5 miles with the group last night. The first mile or so I was feeling a little tight but after that all was right. I cruised along with Stevus, Scott (a runner that came out several times last winter but I haven't seen in a while) and a new guy who I think was named Ben.

My mind and mouth talked and my legs did the running on their own. Before I realized it we had a mile left and I was feeling great. 5 miles in 36 minutes. I haven't had a run that has felt that comfortable and easy in a while. Good Stuff.

Track 2

It's been 3 weeks since my last trip to the track but even this is a little better consistency than anything I've done in the past. My last time out I ran an 1x800, 2x1200, and 1x800. I told myself I would run 3x1200 my next time out so that was the goal tonight.

Felt pretty good on the trip over and continued my warm up with a couple easy laps. Hit my first 800 in 2:54, right on target.

400 meter cool down and then a 1200 in 4:19 a little quicker than the 4:21 I was shooting for but barely.

600 cool down and then a second 1200 in 4:18. Pushing a good bit at the end of this one and 3rd 1200 was gonna be tough. I compromised by running an 800 meter cool down before my third.

I came through the 800 with over 3 seconds to make up on the final lap and gave it all I had to get to 4:21, on target again. I was happy to hit my goal and cruised a few cool down laps before heading home. I feel I have gained a little knowledge about this track stuff over the past couple trips and hopefully I can keep it up.

It does make me a little nervous that 87 second laps are such a struggle. It translates into about a 5:48 mile and I just don't think I should have such a hard time running them. However maybe this is the reason I need to continue going. A small increase each trip will add up over a couple months.

It was tough getting out the door after travelling home from Nashville. You would think that sitting on my ass for 4 hours in the airport and the airplane would make me want to get moving but travelling makes me want to sit right back down when I get home.

After much coercion in my own head I got out for an easy run through East Falls. Things started a little rough and I thought I was gonna be pushing my way through this one. After a couple miles I was feeling good and I was happy I got out the door.

4.7 miles in 35 minutes

33 for the week but I hope to get that total a good bit over 40 next week.

Nashville

I got a a little time away from the family to write a post here in Nashville TN. It's my first holiday with Heather's family and I am happy to say that I feel right at home. Every member of her family is very active and they encourage you to get out the door so it wasn't to hard to get in a couple runs.

On Thanksgiving Heather and I got out for around 6 miles in the rolling hills of her sister's neighborhood. I really haven't spent much time in the south and my skewed mental image of trailer parks and cars on blocks was totally misguided. The entire area is covered in new developments very similar to those you would find in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Only in Nashville, the scenery is prettier and the houses are spaced further apart. An very easy run. 6 miles in 55 minutes.

Friday I did some easy hiking but not an ounce of running. Sitting on the couch Friday night I was regretting my DNR and feeling like a loaf. I was able to make up for that today.

Her sister sent us to a huge park in a very ritzy neighborhood of Nashville. The $1,000,000 homes came one after another on the way to the park. I think it would have taken me weeks to figure this entire park out. Lots of dirt paths that were either going up or coming down, not much flat stuff in between. I started with a 2.5 mile loop on these trails and I was panting at the crest of every hill.

I then jumped on a street that winds for about 10 miles through the park. I quickly ended up where I started a couple times before I figured things out and than it was an uphill that lasted 9 minutes. Whew. It was much more fun on the way down than the way up. I am guessing about 7 miles in 60 minutes.

Tuesday night last night and that means another 5 miles with the group. This time Alex, Stevus and I fell into a little pack and took the lead out to the turn around. I wasn't feeling so hot.

The pace was around 7:30 but it felt like I was working harder than that. Things just weren't in sync. I could not get my brain, lungs, heart, and legs to agree on anything so I just pushed along and tried to keep my mind off how my lower legs were tight and achy. Had I been running by myself I most likely would have stop for a minute and stretched things out, started back up at a little slower pace and tried to get in a groove.

Feelings like this tend to work themselves out after a few miles. On the return trip Stevus and I picked up the pace without really trying to and I started feeling a bit better. Mile 4 came in at 7:00 flat and was thinking to myself, "How the hell did I ever run 26 miles at this pace?"

We pushed things up the hill to the Art Museum for a 6:40 mile and it was over. I feel a little like a whiny bitch but I just haven't had a decent run in a while.

Also, I jumped on the scale before the run and it read 162 lbs. Damn. Pre-Marathon I was 153. I was hoping to put on a few lbs before Boston training began but this was a little to much in 1 month. I haven't been watching my diet as well as I was in training. I guess it's time to start again.

Today I was off from work and decided on a long trail run through the Wissahickon. These runs just about always put me in a good mood about my running. Put on the iPod and jumped on the trails.

It was a perfect late November afternoon. Cool, overcast with a crisp feeling in the air. I was sure I would see flurries at some point on the run. The rainbow of leaves that had been on the trees were now in brown piles on the trail crunching under my feet, and disguising the rocks underneath that were just dying to play havoc with my ankles.

Kept the pace moderate which is easy with the constant up and down on the way to Valley Green. My mind pondered an impromptu race on this route that would start and end at my house some Saturday morning over the winter. The feeling of disconnection from the night before was gone and I cruised along keeping my eyes open for obstacles.

Crossed the creek and made my way back home on the other side. This path has a lot less hills but way more rocks, boulders, and roots to navigate. I haven't been doing to much trail running as of late and my legs were reminding me. It was a good feeling though and I was enjoying the run. I was flying along on the path for the last mile. About 9.5 miles in 70 minutes.


I'm off to Nashville for Thanksgiving. The weather is supposed to beautiful and I hope to find a few good routes to run. Happy Thanksgiving.

10 Miles at the Philly Marathon

Today was first for me in running. I paced a friend, Mike, through the last 10 miles of the Philly marathon.

The plan was to meet Mike at mile marker 16, jump in, and do the best I could to help him to his 3:30 goal. Got there a bit early to cheer on a few friends that would be passing before Mike. First up was Steve who had a huge PR and a great race finishing in 2:52. He looked great and seemed totally relaxed as I jogged a bit with him. I heard he looked just as good at mile 25.6. Congratulations Steve.

Next up was Craig who wasn't looking so hot but evidently that didn't matter because he went on to a 21 minute PR finishing in 2:59:55. I can imagine he must have really been eyeing the clock and pushing to come under 3:00 over those last few miles. A great Job.

Next up was my cousin's husband who I never expected to see so early in the race. He struggled a bit in the last few but posted a 3:37 for his first marathon. Another great finish.

Then Mike came along with Ian by his side. I jumped in and after a few words with Ian about how the race was setting up it was Mike and I to finish this thing off. Well really Mike was there to finish this thing off I was just there to lend a little support. Truthfully I was a bit worried about Mike's goal and was praying it didn't turn into a struggle for him over the last several miles.

I shouldn't have worried. Mike was in fine form for the final 10. In fact he told me just where he wanted me. I did as ordered and tried to keep a steady pace and weave through traffic as we slowly passed many of the runners. Things got a little tight in Manayunk but other than that it went well.

He never struggled and it was great to see a huge smile on his face as we came up the last hill towards the art museum en route to a 3:28 and what I think was over a 20 minute PR!

Big props to all the finishers. I'm looking forward to some LBRR's on the message board.

Am I the only geek that reads articles about the physiology of running, who endlessly pages through message boards trying to glean that bit of information that is going to help me the most? LT pace this, AT pace that, the numbers and abbreviations can make your head spin.

I looked at the clock and noticed that I have spent 90 minutes reading through endless pages. I'd say the best piece of information I have pulled from all this searching and all the other searches I have done over the past couple years is "Consistency". Putting in the miles everyday, every week, every month. Training in the rain, in the cold, in the dark, when you aren't feeling so hot, and when everybody thinks you're a little nuts for running so much. (That is of course with the exception of your running friends who think it is totally normal to drag your ass out of a perfectly cozy bed to go running in 20 degree weather on a random January, Saturday morning.)

Of all the training tips I need to keep in my head and put into practice over this winter, consistency is definitely #1.



I totally contradicted all of the advice above on Thursday night. There was a planned group run but the weather had conspired against us. I was driving home from work at 20 miles an hour in the middle of a horrible storm and Jenn called me telling me there was no way she was running. I felt the same way and decided to take the night off.

As I sat on my couch watching a movie the guilt crept into my mind and the weather cleared. I was able to drag myself away from a compelling documentary on Penguins and get out the door for a moderately paced 5.5 miles in 41 minutes.

Friday was a planned and taken day off.

Saturday I met up with the group and put in another loop on the drives. I swear the loop run is never comfortable for me and I think it has more to do with the monotony of that route than my physical state. Stevus, Deirdre and Kevin G made for some good conversation and they took my mind off of the route. We lost Kevin at Mile 3 and Deridre at the Falls Brdige. Stevus and I continued on to the finish. 8.4 mles in 63 minutes.

I attempted to run a couple miles at 8:00 pace in prep for some running with E-Mike in the marathon tomorrow. I don't think Stevus realized that we would actually have to slow down from out current pace to get to 8:00 pace. Despite my best efforts the miles just kept coming in at 7:30. Oh well.

Another Tuesday night and another run with the group. Ian, Alex and I took the lead for the evening and kept up a nice pace 2.5 miles out to the turn around. I was a little zoned out for whatever reason on this run. My mind would concentrate on the conversation that the three of us were having and then wander off on it's own for a while.

The weather was warm, to warm for mid-November and I really hope it takes a turn to chillier temps. We got a little taste of cold weather but since then things have been way above normal. It's November, a month away from Christmas and it should be cold dammit. I'll try not to look back at this post in mid-February when I am cursing the cold weather.

My calf felt fine, though a little tight, and a couple days rest seemed to do it good. I'll Keep it fairly easy for the rest of the week and then hit some harder runs again next week. I'll be sure to go a little easier on the hills until I can build up some strength and confidence.

I ran into Heather heading the other direction on our return trip to the Art Museum. She was late to the run and rather than have her do the whole thing alone, turned around and finished the run up with her. 5.5 miles in 42 minutes.

My dedication to run this week seems to be wandering a bit like my mind was on this run. Maybe I need a couple more easy weeks before I really get back into any regimented training. I am not going to sweat it and just run how I feel for a little while. If I want to do a hard workout I will, I won't make it a scheduled thing.

Ups and Downs

Went out for a hill workout for the first time in a long time on Friday evening. I planned a route through Manayunk that looped a couple times up "The Wall" and included a few other long hills. A run similar to this was part of my routine last fall but I really haven't been hitting the hills much.

Things started off well on the first couple smaller hills. I took them comfortably hard and then slow once I crested. I then started up the wall which begins steep, levels off a little, and then really starts going straight up before easing at the finish. To track any progress I decided to time my splits on this hill. I don't want to turn into a race up the hill but I know how much effort I put in to achieve a certain time.

The first time up in 3:06.

the second 3:02.

A few more hills and I was home. 5.5 miles in 42 minutes.

My right calf was tight when I finished and didn't really feel great that night or the next morning. I debated on skipping the Saturday morning run but decided to go and told myself I would cut it short if thinsg didn't feel good.

Once I was got going my calf was fine. Not perfect, but it wasn't causing me any pain. My legs did feel dead however, just a little fried from the workout Friday night.


We went out with a crew of about 10 on a route that incorporated a few of the Philly Marathon hills on 34th and then up Lansdowne. Many in the group are running the marathon this wekend and it was one last run to prepare. Things picked up pace with Ian and Travis for the last few miles on MLK and I was happy when it was over. 6:50 pace really wasn't to comfortable. 8 miles in 59 minutes.

My calf was not happy when I finished. After driving home it had really tightned up. I had a long Saturday night (Which was a great time. Heather actually said it was the most fun she has had going out in a long time and I had to agree) and I decided to skip my run on Sunday and I will probably not run tonight either. No sense in pushing things without a race on the horizon.

That hill workout was a little to ambitious and looking back maybe I should have skipped the second trip up that big hill or taken it slower. However at the time I did feel fine so how could I know.

33 miles for the week.

It's Friday! I always feel a little less motivated at work on Friday, knowing the weekend is so close. There is often a lot of bullshit meetings that seem to break up the work day and just when I am getting some momentum going on a project I have to head off to a conference room for one stupid meeting or another. It looks like I have one coming up in 15 minutes so that should give me plenty of time to write this up.

My approach to running for the remainder of the year is to really dedicate myself to two hard workouts each week. Hills, Track, Tempo, or Fartlek. I'll put everything I have into these and the remainder of the week will just be easy miles. This is definitely nothing new to the world of running. I think it is the standard routine for many competitive runner out there. I just have never really stuck to it and now I'm going to.

That made the Tuesday and Thursday night runs with the group easy runs.

Tuesday was 5 on Kelly drive. I ran a little harder than I would have liked on the way out. Averaging 7:15 pace but I tried to make up for it on the way back by slowing myself and others I was running with down below 7:30 pace. It didn't work so well. 5 miles in 36 minutes. Everything felt good.

Wednesday was another trip to gym. Enough said.

Thursday an easy 7 with the group. Familiar routes through Fairmount Park hitting Lansdowne, Belmont, Belmont Mansion, and MLK back to the Art Muesum. It was all at a very relaxed 8:00 pace. That is until the last 1/4 mile when I tried to catch up to Alex/Ian/Mike who had pick up the pace with about 1/2 mile to go. I started bridging the gap at tempo pace but was just about sprinting by the time we got back to the museum. It's always fun to end these runs with a duel back to the Art Museum. 7.3 miles in 59 minutes.

This means that tonight will need to be a hard workout. A tough hill route through Manayunk should do the trick.

The Track

My original plan for this week was to run a track workout on Wednesday but I had a feeling that life might make a Wednesday night run difficult and my legs felt great so I went out to the track tonight.

A 2 mile warm up to get there which included a lap around the track and I was on my way. The plan was 1 x 800 and a 3 x 1200 trying to get each lap as close to 87 secs as I could. This number was based on passed races and little guide in the Daniels running book.

First 800 shooting for 2:54 and hit 2:55

400 recovery in 2:04

1200 in 4:19 shooting for a 4:21

600 recovery in 3:13

1200 in 4:18

600 recovery 3:33

800 in 2:53.

2 miles home and I was done. 7.5 miles in 57:00 minutes

The first 800 felt difficult but not so bad and the 87 sec laps seemed to be about right. The first 1200 was bit of a struggle but I was confident. Starting the second 1200 my legs didn't feel as strong and after the second lap I was really pushing. I was going all out at the finish and I surprised by coming in a couple secs under my goal time. I knew a 3rd 1200 was not gonna happen so I dropped it to 800. This again was a struggle but not as hard the 3rd lap of the previous interval.

Overall, I was happy with the workout. Beacuse I don't do this regularly I have a hard time determining how well it actually went. The 2 miles home my legs let me know I had done a workout but I definitely wasn't dead. I guess the plan next time out will be to turn that final interval into a 1200 and take it from there.

The Weekend

I was in front of the Art Museum at 9:30 to join the Philly Runners for a trip around the drives. I can remember this 9:30 am time being a challenge when I first joined the group. Getting a little older, working earlier in the morning, and getting up for a lot of 8:00 am runs, has made this time feel like sleeping in.

It was a smaller group of fairly quick runners and I started off with Jenn, Stevus and Seebo. We fell into a 7:40 pace and and made our way up MLK on a sunny 40 degree morning. Things felt easy and relaxed, I enjoyed the run and the company.

After a quick pit-stop I fell into pace with the slightly slower 7:42 pace group which consisted of the remainder of the group. Marathon conversation, both past and future, dominated the rest of the run. The pace had increased to about 7:30 by the time we finished, a good run. 8.4 miles in 64 minutes.

Today Heather and I went for a late afternoon run on the trails in the Wissahickon Park. The weather was cool, clear, and crisp. 50% of the leaves were on the trees and the rest were under our feet. A perfect fall run. After get a little mix up on some re-routed trails we found our way and finished around 5.5 miles in 48 minutes.

31.5 miles for the week. I didn't work or plan at all to get 30 miles and it seems like this is my default mileage. Since this is the case I think I should up my mileage goals for the remainder of the year. Instead of 30-35 I am going shoot for over 40 a week. I'll be happy with 40.1.

I have also been re-reading portions of the "Daniels Running Formula". It has given me a clearer picture of what I need to do on the track and in my tempo workouts. Now, the key part, is to put it into practice and see what happens.

The Thursday night crew was down to just Jenn and I last night. We had an easy run along the normal routes in Fairmount Park. I am still getting adjusted to running in the dark in the evenings. It awlays feels like it is 9:00 when it is really just 6:30.

Last night was the first time I really have felt really smooth on a run since the marathon. I think this has to do more with getting over this cold then recovery but I was happy. 6.8 miles in 55 minutes. It really seemed that we were moving faster than this but physics doesn't lie. So 8 minute miles it is, I am no rush.

I ran one of my old routes near my parents house last night. It's 1 mile from their house to a 2.5 mile loop around Lincoln Highschool and a section of Pennypack Park. I must have circled this thing 100's of times my first couple years of running. I decided to jump off of the loop and take a trip over to Father Judge Highschool, my alma mater, for a quick circuit of the track.

The track was unlit and was close to needing resurfacing. I ran around it once and headed back to my parents. Hills that were challenging on this loop years back now seemed a little shallower and a little shorter. I also completed the run in less time than it has ever taken me in the past without really pushing. You can really notice the increase in your fitness when you haven't run somewhere in a long time.

6 miles in 42 minutes.

Letting it Loose

I am so out of gym shape. I may be able to run my ass off for 3 hours but my body withers in the face of a few weights. I stopped in on Sunday, the gym was empty and I had high hopes. A light workout that would have been cake in the past has left me to damn achey today. Even my legs are sore. How does that happen when you are liftign with your arms? I have to make a little more commitment to this place even during heavy training. Once every two weeks is better than never for 9 months.

I went out for a run tonight through Manayunk. No plan, No route, No watch (that's a lie I have a very hard time running without a watch). It was run that had me pushing up hills and walking at the top, easy pace sometimes, and running up stairs at other times, weaving between poles and jumping over empty trash cans strewn about by our meticulous trashmen.

These type of runs have become a yearly occurence after a fall marathon. I don't think about running like this when I head out the door, it just happens. I think it is the break from routine and knowing this run really doesn't count. It's a freebie, like when the defense jumps offsides in football and the offense gets a free play. Running just to run and not beacuse I have to hit these splits or put in this many miles. I often wonder what people think when they see me running like this. Maybe it's "Look at that asshole" or "Damn that looks fun" or "Look at that asshole".

4.4 miles in 34 minutes

Chicago (An Updated Photo Edition)

This will be my first attempt at adding photos to my blog so please bare with the results.




I saw all of these porta-potties and I couldn't resist getting a shot. People complain about the lack of bathrooms before the races in Philly and now I know why. Heather wasn't to keen on my normal pre-race ritual of peeing behind the closest obstruction so I actually used one of these things.









Heather and I in front of Buckingham Fountain. A ridiculously large fountain in the center of Grant Park not far from the start and finish of the race.









Heather was able to snap a photo of me near the finish. This is right before the final turn up the "hill" and to the finish. Josh is the guy in front of me, he was able to outkick me at the finish, another reason I need to get to the track.











This is a shot of Ryan and I at the post-race party. At this point we were fairly sober (at least I was, Ryan got there a while before me) but that was to change over the next couple hours. Ryan doesn't show it to much but I could tell he was incredibly happy with his time in the marathon. It was nice to have a friend to enjoy the race with.








We had to be out of our hotel by noon and our flight didn't leave until 8:30 so Heather and I wandered around downtown Chicago for most of the day on Monday. It was blustery and cold and neither of us really had the right clothes to deal with the temps but we sucked it up and enjoyed the city. We turned a corner and there was the the sculpture from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". Heather didn't remember the scene in the movie so I did my best renditions of "Shout" and "Danke Schene" but I couldn't stir any memories.



As for my running. I did 4.4 miles on Tuesday which felt much better than I thought it would. I have also come down with a cold. I know I've read somehwere that you are much more likely to catch a cold after running a marathon and I guess it is true. I'm glad I got it this week and not last.

I'm going to make an attempt to go to the gym for an actual workout and maybe some swimming over the next couple months before getting into training for Boston.

I'll try to keep up 30-40 miles a week with at least a 10 mile long run and some speedwork. That should keep me in decent shape and hopefully make me a little quicker. The rest of this week will be spent on my ass or at least out of my running shoes.

Chicago

WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!

That’s what was running through my mind and, I think, coming out of my mouth as I crossed the finish line in Chicago on Sunday. Two years of training, since crossing the finish line in Baltimore in 2004, has finally paid off in a big way.

Heather and I arrived in Chicago on Friday afternoon, got to the hotel and went out for a run along the lake going north towards the race start. It was windy and cool, the conditions I expected for the race. On the way back we somehow happened to bump into Ryan from Philly Runners who was also there for the race. I didn’t think I would be bumping into a friend but coincidences do happen. We met him for a long relaxing dinner at busy Italian restaurant son Friday night.

Saturday was spent at the expo, which was ridiculously large. It made any expo I have been to so far seem like a warm-up to a real expo. Huge displays from just about every running shoe company I could think of, music, and throngs of people. I love the energy of the expo, thousands of people energized with anticipation for what is to come. I picked up a pair of gloves, a pair of sneakers, and handful of gels.

We wandered around town after that, getting early lunch and then late lunch and checked out the marathon starting area. I planned out my morning route to the start line from the “L” train and we headed back to the hotel. I was a little nervous about the race and the fact that I had been on my feet for a good bit of the day but I spent the rest of the evening sitting on my ass in bed. Except for a quick trip out for some Thai food I stayed off my feet.

I woke up at 5:00 on Sunday morning, ate a breakfast of a bagel/cream cheese, banana, a pint of OJ and a cup of coffee. I listened to Sublime on my iPod and tried to keep my mind busy by surfing the internet. This of course didn’t work and my mind kept going over my plan for the race. I wanted to start off a little slow and build into my pace over the first few miles. 22 minute 5K’s until mile 21 and then, if I felt good, I was going to pick it up and try to hammer it to the finish.

We stepped out of the hotel at 6:30 and it was dark cold and windy, cold enough for my ears to feel numb. This made me a little nervous but I like the cold, I run well in the cold and I knew after a few mile of warming up I’d be fine. Better cold than hot.

We went underground to catch the CTA train and there were runners everywhere. It was great. It felt like the Broad and Pattison subway stop before the Broad Street run but I knew this was going on all over the city. The subway was wall to wall runners; we squeezed in and held on for the ride.

It was still dark when we got off the train but you could see a touch of light on the horizon. The streets were alive with people all streaming towards the start and trying to keep warm. I made my way to the Preferred Start I area, a starting corral I qualified for with my Caesar Rodney race time in March.

It was about 7:20 am, 40 minutes from the start, the Corral was still fairly empty and I easily made my way towards the front about 3 people back from the front of the corral. I nervously chatted with a few runners and waited for the start. It was cold and breezy but I had on a longsleeve shirt that I planned on taking of a few miles in and being squeezed in with all of these people warmed me up.

The time quickly went by and just after the National Anthem was sung they let our corral walk up behind the competitive corral in front of us. I saw how close I was to the start and didn’t think I would have any trouble getting up to speed once the gun went off.

The start horn went off without any warning and we were on our way. It took about 45 secs to cross the starting line and I was moving pretty well.

The crowds were ridiculous. We went under a bridge just after starting and a wall of people were cheering us from above. I had chills and a huge smile on face. I was thinking “This is it John, keep it cool and don’t get swept up in the moment, or the pace, keep it slow and relaxed.” The first mile went by in 7:12, exactly the pace I was shooting for. I was in a fairly thick crowd and I was getting passed by a lot of runners but I held back and tried to get into a good rhythm. I just kept telling myself that I was running my own race and I had 25 miles to make up a couple slow ones in the beginning.

I had studied the route map but I was quickly disoriented with all of the turns and monotony of the crowd that was three people deep on the sidewalks. It made the Philly marathon feel like a little league game and I was at the World Series. I couldn’t believe it. Mile 2 went by in 6:56, a little quick but I really felt like I was falling into a good pace and didn’t sweat it.

The first 5K went by in 22:01, dead on. I wasn’t feeling as good as I would have liked but during long runs in training I felt much better at mile 12 than mile 4, that thought made me feel a little better. By mile 4 we were making our way into Lincoln Park, a large park north of downtown along the lake where the city’s zoo is located. I hit a slow mile 6 through the park in 7:17. This stunned me a bit, I needed to really concentrate on my pace. It seemed like any wandering of my mind was going to slow me down.

Despite the slow mile my 10K split was 44:07, right on track. After mile 7 we turned south back towards downtown. I was really cruising now and feeling good. The miles were ticking off perfectly. Miles 7-11 were, 7:02, 7:00, 7:01, 7:02, & 7:02. The crowds were great, and the wind was at our back. I still had a smile on my face and I just tried to enjoy the race. 15K split was 1:05:58; Holy Shit, perfectly on track.

Around mile 9 I started chatting with a guy who was also shooting for a 3:05. We fell into a pace a began running together without really saying anything about it. I found out he was from Manhattan and his name was Josh.

Except for a little hiccup, 7:10, at mile12 the miles were metronomic. Josh was asking me if I had run at this pace a lot in training and I said that I had done some training at this pace but at that point I just felt dialed in. 20K split was 1:28:00, I was astonished, I was running 22 minute 5K’s to the second. In fact, I guess Josh and I were moving along so well that we developed a bit of a group behind us, two guys that had tucked in and were along for the ride. We asked them to take the lead for a bit but after one mile we passed them and kept going. Miles 13,14 and15 were 7:01, 703 and 7:03. 25 K split in 1:49:50, I was getting a little ahead of my 22 minute 5K’s.

I had taken a gel at mile 10 and popped another between miles 16-17. In past marathons this was the point at which things started going downhill, my mind would start to wander, I’d start feeling less alert and my mile splits would steadily get longer and longer. In this race though I felt fantastic, I was getting the crowd into the race by raising my arms and cheering, I was smiling and, to my astonishment, I was passing people.

Josh and I were flying along, it was almost surreal. Was this really happening? Could I be feeling this good? Was this just a little fun before I hit the wall? It didn’t seem like it. Miles 16-20, 7:01, 7:05, 7:06, 7:06, and 7:03. The way I was feeling, mile 18 might as well have been mile 10.

After a water stop during this stretch Josh caught back up to me and said, “You are like a metronome”. I couldn’t help but smile and think of Seebo, Mr. Metronome himself. I wanted to try and explain what his comment had started me thinking but I thought the explanation would be a little lost on him and kept in my head.

As I had planned I started picking up the pace a little after mile 20. Not crushing the miles but just a little acceleration. Miles 21 and 22 both went by in 6:54. I honestly felt like I was running harder than this but fatigue was starting to catch up with me. However, I couldn’t have been happier.

3 miles to go!!! It is really going happen!!! I am going to run a good marathon!!! I am going to negative split!!! There are only 3 miles to go!!!!!!!

Based on past marathons I really didn’t think it was possible to feel confident and in control this late in race but I was. Things were definitely getting much harder by this point but I was handling it.

I knew the wind was going to be in my face during the last few miles and I just tried to prep for it before making the turn towards the north. Josh and I were still hitting the same pace and we were passing people non-stop. Scores of people, people running, people walking, and people stretching. I though back to last year when I was one of those people and I knew how they felt and damn if it didn’t feel great to be the guy passing this time.

Mile 23 was 6:55, and then we turned north. The wind smacked right into us. It would abate on occasion but it was fairly steady the last 3 miles. Mile 24 in 7:01. 2.2 to go and I just tried to push as hard as I thought I could sustain for the last couple miles.

Mile 25 was 6:56 and this was it, 1.2 to go. 1.2 miles and I would qualify for Boston. 1.2 miles and I would have a result to show for all those miles over the summer. 1.2 miles and I would be able to erase that feeling that had been at the back of mind since crossing the finish line in the Philly marathon a year before.

I tried to speed up as much as I could, which wasn’t to much at this point. I saw the 800 meters to go sign and we made a right up over a bridge. Ian had warned me that although this bridge was a bump in the road it would feel like a bit more this late in the race and he was right. It made it that much harder to push.

A left after the bridge and I could see the finish line. 400 Meters to go! I ran as hard as possible and crossed with my arms in the air. I was totally spent and totally wired at the same time. I yelled “Fucking Right!” and didn’t realize it until I got a few looks from the volunteers but I didn’t care and I didn’t think they did either after they saw the smile on my face.

I slowly made my way through the food chute and I bumped into Travis, a new guy to Philly runners. What are the chances?

I met up with Heather and we headed back to the hotel where I looked up the other Philly Runners who had run the race. Ryan also had a great race and Jeremy and Laura seemed like they finished well too. Congrats to everybody that ran.

That evening we joined Ryan at the Post Race party held in a huge tent not far from the race finish. We drank beers, talked about our races and watched a replay of the marathon on a giant screen, a good ending to a spectacular day.

I ran the race a little conservatively but that was the plan and it worked. Looking back I don’t think I would have changed anything about the race. Boston, here I come.

A Quick Update

Yes I am am posting from the hotel room just a couple hours after finishing but I am so excitied about it that I couldn't wait.

I'll just say that things really couldn't have gone any better than they did. I had a plan in mind before starting and I nailed it. Thanks for the support everybody and I'll see you all in a bit.

By Jack Handy

I ran a little over 4 miles in a loop through Manayunk last night. This used to be a fairly common route for me but I haven't run it in months. These shorter runs end just as I have finally warmed up to them and I'd really like to keep going. I forgot to start my watch but I think it was about 32 minutes.

Ian, posted a comment about me going under 3 hours in a not to distant future marathon and it stirred up some thoughts that I was having before marathon training started.

Qualifying for Boston has been a goal of mine for the past couple years and hopefully Sunday I will achieve it but what then? The most logical would be sub 3:00 and then what? When do you say enough is enough? I guess that really depends on the person, what running means to them and also how much time they can devote to it.

I am counting my chickens before they are hatched but I think running may get put on the back burner for a long while after Chicago. I still plan on putting in miles every week and hopefully I'll be training over the winter for a marathon in April but I don't think I am going to have the same drive and determination.

I obviously don't know how things are going to be in a couple of months and I'll just have to deal with it as it comes. Putting running to the side may be a lot harder than just saying I'd like to do a little less of this. It is like an addiction and right now I'm hooked. I guess I'll just have to see what happens.

Looking Back

I flipped to the next page of my weekly calendar at work and there was the word "marathon" sitting right at the bottom on Sunday. I remember sketching out a rough training plan in this calendar back in June. Not much to it, just some mileage goals for each week and the distance of my long runs so I could keep things straight.

At the time the mileage looked daunting, the summer looked long, and the marathon seemed very far away. Of course the time flew by, there were a lot of miles, for me at least, but they weren't as bad as I thought they were going to be. I compared my goals in the calendar to my actual mileage and I just about nailed it. There were a couple weeks that I was 10-15 miles short but it was either do to extreme heat or some aches and pains that I thought would be better served by a few less miles than trying to push things.

I thought it might be a good idea to go through a couple pluses and minuses of my training, perhaps give me something to look back at for my next training cycle.

Pluses.

-Long Runs - My long runs just about all went well this year. I decided to work speed into several of them by hitting some faster miles towards the end of the runs and it worked. I think it boosted my confidence to run hard on tired legs and prepared my body to work hard with less energy.

The long runs also did not feel as taxing after I completed them this year, I bounced back much quicker than in the past. It think this is due to two things, more total mileage each week so that the long run wasn't as big a chunk of my weekly mileage and the fact that I just have a lot more miles under my belt.

-Mid week runs - I built from about a 10 mile mid week run up to a couple 14 milers as my training progressed. This added a good bit of miles to my weekly total and left me better prepared for my long runs on the weekend.

-Races - I ran several races in the 5K range this year especially towards the end of my training and although I don't think any of them were as fast as I would have liked they were definitely a good speed work out.

Minuses

-Races Due to the fact that these races were slower than I hoped it was a bit of a downer. I try to keep in perspective that I am training through these races and they aren't goals but I was still hoping to pull off a PR somewhere along the way. That'll just have to wait until after the marathon

-Track Work I have mentioned several times in this blog that I need to get out to the track more often and again it didn't happen this year. The high mileage drains my legs and track workouts tend to really beat me up so I shied away from them. Although it is a marathon and pure speed isn't totally necessary I have no doubt that some time on the track can be a big boost. I'll have to make more of an effort this winter.

-Scheduling It's not really my style but I think a better schedule would help me in training. I schedule my long runs of course but everything else kind of just happens based on how I feel. I think scheduling things like tempo runs, track workouts and hill workouts a little more rigidly would help me in the future.

It is good to look back but now it's done and overall it went well. I of course now feel like I didn't do enough but it wouldn't be a true taper unless I felt that way.

I ran 7.5 easy miles with Heather yesterday afternoon on Forbidden Drive and my legs feel good, solid, they were aching to pick up the pace but I was content to be going slow and enjoying this beautiful fall weather.

A few easy runs this week with a couple of pick-ups and that is all that's left.

Now this could only happen to a guy like me
And only happen in a town like this
so let me say to each of you most graciously
as I blow each on of you a kiss
This is my kind of town Chicago is
My kind of town Chicago is
one town that won't let you down
It's my kind of town.

Lets hope so.