Posts Tagged ‘marathon’

Judgment Day

I last wrote about my own running in late June. Adding mileage only when I could complete my long runs at sub-10 pace, I had a 155-mile July. Now I’ve reached the point where I need to make a decision about the direction of my running… and I’m unsure which way to go.

Yesterday I ran an 18-miler. It was my longest run since my last marathon in December 2006. It took me 3:10, but with an 8-minute negative split. I was tired at the end, but relatively strong, and I have no muscle pain or lingering effects of any kind.

There’s no question in my mind that, should I choose to do so, I could run a decent marathon in the next few months. But why?

In previous years, I was jacked up to run another marathon because I felt a BQ was within reach. Not any more. Even at my best, I’m guaranteed to have my worst marathon.

There would be the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment of completing a marathon a year after my heart attack – especially after lesser injuries kept me out of it for almost five years. But I’m already satisfied. I’ve come much further than I realistically thought possible last year.

So here’s the dilemma: Do I continue with my high mileage weeks and line up a marathon to run, or should I just give myself a high-five and scale back in order to run half-marathons from now on?

I’m ready for advice in either direction, so how about, dear readers? Marathon or no?

Why Didn’t I Think of That?

Actual headline from the Globe and Mail:

The secret to completing a marathon is mileage

Hey Yo, Father Carmine!

Those who ran in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon had an opportunity for a special gift. Rev. Mark McAdow of the First United Methodist Church of Oklahoma City offers a “blessing of the shoes” at a pre-marathon mass.

What a great idea. It reminds me of this classic scene.

Good News, Bad News

The good news is that marathon running is unlikely to cause long-term heart damage.

The bad news is that it might cause brain damage.

A Few Things Missing from Original Marathon Reenactment

In honor of the 2,500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon, Greek runners Maria Polyzou and Panayiotis Skoulis plan to reenact Pheidippides’ feat – not just the run from Marathon to Athens, but also his run from Athens to Sparta and back, a total distance of some 325 miles.

The details of Pheidippides’ run are almost certainly myths, but if you’re going to relive it, why not go all out? For one thing, some tellings of the legend hold that Pheidippides not only ran to Marathon and back, but fought all day in the battle in between. Wouldn’t it be cool if Polyzou and Skoulis recruited a couple of Persian volunteers for a melee with swords and shields?

Also, everyone leaves out an important bit of the story, which originated with the Greek historian Herodotus. While on his way from Athens to Sparta, Pheidippides happened to run into the god Pan. Pan asked him why the Athenians weren’t showing him the love. When Pheidippides returned to Athens and told the city leaders the tale, they believed him and built a temple to Pan. Of course, nowadays they would have just assumed that Pheidippides was a little short on GU that day, if you know what I mean.

Besides, we don’t have to guess about what really happened to Pheidippides – we have his race report. I have since added to this major archaeological find by unearthing a slide from Pheidippides’ PowerPoint presentation to the Athenian leaders:

Friday Five: Best Answers If a Runner Asks “Where Are You From?”

1) Eugene, Oregon.

2) Marathon, Greece.

3) The Great Rift Valley, Kenya.

4) Mammoth Lakes, California.

5) Hopkinton, Massachusetts.

My First Marathon Race Report – 2005

I found the race report for my first marathon – the 2005 California International Marathon – and wanted to make sure it survived in the archives, so I’m reposting it here. I can’t find my second one, but I’ll keep looking. I ran only four times a week while training for this race, with a max week of 46 miles:

The California International Marathon was my first. The taper was my first, as well, and that was quite an experience.

The first two weeks of my taper were exceedingly uneventful. My runs were steady and easy, and I was so laid back I thought, “This taper madness stuff is so hyped and overblown.”

Then came last week.

Every little problem freaked me out. I reinstalled my entire wireless network even though it was my cable Internet provider that was having the technical difficulties. I scrubbed the kitchen counters three times. I compulsively hunted down the ants living behind my dishwasher.

I did three-mile runs without even breaking a sweat. I sat through the course lecture at the expo with my leg twitching the whole time. I calmed down a little with a pre-race dinner at PF Chang’s (garlic noodles – 610 grams of carbs!) I’ve never been so amped in my life.

I got a full six hours of coma-like sleep. A 4 a.m. wakeup, my usual routine and out the door.

Caught one of the first buses at the Sheraton at 5 for the long drive to Folsom. We got there just before 6.

IT WAS FREEZING!!!

I was in a long-sleeve wicking shirt and tights, plus warmup pants and a sweatshirt and disposable gloves, and I was still bone-cold. Large crowds were huddled in a mini-mart near the starting line. I saw a woman clad only in shorts and a thin top standing by the exhaust of a generator, trying to stay warm. I can’t imagine how the guy in the kilt felt.

I spent the hour before the start shivering and eating a big salty bagel, washed down with some Fiji Water. Out of the porta-potty at 6:50, turn in my sweats bag, and find myself caught in a crowd well behind the 4:30 pace group. No room to move up to the 4:00 group, but I figured I would just start slower.

We took off right at 7 a.m. without ceremony. It was great to finally run, but I couldn’t feel my toes. I went nice and leisurely behind the 4:30 group, wondering why the 4:45 group was running ahead of the 4:00 group.

Mile 1 – 10:06
Mile 2 – 9:58
Mile 3 – 7:48???

The first three miles consisted of my efforts to gradually work my way up to the 4-hour pace group. I was with the 4:15 group by Mile 3, finally starting to feel warmer. The third split was obviously wrong, but I can’t determine which other mile is wrong in the other direction. Oh well.

Mile 4 – 8:42
Mile 5 – 8:52
Mile 6 – 9:13

I caught the 4 hour group at Mile 5, tried to slow to their pace, but kept pulling away. At the Mile 6 turn I was about 50 yards ahead of them. I decided to run my normal pace, checking behind me and in front of me for the relevant pace groups. My cumulative time at Mile 6 was 54:40 – right on pace for a 4 hour finish.

Mile 7 – 9:01
Mile 8 – 8:59
Mile 9 – 8:53

We made our way down Fair Oaks Blvd. and I was maintaining proper pace. I passed the Kilt Guy as a female spectator yells to him, “Nice skirt!”

“It’s a kilt!” he bellows, a little peeved.

Mile 10 – 8:37
Mile 11 – 8:37
Mile 12 – 8:49

I’ve run six half-marathons this year, so it didn’t surprise me to see myself speeding up a bit at this point. We climbed the only significant hill at 10.5, but I was worried about the rolling terrain for nothing. It was hardly noticeable. Unless you run crazy fast in the first half and really burn out your quads, CIM is really a great fast course for anyone – particularly for your first marathon.

Mile 13 – 8:40
Mile 14 – 8:01
Mile 15 – 8:44

This was the most exciting part of the course for me. A huge cheering throng was gathered right after the halfway point, which explains why I ran an 8:01 in the middle of a 9-minute pace marathon. I crossed the halfway mat at 1:57, which was right where I wanted to be.

Mile 16 – 8:39
Mile 17 – 8:24
Mile 18 – 8:46

Felt great at this point - even better than during my long training runs.

Mile 19 – 8:32
Mile 20 – 8:34
Mile 21 – 8:50

The organizers set up a canvas “wall” just after Mile 20 and I blew through it feeling pretty good. My cumulative time at Mile 21 was 3:04:48. I was on pace for about a 3:51 finish.

Suddenly (you knew this was coming, didn’t you?), I started to get a cramp in my right hip. I’ve never felt anything like that while running. The longest run of my life prior to this race was 21.2 miles, so it didn’t surprise me that the pain worsened as I exceeded that. I was very well hydrated, my GU worked magic, and I otherwise felt fine.

Mile 22 – 9:23
Mile 23 – 9:37
Mile 24 – 11:25

I gutted it out for two more miles, but then my right knee started to seize up (in sympathy with the hip, no doubt). About two minutes past Mile 23, I took a walk break of exactly five minutes. It did the trick. Everything loosened up a bit, and I started running again.

Mile 25 – 9:31
Mile 26 – 10:34

Finish – 3:56:29

1,469th of 3,249 finishers
174th of 309 in age group

The hip carried me for another mile at a reasonable pace before cramping again. I found myself praying for this thing to be over. I took a two-minute walk break with a mile to go, then just grimaced my way down L street, past the exceedingly loud and annoying music, around the corner at 8th, then managed a laughable sprint to the finish.

I spotted Mrs. A. at the end of the chute, grabbed her, and started to cry. Not those little tears of joy everyone had, but deep, racking sobs that made my whole body shake.

Once I composed myself, I desperately searched for the food. I was starting to lose it while waiting in line, but the hot tomato soup cheered me beyond measure. I ate just about everything they had, then sent Mrs. A. to the coffee truck for a giant cup with massive amounts of sugar. I felt close to human soon after.

It was a hell of an experience, and something I will remember for the rest of my life.