Muir Beach 17K Race Report

The soreness from last week’s foray into bona fide trail racing had largely faded and I was ready to give it another go. I signed up for the Muir Beach 32K shortly after registering for the Woodside edition, but with the beating my legs I had taken, I opted to drop down to 17K instead. Just over 10 miles sounded like a cakewalk compared to 20+ last week. The race series now had moved north over the Golden Gate Bridge to the famed Golden Gate National Recreation Area (over 75,500 acres!). I had done a midweek run down the Coastal Trail, up the Rodeo Valley Trail, and completing the loop along the SCA trail. The terrain here is a stark contrast to that found in New England. Low growing Mediterranean brush, rocky cliffs and the serenity of the Pacific Ocean just beyond. Today, I was feeling more comfortable with my surroundings and less anxious about what lay ahead.

An added twist for this Saturday’s race was this weekend coincided with my best friend’s bachelor party in SF. I had more than a couple drinks and was greeted by father hangover this morning… guess I always need a challenge. After scanning the results from the previous year, the times seemed to roughly correlate to a half marathon time, so shooting for a 1:25-1:26 would put me in contention. Although shorter than last weekend’s course, the elevation change was equally challenging. Galvanized by last week’s experience, I decided to start conservatively.






As we lined up on the dark sanded staging area in anticipation of the start, I soaked in the cool and refreshing Pacific beach air. I wasn’t sure when I’d be back to do this again, so I tried to soak in the moment. I had even toyed with the idea of bringing along my camera to capture the coastal scenery, but decided I didn’t want to risk flinging my camera down a ravine during a rapid descent. I went out easier this time (partly sticking to race plan and partly out of necessity due to the hangover) and found myself comfortably letting other runners go by on the initial ascent. There were sections steep enough on the first climb that I was reduced to a fast walk to keep from redlining. At the first fork in the trail, the course leveled off as we were treated to the morning sun reflecting off the ocean surface. After a brief descent, a steeper climb ensued paved with uneven steps.

I was beginning to wonder if the hangover would ever release its hold and whether it was a mistake to race again. I finally reached the top of the climb and could see the entire Tennessee Valley stretching before my eyes. I glanced at my watch and made a mental note that I would need to be closer to 30 min. rather than 40 min. at the first aid station to be on pace. I had no idea what place I was in and I was happy to pick-off runners on the steep descent. After my first trail racing experience, I started to dread the downhills. However, I quickly realized on this first descent that descending was my strength. I had been trying to keep pace with the only runner I recognized from last week, Will Gotthardt, who had placed third in the 50K, but flew by him on the descent. The course included a half-mile of paved road leading up to the first aid station. I took a couple swigs of electrolyte drink and set off on the 2nd loop of the course. (33:25 – 8:40/mile)

The 2nd climb started gradually for the first ¼ mile and then gets noticeably steeper for what seems like almost two miles. Fortunately, the traction was good, the grade was even, and I had some company on the climb. While the 33K & 50K runners kept going straight, we 17Kers made a sharp right turn and continued climbing. I could now clearly gauge the competition and saw 4 or 5 runners ahead that were within striking distance. If I didn’t catch them on the final climb, I would get them on the descent. I passed by a curious looking structure at the top of the climb that appeared to be part of air traffic control. I was feeling pretty good now and really started to hammer on the downhill. I’m pretty sure I was out of control on the steeper portions, but by the time I hit the Tennessee Valley aid station again, I had passed 4 out of the 5 runners, and the fifth runner was in eyeshot. (29:08 – 7:49/mile).

I caught him on the paved section and asked what place he thought we were in. He pointed to one guy just in front, a woman maybe two minutes ahead, and possibly a couple more in front. I was still feeling strong and wondered how many more runners I could reel in. From what I remember, the last climb was the steepest and it was no joke. It was steep and the top wasn’t visible, but I could at least see the next runner ahead and keyed off of him. I tried to take small strides and maintain turnover, but a half-mile in, I was reduced to a walk. The runner I had just passed slowly gained, and he said, “Wow, you’re walking as fast as I’m running.” I replied, “at this point, I don’t think it makes a difference.” With the summit in sight, I was just trying to limit my losses so that the two runners were within striking distance on the final run down to the finish line. I quickly caught the first runner shortly after the cresting the hill. The ocean view emerged before me and with the beach now in view, it spurred me on. Soon, I was in full stride, arms flailing to stay in balance. This was an instance I wish someone videotaped me because I must have looked ridiculous! Form notwithstanding, I was absolutely flying and I think I covered the last stretch (~1.5 miles) in less than 9 minutes. I caught the next runner on the last switchback and the momentum carried me through to the finish line. (23:35 – 7:58/mile)

The next runner came through only a couple seconds back, and collapsed to the ground, making some comment about young guys with fast twitch muscles. I ran this race much more sensibly, as the splits indicate my effort level rose gradually throughout the race, as opposed to the abrupt fade last weekend. Mentally and physically, it was a much better way to race. The 17K results show some impressive performances. It looks like there was a pretty good battle at the front, with two guys finishing with 7:30/mile average paces. The next finisher also had an incredible race, and she has a great blog. She was way ahead and there was no way I was catching her. In retrospect, I’m glad I dropped down to the 17K; there was no way my legs could handle another 20 miler and I found it easier to focus on the shorter distance. If I’m lucky enough to be able to do next weekend’s Rodeo Beach race, I’ll try to tweak my race strategy again and even out my pacing over the distance.

Dist (Km) Split Pace Avg HR Max HR
6.2 33:24.5 8:40 163 171
6.0 29:07.7 7:48 168 173
4.8 23:35.3 7:54 170 177
Totals
17.0 1:26:07.5 8:09 167 177

Woodside 35K - My 1st long trail race

Recently, I’ve been finding races by serendipity and this one was no different. I was headed out to the Bay Area for a conference and best friend’s bachelor party and was looking for some local races. In the last two weeks, I’ve been picking up the mileage again and my legs are feeling back to normal after New York. After doing a cursory search of races in the Bay Area, I came across a promising trail race series. They organize trail races of varying lengths (8K-50K on one day) along some of the most gorgeous trails all along the Pacific coast of California. The minute I discovered this, I was sold. I immediately signed up for the Woodside 35K and reasoned that a 20 miler on trails would be much easier to recover from than one on the roads.

I cruised down 280 the morning of and tried to soak up the clean mountain air. The temperature was perfect when I pulled into Huddart Park and with about 15 minutes to spare, I quickly pulled on my racing gear, got my number, and headed straight for the bathroom to get rid of some baggage. I really had no idea what I was getting into and I approached this like a normal training run. However, I was leaving the world of the “roadie” and entering uncharted trail racing territory. Just to give you some brief background, my favorite training runs these days are on trails. However, my trail racing resume is comparatively thin, consisting of the 7.5 mile Skyline Trail Race in the Blue Hills Reservation, and the Stone Tower 15 K in the Fells Reservation a week before New York. Now, I was doubling the distance. I looked at the map and elevation profile (see below - yes the scale is in thousands) and quickly realized these hills were going to make Heartbreak look like a mound of dirt.





I went strong on the initial downhill to try to get position on the ensuing single-track and once we hit the wider trails, I settled into a more manageable pace as the climbing began. My heart rate was around 170 and I questioned whether this was something I could manage for 20 miles. The hills weren’t steep, but the first climb was LONG! It soon narrowed to single track and my heart rate was quickly getting out of control. The 35K had started with the 17K, so I really wasn’t sure with whom I was running. The climb just kept going and at some point, I stopped caring where the top was and how long I had been climbing. Later on, I saw a guy that had passed me earlier doubled over and puking his guts out. Shortly before reaching the top of the first climb and the first aid station, a strong looking guy came motoring by, who turned out to be the eventual 35K winner. Most of the front-runners seemed to be carrying water bottles and I wondered if this was going to be an issue later on in the race.

The course mercifully leveled out after the first aid station heading out to Bear Gulch and I finally settled into a more even rhythm. A bunch of runners I was with turned around (meaning they were 17K runners), so at this point I had no idea what place I was in. I cruised along this portion of the course largely on my own. It was more rolling hills rather than an extended climb, so it felt great to stride out on the downhill portions. After a longer than normal descent, the course leveled out, then entered a series of ascending switchbacks. Now I was running into other 35K runners making the turnaround and quickly deduced that I was in 3rd. An older runner was also hot on my heels as I entered the aid station. I downed some electrolyte fluid, some coke, grabbed a banana and a handful of shotblox, and began the return journey. My legs were still in reasonably good shape and so I was able to maintain a pretty good cadence. I started to put some distance over the next runner, but also passed a runner on his way out that I knew had passed me awhile back. He must have taken a wrong turn at some point.

The return trip was a little less lonely with the other 35K runners still making their way to the turnaround point. I spent most of this portion just enjoying the scenery, but in the back of my mind, I also wondered when I was going to hit the wall…. Yes, probably not the most productive thoughts to be having, but with the hard start and my low mileage base, I was just being realistically. Surprisingly, what did happen was about a mile and a half from the next aid station, I started to feel a tightening in my right medial quad. I have never cramped up during a race, and I wondered if I was starting get dehydrated. The cramp got progressively worse and eventually, the fellow who had taken the wrong turn passed me about a mile from the aid station. I tried staying with him but the cramp was preventing from opening up my stride and it was worse on downhill portion. I was in real trouble now, as the last portion of the course was mostly downhill.

I made it to the final aid station barely in front of the older runner (2:25), and he left the aid station before me, meaning I was now in 5th. Two other runners were not far back, and in my condition, I knew I was going to get passed by both of them. Uphill portions were tough and the downhill portions were aggravating the cramp. The first downhill reduced my stride to a trot and that was how it stayed for the remainder of the race. Two more runners passed me in quick succession and now I was sitting in 7th place. I spent the remainder of the run walking the uphills and jogging the downhills. When I finally hit the asphalt road, I was just happy the run was going to be over. One more runner went buzzing by about a mile from the finish and I finally struggled into the finish area with a time of 3:07:57 (8:35/mile).

So, what can I say about this race? All-in-all it was a very interesting experience for my first long distance trail race. First of all, it was a great way to get in a long training run, which was my original intent. The scenery was breath-taking and more dramatic than anything I’ve seen in the New England area. However, it was also a learning experience. No matter how much of a base I have, I cannot expect to finish strong in a 20+ mile race after averaging about 15 miles per week in the last two weeks. Also, starting out conservatively is even more critical in a trail race with rolling terrain and huge elevation changes. I took the first climb pretty aggressively and paid for it at the end (I could only manage a 9:14/mile going downhill!). Finally, personal hydration strategy is a must for longer trail races. I’m positive I was dehydrated and the ensuing cramp was compounded by my lack of fitness. Nevertheless, I was happy with a top 10 finish and found that I enjoyed the challenge and adventure of trail racing.

Results: 10th out 173, 5th in my division

Dist Split Total Pace
9.7K 54:51 54:51 9:07
9.1K 45:30 1:40:21 8:03
9.1K 45:11 2:25:32 8:00
7.4K 42:25 3:07:57 9:14

Manchester Road Race 2008

Traditionally the biggest turkey day race in New England and one I wasn’t aware of until Pat Stumbras told me about it and a great tip about getting a preferred start. I was down in Somerset at my mother-in-law’s for Thanksgiving. The drive out was relatively painless and was more scenic then I expected; I left at 7:30 am and was in Manchester by 9am. The was an unexpected abundance of good parking on the side streets east of the start/finish area. I found an empty bathroom on course, dropped the kids off at the pool and then took in the start area scene. Lots of families, huge media set-up at the finish area, and great costumes, particularly the entire family dressed up as the Wizard of Oz (3 kids, dad was the yellow brick road). Once I got past the initial crowd, I took a real slow warm-up jog in reverse direction along the last ¾ miles of the course. Huge American flag draped over the finishing stretch.

I didn’t have huge expectations going into the race. My mileage has been meager since New York and the pace has been easy (nothing faster than 7:15 pace)… just enjoying fall weather and trying to heal up from various nagging injuries. I suspect I’m in decent shape, but definitely not in peak condition. The plan was to try to get close to, or break a 6 min/mile pace. I knew the course was challenging. The first mile is slightly downhill, but the next mile and quarter consists of one long hill locals dub Heartbreak Hill. The next mile is a steep downhill followed by a flat mile, and finally a half-mile gradual downhill to the finish line. The key to this course is not to redline on the first mile, go strong up the hill, try to make up some time on the ensuing downhill, and then try to hold pace to the finish line.





The ironic thing about this race was the effort required in getting to the race (3 hour drive round trip) and the sheer number of participants (20,000+) was more commensurate with a major marathon then a race that didn’t even crack 5 miles. The finish area had a huge media set-up and the energy level from the runners was really high. This was going to be an interesting race. When I finally felt sufficiently warm, I headed back to the car and got into my racing gear. One of the draws of Manchester is they offer a preferred start. Thanks to Pat, I submitted my qualifying time and was slotted into the corral right behind the elite runners. Interestingly, the qualifying times across the various race distances aren’t equivalent. A sub-30 5 mile is much easier than a sub-2:49 marathon. I’d be curious to find out who or how these times are selected.

I quickly spotted Pat in the corral area and chatted about the course. Both of us had not done this race before, and we were both curious to see just how bad the hill would be. We are consistently never more than 20 seconds apart in a race and the faster runner is usually the one who has been doing more miles. In all seriousness, I don’t ever consider beating a 50 year-old by a couple a seconds a victory, but its fun to compete nonetheless. The Flash showed up moments later, held up by long lines at the newly introduced shuttle system. In the time before the starting gun, we tried to pick out familiar faces in the elite crowd.

I didn’t feel particularly springy today so I was curious to see how I would respond. I settled into a solid, but not fast, pace on Main St., and found that I was feeling pretty good. After making the first left turn, I passed the 1st mile marker in a quicker than expected 5:35. Shortly after, I spotted a familiar figure ahead with a very distinctive stride. Could it be the famous Joanie Samuelson? I knew she was doing her first one and pulled up alongside just to confirm. She looked very comfortable and focused. Coincidentally, a brass band was playing the Olympic anthem as we ran by. I didn’t think I would be able to keep up with her and as we got into the meat of heartbreak, she started pulling away. Amazing runner! I started to struggle on the way up the hill and noticed runners were streaming by. Soon Pat pulled up and commented on how I had taken off like a rocket. It sure didn’t feel like it, but now I was really feeling it. The 2nd mile was excruciatingly slow (6:52). The hill was longer than I expected and it felt good to finally make the left turn to begin the descent. As I made the turn running the tangent, some guy actually came up from behind and shoved me in the waist. I felt a bit of runner’s rage and ran ahead to actually cut him off. Probably not worth it, but I thought the guy was really rude. I was going pretty smooth down the hill and trying to hold pace with Pat. I felt pretty recovered by the time the course leveled out and mile 3 was back on pace (5:53).

Shortly after mile 3, my race started to fall apart. My lack of fitness and the downhill running gave me a bad stitch that I contended with for the remainder of the race. I actually felt well enough to hit the rest of the course hard, but the stitch just wouldn’t let me pick up the pace. Mentally, I was fine with cruising the rest of the race, but a small part of me still wished that I could have really competed, especially since I didn’t have any plans to make the trek out for this race in the foreseeable future. I gamely soldiered on. Shortly before the last left turn onto the finishing stretching, I heard a spectator scream “Go Korea,” and my first instinct was to turn around and look for the Korean guy running by, until I realized he was referring to me… funny.

The finishing stretch was actually a lot of fun, a bit reminiscent of Boylston St. The stitch had finally started to subside and I tried to pick off a couple runners on the finishing stretch. My final time was nothing to write home about (28:52 – 6:04), but it was quite an experience being involved in one of the largest and oldest Turkey Day races in the country. Around the finishing area, I heard stories like, “I’ve been doing this race since my Dad took me in 6th grade” or “My dad hardly runs anymore… he’s had bypass surgery, but he still does this race every year.” While I had made the pilgrimage out of sheer serendipity and curiosity, most runners were doing this out of tradition and a desire to build new family memories. Or in the case of Joanie, “I’m looking forward to coming to Manchester because it is one of the few traditional New England road races that I have not attended. I’ve heard that it’s a true runner’s race.”

Splits
5:35.3 164/177
6:51.5 179/181
5:53.3 178/181
6:04.6 179/181
4:27.5 178/183

Results: 163rd overall and 29th in my division.

I also found some low resolution race day coverage of the race. You can see me about 12:30 into video 2. Enjoy!

Big news in American marathoning!

I'm really psyched about this development! There's been so much speculation about Hancock making a competitive offer that its nice to see it come to fruition.

Hall Running Boston

JOHN HANCOCK FINANCIAL ANNOUNCES

TOP AMERICAN RYAN HALL

TO RUN 2009 BOSTON MARATHON

Olympian and U.S. Trials Champion Ryan Hall seeks American win in Boston

BOSTON, MA
November 18, 2008—In its 24th year as the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon, John Hancock Financial today announced the signing of Olympic marathoner and American half marathon record holder Ryan Hall for the 113^th running of the race on April 20, 2009.

The fastest American marathoner in 2007 and 2008, Hall has quickly proven himself as one of the best distance runners in the world. He seeks to become the first American winner of the race since Grey Meyer in 1983.

“I am grateful to have the opportunity to compete on the John Hancock elite team at the 2009 Boston Marathon,” said Hall. “The Boston Marathon is the grand daddy of the World Marathon Majors, to win here would mean as much to me as winning any marathon in the world, including the Olympic Games. To win in Boston would show the world that American distance running is indeed back to the days of Salazar, Beardsley, and Rodgers. I hope that I can contribute to bringing American marathoning back to the forefront. There is no better place to do that than Boston. What is done in Boston lives on for all time.”

A 2005 Stanford graduate and three-time All American, Hall quickly found his greatest potential on the roads. In late 2006, he set the American 20K record at the World Championships and in early 2007 broke the 21-year old American half marathon record at the U.S. Championships. His 59:43 win marked the first time an American had ever broken the one-hour barrier.

Hall's American Record Run

Turning to the marathon, Hall made his debut on the London course in 2007 and stayed with the African leaders until the final miles. His 2:08:24 was the fastest debut ever by an American. A few months later at the U.S. Olympic Trials, he set a course record as he cruised to a nearly two-minute lead over one of the best U.S. fields ever assembled.

Continuing his meteoric rise Hall returned to London in advance of the Olympics and ran a remarkable 2:06:17, making him the second fastest American of all time. At the Olympics Hall placed 10th, and although he had some disappointment in that showing, he is young and eager to build on his potential.

Hall after London 08

“Ryan’s Boston Marathon debut will be a highly anticipated performance throughout the sports world,” said Executive Director Guy Morse, of the Boston Athletic Association, which oversees the race. “As an American Olympian recruited by our principal sponsor John Hancock Financial, his commitment to race in Boston, combined with his record of outstanding performances are indicators that he will add great excitement to the 113th Boston Marathon as he challenges some of the world’s best athletes on the world’s most famous course.”

Hall Leading up to the Olympics

Hall is married to professional runner Sara Bei Hall and the couple resides in Mammoth Lakes, California. The Halls are active with charitable groups such as Team World Vision. They worked on a campaign this year, “More Precious than Gold,” that raised nearly a million dollars to help bring clean water wells and irrigation systems to poor communities in Zambia.

New York Marathon Results!

It was a cold start, smooth middle, and a tough finish. But wow, what an experience, my 1st NYC marathon. Here are the splits:

Runner

Bib M16

K5 M17

K10 M18

K15 M19

K20 M20

Half M21

K25 M22

K30 M23

K35 M24

K40 M25

Finish M26

Chan Wayne

5094 1:46:05

0:20:30 1:51:37

0:40:42 1:58:12

1:01:07 2:04:48

1:21:22 2:11:32

1:25:46 2:18:17

1:42:05 2:25:10

2:02:25 2:32:05

2:23:37 2:39:20

2:45:13 2:46:13

2:54:35 2:53:05

2:54:35!

More to come later! It's time for a shower and a little R&R

Race Report - New Charles River Run v3.0

This is a race that I seem to keep coming back to. Now that this is my third consecutive year, I've developed a level of comfort and familiarity with this race that now allows me to race rather than just running a time trial. One of the wrinkles this year is the BAA added this race to the summer race series, which meant that I signed up for race that I could have done for free (doh!). It also meant that the level of competition was going to be a couple notches higher, with most of the guys I train with on Tuesdays toeing the line.

Race day dawned with stifling humidity. I looked out the window and everything was enveloped in a thick layer of fog. We were in for a humid day of racing.....at least the temps were comfortable in the low 60s. I was feeling more nervous than usual. I didn't sleep well two nights ago, but went to bed before midnight last night and felt decent in the morning. My mileage has been really low since Boston. My aerobic fitness has been sufficient for shorter races, but I wasn't sure how I'd handle a longish race. I was hoping to set another course PR and maybe even tickle a time in the low 45's for the 7.5 mile course.

I ran into the BAA gang and ran down to the first bridge, then back to the start in time for the gun. Still feeling nervous, but looser after the warm-up. I was particularly pleased to see Pat at the race, as he has become a great training/racing partner over the last year. After talking over last year's results, we thought a low-6:00 pace would be a good starting point and he would key off of Ephraim, last year's 50-59 age group winner in a sub-45. I started easy and the 1st mile felt really comfortable. Lara went by me and I thought for sure she was doing the 5K. After the 1st underpass, Pat caught up and we paced each other for the remainder of the race. Splits were ridiculous consistent in the middle of the race. I think we pushed each other, which kept the pace consistent. The first 3 miles were all sub-6:10.

I started feeling crappy from about mile 3-4. The pace started to feel like a reach, and thoughts of not being able to hold the pace started creeping into my head. Fortunately, I found a nice groove again once we crossed back to the Cambridge side. We started catching up ground on two guys in blue and also a larger pack with Ben Schersten in the mix. I went fairly hard up the hill at mile 5, but then was passed by Pat on the downhill. This time I made an effort to stay in contact with Pat and was feeling pretty good by the 6 mile marker. I made my move with about 3/4 of mile left to go and surged past the guy in blue that was hanging with us. Probably went to early as I started to feel it just after passing the start line with 1/2 a mile to go. As a result, I was passed again by the guy in blue. Now I was just trying to maintain. Ben's pack was in sight but not catchable with the way I was going. Really struggling by the time I hit the marsh post, but tried to maintain form to the finish line. I was suprised to notch another PR and found some striking symmetry to my improvements: 47:27 to 46:29 to 45:31, all 58 seconds improvements. Means I should be able to run a 44:33 next year....

Type

Distance

Time

Total Time

Pace

Avg HR

Max HR

1 Mi

1 Mi

5:58.5

5:58.5

5:59

157

169

2 Mi

1 Mi

6:08.9

12:07.4

6:09

172

177

3 Mi

1 Mi

6:05.4

18:12.8

6:06

174

176

4 Mi

1 Mi

6:06.7

24:19.5

6:07

176

178

5 Mi

1 Mi

6:04.4

30:23.9

6:05

177

179

6 Mi

1 Mi

6:03.6

36:27.5

6:04

177

179

7 Mi

1 Mi

5:58.4

42:25.9

5:59

178

181

7.5Mi

0.5 Mi

3:05.5

45:31.4

6:11

181

184

Course:	New Charles River Run 7.5m
Distance:	7.5 miles
Duration:	45:31
Pace:	6:05 / mile
Shoe:	ASICS Gel-DS Racer VI (2006)
Weight:	165 lb
Heart Rate:	Average: 174 / Max: 184
Misc:	Quality: 9/10, Effort: 9/10
Field Placement:	19 / 1096 (1.7%)
Age group:	30 – 39
Group Placement:	8 / 182 (4.4%)
Weather:	66° F, Overcast, Humid

What would you trade, to be able to run a sub-3-hour marathon?

This poll from Runner's world was too funny not to post:

What would you trade, to be able to run a sub-3-hour marathon?

My sense of smell for one year.		2 %
24 hours of my lifespan.		8 %
Television privileges for one month.		50 %
Any human contact for one week.		9 %
All of the above.		21 %
None of the above -- I already CAN run sub-3!		9 %

Total Votes: 2394

Race Report - 2008 Boston Marathon

I awoke to cloudy skies and absolutely perfect temperatures. I drove to the Herald St. lot to catch the BAA bus, and almost missed my ride waiting for the train of Hopkinton-bound buses at the pike on ramp. The minutes were ticking away and the stream of buses seemed to unabating. With about 10 min left, I had to tempo it to the bus. Not the best way to start the morning. As always, I have to be thankful for the ride out to Hopkinton... there is nothing more crucial than worry-free transportation to the start of a marathon.

For this marathon, I tweaked my pre-race prep a bit. Due to the 10 AM start, I decided to have another 1/2 a powerbar and quite a bit of gatorade, but cut myself off from all liquids 45 min. before start. It's taken me 8 marathons to figure it out, but this was the first one with nary a pit stop! The other change I made was with regard to GU intake. In the past, I've been taking a GU at 10, 14, 18, and 22. This was probably ok at a 7:15 pace, but at a 6:30 pace, 4 miles is cutting it too close. So for Boston, I shifted to 5 mile intervals, with GUs at 6, 11, 16, and 21. With about 25 minutes to go, I headed down to the corrals and tried to find some familiar faces. By the time the gun went off, the sun was already peaking through.

At the marathon expo, I printed out a Boston-specific pace band for a 2:50 goal time and decided to carry it with me. My initial plan was to hold 6:30s for as long as I could. The 1st mile was congested, but the road opened up by the 2nd mile and I was on pace. I ran into my buddy Yuneng who, after spending 2 weeks in Nicaragua on medical missions, was very unsure of his fitness. His last 14 miler was painful.... still, he ended up running a 3:00, which shows how much natural talent this guy has. I wished him good luck and picked it back up to 6:30s. By mile 3, I sensed the sun was getting strong; despite temperatures in the 50s, the sun was making it feel warmer. A 2:50 was going to be a tall order. My HR was already hovering around 163-165, which is a few beats higher than my typical average of 160 at marathon pace. I still felt confident of my fitness and decided to see if I could ride the fine line. It helped that I was pacing along with Gary, since we had had similar race results in the past.

After cruising along through Ashland and Framingham, I started hearing a lot of Lance chatter shortly after the train depot. I knew he was capable of running anywhere from a 2:45-2:50, so I was a little surprised that he would be here. Sure enough, I looked up and saw a cluster of runners around a rugged looking guy with a yellow singlet and sunglasses. I pulled up slowly and for the next 2.5 miles or so, joined up with the Lance train and I have to admit was momentarily starstruck. I wondered if he had a posse with him, but it soon became clear that he was grabbing his own fluids and the groupies were just a bunch of runners either trying to get some camera time, or pacing with Lance with the idea of beating him on the finishing straight in Boylston. This whole scene was a nice distraction, complete with inane questions like, "Lance, what do you like better, running or cycling?" or "Are you going to take GUs every mile like last time?" It was very impressive to see the throngs of Tufts supporters and volunteers revving up for the forthcoming onslaught of Tufts Marathon Challenge runners.

I reached mile 10 feeling fairly comfortable, but I knew the next 5 miles were going to be critical. I usually go through a bad patch between Natick and Newton, most likely due to the cumulative effect of running downhill for 15 miles. I pulled ahead of the Lance & peloton, but I think he slowed down to soak in the Wellesley scream tunnel. ;) As always, the scream tunnel was incredibly energizing... replete with signs (the most creative of which read, "Kiss me, I'm gay!") and eager high-fives. The peloton eventually caught up with me at mile 13 and we went through the half in just over 1:26. Realistically, a 1:24 2nd half was not something I could do, so I chucked my pace band and decided to run the 2nd half by feel. The usual bad patch never materialized, but I slowly lost contact with Lance. After he dropped a split in the low-6:20s at mile 14, I decided it wasn't worth blowing up later, so I eased up a bit. I was counting on making up some ground in the hills. Despite really holding back, mile 16, a notorious downhill stretch, still ended up being my fastest split of the day (6:17).

Now the real work began. Shortly after going over Newton Lower Falls, I pulled up to Pat and did a quick status check with him. He's been a great training partner on long runs, and even though we never really work together during races, he usually finishes about 30 seconds or so ahead of me. He was battling some stiffness, so I surged on through the first hill and felt pretty good cresting the hill at the Newton-Wellesley hospital. I was very focused now, intent on getting over the hills. The first hill felt good and I made it up at a strong pace. In fact, I felt pretty strong through the hills and didn't fade much going over Heartbreak. However, no sign of Lance. I grabbed a cup of gatorade and saw my friend Anuj who was volunteering at the fluid station. I cruised through the downhill and felt like I was in good shape with 5 miles to go.

Pat pulled up even with me during cemetery mile and we chatted for a bit. At around mile 22, I started fatiguing for the first time. Fatigue for me, as it relates to marathons, is this full-body malaise that zaps my will to push the pace. I started losing contact with Pat and was looking forward to running by my cheering section in front of my apartment. Mile 23 was considerably slower, but my cheering section really gave me an energy boost that got me over the next 2 miles. Even so, I was in survival/maintenance mode... no cramps, blisters, or injuries... just tired. I didn't lose much time at mile 24, but lost focus over mile 25; my heart rate indicates the intensity level had dropped. I drew into my remaining energy reserve and pushed on through Kenmore Square and under Mass Ave. I had stopped looking at my watch now, although I guessed I was in the 2:53 range. I made one last push down Boylston St. and came in under 2:54 with a couple seconds to spare.

Overall, I had a great marathon. My half marathon splits were within 90 seconds of each other and I feel like I ran a smart race despite pushing my heart rate above the usual level. This was as near perfect a marathon as I think I can get... perfect temperatures, very little wind, no pit-stops. I'm still not pleased with how I finish out marathons, as I let the pace slide over the last 4 miles in Philly, as well. I'd be interested in hearing if anyone has any suggestions besides becoming mentally tougher. But again, we're talking at most a minute. Anytime you set a PR at Boston, it's a beautiful day!


I want to thank everyone who came out to support me, you have no idea how much it helps me knowing there's something to look forward to during the race. As in life, there's nothing better than having a friend to lean on when you're in the depths of marathon solitude. I am especially thankful to all who supported my efforts to raise money for The Sharewood Project. I also want to thank my BAA teammates (Mike, Pat, Josh, John, Ben, and Chris) who have dragged me through some fast runs this winter and really set the stage for a quality performance on Monday.

2016	Chan, Wayne W.	31	M	Brookline	MA	USA
Checkpoints 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k 0:20:18 0:40:39 1:01:14 1:21:47 1:26:10 1:41:54 2:02:34 2:23:43 2:44:35 Finish Start Time Offset Pace Projected Time Official Time Overall Gender Division 00:00:40 0:06:38 2:53:47 632 610 463

Mile	Split	Lap	Avg. HR	Max HR
1	6:44	6:44.4	144	163
2	13:08	6:23.6	162	166
3	19:38	6:30.2	162	168
4	26:00	6:21.8	164	169
5	32:43	6:42.7	164	169
6	39:15	6:32.2	163	168
7	45:49	6:34.4	164	167
8	52:27	6:38.0	165	169
9	59:08	6:40.3	164	168
10	1:05:51	6:42.9	164	168
11	1:12:29	6:38.0	164	168
12	1:18:56	6:27.6	162	166
13	1:25:29	6:32.9	163	166
14	1:31:57	6:28.4	165	168
15	1:38:30	6:32.3	165	168
16	1:44:47	6:17.5	163	167
17	1:51:30	6:43.2	166	168
18	1:58:15	6:44.5	165	170
19	2:04:57	6:41.9	164	167
20	2:11:49	6:51.7	163	167
21	2:18:50	7:01.7	165	169
22	2:25:23	6:33.0	163	166
23	2:32:08	6:44.9	163	167
24	2:38:47	6:38.5	162	166
25	2:45:39	6:52.8	160	165
26	2:52:13	6:33.6	163	165
26.2	2:53:47	1:34.0	165	165
Total	2:53:47	6:37.8	163	170