Humans were Born to Run Barefoot
16 years ago
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Boston - 192 days
Today was the beginning. No formal training until November 3 but I hooked up with Damon/Kamran/Jason and went for a 5.6 mile run at a 7:35 pace today and began visualizing the Boston course. I booked airfare on JetBlue, non-stop on Saturday. I booked hotel reservations at the Marriott in Cambridge. I looked up the CSU charter bus info from Duke last year. I am going for a sub 3 at Boston. After the fantastic experience at Portland, I am willing to go for an intermediate goal if the training does not fall into place but I plan to make every effort to get there. That means cutting 6 minutes and 6 seconds off my Portland time. That means cutting my pace from 7:06 per mile at Portland to 6:52 per mile. I plan to train at the 100 mile per week level this time around. That should net about 2,200 miles between now and Boston. That will burn through 5 pairs of shoes plus 1 for race day. I will eat and burn about 672,000 calories.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Geezer's Perfect Marathon?!
Portland Marathon Race Report
Geezer’s Perfect Marathon
That is a loaded word to use when describing a marathon. Things never go perfectly as planned and the marathon has a way of insuring that nothing is ever perfect. Even so, I plan to run faster times but I seriously doubt if I will ever run another marathon as well as I just ran the 2009 Portland.
I am leaving out the pre-race stuff other than to say I had a small cup of coffee (4oz) and my now standard 2 scoops of Carbo-Pro with 2oz of water about 1.5 hours before the start.
The goal was to run a sub 3:10 marathon. My plan was to bank 30-45 seconds over the first 16 miles, give back whatever I needed to insure I topped out the hill on 16 with gas in the tank then begin a gradual closing effort to the finish aiming for a 3:08ish time. I new the pace was 7:15 per mile and I wrote the 10 and 20 mile splits on my arm for later reference. I seeded myself just in front of the 3:10 pace group but planned to run just behind them for a few miles before putting a little time in the bank.
I knew by the ½ mile point that we were running fast. I was 10 seconds behind the pace leader at the 1 mile point and I was 12 seconds fast. By mile 2 I was 32 seconds fast and still running behind the pacer. He must have realized how fast he was and suddenly he slowed dramatically. I gave up on the pace group at that point and decided to take responsibility for the race myself. I don’t remember seeing the track at mile 3 but it was about this time that I knew I was going to have a great race. I gave myself permission to run based on effort and not worry about the mile splits as long as they stayed between 7:00 and 7:20. Kamran the human metronome will laugh at my spread but that how I run.
There are 3 distinct memories from the section from mile 3 to 6. First, cammo shorts guy comes out of a porta potty right in front of me and SPRINTS to catch up to his group now 100 meters up ahead. I made a note to myself to say hi to him later because I knew I would catch him. After he sprinted away, I looked at the number of runners ahead of me and how many were passing me and I said to the guy next to me that there were at least 100 runners ahead of us who weren’t going to be there at the end. That’s when I noticed that he was already struggling with the pace. On the big downhill I let myself flow downhill relaxed and easy. Silly runners were racing all out down the hill passing me like I was standing still but I just kept plugging away.
Miles 6 – 11 were the boring out and back miles along Front Street. I was anxious to see if Erik and Jacob were with the leaders and how Steve would look running his first hard effort. It seemed like forever before I saw the leaders then Erik and Jacob in 4/5 or 5/6 place. I gave them a huge cheer and a wave. Then Steve and Tim. I waved and hollered eliciting a scolding from Steve about running smooth. I already knew I was rocking the joint so I just kept hollering as Kamran, Larry, Damon and Andrew went by. I made my turn and saw Jim with the 3:10 group and made a note to keep an eye out for him later. I missed Niccole but I think I saw everyone else. Chad looked good running with the 3:15 group at that point. Ruth Anne was right near the 4:00 group. The miles in this flat section varied from 6:52 to 7:14. At mile 10 I looked at the split on my arm and saw I had nearly 2 minutes in the bank. It occurred to me that I might pay later but I really felt good and didn’t worry about it.
I came to the bar where Tonya Harding plotted to have Nancy Kerrigan clubbed and knew that we had a fairly good 2 mile climb coming up through a residential area. There were spectators out but it seemed fairly subdued. I saw Julia and John just before we topped the climb.
I didn’t see the half mark in time to check my split (1:32:44 on results page) and set my sights on reserving effort for the hill from 16-17. The high point of the course was the mid-point of the St. Johns bridge and I was determined to top it and rock the rest of the course. I ended up running next to “Jeff” during this section and he said he was 23 and running his first marathon. I asked him if he thought he was going to hold up and just smiled and said yes. He dropped me about 2/3 up the bridge approach and I never saw him again. I looked him up later and he ran a 3:02! At the mid-point of the bridge I looked around at the runners near me and said “see ya!” I did not want to get passed from that point to the finish.
We left the bridge and I had my first “Oh Shit” moment of the day. We dropped quickly then made a hard left turn on a steep slope into a big uphill that we missed on the drive through. I was concerned that I might have broken my stride but the next mile clicked off at 7:00 and I felt no lingering effects.
Miles 18-23: This was the BEST part of the race. I knew that I had 3:10 in the bag. I also knew that no effort would get me a sub 3 hour so I relaxed and had fun. I was talking to anyone who could match my pace, pumping up the crowd and generally hamming it up. A couple of runners passed me but I reeled every single one of them back in. I see know that my pace dropped off my 3 or 4 seconds per mile but I wasn’t pushing at all and didn’t really worry about it.
I knew there was a pretty good climb coming at 24 as we approached the Broadway Bridge but clocked a 7:03 (passed cammo shorts guy flailing up the hill) that I probably paid for with a 7:21 on mile 25. We were now back on Front Street and I knew we had 2 miles left. I waited to start the final push until I was over the train tracks then I picked up the effort. Steve had teased me the day before when I said we wouldn’t notice the .2 mile uphill to the finish and I was determined to be at a full sprint (in the context of having run 26 miles) when I hit the hill.
Then the final “Oh Shit” moment. I was passing EVERYONE at this point. These were the guys who went for 3 and didn’t make it and I was flying by them at a 6:50 or better pace. At the last underpass they had set up the final aid station with tables of water on either side of the road. Why a water stop with ½ a mile to go? Why set up tables only 12 feet apart leaving only 3 or 4 feet clear between the volunteers handing out cups? Anyway, the guy right in front of me took a water and stopped dead in the middle of the gap. Without time to think, I lifted my arm, shoved him aside and continued my sprint to the finish. There was a huge crash behind me but I never looked back.
I saw the turn and really dialed up the effort. 50 meters into the hill and Steve was right, I nearly puked trying to hold it to the finish. Crossed the line, checked for runners behind and stopped to catch my breath. Looked at my watch 3:06:06. Official time 3:06:05. Yeah! The perfect marathon!
I took no water or fuel on this marathon. The Carbo-Pro breakfast has worked out well and I loved having no digestion issues. I did feel hungry during the middle miles but that subsided. I had a minor side stitch around mile 19 but with a little relaxed breathing it too went away.
Geezer’s Perfect Marathon
That is a loaded word to use when describing a marathon. Things never go perfectly as planned and the marathon has a way of insuring that nothing is ever perfect. Even so, I plan to run faster times but I seriously doubt if I will ever run another marathon as well as I just ran the 2009 Portland.
I am leaving out the pre-race stuff other than to say I had a small cup of coffee (4oz) and my now standard 2 scoops of Carbo-Pro with 2oz of water about 1.5 hours before the start.
The goal was to run a sub 3:10 marathon. My plan was to bank 30-45 seconds over the first 16 miles, give back whatever I needed to insure I topped out the hill on 16 with gas in the tank then begin a gradual closing effort to the finish aiming for a 3:08ish time. I new the pace was 7:15 per mile and I wrote the 10 and 20 mile splits on my arm for later reference. I seeded myself just in front of the 3:10 pace group but planned to run just behind them for a few miles before putting a little time in the bank.
I knew by the ½ mile point that we were running fast. I was 10 seconds behind the pace leader at the 1 mile point and I was 12 seconds fast. By mile 2 I was 32 seconds fast and still running behind the pacer. He must have realized how fast he was and suddenly he slowed dramatically. I gave up on the pace group at that point and decided to take responsibility for the race myself. I don’t remember seeing the track at mile 3 but it was about this time that I knew I was going to have a great race. I gave myself permission to run based on effort and not worry about the mile splits as long as they stayed between 7:00 and 7:20. Kamran the human metronome will laugh at my spread but that how I run.
There are 3 distinct memories from the section from mile 3 to 6. First, cammo shorts guy comes out of a porta potty right in front of me and SPRINTS to catch up to his group now 100 meters up ahead. I made a note to myself to say hi to him later because I knew I would catch him. After he sprinted away, I looked at the number of runners ahead of me and how many were passing me and I said to the guy next to me that there were at least 100 runners ahead of us who weren’t going to be there at the end. That’s when I noticed that he was already struggling with the pace. On the big downhill I let myself flow downhill relaxed and easy. Silly runners were racing all out down the hill passing me like I was standing still but I just kept plugging away.
Miles 6 – 11 were the boring out and back miles along Front Street. I was anxious to see if Erik and Jacob were with the leaders and how Steve would look running his first hard effort. It seemed like forever before I saw the leaders then Erik and Jacob in 4/5 or 5/6 place. I gave them a huge cheer and a wave. Then Steve and Tim. I waved and hollered eliciting a scolding from Steve about running smooth. I already knew I was rocking the joint so I just kept hollering as Kamran, Larry, Damon and Andrew went by. I made my turn and saw Jim with the 3:10 group and made a note to keep an eye out for him later. I missed Niccole but I think I saw everyone else. Chad looked good running with the 3:15 group at that point. Ruth Anne was right near the 4:00 group. The miles in this flat section varied from 6:52 to 7:14. At mile 10 I looked at the split on my arm and saw I had nearly 2 minutes in the bank. It occurred to me that I might pay later but I really felt good and didn’t worry about it.
I came to the bar where Tonya Harding plotted to have Nancy Kerrigan clubbed and knew that we had a fairly good 2 mile climb coming up through a residential area. There were spectators out but it seemed fairly subdued. I saw Julia and John just before we topped the climb.
I didn’t see the half mark in time to check my split (1:32:44 on results page) and set my sights on reserving effort for the hill from 16-17. The high point of the course was the mid-point of the St. Johns bridge and I was determined to top it and rock the rest of the course. I ended up running next to “Jeff” during this section and he said he was 23 and running his first marathon. I asked him if he thought he was going to hold up and just smiled and said yes. He dropped me about 2/3 up the bridge approach and I never saw him again. I looked him up later and he ran a 3:02! At the mid-point of the bridge I looked around at the runners near me and said “see ya!” I did not want to get passed from that point to the finish.
We left the bridge and I had my first “Oh Shit” moment of the day. We dropped quickly then made a hard left turn on a steep slope into a big uphill that we missed on the drive through. I was concerned that I might have broken my stride but the next mile clicked off at 7:00 and I felt no lingering effects.
Miles 18-23: This was the BEST part of the race. I knew that I had 3:10 in the bag. I also knew that no effort would get me a sub 3 hour so I relaxed and had fun. I was talking to anyone who could match my pace, pumping up the crowd and generally hamming it up. A couple of runners passed me but I reeled every single one of them back in. I see know that my pace dropped off my 3 or 4 seconds per mile but I wasn’t pushing at all and didn’t really worry about it.
I knew there was a pretty good climb coming at 24 as we approached the Broadway Bridge but clocked a 7:03 (passed cammo shorts guy flailing up the hill) that I probably paid for with a 7:21 on mile 25. We were now back on Front Street and I knew we had 2 miles left. I waited to start the final push until I was over the train tracks then I picked up the effort. Steve had teased me the day before when I said we wouldn’t notice the .2 mile uphill to the finish and I was determined to be at a full sprint (in the context of having run 26 miles) when I hit the hill.
Then the final “Oh Shit” moment. I was passing EVERYONE at this point. These were the guys who went for 3 and didn’t make it and I was flying by them at a 6:50 or better pace. At the last underpass they had set up the final aid station with tables of water on either side of the road. Why a water stop with ½ a mile to go? Why set up tables only 12 feet apart leaving only 3 or 4 feet clear between the volunteers handing out cups? Anyway, the guy right in front of me took a water and stopped dead in the middle of the gap. Without time to think, I lifted my arm, shoved him aside and continued my sprint to the finish. There was a huge crash behind me but I never looked back.
I saw the turn and really dialed up the effort. 50 meters into the hill and Steve was right, I nearly puked trying to hold it to the finish. Crossed the line, checked for runners behind and stopped to catch my breath. Looked at my watch 3:06:06. Official time 3:06:05. Yeah! The perfect marathon!
I took no water or fuel on this marathon. The Carbo-Pro breakfast has worked out well and I loved having no digestion issues. I did feel hungry during the middle miles but that subsided. I had a minor side stitch around mile 19 but with a little relaxed breathing it too went away.
Recovery is hard to do
I want to run! I have committed to running only limited miles for the next 3 weeks. I didn't think it would be this hard though. I feel like I am going to explode! Eileen wanted to scooter to school so I got to run the 1/2 mile up there with her. Arghhhh.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Victory Lap
I just got back from a 3 mile victory lap through the neighborhood. Since I have had no pain or soreness walking around I wanted to see if running revealed any lingering issues from the race. Aside from a slight bit of tightness in the first mile and a slight twinge in my hip toward the end, nothing. I will stick to my plan of NO training until November 3rd. I will let myself run 3-5 easy miles a couple of times a week but no more than 25 miles in a week until then.
I spent a bit of time looking at the RunPix graphical race results and it confirmed what I already stated in yesterday's post. From the halfway point, 2 runners passed me and I passed 100. I knew a 23 year old named Jeff passed me on the approach to the St. Johns bridge and I never saw him again (3:02:01!) but I didn't start keeping track of passed runners until mile 17.5 when NOT ONE managed to pass me and make it stick. I particularly remember Heather. She got pissed when I passed her the first time and pushed to get back ahead of me. I kept a steady effort and passed her again and she once again pushed to get ahead of me. She was a crowd favorite so I kept hearing people cheering her name. We probably traded places 5 times between 18 and 23 before I dropped her for good (3:07:01 and 9th woman overall!) and by the time I reached the home stretch on Front/Natio Street I wasn't hearing her name any more.
I am trying to reassemble a full recollection of the race. I already have the title for it: "Geezer's Perfect Marathon" as I don't think I am capable of running one any better than this. I still hope to run faster, but I doubt I will ever run one better.
I spent a bit of time looking at the RunPix graphical race results and it confirmed what I already stated in yesterday's post. From the halfway point, 2 runners passed me and I passed 100. I knew a 23 year old named Jeff passed me on the approach to the St. Johns bridge and I never saw him again (3:02:01!) but I didn't start keeping track of passed runners until mile 17.5 when NOT ONE managed to pass me and make it stick. I particularly remember Heather. She got pissed when I passed her the first time and pushed to get back ahead of me. I kept a steady effort and passed her again and she once again pushed to get ahead of me. She was a crowd favorite so I kept hearing people cheering her name. We probably traded places 5 times between 18 and 23 before I dropped her for good (3:07:01 and 9th woman overall!) and by the time I reached the home stretch on Front/Natio Street I wasn't hearing her name any more.
I am trying to reassemble a full recollection of the race. I already have the title for it: "Geezer's Perfect Marathon" as I don't think I am capable of running one any better than this. I still hope to run faster, but I doubt I will ever run one better.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Time for PR update!
Today was the Portland Marathon. Had a weird trip out. I always plan my marathon travel bag down to the last detail and check it 6 times before leaving. So how do I end up here with no phone and no underwear? And I left the hotel information on the plane. Anyway, I managed to get the race essentials packed in my carry on bag so I had what I needed to race. I will admit now that I knew I was prepared for this race. In fact, my concern was that I would get greedy and go for that shimmering 3 hour mirage that shows up in my dreams. In fact, as I left the room this morning, I had to force myself to leave the 3 hour pace band that I grabbed at the race expo on the room desk. I'm glad I did. I wrote the 10 mile and 20 mile splits for 3:10:00 on my arm and reminded myself of the 3:10:00 pace of 7:15/mile. The start was confusing to say the least. I was 3 feet behind the tape with maybe 200 runners. The Portland Mayor did his countdown and yelled GO and off went the elites. I was leaning into my start when they yelled at us to wait our turn. WTF? They gave the elites a 1 minute head start then let us go. I don't know how many "waves" they staggered but I heard it was the same thing for Ruth Anne at the 4 hour pace group. I stuck to my plan and ran BEHIND the 3:10:00 group through 2 miles where we were already 30 seconds ahead of pace. When the pace group leader slowed WAY down to get back on pace I ditched him and tried to get on my own "steady" pace. Anyone who has followed my blos for any time will laugh when I use steady and pace in the same sentence and you would be right again today. On the first big hill at mile 4 I clocked a 7:06 and wondered if I had just cooked my goose. I saw Erik and Jacob in 5 and 6 place on the out and back. Then Steve and Tim. Steve scolded me to run smooth. Are you kidding me? I was in the groove today and yelling at everyone I saw. I made the turn around and saw nearly everyone from Rogue go by. By mile 10 I had 2 minutes in the bank but instead of feeling scared, I felt like it was going to be my day. I made up my mind to run as steady as I could to the center of the big bridge and see what I had left. That was the 17.5 mile point of the race and I looked at the guy next to me and litterally said "see ya" and took off. From mile 17.5 to the finish line I did not let one person pass me. A few managed to pass me but I caught every one of them. I was hamming it up for the crowds when they went quiet and fed off of the cheers I could solicit. I guess I passed 80 runners in the final 8 miles. I noticed my breathing became labored at about 23 but I knew it was my day and I just kept pushing. At mile 25.something they had a water stop set up under an overpass. The tables were only 10 feet apart and with peaple handing out water it was very narrow. I was in full kick mode and the idiot in front of me took a water and stopped dead in the center of the gap maybe 6 feet in front of me. No time to think, I brought up my arm and shoved him out of the way. I heard a table crash and 800 water cups hit the ground but I never looked back. In the final 1/2 mile I passed at least 20 runners like they were standing still. I was hoping for a 3:05 at that point but heard 3:05 flat announced as I hit the 26 mile mark. 1:05 for the .2 miles and I was done. Cooked. Hungry. Thirsty. And getting cold. I had promised Ruth Anne I would wait no matter how long it took her to finish so I found my drop bag and headed out to the course. She was behind the 4:30 group and really looking bad when I found her but Julia and John (THANKS GUYS) where holding her hand and passed her off to me. I ran the final mile in with her and held her up through the medal/pin/drink/food/flower line and got her back to the room. Here are my splits. You can look up the course profile if you want to correlate them to ups and downs.
1 7:03
2 6:55
3 7:19
4 7:06
5 7:04
6 6:52
7 7:02
8 7:01
9 7:33 missed the marker so not accurate
10 6:54 short because of previous remark
11 6:54
12 7:14
13 6:59
14 7:00
15 6:58
16 7:12
17 7:47
18 7:00
19 7:04
20 6:58
21 7:05
22 7:01
23 7:13
24 7:02
25 7:21 No idea why this was slow, I felt like I had picked up the pace
26.2 8:14 Didn't split at 26.
1 7:03
2 6:55
3 7:19
4 7:06
5 7:04
6 6:52
7 7:02
8 7:01
9 7:33 missed the marker so not accurate
10 6:54 short because of previous remark
11 6:54
12 7:14
13 6:59
14 7:00
15 6:58
16 7:12
17 7:47
18 7:00
19 7:04
20 6:58
21 7:05
22 7:01
23 7:13
24 7:02
25 7:21 No idea why this was slow, I felt like I had picked up the pace
26.2 8:14 Didn't split at 26.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
P-3
3 miles this morning. I have a sinus thing building and a run usually loosens things up. 3 miles barely got things moving but I will keep at it today. Hydration plan is working pretty well. I am just about packed. Busy day dropping dogs and cat off, ordering some skate blades, and all of the usual last minute leaving town crap.
I have been pleased with the response to the potato chip run that I had my runners do on Tuesday. Thanks Bruce for telling me about it 2 years ago! Next week I am going to show them how to self torture (I mean treat) with the foam roller, the stick and the TP Roller system. Good times!
I may be posting from the iPhone so please excuse typos and brevity for the next few days.
See you on the roads!
I have been pleased with the response to the potato chip run that I had my runners do on Tuesday. Thanks Bruce for telling me about it 2 years ago! Next week I am going to show them how to self torture (I mean treat) with the foam roller, the stick and the TP Roller system. Good times!
I may be posting from the iPhone so please excuse typos and brevity for the next few days.
See you on the roads!
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