GOAL ACHIEVED

Victory is mine, I DID IT!  So many miles, so many days and nights on the roads, so much time planning and visualizing this achievement, so many emotions, so much relief and a sense of accomplishment.  I will forever remember November 20th, 2011 for it will forever be the day that I ran 26.2 miles in under 3 hours for the first time.

The running gods were in my favor during that morning a week ago yesterday.  A front had delayed its movement to the east coast and gave way to weather that could not be much more ideal for a marathon.  The temps were in the mid 40's with a projected high in the upper 50's.  No rain, no high heat, some sun.  All those miles running in blizzards, rain, record heat, blistering cold complete with high winds, and still I get blessed with this.  I must have done something right in a previous life.  I awoke with a feeling of readiness that I had not experienced before.  I pride myself on being prepared but had never felt this ready before.  They say that the hardest part is the training and that from there you just need to show up.  Well, as nice of a thought as that may be, you still have to lace em up and go out to run 26.2 miles.  Confidence is good but I'm more for just being ready with said confidence in hand.  It was a strange feeling though.  I had no chance of coming anywhere close to competing for a top finishing spot, but it did not matter as I had my own race I was running.  There were no Kenyan's on my radar.  There were no elites that I was set to battle with in an epic run to go down in history as a true battle.  My adversary was nothing more than a clock.  A simple, man-made concept of time and the little digital lines that represent something that had consumed me for 16 months.  This was going to be a battle that could only be experienced in true intimate fashion by no one other than the one attaching my bib number, wearing my shoes, and running with my beating heart.  This was a personal journey that only I could embark on.  The training had been completed.  The travel and preparations had been completed. There was just one thing left to complete now.

7 am found me in the first corral, with the elites, on one knee giving thanks to anyone/anything that was there with me and listening.  As I thought about the things that had led to this point, I found myself crossing that starting line and running.  Unfortunately, the race started with a hiccup.  My watch went into standby mode the second I went to start it.  So, the first quarter mile my watch was worthless.  Thankfully, it registered and started after only that little ways.  I was set and going.  While the weather was perfect, I started to realize that it would end up being a little warm for the long sleeved compression I was wearing under my shirt.  With my bid number attached to my shirt, I had to removed both and put my planned shirt back on.  I hope that long sleeved I ditched brings warmth and good fortune to the person it got donated to.  I wanted to keep my gloves on to wipe away sweat and keep from my hands getting sticky when spilling on them during the fluids spots. At this point, I was in the race and ticking off miles.

I decided to keep the 3 hour pace group behind me.  It was a large group that was talking a lot and annoying to run with.  I figured that as long as I kept them all behind me, I would hit my time.  In doing so, I was going a little quicker than I had planned.  Anybody that knows me, or follows this blog consistently, would know that this is nothing new.  That tends to be my M.O.  Regardless, I was feeling very comfortable and decided to allow myself to continue at that pace.  I was getting so lost in the run that I began to lose miles. I have that happen during long runs often, but not like this.  I would hit mile 6 and realize I did not recall going through mile 5.  The same would happen at mile 9 and others after that. I came through the half marathon at exactly 1:28:00.  By itself, that would have been my 4th best half ever.  Yes, I was feeling good and still very relaxed.  My buddy jumped in at this point to run with me for the 2nd half.  The next 8 miles were completed much like the previous 13.1.  The last 5, that's where the real battle started.

I have had races, and runs, that I had to push through to complete.  It is said that a marathon is broken up into 3 parts.  The first part is the first 13.1 miles and you run that with your legs.  I had completed that part and into the 2nd part.  This is the next 6-7 miles. Your legs start to get tired and you need to run this part of the marathon with your head. You remember your training and still are carrying the excitement of the race.  This is hard but you can get through it with some focus.  Then you enter the 3rd part of a marathon which is roughly the last 10k.  Your legs are tired, your feet hurt, you've been talking yourself through the last 6 miles, and you are starting to think about the finish and how far you still have to go.  This last part is all heart.  The negative talk and thoughts of stopping begin to creep into your mind.  The water stops seem like a great spot to take a little extra time because you've run so hard to this point and you deserve a little break don't you? You're under your goal time so far and have some time banked.  If you act on one of those thoughts, it is easier to act on another and another and another.  Now you are battling yourself as well as the clock.  By mile 22 and 23, my hips started to really tighten up and my legs were getting harder and harder to keep moving.  The last 30 minutes were about to feel as long as the previous 150.  I tell people that it was the hardest thing I have ever had to push through to complete.  I had previously planned to allow myself to walk through the last stop with 2 miles to go.  I took in some extra gatorade and water to give myself what I needed for that final push to the finish.  Coming through the home stretch I could see the beginnings of the finish line.  I had half a mile to go.  I had a quarter mile to go.  I could see the finish line and I was doing everything I could to just keep my legs moving.  When I crossed that finish line, I threw my arms in the air and knew I had done it.  I did not see the clock but I just KNEW it!  I had accomplished what I had set out to do and became overwhelmed with emotion.  Typing this now, that emotion comes back up just as if I am experiencing it all over again...minus the pain!

Philly Marathon Race Splits/Details

So what does someone do that just accomplished such a goal?  I walked directly to the hotel where our post-race reception area was...and I got a massage...from 2 massage therapists at the same time!  I ate some food and drank some fluids.  I was still taking in the moment.  My goal was in hand and I was now entering marathon retirement.  My body is currently enjoying some much needed rest and recovery.  I don't know my exact plans moving into next year but will be doing many races as usual, just no marathons.  I plan to focus on the half marathon and other races of shorter distances.  I am so happy to have this goal in hand but this is just the beginning and I am far from peaking.  This is just one justification that I'm heading in the right direction.  I'm so pumped for what is ahead for me and my evolving running career. For now....

See ya out there...no time soon though :-)

One week to go!

I cannot believe the marathon is only one week away.  The time has flown by so fast.  I can remember the anticipation like a little kid on Christmas that first day of my official training.  That was 15 weeks ago!  It went from record heat to sustaining cool Fall weather.  I'm thankful to the running gods for blessing this training period.  There is just one more day that I care what the weather is like...November 20th!  I've been watching the trending weather in Philly for a few weeks and it looks like it may just be perfect.  40-50 degrees!  I'll have all possible options covered, just in case.  I posted the link for people to get updates on me during the race and am flattered by the amount of people that are doing it.  If you want to do that as well, my race number is 6503 and here is the link: http://www.xacte.com/templates/philmar/

As you well know, my goal is to run sub 3 hours for this, my third marathon.  I was looking over my training log from last year and am floored by the lack of training that I did.  I was able to manage a 3:09:08 and a 3:07:01 with barely ever running over 3 days a week.  I have been in training mode since the beginning of December last year.  I am so confident going into this race but do understand that things came happen.  From weather to earthquakes, ya just never know these days.  I do know one thing is for sure, I'm proud to be getting to the starting line ready.  I've had to adjust my training almost the whole way. Whether it was due to these damn shin splints that just hang around enough to annoy me, or the many Ragnar's I did during training.  It is so important to listen to your body and I think that's why so many people end up injured or overtraining.

A lot of people have been asking me about next year and when I tell them my plans they don't believe me.  I plan for Philly to be my last marathon for a while.  The excess mileage and length of one training program just wears me down.  I want to focus on the half and everything down from there.  I like speed and letting it loose.  The marathon is such a race of discipline and patience.  While I have proven to have enough of those,  I still get frustrated when I want to just GO!  Next year, I'm going!  After I achieve my sub 3, there will be a few weeks where I will be taking some much needed time off.  These shin splints are going to be dealt with and my overall body will get some time to heal.  I am also going to be starting cross country skiing and seeing if that's another addiction I can wrap myself around.  I hear they have competitions too.  But, that's later on and for right now I'm a marathoner.

My buddy Joe is coming with to do the half and we fly out on Friday.  Ginny is a friend that I met while doing a relay in Massachusetts a couple of years ago.  She is running the half as well, and is hosting us and a few others that are coming down from Canada.  We will be staying with her until early Monday and then staying in old town to see the sites until Tuesday when we fly back.  Let's just hope we can get around without doing too much walking.  A really good friend from high school is coming down from DC to cheer me on.  I am so excited to see her and meet her future husband.  In addition to all that, another buddy I met while doing the same relay with Ginny, has offered to pace me for part of the 2nd half of my race.  He just ran a 3:11 in the Detroit marathon a few weeks ago and I will be grateful for his services!  That 3rd quarter of the race (around miles 14-21 or so) are where I think it is the hardest.  You are counting down to hit 20 and then the last 10k.  It's a long distance and every little bit of distraction will help.  I hope the crowds come out in force.  So I've got my plan in place and ready to put it into motion.

Like I said, it seems like it was not too long ago that I started this trek and now it's right at my doorstep.  I'm so excited to get this thing going and cross that finish line with a 2 in the hour column.  By this time next week, I should be done with goal in hand!

See you soon Philly!

Taper Time!!

My absolute favorite part of a training program...The Taper!  For those that may not know, tapering is when you start to cut back on your miles and begin to get ready for your target race.  It has now been 13 weeks since I began specifically training for Philly. The next 3 weeks will see a slow step back in mileage while keeping the intensity high.  During the next couple of weeks, your body feels invincible while out running.  You get so used to being wore down, tired, and sore that it almost seems like you are not training enough.  All that builds up to race day when you feel so energized and fresh that it seems like you could break the world record.  I'm kind of already feeling that way with the last couple of weeks. Between my 22 miler feeling great, my program really going well, and even my race this last weekend.  Things are looking good and I'm feeling very confident going into my taper with Philly close in sight.  Did I mention there was a race this past weekend?

The timing of my warmup race was a week off.  It was supposed to be the first weekend of the 3 week taper but it seems to be an easy fix making some adjustments to some workouts.  So Saturday was the Monster Dash and I ran the 10 miler.  I had not ran a 10 miler since 2007 when I ran the TC10.  I can't really compare the two except for an idea of where I was as compared to where I am now.  There is quite a difference in training and quite a difference in ability due to the training and confidence that comes along with it. For last week, I had a nice build up to the race but am still dealing with these nasty shin splints that come and go.  After Philly, it'll be nice to get that all better before next season.  So I mentioned there was a race this past weekend.

My plans for the race was to run an easy, comfortable pace.  I did not want to kill my legs by running an actual 10 mile race pace of what I am currently able to do.  The strategy was to run a relaxed 6:30 pace to finish with a 1:05:00 time.  That would give me a 5 minute PR, a really good long tempo run, and an actual race about 3 weeks out from Philly. Having a race close is good to get that mindset going and mentally charge yourself.  It also gives you a good feel for the pacing and the feel of being competitive with others while actually racing.  Like I said, that was the plan.  Anybody that knows me, also knows that those plans don't usually work.  Just look at my blog posts from my last few Ragnar's for those examples.

So there I am at the starting line waiting to go.  There is something special about those brief moments before you take off from that starting line.  You think about the week leading up and the preparation that morning.  You think about your training and your strategy you laid out to execute shortly.  Then the gun goes off and without warning your legs are moving.  You start your watch the second you cross the timing pad at the start line and off you go into a mass of people that all have their own agenda's they are working through.  That initial mile is all about getting comfortable, taking inventory, and checking your pace.  My first mile split was supposed to be what?  6:30!  What was it?  6:19.  It's ok, the first mile can be fast sometimes because of the adrenalin and getting caught up in the race itself.  No harm, as I know I could maintain that the entire way but that's not the plan. I'm feeling great still so I allow myself to relax and just get back on track to the next mile. Coming to the second mile I'm thinking it'll be 6:30 for sure but nope...6:20.  Now that may not seem like a lot but if you go 10 seconds faster for 10 miles, that's over a minute and a half overall.  That's quite a big difference.  I was NOT sticking to the plan but no matter how many times I relaxed and tried to slow down I kept reeling off faster ones. Mile 3, another 6:20.  Mile 4, 6:16.  A lot of times when you run and keep relaxing, it becomes easier and more natural.  You relax and your muscles can work more efficiently.  I decided to just go with it and allow myself the run how I was feeling.  Well, I was feeling great and barely even breathing hard.  The one constant was that I was having fun.  Everyone's costumes were cool and it was a perfect morning for a race.  So my slowest mile was a 6:24 when I ran through to grab some water.  That was the only time I slowed to get fluids because for 10 miles, and the morning like it was, it is just not needed as much as normal. Coming through the last couple miles I REALLY started to feel good.  2 miles to go and I could tell the pace had picked up.  I was still not really breathing hard so I told myself to slow down some and I could pick it up for the last mile.  If you do not know, I don't count the last mile of any race.  It takes some explaining so maybe ask me some time...or I could explain my theory on a casual run.  So, my last mile I cruised through with a 5:44 and feeling great. I was not really tired and had just ran a 1:02:06.  To avoid you doing the math, that's a 6:13 pace.  Not exactly what my plan was.  That's also an 8 minute PR and I took 10th place overall...2nd in my age group.  Makes me wonder how I could have done if I had allowed myself to really go for it.  But, the bigger picture is November 20th and my sub 3 hour marathon in Philly.  I was a little disappointed I did not stick to the plan and it's not because of the pace or anything like that.  I need to make sure that I can stick to a plan I lay out there.  My other 2 marathons I have stuck to the plan exactly.  Other races, Fargo half and others, I did not.  I'm pretty confident that it won't be an issue in Philly though.

So, the rest of my taper is not going to be too exciting but I will try to keep things updated. I wish I could put into words how I'm feeling with every run and looking towards 11/20.  16 weeks is a long time to train but I've been in training mode since December and will be ready for some much needed time off but until then, I'm focused on the task at hand.  Look out Philly, I'm coming soon and I don't know if I've been this focused before.  November 20th is going to see us engage in a 26.2 mile battle.  Victoria reputabuntur mihi!

See ya out there!