Lessons Learned on the way to the 2016 Boston Marathon

2016 Boston Marathon + 13 

It's already been 13 days since I ran the Boston Marathon. After taking the rest of the week off to rest and recuperate, I resumed training this last week logging nearly 40 miles including a tempo run, intervals and a solid 14 miler on what was a perfect Saturday afternoon in the Puget Sound.    The tendon injury I've been nursing for the last few months (and written about endlessly in my prior blog posts leading to the Marathon itself) has cooled down.   I'm finally starting to regain some speed that I felt glimpses of prior to the Marathon but couldn't really bring out in my training for fear of further exacerbating the injury.

Looking north on the Sammamish Trail on a perfect Saturday afternoon in in Redmond, WA.

Training Cycle Insights 

• Enjoy the process - not only the result  I was struck by a somewhat obvious observation made by Olympic Marathoner Des Linden on a Podcast I was listening to yesterday while on my run.    Her comment was that she had endured a lot of disappointment on the road to two Olympic marathon teams and that she was still racing marathons because she enjoyed the process - not just the result.   I couldn't agree more.    As much fun as it was to travel to Boston and run this year's marathon, the process of planning for and executing a 14 week training cycle culminating in running a Boston Marathon qualifying time -- and then putting together a training program to actually go run in Boston this year was highly rewarding.      It's almost akin to building a business plan for an idea and then putting it into play, doing what it takes to make it a reality.  
   
• Have a plan B Someone once said to me "man plans; God laughs".  While that may be a bit over the top, it really pays off to stratify goals in terms of "A" and "B" outcomes.   While it's imperative to strive for top-level goal achievement, it's impossible to hit the mark every time. Invariably, as is the case in marathoning (and in life), things happen outside your control (such as the weather, a nagging injury, etc) that will impact your actual execution requiring real-time course correction.     In the case of this year's race, the weather played a significant role in what was possible out on the course.   Fortunately, I had anticipated some sort of circumstance in the actual racing of the marathon that would require a real-time course correction and ratcheting my goal back to something obtainable that I could still be proud of.   My "A" goal was 3:33:00 and "B" goal was a 3:43:00.  It was obvious to me just a few miles into the race that the warm temperatures and moderate headwind for me meant I had to re-set my race tactics and expectations.  That I had anticipated and planned for this made it easier to simply adjust my race tactics towards my "B" goal which I achieved - running a 3:42:40 and passing nearly 3500 runners along the way to the finish line.
  
  
• Strike a balance Nearly all of my prior marathon training cycles were nothing but 45 - 55 mile weeks of running with little invested in mobility and core/strength training.   This time around, due to injury, I had to significantly cut my miles back and take a far more balanced approach in my training incorporating a lot of mobility and alternate aerobic activities into the mix.    The result was that I likely got out to Hopkinton in the best overall shape I've been in spanning the last 5 years.    It's hard to quantify exactly how striking a cross-training balance will pan out for me in the future, but it served an important lesson for me with respect to being good at not just one thing -- but a multitude of things in order to run a successful race under challenging circumstances -- which I attribute to a higher degree of balance in my training regimen vs. simply pounding out miles every week.
  
  
• Be data driven Of all the things in executing a marathon training cycle, besides the training itself, I think I love all of the biometric information that's now at our fingertips the most.   I can't wait to get back from a workout and examine my running biometric and running dynamics data to look for insights whatever they may be.    On any given day I am pouring through data in Strava and Garmin looking for insights that will allow me to train even more effectively and/or pinpoint weaknesses I can work on before getting to the starting line.     I've also found that the data doesn't lie, and that it's pretty easy to get an advance read on your actual race day performance by simply looking at how you are performing on your harder workouts of substance where you are really tested week in and week out.   I love these workouts as they are the single best indicator of race day performance when examined as a trend over time leading to race day.
  
  
• Dress rehearsals matter For this training cycle I ran four 20+ mile training runs (two 20's and two 22's), each with fast finishes at or below marathon pace.    But it's not just running the long run, it's the management of the entire 48-hour cycle leading to the long run that for me really constitutes a dress rehearsal.   Nutrition, sleep, the morning-of-the-long-run routine, recovery, what gear to wear (or not to wear), hydration and nutrition plan, etc.   I like to practice all of these aspects so that when the 4:00 am wake-up call comes on race day morning, I am in a routine and not doing things for the first time under pressure.    Practice makes perfect and it's never more amplified than when running an event like the Boston Marathon which for most of us is likely the biggest race day stage we will be on as amateur runners.
  
  
• Execution In the end when the moment comes there's nothing more to do except trust in your training, your planning, and go out and enjoy the experience for what it is.   My top goal for Boston this year wasn't running another BQ, rather, it was completely soaking up and enjoying the experience -- and being grateful for having the opportunity to compete in such a world class event.     There's nothing like the last few moments before the start of a marathon and being at complete peace with everything you've done to get to that moment and knowing you're comfortable with whatever the outcome will be -- because you've prepared as hard and as diligently as you can -- and now it's simply about execution vs. thinking.  
  

I couldn't be more grateful for being given the gifts of athleticism, health, desire and determination and the support of family and friends in pursuit of this wonderful sport of marathoning.   I can't wait to lace my shoes up and get to the next starting line -- and hopefully another BQ and trip to Boston.

2016 Boston Marathon Race Analysis

I ran 3:42:40 in yesterday's 120th Boston Marathon -- and although it's one of my slowest marathon race times to date -- I actually think it may be the best race I've ever run tactically under the warmer weather conditions and moderate headwinds of Boston yesterday.  I finished about 3500 places above my seeding (15162) and was passing runners throughout the entire 26 miles which for me is always an indication of a strong race performance.

As I sit here on a flight home to Seattle from Boston this afternoon reflecting on my race performance, I'm struck by just how fast the Boston Marathon weekend -- and even the race itself -- has come and gone.    Official training for me started exactly 15 weeks ago yesterday on January 11th when I was coming off a couple of weeks of rest after the December Honolulu Marathon.  All of the months of training and recovery and battling a persistent lower-right leg tendon strain all came down to 10:25 am EDT on a sunny and overly warm morning in Hopkinton at the start of wave 2.

I arrived in Boston early Friday evening and managed to get 3 great nights of sleep (including Sunday evening before the race itself).    I've found that for me in particular a lot of high quality sleep in the week before the race itself is crucial to a good outcome.  Travel to other marathons such as Boston 2012, New York 2013 and even Honolulu 2014 had hampered my quality sleep in the past so I made special efforts this time to be in bed early and get an extra 1-2 hours a night which paid off in yesterday's race.

Like everyone running this year's race, I'd been watching the race forecast for over 2 weeks.  The forecast had been oscillating between highs spanning the low 60's up to the low 70's with tailwinds out of the west for the warmer forecast and a headwind out of the east for the cooler temperature.   As race day approached late last week the forecast seemed to be narrowing in on something in the low 60's for Boston with moderate headwinds of 7-9 mph.     As luck would have it, Saturday afternoon the forecast changed for higher temperatures and slightly stronger headwinds on Monday.   The forecast for Boston was a high of 65 degrees but out west and away from the water in Hopkinton, Framingham and Newton it was for closer to 70.   Given the race doesn't begin until after 10:00 am, this meant that the meat of the race and through the Newton Hills between miles 16-20 -- it was going to be warm.    As it turns out, the weather was once again a fairly strong factor on the final marathon outcomes here in Boston (as it was for me in 2012 when I last raced here and temperatures peaked at 90 in the Newton Hills and race day was simply a matter of surviving and getting to the finish line).

Getting up and to the race Monday morning went like clock work.   I was up by 5:00 am to eat and prepare and out of the hotel by 6:00 am headed to the Boston Commons to catch a bus up to Hopkinton.   I walked out of my hotel room at the same time as another runner just down the hall (Rusty from San Louis Obispo who was hoping to run a 3:05:00 and had qualified with a 3:15:00).  We caught the bus together and hung out in Runner's Village exchanging small talk and stories from other marathons we'd run.  As this was his first Boston Marathon, I shared stories from my experience in 2012 when I'd qualified with a 3:20 and had come to Boston prepared to race a 3:14 only to be destroyed by the rolling hills of the course as well as the 90-degree temperatures that day.   I couldn't have run the course more incorrectly than I did back in 2012.   I told him that in my opinion this was a course best suited to lay back on in the early miles and stay a little above goal pace, lean in through the 5 miles of the Newton Hills giving back even a little more time -- and then try to really air it out from mile 21 to the finish.    

I noticed right away when we got to the Runner's Village that the temperature in the sun was warmer than I expected given it was only 7:45 AM.    In fact, as time passed and the first call for Wave-1 runners approached we nervously watched as the temperature rose to 65 well before the sun was very high in the sky.     As wave-1 was being called there was the typical frantic push for a final bathroom stop (although the starting line has a massive bank of porto-potties) which was irritating for anyone sitting within 200' of the bathrooms as the lines snaked all around the ground we'd staked out.   Once most of the wave-1 runners cleared out it calmed down a good deal and there was more room to maneuver.   The call for wave-2 runners was only another 35 minutes or so after wave-1 which was nice as I was done with all the waiting at this point and just ready to go as it was getting warmer and warmer sitting around.

The walk to the starting corrals I believe is something like .60 to .70 of a mile. It was nice to just mindlessly walk to the starting line listening to the banter and the shouts of encouragement from those lining the streets of Hopkinton.     Once I got to the starting area we had about 15 minutes before the gun so I made a quick beeline for a final restroom stop and then got to starting Corral 8 which is the back of wave-2 (I was seeded 15162 running a 3:27:30 vs. something in the low 9,000's when I ran a 3:20:00 to get into the 2012 race).    I definitely would've preferred the earlier start time by 25 minutes with the heat which will be incentive to run a faster qualifying time in the future.   I took a final gel just before we took off, and with that the 2016 Boston Marathon began for me.

While it's fresh I want to say that although the Boston Marathon course is net downhill and features the Newton Hills from miles 16 - 21 followed by a downhill stretch into Boston and mile 24, this is really a course of rolling hills with very few -- if any -- long stretches of flat terrain.    It's not at all evident from the course elevation map as it really amplifies the major ascents and descents, but mile after mile of this course is really smaller uphill and then downhill climbs -- which really places a beating on your quads and will incrementally take its toll as the miles go on.

The opening 2 miles of the race and in general first 5 miles are downhill out of Hopkinton.   In particular the first 1/2 mile is very downhill with a a hill thrown in near the end of mile 1.   My goal was to run 8:15 splits the first 2 miles and something in the 41:00 - 41:30 range for an opening 5 miles before ideally settling into running 8:00 average pace the next 10 miles up to the start of the Newton Hills at mile 16.     People were flying past me the first 2 miles while I held back and ran opening splits of 8:12 and 8:11 (I REALLY had to rein it in).   It would've been a cakewalk to roll a couple of 7:30's here and open with a 15:00 2-mile time with 1 minute in the bank -- but trust me -- and everyone else who's run this course wisely -- this is not the place to bank time.     I also noticed right away that it was quite warm at this point (approaching 10:45 am).  I am guessing the temperature out in this section of the course peaked near 70 if not higher.

Miles 3 - 5 were uneventful knocking them out in 8:12, 8:00 and 8:19 (with the 8:00 coming off a downhill and the 8:19 off of a short, somewhat steep uphill of a couple hundred yards in length).   As I mentioned above, these short little rolling hills are a constant throughout the first 16 miles of the race -- and they served to keep me away from pushing my goal time of 8:00 or faster as I knew I needed gas in the tank to run the hills starting at 16 and then attempt to hit the gas from 21 miles in.

After getting through mile 5 in a pedestrian, albeit comfortable 40:56, I really focused in running the next 11 miles steady and comfortable pace -- hoping to gain back some time against my goal pace.   Miles 6 - 10 were punctuated by simply incredible levels of crowd support as we passed through smallish New England towns where folks were all celebrating and doing a fantastic job of cheering everyone along with massive amounts of infectious energy and encouragement (and ample amount of booze!).    I love this race and find the level of crowd support simply the best.   I've run the New York City Marathon, and while the crowd support there is fantastic, Boston takes it to a completely different level. That fact that's it's a state holiday and the warmer temperatures just add to the party atmosphere along the whole race route.  It's something every marathoner should try and experience one time as a bucket list item.  

Pace-wise I ran the second 5 miles in 41:19 and 8:15 pace and 82:15 / 8:13's for 10 miles.   I think it's really here where I realized that 8:00's or better weren't coming easy with the terrain of the course along with the heat which I was really starting to feel -- so I adjusted my goal closer to a 3:40:00 or better (My official race B-goal was sub 3:44:00 and accounted for exactly this scenario minus the heat and headwind).     The hills through the first 10 miles, albeit small ones were constant and kept me from finding an 8:00 pace -- not because I couldn't drop down to it -- I just didn't have the confidence that with the heat and wind -- a faster pacing strategy was going to end well for me from mile 21 on.   In fact, I probably could've run an opening 13.1 miles in low 1:40's or even 1:39's -- but the suffering over the next 13.1 miles would've simply crushed me and led to something more than 4:00:00 for a finishing time.  

It turned out to be a wise decision as miles 10 - 16 were even warmer than the first 10 miles (I was starting to feel very hot and could feel myself slowing down -- and there was nothing I could do about it as I've not trained in 70 degree weather since last September if not longer).   I hit the half marathon point in around 1:48:00 which was 60-90 seconds slower than I'd hoped for; however,  I was starting to pass a lot of people and feeling stronger as the race progressed.  

The stretch leading to the Newton Hills at mile 16 was quite warm, but I managed to get through it with limited suffering running 8:19 pace for the segment and overall 8:16 pace for the marathon through 16 miles.  At this point, I was on plan to stay below my 8:20 target and could tell that the heat and wind were taking an increasingly high toll on runners around me as I continued to pass more people.   As an aside, this actually proved to be a bit of a double-edged sword for me as I found myself in a larger group of runners I was passing and was never able to tuck behind anyone or get into a pack and be protected from the wind with runners around the same pace as me.  Instead I ran most of the first 16 miles exposed to the moderate headwind which was also starting to take a toll on me as made the turn at the Newton fire station and started 5 miles of hill climbing.

My race strategy had me going out conservatively through 5 miles followed by trying to get back closer to 8:00 minute splits and pace average from mile 5 to 16 followed by running the Newton Hills segment in something between 8:30 - 9:00 pace.    At this point, I still felt quite strong and relaxed into the first of the 4 hills; although, I did feel quite hot as the sun was now blazing down and the wind was growing stronger and becoming more of a consistent headwind.  

I relaxed on each of the hills and tried to just cruise on the backside of each hill before the next one pacing 8:43, 8:56, 8:29, 8:59 and 9:22 to close out Heartbreak Hill.    I passed many runners here who were overheating or just walking to rest their legs before the downhill push into Boston from mile 21, but I was overall pleased to get through this section in under 9:00 pace given I basically did absolutely zero hill training during my marathon training cycle due to my tendon injury (and yes as I was running I was definitely doing the "what-if I hadn't been injured scenario" in my head as I was having such a strong race under the hard conditions).    In hindsight, as I write this race report, I am wondering a bit if I'd been better to push harder through here and run closer to 8:30's vs. 8:55's; however it only would've netted me back 90 seconds at most and may have really hurt my closing pace over the last 5 miles).

As I was working my way through the 4 Newton Hills, mentally I was really preparing myself to come out of Heartbreak Hill and hit the gas.  My goal had been to get through 21 miles in 2:48 for the case I was having an "A" race and something around 2:58 for a "B" race.  I crested Heartbreak Hill (which has a false top by the way as you proceed downhill and then have a quick, short uphill climb before you are truly through it) right at 2:58:00 and had roughly 5.2 miles to the finish line.   Doing some quick math, I knew I had to run 8:00 splits coming in to be around what would be a fantastic A- time of 3:39 and change.    The last 2 months I've been training for exactly this scenario albeit more like running the last 3 miles of fast-finish long runs below goal pace,  but felt I had a chance as I was feeling fine and continued to pass a lot of people as I crested the final hill.

If there's any disappointment I have with my performance yesterday it's this next race segment through the finish line.    As I accelerated into mile 22 I rolled off an 8:17 with a lot of this mile being run down in the 7:40 range -- but the wind was really starting to crush me as we dropped down through Boston College.  The temperature thankfully dropped as well, but what was before a moderate head/shoulder wind was now a dead headwind with some strong gusts that felt like an invisible hand pushing against my own progress as hard I willed my legs to turnover and move.     As I'd prepared for in my winter training sessions where I ran so many long runs in driving wind and rain, I shortened my stride and tried to increase my stride rate (turnover) to keep my legs moving.    The wind was every bit as relentless as the energy and enthusiasm of the masses lining the streets of downtown Boston.   At about mile 24 I caught a glimpse of the John Hancock Tower (?) and then shortly thereafter the Citgo sign which I believe is just about 1 mile from the finish line on Boylston.    As hard as I pushed I could not drop my pace down below 8:20 and get back anytime and watched as my shot at a sub 3:40:00 ebbed away with each mile in spite of my efforts.   Miles 23 - 26 were 8:27, 8:30, 8:30 and a most disappointing 8:54 for mile 26.   Somewhere on the last part of mile 26 around the right hand turn onto Hereford and then the left onto Boylston I picked it up and ran somewhere in the 7:45's through the finish line feeling extremely grateful for all the support my family has given me as well as being healthy enough to participate in such a grueling event.    My closing 5.4 miles (I somehow ran an extra .20 miles probably zig-zagging to water stands and around slower runners) were in 46:00 and just under 8:40 pace.  

Although I didn't run my "A" time of 3:33:00 yesterday, I did beat my "B" time of 3:44:00 and in doing so I realized there was no way I had a 3:33:00 in me yesterday.  The very best I might have otherwise run under the conditions of heat and wind would've been something in the 3:39's -- and even then I'm not sure where I could've attacked and dropped my time without risking a collapse over the challenging final miles in a headwind.

I'm really pleased with my race outcome yesterday.   Given I couldn't train at a level approaching my normal marathon preparation cycle given my injury coupled with the heat and wind, this was probably as close to a perfect race as I've ever run including my race preparation, race nutrition, hydration and even switching tactics during the race based on weather conditions.   I give credit to my Coach Lesley who also played a big role in helping me manage my expectations of training intensity through a persistent injury while also working with me on a modified approach to training that obviously served me very well yesterday.  

On a cooler day with no wind I would've obviously run faster -- but that wasn't the hand that was dealt for this year's marathon.    There was no chance for a BQ under any circumstance for me given the conditions this year; and I'd wager that the number of BQ's this year by racers is well off the historical average.

In my next postings I'll spend time reflecting on how I will train to run this course in the future as well as approaches to training -- especially given the weather variability -- which in April in Boston is never a sure bet for an optimal temperature or race conditions on the course.

Marathon Eve & Final Thoughts on Race Strategy

It's finally that time.   After 14 weeks of training the only thing left to do is to wake up, get on my race gear, eat and hydrate and jog over to the Boston Commons to catch a bus out to Hopkinton at 6:45.   I expect to be at Athlete's Village and chilling under cover no later than 8 am where I plan to do absolutely nothing but stay off my feet, lightly eat and hydrate and make a few trips to the bathroom lines.

The weather for tomorrow should be absolutely perfect for the marathon.  It looks like temps will span the mid-50's to maybe lower 60's in Brookline before we head into the Boston and it's expected to be a little cooler.   The only real issue is we're looking at a 10-12 mph headwind out of the east which will be pushing on us a good part of the race since the route is basically from west to east.   There's nothing anyone can do about the weather anyway except to prepare mentally, adjust accordingly and just deal with it.

Winter's grip is still evident in the Boston Commons as there are no early leaves or even bud break to signal Spring's arrival. 

The race strategy I've landed on for tomorrow is decidedly simple and also influenced by the reality of my lower-right leg tendon still not being fully healed from an injury it sustained (while doing track intervals) in late January).    While I don't expect a problem with finishing the marathon, the pain over the first 5-6 miles will slow me down a bit until it's fully warm and the rush of the race sweeps it all away.

My approach for tomorrow will be to really ease back on the first couple of miles that are downhill and run 8:20's and then ease into something through 5 miles that will probably have me there in about 41:00 - 42:00.   Slow compared to my normal race pace but the goal is to hit the half marathon mark in 1:46:00 - 1:47:30 leaving enough gas in the tank to start picking it up a bit heading in the Newton Hills, maintain on the hills through 21 and then hit the gas from 21 - to the finish.  

I'm really not sure what to expect tomorrow other than I've trained hard and been as committed as ever to my coach and the plan we built for Boston -- and trust that I will run the best race I can.   If I'm struggling early I'm going to back off and find a pace I can support without going to the pain cave too early.    I figure I could even run a 1:50:00 opening half and leave enough gas in the tank to get into Boston at a faster pace leading to a decent time.

What time am I going to run -- hard to say.   I'm sticking with my predictions from 10 days ago.  Anything sub 3:33:00 is an A performance.   If I don't have my A game anything sub 3:40 is still a great day; otherwise I'm going to enjoy the run into Boston and look forward to a great steak and bottle of wine tomorrow night!

Saturday at the Boston Marathon

After a long day heading east yesterday that required a 2:45 am PDT wake-up to catch a flight from Seattle to San Francisco before connecting into Boston last night, today was all about getting to the Marathon expo, swag, the requisite event pictures and coordinating post-race meeting logistics (which can be surprisingly hard at Marathons like Boston or New York given how tight security is).

Swag.

Took us a while, but I eventually found my name right here!

Should be crossing here somewhere around 2:00 - 2:15 Monday afternoon.  

Winds were absolutely howling on this afternoon's run.  The large flag on the U.S.S. Constitution was fully caught in the strong, icy wind.   It's still winter in Boston.  

The weather here is clear and bright today but with a high temperature of maybe 50 and 20 mph winds out of the east, it's frigid at times.   Tomorrow and Monday will be progressively warmer and ideal for a marathon.  The only thing I'm watching for at this point is whether we may have a dead headwind out of the east on race morning which is especially tough here in Boston as the race runs exactly one direction for 26 miles - east.    I'm not going to sweat what I can't control, I will make my final race plan out tomorrow afternoon once I see a forecast I can believe in (the weather forecast here for Monday has been swinging up as high as 72 degrees with winds out of the west all the way down to 60 with a 10 mph headwind out of the east).

This morning's visit to the marathon expo was especially challenging with our 2 year old (Jayden) in tow.   The exposition hall was mobbed by 10:00 am (and becoming increasingly so) so I got my racde packet, some basic swag, made a full pass through the hall -- and simply got out and away to conserve energy.  I'd love to spend a couple of hours just going to each booth and even getting some autgraphs (Scott Jurek was on hand this am with Shalane Flanagan this afternoon) but my focus is the race and not a lot of merchandise I can otherwise get online.

Jayden and me at Fanueil Hall doing some tourist stuff.  It seems like 3 lifetime's ago when I first visited here in 1984 while stationed at Ft. Devens, MA and we took the train from Ayer, MA to the Old North Station close to here.

This afternoon I got a quick 3 miler in with some strides.  Legs as always feel dead the day after flying which is why today's run was even more important so I could get them moving and the blood flowing before doing a final shake-out run tomorrow where the legs should feel more fresh.   My right leg tendon continues to be moderately painful until it warms up (generally after 5 - 7 miles of running) but at this point my tendon would have to snap for me to not run on Monday morning.

Tonight is a big night for eating.   Looking forward to dinner in the North End and some wine and lots of carbs.

Being "Short"

As I mark the final 4 days preparing for the Boston Marathon on Monday, I was reminded tonight of a phrase I haven't heard or even thought of since my Army days in the 80's at Field Station Berlin in S/S Papa.   The phrase is "being short"   I'm not sure from where the slang originated, but it was used to denote someone who was on a final countdown to either a permanent change of station (duty assignment) or leaving the service entirely (ETS).   But there was also a bit of a "lame duck" connotation to the phrase as it also implied that there was little left to do except move on as all the real work was done and in the figurative rear view mirror.    While I still need to show up and actually run the marathon on Monday morning, the phrase still kind of works from the standpoint of all the work of substance required to get to the starting line in Hopkinton is in the bag.  

To make the point, this afternoon's workout was a paltry 3 miles after yesterday's full day of rest (welcome to a marathon taper!).     My coach's plan had me running a very easy 3 miles, but I decided to spice things up a bit and do a 1/2 mile warm-up then run some 5K pace mile intervals just to burn off some steam (rolled the miles in 7:13 and 6:54 while resting a couple of minutes in between) before jogging a half mile home.  With the tendon injury I've been nursing, these are by far the fastest 2 miles I've run since early February -- and it felt good to air things out a bit.  The tendon was achy but at this point I'll be so amped up Monday morning at the start of the race the tendon will be an after-thought.

This afternoon's run was also pleasant from a weather perspective.   Going all the way back to my last 6 weeks of training for the December Honolulu Marathon and nearly through the complete Boston Marathon training cycle -- it's been just miserable to run outside in Seattle with 44" of rain falling from October through March here (it's an all-time record for rain fall going back to the 1880's). That I ran in shorts and a t-shirt and it was 55 degrees and dry just felt great.  

On a final note, I'm sure I'm the same as everyone else running on Monday and watching the weather forecast for Boston on Monday.  It looks like  mostly perfect weather for a marathon; although, the temperature is now creeping up into the mid-60's which is a little warm for my liking -- but still comfortable given start-time temps will likely be in the low 50's.

Tomorrow is packing day.   

6-Days and a Wake-up to Boston

I am sure that most veteran marathoners always find the last 5-6 days leading to race morning the least easy to manage although it's the least strenuous physically.    After 14-16 weeks of 40-60 miles a week, we suddenly have extra time on our hands that was otherwise filled with weekly interval, tempo, long and recovery runs.     Instead of days where it's common to burn 1000 or more calories working out, we need to suddenly worry about gaining a few pounds in advance of the race which is also unsettling (and frankly irritating given how hard it is to drop down and into optimal racing weight) as our caloric needs lessen (although my desire to eat seems to rise as a way to heal up and rest my body -- which I generally pay close attention to as it's a natural part of the tapering process).

As a part of the ritual which has been my final week of marathon preparation for a few years, I always pay special attention to visiting my sports-chiro, masseuse and spending extra time staying loose, limber and mobile.   In fact, during my morning session with my sports-chiro, he remarked that 10 other Boston Marathoner's were coming in today for their final tune-ups before departing for Boston later in the week (this alone is remarkable to me given there's that many of us flying out of Seattle to Boston all seeing the same sports-chiro).

A number of people have asked me recently what the hardest part of preparing to run a marathon is (nearly everyone assumes it's the 20+ mile long runs) -- and they are surprised when I respond saying that -- while 20+ mile long runs are indeed grueling -- it's the final 24 hours leading to actually running the race I find the most completely unpleasant.    I'm not sure if others feel this way, but for me the Saturday (or Sunday in the case of Boston) evening and super early 3:00 am wake-ups (often followed by an adventure even getting to the starting line of a major race and then having to manage some sort of bathroom routine with 25,000 other nervous racers) is by far the least enjoyable part of marathoning.  In fact, if it were feasible to just go run the race in the early evening and avoid the 3:00 am pre-marathon wake-up routine and get it over with -- it would be so much more enjoyable (setting aside issues of heat and humidity running later in the day or early evening).    Outside of the Las Vegas Rock-n-Roll Marathon held in November, I'm not sure of any other evening marathon races so it's just the reality of the situation for me that the least fun part of running the marathon comes right immediately before the absolutely most exhilarating part which is running and completing the race.

I expect I'll spend the next couple of days before flying to Boston Friday morning working on my final racing gear checklist, race strategy and about every other contingency I can think of before showing up out in Hopkinton at about 8:00 am Monday morning -- including what to do for 2 1/2 hours while waiting in the Athlete's Village prior to starting the race at 10:25 AM EDT.  

More to follow on what's been a remarkable journey getting back to Boston in 2016.

Boston Marathon - It's a Wrap!

It's hard to believe that with today's 12-mile tempo run at Green Lake (Seattle) that I'm in full taper mode for Boston on April 18.     After 6 months of training in what turned out to be the rainiest winter in Seattle history (44" of rain fell from 10/1/15 - 3/31/15), my last run of substance in this training cycle was under blue skies and temps approaching 70.    I was doubly lucky in that my 17 year old son Ethan is on Spring Break and was able to run with me today and help pace me over 12 miles.    

For all of my prior marathons, I've always come to Green Lake to run a final 12-14 mile time trial 14-10 days before my race as a final indication of what to expect on race day.    When I ran a 3:20:00 PR in 2011 in Vancouver B.C., I got through 14 miles in 7:29's and crushed it.    For the Portland Marathon in October of 2014 (another BQ) where I ran 3:27:30 I got through 14 in 7:45's.     Today's 12-mile in 7:54's and 1:34:00 felt solid with the final 5 miles in 38:40 and finding a good rhythm in the 7:45 range.     If it weren't for my tendon injury which has kept me off the track, I can only wonder just might've been had I been able to train a full cycle of tempo and intervals over the last 14 weeks, but that I've been able to ham-and-egg my fitness with help from my coach and a lot of innovation on the PT front (Alter-G's, Dry Needling, etc.).

What does race day have in store for me?   It's too early to say; however, the good news is that early indications on the weather are temperatures in the 50's with wind at about 10 mph out of the NE.   As long as it's not hot or a gale force headwind, I'll take whatever comes on race morning.   

I plan to sift through my data, take feedback a race plan review with my coach yesterday and publish my final race plan next week.  Stay tuned!

Me and my 17 year old son Ethan who accompanied me today.

Seattle's 2.8 mile loop around Green Lake has always been my choice for a final pre-marathon time trial over the years.  The weather today was simply spectacular after a winter of heavy rain and bad weather on nearly all of my outdoor runs.

Not a record my any stretch based on past performances, but I will take it given the soft tissue tendon injury I've been managing this training cycle.   To expect a BQ on April 18, I likely needed to run this in 7:30 splits.   

Boston Marathon Preliminary Race Strategy

Twelve days and a wake-up to race morning in Boston on Patriot's Day.   Yesterday I had my first look at the 14 day forecast which included Monday, April 18, which called for a high of 56 with showers and light/variable winds -- perfect for Marathon racing.    While I am hopeful on having optimal weather come race morning, it's Spring after all and I am sure what shows up standing in the starting chutes out in Hopkinton at 10:00 am on Monday, April 18 will be different than what the weather forecast is currently saying.   I'll be more trusting 3-4 days out, but fingers are fully crossed nonetheless.    The only forecast I don't want to see is for temperatures above 70 degrees.   Given how rough the winter has been in Seattle with rain and wind dominating nearly all of my outside runs, I'm prepared for about the worst weather Boston can throw at us on race day. 

Since the next couple weeks are a taper with the exception of a 5-mile pacing session today and 12-mile time trial this Thursday, I've got a little more time on my hands to begin my race plan for actually running the Boston Marathon.    Below is a detailed first draft that I am working with my running coach to refine and then boil down to just a handful of simple objectives and tactics I can focus on while actually racing.    Experience has taught me on numerous occasions that a cluttered mind and high performance don't translate into optimal results (at least for me); additionally, the cumulative mental and physical fatigue I experience above mile-20 slowly erodes the foundation of even the best laid plans as it's simply just hard to think clearly after 3 hours of running at race pace.   

What I have found that works for me is to start with my overall race objectives and break them into A and B goals.  An "A" goal represents an optimal performance and a "B" goal is my fallback plan for a day where things simply don't go as planned and I can still find something to focus on achieving while out on the course vs. simply completing the race.    I've found on off days performance-wise that having a fall-back plan keeps me focused and still leads to an overall better result than simply capitulating and finishing.    Once I've got my goals set, I break the race into segments that are governed by mileage and terrain.     I typically approach a marathon as a race of 3 segments:  miles 1-10, miles 10-20 and 20-26.2      For the Boston Marathon I will approach the race in 4 segments:  miles 1-10, miles 10-16, miles 16-21, and miles 21-26.2.   The reason being is that the section of the course through Newton from miles 16 - 21 are 4 significant hill climbs each separated by a 1 - 1.5 miles followed by a significant downhill stretch into Boston from miles 21 - 24.    The Newton Hills requires a different race tactic than what I would normally do given where the hills fall in the race and the fact that they occur in sequence over a relatively small distance.    

In summary, I am thinking of my draft race plan as follows:

• Miles 1 - 10 Run relaxed with special attention given to not going out to fast in the first 3 miles out of Hopkinton given how downhill that section of the course is.   Where possible build some buffer time faster than goal pace without unduly straining.   Find what my natural race pace is for the day.

• Miles 11 - 15 Increased focus and locking in on race pace with little split variability. Aggressively run the downhill out of mile-15 into the first of the Newton Hills at mile-16 building up some buffer time ahead of goal pace.

• Miles 16 - 21 Run the Newton Hills at even effort.   Attempt to accelerate out of each hill and run the slight downhills / flat sections between each hill at or better than race pace; don't be afraid to hold back and just run a pace that feels good -- saving up for the last hill climb up Heartbreak Hill at 20.2 and then accelerating out of Heartbreak downhill through Boston College and into Boston Proper.   

• Miles 22-26.2 The race begins!   Aggressively run the downhill taking in the energy from the crowds and trying to get back or below race pace through 24.   From 24 - 26.2, suffer in the pain cave knowing that it's only another 16-18 minutes of running for the Unicorn!   

Boston Marathon Race Plan (DRAFT)

My top goal for this year's Boston Marathon is to create memories for a lifetime and to maximally enjoy and soak up the experience of the whole Boston Marathon weekend from the time I get to the marathon expo on Saturday morning, running and enjoying the route, crowd and experience along the way up through finishing the race on Boylston (injury free) including a big celebratory dinner Monday night with family.    I won't place a finishing time as my top goal as there are too many factors that are out of my control as possible impediments that can serve to lessen the overall experience (such as running the race at 88 degrees in 2012 when my goal time was 3:14).   

My A+ finishing time goal is a BQ running a sub 3:30:00 and 8:00 average pace per mile.

My A finishing time goal is sub 3:33:19 and 8:09 average pace per mile.

My B finishing time goal is sub 3:43:26 and 8:32 average pace per mile.    

For the Boston Marathon Course I am going to adjust my race strategy into 4 tactical segments as follows: 

Boston Marathon Course and Elevation Chart

Segment 1 (miles 1 - 10) -- Same as standard strategy except I will consciously hold back on the first 4 miles out of Hopkinton which are predominately downhill.  I may work to build up a slight buffer here in the first 4 miles,  but will try and rein it in due to the early load on my quads.  After the slight hill climb out of mile 4 to mile 5 I will resume my normal Segment 1 strategy.  

A-Goal: (< 1:20:00 / 8:00 segment pace / 8:00 race pace)  

B-Goal: (< 1:23:20 / 8:20 segment pace / 8:20 segment pace) 

Segment 2 (miles 10 - 16) -- Same as standard strategy but at mile-15 in Wellesley I will aggressively run the downhill into mile-16 and the start of the first Newton Hill building momentum for the first hill climb as well as trying to bank for losing some time running even effort through the Newton Hills.   

A-Goal: (< 2:08:00 / 8:00 segment pace / 8:00 race pace)

B-Goal: (< 2:13:20 / 8:20 segment pace / 8:20 race pace)

Segment 3 (miles 16 - 21.0) --  Newton Hills Segment.    I will run the 4 hills of this segment in even effort (8:30 - 9:00 pace) while trying get back to my race pace in the 3 flat segments spanning the first and fourth hill.    Hill-1 is .64 mi in length and ~3% grade.   Then run .96 mi from the end of hill-1 to the beginning of hill-2. trying to get back to race pace.   Hill-2 is a short .34 mi in duration but steep at 4.4% grade.    Then run 1.36 mi between the end of hill-2 and hill-3 trying to get back to race pace.    Hill-3 is .47 mi in duration and 3% grade.  Then run .48 mi between the end of hill-3 and hill-4 (Heartbreak Hill).     Hill-4 is .48 mi in duration and 4% grade.     I will attempt to accelerate out of Heartbreak Hill at mile 20.75 and resume race pace as we pass Boston College and descend into Brookline and then Boston proper.  

A-Goal: (< 2:50:30 / 8:30 segment pace / 8:07 race pace)

B-Goal: (< 2:58:20 / 9:00 segment pace / 8:29 race pace)

Segment 4 (miles 21.0 - 26.2) --  From the top of Heartbreak Hill at mile 21 down through mile 24 is predominately downhill.  My goal in running even effort through the Newton Hills is to have enough gas in the tank physically and mentally to attack this 3 mile downhill stretch at or below race pace and then hanging on and letting the crowd pull me in from Fenway Park to Boylston to the finish line.   I think a realistic race pace for this segment is 8:20 if I am having an A race and 8:40 for a B race.   

A-Goal (< 3:33:19 / 8:20 segment pace / 8:09 race pace)

B-Goal (< 3:43:26 / 8:40 segment pace / 8:32 race pace) 

In Summary 

In summary this is a simple plan to execute with a lot of details that go into the creation of the plan.  I plan to run all the hills even effort while making up time on the downhills or in sections of the course where I can still some extra time based on how I feel.   I need to get up and over Heartbreak Hill no slower than ~2:58 and then hang on into Boston and across the finish line.    Easier said than done -- but that's my plan and I'm sticking to it for now.   

I'll post a final plan once I get my last time trial run, see a race-day weather report that's closer to race day, and consult with my coach.    

Boston Marathon Training -- Week 12 Wrap-up

It's hard to believe that with yesterday's 21.7 mile long run that my training cycle for the 2016 Boston Marathon is nearly complete.   I still have several runs of substance remaining, with a final 12-mile time trial set for this coming Thursday on a flat 2.8 mile run loop around Seattle's Green Lake, but I am otherwise proceeding into taper mode letting my body heal up after what's been nearly continuous marathon training since Labor Day 2015 over 7 months ago.   In fact as I was running yesterday, I realized that since last October 30th, I've done runs of 20 miles or longer 8 times (including the December 2015 Honolulu Marathon) with the Boston Marathon in 2 weeks being my 9th.  

I designed yesterday's run route to try and simulate the Boston Marathon course through the first 22 miles.    If you've been reading my blog posts for this training cycles, you know I've been battling a lower right leg tendon stress injury to my Peroneus Brevis which has taken me out of my normal training cycle that would've included weekly strength intervals (6 x 1 mile, 4 x 1.5 mile, etc.) including virtually no hill training since around week 4.  

I first ran the Boston Marathon in 2012 (qualifying in the 2011 Scotia Bank Vancouver B.C. Marathon with a 3:20:30) on an 88 degree Patriot's Day -- and was absolutely crushed by the heat and then just destroyed over the course of the 4 Newton Hills that begin from mile 16 and end with Heartbreak Hill just past mile 20 finishing in an abysmal 4:27:00.   I'd resolved at the start of this training cycle to incorporate hill intervals as well as hills during the end of a few of my longer tempo and Saturday long runs so as to run the Newton Hills with strength and confidence -- and even more importantly be able to take advantage of the downhill finish from Boston College through the end of the race on Boylston.     Normally, Seattle is such a hilly place to run this wouldn't be much of a challenge, but I found after sustaining the tendon injury that any sort of hill work (uphill or downhill) aggravated my pain so I was forced to run on mostly flat, asphalt surfaces.

The picture below is the elevation map of my course yesterday in Seattle that begun on top of E. Madison (near the entrance to Broadmoor) heading steeply downhill towards the water before making a turn to the south and following Lake Washington 7 miles out to Seward Park and around before heading back and hitting the first 1/2 mile long hill at about mile 14.    The climb back up E. Madison is brutally steep (guessing around 5%) and was nearly 1/2 mile and occurred at mile 16.   I then proceeded to run a brisk downhill into the Arboretum and then climb up through the Interlaken Hills before getting to mile-19 and turning around and hitting the same hills in reverse with the final climb back up E. Madison and into Madison Park at mile 20.    This is about as close as I can get to simulating the Boston Marathon Course.

The Boston Marathon's Newton Hills are as follows: Hill 1: Mile 16 .64 length 2.83% incline; Hill 2: Mile 17.6 .34 length 4.4% incline; Hill 3 Mile 19.3 .47 length 3% incline and Heartbreak Hill 4: Mile 20.2 .48 length 3.96% incline.

Yesterday's run went exceedingly well.  I was a little worried given I'd traveled out to Virginia and back from Monday through Wednesday last week, which most often saps the intensity from any runs that follow for a couple of days.   However, I was able to get onto the Alter-G treadmill Thursday AM (after returning at Midnight Wednesday) and knock a run out that was painful, but got me out of the post-cross-country-flying physical funk which afflicts me these days.

I covered the first 8 miles in 8:17, miles 9-16 in 8:10 before slowing for the hills from miles 17 - 20.5 and a final closing .8 miles in 7:55 pace or so.      After yesterday's run which leaves me completely confident for Boston in 2 weeks as I got through the entire run very comfortably, I believe my strategy for the Boston hills will be to simply run even effort with my emphasis being to accelerate out of each hill into the downhill keeping my leg turnover high.    This takes a huge amount of concentration and commitment during the later stages of a Marathon.  That I was able to do this comfortably yesterday is a good sign for race day.  

This will I will meeting with my running coach reviewing my first draft of my race day strategy and fueling plan.  Once I get through Thursday 12 mile time trial, I will have a final idea on how to approach Boston on April 18 and what my A and B goals are for the race.  Stay tuned.

Lake Washington Blvd looking south and towards the 520 Floating Bridge

Cherry blossoms are in full bloom and made for a vibrant run with nature in full bloom in Seattle.

The hills of Interlaken Park at about mile 19 yesterday.

Mt. Rainier beckons nearly 90 miles away at over 14,416 feet.

Running southbound with Seward Park just off in the distance which is a 2.2 mile loop.

Boston Marathon Training -- Week 11 Wrap-up

Writing this post as I fly east today via Chicago to VA for meetings through Wednesday.   It's always a challenge -- especially late in a marathon training cycle to incorporate in work travel with striking a training balance over the last 2-3 weeks.    I've found over the years that after any flight of more than a couple of hours, my training the next day will be mediocre at best and a slog at worst.     I'm hoping tomorrow and Wednesday to at least get 2 hours of aerobic volume in running on the hotel treadmill -- which is always a hit-or-miss proposition.

Three weeks from right now I should be through my first 5K of the Boston Marathon on April 18.   I'm still working through a lower right leg tendon rehabilitation; but with a lot of PT it appears to be holding up.   This last week I managed to runs of substance on the Alter-g for my intervals and tempo workouts followed by a pair of outdoor runs on Saturday and Sunday that were 10 miles each.   Given I ran 22 miles last Saturday, I normally would've run a 14 on Saturday 3 weeks out but wanted to load up 10 miles on Saturday afternoon and then run a 10-mile cutdown run Sunday early before Easter festivities kicked in.      I felt especially strong on Saturday's run with temperatures in the low 60's, no wind nor rain and running in shorts and a t-shirt.   Rolled 8:20's on a 5 mile out and back tossing in a 7:17 mile-4 and a 7:42 mile 9 for good measure.         Sunday's workout was a cutdown run with a 1 mile warm-up followed by a progression from 8:30 down to miles 8 and 9 at 7:30's pace. As luck would have it, the sky opened up and it was torrential rain (and about 45 degrees) from miles 5 - 7 which slowed me a bit (at one point I could barely see the running path in front of me as I was quickly soaked and chilled to the bone thinking it wouldn't rain on my run).    I managed to dig a little deeper and got miles 8 and 9 down to 7:45 and 7:40 respectively before an easy jog in for mile 10.

While it's too early to predict what time I will run in this year's Boston Marathon (I qualified with a 3:27:30 in the 2014 Portland Marathon), I will say that 44" of rain in Seattle from October through March and training for 2 marathons (Honolulu in December) has prepared me for the absolute worst that Boston has to offer on April 18 (short of a hot day in the upper 80's which is what I got the first time I raced there).    

Stay tuned, the next couple of weeks will be interesting with a final 18-20 mile Boston Newton Hills simulation and a couple of more pacing sessions.

Boston Marathon Training -- Week 10 Wrap up

Week 10 of Boston Marathon is nearly a wrap with today's workout including stretching, foam rolling, core and a 30 minute spin to help my legs recover from yesterday's 22-miler.  Race day is 4 weeks from tomorrow and I am hoping to make the most of the next 3 weeks and train as hard as I can while still allowing for a taper starting about 10 days out from the race on April 18.

As I've mentioned in my other blog posts, the last few weeks of training have been light on actual running mileage but heavy on core muscle strengthening (for balance) and aerobic volume as well as a ton of PT (dry needling, ART, fascia stretching, alter-g treadmill, etc.) due to a strain of my lower leg tendon (peroneus brevis) which happened in January while running track intervals.  

The focus of this week's training was on executing a pain-free 22 mile long run.  I had two 60-minute runs of higher intensity on an Alter-G treadmill on Tuesday and Thursday which stretched my HR into Zone-4 which for me is critical as I typically race in mid-Z4 when I am in optimum marathon racing shape.     Much of my lower intensity aerobic volume has been with my HR in upper Z1 and lower Z2 which is great for burning fat and weight loss, but nonetheless leaves a hole in my otherwise typical training which would include 6 miles of varying length strength intervals every Tuesday and an 8 - 10 mile tempo run at marathon pace every Thursday.  

After talking with my sports chiro on Wednesday about how I was fueling my long runs (he was preparing to run a 50K ultra this weekend), he mentioned that he'd found a new product called Vitargo S2 which had dramatically transformed his carbohydrate intake efficiency on long endurance events.   Apparently, Vitargo S2 is a much faster source of glycogen (re)fueling than other micro-nutrient fuel sources claiming up to 1.7x faster than maltodextrin.    

When I am training for a marathon, I typically use gels for any runs 16 miles or less (the speed of the run will determine whether I take any gels at all or fuel every 4-6 miles for faster runs).  For runs above 16 miles I will carry two 10-oz water bottles mixed with some form of carbohydrate micro-nutrient.  For the past several years I've relied on EnduroMAX by Max Muscle which has worked just fine.   Each scoop of EnduroMAX is 120 calories and 23 grams of carbs and includes BCAA's, etc.   In comparison, the Vitargo S2 product is 140 calories per scoop (slightly larger scoop than EnduroMAX) and 35 grams of carbohydrate.    

Yesterday's 22-miler was a major confidence booster as I was able to get through the entire distance pain free (including after the run) as well as covering the course in 3:05:00 (PR for this route is 3:01:00 before the 2014 Portland Marathon where I ran 3:27:30) at 8:25 pace and a comfortable average HR in low Z4.    I negative split each 11 miles going 8:27 and then 8:23 over the final 11 with mile 21 at a comfortable 8:12.     I took 22 grams of gel at miles 4 and 12 and consumed 8 oz of water mixed with 1 scoop of Vitargo at miles 8 and 16.      While it's impossible to say whether the Vitargo had anything to do with my strong performance yesterday, it's remarkable that after 4 weeks of basically no tempo runs nor interval work I was able to roll a 22 mile run that just within a few minutes of what I'd otherwise run on a full marathon training cycle with all the tempo and interval work.     It may be that losing 15 lbs of extra weight is also a major factor in yesterday's run (figuring each extra pound is 2-3 seconds per mile of speed loss -- especially above mile 16).  

The Vitargo is a bit more viscous and thicker than other micro-nutrients I've worked with which made the intake of the fluids a bit more challenging, especially at mile 16.  However if this product continues to perform well on my runs of substance over the remaining 3 weeks before tapering for Boston, it may find its way into my race bottles in Hopkinton on April 18.

The beauty of racing marathons is not just running the race itself, it's all that one has to manage over the course of 14-16 weeks to even get to the starting line.   Hopefully the next 4 weeks will be more straight-forward as I feel like the last 10 weeks have thrown me some hard curveballs I've had to navigate to stay on track.  

Boston Marathon Training Week 10 -- Alternate Measures

The 2016 Boston Marathon is 4 weeks from this coming Monday and week's 9 and 10 of training have required me to pull out all the stops in order to stay on track for the starting gun on Monday April 18.    My lower right leg muscle/tendon tweak (See Peroneous Brevis image here) from the first 4 weeks of this training cycle has continued to slow me down.   While it hasn't prevented me from my long run progression (3rd 20+ miler tomorrow), it has kept me from my usual 50 mile training weeks and weekly rotation of 8 - 10 mile tempo runs and 6 miles of strength intervals (6 x 1 mi, 4 x 1.5 mi, etc.).    I've managed to maintain a high level of total workout volume (8-9 hours a week) of which 6-7 are aerobic but not marathon race specific work -- which could haunt me around mile-16 at the start of the Newton Hills.    

Like so many goals in life, achievement of a goal is rarely (if ever?) measured as a straight line between the beginning and end.  Most often achievement is a function of managing the unexpected, perseverance, commitment and a level of grittiness that boils down to doing what it takes regardless of pride, peer pressure, and even sometimes the voice in your own head telling you that it's just not worth it.   The latter is most often the strongest detractor.  

In pursuit of getting to the starting chutes for this year's Boston Marathon, I've pulled out all the stops in terms of finding alternate methods to train while trying to rehab my grumpy leg tendon.     I'm sure most everyone who's a serial marathoner is well aware of Alter-G treadmills, dry needling, graston technique, etc.  

This week I found a local PT clinic that has an Alter-G treadmill, purchasing five 1-hour blocks over the next 2 1/2 weeks so as to continue my interval and tempo work while not overly aggravating my leg tendon.     I was able this week to get 1 hour tempo and interval workouts in at 88% - 92% of my actual weight which pushed me into my Zone 4 (HR) and also gave me great range of motion while not aggravating my tendon and promoted more blood flow into the injured area (since I could use it and not risk injury).

The Alter-G is basically a treadmill that you can zipper into (the facility will give you a pair of shorts that resemble cycling pants but with an outer zipper) around your torso while allowing your legs to rest on the treadmill.   Before beginning, the Alter-G is then pressurized (it feels like a balloon inflating except your hips are inside the balloon) to 100%.  At that point, you can select what % of your actual weight you want to run at and dial that % into the treadmill.   For example, if you weigh 150 lbs and run at 90% you are effectively running at 135 lbs which greatly reduces the strain on your hips and lower body (and is also an incredible reminder as to just how good it is to be lighter weight when it comes to running since we all have to overcome the force of gravity which is easier in proportion to the lower your weight).  

In addition to my Alter-G workouts this week, I've also had Dry Needling therapy.   Dry needling in simple terms is a form of acupuncture that promotes a neuro-muscular response in the area of attention.   In simple terms, acupuncture gauge needles are inserted around the area of injury or within the muscle/tendon eco-system which often promotes a "twitch" or "contraction" response.   This relaxing or twitching of the muscle allows it to relax the injured area promoting blood flow and resumption to more normal muscle function.  It doesn't heal the injury, it simply promotes a level of blood flow for a period of time to flush waste matter and promote blood flow which can drive the healing process.   My treatments the last 3 weeks were very intense (the PT also used low amp voltage on the affected area to promote more twitching which can be quite intense) but each time resulted in me feeling as though I could gently work the affected area helping to promote healing.  

Lastly, I saw my sports chiro this week with whom I've worked through each of my prior 7 marathons.  We do a combination of ART, Graston, Fascia Stretching and now Cold Laser treatment (which was a first for me) (see picture below).

Will this all result in me getting to the start of the Boston Marathon on April 18th?  I'm optimistic.   With 2 1/2 more weeks of hard training remaining before I begin to taper, I will have more than enough time to continue to train, rehab and hopefully strike the right balance of still showing up in racing shape while also not aggravating my injury to the point I can't run a pain-free race on Patriot's Day.  

Tomorrow is an easy 22 miler.   If that goes well and the level of tendon pain Sunday morning is low to negligible I may just be back on track.    Stay tuned.   

Is Discretion the better part of Valor?

Sitting here on a rainy Friday afternoon spinning some Miles Davis Quintet (circa 1956) on my Rega RP8 turntable while it pours rain outside.  This is typical weather for Seattle in early March.   I am also very much enjoying a day off after 8 straight days of full-on training including a medical procedure this morning that required fasting all of yesterday which was extra special given my average daily caloric intake is 2800 or so at this stage of marathon training.

As I reflect on reaching the halfway point preparing for this year's Boston Marathon (7 weeks from Monday) - I'm once again managing a marathon training cycle where a minor injury has become something a little worse and pulled me off of my 50-mile a week regimen the last 2 weeks.  In January I made a classic mistake and tried to jump start my speed work loading up on two heavy 8,000 meter track workouts over the course of 4 days which also included a very hilly 14-mile run in between.  Roll forward to mid-February and the tweak turned into a fairly painful repetitive-use running injury. Typical for me.   As much as I've trained and experienced injury over my years of running hard, I still struggle with the desire to push the expectations of my body right to the edge -- and sometimes over -- resulting in exactly what I am now dealing with preparing for this year's Boston Marathon.  

I guess the question one has to ask is how does one know when it's better to do one less vs. one more of something?   I find that in the U.S. business culture -- especially in technology -- pushing harder and driving forward even in the face of issues with quality, disappointed customers, etc. is the bias. Get to market quicker -- even at the risk of reputational harm.  It's worth the risk to gain faster feedback and cycle more quickly on product innovation so as to win "hearts and minds" faster.    But when is it prudent to actually not do one more of something, not go as fast -- and do one less -- go a little slower -- figuratively take an extra slow lap around the track vs. sprinting to the finish?

There's obviously no business or marathon training formula that can answer this question for all situations; however, as someone with a strong bias to action -- it's clearly wise to error on the side of discretion from time-to-time to see what can be learned from exploring alternate paths and developing a deeper level of understanding before pushing forward.    If anything, from a leadership perspective it will lead to higher decision quality at some future juncture when it is indeed appropriate to take a risk, go full throttle and manage the resulting turbulence to a positive outcome.

For my own 2016 Boston Marathon training, my gut tells me that taking 14 days to focus on high-volume, low impact aerobic workouts in conjunction with a rigorous rehab and core workout routine is going to this time lead to a higher quality outcome at Boston than for the case I'd simply pushed through the pain and kept to my original training schedule.   I won't know for sure until I make that final left hand turn from Hereford Street onto Boylston on April 18th at about 2:00 PM EDT -- but I am sure it will make for an excellent story when I post my race report.   I know my Coach is happy with my discretion these last 2 weeks -- let's see what happens on race day.   

2015 Honolulu Marathon Race Recap

As I wrap up training week 6 for the 2016 Boston Marathon, I am thinking back to the 2015 Honolulu Marathon which as already 11 weeks ago today.     I was originally planning on racing the Chicago Marathon in October; however, a glute injury in late June derailed my marathon training for about 6 weeks last Summer leading to me taking a deferral out to October 2016 for Chicago and pushing out to the Honolulu Marathon this last December.   I've wanted to run Honolulu in December for a couple of years now as it seemed like a fun way to wrap up a year of racing and finish strong before the holidays while tacking on some down time enjoying the surf and sand.    The one issue I had with Honolulu is that it would be tougher to run any sort of a good race time given the temperatures and humidity would climb towards 80 by about the 3 hour mark of the race.

Race morning was my typical pre-race routine getting up a couple of hours before race time  (3:00 am) and loading up on carbs and getting mentally ready.   Since I wasn't going to have any support on the course from the family, I carried my own fluids (two 8-oz casks loaded each with about 25 grams of Enduromax and water) and took on about 150 grams of carbs in the hotel room before heading to the starting corrals (in comparison for the 2014 Portland Marathon I loaded about 125 grams race morning).    

After a short cab ride to the starting area, I noticed right away just how warm and humid it was (about 4:30 am).    There were probably already 15,000 people or so in the starting area (I believe the race had over 25,000 runners in total) creating a hot, sticky and soupy feel in the air.    There was absolutely no wind on race morning adding to the humidity (normally there's strong trade winds this time of the year which keeps the humidity down).    

The race started right at 5:00 am after the National Anthem which gave away to 3 minutes of fireworks going off directly over head as the race got underway which was spectacular.    I started at the front of the 3:15 corral thinking I could get out in front and not have to do a lot of navigating around slower runners; however thousands slower runners right before the start of the race jammed in up front and completely clogged up the first mile of the race.  

I trained to run a 3:30:00 for Honolulu but would need an A+ day to achieve that in the heat and humidity.   In the minutes before the start of the race I re-set my expectations thinking anything in the 3:30's would be fantastic given how hot and humid it already was (as a side note, Fall marathon training in Seattle is fantastic as temperatures rarely rise above 60 degrees and are often in the 50's which is a perfect racing temperature; the only downside is it leaves you woefully unprepared to run in anything above 65 degrees -- which I knew would be a factor in Honolulu).    

I knew right away 1/2 mile into the race that heat and humidity had me and were going to impact my race performance even more.   I hit my first mile in 9:00 flat with my heart rate in the low 160's which was a tell-tale sign that anything even in the 3:50's would be good on this day (under normal conditions I would be running 7:30 - 7:40 in my first mile of a marathon with an HR in the low 160's).   I continued to dodge and run-around slower runners which seemed incredible given how slow I was running and hit the 5K mark in something like 28:00 -- which is by far the slowest I've ever run an opening mile or opening 5K in any race ever.  

From 5K through 21K I just settled in and relaxed to see if I could find anything groove-wise in the 8:20 range and lock in.  I was at times able to settle in but the combination of hills, humidity and a somewhat unsettled stomach (remember I took in 150 grams of carbs which proved to be too much) kept me from finding any sort of comfortable groove.    At about mile-12 I had to hit a porta-potty which added 2:45 of lost time leading to a half marathon split of about 1:55:18.  

From miles 13 through 17 I was running 8:30 splits and just getting into a decent groove (the sun was also rising out of the east and I was trying to make the turn and head back to Diamond Head to get the sun on my back and out of my face) thinking maybe I could pull back down towards the mid 3:40's.   I was feeling mentally strong although my body was taking a beating from the humidity, sun and hills.    Right at mile 17 an older Japanese runner was a few steps in front of me when he took an awkward looking stride and then fell unconscious and directly onto his mouth on the asphalt knocking out 2 teeth and an instant pool of thick, dark red blood oozing from his mouth.   It happened so quickly that my instant reaction was to stop and render aid.  Fortunately several other runners stopped and helped move him to the curb and get him on his back.  I direct someone to immediately call 911.  He was completely unconscious.   I wasn't sure for the first 30 seconds whether he was breathing but he slowly gained consciousness.  I had a sponge I'd been using to cool myself and was able to clear his mouth and face of the blood and help revive him.  After about 6 - 7 minutes cops arrived and an ambulance siren could be heard.   The cops had the situation under control and all of us took back of running.     After mile 17 I decided to just slow down and jog in the rest of the race given I'd now lost about 10 total minutes between a bathroom break and the aid break -- coupled with being a little freaked out about what I'd just witnessed.    The last 8 miles were uneventful including the hill climb back and over Diamond Head starting at mile-24 which was fairly easy.  

Mile 25 caught me a bit off guard as I wanted to run a good final 1.2 but actually started to cramp up in my stomach with about 1/2 mile left and the finishing chute in sight.   I've never cramped before in a race and realized that at about the 4:00:00 mark I was probably just at my overall limit based on my carb and fluid intake.   I jogged the last 1000 yards in about 10 minute pace looking for my wife and daughter Jayden who I found about 50 yards before the finish line.  I stopped and grabbed my daughter giving her a hug and kiss before trotting across the line in about 4:01:34.  

It was my second slowest Marathon behind the 90-degree 2012 Boston Marathon; however, I was happy with just getting across the line on what proved to be a more challenging race than I had anticipated.    

Overall I enjoyed the Honolulu Marathon and would race it again.   The heat and humidity (especially if there are no trade winds) can be more of a challenge than one might think; and the course is far hillier than what the official marathon elevation guide indicates.   The climb over Diamond Head at mile 5 and then back at Mile 24 is also not as hard as the elevation guide indicates.  My recommendation to anyone considering Honolulu is to not make it your "A" race in the Fall but run it as a second Marathon 4-8 weeks after your A race and just have fun.

4:15 am selfie after about 150 grams of carbs 

I am quite sure I've never had a race bib number that's a palindrome (same number forward and backward)

Sunday race time 5:00 AM and 75 degrees with good humidity.  It rained about an hour before the start of the race and there were no trade winds making it warm and sticky. 

Finish line on Saturday less then 24 hours before race time. 

The finisher's medal really captured the "ohana" of the whole event

And the best part of every marathon training cycle are the drinks after the Marathon.  Enjoying a very strong Mai-Tai at Buzz's in Lanakai.