RR: Broad Street Run

The Lead Up
I hadn't run at all in the week leading up to the Broad Street Run (10 mile race down Broad Street in Philadelphia, PA).  I had managed two bike sessions on my trainer on Tuesday and Wednesday but hadn't been able to fit in a run.  Friday after work I explained to my loving, wonderful wife that I needed to get in a run considering I had a long race on Sunday.  So I headed out for a quick 4 mile run, the goal to see how I felt with my face under 8:00/mile.

Well, I managed the four miles in under 32 minutes, but I was by no means just cruising along.  Yeah, I am not even close to the shape I was in last December.  Regardless, I still felt like going sub 1:20:00 on race day was a possibility.

Pre-Race
I was up at 5:00AM, rearing to go.  Actually, I had to drag my ass out of bed and then forced myself to eat some Pop-Tarts.  I left the house around 5:30AM so that I could get down to the Wells Fargo Center parking lot at 6:45AM where I was to meet my friend Bill.  No problems at all, Bill pulled in right around 6:45AM and we were on our way to the start around 7:00AM.

The start area of the Broad Street Run is chaos.  You have 30,000 people all in a two or three block area, all with no where to go until the race starts.  Bill and my first stop was the porta-potties, and as we soon found out we would only have one chance to take care of business on this morning; the lines were epic.  Again, no issues, we were in and out with out incidence thank goodness.

Around 8:10AM we made out way to our corral, the PURPLE CORRAL.  This were good, we were just chilling out...oh yeah, we were also trying to find a friend of Bill's who was going to run as well.  By a stroke of amazing luck, we found him about 8 minutes before the start.  Things were going very smoothly.

The Race
BANG!  The gun went off and so did we.  I had told Bill that I was targeting 1:20:00 as my finish time, considering my lack of training.  He thought that was realistic for him as well, but if he felt good toward the second half he was going to push it.  Mile 1 came and went quickly as is the case with most races, 8:04, right around on target considering the still somewhat thick crowd.  I could tell that I was going to be struggling a bit though as my heart rate was in Zone 4 and didn't show signs of dropping.

I think it was around mile 4 that I finally started to drop back from Bill and his friend Colin.  I just didn't have it in me to go any faster than I was already.  Miles 2 - 4 were all at 8:03 pace and I was struggling to maintain that.  I silently let them drift off ahead of me and just concentrated on maintaining my pace.  I also popped in three Clif Shot Bloxs with had an immediate affect on me (all positive).

Just before mile 6 the course goes around Philadelphia City Hall and the crowds get quite large.  It was exactly what I needed!  I got a nice adrenaline rush which allowed me to pick up my pace for the next mile or so.  By the time I got to mile 7 I knew that I was going to have to speed up a bit if I wanted to get under an hour and 20 minutes.  I was running a steady 8:04 pace but with each passing mile that left me with additional seconds that I was going to have to make up with fewer miles remaining.

Mile 8 was a bit faster with mile 9 faster yet (around 7:45).  The crowds that had dwindles a bit after City Hall started to build up again and I could feel my energy levels rise again.  At that point I knew that the faster I ran, the faster I would be done.  One mile remaining then I could stop running and down some bad post-race food.  There was a girl running in front of me, she was wearing an orange tank and orange compression socks.  She was running faster than me and I decided that she is the one I would follow to the finish line.

I moved my legs faster; my watch said 7:25 pace.  All I wanted was to be done.  Finally I could see the finish line and I ran a little faster.  I checked my watch and was almost certain that I was going to meet my goal.  DONE!  Stop my watch.  Immediately check the time.....1:19:43.  I managed to get under 1:20:00 and I felt good.  Tired, but good.

Post-Race
I found Bill and Colin about two minutes later, just passed the medal folks.  Bill looked completely spent, this was the longest race he had ever run and he did it in just over 1:17:00.  He ran negative splits for the entire race I think; just a stellar job by he and Colin.  I grabbed a banana, some water and we made out way out.  I would have liked to of hung out for a bit longer, but I had my daughters soccer game to coach at 12:00PM.  No worries though, I was soaking wet with sweat, smelled awful and needed to sit down.  The drive home in the car would do me right.

Final Thoughts
I went into this race more under-prepared than any other race I have ever done.  With that said, I had pretty high expectations for myself (sub-8:00/mile pace for a 10-mile race).  I am very happy that I was able to meet my goal and realized that I still have a bit of residual fitness remaining from IM Arizona.  I have also learned that even if I can't get out for a run, it is a good idea to at least get on my bike and put in 45 - 60 minutes of riding.  It isn't running, but it is exercise and that is better than nothing.

I know I have said this before, but it starts today.  I have about 12 - 13 weeks until the New Jersey State Triathlon (Olympic Distance) and I have to start my training for that.  I have got to get my training schedule set so that I have something to work off of, a reason to get up at 4:30 or 5:00AM.  This past Sunday was a wake up call and I am ready to start working again!!!

Six Days & Counting

The Broad Street Run is only six days away and I can safely say that I am woefully under prepared for the race.  I have done my best over the past couple weeks to prepare myself for it, but I suspect that Sunday is going to be a suffer-fest for me.  Regardless of my training, or lack thereof, I am still hoping to run it in under 1:20:00 (8:00/mile pace).  I will be running it with my friend Bill, who I will be relying on to pace me for the duration, or at least until he pulls away from me with four miles or so remaining.  Despite my lack of training, I think I can hold a sub 8:00/mile pace for ten miles.....God I hope I can!!!

As for my training, I did manage to make it five straight days in a row.  Friday night was a 45 minute spin on the bike and Saturday was a 9.1 mile run in the pouring rain.  It was slow going, but I did get it done.  Needless to say, Saturday afternoon was a little rough for me, I was extremely sore from the run.  It is a far cry from six months ago when my typical training run was 8 miles, which included a good amount of speed work.  I have a quite a long road ahead of me until I get into race shape.

I wasn't able to do anything on Easter Sunday because I was busy with all of the things that come with the holiday, e.g. going to church, preparing for company, cleaning, entertaining, etc.  I suppose I could have gone out for an easy run before bed, but I was just so tired.  Monday is my traditional day off from training, so I didn't even attempt to head out, although I probably should have gotten back into P90X.  Oh well, I could always start again tonight.

Speaking of racing, I haven't been a pool since mid-January and it doesn't look like I am going to be swimming anytime soon.  Work is a killer right now and I just don't have the funds to join the local "Y" right now.  I guess I am going to have to wait until our local pool opens up Memorial Day weekend and just do all of my swimming there.  I can assure you that there will be many a wetsuit swim in the chilly waters of Fanny Chapman.

Technically this is a taper week for me, but then again how does one taper when two weeks ago I was logging a whopping 10 miles a week?  I guess there will be no taper for this week, maybe just take off on Friday and do an easy 2 - 3 mile run on Saturday.

That is it for now, time to get back to work and set up some appointments.  Cheers!

Quick Update

I don't have a lot of time this morning so I am going to make this short and sweet....then again I always say that and end up writing way more than I planned.

I like to think  I am back in the swing of training, but I say that having only done two days of training in a row.  The real test will be if I am able to run or bike after my daughters lacrosse practice tonight (which I coach as well).  I probably won't get home until around 8:00PM and after getting her cleaned up and the other two in bed it will probably be close to 8:45PM.  That means I am going to have to utilize all of my will power to get me either out the door for a nice 4 - 5 mile run or in to my basement for an hour ride on the trainer.  No doubt it will be difficult, but I am sure that I can do it.  Hell, I was able to do it for eleven straight months in 2010, no reason I can't do it now.

As for the week in training thus far, Tuesday I was all ready to head out for a run, but then life got in the way.  Before I knew it, it was already 9:15PM and I had no desire to go out into the wet weather for a 5 mile run.  Instead of packing it in an doing nothing, I put on my cycling gear and did a 45 minute ride in the basement while watching IM New Zealand.  For me, there is nothing better for motivation than to watch replays of past Ironman's to make me work hard.  I know I am not going to be a professional triathlete, but being a solid age group contender going forward is what I want. 

Yesterday was a gorgeous day and I was able to get out and do a 4.75 mile run right before dinner.  I felt like crap for the whole run, but I think that was largely due to what I ate prior.  It started with a breakfast meeting at Shula's where I consumed a healthy portion of French Toast and sausage.  I then followed that up with a lunch meeting at the White Dog where I had the "Green Meadow Farm Cheddar Burger - Smoked Bacon Mayo, Grilled Red Onion, Brioche Bun" with fries.  I was so full and I think it stayed with me all through my run which was a solid four hours afterwards.  It was warm out (75F) and I was slow, but I got it done.

I had been pretty good about watching what I eat, but then it all fell apart yesterday.  I tried to remedy that this morning by starting my day with a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast.  For lunch today I think it is going to be a Salad Works day and for dinner maybe just some eggs on a bagel (after my training session of course).

That is it for now....the Broad Street Run is only eleven days away.  Sayonara!

Saturday & the Stateliner Spring Classic 5K (not the UNITE)

I woke up on Saturday morning feeling a hell of a lot better than I did on Friday.  Apparently the meds I was prescribed were doing what they were supposed to do.  I had what looked like a very busy day ahead of me and I was ready to get started. 

First up was to take my youngest daughter to dance class at 9:30AM, oh and have my older daughter accompany me so that my wife to do some food shopping and other necessary household duties, all of which keep the household running smoothly.  Dance was pretty uneventful except for the last 10 or 15 minutes when I was able to watch a run through of their June recital.  It is going to be really cute;  about ten 4 and 5 year old girls tap dancing to a song from "The Lion King."

Next up, waiting to see if my oldest daughter was going to have a lacrosse game.  The end result - called off at 11:30AM because of the "threat of heavy rain."  This proved to be a very wise decision.  Upon finding this out, the girls and I decided (actually I decided and they fought the decision) to take a drive to Rutgers to pick up my race packet for the UNITE Half Marathon....the race I would not be running because I was not even close to being in race shape.  We had a good time though, driving and walking around my Alma Mater, despite all of the rain.  They girls were great the whole time.

The rest of the night was uneventful, except for the thunderstorms that kept the girls up a bit later than normal.

Sunday - Stateliner Spring Classic 5K
Stateliner Spring Classic 5K was my first race since Ironman Arizona, and I can honestly say that I don't think I have ever been less prepared for a race in my life.  The only reason that I was even going to do the race was because two of my old friends from Chubb (Bill and Chris) were doing it and it was a chance to catch up with them. 

I have been riddled with injuries and illness for the better part of the past four months and my training has been limited to about three days a week.  I went in hoping for something around 23 minutes and anything lower would be a bonus.  At the start I told Bill and Chris that I was going to try and stay with them for about 1/4 mile and then I would just settle into my pace and try to have fun.....and that is exactly what happened. 

Mile 1 - I was passed by quite a few people, which is a very different feeling for me.  Granted I am not the fastest runner, but I do normally run a 5K at about 6:45/mile pace.  Runners were passing me like I was standing still....I was OK with this.  The first mile is pretty much uphill and I was just hoping to be around 7:30 by the mile marker, and that was about where I ended up, maybe slightly faster.

Mile 2 - The course flattens out there and it was at this point that I started to pass many of the overzealous teens and young ladies that went out like, well inexperienced kids.  My pace improved and I believe I was right around 7:12 for that mile.

Mile 3 - Ah, finally the downhill payback, but why wasn't I going faster?  I guess I just didn't have it in me or just didn't care to push myself too hard for fear of injury or making my "strep" worse.  I chose to cruise down the hill, not getting passed by anyone, but also not catching anyone either.  7:01

The Track - I entered the Phillipsburg track on the heels of another runner with another runner about 20 yards ahead of him.  Any other day I would have busted ass and caught both of them and been dry heaving at the finish.  Today was a different day, I didn't want to be puking at the end, I just wanted to glide in to the finish.  And....that is exactly what I did.  I just glided into the finish, happy to be done and happy to have finished with a time of 22:20, a 7:12/mile pace.

I definitely could have run at a much faster pace.  I definitely could have really bombed the last mile downhill.  I definitely could have caught those two guys on the track.  I definitely could have pulled a hamstring or tore my Achilles tendon.  I chose to take it easy for once in my life and just enjoy the day.  It was a good day for a race.

Post-Race
The three of us hung around for the raffle and awards.  I won two tickets to the Wurst Festival at Shawnee Mountain (they will probably be re gifted).  Chris took second our age group and Bill took third; a solid job by both of them.  After that is was off for a hearty breakfast at the Key City Diner, where I had a much deserved plate of French Toast (so good!).  That was followed with a tour of P-burg and then home.

At Home
On the drive home I tossed around the idea of going for a run with my oldest daughter (she is in the running club at school).  She is supposed to be running during the week and gets to double the miles if she runs with a parent.  So when I got home I asked her if she wanted to go running with me.  She said yes and off we went (with me pushing my 5 year old in the jogging stroller).  We ran to the park near us, they played for a little bit and then we ran home.  It was awesome to be able to go for a run with my 8 year old.  Who knows, maybe it will be another of our things.

That is about it for now.  Work is calling me.  I have about two weeks to get ready to run the Broad Street Run in Philly (May 1st).  That should be an experience.  Adios!

Broad Street Run Race Report

The first word that comes to mind is HOT. Sunday’s Broad Street Run was simply that….HOT. When I woke up at 4:50AM on Sunday morning it was HOT. When I got into my car it was HOT. On my walk from my car to the SEPTA train it was HOT. The ride up to the start was, well, that was COOL….but when I got off the train it was HOT. Perhaps I am exaggerating just a bit, but it is important to set a tone and that tone is HOT.

Pre-Race
I hopped in my car at 5:15AM and made my way down to Lincoln Financial Field; I arrived around 6:00AM, much earlier than I expected but that was OK. On the way down I started to drink my Gatorade G2 and at my Pop-Tarts (I should have had another pair with me). I found my way to the SEPTA train and I was on my way to the start. I was a bit tired from my lack of quality sleep the night before and I managed to sleep for about 20 minutes on the train which is unusual for me. I was at the start by 6:45AM and now had an hour and 45 minutes to kill, if only I had remembered a newspaper or something to read and pass the time.

I did all the things that one would normally do before a race (that is enough of that without getting the slightest bit graphic), and just tried to stay off my feet. So for the next hour I just laid around and people watched. Of course around 7:55AM I got in line to use the port-a-pottie for the last time and the line was so long. I checked my watch every 30 seconds and stressed about whether I would make it to the start line in time. At precisely 8:20AM I made it in and didn’t have a lot of time to spare. I went quickly and then hustled to the start corral only to find that it was packed and I would have to sneak in somehow.

Race
I managed to inch my way into the purple corral and waited for the air horn to start us off….it was time, whether I was ready or not. The horn went off and I was on my way, my end point ten miles away. My plan was to run at 7:15/mile, see how I felt after two or three miles, then make the determination as to whether or not I could pick up the pace and try to get close to a 1:10 finish. The first mile was much tougher than it should have been, but I was running at a decent clip based on the crowd (7:12). Mile two was a bit flatter than the first and my legs just weren’t feeling as fresh as I had hoped they would, I slowed a bit (7:18), but I was still at 7:15/mile average. The next mile everything started to slow and I knew it wasn’t going to be my day. It was a slow 7:27 (overall pace to 7:18/mile). No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get my feet to move any faster and I was just soaked with sweat…thank God for all of the fire hydrants that were spraying water on the runners! Mile 4 was the same as the previous (7:26) and Mile 5 got a bit slower (7:33), the wheels were coming off and there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it. Not even the Gu Chomps I ate at mile three helped me. Halfway (5 miles) time: 36:56

The next three miles were all over the place, I just couldn’t get into a rhythm: Mile 6 – 7:23; Mile 7 – 7:36; Mile 8 – 7:45. I was hot, sweaty, wet (not necessarily a bad thing, much the result of multiple fire hydrant showers), and just not happy. I wanted to get done with the friggin’ race so badly. Mile 9 I picked up the pace a bit and ran it in 7:38 (hardly killing it) in hopes that it would all be over soon. The last mile, wasn’t bad, there were crowds cheering and I knew that in only a little over seven minutes it would all be over. I did my best to run hard, but I couldn’t get my legs going fast enough. I was determined to finish in under 1:15 though, maintaining an overall pace under 7:30. I ran that last mile in 7:19 [NOTE: When I stopped my Garmin 305 at the finish it showed an extra 214 ft run at 6:34/mile for a total of 16 seconds.]. My finish time was 1:14:51, not the 1:10 stretch goal, but under the 1:15 that I was my achievable goal.

Post Race
As was the case with my last race, I didn’t prepare adequately for this race, specifically I did way too much the day before (lots of yard work, didn’t take in enough fluids, went to bed too late, etc.). The fact that the temperatures were around 80F at the start and close to 90F at the finish didn’t make things any easier. I actually just looked back at my splits from the half-marathon I did on April 18th and I did the first ten miles (1:14:40, 7:27/mile pace) faster during that race than I did at Broad Street. All in all I am happy with my time given the circumstances, I set a PR for the distance, I finished in the top 6% of all finishers (1,306 out of 26,200), the top 9% of all males (1,065 out of 11,854), and the top 9% of my age group (153 out of 1,734).


It’s now time to focus on triathlon training and getting my swimming (swam 2,500M this morning) and biking up to speed. Of course saying that, my next races are a 5K (Wednesday, May 18th, Johnny King-Marino presents The Sertoma 5k) and a 5 miler (Saturday, May 29th, Spring Lake 5). Stay cool out there!