The Harrisburg Marathon Relay

What a day it was on Sunday... I've never run a relay race before (not even on the track) and it was a totally different/awesome experience. I gotta say, I loved the team atmosphere and it certainly took some of the pressure off of the race itself (even though I had a very specific time goal). My teammates were Beth (a high school and college friend), Brad (Beth's husband and a college soccer teammate of mine), and Nate (another college soccer buddy of mine).

I got there early morning (as I tend to do on race day) and got the chance to see all the nervous marathoners in their race preparation. That was an interesting thing to see when I wasn't feeling nearly the same anticipation. Although I was running the long leg of the relay, 8.8 miles (8.93 on my Garmin), I just wasn't all that nervous. These poor souls were about to embark on a body pounding, 26.2 mile journey. I was just along for the ride.

I met up with my teammates and tried to figure out what the heck we were doing for the race. It turns out that the first leg was about 6.4 miles and was looping back to City Island (where the race started). Beth handled that leg and she was our only girl on the team. Go Beth.. That is where I would take over and take us just under 9 miles out to HACC (Harrisburg Area Community College). Then, I'd pass to our strongest runner (Nate) for a 6.2 mile leg. After that, he would pass to probably our speediest (but not long distance) runner Brad for a 5 mile finish.

My leg was actually pretty attractive. I ran out 3-4 miles along the Susquehanna River. That was great and sucky all at the same time. The wind was pretty brutal despite a slight decline in this part of the leg. Running along the water, I guess that should have been expected. But, it was really tough.

There was also a pretty smelly/noxious portion of the run along Industrial Road (yeah, it was just as it sounds). That was a pretty lonely part of the run and I couldn't help but feel bad for the marathoners who had this as part of their experience. I also thought it was funny that I was passing virtually every marathoner. They had more than half the race to go and I was trucking along in my 9ish mile race. Weird.

For the most part, I was lopping off pretty even splits.... right around 8:03-8:05. There were a couple tougher miles where I had tailed all the way down to 8:12-8:15ish. But, overall a pretty even race. I had planned to run a 8.8 mile 1:12:00 (about 8:10-8:11 miles). I ended up running a 1:11:41 over 8.93 miles (a 8:03 pace). So, I came in quite a bit faster than expected. In fact, my five mile PR isn't much faster than that at this point. So, I'm pretty stoked about my performance.

Overall, we did great too. We were called the Running Dutchmen (our Lebanon Valley College mascot). We finished 13/50 in the mixed (guys/gals) category and 18/78 overall for the relay division. That's worth talking about. I was very impressed and would totally do a race like this again!!

Post Quit Running...

Simple equation to get faster.... Train for a distance far more than you're mentally prepared, decide to quit just past the mid-way point, proceed to run shorter distances than your used to... It's worked for me every time I've done it (this once).

I ran 6 miles today in 53:30. That's about 8:55 pace. I'd have to say that is the fastest I've run that distance in a long time... Wanna know something else? The second half I thought we slowed down and I was Chatty Cathy the entire run (ran w/ Justin and Lisa). But... we actually sped up. We ran the first half in just over 9:00 mile pace. We ran the second half in 8:45 pace. I was shocked when I looked at the times in our post-run cool down.

So folks... The moral of the story? I'll take this one from the Simpsons.. ""well, son...you tried your best and you failed miserably...lesson is: never try." Apparently quitting makes you fast. Who knew?

Bdee Bdee Bdee... That's All Folks...

I've pushed and pushed... I've come up short on multiple long runs. My body is tired and beaten. And... I've got a new baby coming any day now. Phew... That feels good to let all that out. What does all this mean?

Well... I'm giving up on Harrisburg this year. It seems to have been a flawed plan all along. But... I'm finding that my heart/mind just isn't in it. And, I respect the distance far too much to believe that I can do it without being "all there". So, I just need to let it go for this year.

Funny, it doesn't even hurt that much to admit it. I think that's how I know it's the right choice. I'm still running (no race in sight). But, I'm feeling much better now that I'm not chasing. My apologies in advance if you think this is the wrong move. But... it's not. :)

Shortened LSD, Still Happy

Last time I checked in, I was on my way to go play in the LVC Alumni Soccer game. As expected, all I really did was run around. I did get a wiff of the goal (I played striker the two times I was in the game). And, if my buddy up front could have gotten a pass off, I would've had a chance to make myself look really bad on a break away. But... the pass never made it and I think I'm thankful.

Most importantly, I didn't get injured. So, that was the first of two goals I had for the game. The second was to make a move on one of the current players. Check... Did that too. I got the ball at midfield and start up the field with it. One of their players had a head of steam coming right for me... I picked my head up... faked like I was going to play a long ball to the corner... and.... bloop... cut the ball right to the left of him and kept on trucking. He went flying right by.

The rest of the game was pretty much a bunch of nothing for me. In fact, I probably only touched the ball 3-4 other times for the entire 20 minutes I was on the field. But, I came away happy.

As a result of all the sprinting and changing of direction, I was really sore on Saturday. My back hurt, my groin hurt, my calves hurt... all things that never bother me. And, it wasn't like minor aches and pains. I was really walking around gingerly. It sucked.

So, I tried to go out on my 8 miler on Saturday knowing full well that it might not be in the cards for me. Since my 16 miler on Sunday was more important, I decided to make this a short run to try and knock off the dust from the previous day. Well, I went just over three miles and it didn't really feel like that.

Then, Sunday morning came... I woke up early and went to go get a coffee (as has been my new ritual, I like it). I came back, did all my necessary goofiness before the long run and assessed how I felt. I gotta be honest, I didn't feel great. I still felt sore in all the same places but not quite as bad. I really didn't think I had a long run in me. And... I was right.

So, I set out for my 16 miler to do a 4 mile loop 4 times. I figured, this way I could at least get a gauge for how I was feeling every 4 miles. My thought was that I could most definitely make it 8 and probably 12, but 16 was almost out of the question. I got through the first 4 with not too much trouble. And then, the second 4 actually started to feel like I was loosening up. Could I make all 16?

Aha... it was mile 10 or so and the legs started tightening. I hit the halfway mark of my 2 mile course and was pretty sure it would be my last lap. As I was approaching the final uphill towards my house, I really want to push on. I'm sick of giving up on my LSD's. However, I knew if I went up the hill, it was over. So, I turned around and went back to flatter ground. As a result of that turn around, I got an extra mile in that I'm sure I wouldn't have.

So, instead of settling for 12, I got to a full 13. That's not 16 for those counting at home, but I was really proud of myself for pushing through a really tough run. My legs will be caught up from soccer by next week and I will have a test waiting for me on my LSD. I really think I'll make it and get back on track. But... for now, I'll have to enjoy my 13.

New Mindset, Much Healthier...

Marathon training is no joke and also nothing to take lightly. But, at the same time, I think I have been making it more stressful than it needs to be. The reality is, I have upped the intensity on my training plan this time around. And, while I want to come as close to completing it as possible, I will still be ahead of the game if I fall slightly short.

So.... "it's gonna be ok". I don't need the added stress and I really just need to enjoy it. In fact, to put things in perspective, I've been seeing a bunch of my running buddies get injured. So, is it really that bad that I have to run today? As the miles build, the craziness does too. I just have to try to remember that I really do love to do this. It's hard sometimes when trying to fit it in. But, I wouldn't have it any other way.

The new mindset is "enjoy it". I'm gonna focus on getting in the miles as good as possible. But, I'm also gonna enjoy the challenge a little more and stop losing my mind if something doesn't go exactly according to schedule. There you have it... the new me.

I also got a good run in yesterday... here's the recap.

Run recap- 7.0 miles, 1:05:40, 9:23 pace

30 Mile Week...

For the first time since late in my last marathon training, I put in a 30 mile week. To be exact, 33 miles.... That was promptly followed by only completing 11.2 of 14 miles of my LSD yesterday. But, I'll bask in the glory of my 30 miles and selectively forget that part for now. Anyhow, because of my schedule, I ran 5 straight days. The long run suffered (again). But, I'm not going to worry about that. I'm gonna continue plugging away as well as I can.

On the bright side, 10 days into August, I've already eclipsed January and February for total mileage. Marathon training can be pretty crazy. Anyhow, despite burying my LSD again, I'm going to be putting in another 30 mile week this week. Truth be told, that was only the beginning of a string of 30+ mile weeks that will last me until after marathon training. So, this might get ugly. Anyhow, here's a brief recap of my weekend runs.

Friday run recap- 3 miles, 28:04, 9:22 pace
Saturday run recap- 7 miles, 1:03:36, 9:06 pace
Sunday run recap- 11.2 miles, 1:46:00, 9:28 pace

Sub 4 hour 7 miler...

What a night!! I finally did it, sub 4 hours for 7 miles!!

Ok... ok... that's not really it. I decided last minute (about .2 miles into my run) that I was going to test out my goal pace for the marathon on my 7 miler tonight. That goal is under 4 hours (or about 9:13ish pace).

So, after clipping off a comfortable 9:17 first mile as a warmup, I really turned it up. The next mile came in at 9:07 and I was thinking, "huh, this isn't so bad". Then, I came in under 9 minutes at 8:57 for the third mile. I wasn't really trying to run this fast, but since it was going ok I continued.

The fourth mile came in almost identical at 8:58 and I was really cruising along now. Then, I turned in an 8:54 fifth... Here's where it really got interesting. Since I was in my sixth mile, I was trying not to pay much attention to the Garmin. I thought it might help me zone out for a bit. Mission accomplished. I looked down at the Garmin and I had run just over half a mile and I was pacing for a 9:44 mile!!! Yikes!

Then, I quickly went into recovery mode. I didn't make it this far into the run to throw a bad split in there towards the end. So, I turned it up and then looked back down at my watch to see if I was making up ground. I certainly was.... I had knocked the pace down to 8:34 in a quarter mile. Either that means I was running at the speed of light, or I had misread the Garmin and it originally said 8:44, not 9:44. So, I wasn't behind at all.

Anyhow, I finished that mile in an astounding 8:24 and rode that momentum all the way to the end for an 8:25 final mile. Pretty impressive workout indeed.

Run recap- 7 miles, 1:02:02, 8:52 pace