marathon recovery mishmash

I guess feeling like I’d just be causing more controversy by commenting on the 2 B’s (Boston and baseball), I haven’t had much to discuss the last few days.  Not even enough for an actual post, so here’s a mishmash of sorts…

Running…it has been happening.  Only 3 times last week, and a maximum of 8 miles for my “long run.”  Did make it to Urban last nite to test the waters with regards to speed…and I missed everyone since I hadn’t been there for a few weeks   Wasn’t really a tough workout as it was geared towards those who were tapering for NYCM.  Marathon pace with 3/4 mile after a short rest.  I just paced my friend to run 8:30s during the MP part.  The tempo part was kinda sluggish…I guess partially because my legs aren’t fully back yet, and it was also disgustingly humid last nite.  Didn’t Mother Nature get the memo that it is fall…

Since any racing plans for 2011 are up in the air right now, thinking to the end of 2010.  I just need one more race to get in my 9 (and I have the +1), which will probably be the Kleinerman 10K.  Also pondering the Ted Corbitt 15K 2 weeks after that, only because I really need a new 15K PR.  The first 15K of Chicago was run in 1:17:23, which is faster than my actual 15K PR (1:17:39-set in 2006.)  Not to mention that I’ve since ran 10-mile races, a 20K and several half-marathons at a faster pace.  I guess because 15K is such an uncommon race distance…usually only 2 of them on the annual NYRR calendar.  Obviously I will be passing on the $40 races on marathon weekend and in Prospect Park  ;-) (though I really feel bad for the Brooklyn-ites about the latter one.)

Soooo I saw a shirt at Niketown that I really want…it has a cool design on the back very similar to the one I got in Chicago…

As I think the shirt only says “Run NYC” on the front with no “Marathon”…that would make it OK for me to pick up this baby at the NYCM expo even though I’m not running the marathon?  Right?

I think last nite’s elimination on Dancing With the Stars has got to be the “most shocking elimination ever.”  How did someone who finished second in points for the week (Audrina Patridge from “The Hills”) get eliminated?  Something doesn’t make sense.  Didn’t think Kurt Warner had that big a fan base…enough to get saved (then again, there were a lot of people boo’ing at the judges, as they thought the judges scored his dance too low.)  And forget what I said before about The Situation, Bristol Palin is actually this season’s Kate Gosselin.

Came across this YouTube video that someone actually took while running Chicago!!  Nice way to sorta re-live the memory of the day.  And it is noticible how strong the sun was in the 2nd half of the race and how it had heated up…

All she wrote for now!! 

chi-town…one week later

Has it really been a week?  Went by very very fast!!

Yep, it was exactly a week ago when I was partying it up at Fado and continuing my consumption of celebratory Blue Moons.  Now instead i’m just lounging on the couch and watching some postseason baseball.  (There is beer consumption tho-in the form of Blue Point Blueberry Ale…)

So rest assured, I was really in recovery mode this past week   No running til today-though that was a bit of a slog (4.5 miles around 9:30 pace.)  So I guess it’s gonna take some time to get my legs back…(didn’t remember it feeling this hard before!)  Was originally considering making a return to speed next week, but may even put that off another week…don’t feel ready to tackle hard workouts just yet.

Which I guess sorta addresses the burning question-am I going to attempt another marathon soon to knock off those 2 minutes and 7 seconds and get the under 35 BQ time?  No.  For one thing-given that Boston registration starts tomorrow and I’m willing to bet it’s gonna fill up in less than a week, if I were to run another marathon, it certainly would be too late for 2011…and I have my time for 2012.  I’ll be honest, I did write the B.A.A. and ask them…

2010 chicago marathon: the redemption marathon

Finally!!  The long version of my Chicago Marathon report.   But before I get into it, I will define this race by one word, and no it’s not “hot” or “scorcher.”  Moreso-redemption.  Yep-redemption from last year’s DNF at the Marine Corp Marathon (which I will not link to again as I am sure you are all sick of reading that one )

So as I mentioned in a previous post, my entire trip from NYC to Chi-town from door-to-door went incredibly smooth, and I was taking it as a good sign.  And while I was at the expo not only did I literally kick mile 21′s butt and get a pic doing so, but I made a strategic decision for my race the next day.  I was going to latch onto the 3:40 pace group, and stick with them through at least the first few miles to ensure I don’t go out too fast, and to just gauge my effort.  As it turned out-was a great decision.

That evening, I had a great carbo-loading dinner with Lam and some of his Saucony teammates…and that was where he and I came up with a, well, amusing way to break the race into chunks.  You see, I was texting with a friend of mine who said to me “I can’t believe i’m saying this-but channel your inner Mo (Mariano Rivera)!“ (cuz ya see, she’s a Mutts Mets fan.)  And Lam said something to me, that I should do that after mile 21.  So that was when I came up with the idea to break up the race into three “10-10-10″ chunks…

• First 10 miles-the “starter” (e.g. CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte) miles
• Second 10 miles-the “setup man” (e.g., Joba Chamberlain) miles
• Last 10K-the closer (e.g., Mariano Rivera) miles

Hey, whatever works, right?

Saturday was sleeping in (after being up early to catch my flight on Friday, I sure slept like a baby!), pancakes for brunch (another thing I need to have before a marathon), visiting the “Bean” at Millennium Park, cruising the Chicago River on the Architectual River Cruise Tour, and more carbo-loading, this time with the Flyers at Buca di Beppo.  (Let me also add that I ate there before some good races in San Francisco and Philly.  Nope, I’m not superstitious.)  Anyway, company was great, conversation was great (best topic of the nite-my theory as to why Ryan Hall withdrew from the race ), food was great (and surprisingly cheap too!) and we were done in plenty of time to get back to our respective hotels and get to bed early-and no I didn’t stay up to watch the Yanks clinch a ticket to the ALCS

Race morning!!  Got up around 5 AM and immediately started prepping…making and eating my bagel with White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter, plugging my iPod into the clock-radio so I could listen to my marathon morning mix, stretching, lathering on the sunscreen, hydrating…put the race day outfit on which yes, included the hot pink compression socks…I felt the outfit had a “sassy runner meets roller girl” vibe to it Left my room a little after 6 which I felt was plenty of time to go grab my Starbucks coffee (Pikes Place with vanilla syrup) and drink on the way to the start.  As soon as I got to the staging area I got right in the porto-potty line…wasnt too bad a wait, maybe 5-10 minutes?  Just felt I better take care of things sooner rather than later…anyways headed to the seeded gear check (wasnt very clear-had to ask someone where it was) and checked my bag and headed to the start…and here is where the calmness of the morning leads to drama.

There is a mass of humanity near where the Seeded Corral entrance is.  Apparently it is a massive bottleneck with people checking bib numbers before we were even allowed past that “checkpoint” (unlike in NYC, where I believe they only check at the corral entrance-at least that was my experience last time I ran it)  So considering the corrals close at 7:15 and it’s getting close, needless to say me and others are getting quite nervous.  And of course it doesn’t make anyone feel much better that they see people from the open start getting turned away…I mean yeah, it was good they were getting turned away, but thats what is delaying things for the rest of us!!  Finally I got to the front of the line, my bib was checked and I was on my way, made a mad dash for Corral C only to find that the volunteer was not letting anyone in, that “they told us we have to close the gates at 7:15″ and to go to the Open corral.  Oh hells no.  Like hell I’m going to the open start.  I EARNED my corral position.  And the corrals were probably only a quarter full at the time.  Well there was only one thing to do-climb the fence and there was actually someone helping me do that!  Not exactly the way I wanted to start my race, but I did what I had to do.  (My suggestion-either have more than one corral checkpoint to avoid this bottleneck or warn runners exactly how much time to allow for bibs to be checked-usually I err on the side of caution in terms of when to get to the start, but I was not expecting this.)

So I had around 15 minutes to calm myself down before it was time to start.  I kept moving up til I could see the 3:40 group, as per my plan.  I saw Flyer JT in the corral too and she had to go through the same craziness I did.  We wished each other luck and waited for the start.  And it seems the start went off with no real fanfare!  No horn or start cannon…no one saying anything like “Chicago awaits you…the world awaits you!”  Just the sounds of “Beautiful Day” by U2 and the only evidence that the race had started was that people were moving forward and that I could see the clock in the distance already with a coupla minutes on it.  I crossed just over 3 minutes in…hello Chicago!!

Miles 1-10: The “starting pitcher” miles

So thankfully, the first 2 miles were not a repeat of MCM.    Yeah, it was a little crowded, especially when turning corners but I was actually able to settle into my pace right away.  Loved running through the streets near Magnificent Mile and the Loop!  During mile 2 I could see up ahead a sign with a Flyer singlet on it…ah yes, YP, our paparazzi   It was kinda funny-once he spotted me he kept sprinting ahead so try and get more pics of me.  I saw RG from Urban cheering in mile 3…good to see another friendly face from NYC!

So as we made our way up LaSalle, I still had the 3:40s in my sights, and just felt very “locked in” to my pace (my first 2 5K splits were a second apart!) and kinda “zen” too   As for the conditions, I didn’t have a “OMG it’s so hot” feeling yet, but as a precautionary measure, I decided to take my first gel earlier than the 10K point, and throughout the course of the race, planned to take 5 gels instead of 4 (minimalist fueling be damned!)  And made sure to DRINK too!  Miles 5 and 6 brought Lincoln Park, like what my nail polish was named after   Another UA teammate, NB caught up to me around the 10K point…wished each other luck as we kept going.  Out of the park…next fun memory I had was Boystown!!  Loved the energy there…the cheerleaders, the guys dancing to “Vogue,” the dance remix of “Eye of the Tiger.”

So just kept clicking off the miles towards downtown, still pretty steady… (oh and the sponge stations were fabulous!!)

Miles 11-20: The “setup man” miles

OK-before we crossed the bridge over the Chicago River to head back to The Loop, I saw one of the pizza places (forgot which one) and smelled chocolate chip cookies in the air…torture!!  (Guess tangerine flavored PowerGels weren’t cutting it.)  Oh and the bridges/overpasses need carpets on both sides, not just on the right!!  (The surface is kinda like the Willis Ave Bridge in NYCM.) 

So 20K and halfway brought seeing my fan club again…saw RG again and Flyer MT right before halfway, and YP with his next photo op right past halfway.  The halfway point for me was hit in 1:48:48, which I was pleased with-not too fast, and hopefully with a decent buffer, as I paced NYC pretty well given that was much harder in the second half.  Sure enough, 14 (with the fun “Charity Block Party”), 15 and 16 were still right on pace.  Honestly, 8:15s-8:20s felt like “crawling.”  Even though-by that time the Event Alert was raised from Green (Low) to Yellow (Moderate) before I even reached halfway.  Mile 17 seemed to be the first mile that was pretty unshaded, and I felt it…but just kept going.  That and 18 were a little slower…OK, I allowed for it, and I think I am still on pace for 3:40:xx or better.  I caught up to NB around the gel station in mile 18 and tried to encourage her to stay with me…she tried but fell back after a coupla minutes

19 and 20 weren’t much better.  Tangents be damned, I was gonna try and run in the shade, whatever side of the street it may be.  Damn, I was really feeling the sun, those sponges may have felt good but it prolly rubbed off all my sunblock.  Did that sign by the bank really say 85 degrees (or somewhere in that ballpark?)  Maybe the temp wasn’t that high, but it had definitely risen and I was feeling it, especially with there being little shade.  Just keep going…

Miles 21-26.2: The “closer” miles

Mile 21.  The mile I needed to “take back.”  It wasn’t the quickest mile of the race, but getting through it was a huge relief.  Mile 22 was the very festive Chinatown…and boy did I stomp on that 35K mat, as I was glad to get a legit split today (and I’m sure others tracking me at home were relieved!!)  But not too long after 35K, I saw a coupla Flyers ahead of me…GW and NPT, who I believed were both shooting for sub-3:30.  I passed them both…that was not supposed to happen.  GW asked if I was on target and I said that I thought I may be a little off (I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was barely holding on to 3:40 at that point.)  I was still moving, but a lot of others were walking, or had even stopped.  I did not want that to be my fate, so I declared to myself to just stay in the shade whenever possible, keep taking liquids and under no circumstances will I walk.  Even though I didn’t walk through the fluid stations (I usually just “grab and go”) they did slow me down as I had to dodge people who stopped or were walking…but I did what I had to do to keep myself in the game, so to say.

The 3:40 pace group passed me for good at this point…the leader was trying to get me to go with them “come on, this is your day, this is your race!” but they were flying and my legs were not responding.  And considering I saw people with 3:30, 3:20 and even 3:10 pace bibs around me, there were others in that same boat, if not worse.  23 and 24 felt like survival mode…especially 24.  Can we make the turn up Michigan yet?  Oh thank god there it is.  Oh cool there’s the Nike Powersong zone at the mile 24 point…WTF is the “Powersong” they are playing?  Where is my Taio Cruz?  I want to hear some “Dynamite”!

So as I felt pretty much in the homestretch at this point, I tried as hard as possible to pick it up.  After all, these last 2.2 miles were also for my late uncle…I never got to “his” miles last year and I was gonna make up for it this time.  And he was gonna inspire me like he did in the last 2.2 miles of NYCM 2008.  I was gonna be a fighter, as he was…

So the following is the chatter in my head in the final miles…

This is the second person today that I had to say “shut up” to when they said “almost there.”  8 miles to go is NOT “almost there” and neither is 2 and change.  Stop looking at the numbered street signs.  What is this, Ocean Parkway?  Are those people giving out Jello shots over there?  hmmm wonder if that would help…OK focus.  40K!  Next split mat you’ll be crossing will be the finish line.  Mile 25!  One mile to go!!  I don’t care if there is only one mile left, i’m still taking a drink, as I don’t want to take any chances…i want to finish under my own power.  My legs are hot…WTF was I thinking with the compression socks?  OK, looks like 3:40 is out but I’m right on track for my “B” goal…a shiny new PR.  800 meters to go and I got this!  Turn onto Roosevelt…so that’s the infamous hill.  Obviously not welcome at this point, but still helluva lot better than the Tavern Hill. At the top, left turn to the finish…OMG I can see it!!  Oh shit, a sidestitch…why now? It hurts.  Breathe.  breathe.  Now I’m actually “almost there.”  200m to go…100m to go…almost…there…finito!!!

I crossed the finish line and the demons from MCM were gone.  Revenge, redemption, whatever it is I wanted to get on the marathon distance, I got it.  And what else did I get?  Not only a PR-but a BQ for 2012!!  (ok everyone who said I was gonna qualify was right…just didn’t specify what year! )

The stats:

Finish time: 3:43:06 (8:30 pace)-PR by 1:08
Half-marathon splits 1:48:48/1:54:18…a 5:30 positive split-ouch.
Overall Place: 4812/35809 (13.4%)
Gender (Female) Place: 979/16013 (6.1%)
Age Group (F30-34) Place: 214/3071 (7%)

Mile	Split time	Cumulative Time	Cumulative Pace
1	8:13	8:13	8:13
2	8:29	16:42	8:21
3	8:18	25:01	8:20
4	8:10	33:11	8:18
5	8:18	41:30	8:18
6	8:25	49:55	8:19
7	8:12	58:08	8:18
8	8:24	1:06:32	8:19
9	8:13	1:14:45	8:18
10	8:11	1:22:57	8:18
11	8:22	1:31:19	8:18
12	8:19	1:39:39	8:18
13	8:17	1:47:56	8:18
14	8:18	1:56:15	8:18
15	8:22	2:04:38	8:19
16	8:23	2:13:01	8:19
17	8:37	2:21:39	8:20
18	8:31	2:30:11	8:21
19	8:30	2:38:41	8:21
20	8:45	2:47:27	8:22
21	8:52	2:56:20	8:24
22	8:45	3:05:05	8:25
23	9:01	3:14:07	8:26
24	9:27	3:23:34	8:29
25	8:59	3:32:33	8:30
26	8:48	3:41:22	8:31
26.2	1:44 (7:55 pace)	3:43:06	8:30

So just past the finish I was all too happy to stop running!!  I was given a “heat sheet” (ha, like I needed more heat at this point!) and a medal which I was more than happy to wear!!   Seemed like we had to walk a bit for any type of liquid refreshment…water, water!!  Finally there were cups of water and Gatorade…both were warm but later on was an ice-cold Gatorade “recovery beverage” (others said it was too sweet but I actually liked it) and BEER!!!!  That ice-cold Goose Island ale went down so well at that point…

Got my bag pretty quickly, checked my CrackBerry and updated Facebook with my result…and saw Flyers JJ (who also ran a PR!) and SH sitting in the shade so I joined them.  That heat sheet was good for one thing-protecting my butt from the grass   I tried to take my socks off…big mistake, those things were tight and my calf immediately cramped up.  Had to massage it out and just roll the socks down and wait to take them off.  Though I did bring one thing in my bag that came in very handy-a travel size Stick.  JJ and SH got up to get more beer and I chatted with another runner next to me until Flyer JB joined me for a little bit.  We both noticed that the event alert had been raised to Red/High.  Oh boy…if conditions were bad around the time 3:40-3:45ers had finished, I can only imagine what it was like for those who were out there much longer-my heart went out to you all.

So after I felt adequately stretched out, I walked over to the post-race party…specifically the Goose Island tent where I redeemed my beer coupon and met up with Lam-who had just broken 3 hours by the skin of his teeth…very proud of him!!  Okay, maybe it wasn’t a great day to run, but was a great day to sip some beer outside   But I left to get cleaned up after that one…as I had some eating, drinking, and celebrating to do!!  First, a burger and fries and several Blue Moons with the Flyers where we all exchanged our war stories.  After a short break, I went to another party, where quite a few UA’ers were in attendance and had some more Blue Moons (I’m quite impressed with my endurance there!)  And the following day before my flight to NYC, I had to treat myself to some Chicago pizza…a yummy deep-dish at Gino’s East (anyone remember Amazing Race 6, where the final task for the final 3 teams was to eat a pizza there? )  Before I knew it, I was heading to O’Hare on my way back to NYC…the weekend just seemed to fly by.  Did I really just run a marathon a day earlier?

I’ll probably go into more detail in another post but I will say that even though I did not get a 3:40 BQ, I am still proud of my race.  Knowing how badly heat affects me, who knew if a PR would have even been possible, so the fact that I was still able to pull it together at the end says a lot.  Did I go out too fast?  I honestly don’t think so…as I said before, it felt comfortable, like I was really holding back and I’d love to get another shot at this course under better conditions.  Yeah, I’ll be back.  I had a great time in Chicago this weekend…great city, much more positive experience than DC last year

So thanks, Chicago.  You were definitely my kind of town this weekend.

chicago marathon 2010-in pictures

Thanks so much to everyone who commented on my previous post.  I do intend to get a longer report up, but don’t want to rush it…just got back to NYC this evening and definitely want to put a bit of thought into this one!!

But since a picture can tell a thousand words…here’s a few of them for ya

at the expo-kicking the $hit out of mile 21. literally.

race day!! just past halfway.

as my friend who took this pic said, I was "making it look easy at mile 23." i beg to differ.

around a mile to go...just fight it out!!

Lam and I with our medals and Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat ales after the race. Yay for free beers, especially to celebrate 2 PR's!

2010 chicago marathon: the short version

Oh yes, it heated up…however this was how it played out:

3:43:06 (8:30 pace)…PR by 1:08

not a BQ for 2011…but hello Boston 2012!

The tale of the splits…I will elaborate more in a longer report, but I felt I did run a smart race given the conditions…minimized the carnage and got my B goal!

Split	time	diff	min/mile(per 5k split)
5K	25:52	25:52	8:20
10K	51:43	25:51	8:20
15K	1:17:23	25:40	8:16
20K	1:43:11	25:48	8:19
HALF	1:48:48	5:37	8:16
25K	2:09:10	20:22	8:24
30K	2:35:38	26:28	8:31
35K	3:02:58	27:20	8:48
40K	3:31:17	28:19	9:07
Finish	3:43:06	11:49	8:40

More to come once I get back to NYC!!  But rest assured, I’m very happy with this one. Back to celebrating

game time, once again

So the use of computers in the hotel has allowed me to do a “day before” post.   Thankfully, getting the hell outta NYC has made me a little calmer, because honestly I was a nervous wreck on Thursday and even racking my brain trying to come up with a plan B (drop at the half and run a different marathon the next weekend before Boston registration opens?)

Thankfully, the trip to Chi-town went quite smoothly.  Not only did my flight get in a half hour EARLY (does that ever happen?) but right when I got to the bagagge carousel, my bag was right there, no waiting (again, does that ever happen?)  Good omen?  Perhaps!

After checking in, I hit up Niketown to see my name on the wall and to catch the shuttle to the expo.  Expo is big-definitely puts NYC to shame-wish i could say the same about the swag bag though (was it me or was it mostly all the throwaway race flyers?)  I actually didn’t spend too much money-got a shirt from Nike (its a superstition now…I have to buy a shirt-I didnt last year and look what happened!)  Hung out with Lam and one of my UA friends before it was time to head back and grab some carbo-loading goodness

As for tomorrow-conditions do not look to be in my favor at all still (guess I won’t be needing those arm warmers!)  I guess my plan at the start is to try and latch on to the 3:40 pace group to see if it’s gonna be my day or not…and just go from there.

Today is just carbo-loading, hydrating, seeing some sights of Chicago and trying to stay off the feet as much as possible.

So thanks to everyone who’s read along and supported me the last 4 months…hope to have good stories to tell!!  Talk to ya all on the flip side…

go away, taper monster

Always some unwelcome creature around during the taper, particularly the last week.  For some it’s a cute little worm.  For me it’s a monster.  Or so it seems.

Cut mileage?  Don’t have to ask me twice.  Cut back on the booze?  Doesn’t hurt at all, especially considering I felt like crap the day after my birthday.  Time spent not running means I don’t have to resort to the DVR for Dancing With the Stars?  oh yeah.  (Anyone think that The Situation is going to be this season’s version of Kate Gosselin?)

But what the monster does is make me read forums and Facebook pages and other discussion about the weather on 10-10-10 and how it’s warmer than ideal.  And seeing things like “you’re screwed if it’s warm, might as well pick another marathon now if you’re going for a time goal” or “well the weather forecast changed 3 days out in 2007 and 2008…it got hotter” doesn’t exactly make me feel much better.

I guess I wouldn’t be so stressed out about it if it weren’t for the fact that I do get affected by the heat, moreso than others it seems.  And there’s evidence to back that up-as recently as the New Haven 20K and of course I can’t forget my infamous choke job at the 2008 Mini 10K.  Not to mention in both the 2006 and 2008 NYC Marathons, I went with a sleeveless top and shorts and felt comfortable while a lot of others had long sleeves and/or tights on.

History is not on my side, but I wonder if there is any hope of rewriting the history books on Sunday.  As I know there are a lot of you out there who do race well in the heat-is there anything else I could do to salvage my race besides the obvious (e.g.,  staying hydrated)?

212 to 312…homestretch time!!

Less than a week.  It’s awwwn.  This post title is inspired by the free beer we will get after the race (Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale.)  I didn’t get any free beer after last year so I need to finish in enough time to get it this year!!

This weekend brought probably the best running weather in months to the Tri-State Area.  Almost a shame that I am tapering and can’t take full advantage of it, but it is what it is.  Though I agree with Lam’s thinking: “Anyone know of a way to bag this weather and bring it to Chicago next weekend?”  So Saturday brought Grete’s Great Gallop half (and the uber-short Norway Run)…and even though this was a club points race, figured it wouldn’t be the best idea for me to run it, even as a long run.  As for the shorter race, even though it could be an easy qualifier (and I already have 8 so far this year!)…still not worth it.  So I decided to run a few miles in the park and play the cheerleader role once again.  Since it was actually short-sleeve weather, I decided to wear my Flyer shirt with the “Fall Four” on the back as it had Chicago on it.  (of course, it also has that evil marathon that shall not be named.)

The back view:

And the front view:

So 4 miles done, a little cheering, a little chatting with friends near the finish festival.  It seemed that for a points race, that attendance was a little down, but I know there were several factors going on: marathons this weekend, an organized 20-miler the next day, people tapering for marathons next weekend, a big tri (half-ironman, i think) on Long Island this weekend.  Even though I’m on a team, my belief is that you can’t let NYRR determine what your goal races for the year should be…anyways, nothing I haven’t already said before    Later that nite was a pre-long run carbo-loading session/pre-Chitown pre-game dinner type thing with Bridges Runner…and actually on her side of the East River.  I so love living in midtown and having so many more subway options and just being in the center of everything

This morning was the Flyers’ annual 3 Bridges 20-mile run.  If you remember correctly, I was a paceleader for this run both in 2008 and 2009.  However, the timing of the run didn’t mesh with my schedule this year, being one week before Chi-town (and the 2nd one being the week after!)  However, I did want to take advantage of part of the route.  So my plan was to meet up with the group around Chelsea Piers, and then run with them til the Queens side of the Pulaski Bridge, to give me 9-10 miles.  So I kinda did some mental math to figure out when peeps my pace would be passing by Chelsea Piers (around the 5 mile point)…seemed that I was kinda early, thank god I could wait inside as it was quite chilly!!  Finally I saw one group go by (the 8:30s) so I waited around for a group more my pace.  Finally a group that I thought was the 9:30s came by and I hopped in as I saw a few of my friends (who did confirm that they did get off to a late start.)  Actually this group was the 10s, as they left ahead of the 9:30s since that group wasn’t ready to go on time…but honestly it was ok with me, I’d rather socialize and no reason to push the pace so close to the game   The run actually went by really quickly, before I knew it I was in Queens, 9 1/2 miles down.  I said goodbye and hit the 7 train-was back in midtown in no time!!  Definitely worked out well for me…much better than schlepping up to the UES early in the morning (as the run started at 7 am.)  Earned the right to spend the day being lazy and watching the Jets (yay!) and the Yanks (bring on the postseason!)

And in taper madness news, I think I need to stay away from the Chicago Marathon forum on the RunnersWorld site.  Not only is there a weather watch thread, but also a thread where people are discussing how warm it needs to be before one would decide not to run the race.  Arrghh…are peeps already predicting this will be a repeat of 2007??  Of course, like a trainwreck I will still look at it…

So on tap for this week-a coupla short runs (possibly having to dreadmill it, boo) and keeping the taper madness contained.  Then off to Chi-town on Friday…

t-minus 9 days and counting

Yikes.  The countdown to race day is now in the single digits.  And I will actually be in Chicago exactly one week from now.  When did this happen?

So taper week #2 almost comes to a close.  Unlike Lam (don’t worry Lam-we can definitely agree to disagree! ) I’m actually not minding the taper too much.  The way I see it, my legs worked hard for 3 1/2 months and need this time to bounce back in time for race day…as was shown this summer, racing on tired legs does not lead to optimal race performances!

And one last week of speedy workouts.  Thankfully cutting mileage means that there is no need to pad my mileage before/after workouts!!  Tuesday-thankfully the predicted tornado didn’t show up, so that meant lower loops at MP/tempo were on…

	Time	Distance	Pace
MP loop 1	14:14	1.73	8:13
MP loop 2	13:52	1.72	8:03
tempo loop	13:21	1.73	7:42

I was happy with the MP loops, the tempo loop felt a little sluggish but I wasn’t too worried about that (especially conisdering the humidity that nite!)  Coach DC even said during the second MP loop that I could just do the 3rd at MP if I wanted…decided to play it by ear.  My group was going a little fast but I let them go…told DC that I wanted to stick to my own pace, that “my marathon pace is not their marathon pace” (they were probably doing sub-8s, if not a little faster)  Just like race day…especially in the early miles, run my own race-not someone else’s!!

Wednesday I learned maybe it was not the best thing that I was slacking on the yoga front…as my flexibility had definitely lessened.  Unfortunately during the month of August, when I was dealing with moving stuff, something had to give…and it couldn’t be running!!  And then September was just a jam-packed month, dealing with peak mileage…but my body definitely appreciated some good stretching.  And I was able to sorta multitask-instead of taking the subway uptown, just ran up there instead!!  Once again, luckily the forecasted rain held off…

Thursday was to be my last hard workout, and given that the forecast was saying 90-100% chance of rain, I thought I’d have to be doing it on the dreadmill indoors.  But somehow that chance of rain lessened to 10-20% (with the higher percentages not til I’d be home lounging on the couch)…so to Urban I went, to do some 600m intervals…

Interval	Time	Distance	Pace
1	2:30	0.37	6:43
2	2:31	0.38	6:40
3	2:34	0.38	6:41
4	2:28	0.38	6:33

My group was supposed to do between 4 and 6 of them, but I cut myself off at 4-that was really all I felt I needed.  Was just glad to get it in before any rain…though once again the humidity was killer-I probably looked like I was caught in a rainstorm after the workout!  And afterwards I succumbed (sp?) to the lure of a nicely chilled glass of Riesling…so much for limiting my alcohol consumption!!  (though I only did have one glass.  And that was the first drink i have had since Sunday-as a matter of fact, I passed on drinks after the workout Tuesday nite because I needed rest and wasn’t in the mood to drink.)

So that’s it-the hard work is done…nothing but easy stuff til 10-10-10… (and I’m not obsessing about the weather yet.  Too soon!)

F34 day

Well I guess you could tell from my Chi-town confirmation ticket that I was gonna be aging up between then and race day. Well that happened this past weekend, Sunday to be exact!! (and on a sort of related note-congrats to Kara Goucher on the birth of her baby son this past Saturday!! Was sorta hoping she’d hold out one more day so he could share my bday…but i’m sure it was Sept 26th somewhere right? )

So it was a nice bday weekend, started off with 13 miles and change on Saturday morning.  Due to a lot of scheduling conflicts, the Flyers had to have their famed “Bridges and Arches Run” in September instead of in June/July.  I wasn’t able to do the full run (as I had to head to Devachan for my bday/pre-marathon haircut!) but I decided to frontload (btw-whoever that was on the 102nd street transverse who said to me “love your blog”-thank you! ), do 5 miles of the run and then run home.  And that worked out pretty well, except my legs felt like crap for the last mile and I knew it was a familiar fueling issue.  Ya see, it was unseasonably hot this past Saturday and I didn’t take any sports drink…my body needed the electrolytes.  Felt much better after downing a glass of chocolate milk (for recovery) and a glass of Gatorade too.  No time to waste though, had to hurry off to my haircut, then bday dinner with la familia!!

 So for the second year in a row, the Fifth Avenue Mile was on my bday (only cuz they moved it from Saturday to Sunday this year )  After a short run, I got to watch some great races-partially thanks to the streaming video on a JumboTron near the finish.  And I got to watch fellow blogger Kevin in an epic battle for the 40-49 age group…I’ll refrain from the rest as I’m sure he wants to tell the story   But it was good to finally meet him after his race, after months of commenting on each others blogs   Saw some Flyers and other friends and chatted to kill time til the pro races.  While watching the local elite races on the JumboTron it looked like there was some kind of tape delay…we could see the finish line clock from our vantage point and we’d see the runners at the half-mile point and think that the time on the clock was too slow!  And as for the pro races, the women’s race was awesome…I was really hoping Erin Donohue would have won but damn…so close!!  The men’s race proved to be exciting too-however I had to hit the subway as soon as I saw the winner hit the tape, as I had to get home and cleaned up for the rest of the day!

And it was…a Sunday Funday at the Boat Basin!!  (nope, not the Boat House!!  wrong side of town…hehe.)  Friends, fun and yummy beverages

bday girl rocking the hot pink and one of many strawberry-flavored beverages

Was a good time, though I definitely was paying for it Monday morning…another year older, none the wise I guess!!  But that will be the last time really tying one on til the afternoon of 10-10-10!  And as for that-no real taper madness yet except trying to escape this cold that everyone in my office seems to have.  I’ve stocked up on Emergen-C, Zicam and Halls Vitamin C drops.  (OK, guess that counts as taper madness!)

As for the weather?  Actually not worrying about it yet.  For one thing, it’s a few days too early.  And as last year showed…even when it’s the most perfect weather, doesn’t mean it will be my day.  Though something amusing in the “shit my dad says” category-my dad saying that “the weather will definitely be cool in Chicago around that time.”  There is concrete evidence to the contrary, known as the 2007 Chicago “Fun Run”, not to mention the 2008 race!  (But hey, he also couldn’t seem to grasp why “The Situation” is called The Situation, despite several attempts on mine and my brother’s part to explain it.)

OK, back to tapering!

“beat your bib”

so this was a fun little game that I saw people playing on the Runner’s World forums (in both the NYCM and Chicago Marathon forums)…figured I’d play too

Pretty much check out what your bib number ran in previous years.

So here goes.  Bib #4927 ran the following…

2009-48-year old Canadian woman ran 4:18:52…after hitting 2:04:25 at the half.  (ok, I think I can beat that one.)

2008-50-year old Canadian man ran 4:04:17…went through the half in 1:48:44 and looks like the heat got to him (2 years in a row that a Canadian had my number?  funny.)

2007-wow not only did the 32-year old French guy finish the infamous “Fun Run”, but pretty damn fast-2:54:29!  Don’t think I will be beating that one.  (my only question-how come this guy didn’t have a lower bib #?)

2006-now we’re back in the good old USA…and this 31-year old woman seemed to run a very similar race to my 2008 NYCM!  3:44:34, after going through the half in 1:50:42.  (I ran 3:44:14, and my half split was 1:50:43!  freaky.)

2005-a 27-year old woman ran 3:34:11, hit halfway in 1:41:18 (I wouldn’t mind beating that, though go out a little slower in the first half.)

2004-either no one ran with my number, or didn’t finish.

2003-very similar to 2005… 22-year old woman (looks like an Illinois local!) ran 3:38:01, hit halfway in 1:40:57…last 10K took almost an hour (ouch.)

2002 and 2001-again, no one.  guess it’s time to stop playing

 OK, that was fun!!  Hey I need something to occupy my time while tapering, right?  Couldn’t attend my speed workout this week (though it was probably a good thing to let the legs rest for a week) and the 15-day forecast isn’t up at AccuWeather yet so I can’t obsess about the weather just yet

Thankfully this weekend there looks to be lots occupying my time…and a good chunk of it not even running-related

“guess my marathon time”, chicago edition

OK I’m bored at work right now.  So might as well post.  Yep, it’s that time again.

Again-realistic guesses please!  (if you want to comment your guess, go ahead too!)  To help, here are the stats…

Only two marathons to date that I’ve actually finished-NYC 2006 in 3:58:26 (splits of 1:58:02/2:00:24.) and NYC 2008 in 3:44:14 (1:50:43/1:53:31)  Both had picture-perfect weather.

This time, topped out at a 52 mile week (this past week-only one over 50), with 10 weeks where my mileage was at least 40, three 20-milers and one 21 miler (this past weekend.) For the bulk of training-ran 5 days a week-which included 1 tempo or MP run, 1 VO2max/interval session and a long run.

Races-this time around my best 5M time was 37:36 (my time for the same race in 2008 was 38:11 and 2009 was 36:49) and ran a 20K race in 1:38:51.  (In 2008, I ran a half-marathon in 1:42:20 and in 2009 in 1:37:36.)  And I guess there’s always the Brooklyn Half which I ran before I started training…that being 1:42:27.

In terms of predictors for now…my 20K time predicts 3:40 flat.  My Club Champs 5M time predicts 3:41:11.  I wasn’t tapered for either of those races though.  The Brooklyn Half, which I was tapered for (and ran on much lower mileage), predicts 3:36:04.

I know how flat Chicago is…not sure how much of a difference, minutes-wise, that will make (between that and a hilly course like NYC.)

Again, one of the choices I feel is very unrealistic, but I felt I had to put it in anyway.

Right now, the goal is…well you know what the A goal is.   Fallback goal will be a PR…so maybe I could qualify for 2012?

Vote early. But do not vote often-I once again fixed it so certain people won’t try and stuff the ballot box…you know who you are

Thanks for playing!

it’s here! it’s here!

LOL-not race day yet!!  18 days to go for that…

But this was waiting for me in the mailbox yesterday when I got home from work:

Ohhh yeah.  The little booklet telling me about the ins and outs about race day!!  (BTW-did anyone else find that the map insert for the seeded corrals…that you practically need a magnifying glass to read it?  I was able to easily spot where the post-race beer will be though )

But most important-the bib number.  I already knew I had a seeded start (though it does help seeing the confirmation…after last year’s fiasco at MCM and its “honor system lineup“!)  But I like seeing the actual number, so I can obsess about any special hidden meanings the number may have.  A certain number geek interpreted it as “7 squared and 3 cubed”  So lucky 7′s?  And I wouldn’t mind a time filled with 3′s (3:33, perhaps?)

But for big goal races like this…getting the bib # is when it really starts to feel real!  Race day is getting so so close.   Only a few more days til the weather obsessions can start!!  (Oh yes, and a certain poll will be posted.  Stay tuned.)

gotta wing it

Well before I get into this post, I would like to make this Public Service Announcement:

Yes that reads correct.  The countdown to Chi-Town is now in the 20s.  And I am so not ready. 

Oh and did you all vote for the starting line song yet?

Guess which one I voted for. Hint-it was playing at the start line of a past good race of mine.

So being a month out, doesn’t mean I can slack off as a result of the Jewish New Year (happy 5771!)   I missed my Tuesday speed session with UA due to taking an easy day after the 20K, and would have to miss last nite’s session due to being in NJ with la familia.  However, there does happen to be a track at my old high school…only 200 meters, but still!  So as I didn’t know what the workout was gonna be, I had to “wing it”…decided on 6 x 800 (figuring that 4 laps to an interval was all I could handle without going insane!)

And as you can see here, the track and Mr. Garmin had very different views of how far I ran   (800 meters is actually 0.497096954 miles, for all of you keeping track at home.)

	Tracky		Mr. Garmin
Time	Distance	Pace	Distance	Pace
3:25.70	800m	6:53.80	0.53 mi	6:28.11
3:27.27	800m	6:56.96	0.52 mi	6:38.60
3:28.44	800m	6:59.31	0.53 mi	6:33.28
3:34.12	800m	7:10.74	0.52 mi	6:51.77
3:34.85	800m	7:12.21	0.52 mi	6:53.17
3:27.12	800m	6:56.66	0.52 mi	6:38.31

Not too too bad, considering my legs still had some tiredness in them.  And it was definitely windy, especially in the two 3:34s….now i know how the players at the US Open Wednesday nite felt!! (as they were getting hit by wind.)  This wasn’t the easiest workout in the world, especially going about it solo, but it’s still another one in the books…

And here are some pics from the 20K this past Monday (and yes, no Flyer apparel for me at this race!)

just past the 10 mile point

giving it everything i had left (which wasn't much at that point)

yessss...under 1:40 on the clock!! (oh wait...you mean this isn't a half-marathon??)

flipping quarters

Nope, not calling “heads” or “tails,” but more what Thursday’s workout was.  The theme for this week with the heat wave coming back was to cut the volume but keep the effort level as high as possible.  So Thursday would be “quarters”…about .25 mile with full recoveries, and I was cut off after 5 intervals (which was definitely a good thing!)  And it was…

Distance	Time	Pace
0.24 mi	1:29	6:10
0.24 mi	1:33	6:31
0.24 mi	1:32	6:24
0.24 mi	1:32	6:26
0.24 mi	1:31	6:25

Way too fast at first, but settled into some consistency. I still don’t like short intervals!! I can honestly say I’m looking forward to running a “nice, easy 20K” on Monday…that pace seems much more to my liking.

Went home to recover with a beer and the US Open (skipped Shake Shack unlike Tuesday nite though-grabbed a burger and fries after Tuesday’s workout since, well, I do pass it on the way home )

And tore into my “bag of goodies” that had arrived for me a day earlier…

OK I have to say, Running Warehouse rocks. Great prices, great customer service, super-quick free shipping and they throw in this cool bag for me to carry the goods home from work   So what did I have to buy?  First off, I was well overdue for a new pair of Brooks Defyance, as my current ones are over 400 miles and are close to retirement…plus I need to start breaking in the pair that I will be running Chi-town in (sorta leaning towards the Defyance instead of the Adidas Tempos, which I wore in the half)  And as for the other…

Ahh, a pair of awesomely obnoxious hot pink compression socks.  I have seen these CEP Compression Socks around before, and Shelby gave these a glowing review on her blog last month too.  And they felt absolutely awesome on my legs after the workout.  They are gonna get a test run during my last 20-miler…as they may very well be part of my Chicago Marathon “costume.”  More to come on that!

And in my next post…the last weekend of summer fun!!

when the mouse is away…

I can sure get used to these 3-day workweeks!!   Especially when a lot of “higher-ups” are out for a few days at a meeting…almost feels like being on vacation!!  Hence my post title…when the mouse is away, the rest of us shall play!!

And running-wise, it sorta feels like it’s the end of summer vacation in a way…as Chicago training starts officially on Monday.  Back to school, back to the grindstone, back to following a syllabus, back to not forgetting to do my homework.  But strangely, I’m thinking more of my 2 upcoming shorter races, especially the 10K.  (Maybe because it seems like it’s so early to be marathon training?)  I was doing some playing around with McMillan…and well here’s what I’m supposedly capable of based on my last 2 races.

Based on my latest 4-mile time…

 

And based on my Brooklyn Half time…

Yeah, I just may have a coupla numbers in mind. At the very least, an A and B goal.  (And even a rough number for 3.5 miles too!)  Weather permitting of course…it’s been crazy hot as of late, but hopefully having run in it for the last few weeks will prep me better than I have been in the past (unlike other years where it’s gone from cold to hot practically overnight!)

And right now, just waiting for the weekend to begin…summer fun planned for tonite and tomorrow, and then my “running summer vacation” will come to a close with the Japan Day 4-miler on Sunday.  However, I am not “racing” it…but doing something else which I think will be a lot of fun!!

And hopefully sipping one or more of these this weekend…happy summer!!

the final puzzle piece

Well first off, thanks again to everyone who commented on my race report!!

Nailing that half-marathon was just a huge relief for me.  Not just getting the whole “Brooklyn Half” monkey off my back, but also having a race that clearly showed me where I was at with Chicago training starting in 2 weeks-it was, as the post title says, the final piece of the puzzle of figuring out training.

So yeah, you all remember a few posts back, I’m racking my brain trying to figure out what to do in terms of a training plan, and thinking I need to try something new and different.  But then after the half I realized-I ran a pretty decent half time without crazy mileage.  I will admit, my weekly mileage was not high-high 20s for the most part, going over 30 one week.  I did make sure to get the long runs in, so I was prepared there.

And got me thinking back to 2008.  The year of what is still my best marathon to date-my 3:44:14 in NYC.  I felt my training went very well that year: “…topped out at a 47 mile week, with 6 weeks where my mileage was at least 40, and again, 3 20-milers.”  For the most part, running 5 days a week (maybe one or 2 weeks where it was 6 days?), the weeks consisting of a speed workout, a long run and 3 easy runs, and also cross-training.  And when you figure the 3:44 was on a hilly course and I will have the advantage of a flat course this time…and oh yeah, the half-marathon time I ran on a flat course after 2 1/2 months of training was nearly identical to one I ran this weekend on a hilly course with much less mileage…

I think you may know where I’m going with this.  In terms of mileage, I’ll be channeling my 2008 marathon training season.  Going for quality over quantity.  I know quite a few of you may not agree with this approach and feel I should really be upping the mileage-but well I did that last year and you know how that turned out.  I think one change I will be making though, will be to swap one of those easy runs for a tempo/2nd speed workout…again, the whole quality over quantity “thang.”

Only one thing I will still need to figure out…I would like to run the Philly Distance Run (sorry I refuse to refer to it as its “new” name) at marathon pace as sort of dress rehearsal for the big day, but it falls on a weekend where my last 20 should be-if I do a 3-week taper.   Any thoughts on my last 20 being 2 weeks out?  Or 4 weeks out?

As for now…just having fun these next coupla weeks.  Come June 7th, it’s go time…

the (chicago) blueprint 3

OK, couldn’t resist throwing a Jay-Z reference in there (Kevin, figured you’d like that!)  But it kinda fits Chicago training in a way…the “blueprint” is the training schedule, and this will be my 3rd marathon.  (or is it my 4th?  I honestly don’t know whether to count Marine Corps since it was a DNF.)

So as Chicago training starts for me in one month…I really have to figure out some kind of game plan in the next coupla weeks.  What’s it gonna be, I don’t know as of right now, but what I do know is that I need some kind of change.

During my aborted attempt of training for NYCM in 2005, I used one of the schedules on the NYCM site (if I recall correctly, I think I started off with the “Basic Marathoner” schedule as I had that base already, but had to drop back to the “Casual Marathoner” schedule until the plantar fasciitis eventually stopped me in my tracks.)  And to be honest, I didn’t really love that schedule and didn’t want to use that again in 2006.  In 2006, one of the Flyers assistant coaches did me a huge favor and helped me with a plan that worked…and I just adapted it in 2008 and 2009 with more mileage.  But seeing how things went wrong in 2009…maybe I don’t know as much as I thought, maybe I need to look into some “tried and true” plans and work from there. 

And what do I need in a plan?  Well, I do know I want to run more than 3 days a week, but ideally no more than 5 (maybe 6 during the peak weeks) as I will need to cross-train in order to stay uninjured this time around.  The 40′s seem to be the sweet spot of weekly mileage for me.  I like tune-up races and will need to factor those in.  No more than three 20-milers again?  And of course, I’ll be doing speedwork with my UA crew and that’s gonna have to fit in too.

So that said, here’s what I’ve been considering:

• Higdon-that’s been pretty popular lately.  I kinda like the Intermediate 2 schedule…maybe swap one easy run day for speedwork (as I feel the Advanced schedule is a little too intense for me)  And I like that it’s 5 days a week.  However, no planning for races, and maybe too much MP work?  (I obviously want to practice marathon pace, but don’t want to be burned out by doing too much of it.)
• Hudson-another one that seems to be popular as of late.   The principle seems to be flexibility in terms of creating your own training program, decent mix of hard and easy.  Looks like the suggested marathon program is 20 weeks which would mean starting right after Brooklyn…but it’s possible I may already have the base for week 3…or could adjust.  But do I really trust myself to “create” my own schedule after last year?
• Pfitzinger-I know this one has been popular for awhile, this always seems to be the “go-to” plan for those trying to BQ.  And last year Runner26 used the 18 week/55 mile peak plan to train for the Philly Marathon and had great results.  The thing is I wonder if the 54-55 mile weeks may be too much for me.  And honestly, those mid-week double digit runs may be tough for me to fit in…if this summer is as crazy as the last few have been.

So…that’s whats on my mind as of now.  If anyone has any opinions on the following plans…or any suggestions that I hadn’t thought of before, I’d love to hear them!!  I need all the help I can get.  I don’t want to do anything drastic…just want to not get injured and cross the finish line on 10/10/10 in 3:40:59.  (Of course, if my time happened to be in the 3:30′s, I wouldn’t cry or anything.)

10-10-10!

Nope…not referring to Carrie Ann, Len and Bruno….but actually I am referring to this:

Yep…actually took the plunge and registered for the Chicago Marathon today!!  So now I got 8 months to come up with a plan and get ready.  And in terms of goals…well maybe it is a saving grace that I will be turning 35 in late 2011…

(Flyers awards gala recrap to come in a later post!)