OUCH!!!

Well the JFK 50 miler did not go as I planned. I tweaked a tendon in my left leg on the Appalachian Trail just before the Gathland aid station, probably about 7 or 8 miles into the race. At that point it only ached going down hill so I thought I might be able to recover on the flat C&O Canal Towpath. Coming into Weverton it was pretty painful so I got some ibuprofen from my crew (lovely wife and fellow RR KevinH).

the IB never helped and my pace kept dropping at the Antietam crew stop I was reduced to power walking at about a 12 m/mi pace. I tried to make it to the crew stop at mile 38 but finally called quits at the mile 34.4 aid station. The pain was simply too much and I didn't want to risk serious injury.

Now I'm hoping to recover and get back out running on the roads in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime it will be swimming and cycling, nice and easy on both.

Getting ready for JFK50

I am running in the JFK 50 Miler this Saturday (17 November 2007) I think I'm pretty much ready. I'm feeling just a little nervous and a lot excited. I expect to be on my feet for 10 hours or less. the first 16 miles are on the Appalachian Trail (AT), then 26 miles on the C&O Canal Towpath and the last 8 miles on rural rolling roads.

IronKev?

A friend of mine at work has now convinced me that we should do a full IronMan distance triathlon next year perhaps ChesapeakeMan September 2008??

32nd Marine Corp Marathon, October 28, 2007

I woke a little before 5:00 am got some coffee brewing and took my dog for a walk. It was chilly and a little breezy which did not make me feel all that comfortable about what might lie ahead for the day. If it was breezy now, then it could really blow later, in more ways than one! I really hate it when it’s windy and I’m running.

Once back in the house, I made sure Suzanne was awake and changed into my running gear, race ready shorts, cool max socks and Nike Air Zoom Elite 3 running shoes (my new fave) and Baltimore Marathon training shirt, because I love the saying on the back “The Pain is Temporary, the Pride lasts Forever”. I ate a banana, blueberry Clif bar and mocha chip swirl bagel along with a glass of water.

Suzanne and I drove to the Metro; our plan was to meet at the Reston Runners Tree located at the finish line and meet up with some other Reston Runners. We got off at the Arlington Cemetery stop and walked a short distance to the Iwo Jima memorial and after a bit of work, found the tree, It was harder to do in the pre-dawn than it was a couple of weeks ago post dawn. We finally found the tree and our running friends. As more Reston runners showed up the excitement really kicked in. We got our Reston Runners tats, some went on better than others, and joked around and took pictures of the group.

It looked like our friends were going to mosey a bit slower than I liked over to the start line so I talked Suzanne into going over there at about 7:20, the race was to kick off at 8:00 with wheel chairs starting even earlier and I didn’t want to have to have to try and cross over the street among them.

In the 3:30 starting area, Suzanne and I ran into Reid and Ross fellow Triathletes, Reid is a fellow RAT and Ross, from Cleveland, was our swimmer at Savageman. It was great to see them and we got a chance to chat briefly before the start. It was nice being able to hang with Suzanne before the start of a big race for a change, we are usually separated by a large distance in races like this.

Race Time!

Finally the start canon goes off. My plan, set up by my Coach David Warden was to run the first 13 miles at a HR of under 144 BPM, then the next 8 mile at a HR under 148 BPM and the final 5.2 with whatever I have left, in other words go wild if I can.

The beginning, in Virginia.
Mile one is a bit of a gradual up hill on route 110 into Rosslyn, VA,. I saw Tim, Donna, Ellen, and Anna in the first half mile and ran with Donna for most of this mile as we chatted about our goals for the race. There was a bit of a head wind that I was not enjoying, did I mention that I hate the wind? I managed to keep my HR at an average of 136 with a peak of 143, not too bad split time 8:02. The crowds in Rosslyn were super! Mile two the climb continues, I passed DC Mayor Fenty early in this mile gave him a shout out and he returned the encouragement, nice. My HR alarm went off a few times as I peaked twice at 145 and 150, the average was 144.8 so still not too bad, split time 8:12. Mile three is were we reach the summit and then get a nice down hill on Spout Run, I kept the peaks under better control at 146 and 148, and the avg HR was down to 142 split time 8:23. Mile four is down hill and then flat for the last bit I had a peak HR at the end of this split of 145, as I pushed the pace just a bit but the AVG HR was 141, so I’m feeling pretty good at this point with a split time of 7:06.

Key Bridge and into George Town.
Mile five begins another bit of a hill as we have to climb up to the Key bridge. I begin my nutrition strategy here as I eat a few cola Clif Blocks to get a bit of caffeine and then hit the water stop near the top of the hill to wash them down. My timing on this was pretty good, the water stop is not too crowded and I get through it ok. It did take a bit of a toll on my HR as I peaked at 152 but then eased it back down into my range as I crossed the bridge. I Donna motored past me and then Ellen as we approached another climb that will take us up to the reservoir. AVG HR was 146, a tad high and the pace was 8:18, pretty good. Mile 6 begins with a steep up hill section and then eases a bit put maintains the up hill. As I chatted with Ellen for a bit and ate more Clif blocks before the water stop, my HR started to creep up to 16 so I let her go, then the hill came and I struggle to keep the HR down but I did peak at 155, I managed to get it back down to 145 but then at the end of the mile it was creeping back up to 150: avg HR 148, too high, split time 8:27 too low. Mile 7 takes us past the reservoir and then the turn around and the end of the major hills. My HR crept up to 151 as I crested the hill and then dropped steadily down to 143, as I wondered if this stretch would come back to haunt me later: avg HR 146, still a bit high, split time 7:49, too fast. Mile 8, did I say the hills were over? Well this stretch felt more like a false flat to me, as it was not flat but not really that much of a grade, it was not the easy down hill I was anticipating though. I started noticing some guys heading for the tree line and with not a porta potty in sight, and a bit of an urge I decided it might be better to take care of things now rather than later. My reasoning was that if I waited for the porta potty, it A) might be too late b) there might be a line and c) I knew the woods were going to end and soon there would be no place to simply pull over! This stop cost me 28 seconds and at the time I wondered if it was a good move ore not. A little ways up the road and I saw about 4 porta potties with one guy waiting, So I thought my earlier decision was probably good. Donna caught up to me and said hi so she must have made a stop herself, but then shoe motored on ahead of me. I had a couple of HR peaks at 148 an 147 but my avg HR was 146: split time 8:28. Mile nine and it was time to sneak in a small snack before the water stop I also took a Succeed tab get some extra sodium and potassium in and ward off any cramps later. We came back on canal road, near the Key bridge. Peak HR was once at 148 and average was 147,I began to wander how this peaks and high averages were going to affect me at the 20 mile mark: split 8:10 according to my 3:40 pace band I’m up over 2 minutes from where I should be so I’m a bit fast. Mile 10 takes us on to the Whithurst freeway and we get a bit of a down grade. The crowds here were great! I get my HR under better control but the avg is still 146, I see Reid and Ross and we chat a bit, they are looking great and motor on a head as we neared the Kennedy Center: split time 8:02 but I’m feeling pretty strong.

The Capitol Mall
Mile 11 and I’m starting to get excited, not because of my pace or performance, but because there is just three miles until my HR zone changes and I hope to not hear the alarms so much! We ran past the Kennedy Center and the Lincoln Memorial, I had a couple of peak HRs of 148 bpm and the avg was 147 my split time was 7:58. Mile 12 is up Constitution Ave and past the White House, I wonder if the Prez is peeking out his window? The crowds here are great! I have a few more high peak HR of 149 and the average is 147, my split time was 8:03 and again I wonder what it will do to me later. As we make the s turn onto the mall the crowds really pumped me up and they are so thick that we can only run about 4 abreast and I wonder what it will be like when the middle of the pack tries to squeeze by. We make the turn in front of the US Capitol and a small head winds as we turn back down the mall. I do know that I am running this first half better than last year or any previous marathon, but I have that nagging thought that I might have run this first half too aggressive anyway. I had a peak HR of 148 with an avg hr of 147 and split of 8:22. Halfway there at 13.1 and I’m at 1:46:50, heck this isn’t a bad Half marathon time but I have a long way to go. At this point I’m 3:10 ahead of my 3:40 goal. Can I keep this up? Will the head wind increase? I know there is still the dreaded Haines point and mile 18 where things started take a turn for the worse last year, but for now I’m feeling good my HR average 149 with no real spikes to speak of, spit time is 8:24, right about on track. Mile 15 takes us around the Tidal Basin and past the fame Cherry Blossom Trees. There is a water stop and I take more Clif blocks and another Succeed. The crowds are fantastic here. And I let my HR creep up to a steady 150, no spikes just 150, my split is 8:17, right on track and next up , Haines Point. We turn and run past the Jefferson Memorial, but I don’t really see it as the crowds are thick and very exciting. I am focusing on this stretch and monitoring all my bodily systems for any sign that I might be falling apart. I’m able to keep the HR at a fairly steady 149 bpm and my split time for mile 16 is 8:21 just about on target. Mile 17 takes us south along the Potomac river. While it is a very pretty run it is difficult for spectators to get down here so not much crowd support. I just start to focus on monitoring my body and start to get a crampy tight feeling in my gut, uh oh, are the Clif blocks taking their toll or is it the Succeed? The folks from Marathon Photo have a crane over the course here and are taking pictures, I smile big and start to feel better as I roll under the crane that looks low enough for a tall runner to actually hit their head! I feel like I need to dial it back a bit as I make sure there isn’t a problem brewing internally and for this stretch I keep the HR down to and very even average of 148 with no peaks or valleys to speak of: split time 8:30. Now we are nearing the Haines point Turn around and a water stop. I’ve been saving my Peanut Butter Power Bar for this stop and eat half, Oh my did that ever feel nice! I take water and then pass the Awaking Sculpture, that will one day be moved to the National Harbor a few miles south on the Potomac River. I will miss this statue, if you haven’t seen this it is huge and depicts a man emerging from the soil, pretty cool. What isn’t cool is the head winds we now face. I try to find a large runner to tuck in behind but can’t seem to find one big enough or going the right pace. This stretch is where both the 3:40 paced groups and 3:45 pace groups cam thundering by me last year. It is where my left hamstring tightened up and I had to stop and stretch a few times. This year is much different as I motor along with and avg HR of 149 and just on peak of 151: split time 8:43 and I’m falling back a bit. My elapsed time at this point is 2:27:51 and I’m still ahead by a little over 3 minutes. However, there is still a long way to go! Mile 19 is pretty uneventful, still fighting a head wind on Haines point but we are getting closer to the crowds, I can hear them and that means getting off Haines Point and to the bridge. I absolutely love the next mile coming up but for this mile, I have a steady and avg HR of 150, a bit high still but since it is getting late in the game I forgive myself a bit: split time 8:42 still a bit off pace. Mile 20 and the crowds are back; this is the part of the race that makes you feel like a rock star, if you have a name on your shirt they scream it at you. It is probably the most motivating part of the course. For back of the packers it is also critical to get on the bridge before the 5 hour mark. No problem for me as I face the next challenge which is like a desert over the water,

Over the River and Through the City
The bridge is long, undulating and hot and boring but you know at the end is a water stop and the crowds of Crystal City. For me this stretch mean that I will no longer look at HR, I will now see what I have in the tank and go by feel, this is my “go wild” part, but how much wild will I have left in me?? The 3:40 pace group catches me and I try to hang with them, I don’t want to loose sight of those balloons., My pace picks up, what? Where did that come from so late in the game? For this stretch my avg HR is 151, too high but I don’t care, I just want the HR alarms to stop and that won’t happen until I hit mile 21! We hit the water stop after mile 21 and it is really crowded here. I lose the 3:40 pace team or rather they lose me and that hurts a bit mentally I focus and maintaining a good cadence and try to feel loose, The winds coming into Crystal City are horrendous, strong and swirling around the tall buildings. Last year on this stretch there was a “Motivation Tunnel” that was loud and annoying. Thankfully it is not here this year. The crowds are even better this year and it felt good to again hear my name being called out. I’m so glad I put on that extra name bib! I have a peak HR of 156 and the average is 151, but I don’ really care I’m focused on pace at this point and knock off a nice 8:25. My 22 mile split is 3:05:21 and I’m behind by 0:45, I won’t make the 3:40:00 goal but fell like I’ll bust out a nice PR. I think it will be close though! Back up Crystal City I manage a 7:58 split and my avg HR is 155 bpm. I feel pretty good and take my final Clif block before the next water stop that is coming up at mile 23.

Out of the Crystal and into the Fire.
We make the run out of Crystal city and around to the Pentagon. Who doesn’t love to run by this building? The crowds here are great and my avg HR is 156 with a split time of 8:18 and I’m back on pace, but there is a nasty head wind to come and a final hill to conquer as well. It’s time to dig deep and see what’s left. We turn onto Washington Blvd and run by the part of the Pentagon that was hit on 9/11, I look to the left and see the new Air Force Memorial that depicts the contrails of three jets blasting skyward. This is a very moving part of the run. My avg HR is now 157 bpm and my pace is 8:12, but I don’t notice. We hit a water stop and the ramp around to route 110 and the final stretch. We pass Arlington Cemetery on the left and cross over where the start line was. We run past the finish area, and that is pretty demoralizing as we attach the last hill, it is not big but those Marines really know how to hit you where it hurts! My avg HR 161 and split pace is 8:18. I’m actually not feeling too bad but I can’t wait for this to be over!

The End

Where will this ever end? It seems like the turn around will never get here, the road plays tricks on you, you can see runners returning from the turn around but can’t see the point where that happens. You also know that there is another climb before the last charge up the hill to the Iwo Memorial. Finally I see the turn around and hit it, climb up the exit ram and then enjoy a nice cruise down. I actually spot Donna ahead of me. Do I have what it takes to pass here and still charge up the final hill. Hey now guts, no glory! I motor by but I’m over to far to greet her. I turn right and charge up the hill. The crowds here are even more amazing than last year. Since they added the final out and back there are spectators down here on rout 110 and it is simply amazing. I pick it up the hill my HR climbs to 173, near my max of 180, my pace pick up as I crest the hill and sprint to the finish line I run the last hundred yards at a 7:30 pace and I’m spent.. It’s over! Final time 3:40:43 a huge PR but 43 seconds short of my 3:40. I don’t care. I smashed through the 3:50 and 3:45 barriers and am ecstatic! I turn and see Donna and shake her hand. We get our medals and return to the Reston Runners tree where I see Ellen and Bruce and a few others; they did amazingly well!

What more running to do!?

I sit on my space blanket drinking water while trying to choke down a plain bagel. I try to stretch a bit but I have to get back out on the course and find Suzanne. I walk and jog the 2.5 miles back to Crystal City to the mile 23 water station. I don’t see her along the way. I stop and stretch behind the water tables and then walk and find a place in between the course so I can watch runners in each direction. I never do wee her and I’m getting pretty cold. I wait down here for about 45 minutes and realize that I must have missed her so I begin the jog 2.5 mile back to the finish. This is pretty good training for JFK. As I make my way back to the Iwo Jima I go into the runner tracking station. A portable building with kiosk where you can check a runners progress. I type in here name and see that she has finished with a great PR! She took 10 minutes off of here time and finished in 5:19:32! I run back to the tree and there she is sitting on here pace blanket talking with our friend Keith, Karen had gone to get his stuff for him. It was great to see her. She looked great and was very excited about her day! I think she’ll do another one after all.

So we both had marathon PRs and I also had a distance PR of 32 miles for the day! Next up JFK 50 on November 17th, 2007!

Colonial Beach Triathlon

My second triathlon ever (my first was a sprint in May of this year) Coming back from packet pickup I was walking along the beach when a young man stopped me to ask where the packet pickup was. I gave him directions and he headed back to the beach. I then stopped and said, hey that was a French accent (sometimes I’m a bit slow), I wonder if that was Fabrice, sure enough it was, he and his family were staying at the same hotel and we had a nice conversation. My alarm was set for 4:50 am and I was up and shaving by 4:51. I grabbed my transition bag and bike and headed out to the start, arriving at 5:15, 15 minutes before the transition area was set to open. They let me in and I chose an end rack that had pretty good access to the bike start, and not too bad to the run start either. They were using the new USAT bike rack system which you have slots for your wheel. These have up to seven bikes per box and don’t leave much room for your gear so I was really glad to have an end rack. The USAT Ref was walking around and making sure that things were correct (you must rack your back wheel) I asked here if having my gear outside the box and potentially in the exit path was ok and she said sure and commented that I must have gotten here early to get an end spot. After leisurely setting up my transition stuff, I headed over to porta potty call #1 and then to body marking. Next I registered my champion chip. I went back to the transition area and just chatted with other guys while I filled my two bike water bottles with a mix of power aide and water. I met Tim, a bit younger than I and we helped each other zip up our wetsuits.

The water was on the edge for wet suits (78F) but with past jelly fish problems I went with the suite for armor

At 6:40 we made our way to the pebbly beach and got last minute instructions, that varied from swim all but the last buoy to swim all the buoys and back and forth before we were straight with swim all buoys to your right. This was a triangle course in the Potomac river that would have us swimming slightly up current for two of the three legs.

My goal for the swim was sub 18 minutes and not drown. I was in the second wave, of three, and the starter was desperately trying to get us in the water on time. I think we made it and before I knew we were off and thrashing. The swim was not as rough as I thought, I did get a couple of slaps but nothing like the war stories I had heard about. It was crowded at the first turn, much like at a sailing regatta with people coming in at all angles and cutting each other out, but after that the field seemed to thin out a tad. No jelly fish were spotted or even felt. I exited the water and into T1 with a swim time of 15:38 well below my plan and I actually think I could have swam this a little harder. I saw Reese as I got out of the water and crossed the timing matt, and I saw Suzanne near my bike.

Racing into T1 and getting the top part of the wet suit off went well, and I had a pretty good transition except for loosing a sock for a brief instant my T1 time was 1:50 which is 10 seconds faster than my last Tri.

Now I’m on the bike and boy is it different than the last Tri. Much more crowded and a lot more competitive! Going out I had a SUV on my left and I kept hoping that it would pass except with all the bikes (2-3 across) I assumed it was having a hard time. Then the SUV passed and slowed behind another bike group. As it passed I noticed it was the USAT Ref and she was actually taping the bikes with her camera phone. I assume she was document drafting penalties. With the congestion I was wondering if I would get a penalty so I tried really hard to not draft, but also wanted to go at my own pace. I ended up not being assessed with a penalty so I must have been doing something right.

I thought the bike was fun but was not mentally prepared for how much the course rolled. I thought it would be much flatter. At the turn around I took a ClifShot. I really didn’t notice anyone else taking any nutrition, but I want to take no chances with not having enough energy for the run. At about the 18 mile mark my upper hamstrings were a bit sore so I stood a few times to stretch them out which seemed to work. It was some nice country side but a bit lonely as well. I got passed a few times but also did a fair share of passing myself. Coming back to the transition area was a bit like being in the Tour De France, Lots of cowbells and cheering, made me feel like a star. I saw Suzanne and Reese which was really fun.

Back at the bike rack, someone put their bike into my slot which really screwed up my area, I now had to take the next rack in which puts my bike directly on top of someone else’s gear! I wasn’t sure what I should do so I tried to move the gear a bit so he could still get to it but this really bothered my and slowed me down by 20 seconds or so. Should I have moved the bike in error to the proper slot and rack my bike in t he proper slot? This would have taken much more time, but what was I ethically to do? I hoped I didn’t mess up the next guy and transitioned into running gear. T2 time 1:39, 37 seconds slower than my last Tri, but not too bad considering the bike rack situation.

The First half mile of the run felt rough as usual but the crowd was very encouraging, and I seemed to get up to speed fairly well. I began to pick off other runners, being passed just one time by a young woman who was really moving! At about the 3 mile mark Tim passed my so I just tried to keep his shirt in sight, I saw Suzanne and Rees three times on the run, once just before mile 1 which was a surprise, then at the end of the peninsula at mile 1.8 and lastly at the 3.1 mile turn around. Seeing them really meant a lot tome and also kept me focused at the task on hand. I saw Fabrice fly past me gong the opposite direction a good 1.5-2 miles a head of me Keeping to my nutrition plan, I took a ClifShot just before the 4 mile water stop and started to reel Tim in. I think I spotted JeffW in his trirat jersey, I shouted out Go RAT, because in my O2 depleted state I couldn’t remember his name! I passed him focused on the next shirt. At the 5 mile mark I picked it up a bit but not too much so I could save for the final sprint. With just a half mile to go I picked it up a bit more and then at the last turn and into the final stretch I sprinted as fast as I could. Crossing the finish I had no idea of my time, there was no clock!! My run time was 44:51 a new 10K PR by 1 second,(I’ll take it !)

Final overall results: Total time 2:14:10.75 just about 16 minutes faster than I hoped. I was 6th in my age group 87th overall and the 77th male to finish.

Hugely happy with this “Day at the Office”!!!!

important edit, both the swim and the run courses were not as advertised, the swim ended up at 800 meters and the run was measured to be 6.0 miles. Still a good day for me but no PRs which is a tad disappointing. I wish there was more truth in advertising as the website lead me to believe differently

Becasue I "Tri"

So my latest endeavor is triathlon. I completed my first tri, a sprint on May 20, 1007 and I have to say I have found a sport to beat all others. This is so much fun, I can't wait until I do another, which will be on July 15 at the colonial Beach Triathlon. I am signed up for another on Sept 9, 2007 and will do the run portion of a triathlon relay the following week at SAVGEMAN!!!

Check back next week for a race report from Colonial Beach!