Roxbury Marathon

Let's just say I'm glad this marathon is finished!

I was told by several accomplished runners that this course was tough, and to add 30 to 40 minutes to my average marathon time to determine what a projected finish would be. They were right.

Despite all of the running I've done over the last year, nothing I did prepared me for the Roxbury Marathon course. The course record, set by a top ultramarathon runner, was 3:02. This would be my most challenging marathon of the year without question. How challenging? I'll start from the beginning...

Our little man was sick with strep so Cheryl stayed with the kids and I hauled down to CT Friday night. My parents greeted me with a wonderful pasta dinner, and after catching up for a while, I hit the sack around 10pm. Couldn't sleep, and up at 4am and at 6am went to Starbucks for some coffee. Picked up my sister Amy, who accompanied me to the race.

Roxbury is a gorgeous bucolic town in Litchfield County, maybe a 40 min drive from Trumbull. Arrived at Hurlburt park, where registration was. This is as informal as a marathon gets - pay $5 and wait for the start. They had a fire going in the outdoor fireplace, but it was so cold the ink in the pens was frozen. I was the 9th person to register, and was given #9 as a bib. I joked that they had me mixed up with the elites. Probably the only time I'll ever have a single digit number, ever!

It was cold at the start (19 degrees) but clear skies. 72 runners ready to run, and at 8:30 the race director shouted GO! and we were off.

The race consisted of an 8 mile out and back (4 up turn around, 4 back to the start) which was hilly and mostly run on a rural dirt road. It felt more like a trail marathon than a traditional road marathon at that point. 7:49, 8:08, 8:14 first three miles and I felt pretty good.

After the turnaround, the hills were grueling - some runners were walking them already - and my mile 6 time was 9:11 - the earliest I have ever run a 9 minute mile. NYC for example I didn't record a +9 minute time until mile 15. So I knew then it was going to be a very l-o-n-g morning. The elevation profile resembles an EKG chart.

After I returned to the mile 8 mark, which also served as the start and finish, Amy was there and handed me a PowerBar gel and a cup of water. She was also yelling 'David is King!', and made a mock bib with that written on it, a joke that goes back to our childhood, and also brought sleigh bells and was jingling and jangling them with great enthusiasm. It was wonderful to have her there!

The remainder of the course consisted of five 3.5 mile loops, so Amy would meet/greet me at the same spot and hand out a gel each time. I recorded a 9:14 for mile 9, which included the hilliest part of the loop - approximately 200+ feet of elevation gain in a little under a mile. I'd be running that four more times? That was when I came to the realization I probably would finish +4 hours.

After rambling up the hills of Hemlock Rd (which was steep and then unpaved for a 1/2 mile stretch) we banked right onto North St, across Wellers Bridge Rd to South St, then curved up Apple Lane where the start/finish was.

My 13.1 split was around 1:55, but my mile splits were now consistently in the low 9's and getting slower. Just try to enjoy it, I told myself. Forget time. Enjoy the scenery. What a great way to spend a Saturday morning in December! But that is a very difficult thing to do when I know the clock is ticking.

Despite my sister handing me a gel every 4th mile, and being a small race there were several water stops but only one gatorade stop - which for me wasn't enough. I need it every 2 miles or so, and when my legs started to get heavy I knew I had a problem on my hands.

By mile 16 I felt like I was running in mud up to my waist. My cardio felt fine but between the hill repeats and the lack of gatorade, my leg muscles were tight, almost numb. 'Dead' is how I would describe them. I was shuffling along, not really running with a purposeful stride. Ten miles to go, and the goal became just to finish and be done with it already.

I was frustrated because by this point I wasn't really enjoying the experience, the first time I ever felt that way in a marathon. This brought back memories of this summer's ultra, when every step past mile 44 was sheer, unadulterated agony. After completing my 4th loop at mile 19 I had to walk the steepest grades on Hemlock - and that got me down because in my previous three marathons, I ran each and every step as fast as I could. Here I was walking. Aggravated. Looking at my Garmin and watching my avg. mile per minute time slip away. I kept thinking about how after all of my running, nothing I have done properly prepared me for these hills. I also, however, kept fast forwarding to Miami, and how much I was looking forward to ripping along a flat course, going for a personal best, instead of being stuck in survival mode. Dean Karnazes, in his 50 marathons/50 days book, put up some big, crooked numbers as well - so that helped keep it in perspective. It's more than this one race. It's the entire twelve month journey.

Mile 25 was my low point, 13:13, but knowing I had 1.2 miles to go I kept shuffling, shuffling, the soles of my Brooks scuffing the pavement every step. Every slight grade increase, each small rise in the road seemed like Everest.

As I approached the finish - which of course was at the top of a hill - I sprinted, for lack of a better word, the last 50 yards or so. There was Amy cheering me on, and I gave her a big hug when I finished. I can't say enough about her, how wonderful her support was, how every 3.5 miles she greeted me with smiles and positive words of encouragement. You're a rock star!

4:21:14 was my official time, 37th place out of 72 runners. Nearly 35 minutes slower than NYC, but I will train hard to make sure this is the only marathon where my finish time is greater than 4 hrs. The course record was broken that day - 2:52 I believe, and the 2nd place runner finished in 2:54 or so - very impressive, because it is a beast.

This was also my 12th road race of 2010 - something I am also very proud of. 4 Marathons, 1 20 Miler, 1 Half, 2 Ten Milers, 3 5k's, and 1 50 mile Ultra.

I have finished the first quarter of my 12 marathons 12 months - now it's onto #4 in Miami January 30th!

16.25 on Sunday, plus a few other runs

I haven't posted in about 10 days or so but yes I have been diligent and running, just not blogging. I did my two treadmill runs in NYC, a 7.5 miler in 1hr and a 3.5 miler in 30 mins. Did not do a Thanksgiving day race, but should have. Then in CT I did a 9 mile run the Friday after Thanksgiving without my Garmin, and on Saturday did my 4.3 loop. On Sunday, I did a big 16.25 long run - temps were mid 20's and it was blustery - but cranked it out in 2:27:02, or 9:02 pace. I can run a very comfortable 9 minute mile, but am to the point now where I need to pick up the pace and get faster.

I am testing for my Blue Belt on Dec. 18, a week after running my 3rd consecutive monthly marathon - this one is in Roxbury, CT. It's a small race, 60 runners or so, and it's a hilly track. I think it is five 4.5 mile loops, and I understand it's hilly. This should be good training for the Miami Marathon 1/30, which I hope to set a personal best at considering it will be flat, flat, flat. Need to beat my Sugarloaf 3:39:19.

Cherry Blossom registration begins tomorrow Dec. 1st! It a rolling lottery registration, I think we have a week long window to get our team together and register.

Thursday 13

Got 13.06 in today in 1:58, or 9:02 minute/mile. Felt ok, this was an evenly paced run that I just cranked out. We're taking the little ones to NYC for their first visit, staying at the Mariott Marquis so I'm sure they have a good gym. I plan two very early a.m. treadmill workouts for Mon and Tues of next week.

Tuesday 4.3

Today's run followed a tough Taekwondo class last evening so I debated if I should skip altogether, but decided to do my infamous loop here in Kittery (4.3 miles).

Decent time of 33:51 (7:52 pace) but tried to keep each mile under 8:00 and did 7:29, 7:56, 8:06 and 8:17 with a good kick at the end.

Next run will be 13, but it is supposed to rain cats and dogs tomorrow. It might wait until Thursday.

Monday run

My 1st run post NYC was pretty decent one overall - 8:32 pace, mile splits fairly even, and the out-and-back route had a good amount of hills to keep me working hard.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/56824024

I am going to work on lengthening my stride a bit, even a small increase might improve my speed as all of those steps with extra distance add up, even if just a fraction of time. Also going to keep my back upright more, I have a tendency to lean forward, head down, when I tire and will try to keep my shoulders back and run with a straighter, more proper gait..

So next up is the Roxbury Marathon in CT on Saturday, December 11th. I am approaching this as a hilly training run in preparaton for Miami at the end of January - so of course I want a good time, but I am running this small backroads race to keep my marathon streak alive and challenge myself on what I understand is a tough, tough course.

2010 NYC Marathon

Where to begin?

Running 26.2 miles with 45,000 other runners through the greatest city in the world is an experience difficult to articulate, but I will do my best and attempt to relive the race as I remember it.

My final week leading up to the marathon was a difficult one, as my grandmother passed away and we had services on the Friday prior to the race. On Saturday, Cheryl and I took the train in from Fairfield, checked in to our hotel in Battery Park, and made our way to the expo at the Jacob Javitz center. Picked up my bib, 33411, a very nice goodie bag, and back to the hotel where I saw a timely piece on the history of the NYC Marathon on PBS. Later that evening we took the subway to Union Square and had dinner at a nice trattoria in the West Village called Crispo. I started with some arancini (fried risotto balls with mozzarella) - amazing. Then I had a proscuitto, arugula, tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad, spaghetti all carbonara (my favorite pre-race meal), as well as a piece of grilled chicken with a side of broccoli rabe. Big, delicious dinner.

I was asleep by 9pm, and woke up at 12:30 just charged with excitement and anticipation. I tossed and turned until about 4:30am when I finally got out of bed, showered, and got ready for the day. Had a banana, clif bar, and blueberry muffin I'd picked up from a Whole Foods near the Union Square stop for breakfast the night before, and washed it down with some gatorade. Walked over to the Staten Island Ferry terminal, which was just steps away from the hotel.

The logistics of the event were impressive. I was on the 6am ferry, and we orderly boarded on time. I was surrounded by international runners - Italians mostly, but Dutch, Danes, Swedes, Norwegians, South Africans, Canadians. At one point on the ride I chuckled when I heard all of these different sounding languages at once.

Once the ferry arrived, we were led to buses (mine was a Rutgers University shuttle) and it drove us the 3 miles to Ft. Wadsworth, in the shadows of the Verranzano bridge. There, we were divided up based upon our bib color - orange, blue, green. 15,000 runners gathered in the orange village, where we had free coffee, bagels, and gatorade. What I underestimated was how COLD it would be! Ridiculously cold. I had my fleece pants and North Face running jacket, hat and gloves, and it didn't cut it. The wind was fierce. I had thought about buying some thrift clothes and just discarding them at the start, but didn't - but the other 14,999 in the orange village did. People were wrapped in blankets, trash bags. anything to stay warm. I checked in my pants and jacket at the last minute at my designated UPS truck before heading to the orange corral, and froze by tail off. I waited a good 45min -1:00 in the corral for wave 2 to begin, and we were herded to the start like stockyard cattle. Our cannon went off at 10:10, and off we were, and I still get chills just thinking about the beginning.

Mile 1 was slow because of the sheer mass of people on the bridge at the start, 8:57 min mile. I decided early on that I would run to the far left of the road, right along the crowd line, to faciliate passing slower runners and for the simple fact that I loved being right next to the crowd, feeding off their energy. Brooklyn, I love you! Their enthusiasm was 'off the hook' as they say. Insane. The intensity of the cheering, the bands playing, the overall vibe was tremendous. Bay Ridge, they were four deep and little children had their hands out for high fives - but so were adults, elderly folks, it was awesome. I was in a sweet early groove and must have slapped 5,000 hands if not more. I had on a yellow Livestrong techinical tee and people would yell "Go Livestrong!" and it was a rush.

My 1st eight miles were as follows:

1 00:08:57 08:57
2 00:08:02 08:02
3 00:07:38 07:38
4 00:07:38 07:38
5 00:07:43 07:43
6 00:07:53 07:53
7 00:07:57 07:57
8 00:08:03 08:03


After mile 8 in downtown Brooklyn I felt amazing and flew the next mile - turns out I did a 7:39. I didn't check my time or pace often, I just ran, slapping high fives. Gatorade stops were plentiful and I hit them all, and I had 6 GU's on me and took one every 4th mile. My 13.1 split time was 1:46:42, and I was pleased with that. In fact, the 3:40 pacer and I passed each other several times, so I knew I was running a good pace despite a near 9:00 first mile. I felt like I could keep it up.


Miles 9-14:

9 00:07:39 07:39
10 00:07:56 07:56
11 00:08:35 08:35
12 00:08:06 08:06
13 00:08:17 08:17
14 00:08:27 08:27


Then I hit the Queensboro Bridge. Ouch.

I knew it would be tough based upon the elevation charts I'd seen before the race, but wow - I felt like I wasn't moving. For the first time since the start I stopped running in the far left lane like a Porsche on the Merritt Parkway; instead I edged to the middle like a cement mixer in a lower gear just trying to climb the steepening grade. This is also where marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie dropped out with his injury just hours earlier.

My times for the bridge Mile 15 and 16 were 9:08 and 10:33, respectively.

Once we entered Manhattan, however, it was a different story. I will never forget the feeling as the darkened bridge (we ran on the lower deck) opened up to bright sunlight and throngs of cheers. I was also excited because Cheryl was waiting at 86th street, so I had a burst of energy up 1st Ave and clocked 8:09 and 7:56 for miles 17 and 18 so I felt rejuvinated. Unfortunately I didn't see her, as that stretch was a bit downhill and I let it rip on that section of the course. She saw me though, and since I was back to the left lane strategy, she could have touched my shoulder as I flew by.

Mile 19 I entered Spanish Harlem, and started to feel tired. Not the infamous wall, but yes, some fatigue was starting to set in. I wasn't sure if I was tired because I just ran 17 and 18 quickly, or if this was something more.

It was something more. Mile 19 was 9:19, but Mile 20 in the Bronx was 10:01, and I was feeling it. Just like that. The Maine Marathon I had a similar experience at the 20 mark, and yes, that dreaded wall we hear so much about. Ugh. Crossing over the Major Deegan I was feeling it, and when we took the turnaround loop at E138 St Grand Concourse and started to head back to down, I said I would look up at the street signs as they progressively got smaller for encouragement - except it wasn't going as fast as I wanted it to. 128th...........127th...........126th..........125th...............so I stopped, put my head down, and was in full-out grinding mode.

Central Park began at 5th and 110th Street, so that was encouraging to see because I knew we were less than 5 miles from the finish. The crowds were getting larger again, and around E 90th St the course entered the park.

Miles 21- 25:

21 00:09:57 1.00 09:57
22 00:09:29 1.00 09:29
23 00:09:43 1.00 09:43
24 00:10:04 1.00 10:04
25 00:09:31 1.00 09:32


After my Garmin buzzed Mile 24 10:04 I said the rest of the way I will finish sub 10:00 miles. Mile 25 was 9:32, and I knew the final 1.2 miles was where I had to dig deep. Once we hit Central Park South and Columbus Circle, I was sprinting. Sprinting! I did Mile 26 in 8:39, which I was elated over, the hardest mile of the marathon and I ran it in what was my overall average min/mile pace. Just .2 to go as we banked into the Park for the finish, and my legs and knees were rubber. I crossed the finish in 3:48:35. I had done it.

I had read several months ago about predicting a NYC marathon finish time - someone, I can't recall who, said take your best marathon time, and add 10 minutes. That will be your NYC finish time. Well, for me it was add 9 minutes, four seconds. And checking the NYRR site, I finished 10,100 out of 45,000+ runners. That surprised me, and something to feel good about! I finished ahead of Justin Gimelstob (pro tennis player), Amani Toomer (former NY Giants WR) , Ethan Zohn (pro soccer player/Survivor winner) and well ahead of Jared the Subway guy and the Chilean miner, Edison Pena.

We were ushered through a finishers maze with medals, photos, swag bags with gatorade/water/apple/pretzels, until we saw our UPS truck that had our check-in bag. We had to keep moving, and it was tough - I had nothing, zero left. I was just trudging along, maybe 15-20 minutes or so, until I got my bag. I called Cheryl, and 15 minutes later we met up around 81st Street. Hopped a cab, back to Battery Park.

I showered and just chilled under the covers for an hour and watched the Detroit Lions pull defeat from the jaws of victory against the Jets, and then we headed over to The Palm for a ridiculously tasty 24oz bone-in ribeye. Body was craving protein.

So it's the day after, and I'm sore, mostly in my quads which makes going down stairs a handrail event but other than that feel fine. I can't say enough about how incredible it was, the way the city embraces the race, the rush of pushing yourself to the limit and then pushing a bit more.

How good was the experience? So good that I've already registered for the 2011 lottery!

One Week Away

NYC is one week away and I can't wait.

I am in 'taper mode' and did 12.95 on Thursday and 8.48 today. Taper runs can be tricky, I find myself in a running purgatory not sure how exactly to pace myself. The temptation is to put the hammer down because I feel strong, but then I don't want to take it too slow, either. Thursday's run was an 8:54 average, but my Mile 1 was 7:14, wayyyy too fast, but 11 and 12 were in the 9:45 range, as I started to tire.

I managed to keep this morning's run steady, all of my splits were in the 8:15-8:40 range, with an average of 8:31. I feel ready, much better prepared for 26.2 than I was five weeks ago for the Maine Marathon.

I've also signed up for dailymile.com, a very cool site which allows you to track your training among like-minded runners/cyclists/swimmers/athletes. Great motivating tool.

I've been paying closer attention to my diet these days as well, and it is making a difference. I've been eating smaller but more frequent meals, and the urge to overdo it has dissipated since I'm grazing on a lot of nutritious, low-glycemic foods that keep me feeling full.

Yesterday's food log:

Breakfast (6:30am):
1 package Quaker instant maple & brown sugar (I know, should just go steel cut)
1 cup Stonyfield Oikos greek yogurt with blackberries and granola
6 oz Pomegranate juice to wash down my MegaMen Active daily vitamins and Omega3 fishoil vitamins

mid-morning snack (10am or so):
organic banana
1 slice andama toast w/peanut butter

lunch (12:30):
Ovengold turkey breast (2 slices) with 2 slices Monterey Jack cheese on a pita with a 1/4 avocado on a pita

mid-afternoon snack (2:30pm):
2 handfuls of walnuts and dried cherries
1 apple

dinner (6pm):
wild salmon (about 8 oz) with tomatoes, spinach, and cannellini beans

8pm snack:
2 cantaloupe wedges, several handfuls of pumpkin flax granola

I find that by simply writing down what I eat, when I eat, keeps me honest. I can look at my intake with objectivity and hold myself accountable. When I do this, I feel great and lose the urge to eat lousy food. I also drink a ton of water, and a lot of sparkling water with fresh lemon wedges.

Lastly, I got my blood work data back and am pleased with the results. Three years ago this month, I was 222lbs and very sedentary. Now I'm 178, with another 10 to go. Triglycerides, the indicator/precursor to diabetes, was a whopping 387. Not good at all. Way too much fat in my blood. Today, it's a scant 41. Anything under 150 is good - rewarding to see what a proper diet and hard work can do. Cholesterol is 190 (anything under 200 is considered good) but I would like to reduce that number - I am cutting my intake of red meat down dramatically and I think that will make a big difference.

Sunday's 20.49

Set out to do my long run yesterday - my last one before New York - so I ran to Long Sands Beach in York, turned around at Nubble Rd., and returned home. Great run - in fact, my best training run of that length, ever. Cheryl and the kids met me at Long Sands shortly after I turned around at mile 12 and gave me a banana, a Gatorade and lots of support.

Finished in 3:11:02, or 9:19 min mile but my moving time was 3:07:55, or 9:10 per mile as I stopped for about 2:30 when I saw the family and also took two very quick bathroom breaks along the way. Felt great afterwards, and relaxed by the fire and watched some football while I recovered. I feel ready for NYC - I now have three 20 milers in the bank (including one full 26.2) over the last five weeks. My cardio is where I'd like it to be and my quads/calves/hammies feel great today - zero soreness whatsoever. This must be the first time I've run 20 and not been sore the next day.

I love running along the beach, so calming and restorative. I wanted to continue up Nubble Rd all the way to the lighthouse as it has a steady incline for several miles but this run called for 20 so I wanted to stick with the plan. Next long run after NYC, however, I will.

Also, this morning I had my annual physical. Good results, blood pressure is an excellent 121/68 though I weighed in at a very healthy 180 - I would like to be 168 as a comfortable, everyday weight. I will get there.

Getting my blood work done tomorrow...

Also as an aside, I told my physician about my running and turns out she used to be a marathon runner but now mostly plays tennis and cycles due to plantar fascitis. In fact she used to run on the men's track team at MIT back when they didn't have women's running and founded the female running club, but she used to run with - get this - Joan Benoit Samuelson on the Liberty Running Club back in the '70's. Even beat her in the mile. Turns out JBS didn't even run at Bowdoin, she played field hockey, and didn't begin running in earnest until after she graduated and started getting serious about the marathon. Found that fascinating.

Thursday's run

I set out to do another run of decent length this morning and I decided to do my out and back to York Golf & Tennis. I like this particular run because it is quiet, as I see very few cars and it is very scenic - just me and the pines, the jersey cows grazing in the rock wall lined pastures, and as I crossed the York River the lobster boats were coming in to unload their traps.

I started off Mile 1 at 9:03 and knew this would be an average pace after last night's Taekwondo class. There was only one other student who arrived so Grandmaster Park, who was a bit sore from a strained muscle in his neck, allowed me to conduct class. After a good warm-up and stretching we did a lot of kicking drills with the paddle pad, although basic techniques such as turn (roundhouse) kicks, side kicks, and chop (axe) kicks. We closed class with a 5 min 3 kick combination back-and-forth, and I left class drenched, and sore when I woke up today.

I finished the run in 1:51:51, one of my slower times for this run - my legs felt heavy and I never really got loose. Between Tuesday and today that adds up to 25 miles so far this week, and I have my last 20 miler before NYC this Sunday to add up to 45. I will begin to taper down after Sunday's run leading up to race day.

That's more like it

Did 12.91 miles to begin the week today and even after the first few steps my legs felt lighter, more agile. I think I underestimated the healing time required after an all-out 26.2 effort. I used to call this my 12.99 run, but my Garmin has it .08 less. So 12.91 miles it is.

I ran my standard 4.3 mile 'loop' that I've been doing since I began running again last year. My first run here in Kittery was the 4.3 loop once around, complete with three hills I named 'Tom, Dick and Harry' after the tunnels in The Great Escape. The first time I ran it last fall I was doing it in over 44:00; now my best recorded single loop time is 33:53.

Today's run just felt good. Comfortable midfoot striking, smooth and balanced. I pushed on the third loop, finishing in 1:52:47, or 8:44/mile. 1823 calories burned.

For comparison's sake, I did the same exact 12.91 two weeks after Sugarloaf and did it in 1:54:00, then again a few days later in 1:54:15 - so by using that standard, I feel pretty good with where I am two weeks after the Maine Marathon and three to go before NYC.

Sunday 8

Up and out at 7am sharp for an 8 miler - my pace is still over 9 min a mile, and perhaps didn't have the necessary fuel before I left the house. But something rather interesting happened when I returned from my run. I began to smell ammonia - yes, the scent of ammonia. I was perplexed.

I did a little research and this is what I learned (from Runner's World UK):

Q My sweat smells strongly of ammonia after a run. Is this normal?

A Don’t be too alarmed: the smell of ammonia in sweat is common among runners. Ammonia comes from the breakdown of amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) within the body. It is made up of nitrogen and hydrogen. The hydrogen atoms are converted to glucose and used as fuel. The nitrogen is a waste product that needs to be excreted by the body, and is processed in the kidneys to form urea that is excreted in urine. If there is too much nitrogen for your kidneys to deal with, it will be excreted as ammonia in your sweat.

One factor to consider is water intake. If you are consuming adequate fluid, the ammonia will be diluted – a decrease in the concentration will result in a less potent smell of ammonia. One way to be sure you are drinking enough fluids is to ensure your urine is clear.

Many people mistakenly believe ammonia sweat means that their protein intake is not high enough. The body will only utilise protein for energy when it does not have a sufficient supply of fats and carbohydrates. Muscles can use glucose and fat for energy, but the brain requires glucose. Since there is no direct metabolic pathway from fat to glucose when there is insufficient carbohydrate, your body will use amino acids. Therefore, if your sweat smells of ammonia don’t compensate by adding more protein (amino acids) to your diet, instead fuel your muscles and brain with what it prefers as an energy supply: carbohydrates. So, although protein is important in the diet, don’t go overboard. The recommended daily amount of protein is 15 per cent of your total calorie intake.

If you find the smell of ammonia persists try having a low glycaemic index carbohydrate, such as an apple, before your run and during prolonged exercise drink sports drinks to fuel your body and prevent amino acids being burned as energy. Don’t forget the body needs carbohydrate to burn fat so don’t think that providing some carbs before running is going to eliminate the fat burning process.

—Jane Newman, Sports Physiotherapist and Ultra Runner

So even though I consider an 8 mile run a 'short' run these days, I can't skip breakfast and need to bring GU or Gatorade on my runs, and it looks like I need to consume more carbs in my daily diet.

Seven Samurai

Did seven miles this morning before participating in not one but two Taekwondo demonstrations with my son. Finished in 1:04, putting me at a 9:15 min overall pace - just enough to keep loose and work up a sweat. Burned 996 calories.

Taekwondo has become an incredible means of cross-training - the short bursts of speed, the flexibility required, but most importantly the mental discipline and focus. One improves the other - the more I run, the greater my VO2MAX threshold becomes and hence I have more endurance for martial arts and sparring. The more I spar, the quicker I become, the sharper my decision making/ability to counter becomes, and lighter on my feet I feel. Running is a mental game; Taekwondo both works the mind and body simultaneously with demanding rigor.

But what makes Taekwondo special and truly enjoyable is the fact that I do it with my son. He is one of the youngest members on the Demo team, traveling around the Seacoast putting on martial arts exhibitions. We hope to test for Blue this December.

Tuesday's run

Once again did an out-and-back to the York Golf and Tennis Club this morning, but about a minute into my run my Garmin flashed low battery and moments later was out of juice. I must have left it on too long after my last run before turning it off...

So without a way to track time - I wasn't even sure when I left the house - I just ran. I pushed pretty hard and it felt like a faster pace than the same run a few days earlier but hard to tell. I do enjoy running this time of year - the cool weather and brilliant foliage make it a true respite from my regular day to day responsibilities.

Someone the other day asked me if I get "bored" doing all this running. I responded, "Does a Formula One driver get bored tearing around the same track for two hours?" First, I love to run. That helps. Sure, there are some days I just don't feel like it - but invariably if I do put on my kicks and go, I always feel glad that I did. Always. And of course there are plenty of runs I can't wait for the merciful end which can't ever come fast enough.

However running has become a bona fide passion, something I do to at times to relax, to escape, and other times to test my limits. I think about my pace, my rhythm, my breathing, how my muscles are responding, the terrain, what lies ahead, can I push harder....I cycle through a mental checklist, often without even realizing it. Other times I just get lost in music, but I am running more and more these days without it.

So the race car analogy seems appropriate for me, especially when running with the clock ticking and a specific time that I'm trying to beat. That's what really keeps me going, the silent inner battle just you wage against yourself, you know the time, how hard you need to push, can you do it, I can see the finish, just give a little bit more. Few things in life are more satisfying than a run when you wring every ounce of effort you have, and those few quiet moments after you're done you can say I gave it my absolute best - sore and exausted but proud and content.

Sunday's run

Did my standard run to the York Golf & Tennis Club and back - a mile into my run I wondered why it hadn't alerted me yet that I reached the Mile 1 split only to realize it wasn't tracking distance, just time (b/c I turned it on inside - rookie mistake). So I don't have an accurate gauge on the exact distance but mapmyrun shows it as 11.9. The total time was 1:48:37, so roughly 9 min miles. My fastest was 8:30 at mile 6 on Indian Rd., which is the midway point. For some perspective, when I returned from Montana I did this same run in 1:39:12; on 09/02 (in 95 degree heat) in 1:50:29; and on 09/09 I did it in 1:43:23.



It's obvious my body is still recovering from 26.2, though I did burn another 1,528 calories this morning.

Back into the frying pan

Did my 1st run since Sunday's marathon - a very hilly 11.82 mile run. Finished in 1:52:22, or 9:28 min mile avg. Just wanted to see how I felt, and I felt pretty good, so what I thought might be an 8 mile jaunt turned into something longer. Since my next 26.2 is a month away, I need to build up my miles quickly - and wanting to avoid 'junk' miles - I ran a hilly route that demanded effort. I wasn't too concerned with time, just getting a good hill workout. Those last few hills on Sunday took a lot out of me and I want to be ready for any hill, at any moment, regardless at what mile marker I find them.

My Garmin showed I burned 1,652 calories - love that feature. I am also looking to become leaner, as I ran the Maine Marathon a good 5 lbs heavier than Sugarloaf. Imagine running with a 5 lb weight in your pocket for no good reason?

Though I'll probably always be more bison than antelope, I can watch my nutrition a bit closer and make better choices to condition myself to handle all of these upcoming miles. Leaner = faster.

After today's run I drank 12oz Naked Protein, 8 oz. lower sodium V8, and a 1/2 cantalope, and am making cod fra diavolo for dinner with maple glazed brussel sprouts and sweet potato wedges for contorni (side dishes).

Need Some Advice

So during the ADK 1/2 marathon I developed what I think is a cramp. It's in the arch of my right foot. It hung around painfully for a few days and then tapered off with stretching and rest. Still, every so often when I took a half step on my right foot it came back with a twinge.

The cramp came and went during my first run since the race, on Sunday, but as I posted I stopped 3x to stretch, so managed to keep it at bay.

So today was the first since the race that the foot went all day without the return of the cramp. (I had to wear a suit to work today, so had on dress shoes, too.) I felt fine all day until I got home and suited up for a run. I laced up my sneakers in the bedroom, and during the four second walk down the hall to the door, the cramp returned! Anyway, I bagged the run until I figure this out.

So far my conclusion is, I need new shoes. Any other thoughts on this?

Thaks, fellas.

Maine Marathon

Yesterday I ran in the Maine Marathon, my first race in a bid to run in twelve marathons in twelve consecutive months which I'm documenting at 12marathons12months.blogspot.com. I finished in 3:44:00, averaging 8:33 minutes/mile. The course route was a bit tougher than I anticipated, as I was a full 9:00 off my desired finish time of 3:35, but it was a terrific event and I'll run this again without question.

Up at 5am and arrived at the University of Southern Maine gym at about 6:30 for packet pickup. My father accompanied me and it was great having him there. Just under 900 runners ran in the marathon, and about 2,000 ran in the 1/2 marathon. The out-and-back course began in Portland's Back Cove, and other than a few short turns though residential Portland it basically followed Rt. 88 through Falmouth and Cumberland before turning around in Yarmouth for the return.

The weather was crisp, about 50 degrees at the start. The cannon went off at 7:45, shoulder to shoulder, the stampede of footsteps, and the morning sun glistened off the water. Just a beautiful way to spend a Sunday in early October.

I wore my North Face shorts (with three PowerBar gels in each pocket), a Helly Hansen performance short sleeve shirt, and fleece gloves. I used my brand new Garmin Forerunner 310xt for the first time, and absolutely loved it (though I am still unable to transfer data from my device via wireless USB - frustrating.) I had it set to vibrate every mile and as I looked to maintain about an 8:00/mile average.

I ran exactly to plan the first 13 miles, and hit the 13.1 split in 1:44:44 - when I saw that I was remarkably encouraged and began to believe that 3:30 was within reach. Just maintain the same pace and I'm there.

Not so fast.

Here's the mile by mile breakdown:

7:18 Mile 1 out of the gate - to be expected.
7:35 Mile 2
7:40 Mile 3
7:47 Mile 4 - 1st energy gel
7:54 Mile 5 - feeling great at this point
7:57 Mile 6
8:00 Mile 7
7:59 Mile 8 - 2nd energy gel; took off my running gloves
7:52 Mile 9
8:12 Mile 10
8:00 Mile 11
8:22 Mile 12 - 3rd energy gel
8:24 Mile 13 - 1:44:44 split; almost the same time as last week's Niantic Bay 1/2 finish time. I'm very encouraged at this point
7:59 Mile 14 - back under 8:00 and my confidence is building
8:38 Mile 15
8:19 Mile 16 - 4th energy gel
8:57 Mile 17 - grinded up the steepest hill of the course; saw Cheryl and my parents who handed me a G2
8:38 Mile 18 - though times are mid 8's still feeling good though hammys and calves tightened a bit
8:43 Mile 19
8:40 Mile 20 - 5th genergy gel; still think 3:35 is in the cards
9:21 Mile 21 - first time I ran more than 20 since the Race around the Lake 7/30; begin to really feel it
9:18 Mile 22 - last energy gel
9:24 Mile 23 - stop in a port-a-potty to take a leak; lose 45 seconds?
9:36 Mile 24 - just grinding - legs have had it - an unexpected hill had me running hands on waist for a bit
9:57 Mile 25 - nothing left
9:40 Mile 26 - just trying to finish

So Mile 21 and after tells the story. I was strong through 20 but then ran out of fuel, something that didn't happen at Sugarloaf. I only bonked at Mile 25 but then recovered to sprint the last .25 or so; yesterday I knew exactly when I lost it and never regained a second wind.

Frustrating, but I can't be too hard on myself - 3:44 is a respectable finish. And the good news is that I have another 26.2 in the bank and have put my body through the last 6 miles so that should help when I run NYC next month.

Crowd support was decent - those who were out were vocal and enthusiastic - though there were stretches of solitude along Rt. 88 where I didn't see a soul. I do tend to enjoy crowd support, so I can only imagine what NYC will be like.

I had a slight fever when the race was over - this also happened after the ultra. I took some Aleve and it subsided a few hours later. Apparently this is common after pushing your body for so long. My Garmin also showed I burned 3,767 calories, about a full pound - 143 per mile - though I consumed 600 calories in energy gel along the way.

Today I feel a bit sore in my hammies and calves but not too bad - well enough to go to Taekwondo class tonight. If nothing else, I want to go for the stretching to shake away the muscle tightness.

FYI, I will be running the VT City Marathon as my May marathon next year - so if anyone is interested, I'm in.

Leaf Peepers Half Marathon

Today was an experiment in running without training. Like FA, I have not been motivated at all lately. Ok, more than lately. I really haven't run since my painful Vermont City Marathon. No big deal really, and I do believe that running breaks are important to stay interested in the sport -- my only issue is that I signed up for the Leaf Peepers Half Marathon, which was today in my hometown.

Despite not training, I was determined not to crash. I diligently ate every 20 minutes, drank plenty of Gatorade, and went out slow. Since it's local, it's a very social race, and I also wanted to have fun. At the end of the day, I accomplished my goals. I didn't bonk, finished strong, and enjoyed seeing friends. Oh, and no injuries -- that's a big one. I came in at 2:06, which is somewhere around a 9:30 pace. Just fine with me.

I won't say I'm back, but I'm intrigued. It was a good day.

Later boys.

Back to Basics

I got out on the road today. 50 minutes, end to end. This included warm up and cool down walks, as well as three stretch breaks. I took it gingerly, expecting to reprise some of the aches and pain from last week's Adirondack 1/2 Marathon. I finished today with a tweak in my left knee, otherwise I felt fair. The slow-n-steady approach gets credit, I am certain.

The ADK 1/2 ended up being a fine time. For a bunch of reasons -- some reasonable, some not, nearly all mental -- I ran little in preparation. I wanted to back out, but having made a commitment to Mrs. FA and some other folks, off we went.

Given the lack of training, I planned a walk/run strategy: run the first six miles, and then walk/run alternate miles. This way I could finish in 2:30 and not hurt myself.

I stuck more or less to the plan, and ran more or less at my intended pace. At mile 11, I stopped to wait for Mrs. FA so we could run the last two miles and finish together, which we did in 2:43.

There's a New York Road Runners 5 miler on Halloween, and I want to run between 9 and 9:30 minute miles. I am going to train for this alone, for myself. My recent lack of motivation re: the ADK 1/2 stemmed mainly from a promise I made to run it. There are already too many obligations in life. If I run, I have to run because I want to, obliged to no one.

It is a beatiful day in NYC, and the Park is full of runners and tourist and folks walking dogs. I ran the route that I ran over and over and over when I started running more than two years ago. I even wore the heart monitor strap, which gave me some interesting bio-feedback. I haven't used it in a long time. There's a stiff headwind along part of my route - the first crisp breeze of the Fall season. Looking forward to more of it.

Later. fellas.

Niantic Bay 1/2 Marathon

Today was the Niantic Bay 1/2 Marathon and 5K - what a splendid day for a race. The entire TL family drove up to Niantic where my sister has a beach house. Both of my sisters ran in the 5K, as did Mrs. Torn Ligaments, and yes my little hombre ran his second official road race in as many weeks.

It has just over 1,000 runners combined for both events - last year I did the 5K, my first, which sparked a fire within me - and it's been burning ever since. I set a pre-race goal of 1:40, which as I mentioned, was extremely aggressive - 7:40 min miles - but I wanted to push and see if I could do it. The course was essentially two big loops that begin in Rocky Neck State Park and then go through a seaside residential neighborhood, that reminds me a little bit of Marblehead.

I wore my Ironman watch which does track mile splits, though in the heat of the race I missed a few mile markers. I need a Garmin so it tracks automatically, but I digress.

Mile 1 I cranked in 6:47, felt light and balanced, but knew I had to dial it back a bit. Mile 2, my split was 9:00 exactly. Just awful. So I picked it up again, and Mile 3 split was 7:46 - more like it. Mile 4 7:53, Mile 5 7:54, Mile 6 6:29 (my fastest of the race). Apparently in my euphoria/delirium after turning out a scorcher I missed the next mile marker, and didn't get back on track until I saw the Mile 8 sign and staring keeping tabs again:
Mile 9 7:41
Mile 10 8:33
Mile 11 7:23
Mile 12 7:56
Mile 13 ? (I didn't press the button) to finish in 1:44:00.

My last mile I pushed hard, and after realizing 1:40 wouldn't happen, then besting 1:45 became the goal, and beat that by a minute.

144 35/75 M3039 1:44:14 David Costantini 39 M 375 Kittery ME 1:44:00 7:56

So 7:56 min miles, not bad. The real test will be if I can run 8:00 min miles next Sunday for the Maine Marathon in Portland, which includes a fair amount of hills.

I want to beat my Sugarloaf time of 3:39:19, and the rest is gravy.

12 Marathons in 12 Months

I've been inspired.

I am going to run 12 marathons in 12 months, and video record document my training and each race.

This is my tentative race schedule for my 12 month marathon challenge:

10/3/10 Maine Marathon, Portland ME
11/7/10 ING New York City Marathon
12/11/10 Roxbury Marathon, Roxbury CT
01/30/11 ING Miami Marathon, Miami FL
02/27/11 Hyannis Marathon, Hyannis MA
03/06/11 Napa Valley Marathon, Napa CA
04/18/11 *I didn't get into Virgin London Marathon so we'll see - Boston???????
05/22/11 Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon, Halifax NS
6/11 NipMuck Trail Marathon, Ashford CT
7/11 Around the Lake 12 Hour Ultra, Wakefield MA
8/11 *Going to Italy so not sure yet
9/11 Vermont 50 Ultra, Brownsville VT

I couldn't be more excited. I have to be pragmatic about which races to run (there are so many incredible ones to choose from) and have a tremendous amount of variables to consider, but I am committed to making this happen. Miami and Napa are the only ones that require flights. I still hope to squeeze a 70.3 triathlon in next year as well.

Needless to say, if there is anyone out there who wants to join me in a race, I would LOVE the company!!!!

Tuesday's run

Did a 12.5 mile run on this wonderful September day. I wore my North Face fleece pants for the first time since April and again wore a long sleeve HH performance shirt.

It was warm in the sun but most of my route was shaded and I felt pretty good. I had TKD last night and did a lot of sparring which takes more out of me than a usual class. At one point I backed my opponent into a corner and unleashed a fusillade of roundhouse kicks, one after another after another, maybe 8 or 9 in rapid succession, something I've never done before. So my legs were feeling it this morning.

Anyway, I didn't run a traditional route, just re-ran several hilly roads to the tune of 12.5 miles according to mapmyrun. Time was 1:48 and change.

I need to commit to a goal for the Niantic 1/2 marathon this Sunday. I will shoot for 1:40 - that is an extremely aggressive time for me, but it is flat and I will attempt to use the race day intensity to my benefit. To quote Bruce Lee, “A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.”

So 1:40 it is.

Kittery PTA Seaside 4 Miler

OK, this is amusing. My 6 yr old son insisted on running the actual 4 mile race, not the kids fun run. "Those are for babies," he said. He had a meltdown of epic proportions back in May when we didn't sign him up for the Fire Station 5k, so I wasn't sure how he would do running 4 miles but figured he'd probably go out strong, run out of gas, and walk the rest of it.

He crushed it! He ran most of it, took a few walking breaks here and there but for the most part was on the move running hard. I was side-by-side with him the entire way and he did great. Mile 1 was 11:01 and finished up 48:35 I believe. 12:09 avg min/mile for a 6 year old?

Great stuff, and he loved every minute of it.

20 Miler

I didn't run all week long but managed to get in my much needed 20 miler this afternoon. I ran to the York Golf & Tennis Club (waved to the bridal party) and continued along through York Village and York Harbor, before turning around. Very nice run.

Time was 2:56:28. Mile 1 was 8:24 and was doing 9:00 min miles for most of it, but the last few I was running out of gas. Could've used GU/Gatorade.

I can run a 12 and feel fine, but tack on another 8 and my body feels it.

I am craving a big giant porterhouse medium rare right now.

Long run

My Saturday was very hectic and I only had a small window in which to run so I left the house at 6:30am and ran for 2 hrs. I returned at 8:30am, and not sure of pacing or exact distance but best guess would be 14.5 miles.

I ran the hilliest roads I could find. Today is a rest day.

Thursday 12

Another 12 miler to York Golf & Tennis this morning. Mile 1 was 8:00 on the screws and wound up finishing up in 1:43:23, :11 seconds off my Saturday run of the same length.

It was also about :10 seconds slower per mile than yesterday's 13 which is interesting because it is a flatter course. I pushed, but seems I have hit a temporary plateau in terms of time. Need to improve.

I will run a 20 on Saturday, then run this again next week.

I've run 41 miles the past 7 days, 53 if you include last Thursday's sweltering 12.

Wednesday 13

I am back to my 12.99 Wednesday routine of my 4.33 loop x 3 and today I set a goal of 1:45, or three consecutive 35:00 loops.

1st loop was 35:47, and I pushed hard. Second loop was 36:11. Last loop 37:22. Final time 1:49:20. So I'm still averaging 8:20 min/mile for 13, but I want to shave :20 per mile and get down to 8:00/mile.

A lot of hard work ahead.

57:49

Did an out-and-back 7 mile run on this spectacular Labor Day morning. Wore a long sleeve Helly Hansen performance tee, first time since April? Just perfect running weather.

Mile 1 7:45 and at the 3.5 mile split I was exactly 29:00. My goal was to crack 29:00 on the way back, and did the back half in 28:49 for a total time of 57:49. Good run.

8 miler

Did an eight mile run this morning. Perfect weather. Didn't wear a watch but best guess would be around 8:30 min/mile, roughly same pace as yesterday's 12.

Incidentally, I am looking for a good road bike. I've decided to get into the triathlon game. My goal is to finish the Timberman 70.3 next Aug as well as the Pumpkinman 70.3 next Sept, which is right next door to us in South Berwick, ME.

Saturday's 12

Did another 12 today, once again to the York Golf & Tennis Club and back. Soon I they will start charging me membership dues...

Wore my brand new Brooks Adrenalines size 10.5EE and they felt very comfortable. Had them shipped from Bozeman, MT - when I was out West I walked into the Bozeman Running Company and struck up a nice conversation with the owner. He's a former collegiate runner, and we talked for a 1/2 hour about marathons, trail ultras, and as a former sales rep for Brooks recommended these shoes. He ordered them and shipped them to Kittery. Perfect fit.

Anyway, Mile 1 in 8:13 and finished up in 1:43:12 but had to stop to take a leak, maybe 30 seconds lost. I pushed hard on the back half and gave it a strong effort.

September training

Started off September with a 4.3 mi run in 36:19 yesterday and then another 12 miler this morning. It was the same 12 mile out and back to the York Golf & Tennis Club that I did the other morning in 1:39 - in today's outrageous heat I did it in 1:50:29, a full minute slower per mile.

2nd run of August..

So this morning,Saturday 8/28 I did only my 2nd run in nearly four weeks - a 12 miler to the York Golf & Tennis Club and back. Left the house at 6:30 sharp, and 1st mile was 7:21 and finished in 1:39:12, avg. 8:15 min/mile. So I didn't lose too much during my hiatus, probably because I kept very active out West, hiking 8-10 miles at 8,000+ altitude nearly every day. I really enjoyed today's run however and am excited to kick my training back into gear.

Race schedule is as follows: Niantic 1/2 marathon in a month, Maine Marathon the week after, and then New York Marathon 11/7.

Falmouth Road Race Recap

I ran Falmouth on Sunday, August 15, 2010. Given my utter lack of preparation for this race I was happy with my performance, just squeaking in under the 60 minute mark at 59:22. This time, while not my fastest, was also not my worst and was only about 11 seconds slower/mile than last year. If there were races for beer drinking etc. I'd be starting with the elites, but there aren't so I was one of the pack on Sunday.

This race was special for a couple of reasons. I ran in support of the Falmouth Military Support Group -- a local charity that offers support to Falmouth-area troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their families. I got a shirt from them and wore it during the race. It's the first time I've ever run in a tank-top and it was really cool to have a team logo on my chest. I think that I represented it well and it definitely helped me power through -- I wanted to make a good showing to all of the spectators and the folks who supported me and the group with their donations. You all ran with me.

I'm also happy with this race because it was a race in which I really felt like a runner -- I relied on my experience as a runner, my knowledge of my body and the course to just find a comfortable pace and run a decent race. I dropped all pretense of ego and just ran. I stayed relaxed, I smiled, I high-fived the little kids along the course and generally enjoyed the experience and the comfortable weather -- usually Falmouth RR is a brutally hot and sunny affair and this year was a bit overcast and very comfortable.

Based on last year's time is was in the flight right behind the elites which was a bit intimidating but also motivating. I think that I acquitted myself reasonably well. Race bibs are color coded and mine was purple this year. I arrived at the start thinking that I'd been bumped way back (purple was the masses, 12 minute/mile crowd last year) because I was wearing a charity number. Nope.

I didn't eat much before this race, but did drink on the course which helped. I relaxed through the rolling first half, and felt good coming onto the beach. Again, the sun was behind clouds so it wasn't brutal as it usually is there, and I said so to a couple of women. The breeze was a bit stiff, and slightly ahead of us coming from the right -- it did wear on me a bit toward the end of the beach.

Coming off the beach you make a big left hand turn. A bunch of 20-something guys were there, drinking and goofing off. One of them, as a joke, held out his Corona. I grabbed it as I went by and, looking over my shoulder, toasted them and took a swig. They were howling with laughter. I spit out the warm beer and tossed the bottle. Unfortunately it bounced back onto the road and some guy was like "woah!" but it didn't break.

Between 5 and 6 I saw Charlie Gibbs (I think) in a Chicago Cubs hat and a guy around 6 with a HC football t-shirt on. I gave him a big high-five. My legs blew up just bast 10K. I walked for about 15 paces and then hammered it up the final big hill and finished with a nice kick. Good race, good day in support of a good cause. It's inspired me to get back on the road and train better, but I'm not going to race again (after this weekend's tri -- which is all about fun and for which I feel good given my attituede and result this past weekend) until The Hingham Turkey Trot.

Race Recap - Around the Lake Ultra

On Friday evening I ran the 24 hour Race Around the Lake in Wakefield, MA. I did the 12 hour race, and I had set a pre-race goal of making 16 loops, or 50.75 miles. Add the .85 distance to make the first eight loops an official marathon, so 51.6 total miles was what I was striving for.

It was a fantastic event from start to finish. Mrs. TL and I drove down on Friday, she checked into the Sheraton Colonial, and we headed to the Lord Wakefield hotel for packet pickup. There were 54 runners doing the 12 hour race, a similar amount doing the 24 hour, and about 150 doing the marathon. There were also 10 teams doing the relay, where they have a team between 6-8 runners who split distance over 24 hour span.

The vibe was excellent. We camped out near the chute with a cooler and a few folding chairs. It had a tailgate atmosphere, as people set up tents, folding tables, grills, and every amenity a runner and their support people could need.

I felt good at the start. Now I didn't train specifically for a 12 hour, 50 mile ultra, but about a month ago I learned about this race and felt I could handle it. The next 2-3 weeks I increased my milage, so if the Higdon plan said 14 for a long, I'd to 16-17, and etc. I knew I could run 26.2, and anything after that is icing. Last week was a taper week, as I did two 8 mile runs just to stay loose. I wanted to be fresh for the race.

I didn't want to focus too much on the fact that I'd be running two back to back marathons - just running loops. 8 loops made a marathon, so my strategy was to run nice and easy for the 1st 8, then taking short walking breaks after completing each loop.

7pm and it was on. My biggest challenge early on was making sure I didn't go out too hard. I ran a deliberately slow pace, and settled into a nice groove. 1st three laps felt great. I made sure I drank HEED sports drink at the 2 mile water stop. I had GU roctane at the start, and one at lap 3. Lap 4 I took a gatorade from our cooler, and walked while I drank it.

It was cool to see the moon rise over the lake - like I mentioned to someone during the race, you know you are going a long way when you get lapped by a celestial object. I had a 24 lumen head lamp, which helped a good deal. The lake is well lit, but I used it for several sections where the walkway was bumpy from roots and where the curb drops down to the road. Even though I had a reflector vest on, I chose to run on the walkway because you just never know when someone will come screaming around the lake, possibly drunk, and mow you down. So no chances.

Mrs. TL left for the Sheraton after my 4th lap to get some shuteye, about 10pm or so. She planned to return around 5am. Agricola was going to arrive around 4am to run the final 3 hrs with me - more on that later.

The weather was ideal - cool, maybe high 60's when the sun set, and gradually eased into the high 50's. Insects were not an issue either. Lap 5,6,7,8 - I maintained a steady pace. Finished the marathon in 4:45, and that was when the hunger really kicked in. I grabbed 2 slices of pizza from the food tent, put one slice on top of the other, downed 2 cups of HEED sports drink, and gobbled a huge handful of pretzels. I ate as I walked, about ten minutes or so, covering roughly a 1/2 mile.

Refueled, I then ran a quick lap just to get it out of my system. I ran it like a 5K road race, about 8 min miles, and that cured the desire to go pedal to the medal. A questionable thing to do, but I felt terrific at the time knowing I just finshed 26.2 and had the steam to crank out an all-out 5K at race pace. I then returned to my regular, conservative pace.

After finishing lap 9, my routine was consistent - pass through the chute, go to food tent, grab whatever my body craved at that moment, take it with me, and eat while I walked for 5-10 minutes. This worked. At times it was pizza, other times salty foods, still others outright sweets. I was pleased with my fuel intake to that point - I stopped to pee twice, my sodium levels were good, and if I felt hungry I ate before it became an issue.

I also grabbed my iPod and from midnight through 3am I ran to music. My standard long distance running mix, with NFL films soundtrack, Rocky selections, The Hives, The Killers, Green Day, etc.

I had some great conversatons along the way - the runners were all so friendly, willing to chat. Around 3am I struck up a conversation with one of the 24 hr runners - he was 43, and done VT 100 5 times, and last year attempted the Grand Slam of Ultra Running - the Western States 100 (complete with river crossing), Leadville 100, VT 100, and Wasatch 100. He DNF'd Leadville and Western, but got the Buckle from the others (100 mi in under 24 hours). So impressive. He's friends with Scott Jurek, and talked a lot about his training - being from CT, all the miles in the world just don't prepare you for the altitude out west. By far the biggest challenge he faces.

Lap 12, feeling great. That was when I noticed I was lapping some of the other 12 hour runners.

Around the 2.5 mark of lap 13 was one of the darker stretches and I wasn't paying as close attention as I should have and didn't realize the sidewalk was ending and I stepped down into the side street, a good 12-16" down, and really banged down hard on my left foot. Immediate pain. Up until that point my cardio and overall muscle fatigue was feeling good, but where my shin met my ankle was now throbbing. Not good. I pressed on.

At 4am I rounded the mile 3 marker into the parking lot and saw Agricola. I was stoked beyond belief. I was finishing lap 14 (44 miles) and he gave me an enormous boost. Felt pretty decent overall with the exception of my shin.

Three more hours, and two laps to go until I hit my goal of 50. My left lower shin area was only getting worse. We walked a good part of lap 15 while the sun rose, and when I went through the chute to complete 15 Mrs. TL joined us. We walked the first 3/4 of a mile, then Agricola said something - I don't recall precisely what he said - but whatever it was it got my engine going. I began to ran, and it was excruciating. My shin was burning with pain.

Those last 2 miles were the longest 2 miles of my life, but both Agricola and Mrs. TL made it bearable. I would not have run if they weren't there. As we approached the Mile 3 marker I started to break down emotionally. I pride myself on getting by with mental toughness, and when I saw that big 3 sign I picked up the pace as best I could. I babbled "I can do this" over and over to Ted, and when we hit the final turn and the chute was in sight I sprinted as fast as I possibly could, completing 51.6 miles in 11:00:16.

I was done. I broke down in massive tears. I did it. I gave Mrs. TL a big hug, and one for Agricola as well for pulling maximum effort out of myself despite being a complete state of agony. But agony is temporary; the achievement lasts forever. I am forever grateful for their encouragement.

An hour was left on the clock but I knew I couldn't complete another lap with the pain in my shin. I knew I was done, but not before the run of my life.

I am still waiting for the official posting from the Somerville Road Runners, but the printout at the race table showed I finished 19th out of 54 runners in the 12 hour. I feel good about that. The winner of the 12 hr did 23 laps, 2nd place did 20, and 3rd did 19.

I will definitely do this again next year. Perhaps even the 24. I will know what to expect, and will have specifically trained for an ultra.

For giggles, here is what I consumed in that 12 hour period. Reads like Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar:

9 bottles of 12 oz. Gatorades
30 (?) cups of HEED (guess)
3 GU roctane
9 slices of pizza
2 giant eclairs
2 giant oatmeal raisin cookies
1 bag of pretzels (approx)
3 bananas
1 peach
1 pb& honey sandwich
8 slices of watermelon
2 shots of 5 hour energy for caffeine
more M&M's and jelly beans than I've eaten in my life....and STILL lost 3.5 lbs.

Prepare the right way - do the work, don't cheat yourself - and the results can be astonishing. I have learned not to impose artifical limits on myself. I will keep pushing forward, in running, and in life.

24 Hour Race Around the Lake

So it's official - - I am registered and running in next Friday's 24 Hour Race Around the Lake.

I've been thinking about running this race for about a month now and have decided I have the stamina and endurance to do this. I will be doing the 12 hour ultra marathon beginning at 7pm and have 12 hours to run around Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, MA as many times as my body can endure. It is a 3.16 mile loop, well lit, and paved - ideal conditions for a first ultra. Proceeds go to the Rabb Clinic at Children's Hospital Boston.

I want to keep pushing myself, shun complacency, and see what I can achieve if I put forth enough effort. My goal is to complete 16 loops in under 12 hours for a total distance run of 50.56 miles.

So it is on. 50.56 miles in 12 hours. I can do this.

Some Thoughts

A radical double post from me.
I want to take a minute to comment on some of the posts that I've been reading here and catching up on after my hiatus.

@Tom: you put in the grittiest performance of the year in VCM. You warriored that thing to the end. It was a brutal run this year, and I ate a bunch and still had issues. I know I've declared a hiatus but something clicked in me this week -- I need to run VCM, again. I need to master the training. I know I can finish a marathon, maybe not quickly, but I can cover 26.2 in a (somewhat) respectable time. The time comes from the training, and marathoning, now, for me, is about mastering the training and that's what I need to try again and submit myself to.

@David: you are a force of nature. I admire & envy your drive. Crewing for you would be cool -- but do you think could find a closer ultra? the keys are kind of far away, and it could get expensive. But send me the details, and we'll see if it's doable.

@Noel: it's all about the flow, I've been saying that for two years. It's not corny, it's true. You need to habituate yourself to the training and embrace its ups and downs. It's time to put the pedal to the medal on the Timberman... crash training time baby!

@Red: where are you? let's go for a ride ;).

@Steve: good luck training for Schroon 1/2. I'd be happy to do a training run with you if you want, but it will take some coordination, August is full. I considered Schroon with you guys for a bit but it's not going to work out this year. Some time in the future.

Weston 5 Miler

So, here it is the Torn Ligament Blog... left alone with the blog and his miles and a bunch of slacker training partners who are offering zero support and seemingly the same number of miles.... Sorry David, I'm back, and will participate again here, we need to.

Well, I'm back after a long hiatus in which I basically got really good at drinking beer and working my tail off on miserable projects with miserable clients and partners.
I got in one run during my vacation, three weeks ago, a mellow 3.3 miles. I signed up for the Weston 5 Miler months ago, and thought it was next week until they thankfully sent me an email reminder Wednesday. So, I bucked up and did the race in a rather moderate 42 minutes (gun time). It was about what I expected after my layoff, 8:30s, and didn't hurt too bad. I uncorked a scorcher between 2-3 (7:26 by my estimation) but starting at the back of the pack and running a really slow first mile it went for naught and hurt me at the end.

Anyway, I needed something to kick my butt back into gear and this hopefully did it. I'm running Falmouth in a few weeks, but I need some help: I'm getting in by raising funds for Falmouth Military Support Group. Phat and Torn have kindly donated to my cause, and I'd be stoked if I could get you other Distance Trainers to pony up some cash by 7/30/10 -- you can donate online here: Firstgiving. Thanks guys.

Week 8

Started off Week 8 training with a 7 mile run this evening. About a 1/2 mile into it I had to use the restroom and without any promising opportunities just ended up holding it the entire run. On top of that, I had eaten an early supper of scallops, spanish rice and broccoli - mistake. Should have waited until I returned to eat, like I do after I return from evening TKD class. Left calf is also still sore. So not a great run, but it's done. 1:06:42.

First Ultra

Today is my off-day, and time for some brief introspection. My little grasshopper and I tested yesterday for our high green belts and it went well. Sparring, breaking, Taeguk poomses, everything. The journey to eventually attain our black belts has given me the mental strength and confidence to embark on a quest to achieve some audacious goals - and do the work to achieve them.

My next goal is to run a 50 mile ultramarathon. I will do it, and see the race to its end.

My committed race schedule the next 6 months is as follows:

08/7 Beach to Beacon 10k
09/25 Niantic Bay 1/2 marathon
10/3 Maine Marathon
11/7 New York Marathon
01/30 Miami Marathon
04/26 London Marathon (subject to lottery)

SO I will run a 50 miler early summer 2011. If I do not get into London I am leaning towards the Keys 100 in 05/11 (the 50 mile event)from Mile Marker 51 in Marathon, FL and finish in Key West. Proceeds go to the Richard J. Fox Foundation to fight prostate cancer. (Second option is the North Face Endurance Challenge next June from Washington D.C. to McLean, VA.)

Would anyone be interested in the shared experience of an ultra? Or possibly being part of my support crew?

Final run of Week 7

Just a quick 4.3 loop but my left calf is still twinging with some discomfort. Between Wed, Thu and today did 33.3 combined miles. Time for a break.

Tomorrow is TKD testing so no run, taking Sun off, and probably Monday too. While I am following the Higdon Intermediate II plan in terms of when to scale up/back I am actually exceeding the weekly milage, but then again I did that with the Novice I plan as well.

Will hit Week 8 training hard again come Tues and hope that my calf has enough time to heal.

Week 7 long run

With my upcoming testing for Taekwondo this Sat and today's magnificent weather I decided to do my long run 16 this morning.

Had 2 english muffins with hummus spread on top, 2 cups of coffee and a GU before I left the house. Did my first 8 in 1:14, had another GU, and felt good until mile 14 - then experienced my worst running bonk since miile 25 of Sugarloaf. Agony. That stretch is in the sun and I was so dehydrated I couldn't muster up any saliva. I should have taken a gatorade, one GU at mile 8 just wasn't enough. Must have taken me 22 min do the final 2 miles.

Drank about 20 oz of milk flavored with Hershey's strawberry syrup and several glasses of H2O and I feel fine. 29 miles in two days is a good chunk of running.

Going to the TKD breaking class tonight! Excited to crack some lumber.

The Solo Blogger

Torn Ligaments gets major props for keeping his d*ck up and being the solo blogger since the VT City Marathon posts of June 3. Hang tough, dude. I registered for the Adirondack 1/2 again this year, and IF I can get off my behind will start training for it any...day...now. Posts to come.

13 in the rain

Week 7 training began today with a 13 miler in the wet. I missed yesterday's run but moving forward will do 13 every Wednesday until the week prior to the race. 13 is a good distance and will continue to challenge myself for time on these runs.

I started slowly (38:50) for the first 4.33 and pushed harder on the second loop (36.20) and finished the third lap in 36:15 for a total time of 1:51:25. I was distracted on the first loop, haven't been sleeping well of late and wrestling with the idea of starting a business so more than once I caught myself just cruising on autopilot and had to refocus. The rain and cooler temps were a welcome change from the oppressive heat and humidity of last week.

I have been bothered lately with a dull ache in my left calf that runs along the side of my lower leg, knee to ankle. It's not painful, just nagging. Not sure exactly what it is, perhaps a light strain/pull. Running through it.

16.4

Complete change of heart - with the weekend rain we are expecting, I decided to crank out my Week 6 long run (16 mi) this morning. It was still warm and the route was shady for the most part but the stretches of sun were tough. I felt fine up until about mile 10 then the thirst kicked in - mental toughness can overcome a lot but when a man is thirsty, that is another story. Final time 2:29:09. Map my run said it was 16.4.

A hilly 13

Missed Taekwondo last night and was scheduled to do 7 today but decided to do a longer run. It was down to a brisk 94 on the back deck, downright chilly compared to the past few days, but once I got going it was still hot. Under the shade it felt great but this run has long stretches of sun and I baked. Time 1:57:58. Tomorrow is rest and I need it - 28 miles the past three days in Death Valley-like conditions and I'm ready to fill the jacuzzi up with buckets of ice and just chill like a polar bear.

Eight miles

Got in my Wednesday run in 1;10:34, and it was *only* 100 on my back deck. Actual temp was probably 90, a good 4 to 5 degrees cooler than yesterday. Humidity was also lower which makes all the difference in the world.

I was 7:54 after mile 1 and 34:45 at the half way point. Another 8:45 avg min mile run. TKD tonight.

Week 6 begins..

111 degrees. That was the reading on my back deck this morning at 9am. A liberal amount of sunscreen, a chocolate GU, and a 12 oz bottle of G2 and out I went.

Did 7 miles in the heat. Felt good actually, muscles loose. The worst part is the stinging sweat that I can't seem to keep out of my eyes. I should get a sun visor. 1:02:53 is about 5 min slower than usual but still just under 9:00 min/mi.

60 laps

So this weekend the Torn Ligament family went to CT to celebrate the 4th. On Sat morning both Mrs. TL and I did a run I used to do in high school - a 4.3 loop around Pinewood Lake, where they filmed Revolutionary Road with Kate Winslet/Leo DiCaprio. Ironically, it is the same distance as the loop I do here in Kittery. It was a slower pace than I'm used to but nice to run with her. It has very big hills and I'd steam up them and then wait for her, but so nice that we can talk a bit and that we can share the joy of running together.

After we finished, I went next door to my old H.S. and ran 1 mile on the brand new rubberized track (a far cry from the gravel and dust I ran on 20+ yrs ago) and did it in 6:57, :06 slower than the 1 mile split time from my last two 5k's.

Sunday morning was my long run - and I was so impressed with the new track I decided to do 15 miles (60 laps) on it. Took me 2:12:57, so basically the consistent 8:45 time as my other long runs. Repetitive, yes, but I did enjoy it. I caught some collegiate running the other day after the World Cup on ESPN - from Oregon I believe, some sort of national championship race. They were doing the 10,000m and that got my juices flowing to barrel around a track, something I have not done in decades. Mrs. TL joined me for a bit, as she did 3 mi but we did not run together but she's getting faster - about 11:00 min mile - and then stretched in the shade and went back to my parents.

When I was done I walked a lap and then did the entire football field worth of suicides. Slow going, but I made a point of touching the yard lines every time. Goal to 10 yd line, back to Goal, then to 20 yd, etc. It is another psychological booster come marathon day - I can harken back to the July 4th morning in the ridiculous heat when after running 15 miles on my old H.S. track I did a full series of suicides. I was alone, and could have just walked back to my parent's home, but did it anyway.

I'm convinced that mental resilience, the willingness to push just that little bit harder when I'm running on empty, is what will get me to break 3:30 come October.

July 1st

2010 is half over and I am pleased with the progress I have made since Jan 1st.

Though I still have a long way to go before I reach my ultimate goals, I am patient, keeping things in perspective, and taking it step by step.

Today I ran 8.66 in 1:14:09, or 8:45 min/mile. In Jan I was running 10:30 min/miles for that distance. That is moving the ball in the right direction.

My hamstrings felt like they could support the Zakim bridge the first 3 miles or so this a.m. until they finally loosened up. That seems to be the case the morning after Taekwondo. Though my pace wasn't blazing I ran a good 2nd loop and look forward to my long run this Sunday morning in CT.

Week 5 training

Week 5 began yesterday with a 4.3 run in the stifling humidity - I finished in 39:03 and swatted away deer flies the entire time.

Today was a different story. It was 70 degrees and the air was much drier. I did 8 and felt pretty good - 7:45 at mile 1, 34:04 at the halfway point, and finished in 1:08:49. So a better pace than my runs of late.

I also did the 1,000 pushup challenge last night, which is 1,000 pushups in 3hrs or less. I read that US Army Rangers do it and wanted to see how many I could do in that time frame. I had no idea what to expect, if I would even finish in 180 minutes. I finished in 1 hour 58 minutes. I admit it sounded daunting but wanted to give it a shot - and the feeling of surprising yourself is wonderful. When I joined Taewkondo in May of '09 I remember I could not do 20 in a row.

Lug nut run

Today was a lug nut run.

I didn't feel like going, we are headed to Kennebunk for a cookout with the inlaws so already looking forward to a nice steak and some cold ones. I told myself that today's run was what will separate me from the runner I am right now - a glorified ham-and-egger who still dreams of cracking 3:30 - from someone who can accomplish that goal and then some.

So out I went. I call it a lug nut run because I can use this during my next marathon when I feel the wheels starting to fall off, to tighten them back up again. I can recall that moment I went from blowing my long run off to doing it, and sometimes harkening back to a moment of strength overcame weakness can be a huge difference maker.

I did the 12.99 again and finished in 1:53:13. Not great, but not terrible either. It is actually nearly the exact 13.1 split time at Sugarloaf. Higdon says to run your long run 30-45 seconds slower than marathon pace, but I have to chuckle - my marathon pace is called run your a$$ off like you're being chased by a pride of hungry lions. I have a hard time gauging my pace and think it's high time I get a Garmin or Suunto to accurately track my splits and distance covered.

8 on Saturday

Got in a decent 8 mile run this morning. It is exactly 4.00 at the turnaround point where Crockett's Neck Rd. meets 103 so it is helpful from a split standpoint. This run has a good amount of hills so this will be the new go-to route when I need 8.

I was 8:01 after mile 1 and 34:53 at the midway point. Finished up 1:11:27 but also took a quick nature break so let's call it 1:11 even. I really need to pick up the pace on these runs.

Tomorrow I'll do 14 and might do it on 1A along the Rye/Hampton coast where Agricola and I did the Eastern States 20.

9 in the steam

I set out to do a 7 miler at a quick pace and it just didn't work out that way. I tried a different route so I was ballparking the distance. When I left the house it was still overcast, humid but reasonably cool, and puddles were everywhere due to last night's downpour. The first few miles were slow - mile 1 was 8:02 and that was the last time I looked at my watch.

I was still really tight from either TKD or Sunday's 5k, I'm not sure, but I never really hit that proper stride. About 45 min into the run the sun came out and I felt like a package of Stop & Shop broccoli that was steaming in the microwave.

Final distance turned out to be 8.85 mi according to mapmyrun, so I overshot by a bit and my time 1:21:52, slightly over 9 min/mile was not great. So a bit of a grind. In fact, it's been two weeks since I've had one of those sublime runs that feel great start to finish. I X this run off my training sheet and look forward to tomorrow.

Taekwondo and then 4.3

I went to the 12:00 TKD class, also known as the black belt class. I was the only non-black belt there, and it was a workout and a half. I am pleased in that I held my own from a cardio perspective, but the huge differences are their speed and flexibility. Just like I've already made the personal commitment that I will one day qualify for Boston - it might take another year, probably two to run a 3:20 - I will also get my black belt. I just have to stay patient and remain personally accountable to the training and they will both happen.

After class I ran the 4.3 loop to begin Week 4. Higdon says today is just a light run (supposed to be 3) but by default I run my loop because of the hills. I find it is a psychological advantage to conquer those hills day in and day out, and now they are part of my routine. I don't even really think about them, sort of like shaving. Finished in 38:30 but time was irrelevant, just loping and trying to shake off the muscle strain of taekwondo and get loose. For kicks I checked my log and my first recorded time for that 4.3 loop was 43:10 back on Jan 12, and I am certain I was not loping back then.

Tomorrow I believe is 7 mi and that is pedal to the metal.

Father's Day 5k

Yesterday was the 2nd annual Portland Sea Dogs Father's Day 5k and the whole family got involved. We drove up to Kennebunk, the inlaws followed us, and we drove to Hadlock Field where the AA affiliate for the Red Sox play. Very nice minor league park complete with a replica Green Monster. Registered on the spot, $18 each and the kids were free. Pleased that the entry fee went to Prostate Cancer awareness.

The kids were excited to break in their new Sauconys (with laces no less!). They raced around a 400 yd track and then through a fence and through center field gate, and onto the warning track to finish beside the 3rd base dugout. They loved it. Then they settled into some box seats with their grandparents to wait for mom and dad to cross the finish line.

It was humid and warm at the start, 1600 registrants they announced, triple the runners than last year. They do a Mother's Day 5k that is pretty big and it benefits Breast Cancer awareness and I got the course layout from someeone at the start who has run in all of them. Mostly flat except for two modest hills.

I got as close to the start while Mrs. TL began farther down in the pack. The gun went off and I instantly felt like I didn't bring it. Felt lethargic, tired, and already thirsty. 22:00 was immediately in doubt.

At the Mile 1 mark I was shocked - shocked! - to see that I was 6:51, the exact split time as the Kittery 5k from a few weeks back. That was what I needed - and 22:00 was still in reach. The h20 stop helped, 5k's normally don't have them but it was hot enough to set one up and I'm glad they did. I need to hydrate more before my runs. It's not February anymore.

2 mi I was 14:17 so knew I had to turn it on but finally felt comfortable. I need a few miles to get loose and do prefer longer distances than 5k's. I ran the remainder with gusto and when we turned into the track next to the stadium I pushed hard as I could. We went underneath the bleachers and into the ballpark, and once on the warning track tore along the dirt and passed maybe 10 runners to finish 22:23, 7:13 min mile. :16 faster than the Kittery 5k.

39 148/647 M 19/101 M3539 KITTERY 22:23 7:13

So slightly disappointed but it was a fun race. A positive takeaway was that in the 35-39 age group I finished 19 out of 101. And I'm 39.

42:00 for the Beach to Beacon 10k still seems a bit unrealistic at the moment so I might shoot for breaking 44:00 as a goal.

We will do the Mother's and Father's Day races every year moving forward, a neat little family tradition we are starting.

7 miles

Ran 7 this morning in 58:48, two minutes off of my last Tuesday's 56:50. Again, the heat does take its toll. I need to bring Gatorade on the shorter runs as well. Had a GU (Vanilla Bean) before I left and another one at the 3.5 mark.

Tomorrow is the 5K and I will run it hard.

9.34 this morning...

...and it was hot. I've been running since December and need to get used to the heat. Not eating breakfast didn't help either. Did it in 1:21:40, and it is my long of the week but will jump to 14 for a long next week.

I'll do 6 tomorrow and then running in a 5k at the Sea Dogs stadium in Portland on Father's Day that finishes on the field. The goal is to crack 22:00.

Week 3 Training

Week 3 began with a 34:02:59 for my 4.3 mi loop, :10 seconds off my time for the same distance last Monday. Ran it hard, and finding the warmer weather does take its toll. Very good TKD class last evening also.

Week 2 training complete!

I didn't feel like running today at all but since I'll be in Montreal for the Grand Prix this weekend, I had to do my long run today. If I want to break 3:30 for the Maine Marathon I better get out and do it. So I did.

I ran 8.66 on Wed in 1;12:15, 8:15 min mile, and the Higdon plan had me at 10 for my week 2 long but I felt like taking on the 12.99, and I am glad I did. My first loop was 35:25, second was around 1:14 something but the last loop I turned it on and finished in 1:49:43, my fastest recorded time for that run. Broke past my 1:54 plateau by 5 min which I am happy about.

Now I can enjoy some St. Pauli's trackside, albeit most likely in the rain. Forza Ferrari!

7 mile run

Today I did 7 mi out-and-back in 56:50, :30 seconds faster than a week ago. So 8:03/min mile pace.

It felt pretty good, not great, but ran it hard. A Subaru Forrester came hurtling around a corner way too close for comfort around mile 5.5 that shook me up a bit. I try to be very altert/aware when I run and I was ready to leap into the brush if need be.

Week 2 begins...

So I think I am going about this all wrong. Instead of running the same 12.99 distance over and over looking for improvement, I am going to build up my 4.3 mi and 8.6 mi times. This morning I did 4.3 in 33:53, (7:47mi) the quickest time for that loop to date.

Also, instead of following the Advanced I, I will follow the Intermediate II plan. I have to be realistic with my time available and the advanced is very demanding - altering the advanced plan, and he potential for continually missing runs and having to playing catchup, just might not be my best approach. In contrast, I followed the novice II to the letter and it worked for me - the intermediate II is similar in structure so go with what I know works.

I am doing pushups every third day and did 589 over the course of the day on Sat - 5x100 and the 6th set I collapsed at 89. Owe myself 11 more. I do sets of 100, and give myself a 30-60 min break or so before doing another set. Sets 1-3 were 100 straight through, and set 4+ I had to go into downward dog around 40 but then continue, do another 30-40, take a breath, and try to get to 100.

Tonight is TKD and am looking forward to it.

Food? I don't need your stinking food!

I think running kills brain cells. At least that's what I think after my run in the Vermont City Marathon last weekend. Somehow, I completely, 100% spaced on a critical element of race strategy this year -- food. I simply didn't have enough to get me through.

The story of this race really starts at last year's Vermont City. I forget what I titled my post for that race, but it had to be along the lines of the Pot-o-Potty Express. I had major GI issues that year, and hit 4 Pot-o-lets and one gas station bathroom along the 26.2 mile course. I remember the dilemma of having to continue drinking Gatorade and eating shot blocks, even though they were upsetting my stomach. It was a nasty cycle.

Unfortunately, the memory of that race doomed me for this one. Because I didn't want to repeat my issues from last year, I chose not to drink Gatorade at the rest stops (mistake #1), and was stingy with the shot blocks (mistake #2). The net result was that I completely ran out of juice at mile 17. I rallied a bit here and there before hitting a big-time low around mile 23, and although I managed to run the last 1.2 miles to the finish, the fact is that I was barely able to finish at all. Between miles 20 and 24 I stopped a bunch, walked a bunch, knelt down, and even sat on my butt on the side of the bike path. My calves were cramping so bad at one stretch that when I lifted my leg, my toe pointed down as the calf contracted. My body felt weird, which is to say it was beyond a normal "bonk" pain and into a definite nutrition depletion mode.

The shame of it is that AG and I followed a great plan, pace-wise. As he mentioned, we diligently stuck with the 9:00 minute mile pace guy for the first half of the race, even when we felt we could've gone faster. I managed to stick with him through probably 16.5 miles before the wheels quickly and completely fell off. The weather was also good for running -- overcast to start, not too hot, and no rain. In terms of conditioning, you can always do more, but I felt good about adding to a solid base by getting in two 20's and an 18 in the six weeks leading up to race day.

In the end, counting on water, 5 shot blocks and one Gatorade at mile 23 (which immediately relieved my calf cramp) just wasn't enough to get me through. It's easy to write that now, but in reality, I only realized it after the race was over. I was lying down (it felt so good to lie down!), when a guy I know came over to see how I was doing. He is an accomplished distance guy who had just run a 2:52. Not that I could've gotten anywhere near his pace if I had eaten right, but it's worth noting that he drank Gatorade at every aid station and ate 14 shot blocks during the race. My intake miscalculation was a big miss.

So here's the kicker. Now I think I have to run another one of these suckers. Not sure when, but I'm pretty positive I'll be back out there again. And you'll read about it here.

Week 1 Training Complete

So this morning I did my final run for Week 1 of 18 of the Hal Higdon advanced 1 training schedule. I am modifying it a bit, but the core concept of one mandatory long run per week with three shorter runs that incorporate hills and speed work remains. Plus I cross train with Taekwondo Mon and Wed evenings. Speaking of which, TKD last night was my first class in three weeks - and it was perhaps the hardest class since I was a white belt back in May of last year. Lots and lots of rapidfire turn kicks, so many that I swore I could smell the burning torque friction from my pivot foot. I am going for my high green belt on July 17th and am excited because I will break boards at public testing for the first time.

Anyway, I did a 4.3 run in 34.10 on Tuesday, a 7 miler in 57.19 yesterday morning, and the 12.99 loop in 1:58;50 this morning. Today's run was a rough and fairly unpleasant one because I won't be able to run Fri Sat or Sun so I got in my long run while I could. It's clear that today should have been a light workout, as I was simply exhausted - almost 5 min off my weekend times of 1:54 which I'm not thrilled about to begin with.

So suffice it to say I am wiped. Need some rest and let my body recover.

Vermont City Marathon Race Report

Sunday, 30 May 2010 was race day. I came in feeling moderately optimistic, but there was an undercurrent of dread in this one -- I suppose there always is, are you ever really ready, have you done all that you can...

I'd had a dream earlier in the week of running a 3:52. It didn't pan out that way.

Overall Finish: 1585
Age Grp Finish: 170/244
Age Grp: M3539
10: 1:29:43
13.1: 1:57:46
20: 3:06:25
Net: 4:23:57
Avg/Mi: 10:05
Gun: 4:25:37

If I'm honest, I'd say I wasn't ready, I missed a few too many runs of both the long and the short variety, but I was determined to come in and gut this out. The time is my best marathon yet (a whopping 13 seconds faster than 2008). I ran it slightly smarter -- I walked part of the long hill and a shorter hill around 17 -- I was really trying to save my legs. and it did work, somewhat.

I've been hitting trouble on long runs around 15-18, I hit it earlier Sunday -- around 12 I felt something not right and that's when I determined to not run the whole Battery Hill at 15. VTR and I ran with the 4 hour pace guy, and chatted with him and had a fine time -- I even got to be the pace setter for a bit while the official guy stopped to urinate.

A couple of forgotten ups and downs in 10-12 caught me off guard and sapped me a bit, and I really dropped off the pace on Battery Hill. The long boring stretch out to the neighborhoods of North Burlington did their damage too. Through 16-17 I was telling myself that I'd weathered the storm earlier, but I was feeling average at best. I lost it soon thereafter and went into survival mode. I bumped back into VTR who as he said, was in his own personal hell (but I'll let him report it). We slogged on together for the next 5 miles or so. I had a couple of crazy incidents at 21-22.

The first came down when we were finally coming off the surface streets and heading to the bike path that would take us back to the finish line. At that turn there is a waste water treatment plant. I'm not really one to gag etc, but something about that plant at that point in the race made my eyes water and made me retch and gag -- If I'd had stomach contents I'd have hurled. After recovering, I trudged on. About 5 minutes later a woman in front of me crashed when the woman in front of her stopped short to pick up a dropped-GU. I somehow managed to leap over both of them and not fall and not step on them. I got this weird muscle pull in my arm and my right calf balled up under my knee. I carried on.

I think I got an adrenaline burst from that and felt really good from 22-24 saying this will be my best marathon yet, then I crashed again at 24. Walked to 25 (walked the full mile), started to run at 25, my legs nearly gave way, I resumed walking, almost started crying (??) but powered on. About 25.25 I started running again and finished on a run with a great kick. I cursed out the apathethic finish line crowds asking them if they were at a "f*&%ing wake" and passed a couple of folks at the end (though the folks at the top of the chute ROCKED!).

VTR was inspiring and gritty. This was one tough race. It got progressively more humid and warmer as the day went one and it really knocked me around. I could have used one more GU near the end (and about an additional 100 training miles). I hydrated well, I think, though some guy asked if I wanted salt tab... I think this is my last marathon for a while -- my life is not set up for marathoning these days. My kids want me to keep going, and that might be what brings me back, even more than the fact than the fact that I think I know more about the distance than I did before and feel the need to tackle it again... but I need some time to recover and parse my lessons from this one. More miles, more calories on runs, smarter pacing.

Speaking of my kids, they and Mrs. A were out cheering the whole way, and it was great to see VTR's kids (& father-in-law) way out where we needed help most. All of our kids ran races the day before and we had a blast. C2 held my hand for the last half of his 1/2 mile race and that was an awesome moment. C1 smoked it and did really well and I'm psyched for her, the girl who told me "I run, you jog..." So awesome, and as VTR said to me at mile 9 when Mrs. A told us that C2 said "finish strong, dad" -- something I'd been telling him the day before when he did kick at the finish and pass some kids -- "that's what it's all about."

The Tortoise and the Hare

I was out the door this morning 5:45am and just decided to run. Wasn't sure of distance, just wanted to go with the flow and find a nice stride and ride it. A bit more humid than yesterday at this time but still quite comfortable.

I started slow but gradually increased my pace. I ran a stretch of road with undulating hills, hit them hard and it felt great. One hill is very steep and I ran that one twice - retraced my steps and charged up it a second time. On my return I saw a rather large turtle in the middle of the road - I couldn't help but chuckle at the obvious Kafkaesque symbolism. I stopped, picked it up by its shell, and it snapped at me several times so I just nudged it with my shoe to the edge of the road so he wouldn't get smushed. Ornery little fellow.

I wasn't sure of my exact distance but total running time was 1:25:45, so I would estimate around 9.5-10 miles, mas o menos. That would make sense because my last two 12.99 runs were that pace, and this one felt like it was in the same ballpark. Steady, consistent, just like my friend the turtle trying to cross Haley Road.

I am going to include some fartlek training moving forward - Swedish for 'speed play'. Basically it's running sprints in intervals during regular runs. Sprint to the blue mailbox, back to regular pace for a bit, sprint to the yield sign, etc. I want to get faster. Need a little more 'hare' in my workouts.

When I returned Mrs. Torn Ligaments went out for a 4 mi run with my sister and her husband, as the extended Torn Ligament family is here for the Memorial Day weekend. I have my sister to thank for my personal running renaissance - after being grossly out of shape for a decade she encouraged me to go for a run with her last August when I visited family down in Connecticut. She ran the New Orleans half marathon and incorporated running into her daily life. Thanks to her insistence, I laced up my Merrill cross trainers that I've never done anything other than walk to the mailbox in, and that first five mile run on that oppressively humid day set me on the path to proper fitness. It turned into my very first 5k with her last September, the Kennebunkport 5k in October, and six months of hard training later, a marathon finisher. The journey of 1000 miles does indeed begin with a single step, fortune cookie simple but oh so true.

12.99...again

So I went out this morning 5am sharp. Woke up around 4:30am and couldn't fall back asleep so went out at first light - what a gorgeous morning. Temperature was ideal, just a shirt and shorts, low humidity.

I like to vary my running routes but the 1:54 for my 12.99 sat in my gut like a bad sausage calzone. I ran it 3 min faster in April so I decided to try to use today's run to better that time instead of doing something different.

I felt like I ran hard, harder than Thursday. I expected a 1:52:30. Time: 1:54:15. Argh. Sometimes running is like that. But I am pleased with the effort, and got in a great workout, that is what counts.

Post-run I wolfed down a leftover chunk of Wild Alaskan King Salmon, a 16oz. Vanilla Protein Monster, and made a bowl of Stonyfield french vanilla yogurt with blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and granola. That's a breakfast fit for a guy who ran 12.99 in 1:54:15.