Well, where do I start? It’s been 3 days since the marathon and only now do I feel like I have some spare time to sit down and write about the experience. Friday was a wet and windy day in Virginia Beach, and the drive to DC in the early afternoon wasn’t the most relaxing experience. However, we made good time and arrived in one piece at our hotel in Pentagon City, which left plenty of time to visit the Race Expo on Friday night. This meant Saturday would be totally free to relax and prepare for the big race.

Packet Pickup was relatively quiet and stress free. We were able to browse all the vendor stalls and stands without fighting through huge crowds of people – a huge improvement over previous years where we left it until the Saturday to collect our race goodies.

Saturday was a mixture of rest & relaxation, eating & drinking and a quick walk round the stores to kill some time. We laid out our race gear and warm clothes for the morning trek to the Runner’s Village before heading out for an early dinner and a lucky pre-race Guinness!

After checking the weather forecast and setting the alarm for 5:15am, it was soon time for an early night and to think about what Sunday may have in store. At least the rain had cleared up and the temperature would be almost perfect for a marathon – the only negative looked to be the blustery wind.

All too soon the alarm was beeping and it was time to get up, get dressed and make up my pre-race breakfast – 3 scoops of Sustained Energy which would provide me with 343 calories and 24oz of much needed fluids. Sustained Energy is so much easier on my stomach than trying to force down a bagel, a muffin or a banana. Plus it doesn’t take hours to digest and provides me with almost instant energy. I can’t remember the last time I ate solid foods before a long training run or race. I also made up another 24oz bottle which I’d take with me to the Runner’s Village to keep my energy stores topped up. Oh yes, I also took 3 Endurolyte capsules which contain all the electrolytes I’d need to stave off muscle cramps during the race.

Fast forward an hour or two, and the wait for the start of the race is almost over. With minutes to spare, I make my way to the start line (or as close to the start line as I can manage) and wait for the off. As predicted, weather conditions are almost perfect and there’s not even a hint of any wind. Great!

If you read my race prediction over at cymru66.com, you’ll know I planned on starting at around 6:30 per mile pace, with the hope of speeding things up around the 20 mile mark if I was able to. The first mile, which is always hard to judge, was a 6:40 – not quite quick enough, but not way off the mark either. Still plenty of time to make up the lost 10 seconds

The first 3 miles are all uphill, so it’s important not to expend too much energy in this critical period of the race. I was also conscious of the fact that last year I started way too fast and paid the price late on in the race. Mile 2 was another 6:40 – still a bit off pace, but too early to panic. I also had unplanned company in the race – a friend from Norfolk had joined me and we just kind of ran together, engaging in chat every now and then. The company helped the miles pass fast, but it may have affected my focus somewhat.

The 3rd mile was a bit of a wake up call – 6:50 – which meant now I was 40 seconds off goal pace. I tried to be positive and tell myself there were still over 23 miles of racing, but looking back I think I may have planted an early seed of doubt in my mind. The knee jerk reaction on a downhill section of the race brought a 6:15 mile and reduced the goal deficit to 25 seconds – much better!

A couple more uphill miles (6:37 and 6:45) left me a lot of work to do despite having 20 miles to go. At the 5 mile mark, my average pace was 6:50 – 20 seconds off the goal. At last the course flattened out a bit and I finally felt like I could get into a rhythm. The next 4 miles were quicker (6:20, 6:28, 6:21 and 6:15) and actually felt really easy. I’m much happier running near my limit and I think during the early miles I was way too cautious and possibly a bit scared. No matter, at 10 miles my average pace was 6:40 per mile, which meant I’d managed to reverse the deficit somewhat.

The next 3 miles are a tourists dream – you run by the Lincoln National Memorial, Reflecting Pool, Constitution Gardens and many more of the famous DC landmarks. The crowd support is also superb on this portion of the course and quite predictably I got sucked in to a faster pace. Miles 11, 12 & 13 were 6:17, 6:20 & 6:17 respectively. I “slowed” to a 6:30 and a 6:22 for the next 2 miles and passed the 15 mile mark in 1 hour 39 minutes – 6:36 pace. Somehow I was turning around my slow start and getting closer to my goal of 6:30 pace. The good thing was I still had 11 miles to go and still felt great.

Traditionally the next 3 or 4 miles are tough as you run to Haines Point along the Potomac River and back to the Jefferson National Monument. Last year, the wind was strong on the peninsula, but this year it actually felt pretty good. At 16 miles my friend John started to drop back. I sensed he was struggling a little, but thought he’d work through it and catch me back up.

3 more swift miles of 6:23, 6:23 & 6:26 followed, and now it was almost time to run onto the 14th Street Bridge – the point in the race last year where everything went wrong. I was determined not to fall apart this early in the race and deliberately backed off the pace to “save something” for the last 6 miles/10km of the race – hence mile 19 in 6:35 and mile 20 in 6:33.

Now it was time to head towards Crystal City where this year there was an almost carnival atmosphere. I was still feeling good and had my fingers crossed that I could maintain this pace until the finish. Two more sub-6:30 miles – 6:21 and 6:27 – gave me an average pace of 6:34 at the 22 mile mark. Slowly but surely I’d chipped away at the slow start I’d made, and now I was in a perfect position to attack the last 4 miles (if attack is the right word in a 26.2 mile race!)

Just before mile 23 one of the female wheelchair competitors shouted to let me know my left shoelace was undone. I’d sensed it getting looser for the past half mile or so and hoped it would stay tied until I finished the race. However, the flapping white lace left me no choice but to stop and fix the problem. Unless you’ve run an endurance event like a marathon, it’s so hard to explain what happens when you stop, after running almost at your limit for 22 miles. I didn’t cramp (thank you Endurolytes!) and I didn’t take more than 5 seconds to retie the shoelace, but I must have lost some time getting the legs moving again. Mile 23 – 6:44 – slower, but not a disaster.

Lady Luck must have turned against me as the wind decided to pick up as I headed away from Crystal City. I was still overtaking runners who’d started faster than me and were now really suffering in the closing miles of the race, but as much as I wanted and needed to, I couldn’t run any faster. I’d reached the point of no return and my body was starting to resist my attempt to speed up.

Mile 24 was a 6:54 (slowest of the race so far), but that title was about to be transferred to Mile 25 and then Mile 26 – 7:02 & 7:13. It’s really hard to describe the closing miles of a marathon – it’s almost like one of those dreams where you’re running away from something, but it’s all in slow motion. Your mind is willing but the legs say “not today”. All you can do is tag along for the ride and hope they don’t let you down totally.

Despite the fade in the last 3 or 4 miles, I still manage to cross the finish line in 2:54:01, which is an average 6:38 per mile pace – not quite matching my lofty goal, but not a total disaster either. For the record I finished 107th overall out of over 20,000 runners and 12th in the 40-44 age group. My time was 5 seconds slower than last year, which I must admit is pretty consistent!

So, 4 months of training and mission almost accomplished. Now the question is “What’s next?”. I usually experience a slight low after a big marathon. You spend so much time working towards the goal, that you can easily lose sight of life after the marathon. Luckily, home and work life are both very busy and I have several low key races lined up between now and the end of the year to keep me motivated physically.

Hope you enjoyed the post. Sorry it was a long one Feel free to leave a comment and if you have any questions, ask away!

Well, Thursday night’s run is over, which means my 16 weeks of marathon training is complete. At this stage in the game it’s too late to do anything about my level of fitness. With just a handful of days until the big race, it’s all about eating and drinking well, resting as much as possible and thinking positive thoughts about the 26.2 miles ahead of me.

Anyway, back to tonight’s workout: a 3 mile run at planned marathon pace (around 6:30 per mile), followed by a 1 mile cool down. After a quick warm up (I didn’t want to risk injury by running fast from a cold start), I was off! Mile 1 was a windy 6:32, but it felt really comfortable. Mile 2 was a quicker 6:20 which still felt fairly easy, and I think Mile 3 was around the same. My Garmin decided to switch off just after the 2 mile mark, but it didn’t stop me completing the workout.

I must admit it’s great to finally be done with all the training. It’s a long road with no shortcuts, where you really have to be patient, listen to your body and always have the end goal in your mind. I thrive on the challenge of the marathon and believe it brings out the best in me. Just getting to the start line in one piece is a huge achievement, so I’m looking forward to lining up on Sunday morning and waiting for the off. I still haven’t had chance to post my race prediction, but I’ll try and do it sometime before Sunday morning.

Going into today’s workout I was a bit concerned the plan called for 6 x 400m repeats. Track work usually takes a lot out of me, and with the marathon only 5 days away I didn’t want to risk anything. What’s more, the 400m repeats had to be completed in 78 seconds, which is a pretty quick 5:12 pace for a mile.

Despite being windy and warm (15mph and 85°F respectively), it felt great to be outside on another pleasant fall day. I chose not to run on the track tonight, but instead marked out a 400m section of a parking lot. I had this strange notion that the track was too formal a workout and wanted something low key for my final “speed session” before the marathon.

My 2 mile warm up went well and my legs felt ready to run. I even changed my running shoes to the pair I plan to wear on race day — Brooks ST3 — which at 8.4oz are lightweight and should give me some sort of advantage over 26.2 miles. Just lacing them up makes you feel fast to be honest! The first 400m went well – very well actually. 76 seconds instead of the suggested 78 seconds in the plan. Question was, could I maintain it?

400m #2: another extremely quick one – this time 72 seconds! It felt fairly easy and although I had a slight tailwind, my legs felt light and speedy.

400m #3: slightly slower at 75 seconds, but still under the target. By now my breathing is becoming labored, but my legs still feel good.

400m #4: a change in wind direction meant I was fighting it for most of the 400m, but I managed to duck under the goal and record a 77 seconds. Foolishly I’d forgotten to bring a drink with me, and by now by mouth was dry and thirst had kicked in. Still, just 2 more repeats and I would be done.

400m #5: I tried really hard on this one and ended up sprinting the last 100m to finish in 73 seconds – breathing heavy, but legs still feeling good.

Final 400m: all or nothing as always is the case! I wanted this one to be the fastest of the afternoon, but it wasn’t to be. However, I matched the last 400m and recorded another 73 seconds.

All in all a great “track” workout (even though it wasn’t on a track!). 6 x 400m repeats all considerably under the goal and most pleasing of all, no injuries and no real soreness.

One more shortish tempo run on Sunday and that’s me done. At this stage in the game, there’s not much else I can do except watch what I eat and drink and take care to get enough sleep. Tomorrow I start my 4 day loading cycle of Race Day Boost, which I’ve used successfully in several previous marathons. According to the Hammer Nutrition folks it “aids increased cellular energy production and buffers performance-robbing lactic acid”. Read more about this great product here.

I usually stop off somewhere on the way home from work and get my run in before heading for home. Tonight the weather was pretty bad (wet, windy and stormy), so I decided to go home first, catch up on a few chores and then head out later when the weather had cleared and the temperature had dropped a little.

It took a bit of effort to actually leave the house and start my run (after all it is Friday night and all I really want to do is relax and unwind a little), but once out the door I was focused and ready to run. Tonight’s workout was another challenge:

2 mile warm up (any speed)
3 miles @ ST (short tempo) pace – 6:08 per mile
1 mile cool down

After Wednesday’s 1000m repeats, my legs were still feeling a little heavy. The 2 mile warm up helped, but I must admit I wasn’t too confident of meeting the 6:08 target time for each of the 3 miles.

With the Marine Corps Marathon just 9 days away I was determined to have a confident workout and [stupidly] set off quite aggressively. At the half mile mark I glanced down at my watch and thought I saw 2:50 – way too fast if I wasn’t seeing things! I deliberately eased off a little in the second half, but still finished with a 5:58 mile – 10 seconds too fast.

Mile 2 was all about staying focused, maintaining good running form and trying to stay relaxed. My breathing became more labored, my legs started to feel heavy but I still recorded a 6:04 – 4 seconds inside the goal pace. Excellent!

The remainder of the workout was just about survival! The too fast first mile had robbed me of much needed energy and allowed lactic acid to build up in my legs. Trying to keep a fast cadence was almost impossible, so I resorted to my longer, slower, hang on for grim death stride instead Somehow I just squeezed under the 6:08 target with a 6:06 mile and had to stop completely to recover for a minute or so.

The run home was slow and fairly uncomfortable, but I’d met my goal for the evening and now I’m one step closer to my big day next weekend. Long run on Sunday of 8-10 miles and then hopefully the taper will start – I really need a rest and a break from this tough training!

If you’re reading this, chances are you want to be a better, stronger, healthier, and most of all, FASTER runner, right?

But after work, family, errands and all the usual daily chores, how are we supposed to fit in enough quality workouts to reach our goals? It’s one of the biggest challenges runners face. But now, there’s an answer…

Run Less, Run Faster!

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I’ve been following the plan for the last 15 weeks and have one more week to go before the Marine Corps Marathon. My best time for a marathon is 2:51:00, set last year at the Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon, and I’m hoping the training program will get me close to that time. Here’s what Amazon.com has to say about the Run Less, Run Faster book.

Book Description

Finally, runners at all levels can improve their race times while training less, with the revolutionary Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST) program.

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The key feature is the “3 plus 2″ program, which each week consists of:

-3 quality runs, including track repeats, the tempo run, and the long run, which are designed to work together to improve endurance, lactate-threshold running pace, and leg speed

-2 aerobic cross-training workouts, such as swimming, rowing, or pedaling a stationary bike, which are designed to improve endurance while helping to avoid burnout

With detailed training plans for 5K, 10K, half marathon, and marathon, plus tips for goal-setting, rest, recovery, injury rehab and prevention, strength training, and nutrition, this program will change the way runners think about and train for competitive races.

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Thankfully there aren’t too many track workouts remaining in my marathon training plan I wouldn’t say I hate doing them, but they have been tough and I do find myself struggling to meet the required pace. Today’s workout looked to be another challenge:

10-20 minute warm up
5 x 1000m @ 5:21 per mile pace
10 minute cool down

The local High School track was being used so I drove to an empty car park where I could run a 1000m loop of sorts. My warm up was good, but I was surprised to still feel some soreness from Sunday’s half marathon. A few fast “striders” helped to loosen things up, but I didn’t feel on top form. The 20 minutes went too fast and before I was really ready, I was off on my first 1000m.

The wind was gusting and the temperature about 78°F – not ideal conditions, but it could have been a lot worse. At least I was well hydrated and not low in energy stores.

Repeat #1 wasn’t too bad at all – 3:19 – legs feeling good and breathing heavy, but under control. I was very happy with the time until I looked at the distance and realized I was about 50m short of 1000m. Oh well, too late to worry about that now. 90 seconds rest and then it was time to go again.

Repeat #2 was tougher, but still manageable. Time – 3:18.

Repeat #3 was more of a struggle. The wind seemed to pick up and I started feeling thirsty. Time – 3:21 and still within my accepted limit.

I took an extra 30 seconds or so after this repeat to drink some Gatorade and stretch my legs a little, but was soon on my way for repeat #4. Time – 3:19.

By now, I was breathing really hard and my legs were feeling heavy, but I kept telling myself “only 1000m to go”. With one huge effort I got my legs moving again and finished off repeat #5 in 3:21. Mission accomplished!

The 10 minute cool down was nothing more than a slow jog, but it did help to flush out some of the heaviness. I also walked around for a while to try to cool off and took the opportunity to drink more Gatorade.

All in all, I’m happy with this workout. Makes a change to be able to stay consistent and finish off each repeat within a certain zone. Friday’s workout is shorter than previous weeks and my Sunday “long run” is ONLY 8-10 miles, so I’m really looking forward to that. I just need to be careful how much I eat in the next week or so. It’s easy to get into the mentality of “I’m running a marathon, I can eat whatever I want”, but every ounce I can keep off between now and race day will help my cause for a fast time. I always have an ideal “race weight” which I’m right on at the moment. If I could lose a pound or two before the race without sacrificing any strength, that would be even better!

10 days and counting….

Haven’t run on a Friday evening for a while, but this weekend I’m racing a half marathon on Sunday morning, so I’ve rearranged my training days slightly this week. Weather conditions were excellent (for a change) – temperatures in the low 70s and low humidity. The only thing that could have been better was the wind.

The second workout of the week called for a straight 5 mile run at medium tempo (MT) pace – 6:23 per mile. It sounded fairly manageable on paper and I was keen to leave work, get the run over and done with and then be able to start relaxing for the weekend.

I decided to run the first mile fairly easy so I’d be ready to run at the faster pace in the later miles. I started off slow, got progressively quicker and was able to spring into action when the beeper went on my Garmin 305. The first of the tempo miles was ok, although I found it difficult to match the 6:23 pace – I actually ran 6:25. The second mile was quicker (6:22), but I really had to work hard to make up the time.

Now, with only 2 miles to go, I was able to quicken slightly and record a 6:21. The final mile was an all or nothing effort and it was pleasing to see a 6:19 on my Garmin at the end of a very tough workout.

So, I’m not sure why workouts like this are challenging me more than I feel they should be. I really didn’t expect to have to work this hard tonight – it almost felt like I was in a race. Maybe it’s the just the cumulative effect of 14 weeks of intense marathon training, and everything will eventually come together during the race taper over the next 2 weeks. We’ll see I guess. One thing’s for sure, I’ll be able to gauge my level of fitness slightly better after Sunday’s 13.1 mile race and hopefully it will be a positive experience.

Anyway, tonight’s workout was a 10-20 minute warm up (no problems here!), followed by 8 x 800m with a 90 second recovery between repeats. I wanted to run them in around 2:50 per 800m, and as usual I started off very well.

2:47, 2:48, 2:47, 2:47

It was after the 4th 800m that I realised I still had a lot of work to do before the workout was over. The 5th one was a real struggle at 2:50, but somehow I found a little something in reserve to record a 2:48 6th repeat. The 90 second recovery went so fast and before I knew it I had to pick up the pace for another 800m of hell.

Here it all went quite wrong. I slowed dramatically to a 2:54 and really had to give everything just to achieve that time. I “treated myself” to a 120 second recovery, but could still only manage a 2:56 final 800m.

A few hours have passed since the workout and looking back I still can’t figure out what was wrong. My hydration was good, I’d eaten well (but not too well) all day long and I was mentally looking forward to the challenge. I’d even given myself an extra recovery day after my 20 mile run on Sunday. My legs just weren’t up to the challenge tonight and I’m hoping it’s a temporary thing. Funny thing is, my legs feel great again right now.

The key feature of the plan is the “3 plus 2? program, which each week consists of:

-3 quality runs, including track repeats, the tempo run, and the long run, which are designed to work together to improve endurance, lactate-threshold running pace, and leg speed

-2 aerobic cross-training workouts, such as swimming, rowing, or pedaling a stationary bike, which are designed to improve endurance while helping to avoid burnout

Here are the weekly workouts I’m using to train for the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon. I’ll update the links as I complete the training weeks:

Week 16
Week 15
Week 14
Week 13
Week 12
Week 11
Week 10
Week 9
Week 8
Week 7
Week 6
Week 5
Week 4
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1

Full details of the marathon training plan can be found in the Run Less, Run Faster book.

Today marked the fifth and final 20 mile run of the 16 week training program, and I must be honest, I’m glad it’s behind me. The plan called for 20 miles at Planned Marathon Pace plus 30 seconds (around 7:18 per mile), but with the weather forecast calling for temperatures in the mid to high 70s and humidity hitting over 90%, I decided I would just run the 20 miles “by feel” and see how it went.

I ran the first 5 miles with a couple of friends at a nice and easy pace (8:35, 8:23, 8:04, 7:52, 7:48). Having people to run with always helps the time go by fast, and the easy pace was a pleasant change from the constant time trial mentality I seem to be stuck in lately.

At this time I left my friends and went it alone, still trying to keep things easy, and aware of the high humidity. Each mile was slightly quicker than the previous one and it was a nice feeling to be ticking along at a good pace. Splits for mile 6-10 were 7:20, 7:14, 7:10, 7:07 and 7:06.

Now I was at the halfway point, starting to feel thirsty and looking forward to finishing off the last 10 miles. My pace was a bit up and down and I ran some more with a few friends I bumped into. Everything was good up until about mile 17, where the humidity started to take its toll. Luckily I was able to hang for the final 3 and finish off the workout in just under 2 and a half hours for an average pace of 7:29 per mile.

On a side note, I hope the weather is more cooperative for the Marine Corps Marathon than it was for the Chicago Marathon today. Sadly, one runner collapsed and died, and hundreds more were taken to hospitals and medical stations. Temperatures reached 88 degrees (the hottest in Chicago’s history on this date) and many people were forced to cut their run short. What a sad day for all concerned.