It's been a while

It sure has been a while since I posted here. I have good excuses- really! The primary reason is that I haven't been doing alot of running since the Miami Marathon. During my recovery time I got sick with a stomach flu and it really set me back for a while. Only recently have I started getting back in the running groove and now I'm trying to ramp slow and really target the NYC Marathon in November.

Another reason I haven't poked here in a while is because I've been very busy working on the new 2.0 version of MapMyRun. Starting today, we've opened up the new beta site to the public so feel free to check it out. Keep in mind that this is a beta test, so keep your eyes out for bugs, and please contact the team here.

ING Miami Marathon

Okay, enough with the winter talk. Yesterday I ran the ING Miami Marathon, and it was not cold. I registered for the race on a whim two weeks ago so I could join a friend running his first Marathon there. This wasn't a 'goal' race for me, but I have relatives in the area too, so I thought it could be a fun weekend. Before the race, I thought I would go for about a 3:25. I wasn't sure how the heat would affect me as I have had my best running success in colder weather (below 50 degrees F), and I knew it would be hotter and more humid. Sure enough it started pouring just before the race, and it reminded me of my first marathon experience, where I had a classical first-marathoner bonk aided by the heat and humidity. I also discovered just before the race that my GPS watch ran out of battery power, so I was also running w/out knowing my pace and heart rate, which I rely on heavily. I ran the first half pretty solid, 1:46.40. That's actually a bit slower than 3:30, but not too bad. Soon after the half marathon split, the 3:30 pace group caught up to me and I ran with them for a little while, but I started losing motivation when the running got a little harder. I knew I could run harder, but I just didn't want to. I was thinking about recovering for the Austin Marathon 3 weeks from now. I didn't find the course very motivating either. I was actually surprised at the lack of scenery. Sure, there were some nice houses and the water, but we also ran through some really bad neighborhoods, and I really didn't like running over what seemed like half a dozed drawbridges, which when wet from the rain are very slippery (and windy that day too). It's disappointing to admit, but somewhere on mile 13 I told myself, "Okay, just mail it in. Cruise in and don't push too hard". So, that's what I did. Chip time: 3:47.40. Update: According to Lucky, it was 71 degrees at the start and 75 during most of the race. Blah!

Winter?

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Originally uploaded by JeffKalikstein.

Austin has been hit with some unseasonably seasonal weather here over the past week- it's been in the 30s with ice and snow for a few days, which is pretty rare in these parts.

As a result, I have only run twice since the 20 mile race ten days ago! This has bummed me out, and I'm kicking myself for not running more before the weather got _really_ bad. There were two days where the roads were iced over and running really was not possible.

My legs were tightening up from lack of running and I knew I had to run, so yesterday I bundled up in 3 layers and ran six miles along Town Lake. This should be a normal everyday run for me, but this morning my thighs are a bit sore. Bummer.

I'm running the Miami Marathon next Sunday! I'll try to run 10-12 this weekend and some daily 5-6 mile runs to keep loose.

ARA 20-mile Race Report

Yesterday I ran the ARA 20 miler. This was my first race since the Dallas Marathon three weeks ago. It was also my first time running this course, as it was the inaugural race. I did know that the course was out in the country, with some good hills, and the possibility of some tough winds. I had been a bit disappointed with my recovery from the Marathon. My lower legs were definitely feeling the effects from it for at least two weeks, and it took me a while to get some more good training runs in. Still, I felt like I was in good shape and I wanted to have a solid 20 mile race, as this is a great distance to have as a good long training run. I ran the race with my friend Gary, and we set a goal to run together for the first ten miles at 7:30 pace, and then go from there. We both agreed that running 7:30 for the whole race would be tough, but it would be nice to try and push it. Pre-race I drank a homemade double americano and ate a cliff bar, both standard for me. I like to load up on caffeine before and during a race so I can utilize it's effects. On the way to the race, we stopped at a gas station to use their bathroom to avoid the lines at the start of the race. I also picked up and drank a Starbucks doubleshot drink, for some extra caffeine, and a bottle of water. Race time We went out according to plan, my 10k time was 46:55 (7:33 pace), 15k was 1:10.23(7:34 pace), 20k @ 1:33.33 (7:32). After ten miles I was working fairly hard, but my heart rate and legs were feeling good. Gary and I agreed that we would each run our own race after the halfway mark, so he pulled away for a half mile or so. I later gained the ground back up, and took the lead of a small group that started passing runners between miles 13 and 15. I was ready to start pushing it real hard and finish strong. Between miles 15 and 16 I started feeling bad. I was having stomach issues and it slowed me down. Gary, and the group I was running with pulled away from me. I started slowing down and my 25k time was 1:57.41 (7:35 pace). I thought I could bear through it and finish the race and I pushed on. After mile 16 I was in a world of pain. "I hate running, why do I do this?" I thought. For the next mile and a half all I could think about was finding a bathroom stop. After the 18 mile mark I found one. I walked to it, and took a few minutes there. This was the first time in a race that I had to stop for a bathroom break, and I was bummed. As a result, my mile 19 time was 11:13. After the bathroom break I was ready to mail it in. At that point I was running with runners that were quite a bit slower than me and I was ready to just cruise in slow. The last half mile was uphill and into a tailwind and it made me hate it even more. Coming to the finish line, a girl came racing from behind me to finish strong. I was ready to let her go, but then I decided to sprint it in and beat her to the finish line. The race announcer teased me for it, but I won't make any apologies for racing at the end :-). My official finish time was 2:38.01 a total average pace of 7:55/mi. Immediate after the race I was pretty bummed, "My worst race ever" I said. I had never had any issues that that during a race, what happened? Later in the day I realized: The Starbucks doubleshot: A drink of espresso and cream with sugar! Why did I drink that right before a race? How stupid! Lesson learned. The race wasn't as bad as I originally thought, I ran 7:35 pace on a tough course for 25k, and my limiting factor was really my stomach problems, not my fitness. This was actually a 20-mile race record for me as well, as it was only my second race this distance and I didn't run my previous one very hard. I'll take yesterday's race as a nice lesson learned. They say not to change your routine before a race, especially for what you eat and drink. I will remember that next time.

2006 Dallas White Rock Marathon

Yesterday I ran in the Dallas White Rock Marathon. This was my second year doing this race, and my fifth marathon overall. I had a great experience last year, as I ran my first 'successful' marathon (completing it without injury), and was very impressed with the overall race. As with last year, this is not the race that I trained my peak performance for, but more like a forced training run. Going into the race, I hadn't even had a run over 14 miles since the Austin Marathon back in February. It was not necessarily the smartest thing to run a Marathon with this level of training, but I felt like I was in pretty good shape from the level of running I have been doing (~13 mile long runs the previous 4 weeks) along with my tennis cross training, and I could use the motivation of a Marathon to get a good 20+ mile training run in. I was in a similar situation last year when I ran a 3:32.56. I was ecstatic with that result, and it jump-started me towards my goal of running a Boston Qualifying time. This year, I decided to start pacing with the 3:30 group and go from there. The start was very crowded, so I made a point not to spend extra energy to stay exactly with the group, as I knew I could catch up with them after a few miles. The pacer was holding balloons and I had them in my sights up to mile 3 or 4 when I caught up with them again. I felt very relaxed and good, so when I caught up with them, I decided to pass them instead of getting mixed up in the big group. I prefer to run with 1 or 2 other runners as opposed to a large group. I was running very smooth for the first 10 miles. I started running 7:45 miles to put some distance between me and the 3:30 group (8:01 pace), and I started thinking I might have a shot at 3:25. Up to the Half Marathon point I felt great. After the half point things got a bit tougher. Running 7:45s was not as effortless now, but I was still feeling good. I started pacing other runners to keep up the pace and it was definitely taking more effort. By miles 15, 16, and 17, I was clicking off 8:05 miles and getting slower. Mile 21 has the uphill section of the course, and I clocked that mile in a 8:15. At the end of the hills on mile 22, the 3:30 group had caught up to me. During the subsequent downhill miles on 22 and 23, I was able to pull away again. I tried to put on more pace during the downhill and flat sections, but I got to the point where I couldn't anymore, as my legs were hitting the limit. I felt a few little twinges down my left thigh, and I knew if I pushed it too much I would cramp up. Mile 23 to the finish was a battle with myself to keep running. My legs really felt like they could go at any moment, and all I could think about was getting to the next mile marker- which seemed to take forever. I had thoughts of stopping and stretching and/or walking, but I started thinking about my friend Gary's badgering during training runs: "Just keep moving! Even if you have to slow down keep moving!". The 3:30 pace group caught me through the streets of downtown Dallas, and I felt helpless as they ran past me before 25 mile marker. I tried saying with the back of the group, but at this point I was worried about finishing intact and I just couldn't keep up. Mile 26 was really hard. The 3:30 group was in front of me by quite a bit, and I was struggling to keep running. I was thinking "I've come this far, and now I'm going to cramp in mile 26??!". I seriously thought that I may end up running 26 miles only to walk to the last .2, but I did not want that to happen. Knowing that I should see the finish line soon, I kept pushing. When I finally could see it, I did some quick math in my head and realized, "If I can just push these last 400 meters, I'll break 3:30!". I did the best I could to finish strong and clocked in a 3:29.50. I am very happy with my results. I beat last year's time by 3 minutes, and I hope it puts me on track to get ready to go for a Boston Qualifying run in the Spring. At the same time, the race was humbling. The last 2 miles were a huge struggle- maybe more so than in any race I've run before. It reinforced my respect for the distance, and made my results particularly satisfying.

New Austin Marathon Course, part 2

The new, new Austin Marathon course for 2007 was unveiled today. The uphills aren't as harsh as the original proposed course, and the more I think about it, the more I think I have a shot at running a Boston Qualifying time there. I think that the varying grades can be an advantage, because instead of pounding the same muscles the same way for 26 miles (as in a completely flat course), the muscle wear can be spread more evenly. We'll see...I'm starting to get exciting about my marathon season. The Dallas WhiteRock Marathon is in 3 1/2 weeks.

2006 Motive Bison Half-Marathon

Today was the Motive Bison Half Marathon. Motive is always one of my favorite races. It is consistently one of the best organized races in Austin, and has a great, challenging course. It was also the first half-marathon I ever completed, so I have good memories from it. This year was particularly cool, because the MapMyRun logo was on the race shirt. I was also using this race as a barometer for my fitness level. By comparing my results vs last year,I could get a good indication of if I can make a realistic push to run a Boston Marathon qualifying time. Last year I ran 1:38.23 (7:31 pace), to set my personal course record. Going into today, I thought I would be happy with any pace in the range from 7:25-7:35. The day didn't start well, as I realized that I left my GPS running watch at home as I was driving to the start. "Oh well", I thought...maybe I can take advantage of this and just run how I feel and not worry about my mile splits. So I ran how I felt, and it worked out well. My game plan was to run comfortably fast for the first five miles and then speed up (there's a monster hill that ends at mile 5). Odd mile markers on the course showed the race clock, so I had an idea that my pace was close 7:30 per mile over those first miles, which was encouraging. At this point,with the big hills behind me, I figured that I had a good chance to beat my course record, and I pushed on. Around mile 11, I was striding pretty well and ready to cruise in. At that point, my coffee shop friend Jerry passed me and was moving pretty fast. He inspired me, so I chased him down. Over the last 2 miles, we passed each other back and forth at least 3 times, and really pushed each other. In the last quarter mile I was able to pull away and finish strong: 1:36.04, (7:20 pace). I am very happy with my results and ready to push on to try and qualify for Boston! Maybe I'll race without my GPS from now on.