My salty dogs
Actually I'll be carrying a sandbag tied to my waist. 18 pounds more than the last time I ran Boston. I'm not giving up loosing some of it but so far it isn't going anywhere.
Sandbaggers.
I'm sure you all will have this communicated or have already, but no bags allowed.
I can't imagine this has much of an effect on you people, especially those on the bus.
"Beep, Beep!"
Ryan Hall's Pancakes
Pancake Revolution My mom tells me that when I was just learning to talk she would often come into my bedroom in the mornings and I would already be standing in my crib waiting for her to come get me out of bed and the first thing I would say to her was “pantakes.” Well, things haven’t changed all that much. I must confess that pancakes are still my all-time favorite food and I eat them almost daily. I have to force myself to branch out from pancakes and add some variety to my morning nutrition, but in the back of my mind I would always rather be having pancakes. A couple of years ago I experienced a pancake revolution or sorts when I strayed away from the typical pancake recipes and started adding Muscle Milk to the batter. This one key ingredient not only changed the nutritional makeup of the pancake from a carbohydrate-rich, blood-sugar spiking bomb to a more rounded carb, protein, and healthy-fat balanced pancake, but it also brought a whole new level of sweet flavor and smooth consistency. Thus, the genesis of Muscle Milk pancakes in all their many muscle building, marathon fueling flavors. Here are some of my favorite versions that I enjoy on an almost daily basis. You will have to forgive me for not having all the exact measurements as I rarely pull out the measuring cups. Ryan’s Single Serving Muscle Milk Pancake in all its varieties -start with 1/3 to 2/3 C of your favorite pancake mix (my favorites are Bisquick, Kodiak cakes, or Pamela’s gluten free pancake mix) depending on how hungry you are (I usually go with a ½ C) -1 scoop of Muscle Milk (My personal favorite is Muscle Milk Light Cake Batter because then I can add a variety of ingredients that complement the smooth vanilla flavor). The possibilities here are as endless as the amount of flavors available at http://www.cytosport.com/products/muscle-milk -add power boosting foods such as ground flax seed, wheat germ, chia seeds, ect -Make it tasty…here are some varieties of the Muscle Milk Light Cake batter pancake that I enjoy -add molasses to the batter to make it taste like a ginger snap pancake (Molasses is high in iron) -add canned pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sweetener to make a pumpkin pancake -add fresh lemon juice and grated lemon rind from one fresh lemon along with poppy seed to make a lemon poppy seed pancake -sauté a cut up apple with cinnamon and sweetener before adding the pancake mix to make an apple cake similar to, but much healthier than those at the Original Pancake House -add frozen blueberries for a high antioxidant blueberry pancake -add chocolate chips (also high in antioxidants if they are dark chocolate chips) -add bananas and chopped walnuts -add cardamom for a Swedish flavor -add enough water to make the batter the right consistency and cook on a skillet as you would any other pancake. -these pancakes are so good that I usually don’t use syrup. I’ll usually top with Smart Balance Light butter. Occasionally I will top with a nut butter and syrup. Enjoy!
Life's journey is not to arrive safely to the grave in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming ... WOW! What a ride!
On The Run: Training tips for the Boston Marathon I've had many runners tell me over the past few months that they plan to run the Boston Marathon in April. Having run Boston 15 times, I’d like to pass along some training tips that will help the first-timers at Boston and maybe help some experienced marathoners as well. Boston is a fast course. The course descends 457 feet from start to finish. It is a point-to-point course going from west to east, meaning it frequently has prevailing winds at your back. (Hint: wear a shirt that acts as a sail!)
Because of these two factors, any Boston Marathon records do not qualify for world or American records. Kenyan Goeffrey Mutai’s 2011 time of 2:03:02 at the time was the fastest marathon time ever, but can’t be considered for any records other than Boston. Boston is not an uphill course. The most common description of Boston is runners struggling up Heartbreak Hill, which is actually three hills starting at mile 18. Runners should train for hills; however, they should also train for downhill running. Find a long downhill and run it at least once per week to train your quads. The toughest downhill is at mile 16. Take it easy on this hill because the steepest climb of the race follows this downhill. Take it easy during the first half of the race. Runners should try to run even splits – the first half at the same time as the second half. The last four miles of the race is downhill. If you don’t go out too fast, you can finish strong and enjoy the crowd cheering you on.
Any runners training for a marathon know about LSD training (long, slow-distance runs). Runners should train for two to three months prior to a marathon, running an LSD run once a week, starting at eight to 10 miles and going up to a 20- to 22-mile run. The goal should be to run four to eight runs of 18 to 22 miles. What most runners don’t do is to run enough miles at their desired race pace. For example, if you want to run a 3:30 marathon (a pace of eight minutes per mile), you cannot expect to run 26 miles at this pace if you have been running your long runs at a nine-minute pace. My suggestion is to run two to four training runs from 12 to 16 miles at your race pace. This run can take the place of your long run. Running a half-marathon race would also help you establish your marathon pace.
Both first-time marathoners and experienced marathoners sometimes have to walk. Practice your walking. Walking a 15-minute mile isn’t something most runners can do without training. Try walking your three- to five-mile running route. Also, take a break during your long runs and walk for five minutes; this will add to your training. Lastly, practice eating a meal before your long run. You will need to eat before the marathon, and you need to find what agrees with you. Your body will need the food so you don’t deplete your glycogen too early into the race. If you plan to use any supplements during the race, try them during your training runs. Don’t try something new on race day. There are more than 11 weeks before race day. Proper training can help you be relaxed and focused. Hopefully, some of these tips can help you achieve your goal. Seth Roberts writes the On the Run column for Masslive and The Republican. He can be reached at asethroberts@gmail.com
Thanks Dave ...7 weeks out from running the Boston Marathon for the first and perhaps only time in my life. I have been training diligently but still have stray thoughts about what my pace will be that day - especially while I am doing solo long runs. Yesterday Caleb Masland printed a spot on training tip on his blog:
If you are not familiar with Caleb Masland (or even if you are but missed this one) I believe it is worth reading if you are planning to run a marathon this year:
Racing a marathon is a pretty strange thing, if you stop and think about it. Take a pace that you can hardly run for a few miles some days, then string together 26.2 miles at that pace among all the other variables that need to fall in your favor. It leads to a lot of mental games during training. I've experienced all of these as a runner, and I see them surface regularly as a coach. The question is, how can you become confident that you are running the right pace in your workouts so that you don't put yourself in a position to crash on race day? Or, more simply, how can you stop having the, "There's NO WAY I can run this pace for 26 miles!" freak out? ...
http://www.coachcaleb.com/training/tips/daily-coaching-tip-how-can-i-stop-freaking-out-about-marathon-pace
I know I am just a "charity runner" ( though I am proud of what we raised for Boston Children's Hospital) but I intend to do the best I can that day and relish the experience. Maybe I'll catch a few of you in Boston that weekend to say hi and share a cold beverage or two -- if not see ya' before, at or after the Maine Coast Marathon in May.
Anyone interested in doing a group run on the last 16 miles of the Boston Marathon course on Sunday, March 30th?
don't lose Cremer
Ha. No chance of that, I'll be running ES20 that day. If this was maybe the next week and maybe more like starting from Wellesley or around the halfway point or so I'd be in, though.
A list of my PRs in a misguided attempt to impress people that do not care.
Wellesley is at 20K... I was thinking of doing the same thing we did three years ago. T out to Wellesley and then run a few miles out toward Hopkinton then run all the way to finish. 16 miles. I could do the next weekend if enough were interested,
The Boston Marathon
Bib numbers, corral, and wave assignments are now posted! http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/participant-information/entrants.aspx The break between Wave 1 (10:00 a.m.) and Wave 2 (10:25 a.m.) is 3:12:52. ... The break between Wave 2 and Wave 3 (11:00 a.m.) is 3:33:34. All remaining qualifiers are in Wave 3. Wave 4 will start at (11:25 a.m.) Your start time dictates the time you'll board the bus for Hopkinton, and also when you'll arrive to and leave from the Athletes' Village. Best of luck as your training continues!
16877 2/8 Theoharides, David N. 60 M Sanford ME USA USA
Bib Wave/Corral Name Age M/F City St Ctry Ctz 25110 3/8 Berger, Jim 59 M Wells ME USA USA I am excited ... surprised I am in 3rd wave and also surprised that I have a friend assigned to that wave/corral as well.
I am still planning on running the last 16 of Boston on Sunday, March 30.Going to drive into Boston and take subway out to Woodland. Run a bit toward Hopkinton and then run all way into Copley Square. Any takers????
I know most of you have already run Boston so perhaps there is nothing new or of use for you in the following. This is a note I received from a friend of mine (she lives in Texas) who ran Boston last year. She sent it along with a nice donation for Boston Children's Hospital:
Hi Jim -
I thought I would put together for you my 10 Tips For Running Boston. A bit lengthy, but it was fun for a minute to sit down and relive the good parts of the day. And hopefully a few things here will help you. And while I chose not to run it this year, I will be right there at the finish cheering you and other friends on....
1. Strengthen your quads. If there is one thing I would change about my training it would be to do more focused strength work to prepare for the net downhill of the course. Everyone worries about & prepares for the hills in Newton and the famed Heartbreak Hill, which of course you must do. But for roughly the first 16 miles you are running downhill—mostly subtly but it still works the quads hard nonetheless. I will never forget coming out of that portion of the course, going to push off on the flatter ground and my legs felt like they had nothing to give. A bit shocking when you still have a long way to go and the toughest part of the race still ahead of you. And I actually had done what I thought was a lot of strength work during my entire training cycle. So go out of your way to do quad-specific strength work—downhill hill repeats, wall squats, lunges, mountain climbers, etc. Your quads will thank you.
2. Boston has that odd 10:00 am start—and certainly even later depending how far back in the pack you are. (I think you said you are starting at 11:00 or so ...) I start the majority of my long runs no later than 5:30 am. But just like you practice all the other race day strategies—fueling, hydration, clothing, etc. in those last couple of long runs, I would suggest simulating the race start time as well. And you have to factor in the very early start to the day to get to the buses for the trip out to Hopkinton. So I did just that. Got up early, and went through the whole pre-race fueling, killed a lot of time and then started my run around 10:00 am. Pretty different than 5:30 am…
3. A general thing about the course is that there is virtually no shade. You are pretty much running in the middle of a road heading straight into Boston. And with the previously noted later start, if it gets even a tiny bit warm, it can make for a hotter run than you have planned for. Dress accordingly. And to the extent you can work in some warmer, sunnier running, I would suggest it. Sounds like that hasn't been possible in Maine so far though ...
4. The first specific course suggestion I have—and you will see this in many other recaps—DO NOT start too fast in that first mile and a half. And let me say that is easier said than done. The drop at the start is ridiculous. You factor that in, the adrenaline of race day and the fact that, oh gee you are crossing the starting line of one of the most prestigious races in the world, and it is almost impossible not to fly down that hill and run fast for the first two miles. DON’T. I am convinced that many people kill their race right here. As an example, my overall pace goal was 8:00 min/mile. I could have very, very easily run those first two miles close to a 7:00 minute pace. My splits were 8:27 and 8:03—My coach actually told me I maybe was too conservative in that first mile—maybe so. But I still met my overall goal of sub-3:30 so I am ok with that choice.
5. To be honest there is still very little I remember about the many miles that day. But I do think it is good to prepare for the first half of the course being very rural and relatively quiet. Yes, there are lots of people lining many portions of the road, and you are surrounded by thousands of other runners but there were many points in that first half where I was struck by the fact that the only sound I heard were the footfalls of those thousands of other runners. To me this is the time in the race to settle down, check on yourself, keep with your strategy and pacing plan and just take it all in. Because after here is when it all gets crazy…
6. Around mile 13 is when you hit the wall of sound coming out of Wellesley. It is as amazing as you hear it is. But my tip here is to Stay To The Left. Unless of course you want to kiss a Wellesley girl. It was so funny to watch all of the men and I guess some women too—serious runners mind you—start migrating to the right side of the road where all the girls are lined up. Gain yourself some ground and freer running space and stay to the left. Unless of course you want to kiss a girl.
7. Another unique thing about this race is that for the most part you are running on one continuous road from Hopkinton to Boston. I forget the specifics, but I think you only make a total of 4 or 5 turns on the course. In fact I believe the BAA 5K has more turns than the marathon. So to some extent you don’t have to worry about losing a lot of ground not running the tangents like you do in other races. But you are running on a huge, wide, open road with lots and lots of people so it is easy to weave all around the road from left to right. Somewhere early in the race I noticed the yellow street dividing line down the center of the road and as much as I could I stayed right on that line. I don’t know if it helped or not but I will claim that it did.
8. On a related topic, they have the water stations down to a science here. Every mile—both sides of the road, Gatorade/Powerade first and water second. You can count on it at every single mile. So my advice is pick a side. If you take fluid from a left- hand station in one mile and a right-hand one in another you have probably cost yourself some ground. And there is plenty available so run on past the crowd and grab closer to the end—much less congestion & confusion to deal with. And if you follow my advice in #6. I would pick the left hand side to work from. For the most part it seemed to be a bit less crowded in general than the right side.
9. Couldn't get through a recap without giving homage to the hills of Newton. What is interesting about it now that I have actually run it, is that to me they are not that crazy at all. But they come at such a tough point in the race--after 16 miles of running downhill and into mile 20 when a lot of people hit the wall in most marathons. However, train like heck for the hills—build them up to be monsters in your mind. I swear I envisioned Heartbreak like it was Everest. And then have a pacing plan that allows you to give up time in this part of the race. This was by far the slowest portion for me, but that was part of my pacing strategy so I didn't freak out. And honestly once I came out of the shock of switching from downhill to uphill it was a bit of a welcome relief for my body. Everyone talks about Heartbreak Hill—it is the last one you have to conquer—but to me the worst hill (and I would prep for this mentally) is the first one I think in mile 16 as it crosses over Route 128. That was toughest by far. And made Heartbreak Hill not seem that bad at all. In fact, I had to ask two other runners as we crested the hill if that was the famed Heartbreak.
10. Once you come out of the hills it is go time with about 5 miles left to go. You will hear this tip from others but everyone talks about seeing the Citgo sign and knowing you are almost done. But the Citgo sign is 1 mile from the finish so you still have a way to go. I had only heard about, not seen the sign. My coach mentioned a couple of times that in the last mile of my long runs, as I was tired and ready to be done, to picture the Citgo sign. So I did that. Except funny thing was I always pictured a little gas station Citgo sign. But almost always I would run that last mile like I was racing that day. I will never, ever forget seeing it in person. And looking over to the right and seeing Fenway. Just like any race, run it now with all of your heart. And then you make the right on Hereford & left on Bolyston. 4/10 of a mile and one of the most amazing experiences you will ever have. Take in every bit of it, let the crowd push you on and cross that infamous finish line as a Boston Marathoner.
See ya' soon -
Marcie
P.S. I know you think this will be your only chance to run Boston but keep working hard and I think you can break that 3:55 barrier just as you did 25 years ago! Even if you don't do it in Boston - and I understand you aren't shooting for that - I think you can by next fall!
That was cool - Thanks Jim!