Ok, So We're Doing This

I think it's finally time to take another shot at the marathon. As I was at mile 12 on Sunday, laboring, all I could think was "I'm glad I'm not running the full". But, I said the same thing in 2010, when I ran the half at Philly, and I ran two marathons in 2011. I'm slower than I was then. It'll hurt. It'll be slow. I'll probably complain a lot. But it's time to put 7+ years of failed comeback attempts to rest.

And the 8k is my favorite race ever. I can't skip the 8k. That just wouldn't do. No, not at all.

It's Times Like These You Learn to Love Again

Surprise, sur-f***ing-prise. I actually stuck with running all Summer, Fall, and Winter and trained for, albeit somewhat mediocrely, and finished a half marathon.

I did much better over the last year in getting out to run during the week than I had in years, which is my usual training problem, but I just didn't get in enough long enough long runs to really have been ready. But I finshed the Shamrock Half, and in only a few minutes (but considerably more pain) than I'd hoped to finish.

And I'm doing it again on Sunday, at what looks like a blissfully freezing Love Run Half in Philly. As I met my wife as she finished the Shamrock half, some of my first words were "I don't think I'm going to run Love Run." But, I am a glutton for punishment and I'm going to do it...although with a less aggressive time goal than the 2:30 I'd wanted at flat-as-a-board Shamrock.  I want to finish, but I also don't want to be in this much pain two weeks in a row.

But, at more than any other point in the last seven years of sporadic running, I feel like I'm back. I want to do long runs in the Summer even though I hate it. I want to run a fall half. I want to finally put paid on years of comeback attempts and run a marathon next year, and I feel like I actually can stick with it.

Virginia Beach and J&A Racing did it again. I needed to re-find the joy of running, and I found it again at Shamrock.


(Me and my beautiful participant medals.)

I won't be posting here on a regular basis. I'll do some race reviews including the Shamrock and 8k, bitch about the heat, or brag if there's ever occasion, but I still don't have much to say here anymore.

Fifteen Weeks

On September 22, I stopped running.  It had been a tough September, with lots of pain in my left ankle and shins.  Two weeks earlier, I'd had to stop a run when the pain in my left leg just became too much.  I'd come back with a decent five miles and thought nothing of it, but after running my last race, the Sasquatch 5K (my wife reviewed it at "Never Trade", but I never bothered), it just been bonk after bonk after bonk. On September 22, I went down to the rail trail, knowing that if I was going to have any shot at all at the Atlantic City Half Marathon, which I was going to run with no expectation of PR, anyway, I had to have a good run.  I labored through 5 miles, getting only that far because I had to in order to get back to my car.

I called my orthopedist, I deferred from the race, and most significantly, I just quit. In January, when I couldn't run, I did everything I could to stay in shape and I got right back out there and made some quick progress in my spring races.  This time, I gave into my depression and did I ate and drank a lot and did a lot of sofa exercises (like sitting on a sofa.)  In early November, when my doctor got my MRI results back (diagnosis is shinsplits, or something similar, since the placement on the leg isn't the classic case of shinsplits) and said I could start running again, I took that as "Wow. I need a couple weeks at the gym to get myself back in shape a little."  And I tried, but in the meantime I'd gotten heavier than I'd ever been. 

I started doing the elliptical at the gym, doing 45 minutes with different inclines to work different muscles, but we all know that's not the same.  When I joined my wife for a session with her personal trainer on Monday, which I'm signed on for for the next 10 weeks, I got the rude awakening of out-of-shape I'd let myself get.

My long-overdue Day of Reckoning had come at last, and I ran again.  Two miles on Thursday and three miles today, which felt like 10 and 20 miles, respectively, but it was good to be out there again.  I have 15 weeks to get ready for my third -- and let's face it, quite possibly last -- marathon, and from here on out I'm going give it everything I've got, even if it's probably too late.  I know if I can get myself up to 6-7 miles by the end of December, I'll be at the place in which my 2011 Shamrock plan began (I was ahead of schedule then!).  I can't let fatigue, work stress, or fear of failure stop me.  If I CAN run, I have to do it.  There's just not time to slack off.  I'll need to work harder than I've worked before at running, and I suspect that the next three months will my make IT band rehab look like a walk in the park.

There's a chance.  Probably not a good chance.  But there's a still a chance a chance for the revenge I've sought all year.  And I'm going to take it. 

Dream Another Dream, This Dream is Over

• I officially deferred from the 2012 Shamrock Marathon this morning. I was looking forward to (hopefully) improving from last year, getting all the goodies, and enjoying the post-race party, but it's been pretty clear since late December that this wasn't going to happen. Get 'em next year, right?
  
  
• I have a Twitter now: www.twitter.com/earnyourdonuts. I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to do with Twitter, but I thought it might be a good way to spread the word about the First Annual Earn Your Donuts Bad Race Photo Contest (Brought to you By Road ID).
  
  
• Speaking of the FAEYDBRPC...maybe this contest wasn't as good or funny of an idea as I thought. No one's entered yet, so if you enter, you've got an excellent chance of winning a $35 Road ID gift certificate.
  
  
• Registration for the Broad Street Run 10-miler in Philadelphia opened today. Go to www.broadstreetrun.com to register; it'll fill up fast. It's not till May 6, so I think I could do it, but I'll hold to the new plan of taking it a bit slowly and not racing anything over 10K till the fall.
  
  
• I went for my second run of the comeback tour on Monday night. 3 miles in 29:39. I think I miscounted laps because it seemed like I was pushing myself more than I did on Saturday. More soreness while running; less afterward. Going again on Thursday and trying a four-mile "long run" on Saturday.

(No soup for you!)

Post Marathon Blues & Running Through the Holidays

I had a plan all mapped out. Well, sort of. I hadn't plugged in all the mileages, but I had decided on how I'd set up my weeks to train for Shamrock (base miles on Monday and Thursday, Speedwork on Tuesdays, lifting on the "off" days of Sunday and Wednesday, and long runs on Saturday).

I need to bounce back quickly -- March 18 is not that far away! -- but I'm feeling like I'm already a bit behind schedule. I missed my run last night because of working late, and so I went out this morning instead of doing speedwork tonight. I'm ok with that, and from my uninspiring runs the past two weeks, it seems like waiting another week before hitting the track for the first time in almost a year is probably a good thing.

I've now run three time since the marathon: 3 miles on wobbly legs on Thanksgiving, a 6-miler on Saturday where everything below the knees really hurt, and today I felt really exhausted after 5 miles. In my defense, it was 60F with 90% humidity. That's definitely not my best running weather, but I weathered (ha!) a lot worse in the summer and I ran most of a marathon two weeks ago. I can't have lost that much conditioning in two weeks, right?

I'm not sure if the problem is in my head, my lungs, or my legs (or all of above!). I am very committed to running a better marathon and even doing a better job sticking to the parts of training that I hate (hello, speedwork!), so it seems like my head's in the right place, but I've also had probably the most stressful month of work that I've ever had, and that's definitely taken it's toll both physically and with my level of focus. My legs feel like they're still tired. We'll see what happens on Saturday, but the good news/bad news is that I'll probably take some extra days off from running due to a business trip. Lungs? I can't tell. I'm not breathing as badly as I was earlier in the week before the marathon, but I don't seem quite all there. Of course, it was warm and humid today, and I never feel like my lung capacity is at its best then. If Saturday is dry and cool, it'll be a much better indicator of my respiratory health.

I bounced from Shamrock pretty quickly, I think, but then didn't have push myself. The marathon was a Sunday, and the following Thursday I ran a slow 7 miles, and then for about a month I didn't run longer than 7 or 8 miles. In April and May, while I still had cool weather, I started getting back into the double digits and then pushed myself to my best-ever months in June, July, and August. I don't have the luxury of a month off now, especially when it will be extremely challenging to get the miles in around the holidays.

Last year, I kept increasing my distance in the weeks after the Philly Half. On the next two Saturdays I ran 14 and 16 miles, my two longest-ever runs at the time. I don't think I hit double-digits again until I ran 13.1 on January 1, but I feel like those long early December runs helped me get caught back up quickly in January. Our weekends in December are packed, mostly with fun holiday stuff, but it means I have to get good long runs in when I can. If I can get back into the double digits this Saturday and on next week's long run, I'll feel like I'm at least starting from the same place I was last year. The weekend after that, I have the Celtic Solstice 5-miler, which several people have told me is a great race. Depending on how much I actually "race" the five-miler, I may do a longer run on Sunday to supplement it or I may just be content with it.

Either way, I think a nice long run is on my "nice" list for Christmas Eve.

Sorry for the boring post, but this IS my running blog, not my creepy cat ornament picture blog.

Back on the Roads

Have you seen my legs?

Apparently, they're still somewhere out there between the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Manyunk.

If you happen to see them, tell them that they must return to Manchester, because their services are required ASAP. I had seven months between Shamrock and Philly, giving me some time to take it easy and time to run base miles over the summer without really worrying too much about my long run distances for several months.

There's no such luxury this time, with Shamrock looming on March 18. I don't want to rush back, but there's definitely times over the holidays in which the miles are going to be tough to get in so I want to start getting my long runs back in and get started on some speedwork, even if I probably won't get much consistency till January.

This is the weekly plan that I hope to follow (mileages will vary):

Monday: 5-7 mile "regular" run

Tuesday: Yasso 800s (track workout) -- I'm hoping to start this week, but will probably still be taking it a little easy with a slow pace and only 3 sets, adding a set each time until I get up to 10. Supposedly the pace at which you run the 800s predicts your marathon time. I have to do a little more research on them since I haven't really done speedwork (for example, do I run them at a fast but comfortable pace or do I just run them as fast as I possibly can?)

Wednesday: Weights

Thursday: 5-7 mile "regular" run

Friday: Weights

Saturday: Long run

Sunday: Cross training (biking or NordicTrack)

I think speedwork and strength training (and I need to figure out exactly what this routine will be) will help give me more strength and endurance to help this marathon hurt less and hopefully go more quickly. I'd love to get down into the 4:30s. I'm not planning a fall marathon next year at this point, so I'd like have a better one so I don't become obsessed with revenge.

(If the mall can put up Christmas decorations in October,
I can start thinking about St. Patrick's Day before Christmas.)

I have to do a better job recognizing though, that things aren't going to always go according to plan, and that 30min on the treadmill is better than nothing.

Though I'm going to push myself more than I have in the past, the time for that was not this week. I ran 3.1 miles on Thursday morning, and it felt like I was still out at the end of the marathon course. If my legs could talk, they'd have been asking for some walk breaks. Today went a little better -- I ran 6 miles in about an hour (I forgot to re-start Garmin) but it was definitely all I had in the tank. I bounced back more quickly from Shamrock, so maybe I wasn't quite as beaten up. I'd like be back in double-digits by next Saturday, but I know it's most important this point to just be flexible and see how I feel as I recover.

Winning the Swag Marathon

Admit it. You're not running for health, or enjoyment, or camaraderie. You're running so you can brag about it.

Wait, that's not you. That's me. And while that's a bit of an exaggeration, I admit there's an element of truth to it. I love wearing shirts from the various races I've run, and I'm probably not the only runner that enjoys swag, all the "giveaways" that come with your race registration.

I've got some good stuff over the years. My gray long-sleeve tech shirt from the 2010 Philly Half is very cool, and my the Asics sleeveless I got at the Druid Hills 10K this year has been a useful running shirt.

But one race's swag stands out amongst them all: The Yuengling Shamrock Marathon. Excluding any souvenirs, thus counting only the items included in my registration fee, I received:

• 1 long sleeve technical shirt
• 1 long-sleeve cotton finisher's shirt
• 1 finisher's hat (Yes, I think the hat is ugly, but I love it anyway. I have 100 baseball caps, but this is the only one I had to run 26.2 miles to get.)
  
• Finisher's medal that can be used as a bottle opener

Well, the good folks at J&A Racing have outdone themselves. This year, in honor of the race's 40th anniversary, all 13.1 and 26.2 finishers will receive their race shirt, finisher's hat, medal, and this:

(This sweatshirt replaces the white finishers' shirt at the bottom of my picture.
That's a nice upgrade, in my opinion.)

I'm a little critical of my own performance at the Shamrock Marathon (although not half as critical as I'm going to be after I limp through Philly in a few weeks!), but I have nothing but good things to say about the event itself.

Great post-race party. Fun location. Nice expo. Unbeatable swag. And it looks like they found a way to make it even better!

Favorite Races, 2007-2011

Today's run was 10 miles (again) on my usual route (again) at about my usual pace (again). It was 75 degrees at 6:30am, a little warmer than usual, and very sunny, so I took it a bit easy on the pace but then tried speed up on the last two miles to keep myself under 1:40 (10minute/mile pace). I made it by 18 seconds. The thermometer at Northeastern High said it was 89F when I finished at about 8:10. It was hot out there, but even I don't believe that.

**************************************************************************************************

Since that took five lines and most of my running is exactly that boring, I've been trying to think of some other things I could write about here. A few weeks ago, I thought I'd put a top ten list of my favorite races, and use it as an excuse to tell some stories. My plan was to write a recap post for each one of them that I hadn't already written about here, but it seems pointless to write a bunch of race reviews for events that were in some cases years ago and in several cases not being run anymore. Then, I found I couldn't keep it to just 10. So, without further ado, here's my Top 15:

15-13. 2008 CSY 5K Series -- I ran these 3 races in June, July, and August of 2008. The first was amazingly foggy and oppressively hot, and the third at 24:43, was my PR at the time. The site of the races is what makes them meaningful to me, because I could barely manage the one mile runs we were occasionally put through in high school gym class.

The high school version of me could absolutely destroy the 2011 me at hoops, though.



12. 2010 Harrisburg Jingle Bell 5K - This race is just two boring loops through a corporate park in Harrisburg, but I love it. Because it's in mid-December, I can count on the freezing temperatures that give me my best chance at fast times. I've PR'd twice here, including my current PR, 23:43, which is one of only 2 sub-24 minute 5Ks I've run. (Currently, my fastest and third-fastest 5Ks are at this race in 2010 and 2009.)

11. MCVET 10K -- This was my first 10K. I finished just under an hour, and this distance turned out to be the perfect level of challenge at the perfect time. It was also my gateway drug to longer distances. This was a really nice event for a good cause. The course was a typical Inner Harbor course, except that went all the way to Fort McHenry, rather than just turning around on Key Highway like almost every other Baltimore race I've run.



10. 2010 Harrisburg Mile -- This one-mile race along the Susquehanna always seems to be on the hottest and/or most humid night in July. It's the only one-mile race on my schedule, so it's a unique and interesting challenge, and free beer at the end of a race never hurts. This was my third running of the mile, and I ran a 6:44, smashing an 8-minute mile PR that had stood unchallenged since Presidential Physical Fitness award testing during my junior year of high school.

9. 2011 Dreaded Druid Hills 10K -- I didn't want to put all my recent races in this list, but I felt like this deserved a place here. I've become a little jaded. Gone are the days when I went into every race with doubts that I could finish. In my first summer of racing (2007), every 5K was terrifying. I was nervous about my first 10K, Half, and Marathon in their turns. I'll never again have the fear of going into a race that's farther than I've ever run before, but I was scared of this race, and that made it exciting. The hills didn't live up to their online reputation. I PR'd by two minutes due to my small sample size of 10Ks (only 2), but it was a challenging course in a beautiful setting and could be the summer race that I return to every year.

8. 2008 Orioles Advocates Home Run 5K -- Since I was five years old I have been a huge fan of the Baltimore Orioles. When I saw that the Orioles were hosting a 5K beginning and ending at Camden Yards -- in one week -- I signed up for it. It was my first race of the season, and I'd slacked off over the winter and not run more than 2 miles at a time in several months. On race day it was overcast and only about 50 degrees, which was much colder than I'd run outside in previously. (I laugh at this now.)

I was worried about the cold, and between my undertraining and weather, I took it easy to make sure I could finish the race. Not counting the Kelly Shamrock 5K this March, which was during my taper, the Orioles race still stands as my personal worst. Still, running onto the field at Camden Yards and crashing into the padded wall at the finish line was one of the most fun moments of my running "career" (am I allowed to call it that?).

I have had the opportunity to run on the Preakness track, a brand-new turnpike bridge, and one of Interstate 95's tunnels under the Inner Harbor, but this is still my favorite of all the "fun location" races I've been in. Sadly, this race hasn't been run since. It was canceled in 2009 and not scheduled in 2010 or 2011. Much like I root for the resurgence of the chronically inept Orioles, I would love to see this race resurrected.

(No, this isn't during a game.)

7. 2010 Broad St. Run -- A 10-mile race on an 80+ degree morning, much hotter than I was prepared for. A miserable race, but one of the ones I'm most proud of.

6. 2010 Baltimore Marathon Relay -- I didn't fell well during my 7-mile leg of the relay, but still had a great time with my teammates Chris, Ada, and Emily as "Earn Your Donuts" ran 26.2 in 4:58:12 (just a little bit better than my individual marathon!). It was also during this race, as I limped along among people who were finishing their marathons, that the idea of running a marathon really started to gain some traction for me.

(The original "Earn Your Donuts.")

5. 2010 Philadelphia Half Marathon -- This was my second time running the Philly Half, and I had low expectations going into this race because I had not trained as consistently as I had the previous year. It didn't seem as exciting since I knew I could finish the distance, was anticipating a slower time, and was contemplating a full marathon at this point. It ended up (along with #4 on this list) being one of my best races in terms of effort and pacing. I finished strong and shaved over three minutes off my PR to come in under two hours.

4. 2009 Briggs & Al's 8K -- Chris and I this 8K in Milwaukee with two friends from Wisconsin. It was my perfect morning for racing with temps in the 30's. For hanging out at the post-race party, it was not so perfect. Not only was this race a unique way to see some of downtown and lakefront Milwaukee, it was one of my best races ever. I was well over 10 minutes at the first mile of crowded race, but recovered to finish in 42:42.

3. The 2009 Philadelphia Half Marathon -- I would be faster the next year, but finishing my first half marathon was one of the proudest moments of my life. I really enjoyed the race and came in faster than I expected with a 2:03. Along the way I got high fives from the mayor of Philadelphia, the GEICO Gecko, a guy dressed as Ben Franklin, and a giant cookie.

(And this was mile one. Just kidding -- I think.)

2. 2007 Once & Done Turnpike Run 5K -- This was my first-ever 5K. It took place on a gorgeous May morning on a newly-constructed, not-yet-open-to-traffic bridge over the Susquehanna River. I think this one does rate its own post at a future date.

1. 2011 Shamrock Marathon -- It had to be first on this list. It's my first and to date only marathon, already described on this blog in great detail. The race itself didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but I would say that I enjoyed the experience and learned some lessons for next time. Crossing the finish line was a moment that I count among the best of my life and the post-race party, on-course support, and setting (Virginia Beach) of this race were all top-notch. I'm looking forward to the return trip in March 2012.




So, there you have my top 15.
,
It was harder to make this list than I thought, as I tried to consider both the races as events and my own performances.

What were your favorite races, and why?

Everybody Deserves a Second Chance

Signed up for this again:



I'm going to try to improve on my 4:58 in the Marathon, and Chris is going to take on the Dolphin Challenge -- an 8K on Saturday followed by the Half Marathon on Sunday.

As I said at the time, everything about this event was great except for my own performance. If I can stay healthy I think I can do better.

(I think it's about time for this thing to be over.)

I've got a whole marathon between now and Shamrock, so I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. However, while I plan to use Hal Higdon's Novice II training for Philly, I think I'll go with one of the Intermediate plans for Shamrock, since training in the winter gives me more opportunities for running within my temperature comfort zone. In the summer, I'm pretty much "first thing in the morning or not at all", while in winter I can more easily get myself out for a run in at lunch or at night (if it's dry -- black ice is scary).

I'm looking forward to making the trip to Virginia Beach again, this time with more endurance and smarter pacing.

Race Report: 2011 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon, Part 3: Performance Reviews

I decided to do one final* installment of my race report, in which I'll review the 2011 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon as an event in and of itself, and then shift gears to grade my own performance and talk about my lessons learned.


2011 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon
In short, there's nary a bad word to be said about the event. Communication prior to the trip was clear and instructive, the expo was well-organized, packet pickup was fast and easy, a good selection of merchandise was available, and Virginia Beach is a fun destination.

On race day, other than the race being pushed back 15 minutes (terrifying at the time but really not a big deal), everything about the event seemed to go well. The starting area was well organized despite the absence of official corrals, announcements were easy to hear, and the waves went off smoothly.

The course itself mostly lived up to its billing of being flat, although like I said in my review most of the last third of the race was a gradual uphill. Volunteers with water and Gatorade were cheerful and abundant, support from the crowd was great, and J&A racing and/or volunteers tried to make even the more desolate parts of the course less so through joke signs, DJs, and even a band. The boardwalk provided some great scenery in the middle of the race and then served as a terrific finishing spot.

The post-race party was great, by far the best I've ever been to. (At least at Baltimore you get free beer, too!) Great music, great food, and FREE BEER.

In summary, the marathon turned out to be a lot more fun that I thought it would be, and I credit a lot of that to having this one as my first one.

Grade: Significantly Exceeds Expectations




Me
I laid out my goals for the race: To finish, to run the whole thing, and hopefully to finish around 4:30. Don't get me wrong -- I'm thrilled with the race and happy with my performance, but I didn't meet all of my objectives.

I didn't run the whole thing, which was important to me, which led to not finishing when I thought I'd finish, which wasn't as important to me in and of itself. Like I said, I'm not kicking myself and I'm happy with my effort. I just think there are some things I can do differently if there is a next time:

• Get in more, and longer long runs. My best runs were a 17.5 at the end of January and an 18 at the end of February, right before my taper. If I could have gotten in a few more of that distance and 1 or 2 20 milers in, I think I would have had a better chance. Not to make an excuse, but I missed on these because of my knee -- before my IT band flared up I was right where I was supposed to be on my long runs. Hopefully, with better stretching and PT exercises I can keep it from acting up again.

• More speed training -- this is the one thing I really can say that I didn't work hard enough -- or at all -- on. I just didn't make it down to the track workouts with the group or make them up on my own. Maybe that would have made me faster, and more importantly maybe it would have helped build up leg strength for when I really needed it on those last several miles.

• Better nutrition -- Sport Beans have been my standard in-race nutrition, but it seems like they didn't really help me on Sunday. I'm not sure if I should have eaten more of them (I brought 3 packs and ate only 1), started eating them much earlier in the race (I don't think I started eating them until mile 8 or 9 -- since on a run of less than 10 miles I don't usually even bother with them), both, or if I should try GU or Clif Bars or some other food while I run. Maybe I can fill my running pouch with penne ala vodka.

• Strength training -- As running has taken up more of my time, I've neglected other exercising, such as the lifting I've done on and off since college and pretty consistently for the last six years. Even then, there wasn't a lot of leg work -- that's what's running is for, after all. I'm doing the exercises I learned in PT to strengthen the knee and add core strength, but I wonder if more strength training for the legs would made the difference.

• Better pacing -- Based on watching Garmin, I think I probably was going too fast from miles 6-15 when I was running with my new friend Ralph, but then I pulled ahead when he started to get into the zone a bit more. I felt great at this point, was super confident, and I think I neglected to notice that maybe things felt so easy because the course was subtly downhill, not because I'm awesome. I think I need to do a better job watching my pace and reminding myself to go slower during the middle part of the race when I'm deep enough into my run to be warmed up and loose, but not so far yet to be exhausted yet. Ralph caught and passed me later in the race, probably due to due to the combination of better endurance and better pacing.

• Strategic walk breaks -- I don't want to walk at all. To clarify, if I walk my water breaks or while I'm filling my bottle or if I have to use the port-o-potty or even stop to stretch, that's ok. But, I walked more than I wanted to. However, I wonder if once I decided that a walking break was unavoidable, if I could have avoided the excruciating 3.5ish mile run/walk and gotten back some strength in my legs if I'd just walked for 10 minutes, or 1 mile. I'd have made that trade if it would have allowed me to run the rest of the way. I ended up walking most of 24, but it was too late at that point.
  

• Technology -- I debated between my beloved watch and my not-so-beloved Garmin, and in the end chose Garmin, since I could watch my pace. Really, I'm not so sure it helped, and it's always infuriating when Garmin is out of sync with the official distance. Perhaps I should have just worn my watch, which has brought me luck in two half marathons.
  
  More clearly, though, I should have brought my Shuffle. I'm used to running without it, since visibility is a concern in my usual running spots, and I elected not to bring it in my pouch so that I could carry all the extra Sport Beans that I didn't eat. On one hand, I wanted to be able to chat with other runners if they're so inclined, hear and interact with the crowd and entertainers, and experience the atmosphere of my first marathon. But on the other, when I was running through Fort Story, out of gas and far from the crowds, it would have been nice to be able to crank up Blink-182.
  

In summary, I think through better management of the IT Band (and assuming good luck w/other injuries), better long runs, speed training, and better pacing I can do better in a future marathon. I'm happy with how I did at Shamrock; I gave everything I had and shattered my personal best, but I'm just not quite satisfied.

I don't think there's a Boston Qualifier in my future, and I'm very ok with that, but I think I can take what I've learned and get myself down around 4:30 and keep in an approximation of running for the whole race.

Grade: Meets some expectations.


*Though this the last intended part of my race report, I do reserve the right to post pictures from Virginia Beach or of post race swag if I run out of things to blog about now that my marathon is over -- "Earn Your Donuts" gets pretty boring when it's just "I ran x miles in Manchester" over and over.

Race Report: 2011 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon, Part 2: Race Day

Click here for Part 1: Pre Race Adventures

Race Day always begins early for me. I fell asleep quickly after a day featuring much walking and a great carb-loaded dinner. Wanting nutrition for what would be my longest run ever, I set the alarm for 3:00 am, ate a peanut butter sandwich and drank some delicious orange Gatorade, and went back to bed. From that point, I followed the routine I'd set for the Philly Half, where I like to get to the starting line about an hour early, and I typically get up about two hours before that. The marathon start time was set at 8:00.

In this case, I had more to do to prepare since I needed to try to manage my knee issues. I'd set the alarm at 5:00, got up, did my physical therapy stretches and foam rolling, liberally applied SPF 80 sunscreen, and then psyched myself with my traditional punk rock concert via the Shuffle. I didn't want to try anything that I hadn't before, so I wore my white Brooks sleeveless running shirt and a pair of Nike running shorts that I'd worn many times before. No fun green running clothes for me.

Chris and I left the hotel room just a few minutes after 7:00. It truly seemed like a miserable, with gusty winds and temperatures in the 30s. I love running in the cold, and the 30s are right where I was hoping for, but the wind really seemed like it would be a challenge. There was not a cloud in the sky, and we walked along the boardwalk to see the beautiful sunrise and the statue of Neptune, the Roman god of Dumb Ideas, that adorns the boardwalk at a point very close to the finish line.


I dress for the end of the race, not the beginning. I like to be cold at the start in hopes that I won't be too hot as the race goes on. The weather played havoc with my plans. The temperature was right where I wanted, but a sunny, cloudless day would increase my chances of feeling overheated, but with the winds as strong as they were, I was just too cold to go without my jacket at the start of the race.

We walked up Atlantic Avenue to the starting area, and tried to find a spot out of the wind to wait, but there was none -- it whipped around the buildings and there was no escape. We soon learned that the start was delayed by 15 minutes to avoid congestion with the half marathon, the course for which was the second of the marathon course. I was super-nervous and just wanted to get started (in order to get it over with, one way or another!) and those 15 minutes seemed like an eternity when they were announced. However, it passed more quickly than I thought and I headed into the starting area, waiting around the 4:30 pace group.


There were not officially corrals, but there was a waved start, and I started with wave 4. As my group walked up to the starting line (I never waste energy by running before the race has even started!), the sun seemed to really begin shining brightly, and I looked for Chris to hand my jacket off to. In hindsight, though, I was glad to have had it for the first few miles.

The race started southbound on Atlantic Avenue, so I was running by familiar sights from the day before. A weird combination of euphoria and terror had set in: "Holy crap, I'm running a marathon!"

I continued southbound for the first five miles before a turnaround point at about 5.5. I'd taken off the jacket at about mile 3, shortly after running up the bridge that is race's only steep hill, and still felt great -- as I should have, being still well within my comfort zone. The terrifying, unknown miles were still miles away themselves at this point.

At about mile 6 I started running with and talking with another first-time marathoner, who I chatted with for most of the next 7 miles. He'd started running just 6 months ago, and although he's already got his sights on Boston and even ultra distances, he had very similar goals to me for this one: finish, hopefully come in around 4:30, and run the whole thing.

During miles 8 and 9 we passed through Camp Pendleton, a military facility which appears upon further reading to be primarily used by the Virginia National Guard. This part of the course was amazing, and I couldn't believe how many military personnel came out to cheer the runners. I cheered back for them and thanked them for their service. They're the heroes, I'm just some jerk running a race.

We passed back over the bridge after mile 9, and were back in the oceanfront area of Virginia Beach. Most of miles 10 and 11 were on the boardwalk, which was very enjoyable. The weather was terrific at this point -- the wind that I'd hated so much kept me cool, but it was a gorgeous sunny day and I was at the beach. Even if I was running, how could I not enjoy that? Frustratingly, this part of the course approached the Neptune statue -- and finish line, but from the wrong direction. You could see the god of the sea's statue looming in the distance, but had to turn away as the bulk of the race was still ahead. At this point I was right where I wanted to be in terms of pace, and I felt better than I usually feel at this distance. At this point, I knew I was going to finish. This wasn't as hard as I thought!


We continued up Atlantic Avenue to the halfway point, where Chris waited and shouted encouragement, and beyond. I still felt great as the miles rolled by. Somewhere just past mile 15, spectators offered runners small cups of beer. Not wanting to ruin a good thing, I declined.

Soon after this point, the route diverged from Atlantic Avenue and turned onto Shore drive, which contrary to its name ran through the woods. This portion of the course ran from about miles 16 through mile 19, and for me it was the beginning of the end. It was very remote with no crowds and it seemed like it was mostly uphill (not steep, but just never-ending), and though I still felt pretty good, my pace began to slip a little. I'd left the guy I'd been chatting with behind at about mile 15 when he fell back a little and I still felt great, and so this part of the race was very lonely. The 4:30 pace group, which I'd gone ahead of pretty early in the race because it felt slower than my most comfortable pace, passed me by. Confidence began to slip, but I still felt ok. This was farther than I'd ever run before.

I'd hoped to avoid the wall. Instead, I hit it dead-on past mile 21, inside Fort Story, and never really recovered. I wasn't really in pain consistently -- I just couldn't make my legs go anymore. Weird feeling. I took a three minute walking break, and started running again. Miles 21 through 25 still seemed like they were all slightly uphill -- I'm not sure if it was in my head or if it really was a long, gradual incline (which would explain why the northbound journey on Atlantic seemed so easy). When the course turned back onto Atlantic within mile 22, I hoped I'd get a boost from the crowd, but I was cooked. This was the worst idea ever. I would never run a marathon again. I wasn't going to finish this one, and my corpse would be swept off the course and dumped into the sea.

I ran as much as I could the next 3.5 (estimating miles), but more often I was alternating running and walking. I tried everything I could think of: more sports beans, more Gatorade, more water, stopping to stretch, even the beer I'd passed up at mile 15; my friend Ralph from miles 6-14 passed by and offered words of encouragement -- but nothing put the juice back in my legs. I walked most of mile 24 in hopes that I could run the last mile, and that did help me get through most of the last mile in the approximation of running.

The last half mile of the course turns back onto the boardwalk southbound toward the Neptune statue. The finish line is in sight and I was determined to run this stretch to preserve what dignity I had left. I'd been warned by my group's coach not to start sprinting at first sight of the statue -- it's farther than it looked -- but I didn't have a "sprint" gear at this point, there was just "walk" and "run". My legs had been complete jell-o for the last 4 miles and whether it was the walking breaks or the fact that "getting it over with" was finally in sight, I ran up the boardwalk, waved to Chris, and crossed the finish line.

The feeling I had at crossing the finish line was incredible, and I screamed some incomprehensible primal scream of relief/joy/exhaustion. In that moment, the misery of the last 4 miles was forgotten and all the training was worth it.



I grabbed my finisher's medal and hung it around my neck, got a banana and a cookie from some volunteers, and then collected my finisher's hat and shirt. I was just happy the ordeal was over.

I set down. Not really in pain, but exhausted and resolved to never run another marathon again. Security asked me to move along, I think so that people finishing now could have that bench closer to the finish line. But I just finished!! I found Chris and we found another bench, and I collected my strength and stumbled toward the post-race party. On the way, we took some pictures on the beach.


The post-race party, which was in a huge tent, was awesome! Amazingly, the Irish Stew sounded better than beer, and it was delicious. After eating, though, beer sounded really, really good. As predicted, no sip of beer has ever tasted better, and it's amazing how much better one feels immediately post-marathon after consuming two cups of Yuengling. The volunteers at the beer table I stopped at weren't my favorite people in Virginia Beach, but they were solidly in the top eight. I was in a great mood at this point -- I finished the marathon!




We returned to the room, where I cleaned up, and then we checked out and went in search of lunch. I broke all my Lenten resolutions (knowing I would this weekend) and got a delicious burger at CP Shucker's, and then we made the long drive back York, where I did enjoy two delicious donuts.



I thought I'd be disappointed with myself for walking. I thought I'd be disappointed in my 4:58. I'm not. I made some mistakes and I think I learned enough lessons on this attempt that a second one would be better, but it was still the best run I've ever had by quite a long margin and I'm satisfied that I did my best. I'll proudly affix the little 26.2 magnet to the back of the Neon and look back fondly at and focus on the 2/3 of the race that were really enjoyable.

Despite the misery of the last 6 miles, right now I think I want another chance...but that's a post for another day.

Thanks again Chris, I couldn't and wouldn't have wanted to do this without you, and thanks everyone for reading.

Race Report: 2011 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon, Part 1: The Pre-race

When traveling for a race, the race is only part of the total experience. In this case, the Yuengling Shamrock Marathon proved to be an adventure.

The plan was to eat dinner at the nearby Manchester Cafe, and then make the 5 hour and 45 minute trek to Virginia Beach, so as to miss traffic around DC. We hit a snag instantly when I realized I forgot my pre-race snack, so we got on the road around 6:30. The trip was long, but uneventful, and we arrived at Virginia Beach just before midnight.

On Saturday, we got up early, enjoyed a nice breakfast buffet at "Angelo's By the Sea", an oceanfront restaurant, and then headed to packet pickup at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.



Of all the parts of a race, packet pickup is one of the ones I'm best at. I've never failed to get my race bib and goody bag . Although we narrowly avoided getting line for the craft show instead of the race expo, I eventually got my bib, bag, and some nice Shamrock Marathon merchandise. It was a nice expo, with a good selection of vendors, exhibitors, and representatives from other races around the U.S, and we wandered through twice, the first by ourselves and then a second time with a friend and his family. It wasn't quite as big an expo as the one at the Philadelphia Marathon (and Half Marathon), but it was definitely enjoyable.


After a fruitless search for a soft pretzel, the perfect early afternoon snack for pre-race day, we had some snacks on the boardwalk and then played a round of mini-golf at Top Gun Arcade and Mini Golf, which references the region's military presence with mannequins and vintage recruiting posters.


It was one of the tougher mini-golf courses we've ever played, with every hole being set up on a mound. Miss the hole by inches, and the ball would roll several feet away. We did not make par for the course.

Following golf, Chris and I headed for my favorite part of race weekend and the one I most excel at: the carb-loading dinner. We had a 5:00 reservation at Il Giardino, and Italian restaurant on Atlantic Avenue. We enjoyed Peroni, one of our favorite beers from Italy, and had focaccia bread with oil and Parmesan cheese as an appetizer, and then each had Penne a la vodka as our main course. For dessert, I had chocolate gelato and Chris had the Napoleon. We found that by combining them, we could create an even greater dessert.





It was one of the best meals I've ever had, and I've had a lot of great meals!

Although we were tired from all the walking, and I wanted to turn in early since I would be up early for the race, our adventures were not yet over for the day. On Saturday, the moon was at its closest point to Earth in 18 years, and we had an incredible view!



There are many things photography does just not do justice, and this was one of them. It was an amazing end to very enjoyable day: expo, mini golf, carb loading, and supermoon.

How could the next day possibly live up to that?

Coming up in Part 2: The Not-So-Amazing Race and Aftermath.

Acknowledgements

I finished. 26.2 miles in 4:58. I'm going to put up a two part race review tonight and tomorrow, but in this entry I wanted to check in so people know that I survived and to thank everyone that's put up with me and helped me while I was training for the 2011 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon.

In no particular order:

Thank you Marie, the coach for the Charm City Spring Marathon Training Group, who gave me an organized plan for my training and then helped adjust it when I hurt my knee.

Thank you Nicole and Laura at Wellspan Rehab and Dr. Bucks at Wellspan Orthopedics. There were definitely challenges during the 2nd half of the marathon, but the IT Band was not one of them.

Thanks to all my friends and family who were encouraging me, throwing out prayer requests, or wishing me well. I really appreciate all the support.

Nick, thanks for making the group runs a lot more fun. I hope to run with you again soon.

Thanks to all the volunteers at the race and the staff of J&A Racing for putting on a great event. Great expo, excellent finisher's gear, and an amazing post race party. Everything about this event except the last six miles of the race was really enjoyable!

Thanks most of all to Chris, who always believed in me when I didn't believe in myself; put up with me complaining about my knee for the last month and a half; was always understanding when I needed to mess up the schedule to find times to squeeze runs in when I needed to make up miles; allowed herself to be dragged six hours each way to Virginia Beach to watch me run; and cheerfully waited for me on the course and took pictures and encouraged me during a cold, windy morning yesterday. The next adventure is hers and I can't wait to be photographer, bag check, and cheerleader.

The band is playing, so that's my cue to stop. Thanks again!

Race reports and pictures coming soon.