This was my eigth consecutive Marine Corps Marahon marathon, 15th overall since October 2000. The weather was close to perfect for a marathon. The weather was sunny and cool with a nice breeze.
My goal was to aim for another PR with a target of 3:10 completion, or roughly a 7:15 pace.
As is customary for me, almost a tradition for the MCM, I began the race with a light run to the starting line. Consequently, I had to spend a lot of time weaving through the thousands that had gotten a timely start. The first 6 miles of the course have some respectable hills. After that, it's pretty much flat.
Between the crowds and the hills, I wasn't hitting my target pace. Fortunately, the downhills allowed me to make up my time. After the hills, I kept a solid 7:10 pace and was staying constant. I got to Haines Point and was still going strong but after I passed Mile 19 and was hit by stomach cramps. That was it. As painful a choice it was for me, I decided it was best not to go on.
My first DNF ever. If I didn't have the recent Baltimore Marathon experience as consolation, it would have been a much bigger let down. Because my legs still felt strong, I entertained the notion of finding another marathon to accomplish the following weekend. Instead, I'll defer to Boston 2008 in April and leave myself plenty of room for improvement.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Oct 13 Baltimore Marathon (PR)
This was my first Baltimore marathon, 14th overall in the 8 years I've been running marathons. It was a beautiful day. The weather was sunny and 47°F with a light breeze.
My goal in Baltimore was to keep a 7:30 pace and to get in a quality long run I needed in advance of the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon coming up in 2 weeks. The mistake I've made so many times before (most recently in Boston) is peaking too soon and I was determined to stick to a reasonable pace and not burn out early. A 7:30 pace was ambitious since it would put me in striking range of my most recent PR (3:17 2007 National Marathon) though it was hard to gauge how realistic this was. My longest training run was 20 miles and I would have a hard time sustaining that pace even as my training cycle was at its peak. Another factor was the terrain. Baltimore definitely looked hilly.
Well, I found myself running at what I thought was a comfortable pace but it was more like 7:15 than 7:30! The first half was definitely easier to stay on pace. The second half was chock full of hills. From my recollection of the elevation map, I expected hills from mile 13 to mile 19 but they didn't seem to end until mile 25! This course definitely had more hills than Boston.
The spectators were a cheerful lot though there weren't that many. The loop around Ft. McHenry (miles 9-10) was the most scenic: a fort jutting out into the Chesapeake Bay with large ships on the horizon.
I finished strong, but straining, with a new personal record of 3:12:59. Now I'm wondering, since the Marine Corps Marathon is comparatively flat, perhaps I can aim for a pace of 7:15 and break the 3:10 barrier...
Below are my stats, and a pace reading per mile with the corresponding elevation.
-Em
Baltimore Marathon Personal Statistics
========================================
age: 45
chip time: 3:12:59
overall: 113/2538
sex place: 101/1706
45-49 div place: 10/213
pace: 7:21.7
mile 6: 0:44:04
mile 10: 1:13:12
mile 13: 1:34:03
half: 1:36:03
mile 19: 2:20:02
mile 21: 2:35:58
My goal in Baltimore was to keep a 7:30 pace and to get in a quality long run I needed in advance of the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon coming up in 2 weeks. The mistake I've made so many times before (most recently in Boston) is peaking too soon and I was determined to stick to a reasonable pace and not burn out early. A 7:30 pace was ambitious since it would put me in striking range of my most recent PR (3:17 2007 National Marathon) though it was hard to gauge how realistic this was. My longest training run was 20 miles and I would have a hard time sustaining that pace even as my training cycle was at its peak. Another factor was the terrain. Baltimore definitely looked hilly.
Well, I found myself running at what I thought was a comfortable pace but it was more like 7:15 than 7:30! The first half was definitely easier to stay on pace. The second half was chock full of hills. From my recollection of the elevation map, I expected hills from mile 13 to mile 19 but they didn't seem to end until mile 25! This course definitely had more hills than Boston.
The spectators were a cheerful lot though there weren't that many. The loop around Ft. McHenry (miles 9-10) was the most scenic: a fort jutting out into the Chesapeake Bay with large ships on the horizon.
I finished strong, but straining, with a new personal record of 3:12:59. Now I'm wondering, since the Marine Corps Marathon is comparatively flat, perhaps I can aim for a pace of 7:15 and break the 3:10 barrier...
Below are my stats, and a pace reading per mile with the corresponding elevation.
-Em
Baltimore Marathon Personal Statistics
========================================
age: 45
chip time: 3:12:59
overall: 113/2538
sex place: 101/1706
45-49 div place: 10/213
pace: 7:21.7
mile 6: 0:44:04
mile 10: 1:13:12
mile 13: 1:34:03
half: 1:36:03
mile 19: 2:20:02
mile 21: 2:35:58
mile elev pace
---- ------ -----
(each * counts as 50 feet in elevation)
m0 .** -
m1 .*** 7:35
m2 .**** 7:16~
m3 .*** 7:16~ (14:32)
m4 .**** 7:09
m5 .** 6:59
m6 .*** 7:13~
m7 .* 7:13~ (14:26)
m8 . 7:24
m9 . 7:50
m10 . 6:58
m11 . 7:27
m12 . 7:04
m13 . 7:18~
m14 . 7:18~ (14:35)
m15 .* 7:23
m16 .* 7:13
m17 .* 7:29
m18 .** 7:41
m19 .*** 7:52~
m20 .***** 7:52~ (15:43)
m21 .**** 7:27
m22 .**** 7:42
m23 .**** 7:24
m24 .** 6:59
m25 .*** 7:43
m26 .* 6:51
end . 1:17
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Reflections on Boston
From the Washington Post, April 15.
Indeed. I was braced for and expecting a Nor'easter. I purchased all the gear I thought I'd need: a hat, a special lightweight jacket, and gloves. On race day I happened to forget my gloves and a volunteer graciously gave me hers. I decided to wear a flashing LED head lamp to make myself more visible to my family.
Certainly, Hopkinton was miserable. 20K runners huddled and packed together under tents amidst soggy fields. It was definitely rainy, windy and cold.
The rain turned into a drizzle as the start time approached. The winds tamed too but it was still in the low 40s.
I made a raceday decision to aim for a 7:00 mile pace. I've never run a previous marathon faster than 7:30 mile pace. Starting too fast is a recurring mistake I've made in past marathons. What was I thinking?
The rationale went like this:
1. Three weeks earlier I ran the DC National Marathon. I started out with a measured 7:40 pace and had my the strongest marathon finish ever. I finished in 3:17 with a 7:32 pace. This was the only marathon I've ever run with a negative split and my legs never felt stronger, even after I finished.
Since this wasn't the marathon I was training for and I finished so strong, I figured I could go faster. I figured with more trainnig and a proper taper I'd be able to run even faster.
2. Two weeks earlier I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. My average pace was 6:42 -- my personal best for any race.
Again, I thought that with a taper I'd be able to sustain a faster marathon pace. So, 10 miles from the starting line my legs signaled to me that I started off too fast. It was a hard slog from there.
The Wellesley girls' "scream tunnel" was something to behold. You could hear it a mile out.
There was an outstanding fan presence despite the poor weather. I saw my wife, kids, and parents on Heartbreak Hill. It was a relief to see them but that hill was bear. If only my legs weren't so tired. Heartbreak Hill really is nothing but with weary legs and having been over the other Newton Hills, it was definitely a tough hill to climb.
I manged to finished in 3:28. So, rather than a PR I did BQ at Boston for my new age group (45) next year. This makes the last three marathons (MCM 2006, National Marathon 2007, Boston 2007) qualified me for the 2008 Boston Marathon.
The finish was cold and windy. The walk to the family meetup area seemed interminable. I could feel the hypothermic chills set in as I approached and decided to find shelter. It's a good thing I did as it took my family more than an hour to reach me.
All in all, it was a great experience and I look forward to running Boston 2008. I'll be training more deliberately with a 7:00 mile pace in mind.
"Participants anticipate the worst weather in the history of the world's oldest continuous marathon when the race begins tomorrow at 10 a.m. Forecasters predict heavy rain, 20 mph winds and temperatures around 40 degrees. Race officials expect to treat many cases of hypothermia among the 23,000 participants."
Indeed. I was braced for and expecting a Nor'easter. I purchased all the gear I thought I'd need: a hat, a special lightweight jacket, and gloves. On race day I happened to forget my gloves and a volunteer graciously gave me hers. I decided to wear a flashing LED head lamp to make myself more visible to my family.
Certainly, Hopkinton was miserable. 20K runners huddled and packed together under tents amidst soggy fields. It was definitely rainy, windy and cold.
The rain turned into a drizzle as the start time approached. The winds tamed too but it was still in the low 40s.
I made a raceday decision to aim for a 7:00 mile pace. I've never run a previous marathon faster than 7:30 mile pace. Starting too fast is a recurring mistake I've made in past marathons. What was I thinking?
The rationale went like this:
1. Three weeks earlier I ran the DC National Marathon. I started out with a measured 7:40 pace and had my the strongest marathon finish ever. I finished in 3:17 with a 7:32 pace. This was the only marathon I've ever run with a negative split and my legs never felt stronger, even after I finished.
Since this wasn't the marathon I was training for and I finished so strong, I figured I could go faster. I figured with more trainnig and a proper taper I'd be able to run even faster.
2. Two weeks earlier I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. My average pace was 6:42 -- my personal best for any race.
Again, I thought that with a taper I'd be able to sustain a faster marathon pace. So, 10 miles from the starting line my legs signaled to me that I started off too fast. It was a hard slog from there.
The Wellesley girls' "scream tunnel" was something to behold. You could hear it a mile out.
There was an outstanding fan presence despite the poor weather. I saw my wife, kids, and parents on Heartbreak Hill. It was a relief to see them but that hill was bear. If only my legs weren't so tired. Heartbreak Hill really is nothing but with weary legs and having been over the other Newton Hills, it was definitely a tough hill to climb.
I manged to finished in 3:28. So, rather than a PR I did BQ at Boston for my new age group (45) next year. This makes the last three marathons (MCM 2006, National Marathon 2007, Boston 2007) qualified me for the 2008 Boston Marathon.
The finish was cold and windy. The walk to the family meetup area seemed interminable. I could feel the hypothermic chills set in as I approached and decided to find shelter. It's a good thing I did as it took my family more than an hour to reach me.
All in all, it was a great experience and I look forward to running Boston 2008. I'll be training more deliberately with a 7:00 mile pace in mind.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Boston bound: storm running
A nor'easter is forecast for Boston on Patriot's Day. Now things are starting to look interesting.
"Monday...Rain. Rain May be heavy at Times in the morning. Brisk with highs in the lower 40s. Chance of rain 80 percent." (Courtesy of The Weather Channel)
Not only that, but the winds are expected to be 25MPH ENE (that's against the direction we'll be running) sustained with 40MPH gusts!
I guess this is God's way of tempering my confidence. And I am still determined to best my PR of 3:17:29.
Time to go out and make sure I have the right cold, wet weather running gear. I fly out tonight at 8pm.
"Monday...Rain. Rain May be heavy at Times in the morning. Brisk with highs in the lower 40s. Chance of rain 80 percent." (Courtesy of The Weather Channel)
Not only that, but the winds are expected to be 25MPH ENE (that's against the direction we'll be running) sustained with 40MPH gusts!
I guess this is God's way of tempering my confidence. And I am still determined to best my PR of 3:17:29.
Time to go out and make sure I have the right cold, wet weather running gear. I fly out tonight at 8pm.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
Sunday, April 1. With the cherry blossoms in peak bloom, I exceeded my previous 10 mile PR (Army 10 Miler, Oct 8 2006, 1:10:02 @7:00 per mile) by more than 3 minutes! That equates to a pace of 6:42 per mile which is much faster than my training pace (usually 7:30 to 8:00 per mile).
I'm starting to think crazy thoughts about Boston. Can I sustain a 7:00 per mile pace for the distance? That would just be crazy but look at the elevation profile of the Boston Marathon. It's all down hill except for a couple of notable exceptions.
I'll meditate on my time goals. I've still got a couple of weeks. It's time to taper.
I'm starting to think crazy thoughts about Boston. Can I sustain a 7:00 per mile pace for the distance? That would just be crazy but look at the elevation profile of the Boston Marathon. It's all down hill except for a couple of notable exceptions.
I'll meditate on my time goals. I've still got a couple of weeks. It's time to taper.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Great Run: Another PR!
My time was 3:17:29 at the National Marathon: another personal record! I went into this race wary of whether running so fast would be a good idea. After all, this is meant to be a tune up race in advance of the Boston Marathon in 3 weeks.
I metered my time carefully up to the mile 20, though still averaging better than the 7:38 pace I kept at my previous marathon (Marine Corps Marathon, Nov 2006) and PR. After pulling up through the 100 foot steep ascent of the Calvert Climb, between mile 19 and 20, I slowed down a little for my legs to recover. At one point the 3:20 pace group (that's 7:38 minutes per mile) caught up to me when I felt strong enough to kick it into gear and push hard the last 6 miles. Nothing held me back. I finished the last .2 miles in an all out foot race with another marathoner who eked out a nose ahead of me.
Of all the marathons I've run so far, none have been so satisfying. Plus, my legs remained strong throughout. With one exception (MCM 2002) I cannot recall any marathon where I finished so strong. One way to interpret this is that I didn't push myself hard enough, which means this was a good tune up run! Exactly my goal. I just need to make sure I don't slough off in my last couple of weeks of training and I will get another PR at Boston.
Next up: Cherry Blossom 10 miler, Sunday Apr 1.
I metered my time carefully up to the mile 20, though still averaging better than the 7:38 pace I kept at my previous marathon (Marine Corps Marathon, Nov 2006) and PR. After pulling up through the 100 foot steep ascent of the Calvert Climb, between mile 19 and 20, I slowed down a little for my legs to recover. At one point the 3:20 pace group (that's 7:38 minutes per mile) caught up to me when I felt strong enough to kick it into gear and push hard the last 6 miles. Nothing held me back. I finished the last .2 miles in an all out foot race with another marathoner who eked out a nose ahead of me.
Of all the marathons I've run so far, none have been so satisfying. Plus, my legs remained strong throughout. With one exception (MCM 2002) I cannot recall any marathon where I finished so strong. One way to interpret this is that I didn't push myself hard enough, which means this was a good tune up run! Exactly my goal. I just need to make sure I don't slough off in my last couple of weeks of training and I will get another PR at Boston.
Next up: Cherry Blossom 10 miler, Sunday Apr 1.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Long Run: National Marathon
Training's been going well. I'm at about 60-80 miles per week. With 2 back-to-back 19 milers and some respectable hills in my workout, I made a spur of the moment decision to run the National Marathon on March 24 (tomorrow).
The idea is that I need at least a couple of good, long runs in my workout leading up to Boston, why not a marathon? On closer inspection, the National Marathon course looks a bit more challenging than Boston with a very challenging 200 foot climb between mile 19 and 20 (the Calvert Climb out of Rock Creek park) that looks more formidable than Heartbreak Hill, at least on an elevation profile. I had naive hopes of attaining a PR but this looks like a pretty challenging course. I'll just aim for a respectable run.
I tried explaining the "need a long run, why not a marathon" to the TV viewing public .
(I'm 2:15 in the clip, the Kensington marathoner)
http://video.nbc4.com/player/?id=84839
Oh, well. It's pretty plain I need to work on my television presence.
We'll see how the long run goes.
-Em
The idea is that I need at least a couple of good, long runs in my workout leading up to Boston, why not a marathon? On closer inspection, the National Marathon course looks a bit more challenging than Boston with a very challenging 200 foot climb between mile 19 and 20 (the Calvert Climb out of Rock Creek park) that looks more formidable than Heartbreak Hill, at least on an elevation profile. I had naive hopes of attaining a PR but this looks like a pretty challenging course. I'll just aim for a respectable run.
I tried explaining the "need a long run, why not a marathon" to the TV viewing public .
(I'm 2:15 in the clip, the Kensington marathoner)
http://video.nbc4.com/player/?id=84839
Oh, well. It's pretty plain I need to work on my television presence.
We'll see how the long run goes.
-Em
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Boston bound!
Just this afternoon I discovered that I am qualified for the 2007 Boston Marathon. This shouldn't have been a surprise since my 3:19 time at the 2006 Marine Corps Marathon (October 29) qualified me to enter. I expected to be at Boston in 2008 rather than 2007. Now I'm 2 1/2 months away from the Boston Marathon (April 16) without the level of training I would have been if I'd known otherwise. How did this happen?
I recall when I came home after the MCM anticipating entry in BM there was bold lettering that confused and misled my post-marathon addled brain: "The qualifying window for the 2008 Boston Marathon will begin on September 23, 2006." Embedded within an earlier paragraph and no emphasis: "Qualifying times [for the 2007 Boston Marathon] must be run on or after September 24, 2005." Voila! Not only do I qualify for the 2008 Boston Marathon, but 2007 as well.
Winter is typically when I enter hibernation mode. Little running since it's difficult to get motivated to go running early when it's dark and cold outside. Sleeping in. Much like a bear in a cave, only eating more.
Fortunately, my winter training situation is much better this year. Now, with 2 1/2 months to go for the BM, time is short. Time to train. Planning on a Long Slow Distance 14 miler tomorrow. I can do this.
-Em
I recall when I came home after the MCM anticipating entry in BM there was bold lettering that confused and misled my post-marathon addled brain: "The qualifying window for the 2008 Boston Marathon will begin on September 23, 2006." Embedded within an earlier paragraph and no emphasis: "Qualifying times [for the 2007 Boston Marathon] must be run on or after September 24, 2005." Voila! Not only do I qualify for the 2008 Boston Marathon, but 2007 as well.
Winter is typically when I enter hibernation mode. Little running since it's difficult to get motivated to go running early when it's dark and cold outside. Sleeping in. Much like a bear in a cave, only eating more.
Fortunately, my winter training situation is much better this year. Now, with 2 1/2 months to go for the BM, time is short. Time to train. Planning on a Long Slow Distance 14 miler tomorrow. I can do this.
-Em
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