"Adequately Taking Some Time Off"

Well it's been a week since my last post which I suppose can be described as "adequately taking some time off". My plan after running Philadelphia Marathon eight days ago was to try and go two weeks without any sort of physical activity but, alas, the mountainous volume of food consumed over Thanksgiving caused a radical rethink and, besides, I feel like I need to earn those hours spent on the sofa watching Apple TV.

Additionally, my recovery had been surprisingly good and by Thursday I felt pretty much back to normal apart from a continued tiredness. I watched with admiration (and a little jealousy) as A and friends ran the Salem 5 mile road race on Thanksgiving morning... champions, all of them, as the photo here proves!

By Friday I was bouncing off the walls and made plans to run with friends at TMIRCE on Saturday morning... the weather was beautiful that day and I cautiously set out with a goal of running anywhere between 3-7 miles depending on how things felt. I was still in the PUMA's but with new socks made by Balega. Although a little creaky, the going was good and we ran 6 miles at just under 8 min/mile pace. The "we" included Andy, who'd finished second in a Thanksgiving 5K on Cape Cod with a stupendous sub-18.30, and Kaipo who's two weeks out from his first marathon.

Sunday was a leisurely swim day and tonight I think I'm going to venture over to the new Lululemon Weekly Run for a few gentle miles... repeat after me "must remember to take it easy, must remember to take it easy, must remember to take it easy..." for the next few weeks at least :)

Revisiting Reach The Beach

Remember we captained a Transition Area at the New Balance Reach The Breach Relay a couple of months ago? Well, here's the video with a cheesey interview by Yours Truly...

 

If you've never ran a relay before then may I suggest you check out the Massachusetts version in May which I ran this year? In my opinion, Reach The Beach is easily the best relay series out there especially with their focus on safety, lovely scenic courses, local knowledge and value for money.

2011 Philadelphia Marathon Recap - 2

(continued from Part 1)
The second "loop" of the marathon course was an out and back along the beautiful Scullykill River. With the mild temperatures and autumnal colors, these first few miles outbound were delightful and I kept telling myself it's just a 10k until the turnaround and the same to get back... one of the downsides of an out and back route, of course, is that you see all the mile markers on both sides of the road so, prior to mile 14, there was mile 25 etc. on the other side and so forth. I tried hard over this next stretch to keep the pace steady and just around mile 18 we looped off for a short out and back which helped slow things down further - at the 30k checkpoint I was still on a 7.08 average but the blister was really starting to hurt.

26 mile mark and trying to smile!

I'd walked at the end of my last 4 marathons and was determined not to do so today. Nonetheless, from miles 18 through 21 I ran slightly slower to ease things until the water stop around 21.5 when the pain was too much and I stopped to walk. By now I had passed a couple of friends who were also having bad race experiences and knew I could still get in under 3.10 if I could somehow adjust my shoe and keep going. Alas, the next 4.5 miles became a game of intermittent run 1/2 mile and walk briskly for a bit until the 3.10 pace team passed me at mile 25. I'd done my best but the pain from my foot had let me down... I knew A (who had ran a great 1.31 half!) would be somewhere between mile 25 and the finish point so I jogged this whole part as best I could and somehow spotted her in the huge crowds of people; heck, I even managed a cheesey smile as you can see from the photo at mile 26!

Just prior to crossing the finish line I noticed a man on the ground with a team of paramedics pumping his chest and giving medical attention. Sadly, this looked to be one of the two runners who passed away during the marathon and a terrible reminder of what a challenge the distance of 26.2 miles really is.

My final time was 3.12.55 which I was really pleased with. Only 90 seconds off of my PR which I'm confident would have been beaten if not for the shoe problems and I was reminded later on that I qualified for Boston again... not that I'll run it, of course, but it's nice to qualify! Besides, I have Big Sur in 5 months so will have another crack at getting into the low 3's then. Philadelphia Marathon is a fantastic event and my third favorite after NYC and Big Sur out of the seven I have ran to date... well-organized, beautiful course, great start/finish location and really friendly spectators. However, it's definitely not flat.

The old adage of "there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear" rang true for me throughout this experience. The new Lululemon tank top and shorts were the best I have ever ran in... no chaffing, lightweight, comfortable and well worth the increased $$ you tend to spend on them. The PUMA Faas 300's, however, may not be the ideal shoe for a marathon. I had been warned by someone who works for PUMA about this but had been running so well in them throughout my training that I thought I'd risk it. Perhaps they were the wrong size but my foot was in agony at the end and apologies for the lovely photo I posted here just after finishing... at least it wasn't as bad as my Boston 2010 one! I will be using the PUMA's for intervals, gym and shorter races, though, as they were perfect for that.

So my question to you is do you have a running shoe you'd recommend for marathon running? I like running in lightweight shoes which are slightly wider at the front and preferably have some cushioning under the mid foot. Ideally they'll have a low heel and look "snazzy" too... the Newton Gravity is almost perfect for me but can be a little slippery during the colder icy months up here in Massachusetts. Any recommendations would be brilliant!

2011 Philadelphia Marathon Recap - 1

The chapter of my life titled "Philadelphia Marathon" has now come to a close. A four month adventure where the marathon was purely a coda on the wonderful juxtaposition of long-distance running and one's everyday life. Hundreds of miles were put under my belt during this period in places such as Quebec City, Newport, Nantucket, Brussels, South England, Washington DC and Boston and, if you've kept reading this blog throughout that period, then please accept this virtual medal for your patience and endurance!

As I mentioned on Thursday, I was entering Philly feeling well-rested, mentally relaxed and open-minded to the outcome. It was a big birthday on Saturday too so the goal was purely to have a great time and see what happened. I mentioned to A on Saturday that I expected to finish under 3.20 and would try for between a 7 - 7.15 pace average with 3.05 being the likely best time I could hope for. Knowing how bad I am at pacing, and staying focused during these long runs, she's been an amazing source of encouragement and kept gently reminding me to start out slowly and keep positive thoughts in the second half when things became tough. We did a 3 mile slow warm up jog on Saturday morning to the Rocky Steps before an afternoon of lunch with friends and some pre-marathon evening sushi (yes, this is the best thing to eat the night before!).

Sunday started early and we walked to the race corrals in darkness ready for the 7am start. A was running the half marathon too (3 weeks after Marine Corps) which took the same route as the full so we stood in the second corral together... "do not run with me, I am only running the half, remember" were words I memorized as we stood there. In those quiet moments I also reflected on how I ran my first ever half marathon here in September 2004 when I wasn't a runner and had barely trained - my finishing time then of 2.01 reflected this.

6.30am before the marathon start

The temperature was already around 50f so I'd discarded everything except, of course, the Lululemon tanktop and shorts, which was pretty surreal for late November. Bart Yasso signaled the start just after 7am and we were off. Those first few miles are always strange for me as I search for my pace; the 3.10 pacer was right behind me and I tried to make sure I didn't get too far ahead of him as we ran through the old town and center city. I took water or Gatorade at every station as it was warmer than I'd expected but I felt good. Mile 7 we turned into a street with a long hill on it; a lot longer than we'd predicted with a good comparison being Hill 1 of The Newton Hills in Boston albeit 10 miles earlier into the course... ugh. Following this was a nice downhill into mile 9 where there was an even longer hill to climb... very unexpected! Still, the pace was steady at 7.08 min/mile and I was feeling physically great at the top of it except for a nagging rubbing in my left foot... the early sign of a blister. I'd mentioned previously that the only thing I was scared of is a blister and, here it was, the beginning of one with 16 miles to go. 

The halfway point was near the starting area and the half marathoners split off here to finish their race; so far the course had been really pretty and varied that it had gone by comfortably. My split at 13.1 miles was 1.33 which was perfect for a PR and it was good to finally only be running with marathoners as so many half marathoners were passing me during the previous mile. The crowds thinned out during this next portion and I started to really concentrate on ignoring the foot pain although I did pass this unfortunate lady running the other way; 12 miles to go now, less than 90 minutes at the current pace, surely the blister wouldn't get worse... continued here

The Final Countdown...

It's been my experience that the week leading up to a Marathon is always a tense one. Although this will be my seventh, I still have an underlying heightened anxiety which is borne more out of the act of waiting for Sunday morning as opposed to a fear of can I actually run 26.2 miles? I suspect a healthy amount of pent up energy from the reduced exercise schedule doesn't help plus throw in a mix of good, but dramatic, work news and deep, sustained sleeping has been difficult to achieve most nights this week.

My fastest to date in
October 2009

Oh well, it's all what one would call "luxury problems" and I simply can't wait to get on the plane to Philly! A marathon and a "milestone" birthday within 24 hours is going to be one to remember and I don't recall feeling this fit in my life. Yes, I still have an occasional recurrence of severe shin pain, which seems to go after running a mile or so, but nothing on the scale of my last four marathons. I attribute this to a reduced frequency of running and making every run have an objective - intervals, tempos, recoveries or long distance. My maximum weekly mileage has been 40 miles with most totalling between 30-35 miles with 40 minute swim sessions 1-2 times a week instead of running. 

Additionally I have taken what I've learnt from natural techniques, via the Newton Gravity's, and applied them to the lightweight PUMA Faas 300's which I'll be racing in this Sunday. Compression calf sleeves have been a major part of my post-run recovery too - fresh from the freezer to cool the shins down, plus the recent addition of Nuun fizzy drink supplements before and after a long training run.

So we'll see what transpires this weekend... apart from a slow 2-3 miles on Saturday morning, I am done with training now and just need to take it easy. My final week has consisted of 5 mile intervals with the new lululemon athletica run* on Monday (4 x 1,200m at 7 min/mile pace with slower pace before, during and after), swimming Tuesday, 5 mile treadmill Wednesday and swimming today. 

No predictions, no time goals I want to commit too, I'm just going to experience every moment and be grateful for being a part of such a fabulous event... thanks for reading!

*This looks to be an awesome new fixture on the weekly running calendar and, coincidentally, I'm planning on running the marathon in a new lululemon tank top and shorts... 

A True Love For Running...

MV20 in Feb 2010

The title of the blog indicates I'm a little biased on this next statement but running, a "non-team activity", is arguably the most social and fulfilling sport out there. Yes, we all know about the much vaunted physical and mental health benefits but I'm not alone in discovering that a large amount of my good friends (and girlfriend!) have come from a mutual love and ongoing participation in it.

None more so than the wonderful wedding we attended yesterday for our friends Phil and Heather, or "Pheather" as they were named on a running trip to Bermuda in 2010. A bunch of us met in early 2008 via the small (then) grassroots running club known as TMIRCE and I had the pleasure of sharing a hotel with Phil for our first marathons in NYC just over three years ago. Phil then went on to meet Heather the following weekend and now they're married... awesome!

They were married in an emotional (to me... yes, I get teary at weddings!) ceremony presided over by another TMIRCE-alumni, Scott P, with running friends Shannon and Andrew S also present; the beautiful and ever enigmatic, A, completed our table of running friends. Unbelievably there was a minimal amount of running talk to be heard except for discussion of the early 2012 races of MV20 and Big Sur Marathon we've signed up for which are two of Phil's favorites (and mine too). My legs were tired from a 9 miler with A around the Newton Hills that morning at a 7.45ish pace - my last long run before Philly and her first since Marine Corps two weeks ago - the delicious food (and pies) were not wasted on us. So, congratulations to Pheather on an amazing day and sincerely all the very best for your futures together!

One Year of cheekyrunning.com

No doubt you're aware the date today is 11.11.11 and, by coincidence, it also happens to be one year to the day that I wrote my first piece on cheekyrunning.com - On Becoming a Long Distance Runner

I wrote about my first ever half marathon which was in Philly back in 2004 when I was a lot less regimented about running... I think "occasional jogger" would have been the most flattering title for it. So I'm looking forward to returning and enjoying the full marathon there next week.

Since Tuesday's post I did my long-ish midweek tempo run with Marathon Sports on Wednesday which was all over the place pace-wise as usual... this cooler weather is so much easier for running in and I'm feeling a lot fitter with the taper too. Thanks to Paul for his excellent commentary on my last post regarding marathon race-pace - if you have any suggestions yourself then I'd love to read them so please post below. A rest day for yesterday and today before a final nine miler tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

Hmmm.... Marathon Race Pace?

Beautiful day outside in Boston today and I had the chance to enjoy it via a cheeky lunchtime run... 65f and almost spring-like if it wasn't for the beautiful autumnal colors hanging on every tree. With less than two weeks to Philly, I'm slowly ramping things down and starting to (belatedly) focus on a goal time for the marathon. I'd love everyone's thoughts / advice on what I should aim for as, even after six marathons, I'm still pretty bad at pacing.

Today I opted for 5 sets of 1,200 meters at "race pace" with a 400 meter jog in between each. My PR of 3.11.22 in Chicago in 2009 was done at a 7.09 min/mile pace according to my Garmin so I figured I should at least aim for 7.05 and see how it goes. I clearly didn't pace myself too well today with most of the "race pace" intervals coming in around 6.40ish... oh well, it felt pretty good although hopefully it'll be a lot colder in Philly on the day.

So with that in mind and a recent 7.10 min/mile paced 20 miler, 19.30 5k and a couple of 1.28ish half marathons back in the spring as reference points... what should my goal be for Philly? And do you have any tips on pacing?

Two Weeks to Philadelphia and a Pledge to Stop Falling Over

It's been a week since my last post and another 30+ miles have been ran. The legs are certainly feeling tired most of the time so, for these last 12 days or so leading up to Philly, I'm going to do my best to rest and seriously taper... much easier said than done! Five days of running last week which went as follows...

Monday - swimming
Tuesday - 7 miles around the Charles River @ 7.02 min/mile
Wednesday - 4.5 miles with the Back Bay Marathon Sports run club
Thursday - 7.5 miles @ 7.45 min/mile pace around the Charles River with Faas Bird, Ann (who then went on to run a 3.17 marathon on Sunday!)
Friday - rest
Saturday - 13 miles @ 7.55 min/mile pace with the Brookline Marathon Sports run club through the Newton Hills. Great run although felt very sluggish. I fell over at mile 12 and almost sprained my ankle... the second such fall this year and I need to pay more attention to where I'm going!
Sunday - 3 miles @ 8 min/mile to see whether my ankle was broken etc. Thankfully it seems not.

Numerous friends I've ran with and written about in CheekyRunning over the past few months ran their marathons this Sunday including Ann (mentioned above) - Paul R (wearing yellow in the photo) ran an awesome 2.31 to come second in Manchester, NH; Cyrus (who I ran my last 20 miler with) did a 3.08 in NYC and Jeff B a very impressive 3.30.11 for his marathon debut in NYC too.

Yikes, all my training partners are done for the year... just me and Philly Marathon left now!