2011 - Big Race Planning

Every year I like to enter a race which is what I would refer to as a big race, i.e., a run with several thousand competitors. In 2009 I ran the New Haven CT Labor Day 20K (~2500 runners) and this year I ran the Beach to Beacon 10K in Portland Maine (~5500 runners). There are two races I am contemplating running in 2011.

The Ukrops Monument Avenue 10K is held in Richmond Virginia this year on Saturday April 2nd. Over 35,000 people ran this race this year. The course is a flat out and back course. It also features a corralled start where the faster runners are positioned before the slower ones at the starting area. I qualified for the third fastest wave - those who have finished a 10K in less than 47 minutes. I am leaning toward running this race. Registration opens for this race Wednesday December 1st.

The other race is the Toronto Half marathon on Sunday May 15th. This race is appealing because it could become part of a family trip. I had planned to run the ScotiaBank Toronto Waterfront half marathon in Toronto in 2009 but had to withdraw due to financial concerns. Niagara Falls is on the way to Toronto. I have never been to Niagara Falls.

From a running perspective I am much more comfortable with running the 10K race. From a bucket list perspective I have yet to complete a half marathon. I will most likely take a day off in April and run the Ukrops 10K race. The family vacation will most likely not consist of a race this year.

Palmyra Sticks and Biscuits 5K run results

I almost slept through this race, only awakening an hour before the 8:15 am race start.  I had arranged my running articles the evening before, thereby eliminating as much mental anguish as possible during the early morning's pre-race preparations.

Even though the temperature was hovering around the freezing mark, I decided to run the race in shorts.  To help combat the cold, I wore two technical T-shirts and a beanie.  I intended to wear gloves also, but I left them at home.  In retrospect, wearing cotton gloves may have been detrimental to keeping my hands warm.  The snow turned into a cold rain as the race started - this rain would have soaked my gloves.

I was keenly familiar with this race's topography, as this was my fourth race at this race location. The registration packet pickup was at the ice skating rink. To my chagrin, the race bibs were nothing but numbers on a white piece of paper. I display my race numbers in my office at work as a type of adult merit badge.  This race bib will catch no one's eye.

Last year's race drew over 300 runners and I expected as many this year.  Most everyone parked at the Klick Lewis Centre skating rink. I chose to park at a business across the street from the Paramount gymnastics building because it was close to the finish.  The KL center has a very large parking lot and  was more than sufficient for meeting the race's parking needs.

It was around 7:45am when I shed my warmup jacket and pants and began to warm up.  As I was removing my pants, I noticed snowflakes tumbling down past me.  I was going to be running in the snow with shorts on Thanksgiving day. A very strange combination. Fortunately there was no wind to speak of.  Were there a wind, I would have worn pants for fear of leg muscle cramping.

As I was running up and down the road in an effort to warm up I noticed a runner I had seen at several races in this area, most recently at the Give Thanks for Lebanon 5K/10k race. I introduced myself and he returned the favor. His name was Greg Underkoffler.  He mentioned he was a teacher and a former track coach.  We are in the the same age band of 40-49, although he is six years my junior.  He's your prototypical elite runner - weighing in at a svelte 150 pounds and very lean.  He was very personable and down to earth.

The largest band of runners I have seen at a race in Palmyra assembled at the starting line on Brandt road, near Reigle's airport.  The race director informed us over 600 runners would be competing in the Turkey Trot race.  I noticed a very large contingency of high school runners.  I made a mental note to begin the race at a measured pace,   If I attempted to hang with these kids at the beginning of the race, I was sure to suffer the consequence of crashing and burning at the end of the race.

After the bullhorn billowed "on your mark, get set, go" I found myself behind a throng of about eighty runners. Because I was focused on keeping a pace I could sustain, I let go of the imagery of my name being listed on the race results tally sheet as a disappointing 87th or so finisher.  The only thing I can control within any race is my pace.  If I become consumed  by where I am within a pack at a race and alter/increase my pace to correct my position, I ultimately and mercilessly run out of gas at the end of the race.  While I was somewhat dejected I was nowhere near the lead pack - I was content I was running at my planned pace  - as measured by my Garmin GPS watch.

Aside of a goofy turkey necklace handout at various places on the course, the race itself was uneventful.  If you received a turkey necklace you could use it as an entry into a post race raffle. This was well intended, but few running competitively were willing to stop and wait to be afforded a necklace.

I did not have any issues navigating through the runners.  I paced myself as effectively as I ever have, enabling myself to command enough energy for a small kick or sprint before the finish.

I finished 17th out of 85 runners in the men's 40-49 age group.  It was a very competitive age group.  A gentleman from Palmyra who has qualified for and run the Boston Marathon finished 9th in this age group.

This race marked the culmination of races I have run this year.  It was appropriate it was a Thanksgiving race because I am truly thankful for being able to run and help address my high blood pressure issues.

Stronger Heart for Hills

Last year was my first year of competitive running.  I use the word 'competitive' loosely because in many cases I was merely trying to finish races.  This year being able to go the distance has not been an issue.  My priority was to set personal goals and try to attain them at every distance from one mile to ten kilometers.

The personal record I am most proud of  was running one mile in under six minutes (5:57) at the Millersville mile run on May 23rd. I have to confess the course was conducive to setting a personal record.  Even so, it was a great personal accomplishment. 

The longer races such as the half marathon and marathon enjoy very large race fields and a substantial amount of press.  I have found that I could find one race a month in this area which is a one mile race.  While talking with another runner at the Millersville mile, he mentioned there is a Westminster Main Street mile in Maryland which has an even faster course. This past year it was held on Wednesday April 10th. Although the one mile races don't get as much press, it's probably the distance I am most comfortable running.

If you have ever driven a four-cylinder  vehicle you know how difficult it is for the engine to climb hills.  You have the accelerator floored and yet the vehicle does not respond.  In a similar fashion, I have a bear of a time with courses containing hills of any size.  I am not sure if my legs are not strong enough - or if my heart is the culprit. I would venture a guess I primarily need to strengthen my heart.

If I can train in 2011 with the intent of getting strong enough to tackle hills, all of my personal records should become better next year.  At my last race, the Give Thanks for Lebanon 5K, the hills I encountered were crippling.  Not because the hills were so challenging - but because I am not strong enough to traverse them effectively yet.

Give Thanks for Lebanon 5K Results

I woke up very early for this Saturday morning race, around 5 am.  Race time was a bright and early 8 am.  I was very anxious to race since I had not raced for nearly a month.  I used my automotive Garmin GPS to find both the Lebanon Farmer's Market and the Lebanon High School. Even though I have lived here the majority of my life, I have never been to the Lebanon Senior high school.  Fortunately the farmer's market and high school are only about 3/4 of a mile apart.

I wasn't sure where to pick up my registration packet. I initially drove to the farmer's market. Fortunately the farmer's market was the registration area.  Since I pre-registered my packet was waiting for me.  I drew the race bib number 32. I was also very pleased to see a long sleeved blue technical T-Shirt for this race inside the packet.  I then drove back to the Lebanon High school to park my car. The finish was at the Lebanon H.S.

Because the temperature was in the mid 30's, I remained in my car until 7:30am.  I then shed my warm up jacket and pants and jogged down the road to the farmer's market.  There were on the order of 300 plus runners congregating on the road for this race in front of the market on South 8th St.

At 8:00 am a few brief comments were given and then a young girl belted out a very good rendition of the Star Spangled banner.  Aside of some nagging coughs from my recent cold, I felt very good for this race. Even though I was wearing shorts in 35 degree weather, my legs were warmed up and loose.

This race was unique in that there were two races being run simultaneously, a 5K and a 10K.  Each one was a different route except for about 3/4 of a mile at the start of the race. I came out of the blocks fast because of adrenaline and the route was downhill for the first 3/4 of a mile. I completed the first 3/4 of a mile at a 6:46 pace.

I was using my virtual partner function on my GPS watch and knew I was ahead of my goal pace for the first 3/4 of a mile.  What I didn't know was from the 0.75 mile to the 2.0 mile point the route was going to be all uphill.  I knew after the first mile I was behind my goal pace already.  All of the gains I had accumulated were wiped out by a large hill from 0.75 to the 1.0 mile point.

Even though I knew I was not going to come close to setting a personal record I tried to focus on having a good time.  I was grateful for being in good enough shape to race this distance.  I was passed by three runners in the last quarter mile - I really need to be able to finish these races stronger.

I finished 18th out of 186 runners - a very good day when you look at the race from that perspective. i finished the race in 23 minutes and 23 seconds - my worst 5K outing of the year. After this race I was not sullen. For some reason I was filled with a desire to try and improve even more next year.

Give Thanks to Lebanon 5K

While perusing the upcoming races listing on the Runners World magazine website this week I found the Give Thanks to Lebanon 5K/10K race.   I believe I initially opted to not run this race because I could not find the prior year's race results online. I like to be able to show my son the towns and races I have run online via our computer.

This race will be run both  on the streets of the city of Lebanon and on a rails to trail path adjacent to the town.  The course is touted as flat and fast.  I have failed break 22 minutes for a 5K race (7:05 / mile pace) within my last two efforts.

Because I have been ill with a cold for a large part of this month I have only logged 15 miles of training in November.  As a result, my legs are as fresh as they have been for this calendar year.

I emailed the race director today regarding my registration because I entered online via Active.com.  In the course of our correspondence he informed me there are over 300 runners pre-registered for this race, I had visions of the field size being in the low to mid 100's.

As much as I would like to best my 21 minute 37 second 5K personal best tomorrow I am not sure this would be a realistic goal. I am going to set up my Garmin Forerunner GPS watch's virtual partner for a 22 minute 5K.  The virtual partner function keeps track of both my goal pace and my actual pace and provides instantaneous feedback.

Running Respite

Due to a cold and cough I can not rid myself of, I have not run since last Tuesday. In some ways I believe my body needs some rest from the training I have been logging.  I do worry that I will lose a step or two for the Turkey Trot next Thursday.

My training has become a perpetual tightrope walk where I am trying to balance pushing myself to new heights in small, yet substantial steps without risking injury.

I recently saw a video clip of a gifted 27 year old male runner named Dathan Ritzenhein.  He broke 13 minutes in the 5000 meter run in 2009.  As so many premier runners are -  this guy is wafer thin - probably weighs on the order of 120 pounds.  

Kidney Stones Again

I imagine most middle aged people like myself have a health concern which is persistent to some degree.  Some folks may have migraines while others endure  acid reflux or even arthritis.  Kidney stones appear to be the issue I will contend with for some time.

Since I started running in March of 2009 I have been remarkably healthy.  This past weekend I was remarkably unhealthy.  On Friday evening I had a sinus cold the likes of which I do not remember.  After I rid my sinus cold with some effective meds on Saturday, my right kidney began to radiate an excruciating amount of pain. It never escalated to the point I had to go to the emergency room - but it was very painful nonetheless.

I did not run this weekend, nor this Monday.  Even after the kidney stone pain subsides, my abdominal area in general is sore from scrunching in pain for hours upon end.

I was able to run today.  I wanted to run five miles, but cut the run short to four miles because I felt very weak. On a positive note, I surpassed my one hundredth hour of running this year. My next run will take me over the 700 mile mark for the year.

ING New York City marathon

One of the nations largest marathon's is being run tomorrow (Nov 6th), the ING New York City marathon.  New York city is only three hours away.  I would love to run this marathon someday.  The entry fee runs about $200 - so it is not cheap.

There is a female runner named Shalene Flanigan who is making her marathon debut. On the men's side I will be tracking a runner named Galen Rupp.  An Ethiopian runner named Haile Gebrselassie is my favorite to win this race. Update: He dropped out at mile 16 and retired from running altogether.

I am not going to run a marathon in 2011 - however, I will most likely make a Boston qualifier marathon attempt in 2012.  If I am successful, I will run the Boston marathon to celebrate my 50th birthday in 2013.

Night Running

I set out for my first night run of the season last night.  I don't mind running at night.  I carry a Life+Gear  flashlight / glow stick, sold at Home Depot. The flashlight/glow stick has about five modes (e,g, flashlight only, glow stick only) and handles very much like a baton while running.  It is very light, has replaceable batteries and is very easy to see at seven inches long.

It's been my experience depending upon reflective material for recognition at night is a hazardous affair. If a car's headlights do not 'square up' to your reflective material until you are but a few yards away, it leaves little time for a driver to react.  Add to the mix many people are on cell phones while they drive and you are now faced with an even more precarious situation.

The temperature last night was about 36 degrees F.  My lungs were not prepared for breathing in such cold air. My lungs hurt while running the first quarter mile.  After that I was fine.  I ran for 3.5 miles, which after running eight mile runs almost exclusively for the last month, felt like a walk in the park.

Life Gear Glowstick / Flashlight

CY 2010 Goal - 800 Total Miles

With ten months of running registered on the books this year I have accumulated nearly 700 miles of training and racing. The month of October was dedicated primarily to long distance runs.  I completed a half dozen runs in excess of eight miles. The motivation for incorporating this amount of long distance running was a couple of poor race performances.

I felt I had trained adequately for each of the races.  I did a fair amount of speed training, but felt if I neglected anything, it was long distance running. Conventional wisdom is completing long distance runs forms the basis or foundation for an effective training program.

Because I have issues with my kidneys and hydration I must be very careful when I run long distances.  I believe running six long distance sessions in October has served to make my legs much stronger.  I imagine running this long would be similar to bench pressing a lighter weight for a very long time.  You are going to strengthen a set of muscles if you exercise them for over an hour.  (Running eight miles takes me about one hour and ten minutes)

I need to average 57 miles per month for November and December in order to reach a total of 800 miles of training and racing in calendar year 2010.  I should be able to run even more miles in 2011 as one typically runs more miles in the same amount of time due to an increased pace from all the accumulated training.

I have submitted my application for Palmyra's Sticks and Biscuits 5K run on Thursday November 25th @ 8:15 am.  Barring nasty weather, I would like to set a personal 5K record.  I would like to run 21 minutes and 30 seconds - shaving seven seconds off my current PR of 21:37.