Sunday, May 27, 2012

Those Damn Four (Minutes)



It's marathon time again, but it's time for a scenery change.  This weekend it's off to Traverse City to experience the flat, fast course known as the Bayshore Marathon.  This is the course known locally for PR's and the perfect spot to attempt to qualify for Boston.  There's no way that I'll qualify for Boston, but this was suppose to be the race where we'd get CT qualified.  With her injured, the new goal became getting my sub 3:30 finish.

This is the first marathon where travel became a factor.  It wasn't a big deal, but the first time prior to a race not to sleep in my own bed and probably the most important pre-race known being the food.  It was hard even getting a hotel booked months out, I had a feeling for dinner it would be a challenge too.  The chain restaurants wouldn't take reservations, plus I figured everybody would head to them, so my master plan was to find a mom and pa type place.  "Best pasta in TC" in a Google search gave me my target.  First of all, it was a challenge even finding the place, my Google search could have been "most obscure whole in the wall pasta restaurant in TC".  Next, when we did find it, I thought my entourage was going to have a mutiny.  The place was tucked in a dead strip mall and it was about the size of my walk in closet.  It had three two person tables about the size of a coffee saucers and as we walked in, I could feel the doubt from both CT and Downhill about my choice.  Luckily, because I'm the man, I did call ahead and reserve a table for four, which happened to be out of view and happened to be almost setup in their kitchen.  Still getting some doubt from my girls.  The food turned out to be pretty damn good, the girls put away their knives and their thoughts of mutiny, order was restored!  

Race morning, my nemesis the heat was out.  With my success at the River Bank Run, my plan was to do the exact same thing, hang with my pace group the whole way, only problem two days before the race I found out Bayshore doesn't have pace groups, so much for that plan.  Bang goes the gun, without a set plan, I decided to run based on feel.  First couple of miles were slower.  Next feel miles I found my comfortable pace.  The water view was okay, I didn't find myself staring off at it though.  I did pay attention to a couple of spots that had direct sun light.  Since it's an out and back course, I would be back through these spots and already the sun was uncomfortable.  I was already predicting these would be my downfall on the way back.  Like I said, the water didn't impress me too much, but I was very surprised at the level of support from spectators along the route.  That made this a very enjoyable marathon simply for that.  I reached the turn around spot ahead of schedule, but not too fast.  I still felt pretty good only 13.1 to go. 

At mile 18, I was eight minutes ahead of my goal pace, but I could also feel the wheels starting to come off.  My feet were getting very sore, it was getting warmer out, I was feeling warmer and I believe I made my first real mistake.  Being so paranoid of the heat, it was about this time I started dumping a cup of water on my head going through water stops.  Don't get me wrong, it felt good, but I was being careless when I did it and ultimately my shorts were getting very wet, which in turn started to chafe my inner thighs.  At mile 24 my eight minutes I had built up as a pad were gone.  To maintain my goal, I'd have to run the last two miles at an eight minute per mile pace.  To be so close, yet the struggle knowing my body just wouldn't be able to run that fast, it's hard.  All the training, every time it gets hard willing yourself to keep going for this moment, now that moment is here and it's still impossible to pull off.  I knew I had my PR no matter what, but I really wanted my goal and as much as I tried to will myself to keep pushing, my body just said this is what's left and this is all you've got.  Missed it by four minutes, which seems to be a trend because that's what Grand Rapids Marathon ended up being too.

The aftermath, my thighs burned for days!  Not muscle, but they were raw from the chaffing.  I won't be making that mistake again any time soon.  The physical pain was the worst, the mental pain being so close, didn't help, but both of those combined were completely negated by our bus ride back to the hotel.  First of all, we almost missed the last bus.  Downhill, in addition to stating numerous times this was her last marathon, also I think was suffering more pain than I was and proceeded to share EXACTLY how she was feeling with everybody on the bus.  Sailor's would blush, with some of the colorful language she was using.  For me, I can't remember laughing so hard.  Entire trip worth it, right here.  Legs on fire, feeling down about missing my goal, gone.  This twenty bus ride, laughing, joking, with my running family....wouldn't trade it for the world! 



       

Sunday, May 13, 2012

20K in a 25K




All I wanted was a race to get some confidence back, little did I know that every runner in the state apparently had the same idea!  File me under last to know, of course I knew the River Bank Run is a popular race, but had no idea there would be twenty thousand runners!  If there were that many runners, add the number of spectators, and suddenly this thing is becoming epic.   Often I've wondered what a big race would feel like, well this is it.   

For the coolness factor of a big race, there's a downside. Take a look in that picture and see if you can find me,  it's impossible to find somebody, even if you know they are there.  The event was broken down into two 5K's, a 10K, and then the 25K races.  I had a relative running the first 5K. Within about three seconds of getting downtown, it was obvious to me that there was no way I'd even see her.  CT had a friend running in the second 5K, so off she went to try to find her.  This left me alone in a sea of people to wait until the start of my race.

First, I just watched people.  I found myself trying to guess how serious the runner is based on their shoes.  New clean shoes meant a new non-serious runner, right?   Then again, maybe they just pull out their special shoes for race day.  Bored with that, I switched to doing some stretches.  I've never stretched before a race before, not sure what prompted me to do it, but I did a few.  It wasn't long before I noticed a few people around me now starting to stretch.  Did I start this?  Hmmm, I wonder if I start to stretch in goofy poses will these people mimic me?  I didn't.  Still, I had plenty of time to kill. At this point I sat down and tried to figure out what was going on with myself.  I went to my bread and butter song and finally something happened.  Doubt, nervousness, feeling alone evaporated and my race plan became clear.  The whole time this is going on there's a staging area moving left to right in front of me.  The 25K staging area was now straight ahead, but the only people there were the race organizers holding the various pace group signs.  My second bread and butter song was now playing, then it just kind of hit me that there are only two possible outcomes to this race, I get my goal or I don't.  Last week it didn't feel good, one way to change that and that time was now.  I can't be hundred percent sure, but to me, it felt like I was the first person lined up for this race.  There certainly wasn't anybody around my spot.  Lets do this thing!  For the record, just like the stretching, it wasn't long before people followed me and started showing up.

The plan was simple, follow the pace group.  Didn't matter if I was feeling great in the beginning and wanted to bolt or the heat wreaked havoc on me, the pace group had to stay within eyesight of me until the final two miles.  The last two would determine if I'd get my goal.

When I came up with that plan, I still didn't realize how big this race is.  Arrrrrgh goes the horn to start the race, thirty seconds later the mob finally starts to move forward.  It was such a long walk to the starting line, I had plenty of time to scan the crowd.  I wonder where CT is.  Can CT see me?  Then the reality, there ain't a chance in hell I'm going to see her or she's going to be able to see me.

Holy shit, this is a ton of runners!  Even in the busiest race I've done up until this point after a mile or two things are thinning out.  At mile seven, we were still shoulder to shoulder.  This is a damn stampede.  You know that plan I came up with, well, I couldn't change it if I wanted to.  I wouldn't be able to pass anybody unless I had a cattle catcher attached to the front of me and I'm pretty sure if I needed to slow down, we'll I'd be permanently flattened to the pavement from being trampled.  Wanna talk 5150, this is it.  Water-stops felt like the damn lottery, it must have looked like a rack of beef being lowered into the Amazon River as piranha attacked.  I took two elbows and got kicked once and though it sounds like I'm complaining, I consider myself lucky.

I did modify my strategy in an attempt to find the largest empty pocket I could without jockeying too much.  There were actually people concerned about passing, so could float to these small open areas.  I couldn't figure out why people weren't doing the same thing, but I wasn't about to give them hints.  Not only did these pockets allow for a little more visibility to see the road, less chance for flying elbows and feet, but the best surprise was a little extra air flow to help with cooling.

I started to base how I was doing with where the pacers would be in relation to me after each water-stop.  It became a game within a game if I could somehow find water, drink, and get back to it without loosing any ground to them.  Some stops I'd break even, others I'd lose some ground.  Between mile seven and ten, it was still pretty crowded.  A couple times I remember being irritated that there were so many people in this kind of shape, shouldn't they be tired by now?  Just past mile ten, some hills started.  This is the point where, although I did feel like I was getting tired, I seemed to be catching people.  People who were ahead of the pace group this whole time were getting closer and closer to me.  Mile twelve the hills were done.  Stick to the plan.

Once the hills were done, I felt pretty confident.  Part of me wanted to start to push it, but I talked myself out of it, told myself I at least had to wait until thirteen and a half before I could go.  That's about the time I passed the pace group.  Once I passed them, some common sense set in.  It was obvious to me that I'd get my goal, so I didn't see the point to trying to really improve my time beyond what it was.  One big race this month and I don't want to get injured.  Even though I told myself this and felt like I was trying to do this, the last two miles did get quicker.

The final stretch, I tried to enjoy it more.  As I scanned the crowd it became more about finding CT, where would she be standing, would I be able to find her?  I felt pretty damn good knowing that my goal was in the bag, yet I still wanted to share it with her.  Reality hit, there's no way I'd be able to spot her.  Next best thing, maybe she'll be able to see me, so I put my hands in a heart over my heart and crossed the line.

Twenty thousand people, needle in a haystack!  I made my obligatory race tweet about the Two Hour Club has a new member as I stopped my watch.  Then with one glance, into the crowd, there was CT looking back at me with this huge smile.  Twenty thousand people in a 25K, found the only person who mattered at that moment. 

Crossing the Line:

                                         
  


Friday, May 11, 2012

5150



What do you do when you don't reach the goal you set for yourself?  Easy! Raise the bar and give it another shot, of course!  Logically, that makes absolutely no sense. That's a case of the 5150.

I've had a few days to think about how the Marathon got me.  Should I have done things different, should I have been doing other things training, or was it just a case of the heat.  I realize I could play those games all day and never really truly know.  Only way to continue to get better is run more.  The week following the Marathon last year, I could barely walk and was in no condition to run.  My legs feel good, then it just kind of hit me, there's a big race coming up, why not do it too?  A few seconds later, I was signed up for the Fifth Third River Bank 25K.

How does raising the bar factor in changing race distances?  As I was signing up, something caught my eye, there is something called the Under 2 Hour Club.  Special treatment, special area, sounds good to me.  Of course to get into this club, the year prior, you have to complete the race in under two hours. 

Fifteen and a half miles in two hours, is fast, but seems possible.  I'm so confident I can do it!  Then I started looking at all my training runs, races and every single run that's gone over that distance, I've never once been able to do it!  Ugh, what did I get myself into?  Granted on all those runs, I wasn't aiming for that goal, but still I'm kind of surprised that I've never accidentally pulled it off.  Marathon goal was 8 minute miles for 26.2, this will be about a 7:44 per mile pace for 15.5 miles, bar raised.

So what's 5150?  Well, I just learned this week that it's the police code for crazy person on the loose.  Bar raised, lets see what's possible.                  

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Same but Different



7:59 AM I find myself standing in roughly the same spot I was a year ago.  The goals, slightly different, but I suppose the primary goal is still the same, survive 26.2 miles.  Last year was all about being my first Marathon.  This year, I already decided it would be called redemption, because I felt the course got the best of me.  All the horrible thoughts and nightmares are gone, I was still found myself nervous.  Not so much about finishing, but being able to achieve the goal I set for myself.

3:30 is the time I want.  Five months of training and I feel confident I can do it.  I've been running very consistent throughout training and it seems like a very reasonable goal.  With my 5K PR and my Half Marathon PR, in the past two months, it's only fitting to PR this Marathon.  On the mental side, I missed one long run of twenty miles and CT's been injured.  It shouldn't, but missing that one run does cause mental anguish for some reason.  I found myself stuck in a debate of trying to make that run up or doing what everyone says and rest the final two weeks of training.  With CT injured, it feels like I've been alone for a long time.  I miss the energy that comes from small successes of her having a good run, or her getting excited about accomplishing something.

My biggest fear is the weather this year.  Five months of running in the snow, then suddenly temps are in the 70's.  My body does not adjust to the heat at all.  If I could have done some kind of cold weather dance before this thing started, I would have done it!

8:00 the race starts.  The first fifteen miles, exactly as planned.  Felt like I was running easy, legs felt good, and I was about two minutes ahead of my goal.  CT and one of our other running friends bounced around the course and it was always nice to see their smiling cheering faces at various points.  Then I don't know if this was a sign of things to come or a simple mistake, but I dropped both ibuprofen I decided to take at the water stop.  Even though I was still feeling good, figured I'd try to be preemptively strike any aches and pains for the last half.  True runners don't care, at least that was my feeling, so I picked them up off the ground and ate them dirt and all.  A spectator watched me do it and my comment was "a little extra protein won't hurt".

Looking back, I think my lack of coordination to successfully take two ibuprofen capsules from my pocket to my mouth was probably a sign that the end was coming.  By mile seventeen, I knew I was getting slower, which I had planned for, but I was also starting to feel the tell tale signs I was beginning to overheat.  About this time is when the 3:30 pace group caught up to me and passed me.  Unlike last year, I wasn't crushed as they went by, I knew the heat was going to be a problem.  By mile eighteen, I had to walk to rest.  Knowing that I'd have to mix walking and running just to finish from this point on, my goal wasn't even in the equation anymore and it became about just finishing without hurting myself.  Race another day.

Maybe it's maturity, maybe it's some experience under my shoes, but what I'm taking away from this Marathon is sometimes elements out of your control make goals impossible.  It just wasn't my day.  A year ago I vowed to return to this race to beat it, well it got me again this year.  Same but different, last year was the wall, this year was the heat.  Maybe the third time is the charm, we'll find out next year.  Until then, enjoy it Kalamazoo Marathon, I'm not going to give up and I'll be back to run all over you!