Preparing for the Race

Here it is 5 weeks out from the 2014 Boston Marathon and I am already getting nervous.  I am not sure why.  I ran the 2009 Boston Marathon in a PR and then survived the 2012 Boston Marathon in the blazing heat.  I know I can run and finish the race.  It is just that I want to see if 2009 was a fluke or that my training has really prepared me to be able to run a sub-4 hour marathon.  It really shouldn't matter whether or not I do rather I should be proud of all I have accomplished in raising money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

As proud as I am, I still want to run well.  I have been getting ready for the race for 14 weeks now.  As I said, the panic has started to sink in.  I know it isn't necessarily bad to be a little nervous, but if I let it take over my thinking and mental preparation it will lead me down the wrong path and ultimately take away from my ability to run the race I have been training for.   To avoid this fate, I need to put together the correct plan.  This way I can eliminate the negative thoughts swimming in my brain and get to the starting line in Hopkinton ready to run the best race possible.

What I have learned in my 25+ years of running is that a great race doesn't just happen magically.  Instead it comes through a combination of hard work, attention to detail and a certain amount of luck.  In the seven marathons I have completed, I have always been physically prepared to run 26.2 miles.  I have had some bad marathon races in the past due either to conditions I could not have predicted (the luck side of the equation) or I did not properly plan for my race mentally and did not correctly set my goal pace.  This year I know my body will be ready.  At the same time, I will be mentally preparing as well to ensure I can run my best race given the conditions on race day.

I have been using the Brooks-Hanson Marathon Training Plan (see my blog post from June 14, 2009).  I used it for both of my Boston Marathons.  I am sure you too have a  training plan you use to prepare for the big day.  I am convinced that my program works well for me and that come race day I will have done my utmost to prepare.  Even though I trust my program implicitly, there is still that nagging suspicion that my marathon training is still less than optimal.

Why do I feel this way.  I think part of it is due to the fact that I will have been training for 18 weeks come race day.  This program is obviously very stressful on my body.  I am running six days per week and trying to rest and recover each day including one true rest day.  I find that throughout the process I have days where I experience a dip in my efforts during a particular workout.  Those times where I did was not able to hit my workout as hard as I should have or had to skip one altogether nag at me.  But I need to ignore those nay saying voices in my head and have faith that like most marathoners I have done enough to be ready for the race.

My last long run will be a 16 miler on March 30th.  At that point, there is very little work left to be done.  I will start into my 3 weeks of tapering towards race day.   I know that the primary goal of the tapering  phase is to prepare me to race.   It is my time to rest and relax.  Logging any extra miles is really unnecessary.  If I feel the need to take an extra day off, I know it won't matter nor affect my race.  The hard part for me has always been getting my head in the right place to race.   Even harder is trying to decide on how I am going to pace myself in the race. 

Every runner I know has their own approach to marathon racing.  I wrote a piece on race pacing strategy back in April 2011.  I cannot just pick a goal pace out of the air and expect to hit it no matter what happens on race day.   Instead, I am going to use the even pace strategy I described in my earlier post.  I will go out at a 9 minute per mile pace from the start and when I get to the half way point assess how I feel.  If I believe I can step up the pace a little faster than my goal marathon pace, I will increase the pace.  My goal is to get to mile 20 feeling strong.  What happens in the last 10K is entirely up to my mind, body, and soul.

I will start out focusing on my pace and ignore all the people passing me. I will remind myself that they are probably starting out too fast and I will catch them later if I stick to my pace.  The key to a successful race will be to try and stay as calm as possible. I will conserve all of my mental energy for the last third of the marathon.  I know that my mental toughness will be tested during the later miles of the race.  Therefore, I need to make sure that I don't give into periods of self-doubt and perceived physical discomfort.  I will remind myself that I have put in all the training necessary to complete the race and rely on it.  If I start to lose mental focus I can let my mind take over from my body and try to focus on my surroundings like the spectators, other runners, and the scenery.  I know that I have worked hard to get to the starting line and that I have run through fatigue during many of my training runs and I can do it again.  If I can do all of the above, I will have a great race and a memorable experience. 

Mar. 3 – 6.10 miles (54:44, 8:57 pace)

Mar. 4 – 9.50 miles (1:19:40, 8:23 pace) – Mile Repeats

Mar. 6 – 9.50 miles (1:17:10, 8:7 pace) – Tempo Run

Mar. 7 – 6.10 miles (1:03:03, 10:21 pace)

Mar. 8 – 10.10 miles (1:29:34, 8:49 pace)

Mar. 9 – 10.10 miles (1:27:19, 8:39 pace)

Mar. 10 – 9.50 miles (1:21:00, 9:14 pace) – Mile Repeats

Mar. 11 – 8.20 miles (1:13:05, 8:57 pace)

Mar. 13 – 9.10 miles (1:12:39, 7:59 pace) – Tempo Run

Mar. 14 – 7.10 miles (1:02:35, 8:49 pace)

Mar. 15 – 16.10 miles (2:19:31, 8:42 pace)

Mar. 16 – 8.20 miles (1:15:41, 9:14 pace)

Total Miles:  109.6 miles

2014 Total Miles:  529.8 miles

Double The Challenge, Double the Fun

Well this week was a first for me.  I participated in two races and they could not have been more different.  On Friday, February 21, I drove out to Wickenburg Arizona to run as part of the Speedie Sportie Sproutie: Wasted Away in Wickenburg Ragnar relay team.  And on Saturday, March 1, I ran the Phoenix Half Marathon.  The best part was that in both cases I ran really well and had a blast.  I guess the training I have been doing for the 2014 Boston Marathon is really paying dividends. 

The Ragnar Del Sol started in Wickenburg, AZ and finished at Tempe Town Lake.  The race was my 6^th Overnight Relay Race.  I really enjoy these crazy races.  In this race I was runner #9 and my first leg was the longest leg in the event -- a 13.6 mile run uphill the entire way.  We left Scottsdale at 5:00 am to get to the starting line area by 6:30 so that we could check in and get ready for our 7:30 am start time.  We made it a little later than expected but had plenty of time to check in and be at the starting line for our 7:30 am start time.

The gun went off at 7:40 am and our first runner headed out for an 8.6 mile run.  Since I was in Van 2, we headed into Wickenburg to grab breakfast before heading over to Exchange 6 where we would meet Van 1 to start our first set of legs.  It was already starting to get warm when we got to the exchange area.  We rested as best we could so that we would be ready to run our legs.  Van 1 finally arrived at a little after 1 pm.  Based on our predicted pace, I would be running my first leg at 3:00 pm.  I knew it would be warm.

Our runners #7 & 8 did really well and I got the hand off at 3:08 pm.  It was already 78 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.  I knew it would be a tough run.  But as my Dad said, I finished the Boston Marathon on an 85 degree day.  This would be a piece of cake.  I was able to hold a pretty even pace throughout my run averaging about 8:30 per mile.  As I approached mile 12, I started to feel the effects of the heat and had to slow my pace so as to not overheat.  I wasn't feeling too bad when I finally reached the "One Mile to Go" sign.  It seemed to reinvigorate me.  I picked up the pace and made it to the exchange finishing in 2  hours and 18 seconds (an 8:49 pace).  I got my finishers medal which was nice and then jumped in the van to head to the next exchange. 

My next run was going to be around 2 am.  I love running in the middle of the night.  It is so peaceful and the night sky was going to be spectacular because there were no clouds.  I took the handoff at 2:04 am and headed out for my 4.7 mile leg.  The temperature was a perfect 58 degrees.  There were not many runners around me which made the leg very enjoyable.  I was feeling really rested and pushed the pace a bit.  I finished my second leg in 39 minutes 43 seconds (an 8:27 pace).  I was a little amazed at the pace because I was still a little sore from the first leg.  But it was extremely satisfying.  We all jumped back in the van and headed to the next exchange.

My 3rd and final leg would again be in the heat.  Based on our current pace, I would be taking the handoff at around noon.  Our runners did better than expected and I took the handoff at 11:35 am.  It was 72 degrees and sunny.  I took off and wanted to finish fast since it was only a 3.2 mile leg and along the same street I run on from my home for all of my training runs.  As I was passing one of the runners, he seemed to be struggling.  I checked in with him and he said he was really beat.  I decided to run with him for a little while.  We got to chatting and I finally asked if he wanted me to hang with him.  He said that it would be great.  So we ran the balance of the leg together and crossed the finish line at the same time.  We shook hands and I thanked him for a great time.  Despite slowing down a little, I finished the leg in 28:07 (an 8:42 pace). 

 

Now all we had to do was get to the finish line.  Our last 3 runners were pumped up and ready to really finish strong.  When our last runner headed out to run the Green Belt Trail to the finish line, we headed over so we could run across the finish line together.  Sara came running across the pedestrian bridge with a great big smile on her face.  We fell in behind her and crossed the finish line at 2:31 pm.  We had finished the 203 mile race in 30:53:58 (just under 31 hours) which was a 9:07 per mile place.  We came in 69th out of over 300 teams and 38th in the Mixed Open Division.  It was a really fun race despite the heat and all of the Speedie Sprouties said they wanted to do it again next year.

Next on Saturday, March 1, I got up at 3:00 am to head down to the Mesa Riverview Shopping Center where I would catch the bus to the starting line for the Phoenix Half Marathon.  The race is one of 3 runs on the same course.  There is a 10K, the half and the full marathon.  I got to the starting line at 5:15 am and had to wait until the 6:30 am starting gun.  It was 66 degrees but for some reason I felt cold.  I was joined by my friend and fellow Sproutie Donna Egan.  She had run in the Ragnar as well.  We were both questioning our sanity but since the rain had held off we were going to run the race.

The gun did go off on time and I decided to run with Donna for the first 1.5 miles.  I figured I was not going to be able to run a PR since I had had a hard training week for Boston and a bit of a racing hangover from Ragnar.  We finished the first mile in 9:35.  After another 1/2 mile Donna told me to head out and she would see me at the finish line.  I finished the second mile in 8:50.  Then I decided  to pick up the pace to a comfortable one and started to pick off those runners who were ahead of me.  It rained for a few minutes a couple of times but it didn't seem to faze me at all.

My next miles were 8:18, 8:21, 8:24, 8:18, 8:33, 8:26, 8:24 and 8:26.  I was at 10 miles and averaging under an 8:30 per mile pace!  The best part was that I was feeling great.  I saw a guy who seemed to be running at the same pace and decided to let him help me get to the finish line while holding this pace.  I was surprised that I was not feeling any fatigue.  Perhaps the first slow mile helped me.  I finished Mile 11 in 8:29.  But, I felt I was starting to slip.

I could see the guy in front of me starting to pick up his pace with 2.1 miles to go.  I quickened my pace as well.  I stopped looking at my watch and just ran after him.  I wanted to try and come in under 1:50:00.  I crossed the finish line at 1:50:48 (official) which was an 8:27 per mile pace.  I was ecstatic.  I had run an unexpected PR and felt great!  When I got home and checked my last 2 miles I had clocked them at 8:09 for Mile 12 and 7:36 for Mile 13!   Wow!  After leaving Donna, I had run the last 11.1 miles at an 8:22 pace. 

I thanked the guy who I had chased for helping me hold onto the pace.  He said he always saw me back there which helped push him as well.  It is a fact that competition brings out the best in us.  If you had asked me on Saturday morning if I would run a sub-2 hour half, I would have said no.  But with the easy start and another runner running at my "comfortable pace" I was able to PR. 

It is hard to believe that at 52 1/2 years old, I am still able to set new PRs.  I know a good portion of the credit goes to the fact that I have been relatively injury free which allows me to train hard.  It is also due to the fact that I am training smarter.  Whatever the case, I am really happy with the results I delivered the last two weekends.  Who knows, maybe there is another PR on the horizon in Boston.  But I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.  I still have a lot of training to do between now and April 21st.  Until then I am going to bask in the glow of my new PR.

Feb. 17 – 6.10 miles (56:42, 9:14 pace)

Feb. 18 – 3.50 miles (26:32, 7:36 pace) – Speed Work

Feb. 19 – 8.50 miles (1:00:00, 8:12 pace) – Tempo Run

Feb. 21 – 13.60 miles (2:00:18, 8:49 pace) – Ragnar Del Sol - Leg 1

Feb. 22 – 4.70 miles (39:43, 8:27 pace) – Ragnar Del Sol - Leg 2

Feb. 22 – 3.30 miles (28:07, 8:42 pace) – Ragnar Del Sol - Leg 3

Feb. 24 – 8.10 miles (1:15:02, 9:14 pace)

Feb. 25 – 9.50 miles (1:21:14, 8:34 pace) – Mile Repeats

Feb. 27 – 8.50 miles (1:09:03, 8:07 pace) – Tempo Run

Feb. 28 – 7.10 miles (1:03:30, 8:57 pace)

Mar . 1 – 13.10 miles (1:50:48, 8:26 pace) – Phoenix Half Marathon

Mar. 2 – 10.10 miles (1:30:46, 8:57 pace)

Total Miles:  96.1 miles

2014 Total Miles:  516.3 miles