Impressing the Ladies

I went to the company fitness center around 5:30 this morning to complete an easy 10 "hamster miles". I brought my iPod Shuffle to help me through it. As the run went on, more people arrived for their morning workouts, and about half the treadmills became occupied.

With two miles to go, a semi-attractive blonde selected the treadmill to my immediate right. She looked about five years younger than me. There were no words exchanged and barely a glance between us, as we both had headphones on. She eased from a walk into a steady jog.

I continued my run, and there were no signs of fatigue, even in the final mile. I was in a trance, listening to my iPod, cruising along, and patiently waiting to be done. The treadmill odometer steadily counted up -- 9.97, 9.98, 9.99...

A loud THUMP broke me out of my trance. The blonde slipped and nearly fell off her treadmill -- right when I reached ten miles! She thankfully caught herself on the right side rail before anything awful happened. I asked if she was all right. She nodded her head, blushed, and said, "I'm okay" with a smile on her face. That was the extent of our conversation.

Maybe it was just a coincidence that she lost her balance at that moment. But maybe, just maybe she was mesmerized by the display on my treadmill as I reached my goal. Either way, it goes in the books as 10 miles in about 1:34.

Whether you're running inside or outside, it's always important to watch your step. :)

Think Spring

I haven't run outside in Wisconsin for about a month. With more snow on the way tomorrow, the hamster miles will continue this week. However, the weekend forecast has some potential.

Here's a recap of my running since Austin:
Tuesday the 19th: 4.5 miles at about 10:30 pace
Wednesday the 20th: 5.3 miles at about 10:00 pace
Thursday the 21st: 6 miles at 9:40 pace
Friday the 22nd: 3.1 miles at 9:30 pace
Saturday the 23rd: 11 miles at 9:15 pace
Sunday the 24th: 16 miles at 9:30 pace

Today, I ran four miles at 9:15 pace and followed that up with some strength training. It's the first time in several months that I've done any "lifting", and I hope to do it at least twice a week from now on.

I'm at 166 miles for the month, 329 for the year, and 5,225 lifetime.

Austin Marathon - Big Group Funtimes

Austin Marathon
February 17, 2008
3:59:13

This was a really fun race for me, and I thought it was organized very well. There's no gel on course (but I bring my own), and there could have been a few more portable restrooms at the aid stations, but those are pretty small issues. It's tough to find things to complain about as far as this race is concerned. Unless you want to complain about the hills -- but can you blame race officials for that? :)

Austin Photo Album

Here's the full recap:

From O'Hare to Austin
I was thrilled to leave Chicago and land at the Austin airport on time -- around 11:00 a.m. After a short wait, my cousin, Todd, picked me up at the airport, and we made our way to the expo to pick up our packets.

I signed up for the full marathon, and Todd signed up for the half. Also in the car:
Paul (Todd's friend, running the half)
Jon (Todd's friend, running the half)
Robanna (Jon's cousin, cheering us on)

At the expo, we picked up packets for three more of Todd's friends who also signed up for the half -- Andrew, Branelle (pronounced "bran-yell"), and Erin. More on them later in the recap.

Walking Around Town
After checking in at the hotel, the five of us had lunch at a place called Fido, an Irish bar/grill in downtown Austin. It was the first place we found after we got caught in the rain. We didn't eat a whole lot -- this was just a preliminiary meal to gear up for carbo-loading later in the day.

After lunch, we stopped at a 7-Eleven, where I was hoping to find some Accelerade, which worked really well for me in my past two races. I didn't find any, so I settled for some Fruit Punch Gatorade.

The Others Arrive, Dinner Time
With a small kitchen in our suite, we were able to cook our own dinner. Andrew, Branelle, and Erin arrived with all of the necessary supplies. With eight of us talking and hanging out in the suite, there was never a dull moment. We enjoyed pasta, salad, and garlic bread. A big thank-you to Erin, Branelle, and all those who helped make dinner -- including the "engineer" that the hotel staff sent up with an oven rack for the bread. It was a wonderful meal. With the race starting at 7 the next morning, we were all asleep by 10:30 or so.

Getting Ready
I was up around 5 and went through my usual pre-race routine of making a short jog around the hotel to make sure I was comfortable. I was able to store five packs of GU and one pack of sport beans in my RaceReady shorts without any issues. I would also be carrying a small digital camera with me during the race.

The seven racers left shortly after 6 a.m. We made our way south about a mile to the start area. We quickly located the gear check areas (full marathon to the left, half marathon to the right). I went left, shedding my layer of warm-up clothes, and dropping them off with the appropriate volunteer.

Where'd They Go?
As I went to re-join the group, I quickly realized that I had completely lost them. With 12,000 people in the starting area, I walked around a few different areas in an effort to locate them -- no luck. I knew there was talk of getting in line at a portable restroom, but they were spread out throughout the area, so I wasn't sure what to do next.

With most of them planning to run at a slower pace than me, I decided to hold back at the start until everyone was away, and then I'd slowly scan the crowd and approach them from behind. While I felt a bit weird waiting around while others crossed the line, the strategy worked perfectly. As it turns out, they crossed the start line about 30 seconds before I did, and I found them about a quarter mile down the course. Whew!

Movie Time
Everyone was excited to see me, and I quickly executed my plan of capturing everyone on video. Jon was planning to run about a 1:45 half, so he had started much earlier, but everyone else was together, running somewhere between 10:00 and 11:00 pace. I ran ahead, stopped, turned around, and cheered for Andrew, Branelle, Erin, Paul, and Todd as they ran by, my camera rolling the entire time. I repeated this process once more before I settled into a steady pace with the group. While I was running much slower than my usual pace, I didn't really care, because we were all having so much fun encouraging each other. Branelle occasionally shouted, "Marco!" after Erin had dropped off the pace a bit. Erin's immediate response of "Polo!" assured us that she was still nearby.

Hanging Out and Zooming On
I stayed with Todd for the first few miles and took some more photos and video. We passed the 5:00 pace team somewhere during mile 2. I noticed our group of 6 spreading out a bit, with Andrew and Branelle further ahead and Erin and Paul a little bit behind us. After 3.5 miles, I decided it was time for me to pick things up a bit. I wished Todd well and told him that I hoped to see him at the finish.

The Rest of the First Half
As I increased my pace to about 9:00 / mile and passed hundreds of runners, I looked for Andrew and Branelle. I unfortunately didn't see them -- it's likely that they slowed to walk at an aid station while I was speeding through on the other side. I was still in good spirits, though, passing the 4:45 pace team after only a few more miles. I caught the 4:30 pace team before mile 10, at which point the half and full marathon courses split. There were still plenty of runners to keep me company after the split, but there was also plenty of room to keep passing folks. I had overhydrated just a bit, so I made a quick pit stop at mile 13. I felt pretty good as I reached the halfway point in about 2:05 (2:13 on the clock).

Fuel, Hills, and the Fastest Mile
With the aid stations about a mile apart, my alternating-fuel strategy was working perfectly. I'd have Powerade at one station, then GU+water at the next, and so on. I also substituted sport beans for GU on one occasion. This kept me strong as I powered through the second half, reaching the 4:15 pace team around mile 17.

The course had some hills. I don't think any of them were all that big, but even little ones can have an impact. I noticed that my heart rate had a lot more variance in this race than it did in the mostly-flat Rock N' Roll Arizona Marathon or the really-flat Tybee Island (Georgia) Marathon. I tried to keep my effort solid and steady, and I thankfully didn't have any problems.

The completion of mile 18 marked the highest elevation point on the course. There were still some ups and downs after this point, but no more significant climbs. About 3/4 of the way through mile 19, I noticed my pace was especially quick, so I decided to push it just a little more to turn in a split of 7:59 -- what will hopefully be the first of many sub 8-minute miles in my marathon adventures. I eased up for the next few miles after that, taking some extra time to walk and gather strength for the final miles.

Beer? Are You Crazy?
Somewhere around mile 21, a young man was asking if anybody wanted some beer. The group dynamics of the race had me in an unusually relaxed mood, so I took him up on his offer. As he popped open a can of Bud Light for me, I warned him that I would have some but that I couldn't drink the whole can. He nodded his acknowledgement and exclaimed, "Dude, you're my hero!" as I had a gulp or two. I seriously considered chugging it all down, but I decided not to risk the potential impact on my stomach. Maybe next time. :)

On to the Finish!
At mile 24, my chip time was 3:41:15. My initial thought was that four hours was out of reach, as 2.2 miles in 18:45 seemed like a lot. Then, the logical side of my brain kicked in and suggested that it was possible -- 8:30, 8:30, and 1:45 and you're home. So, I gathered my strength and pushed ahead!

With about half a mile to go, I was moving along very well. I also kept my eyes open for Todd and friends, who were potentially waiting for me near the finish. I still had my camera with me, and I was considering stopping, handing off the camera, running backwards about 50 feet, and then running by so they could get me on video. I reached the mile 26 mark, and I was flying. As I turned the final corner, I spotted some of Todd's friends cheering me on! I smiled and raised my arms in acknowledgement. However, I was moving way too quickly to stop myself, so I kept going. It all happened so fast that I can't recall exactly which of Todd's friends I saw. In any case, I arrived successfully at the finish with a chip time of 3:59:13.

Post-Race Celebrations
After a short time in the finish area gathering my warm-up clothes and grabbing some snacks, I spotted Todd, Paul, Andrew, Branelle, and Erin on the other side of the fence, each of them decorated with a finisher's medal. Never have I seen five people more excited about my finishing a race. I recorded another movie as they congratulated me, full of enthusiasm. Don't get the wrong idea here -- I am very appreciative of all the support I've received from friends and family at past races. However, this is the first time the support came from other runners. Something about this time was different, and it was very cool. I expected Todd to be at the finish, but I was very surprised that so many of them had waited around -- at least 90 minutes -- for me to finish.

We later met up with Jon and Robanna, and our post-race celebrations went on for the rest of the day. I'll spare the details, since this recap is way too long already. Let's just say that I made some new friends on this trip, and I hope to run with them again sometime. I was back home in Wisconsin by Monday night, already considering another trip to Texas to run Rock N' Roll San Antonio in November!

Race Stats and Trivia:

Miles 1-5	10:45	10:53	10:36	10:14	8:54
Miles 6-10	9:00	8:46	9:11	8:52	8:47
Miles 11-15	9:20	9:21	9:42	8:36	8:37
Miles 16-20	8:58	8:28	8:59	7:59	9:08
Miles 21-25	8:27	9:11	9:24	9:07	8:16
Miles 26-End	8:10	1:32

• Average Pace: 9:08/mile
• First half: 2:05:18 Second half: 1:53:55
• Fastest Mile: #19 (7:59) Slowest Mile: #2 (10:53)
• This is the most negative split I've ever recorded, with the second half being 11:23 faster than the first.
• This is my third marathon in a 36-day period. All three were run in less than four hours.

How'd Everybody Do?
Chip times are listed below:
Jon (not pictured): 1:46:50
Paul (top center): 2:15:22
Branelle (top left): 2:16:46
Andrew (bottom center): 2:16:52
Erin (bottom left): 2:23:43
Todd (top right): 2:29:06
Ben (bottom right): 3:59:13

Ben Finishes 15th Marathon

Ben finished today with a chip time of 3:59:13. Congratulations to the Running Man!

Posted by Andrew & Holly

Ready for Austin

I've kept busy since my last post, spending a lot of time on the treadmill. I occasionally found it boring, but all of the runs listed below were "hamster miles" as my work buddy, Jerry, calls them.

Saturday: 15 miles
Sunday: 8 miles
Monday: 6 miles
Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: 4 miles (tempo run)
Thursday: 3 miles
Friday (today): 2 miles

Rest tomorrow, and the Austin Marathon on Sunday. All systems are go! I won't have a cell phone with me on the course, but I'll have Andrew or Jenelle post my results sometime on Sunday. They should also be available somewhere on the race web site. My race number is 2412, and my cousin Todd's race number is H3517.

Wish me luck!

More Recovery Fun Times

Today is the first rest day I've taken since the Tybee Island Marathon (details in the post below). Since that exciting Saturday morning, here's what I've been up to:

Sunday: Three easy miles on the beach (about 10:00/mile)
Monday: Four easy miles on the treadmill at work (about 10:00/mile)
Tuesday: Seven miles on the treadmill (about 10:00/mile)
Wednesday: Four miles on the treadmill (about 9:45/mile)
Thursday: Six half-mile intervals at 7:30/mile pace -- once again, on the treadmill

I have run 212 miles so far this year, and I'm at 5107.5 lifetime.

When there's so much snow on the ground that you're out of places to put it, that's a pretty clear sign that you need to take your training indoors. I'm guessing it'll be at least a week before any of it melts. Oh, well.

I'm moving right along, and I think I'll be in great shape for Austin, which is a mere nine days away!

SURPRISE!

Tybee Island Marathon
February 2, 2008
NEW PERSONAL RECORD
3:49:05

Here's the full recap:

Getting There
To get away from the snow and ice that comes with every Wisconsin winter, Jenelle and I booked a quick weekend trip to Tybee Island, Georgia. Our original flight plan had us leaving from Milwaukee, connecting at Chicago O'Hare, and arriving in Savannah on Friday night. Because of the near-blizzard conditions throughout the morning hours on Friday, the MKE-ORD flight was canceled. Thankfully, we were able to get a ride to O'Hare, and there were no problems with the ORD-SAV flight, and we landed around 11:00 p.m.

After stopping at a Kroger to pick up two 20 oz. bottles of Accelerade, we arrived at the Ocean Plaza hotel in Tybee Island. I laid out my race uniform and all of my gear so that I would sleep better. I was asleep by 1 a.m.

Rise and Shine
Jenelle and I got to the race site around 6:30 a.m. I picked up my race number and snapped it in to my blue & white RaceReady singlet. I attached my timing chip to my left shoe -- standard for me, since I always wear a Road ID on the right shoe. I relaxed and stayed loose and warm in the Tybee Gymnasium until 7:20, at which point I made my pre-race pit stop. I ate a Clif bar at 7:40 with some water, and I was ready to go!

The horn's broken -- okay, everybody go!
The start was actually a bit funny. First, a lady had accidentally entered the 5K corral (heading north) rather than the half / full marathon corral (heading south). She could be heard shouting, "Where's the start?" -- apparently, the 1,600 people about to barrel down the street was just circumstantial evidence. Anyway, she made it into the right corral just in time. Then, the race horn didn't work, so the guy on the loudspeaker just said, "Go!", and we were off.

Am I crazy?
I've been in a lot of marathons lately. I ran Rock N' Roll Arizona in January, setting a PR of 3:49:45 (about 8:46 pace), and I'm going to run Austin in a couple of weeks. For whatever reasons, I decided to only tell a few people about this trip and the race. Maybe it took some of the pressure off.

There were a lot of factors that had the potential to work against me at the race. I had run a PR-setting marathon about 20 days prior. I had my big pre-race meal at lunchtime the day before, since I was on a plane in the evening. I didn't get a whole lot of sleep the night before the race or the night before that. With these concerns in mind, I ran the first mile in 9:27, gradually increasing the pace to around 9-minute miles.

Early Happenings
With the way the course loops around several times, it was easy for Jenelle to see me several times and only have to walk a block or two in between visits. I saw her at mile 3, where I gave her my throwaway long-sleeve shirt and my winter hat, trading them for a bottle of Accelerade and a baseball-style mesh cap.

The course made it possible to see some exciting racing. As I was heading north on the "main drag" (Butler Ave.), which was mile 9 for me, I could see the half marathon leaders zooming south toward the finish line. I didn't see the winner cross the line, but I did see the female leader less than 200 yards from the finish. There was a young lady on a bicycle, perhaps a race official, pedaling alongside her. I think the cyclist looked more winded than the runner. :)

Accelerade, GU / Sport Beans, Water -- Repeat As Needed
The aid stations were about two miles apart. I used that develop an extremely solid hydration and fueling strategy. I took two gulps of Accelerade at the completion of mile 9. At the 10-mile mark, I took a Strawberry Banana GU and washed it down with a cup of water from the aid station. And so on. Here's a good summary of everything I ate / drank:

Pre-Race: Clif Bar + water
Carrying with me: Three GUs, 1 pack sport beans
Mile 3: Picked up 20 oz. Accelerade from Jenelle
Miles 4-8: Some accelerade, some water as needed (not too much)
Mile 9: Accelerade
Mile 10: Strawberry Banana GU + water
Mile 11: Accelerade
Mile 12: Orange Jelly Belly Sport Beans + water
Mile 13-14: Accelerade
Mile 15: Lemon GU + water
Mile 16: Accelerade
Mile 16.1: Picked up another 20 oz. Accelerade, 2 GUs, and 1 pack sport beans from Jenelle
Mile 17: Vanilla Bean GU + water
Mile 18: Accelerade
Mile 19: Orange Burst GU + water
Mile 20: Accelerade
Mile 21: Tri-Berry GU (last one!) + water
Mile 22: Accelerade
Post-Race: Orange Jelly Belly Sport Beans, water, and the rest of the Accelerade

It really helped to have Jenelle around. That way, I didn't have to carry all this stuff right from the start!

The First Half - Preparing for the Second
I used my Forerunner 305 to pay close attention to my heart rate throughout the race. In Phoenix, I averaged about 164 beats per minute during the first half. At Tybee Island, I was averaging 155 bpm. So, around mile 11, I decided that I was going for a negative split. I knew I had more energy, but I kept it nice and easy. As half marathoners went to the right to complete their race, I went to the left to begin my second loop. My first half was just under 1:58:00, an average of about 9:00 / mile.

I opened up the throttle, gently at first and more forcefully as the race went on. Mile 14 was an easy 8:55, and then I pushed my heart rate into the 160s, churning out splits of 8:40, 8:32, and 8:37. I feared I might be pushing it too much, but I felt great, and my heart rate stabilized in the 162-164 range. I was now passing other runners on a regular basis. With about 400 marathon participants, they were few and far between, but whenever I passed one, I could usually see another in the distance. As long as I was making up ground on those in front of me, I knew I was doing well.

Smashing the Wall
Tybee Island was my 14th marathon. I've been around the 26.2-mile block enough times to know what "hitting the wall" feels like. However, I was feeling something completely different today. After consuming my last gel at mile 21, I flew around the north section of the course, picking off runner after runner. One of them jokingly said, "At least make it look hard when you pass by!" I nodded my head and proceeded to wobble about for a few paces, as if I was on my last legs. Of course, I wasn't.

Becoming slightly worried about over-hydrating, I eased back on the Accelerade in the last few miles, and I saved my second pack of sport beans until after the race.

The Final Miles
With two miles to go, I did some quick math. A sub-3:50 finish, which seemed impossible after a 1:58 first half, was suddenly in range. If I could log two sub-8:30 miles, I could beat my PR. My heart rate was now in the low 170s, but I still felt okay. I zoomed through the last aid station with a "Thanks, anyway!" Before I knew it, I was back on the main drag and on the final stretch to the finish. I passed more runners and lapped some walking half-marathoners. I was speeding up. I zoomed by Jenelle, who was slighly surprised to see me so soon. I shouted, "PERSONAL RECORD!" and sprinted to the finish.

I finished the race in 3:49:05. Though it was only forty seconds better than my performance in Arizona, it felt a million times more exhilirating.

Post-Race Fun Times
Jenelle and I relaxed at the hotel for a couple of hours after the race, enjoying a pizza from Cousin Vinnie's and some other tasty treats. At around 2:30, we ventured to North Island Surf & Kayak and spent a couple of hours kayaking along Lazaretto Creek, which borders Tybee Island on the west side. We paddled by a lighthouse and saw lots of local wildlife, including a few dolphins.

We were back at the hotel by 5 or so, both exhausted from the day's activities. After dinner at the Dolphin Reef restaurant in the hotel, we had no trouble getting a great night's sleep.

On Sunday, I woke up around 8, and I felt good enough to take a 3-mile stroll along the beach at about 10:00 / mile. It's true that running the day after a marathon is not always a good idea, but I wanted to enjoy the beautiful weather while I still could.

On the way back to the airport, we drove through South Carolina just for kicks. We made it back to Wisconsin in time to catch the last half of the Super Bowl. It was a quick weekend, but it was an amazingly wonderful time.

Race statistics and trivia:

Miles 1-5	9:27	9:02	8:51	8:54	8:53
Miles 6-10	9:00	9:06	9:09	9:08	8:44
Miles 11-15	8:48	9:00	8:51	8:55	8:40
Miles 16-20	8:32	8:37	8:32	8:37	8:33
Miles 21-25	8:27	8:27	8:15	8:24	8:23
Miles 26-End	8:25	1:25

• Average Pace: 8:46/mile
• First half: 1:57:52    Second half: 1:51:13
• Fastest Mile: #23 (8:15) Slowest Mile: #1 (9:27)
• The second half was nine seconds FASTER than my half marathon PR, which I set last April.
• I mowed down the last .22 miles in 1:25, which averages out to 6:26/mile pace.
• My Forerunner measured a maximum speed of 11.5 mph (5:13/mile pace) in the final sprint.
• More pictures at http://ibenj.shutterfly.com