Happy New Year's Everyone!

Great year folks...great year (save for the economic woes, wars and stuff).

We witnessed history (both good and bad) and for myself personally, it was a year of new PRs - from the 10K to the marathon. Let's do it again in '09!

Have a great, happy, safe and wonderful New Year everyone!

Track Tempo + MRI Results

If you want to run a fast(er) tempo workout, I suggest doing it at a track.

Tonight, I joined my girl at the UCLA track after she got off work so she could do her speed workout. Me - I wasn't really sure what I was going to do coming in since I'm not on any official 'plan' right now. Last week, I tried doing a lactate threshold run but only got off 2 miles at tempo pace (7:14, 7:06) so I kind of wanted to redeem myself.

So I decided once I got there to do tempo run with at least 3 at LT pace. After a 2 mile warm-up, I increased my speed (gradually) with the intention of doing it as a progression run of sorts. Ended up adding a mile to the tempo portion of tonight's workout. Here were the mileage breakdowns:

Mile 3 - 7:13 - 170 avg HR
Mile 4 - 6:58 - 178 avg HR
Mile 5 - 7:14 - 181 avg HR
Mile 6 - 7:04 - 184 avg HR

Final total = 8.05 miles (2 miles warm-up, 4 miles @ tempo, 2 miles cooldown). Didn't really translate into speed per se, but the progression in effort was about right.

_________________

So I heard back from my doctor's office regarding my MRI results..

The good news? No signs of tear or damage to my ankle tendon.

The bad news? There was some mild swelling in that area.

...so, um what exactly does that mean? Well, from speaking to the doctor's assistant on the phone, she said it very well could be posterior tibial tendinitis - my initial fear. But she couldn't confirm.

She referred back to my doctor's initial prescription for physical therapy and a visit to a podiatrist to get fitted for custom orthotics.

My plan in the interim, is to keep running on it - but very cautiously. My hope is that the aforementioned combo of PT + orthotics will get me back to near 100%. I still have good days and bad days with it, but more of the former these days which is good. To be continued for now...

Thanks again for the positive vibes and mojo peeps!

Long Run Sunday: Point-to-Point

First of all, I'd like to thank the good people at GU + Outside PR firm (especially Devon) for the hookup on my favorite on-the-go energy supplement, GU Roctane!

For whatever reason, I haven't been able to find it in too many local running stores - only at expos. So I've been relegated to using the Roctane primarily during half/full marathon races and unfortunately, not during my training runs...until today. Thanks to the aforementioned folks, I loaded up 3 packs into my belt pouch for the run today and really provided the 'umph' I needed to keep chugging along. It is a great product and I highly recommend it. It's like the regular GU...only on steroids.

Ok, on to the run...

Today, would be my 2nd and last long run where I paced Cody in his quest to come in sub-4:30 in Houston. On tap for this morning: 21 miles (!).

Thanks to his lovely wife Julia, we were dropped off at Will Rogers Beach so we could do a point-to-point run down south to somewhere in South Bay where she'd also pick us up. The day itself called for sunny skies with high temps to reach the 60's. A near-perfect Southern California day - for December anyway.

We started off with both of us feeling a bit achy - him from tempo runs from earlier in the week, me from a late-night basketball game where I worked muscles in my legs that I haven't worked in a long, long time.

We made our way past the Santa Monica pier and right into the heart of the world famous Venice Beach, complete with the usual characters and tourists we had to sidestep and dodge. It wasn't nearly as busy as a typical summer day in Venice, but the first warmer-than-usual weather still brought many-a-folks out to the Boardwalk.

Past Venice Beach, we hit the Marina. With the bay creating an obvious impasse, we had to circumvent to continue on to our destination. Unfortunately, we kept getting lost or had difficulty finding a through street to get us to the other side. So it was a lot of running alongside the docks with the plethora of boats and yachts lined to our right and relied on our internal male compass (yes, the one that refuses to stop and ask for directions).

We finally found our way and was back on the bike path and continued south. It was probably around 13 miles and change at this point and while we were still clocking paces right in the sweet spot of 9:50-10:10, it became more of an effort to keep moving forward at the goal pace. Cody started feeling prematurely fatigued and I wasn't doing that great myself. The sun was also now high in the sky and right in our faces. Really started kicking myself for not bringing a hat/visor.

Somewhere between miles 16-17, Cody needed to take a break. Figuring we needed to call his wife and arrange pickup anyway, we took a brief reprieve from the sun in a shady spot by a bathroom. A short while later, we started walking which soon turned back into a run and right back at our desired pace.

We were now in the very affluent beachside community of Manhattan Beach and eager to finish the run on a high note. Without me setting the pace, Cody starting speeding up a bit for the last 2 miles. They also turned out to be our fastest of the day (9:37, 9:35) and after 21.25 miles and 3 and a half hours of running...we were done!

For the final act, we waddled over to the water to 'ice' our legs in the freezing water for about 15 minutes. It was painful initially, then the legs just became numb. I could not WAIT to get out of there but braved it the best I could. It took a good half an hour to get my core temperature down post-soak. After rinsing off and changing, it was time for pizza at my favorite pizza joint in South Bay - Manhattan Pizzeria!

Taper time now, AND a big MRI appointment for my ankle tomorrow morning (gulp). Cross your fingers for me!

Happy Holidays!

Here's hoping you and yours have a wonderful holiday season.

I leave you with one of my favorite scenes from my favorite Christmas movie of all time, "A Christmas Story":

Long Run Sunday: Setting the Pace

As I mentioned on January 18th, I will be pacing my friend Cody to a sub-4:30 marathon (that's the goal anyway). He's been putting in some solid training these past weeks in preparation for it, more so than any other marathons he's run in (previous PR was around 5 hours). His training's paid off in recent half-marathons where he's run near 2 hour times. So in addition to having a successful screening of our movie, cracking the 4:30 mark would just be the icing on the cake for that weekend in Houston.

In preparation for it, I decided to get some long runs in with him to practice pacing, as well as get some mileage in myself post-CIM. His plan called for a 17-miler and we decided to make it a progression run. A sub-4:30 time would require around a 10:15 min/mi pace so using that as a barometer, we set off this morning at approximately 11 min/mi pace. I had some concerns going into because of my ongoing ankle issue AND I spent last night with friends at dinner, along with pit-stops at a couple of holiday parties. And yes, I imbibed in a couple of drinks.

The run started south on a major street until we hit the Ballona Creek bike path, a mostly concrete path that extends about 7 miles in total, running alongside a 'river' that leads out to the Marina. The day itself was really nice out...sunny, in the 60's with light ocean breezes. We kept the pace really at the start averaging about 10:15-10:30 pace for the first few miles. Once we hit the beach bike path, we picked it up a little bit running between 9:30-9:50 for miles 6-8. We hit the turnaround mark at 8.5 and retraced our steps back, picking up the pace gradually until we were back on the bike path.

From here, I told Cody I would pick it up a bit and for him to just turn his mind off, follow my lead and not worry about pace. For the next several miles, I upped the pace to the low 9's or what would be his half-marathon pace, slightly slower than his lactate threshold times. We started ripping off mile splits like 9:18, 9:21, 9:15, 9:11. 9:15...I'd look back and he was right there, game for making it a successful progression run.

As for myself, my ankle bothered me starting miles 8-9 but didn't really get too bad beyond discomfort and soreness. Aerobically, it started to get a little difficult at the end as I saw my heartrate get up there but I think that just comes with the past 2 weeks spent with little or no running. The weather was certainly a factor too as it warmed up today more than it had in the past few days.

Anyway, Cody rallied and toughed it out through the end (we gave ourselves about a 2 miles at the end to recover) and when it was all said and done, 17.05 miles were covered with an overall average below his goal marathon pace.

Good job out there man - you're gonna do great in Houston!

Back to Business

A couple of quick things..

So as I mentioned in the comments section of last Wednesday's post, I will be running until the MRI results come back telling me that I can't. Wouldn't you do the same? ;)

And as far as last night goes...it was a good run. Not a great one, but a good one. About 6.5 miles covered in 40-degree temps through my city. Conditioning definitely suffered a bit due to the time off, but we'll get it fixed.

Back to work y'all.

4 Years

Today marks the 4-year anniversary of my father's passing.

It's still hard to believe at times. It's hard to believe how he was taking away (full story here, about halfway down).

I went back and forth about whether I wanted to post this or not. Every now and again, I'm given a harsh slap in the face about the brutal reality of his murder.

Yesterday, I got a call out of the blue from the lead detective from my father's case. He called to tell me that a check for the reward money (in the amount of $50,000) has finally been cut to the guy who 'broke the case' and asks me if I'd like to meet him. Long story short, he's the one who called in anonymously to the LAPD after seeing a press conference my family and I gave pleading for the public's help in finding the killers. Without him, they would still be out there free as you and I. The mere thought of that still makes me sick to my stomach. Thankfully, with his and the help of the detectives and DA, they're now locked away for life.

So the person. He's referred to as 'Joe' because he's had to move a couple of times after receiving threats to him and his family. He himself is not exactly a model-citizen either. But after seeing our family on TV, he grew a conscious. He told the detective repeatedly that it wasn't about the money. And the detective believes him, as do I.

I don't know for certain what I'll do, but I think I owe it to him (and to myself) to meet him in person, shake his hand and thank him for coming forward.

As for the anniversary itself, unfortunately as fate would cruely have it, life is getting in the way and preventing me from doing much of anything today. Can't visit his grave...can't even visit the tree that was planted in his honor by the city.

Maybe later tonight with a run. Just some 'us' time alone on the road. Think he would like the simplicity of that on an otherwise complicated and hectic day.

Thanks for listening.

A Farewell to Legs?

Fearing the worse for tomorrow, I had it in my mind to go out for one potentially last run for awhile before my doctor's appointment. I hope it's not the case, but I guess you never know. My hunch is that he'll make me take time off from running and maybe fit me with some orthotics. If that turns out to be the case, so be it.

Anyway, I had a bit of pause when I came home from work and saw that it was still rainy and cold (ok, it was in the 40's - cold by LA standards). After debating it for a minute, I said screw it and threw on my running gear. Thankfully, by the time I stepped outside it had stopped raining. I initially had it in mind to do just a few recovery miles, but as soon as I hit the red 'Start/Stop' button to start my run - I took off.

I seriously felt like I was shot out of a cannon. For that first mile I ran at my tempo pace (sub-7:30) and couldn't stop myself. Once I hit mile 1, I told myself to pull the reins back and slow it down now that it was out of my system. But I really couldn't hold back by that much. For the next two miles, I ran around my marathon pace (8:08, 8:11) before finally easing it back for the home stretch. Surprised myself a bit as I hadn't run on the road since my marathon a week and a half ago.

All in all, I covered a little over 3.5 miles and had a blast doing it. I just hope it's not the beginning of the end.


*Quick update of my doctor's appointment in the 'comments' section.

Trail Run: Malibu/Backbone Trail

The past 5-6 days have been a little tough. It's no coincidence that I was also not running during this period. I thought taking some time off after CIM would give my ankle some time to heal (while trying to secure a doctor's appointment) so I've been mostly biking it in place of running. It was not easy, let me tell you...and my mood certainly suffered as a result. Today, I definitely needed to run and hoped my ankle would benefit from some days off.

I got up at the ungodly hour of 5:15am this morning to go running with the Trail Runners Club with a holiday get-together to follow. I immediately checked the temperature and it read 44 degrees as the outside temperature. Yikes. And it would only be colder where we were planning on running.

After picking up my friend, we met up with the rest of the gang. It would be a point to point, so we parked at where we would finish and took a couple of cars to the start. After mulling about a bit, we were finally off. I was really thankful when we were finally in motion and started to warm up. The first couple of miles were a climb up about 600+ feet and we were treated with a nice view of the Malibu Canyons. I was feeling great and really glad to be running again. Ankle did not bother me, and aerobically I still felt pretty fit.

We hit a wider fire road near the top and it was about 2 miles of downward descent on fire roads, switching to single-track roads and switchbacks as we delved into the cooler canyons. I broke apart from the main group awhile back so I was ran mostly alone, focusing on the movement of my feet and the glorious stillness of the mountains. We would have to cross a couple of paved roads to continue on the dirt roads which made for an interesting break in the running.

Around mile 5, that familiar tightness/soreness in my inner right ankle came back and was exacerbated by the predominate downward descent on the canyons. Every time I took a leap off a rock or step and landed on my right foot, it yelped in agony and at that point, it became just about finishing safely without screwing it up too bad. Yup, this run definitely confirmed that I would have to see a doctor.

After another mile of climbing at the halfway mark, it was mostly downhill from there which I would have welcomed any other day but today. It was still very cold out and for the duration of the run, I was never tempted to roll up my sleeves or remove my gloves. I slowed my pace down considerably from the first half of the run and just tried to ignore the pain in my ankle and keep trucking along at a moderate clip. The run did offer some nice views and very diverse terrain and surroundings. It would have been a run I would have preferred in warmer temps however where cooler canyons on a day like today just chilled me to the bone that much more. Once out of the woods, it was back on the highway for the remaining quarter mile back to our cars. Final distance = 11.45 miles.

It took awhile for everyone to get back to the main spot but after I changed and once we were all present and accounted for, we took a short drive to a trail member's house where we would hold the festivities. I was very pleasantly surprised to find everything from mimosas to warm coffee, fresh fruits to breakfast quiches. Yum. This was definitely the highlight of my morning. We all engaged in friendly banter while stuffing our faces. Once that was done, we did a gift exchange ($10 and under) and ended up with some bandanas, which is great...except one was pink. Thankfully, I had two more to choose from.

All in all, it was a good day. I'm not happy about the state of my ankle but I guess we'll find out soon enough the extent of its severity. For now, I'll think positive and hope for the best.

And speaking of holiday parties, it's time to get ready for mine! Talk to you tomorrow, when I'll most assuredly be nursing sore legs and a hangover.

40 on the 40th

Just wanted to give a shoutout to Ron, who this past Sunday ran 40 miles (!!) on his 40th birthday. Not only that, but he raised a ton of money for cancer research after losing his cousin in 2005 to brain cancer. If you haven't read about it yet, it truly is a hugely inspirational and touching story.


The run from his perspective.

Post 40 mile newspaper article.

My running conversation with Ron, pre-Chicago.

Congratulations, and happy 40th again...you old fart.

Square One...w/ a Big 'But'

I want to get back to work.

I debated on taking the next week off to give my legs - and in particular, my ankle - a much needed break. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of time as I have two marathons coming up in the next couple of months.

The first is the Houston Marathon in 6 weeks where I told my friend Cody I'd pace him to a sub-4:30 time. Two weeks after that I have my next target race, the Surf City Marathon on February 1st where the preliminary plan is to go out with the 3:30 pace group.

I haven't yet finalized an 8-week plan but I do know that I plan on getting this cramping thing figured out. Perhaps by adding more mileage?

*The catch/rub: I need to get my ankle checked out before proceeding.

Best case scenario: continue training, R.I.C.E. it and run through the discomfort.

Worst case scenario: need to stay off my feet and rest it until it completely heals.

Ok, actually the worst case scenario is surgery - but I really don't think it's that bad. I plan on scheduling an appointment to see if my suspicions of a 'post tibial tendinitis' self-diagnosis will be confirmed or not. I really pray that it's not the case (or something potentially worse) since I was really looking forward to these 3 months.

My stubbornness found me in the gym last night, a mix of walking/jogging for two miles or 30 minutes on the treadmill, eager to dive back into it and seek redemption and vindication.

This is the side of me that I really need to tame. It won't be the end of the world if I can't run for a couple of months - but it certainly won't be pretty. We shall see.

Race Report: California International Marathon (CIM)

Got back in time tonight from Sacramento after completing marathon #5. I'd like to say first and foremost that I did not meet either my 'A' goal (3:30) nor did I meet my 'B' goal (3:40). Alas, in spite of nearly optimal conditions and a 'fast' course, it was just not my day.

Pre-Race:

I flew in on Saturday morning to Sacramento where I rendezvous'd with 3 other Runner's World buddies. From the airport, it was straight to the expo where I perused the relatively smallish room for probably 5 minutes before deciding there was nothing I needed other than some GU Roctane. We walked right next door to the Hyatt where I checked in to my room, then walked around the neighborhood briefly with my RW friend Lori in search of a convenience store that carried Gatorade. Gave us a chance to take in the sights a little. The temperatures were perfect. The air was crisp, the leaves were golden, and I became very envious of a couple of runners doing shakeout runs around the nearby State Capitol building.


Dinner was next where a larger group of Runner's World folks met for a carbo-load dinner. I opted for the Pad Thai with a side of mac 'n cheese (don't ask) and engaged in some friendly conversation with the dozen or so folks who would be toeing the line with me early tomorrow morning. After laying out my race gear and setting the alarm, I did some last minute reading (Ryan Hall's 2008 London Marathon experience) before going to bed at 10pm, probably falling asleep about half an hour later.

Race Morning:

My alarm went off at 4am and the first thing I did after shutting it off was make a beeline to brew some coffee. I snacked on a PowerBar while going through my morning routine of applying vaseline to my feet and going to the bathroom before heading out the door in my race gear (singlet, shorts, arm warmers, headband, gloves) and a trashbag, which I used to block some of the cold, but primarily so I can pee into my Gatorade bottle right before the gun goes off. A little trick I use on race day.

When I stepped outside to catch the bus, I was immediately blown away by how COLD it was. Probably low 40 degrees and not nearly enough coverage on me. Still, I man'd up and braved it along with other runners who smartly wore old sweats they could throw away before racing. I rode the bus with Glorybelle, who provided great company and shrewd race-day advice to this still relatively new marathoner. Upon exiting the bus, I immediately headed towards the start to find the 3:35 pace group. Did not see them but instead ran into some other RW peeps who kept me company as the clock wound down. It was still dark, cold and foggy but as we neared 7am, the crowd quickly grew and I walked over towards the front to find my pace group, which was still nowhere in sight. I saw everyone from 3:00 to 3:40 and beyond, but no 3:35. By the time the pacer finally showed and popped up the sign, I was elbow to elbow with other runners and he was about 25 feet away. Figured I'd meet him at the starting mat and go from there. After going to the bathroom for the last time into my bottle, I stripped off the trash bag and 7am sharp - we were off!

The Marathon:

The road that the marathon starts on is fairly narrow, thus creating a bottleneck type situation. The 3:35 pacer started out a bit late, so I stood my place for about half a minute as runners ran by so I could run near him before actually 'starting' the race. I followed him the best I could in spite of runners impeding my progress every which way. Then without warning, he started to weave around other runners at a pretty fast clip to keep the pace and I was left forced to ponder - do I use up unnecessary energy to keep pace with him, or let him go? I opted for the latter. Near the 3rd mile, my right ankle started to get sore. This was one of my major concerns coming into this race and it was here I decided to go out fairly conservative. I saw the 3:40 group coming up (they left before the 3:35 pace group) and decided to run with them until at least the half way point.

Mile 1 - 8:07
Mile 2 - 8:02
Mile 3 - 8:08

I tucked in towards the rear where I basically kept pace with the runners around me and 'fell asleep', meaning I more or less did my best to shut my brain off and just go as they went. This was probably the best decision of the day as it made the miles go by and I didn't have to stress about pace. For the next several miles, it was fairly smooth sailing. The pace felt easy and while the pain and throbbing in my ankle worsened with each mile, it was tolerable for the most part.

Mile 4 - 8:15
Mile 5 - 8:14
Mile 6 - 8:37

At the 10K mark, I took in my second GU and a SaltStick capsule with my pre-made Cytomax that I carried on my water belt. Aerobically, I felt great. I contemplated going faster but didn't want to disrupt the easy and efficient pacing. I was also concerned about my ankle and surviving the last 10K of the marathon. So on with the pace group I went.

Mile 7 - 8:17
Mile 8 - 8:39
Mile 9 - 8:06
Mile 10 - 8:14
Mile 11 - 8:10
Mile 12 - 8:19
Mile 13 - 8:20

I looked down at my Garmin at the half mark and we had crossed right at about 1:50. While the course was predominately void of spectators, the sections where they did show up, they definitely brought energy with them. In my attempt to keep my trance and not expend any more energy than necessary, I avoided getting caught up in the adrenaline of the crowds. But when I spotted fellow blogger Maritza holding up a sign that also had my name on it and cheering wildly, I got excited and had to shout out to her.

The rollers were definitely there in the first 15 miles or so (as were roadkill - I must've passed about 12 total) but the pacer did a great job keeping us on target and so I continued to run with them, enjoying the rhythm and even pacing while mostly keeping to myself.

Mile 14 - 8:28
Mile 15 - 8:19
Mile 16 - 8:20
Mile 17 - 8:09
Mile 18 - 8:32
Mile 19 - 8:28
Mile 20 - 8:25

At mile 20, I told myself that the 'first half' of the race was over with - and mentally prepared myself for the '2nd half' of the marathon, or the final 6.2 miles. Still feeling good aerobically, I decided to try surging a bit between miles 21-22. That lasted about half a mile but realized that my legs were heavier and more tired than I'd thought. I slowed down and settled back into the pace group, content to take the 3:38-3:39 chip time finish I was on pace for.

Mile 21 - 8:39
Mile 22 - 8:03

Then...disaster. A little after mile 23, I felt my first twinge of a cramp coming on in my right calf. In a panic, I ran over to the side of the road to stretch it out. When I started running again, I saw the 3:40 group ahead about a 50 yards down the road. I quickly tried to regain my pace and perhaps attempt to catch up with them when...another cramp hit, right hamstring this time.

Shit, shit, shit, I wondered. How could this happen with all the training I did and the relatively conservative pace I went out at??

By this point, I did everything right. Moderate and even pacing, kept myself hydrated (water bottle + drinks at water stations), took in 3 SaltStick capsules over the course of the race, a GU every 10K...and I still cramp?? Unfortunately, I had no choice but to hang on for dear life for the remaining 3-3.5 miles. It was a wicked and frustrating process of: 1) shuffle/waddle 2) cramp 3) stretch - repeat x 20. Right calf, right hamstring, left calf, left quad. Ugh.

Saw Maritza again who - god bless her - was still cheering her heart out...only I was reduced to a limping mess and couldn't offer back anything more than a pathetic smile and a thumbs down. The marathon is truly a war of attrition and it had once again taken over my body in the form of wicked and painful cramps in the latter miles. And let me tell you, those were some of the longest 3 miles of my life. To add insult to injury, my Garmin lost its signal under the cloud cover so the last 3 miles went unrecorded.

After seeing the 3:45 group pass me, I knew the best I could salvage out of this debacle was at least a meager PR. So I shuffled along the remaining mile or so the best I could, still cramping every so often. It was really hard to muster a smile during the home stretch but I did so in disbelief and exasperation. When I rounded the corner to the men's finishing corral, I just shrugged my shoulders in the direction of the crowd (at noone in particular) and stumbled to finish in a chip time of = 3:45:41.

It's about a 7-8 minute marathon PR for me but when you weigh that against 18 weeks of embarking on my first training program, the payoff ain't so great. I limped straight to the hotel with only two words running through my head: ice bath.

I grabbed a trash can and the ice bucket from my room, walked down the hall where I filled both up with ice and dumped it into the bath where I soaked for the next 15 minutes wondering why my legs keep failing me around mile 23 (my past two marathons). I also noticed two blistered had formed at the bottom of my right foot. Great.

I reluctantly showered and met up with my RW peeps yet again at a local alehouse, all of whom ran fantastic races with huge PR's. After allowing myself to be bitter for a few minutes, I changed my attitude and decided to bask in the successes of my friends who really flourished on this course and weather. Cheers to them.

As for my next step, I'm going to go back to square one, get my ankle checked out and reassess my training for the next go 'round. I can promise you however that I will do whatever it takes to figure out this marathon thing and in the process, try to continue to have some fun while doing so.

Thanks again for all your support gang - meant a lot to me.

CIM: It's Go Time!

Barring a major running-related event happening, this will be my last post prior to this Sunday.

I wish I could say that I was a 100% confident going into this race, but there are some things preventing me from doing so. My 3 primary concerns going into the race:

1) Ankle/Knee - my inner ankle bone still continues to be sore during/after runs and now inexplicably - a dull soreness has crept into my right knee as well. Legitimate? Or taper madness?

2) Cramping - this has been an issue that has plagued me in my last 3 marathons. I hope the added mileage in my training, combined with proper hydration and SaltStick tablets (courtesy of Sarah @ PCTR) will do the trick.

3) Pacing - go out with the 3:30 group? Or the 3:40 group?

Did my last dress rehearsal prior to CIM last night: 6 miles total with 2 miles at marathon pace. I really wanted to see what 8 min/miles would feel like (to achieve a sub-3:30 time) in those final two miles but...didn't pace myself correctly. Here were those miles splits:

Mile 1 - 8:37
Mile 2 - 8:22
Mile 3 - 8:20
Mile 4 - 8:33
Mile 5 - 7:45
Mile 6 - 7:29

I remember thinking - especially at that last mile, yeah...this pace is too hard...no way can I maintain it for 26.2 miles. Then I came home, uploaded my run and saw why. I also didn't have my HR monitor on to gauge my effort because I had thought I'd lost it, then...voila! Lo and behold, I finally found it after my run last night.

So much for the 'dress rehearsal'. It left me more confused about what I should do more than ever.

You may be thinking, what's the big deal? What's the big difference between a 3:30 and 3:40 time? Well, here are the average splits one would need to maintain to meet those time goals:

3:30 pace group - 8:01 min/mi ('A' Goal)

3:40 pace group - 8:23 min/mi ('B' Goal)

Those 22 seconds are a pretty big deal. It could be the difference between finishing strong with even pacing throughout, or risk blowing up somewhere in the latter stages of the marathon (not that either is a safe bet). To be honest, I'm probably more in '3:35 shape' but I don't think there's a pace group that specific.

In conclusion, I think I'd rather swing for the fences and go out with the 3:30 group. The course is supposed to be fast, the weather's supposed to be perfect...how many more opportunities like that will I have? Granted, my right leg is swaying me from making a more definitive decision, but I can always go out by feel for the first 5K of the marathon (where it's still safe) and if it feels too fast, I can just drop back and join the 3:40 group.

So there it is. Go big or go home.

Wish me luck folks. Sounds like I'll need it!

Final Week: A Look Back

You know what I was thinking the other day? Man, I put a lot of stock into this one race.

The training, the goals, the blood/sweat/tears...it's all about to come to a head now after 18 weeks of preparation on the Pete Pfitzinger plan. Looking back, I feel like I did an adaquate job of following through, especially considering that it's the first time I followed any kind of formal marathon training program. However, there are certainly some things I'd do differently the next time around.

Here are some of the high/lowlights of the past 18 weeks:

The Highs:

Day One (8/11/08)
Found: My Running Spirit (8/19/08)
Premiere Night: Running for my Father (9/5/08)
Long Run Sunday: ..w/ a Twist (10/5/08)
Race Report: Long Beach Half-Marathon (10/12/08)
Long Run Sunday: 22 Miles (!) (10/19/08)
Race Report: LA Cancer Challenge 10K (10/26/08)

The Lows:

Momma Said.. (8/18/08)
Long Run Sunday: Hell in (a Runner's) Paradise (8/31/08)
A Thin Line.. (11/2/08)
Long Run: Windy City (11/9/08)
Long Run Sunday: 20 Miles...on the Treadmill! (11/16/08)

Races run during training: Long Beach Half (1:40:44 - PR by 14:45), LA Cancer Challenge 10K (44:43 - PR by 3:17)

Looking back, it looks like there were more good times than bad. However, I think mentally and physically, I may have 'peaked' in October as my plan got side-tracked shortly thereafter and thus, I suffered in the first several days of November.

But come Sunday, there will be no excuses. I have the training under me, it's just time to taper, run smart on race day, leave it all out there and deliver. This week, it is almost entirely about getting myself mentally ready for the big day. And I think I will be.

Coming up: goals for CIM.