20 and 6.2...the Two Halves of a Marathon (and training for the Eugene Marathon)

My last post was about how I completely botched my marathon execution at the Cowtown...and this post is to educate you on what I did wrong (and for me to listen to my own teachings).


I've done it in just about every marathon or ultramarathon I've entered, which is to go out too fast, leaving nothing in the tank for the second half of the race.  All 6.2 miles of the second half, because lets face it, if you've ran a marathon, you know what I'm talking about.  And if you haven't, listen up, this advice will save you life someday...okay maybe not, but it will make your race a little more enjoyable I promise!  DO NOT RUN ANY FASTER PER MILE THAN YOUR GOAL PACE FOR THE FIRST 5 MILES!!!!!! DON'T DO IT!!!!!  So for example, my goal pace for Cowtown was 9:09/mi, so I should've stayed in the 9:15/mi range for the first 5 miles.  If that sounds stupid, trust me, it's not.  I can back that up with stats from two runs where I started out slowly and eventually sped up in the end, resulting in a negative split for 20 and 22 miles.  Comparing those runs to the marathon where I started off fast and ended slow, it proves that the 'leave some gas in the tank' theory holds water, and you should abide by it at all costs.  Those two runs before Cowtown were at an average pace of 8:58/mi, and I was getting stronger as I went, with plenty of gas in the tank to finish had the marathon been on those days.  Each day, I started those runs at over 9 mins per mile, not dipping into the 8's until about halfway through.  So I know what went wrong, I just need to listen to my own advice...which is to start slow and finish fast (or strong, because sometimes fast just doesn't happen in the second half of a marathon).


So after my disappointing Cowtown Marathon, I couldn't stand not knowing if it was just my mistake that yielded a bad time, or if I'm just not a person who is ever gonna run under 4 hours, so I looked up some upcoming marathons for redemption.  I knew I would need to recover so I would need at least 2 months between marathons, but I didn't want to wait too long for fear of it getting too hot, and there it was, the Eugene Marathon!  Flat, fast, scenic, and perfect marathon weather is what reviews say about this now 10 year old race in Tracktown, USA.  I had looked up this race before and added it to my bucket list of marathons, as I've always wanted to visit Eugene.  Every runner knows about Hayward Field, and the lore of Steve Prefontaine and Nike, so what better way to finish a marathon than right there on the track!!  I'm so excited I could explode!  So I am currently resting, actively, and letting my body recover from a total meltdown, which will take some time, but I think come May 1, I will be ready to give it another shot.  I have at least one planned run of 20 miles between now and then, and have decided to slow my training runs down a bit, in order to try and build a little more endurance.  I've got some track and hill days planned twice a week, with a few recovery runs and a long run on the weekends.  Today was my first day back in the gym in a while, so I hope to gain a little strength back as well, while working on my core, which is seriously lacking at the moment.  I feel good knowing that I'll be running in a very motivating setting like Eugene for my attempt at a sub 4 hour marathon, and if it doesn't happen for me this time, then I know I'm just not ready for it, which is completely fine by me.  It won't be, however, for the reason of bad strategy or not running a smart race.  I'm going to stick to my plan of starting slowly and gradually increasing my pace as the race goes on, hopefully feeling good after the 20 mile mark and continuing on to a strong finish.  I can't wait to try!  Race report to come in May :)

This is the breakdown of what a long run is supposed to look like, and how I know that I can get stronger and faster as the marathon goes on. This was my 20 miler a month before the Cowtown:

2016 Cowtown Marathon Race Recap

This years Cowtown Marathon was my 8th official race of marathon or ultramarathon distance, and I had decided it was time to give it a real honest effort at breaking 4 hours.  The marathons I have entered in the past were basically all run with the intention of finishing, not worrying about time, and my official PR was at the 2014 Marine Corps Marathon with a 4:11:58.  I did everything right in training for this race, so I thought, and was extremely confident that 3:59:59 was going to happen.


Training went perfectly...and by that, I mean I didn't miss a single run or workout for 6 straight weeks leading up to the race, including a 20 and 22 miler both run at a pace of 8:58/mi, which if kept up for the remainder of a 26.2 mile distance would have easily gotten me to the finish under my 4 hour goal.  In those two training runs, I executed my strategy for the race perfectly.  I drank enough, took enough gels, and paced by the book, even getting faster in the final miles...so surely on race day, the Cowtown Marathon would go my way and I would execute perfectly having practiced it twice already on two long runs.  Nope, not at all!


First off, lets admit right off the bat that 6 straight weeks is not nearly enough mileage to build up for a marathon, even though I was in pretty good shape before I started that 6 week block.  Yet, even with that said, after showing during two long runs of over 20 miles that I was completely capable of running a 4 hour marathon, I had never felt better entering a race.  Ever.  So what happened?? Over-confidence happened.  Somewhere in my brain housing group, I calculated that if I could run 22 miles at an 8:58/mi pace, then I could easily speed it up to about an 8:45/mi pace for race day...you know, with all that 'race day magic' in the air that helps runners perform at a higher level the day of their big marathon.  And that was my problem, as I blasted off the line and turned in an 8:41 first mile, I figured I could hold that pace for 25.2 more, and I've never been more wrong in my life.  I continued turning in mile after mile around an 8:40/mi pace all the way up to mile 19...and you guessed it, ran smack into the dreaded wall that we all fear as runners.  It's like this urban legend you hear runners talk about, the wall.  It takes you down with no mercy and once you hit it there's no coming back.  Your race is over the instant you slam into it, especially when you've exhausted your muscles to the point of cramping like I did on this day.  I saw Dad and Marsha around mile 12 and felt great, then Misti and Ella along with Dad and Marsha at mile 19, and I was like two different runners between those points.  I looked at Misti and embarrassingly said in a defeated voice, 'I don't feel so hot', and as soon as I said it I knew my attempt at 3:59:59 was over.  It was great seeing my girls at that point, as it was the only thing that could make me smile knowing the pain I was about to endure for the next 7 miles.


I slogged on for the remainder of the race, walking when the cramps got too bad, and running (slowly) when they subsided, and finished with my second best official marathon time of 4:12:37...but when you miss your goal by over 12 minutes, you couldn't care less if it was the second best marathon you've ever ran.  Coming down the final stretch, my friends Lori and Eric stayed to watch me finish and it was great to see their faces as I rounded the corner.  She had finished the half marathon 2 hours ago so it was nice of her to stay and see me finish, and I could see she felt awful for me knowing how hard I had worked to run that day.  As I turned to the finish line, there was my family again, along with my friends Krishna and Steven, and nothing is better than the end of a marathon when the people you know who care about you and understand the struggle of finishing a marathon are there to cheer you on.  I smiled and waved to them as I crossed the line, grateful for the suffering to end.  I limped through the finishing corral and gathered up my finisher's medal, all the food I could grab to include ice cream, and collapsed on the concrete to rest for a minute.  It got pretty hot that day, around 70 when I finished, so the ice cream was a nice touch!  After I could peel myself off the ground, I grabbed a beer, and made my way into the Will Rogers Auditorium and found my family and received some needed hugs from everyone.  We all went back outside to the beer tent and listened to music on a nice soft grassy spot while Ella ran around and played.  This was my favorite post race ever, because we got to sit around and enjoy free beer and relax on a beautiful day in Fort Worth.  So there it is, my disappointing Cowtown Marathon, with a happy ending drinking beer, listening to music and hanging out with friends and family.  Somehow it always turns out alright doesn't it?


A few more notes, Bobby finished his FIRST marathon at the Cowtown this year, so it was awesome to see him cross the line after all of his struggles with MS.  Very impressive that he was able to complete this amazing feat, and I'm super proud of him! I also got to run the 5k the day before with Misti and our precious bump, and Lori. We had a great time taking it easy, and Misti did great carrying our baby girl who is due in July!


Race Gear:


Shoes- Altra The One 2.5
Socks- CEP Running+ 2.0
Shorts- The North Face BTN Long Haul 5"
Shirt- Reckless Running Tank
Watch- Garmin Fenix 3
Fuel- GU Roctane Gels, PowerAde and water from Aid Stations

Key West Zonta 5k

Back in November, a week after the Big Cedar 50 letdown (but Marathon PR) Misti and I found ourselves in Key West for a work trip/mini vacation with her job.  It was a great trip, that included some good restaurants, sight seeing, and jet skiing around the island.  It also just happened to be a weekend where they were holding a 5k, and we had to jump at the opportunity to say we've ran a race in Key West!  It was a small race, I'd guess maybe 200 runners or so, and it ran right along the beach/sea wall with great views of the Atlantic Ocean and the sunrise. 


Needless to say, it was hot and humid, even at 8am, with the temp in the low 80's and humidity was around 70%, much different than Texas that time of year.  But it was just a 5k so we could stand the heat for a short race, no problem...so we thought.


Surprisingly, I had a great race, considering I'd ran a marathon PR just 6 days ago!  I took off with the lead pack and stayed close for about half a mile, then some of the younger guys left us all behind, one of them finishing around 16 minutes.  I kept the lead woman in my sights, and figured if I could stay with her I'd have a pretty good finishing time.  We jockeyed back and forth the entire race with both of us fading a few times but surging back with a second and third wind along the 3.1 mile course.  With about half a mile to go I thought she was gonna leave me for good, as she sped off into the distance with me fading slightly.  But as soon as I thought I ran out of gas, a sudden burst of energy hit me and I took off, catching her about 100 yards from the finish and coming in with a time of 22:04...about 2 mins faster than I thought I'd be able to run that day with my marathon legs still recovering.  I finished 2nd in age group 30-39, and was closing in on the 1st place finisher, but ran out of room to catch him, as he beat me out for the top spot by about 15 seconds.  Overall I came in with the 12th spot, this being the highest I've ever placed in a 5k!  I felt amazing!  After I finished, I grabbed some bottles of water and a banana and headed down the street to catch Misti on her way in...and came to find out that her race was completely the opposite of mine, but for a reason we didn't know about until a month later...THAT SHE WAS PREGNANT!!


It was really hard on her to even finish, as she was overheating big time at the end, and pretty much collapsed in a grassy spot to recover as I poured some cold water on her head and neck.  She was wondering why she had such a rough time and had to throw up at the end, but come to find out it was nausea she was suffering from just like the last time she was pregnant.  Couple that with the fact she hadn't even ran in a couple (or maybe several) months, I was proud of her for even finishing that race!  After she cooled off she started to feel much better, and we stayed around for the awards ceremony (which was fun because I don't usually get to do that) to receive my 2nd AG award, we headed out for breakfast, at McDonald's, her first pregnancy craving, lol!


Overall, we had a great trip to Key West, and can't wait to go back one day!


Race Gear:
Shoes- Altra Torin 2.0
Socks- Features Merino Wool
Shorts- Hurley Board Shorts (we were in Key West)
Shirt- Nike Tri Blend Cali Running Tank
Watch- Garmin Fenix 3
Hat- Columbia
Sunglasses- Oakley Holbrook

2015 Texas Road Romp Half Marathon, Waco, TX

Another late post on a race recap, but I thought I'd share a quick word on what I thought was a pretty decent little half marathon...aside from the course miscalculation that turned the race into a 12 miler instead of the full 13.1.


This race was back on November 15, 2015, in Waco, TX, home of Chip and Jo-Jo...for those of you that watch Fixer Upper on HGTV.  I ran this course earlier in the year at the Miracle Match Marathon, so I was pretty familiar with the layout, even though this time it was only half the distance.  My friend Bobby decided to run this one as well, despite not having trained at all for it since he had been dealing with the struggles of MS.  I told him how difficult the course was and to just pace himself through the hills and he'd be fine, and he did exactly that and finished his first ever half that day! Speaking of the hills, this race has them...and steep for a road race!  So my plan was to keep an even effort throughout the whole course, and let the downhills speed me up and uphills slow me down.  It worked like a charm!  I even had some energy at the end to speed up and finish strong, showing once again that half marathons seem to be right in my wheelhouse, having just enough endurance and plenty of speed to keep me in the running for top 10 in my age group at most of the races I sign up for.  This day I proved to be top 4 in age group, and 9th male overall.  No award for me at this race but I felt great and was proud of how well I ran the race, with the top 3 finishers in my age group finishing in the top 5 overall.  In the final mile, I passed a top 2 finisher in the 25-29 AG, which made me feel good about how I closed out the race.  It's always fun to reel someone in at the finish, instead of the other way around when you're struggling at the end and people pass you.


The course is beautiful, taking you through Cameron Park in downtown Waco, in and out of some steep hills and beautiful tree lined views and a path along the river.  You cross a few bridges as well, with the finish line being on a beautiful pedestrian bridge across the Brazos toward the convention center.  As far as downtown parks go, this is one of the best for running that I've come across, and I would recommend running any race put on in Waco, as most of them are centered around this area.  I mentioned earlier that the race was a little short, that's because around mile 7 there was an aid station in the middle of an intersection that was sending runners the wrong direction, cutting off a half mile out and back portion of the course.  The volunteers at the aid station seemed a little confused as myself and 2 other runners approached flying downhill yelling, 'Which way??'.  They just raised their arms and pointed right, so we went right...and after the finish all the runners asked the same question, 'Did your GPS say you only went 12 miles?' and the answer was yes.  If it hadn't been for that little mistake, I could have logged a half marathon PR that day as I finished in 1:36 and was speeding up drastically at the end.  I probably would've finished around 1:43, but it didn't bother me much, as I was just at the race in particular to have some fun, enjoy the scenery, and cheer on Bobby as he finished his first half.


It was a great day of running, and I'm sure I'll be back in Waco soon to run another!


Race Gear:


Shoes- Altra Torin 2.0
Socks- Features Merino Wool no show
Compression- CEP Calf Sleeves
Shorts- Nike 2 in 1 5"
Shirt- Cowtown Half Tech Finishers Shirt
Watch- Garmin Fenix 3

The Not So Big Cedar 50 Mile (aka new Marathon PR, or the Texas Flood Marathon)

Very late post, but back on October 31 I was supposed to run the Big Cedar 50 Mile in Dallas, but due to some pretty bad flooding the day before and of the race, it was cancelled.  Needless to say, this was extremely heart breaking news, as it was my first ever 50 mile race and I was looking forward to that day for over 8 months.  It still bothers me today that we didn't get a chance to run...part of an ultramarathon is that bad weather or not, you run the race.  That's what makes an ultra so difficult, not just the distance, but overcoming weather conditions is what you always hear about when you read race reports from Leadville, Hard Rock, and Western States...that's part of it, yet we had some flooding (it was severe, chest high deep crossings they said) and the race was called off. 
Anyways....
That morning at 2:30 when Misti and I showed up in the pouring rain to be told by a man in a VW Van that the race was cancelled, so, in shock, we drove back home feeling very unfulfilled that all of the miles put in to prepare for this day was all for nothing.  When we got back to the house, I was wide awake and decided I was gonna go for a run anyways, and created my own 'Texas Flood Marathon'.  The rain had subsided for the most part down to a drizzle, the temps were in the 60's with around 100% humidity, but I didn't care.  I figured that if I had trained for a 50 miler, I could shoot for a marathon (unofficial) PR that morning, and celebrate at least a tiny win with my friends and family so that the effort wasn't a complete waste.  So around 5am, I took off, leaving the garage as my one and only aid station, and my wife as the lone crew member.  She was amazing by the way, and stayed with me all morning when she could have (and should have) gone back to sleep.  I stopped in every 6 or so miles and she would help me refill my bottle, or give me gels, and help me change out socks and shoes.  Around mile 17 I had a rough patch and as I sat in the garage changing my shoes (I was soaked from the rain and humidity and my feet felt like they weighed 5 lbs each).  It may have been the humidity that was bringing me down, but I think it was just that the disappointment of the day had set in, and I was honestly just sad.  I was about to call it quits when Misti told me that some friends, Bobby and Krishna were gonna be there when I finished, and I figured that was enough to make me get up and finish the 9.2 more miles, so off I went, and slowly but surely started to feel a little better.  My pace slowed a bit around mile 24 and 25, taking the possibility of breaking 4 hours off the table, but my previous PR was 4:11:58 at the Marine Corps Marathon in 2014, so I knew I could still beat that.  I didn't just beat it, I crushed it by over 6 minutes with a 4:05:51. 
As I was about to finish, Bobby and Krishna arrived, and my Mom, Misti, and Ella were there to greet me as well, and that was enough to make all the effort worth it.  My Dad and Marsha showed up a little later, too.  They all supported me through what was a rough day, and helped raise my spirits with some post race beers, and Misti surprised me with the most awesome race gift, a black thermoball North Face jacket!  To me, this is what running is about, overcoming some adversity, achieving a personal best, and having your loved ones support you along the way no matter what. Extra bonus that day was that we took Ella trick or treating and she had a blast!


Race Gear for the 'Texas Flood Marathon':


Shoes- Altra Torin 2.0, and Altra The One 2.5
Socks- Dry Max Trail
Compression:  CEP Calf
Shorts:  The North Face Better than Naked Long Haul 5"
Fuel:  GU Roctane Gel, Roctane Drink Mix, Gatorade, Si Caps