Run of the Irish

Fun Fact #1: Adidas' North American headquarters are located in Portland.

Fun Fact #2: Adidas is the major sponsor of the Shamrock Run, which is the largest running event in they city. (Yes, I'm just as shocked as you that it's not the Portland Marathon.)

Fun Fact #3: I ran the Shamrock 15K (there's also an 8K and a 5K).

The race started at 7:30, but because I'm a nut, I set my alarm for 5:15. Of course, I hit snooze a few times, and it dawned on me around 5:45 that I had to get up for this race. Despite my idiot move error, I still had time to eat my pre-race millet porridge and do my dynamic warmup.   

I arrived around 7:15, and my first thought was, "I paid money to give up sleeping in on a Sunday? #runnerprobs". It was freezing around the start (about 41, felt like 36), and the first time since last year's Shamrock Run that I opted to race in tights.

I saw my friend Jeff enter the starting corral, and chatted with him before the start. After the US and Irish national anthems (yes, they played the Irish national anthem), the race started. I had planned on shooting for an average pace of 6:40-6:45. Due to bottlenecking, etc., I hit the first mile at 6:53 (which I expected - the first mile is usually slower than goal). By mile 2, I felt a little more warmed up, and I ran that one was 6:40. Mile 3 brought this gradual uphill through downtown. I knew it was coming, but it still slowed me down (mile 3 = 6:52). At that point, I might've let my nerves/slightly stiff legs/slower pace get the best of me, because my mile 4 split was 7:28 (and the big hill didn't even come until the mile 4 marker). 

Miles 4-6 brought the Terwilliger hill, which I knew was going to be a bitch. 

During the 5th mile:
Jeff: *passes me on my right*
Me (upon seeing this): (to myself: Aw, hell no!) *surge ahead*
Him: I saw that.
Me: Don't think I didn't see you pass me.

He passed me again, then I passed him again, and we were neck-and-neck until the top of the hill, at which point I used that downhill to my advantage. From there on, I told myself that I just needed to beat my official 15K PR (1:04:54; my 15K split from the Chicago Marathon). After mile 7, I told myself, "Only 16 minutes," and after mile 8, "Only 10 minutes." That last mantra also made the nauseating bacon scent easier to deal with. (I kid you not, some guy dressed as the devil was handing out strips of bacon.) Eventually, I saw the finish line and went for it.

My hands were so cold/numb when I crossed the finish line that it took me a few seconds to stop my Garmin (#raynaudsprobs). Got my chip clipped off (yes, despite being such a large race, they still use plastic shoe chips), got my finisher medal, and turned around to see Jeff cross the finish line.

I had the time from my Garmin, but I still wanted the official results because that's what counts. After waiting roughly 6 hours, the official results were posted: 1:04:03 (6:53 min/mi). Overall, I gave it what I had, and this was an 8+ minute improvement over last year, which I'm quite happy about. Furthermore, it was a 53 second improvement from the first 15K of the Chicago Marathon (which was much flatter). Still, I feel a bit disappointed. Disappointed that I let my nerves take over during miles 3-5. Disappointed because based on the numbers, my splits from those miles are what killed me. But the more I think about it, I realize that these are just lessons for future races, and goals for future 15Ks.

If You Can Dream It...

Recently, I told one of my PFR teammates about the Kaiser Half (aka, Operation 1:30), and he asked me about the sub-3:00 marathon. Running sub-3 is on my bucket list, but I've thought of it as a secondary goal to the elusive BQ. (It seems less scary/more feasible if I make 3:05 my "A" goal, and make 3:00 my "A" goal for a future race.) After Operation 1:30, I started wondering if 2013 could be my year to do it. Still, I erred on the side of conservatism and figured I should stick to my original plan.

Fast forward to this morning. It’s the end of the term, and to top it off, I have thesis deadlines looming. To say that I’m stressed is a bit of an understatement. (On a scale of 1-10, I’m currently ranging anywhere from 9-15, and have had about 7 "I'm losing it" moments in 24 hours. But that's another story.) Naturally, these were the main things on my mind when I set out for my 5M run this morning. After about 2 miles, I decided to ignore my Garmin and just run. (I’ve run the route dozens of times and know how long it is.) Somewhere along the Eastbank Esplanade, my thoughts drifted away from my thesis and to the sub-3 marathon. Which led me to wonder, “Would it be crazy if I tried to do that in Eugene?” 

I ended my entry on dailymile with “Am I crazy here for thinking about running a BQ-5 when I haven’t BQed yet?” A few hours later, my friend Erin commented with some very encouraging words and advice. Her advice: “If your fitness indicators point to that as a capability right now, man, don’t think twice...particularly if everything is right on race day.” 

For the analysis (because I'm a math nerd, and clearly, analyzing data for a thesis project wasn't enough), I decided to look up race time predictors, and make a prediction based on the Kaiser Half (that’s my most recent race). I’ve used McMillan’s before, but wanted something else to serve as a comparison, so I found the Runner’s World Race Times Predictor. Based on that race time, McMillan predicted a marathon time of 3:06:17, and Runner’s World predicted a time of 3:04:33.

Okay, so that points to about a 3:05. But based on a 10K time from September (on a fairly downhill course), it told me I'd run Chicago (which was 4 weeks later) in 3:18, which was 7 minutes slower than my actual time. 

Compared to previous marathons, my training has felt really good. I'm not sure what my sweet spot was before, but now, it seems to be around 40 miles/week (based on my last few weeks of 38-45 miles/week). So long story short, predictions look good, and it's possible to beat estimates.

And now onto the mental portion (because as I've learned, there's a big mental game involved with racing). Do I think it's possible? Yes. Does the thought of running sub-3 scare me shitless? You bet. But the thought of crossing that goal off of my life's to-do list is nothing short of exciting. And as Walt Disney once said, "If you can dream it, you can do it."

Erin also sent me this fine graphic from the SF Marathon's Pinterest board: 

Sidenote: She only had a vague idea of how freaked out I was/am when she sent this. We're obviously on the same wavelength.

As I type this, I'm recalling my conversation with Erin, where she expressed hesitation about her goal, and I basically said to just go for it. Maybe now's the time for me to eat my words and say, "Fuck it; I'm doing this shit."

What are your thoughts?

If I Blogged More...

In honor of the fact that I've written about two posts in the last four months, I've decided to write ten things you'd hear about if I blogged more about my running.

If I blogged more...

You'd hear about how I'm more excited to run Eugene this year than I was last year.

Source

You'd hear about how I'm already thinking about marathons #8 and #9, but haven't committed to anything yet. (I don't want to commit without knowing where I'll be in terms of job and location.)

You'd learn about these Plantar Massage Balls I bought from Foot Traffic and how they're amazing.

You'd hear me talk about how said balls, my foam roller, and Epsom salt baths comprise my recovery trifecta. (I hope Seinfeld didn't trademark the word trifecta.)

You'd learn that I've concluded that running and religion are similar. (Running is an individualistic sport, but having a community/group of runner friends provides loads of support and motivation. Religion is based on one's relationship with some deity, but having a community of like-minded believers provides (or should provide) loads of support with living according to that religion's doctrine.)

You'd hear about how I'm super-stressed because I have about three weeks to finish classes and finish writing my thesis. (Maybe I could use said stress to fuel my training runs!)

You'd hear my nonsensical musings from my runs (though let's face it, my thought process while not running doesn't make much sense either).

You'd hear about why I got into running in the first place. (It's a long story that I tried to write in my head while on my run yesterday. I got as far as, "It seemed like a good idea." Isn't that how all of my good stories start?)

Food, Food, Food

After last week's PR/major life accomplishment, I think people have started developing expectations. Case in point: I ran with my running group on Saturday, and over a post-run breakfast, I told a few of them about my half-marathon. One of them asked when the sub-3 hour marathon would happen.

Yes, the sub-3 hour marathon is a goal. But first things first -- break 3:05 and BQ.

On Sunday, I went for my scheduled 15M run. While I was drawing the post-long run salt bath (yes, I'm making it a thing -- try it and you'll understand), I got a text from a friend of mine asking about injury relief. She's training for her first half-marathon, did a 12M run, and reported some pain behind the knee. I referred her to my good friend, the foam roller. (If you haven't foam rolled before, I fully recommend it. Either before or after you try that salt bath.)

While this isn't the first time that a friend has asked me for running advice, I'm honored to be consulted, because it means that people think I know something about the sport. Later that day, I couldn't control my hunger. If you ask my family, this is just a typical day in my life. But this was worse than usual! I spent the rest of the day alternating between trying to be productive with schoolwork, and eating so I could focus enough to attempt to be productive. Still, I realized that knowing "something" doesn't mean knowing "everything," and so I set out to learn more about refueling after a long run.

What do you do when you've burned 1,500+ calories on a run, and your body needs about 2,000 calories to carry out its basic functions? According to the math, you need about twice the calories you'd normally eat just to function normally. How do you work in this many extra calories?

I researched fueling after a long run, and found that the Live Strong website "How To Plan Post-exercise Recovery Meals" best explained things in layman's terms. It also cited Nancy Clark's "Sports Nutrition Guidebook" as a reference. I borrowed this from the library when I was training for Chicago and read it, and it's a fantastic book. Maybe it's time I invest in my own copy? And while I'm at it, perhaps I should get "Food Guide for Marathoners"as well.

OR I could just look into the Michael Phelps diet! Remember those reports of his 12,000 calorie a day diet during the Beijing Olympics? If any athlete knows about eating crazy amounts of food, it'd be him, right? Well, here's the 12,000 calorie a day diet, outlined (source: WSJ):

"Breakfast: Three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise. Two cups of coffee. One five-egg omelet. One bowl of grits. Three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar. Three chocolate-chip pancakes.

"Lunch: One pound of enriched pasta. Two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayo on white bread. Energy drinks packing 1,000 calories.

"Dinner: One pound of pasta. An entire pizza. More energy drinks."

Said diet put into perspective. (Source)

Most of these foods are not in my normal diet, primarily because I try to eat healthy most of the time. (And by "try," I mean keep to the 80% healthy, 20% alcohol/everything else. I find that when I eat more nutrient-dense foods, I feel and function better.) So now the issue is, "Is there a way to consume seemingly exorbitant amounts of cleaner, healthier food?" In my research on the Michael Phelps Diet, I found this article from Men's Health that describes how his diet changed from the Beijing Games to the London Games. And an article titled, "The New Rules of Marathon Nutrition" from active.com. To sum it up, eat whole grains, lean meats, eggs, some dairy, and fresh produce, and eat until you're satiated.

So basically, just eat more of what I already eat? Oy. If you need me, I'll be at Costco, and trying not to go broke while fueling myself for this training. In the meantime, I'll also take other recommendations on balancing eating properly during training and not going broke.

(Disclaimer: Though I've taken nutrition courses, I am not a nutritionist or dietitian. If you want advice from a trained professional, you should seek one out.)

Kaiser Half...Again

I ran the Kaiser Permanente Half-Marathon for the first time last year (recap here), and liked it so much I decided to run it again. (Well, okay -- I found another super-cheap plane ticket, and coerced my friend into running this together again.) After my double-PR at Chicago, I decided that this would be a good chance to shoot for a sub-1:30 half and cross that off of my bucket list.

A couple weeks before the race, I received my bib and D-Tag in the mail (yes, KP mails these out rather than organizing an expo), and got really excited when I saw that my bib number would be "2222." (I took having such a cool bib number as a good sign.)

I'll admit to having pre-race jitters, but Erin, Jason, and some other great running friends helped remind me that they were feasible. (Key point: "If you can do 1:31 for the first half of a full-marathon, you can break 1:30 in a half that's only a half.") With that, I went ahead and wrote out the mile splits I'd need to hit to meet my goal (6:50/mi), because I'm a nerd like that.

Race morning consisted of a banana, a Starbucks run for some oatmeal (with dried fruit, nuts, and honey), and a cab ride to Golden Gate Park. After warming up, I went and positioned myself somewhere in the 7 min/mi group of the starting area. The race kicked off, and I spent the first mile weaving through people. I hit the mile 1 marker about 3 seconds off of my target pace, but made up for it in the next few miles.

Thoughts that went through my head while on the course:
1. The Ke$ha song "Die Young." (Up until about mile 7, I had "Let's make the most of the night like we're gonna die young" running through my head.)
2. "Use the downhill while you have it." (Some woman said this around mile 4 or 5, and I used it to help me along.)
3. "Back straight, eyes forward, and fly." (I need reminders to keep good posture and relax my arms when I run, and this mantra became the simplest way to remind myself of that."
4. "You got this!" (Erin told me that a few days before the race as encouragement."
5. "You're xx seconds ahead/behind of your goal." (At every mile, I compared my actual mile split to the one I planned out pre-race to see how much faster/slower I was than that.")

At mile 7, the downhill ended and we were running on flat ground along the ocean. The race became a bit tougher here, but not terrible. I reached the mile 9 marker in 1:00:03 (87 seconds ahead of schedule), and started feeling good about my prospects then. Around mile 10 or 11, it got even more difficult. After mile 11, I was only 30 seconds ahead of schedule (by my math that I later realized was erroneous -- note to self: don't try doing math after that much running). I told myself that I had two miles, and that I couldn't eat through all of my lead here because I had no room for error. Once I hit mile 12 and saw that I had just over 9 minutes to run 1.1 miles, I felt pretty good and picked it up a bit. I also started saying "Almost there!" to everyone I passed. With a half-mile left to go (approximately), I hit the biggest hill along the course and just told myself to push through it because I was almost there. Eventually, I saw the finish line, and it still had "1:2x:xx" on the clock, so I went for it. I definitely got a bit emotional after finishing because even though I didn't know my official time (according to Garmin, my finish time was 1:28:31), I knew that I broke 1:30 based on the gun time.

On the train ride home, my friend checked the race results on his phone (it wouldn't work on mine for some reason), and saw that my official time agreed with what my Garmin said. This meant that I had a 3 minute improvement from my previous PR, which was also cause for celebrating! We decided on a post-race meal of veggie burgers, milkshakes, and fries. I don't know if it were the place, my state of hunger, and/or my state of mind, but that type of food never tasted so good.

Pictures to come, but for now, I'm going to enjoy the rest of my visit in SF (and try to get homework done). And just in case anyone was wondering, my legs are rather sore (though that didn't stop me from walking about six miles today to do some sightseeing).

Chicago, Owned: A Marathon Recap

I know I haven't updated in a while, but I decided that in an effort to tell everyone about my race, it would be easiest to just write a post about it.

Of the marathons I've done so far, this was the one I made the biggest deal out of (so far). My training felt good and consistent (thank you, strengthrunning.com and runyourbq.com for the support and guidance), and with the exception of a bout of Achilles tendonitis at the beginning of my training, I had remained injury-free throughout it (thank you, Shannon, for all of those chiropractic adjustments). I also planned on using this as my first attempt to shoot for a BQ (Boston Qualifier). Needless to say, I made myself pretty nervous, and had my marathon pump-up mix on repeat for the week leading up to the race.


Friday

After arriving at 8:30am on my redeye flight, I hopped on the Blue Line and headed down to the Expo. My friend Katie (who was graciously hosting me and my friend Lindsay for the weekend) had to work until 4, and I had heard that the area around McCormick Place would be less crowded on Friday (due to the ND-Miami game on Sat), so it worked out perfectly (minus carrying my duffel bag and backpack all over the city).

After the Expo was lunch, coffee, and grocery shopping (I wasn't about to fly across the country with a bunch of bananas).

Once Katie and I connected, we caught up and grabbed dinner at an Italian restaurant. We returned home and watched a movie (and by watch, I mean I passed out after 15 minutes because after sleeping in an airplane seat and schlepping my bags all over Chicago, I was beat).

Saturday (Marathon Eve)

I attempted to sleep in, but still woke up around 7:30 (I did sleep for 8 hours). Part of me wanted to go back to sleep, but I had to reply to Lindsay's text about her flight dilemma. (Her flight got canceled, and so she'd be arriving at 2pm instead of 9am.) One thing led to another, and I ended up responding to texts for so long that it made no sense to go back to bed. After all the texting was said and done, I warmed up and went for a light 1.5 mile run. Once I got back, I prepared my marathon morning breakfast of millet porridge (millet cooked in water, with some Craisins, cinnamon, and salt - it takes a while to make, so I just make it ahead and eat it cold).

I ventured out to Whole Foods to pick up supplies for Lindsay, and ate lunch while I was there (tofu teriyaki bowl - delicious!), and then to the Expo to meet my friends Christine and Nicole (whom I hadn't seen since we graduated from college). The Expo may have been packed on Friday, but it was a madhouse on Saturday. But catching up with old friends is ALWAYS worth braving the crowds. Lindsay and Babs (her mom) met us there, and after hanging out and chatting for a bit, we were all ready to leave. 

Lindsay, her mom, and I met my mom (who had just flown in from CA) for a pre-race pasta dinner at Viaggio. I ordered the penne special, which was penne with jumbo shrimp, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, and a garlic and olive oil sauce. This tasted just as good as it sounds! All of us left with leftovers, and none of us left disappointed. If you're ever in Chicago, I'd recommend going there!

From there, we headed back to Katie's and were in bed by 10pm.

Sunday (Marathon Day)

Some of us fall asleep by counting sheep. Me? I count off my target times for each mile. You see, my goal was 3:05 (the Boston Qualifying standard for 18-34 year old males), which is a 7:03 min/mi pace. To go through my plan, I counted off the times at which I should hit each mile marker (7:03, 14:06, 21:09, and so on). I fell asleep after counting off the 26 target times. And woke up once during the night. 

My first alarm (I set two, just in case) went off at 4:50am, and I got up right away. The first time in as far as I can remember that I didn't hit snooze. Lindsay woke up ten minutes later, and the fiesta began. Once dressed, we headed upstairs and had breakfast with Becca and Mary Kate (Katie's roommates who were also running the marathon). I did my warm-up exercises after breakfast, and my running mates gave me some strange looks. I got a few laughs when I told them I was doing the drinking bird. (Drinking bird, hamstrings -- get on it!) Those laughs helped make our frigid walk to the El a little more bearable.

Becca and Mary Kate were in Wave 2, so Lindsay and I wished them well before heading to the start. 

I was worried that I'd be waiting around for too long after checking my bag, and get cold as a result. Fortunately, I only had a few minutes between dropping my bag off and the start, so this wasn't an issue. Lindsay and I said our good lucks and went to our corrals. I found my friend Steven (from Front Runners NY, my old running group), and it was good to see a familiar face and catch up before the start.

At 7:30, the gun went off, and Bruce's "Born to Run" came on. Just what I wanted to hear! I hit the first mile right on track (7:03), and hit the second mile in under 14 minutes. Around mile 3.5, I saw the first spectators I knew - Mike and Rachel from FRNY. Unexpected, but awesome. I hit mile 5 in 34:25 (50 sec ahead of schedule, and 70 sec ahead of my 5M PR), and was so stoked to be at a sub-7 pace. I kept up this momentum through the Addison Road turn-around and beyond. In Boystown, I knew I was going fast because I caught up with and passed one of the faster FRNY runners. (Note: After finishing, I remembered that he just did an Ironman two months ago. But at that moment, I forgot that, so passing him was a good boost.) Mile 11 brought Babs and Mike and Rachel, and as I ran up the Franklin St Bridge, I saw my mom screaming and flailing. Those two seconds that she was looking forward to had happened. I ran into the sidelines, gave her a hug, and continued on. After that, I started executing my plan of one Shot Block every 1.5-2 mi. I crossed the halfway mark in 1:31:35, smashing my previous OR by over 5 min (and not to mention I was still maintaining a sub-7 pace).

By mile 16, I noticed that I was slowing down, and by mile 18, I had stopped hitting my target times. I could just see the BQ hopes slipping away. It was around this point that I lost dexterity in my fingers (because my hands were so cold) and started knocking over water cups when I tried to grab them (I started using two hands - like any good 5-year-old would do). To motivate myself, I kept thinking about everyone who donated to the ALSA (the charity I ran for) and everyone with ALS who can't move. Seeing my friend Tracy at the mile 20 water station helped too.

Around mile 22, I went to take my last Shot Block, and the pack had slipped out of my fingers during the previous mile. Damn loss of dexterity! But I only had four miles left and a PR within easy reach, which left me no choice but to push. I also opted to not stop for fluids, because of time.

Going up Michigan Ave, I saw a banner, and thought it was the finish line. I was very disappointed to find that it was a video monitor at the 800m mark. With 800m left to go, I rounded the turn onto Roosevelt, saw this hill, and thought, "You've got to be kidding me with this." But the mile 26 marker was in sight. After climbing that hill, I could see the finish line and just went for it. I crossed it, stopped my Garmin, and it read "3:11:22." I wasn't quite sure how accurate it was, but I'd take that as an unofficial time.

Walking through the finisher chute, I got my medal, space blanket (i.e., superhero cape), food, water, and Gatorade. My stomach wasn't ready for food, but I took it for later. I trudged a little further and saw the sweet elixir that is Goose Island 312. I grabbed a cup, took a sip, and thought, "Mmm, beer never tasted so delicious." I may/may not have been a ham and posed for every photographer I saw. I also posed for one photo with a random French guy, though in my defense, the photographer asked for that one. (Pics available here. It may prompt you for a last name, bib #, and race name.)

Eventually, I got my bag, dug out my phone, and found three texts of congratulations (all these people who knew my exact time before I did) and a missed call (from my mom, who was trying to find me). We reconnected, and she showed me the results page. Final time: 3:11:18 (7:18 min/mi). I may not have BQed, but I beat my PR (that I set in April) by over 13 minutes!

--
It's been four days, and the shock (or runner's high; whatever you want to call it) still hasn't worn off. Between crushing my previous PR, and crushing my $1,500 fundraising goal for ALSA (I raised $1,735), it feels like a dream. And knowing that I can hold a BQ pace for over half a marathon provides me with hope for next time.

Before running Chicago, I told myself that after doing 3 marathons in a 12-month period, I wanted a break. But with that Boston Qualifying time within reach, I want another shot. Call me crazy, but I want to try again and shave those 6 minutes off. Yes, I'll wait to register (so as to not be impulsive), but I'm seriously considering a spring marathon. LA, Vancouver (BC), and Newport (OR) all seem like good options, but I'm open to suggestions! 

(Edit: The shock wore off on Friday, five days after the race. On Sunday (one week after Chicago), I signed up for the 2013 Eugene Marathon, which will be on April 28.)

Happy National Running Day!

Happy National Running Day!

Source

What, you thought I'd let the holiday go unacknowledged?

For those of you who don't know, the first Wednesday in June is known as National Running Day, and is designed to be a day to promote and celebrate running (Go here for more details). Some of the tweets I've read have alluded to the fact that every day is like National Running Day for avid runners. And while this may be true, it reminds me of Valentine's Day -- we need one day to remind us of the good things we should be doing throughout the year.

As you'd expect, I have a plethora of reasons why I run. I run:

• Because I can
• To destress
• To get some me time
• To get my blood flowing
• To release any pent-up energy (good or bad)

(Note: These are not all of my reasons, but these are the key ones.)

Believe it or not, I didn't like distance running in high school. I steered clear of the cross-country team because 5K seemed too far, and while on the track team, I stuck to sprinting and the field events. But here are some key events in my progression as a runner.

• The time I moved to DC -  This was when I started college and started running for fun. 
• The time my friend told me I should sign up for this half-marathon she was running - She read about the Philadelphia Distance Run in Runner's World, and said, "You'll be living there. You should join us." So I did. And I felt proud because this was the first time I knew of that I was able to run a sub-10:00 mile. (Before that, I think the last time I ran a timed mile was high school.)
• The time I signed up for a marathon because the registration fee was going to increase the next day - For some reason (to this day, I don't know why), I was on the Philadelphia Marathon's website, and I saw that registration was still open and that the fee was going to increase the next day. This seemed like as good a reason as any to sign up. But I finished.
• The time I moved to NYC - I knew hardly anyone in the city, and so I used running as a way to meet people. The people I met motivated me to sign up for some of the NYRR races and made me a more serious runner. And I developed some great friendships along the way.

So in honor of National Running Day, I was going to run 6 miles. But after mile 4.5, I still felt really good, so I decided to run 9 miles instead. I ran 9.02 mi. in 1:07:36 (7:29/mi pace). Great way to celebrate the day, and how far I've come!

And hopefully, you can get out and run! Even if it's only a mile, you'll still be a mile further than everyone who's still sitting on the couch. 

Why do you run? What made you decide to try running in the first place?