NYCM 2011: the good, the not-so-good, the ugly

Well I guess this will be the official New York City Marathon report.  Figure after a week or so of thinking things over, I might as well have stuff in writing, so maybe I won’t make the same mistakes again…

So I will start this off by the numbers:

Mile	Split Time	Mile	Split Time
1	8:47.24	15	8:43.63
2	7:30.04	16	8:31.88
3	8:14.00	17	8:27.13
4	8:15.08	18	8:25.93
5	7:57.00	19	8:42.48
6	8:03.23	20	9:08.05
7	8:07.63	21	10:37.85
8	8:23.78	22	9:43.07
9	8:18.85	23	10:11.45
10	7:58.28	24	10:25.60
11	8:25.70	25	15:25.37
12	8:13.28	26	10:01.75
13	8:21.43	26.2	2:02.81
14	8:28.04	Summary	3:55:30.58

And now, the words behind the numbers.

So again, even though daylight savings time gifted us with an extra hour of sleep, I still found myself awake way before my alarm.  Again, fine with me, more time to do the race day routine and not feel rushed.  Eat, have coffee, listen to music, stretch, get dressed, make sure I don’t forget anything.  And begin the 3-leg journey to get to Staten Island early enough to prevent any MTA or SI Ferry fails.  And within minutes of me getting to the Times Square station, there was a 1 train, which got to South Ferry with no problems.  Leg 1 complete.  Even though I was supposed to be on the 6:15 ferry and I knew I was a little early, I heard announcements that those of us who wanted to get on an earlier ferry could.  So why not.  Turned out to be the 5:45 ferry!  whoa.  Again, just listened to music and zoned out for this 2nd leg of the trip (except when someone pointed out the sunrise to me.)   Then onto leg 3-shuttle bus to Fort Wadsworth.  Then once there, walking into the Fort while showing our bibs to the security peeps, lest we get thrown out…

So inside, past security, in search of the Local Competitive area.  Actually not as tough to find as I thought it was, thanks to the nifty map NYRR gave us-just had to cross a little grassy area in the “open zone.”  And according to a couple of my friends, I actually got caught on camera by the news reporting live from Fort Wadsworth!  I apparently didn’t look like I knew I was on camera…annnnnd I was wearing my glamorous “throwaway” outfit.  Classy. 🙂

Anyway, I got past “security” and found a place in the local competitive area to just chill out.  I was the first Flyer there, but I was shortly joined by my teammate JD and one of my speedwork buddies, KL, where we all just chatted and chilled out til it was time to check our bags.  By then, the “Snuggie Posse” of AK, NPT and JS was there (their throwaway gear was Snuggies!) as well as other Flyers…Lam, DC, CM, EF, SJ and more!  To be honest-hanging with these people was the best thing about being in the LCS.  The food/drink/coffee offered was the same as it would have been elsewhere, the lines for the bathrooms eventually did get long, but having my friends and training partners around was actually a calming influence  (unfortunately it seemed like no one else would have really been in wave 2 if I wound up having to stay there.)  And I didn’t feel intimidated at all..I was owning it (my low bib #), I knew I belonged there.

So at around 8:50, we were given the green light to head out onto the bridge.  I could see the green start runners in their corrals, waiting to be unleashed…they were after we made our way onto the bridge and some of the people with 3xxx and 5xxx bibs got mixed in with us…which personally I was OK with.  I knew I still had a decent starting position (I could actually see the start line from where I was) and my intention was to line up at the back of the corral anyway.  I got separated from KL and the Snuggie Posse, but I found myself lined up with DC, DK, ML and MH (who scored points in my book for wearing Yankee temporary tattoos, in addition to running another great race!)  And again, they were good people to have around me while waiting for the start, especially DC who was taking pictures and giving me “run happy” (a la Brooks) vibes 🙂  We heard the introduction of the pro men and knew it wasn’t much longer.  The National Anthem.  Mary Wittenberg’s annual speech (“New York City awaits you…”)  The cannon.  New York, New York.  It was time.

Staten Island/Verrazano Bridge/first 5k

So the focus here-staying in control.  If others pass me on the bridge…let them go.  Tried to block everyone else out.  And as it turned out, the first 2 miles wound up averaging right on pace, so mission accomplished.  And actually, I didn’t mind being on the lower level of the bridge at all!  (And please let me be known..the supposed “golden showers”?  Total urban legend.)  However, the part of the green course I really didn’t like?  The part between the bridge and when we joined up with everyone else on 4th Ave…seemed like that part was lacking in crowd support, unlike that part of the orange and blue starts.

Brooklyn!

4th Ave and time to lock in.  Once again, I loved the support and cheering crowds here…sorry Manhattan, but I think this may have replaced you as my favorite borough in the race! 🙂  I was just along for the ride, having fun…and I guess some of my splits may have shown I was having a little too much fun?  But this part of the course felt sorta flat/downhill so that may be why.

By then, was still cool but very sunny and I kinda regretted keeping my arm warmers on.  I took my first gel right on schedule at the 10K point, but found myself having more water than Gatorade along the way…seemed more “refreshing.”

So then the mile 8 merge happened and slowed us up a little bit.  So much for the wave starts eliminating that congestion (thank you, “honor system”!)…anyways, just cruised along Lafayette Ave in Fort Greene.  Unlike previous years, I was actually looking forward to the Williamsburg portion of the course.  Why?  In a way, it sorta felt like “home” for me.  First was seeing Coach T cheering along with EK and KS in mile 10.  I realized that in previous marathons, the coach had never been out there on race day…so in a way, this meant a lot.  Afterwards, Coach T told me that I “looked like I was cruising…that I so had it, was right on pace.”  At the time, definitely true!  Then northern Williamsburg and Bedford Avenue, especially the part through McCarren Park was a “homecoming” of sorts…how many times have I walked along that street from the L train to the track?  Definitely familiar territory.  Turned onto the usually festive Manhattan Ave (oh the irony…Manhattan in Brooklyn…hehe)…a right turn, then a left on McGuinness…just like in the 3 bridges run.  And here was the Pulaski Bridge and the halfway point-1:47:34.  Hmmm a little slow for sub-3:35, but maybe I can run a more even 2nd half than in the past?  But at least you can’t say I went out too fast 🙂

Queens

Not to knock all you Queens bees (hey, I was born in Queens!) but in the past, Queens just felt like a “filler” borough…not really eventful (well except for the idiot knocking me down in 2006)  And I guess it was the same this time around.  I remembered seeing Celia somewhere in mile 14 waiting for her friend to run with but that was about it.  And as a matter of fact, I did start to feel a little bit of a fade.  I told myself to try and keep it together, knock out the bridge, Manhattan will make it all better.  So yeah, the bridge was actually a little bit of relief for me, knowing that once this was done, the worst would be behind me.  I knew I would lose some time on the incline, just wanted for once to get that mile under 9 minutes (which I did.)  Our Denver-ite Flyer TB passed me on the uphill…I knew his “taking it easy” would eventually catch up to my racing this thing (though he claimed otherwise beforehand…think there may have been beers at the after-party riding on it?)  Anyway, unlike the 3 Bridges run, the incline on the Queensboro didn’t feel like it increased in length and tried to pick it up on the downhill, but tried to be careful to not trash my quads in the process…still 10 miles to go!!

First Avenue

Always the part I look forward to most…but today it didn’t seem the same.  Compared to 4th Ave in Brooklyn, the crowds here seemed kind of…subdued?  I dunno.  I couldn’t seem to pick up my pace…looks like 3:35 may be out, but keep it around 8:30s and I can still get a sub-3:40 BQ.  8:30s…I can do that.  And I was able to for a coupla miles.  Oh was it great to see the Flyers at the PowerGel station at mile 18.  And my parents around 103rd with their signs (one sign said “Next stop…Boston!”, the other one along with the lettering had paw prints on it for my dog brother…that made me smile at least 🙂 ) 

But after that, upper 1st Ave had more fading…not sure what was going on.  On top of that, my stomach was bugging me a little.  I had taken all my gels on schedule, and these were gels I have used many, many times in training (tangerine PowerGel) that I knew it shouldn’t give me any issues so needless to say it was a little puzzling.  I saw LG right before the Willis Ave Bridge, he had a bottle of water for me which was much needed.  “Keep it up.  You look strong,” he said to me.  Oh if only you knew how I was really feeling…looks are deceiving…

The Bronx

And as always, PD was making his appearance in a kilt and bagpipes on the Willis Avenue Bridge.  That was the bright spot of this borough for me.  (and I didn’t even spot Yankee Stadium this time…damn.)

During Mile 21, I had to do the unthinkable and make a port-a-potty stop.  I’ve never had to do this in a marathon before, but I just hoped that taking care of “business” then and there would just help me gut out the last 5 or so miles.  Well losing a minute or so in that mile lost the BQ for me…down but not out.  Maybe if I can pull it together I can still PR.  I force-fed myself my last gel-just to hopefully give myself some energy-as we left the Bronx and hoped for the best…

Manhattan-5th Ave to the finish line

I had really lucked out in my first marathon.  If there was a wall, I never felt it.  But here today, in the marathon I was best trained for, I was experiencing the wall.  The gel I force-fed myself did absolutely nothing.  I was afraid to take anymore of the too-sweet Gatorade as I didn’t want it upsetting my stomach any more.  I just took water where I could and just kept moving forward.  NPT passed me around Marcus Garvey Park and said “come on, hang in there, you got this”…oh how I wish I could have stuck with her.  But it wasn’t happening.  So the “just PR” turned into “maybe get under 3:50?”  The 5th ave hill slayed me as always.  My parents were just past the mile 23 marker and as they said later, knew something wasn’t right because I wasn’t smiling like I usually would be at that point.  I just wanted to get to the park and finish this thing.

But I began to feel sick again after I entered the park.  I had to ask a couple of times where a porta-potty was, as I had to go AGAIN. :-\  As there was nothing, I was forced to make an emergency stop at the Boathouse, and thank god there was an empty stall.  But even after getting that done, it disrupted my rhythm, as I found it hard to start running again…I’d start up then slow to a walk.  And I was still feeling somewhat nauseous.  All the spectators yelling my name did nothing…and those yelling “almost there”…oh you know how I felt about that.  A mile and a half to the finish still felt like an eternity.

Anyway, with a million sets of goals out the window, I wanted to still salvage one-finish under 4 hours.  I looked at my watch and did some quick math, and made a deal with myself.  Run/walk it to 25, then run it in to the end.  Making the right turn onto Central Park South was a huge relief.  Even though the mile split was slow, the crowds did make it feel like it went by faster…and I heard a certain Katy Perry song that I really liked, but honestly I didn’t feel like a firework right then and there 😛  The half-mile to go sign was in sight and that brought relief, that I was gonna make it under 4.  I saw Flyer CN around there…she had passed me while I was walking but she was struggling here too…we tried to get each other through this last bit and it helped me to see a friendly face.

Milke 26 came and went, and then there was the evil Tavern hill and then the finish line was in sight…but for the first time, I sorta felt numb while finishing this one.  I mean yeah, I had a smile on my face, arms up in celebration for the cameras, but this just seemed…anticlimactic.  Anyway, another one was in the books and thankfully kept up my perfect record of sub-4’s with a 3:55:30.

After the finish line

Got my medal…and I will admit, I love the quote that is on the back of the medal-a quote from Grete Waitz “In New York, everyone wins.”  I had seen that at the expo and that was part of what kept me going in the late, painful miles…I wanted that medal!!  Got the heat sheet, food and drink bag, finisher photo…I immediately tore into the Gatorade recovery beverage but I still felt awful.  Everything was cramping, I still felt nauseous…and I was just being told to keep moving.  I saw a med tent, with a sign saying “last med tent before 77th street exit” (which was where I had to go to get my bag.)  I was supposed to meet my parents and grab a bite with them but I knew I needed some kind of help…I was in bad shape.  So I hit the med tent-where I got the cramps in my legs and one of my shoulders massaged out.  They also gave me chicken soup, a salt packet, and some regular Gatorade (not the sickly-sweet stuff that was on the course)…I was definitely dehydrated and in need of electrolytes. 

Finally I was feeling well enough to get up and go (and according to the medics, had some color back…I looked pale and sick before they treated me.)  Unfortunately, by the time I got to my bag and was able to get in touch with the ‘rents, they had already left…kinda sucked but understandable considering I couldn’t get in touch and explain the delay.  So was just me, replenishing with a Shake Shack burger and fries and cleaning up to head out to the Flyers’ post-party at The Parlour.  (oh and while showering, I noticed a “don’t do anything new on race day” mistake.  The HRM that came with the new Mr. Garmin?  I hadn’t used it on a long enough run and it chafed the hell out of me.  Plus it was giving me wacky readings all day…max HR of 233?  I don’t think so!)

As for the post-party, was a good time.  Hey, misery loves company, right? 🙂  It did help seeing my teammates and friends…unlike the MCM disaster where I had to drown my sorrows by myself afterwards!  Anyway, the emotions amongst my teammates about their races were varied…happiness, disappointment, indifference, acceptance, looking to get revenge in the next race…just to name a few.  But nothing Blue Moons can’t fix I guess 😛

As for my race?  I think the word that sums it up is “inconclusive.”  Meaning I’m not sure what was the cause-or causes-of it going wrong.  Maybe the 3:35 goal was too ambitious, should have just gone for 3:40?  (As I did not go out too fast for a 3:35 goal.)  Something nutrition-related?  Was the Gatorade on the course mixed in a way that was making me feel sick?  And I had been feeling a hint of a cold the day before and even that morning, maybe that affected me?

Well whatever it is, got 5 months to figure it out.  Hoping for redemption on April 16th…

NYCM 2011: a disaster

Well obviously I didn’t get my goal, or anywhere close to it.  3:55:30.  Thankfully still got under 4 and didn’t get a personal worst, but definitely was not the race I trained for or wanted by a long shot.

Short story-after running the first half right on pace, it all went to hell in the 2nd half.  Maybe my 3:35 goal was too ambitious.  In addition, dealt with nutritional issues that caused 2 unplanned pit stops, lotsa cramping and nausea and even a med tent visit post finish.

Not sure if I am gonna post a full report…still trying to process it all.  Admittedly, it’s quite disappointing for me.  Even dealing with 80 degrees in Chicago last year was better than this…

I’ll let the splits tell the story for now, as ugly as they are. (FYI-the “pace/mile” column is cumulative time, not per mile.  I only wish I was still hitting sub-9’s late in the going…)

race day approaches!!

Less than 24 hours to go.  In fact, if all goes according to plan, this time tomorrow I will be well into the last 10K of the race…

So the 1st half of the week just wrapping up things at the office for the next few days…and being told by co-workers that I should try and “win” on Sunday so that I could buy our department so we don’t have to work anymore.  LOL.

Then starts what I feel is the best 4-day weekend of the year!!  Starting off on Thursday at the expo…and getting my bib #…thats when it starts to feel real!!

And yes, I know I mentioned a month or so ago that I had gotten assigned originally to wave 2 blue…but thanks to my Philly Half time, I got the NYCM version of the “judges save” and re-assigned to the Local Competitive Start!!  I’m definitely excited about this experience.  I don’t even mind being in green on the lower level…I’ve been orange once and blue once, might as well come full circle no? 🙂  In terms of race day, I know I will really have to rein it in at the start-there are definitely gonna be faster peeps around me, I’m just gonna have to let them go and not get too caught up…run my own race!!

And whether the number is low or high, I always like looking for meaning in my race #’s.  And I’m really liking this one!!  744=7+44=the numbers of Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson-2 Yankee greats!!  How can that not bring me luck? 🙂

As for the expo, was pretty status quo for NYC.  Didn’t stop me from indulging in some running-related loot…hey, the expo is a candy store for runners.  Most excited about my new Sparkly Soul headbands-I wore a thin silver one on my last run yesterday and the thick hot pink one will be running with me tomorrow-definitely will be reviews to come 🙂  One notable abscence at the expo was Nike-now that was big!  I usually get my post-race shirt at the Nike booth…yep, that’s a superstition of mine.  I have to get a shirt that I plan to wear to a post-race party.  Only time I didn’t was MCM…and you know what happened there 😉  Anyway, this time around Saucony or Asics will represent my post-race attire.

Thursday nite was the Flyers’ pasta party!  Change of pace for the venue this year, instead of Sambuca on the UWS where it had been been for the past 5 years-it was at a midtown venue this time-Trattoria Dopo Teatro.  Gotta love that it was within walking distance.  Though I never minded taking the subway to the UWS.  Anyway, once again, food and company were great, and we were treated to a great and inspirational presentation by Bart Yasso!!  He autographed a copy of his book for me (which I’m really looking forward to reading, if his presentation was only a sneak preview!)

"never limit where running can take you"

Yesterday was my last run before the big day…did the last 2.2 miles of the course, and even brought my camera to capture things like the mile markers, route banners, finish line.  Then got my pre-race mani/pedi-Watermelon for the fingers, Borrowed and Blue for the toes, both by Essie.  That’s what I’ve been wearing since the summer for races…and if it ain’t broke 😉  Today is just carbo-loading, chilling, staying off the feet.

As for tomorrow…honestly, I’ve never been this calm before a marathon.  Coach T has truly been a miracle worker with me this year!  And even though the poll results says otherwise…I’m gonna go for 3:35 tomorrow.  I’ll know early enough if it’s gonna be doable or not (I’ve had pretty good judgement of that in the past!) and can adjust but as of right now, that’s the plan.  Thankfully the weather gods are smiling on us again! 🙂

So thanks to everyone who’s read along and supported me the last 4 months and more…and that’s all she wrote til I cross the finish line at Tavern on the Green tomorrow!!  Good luck to everyone else running tomorrow!!

see you tomorrow!

my taper madness list, 2011 edition

So last time I poked fun at taper madness was the last time I ran NYCM, 3 years ago…

And the last coupla days, I came up with my laundry list of Things to Freak Out About During the Last Week of the Taper.

1. The weather for Sunday.  Duh.
2. Making sure I don’t catch whatever illness is going around at the office.  Or wherever else, for that matter.
3. Avoiding any and all soccer balls during my last workout at the track (just did some 200s tonite to get some turnover going without it being too much)
4. Idiot bikers who don’t obey red lights and come close to hitting me
5. The Occupy Wall Street peeps possibly “occupying” the marathon
6. Injuring myself from running into idiots in Chelsea Market who have to stop short and take pictures of the disturbing Halloween displays
7. Injuring myself from running into idiots in Time Square while walking to the subway
8. MTA fails on race day
9. Oh and last but not least…the weather! 😛

And yep, I think the Weather Channel was sick of my hitting refresh yesterday, as they decided to give me the forecast in Spanish!

¡Dios mío!

OK back to taper madness! 😛

week 17 wrap-up

ahhhhhhh!!!!! it’s now race week!!!  when did this happen??? 😮

So of course, taper week 2 is not without being packed with excitement…yeah if you can call it that.

So track was 8 x 400…no more 1000’s or 1200’s, just short stuff from there on in.  I hit my usual 1:35-1:36 with a 1:34 thrown in there….so while the workout was status quo, of course drama has to come from the loose soccer balls, which one unfortunately nabbed me in the shin-thank God I had my compression sox on!!

Wednesday I knew I had to get my recovery run done in the AM, as between an all-company meeting and the annual celebration of Oktoberfest at work, I knew it was gonna be a wasted day, no pun intended, and that no workout was gonna happen after work.  Sure enough, after sampling all 4 of the CFO’s varieties of home brew I hit the bar afterwards with some other colleagues…yep that was a late nite.

Thursday nite was cold and very rainy.  Cold I can deal with…but no need to be a weather hero so close to game time.  So I bailed on that nite’s workout in favor of some much-needed rest.

As for the weekend…did anyone imagine that it would snow in October?  Yeah, when I saw the forecast a coupla days out I didn’t believe it.  I mean, I didn’t see a low of 32 degrees or lower anywhere.  Boy we were in for a surprise on Saturday!!  My original plan to do a short run including the 5th Ave hill was scrapped in favor of the dreadmill and a yoga class.  On the topic of the dreadmill, I’m finding I actually don’t mind the Woodway brand too much…there’s usually 1 or 2 at the NYSC locations, so if I absolutely have to resort to the dreadmill, I hit up one of those!

So as Central Park was closed for part of yesterday, I hit up the West Side path for my last long run-8 miles with 7 @ MP.  The conditions on the path, post-snowstorm were pretty good.  It wasn’t too cold (I was actually wearing shorts!) though it was pretty windy-the big downside to running along the water, as it meant running into headwinds…and I’m sure you can tell which were the headwind miles.

Running into the wind, those first coupla miles were slower than I wanted.  And even though overall I hit the time, of course I couldn’t help but panic that if it is windy on Sunday, then I am screwed… 😛

Oh yeah how does that weather look?  I know there’s time for it to change, but…

Actually-a little warmer than I would like (ideal for me would be in the 40’s) but compared to this past weekend-I’ll take it!!

poll time-nycm 2011 edition!

Yep, it’s back!! And this time it will be in the sidebar til race day…

Again-realistic guesses please! (if you want to comment your guess, go ahead too!)

So to give some background, I might as well reveal my several tiers of race goals.

• Finish.  After MCM in 2009, I will never take finishing for granted ever again.
• Sub-4.  I’ve never run a marathon over 4 hours.  I’d kind of like to keep up that streak.
• Sub-3:40.  Will be my third time trying for it!!  Would love to get this time after it has eluded me the last coupla years…and oh yeah, is also the new BQ time for my age group.
• Sub-3:35.  BQ-5 for me, or the open standard…would be kinda cool to get even though I’ve aged up 🙂  Using my SI Half time as a predictor, McMillan sez 3:31:51.  Doable?  Maybe.  My MP work has been around that pace… (and for what it’s worth, in 2008 McMillan predicted a time 23 secs slower than what I actually ran in NYC!  Pretty damn close.)
• If things were to go totally, absolutely perfect…stars aligned, etc…sub-3:30.  in other words, I don’t anticipate this one happening.  If it does, I will be dancing on tables 🙂  Daniels predicts 3:28:39 from my SI Half time, but I still feel that is a little aggressive…

Training seemed, mileage-wise, to be sorta in line with 2008-which coincidentally, was my last good marathon 🙂  But lot more quality this time around (track, tempo, hills), including MP work, and the race times showed it 🙂

And for fun, a little comparison of the tune-up races in previous years and what they led to on race day 🙂

	NYC 2006	NYC 2008	Chicago 2010	NYC 2011
5K	N/A	22:44	23:24 22:48	22:30
4 mile	N/A	N/A	N/A	28:43
5 mile	39:03	38:11	37:36	36:00
Half-marathon	1:47:51 (NYC Half) 1:48:57 (Grete’s)	1:42:20	1:44:19 (extrapolated from 20K time)	1:38:58 (flat) 1:40:27 (hilly)
Marathon result	3:58:26	3:44:14	3:43:06	???

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

Thanks for playing!

week 16 wrap-up

One week of taper down.  2 to go.

Sunday was the “last 10 miles” run.  Which was good, I needed to revisit 5th Avenue.  And given that the portion in the Bronx changed since I ran the race last, would be a good idea to check that out as well and make mental notes.

So no need to take a cab this time, I was supposed to get in 12-14 miles so running to the meetup spot from midtown was a perfect warmup.  A big crowd was assembled, not quite the 500 from last week but still a decent size.  We separated into pace groups…I was 9 minutes…duh 😛  And set off.

Once again, I tried to make notes of hills (one i specifically seemed to take note of was up to 86th)…hmmm not as bad as I remembered though.  Almost made a wrong turn in Da Bronx at that 3 way intersection but got back on track 🙂  There’s gonna be a coupla really quick turns around 140th….tangents, anyone?

The first mile was right on the money at 8:57, but afterwards I noticed others were starting to push the pace a bit and I was falling behind.  Was barely hanging in there, thank god for the intersections to regroup.  Even when we got back to Manhattan, I didn’t want to push it, as I had to save something for 5th Avenue.  And unfortunately, that was where I really got dropped.  So frustrating.  I had to do under 8:40 at that point and yet I couldn’t stick with everyone.  (remember, this was supposed to be the 9:00 group…)  At that point it was just like “get to the park, and get this done without embarrassing myself further.”

And overall was definitely quicker than I wanted, the 10 turned out to average 8:39 pace.  So much for just doing 9’s and cruising through it.  But the frustrating part was not being able to stick with the group when they were going faster, especially since most were people I should be able to stick with in workouts or races, if not finish ahead of.  The only way I could have stuck with them was if I turned it into a race effort, as is I was at the very edge of my comfort zone.  How will I ever run a faster pace in 2 weeks if I can’t do it now?  Thankfully Coach T was amongst those waiting for everyone at the finish, as I definitely had to vent…

I really hope this run was just a fluke, but who knows?  One more chance to run MP next weekend and I really hope I nail it.  And hope the legs get with the program next time I have to run 5th Avenue…

And the 15-day forecast for November 6th is out.  Let the weather obsessions begin!

say hello to my (new) little friend

Soooo…I mentioned the other day that Mr. Garmin had his final run on Sunday. Who is his successor, you wonder?

None other than the Garmin 310XT.  Thanks to a 15% discount and having a lot of $$ in the form of gift cards to spend at JackRabbit, I was able to pick this baby up.  Why did I go with this as opposed to the models that look more like a watch?  Well first off, I hate the touch bezel.  And the screen is too small-I like having 4 fields on the screen.  The model with the touch screen looks cool, but since it’s so new I’m sure it’s still sorta buggy.  This model got good reviews.  And it’s water-resistant!  And I love the wireless transfer-beats the hell out of the USB transfer, which was giving me nothing but problems for awhile…

I tried it out for the first time at the track and was pretty easy to use.  I wish I could say the workout was as easy!  Another workout of 1000’s…keeping with tapering, lessening the volume, not the intensity.

Interval	Time	Pace
1000m	4:11.73	6:45.12
1000m	4:11.91	6:45.41
1000m	4:08.90	6:40.57

quite similar to last week!  just over 4:10, then get just under for the last one.  Glad this workout was short and sweet, as I headed uptown to have some drinks with the Flyers, where I modeled one of my newer apparel acquisitions.

 So yesterday I got to test how water-resistant this thing is, as it was raining.  The downside was that it seemed to take forever to get a signal-something I thought was improved over the 305 with this model!  Not exactly fun when it’s raining 🙂  Anyway, it finally locked and I banged out some easy miles.  The device held up well (not that it was raining super-hard) and when I got home I downloaded a device software update hoping it will help the satellite problem…

Looks like it did, as it located the satellites in less than a minute.  Wow, I think that may be a record, especially in midtown Manhattan! 🙂  More 1000’s on the agenda tonite-though tempo.  5 x 1000, minute rest inbetween.  Shoot for 4:30.  (tempo splits outlined in red below.)

I think this was the first time-at least in a very long time-that I actually nailed the tempo.  Could be because it was cool and not humid for a change, or maybe everything is finally coming together, but I was definitely pleased!

So far, so good, I think me and my new Garmin friend will be very happy together.  Though it needs a name, can’t use Mr. Garmin again…any suggestions? 🙂

week 15 wrap-up

3 weeks to go! And you know what that means…

Hey on the topic, might as well throw in some MC Hammer for your listening pleasure…

Getting back to business.  Yep, this was not an easy week at all.  Even 2 days later, I was still feeling my race, but me and my compression socks sucked it up through a set of 4×1000’s.  There was an option to add on another 800 at the end, but Coach T said for me it wasn’t optional.  meaning he was saving me from myself and cutting me off after the 1000’s.

I was supposed to hit 4:10’s…got there eventually 🙂

Interval	Time	Pace
1000m	4:11.64	6:44.98
1000m	4:11.10	6:44.11
1000m	4:12.32	6:46.07
1000m	4:10.82	6:43.66

Thursday was hills, then Sunday was the last 20-miler-the “3 Bridges Run Redux.”  Once again, I’d be leading the “niners.”  Difference this time was a much earlier wake-up call!!  As this run brought around 500 people, it had to be split up into multiple waves as opposed to the 3 waves of 2 weeks ago.  What does that mean for me?  The 9 minute group would be departing for run at 6:45.  AM.  Yes you read that right.  The sun was barely up when we left.  But hey, it means we’d get back earlier to shop at JackRabbit (the run meeting place), right? 🙂  (and definitely was fortuitous that this run left from the west side JR!  meaning no transfers, no MTA fails!)

So anyway, we were blessed with another nice day, albeit a little windy, especially in the early miles on the West Side Highway.  Mental note-if it’s windy on race day, draft off of someone taller 🙂  I was the sole leader for the group this time around, though pretty much everyone stuck together and a couple others helped me at times.  Another great group to work with!  The pacing went well as usual-only miles that were slower were the headwind and bridge miles, and not by much.  In fact, at the water station at the 10.5 mile point in Brooklyn, Flyer PN who was manning the station with his wife said that my group was within a minute or 2 of the expected arrival time.  whoa.  how good is that? 🙂  We hit a bit of traffic in the park, as there was some huge walk going on that was taking up almost the entire 72nd street transverse and the east drive.  Found a clearing and crossed in order to hit the Great Lawn and get over to the west side and back to where we started…though we did have to do a little bit extra around the block to get exactly to 20 miles! 😀  But we were DONE!! 🙂

And the splits:

Mile 2 had the major headwind…and I’m sure you can tell where the bridges were 🙂  But all in all, not bad.

Sooo afterwards I did some shopping…yep I had quite a bit of $$ to spend at JR, since I got gift cards for pacing both 3 Bridges runs and my baby brother got me a gift card for my B-day too.  I’ll eventually reveal what I got, but I will say that Mr. Garmin took FOREVER to get a signal before the run.  He must have known it would be his last outing or something 😛  (and it was a good thing my group was one of the first to finish-no lines!!  By the time the later groups finished, the lines were insane!)  And I hit up 16 Handles because of course, it’s never too early for 16 Handles.  Even at 11 AM.  Especially after running 20 miles 😛

Thankfully not really sore today…compression socks FTW!!  I think the hot pink CEP’s are gonna be part of the marathon outfit again 🙂  Did get a much-needed massage today for good measure!!  And for the next 3 weeks?  It’s all about staying uninjured and hoping to not catch whatever is going around in my office.  Let the taper madness begin!

my first F35-39 race (staten island half report)

So even though I mentioned the possiblity of racing the Staten Island Half previously, I was sorta quiet about it since I wasn’t sure what my strategy was gonna be.  I had signed up just to have the opportunity to use it as a long run, or marathon-pace run if need be, as it falls on the weekend between my two 20-milers.  But after missing my goal in Philly, Coach T and I talked about the possiblity of racing this one, and he did give me the blessing to go for it.  I ran this race only once before-5 years ago, but just as a training run.  I distinctly remembered 1 hill in the beginning, and a biggie at mile 8, but was described by many as a PR course.  The weather forecast was a bit warmer than ideal, but considering I ran great races in the summer heat, I didn’t let that psych me out one bit.

So that Sunday (4 weeks out from the big day, to be exact), I did the routine that most likely would happen on marathon day too.  Woke up way too early.  Breakfast and coffee (Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice coffee FTW!  Perfect since I ran out of Peppermint and almost out of Gingerbread and those won’t be back in the stores for while.)  Put the race outfit on…went with the Adioses again for the shoes, and actually tried out a different racing outfit-Flyers singlet (I usually wear the fitted top) and my Lululemon Speed shorts (instead of my short fitted Nike shorts.)  As the shorts have gel pockets, I wouldn’t need a pocket in my top…so I wanted to try out racing in this combo.  (is it me, or do I use this half to try out new shorts?  Last time it was the infamous “naked shorts”…)

And I left my place around 5:30ish, and barely caught the 1 train at Times Square.  Yep, even though NYRR suggested we take the 7:30 ferry at the latest, I felt that would be cutting it too close.  I took the ferry to a Staten island Yankee game this past summer, and it was almost a half hour late.  If the 7:30 was that late, I’d be missing the start.  So I decided to take the 6:30 ferry…I’d rather get to Staten Island early and zone out rather than be in the terminal on the Manhattan side and stress out.  And given that the ferry terminal had plenty of runners, I wasn’t alone in that assessment (of course, some may have been frontloading with a few extra miles.)  I strategically positioned myself near the ferry entrance, and when the doors opened, was able to get a seat near where the exit would be on the SI side and a window seat too.  I think this ferry left maybe 5 minutes late…not too bad, I just listened to my race morning playlist and enjoyed the views during the trip.  And even after getting to SI, the time seemed to go by quickly…found a place to sit and chill out (beautiful morning to sit outside by the water!)…chatted with Flyer and non-Flyer friends, before I knew it, was time to head to the corrals.

just out of the starting gate-i'm to the right of purple chick

So I don’t know who was on announcing duty today, but I actually missed Mary Wittenberg.  This guy was going on and on about the weather and how it was so hot…oh yeah and the comment about how the ChampionChip is “as useful as a rotary phone” (if thats the case, can I get my $35 back that I paid for it way back when?)  I even heard the guy was making fun of people who were late because they were delayed by the ferry…yeah there was some drama there.  Not only was the 7:30 ferry late, but it couldn’t hold everyone waiting.  There was an additional one added around 8-ish, I believe?  But still there were definitely a lot of people who were going to miss the start.  (wow-am I glad I decided to go on the early ferry!)  Even though they did say they were going to delay the start, Mr. Garmin said I started at 8:32 (original start time was 8:30) so they couldn’t have waited that long…

So we headed out of the stadium and onto the streets…mile 1 was uphill but I felt in control.  When I saw my first mile was 7:23 I was pleased…but there was the possibility I may have gone out too fast.  Oh yeah, we were running on unshaded roads on a warm and sunny day, and remember that supposed “flat and fast” course?

Um yeah.  I remembered there was gonna be a hill at mile 8, but I definitely did not remember some of the others!

I just kept going…at around mile 3 I saw Lam speed past me…apparently he got caught on one of the late ferries and had to weave his way through the field (but no worries, since he still PR’ed!  yay!)  I said to him to “go get it.”  As for me, it’s possible my fast start worked against me, as the next 3 miles were 7:34, 7:44, 7:42.  Uh oh…could I be in trouble?  Somewhere in mile 4 I heard someone cheering for me…I looked quickly and saw AP, our Master Blaster…since he’s our resident Staten Islander, I figured he’d either be running or spectating. 🙂

Mile 5 dropped to 7:55…yeah that was up another hill.  But still.  I could have very easily thrown in the towel but just make the rest of the race a marathon-pace run but I chose to fight.  Being that this was an out-and-back, what goes up must come down, right?  And we were nearing the part of the course that I really liked, as the turnaround as around a mile away I saw people coming back on the other side…then it was my turn to hit the turnaround…I heard people cheering for me and if I couldn’t acknowledge you, I’m sorry-was too focused on the task at hand but know it was appreciated! 

just passed my teammate with a mile or 2 to go...

Then mile 8 brought the hill.  The one that 5 years ago I said was “a bigger bitch than I am.”  Seemed like it lasted almost the entire mile!  “Come on, Flyer!” said a guy wearing a NYC Triathlon top who was trying to encourage me to stick with him.  Relief when we hit the top.  At 8:04, this was by far the slowest mile of the race, and my only mile over 8 minutes.  Even the downhill right afterwards…didn’t feel like a reward right then and there, took about 100-200 meters to recover from the hill.  Mile 9 went through Fort Wadsworth…boy it’s gonna look quite different in 4 weeks, just crawling with runners 🙂  Come to think of it-I’m sure there was a view of the Verrazano Bridge somewhere in these last coupla miles but I didn’t even notice!  Exited the Fort and went back into town…saw AP again with his son, and he was taking pictures…I’m sure I didn’t look too happy at that point though 😛

So up til mile 10 or 11, was just trying to maintain pace.  By this point there were people to pace off of…NYC Tri guy, and a couple of Dashing Whippets (I just hoped I wasn’t being too annoying, my breathing was getting loud by that point…working hard!)  In the beginning, everyone who had started late and weaving their way through the field…didn’t know who was running what pace!  By now everyone had pretty much settled in.  Memories from the backstretch…me saying “Shut up!” to those saying “Almost there!” and having other runners say “thank you!”…the very welcome sprinklers at the water stations and elsewhere…the DJ playing “Rain Over Me” and me thinking “ooh rain would be nice right now” 

finishing stretch!

After the bridge at the beginning of mile 12, I thought the hills were over…ugh I guess I forgot about one more!  But then I really think it’s downhill from here?  And passing by the mile 12 marker, I could hear the announcer for the finishers but I forced myself to not look in that direction, just crank it for the last mile.  Headed down the ramp into the stadium with about a half-mile to go and I knew it was just a straight shot to the finish.  And the clock was saying 1:40:xx…which was just alright by me!! 🙂

Final time-1:40:27, 7:40 pace.  My 3rd fastest half ever (only 2 faster were in Philly) and a soft “hilly course” PR, i guess 🙂 

The deets:

Split	Time	Elevation Gain	Elevation Loss
1	7:23.8	17	10
2	7:34.7	32	51
3	7:44.3	14	14
4	7:42.1	45	14
5	7:55.2	68	12
6	7:26.2	0	94
7	7:42.6	13	22
8	8:04.8	105	0
9	7:30.6	0	70
10	7:32.5	13	32
11	7:44.0	0	5
12	7:57.3	61	43
13	7:25.0	39	43
13.1	0:43.6 (6:38 pace)	0	0

As you can see, the elevation changes tell the story of the splits!

And I was 12th in my new age group…my highest age-group placing ever in a NYRR race!!  Maybe there is something to this whole 35-39 age group 🙂  The Flyer women took 3rd and I was the 3rd Flyer female so I got one of these:

And yeah, I know the high placing and finishing 3rd among the Flyer women was only because a lot of the fasties did Grete’s the previous weekend…so a little bittersweet.  I’ll take it though!  Hadn’t gotten one of those team medals in a long time (few years?)…we have so many fast women on the team now, the times I finish top 5 are few and far between!

So even though I would have loved to have run 1:38-1:39…or better if that was where the day took me, I’m still happy with this race.  I could have easily thrown in the towel and “tempoed” it but I fought to the finish.  Unlike Brooklyn, I wasn’t roadkill in the last 5 miles 🙂 And besides, I do remember that it was only a few years ago when I was frustrated at being stuck at a 1:47-1:48 plateau for the half, I was trying to break 1:45 but coming up short…now I can knock on the door of 1:40 in non-ideal conditions on a hilly course?  And of course, eye on the prize and I like that this race predicts a 3:31 marathon…

Next?  Now it’s time to get in that last big week and the last 20 miler, then taper down and stay uninjured before the big day in 4 weeks!

week 14 wrap-up

considering I haven’t posted since my last “week-in-review” post, I guess I have been just a little busy this past week? 🙂

Considering going right from a 20-miler to a Yankee game and sitting in a stadium seat for hours…no time for ice bath, etc., is not the most ideal form of recovery, my legs didn’t feel so horrible when doing reps at the track a coupla days later.  (though it did take a little while for the calves to respond.)

Interval	Time	Pace
400m	1:36.66	6:28.90
400m	1:37.80	6:33.48
400m	1:36.65	6:28.86
400m	1:35.30	6:23.43
400m	1:36.90	6:29.86
400m	1:35.95	6:26.04
400m	1:35.65	6:24.83
400m	1:34.77	6:21.29
400m	1:34.47	6:20.09
400m	1:32.18	6:10.87

Was a little slower overall than the last time we did 10 x 400 but finished pretty strong.  (of course it didn’t hurt that guy from NBR was cheering me on during the 8th interval…always a sucker for impressing the guyz!)

Hit the Great Lawn for tempo intervals on Thursday.  You know it’s gonna be torture…no, not even when hearing what the workout was!  Nope, it’s seeing one of these at the south end of the Great Lawn.

Ohhh the waffle truck was tempting all of us.  But dammit, it was gonna be closed before we finished our workout.  And unfortunately we couldn’t indulge then and there, as that was not quite the carbo-loading the coaches would have in mind for us.

So it was a tolerable tempo workout…6 x half-mile with a very very short jog inbetween…so pretty much continuous.  (others had to do 8 or even 10, but I was let off the hook due to racing this past weekend…)

Interval	Time	Pace
0.48 mi	3:28.75	7:15
0.48 mi	3:48.78	7:57
0.48 mi	3:42.00	7:43
0.48 mi	3:34.22	7:27
0.48 mi	3:37.75	7:34
0.48 mi	3:33.95	7:26

I was all over the place here…was supposed to be shooting for 3:40 but came up fast most of the time…Mr. Garmin was saying it was short.  Not sure if he was right (it has given me some flukey readings on the oval before) or if I really was going too fast-I’ll take it though.

And it was a little chilly afterwards, so I put this lovely apparel item on:

Yes, I’m a dork and couldn’t wait to buy a “Boston Qualifier” item 😛  However, the way I see it…it’s no different than, like, making sure I keep at it to still fit into my awards gala dress?  I’m gonna need all the motivation I can get to train through the winter! 🙂

Coming up in my next post will be a report from today…my first race in my new age group.

week 13 wrap-up

hmmm maybe it’s appropriate that I wore an A-Rod shirt to the game…he’s #13, the game ended week #13 of training…

so last week was jam-packed, between holiday festivities with la familia and my highest mileage week so far, capped off with 20 miles.  No wonder by Saturday I was exhausted.  I had every intention of getting out to spectate and cheer at Grete’s Great Gallop half marathon in da park, but the snooze button definitely won out.  I needed it though…as Sunday was gonna be a long day…

So once again, I would be pacing a group for the Flyers‘ famous 3 Bridges Run, definitely one of my favorite runs.  Was definitely disappointed to have missed it last year due to its proximity to Chicago!  Anyway, I’d be co-leading the 9:00 group, whereas in the past I did the 9:30’s.  I was definitely fighting some tired legs, but “well I did 9’s during the Heatpocalypse…”  I did have 2 strokes of good fortune.  First, the run was gonna have a wave start of sorts, and my group was in the last wave.  Yay for 40 extra minutes of sleep.  Second, the Yankee playoff game I was supposed to attend Saturday night?  Kinda got postponed to Sunday afternoon due to rain…something you don’t see much around here these days…yes I’m being sarcastic 😛

So thankfully there were no MTA fails, and and it looked like the weather gods were gonna be kind to us as well.  We actually had a pretty small group-around 10 peeps, but that would make it easier to work together.  Flyer RA was a great co-leader (though I did have to tell him at a coupla points to rein it in when we seemed to be speeding up a little 🙂 ) and in general it was a very nice group-hopefully they will all join for the next run in 2 weeks! 🙂  As for me, it took a mile or 2 to loosen up, but as I settled in, all was well.  Made sure to not commit the same fueling error as a week earlier-took a gel every 5 miles (so 3 total) and Gatorade every so often and still felt good at mile 20…what a difference from the previous week when I felt horrible after 12 miles and just barely made it to 14.  So it’s established…minimalist fueling just does not work for me, for whatever reason.  All in all, Mr. Garmin said I did 20.39 miles in 2:58:24…8:45 pace.  Not sure if we really were that fast or if Mr. Garmin was just flukey (I think everyone’s Garmins in our group had a different reading!) but I’m taking it. 🙂

So afterwards, headed back to the UES JackRabbit which was the meeting place for the run…while most were shopping, trying on shoes and mingling, I just grabbed a quick bite to eat, chatted with Coach T about the run, and then had to head out to get cleaned up and meet up with JW to head up to the Cathedral in the Bronx!!  Though I wish the end result had been better-my perfect record this year has ended-it is still amazing to be there for the playoffs…first time I’ve been there for a playoff game in 10 years!  And awesome seats too!

And so begins another week.  But at least I got something cool in the mail to make my Monday a little bit better! 🙂

keep holding on

it started last week, just continued into this week.  Now i’m at the point of training where all the miles and the hard efforts are really starting to build up, and the result is having to push through runs and workouts on very tired legs and just try and hold on til taper time…even though I was sort of hoping to escape that this time around.

This week’s track workout was 6 x 800, I had to aim for my normal 3:20 per interval.  Obviously my legs had other, not so good ideas.

Interval	Time	Pace
800m	3:19.15	6:40.63
800m	3:23.15	6:48.67
800m	3:24.45	6:51.29
800m	3:24.22	6:50.83
800m	3:21.15	6:44.65
800m	3:19.24	6:40.81

Obviously I wasn’t happy with this one, as I used to be able to crush 3:20 in workouts.  Was the half-marathon still in my legs?  I don’t know.  It did seem, however that everyone across the board was struggling.  Then again, others who did both the Fifth Avenue Mile and the 18-mile Tune-Up back to back had an excuse…not sure I did.

So as I was in NJ for the holiday and couldn’t make Thursday’s workout, I had to consult Coach T for an alternate workout…I figured I’d have access to the track at the local high school and I knew the minute I mentioned that it was 200 meters, that he’d suggest a repetition workout and sure enough I was right.  However, I was surprised when I saw that the 200 meter track was no more and instead it was replaced by a brand-spankin’ new 400 meter track!  The high school field hockey and soccer teams were practicing there too, but it was cool, we all stayed out of each other’s way…oh what a difference than McCarren Park, as this time I did not have to dodge a single soccer ball!!  Anyway, threw myself into the 200s and 400s…

Interval	Time	Pace
200m	0:46.05	6:10.55
200m	0:47.40	6:21.41
200m	0:48.92	6:33.65
200m	0:46.52	6:14.33
200m	0:46.40	6:13.37
200m	0:45.97	6:09.91
200m	0:44.96	6:01.78
200m	0:47.03	6:18.44
400m	1:37.55	6:32.48
400m	1:36.88	6:29.78
400m	1:38.57	6:36.58
400m	1:35.57	6:24.51
400m	1:36.55	6:28.46
400m	1:34.77	6:21.29

Plan for the 200’s was to start out at 46/47, take it down to 45/46…and for the 400s to start at 1:37 and take it down to 1:35.  So for the most part it was fine, though I don’t know what happened with the last 200, and I had to take a little more rest for the last coupla intervals.  Was just glad to get it in before the torrential downpours that hit later in the day.

Another 20 on tap this weekend.  And this will be after attending the Yanks playoff game tomorrow nite!  This oughta be, uh, interesting 🙂

week 12 wrap-up

Boy, this week was actually a tough one.  Couldn’t rest on my laurels from the half, still had work to do.  Lotsa mileage up in here!

So track this past week was a ladder.  2 x 200, 400, 800, 1200…then repeat in reverse.  I was granted a little bit of mercy and was allowed to swap the second 1200 with an 800, as long as I did the one 1200 under 5:05.

Interval	Time	Pace
200m	0:46.97	6:17.95
200m	0:47.22	6:19.97
400m	1:38.22	6:35.17
800m	3:19.47	6:41.27
1200m	5:03.10	6:46.49
800m	3:19.37	6:41.07
800m	3:19.32	6:40.97
400m	1:37.61	6:32.72
200m	0:47.08	6:18.84
200m	0:45.06	6:02.59

So all were under target, except for the 1200, the original target was 5:00 but I’ve had trouble hitting that as of late…especially with legs that just ran a half 2 days earlier!  Hence the deal that was made 🙂

Thursday was the total opposite…as I had a Flyer event in the evening and had to miss the group workout, my assignment to do in the morning was a 4-mile tempo at 7:35-7:40 pace.  That definitely did not go as planned.  Yeah, it was dreadfully humid, but my legs were definitely tired…I knew it when I tried to do a couple of strides and my legs weren’t responding.  But I threw myself into it anyway, and wound up with 7:53 pace…the first 3 miles barely under 8, but picked it up for the last mile, which was 7:43.  And my heart rate data even backed things up-was much lower than it should be for a tempo effort, meaning the legs were tired.

So the legs felt better for today’s 14-miler, which I did in the park while running in the opposite direction from the 18-mile Tune-Up race…and it was good to cheer for and chat briefly with other teammates and friends, but boy the humidity was deadly.  Even though I took my gel somewhere between miles 7 and 8, by mile 12 I felt under-fueled and my legs felt shaky-had a feeling it was a fueling error I had committed before.  With the humidity, I probably needed 2 gels instead of 1, or I needed to have taken Gatorade and not just water.  But really, I hope this humidity takes a hike soon-so glad I did my half last weekend instead of this one!

But got it done, and had the afternoon free to enjoy the Yankees game…ah a nice victory over the Sawx!!  But oh boy, crazy how the Sawx’s playoff hopes really lie in the Yankee’s hands this week-literally!!

And the men’s marathon world record fell today in Berlin!  (and Haile falters once again…I think he’s done)  But wait a minute, they used pacers…so it shouldn’t count!!  Hey after all, women aren’t allowed to use male pacers.  Yes, I think this new ruling by the IAAF is ridiculous.  It’s one thing to do this going forward, but previous records should NOT be voided. That said, in my opinion…I don’t know why it matters if a record is run in a mixed or women’s only race…pacers or no pacers, their legs still had to do the work. A pacer can only do so much-they don’t run the race for the athlete.  And I’m not sure if the USATF is gonna follow suit, but if they do…I feel more bad for Deena Kastor than Paula Radcliffe-at least the best time in a women’s only race that can count for a world record does still belong to Paula…Deena would get stripped of a record entirely.  (Looks like the USATF does keep track of records set in women’s-only races as well as mixed races…though I think the time they have for the marathon is outdated, shouldn’t it be Kara Goucher’s 2:25 in NYCM 2008?)  I’m sure the Chicago marathon organizers are pissed about this too…their race is in 2 weeks, there is no separate women’s start, so now their race can’t count for any women’s records?  Anyone want to take bets on how long this ruling will last?

third time not a charm (rock ‘n’ roll philly half report)

Before the longer story, I’ll cut to the chase now…wasn’t my best (2nd best, actually), but thankfully not my worst.

So even though I hadn’t really tapered for this thing, I was trying to stay hopeful that I could bust out a good one.  The room number in the hotel I was staying at was a sign…room number 724-and isn’t a 1:37 half 7:24 pace? (1:37 is the open standard for a qualifying time for NYCM/NYC Half…the latter being a little more important to me as I’d like to run that one again and the only way I will get in is to qualify on time!)  So did the usuals the day before the race…hit up the expo (spotted Kara Goucher at the Nutrilite booth-we passed on getting an autograph as the line was too long) and dinner at Buca di Beppo (almost a reservation snafu, but got it sorted out!)  Then time to put out the clothes for the next morning (including folding over my bib so the “Rock ‘n’ Roll Philly Half” wasn’t showing, that bib was way too damn big!)  And had to decide on shoes…was debating between the Launches and the Adioses, but decided to take a chance with the latter, paired with my black CEP compression socks (the hot pink ones would have clashed 🙂 )

Got up, had my usual bagel w/ white chocolate PB and coffee, got dressed, hydrated, and everything, walked over to the start (a mile from our hotel)…and when I stepped outside, was greeted by some very nice racing weather…great, guess I have no excuses 😛  After checking bags, Flyer GW (my traveling companion) went to do a warmup, I had to take care of other business and stretch a little bit more before heading to the corrals.  Headed to corral 2 this year…moving on up in the world!!   Was joined shortly by GW and JJ, another Flyer.  JJ said he was just gonna run this at marathon pace so I thought “OK guess I need to stay ahead of him.”  National Anthem, then the first corral and elites were off.  Then time to move us up…and I didn’t go anywhere near the timing mats until we were allowed to go-learned from my mistakes at the Corporate Challenge 😉

So another clean start, this staggered start system that Philly has used the last coupla years has worked well.  Settled in right away.  GW pulled ahead, as did JJ…now I didn’t know if this meant that I was going slower than hoped, or that just like last year’s Scotland 10K, he wasn’t really gonna stick to marathon pace 😛  Anyway, the mile 1 split sort of put the concerns to rest.

And the next 3 miles wove through Center City.  I was keeping consistent, and actually wasn’t too far off from my opening mile splits last time I ran this race…but today, was feeling more like work than it did 2 years ago.  Not that I went out too fast, but just that I was gonna have to fight for this one.  There was a guy who was pacing with me through this part…unfortunately lost him a little after mile 4.  Not surprising, he said he wanted to run 1:30-1:35…

So after passing by the start/finish was a little bit of new territory for me.  The last 2 times I ran this race, we ran out on MLK Drive and back on Kelly Drive to the finish.  Starting last year, the course was reversed.  OK, may not be a bad thing, means that hill at mile 13 will actually be a downhill this time? 🙂  But dammit, a sidestitch crept up in mile 5.  It went away after I grabbed water, but resurfaced during mile 7.  After that, I knew I was gonna have to take fluids more than I normally have in a half.  And I was feeling sort of under-fueled too…my gel boost in mile 8 could not have come soon enough.

And mile 8 was my first (and thankfully only) mile in the 7:40s…I thought “oh no you don’t.”  I’m not sure what I could salvage with this race, but at least I want to avoid feeling like roadkill like I had in Brooklyn.  Where’s the Falls Bridge, and the turn to the finish?  Ah there it is, mile 9.  One more mile, and I can try and pick it up to the finish.  Which I did for mile 11, but 12 and 13 were struggles-though I was still passing people!  And there was something with the camber of the road that was aggrevating my right side.  Finally, I could see the mile 13 marker but not the finish!  Oh wait…they got rid of one hill and swap it for something shorter and steeper.  But once I crested that, the finish was in sight and gave it all I had…oh damn won’t be getting under 1:40 on the clock…haul ass and you can finish under 1:39…finished…1:38:58.  Glad that’s over!

Got my medal and a picture and gathered up whatever goodies they have after the finish.  Found GW and JJ afterwards…both had PRed.  In fact, seemed like everyone I knew who ran that day (lotsa local NYC team peeps made the trip out) had PRed…ugh, what could have been.  Thank god for the MGD 64 beer tent to numb things a little.

So I have mixed emotions about my race.  On one hand, I’m definitely glad to get under 1:40 again, shows that 2009’s race was not a fluke.  And hey, if I was still able to run under 1:40 on tired legs, what could I have done had I been tapered?  Yeah…definitely wonder what could have been if I was able to race it.  But have to take it for what it is-a tuneup for NYCM.  (And good learning with regards to hydration and fueling and how much I need.)  Maybe I’ll give it a 2nd go in Staten Island, maybe I’ll just use that as a pace run-we’ll see how I’m feeling in 3 weeks.  In terms of race predictions, McMillan sez 3:28:43…and I usually add 10 minutes for the NYCM hills…so 3:38.  Not quite where I want to be…guess I have my work cut out for me in the next 7 weeks! 🙂

week 11 wrap-up

7 weeks to go…less than 50 days out…time flies.

Well this was an interesting week of sorts.  Highlighted by “Bibgate“.  Unfortunately, I got that news the day of my track workout, and it definitely threw me-I was “off” the entire time.  I was supposed to hit 5:00 per 1200 and was way off…

Interval	Distance	Time	Pace
1	1200m	5:06.37	6:50.88
2	1200m	5:06.12	6:50.54
3	1200m	5:12.80	6:59.50

Not sure if I was still feeling my MP run from Sunday, or if it was Bibgate getting to me, but I wasn’t happy with this one at all.  Especially the last one-I was definitely hauling, and the heart rate data showed it, why was it so slow?

Tried to put it behind me for Thursday, 2 consecutive tempo loops of the Harlem Hill loop (approx 1.41 miles).  My 2 loops were 10:56/10:35 (7:43/7:28 pace)…improvement from the last time I did this workout in May, when I ran 10:56/10:57?  Was the first really cool night in awhile (very windy too!)-felt a little underdressed in short sleeves and almost could have been glove weather!!

As for today’s half, there is a full report to come, but I will say for now that the popular opinion on the poll was correct (1:37-1:39.)  There was no PR, but still glad to get under 1:40 as it was definitely tougher going than I expected.  Of course, I knew it was gonna be a challenge going in as I was not tapered…

me lucky charms

Well with another race on the horizon and of course having to partake in a pre-race ritual or 2…kinda gave me an idea for a fun post.  Everyone has their “lucky charms” for race day.  What are some of mine?

Yankee shoe charm:

I bought the Yankee charm, in addition to another (which stays on my regular trainers)  at the More/Fitness Half-Marathon expo from these peeps.  The Yankee charm goes on my racers for luck.  Specifically, on the right foot, as I had the ITB injury on my right leg, so I figure that leg can use a little more magic.

Watermelon candy-pink manicure:

So I like to get my nails done before races.  My color of choice used to be OPI’s Lincoln Park After Dark, a la Kara Goucher in NYCM 2008 (not quite black nails, but close enough) but I sort of tired of it this year.  So starting with the Mini 10K, I made my color of choice Watermelon by Essie-as it went with the pink accents in my green Adioses, and still looks good with the newer neon pink pair.  And there is something a little more upbeat about this color.  But as everyone knows, “when I do up my nails in watermelon candy color…you know I mean business! :)”

Music!
Though I leave the iPod behind on big race days, I do like to have some songs to listen to beforehand to get myself pumped up to race.  The songs pretty much vary by year.  (e.g., 2008’s songs were “Pocketful of Sunshine” by Natasha Bedingfield and “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay, 2009’s song was “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyed Peas.)  Here are some current favorites:

“Give Me Everything”-Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack, Nayer.  Come on, this *was* like the summertime anthem of 2011.  And hey when you race, don’t you wanna give it everything?

“Club Can’t Handle Me”-Flo Rida/David Guetta.  Because the race course can’t even handle me right now 😛

“Walking on Sunshine”-Katrina & the Waves.  An oldie but goodie, I dare you to not want to run fast after listening to this song.

Blue Moon:

Seriously.  Yes I’ve had at least one the night before my last few races…not sure if that helps or not but hey doesn’t hurt to have an excuse to indulge in a cold one, right?  (not sure I’m gonna get to tomorrow but don’t fear, i’m getting it in tonite.)

White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter:

By Peanut Butter and Co.  Goes on my pre-race bagel before the big races.  Yes, I even pack it to bring with me when traveling to races 🙂

Starbucks Coffee:

A Pike Place Roast with a shot of vanilla syrup.  Kinda randomly stumbled upon this combo before the 2007 San Francisco Half, now this is a favorite “go-to” when traveling for races.

I’m sure there is more, but that’s what come to me off the top of my head.  So those are my lucky charms/lucky pre-race rituals-what’s yours?

And good luck to all racing this weekend!  Catch you on the flip side-hopefully with some good news to tell!

NYCM to me: “you’re too slow!”

So getting bib #’s for big races is usually fun, right?  That’s the time it really starts getting real…and it’s interesting to kind of read into the numbers and see what kind of meaning they have. 🙂

And in the case in NYC, you also find out your wave/start time in addition to your bib number.  If you remember correctly, the waves started in 2008.  I started in the 2nd corral of wave 2, which was exactly where I thought I would be, with a marathon PR of 3:58 and a predicted time of 3:45 (and I wound up running 3:44, talk about being on the money!)  Now?  I have a marathon PR of 3:43 and predicted time…well I don’t wanna say quite yet.  But I think you all have a ballpark guess 😉  either way, one would think a 15 minute improvement would put me in wave 1.  Especially since most of my friends/teammates with similar PRs/goal times wound up in wave 1.  Boy was I wrong…

wave 2 AGAIN? are you kidding me?

 I seriously thought it was some sort of mistake.  But apparently no, the official word is that my 3:43 PR landed me in that corral and they go by previous time when seeding runners.  Ummmm…then why is it that quite a few of my teammates and friends who have slower marathon PRs than me-quite a few over 4 hours too!-were allowed in wave 1 and I wasn’t?  Your honor system sucks, NYCM.  Take a hint from Chicago.  THEY get it right.  You want a seeded corral?  You better have the proof of running a certain time, or no go.

Well in a way, this may screw up my race goals.  My issue is not so much with the start-as in 2008 that part was fine and I *am* in the very first corral in wave 2 at least (though I’m sure I’ll be forced to the back by people in wave 1 who miss their start…)  My concern is more running into the back of wave 1…especially if they let 10 or 11 minute milers in there!  Yes, it is possible to catch up to wave 1-in 2008, Brightroom captured quite a few pictures from the last couple of miles which had me passing runners in wave 1.  I’d just prefer to pass these people in Brooklyn, early on instead of it becoming a roadblock on the narrow streets of 5th Avenue.  I know some people say it will be fine, but I’ve heard mixed opinions (and experienced it for myself…)

Plus what gets to me is…where’s the consistency??  Why were those others-especially the ones much slower-allowed a chance at a great start and I wasn’t?  Are my goals too aggressive?  Do I have any right to be trying for the times I want?  (And for the record-I am NOT bashing slower runners.  They have their place in the race as much as the elites do.  I don’t think I’m anything special, but I don’t think a 4:30 marathoner should have a 30-minute head start on me.)

Well…I have one last chance to sorta “save” myself…which unfortunately puts a lot more pressure on this weekend’s half-marathon.  Wish me luck…

And at least this drama keeps me from thinking about the other hot topic in the running world this week…that certain marathon in April…

week 10 wrap-up

I sorta held onto this weekly wrap-up for a day…as there were other things on my mind, as well as others yesterday…

i can't believe it's been 10 years.

 

the freedom tower on friday nite, lit up in red/white/blue

 ********************************************************************************************************************

Closed out the week with 13 miles, last 8 at MP…

Mile	Time	Distance	Pace
1	8:24	1.00	8:24
2	8:03	1.00	8:03
3	8:00	1.00	8:00
4	7:51	1.00	7:51
5	8:12	1.00	8:12
6	7:54	1.00	7:54
7	8:08	1.00	8:08
8	7:48	1.00	7:48
8.14	1:06	0.14	7:51
Summary	1:05:26	8.14	8:02

And for whatever reason, I didn’t feel as good about this one as my last MP run…i thought this should have felt easier, given it was a little cooler and much less humid.  But whatever, I hit the pace overall so I guess I can’t complain.

Onward…

rain over me

Wow, for awhile this week I almost forgot what the sun looked like…this week was just rain, rain and more rain.  Thankfully it didn’t affect me as much as it did the US Open-2 full days of washouts meaning once again  (3rd year in a row?) the men’s final is on Monday!  (time to install a roof somewhere at Flushing Meadows…?)

As for me, the only day the rain really affected my workouts was track nite.  I kept monitoring the hourly forecast, hoping for the best but still expecting a wet evening.  (that’s what she said.)  And sure enough, once 7:15 rolled along, the rain hadn’t really let up.  But me and a few others still decided to show up to the track.  Crazy?  Maybe.  Not sure what the intended workout was gonna be, but the “plan B” was a 2-mile time trial.  Uggghhh…why do time trials always seem to happen in the rain?  I had a feeling it wouldn’t be my best, but at least I’ll get some kind of speed workout in tonite.  And so off we went, with the only obstacles in lane 1 being puddles, as the track was empty and the usual soccer balls and bikes were nowhere in sight.  I was over 7 minute pace at the 1200m mark and knew this was gonna be a slow one…but just tried to hold on.  The 2 miles were done in 14:24, estimated mile splits 7:11/7:13.  So I basically did this at my 5-mile race pace.  Blame it on the rain I guess…

As for my recovery run the next day, I thankfully didn’t head out til after a brief downpour and my run was just drizzling and/or misty.  I hit up the bridle path and with the exception of some puddles, it actually was not that bad.  It however got too dark at one point so I had to take it to the roads…guess cooler days bring darker nights…

Last nite was tempo with the distance upped once again…instead of the normal 1200s we did 1800s.  Only 2 of them, but still, as we had to do the same pace we did for the 1200s.  And I was pretty consistent with this workout, ran 7:49 for the first and 7:50 for the 2nd but I still say that it was not a whole 1800 as there was no way I was running 7 minute pace  (Mar. Garmin said the 1st was  1.05 miles, the 2nd 1.03 miles.  And I believe 1800 meters should be closer to 1.1 miles…?)  So I guess this was closer to 7:30 pace which seems more realistic for me.

And the next challenge will be the long run this weekend…13 miles with 8 at marathon pace.  Getting nervous thinking about it… 😮