Race Report.

Columbus Marathon was today. I finished with a time of 2 hours, 57 minutes, and 29 seconds. 6:47 minute per mile pace. I'm pleased.

The weather couldn't have been better. 38 degrees at the start. I'm not sure it got over 50 during the race. Sunny. No wind. Excellent conditions.

It was a really nice weekend. I drove up with my mom on Saturday. We had a nice pancake breakfast before we hit the road. We got our race stuff at the Expo and looked around. Then we had a fabulous Italian dinner near our hotel. Dad arrived later that evening when mom and I were already getting ready to go to sleep.

I wasn't really sure what my goal was going to be. The past week I'd been nursing a sore left leg/quad/tendon (I'm not really sure what was bugging me...). It was probably good in that it really forced me to take it easy this week. It also made me stretch a lot. So with an iffy leg, I didn't want to psyche myself out so i was trying to keep a pretty level head about the race. Just start running and see what happens. I definitely wanted to qualify for Boston (3:10 marathon qualifying time). So if nothing else, that was my back up goal.

Well, I felt pretty good in the morning. My leg was a tiny bit sore...not really sore, but I was aware of it, if that makes sense. Sometimes something doesn't hurt but something doesn't feel right...like an odd sound you might hear in your engine or something, just out of place.

I'm pretty relaxed at the start. It helped not having major goals. I met some friends at the start line. One friend, Chris Cavanaugh, wanted to run a 2:45. I sort of decided I'd start running with him and just see what happened. Sort of crazy and stupid..but I was well aware that I'd be running a lot faster than I'd been training. But I thought it might be kind of fun, you never know.

The music before the race started was great! Really heavy metal, pump-you-up kind of music. Made all of us runners feel tough, haha.

The race started and I felt great. The leg was no problem at all! I started running with Chris and we got into a great groove. We were running probably 6:20s for about 16 miles...that's about when my body started telling me it'd had enough.

I knew I was running too fast. Some people accidentally start races too fast. The energy of all the runners around you. The excitement of the race starting and the fans cheering...it's EASY to go out to fast and not mean to. I knew I was doing it...which is probably even dumber.

I was joking with the other runners that my goal was to have a major league melt down:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgStAPQhA3M (no worries, I drank gatorade...)

I knew I would melt down. I just didn't know when. and I didn't know how severe it would be. I mean, I was on PR pace feeling good for the first 16 miles! and in my mind I was thinking and doing the math...it was seemingly impossible that I wouldn't PR (personal record) and unfathomable that I wouldn't qualify for Boston...so no worries.

But at mile 16 my body took over. My mind kept saying, "Run faster!" But my body said, "I'm trying...it's not working...you went out too fast you dummy."

I didn't have complete melt down but I did slowly get slower :)

Unfortunately, I couldn't muster the umph in the last few miles to PR (2:56)...but I was happy with a 2:57..and I was even happier to be finished running.

The problem with perfect running conditions is that they are usually the worst post-race conditions. I was FREEZING! I was shuffling around with my teeth chattering and my shoulder shaking, trying to take in some nutrition, losing a lot of energy being so cold. People kept asking me if i was okay...I kept saying, "I think." and they would respond, "You think?" Haha. No dramas, though.

I made it back to the hotel and had a HOt shower. drove back to the finish area and met my mom and dad. Mom had a great race, too! She PRed by like 15 minutes! Crazy. She just gets faster and faster. She bought a shirt that said on the front, "The truth is you're fast than you think," and on the back, "The truth hurts. 26.2" I like that.

So all in all it was a great day of running. I learned that if you want to run 6:20s for an entire marathon you'd better put in the training time.

Running a marathon hurts.

Running a marathon hurts after a week of tapering, a good night's sleep, and a good breakfast.

Running a marathon hurts with fresh legs on a beautiful cool day.

I fear the pain, agony, and suffering that will meet me at the beginning, middle, and end of the Ironman marathon.

Running a marathon hurts...How much will it hurt after having already done 6-7 hours worth of intense swimming and cycling? I guess I'll find out.

In a strange way I can't wait for the Ironman marathon to begin. It will mean entering into a whole new level of suffering. Praise be to God.

Columbus Marathon

I've got a marathon a week from tomorrow! I'm pretty excited about running this marathon. The past month and a half I've really picked up my running mileage. There was a three week stretch were I did weekend long runs of 18, 22, and 20 miles. I've also been doing faster paced 10-11 mile runs on Tuesday morning. And the occasional 5-6 mile run on Thursday or Friday.

I do most of my running with Doug Maxwell. He's also signed up for the Louisville Ironman. I enjoy running with him. You get to be really good friends with training partners. I might spend 10 hours a week with some of my training partners...I don't spend that much time with my family and close friends!

I feel ready for the race. I'm having a slight tendon issue in my left quad/hip area..but as I take it easy this next week, I anticipate that calming down.

My plan was to take a rest day yesterday. However, I just can't take a rest day when it's sunny and 80 degrees! It was such a beautiful day I had to do something!! So i went for a 30 mile bike ride :) I think I have problems. I don't know how to taper and take days off... but, to be fair, I did soft pedal...I wasn't hammering for 30 miles. I actually felt better after the ride. Flushed the legs out. Got the heart rate up. Stoked the fires a bit.

So I'm feeling good. I ran 7 miles today with no issues.

I'm not sure what I'll do this last week. I definitely want to be fresh on Sunday morning ready to race. But I don't want to be sluggish...so it's that balance of resting and not over resting...

i'm also really excited because I'll be running the marathon with my mom! I'm not sure she's declared a "qualify for Boston" goal...but I've declared it for her :) I think she's got the speed...it's just a matter of having all the pieces come together on race day.

Either way, no matter how we do, it will be a great day!

Focus

I want to do Ironman well. I want to beat my body into submission. My goal is not just to finish. Nothing against people whose goal is just to finish...as I understand the race there's nothing "just" about finishing an Ironman. But that's not me. I want to push my body to the limit. I want to leave it all out there on the road in Louisville. I want to cross the line, hear them say, "You are an Ironman," and know that I couldn't have swam better, pedaled faster, or ran harder.

And to do this I will need to follow an intense and focused training program. Ironman specific. The past couple years my training has been a bit sporadic. I love running and I love cycling. So I pretty much just ride and run a lot. I don't necessarily follow a specific plan. Sometimes, if I'm training for a road race, I might sort of change what I do a couple weeks prior. If I'm training for a marathon, I'll start running bigger miles on the weekend.

However, it's a constant balance. If I want to be competitive in my bike races, my running suffers. If I want to run well in a marathon, my cycling will suffer. So it's a constant back and forth.

So with Ironman training, one thing I'm really looking forward to is having a singular focus. If I run a marathon the focus will be how does this fit into Ironman training and preparation for race day. And the same will apply to cycling.

The unfortunate reality with Ironman is the 2.4 mile swim. I'm really going to need to start swimming. It's by far my weakest event.

I think training specifically for Ironman will help me be fitter in general. Following specific training plans. Following specific rest days. Knowing when to intesify. Knowing when to go long and easy.

I won't have to worry about how this ride or that run will affect this or that race...it will all be part of the plan and will prepare me, hopefully, and Lord willing, to get to Louisville ready to lay it all on the line.

I'm running Columbus Marathon on October 19th (my dad's birthday and a day after my sister's birthday!). Oct. 19th will mark the unofficial start of Ironman training. I will begin swimming and cycling mostly through the fall and winter. I will begin training for Boston marathon in the winter. And 6 months out, in March, I will get training plans from Bob Duncan at Wheelie-Fun and begin the official Ironman training regime.

I would love to complete the race in under 10 hours. it's a bold goal, and I'm likely to fail...but what fun is it to set a goal that is easy to accomplish?

it will be a long, hard, difficult road to Irontucky...but it's one I'm eager to take.