Taking it easy

Since Nashville, I've reduced my weekly mileage significantly. I'm only running 3-4 times a week, and not usually more than 5 miles at a time. It's given me some extra time to do some weightlifting and other activities.

There are now movies up from both the Lake Geneva 5K and the Block Melanoma 5K, so feel free to check 'em out!

Block Melanoma 5K - Age Group WINNER!

I forgot to mention earlier this week that I signed up for yet ANOTHER 5K, which took place this morning. This race was very well-organized by the Ann's Hope Foundation, which is a non-profit organization promoting melanoma research and awareness. Once again, my mom came with me and took photos and video.

Cool temperatures set the stage for a jackrabbit start -- I tried to keep the pace no faster than 6:30 to save some energy for the finish. My GPS measured the first mile in 6:34, though I didn't reach the 1-mile marker until about 6:50.

At the turnaround point, I counted the oncoming runners and determined that I was in 25th place. My second mile was about 7:00. With about a mile to go, I passed three runners, though a quick look back showed another runner gaining on me. He passed me with about a quarter mile to go.

Approaching the finish, I considered a final sprint to re-take the position I had lost. He noticed me surging towards him, and that's what I learned he had plenty left in the tank as well. He came in three seconds ahead of me, but I still managed a new personal best with a time of 21:39.

In Lake Geneva, I would have won my age group had I been two months older, but today, I was happy to be in the male 25-29 group. With everyone in front of me either too young, too old, or too female, I managed top honors for my age group. The medal shows "1st PLACE" on the front. The back of it clarifies that it's just for the age group. In any case, it's the first time I've ever won my age group, and it's quite a thrill.

Lake Geneva 5K - Age Group Award!

This morning, Mom and I ventured west to Lake Geneva. Having run the marathon two years ago and the 10K last year, I decided to try the 5K this year. We arrived shortly after 7 a.m., so I had plenty of time to get my race number and warm up before the 8:15 a.m. start.

I managed third in my age group in the 10K last year, so I had hopes for another award today. I started near the front of the pack, and held my pace fairly well. It was tough to tell who was in the 10K and who was with me in the 5K, but I knew I was in the top ten. The course had LOTS of hills. Up and down I went, trying to keep things around 7:00/mile pace.

I reached 1.55 miles on my GPS, but there wasn't a sign anywhere telling me to head back, so I kept going. Thirty seconds later, I came to the top of a hill and spotted the turnaround point, which was actually 1.75 miles from the start.

Heading back and maintaining my top ten position, I enjoyed the encouragement from the oncoming runners. I had to remind some of them to keep right to ensure I had a place to run, but it was no big deal. About a mile from the finish, a gentleman cheerfully shouted, "You're number six!", so I knew my position.

One runner passed me before the final straightaway, leaving me in seventh. With less than 500 feet to go, one other runner and I caught up to a third runner, setting up a three-horse sprint to the finish for sixth place. I had the stuff today, so I pulled ahead and didn't need to go "all out" to hold them off. I finished with a chip time of 24:31. Adjusting my pace for the length of the course, which was 3.5 miles, I averaged seven minutes a mile.

Here's a link to the results. You'll notice that I am listed in seventh place overall instead of sixth. Why, you ask? One of the runners who I beat in the final stretch had actually started further back in the pack, so his CHIP time was two seconds faster than mine. Maybe I should have gone all-out at the finish. Oh, well.

Among the male 25-29 age group, I finished third. However, since the age group winner was third overall, he was not counted in the age group results, so I was announced in second place. The person who finished behind me on the clock (but ahead of me on the chip) was awarded first in the age group. The prizes were the same for everyone, so it didn't really matter to me.

To sum things up, I am thrilled with 7:00 pace on a very hilly 3.5-mile course. So long from Lake Geneva!

Nashville Recap

The Country Music Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee was my 16th career marathon. My mom made the trip with me, signing up to walk her first ever half marathon. We arrived on Friday morning and picked up our race numbers at the expo before it got too crowded. We took it easy the rest of the day, shopping at Opry Mills mall, touring the Grand Ole Opry, and enjoying pasta at Romano's Macaroni Grill.

We woke up shortly after 4:00 a.m. on Saturday. Rain was steadily falling as we got in our rental car and drove to LP field (near the finish). A shuttle bus got us to the start around 5:15. This gave us plenty of time to check out the "athlete's village". My mom grabbed some pre-race food while I walked my gear bag to the fleet of UPS trucks nearby. With over an hour until the race and rain continuing to fall, we sought out shelter in a McDonald's right by the starting corrals. We weren't the only ones. It was very nice of the restaurant manager to let all the runners relax in a warm, dry place.

I carried out my usual pre-race routine; a port-o-let stop at 6:20 and a Clif bar and some water at 6:45. I was in corral # 5, and my mom was in corral # 31. With the corrals heading out in waves, I reached the start line in about six minutes, but it took my mom an hour! The rain had dwindled to a sprinkle by start time, so it didn't bother me at all.

Having run my past races more conservatively, I decided to set an aggressive pace, approximately 8:30 a mile (my personal record pace is 8:44). My heart rate stayed in the 150s -- a good sign -- as I cruised through the first five miles in about 42 minutes. With the weather quickly warming up, I made sure to drink plenty of Accelerade and water throughout the race.

I didn't realize how hilly the course was until I actually ran it. There weren't a lot of steep inclines, but it seemed like I was always gradually climbing or gently descending. In any case, I kept up the pace as the miles counted up, reaching the halfway point in about 1:51.

I also increased my solid fuel intake, as I figured it would help keep me strong -- especially at the end. I had a serving of sport beans at mile 8, gel at mile 9, more sport beans at mile 11, and then more gels at miles 13, 16, 18, 21, and 24. A total of eight servings. When you're hungry, you're hungry. :)

At mile 20, I was still feeling great, and I was confident I could set a PR. With four miles to go, I determined that I could break 3:40 if I could run at 8:15 pace to the finish. However, fatigue set in at mile 23. I was in serious need of a break, and I had overhydrated a tiny bit. I knew that I could still easily set a PR even if I slowed a little. So, I made the decision to stop at a portable restroom (no waiting) at mile 24. Perhaps I could have pushed through to the finish, but I might not have been smiling when I made it. :)

My last three miles were all above nine minutes, but I was thrilled that I hadn't really "bonked". I came around the final turn full of enthusiasm. I didn't have a major finishing kick, but I picked it up a little as I crossed the line with a chip time of 3:43:06, beating my previous personal best (3:49:05) by about six minutes!

The fun wasn't over yet, though. After the usual post-race activities of medal adornment, chip removal, and food intake, I walked what seemed like a mile through crowds to get to the gear pickup area. I quickly got out my digital camera and cell phone. My mom carried her cell phone with her. She informed me that she was walking the final mile! This was exciting news, as I wasn't even sure if she would be able to walk the entire course.

I walked and weaved my way through the post-race crowd once more. I went back into the runners-only finish area to see how close I could get to the half marathon finish line. To my surprise, I was able to get within a stone's throw of the line, right between the volunteers handing out medals and the "Are you alright?" volunteers just past the finish who catch exhausted participants. I got a movie of my mom crossing the line with a chip time of 3:20:59. Way to go, Mom!

I was more than happy to help my mom through the post-race area. As we relaxed and enjoyed the festive atmosphere, we called friends and family to inform them of our successful finishes. What an awesome day!

After an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet lunch, we went to the airport and caught an evening flight back to O'Hare. It was certainly a marathon trip to remember!

Race statistics and photos:

Miles 1-5	8:37	8:40	8:32	8:20	8:02
Miles 6-10	8:23	8:33	8:34	8:22	8:22
Miles 11-15	8:29	8:44	8:13	8:43	8:10
Miles 16-20	8:18	8:35	8:23	8:26	8:18
Miles 21-25	8:15	8:22	8:34	9:16	9:08
Miles 26-End	9:05	1:42

• Average Pace: 8:31/mile
• First half: 1:50:50 Second half: 1:52:16
• Fastest Mile: #5 (8:02) Slowest Mile: #24 (9:16)
• Race Photos on Shutterfly

PR again

I finished the marathon in Nashville in 3:43:06. Details soon.

Ready for Nashville

I executed the usual "taper" plan in the past couple of weeks, and I am ready to run the Country Music Marathon! I won't be posting real-time updates here, but there will supposedly be updates on the marathon's web site. Wish me luck!

Post-50K Speed

After resting for three days after the 50K, I ran five miles at about 8:20 pace with work/running buddy Jerry on Wednesday the 9th. I got another fairly quick four miles in on Thursday. I followed that up with four miles at 7:30 (!!) pace on Saturday, and a relatively easy 12 miles on Sunday.

I'm keeping up the pace this week. I ran four miles yesterday (the 15th) and another five today. Both runs were at about 8:30 pace. I'm also trying to lift weights three times a week.

To sum things up, I guess I've had it with running "slow". We'll see how this sets me up for Nashville on the 26th.

Chicago 50K Recap

Saturday, April 5, 2008 was a perfect day to run my first ultramarathon -- the Chicago Lakefront 50K. After spending the night in Evanston, my wife, Jenelle, and I arrived at the race site around 7:15 a.m., which gave me plenty of time to pick up my number and the usual pre-race routine. Joining me at the start was my friend, Mark, who also ran his first ultra. In fact, he had never done a marathon before, though he had done some training runs above 20 miles.

Just after 8:30, the director shouted, "Start the race! Let's go, let's go!" The course was about 5.2 miles long -- we would run three out-and-back loops to give us a total of 50 kilometers (31.07 miles). My goal was to finish in five hours or less, which is about 9:39 pace.

LAP ONE
For the first 10 miles, all I wanted to do was keep things steady, but slow. I managed to do that, keeping my mile splits, for the most part, between 9:10 and 9:30. My heart rate stayed in the 140s, so I was optimistic that I could hold this pace for the entire race.

The course had three aid stations -- one at the start, one at the south turnaround point, and one in the middle. Just past the middle aid station was where Jenelle camped out for the entire race. I gave her a bag of goodies (mostly Accelerade, sport beans and GU energy gel) that I could sample every time I went by. This strategy worked very well, as I didn't have my pockets weighed down with fuel. The first time I saw her, I took the opportunity to remove my jacket and winter hat. I donned a mesh cap for the rest of the race.

The first lap was also the "get to know the course" lap -- the turns were clearly marked, so I didn't have any trouble. Near the south end of the loop, we run for about 1.5 miles on a paved bike path. With the weather being unseasonably warm (though not too hot for running), lots of bicycles, strollers, roller blades, and other folks were out to enjoy it. There were about 180 participants in the 50K, but I ran alongside plenty of people who were just out for a run.

I returned to the start line in about 1:37, and I was well on my way to a sub-5:00 finish.

LAP TWO
For lap two, I focused on fuel and hyrdation. I tried to consume a gel or a pack of sport beans about every two miles, knowing that I would need all the strength I could muster for the final lap. I consumed a gulp or two of Accelerade every mile so that I didn't cramp up. I always took the GU gels with water, usually at an aid station.

By the time I reached the turnaround point (which is also the halfway point of the race), I still felt pretty good, but I could tell that Mark was starting to tire. We split up as we headed back to the start, but we were happy that we stayed together for half the race. Whenever the course winded around, I waved to him. Even though he was half a mile behind me, he still looked pretty good.

During this lap, my mile splits were all over the place. My running speed was slightly faster, but I took some extra time to walk at various points, so the overall pace remained about the same.

I reached the start for the second time at about 3:15. I made a quick pit stop at one of the portable restrooms nearby, and I was off for my third lap.

LAP THREE
About four minutes into the final lap, I saw the course leader making his way to the finish. He ended up crossing the line in an amazing 3:21:11. Wow. Shortly after I saw him, I saw Mark, nearly finished with his second lap. He was still in good spirits, and I wished him all the best on his third lap. I knew it would be a struggle for him, but I was confident in his ability to persevere.

After I passed the middle aid station (about mile 23), I picked up the pace a bit. My heart rate drifted into the 150s, but I wasn't too concerned. I still felt great at the final turnaround, but I wasn't sure what the return trip would be like. About a mile north of the turnaround, I saw Mark one more time. With about six miles to go, he was still moving along! I gave him some more encouragement, knowing that at this point, he could walk to a successful finish if he needed to.

As I continued north, I was firmly entrenched in the "ultra zone" for the first time, and I was a bit nervous about what it would bring. My Garmin Forerunner 305 continued its emotionless way of keeping the distance. It had no trouble counting past 26.2. Lucky for me, my early race strategy worked, and the ultra monsters had no teeth. My legs felt great as I zoomed past runners in the last few miles. Mile 31 was my fastest (about 8:29), and I cruised home in 4:49:51 with Jenelle cheering me on.

Mark finished about 50 minutes later, with a time of 5:40:10. Considering that he's never run anywhere close to 50K before, I think this is a really impressive finish. Congrats, buddy!

Race Stats and Trivia:

Miles 1-5	9:22	9:23	9:27	8:59	9:11
Miles 6-10	9:15	9:22	9:26	9:57	9:15
Miles 11-15	9:32	9:13	10:11	9:12	9:10
Miles 16-20	10:01	8:53	9:04	9:42	9:02
Miles 21-25	10:20	9:02	9:01	9:47	8:42
Miles 26-30	8:59	9:42	8:56	9:04	9:41
Miles 31-end	8:29	0:35

• Average Pace: 9:20/mile
• I didn't measure my first and second half times, but I think my split was about even.
• Fastest Mile: #31 (8:29) Slowest Mile: #21 (10:20)
• My Forerunner measured the course at 31.4 miles, so I adjusted my mile splits a bit.
• Race Photos on Shutterfly
• Marathon runners: Take it easy, and you too can run a 50K!

Finish Time

The results have not been posted yet, but I found out that my finishing time was 4:49:51. This puts me unofficially in 32nd place and 8th in my very competitive age group (males under 30). It's exciting that I ran a distance in miles greater than my age in years.

I've got to take care of some family matters in the days ahead, but I'll post a full recap when I get a chance.

FINISHED!

Time about 4:50