Countdowns to Raceday (Part II)

In follow up to part I, which ranked my top 10 runs of all-time (race and nonrace) I thought I'd rank my top 10 races of all-time.

Before doing so, here are some statistics, relevant or otherwise.

Total # of races run - 47
Total # of 2.3 milers - 1
Total # of 5k's - 21
Total # of 10k's - 14
Total # of 15k's - 1
Total # of Half Marathons - 1
Total # of 30k's - 1
Total # of Marathons - 2
Total # of 5 milers - 6
First race - July 6, 2002 (Whalley Memorial Run - 5 miler)

And now, like David Letterman; Top 10 Races of All Time:

#10 October 8, 2005 (Alpha Delta 5k - Bethany Beach, DE)
Torrential rain and wind while we were at Dewey Beach, DE for the gathering of the greyhounds. I finished 1st in my age group, but to this day, perhaps the worst weather I've run in. At least it was warm or it could have been worse. (time: 20:43)

#9 June 18, 2004 (Rockwood Rotary Half Marathon - Rockwood, PA) - current Half Marathon PR
An evening half marathon run on a stretch of the Allegheny Trail. It was in the 80's and humid. I ran it like a 5k; very fast and this might have been the closest I've ever come to collapsing at the end of a race. (time: 1:42:47)

#8 July 5, 2003 (Whalley Memorial 5 Miler - Windber, PA)
The first time I've repeated a race, therefore, the first time I could have comparable times. Last year I did this as my first race ever, finishing in 39:21. Much improvement over one year. (time: 36:40)

#7 July 2, 2004 (Rolling Rock 5 Mile Run - Latrobe, PA)
First time I had run this race. A difficult and hilly course. The town really gets behind this event as part of their 4th of July celebration. Plenty of crowd support. It was also very warm and humid; another evening race. I tend to like those. (time: 36:25)

#6 July 6, 2002 (Whalley Memorial 5-miler - Windber, PA)
My first race ever. This is where it all started. A run I'll never forget. (time: 39:21)

#5 May 24, 2003 (Come Run in the Sun 10k - Las Vegas, NV)
Our final day of a weeklong vacation in Las Vegas. Despite an 8:00 a.m. start, the temps. were in the low-80's. Amazing that this was basically a 5k uphill and then turnaround for a 5k downhill. Might be one of the toughest 10k courses I've ever run. Las Vegas is also at 3,000 above sea level. Took 3rd in my age group. (time: 49:27)

#4 September 25, 2005 (The Great Race 10k - Pittsburgh, PA)
At the time, I had set a PR by 0:06 seconds over the previous PR nearly two years earlier. A hot day, but a perfect run at a perfect pace. (time: 43:39)

#3 November 7, 2004 (Flight 93 Memorial 15k - Shanksville, PA)
Perhaps one of the most touching runs I've ever been on. The course goes past the crash site. Despite living within a half hour, I had never been to the site before this day. I was very moved by what I was taking part in. (time: 1:18:41) - current 15k PR

#2 May 21, 2006 (Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon - Cleveland, OH)
Having never done it before, the entire marathon experience was something to behold. Calf pain in both legs the night before introduced me to ghost pain and going through the entire thing (expo, race, post-race) was something I'll never forget. (time: 4:02:02)

#1 October 14, 2006 (Under Armour Baltimore Marathon - Baltimore, MD)
A perfect weather day and zero expectations made this one of the most shocking and enjoyable runs of my life so far. This race made me realize that Boston is possible. A great day! (time: 3:39:37) Current Marathon PR

Planning for the Unexpected

It never seems to fail. Something unexpected always seems to happen in the weeks and days leading up to the 'big race'. In Cleveland, it was horrific calf pain just 2 days before (the night before and morning of, I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to run 2 miles, let alone 26.2).

A week ago, as I was taking my left contact out, I felt a sharp stinging pain that I described as "sand in my eye". After about 4 days of wearing my glasses and running in them I decided to head to the eye doctor.

Turns out I pulled a piece of my cornea off my eye that night. Another week in glasses and an antibiotic and hopefully I can wear contacts again. I cannot envision running a marathon with glasses on. I've talked about "running blind" or running with only one contact. Anything but glasses the entire time.

My follow-up is 4 days before the marathon. I can only hope that it heals in time. For the first time I'm heading into a big one with few aches and pains and few concerns about my lower body. Now, the eyes have it. If it ain't one thing, it's another.

Fun With Statistics

Perhaps I've found another way to help pass the time. I already plan on posting the top 10 races of all time that I've run. But before I disclose those, I thought it would be interesting to provide some statistics that I find simply mind-boggling at times.

As I complete my training for the Flying Pig over the next two weeks, I will have run 434.7 miles in training; including the marathon. That is more than 50 miles greater than either of the first two.

So as my mind looks for things to keep me busy, I wondered where those miles could take me.

Here are some approximate distances from my hometown of Johnstown, PA to:

Pittsburgh, PA - 65.4 miles (6 trips back and forth)
Philadelphia, PA - 203.4 miles (2 trips)
Baltimore, MD - 142.7 miles (almost 3)
Cleveland, OH - 168.8 miles (2 1/2)
Indianapolis, IN - 382.3 miles (once with change)
Chicago, IL - 464.3 miles (almost....)

But perhaps in a turn of karma, and something I'll use to assist my mental state leading up to this marathon is this tiny little fact (and I swear I didn't try to do this).

Johnstown, PA to Boston, MA........ 432.6 miles. Did you just get chills? I did.

A Picture of Irritability

Ask my wife. She'll tell you. I'm irritable. Everything seems to bother me. Perhaps the pressure is getting to me. Maybe it's that I'm not running as much. Whatever the reason, I have slipped into this funk of irritate that I cannot describe.

There is no doubt that since my taper started, I have gotten edgy. I don't remember being like this the first few times around, but I am certain that the two are related.

Saturday morning, as I was complaining about something stupid (I'm sure, but I can't remember), she told me to "go run it off". That's when I realized that perhaps I haven't been myself. I don't know why I'm stressing. That's a lie. I want so badly to qualify for Boston and I wonder if I've done enough. Have I trained hard enough? Am I ready? Will this extra taper week help me or inevitably be my downfall?

It's hard to answer those questions, because there is only one way to find out. I hope I can contain this irritation for a few more days. By then, I hope that anticipation and excitement will replace their ugly cousin. I'm even irritating myself. I didn't realize that I was also tapering my tolerance......

Tick Tock Taper....

The final two weeks. Incredible. Much like the event I'm taking part in on May 6, the training itself is a marathon of sorts. I began my journey for the third time on January 7 and it will culminate in Cincinnati in just 16 days.

The same questions and conerns are with me that were with me the first two times. But as a "veteran" (I still have to laugh about that one) of marathon running I have a history that I can draw upon. I know what to expect. Does that make it better? In some ways, yes. In other ways, no. Sometimes not knowing what to expect helps to make the journey seem a little more exciting.

Ghost pains are already starting. I've settled on an extra week of tapering. The first two times I used 3 weeks to get ready. This time, I'm using 4. This weekend I'll do my final speed workout just to keep my mind strong and focused.

The final two weeks are hell. There is anticipation, excitement, worry and father time seems to slow to a snail pace. But I am focused. Focused on one task. One number. One goal. Like a child in the backseat I will ask myself repeatedly, "am I there yet?"

Countdowns to Raceday

With just over two weeks to go and my heavy and difficult running nearly behind me, I've done some thinking about the best runs I've ever had. With all of the runs I've done over the past five-plus years, it is amazing to me that certain training runs stand out to me nearly as much as certain races do. I could easily rank my top ten races of all time, and I think I'll do that next week in the days leading up to the marathon. But today, I rank my top ten runs of all time.

I based these on a number of different factors, including memorable events that happened during the run (i.e., weather, confrontations with wildlife, or just a general good feeling). A brief description of why it was so memorable follows. And in David Letterman fashion, we start with 10 and work up to the #1 run of all time (race and non-race):

#10 September 16, 2006
19.5 mile run with my neighbor, Ron Mock. To this day, it is the only training run I have ever gone on with another person. I'm a solo runner, and like it that way. Although, it was a nice change and something I needed at the time to prepare for my 2nd marathon in Baltimore.

#9 March 9, 2007
5.25 miles on my home treadmill. I did seven half mile splits and progressively got faster each time. At the time, it was a near perfect Yasso 800 workout.

#8 July 6, 2002
How can I leave out my first race ever. Whalley Memorial 5 miler. I completed the course in 39:21. I look at that as a slow time now, but then I broke 40 minutes and was ecstatic.

#7 February 15, 2007
7 mile training run at 6:00 a.m. The temperature was 2 degrees with a minus-18 degree wind chill. Still the coldest day I have ever run in.

#6 February 16, 2006
6 mile training run. I ran around "the mound" in Westmont by the Johnstown Inclined Plane. Two deer were on the hill that I hadn't noticed until I was next to them. They stood very still and I could only see their shadow in front of a full moon. One of the most unbelievable things I have seen while running.

#5 March 30, 2006
8 mile training run. I had refereed two games in a National Tournament in Pittsburgh and drove home to get this run in during the evening. Despite being tired and high humidity, I felt great when I got done. One of the best night's of sleep in my life.

#4 February 23, 2006
6 mile training run. I ran head on into a skunk. We startled each other silly and carefully went around one another and went on our respective ways. Wonder what ever happened to that guy!

#3 April 30, 2006
First 20 mile run ever. High pollen gave me a hacking cough the final two miles, but two things came of that day. I knew I could run a marathon after that, and I woke up the next day with no leg soreness at all.

#2 May 21, 2006
First marathon ever: Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon. Cleveland, OH. The entire experience was amazing, especially the finishing stretch. Wanted to break 4 hours, but came across the finish line in 4:02:02.

#1 October 14, 2006
Under Armour Baltimore Marathon. Baltimore, MD. With only 11 weeks of training, it was the ultimate test of my ability. A perfect weather day that started around 38 degrees and finished around 53. Beautiful sunshine and shortly after beginning I realized I was going to shatter the time I set 5 months earlier. Finished in 3:39:37. Gave me the idea that I could actually qualify for Boston.

Next week....Top 10 Races of All Time.

Changing Priorities

It is amazing how quickly things can change. As I sit here lamenting about my final double digit run of training before the marathon; which is now just three short weeks away, I can't help but think of a thought I had earlier this week.

One year ago this week I was in the midst of training for my first marathon. I had no idea what to expect, and like all first-timers my priority and my overall goal was to get through it. Finish. Build up to where I was able to just simply cover the distance. Get it done, get that medal and be able to say, "yes, I've run a marathon".

Throughout that race, my priorities changed to, "maybe I can get this in under 4 hours". I got close, but finished in 4:02:02. Still, I immediately began making plans for marathon #2. As I trained for and eventually completed that second marathon in Baltimore, my priorities again changed. A surprising 3:39:37 finish had me thinking "Boston".

Now as I lament, and wonder the possibilities and see where I am a year later I realize that I am close. Boston is a distinct possibility. So close that the thought of "almost" qualifying haunts me. And although I will be disappointed if I don't do it, I can't help but laugh at myself. 350 days later and instead of "just finishing" I've added the pressure of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Something that was unthinkable last year.

This makes me wonder where I'll be and what I'll be doing next year at this time. Laugh and the world laughs with you.....

A Matter of Perspective

I'm an active person by nature. So it's no surprise that I thrive with the rugged schedule that marathon training can create. Running is also a monotonous activity that needs to be kept fresh with different types of running. When training for a marathon over 16 or 17 weeks it can get tough mentally as I've made fairly clear in previous posts here.

In addition to running, I do quite a lot of other things. I am an adjunct instructor for several colleges and this spring I am teaching the equivalent of 10 credits, while maintaining my normal work schedule, marathon training and refereeing (which is thankfully over).

I've been teaching for 6 years, and after class Wednesday something happened to me that has never happened before. One of my female students waited to speak with me and disclosed to me that the reason she hasn't been in class the last couple of weeks is because she has cancer. It seems to me that her odds of beating this disease are good, but that doesn't make it seem easier.

Here is a 22 year old young woman, living on her own and she is concerned with telling me why she has been absent lately. I felt bad and happy for her at the same time. The fact that she is so concerned with finishing school and keeping up on her studies in light of facing a life threatening illness speaks volumes for this young woman. I drove home sad and wondering where justice is in something like that. And it made me realize just how precious life can be.

As my mileage reaches its pinnacle this week and my body is broken down, I find strength when I think of this courageous young woman. After all, life is something that should be celebrated. And come May 6 when I slip across that finish line, I will celebrate; Boston qualified or not.

A Runners Mind Game

With my 7:36/mile pace last Saturday, I am encouraged to be just :07 seconds off the pace I will need to maintain to qualify for the Boston Marathon. With just five short weeks to go, I know that it will be too close to call.

There are so many things that non-runners do not realize. As a lifelong athlete I have played or participated in many sports. The biggest difference with my new passion is the time and preparation and how it could all be for naught if the weather does not cooperate. Come down with a cold or the flu? You can still play most sports effectively, but running a marathon? Forget it.

As I make the final push for Cincinnati, the same thoughts enter my head that have entered it before Cleveland and before Baltimore.

• Be careful.
• You’ve got to watch where you are running in the dim light of the morning.
• Take care of your body.
• Pay close attention to what it is telling you.
• Eat the right foods.
• Don’t eat the wrong foods.
• Get plenty of rest.
• Concentrate.

With a Boston Qualifying time on the line, these things become magnified. I pray for the right weather. I hope for the exact formula of rest and 100% muscle recovery and maximum performance on just the right day. Perhaps this has become too technical. For now, I still enjoy the game and the mental preparedness that is necessary, but I see how this could wear you down at some point.

For now, I plod onward with a clear direction and a clear understanding of what is necessary. I am scared. I am confident. I am running.