The Better Half - 2/2/14

Turns out I'm still a terrible blogger. It's been many months since I posted anything. Catching up a bit here. 

The first significant race of my 2014 was the Track Half: 52.5 laps around a 440-yard track, equaling 13.125 miles (about 5-6 seconds longer than a true half marathon). Unlike a road race, I'm going to say the so called “short course prevention factor” of 1/1000^th the race distance – 21.1 meters in the case of a half – really doesn’t apply on the track. The track we used (Duniway) has even been wheeled to confirm it’s a true 440 yards/1320 feet.

Because the impetus for this event was a number of mis-measured and mis-managed local half's in recent years that resulted in inaccurate courses and whacky times, the name that stuck was the "Bill Aronson Track Half To Insure Measurement Exactness" - or B.A.T.H. T.I.M.E. (although I think 'insure' should technically be 'ensure', shouldn't it? oh well, it's as good as we could do). Some people said, “Yeah, but not all ideas are good ideas”, which, although true, was not my opinion on this one. 

After the injury last summer, and the subsequent lack of base leading into Berlin and the XC season, I ran a road half barely under 6:00 pace in November '13 as a benchmark (78:10). This told me I had a long way to go to shave off over 4 minutes for the sub-74 I thought I was capable of (I'd run low-74's twice on the roads in 2014). There was a lot of work to do.

  

So I trained my butt off, doing half-specific-training for 7 weeks, with 2 workouts per week, for a total of 58 miles at-or-near HMP, and mileage at 85-90 mpw. I've copied a summary of that training below. I'm self-coached and there's not a lot of science nor complexity behind my workouts, but at my age and general ability, I thought the best approach would be just practicing the goal pace, basically doing a lot of tempo runs at HMP, both while fresh (early week workouts, mostly on the track) and while tired (the final miles of weekend road long runs).

So I did the training, and most of it went well, including a proper taper, and on race morning worked with others to hit mile splits that ranged from 5:34 and 5:43, with the majority right at 5:36 and 5:37 (74:00 is 5:38.7 pace). I finished in 73:44.8 (about 73:40 if adjusted), which equates to 84.28 per lap and 5:37.1 per mile. I doubt I could have hit my goal running solo. Three of us worked it together, trading off every two laps, so I only led 2 laps out of every 6. The laps really went by quickly via this method.

RESULTS:

Name	Age	Time	Distance	Pace/Mile
Tony Daguanno	36	1:13:30	13.125	5:36.0
Josh Kaplan	27	1:13:35	13.125	5:36.4
Bill Aronson	42	1:13:45	13.125	5:37.1
Dan Bartosz	37	1:15:37	13.125	5:45.7
Dan Lenski	32	1:16:55	13.125	5:51.6
Dan McDowell	32	1:19:18	13.125	6:02.5
Brian Strohl	43	0:59:22	10.000	5:56.2
Noah Megowan	41	0:29:54	05.000	5:58.8
Dan Sheil (at end of 21 miler)	40	0:19:59	03.250	6:09.1

Some excellent photos from the race, taken by our good friend Jeremy Bauer, can be viewed here:

https://plus.google.com/photos/112895618751830351648/albums/5976421902762509569

I can say definitively these are the BEST race photos from any event I've ever done.

Perhaps we’ll make this an annual event. With prize money. And medals. And some other stuff. Well, maybe no medals (I’ve always thought those should be reserved just for marathons). But it was definitely a good event, and seemed to be enjoyed by most if not all. I was very happy to get that sub-74, a new master's PR.

# of wks before Half	Workout	Type	Mileage (week ending)
6.5	1 x 2 in 5:47, 5:45 (road)	during Tues run
6.0	3 continuous:  5:51, 5:50, 5:40 (Springwater)	miles 15,16,17 of Sat run (21)	W/E  12/22: 82.0
5.5	2 x 2 w/1 rest:  5:37, 5:36 | 5:37, 5:37 (Springwater)	during Tues run
5.0	4 continous:  5:48, 5:47, 5:43, 5:38 (Springwater)	mile 14.0-18.0 of Sat run (21)	W/E  12/29: 88.4
4.5	2 x 3 w/1 rest:  5:44, 5:42, 5:40 | 5:50, 5:53, 5:50 (Sauvie)	Tues road workout
4.0	5 continous:  5:38, 5:43, 5:38, 5:43, 5:39 (Springwater)	mile 13.5 to 18.5 of Sat run (21)	W/E  1/5: 88.9
3.5	1 x 6400 in 22:28 (5:39/mi); 1 x 3200 in 11:25 (5:44/mi); (1 mi rest))	Tues track workout
3.0	6 continous:  5:47, 5:36, 5:37, 5:39, 5:41, 5:46 (first 3 road, last 3 track)	mile 13.4 to 19.4 of Sat run (23)	W/E  1/12: 91.5
2.5	2 x 3200 in 11:16, 11:14 (1 mi rest)	Tues track workout
2.0	5 continuous: 5:55, 5:47, 5:48, 5:57, 5:47	mile 14.7 to 19.7 of Sat run (23)	W/E  1/19: 90.2
1.5	1 x 12,000 (30 laps):  42:12 (5:39.5/mi)	Tues track workout
1.0	hard up Saltzman; tempo down Leif/Thurman; 1 x 2400 on Lincoln track – 2:53,2:53,2:51	Sat long run (road, trails, hills, track). Track ~18 miles into run	W/E  1/26: 83.2
0.5	4 x 800 w/400 rest:  2:48, 2:48, 2:44, 2:44	Tues track workout
Track Half  2014	73:44.8 (5:37.1/mi)	Sunday race	W/E  2/2: 62.8

Berlin 2013 - It Was What It Was

After the crippling injury with 12.5 weeks to go, I sat out 7 full weeks, not doing any significant running until the final 5 weeks leading up to raceday. I recovered quickly from there on out, and did 1 one real workout with 2 weeks to go - 20 km at a potential race pace (3:59/km, hoping for a sub-2:50 on race day).

I wasn't sure I could hold that pace, but gave it a shot, diligently taking km splits and trying to keep it even. It worked out really well, as I was in the 3:55-4:02 range nearly the entire race, only fading to some 4:06s in the final 6k, possibly because I ran too hard from 30-35k trying to catch my buddy Chris (I did, but then he accelerated to 19:26+8:04 for his final two splits, leaving me WAY behind and finishing in a PR of 2:45:58). But at least I went for it.

5k chip splits:

19:42 - 5

19:53 - 10

19:46 - 15

19:53 - 20

19:54 - 25

19:48 - 30

19:32 - 35

20:13 - 40

8:52 (2.2)

Total: 2:47:33 = 3:58.2/km = 6:23.4/mi

Halfs: 83:35+83:58

419th place overall

402nd place men

141st place men 40+

92nd place men 40-44

The morning was cool, in the high 40s, with a light breeze -- perfect conditions. Obviously, since they'd have to be for Wilson Kipsang to set a WR, which he did by a whopping 15 seconds. Although entitled to start with the sub-2:40 group in Corral A, I started with my buddy Chris in Corral B, since 6:05s were not going to be in the cards for me this time -- 6:25-ish was my goal pace. Chris's PR going into the race was 2:46.

The start was crowded but within a km or so there was plenty of running room (Chris and I hit our first km in 3:55), and by 5k packs were starting to form. The slower you go, the bigger the packs, which was actually pretty nice. I just sat back and enjoyed the ride off of many others running an even pace, although with all the lack of training, I never felt particularly smooth or fast. I let Chris settle into his own pace, 2-3 seconds per k faster.

Somewhere around 28k I saw Chris's green NAC singlet in the distance and wondered if he was starting to feel it. He had aimed for more like 6:15s-6:20s but I stuck to my goal pace a bit slower than that. I sensed I'd closed the gap a bit by 30k, figured that's where the race really starts so started pushing, drafting off a 6-foot-2 German guy setting a solid pace and passing many. I caught Chris around 34k, we spoke briefly (mostly about how I had just gone very hard to catch him, and about how he felt good and wanted to kick it into gear soon), and passed the 35k timing mat in identical splits. Our 3:51 for the 36th km broke me, and Chris pulled away - slowly at first, and then - poof - he was gone. I took it k by k from there, running 4:02-4:06s and really struggling, but put it all out there and held it together. Some folks from the pack I'd left behind at 30k passed me back near the end, but I just gave it what I had left - and ended up meeting my goal time and running pretty even splits. It was what it was, but given the lack of training, I was happy to be able to: 1) run it at all, and 2) hold a decent tempo pace instead of jogging the whole thing.

Interesting/different things (this was my first marathon not in the U.S.):

• plastic cups at the aid stations (why does anyone ever think this is a good idea?)
• plastic space blankets
• alcohol-free beer at the finish (really? - in Germany - during the Oktoberfest season - really?). so we skipped it and went out for real litres that evening
• not-so-easy-to-find chip return tent way off in the fields instead of right after the finish line (our theory was they were scared Kipsang would set the record and they'd have to payout that large sum, so more unreturned chips would mean more revenue)
• sponges in the race packets (supposedly to carry with you and dip in buckets at aid stations)
• guys just changing fully nude out in the open field post-race (to be expected in Europe)
• guys my speed or so standing around smoking some sorta fancy self-rolled cigarettes post-race (again, Europe)
• a guy peeing while running (I didn't even know this was possible). He just peeled off to the sidewalk and went for it, barely slowing from our 6:20s pace. This was the first race I can recall laughing hard enough a couple times it affected my breathing ability.
• a deep master's field - I was 92nd in the 40-44 AG and 141st amongst all men 40+ but 402nd male overall. So about a third of the dudes in front of me were 40+. One theory we had is that people do things later in Europe - like moving out of mama's house, getting married, perhaps even starting running. So they're maybe just hitting their stride at 40, 45 years old, instead of being burnt out and jaded like a lot of U.S. masters. In addition to the 91 guys 40-44 who beat me, there were 39 guys in the 45-49 division in front of me, as well as 10 in the 50-55 division. There were 45 masters under 2:40, compared with 15 or so in my race at Chicago last Fall and 30 at the USA master's marathon championship last Fall (Of course, those two races were both on the same day, so perhaps depth is equal, at least a the front of the field, but I doubt it's equal when you add up all the slower masters, say all the way to 3:00 or so. I'd give Berlin the nod there.)
• an expo beyond-crowded -- it was nuts, and the packet pickup was at the very end of like a mile-long walk through an insane # of booths, people, live music, food, etc; like any race, it's always better to go on Day 1, not Day 2, and certainly not toward the end of Day 2 (when we went, of course)
• the final announcements to the crowd pre-race: "Do not sprint the final kilometer." "If you're feeling bad, stop immediately. There are many other marathons, but only one life." They were quite focused on avoiding medical emergencies, but the "Do not sprint the final kilometer" had us all busting up, as if it was more like race strategy advice: run consistently the whole way, don't have too much left at the end, because if you're sprinting you didn't try hard enough earlier.

Water (ok, a lot of water) Under the Bridge

Following the serious injury on July 3, I was forced to take 7 weeks off, with little more than a half mile at 9-10 min pace to test it out, then later in that period, a 1.3 mile loop at 8:00+ min pace, still with significant pain. I got treatments from a couple different providers over those many weeks. Then one day, all of a sudden, I could run 3 at 7:40s. Then a couple days later, 5 at 7:15s. A day after that, I showed up to a group run, confident I could at least keep up with an easy pace. And I did.

So I was completely out with 12.5 weeks to race day. Then somewhat back with 5.5 weeks to race day. Still with a lot of pain and uncertain about whether the injury would recur, I started really running. 24 miles to end the week with 5 to go. Then 51, then 71, then 78. Still along with plenty of icing, stretching, rolling on a tennis ball, therapy appts, corework, NSAIDS, and biofreeze.

From the first day I could run 5 at a decent pace, a week later I was at 9, then 12 a few days later, then 16 and 22 during the week after that. 18 for my Wed run a half week later, and 19 last weekend, including 20k at 3:56/km (~6:20/mi).

But I had to stop there, because with only 2 weeks to race day, I decided another 80 wouldn't be so smart. So in the week that just ended I ran 55, and now there's just one week to go. An even sharper taper from here.

So I've done a decent little bit of training this past month, but certainly not enough to make up for 7 weeks off. I've set a goal time of 2:49, which is about 3:59/km (my PR from last Fall is 3:46/km). I really don't know what my endurance will be like at that pace, especially considering I've done only one 20+ miler since July 1, but I'll certainly give it all I've got. After all, that's all we can ever do. The timing's not great, but had this injury occurred 6 or even 8 weeks out from race day, there's no way I could have toed the line.

Ultimately, I'm disappointed in how things played out during this training cycle, which ended up being more like 2 cycles with a big unplanned break in between. But as a victim of my own enthusiasm, I can only be so down about it. I'm still glad I went for it in training, regardless of what specifically caused the injury. It is ironic that in an attempt to extend my potential, I instead realized my limitations, in an extremely painful and humbling way. So I've learned a few things. And I'm back, still motivated, and far from done yet.

Expect the Unexpected

I'm injured. (But, hey, at least it wasn't the achilles!) Many of you reading this, who are aware of my big recent mileage, will probably be thinking: "Sounds about right", "I knew this was coming", "Serves him right," or the always popular and timeless: "What an idiot!" Let me say first, though, cause and effect can be hard to establish. I still don't think I did anything wrong, and didn't ignore any warning signs nor run through any real pain in June. Sure, I was tired and sometimes sore, but never had anything more than dull pain, aches here and there, certainly nothing sharp nor acute feeling. That acute pain developed right as I eased off that volume is quite interesting.

Let me back up. June ended on a Sunday, I took Monday off and did nothing more strenuous than yardwork for a couple hours. Tues I ran 10 miles with 2x2, but was feeling pretty flat, so only did 1x2 at 5:51+5:56. No pain after the run, just tired. Wed I awoke to slightly more than normal tightness in my left glute, but a level of tightness that is common, that comes and goes, and that I've experienced many times in the past year (on both sides at various times) during the course of normal training. So I went to meet the guys for the regular AM 18, felt fine through about 7, then started feeling the glute tightness get worse and worse, until at about 9 it began to affect my stride and speed. With my house on the route, I ran slowly to 12.5, hopped on my bike and rode the final 5 miles to retrieve my vehicle. I drove home, ate, showered, iced, rode to work. At work throughout the day walking became harder and harder, this thing was REALLY tight and now affecting my low back. Very similar to the piriformis pain I'd had in Spring 2012, also on the left, so I assumed it was that. I called and made an appt. with my ND/LAc for Friday PM (she fixed this last year), left early, biked home, hobbled around, iced, took some NSAIDS, and went to bed super early.

I awoke Thurs morning to severe pain with any movement - rolling over in bed, moving either leg, swinging them off the edge. You know it's not a good sign when your first words to your wife are: "Do you think you could go out to the shed and get my crutches?" Jesus, just days ago I was running so well, with no worries or problems, now not only could I not run, I had much bigger problems. Namely, that I couldn't even walk. It was the 4th of July, no commitments, a full day to take it easy. But I could tell this was not a 1-dayer, not by a long-shot.

What on Earth had I done? Was Wildwood, where you're running on a hillside and the left foot is lower than the right for the better part of 4 hours, the culprit? But this didn't start until 4 days after. Was 18 the next AM the culprit? Should I have split Sunday into 2 runs? Should I not have skipped Monday, but rather done an easy recovery run? But the 18 was so slow a pace seems it would count as recovery, never felt anything weird during that run. Did my piriformis begin seizing trying to run fast on Tues, considering I hadn't done a real workout in awhile? But I'd run plenty of sub-6 miles last month, like at the end of long runs, without a problem. Was this thing getting tighter and tighter all month without alerting me, despite the regular figure-4 stretches I've done ever since last year's problem to avoid this very thing? Rhyme? Reason? Your guess is as good as mine.

So I double-crutched it Thurs and Fri, stayed home from work and did a whole lotta nothing. The cupping and Acu Friday PM felt great, and having been able to see my doctor of choice accelerated my acceptance of the condition and will to recover vs. denial, initial grieving, and feeling that this "could be it" (Don't we all say that in these circumstances? It's crazy how when I'm healthy and running well I can't imagine ever being injured, yet when I'm injured and running zero I can't imagine ever being healthy and running well again. Even though I know, in either case, it's not true.) I can consider it a break between training cycles. The type some people even plan. Of course, she said, "Most people with just a tight piriformis might be limping pretty bad but aren't on crutches, so chances are you tore something too". Ouch. She suggested perhaps one of the plethora of tendons/ligaments down in the pelvic/sacrum/SI region. Let's hope for my sake she's wrong, and it's all piriformis/sciatic nerve.

Sat I single-crutched it -- Courtney and I joked my nickname would be Tiny Tim, and several times I belted out, "And a Merry Christmas to all!" I felt mobile enough to cook for myself, go up and downstairs more than once a day, and managed to walk from the parking lot to dinner and a movie at Kennedy School. Sunday I combined single-crutching with normal walking, albeit with a huge limp.

Today is Monday, day 6 since the sudden and unexpected (but it is ever, really? considering my age and injury history) onset of this, and I'm walking crutch-free with a heavy limp and lots of effort, but couldn't imagine running. Some things you just can't run through. And you shouldn't even try. Doctor's orders are to be as immobile as possible, no active therapy during the acute phase of this. And take NSAIDS, Arnica, and some other stuff. And ice/heat. She really knows her stuff, too (former 3-hr marathoner herself). I found it hard to believe last year that she could just "solve" piriformis tightness after a couple treatments, after some of the horror stories I'd read on the internet, yet about 10 days after her first treatment, it was 75% better, and about a week later after treatment #2 it was 90% better. And did not return. Until now. This is usually classified as an overuse injury, but I really do wonder about the slant of Wildwood vs. just my high mileage. Maybe some combination. But when I had it last year I hadn't done any extreme single runs (max was 21 on the roads), and weekly mileage was only 50-60 during the several months preceding. I chalked it up then to milking a couple pairs of old shoes too long before replacing. After that injury, I began tediously tracking mileage per pair of shoes for the first time in my life. So I'm not blaming my shoes at all for this, with all recent runs having been done in fairly new ones.

As runners, we can take nothing for granted. Remember how I said I wanted to enter L.A. because "you never know"? That I could be "sidelined or worse" by Berlin? Well, I certainly didn't intend some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, my sole goal in building up was the hope to build endurance at race pace, ironically somewhat because of what happened at L.A. I certainly would have backed off that volume had any real pain started coming on. It just never did. I felt way better than I'd expected, physically and mentally, during June. Of course, I broke the 10% rule, but I often do that without problems. So who knows. For lack of a better target, I'll blame Wildwood (apologies to you, awesomely wonderful and innocent single-track trail - I know you don't deserve it).

In 6 days I've recovered maybe 20% with a long way to go. This is currently about as bad as it was at its worst last year (the crutches stayed in the shed throughout 2012). So it could be 2 wks from now that I go out for 3-4 miles. My second treatment is on 7/17 (doc is on vacation this week), so maybe the weekend of 7/20-7/21 I'm jogging again. I doubt it will be much sooner.

So there is light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, a week ago, I didn't even know there'd be a tunnel. And when I cut the Wed run short, I expected a tunnel but nothing near this long. But I'll say again what I've said before. I'm not ready to give up yet. I've come a long way the past few years, and my years are numbered for trying to hit time goals, so if and when I can keep pushing, I plan to do so. It may be at Berlin, or it may not. It may be at Boston, or it may not. Anything can happen. Distance running can be a very rewarding, yet very painful, "sport" (it's really more of a hobby, or activity, for most of us). Unfortunately most people have to experience both sides of that equation.

Thanks for reading. I'll keep you posted. And I'll be back. Guaranteed.

June 2013 - a month of Epic Mileage

[written 6/30/13]

After steady base mileage increases the past few years, I decided to see just how much I could run in June, hoping some sort of payoff will come in 3 months at Berlin, due to that delayed training effect we often talk about (or maybe even Boston 2014). Can I bump up physiologically to some “next” level? Can I improve my level of endurance, which often zonks out somewhere after the 2 hour mark at race pace? Who knows, because training is the means not the end. All that matters are races. So much pressure.

If you asked me 5 years ago, I would have said no way no how could I ever do this. I was maxing out at 65-70 (if that) for marathon training, and fading at the end of every one. Changes in nutrition and lifestyle have absolutely been required. That, and not having kids. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the likes of Brian Sell, Cam Levins, and more importantly and more directly the likes of Tim Knox, Dan Sheil, Scott Schmittel, and Eric Frome for touting (and illustrating) the benefits of high volume. I would have never become so committed had I not started training with and learning from those guys back in ’08-ish. I think we’ve established, though, that I’m about the slowest guy to ever try pseudo-elite mileage. That’s where the real craziness comes in.

Anyhow, I kicked off the month with a big weekend, followed by 4 weeks of 120-127-120-130, for a total just over 540 (18/day avg). The 30-miler on the Wildwood trail with buddy Josh on 6/29 was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done – longest distance ever, longest duration ever (over 4 hours), during my longest week ever, and without much recent trail training. Was super-duper cooked by the end off only a modest pace. Amazingly, I was able to sleep it off, get up and run 18 (albeit slowly) the next morning. Volume makes you strong that way, and you recover scary-fast. No 9^th run this week like in previous weeks, though. Enough is enough.

All that said… I’m tired, man. I’m taking tomorrow off, mowing the lawn, and drinking a few beers. Then back to slightly lower mileage and will try to start introducing 1 workout each week. Keep it real everyone.

6/1 & 6/2:

Sa - AM - 21.05 - 6:52

Sa - PM - 9.48 - 6:55 (warm up, starlight run 18:21/5:37, cool dn)
Su - 12.01 - 7:15 (sbux run)

TOTAL: 42.54 - 4:57:08 - 6:59

W/E  6/9:
M - AM - 13.01 - 7:01
M - PM - 4.12 - 6:58
T - 11.70 - 6:57
W - 22.40 - 6:50
T - 12.20 - 6:33 (w/5x200 during miles 7 & 8 - 6:22 & 6:21)
F - 12.12 - 6:39
Sa - AM - 24.01 - 6:56 (SJ, 30, Saltzman, Leif, NW, Naito, Hawthorne, Interstate, Greeley, Willamette)
Sa - PM - 7.55 - 7:02 (downtown up Terwilliger to Cap. Hwy & back)
Su - 13.60 - 7:37 (wash pk, wildwood, Pittock, Macleay, Alder, Leif)

TOTAL: 120.80 - 13:58:28 - 6:56

W/E  6/16:
M - AM - 12.15 - 6:55 ugh
M - PM - 9.15 - 6:40 much less ugh; pretty spry actually, surprisingly
T - 12.15 - 6:46 (w/5x200 in miles 6 & 7 - 6:25, 6:28)
W - 23.01 - 2:36:55 - 6:49 (last 3 in 6:32, 6:25, 5:59)
T - 12.50 - 6:47
F - 11.01 - 6:52
Sa - AM - 28.39 - 3:09:02 - 6:40 (~7's first third, then 6:45s thru 18, final 10 in 6:10-6:25). this was a hard run - w/2 other guys
Sa - PM - 6.02 - 7:13
Su - 13.02 - 7:12

TOTAL: 127.39 - 14:30:56 - 6:50

W/E  6/23:
M - 10.35 - 7:12 - still tired from weekend
T - 15.25 - 6:58 - 3200' or so, camping
W - 20.01 - 7:08 - 3400' camping/around Bend
Th - AM - 12.01 - 7:12 - 3400', varied terrain
Th - PM - 7.01 - 7:40 - 3600', Pilot Butte climb, trails, windy, hilly
F - 10.01 - 7:02 - 4100' Klamath Falls, flat route
Sa - 24.01 - 7:50 - 4200' w/hills, several miles of it at 10:30s group pre-wedding fun run
Su - AM - 14.01 - 6:57 - 4200' kept on highway long rolling hills
Su - PM  - 8.01 - 6:39 - felt great; nothing easier than being back at sea level, albeit in heavy rain

TOTAL: 120.67 - 14:32:35 - 7:14

W/E  6/30:
M - AM - 12.23 - 6:50 - felt ok
M - PM - 9.64 - 6:42 - felt good
T - 12.15 - 7:18 - just not feeling it
W - 23.01 - 2:32:52 - 6:39 - last 3 in 5:50-6:05 w/3 others
Th - 12.15 - 7:03 - recovery
F - 12.35 - 7:03 - recovery
Sa - 30.80 - 4:14:55 - 8:17 - ALL of Wildwood + a little side trail
Su - 18.27 - 7:32 - w/Sbux crew in the heat

TOTAL - 130.6 - 15:55:27 - 7:19

JUNE 30 DAY GRAND TOTAL - 542.01 - 63:54:28 - 7:04

Eugene Half 2013

I was registered for the Eugene Half (on 4/28/13) before ever deciding to do L.A. I knew 6 weeks might not be enough time to both recover and do half-specific workouts, and took that under consideration before signing up for L.A. If L.A. didn't go well, Eugene might not either, as a cause-effect relationship. But you only live once. After the marathon PR last Fall, which was my major quest the last couple years, I became more open to taking chances. So that's that.

Eugene is such a great race. For one, I e-mailed the elite athlete coordinator and got a free entry. I'm not exactly an elite athlete, and neither are most they let in for free. But it's super-cool that they care about having a quality field, and recognize that a lot of fast runners, especially younger ones, don't have big bucks to spend on entry fees, and therefore might miss quality events like this. It also means there are people to run with up front, no big gaps like at L.A. (which had a pitiful field for a race that size in a city that size; I finished 29th overall with the 2:41).

For two, their courses are well-measured, well-marked, and accurate. I did not even feel the need to wear a Garmin, because after doing the half on at least two other occasions, it always came out spot-on. One goal here was to erase the memory of Vancouver Lake 3 months earlier, where an accurately measured course but misplaced turnaround cone on raceday made the course about a tenth short. Having run a great race there and finishing in 73:29 (which would be just over 74 if legit), I set my goal for Eugene at 73:59, knowing it would be legit.

I don't think I've ever experienced a moment of silence so silent as the one on the Eugene start-line for Boston bombing victims - there was some real energy and support in the thoughts of the crowd - very powerful. The weather was perfect, Craig Leon tried to fire the starting gun and after about 10 secs it finally went off, and despite this we were off cleanly. With no Garmin, I just keyed off some guys who'd told me they'd aim to start at 5:30, so I tried to stay about 10 secs back at mile 1 for my 5:40 goal. Close, but a tad quick. I was 10 secs back, but they must have been closer to 5:24 because I came through at 5:34. Mile 2 at 5:33. Gotta even it out.

Then 5:40/5:43/5:39(5)/5:27/5:40/5:40/5:44/5:50(10), so 56:32 thru 10 but I was fading fast. Ugh. Mental math told me I needed a 17:30 to be near 74-flat, dug down but didn't quite have it. The bike path was a grind, final 3.1 in 5:46/5:47/5:41/0:33, something like 74:22 on my watch. When I punched my bib into the laptops provided (another cool thing at this race), I saw the official result: 74:20 - 5:40.2 per mile.

So I was 21 seconds off my goal time, a little over 1.5 secs/mile. I knew it was all in the final 5 miles, I knew I had positive splitted pretty bad, I knew I'd started slightly fast, I knew toward the end I just didn't have it but pushed with everything I did have, and actually salvaged a decent final mile. But at least the course was right, the competition was good, the weather was perfect, and the weekend was a lot of run. Eugene, I'll be back! It's one of my favorite races around here.

Big congrats to my buddy Dan Lenski for running a 4-min marathon PR at Eugene: 2:39:10 with very even splits. Well done, Dan!

To Run and Die in L.A.

It's July and I'm currently forced to take some days off, so will catch up by writing about some recent and not-so-recent happenings. This is about the Los Angeles Marathon, which I ran on 3/17/13.

Coming off that 108 week 3 weeks out followed by going way under 34 at the Linfield track 10,000 (33:28/5:23 pace with halves of 16:52+16:36), I felt confident to taper and race well at L.A. I hadn't done much overdistance or huge weeks, but had a decent base, some good marathon-paced workouts, and more hills than usual mixed in (to simulate the rolling, but net downhill, course).

I felt extra nervous race day, but just kept thinking once the gun goes off, all will be fine. The weather was perfect. I tucked in behind friends and training partners Josh and Tony, and we starting clicking off the low-6 miles, just as I had in several recent marathons, all of us hoping to go sub-2:40 by as far as possible. I didn't feel especially sharp, nor did I feel especially flat. I felt good, but not exceptional. Around 8 miles I began thinking my plan to run the first 1/3 easy, second 1/3 slightly harder, and final 1/3 fastest of all might not work out. By 11 or 12, I knew it wouldn't. I wasn't leading at all, just hanging on, and felt by halfway (79:00) that unless I got a serious second-wind, a PR was unlikely. I came through 16 in about 96:19 (6:01/mi), exactly the split I'd wanted to hit. Why can't I just keep this up for 1 more hour, I thought? But I knew I couldn't. It's one thing to hit goal splits feeling good, a whole 'nother thing to hit them on the verge of rubberiness.

By 17, they'd opened a gap of 10 seconds on me, which grew to about 25 by mile 20. Every split from the start to 20 was in the 5:52-6:13 range, some net downhill, some net up, some flat, with 17,18,19,20 in 6:11/6:06/6:07/6:13, but Josh & Tony were definitely continuing in the low-6:00s while I was putting more and more effort into keeping on pace. Looking back, those 4 were my pre-wall miles, and turning at 20 to go up the legendary "VA Hill" really put the hurt on. The ground under my feet began moving in slow motion, like someone had cut down the speed on a treadmill. The kilos and miles started taking longer (literally) but even longer in my perception of them as my body began to totally shut down.

My final 6 full splits were 6:32/6:29/6:36/6:29/6:34/6:36, and that was giving it absolutely everything I had. I just didn't have what I'd hoped I would. Giving up might have meant 7:30s and 8:00s, but I really try not to give up, just to gut it out even if it's not my day.  I came across the line completely spent in 2:41:34, my fifth fastest time ever, but only 4th fastest since turning 40 in Nov. 2011. Josh & Tony, excited with their 2:37/2:38 performances had already breezed through the finish area, had photos taken, and gone off to find loved ones. The volunteers took one look at me and asked if I needed medical attention (probably the most FAQ of me after marathons), but I politely said no, accepted a medal, and did not correct any of them when they said great job. Wouldn't it be the worst to say to an enthusiastic finish line volunter: "Well, actually, I was on pace through 16, then faded a bit by 20, and only covered the final 10K in 40:37, so in fact it really sucked ass compared to what I wanted to do, so you can take your 'good job' and shove it."? Yes, it would be the worst. I would only say something like that to friends who understand it.

So I finished almost 3 minutes slower than Chicago, on a course with a net drop of many hundreds of feet. My quads gave up, and I'm not sure why. It wasn't my day, but it could have been a lot worse. I'm still glad I decided to do it. As I always say, a bad marathon is still a helluva workout. I know I gained something from it. Plus the trip/weekend was a lot of fun, particularly drinking in an Irish bar after. When we walked in in our space blankets we were some of the first runners there, and the bar crowd went wild cheering and congratulating us. I didn't correct any of them either. In fact, I celebrated being done, and being alive!