endorsement

This video makes me laugh out loud every time I see it.

Reviewing Baltimore

OK - So I ran a PR about three weeks ago at the Baltimore Running Festival. It was a challenging race course but a perfect day for running. This post recaps the race by providing some data points taken during the race.

The course follows a similar profile to Boston with hills starting at mile 16.
http://www.thebaltimoremarathon.com/Assets/Marathon+Elevation.pdf

Below are my splits, HR data, pace, and notes take from my Garmin Forerunner 305 during the race.

Miles	Split Time	Cumul. Time	Heart Rate	Pace	Notes
1.00	0:09:08	0:09:08	131	0:09:08	Started easy with Karolina
2.00	0:08:14	0:17:22	144	0:08:41
3.00	0:07:53	0:25:15	148	0:08:25	Settled into my pace
4.00	0:07:59	0:33:14	145	0:08:19
5.00	0:07:53	0:41:07	142	0:08:13
6.00	0:07:52	0:48:59	147	0:08:10
7.00	0:07:16	0:56:15	147	0:08:02	Nice long downhill
8.00	0:07:50	1:04:05	150	0:08:01
9.00	0:07:52	1:11:57	149	0:08:00
10.00	0:07:52	1:19:49	150	0:07:59
11.00	0:07:55	1:27:44	152	0:07:59
12.00	0:07:44	1:35:28	152	0:07:57
13.00	0:07:47	1:43:15	155	0:07:57	Ran with a good friend for 5 miles
14.00	0:07:54	1:51:09	156	0:07:56
15.00	0:08:00	1:59:09	156	0:07:57	Start of the Hills
16.00	0:08:38	2:07:47	156	0:07:59	Hills
17.00	0:08:30	2:16:17	155	0:08:01	Hills
18.00	0:08:26	2:24:43	157	0:08:02	Hills
19.00	0:08:17	2:33:00	161	0:08:03	End of the Hills
20.00	0:08:02	2:41:02	168	0:08:03	Began to pick things up
21.00	0:07:56	2:48:58	166	0:08:03
22.00	0:08:04	2:57:02	168	0:08:03	Rollers
23.00	0:07:53	3:04:55	169	0:08:02
24.00	0:07:33	3:12:28	171	0:08:01	Dropped the hammer as the downhills began
25.00	0:07:51	3:20:19	173	0:08:01	Felt great but then calve cramps came on
26.00	0:08:21	3:28:40	170	0:08:02	Ran last mile on my heels to stop calve cramps
26.48	0:04:08	3:32:48	168	0:08:02	Shuffled home. Garmin read 26.48 total miles

Below is the data taken from the official results webpage:

Distance	MAR
Clock Time	3:33:59
Chip Time	3:33:08
Overall Place	346 / 3114
Gender Place	287 / 1998
Division Place	48 / 267
Mile6	0:49:49
Mile10	1:21:17
20K	1:43:08
Half	1:45:54
30K	2:34:51
Mile21	2:51:26
Ctz	USA
Pace	0:08:09

When reviewing the data I notice the following:

• I am comfortable running sub 8 min pace with my HR in the high 140s to low 150s when the course is flat.
• I paced the race very well, with a 1:46 first half and 1:47 second half marathon.
• I slowed my pace appropriately during the hills from mile 15 to 20 keeping my HR in the low to mid 150s.
• My hydration plan was about 1-2 miles short of the finish resulting in calve cramps.
• I had more in my tank over the final 1-2 miles and might have run faster had I taken Endurolytes during the final 10k (to hold off the cramps).

When I loaded the Garmin data into TrainingPeaks WKO+ I found that my normative graded pace (taking the hills into account) was 7:11. While this is purely hypothetical, it does give me some confidence that I can run close to BQ pace for 42 KM.

The key takeaway from Baltimore is race execution. I know that I can run a marathon well if I properly pace and execute the race. My hydration and nutritional needs are clear and even though I missed my Endurlytes during the final 10k, I think I've got a good plan that works. I also know where to keep my HR during the marathon and not blow up.

I need to take the experiences from this race and apply them to my mental and physical preparation for my next marathon.

Thanks for reading.

and it begins...

OK - So I'm starting a blog to document the next four months of my life as I prepare to race a marathon on late March. The key thing to note is this: my goal is to race the marathon, not just run it.

I've done two marathons in two years with wildly varying results.

My first marathon (2007 Marine Corp Marathon) was a colossal disaster. Following the 2007 triathlon season - I followed a compressed marathon training cycle. Over 7 weeks I built up to a 23 mile long run and felt confident I could comfortably cover the distance under 4 hours. While my training went well, my race execution went horribly wrong. I ran 4:05 in what is considered the worst and most painful racing experience of my life.

My second marathon went surprisingly well. I registered for the 2008 Baltimore marathon at the last minute to support my wife who planned on racing back in the Spring. I wrapped up an excellent triathlon season and did ZERO marathon preparation. My long run was 13 miles and I went into the race in great triathlon shape, not marathon shape. What I lacked in prep I made up for in execution. I pulled off a 3:33 on a very challenging course.

The results from Baltimore have once again peaked my interest in racing a marathon as fast as I can.

For my third 42 KM running event, I plan on doing a carefully calculated and planned training cycle over four months. The ulitimate goal will be to run 3:10:59 or faster - the qualifying time for the Boston Marathon. In the running community this is known as a BQ.

Thus begins Project BQ.