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 (!).