My Spring Marathon

Key Bank Vermont City Marathon

May 29, 2011

I am very excited about this race. I've heard so many great things about this race. This will be my first "destination" race where Mrs. Ansky and I will make a mini-vacation around the race. Twitter friend Michael is also running the race. Since we are both observant Jews, we plan on staying at the same hotel and have Shabbat meals together. Other Twitter friends running as well. I'm looking forward to meeting them. 

The course is not easy. As you can see from the elevation chart, KBVCM is not flat.

I'm told the toughest parts of the course are around miles 8 and 15. The course is supposed to be spectator friendly so Mrs. Ansky will be able to see me a bunch of times on the course without having to move around so much. 

My only concern is with the race in late May is doesn't give me much time to rest and recover if I want to train for a fall marathon. But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. 

Coach already mentioned to me today that he will start incorporating some longer zone 2 runs over the winter so I am really strong going into my training cycle. I'm ready, bring it on!

Sign of the Times

For a little while I used to go to a small independently owned running store in a nearby town. The owner and the staff got to know me and I enjoyed going in there to talk about races, shoes, gear, etc...Over time, it became inconvenient for me to go there. They closed before I got home from work and closed early on Saturday before the Sabbath ended. The apparel and other gear were all name brands and very expensive.

Slowly but surely I found myself going to a nearby big box running store to support my running habit.Their prices are good, they are open late during the week and Saturday night, and their selection of stuff is much larger and they have something for every budget. What I missed were the personal touches from the smaller store. No one got to know me, they didn't care about what I races I was running. They were only interested in making a sale.

A few weeks ago I was in the big box store to buy some stuff, and I heard a familiar voice. I looked around and found the source of the voice, it was the owner of the independently owned store. We started to chat and he told me that he has been trying to sell his store. Between the economy, on-line retailers, and big box stores, business was not good and he wanted to cut his losses. I felt bad for him but he said he's happy working in the big box store. His hours are more stable, he has benefits, a regular paycheck, and at the end of the day, he still gets to do what he loves.

Now that I know someone in the store, I'm starting to consider this particular big box store my local running shop. There is someone I can talk to about my running who is not just interested in making a sale. They are also involved in the Bergen County running community. They sponsor many races, and they organize group runs on the weekend albeit mainly on Saturday :(

I try as much as possible to support local, independently owned business. They give back to the community and get to know their customers.

The Transition Has Started

My Newton Terra Momentus, which I bought at the New York City Marathon expo have finally made their way our of the box and on to my feet.

Sunday was a rainy and windy day in NJ. I've been fighting a cold so rather that run my step-up intervals outside and risk further illness, I decided to run on the treadmill. Now that my 2010 racing season is over, one of my goals for the off-season is to transition into my Newtons. What I have been struggling with, is how to change shoes mid-run. Brandon suggested I carry my other shoes in a small sport bag on my back. I'm not crazy about the idea, I think it will be uncomfortable have the shoes bump into me. Coach Jeff suggested I run 2 miles in the Newtons, stop at home, change into my other shoes, and continue on. I think this could work, I just have leave myself enough time to finish whatever run I have to execute that day.

Back to Sunday....I put on the Newtons and took my other shoes with me to the gym for a 9 mile step-up interval run. I ran the first 2 miles in the Newtons. I have to say, they pretty good. The shoes did not feel awkward and I didn't find myself altering my gait because I was in the Newtons. After 2 miles, I paused the treadmill, changed shoes, and continued the run.

Many Newton runners I've spoken to, said to transition slowly. Coach wants to see a video of me running in the Newtons. We'll then talk about what else I need to do to improve my form and finally make a complete transition for my 2011 spring marathon training cycle (more on this shortly).

Chanukah Special: 8 Races I'd like to Run in My Lifetime

I've been a bad blogger. The last race I wrote about was the Jerusalem Half Marathon for the 2nd night. As tonight is the last night of Chanukah, I will include the remainder of the races in one post.

Night 3: Jerusalem Marathon:
The first ever 26.2 mile road race in Jerusalem is scheduled for March 25 2011. Unlike, the Jerusalem Half Marathon Course, the Marathon course does go through the Old City including, Jaffa and Zion Gates, and the Western Wall. I hope that the race coverage is focused on the actual race and not on the Arab - Israeli conflict.  Jerusalem is a hilly city, check out the elevation profile:

Night 4: Great Wall Marathon:
This is looks like an unbelievable race. A portion of the race includes 5,164 steps of the Great Wall of China.

Night 5: Disney Marathon:
What's not fun about running through Cinderella's Castle, other famous parts of all 4 Disney Parks (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot Center, and Disney Hollywood Studios). as an added bonus, marathoners get into the parks for free after their race on Sunday and the day after on Monday. The Goofy Challenge, which includes the half marathon and the full marathon, is also something I'm interested in. However, the half marathon is held on Saturday.

Night 6: World Marathon Majors Not Named Boston or New York:
That would be Chicago, London, and Berlin. New York was my first marathon in 2007 and Boston, well, you'll just have to keep reading. I think it would be nice to say that I've run all 5 World Marathon Majors races.

Night 7: Big Sur International Marathon:
Big Sur is described as a beautiful but brutal race. It offers beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean but it also includes a 2 mile, 700 foot climb up to Hurricane Point then a 500 foot descent to the half way point on the Bixby Bridge. There's also someone playing a grand piano at the half way point on the Bixby Bridge. Click here for a virtual tour of the course. It looks absolutely stunning.

Night 8: Boston:
Boston is the race that most marathoners train their butts off to qualify for. Boston is the world's oldest marathon and is often considered the "holy grail" of marathoning. My BQ time is 3:15. I think this is out of my league. MY BQ time goes up by 5 minutes to 3:20 when I turn 40 in 2 years. If I never get to run Boston, I will be proud of the races I've run and not feel like less of a marathoner.

So there you have it, 8 races I'd like to run in my lifetime. As I said on the first night, these are not the only races I'd like to run, they're just a sample. Maybe I'll pick 8 more and do another 8 day series for Passover.

What are some of the races you'd like to run in your lifetime?

Chanukah Special 8 Races I'd Like to Run in My Lifetime

Night 2: The Jerusalem Half Marathon

Jerusalem is the holiest city in my religion. It is mentioned frequently in our daily prayers. At the end of Yom Kippur services and the Passover seder we declare "Next Year in Jerusalem."  It would be cool to run a half marathon in my holy city. The course itself does not go through or near the Old City but it would be special to run the same hills that Maccabees did when fighting the Syrian-Greeks and when Israel Defense Forces defeated its Arab enemies in 1967 to re-unite Jerusalem. According to the race website, there are plans for a full marathon in Jerusalem in 2011.

Chanukah Special: 8 Races I'd Like to Run in My Lifetime

Tonight is the first night of Chanukah. Which means it's time for the 2nd annual 8 day Chanukah special on this blog. Last year, I wrote about 8 things I loved about running.

This year I am going to write about 8 races I'd like to run in my lifetime. All of these will be road races, no trails, relays, or ultras. Some of these will be in exotic locales and some might be a little closer to home.. Believe me, I have many more on my list but Chanukah is only 8 days long. I'm going to save my #1 race for the last day. The other 7 will be in no particular order.

Night 1: Brooklyn Half Marathon

What's so special about the Brooklyn Half? In it's current form, it is the only race that is preventing me from being able to complete the New York Road Runners Half Marathon Series. The Half Marathon series consists of a half marathon in each borough of New York City. The Manhattan, Bronx, Staten Island, and Queens halves are all held on Sundays. The Brooklyn half is the only race in the series that is on a Saturday. You all know by now that I don't run on Saturday. The course starts in Prospect Park and ends on the boardwalk in Coney Island. It would be really cool if, for one year, NYRR held this race on Sunday so me and my fellow Observant runners can participate and have a chance to complete the series.

Totals for November 2010

Total number of Runs: 15
Total Miles: 86.40
Total Time: 12:20:08

Average Distance: 5.76 miles
Average Time: 49:20
Average Pace: 8:33

November was chock full of fun:

• I picked up my first pair of Newtons at the New York City Marathon Expo. 
• A few days later I spectated said marathon from 86th and 1st. 
• I ran a 5k to benefit Lil Ansky's School.
• I was a guest on the Geeks in Running Shoes pocdcast where I talked with Jason and Ray about balancing running with life, family, and my observance.
• I played a small part in helping a friend complete his first 5 mile road race at the Rockland Road Runners 5 mile Turkey Trot.
• Yesterday, I did my last run of the month. It was a lunch time run with Allen and another colleague who would like to run his first marathon in 2011. This colleague is new to running so I stayed back to run at his pace. There is nothing like encouraging others to get into running even if it means running at a slower pace than yours.

The plan for December is go into "maintenance" mode and spend more time focusing on form and transitioning to my Newtons. Because New Year's Day fall on Saturday, I will not be able to run the Fair Lawn Sunrise Rotary 1st Day 5k. My next race will probably be the Manhattan Half Marathon at the end of January.

What are your plans for the off-season? Do you have any winter races planned?