Race Recap, Part Two - The Big Day (Miles 1-13)

It's Wednesday afternoon, and I am just getting in after a great day of work. I spent a lot of time lately beating the streets in search of a job, and now I am at a point where I am almost too busy. It's going to get worse before it gets better, but at least I know I'll have money for Christmas, my wedding, and my mortgage (not necessarily in that order).

Anyway, back to the running. I woke up the day of the KV Challenge freezing cold, and didn't get much warmer as I quietly prepared for the long day ahead of me. My first step outside sent additional chills through my body, which worried my multi layered body to no end. If I was this cold in a jacket, splash pants and winter hat, hold cold would I be when I stripped down to shorts and a long sleeve shirt?

I hitched a ride to the starting line with Billy and the Babes (my mother's marathon relay team), and arrived about half an hour before our scheduled start. Temperatures were still low, and a brisk cross wind made it feel even colder. I tried to stay warm as I stood in line for my chip, my thoughts alternating between the wind, the cold, and the race. I was ready to give it my all, but the conditions were not cooperating. How would it affect my race?

Mile 1 - 6 - Hampton Or Bust

The race started about thirty minutes later than expected - apparently they had issues with the race chips - and I tried to make up for it by blasting out of the gates. I didn't think I was running very fast, but decided to slow down once I realized I clocked 6:30 for my first mile. I then proceeded to run the second mile too slow (around a 7:20), finally settling into my 7:10 goal pace around mile three. There were a lot of runners in front of me, and I was passed by more than a few once I found my groove. One fellow marathoner chatted with me briefly before flying by, noting that he drank six Corona's the night before the run. I laughed in response, but wondered whether I would catch up to him later in the race. That's no way to carbo-load, if you ask me.

I held my pace for the rest of the section, slowing down for the occasional water stop or rough patch of road. I almost sprained my ankle as I ran through a Hampton construction site - I cursed loudly when my foot twisted out from under me - but aside from that, no issues.

Mile 6-13 - Almost Perfect, but not Quite

Hampton was the first transition point for the marathon relay, which meant that I suddenly had a whole new set of runners in front of me. Some of those runners were slower than their first leg counterparts, and I ended up passing several people before I left town. It meant nothing in the standings, but it gave me a little mental boost nonetheless. I felt like I was moving pretty fast.

Sadly, I wasn't moving fast enough. I held a perfect, Boston qualifying pace for six miles, but slowly fell back with each passing mile. My 7:10 per mile pace dropped to 7:15, then 7:20, and pretty soon I was a minute off pace. Luckily, I saw this coming the morning the first cross wind hit me, so I didn't put up a fight. Instead, I resolved to have a great run, and aimed for a new marathon PB. A sub 3:23 was definitely in reach; I just needed to hit the finish line without hitting the wall.

Unfortunately, I just hit a writing wall (I need to make dinner), so I will finish my recap tonight or tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Race Recap, Part One - The Pre Race

So, as many of you already know, I finished the KV Challenge 5th overall, in a time of 3:19.05. While I didn't qualify for Boston, I beat my personal best by four minutes and had a great time in the process. I'm going to spend the next few days recapping the race, starting with the pre-race festivities. I'd do it all in one shot, but there's a lot of ground to cover, and I am working all week. If all goes well, I will finish the recap by mid-week.

The Pre-Race

The race weekend officially started with the pre-race pasta dinner, which took place at the Bill McGuire Centre in Renforth. The place with packed with runners, and I spent much of my time wandering around the room, catching up with people I've run with over the course of the summer. I especially enjoyed catching up with Nick Power, a former baseball teammate who was running his first marathon. He looked like he was in great shape, and based on our conversation I figured he would do quite well in the marathon. So much for winning my age group.

The night was capped with the Saint John Track Club Awards. Alex Coffin and Bill McMackin handed awards out to runners of all-ages, which reinforced the fact that our region is a breeding ground for top notch athletes. I was especially happy to see septuagenarian Frank Kelly take home a trophy; he seemed genuinely touched to take home an award, and I can't think of anyone more deserving. How many seventy-year olds do you know that can run half-marathons in less than two hours?

Filled with pasta and good vibes, I made my way back to my sister's house, where I relaxed, surfed the web, and read. I didn't care that it was Saturday night; I had a big day ahead of me, and I wasn't about to ruin it by staying up late.

That's it for now - check back tomorrow for scenes from the race!

KV Challenge Finished!

I came in fifth overall, in a time of 3:19.05. Not quite Boston, but a really good run considering the conditions. I'll give you a full race breakdown after I recover a bit more (probably tomorrow).

Turkeys, Tempos, and Tapering

It's Tuesday afternoon, and I am sitting at home trying to fight off some sort of illness. My head is stuffy, my stomach is rumbling angrily, and it feels like someone sucked all the liquid out of my brain. My running friends aren't too sympathetic; a few even suggested that a couple days in bed would force me to taper, leaving me fresh as a daisy for Sunday's marathon. We'll see.

My last scheduled workout was a sixteen kilometer run at marathon pace. Finding time to squeeze it in was nearly impossible; the run was scheduled on Thanksgiving, and I had a two hour drive and a huge family function already planned for the day. I also didn't know where I would run, as I was spending my day in Prince William (my fiancee's family is from the area) and had never run in the area before. I considered blowing it off completely, but decided that would be a bad idea. No need to slack off so close to the big day. I just needed to find a window of opportunity and jump through it.

I woke up first thing in the morning and immediately hit the road to Prince William. For those of you that don't know the area, Prince William is within spitting distance (not that I spit) of King's Landing and offers spectacular views of the Saint John River. I initially planned to run from Sarah's grandmother's house to King's Landing and back, but wasn't sure of the distance. I reset the car's odometer at the King's Landing exit, started driving, and hit the driveway right as the odometer hit eight kilometers. Perfect.

Now I had to find time to run. The first item on my itinerary was a walk/truck in the woods, which included a lot of bumpy back roads, beautiful scenery, and a few roasted marshmallows. I found a few stubby beer bottles during the trip, which I decided were antiques and therefore must be kept for posterity. Expect to see them on the mantlepiece next time you visit my house.

We made it back to Sarah's grandmother's house at 2:30PM, and I was informed that dinner would be ready in two hours. This was my opportunity. I quickly changed into shorts and a long sleeve shirt and bolted out the door, hitting my stop watch as I dashed down the driveway.

I wasn't sure exactly how fast I was running, but it was certainly faster than one of my easy runs. I ran strong up every hill (there were a few), supported by a tail wind that noticeably propelled me forward on a few occasions. I hit the turnaround in 33:22 (about 90 seconds faster than planned), but I knew I had my work cut out for me if I wanted to hold that pace.

I was blasted by the wind as soon as I turned around, slowing me to a crawl at times. Luckily, the route now mostly downhill, which almost made up for the loss of speed. I felt great, especially considering how fast I was running. I did slow a little bit on the last five miles, but hit the driveway in 1:08:16, which would be good enough for a sub 3-hour marathon if I could maintain the pace. Pass the turkey, please.

Hopefully I'll have something good to blog about between now and the marathon. If not, I'll see you at the starting line!

Marathon Goals

It's past midnight and I am in Moncton, New Brunswick, typing as quietly as I can in a house full of sleeping people. I just got back from Music New Brunswick showcases (you can find out more about the association here) and should probably go to bed, but I wanted to update the blog because it's in need of an update. I am just that dedicated.

I don't have too much to report in the way of running so far this week. I ran a lively five miles on Tuesday afternoon, and whipped out five repeat miles on Wednesday night (I finally cracked six minutes!), but have otherwise laid low. At least no one can accuse me of over-training.

Since I am lacking in good running stories, I figured it might be a good time to tell you my goals for the marathon.

My Perfect Marathon - sub 3:10
My training tells me that a 3:05 marathon is within reach, but I think it will take a perfect day for this to happen. Yes, I've done a lot of training and yes, I have improved steadily over the last couple of months, but my gut instinct tells me it might be a little ambitious. That being said, if I hit the half in less than 1:35, I'm going to do everything in my power to hold my pace.

My Great Marathon - sub 3:25
My marathon PB is 3:23.38, which was the result of six whole weeks of training. I trained off and on since the beginning of the year for the KV Challenge, and really stepped up my game after I finished school in July. As long as I don't blow up in the second half, a new personal best is definitely within reach.

My Good Marathon - sub 3:55
I ran my slowest long runs at a 3:55 marathon pace. I am confident that I could run a full marathon at this pace without any problems whatsoever, and wouldn't complain if it took me this long to complete the course. I'd be a little surprised, mind you, but I wouldn't complain.

I want to have a great marathon or a perfect marathon, but I really I don't want to see 3:11 when I cross the finish line. I need to run a 3:10.59 or less to qualify for Boston; I would be devastated if I missed the cutoff by a few seconds. I'll have to keep an eye on my watch in the closing stages of the race, otherwise I might be in for unpleasant surprise when I reach the final stretch.

P.S. I haven't copy edited this yet, so apologies in advance for the sloppy writing. I'll fix this first thing in the morning.

So Long, Long Runs

It's the start of my taper, and I am celebrating with a massive headache. Every time I move a bolt of pain shoots through my brain, which hasn't put me in an active mood. Hopefully it will subside soon, otherwise I might end up writing a really cranky blog.

I ran my last long run with Chris Fudge Sunday morning in Hampton. I initially planned on running for three hours, but work duties and Fudge family requirements whittled my running time down to two-and-a-half hours. Chris had a spectacular run planned for us, though, so I looked forward to the adventure, even if it was a little shorter than expected.

We started at Chris' house on Main Street and veered left at Kredl's (a popular market on Hampton's main drag) onto the Pickwauket Road. I expressed my concern about running on Pickwauket - the road is filled with blind knolls and corners, and fast driving cars appear out of nowhere - but Chris said that if I could make it to the Norton Shore Road in one piece, the view would be worth it. As long as my view didn't include a car heading straight towards me, I would be fine.

Luckily, the road was sparsely populated with cars, and soon I was running down the beautiful Norton Shore Road. The fall colors were in full display, and there were several walkers and bikers enjoying the wonderful day. Dozens of boats were parked in the Kennebecasis River, in what Chris and I decided was some sort of fishing contest. We looked at the river, and at the local real estate, and daydreamed about owning property in the area. I'm not sure how much a house goes for on the Norton Shore Road, but view of the Kennebecasis River is priceless.

Chris' stomach started bothering him around an hour in, and after about fifteen minutes of complaining he decided to pull over for a, um, pit stop. I decided that it was a good place to turn around, but before I did, I told Chris that I would have to include his trip to the roadside powder room in my blog. "I know," he said with a grimace before heading into the woods. And I wonder why it's hard to find running partners.

I ended up running solo for fifteen minutes, and came to the realization that I missed a lot of scenery during the first part of my adventure. Houses I didn't see the first time around popped out of the woods, and spectacular cliffs rose from the roadside. Chris was right; this was spectacular run.

Chris eventually caught up (what was he doing in the woods all that time, anyway), and we made our way back to his place as quickly as possible. I picked up the pace for the second half of the run in hopes of a negative split, but since I didn't know the route very well, I had no idea if I was on target or not. It wasn't until I saw the cars at Kredl's that I knew that a negative split was in sight. I powered the last kilometer back to Chris' house, and finished my run three minutes faster than anticipated. Mission accomplished. Now let's start to taper.

I am cutting back on my mileage, but my blogging schedule will stay the same. I have a lot of writing ground to cover between now and the marathon, so stay tuned!

The Weak in Review

It's Saturday evening and I am in the spare bedroom, attempting to blog before I fall asleep. I was up until 3am last night hanging out with friends, and have yet to sufficiently recover. Hopefully my lapse in healthy living doesn't affect tomorrow's long run.

I tried to really hammer my workouts this week, but found that I had very little energy when it came time to put the pedal to the floor. I did a 5k tempo run at the Irving Nature Park that almost did me in, and followed that up with four average repeat miles on Friday. Both speed sessions were so uninspiring that I didn't even bother to blog about them, and my easy runs weren't much better. So much for big week before my taper.

Part of the problem was general fatigue. I've tossed and turned every night for the last two weeks, waking up every hour in anticipation for work calls that usually come between 6:30 and 7:30AM. Of course this makes me sluggish all day, and half asleep when it's time to work out. If I don't start sleeping better soon, I'm going to get sick, and that's not going to help my recovery before the marathon. If anyone has any sleeping tips, I'm all ears.

The other problem is my worn out sneakers. I have run my Mizuno Elixir 3's into the ground over the last two months, and my feet are now getting pounded each time I hit the pavement. I plan on getting a new pair as soon as the first pay cheque comes in (fingers crossed for Thursday), but until then I'll have to suffer in silence.

If all goes well I will finish my last long run tomorrow. I have no intentions on running as fast as I did at the Irving Nature Park last weekend, but I do expect to run for at least three hours. Most of my fellow KV Challengers are already cutting back on their mileage (the race is fifteen days away), but I find that I lose focus if I taper for longer than two weeks. Hopefully my body can bounce back before the big day.

I'll be back tomorrow with my last long run report, along with a few words from KV Challenge race committee. Stay tuned!