#3

Mental state required to sign up for a marathon:

1. Manic Optimism. I ran 7 miles today, and my Achilles only hurt a little! It'll be fine..!

2. Amnesia. It's been over a year. I really don't remember what those last 6 miles felt like. 

3. Determination. Forget the last two marathons. This time I'm going to run to my potential. 

And so, after much dilly-dallying and internal debate whether to run a marathon this fall and if so which one, I have put my marbles on the table and signed up. I'll be running the Baystate Marathon on Sunday, October 21st. And I'll be chasing that 3 hour time. It's not a hard pace. The game is just to run that pace without exploding. 

I have some new theories about marathon preparation I want to experiment with over the next three months. I'll attempt to keep this blog updated with my progress as I explore them. 

Gilio 5K

A quick post from me, since I haven't been blogginating for a while. I ran the local club race this past Saturday. The day started cool and overcast, but by the time the 9am start rolled around it had transitioned to hut, muggy, and overcast. My 3 mile warm-up had left me drenched in sweat, and I was feeling intensely glad not to be running a half marathon today. My left Achilles was hurting (as it is wont to do). I had tweaked it a bit a week ago when I did what I thought was to be my penultimate specific-endurance workout for my upcoming half-marathon (11 miles with 42 minutes at 6 min "effort"). I finished the long AT section of the run, but my ankle was throbbing, and I reluctantly cut it two miles short. Since then I've been mostly resting it, and was up in the air about racing Saturday.

But I did, rightly or wrongly. The race kicked off on time, and I shot out along with John Sullivan from HFC, and a local Norwood runner. They stayed with me up the first hill, and then I started to pull away. First mile in 5:09.

I hit the rotary and tried to get a glimpse of my pursuers, but they must have been less than the rotary-circumference behind me, because I couldn't see them. I kept grinding on to mile 2, which was way slower.

The last mile up Albemarle ground on. I will cop to slacking off a bit. The humidity and the heat pressed down on me, but I guess it must have been affecting everyone else too because I didn't hear any footsteps or breathing. I reached the crest of the final hill and bombed down it, managing a little kick for the win, in 17:16.

I had two 2nd-place finishes at the Gilio 5K, so it felt good to finally win the thing. The downside? My achilles was really sore at the finish--even though the volunteer PTs there were nice enough to roll it out for me (thanks!). I had a pretty good limp going on. At present I am thinking I'm going to have to bow out of the Simsbury Iron Horse half marathon. I was really excited to run a flat 13.1 in my home-town, but I'm not going to if it just means digging more of a hole for myself. Time to lay off and wait for my body to give me the green-light signal.

Half Marathon Training

Half Marathon Training

Track Intervals, 7 x 2 km

A perfect spring morning at the track. The air is cool, but the warmth of the sun suggests the heat of the day to come. This is a long workout--no time to meditate on the beauty of nature. I started with four of these intervals, then six, and now seven. Some day soon I'll arrive at the track preparing to do 10. 50 laps. I still can't quite wrap my head around that. 

The first interval. 88s quarters click by easily. Somebody else is doing 800s, and his coach is running back and forth along the infield diagonal to call out the 200 splits. When the rest 400m comes, he jogs it with his athlete. What would it be like to subsume your morning workout into someone else's, as this coach is clearly doing? Will I ever do that? Something else I have a hard time wrapping my head around. Too selfish right now, just preoccupied with my own bit. 7:22. 

The second interval. Each lap is like a day. When I round the corner onto the home straight, the sun blinds me, a radiant dawn. When I turn away onto the back stretch, the light fades, and I feel as though the world has sunk into a cool dusky shadow. The laps feel too effortful, each day wearing me down a little too much. 7:25, slow.

Third interval. The 800m runner and his coach depart, transient wayfellows who are now following a different road. In the no-time that always accompanies track work, it feels like our paths have been crossing for years. I think about breathing, about the delicate homeostasis of my body as it rides along the edge of the anaerobic threshold. The 5th lap, the crowning of the year. 7:19. 

Fourth interval. How long have I been doing this? It seems like forever. The days pass interminably, the sun spinning overhead, alternately blinding me and setting over my shoulder, my shadow making a gnomon of me as it counts out the time. The homeostat quivers, breath burns, legs burn. 7:25.

Fifth interval. Other travelers have appeared, slow perambulators. My days rush by them quickly, but we share a little time together. The year passes. Geese wait in the infield like well-mannered spectators, and then step across the home straight after I've passed. My breathing steadies. Homeostasis. 7:19.

Sixth interval. I've been doing this for years. As the strangers pass by me on their own journeys, I think of the 800 meter runner I knew in the beginning, in those long gone days. Whatever became of him? A little strength has trickled back into me, and I meet each day gladly. The sunrises turn the beads of sweat in my brow into shimmering crystal. I fight to keep my breath flowing smoothly, my strides flowing smoothly, an ageless current that lives forever in one place, with the days passing over it forever. 7:21. 

Seventh interval. A septuagenarian now, I can barely remember my own beginnings, or the spry thoughtless strength of my youth. But it doesn't matter--after all these years I've found the trick of borrowing power from the world around me. The geese, the walkers, the dandelions blazing yellow on the infield. Nearby, the commuter rail trundles through, an epochal comet, muscled along by the diesel locomotive's burly power. I feel that power in my toes. I do not accelerate. Homeostasis. Breath like a river's flow. The last day dawns and sets, much like any other. 7:17.

Back in regular time, now. Already the little lifetime I spent on the track is fading in my memory, but I remember how endless it felt. Seven 2 kilometer intervals. What will ten be like? I chew on that thought as I turn off the track and begin the 4 klick jog home. 

Derry/OFTM recaps

Haven't written in a while--sorry about that. I needed some time to not be hard-core about running (or at least as hard-core as I ever am). I did Derry again (a month ago already!), boldly leaving my garmin behind and setting out to "run the race by feel". I ran a solid half marathon (<85), and was at that point probably in the top 10--but then it all came apart. One of my faster and more dramatic bonks--going from strong and confident to stumbling jog in under 2 minutes. This got me in the mindset of writing up a post on bonking made up of my lamentably sizable sample set, but...I'm still dilly-dallying about that. Anyway, here's a pic from early in Derry, when things were still going well:

So, on to today's race. I started feeling the motivation again about two weeks ago, and came into the race with at least one solid track day to my name (4x 2k intervals @ 6 minute pace). Also, with the taste of humble pie in my mouth, I brought along my garmin. This time the plan was to keep it between 6:04-6:08 in the first 8 miles, then actually accelerate and run the last 2 flat miles < 6. And hey! It worked. I even passed somebody in the last mile, dropping my pace to 5:51 for the last segment with the aid of my finishing kick. Funny how I can't remember any long race where I regret going out too slowly.

Results:
Old Fashioned 10M
place: 15/576
distance: 10M
time: 1:00:55
pace: 6:06

2011 Year In Review

2011 marks the first year I've kept a training log consistently through the whole annum, so--I actually have something to review! It's been a really strong year for me, with several PRs at shorter distances and one win to my credit. Longer distances continued to be problematic, with the Vermont City Marathon being--at least relative to the sky-high expectations I had for it--a bit of a low point.

2011 In Numbers
Races:        11
PRs:            4 (13.1M, 4 Mile, 5K, 10K)
Miles Run:   2110
Shoe Pairs:  4?
Prize Money+Gift Certificates: $125


2011 in Races

Derry 16M. First race of the year. What I remember most vividly is how cold it was when I walked down to my car at 6am that morning--right around 0F. Bonked hard at mile 14 and somehow toughed out the last 2 miles, which is about the only time I've ever beaten the bonk over any distance.

At the time I was thinking "never again", but the memory must have faded because here I am, all signed up with Derry just three weeks away!

Derry Boston Prep            1-23-11        43/657            16M        1:49:30        6:51






Old Fashioned 10M A mediocre effort. Training had been very challenging (my logs including such entries as (*** treacherous w/ snowmelt!) (imagine black diamonds in place of asterisks), and (more snow, sheesh!) --after two consecutive missed days.

Foxboro Old Fashioned 10M        2-20-11        47/521            10M        1:03:22        6:20

Hyannis Half Marathon. Conditions were...interesting. Rain alternating with snow alternating with more rain. Frigid puddles  on the streets. I had almost forgotten this was a PR. It surprised me because I hadn't had good training (quality or volume) over the winter. My old record was pretty soft though (set on the hilly Applefest course). A good day to not be doing a full marathon, as one of my teammates did.

Hyannis Half Marathon                   2-27-11        47/2683                 13.1            1:23:20         6:22    

Blue Hills Foxtrot 10M Man, I love this race. It was a beautiful spring day in the woods, the way it always is that time of year. I led the 1st 3 miles, but then somebody slipped by on the Breakneck Ledge trail descent. Complacently settled in for 2nd. Where's the competitive fire, Woodruff?

Blue Hills Fox Trot 10M            4-10-11        2/139            10M        1:07:27        6:45

Keybank Vermont City Marathon It started off so well (don't they all!). But then the clouds cleared off, the cursed daystar leered down at us, and the temps shot up into the 80s. by mile 18 I was cooked, wobbly-legged and sick. It was a long hike to the finish. I had plenty of time to reflect on how I suck at marathons. I'm pretty sure that lady in the picture kicked my ass.

KBVCM (keybank marathon)        5-29-11        287/2668        26.2        3:29:51        8:00

Highland Sky 40M. My first Ultra! A race I am proud simply to have finished. This run had so many good things going for it--beautiful scenery, views, blooming mountain laurel, falls, and highland meadows; awesome, incredibly helpful volunteers, and a similarly great field (you have a chance to do some chattin' in an ultra marathon). What a great 7 hours. The last 2+ hours...well, that got a little rough. But I'm over it! Looking forward to doing this race again in 2012!

Highland Sky 40M            6-18-11        62/178            41M        9:18:16        really slow

Bridgton 4 on the 4th My traditional 4th of July race. Also my first race as a 30-year-old. Existential shock! Calamity! Wait, no, I'm still here--all good.

Bridgton 4 on the 4th            7-4-11        19/1850            4M        23:24        5:51

Summer Slump. Tired with racing for a bit. Motivation to log heavy miles plummeting. Achilles hurting. Summer slump, err...break! Hiked with friends. Did a two day solo on the Monadnock-Sunapee trail. Still doing routine maintenance runs, but otherwise nothing to report.












Houghton's Pond Trail Race My first race back after Achilles pain made me take 10 solid days off running. That sucked. This was mainly just a reference-point. I lacked the endurance to effectively race at 10K distance, especially over hills.

Houghton's Pond 10K (trail)        10-2-11        9/228            10K        39:18        6:20

Canton Fall Classic 10K  The freak snowstorm that cancelled the Bills Pizzeria 5K also postponed the CFC, so I decided to hop in. At first I was exhilarated about winning it, but on reflection, it's hard to take it seriously. Let's just refer to the Race Highlights, shall we? 

"Woodruff's winning time was the slowest for men in the race's history. The men's field was greatly affected by the reschedule. The new date conflicted with a New England Championship meet where several expected competitors ran for their clubs"

Consider me deflated.

Canton Fall Classic 10K            11-6-11        1/188            10K        36:06        5:48

Norwood Turkey Trot 4M: A great race and PR day for me. Last year I had a dream of breaking up HFC's top 5, and this year I did! A warm day for November--everyone was in shorts and singlets.

Norwood Turkey Trot            11-20-11    9/612            4M        21:56        5:29












GNRCYO 5K: This was the last race of what I think of as my Fall Season. I really wanted to cap it strongly with a PR--and I did! There's really nothing with quite the same short-lived savor as setting a PR. It's sublimely delicious--for about 5 seconds. Then you start thinking, "hmm, maybe I can do 16:30".

GNRCYO 5K                12-3-11        3/144            5K        16:49        5:24