Setting the Record Straight

In July of 2007, I ran the Naples-New York Park to Park 10K in 45:24 -- a PR for me. The NYRR, however, posted a much faster time for me -- 41:10. As I posted afterwards, it was a time I couldn't possibly run, but I couldn't get the NYRR to correct it. It's one thing to have an inaccurate time listed, but it was weird to have my "PR" be in error. Just the other day, I was looking at this very cool site that lists your races in PR order, and there it was again, my "fastest" 10K, 41:10.

It took two and half years, but I have finally set the record straight. The Joe Kleinerman 10K was this morning and I knew I was ready to beat my previous best of 42:08. But wait, was the false 41:10 in reach? For the first time, I thought it might be. I needed to average a 6:38 pace. Given my 6:26 pace in the 4 miler a couple of weeks ago, that seemed possible, but my previous best 10K was at 6:47.

I wanted it.

Here's how it went.

Mile 1: 6:42 - PR pace, but not SRS (Set the Record Straight)

Mile 2: 6:40 - Getting better...

Mile 3: 6:34 - I'm thinking I can do this.

Mile 4: 6:37 - Good, good... just don't lose it on Cat Hill and it's in the bag.

Mile 5: 6:37 - Hill? What hill?

Mile 6: 6:22 - Like a horse headed for the barn...

Last .2: 1:17 - Pick out some young fit looking guy and challenge him to a finish line race (fun, but not a winning strategy).

Official time: 40:51 -- 6:35/mile

And there you have it. My PR is real, and my honor (for what it's worth) is restored.

Cheers!

Counting Miles

I recently read a post by RJR in which he mentioned his goal for yearly milage. I'd always been into tracking my weekly mileage, but RJR's post made me wonder where I stood for the year.

A quick check on my trusty log at RunningAhead.com today showed me at 1851 miles. This puts the 2000 mark well within reach. I wouldn't have to run any more than I have been lately. All I would have to do is not slack off (at all) for the holidays. That will be a bit of a logistical challenge. I hate to get crazy about chasing a milage number, but 2000 is such a nice round number -- I've got to at least try. Right?

Uh oh... I just though of something.... what about.... 2009 miles for year 2009? Or, 2010 miles to ring in the new year? Each year I'd have to run one more mile....

Do You Deliver?

Today was the Race to Deliver, a 4 miler in Central Park. I have been looking forward to this one, as a change of pace (literally) from marathon training. As I ramped up the milage for the NYC marathon, I cut back (cut out) speed work and short races almost entirely. Since the marathon, I've gotten in 2 speed sessions with the morning group, but today was the first short race.

On Thursday, I had an experience that had me worried that my speed may have slipped last few months. A new tradition has started in the morning group that each runner is expected to "run their age" on their birthday. That is, when I turn 49 in January, I will be sent out to run the six mile loop in 49 minutes. Other runners in the group often go along with the birthday boy/girl to keep them company. Well, 49 minutes I can do, but this week SJ was turning 39. That's a 6:30 pace. Ouch.

Using my usual questionable judgement, I volunteered to keep him company for the first mile or so. I kept up with him from 72nd street to 100th, but then, exhausted, I sent him on his way with my best wishes. I stopped to catch my breath and wait for the next runners to come, and before long AW and JN came along. I tried, but I was too wasted to keep up with them, so I stopped again and waited for the next folks. I finally fell into a group that I could keep up with, but it was hard. All ambition had been sucked out of me. In the end, I cut the loop short, using the excuse that I wanted to see SJ at the finish. He made it, of course, no problem.

I was wiped out for the rest of the day. Work was hard. Staying awake after dinner was hard. I gave up and turned in early. I was shocked that I couldn't recover more quickly from just a little over a mile of hard running. It did not bode well for this weekend's race.

I figured that the race would would be a good test of where my speed is now, so that I could set my goals going forward. As it turned out, the news was good. I ran a brisk, but not crazy first mile, and was very happy to see that it was under PR pace. As it turned out, it was my slowest mile. Here are the splits:

Mile 1: 6:33

Mile 2: 6:25

Mile 3: 6:32

Mile 4: 6:13

Official time: 25:45 (0:31 PR) 6:26/mile

130th overall, out of 4757 finishers, 9th place age group finish.

Better yet, because I wasn't committed to going for a PR, I wasn't pushing like a maniac. I enjoyed some fun banter with other runners and spectators, and generally had a great time. Here's to many more races like this one!

Shortcuts

Early in Sunday's Chilli Half Marathon, I noticed the pack of runners in front of us moving from the right to the left side of the street. I wondered aloud about it to my sister, who was running beside me. Another runner commented that we should follow -- "it must be the way to the shortcut!". He was, of course, joking. Why would anyone, especially anyone from the mid pack, cheat in a distance race? It would be ludicrous. We actually WANT to run the whole thing.

News broke today that middle-distance runner Rashid Ramzi has been stripped of his 1,500-meter Olympic gold medal for doping. It is sad, but not too surprising that this happens at the highest levels of many sports. But when I hear reports of cheating amongst recreational runners, I just don't get it.

And yet it happens. There has been talk of several questionable results in the NYC Marathon. Not elites doping, but average runners taking shortcuts. The NYRR put out timing mats every 5K, and starting from mile 15, every MILE. If don't hit 5 of them in a row, it's kind of obvious what happened. Why would you do it? Sure there's plenty of temptation to give up in a race that long, but let me be clear: I ever leave the course before the race is over it will be to take the shortest route HOME.

OK, here's a thought. Imagine you get injured at mile 16 of the NYC Marathon. Say you twist your ankle, or pull a hamstring. BUT... your bag is trapped behind the finish line. You really need it. It has your ID and hotel room key. How do you get it? The finish area is completely inaccessible. The only way in is on the course as a runner. So, you grab a cab to Columbus Circle, duck back on to the course and cross the finish line, not thinking to take your D-Tag off. Your time is recorded with a fabulous negative split, and you have become an inadvertent cheater. It could happen to anyone! Mystery solved....

Toward the end of the race, we saw the same "shortcut" runner, and he greeted us by calling out "we must have taken the same shortcut!" I just laughed, but I was thinking "that was one crappy shortcut..."

Bean Town

I was at a family gathering in Cambridge Mass this weekend when I got an email from AH. I'm afraid I confused my family a good bit when I blurted out the subject of the email -- "Boston is closed". They must have thought it was a terrorist attack.

Fortunately they didn't berate me too much when I explained that I just meant that the Boston Marathon was no longer taking applications for 2010.

I put my application in right after the NYC Marathon, but I hadn't heard back, and it sounded like they might be full. They had said that they wouldn't confirm until my qualifying results were made official, so I knew it might be a while.

Well, NYC Marathon results went official today, and I got the email from Boston immediately. Nice.

Dear John Whitfield,

This is to notify you that your entry into the 114th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 19, 2010 has been accepted

Chilli Half

I traveled to Boston this weekend to run the inaugural Chilli Half Marathon with my sister. We ran side by side for the whole thing and had a blast. We were met at the end by family, including our parents, and went out for brunch. Yum. Here we are outside the Cambridge brunch spot - me, my sister, and the head cheerleader.

Post Marathon Bits and Pieces

- Photo: DW and his cousin representing the Giants at the NYC Marathon start. They finished together, and DW got about a zillion photos along the way.

- Rumors were flying that Boston was filling up, so I put my application in on Sunday night. I'm already signed up to run with friends in the National Marathon (D.C) on March 20th, which is 4 weeks before Boston... hmm.

- When I read RJR's comment on an earlier post that he had done a full 26.2 training run, I got the urge to do the same. Maybe I'll treat the National Marathon as a supported 26.2 training run, and shoot for a fast time in Boston. Somehow it seems wrong to show up at a marathon and not go all out...

- I'm running a 1/2 Marathon in Boston next weekend with my sister. I'm pretty much recovered from the marathon, so I should be OK, but my my race mojo has definitely not come back. Hopefully, little sister will go easy on me....

- Oh, and the NYC Marathon site has already put up the "countdown" clock for 2010. Time to start training!