Here it is one week from my running of the 113th Boston Marathon. It is still a little bit unbelievable that I actually ran a 4 hour marathon. I am still euphoric. I have had a few days to reflect on what went right in my training for this race that allowed me to run a race with such consistency and not once feel like I needed to slow down. Not only that I never hit the wall. In my 5 other marathons I hit the wall around mile 22-23.
I will admit that I trained very hard for this race. I had my stretch goal of under 4 hours from the start of my training period. I ran all of my marathon race pace training runs trying to hit a consistent 9:00 minute per mile pace. I never missed any of my speed or mile repeat sessions. I had no injuries or illness at any time during my training and I had maintained my weight at 170-171 lbs. which was about 25 lbs lighter than when I ran the Marine Corps Marathon. This all prepped me physically for the strain of running 26.2 miles.
As I reflected on what I accomplished, I realized that the above got me to the starting line in good physical shape. What enabled me to run such a good race was my mental state. I knew I was running for a higher purpose. I was actually doing something to change the world we live in and help those who need our help. I had the advantage of carrying 61 people with me the entire race who I know lightened my load and made the journey easier than it should have been.
I am not one who usually believes in angels, ghosts or other supernatural things. Just ask my mother. If there was ever a sign that there is an afterlife and that our loved ones are there waiting for us, I experienced it on April 20th. I now believe in guardian angels that are out there waiting to help us when we need it. We just have to ask. I asked them to help me when I reached Heartbreak Hill. I now know they did.
The other two people I have to thank for enabling me to make it to the starting line and running the race of my life are my parents. I can remember throughout my childhood that they both always told me that I could do anything I set my mind to. I have to admit I doubted them on many occasions. But, they definitely gave me confidence in my ability to succeed. As Yoda says, “Do, or do not. There is no try.” With out their love and support, I am not sure I would be where I am today.
The last person I am deeply indebted to is my wife Beverly. She has had to put up with my constant training, smelly running clothes and shoes, anxiety regarding whether or not I could raise enough money to meet the minimum, kept our kids and house running like a well oiled machine, and many other things I simply cannot remember right now. We have been married for almost 25 years now and she has put up with my compulsive nature and given me the room to explore my crazy running obsession. I never would have been able to run any of the marathons I have completed without her love and support. Beverly is the best!
Here are my split times showing how consistently I was running each leg:
113th Boston Marathon 2009
Runner: Ted Frumkin
Results:
Location TimePace/mile
10km 0:56:58/9:10
Half-Marathon 1:58:54/9:04
30km 2:49:51/9:06
Finish 3:59:21/9:07
What an experience I had last Monday. I now am in search of a new challenge. I have already signed up to be a part of a team that will be running in the Reach the Beach Relay. The Reach the Beach (RTB) Relay is the longest distance running relay race in the United States. The RTB Relay will take place in New Hampshire during the start of the New England fall foliage season. We will be running 200 miles from Cannon Mountain in Franconia, NH to a finish along the Atlantic coastline at Hampton Beach State Park NH. The course will take our team through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, past fields, lakes, mountain top vistas, and the occasional covered bridge. I am not really sure how to train for this type of a race. So, my plan is to train like I am going to run a fall marathon. I may decide to run another marathon this year who knows.
Here are my training totals for this week. :
Apr. 20 – 26.20 miles (3:59:21, 9:08 pace) – Marathon PR
Apr. 22 – 3.10 miles (28:58, 9:21 pace)
Apr. 23 – 3.10 miles (30:05, 9:42 pace) – Manhattan, NY
Apr. 24 – 5.20 miles (43:16, 8:19 pace)
Apr. 25 – 6.00 miles (50:03, 8:20 pace)
Total Miles: 43.60 miles
2009 YTD Miles: 766.40 miles
2 comments:
Thanks for the comment and congrats on a great race. I grabbed that photo on my blog by clicking on the original thumbnail so it became full size and then taking a screenshot (every keyboard is a little different but for most it's either holding down the ALT button and pressing the small button near the top right of the keyboard that says "print screen" or "prt scrn" on it, OR by holding the Control button and pressing the print screen button). It basically takes a snapshot of whatever is on your screen and treats it like a copied image that you can paste anywhere.
Once I had the screenshot I pasted it into paint, then saved it as a JPEG, then opened with Microsoft Photo Editor and cropped it, saved it and kablam! I posted it to ye olde blog. It sounds like a lot more work than it actually is :)
You got some great photos from the race! Still in awe of your time ... 3:59 is phenom.
I agree that there are angels there when you need them. I think those 61 people were joyous to be running for so far and so fast!
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