer run of 80-90 minutes and two other easy days of 3-4 miles each week.  Besides my weight creeping back up near 170 pounds, opposed to the 160 when I ran NYC and that other 5k in November, I feel like things are going really well.
The morning of the race I had an unwelcome visitor... one that is usually only reserved after trips to Wienerschniztel, Woodstock's Pizza or a night of too much drinking.  In about a 45 minute period I had 5 separate trips to the bathroom.  I was really starting to wonder if I was going to be able to run this race.  I know that running while having to go #2 is probably one of the most miserable things in the world and I have never run when experiencing the d-train.  All I knew was that if things got bad during my run, it would be really bad.  With all that in mind I decided to drive to the race and see how I felt.
I was happy to see a ton of port-a-potties once I arrived but thankfully I never felt like I had to use one.  I drank as much water as I could to rehydrate, but not enough so it would be sloshing around in my stomach.
I was right at the start line when the gun went off and by looking at the times from this race in the previous years I thought I had a good shot at winning my age group.  I think all the really fast runners my age were in the marathon and half marathon, which was fine with me.  Right from the get go I started to feel pretty beat.  I clocked 6:16 the first mile and I knew that was probably a tad bit too fast for how I was feeling earlier.  After the first mile I was running behind a group of 3 or 4 other runners and I stayed with them for the rest of the race.  The 2nd mile I clocked 6:23 and I actually moved to the front of my little pack. 
Side note:  I just got a text that Peyton Manning is signing with the Denver Broncos.  As a die hard Broncos fan I am pumped!  I feel terrible for Tim Tebow though.  OK, now back to my race.
The 3rd mile was tough and I fell behind two others in my little pack.  In this being my 2nd 5k race I've learned that the finish line is never too far away.  I've been in marathons and half marathons where I have totally hit the wall and still a good ways away from the finish line.  Nothing is more demoralizing.  The 5k is great because I can look at my watch and tell myself, hold on for 4 more minutes, hold on for 2 more minutes, hold on for 30 more seconds.  Before I knew it the race was just about over.  My 3rd mile clocked in at 6:29.
When I made the final turn the clock was around 19:10 and I was very glad I knew I would run another 5k in under 20 minutes.  My last race was in 19:37 and this time I clocked in at 19:42.
Overall I got 2nd in my age group and 12th place overall.  I also got in the Modesto Bee here as finishing in the top 20 for the race.   I feel really good with where I am at and am hoping I can peak in June when I run my half marathon.

getting in the swing of things

It's been a busy couple of months since my last post.  Most importantly my wife gave birth to our beautiful daughter Emme Grace on January 5th.  This has been the best distraction from me running than I ever could have hoped for.  Its funny that I really enjoy running, but if I set my alarm to sneak in a run at 5AM before work it seems impossible to get out of bed for those first couple of minutes.  If I have to get up at the same time to change a diaper or do anything for Emme I really don't mind at all.  Of course that doesn't mean that I don't put in earplugs every now and again so I can get a full night of sleep.  I'm grateful that when I do want to sleep the whole night through my wife never gives me a guilt trip.
I started running pretty regularly as of about 3 weeks  ago to try and get ready for a 1/2 marathon in April in San Luis Obispo.  There are also a handful of local races within a month of the 1/2 marathon  so I figured I would run some of them as well.  Before today what I was planning on running...

March 18 - Modesto, 5k
April 22 - SLO, 1/2 marathon
May 12 - Miracle Miles for Kids, Morro Bay, 10k
May 27 - Strawberry Stampede, Arroyo Grande 5k

I really have been on the fence about running the 1/2 marathon in April because I just don't feel my fitness level is where I want it to be at right now and it is a hilly course.  Also it is really hard for me to run a half marathon and not try and PR because it takes so much more time to train for than a 5k or 10k.  With all of that in mind I started looking for other half marathons in June that would be close by.  I found a race in Ventura that has a gradual decline for the first 7 miles before it levels off for the last 6.  This seems race fits the bill for when I want to try and run a half marathon and also the type of course.  With that in mind this is what my next couple months will look like...

March 18 - Modesto 5k
April 21-  SLO 5k
May 12 - Miracle Miles for Kids, Morro Bay 10k
June 3 - Ojai 2 Ocean half marathon

The first race will be in my hometown of Modesto.  It fits perfectly into my schedule since we were already headed there so everybody in my family can meet Emme.  It will be a good gauge as to where my fitness is.  I hope I'm still around the 20 minute mark and can work up towards the half marathon in June. 

Modesto Turkey Trot 5k

With such a rough end to my marathon I knew there had to be better running days ahead, just not sure when.  After my previous 2 marathons I took a nice long hiatus from running, and in return ended right back at my starting point when I finally decided to hit the road again.  I was determined for this time to be different.
I have always wanted to run a 5k and a Turkey Trot in my hometown just 2.5 weeks after my marathon worked out perfectly.  I still had some down time after my marathon for my legs to recover but still enough time to get out there and really go fast for a couple workouts.
Despite eating WAY too much Mexican food from El Rosal the night before I felt really good the morning of the race.  I was really hoping to go sub 20 minutes which works itself out to a 6:26/mile but I've never really run 3.1 miles balls out so I wasn't sure how I would do.

My college roomate Chad who I haven't seen for years until the Turkey Trot

The first mile started across grass in a park it was way crowded.  Runners were in the same proximity to me there as the NYC marathon and I did not like it.  For it being Modesto, there were a lot of runners.  I would say close to a 1000.  After dodging in and out of people I finally made it to the concrete path and found my groove.  Miles one and two both clocked in at 6:22/mile.  Things got a lot harder the 3rd mile (duh) but before I knew it the race was already near the end.  Around mile 2.8 I was back on the grass running past a playground where kids were playing and I did hear a girl say, "Mommy, look how red his face is."  I inwardly smiled but I was huffing and puffing too much for anything to show on my face.  As I neared the finish line I was going as fast as I could so never bothered to look at my watch.   Once I finally got a full view of the timer it said 19:33 and at that point I was just near the finish line.  I could not believe how fast I had run that last 1.1 miles and that I was easily going to go under 20 minutes.
Right after the race my wife came up to me and asked why I had spit going across my face.  I asked her what she was talking about and apparently I had a spit/drool thingy coming from the corner of my mouth making its way towards my ear.  I just laughed because I had no idea.  It was really nice to have her there at the end of the race, even if she was pointing out something like that. 
Officially my time was a 19:36:9 seconds which works out to a 6:18/mile.   I was 5th place in my age group of 30-39 year old males and I was only 13 seconds away from placing 3rd.   

NYC Marathon Race Report 2011

In getting ready to run in this marathon I have read so many other "race reports" from random people about their own experiences so I could better prepare myself for what lay ahead.  In short however, reading blogs could not fully make me comprehend the magnitude of this race and the enormity of people running next to you and also cheering you on.  At some points I felt like it was "sea of humanity" all joining together as one.  Other times I felt this is such a clusterf*ck of people and I wish they would all go home. 
There were really no problems with the logistics of getting to the race.  I hopped on the subway no problem.  Then it was time for the Staten Island Ferry.  After that it was a bus to the staging area to wait around before the race.  The one thing that I thought was so amazing was how many international runners there were.  On the subway I sat down next to a runner from Italy.  Another Italian woman later sat down across from us and they talked to each other in their native tongue the rest of the ride.  As I was waiting for my wave start I laid out my garbage bag next to a fence where I would sit for an hour or so waiting for my wave start.  I sat in between one guy from Denmark and another from Vancouver.  Maybe it was because most international runner indicated they were international by either a flag on their shirt or a flag painted on their face, but it made me wish I had an American flag because I did not see any of those throughout the day.  Both of the guys I was sitting down next to ran in wave one so they gave me their sleeping bags and foam pads they were sitting on.  I kind of felt like I was the king of the bums with all my stuff I had to keep me warm and comfortable while sitting on the ground waiting around.      
I was in the very start of wave 2 right in the front.  The race started promptly at 10:10 and there was maybe only 20 feet in between me and the start line with the horn blew.  I thought I was going to run relatively hassle free for the first 8 miles or so before all the other runners joined together.  Within about 1 minute of starting the race an older runner next to me was trampled by a woman.  I don't know how it started but I felt really bad for the guy.  Over the Verrazano Bridge was smooth sailing.  The weather was sunny and not cold so I shed my jacket somewhere in the first mile.  My plan was to run slow the first mile, around 10 minutes, then average out around 8:50 miles much of the rest of the way until mile 21 or so.  I also had a plan to take a gel starting at mile 4 and every 4th mile then on with water and Gatorade the other miles with along with salt tablets (so I don't cramp) every 4th mile starting at mile 6.   This plan quickly got lost as it was difficult to think straight among so many people.  I always felt boxed in while running and felt like I literally had to push my way through people at every mile in order to get fluids.  I would figure I was losing 10 seconds every stop.  A some point early on in the race I also lost my salt tablets that were in my pouch.  This I think was a big reason why I started to cramp around mile 22. 
Aside from all the issues surrounding getting fluids, going through Brooklyn was amazing!  This was by far my favorite part of the race.  The crowds were so lively and I loved the random people who set up their bands on the side of the roads, the DJ who was playing Vanilla Ice underneath an overpass and the church choir that was out there singing away. 
Early on I adjusted my time for both how long it was taking to get the fluids and also for the fact that each mile on the course was really 1.02 miles on my Garmin and I was hitting all of my splits.  I hit the 13.1 mile mark at 1:57:19 which was right where I was when I PR'd 4 years ago in the Rock n Roll Marathon in San Diego with 3:57:14.  I really wanted to beat that mark and at that point in felt 100% in my grasp.
A few miles later was the (supposedly) dreaded Queensborough Bridge.  I read all kinds of horror stories about this on people's blogs, but I did not find in that difficult at all.  The only hard part was the fact that so many people were walking at this point.  I cruised up and down and entered into Manhattan which was unreal with the amount of energy.  My dad was supposed to be waiting to cheer me on at the Starbucks on the corner of 75th Street.  Sadly there was about a million other people there too.  That did not stop me from running by yelling his name "Rod Taylor, Rod Taylor" trying to see if we could connect, even if it was for us to only exchange smiles.  I didn't see him so I kept moving along.
As we left Manhattan we crossed what the Willis Ave Bridge. This is around mile 19-20 and I start to cramp.  It feels like my hamstrings are knotted up the size of softballs.  I stop and quickly stretch, not wanting to lose too much time.  Here my splits go from under 9 minute miles to 9:16 and 9:35.  This was also the point where I hit the wall.  I put in so much time into my training I really did not want this to come as it had in my previous 2 marathons, but it as back.  In my mind I went from knowing I would not PR, to hoping to go sub 4 hours all the way to telling myself "just don't walk."
Around mile 22, Asics had a huge monitor where friends and family of runners could record messages and they would play on huge 40 foot screen over the course.  It was time activated by the chip runners were wearing as the crossed a certain point.  As I was running I looked up and Shelly is on the screen with Scooter cheering me on.  It was almost enough to make me cry... that or the chaffing, but I really don't want to get into that. 
Getting back into Manhattan was not as thrilling as I hoped it would be, mainly because I wanted to die.  I was running 11-12 minute miles at this point barely moving faster than the walkers.  As I hit one mile marker I accidentally stopped my a watch instead of hitting the split.  Everything at this point sucked. 
Despite the fact that I was creeping along, everything seems to be a blur now.  At mile 25 I did hear my dad call my name which was great.  I gave him a thumbs down sign with a smile to let him know that I was hurting but still in good spirits.  He had a big smile on his face which did make me feel great.  As I got closer to the finish line I thought, "I feel like crap, but I want to have a good finishing photo."  I made sure nobody was in front of me as I crossed the line and gave a good ole fist pump that was sure to catch the cameraman's attention.  I was not sure of my official time at that point, but my watch said I ran 26.1 miles in the time of 4:06:40.  My official time was 4:11:05.  I figure the course was more like 26.5 miles with all the turns and maneuvering around people. 
When the race was over I still had to walk about a mile to pick up my checked bag.  At the time this was the worst thing ever because I did not want to move at all. I honestly thought to myself "I would pay somebody $1000 to go pick up my bag and give it to me right now."  In the long run however it was great because if it wasn't for that long trudge I would have sat down and then my muscles probably would not have let me move again for a long time.
Despite the fact that I totally fell apart of the last 6 miles, this was quite an experience that I will never forget.   

it's finally here...

Today I leave to San Jose and I fly out to NYC in the morning! I can't believe after 18 weeks of training the race is finally about to arrive. Here are some brief thoughts...

1. The weather should be great. The high is 56 degrees and the low is 52, partly cloudy. No rain in the forecast. I did buy some old snow pants at Goodwill to wear prior to the race starting and just shed them right before the start buy I don't even know if I will need them.

2. I am still worried about my right foot. I tried to go for an 8 mile run last Sunday buy shut it down at 7 because it was starting to ache. Besides a planned 2 mile run either on Friday or Saturday I won't run at all this week. Just trying to give my foot as much time to heal as possible.

3. I started at 170 pounds hoping to get down to 160 by raceday. The first 2 months there was no weight loss, but right now I hover around 161-2 which I am really happy with.

4. I found a great website called mymarathonpace.com which has pace charts for all major marathons. Based on the elevation charts from the course the guy who owns the website has created an xcel spreadsheet where you can input your own information and plan out your pace mile by mile based on how much effort you want to put forth during the race. You can also account for how fast/slow you want to be going at the beginning and the end of the race. I am setting it for a slow start and a medium fade at the end. I am pacing myself for a 3:55 marathon which I feel is right about where I should be. For instance my first mile is all up over the Verrazano Bridge and is meant to be slow so it is roughly a 10 minute pace. The next mile which is going back down the bridge is much faster around 8:50ish. The overall pace for my marathon per mile I want to keep is an 8:58 mile. I printed it out and made my own pace band to wear around my wrist.

5. A tough part about being in NYC prior to running a race is my eating habits. I usually never shy away from eating a lot, especially when it's good food. I've told myself no fatty meals and no pigging out no matter how good something is. I don't want to feel lethargic prior to my race and I don't want to have to take an unplanned dump during it. I have made reservations for a nice steakhouse for after my race. The meals are pricey, but what isn't pricey in NYC? It will be something nice to look forward to.

That's about it! Make sure to look back sometime next week as I post a race report. Thanks for reading and thanks for your support in this endeavor!