#88 Self Transcendence Marathon - Nyack, NY
Race start temp 67.5 °F 97% relative humidity
Race finish temp 76.6 °F 81%
I was looking forward to this race - it is my first flat marathon course since Disney and I haven't run a fast marathon since Jax last Dec. The forecast called for warm weather but nowhere never the 98 degrees in the last race.
I suffered shin splints the previous week from overtraining with 3 speed workouts on Tuesday and one on Thursday. I did taper for five days. I had a massage the day before the marathon and found out my calves and lower back was tight. I was not running at 100%.
I met Aubrey (from E50 NJ) and her running friend Chris at the start. They also ran it last year but I did not know them then. The runners had body odor -- they were mostly European. (Chicago is more odorless than New York since it is less international). It could also be some runners were camped out in the park and haven't bathed in a while.
The race got off to an earlier start than last year after some meditation and inspirational words from the guru Sri Chinmoy. It's interesting that there was a separate line for men and women to the portalets. Aubrey was the only woman in the men's line. At the finish, they were looking for a female volunteer to tear off a tag from female runners.
This is a short race compared to running 11 and 22 hours in my last two races. A little dehydration doesn't hurt -- and you are not running with extra water weight. (I don't recommend it for races 4 hours or longer). Elite runners can lose 3% of their body weight with no effect on performance. I drank 8 ounces of water while I walked for about 10 seconds every 3 miles. I did not need to stop to pee. I took in 2.3 grams of sodium and 900 calories. I sweated a layer of salt on my skin. My stomach wasn't feeling good; I think I need to cut back to 5 GUs for the next race.
Seaweed and bland cytomax were offered at the aid stations; I did not partake.
The course consists of running around a lake 8 3/4 times. My goal was to run every mile under 8 minutes. With a 2 mile pre-race warmup, I ran the first mile in 7:41 and got to the halfway mark in 1:43. That was my fastest first half. (I've run a 2nd half slightly faster). I was on pace for a PR until mile 21 when the heat and humidity got to me. The sun peeked through and there was some unshaded spots. I took iteasy till 0.25 mile before the finish when it looked like I might not break 3:30. I suffered for 2 minutes and finished either 3:29:59 or 3:30:00. It was two and a half minutes slower than my PR last year in Chicago. I ran STM last year as marathon/ultra #69 in 3:34.
While waiting for Chris to come in at the finish line, I overheard a runner who had finished and confessed to the race officials that he ran 8 laps instead of 9. Without a chip mat it is possible to cheat but I noticed someone writing down the race numbers as I ran by --probably only for the fast runners.
I am pleased with the results. I started this season with the intent of doing two 6k repeats but found no one to do them with me. I have been slacking in my 2 and 4 mile training runs. My improvements this season has been based on running lots of 800m and 1200m and racing 5ks. My 8 to 10 mile long runs are mostly social and are basically fat-burners. I need to start doing lactate threshhold runs in the 7 minute mile range next week!
Post Race: After being up for at 4 am two days in a row, I slept for 10 hours. Going downstairs is no problem at all - it was a flat course so my quads didn't get beat up at all. I will be ready to resume track workouts Tuesday.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Northface Endurance Challenge 50 miler, DC, Aug. 4, 2007
Temps 69 to 98. Heat Index 100.
5am start
My strategy was to run hard until it got hot. It got up to 90 by 11am.
I started out chasing the lead pack but soon lost them on the hills. (8:00 pace). Tim Long writes in his blog - "Right from the start 5 of us were off the front and steadily pulling away. One dropped off, leaving four of us." I only did a one mile warmup when I should have done two; I did not warmed up enough to maintain the pace.
I asked this guy about to pass me what age group he was in. We were in the same age group. I turned my head; it was Dean Karnazes. I said it may not be fair if the Northface athletes received awards -- since they were sponsored. Dean said he give me the age group award if I came in second.
I asked Dean if he could get any numbers for the New York marathon. He said New York is very tight with numbers. Boston is a lot easier. I remember when I worked for the sponsor -- I got a number for myself with the option for a 2nd number. Dean said he could help with the entry process for Badwater.
Dean flew down the hills that I found too steep to run down. My shins cramped. I was able to make up some time on the flats and kept a 9 min pace for the first 10 miles. I was running with a blister on my arch for the last 45 miles; there was a lot of side to side motion running on trails.
A group of runners ran by me and said come on and let's catch up to Dean. I said no, I already chatted with him. When I caught up with the group. I said Dean, you're creating a bottleneck! It was a single track and there was very little room to pass a group chatting with Dean.
Before the race, I asked around -- if I should pretape my feet, wear gaitors and trail shoes. I ending up with rocks in my shoes and running on gravel and rocks that hurt my feet. In hindsight - I should have worn gaitors, trail shoes and pre-taped. If it turns out to be unnecessary, I could always switch them out at the aid station where I had a drop bag.
For a non-trail runner like me -- the downhills were too fast to run, the up hills were too steep, and there were too many tree roots and rocks.The course was harder than the JFK50 which has only 15 miles of trails. Northface wasn't kidding when they named it an "endurance challenge". Those trail runners are a tough bunch - I'm not sure why their great leg strength doesn't translate in fast road racing.
One section of the course is described as "a very technical, rocky, and treacherous stretch along the edge of the cliffs of the Potomac River." Dane Rauschenberg writes in his blog: "Holy crap, were they not kidding. When you are literally inches from plunging about 75 feet onto shop rocks below and then having your corpse washed away by the river, your mind is on your footing, not on whether you are actually heading in the right direction"
I followed runners ahead of me. When they got lost, I got lost. I think I lost about 45 minutes. We were on the banks of the Potomac trying to find the trail. I was clinging onto tree roots in loose dirt trying to avoid sliding into the river. The angle was maybe 60 degrees. I remembered watching Man vs Wild about maintaining footholds and using legs rather than arms to power up the climb -- and keeping the body close to the side of the hill.
The race t-shirt has quotes Dean - "Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up," I did all of the above.
The markings were good in some places and poor at some major turns. Even Dean had to slow down to figure out which way to go. I had better luck finding my way when I didn't follow anyone; I paid more attention. At mile 36, the volunteer directed me to the wrong trail -- I ran extra mileage in more difficult terrain. This is first time the race was run so it was not unexpected but it was frustrating nevertheless. The aid station volunteers were great and helpful. The runners were enthusiastic, at least at the beginning.
From Dane's blog: " Unfortunately, the wrong turn was down a hill so steep I almost repelled down it. When the path led directly to the river's edge with no path going either way, I finally figured out I made a wrong turn. I think a few more raccoons and deer now know how to swear. Literally hands and kneeing it back up the hill I had basically fallen down in a run just a few minutes earlier"
Fairfax County Times: "Someone really cleverly moved the route," said Frank Macmillan, who competed in the 50-kilometer race. "It was probably locals; this kind of thing happens with marathons all the time." He and several other runners actually ran an extra six or seven miles due to the race route allegedly being changed during the race, apparently by pranksters.
There was poison ivy on the trails. I got attacked by stinging nettles several times. When I stepped aside to allow a 50k runner to pass, I felt a bite from the plant. The stinging hair got embedded in my lower leg. The park rangers assured me there was no dangerous animals to worry about but said nothing about the plants. They forgot to mention the poisonous copperhead snakes.
I wasn't peeing in the first 20 miles. So I increased my fluid intake to about 32 ounces per hour. I figure the sodium intake was about 1000mg per hour. You need more fluid in humid weather.
I should have brought a 2 bottle water holder. Some aid stations were 5 to 6 miles apart. I started carrying a 2nd bottle in my hand - which I wasn't used to. I was asking families out picnicing for spare water.
Dane describes the sunny portions: "When you stepped out of the shade it was like you were a burger in a McDonald's heat lamp. " The course was maybe 70 percent shaded so it could have been tougher. With the heat index going to 100 degrees, The best I could do was a 15 minute mile with a combination of run/walk. Should I have stayed in my comfort zone? How do you know if you are close to heat exhaustion? body temp? I guess both the mental and physical part can be improved through training. In my 170 miler DNF, I was doing 27 minute miles in 90 degrees in full sun, low humidity and flat terrain before quitting at 65miles. I think my ability to run in heat has improved.
Could I have done better with just ice water and some electrolytes? A large chest full of ice water was available to sit in. The volunteers said I was looking fresh and lively in the last 10 miles compared to the other runners. So maybe I cruised too long in my comfort zone and didn't try hard enough for a haggard, "I'm going to collapse any second" look.
Fairfax County Times: "All around the finish line, exhausted runners sprawled in chairs or on the ground, moaning with leg spasms, or quietly hugging bags of ice. Every few minutes, one or two more exhausted runners would make their way across the line, some stumbling, some barely winded by the effort. "I didn't puke, but I probably should have. I would have puked, if I had any moisture in my body," said Josh McKeever, stretched out in a folding chair. He had just completed his first ultramarathon, running 50 miles in nine hours and 43 minutes. At least one racer was transported from the park with heat exhaustion, and the race's first aid stations were kept busy with cramped-up runners. "
Dean Karnazes writes in his blog: "Finally, after almost eight hours of drudgery in the sweltering heat and humidity, the end appears near. As I’m winding down toward the finish, a race volunteer is standing at a junction in the trail. “Do I go this way?” I asked. “Yes, you’re almost there.” I crossed the finish line and immediately dunked my head in a cooler of ice. I needed to come to my senses, the heat had left me slightly confused and disoriented. Removing my shoes and socks, a couple of people brought over books for me to sign. We started talking and snapping some photos. Man, did it feel good to be done. Despite the heat, I’m told that I finished in second place. Not too bad. More than anything else, however, I’m just relieved that it’s over. Then a race official motions me aside. He informs me that I appear to have made a wrong turn near the finish and hadn’t completed the entire course. At first I thought it was a practical joke. Ha! Ha! Very funny. But he wasn’t joking. I asked him why he hadn’t told me earlier, right when I came in? He said I looked hot and he felt bad for me. I was hot all right, and now even hotter. With smoke coming out of my ears, I began the painful process of putting my shoes and socks back on to complete the course. The race official walked with me the short distance to the juncture where I had gone the wrong way. I asked the race volunteer why she had misdirected me. “I got confused,” she said. I guess I wasn’t the only one impacted by the heat. The final bit of course was a short loop. Two runners had gotten in front of me during my hiatus at the false-finish. I caught up with one of them, and we had a good laugh, at my expense."
I finished in 10:56, the first 25 miles in 4:22 and the 2nd 25 miles in 6:34. I came in 15th overall out of 42. 5th in my age group. I counted 7 or 8 runners ahead of me. So maybe 6 runners slipped by while we were lost.
Since Dean got a 3rd place overall award. Jeff, a high school friend from DC, came in 3rd in my age group; If I didn't tell him about this race, I would've won an age group award.
I chatted with the park rangers and they thought I was crazy to run in this heat. They said, hey, you finished. I said, it's also about the competition. I started looking behind me at mile 45 to make sure no one is gaining on me. Once you have finished a particular race distance, racing is no longer about finishing. It's about problem solving in terms of better nutrition, blister management and pacing. 100 milers are easier because you could make up some time when the sun sets and the temps drop.
Tues: My quads are still sore. I'm already thinking - should I do the Hartford race to prove I can do better? I ran too slow and missed the 3pm post-race video interview. It's 2 weeks out from St. George and Chicago but the course is not very technical and it's just 50 miles!
5am start
My strategy was to run hard until it got hot. It got up to 90 by 11am.
I started out chasing the lead pack but soon lost them on the hills. (8:00 pace). Tim Long writes in his blog - "Right from the start 5 of us were off the front and steadily pulling away. One dropped off, leaving four of us." I only did a one mile warmup when I should have done two; I did not warmed up enough to maintain the pace.
I asked this guy about to pass me what age group he was in. We were in the same age group. I turned my head; it was Dean Karnazes. I said it may not be fair if the Northface athletes received awards -- since they were sponsored. Dean said he give me the age group award if I came in second.
I asked Dean if he could get any numbers for the New York marathon. He said New York is very tight with numbers. Boston is a lot easier. I remember when I worked for the sponsor -- I got a number for myself with the option for a 2nd number. Dean said he could help with the entry process for Badwater.
Dean flew down the hills that I found too steep to run down. My shins cramped. I was able to make up some time on the flats and kept a 9 min pace for the first 10 miles. I was running with a blister on my arch for the last 45 miles; there was a lot of side to side motion running on trails.
A group of runners ran by me and said come on and let's catch up to Dean. I said no, I already chatted with him. When I caught up with the group. I said Dean, you're creating a bottleneck! It was a single track and there was very little room to pass a group chatting with Dean.
Before the race, I asked around -- if I should pretape my feet, wear gaitors and trail shoes. I ending up with rocks in my shoes and running on gravel and rocks that hurt my feet. In hindsight - I should have worn gaitors, trail shoes and pre-taped. If it turns out to be unnecessary, I could always switch them out at the aid station where I had a drop bag.
For a non-trail runner like me -- the downhills were too fast to run, the up hills were too steep, and there were too many tree roots and rocks.The course was harder than the JFK50 which has only 15 miles of trails. Northface wasn't kidding when they named it an "endurance challenge". Those trail runners are a tough bunch - I'm not sure why their great leg strength doesn't translate in fast road racing.
One section of the course is described as "a very technical, rocky, and treacherous stretch along the edge of the cliffs of the Potomac River." Dane Rauschenberg writes in his blog: "Holy crap, were they not kidding. When you are literally inches from plunging about 75 feet onto shop rocks below and then having your corpse washed away by the river, your mind is on your footing, not on whether you are actually heading in the right direction"
I followed runners ahead of me. When they got lost, I got lost. I think I lost about 45 minutes. We were on the banks of the Potomac trying to find the trail. I was clinging onto tree roots in loose dirt trying to avoid sliding into the river. The angle was maybe 60 degrees. I remembered watching Man vs Wild about maintaining footholds and using legs rather than arms to power up the climb -- and keeping the body close to the side of the hill.
The race t-shirt has quotes Dean - "Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up," I did all of the above.
The markings were good in some places and poor at some major turns. Even Dean had to slow down to figure out which way to go. I had better luck finding my way when I didn't follow anyone; I paid more attention. At mile 36, the volunteer directed me to the wrong trail -- I ran extra mileage in more difficult terrain. This is first time the race was run so it was not unexpected but it was frustrating nevertheless. The aid station volunteers were great and helpful. The runners were enthusiastic, at least at the beginning.
From Dane's blog: " Unfortunately, the wrong turn was down a hill so steep I almost repelled down it. When the path led directly to the river's edge with no path going either way, I finally figured out I made a wrong turn. I think a few more raccoons and deer now know how to swear. Literally hands and kneeing it back up the hill I had basically fallen down in a run just a few minutes earlier"
Fairfax County Times: "Someone really cleverly moved the route," said Frank Macmillan, who competed in the 50-kilometer race. "It was probably locals; this kind of thing happens with marathons all the time." He and several other runners actually ran an extra six or seven miles due to the race route allegedly being changed during the race, apparently by pranksters.
There was poison ivy on the trails. I got attacked by stinging nettles several times. When I stepped aside to allow a 50k runner to pass, I felt a bite from the plant. The stinging hair got embedded in my lower leg. The park rangers assured me there was no dangerous animals to worry about but said nothing about the plants. They forgot to mention the poisonous copperhead snakes.
I wasn't peeing in the first 20 miles. So I increased my fluid intake to about 32 ounces per hour. I figure the sodium intake was about 1000mg per hour. You need more fluid in humid weather.
I should have brought a 2 bottle water holder. Some aid stations were 5 to 6 miles apart. I started carrying a 2nd bottle in my hand - which I wasn't used to. I was asking families out picnicing for spare water.
Dane describes the sunny portions: "When you stepped out of the shade it was like you were a burger in a McDonald's heat lamp. " The course was maybe 70 percent shaded so it could have been tougher. With the heat index going to 100 degrees, The best I could do was a 15 minute mile with a combination of run/walk. Should I have stayed in my comfort zone? How do you know if you are close to heat exhaustion? body temp? I guess both the mental and physical part can be improved through training. In my 170 miler DNF, I was doing 27 minute miles in 90 degrees in full sun, low humidity and flat terrain before quitting at 65miles. I think my ability to run in heat has improved.
Could I have done better with just ice water and some electrolytes? A large chest full of ice water was available to sit in. The volunteers said I was looking fresh and lively in the last 10 miles compared to the other runners. So maybe I cruised too long in my comfort zone and didn't try hard enough for a haggard, "I'm going to collapse any second" look.
Fairfax County Times: "All around the finish line, exhausted runners sprawled in chairs or on the ground, moaning with leg spasms, or quietly hugging bags of ice. Every few minutes, one or two more exhausted runners would make their way across the line, some stumbling, some barely winded by the effort. "I didn't puke, but I probably should have. I would have puked, if I had any moisture in my body," said Josh McKeever, stretched out in a folding chair. He had just completed his first ultramarathon, running 50 miles in nine hours and 43 minutes. At least one racer was transported from the park with heat exhaustion, and the race's first aid stations were kept busy with cramped-up runners. "
Dean Karnazes writes in his blog: "Finally, after almost eight hours of drudgery in the sweltering heat and humidity, the end appears near. As I’m winding down toward the finish, a race volunteer is standing at a junction in the trail. “Do I go this way?” I asked. “Yes, you’re almost there.” I crossed the finish line and immediately dunked my head in a cooler of ice. I needed to come to my senses, the heat had left me slightly confused and disoriented. Removing my shoes and socks, a couple of people brought over books for me to sign. We started talking and snapping some photos. Man, did it feel good to be done. Despite the heat, I’m told that I finished in second place. Not too bad. More than anything else, however, I’m just relieved that it’s over. Then a race official motions me aside. He informs me that I appear to have made a wrong turn near the finish and hadn’t completed the entire course. At first I thought it was a practical joke. Ha! Ha! Very funny. But he wasn’t joking. I asked him why he hadn’t told me earlier, right when I came in? He said I looked hot and he felt bad for me. I was hot all right, and now even hotter. With smoke coming out of my ears, I began the painful process of putting my shoes and socks back on to complete the course. The race official walked with me the short distance to the juncture where I had gone the wrong way. I asked the race volunteer why she had misdirected me. “I got confused,” she said. I guess I wasn’t the only one impacted by the heat. The final bit of course was a short loop. Two runners had gotten in front of me during my hiatus at the false-finish. I caught up with one of them, and we had a good laugh, at my expense."
I finished in 10:56, the first 25 miles in 4:22 and the 2nd 25 miles in 6:34. I came in 15th overall out of 42. 5th in my age group. I counted 7 or 8 runners ahead of me. So maybe 6 runners slipped by while we were lost.
Since Dean got a 3rd place overall award. Jeff, a high school friend from DC, came in 3rd in my age group; If I didn't tell him about this race, I would've won an age group award.
I chatted with the park rangers and they thought I was crazy to run in this heat. They said, hey, you finished. I said, it's also about the competition. I started looking behind me at mile 45 to make sure no one is gaining on me. Once you have finished a particular race distance, racing is no longer about finishing. It's about problem solving in terms of better nutrition, blister management and pacing. 100 milers are easier because you could make up some time when the sun sets and the temps drop.
Tues: My quads are still sore. I'm already thinking - should I do the Hartford race to prove I can do better? I ran too slow and missed the 3pm post-race video interview. It's 2 weeks out from St. George and Chicago but the course is not very technical and it's just 50 miles!
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