This was the first time I was to run the Kingdom 5K, a small race of only a couple hundred runners, held at and sponsored by the Community Christian Church in Naperville. A while back Janeth had offered to pace me in a race sometime this year and suggested this 5K. The race was in her neighborhood and her daughter Kyla was also running in her first race, the Kids 1 Mile Dash, which preceded the 5K.
With Janeth pacing me I thought this might be a good opportunity to set a new PR for the 5K. But there was one catch - I had to leave my Garmin GPS watch at home and let Janeth handle the monitoring of my race pace. The thinking was that without the constant focus on my GPS watch I would run a bit more freely and not worry so much about whether I was running too fast.
On the day of the race it was cool and comfortable, just to my liking for a 5K. Unfortunately the weather front that had moved through the previous evening, and provided the cool temperatures, also left behind stiff gusty winds. I didn't think too much about it at the time and didn't really know how it would affect my race.
I met Janeth at her home around 7:00 a.m. and after chatting with her and her husband Andy we walked over to the church with her daughter Kyla for the kid's race. Janeth wasn't really sure how Kyla would do but she seemed ready and looked forward to the race. Some of the parents were running with their kids and Janeth was going to pace Kyla. The kids, and some parents, lined up to start on Emerson Lane in front of the church. As the race began the kids took off heading West down Emerson Lane. I thought this would be a good opportunity to warm up a bit more so I ran down the sidewalk back to Janeth's house. Andy was in the front yard and Kyla and Janeth had already run past. We both waited for them to pass by on their return trip back to the church, and finish line.
After only a few minutes an older boy ran past, the leader of the race followed about a minute later by an older girl. Next were Kyla and Janeth only about 10 or 20 seconds behind the girl in second place. Andy snapped off a picture as they ran by and I yelled "Go Kyla!" I jogged down to the church to see her finish. She couldn't catch the second place girl but she finished in third only nine seconds behind the second place girl with a time of 8:47. Very impressive for a first race (with a rather surprised but proud mom). :-)
Now it was my turn. Janeth and I lined up for the start of the race. I felt good and was sufficiently warmed up, although I wasn't sure what to expect with Janeth pacing me. I wasn't prepared to die - not from running too fast in a 5K anyway. ;-)
My training the last month before the race had been a bit more difficult than usual. Janeth had recommended that I run 20 second intervals, or strides, as my speed work for the 5K. That worked out fine for the first week but I was still adjusting to the transition from my treadmill to rolling crush limestone trails and my legs were quite a bit more sore than usual. It was also taking me longer to warm up during my training runs on the trails of Herrick Lake. The second week I managed only one running day of speed work but after that and over the next couple of weeks up to race day, I had to give up the speed work because my legs were either too tired or I couldn't loosen up enough to feel comfortable with running at a near 5K pace. I probably could have gone back to the treadmill for speed work but mentally I was committed to running outside again.
As the horn sounded to start the race we took off West down Emerson Lane. When you start up front, as we did, it's easy to get caught up in the pace set by the front runners. But for a 5K it wasn't too much of a concern for me. However after running a few blocks I realized this 5K was going to be more of a challenge than I had thought. The wind was blowing directly in my face; at times it was quite gusty. I mentioned that it would be nice to have someone to draft behind but nobody seemed to be running my pace. There were some runners behind me that were passing me and some slower runners that I couldn't tuck in behind to break some of the wind.
So Janeth, running next to me, pulled up in front to see if she could block some of the wind and allow me to draft. Unfortunately there's over a foot difference in our heights (and I'm not quite as thin as she either) so this wasn't working too well.
As we rounded the corner on Emerson Lane, Janeth said that we were going to run in tangents from corner to corner since there were quite a few turns. I replied, "OK" and she immediately responded with "No talking". No, she didn’t yell it, but I understood the tone, and obeyed.
During the first mile the wind was bothering me a bit. Sometimes it was blowing directly into my face and at other times at my back. I can't say I noticed it much when it was at my back. I felt strong but uncertain how the wind would affect me over the next couple of miles and how much energy I would have for the race finish. But I was undeterred and focused on my leg turnover in order to maintain my pace. I definitely felt that I was running faster than normal during the first mile but I couldn't be certain without my GPS watch. Janeth ran a little bit in front and to either side of me but I didn't sense that she was pushing me. She encouraged me along the way telling me that I was doing well and to maintain my turnover. Sometimes I had trouble hearing what she was saying though and when she changed sides she would loop behind me instead of crossing in front of me. I wasn’t ready for that when she did it and was startled a bit because initially I couldn't figure out where she was going.
My concept of time seemed to be off somewhat as the first mile seemed to take forever to complete - probably because I didn’t have my GPS watch to provide any feedback. That got me thinking about my energy again and what kind of shape I would be in later in the race. But with the absence of any knowledge of how I was really doing, I was sort of “winging it” at this point.
Finally, I reached the end of the first mile, although with all the turns it seemed more like a mile and a half. I don’t recall seeing a mile marker with the elapsed race time. Janeth said I was doing well and we were right where we needed to be on pace. She told me the first mile took 7:51 to complete, which was slower than I thought I was running but about what I normally run for a 5K first mile.
The second mile was more challenging. The wind was bothering me more - probably because it seemed like I was constantly running into it. The wind gusts were the worst part but I figured that eventually they would be at my back on the return trip.
Janeth continued to monitor my leg turnover and encourage me along the way. She kept me from slacking off - which I have a habit of doing during my second mile. Despite the wind I still thought my pace was good because I felt that I was working a bit harder than usual.
During mile two a runner pushing a baby stroller passed me. A few seconds later an older runner ran up on my right and made a comment to the effect of "You know things are bad when someone pushing a baby stroller passes you". I didn't say anything (remember I was instructed not to talk) but Janeth replied that guy pushing the stroller was fast.
At the two-mile marker I realized that my time had slowed down a little as the total time read 16:00. Second mile completed in 8:07. My goal was to keep all of my miles under 8:00 but the wind was posing too much of a challenge for me. However, I thought I was still on track to PR with one mile to go. Well, OK, that was kind of a mental mistake on my part because I didn't really consider the extra tenth of a mile in my calculations at the time.
The third mile was even tougher than the second. I tried to push a little harder and dig a bit more but my legs were starting to tire a bit and I was having difficulty with my turnover. I think Janeth noticed but she didn't really push me any harder at that point. From time to time she would let me know when my leg turnover would begin to slow.
Just when I thought I was done with the wind I ran directly into some heavy gusts. This was the last thing I needed as I tried to pick up my pace for a good finish. I wanted to save some energy for my last tenth of a mile sprint but I was running out of gas, battling the wind, and knew it wouldn't be one of my better finishing sprints. But mentally I worked up a little surge of energy as we turned back on to Emerson Lane.
I knew that the race finish wasn't too far away now and as I navigated the curve on Emerson Lane I began to pick up my speed. Janeth was coaxing me more at this point, to increase my speed, but my legs weren't responding as well as I had wanted. I had moderately picked up the pace but was still trying to conserve some energy for my finish. Janeth was trying to get me to dig a little bit more - believe me I wanted to but I didn't have much left in the tank.
There were a couple of runners near me. One, the older runner, who made the crack about the baby stroller, was about ten to twenty feet in front of me. Another younger runner was just in front of me. I passed him as Janeth helped me pick up my pace, but he kind of hung on and matched my pace, running just slightly behind me. My plan now was to catch and pass the older runner during the last tenth of a mile of the race. The runner I had just passed continued to hang with me. But I wasn’t thinking about him much at that moment, as I had turned my focus on the runner just in front of me.
As we approached the entrance to the church parking lot, a tenth of a mile from where the finish is located, Janeth peeled off to the sidewalk. I tried to pick up the pace even more as I ran down the parking lot with Janeth running along with me on the sidewalk coaching me to the finish line. I'm usually sprinting to the finish at this point but not today. I continued to hold back a little but wasn't making up any ground on the runner in front of me – I knew I would catch him before the finish so I waited. The runner behind me was sticking as well and I couldn't pull away. About a few hundred feet from the finish I heard the voice of a female runner behind me say "Don't let me beat you guys". Before I had time to react the guy just behind me sped past. I kicked it into gear but it was too late - I could only match his pace and couldn’t catch up. As planned I passed the older runner in front of me, so basically I lost a spot but picked up a spot. It's rare when I'm passed at the finish, but today I just didn't have enough strides left to out sprint the younger runner.
I completed my last mile in 7:53 and last tenth of a mile in 49 seconds for a total finishing time of 24:50. I was off my 5K PR by 16 seconds. Without Janeth pacing me my total time probably would have slipped to over 25 minutes. Unfortunately I had too much wind to contend with and that slowed me down and zapped some of my energy. But overall I was still satisfied with my time and race.
Afterwards we hung out in the church gymnasium for the top finisher awards. Janeth got to see Kyla get her first medal for finishing in third place. It's probably the first of many. No medal for me as I was 5th in my age division but finished well into the top quarter, 39th out of 206 runners.
Thanks again to Janeth for pacing me during my 5K! It definitely helped and I learned some things from the experience.
Next race for me is the Elgin Valley Fox Trot 10-mile race on May 26th.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
Let's Do The Shuffle
Despite the fact that the Shamrock Shuffle is probably the most crowded race I run in annually, it’s also one of my favorites. I’ve run it now four times and I always seem to do well, although weather usually dictates whether there’s a shot at a PR. It’s usually my first race of the year, but because I’ve started running races earlier this year it’s actually my third of year and also third of the month of March.
It’s a little chilly on race day; about 43 degrees as I head out the door from my home in Naperville. I decided to wear a short sleeve compression shirt (I like it cool during the race) and threw on my Mizuno half-zippered jacket which I planned on leaving behind before I headed to the race. Once I arrived in downtown Chicago it was a different story. The temperature was about 38 degrees and there was a cold wind.
I parked in a lot across from my office building at Riverside Plaza and headed to the office to drop off my gear. My Shamrock Shuffle pre-race ritual is to drink a cup of hot chocolate and eat an energy bar…uh, OK make that a Snickers bar. That’s an energy bar isn’t it?
While at the office I run into an NFA co-worker from another department, Matt, who is also running in the race. He’s trying to get back into running but says he hasn’t run the entire 8K distance recently.
One of my other Shamrock Shuffle rituals is to jog around the office to warm up a bit. Our new office building is about a block long so I do a couple of laps. No strides though -too many curves and turns in the hallways. ;-)
Just shortly after 8:30 a.m. Matt and I start walking to our NFA co-worker meeting place at Buckingham Fountain. I meet up with Kelly, Brian, Janeth and some other NFA co-workers including Jim and Dave.
I’m pretty energized to run; see, the Snickers bar worked – or was it the caffeine in the hot chocolate? Kelly, Brian, Jim, Dave, Brian D. (who ran the first three miles with me last year) and I are all starting in Corral C amongst the first wave of runners. At about 9:15 a.m. we all make our way over to Corral C to prepare for the start of the race. Kelly and Brian are using this race as a recovery run from the Clinton Lake 30-mile race the day before. I figured that Jim would probably be running with me, since we’re about equal pace-wise, but he says just before the race that he’s going to take it easy. I’m not sure whether he’s sandbagging but I tell him that I’m going for a PR so I’ll be pushing the pace if he wants to run with me. Dave is usually a little faster than me when he’s running regularly but I’m not sure what kind of shape he’s in and whether he will be running with me (or in front of me). At that point I pretty much decide to run my own race since I had a specific pace goal in mind.
For this race, I’m using the KCPRPE method for establishing my race pace for the 8K. That would be the Kelly-Calculates-Paul’s-Race-Pace-Equation. I just feed her the time for my last race and she uses her mathletic talents to calculate my pace for the next race…even if I have no clue whether I can perform at that pace (which is just about every time).
For the Shamrock Shuffle KCPRPE (sounds like it’s spelled – caseypurpee or ksaypearpey if you’re French) churns out 41:00, this is about an 8:15 pace. As we wait for the start of the race I realize that I’ll have limited ability to monitor my race pace since I’ll lose the GPS functionality about a half mile from the start, after running under a couple of bridges. The tall buildings will pretty much whack the signal after that, so I shut off the auto lap feature on my Garmin and decide to register the splits manually. As far as my race pace is concerned I’ll have to do something I’m not very good at…and that would be…um…guess…although 8:15, I don’t really know what that feels like since I only run that pace during a 5K.
As the race starts there’s the usual several minute delay before we reach the starting line. Never can figure out why the faster runners in front always slow us down. Anyway, we start to trot a bit, then it backs up and we’re back to walking. This goes on for several minutes before we finally start running (slowly) at the starting line. Of course, in all the excitement to get going a brief lapse of memory results in my failure to note the clock time. But I start my Garmin and just figure I can just use that to monitor my splits at each mile marker to help calculate my pace. Sounds like a great plan, right?
During the first mile I run down the middle of Columbus Dr. and try not to do any weaving to pass people. What’s different about this race is that I’m passing runners at the start of the race, which probably means my pace is faster than usual. Of course other runners are passing me as well. I sneak a peak at my Garmin and my pace is around 8 mpm. I realize that it’s about 30 seconds to a minute faster than what I have run before during the first mile but I’m going for a PR and will worry about the last couple of miles when I get to that point. Plus KCPRPE says I can (you know it’s almost like Simon Says but it’s really Kelly Says so I know it’s OK). It’s all about trust, although the most challenging part is about me trusting me.
We run under the overpasses on Columbus Dr. and at that point I know that I can no longer depend upon my Garmin for race pace and distance. However, that doesn’t seem to deter me from glancing at it on occasion (force of habit).
As we approach the grated bridge over the Chicago River I notice they have a section of carpet to run on. I thought this was kind of funny at first as I witnessed runners dart over into that direction (sissies). But then I realize that not everyone has size 13 running shoes so I begin to understand why the grated holes in the bridge could cause them problems. Running over the bascule (means ‘moveable’ with respect to bridges if you’re not French) leaf bridge still feels a bit strange, even for me, but I’ve got a wide open path with no one in front of me and I’m thinking to myself like Butthead (no not a butthead): “Hey this bridge has holes in it – makes me dizzy, cool.”
At the turn to head west on Grand Ave. I spot the one mile marker time clock. It registers 12 minutes and change. I hit the button on my Garmin and it registers an 8:27. Good, so there’s about a four minute difference between clock time and my chip time. I feel pretty good and maintain my pace (although I’m still running my pace by feel).
It’s still pretty crowded and I’m running just a little to the right of center on Grand Ave. as we turn left on State St. to head south. I maintain my position and most of the runners around me are running at about the same pace. It starts to get a little congested in the middle though so I make my way to the right hand side of the street where I can pass runners without weaving in and out. I’m also watching out for runners coming up from behind although the only runners behind me from the first wave started in the D Corral. No sign of any of my runner friends. I notice my hands are still cold though as I’m not wearing any gloves.
I still feel pretty good as we approach the completion of mile two. However, I’m distracted at the aid station, as I attempt to avoid it, and I can’t locate the two mile marker timing clock. Someone yells out that it’s mile two so I press a button on my Garmin…the wrong button.
Instead of pressing the Lap button I press the Start/Stop button. I realize my mistake and press the Start/Stop button again…and then again because the timer didn’t appear to start…but in all my confusement (yeah I made that word up) I fail to press the Lap button. But what I didn’t realize at the time was that I somehow pressed the Start/Stop button at mile 1 and my total time is out of whack by about eight minutes. I have no mile 2 split.
However, I’m pretty sure that I’m close to being on track pace-wise. Even if I slip a bit at the start I figure that I can pick up any lost time during the last couple miles of the race.
During mile three I’m starting to feel a bit unsure as to whether I can maintain my current pace. I’m also wondering if I’ll have anything left for my required “sprint to the finish”.
From State St. we turn right on to Jackson Blvd. heading west. Nothing very eventful happens here but I do pick up my pace just a little. Once again there’s carpet on the bridge over the Chicago River. Other runners head over in that direction but I avoid it.
As we approach Jefferson St. I see the mile three time clock and punch the Lap button on my Garmin. Third mile is completed in 8:14 so despite my Garmin issues I’m still on pace even though my total time is off. My Garmin is giving me ridiculous pace numbers so I ignore it.
We turn on to Jefferson St and head south for a few blocks to Harrison St. A number of runners cut across on to the sidewalks to avoid any back up as we turn left on to Harrison St. from Jefferson St. and head back east. There is someone on the northeast corner, maybe a course marshal but I’m not sure, who is telling runners to stay on the street, but to no avail. As a number of runners take the sidewalk shortcut he starts mocking them by yelling “Cheater!...Cheater!...Cheater!”
Although I know I’m close to my target pace for the first three miles I’m still a bit uncertain as to my real time pace. I feel OK but I definitely notice that I’ve been pushing it a bit harder than usual. Instead of passing slower runners I’m beginning to be a little more patient and waiting for the blockage to break up. At this point in the race many of the runners are running at about the same pace, which makes for a bit more congestion.
We cross the Chicago River bridge on Harrison St. and once again I avoid the carpet. I keep wondering whether I will be able to finish well although there are no signs of an impending bonk. I know I’m in pretty good shape at this point but I’m not sure how hard to push, so I just try to maintain a steady pace. Either other runners are slowing down or I’m speeding up because I seem to be passing a number of them.
Just before mile four there is an aid station. Actually at the time I didn’t really know where mile four was. I run down the middle of Harrison St. to avoid slowing runners, although few are stopping at the aid station. No aid station stops for me today as I’m on a mission. But once again I’m somewhat distracted. People are yelling out that there’s one mile to go but I can’t spot the mile marker as I pass the aid station.
So I basically say to myself, “screw it” and I punch the button on my Garmin to record my split. But the dufus (that would be me) once again pushes the Start/Stop button instead of the Lap button. I wouldn’t realize my mistake until after the race. I have no idea what my fourth mile split was.
With one mile to go I’m pretty sure I can PR. I just don’t know by how much or whether I’m on my pace target. Spectators keep yelling out that there’s one mile to go, although I’d rather they be yelling that there’s *less than* one mile to go.
I pick up the pace just a little as we approach S. Michigan Ave. A few others are speeding up as well as they pass me. As I turn the corner to head south on Michigan Ave. a young women darts out in front of me from behind a slower runner. I really wasn’t prepared to slow down so I bumped into ever so slightly. I said, “Whoah” and she replied “Sorry”. I acknowledge her and reply “That’s OK” as she picked up speed and increased the distance between us.
As we navigate down S. Michigan I’m a little bit adrenalized and I feel that the overall pace has picked up amongst the runners. I can see runners several blocks away on Roosevelt Rd. running east towards Columbus for the final turn to the finish. But I hold back because I’m still a few blocks away and I want to save something for the hill and sprint to the finish.
Finally at Roosevelt Rd. I make a left turn and head up the hill heading east. Runners are slowing and struggling to get up the hill as I run past a number of them. I’m pushing pretty hard but I’m ready for the race to be over – but this is my favorite part.
As I turn left on to Columbus heading north for the last tenth of a mile I turn on the jets. While I don’t have much energy left, there’s enough left for my final kick. Other runners almost seem to be in slow motion as I pass them. Fortunately there’s enough room between runners to pick open lanes to run through.
I cross the finish line, punch the Start/Stop button on my Garmin and glance up at the time clock. It read 45 minutes and some change although I didn’t make note of the exact number. I knew my chip time was about four minutes or so less than that. I looked at my Garmin and the total time read 26 minutes. Damn! I ran faster than I thought. ;-)
Of course, my total time was totally screwed up because of my misadventures and I didn’t even realize that I had actually re-started the timer at the finish – not until I shut the unit off on my trip back to the office.
As I bent over to remove my time chip a runner I passed just before the finish stopped by and patted me on the back and said “Nice kick there at the finish”. I though that was kind of a nice gesture and said “Thanks!”
Jim finished exactly a minute behind me (which I determined later) and asked me what I ran. Of course I didn’t know at that point.
We walked over to a meeting place and Jim headed over to gear check to pick up his stuff. Kelly and Brian finished and stopped by several minutes later. Janeth’s husband Andy was there but Janeth was running her post race cool-down so I didn’t see her. But I found out she finished 7th in the women’s division and completed the race in 30 minutes. WOW! She’s was beating up on the youngsters again!
My chip time for the race, which I determined after the results were posted, was 41:22. That’s an 8:20 mpm pace, only five seconds off the number generated by the KCPRPE. If I had been able to monitor my pace a little bit better I would have nailed it. Still that’s a pretty darn good result, while being mostly Garmin-less, and I managed to slash a little over a minute off my 8K PR.
Looks like my next race will be the Kingdom 5K in Naperville on April 26th, where Janeth is going to pace me and help me try and break my 5K PR (I think). ;-)
It’s a little chilly on race day; about 43 degrees as I head out the door from my home in Naperville. I decided to wear a short sleeve compression shirt (I like it cool during the race) and threw on my Mizuno half-zippered jacket which I planned on leaving behind before I headed to the race. Once I arrived in downtown Chicago it was a different story. The temperature was about 38 degrees and there was a cold wind.
I parked in a lot across from my office building at Riverside Plaza and headed to the office to drop off my gear. My Shamrock Shuffle pre-race ritual is to drink a cup of hot chocolate and eat an energy bar…uh, OK make that a Snickers bar. That’s an energy bar isn’t it?
While at the office I run into an NFA co-worker from another department, Matt, who is also running in the race. He’s trying to get back into running but says he hasn’t run the entire 8K distance recently.
One of my other Shamrock Shuffle rituals is to jog around the office to warm up a bit. Our new office building is about a block long so I do a couple of laps. No strides though -too many curves and turns in the hallways. ;-)
Just shortly after 8:30 a.m. Matt and I start walking to our NFA co-worker meeting place at Buckingham Fountain. I meet up with Kelly, Brian, Janeth and some other NFA co-workers including Jim and Dave.
I’m pretty energized to run; see, the Snickers bar worked – or was it the caffeine in the hot chocolate? Kelly, Brian, Jim, Dave, Brian D. (who ran the first three miles with me last year) and I are all starting in Corral C amongst the first wave of runners. At about 9:15 a.m. we all make our way over to Corral C to prepare for the start of the race. Kelly and Brian are using this race as a recovery run from the Clinton Lake 30-mile race the day before. I figured that Jim would probably be running with me, since we’re about equal pace-wise, but he says just before the race that he’s going to take it easy. I’m not sure whether he’s sandbagging but I tell him that I’m going for a PR so I’ll be pushing the pace if he wants to run with me. Dave is usually a little faster than me when he’s running regularly but I’m not sure what kind of shape he’s in and whether he will be running with me (or in front of me). At that point I pretty much decide to run my own race since I had a specific pace goal in mind.
For this race, I’m using the KCPRPE method for establishing my race pace for the 8K. That would be the Kelly-Calculates-Paul’s-Race-Pace-Equation. I just feed her the time for my last race and she uses her mathletic talents to calculate my pace for the next race…even if I have no clue whether I can perform at that pace (which is just about every time).
For the Shamrock Shuffle KCPRPE (sounds like it’s spelled – caseypurpee or ksaypearpey if you’re French) churns out 41:00, this is about an 8:15 pace. As we wait for the start of the race I realize that I’ll have limited ability to monitor my race pace since I’ll lose the GPS functionality about a half mile from the start, after running under a couple of bridges. The tall buildings will pretty much whack the signal after that, so I shut off the auto lap feature on my Garmin and decide to register the splits manually. As far as my race pace is concerned I’ll have to do something I’m not very good at…and that would be…um…guess…although 8:15, I don’t really know what that feels like since I only run that pace during a 5K.
As the race starts there’s the usual several minute delay before we reach the starting line. Never can figure out why the faster runners in front always slow us down. Anyway, we start to trot a bit, then it backs up and we’re back to walking. This goes on for several minutes before we finally start running (slowly) at the starting line. Of course, in all the excitement to get going a brief lapse of memory results in my failure to note the clock time. But I start my Garmin and just figure I can just use that to monitor my splits at each mile marker to help calculate my pace. Sounds like a great plan, right?
During the first mile I run down the middle of Columbus Dr. and try not to do any weaving to pass people. What’s different about this race is that I’m passing runners at the start of the race, which probably means my pace is faster than usual. Of course other runners are passing me as well. I sneak a peak at my Garmin and my pace is around 8 mpm. I realize that it’s about 30 seconds to a minute faster than what I have run before during the first mile but I’m going for a PR and will worry about the last couple of miles when I get to that point. Plus KCPRPE says I can (you know it’s almost like Simon Says but it’s really Kelly Says so I know it’s OK). It’s all about trust, although the most challenging part is about me trusting me.
We run under the overpasses on Columbus Dr. and at that point I know that I can no longer depend upon my Garmin for race pace and distance. However, that doesn’t seem to deter me from glancing at it on occasion (force of habit).
As we approach the grated bridge over the Chicago River I notice they have a section of carpet to run on. I thought this was kind of funny at first as I witnessed runners dart over into that direction (sissies). But then I realize that not everyone has size 13 running shoes so I begin to understand why the grated holes in the bridge could cause them problems. Running over the bascule (means ‘moveable’ with respect to bridges if you’re not French) leaf bridge still feels a bit strange, even for me, but I’ve got a wide open path with no one in front of me and I’m thinking to myself like Butthead (no not a butthead): “Hey this bridge has holes in it – makes me dizzy, cool.”
At the turn to head west on Grand Ave. I spot the one mile marker time clock. It registers 12 minutes and change. I hit the button on my Garmin and it registers an 8:27. Good, so there’s about a four minute difference between clock time and my chip time. I feel pretty good and maintain my pace (although I’m still running my pace by feel).
It’s still pretty crowded and I’m running just a little to the right of center on Grand Ave. as we turn left on State St. to head south. I maintain my position and most of the runners around me are running at about the same pace. It starts to get a little congested in the middle though so I make my way to the right hand side of the street where I can pass runners without weaving in and out. I’m also watching out for runners coming up from behind although the only runners behind me from the first wave started in the D Corral. No sign of any of my runner friends. I notice my hands are still cold though as I’m not wearing any gloves.
I still feel pretty good as we approach the completion of mile two. However, I’m distracted at the aid station, as I attempt to avoid it, and I can’t locate the two mile marker timing clock. Someone yells out that it’s mile two so I press a button on my Garmin…the wrong button.
Instead of pressing the Lap button I press the Start/Stop button. I realize my mistake and press the Start/Stop button again…and then again because the timer didn’t appear to start…but in all my confusement (yeah I made that word up) I fail to press the Lap button. But what I didn’t realize at the time was that I somehow pressed the Start/Stop button at mile 1 and my total time is out of whack by about eight minutes. I have no mile 2 split.
However, I’m pretty sure that I’m close to being on track pace-wise. Even if I slip a bit at the start I figure that I can pick up any lost time during the last couple miles of the race.
During mile three I’m starting to feel a bit unsure as to whether I can maintain my current pace. I’m also wondering if I’ll have anything left for my required “sprint to the finish”.
From State St. we turn right on to Jackson Blvd. heading west. Nothing very eventful happens here but I do pick up my pace just a little. Once again there’s carpet on the bridge over the Chicago River. Other runners head over in that direction but I avoid it.
As we approach Jefferson St. I see the mile three time clock and punch the Lap button on my Garmin. Third mile is completed in 8:14 so despite my Garmin issues I’m still on pace even though my total time is off. My Garmin is giving me ridiculous pace numbers so I ignore it.
We turn on to Jefferson St and head south for a few blocks to Harrison St. A number of runners cut across on to the sidewalks to avoid any back up as we turn left on to Harrison St. from Jefferson St. and head back east. There is someone on the northeast corner, maybe a course marshal but I’m not sure, who is telling runners to stay on the street, but to no avail. As a number of runners take the sidewalk shortcut he starts mocking them by yelling “Cheater!...Cheater!...Cheater!”
Although I know I’m close to my target pace for the first three miles I’m still a bit uncertain as to my real time pace. I feel OK but I definitely notice that I’ve been pushing it a bit harder than usual. Instead of passing slower runners I’m beginning to be a little more patient and waiting for the blockage to break up. At this point in the race many of the runners are running at about the same pace, which makes for a bit more congestion.
We cross the Chicago River bridge on Harrison St. and once again I avoid the carpet. I keep wondering whether I will be able to finish well although there are no signs of an impending bonk. I know I’m in pretty good shape at this point but I’m not sure how hard to push, so I just try to maintain a steady pace. Either other runners are slowing down or I’m speeding up because I seem to be passing a number of them.
Just before mile four there is an aid station. Actually at the time I didn’t really know where mile four was. I run down the middle of Harrison St. to avoid slowing runners, although few are stopping at the aid station. No aid station stops for me today as I’m on a mission. But once again I’m somewhat distracted. People are yelling out that there’s one mile to go but I can’t spot the mile marker as I pass the aid station.
So I basically say to myself, “screw it” and I punch the button on my Garmin to record my split. But the dufus (that would be me) once again pushes the Start/Stop button instead of the Lap button. I wouldn’t realize my mistake until after the race. I have no idea what my fourth mile split was.
With one mile to go I’m pretty sure I can PR. I just don’t know by how much or whether I’m on my pace target. Spectators keep yelling out that there’s one mile to go, although I’d rather they be yelling that there’s *less than* one mile to go.
I pick up the pace just a little as we approach S. Michigan Ave. A few others are speeding up as well as they pass me. As I turn the corner to head south on Michigan Ave. a young women darts out in front of me from behind a slower runner. I really wasn’t prepared to slow down so I bumped into ever so slightly. I said, “Whoah” and she replied “Sorry”. I acknowledge her and reply “That’s OK” as she picked up speed and increased the distance between us.
As we navigate down S. Michigan I’m a little bit adrenalized and I feel that the overall pace has picked up amongst the runners. I can see runners several blocks away on Roosevelt Rd. running east towards Columbus for the final turn to the finish. But I hold back because I’m still a few blocks away and I want to save something for the hill and sprint to the finish.
Finally at Roosevelt Rd. I make a left turn and head up the hill heading east. Runners are slowing and struggling to get up the hill as I run past a number of them. I’m pushing pretty hard but I’m ready for the race to be over – but this is my favorite part.
As I turn left on to Columbus heading north for the last tenth of a mile I turn on the jets. While I don’t have much energy left, there’s enough left for my final kick. Other runners almost seem to be in slow motion as I pass them. Fortunately there’s enough room between runners to pick open lanes to run through.
I cross the finish line, punch the Start/Stop button on my Garmin and glance up at the time clock. It read 45 minutes and some change although I didn’t make note of the exact number. I knew my chip time was about four minutes or so less than that. I looked at my Garmin and the total time read 26 minutes. Damn! I ran faster than I thought. ;-)
Of course, my total time was totally screwed up because of my misadventures and I didn’t even realize that I had actually re-started the timer at the finish – not until I shut the unit off on my trip back to the office.
As I bent over to remove my time chip a runner I passed just before the finish stopped by and patted me on the back and said “Nice kick there at the finish”. I though that was kind of a nice gesture and said “Thanks!”
Jim finished exactly a minute behind me (which I determined later) and asked me what I ran. Of course I didn’t know at that point.
We walked over to a meeting place and Jim headed over to gear check to pick up his stuff. Kelly and Brian finished and stopped by several minutes later. Janeth’s husband Andy was there but Janeth was running her post race cool-down so I didn’t see her. But I found out she finished 7th in the women’s division and completed the race in 30 minutes. WOW! She’s was beating up on the youngsters again!
My chip time for the race, which I determined after the results were posted, was 41:22. That’s an 8:20 mpm pace, only five seconds off the number generated by the KCPRPE. If I had been able to monitor my pace a little bit better I would have nailed it. Still that’s a pretty darn good result, while being mostly Garmin-less, and I managed to slash a little over a minute off my 8K PR.
Looks like my next race will be the Kingdom 5K in Naperville on April 26th, where Janeth is going to pace me and help me try and break my 5K PR (I think). ;-)
Friday, March 21, 2008
March Madness Half Marathon
This was to be my first run at the March Madness event in Cary and my third half-marathon. The course for this race is comprised of streets east and north of the Cary-Grove High School area with the start and finish at the high school. There are a few flat areas in the race course but for the most part you’re challenged by different levels of rolling hills, which makes for a rather challenging half-marathon.
Being unfamiliar with this race I really didn’t know what to expect. It’s difficult for me to gauge hill races at this distance since I’ve run only one other, the North Shore Half in Highland Park. That was my first half-marathon and I bonked after about 8.5 miles. Ironically it is also my half-marathon PR (2:13) and I was able to recover well enough for a respectable finishing time. But that race sort of left a bad taste in my mouth because I hate having to stop and walk in a race when I encounter a rough spot. Plus, I had planned on finishing the race with Kelly. She was having an awesome day (and PR’d) but I wasn’t able to sustain the pace she was setting.
To prepare for this race I had been doing my long training runs at the Morton Arboretum, which also has rolling hills. The week prior to the race Jim and I managed to do a 12-mile training run in just less than two hours. I pushed the pace the last two miles to get us under 10 mpm. After hearing this, Kelly was confident that we could run the March Madness Half in 2:10 or better based upon our training run. I wasn’t as confident since hill races usually cause me trouble if I don’t manage my pace well.
On the day of the race I picked up Kelly and Brian on the way. Once we had arrived at Cary-Grove High School I realized that it was a bit chillier than I had anticipated. My plan was to wear my long sleeve Brooks moisture-wicking base layer. It was about 28 degrees at the start so I ended up wearing my Brooks half-zip mid layer as well. I didn’t bring my gloves or ear muffs. We picked up our race packets and headed back to the car. We ran into Jim on the way and told him we would meet him back at the high school gymnasium.
After pinning on our race bibs and warming up a bit in the car we headed back to the gymnasium where we met up with Jim, chatted a bit and then headed out to the race start. Janeth was also running in the race but we didn’t see her as we lined up. Jim and I were going to start together, since we’ve been running at about the same pace over the last several races. This was a recovery run for Brian from his training run at Clinton Lake the day before and he and Kelly lined up at the back of the starting pack.
Although it was a little cold and breezy, with a bit of a headwind at times, it was also sunny and that kept my uncovered extremities comfortable.
The gun sounded and we were off, running east on Three Oaks Rd for the first couple of miles. I had planned to start my pace at around 10 mpm or higher but we actually started out a little faster than that at about a 9:30 pace. Jim was pushing the pace a little, running to my left side but a little in front of me, but I held back and mentioned to him that this was a long race.
Jim and I have a rather different running style. He tends to start races faster and more aggressively than I and relies on a faster starting pace for good finishing times. I need to start slower, warm up a bit so until I’m more comfortable, and then finish strong - making up for the slower start time with a faster paced second half of the race. I’ve messed up more than a few runs by starting out too fast.
The first mile went by rather quickly in 9:40. I was keeping an eye on my Garmin to let Jim know what our pace was. As a few people passed us Jim seemed to unconsciously pick up the pace. During the second mile we dipped under 9 mpm and I let Jim know about it. He said, “Ooh, that’s too fast” and slowed it down a bit. I told him that it was OK with me if he wanted to run ahead but he said that our pace was fine with him.
Since the first couple of miles didn’t have much in the way of (up)hills I thought it would be OK to run a sub 10 mpm pace. I was compromising a bit though since I wanted to run a little more conservatively, but then remembered that Kelly successfully implemented the “banking time” approach during her P.F. Chang’s Marathon run in Phoenix. So, I thought I’d give that a try (since our running style is about the same) and hope that I still had something left over for a strong race finish.
We continued on somewhat of a gradual downhill run from the first half mile of the race all the way through mile two. We completed mile two in 9:28. I remember a young woman runner who kept walking and then running. I thought it was rather strange since we were only through the first couple miles of the race. Eventually she fell behind us sometime during mile three.
We turned the corner just past the two mile mark and headed north on Hickory Nut Grove Rd. You couldn’t really see it but you could feel that we were gradually heading up hill. I seem to remember that Jim had tucked in behind me at this point as we continued at the same pace. Mile completed in 9:27. The colder weather was helping me stay cool and I felt comfortable – no aches or pains. I just didn’t know how long that would last as the race progressed.
During mile four we turned on to Hickory Nut Grove Lane heading west. I was focusing on our pace and not really paying too much attention to what was going on around me. I had slowed us down to around a 10 mpm pace figuring that we would have enough of a buffer to finish at or just under 2:10. Mile four through seven was completed in 9:57, 9:57, 10:14 and 10:02 respectively.
Jim and I were pretty much blowing off the water stations as he had his hydration belt and I was using my hydration pack. We each ate half a bag of Black Cherry Shot Bloks at mile five, without slowing down or stopping, and waited for the caffeine boost to kick in. Consuming Shot Bloks while running is a bit of a challenge for me but they were warm and soft from being held in my hand. No problem with the first serving.
Somewhere between miles four and seven we encountered a rather large hill. I can’t recall where it was (mile six?) although I think we encountered one like it (the same one?) on our return trip. Since there are quite a few rolling hills, that I literally lost track of, I’m unable to identify it from the elevation and map in the Garmin Training Center or Google Earth software.
I was still feeling pretty good after mile seven and Jim was running up a little a head of me and to the side. We would switch sides occasionally depending upon the running traffic. We were back running at a sub ten-minute pace. Mile eight through ten was completed in 9:39, 9:36 and 9:45 respectively. Once again I mentioned to Jim that it was OK if he wanted to run ahead. But he said no, because he’d probably just end up “coughing up a lung” or “puking his guts out” or something to that effect (Jim’s words were probably a bit more colorful and descriptive than mine). ;-)
I remember telling Jim that we would probably be catching runners ahead of us as we continued our pace. During mile eight we passed a number of runners during our ascent up the winding hill on Crystal Lake Rd., which was one of the highest elevation points of the race. Fortunately, we had a bit of a respite between miles eight and nine as we descended back downhill and sustained our sub ten-minute pace.
Mile ten was back up hill again. Shortly after mile ten we ate the second half of our bag of Shot Bloks. I wasn’t able to finish the last Shot Blok before we encountered more hills so I waited a few minutes. It was becoming much more difficult to chew and breathe at the same time and I thought that breathing at that point was probably more important. On a descent I popped the last Shot Blok into my mouth and after a few chews started to choke on it a little. But I made a nice recovery by simply swallowing what was left and then taking a swig of Gatorade G2 from my hydration pack. But if you’re wondering, yes I can walk and chew Shot Bloks at the same time. ;-)
Mile eleven was a bit of a dipsy doodle as we ran through the sub divisions of the town. I still felt pretty good at this point. Nothing was hurting and my stamina was good. A couple of runners passed us but their pace slowed to ours so they ran just a little in front of us. I wanted to pick up the pace just a little, but not too much since I didn’t know what kind of hills we would encounter during the last couple of miles. We completed mile eleven in 9:39 as the course descended and we began mile twelve.
At this point Jim mentioned that he didn’t think he would beat his PR for the half-marathon. I asked him what it was and he said he thought it was around 2:06. I knew that I was on track to obliterate my PR and was pretty sure that we could finish under 2:10. If we picked up the pace during the last couple of miles there was a good chance of being around the 2:06 mark. But I also knew that we still had some hills to conquer and that it would be even more of a challenge at this late stage of the race.
Jim and I maintained our pace through mile twelve and began to leave some of the runners that were running with us behind. This mile was one of the toughest as it was uphill throughout. However, it was also one of our best as we finished it in 9:32. No one would pass us for the last 2.1 miles.
Mile thirteen started off downhill and at this point I decided to pick up the pace. With a mile and a tenth left I figured I had energy enough left to push the pace even harder. Jim sensed that and said, “I can tell we’re running faster now”.
I continued to push the pace as we passed runners that were slowing down. As we approached the right turn from Mallard Rd to the asphalt path along side Three Oaks Rd. I increased our pace slightly in anticipation of the finish, just a half mile away. Once we had turned onto the asphalt path I noticed that it was on an upward incline. UGH! I wasn’t anticipating another hill!
Jim said we could slow down. I backed off and he ran just a little ahead of me. I maintained my pace and Jim picked up his a little. I let the gap grow to about 15 feet. We were both on our own at this point.
Jim didn’t appear to be increasing his pace so I simply maintained mine as we approached the 13-mile mark, which is a right turn into the high school drive and then on to the finish line. As we rounded the corner I kicked in sprint mode for the final tenth of a mile.
I thought Jim might speed up to match my pace as I approached him from behind, but he just yelled “Good job Paul!” as I ran past him. As I continued my sprint towards the finish line I heard someone yell “Show us that big kick!” Big kick? Moi? Was there someone behind me he was cheering for?
There weren’t that many runners at this point so I had a clear lane as I crossed the finish line. Jim finished well, just eight seconds behind me. I completed the last mile in 8:58 and last tenth of a mile in 41 seconds (6:50 pace).
It was a new half-marathon PR for me as I crossed the finish line in 2:07:16. Jim would find out later that his time was a PR as well. I’m still somewhat surprised with the time since my planned goal was to simply to finish at around 2:10.
Jim and I couldn’t get our official results right away so he ran to get a beer…oh wait, sorry, that was a “coffee”…and I waited for Kelly and Brian to finish a few minutes later.
Afterwards we headed to the gymnasium for warm pretzels. I will admit to having difficulty standing and eating one of those pretzels after running a half-marathon. But I didn’t choke. ;-)
At the gymnasium we met up with Janeth, where I found out that she passed another runner a little before the finish line to win the women’s division. Yaaaaay Janeth! You’re awesome Speedy! ;-)
Can’t help but be very pleased about my race and finishing time. I didn't expect this but it’s apparent to me now that all of the longer distance training runs and races I’ve been doing since last year has made me a much stronger runner (Thanks Kelly! :-)). Now I just have to keep it going.
Next up is the Shamrock Shuffle in downtown Chicago. I ran my best race there in 2006 and it will be quite a challenge (but still possible) to beat my current 8K PR.
Being unfamiliar with this race I really didn’t know what to expect. It’s difficult for me to gauge hill races at this distance since I’ve run only one other, the North Shore Half in Highland Park. That was my first half-marathon and I bonked after about 8.5 miles. Ironically it is also my half-marathon PR (2:13) and I was able to recover well enough for a respectable finishing time. But that race sort of left a bad taste in my mouth because I hate having to stop and walk in a race when I encounter a rough spot. Plus, I had planned on finishing the race with Kelly. She was having an awesome day (and PR’d) but I wasn’t able to sustain the pace she was setting.
To prepare for this race I had been doing my long training runs at the Morton Arboretum, which also has rolling hills. The week prior to the race Jim and I managed to do a 12-mile training run in just less than two hours. I pushed the pace the last two miles to get us under 10 mpm. After hearing this, Kelly was confident that we could run the March Madness Half in 2:10 or better based upon our training run. I wasn’t as confident since hill races usually cause me trouble if I don’t manage my pace well.
On the day of the race I picked up Kelly and Brian on the way. Once we had arrived at Cary-Grove High School I realized that it was a bit chillier than I had anticipated. My plan was to wear my long sleeve Brooks moisture-wicking base layer. It was about 28 degrees at the start so I ended up wearing my Brooks half-zip mid layer as well. I didn’t bring my gloves or ear muffs. We picked up our race packets and headed back to the car. We ran into Jim on the way and told him we would meet him back at the high school gymnasium.
After pinning on our race bibs and warming up a bit in the car we headed back to the gymnasium where we met up with Jim, chatted a bit and then headed out to the race start. Janeth was also running in the race but we didn’t see her as we lined up. Jim and I were going to start together, since we’ve been running at about the same pace over the last several races. This was a recovery run for Brian from his training run at Clinton Lake the day before and he and Kelly lined up at the back of the starting pack.
Although it was a little cold and breezy, with a bit of a headwind at times, it was also sunny and that kept my uncovered extremities comfortable.
The gun sounded and we were off, running east on Three Oaks Rd for the first couple of miles. I had planned to start my pace at around 10 mpm or higher but we actually started out a little faster than that at about a 9:30 pace. Jim was pushing the pace a little, running to my left side but a little in front of me, but I held back and mentioned to him that this was a long race.
Jim and I have a rather different running style. He tends to start races faster and more aggressively than I and relies on a faster starting pace for good finishing times. I need to start slower, warm up a bit so until I’m more comfortable, and then finish strong - making up for the slower start time with a faster paced second half of the race. I’ve messed up more than a few runs by starting out too fast.
The first mile went by rather quickly in 9:40. I was keeping an eye on my Garmin to let Jim know what our pace was. As a few people passed us Jim seemed to unconsciously pick up the pace. During the second mile we dipped under 9 mpm and I let Jim know about it. He said, “Ooh, that’s too fast” and slowed it down a bit. I told him that it was OK with me if he wanted to run ahead but he said that our pace was fine with him.
Since the first couple of miles didn’t have much in the way of (up)hills I thought it would be OK to run a sub 10 mpm pace. I was compromising a bit though since I wanted to run a little more conservatively, but then remembered that Kelly successfully implemented the “banking time” approach during her P.F. Chang’s Marathon run in Phoenix. So, I thought I’d give that a try (since our running style is about the same) and hope that I still had something left over for a strong race finish.
We continued on somewhat of a gradual downhill run from the first half mile of the race all the way through mile two. We completed mile two in 9:28. I remember a young woman runner who kept walking and then running. I thought it was rather strange since we were only through the first couple miles of the race. Eventually she fell behind us sometime during mile three.
We turned the corner just past the two mile mark and headed north on Hickory Nut Grove Rd. You couldn’t really see it but you could feel that we were gradually heading up hill. I seem to remember that Jim had tucked in behind me at this point as we continued at the same pace. Mile completed in 9:27. The colder weather was helping me stay cool and I felt comfortable – no aches or pains. I just didn’t know how long that would last as the race progressed.
During mile four we turned on to Hickory Nut Grove Lane heading west. I was focusing on our pace and not really paying too much attention to what was going on around me. I had slowed us down to around a 10 mpm pace figuring that we would have enough of a buffer to finish at or just under 2:10. Mile four through seven was completed in 9:57, 9:57, 10:14 and 10:02 respectively.
Jim and I were pretty much blowing off the water stations as he had his hydration belt and I was using my hydration pack. We each ate half a bag of Black Cherry Shot Bloks at mile five, without slowing down or stopping, and waited for the caffeine boost to kick in. Consuming Shot Bloks while running is a bit of a challenge for me but they were warm and soft from being held in my hand. No problem with the first serving.
Somewhere between miles four and seven we encountered a rather large hill. I can’t recall where it was (mile six?) although I think we encountered one like it (the same one?) on our return trip. Since there are quite a few rolling hills, that I literally lost track of, I’m unable to identify it from the elevation and map in the Garmin Training Center or Google Earth software.
I was still feeling pretty good after mile seven and Jim was running up a little a head of me and to the side. We would switch sides occasionally depending upon the running traffic. We were back running at a sub ten-minute pace. Mile eight through ten was completed in 9:39, 9:36 and 9:45 respectively. Once again I mentioned to Jim that it was OK if he wanted to run ahead. But he said no, because he’d probably just end up “coughing up a lung” or “puking his guts out” or something to that effect (Jim’s words were probably a bit more colorful and descriptive than mine). ;-)
I remember telling Jim that we would probably be catching runners ahead of us as we continued our pace. During mile eight we passed a number of runners during our ascent up the winding hill on Crystal Lake Rd., which was one of the highest elevation points of the race. Fortunately, we had a bit of a respite between miles eight and nine as we descended back downhill and sustained our sub ten-minute pace.
Mile ten was back up hill again. Shortly after mile ten we ate the second half of our bag of Shot Bloks. I wasn’t able to finish the last Shot Blok before we encountered more hills so I waited a few minutes. It was becoming much more difficult to chew and breathe at the same time and I thought that breathing at that point was probably more important. On a descent I popped the last Shot Blok into my mouth and after a few chews started to choke on it a little. But I made a nice recovery by simply swallowing what was left and then taking a swig of Gatorade G2 from my hydration pack. But if you’re wondering, yes I can walk and chew Shot Bloks at the same time. ;-)
Mile eleven was a bit of a dipsy doodle as we ran through the sub divisions of the town. I still felt pretty good at this point. Nothing was hurting and my stamina was good. A couple of runners passed us but their pace slowed to ours so they ran just a little in front of us. I wanted to pick up the pace just a little, but not too much since I didn’t know what kind of hills we would encounter during the last couple of miles. We completed mile eleven in 9:39 as the course descended and we began mile twelve.
At this point Jim mentioned that he didn’t think he would beat his PR for the half-marathon. I asked him what it was and he said he thought it was around 2:06. I knew that I was on track to obliterate my PR and was pretty sure that we could finish under 2:10. If we picked up the pace during the last couple of miles there was a good chance of being around the 2:06 mark. But I also knew that we still had some hills to conquer and that it would be even more of a challenge at this late stage of the race.
Jim and I maintained our pace through mile twelve and began to leave some of the runners that were running with us behind. This mile was one of the toughest as it was uphill throughout. However, it was also one of our best as we finished it in 9:32. No one would pass us for the last 2.1 miles.
Mile thirteen started off downhill and at this point I decided to pick up the pace. With a mile and a tenth left I figured I had energy enough left to push the pace even harder. Jim sensed that and said, “I can tell we’re running faster now”.
I continued to push the pace as we passed runners that were slowing down. As we approached the right turn from Mallard Rd to the asphalt path along side Three Oaks Rd. I increased our pace slightly in anticipation of the finish, just a half mile away. Once we had turned onto the asphalt path I noticed that it was on an upward incline. UGH! I wasn’t anticipating another hill!
Jim said we could slow down. I backed off and he ran just a little ahead of me. I maintained my pace and Jim picked up his a little. I let the gap grow to about 15 feet. We were both on our own at this point.
Jim didn’t appear to be increasing his pace so I simply maintained mine as we approached the 13-mile mark, which is a right turn into the high school drive and then on to the finish line. As we rounded the corner I kicked in sprint mode for the final tenth of a mile.
I thought Jim might speed up to match my pace as I approached him from behind, but he just yelled “Good job Paul!” as I ran past him. As I continued my sprint towards the finish line I heard someone yell “Show us that big kick!” Big kick? Moi? Was there someone behind me he was cheering for?
There weren’t that many runners at this point so I had a clear lane as I crossed the finish line. Jim finished well, just eight seconds behind me. I completed the last mile in 8:58 and last tenth of a mile in 41 seconds (6:50 pace).
It was a new half-marathon PR for me as I crossed the finish line in 2:07:16. Jim would find out later that his time was a PR as well. I’m still somewhat surprised with the time since my planned goal was to simply to finish at around 2:10.
Jim and I couldn’t get our official results right away so he ran to get a beer…oh wait, sorry, that was a “coffee”…and I waited for Kelly and Brian to finish a few minutes later.
Afterwards we headed to the gymnasium for warm pretzels. I will admit to having difficulty standing and eating one of those pretzels after running a half-marathon. But I didn’t choke. ;-)
At the gymnasium we met up with Janeth, where I found out that she passed another runner a little before the finish line to win the women’s division. Yaaaaay Janeth! You’re awesome Speedy! ;-)
Can’t help but be very pleased about my race and finishing time. I didn't expect this but it’s apparent to me now that all of the longer distance training runs and races I’ve been doing since last year has made me a much stronger runner (Thanks Kelly! :-)). Now I just have to keep it going.
Next up is the Shamrock Shuffle in downtown Chicago. I ran my best race there in 2006 and it will be quite a challenge (but still possible) to beat my current 8K PR.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Let's Get Wacky!
I had never run the Wacky 5K before but a co-worker of mine, Jim, had signed up to run and I decided to join him. Plus it looked like it might be kind of fun to collect all the food goodies after the race.
This was to be my first race of 2008. I wasn’t sure what sort of shape I was in for a 5K since I had been focusing mostly on longer (slower) runs – didn’t know whether those fast twitch muscles could warm up fast enough to run close to my PR times from last year. In addition, I had gained about 7 lbs. since my last 5K at Bucktown (although I did drop a couple of lbs. over the last two weeks).
In any event the previous week’s running mileage had been rather pitiful, at 11 miles total, so I needed to step it up the week of the race. During the week I’m generally stuck running on a treadmill because of the snow. Concrete sidewalks have no appeal, even when shoveled, and the streets around me are too busy for me to feel comfortable running on.
My dislike for the treadmill results in an ongoing mental challenge for me to start and complete my training runs. For this week I decided to change it up a bit and run a variation of Kelly’s current training schedule, which involved running half the distance of my regular six mile runs on consecutive days. That seemed to work for me and on one of the days I ran tempo for a 5K to find out where I was at speed-wise.
By race day (Sunday), I’d had a good week of preparation and felt pretty good. I headed out to the west side of Chicago where the race was to take place. The race starts out on Washington, just a few blocks east of Ashland Ave. I noticed that this particular race course is just a bit north of the Bastille Day 5K race course that I run every year during the summer.
I spotted Jim at packet pick-up, which was at Plumbers’ Union Hall on Washington St, and also was the starting and finishing location of the race. We chatted for bit and then lined up for the race. Jim asked me what pace I had planned on running and I told him I was going to shoot for 8 mpm. He said he didn’t think he would be running anywhere near that fast…but I wasn’t going to fall for the “unintentional sandbag” routine since his pace is close to mine and over the last three races he’s kind of hung just behind me, leaving me wondering what he had planned for the end…which is usually my strongest part of the race. ;-)
He said that he had to run eight miles later in the day for his half-marathon training. I told him that I had run my 12-mile pre-5K warm-up the previous day at the Morton Aboretum, thinking that might make him feel better. (Psych) ;-)
As the horn sounded to start the race we took off east on Washington. Actually my mental compass was totally off as I felt as if we were running south. Of course it didn’t make any difference since all I had to do was follow the runners in front of me. However, it did matter later during my drive home when I found myself heading northwest on 90/94 instead of west on the Eisenhower Expressway. ;-)
After a half block on Washington (yes heading east), we turned left on Ada St. and headed north. It was very congested at this point with a mixture of slower and faster runners. I was passing slower runners and I was also a slower runner with faster runners passing me. After a block on Ada we turned right on to W. Randolph St. heading east. The crowd of runners began to break up a bit and I didn’t have much difficulty sustaining my pace, which bounced around between a seven and low eight mpm pace. There were a few chunks of ice and snow on the road so you had to be careful where you were running.
I didn’t notice whether Jim was behind me and I didn’t look. I though that I might have lost him during the initial runner shuffle at the start.
We ran about five blocks down Randolph and I continued to maintain a sub eight minute pace. I had to keep an eye on my Garmin GPS watch since I’m not very good at figuring out my pace by feel. We made a right turn on to Green St and headed south. The one thing I noticed was that the runners were very quiet – those around me were all very focused and running a good pace. I could hear one runner behind me who was breathing rather hard but he was actually catching up to me and eventually passed me.
Half way down the Green St. leg we approached the one mile sign. It read 8:13. My Garmin had me at 7:56 - so far so good.
I continued to maintain my pace and even picked it up a little. I still felt good but was a little apprehensive since I hadn’t run a 5K in a while. We took a right on to W. Van Buren St. and headed west. Two blocks later a right heading north on Aberdeen and then a block later another right on to W. Jackson heading east. We were in a bit of a zig-zag as we turned left on N. Peoria St. heading north again after a block and then another left on to W. Adams St. heading west again.
The two-mile mark was at the Peoria/Adams intersection. I didn’t see the mile marker sign but I checked my Garmin and my second mile completed in 7:52. OK, I thought to myself, this is going better than I had expected. But I still wasn’t sure how much I had in the tank for a good finish.
As we headed down Adams, I was checking my Garmin a bit more frequently. I was beginning to tire just a little bit. My legs were good, but I could feel my wind going away a bit more. Speaking of wind, it seemed like every direction we ran, except east, there was a bit of a headwind.
I was determined not to let my pace drop, run my last mile a little conservatively but still maintain the sub eight pace for as long as possible. Half way down the Adams leg (shortly before the 2.5 mile mark) I heard someone running just a little behind me. I took a quick glance, slightly to the right, and realized it was Jim. At the same time I noted the sound of his pace (his shoes made) so I knew where he would be as we continued towards the finish of the race.
Jim continued to run just a little bit behind me. I wasn’t sure how much energy he had left but he made no effort to pass. It was a bit more difficult to hear his breathing since he was hanging back a bit. But now I had some additional motivation to maintain my pace, or step it up a little to see if he would continue to hang with me.
I continued my pace, watching my Garmin judiciously, as we took a right on S. Laflin St. from Adams heading north. I thought that Jim might have been dropping back a little at that point since I had difficulty hearing the sound of his pace.
At W. Madison we made a right turn heading east and then a short block later a quick left turn on to Bishop heading north. There would be one more long block before returning to Washington for the finish of the race.
I had picked up my pace ever so slightly during the last half mile but wasn’t sure how much energy I would have left for my traditional “sprint to the finish”.
A few (younger) runners passed me but stayed within sight. Two young women, running together, passed and I decided to match their pace. As we approached the final (right) turn on to Washington a couple of runners ran by me.
This was starting to suck. I usually don’t get passed at the end of a 5K. But I didn’t panic. I matched their pace and just waited until about a block and a half from the finish and then when into sprint mode.
Not only did I pass those runners that had just passed me but I had enough left to pass other runners slowing down at the finish. I could hear one runner trying to catch back up to me but I kept him behind me. Heh heh heh. That felt gooooood!
WOO HOO! Now that was an awesome finish! Did anyone video record that? ;-)
No official race time as I log this but my Garmin has me at 24:41, which is close to my 5K PR. Well it probably would be a PR if the race had been exactly 3.1 miles. Garmin shows 3.17. All three miles were under 8 mpm, with the last mile the fastest at 7:49 and the final .17 at 6:07.
Jim finished well, probably about 15 seconds behind me. I think he ran a little faster than he “pretended” he would. ;-)
After the race, we grabbed our goodies…um, that would be the food I was referring to earlier. They had boxes of cereal, cookies, gum, pizza, various Fuze smoothies or whatever they are (I don’t drink that stuff - yuck).
Overall I was quite pleased with my finish in this race. Now I know that my speed has carried over from last year (or I’ve recovered it). Next up is the March Madness Half Marathon - which will be a much bigger challenge and good indicator of whether I’ve made any progress running a hill race.
This was to be my first race of 2008. I wasn’t sure what sort of shape I was in for a 5K since I had been focusing mostly on longer (slower) runs – didn’t know whether those fast twitch muscles could warm up fast enough to run close to my PR times from last year. In addition, I had gained about 7 lbs. since my last 5K at Bucktown (although I did drop a couple of lbs. over the last two weeks).
In any event the previous week’s running mileage had been rather pitiful, at 11 miles total, so I needed to step it up the week of the race. During the week I’m generally stuck running on a treadmill because of the snow. Concrete sidewalks have no appeal, even when shoveled, and the streets around me are too busy for me to feel comfortable running on.
My dislike for the treadmill results in an ongoing mental challenge for me to start and complete my training runs. For this week I decided to change it up a bit and run a variation of Kelly’s current training schedule, which involved running half the distance of my regular six mile runs on consecutive days. That seemed to work for me and on one of the days I ran tempo for a 5K to find out where I was at speed-wise.
By race day (Sunday), I’d had a good week of preparation and felt pretty good. I headed out to the west side of Chicago where the race was to take place. The race starts out on Washington, just a few blocks east of Ashland Ave. I noticed that this particular race course is just a bit north of the Bastille Day 5K race course that I run every year during the summer.
I spotted Jim at packet pick-up, which was at Plumbers’ Union Hall on Washington St, and also was the starting and finishing location of the race. We chatted for bit and then lined up for the race. Jim asked me what pace I had planned on running and I told him I was going to shoot for 8 mpm. He said he didn’t think he would be running anywhere near that fast…but I wasn’t going to fall for the “unintentional sandbag” routine since his pace is close to mine and over the last three races he’s kind of hung just behind me, leaving me wondering what he had planned for the end…which is usually my strongest part of the race. ;-)
He said that he had to run eight miles later in the day for his half-marathon training. I told him that I had run my 12-mile pre-5K warm-up the previous day at the Morton Aboretum, thinking that might make him feel better. (Psych) ;-)
As the horn sounded to start the race we took off east on Washington. Actually my mental compass was totally off as I felt as if we were running south. Of course it didn’t make any difference since all I had to do was follow the runners in front of me. However, it did matter later during my drive home when I found myself heading northwest on 90/94 instead of west on the Eisenhower Expressway. ;-)
After a half block on Washington (yes heading east), we turned left on Ada St. and headed north. It was very congested at this point with a mixture of slower and faster runners. I was passing slower runners and I was also a slower runner with faster runners passing me. After a block on Ada we turned right on to W. Randolph St. heading east. The crowd of runners began to break up a bit and I didn’t have much difficulty sustaining my pace, which bounced around between a seven and low eight mpm pace. There were a few chunks of ice and snow on the road so you had to be careful where you were running.
I didn’t notice whether Jim was behind me and I didn’t look. I though that I might have lost him during the initial runner shuffle at the start.
We ran about five blocks down Randolph and I continued to maintain a sub eight minute pace. I had to keep an eye on my Garmin GPS watch since I’m not very good at figuring out my pace by feel. We made a right turn on to Green St and headed south. The one thing I noticed was that the runners were very quiet – those around me were all very focused and running a good pace. I could hear one runner behind me who was breathing rather hard but he was actually catching up to me and eventually passed me.
Half way down the Green St. leg we approached the one mile sign. It read 8:13. My Garmin had me at 7:56 - so far so good.
I continued to maintain my pace and even picked it up a little. I still felt good but was a little apprehensive since I hadn’t run a 5K in a while. We took a right on to W. Van Buren St. and headed west. Two blocks later a right heading north on Aberdeen and then a block later another right on to W. Jackson heading east. We were in a bit of a zig-zag as we turned left on N. Peoria St. heading north again after a block and then another left on to W. Adams St. heading west again.
The two-mile mark was at the Peoria/Adams intersection. I didn’t see the mile marker sign but I checked my Garmin and my second mile completed in 7:52. OK, I thought to myself, this is going better than I had expected. But I still wasn’t sure how much I had in the tank for a good finish.
As we headed down Adams, I was checking my Garmin a bit more frequently. I was beginning to tire just a little bit. My legs were good, but I could feel my wind going away a bit more. Speaking of wind, it seemed like every direction we ran, except east, there was a bit of a headwind.
I was determined not to let my pace drop, run my last mile a little conservatively but still maintain the sub eight pace for as long as possible. Half way down the Adams leg (shortly before the 2.5 mile mark) I heard someone running just a little behind me. I took a quick glance, slightly to the right, and realized it was Jim. At the same time I noted the sound of his pace (his shoes made) so I knew where he would be as we continued towards the finish of the race.
Jim continued to run just a little bit behind me. I wasn’t sure how much energy he had left but he made no effort to pass. It was a bit more difficult to hear his breathing since he was hanging back a bit. But now I had some additional motivation to maintain my pace, or step it up a little to see if he would continue to hang with me.
I continued my pace, watching my Garmin judiciously, as we took a right on S. Laflin St. from Adams heading north. I thought that Jim might have been dropping back a little at that point since I had difficulty hearing the sound of his pace.
At W. Madison we made a right turn heading east and then a short block later a quick left turn on to Bishop heading north. There would be one more long block before returning to Washington for the finish of the race.
I had picked up my pace ever so slightly during the last half mile but wasn’t sure how much energy I would have left for my traditional “sprint to the finish”.
A few (younger) runners passed me but stayed within sight. Two young women, running together, passed and I decided to match their pace. As we approached the final (right) turn on to Washington a couple of runners ran by me.
This was starting to suck. I usually don’t get passed at the end of a 5K. But I didn’t panic. I matched their pace and just waited until about a block and a half from the finish and then when into sprint mode.
Not only did I pass those runners that had just passed me but I had enough left to pass other runners slowing down at the finish. I could hear one runner trying to catch back up to me but I kept him behind me. Heh heh heh. That felt gooooood!
WOO HOO! Now that was an awesome finish! Did anyone video record that? ;-)
No official race time as I log this but my Garmin has me at 24:41, which is close to my 5K PR. Well it probably would be a PR if the race had been exactly 3.1 miles. Garmin shows 3.17. All three miles were under 8 mpm, with the last mile the fastest at 7:49 and the final .17 at 6:07.
Jim finished well, probably about 15 seconds behind me. I think he ran a little faster than he “pretended” he would. ;-)
After the race, we grabbed our goodies…um, that would be the food I was referring to earlier. They had boxes of cereal, cookies, gum, pizza, various Fuze smoothies or whatever they are (I don’t drink that stuff - yuck).
Overall I was quite pleased with my finish in this race. Now I know that my speed has carried over from last year (or I’ve recovered it). Next up is the March Madness Half Marathon - which will be a much bigger challenge and good indicator of whether I’ve made any progress running a hill race.
Friday, February 1, 2008
What's in a name?
If you've ever seen the movie "Mad Max" you will probably remember that a number of the characters had some rather odd but interesting names - Toecutter (the head bad guy), Mudguts, Johnny the Boy, Bubba Zanetti and Nightrider Montizano, to name just a few. No, VelcroeRunner (yes the spelling is correct) was not a name of one of the characters in the movie but it just as well could have been. But then I probably would have preferred to have been 'Mad' Max Rockatansky because he was the vengeful hero who would eventually become the famous "Road Warrior" (although he turned out to be a rather lost and lonely soul in the end).
But I'm going off on a bit of a tangent here. "VelcroeRunner" is based in part from a nickname I was given by Kelly during her training for the 2007 Chicago Marathon.
I guess it was a little bit of a joke since I used to wear a pair of SAS shoes that had two Velcro straps instead of shoelaces. Beyond that I can't recall the exact circumstances (or maybe I do and I'm just not telling ;-)) by which I acquired the nickname "Velcro" but I stuck by Kelly during her marathon training, getting together with her for training runs, giving support and encouragement, running with her during several races and providing her with an unlimited supply of running food - all culminating in a plan to pace her for the last ten miles of the Chicago Marathon (that's a story for another day).
In any event, during one of my clever moments (I was naming my new Microsoft Zune2 mp3 player); I added the word "Runner" to an amended spelling of the word "Velcro" and there I was...
OK, I know this all sounds quite silly and probably a little sappy but I am still proud to be the VelcroeRunner!
Maybe I should get a t-shirt… ;-)
But I'm going off on a bit of a tangent here. "VelcroeRunner" is based in part from a nickname I was given by Kelly during her training for the 2007 Chicago Marathon.
I guess it was a little bit of a joke since I used to wear a pair of SAS shoes that had two Velcro straps instead of shoelaces. Beyond that I can't recall the exact circumstances (or maybe I do and I'm just not telling ;-)) by which I acquired the nickname "Velcro" but I stuck by Kelly during her marathon training, getting together with her for training runs, giving support and encouragement, running with her during several races and providing her with an unlimited supply of running food - all culminating in a plan to pace her for the last ten miles of the Chicago Marathon (that's a story for another day).
In any event, during one of my clever moments (I was naming my new Microsoft Zune2 mp3 player); I added the word "Runner" to an amended spelling of the word "Velcro" and there I was...
OK, I know this all sounds quite silly and probably a little sappy but I am still proud to be the VelcroeRunner!
Maybe I should get a t-shirt… ;-)
Monday, October 29, 2007
It's time to do 26 point two
First, I just wanted to thank all of the Chias that offered me words of encouragement in my decision to run the Chicago Lakefront 50/50/26.2. It made a difference.
As with many of my races this year I had no plans on running a marathon. When Kelly posted the news of the addition of a marathon to the Chicago Lakefront 50/50 I didn't really give it any thought or consideration. She mentioned it at work the following day but still the light bulb didn't go on. If there was a hint or suggestion that I should run it, I wasn't getting it. Brian stopped by my desk a little later on and we chatted about the ultra. He stood there and I was kind of like "What?" His response was something like, "So are you going to run it?" to which I replied "Uh, no, I don't think I'm ready to run a marathon". I think we talked about it some more and I said I would give it some thought.
So on my train ride home I thought about all of the marathon training I had done in order to support Kelly in the Chicago Marathon. I also thought about the support she had given me, the training runs to get me past my mileage mental blocks, the ongoing encouragement and confidence in my abilities, and the longer distance races she ran with me. Since I had managed to build up my training distance comfortably to 20 miles I knew that I was only a 10K away from a marathon. Close enough, right?
At that point I couldn't think of a reason not to run the marathon. No point waiting until next year and why waste a perfectly good six month training period that could culminate in an accomplishment that I had never dreamed of doing or considered possible?
So when I got home I signed up for the marathon and all that was left was for the rest to become history.
For the next couple of weeks I didn't really talk about running the marathon much, although co-workers were asking me whether I was ready. That was kind of nice although I didn't have any true concept of what I was in for and my main concern was how my feet and knees would hold up to the concrete and asphalt. I tried to play it low key and the anticipation didn't really start to build until the week of the race. I wasn't nervous but I wasn't really excited either.
So that was the precursor to the race, now on to race day.
I arrived at the 63rd St. Beach House at about 7:30 a.m. and headed over to packet pick-up for my bib. It was cloudy a bit on the nippy side, but no rain. No warm-up pants for me as I was comfortable with just shorts. I wore a short-sleeved compression shirt (sorry Janeth, no singlet today – maybe if you had been there ;-)) to avoid chafing and a long sleeve running shirt as a second layer. After a time, I realized that the long sleeve running shirt would be too warm for me during the race so I went back to my car to drop it off. Before heading back I ran into Michael Messinger. He didn't remember me so I re-introduced myself...for the second time. ;-)
I was using my 45 oz. CamelBak FlashFlo hydration pack for the first time. I also have the 28 oz. Alterra. Unfortunately I found the zippered pockets on the FlashFlo were a pain to get to and zip and unzip, unlike the Alterra. It was also too easy to unzip the zipper for the reservoir, which is just above the large pocket zipper. As a result of this issue I grabbed two bags of my Shot Bloks from the large pocket and put one in each pocket of my running shorts prior to the race.
I headed back to the beach house as the 50K and marathon was about to start. As I approached the end of line of runners I spotted Kelly waving at me. She was with one of her Illinois Runs marathon training group partners, Sarah. We chatted for a bit and prepared for the start of the races. I was now just a little nervous and also excited about getting underway.
My plan for the marathon was to start off slow, somewhere between a ten and eleven minute pace, maintain that for at least half of the race, and then try to finish with negative splits. As the race started I was in no hurry to pass anyone and only passed those people who were significantly slower than my planned pace.
Concrete generally means death to my feet and legs and I knew it would be there waiting for me at the start and end of each loop. I just didn't know what the toll would be over time.
The first few miles were rather uneventful. Other than the sand that had washed up on to the running path early in the course the only other deterrent was an occasional gusty headwind as you traveled north. My pace was steady at a bit over ten minutes for the firstthree miles.
The small crowd of runners began to break up rather quickly. A young dark-haired woman, plugged into her MP3 player, was running about the same pace as I was so I sort of followed her. But her pace was somewhat erratic and I ended up running the next three miles under ten minutes. That wasn't the plan but I felt comfortable. The woman I was pacing picked up her pace a bit and I just let her go after mile four.
Nobody was running my pace at this point so I was basically running alone. It was at this point I began to notice more runners going in the opposite direction. Some were in a zone, some smiled and some simply acknowledged me as we headed in opposite directions. As time went on I didn't pay as much attention to those running in the opposite direction and just focused on my pace.
I did notice the guy carrying the flag pole with an American flag. That was quite a feat considering the extra weight he had to carry in addition to the wind gusts blowing the flag.
At some point before the turnaround of the first loop I ran past Brian heading in the opposite direction. I wouldn't have noticed him if he hadn't have shouted my name. Before I reached the 4.36 mile turnaround I saw Michael Messinger heading the other direction. I shouted his name and he said "Hi" in return...but it didn't look like he recognized me. (Too late to re-introduce myself again. ;-))
To save my feet and legs I ran to the side of asphalt path when possible. My pace was just under ten minutes and I still felt pretty good. After the turnaround point of the first loop I had the wind at my back but I didn't really notice. I just knew that it was no longer blowing in my face.
On my return to the beach house during the first loop there was a woman cheering on the runners. She had a cowbell so I shouted "More cowbell!" as I ran by. I had some runners pass me and assumed they were probably the "ultras". I was still essentially running alone at this point.
Not too far from the end of my first loop I heard Brian, heading back out for his second loop, shout my name. I looked over and Kelly was riding her bike along side him and she shouted my name as well. Once again, I probably would have missed them both if they hadn't seen me. I was alone...and in the zone.
As I approached the beach house I was wondering if I was going to see my parents, who had said that they would come to watch. Sure enough as I completed my first loop they were sitting on one of the benches along the sidewalk at the beach house. They both yelled "Go Paul!" and my mother snapped a picture of me. I yelled to them "I'm not even warmed up yet!" Not exactly true, but I just wanted to let them know I was OK after my first 8.72 miles. I completed it in around 1:28, which was faster than I had planned for the first half of the race.
As I headed back out for my second loop, the concrete was beginning to bother my feet a little bit and I was back into the headwind. I tried to enjoy the view of the lake a bit but was somewhat uncomfortable with my head turned.
My pace for the next seven miles would alternate between just being over and under a ten minute mile. About mile ten I had caught up with the young dark-haired woman that I had been pacing earlier. She was now running with another woman. I passed a woman just behind them and then they seemed to pick up the pace. I followed until the second aid station where they stopped, but I kept going. That would be the last I would see of them.
Once again running alone I reached the last aid station at the marathon turnaround point, grabbed a cup of Gatorade and headed back to complete the second half of my second loop.
It was shortly after this point, around mile 13 or 14, that my feet began to bother me more. My legs weren't doing much better but I decided to maintain my pace at about ten minutes. Mile 14 would be my last sub ten-minute mile.
During mile 15, 16 and 17 my pace was gradually creeping higher and higher past the ten-minute mark. Once again I was on the concrete as I headed back to complete my second loop. Mentally and emotionally I was having difficulty preparing for the final loop.
I wasn't sure whether my parents would still be there but I didn't expect them to wait another hour and a half to see me pass by again. As I completed the second loop I didn't see them. My second loop time was a little slower at about 1:30, but still faster than my planned pace.
As I headed back out for my third loop my energy level was really low and I was having difficulty overcoming the physical demands that I had endured for the first 17.7 miles of the race. Both my feet and knees were hurting to the point where I began to walk. I had no intention of quitting and decided that I would finish even if I had to walk or crawl the final 8.72 miles of the final loop.
I stopped running and started walking. For me this isn't a good thing mentally and emotionally because I never intend on walking in a race, other than during stops at aid stations or when I need energy food.
Just to take my mind off of things I pulled out my pocket pc and checked for text messages. Kelly had sent me one just before the start of the race wishing me good luck. I decided to reply to it and said that I needed that luck now. I guess that was sort of my 911 call.
I got an inspirational reply about a minute or so later and sent one back that said "I was trying". She sent me another text message to tell me to keep going and that I would get through the rough patch. I hadn't thought of it as a "rough patch" (I was thinking more like "death knell") but then it began to dawn on me that I've had this experience in races before and was able to overcome it.
I alternated between running and walking for a couple of miles or so and Kelly sent me another inspirational text message to try and help get me back on track mentally. Physically I was still a bit wobbly but I kept going. This went on for about three miles and my pace crept up into the 12 and 13 mpm range. I grabbed a couple of cups of Gatorade at the very first aid station and this appeared to be helping me. I also ate the second half of my bag of Strawberry ShotBloks, although I wasn't really interested in eating anything at this point.
I began to run more and as I approached the next to the last aid station I saw Brian waiting to greet me. Well he might as well have been a ghost because the only thing that was on my mind was inhaling some Gatorade at the aid station. He had his hand out and I think I acknowledged him as I ran past but I don't remember for sure because I was in a different zone at this point...the twilight zone.
As I left the aid station I noticed Kelly stopped on her bike. I ran towards her and pretended to be all wobbly (although it wasn't far from the truth) and said that I needed help. Well, I probably do but that's beside the point. I was just trying to make light of my condition so it didn't seem so bad. She said that I was "kicking butt" and I replied that I didn't think I could get my feet that far off of the ground. In any event she snapped a picture of me as I approached so I'll be interested to see how that one came out. ;-)
I continued on towards the turnaround point, feeling a little bit better knowing that I would soon be heading back to complete my final loop. As I reached the turnaround point I grabbed some Gatorade and told the guy taking down the bib numbers that I wasn't coming back. ;-)
As I headed back on the last half of the third loop I started to feel better, recovering a bit from my rough patch. My feet and knees were still hurting but those sensations were replaced by some discomfort in my chest. I thought that is was likely muscle related since I had no issues breathing and was actually feeling better overall. Still, being in somewhat un-chartered territory, I played it on the safe side and took walking breaks after running for a bit. I was actually picking up my running pace, averaging around 9 mpm, but of course the total time was offset by my walking respites.
Somewhere during mile 23 I spotted Kelly on her bike accompanying Sarah as they approached the turnaround point of the final loop, which I had just passed a minute or so earlier. I continued to run, picking up my pace. About five minutes later I heard a voice from behind me telling me that I was looking strong. It was Kelly.
She was telling me that she had to ride a ways to catch up with me so I must have been running pretty strong. I was just happy to hear her voice and have her talk to me during my final four miles. Her company was definitely an emotional boost that allowed me to take my mind off of the foot pain I was experiencing. I was also getting a lot of encouragement from her along the way.
She rode up in front of me and snapped some pictures which helped further distract me a bit and also provide me with even more of anemotional boost. I wasn't sure in what sort of shape I was in for pictures after 24 miles, but at least those moments were captured and I thought that was pretty cool.
At the last aid station I grabbed some Gatorade and pretty much said OK, enough of this I'm ready to go finish. As I made my last trek across the section of concrete along the lake Kelly snapped off a couple more pictures of me and then headed towards the finish line to take a picture of me finishing.
I sprinted about as hard as I could as this point (which wasn't very fast after 26 miles) and finished with an unofficial time of 4:46:31. I don't know if that is a good time for a first time marathoner but Kelly seemed to think so. I was probably setting my goals a little higher but then I usually do that, even if they're a bit unrealistic. Still, my primary goal was to finish and finish well and I believe that was accomplished. WOO HOO!...Ouch.
Speaking of which, physically I'm in better post race shape than I thought I would be after running 26.2 miles on concrete and asphalt. I have no blisters and didn't experience any chafing (thanks BodyGlide) and no pain in my feet (go figure). However, I'm definitely sore, mostly on the left side (hip, quad and calve muscles). Cramps in both of my hips were a bit of a problem for the first six hours post race. Knees are only slightly worse than before the race and that's very good. I may run on Tuesday (unless someone who knows better than I suggests that I take more of a break). In any event, my next run won't be on concrete or asphalt. ;-)
Congratulations to Brian on his finish of the 50-miler! I don't know why anyone would run this distance, I certainly wouldn't, but I have to tip my hat to those who have the physical ability and wherewithal to do so. With so little training this accomplishment is simply beyond impressive. Brian, you rocked!!!
Also, some very big kudos to Kelly for crewing for Brian, and providing me with support when I needed it. Ironically the last several miles of the race turned out to be the most enjoyable for me (despite being physically challenging) because of your presence. Riding on a bike for nine hours-plus while trying to maintain your balance at slow speeds, and avoiding the knuckleheads on bikes that go whizzing by with little or no warning, was a challenge in itself.
As with many of my races this year I had no plans on running a marathon. When Kelly posted the news of the addition of a marathon to the Chicago Lakefront 50/50 I didn't really give it any thought or consideration. She mentioned it at work the following day but still the light bulb didn't go on. If there was a hint or suggestion that I should run it, I wasn't getting it. Brian stopped by my desk a little later on and we chatted about the ultra. He stood there and I was kind of like "What?" His response was something like, "So are you going to run it?" to which I replied "Uh, no, I don't think I'm ready to run a marathon". I think we talked about it some more and I said I would give it some thought.
So on my train ride home I thought about all of the marathon training I had done in order to support Kelly in the Chicago Marathon. I also thought about the support she had given me, the training runs to get me past my mileage mental blocks, the ongoing encouragement and confidence in my abilities, and the longer distance races she ran with me. Since I had managed to build up my training distance comfortably to 20 miles I knew that I was only a 10K away from a marathon. Close enough, right?
At that point I couldn't think of a reason not to run the marathon. No point waiting until next year and why waste a perfectly good six month training period that could culminate in an accomplishment that I had never dreamed of doing or considered possible?
So when I got home I signed up for the marathon and all that was left was for the rest to become history.
For the next couple of weeks I didn't really talk about running the marathon much, although co-workers were asking me whether I was ready. That was kind of nice although I didn't have any true concept of what I was in for and my main concern was how my feet and knees would hold up to the concrete and asphalt. I tried to play it low key and the anticipation didn't really start to build until the week of the race. I wasn't nervous but I wasn't really excited either.
So that was the precursor to the race, now on to race day.
I arrived at the 63rd St. Beach House at about 7:30 a.m. and headed over to packet pick-up for my bib. It was cloudy a bit on the nippy side, but no rain. No warm-up pants for me as I was comfortable with just shorts. I wore a short-sleeved compression shirt (sorry Janeth, no singlet today – maybe if you had been there ;-)) to avoid chafing and a long sleeve running shirt as a second layer. After a time, I realized that the long sleeve running shirt would be too warm for me during the race so I went back to my car to drop it off. Before heading back I ran into Michael Messinger. He didn't remember me so I re-introduced myself...for the second time. ;-)
I was using my 45 oz. CamelBak FlashFlo hydration pack for the first time. I also have the 28 oz. Alterra. Unfortunately I found the zippered pockets on the FlashFlo were a pain to get to and zip and unzip, unlike the Alterra. It was also too easy to unzip the zipper for the reservoir, which is just above the large pocket zipper. As a result of this issue I grabbed two bags of my Shot Bloks from the large pocket and put one in each pocket of my running shorts prior to the race.
I headed back to the beach house as the 50K and marathon was about to start. As I approached the end of line of runners I spotted Kelly waving at me. She was with one of her Illinois Runs marathon training group partners, Sarah. We chatted for a bit and prepared for the start of the races. I was now just a little nervous and also excited about getting underway.
My plan for the marathon was to start off slow, somewhere between a ten and eleven minute pace, maintain that for at least half of the race, and then try to finish with negative splits. As the race started I was in no hurry to pass anyone and only passed those people who were significantly slower than my planned pace.
Concrete generally means death to my feet and legs and I knew it would be there waiting for me at the start and end of each loop. I just didn't know what the toll would be over time.
The first few miles were rather uneventful. Other than the sand that had washed up on to the running path early in the course the only other deterrent was an occasional gusty headwind as you traveled north. My pace was steady at a bit over ten minutes for the firstthree miles.
The small crowd of runners began to break up rather quickly. A young dark-haired woman, plugged into her MP3 player, was running about the same pace as I was so I sort of followed her. But her pace was somewhat erratic and I ended up running the next three miles under ten minutes. That wasn't the plan but I felt comfortable. The woman I was pacing picked up her pace a bit and I just let her go after mile four.
Nobody was running my pace at this point so I was basically running alone. It was at this point I began to notice more runners going in the opposite direction. Some were in a zone, some smiled and some simply acknowledged me as we headed in opposite directions. As time went on I didn't pay as much attention to those running in the opposite direction and just focused on my pace.
I did notice the guy carrying the flag pole with an American flag. That was quite a feat considering the extra weight he had to carry in addition to the wind gusts blowing the flag.
At some point before the turnaround of the first loop I ran past Brian heading in the opposite direction. I wouldn't have noticed him if he hadn't have shouted my name. Before I reached the 4.36 mile turnaround I saw Michael Messinger heading the other direction. I shouted his name and he said "Hi" in return...but it didn't look like he recognized me. (Too late to re-introduce myself again. ;-))
To save my feet and legs I ran to the side of asphalt path when possible. My pace was just under ten minutes and I still felt pretty good. After the turnaround point of the first loop I had the wind at my back but I didn't really notice. I just knew that it was no longer blowing in my face.
On my return to the beach house during the first loop there was a woman cheering on the runners. She had a cowbell so I shouted "More cowbell!" as I ran by. I had some runners pass me and assumed they were probably the "ultras". I was still essentially running alone at this point.
Not too far from the end of my first loop I heard Brian, heading back out for his second loop, shout my name. I looked over and Kelly was riding her bike along side him and she shouted my name as well. Once again, I probably would have missed them both if they hadn't seen me. I was alone...and in the zone.
As I approached the beach house I was wondering if I was going to see my parents, who had said that they would come to watch. Sure enough as I completed my first loop they were sitting on one of the benches along the sidewalk at the beach house. They both yelled "Go Paul!" and my mother snapped a picture of me. I yelled to them "I'm not even warmed up yet!" Not exactly true, but I just wanted to let them know I was OK after my first 8.72 miles. I completed it in around 1:28, which was faster than I had planned for the first half of the race.
As I headed back out for my second loop, the concrete was beginning to bother my feet a little bit and I was back into the headwind. I tried to enjoy the view of the lake a bit but was somewhat uncomfortable with my head turned.
My pace for the next seven miles would alternate between just being over and under a ten minute mile. About mile ten I had caught up with the young dark-haired woman that I had been pacing earlier. She was now running with another woman. I passed a woman just behind them and then they seemed to pick up the pace. I followed until the second aid station where they stopped, but I kept going. That would be the last I would see of them.
Once again running alone I reached the last aid station at the marathon turnaround point, grabbed a cup of Gatorade and headed back to complete the second half of my second loop.
It was shortly after this point, around mile 13 or 14, that my feet began to bother me more. My legs weren't doing much better but I decided to maintain my pace at about ten minutes. Mile 14 would be my last sub ten-minute mile.
During mile 15, 16 and 17 my pace was gradually creeping higher and higher past the ten-minute mark. Once again I was on the concrete as I headed back to complete my second loop. Mentally and emotionally I was having difficulty preparing for the final loop.
I wasn't sure whether my parents would still be there but I didn't expect them to wait another hour and a half to see me pass by again. As I completed the second loop I didn't see them. My second loop time was a little slower at about 1:30, but still faster than my planned pace.
As I headed back out for my third loop my energy level was really low and I was having difficulty overcoming the physical demands that I had endured for the first 17.7 miles of the race. Both my feet and knees were hurting to the point where I began to walk. I had no intention of quitting and decided that I would finish even if I had to walk or crawl the final 8.72 miles of the final loop.
I stopped running and started walking. For me this isn't a good thing mentally and emotionally because I never intend on walking in a race, other than during stops at aid stations or when I need energy food.
Just to take my mind off of things I pulled out my pocket pc and checked for text messages. Kelly had sent me one just before the start of the race wishing me good luck. I decided to reply to it and said that I needed that luck now. I guess that was sort of my 911 call.
I got an inspirational reply about a minute or so later and sent one back that said "I was trying". She sent me another text message to tell me to keep going and that I would get through the rough patch. I hadn't thought of it as a "rough patch" (I was thinking more like "death knell") but then it began to dawn on me that I've had this experience in races before and was able to overcome it.
I alternated between running and walking for a couple of miles or so and Kelly sent me another inspirational text message to try and help get me back on track mentally. Physically I was still a bit wobbly but I kept going. This went on for about three miles and my pace crept up into the 12 and 13 mpm range. I grabbed a couple of cups of Gatorade at the very first aid station and this appeared to be helping me. I also ate the second half of my bag of Strawberry ShotBloks, although I wasn't really interested in eating anything at this point.
I began to run more and as I approached the next to the last aid station I saw Brian waiting to greet me. Well he might as well have been a ghost because the only thing that was on my mind was inhaling some Gatorade at the aid station. He had his hand out and I think I acknowledged him as I ran past but I don't remember for sure because I was in a different zone at this point...the twilight zone.
As I left the aid station I noticed Kelly stopped on her bike. I ran towards her and pretended to be all wobbly (although it wasn't far from the truth) and said that I needed help. Well, I probably do but that's beside the point. I was just trying to make light of my condition so it didn't seem so bad. She said that I was "kicking butt" and I replied that I didn't think I could get my feet that far off of the ground. In any event she snapped a picture of me as I approached so I'll be interested to see how that one came out. ;-)
I continued on towards the turnaround point, feeling a little bit better knowing that I would soon be heading back to complete my final loop. As I reached the turnaround point I grabbed some Gatorade and told the guy taking down the bib numbers that I wasn't coming back. ;-)
As I headed back on the last half of the third loop I started to feel better, recovering a bit from my rough patch. My feet and knees were still hurting but those sensations were replaced by some discomfort in my chest. I thought that is was likely muscle related since I had no issues breathing and was actually feeling better overall. Still, being in somewhat un-chartered territory, I played it on the safe side and took walking breaks after running for a bit. I was actually picking up my running pace, averaging around 9 mpm, but of course the total time was offset by my walking respites.
Somewhere during mile 23 I spotted Kelly on her bike accompanying Sarah as they approached the turnaround point of the final loop, which I had just passed a minute or so earlier. I continued to run, picking up my pace. About five minutes later I heard a voice from behind me telling me that I was looking strong. It was Kelly.
She was telling me that she had to ride a ways to catch up with me so I must have been running pretty strong. I was just happy to hear her voice and have her talk to me during my final four miles. Her company was definitely an emotional boost that allowed me to take my mind off of the foot pain I was experiencing. I was also getting a lot of encouragement from her along the way.
She rode up in front of me and snapped some pictures which helped further distract me a bit and also provide me with even more of anemotional boost. I wasn't sure in what sort of shape I was in for pictures after 24 miles, but at least those moments were captured and I thought that was pretty cool.
At the last aid station I grabbed some Gatorade and pretty much said OK, enough of this I'm ready to go finish. As I made my last trek across the section of concrete along the lake Kelly snapped off a couple more pictures of me and then headed towards the finish line to take a picture of me finishing.
I sprinted about as hard as I could as this point (which wasn't very fast after 26 miles) and finished with an unofficial time of 4:46:31. I don't know if that is a good time for a first time marathoner but Kelly seemed to think so. I was probably setting my goals a little higher but then I usually do that, even if they're a bit unrealistic. Still, my primary goal was to finish and finish well and I believe that was accomplished. WOO HOO!...Ouch.
Speaking of which, physically I'm in better post race shape than I thought I would be after running 26.2 miles on concrete and asphalt. I have no blisters and didn't experience any chafing (thanks BodyGlide) and no pain in my feet (go figure). However, I'm definitely sore, mostly on the left side (hip, quad and calve muscles). Cramps in both of my hips were a bit of a problem for the first six hours post race. Knees are only slightly worse than before the race and that's very good. I may run on Tuesday (unless someone who knows better than I suggests that I take more of a break). In any event, my next run won't be on concrete or asphalt. ;-)
Congratulations to Brian on his finish of the 50-miler! I don't know why anyone would run this distance, I certainly wouldn't, but I have to tip my hat to those who have the physical ability and wherewithal to do so. With so little training this accomplishment is simply beyond impressive. Brian, you rocked!!!
Also, some very big kudos to Kelly for crewing for Brian, and providing me with support when I needed it. Ironically the last several miles of the race turned out to be the most enjoyable for me (despite being physically challenging) because of your presence. Riding on a bike for nine hours-plus while trying to maintain your balance at slow speeds, and avoiding the knuckleheads on bikes that go whizzing by with little or no warning, was a challenge in itself.
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