New York Marathon: Best Day Ever!

Wow! All I can say is Wow! The marathon lived up to absolutely every bit of the hype and I loved every single (painful) second of it! My legs are still sore today and every time I stand up or sit down and my quads scream I remember that race and I get a big, fat grin on my face.

I seriously can not wait to do it again. It was that good.

I started out with the five hour pace group and hung with them until just before the half-way point when they seemed to have fallen slightly off the pace and I kept going try to keep up my momentum. They caught up to me at about the mid-piont of the Queensborough bridge and I stuck with them until 1st Avenue but then they just left me in the dust. I guess it was a combination of them speeding up just a smidge to make up for the time they had lost and me tiring out and slowing down but I could never catch them. I'm still thrilled with my performance though and I made it through the first 16 miles with no walk breaks except at the water stations. That's a first for me and I'm really happy about that.

Of course, once the walk breaks started they were hard to stop. I kept pushing as best I could through the end of the race but you can see how my time just dropped. I think I was a lot more consistant than in past races and I know that I ran more than in past races and I'm certain that I gave my very best effort.




Here are the splits:

Mile 1: 11:05
Mile 2: 10:40
Mile 3: 11:37
Mile 4: 11:26
Mile 5: 11:22
Mile 6: 11:38
Mile 7: 11:25
Mile 8: 11:48
Mile 9: 11:35
Mile 10: 11:23
Mile 11: 11:50
Mile 12: 11:23
Mile 13: 11:28
Mile 14: 11:18
Mile 15: 12:10
Mile 16: 11:48
Mile 17: 11:09
Mile 18: 11:27
Mile 19: 12:24
Mile 20: 12:19
Mile 21: 12:30
Mile 22: 12:12
Mile 23: 11:49
Mile 24: 12:35
Mile 25: 12:20
Mile 26: 12:12
last .2: 2:27

It's time for me to do some work now, but I will write more later and post some more pictures.




Total Time: 5:07:27

Marine Corps Marathon 10K

Yesterday I ran the first ever Marine Corps Marathon 10K. I had a pretty good race (especially since it was just a training run for next week) and I love the medal. The t-shirt is very nice too. The logistics of the race were crazy and I hope they improve in the future.

Logistical problems:

• Confusion at the start: 10K runners were in the wrong place since there were no pre-race instructions for us. We were lined up on both sides of a grass median behind the marathon runners when we should have all been on one side. They told us this after the marathoners had started running so many 10K people (myself included) had to hop over a couple of guardrails to get where we needed to be.
• All of us were facing the wrong way. We lined up ready to run in the same direction as the marathon but since the 10K runs in the opposite direction of the marathon we couldn't line up in the right spot until the marathon runners cleared the area. Loudspeakers instructed us to move beyond the red starting arch and then turn around and "face the sun". It was crazy. Nobody really undsterstood what was going on and people were wedged in like sardines and couldn't really do anything as the marines were yelling "turn to face the sun!". People on the wrong side of the timing mats so they kept telling us to back up while the loudspeaker kept reminding us the race had to start in 5 minutes (or whatever I forget) and that it couldn't be delayed. All of the confusion resulted in the slowest runners (who had been lurking at the back of the pack) being closest to the starting line and the fastest people were at the back of the pack. As an added bonus, they also thought it would be a good idea to drive a set of school busses through the pack of runners prior to the start. I have no idea why they did that.
• The reverse of the fast/slow runners made for a pretty chaotic start as runners were dodging slow people and the fast people tried to get to the front as quickly as possible. There is an element of this in every race but it was particularly bad yesterday. I might be exaggerating since I was really worried about having a mishap and falling/twisting an ankle or something that would screw up my race next weekend but it seemed very bad.
• Midway through the 10K the wheelchair marathon racers came up on the runners and this caused a huge problem! The 10K folks were totally in their way and were, unfortunately, very oblivious despite the screams of "ON YOUR LEFT" and "WHEELCHAIRS COMING" that were coming from the runners, the wheelchair athletes, and a bunch of marines.
• The race started late enough that there were still pretty many slow 10K people out on the course as the marathon winner came into the finishers chute. I don't think that was supposed to happen.

My time & splits:

Total: 1:07:50

M1: 10:53

M2: 10:51

M3: 10:32

M4: 11:24 (wheelchairs arrived and I stopped to walk and yell at people to get out of their way)

M5:10:41

M6.2: 13:26

I had time to finish my race, eat some food and then head over to mile 16 to catch up with Brian and my sister who were running the marathon.

More later...

Mile Splits - From Philadelphia Distance Run

Since we had a bunch of race rookies with us we started in corral 15 (the last corral) instead of where my number placed me - corral 12. I probably would have chosen to start in 13 somewhere. I ate my first gel before the starting gun and I was wearing my 40 oz. fuel belt filled with Gatorade Endurance.

Mile 1: 11:05 started at back of last corral and pushed ahead to get near others at my pace
Mile 2: 10:59 nothing to report here. Forced a walk at 2 miles to slow it down a bit
Mile 3: 11:11 fun mile with Eagles Pep Band
Mile 4: 11:11 wow! totally even splits on these two miles - headed back up Parkway
Mile 5: 11:38 ate gel at water stop at 4.8
Mile 6: 10:52 I can't remember much about this mile
Mile 7: 11:48 iPod crazy, walked to fix. Usually take a break in training at the half way point and did so.
Mile 8: 11:15 Felt strong here passed folks on small hill approaching Falls bridge
Mile 9: 11:20 walked and tried to eat my 2nd gel - only ate half the rest made me want to hurl
Mile 10: 11:28 Still feel pretty good, running more than walking
Mile 11: 11:36 meet a PhillyFit person I've never seen before. Run with her for a short while
Mile 12: 11:59 paranoid about running out of gas before finish - extra walking. WIMPY! No excuse!
Mile 13.1: 12:31 again with the paranoid walking - extra super congested water stop - why??

Final time: 2:28:53 that's a PR for me by about a minute.

Overall, I'm really very happy with the splits from the race. I was trying my best to stick to a plan and to be steady and I think I did that. The only mile over 12 minutes was the last one -- and that doesn't count since it was really 1.1 miles. The slow mile between 11 and 12 I have no explanation for other than lack of mental toughness. The other pretty slow one between mile 6 and 7 was when I had some iPod issues that I needed to walk to fix. Perhaps I really should listen to the race directors and leave the music at home!

2006 Rock'N'Roll Half - a new course record!

Believe it or not we made our way through Ernesto to VA Beach and ran the race on Sunday!

It was horribly humid but other than that a really nice weekend. I was hoping to run around 2:25 on but finished in a hard earned 2:34:11. I'm pretty happy with that time because it's a course record for me (only by about 40 seconds) and I really worked hard to keep myself moving throughout the second half of the race. It was hot and humid and I never felt like I was on track.

Splits as follows:

Mile 1: 11:23 I was shooting for 11:30 but was OK with this
Mile 2: 11:05 Not sure why I got faster, wasn't trying to do that
Mile 3: 10:50 Whoa! I need to slow down.
Mile 4: 11:27 Stop and pull off band-aid that got bunchy. Didn't miss it.
Mile 5: 11:44 Ate 2nd gel here and walked - very crowded section. 1st gel in corral before start
Mile 6: 11:11 Talked to Brian here - he pulls away for good.
Mile 7: 12:09 Walked A LOT in Camp Pendelton. It's always blazing hot here. Ate some salt.
Mile 8: 11:53 Enjoyed the sprinklers here, ran UP the bridge (thought there was a camera)
Mile 9: 11:51 Walked at the turnaround leading to Atlantic. Ate 3rd gel.
Mile 10: 12:25 Where is mile 10? Where is the water? between 9 & 10 worst part of race
Mile 11: 12:43 Smile! Camera time! Can still make 2:30
Mile 12: 12:00 Only 9 minutes to make it under 2:30. Not possible. Wet head at water stop
Mile 13: 12:23 Running to Foo Fighters 'All My Life' - thank god! would have walked w/o music
Mile .1: 1:04 It's OVER! Yay!

Final time: 2:34:11

Crossing the finish line was great but since I've gotten faster I'm now finishing with a lot more people and the finish area was super crowded and hot. People couldn't move and were dropping like flies in the finish area. I was lucky to be on the right edge of the crowd, close to the folks handing out water (I guzzled 2 bottles of Dasani) and they also handed me ice which I promptly stuffed into my bra (a trick I read on somebody's blog) and felt better almost instantly. I kept re-loading the ice and stayed cool. The were also handing out towels soaked in ice cold water and that felt like heaven on my face and then a volunteer heard me say how good it felt and she draped another one over my shoulders. At this point the crowd thinned out at little bit and I had my chip removed and got my medal.

I met up wth Brian around now (he finished in 2:31) and we each got a bottle of Amino Vital (orange flavor OK , red I hear was vile) and progressed towards the food. There was a line but it still seemed more organized than last year. One volunteer started walking out through the runners handing out bananas and I actually ate one! They also gave out oranges (cold) and bagels and pretzels and amino vital bars.

The free Spenco sandals are still ugly but far more comfortable than last year's model and much easier to get.

Back at the room I finished the 2nd half a 34oz Gatorade Endurance and drank half of another bottle too. Ate some soy chips and then realized that my medal had fallen off the ribbon! oh no!
Luckily, my hotel is right on the course at mile 13 so I could easily run back to the finish area and got a volunteer to replace my missing medal. I would have been crushed if I had lost it.

Final thoughts: the humidity was a killer and I was sorry that I wasn't wearing my fuel belt and carrying Endurance. I don't usually wear the belt in races but I was mighty jealous of the folks out on the course who had their own supply. I think I might have done better if I had my own stuff and since the PDR is in two weeks and they're using Amino Vital there too I'm going to wear my belt unless the temperature is a lot lower, which it might well be.

Even though my time wasn't anywhere near what I hoped for I think I did OK considering the conditions. I didn't run my best race but I didn't let myself totally give up either and I'm proud of myself for that.

I can't wait for the PDR though!

Delaware Marathon Full Report

Goodies: Excellent! High quality t-shirt in an interesting color with "Delaware marathon Class of 2006" on the back listing all the runners names, a nice Delaware Marathon logo pint glass from Michelob Ultra, a blinking light for running at night, 2 Gus, 1 marathon snickers energy bar, 1 notepad from the desk of a Delaware marathoner. All stuff you will probably use!

Race Day: Race morning was a little chilly while we were waiting around for the race to start but it was just right for running. My only pre-race requirement, lots of porta-potties, was easily met. It looked like they had some bagels and water and stuff to eat pre-race. I know there was coffee too because I actually saw a guy lined up at the starting line holding a full cup of coffee. He was actually wearing a race number and was not a spectator! Can you believe it?

Lap One: The race started right on time with a very loud and surprising Cannon boom (just like Caesar Rodney) and we headed out onto the extra 1 mile loop around the stadium. It wasn't a super fast loop on my watch (10:51) but it seemed like it just flew by and then we were off on the "real" loop course.

Mile two allowed for some window shopping at the outlet malls (by the way – I got some great bargains at LL Bean the night before the race) as it took us along the river walk. I was still feeling really good here. I knew I was probably going a little too fast but I couldn't help it. There was a very enthusiastic water stop as we turned on to section two of the river walk and right past there was a stage with a band playing and a tall skinny goofy guy in a blues brothers outfit and electric blue sneakers doing some kind of lame dance to entertain us. He was fun though.

I tried to slow down and walk around the water but it didn't really make much of a difference. After some twists and turns we were on a desolate stretch with trolley tracks that made me paranoid because of the Broad Street Run fall. I navigated this section without incident all 8 times I passed it but I did walk over the tracks as the race progressed and I got more and more tired. There's another water stop around here, this one had loads of snacks in addition to the water. Then we passed the bagpiper and started up the one hill in the race.

This section was very congested on the first loop. The runners were all penned into one lane of traffic because the other lane was still open to cars. As me and my fellow snails were headed up the hill the leaders were screaming down the hill and we had to share the road. Kind of tricky but never a problem after the first loop. I wound up walking up most of this hill. I probably could have run up it but I knew there was a lot of race ahead of me and I just didn't want to spend the energy.

The next section had a lot of turns as we went through a little neighborhood and then onto the long out and back section that was filled with the signs that the race folks had posted. They had selected 200 of the 600 runners and posted signs with their name and something interesting about them on the signs. None of us got signs though! Boo! It's a cute little touch to the race I thought.

There was a remote outpost water stop and chip mat out here and they seemed to me the rowdiest of the bunch. They must have been really bored out there. Anyway, these folks were the first to notice my Will Power shirt and they said they'd be looking out for me all day. They were true to their word and every time I approached they'd start yelling "here comes WILL POWER" or "WILL POWER is BACK!" and by the end of the day they were just calling me Willie, which I found particularly funny.

It's three miles from the outpost back to the finish area and this part was neat because it gave you a chance to see other runners, in particular my sister and Brian as you passed them going in different directions. I really enjoyed seeing them to see how far ahead I was (not much) and to know how they were feeling (pretty good). This was a big deal for me because I know at my last marathon (Disney 2005) it was Brian's first race and I spent half of my time worrying that he wasn't doing well. It was good to have my mind at ease about that this time.

At the end of the first loop I still felt good but I knew that I was probably going too fast for my own good.

First loop splits:

Mile 1: 10:51
Mile 2: 11:04
Mile 3: 11:01
Mile 4: 10:37
Mile 5: 10:35
Mile 6: 10:38
Mile 7: 10:55

Lap Two: The second lap absolutely FLEW by. Seriously, I can't remember much except seeing the guy in the pink fairy outfit carrying a wand (he finished in less than 3:20). About a mile out from the finish area in lap two I started to feel some twinges in my left knee that felt a little like the IT band problem I had in my right knee. This caused me some real distress because I was worried I wouldn't be able to run at all if it didn't ease up. Luckily I had some Tylenol 8-hour with me so I took that as I approached the end of the 2nd loop.

I was feeling unusually gloomy at the end of loop two. I knew I'd gone too hard so far and that I was only going to get a lot slower. My knee was a little sore and the leader (Chuck Engle who is kind of famous for doing tons of marathons and winning them all) was finishing as I was coming through and heading out on my third loop and I just wanted to quit. It would have been so easy because we literally ran right past the car every loop. There was a very short stretch of road, like maybe 50 yards between the chip mat and a water station. As I was walking that stretch and thinking about quitting a nice teenaged volunteer must have noticed that I looked bad because he came out into the road with a big huge smile, kind of put his arm halfway around me and patted me on the shoulder and said "you're doing just fine – just keep on going" and then he went on his way. That was enough to make me realize how mad I'd be if I quit. So I got some water and trudged onward. This water stop also was giving out pineapple. I didn't take any but it was kind of an interesting thing. I also felt a little better because I saw these two tall, fit looking guys, who were running together and had started near me lurking around the porta-potties. I figured if those guys, who actually LOOK like marathon runners, were at the same pace as me I couldn't be doing all that bad.

Mile 8: 10:26
Mile 9: 10:57
Mile 10: 11:24
Mile 11: 12:04
Mile 12: 11:56
Mile 13: 12:37

Lap Three: This lap was when I started noticing all the relay runners blowing past me. They must have been doing it all along but I guess I was moving faster on the earlier loops so I didn’t notice them as much. The good thing was that they were all clearly marked as Relay runners so you didn't feel too bad getting passed. Plus, I got some satisfaction in thinking that they might be faster than me but I was able to run three times as far as them. I was much tougher than them! When I saw Brian on this leg from a distance as I approached him he looked like a crazy hunchback who was in terrible pain. It turns out he was just rooting in his pocket for some food and he was otherwise doing fine. I had crossed over to his side of the course to see how he was and he shooed me away saying "why are you messing up your time for me?". I guess that makes me a good wife for caring that he was in pain and him a good husband for telling me to get a move on and not screw up my own time. As I was approaching the boardwalk on the return of this leg I had to stop on a bench to take a rock out of my shoe. Very pesky and I'm not sure how it got in there. It didn't seem particularly rocky anywhere. And at the end of this lap – at mile 20 I made a bathroom pit stop. I also forgot to hit the lap button on time so that mile 20 split is really bad – and mile 21 is too fast because part of it is lumped in with mile 20.

Mile 14: 12:40
Mile 15: 12:05
Mile 16: 12:14
Mile 17: 12:08
Mile 18: 12:47
Mile 19: 13:14
Mile 20: 15:37

Lap Four: Once I made it to mile 20 I knew that I could walk the rest of the time in 15 minute miles (much slower than I walk) and still come in below 5:30 which was my main goal for the race so I felt pretty good about things and I was glad I hadn't quit. I was really tired by now and HUNGRY. I'd been taking water and Gu2o at all the stop and I had been eating my gels every 5 miles or so as I normally do but when 20 miles came up on me I was seriously hungry. I ate my chocolate Gel, which was really thick like icing, and the texture killed me. I used to prefer the thick ones but this kind of grossed me out. If I hadn't been as starving as I was I don't think I would have eaten it all.

My friends at the remote water station cheered me into running up to them and back and I appreciated the loudest of them saying something like "I won't see you again today Will Power but I'll be thinking of you all day" or something like that. I know he didn't mean it but it made me feel like I had a fan.

I saw Brian again on this stretch and he looked very strong and fast and I started to worry that he was going to beat me AGAIN and that made me mad because I really wanted to win today! So much for me being a nice supportive wife!

The wind had really kicked up by now and as much as I wanted to keep running as much as I could because I could see my splits getting worse and worse, I was having trouble. I would kid myself that when the wind died down I would run some more, and I kind of did, but I have to be honest – I walked pretty much the whole last 3 miles.

Along the desolate trolley track section, probably mile 23 or 24 for me, a guy going in the opposite direction asked me why I was walking when my fuel gauge (on my t-shirt) was full. I said the Will Power tank was full but the actual fuel tank was empty. And his reply was that it was full enough because I was on track to kick is ass. I thought that was pretty funny and it made me run for about 30 seconds before I conked out again.

I perked up some between Mile 25 and Mile 26 because there was a huge string of cars filled with runners on their way home who were honking and hollering out the windows of their cars at those of us still plodding along. I kind of enjoyed that because I need the excitement and I knew they didn't really resent us the way most of the people in cars did that day when they were being held up.

Approaching the turn up to mile 26 I noticed the guy with the cup of coffee from the beginning of the race walking along the side of the road with a medal around his neck – not a finishers medal but something else. Very, very mysterious. I really had no juice left in me so I couldn't even manage to run the final .2 miles. I only ran when I was in clear view of the finish line.

Mile 21: 11:09
Mile 22: 13:16
Mile 23: 12:41
Mile 24: 13:26
Mile 25: 13:18
Mile 26: 12:59
Mile .2: 2:45

Final time: 5:15:33

My lap splits (not sure where they took these splits) :

1: 1:19:19
2: 1:13:31
3: 1:20:52
4: 1:22:39

Post Race: Right over the finish line was a skinny Santa Claus looking guy who praised your effort, gave you a hug and removed the chip from around your ankle. Just past him a nice lady hung a medal around your neck and then you could get some water.

Then I wandered over to the food tent (which was surprisingly hard for me to find) where I entered post-race paradise. Soft pretzels, pizza, ice cream sandwiches, popcorn, real sandwiches, bagels, bananas, water. It was awesome and they had plenty of it even for snails like me!

I grabbed some food and went back to the finish to see Brian and the walker acquaintance that I wanted to beat. I succeeded in that goal and so did he! She was pretty mad that she didn't break her PR and was taking it out on her family at the finish line. I'm sure that Brian passing her at mile 24 contributed to her being in such a snit since I am not her favorite person and I'm pretty sure that she knows he goes with me. That gave me quite a rush of evil happiness to know that increased the intensity of her snit.

Overall Impression: I'm not sure what I think about the loop course. During the first lap I kind of hated it. I thought the terrain changed too much (regular roads, parking lots, concrete sidewalks of a strip mall, bricks, boardwalk, areas with trolley tracks, etc.) but by the end of the race I kind of loved the loop a little bit. Parts of it were pretty and scenic (the river is beautiful) and parts were smelly and unattractive and surrounded by weeds that grew as high as my shoulders (seriously!) but overall I liked it. I liked that the volunteers and the people watching knew who I was as the day wore on and showed personalized support towards the end of the day when I needed it most. I also liked knowing exactly what I was in for and I could talk to myself about what was coming and how to prepare for it. I liked the fact that there were always a lot of people around because of the relay component. Yeah, if you'd asked me yesterday if I'd be back next year I would have said no, but as I write this, I am feeling like I want to go back.

Next up: New York (I hope) and sub-5 hours (I hope).

Broad Street Run - Splits

Mile 1: 10:20 a little too fast
Mile 2: 10:54 this is where I fell -- I guess it worked to slow me down and get me back on pace!
Mile 3: 10:59 angry at juggler guy running near me who kept dropping the balls
Mile 4: 10:57 feeling good - ate my new Power Gel with 4x sodium
Mile 5: 10:42 still feels good
Mile 6: 10:30 wow! where did this mile come from?
Mile 7: 10:57 I don't remember this one
Mile 8: 10:55 or this one
Mile 9: 11:04 slowed down a little to hear the Rocky theme at the water station
Mile 10: 10:41 finished pretty strong....but I think the 1/4 mile to finish sign was a big fat lie!

Total: 1:48:03