Marathon Trainers

Race Reports (Read 688 times)


Oh Mighty Wing

    Dave - you did an amazing job!!!!
    Kimmie


      Yes Dave, you did do an amazing job. I am bummed that I didn't get to meet you. If I had been alone, I probably could have moved a little faster and done more my own thing. But I did look for you- just didn't find the Reston banner before there was time to go down to the start. Ok, mine won't be as eloquent as Dave's or complete with heart rate but here goes my beer induced stream of consciousness. We lined up near the 4 hour pacer- my two friends and I- and the gun goes off, the pacer takes off and is definitely moving through the crowd quickly. This race is so crowded that I realize it might be tough to get a pace going. I'm wondering how the pacer has moved through the crowd so well. Dave has already given you a good description of the course, so I will just give you my splits and what was happening. For me, I met some really neat people while running today. I knew my goal was to stay easy so that I didn't blow up too bad and one way to do that was to talk so that I could relax and pay attention to my breathing... can't talk in mile 8? You're in trouble. Mile 1- 9:14... not bad and I'm not too worried about being with the pacer. Here is where I meet Pablo, first timer. Mile 2- 10:55- don't know why this is so slow- I think the hill or the crowds- or maybe my watch was off. At any rate, I'm staying relaxed. My friends are weaving through the crowd and I told them they were expending too much energy. Just relax... something I kept saying all morning. Mile 3- 8:40- still hanging with Pablo- super nice guy from Columbia. I told myself NO MILES UNDER 9 in the first half, but I can't help it. Plus I am not so good at pacing, that is why I wanted to run with a pacer. She's still up ahead. Mile 4- 8:15 - too fast again Mile 5- 8:50- this where my friends drop back. I met Mark who is running for Team in Training in honor of his sister who recently passed. He is awesome. I tell them that I think I've lost my friends, so now he will be my friend. I am so weird. I also say that I am so excited that we're going to run under 4 today. Smile Mile 6- 8:42 Mile 7- 9:19- we finally catch up to the 4 hour pacer only to pass her after less than 1/2 mile. that was weird but I just couldn't slow down enough. I met Susan and chatted with her briefly but then lost her soon after. Mile 8- 8:32- major hills over- I don't remember much other than chatting with Mark and the others around me. There were Marines who were yelling cadences/ songs. Also, a guy who yelled, "No shame, drain the vein." every time we passed men who were peeing on the side. I laughed and said something about how many times he had said it and he said, " If you're getting tired of it, you should run faster." Mile 9- 8:36- Mark pulls away from me now. I yell encouragement to him. I meet Clay. It is also his 6th marathon. He said he wants to go under 4 but that he always says that and never does. I said, me too! and today's the day. I seemed more positive than him. Mile 10- 8:30- Mile 11- 8:42 Mile 12- 8:51 - i leave Clay at this point. He's struggling. I really like getting Hains Point over with earlier with this new course. Mile 13- 8:44- I think my half split was 1:57... I really was hoping that I hadn't had too many fast miles. i felt good though. I meet Anne and I told her that we were going to go sub 4 today. She said, " How do you know?" I said, " I just know." Mile 14- 8:42 Mile 15- 8:43- I leave Anne and continue to pass people. Mile 16- 8:43- every time I pass someone, I say something to them. Some people seemed appreciative, others seem to think I was weird.. Mile 17- 8:30 Mile 18- 8:49- I feel really good and never feel like I'm struggling. My only issue is I need to use the potty but every one has a line... no way- moving on. Mile 19- 8:47 Mile 20- 8:49- nobody really wants to chat anymore. Smile This starts the dreaded bridge that Dave mentioned... I hate this bridge. But I know that my running club is going to be there. Mile 21- 8:52- I see my friends in the group and ask my friend Matt if he wants to jump in with me. He does! yea! He carries a squirt bottle of gatorade for me. Saved me. It was getting quite warm. Mile 22- 9:16- fading a little bit Mile 23- 8:33- ok, so this where I think that I can "kick it in" Mile 24- 11:00- ok, this is where my body laughed at the attempt to kick it in. Mile 25- 9:23- recovered a little- know that under 4 is in the bag. Mile 26- 9:12- that hill at the end sucks. I saw the 4:00 on the clock and knew that it had taken us 4-5 minutes to cross the start. I was thrilled! I didn't walk and I stay relaxed until the very end. exactly what I wanted. like Dave said, the support here has been awesome.


      Oh Mighty Wing

        AWESOME JOB KIMMIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
        evanflein


          Both of you did great! Yes Very nice and smart running Kimmie. Dave, ^5 for the run-till-you-puke attempt. Usually reserved for shorter distances, but hey, it worked.
          Kimmie


            Somewhere on here Dave posted a proof from marathon foto I have no idea how to do that and I didn't get pictures. So if anyone wants to see the damage- go to www.marathonfoto.com Scroll to Marine Corps Marathon 2008 My last name is Ogorek... bib # is 23655 Maybe you can help me decide which one I should buy- they're all a little scary. Smile


            Oh Mighty Wing

              I like this one
              evanflein


                Ok, here's my race report for NYC... it's over in the Master's Running forum, go take a look. (it's long... sorry) http://www.runningahead.com/groups/MastRun/Forum/2e9725da371c4124ac01ac01d429154c
                Kimmie


                  Erika! Nice job and nice report. My experience at NYC was similar on the Queensboro Bridge... that is a killer.
                  Kimmie


                    Are we still writing race reports here? Even though it was small and slightly uneventful, I thought I would write a little about the 4 miler last Thursday. Location: Tequesta, Florida Starting Temps: mid 60s and sunny Goal: under 32 min. Super Secret Goal: 28 min. Time: 31:15 Placement: 12th in Age Group out of 85 women 66th out of 1200 women 279th overall out of 2400 total runners Observations: I ran this race back in 2004 when I was home for a Thanksgiving visit. There was probably 200 runners and I finished in 33 min. or something- I don't remember- I was surprised that there were so many runners this day. I got to see a friend of mine from high school who ran this race. I haven't seen her in 20 years and now we have running in common- very cool. So, I tried to have plenty of time to warmup- but, as usual, I spent most of my time pre-race in line for the bathrooms. I didn't worry too much since we were wearing chips. When I got to the start, I was boxed in the back a little and then I saw after we started that there was no starting mat. I totally don't get that. Why have chips if you don't record the start time? I can't imagine that it took more than 30 seconds to get to the start though. What I wrote in the other post is that so many runners around me were dressed in long sleeves and tights- which is that funny Floridian thing. I'm from Florida so I remember being cold when it was in the 60s. So here I am in shorts and sweating and they're all talking about how cold it was. I would say that at least 75% of the runners around me had headphones on and were blaring their music.... also doing lots of weaving and cutting me off. I tried not to get annoyed at that. I wanted to go out hard and RTYP like Dave said- but I never felt like I got a good rhythm going. I still don't know how to race short distances. I may add splits later- but basically- it took me a little bit to get going... I had a pretty fast 3rd mile, then faded, and tried to kick it in... not steady at all. Unlike Shan, I don't seem to run well after being in the car so long. I know my time is Ok. I just feel like I could have run it faster. It wa a gorgeous day, though. And so fun to see my friend.
                    Mr Inertia


                    Suspect Zero

                      As part of a virtual race this morning, I ran my first time trial. It was supposed to be a 10,000m, but it was a little short of that (more on that later). The weather was decent, mid 20s but breezy. I decided to run this one on a track. I was expecting a PR and wanted to have it be official. The downside is that once per lap for just over 100 meters, I was heading into the wind. On the other side, I'd have a tail wind, but I don't think that quite makes up for it. I started so my final kick would be with the wind at my back. I set my Garmin to lap only when I pressed the lap button. 25 laps. I was sure I would break 50 min and I thought I might have a shot at hitting 49ish. That would break my 13 year old PR of 54:04. For me the 10k is a tough distance to race. It's not fast and furious like the 5k and there's not the "settled in" feel that comes with a HM. And I'm off and running. First three laps were right on the money - 2:00 (+/- just a few seconds) and I settle in to pace almost right away. It starts to get tough comparitively eary. Two miles into it I know this will be no negative split. Hold on, maintain pace, pick a few seconds up when the wind's at my back, don't struggle against the wind when I'm heading into it. 20 laps - five more to go. Splits have been nice and even and I'm on pace to hit 49:00. Four more laps to go. I pick up the pace just a little. When I'm facing the wind, I pick it up a touch and drop the hammer a little when it's at my back. But something is wrong. With one mile left, I should be in the neighborhood of 42:00ish but I'm only at 36:XX. Somewhere my lap count got screwed up. The display on my Garmin is only showing Lap, Lap time and total time. I'm not sure of the exact distance. It's decision time. I decide to run whatever my Garmin says is 25 laps, so I drop the hammer as much as I can. Lungs are protesting, legs are starting to yell. I push. Two more laps, pick it up just a bit more. Last lap, push. Not much of a kick but a bit of a pickup. Total distance was 5.56. Time: 43:12 Pace: 7:45 Got home and plugged the Garmin into the computer. There were some laps that registered 0 distance and 0 time. Perhaps while running I double tapped the lap button. Perhaps there is something in the settings that cause that. I'm reasonably sure I could have held that pace for 3 more laps and hit a 49:00 10k. I'm satisfied with my performance. In early Oct I ran a 24:06 5k which was a big PR. Looks like I've gotten faster in the last 3 months. I would call this a very good judge of my fitness, but in an official capacity my 10k PR still stands after 13 years.
                      Kimmie


                        Very nice report Mr. I and nice time! I am impressed that you had the mental discipline to do this on a track. I've never run that long on a track before. When's your next official 10k?


                        Oh Mighty Wing

                          Mr. I - HOW DID I MISS THIS REPORT!!!!!! That was AWESOME!!! Congrats on the progress!!!!


                          Oh Mighty Wing

                            PSCI Icicle 10 miler - 1/11/09 It was a great day for a race! When I got there Dave was already there - he looks JUST like he does in pictures which is good! We chatted, registered, wondered around, ran a warm up mile, wondered around some more, ran a little more... there was LOTS of time before the race. At the race start we lined up together - I tried to ditch him telling him to move up, but he just wouldn't do it! Smile We couldn't hear anything the lady was saying and so when the gun went off I wasn't ready for it and it was very loud since we were on a city street surrounded by tall buildings. Anyway we inched forward and he finally took off to go run his race (which he will hopefully tell us all about!! - hint hint WinkWink) I had 2 goals for this race - consistent splits and a strong finish. So I'll give you the blow by blow with the split times: 1st mile - 9:02 - it felt really good and I had to reign myself in reminding myself that I needed to go for 10 miles and not just 4 or 5. 2nd mile - 9:16 - we started going uphill - my IT band started to tighten somewhere in this mile. 3rd mile - 9:30 - the hill continued - I remember thinking that the city wasn't nearly this hilly when I went to school there - course I rarely ever ran that hill. At this point the people had setteled in and there were 3 people who I kept changing places with but no other real big passing in either direction 4th mile - 9:51 - So this hill is called Monkey Hill by the locals - that made me giggle - . somewhere in this mile there was PAIN in my knee. A tear leaked out of my eye and I remember that coach had joked with me the night before that I couldn't cry till the end - so I told myself this wasn't the time. I started to think of my 2 hero's (cause I want to be just like them) and I found the picture in my mind that I have with them and held onto that thought - and the fact that they would just keep going. I know what the pain is from and know that no real damage was being done - so there was no need to p-out. 5th mile - 9:48 - yup we are still going up -my knee was still sore as we were STILL going uphill. In this mile I thought of Mikey, Candice, and Jeff - I just gave into the run, and when my knee tried to syke me out I desperately searched for that place inside where there is nothing - I even managed to find it for a little while 6th mile - 9:12 - we flattened out - the pain went away and I was pretty consistent the next couple of miles 7th mile - 9:11 - I became a zombie in this mile and started thinking about how a gu would be nice. We got water at mile 5 and 7.5 that's it. Anyway then I thought about how this was probably just mental and I was maybe a little tired, but it was no big deal and I should get over it - I again tried to get to that place in my mind where all the pain and tired doesn't exist - it worked. 8th mile - 9:13 9th mile - 8:54 - downhill - WEEEEEEEEEE - This is the last time I would see pudgy in green spandex and her ipod and blue fleece lady. However, the green shirt dude got in front of me a mile back and was gaining distance - I thought about chasing him down and how badly I would love to sprint him into the finish only to leave him in my dust - but then I realized that my knee hurt for most of the race, I was tired, and I was doing so well that risking it all wasn't worth it today - today it was my race and I had already beat enough people to satisfy - next time will be a different story. 10th mile - 9:54 - wanna hurl that last mile was too fast and now my stomach is upset. The stomach burn lurched me out of my happy place but Dave had shown up somewhere around here to run it in with me which was cool and took my mind off of it. But, then we hit a mother of a hill (one to make HHFMM proud - it was short but man was it a bitch) - walked it - I had nothing to give the hill at that point - I thought I'd rather finish strong then die on the hill so we walked. From the top of the hill it was just another .3 or so to the finish I think - I passed one more person and head into this huge gap where there was no one when we hit the cones that told us we had 500ft or so I sprinted it into the finish! Garmin told me 10.09 in 1:34:35 with a 9:22 avg pace. This was NOT a chip timed event - and I'm not sure what my clock time was. All in all this was a very good race. I raced by myself for the large majority of it and so I could only depend on me to decide about pace and make the tough calls. I think I did pretty well. I also learned I don't need as much water/food as I think I do and that it is all in fact mental. And I learned that a strong finish is easy when you have a little left to give. It was very cool meeting Dave - he is JUST like I thought he would be. I'm glad he made the treck, but now I owe him one!


                            Dave

                              Have I mentioned to everyone how much I hate 10 milers? All the pain of a hard run 10K with 3 extra bonus miles to suffer. This one added a spirit crushing hill with about 1/2 mile to go as the friggin cherry on the pain sundae Big grin Met up with Shan right as registration opened. In retrospect, we could've showed up 30 minutes later with no ill effects. So we signed up, chatted a bit, and went out for a mile warm up. When Shan is just running and not paying attention, she runs pretty fast. Our last 1/2 mile warm up included a couple of striders and got down to low 8's in terms of pace. Good omen. About 35F at the race start. Couple of warnings about black ice. Cannon went off and scared everyone in the field and we were off. I dodged through a few folks and settled into a pretty hard first mile pace. Lots of runners going out VERY fast. I shouldn't be surprised but I was. Mile 1 - 7:16, 170bpm (HR was clearly lower - bad readings) Mostly downhill the first two miles down to the river in Wilmington. Turning into a very scenic route. Mile 2 - 7:10, 167bpm (pretty close to actual HR) Big hill started at mile 3 and went straight through to about 4 1/2 before leveling off. Only 1 water stop on this course that we hit for the first time at 4 1/2. I tried to maintain pace but not push too hard on the uphill. Field thinning. I'm passing people pretty consistently up the hill. Mile 3 - 7:25, 170bpm Mile 4 - 7:29, 172bpm Mile 5 - 7:35, 167bpm I took a quick breather at the top and let off pace just a bit. Couple of snow flurries. We turn into a gorgeous neighborhood of older homes/mansions. Once I got my legs back under me, I picked it back up again. Mostly flat, slightly up and down to the turnaround at Mile marker 6. I got to see the leaders heading back from the turnaround. They looked really strong. Winner was 55 minutes. Mile 6 - 7:19, 167bpm Mile 7 - 7:03, 168bpm At this point, we head back down the steep hill. I'm flying down but can't get my leg turnover to go any faster. The downhills continue all the way to the end of mile 9. Mile 8 - 7:01, 166bpm Mile 9 - 6:49, 165bpm Mile 10 is slightly downhill until it goes up what I heard someone call Cemetery Hill. Up a steep ~ 1/3 mile hill next to a cemetery back up to the main street at the finish. This is a soul sucking hill. The kind they put in there to see if you have anything left. I didn't have much. I slowed considerably, turned the corner and picked it back up to the finish. Mile 10 - 7:21, 167bpm Last .13 garmin miles - 6:36 pace, 164bpm Garmin Time - 1:13:19, 167 AHR Official time - something like 1:13:35. PR by about 20 seconds I think. It was great to meet Shan who is quite true to her online persona. The drive up and back was worth it. It was a great race on a challenging course. Except for that last hill that sucked Wink

                              I ran a mile and I liked it, liked it, liked it.

                              dgb2n@yahoo.com


                              Bugs

                                Great Races you guys. Did you get any pictures?? Dave, thought you stopped wearing the heart monitor for races? Shan, concerned about that knee. Hope your IT band is OK, guess you know what to do about it, stretch and all that.

                                Bugs