Fast Before the Feast - November 24, 2011

After last months Chicago Marathon I decided to take a break from racing for a couple months.  My body was beat up and struggling with nagging injuries over the three month period leading up to Chicago.  I took an 8 day break from running after the marathon, the longest break since I began running 4 years ago.  The break was just what I needed.  When I resumed running, I felt re-energized and fresh.  My body no longer felt sluggish and my injuries seemed to fade away as well.  My game plan to take a break from racing suddenly took a back seat and I found myself eager to target my next race...as soon as possible.

Looking at upcoming Thanksgiving Day races I decided to run the Fast Before the Feast 10k in White Bear Lake, MN.  I've done two other Thanksgiving Day races but wanted to tackle a new race this year.  This would be my first "up tempo" race since my last 10k more than 7 months ago.  The way my race schedule laid out last year along with my injuries, I had not done any up-tempo training or stride workouts for months.  With one month to get ready for this race I injected tempo and stride runs back into my workouts.  It felt good to run fast again...and injury free.  November weather in Minnesota has been unusually mild and snow free which aided my training in that I was able to run outdoors all month when normally I am back indoors on my treadmill for my shorter weekday runs.














Race day couldn't have been better for this time of year.  Sunny and 45 degrees.  There was a 10mph breeze from the south, but I wasn't going to complain about that with the warm temps and dry track.  Last year's Thanksgiving Day race was on a sheet of packed snow and ice with much colder temps and stronger winds.  Today's weather was perfect.  The warm temps brought out large numbers of race day entrants, so they delayed the start about 15 minutes.  There were about 350 runners in my race compared to about 150 last year.

The 10k race was an out and back race with the first 3 miles heading mostly south and into the wind.  It also had a few more uphill than downhill stretches but nothing significant.  I felt good as I reached the turn-around, maintaining a 6:35/mile pace over the first 3 miles.  As I began my return back to the finish, I had two things going for me - a tail wind and more downhill than uphill running.  It made a difference as my mile splits improved to 6:20/mile. 

There was also a 5k race that started 15 minutes after ours with over 700 runners in that one.  They ran a different course but both races merged together with about a mile to go, using the same finishing route.  As they merged with us the road was suddenly packed with slower foot traffic as the faster 5k runners had already passed this point. 














I must have passed over 200 slower 5k runners over the last mile as I weaved my way through and around them on my way to the finish.  I finished with a time of 39:58.  I came in 14th overall among 327 finishers and 1st of 14 in my age group.  This was my 3rd fastest 10k time and the 3rd time I broke 40 minutes in this distance.  I felt great about my race, although I think the distance was about 0.1 miles short of regulation based on the distance my Garmin was indicating.  

My next race will be the Polar Dash 10k in Minneapolis on New Year's Day morning.  I ran this race back in 2010.  It was very cold which is no surprise for January in Minnesota.  Maybe our mild November will hang on for a few more months.  Then again, I doubt it.  Winter running is something I tolerate, but don't enjoy very much on those brutally cold and windy mornings.  Just thinking about it makes me already look forward to next spring.

Race Results:
http://www.andersonraces.com/events/events-detail.php?intResourceID=167

Bank of America Chicago Marathon - October 9, 2011

My family and I drove to Chicago on Friday before the marathon.  After settling in at the hotel, we took in the marathon Expo Friday night to pick up my race packet and then had a great dinner.  Chicago doesn't lack for great restaurants and varieties of good food.  The weather in Chicago was absolutely beautiful all weekend - particularly for mid October.  Sunny with temps in the mid to upper 70's every day.  Perfect weather to enjoy a weekend in downtown Chicago.  Maybe not great weather for a marathon on Sunday though. 

 

On Saturday morning I ran two easy miles and then spent the remainder of the day enjoying the sites and sounds of Chicago with my family.  We stayed in a downtown hotel on the Chicago River which put us within walking distance of everything we wanted to do and see.  At the end of the day I estimated we walked about 8 miles.  Not a great strategy the day before a marathon, but that's what happens when you travel to another city for a marathon.  Travel marathons are like mini vacations.  After the fun, you go to work on race morning.   

Sunday's marathon started at 7:30am.  I woke up around 5:30, got dressed for the race and then walked about 1 mile to Grant Park where the race begins.  The streets were already filled with runners doing the same thing.  As I walked to the starting area I had an interesting conversation with a woman from my hotel who was there to drug tests the elite athletes.  The Chicago Marathon is the second largest marathon in America behind New York with 45,000 entrants. 

Grant Park was swimming with people more than an hour before the race began.  I made my way to my starting Corral (B) and relaxed for about 30 minutes before beginning my warm up.  It was more than comfortable with temps around 65 degrees as the sun slowly began to rise.  Jim Cornelison sang the national anthem.  He is best known for singing the national anthem prior to Blackhawk and Bears playoff games while screaming fans stand and cheer as part of their pre-game ritual.  It added a nice touch before the race and got my adrenalin pumping.  Not that it needed any help.    

As the horn sounded to start the race, I quickly made my way across the starting line, less than 1 minute behind the elite athletes.  Of course that would be the last I would see of them.  My goal was to set a personal best and break the 3:10 barrier for the first time.  Having said that, I knew it would take a miracle and a great deal of luck for this to happen.  I am fully recovered from my injuries but my training leading into the marathon was not very aggressive as a result.  Add to that a warm race day and the cards were stacked against me.  

Settling into my race pace is very difficult at Chicago because you can't rely on your GPS device to assist you.  The tall buildings and two block tunnel in the first mile causes GPS devises to spit out erroneous data.  For example, it told me I ran a 5:40 first mile which would be alarming if true.  Also challenging is navigating through thick runner traffic as we make our way through downtown like a giant snake.  You must be careful and watch out for crazy runners who get caught up in the moment and zig-zag back and forth with no warning.  Although GPS distance tracking was not accurate this day, my elapsed time was spot on.  I did the math in my head at each mile marker to determine my actual pace.       

Like New York City, there are many runners from all over Europe and around the world that come to run Chicago.  I saw many of them dressed in patriotic shirts representing their countries.  I ran the first 5k by feel, averaging a 7:21 pace.  A little slower than I wanted to run but in the general range of where I wanted to be.  The course winds through 29 uniquely different neighborhoods.  each of them add to the flavor of the race.  Running through Old Town on my way north, I passed the 10k mark averaging 7:23/mile.  I then reached the northern most part of the course near Wrigley Field and began my way back south toward downtown.  I passed the 15k mark in Lincoln Park and determined that my pace had climbed to 7:25 which would represent a 3:14 marathon.  Still close to my goal but by now the sun was starting to climb along with the temperature.  I could tell I was was sweating heavily and made sure I gulped a cup of water at each water station along the way.  I also had a small bag of pretzels with me to try and keep my sodium levels and electrolytes balanced.       

As I neared the 20k mark I crossed over the Chicago river and back into downtown Chicago where crowd support was thick and loud.  It provided a momentary rush of adrenalin over the next mile before heading out on the west loop.  Despite the momentary adrenalin rush, the news wasn't good when I reached 20k.  My pace climbed to 7:28/mile - a 3:16 full marathon.  At that point I knew I needed to redefine my goals for the day and be happy with the result.  I felt i could still run 3:20 or better at this point.

I reached the half marathon mark shortly into the west loop section of the race.  This is where it really gets hot as the shade protection from tall downtown structures is gone and the sun is high enough that occasional tree cover provides the only relief.  We ran through Greek Town, then Little Italy, then on through Pilsen - Chicago's largest Latino community.  The unique aspects of the different communities add flavor to the race, but all are extremely supportive and encouraging.

From there I began my trek south and into Chinatown and the 35k marker near mile 22.  I didn't need to check the clock to know my pace ballooned over the last 8 miles.  I'm now averaging 7:44/mile, or a 3:23 marathon.  With about 4.5 miles to go I was in survival mode.  I started to question if I could finish under 3:30.  I had already hit the wall several miles earlier and wasn't feeling any energy in my strides.   

The final stretch south is one of the most mentally challenging stretches of the race.  There are only 3 miles remaining but they have us running further and further away from the finish line in Grant Park.  You try not to think about it but my mind was focused on the turn-around point just after mile 23 where I can finally press north on Michigan Avenue back to the finish line.  Just 3 miles to go but it's a straight shot up Michigan Ave. and downtown looks a long way off.

The miles slowly crept by as my pace slowed even more.  Finally I was approaching the last mile as I struggled to the finish line.  I came to Roosevelt Rd with about 600 meters to go.  Roosevelt represents the only real hill on the course.  Once at the top it's one final left hand turn and about 200 meters to the finish line.  My family was to my left cheering me on as I pushed to the finish.  My official time was 3:28:54.  19 minutes slower than my goal, but on this day it will have to do.  I finished 2,458 overall among 36,000 finishers and 142 in my age group among 1,700 finishers.  This was my 11th marathon.  This one sits right in the middle as my 6th fastest among the 11.     

Race results:

http://results.public.chicagomarathon.com/2011/index.php?content=detail&fpid=search&id=999999107FA309000007A4E0&lang=EN&event=MAR&ageclass=

I was not feeling the best for an hour or so after the race and my family wisely flagged down a cab for me to take back to the hotel rather than walk the mile and a half back to the hotel.  This was greatly appreciated on my part! 

I don't have any races scheduled for the remainder of this year.  I plan to take a week off from training and allow my body to fully heal from my late summer injuries, before lacing up the shoes again.  Next month will also give me a chance to regroup mentally and lay out a race plan for next year.  It was a good year overall as I set personal best times in the 10 mile, half marathon, 20 mile and marathon distances.       

Get Ready to Rock 20 Mile - September 10, 2011

I ran this 20 mile race back in 2008 as my final tune-up the first time I ran the Chicago Marathon.  So I thought I would give it a shot again this year with Chicago next on my calendar.  It's a small race as far as entrants go (200 runners), but a beautiful course consisting of two clockwise loops around Bald Eagle Lake in White Bear Lake, MN.  Although 20 mile races are rare, this race competes with another 20 mile race the very same morning (Bear Water) which takes place about 1 mile to the east at White Bear Lake.  I ran Bear Water in 2009.

I've made some nice improvement injury wise over the past few weeks.  my right IT band which was causing me problems the past few months is vastly improved.  This race would be a good test to see if will hold up when pushed for 20 miles.  I also had questions if my endurance would hold up over as my training has been hampered while nursing my injuries back to health.  I have been getting my miles in for the most part, but outside of actual races, I haven't pushed myself very hard in my workouts.















The weather was clear and beautiful in the morning, but warmer than hoped for a race of this length. Temps were in the mid 60's at the start of the race and expected to climb 10 degrees by the time I cross the finish line. This is my third 20 mile race and my best time is 2:29.  Coming into this race and I felt confident I should beat this time, but my real goal is to run under 3:10 in Chicago next month.   To boost my confidence for Chicago, I felt I needed to run 2:24 (7:10/mile) or better today.

The first lap around bald Eagle was going as planned. My IT band was holding up well and I was maintaining the pace I wanted, however as we reached the midway point in the race I could feel myself becoming a bit uncomfortable in the heat.  Particularly on the northeast corner of the lake where we had no protection from the sun.  Around the 12 mile mark I began to struggle maintaining my pace.  My pace slowly began to slip over the final 8 miles as I could no longer sustain a consistent pace.  I kept telling myself it was due to the heat which was partially correct.  But I didn't want to admit to myself that it was also my conditioning that was letting me down.  In my prior two 20 mile races I finished strong, but it wasn't playing out that way today.

I finished with a time of  2:26:10, more than two minutes off my targeted time as I averaged 7:19/mile for the race.  Not the confidence booster I was looking for heading into Chicago.  The good news was my injured IT band held up over the run and I ran my fastest 20 mile race by about two and a half minutes.  I also finished 5th overall in the race among 199 finishers and 1st among 15 in my age group.

With Chicago just 1 month away, I hope to piece it together with no new or recurring injury issues, although it's too late to gain back the conditioning I've lost in the short time remaining before Chicago.  It is what it is. I just need to do the best I can and hope for a little luck.

 

Race Results:

http://onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=19064#racetop

13.1 Minneapolis Half Marathon - Agust 21, 2011

I came into this race struggling with ongoing injury issues related to my right IT band as well as other nerve related issues in my leg.  As a result, my confidence was not very high.  Although I've continued to train, my mileage has been reduced as well as critical tempo/speed work.  I've not been able to run up-tempo without pain.  So this race will be another test of where I sit at this stage of the game.

The race itself was one of the more expensive half marathons, but I give the race organizers credit for doing a great job keeping runners informed and aware.  It was very well organized and efficiently run.  The 13.1 is an 8 city half marathon series across the U.S. with a stop in Minneapolis.  The race is a point to point format beginning at St Anthony Main just north of downtown Minneapolis, following a scenic course highlighting downtown, the Mississippi River, Minnehaha Parkway and Lake Nokomis.

It was almost perfect racing weather with temps in the mid 60's and little to no wind.  I felt pain in my IT Band during my warm up but as the race began I put it out of my mind for as long as I could.  I ran the first half of the race just under a 7 minute/mile pace but began to feel fatigued around mile seven.  Occasional numbness in my right leg as well as IT pain caused me to shorten my stride and lose efficiency.  My pace slowed about 10 seconds/mile through the remainder of the race.  I had no reserve energy to push the last couple miles as a result of my injuries.

I finished with a time of 1:32:46 good for 75th out of 1,679 runners and 5th out of 60 in my age group.  I ran 1:13 faster than the half marathon three weeks ago, but still 3:30 off my best time run less than 3 months ago.  I need to make solid progress with my injury management over the next 30 days if I'm going to run a competitive marathon in Chicago in October.  Time will tell. 

Race Results:
http://results.active.com/pages/searchform.jsp?posted_p=t&numPerPage=100&rsID=115264&eventClass=13.1-MARATHON&queryType=division

Urban Wildland Half Marathon - August 6, 2011

The Urban Wildland Half Marathon in Richfield, MN was my first race in preparation for October's Chicago Marathon.  I intended on running a 5k and 10 mile race race in July, but the weather was dangerously hot and humid for racing all month, so I stuck to training runs only. 

I've also been dealing with a nagging injury since Grandma's Marathon.  My lower back has been bothering me, causing nerve pain down my legs.  I should have addressed it weeks ago but thought it would go away on its own.  Now the IT band across the outside of my right knee is swollen and acting up as a result.  I will begin Chiropractic treatments on Monday to get my back realigned and allow me to run pain free again.

I ran the Urban Wildland back in 2008 as well.  It's a fun race race and the course is unique in that it's a street course that includes a mix of nature trails -some paved and some dirt.  The course is relatively flat but miles 3-4 require some strategic running through very narrow nature trails where it becomes difficult to pass runners.  There are also a number of relatively sharp turns to navigate in this 2 mile section.  As a result, it's important to start fast over the first 2 miles to get ahead of slower runners before entering these narrow trails, or you could get hung up for several miles until you hit the streets again at mile 4.

With my recent nagging injuries I have not been able to train effectively.  My up-tempo runs have been anything but up-tempo and I wasn't sure I would be capable of running my normal 6:50 half marathon race pace.  In fact I wasn't sure if I would finish the race at all.  I didn't want to injure myself worse than I already was and so I was prepared for the possibility I would need to drop out after a couple miles if things didn't feel right physically.

The first mile went surprisingly well.  I ran the first mile in 6:50 and felt comfortable striding out and running relaxed.  Same for the second mile, although I started to feel some familiar discomfort on the outside of my right knee.  During my training runs the pain was very sharp at times, but I would describe the pain I was feeling in the early stages of this race as soreness, not sharp pain.

I haven't touched on the weather conditions yet and need to at this point.  It was 73 degrees, cloudy and calm, but the air was thick with humidity.  Sweat quickly saturated my clothing and I made the mistake of ignoring the first water station at the two mile mark thinking there would be another at the four mile mark.  I didn't realize the second water station wasn't until mile six.  I fought my way through the twisting dirt nature trails (miles 3-4) but with no breeze it felt like a run through a hot sticky jungle.  I stayed close to my 6:50 race pace but as we exited the trails and made our way back onto the Richfield streets I realized the humid conditions were going to make it impossible to maintain this pace throughout the race.

By mile 6 I finally reached the second water station (my first) and eagerly guzzled down a cup as I ran by.  The next mile marked the halfway point in the race and it also marked my last sub 7 minute mile.  The good news...I was still running.  I didn't have to drop out as I thought I might.  However the news was not all good.  My IT band was bothering me.  The pain factor wasn't bad, but my right leg began to get tingly and numb from my hip to my knee.  This kept me from striding out with confidence as the numbness made it feel like my right leg may not support the weight of my body on some strides.

My splits continued to slow with each mile and so I gave up trying to push the pace.  It was just too humid and I also needed to protect my right leg.  It felt strange as runners began to pass me over the final 3-4 miles.  Normally I would compete with them rather than simply let them pass, but today I had to let them go.  I just wanted to get to the finish line in one piece.  My shorts were so saturated from sweat and water, they felt about 5 times heavier than normal.  My feet also became sore as my shoes/socks got soaked from cups of water I poured over my body to stay cool. 

As I made my way through the last winding trail to the finish line, I was just glad it was over and I was able to complete the distance.  My time was 1:33:59, the slowest of my 4 half marathons this year and almost 5 minutes off my best half marathon time which I ran just 2 months ago.  I finished 53rd among 982 finishers and 3rd among 79 in my age group.  I was surprised to earn a 3rd place age group medal considering I was off my game and not able to physically compete as I normally would.  But the thing I am most happy about is that I didn't have to drop out of the race.

Next on my race schedule is the Minneapolis 13.1 Half Marathon in two weeks.  I really need to heal up by then so I can properly train for Chicago which is just nine weeks away!  Off to the Chiropractor on Monday to let him do his magic.

Race Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?rid=218&race=433

Grandma's Marathon - June 18, 2011

I decided to run Grandma's Marathon for the third consecutive year for several reasons.  First, the race was celebrating it's 35th anniversary and I also wanted to keep my race expenses down this year by running relatively close to home as much as possible.  The Chicago Marathon (October) will be my one big race trip in 2011.

I felt well trained and injury free coming into this race.  My training runs have gone well and my race schedule has been very busy with races virtually every other week since March.  This has kept me sharp and race ready.  However sometimes life events come up that disrupt even the best of plans.  So although coming in well trained physically, I was tired and my mental/emotional state was not where it should be heading into the race.  I questioned if I should even run the race knowing the toll a marathon takes on the body, but my family encouraged me to go ahead and race as planned. 

My goal for Grandma's was to run under 3:11, 3+ minutes faster than my personal best.  I set this goal in an attempt to move into the top corral for October's Chicago Marathon which requires a marathon qualifying time of 3:10:59 or better.  I knew it would be tough, but felt I could achieve this goal provided the weather cooperated on race morning.  But now my mental and emotional condition was a concern.

The weather was interesting on race morning.  I woke up to cool temps in the upper 40's, steady rain, and a brisk wind from the east.  An easterly wind was fantastic news considering this is an east to west, point to point marathon.  Last year the winds were primarily in our face the entire way.  However the rain was a big concern considering the cool temperatures.  I ate my pre-race breakfast at the hotel and made my way onto one of the charter buses at 5:30am that transport runners to the start of the marathon in Two Harbors, MN.  It was still raining as the buses dropped us off in Two Harbors.  I was well prepared with layers of waterproof clothing to keep me warm and dry over the next 90 minutes as we waited for the race to being (7:30am).  Many runners didn't come prepared for the cold rain and looked miserable.

As 7:30 approached, the rain began to taper off.  I peeled down to my shorts and race singlet hoping we would be able to get the race underway before the rain started up again.  I figured once I had a few miles behind me I could keep my body warm even if more rain came.  Although it looked threatening throughout the race, we only experienced a few sprinkles along the way.  This was fortunate as I found the damp tail wind chilling at times once I developed a light sweat.  The course was predominantly wet throughout the race, although just a few puddles once we reached Duluth.

To make my goal, I needed to average at least a 7:17/mile pace for the race, so my strategy was to run somewhere between 7:10/7:15 right from the start and maintain it for as long as possible.  I knew I might eventually crash and burn before the finish, but this was my one and only shot to make my goal before Chicago, so I had to try.  Things were going well early in the race.  I reached the 10k mark in just under 45 minutes (7:12/mile).  The wind gusts were uncomfortably cold, but for the most part the cool temps were not a major problem.

As the race progressed, I kept a close eye on my pace and water intake.  In cool wet weather I don't feel thirsty which can be dangerous, but I made an attempt to take water at each water station to avoid problems later.  I also took a couple bites of my Power Bar, but like all my marathons, eating solid food is a real struggle.  I eat in an attempt to keep my stomach from bothering me rather than a means to stay nourished.  Not the best of approaches, but keeping my stomach comfortable during the final 10 miles is one of my biggest challenges.

The winds seemed to be picking up and swirling as I neared the midway point in the race.  At times it felt like it was coming from my left off the lake and other times from my right through the woods.  There were a few times when it hit me directly in my face, but fortunately the wind was at my back most of the time.  I reached the halfway point in just over 1 hour 34 minutes (7:12/mile).  My fastest first half marathon by about 3 minutes.  I was successfully maintaining my pace and in good shape overall, although the first half of Grandma's is predominantly flat to downhill.

Now into the second half of the race I continued to monitor how I was feeling while trying to avoid thinking about the difficult miles ahead.  Glancing to my left I could occasionally see Duluth way down the Lake Superior coast line.  It still looked so far away.  A vivid picture of how much race was still left to be run.  I focused on positive thoughts and pushed on.  As I approached the 20 mile mark we turned onto London Road where we entered the east end of Duluth.  The crowds began to get thicker along on the roadsides as our scenery slowly turned from isolated woods to civilization again.

I could feel my body beginning to object to the 2+ hours of punishment as fatigue was loudly knocking at the door.  I passed the 20 mile mark in 2:24:01.  Doing the math I was relieved to know my pace had not slipped (7:12/mile pace), but anxiety was quickly replacing the relief as my body grew more and more weary with every mile.  I also knew in the back of my mind that I had not fared well over the final 5 miles my prior two attempts.
























Around mile 21, Lemon Drop hill became visible in the distance.  Lemon Drop is a two tier hill.  The first section is simply a freeway overpass across I-35.  However instead of dropping on the other side, you climb again for several hundred yards.  I think this section is so tough because the elevation changes are gradual until now.  Plus, there is too much time to think about it (see it in the distance) as the preceding mile is a straight shot to Lemon Drop.  I could feel gravity slowing me down as I hit the hill at mile 22.  My anxiety began to grow again as I tried to resume my original race pace at the top of the hill but couldn't.  My mile splits were now closer to 7:30/mile and the question was, can I hang on long enough to make my goal, or was I about to crash and burn.

We turned onto Superior Street which took us through the heart of downtown Duluth.  The crowds are great through this section and the remainder of the race for that matter.  Loud, encouraging and high in numbers.  As I approached mile 24 my body began to bonk.  It's hard to describe the feeling, but I would compare it to a 50 pound weight suddenly strapped to your back.  Less than 2.5 miles to go and I could feel the life blood being sucked right out of me.  Mile 25 was very discouraging.  I wanted to respond to the loud cheers and steady encouragement of the many spectators lining the streets, but I had nothing left and knew my goal was in severe jeopardy unless I could increase my pace again over the final two miles.

 

I passed the mile 25 marker just before turning left onto Harbor Drive.  My mile split was 7:55 and I knew right then it was over.  My goal was not going to be achieved.  I had 1.2 miles to go and felt deflated and exhausted.  The sad thing is I knew I was about to finish with my fastest marathon time yet.  I should be energized and excited, but what disappointed me the most was the fact that I wasn't able to finish the race strong like I hoped.  I had nothing left.

I passed the Duluth Convention Center heading northeast directly into the wind, a wind that had been my friend most of the way, but at this moment became my arch enemy.  I passed by the big orange boat called the SS William A Irvin, turned right on Railroad Street and then one final right on Canal Park Drive.

Just a few more blocks and it would all be over.  I heard my family cheering vociferously as I ran by, the finish line just seconds away.  I finished with a time of 3:11:44.  My best marathon by 2 minutes, 16 seconds.  My overall race pace was 7:19/mile.  I missed my goal (to move into the top corral in Chicago) by just 45 seconds.  Unfortunately close doesn't count.  I will need to be content having run my fastest marathon and call it a day.  I am happy, but missing my goal by less than a minute does hurt.  If I had just held it together over the final 2.5 miles.  I finished 440th among 6,337 finishers and 19th in my age group among 367.

As soon as I finished the race, I began shivering uncontrollably as my core temperature began to drop.  My family loaded me up and took me back to the hotel where I sat in the hot tub for 30 minutes to warm up and begin my recovery.  I have a series of races coming up before heading to Chicago in October.

Finish Results and Video:

http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?rid=966&race=355

Stillwater Half Marathon - May 29,2011

The Stillwater event held on Memorial weekend hosts five different race distances from 5k to full marathon.  The full marathon has little interest for me due to the challenging and hilly course which makes running a fast time unlikely.  This was my third half marathon this spring and final tune-up for Grandma's marathon next month.  Believe it or not, the weather was ideal for racing today.  50 degrees, cloudy, with little to no wind.  My first race of the year wearing just shorts, shirt and my shoes!  

The half marathon course is also very challenging.  The race begins about a half mile south of the Stillwater lift bridge.  The first two miles are relatively easy heading south along the St Croix Trail.  After turning west on 5th for a short stint, the course turns north on Stagecoach Trail heading back toward Stillwater.  This is where the fun begins.  Miles 3-5 climb about 300 feet back into southwestern end of Stillwater.  Mile 3 is the most challenging of these miles with steep grades in several locations.  Not surprisingly my mile splits were about 15-20 seconds per mile slower than the first two miles of the race, but as I began mile 6, I could tell I still had a good pace going overall.  


Stillwater Half Marathon Course:
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/18737868

West of Stillwater, miles 6 through 8 were relatively flat while mile 9 was primarily downhill - a welcomed break to the earlier uphill miles.  These mid-race miles allowed me to maintain my race pace and remain on target for a good overall time.  Mile 10 was the last uphill mile on course and its hills put up a good fight.  I ran mile 10 about 20 seconds off my race pace.  It was the toughest mile of the race for me as overall fatigue set in and the climbs were very tough for me.

But now came the final 3 miles of the race which were all downhill.  Downhill running is not as easy as it seems, particularly once fatigue sets in.  Striding out while running downhill puts significant stress on the quads from the pounding.  I tried to run as relaxed and loose as possible to avoid injury.  Mile 11 took us north on County 5 and then east on Dellwood Road as we began our descent back to the river and the finish line.  I was back on pace through mile 11, but mile 12 is where I really pushed the pace.  The 12th mile represented the steepest descent among the downhill miles and I really took advantage of it running 10 seconds faster than my overall race pace.

Near the end of mile 12th the course turned south onto the St Croix Trail and the finish line in downtown Stillwater.  The final mile of the race was also downhill, but more of a gradual descent.  Runners were few and far between at this point but I was locked onto the runner in front of me while trying to hold off a runner behind me.  I passed the runner in front of me with about a half mile to go, but the runner behind me was still in hot pursuit.  The competition helped me run my fastest mile of the race (6:29 - about 20 seconds faster than my overall race pace).  With 250 yards to go we made a short left turn onto Mulberry and one final right turn toward the finish line.  It became a sprint to the finish as the runner behind me pulled even and then a stride ahead of me.  I then pulled even with him before digging deep one last time to surge ahead as we crossed the finish line.  It felt good to hold him off but technically his chip time was a few seconds faster than mine, so the official results have him finishing ahead of me. 

  

For several years I have been trying to break the 90 minute barrier in the half marathon and repeatedly came up just short.  Knowing this was going to be a difficult and hilly course I didn't give much thought to running under 90 minutes today, but for the first time all year the weather was on my side.  As I looked at the official race times my eyes popped open when I saw 1:29:15 next to my name (6:49/mile pace).  At long last, I finally broke 90 minutes in the half and beat my previous best time by one minute.  I finished 19th among 630 finishers and 2nd among 27 in my age group.

What a relief to finally reach my goal after many disappointing attempts where either the weather, the course, or my mental/physical stamina stood in the way.  Today was finally my day!  On to Grandma's Marathon in June.  The first of two full marathons this year with Chicago being the other.  If I could run 3:10:59 or faster at Grandma's I could sneak into the top corral in Chicago which is a goal of mine.  To do this I will need to run 3 minutes faster than my previous best of 3:14:00.  I need a perfect weather day in Duluth to have a chance to break 3:11.  Since the weather hasn't been friendly this year, I won't be too focused on this goal in case the weather dissapoints me again.  But, if I wake up to perfect racing conditions June 18th, running 3:10:59 will immediately move from the background to the forefront of my mind and I will go after it with everything I have. 

Race Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/race/show/337      

Northern Lakes Run 10 Mile - May 14, 2011

This was my second time running the Northern Lakes Run 10 Mile event in White Bear Lake, MN.  Ran it back in 2008 as well.  It's a nice course that takes you counter clockwise around Bald Eagle Lake.  I haven't entered too many 10 miles races.  Only two previous, with the last being two years ago.  The weather was cool (45 degrees) but warmest race so far this year!  Winds were from the north with a light "off and on" drizzle.  The poor weather has also kept race participation down this spring.  There were less than 200 runners in this one which was a bit surprising as this is a fairly popular race...at least among men in their 50's.  More on that later.      

The race began just north of the high school heading south for a few blocks before turning north again toward the lake.  Winds were from the north at about 10 mph, in our face for the first 3-4 miles, but nothing like the winds I experienced in my prior two races.  The runners quickly thinned out with the small field today.  I wanted to run a time around 1:08 which would be 3 minutes faster than my prior best 10 time at this distance.  I settled into a 6:45/mile pace and found myself running behind a gentleman in my age group that I have crossed paths with in prior races.  He was running the same pace, so I decided to let him lead the way as he is a grinder who does a good job keeping a strong steady pace through the race.

Around the 4 mile mark it settled into a 3 person pack.  The leaders opened up a gap on the 3 of us while we opened up a gap on the field behind us.  I continued to be the follower, making sure I didn't lose contact as the miles went by.  My friend was doing a great job keeping us on pace each mile so all I had to do was make sure I didn't let a gap grow between us.  Miles 5-6 took us south along the west side of the lake with the wind to our backs.  I was surprised to suddenly hear footsteps behind me as I thought we had created separation with those behind, but a young runner in his mid 20's caught us and now there were 4 in our pack.

Miles 7 and 8 took us east along the south side of the lake and back into a bit of a headwind.  The four of us began to close on a runner in front of us who I later discovered was also in my age group.  The 5 of us were running together as a pack with nobody else in site ahead or behind.  At the 8 mile mark the course took us up a hill and then turned south toward the finish line.  The pace remained strong and I began wondering how this would play out among the 5 of us over the final 2 miles.  Would one of us make a move and try to break away from the pack?  I knew it wasn't going to be me.  I was spent.  My hope was to stay in contact with the others and try to make one final push with 400 meters to go to hopefully surprise the others.  

Our 5 person pack held together through mile 8 with some minor jockeying for position but at the 9 mile mark one of the two young guys dropped back leaving four of us.  3 guys in their 50's and a 25 year old (first picture below).  We turned south on Division St which is a straight shot to the finish line a little over a half mile away.  I had been mentally gearing up all race to make one last push as we neared the finish line.  I made sure I was stayed behind the pack so as not to give them an idea that I might have a kick left.  Then with 400 meters to go I took off.  I quickly created some separation from the other three and thought I was home free, but with 100 meters to go the young guy caught and passed me.  My 400 meter kick came up 100 meters short as I simply was out of gas.  However I was fortunate enough to hold off my two age group buddies who were right behind me as we entered the chute.    

I finished with a time of 1:07:07 (6:43 pace).  My best 10 mile time by over 4 minutes.  Overall I finished 13th among 151 runners and 4th among 14 in my age group.  A very strong age group I might add.  6 of the top 15 finishers were in the 50-59 year age group and the top two in my age group ran national class age group times finishing 2nd and 3rd overall in the race.

Race results:
http://www.onlineraceresults.com/race/view_plain_text.php?race_id=18886