2013 Is In the Books

12.1 miles with 8x600s to close out the running year in 2013. 208 miles for December and 2710.1 miles for 2013. Another solid consistent running year for me even if I did not hit 3000 miles like I wanted to this year. Overall happy with my 2013 with getting faster with a new 5k PR, 2 solid half marathon PR's and solid marathon performance in Philly even if that was another tough marathon day for me. Learned a lot from what I think was my best marathon even if not my PR.

Going into 2014 very confident I will have that break-thru marathon I so desperately crave and punch my ticket to Boston as was always the plan next year for 2015 or 2016 or possibly both. #BQin14

Northern Central Trail Marathon - November 26, 2011 - Redemption

"It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get back up." - Vince Lombardi

To say I had a up and down year in my sophomore year of running is an understatement. It definitely was a year I learned a lot about myself as runner and how humbling this sport can be sometimes. The year was off to a roaring start with a new PR at the half marathon distance on my hometown course. A PR that probably went to my head a bit thinking I was better than I actually was as I got set to run my second marathon at Gettysburg. I felt I had a pretty good cycle post-half marathon and set out for a 3:35 goal. A goal that was probably too aggressive considering my PR was 4:12. That race was a “bad day” I’d just sooner forget. Gettysburg is a tough rolling hills course and I went out too fast. It caught up to me around Mile 18 with cramps in both of my calves. Race goals shot and lucky to be able to run/walk rest of the way humbled in my epic failure.

I was frazzled to say the least after my performance at Gettysburg and needed to figure out how this would not happen again. I was knocked down, but not out and definitely was getting back up.My failure would give me new drive and focus as I decided to spend the summer building my base mileage to 55+miles per week. Once I recovered from Gettysburg I put forth a 12 week base building plan to build my base before i would start HM training later in the summer.

Originally I was not going to run another marathon this year as could not find a race that fit in with my busy family's schedule. Stumbled upon the NCR Trail Marathon. it's traditionally run on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend and perfect race to get some redemption and put Gettysburg behind me. Having off from work before and after Thanksgiving was a bonus also. Registered for race and re-worked my HM plan to a 16 week marathon plan. Training went really well and I was confident about a big PR on November 26th.

My goals for NCR were - (A) 3:40-3:45, (B) sub3:40 if race going well, (C) 3:45-3:50, (D) run a strong race and not walk like my 2 previous fulls and only walk thru water stops, and (E) have fun on race day! I put in the work and felt that most of these goals were well in my grasp.

Race day arrived. Left house a little after 5:30am to give myself plenty of time to get to race down in Sparks Glencoe, MD with race starting at 9am. It was just under a 2hr drive from PA. Really good that I did this as I will explain. Following directions I printed off of Google Maps and also map them on my iPhone and was going to get there with plenty of time to spare. Directions got a bit foggy and took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up 7-10 miles in opposite direction of where I needed to go. Getting stressed that I would not make it to start on time as it was after 8am at this point. calmed myself and looked at map on my iPhone and figured out I needed to get to I-83. Thought positive thoughts that I would make it as I trained too damn hard for this not to make it to start in time. Got on I-83 and made it to business park where there were shuttles to start at Sparks Elementary School. I made it there in the nick of just making last shuttle. Relieved to be on shuttle I was very frazzled as I still needed to get my bib#, check my bag, and hit bathroom one last time with just 20 minutes before race started.

Got my bib# and found some RWOL friends who were running also. They saw I was all out of sorts and told me to relax as everything would be fine. Hit bathroom one last time with minutes to spare and walked to start. Legs were feeling good and I was ready to go primed to run in my 3rd marathon.

NCR is on a rail trail of crushed stone & dirt. Advertised as flat and fast with first and last 2 miles on hilly roads. Downhill going out and uphill coming back which I knew was going to be a challenge at Mile 25. Weather at start was in mid-high 40's with weather on warmer side by time I expected to finish in in the 60's. Abnormal temps for this time of year, but I was ready for this and whatever was going to happen today I could not do anything regarding the weather. Gun went off and I was off.

Mile 1-5 - Plan was to start off slower than MP first mile or so and run at MP from there. First couple of miles downhill until we hit NCR trail and splits for first 2 miles were at 8:35 and 8:34 right at MP. Downhill played a big part in that even with me taking it easy until we got to trail. I got on trail and kept it at MP with splits of 8:37, 8:28, and 8:32. Feeling good after first 5 miles and keeping on pace. Garmin was not off by much with a +0.3 per mile at this point.

Mile 6 -10 - Walked thru water station to take an Endurolyte and pop my first gel. Took too much time with that as Mile 6 split was 8:50. Mile 7 a little quicker at 8:20,and splits of 8:37, 8:36, and 8:38 to get me to Mile 10. I saw a guy wearing a MCM shirt and reminded me of my first marathon just one year ago and reminded how far I have come since then. As I passed him he told me I was looking strong and made me feel really good. Popped another gel and realized lost my Endurolytes as I never zipped up my running belt after Mile 5. it did not concern me much as I still had plenty of gels and really could not do anything about it. Garmin caught up to mile markers. Still feeling strong at this point and happy race was going well so far.

Mile 11-15 - by Mile 11 some runners were making there way back as turn-around point was coming up around Mile 13.5. Some more runners telling me I was looking good and always amazed how encouraging the running community is. We're all running brothers and sisters no matter how slow or fast we all are. Splits of 8:45, 8;31, 8:34, 8:22, and 8:39. Hit mat at 13.1 point at 1:52:21 for an avg pace of 8:35. Right on target for a 3:45. Not bad, but still a lot of miles to cover yet. Garmin was -0.3 at this point.

Mile 16-20 - Still feeling strong at this point, but Garmin was all over the place for this stretch due to heavy tree cover. One minute I would be running 11:00 pace and then next I would be running 5:55...yeah whatever 405.:) This was evident with the 9:14 split at Mile 17, but had a good split of 8:16 to counter that last split. Rounded out Mile 20 with splits of 8:49 and 8:56. Not sure it was Garmin or just a slowdown as temperature crept up to near 60-65 degrees. I was tired, but still feeling strong. I was feeling good that i got past the point I fell apart in my last marathon and was confident I was going to finish this strong.

Mile 21-24 - This is part of race where many runners feel the marathon actually begins. I was definitely getting fatigued and temps were wearing me down a bit. Mile 21 I got a side-stitch and definitely fought thru it rubbing spot on chest and went away eventually. I had a mild fade with paces in 9:10-9:15, but still holding strong even with legs getting heavy. I started counting steps. Anything to get me closer to finish. I was determined and was not going to give in to being fatigued.

Mile 25-26.2 - back on the road and off the NCR trail at this point for final stretch  to the finish all uphill. A challenge at Mile 25-26 and that last hill at Iwo Jima on the MCM course has nothing on these hills.:) Definitely a gut check as I ran up the hills with everything I had left as was evident with splits of 10:36 and 9:51. Reached the Mile 26 marker and finish line was in sight. It amazing at this point you just find something extra and run strong to the finish. I hit the mat at 3:51:21. REDEMPTION!!! A new 21 minute PR! Take that Mary! I yelled out a big scream so excited for the new PR and so proud of what I just accomplished.

Not really upset I missed my (A) goal by 5:22 and (B) goal by 0:22. Weather and last up-climb had a lot to do with that. Still a big win in my book. More importantly I got my redemption on Gettysburg and proved to myself I can do this marathon thing, ran the whole race, and had fun the entire time until the hills at the end. Nice way to finish off my running year and springboard for my 2012 goals. Going to take what I learned from this race and apply it to my training for the next one namely more progression runs and start doing hill repeats so fade not as bad at the end next time.

Thanks for reading!

2013 - A Year in Review

I'm pretty happy with how my running year in 2013 went down with all the ups and downs along the way. Definitely my toughest year in regards to training, PRs, and tough race days. That's running for you though as you need to keep moving forward. Perpetual forward motion.

My fall race in 2012 at Harrisburg did not go as planned (that's a trend for me and the marathon). As a result that made me decide to take a season off from the marathon and work on my running fitness a bit and jump back into the marathon again in the fall at Philadelphia. Used Jack Daniels Running Formula 5k-15k plan using his VDOT methodology to train for 2 half marathons, my favorite race distance and one that I have the best success at.

Started plan in January. Plan is kinda intense and most quality work I've done to date with 3 hard days most weeks with a mix of intervals, speed and tempos. I ran a early 5k in Saginaw, PA as an early test. I had last ran a 5k that previous spring so a PR was attainable at the very least. I didn't really taper much for this one so legs were not as fresh as I like going into a race no matter the distance. Surprised myself with a strong showing and a 20:15 that was good enough for a 32sec PR and 2nd in my AG. Early on in the process I was seeing some good results from all the Daniels quality. #doworkgetfaster

My spring was set-up to do 2 half marathons with first being in my hometown of Chambersburg. I love this race as it was my first race ever and something to be said about rolling out of your bed to go to a race. More often than not it is the home of my PR. Great race day weather and put in a good effort with a 1:36:21 good enough for a 3+ min PR.

Training continued in the spring with the Frederick Half Marathon as my goal race. I was shooting for a 1:32 but be very happy with a sub 1:35 which based on my performance in Chambersburg was a very attainable goal and one I would be very happy with. I ran a solid race early and hung on in the latter miles for a 1:34:40. very successful spring with taking 5+ minutes off my half marathon PR. #doworkgetfaster

I had a little less than 2 months before I jumped back into marathon training again for Philadelphia in July. 2013 was never a year I was targeting to BQ, but with my improved fitness over the spring and the events of the Boston tragedy this year it felt right to go make an attempt at my BQ in Philly. Kept the miles consistent until Philly training began.

Philly training started in July as planned. I wanted to train with a Hanson plan and of course me always think I can handle more than I actually can. I decided on the 20wk plan from their website, but turned out it was more than I could handle not hitting quality runs, PR mileage month in September (300m), and to top it off pretty much by overtraining getting bronchitis and DNS my tune-up half marathon at RnR Philly.

Once well again, I downgraded the plan to the advanced Hanson book plan. That seemed more manageable and hit all my quality runs and felt really strong going into the taper. Confidence was riding high even with a less than stellar tune-up half in Gettysburg. Tough day on a hilly course for another sub 1:40 finish at 1:39:29.

My tune-up at Gettysburg behind me I felt that I still had a good chance of a BQ in Philly. About 2 weeks before Philly found out due to my family schedule I would not be able to stay in Philly nite before and essentially have to drive up to Philly race morning. Not the ideal scenario for race day, but sometimes you got to play the hand your dealt.

Philly was another tough day at the races for this marathoner. Unseasonable warm for November, driving to race early am, and stomach issues to boot. Not my worst marathon effort at 3:50:46 or my best (2nd best actually) but probably my strongest effort of all 6 of my marathons and something that gives me me hope a breakthru race is in the cards for me really soon.

Overall I was really pleased with my running year this year. I really improved my running fitness this year with some PRs along the way even if I did not get that marathon PR I desire or punching my ticket to Boston. Something to build on in 2014. Excited about 2014 though as that was always the year I was putting Boston in my sights anyway. #BQin14

Rock and Roll USA Marathon - March 17, 2012 - Live to Race Another Day

"Sometimes the moments that challenge us the most define us."-Deena Kastor, Spirit of the Marathon

Running a marathon is tough. If it was easy more than 2% of the population would run them. You train your ass off for 12-16 weeks and when race day arrives, sometimes it simply is not your day for whatever reason. I would learn this the hard way for this race.

After a great 3rd marathon last fall at NCR it was time to pick a spring race. I wanted to pick a race in the spring that weather would be cool but no matter when race is weather always a crapshoot. Picked RnR USA which was the old National race before RnR took it over this year It was in middle of March and chances were weather would be cool and not a good chance of warmer weather like a May race.

Decided to mix up training a bit this cycle and give a Hudson plan a go. Lot more hill sprints, progression runs, and quality LR's that I have not done in my prior marathons. Just sort of thing I needed to improve on what I accomplished in the fall. Training cycle went well even if my mileage was not as consistent as I would have liked for one reason or another. Still finished cycle strong and confident about my goals going into RnR.

If Gettysburg taught me anything it was not to set the bar too high when it came to race goals. The way my cycle ended I was very confident about a sub3:40 goal targeting something in the 3:38:xx range. 3:40-3:45 and sub3:51:21 rounding out my B & C goals.

Race day arrived and weather was unseasonable warm for this time of year especially after training in 20/30s all cycle. Temps about 55-50 at start were not ideal, but out of my hands. Still optimistic I could get this done.

Mile 1-6 - I was lined up in Corral 6 which was not bad with a field of 24,000 runners. Met a runner from neighboring Waynesboro, PA. Small world even on race day. They released our corral and I was off and running a marathon for the fourth time. Field was not that bunched up, but wanted to be conservative with the pace to start off. First mile at 8:41 a little slower than I would have liked followed by splits of 8:12 & 7:31. Not sure if the mile 3 split was all that accurate with going thru an underpass and losing GPS with the Garmin. Early on looking good and right on pace for a sub3:40 at 8:20 pace Miles 4, 5, & 6 in 8:11, 8:31, and 8:16. Lots of hills early on but nothing I am not used to back in PA. Some time at this point I did something to my right ankle. Not sure if I landed on it wrong or what happened. It was not hampering my pace at this point, so I kept on going. After 6 miles on pace for a 3:41 time with 8:24 pace.

Miles 7-13.1 - Still feeling food at this point and weather not too warm yet. Countered the warm weather by dumping water over my head at each aid station. It seemed to keep me cool early on along with Gu's, Endurolytes and water. Splits for miles 7-13 at 8:31, 8:19, 8:15, 8:07, 7:56, 8:22, and 8:22. At 13.1 mark in at 1:49:48 right on target for sub3:40. Found Mile 13.1 tough as more than 75% of the field veering left as us marathoners went right. I was still feeling good so kept on keeping on.

Miles 14-18 - Miles 14-18 were probably the turning point in the race for me. Mile 14 slower at 8:50. Not sure with the split off that effected me as I was still feeling strong. Did not let it rattle me. One mile split don't make a race. Refocused miles 15 & 16 with splits of 8:13 and 7:52. About mile 16 it felt like temps on the rise and felt it was harder to keep pace as my breathing felt like it was laboring. At this point I was starting to have some doubts about keeping pace. About same time my ankle started really bothering right around mile 17 with a split of 9:02 Throw in a side-stitch and it was what did me in. I think all those factors too much for me to deal with and got me off my game. Looking back I need to be stronger but not sure I could of done more with a bum wheel. Mile 18 at 9:35 and my race was spiraling out of control.

Miles 19-25 - Ankle really killing me at this point and a DNF never entered my mind. I ran as long as I could tolerate discomfort and take a walk break. About mile 20 I told myself I am never running another marathon as I was so mad my race fell apart after it going so well for 17 miles and mostly due to circumstances out of my control. I did this until mile 25. Won't bore you with the splits, but let's just say they were bad.:)

Mile 25-26.2 - When I got to mile 25 I told myself I am running the rest of the way. Gave it all I had left and counted steps to gut it out until mile 26. The last .2 found another gear and sped to finish. I must face passed 25-30 runners determined to finish this tough day strong. Crossed the finish in 4:25:22. My personal worst marathon.

Looking back I just got to chalk it up as a bad day. I was ready for this race. I know deep down I really was. After such a great cycle it was very frustrating to finish like I did. I think each race is a learning experience and for RnR I think that sometimes it is just not your day but not a indicator of the runner you are. I thought I had my bad race last year and that one made me a stronger runner for the better. If nothing else this will give me even more drive for the fall. Watch out Mary! You may have knocked me down...again, but don't count Billy out! That's a promise!

Thanks for reading!

Thanks Santa!

 Review to follow once I get some miles in on these badboys.:) #waverider17

Harrisburg Half Marathon - September 9, 2012

To say I've had a rough running year is probably the understatement of the year, between a PW marathon in March with a bum ankle and unseasonable warm weather & getting sick with the pneumonia 2 days before a half marathon in June that resulted in a DNS. Sidelined with no running for a month to recover. The running gods have not been kind to me.

It was important to me to bounce back from a tough first half of the year. A sub1:40 half marathon goal has been something that has eluded me for one reason or the other and one I felt I could attain for this race. Just the sort of thing that could get me back to running shape as part of my preparation for my next marathon later this fall. The last 9 weeks this was what it was all geared towards. Looking back I was definitely not in sub1:40 shape 9 weeks ago.

I got a good nite sleep Friday nite sleeping almost 8hrs. I usually never get that much. Nite before race did not sleep as well which is par for the course for me. I think I woke-up every hr on the hour until alarm went off at 4:30am. I went thru my usual race morning routine and hit road about 5;30am. Harrisburg just under an hour's drive from Chambersburg. I got to race about 6:30am and not too crowded yet. Picked up my race bag and hit potty one last time considering no lines yet.

I got a 1m mile warm-up in. Ran last 0.5m reverse starting at finish and across Market Street bridge and first part of riverwalk which included an incline down to riverwalk. I ran past a hobo just under bridge which was a nice site that early in morning. He would still be there during race.

Back from my warm-up waited for race start. No real corrals to speak of and probably was in mid-pack as race started. it was a chip timed race and think it took me a minute to cross start. First mile loops around City Island and minor league baseball stadium there. Very congested that first quarter mile or so, but opened up after that. Kept pace around 7:40 pace and first mile ended up at 7:45. A little slower than I would have liked, but much better than a 7:15 first mile which was case last time I PR'd at HM distance.:) Made up for it mile 2 with a 7:35 pace. Mile 3 ends right at start rail trail section of course and most of 4th mile runs along rail trail before coming back to riverwalk. Popped a gel at mile 4 as water stop coming up. I was not doing sports drink on course as it was Cytomax and have had GI issues with that in a previous half marathon. Splits at Mile 3 & 4 consistent at 7:41 and 7:40. Right on target where I wanted to be for first part of race.

Riverwalk has a upper and lower section. It down-slopes to lower portion right after water station at Mile 4 and last about 1 mile or so leading back up to upper portion of riverwalk until about Mile 8. I got into a good groove at this point and felt like I was on cruise control feeling really strong. Miles 5 & 6 in at 7:36 and 7:40. I figured out I needed to be at halfway 6.55m point at 48-50 minutes if sub 1:40 was going to happen. Hit that mark at 50:05 and was happy I was right where I needed to be. Miles just seemed to be clicking off at this point. Just after Mile 8 mark course loops around a residential neighborhood. Splits for Mile 7 & 8 at 7:31 and 7:44.

Course looped back to upper riverwalk around Mile 9, but actually coned off on street leading back to Market Street bridge. Picked it up a bit with  7:34 and 7:29 splits for Miles 9 & 10. Course back on lower portion leading to bridge. Miles 11 & 12 in at 7:38 and 7:37 and really had to dig deep at this point. Got to Mile 12 at 1:31 and at this point I realized I was getting to point I was on brink of a sub1:40 or possibly not. Never really crossed my mind that I would not. Really gave it all I had left. Upclimb to Market Street bridge kind of reminded me of hill at Iwo Jima at MCM. I did not care as I was getting this done. I got on bridge and just pushed it to finish. Stopped Garmin and it read 1:39:57. I was so excited I did it. Official time would be 1:39:54. Talk about getting it done right under the wire.:) That bothers me a bit that I cut it so close, but bottom-line is I got it done. Still a 1:30 minute PR and that is what matters. It'll just motivate me to get my PR down even further in 2013. I love the HM distance and will probably always be my favorite. The thing that makes me really happy is this was first race that I neg split 50:05/49:49. Never done that before. This race definitely the highlight to my running year...until November at least.:)

Ocean Drive Week 1 - 12.23.13-12.29.13

12.23.13 - 5.1m w/5x hill sprints - 8:17 avg pace - Heavy rain in the am squashed my planned 6-8 miles before work, but was able to squeeze in 5+ miles afterwards with some hill sprints to kick-off my 7th marathon cycle. Kept it short considering I had a quality workout in the morning planned.

12.24.13 - 12.22m w/12x400 w/400 rec - Decided to do workout on treadmill at Y today as not sure what shape the track was in at HS after all the rain the last few days. Ran to and from the Y to get my warm-up and cooldown in. 12x400s on treadmill at 6:30 pace. Last few felt hard but got'em done. Not real quality the last 5-6 weeks since Philly was the culprit of that. #dowork Glad to get back to some quality runs again though.

12.25.13 - SRD - MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

12.26.13 - 10.35m w/5m@MP (7:29, 7:34, 7:30, 7:32, 7:39) - Cut MP run short from planned 6m to 5m. Ran out of gas last couple of MP miles with holidays catching up to me a bit I think. Not a bad first MP run of the new cycle though. First run in the new Wave Rider 17s. Really smooth ride. Like them so far after first run. #BQin14 #waverider17

12.27.13 - 9.3m - 8:08 avg pace -  Switched it up today. 3.1 mile run to Y, 40min spin class w/some strength&core after, and 6.2 miles home. 9.3 miles total for the day. Legs felt pretty good after spin class all things considered. Going to have to try this again sometime.

12.28.13 - 12.4m LR - 8:25 avg pace - 12.4 miles for my LR this week with bulk of the miles on half course. BIG hills in the middle and some slow miles at the end meeting up with some friends doing a cooldown after a track workout. Solid first LR of the cycle. 

12.29.13 - 7.7m - 8:39 avg pace - 7+ miles to close out the first week of training for ODM. It was already raining when I started run but not topoint I could not get a decent run in today. Rain runs are good luck.:)

57.1 miles for Week 1. Pretty happy with mileage and how training has gone this week considering this was my highest mileage week since before Philly..

Another Marathon Journey Begins...

Something to be said at the start of a new training cycle. It turns the page on the last one especially if that race didn't go as planned. Philly still stings a bit some days especially with all the work I've put in this past year, but you got to keep moving forward.

2014 was always the year I targeted to BQ. It was always a matter of would I do it in the 40-44 AG (3:15 ) or the 45-49 AG (3:25). I think I probably was not fully ready for a BQ attempt this year and the emotions of Boston tragedy really drove that for me to even make an attempt in the first place.

Definitely learned a lot from  my first BQ attempt in Philly and it has me better prepared this time mentally and physically as the journey begins anew at Ocean Drive.

Probably looking forward to this one the most out of all my races as I run with my friend +kevin  shooting for that same BQ goal as me. He has been nothing short of a great friend, supporter, & running mentor to me as I've progressed as a marathoner.

Another journey to Boston begins...

Harrisburg Marathon - November 11, 2012

"The triumph can't be had without the struggle."– Wilma Rudolph, 3-time Olympic gold medalist runner

To say 2012 has been anything but a roller coaster for my third year running is probably the understatement of the year. Between another PW marathon at RnR DC with a bum ankle and a DNS for a early summer half marathon with pneumonia which sidelined me for most of the summer I looked to my 5th marathon in Harrisburg to end the year on a high note.

The Harrisburg Marathon has been on my short list to run ever since I completed my first 2yrs ago and hard to believe here I am planning #5. Billed as a flat and fast course I was hopeful for a good showing after a strong training cycle if not my best of all my marathons, but you never know what the marathon will throw at you come race day.

With the race practically in my backyard decided to drive up from Chambersburg race day morning. Something to be said about sleeping in your own bed vs. a hotel. Probably got to race a bit early, but wanted to make sure I got a parking spot on City Island. Field nearly doubled in size the week before with cancellation of the NYCM due to Hurricane Sandy. The race got a nice bump from that with nearly 2,100 runners. Normally Harrisburg nets out at about 1,000 runners. Nice small local marathon. Picked up my packet and pinned my race bib on and was ready to go. Met up with a friend who was running his first and some RWOL friends as runners started to lineup for the race.

Felt confident about a 3:30 time or just below. Lined up with 3:35 pace group to ensure I would not go out too fast to start and be really hating life before mile 20. Lot of displaced NYCM runners in group wearing some type of NYRR gear from shirts, arm warmers, and caps. All were happy to have a race to run.

Miles 1-4 – Start of race was really odd. No announcement from race director beforehand or signal that race started. Runners ahead just started running. Crossed the start mat, clicked on the Garmin and I was off running my 5th marathon. Ran alongside pacer named Mike the first few miles. A chatty fellow who has run 19 marathons. Did a good job of warning runners of storm drains, motivating us on some upclimbs, and keeping everyone pumped early on. For these first few miles, mile markers were off as expected by .08-.12 on average. Considering I was shooting for a 3:30 which is a 8:00 pace I relied on not so much what the my watch splits said but more of what time was when I hit mile markers. These first few miles went thru downtown Harrisburg passing by the capitol building and running thru the Greenbelt Trail. Splits averaging 8:13-8:16 thru 4 miles. Passed thru the Greenbelt felt this was right time to settle into my race pace and venture out on my own as we approach the riverwalk. Approximately about 45 seconds behind goal race time at this point.

Miles 5-10 – Course runs back towards City island along riverwalk. Lot of crowd support here which keeps you going for sure. Best sign I saw was “Chuck Norris Never Ran a Marathon”. Thought that was funny along with a sign that read “You should get a bike”. Feeling really lite on my feet running back down Market Street bridge and around City Island. Course crosses Walnut St bridge which is where finish is down to lower riverwalk. Feeling good and running strong. Picked up some time as miles clicked away very effortlessly. By mile 10 I was just above my target time and happy with how race was progressing to this point.

Miles 11-20 – Still running along the riverwalk as race progressed and feeling good staying at my race pace. Course runs thru some neighborhoods and not as flat as earlier with some minor rollers. Hit 13.1 point just under 1:44 which was right about where I needed to be. Miles 14-16 things started getting tough as we ran thru an industrial area (not the nicest part of course for sure) leading up to the local community college. Felt like feet were rubbing a bit in some places and felt a bit raw, but not to a point I couldn’t keep my pace though. Passed the college with turn-around point and headed towards Wildwood Park which I knew from course map and elevation profile would easily be the most challenging part of the race. Thru 16 miles right on target for a 3:30 right on the nose or a few seconds above that time. Miles 17-20 – Looking back this was clearly the turning point of the race for me. Right after mile 17 course goes on a path leading to Wildwood. I guess they were re-paving part of the path as some crushed stone was layed. To be running on a paved road to that kind of surface suddenly is a big difference. Did not really help my feet and feet hurt to run on it and lost all my running rhythm. Pace slowed as a result as we entered Wildwood. Think it even made my feet worse as when I got home socks were bunched up. With slowdown found it hard to get back on pace as we entered hills around lake in Wildwood. Feet really bothering me going up the hills and downhills. I was really struggling but felt if I could get thru hills maybe 3:30 was still doable. Passed the hills with mile 20 and was 2 minutes behind a 3:30 pace and knew today was not the day for that and switched gears starting to think about a 3:35.

Miles 21-26.2 – By mile 21 I was hurting barely running a 9:00 pace. Never really thought about walking. Mile 21-22 marker and 3:35 pace group sped past me and knew I was sunk. At this point I felt I just had to keep moving to finish. I knew a PR was still in reach and if it was not going to be my day for 3:30 a goal I trained so hard for, I was going to at least make an attempt to get some sort of PR and finish this race as strong as I could. Just kept moving as miles clicked off at a pace I could manage in 9-10 minute range or maybe even slower than that. Passed mile 24 and was feeling really beat-up now. Decided a run/walk strategy was for the best even with only walking intervals of 15-20 seconds as I knew a PR was going to happen now. Mile 25 ran rest of the way to finish. That upclimb to the Walnut Street bridge was absolutely brutal but kept moving. Good crowd support here and kept me motivated as I got to bridge. Gave it all I had left to the finish. Crossed the finish raised my hands and was just so relieved this race was done.

Crossed finish in 3:47:47 for a new PR of barely 4 minutes, but I’ll take it. Finished 515th out of 1514 finishers and 67th out of 149 in the 40-44 AG runners. I finished my 5th marathon maybe not exactly as I hoped, but it’s another one in the books and a PR. End of the day that’s a good marathon. That’s not to say I am not frustrated with my marathoning right now. Very hard to train for a specific goal and feel really good about your training to not to reach it. I know I am better than this time indicates and eventually I will get this right. What do I need to do to have that great breakthrough race? It’s a question I will have plenty of time to ponder before I toe the line again for another 26.2 journey. That said with my track record of spring PW marathons going to focus the first part of 2013 on shorter distances and getting faster, but have not fully closed the door on a spring marathon just yet.

Chambersburg Half Marathon - March 9, 2013

Chambersburg Half Marathon Race Report – March 9, 2013

After my last marathon not going as planned last fall in Harrisburg, I decided I was going to take a backseat to the distance and focus on getting faster this spring at shorter distances and really focus on my speed specifically at half marathon distance. Spring marathons have not been kind to me to begin with a PW the last 2 springs. Been there, done that, and got the race shirt lol One step back to take two steps forward.

Been following a Daniels 5k-15k training plan from his book Running Formula. Three quality days a week most weeks and a major step up in training for me from anything I have done in the past three years of running. Training has gone well and definitely notice a difference in my fitness with the training and keeping my mileage consistent in the mid-50 mile range.

The Chambersburg Half was my first ever race three years ago and one that is really special to me here in my hometown of Chambersburg. Really missed this race last year due to a DC marathon the week after (See PW marathon above-lol) Comes at a good point in schedule in my effort to get faster and see where I am at for a May half as well.Set a goal of a sub1:38, but recent weeks of training told me maybe a 1:35 was possible and that was what I would shoot for

Race day arrived and had a good 10-day taper for race and confident the hard work of Daniels would payoff in Chambersburg. Did not sleep too well waking up every couple of hours not being able to contain my excitement for race day. Followed my normal race day routine got dressed and head off to start. Love that this race is in my backyard with a short 5 minute drive to start.

Arrived at race, picked up my packet and chatted with a few running friends and pinned my bib number on. Ran my routine warm-up mile with a couple of fellow runners and was ready to run yet another Chambersburg Half.

Race started promptly at 8:30 and inched my way toward front of field. Listened to race director go over some pre-race stuff and race started and I was off.

Mile 1 – 7:10 - just trying to settle in and get in a groove. Plan was to start race at &;30, but best laid plans sometimes just don't work out. Start has a BIG downhill for first .4m or so. Last time I raced fast first mile too at 7:15, so there is a precedent there.

Mile 2 – 7:20 – settled in nicely with a 7:20 mile as we gradually climb up to worst hills of the course up Henry Road.

Mile 3 – 7:37 – kinda expected a slower mile for Mile 3 with finishing climb up Henry before the downhill before turning on Springview Rd. with biggest climb with a 3-5% grade. Felt good passing people walking up this hill. Mile 3 pretty much ends at Mile 3 marker and next mile has a big downhill for about 0.5m or so.

Mile 4 – 6:58 – Woah Nellie! Slow down there Billy! BIG downhill for most of the mile and then turns on to a nice flat stretch. Feeling good and warmed up at this point and made up for slow Mile 3.

Mile 5 – 7:20 – mostly small rollers with couple minor climbs. Stayed on pace and feeling really good.

Mile 6 – 7:27 – a little slower than I liked. Hit half-way (6.55m) mark 47:45.

Mile 7 – 7:20 – this is a tough part of course with out back stretch. Out mostly downhill and back big strecthes of uphill which spills over to next mile. Kept moving and feeling good.

Mile 8 – 7:27 – lots of uphill with tail-end of out and back stretch. Kept pushing forward as fatigue starting to set in a bit.

Mile 9 – 7:25 – small rollers for most part and kept pushing and digging a little deeper to keep pace close

Mile 10 – 7:40 – worst split of race as course gets back on Springview which is a long climb up to biggest hill. Calves felt a little tight at this point, but pushed thru just focusing on keeping legs moving. Knew once I hit crest f hill remainder of race mostly down hill.

Mile 11 – 7:21 – hit crest of hill and got a good downhill to push me up Henry the last real uphill of race. Slight downhill as I hit Mile 11 marker. Time to drop the hammer with 2 miles to go.

Mile 12 – 7:12 – gave all I had left with some rollers, but course mostly downhill from here on out.

Mile 13 – 7:12 – another goods plit giving it all I had left with end in sight and small climb as we neared finish.

Last .1 – 6:32 -  finish line in sight and gave it one last kick and hit finish at 1:36:22. Ecstatic I finished with time I did and yelled out a big scream as I got my finisher medal. Another Chambersburg Half in the books and I could not be happier. An almost 4 minute PR (3:40), 4^th in the 40-44AG with overall 7:21 avg pace. 17 second per mile improvement. No one passed me after Mile 5 except for one guy around Mile 9. Guess all that quality is paying off

Kinda can't believe I ran that course that fast. It's got me encouraged for Frederick in May as well as when I toe that marathon line again this fall. That's getting way ahead of things though, but can’t help but be a little giddy about what this fall might bring. For time being just gonna enjoy this new PR for the moment. A PR I felt I should have had last fall. I have no regrets though stepping away from the marathon this spring and probably should have done this a few years back. I have 8 weeks until Frederick and still have lot of work to do. I know I have faster time in me just based off this race today. Do Work. Get Faster!

Running's My Favorite

12.16.13 - 12.22.13 - Last "Easy" Week Before the Journey Begins Anew...

12.16.13 - 5.43m - 8:18 avg pace - Easy short 5 miler to get legs moving. Finished off with some hill sprints.  Not a bad birthday run.  Had to finish run with .43 as I was not running 43 m or km.:) lol

12.17.13 - SRD - switched up SRD on account of snow.

12.18.13 - 8.51m - 8:04 avg pace - Nice easy 8+ miles with 8x fartleks in the middle to get legs moving again with some faster paces. Another marathon journey is right on the horizon.

12.19.13 - SRD - Overslept today so strength and core day it is with a lite 30min spin after work.:)
12.20.13 - 8.36m - LT Progression Tempo - some lite quality to get the legs moving as I transition into marathon training next week. 3 mile LT progression tempo (7:22/7:05/7:01) with some warm-up and cooldown miles on the bookends.

12.21.13 - 10.05m - 8:09 avg pace - Easy 10 miles around town with parts on the Chambersburg Half course to get some hills in. Lovely mid40s temps. Is it December?:)
12.22.13 - 10.25m - 8:07 avg pace - Lightly raining this morning and threat of t-storms looming really was not in a running mood for a LR this morning. Sucked it up and got 10+ miles in anyway amid the rain. Some days you just need to get it done.

42.6 miles to close out my last week of my post-Philly recovery cycle. Ready to close the book on 2013 and look forward to 2014 and another marathon journey this spring.

Mizuno Wave Rider 17 Review

Nice review by my friend +Jennifer Boudreau  from Running with the Girls on the Mizuno Wave Ridet 17

http://www.runningwiththegirls.com/2013/11/shoe-review-mizuno-wave-rider-17.html

Gettysburg Blue Gray Half Marathon - October 20, 2013

The Gettysburg Blue Gray Half Marathon was not my first choice as a tune-up to Philly. RnR Philly a flat and fast course was but a bout of bronchitis and 2wk layoff took care of that.

 I live about 30 minutes from Gettysburg so a short drive to start. Arrived at race and resluzed I forgot my Garmin. I was not realky happy about that. It is what it is though. A friend had a spare stopwatch so that was better than nothing.

It really kinda stressed me out right before race. Still a 1:39 is not too bad without the watch but much unneeded stress. Think also I might have asked too much of myself to PR here trying to make up for my DNS in RnR Philly. This has been a challenging cycle to say the least. 

Race was really crowded with 800+ runners on a narrow PA country road to start. Hard to get on pace weaving around runners. Probably should have started more to front. Mile 1 at 7:40 and was way off pace. Mile 2 things opened up a bit and lot of downhill. Way too fast at 6:40 to compensate mile 1. Think not having Garmin really hurt here. Next few miles 7:00, 7:10, 7:12 I think based off what I remember. 

Wind picked up here and combined with rolling hills started slowing down as splits more at MP than at HMP. Think uneven miles early on really hurt me. Just ran at this point and figuring out math just made my head hurt. Miles felt hard 9-13 but manageable. Nice hill at finish. race directors are cruel that way.

Think I it was a good hard hilly training run and not get so caught up about a failed tune up race. Just a tune up and not end goal or indicator how Philly will unfold.

Philly is what matters and putting in 2 last good training weeks before taper. Not changing my goal as this race was just a tough day for me and things probably be different if I remembered my watch. Stupid Billy!:) I got this in Philly. BQ or not I am lining up for a big potential PR. That's what is important.

I think a year ago I'd never would have run a 1:39 on this course. 800+ other runners who finished after me kill for my result. #BQinPhilly

 

Frederick Half Marathon - May 5, 2013 - Do Work, Run Faster!

Believe that you can run farther or faster. Believe that your young enough, old enough, strong enough, and so on to accomplish everything you want to do. Don't let worn-out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself. -John Bingham

It’s been a fun five months of marathon semi-retirement. Back in December when I decided to take a backseat to the marathon and focus on getting faster, the Frederick Half Marathon was always the end goal I had in mind. I was really encouraged about another PR after the Chambersburg Half in March with a 1:36:22  PR on a hilly course. On a flatter course a sub1:35 was definitely in the cards. Cycle really ended strong and felt really good physically. Recent events in Boston leading up to Frederick made me decide that I was going to take a shot at a BQ later this fall. That said I wanted to take a shot at a goal of 1:32-1:33 in Frederick to validate that goal even if I did not fully believe I was ready for that. Regardless I was going to take a swing at it and if I fall short still plenty of time to be in BQ shape this fall.

Picked up my race packet day before race as Frederick had very limited race day pick-up. Small little expo at fairgrounds. Not bad for a decent size half marathon. Slept pretty good that nite which is surprising as usually that is not case with a goal race. Woke up around 3;30 and got ready. Left a little early as it was a 45 minute drive and wanted to leave myself plenty of time. Arrived at fairgrounds around 5:30 with plenty of time before race started at 7am. Ran a short warm-up around fairgrounds and on racetrack where race finishes. Calmed me down a bit and was ready to go.

Met up with my friend Allison and lined up at 7:00 pace marker ahead of sub1:40 group which felt weird to me especially last fall that was my goal I was barely able to accomplish just 9 months back. Played national anthem and Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline in tribute to Boston. If that does not inspire you to race what really will? Race started, hit the timing map and we were off.

Mile 1 – 6:57 – mostly downhill for most part, but way too fast Billy! SLOW DOWN!!!

Mile 2 – 7:10 – settled in at better pace and made up for Mile 1.

Mile 3 – 7:02 – right on pace this mile and feeling pretty good. Saw my buddy Rick screaming my name “BILLY GUNN!!!” High fived him as I passed and got me all pumped up.

Mile 4 – 7:00 – right on pace and feeling strong. Saw Rick again!

Mile 5 – 7:16 – some minor hills with slower mile than I would have liked.

Mile 6 – 7:03 – dialed back in at goal pace. Saw Rick one more time.

Mile 7-9 – 7:18, 7:19, 7:18 – lot slower than I would have liked, but a bit of fatigue setting in with lot of turns as wind picked up. Kept pace consistent at very least.

Mile 10 – 7:34 – slowest split yet. Some gradual hills and just trying to maintain. Knew at this point 1:32 was not going to happen and focused on my original goal of sub1:35 as that was more realistic at this point.

Mile 11 – 7:25 – after last split needed to dig in deep and finish this strong. Found my second wind.

Mile 12 – 7:21 – lots of downhill and that helped me pick it up. Almost done and I was determined to get this done.

Mile 13 to Finish – 7:14 – feeling good about a sub1:35 and just kept pace going. Small hill to race track and there was Rick again running by me pushing me up hill. Race Directors are really cruel with these kind of hills towards end of races. Hit racetrack and gave it all I had left. Hit finish mat at 1:34:40 and was ecstatic with my finish time. Could not believe I ran a half that fast and still can’t a few days later.

Very happy with my time even if the 1:32 goal was not meant to be. 1:34 is not a time to be ashamed of and a time I never thought I’d hit 3 years ago when I started this whole running thing. Gives me hope a sub1:30 very possible in the near future. You really can’t be upset with a 2 minute PR and over 5+ minute PR over the course of a spring. Mission accomplished! Overall taking a step back from the marathon worked out well and I am a better runner than I was 6 months ago. Definitely something I’ll do again in the coming years as a runner. That said I am ready to jump back in to the deep end of the running pool and go get that BQ in Philly. Do Work! Get Faster!

Optimum Health and Fitness

Please check out my friend Andrea's blog. Training for the Dopey Challenge next month and a personal trainer to boot.

http://optimumhealthandfitness.blogspot.com/?m=1

The Road Ahead...

Never really thought about starting a blog. I see a lot of runners write them to record their running journeys. A friend suggested maybe I start one.

Just finished my 6th marathon at Philadelphia last month and a tough day for this marathoner to say the least topping off a year where I got stronger as a runner even if it did not materialize in the marathon. BQ was not to be this day. It was my first attempt, but 2014 was always the target as far as Boston was concerned. That journey is just beginning.

The marathon is a endless journey and you never know what will come race day. A journey that you may never quite understand and one that always has something to teach you. Please join me on my journey on the road ahead.

Philadelphia Marathon - November 17, 2013 Race Report

"Life's not about how hard of a hit you can give... it's about how many you can take, and still keep moving forward.”― Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa 

To say I was disappointed last year after my fifth marathon in Harrisburg is an understatement. After that race I decided I was going to take a season off and work on getting faster at another distance and come back to the marathon in the fall. I did just that this spring at the half marathon distance taking 5+ minutes off my PR. It gave me hope that I had a faster marathon in me and decided that would happen in 2013 in Philadelphia this fall. Never really thought about a BQ this year but after the Boston tragedy it really got me thinking and something I wanted to do even if I believed I was 100% ready for that kind of goal this year. No matter the goal I was going to try the Hanson approach to training this time around.

Decided on the 20wk plan from their website, but turned out it was more than I could handle not hitting quality runs, PR mileage month, and to top it off pretty much by overtraining getting bronchitis and DNS my tune-up half marathon at RnR Philly. Once well again, I downgraded the plan to the advanced Hanson book plan. That seemed more manageable and hit all my quality runs and felt really strong going into the taper. Confidence was riding high even with a less than stellar tune-up half in Gettysburg, but felt that I had a good chance of a BQ in Philly. About 2 weeks before Philly found out due to my family schedule I would not be able to stay in Philly nite before and essentially have to drive up to Philly race morning. Not the ideal scenario for race day, but sometimes you got to play the hand your dealt.

 I woke up before the alarm as usual on race morning but a little different when it’s 2am in the morning.  I got on the road just before 3am and was not too tired. It must have been the adrenaline of race day. I arrived in Philly just after 5am, parked the car and met up with my friend Thom who had my bib for me since I missed packet pick-up at expo. Put on my bib and entered runner’s village to find my friends before start. Friends spotted me and we hung out for a bit before start. I walked up to start with my friend Kevin since we were both in same corral.  Chatted for a bit about race & we parted ways as I eased my way up close to 3:15 pace group. Race started and we were off.

Miles 1-5 – 7:35, 7:23, 7;53, 7:27, 7:32First part of race is flat and fast and really had to keep my legs in check to not go out too fast. Did a pretty good job with that especially at Mile 3 to stop and use the port-a-potty.:) Weather was still ok at this point and just trying to run even splits in 7:25-7:30 range.

Miles 6-10 – 7:30, 7:51, 8:00, 7:35, 8:10Really dialed in at this point keep to my race strategy. Miles 7-8 a bit slower to account for some hills but back on point at Mile 9. Stomach started to feel off at Mile 10 and had slowest split of day so far as temps started to climb.

Miles 11-17 – 7:48, 8:11, 8:26, 8:33, 8:51, 16:42, 15:37Stomach really started bothering me now with a side stitch to boot. Mile 12 I started having DNF thoughts and thought about going right down instead of left with the half marathoners knowing full well it was not my day and a BQ was not going to happen. Passed Mile 13 and split marker and decided to stick it out a bit longer. By Mile 14 I started feeling dizzy a bit and running out of steam and really was thinking about turning around to DNF. I just could not bring myself to do it though and pressed on. Mile 15 was different story about halfway thru I decided to stop before I passed out. Stopped right next to med tent to sit to decide what I was going to do. You would have thought sitting next to med tent the med personnel would notice. Not really. Took them a few minutes but they had no Gatorade/Gu to give me to help me out. My friend Kevin came along and saw me and stopped. He ran ahead to next aid station to get me some Gatorade as I walked behind him. Met back with him and got something in me along with a Gu too. I was mad as yet another marathon blew up on me and needed to decide what plan was going to be. Kevin was off to continue his race as I was at Mile 16. Decided I would try to run again as I was feeling better. Damn humidity got to me I think as it was unseasonable warm for November and last 2 months training has been 20 degrees cooler. Out of my control and started running again.

Miles 18-23 – 8:48, 8:13, 8:36, 8:19, 8:24, 8:40 Felt like I got my legs underneath me again and decided today was not the day I would have my first DNF marathon. I was going to finish this thing. Somewhere between Mile 18-19 I caught up to the 3:45 pace group. I thought if I could hang with them I still could salvage this race with a small PR, but my main concern was just finishing. Not sure what pace the 3:45 pacer though a 3:45 was but he was all over the place as I hit 7:45-8:00s paces at times. Just went with it as I could maintain this unlike other marathons. Felt pretty good considering it was Miles 20-23. I really attribute this to my training this cycle. More on that later. Lost pace group Mile 22 at water station but they blew by me at Mile 23 when I stopped for some Gatorade one last time. I was not going to try and catch them again and just run till finish.

Miles 24-FINISH – 8:27, 8:56, 8:08, 7:45 By Mile 24 lost a bit of steam and just tried to hang in there. I got to Mile 25 and just gave it all I had left till finish. Crossed finish in 3:50:46. By far not my best marathon nor my worst, but just happy to finish. Probably pushed myself a bit too much at end in warm temps as nearly passed out at food tent at finish. Great volunteers let me sit and got me some apple juice to drink to get my sugar levels back up. Once again no med personnel were anywhere to be found.

Another marathon not going as planned, but not really bitter about it like I have been in the past. This time it felt different. I actually think this was my best marathon effort even if it was not a PR for me this day. Weather was not favorable for my BQ goal, but I finished this race strong the last 8 miles and did not give in to my DNF thoughts by running my fastest last 6.2 of any of my 6 marathons. This gives me hope that I will put this altogether soon and punch my ticket to Boston. It’s all about keep moving forward.