4th Marathon - Harrisburg 11/14/2010
With the completion of 3 marathons under my belt and each one faster than the previous, I was feeling good about my progression toward qualifying for Boston. Qualifying for Boston is not something I had ever thought about. It was the influence from the group of guys I run with. Quite a few of them have run Boston and it seemed like a task worth pursuing. I wanted to see what I was made of and see if I could push my training to the next level. Would I be able to train hard enough to make the time? Would my body be able to push such a pace? When would I plateau? There are so many variables to consider when attempting such a challenge. Well, there was only one way to find the answers to these questions. Keep pushing myself to see how fast I could go.
While considering my training plan I came across a book titled ‘Run Less, Run Faster.’ This book was developed by a few individuals from the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training or FIRST for short. The premise behind the book is that you don’t need to log hundred mile weeks to reach your milestones. The title of the book is pretty straight forward and summarizes their approach. They claim a runner can actually become faster by running fewer days per week. Each run is designed with a specific purpose and target times. The target times are customized to match the desired marathon goal. The book details plans for 5 hour marathons, to sub 3 hour marathons. The book also covers 5K and 10K plans if a runner wants to improve at these distances.
The basics for this training include 3 key runs per week plus 2 cross training workouts. They sometimes refer to the program as 3Plus2. The key runs each week will test you and push you into the uncomfortable zone. They break down into a run of repeats, usually at the track, a tempo run, and a long run. Each run has explicit details on distances to cover and pace to run each distance. The distances covered are the same for each program, but the pace to perform each run varies for each target time. The pace times are based on your ultimate finish time. To help you pick the appropriate plan, each plan comes with prerequisites to meet before you are ready to attempt that particular goal time. Each marathon program is 16 weeks long. Check out the book if you want to improve your times. They have a web presence at http://www2.furman.edu/sites/first/Pages/default.aspx. This site also has a novice training plan for your first marathon.
July 25, 2010 was the official start date for my 16 week FIRST training program. I was also trying to prepare for my first triathlon. I started working on my swimming in June and was just starting to get the hang of swimming and getting my stroke and breathing down. I was also biking to prepare for the triathlon. This would be much more than 3 runs and 2 cross training sessions. I included at least 2 swims and 1 bike workout each week in addition to 3 days running. This was not too overboard, just one extra cross training per week. This was the minimum number of workouts I would perform per week. As time drew closer to my first sprint triathlon the number of workouts would increase. As I approached this event I was swimming 3 days per week and biking two, plus a short run was added to the end of one bike ride each week for a brick workout to simulate the bike to run transition. The brick workout was done on Wednesdays.
I tried my best to follow the 3 key runs per week. Many of the weeks I ran alone on Tuesdays at the track doing my repeats. The WRFB joined me for a couple of the track workouts. Occasionally coach and Wilt would be at the track and we would do repeats together. Doing track repeats by yourself is quite challenging. That little voice in your head that screams, QUIT, provides a quite compelling argument. No one is there watching so stopping or going slower is the simplest thing to do. I would know if I stopped short or slowed down and that was not an option. I will say that the track repeats became more comfortable as time went by. The conditioning this type of work provides is highly valuable and helpful at improving your speed and tolerance for pushing through tough runs. I missed 2 track workouts throughout the entire training.
The Tempo runs I approached slightly different. I would run with the WRFB and they usually pushed the pace. I would try to push hard on these runs, but I did not always follow the distance or the pace. This is the one key run I did not follow to the exact description. I did try to cover the minimum distance described in the plan. The long runs I used as a barometer to test my progress. I felt if I was able to complete the distance at the pace prescribed, I would be on target. Like all runs, you have good runs and not so good runs. Don’t let the not so good runs discourage you. There were several long runs that I missed the target pace. I would usually be back on track by the next long run. I think some of the missed target pace’s were due to the extra training while preparing for the triathlon. I had 7 weeks after my triathlon to finish preparing for my marathon. I actually missed a 20 mile long run the weekend of the triathlon. I figured that the triathlon was adequate training for the weekend and did not want to risk injury, so I skipped the scheduled 20 miler that weekend. The following weekend I was back on the long run program. I would still have an opportunity for 2 more 20 milers. This particular plan had five 20 mile runs.
By now the marathon newness was wearing off and elaborate celebrations were not necessary. My last 10 miler the week before the marathon was run alone on the Rail Trail at marathon pace. Tuesday was an easy track workout with 6 x 400m repeats. Thursday was an easy 5 mile run with the WRFB at slightly faster than marathon pace. Now it was time to rest and prepare for the marathon with plenty of carbs and sports drinks. This was a Sunday race in Harrisburg, PA, so I had the entire day Saturday at home. I had a lot of nervous energy as usual. I had been reading about some marathoners that ran 2-3 miles the day before the race. This was just to relieve some of that pent up energy from the taper and settle the nerves if possible. So mid morning on Saturday I headed out for a short run at a slow pace. I managed to keep the pace slow for 2 ½ miles. This was enough to calm my nerves and remind myself that I had not forgotten how to run. I did not pick up my race packet Saturday, but planned to leave early Sunday morning and pickup my race packet prior to the start of the race.
Pre race fueling was something I tried to pay close attention. I follow a relatively healthy diet, but for this marathon I actually created a spreadsheet to track my carbs prior to the race. I read an article about how to load carbs before a marathon. The article I found at this web site http://www.ploscompbiol.org/mirror/article/pcbi.1000960.html. The scientific data is all provided in this article. If you are curious take a look to get all the details. I used the carb calculator at http://endurancecalculator.com/index.html and took this value to determine the carbs I needed. What I failed to track was fat and protein. I think I may have not taken enough protein. Next time I will track this closer and see if I can increase my performance and stay out of the medical tent. I do think the trip to the medical tent did help me because the day after the race I did not feel all that bad. More on that adventure later. I will also investigate electrolyte tablets for the next marathon to see if I can avoid cramps in the legs the last 10k. That is the thing about running marathons. They become addictive and you keep trying to find new things to try to push the time just a little faster, make the run a little less painful and help with recovery.
Saturday night I went through my normal routine. Dinner was pasta with marinara sauce. I gathered my gear and quadruple checked everything to make sure it was all in order. I even packed the power inverter in my car in case I needed to charge my watch before the race. This was a paranoid precaution since the dead watch incident before the Harrisburg half marathon. I awoke around 4:30 am to prepare for departure around 5:15am. This would get me to the registration station by 6:15 and leave plenty of time to gather my race packet, put on my timing chip, warm up and empty the GI track. The departure time arrived and off I drove to my next adventure in marathoning.
This race started a little different. The nerves started 2 days prior. This was good because I slept like a baby the night before the race. In the morning at the race I ran into Steve, who was there for his brother in-law Jeff. This morning I meet up with Chris and crew, who were there to help pace Aimee Taylor. Aimee was trying to qualify for the Olympic marathon trials. I had met here some time ago through Bob. They invited me on a slow run. They were doing a 20 miler. I managed to keep up for 15 miles. When I say slow, I mean slow for them. They went at an 8:00 min per mile pace. This was a little fast for me at that distance, but I managed to keep up. The kicker was they had no hydration or fuel along the way. I guess the theory was to stress the body. So you see you just never know who you may run into when you run with a group. It is not every day you get to run with an Olympic hopeful. Now here I was wishing her well and hoped she made her time.
My biggest decision for the start of the race was what to wear for the start. The temperature was cool, but the sun was shining and the temperature was supposed to rise. So I thought I should dress more for the warm and be just a little cold for the start of the race. I opted for the short sleeve WRFB shirt, gloves and ear warmer. With some pre-race jitters I moved to the starting area. It was more crowded than I anticipated. This was good because it kept my first 2 miles at 8:15. Of course now I was in a crowd of runners and stuck at a slower pace. I was beginning to worry about picking up the pace. I kept getting stuck in masses of people. The pace felt really easy and by mile 5 the pack started to open up. Now I could start to pick up the pace.
From there we looped around city island where I meet Steve around mile 7. He ran with me for a while and Steve gave me some encouragement. I grabbed a drink, Steve and I parted, then it was off City Island. The pace was going great in fact a little too fast. I needed to keep slowing myself. I talked to a few folks along the way, but did not stay with anyone person too long. As we moved up from the river trail onto the roads I started following a guy about my pace. He started to slow and as I began to pass he would pick up the pace. This continued for some time. Every time I would begin to pass he would pick up the pace. I thought "is this guy trying to race me." After some time I pulled up next to him and engaged in conversation. It turns out he was attempting the same finish time of 3 hours 30 minutes as I was attempting.. We ran together for a mile or 2. As we entered the HACC complex I pulled away from him at the first water station.
Going up front street gave me a glimpse of what I would see on the return trip. I was grabbing water and sports drink at every water station, alternating these selections every other station. I thought I was hydrating well because the liquid was sloshing in my stomach, but I would still become dehydrated. I was taking gels as planned and the pace was on target. My average pace by the half way point was back to 8:00. I was on target. I approached the HACC complex and started to think about the park and the hills that would be coming up shortly. I was still felling great at this point and meet up with my family around mile 17. My wife and daughter came to the race to support me. They provided me with my V8-Vfusion which helped boost my energy. I started using this during my second marathon and think it provides a good balance similar to sports drink with a little extra nutrition and energy boost. Of course this could all be psychological. Even if it is the placebo effect, runners will do whatever works to make their running better.
At mile 18 I entered the park which included several hills. It was just 2 short miles through the hills, then evaluate the time and condition of the legs. The hills weren't too bad, partly because I had done hills in training, but mostly because I was mentally prepared. I was prepared to lose some time and I managed to only lose 40 seconds. I had one last hill out of the park and back to the flats. There was one last hill up and over the highway which I was not prepared for and this hill left me feeling a little flat. As I approached mile 21, I now started to feel the first effects of the race. As I coasted down the hill I started to evaluate my pace for the last 10k. I am right on the cusp of making the BQ time. Brian indicated he would run me in the last 10k. I know it was nothing definite, but I was really hoping to see him, particularly now as I was starting to feel the affects of 21 miles. I pushed through the next mile or so and was really starting to feel the effects of the race. I tried to do high knees, butt kicks, and strides to stretch while running. This has helped in the past, but not today. As I attempted to do these stretches while running I could feel the cramps. I quickly stopped these activities and hoped the cramps would not get as bad as the Marine Corps Marathon.
I was now on Front Street with a straight shot back to the finish line on a flat course along the river. Then with roughly 4 miles to go, I see Brian's bright shining face. Now I am thinking to myself that I have to make the time or face the humiliation of failure, and WUSS rang trough my head. Actually it was great to see Brian. As we ran he kept asking what that ringing was and I told him that was good because it meant we were sub 8. I had my Garmin set to help pace me and it would ring below 8:00 per mile pace. I needed the extra time to make Boston. Brian kept my mind off the pain and kept tabs on the pace. Cramps would grab the back of my legs every so often. I was running on the cusp of break down. My ability to think straight was beginning to diminish. In hind sight I can now see this was the onset of dehydration. Around mile 24 I decided I could do this and I didn't go this far to miss a BQ time by a minute. I continued to push the pace faster and faster. Brian kept reminding me of the great feeling I would have WHEN I qualified for Boston. He would tell me how much time and distance to the finish and encouraged me to hang in there and telling me “you have this.”
Brian kept me going through all this. The final section of the course included a hill up to the bridge. The ramp up the hill to the bridge SUCKED!!! Who in !@#$ put this hill at the end of the course. I was completely shot. The legs were cramping and I felt like crap. Brian pushed me through mile 26 and pointed out the big red finish line. There was one of those inflated arches over the finish line. He pushed me across the bridge the final 2 tenths of a mile and peeled off for the last tenth of a mile. I felt like I was sprinting, but these things are all relative. I finished with an unofficial time of 3:30:44. I DID IT!!!! I qualified for Boston in my forth marathon, 54 weeks after my first marathon. I was never so happy and so painfully exhausted in my entire life. I wanted to jump for joy, but I could barely move. I was finished and now I could rest. The pace Brian kept the last few miles was incredible. Looking back at the times they were progressively faster. The paces per mile for the last 4 miles were: 7:58, 7:53, 7:48, and 7:31. The sprint home the final 2 tenths was 7:05. I guess the track work really paid off.
As I crossed the finish line, I reached for a helper and leaned on her. I just wanted to rest for a minute and thought I would be okay. They called for a wheel chair and I knew I was in trouble. I was so happy because I was fairly certain I qualified for Boston, but was not absolutely sure. So they wheeled me off to the white tent. Now visions of candy thermometers danced in my head. I am still a virgin and the professor still holds that title alone. They had me drink 3 cups of chicken broth, 3 cups sports drink, and 3 cups of water. My legs continued to cramp and twinge as I laid there. Every little movement brought more pain. They brought over some massage therapist to help ease the pain and cramping in the legs. I guess to the medics I was in pretty bad shape and looking back I have to agree. When I was able to move out of the initial cot I was taken to a table in the back part of the medical tent. It was there that they started an IV and pushed 1.5 liters of saline. Finally after saline began to work its magic, the legs stopped twitching. Apparently twitching muscles is an indication of being dehydrated. They asked about my food intake the previous day. They were particular interested in the amount of protein. I was so concentrated on carbohydrates I neglected to take in enough protein. I will have to work on this for the next marathon.
After an hour they finally released me and I was welcomed by my wife, daughter and 2 WRFB runners Chris and Brian. My wife surprised me when she stated, “It looks like we are going to Boston in 2012.” That was the icing on the cake to know my family would support my Boston Marathon endeavor. What a great day and to finish with family and friends there made this truly a memorable occasion. I could not have done this without the support of my family, Coach Bob and the entire WRFB crew. Thanks a million, this was a goal worth pursuing. Now for some down time and much needed recovery. With this event barely over, I already started to think about a spring marathon. Gettysburg was offering a new marathon in celebration of 150 years since the civil war. This was close to home and a new course to try. Of course there was always the Bob Potts marathon. Potts was a fast flat course. Whatever marathon I choose to do, I was just going to enjoy myself and run for the fun of it, enjoy the day, not worrying about the finish time. I can tell you now that this would be a short lived thought. In February 2011 all this changed when Boston Athletic Association announced a change to the registration process and times for the Boston Marathon.
Mile 20 after the park (C:\dps\running\2010-11-Harrisburg\DSCN1884.JPG)
Mile 20-21 starting to feel the pain (C:\dps\running\2010-11-Harrisburg\DSCN1888.JPG)
The big finish – the look of determination or a crazy demented man, you decide. Brian is next to me pushing me toward the finish. (C:\dps\running\2010-11-Harrisburg\determination2.jpg )
My daughter Samantha and me after the race and an IV. I look refreshed and ready to go. (C:\dps\running\2010-11-Harrisburg\DSCN1892.JPG)
