Marine Corps Marathon 2011 Recap
As you may recall I was very excited about my Parks Half time – I had PR’ed and I was hopeful that my performance would predict a sub-3 at Marine Corps. I continued to train with XMP – averaging 60+ mile weeks. Of course, I am training smarter now – running 6 times a week but over 5 days (double running on Tuesdays – slow 8 mile run at lunch and speedwork with XMP at night) which gave me 2 fulls days of rest. I was also running my base miles slower and introduced speedwork.
The day before Marine Corps (October 29, 2011) we were treated to...a snowstorm. Yup. Snow. About an inch or so. What the hell would that mean for race day?
Race day dawned clear and cold but not bitterly cold. I opted for shorts, long sleeves, glove and hat. The runner’s village was a somewhat muddy mess due to the snow and some of the streets were very slick. Jordana and I hung out at the MCRRC Hospitality Suite at the Rosslyn Holiday Inn (she was coaching the First Time Marathon program) until it was time to walk to the start. That was one cold walk – as I had forgotten to bring any plastic bags or discardable clothes to wear. We kissed each other goodbye and went to our respective starting corrals.
Once again, I did something you aren’t supposed to do in a marathon – tried something new. I thought that perhaps the key to a sub-3 was really trying to achieve negative splits (i.e., running faster the second half than the first) and so decided I would go out slower than target pace for the first several miles. Especially since the first 3 miles of MCM are uphill.
The race started and I went slower than usual. First several miles were closer to 7:10s. In retrospect, I think I started TOO slow. If my target pace is 6:48, perhaps I should have been starting out at 6:56s NOT 7:10s. Oh well, I would pay for that later.
Meanwhile, the race continued, through Arlington, down the long steep Spout Run Parkway Hill onto the GW Parkway. As we neared Key Bridge, we ran over an overpass – that was VERY SLICK with black ice from yesterday’s snow storm!! Crap! Luckily I did not fall – but everyone started shuffle stepping to stay vertical. MCM – Really? – You couldn’t throw down some sand or salt pre-race!?! Over Key Bridge and hard left to run around the MacArthur Reservoir.
Observation: As the course climbed up Reservoir Road from Canal to MacArthur, we were running into the sun. All I could see was runners in front of me in dark silhouette against the sun. There was a slight mist in the air from the cold and breath from the runners. The effect was runners in black shadow surrounded by a hazy shade of yellow. It was truly sublime.
On MacArthur road I caught up to the 3:05 (or was it 3:10) pace group and realized I was going way way too slow, so kicked things into a high gear with a couple of 6:38s until my overall pace dropped below 6:52 (magic sub-3 pace). Of course, this was a big waste of energy at an early stage of the race. I hoped I wouldn’t be paying for that later in the race.
Meanwhile, the race continued – through Georgetown, past the Kennedy Center and the Lincoln, on to Haines Point. Hit the half-way mark at 1:29:59! One second faster than goal pace. Surprisingly, my pace actually improved for the next several miles – holding at 6:51 overall. As the course continued along the Mall towards the Capitol, though, I could feel the all-too-familiar tiring of my body. I willed myself to hold the pace. But as I approached the 14th Street Bridge, my pace creeped above 7 min/mile never to come down.
I pushed my way down and back through Crystal City. Still, I was running faster than I had ever run MCM. I knew there was not going to be a sub-3 or PR today but I thought I might set an MCM PR. The race continued along past the Pentagon, onto Route 110. Mile 24, Mile 25, finally Mile 26 and the quarter mile spring uphill to the Iwo Jima Memorial and the finish.
My time 3:02:32! My fourth fastest marathon and my fastest Marine Corps. So, it was a good day.
Lesson learned: don’t try anything new and that includes race strategy! Also, my body seems to run best when I run as flat a pace as possible. Now on to Rehoboth.
Rehoboth Marathon 2011 Recap
With Marine Corps done, I gave myself a two week reverse taper, then a 60 mile week, then taper for Rehoboth. With XMP over, I did speedwork on my own (following the XMP schedule) using the large oval around the Washington Monument as my "track" – it happens to be just about ½ mile in circumference, making it perfect to do 800m and 1000m repeats – I’m sure the park rangers still wonder who the hell that runner is doing lap after lap around the Monument.
As before, Jordana and I have decided doing Rehoboth is a great way to combine running a marathon with having a weekend away. My in-laws have a place in Bethany, the race is Saturday morning, and the kids were with the in-laws – so we had a nice weekend away.
Race day was cold, but not as cold as the previous year. There were a number of my XMP friends racing that day – either the full or the half – which it made it that much more fun. Humorous observation: we’re standing around the start, I’m in shorts, long sleeves, hat, and gloves. My friends are in singlets and they comment on my long sleeves. "I don’t have a lot of body fat," I say, "I get cold easy." "What are you talking about?" one of them replies "Look at us – we’re all skinny guys with no body fat!" I laugh, agree, but say "nevertheless, I get cold easy."
The race started and I was determined to stick with my tried and true racing strategy – race flat for as long as I could. And I held to that. My times were amazingly consistent, for the majority of the race I held to a 6:48 pace plus or minus a few seconds.
The race was much windier than last year, so sometimes it was a real struggle to hold the pace. But I was determined that this would be my race. All of my running friends were convinced that the 3 hour barrier was more mental than physical, and perhaps I was believing that myself.
There isn’t that much to say about the race that I haven’t already discussed in last year’s race report, so I’ll just mention a few additional observations. There was one point, where the course makes a 90 degree right turn to run around a parking lot before resuming along the road. This was right near the beach in Lewes. Remember the wind? When I made that right turn, I was just about stopped in my tracks by a gust of wind that carried with it tiny grains of sand. Like getting stung with tiny needles. Very unpleasant – at least it was only a few 100 meters or so before getting back to the road.
Observation and thanks: Eventually the course (on its return to Rehoboth from Lewes) leaves the roads and heads back onto the Junction & Breakers Trail (about mile 20 or so). I was feeling mentally down, wondering could I keep this pace up for another 6.2 miles. Just before the course turned onto the trail, I hear a chorus of shouts "Way to go Greg! You got it!" My buds who had run the half marathon, were out there cheering those of us doing the full on. Thank you Dan, Owen, Chrissy, and Brad!! (I hope I’m not forgetting anyone) That was just what I needed.
The course wound its way along the trail. The miles counting down and with each mile I was more and more confident that I would finally meet my goal.
The course left the trail and back onto the roads in Rehoboth. Mile 24, 25, 26. I was flying down the final mile and when I saw the finish line up ahead with clock showing "2" I put in a 6:09 pace for the final quarter. I crossed the finish line:
2:58:19!!! My friends were high-fiving me. I broke the 3 hour barrier. It only took me 14 marathons to do it!!
When Jordana finished, she asked how I did. I showed her my Garmin. It was a happy day. Of course, we all had a great time in the post race party. Did I mention they have a huge beer truck with Dogfish Head Ale?
2011 Year End
After Rehoboth, I took the rest of December off (and by "off" I mean running only 25 miles per week). I ended the year with the highest mileage I’ve ever run in a year: 2456.77 total miles – 702.25 more miles than my previous highest mileage year (2008, the year before I was injured). My average run was 9.3 miles per run, and my average weekly mileage was 47.1 miles. Not too shabby.
Boston Bound (or 26.2 to Boston) 2012
With the new year, came a new running season. Although I was not running Boston, I decided I really like running with a group so signed up for Boston Bound again (oops, due to trademark issues, it is now called 26.2 to Boston) and signed up to run the Potomac River Run marathon in May.
Not much to say about the training program – I simply continued my fall training. Running 60 mile weeks, weekend long runs, double runs on Tuesday.
One of the highlights, however, was meeting Michael Wardian. Wardian is a sub 2:20 marathoner who also runs (and wins) ultras. He's our hometown champion. He spoke to our group after track one night. He's not only a great runner, but also he's a genuinely friendly guy.
An observation: one of our long runs was a 22 miler – down the CCT, over the Key Bridge, loop around Roosevelt Island, down the Mt Vernon Trail, across the 14th Street Bridge and back up the CCT to Bethesda. It was a cold day, windy, cloudy. As we started around Roosevelt Island, it started to flurry. The flurries turned into a stead snow. By the time were on the Mt Vernon Trail, we were running it what seemed to be an all-out blizzard. We could barely see in front of us, the snow was so thick. As we reached the 14th Street Bridge, the snow lightened up and then stopped. As we crossed the bridge, we could see the snow squall moving down river. To the left, blue skies. It was surreal.
An observation: we are doing track at Whitman HS. Yasso 800s, I think (or maybe 1000m repeats). The Whitman Athletic Director and bunch of bigwig donors are reviewing the infield, near the edge of the track. We politely ask them to move out of lane 1 as we run around them. So what do they do? They stand in lane 1. The more we asked (politely) for them to move, the further out into the track they seemed to stand (deliberately I might add). Eventually, they were taking up the two inside lanes. Our coach (who teaches at Whitman) pleaded with us to just run around them. Which we did, without further incident (well, one of our members decided to have a few words with the group. I think their reply to him was along the lines of "how much money did you give for the track?") Just because you have money, doesn’t mean you have to be jerks about it. Oh well.
Potomac River Run 2012 Recap
I was hoping to run sub-3 again, to prove to myself that Rehoboth was not a fluke. However, I did not feel strong going into this marathon. Despite a strong winter/spring training season, work and life intervened in April and just seemed to throw off my training. I had to travel to Sacramento for work in early April, followed by going to Virginia Beach over Spring Break, then my oldest daughter’s Bat Mitzvah (all in April), and, even though I got my miles in, I did them mostly alone.
Anyhow, as I stood at the starting line, I just didn’t feel mentally or physically ready for 26.2 miles.
Anyhow, the gun started and off I went hoping to run as flat as I could around a 6:48 pace.
I actually ran surprisingly well for the first half. Although the course mile marks did not always seem accurate (one "mile" was actually about 1.2 miles and another "mile" was about 1.2 miles – and this is a straight line course along the C&O Canal, so this is not a Garmin issue because I was not running perfect tangents), I was holding a pretty consistent overall pace of around 6:49.
I hit the half way point a few seconds under 1:30, which surprised me a bit because I thought (according to my Garmin) that I was running faster. Whatever. I made the U-turn and begin the second of the two out-and-backs.
Really not much to add to this report that I haven’t discussed in last year’s race report. Despite the loneliness, I quite enjoy this marathon. River on one side, canal on the other. It’s very lovely.
Just before the last turn around, I passed a runner who I thought was in 3rd, putting me in what I thought was now 3rd place. I was tiring greatly. It wasn’t the hottest of days (only in the mid 60s) but it was very humid (humidity in the upper 80%) and I could just feel myself getting slower and slower. Indeed, my pace over the final 10 miles went from 6:49 to 7:03 to 7:13 to 7:21 to 7:49 to 7:53!!!
That’s when the runner who I had passed back at the last turn around passed me. Crap – so close and now I’m in 4th! But then I thought, but that means I’m at least first place masters. But no! I want 3rd. So I dug deep and brought the pace down to 7:30, passing him back in the final mile. It was a foot race to the finish (I did the last quarter at a 6:13) and I finished a few seconds ahead!
My time: 3:05:34. Not even close to a PR or even one of my fastest marathons. Oh yeah, it turned out I totally missed several other runners. I wasn’t 3rd, I was 6th place overall. And 3nd in my age group!! As it turns out, the overall winner was 25, but overall places 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 where all masters runners! Not bad for a bunch of "old" men.
Post Race Reflection
Shortly after this marathon (my only one of the season) I read an article (don’t recall if it was Runner’s World, Running Times, or Marathon & Beyond) that talked about running multiple marathons in a season and how with some runners, they run their best marathons AFTER racing (not running) a first marathon only a few weeks earlier. I then noticed that my two best marathons – Potomac River Run 2011 and Rehoboth 2011 – were both run within weeks of racing hard marathons. I ran a 3:00:30 at Potomac just three weeks after running a 3:05 at Charlottesville, and I ran a 2:58 at Rehoboth, only 6 weeks after running a 3:02 at Marine Corps. Indeed, my 2012 Potomac River Run time was 3:05 – consistent with what I had run my "first" marathons in 2011.
I’m wondering if perhaps I’m the type of runner who does better running multiple marathons in a season? We’ll test this out in the fall – I’ve got Marine Corps in October followed by a special November running of the Potomac River Run.
Didn’t You Mention a Tri?
As Jordana was driving me home from Potomac River Run, she asked "so, with two triathlons coming up in June, when are you planning to start training?" Oh yeah, I had been so focused on marathons, I kept pushing off my tri training – and I had an Olympic and then Half-Ironman (on consecutive weekends) in about a month. Time to start training.
I spent May, swimming and biking. Now by "spent May" I mean I swam about 4 times and biked about 4 times. Oops.
Naylor’s Beach Olympic Triathlon Recap
I signed up for this back when I was on the waiting list for Eagleman, not knowing if I’d get in. When I got in to Eagleman, I figured at worst Naylor’s Beach would be a good tune up, especially since my tri training had been not the most vigorous.
It was a wonderful race day. Not dreadfully hot. The water was wetsuit legal. I had come with a neighbor who was doing the Sprint Tri option (half the distance) and this was his first open water tri (his previous tris had been pool swims), so he was excited and glad it was wetsuit legal.
Not much to add that I haven’t said previously about this tri. It was a wonderful low-key triathlon, now in June (having been moved from September).
The swim was a bear – there was a strong outgoing tide. The swim course was sort of like a misshaped 3 sided rectangle. First, we swam against the tide to the first turn buoy, then with the tide to the second turn, then perpendicular to the tide to the finish. The race director reminded us of this fact and urged us to remember to over-correct when swimming the final leg.
I thought I swam pretty nicely for the first two legs. Of course, I and about half the rest of the olympic participants forgot about the overcorrection! I turned the final buoy and started swimming to shore. But I could not get a good sight on the finish. Eventually I look up and say to myself "why am I seeing houses in front of me? The finish is at the campground." I look to my left (upriver) and see, oh crap! I’m way downstream! So we all turn parallel to the shore and start swimming upstream, against the tide, to make our way back on course!
Meanwhile, the spring participants are on shore watching us getting carried off-course. The race director is standing among them saying "why didn’t they listen? I told them to over-correct for the tide. I hope YOU guys don’t forget."
Anyhow, my off-course diversion put my total swim time at 35:50 – almost ten minutes slower than the last time I did Naylor’s Beach. Crap. Of course, I was bit discombobulated from the extra distance I swam, and my T1 time reflected that – about 30 seconds slower than last time (3:04).
Maybe the bike would help me along. My tri training philosophy has been that marathon training is sufficient! I’ve got strong legs, I’ve got the endurance. I actually had a decent bike – no equipment malfunctions like last time (when my cleats fell off my shoes). I thought I was riding pretty well.
Observation: there is one really steep hill. I was flying down that hill, reaching a max speed of almost 40 mph! As I was hurtling downhill on my bike, I thought "it would be really bad if I were to wipe out."
I finished the bike in 1:18:18 about three minutes faster than last time. I’d hoped to have ridden faster, but oh well. T2 was about the same time as my previous Naylors (1:35) and off to the run.
Now I was in my element – and I excelled. I ran the 10K in 40:24 – a 6:30 pace. Unfortunately, it was not enough to compensate for a totally crappy swim, and I finished with an overall time of 2:39:10 (three minutes slower than in 2010).
But, everyone had a crappy swim – not just me. I finished 21st overall (was 23rd last time) and finished 2nd in my age group (5th last time). So I was pretty pleased. I got a decorative wineglass as my prize.
Oh yeah, my neighbor had a great first open water tri experience, and pulled out 3rd place in his age group as well. We loaded up the car and headed back to Potomac.
So there you have it race fans. I’m all caught up. This weekend I begin XMP training for the fall marathon season.
On deck: Parks Half Marathon and Richmond Rox Half Ironman in September, Marine Corps Marathon in October, Potomac River Run Marathon in November, and the Seashore State Park Trails 50K in December (did I forget to mention I want to return to running ultras this year.....)
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