Race Report - Last Chance For Boston 10K

Or, "Where 10K = 8.2 Miles"

I hemmed and hawed about this race right up until Saturday, when the forecast looked like it was solidly going to be okay, and that Meredith was going to be able to cover her share of their relay. But I did decide to sign up and get ready to shoot for another PR. I had only run one 10K before, this same race in 2009.

Because of the in-between weather, I packed almost two complete running outfits. What do you wear at 35 degrees? I had shorts, pants, short sleeves, long sleeves...you name it and I had it. And just before the race, I changed my mind and peeled off a layer. Meredith was running the marathon relay, which, since this is a 1 mile loop course, started together with my 10K at .2 miles before the finish/lap line. We never heard the 5K/half marathon start, and so we were surprised to hear "3 seconds" right as we stepped into the corral. Well, no time like the present! We just had time to get our watches set, and we were off.

My goal pace, based on the FIRST plan, had me averaging a 7:41 pace. For the first loop, it was tough to keep up a good pace, since there were so many people to dodge. I did my best to have quick, light feet and get in a good rhythm. Since I had forgotten my Garmin, I glanced at my watch at each quarter mile to get a reading on where I was.

During mile 2, I fell in next to a guy who was doing the full marathon. His pace was similar to mine, and we got to talking for the next four miles. In retrospect, I wonder if I wasn't pushing myself hard enough if I could somewhat hold a conversation? But I was running pretty hard, and I thought running with someone would help the race seem shorter. The miles clicked off pretty regularly...7:49...7:56...7:56...7:57. I was missing my splits by just a few seconds each time, but it was adding up. Because of my inexperience at this distance, I didn't know how much to push to catch up to my pace.

When we crossed the lap line for my final lap, I told my running buddy that I was going to see if I could push a little harder during the last mile, but I wasn't sure if I had anything in the tank. (Nice positive self talk there, Dave) My quarter mile splits did fall inside my target this time, and I managed to run a 7:29 for the final mile. I crossed the line and received a plaque for my effort. Because this race doesn't give out age group awards, the overall awards go out to 20 places, and I had snuck in at #19! (20th in the official results, it turned out)


I was a little surprised at how much faster the field was this year, as I had run about 4 minutes slower in 2009, and come in 8th male. But obviously, I was in it for my time, not to place, and was really happy with the result.

Mile 1.2: 9:54
Mile 2: 7:49
Mile 3: 7:56
Mile 4: 7:56
Mile 5: 7:57
Mile 6: 7:29

Total: 48:58 (7:54/mile)
Overall: 22/109
Men: 20/54

After Meredith finished up her section of the relay, I went to get in some dry clothes and watch the rest of the race. That worked great to warm me up, but unfortunately her Dad started getting blisters, and stopped at 8 miles, leaving their team 5 miles short of the finish. Rather than DNF, Meredith stripped down and started running again, and I offered to run a couple miles. So, it was a quick run back to the car, and a change into that second running outfit I had packed. :) I made it back just in time to stretch a bit and head back out on the course. I forgot to wear my watch, so I just went out at a pace I thought I could hold for a couple miles.

And I ran faster for their race than for my own, gosh darn it. I ran a 7:33 mile and a 7:28 mile. Maybe I did have more in the tank than I knew. Next time, Gadget. Next time.

First Chance

Limbo: any status where a person or project is held up, and nothing can be done until another action happens.

And that's where I am for another week. Until the Leadville lottery comes out, I'm unable to really commit one way or another. But that doesn't mean I can't do some planning and research. Meredith (at my request) bought me the "Run Less, Run Faster" book from the Furman Institute (FIRST) for Valentine's Day, and I've been reading through it for the last few weeks.



My first (heh) impression? I should have run slower during that three miler! It's got some pretty lofty goals for my longer distances based on that race. It says I should be able to run a 1:45-ish half marathon, and a 3:42-ish marathon. Yikes! The training plan uses three days a week of running, with other cross-training days thrown in as well. It looks VERY challenging, but also interesting.

This weekend, the ironically named "Last Chance For Boston" (too late!) marathon is in town on Sunday. Two years ago, I ran my first 10K there, and clocked a 53:05, for an 8:32 pace. The book says I should be able to best that. By a lot. (Yikes, again!)

The pros:

1. Halfway decent shot at a PR.
   
2. I just happen to have a 6 mile tempo run in the books for this weekend anyway.
3. I'm going to be there anyway, since Meredith and her dad are running a relay for the full marathon.
4. If I get into Leadville, this will be a last running hurrah for a good portion of the year.

The cons:

1. The weather looks yucky, and I'm a wuss.
   

So, do I feel like giving it a shot? Will I man up and run even if it's cold and nasty outside? Stay tuned...

Dear Boston

Dear Boston,

You suck.

Love,
Dave


Link

Boston Marathon organizers today announced adjustments to the qualifying times and registration policies for the 2012 and 2013 Boston Marathons. The marathon will institute a two-week, rolling registration process for 2012, and will tighten the existing time standards — lowering them by five minutes across all age and gender categories — for 2013.

Seriously? I announce that I'm going to work toward a 3:15, and five days later you change the standard to a 3:10?!

And for what it's worth, your new registration system of "if you qualify by more than 20 minutes, you get first dibs" stinks too. You're telling me that I can qualify, register, and then enough people with faster times register after me to bump me out of a spot? That's terrible. Plus, it's even more incentive to run boring, flat courses for the better runners. Run a challenging course, and just make sure I qualify? Nope, gotta run 20 minutes faster - bring on a long flat stretch of interstate!

Race Report - CRRC Winter Run 3 Miler

"I've never even run a 5K at a Boston qualifying pace"

Well, that certainly didn't take long. It wasn't a 5K, but 3 miles is pretty darn close.

I've been looking at a few training plans for my running this year, one of which is the Furman plan outlined in "Run Less, Run Faster". They have a half marathon plan as well, which I might use in the spring. And to get your base pace for this plan, it suggests that you do a 3 mile run as a speed test. Well, Meredith was doing the 15 mile run anyway, and what do I discover, but that there is also a 3 miler! Once the weather looked beautiful, it seemed clear that this was the time and place to do it. My biggest decision was whether to wear a watch or not - do I pace myself, or just go? I decided to be brave and go watchless. And soon after I sent her off on the 15 miler, it was time to toe the line and get underway.

This was a small race - maybe 50 people or so? I lined up just a couple rows back at the start, trying to make sure I didn't have too many people to dodge on the way out. Once we got spread out a bit, I found myself about 12 people back from the leader. And then a funny thing started happening...I'd pass one, then another, then another. By half a mile in, I was sitting in 5th place. I've never ever run close to the front of a race, regardless of size, and I didn't really know how to react. The first and second place guys were looking very strong, then there was one more guy maybe 20 meters ahead, one woman, and then me, sitting one place off the podium! By the halfway turnaround, I had caught the woman, but everything else stayed about the same.

Unfortunately, right after the turnaround, another guy came FLYING by, passing myself and the third place runner like we were standing still. That took the wind out of my sails a bit, knowing that I'd have to pass two guys to get in the top three, and feeling like I was redlining already. At that point, I started to accept that a podium finish was probably out of the cards, and I concentrated on just running strong. (With maaaaybe a couple glances over my shoulder, just in case.)

As we climbed the hill back toward the finish, I was definitely giving my all, and when I turned the corner to see the clock, I was shocked to see it almost two minutes earlier than I had estimated. It showed 21:55, and I tried to sprint in the last few meters under 22 minutes, but couldn't quite manage it. Still, I was ecstatic at the time, and pretty darn happy to be in the top 5 guys.

Time: 22:03 (7:21/mile)
Place: 5th male, 6th overall, 1st age group

Yes, I "won" my age group, though there were no awards for it in the 3 miler. I guess that makes sense, since it's so small a race, but it's still too bad!

It still feels bizarre to have run a race where I KNEW what place I was in the whole time. It's a whole different feeling and strategy than I've ever dealt with before. And yes, that pace would qualify me for Boston if I could just hold it for a measly 23.2 miles more.

I find myself wondering what happened in this race. Was it the fact that I didn't check my pace, and just went with it? Is it that I've been doing more core/upper body work? Is it that I've lost 15 pounds from my Ironman weight? This was 21 seconds/mile faster than my best 5K, and that must have come from somewhere. The only scary bit? The Furman plan says to add 35 seconds/mile to get your half marathon goal pace. Um, that's a 7:56. Paces starting with sevens scare me! Here's hoping that dreaming big can pay off...

Confessions Part I

Confession: I want to run Boston.

There, I said it.

When I signed up for Ironman late in 2008, it was a daunting task. I didn't know what the training would be, what to expect from myself, or how the experience would affect me. But I had my coach's word that if I trusted in the plan, I would get there. Come race day nine months later, was I nervous? Sure. But I knew that I had done the work, and that barring something going wrong on race day, I had a good shot at finishing.

So what's the difference? Why does Ironman feel doable, but Boston seems like a pipe dream? Is it just the fact that I've done 140.6 twice, and never run under four hours in a marathon? After all, I'd have to cut nearly an hour off my marathon PR. Heck, I've never even run a 5K at a Boston qualifying pace.

No, I think the difference is the unknown. Can my body physically do it? Racing for speed is something I've never really seriously attempted. Ironman was all about the distance - the question was "Can I finish?". "When will I finish?" was a very secondary issue. But "Do I have the potential to go a certain speed?" is a whole different animal. Meredith has said in the past that she doesn't want to measure her VO2 Max, because it would tell her what her limits are. This feels almost the same - I'm not sure I want to know the answer.

It scares me to put this goal out there, but it seems like maybe the time is here. I've done three marathons, but my confidence in myself and my attitude toward sport has changed dramatically since that disappointing last 26.2 in 2007. Ironman can do that to you. Maybe it's time to take the leap. We're planning to be in Houston next January to watch a friend run in the Olympic trials, and then the marathon the next day would be my first target. Not to qualify, mind you (barring some huge unforeseen leap in speed), but to serve as an initial milestone in the journey.

So, that about covers it, other than one tiny detail...

Confession: I can't commit to a 2011 race schedule quite yet.

And why? Well, Meredith and I went to see "Race Across The Sky" again this year.

Why are you laughing?

Um, yeah, I might have signed up for the Leadville Trail 100 bike race lottery. Because really, what better race to train for in the flatlands of Ohio than a hilly one at 9000+ feet? The odds seem pretty long that I would actually get in, but if so, that will have to dominate my training for the year, especially given that whole "I haven't ridden my mountain bike in years" detail. It's in August, so it wouldn't necessarily scrap the Houston plan, but it would mean more biking than running for the first half of the year.

So, one way or another, there it is. Unicorn, consider yourself warned.