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!

More? More.

week ending 2/24:

M - 8.5 @ 6:42/mi
T - 11.7 @ 6:45/mi (3 x 2000 @ 10k race pace w/800 jog: 6:49, 6:47, 6:45) - mostly 81s
W - 21.0 @ 6:35/mi (2:18) - last 3 in 5:56, 5:56, 5:51
Th - 12.4 @ 7:00/mi
F - 11.6 @ 6:56/mi
Sa - 16.2 @ 6:51/mi (1:51, Mt. Tabor from NW, really feeling the hills/previous days' distance toward the end)
Su - 27.0 @ 6:28/mi (2:54:30 total). 8 up, 16 @ MP at Sauvie (6:04, 6:01, 6:05, 6:06, 6:00, 6:04, 6:02, 6:04, 6:00, 6:01, 5:58, 6:02, 6:02, 6:02, 6:10, 5:57), 3 dn.

TOTAL: 108.4 / 12:07:05 / 6:42 pace

Ok, I decided to take the insanity to a whole new level this week, also running my biggest week ever, probably by at least 5 miles. Before I shifted to yes on LA, I had planned a long-ish taper leading into the Linfield 10,000 on 3/1. After hitting the Tues solo track workout well and later that day deciding yes on LA, I drastically changed that direction to do a “fit-in-everything-I-haven’t-yet-done-this-training-cycle” week. 21 pre-work on Wed 4:35 AM? Check. At least one overdistance run? (I did 2x28 and 1x27 before Chicago). Check. A Hansons-style 26.2 km at MP? Check. 100+ miles? Check. Over 12 hrs of training? Check. Was the whole thing ill-conceived? Maybe. My thinking was that I’d done well at VLH with a peak of 99 for the week ending 21 days out, why not do a monster week ending 21 days out from LA? (The dangers of being self-coached, right?) The obvious answer is it could well be too much to properly recover from before the race. But my volume has been good I’ve been recovering very well from it in general. So I’ve rolled the dice (ok, THROWN the dice) in hopes of topping off my endurance tank and we’ll see if it helps or hurts come 3/17. Right now just about everything hurts, but not in an “oh my god I’m injured” type of way, just in a “holy crap I can’t believe I just did that week” type of way. I've been thinking the last couple days "man, I'm in a training danger zone". Fingers crossed. But I figure I have nothing to lose.

This morning, I ran 7 pre-miles at about 7:00s before meeting my two training partners at Sauvie, 1 more mile easy with them, then the 16 @ MP, and 3 easy for cool-down at 7:20-7:00 (which was actually not at all easy being 24 in and having just run so hard). So they did 20 to my 27. While the MP felt hard from the start and all of us had done the 16 including up/down Tabor yesterday, we were together today thru 13, then they gapped me, finishing at least 35 seconds ahead. But it was more they sped up (5:58/6:00/5:35) rather than me slowing down much (6:02/6:10/5:57), except on the 6:10 which was gradual uphill followed by the reverse of it where they really kicked it in to the end-point, but man was I cooked. I’m never real concerned these days about “losing” a training run. Races are all that matter. These guys have 2:41 and 2:43 PRs to-date, but both I feel have a strong potential to go sub-2:40 at LA. We hope to all start together "conservatively" at about 6:05s the first third of the race.

The thought of running 80s-82s for 25 laps (goal time 33:59) this Fri evening sounds 100% deplorable at the moment, but after today I will in fact [have to] taper, probably starting out with 6 and 8 very easy Mon/Tues, and how I feel dictating what I do from there (I haven’t ruled out a Wed AM easy 15). LA automatically became the goal race and Linfield a tune-up, but my time goal on the track has not changed. A sharp taper starts now, with these final 3 weeks looking something like 75/65/whatever. If ever I’ve been in shape to attempt sub-6:00 avg for 26.2, this is it. But it would still take a phenomenal day/conditions/focus/hill-survival for that to happen.

I can’t believe I’m running like this at age 41. While never easy, it’s been absolutely unreal recently.

When It Feels Right...

[written 2/18/13]

I’ve been sitting on a fence, but am about ready to jump over the “Run LA Marathon” side of it. It’s in 4 weeks on 3/17. It's still open, looks like an interesting course, I'm in good shape now, could be sidelined or worse by Berlin, and have been training with a couple guys of similar pace who are running LA. What started as a different approach to half-marathon training and paid off well at VLH has in fact doubled as marathon training (which was partly intentional in case I wanted to jump in a Spring race like Vernonia, Eugene, Boston, etc). Since Chicago, thru the W/E 2/17, my weeks have been 21,50,47,58,59,41,76,80,73,58,80,87,99,90,86,66,88,96,88. I'm at 1110 miles in 95 consecutive days since Nov. 15 (11.7 avg per day), with nary a double.

On the down-side, I haven't done any 100+ mile weeks, any 28 milers, enough core work, any mid-week 21 milers (yet), nor had the time to hold it at 85+ for at least 20 weeks like I plan to for before Berlin. I haven’t run a lot of hills, and the LA course looks to have plenty.

On the upside, I haven’t lost the strong base I built before into Chicago, plus what I gained from the race itself (both fitness-wise and confidence-wise), the ability to continue training/recovery thru XC season and then to step it up for the two recent halfs. In the past 14 weeks I’ve done weekend runs of 19-21 (qty. 10) and 24-25 (qty. 4). I’ve done workouts up to 6.5 mi at HMP (a couple times 5 mi on Springwater at the end of a 21+ @ 5:4x), and as far as 15 mi @ MP (89:10/5:57 avg, closing in 5:50, 5:39, 5:31 the final 3). Also, since Dec 15, I’ve done 6 x Wed 18-milers and 3 x 15-milers (including Wed of taper week 4 days out from VLH). At VLH, even course-adjusted I chopped about a minute off my recent best HM times, which technically could translate to 2 minutes in the marathon (ok, in a PERFECT marathon). But if I could run 78:high the 2^nd half in Oct off a 75:low half ability, can I run a 77:high 2^nd half at LA off a 74:low half ability? But what about the hills? Hmmm. Maybe 2:3x is a more reasonable goal than sub-6:00.0 pace.

Trying to PR in LA may fall into the “doing the same thing and expecting a different result” category, or perhaps just the straight-up “fantasy” category, but I actually think I’m in better shape than back on Oct. 7. Am I in course-specific shape? Not exactly. Do I have the optimal level of endurance? No, I haven’t quite done the mileage, and there is a law of diminishing returns given what I’ve already achieved, even though the above plus these upcoming few weeks would probably in and of itself pass as a reasonable training cylce in most people’s marathon books. But I’ve done not just volume, but decent volume plus workouts, and those workouts seem to be getting me to a slightly faster level. Am I much more confident at longer distances now? Yes. By virtue of merely having run a lot of distance in recent years, the 26.2 itself is no longer so daunting. Dropping it to 5:55s the latter half? Yes that’s daunting, but not excessively. And hills? I’m a decent uphill runner. No comment on downhills. One of my HTC teammates once scribbled on our van “Hills for Snacks”, as in “we eat hills for snacks”. She also liked uphills. But not at 5:55 pace. But if there’s ever a chance to realize my dream of a 5:40 final mile or two this is it, as the course drops about 200 feet approaching the oceanfront finish. Either that or my quads will be so worked from the rest of the course I’ll tumble down the hill as they give out multiple times. Is there a headwind coming in off the ocean, though? Probably. Maybe I pray for Santa Ana conditions with East winds.

Speaking of Santa Ana of course, it could be 92 degrees, in which case the whole idea of PR-ing or breaking 2:40 will be out the window. My last 3 fulls and most recent halfs have all been good if not perfect weather. That luck is certain to run out at some point. But life (especially marathon life) is not perfect. One of my goals if I ever achieved that sub-2:40 was then to have a bit more fun, be more spontaneous, enter races when I wanted, when I felt the time was right. Running LA goes along with that theme.

To those who feel trapped and defeated by marathon training, yes I understand it. But somehow I now feel as free as ever. I can knock out 10 or 12 (or 18) early AM with modest effort, then eat, shower, bike to work feeling good about the day. I’ve freed myself from the demons of running 2:3x, from the bad food/sugar demons, from the “I’m too old to race fast” thoughts, and from oh-so-many demons of doubt. I finally found a training model that works for me – prepare my body correctly and my mind will follow. Run well, run often, run smart, recover when needed, run confident, run free, run fast (whatever that may be for you).

My running log has these weird essays at the start of each month (the written equivalent of their cheesy stock photos). This month’s ends with: “More importantly, you have to adjust your goals as you age. None of us can run back into the arms of youth. At best, we can keep the grim reaper at bay.” Hey author, eff that. I’m old. And I’m improving. Why wouldn’t I try to go fast as possible, not just to keep a foot out of the grave? I’ve taken about 140 seconds off my half time since Jan. 07. Who’s to say I can’t claw back another 120 down to my all-time PR? Out of reach? Maybe. But I’ll never know if I don’t try.

Dream Comes True at Chicago

Optional: Read this article as a "warm-up" before reading my story:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/im-truly-sorry-for-this-but-youre-about-to-hear-al,28995/

Results (bib #1930): http://results.chicagomarathon.com/

10/07/2012. My 28^th marathon. Cool and dry, perfect weather, 40s during the race, slight wind but nothing major. Course turns enough through the city the wind was probably equally in front and behind us, so really never a factor. Well, obviously not, I mean Kebede broke the course record by 59 seconds with his 2:04:38 (4:46 pace). Perfect day for fast running.

* New PR: 2:38:55 (6:03.7 pace)

* 67 seconds under previous PR (2:40:02)
* 148th overall; 137th male
* 7th male 40-44; 11th masters 40+
(2 guys in 45-49 and 1 guy in 50-54 also in front of me)
* 2nd half 81 seconds faster than 1st half (80:08 + 78:47)

Splits: Taken manually at each course mile marker. 5K splits provided by official chip mats.

6:11.7	0:06:11.7
5:59.9	0:12:11.6
6:07.6	0:18:19.2
5:59.1	0:24:18.3
6:02.8	0:30:21.1 (5)
6:11.7	0:36:32.8
6:06.9	0:42:39.7
6:11.8	0:48:51.5
6:06.5	0:54:58.0
6:14.0	1:01:12.0 (10)
6:00.6	1:07:12.6
6:09.8	1:13:22.4
6:08.4	1:19:30.8
6:08.1	1:25:38.9
6:00.7	1:31:39.6 (15)
5:58.5	1:37:38.1
6:00.6	1:43:38.7
5:57.4	1:49:36.1
5:56.5	1:55:32.6
5:57.7	2:01:30.3 (20)
5:57.0	2:07:27.3
5:56.5	2:13:23.8
5:55.8	2:19:19.6
6:05.0	2:25:24.6
6:10.3	2:31:34.9 (25)
6:03.0	2:37:37.9
1:17.1	2:38:55.0

Average Pace:  6:03.7/mi

Halfs:   80:08 + 78:47 (6:07/mi + 6:01/mi)

5-mile splits: 30:21, 30:51, 30:27, 29:51, 30:04
 

Chip Mat 5K splits:
18:55=18:55 (5K)
18:55=37:50 (10K)
19:07=56:57 (15K)
19:02=75:59 (20K)
18:51=94:50 (25K)
18:33=1:53:23 (30K)
18:30=2:11:53 (35K)
18:46=2:30:39 (40K)
08:16=2:38:55 (42.2K)

We flew to Chicago Thurs PM, and did random touristy stuff Fri/Sat: the hop-on-hop-off bus tour, Lincoln Park zoo, Sears Tower Skydeck, deep dish pizza, parks/art, marathon expo of course, etc. Was sure to keep my morning runs short 3-4 miles and wore compression socks Sat as we walked probably another 3-4 miles, as I didn’t want my legs to be dead come raceday. Pfitzinger says skip the tourism for post-race, but our travel plans and hotel worked out the opposite. I had to just keep re-assuring myself I’m in such good shape it won’t matter, no way some extra walking will take it all out of me. I had no idea what a beautiful and interesting city Chicago is. I’m sure it has its ghettos too, but we were only in and around downtown.

Sat night and Sun: I did all the normal pre-race stuff: half slept, half lay awake thinking all night, the prep and triple checking I had everything just right before leaving the hotel at 6:00am, the pre-race porta potty and gear drop, the walk over to starting corral A-B, getting there 20 minutes before start, making sure I wasn’t too far back. Lined up 10-12 rows back, a bit far considering where I hoped to finish, but assuming it would go out fast and wouldn’t be too crowded. That all worked out fine, but was as nervous as I’ve ever been before a race. Looking at even just the hundreds of shoes of those around me confirmed that I was in the right place: Luna Racer, Launch, Kinvara, Nike elite racer something er other, Green Silence, Adios, many others I didn’t recognize but were clearly 5 to 8 ounces.

It was cool to hear the elite introductions (even though I couldn’t see them up there; the crowd went wild for Ritz), and equally sinking to hear them actually announce “If you’re not in your corral by now, you have to start at the back of this wave, behind Corral E.” Wouldn’t that be the worst to get through a long bathroom line, drop your bag, try to get to the A corral only to hear you’re 2 minutes late and not allowed in? And these were not the 4-foot police barricades to hop over, they were like 8-foot chain link fences. I hope no one really fast got shut out that way.

“Remove your hats for the national anthem.” Respectfully, it was far too cold for that, as it was 40 degrees and breezy. I left my beanie hat on, as did most others. I also wore a short sleeve tech shirt, thin cotton gloves, shorts, a breathe right strip (I really think those actually help you take in more oxygen), carried a few gels, and, maybe most importantly, wore Adidas Adios 2. Somehow I didn’t hear the actual gun, but we starting moving and it was ON. Started my watch when I crossed the mat maybe 10-15 seconds after the elites. I’m not exaggerating when I say I was in about 400^th place after a half mile. The depth of this field was incredible, although I knew I’d be doing lots of passing even early, given how many folks bolted off the line (people don’t mess around at Chicago!). I felt stiff and awkward trying to run fast, had stretched but barely jogged, opting for no warm up to save energy.

Choosing to not wear my Garmin and stick with a stopwatch, I had no idea how fast I was going mile 1, and whether it would be a 5:50 (bad) or a 6:30 (also bad). I was relieved when I saw the clock ticking toward 6:00 and was almost but not quite there. Lapped my watch at 6:11. Very good. My goal was to hit 6:05 to 6:10s the first half. A lot of the rest of my first half may look like a mile on a mile off, but with the turns, slight wind, course direction, etc, I think I was actually running pretty even. I spotted Andrew Schupp around 7 miles and we spoke briefly. He said he just wanted to ensure it was not a death march for him, which I took to mean he was not in great shape, even though he’s run about 2:32-2:39 plenty of times. He and his buddy were on the pace I wanted so I stuck with them for a few miles, but he seemed to already be slowing by 10, so I pulled away and found other guys’ backs to focus on.

10 was definitely too slow (6:14), but I overcompensated mile 11 (6:00), and listened in to a couple guys in front of me: “Whoa, that was a bit quick. Look, we want to be OVER 80. Let’s dial it back the next couple miles, even 6:10s would be fine.” It’s like they were reading my mind. So I stuck right behind them and did that, not wanting to surge through halfway like I’d done at CIM with a 5:56 13^th mile, and instead saving it for somewhere well AFTER halfway.

I’d had a strange tight left calf/soleus/achilles starting about 8 days out, probably something to do with the Adios and my initial 14 mile run in them. I was trying to break in the shoes, but instead they sorta broke in my lower legs in an unexpected way, especially the soleus. My left achilles always hurts more than the right, as it's the one I had surgery on 8 yrs ago (Haglund bump removal), but this tightness just above it was new. It worried me all week because it remained tight, though nothing red or inflamed. Courtney gave it a good massage Sat AM in our hotel room, which I think really helped. My plan to deal with this was to numb any pain early and run right through it. I applied biofreeze and took two ibuprofen and before leaving the Hyatt, two at mile 5 and two more around 14, and while I could feel it, it never really got tighter or felt like it was going to seize up. It was never a factor. But still, I was worried about it most of the way. Later on, I completely forgot about it as my quads were what really hurt.

Just past halfway (80:08) the two “6:10s for the next couple miles” guys and I started passing others, gradually at first, and then more quickly a couple miles later. Yes, we were speeding up – but they were also clearly slowing down. 12, 13, 14 were all in the 6:08-6:10 range, but then… it was ON.

Just before 15, one of the guys sensed I had accelerated and said to me: “6:00s?” and I said, “Yep” (the other guy had dropped back), thinking about my post on the Lizard board: 'Would I love to run a 77 second half? Of course I would. But that’s not likely. I’d be thrilled with a 78:30.' Well, I knew I couldn’t run a 77:anything unless I was at least a few ticks under 6:00s. Like 5:55s. But I figured 6:00s was a good start, maybe later I could drop it to 5:50s, we’d see. So this dude and I started clicking the miles together, just the two of us: Boom. Boom. Boom. Incredibly even. In fact, I could not believe how even we were running, but still just fast tempo, not all out. Seemed like every time I hit lap it was a 5:57. No Garmin, I was just taking course splits (unlike many races, the mile markers in Chicago seemed perfectly consistent and accurately placed). I've only ever hit splits like that in the first half of a marathon, usually before fading badly. To run them late in the race was UNREAL. Must have been those 100 mile weeks and/or 28-mile long runs.

Around some corner and through a throng of spectators, approaching a jumbo-tron I got that quick-step euphoric feeling you sometimes get and half-stepped him, to which he responded, very calmly: “Hey, this feels like 5:50. Listen, let’s save that pace for just a bit later.” He was totally right. I said, “Yeah, too early for that, thanks.” Little did I know that he was not bluffing; read on for that. I added, "I've run under 2:41 three times, but never under 2:40." He responded with, "You can DO this, man. WE can do this. You with me?" A: "Yep."

The splits for 15-23 (9 miles) were all between 5:55 and 6:00. After a few sub-6:00s and as we closed in on the 30K mat, I was getting tired and that on-the-verge feeling, and said, “Hey man, I need to run a controlled pace from 30 to 35K. Then after that, it’s whatever we’ve got left.” I didn’t even know exactly what I was suggesting by “controlled pace”; I guess I was hoping to dial it back to 6:02 from 5:57 or something. He said “Ok”, but then we didn’t slow down at all; and looking at my splits, the 30K to 35K was the fastest 5K of my race (18:30)! And this guy was freakin’ hard core. Around 19.5, he said:

“You see that guy way up there in the orange?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s my buddy. He said he was going to go out at 77 and I told him he’s crazy and I would come rolling past him at mile 22 like he was standing still.”

Given the gap from us to orange guy was maybe 25 seconds, it indeed looked like we’d be catching him in a couple more miles. I said, “Yeah, 77’s way too fast, what we’re doing is better.” Since we’d built this 2-man alliance that’d already lasted 4+ miles, I finally asked:

“Hey, what’s your name?”
“Stu. How about you?”
“Bill.”
“How old are you, Stu?”
“38, how about you?”
“40.”
“You ever make any money in the master’s?”
 [Me laughing]: “Uh… no. [as we go up an overpass] Sorry, can’t talk.”

So Stu [see John Stewart in the results] and I were side by side as we continued mowing down guys like we were the only two on the entire course who'd gone out sensibly. This may well be the best aerobic shape I’ve been in. Ever. I actually felt sorta bad as Stu and I were darting past guys who were clearly hurting while keeping up some, albeit strained, banter. Other guys having a conversation around you when you’re just spent can really put salt in those wounds; I’ve definitely been on both sides of that dynamic.

At the mile 21 aid station, I grabbed a gatorade (even though it was cool weather, I drank extra gatorade throughout, figuring electrolytes would stave off any soleus cramping), didn’t see if Stu grabbed anything, but coming out of it he had maybe 4 seconds and I already felt like I was at a 93% of max type pace, so I “let” him go. Miles 22 and 23 for were still sub-6 for me, but Stu kept pulling away, undoubtedly chatting up and encouraging a few others along the way. This guy had confidence, energy, smarts, and wheels! Every mile he would get further and further ahead until I could barely see him. I think he must’ve run 5:45 to 5:50 the rest of the way (the pace back at 17 that he told me we should “save for just a bit later”), cuz around 24 I’d guess he had 30 seconds and then by 40K he was about out of sight [results show he ran 40K to F at 5:45 pace to my 6:04, a 26 second difference over just 1.36 miles]. I think he passed orange guy at 21.5 and I passed orange guy about a half mile later.

So 21.5 and I was tired and alone with still a long way to go, but still passing many and being passed by none. Mile 23 was my fastest of the race, at 5:55, but then I started to really feel it. It got as hard as always, and I was worried about blowing up like in Houston and transitioning to 6:20 or 6:30, but the pace only lagged a little. There may even have been headwind, that’s what Ritz cites for his slightly slower miles the last few, I dunno. The wind was really not strong even if slightly in coming towards us. 6:05 for 24, really feeling it but trying to keep turnover and hold my form together. Quads aching, ready to be done. 6:10 for 25, but had just seen 2:30:high on the clock at 40K which I knew was a good sign (I’d been dreading seeing 2:32 there like in the recent past). There was also a sidelines guy at 40K yelling to me and everyone within earshot: “You guys have 10 minutes to get under 2:40… you’ve got it! You’ve got it!”. Then the ‘1 mile to go’ sign. I was even able to pick it up a little. Then the ‘800 to go’ sign (man, this race is organized!). A bit of a 2^nd wind as I realized I may even have a chance at sub-2:39. Unexpected small hill after the right turn toward the 26 marker, but the ‘300 to go’ sign shortly after, left turn for the finish and the banner was even closer down the straightaway than I expected. Gave it everything I had left, took off my hat, raised both arms and yelled out “Yeah!” as I crossed the mats. Stu was the first person I saw and I thanked him profusely, got a couple photos together before heading down the long walk toward goodies, beer, dry clothes, and my wife. Stu ran 35K to 40K in 18:16 to my 18:46, and 40K to F in 7:50 to my 8:16. So he rolled through the final 7.2K 0:56 seconds faster than me for a 2:37:57 finish, with halves of 80:09+77:48. Wow.

A look through the results shows that I passed over 60 people during the 2nd half, and Stu passed over 70. Only a couple guys ever passed me, toward the very end, and I don’t think anyone passed him. We had completely crushed it, and for once I was that guy with something left during those final miles. I had raced a marathon without fading, without blowing up; not just run it, not just finished it, but actually RACED it. Wow, what a feeling.

I’ve been running for over 30 years and completed over 600 races ranging from 400 meters to the marathon. I’ve certainly had plenty of good races, but this may well be the best race I’ve ever run. Not according to what some random equivalency conversion calculator says, but according to what I felt out there, that feeling of true endurance while at a sustained fast-ish pace over such a long distance being unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Yes, I’m an amateur. I mean, I've had my moments, but have never been close to elite times, at any distance. And I'm sorta a running nerd. But dammit if I didn’t feel like an elite out there on the streets of Chicago. This was my day, my PR, the one thing in running I always felt I woulda, shoulda, coulda, but never actually had, done. Under 2:40 may seem like an arbitrary time, over an arbitrary distance (extended to please the Queen, as the story goes), at a random pace (6:06 per mile). But because it’s such a formidable barrier amongst decent-but-not-Tier 1-or-Tier 2 type runners, the time is both symbolic and revered in the running community. This will certainly go down as one of the most, if not the most, memorable moments of my running “career.”

Preparing for the Chicago Marathon 2012

Hmmm. Looks like I sorta suck at blogging. I haven’t written a damn thing since Houston in January. I never did the 2011 year-end recap I’d thought about, woops (summary: it was a good running year for me). I’ve had plenty to say all year while training with others - advice, questions, strategizing, conjecture, criticism, hollow theories, etc, just haven’t typed it out. Oh, well. Hopefully what I write below will be worth reading. The experience of training and racing this past year has actually been incredibly rewarding as well as humbling for me – the ups, the downs, the challenges, the triumphs, and finally the big payoff of running a marathon PR.

It’s been 19 years since I toed my first marathon start line with 2:37 (6:00 pace) as an A-Goal and sub-2:40 as an “easy” fallback (I ended up in 2:47). Since then I’d run another 26 marathons, not always with 2:3x as a goal time, but fairly often so, and had come up short every single time.

In summer and Fall of 2011, averaging high 70s per week with a few weeks in the 85-90 range during the 20 week buildup to CIM had seemed adequate, more volume than ever before, with some quality workouts and shorter races mixed in. But after the late-race fades at CIM and then Houston, I decided to re-up a commitment to volume. To quote my last blog entry: “I can’t help but think there’s gotta be more where that came from, and am already thinking about a debut at Chicago in 2012 (registration opens Feb. 1). Although the prospect of increasing from my peak weeks of 85/90 to 100+ (and a few 28-mi long runs) does not sound real appealing at the moment, I can’t think of anything else (legal) that might get me through those final miles at goal pace. It may require another 300 hours on my feet to achieve just those final 40 minutes at the right pace.”

I decided I would need to train almost like an elite to run like even a sub-elite or decent age-group competitor. Inspiration came from seeing things like an interview with Cam Levins – killing it in the 10,000 and talking about having peaked at 150 mpw. Distance makes you fast. From seeing Shalane out running the Springwater trail, and her dominance at the trials and gutsy performance in London, knowing how hard she works. Distance makes you fast. From seeing Farah/Rupp in the Olympic 10,000 – what a race! From remembering Brian Sell: when 110-120 wasn’t enough, increasing to 140-160 and making the 2008 Olympic marathon team. Distance makes you fast.

To kick it off I decided to do 5 x 80 mpw leading up to the July 4^th half, which I raced in 75:27 (5:45/mi). I then quickly built through the high 80s and 90s, culminating in exactly 200 miles in 14 days (no doubles) during the wks starting July 23 and July 30. My 20 week marathon buildup looked like this:

64, 75, 80, 80, 80, 80, 40, 86, 91, 100, 100, 88, 88, 82, 89, 88, 48, 79, 61 (wk ending 9/30 - 7 days before marathon).

The 40 and 48 were weeks that each had 3 consecutive planned days off – intentional rest. I didn’t miss any days other than those 6 during the entire training cycle. I ran 13 consecutive Wed medium-long runs of 15-18 miles and the following 16 weekend long run distances (qty):  

17 (2), 19 (1), 20 (1), 21 (5), 24 (3), 25 (1), 27 (1), 28 (2)

I could include lots more detail, but basically I did some tempo runs, a couple 10K races, some MP runs, a few fast intervals, but mostly just did pretty high volume, tried to get enough rest, and continued eating well (and a LOT) and taking supplements (all legal – I swear!). I believe what I did this year really built on what I did last year with the 3377 miles in 2011, and I needed both that base and this solid training cycle to finally be strong enough to race a marathon the way I (and others) have expected me to for years.

It may go without saying, but training properly is a huge commitment. The endless 4 and 5 am early mornings for me, the only time that works well, considering my 16-mile RT bike commute, long work hours, a full-time admin management position in a non-profit stretched for resources, and all life's other little stresses (and we don't even have kids!).  

In the next post I’ll talk about the actual race.