Carmel Marathon 2016 Race Recap

I could look at this one as "the one that got away" as I posted an "oh so close to a sub-3:00" finishing time. But, you know what? I ran 26.2 faster than I have in my life and that alone was worth all the time and effort I put into training. For three solid magical hours I felt like I was truly "racing" a marathon.

I'm proud of myself for not giving up near the end - when I pretty much knew that I'd need a miracle to finish the last few miles fast enough to go sub-3:00, I still tried my damnedest and hung on somehow for a pretty big PR and an age group win. During most of my 10 weeks of training, the goal was to simply run a confidence building sub-3:05 PR. My attempt at a sub-3:00 would be reserved for Chicago in October. It was only in the past few days that I had changed my goal from 3:05:00 to 2:59:59. 

I've run enough races that I realize that sometimes I'll beat my goal by a few seconds and other times I'll come up short by a few seconds. That's the way racing works. A PR is still a PR and should be celebrated. I may never run another marathon this fast again, so I should savor the memory.

Pre-Race

This was going to be my first small town marathon. I've only ever marathoned in cities with over 600,000 residents (Chicago, Boston, NYC and LA) so with Carmel, Indiana having a spread out population of 85,000, this was going to be a completely different experience. It was also different in that I've also never run a marathon where there were other distances running on parts of the marathon course. This one had a 5k, 8k and half marathon as well. Trying to weave around the half marathon walkers would provide obstacles during the latter half of the race. 

In any case, my friend Dan and his brother (who were both running) picked me up at the hotel at about 6am. In about 10 minutes we were in the parking garage listening to tunes killing some time before we needed to use the facilities. At about 6:30, we made our way to the lobby of the building we parked in and used the indoor bathrooms and when we were finished we sat on the floor of the lobby. I spotted Erin and a college friend of mine and we all briefly chatted, before I headed out to bag check.

After checking my bag (except for my small bottle of pickle juice), I made my way over to the start corrals, where they impressed upon us how international the race had become by having participants from different countries wish us luck in their native tongue. They also mentioned that Carmel is Indiana's second largest marathon. Then a prayer was said (Ed. they pray before all races in Indiana) and then 8-Time Boston Marathon wheelchair champion Jean Driscoll started the race and we were off!

The Race

First Half

I wanted to start conservatively and gradually pick up the pace. The plan was to run 7:20, 7:15, 7:10 for the first three miles. So I lined up alongside the 3:10 pacer and just ran relaxed and tried to fight off the urge to over-speed too early. Erin's husband Jason cheered me on at the mile 1 marker and snapped some pictures:

At Mile 1 (src)

Hello! (src)

The first three miles were net downhill, so my actual splits were faster than planned at 7:14, 7:10 and 7:03. I sped ahead of the 3:10 pacer and spent a few more miles on the meandering course as it wended its way through suburban subdivisions. We eventually separated from the half marathoners (for the time being), and I spotted the 3:05 pace group ahead. I decided that I'd try tuck in the middle of them for a few miles. That way, I could knock down some relaxed 7:00 minute miles and let them do the pacing for me. However, I had to speed up to actually catch the group as their pace seemed to be about a 6:55/mile. The two pacers were having a jovial conversation trying to help the runners relax and keep their minds off of the stresses of the race. After a half a mile, I glanced at my watch and realized that their pace had dropped to 7:15/mile. The pace swings were too much for what I needed. I could do yo-yo pacing on my own! So, I took off and left the group behind. I was in about 65th place overall at the five mile split according to the results.

Running through the woods with my
pickle juice in hand (src)

Finally it was time to get down to business and lock in the 6:42/mile pace that would get me to my sub-3:00. So after a 7:02 mile six, I sped up maybe a little too much and ran mile seven in 6:48 and finally got to my 6:42 for mile eight. So at that point I just needed to hold onto 6:42 until the finish. At the aid stations I'd grab a cup of water and pour it into my bottle which contained what remained of the pickle juice, so the concentration of the drink got diluted over time. Anyway, out of nowhere I heard someone yelling "Go Pete!" and it was Violetta from my team the Bootleg Runners Coalition waving a giant BRC flag! A side-five with her helped energize me and miles 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 were all perfectly done to plan at 6:42/mile. Before I knew it, I stepped on the half marathon mat at 1:30:02 and was halfway home. At this point, I would have been about 10 seconds behind a 3 hour pacer (if there had been one). Unfortunately, the race organizers got rid of the three hour pacer just a few days before the race, which for me (and a few other pace-challenged runners) became a major issue. For 3:00 tracking purposes, I'm going to call this non-existent pacer my "Imaginary 3 Hour Pacer" or "IP" from here on out.

First half split: 1:30:02 (6:52/mile)

Second Half

Mile 14 was another perfect 6:42/mile but after that I sped up. This meant that I was now ahead of "IP" because I ran a pace of 6:37 for the 15th mile. It was a needless acceleration, and the extra effort was close to imperceptible at the time, but there was no need for it. It was my fastest mile of the day and probably took more out of me than I would have liked. At that point I was 11 seconds ahead of "IP". I was passing quite a few runners and had to weave around the half marathon runners and walkers as we ran on a narrow trail. I also had to weave around the third place female (who would go onto win $250) and her bicycle escort. Over miles 16 through 20, I gained even more time on my "Imaginary Pacer" by averaging 6:48/mile which put me 20 full seconds ahead. However, at the time I thought I had more time "banked" than there was in reality. At the mile 19 aid station, I almost missed getting a drink of water due to an angry dad having a bad water and banana exchange with a boy who I presumed was his son. Luckily I was able to squeeze around him and grab a cup of water from the last outstretched hand and topped off my pickle juice with some glorious fresh water. 

Miles 21 and 22 were in a nature park near the Monon Center which included two ascents and descents of this bridge:

Bridge at Monon Center (src)

The sun was starting to heat things up and there was no shade in the park. I could feel myself slowing slightly, and climbing the bridge two times took just a little more out of me than I would have liked at this stage.  Even though I was slowing to a still speedy 6:53/mile for 21 and 22, it was enough for me to drop 5 seconds to the IP. I was 15 seconds ahead of IP, but losing precious seconds by the mile!  At the mile 22 aid station, I spotted a race clock and finally my head cleared enough to do some pacing math and I realized how dangerously close I was to losing my quest for a sub-3:00 with only 4.2 miles remaining. I was thinking a final time of 3:02 (or worse) might be in the cards if I continued to fade like I was. I told myself that I'd come this far and was going to give myself a chance to break 3:00. After taking my final swig of pickle juice, I ditched the bottle and was now "hands free". After cresting the bridge for the second time, the course left the park and headed back through an industrial park area towards the town of Carmel and the finish line. I passed a couple of runners who were throwing up in the heat. I was fading albeit not nearly as badly as them, and felt the race slowly slipping away from me. By the mile 24 marker I'd fallen a whole 30 seconds behind "IP" after struggling to lay down two 7:05s for miles 23 and 24.

Suddenly, I could hear the footfalls from a group of runners from behind who were gaining on me. One of the runners was obviously coaching another runner in the group. The coach was yelling at him that his sub-3:00 goal was still realistic and that it was "now or never for the glory". I knew that I needed to stay ahead of that group, for falling behind them meant that I would likely miss sub-3:00. So I turned on what little energy I had left and buzzed through downtown Carmel's Arts and Design District. My mile 25 pace improved to 6:56/mile. Although it was enough to stay pretty far ahead of the group of runners behind me, I sensed it was not enough to make up the time deficit I was facing. I was given a boost when Erin and Jason cheered me on as Jason snapped these pictures: 

Trying to find speed as I head uphill (src)

I had to swerve around a few half marathon walkers and did so like a man possessed. One of them swung their arms out just as I was passing and I brushed them. They shouted out a loud "jeez!" or something like that, but there was no time for apologies, because I was trying to dart through the razor thin openings between these groups of walkers in order to save a few seconds by not weaving. I pumped my arms and continued to haul up and up towards the final turn. Xaarlin's husband L cheered me on took these of me running the "kick killing" uphill portion near the homestretch: 

 Going up the final hill (src)

I finished mile 26 in 6:55. As much as I had wished this mile would have been net downhill instead of net uphill it was not to be. It almost broke my will as the incline would not give me the leg turnover I needed to fly. I didn't quit however, and was determined to speed up even more. The speed came at long last after the final turn where there was a 300 yard downhill stretch to the finish. As I neared the finish line about 100 yards away, I could hear the announcer say "we have just passed the 3 hour mark", which was deflating, but I still flew down the hill and finished the final 0.3 miles at a 6:34 pace.

Finished! (src)

 Second half split: 1:30:18 (6:53/mile)

Results
Finishing Time: 3:00:20
Overall: 18/686
Age Group: 1/65

Analysis: My official time was a 3:00:20 for an official pace of 6:52/mile. I missed 2:59:59 by 21 seconds, but PR'd by four minutes and 43 seconds. I got first place in my division and the prizes were a 1st place medal and a $20 gift card from a local running store. My Garmin shows that I ran 26.3 miles for a 6:51/mile pace average. So, I probably got an unofficial "Garmin sub-3 hour marathon" because I likely passed 26.2 on my watch in the 2:59:40 range. I BQ'd by 24+ minutes, which means I can register on the first day of registration for Boston 2017 - if I so choose. After looking at the results, it appears that the entire group of runners who were also gunning for sub 3:00s that tried to pass me during mile 24, all missed 3:00 by less than a minute. what if we had all banded together with a pacer, would we all have been on the "happier" side of that number?

I ran pretty much even splits 1:30:02 and 1:30:18 which I feel is also a major accomplishment. I was in 65th place after mile 5 and finished in 18th place, so I passed at least 47 runners from 5 to 26.2.

I feel relatively good over 72 hours post-race and made it through the entire training cycle (including the race) injury-free. I'll be starting the next training cycle at a better place physically than I did the last one. Coming up short in this one makes me more excited than ever to start my marathon training for Chicago - since I'm confident now it's within my reach.

Post Race:

I didn't know if I wanted to cry or throw up after I grabbed my medal after the line. Part of me that wanted to cry because I had put so much into training for this race, come so close to my goal, and now it would be back to the drawing board and a wait of six more months to try and run 21 seconds faster at the Chicago Marathon. I might have felt sick from the heat/dehydration that I was finally feeling the effects of. Still reeling from the shock of missing by such a close margin, I managed to down a bottle of chocolate milk shake and felt just a little better. Then I headed over to the indoor bathrooms to change. A flood of congratulatory tweets and texts flooded my phone, including Mo whose sage advice was to "wait till tomorrow to beat yourself up over those 21 seconds!" which made me laugh and I told myself to stop the pity party. I went back to the finish line to watch Xaarlin's finish and was turning on my camera when she came blazing by - yelling something about a city on the East Coast. Check out her blog and she can elaborate!

Xaarlin, Erin and I met up near the chute:

Erin, Xaarlin and me

We chatted for a bit and planned to meet in the beer garden. I met up with Susana (who BQ'd), Andreas, and Violeta and we chatted and took a picture.

Susana, Andreas and me (photo by Violeta)

Then my friend Dan, his brother and I went over to the post-race beer garden, but they were sold out of beer! I guess the half marathoners had drunk it all before us marathoners could finish. So, we went over to the Union Brewery instead and met up with Xaarlin and crew. After a beer, it was off to Upland Brewery for lunch and more beer with the Chicago contingent. We toasted Jenny and Manny's engagement with some fancy schmancy beer. Then it was off to the hotel to take a long nap! All-in-all it was a fantastic day spent running and celebrating with many friends. Looking forward to doing it again soon!

Next Up: Ravenswood Run on Sunday!

2016 CARA Lakefront 10 Miler Race Recap

This was my first time running the CARA Lakefront 10 Miler. It's a shame I haven't run it before, since it's such a good time and only a 10 minute drive from my house. I won't plan on missing this race in the future!

 

Goal: Since it's now only four weeks until Carmel, my goal was to use this race as a tune-up and also to get a good idea of what my marathon pace should be for the race next month. Since the weather was near perfect for racing (upper 30s, 8 mph wind), my goal was to run a smart race (i.e. start slow) and shoot for a 10 mile PR (sub 1:04:02).

Getting To the Race: At about 7:50 am I drove east down Foster until I reached the parking lot at about 8:00 am. 

Pre-Race:  I stopped my car near the mile 1.5 of the course to collect my BRC shirts from Annabelle who was working the aid station there. Then I drove another half mile south to snag a parking spot closer to the start/finish area. I sat in my car for 15 minutes drinking coffee until I decided it would be a good time to use the porta-potties.

After the porta-potties, I headed over to the Ragnar tent to visit Mo who was working there. I chatted with Mo and then Melanie came over to introduce herself, and we finally got to meet her IRL! Eric showed up and we talked a little more. I went over to bag check and bumped into Kim and we chatted briefly.

Me, Eric and Mo

After bag check it was off to the start corral. In the corral I bumped into Efriam and Janessa and we chatted a bit before the national anthem. The horn sounded and we were off!

The Race

Miles 1 and 2:  At the start it seemed like there were quite a few runners shooting off at a super fast clip and I had to remember that the race also had a 5k option, so I realized that the heavy breathing headphone wearing set were probably only running 3.1 miles and not 10. I might have held back too much as I saw my first mile was a 6:40. However, I told myself that there were plenty of miles to make it up. Annabelle cheered me on at the first aid station. 6:31/mile.

Miles 3 and 4: It was time for the first of two ascents of Cricket Hill. I knew this one would be easy compared to the one I would have to do during mile 10. After running up and then down the hill, things flattened out as we headed south on the Lakefront Trail. There was a nice tailwind which made life easier. 6:20/mile.

Having fun racing on the LFT  (source)

Miles 5 and 6:  We circled Diversey Harbor and headed north into the wind. I was passing quite a few runners. 6:18/mile.

Miles 7 and 8: I tried to keep a 6:15 pace, but the wind was not letting me. Nevertheless, I was still doing quite well in the passing department. 6:21/mile.

Miles 9 and 10: We then made our way up Cricket Hill for the second and final time. I bet I ran it twice as slowly as the first time and my gait resembled a shuffle. The only thing I was concerned about was to not let anyone pass me on the uphill or downhill. Once that hurdle was out of the way, I put the pedal to the metal and hauled towards the finish. I was passed unexpectedly by two dudes who were flying. Darn. On the bright side, I passed a guy right near the finish line - and he let out an expletive under his breath! 6:09/mile.

I crossed the finish line and got my medal about two feet later!

Analysis:

Overall: 67/1,276

Age Group: 6/75

Official finishing time was 1:02:47 for a new PR by over a minute! My main goal was to PR and I did that. My former 10 mile PR was set at the height of my fitness six years ago, so hopefully this means that I am even fitter now. According to the race conversion tables, If I play my cards right in the next four weeks and if the weather is cool for Carmel, I could get that coveted marathon PR in April!

Post Race:

I picked up my gear and headed back to see Mo at the Ragnar tent. Eric met up with us and he and I headed over to the Lagunitas beer garden. 

Post race with free beer

As we enjoyed our drinks, we stood by the fence and about three people on the other side handed us their extra beer tickets as they left. So we had a couple of extra beers and gave a couple more tickets to Mo and Jakre who met up with us in the beer garden.

Conclusion:

Nice cool race conditions plus marathon fitness = PR. Also, lots of running friends and beer!

Next Up: Shamrock Shuffle in two weeks!

Shamrock Shuffle 2015 Recap

As I mentioned in my last post, I was unsure of my fitness going into this year's Shamrock Shuffle 8k. Basically, I have cut down on my mileage and have been following the "run slower to get faster" philosophy for the first time in my life. I was definitely in better shape than I was going into last year's race, but the weather, especially the forecasted 30+ MPH winds out of the south were a wildcard that made me unsure of how things would go.

Pre Race
I woke up at around 5am put my running gear on and went for a two mile slow "shakeout run". Then I got my backpack together and walked to my neighbor Tad's house and we left for the race at about 6:40 and got to his $14 "Park Whiz" spot in about 20 minutes. The spot was only a couple of blocks from one of the entrance gates in Grant Park which was pretty sweet. Tad is a CARA member, so we walked over to the CARA hospitality room at the Hilton. Unfortunately, I was not allowed in the room (since I'm not a CARA member), so I sat in the warm lobby of the hotel in a comfy leather chair until 7:30 when I got up and walked over to the CRB group picture on Columbus Drive. I bumped into Lynton (who else?) and then found the blogger picture:

You may have seen this picture on about 10 other blogs (src)

Then it was over to bag check and a leisurely stroll to the "A" corral. Once in the corral, I bumped into Ken, Annabelle and John B. It got a bit chilly, but luckily I had on a disposable cotton hoodie which I threw towards the fence once the air horn sounded.

The Race:
Mile 1: From the start, I was right behind Annabelle (what else is new?!) and she took off ahead of me along with the masses. Usually, I have to force myself to hold back during the first mile, but for some reason my legs were not letting me run a fast pace, so I just went with whatever pace they were giving me. Although I felt like I was getting passed by quite a few runners, I knew that the Shamrock Shuffle is famous for people overdoing it in the first 3.1 miles - then flaming out. So, I wasn't worried that my pace was just a little slow. 6:40/Mile

Mile 2:  It was a little windy here and there, but since we were in the heart of the Loop, it wasn't too bad. I tried to stay tucked behind groups of runners wherever possible. I passed John and started to pick off runners here and there. 6:19/Mile

Mile 3: More of the same, windy, and tucking behind runners. 6:24/Mile

Mile 4: I stepped on the 5k timing mat at 19:59 exactly. So, I guess I definitely proved my sub-20 pacing cred. Anyone need a pacer?! I was still behind Annabelle, but I sensed that I had a lot of speed saved up in my legs. So for the first time in my racing career, I passed Annabelle (disclosure: she has been taking it easy in training, so I'm sure she will dust me next race). I then proceeded to haul up the Franklin Street hill and started really laying on the speed. 5:52/Mile.

Mile 4.97: Since this is the shortest race I've run since April of last year, it was exciting to know that after only four miles I was almost finished. I stopped tucking behind runners and just put my head down, ran into the wind and started picking off tons of runners along Michigan Ave. I easily crested the hill at Roosevelt Road. Then, as I made the turn onto Columbus Drive, perhaps the best race picture of me in quite awhile was taken while I was turning while airborne:

Turning onto Columbus Drive while airborne

I then started my descent towards the finish line and it was a mad dash down the final 200 yards:

"Shuffling" near the finish

I heard my name called by the race announcer and I was done! 5:52/Mile.

Finishing "strong" ha, ha.

Analysis: This was my 2nd fastest 8k ever and only 38 seconds off of my 8k PR. My last two miles were on a 5k PR pace. If it had been slightly warmer and slightly less windy, I may have been able to get sub-31, or maybe even flirted with my PR. The results of this race might give me the confidence to at least attempt a 5k PR at the Ravenswood Run in four weeks. I hope to be even speedier as I will have had a few more track workouts by then. It also helps boost my confidence in the "run slower to get faster" philosophy that I have been following.

Post Race: 

I walked down the finishers chute and met up John and we walked over to bag check.

Me and John Post Race

We got our stuff and made our way to the Buckingham Fountain post-race party. We scored some beer and met up with Annabelle:

Meeting up with Annabelle post race

After chatting a bit, Annabelle and John took off to go to the BRC after-party, so I walked to the other side of Buckingham Fountain and found Lynton, Eric and Mo. Then after awhile Eric and I took the Green Line over to Kaiser Tiger. There we met up with Xaarlin, Erin, Maggie, Jenny and the rest of the crew for brunch. I feasted on a bacon waffle and an Irish banger and washed it all down with a Bloody Mary (with bacon and a beer chaser). Yum!  Maggie kept us laughing through brunch with her witty humor. After brunch, Erin and Jason graciously gave me and Eric a ride to the Brown Line for the trip home. Thanks guys!

The Future:
I'm looking forward to my 5k and Half Marathon race in the next two months. If I just keep doing what I'm doing and not do too much, I should be in good shape for to shoot for at least one PR!

Shamrock Shuffle 2014

Since I have been nursing an ankle injury for the better part of the last few months, I was only able to squeeze in four weeks of low-miles training for the Shamrock Shuffle. I got in a 40 mile week two weeks before the race which helped my endurance, but it also help set off some ankle pain  (too much, too soon?), so I took most of last week off from running to try and get healed up for the race. In any case, I still wanted to "race" the Shuffle and try and score some points for my team the Bootleg Runners Coalition. However with so many speedy teammates, I expected that my time would merely serve as a "backup" in case someone could not make it.

Pre Race
My neighbor Tad and I left for the race at about 7:20 and parked at our $14 spot just a quarter mile from the start line. Unfortunately, due to security concerns, they were only allowing runners entrance to Grant Park through a couple of access points. This took us about a mile of run/walking to get to. So, after checking my bag, I only had a few minutes for a real warm-up jog, before I made my way to the A corral to scout out other Bootleggers.

Once in the corral, I spotted fellow Bootleggers Lynton, Annabelle and Ken. After a brief chat and the national anthem - we were off.

The Race:
Mile 1: I was right behind Annabelle and half contemplated trying to run with her, but I thought the better of it as she is in Boston shape and I felt it better to run my own pace. This was a complete flashback to the 2013 Chicago Marathon, where I also ran behind Annabelle for a mile or so, later in the race. 6:35/Mile

Mile 2: I started feeling really good and started to push the pace a little too much. 6:20/Mile

Mile 3: I knew I was running too fast, so actually using my brain, I slowed down so I would have some energy for the homestretch. Flashbacks to the Hot Chocolate 2013. 6:36/Mile

Mile 4: Started to get winded but I knew I had enough energy to put this one away. 6:20/Mile.

Mile 4.97: One thing I have been doing regularly in training is using the stair climber, so hitting Mt. Roosevelt was slightly less painful than anticipated. However, when I got to the top, a guy running directly in front of me STOPPED! I put my arm out in front of me to deflect off of him and try and avoid a fall. I think he was winded by the climb, but decided to choose the exact spot where I was accelerating to recover. I had to swing to the outside to get clear of him costing me a couple of precious seconds.

Climbing Mt. Roosevelt

About to make the turn...

Way on the outside after almost falling

Anyway, with only daylight ahead of me, I sprinted down the hill towards the finish line where I heard Annabelle's name being called as a finisher. I also heard my name called as a member of the Bootleggers! Very cool. 6:19/Mile.

My Official Results

Analysis: It turns out this was my 2nd fastest 8k ever. I think I did quite well, considering my short training cycle. I also ran a somewhat sweet negative split. My next race is the Indy Mini (Half Marathon). I'm hoping that if I can run 6:30/mile for 5 miles, I should be able to run 7:00/mile for 13.1. In order to do this, I need to concentrate on endurance runs and very little on speed. Hopefully, this type of training should help my ankle stay relatively healthy. Also the BRC got 2nd place and my time counted toward the total score! Although, I was the #4 runner, it feels good to contribute.

BRC will be back for 1st place next year!

Post Race: 

I walked down the finishers chute and met up with Todd, Ken and Annabelle.

Finishers' chute with the BRC

We walked over to the packet pickup, got our stuff and made our way to the Buckingham Fountain post-race party. We bumped into Mo (who had run a marathon the day before! Wow!). The group got setup by the fountain with Mo providing a mylar blanket to sit on. Then we had some libations with Eric and Jennifer. My neighbor Tad showed up and had a beer or two before he needed to split. Then Maggie, Anne and her friend showed up and of course it was time for photos:

Eric, Jennifer and Mo (who ran a marathon the day before!)

Hangin'

Lynton, Anne and her friend

Maggie, Lynton and the Green Guys

The gang (BRC and WRCE)

Then it was off to O'Donovans with some of the group for a gut-buster post-race buffet.

The Future:
I'm looking forward to some more CARA races with the BRC and am cautiously optimistic I can keep injury-free if I don't push myself too hard (fingers crossed).