How I Got Here: Via Vermont!

This could be the longest delay ever between someone racing an event and posting a summary! I haven't written it during this almost year-long period, but I vividly remember running the 2012 Vermont City Marathon. I often think back to how I trained, performed, the circumstances surrounding the event, and what I'm going to do about it in Boston on April 15th.

A look back at Boston 2012

On April 16th 2012, I somehow survived the incredible heat, finishing Boston in just under 4:00. Many marathoners I know would do almost anything for that kind of performance under normal weather conditions! But my goal was to qualify for the 2013 edition of Boston (requiring a time no worse than 3:15:00) and in a long shot felt I could have challenged for a sub 3:00 marathon. During the race itself, after Heartbreak Hill I ended up walking a lot, accepting food, drink and ice from spectators and even from volunteers stationed at a Red Cross medical tent (the organization I continue to support with marathoning and fundraising). Given the intensity of the training we had gone through with a 3:00 marathon target, I actually felt ashamed of walking in some of these final miles. I put my head down and just thought about what was going on and how it fell  far short of how I imagined my first marathon unfolding. Of course given the unprecedented conditions there really was no need for that kind of negative thinking. 

Taking another Shot

Since it was my first attempt, I applied the conventional wisdom that after you run a marathon,  you need to take time off to properly recover. However, someone at work suggested I sign up for another spring marathon and go for the Boston Qualifier (BQ) time that I missed out on. So I considered this after taking 1 week off. With 5 weeks left until VCM, I decided to "replay" my training program - 3 weeks of higher mileage and high intensity, then 2 weeks of taper. I felt this was necessary, that my Boston performance did not truly reflect what I had trained for. I had to give it a proper attempt and establish what I was actually capable of achieving.

The problems started right away when my IT band tightness caused significant pain in one knee. I alternated days off and foam rolling with further attempts to restart the training program. One day I had to cut off a "long run" at mile 3 and hobble / jog home when a sharp pain suddenly appeared in that knee. After more than a week of this of this the stretching finally worked and I was back.

With 2 weeks left I did another final long run, almost the same workout as I had done for Boston: 3x10K at increasing paces, 7:20/mi down to 6:50. My training partners Joe Loureiro and Will Swenson each came out to join me for one of my three 10K loops. I skipped the last part of the workout at the end - that was 4K at "max effort" (foreshadowing!). But once I did those 3x10K loops at the goal paces, I went straight home and registered for VCM because I knew I could do it!

Almost there, and tired!

The intervening days between that last hard workout and the race were pretty busy with work, and also included coaching as my children started their spring sports seasons. The extended marathon training season was definitely wearing me down mentally (I was supposed to be done with all of this and moving on)! Then, I was unfortunate enough to get a stomach bug less than a week before the marathon! Luckily the illness lasted just a day and I could focus on hydrating and fueling up for the main event.

Race Weekend

We made plans as a family to stay in Vermont for the whole weekend, renting a cottage on Lake Champlain. I was very happy to have my family be able to participate in the marathon experience. It is important to me that we share in these experiences, since the training occupies so much of my time and effort for several months at a time. We all need to see that payoff for our collective sacrifices made along the way! The Vermont City Marathon course helped out significantly on race day. It ventures away from Battery Park on different routes, but returns back to the main area near downtown Burlington. This made it very easy for my wife and kids to see me and enjoy the experience. With this in mind it is a lot better than Boston's point to point course where I can only see my family for a few seconds.

The Race

My plan was actually to run the race as I had done my last major workout, in 3 10K segments of increasing paces, with a warmup preceding, some slight recovery periods between each interval (where I would take in some nutrition - GU chomps in my case). The remaining few kilometers were TBD - essentially left as a "gut check". In retrospect this was not the best plan, versus the alternative to identify a goal pace and run it consistently from start to finish. Hey, it was my second marathon, and in my mind it was my first real marathon since Boston was sabotaged by the weather.

I joined the Greater Lowell Road Runners just before the race and got to see a few of my new teammates at the starting line, Michael Brodeur and James Sullivan. James was hoping to run right around if not under 3:00 that day. I suppose on my perfect day I would be going for the same, but in reality James was in better shape and ended up running faster. The greatest part of this though, with the out and back design is that I got to see James several times on the course. He spotted me each time and gave me some awesome words of encouragement. He was just overflowing with enthusiasm - this such a great example of why I love running! We were in this thing together and shooting for big goals.

James Sullivan, Greater Lowell teammate competing in the 2012 VCM

James, rounding a final turn toward the VCM finish line

My brother Jon, his wife Colleen and her mother Kathryn all made the trip north to Burlington to watch me compete. It was great to have another cheering contingent out on the course in addition to my wife and kids. These guys are great, and Jon and Colleen were also out there in Boston, course-hopping from point to point trying to cheer me on as many times as possible. Their support helped make my "first" (really first two) marathons a truly special experience.

I remember on that first out and back just settling into a calm groove and thinking that I was truly enjoying myself. This is in contrast to how other runners had described this early section of the course: quiet, boring, no-scenery, divided highway. In my mind it was perfect, a place where I could settle in and quietly focus on how I wanted to run this race. It was going perfectly according to plan, and I was feeling great! Cloud cover rolled in and kept the sun from warming up the competitors (the forecast indicated the temperature could reach 80 degrees).

So rewarding to see my family and enjoy the experience together

I came back to Battery Park at mile 15-16 after surviving a tremendous hill climb that the race organizers call "the assault on Battery", a 6 block run uphill on Battery Street. There I was able to refill my bottle with cool water my family had held for me since the beginning of the race. After this point I saw Jon, Colleen and Kathryn. I was just about to start my third 10K interval and increase the pace accordingly. I announced boldly to Jon ,"It's almost time to start racing!". 10 miles to go and I was going to start dialing up the pace!

After the Assault on Battery St., refueling for the final 10 miles. Notice it is brighter (and hotter) at this point.

The Quit Voice, Avoid at All Costs!

My bold prediction was very quickly brought into a reality check. I was finding it difficult to maintain a sub 7:00/mi pace that I had planned at this point. It was warming up a lot, and this section of the course ran through neighborhoods with wide streets and no shade. By mile 19 I realized my pacing plan was not going to work out and it was time to focus on survival and getting to the finish. This is the point where you start looking for little kids with lemonade stands and refreshments, and desperately seeking out more nutrition. I was hitting the wall (again)! I love orange slices. I love watermelons! I really love popsicles! 

At this point in the race a spectator declared that we were running at a 3:05 pace. Now let me say when you start wearing down especially at these "far out" distances, the mind is a very powerful force (both positive and negative). The "quit voice" starts talking to you. And it won't ease up. You have to decide if you're going to give in to it. Well, I mostly listened to that voice and decided I could "coast" in with whatever energy I had left, and sneak in under that 3:15:00 BQ time I needed.

So I trudged along for the final 7 miles, not stopping to walk as I had in Boston, but not "ripping it up" either. I kept glancing at my GPS watch and noticing that the difference between my projected finish and the BQ limit was getting smaller and smaller. In the very last half mile I did try to push the pace to squeak in underneath 3:15. It didn't work and as I crossed the finish line I had a few moments feeling light headed, telling me that I really was completely out of energy, that there was nothing left to give in those final miles. My officiial time: 3:15:16 - 16 seconds short of my goal.

Mile 25+. I love this photo of my son waiting to give me five!

Proud father and family

A "Ken do" attitude with Jon!

Next up

A lot of runners I've spoken to about my experience give very pained expressions, imagining what it might feel like to come that so to qualifying for Boston. It's really quite fun to have these conversations and see the reactions. But I am honestly very comfortable with my performance and feel satisfied that I did everything I could in my first ever attempt at the 26.2 mile distance. I look forward to the immense challenge that this race represents and have taken on my training this year with a similar level of dedication. Furthermore I am armed with marathoning experience, great training partners and friends, and I think a better level of fitness that I hope can propel me to a stronger performance this time!

New Bedford Half Marathon, Weeks 5&4 Recap

Oh so busy the last few weeks, and peak training for a marathon does not help to produce compelling running blog content! I guess I have another blog "IOU", this time for a half marathon race writeup. Week 5 was basically about pain management in my left hip, then racing a half marathon in New Bedford, MA. Right on the heels of that race I was at the airport at 5:00 the next morning, for a brief business trip. Hip issues mostly behind me I was able to get in a track workout while traveling.

Fist pump at the finish line in New Bedford, photos courtesy of Jimmy Lee Shelton

Training partner Matt Story is pumped too! 

Training partner Joe Loureiro at mile 8 of New Bedford. Just wait and see what he was wearing in this race on St. Patrick's Day!

In the days leading up to New Bedford I was dealing with a sore left hip, with some discomfort on the outside bone, and then also in the joint. So I opted to skip thursday's workout and spent a good deal of time strengthening my hip flexors and glutes with a variety of XT exercises. This was done to the point that I felt some muscle tightness in my lower back while racing the 1/2 marathon on Sunday, so I think I did it right!

Both weeks were just short of 50 miles so given the circumstances I'm happy with the consistency of my training.

Week 5:
M: 4mi easy, midday with Matt, 33:23
T: 8 miles early a.m. with Joe; after 1-2 miles of easy running, drills and 6x100m strides, then do 5 x 1200m at tempo effort, with 2:30 of easy running between intervals. Ran the 1200m intervals at 6:07/mi, 6:06, 6:06, 6:06 and 5:49!

W: 2 miles in 1:25. very early a.m. 5:00 start. First 10K with Joe. Final 5 miles were sub 7:00.
T: (SKIPPED) - planned 7 miles, with 15 x 20 second uphill runs at the end of the workout
F: Off
S: 4.4mi easy in 33 minutes
S: 3mi warmup, New Bedford Half Marathon 13.1mi in 1:22:57, 2.4mi cooldown

Week 4:
M: (SKIPPED) - planned 3 miles. Busy with work travel
T: Herndon, VA: 10K in 43:37, 7:00/mi average for the workout; after 1-2 miles of easy running, do 20-24 x 200m with 200m jog at 5K to 10K pace. On Google Maps, I found a nearby middle school with a track - but discovered in the early morning darkness and wet/soggy conditions that it was a dirt (no, mud) track. So I ran some loops on the paved roads around the school for the first part of the intervals. Finished the intervals on the run back to the hotel.

W: Back in Massachusetts, 5:00 a.m., 12.3mi in 1:34 with Joe. Roads back home were still in various states of snow, ice and dry pavement after tuesday's winter storm dropped about 8-9 inches of heavy snow. Slower pace, but more effort required on the varied surfaces to achieve that pace. And, it was a hilly course too.

T: 7 miles; after 1-2 miles of easy running, do 2 x 2 miles at tempo effort with 1-3 minutes of easy running between intervals
F: Off
S: 4 miles
S: 15mi tot in 1:43:47, 6:57/mi for the workout: 2K warmup, then 20K alternations {1k at 6:34/mi pace, 1k at 7:07/mi}, 2K cooldown. Pretty much nailed the paces on the alternations meeting or exceeding the targets, with one exception - a 200 foot hill climb that fortunately was situated during one of the "rest" intervals. Joe loves to include this hill in our training runs -- sometimes spontaneously! This time its inclusion was planned. Managed an interval on the hill climb at 7:30/mi pace and was safely out of the climbing zone when it was time to start the next, fast interval. Last year I had to cut this particular workout short with soreness in one of my feet.

Summary after 19 weeks, just 3 weeks to go (and 1 week to go until tapering!):

That's Just How I Roll - Week 6 Training Recap

I have really interesting friends in the running community and it's fun to share training plans and workouts with them. Recently I've been getting some lively feedback on my own marathon training from someone who knows what he's talking about, considering he has run twenty six consecutive Boston Marathons!

"Tell him to train smart!"
"Ken you are going to either have one fast Boston or the blowup will be spectacular. . ."

"In Boston you are gonna blow up so bad!"

Now I don't want to name names, so let's just refer to him by a code name - maybe "Scotty", or just Scott.

This week Scott and I ran a portion of the Boston Marathon course along with several other members of the Greater Lowell Road Runners. We ran more than 20 miles from Natick, up Heartbreak Hill to Boston College, and back. As is typical during this peak training period, the long runs are actually specific workouts - broken down into shorter intervals done at paces a bit above and below your goal race pace, and designed to induce a training stimulus that will prepare the body (and mind!) for the specific event. Think of it as triggering the kind of fatigue you'll encounter late in a marathon, and learning to run through it. Before the run Scott cautioned me again on the risks to my Boston performance by doing so many faster paced workouts - to which I could only respond, "I guess that's just how I roll!".

Look at how these guys roll - impressive, no? That's what I thought.

The substance of the workout was a set of intervals at progressively increasing paces, with a 1K recovery at about 7:20/mi after each interval: 6k at 6:58/mi , 5k at 6:54/mi , 4k at 6:46/mi, 3k at 6:38/mi, 2k at 6:34/mi, 1k max effort. During the warmup, I tried to draw in Scott and another speedy runner Jill Trotter to join in the workout - no takers! So, I started on the first interval, pulling ahead from the group. Since there were no bathroom facilities where we started, I took a quick break at the Wellesley Community Center. My club mates were surprised to see me again when I caught them from behind a little bit later on the course. But it provided a great opportunity to run and chat with them for a little bit more. It seemed like the first 10.5 miles to the top of Heartbreak Hill passed by very quickly, feeling like a much shorter run. I also was meeting and exceeding the pre-planned paces. My Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS watch was beeping frequently, indicating I should slow down. Sure enough things got tougher (yet faster) as I returned back toward Wellesley and Natick where I had to climb those hills that on the real course are all downhill. But I managed to stick to the pacing plan throughout. 20.4 miles in 2:20 for a 6:53/mi average pace (by the way 6:52/mi is a magic number, needed to run a 3 hour marathon!).

Matt Story, club member and my "Accountability Tuesday" training partner

Jill Trotter (front), John Kleschinsky (back)

I do want to say that my experience with the Greater Lowell Road Runners club has been great! I am a relatively new member, and in fact it is the first time I've joined a running club. I chose GLRR because it has a wonderful youth running program that my daughter joined this past year. Also, GLRR organizes the Baystate Marathon and Half Marathon (I ran my first 13.1 race here in October 2011). For club members there are tons of group training opportunities, and some nice perks for those that like to run races in the USA Track and Field New England "Grand Prix" series.

GLRR runners and supporting volunteers before the run

50.6 miles for the week:

M: 0 (was to be a short 3 mile run, but things came up and I skipped it - perturbed, but it happens)
T: 8.2 miles; with Matt Story
16 x 400m with 200m jog in sets of four at half marathon, 10K, 5K and 3K race pace.
W: 12.2 miles, with Joe Loureiro
T: 4.5 miles + 6x 150m strides after run
F: Off
S: 20.4 miles in 2:20:25
S: 4.7 miles - with Joe, increasing paces along the way got the legs moving and feeling better after saturday's tough workout. Some additional hip flexor, calf and hamstring stretching later in the morning really helped.

Summary after 17 weeks of training for Boston, and only 5 weeks to go!

Boston Weeks 8 & 7 Training Recap Feb 18 - Mar 03

Week 8 split between Boston and warm sunny Florida! 45 miles. Cut out a run from the plan and shaved off a few miles on some others. Overall kept the workload intact even while taking a vacation break.

M: 4.28mi in 30 minutes - in the Saucony Kinvara 3, marathon race day shoes
T: 7.7mi tot - also in Kinvara 3 - 1.5mi w/u, 22x {200m, 45 sec recovery}: 39-48 sec per 200m
W/Fla: 6.7mi tot: 6mi in 40:44 with mid miles ~6:40, 6x 150m strides (28-30 sec per)
T: 10mi tempo: felt good and went with it. 7:21 mile 1, then 2-10 in 6:55-7:10/mi pace
F: off
S: 12+ tot: 9mi w/u in 1:07:31, then Run For Life 5K in 18:44 (6:03/mi average pace) including 2nd place overall finish! I ventured from my 15mi workout plan and decided to take advantage of this opportunity to run a 5K close by where we stayed on vacation. Met some very nice people after the race and heard inspiring stories from families representing organ donors and recipients. From my workout log:

Started out a few feet back of the line, not sure how fast or slow the field would be since I was on vacation and didn't know anyone here. I quickly realized there would be a very small lead pack but I was caught up behind some runners at the start and noticed the leaders jumping right out to their lead. After turning the corner into the main, wider street I moved around the crowd to go catch up with the pack. The race leader had already established a big gap and it was clear he was going to run away with it. I settled in and concentrated on my effort level and also kept an eye on the 2nd place runner who was significantly ahead of me but not by more than 50 yards. It took the entire loop around the golf course (2.9 mi) before I finally caught up to him and passed him as we re-entered the parking lot area and approached the finishing chute. After passing him I immediately let up since I was pretty tired, then heard his breathing right behind my shoulder. So I gave it one last push to make sure I wouldn't relinquish my hard fought position

S: 4.05mi in 27:50

Week 7 Florida then back home. 55 miles.

M: 8mi tot, 1.6mi w/up, then 3x {8 min tempo, 3:00 recovery}, 1.5mi c/d. Tempo interval paces were 6:28/mi, 6:24, 6:34
T: off
W/Bos: 11mi in 1:16:25, sub-7:00/mi pace for the workout. Wanted to go slower, but after 2 miles things just clicked and I went with it the rest of the way, basically a 9mi marathon pace run. Longest run in the Kinvara 3 shoes that are different (4mm heel to toe drop) than my New Balance M890 v2 shoes (8mm). My legs definitely felt tight afterward. My strategy is to incorporate the race day shoes into different distance and effort workouts, about 1-2 times per week. Soon I'll have to incorporate on long runs.
T/AM: 10.4mi tot: 9mi + 6x 30sec hill sprints. This one was supposed to be 7mi + hills but training partner Joe Loureiro and I took our usual mid week longer course that we enjoy.
T/PM: basketball, and XT while sitting out on game substitutions (3 rounds of burpees[10],  sit ups[30], push ups[20], lunges[10/leg], squats[25], leg swings).
F: off
S: 21.5 in 2:33:21, 7:08/mi (96% of goal marathon pace) - from my workout log entry:

Long run with Joe Loureiro. We did a combination of Joe's planned 17 miler and my plan that was a goal of up to 25mi at 90-95% of goal marathon pace (6:52/mi) - i.e., 7:12 - 7:36/mi pace. First portion of the run was right up there at 95+% or some miles in the middle of that range. Then after the first 14 mile loop we did a 5 mile loop with the idea that we would break up the remaining distance (whatever it would turn out to be) into smaller chunks rather than commit to a long 2nd loop. Here, it seems like we were going more at a marathon pace or in some cases a bit faster! Joe finished up at 20.5 mi distance and I went for another short loop in the neighborhood and came back to our usual finish line area. I knew that once I came back there I was going to call it a day, even though I could have gone a bit further. Solid work today that should give me confidence as we approach Marathon Monday in Boston. 

S: 4mi planned (now that I've said it publicly I guess I should go get that final workout of the week done!)

Summary with 16 weeks done, and 6 weeks to go to Boston: