PM: weights, core
Rock Creek Park was still a sloppy mess, but I ran there, anyway. I hit the gym after work but felt a little tired and cut it somewhat short.
4.30.2008
4.29.2008
4.28.2008
April 27 (59 miles/week)
AM: 9 miles easy
After dropping by the Pike's Peek 10k to watch the finish of the race, I headed to the towpath to run with Peter, Klim, and Melissa. My legs are still kind of sluggish, but my quad is feeling better every day.
After dropping by the Pike's Peek 10k to watch the finish of the race, I headed to the towpath to run with Peter, Klim, and Melissa. My legs are still kind of sluggish, but my quad is feeling better every day.
April 26
AM: 8 miles easy
The legs, specifically my right quad, still weren't back to 100%, so I stayed conservative today.
In the afternoon, Valerie and I picked up the newest additon to our place: Miles.
We brought him to Kyle's place that night. Easy outdoor sitting, grilling, and a black lab: no doubt that summer's just around the corner.
April 25
PM: 7 miles easy, weights, core, stretching
I flew home from Chicago in the morning, waiting to run until around 3:00. Holy crap--did it ever get hot in Maryland since I've been gone. My right quad was still absurdly tight, so I kept it short and easy today. I hit the gym a little bit later, though I avoided any work with my legs.
Later that evening, Valerie and I met the good folks of GRC at Klim's place for some much-needed post-race celebration. Good times.
I flew home from Chicago in the morning, waiting to run until around 3:00. Holy crap--did it ever get hot in Maryland since I've been gone. My right quad was still absurdly tight, so I kept it short and easy today. I hit the gym a little bit later, though I avoided any work with my legs.
Later that evening, Valerie and I met the good folks of GRC at Klim's place for some much-needed post-race celebration. Good times.
4.25.2008
April 24
AM: 8 miles easy
When I got up this morning, my legs felt decent enough to run, even though they're not all the way back, either. I ran along the Lakeshore path early before the show, passing Soldier Field and out to the end of Navy Pier. It was great just to run again.
When I got back to the hotel, the Hyatt had a towel and water waiting for me in the lobby, even though I didn't talk to anyone on my way out. I guess they just saw me walking out of the front, but the service and great attention to detail definitely impressed me.
When I got up this morning, my legs felt decent enough to run, even though they're not all the way back, either. I ran along the Lakeshore path early before the show, passing Soldier Field and out to the end of Navy Pier. It was great just to run again.
When I got back to the hotel, the Hyatt had a towel and water waiting for me in the lobby, even though I didn't talk to anyone on my way out. I guess they just saw me walking out of the front, but the service and great attention to detail definitely impressed me.
April 23
AM: weights, core, stretching
PM: 30 min. easy stationary bike
I went to the gym in the hotel in the morning, even though my legs were still too trashed from the race on Monday to do any lifting with my legs.
After the day at the conference finished, I went back to my room and passed out for more than an hour. When I finally woke up, I wanted to get some blood flowing to my legs, so I went to the gym and spun on a bike while watching the Celtics destroy my sad Atlanta Hawks in the playoffs.
PM: 30 min. easy stationary bike
I went to the gym in the hotel in the morning, even though my legs were still too trashed from the race on Monday to do any lifting with my legs.
After the day at the conference finished, I went back to my room and passed out for more than an hour. When I finally woke up, I wanted to get some blood flowing to my legs, so I went to the gym and spun on a bike while watching the Celtics destroy my sad Atlanta Hawks in the playoffs.
April 22
DNR - Rest
My legs, especially my quads, were still really tight today, and walking down stairs proved to be difficult, as expected. I left Boston for Chicago for work for the rest of the week.
My legs, especially my quads, were still really tight today, and walking down stairs proved to be difficult, as expected. I left Boston for Chicago for work for the rest of the week.
4.22.2008
April 21 - BOSTON MARATHON
AM/PM: 112th BAA Boston Marathon, 2:31:17 (PR), 65th place, 27 miles
I slept like a log the night before the race--so well, in fact, that I had to briefly remember that I was racing a marathon this morning when I got up. I don't remember what I was dreaming about, but it wasn't about running.
Erik, Fellows, and my GRC teammates took the busses to Hopkinton around 6:45 for the 75-minute ride out there with a sea of other runners. When we finally got to the Athlete's Village--think of a runner's Woodstock--the 90-minute wait passed quickly. I had just enough time to drink some Gatorade, get harrassed by some ROTC kids for pissing in the woods, and put on my number before it was time for us to jog to the start line.
The stories are true--too many guys go out much too fast at Boston because of the atmosphere and the first few miles of downhill. I would pass what seemed like hundreds of guys over the next 26.2 miles who made that mistake (check out how crowded we were in the beginning--Jake isn't even running on the asphalt). The race would ultimately brake down into thirds for me, separated by two major events along the way. 
As a result of the thick crowd, a group that included me, Adam Ambrus, P. Murphy, Bain and Klim (Dwyer dropped back earlier, opting to run more conservatively) stuck together for the first 14 miles, picking up other guys along the way. With the pack we had going and the easier first half of the course, the first 14 miles of the race were a lot of fun for me. We joked around with each other, checked out the crowd, called out runners we knew, all while slowly moving up through the race. The crowds were thick from the get-go: almost every inch of the course had a spectator, and in many sections the crowd was 5-people thick.
After we passed the girls at Wellesley, whose screams we could hear coming from a half mile, I turned to Patrick and jokingly read off our split, "4:57...4:58...4:59..." because our pack of a dozen guys got a pretty big rush/ego boost running that deafening quarter mile past the school. Across the pack, I heard Klim yell, "5:15!" cracking basically the same joke. Weirdly enough, this was an important indicator to me. Here we were, crossing the half-marathon mark, still talking and joking around. This was a good sign for us because it meant no one was struggling yet.
In summary, before the race really started to hurt, Klim, Patrick, and Bain and I gleefully took in the atmosphere with some guys who had clung onto us, ticking off the splits evenly and running as a tight pack. We took the small hills very conservatively, knowing that the toughest lay ahead in miles 16-21.
Somewhere around 11-12 miles, we lost Ambrus and one of Dwyer's friends, who told me after the race that the pair moved suddenly with a 5:20 mile. I'd catch him later around mile 23, but I wouldn't see Adam again, who ran a pretty strong race.
Around 14 miles, I started to move away from our team. I had spent most of the race setting our pace, anyway, and though it wasn't deliberate, I started putting what I'd guess to be around 3-5 seconds per mile on them. This wasn't an easy move for me to make at all because up until this point, we'd been working together efficiently as a pack. No one was passing us. I nonetheless moved forward, keeping what felt like an even effort. I kept everything in control, paying careful attention to bodily signs. I also kept my nutrition consistent, taking Power Gels at miles 7, 14, and 19, and I drank Gatorade every 2 or 3 miles.
After a big dowhill around 25k, we hit the hills in Newton. Right around here, the race stopped being "fun," and I started to focus. I took each of the hills patiently, knowing that I'd get some recovery after each one. I pumped my arms pretty furiously, trying to stay with two guys I'd started running with (one guy in a Bucknell uniform named Jesse from DC whom I'd never met--a friend of Matias), while still relaxing and shortening my stride.
At Heartbreak Hill, the last of the infamous hills in Boston, I was hurting, and this was the turning point of the race for me. The two guys I was racing with moved slowly ahead. Suddenly, before I could see the crest of the hill, I was hit with a monster head rush; my entire body started to go numb. I knew what this was because I've felt it before: I was hitting "the wall."
In all of my previous marathons, after I hit the wall, I started running backward, my stride rapidly deteriorating into a death shuffle. Yesterday was different. Runners around me shuffled and suffered, but I hung on, still pumping my arms. I knew that once I hit the top of Heartbreak, the rest of the course was flat or downhill. Despite hitting my slowest mile since the first (5:55), I felt I had more left in the tank.
At mile 21, I started racing. The two runners I had been with for the last several miles hung around, and I wanted to drop them. Meanwhile, we passed runners broken by the hills, only building momentum as we ran by. At mile 22, I looked down and saw 5:28--much faster than expected. The rest of the race dissolved into a blur. I tried to slingshot past runners fighting "the wall," and I jockeyed for the lead the same two guys, ultimately beating one and getting outkicked by the other. Meanwhile, I was gradually speeding up, negative splitting a course where the second half is definitely more difficult than the first. I definitely didn't expect to do that.
The last mile felt intense, especially making that final turn on Boylston Street. Not only was I reaching unfathomable levels of discomfort, but the crowds were confusingly thick, beyond my capacity to reason. Stands packed with people lined the course, and the noise was the loudest it had been since Wellesley. When the course dipped under an overpass, I got few erie seconds of quiet before making the final two turns around packed corners to the finish, where thousands of people waited in a tunnel of sound and excitement. Supposedly, 500,000 people lined the entire course to watch the race unfold, and I definitely believe it. If I had only seen up to 400,000 at this point, it seemed like the last 100,000 were packed into the final half mile.
I focused on the finish line and took it all in. Like I said--this was all very surreal. When I stopped, discomfort gave way to pain, as if "the wall" hit me from behind; for a few seconds, I couldn't breathe or speak. I crossed the line and almost lost it, my eyes welling with tears. Unlike Chicago in 2004, when I cried because of pain, at the end of Boston I cried tears of real joy for the first time in my life; thinking about it now I've never wept about something positive until then. I've wanted to race Boston since I've started running, not just because of the history behind the race, but because of my dad, who was hit and killed more than 20 years ago when he was out for a training run for his first Boston. Consequently, running the first Boston of my own and subsequently exceeding my expectations was very overwhelming for a few moments after the finish line. Walking back to the bus to pick up my bag, I felt a profound sense of warmth and peace. And when I finally met up with Valerie, I hugged her and cried some more.
So, not only did I run my first "successful" marathon (i.e. I didn't fall to pieces in the final miles), hitting a PR by 11+ minutes, I also ran the most personally meaningful race of my life--all at arguably the most famous marathon in the world. To be quite honest, it all felt pretty good, even though I physically felt like falling into a coma. I could win the Nobel Prize (not likely, I realize...), and this day will still be one of the most memorable days of my life--running or otherwise--because of what now seems like a perfect storm of events.
My GRC teammates that I started with ran well, too. Bain came 90 seconds behind me (Editors note: looking at the photos now, he moved with me through the hills and was breathing down my neck until the final miles); Klim was at 2:35, and Patrick and Dwyer crossed the line together within seconds of him. We took 4th as a team (after being in 13th place at 10k), and put five guys in the top 101. Every damn one of us ran a PR on a "non-PR" course, and we finished within five minutes of each other. As for the rest of us, Max, Ernst, and Jarrin also ran awesome races and were at or close to PRs. Fellows had a tough day, but was in good spirits, and Erik jogged a 3:17 despite being injured for two months. Ambrus ran a huge race, running away with a 2:29.
I got a lot of great phone calls, texts, hugs, and everything afterward from people who were following the race online. Both my mom and Valerie said this was the happiest I've seemed in a long time. I can't argue with that; I feel unbelievably thankful right now.
Anyway, enough of the long, emotional race report (there wasn't another way with this one...sorry). Here are the numbers!
Half Splits:
1:16:13/1:15:04
Total Splits:
6:02, 5:44, 5:49, 11:38 (4&5), 5:48, 5:50, 5:52, 5:46, 5:49, 5:48, 5:40, 5:43, 5:43, 5:47, 11:24 (16&17), 5:47, 5:39, 5:47, 5:55, 5:28, 5:40, 5:33, 5:49, 7:05 (1.2)
April 20 (59 miles/week)
AM: 4 miles easy
P. Murphy, Erik adn I jogged from our hotel for a half hour, stumbling along a bike path in what was an otherwise unsavory East Boston.
After the pre-race run and stretch, we picked up Valerie and headed downtown to watch the Women's Olympic Trials. As expected, Deena Kastor made the rest of the field look silly. She reminds me a lot of Haille G.: she always seems so happy when she runs.
We bummed around downtown a little bit before Valerie and I went to the Red Sox game in the afternoon. What a cool experience. The crowds are thick, and everyone's entirely focused on the game. As Fellows put it, having been the night before, "They don't have the Napa Auto Parts shuffle playing on the scoreboard at Fenway." We got a great game, too: Boston rallied from five runs down in the 7th and 8th to win when Texas walked in the winning run in the 8th. Papelbon made short work of the Rangers a half-inning later for the save.
I did a decent job of eating carbs all day--lots of 'em. I didn't eat much heavy food, and not a lot of meat, either. Fellows and Kathryn joined a few of us for dinner at this hole-in-the-wall Italian place that P. Murphy found. I've also slept really well the last two nights, and though I had a lot of bread and pasta, I didn't overeat at dinner.
Tomorrow's the big day.
P. Murphy, Erik adn I jogged from our hotel for a half hour, stumbling along a bike path in what was an otherwise unsavory East Boston.
After the pre-race run and stretch, we picked up Valerie and headed downtown to watch the Women's Olympic Trials. As expected, Deena Kastor made the rest of the field look silly. She reminds me a lot of Haille G.: she always seems so happy when she runs.
We bummed around downtown a little bit before Valerie and I went to the Red Sox game in the afternoon. What a cool experience. The crowds are thick, and everyone's entirely focused on the game. As Fellows put it, having been the night before, "They don't have the Napa Auto Parts shuffle playing on the scoreboard at Fenway." We got a great game, too: Boston rallied from five runs down in the 7th and 8th to win when Texas walked in the winning run in the 8th. Papelbon made short work of the Rangers a half-inning later for the save.
I did a decent job of eating carbs all day--lots of 'em. I didn't eat much heavy food, and not a lot of meat, either. Fellows and Kathryn joined a few of us for dinner at this hole-in-the-wall Italian place that P. Murphy found. I've also slept really well the last two nights, and though I had a lot of bread and pasta, I didn't overeat at dinner.
Tomorrow's the big day.
April 19
PM: 6 miles easy, strides
After we got into Boston, I went with Bain, P. Murphy, and Dan M. to Fresh Pond in Cambridge. Perfect weather thus far. Strides afterward felt good and crisp. Afterward, we went to the expo before heading back to the hotel.
After we got into Boston, I went with Bain, P. Murphy, and Dan M. to Fresh Pond in Cambridge. Perfect weather thus far. Strides afterward felt good and crisp. Afterward, we went to the expo before heading back to the hotel.
4.18.2008
April 18
AM: 7 miles easy, strides
Got in an out-and-back on the Capital Crescent before work. I'm definitely having to reign myself in a lot this week; I just want Monday to be here already.
I can tell that I'm well rested. I woke up before my alarm this morning, and Valerie says that I seem "happier and less tired all of the time."
When I write tomorrow, I'll be in Boston. P. Murphy and I are going to grab a run along the Charles or in Cambridge before heading to pick up our numbers. My giddy anticipation is growing by the hour at this point.
4.17.2008
April 17
AM: 8 miles w/ 20 min. @ MP (5:50)
PM: 4 miles easy
Today was my last "workout" before Boston on Monday. Feeling pretty good about things. The next few days should be really easy--we head to Boston Saturday morning.
PM: 4 miles easy
Today was my last "workout" before Boston on Monday. Feeling pretty good about things. The next few days should be really easy--we head to Boston Saturday morning.
4.16.2008
April 16
AM: 9 miles easy
Ran the Rock Creek Park trails. It was unseasonably cold, so I still had to wear tights. Feeling good and loose, though the left heel in my trainers (Nimbus) has worn down to the plastic in one spot, giving me a pea-sized but nasty blister right on the bone. Nothing terrible, just annoying.
I also realized about an hour after I posted this that I accidentally put it up on the GRC blog instead of my own. Whoops.
Ran the Rock Creek Park trails. It was unseasonably cold, so I still had to wear tights. Feeling good and loose, though the left heel in my trainers (Nimbus) has worn down to the plastic in one spot, giving me a pea-sized but nasty blister right on the bone. Nothing terrible, just annoying.
I also realized about an hour after I posted this that I accidentally put it up on the GRC blog instead of my own. Whoops.
April 15
AM: 9 miles w/ 10 x 1'on/1'off
PM: 4 miles easy
I got in a fartlek around the Meadowbrook stables in the morning. I felt pretty light and crisp. After work, I ran with Valerie during her run on the Capital Crescent.
PM: 4 miles easy
I got in a fartlek around the Meadowbrook stables in the morning. I felt pretty light and crisp. After work, I ran with Valerie during her run on the Capital Crescent.
4.15.2008
April 14
AM: 8 miles easy
PM: weights, core, stretching
Ran the Rock Creek Park trails in the morning. After work, I went to the gym with Valerie. I was able to loosen up nicely. Also, this will probably be my last full weights session before Boston....one week to go.
P.S. This guy runs a lot more than I do.
PM: weights, core, stretching
Ran the Rock Creek Park trails in the morning. After work, I went to the gym with Valerie. I was able to loosen up nicely. Also, this will probably be my last full weights session before Boston....one week to go.
P.S. This guy runs a lot more than I do.
4.14.2008
April 13 (83 miles/week)
AM: 15 miles easy/moderate
Met a group of 10 or so GRC'ers a the Line, running the Zoo loop. Easing off the mileage has made me feel pretty fresh. I felt light and springy up the hills, including the monster going up Tilden. This is promising. We opened up a little bit during the last 1-2 miles, probably running at or close to MP.
Breakfast at the Pancake House followed; I met up with Nick and James after their ride, who joined us.
Met a group of 10 or so GRC'ers a the Line, running the Zoo loop. Easing off the mileage has made me feel pretty fresh. I felt light and springy up the hills, including the monster going up Tilden. This is promising. We opened up a little bit during the last 1-2 miles, probably running at or close to MP.
Breakfast at the Pancake House followed; I met up with Nick and James after their ride, who joined us.
April 12
AM: 10 miles w/ 4 x 2'on/2'off
Ran from the store around Hains Point. We caught a little bit of rain, which actually felt fantastic.
In the middle of the run around Hains Point, P. Murphy and I threw in a little fartlek to shake the legs out, which felt light and crisp. We then turned around and caught back up with the group to finish up.
Ran from the store around Hains Point. We caught a little bit of rain, which actually felt fantastic.
In the middle of the run around Hains Point, P. Murphy and I threw in a little fartlek to shake the legs out, which felt light and crisp. We then turned around and caught back up with the group to finish up.
4.11.2008
April 11
AM: 7 miles easy/moderate, strides
I got in a shorter run this morning on the Capital Crescent. No run or gym tonight because I'm headed to the new ballpark to watch the Braves and Nats.
I got in a shorter run this morning on the Capital Crescent. No run or gym tonight because I'm headed to the new ballpark to watch the Braves and Nats.
April 10
AM: 11 miles easy
PM: 4 miles easy
Ran the hills in Rock Creek park around the south stables. I passed a jogging Ethiopian runner, who promptly started following me two steps behind. I finally turned around to try to make conversation, but he didn't speak much English. Kind of a random last 5-10 minutes of my run. I kept pulling to the shoulder to get him to run with me, but he contently run just a few strides behind until I took the trail back home.
After work, I was going to go to the gym, but P. Murphy talked me into running again because it was 77 degrees outside. We ran the first ten minutes or so with Valerie, and then we headed off on our own. It was probably more than 4, but I didn't time it.
PM: 4 miles easy
Ran the hills in Rock Creek park around the south stables. I passed a jogging Ethiopian runner, who promptly started following me two steps behind. I finally turned around to try to make conversation, but he didn't speak much English. Kind of a random last 5-10 minutes of my run. I kept pulling to the shoulder to get him to run with me, but he contently run just a few strides behind until I took the trail back home.
After work, I was going to go to the gym, but P. Murphy talked me into running again because it was 77 degrees outside. We ran the first ten minutes or so with Valerie, and then we headed off on our own. It was probably more than 4, but I didn't time it.
4.10.2008
April 9
AM: 4 miles easy
toothpastefordinner.com
PM: 7 miles @ MP plus 4x200m, 10 miles
Ran a shake-out on the Capital Crescent in the morning.
After work, I met up with Bain, Klim, and P. Murphy at B-CC to run a marathon-pace workout on the Capital Crescent, but on the lower portion from this morning. The first 4 miles were slightly downhill, and the last three were slightly uphill.
I didn't feel quite as fresh and effortless as I'd like, but everyone else seemed to echo the same feeling. My guess is that the false flat on the way back, plus the the last Sunday, is the culprit.
toothpastefordinner.com
4.09.2008
April 8
AM: 9 miles moderate
PM: 5 miles easy
Ran the hills in Rock Creek Park in the morning. Less mud this morning; passed an Ethiopian training group that I've seen periodically.
After work, I ran easy with Valerie during her run.
I have a Wii on the way to me right now. I'm not sure when this game will debut for it, but when it does, I'm camping out at Wal Mart for sure. Best sports video game...ever? You decide!
Just to clarify...in case there was some debate...competitive eating isn't a sport.
PM: 5 miles easy
Ran the hills in Rock Creek Park in the morning. Less mud this morning; passed an Ethiopian training group that I've seen periodically.
After work, I ran easy with Valerie during her run.
I have a Wii on the way to me right now. I'm not sure when this game will debut for it, but when it does, I'm camping out at Wal Mart for sure. Best sports video game...ever? You decide!
Just to clarify...in case there was some debate...competitive eating isn't a sport.
4.08.2008
April 7
AM: 8 miles easy recovery
PM: weights, core, stretching
Recovery day after yesterday's race. I ran through Rock Creek PArk in the morning, which was sloppy after all of the rain we've had over the last few days. I took a nice spill a couple miles from home when I hit a slick patch of mud.
After work, I just went to the gym with Valerie. It felt good to stretch out; I didn't really do any stretching at all after the race yesterday.
PM: weights, core, stretching
Recovery day after yesterday's race. I ran through Rock Creek PArk in the morning, which was sloppy after all of the rain we've had over the last few days. I took a nice spill a couple miles from home when I hit a slick patch of mud.
After work, I just went to the gym with Valerie. It felt good to stretch out; I didn't really do any stretching at all after the race yesterday.
4.06.2008
April 6 - Cherry Blossom 10-Mile (91 miles/week)
AM: Cherry Blossom 10-mile, 53:17 (PR), 25th place, 15 miles
The weather was pretty crappy this morning. When I got up, it was 40-45 degrees and raining. fortunately, the rain let up while we were warming up. The goal was to run under 54 minutes, and if I was having an awesome day, under 53 minutes.
I knew this was going to be a fast race coming in. Patrick and I lined up next to Bill Rodgers, which was kind of neat, and then went out in the first mile together; a pack developed shortly thereafter. I felt into a group of guys that included Klim and a few Pacers as we ran the first 5k around Hains Point. There were a few surges thrown in, including a couple modest ones by myself, which was really everyone just feeling the pace out. At about 4.5 miles, the pack surged ahead, and I realized I may have gotten a little excited in the first few miles and was going to have to hang on for the second half of the race (I dropped back just before the 5-mile mark, which you can see in the video). At this point, I was almost on pace for a sub-52 finish, which I thought was a little aggressive for me at this point. I'm still glad I went for it, because I guess you'd never know otherwise.
So, instead, I compromised, dropped back, opting instead to pull in the stragglers, which worked well enough. The fast pace in the beginning made the second half pretty uncomfortable. I thought for sure I was going to vomit around mile 8, which isn't a feeling usually associated with a 10-miler. This makes sense, because my 5-mile and 10k splits (26:13 and 32:47) weren't far off from races I've run all-out in the last few weeks.
At 10k, I caught one guy who clearly went out way too fast and was running backward. I spent the next few miles trying to catch Pacers' Michael Wardian (I've never been close to beating him before, but he'd raced two marathons last weekend, including winning the National Marathon in DC...and his shoe was untied). Despite his apparent handicaps, I still didn't catch him until we were coming back across the Memorial Bridge with about 2k to go after slowly closing the gap with about . At this point, we were running right into the wind, and I tried to push through it and put some distance between us.
But it didn't come to be. About a half-mile later, he caught back up to me, and we fought back and forth until the 400m mark, at which point I had nothing left, and he passed me just before we made the turn to the finish (Dwyer said this was like watching two turtles trying to outkick each other). I had no kick whatsoever, and my guess is this was because of the fast pace at the beginning, fighting some wind, and trying to drop another runner with a mile to go.
Even though I wasn't happy with the way the finish went, I still ran a PR by more than 1:40, so there's only so much to complain about that. I plugged my time into a running calculator, and this is one of the fastest races I've run for any distance. I couldn't have asked for anything better going into Boston, especially since the time suggests I might be under 2:30 if I play my cards right on Marathon Monday in two weeks.
Without the wind today, and perhaps if I'd gone out slightly more conservatively (though not by much), I could have finished stronger and dipped under 53 minutes. I lost focus some in miles 7 and 8, and my splits reflect that. One positive is that instead of getting slower, I rebounded and finished with two miles that were slightly faster, albeit slower than any in my first 4.
Klim and Patrick finished pretty well, both running PRs, and Steve Crane, who was well ahead of us (in 49-something) was the top American. So a lot of people, including myself, had good days today. This is always the fastest race in DC ( a Moroccan won it in 46:15 , with the next guy a just a couple of seconds behind).
My stomach was killing me afterward, especially my colon and everything going through it. I couldn't eat anything until 2:00 in the afternoon. I rested, drank a bunch of Gatorade, and took a 90-minute nap. I woke up spread-eagle on the bed and drooling. I was out pretty cold. As I write this after dinner, I'm feeling physically better and feeling more confident about Boston.
Splits: 5:16, 5:06, 5:13 (wind), 5:16, 5:20, 5:21, 5:27, 5:28, 5:20, 5:22.
I got 53:14 for my total time, so we'll see what my chip time says.
Also, fellow GRC'er Peter was on hand, and like St. Patrick's Day, he put together a pretty badass video for the race, which I'm attaching to this post.
4.05.2008
April 5
AM: 7 miles easy, strides
An easy out-and-back on the Capital Crescent. I felt light and fresh, like I had to hold myself back a little bit. Cherry Blossom is tomorrow--I've been looking forward to this race for a while now. The 10-mile is one of my favorite race distances, though the forecast says its going to be rainy and cold.
April 4
AM: 11 miles moderate
PM: 6 miles easy
Rock Creek Park both in the morning and after work. Felt better in the morning, but tired in the evening.
4.04.2008
April 3
AM: 9 miles easy
PM: core, stretching
I got in a little over an hour in Rock Creek Park in the morning. Last night's workout didn't kill me, but I don't think I got enough sleep or enough fuel back in me afterward. I was tired and hungry all day.
I had to drive to Laurel after work to pick up Valerie's car from the shop. As a result, I spent almost three hours in the car yesterday, which usually gets me pretty grumpy and foul. By the time I got home, the last thing I wanted to do was go running in dark, 38-degree rain. I figured I'd pick my battles, so I did some core work and stretched out, opting instead to get in bed earlier.
I'm pretty sure this was a good call. I don't intend to drastically cut my mileage that much before the marathon, so I'm probably better off leaning toward cautious with Cherry Blossom and Boston coming up in such a short window. Above all, I want to feel mentally and physically fresh going into both. At this point, a lot of the work that will be done before Marathon Monday is just going to be maintenance. Cherry Blossom on Sunday should be the last really fast effort before Boston, aside from a few tune-up workouts between the two races.
PM: core, stretching
I got in a little over an hour in Rock Creek Park in the morning. Last night's workout didn't kill me, but I don't think I got enough sleep or enough fuel back in me afterward. I was tired and hungry all day.
I had to drive to Laurel after work to pick up Valerie's car from the shop. As a result, I spent almost three hours in the car yesterday, which usually gets me pretty grumpy and foul. By the time I got home, the last thing I wanted to do was go running in dark, 38-degree rain. I figured I'd pick my battles, so I did some core work and stretched out, opting instead to get in bed earlier.
I'm pretty sure this was a good call. I don't intend to drastically cut my mileage that much before the marathon, so I'm probably better off leaning toward cautious with Cherry Blossom and Boston coming up in such a short window. Above all, I want to feel mentally and physically fresh going into both. At this point, a lot of the work that will be done before Marathon Monday is just going to be maintenance. Cherry Blossom on Sunday should be the last really fast effort before Boston, aside from a few tune-up workouts between the two races.
4.03.2008
April 2
AM: weights, core, stretching
PM: 14 miles @ MP, plus small warmup and cooldown, 15 miles
Because of the longer workout in the afternoon, I opted to go to the gym in the morning to loosen up and get in a good lifting session.
After work, I met Dwyer and P. Murphy at the Line for our tempo run. I set up cups with Gatorade, and we ran six laps of the Meadowbrook stables loop (2.36 miles). The pace overall ended up being 5:53, starting slower and finishing a little faster. This is right at the pace I want to hit in the first half of Boston, so it was just perfect.
Splits: 14:04 (5:58), 13:56 (5:54), 13:54 (5:53), 14:04 (5:58), 13:45 (5:49), 13:50 (5:51).
Honestly, I'm not sure how to gauge the effort. I know I wasn't fresh afterward, but I was also never really taxed. I'd venture to say that I felt better in the second half than the first. I'm pretty confident that I can maintain this or better it for another 12.2 miles, especially with a taper in the next two weeks. That was the idea going in; this could have been an easy workout to push harder than I should have.
The splits for me were uncharacteristically all over the place. I can attribute this to 1.) trying to drink and run, and 2.) the dark, which always seems to throw off my depth perception and, thus, also my sense of pace.
PM: 14 miles @ MP, plus small warmup and cooldown, 15 miles
Because of the longer workout in the afternoon, I opted to go to the gym in the morning to loosen up and get in a good lifting session.
After work, I met Dwyer and P. Murphy at the Line for our tempo run. I set up cups with Gatorade, and we ran six laps of the Meadowbrook stables loop (2.36 miles). The pace overall ended up being 5:53, starting slower and finishing a little faster. This is right at the pace I want to hit in the first half of Boston, so it was just perfect.
Splits: 14:04 (5:58), 13:56 (5:54), 13:54 (5:53), 14:04 (5:58), 13:45 (5:49), 13:50 (5:51).
Honestly, I'm not sure how to gauge the effort. I know I wasn't fresh afterward, but I was also never really taxed. I'd venture to say that I felt better in the second half than the first. I'm pretty confident that I can maintain this or better it for another 12.2 miles, especially with a taper in the next two weeks. That was the idea going in; this could have been an easy workout to push harder than I should have.
The splits for me were uncharacteristically all over the place. I can attribute this to 1.) trying to drink and run, and 2.) the dark, which always seems to throw off my depth perception and, thus, also my sense of pace.
4.01.2008
April 1
AM: 6 miles easy
PM: 11 miles easy
Ran in Rock Creek Park in the morning while it was cold and misty. By the time I met Klim after work for a run at Cabin John, the weather was well into the 70s--awesome.
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