End of the year wrap up: 2010 Goals

Looking back, I have to count 2010 as a good running year. I came up short of a couple of goals, but I hit a lot as well. Most important, I had a great time running, and feel more fit than I ever have.
Here's how I did on the goals that I set for the year:

1] Requalify for Boston... in Boston.
- Crushed it. Needed a 3:30:59, but ran a PR 3:20:06.

2] 3:20 Marathon
- Got it. Boston 3:20:06, and again in NYC 3:20:37

3] Sub 7 minute pace Half Marathon
- Success at the Brooklyn Half - 1:30:50 (6:56 pace). There was a time when I couldn't run any race sub 7. Now only my marathon PR is slower.

4] 19 minute 5k
- Came up just short on this one. I ran a 19:06 in Maine and 19:05 in the Percy Hutton 5K in NYC. On the upside, I placed 3rd in my age group in both races.

5] Sub 40 minute 10K.
- Although the running calculators rate this as an easier goal than the 19 minute 5K, I didn't come very close on this one. In fact, my PR from December of 2009 still stands. Something must be done. When's the next 10K?

Other highlights:
- Breaking 5:30 at the 5th Avenue Mile. Between running and spectating, this race is always good fun, and feeling good about my time made it that much better.
- Road trip to the National Marathon in D.C. with Tim and Peter. Good friends, good running, good times.

Boston vs New York

At the New York Marathon last weekend, I hoped to beat my PR from Boston in April, partly because of my training, but partly because I had decided that NYC was an easier course than Boston. It didn't go that way. I went out a bit faster, but hurt more on the last 10k, and ended up 30 seconds slower. I walked away thinking, no, New York is the harder course. It wasn't a PR, but is was an NYC PR, so good for me!

Hmm, it's starting to sound like every time I run a marathon I decide that it was the hardest course ever. Time to get some hard evidence to support my self serving conclusion. Sure, I had lots of ideas. Boston is famous for it's hills, but NYCM has some hills too. NYCM has more turns, and NYCM is more crowded -- a lot more crowded. Turns and crowds definitely through me off my stride, and in theory could account for increased fatigue. Still there must be a more scientific way to compare.

Comparing average times doesn't work, since Boston is mostly runners that qualified by time. So how about course records? Boston has the faster records both for men and women, by about 2 minutes. That might not work either though, since these marathons pay top runners to show up. If one spends more money than the other, they could skew the results. Except for Margaret Okayo. 

Margaret Okayo of Kenya holds the course record in BOTH New York and Boston. She won New York in 2001 in 2:24:21, then won Boston in 2002 in 2:20:43, and then repeated in New York with a course record 2:22:31.

So there you have it. New York is the tougher course. Pure science has spoken. 

Digging deep at the end of the NYCM

NYC Marathon Race Report - the numbers

For some reason, it always takes me a while to post about a marathon. Part of it is just that the energy available for extracurricular activities is low. Energy aside though, it's not as easy for me to write up a marathon as it is a 10k or other shorter race.

I think the main obstacle is that there is so much that happens on marathon day, that it's hard to boil it down to a post that captures the essence of the day. Other bloggers have attacked this problem by posting shorter, targeted entries, so I'll give that a try. Here is the short, cold, hard race report:

My goal was to beat my PR of 3:20:06, which I set at Boston in April. I felt in shape to do it, at least by a little, but NYC is a different course. I decided to go with the theory that NYC is an easier course.

My average pace in Boston was 7:38, so I was looking to start at 7:25-7:30. This seemed like it wouldn't be going out too fast, but give me some room to fade at the end.

I stuck to the plan pretty darn well, but by the time I hit mile 20, I was really feeling it. I had to dig really deep for the entire last 10k. My pace slipped quite a bit, but I kept it together and never completely crashed. In the end, I finished 31 seconds slower that in Boston -- 3:20:37. It's unfortunate that I couldn't keep pace enough for a PR, but I'm proud of myself for hanging in for a solid time.

My Garmin was not much use (a story for another post), so the best numbers I have are the splits published by the NYRR. They clocked me at every 5K, and I did the math to get an average pace for each split. A marathon is 42.1 kilometers, so the last entry is for 2.1k.

Interval	Pace
0-5k	7:29
10k-15k	7:19
15k-20k	7:25
20k-25k	7:23
25k-30k	7:31
30k-35k	7:58
35k-40k	8:08
last 2.1k	8:23

What next for Boston?

On Monday, October 18, registration for the Boston Marathon opened... and closed. The 21,000 slots were filled in 8 hours. The previous year, registration had been open for months before closing, but it closed earlier than expected, which may have played a role in this year's rush.

This raises 2 questions:

1. What, if anything, will the B.A.A. change for next year?
2. How what effect will this have on the broader running community?

In this video, Guy Morse of the B.A.A. makes it clear that they are considering all options:

Here are the options that I can think of:

1. Do nothing. Many hot ticket events work this way -- first come, first served. (yuck!)
2. Tighten the qualifying standards (including limiting the time window).
3. Increase the field.
4. Institute a lottery.

Boston has a lot of prestige in the marathoning world for a number of reasons; it is the oldest U.S. marathon, it is run very smoothly, has a great course and... it has qualifying standards.

The qualifying standards are Boston's defining feature for many of the runners I know, but I'm not sure that the B.A.A. sees it the same way.

If they don't tighten the qualifying times, it will be interesting to see if other marathons try to take Boston's place for qualifying prestige. Last year, the Exeter Marathon ran it's first race with 54 finishers. This race has tougher qualifying times than Boston, and no other way to gain entry. This year, rebranded as the Gansett Marathon, it will certainly grow. On their Facebook page, they reported 3500 hits on their website in the 2 days after Boston closed.

My guess is that other, bigger marathons will notice Monday's blitz, and market themselves with qualifying times. As more and more people take up running, these organizations will come to see qualifying times not as a way to restrict the field, but as a way to promote an event.

At any rate, it seems clear that marathoners are both increasing in numbers and getting more interested in performance. All good in my book.

Marathon Mojo

At mile 24 of this year's Boston Marathon, there were some unusual thoughts running through my head. The race was going really well. I was on track for a finish time that I would be very happy with, but it was getting harder and harder to hold pace. In order to summon the will to press on, I promised myself plenty of rest and reward at the end. Strangely, it occurred to me that I would be running yet another marathon in New York, and that thought made me weary -- even though New York was 6 months away.

So, I made myself a deal. If I could keep pace to the end, I would just jog the New York Marathon at an easy pace. After a few hundred more yards, I modified the bargin. I would skip New York entirely.

I finished Boston on pace, and very happy. After a short recovery period, I began training and racing again, but shorter races only. My marathon mojo was gone. I knew it would probably return at some point, but it was not clear that it would be back in time for New York.

Well, long story short, my marathon mojo did return, and I'm very excited about the marathon, now just 2 weeks away.

Training has gone well, including plenty of long runs culminating in a full 26.2 mile training run last weekend. I reached the taper without any issues with injury, and now I just need to get myself to the starting line with fresh legs.

I've done an about-face on the deal I made myself in Boston. Not only am I running, but if the weather cooperates, I'll be looking for a PR.

At this point, I think my biggest challenge will be keep a cool head at the start. I'm in the Local Competitive Start this year, which means that I will probably be standing next to folks that will be taking off at much faster speeds than I should. I'll just have to ignore them, and run my own race. If I can do that, I have a feeling that it's going to be a blast. Hope to see you there!

Museum Mile

Today was my favorite race of the year -- the 5th Avenue Mile. It runs from the Metropolitan Museum to Central Park South, and to me it is a celebration of what it is to be a runner in New York.

The race is run in many heats, separated by gender and age, and at the end features separate races for local elites and international professionals. I love to run this race, but the format also allows me to watch it. I get to see the top runner over 70 break the tape, and I get to watch some of the fastest runners in the world.

I missed last year's race (grrr!), which meant that I had 2 years of training to beat my previous best time. I was pretty sure I could do it, but I really didn't know what to expect. It's the only race under 5K that I run, so how could I know? At the 5th Avenue Mile, that unknown just adds to the fun. My time from 2 years ago was 5:52. This morning, I fired up the McMillan Running Calculator, and entered my best 5K time. Mr. McMillan predicted a time of 5:30 today. It seemed a bit ambitious, but there was only one way to find out.

I met PL at 9AM to jog down to the start, where we picked up our numbers and began spectating. After seeing one group start, we headed to the finish line where the real fun is. It was inspiring to see the younger runners, but soon it was time to jog back up to the start for my heat. There are no corrals for this race, so you just have to guess where you should be standing at the start. Too close to the line, and I would just get run over by faster runners. Too far, and I would get hung up in traffic. Being 49 in the 40-49 heat, I had to be a little conservative.

Before long, the gun went of and we were running. And when I say running, I mean really letting it fly. I was going as fast I would in pretty much any speed workout, and it felt great.

I finished the first quarter in 1:19 -- faster than I can recall ever running that distance. The second quarter, which was uphill came in at 1:27. The third quarter was downhill at 1:22. From there it flattened out, but I felt great, and managed a 1:21 to finish at 5:29, a 23 second PR. Props to the McMillan Running Calculator for nailing my time within one second.

I felt great after the race, and had a blast watching the rest of the heats with fellow Flyers SJ, GM, KM and NYFlyGirl. We saw TH and PL both PR in the next heat, and all the amazing runners that followed, including awesome performances in the 60-69 and over 70 groups.

Then came the local elites and the pros, who blew us away with their athleticism. Both the men's and women's pro races were down to the wire, with multiple contenders. It was a blast.

Afterward, I put in some easy miles in the park with TH and PL. All in all, a great day.

Next weekend, it's back to running long - November 7 is coming up, and my NYCMarathon mojo is back!

Training Race

Today was the NYRR Marathon Tune-Up, an 18 mile race in Central Park with the stated purpose of helping folks prepare for the NYC Marathon. The course is three loops in the park, and is well supported including timing, water, and everything else associated with an NYRR race.

Although people train for the marathon with many long runs, folks don't generally race any distance closer to a marathon than a half marathon, so it makes sense for the NYRR to provide something to bridge the gap.

Still, I've always used this event as a supported training run, rather than a race. At this point in the process, it feels like an 18 mile race would be too much of a disruption in training. I was down for a 22 mile long run this weekend. If I raced hard for 18 instead, would I be able to do the 22 next weekend? Maybe if I was more ahead in my schedule, or if I was younger or fitter, but as things are, I think it would set me off course.

Instead, I ran the 18 at a moderate pace, chatting with PL most of the way, and then picked up to marathon pace for an extra 4 miles. It felt good -- challenging, but not too much.

I got the impression that I was not alone in not racing this race. In any given NYRR race, there is probably a decent number of folks who aren't really pushing (say 30%?), but in this race, my guess is that the vast majority of the 4,597 finishers were training rather than racing. What do you think, 85%? Of course, this could just be me assuming that most people think as I do... How could they not?

Percy Sutton Harlem 5K

Today was the Percy Sutton Harlem 5K, a race run by the NYRR, but not in their home stomping grounds of Central Park. I was my second chance at hitting my 2010 goal of running a sub 19 minute 5K.

Having just run a 19:06 in Maine, the goal seemed within reach, but I didn't know the Harlem course, so it was hard to predict what might happen.

It turned out to be a beautiful morning -- the weather has been brutal in NYC this summer, and this morning was a welcome break. I jogged the 2.3 miles up to the start where I met up with MC. The start area was really nice. We hung out in St. Nicholas Park until it was time to enter the corrals. There, we met up with DK, completing the Fearsome 3 (OK, I just made that up, but it's sure to catch on). We also saw JEF (no, not Jeff, J.E.F), one of my Flyer idols.

The pre-race announcements went on longer than usual, and I started to get antsy. Then, when the starter asked "do we have clearance on the roadway?!", the answer came back "no!". That was a first for me. The delay wound my springs up some more, and when the horn finally sounded, I took off like a lunatic. I flew by JEF (a sign of very bad judgement) in the first few hundred yards. I knew it wasn't right, but there was no stopping it.

After a half mile, we hit the one big uphill in the course, and it was a steep one. I hit mile one at the top of the hill in 6:10. I would have to pick it up from there, but there was only flat and downhill ahead.

Mile two took me 6:18, which surprised me a bit, since it was flat, and I didn't feel like I had slowed down. Then came a big downhill and the sprint to the finish. I did mile 3 in 5:59 -- it wasn't looking good for breaking 19 minutes.

In the end, I had a 19.05 -- a one second PR. It still blows my mind that on a completely different course, a different day, different... whatever, I race for 5K within a SECOND of my last time. How does that happen?

DK, MC and I jogged home together, and MC pointed out buildings in Harlem that he had been looking at. They looked really nice. Just a few minutes jog to Central Park, in what looked like an up and coming neighborhood.

When I got home and checked the official results, I saw that I was 3rd in my age group, and on the awards page, it listed me as 2nd (!). The reason appears to be that the fastest guy in my age group finished 2 overall, so they aren't giving him the age group award as well.

So, on one hand it's really exciting to place in an NYRR race for the first time, but at the same time, it's really humbling to look at this 2nd place overall finish. This is a 45 year old guy, running a 5K at a sub 5 minute/mile pace. That is crazy. His AG% is 92.5. So much for me claiming to be "fast for an old guy".

As for the sub 19 goal, the NYRR only has one more 5K on the calendar, the December 11 NYRR Holiday Run in Brooklyn. That's cutting it a little close...

Team Championships

Yesterday was the annual NYRR Team Championships race. It's a race I don't usually make, as it falls on a weekend when I'm out of town. This year however, we came back a few days early and I was able to run.

The event is limited to runners who are members of the local competitive clubs, and double points are awarded toward the club points standings. I've mentioned before on this blog the difference in the competition at points races vs non-points races, but this uberpointsrace is the toughest of them all.

In pretty much any other NYRR race I'm assigned to the first starting corral with the fastest runners, but in this race I was in the fourth corral. No doubt about it, when everybody shows up, there are a lot of fast runners in this town.

Although my PR for this distance (5 miles) was just 6 weeks old, I felt that I had a shot at it, as I've been getting faster, and the weather was a bit cooler than it had been in June.

The first mile of the course covered all of the rolling West Side Hills, and it was hard to judge how I was doing. I seemed to be passing a lot, which could be good or bad. I decided to assume good. Then fellow Flyer Crazy B came up from behind (?) and passed me. I wasn't quite sure what to make of that, as I would have expected him to be way out in front by then. Was I going out too fast? Or was he starting cautiously?

I hit the mile one mark at 6:18, which felt like good news. That gave me a 12 second buffer on PR pace, with one of the toughest miles behind me.

I decided to hold effort or even ease off a bit, and see how the second, downhill mile would turn out. I came in at 6:24 -- slower, but still increasing the buffer to 18 seconds. My time slipped again for mile 3 to 6:30 (PR pace), and I was feeling tired. The relatively cool morning was starting to heat up, at least for me, and although I wasn't hurting much physically, my mental stamina was slipping.

I started making deals with myself to keep going. This is what I do when my fortitude starts to go. I felt an obligation to run my best for the team, but let's be reasonable -- I mean, just exactly how fast did I have to go? Surely, they couldn't expect much more than my fastest 5 miles ever? So, if I could hang on to the PR, that would do. No need to go crazy. Just don't use up the whole buffer you've built up.

Of course the whole exercise was absurd, because the Flyers only expectation was that I have a good time and hang out for the team photo, but the deal making was keeping me going so I went with it.

Amazingly, I got through the Cat Hill mile in 6:37 -- still ahead of PR pace, and with nothing but downhill to the finish. After a thousand Cat Hill repeats (give or take) with the 6AM group, Cat Hill is just not the obstacle it used to be.

I continued to conserve however, knowing that I would want to have something left for the finish. Because the men and women race separately in this event, there is a great cheering section at the end of the course, with each club yelling for their teammates. I went through the gauntlet feeling good, and finished strong (6:23 for mile 5).

That left me with a PR of 32:13 (6:26/mile), 10th place amongst the Flyer men -- the last scoring position in the open class.

Afterward, my family showed up, and we watched the women race and then enjoyed the Flyer picnic and team photo. Good times.

One footnote: Crazy B finished over a minute ahead of me, as I would expect. Apparently, he just wasn't going with my "strategy" of start fast and painfully, gradually slow down each mile ;-)

On a Roll

Yesterday I ran the Run for the Sun 5K in Brunswick, Maine. It was small race -- just over 200 runners -- with a really good vibe. The course was mostly flat -- an out and back with just one hill, going down at around the 3/4 mile mark, and back up on the return with less than a mile to go.

In the first mile, a lead pack pulled ahead, followed (not closely) by one older (my age) guy, and then me. I felt that I was running well, with a sustainable effort level. I was very surprised, therefore, at the one mile mark, to hear a course worker calling splits "5:40! 5:42!" and as I approached "5:45!"

I was almost laughing, thinking that these small town folks probably couldn't tell a mile from a kilometer, when my Garmin beeped -- 5:45. The fastest mile I've ever run. My mile PR is 5:52. OK, that is from 2008, but still. My 5K PR pace was 6:26.

I had no idea what was going on. My best guess was that mile 1 was a lot more downhill than I had realized. I decided to just maintain effort, and see what happened.

After the turn around at the halfway point, folks started to pass me. I still felt that I was running well, so I wasn't too worried about it. I did, however, notice three guys go by me that looked like they could be in my age group, which was a little disappointing, as I had secret hopes of an age group award.

Mile 2 passed in 6:17, quite a bit slower, but more in line with what I was expecting to begin with. Soon after that, came the one tough uphill in the course. It was really two uphills, separated by a short plateau. As we approached the hills I notice that I was gaining on the folks that had passed me earlier. On the hills, I picked them off one by one, including the guy that had been ahead of me the whole time. As far as I could tell, I was the first runner over 40. In fact, since the lead pack (now long gone) had looked like a bunch of kids to me, I thought I might the the first runner over 30 (I was apparently delirious). Mile 3 passed in 6:18.

All I had to do was hold my place to the end. I felt that I could keep running hard, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold off anyone who had a real finish line kick. And... there was a runner on my heels. He was lining me up for a finish line pass -- I could feel it. As we approached the finish, I pushed as hard as I could, but the footsteps were right behind me the whole way. Miraculously, he never made the pass, and finished right behind me.

My final time was 19:06 (6:09/mile) -- a 51 sec PR -- 17 seconds a mile. Moreover, it put my most ambitious goal for 2010, a sub-19 5K, within reach. I was feeling really good.

Of course, my age-guessing skills were not as strong as I thought. There were two runners over 30 in the lead pack, one of whom finished second, in 15:47. And there was one 42 year old who finished 4 seconds in front of me. I can't believe that I didn't notice him.

That still got me a 2nd place age group medal -- the first hardware other than a finisher's medal that I've ever taken home. Yes, it was a small race, but I'll take it.

The guy that finished right behind me was, in fact, in my age group, meaning that the 3 top runners in our group finished within 5 seconds of each other - 19:02, 19:06 and 19:07.

When the awards were given out, I was amazed by how young the winner in my age group looked. Also, one of the guys who I passed in the last mile, won the 50-59 age group. I had him pegged at 40.

My take-away is that fast guys look younger than they are. All the more reason to keep training....

Bringin' the Heat

Today's 4 miler was a club points race, which meant that the fast runners were out. It was also 82 degrees at 9AM when the race started, which suggested that we would all be slower than usual.
The NYRR announcers in the staging area and at the start must have said "today is not the day for a PR" 20 times. Bah Humbug. I had done 27x200 with the 6AM group on Tuesday, and I was feeling fast.
I went out at a pace that felt reasonably conservative, and was happy to hit mile 1 at 6:16 -- 9 seconds ahead of PR pace.
Mile 2: 6:18
Mile 3: 6:31
Mile 4: 6:18

I ended up with a 22 second PR.
Official results:

25:26 (6:21/mile) - 75.1% AG.

I was 13th place in my age group, which is the best I've done in a points race. I also scored for the Flyer in the open and masters classes.

I was really pumped to PR in this tough heat. I'm hoping that when the weather cools, there will be more speed to come. According to the Runworks calculator, my race was the equivalent of a 6:09 pace in ideal temps. That seems pretty generous, but I do think I can step it up when the temps cool.

In the mean time, I've taken action to cool things down by driving to Maine. I'll be training up here for the next three weeks. Hopefully, this crazy heat will have passed by the time I get back!

Denied!

Well, the mystery is solved - I placed 4th in my age group for last week's race. Due to a glitch in the results, it looked like I might have been 3rd, which would have been my first age group award, but alas, it was not to be. The NYRR fixed the error, and it didn't play in my favor.

To be honest, it wasn't really a fast enough run to justify an award anyway. The three guys ahead of me were pretty far ahead.

That said, I'm getting closer. In 2010, I've been in the top 10 of my age group in 4 NYRR races, including the 4th last week, and a 5th in a 4 miler in May. In January, my chances will get much better, since I move up an age group. That won't stop me from trying in the mean time though.

Thanks to the folks who offered congrats -- don't worry, I'll get there!

Dare to Dream?

On Thursday, I ran a cross-country 2x2 mile relay in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. For years, I've been wanting to run one of the summer 5Ks that the VCTC puts on there. It was my 6AM training partner JH that finally got me there. He wanted a partner for the relay, and we made a natural team.

After we signed up we looked at our bibs, and tried to decipher the "M91" that was written on them. Finally, we figured out that 91 was our combined ages. Yikes.

I went first, not really knowing what to expect. It was my first off road race. I was told that there was only one hill, and my leg was only 2 miles, so how hard could it be?

Well, the hill was a country hill, not a wave in the road like I'm familiar with. On the way up, my quads were burning but I passed three people -- one guy about my age, and the two lead women. On the way down, they all passed me back. It was so steep going down, that I thought I was going to go head over heels at any moment. At the end of my leg, I felt like I was finishing strong, and I really liked the "high five" that I gave JH to send him on his way -- it was much more satisfying than an awkward baton pass. That's the way they roll in the Bronx.

JH ran well, and finished with an impressive kick. It was great to see him come in.

Flyers SS and RG (above) took second in the over 100 combined age group. The winning team had a combined age of 32. I guess there was no post race beer for them...

Today was the Dash and Splash 10K, which I targeted as an early attempt at my 2010 goal -- weather permitting. Well, weather was definitely NOT permitting. After the race, my iPhone told me it was 80 degrees. At mile 4, it seemed like 90.

Still, I put out a "good effort" and finished with a 6:40/mile pace. Since the weather scared away a lot of the faster (sissy) runners, I placed higher than usual. When I checked the results, I was 4th in my age group, but FA emailed me saying that the awards page had me at 3rd. I checked again, and saw that indeed I was the 3rd runner listed, but for some reason the fastest guy was labeled as 2nd place, pushing the rest of us back one place. There was no 1st place runner listed.

So did I place 3rd, and win my first ever age group award? We'll have to wait and see. Stay tuned, to find out!

60 Mile Week, and The Plan

This week, I ran my first 60 mile week. My longest run was only 13.5, but I ran 6 days, averaging 10 miles per run. Breaking 60 was not a goal, but ramping up the mileage with medium, rather than long runs was a goal. I just checked my log and I found that in the last year I've run 18 weeks with mileage over 50. I've even had a couple of 59 mile weeks, so this was not completely out of the blue.

By the way, I log my runs using the free online tool at RunningAhead.com. This tool makes it easy to look back and get info like this. I highly recommend it.

Time to set my next target races...

My remaining goals for 2010 are 5K and 10K times.

This weekend is the NYRR Dash & Splash, a 10K in the park, and the timing is right for an early try at the 10K goal, which is to break 40 minutes. It is a stretch, but given perfect weather, I think that I would have an outside chance. Unfortunately, perfect weather does not appear to be what is coming. Current predictions are for hot, hot, hot.

Just the same, I'd like to get closer to the mark, so that the next time a 10K comes around, it seems within striking distance.

For the 5K, I will make my first attempt at the 2010 goal at the Harlem 5K Run in August. I haven't run this one before, but I'm hoping for a flat course. I'll need one.

Happy Father's Day

The first race I signed up for this week was the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge. In December, the startup that I was working for was bought by BNYMellon, with fields a team of 250 runners for the event. Unfortunately, the "Challenge" in "Corporate Challenge" was very different than I expected. My race number, chip and t-shirt were sent via inter-office mail, and were hopelessly lost. I did what I could to find the package, but veteran employees tipped me off that my chances were not good. I could have showed up and run "for fun", but somehow I just wasn't inspired to run a timed race without being timed...

Instead, I turned by focus to today's Father's Day 5 miler in the park. I felt good for this one, but the weather was looking a little warm. My PR was from Jan 2009, which meant I should be able to beat it, but January was probably a bit cooler weather...

The start went smoothly -- for me, anyway. About 50 yards or so into the race I heard noise, and looked to my right in time to see a runner hit the ground hard. The noise that I had heard must have been contact between runners before the fall. Somehow it didn't turn into pile up, although I have no idea how. The guy was on his back, and perpendicular to traffic, which at that point was still very dense. I looked like it really hurt. I redirected my attention to my own position and hoped the runners around me did the same. It would have been easy for rubber necking to have caused another collision.

Continuing on, I saw Flyer JF not to far ahead, and I seemed to be keeping up, or even catching him. JF is very fast, and I normally don't see him until after the race. This meant one of 3 three things: 1] I had suddenly become super fast (dream on), 2] He was having a slow day (more likely) or 3] I was going out WAY too fast. (bingo!).

I hit the mile 1 marker at 6:17. Given that my PR pace was 6:37, this may have been juuuuuust a tad too quick. I tried to relax and settle in, resulting in splits of 6:24, 6:40 (uphill mile), and 6:30.

Right before the mile 4 marker, I came up on a runner who looked my age, or probably older. We greeted each other with the secret exchange of two older guys congratulating each other on being up there with the young folk. He pulled into a water stop, caught back up with me, and offered me one of the two cups he had snagged. This, at a point in the race when most folks were really starting to hurt. What a guy. After a bit, I moved ahead, but I had the feeling I had not seen the last of him. With about a quarter mile to go, the heat and aggressive running caught up with me, and I thought for a moment that my race might end prematurely. I held steady and got through that moment (whew). With about 100 yards to go, the guy who had offered me water went flying past. I thought about trying to catch him, but only briefly. After the finish I congratulated him on the awesome hot weather kick, and we talked for a while. He coaches High School track in CT, and I really enjoyed chatting with him. He made references to his retirement age, which made me realize that he was older than I had thought -- even more impressive. I just checked the results, and he is 9 years older than me, finished 4th in his age group (in a points race!), and had a 80% AG. That's who I want to be when I grow up.

I ended up with a 32:30 (6:30 pace), a PR for 5 miles. I was 15th of 380 men in my age group -- much better than usual for me in a points race. I'm very pleased with this result, especially given the heat, and I'm really looking forward to continuing my focus on these shorter distances.

Fantasy Run

I was looking forward to the Brooklyn Half Marathon today, but I was also worried.

Last year, I found the course to be very challenging. The first half is run in Prospect Park and is quite hilly. The second half, in contrast, is a flat, straight line down Ocean Parkway. It is this second half that intimidates me. With no turns, no elevation changes, and nothing to see on the side of the road, the only landmarks are the mile markers and the sound of feet hitting the street. With no hills, there is also no reason to change your stride. You just have to keep going and going and going.

Over the last few days I tried to think of a strategy, but came up with nada. Then, today, as I exited the park and passed the mile 7 marker, a plan suddenly came to me. With six miles to go, I decided to pretend that I was running a Central Park loop.

I imagined myself starting with the 6AM group at West 72nd, and running down the hill onto Park Drive. For the next mile and a half I was running the rolling hills on the West Side. Then came the steep incline up Harlem Hill. I shortened my stride (really!), and told myself that it was natural to feel tired at this point. After I topped "the hill", I opened my stride up for the downhill, and told myself to let the speed come.

Believe it or not, this really worked. The miles flew by. Before I knew it, I could see the boardwalk, and the race was nearly over. I had held pace, and I had more in the tank.

I crossed the finish line completely pumped up, in 1:30:50 (6:56/mile) -- a 2:38 PR, and meeting my 3rd 2010 goal -- to run a Half Marathon at a sub 7:00 pace.

Something in the air....

I went into this morning's Mother's Day 4 Mile race not sure exactly what to expect from myself. I was not targeting this race, but it seemed like a good chance for a post marathon speed check. Before I left home, I checked my current PR at this distance, and was surprised to find that it has come 3 weeks after the NYC Marathon. Hmm... so much for that excuse...

I felt very good off the start, but soon my lungs began to burn. I haven't had this feeling in a long time, and I couldn't figure out why it was happe

ning. The first mile marker came up at 6:29. Knowing full well that miles 1 and 3 are the slow ones in this course, I felt good about my start. Mile 2 was in 6:24, which put me right on PR pace. Mile 3 took 6:33 (no surprise). All I needed was a quick downhill last mile to get the job done.

At this point though, not only were my lungs burning, but I was starting have problems with phlegm build up. I to frequently clear my throat in order to avoid inhaling fluid (sorry if this is TMI). Still I was able to pull out a 6:15 for the last mile, PRing by a couple of seconds. I was feeling good about the results -- all I needed was some water to put out the fire. As I walked down the line of water cups, I was dismayed to find that each and every cup had a layer of schmutz floating on the surface. Eventually, I just grabbed one and poured some out, hoping for the best.

Afterwards, PL mentioned that he had the same issue with his lungs, and we, along with DG, tried to figure out what it was. It took a while, but eventually we realized that the pollen in the air was as thick as snow in a blizzard. The gusty wind was probably shaking loose every last bit of pollen in the park. The intense pollen also accounted for the schmutz layer on the water. At least it was organic schmutz...

Official results: 25:43 (6:25/mile)

114th of 4765 overall

5th place of 207 men ages 45-49

74.3 AG%

Run Faster

Today, I ran for the first time since Boston, and it felt great. I did a nice loop with the Saturday 7AM group, and it seemed like a fresh start.

It's now time to put Boston, and marathon training to bed for a bit, and look forward. Let's review the goals that I set out for 2010:

1. Re-qualify in Boston (3:30:59) - AG: 65.51 **DONE**
2. 3:20 Marathon (7:38 pace) - AG: 68.77 % **DONE**
3. Half Marathon at sub 7 minute pace. (1.31) - AG: 72.67 %
4. Sub 40 minute 10K. (6:27 pace) - AG: 76.16 %
5. Sub 19 minute 5K (6:07 pace) - AG: 77.07 %

Taking them in order the Half Marathon is next, and what better excuse to target the Brooklyn Half, which is on May 22. It is very lucky that my training and racing goals are pointing me toward this race, which is one of my all time favorites. All the miles that I've put in for marathon training should set me up well. As I get back into training, I'll shift the focus toward speed work a bit, and I should be in a good position to go for my goal.

If I hit my goal in Brooklyn, I'll gradually target short distances, and increase the focus on speed. The last two goals (10k and 5k) will be tough, but I've got all year, right? I'll just have to run faster.

Boston Marathon 2010

Short story -- I had a blast in Boston. I PRed, and checked two of my 2010 goals off the list (requalify, and run a 3:20 marathon). The event lived up to the hype, and my family came through in a big way.

Here are some photos that tell a small part of the story.

At the Expo with fellow morning runners.

On my way home from pasta dinner the night before, I walked right into this bad omen on the streets of Cambridge.

The worlds biggest and best pre marathon breakfast (thanks Sis). Eggs, chicken sausage, oatmeal with raisins, bagel, juice and coffee.

With the folks after the race.

Boston in 3:20:06
:)

Ready, Set

Central Park is a runner's paradise. The Cherry trees are blooming, and I'm tapering. That combination makes for some very enjoyable runs.

The weather for the Boston Marathon on Monday looks promising, and I have never felt this prepared. It's going to be a blast.

I ran a full 26.2 with four weeks to go, and 20 miler with two weeks to go. When it was over, I felt fine. No soreness. No exhaustion.

Since then, I've toned it down gradually. I feel more healthy than I ever have.

Unless the weather takes a serious turn for the worse, it looks like I'll be really going for it on Monday. Of course, there's a good chance that I'll crash and burn, but for some reason, that prospect doesn't bother me.

I'm looking forward to seeing my sister and her family in Boston, and my parents will be there as well. After the race, there will be a get together of Flyers. It's going to be a fun trip.

Hot Weather Training

The Boston Marathon is on April 19th, a time of year when the weather is completely unpredictable. If it turns out to be a cold day, I'm ready. Rainy -- who cares? Of course, we all know that the problem is that is could be hot. Last weekend, I ran a marathon on a day that hit 70 (gasp!), and I got the picture. If it had gone to 80, it would have been a problem.

Now, I'm not a guy that's going to just roll the dice. So I grabbed a flight to a Caribbean island (I can't release the name) that is just 20 miles north of Venezuela. Here I'll train in the heat in order to be ready. Sure, some would say that I'm taking a vacation with my family when I should be training for the marathon, but I'm calling it my family tagging along on a training trip.

This morning was my first run in the heat, and ouch -- it was tough. I thought that heading out at 7:30 AM would protect me from too much sun and heat, but I was mistaken. With two miles to go on a six mile run, I was worried about sunburn and dehydration. The main concern though, was that I was sluggish (dying) from start to finish. The heat just sucked the get-up-go right out of me.

After I got back, I was forced to indulge my family with a day of lying on the beach, snorkeling and fine dining. If that's what it takes to get the training in, then that's what I'll do.

Tomorrow, I'll go out earlier. Hopefully, it will be cooler and my body will have acclimatized somewhat. If not, I may have to move at least some of training indoors (!).

Getting the Job Done in D.C.

This weekend, Peter, Tim and I went to D.C. for the National Marathon. That's right, a road trip, a boys weekend.

The common time goal was 3:50, which would be a PR for both Peter and Tim. I was the pacer. My goal, aside from helping my friends as best I could, was to go the distance without getting beat up. It was to be a training run in preparation for Boston, which is 4 weeks out. If I ran myself into the ground, it would defeat the purpose.

We took the train down on Friday, and when we arrived in D.C. we were greeted by a gorgeous Spring day. We decided to walk from Union Station to the expo, which was really nice, but was a bit longer than we had planned. After picking up our numbers, we took a subway to the mall, and did a little sight-seeing.

We then met up with Peter's parents, who took us to their place, fed us well, and sent us to bed early. When we got up at 4:15AM, breakfast was cooking.

I'm big on eating a lot before a marathon, but usually it's bagels and peanut butter etc that I set aside the night before. Here it was eggs, toast, oatmeal and on and on. I was in heaven.

When we got to the staging area, we were all struck with the how different it was from the NYCMarathon (none of the three of us had every run a marathon but NYCM). The staging area was INSIDE (!), and the wait was a fraction of what it is in NY. Of course, the number of participants was also a fraction of the NYCM number. I woke up at about the same time that I would for the NYCM, but the race started 3.5 or 4 hours earlier.

The start was a little rough. They don't have corrals, just pace signs for people to ignore when they line up. Also, there are more than twice as many half marathoners as there are full marathoners in the mix.

In the corral, we saw a 3:50 pace group and agreed to follow them, at least for a while. During the crowded early miles, we couldn't really run together, so we just tried to keep an eye on each other, and watch the pace group as a reference. By mile 4, I had lost both Peter and Tim. I kept close to the pace group, and thought I would see them at any minute, but as the miles passed, the hope faded. I ran ahead, dropped back and did everything I could think of, but they were gone.

At mile 13, the halfers split off to finish, and the field suddenly dropped to a fraction of what it had been. One effect of this was that my field of vision was greatly increased, and at around mile 14, I spotted Tim way ahead. I picked up my pace and caught him -- in time to be there to support him for the tough miles. He told me that Peter even further ahead, which I was glad to hear. At around mile 23, there was a big out-and-back, and we saw Peter coming back, ahead of the 3:45 pace group, and looking very strong. We all cheered each other, and braced ourselves for the tough final miles.

As Tim and I approached the finish, I could see it was going to be down to the wire. I did everything I could to encourage him, but talking to a marathoner at mile 26, you can never tell if you are helping or just irritating him. When the finish line came into sight, Tim kicked, and we flew across the line at 3:49:55. I love it when a plan comes together.

Peter finished in 3:48:13, so both of them came away with big PRs.

As for me, I was tired, but not beat up. My legs felt really solid. I think I can count it as a run that will build my strength, rather than tear it down.

We went back to Peter's folks', got showered and fed, and Peter's father drove us to the train station. It was a fun ride back -- we return victorious!

(More photos of the trip)

Battling the Elements, or 8 kilometers = 4.97096954 miles

Today was the NYRR 8000, an 8K race in Central Park. Weather predictions were pretty rough, but I was gung-ho to race.

Standing in the corral, I overheard a lot of talk about it not being a good day for a PR. It was cold, rainy and windy, but it still seemed to me like a decent day to run. I know that heat slows me down, and really, really cold temps are tough, but I didn't really know what effect today's weather would have.

Technically, to PR I would have to beat the 6:43 pace that I ran at last year's 8000. Really though, my 5 mile best of 6:37/mile was the mark to beat (8 kilometers = 4.97096954 miles).

At the sound of the horn, I went out at what felt like a brisk pace. As we crossed the transverse, a big gust of wind hit us from the north. A few seconds later, we turned south, and the wind was at our backs. My first mile clocked at 6:43 -- exactly my PR from last year's 8000. The next mile was downhill, and the pace improved to 6:24. I was cheered on by a gaggle of Flyers, and in mile three, more or less flat, I ran 6:34. Things were looking up.

We turned north just before the 3 mile mark, so we were facing a substantial headwinds along with tough hills. I knew that I would lose some time, but I was still surprised to see my mile 4 split of 6:57. I got a boost from another (even bigger) cheer from the group of Flyers, who were running the other way, and the last 0.97 miles came in at 6:38.

My official time was 33:16 (6:41/mile). This was an 8K PR, but was 10 seconds off my 5 mile best (33:06), even though 8K is slightly shorter.

So, the question is.... how much does rain and wind matter? I certainly noticed the headwind, but did it really slow me down? And didn't the tailwind make up for it? When I got home, my shoes were pretty wet... that could make a difference.

One thing the weather did not mess up was the pleasure of racing. I gave it my all and had a lot of fun, so I'm going to call it a good day and leave it at that.

Always Do the Right Thing

This morning was Coogan's Salsa, Blues & Shamrocks 5K, one of my favorite events on the NYRR schedule. This year, I decided to prioritize marathon training, so I ran long the day before the race. I knew this meant that I wouldn't be able to shoot for a PR, but I planned to show up just the same.

When I woke up this morning, my half-asleep wife was surprised that I was heading out to run. She had seen how beat I was after yesterday's long run. When she said "again??", her voice had an uncharacteristic edge to it. Here's how "again??" expanded in my imagination:

You go long yesterday, and you are useless for the rest of the day, and now you're going to go race, hurt yourself, and be a whiny-ass b*tch for the next 3 weeks 'cause you can't run? Fine. Whatever, moron.

OK, my wife doesn't talk like that. But the little voice in my head does.

I had promised to meet PL at the race and hang afterwards, so I went. Instead of running, though, I just spectated. After the race, I had breakfast with PL, who PRed by the way, and felt great about my decision. Always do the right thing.

Coogan's, by the way, is a great race to watch. Spirits are high, there's music and other entertainment, and the running is fast. After the last runners pass the start line, it's less than five minutes before the leaders are back. The finish is downhill, and these folks are just flying. Very inspiring.

Long is Short

The three marathons that I have run were very different from each other in the way I felt at the end, but one conclusion was the same -- "That was reeeeally far. "

OK duh, but the distance is SO far, that I'm not sure it's actually good for me. Don't get me wrong -- I fully believe that RUNNING is good for me, even the marathon training. But the event itself... ouch.

So this year, I'm on a mission to make the marathon shorter. I mean, every new distance was long the first time, right? These days though, when I finish a half marathon I'm tired from racing, not from running an endless distance. Why? Because I run 10 miles at least twice on the weekdays, and often run longer than 13.1 on the weekends.

The marathon is different, however. Conventional wisdom says peak at 20 or 22 miles on long runs, at at least a minute per mile slower than race pace. That means that on race day, you are asking your body to go 4.2 miles farther than any training run, and at a much faster pace. No wonder it hurts!

So why would anyone suggest such a strategy? The only reason I can think of is that running that far is not good for you, so you shouldn't do it in training. You should just get close enough that you can survive race day. Race day won't be good for you either, but you only do it now and again, so you can get away with it.

If, over time, I come to accept that theory, I'll stop running marathons. I don't want to abuse my body. BUT, I haven't accepted that theory yet. So here's what I'm trying.

I'm going to train up to the full distance. Today I ran 24 miles (22.45 in the park, and 1.5 to get there). It was my longest training run ever. I two weeks, I'll run the National Marathon as a training run, at about 45 seconds per mile slower than my target race pace. Four weeks later, I race Boston.

I recently ran the "shortest" 20 miler that I've ever run. Today's run was harder, but I should expect that -- it was the longest I've done. The idea is that as the milage comes up, I'll become fit enough to go the distance without abusing my body. Obviously, this theory can't be applied to any distance no matter how long, but so far, I'm optimistic.

To do this, I need to keep ramping up my other runs, because it's cheating to cut back in order to be able to stretch the long runs. The medium distances have to come up to match. We'll see how it goes....

Staying Young at the Manhattan Half

Does it start with M? no. N? no. O? no. P? no.

Determination has passed by stubbornness, and is headed straight for desperation. I am at mile 8 of a half marathon, and what am I doing? I'm going through the alphabet, trying to remember the name of a runner that passed me more than 6 miles earlier.

The runner had offered a pleasant greeting when she went by, but I couldn't come up with her name, so "hey!" was all I could offer in return. This is a teammate that I often chat with at the races, but try as I might, I couldn't come up with her name. It was very disconcerting. Was old age catching up to me?" Having just had a birthday a few days earlier, I was on the lookout for telltale signs of slippage, and this certainly fit the bill.

I refused to give in. I decided to greet her by name at the finish line. With 12 miles to go, there would be plenty of time to remember her name. I just had to think...

And think I did. I was on PR pace and holding steady, but my mind was completely focused on coming up with that name. A two syllable first name, and a one syllable, Asian last name. It was on the tip of my tongue. For 6 miles.

So now I find that my goal for the race has changed. I came here to feel young by running a PR. Now I must remember this name, or there will be no way to outrun the feeling of aging. But I'm running out of letters. Mile 9 comes and goes.

Q, R, S, T... don't forget Th.... No. Wait, back up, what about Sh... Sh... Sh... Shirling! Shirling Tsai! That's it! Quick, say it three times so as not to forget. OK. I'm good. Now where am I? Mile 10.5. Pace? Solid PR pace. How much gas in the tank? There is gas in the tank. I pick up the pace, running my fastest mile for mile 12 (6:49). I am young again.

About a 1/4 mile from the finish, I see Shirling up ahead. I catch her at around the mile 13 sign and call out a cheery "Hi Shirling!". One more goal achieved.*

I cross the finish line at 1:33:28 (7:08/mile), a PR by 2 minutes. My 2010 goal of running a half at sub 7 pace seems in reach. And why not? I'm getting younger every day.

_________

* Shirling finished just ahead of me, as she so often does. No worries, I don't have to be faster than Shirling to remain young, I merely have to remember her name (thank goodness).

2010 Goals

This year, instead of just setting short term reasonable goals as I go, I'm going to set some ambitious, year-long goals. Most of these goals will require me to get substantially faster, but I've got a year to get there, right?

I've arranged the list in order of AG difficulty, so it should be that the toughest goals are last. You may notice though, that the list is also in descending distance order. This reflects my tendency toward better performance in short races. The idea is that for me, these goals are more or less equally difficult -- with the exception of the first goal, of course.

1. Re-qualify in Boston (3:30:59) - AG: 65.51
2. 3:20 Marathon (7:38 pace) - AG: 68.77 %
3. Half Marathon at sub 7 minute pace. (1.31) - AG: 72.67 %
4. Sub 40 minute 10K. (6:27 pace) - AG: 76.16 %
5. Sub 19 minute 5K (6:07 pace) - AG: 77.07 %

In the mean time, there will be plenty of short term goals, but this list gives me something to look back at when year's end comes.

Until then, May the road rise to meet you...