The 400s

I ran my big boy 20x400s tonight. I had Alvaro there to help me out. We did the workout at Wilson track. I had been sweating this thing for several days and in the end, all I can say is, WOW!

The weather was pretty solid... Low 60s, mild humidity, a little wind out of the south that I put on the homestretch as opposed to having it slow the intervals on the backstretch. I managed it well, as I pushed into the wind while closing each 100-150m.

Aside from a few soccer teams practicing on the infield, there weren't many people around. We basically had the track to ourselves. No other runners or traffic to compete with. We only had one incident with a ball, but it really wasn't that big of a deal.

Alvaro wound up doing a combo of 200, 300, and 400s to keep in the game. He was starting the intervals with me, and I'd pull away when he was either finishing his rep or with my press into the wind. Without a doubt, he was a big reason that I ran as well as I did. Our rest was 90 seconds.

This was truly a night to spin my wheels! I was smooth and steady the whole way, and then dropped it just enough at the end.

#- Split

1- 73.7

2- 72.4

3- 72.7

4- 73.0, avg 72.95

5- 72.8

6- 72.6

7- 72.1

8- 71.8, avg 72.325

9- 72.5

10- 71.9

11- 72.2

12- 72.5, avg 72.275

13- 72.7

14- 72.5

15- 72.4

16- 71.8, avg 72.35

17- 71.6

18- 71.7

19- 70.7

20- 69.8, avg 71.0

AVG- 72.17

Per my training log, that goes down as my fastest ever 20x400 workout... by a whopping 100th of a second (previous was going into my bad ass Moscow'15/CIM'15 PR). I'll take what I can get.

Not too shabby for sitting on 100 miles in the last 7 days, 40 years old, 24 official marathons deep... er is it 25 (un)official?

My 25th (Unofficial) Marathon

I'm pushing the redline with my training right now. I've officially entered a place where I've never been before. My runs has become unconventional, to say the least.

Let's back up a week...

I topped off my second-out-of-four peak weeks with a 22 miler on that Saturday. That was my second 90+ week, and I had just started to bump towards 100. Nothing particularly special about that run, but the next morning was the Chicago Marathon. I volunteered to pace with Anu and Jeff Hoj for the second half of the race. It was a great way to help those guys out, and get a fully supported tempo run at MGP. I ran with the guys for a little over 12 miles, and we averaged a 5:58 pace... the day after I ran a 22 miler... and with a cool down, that put me at 100mi in 7 days... and I felt totally fine.

Then throughout the rest of last week, I poured the miles on in order to keep the 100 going. Despite some nasty and lonely runs in the pouring rain, and being a little tired... I held up well. The only problem I had was Thursday, when I was forced to take Hella Spring to the shop instead of running a track workout. That created a slight pull back, but I still ran easy on the day and it allowed me to recover.

Here's where it gets interesting though... over the weekend, Sasha and I were up in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. I still needed to do my long run, which capped off week three of the peak. What better of a way to do it, than a tour of the Door County peninsula? It just so happened that I mapped out a 26.25mi route. This was the first time ever in my training that I would push the distance prior to racing the distance. I've done 24 plenty, and even 25... so all I could think was, "What's the difference as long as I just keep it in control?"

The course was basically an out and back loop with many exit points to cut it short. Weather was perfect... in the low 50s, sunny, with a slight headwind for the first half followed by tailwind in the second half. I carried my own gatorade and a gu.

I kept it as calm as possible, for as long as possible... with the intention of surviving unscathed and being able to continue my training. Generally speaking, the most of the run was pretty steady. Uphills were around 7:15s, and everything else was 6:55-7:00. A few miles later were pushed down to 6:40-45, with a little help from the wind. All in, I ran 3:02:19... right about 6:57 pace.

I stopped the clock briefly at half way to take a gu, enjoy the view, and appreciate the fact that I ran up to the northernmost tip of the peninsula. When I finished the run, I was tired, but surprisingly not trashed. I didn't even take any real downtime! I quickly showered, and went out the door to the Fall Fest.

Sunday morning, I was tight, but not terrible. I didn't have any difficulty going down stairs. I basically just felt like I did a bigger, long run. Seriously, I've done 15 milers before and felt way worse! The point is... I ran a marathon in my training for my marathon, and it didn't bother me!! It's not like I even tapered for it. That also closed out the week at 100. I went 11 miles the next afternoon, once we got back to Chicago. Either I'm stupid or I'm stupid fit right now. Maybe a little of both?

So on top of that, Monday's lunchrun included a 7mi tempo... 48 hours after this "26th" marathon. Splits were solid: 5:44.8, 5:53.8, 5:48.5, 5:37.1, 5:35.7, 5:31.8, 5:28.6... for a 5:40.0 average. Looking back at some of my numbers, excluding races, this was one of my faster tempos.

Last night was 16 after work, and today was 11 at lunch. I was definitely more tired for those runs than I would've liked, but I should be. This is my fourth week of packing on the miles... the last three weeks were 95, 92, and 100. This week will be another mid-90s.

The peak will round out with my big boy 20x400s tomorrow (Thursday). 18-20 again on Saturday. On Sunday, I'm returning to the Naperville Half Marathon for a tune-up/extended MGP/progression run.

In the end, I'm going to have about 1,150 miles in the 15 weeks that lead into NYC. In my last 10 years of competitively running, I've never run this much before. The quantity is clearly there. Some solid quality. And I don't feel over as extended as I have in the past. Of course I'm tired, but days off will clear that up. Otherwise feel strong and healthy and almost ready to take Manhattan in proper fashion.

I can't help but keep thinking... Jesus, I ran a 3:02 Marathon for the fun of it, without any bit of rest going into it, and I wasn't even phased... I could've easily gone much faster, but there was no need.

My 25th (Unofficial) Marathon. Nothing to see here. Keep moving.

Writing sebatical over. Back to work!

The last year has been full of events. Nothing too crazy on the running front, just life taking over a little bit. I may not have been writing or updating this blog (aside from miles and race), but I haven't stopped running!

That ends today... a year after I left it hanging.

So what have I been doing?

I last posted about my 2016 Chicago Marathon training. I had a recap was written long ago, but never posted it. At this point, it's stale. I mean the 2017 Chicago Marathon was yesterday! So I guess it's pointless to post the old one now. Here were my splits, and a very very quick run down...

Dist - Split - Lap - Pace

05K - 0:18:38 - 18:38 - 6:00

10K - 0:37:17 - 18:40 - 6:01

15K - 0:56:00 - 18:44 - 6:02

20K - 1:14:38 - 18:39 - 6:00

HALF - 1:18:42

25K - 1:33:17 - 14:35 - 6:01

30K - 1:51:30 - 18:13 - 5:52

35K - 2:10:09 - 18:40 - 6:01

40K - 2:29:40 - 19:31 - 6:17

42.2 - 2:38:06 - 8:26 - 6:11

Out in 1:18:42, back in 1:19:24. 2:38:06 (course PR).

Much like this year, last year's weather was a little warm (easily hitting 70 in the second half) and there was a southerly wind. I paced and ran with Matt Thor and Tim Faith, otherwise the field was pretty sparce for us, especially once we hit halfway. Our plan was to run 6-flat for the as long as possible and hopefully drop the hammer at some point. I ran solid and eventually left Matt and Tim, but the homestretch on Michigan Ave broke me. I went from pushing the pace sub 6 into the wind, to trying to hang on to 6:15's once the wind calmed down. In the end, I gave up a sub-2:38 and what should've been a negative split. I knew it wouldn't be a PR due to a lack of quantity in my training, but I was expecting better than this. Instead I wound up with another sub-2:40 notch in my belt and a course PR. I can collect those all days long, so I can't complain too much about that.

The rest of 2016's running included a so-so Carrera 5K and maintenance mileage that filled out the year. I finished 2016 with 2,672 miles. My crowning event for the year was Shamrock's 26:37 (1 second shy of a PR), otherwise I finished in 3rd place Overall in the 2016 CARA Circuit and 2nd place 35-39 Age Group for the season. A good year, but it became clear that running the circuit has taken it's toll. Too many races spread out over the year, without any real quality training to back them up... and that was my third year in four doing that.

The last couple months of 2016 were consumed by two life changing things:

1) I started a new job in early November. After a nice long sebatical, I took on a non-trading, analyst position with a larger fund company. I've now been here almost a year. I'll spare the details aside from I am learning new things and getting experience in the corporate world, but it's not as exciting nor as challenging as I would like. It pays the bills and keeps me entertained though. I'm hoping that it's a stepping stone for a better role within the company.

2) Most importantly: Sasha and I got married!! We had absolutely beautiful wedding (in my completely upbiased opinion), and the first year of our marriage has been blissful. I spare all the details, but it was Nov 20, 2016 in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. The wedding and reception were at the Hotel El Convento. We had about 60 guests. Spending the long weekend with the our close friends and family made for a perfect and very special experience that we'll remember for the rest of our lives. Sasha and I followed Puerto Rico with a small trip to St John, USVI. And since then, we've had several trips in the last year, which have certainly made training an after throughout or not my primary focus, at least until recently. A wedding few pix and then moving on.

2017:

I decided I needed a break from the CARA Circuit in 2017. Three out of four years was enough. I've spent far too much time over-racing and under-training. My results were increasingly showing it as the schedule took its toll. So for this year, I've set my sights on just accumulating miles and focusing on my old nemisis, the New York City Marathon. I wound up running Boston in the spring for the entertainment factor, but NYC will be all business.

The best thing to come out of my winter/spring training was a respectable 26:44 at Shamrock Shuffle. Otherwise, I probably short changed myself going into Boston. I wasn't super motivated in the winter months, as we had a few ski trips and other fun things going on, which I allowed to distract my focus. I definitely missed out on a few key weeks and an accumulation of mileage.

The weather in Boston was then abnormally hot for marathon Monday; easily 75-80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky on race day. Peak temps on the blacktop would've been hotter. Long story short, I thought it was wise to go out easier and then pick it up if I felt good. I start conservatively with 6:10-15s, then slowly squeezed the trigger starting at 10-15K. Confidence and experience from Shamrock told me that I could save a sub or low 2:40's, but then the wheels came off on the back of the hills. It was either a lack of training or the heat that broke me. Probably a little of both.

Out in 1:20:47, back in 1:25:48. 2:46:35. It was only sloppy after heartbreak. The result sucked, but I don't regret running the way I did. Maybe any other day, and I could've done it. Oh well. On that day, in that race, at that time, I would've rather blown up than laid up. Unfortunately, training in the winter doesn't help when you are forced to race in unexpected summer-like conditions.

Dist - Split - Lap - Pace

05K - 0:19:34 - 19:34 - 6:16

10K - 0:38:52 - 19:18 - 6:11

15K - 0:57:45 - 18:53 - 6:03

20K - 1:16:38 - 18:53 - 6:03

HALF - 1:20:47

25K - 1:35:42 - 19:04 - 6:07

30K - 1:55:09 - 19:27 - 6:14

35K - 2:15:53 - 20:44 - 6:39

40K - 2:37:15 - 21:22 - 6:51

42.2 - 2:46:35 - 9:20 - 6:49

No tears shed in Boston.

By the end of June, I had 1,342 miles YTD. That's not a small number... Aside from a few races around Boston, it was all part of my basing plan and building for the big prize of the year... New York City.

This has really been my main focus. Everything else has just been noise.

I've done the New York Marathon three times now. Each with similar outcomes in time, but very different races:

- In 2008, as I was breaking out. That year I did the double... a 2:47:03 at Berlin Marathon, followed by a 2:53:57. Two marathons within a month an a half is not easy; at the time, I was very proud of that race.

- In 2010, I was trying to crush it. I already had a few other sub-2:40s, I had solid training, but the wheels started to come off before I even toed the line. Everything went smoothly until about two weeks before the marathon, when I either knotted or pulled a muscle. I managed it, but conditions and a monster blister lead me to blow up on 1st Avenue. I retreated and finished in 2:50:56... the hard way.

- In 2013, I did the double again following a 2:39:37 in Chicago. But this time, I was on the brink of serious injury. Nonetheless, I laid up a 2:52:18. That race was more about the stories and the fun than anything else, but I paid a dear price for it.

The New York Marathon is no joke. Experience tells me that I need to respect it. It's much more difficult than Boston. The logistics suck. The starting area sucks. The weather always sucks. The wind is terrible, no matter which direction you're heading. The bridges suck. The turn onto 1st Ave sucks. The Bronx sucks. 5th Ave sucks. The hills in Central Park suck. It's just a sucky race. And that's why I need to go into this thing absolutely, 100%, fully prepared for a dog fight. A well honed, and significantly experienced marathoner against his arch nemesis... the most difficult of the majors... Not that I need to prove myself in my 26th marathon, but Frankie said it best, "If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere." New York will go down as a sub-2:40.

As of this moment right now, I'm sitting on 100 miles in the last seven days. I've been piling it on. In the 15 weeks that will lead up to the race, I'll have more miles going into NYC than an other marathon that I've ever run. I'm solidly fit already and still have just inside of four weeks until the race. My goal: to be PR shape so that I can guarantee myself success, regardless of conditions that bitch throws at me.

Seven years later, I'll get my revenge. I'm coursing you, New York! And I want my sub-2:40.