The last few days before the SF Marathon, I definitely didn't feel ready to run 26.2 miles. I didn't feel particularly strong, or fast or rested. I also still had little nagging aches and pains from training. I've read it's common to feel like your fitness is slipping away during the taper period. I didn't let this bother me and focused on my plan for race day. I wasn't particularly worried about the event, since I knew I trained well for it. I slept well at night until the final night before the event. My supervisor at work agreed to let me come in an hour later the week of the event which added an extra hour of rest for the 5 previous workdays. Thanks again Quintana! The night before the event, I only slept a few hours. Nervous energy kept me up late, and then I wide awake again at 3:00. I had set my alarm for 3:30, so I went ahead and got up. I had coffee and a light breakfast. I also continued to consume fluids to assure I was completely hydrated for the start.
We arrived at the starting area shortly after 5:00. Tina was a trooper and woke up at the crack of dawn to delivery me to the starting line. Thank you Tina! I immediately queued up in the very long lines for the portapoties. 20 minutes later it was my turn. Unfortunately, getting up at the crack of dawn, threw off my bodies timing, so no go. I next stood in line to drop off my sweats. 10 minutes before the start of my wave, I was ready to race... except that now the coffee had worked it's magic and I had to go now. I reluctantly got back in the 20-minute line for the portapoties. As a result I missed my wave's start (the SF Marathon starts in waves). I had planned to run with one of my training partners, Jim "The Energizer Bunny". That plan was scraped as I heard my wave start. Once I had the opportunity to take care of business, I trotted over to the starting line. I just made the tail end of the next wave start. And so then begins my 1st Marathon!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
A minute or two after finishing...
Thanks to Kim for snapping a quick photo soon after my finish. In case it's not obvious, I wasn't quite a happy camper yet!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Success!
Well, yesterday I competed in my first Marathon. I completed the challenging San Francisco Marathon with an official time of 4:01:19.
I also may have run my first Marathon, on the challenging San Francisco Marathon course, in a time of 3:58:09!
More on the discrepancy between these two times, and lots more about my exciting day, in a later post...
I also may have run my first Marathon, on the challenging San Francisco Marathon course, in a time of 3:58:09!
More on the discrepancy between these two times, and lots more about my exciting day, in a later post...
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
5 days to go / 600 miles of training / "taper madness"!
Well, 5 days to go! I had a short 5 mile run yesterday and felt pretty good. I think I'm ready!
With yesterday's run I've now logged over 600 miles of running since February 12th, 2008. That's enough mileage to wear out two pairs of running shoes. That's all the way to Los Angeles... and half way back again...;)
I've been experiencing a bit of "taper madness". I've been alternating between excitement and complete dread of this weekend's event. At times I feel like I'm going to have a great run; at other times I'm worried that I'm going to totally choke and have a miserable last 6 miles... I had one day last week where I was depressed and in a foul mood all day. After my run that evening, everything was totally fine again. From what I've read, this is all very typical. Here is one of the more amusing descriptions of "taper madness" that I've read:
http://www.runrichmond.com/id33.html
I feel totally confident in my ability to get my self to the 20-mile mark at an average pace between 8:40-8:59 per mile. It's that last 6.2 miles that are the great unknown. But then that's what running a Marathon is all about. Essentially these hundreds of miles of running and months of training are all just to experience that last 6.2 miles. The two big challenges are to have the endurance to keep running at my goal pace for beyond the 3-hour mark and to continue running once my muscles are depleted of fuel.
For my weight, I'll burn thru over 3600 calories during this event. Our muscles and liver have the capacity to store much less than that in the form of easy to use Glycogen. Most of the rest with have to be converted from fat stores. The point in a Marathon when your muscles are depleted of Glycogen is where runners hit the the infamous "wall". Continuing to run after this point is significantly harder as your body chemistry conspires with your mind and body to get you to stop. I'll consume 300-400 calories during the race in the form of Gu energy gel, which should help ease that transition somewhat. During my long training runs, I purposely consumed less calories than I will in the Marathon. My goal was to force my body to convert fat stores into fuel. It made for some tough running in the last few miles of my long training run, but hopefully it will pay off this weekend!
With yesterday's run I've now logged over 600 miles of running since February 12th, 2008. That's enough mileage to wear out two pairs of running shoes. That's all the way to Los Angeles... and half way back again...;)
I've been experiencing a bit of "taper madness". I've been alternating between excitement and complete dread of this weekend's event. At times I feel like I'm going to have a great run; at other times I'm worried that I'm going to totally choke and have a miserable last 6 miles... I had one day last week where I was depressed and in a foul mood all day. After my run that evening, everything was totally fine again. From what I've read, this is all very typical. Here is one of the more amusing descriptions of "taper madness" that I've read:
http://www.runrichmond.com/id33.html
I feel totally confident in my ability to get my self to the 20-mile mark at an average pace between 8:40-8:59 per mile. It's that last 6.2 miles that are the great unknown. But then that's what running a Marathon is all about. Essentially these hundreds of miles of running and months of training are all just to experience that last 6.2 miles. The two big challenges are to have the endurance to keep running at my goal pace for beyond the 3-hour mark and to continue running once my muscles are depleted of fuel.
For my weight, I'll burn thru over 3600 calories during this event. Our muscles and liver have the capacity to store much less than that in the form of easy to use Glycogen. Most of the rest with have to be converted from fat stores. The point in a Marathon when your muscles are depleted of Glycogen is where runners hit the the infamous "wall". Continuing to run after this point is significantly harder as your body chemistry conspires with your mind and body to get you to stop. I'll consume 300-400 calories during the race in the form of Gu energy gel, which should help ease that transition somewhat. During my long training runs, I purposely consumed less calories than I will in the Marathon. My goal was to force my body to convert fat stores into fuel. It made for some tough running in the last few miles of my long training run, but hopefully it will pay off this weekend!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
21-mile run: final long run and now the "taper"
Saturday I put in my longest run this year, 21 miles along Alameda Creek in Fremont. This was a very flat run and mostly on dirt trails. It was overcast most of the morning and cool, perfect for our longest training run.
I was a little apprehensive going into this run since I was feeling pretty beat up from the previous week's workouts. As it turned out it was fine. I ran with Jim and Nina from the LMJ&S most of the way. Jim and I ran the first 19-20 miles at a pace between 9:18 and 9:36 minutes per mile. Nina kept up with us for the first 12 miles and then settled into a slightly slower (and more appropriate for her) pace. Nina's a trooper - she's going to do great - she just jumps right into to these challenging runs without hesitation. Great job Nina!
Myself, I hit the wall at right around 20 miles and slowed down significantly for the last mile - maybe 10:30 pace or so. Jim still seemed to be in good shape and continued on at a good clip. Jim has been training longer than I and putting lots more mileage. I often hit a wall at the very end of our longest runs while he just powers on, hence my nickname for him, "The Energizer Bunny". He's going to do great in the Marathon. I'm confident about the first 20 miles, my hope is that I'm able to keep up with Jim in the final 6 miles...
I purposely ate less on this run than I will in the Marathon, forcing my body to convert fat stores for fuel for that last mile or so. It makes for tough running, but I'm hoping a will benefit in the Marathon.
If you haven't run distances of 16 to 20 miles or more, there is a physiological difference from running shorter distances. It's always a challenge to run longer than you have previously, but with distances of 16-20 or more, your muscles run out of Glycogen and your body then has to depend on converting fat stores for fuel. This is much less efficient and so most people experience a dramatic amount of fatigue. That's what occurring when Marathon runners hit the notorious "wall". My intention was to force my body to burn fat stores for fuel instead of allowing it to consume carbohydrates from an energy gel. One of the goals in Marathon training is to get your body more efficient at converting fat stores. I probably consumed about 70 calories from part of a Clif bar on this run, during the Marathon I expect to consume more like 400 calories from energy gels in the final 2/3 of the event. Hopefully, I'll experience fatigue late in the main event, but not hit a dramatic wall with miles to go. You can read more about "the wall" on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_(sport)#Glycogen_and_.22the_wall.22
I had a few concerning aches show up late in this run. The shoes I ran in are about worn out and probably weren't the right shoes anyway. I picked up a new pair of running shoes that I'll train in for the next few weeks, and race in if there are no problems. My legs are typically hurting towards the end of these long runs. Hopefully I won't run into any serious problems in the later stages of the Marathon.
All and all I'm pleased with how my training has gone. I'm definitly stronger than a month or two ago and relatively injury-free. I'm happy with how this run went, particularly since I didn't feel rested and fully recovered at the start. I now have 3 weeks of the "taper" period and then the race on August 3rd. The taper is the period before the Marathon where one reduces their mileage and rests up for the race. 3 weeks seems like a long time, but pretty standard. Ok, that's it for now...
More to come!
I was a little apprehensive going into this run since I was feeling pretty beat up from the previous week's workouts. As it turned out it was fine. I ran with Jim and Nina from the LMJ&S most of the way. Jim and I ran the first 19-20 miles at a pace between 9:18 and 9:36 minutes per mile. Nina kept up with us for the first 12 miles and then settled into a slightly slower (and more appropriate for her) pace. Nina's a trooper - she's going to do great - she just jumps right into to these challenging runs without hesitation. Great job Nina!
Myself, I hit the wall at right around 20 miles and slowed down significantly for the last mile - maybe 10:30 pace or so. Jim still seemed to be in good shape and continued on at a good clip. Jim has been training longer than I and putting lots more mileage. I often hit a wall at the very end of our longest runs while he just powers on, hence my nickname for him, "The Energizer Bunny". He's going to do great in the Marathon. I'm confident about the first 20 miles, my hope is that I'm able to keep up with Jim in the final 6 miles...
I purposely ate less on this run than I will in the Marathon, forcing my body to convert fat stores for fuel for that last mile or so. It makes for tough running, but I'm hoping a will benefit in the Marathon.
If you haven't run distances of 16 to 20 miles or more, there is a physiological difference from running shorter distances. It's always a challenge to run longer than you have previously, but with distances of 16-20 or more, your muscles run out of Glycogen and your body then has to depend on converting fat stores for fuel. This is much less efficient and so most people experience a dramatic amount of fatigue. That's what occurring when Marathon runners hit the notorious "wall". My intention was to force my body to burn fat stores for fuel instead of allowing it to consume carbohydrates from an energy gel. One of the goals in Marathon training is to get your body more efficient at converting fat stores. I probably consumed about 70 calories from part of a Clif bar on this run, during the Marathon I expect to consume more like 400 calories from energy gels in the final 2/3 of the event. Hopefully, I'll experience fatigue late in the main event, but not hit a dramatic wall with miles to go. You can read more about "the wall" on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_(sport)#Glycogen_and_.22the_wall.22
I had a few concerning aches show up late in this run. The shoes I ran in are about worn out and probably weren't the right shoes anyway. I picked up a new pair of running shoes that I'll train in for the next few weeks, and race in if there are no problems. My legs are typically hurting towards the end of these long runs. Hopefully I won't run into any serious problems in the later stages of the Marathon.
All and all I'm pleased with how my training has gone. I'm definitly stronger than a month or two ago and relatively injury-free. I'm happy with how this run went, particularly since I didn't feel rested and fully recovered at the start. I now have 3 weeks of the "taper" period and then the race on August 3rd. The taper is the period before the Marathon where one reduces their mileage and rests up for the race. 3 weeks seems like a long time, but pretty standard. Ok, that's it for now...
More to come!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
20-Mile run
Saturday morning I knocked out my longest run thus far this year: 20.3 miles. That's about 3 hours and 20 minutes of non-stop running...
I met early Saturday morning with a few people from my training group. Jim, the "Energizer Bunny", was out of town. I ran with Kenny from our club whom I hadn't met before, and Nina who is new to the club. Kenny has run Marathons in 43 of the 50 states, and is working on completing Marathons in all 50 states! I believe he normally trains at a faster pace than we ran Saturday, but he was nice enough to run with Nina and I for the entire distance. Thanks for the company Kenny!
Nina was amazing. This will be her first Marathon. Two weeks ago her longest run was 12 miles. Last week I believe she ran 16 miles and then 19 miles on Saturday. Big jumps in mileage like that are tough. She not only put in a solid 19-mile run, but at approximately 10-minute/mile pace, which is faster than her normal training pace - great job Nina!
My 20-mile run was at right around 10-minute mile pace - perfect for a long training run. Even though I had put in a fairly quick 8-mile run 2 days earlier, this run felt comfortable. 2 days later, I put in another 9-mile run and other than feeling a little beat-up from all the mileage, that run felt fine as well. I think I should be ready on race-day. Other than a few minor aches and pains, I seem to be free from injury. Next Saturday will be my longest training run of 22 miles, and then 3 weeks of "tapering off" in preparation for the marathon on August 3rd. Stay tuned!
I met early Saturday morning with a few people from my training group. Jim, the "Energizer Bunny", was out of town. I ran with Kenny from our club whom I hadn't met before, and Nina who is new to the club. Kenny has run Marathons in 43 of the 50 states, and is working on completing Marathons in all 50 states! I believe he normally trains at a faster pace than we ran Saturday, but he was nice enough to run with Nina and I for the entire distance. Thanks for the company Kenny!
Nina was amazing. This will be her first Marathon. Two weeks ago her longest run was 12 miles. Last week I believe she ran 16 miles and then 19 miles on Saturday. Big jumps in mileage like that are tough. She not only put in a solid 19-mile run, but at approximately 10-minute/mile pace, which is faster than her normal training pace - great job Nina!
My 20-mile run was at right around 10-minute mile pace - perfect for a long training run. Even though I had put in a fairly quick 8-mile run 2 days earlier, this run felt comfortable. 2 days later, I put in another 9-mile run and other than feeling a little beat-up from all the mileage, that run felt fine as well. I think I should be ready on race-day. Other than a few minor aches and pains, I seem to be free from injury. Next Saturday will be my longest training run of 22 miles, and then 3 weeks of "tapering off" in preparation for the marathon on August 3rd. Stay tuned!
Friday, July 4, 2008
17-mile run... at sub-Marathon pace!
On June 28th I put in a 17-mile run in and around San Francisco. My Marathon training group met at The Sports Basement in San Francisco, which happens to be on the route of the S.F. Marathon next month. Jim, the "Energizer Bunny", and I met up early with another Marathon runner, Francisco, since the three of us were putting in a longer run than the rest of our traing group (most of my training group are training to run the Half Marathon).
Francisco is a younger, faster and an experienced Marathon runner. Jim and and ran with him for a few miles, but then he took off. Francisco was going for a long easy run of ~22 miles at a "leisurely" 8-minute mile pace - a lot faster than Jim and I. Jim and I are hoping to run the Marathon at right around 9-minute/mile pace, so we should be training at a pace even slower than that... Francisco: thanks for running a few slow miles with us old, slow guys!
Jim and I ran about 4 miles from Crissy Fields towards the starting line of the upcoming Marathon and then turned around to head back to Crissy Fields. Once back at The Sports Basement, we met up with the main group to join them for the rest of our run.
A large group of us ran up to and then across the Golden Gate Bridge. Jim and I kept up with a pair of faster runners whom I hadn't met before. We followed them down to Fort baker, under the bridge and then back to Crissey Fields. For extra measure, Jim added a quick detour around the lagoon before returning to our starting point. Even though I was totally beat, I felt compelled to follow him.
Once I returned home, I mapped out our run and checked my running time. I was surprised to discover that Jim and I had completed a solid 17-mile run at just under 9-minutes per mile. This is faster than our goal pace for the Marathon and faster than recommended for a long training run. On the other hand, it's empowering to have knocked out approximately 2/3 of the Marathon distance at faster than our target pace!
Francisco is a younger, faster and an experienced Marathon runner. Jim and and ran with him for a few miles, but then he took off. Francisco was going for a long easy run of ~22 miles at a "leisurely" 8-minute mile pace - a lot faster than Jim and I. Jim and I are hoping to run the Marathon at right around 9-minute/mile pace, so we should be training at a pace even slower than that... Francisco: thanks for running a few slow miles with us old, slow guys!
Jim and I ran about 4 miles from Crissy Fields towards the starting line of the upcoming Marathon and then turned around to head back to Crissy Fields. Once back at The Sports Basement, we met up with the main group to join them for the rest of our run.
A large group of us ran up to and then across the Golden Gate Bridge. Jim and I kept up with a pair of faster runners whom I hadn't met before. We followed them down to Fort baker, under the bridge and then back to Crissey Fields. For extra measure, Jim added a quick detour around the lagoon before returning to our starting point. Even though I was totally beat, I felt compelled to follow him.
Once I returned home, I mapped out our run and checked my running time. I was surprised to discover that Jim and I had completed a solid 17-mile run at just under 9-minutes per mile. This is faster than our goal pace for the Marathon and faster than recommended for a long training run. On the other hand, it's empowering to have knocked out approximately 2/3 of the Marathon distance at faster than our target pace!
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