The Day After

David at the starting line just moments after the race started.

Before I talk about the race, I need to thank my wonderful wife, Jennifer. I could never have done this without her help and support (or at least her acquiescence). My work schedule is weird, my running schedule is crazy, and my dietary needs are a pain. She puts up with all of it, and I am eternally grateful.

Well, my body is beat to heck, and I am very, very sore. Both legs, especially my knees, arches, shins, and right quad, are in distress and I'm having great difficulty walking. The little toe on my right foot is a big blood blister. Oddly, the part of my body that was in the most distress yesterday and forced me to start walking, my right gastroc near the achillees tendon, doesn't feel too bad. Go figure. That is the same gastroc I ripped almost three years ago, and in the same place where the pain began during the run. I'm going to have to work on that somehow before my next big run.

I went to bed at a reasonable hour last night, but woke up after noon. I missed church, and around 3:30 went back to be for a "little nap" but slept until after 8:00. I've been up almost three hours but will be heading back to bed soon. Again, I thank my wife for enduring through my schedule.

General Stuff.

I don't know how many people signed up to run or start in each category (marathon, half, or 5k). And, under the "marathoner's option," a person running the marathon can opt, in route, to run only the half. But 1,096 finished the marathon (713 men and 383 women) and 2,633 finished the half (1,123 men and 1,510 women). So, at least 3,729 people were on the starting line at 7:00 am. There was also a 5K, which started a few minutes after the marathon.

A few finishers of note. A young lady named "Mary," age 82, finished the half marathon in only 3:22:48. Another young lady, this one named "Molly" and 15 years of age, ran the full marathon in 4:16:49. These were the youngest, and oldest, competitors in the race. A gentleman named "George" at age 70, finished the full marathon in 4:41:03. Woo Hoo!

My Race Plan.

I downloaded the course elevation chart and the course video long before race day, so I felt like I had a good handle on what I would be facing. The elevation chart showed three hilly sections. The first section goes from about 1.7 mi to about mile 5, the second starts at around 8.5 mi and goes through mile 14, and the last one goes from mile 19 to mile 23. All three reach about the same elevation, but the first two sections are quite steep while the third section is a long, slow incline.

With this in mind, I used basically the same race plan as with the Lincoln Marathon, modified to allow for additional time on the inclines and a bit faster time on the declines. In both races, I divided the race into two parts: the first 15 mi, and the final 11.2 mi. The idea was that, if I ran the first 15 mi in around 3 hours, that would give me around 3 hrs to run the remaining 11.2 (which is 3.8 miles shorter). For the Lincoln Marathon, the 15 mi/11.2 mi division was a practicality. For KC, however, the division was much more strategic. The two steepest hill segments occurred in the first 14.25 (or so) miles. So, if I could knock out the most difficult part of the course in about three hours, I could finish the geographically easier final 11.2 mi in well under 3 hours. In Lincoln, I finished the 11.2 segment in 2:57:21, with individual mile times fluctuating from 15:30 to 17:03 per mile. If I could keep each mile in that 11.2 segment under under 15 min, I could shave up to 15 minutes off my other marathon time. Barring injury, of course.

The First 15.

The first 15 miles started very well. I was concerned by the race congestion at the beginning, because some of the slower runners lined up too far in front and passing them was a chore. At this point, someone might accurately say "but Kurt, YOU are one of the slower runners." Yes, and no. The marathoners and half marathoners start at the same time, so there were 3,729 folks on the starting line. While I was one of the slowest marathoners, the finish times show that I am actually faster than many of the folks who ran the half. I passed quite a few people nefore the routes split.

Anyway, the 1 mile sign had fallen down so I missed it, and recorded my time at mile 2. When I didn't see the sign I checked my IPod, which told me that I was around the 1.3 mile mark.

The first hill, which came at the 1.7 or so mile mark and extended to mile 3, was as dramatic as the elevation chart showed. I walked part of it (along with just about everyone else around me), but still finished a few seconds ahead of schedule. I completed the frst two miles in 21:12 and, using my Ipod time to extrapolate, my best guess is that I completed the first mile in about 9:40, completed mile 2 in 11:32, and mile 3 in 12:06.

I then settled in for the long haul, and recorded some good times. For example, I completed mile 6 in under 11 minutes. Mile 9 had the steepest hill in the race, which followed a mile long uphill beginning at mile 8. My time for mile 8 was very good, but my right gastroc started to cramp around my achilles tendon in mile 9, and with a cramping leg that steep hill was a bear. I had to run to the side of the road and stretch it, and that took valuable time. I also walked part of that big hill, and finished that mile in 13:47, which was by far my worst mile in the first 13 miles of the race. My left gastroc started to hurt somewhere around mile 11 or 12, but I was able to push through it, at least initially. I then recorded solid times for miles 14 and 15 so, despite the early cramping, I finished the first 15 miles in 3:05:36. That was 2:55 slower than my Lincoln Marathon time but, given the hills and my aching calves, I was VERY pleased.

The Last 11.2.

Started well but ended poorly. I finished mile 16 in 14:45, and 17 in 15:26 (which included a bathroom break), which was good. But, the cramping intensified. I noticed that the pain in my gastrocs caused my stride to change, so now my knees and arches were aching as well, as well as part of my right quad. My times continually slowed after that, until I realized that I could no longer run. I was profoundly dissappointed because, as late as mile 17, I was still on track to shave at least 15 minutes off my previous marathon time. But, I was not about to quit, and hoped that, perhaps, my legs would loosen enough so that I could run again. It was not to be. By mile 22 my time was over 17 minutes, and by mile 24 my time was over 18 minutes. I was toast. David met me about .2 from the finish. We walked a bit together, then I noticed that the last .1 or so the finish was a fairly pronounced down hill. I always sprint to the finish anyway, so I got David ready and we took off! That sprint felt like the male version of child birth, and it hurt so bad that I was biting my lip and tears started to form in my eyes. But, we sprinted all the way to the finish line.

While the last 5 miles was extremely painful, I did make some good memories. Somewhere around mile 22 or so, I caught up with a young lady who was doing her first marathon. We walked most of the rest of the way together. She and her husband live in Kansas City, and her husband and family were out cheering for her in much the same way as Jen and the kids were out for the Lincoln Marathon. They didn't have the neat signs, but the husband did have something I deeply appreciated - a bottle of cold water. It tasted like ambroisa from heaven! Her young teen daughter walked the last 3 miles with us. As we approached one of the camera stations, the photographer started to focus in on us. I called out for him to wait for just a second, then asked the woman and her daughter if they were up to jogging for a few seconds. So, when we got closer, we started to jog, he took some quick pictures, and we started walking again when he raised his camera. We met another photographer about a mile later and did the same thing. I'll buy a copy of the pictures when they become available.

As we walked, we closed in on two other gentleman who had been a short distance ahead of us. I had passed both previously and knew that one had injured his knee, but they passed me when I was refilling the water bottle at the comfort station. Anyway, we caught them with about .25 left, and I introduced David when he arrived at .2. I gave them advanced notice that I was going to sprint to the finish and, when it was time, I told them that I would see them at the end and then started my sprint. Despite the pain (it was bad) I was glad that David was with me when I crossed the finish line. Actually, he beat me by a few feet!

The sports photographers sort the pictures by racer's number, and I should get an email with pictures of me in a few weeks. They are a tad expensive, but I'll probably need to order a few because I don't have any other race pictures. I'll post them when they become available.

Finished KC Marathon!

Finished the KC Marathon today! A hilly, but lovely, course. The route winds through many of the most scenic area of town, and was quite enjoyable. The event was also very well organized, so we had a wonderful experience.

I say "finished," instead of "ran," for two reasons. The first is that not every one who ran actually finished. When we finish, we get a neat medal and a "finisher" t-shirt, so to say "I finished" is better than to say "I ran." Second, "running" is not an accurate term because very little of what I did could be characterized as "running." "I shuffle-ized" might be the best term. Anyway, my second marathon completion this year.

Before I talk about the race, I need to make an admission - the old Grandparents were right.

Many grandparents tell their sweetlings that, when they were kids, they walked 4 miles to school. In the snow. Uphill. BOTH ways. I didn't doubt the four mile thing, or the snow. Uphill? ok. BOTH WAYS? What a crock!

I was wrong. The Kansas City Marathon was very hilly, and just went up, and up, and up. Admittedly, the route did have a few minor declines, but otherwise it was uphill, sometimes steeply, the entire way!

Anyway, here's the bottom line. Started strong, and for the first 13 miles was running a sub 5 hour marathon. Somewhere between miles 9 and 10, however, my right gastroc started cramping near my achilles tendon, and within a couple of miles my left gastroc started to cramp in that same spot. I was well hydrated, properly stretched, and had a fair amount of practice running on local hills. However, several of these hills were much steeper than anything we have here in Lincoln. I stopped to stretch several times, but I could not get lasting relief. I fought through the cramping to around the 21 mile mark, when the cramps intensified to the point that I could no longer run. I was not about to quit, however, so I walked the rest of the way. The walking was a bear to start, but became even harder as my legs started to wig out. I had altered my stride to help get through the cramping in my gastrocs, but that caused my knees, arches, and right quad to ache as well. I did manage a sprint during the last .2 to cross the finish line, but that little sprint did not save me from a sucky: 6:14:26.

As I write this, I am very, very sore, but I don't feel like I have any permanent damage. Overall, I am in much better condition now that I was on the day of my other Marathon, as my upper back, shoulders, and neck are just fine. My knees, gastrocs, arches, and one toe are in pretty rough shape, and I have some chafing. I won't be running for the next few days while I recover, but I will start on the weights again this week.

I'll write a more indepth entry in a few days.

Big Weekend Down, Big Weekend to Go

Spent the last week before my next marathon reffing a martial arts tournament in Minneapolis, MN. Great tournament. I officiated, among other things, at least 20 adult Black Belt fights.

While I had a great weekend, it was also a tough weekend. I worked all night Wednesday night to get ready for court on Thursday morning. I then went home after my hearing and slept a bit, but got back up and started working again. My car had mechanical problems so I was getting it fixed Thursday afternoon instead of running, but I arrived at my class in time to teach. After my class, I went back to work and worked until 5:30 am Friday morning, went to bed and slept, then got up and drove to Minneapolis (about 7.5 hours), arriving about 10:00 pm. Then went to dinner, crawled into bed after midnight, then got up early to be in my ring by 9:00 am.

After a day of officiating, I returned to our good friend's house where I was staying, napped for an hour and a half, then went back to the Arena for the finals. Got home around 11:00, and was far too tired to run. I then slept as long as I could and drove back to Nebraska on Sunday.

Not exactly the last-weekend-before-the-marathon I was planning, as I did't run Thursday through Sunday. Solid rain all day Monday so I lifted but did not run, and I finally was able to run this morning.

I planned on running a 8.5 mi, but my working caused me to shorten the run to a 3.3 mi. I ran the route in reverse again, and my time was a bit stinky (34:52). However, I was so sore from the weekend that I'm glad I didn't injure myself.

Cold run, so I was wearing sweats (top and bottom). Legs were very sore and tired from the weekend, as was the rest of me, and my entire body was "out of whack." Started strong and did the little "loop-de-loop" first at 3:07. Great time, as my standard is 3:15. I reached the first major split (the same one I use when I run the 8.5 mi) in 12:31, which would have been a 9:24 had I not run the loop first. Slowed a bit on the hwy 2 trail, reaching the split at 18:55. Went up the hill in 10:59, which is just a bit slower than the 10:47 I ran the hill, going down hill, last week during my 5.5. Also last week, I ran that segment as a down hill at 9:09. Anyway, finished the last segment in 4:54. Had I ran the loop last, I would have finished the segment in about 8:15, which would have been faster than the 8:17 I ran that segment last week at the start of my 3.3.

Anyway, not a great time. But, considering how I was feeling, not bad.

Lifted weights on Monday. A moderate lift, but went well. I have one more lift scheduled before the Marathon.

Block Update

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of my Nike+ shoes. They were nifty and served me well, and they supported my lardy butt 26.2 mi through the rain and wind on my last marathon. But the right heal became so worn (supporting said same lardy butt) that they are no longer usable for running purposes. Alas. I really like my Diadora's, but they are not motion control, etc, and they are not quite cushiony enough to carry me 26.2 mi. So, I am gently supplicating my lovely bride to help me preserve my health and carve out a more matrimonially desirous physique by acquiring a new pair of shoes. Hope springs eternal.

Ok, back to business.

The weather is getting colder, so I'm running in a sweater again. I ran a 5.5 hill route on October 9, finishing in 61:29. Only 7 seconds off my best time! The temp was 49F when I started, and I was a bit crampy for awhile. I was especially pleased with my time on the first major portion (start through the top of the hill), recording a 33:45. This is 16 seconds slower than my October 5th run, and I still caught that darned light again. However, I ran the last 2.5 mi much faster this time, so I completed the run 1:49 faster overall, and 2:05 faster than my last run. Notably, I completed the .95 mile "up and down" portion in 11:10 (including a 23 second delay at that darned light), and the last 1.55 mi in 16:32.

I ran my 3.3 mi route Wednesday morning. Results were ok, but not great. I started around 7:00 with a temp of 46F. And, because of a strategic miscalculation (forgot to put my running clothes into the washer), I ran in my bulky sweats. Regardless, I finished in 33:22. Ran the first segment in 8:17 (ok) where I join the 5.5 mi route. Completed the "up and down" portion in 9:09 (as opposed to 11:10 during Monday's 5.5). I slowed a bit on the last 1.55 mi, finishing in 15:55 (as opposed to 16:32 during Monday's 5.5 miler). Walked my 1 mile afterward, finishing in 16:41. OUCH!

It is apparent that I'm not going to reach my goal of under 30 min for the 3.3 route before the next marathon (next week). I might get under 60 min for the 5.5 route, which would make me quite happy.

Had a great lift on Monday, my first lift in three weeks (by design). Will lift twice more before the next big run.

David's Pumpkin Run

Ran the Pumpkin Run with David this morning. It's a 1 mile cross country event held at Pioneer's Park (gorgeous park where we had Heather's wedding reception), and is David's last Lincoln Track Club event of the year. He earned "grand slammer" status this year, so his name will be on the T-Shirt they give out next year. Congrats to David!

The race is different than the others in that it is truely a cross country event. Lovely course that has two down hills that were so steep they were difficult to run down. The uphills are equally steep, and careful footing is a must. In other words, it was quite exciting!

David wanted me to run, and the course looked like fun so I chased him around the course. The race had a bazillion kids organized into age groups. And, because of the congestion and terrain, kids were falling all over the place. Of course, kids don't understand spacing, they follow each other too closely, and they cut in front of each other, so when one falls an unintentional dog pile often results, especially near the start.

Anyway, David was on the starting rope and I was directly behind him, and when the gun sounded he was off like a shot. I tried to keep up, but kids were falling right away and helping kids get back up before they were trampled seemed more important that matching David stride for stride. Of course, kids that age are bouncy and hop right back up and run some more! If I fell like that, I would be down for a week.

I eventually caught up because David runs like an accordian. He sprints like crazy, then walks until he catches his breath, and then starts sprinting like crazy again. He has only two race speeds; full bore or walk! There is no in between. There is also no way I can catch him on a sprint, so I just maintain a solid pace and then catch him when he starts walking. I caught up, we walked together for a few seconds, and he sprinted off again. We did that several times. I caught him again during his last walk before the finish, and we walked together for about 20 or 30 seconds until he was close enough for his big sprint to the finish line. This run has so many kids, and hence the finish line so congested, that all parents cut off to the right just before the finish line so that the kids can have their pictures taken as they cross the line. Also, kids cross the finish line and then stop right there, in the middle of everything! Anyway, David ran the race in 11:07 (as best as I could tell), a good time considering the nature of the course. It was difficult to pinpoint the exact time he crossed (too many kids congesting the finish), but I think 11:07 is accurate enough.

After the run, I took David (and Heather) to breakfast, and then Heather took David shopping for a halloween costume. Personally, Jennifer and I cannot stand halloween but Heather loves it, so for the last few years she has taken David to get a costume. And, after our church "trunk or treat" event, I'm sure Heather will take him trick or treating again this year.

Anyway, a fun Saturday run.

Considered running this afternoon, but ended up doing several hours worth of yard work! By the time I was finished, I was too sore, so I called it a day.

Two Weeks Away!

The next marathon is only two weeks away! So, I hit the hill route again on Friday and then walked my mile.

I was still sore from the 12 miler, and I generally like to take at least 48 hours off from the end of a long run until I start the next. However, since I started the 12 miler on Wednesday nite and finished on Thursday after midnight, a 48 hour down time would push my next run to Saturday morning, which is David's Pumpkin Run (1 mi cross country) at Pioneers Park.


With this in mind, I ran Friday morning, starting around 9:00 am. My legs felt a bit like lead and were sore, and I took my phone so that I could answer calls as necessary. I started fast, but had to take a long call which slowed me considerably. I finished the call near the 1 mile mark and my time went from great to awful, but I felt the manly urge to accelerate! I ran hard and made up a lot of time and reached the 1.5 mile mark in 15:58. I took a moderate pace on the next leg, then wanted to give myself a big push up the hill. So, I started hustling again, and pushed through a big head wind to reach my main landmark (the corner of Pioneers and 56th) at 33:29, which is my best time for this segment. In fact, when I ran my personal best on this route, I reached this point at 34:14, so I was :45 ahead of schedule.


I was excited when I reached the intersection because I knew that, desepite my tired legs and the long phone call, I was on a PB time. My excitement waned just a bit, however, when the cursed traffic light turned red in front of me! I timed the light, and it took 32 seconds before turning green again. I wanted to just sprint across the road, but the traffic was too heavy.


I had a hard time getting my legs going after that break, and lost focus as I went down the hill. I was thinking about a legal brief I am writing and my brain went numb, and I caught myself running at a snails pace. I tried to resume my normal pace but my legs were quite tired. So, I set a nice pace and just cruised the rest of the way home. My time was 1:03:18. (or 63:18).


I walked my 1 miler just after finishing, but my time was icky yet again: 16:53. Ouch.


Will run the Pumkpin Run (1 mi cross country) with David tomorrow, and am not sure whether I will run tomorrow night or just give my legs a break. Perhaps I'll just walk a long distance. We shall see.


Cornell played a fine football game. He caught a pass for 11 yds and a first down, dropped a pass but earned a pass interference call, missed a catch in the end zone on what was an obvious pass interference call, and saved an interception by forcing the interceptor out of bounds before his feet came down. The ball was a bit overthrown and Cornell was double covered. Unfortunately, his team lost yet again. Oh well.

12 Miler

Wednesday, Oct 3

Went for a long one, but kinda by accident.

Last night's plan was to run the 8.5 as hard as I could, then walked a timed 1 mi so that I could get a realistic estimate of a 1 mi walking time while sore and tired. Unfortunately, I had clock and IPod problems, so I don't know most of my times.

I started with a 2.5 mile walk (forgot to start IPod), and then ran a 8.5 mi on my standard circuit (hill last). I don't have an overall time for that, either. But, I do have some prelim times.

The 8.5 mi started with a thud. After I started running, the IPod band was pinching my arm. The IPod was inside my sweater and I had to slow to a walk to fix it, but I had to continue to walk when I put the sweater back on because the cords somehow became tangled. Sweater came back off, etc. It was a comedy of errors. I call this an "administrative loss" because I lost a great deal of time due to "administrative" or "non-running" errors. Admin lossess to me are especially perplexing and irritating. Anyway, because of these problems, I reached the Rock Island/Hwy 2 trail merge in a dismal 31:17, which is awful. The last time I ran this route, I finished this segment in 28:39. So, I had a 2:38 admin loss.

I was quite discouraged by this time, so I decided to ramp up my speed on the next segment. I finished in 27:16, which is 1:17 faster than the last time I ran this route. And, it may be my fastest time on this segment. Not bad, since I started this segment after going over 5 miles and finished it around 7.8 miles. I was very pleased! Despite the speedy split, I was still behind schedule at the Zoo merge because of the time I lost during the first split. I reached the Zoo merge at 58:33, which was 1:21 behing the 57:12 when I last ran this distance.

The moon was not yet up when I reached the crappy portion of the trail on the north side of the Zoo, so I made a tactical decision to walk this part. I have tripped on that portion of the trail several times in broad day light. Now, the night was very dark, and I didn't want to risk injury on the very uneven surface. I have done this in other (but not all) night runs, and I simply accept the time loss as a logical tradeoff - slower time, but no injury. The tradeoff is worth it.

Now, the clock problem hit. I'm not sure what happened, but I did something wrong so I don't have good times for the rest of the run.

After a good sprint up the hill and to the finish line, I set the watch and began my 1 mile walk. By this time, I had just finished 11 miles, and my legs were sore from the sprint at the finish and the long sprints on the Rock Island leg of the route. My time was horrible! Exactly 16 minutes. Aargh!

Anyway, a good long distance effort with lots of sprints.

I started late and did not finish until around 1:10 am. Because of the lateness, I am scrubbing Thurday's 5.5 miler and will do that Friday, hopefully in the morning.

Woo Hoo!

OUCH!

Yep, eating all that chili on Friday's cook off was a bad idea, at least as far as the running went. My 12 mile run turned into a 5.5 mile walk on my hill route!

Fortunately, not all was lost.

First, the stats. The walk took 1:32:45, which is 31:23 slower than my fastest run time.

Howver, I learned several things, which made this walk instructive.

I started at a nice leisurely pace, but picked up dramatically at the 1.5 mile mark. I specifically wanted to time myself walking up the hill, and what I learned was a real eye opener! The hill is about .95 miles, and my best time running up the hill is around 12 minutes. My very focused walk, however, took 15:06. In other words, I walked the hill only 3 minutes slower than I ran it. The Novartis 10 K earlier in the year went up that same hill. And, some people did a jog-walk up the hill and ended up doing better that I did by jogging the whole way.

So, what does this mean? Normally, I save 5 to 6 minutes per mile, or more, by jogging as opposed to walking. On this hill, I saved only 3. And, I felt much stronger after the hill this time than I did while running. The bottom line is that, from a timing perspective, I should probably jog-walk big hills. I'll work that out a bit in practice the next few days.