2011 Baystate Marathon Race Recap

What a day and what a race!

Last Sunday, I completed the 2011 Baystate Marathon in 3 hours and 14 minutes, 87th overall, which well exceeded my goal of coming in under 3 hours and 20 minutes.  With my finish time, the near perfect race-day conditions, and (for the most part) even pacing, this marathon will not be forgotten.

Lauren and I jumped in the car around 6:15 AM, stopped at Starbucks to get a coffee and bagel, and began our hour-long drive to Lowell.   Once we arrived, I left my bag at the bag pick-up station, and meandered up to the starting line.  As I walked up looking for the 3:20 pacer (a race volunteer who runs the marathon at a pace of 3 hours and 20 minutes so less experienced runners can follow as opposed to worrying about their own pace), I saw that the 3:00, 3:10, and 3:15 pacers were at the front of the race pack.   Normally, they are much more spread out amongst the throngs of runners.  The race was noticeably smaller this year because the Boston Marathon changed the date of their deadline to qualify.  This year, the Baystate marathon occurred after the Boston Marathon qualifying deadline.  Needless to say, I found a spot about 10 yards away from runners who would be finishing this race much sooner than me.  No need to be anywhere near them and risk the chance of going out too fast.  After the national anthem and a moment of silence, a gun shot pierced through the air, and we were off!

The first three or so miles went through the busier part of Lowell.  I had plenty of room to run (not often the case during the beginning of a marathon) and there were plenty of people to speak with as I was running.  I chatted with a guy from Baltimore who had run some similar races as me in that area in the past, as well as a couple of other runners who didn't seem very interested in small talk.  Oh well.

The first three miles passed by at 7:27 (7 minutes, 27 seconds per mile), 7:20, and 7:02.  I knew that I needed to slow down or I would hit the wall by mile 12.  We passed our first bridge, and started the first of two 9 mile loops along the river.  The next two miles were the only section of the race where the course is not flat.  This first pass through the hills had no effect on my pace, at 7:20 and 7:15.

View along the course

The halfway point of this loop is a 150 yard bridge that has a separated walking path made of some sort of metal.  As I began to run over the bridge along with 40 or so other people, the walkway had a noticeable bounce to it, almost like you were jumping on a trampoline.  If the runners had a similar cadence running across the bridge, I could easily see a few of them getting some air from the bounce of the bridge.  Needless to say, it was a good laugh, and a good distraction from running for a few minutes.  At this point, I was still on a roll, with my mileage splits at 7:17, 7:10, 7:17, and 7:11.

After my first hour of running, I was still running at a pace that was faster than I planned, but I made the decision to try to hold this pace until mile 13, and then at that point I'd reconsider my strategy.  I had already had one of my four running Gu's (100 calories of carbohydrates in toothpaste form), and I had been alternating drinking gatorade and water at the water stops (which were every two miles on the course).

The next miles coming up to mile 13 came in at 7:12, 7:15, 7:07, and 7:13.  Wow, this was great! I still felt relaxed and the pace was still easy, considering I'd already completed half of the race.  I passed the 13.1 mile line (the official halfway point of the marathon) just over 1 hour and 35 minutes.  Keeping the same pace for the rest of the race, I could qualify for Boston.  Oh, the thoughts of grandeur one has while running a marathon....

The first few miles of the second loop required a little more focus, and were a little more challenging than the first loop because of the increased headwind.  While the cool air felt great, the wind in my face was something I'd rather not have to run through.  Still, I maintained the pace at 7:18, 7:07, and 7:20.

Merrimack River

As I bounced over the bridge again, I did so running with far fewer people than the first time around.  For the past few miles, there was a group of four or five runners that I ran with.  We were not exactly running together, but all of us would slowly pass each other (or be passed) depending upon how we felt at that particular moment.  While it was good to have the goal of keeping with this group, the constant passing and dropping was becoming annoying.  At this point, I needed to focus more on my pace, breathing, and body, and less on these guys trying to race.  And besides, the racing part of the marathon doesn't come until mile 20, and we were only at mile 17.  So, I made a deal with myself that I'd continue my pace for the next two miles and hang around with these guys.  If they were still around at mile 20 and I was still annoyed, then I would do something about it then.  The next miles come through at 7:18, 7:19, 7:18, and 7:16.

So that takes us to mile 20.  This is the infamous part of the marathon that makes or breaks you. The guys I had been running with were no longer to be seen.  They must have hit the "wall."  I still felt relatively comfortable keeping the pace, which is a huge accomplishment in and of itself.   I've always seemed to fall apart at this point in my previous marathons.  Now, I still felt like I had a chance to do something special.  Six miles is the length of my regular run at home, so I rationalized that this is just an easy 50 minute run that I do 2 to 3 times a week, so I should have no problems from here on out.  Marathon runners have also been known to hallucinate during this part of the run....

Perfect running weather

I passed mile 21 at 7:22, and it started to get more difficult.  My legs felt heavy, my heart rate was up much higher, and there was no one around to cheer us runners on.  There were a few runners about 75 yards in front of me, and I didn't hear anyone behind me.  So, I made it a goal to track those two guys down over the next five miles.  At this point, I'm worrying less about my pace, and more on catching up with the guys ahead.  I attempt to psych myself up and make it personal. Mile 22 comes at 7:28.

So far, I hadn't made up too much ground on the two guys in front of me, however, I hadn't lost any ground either.  Knowing that I had about a half hour left of running, I figure it's now or never, and I tried to pick up my pace a little bit more.  Guess what happened?  Here is where I hit the wall.  I ran for about a quarter of a mile at a quicker pace (or at least what I thought was quicker) before my hamstring started to get tight.  I immediately slowed down to avoid cramping up (and ruining any chance of running a good time), and then my body just hit a slump.  All of the energy I thought I had was nowhere to be found.  I sucked down my last running Gu, and walked through the water stop to make sure I drank an entire Gatorade in hopes of giving me one last extended jolt.  Miles 23 and 24 proved to be the hardest part of the race for me, and I completed them in 8:00 and 8:23, respectively.

With two miles to go, I pondered why I put myself through this misery.  Then I think about all of my friends who helped support Easter Seals on my behalf while running this race, and I finally get the jolt that I needed.  I didn't care how much this hurt, I had 2.25 miles left, and I was going to finish it as fast as I can.  I shortened my stride, and focused on how "easy" it is to turn my legs over. I thought of short, quick steps... chop, chop, chop.  My legs felt as heavy as roman cathedral pillars, but I was moving them as quickly as I could.  I passed mile 25 at 8:00 on the dot, and now I had a mile and change to go.

Mile 26 proved to be the most eventful mile of the entire race.  After the first quarter of a mile, both of my hamstrings attempted to shut me down.  I stopped for 5 - 10 seconds to gather myself and to prevent two massive cramps.  As I passed more and more spectators, the cheers and motivation become louder and louder, and I picked it up again.  My last mile consisted of many small races and accomplishments.  I told myself to sprint to the car 100 yards ahead of me, then sprint to the fire hydrant, and so on. I started to hear the announcer on his microphone at the end of the race, and I decided this is where I needed to go for an all-out sprint. 

I finished mile 26 in 8:15.  Everyone in the crowd is cheering, and as I continued to sprint to the finish line, I saw Lauren on the sidewalk cheering me on.  I picked up my pace, and within 10 seconds, boom, my hamstring cramped up, and brought me to a halt.  Damn!  I can see the finish line!  I quickly hopped along for a few steps, then one of the guys who I was running with runs right by me. Hell no.  I forgot about the cramp, sprinted by the guy, and finally finished my race in 3 hours, 14 minutes, and 25 seconds.

Running a marathon hurts during and after

What a race! I grabbed a bunch of waters, someone puts a medal on me, and I found Lauren waiting for me at the end of the runner's shoot.  A few medical volunteers came up to me to ask me if I needed any help (did I look that bad?), and I declined their offer and opted to sit down on a bench near by.  The next 25 minutes hurt almost as much as the last 6 miles, but the pain is the best that I've felt in quite some time.  The best medicine for this pain was the thought that I had raised a tremendous amount of money for Easter Seals, had a great race, and that I got to sit on the couch for the rest of the afternoon!

Thanks again to everyone who donated to Easter Seals on behalf of this race.  I really appreciate the support, and I had a great time sharing my training experiences with you.  And I also have to thank my wife, Lauren, for the continued support and motivation.  There were plenty of nights that I didn't want to run or blog, but she always helped remind me why I was doing this. 


If it's in the cards for you, I hope to see you out here with me lining up for another marathon soon! 

Nahant 30K race recap

After running a few easy runs during the week, I figured it would be a good idea to put in a good hard effort on Sunday. My first thought was to find a local running club in the area so I can attempt to keep up with more of the seasoned runners.   After a few google searches for local running clubs,  I stumbled upon the Nahant 30K (or 18.5 mile) race, which happened to be this morning.  After getting the go-ahead from Lauren, I spent the rest of Saturday mentally preparing myself for my first long-distance race in five months.

As a quick aside, last night Lauren and I watched the movie 127 Hours. This is about the story of Aaron Ralston, a hiker who in 2003 was trapped in a canyon in Utah for six days when a boulder pinned his arm against the canyon wall. After five days of trying to free his arm, he came to the conclusion that the only way he was going to save his life was to break and amputate his arm to free himself from the canyon. If anyone ever needs any motivation to do anything, then I would highly recommend watching this film. It definitely fulfilled my objective of mentally preparing myself for the race.

On my hour plus ride to Nahant, I had my usual pre-race meal of an English muffin with peanut butter and a big thermos of coffee. It's not exactly a bowl of Wheaties, but my stomach seems to handle it fine during a race. Within 15 minutes of the start of the race, I jogged for a couple of minutes to loosen up my legs.  After drinking a bottle of water, I was ready as I was going to be this morning to run for 2 plus hours.

After a nice word by the race director in remembrance of 9/11, the gun went off, and so was I. There were approximately 300 people in the race, which made it easy to navigate through the first quarter mile of slower runners who like to sprint out of the gates (I've been guilty of this on more than one occasion, and made it a point to hold back for the first few miles).

Since I have not raced this distance is some time, I had no idea at what pace I should be running at. My first two miles clocked in at 7:14 and 7:13 minutes per mile. If only the rest of the race were this easy, I thought to myself. Halfway through the third mile, we came to the end of Nahant Beach, which meant two things: the end of the nice breeze off of the ocean, and the beginning of 12 miles of rolling hills. Needless to say, this was not a nice surprise. However, the next five miles went by with no difficulties, and I was able to keep my pace between 7:09 and 7:29 min/mile.

As the miles past, the cool morning at 9:00 AM had turned into a hot, bright, and sunny day by 10:30, and my legs began to get heavier and heavier. More hills meant more short, choppy steps up the hills, and then long strides leaning forwards on the downhills letting my weight and gravity do most of the work. Any time I lost going up the hills I more than made up on the down hill. Still, my pace was undeterred, keeping under a 7:30 min/mile pace.

Miles 15 through 18 were difficult, but somewhat manageable. The uphills took longer, and the downhills were not nearly as fast as they were at the beginning of the race. The last mile and half of the race was along the beach bike path. While the views of the beach couldn't have been better, I quickly noticed how cruel the ending of the race was. Being able to see the finish line with more than a mile to go made it seem like the race was never going to end. I managed to stick it out, and finished the race in 2:16:16. All in all, I was happy with the race, and I'm looking forward to the remaining six weeks of my training program.

2009 Boston Marathon Race Recap

I started out the morning getting up at 5:45, taking a quick shower, getting dressed and making breakfast.  Breakfast was the same as usual, an English muffin with peanut butter.  With the race starting at 10:30, I made and packed another English muffin to eat around 9:00.  With all of my belongings and race gear packed, I jumped in the car with 3 other Cambridge Running Club members to drive out to Hopkinton.

We arrived in Hopkinton around 8:30 and proceeded to walk a ½ mile uphill to the elementary school where all the runners can leave their pre-numbered bags on buses to pick up at the end of the race, and to relax after that rigorous walk (just kidding).   I sat around for a little over an hour people/runner watching, since there were about 18,000 other people in this area (yes, I counted), as well as trying to keep warm.  At this point, it was about 40 degrees.   During this time, I finished my thermos full of coffee, the other English muffin, a bottle of vitamin water, and another bottle of water.  It was safe to say I was properly hydrated.   At 10:15, I changed into my race wear, got my running gu’s in my new running belt (yes, a new running belt), and headed down to the start line.  

One of my big concerns about the race was starting in the 22nd corral, which is almost at the back of the second wave.  I was concerned that having so many runners in front of me would slow me down and put me off course.  As I entered my corral, I realized that I was able to walk as far up to the front as possible by forcing myself through the crowds.  The crowds were similar to those in a crowded hallway in high school.  Anyway, as I found myself walking closer to the front, the gun went off and everyone now started moving.  The race had begun!

The first 3 or so miles are pretty much all downhill.  To the tenured Boston marathoner, they would understand and force themselves to take this part of the race slow.   I knew this, but still wound up running the first miles pretty fast.  My first mile came across at 6:42, a little too fast, but I was happy that I was not getting caught behind a lot of people.  I finished the second mile in 6:45.  I remember telling myself to slow down, but I was feeling great, and had a comfortable pace going. Plus, I had just passed Bill Rodgers, the Olympian who had also won the Boston marathon FOUR times.   How awesome is that?  I just ran past an Olympian!  I guess I should also mention that his Boston marathon wins took place between 1975 and 1980.  Ahh details…  Anyway, the crowd was already thinning, and I was still running downhill.  I figured I’d naturally slow down soon since I was 14 minutes into the race, and should have settled down a little bit.  Or so I thought.  I finished the third mile in 6:35.  Sh*t!  I still felt good, but I forced myself to shorten my stride a little.  The third mile had the biggest descent of the first three miles, but still.  My 5k time was 20:40-something, which was 20 seconds slower than the 5k race I ran during this past Thanksgiving in Virginia (a little training can go a long way!)   Mile 4 came in at 6:52, which was good, and mile 5 came in at 7:02, which was fine.  A little over a half hour in the race, I feel fantastic, and for the most part I’m happy with my pace and time.

Miles 6 – 10 were pretty much the same as the first miles.  By mile 6, I was ahead of most people in Wave 2 and had been running by myself for the past two miles.  Then Becky, one of my new friends in the Cambridge Running Club, came running by me drafting off of another guy.  Drafting in running is the equivalent of drafting in NASCAR, where you run behind another runner and shield yourself from the wind, therefore making it easier for you to run.  Well, I decided that was a good idea, so I followed suit and pulled up behind Becky.  The three of us ran together for approximately 5 miles, and we were consistently hitting a 6:45 pace.   Now I started thinking that this pace is getting a little fast for me, however, I was still comfortable, and continued to push forward.  In Natick around mile 10, I saw my friends Matt, Eileen, Matt, and Kathy with their children.  I swooped in to give everyone that wasn’t holding a child a high-five, and I think I startled them a little bit since they didn’t see me.  That was fun.  

At mile 11, I started talking to the guy I was running with by asking him what his goal time was for today.  He said he wasn’t sure, and also added that he swam a mile and biked 50+ miles this morning prior to the race.  Well, that’s just great.  I’m running with Superman.  At this point, I had been drafting off him for the past 2 miles, and he proceeded to pick up the pace a little bit.  He said that he was from this part of town and I guess he wanted to look good for his friends.  I thought this was a good time to let him go.   I was breathing harder, and I had still hit all but one mile in my first 11 under 7:00/mile pace.  

Remembering my races from the two year’s past, mile 12 is a fun mile.  This is where the runners race through Wellesley, past Wellesley college, and through the throngs of the crazed student body cheering as loud as they possibly can.  Not exactly the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, but close.  Where they get the energy to cheer this loud or obnoxiously for 2 + hours, I don’t know.  Regardless, the last thing you think about when running through here is the fact that you’re running.   It’s like they’ve been allowed to go outside and have fun for the first time in 6 months, and they’re not quite sure how to act.   This was my second mile over a 7:00 pace (7:05) and, unknown to me at the time, my last mile close to a 6:52 pace.

I hit the halfway point at approximately 1:30:00 (an hour and a half); with some concern about the last half of the race.  I was feeling a little more tired that I wanted to at this point in the race, and was getting the feeling that my previous pace is starting to get the better of me.  At this point, I’d like to think that I forced to myself to slow down, but I think my legs were not giving me any choice.  I knew (and expected) the race to begin to get difficult, but I didn’t think it would happen this soon.  Miles 14 – 16 I completed between 7:20 and 7:40.  Knowing that miles 16 – 21 were the toughest part of the race from the perspective of overall course elevation, I was fine with continuing this pace.  I’d keep it here (or at least under 8:00/mile) going through the hills, and then I’d attempt to race the last 5 miles.  Easier thought than done.

Each mile from 16 – 21 grew progressively harder.  By mile 17, I thought I felt a slight twinge in my left hamstring.  At mile 18, I passed my friends Naoko and Dan.  Naoko ran the first 18 miles as a tune-up, and look like she probably finished her run 15 minutes earlier.  Lauren and I ate dinner with them on Saturday night, and Dan and I were joking that we would have to age-adjust his marathon if I got close to running a 3:00:00 marathon.  As I passed them, I think Dan and I both knew any age adjustments would not be necessary.  The first two big hills I ran with the goal of not stopping to walk, which I succeeded.  However, my legs and lower back were starting to get tight, and I now had a chest cramp (oh the war stories!)  After completing the second hill, I knew I had a little less than a mile to prepare for Heartbreak Hill.  I knew that this was not going to be fun, and I had a feeling I was going to have some trouble with leg cramps.  As soon as I turned the corner, I look up to see a street that drives straight to the sky.  

With the same goal of not stopping, I put my head down and marched upwards to knock out the last of the hills, listening to Boston College students cheer and slur, watching them hand out beer to the naïve runners, and all the while thinking how crappy of a college football team they root for (I needed some motivation!)  Halfway up the hill, I chuckled to the thought of running this at a 7:00 pace, or for that manner, a 9:00 pace.  As I get closer to the top, I see my fellow drafter Becky walking.  As I’m catching up to her, I tell her “Let’s go”.   She turns around, looks at me, and just takes off and after 30 seconds I don’t even see her anymore.  So much for running with someone else….  Anyway, I got to the top without walking, mission accomplished.  I then begin to run downhill towards mile marker 21, and as I’m getting close, my good friends Erin and Brandon who were on the island in the middle of the road start cheering for me.  I turn to my left to figure out who was cheering, and as soon as I see them, my right hamstring cramps like no other and I had to stop moving.  I don’t know how to describe the pain other than feeling like you’ve just been shot in the leg.  I attempted to walk, but that didn’t work.  So, I sat there and rubbed my hamstring until it loosened up.  A minute or so later, I started walking again.  I turned to see Erin and Brandon looking over at me, wondering what happened.  I shake my head, and continue forward finally being able to SLOWLY jog.  I pass mile marker 21 in just under 13 minutes.  And there went my respectable finish!  

I continued forward averaging about 9:00 pace.  At this point in the race, I noticed that the temperature dropped, and it had become windy.  I don’t know how or why this happened, but when I got hit with my first strong headwind at mile 22, my left hamstring experienced the same cramp as my right hamstring did one mile back.  Ouch.  By mile 23, I had stopped again, but only for 20 seconds or so.  My legs were toast, and I was now just trying to finish.  I saw Matt and Nora, some more good friends, cheering on and came over to give them high fives.  At least they looked like they were having fun!

The last three miles were pretty much the same.  Jog at a 9:00, speed up, cramp, stop.  By mile 25, I finally succumbed to the pace, and hoped that I’d finish under 3 ½ hours.   During the last mile, I saw Lauren, her mom, Marie and heard her brother Kevin cheering.  As per tradition, I ran over and gave Lauren a kiss, which was all the motivation I needed to finish the race.  I picked up the pace for the last half mile, and crossed the finish line in 3:26:25, and just completed my third Boston marathon!

As much as I wanted to finish the race less than 3 hours, I was happy that I ran and that I finished.  I guess this just wasn’t my day.  Not only did I get to run and complete another marathon, but I was able to promote and raise money for a great charity.  I’ve also learned how to start and the time investment required to run a blog.  Finally, if I motivated anyone to go for a run when they normally would not have, I’ll also consider that a success.  

Thanks again to all that donated and to all who followed me along my journey.  Once I figure out what my next race is, I’ll be sure to let you know.  And if you’ve ever had the smallest thought of running a marathon, please completely disregard everything you read about miles 21 – 26 and sign up!  It is an AWESOME experience!

Tom

Last Sunday, Lauren and I, along with our friends Erin and Brandon, participated in the Ras na hEireann 5k in Somerville.  The run was fun and easy, considering half of the course was on the same streets and paths that I run on most days.  It was a good run to loosen up the calf muscle and the first time I participated in a race that I chose not to “race,” but just enjoy the run and camaraderie of the other race participants.

 

During the week, I had the opportunity to enjoy the nice weather in Indiana, and also found a track to get in a couple of interval workouts.  I didn’t have a lot of extra time during my trip, so when I did get out for a run, I made sure to run hard.

 

On Saturday morning, Lauren and I went out to Holyoke, MA to partake in the St. Patrick’s Day Road Race 10k.  What a fun race!  I ran negative splits (my second 5k was quicker than the first one), mainly due to the fact that the first 5k was mostly uphill and the remaining 5k was downhill.   3,000 strong of my Irish brethren racing and partying also made for a great atmosphere.  It was a fun race, and I’m looking forward to running it again next year.

 

SO, only one more month to go.  Two weeks of running hard, and then two weeks of tapering.  For the past two years when training for Boston, I was always dealing with a nagging injury at this point of my training program.  This year, I’m not dealing with any major injuries and I’ve run the course a few times.  Overall, my weekly mileage totals are not as high as I’d like them, but I’m feeling strong and my confidence is starting to pick up as well.  I’m looking forward to next month’s training schedule, and staying injury free.