Bobby Bear Eats the Berlin Bear

Hands down, this was my most amazingly-super-awesome-perfect-wunderbar race to date! Unfortunately, I'm having to retrospectively update this post. Technically I had much of it written just after the trip, but I became distracted from updating my blog, and then took some time away from publishing. I'm back-dating it, catching up, and moving on.

Berlin Marathon 2014

I've run a few marathons over the last couple years that I thought were well deserving of PRs. Unfortunately something always went against me. I was extremely fit for both Philly'12 and Boston'13, but neither were PRs. Chicago'13 busted my labia/hoohah. My PR from Cal'11 had become stale and a gigantic gorilla on my back. I've been dying to knock off. I've put in a ton of running over the last several years and a fresh marathon PR has been long overdue.

After recovering from injury during the first part of 2014, Berlin became my sole focus for 2014. It's a flat and uber fast course. The weather is generally accommodative. It literally is a world record course, time and again over the recent years. If you're gonna gun for it, this is the place to do it.

Going into Berlin, I felt very fit. I was carrying no lingering pains, and was very healthy. Everything lined up.

Ultimately the trip became much more than just a marathon. I was traveling with some good friends, and most importantly, I was traveling with my dad. It was an awesome father/son trip across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland that both of us will remember for the rest of our lives. He's always wanted to go, and what better way for him to see our fatherland than with Junior!

Before steins could be downed in Munich, or bergs could be climbed in the Alps... I had business to take care of in Berlin...

This is my long over due recap. The details as I remember them, but the stats don't lie:

I left Chicago on Thursday before the race. Met Dad at Ohare. Flight was typical and cramped. I didn't sleep much on the plane... maybe an hour or 1.5 hours at best. Landed in Berlin mid-Friday morning.

The hotel was the Savoy Berlin, which is near the southwest side of the Tiergarten. It was about two miles from the starting line, and somewhat close to the 20.5 mile mark.

Hit the expo Friday afternoon with Braulio, Scott, Eli, and Dad.

Had a ton of sleep on Friday night to help recharge the batteries.

I woke up a little later than expected on Saturday and had to do a solo-shakeout run. I backtracked the first 1K of the race, then out-and-backed the final 3K of the course. Visualizing the ending helped a ton during the race! Had I not seen those last few K ahead of time, I don't know if I would've closed the race as well as I did. All in, the shakeout was about 8 miles. A bit long, but nothing too taxing.

Dad and I did some site seeing with a double decker bus, ate a huge late lunch chalk full of carbs, then stayed off my feet the rest of the night and drown myself with fluids.

Sleep on Saturday night wasn't easy as I was still trying to adjust to the time difference, but I managed to get about 5 or 6 hours. I couldn't ask for more than that.

Race morning, I met with the other TTAU runners and we made our way to the starting line. Weather was a little chilly early but mostly hung in the 50s, and only had the slightest touch of wind - basically perfect!! With being healthy, hydrated, rested, and now the weather... everything was lining up well.

Scott, Braulio, and I staged together in the sub-elite / 'A' corral. Literally, the only people in front of us were the guys trying to break the world record... and they did! The first sub-2:03 race in history. It was extremely impressive standing with them.

Scott and I planned on running as much of the race as possible together. I specifically was shooting for a sub-2:38, which would've been a PR. We planned on going out with a 1:19'ish split and then coming back with whatever we could throw at it. The more negative the better.

Right from the gun, Braulio took off. Scott and I stuck together. His Garmin helped to pace miles while I kept track of the K. We were rolling mid/high 3:40's, which amounted to about 6:05's. The first couple K were actually a touch slower.

Once about 5K into the race, things started settling down and packs were thinned. By 10K we had accumulated a group of about 8-10 runners all rolling about a 6:00 pace. It was very smooth.

I found myself most often in front of the pack (shocker!) trying to set the pace. Scott was wisely either off my shoulder or in the back of the pack, letting us do the work. I recall feeling extremely antsy and having difficulty holding back. Occasionally someone would take charge of the pack and slow it down a little. The rabid rabbit inside of me found those uneven paces annoying. I didn't want them to mess with my own steady strategy so I'd respond by surging the front to keep us honest and thin the pack. Scott was reading out the pace from his Garmin. That helped keep me in check since we weren't used to the Ks.

We passed 16K at 1:00:09, which was roughly the 10mi mark. Everything still felt good. The weather was completely Goldilocks... not too hot, not too cold, little-to-no wind. We rolled through the half roughly on target, at 1:19:12. The easy part was done. In my mind, I needed to come back slightly faster, in at least 1:18:47. I needed to find 30 seconds in 13 miles. No slippage. There wasn't any room for error. I didn't want to pick it up too much too soon, but I was comfortable with starting to squeeze a little... Immediately after the split, I broke our pack by taking the pace below 6:00. Scott stayed with me.

21-25K averaged 5:58's. The next couple K were closer to 6:00. I didn't want to run north of 6 again though. At about 28K, Scott was drifting off my back and our original larger pack was busted. I wasn't sure if that was my doing by pushing the pace, or other people feeling the distance but I felt incredibly good and strong. At that point, I made the decision to truly go for it.

I started pressing the pace. Runners became few and far between... That 29th K was 3:38, which = 5:51 pace. I actually had no clue how fast that was because I no longer had the luxury of Scott's Garmin. I was purely running based upon feel and it felt beautiful!

It was thinning and I didn't have anyone to work with. All I could do was keep breathing and keep opening my stride. 30K: 3:39. Yep, I still had no clue how fast that was. I checked myself in the 31st K though, worrying that it was too much too soon. 31K: 3:45. But it still wasn't phasing me! I thought, "Fuck it, I'm committing."

32K: 3:36... that's a 5:48.9 pace with 10K to go in a marathon! It still wasn't phasing me. The rabbit was on the prowl for whatever was in front of me. Pulling myself from person to person, and passing. I stopped concerning myself with time and splits. I just ran.

31-35K averaged 5:53's. I kept opening that stride and hammering. It was incredibly freakish... I never felt even the slightest amount of pain!! This really became a race, and it was me just trying to chew up kilometers as fast as I can. Somewhere around 32K, I passed where Dad was standing. Unfortunately I didn't see him. He later claimed that I just blew by. I also soon acquired a lurcher that attach himself to my back. He made me do all the work and never ran next to me. Sucked my draft the entire fucking way. I couldn't drop him so I just used it as a means to push the pace even more!

36-40K averaged 5:48's!! I passed Braulio at about 40K. He was still holding a decent pace, but I had too much momentum for him to hang.

The final 2.2K, I just opened it up and threw everything I had at it. I keep saying that I didn't know how fast I was running. Maybe that's why I dropped the hammer like that? I lost all my inhibitions. I knew it was aggressive, but I also knew that I wasn't going to break. My 41st K, as I rounded the Strassen onto "Unter den Linden"... a blistering 5:41 pace. It then became a celebration as I went under the Brandenburg Tor. I started waiving my hands in the air and to the monster crowds. 42K at 5:48 (no doubt, slowed down because I was goofing around). Then that fucktard leach passed me. I tried to respond but somehow he just pushed even harder. Unbelievable... He beat me by a second... I closed that last 220 meters in 38 seconds... that's a 5:13 pace and half the time I had my fists and arms flailing in the air!

I was ecstatic. I crossed the finish line and my watch showed 2:36:26.

It's now months later and I still have no idea how I did it. At no point did I ever feel out of my comfort zone. To date, this is one of my single finest and proudest accomplishments in all of my life. Years and years of training all culminating in a beautiful race. Miles of trials and trials of miles.

A smarter man than me once said, "Sometimes the bear eats you, and sometimes you eat the bear."

I ran 2:36:26. Crushed my goal by over a minute. I went out in 1:19:12 (6:02 pace), and came back in 1:17:14 (5:53 pace).

The city of Berlin's logo is a bear. I kicked the shit out of that bear and then devoured him. There should've been a photo of me with bear blood dripping from my chops and saying, "Thank you sir, may I have another?"

On Monday morning, Dad and I went off to Munich to Oktoberfest for a couple days. We then rented a beautiful BMW 4-series and carved our way through the back roads of the Alps... first to Neuschwanstein, then Austrian where we stayed in a beautiful Alpine town and Gasthof, then Interlaken and Eiger/Jungfrau, then finished up in Zurich. We had a blast. We lived on pilsner, brats, kraut, and sauerbraten!

Photo Recap:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Data Recap:

I have a huge amount of data down here, but I can't help it. This was by far my most perfect running accomplishment to date, and I'm incredibly proud of it. I have to keep this info:

KM Split | Lap | Pace/Mi

01 | 3:49.9 | 6:10.0

02 | 3:49.4 | 6:09.2

03 | 3:45.5 | 6:02.9

04 | 3:46.3 | 6:04.2

05 | 3:46.3 | 6:04.2

06 | 3:47.1 | 6:05.5

07 | 3:45.0 | 6:02.1

08 | 3:45.0 | 6:02.1

09 | 3:40.0 | 5:54.1

10 | 3:39.4 | 5:53.1

11 | 3:45.0 | 6:02.1

12 | 3:51.3 | 6:12.2 (Long?)

13 | 3:51.7 | 6:12.9 (Long?)

14 | 3:44.9 | 6:01.9

15 | 3:30.1 | 5:38.1 (Short?)

16 | 3:52.4 | 6:14.0 (10mi: 1:00:09)

17 | 3:47.1 | 6:05.5

18 | 3:48.8 | 6:08.2

19 | 3:44.2 | 6:00.8

20 | 3:40.1 | 5:54.2

21 | 3:43.7 | 6:00.0

22 | 3:40.8 | 5:55.3

23 | 3:41.3 | 5:56.1

24 | 3:42.3 | 5:57.8

25 | 3:46.7 | 6:04.8

26 | 3:43.9 | 6:00.3

27 | 3:44.9 | 6:01.9

28 | 3:46.0 | 6:03.7

(Roughly the point I decided to start gunning it, w/ 14K to go)

29 | 3:38.4 | 5:51.5

30 | 3:39.2 | 5:52.8

31 | 3:45.1 | 6:02.3

32 | 3:36.8 | 5:48.9 (10mi: 59:29)

33 | 3:38.0 | 5:50.8

34 | 3:37.5 | 5:50.0

35 | 3:41.6 | 5:56.6

36 | 3:37.7 | 5:50.4

37 | 3:35.6 | 5:47.0

38 | 3:36.0 | 5:47.6

39 | 3:36.0 | 5:47.6

40 | 3:37.7 | 5:50.4

41 | 3:32.3 | 5:41.7

42 | 3:37.3 | 5:49.7

.2 | 0:38.0 | 5:13.6

5K Split | Lap | Pace/KM | Pace/Mi

05 | 0:18:56 | 18:56 | 3:47.2 | 6:05.6

10 | 0:37:33 | 18:37 | 3:43.4 | 5:59.5

15 | 0:56:19 | 18:46 | 3:45.2 | 6:02.4

20 | 1:15:08 | 18:49 | 3:45.8 | 6:03.4

25 | 1:33:42 | 18:34 | 3:42.8 | 5:58.6

30 | 1:52:15 | 18:33 | 3:42.6 | 5:58.2

35 | 2:10:34 | 18:19 | 3:39.8 | 5:53.7

40 | 2:28:37 | 18:03 | 3:36.6 | 5:48.6

2.2| 2:36:26 | 07:49 | 3:33.7 | 5:43.9

1H - 1:19:12 | 3:45.2/KM | 6:02.5/Mi
2H - 1:17:14 | 3:39.6/KM | 5:53.5/Mi
Tot- 2:36:26 | 3:42.4/KM | 5:58.0/Mi

"What kinda battery you got in there?"

The brand spanking new Wilson track is beautiful. Unfortunately, it is completely useless when it comes to doing a track workout. There are far too many people crowded around it spectating and loitering the games on the infield. Maybe it's a fantastic facility between the hours of 10pm and 10am ...or later depending on the use of lights... or maybe even in the off season of soccer?  Otherwise forget it. This was my fourth time to this track, and each time I go it gets worse.

Be warned: If you need to do a serious workout and there is a crowd at Wilson, then chalk it up and choose another location.

When I got to the track (~6:00pm), there was a high school soccer game on the infield and another starting immediately after (in other words, probably 3 peak hours consumed by scheduled games)... Lots of people were constantly coming and going. Seriously, no fewer than 100 were scattered all over the track, infield and surrounding area. ...And let's not forget about the vendors/ice cream carts! There were THREE... all in lane 1!! It was my mistake to even stay there.

So, I chilled out with about 30 minutes of easy laps while waiting for the crowds to thin. After the second soccer game started, it became a little more manageable and I was able to start the workout (ie, the crowd was cut to about 50-60). Mind you though, I still had several people and children meandering aimlessly. Teens were kicking/throwing soccer balls at one another. The only thing missing were tricycles! 98% of everyone could've given a shit about track etiquette.

...The problem with this track is that it's not a track. It is a soccer field surrounded by other soccer fields...

During the workout, I had THREE collisions. Those weren't near collisions. Contact was made. Now I did bounce off and nobody ever went down, but I had no choice but to hit 3 different people. I tried to avoid them. There where many other near collisions, including almost mowing down children a couple different times.

And the icing on the cake: I had to politely asked a group of about 10 eager spectators to share the track on multiple occasions, only they were not being so polite in return. They refused to clear the track or share the space, were constantly mouthing off to me, and were purposely making me swing out into lane three... just for the sake of being pendejos. (And these weren't all young kids! Half of them were adults!!). They were even sitting and laying on the on the track at times! The only thing I could offer was an honest warning that I was wearing spikes, running fast, and might not be able to stop myself from stepping on hands. I generally don't have runner rage, and I was trying to not provoke these people, but I actually thought there was a good chance of getting into a fight. Finally after a few other runners were on the track, they backed off a bit. However, this crowd and a few others heckled me throughout the workout.

This was not a good environment for a focused track workout.

At least from an entertaining standpoint, on the 18th repeat one of the guys asked (in the best Cheech accent), "Eh man, what kinda battery you got in there?!" I could only laugh as I gasped for air.

All that said and the fact that I was doing this thing solo, it wound up being a very difficult 20x 400. Nonetheless, I still managed to pull off a 72.8 average. A little less consistent or lack of progressing as I would've liked... probably due to either being fired up or steered from distractions. In the end, it was very annoying and I was somewhat upset when I finished. Looking back, my splits actually weren't as bad as I had thought. I won't let it bother me but I definitely could've gone faster.

Yesterday, I was claiming that I'd be happy with sub 1:13's. I suppose given the conditions, this should suffice. So apparently not only do I have my wheels back, but I also have a bad ass battery to go with them!

Split recap w/ 80sec recovery

1- 1:12.3

2- 1:14.6

3- 1:12.8

4- 1:13.0 / 1-4 avg 1:13.2

5- 1:12.0

6- 1:13.7

7- 1:13.5

8- 1:12.6 / 5-8 avg 1:13.0

9- 1:11.9

10- 1:13.5

11- 1:12.8

12- 1:12.9 / 9-12 avg 1:12.7

13- 1:13.3

14- 1:13.3

15- 1:12.3

16- 1:13.4 / 13-16 avg 1:13.1

17- 1:12.4

18- 1:12.5

19- 1:11.5

20- 1:12.1 / 17-20 avg 1:12.1

Overall avg 1:12.8

Big boy tempo + Big boy 400's = We'll find out tonight.

Alright, as of the other day, I topped out at 102 miles and my peak is in. My endurance is finally back, I'm actually feeling mechanically decent, and a big tempo on Tuesday and a massage yesterday are leaving me a little more comfortable than I was a week ago.

Now the all important question - How fast am I???

It's tough to answer at the moment. Aside from a set of 800s a month ago, I haven't had any real quality workouts over the last month. The miles at the cabin made me strong, but were mostly effort based... nothing blazing fast. The Chicago Half doesn't really answer the question either (though technically, it was my second fastest half marathon... I haven't "raced" a half in ages... but I don't think this was a fair race effort)...

I have had one good big boy tempo run, which was Tuesday night.

10 mile recap:

1- 5:56.2

2- 5:55.5

3- 5:50.1

4- 5:51.7

5- 5:51.1

6- 5:48.2

7- 5:52.7

8- 5:40.6

9- 5:40.0

10- 5:32.0

Tot: 57:58.1 / Avg: 05:47.8

I actually felt very much in control and smooth, so that kind of gives me some confidence, it doesn't feel like isn't enough.

My training is basically done. I have 10 days before the marathon. I won't have another chance to race again, so it all comes down to tonight's workout. Big boy 20x400's. At this point, I believe I'm doing the workout solo too, which makes it that much more difficult. Knowing how I've run 400's in the past, if I'm gonna have a chance at sub-2:38 then I need to average mid-72's/sub-73's.

The weather looks like it'll be favorable. All I need to do is stay calm and avoid the countless kids and soccer balls randomly gravitating towards me. Time to suck it up and spin those wheels! ...This marathon ain't gonna run itself!

Chicago Half Marathon recap

I'm not gonna dwell upon this forever - but I'm actually a very annoyed about the race this year.

Let me ask one serious question - How fucking difficult is it to mark a course properly?? Alight, congratulations that they we able to get the overall distance "somewhat accurate" this year... But the markers were waaay fucking off!! This should be the absolute easiest thing to do with it comes to organizing a race and the Chicago Half consistently screws it up.

I've deleted my exact splits because they were completely useless, but I'm pretty sure they went something like this (I might've mixed up a couple in the 5 thru 8 stretch). Out of the first 8 miles though, only 1 marker was correct!!!  ONE!!! 

Split recap:

1 - 5:19

2 - 6:20

3 - 5:50 -guessing correct?

4 - 6:20

5 - 5:20

6 - 6:19

7 - 5:19

8 - 6:15

9 - 5:40 -finally getting it right

10 - 5:38

11 - 5:31-possibly short?

12 - 5:38

13 - 5:40

.1 - 0:37-unless I'm mistaken, seemed long?

Tot- 1:15:46

Avg- 5:47

Pathetic. I'm mostly annoyed because I simply didn't know how fast I was running, and I know I could've gone faster if I had a more accurate guide! I had to guestimate pace and sit with a small pack through 8 miles, hoping that we weren't royally screwing up. None of us had GPS's. Maybe that actually helped me go more conservative and then light it up later? Regardless, it wasn't until about 9 miles that I could do anything about it. In the end, I wound up getting aggressive and passing quite a few people, but also running out of room. I failed to catch a few runners that I should've been with/ahead of.

Anyway, whatever. It was a good workout. I ran well. Negative split. Felt decent at the end. I probably could've gone another mile or two at that 5:40ish closing pace. Weather was actually decent for a change. Blah blah blah.

Chicago Half Marathon: If you're reading this... PLEASE... after years and years in a row of repeating these mistakes... PLEASE MEASURE AND MARK YOUR COURSE. It's a simple task.  This isn't rocket science... and it doesn't even require fancy tools!!  Hell, even get a few boyscouts to do it or double check it!  I'm sure they'd enjoy the little adventure. 

2014 ADK Recap

It never fails and apparently I need to take a hint - I simply cannot train in Chicago and then go up to the cabin for two weeks and run 200 miles on hills, and expect to not get injured.

I didn't necessarily get "injured" but I did hit a mild breaking point that forced me to take some key days off.

So the good: I had a week and a half of big miles and quality. All hills. I ran them in a complicated fashion so that I could build build build. I had a great amount of aggressive miles, and I was getting cocky. I hit a point where I had five days in a row with my 7-day-trailing mileage at 100. I've never done that at the cabin before. It's no joke to hit a hundred up there. I then had visions of clipping 200 miles in the two weeks.

The bad: In spite of feeling fantastic, I was still forced to pull back. With a few days left, I had a garbage night of sleep, then went for a recovery run on Wednesday, which left my right knee feeling extremely sore after words. Thursday's Stillwater run buried me. I almost didn't finish, and walking after was extremely painful. I was forced to play it safe with Friday off, and then gingerly run 14 miles on Saturday instead of a big 22.

The pain has been posterior/medial on the right knee. It was a mix of my calf, adductor and hamstring. I don't recall doing anything specific to pull anything. I took a few more days off, loaded up on ibuprofen, iced, and had a solid massage once I got back to Chicago. Apparently it was more hamstring than anything else... it figures, because they've been super tight ever since Boston, in April.

Everything appears to be much better a few days later. The Chicago Half Marathon this coming weekend. This can still be a great race for me, albeit I'm a little more cautious and less concerned about making it an 'all-in' race. I've also mildly sabotaged it by running 20 miles last night. It went mostly alright, but a brutal finish due to the heat. Including today, that's three scorching days in a row and I'm now feeling extremely drained. The knee is holding up though, which is far more important.

After the half, I have 10 days to push and then another 10 days to recover.

Recap of my ADK trials of miles:

WEEK OF 8/24-30: 79mi

8/30 - 14 ADK/easy

8/29 - REST

8/28 - 14 ADK/Stillwater easy

8/27 - 12 ADK/#4 easy

8/26 - 17 ADK/Belfort progression

8/25 - 12 ADK/Croghan Tempo

8/24 - 10 ADK/#4 easy

WEEK OF 8/17-23: 90mi

8/23 - 22 ADK/Belfort up past falls, last 5 aggressive

8/22 - 13 ADK/Marks easy

8/21 - 14 ADK/Stillwater moderate

8/20 - 12 ADK/#4 easy

8/19 - 17 ADK/Belfort progression aggressive

8/18 - 12 ADK/Marks progression

8/17 - REST

Old Faithful

Everyone has their own ideal workouts. Some guys like 1200's. Some guys like mile repeats. Some guys like complex ladders. Some guys like to vary.

Me, I'm simple. I just like good old fashioned 800's and 400's. Tried and true.

In my mind, I don't have that faster track speed so I try to gain it by means of shorter distance workouts. I don't feel like I gain a lot from longer repeats. Actually, I probably should even be doing more 200's, but I find those far too annoying and you have to run too damn many! 800s are always just a good solid gauge for speed + endurance.

In this case, I'm about a month and a half out from Berlin and I ran one of my bigger workouts last night: 10x 800 at a 2:35.7 average. I felt good the whole way though, in spite of my mind wanting to protest any thoughts of speed. Looking back at my past workouts, that's actually a great pace for me too. The only time I've really gone faster was with fewer reps. Ie, a few weeks ago I managed to pull off 8x 800 @ 2:33.5 avg. I was far more fresh back then and had a few more guys on the track to help out... (I'm kissing 90 miles right now).

It'll be interesting to see what I can do when I get back from the cabin in two weeks, and if I clip another second off my time. That would make for my fastest 10x800 workout ever and certainly give me some big confidence. In the mean time, keep on keep'n on.

Split recap:

1- 240.4

2- 237.5

3- 235.5

4- 235.5

5- 234.9

6- 236.7

7- 235.3

8- 235.0

9- 233.3

10- 233.7

Avg- 235.7

Don't call it a come back, I've been here for years!

Brick by brick I'm putting myself back together. The winter was brutal and I missed a ton of training/basing due to the shitiest.injury.ever., but I'm coming back.

I'm now sitting on five weeks of mid-60's to upper-70's training. I've inserted a couple joker races, have a few workouts under me, and have been doing lots of progression runs. In general, I'm feel decent, albeit a little tired and sore... but no significant holdbacks (huge knock on wood). Importantly, I'm actually having fun training again.

This is where things take off. Including this week, I have about seven weeks to train for Berlin (assuming an abbreviated taper). I'm letting it fly. Over the next couple weeks, I'll jam as much quality as possible into about 80-85 mile weeks, and then it's off to the cabin. Hopefully I can survive two back-to-back 90-100 mile weeks in the mountains without any injuries.

After the Adirondacks, I go back to the Chicago Half Marathon on 9/7 to try to prove myself, then a week and a half to tighten things up.

I've been down this road 19 times already. I know what I'm doing. If I don't fuck up, number 20 will be my fastest marathon ever.

That being said, last night I had my first real tempo since last October. I ran six miles at a 5:49 average. It was humid outside and eventually started to rain, but I ran extremely smooth and controlled. I picked it up nicely after the turn. I didn't have any troubles at all... And to boot, I doubled the day for 16 total miles. That's a pleasant confidence booster.

Tempo #1 recap:

1- 6:00

2- 5:56

3- 5:57

4- 5:48

5- 5:40

6- 5:35

Avg: 5:49

2014 Bastille Day 5K

Bastille Day 5K has become one of my mandatory races.

By no means is it my favorite race, because they've bastardized it over the years... but it has fittingly become my default birthday race.

Back in the good 'ol days, they held this thing in the West Loop and it was a ton of fun! It snaked its way through the canyons of the city streets, and was followed by an entertaining block party. A great way to celebrate liberty and the coming of age!

Nowadays though, it's confined to the clusterfuck known as Lincoln Park and the lakefront path. The course is a mess. Not only are we competing for placement, but also for space with all the pedestrians, joggers, baby strollers, cyclists, cyclists on cell phones, dogs, recumbent idiots, and whatever other stupid gimmick that can possibly interfere on the lakefront.

Additionally, it's a clusterfuck because they now run it as a 5K/8K. The 5K starts 15 minutes after the 8K. So naturally, those of us up in the front of the 5K slam into the rear of the 8K, making for yet another obstacle.

NOTE TO RACE ORGANIZERS: I realize you're trying to make money... but for the sake of the sport and respect of racing... don't slam a 5K into the back of an 8K! Why not cut the cost and keep it simple with just one race instead of two?? While we're at it, I'd by far rather pay that premium for running a 5K on the city streets as opposed to a multi-race-shit-show out on the crowded lakefront path. Also, please get volunteer bikers/sweepers to clear the course! Ohh... and where's my damn award??! Two years in a row, they stiffed me on my award. Second place, and this is the treatment I get!

---------------------

Anyhoo... Here's the quick and dirty as to how it went down:

From the starting line, two guys joined me and we quickly put a gap on the field. There didn't appear to be any big wheels in the corral, so we each went out with one another, waiting for someone else to break. All I could tell is that they looked really young... but not totally dumb, because nobody was breaking.

1st mile split 5:18. One kid squawked. It was a little fast for each of us. Nobody was comfortable keeping that pace. I'm not in 5K shape, so I played it cool and pulled off the gas. I figured I'd let them devour each other. They maintained briefly and put a small gap on me, then I just tailed from behind.

These two kids turned out to be 21 and 17 years old. Jesus! As I approach my 37th mark, I can only relish at those long gone ages.

Ironically, the 21 year old broke first. I easily over took him at mile 2, which was a 5:28. I wasn't gaining on the 17 year old though. At that point, the path had become incredibly crowded. It was difficult to negotiate my way around the other traffic. I nearly got clipped by a few bikes on multiple occasions. I had to zig-zag around other obstacles. It wasn't terribly hot, but I was also starting to feel those mid-July temps. I wasn't able to pick it up, but I was at least able to hold off getting passed back.

Once we got inside of the last half mile, the 17 year old increased his gap on me. He wound up with nearly 15 seconds on me. There wasn't anything I could do. What can I say, I'm only in my second week of training! Give me another few weeks and the old man would've put a fight. Ugh, I was reminded this morning that I'm more than twice his age!! (I'm actually crying inside).

Anyway, I finished 2nd overall in 16:49. I'm somewhat happy with that. I wanted sub-17 and I got it. I believe that was my Birthday 5K PR too! Chalk it up as a solid 3 mile tempo run and a nice way to say good bye to 36.

Rough splits:

1- 5:18

2- 5:28

3- 5:29

.1- 0:33

Total- 16:49, 2nd o'all

June Recap

June was much of the same as my May Recap. Life kinda took over with my running and training became largely an afterthought.

Work was flooded with the Opal Emerging Managers Summit, and then dealing with quarter's end.

I basically moved TWICE... once into the Caldwell Compound for a brief two week stint, then finally into the new condo. Talking about a nightmare to close, but I'm finally home :)

Road tripped down to North Carolina for Jason and Dawn Kedzuch's wedding. I drove Sandy Dunkel, and we had an absolute blast ripping up the Tail of the Dragon and a bunch of other twisty Smokey Mountain roads.

And lastly, long time family friend, Mark Lewandowski came to visit in Chicago. We played tourists for a long weekend... hit a Cubs game, took the river boat tour, walked up and down the city, smoked stogies, drank great scotch, etc.

Everything has basically been garbage mileage for the past couple months. Now that a hectic June is out of the way, I'm able to re-focus more on my training.

I'm sitting on one good week of running (69 miles, including a 22:12 at 4 on the 4th). This is my starting point for Berlin, which is late September. I'll be looking to keep those mid-60s/70s throughout July. Hopefully hit a few small races along the way, otherwise focus on quality miles. August and early September will be the real meat of my training. It's not a huge ramp, but it should be sufficient to roll a solid race. If I can keep it together, I might even be able to go for a PR.

May Recap

Nothing very significant in my running over the past month. I've been just keeping some basic mileage since Boston. I'm generally hitting somewhere between 30 and 50 miles a week. I did have a couple good progression runs, and participated in a small 4 mile race. Basically, I've been running when I feel like it and not worrying too much about quantity or quality. It's been nice to get back to "having fun" with running.

As far as how I feel... the adductor issue is much better. Still not 100%, but good enough to run on and it doesn't really bother me much anymore. I can tell it's still tight and a little tender, otherwise it's good to go. Aside from that, my right glute has a knot in it that just won't go away. No doubt it's probably related to the adductor. Truly a pain in the ass right now and going on a few weeks. I've had a massage and been rolling the hell out of it. I need to keep at it.

A few other highlights of life, which have been taking a precedence over running:

- I had the incredible experience of going on "The First Drive" with the Fuelfed Group. Similar to last year's "The Final Drive", this was a super charged, highly aggressive Cannon Ball Run. We drove from Chicago to New Glarus, then up near House on the Rock, then to Prairie Du Chien. All of the white knuckled driving was on back country roads that twisted and turned their way throughout Southwest Wisconsin. Hammer as hard as possible in desolate areas. Completely disrespect of any law. Brake, hammer, brake, accelerate, kiss 110-120mph repeatedly on ridiculously tiny roads... Downshifting to 3rd gear at 100mph, just so I could get that extra power.  Over 200 miles worth of screaming 5-6000 RPM the whole way!! Menacing and wicked in an absolutely sinister sense.  One of the most awesome things that I've ever done in my life!!!
I FUCKING LOVE my 3.2L Porsche 911 Carrera.
#AIRCOOLEDISTHEONLYWAYFORME. 
That's all I have to say about that.

A couple quick pix from TFD14.1 and the Alfa Romeo Club / New Glarus Hill Climb:

- Went to Columbus for Memorial Day weekend. Got some much needed family time with Mom, Dad, Cheryl, and Jodi, et al. Most importantly, I got to spend time with my two awesome little nephews. I haven't had the chance to spend much time with this up until this past weekend. They make my teeth hurt! I just want to bite them both.

- I'm also finally trying to grow up in the world. I'm buying a condo... or at least trying to!! It's a beautiful place, right in the heart of Lincoln Park. The process has a nightmare though. It's amazing how difficult it is to work with banks and underwriters these days. Getting pre-approved for a mortgage was one thing. Getting the Clear-to-Close is a goddamned nightmare. I'm told that this CTC shouldn't be an issue, but it's been dragging on a few weeks longer than originally anticipated. We keep missing and extending contingency dates. Hilarious, because I'm trying to borrow less than 1x my annual income and putting over 20% down. As of the other day, I've officially moved out the Cleveland Ave apartment (#byebyecleveland), and am waiting it out for 11 days at the Caldwell Compound, in Humboldt Park. Fingers crossed because I really do like the new place, and I don't have the patience to start the process over again if it falls through.

- Regarding work: We're embarking on our very first capital raise over the next few weeks/months. We're participating in the Opal Emerging Managers Summit next week, here in Chicago. You'd think our 20% 10-year CAGR would draw some attention and excitement. We'll see. In the mean time, all the prepping going into the summit and pitchbooks has been a fun yet laborious task. It'll be nice once the conference is over and I can get back to work. Conveniently this is all going on while I'm supposed to be closing on the condo!!

All that said, I'm going to have to start running a little more seriously soon. Berlin is at the end of September. I'd like to be strong and running 60+ per week come July 1st. From there, I push for about 10 weeks.

2014 Boston Marathon & BAA 5K Recap

Let's put things into perspective first: A little over a month ago, I could hardly run. I had just taken three months off. The Boston Marathon was supposed to be somewhat of a pinnacle event for me, yet the prospect of running it was almost completely lost due to injury. While trying to recover, I started to allow some very light mileage... a mere 20 miles a week. I had about three weeks there. As I gradually felt better, I decided to up my mileage slightly and make an attempt for a 3-1/2 week push so that I could consider running this year's Boston Marathon.

Fast forward to last week: After my mini-binge, I was not necessarily fit for any sort of competitive race, however, I decided that I was fit enough to run the BAA 5K and complete the Boston Marathon. Importantly though, I was running pain free. The main goal became to run it and do it so that I did not re-injure myself.

Here's how they both went down:

The BAA 5K

This was my first real test at any fitness. I had no clue what to expect, especially considering I haven't really had any real quality or quantity in my running. I simply wanted to use this as a way to gauge what I might be able to run in the marathon. Such as, if I couldn't handle a certain pace or I fell apart in the 5K, then I would have to adjust my expectations for the marathon. 
I came away pleasantly surprised.

The 5K started and finished in the Boston Commons. The second part of the race course actually traced the final mile of of the marathon. Very cool. The 5K has grown over the last few years. It's now an incredibly crowded and competitive race. A hefty purse produced 10 guys that ran sub 13:45 this year! Anyway, getting into the corral was annoying. I didn't have lofty goals so I didn't position myself too close to the front of the race. It easily took 5 seconds to cross the starting line. I got elbowed right in the chest while trying to cross the line (and not lightly either). I saw a guy fall down about 50m into the race (not sure if he tripped or was shoved). Lots of pushing going on! So as I said, very crowded and aggressive!

The first half mile was spent fighting my way around slower runners. It pretty much sorted after that though. A few of the other TTAU guys were racing and Michael was out in front of me. Knowing very well that I wasn't going to be able to hang with him, I still used him in the distance to help pace me. I hit the first mile at 5:27. I went out a little hot, but not ridiculous. I calmed down a bit in the second mile and regained some composure. There was also a couple underpasses that made for some small hills. Mile two was 5:38. The third mile was awesome - it was a straight rip down Boylston Street, then a turn into the Commons at Charles Street. I felt good, so I started to get a little more aggressive in there. The best part was that my body actually allowed me to do it! I passed anyone reasonably close to me and pressed right to the finish. Surprisingly, I even had a nice kick.

Overall, I finished in 17:05. Placement was horrible because the race is somewhat jacked, but that didn't matter. I was very pleased with this outcome. Those were the fastest miles that I've run since probably October, and I was able to keep some decent splits. My confidence was boosted a little by www.mcmillanrunning.com's calculator to see what I might be able to handle in the marathon.

5K Split recap:

1 - 5:27

2 - 5:38

3 - 5:28

.1 - :32 (about a 5:00 pace kick)

Total: 17:05 Place: 71

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The Boston Marathon

After 17:05, I was able project a mid-2:40s race. There was no way in hell I was going to shoot for that! Flat out, I just wasn't comfortable with my endurance level and I didn't want to risk injuring myself. But, I initially wanted to target 3:10 and this helped to push me towards a 3hr run.

A large group of TTAU teammates were also running, so I was able to work with other guys for chunks of the race. Weather was decent, even a touch warm, but nothing horrible. A very tiny SW wind that didn't work against the race and helped to give the occasional cool breeze. Things were lined up so that I could enjoy the race.

The pre-race rituals were all pretty standard. Shakeout then stayed off my feet the day before, a huge pasta dinner, somewhat reasonable sleep, the Hopkinton bus trip, absolutely flooding my body with Gatorade and water, countless trips to the bathroom... blah blah blah.

When it came down to it, I was in the corral with teammates and I decided to run a chunk of the early work with Justin Jackson. We stuck with a similar plan to our NYC Marathon back in the fall. We made the pact to go very easy for the first 10K, and then reassess. If things worked out well, it would turn into a negative split race.

We kept things nicely under control as the hoards of people passed us in those early down hills. 7:02 pace in the first 5K, then 7:06 in the next 5K. Very smooth. It felt slow... but that was the idea. It was incredibly how many people were flying by us! It was as if we were standing still. I'm pretty sure that by the 10K mark, no fewer than 5,000 people were in front of me. All I could do was laugh and joke about it... probably to an annoying and antagonistic point. I just knew that that I'd eventually consume most of them back as road kill (obviously not all, but certainly a few thousand of them). With every person that I was gonna pass back, I wanted to say, "Welcome to Boston, bitch!"

Right around 10K, a few of the TTUA guys from a later corral caught up. They were shooting for mid-2:50's, and running around 6:45's. I felt good at that point and the course had flattened out, so I decided to go and play with them for a while. Justin chilled out and did his own thing.

That was just what I needed to get my wheels going. I hung fairly close with them for about four miles. We averaged 6:48 from the 10 to 15K mark. Still smooth and comfortable. I squeezed the trigger ever so slightly from there, and I went from being passed to passing chunks of people. Without much effort, I started chopping away at the other runners. Annoyingly though, this had me zig-zagging for pretty much the entire rest of the race. I'm not used to these crowds of runners, so at times it became very frustrating. You can't just pass 3,000 people in a straight line!

From 15 to 20K, I ran 21:38... but that included my first ever marathon pit stop. It was getting hotter out, and the sun was beating down. I was drowning myself in Gatorade and taking some from every single water stop; I knew I was going to need the hydration. However, I paid the price and had to piss. Given that I didn't really care too much about my time, I was inclined to remove this discomfort. The pee break added about 40seconds... otherwise I averaged around 6:45s in that stretch.

I crossed the half at 1:31:12... averaging about 6:58 after the conservative 10K. I realized that if I just maintained my effort in the mid-6:40's then I would go sub-3hrs. I knew I would be very pleased with a sub-3 given my training, and it felt perfectly doable.

So from there on, I pressed. Not a single mile phased me either. The race became incredibly fun as I was now an aggressor and passing swarms of runners. I went through the entirety of Wellesley College hitting every single hand I could see... that's nearly a mile! I chickened out when it came to kissing one of the girls (I ain't a slut!)... but it was still fun to hi-5 all of them and get them screaming!

20-25K was 6:38's.

25-30K was 6:46's, which is where the hills started.

30-35K was 6:49's, includes Heart Break and a sharp downhill.

The hills didn't bother me at all. In fact, I actually welcomed the change in terrain... On the back side of Heart Break Hill, I went very very easy for the sake of saving my legs. I then lit up the final 7K of the race. My pace got more aggressive as the course flattened out. 35-40K was 6:21 average. I blazed the 24th mile, which was reasonably flat to down-hill at a 6:12ish pace. I continued to zig-zag as all the chumps were now crawling or walking. Nobody was passing me. Regardless of my training, this is apparently what happens when you put a wolf amongst a bunch of sheep (-or a rabid rabbit, whatever you want to call it).

The final 2.2K includes the dreaded Rte 90 overpass, the Comm-Ave underpass, and a slight incline on Hereford Street. Each of which are not really complicated obstacles, but when you're 26 miles deep and then combined them, they still add an element of pain. I pulled back just a touch to about a 6:30 in the 26th mile, then let it rip on Boylston Street. I passed everyone possible. I was even rapidly approaching a couple TTAU guys in the final steps, but ran out of room when it came to passing them.

The long story short for all this, is that I turned the Boston Marathon into a gigantic playground and a progression run. It was awesome! 2:58:02 overall. 1:31:12 out, 1:26:50 back. 4:22 negative split, and I had plenty left in the tank at the end of that thing. I easily could've continued a few more miles. In hindsight, I completely sandbagged it and certainly could've gone faster - but that wasn't the goal. I merely wanted a decent time, to have fun, and live to run another day.

I'm still amazed that I was able to run like that on such little training though. Apparently muscles do have memory...!? Best of all, I'm unscathed and really not even that sore afterword. Actually, my biceps are among the more sore parts of my body just from all the damn hi-5's!!

So where does this leave me? Spring is here. I'm not fit enough to race much right now, but I can get it back with a good month of basing. I think it's safe at this point to start getting back into a groove of things. It'll be nice to not have to force anything for a little while too. Soldier Field 10 or Lemont 10 at the end of May could be a good next step. Otherwise, it's safe for me to now set my sights on Berlin in September.

I'm back, ya bish!!

Marathon Split recap:

Dist -- Split -- Lap -- Pace

5K - 0:21:52 - 21:52 - 7:02.3

10K - 0:43:55 - 22:03 - 7:05.8

15K - 1:05:02 - 21:07 - 6:47.8

20K - 1:26:40 - 21:38 - 6:57.8

25K - 1:47:16 - 20:36 - 6:37.8

30K - 2:08:17 - 21:01 - 6:45.9

35K - 2:29:28 - 21:11 - 6:49.1

40K - 2:49:13 - 19:45 - 6:21.4

42.2 - 2:58:02 - 8:49 - 6:27.9

1st Half: 1:31:12 - 6:57.4

2nd Half: 1:26:50 - 6:37.4

Total: 2:58:02 / 6:47.4

Place: 1948

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A few random pix from the weekend:

TTAU at Boston Commons after BAA 5K

Redcoats spotted in the Commons

TTAU at the Marathon Finish-line

Marathon Shoe Porn at the hotel room

Bib 446 out of 35,000+

It was crowded right up to Boylston Street. You can't see it here, but I was going by these guys like they were standing still.