Providence Half

I ran the Cox Provience Half Marathon yesterday. The weather was almost perfect and the course was a pretty good loop, starting and finishing in downtown Providence, while working its way through Providence's East Side and part of Pawtucket. It was sort of fun to run on some of the streets that I had run on when I was in college.
I ran with Mike, who completely sand bagged me by telling me he'd stay with me as long as he could until I took off. Meanwhile, as I was stuck behind a human wall of people at mile 3, he went ahead of me and never looked back. H ended up having a great race and was able to finish strong and beat me by roughly 3 minutes. That being said, I ended up PRing which was great, beating my old best by over 3 minutes. All and all, it was a good race and I'll plan on being back next year (that is unless I decide to run with DFMC again next April....we''ll see).

Congrats To All

Congrats to those that completed the marathon yesterday, especially those that ran with Dana Farber. It was weird being on the sideline, after having participated last year. I missed it, and it made me want to be out there again, especially while I was watching in Framingham with family and friends. It was cool to see some familiar faces out there again.

That being said, we had a great time doing the BAA 5K on Sunday morning, and it was nice to be part of the weekend. I've been getting ready for the Cox Half Marathon in Providence that's in a few weeks, and I'm glad the decent weather is here (finally) and running is a little more enjoyable outside. Our little guy is even doing to make his racing "debut" in a few weeks in a road race back in my hometown which will be a lot of fun. He's taken an interest in running lately, which is really fun.

Rest up to those that ran yesterday, and maybe I'll bump into some of you out there this year.

Enjoy.

BAA Half Recap

This past Sunday was the 10^th annual BAA Half Marathon on 10/10/10 (not sure why the start time wasn’t pushed back to 10:00 AM instead of 8:30, but oh well.) I ran the race for the first time year and I really like the course, so I was looking forward to this year’s event.

This was a little bit different from last year’s race, as they “flipped the course around”, starting in Franklin Park instead of in the Fenway. I was a little disappointed that the powers that be changed the starting point. Last year, we stayed overnight with the kids downtown, went out to dinner on Boylston and I was able to walk down to the start in the morning. This year, I had to drive to UMass-Boston and then take a shuttle to the start in the park. Kate had to drive to downtown Boston with the kids, hop on the Orange Line to the Green St. stop and then walk about a half mile to the stadium (with Mike’s help). The logistics at the park were fine and well set up, but it seemed like there were fewer people near the finish this year cheering the runners at the end and (selfishly) I hope the BAA re-evaluates this setup looking ahead to next year’s race and they think about going back to the old start/finish.

Because the shuttle took a little longer than planned to get to the park, I got there a little later than I wanted. I had just enough time to drop my bag, loosen up, “use the woods” and get to the starting line. Because the coral at the 8:00/mile entrance was overflowing, I decided to go in at the 7:00/mile marker. I tried to work my way to the back of this pack, but I got held up by the crowd and had to stay put. My splits had been better leading up to the race, but they certainly weren’t around 7:00/mile. On paper, the course appeared to be hillier towards the end of the race, so I was wondering how it was going to play out as the race went on. I finished just over 1:52 last year and my goal going into the race was to try and break 1:50, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy with the hills at the end.

The weather was a little on the cool side, but sunny with little wind and perfect for running. As we started out, the first mile dropped down about 100 feet in the first mile as we left the park and the first 5K dropped about 125 feet in total. Going into the race, I was hoping to hold back a little bit and not go out too hard. That lasted about 30 seconds and I went out harder than I planned. I’m not sure if it was that the 7:00+ runners surrounding me were holding to their pace, or if I was just stupid, but I pulled 7:31, 7:41 and 7:33 for the first 3 miles. The good news was that I was way ahead of my goal pace. The bad news was that negative splits were out the window and I was putting myself in trouble for later in the race.

The other thing that I had a problem with were those idiots that decide they are either going to pass you or run right next to you to the point your either rubbing elbows or shoes. Here’s a news flash for these people. This isn’t Falmouth with very narrow Cape roads. We’re in the city and the roads are closed with plenty of room to run. Get the hell away from me. I mean, do you really need to cut me off or practically run in my shorts? I don’t have a problem running near someone for the purpose of pacing off another runner, but if you get tripped, it’s not my problem and if I get tripped, I’ll be pissed. Anyway…..

At this point, I found myself in a nice rhythm and decided that I’d keep going and do what I could to manage myself and the rest of the course. The beginning of the next 5K dropped down another 75 feet in the first mile, but then leveled off as we made our way into Longwood for the turnaround. My splits for the next 3 miles were 7:30, 7:40 and 7:44 so I was still holding pace for the most part and felt really good. As it was last year, the Emerald Necklace was a nice course and there were lots of people cheering along the way. I saw the leaders heading back just before heading into Longwood as the other runners around me cheered them on.

The next 5K is where things got tougher. The first 1.5 miles climbed back up the 75 feet we came down in the previous 5K, and I could start to feel my quads and hamstrings talking to me in a very negative tone. The good thing was that things leveled off for the remainder of that section of the race, and I started to see my splits get a little longer at 7:56, 7:51 and 7:59, but I was happy to still be living under 8:00.

In simple terms, 15 – 20K sucked. The new turnaround on the course between miles 9 and 10 brought us to the other side of the golf course and getting there was pretty much all uphill, with lousy footing. It wasn’t a huge hill, but at this point of the race, it started to hurt. Miles 10 – 11 brought us back down the way we went up, but the footing was bad in spots and with my legs getting tired, I was worried I was going to end up a$$ over head at any moment. My splits for 10 and 11 were 8:17 and 8:20. Sub 8:00’s were now in the rearview and I was starting to give back some time.

Mile 11 was back up the hill we started on, which meant a climb of 75 feet over the next mile and it hurt, but I kept it moving into the zoo and ended up with an 8:42 split for the mile, which I was happy about given how I felt. My quads were now yelling loudly and I had a blister joining the party at the tip of my left big toe.

As we made our way into the park, I was bonked. As I made it past the animal cages, and up the windy dirt path, I was worried I was going to lose my footing and fall. The only good thing was that there was no one around me so I didn’t have to worry about someone passing me or cutting me off. As I made it past the camels that were mocking me and out of the zoo, the football stadium was right in front of me. The 13^th mile had me at an 8:31 split and I made my way on to the track.

As I started the loop to the finish, people started to pass me left and right. I didn’t really care. I started to look up into the stands to see if I could see Katie and the kids, and fortunately, I was able to spot them waving. As I was waving back, I noticed Mike waving me towards the finish line. I was so tired and oblivious at this point, I thought the finish was on the other side of the track, but it was right in front of me. I was out of it.

Even with the splits going south the last quarter of the race, I ended up finishing at 1:44:40, for a 7:59 pace, beating my goal by more than 5 minutes. I definitely didn’t run the smartest race I’d ever run, but I was pretty happy with the result. Congrats to those who completed the race, as well as anyone who ran Chicago this past weekend in the 80 degree heat. That couldn’t have been easy. Good luck to those running Tufts on Monday and New York in a few weeks.

We’ll see how the rest of the fall goes. There may be a 6 hr. relay in Rhode Island on 11/16 that I may run in, and maybe a race or two after that. For now, I’m going to take a break for a few days and relax.

Summer in Review

I obviously haven't posted since the marathon (and I'm not sure anyone is ever going to see this post anyway), but I thought I'd give a recap of my summer running and how it went.

Coming off the marathon, I was kind of disappointed in my time and how I felt, so I had a bit of a hangover from the race. I didn't feel like running for a week after the race and then when I did, it was sporadic at best for a few weeks. But as the weather got warmer and the days got longer, I felt better about getting back into a routine and got myself back on track.

What helped a lot was the fact that Katie started to get into a routine of her own and we started to alternate mornings to go out for a run before the kids woke up. It was nice to get out and actually run a few races together. Here's a recap of what I ran and how I did.

Stapleton School 5k
Kate and I ran this one together and it was her first race of the year. It was a fund raiser in Framingham for a new rock wall at one of the local schools here in town. We ran together for the whole race, and she did great. We came in at 26:28 (8:31 pace), and we had a really good time. It also helped me to feel better about running again and got me motivated to get back into my routine.



Boston 13.1
Because I was feeling better about running and I was still in decent shape from the marathon, I decided to register for the 1st annual Boston 13.1 race that was down in the Blue Hills of Canton. Tough race with lots of hills (obviously) which made it really tough to get into a rhythm for most of the race. I pulled a 1:52:53 (8:37 pace), which I was pretty happy about given the course, as well as the fact that I really half-assed the training leading up to the race (I topped out at 10 miles a few weeks before the race). But I have to say, the race was poorly run and I'm not sure I'll do this one again because of it. Lots of logistical issues (e.g. they ran out of cups at multiple water stops and were handing out the water jugs to take a drink.....no thanks).



Somerset 4th of July
This is an annual race in Kate's hometown that I ran last year. They cut it down from a 5 miler to a 5K this year, and Kate decided to run it together for the first time. Her cousin and a few friends also ran, and we had a good time, with plenty of trash talking before and after the race. It was really hot (even at 8 AM), but I pulled a new 5k PR for myself, running it in 23:51 (7:21 pace), which I was pretty happy about. Katie also had a great race running a 26:52 (8:39 pace). This will definitely be an annual event for us going forward.


Cape Cod Irish Pub Race
I usually run Falmouth every year, but because of the fact they moved the race back a week this year, it didn't mesh with our vacation plans, so I took a pass. As luck would have it, The Cape Code Irish Pub's annual race was the morning after we arrived in Dennisport and it was right up the street from our rental, so Kate and I decided to register. Mike McD. joined us as well for the 5.25 mile race, and it was a great time, with great weather. I think that I had more fun running this race than Falmouth (Falmouth is fun, but it's a logistical nightmare to get your number, get to and from the race and it's always way too crowded). Plus, there was free beer after this race with Irish music as well. I was able to walk (or stumble, as it were) back to our house before going to the beach later on. I had another decent day, finishing in 40:26 (7:42 pace). This was the first time Katie had run more than 4.5 miles and she almost didn't register because she was afraid she wouldn't finish the distance, having not gone that far before. Not only did she finish, but she ran it in 43:04 (an 8:13 pace), her best pace by a lot for any race she's entered. I was really proud of her.


One of the things I've done differently with running is summer, is that I invested in a pair of Nike Frees. I'm not one of these "running-barefoot-crazy-people", but I can notice a difference in fatigue in my feet and calves after I use them vs. my Asics 2150's and, given the fact my times have been coming steadily down this summer without doing crazy mileage, I'm guessing they're helping me to get a little stronger while helping me stay healthy (knock on wood).

So what's next? Well, I was able to get into the BAA 1/2, so I've been training for that as of late. I pulled 12 miles after the Pats game yesterday and felt great, running an 8:29 pace. I plan on topping out at 14 miles before tapering back down leading up to the race. I'd love to break last year's time of 1:52:14 and I think that I have a pretty good shot at pulling it off based on where I am right now. I'm not sure what to make of the updtaed course yet, especially with the prospect of having that big hill near Franklin Park towards the end of the race. The weather finally seems like it's turned more fall-like, which will help to get ready over the next few weeks. It was way too hot for too long this summer.

After the 1/2, we'll see. With soccer games, swim lessons, CCD classes, etc. on the weekends now that the fall is here, it's going to be tough to enter some races in the near future. I guess we'll see what November brings once soccer is finished.

Enjoy the weather.

What a Day!

Well, it’s over. I ran and completed the 114th Boston Marathon. It wasn’t easy and I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t disappointed in my time, but I made it and finished. It was a busy weekend leading up to the race, with DMFC functions and little league games thrown into the mix and it made the whole experience fly by. Here is my (long-winded) recap of the race.

Morning – I woke up on my own at 4:45 in the hotel. I kissed Katie good-bye, made sure I didn’t wake the kids, and headed over to Dunkin Donuts for a bagel and coffee. It was really cool to walk the streets of Boston at daybreak without many people around, knowing that the next time I saw downtown and the finish line, it would be a madhouse. After walking through the Common, I met Mike and some fellow DFMCers at 6:00 at the Park St. station near the buses. The ride to Hopkinton ended up going faster than I expected as Mike and I made casual talk the whole way out. We walked over to the DMFC refuge at the church and started to prepare. To kill some time, Mike and I took a walk over to the starting area and Hopkinton green to check out the scene. We snapped a few photos, checked out the starting line and made fun of the people who were ordering fried dough and hot dogs from the vendors at 8:30 in the morning. We made it back to the refuge for final prep and group photos, we put our bags on the bus and we headed for the start around 10:00.

Starting Line - Mike, Gerry, Eric and I headed off to the coral. As we got close to the starting area, Mike, Gerry and I pulled off to the side to be blessed by the priests that were standing off to the side. I figured I could use all of the help I could get. As we settled into the coral, I took a look around and tried to soak up the moment. I couldn’t believe the number of people in front of us and behind us. It started to hit me that this was for real and I was about to really run this race. I was feeling calm and strong. As our wave started, we started walking up the hill and passed the starting line just over the crest. I started my Garmin, took a look at all of the people around us and headed out for my long journey.

Hopkinton/Ashland – I felt good as Mike, Gerry and I settled into a good 9:00/mile pace. This was right where I wanted to be for the first few miles. At this point, I was soaking it all in. The biker bar, the people near the Dairy Queen, the cookouts, etc. I couldn’t get over how many people were out and cheering on the runners. It was fantastic. The weather was good and I was feeling great.

Framingham/Natick – As we crossed into Framingham, “In God’s Country” by U2 started to play on my IPod, which I thought was funny (I live in Framingham). At this point, the sun began to beat down and it started to get a little warmer than I would have expected. As I we made it to downtown Framingham, I saw my friends Al and Gail on the right had side, with Al making fun of me as usual. As I made it past the Columbus Club, I saw my neighbor Barbara and her infant son cheering me on. It was pretty cool to see a few people cheering me on that I wasn’t expecting to see and it gave me a little boost. I tried to settle into a steady pace as we hit the 10K mark. But as I crossed into Natick and approached the lake, I noticed two things. First, I had salt on my shirt. I hadn’t had this happen during training, and I was realizing now that the little extra heat I felt earlier was making me sweat faster than I usually do and I was losing salt. Not good. Second, I felt really tight and sore from the back of my neck down to my shoulders, to the point that I was having trouble getting a good breath and I couldn’t catch my wind. This also had never happened during training, and not being able to breathe was starting to freak me out. I saw Kathy and Paul just past the center of town and kept moving towards Wellesley. Mike had dropped off to grab a Gatorade with his parents and Gerry was creeping up in front of me as I started to slow down a little bit.

Wellesley – I caught back up to Gerry around Pond St. right before the college. I asked him about how loud it was going to be in a few minutes and he told me it was going to get pretty noisy. As we made it past the students, it was indeed pretty loud, but not as loud as I thought it would be. I noticed that girls in a leopard leotard and running in bare feet had just passed me, which wasn’t a good sign. As I made it to the shops past the college, my back and shoulder were killing me and it was really hard to breathe. I knew that if I stopped to walk, I would most likely need to keep doing it for the rest of the race. I tried to keep going, but at the next water stop, I started to walk. As I kept moving past the park and towards Wellesley Hills, I knew the second half of the race was going to be tough. I had pulled the first half in about 2 hrs, which was my goal pace, but now I was walking too much and I knew that 4 hours was out of the question. Not running for time anymore, I focused on managing myself and just finishing. Things continued this was for the rest of Wellesley, as I periodically walked and, in hindsight, started to take in way too much water.

Newton – As I hit Newton Falls, I was feeling lousy. Fellow DFMCers were giving me a “keep going” here and there as they passed me, but I was still struggling. Crossing over Rt. 128 was a chore and I walked most of the overpass. I started to run again as I passed the hospital and Woodland station. A little further up, I spotted my mom and I gave her a big hug. She asked me how I felt and I told her “lousy” (which you should never tell your mom, as not to worry her). I gave her a kiss on the cheek and kept going. I walked a little more leading up to the fire station, and decided that I was going to run as much as I could up the first hill. That lasted for about 1 minute. At this point, my breathing was really bad and I was a head case. I decided that I would run the downhills in Newton and try to run up the hills as much as I could. I followed this procedure up until I hit Heartbreak. I took about 10 steps up the hill and realized that it wasn’t going to happen and I walked dejectedly up almost the entire hill. Cramps started to settle into my stomach as well, due to all of the water I drank earlier. I took in way too much due to my issues with the heat and the fact that I was sweating too much. As I hit BC, I couldn’t believe how loud it was. It blew Wellesley College away in terms of sheer volume and drunkenness. I started to run the backside of the hill past the school until I hit the train tracks, which is where I had to walk most of the way to Chestnut St. This is where I realized that it’s good to have your name on your singlet if you’re running well, but if you’re hurting and need to walk, you want to peel the letters off of your chest. I was out of GU and I took in some Gatorade to see if it would help me feel better.

Brookline – I started to run down Chestnut St. to Cleveland Circle. I ended up doing a run/walk until Coolidge Corner, when I started to get some wind back in me and I finally felt a little bit better. The unfortunate thing at this point was that my hamstrings were completely shot at this point and I had no way to make up any ground. I tried to pace off a few people in front of me and keep a steady pace. I also started to notice more people pulling off to the side with cramps, injuries, etc. I caught my breath again just before the Pike overpass and then started to run up the bridge. The DMFC cheering section was on the right and it gave me such a big boost as I made it by them.

Boston/Finish – I kept a decent pace through Kenmore and made it into the Mass Ave. tunnel. I walked the upgrade until it flattened out and then decided that was the last time I was going to walk. As I hit Hereford, I took the earphones out of my ears and lumbered up the hill to Boylston. As I took the left towards the finish, the end seemed to be a million miles away. I started to look for Katie and the kids, not knowing exactly where they’d be. As I kept going, I finally noticed Katie to the right hanging off of a lamp post near Lord and Taylor and cheering frantically, with Johnny right below her with my mother-in-law and Audrey. I gave them a wave and kept moving to the finish. As I crossed the line, I thought about my grandparents and the other people that I ran the race for and couldn’t believe it was over. Final time: 4:35:24. I received my medal, got my bag and gingerly headed off to meet up with Katie and the kids. I gave each of them a big hug and a kiss and we headed for the Marriott to meet up with my family and fellow runners to reflect on the race and get some food.

The one thing that sticks with me from the race is that the people in the crowd really responded to the Dana Farber shirt and the cause. I can’t tell you how many times I heard “Go Dana Farber” along the route. It made me proud to be associated with such a great organization and to help the Barr Foundation in some small way. The runners, supporters, volunteers and DFMC staff should all be proud of themselves and the work they have done and will continue to do. I’m proud to be associated with such a great team of supportive and caring people.

I don’t think that I’ve still yet been able to process the entire experience. It seems like last week that training began, and now it’s over. There are so many people to thank and congratulate, that I don’t know where to start. For me, this has been a learning experience on many different levels, and one that I’ll never forget. I’m not sure that I’ll do this again in the near future, but I won’t say “never”. What a race!!

Here We Go....

Today is Friday and the marathon is roughly 3 days away. This is the last time I’ll write before heading into the weekend and getting ready for the race. I wonder how I’ll feel when I write again next week once the race is over. Will the weather be nice? Will I achieve my time goal? What will it be like at the starting line moments before we begin? What will it feel like to cross the finish line Monday afternoon? Right now, the collective answer is, “I don’t know.” But I can’t wait to find out.

I want to take this opportunity to say thanks again to all of my donors and supporters. As I write this, I’ve raised over $5,300 for the Barr Program. I’ve said it a bunch of times over the last few months, but the generosity I’ve witnessed has been extraordinary and those of you that have contributed have my thanks and gratitude.

I’d also like to say thank you to my family. Everyone has been so supportive over the last several months in different ways and I really appreciate their help in this endeavor. I’d especially like to thank my wife Katie, who has been nothing but supportive, caring and patient and since that day last fall when I told her that I wanted to run Boston this year. She’s been everything from caregiver to psychologist for me related to this race, and I appreciate the time and effort she's put forth on her end to pick up my slack at home so that I could have the time to train. I couldn't have done this without her help and encouragement.

Wish me luck on Monday and don’t forget to track me during the race via either the BAA web site or via the AT&T runner tracker on your phone. Oh yeah, and check out Broadside with Jim Braude on NECN tonight at 6:00 pm or 8:00 pm to see some of the team talk about the race, the Barr Program and play some trivia.

What Are "Friends" For?

Here are 3 recent comments made by friends of mine as we approach the race on Monday.

1. When told I was running in the race this year....."Why are you running a marathon? You remember what happened to Pheidippides at the end of his run, right?" (I immediately went out and bought a heart monitor).

2. When I mentioned my goal of breaking for hours....."That's great. Didn't Oprah break 4 hours?" (After feeling defalted for about 10 minutes, I confirmed that she did not break 4 hours and felt better).

3. When asked if I wanted to play golf a few Saturdays ago, but declined because of a long weekend run....."Why go for a run? With the way you golf, you'll probably log more mileage looking for your ball in the woods all day?" (No comeback for this one. He was right).

What are friends for?