Race Report: Carlsbad Marathon 2013

ORN:  26.2 miles, 4:37:23, 10:35/mile, R/W 4/1, 5/1, 6/1 and run

Quick Summary:

The Carlsbad Marathon on January 27.  The scenery was great; it's nice to run along the Pacific Ocean.  The effort pattern for me was reverse the expected one; it was work early, with no rhythm.  Then, around mile 17, it all fell together and miles 17-24 were marvelous, almost magical, they were so smooth.  A five-minute negative split was sweet.


A Modest Level of Details:

Last fall, my nephew John invited me to consider escaping the cold of Indiana and run in shorts in January along the Pacific.  It didn't take a lot of persuasion to get me to sign up.  I enjoy being with John so much, his Mom, my sister, also lives in San Diego, we're all close and so the plan was set.  While this is a blog about running, I'm happy to report the entire weekend was a treat for Gretchen and me to be with John, my sister and their spouses.  Arriving on Thursday night and flying back on Tuesday allowed plenty of conversation and great time together.

John registered for the half-marathon, wanting to focus on a fast time on this flat, runnable road course.  I signed up for the full because, well, because I'm just getting to a point where that's my favorite distance.  John cleared out of work at 1pm Friday and the two of us headed to pick up our bibs and packets.  Plus.



The "plus" flows from my quirky pattern of stashing bananas along a marathon course ahead of time.  I do this for long training runs here at home too...my work associates found out about this and it's always good for a laugh.  Scouting out the course on-line ahead of time, I observed this course was not only runnable but "stashable".   Around mile 5, the marathon route turned away from the coast for an out and back inland, rejoining the coastal route at  mile 14.  Then we ran out to mile 17, then back along the coast.  Wonderfully, we could go to one single area of the course and I could plunk bananas at mile 5, 14 and 21.  Perfect.

The mile 5 banana was hidden in the bush in foreground by this Shell station.

The other two were similarly hidden along the course on Friday afternoon.  I hoped they would stay put until Sunday morning.   John and I then grabbed our favorite lunch of spinach salad at 4pm and headed back to be with the family.








Race morning reminded me, once more, how nice it is to have a local guide.  Having run this race 5 times before, John has all the details nailed.  We left his house at 5am, scored a perfect parking spot and had some time to relax before the 6:15am marathon start.  The rain which pelted the windshield on the drive in let up just before the gun and we were off in the dark, mist and fog, California Dreamin' on Such a Winter's Day.

My recent marathons have had an expected pattern.  The early miles go well, then focus kicks in and the last part requires effort.  Carlsbad was a complete reversal, interestingly.  I really struggled to find a rhythm.  This didn't bother me early, as it is often mile 5 before I find the day's groove.  But, The Mamas and Papas lyrics notwithstanding, today just wasn't groovy early.

I went through the mile 5 marker a full minute behind a 4:40 marathon pace.  It was great to find my banana, perfectly preserved in the Shell station bush.  Yet, while it brightened my mood (and made for a great joke for the folks standing there), it didn't really boost my pace; at mile 10, I was almost 3 minutes behind the 4:40 pace.  At about that point, I kept my plan to bump my run/walk ratio from 4/1 to 5/1.  We hit the turn around point on the inland trek and had more downhills.  I went through the halfway point at 2:21:30.

The marathoners joined the half marathoners on the coastal highway at mile 14, my second banana perfectly placed and timed to charm.  Yet, I still felt like it was work, the legs were still heavy, the race was not yet "flowing".  And at mile 17, I had slipped over 4 minutes behind the 4:40 pace.  I wondered just what was going on and why it was so sluggish.

We made a climb and the final U turn at mile 17.  I had decided ahead of time to bump the cycle to run six minutes and walk one minute at that point.  Did that make the difference?  Or did everything finally just connect?  I really don't know.  But at the point where most marathons get tough, this one got easy.  Miles 17-24 were  the smoothest and most enjoyable I've ever had in a marathon.

I just let it flow and started running.  The legs got lighter, I felt my posture become more vertical, getting my hips underneath my shoulders, I started smiling more.  And running better.  By mile 20, I only 3 minutes behind the 4:40 pace.  I found my final banana at mile 21, posed for a photo with two other Marathon Maniacs and kept pounding the asphalt.  At mile 23, I was 28 seconds behind a 4:40.  I autographed a kid's T shirt (glad I have a short name), started singing along with my playlist and at mile 24, got under the 4:40 target pace for the first time all day.  I turned off my beeper and decided to run the last 2.2 hard, just to see what would hold.

We came around a corner, back into Carlsbad. Still feeling good, I got into a mock sword fight with a "Pirate" at the last water stop full of Captain Jack Sparrow-themed characters and kept having fun.

I locked in and then ran as hard as I felt I could to the finish line.  Mile 25 went by in 9:54, mile 26 in 10:01 and the finish came with me feeling good and smiling as you can see here.

Marathon #35 in the books, 4:37:23.  I was astounded to see I had beat the elusive 4:40 time by two and a half minutes.  I felt terrific at the end and was grateful to be able to run.  

John was at the finish, having smoked his half marathon in 1:47.  We quickly met up, chocolate milk in had.  The recounting of our two races continued the rest of the weekend.  

Later, the race results popped up and I was very pleased.  

Seeing the pace steadily drop was very nice to see.  It followed how I felt, from clunky to smoother.  The race calculated out to another negative split as well...that is sweet in a full marathon.  

As I've said before, the fascination with marathons rests in what I learn every time.  The lesson from Carlsbad??  Trust your training, don't panic, keep plugging.  You never know when the day will come together.  And you get to enjoy some cake afterwards.

Man, it is so much fun and a such blessing to run.  Simply to run.  

And it's best to run with perseverance.  

.

Running on Snow and Ice, with loose screws

ORN:  10.0 miles, on trail, 1:59:10, R/W 4/1

Update (29 Oct 16):  I just produced a video with this information here.

In my HUFF 50K Race Report last week, I mentioned the suggestion I got from a veteran runner on how to get traction when running on snow and ice.  His idea seems odd at first blush...send sheet metal screws into the soles of your shoes, allowing the screw heads to make "cleats" to grab the slick surface better.  After my fall at the HUFF, I was teachable.

I took a week off of running after HUFF and, as usual post race, was antsy to get out and run again on Saturday.  I had looked for this concept on-line and, indeed found descriptions and photos here, here and here...notably all from runners in cold climates.

The deal is simple.  You buy #6, hex head sheet metal screws, 3/8" long.   This size screw had a 1/4" head.  Use a 1/4" nut driver or a 1/4" bit on a screw gun to simply drive the screws into the soles of the shoes.  No pilot holes needed...just push hard and screw them in.  It wasn't hard to do.

I dug out an old pair of Brooks Beasts and tried this seemingly radical concept.  I figured on the old shoes it really didn't matter.  The other links suggested plunking the screws right into the wear pattern of the shoes...in other words, right where your weight bears on to the ground.  I didn't quite believe this...sensing, gee, won't the pointy parts of the screws hit my feet??  Not a pleasant thought.  

So, here's a closeup of the front part of my shoes, post screw insertion but before I ran on them.  I only put 5 screws on the forefoot of the shoes...I also put 3 on the heel. 

And out the door I went for a 10 mile trail run.  The snow pack was complete and, wow, what a difference these made!!  I found I ran with confidence across snow pack, icy patches and the sand/mud mix which is the normal base on our only local trail alongside the Wabash River.  It was terrific.

Interesting, was also the mile or so of bare asphalt I ran on getting to and from the river.  The sound was interesting...clack, clack, clack, the screws rattled away on the pavement.  Yet I felt really nothing on my feet.  That was surprising.

So, what's the next element of kaizen on this?  I could add more screws, closer to the wear pattern of the shoe.  Second, I'll try this on the Brooks Adrenalines  the shoe I wear now.

Running all winter in the Midwest is no picnic.  But this is a real help.  Try it yourself.

Persevere.  Even if it does look like you have a few screws loose.

.

Year-End Summary-2012

A few year-end running reflections on New Year's Eve.

My aim in running is to simply run.  People ask me why I run and I simply shrug and tell them "I just enjoy running."  And the older I get, it gets even more simple.  And clear.

And fun.

It's satisfying, then, for me (a numbers type of guy) to see the numbers from this year's running backing up my gut feel that 2012 was a good hear.

On the aggregate, 2012 is the first calendar year I've ever run more than 1,500 miles.  Training and racing totaled 1,563.  Sweet.

Racing went well, too.   The year had 17 races including 2 ultras, 7 marathons (5 road, 2 trail) and a pair of half marathons.  No bonks and 5 of the marathons were in near-perfect conditions, allowing even more number crunching.

Other developments in the year of minor public interest yet notable in my mind include:

• Trail running.  I'm enjoying training and racing on trails, more and more.  A long run in the woods on dirt is really getting to be more and more fun. 
• Camping. I've never been much of a camper until this year.  What a fun way to go to a race, sleep in a tent the night before, wake up with the birds and go run?  
• Shoe shift.  After years in the Brooks Beast, I shifted to the lighter Brooks Adrenalines in May.  It has worked well.     
• Audio Books.  I've discovered I enjoy listening to books on my mp3 player during long training runs. 

And all of that is really minor.  

I just enjoy running.  And that's enough.

Happy 2013!  

Persevere.  

.

Race Report: HUFF 50K Trail Race 2012

ORN; 50km (31.1 miles), 6:26:45, 12:47/mile, R/W 3/1 all the way

Quick Summary

Boy, was that fun!  The HUFF 50K was a treat of a trail run on Dec 29.  It was what a winter event should be...runnable, yet on snow pack, well organized and a fully fair ultramarathon.  The volunteers were terrific and it was a wonderful winter's day in the Indiana woods.

Not so Gory Details, with photos

In last year's HUFF 50K race report, I droned philosophically, trying to capture the lesson from such a hard day. Summed up, last year's race was not what I signed up for...the mud and water was so severe it was impossible to really run.

Relax, dear readers; this year's race WAS what I signed up for!  It quite simply represented a very good example of trail running.  So, I'll spare you lots of words and show the day via photos.

I drove up to the Chain O' Lakes park area on Friday afternoon and joined a lot of fellow runners and family at race check in and a pasta feed at the nearby Lutheran camp facility.

It was a great spread, enhanced by some nice conversation, always a treat.  I enjoyed meeting Mary and Jeff and their three boys...Mary is a fellow Marathon Maniac and that alone provides for plenty of grist for the conversational mill.  But we had a lot more in common as well.   I also jumped in and helped make a stack of pb&j sandwiches for the race aid stations to hand out...this is an ultra, after all.

Did I mention it was a church camp??  Just like last year, I booked a bunk bed in their facility upstairs, which worked well.  I met Brian and had some fun chats.  Plus, only one of the other guys snored, so it was a decent night's sleep.  

I was up at 5am, out the lodge door before 6am and drove the four  miles to the state park which hosts the course.  Scoring a primo parking spot just above the start/finish line, I utilized my 12V hot pot to prepare a hot oatmeal breakfast.  

In an example of kaizen applied to running this year, I've figured how a recycled fast-food Styrofoam works as the perfect vessel to make oatmeal on the road.  Add a Diet Coke and boom, the breakfast of champions appears.  

The starting gun was set for 8:00am, which is pretty much the same time as sunrise in late December here at the west end of the Eastern time zone.  With the temperature in the upper 20s and little wind, it wasn't bitterly cold but the camp fire someone started was still a nice treat before the start.  

Mary and her family walked up as well and it was good to greet them again.  

 

The one-loop and relay runners got started a bit after 8am and the  350 of us running 50K queued up.  It was great to see running buddies Walt and Brian, above in the back of the pack.  

And we were finally off.  It felt good to get going.

Snowfall for the week preceding the race was around 4-6".  So the trails were fully packed all day.  Most of the day was in the woods, but this is one of the few open areas.

Five miles in, I was still feeling OK.  I guess that SHOULD be the case in a 31 mile race, right?? 

A topic of conversation all day was how different the course was from a year ago.  For example, this section, below, was a sea of ankle-deep mud a year ago.  

This year, we got through it so quickly I didn't realize it was over during the first lap till it WAS over...so made a mental note to snap a photo the second time through.  Full, enjoyably, runnable.  

And more friends on the course.  Here's another Maniac from Indy...Elaine and I see each other at many Midwest races.  She's a gracious, friendly runner of continual good cheer. 

With a very runnable course, we could enjoy the views of the eponymous bodies of water which make up Chain O' Lakes State Park.  It was terrific...mere photographs don't do justice to the beauty of the day .

A fun moment came around mile 18.  A guy running next to me turned and said "Say, aren't you Joe?"  Amazing!  It was Robert, a guy I had met at this race a year ago when we shared the bunk room at the Lutheran camp.  He reminded me I had given him a plastic bowl for his oatmeal a year ago and he remembered it and remembered me!!  It was a treat to see him again!!!  Thanks, Robert!!

Doubly nice was the gentle snow which fell for the last 10 miles I was on the course.  It was almost poetic in the wind-free wafting of flakes through the woods.

The only fly in the trail-running ointment came around mile 25.

On a down-slope similar to this one, the slick surface plus sharp grade led to yours truly taking a very ungainly fall.  A real thud, nothing remotely graceful.  I jammed my left wrist and arm pretty good.  While I laid there, at least five other runners attempted to stop and help me get up yet slid on by, barely keeping their own balance so slick was the surface.  They barely stayed on their feet.  I sat there for a couple of minutes, inventoried the damage, realized I only has a sore wrist and collected my wits.  In the only break I took from my 3/1 run/walk cycle all day, I eased myself to the bottom of the hill, walked a couple more minutes, then resumed running.  

Just beyond the bottom of the hill, I saw Tom again, a course marshal directing runners at a four-way course junction.  Tom was at this same spot last year and we hit it off then.  

 

Tom obviously knows distance running.  I mentioned my fall and he mentioned a useful fix:  5/16" hex head sheet metal screws, 3/8" long, #6 thread.  Drive them into the bottom of your shoes and get grip on ice and snow.  Gonna try it this winter for training runs.  I could have used it this race, for sure.  I've never run on packed snow for this long...and this is the main lesson for me of the day.

I got back on track soon and the rhythm returned.  Around mile 26 or so, a professional photographer snapped our efforts.

Shoot, the form was still decent...and nearly airborne.  

From this point, it was just a few miles and one more lakeside trail to cover.  

The finish was well considered, improving on last year's plan.  We had a full sighting of the finish area for over a half mile.  The energy and music drew us in...I ran the last mile continuously and felt good at the finish.  I crossed the line in 6:36:49, almost an hour faster than last year.  I placed 234th of 342 overall, 11th of 16 in Men 55-59.  I didn't get a negative split, but I was still pleased to have the first of the two 25K laps in 3:10:14, the second in 3:26:45.  

I was done.  And thrilled with the event...not a trace of the ambiguity of last year's run.  

I crossed the finish line with Justin, from Cleveland.  

He and I ran the better part of Lap 2 together.  We offered each other encouragement when we each needed it.  Late in the run, he really picked it up, terming it a "third wind".  I guess it's a long race when the second wind isn't enough!  It was great to congratulate each other.  

Over the 17 years of the HUFF, the organizers have built a great system, including a heated tent and terrific opportunity to hang our with fellow runners.  I took full advantage of this post-race, meeting up with Brian again, seeing Mary's husband Jeff, plus a lot of the folks with whom I ran.  Robert and I talked further...he had struggled with cramps but persevered.  As did every one else.  Any ultra brings out perseverance.  

And did I mention soup?  A famous part of this race and wow, did they do a great job of keeping it hot all day in such cold weather.  

Friends met, race debriefed, dry clothes on, warm soup inside, I hopped in the car for the 2+ hour drive home. 

And made one more nostalgic stop.  

This is a McDonalds.  But not just any McDonalds.  It is a Micky D's in the town of Wabash, Indiana, just off of highway US24.  This store sponsored and served as the start/finish line of my first race ever.   The date was November 11, 1978, just over 34 years ago.  I had just started running and they hosted a 5 mile event which I ran in 35:32 (yes, I even kept records back then).  I still remember the T shirt, a baby-blue cotton number with a lithograph of an exerting runner on the front who appeared to be in great pain, which I wore and kept for years.  I was smitten by the   race experience.  

So, on my drive home from my 6th ultramarathon and 34th marathon and longer race, my 121st race I have records for, I had to pull in, take a photo and be thankful for the good health and opportunity to run for all these years.  I still relish race day.    

Hope you've enjoyed the photos of a fun race.  Persevere.  

.

Galloway's Run/Walk--Five Marathons Compared

Since 2007, I've been using Jeff Galloway's Run/Walk/Run method as my key strategy in training and in races longer than a half-marathon. As a student of systems, I've tried to learn from my experience.  I've also tried to pass along what I've learned so others might benefit.  Here's my first post on the method from September, 2008 and then my second from last December, which focused on the nuts and bolts of using this method.  And here's the post of the combined experience of Jeff and me in the same race, the 2009 Portland Marathon.  This post adds further data.

The data is, in essence, a lab experiment on Run/Walk which emerged this year, not by design as much as by the advantageous confluence of weather, course design and schedule. I think this might be helpful to those using Jeff's methods.

Five road marathons, all with similar courses in similar, advantageous weather conditions make this comparison possible.  I used different run/walk plans in each race, however, which makes for useful comparisons.  What might we learn? Here's the sequence and essentials.

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

It all started with the Carmel Marathon run on April 21, 2012 in suburban Indianapolis.  It is a flat course which happened on a cloudy day with temperatures in the mid 40s throughout and a 15mph north wind.  I used a 6 minute run/1 minute walk sequence through mile 24.5, then ran it in.  This yielded an official time of 4:33:25, at the time my second best marathon of this running era, plus a 3 second negative split.  My own race report is here.  My detailed notes on mile splits from the day are in this image...click to expand.   Sorry, no amount of digital processing can improve my handwriting!




The Lesson?  I could hold a 6/1 for the entire race and feel very good at the end of a marathon.  I also learned I could hold even mile splits over a long distance.   In much of my training, I use a 4/1 and in previous races I had faded.  Not so at Carmel...very encouraging.

**********

Marathon #2 took me to Traverse City, Michigan for the Bayshore Marathon on May 25, 2012.  It was a largely flat course with some minor rollers, run this year on a partly cloudy day with temperatures shifting from the low 50s to about 70 and no wind.  Since I was running a trail marathon two weeks later, I took a then-radical plan to shift my pace.  I would run a 3/1 through mile 10, then a 4/1 to the finish.  As it played out, I felt so good, I ran the last 2.2  and finished in 4:40:16, with almost 4 minute negative split. The second race in a row with no wall, feeling marvelous at the end.  My race report here.




The Lesson?  A slow, conservative start does nothing to diminish one's overall time and actually served as a "governor" to hold me back in the face of the adrenaline of a big race in a beautiful setting.  This confirms much of what Galloway has been saying for years.   Interestingly, when I shifted to a 4/1, I didn't really budge my overall average mile pace very much.  But I did reserve energy to make the later miles very enjoyable.  And the effort paid off in an enjoyable trail marathon in very hot, hilly conditions two weeks later.

************
Marathon #3 of this unique sequence of road marathons was the Wineglass Marathon in Corning, NY  on September 30, 2012.  It is net-downhill, point-to-point, unhyphenated, fairly flat course.  I got yet another good weather day, as it was cloudy with temperatures in the low 50s and no wind.  Knowing I was running in Chicago just 7 days later, I planned a 3/1 sequence through mile 16,  shifting to a 4/1, with a possible run at the end.  It worked so well,  I ran the final 3 miles uninterrupted.  I was rewarded by getting under 4:40, to 4:38:55 and another negative split.  I felt awesome at the end...still no wall, still no cramps, a truly fun marathon.  Race Report here.




The Lesson?  The understated start, this time, led to a truly improved per-mile pace when I shifted to the 4/1 and even better speed when I ran at the end.  Conditions certainly helped...a cool day is a good day for a marathon.  And I loved this race, it was just awesome.  And another real test awaited, 7 days later.

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

Marathon #4 was a big one, the Chicago Marathon on October 7, 2012.  Chicago is well known as having one of the flattest marathon courses layouts in the world.  What was lucky was the weather; in recent years, Chicago has had very hot temps but not this day; yet again, I had a cool day to run.  Temps were barely 40 at the start and clouds kept it under 45 at the finish, with very little wind in the "Windy City".    Strategically, though, I was on new turf, as I had never run two marathons one week apart; how should I approach it?  I decided to keep the "easy early" view, running a 3/1 through mile through mile 18, then bumping to a 4/1.  My real hope, though, was to run, continuously, the final 3+ miles down Michigan Avenue.  For the first time in this marathon sequence, I altered the plan based on conditions...I sensed some fatigue at mile 18, so didn't shift to the 4/1 until mile 20.  It allowed me to recover a bit, though, and I did run all the way down Michigan Avenue.  Finishing time of 4:48:28, an 8 minute negative split.  I felt terrific at the end and truly enjoyed this world-class event.  My Race Report on Chicago is here.

The Lesson?  First, I could actually run marathons, enjoyably, on consecutive weekends.  Second, this pattern of slow early, quicker late, works.  Third, traffic matters...my mile splits were a bit slower than the week earlier largely due to dodging and swerving around my 40,000 fellow runners.  A 6 minute wait at a portapot in mile 4 had an impact as well.  

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

Marathon #5 of the year's journey was in north Georgia at the Chicamauga Battlefield Marathon on November 10, 2012.  It is a friendly course with just a few rollers on a partly cloudy day with temps from 38 at the start to 50 at the end, with little wind. Pacing was very different for this race though.  I ran the race with pals Wes and Darrell and we stuck together early,  running a full mile, then taking a 30 second walk break at each mile marker.  I stuck with the guys on this pattern through mile 4.5, but realized it wasn't going to work for me that day.  So I fell back, using a 3/1 through mile 13, then a 4/1 through 24 and a run to the end.  I got a reward for all this, however, with my 2nd fastest marathon of this era, 4:27:32.  I had no wall at all during the race but I felt it at the end, though, with some foot and calf cramps.  Race Report here. 

The Lesson?  The quick start, "banking" 4 sub 9:30 miles early, clearly helped my total time.  Psychologically, I realized around mile 16 I had a shot to get under 4:30, so I pushed the effort.  With no other race near term, I knew the day stood on its own.  So, I got the goal but the cramping at the end demonstrated that the effort took a toll.  And many times, that's OK.  

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

One other thing.  Many have wondered, openly, if adopting a run/walk strategy in training slows you down.  And I have some data on that too.

In between Chicago and Chicamauga, I ran a small half marathon not far from my home, the Muncie Mini Marathon in David Letterman's favorite town, Muncie, Indiana, on October 27, 2012.  I wanted some "speed work", using the term very loosely, as I'm not that fast of a guy.  I decided to simply run the HM continuously, shooting to go under 1:55.  Amazingly, the weather was great again, with temps in the mid 40s on a very flat course, though with a 15mph wind out of the north.  My race report is here and below are my mile splits:  

Finish time of 1:52:58 (8:38/mile average) was very encouraging.  And, yes, there is still some speed in there for a 59 year old guy. 

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

To finish five full marathons with flat courses on good weather days in one calendar year provides a very useful way to analyze running strategies.  All five were enjoyable without the "Wall".  Four of the five times, the last half of the marathon was quicker than the first half.  The only untoward event was some post-race cramps after the quickest of the five. 

This is a long post but I wanted to capture all this information in one place...those who are interested in run/walk might benefit.  If you have questions, you can see on the side how to contact me...feel free.  Thanks for reading.  

And, no matter how you run or walk or run/walk, please just persevere. 

. 

Race Report: Fight Hunger 5K, Thanksgiving Day

ORN:  5K, 23:24, 7:33/mile; a new 5K PR

It was a fun Thanksgiving Morning.  Our local Fleet Feet store did a wonderful thing by sponsoring the Race Against Hunger 5K.  I liked the simplicity and sincerity of this race...I liked it a lot.  No entry fee.  No T shirts.  Asked folks to bring some non-perishable food for our local Food Finders Food Bank.  

And did people ever respond.  Exceeding the expectations of the organizers, I would guess 300ish people showed up on a beautiful Thanksgiving morning in Indiana to run, walk and see friends.  In the entry area was a huge mound of foodstuffs brought in and that didn't include the big pile the store collected the day before at their shop.  They ended up with four truckloads of food and $1,400 in cash donations...how cool is that??  

The race was fun too.  Our son Matt is home for Thanksgiving and he was keen on running.  So, we jogged over to the start line, less than a mile from our house, hung out a bit and saw friends, including a few folks Matt remembered from High School.  He then moved up in the start pack, as he wanted to run it hard.  

I fell in with Tim, Vicki and daughter Abbey who have been friends for many years.  

And Tim pulled me along wonderfully.  Miles were 7:31, 7:43, 7:32 and a 7:12 pace to the end, to finish with a 10 second PR of 23:24.  Amazingly, it didn't even seem that hard...nice to have a personal  rabbit like Tim!

Matt took off early and did well at 22:30.  His conditioning has really paid off for him.  

It was a great start to Thanksgiving, both personally and for our community.  Terrific to do this with Matt as well.  I hope you all have/had a good Thanksgiving as well.

Persevere.

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Race Report: Chicamuaga Battlefield Marathon

ORN:   26.2 miles, 4:27:32, various ratios, 10:13/mile

Quick Summary:  It was great to be with running friends.  Icing on the marathoning cake was it becoming my 2nd fastest marathon.


Gory Details:

This whole race emerged as a possibility early in 2012 when Darrell starting hunting for the next additions to his trek towards marathons in all 50 States.  Both of you long-time blog readers will recall Darrell and I first met in December, 2006 when I hosted his Indiana race.  We hit it off and have run at least one marathon together each year since.  For our race together in 2007, fellow blogger Wes joined us in Huntsville, Alabama.  We'd talked about all meeting up again and it all lined up for the Chicamauga Battlefield Marathon on November 10 in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, about an hour north of Atlanta.  Darrell clocked his state #24, Wes and his wife DeeDee welcomed us to their home and I got to run in shorts in November.

Darrell, Joe, Wes--pre race

Logistics were fun.  Darrell priced all sorts of flights from Los Angeles, got a deal to fly into Nashville, which was on my way.  So I picked him up in Music City Friday afternoon, we drove on to Wes' house, started the conversations and were up at oh-dark-thirty on Saturday morning to get to the race site.  Wes had run this race several times and it is so good to have a local guide!  DeeDee joined us for the day with her keen photographic eye and thus all the pictures here are her high-resolution handiwork.  

The timing worked well...we got through packet pick up, necessary ablutions and  were in the pack of about 1,600 runners just a few minutes before the race started.  DeeDee knew what to expect at the start and positioned herself precisely to see the Civil War replica cannon blast to send us off.  No photoshoping here, folks...this is a great picture and done with perfect timing!!

New meaning to the term "starting gun"

The three of us discussed just what our race strategy was going to be.  Since we are all very polite guys, we all deferred to each other for the better part of the drive from Atlanta to the race site.  We settled on a rhythm of running to each mile marker, then walking 30 seconds.  With such a plan, we rumbled off into the woods through the beautiful National Park though which this race winds.  The day was sunny and crisp, temperatures around 40 at the start.  The course was all asphalt with just enough roll to make it interesting.  The conversation was great and we were enjoying it to the hilt.  The early miles clipped by in the 9:20s. 

At about mile 4.5, however, I began to sense in my breathing was quicker than I expect to see early in a marathon.  I mentioned this to Darrell and Wes; Darrell knows me well, took a quick look in my eye and realized I had settled the matter in my mind already.  We wished each other well and off they went.  I then settled into a 3/1 run/walk sequence and found my breathing back where I wanted it after a couple of cycles.  Of course, it meant the pace of 9:20ish for the first 4 miles was now to about 10:35 per mile.  But I sensed I was at a pace I could handle.  

Through it all, I was really enjoying the run through the historic Civil War battlefield setting.  The Park was full of markers commerating the units from both sides who fought on this ground.  DeeDee got a shot to honor my current home state here.  

Around mile 8, I saw DeeDee by the side of the road.  She asked where Darrell and Wes were.  They should have passed you already, I replied.  She was dissappointed to have missed them, yet perplexed, as the field was well spread out by this point.  Just then, behind me, I hear the two of them shouting "How did you get ahead of us??"  We were all befuddled, remembering a slight detour a mile or so previous to add a bit of distance for the half marathoners, who zigged while the marathon course zagged and then met up again.  Much to their dismay, the two of them took the wrong route and added about a third of a mile to their day.  It happens...so we commiserated a bit and off the two of them went again, DeeDee snapping a photo of our better angles as we ambled off.  

Mile 8--reunited briefly

I continued with my 3/1 pace, just enjoying the day and feeling good.  The course was scenic and varied between wooded areas and open fields.  The sun was brilliant, there was no wind and it seemed like things were lining up for a good race.  

Typical scene along the route

As I finished the first of the two grand laps through the park, I decided to see if I could accelerate a bit.  After hitting the 13.1 timing mat in 2:12:40 (itself encouraging), I bumped my run/walk pace to 4/1 and saw my mile times drop to nearer 10:25.  I hit a wonderful groove.  And isn't it so interesting in marathons how the deeper you go, the more quickly the miles seem to click by.  Before I knew it I was at mile 16, still feeling fine.  

About this time, I pulled out my universal pacing chart, did some math and realized I had a legitimate shot at going under four and a half hours for the marathon.  I had seriously wondered if I could ever get under 4:30 again...I'm not getting any younger and that usually means not any faster.  On reflection, I realized I'd need everything to line up well to get under that mark and today was the day; a friendly course on a cool day with fresh legs.  If I was to get it done, this was my shot.  The race quickly became competitive...with myself.  

I saw DeeDee once more, she handed me a timely banana and it was time to focus for an hour towards the finish line.  

Mile 19-mugging for the camera, asking for a banana

Fine tuning the math as I moved along, I realized a 4:30 finish simply required me to hold the current 10:20 pace to the finish line.  So I stayed with the 4/1, conserving energy, knowing the Wall might hit but also knowing it didn't have to.  I also decided, if I felt good at the time, to run the final 2.2 miles if I could and, gasp, get well under 4:30 on this day on which conditions were all favorable.  

And so it came about.  Miles 18-24 went smoothly.  I had only one twinge during this stretch in my left quad for about 30 seconds -- one walk cycle took care of that.  My last walk cycle came as I saw the mile 24 marker just ahead of me.  I turned off the beeper and leaned into the race, absorbing what was happening.  Mile 25 was fun, at 9:41, taking me to the point I could hear the loudspeaker from the finish line drawing us home.  I hit a little fatigue during mile 26 and it slowed me to a 9:52 but by that point I had only 385 yards to go, which clipped by at a 9:00 pace.  Marathon #33 was in the books.  

Done--first glimpse of finish time.

When I saw the time on my watch, it was a thrill. I appreciate DeeDee capturing my joy in this photo.  4:27:32.  Indeed, well under four and a half hours.  This was the second fastest marathon of this running era, bested only by the 4:21:01 in Portland in October, 2006.  And, I reminded myself, I ran continually in that race, wiped out my ITB and didn't run for nearly 4 months afterwards.  

I should add that I did feel some ill effects from the effort.  I had some cramping in my feet and calves post race, which I had to walk off.  They did fade, as water, electrolytes and food helped.  But I have not seen even minor cramping during recent marathons in the 4:40-4:50 range.  Yet the cramps were worth it...I got under 4:30, the target that became visible with 10 miles left in the race. 

We three amigos met up and basked in the now 60 degree sunshine.  There is something special about getting through such a physical task, sane, thankful for the privilege.  Even better to share it with friends.  

Darrell, Wes, Joe, post race, happy.

Thanks so much, Wes, for hosting us, DeeDee for tolerating these guys invading your life, and Darrell for being a pal.  It was terrific to be together.  

Persevere.  And if you can do it with friends, all the better.  

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