Race Report: Pocono Run for the Red Marathon 2011

I was 29 seconds short of qualifying for the Boston Marathon when I ran NYC back in November, and though I was supremely proud of my time and knew that there was no way that I could’ve done any better, I really wanted to BQ.  After running a 3:43 in Miami without much training, I knew that an easier course plus training could get me my elusive BQ.  I unabashedly chose to run Pocono Run for the Red for that that exact reason.  I needed all the help that I could get.  Unfortunately, my training didn’t go exactly as planned since I had to travel a lot in the month before the marathon and could only get on 20-miler in (and no speedwork).

The course profile looks like this:

This is the reason that I don’t think that net downhill, point-to-point courses should count for world records.  If it did, I’m sure someone would have run a 2 hour marathon by now!

My fellow Whippet teammates T & Kino also registered for the run – T wanted to shave 3 minutes off his ridiculously awesome 2:51 PR and Kino wanted to continue his recent streak of PRs.  It was nice that the little town of Shroudsburg, PA was only a couple hours away from NYC, making for hassle-free race logistics.  T drove us there on Saturday and we picked up the our bibs at the expo.  The expo was definitely the smallest one that I’ve ever been to, barely filling up half of the conference room at the Quality Inn.  There were some essentials for sale there like gels and BodyGlide, as well a few pairs of shoes and shirts emblazoned with names of local running clubs.

Marathon registration also entitled runners to a free buffet pasta dinner at the host hotel, and we chowed down after bib pickup.  The fare was very simple – pasta with marinara sauce, salad, bread, chocolate cake, and water – but it was free and plentiful.  I found that the pasta was actually above average, considering that they had cooked it in bulk, it was al dente and not stuck together and the sauce was decent.  I ate an adequate amount and could’ve eaten more but I didn’t want to risk stomach issues the next day.

Despite the fast course and low entry price ($65), only about 700 people choose to run Pocono every year.  I think that it’s probably due to the lack of publicity surrounding the event.  Oh well – this just means that I get to start closer to the front!

After our early dinner, we drove to our hotel (the classy local Howard Johnson) and tried to sleep at 8:30pm – the race started at 8am and we had to get in line for the shuttle to start by 6am.  It was still light out when we hit the sack.  I was awoken in the middle of the night by screaming children in the hallway and their equally obnoxious adult chaperones yelling at them to STFU.  We might have inadvertently booked rooms next door to children on a school trip.  I laid awake listening to children racing each other down the hallways, doors slamming, and other youth-associated ruckus.  It was horrible.

My alarm went off at 4:30 and I stumbled out of bed to make myself coffee and eat my breakfast.  I always wake up hours ahead of my race time so I can have enough time to eat and go to the bathroom.  It was raining pretty hard when I woke up and it continued to rain for the next couple of hours.  It looked like my fear of marathoning in the rain was going to be realized.  I hate running in the rain because I hate the feeling of wet, wrinkly feet.  My awesome race shoes, the Saucony Grid Fastwitch 4s, have no water resistance and there are parts of the bottom of the shoe that are just mesh, so even stepping in a dewy patch of grass will make my foot wet.  Ugh.  Well, there was nothing I could do but complain.  The three of us got ready and headed to the race start, resisting the urge to kick every door in the hallway as we left.

We got on the buses and drove to the start of the race.  It was a long drive and all during the ride I kept remarking to my friend B how I couldn’t believe that I had to run all the way back.  In the rain.

Once we got to the start, we were hustled into a school gymnasium to wait for go time.  We met up with fellow teammate K, who would later go on to blow the female team marathon record out of the water.  Anyway, time flew by and we were lining up before I knew it.  Somehow, the rain stopped right when the race started and the gods blessed us with perfect marathon conditions – overcast and 50s.

Dashing Whippets at the start

I started with the 3:40 pacer but quickly pulled ahead of her in the early miles.  I knew that I had started too fast, with mile splits in the very low 8s, but I also knew that I needed to bank as many minutes in the first half as possible.  I had heard that the second half of the race had “rolling hills” which would be hard on runners after the downhill first half.

The first few miles flew by pretty quickly as I warmed up.  The scenery was really nice, very lush and green, and the morning rain had left the area with a sort of misty gleam.  It was early, but there were occasional cheerers throughout the course.  There were also all sorts of assorted roadkill.  Pocono runners are a self-selecting and very fast crowd, and I felt like I was in the bottom 50%.  I think that all the fast people passing me also contributed to faster than desired splits the first half.  The early miles felt flat and fast, and before I knew it, I was flying down the steep downhill portion around mile 8.  I tried not to get ahead of myself and pursue an even effort but it was impossible to not race down them.  At some point near mile 11, I caught the 3:30 pace group, but it was also around that point that I knew I was in for trouble and lost sight of them very quickly afterwards.

Course support was excellent, with water and Gatorade every two miles.  The cool temperatures also prevented us from overheating.  There was also one gel stop around Mile 20 but I just took my own Espresso Love GUs every five miles or so.

I passed the halfway mark in 1:45 and it was all went figuratively downhill for me from there.  The second half was brutal!  There were lots of big and little hills that my shot quads couldn’t run.  The thing about point-to-point courses with very few turns in a rural area is that you can see very far ahead of you, so when a hill is coming up, you see it looming half a mile away.  It’s a bit disheartening since I don’t like challenges in the last half of the marathon.  The little hills that looks like blips on the course map seemed giant in real life.  Around mile 18 I felt like I was going nowhere, and around mile 20, I started walking up all the uphills.  I slowly felt the BQ slip from my grasp.

LUCKILY, I had banked enough minutes in the early miles to allow for a much slower second half.  The last painful miles seemed to slowly peel off (even though all my later miles were under 9 minutes, they felt like11 minute miles) and mile 25 could not come a moment too soon.  With half a mile left, we entered the grounds of the high school and with a quarter mile left, I “sprinted” the victory lap around the track.  I knew I had it.

Sprinting to the finish
Photo courtesy of T

My official time was 3:35:36 and I had BQ’ed!  I texted E immediately.  Afterward the race, I met up with T who had finished 45 minutes ahead of me (and was 13th overall), and waited a few minutes for Kino to come in.  He also flew in around 3:48, besting his previous PR by at least 4 minutes.  My friend B had also BQ’ed and my new friend F had shaved 35 minutes off her previous PR.  My teammate K ran a 3:07 marathon and placed 3rd in her age group.

Despite how well-run the race was, I don’t think that I want to run the race again.  I felt miserable the second half of the race.  I also enjoy much larger races when there are more people cheering and more things to look at.  When I ran NYC (my favorite marathon ever), I felt like a rockstar for all 26 miles since there were so many people cheering and yelling.  Pocono felt eerily quiet, more like a long run than a marathon.  There was one point in the final half where I had to ask someone which way to turn because I had lost sight of the person in front of me.  I’m not strong enough to turn my focus inwards or I start thinking about what hurts and how I can’t do it so I much prefer to turn my focus outwards and just try to enjoy the ride.  This wasn’t possible in Pocono because there was so much of the same.

Anyway, I now have my BQ!  I don’t think that my time will be good enough to get me into Boston next year since they have the new stringent rolling requirements, but I am happy just getting the BQ.  Whether or not I actually run Boston isn’t as important to me as qualifying for it.

Finishing!

I’m taking a break from racing the next couple of months.  I’m moving to Seattle and will need some time off to get used to my new surroundings.  I hope to continue my running on the West Coast.  I’m very sad to be leaving my best friends behind, but I’m looking forward to the next stage in my life.

Final stats:

3:35:36 (8:13 pace) 

200 / 726 overall
29 / 219 females
14 / 49 age group
Links: Garmin   Results   Race Site   

Race Report: NYC Half-Marathon 2011

The medal I almost didn't receive!

I finished the NYC Half-Marathon on Sunday and had a great time doing it!  It all started months ago when I convinced my old roommate J to lottery for the half-marathon with me.  I knew she had a great chance of getting in since she was lotterying from California, and I assumed NYRR would let lots of international and out-of-state people in since this was positioned as such a tourist attraction.  Seriously, who actually goes to Times Square besides tourists?  There was a bit of a fiasco on the NYRR Facebook page when angry New Yorkers complained that they were left in the dark regarding their chances.

But I got in through the lottery!  Since they charged my credit card right away (and the race was not cheap), I had to run it.  I had secretly assumed that I would just be cheering for J from the sidelines.  I've run the NYC Half twice already (2007 & 2010) and I felt a bit guilty to be able to run it again when so many people had wanted to run but were denied.  To be honest, I wasn't super excited about the course either since the first 8 miles are in Central Park (which I run all the time) and the last 4 miles are down the West Side Highway (which I have run often and find kind of boring).  The only exciting mile was the one through Times Square - hopefully that precious mile would make up for the other boring twelve.

J got into NYC on Thursday morning and we hit the expo on Friday to pick up our bibs and wristbands.  The wristband was a new addition to the NYC Half - basically, every runner had to put one on at the expo and not take it off until the race on Sunday.  Runners without wristbands would not be allowed into the corrals and they wouldn't receive finisher medals.  This extra layer of security was foreign to me since the bib seems to be a good indicator of a legit runner.  Anyway, I neglected to put on my wristband at the expo because I don't like scratchy things on my wrist.  Then, we were off to a two day carbload bonanza.  We had paella at Socarrat, a pasta brunch at Spigolo, and I capped off my carb-feeding frenzy with my lucky pre-race capellini primavera from Zucchero e Pomodori.

I was feeling pretty good until Saturday night when I went to put together my race day materials and outfit.  I hit snafu #1 when I discovered I had somehow lost my arm warmers after the NYC Marathon.  J witnessed me throw a minor fit and overturn my closet multiple times because I thought there was no way I would be able to run without the arm warmers that I had PR'ed in!  I never found them.

My annoyance at losing my lucky arm warmers was eclipsed when I hit snafu #2 - I had lost my wristband!  I freaked out at this point because the site explicitly said runners without the wristband would be unable to run.  J and L assured me that NYRR would still let me run, and there was no way I would be the only person without a wristband but I was not completely reassured.  Luckily, my friend Lisa works at NYRR and I sent her a frantic text asking for her advice.  She told me to go early to the race and get a new wristband from NYRR.  I was able to rest somewhat more easily after that, though I never am able to sleep well before a long race.

J & I woke up at 4:45am on Sunday morning and got ready to run.  We got to the start before 6:30am and I ran to find Lisa.  After some more frantic and stressful minutes, I was able to get a new wristband.  I was finally able to relax.  Luckily for me, the wristband fiasco completely eclipsed my nervousness over running a good time.  As a side note to NYRR: THE WRISTBAND IS A BAD IDEA.

I slipped into my corral around 7am, and shivered for about 30 minutes before the gun went off.  Temperatures were in the mid 30s at the start!  In retrospect, losing my lucky arm warmers as a blessing in disguise as it forced me to wear a long sleeve shirt underneath my DWRT singlet.  I'm pretty sure I would have been crying if I had to stand for 30 minutes wearing just arm warmers with my singlet.

Once we were off, I started to feel better about running.  Since I had spent so much time freaking out about not being able to run without a wristband, I felt really lucky that everything had turned out ok and I was able to be out there with the other 10,000 people.  Though I had no specific time goal, I told myself that I wanted to feel mildly uncomfortable during the entire race - a sign that I was pushing myself!  I hit the first mile in 7:47 and I was surprised that I wasn't feeling too poorly.  It helped that I ran into Elizabeth cheering for us!  It's always nice to see people sacrifice precious weekend sleep hours and stand in frigid temperatures to cheer for their friends.

The rest of the loop was quite uneventful for me as I pushed myself to stay uncomfortable.  Once I went over Harlem Hills, I reassured myself that the hard part was over.  Once we exited the park, I sped up since I was still trying to stay slightly uncomfortable.  Running through Times Square was fun - screaming crowds, music, and giant potholes all served to make the course much more interesting.  I was sad to head west on 42nd Street but I distinctly remember seeing the 9 mile marker at this point and thinking that this race would be over before I knew it.

Running through Times Square

The last 4 miles down the West Side Highway weren't as bad as I remembered from last year.  By this point, my GPS had sort of crapped out, and it was indicating that I had already run 0.4 miles over the distance that I should have run so I really didn't know if I was going at the right pace.  Since there were only a few miles left, I decided to power through them without any water stops - after pulling no miles over 7:50, I knew I was on course for a PR!  There was plenty of entertainment along the course - I read there were 26 entertainment zones for 13 miles - but I honestly don't remember any of it.  Feeling too crappy, I guess!

The last few miles were sort of a blur with a few distinct memories.  First, I ran into Annette, cheering during the early section of the highway.  Second, I ran into Jane, a friend from business school.  Actually, I noticed her hot pink Under Armour ColdGear shirt first (I love ColdGear), and then I saw it was connected to a face that I knew.  I screamed her name, she screamed mine, and I powered on.  I completely missed my friend A at 14th Street but it was impossible to miss the Whippets water station at Mile 11.5!  They were crazy to have gotten out there at 6am in the cold to dispense similarly frigid fluids to runners for five hours - but it was good to see them.  I didn't bother to stop and take fluids from anyone since I wanted to PR but I did smile and say thanks to all of my teammates who were there!

Happy to see my team!

I always have trouble kicking to the finish, so even though I told myself I would start pushing myself really hard at the 12 mile marker, I was unable to do so.  I didn't start sprinting until about about 400m from the finish line and by then, it barely qualified as running faster than usual.  After a fairly painful last minute, the race was over, and I was on my way to collect my medal!

Kicking it to the finish

My official result was a 1:40:32 (7:41 pace), besting my previous PR by more than 4 minutes!  I could barely believe it considering that I had been struggling to hit 8:30 miles during my runs outside.  I found J at baggage claim and congratulated her on her PR as well.  I believe she did spectacularly well for her second half-marathon.  Afterward, I found L and together we found BK, who had just completed her very first half for Team in Training.

Turns out, the NYC Half was a great race for most of the Whippets.  There were 17 of us running, and it seemed like at least 3 of us PR'ed.  Weather, course, cheerers, even the wind direction - everything had worked in our favor!  I couldn't have asked for a better race.

Despite my enjoyment, I don't think that I'll be doing the NYC Half again next year.  I would rather be spectating so I can see the top runners in the world.  Kara Goucher was there running the same course and I would've gotten to see her if I had been cheering!  Also, the half just isn't worth the $85 or $90 that I spent on it, considering most NYRR half-marathons are $25.  I understand the excitement of running through Times Square, but after having done this course three times, I don't think that I need a repeat next year.

So next year, I'll be cheering!
 
Final stats:

1:40:32 (7:41 pace) 

1748 / 10203 overall
444 / 5440 females
137 / 1329 age group

Links: Garmin   Results   Race Site   

Photos courtesy of Elizabeth & Amy
Post written using my brand-new MacBook Air, courtesy of E

Registered for the Las Vegas Marathon!

I did it!  I'm registered for the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon on Sunday, December 4, 2011!  They changed the marathon start to 4pm and they reversed the course so the last miles are on the Strip.  I get to run Las Vegas at night!  How exciting is that?  I couldn't not register for this.  The 4pm start also makes it ideal for typical Vegas debauchery the night before.

Kino, Steve, and I registered yesterday for $121.  They're closing the registration tonight at 8:45pm PST before reopening at the end of May for a higher registration fee.

It's going to be a memorable run!

Race Report: The Valentine's Day Marathon (or Half-Marathon or 10K) 2011

I finally had the opportunity to participate in one of the free Holiday Marathons organized by Michael Arnstein (author of The Fruitarian blog).  These trail marathons take place every holiday in Van Cortlandt Park and are absolutely free.  I've never been in town for any of the previous holidays, but this past Sunday I was able to participate in the Valentine's Day Marathon as E and I are delaying our celebration until this weekend.

Runners have the option to complete anything from 1-4 loops on the very hill trails of VC Park.  They call the single loop option a 10K (even though it's slightly longer at 6.5 miles), the double loop option is a half-marathon, and a quadruple loop is a full marathon.  I had set my sights on at least the half - that is, until I arrived at the park.  The race organizer had informed us that the trails were going to be packed snow but were very "runnable".  It is perhaps for some people used to running on ice and snow, but for me it was a complete disaster.  Even though it was a lot of fun and a great workout, I basically walked and slipped through all 6.5 miles.  Luckily, I had a bunch of Whippets to keep me company, and I basically followed in Elizabeth's footsteps the entire way.  She was a great running partner too, keeping me entertained with a ton of stories.  There were a few places where I could actually get into some type of rhythm, but for the most part, I was trudging and trying not to fall.  We were "running" 15 minute miles, and when we did one mile at 12 minutes, I felt like we were flying!

Running through snow.  There was a giant gong on the course for the runners!

About 200 meters into the race, the majority of runners decided that it was just going to be a 10K.  Kudos to the few that finished the half marathon and the even fewer who finished the full marathon!  The organizers were awesome, providing the runners with fruit, water, giant lollipops, and beanies - all for free!  I donated the suggested $10 at the start of the race, but I noticed that many people didn't bother and the organizers didn't push for it.  Given the work and supplies needed to put on a race for 100+ people, they should really be more forceful in asking for donations.

After my 1:33 10K, I went across the street to the famous Lloyd's Carrot Cake and got 4 slices of cake as post-race fuel.  I gave two slices of cake away but saved two for myself.  I'm a sucker for anything with cream cheese icing, so I love carrot and red velvet cakes.  They were both good, but I would have prefered more icing sandwiched in the middle.  The cakes were hearty and dense and extremely filling.  However, the cake was the best reward at the end of a cold, snowy run!

Thanks to Annette for driving us to and from the Bronx and to Mike for hosting another great holiday marathon.  I'm definitely up for going again once the snow melts.  St. Patrick's Day or Easter Marathon perhaps?

Race Report: NYC Cupid's Chase 5K 2011

I set a new 5K PR at the NYC Cupid’s Chase last Saturday!  The race is run in over 20 cities all across the US with proceeds going Community Options, a non-profit organization.  I decided to participate since it was for a good cause and I wanted a new PR.  It was also only $20 to register.

The race started at 10am on 97^th Street in Riverside Park.  I love late starts!  I got there by 9:30 to pick up my bib, shirt, and goody bag.  The shirts were kind of cute – everyone who is single got a red shirt with “AVAILABLE” written on the back and everyone who was taken got a white shirt with “UNAVAILABLE” on the back.  I took a white one which I want to give to E, but I know he would never wear it.  Surveying the crowd, I noticed about an equal amount of red and white shirted people, but the ratio of women to men was also approximately 3:1.  Those red-shirted dudes would need to run fast to get away from the women!  I also picked up a goody bag filled with fiber gummies and protein bars.  The best part of the bag was a coupon for a free box of Klondike bars!

Since this was a 5K and the field didn’t look particularly competitive (many people in cotton shirts, cross trainers, sweats!), I tried to line up as close to the front as possible so I wouldn’t have to weave as much.  This was a good move in retrospect because our final times were actually based on gun time, and not chip time.  I crossed the start line less than 10 seconds after the gun went off, and we headed north on Riverside.  There wasn’t much crowding and I was able to basically run as fast as I wanted to right away.  The course was basically an out-and-back in Riverside Park.  It was good because the course was flat, but bad because parts of the course were icy.  Luckily, volunteers had been positioned at the icy patches to warn runners to slow down.  Since there were a few turns in the course, I was able to see the people behind me and I noticed that a good portion of them were red shirted walkers.  It seemed like most people treated this as an exercise opportunity and not really a chase at all!

I passed the first mile in 7:12, and that was approximately when the less experienced runners slowed to a stop.  I guess some people had just sprinted the first mile.  I passed a few people between mile 1 and 2, but then there was basically a lot of space between me and the people in front of me.  I was a bit too aggressive with my pacing and my second mile slowed to 7:20.  Though I have good endurance, speed has never been one of my strong suits, and I find it extremely hard to run more than one mile faster than 7:15.  By mile 2.5 I was dying and the only thing that kept me from walking was being able to see the finish line from about 400 meters away.  Nonetheless, mile 3 was my slowest mile at 7:27.  I sprinted the last 0.1 miles and ended up with a finish time of 22:34 on my watch.  My official time was 22:41 (7:18 per mile average).

What’s funny is that my time was good enough for 2^nd place overall women’s!  This is hilarious because people in my age group will run a 7:18 per mile average for a half-marathon and that won’t be enough to even crack the top 10 in my age group when it comes to NYRR races.  The highest I’ve ever placed in my age group was 39^th in an NYRR race (at the Bronx half in 2010) and I was in better shape than I am now.

Unfortunately, there was no awards ceremony and I didn’t get to take home any hardware for coming in 2^nd.  There was a pretty cool buffet line of freebies at the end of the race which included cupcakes, candy, and energy drinks.  As an indicator of how unserious the race is, they actually gave me someone else’s bib so my time wasn’t even under my own name when the results came out!  I was annoyed by this because this is probably the only time that I will ever place.  I emailed the race director and the results were corrected 24 hours later.

I thought this race is definitely worth doing if you want to place.  However, the cold weather and icy patches didn’t amount to a particular enjoyable run.  I will probably skip it next year.

Final stats:

22:41 (7:18 pace) 

19 / 447 overall
2 / 307 females
1 / 114 age group

Links: Garmin   Results   Race Site