The race day, as usual, started early. The Apple I Phone alarm was prompt at delivering it's "old Phone," sounding blare at 3:30 am. "Cool, I was waiting to get up to start this day."
I love to train but I also love to race. Racing is the one time where you can compare yourself to others and see how you stack up.
After my customary pre-race ritual of 64 ounces of coffee and oatmeal I got dressed and my wife delivered me to the marathon venue.
So peaceful it is along the lake and in Grant Park early marathon morning. Runners have their gear bags and all seem at peace with what is about to unfold. Some are nervous as well.
People are flooding into the park from all directions. There would eventually be over 38,000 runners filling Grant Park.
I just look around and take it all in. This is a special moment. This is the culmination of many months of training. For me it was a moment to reflect on how I blended triathlon training with marathon training together. How would this play out?
My legs felt great and my cardiovascular fitness is the best it's ever been. If anything, I was concerned that my leg strength and endurance would lag behind my cardio fitness. Time will tell.
After checking my gear bag I took care of some business and then headed to corral B. Standing there was surreal. You have all of these other athletes there taking in the moment and doing their own pre-race stretching, etc.
I kept track of the weather forcast during the week. It seemed like the temperature during the race was not going to be perfect. But, I figured that the first half of my race would be run with temps in the 60's and the the remainder would be run in temps in the low to mid 70's.
My thought was, "this can't be that bad." Also, the humidity level was going to be nominal. I also had my last two triathlons to draw experience from where the temperatures during the run was mid 90's and very humid.
Standing in the corral just minutes before the start I looked east towards the lake and saw the sun rising. Then I once again got teary eyed that the time was here. This would be it for a while. It would be some time until I would be on the lakefron path with my running friends. The friends I don't know. I only know their faces. The faces of dedication and commitment.
Today I would run with them. This is going to be a great day for a long run.
It was great to hear the starting horn. We all moved forward like cattle at first. Before you know it we are off and running.
My goal was to run the first 13-20 miles at a swift pace and then coast in. I thought, "lets do as many miles as possible at a really good pace before it may get too warm." So, that's what I did.
I was not sure at all what the cruising speed would be. I was going to allow my body to dictate that. My minimum goal was to come in at 3:30 or less. The meant averaging approx 8 minute miles for the race.
It did not take long until I realized that a pace around 7:30 was comfortable. I felt fast and fresh. I was having a ball with the fans lining the street as I high fived as many kids as possible. I was also telling the fans that they would be out there on the marathon course running next year.
The miles were clipping by. I got in a few conversations with others along the way. I asked one girl how she was feeling and then we got in a conversation about triathlons. In a split second she tripped and fell and I stopped to protect her from getting run over. I helped her up and we were off again.
I would run into her several times during the race. It was funny.
I kept myself hydrated and also poured water on myself during the race. This has become a proactive routine as I learned this in my triathlons in the excessive heat. It keeps me cool.
I just kept cruising. No problems whatsoever. My breathing and heart rate were totally under control. I had visions of a 3:20:00 marathon.
But, things changed during mile 23 per my Garmin. I started getting a right hamstring cramp. I've dealt with this exact cramp in this leg before. I would stop and stretch it out. This happened about 5 or 6 times during the last 4 miles. It was bad enough to make me change my running gait. I just wanted to run damn it.
Give me pain. I had pain. I could feel the pain in my quads down to the bone. Fine!! I love pain and can deal with it. My feet hurt. So what!
I know that the mind tricks the body into easing up. The body can do so much more than the mind sometimes lets it. "Break through the obstruction." "Pain is temporary." These were my thoughts.
It's the cramping that really gets me. I am not sure if you can run with cramps or not. What happens if you don't stop and just keep running. My hamstring cramps feel like a charlie horse starting. When I would stop and feel it, it felt like an apple. I would just stretch and go, stretch and go.
Then I started getting worried about not getting in under 3:30:00. I would be so disappointed if that happened. I was not going to let that happen. I had worked to hard all day.
I was running stiff legged trying not to bend my leg too much. My hips were doing most of the work. Running up Roosevelt was slow motion.
Please let me do this.
I made it up the hill with no cramps and turned left towards the finish. My Garmin said, 3:27: something. I'm thinking, "how long can it take to go only 200 meters?" Seemed like forever.
The closer I got the more I had to drag my right leg. But, finally I crossed the finish line and stood there. I walked ever so slowly forward. The Garmin said, 3:29 something.
Whew, I did it! A new PR, another BQ and a NYC Marathon qualification.
I could hardly walk and it took a while to get the medal and refreshments. I was in pain.
I met my wife and we decided to begin our 2 mile walk north to the Bloomingdales building. I think this walk was harder than the run. I could only go so fast which was snails pace. About 1.5 mph, if that.
I did change my shirt, socks and shoes before we walked. My wife wanted me to change my shorts and I was like, "no way Jose." If I bent my legs who knows what would happen. So, I thank my wife for changing my socks and shoes for me.
I had one cramp in my left leg that was strange. It started in/on my shin muscle and it started pulling my foot towards my knee. I did not know what to do. Thank God it went away.
During our walk to Bloomingdales I actually ran into that girl runner who I helped up after her fall. I looked at her and said, "hey, it's my friend." I introduced her to my wife and asked how she did. She was happy and ran a 3:40:00.
Once at the Bloomingdale building I got a large pomagranete frozen yogurt and we went home.
From this experience I learned that I can sustain an excellent pace for a long time. My cardiovascular fitness is terrific. I am not sure why I got such bad cramps but I dealt with them and got the job done.
I look forward to my next challenge.
My splits are below:
The race day, as usual, started early. The Apple I Phone alarm was prompt at delivering it's "old Phone," sounding blare at 3:30 am. "Cool, I was waiting to get up to start this day."
I love to train but I also love to race. Racing is the one time where you can compare yourself to others and see how you stack up.
After my customary pre-race ritual of 64 ounces of coffee and oatmeal I got dressed and my wife delivered me to the marathon venue.
So peaceful it is along the lake and in Grant Park early marathon morning. Runners have their gear bags and all seem at peace with what is about to unfold. Some are nervous as well.
People are flooding into the park from all directions. There would eventually be over 38,000 runners filling Grant Park.
I just look around and take it all in. This is a special moment. This is the culmination of many months of training. For me it was a moment to reflect on how I blended triathlon training with marathon training together. How would this play out?
My legs felt great and my cardiovascular fitness is the best it's ever been. If anything, I was concerned that my leg strength and endurance would lag behind my cardio fitness. Time will tell.
After checking my gear bag I took care of some business and then headed to corral B. Standing there was surreal. You have all of these other athletes there taking in the moment and doing their own pre-race stretching, etc.
I kept track of the weather forcast during the week. It seemed like the temperature during the race was not going to be perfect. But, I figured that the first half of my race would be run with temps in the 60's and the the remainder would be run in temps in the low to mid 70's.
My thought was, "this can't be that bad." Also, the humidity level was going to be nominal. I also had my last two triathlons to draw experience from where the temperatures during the run was mid 90's and very humid.
Standing in the corral just minutes before the start I looked east towards the lake and saw the sun rising. Then I once again got teary eyed that the time was here. This would be it for a while. It would be some time until I would be on the lakefron path with my running friends. The friends I don't know. I only know their faces. The faces of dedication and commitment. Today I would run with them. This is going to be a great day for a long run.
It was great to hear the starting horn. We all moved forward like cattle at first. Before you know it we are off and running.
My goal was to run the first 13-20 miles at a swift pace and then coast in. I thought, "lets do as many miles as possible at a really good pace before it may get too warm." So, that's what I did.
I was not sure at all what the cruising speed would be. I was going to allow my body to dictate that. My minimum goal was to come in 3:30 or less. The meant averaging approx 8 minute miles for the race.
It did not take long until I realized that a pace around 7:30 was comfortable. I felt fast and fresh. I was having a ball with the fans lining the street as I high fived as many kids as possible. I was also telling the fans that they would be out there on the marathon course running next year.
The miles were clipping by. I got in a few conversations with others along the way. I asked one girl how she was feeling and then we got in a conversation about triathlons. In a split second she tripped and fell and I stopped to protect her from getting run over. I helped her up and we were off again.
I would run into her several times during the race. It was funny.
I kept myself hydrated and also poured water on myself during the race. This has become a proactive routine as I learned this in my triathlons in the excessive heat. It keeps me cool.
I just kept cruising. No problems whatsoever. My breathing and heart rate were totally under control. I had visions of a 3:20:00 on my mind.
But, things changed during mile 23 per my Garmin. I started getting a right hamstring cramp. I've dealt with this exact cramp in this leg before. I would stop and stretch it out. This happened about 5 or 6 time during the last 4 miles. It was bad enough to make me change my running gait. I just wanted to run damn it.
Give me pain. I had pain. I could feel the pain in my quads down to the bone. Fine!! I love pain and can deal with it. My feet hurt. So what!
It's the cramping that really gets me. I am not sure if you can run with cramps or not. What happens if you don't stop and just keep running. My hamstring cramps feel like a charlie horse starting. When I would stop and feel it, it felt like an apple. I would just stretch and go, stretch and go.
Then I started getting worried about not getting in under 3:30:00. I would be so disappointed if that happened. I was not going to let that happen. I had worked to hard all day.
I was running stiff legged trying not to bend my leg too much. My hips were doing most of the work. Running up Roosevelt was slow motion. Please let me do this.
I made it up the hill with no cramps and turned left towards the finish. My Garmin said, 3:27: something. I'm thinking, "how long can it take to go only 200 meters?" Seemed like forever.
The closer I got the more I had to drag my right leg. But, finally I crossed the finish line and stood there. I walked ever so slowly forward. The Garmin said, 3:29 something.
Whew, I did it! A new PR, another BQ and a NYC Marathon qualification.
I could hardly walk and it took a while to get the medal and refreshments. I was in pain.
I met my wife and we decided to begin our 2 mile walk north to the Bloomingdales building. I think this walk was harder than the run. I could only go so fast which was snails pace.
I did change my shirt, socks and shoes before we walked. My wife wanted me to change my shorts and I was like, "no way Jose." If I bent my legs who knows what would happen. So, I thank my wife for changing my socks and shoes for me.
I had one cramp in my left leg that was strange. It started in/on my shin muscle and it started pulling my foot towards my knee. I did not know what to do. Thank God it went away.
During our walk to Bloomingdales I actually ran into that girl runner who I helped up after her fall. I looked at her and said, "hey, it's my friend." I introduced her to my wife and asked how she did. She was happy and ran a 3:40:00.
Once at the Bloomingdale building I got a large pomagranete frozen yogurt and we went home.
From this experience I learned that I can sustain an excellent pace for a long time. My cardiovascular fitness is terrific. I am not sure why I got such bad cramps but I dealt with them and got the job done.
I look forward to my next challenge.
The race day, as usual, started early. The Apple I Phone alarm was prompt at delivering it's "old Phone," sounding blare at 3:30 am. "Cool, I was waiting to get up to start this day."
I love to train but I also love to race. Racing is the one time where you can compare yourself to others and see how you stack up.
After my customary pre-race ritual of 64 ounces of coffee and oatmeal I got dressed and my wife delivered me to the marathon venue.
So peaceful it is along the lake and in Grant Park early marathon morning. Runners have their gear bags and all seem at peace with what is about to unfold. Some are nervous as well.
People are flooding into the park from all directions. There would eventually be over 38,000 runners filling Grant Park.
I just look around and take it all in. This is a special moment. This is the culmination of many months of training. For me it was a moment to reflect on how I blended triathlon training with marathon training together. How would this play out?
My legs felt great and my cardiovascular fitness is the best it's ever been. If anything, I was concerned that my leg strength and endurance would lag behind my cardio fitness. Time will tell.
After checking my gear bag I took care of some business and then headed to corral B. Standing there was surreal. You have all of these other athletes there taking in the moment and doing their own pre-race stretching, etc.
I kept track of the weather forcast during the week. It seemed like the temperature during the race was not going to be perfect. But, I figured that the first half of my race would be run with temps in the 60's and the the remainder would be run in temps in the low to mid 70's.
My thought was, "this can't be that bad." Also, the humidity level was going to be nominal. I also had my last two triathlons to draw experience from where the temperatures during the run was mid 90's and very humid.
Standing in the corral just minutes before the start I looked east towards the lake and saw the sun rising. Then I once again got teary eyed that the time was here. This would be it for a while. It would be some time until I would be on the lakefron path with my running friends. The friends I don't know. I only know their faces. The faces of dedication and commitment. Today I would run with them. This is going to be a great day for a long run.
It was great to hear the starting horn. We all moved forward like cattle at first. Before you know it we are off and running.
My goal was to run the first 13-20 miles at a swift pace and then coast in. I thought, "lets do as many miles as possible at a really good pace before it may get too warm." So, that's what I did.
I was not sure at all what the cruising speed would be. I was going to allow my body to dictate that. My minimum goal was to come in 3:30 or less. The meant averaging approx 8 minute miles for the race.
It did not take long until I realized that a pace around 7:30 was comfortable. I felt fast and fresh. I was having a ball with the fans lining the street as I high fived as many kids as possible. I was also telling the fans that they would be out there on the marathon course running next year.
The miles were clipping by. I got in a few conversations with others along the way. I asked one girl how she was feeling and then we got in a conversation about triathlons. In a split second she tripped and fell and I stopped to protect her from getting run over. I helped her up and we were off again.
I would run into her several times during the race. It was funny.
I kept myself hydrated and also poured water on myself during the race. This has become a proactive routine as I learned this in my triathlons in the excessive heat. It keeps me cool.
I just kept cruising. No problems whatsoever. My breathing and heart rate were totally under control. I had visions of a 3:20:00 on my mind.
But, things changed during mile 23 per my Garmin. I started getting a right hamstring cramp. I've dealt with this exact cramp in this leg before. I would stop and stretch it out. This happened about 5 or 6 time during the last 4 miles. It was bad enough to make me change my running gait. I just wanted to run damn it.
Give me pain. I had pain. I could feel the pain in my quads down to the bone. Fine!! I love pain and can deal with it. My feet hurt. So what!
It's the cramping that really gets me. I am not sure if you can run with cramps or not. What happens if you don't stop and just keep running. My hamstring cramps feel like a charlie horse starting. When I would stop and feel it, it felt like an apple. I would just stretch and go, stretch and go.
Then I started getting worried about not getting in under 3:30:00. I would be so disappointed if that happened. I was not going to let that happen. I had worked to hard all day.
I was running stiff legged trying not to bend my leg too much. My hips were doing most of the work. Running up Roosevelt was slow motion. Please let me do this.
I made it up the hill with no cramps and turned left towards the finish. My Garmin said, 3:27: something. I'm thinking, "how long can it take to go only 200 meters?" Seemed like forever.
The closer I got the more I had to drag my right leg. But, finally I crossed the finish line and stood there. I walked ever so slowly forward. The Garmin said, 3:29 something.
Whew, I did it! A new PR, another BQ and a NYC Marathon qualification.
I could hardly walk and it took a while to get the medal and refreshments. I was in pain.
I met my wife and we decided to begin our 2 mile walk north to the Bloomingdales building. I think this walk was harder than the run. I could only go so fast which was snails pace.
I did change my shirt, socks and shoes before we walked. My wife wanted me to change my shorts and I was like, "no way Jose." If I bent my legs who knows what would happen. So, I thank my wife for changing my socks and shoes for me.
I had one cramp in my left leg that was strange. It started in/on my shin muscle and it started pulling my foot towards my knee. I did not know what to do. Thank God it went away.
During our walk to Bloomingdales I actually ran into that girl runner who I helped up after her fall. I looked at her and said, "hey, it's my friend." I introduced her to my wife and asked how she did. She was happy and ran a 3:40:00.
Once at the Bloomingdale building I got a large pomagranete frozen yogurt and we went home.
From this experience I learned that I can sustain an excellent pace for a long time. My cardiovascular fitness is terrific. I am not sure why I got such bad cramps but I dealt with them and got the job done.
I look forward to my next challenge.
Split Time Moving Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Pace Avg Moving Pace Best Pace Steps Calories
1 0:06:43 0:05:36 1 115 130 6:43 5:36 0:55 0 92
2 0:01:27 0:01:06 0.23 204 201 6:26 4:52 2:30 0 23
3 0:07:14 0:07:11 1 194 191 7:14 7:11 2:20 0 123
4 0:07:21 0:07:18 1 0 0 7:21 7:18 2:14 0 121
5 0:07:33 0:07:27 1 0 4 7:33 7:27 4:20 0 123
6 0:07:33 0:07:33 1 6 0 7:34 7:33 5:27 0 120
7 0:07:39 0:07:40 1 3 3 7:39 7:40 6:31 0 120
8 0:07:35 0:07:34 1 16 13 7:35 7:34 5:54 0 120
9 0:07:21 0:07:21 1 0 10 7:21 7:21 4:18 0 121
10 0:07:35 0:07:35 1 10 0 7:36 7:35 6:53 0 120
11 0:07:28 0:07:25 1 3 0 7:28 7:25 6:51 0 119
12 0:07:29 0:07:28 1 0 4 7:29 7:28 7:02 0 120
13 0:07:28 0:07:25 1 0 7 7:28 7:25 6:40 0 119
14 0:07:27 0:07:25 1 15 13 7:27 7:25 4:42 0 121
15 0:07:14 0:07:14 1 7 8 7:14 7:14 2:44 0 125
16 0:07:30 0:07:26 1 5 0 7:30 7:26 6:50 0 120
17 0:07:27 0:07:28 1 0 5 7:27 7:28 6:54 0 119
18 0:07:30 0:07:30 1 3 6 7:30 7:30 6:12 0 120
19 0:07:38 0:07:34 1 7 0 7:38 7:34 6:56 0 119
20 0:07:39 0:07:36 1 3 0 7:39 7:36 7:01 0 120
21 0:07:54 0:07:52 1 0 0 7:54 7:52 6:29 0 120
22 0:07:43 0:07:38 1 0 7 7:43 7:38 6:57 0 119
23 0:08:07 0:08:03 1 6 0 8:07 8:03 6:24 0 119
24 0:08:18 0:08:17 1 13 30 8:18 8:17 7:07 0 119
25 0:08:52 0:08:48 1 14 0 8:52 8:48 7:51 0 119
26 0:09:14 0:08:58 1 0 11 9:14 8:58 8:04 0 113
27 0:09:46 0:09:43 1 11 0 9:46 9:43 6:52 0 116
28 0:06:33 0:06:31 0.67 10 4 9:49 9:45 5:33 0 79
Summary 3:29:32 3:26:42 26.89 646 645 7:47 7:41 0:55 0 3,189
-----
" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."
* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin
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