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Chicago Marathon

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Location:

New Palestine,IN,USA

Member Since:

Oct 23, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

5k - 18:59 (3/09)
4M - 25:06 (9/09)
10k - 41:01 (11/07)

Half - 1:25:58 (11/09)

Marathon - 3:06:33 (12/09)

Short-Term Running Goals:

1:25 for the half marathon
Sub 39:00 for the 10k.
3:07 marathon
18:30 5k

Upcoming Races



Long-Term Running Goals:

Break 3:00 for the marathon.

Personal:

Married, two daughters (18 and 15).  Masters runner trying to get competitive in my age group.

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Saucony Ride 5 (Red) Lifetime Miles: 372.70
ASICS Excel 33 Lifetime Miles: 152.00
Saucony Ride 7 Lifetime Miles: 249.00
ASICS DS Trainer Lifetime Miles: 212.20
Asics Cumulus 16 Lifetime Miles: 241.30
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
143.5042.200.000.00185.70
Saucony Ride Miles: 22.00Acis DS Trainer Miles: 14.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

Cool, crisp morning (46) and just ran an easy 5 miles. Felt good and ran along easily. The weather was perfect today. I hope for a day like this for the Chicago Marathon.

40:25

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
2.508.000.000.0010.50

Great morning for running (44) and light wind. Today I did a MP run. I broke it up into two segments since I am tapering and it would be less stressful. I did 2 x 4 mile at MP with a 1/2 mile jog between. The goal was to run them at 7:15 pace. Here are the splits:

1st - 7:01

2nd - 7:13

3rd - 6:53

4th - 7:12

5th - 7:11

6th - 6:59

7th - 7:06

8th - 7:07

I felt good this morning but did have a little pain in the hip and my hamstring was tight. The MP miles were comfortable but I probably pushed some of them a little. I couldn't get into a steady pace but hopefully that will be better in the race when I am not running by myself. These MP runs are starting to feel better which gives me some hope.

1:17:48

Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

Another good day for running (48) and just did an easy 5 miles. My hip and hamstring felt better today but still a little sore. I have been doing some extra stretching and that seems to be working. Otherwise felt good and relaxed so just cruised along. I plan on doing around 12 tomorrow which will be my last longer run before the marathon. Today I was able to check the 10 day forecast for the race and looks good but says chance of rain. Good luck to everyone running marathons tomorrow!!

39:45

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Awesome morning for running (45, sunny). I went out for an easy 12 miles which is my last "long" run before the marathon. I felt really good and the pace came easy. I still have a few aches and pains but it might be me just being paranoid about everything. I had to hold back today because I was feeling good and wanted to run faster but kept with the plan. I will do one more short MP run next week but other than that everything next week will be easy. I am starting to get excited for the race. I am going to have to really spend some time this week coming up with a plan that I feel comfortable with. I have not been real sure about what pace to shoot for so I need to nail that down.

1:34:04 (7:50 avg)

Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

Very nice morning (48) and just did an easy 6 miles. I felt good this morning and the taper seems to be working. I run most of the time with a HR monitor and I am running these easy runs much faster at the same HR during this taper. Hopefully that will be the case in the marathon that I can maintain a faster pace without pushing the HR too high. Unfortunately, I have to go out of town on a business trip this week. I was hoping to make it to the marathon without travel again. The travel makes it difficult to sleep, eat right and get the runs in. Luckily, since I am in the taper I am running much less so should be able to get all of my scheduled runs in. The only significant run this week is I am going to do a short MP run in the middle of the week just to shake the legs out and keep a feel for marathon pace.

46:39

Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

I am in Washington, DC today and it was a nice morning (46, but windy).  I just ran an easy 5 miles.  I felt good and just took it real easy.  The route I did today was fairly hilly which is a change for me but felt good to run something different.  The taper is still going ok but I am getting to the point that I am ready to go.  I wish the race was now so starting to get a little antsy.  Now I am starting to get worried about the weather.  After weeks of having these great mornings in the high 40's now the Chicago forecast is saying mid 60's for race start.  Not the worse weather but I sure would have loved to have one of the 40 degree days.  It is still a few days out so maybe it will improve..... or get worse.  Still going through the plans for race day pace but that will depend on the weather.  I will have to see how aggressive I will be based on the conditions.  Tomorrow I am planning my last MP run but it will be short probably around 4 miles.

39:41

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.004.000.000.007.00

Still in DC. Nice morning (50, calm). Today I did my last MP run before the marathon. I wanted to shake the legs out and get a trail run for the race. The plan today was to do 4 miles at a little faster than MP. I was targeted 7:10 for the 4 miles. I did a couple of mile warmup and the legs were feeling a little tired this morning. I didn't sleep very good last night I had a splitting headache but luckily felt better this morning. As I started the MP run my legs still didn't feel that great which is not a good feeling this close to the marathon. It seemed to get a little better as I went along. Here are the splits for the MP miles:

1st - 7:09

2nd - 7:05

3rd - 7:05

4th - 7:00

I did these on the track since I am in DC and didn't have any route where I could measure the mile splits. So probably a little faster due to that. Pretty good run but wish the legs felt better.

The weather for the marathon still doesn't look the best. Could turn out to be a pretty warm day. I think the main problem is that the race temps will be almost 20 degrees warmer than what I have been running the last 6 weeks so my body will probably not be adjusted as it was earlier in the summer. Oh well, nothing I can do about that just have to adjust my race plan accordingly.

53:11

Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.000.000.000.004.00

Last day in DC will be heading home tonight.  Did a real easy 4 miles this morning.  It was 63 degrees this morning and I felt good.  My legs felt better today then they did yesterday.  Probably will do the same kind of runs the next couple of days just to keep loose and be able to stretch out.

31:49

Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.000.000.000.004.00

Nice morning (52) to run an easy 4 miles. I felt good and did some strides to stretch the legs out. I feel ready to go. I will be heading up to Chicago in the morning and hopefully be ready on Sunday. Since I probably won't have much time tomorrow for an entry I will lay out my plan today.

Here is my plan...

I thought that I might be capable on a good day of a 3:10 but with the weather and humidity going up I think I better revise my goal. Since I need a 3:20 to qualify for Boston that will be my main goal. I think it will be good if I can be a BQ in the bag and then come back again in the spring or next fall and shoot for a better time. What I don't want to do this weekend is go out too hard and then drag in the last few miles and miss out on the BQ. I think that if I go out around 3:20 pace then I can see how I am feeling around 18 miles or so and if I feel good pick it up from there. So based on this I am hoping for something around 3:15 to 3:20 range. Now I am just ready to get going and see what happens.

31:40

Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
2.000.000.000.002.00

Warmer this morning (58) but just did a couple of easy miles to warm up the legs so I could stretch out effectively. I feel good and ready to go. We are heading off to Chicago now!

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Race: Chicago Marathon (26.2 Miles) 03:37:36
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.0026.200.000.0026.20

Here is the short report....   All I can say now is it was a really rough day.  The weather was a killer and pretty much doomed me for the BQ.  I went out to try for the BQ but by 12 or 13 miles I knew it was not going to happen.  I slowed down from there and spent the last 10 miles just jogging in around 9:30 pace.  I was getting cramps in both my calves and thighs and every time I tired to go faster they would lock up.  So I just stayed at the slow pace to try to make it in.  Definitely not what I wanted but nothing I can do about the weather.  So now I am two for two in struggling in marathons.  This might not be for me...  More later (maybe)...

Full Report

Pre-Race: I went up Saturday to Chicago with my family and it was very nice to have them along for the experience. They just did some shopping while I picked up my packet and rested in the hotel. That night we went to the World Vision team dinner. I got to hear Bart Yasso and Ryan/Sarah Hall speak about what World Vision is doing to help in Africa. I slept good in the hotel and got up ready to go. In the last few days before the race I was concerned about the weather mainly because I have spent that last month running early in the mornings in very cool conditions. Looking back at the log it has been a month since I ran in 70 degree weather.

Race Plan: Based on the weather being warmer and I knew I need to slow down the pace or I would pay the price but didn't know how much to slow down. I finally made the decision that the reason that I was running was to try to get the BQ so I would stick to that plan and see what happens.

Miles 1 - 4: Chicago is a massive race but I was able to get to my corral pretty easily and had about 15 minutes before the race to stretch and relax. The start was pretty cool. Massive amounts of people lining the streets cheering. I got sucked into the group I was surrounded by and ended up running first 2 miles at 7:15 pace which was faster than I wanted. After this settled down a little but still ran first 4 miles at 3:10 pace.

Miles 4 -8: I got into a good rhythm here and pace was around 7:20 which was better but still a little fast. It was during this stretch that I got through the initial excitement of the race and was able to realize that I didn't have my best today. It was already feeling harder than it should at this point.

Miles 8 - 13: I was still holding the pace together at this point and actually came through the half at around 3:15 pace. I was not feeling the best. I was having some problems with my stomach. Not sure if it was from the Gu's or fluids I was taking in. I got water or Gatorade at every aid station to try to stay hydrated. I saw my wife and kids at mile 12 which picked me up.

Miles 13 - 18: During this stretch is where I really started to feel rough. The stomach was feeling bad and I was loosing the energy in my legs. At this point I knew that I had a few minutes in the bag for the BQ so I thought if I could slow down to 8:00 minute pace I could still make it in with the BQ. I was able to do that to around 18.

Miles 18 - 22: My idea of holding 8:00 min pace was starting to slip as each mile was getting a little slower. I think it was around mile 20 or 21 that I got passed by the 3:20 pace group. I tried to hang with them and was able to for a little while but then they started slipping away. This was the final realization that the BQ was not going to happen. Looking back I lost a lot of motivation at this point. My legs were cramping and I was feeling sick. The pace started dropping big time here.

Miles 22 to Finish: Not much to say here just trying to survive to the finish. I felt like I was barely moving. Several times I thought of just packing it in and quitting but I was running for World Vision and all of the sponsors that gave to the cause plus I couldn't do that as an example to my kids. So I trudged on to the finish and I was very glad to see it come. I thought I was going to fall down after the finish. My legs were just fried. After getting some fluids and food I was able to shuffle back to the hotel.

Post Marathon Analysis: First of all I will say that I feel better today about it then yesterday. Looking at the positives. I completed the my 2nd marathon, will raise over $1000 dollars to help starving kids in Africa and had great love/support from my family. Looking at it this way sounds like a great day!

Now for the other side. So with a day to look back and think about what went wrong. I know that I went out at a faster pace than I could hold given the conditions. I think if I would have went out at a pace for a 3:25 I might have been able to hold it. However, that still would not have achieved my goal so I don't regret going out too fast. I had to give it a shot. I feel better crashing and burning like I did knowing that I gave the BQ a shot than I would have if I went out easy and ran something like a 3:25. I don't know if this is just something that is a training issue or what but the warm weather really effects me. I ran a half a few years ago and got the same results. As far as training goes. I thought it went good but the part of my training that could have been better is longer MP runs. I was just getting to the point where I could handle the higher mileage when I started to taper. I think with a consistent higher mileage base I would be able to do more MP runs leading up to the marathon. So I will put my head down and keep going. I have no idea what is next as far as the marathon goes but I definitely want to run some shorter races to hopefully get some confidence back. I am in need of a PR at some distance just to know that I am heading in the right direction.

I would like to thank all of you on this blog for the advice and encouragement along the way. I probably wouldn't have even made it to the starting line without you all and it has made the journey much more enjoyable!

Comments(12)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

The legs were pretty sore today and very rough to do down the stairs. I got a little walking in going to my daughter's XC meet. I normally run around and cheer her on but today I was stuck at the start/finish line. After I got home I rode easy on the bike for about 3 miles and will do an ice bath later. Hopefully will be back running easily in a few days but not rushing it.

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
2.000.000.000.002.00

Legs were better today but still sore. I went out for a very easy 2 miles to see if that would help get rid of some of the soreness. It was a very easy run and I had to go very slow but as I went along I felt some better. My legs were still sore when I finished and I couldn't run anywhere close to normal pace. I will continue to take things slow and see how I feel tomorrow.

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.000.000.000.004.00

My legs felt much better today but they are still sore. My left quad is the worse. I did a few easy miles today and I almost felt like I was running normal again. I was still sore the whole run but seemed to get better as I went. I will still be taking it easy the rest of the week. At least the mental part is coming back as I have been looking for some upcoming races to enter so the desire to run is still there.

34:20

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.000.000.000.004.00

Most of the soreness is gone from my legs. I only noticed it when I was going down hills otherwise soreness was gone. My legs still felt kind of weak/wobbly when I was running but my pace was back closer to normal so that felt good. It was a real nice morning around 44 with just a light wind.

33:09

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

Great morning to run today (43, calm, sunny). It was the best that I have felt since the marathon. My legs don't have any more soreness in them and my pace was almost back to normal. My legs do still feel weak though. I feel like I have been recovering pretty well. I will still take it easy next week as well to make sure that I am fully recovered before I get back into the training mode.

49:16

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

First morning below freezing this fall so had to break out the gloves and long sleeve shirt but still ran in shorts. I felt pretty good this morning. I had a little bit of a cold the last few days so yesterday's rest was good. I feel like I am almost over it so hopefully tomorrow will be back to normal. I felt good running but my legs still don't have much zip to them but my pace was back to normal for easy runs. Still plan on taking it real easy this week. I am itching to run fast but I need to hold back to get through this marathon recovery.

48:25

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

It was a nice day (47, but very windy) and I felt really good. I started off easily but soon felt like picking up the pace so I just went with it. I feel like I have finally shook this cold and my legs felt normal for a change. I didn't really push the pace I just ran at what felt comfortable but didn't hold back the pace either. It felt good to run a little bit faster for a change. Since the disappointment at Chicago I have been itching to get back and be able to race again. I feel like I am capable of so much more right now but it doesn't matter how I feel until I actually prove it in a race. I am looking at several upcoming races including potentially another marathon before the end of the year. I still want to give myself another week so that I am completely recovered from Chicago before I jump into something else but I need to get some races under my belt to get back mentally as well and restore my confidence in running.

59:27

Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

Another frosty morning (32, calm) and went to Southeastway park. I ran easy around the park and through the trails. It was dark when I got there so had to watch the footing but got some light about half way through the run. There was nobody else in the park so I enjoyed just being out there by myself running and enjoyed the beautiful fall leaves. After I got home I did a core workout.

50:29

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

It was a little warmer this morning (36) so I just went out in shorts and a long sleeve shirt. I forgot to check the wind so I was a little cold the first half of the run going into the wind. Felt much better coming back. I felt good running this morning. I feel like I am getting back stronger each day. I will not do any faster running this week but if all goes well I will start some workouts next week. Kids are off on fall break today and tomorrow. We had planned some activities but a real good friend of mine is in the hospital with a some complications from a bleeding ulcer so we have their kids staying with us. Probably just let the kids hang out around the house now.

63:23

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

Cold and raining this morning so just ran on the treadmill. Nothing special today just an easy run. I have been feeling good and hope to go for a longer run tomorrow. We had a family get together last night for my brother in law who has been working overseas so got to bed late and was a little tired this morning.

40:15

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.004.000.000.0014.00

I made it official and signed up for the Huntsville Rocket City marathon. After the disappointment at Chicago I really felt that I had to give myself one more shot at a decent marathon this year. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate this time. So back to the training...

It was nice this morning (43) but pretty windy. Since Huntsville is more hilly than I am used to I want to get some time running on rolling hills. There is about a 1 mile stretch of road close to my house with some rolling hills so I ran over there and then ran back and forth on that 4 times to get in some hills. I felt good running today and gradually picked up the pace as I went. The last 4 miles were probably close to MP but I was not checking my splits. It was a good run today.

1:48:05 (7:43 avg)

Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

It was cool (40) and very windy for the run today. I felt good and ran easy after yesterday's rest day. The wind was a factor when running into it but just tried to keep it easy and relaxed. I am trying to get back to normal mileage this week if everything goes well.

62:09

Saucony Ride Miles: 8.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

I ran at lunch today in Southeastway Park. It was a pretty sunny day but cool (37) and windy. It was really nice running through the park with all the leaves turning color and it felt good to have the sun shining on me instead of the early morning runs. I felt good today and race ease on the first two loops of the park. The last two loops I picked up the pace some but my legs felt kind of heavy so didn't want to push it too much. On the last lap I did 4 x short hill sprints then about a 1/2 mile jog for a cool down.

65:35

Acis DS Trainer Miles: 8.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

I ran at lunch again today. I guess I am being a wimp and avoiding the colder temps in the morning. I know I will have to face them soon but luckily my schedule this week has allowed me to run later in the day. It was nice today (48) but very windy. I just did an easy run today. The last couple of days I haven't ran hard but they weren't easy runs either so needed a easy day. I am planning a progression run tomorrow so hope to be fresh.

63:15

Saucony Ride Miles: 8.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

It was a cold (26) morning and I had planned to do a medium length progression run but went out and way under dressed for the temperature. I didn't check the temp before I went out so was in shorts and a long sleeve shirt. I thought I would warm up but never got warm so decided to cut the run short and then do my progression run this afternoon. I felt ok running just couldn't get warm and didn't feel like I would be able to run fast. I didn't realize it was in the 20's until I got back.

49:05

Well the day got away from me and I never did get back to the second run. Too much going on at work and with the family.

Saucony Ride Miles: 6.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

Warm morning (44) with some light wind. Didn't have much time today either so was able to get in 6 miles. With Halloween tonight we have some activities that we are helping with at church so probably all I will get in today. I felt good but just ran easy. Hopefully, next week I can get into some more serious running. The Huntsville Marathon will sneak up on me if I am not careful.

47:43

Acis DS Trainer Miles: 6.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
143.5042.200.000.00185.70
Saucony Ride Miles: 22.00Acis DS Trainer Miles: 14.00
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