Pushing Hard Late in the Race

This is from Jim2's Running Page, http://mysite.verizon.net/jim2wr/id37.html

"I thought I would offer a few things that I do to help maintain or increase pace in those late stages of a race when your legs and cardio-respiratory system are crying for relief.

There are certain things you can do in training to help prepare you for this challenge, such as increasing the pace toward the end of a long run when you are tired. And making sure that your speedwork is paced so that the last couple of intervals or hill repeats are the fastest, as well as the hardest. But, once you are in a race, it's too late to deal with training. You've got to make the most you can of the preparation that you have.

If you have run the first part of the race much too fast and are in severe oxygen debt with a lot of lactic acid built up in your legs toward the end, you probably blew it and won't be able to maintain pace. You will just have to accept a slower finish and learn from the experience. If you have run a smartly paced race, or even more conservatively than necessary in the first part, you have a good opportunity to really "go for it" at the end. Either way, the last part of the race is the hardest part and the tricks that you use late in a race to get the most that you can out of it should be chosen to take your mind off of how you feel and how much you want to ease up. In other words, try to take your mind off of those things that are demanding your attention......your screaming lower body, racing heart and gasping lungs.

One obvious thing is to focus on passing other runners. Pick them off one at a time. After you pull up behind one, give a little more of a push to pass with authority. It will give you a psychological boost. Plus, the momentary increase in pace will make your "normal" pace feel just a little easier when your "extra push" eases. Then focus on the next runner and go after him/her. If you are running close to someone else when you are within a couple hundred yards/meters of the finish line, challenge him/her to race to the finish. You don't even have to waste energy and breath to discuss it. Sometimes just a glance will do. Or just yell "Let's Go!" with a big exhale.

Run the last 10-20% of a race on your upper body. And, I don't mean running on your hands. For every stride, there is a corresponding arm swing.....and vice versa. If you can maintain or increase your arm swing rhythm and pace, your leg turnover must keep up....no matter how badly they feel. (One fast runner who usually posts on the Competitive Forum thanked me for this tip and said that it helped him to pull a 30 second PR out of the last mile of this year's Boston Marathon after I posted it a week before the race.) I think of the upper body as an auxiliary engine that you can call on late in the race. Just let it idle through most of the race, so it should be fresh to "take over" later. Still, in a long race, such as a marathon, shoulders and arms can also get tired. After all there are approximately 40,000 arm swings, as well as strides, in a marathon. Upper body weight work as part of your training regimen helps to prepare you for it.

Check your form frequently. Most of us have a tendency to lean forward at the waist and let our butt slip back when we are tired. When this happens, your running efficiency is reduced. You have to expend more energy for the same forward progress. Compounding it, when you slump forward, your lungs are compressed slightly and their capacity is reduced. (You can sample the effect of slumping on lung capacity while running easy or even while sitting in your chair reading this.) Just when your body is screaming for more oxygen, a slump reduces the amount available to distressed muscles. So, think about keeping your head up, shoulders back and pelvis forward. Running develops our back and buttocks, but not our abdominals, which are critical to maintaining pelvic balance and positioning. Bent knee sit-ups and crunches to strengthen the abdominal muscles help here.

Finally, relax. I know. How can you relax when you feel as though you are going to die. But, as your body tenses, your form goes to hell, you tend to lean forward, your stride shortens and you slow down. It is important to keep your muscles as loose and relaxed as possible while, at the same time, pushing them as hard as you can. Again, focusing on the upper body is the key to relaxing when the natural tendency is to tense. While monitoring your arm swing, also concentrate on keeping your hands, shoulders and jaw loose. If you can keep these areas relaxed, the rest of your body will follow."

Taper Madness

WTF is up with injuries appearing in the week or two before a goal marathon? My left knee is a wreck, but now my right ankle is giving me grief. Why don't I just throw in the towel and admit I will never get to the starting line in good condition?

Ok, let's try some positive thinking here. I ran 4 miles this morning, and by mile 3 the ankle didn't bother me. The knee did, but not too badly. I'm also very excited about the race because I just talked someone into running the race with me and pacing me. Audrey Christiansen ran Buffalo in '05, same year I ran it for my first marathon ever. I didn't know her then, but we both posted race reports on Runningtimes.com and got to know each other, though we've never met in person. She will be in Upstate NY this weekend visiting her family, and she was thinking about running the marathon. I pushed a bit, even offered her my hotel room since I could stay at Nan's. And yay, she's going to do it. I'm psyched because the first half is primarily through an industrial section. Company would certainly be a lot more fun.

Other positives: I have brand new running shoes and inserts, that should give me good support during the race. I have plenty of gels, bodyglide and lemonade gatorade. I won't be running much this week, maybe 5 or 6 more miles, so I should be very well rested by Sunday.

I believe I can do this.

Words from Pete Pfitzinger

From Advanced Marathoning:

"Regardless of your ultimate finishing place in the marathon, you should realize that the second half is much harder than the first half; just try to get the first half out of the way at the correct pace without using anymore mental energy than necessary."

"On to 20 miles: Slowing during this portion of the marathon is often more a matter of not concentrating than of not being able to physically maintain the pace... the key is to have the confidence that you'll eventually overcome this bad patch."

Focus, Focus, Focus!

It's been a while. I was in Florida from April 18 through April 26 with Philip and the kids, visiting his parents. I did a lot of pool running, and cross-trained once at a hotel Philip and I stayed at for a night, but still managed to hurt myself. I took a boot camp class at a beach, did a lot of sprints on the sand, and must have twisted something. We returned from Florida on a Saturday, and I went out for my last 20 miler of the cycle on Sunday morning, and that just did me in. I've been having bad left knee/lower quad/upper calf pain since then. Nothing seems to help.

Immediately after returning from Florida, I received a call from my dad's wife saying that dad was in the hospital and needed to go into a nursing home. Ooookay then... so I did my last 20 miler the next morning, then threw some laundry back in a suitcase and drove up to Rochester the next day, but since that week was supposed to be my peak week for marathon training I stayed in a hotel with a gym and worked out there. But we found a good nursing home (dad has Alzheimer's), that part actually went easier than expected, but it was really sad. I've had many dreams about him since then. When I ran my marathon pace 10 mile run last week, I had two goals: 1) not to stop at all and 2) to run the last mile faster than the others. I accomplished both goals, mainly by picturing my dad in that nursing home bed, screaming with fear and completely unable to care for himself. He never gets a break from that. I kept running.

I saw Dr. Ducey two weeks ago, he was hesitant to give me a cortisone shot then. I'm not quite sure what the reason was. He said he uses the shot when people have arthritis, which I did not. He wanted to try two weeks of anti-inflammatories first and prescribed Celebrex. He said he would still give me the shot this Monday, one week from my marathon, if I still needed it. Well, the Celebrex doesn't seem to be working at all, or at least, it doesn't take enough of the edge off. I'm really torn about the decision on the cortisone shot. I keep going back and forth, and it's playing with my confidence.

One one hand, I've been nailing my paces for my shorter runs, but with knee pain. I'm trying to imagine running 26.2 with this pain, which isn't terrible, but it's not great either. I did a ten mile marathon pace run last Friday which went very well. So why get the cortisone shot? On the other hand, 10 miles isn't 26.2. Any inflammation the shot could reduce would be beneficial.

Funny "small world" story when I was in Florida: The day after I arrived, I went for a run. Just as I'm heading out of my in-laws' condo I see a group of runners, all wearing yellow shirts, so I figured it must be a club and they would know where to run. I caught up to them, I did about a mile with them and they told me about a park up the road, so I left them and headed there. After a loop at the park I saw the same people with a Boot Camp group, and they invited me to join them. I hate calisthenics, but I figure it would be a good workout, so I stayed. Later, I hear that same group I ran with talking about a relay they did across Florida. I'm like, "hey, I know someone who did that all by himself!" And they said, "OMG, you know Hung!" I've been friends with Hung since I met him at the Dean Karnazes Endurance Run NJ in November '06.

So how's that for weirder than weird, I just happened to see these people, total strangers, running in front of my in-laws' apartment and they knew someone I knew. Wow.

Slow Down!

I ran the stupidest race of my life at the More Half Marathon on April 6th. I was aiming for 8:40's for the first few miles. I kept looking at my watch for pace, and seeing the last part, the :48 and :50, and thought, ok, I'm doing 8:48, fine. Well, I was running 7:48 and 7:50 for the first 2 miles, then an 8:06 at mile 3 (that huge hill), then a 7:50 again for mile 4. It was just inconceivable to me that I could run that fast ever, so I thought it must be 8 minute miles, not 7. But finally I try slowing down, didn't bring it below 8:06 until Mile 7, when I had horrible stomach cramps resulting in a 70 second+ pit stop. I never got back in the groove after that. I'm sure the fast start caused the stomach problems, because I must have used the bathroom about 5 times before the race. I also woke up at 3:55 am that morning, so my body had plenty of time to wake up. My last mile was 8:16, but miles 8 and 9 were slow. Central Park is a tough, hilly course. I finished in 1:53:31, my best time on that course (only by 7 seconds), but the last 5 miles were so incredibly painful. I'm just really pissed at myself because I blew a good opportunity to do better, and I can't make that mistake at Buffalo. Buffalo is a fairly flat course. On the other hand, race predictors finally have me running a sub-four marathon again, so I feel like I'm finally back in the shape I was in January '06.

On a humorous note, I literally bumped into Kathrine Switzer in the aisles of the More Expo last Friday. We both did a double take. I think she recognizes me from meeting me about 4 times in the past year, including when she spoke at the running club. So we chatted a bit, and I told her my goal was 1:50. She said, "You can do it! Just don't go out to fast." And that's exactly what I ended up doing. Doh! I could just kick myself!

I've been running a lot with Deb McNally, I think she has the marathon bug now. Last week was a high mileage week for me, 51, and this week should be 53 if I do the 20 miles on Sunday. I'm just very fatigued, but my muscles seem to be holding up under the stress. My left knee is still sore, but otherwise I'm good.

When Things Go Right

Sometimes I forget that it's equally as important to analyze the elements of a run that goes well as it is to dissect a run that goes awry. Yesterday I ran 18 miles with Deb McNally. It was raining cold drizzle, temps in the low 40's, but I had one of the best runs ever.

First, Debbie is a better pacer than I am. She would slow me down in the early miles, when I started to take off too fast. Second, the weather was cool. In spite of the rain, it was perfect for a long run. Third, I had at least 2.5 hours between eating half a bagel (with soy margarine) and coffee, and running.

I think these three elements prevented any stomach trouble whatsoever. No pit stops. We stopped very briefly for maybe 3 traffic lights during the whole run, and averaged a 9:09 pace. Of the three elements, I'm worst at pacing. That's what I need to practice. Honestly, an 8:30 mile feels the same as a 9:00 mile at times, I don't get it.

The More Half Marathon is in Central Park this Sunday. I need to convince myself that I can go sub-1:50. That's about an 8:20 mile. If I can do that in the hills of Central Park, I will feel much more confident about Buffalo.

When Things Go Wrong

Training runs are just that, training for every possible aspect of the marathon. They are opportunities to practice not just the physical aspects of running-- the pacing, the form, etc-- but the mental, and the peripheral (but extremely important nonetheless) such as taking gels (which type can I handle? How many? When should I take them?) and sports drink, when to eat before the run, and things like that.

Yesterday's 18-mile fast-finish run was a tough run for me, because 1) stomach problems required 2 pitstops during the run; 2) I suck at pacing, even with a garmin (GPS). But it may have been the faster pace later in the run that caused some of the stomach problems. The first 13 miles averaged about 9:05. The last five probably averaged 8:30 or faster:

9:16
9:27
9:12
8:37 (pitstop)
8:39
9:02
9:08
9:08
8:52
8:27
8:49
9:06
8:37
7:56 (pitstop)
8:02
8:20
8:38
8:21

I got a little confused with my watch, I had the garmin set to show average pace but after mile 13 I was trying to get the average pace to show 8:40s, which of course meant I was going way too fast. I should have changed the watch to show actual pace for the last 5 miles, because the last mile just killed me. At the end my garmin showed an 8:45 average pace for the entire run, but that does not count the pitstops (I turned off my watch for those).

The thing that really bothers me about yesterday's run is the pitstops. I added 3 minutes (guesstimate) to the overall time to see what my pace would be if I hadn't stopped my watch for the pitstops, and came up with 8:56. Still good for me (I don't think I've held better than a 9:09 pace for the first 20 miles of any marathon), but off by 7 seconds from what I want.

Now, on Wednesday, in the strong wind and on hills, I had a near-perfect run. I didn't need to stop once, my stomach never bothered me, I took no water or gels (or anything), and ran my GMP and felt great after. Yesterday's weather was great, no wind, cool, I only hit some hills at the beginning, mostly, and my stomach was nuts even though I didn't eat anything before the run. So I've been thinking about why this is, and I think 1) on Wednesday, I didn't run until about 10 or 11 am, I'd been up longer, my muscles were looser and my body (stomach) was more ready to go. I did eat breakfast about 3 hours before I ran on Wednesday. Yesterday, I didn't eat breakfast because I started running within an 75 minutes of waking up. The gels on an empty stomach probably weren't a good thing. I also didn't watch what I ate at all Saturday, like I had a spinach salad for lunch, which I would never do in the days before a race.

So from now through May I'm going to start treating the Sunday long runs as I would the race, in terms of eating and waking up, and see if that helps. Right now, I think my absolute biggest problem is avoiding pitstops at the marathon.

Unexpected Dream Runs

Once in a while, a run that I've been dreading, and usually for good reason, turns into a thing of beauty. Last Wednesday's run was one of those. Overcast, chilly, but extremely windy-- wind gusts of up to 45 mph!-- is not my ideal weather. I hate wind, it burns my eyes, blows dust and leaf detritus in my face, keeps me feeling cold and turns my legs to lead. But that was the weather on Wednesday.

It took a lot to kick my butt outside and give up the safety of the treadmill. Lucky for me, I have some sort of compulsive oppositional behavior-- I won't even listen to myself. I called Coach B. and asked him whether I should go outside. He said I could stay on the treadmill if I wanted to, so of course, I said I would run outside. I must have been awful as a kid.

The scheduled run was 13 miles on a hilly course. Brian said not to worry about pace, because of the wind, just go by feel and effort. I ran over to Llewelyn, to South Mountain, then ran my 5K course once or twice before heading back and running up Ridgewood. Very hilly. I was amazed that 1) I didn't stop at all. Just by coincidence, I hit every traffic light. I didn't have to stop for anything or anyone 2) I fought off stomach cramps for the first time ever. I felt them coming on at mile 4.5, there was no bathroom around so I slowed a bit, turned and headed back toward Glen Ridge and home. Then, after another mile, I forgot all about the cramps and unconsciously picked up speed. I didn't even think that was possible! I wonder if the probiotics I started taking recently are actually benefiting my stomach? and 3) I ended up with an average pace of 8:50 for the 13 hilly, windy miles. That made me feel fantastic! I wish every run can be like that one.

So now I'm trying to figure out why some training runs can go so well, but I tend to freak out in actual races. I think fairly even pacing (after the first few miles) and starting off slower, relative to the last half, were the key elements.

My splits were:

8:46
9:15
8:58
8:40
8:26
9:09
8:45
8:35
8:48
8:53
8:52
8:44
8:51

The second half was fairly even, for me.

First Twenty-Miler of this Training Cycle

I'm about six weeks into this training program, with about seven or eight weeks left until taper starts, depending on the length of the taper. I'm reaching the point where the mileage is climbing (ran an all-time high of 51 miles last week), the long runs are really long, and body parts are beginning to hurt. I realize that I need to practice motivating myself to make this time goal a reality. I also realized today that the pain from training is what will prepare me to really race the marathon, and the marathon will hopefully seem like cake after all of these long runs.

Today's schedule called for 17 miles. I met Chip at 5:50 a.m., and noticed that getting out of bed at 4:40 a.m. is getting easier than it used to be. We started the first 7 mile loop in light rain, about 43 degrees, and of course, total darkness. I was supposed to be running 9:20's, but neither Chip nor I was feeling the love, we averaged about 9:38 for the first loop. Back at Fleet Feet we hooked up with about five other runners, including Lynne M. And Greg van I. I ran with Greg for a while and was able to pick up the pace quite a bit for about three miles, but Greg was really slowing down for me so at that point I let him run up ahead, and I ran back to Chip and John Fabbro from Fleet Feet. We slowed down again, back to 9:30's. But a benefit of not pushing it was that at mile 17, I felt good and was able to continue with Chip for another three miles. Actually, it was another 3.35. Chip and I argued because I thought the run was done when my garmin said 20.0, but he had mapped the course on Google Maps and that said 20.6, so he said we had to do the whole course. So 20.35 was actually a compromise position... neither one of us was happy!

NYRR Colon Cancer Challenge 15K Race Report

I wrote this for my running club, the Essex Running Club:

I guess everyone was at the Newark Distance Classic today! So I took it upon myself to serve as ERC's lone representative to the NYRR Colon Cancer Challenge 15K in Central Park this morning. The stated purpose of the race is to promote awareness of colorectal cancers and to raise money for cancer research. The staging area hosted several informational booths, and a large inflatable colon, through which runners and spectators were invited to pass (please forgive the awful pun).

Following my current marathon training plan, I arrived at the Park early to run 7 miles before the 15K started. My timing wasn't great, as I finished the first run earlier than expected and found myself waiting, hamstrings growing tighter by the second, in gusting wind and cold. Fortunately I loosened up again once the race started. My goal was to run the first half at the same pace as the early 7 miles, then pick up the pace for the second half. I surprised myself by succeeding, for the most part. After a gel and water stop at mile 5 (more for practice than anything else), I increased my average pace by about 10 seconds a mile until the finish, for a time of 1:21:04. This is a 1:52 improvement over my NYRR Hot Chocolate 15K time from last December (when I did not run 7 miles beforehand, btw), so I'm happy with the race.

Once again, the NYRR put on a professional, well-organized race with a secure baggage check and plenty of post-race bagels and drink. The only thing missing? No hot chocolate today...

Another Motivational Quote

"If we work hard at what we're most passionate about, we'll be rewarded with a few thrilling moments of perfection."

--John Bingham, Runner's World, April 2008

Inspiration

The Runner's World Complete Book of Running, edited by Amby Burfoot, contains a lot of good information about the mental side of running. I like to read the following passage from the book to remind me to keep trying, and keep digging deep:

"We have all learned everything we know physically-- from walking to running a marathon-- by trial and error, so there's no reason to become our own worst enemies when we suffer a setback. From time to time everyone falls short of their goals. It's an illusion to believe that champions succeed because they do everything perfectly. You can be certain that every archer who hits the bull's-eye has also missed the bull's-eye a thousand times while learning the skill."

Far Out Stress Dreams

I remember having one or two major stress dreams when I was a student, usually involving walking into the exam room and having the lights go out, or otherwise not being able to see the exam paper itself. But I have always had a stress dream in the months or weeks before every marathon I've run, except for my first (which was a last minute impulse decision). Last night I had a stress dream about Buffalo, three months away.

In the dream I started running the marathon. The course passed my hotel. I suddenly remembered something I needed in the hotel room. I don't recall what the item was, but it was very important that I get it. So I detour from the race, go into the room, and realize I have the wrong running shoes on. I mean to change only the shoes, but end up changing all my clothes, back into street clothes. Then I remember I'm in the race. So I have to change back into my running gear, and get my running shoes back on. All the while I feel the clock ticking, every second seems to be an hour. Finally I get back out on the course and I can't see anyone around. I panic, maybe I'm lost, or worse, I'm last. I started running down the course alone and spotted some runners way up ahead going really slowly. I was way behind the slowest runners. Then I woke up.

Why do I make myself crazy with something that's supposed to be fun? Fun isn't quite the word. I need a word that describes something about which I'm passionate, to which I'm committed, and from which I derive an immense amount of satisfaction and self-confidence. As much as with my children, but with a different type of love. "Hobby" is too belittling. No wonder Americans are so fat, there's not even a word that encompasses all that for a physical activity.

Words To Live By

My coach posted this on the forum at Runningtimes.com:

"The most overlooked trait that the elites have is their unbelievable work ethic. They all have this trait. There are many examples but one really sticks out. Derek Clayton had no real natural speed compared to his competitors in his day yet he had set the world record for the Marathon of 2:08 in the late 60's which was a mark that held until the 80's. He was known for his hard high mileage training. Sure he had the ability to take a beating and keep going but he still had to get out there and do the work.

The good news is that if you have this hard working trait and you are someone of "regular" physiological traits you can go farther than you can imagine with the Marathon distance. I really think that this is the most important thing for a Marathon runner. Without it, it really does not matter what physical traits you bring to the race."

I need to remember this every day.

On Group Runs

I ran again with the Fleet Feet group this morning, this time at 7 am. I still had to wake up early, 5 am, to feel loose enough to run by 7 am. No food before the run. Just coffee with soy creamer. However, I did take 2 advil to reduce some PMS cramps I felt this morning, and that had some negative impact on my stomach by the end of the 7 mile run.

This was a scheduled rest day for me. However, I felt I should take advantage of the opportunity to run with the group, and I'm glad I did. I'll switch today and tomorrow on the schedule, and do the boot camp class tomorrow. I ran with Susan M., Chip B., and another guy whose name I failed to catch. I thought I would run at recovery pace, about 9:30, but I discovered that's impossible with these guys. We kept up an 8:45 mile for 5 miles, when I left and veered back toward my car. I didn't do the last two miles much slower, probably around 9:00. However, that's an MP run the day after a tempo run, and I need to take recovery time much more seriously. My left knee is feeling the pressure.

This completes my third week on Coach B's program, and I am growing more excited about it every day. I've been running so well lately that Coach revised my paces on the schedule, making them faster. He said I show much more fitness than he originally thought. :) But over-enthusiasm is dangerous, that's what got me injured in 2006. I've heard the marathon is an exercise in restraint, and that is true in more ways than one!

On Long Runs

I love a good long run. I do all the runs on my training plan, even the ones I don't really want to do or feel like I have to do. But I really look forward to long runs of 15 to 20 miles. What do I love about them? With the kids, pets, and general chaos at home, I luxuriate in spending two to three hours alone, being able to get into the zone that I do after an hour or so on my feet. I love racking up the miles, and especially love it when I look at my watch to find that seven or eight miles have gone by and I didn't even notice how far I'd come. I love the feeling of accomplishment afterward, when I note in my training log that I ran 15, 17, 20 miles. A long run that goes extremely well is just icing on the cake. Sunday was a great long run, in spite of waking up at 4:30 am to meet Chip B. at 5:50 for the run.

Chip is part of a big group that runs every Sunday from John Fabbro's Fleet Feet store in Montclair. The group usually meets at 7 am, but there occasionally are a few people who need to start earlier due to scheduling conflicts. No one else showed up so early, so Chip and I set out ourselves. He really knew the course well, we hit some challenging hills and kept things quite relaxed, averaging about a 9:44 pace for the first 7 miles, at which point we ended up back in front of Fleet Feet at 7 am. I grabbed a good drink, something I did not do on last week's run, and Chip and I started up again with the rest of the Fleet Feet group. After a mile, I veered off for a pit stop at Watchung Plaza, then headed out on my own to Brookdale Park. I did another 3-4 miles at a faster pace, to end at mile 12 at Anderson Park with an average pace of 9:20. Anderson Park has a nice asphalt path, .6 mile long. As per my coach's instructions, I picked up the pace at mile 13. I was dreading this part because I basically bonked last Sunday and almost puked when I picked up the pace for the last two miles of that run. But it was fantastic! I ran the 13th mile at 7:56 (sub-8!), the 14th mile at 8:20, and the last mile, on the road back to Fleet Feet, at 8:28, for an average pace of 8:15. Last week my average pace for the 2 final, faster miles was 8:49. I was quite satisfied.

I also felt better after the run. No nausea or dead legs like last week. This surprised me, because I forgot to take any gels on the course (though I had 2 in my pouch), doh! The only frustrating part of this run was my stomach. I had some pretty greasy Chinese food Saturday night with friends, and that caused some major distress along the way. Two bathroom stops and some major cramping, and that even with one immodium before the run. I must be better about nutrition.

In fact, I know I could improve my performance by 6 minutes just by losing 5 lbs, but all I've been doing lately is eating. Not unhealthy food, but ugh! Too much. I don't understand how I can be so devoted to most of the other aspects of marathoning while ignoring one of the most important, my diet. I need to stop baking for a few months.

To the Track or Not, That Is the Question

A current topic of conversation on the marathon boards at Runningtimes.com and Runango.com is the value of speed work intervals at the track. It's almost universally accepted that interval work of some kind, usually 800 to 1600 meter repeats and usually on a standard 400 meter track, is necessary to decrease marathon times. A running club friend of mine swears his huge improvement in marathon times was caused directly by running 10 and 12 x 1600m repeats, a very difficult workout!

Obviously, there are many benefits to track intervals, if they are tough enough to train your body to run faster through fatigue. But the big danger is that all the turns on the track, or even just the sudden stress of constantly taking off at a fast pace will cause injury, especially knee injury. Coach Brian doesn't like track work because of the risk of injury, and I just don't like track work, period. He has started to add strides to the end of the shorter, easy runs, and I like how he has me picking up the pace at the end of my long run, that is incredibly challenging. He likes phone contact, and he is very encouraging. I do think he's experimenting on me with this training method, but I am quite willing to give it a try, after my experience with Coach Joel last summer.

I now think Coach Joel ripped Karen and me off. I get upset when I think back to the "speed work" he gave us, it was really crap, workouts like 4 x 800m, then cool down, or 6 x 400m-- for the marathon distance! I would never recommend him to anyone who wanted a marathon coach. To give him the benefit of the doubt, he was so cautious because he was afraid of us getting injured (which Karen did anyway). But candy-assed workouts don't do the trick in a 26.2 mile race.

The Great Toe Scare of 2008

So after I had that great 8-mile run on Wednesday, I proceeded to bang the crap out of my left foot when I whacked it against a metal folding chair while running for the phone. Ugh! I could not believe how painful that was! I'm sure I broke some small bone in there, the smallest toe was all swollen, red, and hot to the touch. I couldn't walk on it for hours! I mean, come on, this is the very first week of my new training program! I immediately launched into panic mode, checked out marathons later in the summer, and thought about how to ask my coach to put the program on hold for the few weeks I thought I would need to heal.

Yesterday morning the foot was absolutely no better, even after icing and some advil. I was really limping for most of yesterday. Coach Brian called yesterday, he was very encouraging. He said it was still so early, even a brief layoff wouldn't affect me, and there are plenty of alternatives, like pool running, to keep me in shape. He's very positive, and I need that to calm me down. Then I took a power nap in the afternoon, slept almost 2 hours. When I woke up, the foot felt a lot better. Still painful, but markedly improved over just a few hours before. I dared to try on my running shoes, and that hurt so much I thought there was no way I'd be running this week. I taped the toes before going to bed.

When I woke up, the foot was sore, but still much better than yesterday. I decided to test it out on the treadmill. The treadmill is slightly gentler, and if I had to bail during the run, I would already be at home. I had 4 miles on the schedule. I started very slowly, at a 9:40 pace, and slowly increased speed, never going above 9:15. I couldn't believe it, but the run went fine! The entire 4 miles felt good (except for when I landed on the outside of the left foot at the very start of the run, that hurt so much I thought there's no way I'd finish it). I can't even begin to describe how relieved I am.

But the curious thing is my sudden awareness this morning of how philosophical running can be. These bumps in the road occur in training, and how I handle them may be indicative of how I handle problems that come up in the race itself. Yesterday, I didn't like what I saw. I went straight into panic mode, instead of taking a wait-and-see attitude. Today, not 48 hours after the injury, I was back on track with the program, though it was a slow treadmill run. I must view this incident as an attempt to distract me from my goal, and I won't be distracted again!

Hills Are Evil!

Today I did a workout that's fairly new to me. Weaning myself off my beloved treadmill, I'm running outside more to get the hills, both up and down, in. This morning I ran 8 miles, 1 mile warmup, then I raced up the huge hill at Lincoln Street at 10K pace (or faster), slowed up for the rest of the mile, then repeated that hill 3 times. Then did 2 miles fairly slowly up Ridgewood, headed back and hit some more hills at 10K pace. Wow! I didn't think I could do it. After that first hill I actually felt sick. So it was quite a great sense of accomplishment when I completed the workout.

I liked several things about this workout. First, the hills were tough but not too big-- Lincoln was the biggest at about 300 meters. So I could run the hills, which will (hopefully) increase my leg and quad strength. Second, I liked that it forced me to really speed up the pace after I'd already been running a few miles, and was tired. I was amazed that I actually ran a faster overall pace by speeding up those hills, then slowing way down, than running a steady state training run at my normal training pace. Today I ran 8 at an average 9:07 pace, while yesterday I ran 4 steady at 9:16.

I am beginning to get a feel for Coach Brian's strategy, and I like it. I think it's the change I need in my training to bring my time down.

Rock & Roll Arizona Marathon Race Report

This was my third year coming out to the Valley of the Sun for the Rock & Roll. The first year I ran the half, and the second and third, the full. Last year I had a blast, and this year did not disappoint. I arrived Thursday, met my friend Jon at the airport (he was getting the rental car this year), and we went to a very nice golf resort in Scottsdale where my brother scrounged two comp rooms for us. Each room had a living room and kitchenette with coffee maker, microwave and fridge, so we didn't have to worry about pre-race breakfast and
all that, and this year the rooms overlooked the huge golf course, very scenic. Last year I had my husband and kids with me, and my dad and his wife were staying at my brother's house around the corner from the hotel. My dad has alzheimer's and couldn't process the noise from the kids running around, he was all grumpy and silent, my poor SIL was totally stressed with all the visitors, her kids were sick with strep throat and the flu-- it was the worst! So I couldn't be happier this year when my dad's wife decided they couldn't fly out, and my husband and the kids stayed home. Ahhh, the silence of the clean hotel room! No stress! The only fly in the ointment was that my left knee hurt like a bear since I got on the plane in Newark. I actually asked the flight attendant for ice and iced it the whole way to Phoenix. Same knee that hurt since NYCM, but now it was really painful. I was sure
I would drop down to the half, which Jon said I could do anytime up to the actual start of the race. I was happy to be in Phoenix, but I wasn't excited about the race at that time. I didn't like the half course, and thought about just not running anything, spectating instead.

Jon and I hit the expo Friday. At the expo, which was large and well-attended, we picked up our stuff and stopped by the booth of my brother's company, Paradise Bakery, one of the race sponsors this year. There we met one of the managers who got us two passes to the VIP staging area on race morning (there was no Stage Rocks tent this year, the Scottsdale Running Company stopped producing it)! She said Frank Shorter and Khalid Kanouchi (sp?) would be there, they had already been by the expo and had autographed her sponsor pass and taken photos with her. I decided right then and there that I was in for the full distance. I was icing my knee a lot and I would just hope for the best. I was not motivated for the run before the expo, but after hearing about the elite staging area, I was so psyched up. Because of the knee I decided to stay in my comfort zone, and printed
out a pace band for a 4:10 marathon. I would not wear head phones, wanted to practice pacing and focusing. Jon was going for a sub-2:50 and was getting more and more nervous. Every so often he'd start talking to himself about running a strategic race, saying it over and over. So we just tried to relax a lot on Saturday, stay off our feet. My knee still hurt Saturday, real pain under the knee cap, and I was worried. I took 2 advil Saturday night and kept icing. I showed Jon an article in Running Times about "shake out" runs, the elites do them, they are not warm up runs-- they get up about 4 hours before a race and just jog a very slow mile, just to get the blood to the muscles and get the stomach moving. He said he'd try it on race morning, and he did. 3:30 am Sunday he went out and did a slow mile.

I woke up at 4 am Sunday, and I swear, my knee felt fine! I'm like, WTF, but it really was about 80% better than it had been all week. I ate a bowl of cheerios and soy milk (I usually have toast or a bagel pre-race, and the cheerios did not sit well, but it was all I had), did a small shake-out run (I did a slow mile the morning of the Shamrock last March and PR'ed there, so it's a habit I try to keep), showered, got into warm-ups and we headed to the staging area with Fred, a friend of my brother's. His son was runing his first half-marathon (at age 15, he ran a 1:25!). The elite staging area was inside the beautiful Phoenix rock and mineral museum, which was both nice and surreal. My brother's bakery company supplied all the bagels, muffins, coffee, etc. The elites entered. Jon, Fred, his son and I grabbed a table. A guy at the next table asked me who my sponsor was! I just about died laughing! We started talking, and he told me he was a pacer for Haile Gebreselasie (sp?) when Geb ran his WR half marathon there in '06. He was on about 5 different pro racing teams. Then Frank Shorter walked in. I went over and asked him if he liked the muffin he was eating, we started talking, he was so nice! He signed my bib "For Aubrey, you can do it! Just have fun!" and his name. I tell you, I really thought about him saying "just have fun" a helluva lot late in the race. Then we took a photo. He was the only celeb I saw there. Then it was almost time to go, and even in the elite area there's a huge line for the woman's room. Jon came out of the men's room and said I should just go in there, he saw another woman do it. So I did. I walk in, head down, had to wait for a stall. Some guy came in and asked me jokingly if I was going to use the urinal. I said I would if I knew how! But those lines for the
women's room are ridiculous! There was a whole group of young women in the staging area, not an ounce of body fat on them but they did not look emaciated either, they looked great-- they were all attempting to qualify for the OT, and I hear 8 of them did. Jon actually ran with them through mile 22, they had Hanson's Team pace bunnies.

Last year, I had to walk quite a ways to the starting corral from the Stage Rocks tent I was in. This year, the starting line was right outside the elite staging area door. The weather was great, about 48 at the start, mid to upper 60's at the finish, not a cloud in the sky, but a lot of shade for a good chunk of the course. Jon said there was a wind of 5-10 mph, but I didn't feel it. It was awesome. So Jon and I wished Matthew, the 15-year-old kid running the half, good luck, we high-five each other, and head to our corrals. Frank Shorter and
Khalid Kanouchi gave little speeches before the start, then the gun fired. I saw signs for the 3:45 pace team near me, but this year, I didn't even try to start with them. "Restraint" was my mantra. And I did hold back. I ran at a pace where I could easily carry a conversation for probably most of the race, trying to keep the average pace on my Garmin at about 9:10. Remember those cheerios? Well, they led to a pit stop at mile 9, then I stopped very briefly for a gel and water at mile 10. My knee started to hurt at mile 16, but with less
than 10 miles to go, I just took 2 advil and told myself to suck it up. And advil is indeed a miracle drug. I felt the start of calf cramps at mile 16, the result of severe undertraining (my longest run since NYCM was 12 miles), but I grabbed a salt packet at the next aid station and that seemed to keep the cramps at bay. I planned to start taking 45 second walk breaks at the water stations after mile 20, to try to keep the left leg going to the finish, and those seemed to help, though of course my average pace started dropping to a 9:23. I
timed each break and pushed on to the next water table. Not having the headphones made it so much easier to focus! I was surprised, because I love my music, but when I wore phones I never was able to think of the motivating things I had to keep me going late in the game. Without them, I remembered to concentrate on things I knew helped get me going. I was in some pain from mile 22 on, but it didn't really bother me. Marathons hurt. The spectator support was fantastic, especially a big group of teenage girls all dressed as
members of the glam rock band Kiss. I saw my SIL, niece and nephew spectating at the mile 26 marker, and paused to give them a hug before the final kick. 4:08:41.

I felt sick after I finished (maybe the salt I took) and had to stop for a bit at the med tent, where I iced my knees, then headed over to meet Jon at the VIP finish area (oh yeah, the passes were good for that too). On the way there, I stepped up on a curb and my left leg suddenly seized up in cramps. Man, did that suck! I fell right onto some old people next to me, who kind of broke my fall as I fell to the ground. I was screaming! I've never felt anything like it in 8 previous marathons-- hell, I never felt anything close to that in childbirth! It took about 20 minutes until I could stand up, then this med tent guy walked me over to the VIP area. I found Jon, and when I first saw him I thought for sure he blew his goal. He looked so serious, and when I asked him how he did he said "sub-3" and started going on about the course. I finally said, "what is your time?!" Turns out he ran a fantastic PR of 2:45, at age 41. I told him it must have been the shake out run that did it for him. Couldn't have been all those 22 mile training runs, and hard core speed work that he did! There was beer and decent hot food (pasta, chicken, coffee, iced tea, beer, soda, cookies) at the VIP area (tables with table cloths, shi-shi!), it was so cool! I even got to do the VIP baggage check, so my bag was right there. So much fun! We had VIP passes for the post-race concert (Kool & the Gang, heh) too, but we were too tired to go. All in all, just an awesome day, which we capped off with my brother and his family at a restaurant. Jon and I were both starving, we polished off everything!

I'm happy with my time, because I didn't train for this marathon and didn't really race it. But I'm bummed too, because I did train hard for Berlin, did several 17, 1 18, and 2 20 mile runs, and only did 90 seconds better. I think I had the physical training for Berlin, but not the mental discipline, and here I had the opposite-- little training but I had good mental fortitude. One day maybe I'll have both at the same time.

Going Sub-Four

I ran my ninth marathon on January 13, 2008, at the Rock & Roll Arizona Marathon in Phoenix. I didn't train at all for that one, the longest run I did since I ran the New York City Marathon on November 4, 2007, was 12 miles. But for the first time I paced really well. I ran a 4:08:41. Which I would have been very happy with, except I trained my ass off for the Berlin Marathon on September 30, 2007, and ran a 4:07:13. So obviously I am doing something wrong with my training. I need a change.

For Berlin, I started training with Coach Joel Pasternack last May. Maybe if I were faster and more talented, he would have paid more attention to me. But I always felt like he took my money then ignored me. He wasn't very encouraging. He kept focusing on short distance races, 5ks and such, which I hate. I beat lots of people at the marathon who can beat me at 5Ks.

After R & R Arizona I was actually pretty depressed about the results, even though the race was a blast. I decided that I would do one marathon this year in late spring, and then not do another one until December or next January. I chose the Nissan Buffalo Marathon on May 25th. I would love to PR on that course, it would be like a march of vindication through that goddamned city. And I hired a new coach, an online coach from Marathoncoach.org. Brian. I like him so far. Very accessible, very encouraging. He told me not to worry about shorter races, they aren't important. Best of all, he told me that even Ryan Hall lost his track races because he isn't trained to push through oxygen debt, neither am I. I thought that was a sweet thing to say.

I like not knowing him personally. There's no pressure there. And I'm not sharing this training with anyone this time.

Mentally, I am trying to train myself to think in terms of sub-four hours. I know I can do it. I don't know why I know, but I just feel I can do that. I will, in Buffalo, this May 25th.