Chicago Marathon 2009 - stumble to success!

This past weekend was the culmination of about 1,000 miles of training runs - it was the 32nd Chicago marathon. It was the second time I've run this race, and my fourth marathon overall (Chicago 2006, New York 2007, Illinois 2009, Chicago 2009).

Up at 4:29 am and out of the house at 5:15; into the city Brad (a neighbor also running) and I drove. As we pulled into the parking garage a few blocks from the start, the DJ on the radio said 'currently in Chicago, it's 30 degrees, but feels like 26'. I knew it would be cold - but in the 20's...I had serious second thoughts about shorts and a short sleeve shirt. We parked and I looked for my bag in the back seat - but it wasn't there....it was sitting in my kitchen floor! It had a lot of critical items in it - my hat, sunglasses, body glide (to help prevent chafing), 5 hour energy, and most importantly my knee brace. I thought 'What a stumble to start my day - it has to improve from here.'

Up until 13 days before the marathon, I had been injury free for the first marathon season ever - everything was going completely to plan. Then, I hurt my knee....I wasn't doing anything other than walking through my house, but a pain shot through my knee - uh oh! I rested my knee for 5 days, then resumed the last week of training - with a knee brace I was fine, without it, I had some mild pain. Luckily, I was able to find a medical tent near the start line and taped my knee. I also called Deb and asked that she bring the bag with her so I could get at least my hat when I saw her on the course.

So, off to the start line I went. I entered the mob of people to get into my assigned start corral. At the marathon, there are four start corrals (behind the elite and top 100 runners)....to get into a corral, you have to send in a qualifying time - I was assigned to corral C. Once into the start coral, I looked for my spot - at the very back of the corral was a sign that said '3:45' signifying if you planned to run the marathon in 3 hours 45 minutes, you should line up there....I thought - I guess I'm running faster than 3:45 today. Going into the marathon, my goal was 3:45, but I thought that was a bit of a stretch. The corral was great though - there was plenty of room to move around, finish stretching, and shiver to keep from freezing! Still questioning my clothing choice a bit, I was ready to get moving and warm up!

About 15 minutes later the race started, and 3 minutes after that I was across the start line and running. I was feeling great, I was running great miles and someplace around mile 7 or so, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to see Sterling, one of Deb's c0-workers who is a very good runner. We chatted for a few minutes, and agreed to pace off each other. We burned through to the 1/2 marathon point chatting now and then, and hitting the half marathon point way ahead of my goal pace. About that time, my right knee started hurting. It felt like a had a bruise on the top of my knee cap. The strange thing is my left knee was the one that had given me issues for the prior 2 weeks. I ran through it and tried to ignore it.

Just before mile 15, I saw Deb, Sarah, my In-laws, and Kim (Deb's friend) cheering me on. I took a hard right and stopped to grab my stuff. I saw a large yellow sign that said 'Go Dada' in block letters - it was by far the best sign I saw I saw all day! I grabbed my hat and 5 hour energy drink, and a pass to Deb's corporate tent. I was probably stopped for less than 30 seconds, but it felt like an eternity! I was back on the course and running. As soon as I put the hat on my head, I felt 10,000% better - I'm not exactly sure why, maybe it just felt like home having my normal running gear on. I picked up the pace for the next 1/2 mile and finally caught back up with Sterling. We continued running together until about mile 23 when my right knee started hurting a little more, so I slowed down a bit.

At that point I started thinking about the many people that have lived through a lot tougher things than running a few miles with a sore knee. Specific people who have touched my life went through my head - two in particular kept popping into my head:

One was Deb's late grandmother (Boggie), who despite being in a nursing home for 9+ years, was always thankful for everything she had, never wanted to inconvenience anyone, and always so grateful for our visits.

The other was my Mom's cousin Terry who has been in a wheel chair ever since I've known him, and has lived 30+ years beyond what the doctors said he would. Despite all of this, he always has a joke and a smile for everyone who he sees.

With that in mind, I dedicated the last few miles to them and pushed through to the finish line! When I hit mile 24, I knew I had a chance at 3:40, but I'd have to pick it up...so I did. I basically sprinted the last 1/2 mile of the race, and finished in 3:39:59! That's almost 16 minutes better than my previous personal best (3:55:51).

It was by far the best race of my life! I like to think I will improve in a future marathon, but if I don't, I'll always be able to say I was in the 3:30's for a marathon - which even impresses me!

Below are my splits for my fellow running geeks (per Garmin - which measured the race at 26.46 miles - it got off by .2 miles before mile 5):
Mile 1: 8:16
Mile 2: 8:21
Mile 3: 8:08
Mile 4: 7:48
Mile 5: 8:02
Mile 6: 8:12
Mile 7: 8:11
Mile 8: 8:16
Mile 9: 8:19
Mile 10: 8:19
Mile 11: 8:16
Mile 12: 8:08
Mile 13: 8:25
Mile 14: 8:18
Mile 15: 8:08
Mile 16: 8:32
Mile 17: 7:46
Mile 18: 8:19
Mile 19: 8:18
Mile 20: 8:22
Mile 21: 8:32
Mile 22: 8:30
Mile 23: 8:46
Mile 24: 9:03
Mile 25: 8:52
Mile 26: 8:23
Mile 26.46: 3:19 (7:12 per mile pace - this was the 26.2 plus the extra .26 Garmin measured it)

Get out there and run.....

My latest 20 miler

In training for the Chicago Marathon, I have three 20 mile runs scheduled (yes, I may be certifiably insane :-) The first one was 3 weeks ago, and it rained for the first 13 miles, which sort of set the scene for what turned out to be a terrible time. But, I finished and wasn't too sore the next day, so I couldn't complain.

I ran the second 20 miler yesterday. I typically do an out and back route, but this time I had two friends running with me and we ran from my house in Libertyville to the Wisconsin border (via the Des Plains River Trail). Temperature wise, it was a PERFECT day for running - low 50's. However, there was a 10-15 mph headwind the entire way. About mile 10, I was wishing for that out and back route - a tail wind would have been nice - but we pushed on.

I ended up finishing in just over 2:52 (we took a couple very short walk breaks that I did not count toward my time nor mileage)...Here are a few things I learned (and/or confirmed) on this run:

- Running with others really does make it easier - I probably would have stopped and rested a couple times and/or turned around to get that tail wind if I hadn't had others with me. But the others kept me going toward the goal of running to Wisconsin!
- Head winds suck - a couple times we went up hills with the wind blowing directly in our faces - that's not a good feeling! But in hind-sight, it was great training!
- The 2nd run at any distance is WAY easier than the first - If you're training for a marathon (or a half marathon), and you struggle through a long run, keep pushing forward, the second time at the same mileage is WAY easier!
- Water and Gatorade are essential for long runs - I use a belt with six small bottles, while the others used a Camel back and a backpack with a larger water bottle in it. I was by far the happiest as I was able to mix up the liquids.
- My wife is AWESOME! Come on - she drove 20 miles one way to pick up three stinky guys, then was stuck in a car for 30 minutes with us

6 weeks until the Chicago Marathon - no clue what pace I should shoot for...we'll see how my next 20 miler goes.

Get out there and run!
-

Passed (by a 10 year old)...

Last week, we got the Libertyville Gazette* in the mail...I typically don't pay a lot of attention to it, but this week was different. Right on the cover of it was a full page advertisement for a 5k, complete with a picture of an unbelievable 10 year old running last year's race....this flooded me with memories of last year's race.....

It was almost a year ago that I ran in the Twilight Shuffle (in Libertyville, IL). It was a somewhat unique race because it started at 6pm, but I was looking forward to running a race that was so close to my house. Despite a hilly course and a warm afternoon, I was running very well, passing a lot of people, and on pace to set a new PR (Personal Record). Just after the 2 mile point, a kid blew past me like I was standing still....I'm not talking about a high-school kid, it was a kid who looked like he was 7 to me. I thought - that kid must have just jumped in to catch up with someone....but I watched him continue to run and fade into the distance in front of me. Who was he, did he really run the entire race, how is he really (please say he's just a small 18 year old)....so many questions.

I ended up setting a PR with a sub 7:00 per mile average, and was very pleased with that. However, the questions of the kid still lingered. The next day, I anxiously awaited the 'official' results. There it was, I had officially set a new PR, however, several runners above me was that kid - a 10 year old from Libertyville. How could that be? A 10 year old shouldn't be able to kick my butt....

A year later the 'pain' of having my butt kicked by a 10 year old has faded, and I have signed up for the race once again. The difference is that this year I'm mentally prepared for the kid to pass me at some point - not that I'll like it, but I certainly won't try to keep up with him....

Get out there and run!



*The Libertyville Gazette is a small 'magazine' put on by Main Street Libertyville, an organization of Libertyville businesses

Conquering the 'hill'

A couple weeks ago, I ran the North Shore Half Marathon in Highland Park, IL. I ran this race last year and I was not even close to prepared for the race. I had signed up 2 weeks before race day having run no further than 8 miles prior to the race. I didn't expect to do great, but never thought I'd have to walk up a couple large hills and post my worst 1/2 marathon time ever......


So, when I signed up this year, I made it my personal goal to conquer the infamous 'Park Avenue Beach Hill' (or famous as the organizers call it).....



It was a beautiful day for a race, and I planned to start off around an 8:00-8:15 per mile pace and see how I was feeling after the infamous hill (which was around mile 8). The race started and everything felt great - I was running with Ian again (see my last post for the blistering pace he made me run in my last race), and I thought we were going a little fast. When I looked down close to the 1 mile mark and saw that we were going to finish the first mile in under 7:30, I told Ian to go ahead as I couldn't hold that pace through this course for 12.1 more miles. I still did the first two miles in under 7:30 each, but then settled in closer to my 8:00 pace.

Mile 6 started the long rolling hills - I didn't remember these from last year, but I've always liked running hills - I know, that's a bit demented - but I just have. At mile 8, I started looking for the hill - then we hit a hill that was much smaller than I remembered - this couldn't be the hill I remembered - this was nothing. I passed the mile 9 marker and was very confused on where this monstrous hill at mile 8 was that I remembered so well. Then I rounded a corner and there it was. It was just as long and steep as I remembered. When you can look straight ahead and see the feet of the person in front of you, you know you're running a real hill. I pushed my pace as I ran up the hill and passed several people. It was actually sort of funny to watch everyone push their pace, but actually slow down - sort of looked like we were all moving in slow motion. a couple minutes later, I made it to the top - a little winded, but I had conquered the hill! Goal accomplished! Time to call it a day - then I realized that I still had almost 4 miles to run - ugh!

My pace slowed considerably through those hilly miles, but I was still averaging about 8:10 per mile - not bad. I really just wanted to finish under 1:50 to qualify for a start corral at the Chicago Marathon. At mile 11, I looked down and thought - I could do under 1:45 if I really push these last 3 miles - so I started pushing. I did the last 3 miles in under 8:00 each, and the last mile in under 7:30. I finished the race in 1:44:27 a new personal record! I never expected to do that - especially on this hilly course. Just goes to show you how far determination to accomplish a goal can go!

Now the 'real' training for the Chicago Marathon is starting - I have no idea what my goal should be for that - so far this year I've exceeded every goal I've set - but I know the last few miles of a marathon are a different beast - we'll see how my training goes over the summer before I start to think about time/pace goals...for now I just want to make it through training injury free.

Get out there and run.....

Soldier Field 10 Mile

It started of as many other race mornings - wake up at 4:45am, get in the car, meet up with a friend for a drive to Chicago. That's about where the 'average' part of the race ends.....


Last weekend I ran in the Soldier Field 10 mile race. I've done this race before, and it's one of my favorites - not so long that I have to do a ton of training, and the finish line is inside Soldier Field at the 50 yard line - very cool to run out of the tunnel on to the field (sort of like living out a childhood dream to be a pro athlete).


Ian, a running buddy (and c0-worker), was running, and he's typically a faster runner than me in distance races (I could take him in a sprint - just ask me :-) However, he had been sick for the previous 2 weeks and said he was going to just jog the race, so I said I'd stick with him. I thought I'd start at about an 8 minute and 15 second mile and see how I felt at the 1/2 way point. However, apparently Ian's body really doesn't have a 'easy jog' setting...so mile 1 was under 8 minutes. Same with mile 2, 3, 4, 5, etc... At mile 7 we were averaging about 7:50 per mile and I asked Ian - can you really keep this pace up? To which he responded 'I was just going to suggest we speed up a little - do you need us to slow down?' At that moment, pride took over and I sucked in enough oxygen to blurt out 'No, I'm fine - only 3 miles left right'.


As we neared the finish, our competitive nature took over. We did the last mile in 7 minutes and 16 seconds. The last 50 yards was an all out sprint - I was about 3 steps behind him when the sprint started. I was just about to catch him 5 yards from the finish when I was cut-off by a couple guys - ugh - I lost by a second.


However, I have to remind myself that in distance running, you should never race against another runner (unless of course you're an elite athlete and running can pay your bills). You are really challenging yourself to complete a distance. It's you against yourself - pushing your limits and setting new boundaries for your body. It has taken me a long time to realize this, and obviously I still forget it in the last mile of many races, but in the end, it's finishing that matters, not who finished ahead of or behind you.


We finished the 10 mile course in 1 hour and 17 minutes and change. That's an average of 7:46 per mile - almost 30 seconds faster than I was planning to run. Without Ian, I wouldn't have even come close to that because I didn't think I was capable of it - I guess pride and adrenalin can drive you do to things you thought never possible :-)


Get out there and run.....

Illinois Marathon Sights and Sounds

Yesterday, I finished the Illinois Marathon in 3:58:55.  I met my primary goal - don't walk, and my 'stretch' goal - under 4 hours.  So overall, I'm very happy with my performance, especially with the many training runs I missed due to the terrible winter weather.

I thought I'd share some of what I saw and heard along the 26.2 miles I ran through Champaign/Urbana this weekend:

Best sign - Barack Obama with a word bubble 'If you bonk, I'll give you a bailout'  For those wondering, Bonk is slang for 'to hit, stroke, collide, etc' (dictionary.com)...referring to the infamous 'wall' at mile 20 - which is where many runners slow, walk, or fall apart mentally

Best overheard conversation - at mile 15 

       - Girl 1: 'I might pour some water on my head

       - Girl 2: 'Really - why?'

       - Girl 1: 'I'm surprised I'm sweating and hot'

       - Girl 2: 'Really?'

       - I wanted to say - you do realize you just ran 15 miles - right?

Favorite words from the crowd - two college guys giving high fives - one looked at the other and said 'I feel so appreciated'

Guy I'd like to have a 'discussion' with now - at mile 18 someone said 'you guys got this - it's all down hill from here'.  Not that there were really any huge hills, but about 75% of the hills were after that point.

Biggest Disappointment - at mile 14 I passed a guy who was walking - he looked so disappointed in himself - I felt bad for him because I felt the same way in the NY marathon.

Biggest Surprise - The medal and shirt are nicer than either Chicago or New York.

One thing I can say now - I have seen parts of Champaign that Deb has not.

One thing I can say forever - I participated in the first annual Illinois Marathon

Favorite Moment - about mile 19, there was a LONG line of traffic waiting for the runners to pass.  about 15 cars back, there was a boy (about 7 or 8) sitting in the window of a mini van looking VERY bored.  I ran over to the car and held my hand out - the kid got this big smile as I approached and gave me an enthusiastic high five then started yelling 'Come on - you can do it, great job guys, etc.....'  I feel like I made his day (or hours of waiting), and he may have helped motivate another runner around me.

Non-Runner I felt bad for - There was a cable truck sitting in one of the long lines of traffic waiting to cross the route - I didn't feel bad for the driver - he's probably paid by the hour.  However, I did feel bad for the person sitting at their house waiting for the cable guy to get there in that narrow (4 hour) window the cable companies like to give!

Favorite Stat - 3,272 Calories burned - let's eat! (per my Garmin)

Geeky Stats (all from my Garmin - which measured it at 26.29 - which is likely due to weaving through the crowd and/or taking the outside of several corners to avoid getting 'slowed' down):

Official Time - 3:58:55 (Garmin was 3:58:56 - 9:05 per mile)

Overall place: 713 out of 1799

Division Place: 70 out of 147

Male Place: 560 out of 1182

Mile Splits:

Mile 01: 9:03

Mile 02: 8:47

Mile 03: 8:45

Mile 04: 8:46

Mile 05: 8:56

Mile 06: 8:57

Mile 07: 9:01

Mile 08: 8:54

Mile 09: 8:51

Mile 10: 8:49

Mile 11: 8:57

Mile 12: 9:08

Mile 13: 8:55

Mile 14: 8:46

Mile 15: 9:02

Mile 16: 9:01

Mile 17: 8:56

Mile 18: 9:09

Mile 19: 9:08

Mile 20: 9:30

Mile 21: 9:08

Mile 22: 9:08

Mile 23: 8:53

Mile 24: 9:38

Mile 25: 9:45

Mile 26: 10:13 (yes - seriously)

Mile 26.29: 2:48

Get out there and run.....

Twenty Tough Miles

Yesterday (Sunday), I ran 20 miles.  It was probably the toughest training run I've ever done.  This made no sense to me since I've done 20+ miles several times, and did 18 without much problem the weekend before.  At mile 14, I was much more tired than I was at mile 18 the weekend before.  I generally do an out and back route - run 10 miles north on the trail, turn around and run home.  This was really beneficial to me this weekend because I may have just given up at mile 15 if I wasn't 5 miles form home...only one way to go the last 5 miles and that was to continue running.

At mile 16, I did something I very rarely do while running - I stopped and stretched for about 5 minutes - not because I had a cramp, but because I was tired, mentally drained, and needed a few minutes to rest and regroup mentally.

So, as I struggled through the final miles I started thinking (and over analyzing as I tend to do) - what did I do differently this week than in the past.  I actually made most of my mid-week training runs, that was different than many weeks this year, but that couldn't be it.  I was wearing newer shoes, but that generally helps my long runs go smoother.  Then I realized that this year I didn't eat like a runner the week before the run.  One of the main reasons I run is so I can eat food that I like.  However, eating unhealthy the 3 nights leading up to a 20 mile run - not a good idea!  High carb/low fat is the only way to go when a long run is on the weekend agenda.  So I've re-learned a lesson I learned the hard way when training for my first marathon - don't try to run if you haven't given your body the fuel it needs to do so.  It's sort of like pouring oil into your gas tank and trying to start your car - yes, oil is one component of gasoline, but they are clearly different products (sort of like pasta with red sauce is totally different than deep dish pizza with red sauce on top:-)

Get out there and run.....

Something I thought I'd never do.....

Last weekend, I did something I thought I would never do....

Rain was forecast all weekend, but I needed to get in a 16 mile run in preparation for the IllinoisMarathon (April 11 at Univ of Illinois).  I despise dreadmils (um I mean treadmils), and get really bored on an indoor track about 40 laps in (10 laps to a mile), so I was determined to somehow get it in through the rain.  Saturday morning, I woke up at about6:30am (actually Sarah woke us up),and it had rained overnight - but the rain had subsided (for the moment anyway).  By 7am, I decided to head out for a run and see if I could squeeze it in without too much rain (or pain).  It was about 35 degrees outside so I put on shorts, a short sleeve shirt, a long sleeve shirt, and my light weight gloves. I Laced up my running shoes, put on my geeky water belt and headed out.  On a side note, one benefit to winter running is that the long sleeve shirts easily pull over my water belt, so I don't look like a dork - just an idiot because I'm often running in sub zero weather.

I knew this wasn't going to be a normal run when a woman in her mid 40's ran past me as I was walking to my typical starting point and yelled out at me (in a British accent) - 'You're cheating'...when I asked 'why' she said 'you just walked up that hill'.  I couldn't deny it - she was right - but then again I could have said - want to run 16 with me today - I'm guessing she would have refused.  But, she was a good runner - I followed her for about a mile and did that mile in 8:15 before she headed one way and I turned toward the Des Plains River trail.  

About 4 miles into the run, I reached a forest preserve and realized I was having my best run of the year - everything was feeling perfect and I was running at a great pace for this early in the season (8:30 pace).  About then it started to sprinkle very lightly - this isn't so bad I thought.  I kept heading north - about 1 mile from the nearest cover (in the forest preserve) it started pouring rain - one of the hardest rains I've ever been in.  It didn't help that the rain was extremely cold, the temperature had dropped a few degrees, and wind had kicked up to what felt like 100 mph (but was probably around 20 mph).  I headed back to the forest preserve but had an idea - how about I take this new path over to the road and go straight to the preserve rather than winding the mile back down the trail.  What I didn't think about was how far from the road I actually was - or how much the trail winded over to the road.  After spending way too long on that 'short' trail, I headed back toward the forest preserve on the road.  I was soaking wet, cold, and cars were whizzing by me giving me looks like 'what an idiot - doesn't he know it's pouring?'  It turned out to be almost almost 2 miles back to the forest preserve taking that 'short cut'.  

I finally made it to a bathroom and ducked inside.  When I looked down, my legs were literally purple - ouch I thought (although the cold had made just about my entire body numb, so I really couldn't feel anything).  I said aloud "I'll give it a few minutes, it has to lighten up" (Sometimes talking to myself helps motivate me to keep going).  Ten minutes later and no end in sight, I did something I swore I would never do....

I threw in the towel!  I called my wife for a ride home - 4 hours later when it was still pouring outside, I knew I made the right decision - although I was mad at myself for giving up.  I think if I had on pants, I would have kept going - as I wouldn't have seen my purple legs.  

Mother Nature won that day, but I'll be back to fight another day.

Get out there and run....

Welcome to my blog.....

Welcome to my running blog.  The intention of this blog is three fold:

1. Share some of the quirky, weird, funny, and amazing stories of my training runs and races.
   
2. Share some of what I've learned about running (and myself).
3. Motivate others (that means you) to run more or start running.

I've quickly realized that the stories I have to tell from past runs/races are almost endless - I just hope they are as entertaining to you as they have been for me (or are in hindsight for me :-)   In the coming blogs, you'll hear some of these stories as well as stories that happen to me along the way.  I'll also try to throw in some pieces of advice as I see fit along the way (not that I'm an expert, but I am a little anal about learning about running, running right, and sticking to what I've started, so I have learned a great deal about running that may be useful to some readers.  

By the time you read this, I'll likely already have my first story posted 'Something I thought I'd never do' (from last weekend).  In future weeks/months, I'll blog about what is happening to me during my training for the Illinois marathon (in April) as well as training for the 2009 Chicago Marathon.  Some of the stories from my past will include; Getting lost in London, Coming face to face with a huge buck, Coming in first place in my age group in a local race, Watching a 7 year old pass me in a 5k, The joy of finishing my first marathon, the agony of running injured in my second marathon, and much more. 

So - go ahead and become a follower of my blog (at the right) - I know you can't wait to hear all the stories I have to tell :-)

Get out there and run....