A Marathoner

Back up to the Armory last night for intervals.  I was pleasantly surprised at the emptiness of the track.  Apparently, the high school indoor season is over and our track team (the laughably quick folks) moved to an outdoor track to get ready for their season.  As a result, the road racing team (me) enjoyed the roominess.

Despite running after the race and again the next day, I was still slightly sore.  I thought I shook out the acid, but apparently not all of it.  For the first time, I was not in a rush when I arrived at the track (hit the subway at the right time) and was able to leisurely get into running mode.  On tap for last night was a challenging downward ladder workout: 1200, 1000, 800, 600, 400 all at 5k pace with 400 recovery; followed by 300 and 200 at mile pace with 300 recovery.  The results:

I had no real goals for the evening … just enjoy the run and have fun with the team.  Those two were certainly accomplished.  Fun group.  I never pay much attention to the pace while running on the track, other than wanting to push myself, and accept that it will be much faster than announced.  Looking at the chart, it is amazing how this group negative splits like clockwork.  The 1200-600 stepped down rationally at approximately 10-second increments per interval.   My memory gets foggy after running in so many circles, but think I jumped in and led the 600m interval.  I tried to keep the pace consistent and reasonable because at that point we still had work to do.  However, when we get near the short stuff (sub 400m), these folks get ridiculously itchy for speed (myself included).   You’ll notice the massive drop from 600, 400, 300 … 6:09 pace to 5:34 to 5:06 is no joke.  Then for the final 200 it just got downright silly.  I had the nerve (stupidity?) to challenge one of the really quick Assassins in our sub-group.  Aside from crazy talent, this one is 25-26 years old and literally 50% my height and weight.  We both got into Alpha-dog mode and jumped out for the lead together.  I hung with her for … no lie … 5 strides and she was gone.  I started cracking up.  Honestly, it was funny as hell.  I laid down a 0:32 200m or 4:18 pace (completely irrational) and she had to hit 0:28 and was visibly slowing down on the final 50m.  She said in a very unassuming way, “See why Coach wants me to run the mile?  I don’t want to do it though.  I like marathons.”  BTW – I don’t want to give the impression that we are reckless in any way.  Other than me, these are very experienced runners.  Also, Coach mentioned to me at the conclusion of the workout that he almost gave us a 100m interval as the finale, but thought better against it as he said, “you guys would be like rabid dogs attacking meat with a 100.” I laughed and agreed.

Observations: Heading into Sunday, I was thought I would come up way short on the weekly mileage.  As it was a race week, I didn’t run much leading up to Sunday.  The 5k was, shall we say, “interesting” to say the least.  I added a 9-mile cool down which brought the day’s total to 12 miles.  A good week on its face … hit my goal, a PR and still hit 40 miles.  Nonetheless, I executed the race TERRIBLY and walk away with somewhat of a bitter, sweet victory.  Still, it is a new week.  It’s another opportunity to write an additional chapter.  April 3^rd (10k) will be here soon and I need to really get my act together.  BIG TIME.

On the walk home yesterday (post-race and 9 mile cool down), I had a rare thought enter my mind.  Despite knowing that Monday’s are NOT rest days, I told myself, “There is no way I’m running tomorrow.”  I was drained physically and psychologically (due in no small part from tripping over a friggin’ pylon).  I told my wife the exact same thing when she asked what my plans were for Monday morning.  I deserved a day off.

I read many great running blogs, but if memory serves I think it was Marathon Maiden who recently blogged about the challenges of eating after long and/or intense running. The body needs it, but the mind is not always in harmony.  I’m pretty good about immediately grabbing a Gatorade or similar drink, but it’s difficult for me to settle down long enough to force food down my throat.  Note, I was starving during and after the race and run, but the adrenaline was still flowing which did not help the cause.  After being repeatedly told by my dependents that I desperately needed a shower, I did so and then managed to sit down and eat some excellent pasta and meatballs.  The balance of the day was spent yelling at Time Warner Cable, blogging, congratulating fellow runners, etc.  No nap.  Lastly, I watched 2/3’s of the Oscars … despite funny stand up by the hosts, it dragged on and I couldn’t finish it out … and Helen Mirren was robbed, again.

On to today’s rest day. Call it a short-term runner’s low.  As I laid out my running gear before I went to bed last night, my wife just shook her head.  I popped up at 6:00 am this morning with very slight stiffness.  I didn’t know what to expect.  For HMs, I am usually incredibly sore for a couple of days.  Yesterday was of comparable distance with more intensity but over a longer period of time.  Also, since it was my first time racing in flats (I only wear them indoors), I thought my feet could have issues.  Happy to report that all is good.  The Asics Piranhas were stellar and will definitely be used for 10ks and HMs too.  I failed to mention that I am certain the flats contributed to my faster time.  The Asics are 4.2 oz vs. my trainers (Brooks Launch) which are closer to 10 oz with the inserts.  At least one thing went well yesterday.   I need to find lighter trainers, after working though the Brooks. as I am noticing the extra weight during daily runs.

With Spring finally crawling out from under the sheets of ice, I was gleeful as I hit the bridle path.  Dirt never felt so good. It’s been at least 5-6 weeks since the last time I ran my favorite route.  I did a series of loops on the bridle and reservoir paths for 7.2 miles (8:57 pace). It was great to shake out the little acid and stress that remained in the legs.  The principal reason why I ran less than 24 hours after putting down 12 hard miles was it was time to get back to work.  Race is over.  Need to move on and buckle up for the next one.

Before I begin, thank you for all of the support and encouragement.  You guys are the best.

As a racing veteran (all of 10 races under my belt), I didn’t feel any jitters or out of sorts at all this morning.  You will see in a few paragraphs why the latter portion of the previous sentence is laughably incorrect.  I went with my gut and shelved the idea of a bringing and checking a back … you will see why this was also a misguided move.  About the only thing that went according to plan this morning was the morning cappuccino, which with clockwork-like regularity starts the pre-run irrigation process.  No restroom issues on the course … thank goodness … it was only a 5k.

Despite yesterday’s reconnaissance mission (testing my mode of transportation and the course), you never know what you will get with public transport.  Of course I just missed the 7:23 am bus by 50 seconds.  Therefore, I had to wait for 20 minutes in 39* weather dressed in shorts, long-sleeved shirt and singlet for the next bus.  After exiting the bus, group of folks running the race (did not know them) headed down into the subway for the trek up to Washington Heights.  The wait did not seem very long, but I was shivering at this point so my point of reference might have been skewed.  Again, did not bring a bag with a change of warmer clothes … dumb.

We arrived at the race area in plenty of time to warm up for a mile, hit the restroom and hop in the corral.  A couple thoughts on the corral … it did not feel crowded when folks were lining up, but as I will describe shortly, it ended up being a sausage factory.  Aside from the many goals I have for 2010, an unstated target is to move up in the NYRR corral system.  Not sure how it exactly breaks out, but in general:

Again, that’s a rough estimate and is altered for longer distance races.  Hopefully, someone who also runs in NYC (Larry, Bridges Runner?) might be able to shed light on the mysterious NYRR corral system.  At any rate, for today’s race I was in the 3^rd corral with a yellow bib, which corresponds to my current 5k PR of 7:41 pace.  My goal is to join the 98% of my Central Park Track Club teammates who are in the 1^st corral in navy blue bibs with sub 1,000 numbers.  I am so not kidding about that.  Nearly all of them are in the 1^st corral at the tip of the starting line … competitive group.  Outside of lying on my race application, the only way to accomplish such a feat is to first break into the red bib corral.  Hence, the sub 7:00 goal for today.

The corral business is not about ego (or at least for me).  Moving up means fewer people to fight thru during the first 800m of a race.  To wit, once starter pistol (or whatever they use) went off, it was like trying to run through Times Square on New Year’s Eve.  Until this point, the bunching at the beginning never mattered to me.  For HM’s, a slow start is a requirement.  In my case, I have not run a short distance race since June 2009 so I forgot how much of a pain the start can be.  In weaving in and out I was concerned with twisting an ankle or just biting it on the pavement.  Add to this the pressure of wanting to run well in my first race with the team and I was slightly agitated.

1^st Mile:  I made my way through the crowd, but that distraction cost me.  Once I broke free, I went out harder than the plan.  More importantly, when I saw the clock at the 1-mile mark, I panicked as it read 7:20.  Why did I panic when my target for the first mile was 7:15?  Here is the key point that I have yet to share with you.  I forgot that it took me a solid 45 seconds to 1 minute to break the starting line, which means I needed to subtract that amount from what the clock read.  ROOKIE MISTAKE, MR. 11^th Race!!! Therefore, my first mile was not 7:20.  After the race, I looked at the Garmin (which I did not do during the race … until the last 400m) to find that my first mile was clocked in at 6:37.  Even though I felt great at the time, in reality, I blew it in the first mile.  Bleh.

2^nd Mile:  It gets better folks.  That first mile has the steepest hill on the course.  So I blasted thru that and expended untold reserves.  Anyway, I didn’t know any of this during the race.  I was cruising along when I saw my teammate who I wanted to track during the race, but I could not find her at the start.  Finding her I thought was a good thing, until I ran over a pylon in trying to get in her vicinity.  Yes, people.  I ran over a friggin pylon. I heard some guy behind me scream, “Dude!!”  As if to say, “how did they let you run in a race by yourself?”  Needless to say I have never done anything so stupid during a race.  Unbelievable.  Somehow I managed not to kill myself or anyone else during mile 2 and also passed up my friend (still shocked at the latter development … in her defense she is training for Boston and has heavy miles on her legs).  The course was still tough as it circles Fort Tryon Park with a helpful downhill upon entry and then that downhill turns unfriendly upon exit as a mean uphill.  I was feeling it at this point, but tried to power through.  I made it out of the park alive and started to head towards the initial hill on the course when I noticed my shoelace came undone.  I did not double knot them.  Yet another ROOKIE MISTAKE, MR. 11^th RACE. So here I am, glycogen level in negative territory because I did not eat enough, ran way too hard at the start, facing a substantial hill with the very real possibility of losing my shoe.  AWESOME!!!!  Sign me up for more. In case you are wondering, I would have absolutely left the shoe behind and kept going … without a doubt.  Pace for mile 2 – 6:56.  Blowing up.

Home Stretch:  My plan (what a joke that was) was to manage reserves and hammer it on the downhill at the 2.5-mile mark.  Mission aborted.  I was holding on for dear life.  Thankfully, the downhill did change the momentum and I could see the finish.  But the key to survival was that I noticed another teammate slightly ahead of me (there were 63 of us in the race).  I didn’t know her, but saw the bright orange shirt and that was my target.  At least it took my mind off the pain … legs dead, lungs burning, etc.  I was gassed.  Nothing left, at all.  I passed her with 10m to go and rumbled to the finish line.  Unbelievably, the last mile was also 6:56.  Somehow, I kept the wheels on, somewhat.  I fully expected a 7:45 or 8:00.  Seriously.

Final results: 21:24 for 6:54 pace.  PR of 2:30.  I missed Ian’s sub-20 by quite a lot.  If I had distributed the effort more evenly, I definitely would have been in the sub-21 category (6:45).  I had heard how difficult the course was to attempt a PR, therefore I am happy I did so and hit my goal time (and should move up in corrals for the next race).  My coach said that on a less hilly course you can shave 30 seconds off the total.  If true, that would be great.

Most importantly, with as many things that went wrong, I am kind of amazed that I still beat my goal time.  I know 5k’s are not indicators of marathon performance, but according to McMillan Running Calculator, a 21:24 5k puts me on track for …. a 3:28 marathon.  3:30 or Death.

Oh yeah, the day does not end there.  It seems 98% of my teammates are also getting ready for the Boston Marathon.  Therefore, they cannot afford to cut mileage short even on race day.  I too wanted to get some additional miles in the hopper after the race.  I connected with someone going my direction and we ran 9 miles at an 8:30 pace in Central Park.  Now let’s revisit this … no food in my system, wet with no dry clothes on my body or with me, exhausted from the race and now running 9 miles with a Boston qualifier.  I truly have lost my mind.  It was fine … other than being exhausted … great conversation, additional work and the realization that the work is slowly starting to pay dividends.

Next up: Scotland 10k on April 3^rd.

My pre-race routine involves a series of neurotic steps, but the most critical of all is the “dry run.”  This is when I survey the course a few days before the race.  To date, most of my races have been in Central Park, but tomorrow’s is not (Washington Heights, NYC to be exact).  Therefore, I needed to get a feel for the inclines and declines this morning.  It would be a stretch to say I ran the course as I kept the pace to 9:42 (slow even for a recovery run).  My goal was to observe the terrain and plot out the racing strategy.

From my read, the course is largely flat for the first 800m then the first (and steepest) hill greets you for the next ¼ mile.  After the fast decline, the hills then roll modestly until about the about the 1.8 mile mark.  The 2^nd steepish incline arrives as you reach Fort Tryon Park.  The down and back course reverses itself as you exit the circular road in the park.  There were a couple hills of note in the park.  Once I reach the 2-mile mark, I will let it loose.  I’ll be facing an incline, but once I hit the peak the momentum down hill should make up for any depletion in reserves.  The finish will likely be fast and it’s where I hope to make up / gain a few seconds.

My plan is to pace with one of my teammates who mentioned a 6:50’s target pace, but I know she will push it well beyond that … which is great.

Forgetting about the race for a minute … the scenery on the course (in the park) was stunning.  This area is known as The Cloisters and sits at the tip of Manhattan on four acres overlooking the Hudson River.  It just confirms that I need to get out of my normal surroundings more …

I do have a minor dilemma.  After the race, I will some easy distance to finish off the week, however, since I plan to run in the Asics racing flats I can’t put real mileage on them.  Therefore, I may need to do the unthinkable … bring an extra pair of shoes and check a bag.  Eeek!!!  I’ve never done this before.  I know folks do it all the time, but this is waaaaaay outside of my comfort zone.  Alternatively, if I only run 5-6 miles after the race in the racing flats this should not destroy my feet (or the shoes).  In fact, I would like to use the kicks on a 10k so I should probably find out if this is possible.  I’m leaning towards just wearing the flats and bagging the bag check in.  Seriously, you are talking about a guy who on race mornings leaves his apartment to hit the corral exactly as the starting gun goes off.  I have NO patience for crowds, lines, etc.  Hopefully my feet and the kicks will be in harmony.

The only other clothing related issue is the top.  Rumor has it that the temps will reach 50* this weekend.  If this morning is any indication, it will not be 50* tomorrow at 9:00 am when the race starts.  At 8:00 this morning it was 32* with an unfriendly breeze.  I wore a thin shirt, jacket and running pants and was still chilly.  Tomorrow the gear will consist of shorts, cap, gloves, probably a base layer top and CPTC (practice) singlet.  (I become an official member on Monday when the board meets, but was told I can definitely wear the white practice singlet.  I was asked if I wanted the board to expedite the approval so I could wear the orange racing singlet, but I thought that was too much trouble.  It’s not that big of a deal.)  I’ll check the temps when I wake up, but ideally I can remove the base layer and add it to one of my teammates bags or just bring a throw-away top to keep warm.

I’ll post you on the results! As always, thank you for the encouragement.

I rarely (if ever) think deeply about a training run the next day.  However, for some reason I could not get the 800/600/400 pick up’s out of my head today.  I didn’t track the intervals, but when I saw the average pace for the 4^th mile was 7:05 I admit that I was slightly disheartened.  Why?  That’s when I ran the intervals and believed I stopped and started my watch according to when I actually ran.  A 7:05 likely meant that I probably ran most of the intervals at 6:55 or so because I was not sprinting.  Why this matters?  Only because I thought I ran faster than the results indicated.  To put it more specifically, I felt like I worked harder than the results indicated.  Do you ever feel like that?  I do quite often, therefore, that is why I tried to bury the thought for most of the day.

Tonight I was messing around with Garmin Connect and took a closer look at last night’s run.  That little device is a blessing and a curse for someone as obsessive as I can be.  Like I said last night, when I looked down at the watch I saw 6:55 at one point, but then remembered that GPS is not instantaneous and there was likely a lag in the actual pace.  More specifically, it tracks “average” pace.  Well, tonight I looked more closely at the intervals and my body was correct.  I did in fact work harder than the results on the watch indicated at the time.  I have not figured out how to integrate Garmin Connect output into this blog yet, but below are the results:

Those numbers are more consistent with the effort expended.  Also, those results are also reasonably consistent with my track workouts.  Now, let me be clear, I have no expectation nor am under any illusion that I can possibly maintain anything close to that pace for 3.1 miles.  This exercise was me scratching a mental itch.  My goal remains a 21:41 (6:59 pace).   Anything better is great … and if for some freakish reason if I come close to Ian’s challenge of sub-20, I may retire from running entirely.

So, what is the lesson from last night?  Pay no attention to the Garmin while racing.  It’s great for mileage, GPS, directional pace and after the fact data analysis, but the pacing is not to be relied upon to assess “in the battle” results.

Tonight was a fairly pedestrian workout.  We had the option of running 3×2 miles or tackle a few interval pick-ups.  I chose the latter since I don’t want to push it with the 5k coming on Sunday.  Ian has already challenged me to run sub-20 minutes for the race … not sure if that is possible, but I will definitely give it a go.  Therefore, I had all the incentive in the world to dial down the intensity tonight.

After a longish warm up (3 miles) caused in part by the group searching high and low for dry, flat and preferably soft terrain.  Initially we jogged to the Reservoir hopeful for success.  Our hopes were dashed after a quick inspection revealed too much remnant ice and mush to do anything of substance.  Next we moved down to the Bridle Path, which was definitely runnable, but lacked lighting.  Finally, we jogged to the East Drive for a flat straight away where we decided to hold our brief workout.

We ran an 800, 600 and 400 without much recovery.  I didn’t bother to reset my watch for only one set.  I ran on feel and glanced down to see where I was in terms of pace.  No real point in doing that since the GPS is not instant and by the time I got a bead on pace the interval was over.  I ran hard, but did not kill myself.  I certainly did not want to run the race tonight.  I did my best to relax and keep my breathing even.  The sub group with whom I ran was not my usual crew.  These were the quicker folks and I could only keep up with them if I were riding on top of a bullet.  Still, there were a couple people trailing me, so it all evens out in the end.  My only gauge on pace was that the 4^th mile was at 7:05, which should have included the 3 intervals.

We ended with a slow cool down and casually chatted about … running.  What else would be talk about?  I did see 2 more raccoons.  I was ready to spin around and go the other way until I saw they passed by us without incident.

Totals for the night: 8.5 miles at 9:06.

You know what Tuesday’s mean!  My favorite run of the week.  Intervals!!!  Many of us are getting ready for the Coogan’s 5K on Sunday.  Therefore, last night was intended to be our main event of the running week.  The Thursday night tempo will be light on intensity (at least for me).  On tap were 3×1200s at 5k pace with a 400m recovery and ending with 3×200 at 3k pace with a 100m recovery.  It was a fairly aggressive workout in that it added a bit of distance followed by a shortish recovery and ending with speed.  This workout required energy management as it would be only too easy to bust out in the first 1,200 only to suffer for the rest of the session. The results:

The only set from which I can take anything constructive away is the 1^st 1200.  That is in the range of goal 5k pace.  It’s still likely too aggressive, but I felt good running it.  I actually paced the group for the majority of the 1^st interval as our normal pacer said he needed a little more time to loosen up before taking over his usual duties.  He came back with the vengeance on the 2^nd 1200 with a 6:24 pace.  On the final 1200, a couple of the Assassins ended up racing on the last 50m, so you can imagine how that interval went.  I hung back.  The 3×200 was a nice way to let off some steam.  I’ll be honest.  Last night was an interesting construct.  I found the 1200’s challenging in the sense that you really had to concentrate on following an appropriate, sustainable pace, but being on the track you always want to let it loose a bit.  I’m sure Coach had this in mind.  The 200s were meant for us to focus on form.  To that end, I tried to relax, but found myself running a bit too hard, like always.  In all, 6+ miles with the warm up and cool down.

I’m starting to get excited for the 5k.  It will be my first race under 13.1 miles in nearly 10 months.  I last ran a 5k in February 2009 (23:52, 7:41 pace).  Unless something goes horribly wrong, I should PR.  The goal is 21:41 or 6:59 pace.  My training has been solid, but I’m not experienced enough to know if that goal is realistic.  We’ll see.  I’ll definitely give it my all.

Observations: Goodbye and good riddance February.  My view is principally driven by the weather we experienced … at least 2 full on snowicanes, which made it nearly impossible to run for a few days.  Couple the conditions with the fact that February is a short month and there is the reason for the huge reduction in number of days run.  You know I am not a slacker.  That said, I was only off of the 175-mile/mo. target by 4 miles as a result running more miles per day.  It’s kind of annoying to know that if I added .5 miles a day here and there, I would have easily surpassed the target.  Oh well.  Over the course of the year, I’m sure I’ll make up those 4 miles (hello NYC Marathon training)!  I’m pleased that the pace slowed down overall … (despite an increased focus on speed work) … which means I am respecting the recovery and LRs.  I actually feel strong.  No burn out, etc.  Nonetheless, the biggest takeaway from February is that the days are finally getting longer and sun coming up earlier.  Spring is trying to spring.

I remember blogging last week that I want to avoid consecutive days of double digit miles.  Again, the difference between stopping at 9 miles vs. 10 is nominal, but unless you are a pro or in the midst of training for 13.1 or 26.2, I personally don’t think there is upside to constantly hit heavy mileage.  I’m not sure where that position went this weekend.  Saturday = 12.5 and Sunday = 11.  I’ve been so focused on the substance of the run that I guess I’ve lost track of the miles piling up.   Other than the mini-LR, I don’t have a distance targets.  The miles tend to just fall out of the workout.  I assume this is a good thing as it indicates that I am not “forcing” or junking up the workouts.

This morning I felt no additional or unusual soreness/aches.  In fact, I went to bed early and woke up fresh.  It must be the turning of the calendar.  It’s March 1^st.  Woot!!!  Mondays continue to be the “undefined” run of the week.  Marathon Maiden has written about Mondays as well.  Not a recovery, not an LR, not a speed workout, not a tempo.  It’s just a run.  There is something cathartic about just lacing them up with no plan in mind.

Since I’m getting more confident and comfortable with the Garmin, I’m starting to slightly alter my routes.  Ultimately, I need to go on bridge runs because (a) I’m not great with heights and need to get over it for the NYC Marathon, (b) it’s a great hill workout and (c) stunning views of the city.  For now, I’m still in Central Park, but I’m cutting through nooks and crannies as well as circling the loop … still on asphalt … still very tired of asphalt.  Surprisingly, there was still a fair amount of black ice.  Unlike yesterday, I knew the affected areas and proceeded with the requisite caution.  Once I loosened up, I let the pace pick up a bit (mid-8:00s) especially approaching hills as they continue to be a weak spot for me.  The wind at 11mph did not make matters any easier, but I wanted to power thru the hills.  I continued to hover around the mid-8:00s until I realized it was getting late and then went into cool down mode for a couple miles.  I don’t think I do enough “cool downs” when I am on my own.   Warming up is obvious and the bulk of the run takes care of itself, but properly cooling down is something I take for granted.

Final results, 10 miles at 8:59.  It looks like we a have a mini double-digit streak going … 3 days.  Ha.  Gabe noted the increase in mileage on Twitter this morning.  No worries, though.  The “streak” (if you can call it that) ends tomorrow with the track workout.  In all likelihood, the pent up energy from the stifled mid-week runs was bound to pop eventually.  Jess asked awhile ago if my mileage has increased since joining the club.  At the time, I said no and went so far as to say that I was concerned that it might decrease since the track workouts are intense but light on miles.  I was wrong.  Somewhere along the line, I’ve gotten stronger and miles have gone up as a result.  Jess is as wise as she is fast.  February review coming tomorrow.  Also, there could be something subconscious going on …  after Sunday’s 5K, I need to gear up for a couple of 10ks and HM (April and May).  Hello Spring!