Matt's Blog

Complications arose, ensued...

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 16:34:00 -0700

Just before the 19th mile I quit. I pressed the stop button on my GPS watch and turned off of the marathon course onto a street that I knew was a shortcut to the finish area. I unhooked one of the safety pins holding my race number bib onto my shirt and started walking. It was around mile 16 that I started contemplating dropping out of the Richmond Marathon. I was running across Lee Bridge at my target pace of 6:50 minutes per mile. This crossing of the James River is known for a slight uphill that can have punishing winds. But today's runners were lucky as the moderate wind was actually blowing from behind, providing a tail wind. I had been doing well up to that point, eating my energy gels as planned, drinking a little at each water station and even trying to enjoy the course scenery. However, my quadriceps were hurting and the pace became more and more difficult. I continued in hopes that the next turn would put me on less of an incline and the pace would become easier. It didn't. The wind was now slightly head on and the road was still a gentle uphill. Just after mile marker 17, I slowed down, but kept running. I was wrestling with the idea of dropping out. "There is no reason to continue on and suffer like this. It will only get worse," I told myself. At the next water station I walked for a bit. I looked behind me to see if I could see Tim, my running partner. We had started together, but I had pulled away from him around mile 11. I saw him coming and continued to walk until he caught up. He asked if I was hurting too and tried to encourage me saying we could still get a good time. I told him I was considering dropping out and just didn't care anymore. I couldn't keep up with his pace and let him go. I decided to drop out and walk to the finish. And I was not going to be disappointed or beat myself up about it. I would get my phone and email the people that I knew were following my progress so they would not worry about me. Not long after is when I saw the cross street that I knew was about 2 miles from the finish. I was ready to stop and walk. I pulled out the top right safety pin first. Perhaps it was because I didn't want to disappoint my family and running friends who were following my progress. Perhaps it was because the street I turned on is named Grace. I did not have a life changing epiphany or remember some wise words of wisdom. But before I went to remove the second safety pin, something caused the "I'm not a quitter" switch to turn on. I dug deep for the motivation and came up with this: "Dammit, I want to wear the shirt and get that medal." I put the safety pin back through my shirt and bib, turned around to get back on the course, restarted my GPS and began running. I knew the next 7 miles would be difficult and painful. I convinced myself that 7 miles is not so long and I could push through. My pace continued to slow and I employed a run/walk strategy of running between water stations and walking while I drank. Gentle inclines felt like tough hills and gentle breezes felt like punishing winds. I finished with mixed emotions. I had set a new personal record by about three and a half minutes. I had come in under my Boston qualification requirement. But I had quit. Sure, my quitting had only lasted about 30 seconds and nobody else even knew about it. My family and friends are all congratulating me and everyone is impressed with my finishing time of 3:11:45. That is all great to hear. I guess because I had trained for a finish time of 3 hours and because I had actually walked off the course I am somewhat disappointed. It is hard to say why I couldn't keep up the pace. I don't think the course or the winds are to blame. I know I was plenty full of carbohydrates and never felt like I hit the wall. I think I can only blame my training. Although I had met all the targets of the speed workouts, I think maybe my long runs were too slow and I did not build up the endurance to maintain that pace for 26.2 miles. What now? I think postponing that thought process is the only thing that makes sense right now.

800s - What do they mean?

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:21:00 -0700

One year ago at this time I was training for marathon #2 and a possible BQ attempt - 3:15. On Tuesday, the 19th of October, 2010, I ran 8x800 intervals on a mostly flat greenway. My times then were 3:07, 3:01, 3:02, 3:03, 3:08, 3:05, 3:08, 3:04, 3:03. My marathon time (and current PR) was 3:15:13. Today I am near the end of my training for marathon #3 and a possible sub-3 attempt. Goal pace runs throughout the summer and fall have been tough, but target reached. My intervals have been sporadic at best. I often felt too sore or tired to do well on them. Tempo runs have also been a struggle and usually turn into short marathon pace runs instead of reaching 10k pace. The schedule for today was 8x800s. Last week was a cut back week and I skipped Monday's easy run, so I felt pretty well rested. I went to a local college track before work. The inner lanes were blocked with high hurdles and the public is only supposed to be on the outer lanes. So I set my Garmin to do the measuring for me: .5 mile interval with .25 mile rest - repeat 8 times with a warm up and cool down. I did an easy 1 mile warmup and then hit the lap button to start. I did not look at my pace as I ran, just wanted to see how the first one went. Running the outside lanes is kind of nice because a half-mile is less than 2 full laps. That seemed to help mentally. The Garmin does a countdown beep about 3 or 4 seconds before you reach the end of an interval. Actually it is probably based on distance. Interval number one: 2:52. Based on the Yasso 800 principle if you can do 800s (half-miles) in x minutes, you can do a marathon in x hours. I was aiming for 3:00 halves. I thought, "Not bad, but can I do this 7 more times?" Quarter-mile rest (less than one full lap unfortunately) - beeping countdown to start - GO! I figured I could back off a little and try to conserve, but somehow came in slightly faster: 2:51. I only looked at my watch after each interval. In fact I had the screen showing the last lap pace and time of day. I was looking for anything at or under a 6:00 pace for the last lap. I could easily divide by 2 to get the actual time. Or more easily, divide the difference from the seconds and 60 by 2. For example, if the Garmin showed a pace of 5:42 as it did for that interval, I subtracted 42 from 60 = 18/2 = 9. 3:00 - :09 = 2:51. And I was able to do that during my quarter mile rest distance, which were typically about 2 minutes long. However it wasn't easy to count on my fingers while running. "Oops! Watch out for that hurdle!" Round and round I went, starting with the beeps, ending with more beeps. To make a long story short my times came to (including ones mentioned above) 2:52, 2:51, 2:53, 2:56, 2:55, 2:56, 3:00, 2:55 (last one - push it). Here is the Garmin report. Supposedly this indicates a sub-3 hour marathon. I reckon I shall find out on November 12 in Richmond.

Marathon Training and Fun with Group Runs

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 09:56:00 -0700

Week 1 of training went well. Higdon's Advanced 2 plan is underway. My biggest adjustment to the plan is increasing the easy run mileage and the overall mileage per week. I plan to be around 50 for the first few weeks and ramp up when the longer runs get longer. My week went like so: M - 6m easy T - 4 hill repeats + some easy miles; 6m total W - 6.3m social/easy T - Tempo Run - slowly increase to 10k pace then cool down; 6m total F - 6m easy S - 2m warmup; 5m @ marathon pace S - 10m long run Total = 47ish Weekend long runs are done with a group in a neighboring town called Davidson. The group is known as the Davidson Area Running Team, or DART. We are known as the DARTers. We have shirts and a Facebook group. Two of my running friends and I live in a neighborhood called Birkdale. We usually carpool up to the DART runs together. We were known as the Birkdale guys until I posted this on our FB wall: "The Birkdale Area Running Friends - aka BARF - braved the upper 90s for about 50 minutes tonight." And now we are known as the BARFers. We need shirts - colorful ones for sure. See how fun group running can be?

Green and Orange

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 08:12:00 -0700

My bike commute includes about a mile or so of greenway. On Tuesday mornings I leave at 5:30am in order to join a running group that meets near my office. It is barely light then so I use a handlebar mounted headlight. And it is a good thing too as I was playing dodge the toad. I started counting them at first, but then lost track. There had to be 20 or more. Most didn't move as I went by, but one hopped across my path. I'm pretty sure I missed them all. Twelve hours later I was biking home and saw not one, but two, black snakes on the path. One slithered off as I rode by, the other just stuck his tongue out at me. I'm thinking I won't see as many toads next Tuesday morning. On the same greenway this morning I saw some new signs up that mentioned coyote sightings. The circle of life just keeps getting bigger. While running on that greenway last week I saw three deer. And about a mile later I saw my dentist. That's all I have to say about that. A code orange air level today. I don't really know what that means, but I'm drinking orange juice so maybe it'll come to me. The forecast high of 97 sounds a bit intense, but Wednesday is the one day of the week I run with my buddy after work. No wimps allowed. Nor shirts. Happy National Running Day!

Fast Friday at Work

Fri, 20 May 2011 20:30:00 -0700

The job I started about 3 weeks ago is in the motor sport industry - NASCAR, IndyCar, Grand-am, motorcycles, etc. I've never been a big fan, but it is easy to get into it especially when your clients are involved. Today my boss came in and asked me if I knew what today was. I said, "Friday?" He said, "Fast Friday! The last day for practice laps before qualifications at Indy." I said, "Whew. I thought you were going to tell me I couldn't eat all day." So all day during work people were watching lap times of the practice runs. We have a race simulator in the office and took turns trying to improve our own lap times. I went for the full effect.

Eight is Enough

Sun, 15 May 2011 21:49:00 -0700

What a crazy weekend. My wife is out of town so her sister and I played tag team on watching kids. I have 3 and she has 4 of her own (single mom even). She originally offered to watch all 7 for the entire weekend and give me some alone time, but I wasn't having any part of that. Instead, I picked up all 7, plus a friend of the oldest, and headed for the woods. But not until after I got a long run in with my running partner. He had texted me and said he wanted to do 15 miles with 3 or 4 of them at a 6:30 pace. I said sure, why not? It was a great morning for a run. When it came time to pick up the pace, he began to leave me behind despite my Garmin reading 6:26. Eventually he slowed down, but so did I. I ended up with miles 12 through 15 being between 6:42 and 6:59. And our route ended up with 16 miles with an overall average of 7:27. Then I showered, got last minute things together and went camping with 8 kids ranging from 2 to 12 years old. Saturday's forecast had showers and thunder showers in the forecast. Luckily we experienced both while there, but only mildly. I even managed to start a fire as it began to rain, thanks to a good tree canopy. Two packs of hot dogs and a package of marshmallows later, they were happy campers. The good: Talking to the deer that looked at our pancakes forlornly, seeing the kids work out the tent arrangements without my intervention, and sleeping in a hammock with one of my daughters. The bad: Watching my nephew fall out of a tree (though I semi-caught him). He was fine and back in another tree 2 minutes later. The ugly: The bump on the 2-year-old's head that appeared after he threw a fit and learned that head butting asphalt is not the same as the carpet at home. Mileage this week (still aiming for 4 minimum):
Mon - 4.13 in 31:34
Tue - 4.25 in 30:30
Wed - 6.37 in 48:40
Thu - 4.01 in 30:13
Fri - 4.14 in 16.14
Sat - 16.14 in 2:01:04
Sun - 4.18 in 32:40
See also: CAMPING SLIDESHOW

March Madness Motivates Matt

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:23:00 -0700

I went to sleep at halftime for the Duke/Arizona game. I really didn't want to stay up late just to watch Duke win. I had a minimum of 3 miles to run before work and knew better than to stay up way past 11. So when I woke up this morning and checked the score I was bummed that I had missed the Duke loss. Not that I hate Duke or anything, it is just always fun to see an upset. But somehow that energized me for the morning. I thought to myself, "I gotta get down to the weight room (in apt complex) and turn on Sports Center for the highlights. I wonder if somebody got injured?" My plan, as it is most mornings if I wake up early enough, is to do a few weight exercises and then head out for my run. I didn't get down there until about five after 6, so I missed the big story. I caught some other highlights including Butler's upset - March Madness at its finest. By 6:25 I was outside and the Garmin was locating satellites while I got the iPod queued up. I felt good and figured I had enough time for 4 miles and get back home by 7 for ESPN to do another game recap. The temp was cooler than it has been, 38 degrees as opposed to 55+. No Doubt's greatest hits provided the background music. "I'm Just a Girl" "Hey Baby, Hey Baby, Hey!" "You got me feeling hella good So let's just keep on dancing". I did not look at my Garmin until after the run. "Looky there! Negative splits," aka a progression run: 8:00, 7:30, 7:04, 6:57. Not too shabby. It must be the combination of March Madness (tonight it is hoping the Kentucky Wildcats can replicate the Arizona Wildcats upset), a Friday, and slowly beginning to believe I can train for a 3 hour marathon. I always feel faster when it is cooler out too - maybe because I'm just trying to stay warm.

Run More, Run Slower

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:25:00 -0700

If it was left to me, I would probably just run to enjoy being outside and occasionally enjoy the company of other runners. However, I did talk myself into my first marathon in 2009. I used my own made up training schedule - loosely based on Higdon - and finished with 3:32:41 (8:07 pace). "I don't know why anybody would want to do that," I said to my wife after crossing the finish line. Last summer/fall I used the Run Less, Run Faster book/training progam to BQ with 3:15:13 (7:26 pace). The BQ attempt was mainly the idea of my running partner Tim. Although his BQ requirement was much slower, he ended up finishing with me. We have kept up our base mileage and speed throughout the winter. A recent long run of 15 miles was around 7:45 average pace. I have been running every day since starting "Run or Profess Your Love for Muskrat Love Challenge." Last night's group run included some discussion on hitting the fastest BQ time of 3:05 and what pace that actually was. Tim, who must have been a coach or trainer in a former life, said I'm running more now than last year and am ready a new PR. I replied I'm on the "Run More, Run Slower" program. And thus I get this text last night from Tim the Torcherer: "We only have to average 7:03 to run a 3:05 marathon. You in?" I did not reply until around lunch today. Careful to avoid committing, I wrote, "3:05 is for wimps. Go for 3. Only 10 secs faster." The next text from Tim: "I was a bit apprehensive about a 6:51 pace, but now that you are all in I'll consider it." The nerve. "You know what they say about people who ASSume?" I sent back. And he said, "Some people don't know how to commit without a little prodding. So what do you think, 3:05 or 3:00?" I texted back, "I figure if you say 3:05 this year you'll just say 3:00 next time. And we ain't getting younger." "Atta boy," was his last response. Aside from a small desire to go sub-20:00 in a 5k, I had not yet felt a need to do much racing this year. Maybe I need to find a new running group...

Fellowship of the Idiots

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:26:00 -0700

There is a store in Albemarle, NC, named Vac and Dash. They offer running goods, vacuum sales and service, UPS shipping, racing event timing, and t-shirt screen printing. Quite an interesting variety I should say. Tomorrow is their twice a year, free, but organized, Fellowship of the Idiots run. It started 8 years ago when a few friends did a training run from town to the top of Morrow Mountain and back - about 19.5 miles and 2000 feet of elevation gain/loss round trip. Others called them idiots and the fellowship was born. Word got out about the fellowship and it has grown over the years. Tomorrow morning, along with some running buddies, I will join the Fellowship of the Idiots. It starts at 5:30am and the temperature will probably be a bit below freezing. The way I see it, the only thing more idiotic about running 19.5 miles at that hour is having to first drive an hour plus to get there. We will leave at 4am to become idiots. Have a good weekend! May you have high aspirations as I do to become an Idiot.

Frosty 50k Race Report

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 17:54:00 -0700

The Frosty 50k race yesterday was a study in perseverance. Had it not been for the great one-man support crew/photographer/videographer that Chad was, my running partner Tim, and encouragement from other runners, I may have not finished. The course was a horseshoe shape. One length of the "U" was 7.75 miles, or one-fourth of the course. Racers run out-and-back, twice. The far end of the "U" was very close to the start. Not including the start and finish, there were three places where bailing out was an easy option with only a short walk back to the car. I was highly tempted by two of those during the 4.5 hours I was out there. Tim and I decided to go out at a 7:30 pace and see how it felt. It did not feel easy or relaxed, but not horribly difficult to begin with. The first place for bailing out was at the 8 or so mile mark. We still felt good there and kept going without question. The return to the start found our pace slowing, some wind blowing, and the sky snowing. We managed to complete the first half in less than 2 hours. However, the five minutes before reaching the half-way point - and the second place for bailing out - included a discussion on how smart it would be to stop and go for the "Did Not Finish" result. I said, "It feels like the right decision now, but I may regret it in a couple of days." We both agreed that we would probably get over it. The thought of running the same course out-and-back again seemed agonizing. But after a couple of cups of gatorade, a snack and some encouraging words from Chad, we decided to continue on, slowing it down significantly and walking the few tough hills. Our mile splits went from 7:30/8:00 minute miles to 8:40/9:00 minute miles. We made it to the farthest point out where an aid station was with very little walking. Some pretzels and water fueled me for the back stretch. Other racers were supportive usually saying, "Good job guys!" Tim's response was either, "You too. Keep it up!" or "I should have trained for this." On one short, steep hill we started walking and a female racer who had apparently been closing in on us ran past us, looking strong on the uphill. After she was a few yards ahead of us, Tim muttered, "Overacheiver." She glanced back and said, "I heard that!" We laughed and continued to underacheive on the hill as we walked up it. When we were nearing the next point where bailing out was easy, I was again considering it. Despite having eaten most of a Cliff Bar over the last 8 miles, my tank was saying "Low Fuel." Sleeping sounded like an awesome idea. Tim said he was going to finish it, so I stayed with him. But I remembered that on the first out-and-back it felt like a long way to the far part of the "U" and the final return to the start would begin. To help the time go by I started singing "100 Bottles of Beer" in my head. I made it to 83 before getting distracted. The trail had permanent mile markers showing the distance from the start to the end of the horseshoe, but not specific markers for this race. Those became helpful on this last return because they were a countdown to the finish. I hadn't seen one in a while and was feeling weary and decided to walk a bit. Tim kept going, and we both saw the 4 mile marker. I picked it up again knowing there was an aid station less than half a mile away. I ate more pretzels and drank two cups of gatorade as I walked for a bit. Tim was just ahead of me, but started running before I did. We wouldn't meet again until the finish. For the last 3.5 miles my energy seemed to hold and I felt decent. Knowing I was getting close probably helped. I did get quite cold. This section of the course had some places where the wind blew extra-cold air off the lake. My wet-from-sweat hair and shirt would try to freeze. I longed for my fleece jacket and hat. Around some of the bends I could see the tent that was set up at the finish line in the distance. I walked up a hill or two, a couple of people passed me, and I passed somebody. The last few miles each took between 9:40 and 11 minutes. I crossed the finish line and stopped my Garmin at 4:24:26. I was not as exhausted as I thought I would be. I changed into some warmer clothes and we then went to Moe's Southwest Grill for burritos. A day later and I'm actually surprised that I am not hurting as much as I had after the marathon. I believe the slower pace and the dirt trail prevented me from feeling overly beat up. I even considered a short, easy run this afternoon since it was sunny out. But my wife needed to run some errands so I had kid duty. It is probably for the better and she is probably doing me a favor. I compiled the video and photos that Chad shot into a video on YouTube.

Low of 20, high of 42, goal of 31

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 09:01:00 -0700

It will probably be about 20 degrees at 5:45 Saturday morning when I meet my running buddies to drive to the Frosty 50k in Winston-Salem. The course is an elongated horseshoe shaped trail around Salem lake. One way around the horseshoe is just under 8 miles. We will run that out and back. And then we will run that out and back again. The goal is to run 31 miles, my first race that is more than 26.2 miles. I probably feel a bit too relaxed about this, considering I haven't specifically trained for this. I did my marathon in November, but since then I've been in maintenance mode. My longest distance since is 19 miles, broken down as 13.1 half marathon dressed as Santa, a 25 minute break, then 6 more pacing a friend in the full. Since then I've done a 10, 14.5, and 8 mile long runs with some 5-6 milers in between. My weekly average has been about 30 miles. I would like to be able to run the 31 mile in less than 4 hours, but that means a 7:40ish pace and I don't know if I could do that for that distance. We shall see what happens...

Thunder Road Half Marathon - HO! HO! HO!

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:45:00 -0700

I decided to start in the back of the pack for the Thunder Road Marathon and Half Marathon race in Charlotte last weekend. While waiting for the 7:45am start, I noticed a lot of people looking at me and smiling. One guy even pulled out his camera phone, stood next to me and took a picture of us together. He then proceeded to post it on Facebook. This doesn't normally happen to me, but whatever. I'm an amiable guy. The race started and the pack began to move forward. I walked towards the line with the others. The announcer shouted words of encouragement over the loud speaker. Then he said, "Look! It's Santa Clause! Good luck Santa Clause!" Being focused on the 13.1 miles ahead of me, I did not look around to find Santa Clause. Instead, I waved to the announcer and the crowds who were now cheering me because I was wearing a full Santa Clause suit, including a hat and beard. 'Twas the day before the race and all through the house, not a creature was knowing except for my spouse. I talked to her about this idea a few times during the day. That evening I went to the race expo, met some friends and ate dinner. On my way home I got a text message from my wife saying she bought me a Santa suit. I panicked. She had called my bluff and I couldn't back down. And, per my idea, she purchased candy canes for me to hand out along the course. When I got home my children were very excited that I would be the "Running Santa." I tried on the suit and my wife made a couple of adjustments so the belt and hat would stay on during the run. I put the candy canes into a small black bag that I would carry. I placed my gear by the chimney with care, in hopes that I wouldn't be the only St. Nicholas there. I nestled all snug in my bed, while visions of others mocking me danced in my head. As I crossed the starting line, there arose such a clatter, I sprang into a run and was quite flattered. I waved to the spectators and shouted "Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!" I will probably never be a Santa Clause in a parade. But this felt like I was doing just that. Parents said to their kids, "There's Santa!" To the top of the hill, past a cement wall, we dashed away, dashed away, dashed away all! Starting at the back allowed me to pass a lot of other runners. There was no mocking. They liked seeing Santa. I heard, "There's Santa" and "Hi Santa!" as I went by. I replied, "Merry Christmas! GO! GO! GO!" I was dressed all in flannel, from my head to my toe, and my clothes became tarnished with sweat wouldn't you know! Along the course were mothers, fathers, grandparents and children watching for their loved ones in the race. When, what to their wondering eyes should appear, but a running Santa spreading Christmas cheer. They were a bit surprised when I stopped to give them candy canes and say "Merry Christmas." "That's great! Thank you Santa," they replied. The first four miles went by very quick, but I stopped for a moment to see my friend Nick. Nick was volunteering at a water station. I gave him a pile of candy canes to share with the other volunteers there. He laughed and said, "That is hilarious! You're awesome!" More rapid than eagles the spectators came; they whistled and shouted and called me by name. I asked if anyone had seen my reindeer. Some runners told me they had been good and asked if they could have a PR (personal record) for their finish time. I had a broad smile and hoped I wasn't smelly. "It's a skinny Santa," someone said at the lack of my belly. There were a few spectating children bundled against the cold in strollers with a tray in front. I liked them because I could just slow down, drop a candy cane onto their tray, say "Merry Christmas" and keep going. In the latter part of the race one runner said, "You are insane!" "Merry Christmas," I replied. Another runner said, "Hey Santa, I heard you were coming to town!" As I crossed the finish line and walked out of sight, I said, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" As you can probably tell, it was a blast. I did see two other runners in some Santa gear. But I'm pretty sure I was the only one with a full outfit including hat and beard and passing out candy canes. The next day I looked at the Charlotte Observer coverage of the race. Although there were no pictures of any Santas, the last part of one article had the following. -------------
At the finish line, Rebecca Shigley, 33, of Richmond, Va., snacked with her husband and two daughters after completing her seventh marathon. She said she'll remember this year's race for the lively crowd in NoDa, the good police support and the guy in front of her who ran the entire marathon in a Santa suit, handing out candy to every kid along the route.
------------- The stats.
Distance according to GPS : 13.24 mi
Time (including stops): 01:48:32
Average pace: 8:11 min/mi
Number of candy canes distributed: 180
Cost of Santa Suit: $30
Amount of Christmas cheer spread: Infinite

Random Post Marathon Thoughts

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 10:05:00 -0700

I'm really glad I don't have stairs in my house. I don't plan on eating pasta for at least a couple of weeks. How many days can I wear my race t-shirt before it needs to be washed? I don't remember getting in and out of a car being so difficult. I am thankful for having a job where I sit. What's on the track workout schedule for tonight? Oh, nevermind. The random lone spectator actually got it right when she said, "Enjoy your day." I did, thank you.

The Whole Marathon

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 07:27:00 -0700

The City of Oaks Marathon is coupled with a half marathon which probably had three times as many runners, something over 2000. A race photographer was getting some candid shots at the starting area. I asked him to get a picture of my two running buddies and me. We lined up and he took the shot and then said, "That's great. And wow, you guys are doing the whole marathon!" We promptly found our way to a comfortable spot fairly near the front of the pack. Each of us had different time goals. Although I knew Tim, my main running partner for this training, was capable of keeping up with me, he wanted to run a bit more conservatively. His BQ goal was about 20 minutes slower than mine, so he had less pressure. With little fanfare, we were off. My plan was to stay as close to the 7:20 pace for as long as possible with a BQ goal of 7:26 overall pace. The first six miles took us through downtown Raleigh and around the state capitol before heading west. The hills through this section were short and rolling. And because it was early in the race they were not difficult. I had eaten one gel a little before the start, and took another just before mile 6. I also took water or sports drink at each station. I liked doing that because I never got majorly thirsty and didn't feel like I had to gulp down a lot each time. A few ounces every two miles was plenty without getting the sloshy stomach. The first six mile splits were 7:23, 7:13, 7:11, 7:18, 7:26, 7:31. Predominantly uphill miles make themselves obvious. There were not a lot of spectators, just a few pockets here and there. And then there was the occasional random person alone, giving supportive words as runners went by. One such spectator offered me the words every marathoner at about mile 8 hopes to hear, "Enjoy your day!" Heh, yea, maybe in about 18 more miles. Miles 6 - 12 were uneventful and less hilly: 7:20, 7:23, 7:14, 7:16, 7:17, 7:11. The next three miles were primarily uphill. I had taken a Gu in preparation for this and it powered me past several fading runners. Fortunately it allowed me make a final pass of one particular guy that had been passing me on downhills and falling back on uphills. The worst thing he did was cut right in front of me in order to get to a gel packet hand-off. He did so just as I was taking a drink of water and caused me to inhale instead of swallow and thus I was coughing and hacking for the next quarter mile. But I'm a nice guy - especially if you're behind me - so I let it go. At the top of that hill my amazing wife and three children were waiting to cheer me on. "Go Daddy Go!" I was on a high - partly because I had finished a long climb and partly because I felt good and was about to hit mile 15. At this point the course entered Umstead State Park and changed from roads to trails. It is a wide, smooth trail of fine gravel and lined by fall colored trees. In fact, while riding the high and hitting a long downhill I hit my fastest mile.

Just before mile 15, feeling good. At the bottom of that I crossed a bridge over a creek and then hit a wall. Not "the wall," but a very steep, short climb. Ouch. But it leveled out and eventually went back down for a bit. A little after the 17 mile mark, The Climb began. Except for a couple of short sections that either leveled or went downhill, The Climb lasted for the next 4 miles. I suppose if you were to go for a 5 or 6 mile run that included this section it would not be so bad, but doing it after 17 previous not-so-flat miles was a challenge. One web site course review claimed that this hill brought him to a walk. Miles 13 - 18 splits: 7:19, 7:30, 7:19, 7:03 (fastest), 7:30. My overall average was right about 7:20 at this point. I ate a mint chocolate gu just before The Climb, again timing the gels well. I never like to drop my trash just anywhere, I usually hold it until a water station, sometimes changing which hand is holding it. A few minutes after eating it I look at my hands and they have chocolate all over them. I didn't empty the packet very well and managed to squeeze the remainder out without knowing it. I tried to lick some of it off but couldn't get them very clean. I avoided wiping them on my white top. When the trail exited the park there was a water station where I managed to drink a little and use the rest to rinse my hands. At that park exit there was a barricade that we were funneled around and then the water station volunteers lined a narrow path just after. I started thinking, "Sweet, this is just like a finish line. I can stop now." But I couldn't and didn't. There was a short downhill but the climbing was far from over. My pace slowed as did a few other runners that I managed to pass. Near the end of this climb I again saw my wife and kids cheering me on. Some more "Go Daddy Go!" shouts are just what I needed to get the rest of the way up The Climb. They were such troopers to drive around and wait in the cold for me to run by.

Around mile 20, feeling not as good. Miles 19 - 22 (end of climb) splits: 7:24, 7:44, 7:33, 7:29. The overall average was rising, 7:22 now. I turned left onto Hillsborough (the least hilly road) for the remaining miles which were primarily flat and downhill. But thank goodness that left turn yielded a headwind to keep these miles from being easy. My legs were beginning to complain more and more at this point. My quads and calves were saying, "Stop! Walk! Please?" I passed some half-marathon walkers who were just happily going along, chatting with their friends and enjoying themselves. Some would shout encouraging words as I went by. I just wanted to see the next right turn which meant less wind, downhill and the last 2 miles. I made that right turn, and tried to pick up the pace on the downhill, but the legs were not having it. I looked at my time and calculated that if I could just keep it under 8 minute miles I should be able to make the 3:15 time goal. I had not stopped or walked once so far, but my legs were winning their desire to walk. Just after mile 25, on a slight uphill, I gave in and walked, but only for a few seconds. "Just keep running," I thought. I noticed my stride had majorly shortened. I was doing more of a shuffle and could only manage a 9:30+ minute pace. Another short rise in the road and I slowed to a walk again. I didn't care about the BQ time anymore. Ok, maybe I did, but these short little uphills were hurting me badly. Miles 23 - 25: 7:35, 7:36, 7:50. My average pace had already crept up to about 7:25. Then I heard a voice from behind. I recognized it without looking. It was my running partner Tim shouting, "Come on Matt! You can still do it!" I glanced back and started to run again. It hurt, but I knew I had to give it everything I could. Tim soon came up beside me and said, "I'm not passing you. You're going to do this." We pushed around the last couple of turns and even passed another runner. Tim reminded me that the Boston Qualification has the 59 second grace, so I had until 3:15:59 to qualify. We reached the top of the downhill finish. One -half mile to go, downhill. My Garmin time was 3:11:38. I felt like I was flying. The pace was not necessarily super fast, but I was giving it all I had. My mind went back to the 800 meter track workouts. My legs would scream to stop on those. "Just slow down," they would say. But I couldn't and didn't. The marker for mile 26 went by - less than a quarter mile. I could see the banner over the finish line. Mile 26 split was 7:57. It included the walking, but the downhill balanced it out. The crowds started cheering as we got closer to the finish. I saw my wife and kids again. I think I was happy, but there was too much pain to realize it or show it. I was entirely focused on crossing that timing mat and of course, stopping my Garmin. Tim, who was obviously feeling a bit better than me, must have thought some more crowd cheering would help. He pumped his arms and shouted to the crowd, "The two best looking guys right here!" They loved it and cheered louder. A few weeks ago, Tim and I had agreed that we did not need to run together in this marathon. I had said we may be together for a while, but will split up at some point. I even said, "I don't feel like we have to cross the finish line holding hands." Instead, we did not run together for almost the whole marathon until the last ten minutes. We crossed the finish line side by side.

Tim and I bringing it home. The last two tenths of a mile were at a 7:10 pace. My official finish time was 3:15:13 for an overall average pace of 7:26. Immediately after crossing Tim said, "You did it! You got that BQ!" We hugged for a second and got our medals. I could barely walk and laid down on the first patch of grass I found. A race volunteer said, "You don't want to do that. Keep moving." She pulled me up and Tim helped me hobble to the food tent where I grabbed a water. I slowly walked around, saw my wife and kids again and began to take it in. It was done. I had finished the whole marathon. Some water, half of a banana (shouldn't whole marathoners get a whole banana?), and two pieces of pizza later and I was feeling better. My wife got me in line for a massage. It hurt, but helped. The best part about it was simply being able to lay down.

On the massage table. After that I met back up with Tim and Terry, our other running partner who beat his time goal of 4 hours by about 8 minutes. He looked great.

Matt, Terry and Tim, the Whole Marathoners.

The kids who helped me through with their "Go Daddy Go!" shouting. When I first considered attempting for a BQ I had calculated the needed pace of 7:26. I thought about that number a lot. My work computer password has 7:26 in it. I would even do a double take if a digital clock read 7:26. A couple of recent races and long runs had me thinking this pace would be attainable, maybe even beatable. But the course drive through we did the day before and the hills we discovered had me worried. I knew I needed to aim for 7:20 and hope that I'd have a little time to spare if troubles came. That is exactly what happened. I wonder if I had just run with Tim would I have felt stronger at the end. He probably had more even splits overall. Regardless, I finished with that 7:26 and that BQ.

There Will Be Hills

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 05:09:00 -0700

I met up with my running buddies at the expo. We discussed the forecast of possibly going below 30 degrees. The temperature at 4:30am is 34 degrees F. Ain't so bad. Our decision to drive the course may or may not have been a good one. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. The marathon in Raleigh is called the City of Oaks Marathon. I'm sure there are some oak trees somewhere along the course. But the typical runner will not be thinking much about trees when running the course. It should more appropriately be named the City of Hills Marathon. No one single hill lasts for a long time, but the road seems to be going up and down constantly. Ironically the flattest sections seem to be on a street named Hillsborough. My running partner Tim was sounding more and more negative as we drove the course. "This is gonna hurt," he said. I said, "I'm not sure I'll want you running with me if you're going to be so negative." To which he replied, "Okay, I'm positive this is going to hurt!" My text message to him later that evening said, "I have a new strategy. It really is the best option I think: PANIC!" He replied, "LOL. Actually it really isn't funny at all." In about 2 hours I will start the race. I will shoot for that 7:20 pace and attempt to hold it as long as possible. Perhaps the cold temperature will take my mind of the hills. Or vice versa. Perhaps the pain will take my mind off of both.