Tri-Kev's Miami race report(s) (Read 521 times)

Just the facts Racer: Kevin Chip Time 4:06:36 Overall place 955/2701 Men 748/1752 AG(45-49) 97/232 Now the details: This Race report actually starts the day before as I ran the Tropical %k on Saturday morning. My wife and I walked over to Watson Island from our Hotel, about 1 mile. Got our chips and warmed up with a few striders. I felt pretty good and new that I would have trouble staying with my race plan of running the first mile at an 8:00 pace and then running some conservative negative splits with a nice finishing kick. The usual city leaders were paraded onto the start line stage and then Frank Shorter said a few words. I didn’t know he was going to run this race so I was pretty excited to have such a star among us. He did say that today was the day to beat him as he was going to go pretty easy. I have to say he does not look like a 61 year old and he no doubt could kick my sorry but any day he wanted to . However I did come in ahead of him and I’m sticking to my story that 1/27/2008 was the day I beat Frank Shorter ! I of course went out much faster than my planned 8:00 m/mi pace and clocked a 6:48 first mile. I decide to reign it back a bit for mile two and ran it in 7:05. I picked it back up a bit for mile 3 and ran it in 6:59. As we passed mile marker three, I saw a guy that I wanted to beat so picked up the pace and “sprinted” the last 1/10 mile at a 5:35 m/mi pace to finish a few steps in front of him! My unofficial time is 21:30, a bout 1:30 from PR for me, but for an early season race in which I was running a longer distance the next day I was and am still happy about it. I was happy to have run a fun race as this and even happier as I spotted Frank Shorter coming in a few minutes behind me Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know he is much older that I am, but still do we have to dwell on that fact Now: on to the main event. I decide to run this only seven weeks ago because we had some other friends that had signed up and it seemed like a fun way to get in a long training run. I was up at 4:45 on Marathon Morning. I was trying something new, eating protein the morning of instead of my usual Clif Bar and banana. I eat about 3 ounces of chicken along with my bar and banana. The idea is that the protein helps regulate glycogen burning so you push the wall back just a bit more. The start line was just about 4 block from our hotel and my wife (who was running the half) and I made it down there at about 5:50. I got into my corral and started thinking about my race plan. I was to go out no faster than 930 m/mi as we crossed the only significant hill on the course and then ease into a 9:00 m/mi pace as long as it was supported by a HR less than 145 bpm. My plan was basically run the first half at an HR below 145 bpm, the next 9 mile at a HR less than 150 bpm and then run by feel and try to kick it in for the last couple of miles. The gun went off and I eased into my 9:30 pace with my HR no higher than 135 bpm as we crossed the bridge over to the MacArthur Causeway. For miles two through 5 my pace was around 8:50, a bit faster than I intended but I was at our under my HR plan so that was ok. What started to worry me was that my left upper quadricep around the area of the adductor brevis felt rather tight and a bit sore. I have been working with a physical therapist on some IT band issues and as a result found my left leg is .5 inches shorter than my right, so for the past few weeks I have been running with a heel insert to adjust. My gait has changed a bit and this is causing the soreness. I knew that I could always stop and take it out but hey it’s a training run and I need to adjust, right? So I’m running along and taking a extremely brief walk break at each aid station one clif block at every other aid station. At an hour and a half I begin to take my succeed tablets with a plan on one every hour and a half. My pace stabilizes at ring around 9:00 m/mi and we are now on the Venetian causeway, headed back to downtown Miami and I realize I need a port-o-potty. The only one I passed in the next 4 miles had a long line and I didn’t want to stop that long. My leg was starting to worry me, it wasn’t any worse but it wasn’t any better either. I started to wonder what would happen at the 18 or 20 mile mark, would the wheels come off? Would I really hurt myself? I knew the option of finished at the half was there and I seriously considered stopping before the half/full split, and running back to find my wife and then running back in with her at a much slower pace. I would probably get in about 20 miles if I did that and still make a good training run. As we came of the Venetian causeway we entered a great cheering zone, big crowd loud music and lots of energy, but no port-o-potty! Right around the 12 mile mark I saw a port-o-potty that had no line and stopped. I also decided to try and stretched my left leg a bit to see if I could loosen it any. It helped a b it but I was still a bit worried. I knew the half/full split was round the corner (literally) but what would I do? Ok dumb question I kept going, hey it’s just a long training run right? Besides I knew I couldn’t ever wear my marathon t-shirt if I didn’t earn my marathon t-shirt  From here on the feel of the race really changed, total lack of crowds, much fewer runners, people began to walk. I think physiologically the half marathoners were keeping us from walking. I kept to my strategy and quickly walked through every aid station and got in my 1 cup gator aid and 1 cup water. Clif block at every other aid station. As we ran along s. Miami Ave. The police did an excellent job stopping traffic. So good that the cars were madly honking, the drivers were not happy campers We ran down to the Miami Museum of Science and Space where there was a quick out and back on the way out and another on the way back, interesting way to get the course to the proper distance. I remember that I had some Ibuprofen tablets and decided to try those to ease my left leg a bit. And took them around mile 16 and stopped to stretch again. It was very quiet here and I was looking forward to getting into the community cheer zone area for a little crowd support. Having run the Rock and Roll Half at VA beach a number of times, I new cheer zones could be very inspiring and loads of fun. Well, I don’t think Miami quite got the memo. There were people out but not many and they were mostly quietly drinking coffee and chatting among themselves. Every once in a while they’d yell for someone but for the most part it was a let down. Next up was coconut Grove. Pretty cool shopping area that I’d like to sit and have lunch in someday, just not today. We headed up S. Bayshore where I made another brief potty break (man the Gatorade and water are going right through me. and back to the Museum of Science and Space and that weird out and back area. My pace has fallen off to around 9:40, but my leg is much better, the IB is working for a change Now at mile 22 I reached my last leg of my plan. Time to turn off the HR alarms and run by feel. Even with the HR alarms off I decide to play it cool until around mile 23 where I slowly speed up running each half mile a bit faster than the last. We passed Hobie Island Beach park and then there was a cheering section that was passing out plastic leis, I joked with the woman about getting “lei’d” during a marathon. At mile 24 I’m at 9:12 and it begins to rain, the wind picks up in our face, I love it! 24.5 = 9:05, 25= 8:55 I begin to steadily pass runners, 25.5=7:16 we go up and over a small bridge (I think over the Miami river) and the rain picks up, 26=7:09. We make the final right hand turn and I can hear and see the crowd, I sprint as hard as I can and reach a 5:55 m/mi pace for the final .2 miles. The crowd roars and three of us are neck and neck and running all out! And I cross eth line with the biggest grin on my face, man I feel good. My wife met me in the finishers area, she had a good run during her half. We hugged and both felt pretty good about our Miami running weekend!

Nice report, Kev. Awesome job on the "training run". And big congrats on the new 5K PR the day before!

Great job on the Miami weekend, Kevin! Did you happen to meet up with breger? Hope you get used to your heel insert soon.

Thanks Shaunna, you too! I'm hoping to BQ at the National which would be 3:30. My current PR is 3:40 so I'm getting close. I'm thinking about entering another Marathon on March 2nd, it's very low key, on a rails-to-trails path, and I would use it as another well supported long training run. gotta get the leg in shape and some speed work down to do it though

Good job Kevin, your DW too. I'm really sorry I missed you this year, but I got really sick last week and had to bag the race totally. I was/am bummed about that but I'll do the HM next year. Bill

Good job Kevin, your DW too. I'm really sorry I missed you this year, but I got really sick last week and had to bag the race totally. I was/am bummed about that but I'll do the HM next year. Bill

Thanks, I was so lookng forward to finally meeting you. I hope you are feeling better. I was contemplating the A1A marathon up in Fort Lauderdale in a few weeks but probably won't make it. What do you know about that course? Daisy thanks, It is better I'll probably get in an easy run in the morning to test it out

good job Kevin! Let me know if you decide to do the marathon on the 2nd. I'm assuming it's the B & A Trail marathon? I may run that as a training run.

Thought I would share a couple of pictures from the race: Me approaching the finish line. My wife and me after the finish.