Got an entry into the NYC Marathon

It's been a long time since I have written anything here! I am prompted to start back by the fact that I was accepted in the lottery to run the NYC Marathon. I had entered on a bit of a whim, not really expecting to get in. I have never run the NYC marathon. I haven't really been running much at all, having decided not to try to run Boston this year. In fact, I've run a grand total of 59 miles so far in 2016. My plan is to start now to gradually ramp up my running, and to hope to run a credible time in New York. I think a pretty realistic goal would be to get under 4 hours, assuming my knee cooperates. My knee has been pretty good, although it is just a bit stiff as I'm typing this. I ran a 4 mile race this weekend (the Claddagh 4 miler) on my minimal training; it did not go very well (33:16 = 8:20/mile).

Mid-March update

Well, it's now getting pretty close to the race, although as I type this it's snowing pretty hard as I look out the window. I ran an 18 miler today, and it was really quite a slog. I struggling a bit with a cold right now, but I was still surprised how much effort it took to run rather slowly. I did the same run last year at the same time quite a bit faster. Here it is in Strava: Overall, I'd say my training has been going OK (although I pretty much lost a week of training at the end of January to what I think was the flu). I have been doing a weekly track workout at BU, which has been fun. Hasn't translated into more speed, though, at least not yet. Perhaps more importantly, my knee hasn't really been giving my problems. A little over a month ago, I was feeling a lot of "clunking"/crepitance in the knee, so decided to consult a physical therapist. The exercises she gave me seem to be helping. My upcoming training schedule call for a 12 or 13 miler next weekend. I am then going to be on vacation in Telluride and Moab (will probably only run a couple of days), and then when will run the Eastern States 20 miler on March 29. I ran that race a couple of times over a decade ago, and thought I'd rather do my 20 miler as a race than as a training run. Right now, I'm planning to go out with 9:00 miles & see what happens.

February update

It's eight weeks to the Boston Marathon, so I'm starting to feel that I'm running out of time to get really fit. The Snowpocalpse has been a problem; it makes it hard to get the long runs done. Yesterday I ran 13.5 on a route that was basically up Heartbreak Hill, around the reservoir twice, and back over Heartbreak hill. This morning, my legs are a bit sore, which concerns me a bit, since I did not run hard. On the plus side, my knee is a little stiff, but not swollen. I had originally been signed up to run the Hyannis Half Marathon today, but it was cancelled because of the extreme weather (although it's not too bad today). It's been interesting to be doing a weekly track workout at BU. I kind of enjoying them, but I haven't really been able to say they are making me much faster. A couple of weeks ago, I had been pretty worried about my left patella having a lot of clicking and crepitance, but it seems to have settled down. I had intended to run the Old Fashioned 10 miler in Foxboro last weekend, but that was postponed to 3/8/15 because of weather. I'm not sure about running it - it would probably be better for me to do a non-race longer run that weekend. The weather forecast is discouraging; it doesn't look like it's going to warm up enough to melt the snow any time soon! 2/21/15: Me & Heartbreak Bill

Back on (the) track

I have decided to run the 2015 Boston Marathon in support of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Kidney Disease Research Fund. I had thought last year's Boston Marathon might be my last marathon, but my knee held up well, and after the race I felt I could do another, and that I could probably train a bit more and improve over last year's result. Last year, I really wasn't sure how my knee would react to the longer runs, and so I really did the minimum training to finish the race. This year, I think I can try to do a bit more. To that end, I signed up for CSU's Thursday evening indoor track workouts at BU. So far, I have done two workouts. They have gone OK, although it certainly feels a bit strange to be back on a track after being away from it for so long. But I certainly believe some speed work is needed to get me running a bit faster, as I seem to be stuck in terms of not being able to get my training or racing pace a bit quicker. I signed up for the Hangover Classic Race at Salisbury Beach on New Year's Day, which I ran last year. It's a flat 10K, so I'm hoping I can post a time that's quicker than last year's.

118th BAA Marathon

Well, I completed this year's Boston Marathon in 4:13:13. I had hoped to run under 4:00, but that probably wasn't realistic given the relatively warm day, my light training miles (average 17.5/week since 1/1/14), and the fact that it had been 10 years since my last marathon. Here is my race in Strava: A bit about the race: I was in the last wave, so I did not have to get up all that early. I drove in and parked at the hospital, then took a Hubway bike to the Green line, and the T to the Common. I got there about 8, so I stood around for a while talking to members of my team (BIDMC), and dropped off my bag of sweats for after the finish. Our bus didn't leave until about 9:30, and then traffic was heavy heading out to Hopkinton on the Pike, so I think we arrived there at about 10:30. By the time I ate a yogurt, used the bathroom, and drank a little water, it was time to head for the start. I had actually not quite reached my corral when the gun went off to start the last wave, but it didn't really matter - I got in it a minute or so late. It then took me a couple of minutes to reach the starting line. The initial miles were of course crowded (in truth, it never really got uncrowded), and I did have to expend energy in slowing & speeding up to get around other runners. My first mile was surprisingly fast, even though I thought I was going quite slow. I never really got in a groove. My plan had been to run 9:00 miles, which I kind of did for the first 17 or 18, but pretty early on I knew it would not be a great race for me. The crowds were amazing - very large and very supportive. Lots of signs. By the time I made the turn onto Commonwealth Ave, I knew it was going to be a struggle, although I knew I would finish. I started to take short walk breaks at water stops, and I had to duck into one of the medical tents because the toes on my right foot were rubbing and I had to put some vaseline on them to prevent a bigger problem. My pace slowed considerable from mile 18 in (walking breaks), but I made steady progress, and finally the welcome turn onto Boylston came. I crossed the line and made my way down Boylston to the Common for my gear.

While I was a little disappointed in my time at first, upon reflection I think I did all I could on that day. More importantly, my knee felt fine, and it's continued to feel good in the days after the race. So, maybe it won't be my last marathon after all...

20 miler done

I ran what will be my longest training run on this past Saturday, a 20 miler.  I had originally been planning to run the Eastern States 20 Mile Race on Sunday, but the forecast was so ominous that I decided to run Saturday am, when the weather was really quite good.

It was quite a scene out there on the course, with literally thousands of runners doing their long run.  They actually had traffic cones and cops to direct traffic.  I ran from the Heartbreak Hill Running Company in Newton out to Natick and back.  Here it is on Strava:




I felt OK/not great.  I think I still had a bit of fatigue in my legs from the previous week, which I spent cycling in AZ (with a couple of runs added on).  The day after I returned from AZ, I went out to run 12 or 14 miles, and just felt it was too much and settled for 8.6 instead.  On the one hand, I'm a little worried about facing another 10K of running.  On the other, I have done it before, and I should be well rested on Patriot's Day.  Also, my knee feels pretty good.  I feel a little stiffness, but it hasn't been swelling.  I actually am more bothered by mild low back pain, but I have plenty of time for that to go away.

6 weeks to go...

I am feeling a bit anxious about the approach of Patriot's Day.  My mileage is very light - 20 miles per week (actually, I bit less).  I ran 10.6 yesterday.  The good news was that my knee felt fine, and also feels fine this am.  The bad news is that I was planning to run further, but my legs felt quite weary.  I had gone on my 1st real outdoor bike ride on Saturday (35 miles), and that seemed to fatigue the legs a bit.

I need to get a good, long run in on this coming Sat - 16 to 17.  I then head to AZ for a week of cycling, but should be able to get a few runs in as well.