sub-3 or blow-up trying

Bay State Marathon

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Location:

Mooresville,NC,

Member Since:

May 01, 2008

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Local Elite

Running Accomplishments:

2007 Highlights:  Litchfield Road Race (7.1) in 58:36

2008 Highlights:  New Jersey Marathon in 4:12, Bay State Marathon in 3:10:30

2009 Highlights:  Boston Marathon in 3:13:26, Litchfield Road Race in 49:30, New Haven 20k in 1:25:03, Bay State Marathon in 3:09:09

2010 Highlights:  Bradley 10k in 39:58, Litchfield Road Race in 48:06, New Haven 20k in 1:23:59, Ghost Trail 1/2 Marathon in 1:29:12 (trail), Philadelphia Marathon in 3:06:59

2011 Highlights:  Litchfield Road Race in 47:44, Ghost Trail 1/2 Marathon in 1:28:35, Goshen Turkey Trot in 40:46, Jingle Bell 5k in 19:05

2012 Highlights:  Finished Boston Marathon in 3:41:59 in 89 degree heat, broke the top 100 in Litchfield Road Race (82nd), 1st Place (overall) in Solstice 5k, Hogsback 1/2 in 1:29:36, and bq'd in Bay State Marathon (3:14:20).

Personal Records

1-mile:  5:39/track (2008)

5k:  19:05/Jingle Bell (2011)

10k:  39:58/road race (2010)

20k:  1:23:59 (2010/New Haven)

1/2 marathon:  1:28:35 (2011/Ghost Trail)

marathon:  3:06:59 (2010/Philly)

 

 

 

 

Short-Term Running Goals:

Sub-3:05 marathon in Fall

Sub-1:23 in New Haven 20k

Sub-46 min in Litchfield RR

Sub-19 in 5k

Sub-5:30 in mile

Upcoming Races: 

     TBD

 

 

 

 

Long-Term Running Goals:

sub-3hr marathon

sub-5:15 min mile

become a competitive master's runner

win age division in smaller marathon

 

Personal:

Married w/six daughters (9 year age span)

Pastor a church in NC

Enjoy travel and recreation with family

Began running in November of 2007

 

 

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Miles:This week: 16.00 Month: 151.00 Year: 363.00
Barefoot Lifetime Miles: 114.25
K12- Black Lifetime Miles: 401.00
Kinvara 13 (blue 1) Lifetime Miles: 327.00
Kinvara 13 (blue 2) Lifetime Miles: 363.00
Kinvara 14 Neon Lifetime Miles: 384.00
Kinvara 14/teal Lifetime Miles: 315.00
Kinvara Blue/red Lifetime Miles: 64.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
89.7050.0029.000.00168.70
Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 90.00Riders Red/yellow Miles: 22.00Brooks Launch 2 (orange) Miles: 57.70
Weight: 178.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.005.000.0010.00

Upper body weights + 5 on TM, including middle 2 miles @ 6:18 pace. 

Basement TM:  2 mile warm-up and then 3 miles in 18min. 

Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 10.00
Weight: 178.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Actually took Monday off, so yesterday's log is actually today. 

Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.000.002.000.009.00

Weights (legs) + 5 miles on TM- miles 4 and 5 @ 6min pace. 

4 more miles on basement TM.

Riders Red/yellow Miles: 4.00Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 5.00
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

Ran 8 miles in the pouring rain while 3 of my girls accompanied me by bike. 

Riders Red/yellow Miles: 8.00
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.007.000.000.007.00

Kind of nasty out- 80 degrees + high humidity.  Decided to do basement TM- just as nasty!  Did 7-miles @ 6:48 pace before the TM got dangerously slippery.  Shut things down and may do the 2nd half tonight. 

Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 7.00
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.008.000.000.008.00

Anual Fall Festival at church today, so really not much time to run.  Missed a window in the morning, but got an evening run in on the basement TM- did 8 miles @ 6:48 pace.  Hope continue putting in steady number of miles at 6:50 and lower in these last 2 weeks begfore the marathon.  I'll do my last long run (14-16 miles) on Monday and continue to ease my way through the taper. 

Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 8.00
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.005.000.000.0010.00

Slept in today and slept well.  First good night's sleep in over a week.  I've been fighting a cold and sore throat and believe the rest has helped me to turn a corner.  Hoped to get a longer run in today (w/good sleep and holiday), however, I felt terribly sluggish.  Ended up doing a bit of a warm-up (2miles) and then broke into a fast mp for 5 miles (6:39 pace), and then just jogged the remainder for 10miles total. 

Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
2.000.003.000.005.00

Weights @ gym + TM run:  2 mile warm-up and then 3 @ 6min pace. 

Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 5.00
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.000.004.000.007.00

Keep getting quality miles in during taper...TM:  3-mile warm-up and then 4 @ 6:27 pace. 

Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 7.00
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

10 miles slowly...wore gloves and long sleeves for the first time since winter. 

Riders Red/yellow Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.000.003.500.006.50

Did 20 minutes weights a the gym + TM- 3 mile warm-up and then 3.5 miles @ 6:20 pace.  Breaking in new shoes for next week's marathon. 

Brooks Launch 2 (orange) Miles: 6.50
Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
2.002.002.000.006.00

First, my daughter (Freshman) had a great race today, running a cross-country 5k on challenging course in 23:39.  I now in the midst of a taper and have been trying to keep the leg-turnover going in the process.  Ran alongside my 9-year-old on a bike to the track, doing 2 miles @ a 6:43 pace.  Stretched warmed up and then did 2 x 800 (2:46,2:47).  Jogged a tad bit more on the track and then started back home with a 5:48 pace for the first mile and then a slow jog for the last mile- 6 miles total. 

Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 6.00
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.002.000.0010.00

Last "longer" run before the marathon next weekend.  After the first three miles decided to pick it up for a couple miles.  Did miles 4 & 5 in 6:25,6:17 and then joined up with my wife for the last 5 miles- 10 miles total. 

Brooks Launch 2 (orange) Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
2.003.000.000.005.00

Quick run on the basement TM:  2 mile warm-up and then 3 miles @ 6:44 pace. 

Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 5.00
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.000.000.000.003.00

3 slow miles on the TM + weights.

Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 3.00
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

5 slow miles w/my 9-year-old who rode her bike. 

Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 5.00
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
2.002.001.000.005.00

Got up early to do my "dress rehearsal" for this weekend's marathon.  I was sore, tired, and groggy.  Tapers are not my favorite thing- it messes with me in so many different ways- phantom pains, feeling bloated, mentally fragile, etc. 

Warmed up two miles on the track- cool (38 degrees), sunny, and no wind.  Stretched a little and then moved into a little quicker than mp in hopes of doing a steady 3-miles.  Mile 1- 6:46 (easy, yet too breathy), mile 2- 6:46 (a little easier than the first mile), and then mile 3- 6:23 (ran the last lap and a half fairly hard).  Not a pleasant experience, yet definitely have the zip in my legs for a solid marathon this weekend.  Also, my shoes now feel broken in. 

Goals for this weekend:  1) Qualify for Boston (3:15- too late to register for 2013).  2) Pr for this particular course (need to break 3:09).  3) Marathon pr (need to break 3:06:59).

Worst case scenerio I'm hoping for = barely bq...best case= sub-3:05...I don't think I quite there yet for a sub-3, but a perfect day could get me closer.

Brooks Launch 2 (orange) Miles: 5.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments(4)
Race: Bay State Marathon (26.2 Miles) 03:14:20, Place overall: 160
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.2018.000.000.0026.20

Perfect day for a marathon.  Temperatures in the mid-40's at the starting line with very little wind.  Here's6 my best shot at the splits and personal thoughts will follow...

Mile 1: 6:37 (too fast, so tried to slow down)

Mile 2:  6:43 (still too fast...tried to move closer to a 7min pace)

Mile 3: 6:53

Mile 4: 6:57

Mile 5: 7:06

Mile 6: 6:57

Mile 7: 7:03

Mile 8: 6:57

Mile 9: 7:00

Mile 10: 6:56

Mile 11: 7:03

Mile 12: 6:59

Mile 13: 6:53

Half Marathon: 1:31:15

Mile 14: 7:03

Mile 15: 6:57

Mile 16: 7:03 (thought at this point to begin counting how many runners I could pass from here to the finish- passed 3 in this mile)

Mile 17: 7:17 (uh-oh)

Mile 18: 7:24 (legs are getting tight)

Mile 19:  ??? Looked at my watch to figure out what was needed to BQ...Needed to do 7.2 miles in just over an hour.  Decided to make sure my pace was 8:30 or faster until the end.  Kind of bummed because it was such perfect marathon weather, yet needed to stay positive because my legs and feet were definitely beginning to feel thrashed.

Miles 20-23:  Kept 8-8:30 pace fairly easily, but was concerned that I could not keep this up.

Mile 24:  Very painful mile...almost decided to walk...just kept shuffling along...never went over 9min pace.

Miles 25: Boardering on 9min pace, but would not let myself do slower.

Mile 26: Knew I needed close to a 9min pace to BQ, so picked it up a tad and ran this mile in 8:22...really draining!!

Finish:  3:14:20- My family was there cheering and I was able to pump fist a few times.  At the finish I couldn't take a single step.  My wife joined me and helped me near the food tent.  I was very wobbly and almost fell a couple of times.  Once she got a little chicken soup in my system, I began to "come to." 

Overall, although I blew up in the second half, I am pleased to have re-qualified for Boston.  It's been almost 2 years since I've run a decent marathon (3:06 in Philly/2010).  My shorter distances have improved (Half Marathon/10k/5k), but I've struggled with distance due to some achilles issues. 

This past summer I could not run over 9 miles at a time until August.  And even then I would stop every 5 miles or so to rub out my achilles.  By September I was able to get a decent 20-miler in while my wife road on a bike, yet I still stopped every 3-5 miles to rub out the achilles.  My thought is to take a short break and then back off distance running for a while.  Once I'm recovered from this race, build up the mileage gradually (rather than going from 9-milers to 18-milers). 

Interestingly, my achilles never acted up at all.  My issue became my quads and legs tightening.  This probably comes from lack of distance training- building up gradually and doing uninterrupted 20-milers.  Thanks to all on the blog!  Access to other training programs and occasional feedback from great runners continues to motivate me as a runner and does wonders for my health and fitness. 

Brooks Launch 2 (orange) Miles: 26.20
Weight: 0.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.004.000.000.0010.00

Took 4 days off to recover from the marathon.  Headed out today towards Goshen and did the first 5 miles @ 7:49 pace.  Stretched and headed back, doing the first 4 miles @ 7:21 pace and then jogged slowly mile 10.  My feet are a little sore, yet felt fairly good overall. 

Brooks Launch 2 (orange) Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.501.000.500.006.00

Ran with my daughter down to the track.  Ran a 400 (85 sec), ran a mile with my daughter (6:52), and then did another 400 (83 sec).  Did a total of two miles on the track and then 2 miles home- 6 total. 

Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 6.00
Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.000.003.000.006.00

Bracing for "Sandy."  Gym was open, so did weights and TM run:  3 mile warm-up + 3 @ 6:27 pace. 

Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 7.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.000.003.000.006.00

We were  to the west of the state and high enough to be unscathed by the "Sandy."  Prayers to those who were hit hard.  Went to the gym and did 20min weights + TM run:  3 mile warm-up and then 3 miles in 18min. 

Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 6.00
Weight: 178.50
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
89.7050.0029.000.00168.70
Brooks Launch (orange) Miles: 90.00Riders Red/yellow Miles: 22.00Brooks Launch 2 (orange) Miles: 57.70
Weight: 178.50
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