Some Thoughts Before the NJ Marathon

Race day is is just over 3 days away. I've had a lot of people ask me this week "how are you feeling?" I'll try and answer that question by sharing some of thoughts and strategies for the race:

• My goal time is 3:50. I don't want to aim too high and then be disappointed. I think 3:50 is realistic goal considering how I've trained. I'd rather be surprised than disappointed.
• My mantra for this race is "run your own race." NJM is a 2 loop course. This means that the 5,000+ half marathoners will be running side by side with me for 13.1 miles. I have to cognizant that the half marathoners standing right next to me at the start line will go out at a faster pace. I cannot get caught up in that. If I do, my race report will be 3 letters every runner hates to see next to their race result DNF.
• To help me along, I plan on utilizing the pacers. All of the pacer pace based on marathon finish times. I'll hang with the 3:50 pacer and if I feel good towards the end I'll let it fly.

So many of you have been so supportive during this training cycle. It has not been easy. I've had periods of doubt and frustration. I thank you for the words of encouragement. This blog has allowed to share my highs and lows with people who get how I'm feeling.

I know this weekend is a big race weekend across the country. To all of you who are racing this weekend, GOOD LUCK!

Lastly, NJM does not have remote runner tracking, so you will not be able to track my progress during the race. I will not be tweeting or updating my Facebook status during the race. I will be sure to share my unofficial time with all of you after the race. BRING IT ON!

One Week to Go

I met up with a few local running buddies at Englewood (NJ) Boat Basin portion of Palisades Interstate Park. I've been itching to run there for a while so I decided today would be a good day to do it. If you're looking for a scenic yet very hilly place to run close to NYC this is the place. I'll share the elevation profile at the end of this entry. This is mainly a cyclist's heaven. There were plenty of hard core cyclists out trying conquer the rolling hills of Hudson Drive. Rumor has it that this is where Lance Armstrong trains when he is in New York.

Back to the run.....With an up hill run from the boat basin to Hudson Drive, I immediately knew this was going to be a tough run. With the NJ Marathon exactly one week from today and an April heat wave upon us (the temperature at 7:30 was right around 70) I took it very easy. I made sure to hyrdrate and not push the pace on the uphills or downhills. I did an out and back from Englewood to Alpine, about 5 miles each way. According to SportTracks, I ran 10.45 miles in 1:33:21 for a 8:56 pace. I've certainly run 10+ miles at a faster pace but considering the heat and the hills I'm happy with the run.

Here is elevation profile:

My Daughter Cracks Me Up

This brief conversation took place when I came back from my run this morning:

Daughter: "How far did you run?"

Me: "Only 6 miles."

Daughter: "Only 6 miles? That's not enough for you!"

I must have left out tapering when I talked to her about marathon training. BTW...she'll be 8 in July.

Wednesday Night Speed Session - 4/22/09

I was looking forward to last night night's workout. I missed the 2 workouts because of Passover so I wanted to get one last speed workout in before NJM. I noticed there were a lot of new faces there last night. It's great to see fellow runners trying to get faster.

Last night's workout was 2x800 @5K pace, 2x600 @3k pace, and 2x400 @mile pace. The traffice lights agreed with us last night so we got to the track earlier than expected. Joe, the pacer for the 6:30 group, imediately told his group that they'd be doing a 1200 before the 800s. That gave my pacer, Tiffany, the idea of running an extra 800. Great!

Here are the splits for the workout:
800s: 3:23, 3:29, 3:31. Tiffany felt the first one was too fast so she slowed us down for the last 2.
600s: 2:30, 2:29
400s: 1:30, 1:31

By the time we got to the 400s, I was really struggling. My legs felt like jello but I grinded through it.

This was a good workout to say goodbye to Nike Speed for a while. It kicked my ass, but it restored some confidence that was missing. I've blogged recently about feeling undertrained for NJM. After last night, I feel a lot better. On the cooldown back to Paragon I talked to Joe about feeling undertrained. He reassuered me that I've put in the miles, that I've been coming to Nike Speed regularly, and said that I'd do great on May 3. I really needed the boost.

Starting next week, I'll be taking a break from Nike Speed until early June. I will start running about a week after NJM but the pacers suggested I take about a month off before I come back.

I'm not going out of my mind yet with the taper. I have a feeling that will come next week.

NYC-area Running Bloggers Happy Hour

Calling all NYC-area running bloggers... on May 14 all NYC-area running bloggers are invited to a happy hour. We follow each other's training in the greatest city in the world, it's about time we put faces to the blog. Click here to find out more.

In a word, STUNNING

I'm talking about the new Yankee Stadium. I went to my first game in the new park tonight and I was blown away. The things that impressed me the most were The Great Hall and the open concourses. You can now see the field while waiting on line at the concession stands. It's hard to describe in words what the place looks like so I'll share with you my pictures.

The Yanks won tonight 5-3. Pettitte pitched a good game, Brett Gardner made a great catch in center field, Damon hit a home run, and Rivera got the save.

Update: I forgot to mention it was also the first night game in the new park.

Sunday Long(ish) Run

With the NJ Marathon 2 weeks from today, I decided against running 18 0r 20 this morning. I settled on just over 14 in Saddle River County Park. I wanted to keep the terrain flat so that I wouldn't injure myself on any uphills or downhills. Also, I had some running podcasts to catch up on so I needed someplace safe to run.

The purpose of today's run was to practice my nutrition and hydration strategies. Through trial and error, I've found that alternating water and Gatorade starting at mile 4 and taking a gel every 6 miles works best for me. That's what I did today. I took some Gatorade at mile 4. At mile 6, I took my first gel and washed it down with water. I then alternated water and Gatorade for the rest of the run. According to the information on the NJM website, there will be fluid stations every 2 miles so I hope to follow this strategy on race day. I had all sorts of problems at Marine Corps because the fluid stations were not evenly spaced.

Overall it was a good run. My legs felt fresh and I did not experience any calf pain. Pacing-wise, I ran faster than I will on May 3. I don't think I can maintain a 8:09 pace for 26.2. I haven't really thought about my goals for this marathon. Quite honestly, I'm feeling a but undertrained for this race. I've completed one 20 miler, and one 19 miler. If all went according to plan, I would have ran at least 2 20 milers, maybe 3. There's not much I can do about it now so LET THE TAPER BEGIN!