It's my understanding that this will be Dan Swain's first marathon, so --- even as fast as he is in a 10-miler (he ran sub-56:00 at the last Annapolis 10-miler) --- 2:40:00 may be an extremely bold prediction for a debut (consider Brandon Demers last year: ran a sub-57:00 10-miler, then failed to break 3:00:00 in the marathon). Is Michael Wardian the other runner shooting for 2:40:00? And would the one aiming for 2:45:00 be John Piggott or Karsten Brown? I put down 2:50:00 for myself.
This could make pacing tricky for me. On the one hand it could be beneficial to have several guys to pace off of --- but then on the other I might get carried trying to keep up with people I have no business running with.
Wardian is not going to be at LPRM this year. Karsten is signed up, but I don't know about Piggott.
DR and Joe, are you coming to the marathon dinner at Ruddy Duck?
No Wardian?? That certainly opens things up a bit. Who is this other character who intends to break 2:40:00? I may have to stalk him (her??) on Athlinks.
Are RSVPs required for the Ruddy Duck marathon eve event? I'm not so sure about attending. My ideal plan for Saturday would be to do an easy 3-mile run in the mid-morning, head over to packet pickup at the seamanship school very shortly after it begins at 2 p.m., and then eat an early dinner consisting of my own simple pasta creation. I had the impression that Duck dinner was intended more as a welcome meal for marathoners coming from out of town (or state, or country).
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I think Tommy Rudowski.
LPRM 2011: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chesapeake_bay_running_club/5527871210/in/set-72157626266227894
It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.
Everyone is welcome to the dinner - no reservations expected. Personally, if I were as serious as you are about your race then I would do exactly what I had planned to do and not go to the dinner. The dinner is a lot of fun and really just a way to be social with and get to know other runners (most of them from out-of-town) - while eating a carb-loaded meal.
I doubt I'm going to the dinner, but I haven't solidified any weekend plans yet. I hope to show up to the race to help toward the end at least.
It's my understanding that this will be Dan Swain's first marathon, so --- even as fast as he is in a 10-miler (he ran sub-56:00 at the last Annapolis 10-miler) --- 2:40:00 may be an extremely bold prediction for a debut (consider Brandon Demers last year: ran a sub-57:00 10-miler, then failed to break 3:00:00 in the marathon).
Shows what I know for underestimating Dan Swain! That was a debut. Though of course no one stood a chance against Rudowski.
By the way, Phil, I'm trying to remember what our contest was last year --- before I had to bow out of the LPRM '13. Was it that you would attempt to run the Shamrock Marathon less than 20 minutes slower than what I'd run at the LPRM? Well, in that regard I did triumph in the challenge ... one year belatedly --- but I think you have a solid shot at victory this year (if you can do better than 3:09:02 next weekend, which I definitely think you will).
(Meant to post in Training.)
Now I'm really kicking myself for not having a better kick at the end of the LPRM! If I could've finished just a handful of seconds faster, then I could've A) broken 2:49:00; B) bested Joe's Boston time by a full 3 minutes; and C) defeated Phil in our (belated) "within 20 minutes" challenge. Phil wins!
Joe urged caution against expecting too much at the Hospice 10k, but all the same I hope to race prominently. For while I've won most of my usual annual races once or even multiple times, a Hospice victory --- 5k or 10k --- still eludes me. I will not, however, expect to run my best race; I'm only going to have about 2 weeks of solid training to work with. So while a PR is doubtful, I'll still strive to get back under 36:00.
But this is my main reason for posting: looking at my Personal Records page, I'm fairly pleased with the list --- 16:48 for 5k, 35:30 for 10k, 57:57 for 10-miler, 1:19:27 for half-marathon, and now 2:49:02 for marathon --- but if I had to pick one of those for "this one is not like the others", it would be the half-marathon time. Especially since it was last November that I did a 14-mile steady state at a faster pace than that of my half-marathon PR (5:59/mi vs. 6:04/mi). And then there's the sad fact that I've only ever done 2 halfs (whereas I've now done 3 fulls!).
So I am now fixated on the notion of shooting for a PR half-marathon --- preferably sub-1:18:00 --- in May. And hopefully in mid-May, so that A) I can have time to adequately train after Hospice; B) it happens before summer-like heat sets in; and C) so that there's more than a week between of buffer time before the Crofton Kiwanis 10k (though honestly it wouldn't be too terrible if I had to miss that this year ... I've already won it twice). I've been researching feverishly, and while I had to scratch my first notion of running in the half-marathon division of the Potomac Marathon event on May 4 since registration is already closed, I've narrowed down a few other options. I'll list them in order of my preference:
*St. Michaels Running Festival Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Saturday, May 17, Maryland Eastern Shore
Pros: The date is ideal, and the course looks to be very flat and fast
Cons: Expensive registration, and far enough away to require overnight lodging on race eve (though I am quite familiar with driving to the Eastern Shore).
*Maryland Half Marathon
Saturday, May 10, Baltimore area
Pros: Fairly ideal date, and possible Alden lodging (the race begins and ends very near Johns Hopkins), and chance of finishing prominently (overall male winning time in 2013 was 1:19:31).
Cons: The course looks to be very challenging/hilly (registration price unknown).
*Frederick Running Festival Half Marathon, Relay & 5K
Sunday, May 4, Frederick (MD)
Pros: This one I've actually done before, so I have experience there.
Cons: The date is a bit soon after Hospice, it's not a particularly fast course (there was that major hill in the last mile, and my Forerunner's final recording was about 13.25 miles), and race eve lodging would be required (the arrangement that me and Joe utilized in 2011 may no longer be a viable option).
Those are probably the top 3, but other half-marathon options I'm loosely considering would be:
*Flying Pirate Half Marathon (Kitty Hawk, NC, 05/04/2014)
*Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon, 10K & 5K (Fredericksburg, VA, 05/18/2014)
*Alexandria Running Festival Half Marathon & 5K (Alexandria, VA, 05/25/2014)
*Run for the Dream Half Marathon and 8k (Williamsburg, VA, 05/31/2014)
*Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon (Purcelle, VA, 05/31/2014)
Anyone have any notion/knowledge about which might be the best HM bet? Or could I get anyone interested in running one with me (regarding some of these options, it could be helpful to have someone to travel with)?
You could stay at my house if you do the one in Williamsburg.
Williamsburg might even be the flattest of the ones mentioned.
Uh ...
http://www.halfmarathons.net/usa_half_marathons_virginia_run_for_the_dream_half_marathon_map.html
Those look like some frightfully steep ups and downs. Meanwhile, in the race that advertises itself as "the fastest and flattest half marathon in the mid-Atlantic" ...
http://www.halfmarathons.net/usa_half_marathons_maryland_saint_michaels_running_festival_half_marathon_map.html
Though Phil hospitality would be a great perk, I'm almost sold on St. Michael's.
Are people running the 5K or 10K at Hospice this year?
5K. County making trouble again this year about the rt 5 traffic light and the runners, though. It doesn't look as if Hospice has announced whether the course is changing. Only affects 5K run, I believe.