Breast Cancer Marathon (Jacksonville Beach) Feb 17, 2008

temps (near Atlantic Blvd) 62 to 74, humidity 88 to 66%, winds up to 8mph

4:15 - 2:17/1:58 split 10:27 pace/9:00 pace

The race weekend started out stressfully. I was worried about getting to Carrabas before the heavy dinner crowd. Sheri got lost. The room she was sharing had only one bed. We finally got to the restaurant around 6pm - the wait was 30 minutes. Jeri/Doug were already eating. I munched off their table while waiting.

I got an text message at 5:20am race morning from Cathy. She was in the hospital after fainting and hitting her head in her hotel room. (she's on the mend now). I had plans to pace her in for 4:30. Instead, she assigned me to pace Raymond in.

For an inaugural race, everything went pretty smoothly. Packet pickup was easy, the shuttles to the race expo were on time and the aid stations were well stocked. There were plenty of volunteers. The crowd support was large and seemed heart-felt. I believe something like $800,000 was raised for breast cancer research.

The course was flat except for overpasses to get to the beach and back. Running a couple of miles on the beach didn't really affect pace.

There wasn't any room to warm up at the runner's village. I managed to get in only a 1/2 mile warmup at the start. My calfs were tight for the first 6 miles.

Raymond's goal pace was 4:30. We banked some miles early on before it got warmer. He had trouble around mile 7 on the beach. It was full sun and there was no breeze. We started falling behind the 10:17 goal pace. He felt he was getting early signs on heat exhaustion. I tried to convince him to that the humidity was dropping and his sweat was evaporating. Too much fluid, carbs, electrolytes - particularly in heat - could back up in the stomach and cause nausea. I didn't try to push him hard in case he was really overheating. We learned in Chicago that heatstroke is pretty rare but heat makes runners feel miserable. We arrived at the 1/2 marathon mark at 2:17. He was ok with me leaving him. I tried calling Cathy to get her "permission".

I basically ran 2 half marathons. The first one with pacing Raymond and the 2nd one for myself. I kicked the last 13.1 miles in in 1:58. There was a cooling breeze most of the way back. I suffered from the heat in the last 2 miles. It was on an overpass in full sun and no ocean breeze. I dropped down to a 10 minute mile. I kicked when I saw Jennifer at mile 26 averaging a 7:20 pace for the last 0.22 miles. I felt sluggish in Tampa - this was a better race for me. Maybe because I had extra rest from a rained-out Tuesday night track workout. Maybe I warmed up for 13 miles.

With aid stations every mile, I didn't drink much; I poured water on the neck, arms and head instead. I ended up carrying around an extra 1/2 lb of gel. Gels were offered every 3 miles so I didn't need to use any of mine. I also had extra weight from carrying my PDA cellphone.

We saw a lot of runners from Orlando both at the expo and on the race course. Jonathon finally broke 4 hours and ran a 3:51 PR, a 10 minute improvement.

I ate some solid food at the finish and felt nauseated for a half hour. It's not a good idea to put something in your stomach so soon after a hard run. I went straight to the shuttle bus to cool off. An hour later, we went for burgers, fries and beer :).

I was interested to see how well the Galloway runners did using a 3/1 run/walk for a 4:15 marathon. The pace group leader has a 3:45PR but this is the first time he has done 3/1 for a 4:15 marathon. I passed him around mile 23. He was on-pace but he wasn't pacing any runners. His group was somewhere far behind him. I finished in 4:15. I didn't see him behind me. Jim also noticed that the 4:00 pace group lost all its members by mile 26. I agree that walk breaks are great for recovery. If you capable for running a 8:20 pace required for 3/1, shouldn't you try for a 3:38 marathon instead of 4:15 marathon. To achieve a 4:15, it seems that running a 8:20 even for 3 minutes is harder than running a 9:44 pace straight. I was hoping the pace groups would be successful so I can try it on the next 100 miler.

I feel fine today -- it feels like I just ran a 1/2 marathon.

Gasparilla (Tampa) Marathon, Feb. 10, 2008

temps 55 to 63 degrees - sunny
winds 14mph gusting to 24mph

3:44 split 1:52/1:52 avg pace 8:34

I didn't have a good week - I developed shin splints from the Tuesday night track workout while running a 800m 11 seconds slower than the week before. On Thursday I ran a slow 8:19 mile. I felt the same calf pain as I had right before my injury in October. Not having done Tues/Thurs workouts for 3 months, I forgot that scheduling a massage on Tuesday is not a good idea. The workouts cause muscle tightness. Also doing 2 hard workouts before a marathon is not a good idea. Next week, I plan to warm up and do one 400m on Tuesday and a 1/2 mile on Thursday. I was hoping for a 3:30 but did not realistically expect it.

At the start, I met someone from the Galloway program in Orlando. She planned on doing run/walk 2/1 and completing the half in 2:30. I told her I'd be interested to find out if the 3 and 1 runners would actually be able to do a 4:30 marathon.

The course changed this year; I don't remember running up and over the seemingly countless bridges 2 years ago.

I ran past Dick Hoyt who is known for pushing his 46 year old son in a wheelchair. He "ran" a 1:52 in the half. Someone pointed out, "that's that guy who ...."

For my 2nd marathon in a row, I lost a gel. I added a 3rd pocket to my waistbelt -- while I have been reaching back for the gels -- maybe one fell out.

I nevered really warmed up into this marathon. My right calf was aching and I didn't have the same long effortless stride I had a week ago at Tallahassee.

I saw Steph, Vanessa, Jonathan and Amy. Vanessa was running the relay. I didn't see Erin but she ran well (4:14).

The clocks at the mile markers were off and some the miles seemed short.

In the last 3 miles, I encountered nasty headwinds - 14mph gusting to 24 mph. I slowed down to 9:15 miles. There was no compensating tailwind - since the winds didn't pick up till the end. I did not see the mile 26 marker so I tried but failed to sprint it in when I saw the finish line. I guess I was feeling fatigue. I can normally drop down to a 7:15 mile. It was a frustrating day. I did not taper well for this race. It isn't due to running back to back marathons. I ran Sacramento in 3:44 followed by a 3:43 in Chicago a week later in 2005. The only thing I can think of is that I don't have the reserve of fresh muscle fibers due my injury and lack of training. Maybe I'll build some reserve before the 100 miler March 1st.

I bought the new Asics Kayano 14 at the expo; the price was right. They didn't feel as good as my 2130 during the marathon. My feet ached. Maybe I was bouncing on my feet instead of running with good form. The Asics sales guy said my old shoes were good for about 200 miles -- the cushioning was losing its firmness. That means a pair of shoes is good for one or two long races?

Monday - My quads feel fine. Maybe the fatigue kept the muscles from working hard.

I guess I am pretty much recovered from my injury -- I seemed to be plateauing. Now is time to start training again - but what kind of training program?

Tallahassee Marathon (Feb. 3rd, 2008)

temps 43 to 63, sunny

3:40:45 split 1:51/1:49 avg pace 8:25

It mostly a flat course. The weather started out nice at 43 degrees. It's been a while since I ran a cool weather marathon.

I regret getting a massage Tues instead of later in the week. My calfs and back were tight and my hamstrings were sore. I woke up race day and my left achilles was tight.

On Wed., I could one rep max with more weight than before my injury. The nervous sytem is growing back well but the muscle mass has not returned yet. That's going to take more time.

Given the improved leg strength (for one rep), I figured I could knock off 20 minutes from Disney (3:59). I visualized all week and tried to set the pace in the marathon.

Somehow I lost one gel. I had my last one at mile 17. Fortunately, GUs were offered around mile 20. It didn't help me maintain my pace.

The last 8 miles were unshaded, In full sun, it felt like 75 degrees. I slowed down in the heat. My overused good quad felt tighter in the last 5 miles. I missed my 20 minute improvement goal by one minute.

I did not imagine running in the heat in last 8 miles -- I should have doused myself with cold water or brought a cooling bandana. If you don't mentally rehearse something, you're more likely to forget to do it.

At the finish, one of the volunteers said that I and the guy ahead of me did not even look tired. I told her it's just a short race. The local running club puts on a 50 miler that I ran in December.

These was no donuts at the finish but there was Dominos Pizza.

I ran with 2XU calf guards for the first time in a race -- and was asked questions about it. I think it helps with recovery,

I feel pretty good. My lower back ached on the drive back. Since I didn't kick hard - I don't think I hurt anything.

I don't think I can get much more faster (maybe 10 mins) without serious training. I need to regain the muscle mass in my right leg, lose some weight and improve fitness.


Here's my injury recovery progress so far.
pace Race
10/20/2007 15:00 San Fran 24 hour run (pace last 26 miles)
10/29/2007 13:25 USMC marathon
12/1/2007 12:44 OUC 1/2 marathon
12/8/2007 12:00 Tallahassee 50 miler (pace first 26 miles)
12/16/2007 10:46 Jax marathon
12/30/2007 10:32 LunaChicks 50 miler (pace first 26 miles)
1/13/2008 9:09 Disney marathon
2/3/2008 8:25 Tallahassee Marathon