Summer is winding down

I have two more races planned for the summer and then I am ready to welcome fall. Marathon season is upon us as well and I am planning on doing some volunteering work for the NYRR. I am actually going to get qualified for next year's ING NYC Marathon. NYRR's rules for guaranteed entry is that you have to run 9 qualifying races and have to volunteer for one race in the prior year (9+1 program). The following line-up meets those requirements:

• Sep 2 (Labor Day), Mon, 9:30am: NYCRUNS Labor Day 10k, Roosevelt Island
• Sep 14, Sat, 11am: The Great Irish Fair 5k, Coney Island
• Sep 29, Sun, 8am: NYRR Bronx 10M (1)

• Oct 6, Sun, 8:30am: MSK's Fred's Team Presents Grete's Great Gallop, half marathon (2)
• Oct 13, Sun, 8:30am: NYRR Staten Island half marathon (3)
• Oct 27, Sun, 8:30am: Poland Spring Marathon kick-off 5M, Central Park

• Nov 1, Fri: Volunteer work at the ING NYC Marathon (+1)
• Nov 2, Sat, 8:30am: NYRR Dash to the Finish Line 5k (5)
• Nov 3, Sun, 6am: Volunteer work at ING NYC Marathon
• Nov 17, Sun, 8:30am: Join The Voices! 5M, Central Park (6)
• Nov 24, Sun, 8:30am: Race to Deliver, 4M, Central Park (7)
• Nov 28, Thu, (Thanksgiving), 9am: PPTC Turkey Trot 5M, Prospect Park

• Dec 7, Sat, 9am: Jingle Bell Jog, Prospect Park (8)
• Dec 14, Sat, 8:30am: NYRR Ted Corbitt Classic 15k, Central Park (9)

If I pull this off I am pretty much committed for next year, the 2014 ING NYC Marathon.

First 10k race

It was a beautiful for a nice run

Yesterday I ran my very first 10k. I now have some data that I can use to figure out my progress. And progress it was indeed. We ran along Shore Road Park down in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and in the organizers' words (paraphrased) "we ran 3.1 miles this way, turned 180 degrees, and ran another 3.1 miles back." The route brought us to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (the bridge that connects Staten Island with Brooklyn), underneath it, and another half mile beyond it. I like landmarks like that because it shows you a) how short a mile can be by looking back and seeing how far the bridge is behind you already, and b) how long a mile can be by looking at the bridge in front of you wondering if you can make it there. I did make it back to the bridge, under it, and back to the finish line in 44:02 minutes, a pace of 7:06 minutes/mile, on 13th place (out of 122 finishers total), and 2nd in my age group of 40-49 (out of 17 finishers in that category). And again, no, no awards were given to anybody but the first finishers in each age group and the top three of the race. One day I will snatch
one up, one day. When I looked at the splits in Endomondo I also realized that I ran my best 5k in the first half of the race with a pace of 6:55 minutes/mile with a total of 21:26 minutes. That's a 20 seconds improvement over my last 5k. I think I can be proud of that achievement, too. My 10k finishing goal to cross the finish line under 45 minutes is already done. Next run I'll try a 6:45 pace for a finish time of under 42 minutes.

The Verrazano Bridge is about 3 miles away

When I came back home I published my results on the NY Flyers' web site and noticed that the guy in red shirt, who kept running in front of me all the time and was just a lot better at keeping a constant pace, was a fellow Flyer and he placed first in my age group. I then checked his racing history and he has been doing this for at least 12 years now and his first 10k times back in 2001 were around 55-57 minutes. That gives me hope that within the next 10 years I will finish first somehow somewhere. Another guy also in a red shirt (which you can actually see in the picture above - he's got PPTC written on his shirt, Prospect Park Track Club) placed third and was 45 seconds behind me.

I always hear that you usually run a lot faster than usual when you run a race. This is very true. It seems that a little bit of competition and probably a bit of the need to show off makes your legs go faster. Also see my more recent post why I always want to finish in the top 20%.

How did I train for this race? To be honest, I did not. After the 16 miles the previous Sunday and another 6 miles the day after my left knee was in pain. I did run 40 miles over 5 days that week and the golden rule is never to run more than 10% than the previous week(? month?) but, of course, I hardly heed such rules. Maybe I should. Anyway, I took the rest of the week off. Literally. I didn't run, I didn't ride the bike, nothing but walking. The first time I ran again after five days of rest was when I got out of the subway station in Brooklyn and ran the half mile to the start line for warm-up. While my knee still felt it could use another week of rest I noticed that the pain disappeared as soon as I started running. That's the way I like it.

Sore legs

8:30 group just started
Photo by NYRR

Last weekend I did something crazy. I volunteered to be a pace leader for NYRR's Long Training Run #2. My task was to keep a constant pace of 8:30 minutes/mile (pace groups started at 7:00 minutes/mile up to 11:00+ in 30 seconds increments) for a length of 6, 11, 16, or 20 miles so the runners behind us were able to meet their training goals. Training for a marathon is not to run as fast as possible from the get go but to stay at the fastest pace possible that keeps your body run most efficiently so you will not run out of fuel half way in (aka hitting the wall). That usually means you train to run a certain pace all the way through the 26.2 miles. That's why pace leaders in long distance runs are extremely helpful. You don't have to keep checking your watch. Just follow the group leaders.

Quick break after first six miles
Photo by NY Flyers

I initially signed up for 11 miles (the 6 and the 5 miles loops in Central Park) but decided to run one more 5 miles loop at the last minute. It was quite the experience. The first 11 miles were rather easy. It sure helps that you run in a group and keep each other in check. The third loop was a challenge, though. I was lucky that midway of the loop another runner was curious and asked me about this event. The conversation I had with him took my mind of the thoughts that were trying to convince me to throw in the towel and actually gave me one more boost to get back in front of the group. Thank you, stranger! The last couple miles were surprisingly easy but when the lead asked me if I would join him for the last four miles I had to say no. All in all I ran 16 miles in a bit less than 2 1/2 hours. It felt great to know that I was actually running a half-marathon and a 5k on top of that. My legs were wobbly and my joints stiff and now, a day later, I am still sore but it is all worth it. Imagine how many days it will take to recover from a full marathon.

On the way back home - bubbles!

After the run I sat myself on a rock and watched the other groups come in and leave for the last loop. Another runner, who also ran 16 miles, joined me and we talked a bit about running. He is also more of a newbie runner (he started in October of last year) but he keeps himself busy with a race every weekend. That's quite ambitious. I will probably see him again at some race in the future. Good luck, Robert!

Before I headed back home I stopped by the Bethesda Fountain (thinking how good it would be to put your legs into the water) and walked/limped by a guy making gigantic bubbles. Central Park in the morning is an interesting place to be.

Tonight I will leisurely run another six miles down the Hudson River to the Battery and then take a couple days off. I've got a 10k race to prepare for.

Three reasons why you really want to finish a race in the top 20%

1. There will still be plenty of Gatorade and post-race snacks available (at my last race that was bagels, strawberries, blueberries, Marathon energy bars, and other goodies) and you do not have to stand in line to get to them.
2. You get to cool down and still go back to the finish line and cheer on the other half of finishers.
3. You walk away from this race knowing you did something above average!

Why am I doing this?

Good question. Let me recap last week first and I will attempt to give a semi-satisfying answer later on.

Before the race

So, last Saturday morning I had my fourth race on Roosevelt Island (second on the island, fourth in total since mid-June). Another 5k, finished in 21:45, average pace of 7:01/mile, placed 36 out of 461 finishers and second in my age group of 40-44 year olds. Yup, second, but no awards this time for the top three in each age group. Just my luck. I still think, though, I really have to get my 5k race pace between 6:00 and 6:30 to have a solid shot at placing in the top three of the 40-49 years young ones. This is going to be a tough one and I will focus a bit more on 10k races moving forward for now but I will get back to it eventually. I am signed up for a 10k down in Brooklyn on the 25th and a 10k on Labor Day on Roosevelt Island.

The first mile is always the easiest
Photo by Bob Cowin

I have been reading up on other runner's experiences in their first marathons. It seems to be pretty much a pattern of 1) being all hyped up and feeling good at the start (after many weeks of training and hundreds of miles run), 2) running the first few miles like a champ, 3) following all the tips and tricks they have learned, 4) at the half-way mark checking the time and realizing that they are doing better than they thought they would, 5) starting to hit a physical and then mental wall at around mile 20, 6) starting to realize that the last six miles make a marathon what it really is, 7) being proud and relieved to cross the finish line with a time that doesn't matter anymore, and 8) nursing the wounds and soreness for many days to come, wondering at first why they did this in the first place and then researching what's the next feasible marathon they could and should sign up for.

Why am I running? At first this was just all about taking care of my physique. I was overweight, I ate too much and unhealthily, and I was just plain lazy to do something new. After pushing and prodding, as I already mentioned in a posting before, I got back into running and I rediscovered how much I liked it. Then I realized that running doesn't even have to be boring. Pick new routes, run races, meet people. Challenge yourself. Challenge others. In essence what I am doing with running is to fulfill a part in me that wants me to do something that is different from being "normal" or "average." I think we all have that and many of us do that and I finally caught up with it. It just feels good.

I was eventually able to meet up with some members of a running club, the New York Flyers. They are a great bunch of people and while I am usually not so much the social kind of person I am going to treat this as an opportunity to make some changes. Running is challenging me physically, the social aspect of being a member of team will challenge me mentally as well. I signed up to volunteer to be a pace leader in the upcoming NYC Marathon long training run. I picked a pace (8:30) and distance (11 miles) I can maintain and run with a group of other volunteers with the runners that train that day. We would be pretty much in charge of keeping those poor saps (kidding - lucky runners, I meant to say) who are training for the ING NYC Marathon in November company and making sure they know what pace they are running. Kind of like cheer leaders, just a lot sweatier and usually not that good looking.

Oh, and the marathon experiences? I want that. I want to go through that as well. I want to push my physical and mental limits as much as I can. I am only in my early 40s and I have many years to catch up with some of the awesome runners I have met and heard and read about. Wouldn't it be awesome to run with thousands of people, and cheered on by another thousands of people for four hours? If all goes well I want to run my first one next year. Training will start end of summer next year and until then I will just do what I do best: keep running those miles.

One bridge, awesome views, new personal record, and plans

It's only a matter of minutes

This last Sunday I had the most scenic race so far. The Sgt. Keith A. Ferguson 5K Run/Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. The course is an interesting one because it starts at the Manhattan end of the bridge with an easy but still noticeable incline, then a rather steep decline on the Brooklyn side, a sharp U-turn around a metal pole that was perfect to sling your arm around to pick up some speed, the same steep decline and incline in reverse, half-way around City Hall Park, and through the finish line. I guess all my running for distance and speed work played a part in achieving a new personal record again. This time I finished the 5k in 21:43 minutes (average pace of 7 minutes exactly per mile) and placed 77th out of 937 finishers in total and 10th out of 80 participants in my age group. I am curious how this translates to a much flatter course, like the one next Saturday on Roosevelt Island. I would love to break the seven minute-mile.

Waiting and warming up

Now that I have been running competitively for a few months now I am starting to set some intermediate goals for the near future. I would love to break into the top 3 finishers of my age group. So far it seems that I have to be able to run the 5k in 18 minutes and a few seconds or so. In order to get there I need to break the 20 minutes first. That translates into something like 6:30 minutes per mile. That sounds daunting but if I consider that I improved my pace from 8:30 to 7:00 within only 2 1/2 months I am still optimistic. Never say never. I think I am on the right track with my training and I just have to learn how to pace myself a bit better during a race. I noticed that I am very light-headed from excitement and probably nervousness for the first few minutes or so, i.e. getting myself into the right rhythm plus jockeying myself into position for the first half mile or so slows me down a bit. I also have still quite a bit left in me when it comes to the last stretch. Something to think about and work on. I am also planning to run my first 10k later this month. I do not know what my race pace for that distance is but my training pace is an 8 minutes per mile constant - no matter how long I run. So far I still have to break into the two digit distances but even for my longest runs so far (just a few yards shy of 10 miles), and no matter how hard I try to run as slow as I can, I always end up in the 7:50-8:15 range. And while running at that speed I am still able to talk just fine. So, my guess is that I will run my first 10k a little bit under 50 minutes. For the next one in September I want to get this closer to 45 minutes with the ultimate goal to get between 40 and 45 minutes. I also want to work on more distance. I originally planned on running my first marathon the year I turn 45, i.e. in 2015 but I think I will revise this and give it a try next year already while I want to try half-marathons around the end of this and start of next year. Until my knees, ankles, and feet give up!

And before I forget - NYC Summer Streets rocks. The day before the race I took a bike from 58th Street/2nd Ave, rode it all the way down to Brooklyn Bridge via a car-free Park Avenue, dropped it off at City Hall, ran all the way back up to 72nd Street via Park Avenue (lots of runners that day doing the same thing), did a little loop in Central Park, and ran back to 59th Street. The result was a good 6 1/2 miles of running with views that you can only get three times a year when the city closes Park Avenue for car traffic. It was amazing.