A humbling experience
So, it’s April 20 and that means the race is past. I have had so many different feelings about it since hobbling across the finish line. Let’s start with the positive. 1. I finished. 2. while sore, I am uninjured. 3. I didn’t get sunburned or chafed! 4. The crowds along the race course were amazing, calling my name over and over, high fiving me and offering oranges, popsicles and wet sponges. 5. I kissed three coeds as I ran through Wellesly (how can that be bad!), and 6. I finished.
On the less positive side, I was very disappointed with how I ran. The first 10K went great, even splits, I felt good, and was in a great rythym. But by the 10 mile mark my heartrate was very high, even when on a flat section or going downhill. I started to walk through water stations in order to get it under control, without luck. At mile 17 my legs started to cramp, first the quads, then my hamstrings. At that point, with 9 miles to go, I knew any reasonable time was out of the picture. The best part was seeing my daughter and wife at mile 21, and having Jenn run with me for a bit. It renewed me and I set a new goal of finishing in under 5 hours. Far below the time at which my training should have allowed me to finish, but the only option left at that point. And even that was not easy. I have to say, turning onto Boylston St and seeing the finish line was indescribable. Thousands of people were still there and as loud as if I were about to win the race. It seemed to take forever to finally reach the line, but once there I was met with a handshake and supportive arm around my shoulder by the President of Tufts. His excitement for me made up for any that I left out on the course. A very classy guy.
So I am now a Boston Marathon finisher. Though humbled and today a bit broken, I am incredibly thankful for the experience. I again thank all of you who have read this blog, offered your support, encouragement and advice, and your nice thoughts and prayers. I thought of many of you on the course.
Marathon Eve
It is just over 15 hours and counting to the starting gun. After visiting the expo yesterday, we spent today at Fenway watching the Red Sox play Tampa. Jenn, Sandy, my friend Mark P and I enjoyed the atmosphere of a great old stadium and talking to the Boston locals and vendors. Everyone is amazingly supportive and knowledgeable of the marathon. Tonight was a pasta dinner with the Tufts Marathon team. It was great to see all the students with their very proud parents, knowing that in 24 hours they will all be Boston finishers! The weather for tomorrow should be ideal. High 40′s to mid 50′s partly cloudy with a mild wind at our backs. Can’t ask for much more than that.
Many thanks to all of you that have sent me emails, texts, or Facebook…whatever those things on Facebook are called. I appreciate the support. See you in 26.2 miles
One week to go
It’s one week to race day. I have had the date April 19 on my office whiteboard since October. At the time, it seemed like a very long way away. Now it’s almost here. No more training, no more fitness to add, no more speed workouts will help. I am what I am going to be at the start of the race. I’m nervous, anxious, excited, and mostly eager for next Monday to get here. There is nothing I can do at this point to help myself except rest, eat well and stay hydrated. I will have 2 or 3 short runs just to keep my legs loose, but other than that, pretty slow week. It will probably not be my most productive week at work. Fortunately, I am not travelling and can relax/nap at home as it fits my schedule. Hopefully, the next time I post here, I will have successfully completed the 26.2 miles and will be a Boston Marathon finisher!
Two weeks and counting
So, it’s been a while, again, since I posted. during that time I have done several very long runs, 19 and 20 miles respectively. The first went well, the second didn’t. I felt out of rhythm and ended up dehydrated. I should know better than to make that mistake at this point. This last week of training has not been good. My legs felt very fatigued and it affected my runs on Wednesday and Thursday. So I decided to take an extra day of rest and postponed my long run to Sunday. It seemed to work as I felt much better for my 12 mile run today. I ran easy and relaxed and ended up about 6 seconds per mile faster than my goal pace for the marathon. That is good news. My legs are tired but that should pass quickly. The best news is that my confidence is back that I can make it the full 26.2 miles in reasonably good shape. I was also able to “rehearse” my pre-race preparations, breakfast, hydration etc. as well as wear my Tufts Marathon team singlet and hat. Always good to race in something you have worn previously.
The race is 2 weeks from Monday, so at this point the emphasis is on rest, low volume runs, and making sure my nutrition and hydration are good. See you in a couple weeks!
26643
It’s been a while since I have written anything, so for all of you on the edge of your seats, here is the latest!
Boston Athletic Association issued our race bib numbers this week. My number is 26643, which means I start in the 26th corral. That’s the back of the pack! The corrals are in order of qualifying time, fastest to slowest, but since the “charity” runners didn’t qualify they place us all at the back. Not a problem for me as it will force me to be conservative in the early part of the race until the crowd of runners thins out a bit. Having a number assigned though makes it feel even more real.
Training has been going well, although I am starting to feel the effects of the last 12 weeks. A few creaking joints here and there, and some muscle soreness from time to time, are all part of the game I think. Fortunately things are getting close to winding down. My long run this weekend is 18 miles, likely to be followed next week with 20. Then the mileage will start to go down over the last 3 weeks. I look forward to that! The speed work lately has been difficult, with three workouts of the dreaded mile repeats. Not a fun workout at all. But I can definitely feel my fitness improving. Last week I did a 15 mile run easy and relaxed, not worried about time at all. At 12 miles I was at 10:10 pace, and felt great so I did the last 3 miles at about 9:00 pace, much faster than I plan to run the marathon. By most runners standards, that’s a slow pace, but for me, it’s my half marathon PR pace. It’s encouraging to see the effect of the training.
So, as the weather improves, and the layers of clothes decrease, the reality of this event has set in. I have enjoyed the training, but will be very happy to get to the starting line…and then the finish line. Then I can rest, and start to focus on my half ironman, Racine 70.3. Much easier training.
If you are interested, here is a cool video about Boston 2009 produced by Adidas.
A hard week ends well
Last week was a difficult week of training. Speedwork on Tuesday was 5 – 1 mile repeats at 10k pace. Perhaps the worst workout I have ever done. An “easy” 6 mile run on Wednesday was followed by a hill repeat ladder, starting at 30 seconds and going up to 3 minutes and back down again, all at 5.5% incline. Then my Saturday long run was 20 miles. This is probably the farthest I will run before the race and is a real milestone for new marathoners. My previous longest run was 16 miles so going an extra 4 miles was a significant challenge. But I was able to complete the run, while visiting my daughter at Elon University. I enjoyed the North Carolina hills and country roads, and while there were some rough spots, at the end I actually felt pretty good. It was 3 1/2 hours of running which seems unimaginable, but now it’s behind me. And with it, my confidence that I can complete the 26.2 miles grew significantly.
This week is a “recovery” week, lower mileage and only 11 mile long run. My legs are looking forward to the rest. I’m pretty sure there are going to be a couple more hard weeks before I start to taper toward race day.
Progress
On Saturday I ran the same 16 mile route that I did several weeks ago. It is a very hilly run and when I first did it, I really struggled with the distance and the hills. This time, I felt much stronger, had no trouble with the hills, and finished with a faster pace and lower average heart rate. I think that means my training is working! It’s just one run, but I am starting to think I am going to be able to do this with minimal pain.
There is another snow storm coming so who knows what training will be like this week. I was forced to the treadmill last week for speed work due to weather. It worked out fine but I much prefer running outside when I can, even when the weather is not great. Hopefully this snow will come and go and the roads will be cleared and safe to run.
Random thought from the Olympics…why are there no fat men in the curling competition? Of all the sports, this is an event that cries for a beer belly and flannel shirts.
Perspective
On Friday, my wife and I went out with some friends from our triathlon club. We went to a bar and watched an improv class from a local community college taught by two club members. We had a great time and enjoyed the show. Several times during the evening friends asked me about my training and I gladly informed them that my run on Saturday morning was “only 13 miles”. It dawned on me that “only” and “13 miles” don’t really go together for anyone except someone who has lost perspective on the activity, and is facing 26.2 miles in just a few weeks. Three years ago the thought of running 13 miles would have been foolhardy, now it’s my long run in an easy week.
Friday also marked Sandy’s first swim training class. Did I mention that she will be doing her first triathlon this summer!
Sun, Snow and…hills
Saturday represented another first for me, 16 miles. It was another beautiful winter day, sunny, snow on the ground and sometimes the road, and the peacefulness of quiet roads. I love running in Barrington Hills, except for the HILLS. I intentionally picked a course that has significant hills, and I know it is good training, but not a lot of fun. According to my Garmin, my run had a total of 2900 ft of elevation gain. That’s a lot of hills. But if I had been running these routes a year ago life would be much easier now.
My only question after 16 miles was…how do I find a way to do 10 more on April 19? I hope to find out!
Training, travel and life
Training this week has been a bit more difficult due to travel. I have been out of town all week, busy with early morning activities and dinners at night. Hard to find the time to train, or the discipline to make it a priority when you have other things going on. I did get up early this morning for a short workout, and as I was running I thought of the Tufts students who are training for the race. As I think most people know, I am running in this race courtesy of the Tufts Presidents Marathon Challenge. This allows 200 of us to run the race without the need to qualify, thank goodness. It is open to friends, family and Tufts students, many of whom are training as much, or more, than I am, while maintaining a full college course load, hunting for jobs or internships, and doing all the things that mega-talented college students do. I tried to imagine myself getting up at 6 am to train while I was in college. I couldn’t have done it at that age. So it is hard to feel sorry for myself that I was “busy” this week, knowing what these bright young adults are doing. So I will do it again tomorrow, if for no other reason than to keep up with these kids!
