I did this run tonight. I was in a metric mood, and I do enjoy the 15k distance. It's not quite a long run, but it's definitely long enough to make you feel like you're running, for sure. I have to say, I felt remarkably spry tonight- the weather was perfect, the air was dry, I was well rested, everything came together to give me an amazing run. Here's the damage:

15k (9.3 miles) in 1:18:57 (8:28 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 8:40.95
Mile 2- 17:06.01 (8:25.06 mile)
Mile 3- 25:29.61 (8:23.60 mile)
Mile 4- 34:30.41 (9:00.80 mile)
(Mile 5 mark was missed)
Mile 6- 51:26.95 (2 miles in 16:56.54)
Mile 7- 59:54.16 (8:27.21 mile)
Mile 8- 1:08:14 (8:20.37 mile)
Mile 9- 1:16:29 (8:15.38 mile)
9.3- 1:18:57 (2:27.60 three-tenths)

Because my right achilles tendon was kind of sore, I went back and forth between heel and mid-foot striking. There were no other issues that came up to that end.

I had a 10oz cran-apple juice between miles 3 and 5 and that was it, I didn't feel I needed anything else because I felt so good and everything felt real relaxed. Lauren called around mile 6.5 and that was a huge boost and lifted my spirits for the last third. It was a nice, new, longer route (a lot of my runs, even the long runs, have been on repeated 3 and 4 mile routes, this was a full 9.3). I remember thinking to myself around mile 8.5 that I was sad to see this run end, and that it had not felt like I just ran as far as I did already. I remember seeing Curt at the gym later and mentioning that I had only done an easy 15k, and realizing that that's not a mileage that most people think of in terms of "only" or "easy". We long distance runners are a rare and different breed. HAPPY RUNNING INDEED!

This morning Laur and I got up ridiculously early to head to Philly to run our very first Broad Street Run, a 10 miler that literally goes from the north end of Philadelphia to the south end. I'd originally thought we needed to leave before 0600, because the website said to park on the south end and take the subway to the start and you should do this before 7. Well we left a little later which wasn't no thang, and got to the parking lot around 7(?). Then we had to wait for porta potties for a while and boarded a subway around 745. At that point there was still a large number of people on the platform waiting for another train to come. We realized we weren't going to make the start on time, but we both had watches and it was chip timed so it wouldn't really matter- this was supposed to be a fun race for us, a chance to take in the sights of Philadelphia and the thousands of fellow runners, plus this was the first time Laur was running since her half, so it wasn't a race to set world records.

( The long of it )

Because I am currently in a university study where I can only eat foods pre-prepared for me, I couldn't enjoy any of the finish area goodies except ice cold water. We found a spot on the huge lawn in the Navy yard, in sigh of the massive Navy ships, and I stretched her out. As a result, a photog from the Philadelphia Daily News snapped some pictures of us and now we're famous! Well, not really famous, but if you follow this link to the slide show and click through, we're at the end with me stretching out Laur's left hamstring! How cool is that?!?!

We both agreed as we walked back to the car that this is definitely going to become a tradition of ours, like many other races already have and many more will. It's always a wonderful day when the two of us can share running so completely. So see you next year, Broad Street Run!

Now for a much needed nap!!!

the short of it:
10 miles in 1:58:30

including:
Mile 1- 10:12
Mile 2- 19:50 (9:38 mile)
(2:24 break to stretch out)
Mile 3- 35:49 (13:35 mile)
Mile 4- 48:47 (12:58 mile)
Mile 5- 1:00:50 (12:03 mile)
Mile 6- 1:12:49 (11:59 mile)
Mile 7- 1:24:30 (11:41 mile)
Mile 8- 1:36:45 (12:15 mile)
Mile 9- 1:48:29 (11:44 mile)
Mile 10- 1:58:28 (9:59 mile)

Had plans to go to work, then drive up to Philly for the Broad St. Run expo, pick up Laur's and my race packets and then her at the bus depot, getting a run in Philly in between the end of the expo ,6pm, and her ETA, 8-8:30. It was supposed to only be an easy 6 miles, but I hit a telephone pole...with my car. Obviously I'm alright. My car, notsomuch. I had to wait around for my wonderful friend Becca to pick me up in Wilmington and then drive to the Enterprise dealership to get a rental...a sweet rental- a Saab 9.3. A smart person said, "The only thing that could make this car cooler would be a sun roof." (I have to agree Lauren!)

Anyway, this all conspired against me to cut short my run. I was going to skip it altogether, but I realized that I was so frazzled and I needed 3 things, in order: Laur, a run, and a beer. So I ran around by the National Constitution Center for 20-25 minutes whilst waiting for her bus to get in. Combined with the half hour walk from the accident scene to downtown Wilmington (something I wouldn't recommend you do at night, by yourself, or with a big sack of money or drugs) I'm going to give myself credit for 3 miles today. I won't factor in time, but 3 miles</a> today is what I will add to the training log. Tomorrow I think I may take off or run, depending on how crazy it is. Either way, Sunday is the first race I get to do with Laur in way too long, and it's going to be our longest race together to date :)

I decided that today I would do my long run of the week in the morning, after I dropped off some food at the lab, instead of waiting to do my run in the evening. My rational for this was primarily because today is Thursday which means an all new Office episode at 2100. I have Clinical Measures in Exercise Physiology on Thursdays from 1600-1900 so doing long runs means I'll be cutting it very close getting a run in and getting home in time. The Office takes precedent over almost everything, including running. Last week I found myself cutting my run short, but also running too fast because I was worried about getting home in time. So today, I solved my problem by doing my 12 miler at 0930! Yikes! I think this is the furthest I've ever run before noon, races notwithstanding. It's also the furthest I've run since my marathon. I was really excited about today though. Here's the damage:

12 miles in 1:40:26 (8:22 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 8:35.20
Mile 2- 17:18.95 (8:43.75 mile)
Mile 3- 25:46.58 (8:27.63 mile)
Mile 4- 34:10.32 (8:23.74 mile)
Mile 5- 42:35.95 (8:25.63 mile)
Mile 6- 50:50.70 (8:14.75 mile)
Mile 7- 59:08.48 (8:17.78 mile)
Mile 8- 1:07:23 (8:14.99 mile)
Mile 9- 1:15:37 (8:14.04 mile)
Mile 10- 1:23:58 (8:20.62 mile)
Mile 11- 1:32:16 (8:18.64 mile)
Mile 12- 1:40:26 (8:09.85 mile)

1st half: 50:50.70 (8:28 pace)
2nd half: 49:33.92 (8:15 pace)

1st third: 34:10.32 (8:32 pace)
2nd third: 33:13.15 (8:18 pace)
3rd third: 33:03.15 (8:16 pace)

Like I said, I started off a little after 0930, which is when T-Th classes start, they get out at 1045, at which point I was still running and had to dodge the influx of undergrads walking to and from class, which actually added some interestingness to the run. I had my short shorts on today which cover about a quarter of my pretty impressive thighs. I decided to check out of the corner of my eye how many people took notice and gave me weird looks as I passed them. Needless to say, I lost count around a dozen by halfway ha! Around 4 miles in, a light drizzle started that was actually very welcome because it wasn't too cold and it helped refresh me because I was getting a little heated.

Throughout the entire run, I kept thinking to myself that the McMillan running calculator told me my long runs should be about 8:03-9:03, and I was focusing on keeping my pace there. I knew I felt good, despite still being a little sore from lifting Tuesday night, really good and really strong and I knew if I didn't focus I'd let the pace drift too fast and I wouldn't gain as much as I should out of this run. I'm very proud of how my pacing went to that end. Tomorrow possibly a run in Philly while waiting for Laur to get in after picking up our race packets, then a 5k Saturday (not a race, just the distance) and the Broad St. 10 miler with Laur on Sunday :)! to round out the week. Hooray running!

Today, I decided that I will consider this week the official start of training for the Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon on October 12th. As of this past Sunday I have 24 weeks left.

I will dedicated 17 of those weeks to steady aerobic base building, 5 to focused speed work, and 2 to tapering. I have a loose idea of weekly mileages and I will consult with some online training schedules to finalize it, but I am very much all systems go.

The first time around I had been sick from August-mid-September, then I slowly eased into exercising of any sort for most of October, running MAYBE 15 miles/week before jumping into a 19 week training plan for the Shamrock Marathon- which I managed to still eek out a 3:29:36, besting my seemingly lofty goal by a few seconds. My highest mileage week didn't crack 50, the last few weeks of training were kind of undisciplined and scattered and I dealt with some minor injury issues a few times. Basically I went into it blind and it was a great learning experience. I DID have an excellent "online coach" and the BEST support I could ask for (both in training and during the race): Lauralee.

This time, I have the marathon under my belt, along with the aerobic benefits that come with it. I have knowledge of previous mistakes and also knowledge that I CAN DO THIS! I've been running solidly for about half a year now, so I'm not starting from scratch, I'm starting with a pretty good fitness level, a VO2 max of 69mL O2/kg/min (which is pretty good) and all of the stuff I learned the first time through this. I have 4+ months to build up my aerobic base more, and I'm committed to being disciplined in this approach- last time too often I ran my "easy" runs much too fast and thus didn't fully benefit. This time around I STILL have a great resource in runners and the BEST support I could ask for in Laur- who will be moving in with me June 1st (can you say a summer full of running and exploring Wark together? SO FRAKKIN' EXCITED!). This time I have a loftier goal. Before March I thought 3:30 was a reach. I surprised myself. This time I know what I'm capable of, and while I don't have an official goal yet, something sub 3:20 seems fairly reasonable. This is really exciting to me and I just needed to get this all down. I can do this. I will do this. Wish me luck!

I had plans of doing an easy run, possibly even on the track at UD today, considering yesterday's pretty grueling 11.5 miler on the hills of northern Newark. This was the plan when I was in the lab dropping off food and discussing with Megan when I will be starting as a subject in her study. Dr. Knight, who runs the senior seminar I'm taking, came in and mentioned to Megan that some of the professors were going to run at White Clay Creek state park at noon and she was welcome to join. Then he realized that the subject she was talking to was actually me, and quickly added that I was welcome to join too. I was caught a little off guard by the invite and the wrench in my plans that it created, but I thought to myself, "It's a really nice day, I haven't run at White Clay in a while, and we'll probably only go about an hour easyish," so I said sure I'd come along. I planned on driving up to the shopping center on New London Rd. and running the 1.5 miles up to the park to meet them. After agreeing, I went and found Justin and convinced him to come along too. It's nice getting someone down here who is also interested in running, and who I can talk about it with, nice guy that Justin.

So around noon I started running up to the park and Dr. Knight pulls over and gives me a ride to the park after I had been running for about 5 minutes. We got to the parking area and waited around for the rest of the group to arrive. Turns out a good 4 or 5 professors from the exercise science department came, along with Justin, Maria, and some other guy, so we had a nice group. I figured I wouldn't have any trouble keeping up but I didn't want to set the pace either so once we started I settled in towards the front but making sure to be behind Dr. Rose (who happens to be probably in his 50s and easily the fastest one of all of us), chatting with Justin and some other people around.

The run itself was amazing. The first 20 minutes or so I was talking about Lauren to everyone who was asking me all about her and about me. Everyone was taking such a personal interest, it felt wonderful, it felt like I was really starting to belong in this department :) We ran along a trail I was familiar with but then we took a few twists and turns. Early on we saw a monument that Dr. Rose pointed out marked the border between the states of Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania...neat! We also wound up running along Creek Rd. at some point around 40 minutes in. At this point Justin asked me if I wanted to speed up for a little bit. Always up for a little pick-up I went with him and Dr. Rose caught up to us. Then we hit some serious hills which were pretty brutal. Dr. Rose and I wound up dropping everyone else and had a lovely conversation about my marathon training and how he ran Boston and NYC and all that. I got to explain how Laur and I are doing our qualifying races for NYC 2009, he thought that was cool.

We finally got back to the parking lot but kept running around a bit, I finally stopped after having run for a little over 1 hour. I have no idea how far we ran but I'm going to venture at least 6 miles total, which would give us a 10:00 pace, so that makes sense to me. The only issue with the run was that I only had one bottle of Gatorade and a PowerBar energy gel, which wasn't enough...I was really feeling the heat by the end and spent a good minute at the water fountain. I also wound up getting my arms sunburned (I should've taken my shirt off sooner haha!)

All in all, a great run. not the easy, relaxed run I had anticipated, but I think it worked out better! Maybe this becomes a regular occurrence now that the weather is getting nicer :)

Ran the Scotland Run 10k in Central Park with Laur this morning, one race closer to the 9 we need to auto qualify for NYC 2009! If you want a detailed account of the run, check out her report.

After the run finished, we stopped for a few minutes and then pressed on to push our day's total to an even 10 miles. The run felt pretty good for me, except for some nagging knee pain in my left knee. Fortunately we weren't trying to set world records so I could afford to stop and walk some. At the end, Laur really gunned it, I've never seen her move so frakkin' fast! I actually struggled to keep up with her. It was a very beautiful sight. All told, here's the damage:

10 miles in ~2:15:00

It's been less than 4 full days since I crossed the finish line on the boardwalk of Virginia Beach, thus ending my run in the 2008 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon and entering the “marathon finisher” club and realizing a lifelong goal. My mind has had some time to start working again and start processing things other than mile splits, pacing, and fuel intake. Following is my unabridged and detailed account of the weekend that was, thoughts, experiences, feelings, and one helluva great memory:

( Thursday night )

( Friday )

( Saturday )

( Sunday: pre-race )

THE RACE

I started my watch as I crossed the line a few seconds after the horn. I was thinking to myself at the beginning-I’ll have a tailwind for the first few miles, then the middle chunk I’ll be running into a headwind of about 20mph and the last 5 or so miles I’ll have the tailwind again. I knew that meant the beginning would feel pretty comfortable and I just focused on maintaining a steady, even pace. A few minutes after I started, Laur sent me a text message saying, “LOVE YOU! So does your mom. Stay smart, stay even. I can’t wait to see you! GO MARK!” That was AWESOME and put a smile on my face that lasted many miles. I saw a guy in a Superman cape running with another guy and I overheard them talking about a 3:30 goal.
Mile 1 came at 8:10, I remember calling Laur at that point because it was easier than texting her and I was feeling pretty good still. Right after that, I got caught up to by the 3:30 pace group. I figured I should probably stick with them considering that was my goal. I quickly realized they were going a bit faster than the 8:00 pace that would achieve that goal. In fact, mile 2 came in at 7:41 (yikes!). I thought mile 2 felt a little short but c’est la vie. At this point I was starting to lose the 3:30 pace group and the 3:40 group had actually caught up and was passing me. The old-Mark would have been freaking out and rushed to catch up with them. As it was, I felt so good and confident in my pace and my plan that I just let them run on by and was committed to running MY pace, MY race.
After mile 2, we looped around a block of buildings and headed over the Rudee Bridge (elevation gain- 40ft.) down towards Camp Pendleton and the Virginia Aquarium. I missed the 3 mile marker but caught the 4 mile marker and passed it in 31:26 (mile 2-4 were done in 15:35, a little quick but pretty close to pace). Around that time I started running with an older guy who was talking to me about past marathons he ran, including last fall’s Marine Corps Marathon. He also gave me some pretty standard advice after learning it was my first marathon, telling me it was all about finishing and going out easy because you could try to make up time if you went out too slow but you’ll never be able to recover if you go out too fast. I knew everything he’d told me but I took the advice to heart as important reminders. It was nice having someone like that running with me in the early goings to keep me on pace and from thinking about the daunting distance still ahead of me. We also joked about the pace groups running way too fast for the goal times. Mile 5 was run in 8:17 and I was 39:43 into the race (still slightly under goal pace). Around this time we saw the front runners nearing mile 6, flying along- it was quite the sight. We turned around near mile 5.5 and headed back north for the first time, but fortunately we were shielded from most of the wind. Mile 6 was by far the slowest, 8:28, putting me at 48:12, still close to goal time.
We swung right and hit mile 7 in 56:18 (8:06 mile), still feeling comfortable and pretty easy. I was also really happy that I didn’t have an urge to go to the bathroom at all. I probably could have if I tried but I realized that the pace I was running, if I wanted to maintain it throughout, I wouldn’t have much leeway for stops like that. We swung around and entered Camp Pendleton, where we were greeted by about a dozen soldiers on our right doing some sort of drills carrying big machine guns. We also ran past a bunch of soldiers outside a house cheering their heads off and yelling “Ooo-rah!” I yelled thank you as we passed, for the cheers and everything else they do too. Mile 8 was within the barracks, and I passed it in 1:04:23 (8:04 mile). Around this time I started running a little ahead of my older friend, and after the water stop I didn’t see him again. Around this point I also was coming up on the 3:40 group and by mile 9 I had passed the 3:40 pacers and saw the 3:30 pacers just ahead.
I crossed mile 9 in 1:12:22 (7:59 mile). I didn’t feel like I had noticeably sped up but it felt encouraging to run an 8:00 mile more than 1/3rd into it and have it feel good still. Right before mile 10, we crossed the Rudee Bridge again. I thought to run on the dirt along the curbside but quickly abandoned this idea when my feet started sinking in. By mile 10, I had caught up to the back of the 3:30 group, which was now running much closer to their goal pace. I crossed mile 10 in 1:20:13 (a downhill on the bridge aided 7:51 mile). I was a little nervous because at this point I’d be heading north on the boardwalk/Atlantic Ave. (into the wind) until mile 16. I could feel sporadic gusts from mile 6 on.
This is where I’ll give myself a big pat on the back for excellent strategy and course management. Having caught up with the pace group, I tucked in behind them as we ran out onto the boardwalk and they blocked the wind for me magnificently. The boardwalk had a bunch of spectators both on the ground and hanging out of the balconies of the hotels on the beach cheering us on, it was nice to see and hear. Mile 11 was on the boardwalk and we crossed it as a group in 1:27:57 (a very easy feeling 7:43- probably because of the drafting I was doing behind the pace group), right on pace! I remember swinging out wide and looking ahead and seeing only a few people here and there in front of the pace group, and they all looked a lot less comfortable than we did on the whole. I allowed myself to enjoy the scenery a bit and mostly focused on the back of one runner or the other.
We left the boardwalk and got back on Atlantic and then passed mile 12 in 1:35:58 (8:01 mile). I texted Laur at this point and asked her for 3 gels instead of 2 and where exactly she was. Turns out I “gels” came out as “help” in the text and she took it to mean 3 Advil. I also told her in the morning that when she gave me the gels to rib off the top so I didn’t have to deal with that. What I should have said was only tear off one, the one I was going to eat right away, and leave the rest on because I was going to shove them in my pocket. As I neared mile 13, I looked on the right and a few meters ahead was my darling girlfriend standing and cheering. I got the biggest smile on my face when I saw her and must have sped up a bit. When I got to her I threw my arms around her and gave her a hug and a kiss. She was holding 3 Advil in her hands and I didn’t bother to take them out, I just sucked them out of her hand and washed them down, then picked up the other Gatorade bottle and two PowerGels. Another kiss and I was off. I passed mile 13 in 1:43:51 (a 7:53 mile, into the wind no less!). It was at this point I realized my folly of having her rip open ALL the gels, and that I only had one left. I stuck it in my little pocket inside my shorts and hoped most of it would stay in. I knew there’d be a different brand of carb gel at mile 16 and while I was nervous about trying a different brand I figured it would be alright.
Around this point, some guy caught up to his friend Felix who I’d been running around since Camp Pendleton. Turns out his friend had done the half (in 1:20, wow!) and they started chatting. Turns out this kid PROPOSED TO HIS GIRLFRIEND AT THE FINISH LINE OF THE HALF! How romantic! I was slightly behind the pace group again but I was ok because I was still running on pace. And I still had a handful of runners to shield the wind, which didn’t feel too brutal. At this point we saw some of the last finishers of the half coming south on Atlantic. We also saw the marathon leaders pass by…the black guy and eventual champion was well ahead of the white guy and eventual second place winner- they had been running together when we saw them at mile 6. Yelling words of encouragement at the half runners helped take my mind off the fact that I still had 10+ miles to go. I had started marking off miles on a chalkboard in my head.
I passed mile 14 in 1:51:45 (7:53 mile). Nothing much happened between that and mile 15 which I crossed 8:00 later in 1:59:45. Except that I got a series of awesome text messages from Laur, the first informing me, “YOU ARE A FUCKING ROCKSTAR!” then a quote from Kayne’s song “Stronger” right at mile 15 which made me laugh. I overhead people saying that after mile 6 we bore left and lost the wind in the trees and then the last few miles were with a tailwind. I picked up a Carb BOOM! Energy gel and then crossed the mile 16 marker at 2:07:48 (8:02 mile).
We then turned onto Shore Drive which took us on a spectator-less road lined with big trees and silly placards with random facts and jokes on them. The road seemed to go on forever. (In fact, we ran 3 miles in a relatively un-turning westward direction). Mile 17 was passed at 2:15:46 (a 7:58 mile). I thought to myself how I still felt pretty good. The pace group had thinned a bit, and were somewhat ahead of me still but I had them in my sights and that was good enough for me. I passed mile 18 in 2:23:51 (8:04 mile) and thought to myself that this road was getting boring. I also texted my time to Laur at this point and she just texted me back “PERFECT!” which was really encouraging, even though I knew already that I was on pace. My brain was getting a little foggier and while I knew I was running 8:00 miles still and thus close to on pace, I wasn’t really doing any computations in my head like in the beginning.
We entered Fort Story at the mile 19 mark, and I was at 2:31:53 (an 8:02 mile). I felt my legs beginning to feel the slightest bit tight and I thought to myself, “Is this the dreaded mile 20 wall?!” I just focused on keeping my breathing even and tried to open my stride a bit. Mile 20 was passed 2:40:03 (an 8:09 mile). For the first time since the beginning I had slipped ever so slightly over 8:00 pace. I wasn’t worried just yet, I was close enough and I only had a 10k to go. If I could do the 10k in 50 minutes I’d JUST hit my goal. At mile 21 I saw the Cape Henry lighthouses, passing the marker in 2:48:14 (an 8:11 mile). At this point we started heading southward again, and I could feel the tailwind begin to pick up, giving me a bit of a mental boost. Somewhere around this point I took off my hat and stuffed it in my shorts, I also sucked down my other PowerGel and the last of my Gatorades. At the s water stop at mile 21 I started sucking down a Gatorade (as I’d been doing at every water stop) and splashing a cup of water over my back. This helped a lot. Also at this point, Laur texted me as an inspirational joke,“I expect a strong finish, like my Coogan’s. ” alluding to the fact that she had a serious kick at the end of the Coogan’s 5k race in Washington Heights March 2nd. I got it and was a little concerned if I was going to be able to do so.
We hit mile 22 right before the exit from Fort Story. I passed it in 2:56:17 (an 8:02 mile). This made me pretty happy because the previous few miles had been getting slower and that was getting me nervousish. Right before mile 23, I was handed another Carb BOOM! Energy gel. I tried to open it and it was an epic fail, so I threw it on the ground and figured I would be ok with just the Gatorade and water til the end. Right out of Fort Story, I saw a woman, she must have just been someone who lived in the area, she was running up to runner swith a Tupperware container. After she gave the runner about 30 meters ahead of me something she started running right at me. I saw that she had orange slices which she so graciously offered me. I took one and it was probably the best on-course re-fueling I had the entire time. What wonderful local support!
Mile 23 was passed at 3:04:17 (an 8:00 mile). Around this time I was getting kinda nervous and sort of telling myself that 3:35 or even 3:40 was still a respectable time. My brain was started to check out. Fortunately for all involved parties, my legs weren’t really listening. At all. They kept chugging along, through the building fatigue. I think part of it was just the feeling that it the finish was so close but it felt so far. At this point I was sort of by myself, the pace group had really dissolved into a string of runners. The great thing was that, despite the way I started feeling, I was started to pass people one by one. I got a big mental boost when I passed Felix and his newly engaged friend because they had gone pretty far ahead of me in Fort Story and I figured I wouldn’t see them again. I had also taken to counting down the cross streets at this point- they were numbered and we exited Fort Story around 88th St. and I knew the finish was on the boardwalk around 30th St. My mind really was being ignored because despite the way I felt, I passed mile 24 in 3:12:16 (a 7:58 mile!). I started thinking to myself that I could totally do 2.2 miles in about 18 minutes, but it was going to be close. I was passing more people and trying to keep pace with one guy who looked like he was running strong. I also saw the bald 3:30 pacer still encouraging people along and then came mile 25. I passed it in 3:20:16 (an even 8:00 mile). All I had to do was run 1.2 miles in 9:44, although I wasn’t able to do that math at the time. Instead I just remember knowing I was slightly over 8:00 pace and that I had to really go and not slow down.
Right after the mile 25 mark and the water stop, I started internally chanting to myself “Lau-ren-Lau-ren” over and over and thinking about how she was waiting at the finish for me (she had texted me that she was in between the big Neptune statue and the finish line and that I was her hero). It really got me going, thinking about her and about how good it felt that someone else cared so much about this. I didn’t want to let her or myself down and I told myself as much as I sped up. Atlantic split from Pacific Ave and turned left closer to the beach around 38th St. and I could see the cones a block ahead directing runners to the beach. I caught and passed a woman in bright blue running shorts as we turned towards the boardwalk and the final stretch.
Having walked the boardwalk from this point to the finish line earlier in the day I knew about how much I had left and that was a HUGE help mentally. I looked down at my watch and saw 3:26:XX and knew it would be close but that 3:30 was definitely within reach. I could see the Neptune statue and the Finish Line. I pushed it. I passed mile 26 in 3:27:59 (a 7:42 mile!) but I don’t remember looking at that, just running. As I came up to the Neptune statue I looked for Laur and spotted her. I don’t think I had the energy to smile but the adrenaline boost inside was ENORMOUS! NO WAY was I slowing down, not this close! I pushed, I ran and ran and ran as hard as I could. My last thought before I finished was to remind myself not to look down and stop my watch as I crossed the finish because it would ruin the picture. I crossed the finish line with my hands raised triumphantly and my heart ready to leap out of my chest, both from the effort and the emotion of actually finishing. I hit the tape in 3:29:35…I HAD DONE IT!!!! I AM A MARATHONER!!! MARK MANZ FTmfW!!!
Right after I passed the finish and slowed to a walk, I felt the toll that 26.2 miles of running as hard as I had took on my legs. More than that, though, I felt like I was in a total daze. The whole sequence from finish to leaving the finish area was like a dream sequence. I was so happy I know I pumped my fist and shouted a “YES!” but I was too dehydrated and out of it to cry. I saw some people getting their chips removed so I put my foot up in front of someone and they took mine. Then someone put a medal around my neck. Or did it happen the other way around? Then I got a goodie bag and a hat that Laur later pointed out says “26.2 Finisher” on the back. I remember sucking down a 16.9 oz water bottle in about 4 seconds and taking another.
Laur tried calling me as I exited the finish area and I fumbled with the phone and missed the call. Then I tried calling her back as ambled down the steps to the beach, where the Beer/Stew/Finish Line Party tent was located. I finally got her on the phone and told where I was and then we spotted each other. I know finishing the marathon was one of the BEST FEELINGS EVER, especially knowing I had beat my goal time. But the BEST part of the whole experience is what came next. I saw her and she started running to me and my legs tried in vain to move quickly towards her, so I just stopped and bent over with my hands on my knees. She got to me and we immediately threw our arms around each other in the tightest hug. THIS was when I lost it, just crying over and over “I DID IT BABY! I FRAKKIN’ DID IT!” through tears and sniffles. She told me she was so proud of me and I got a hard-earned finishing kiss! We shuffled into the party tent where a really good cover band was rocking out, I got some stew and we both got a free Yuengling, drank another water, and put our stuff down at a table. Then we raised our beers and toasted. She said, “If you have to ask.” To which I replied, “You’ll never understand.” “TO FINISHING A MARATHON!”
We stayed for a while, cheered on some of the 4+ hour finishers, and then headed back to the car. As I hobbled back down Atlantic, I was overwhelmed with pride and contentment that I had managed to accomplish such a monumental goal, that everything had gone exactly as well as I could have hoped. And to be able to share it with someone so awesome and appreciative of what I just did made the whole thing so much more meaningful and rewarding. We’re planning to run our first one together, which will be her first ever, November 22nd in Rehoboth Beach, DE (something about beach marathons!). I’ll probably do another one the end of August/September-ish (any suggestions?), but for the time being I’m going to really soak in the feeling that this whole wonderful experience has given me. I want to send a HUGE THANK YOU to travelogger for really helping me plan through my training pretty much from the onset and being so patient with my questions, and to runners in general for first inspiring me to actually attempt this, and motivating me from beginning through the whole of my training on up to race day.

( My splits )

HAPPY RUNNING INDEED!

This weekend was EXACTLY what my body needed! I spent most of it horizontal in bed with Laur (get your minds out of the gutter...or not). I had planned on doing the inaugural Caesar Rodney 5k which took place an hour before the half marathon start. The very same half marathon that I chose to make my debut to the world of distance running almost exactly a year ago, on shoes that were totally wrong for me, knees that had been breaking down, and training that could be considered pathetic and scattered and unfocused at best. And yet I managed to slog through 13.1 miles in 1:37:30, a 7:27/mi pace. This time around I'm doing double the distance but I've also quadrupled the training, in amount of miles put in and in the focus, thanks in large part to the wonderful advice gleaned from runners, especially travelogger.

So the plan was to do the 5k Sunday morning as a tuneup race of sorts before the marathon. But with daylight savings and the fact that we didn't get to bed til roughly 6am, I figured it best to skip the official race and do a time trial of sorts today. Granted, this would be different, nothing can exactly match the way a race feels- the adrenaline, the crowds, the support, that nauseous feeling right before the start and the thrill of crossing the finish line and seeing your results posted later. Regardless, I was still very psyched to run this "Inaugural Mark Run 5k As Fast As He Can Race". Partly because it would give me a chance to really open my stride and see what all these months of training have accomplished, if they would, in fact, pay off finally. It gave me an excuse and a chance to go fast, really fast, to test my limits and my considerable VO2 max that I had tested- 5.02L O2/min (64.9 mL O2/kg/min) in case you were wondering, well above average- (I love being an exercise physiology grad student and doing these kinds of tests for class that some people pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for, bee tee dubs!) Also, I was looking for a confidence boost that running a fast time here would give me. And finally I had a time goal, or really a pace goal that would translate into a time goal...6:30-6:35 pace which meant I'd be happy with anything under 21:00. I remembered the day I ran 3 miles with Kenny at the MacArthur track and how I did it in 20:05 and I was shot at the end. This would have to be faster. I also remembered that my last official 5k that I ran as fast as I could was only the third or fourth time I had run since being cleared of mono, September 30th, 22:40, 7:17 pace. I remember being dead on the final stretch there too.

I didn't have a flat place to run, let alone a track. I opted to run on the James F. Hall trail because it was marked every 0.1 mile and it wouldn't be crowded, I wouldn't have to wait for cars or slow people or anything. I was going to go out 1.5, turn around to the beginning, turn around and do 0.1 to finish. The way it worked out, I would be starting headed downhill for the first ~0.3 miles, so I knew my time for the first mile would probably be slightly higher than my goal pace and I was ok with that because I knew that coming back I'd have to deal with it going uphill. In fact, going out felt much more downhill than up and vice versa for coming back in. Fortunately that meant the last 0.1 would be downhill, my reward for doing 2.7-3.0 at the steepest incline of the course.

The weather for the run was PERFECT. A little chilly but not terribly so. I had to do a 2 mile warmup first, so I parked my car across the street in the Pep Boys lot and jogged a mile in and a mile back on the trail, going over what splits I needed to hit and psyching myself up. A mile into my warm up I sucked down a PowerGel and then I got back to my car, stripped to just shorts, t-shirt, knee-strap, gloves, and hat and headed back to the start. I made a split decision to lose the t-shirt- I didn't want to be running at the end bogged down with a sweaty, clingy tee. Shirt off, a few rubs of my legs and imaginary gun went off in my head! Here's the damage:

5k (3.1 miles) in 19:56 (PR BY 2:44!!!)

including:
0.5- 2:55.27
1.0- 6:05.53 (3:10.26 split)
1.5- 9:23.85 (3:18.32 split)
2.0- 12:43.65 (3:19.80 split, 6:38.12 mile)
2.5- 16:02.43 (3:18.78 split)
3.0- 19:19.23 (3:16.80 split, 6:35.58 mile)
3.1- 19:56.42 (37.19 tenth of a mile)

WOO-FRAKKIN'-HOO!!!! ::allows self a minute of celebration::

Like I figured, I started the first part faster even then I figured on going. From the first step, my legs felt spry and quick but it was a comfortable feeling, as if they realized that I was allowing them to push their limits for the first time in months, actually- like I had never really pushed them before. I went through the first half mile (which included a moderate uphill from 0.3-0.45, at 5:50 pace and was really shocked but I knew that was the "fast section" so I allowed my body to maintain the effort level. I remembered at this point reading an article about a study done that found when a group of girls was told to go a little faster than planned at the beginning of a 5k, they wound up running a faster overall race. I figured I'd do that too and hope for the best.

Blew through mile 1 feeling good, and about 30 seconds faster than my goal pace. I knew I wasn't going to negative split this and I was ok with that. From 1.0-1.5 was fairly flat, a little rolling. I took the turn at 1.5 without slowing down considerably and I knew I had done almost half, that was an encouraging thought. On the way back from 1.5-2.0 it felt a little more uphill, around this time I was thanking myself for deciding to go shirtless because I was dripping. Right after the turnaround I also took off my hat and shoved it in the side of my shorts to cool myself a bit better. Coming to mile 2, I felt my lungs working harder to suck in the necessary oxygen and I knew I was running right around my anaerobic threshold. More uncomfortable was my stomach, not so much GI distress, just a tightness in it as my body moved up and down quickly and forced air into my chest cavity. I dealt with it.

I was really looking forward to 2.5-2.6 as it was a downhill now, and ahead of me I saw the 2.7 mark which signaled the start of the climb to 3.0 that felt so nice going down. I hit the uphill and really focused on maintaining pace by increasing effort and my stride. I felt my quads powering as they pushed my legs off the incline with my goal so close at hand. I had been keeping track of my splits and I knew that after the first mile my splits were all over 6:30 pace and I didn't want it to get away from me. I worried for a brief moment about bonking so close and quickly pushed the thought of slowing down or failing to meet my goal out of my head. Right after 2.8 the trail turns left and I got a view of the last 0.2 to the start.

As I was approaching 2.9 I thought to myself maybe I would just turn around there and thus give myself a 0.2 mile downhill finish instead of having to go up the steepest part to 3.0 and only going downhill for the last 0.1 mile. After giving this a second or two of consideration, another voice chimed in "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! THIS ISN'T A RACE! THIS IS A TRAINING RUN! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SO WORRIED ABOUT MAKING IT EASY OR RUNNING A FASTER TIME!? YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE A FUCKING WIMP! YOU ARE GOING TO RUN UP THE FUCKING INCLINE AND FINISH STRONG! NOW! GO!"

And that's just what I did. I went all out and attacked the uphill. At 2.9 I had noticed it was still in the 18:00s and that I may have a shot a 20:00. That was the first moment I had entertained the thought of breaking 20 minutes. When I reached the 3 mile mark and hit the split button, I glanced down as I was turning for home. "19:19! Holy crap, I can do this, but I'm gonna have to go all out, I can't slow down now!"

I opened my stride further and was running as fast as I could at that point, letting gravity aid me. I knew it was going to be close and I just kept repeating "DON'T SLOW DOWN! DON'T SLOW DOWN!" I hit the "tape" and stopped the watch and looked down as I slowed to a jog...SUB 20:00!!! I HAD DONE IT! I lost it, totally lost it. I jumped as high as my tired legs would let me and pumped my fist in the air and let out a loud, excited YES! I just kept bouncing up and down (actually it probably looked more like seizing because my legs didn't have the energy to properly bounce) and yelling "YES" "WOO!" and some expletives. I could not believe what I had just done. An almost 3 minute PR. I know this wasn't an official race, but I ACTUALLY ran the distance and that's how long it took me. I was thrilled. I still AM thrilled. This was the biggest confidence boost yet for the marathon this weekend. I of course immediately called Lauren as I was walking around campus to cool down and regaled her with the nitty gritty details. In a way, I couldn't have done it without her, the positive encouragement that she gives me on a daily basis, how proud I know she is of my achievements, her support and love really have pushed me to get a bit higher than I would've gotten on my own. This running thing is most definitely a team effort.

So that's that. I'm already thinking ahead to the next official 5k I can run, thoughts of age group placing dancing through my head and maybe someday even an overall place! Wow! Amazing what one run can do. Happy running indeed!

Today was unseasonably warm in Wark (that's Newark, DE for short) and I took advantage of it to do an easy 6 miler on campus. Today marks what I guess could be considered the official start of my marathon taper. I've been cutting back some for a few weeks now though- there was one Mon-Sun week where I only logged 18 miles!- but those were unintentionally forced to by my body, whereas this cut back will be intentional, so as to get my legs fresh for the marathon. I know come March 16th , I'm going to be bouncing off walls with anticipation and energy. Fortunately I did this run in the am, before we got a bit of miserable drizzle. I mapped a 3 mile loop that toured some of the pretty parts of campus (Main St, the north and south Greens).The route is here in case you were wondering. So I had every intention on running this nice and easy, but at the same time, in the back of my head I was thinking that I hadn't had anything close to even 9:00 pace in almost a week and that sort of worried me, not that it should have. My plan got a little bolloxed by a combination of how good I felt and the fact that towards the end classes were letting out and we all know how I tend to speed up when I'm running past people, it's a subconscious-I-don't-want-to-embarrass-myself thing. Here's the damage:

6 miles in 47:38.58 (7:55 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 7:35.08
Mile 2- 15:44.86 (8:09.78 mile)
Mile 3- 23:56.31 (8:11.45 mile)
Mile 4- 32:00.84 (8:04.53 mile)
Mile 5- 40:17.56 (8:16.72 mile)
Mile 6- 47:38.58 (7:21.02 mile)

1st half- 23:56.31 (7:58 pace)
2nd half- 23:42.27 (7:54 pace)

I felt good, the first mile didn't feel hard at all, struggled to keep even pacing, had to slow to adjust knee strap a few times, my right leg (back of knee area, inside) felt tight towards end, but was able to comfortably push during last mile. Like I said the weather was warm, and somewhat muggy: 63 degree, 65% humidity, overcast outside- big jump from what it's been.

Of note is that I was running with two brand spanking new pieces of running equipment: My New Balance 768s and my Timex IronMan watch. I walked from the Newark shopping center on Main St. to Smith Hall and then to the start on Main & S. College. That was my warmup and my attempt to break them in a little. They felt FANTASTIC! They feel like they stay on my feet a little better and snugger than the 767s, especially in the heel. I feel like I don't have to lace them as tightly to get a snug fit and when I land, my foot feels like it's landing evenly and smoothly.

The watch is also awesome. You'll notice my splits are far more exact than usual, that's the watch's doing. It also records up to 30 splits and is lighter and less clunky on my wrist, plus it doesn't do that annoying "I started but then stopped immediately fucking up the timing of your run" thing the old one did. Can you tell I'm thrilled with my new purchases? Thank you Laur for picking the watch out!

Anyway, so the run was pretty good, I ran pretty evenly throughout and had quite a good deal of energy at the end. Success.

This morning was the second 5k of the weekend for Laur and I. Initially I was thinking I'd do the midnight one with her and run this one in earnest. I smartly changed my mind and did this one with her too, I'm really happy about that decision. We didn't get much sleep, I stayed over at her place because it didn't make sense to drive home to the 'Tagh just to come back to Bayside and drive into Washington Heights in the morning. Bleary-eyed, the two of us drove on a mostly empty road all the way to Washington Heights, where our directions got us kind of lost, but we managed to find the right place in time (barely) and get to the starting line (or the 10:00 mile area of the starting mass of people) just about as the clock started.

We did the Coogan's Salsa, Blues, & Shamrocks 5k. This was race number 1 in our plan to do 9 NYRR races, volunteer for 1 race, and thus get automatic entry into the 2009 NYC Marathon (a little earlier than Lauren's quarter century but oh well). The course was hilly, a straight out and back up Fort Washington Ave and into Fort Tyron Park. course map here We didn't expect to duplicate Friday night's time because of the hills and the wind. Here's the damage:

5k in 32:58 (10:37 pace)

Apparently I didn't cross the start until 1 second after Lauren so my time was ever so slightly faster, even though she had a sick finishing kick for the last 0.1 mile, a kick that surprised me and I think she may have finished a hair in front of me, good job!

Official results here

I came in 2,574th out of 3,263 (1,551 out of 1,779 male)
She came in 2,576th out of 3,263 (1,025 out of 1,484 female)

I'd have to say this race was more impressive because of the challenging course. Both our knees held up well and we finished strong and then horded bagels and cream cheese, went home, crashed out a bit and made breakfast. (After I successfully complained to the parking lot manager that I was not paying for the 45 minutes I froze my ass off online waiting to pay!) Then we finally got out to the Sayville Running Company to buy my new shoes because the New Balance 767's I bought in November have 500+ miles on them. Apparently, New Balance updated the model, so I am now the proud owner of brand new New Balance 768's.

Officially two weeks til the marathon, yikes! Two weeks of tapering off and running smart and staying healthy and carbo loading. I cannot wait!

So this weekend, Laur and I are planning to run two 5ks in 3 days. I will be using these as easy runs because 1- I want to run these races with my darling girlfriend and help pace her as she is just starting to run again after about a month off thanks to wonky knees, plus running a race with her is supremely fun as is the kiss I get at the finish and 2- my knees have been a bit painful of late, the left one feeling the the patella tendon was irritated and the right one felt more like a hamstring tendon or MCL tightness. So two 5ks with Laur=good idea and a great way to do something that helped us get so close in the first place.

Tonight's run was in celebration of the Leap Year. The Republic Airport Leap Year Midnight 5k. It was done ON THE RUNWAY! of the airport, Republic Airport in Farmingdale. The only issue was the fact that it started POURING a few hours beforehand. It was right around freezing and that meant that the rain was more a freezing rain/ice mix that sucked. Being in such an exposed area, we were pelted with strong winds too, and it was freezing. All things considered though, the run went well. Laur and I ran a good race and enjoyed the fact that an airplane took off on the next runway over! It was neat. Her knees started hurting, mine were tight but we finished strong. I remember her looking at me as I sort of eased up at the end and yelled at me for even considering letting her finish ahead of me. oops. Here's the damage:

5k in 31:58 (10:19 pace)

We tied for 196th out of 269

I came in 142 out of 169

She came in 55 out of 100 Right in the middle, aweSOOME!


Overall, a good, wet time and definitely a different race experience.

Today didn't exactly go as planned but that's alright really, in the end. I thought I was going to do a longer run, but time issues caused me to postpone that, and instead I wound up doing what I had wanted to do yesterday before the treadmill-overheating-vomit debacle. The schedule called for 45 minutes @ half-marathon pace with last 15 minutes @ 10k race pace Because it was wet, and because it's in a sort of shady area, I didn't want to do it at the Newark High track, and I didn't want to even think about doing it on a treadmill at the CSB, so I went to the James F. Hall bike trail, admittedly not the greatest place to run speedwork but it IS marked every 0.1 mi so I could keep track of my pace. The biggest issue with the trail is that its undulating, and at some points, especially miles 2.5-3, and 5.5-6.0 last night, there was a fairly steep uphill. That meant finishing going up on somewhat tired legs when I'm supposed to be running the fastest. Yikes! Here's the damage:

6 miles in 42:37 (7:06 pace)

including:
mile 1- 7:17
mile 2- 14:37 (7:20 mile)
mile 3- 21:43 (7:06 mile)
mile 4- 28:50 (7:07 mile)
mile 5- 35:52 (7:02 mile)
mile 6- 42:37 (6:45 mile)

1st half- 21:43 (7:14 pace)
2nd half- 20:54 (6:58 pace)

Wow! For a track, this would have been a good workout for me. On the trail, with the issues that I previously mentioned, this is an INCREDIBLE workout! Granted, after the first 2 miles I quickly dropped to low 7:00 min/miles and only dropped a few seconds between 4-5 and then only one mile under 7:00 at the end. But first, I ran the whole second half in sub 7:00 pace, which is what I'd imagine would be my 10k race pace, and second, I ran the last mile in 6:45 when I DEFINITELY wasn't feeling all that strong, and like I mentioned, the last half mile was fairly steeply uphill. I remember turning for the last uphill stretch with about .25 mile left and feeling like I wanted to slow down and thinking to myself, "THERE'S A FUCKING QUARTER MILE TO GO, THAT'S IT, YOU ARE NOT SLOWING DOWN DAMMIT RUN FASTER!!!!! When I hit the end and looked at my watch, the math took a bit longer than if I weren't exhausted but then I realized I got under 7:00 and was thrilled. I immediately called Laur as I was driving home to share in the good news and temporarily distract her.

Also a positive, my knees felt a little off but didn't get worse. My left knee had been bothering me all day and actually felt fine during and after. My right MCL was tight after but nothing some stretches and ib200 can't fix I'm sure. Positive energy from working my ass off. YES!

I went to the apartment complex fitness center again tonight, after not running since Friday morning, something that mentally was freaking me out because of how close my marathon is and the worries about being underprepared, but probably was a blessing for me and my fatiguing legs. My intention was to do 45 minutes @ half marathon pace with last 15 minutes @ 10k race pace. This would mean doing the first half hour in 7:20 pace and speeding up to ~6:50-7:00 for the end. This did not go well. Here's the damage:

~3 miles in ~25 minutes

This makes it look much better than it actually went. I did the first 2 milesish in 7:20 pace and went through my water bottle before I was done with the first mile. Almost right away it felt more difficult than it should have, and would have on a track outdoors. The combination of the hot, stale air and lack of ventilation was causing me to overheat and sweat like I was in a sauna. Being the stubborn person I am, I was all set to press on and gut it out. Fortunately my darling girlfriend called me and I stopped running and talked to her, at which time I started feeling really sick and I would not stop sweating, I thought I was going to pass out. I jogged back to my apt and immediately started throwing up in the toilet, at which time I knew I had pushed it too far.

So a big THANK YOU LAUR for stopping me from literally killing myself, because I have no doubt that I would have kept going at that pace and passed out in the fitness center where no one would have gotten to me for hours, I would have overheated and potentially aspirated on vomit. FUN! This was NOT the workout I was looking for after a few days off. I know I would have had a much better run on a nice, flat, outdoor track where the cool weather would have helped cool me off. Tomorrow HAS to be a good run or I'm going to start freaking out in earnest about this marathon.

Actually, I just need to forget what's already happened, relax, and focus on having a good run for every run from now until the Shamrock. ::deep breath::

So according to travelogger's final 7 week training schedule, I was supposed to do this workout earlier in the week. This specific workout was very important not just as a good, hard speed work day, but also because it is a good indicator of marathon finishing time. Essentially, you run the 800s in whatever time you want to run the marathon in (min:sec, instead of hr:min, though) with equal recovery time in between intervals. So for me, it was:

8x800, each 800 in 3:30 (marathon goal time of 3:30:00) with 3:30 active recovery in between

I was nervous because if I struggled, it would be a big mental blow to my goal of a 3:30 marathon, something that has started to seem more and more within reach and not a far-fetched goal. So between some necessary schedule juggling and the fact that I wanted fresh legs and an un-burdened mind with which to run this, it got pushed to Sunday. The Cisneros clan went to church at noon and my darling girlfriend and I went to the high school track nearby. Originally I was going to run and Laur was going to watch/read/relax in the car because it was kind of chilly out. But then she decided and could not be talked out of coming down to the track and timing me with her awesome Nike watch. This way I wouldn't have to worry about recording my split times, and furthermore, I could get each 800 broken down by lap. And a kiss in between 800s is always a nice motivating tool.

I started with a half mile warm-up and then was ready and raring to go. The only minor annoyance was the two girls who were walking in the inside lanes that I would have to go around, but like I said- minor annoyance, I was feeling too good and too amped up.

Without further ado, here's the damage, meticulously recorded by the wonderful starsinmycloset:

800 repeats (3:30 rest in between each)
1- 3:15:08 (Lap 1- 1:31:80, Lap 2- 1:43:28)
2- 3:28:00 (Lap 1- 1:43:00, Lap 2- 1:45:00)
3- 3:29:28 (Lap 1- 1:42:97, Lap 2- 1:46:31)
4- 3:24:79 (Lap 1- 1:46:02, Lap 2- 1:38:77)
5- 3:28:37 (Lap 1- 1:46:81, Lap 2- 1:41:56)
6- 3:28:11 (Lap 1- 1:45:23, Lap 2- 1:42:88)
7- 3:27:93 (Lap 1- 1:44:20, Lap 2- 1:43:73)
8- 2:48:18 (Lap 1- 1:29:05, Lap 2- 1:19:13)

So, I didn't actually do any of the 800s in 3:30, and towards the end I wasn't even giving myself 3:30 rest, I was just taking whatever I ran the previous 800 in. And I had energy enough to really sort of crank it on that last one. I know that running the last one as fast as I did may not have been what I was supposed to do, but by golly, I was feeling SO FRAKKIN' GOOD and I had so much energy that I really wanted to push it, like I haven't pushed myself in months. My legs responded with the final 400 being close to a sprint, but I still didn't feel like my muscles were going to seize up.

All of this is VERY encouraging as far as my potential to hit my goal time in the marathon next month. 4 more weeks of good, solid, injury-free, intelligent running and I have all the confidence that I will do very well. Today illustrated how marathon training is not always a solo venture though. I was running a workout drawn up by one person who knows better than I do, and had another there for support and help. My legs feel good, never tired or sore, and no pain whatsoever. Happy running, indeed!

I know that Valentine's Day is pretty much just a crock to guilt men into buying cards, flowers and/or chocolates for their ladies (because what says "I LOVE YOU" more than a pre-packaged sentiment and the same candy or roses you've bought every year at this time?) I'm cynical, can you tell? I'm not down on expressing one's love for their significant other, I'm down on people waiting until today to do it. Why not express how much you love someone on January 29th? or February 11th? See? That isn't to say that you can't take today and make it special in its own way. That's what I love so much about Laur. She has been so amazing to me and for me since the end of October, and in a much bigger way since we made things "official" the end of December. I can honestly say I have never been happier or more fulfilled. And this is the best, the healthiest, the most mature relationship I've ever been in, by far. And, oh yea, I am CRAZY IN LOVE WITH HER! But this is not a sentiment that has been saved for just today, every single day in so many ways we share this feeling with each other, even if we're separated by a few states or just one county.

We had planned on celebrating today in our own special way, going to NYRR's Night at the Races at the Armory and me running the mile and 2 mile. However, early this morning, as I was passed out in my car at a rest stop on the NJ Turnpike, my grandma died. Between that and me needing to take care of a lot of stuff for my move to Delaware this weekend, and me being severely run-down and stressed, we thought it not a great idea. So instead she was going to take the train to the 'tizzle and I was going to do speedwork on the track. Well I did my speedwork, but I thought it somewhat unromantic to make her take the train all by her lonesome, so as soon as I finished I sped into the city and picked her up from Kidville. I am in love with this woman, more than words can express. And spending time with her tonight was the better than any store-bought gift I could get. Although the gifts she did give me were all aweSOME, perfectly suited to me, and really showed that she put some thought into it and into knowing me. Something I hope what I gave her showed her too.

Why all this here? Because if it weren't for running, we simply wouldn't be. I wouldn't have the privilege and pleasure of even knowing her. And so running, every run I do, every race I will compete in, makes me think very much of her and of our special bond. Running is one of our many "things" and one of our biggest things. We are runners as much as we are lovers, best friends, and soul mates. I am truly lucky.

I was supposed to do 45 minutes @ half marathon pace, last 10 minutes @ 10k race pace
Here's the damage:

6 miles in 42:06 (7:01 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 7:04
Mile 2- 14:19 (7:15 mile)
Mile 3- 21:25 (7:05 mile)
Mile 4- 28:28 (7:03 mile)
Mile 5- 35:23 (6:55 mile)
Mile 6- 42:06 (6:43 mile)

1st half- 21:25 (7:08 pace)
2nd half- 20:41 (6:54 pace)

As far as the run, it went fantastically. I felt strong, I felt loose, and I didn't have any pain at any point in it. Pacing wise, I was right on...well sort of. I haven't run a half in almost a year and I KNOW I'm faster than I was then, when I ran a 7:27 pace, so I've been figuring on 7:20 pace but I feel that's a conservative estimate. I was closer to 7:05 and then dropped down to my 10k race pace which I am assuming to be somewhere around 6:50. YIKES! A few months ago I couldn't even fathom running any significant distance more than a mile or so in sub 7:00. SWEET.

I have the greatest girlfriend in the world, I'm in grad school now, I've got my own place, my life and my future is getting figured out in a way that doesn't terrify me, my running is going so well- better than I could have imagined when I started in November, and did I mention I have the GREATEST. GIRLFRIEND. EVER!? Life is good.

x-posted to supermanz

So Laur and I went to Virginia to see her dad for his birthday Saturday and planned on coming home to watch the Super Bowl and do a 4 mile race in Central Park in the morning prior. This didn't go as planned, but it worked out fantastically! Instead we stayed over Saturday night and decided to stay for the game, partly because this way we could watch it with her family who are big Giants fans and we were having such a good time with them and partly so I could get in my 18 mile run. Everything worked out just great, including Eli Manning turning into an all-world QB, outplayed bitch-ass Tom Brady, and driving the Giants down to the game winning touchdown with a mere 35 seconds to play. BEST. GAME. EVER!?! And the fact that I shared it with who I did made it EVEN BETTER. Anyway, about the run. Laur so nicely mapped me out an 8.25 course that took me on a tour of her surrounding 'hood. It was on paved walkways and it was scenic and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Here's the damage:

18 miles in 2:35:19 (8:37 pace)

The first 8 or so miles I did faster than the last few, so no negative split for a change, but I probably COULD HAVE, I just made a conscious effort to slow myself because this was a long run and I didn't want to tire my legs for speed work next week. Also, at the very end- the last mile or so- my legs started feeling the effects of the 18 miles of pounding, especially my left ankle which felt tender. But my knees didn't give me much issue which I was thrilled about.

After my first 8.25 mile loop, Laur met me outside her house with lots of fruit and an OJ to take with me (SHE'S THE BEST!) and told me to SLOW DOWN! which I listened to. When I finally got done, the game had kicked off already, so I just ran right up into the house and downstairs in time to see Eli move the Giants down the field for the opening field goal. A quick shower at halftime, SORRY TOM PETTY, YOU WELL DRESSED HOMELESS MAN!, and the rest of the game was AMAZING!!!!! The run was fairly speedy, considering the pace of the previous 18 miler and the 2 20milers I've done, and it gives me encouragement that the speed work is already having an effect and furthermore, that my goal of a 3:30 marathon, which works out to ~8:00 pace, is realistic and within reach, albeit it will be tough.

BEST. SPONTANEOUS ADVENTURING. EVER.
BEST! GIRLFRIEND! EVER!
BEST. WEEKEND. EVER!?

I have always been, and maintain that I still am to this day, a decidedly solitary runner. Running is my time. I normally, and as far back as I can remember, don't like to be tied to someone else's pace, I want to run how fast and how hard I want to run. I can still remember back in 4th grade, it came time in PE to run the mile for time. The previous year I had literally lapped the entire class at least once, most twice (in 3.5 laps of the field) and come in in an impressive for an 8 year old time of 7minutes-someting. So 4th grade, I wanted to break the school's record of 6:59 for the mile, and some of my friends thought that if we ran it together we'd be able to. So I went along with it, running their pace, stopping when they needed to, and coming in much slower than the previous year. The next year I ran solo again and did something in the low 6:00s. This is the first time I knew running by my lonesome is one of the only times I ENJOY being completely alone.

Fast forward to now and I'm training for a marathon. I'm more educated about my running and I'm doing A LOT of it. More than I ever have in my life. Every run done with myself and my thoughts, usually busy calculating splits and thinking about form and pacing and breathing and other running-related stuff. This may not seem like the clear-your-mind effect some people say they run for, but it is to me. Occupying myself with split times and calculating paces on the fly still empties my head of thoughts about the future, frustrations with family or friends, about my inadequacies that I'm reminded about at least thrice daily, and whatever else is swirling around up there.

Don't get me wrong, I've encouraged, begged even, people to run with me. I've dragged my brother, friends from home, friends from school, lots of people out with me over the years. It's the PE teacher part of me, the person who really wants to do his part to effect a positive change in the mindset of the country by influencing at least those immediately around him. So I've willingly gone on easy runs with people who are usually kind of intimidated at the fact that I'm considerably faster than them. It's an interesting conundrum- when it comes to my training, I want to be left alone, but yet I seek out people and try to get them to run, even if just once or twice with me. Go figure.

It's why what's been going on with Lauren and I strikes me as so positively out of character. Not only do I enjoy running with her, TRAINING RUNS that is, not just 'ho hum let's go run for a half hour for fun' runs, but I have been altering my schedule to make as many days' mileage line up with hers as possible. I'm not sacrificing mileage here, I'm just flipping around days or adding and subtracting a mile from one to another. I'm bending over backwards to run with her because I WANT TO! This simply doesn't happen, and yet it is. This night was no different.

It's more than the practical reasons for doing so. For her, she get's someone who's knowledgeable about running to help push and motivate her (me) and for me, she keeps me from going at a pace much faster than I should be going, she keeps me running easy when that's what I SHOULD be doing even though I have the utmost difficulty making myself do so on my own. It's more than all that. I really enjoy the conversation we have on the runs, it doesn't feel like she's cutting into any me time, it's enjoyable time all the same, and it passes quickly.

Tonight she came to Wantizzle to do 4 miles. Which is what we did. Here's the damage:

4 miles in 47:37 (11:54 pace)

It was broken up into 2.25 miles, then a stop at Stop N Shop to get popcorn, then the final 1.75 miles done appreciably faster than the first part, so negative split for Lauren finally! And I get a solid, easy run which my legs were sorely in need of (no pun intended!) Her knee was giving her shit again but not anything that stopped us from speeding up quite a bit over the last 2/10ths or so as we turned onto Hunt Rd and head for home, literally and figuratively. A strong finish to a good, misty run that ended at just the right time as the heavens opened up soon after. Something I have been looking forward to and can definitely see myself getting used to, seeing as how our schedules unintentionally align quite well over the next couple weeks, plsu whatever shifting of mileages I'll do as well. She's keeping me from injuring myself and overtraining and peaking too soon, instead of trying to avoid running un-solo, I'm seeking it out and I'm thankful for her. Happy running indeed!

Today was a superb day! I slept in because I didn't get to bed til 7am. Waking up at 1pm is usually fun, but today the Giants were playing the Bucs in a first round playoff game and I had wanted to watch it with Lauren. eep. So that plan fell through, but I did get to see the game here, and the Giants kicked some ass after a tepid first quarter. And they were 3 point underdogs, psh. I wish I knew where to go to bet on football; I wouldn't do it all the time, just games with point spreads I was sure of, like this game. (Aside: I was also very pleased with myself when I mentioned during the game that they were 3 pt dogs, dad asked something about the late game (Chargers-Titans and then I made a commented that it wouldn't be nearly as interestng, the Chargers should win big and "they're probably a 10 point favorite" after which I went and checked the paper to see that they were EXACTLY 10 point favorites!)

Getting closer to back on track...Went to Bayside at the end of the Giants game to hang with Lauren and the dogs, which involved more football watching, dog walking, a carb-heavy dinner, and finally plotting a route and going running. She was scheduled for 8 miles today which would set a PR by 2 miles for her. I was scheduled for exactly twice that. So my figuring is that we'd run the first 8 miles together and then I'd do 8 on my own, negative splitting while I was at it. This plan worked perfectly! Here's the damage:

16 miles in 2:45:18 (10:20 pace)

including:
1st 8 miles (done w/ Lauren, run 5 min, walk 1 min): 1:39:00 (12:22 pace)

second half was broken up into four 2 mile loops
mile 8-10: 1:55:20 (16:20 lap, 8:10 pace)
mile 10-12: 2:12:20 (17:00 lap, 8:30 pace)
mile 12-14: 2:28:56 (16:36 lap, 8:18 pace)
mile 14-16: 2:45:18 (16:22 lap, 8:11 pace)

second half: 8 miles in 1:06:18 (8:17 pace)

So before we set out, we mapped out a course that would take us up Northern Blvd to the Cross Island, up the Greenway that runs parallel w/ it along the bay until we got to Bell Blvd, then take that back to Northern and back home. As Coach Manz (despite lacking the appropriate short shorts and aviators) I decided in the interest of avoiding injury and tackling personal record distances, we would do the 8 miles on a run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute strategy. This worked fantastically for almost the entire run. Around mile 6, which is the furthest she'd ever gone, Lauren's knee started to act up. I suspect the hilliness of the area had something to do with it. So we extended some of the walking breaks which ain't no thang. When we got to Northern Blvd again I was saying how every step she took set a new PR for furthest she's run. And then I thought to myself how that would be true later on for me. I was SO PROUD of her when we finally made the turn onto her block and finished strong to her house, first half done for me. I asked her to pretty please fill up my empty water bottle halfway with cranberry juice, and went on my merry way.

The second half was a bit quicker with no one to keep me from getting ahead of myself, but I think still within the realm of acceptable. The 2 mile loops helped to sort of break it down into manageable portions which was good because I think if I had tried to tackle another 8 mile route, it would have seemed to daunting. I like how 2 miles can add up quickly when put backtobacktobacktoback. After the first 2, Lauren was standing outside, ready to give me my bottle and a kiss (and came outside for a morale boosting kiss and a "slow down!" admonition at the end of every 2 mile loop!)and I was off again. The second and third loops I felt like I was dragging a bit, the last one felt better but by then my legs were decidedly sore and I knew I'd feel it in the morning. There's something decidedly unnerving about running in Queens in the middle of the night by oneself, even if it is a relatively good neighborhood (after all, I'm still by yourself and its still the middle of the night and after 8+ miles, I'm a little less energetic to fend for myself if need be!)

As I was coming up the street to finish Lauren was outside with Dulce, taking her out for a walk, which I joined them on as Scott called. My body felt weird and wobbly as I stopped running after almost 3 hours on my feet in movement. Everything felt tight, especially my calves. Came inside and got a lovely foot and calf massage and the best peanut butter and jelly sandwhich in recent memory.

Running with Laur, the few times I've done it, has really provided me with some great runs, and I'm happy that she finally had a good one from start to finish for once with me. It keeps me on pace and keeps her pushing, we both benefit, win-win-win!
I'm sure my legs will feel this, and I can't wait to take a nice hot shower and possibly a hot bath to relax them and stretch it out Monday, maybe even some yoga, but definitely A LOT of lounging and relaxing and recovering. 10 weeks til the marathon, next Sunday sees another distance PR (17 miles) and I am feeling good, fresh, strong, and confident.

Total Weekly Mileage: 45 miles
Total Training Mileage to-date: 318 miles