Sub 3 Baby !!!

A Bit of History

"Sub 3" has been a goal for a very long time.

I may not have run my first marathon until 2009, but I'd been telling people ever since my teen years I'd run a sub 3 hour marathon one day.

It was a magical threshold.  My '4 minute mile'.

Laughable, since I didn't have a clue what was involved.

I remember telling a work colleague in Chicago when I was 32 that I thought I could do it.  He actually had run a sub 3, and I can still remember the incredulous look on his face.  With very good reason.  I couldn't run more than a few miles at the time.

Looking back - that has been a source of embarrassment.  Something that's helped drive me.  One of many incidents.  One day I needed to back up my boast.  One day I needed to show that it wasn't idle talk.

I finally started training for my first marathon when I hit 40, and scraped the Boston qualifier in Chicago 2009.  Although I needed the extra seconds.

3 hours 20 mins 23 secs.

I now realized how tough it would be to go sub 3.   Maybe I've left this too late.  I felt I could run faster, but didn’t know how.

2 months later I ran CIM.  3 hours 17 mins

I ‘discovered’ a group of runners online at Runners World.  That provided the ‘support group’ that I didn’t know I needed.  It was the best thing that could have happened.  Turned out to be a lifestyle changer too.

Started following a real plan – Pete Pfitzinger’s Advanced Marathoning, although I ignored the pace guidelines.  Just train harder and faster.  Stupid.  I got injured before my first boston marathon.

3 hours 45 mins

Painful.  But a good lesson.  Not invincible.

Learn.  Train smarter.  Train slower.  Listen to your body.

Chicago 2010 in the heat.  3.08

Validation.  9 minute PR in sub-optimal conditions.  Maybe this could actually happen.  I might actually be able to run that sub 3.

Attempt 1.  Boston 2011.  Fail.  3.05.  I didn’t respect the course enough.  Ran too fast early for my form and the last 6 miles ate me up.  But I remembered.  I learned.

Attempt 2.  St George 2011.  Fail.  3.04.  Wilted in the heat.

Attempt 3.  Tucson 2011.  Fail.  3.09.  Running New York as a training run the previous month - 3 marathons in just over 2 months.  Paid the toll.

Something needs to change.   Try a different training plan – Brad Hudson's book.

Attempt 4.  London 2012.  Fail.   3.06

The summer of 2012 my performances have really deteriorated.  Brad Hudson is based in Boulder – show up and start to run with his group.  Some amazing athletes.

Realize that Brad only coaches the elites – but 2 of his elites offer their own training.  Start working with Benita.

Attempt 5.  Berlin.  Fail.  3.04.  This time though – something was different.  I was gaining confidence.  I cramped and lost 2 minutes late.  I’d have run 3.02.  I was getting closer.

Attempt 6.  Tucson 2012.  Fail.  3.03.   Fell apart late again.

6 times I'd gone for it.  6 times I'd come up short.

I thought I should be able to run sub 3 – but I still didn't really believe it.  When things got hard late – which they inevitably do – I gave myself the excuse that I couldn't do it, and ‘let’ it get away.

Benita and James have formed their own group with the Boulder Center of Sports Medicine.  BCSM.  Not exactly catchy, but a very supportive tightknit group.

Benita tweaked my plan, and I start doing a true mid-week speed session.  Pushed on by the other runners who’ve nearly all run sub 3.  I realized I belonged.  Realized I can hang with these people.

Run several races and set big PRs, taking down runners who’ve run well below sub 3.

Crush training runs.  Faster than I've run before.  Confidence abounds.


Boston 2013

One of my favourite quotes is from Michelangelo:

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark. "

The most memorable performances for me have been from friends where they've come out and stated their goals ahead of time.  TeamCam in Chicago with his "Sub 3 or over 4" mantra.  Zab's "balls on the table" in Chicago.  Bird and his sub 2.30 in Boston with the cannoli.

Put a goal out like that - and there's no place to hide.

Despite the previous failures, I wanted to embrace the sub 3 target.  I printed it on my shirt.  I made it clear that was the only goal.

But this time I believed it.

Still, I did my best to sabotage it.

My mind is my worst enemy.  Some of my friends can sleep well the night before the race – even oversleeping.  Most can sleep well the week before the race.  I can’t do either.

For 2 to 3 weeks before, my sleep is miserable.  It’s been this way since I ran Chicago in 2009.  Invariably I wake up in the night and my mind starts to race.  Quickly followed by my heartbeat.  By race week I’m lucky to get 4-5 hours / night, and that’s even taking sleeping aids.

As a result I always feel like crap by race day.  I think that likely costs me several minutes over my potential.

Talking to Benita the night before the race – she told me that was probably the case – but my potential was 2.55 or better.  So even losing those few minutes – I was still going to run sub 3.

I believed her.


Race Day

The temps in the 30s in the village hadn’t materialized.  It felt warm walking from the village to the start with Chad and Matt, but really nothing to complain about.

Which didn’t stop Chad and me from complaining about it.

Still, compared to the previous year - this was a no excuses kind of day.

I was in the 5th corral and had planned to run with a friend Jim in the same corral, and hoped Kevin and David in the corral behind would be able to catch up.  Run as a group.

Jim and I moved to the back of the corral, and we could see Kevin waving 15 yards behind.  We agreed to run down the left side of the road so he could catch us.

With a minute until the gun, I chugged gel number 1.  I was also going for a gel PR today too.  I was starting with 8.  My stomach felt a little heavy – I think I’d overdone the bagels that morning, so I was concerned the gels wouldn’t be absorbed as quickly as I needed them to be.

I was starting the race with a 20 oz bottle of water to try to minimize my general hydration suckiness.  I was also taking salt caps.  I took 2 of those with water.  Partly for the salt, and partly because I believed they help offset the acidity of the gels and aided the stomach to absorb the contents more quickly.

Up ahead a small gun sound, and we were off.

Slowly.  We walked for several minutes towards the start line, and 30 yards shy we began jogging.  Watches and garmins were pushed, and it was on.

All that training, all those miles.  All those years.

3 hours to suck it up and get it done.

Less than 3 hours actually.

The first half of the first mile in Boston shelves downhill.  With all the pent up excitement and crowd noise, it’s very easy to take off too fast.  That’s the rookie mistake.  I’d made it before, and was determined not to this time.

Once again I was using Greg Maclin’s pace band.  I’d optimistically printed out a band for 2.55, but there was some method to the madness.  Normally I’m a ‘fader’ over the last 6 miles.  In the pacing I’d set those to be my fastest miles.  I figured that way I was really going out on 2.57 or 2.58 pace, and if I felt good at the end – I’d be able to hammer it home.  My training had suggested I could definitely run 2.55, but marathon PRs are not run in training.   On a course like Boston, with the hills towards the end, nothing can be taken for granted.

Jim and I ran together, no Kevin yet.  First mile split.

7.08

Right in range, but now we need to start to pick it up,  It was hard.  Starting towards the back of a corral of people who'd qualified at around 3.04, meant we had to pick our way through gaps.  At the same time we didn't want to be one of 'those' people sprinting down the side of the road to overtake.  We'd be seeing those people later.

Kids lined both sides of the road as always looking for high fives.  This time I tried to minimize them.  In previous years I'd got caught up in the excitement and high fived the whole way the first few miles.  Energy lost.  Conserve.

6.52

First water stop.  Despite running with a 20 oz bottle, I decided to drink at every stop.  I was already warm, so I also dumped water over my head at every stop too.  This was something I remember from TeamCam's Chicago 2010 race report.  I may look like a drowned rat in photos, but I knew I was a cold weather runner, and wanted to try and keep myself as cool as I could.

Jim was taking all the tangents, whereas I was trying to stick to the left side of the road for Kevin to find me.  We'd run together, then Jim would peel towards the right for a curve, and then join up again.

6.36

Gaps started to appear and I noticed the bibs of runners around us were now in the 3xxx and 2xxx range, so we were now with others running at or under sub 3 hour pace.

Through the 5K in 21.12, once again marvelling how persistence and a good training plan can help.

A little over 4 years ago. 21 mins would have been a 5K PR.

6.34

4 miles in now.  Time to take a gel.  I'd experimented in training using caffeinated gels for the first time.  I had 4 with caffeine and 4 without.  While the taste of the caffeinated versions was slightly bitter, I felt that they gave me more of an energy lift.  I took one with caffeine.

6.45

5 miles.  Still running with Jim, although we'd split up and regrouped multiple times as each picked our own path and tangents.  WHERE IS KEVIN ?  My legs were starting to feel a little heavy, which was worrying.

Too early for that.

I mentioned it to Jim and he said his felt the same way.  Something about the undulating nature of Boston seems to do that.  Fortunately I'd started training sessions this cycle with heavy legs and had had great runs, so I had the confidence that I knew I could overcome.

Once again confidence preventing the negative thoughts from becoming a factor.

6.39

My friend David from Denver suddenly appeared.  Bouncing along and running very easily.  I introduced him to Jim, and then I ran with David as we chatted.  That was the last time I saw Jim during the race.  Despite starting behind me, David was clearly in good form.  His lifetime PR is in the 2.40s and I felt like he was pulling me along faster than I wanted to go.  After passing the 10K point in 41.49, I told him I'd let him go.

6.35

Through 7 miles.  Within 10 seconds of the goal time for this point on the pace band.  I was running by feel, and really just using the pace band for confirmation.  I wasn't getting caught up in trying to hit each split.  A time of 2.55 would be great, but it was going sub 3 that was the main goal.  Other than the heavy legs I was feeling pretty good.

6.42

Another gel.  A normal one this time.

6.42

More water dumped over my head.  Very consistent splits here.

6.42

Where the heck is Kevin ?  10 miles in - I'm guessing he's gone past me by this point, or is having a bad day.  He has the same pace band.  Surely we would have met by now ?  I was running solo.  My legs were feeling heavier and I felt like I needed a boost.  I thought I'd be running with friends the whole way so wasn't planning on running with music.  Since I was using my spiel belt to keep salt caps in, at the last minute in the village I'd stuck my ipod shuffle and some lightweight headphones in too.  I fished them out, and managed to get the cord threaded under my shirt and to my ears.  On came the music and I transported myself back to my training runs.  I'd had a 16 mile effort with 4 x 4 mile sets, finishing well under marathon pace.  16 miles to go here too - I already knew I could do it.  I'd take the headphones in and out during the race, torn between wanting to hear the crowds and experience the race, but also wanting to lose myself in the music and ignore the fatigue in my legs.

6.45

11 miles.  15 to go.  Break that into chunks.  Think about the milestones ahead.  The scream tunnel in Wellsley.  The half way point.  The fire station turn.  The hills culminating in Heart Break.  Crossing the train tracks.  The Citgo Sign and Fenway Park.  Cannoli Corner, and then Right on Hereford, Left on Boylston.

6.34

And there was the scream tunnel.  I manouvered my way to the left of the road so I wouldn't get knocked over by runners veering over last minute for a snog.  I checked out the signs and enjoyed the distraction.

6.44

Through the half in 1.27.49.  Over 2 minutes in the 'bank'.  I knew that wasn't the way to think about it - but other than the heavy legs, I was feeling good, and it was comforting to think I could run a 1.32 second half, and go under 3 hours.

Think of friends and family back in Denver, friends in Chicago, home in England.  I knew they'd be tracking, seeing the splits come up.  Wondering it they thought I was going too fast.  I certainly didn't.

Still - the second half at Boston is a lot harder than the first half.  Heartbreak Hill had lived up to it's name last time for me.  In my mind I pictured a monstorous steep hill.  Would those 2 minutes be enough ?

6.43

Just ticking along.

6.44

In my mind knowing every mile under 6.51 pace was getting me closer to sub 3.

6.33

And now we were into the hills.  Run by effort.  Expecting to get splits around or over 7.00 pace.  That's perfectly acceptable.

6.58

Feeling good.  Just over 4 miles until the hills are done.  28 or so minutes.  Then it's mostly downhill.  I really have got this.  Wow.

7.00

Was that hill number 2 or 3 ?  I don't remember.  Hell - I'm really not noticing these hills.  They certainly don't seem to be as steep or long as I remember.

The splits I'm posting here were adjusted post race to account for the extra 0.25 miles my garmin measured.  At the time, each was displayed as 4-5 seconds quicker, so I was seeing miles in the 6.40s and 6.50s as I ran through the hills.

6.43

Really ?  6.43 ?  I'm 19 miles in.  I know Heartbreak will be coming up in just over a mile.  I'm feeling remarkable good.  These hills aren't so bad.

6.56

Through 20.  Now I want to see Heartbreak.  The hills have been pretty easy.  I'm realizing the mind has a big impact on how they're perceived.  Last time they were mountains, this time they were merely hills.  I'm actually looking forward to see how Heartbreak would appear.

And there it is.  Really ?  That's actually nothing bad.  Not nearly as steep as I remembered.  It looks like a hill I run every day near my house, just longer.  Run by feel, run by effort, once you get to the top - it's mostly downhill to the end.

7.17

Ok - that's it.  Over the top of hearbreak.  This was the plan all along.  Get here with something left in the tank, try and pick things up, and finish strong.

Evaluate.  I do feel pretty good, but I also remember that I've felt good with 5 or 6 miles before.  Still too early to push it.

6.50

This is starting to hurt a little bit.  Not like in previous races, but I'm not running as easily as I was earlier.  No shit Richard.  Remember the sign you saw in the first half.

"If Running A Marathon was Easy - it would be called your Mom"

That had me chuckling for a good minute.

For the first time I'm noticing a few people are overtaking me.  Crossing 22 miles I see I've got 31 minutes to go until 3 hours.  4.2 miles in 31 minutes.  That's just under 7.30 pace.  Make sure you run every mile under 7.30 pace and you've got this.

6.59

I feel a slight tightness in one of my hamstrings and remember in Berlin where I had big cramps the last few miles.  They came out of the blue.  Take nothing for granted was the lesson I'd learned there.  Everything can change in an instant.

2.55 was out, so I decide to 'settle for a sub 3'.  lol - that's not something I thought I'd ever write.  I'm still feeling reasonably good.  I know I could probably pick up the pace slightly but don't want to run the risk of pushing things too hard and cramping.  I recollect a race report from an English friend Tom in London where he had the very same issue at the end.

This running community that I'm a part of is amazing.  Learning for each other.  Remembering anecdotes.  Now my stated sub 3 goal was forcing me to stay focussed.  I didn't want to have to explain to my friends how I'd let a golden chance slip.  So many had told me they thought I would finally do it.  Don't want to disappoint.

7.04

There's a headwind ?  Ok good.  So no one can put an asterik next to this sub 3.  Counting down the miles.  Running within myself, but definitely not easily.

7.04

Ticking along.  Last hill at the Cisco sign.  I remembered that from last time.  That had been miserable and unexpected then.  Now I was ready for it.

See the 25.2 mile point with the clock.  One Mile To Go.  8.30 minutes to run a mile.  I’ve definitely got this.  Can you say 'Sub 3 Baby'.  I can.  And I do.  SUB 3 BABY !!

A quarter of a mile to Cannoli Corner.  A group of friends who weren't running meet at a pre-arranged spot at mile 25.5 and hand out cannolis and beers to our group.  I'd fully anticipated grabbing a cannoli for my finish line picture, but now I wasn't so sure.  The thought of running 3/4 of a mile holding that made me gag slightly.  I'd already managed to get down 7 gels.  500 calories of cream and fat wasn't particularly appetizing right now...

Get over to the left of the road.  Up ahead searching the crowd for my friends.  Finally - there they are - yell - they yell back - arms raised, flying by like an airplane shouting 'sub 3 baby'.  Great boost.  I'm able to pick up the pace.

Right on Hereford, left on Boylston.  Oh yeah.

7.10

And there's the finish line.  I got this.  Reflect a little on how long this journey has been.  Much longer than most people realize, from the days of those naive promises.   I wonder what my time will be.  I'm guessing 2.57.xx, but it doesn't matter.  Point at my shirt and yell 'Sub 3 Baby' again.  And over the line.

6.34 for last 0.2 miles

2.58.31.  Really ?  Wow.  Cruising in like that I lost more than I realized.  It shows how some slower miles at the end can really make a dent in the time.

But it really doesn't matter.  SUB 3 BABY !!!

I always thought I could.  I didn't realize how long the journey would be.  But I got it.

Thank-you everyone.  I definitely didn't do this by myself.  Many of you helped.  From tips I've gleamed from race reports, from inspiration I've gathered from your performances, from words or comments in person or online.  It all played a part.

The next day, I reached out to my friend from my working days in Chicago.  Social media is a great thing.  We hadn't spoken to each other for more than 12 years.  I thanked him for his motivation.  I wanted to make it right.  I finally had.

After a race, I always analyze what happened to learn for future cycles.

This was a novel experience.  Normally I'm trying to figure out what I need to tweak to improve.  This time I wanted to try to understand what had changed that allowed me to run 5 minutes quicker than I had in December, on what was definitely a harder course.

In a nutshell, I think it was the speed work, confidence and coaching.

Adding true speed on the track once / week - gave me a surprising increase in both speed and strength.  I also believe - that change of pace helped contribute to a 6 lb weight loss.

I didn't run any more miles.  I didn't change my diet.  But I lost 6 lbs.  That's a lot less weight to carry 26.2 miles.

Confidence.  This time I knew I could do it.  This stemmed from the running improvements, but also my running group and my coach.  The mind plays a big part in a marathon.  For me it had been one of the weaker aspects in previous races.

Instead of doing straight marathon paced runs, I was doing runs where the pace changed.  I'd run multiple blocks of 3-4 miles, the first block slower than MP, then the next at MP, then the final set faster.  This gave me the confidence to know I could pick up the pace and run faster, even when my legs were tired and heavy.  This confidence was very useful in Boston.

I'm not sure what my goal is now.  I do believe I can run faster in the marathon.  Sub 2.55 perhaps.  I'd also like to get my half time below 1.23 to 'qualify' for New York.  Improve the 5K and 10K times.  Complete the Majors 'again'.  Run some 'destination' races for fun.

But if I didn't run another step, I'm going to be satisfied now.  

I'm always going to be able to say I ran that sub 3 marathon.  

Finally.

------------------------------------

And while purposefully not mentioning it here - obviously the joyous nature of the day turned very sad later on with the bombings.  Many of my friends were closer than I was, many impacted far more profoundly.  It took some time before I felt I could truly 'enjoy' the accomplishment, and 3 weeks before I felt comfortable publishing this.

Like many, I wasn't planning on running Boston in 2014, but now I think I will.  Show 'them' that you can't take this away from us.  From the runners, from the supporters, from the people of Boston.

I read a quote on facebook at the time that rang very true.

"If you're trying to defeat the human spirit, marathoners are the wrong group to target"

5 Continents of Running

A quick summary of 2012.

I had 2 main goals for 2012.  Complete the World Majors of Marathons, and run a sub-3 hour marathon.

From that perspective, 2012 could be deemed a bit of a failure.

I ran London and Berlin, and did indeed complete the 5 Major Marathons.  Until the following month when they decided to add Tokyo to the mix.  So now I've only got 5 of the 6.  I'll have to wait until 2014 to try to complete the set again.

The sub 3 marathon continued to be illusive.  London I didn't really go for it.  Berlin and Tucson I did, and both times came up just short (3.04 and 3.03).

But I'd be remiss to not reflect on a year that allowed me to run 50 or more miles on 5 of the 7 continents.

Through work or play, I got to run in Europe, in London and Berlin.  In Asia in Dubai.  In Africa in Cape Town.  In Australia in Perth and Sydney.  And obviously in the states, in multiple places.

I ended up with just over 2,500 miles for the year.  That was 500 down on 2011, when I ran my first - and probably only - 3,000 mile year.

Despite the lower mileage, my marathon times didn't seem to be impacted.  It looks like I can perform as well with 60 miles / week in a training cycle, as I could when running 70-80 mpw.

The goal for 2013 is simple.  Run sub 3.  With my new coach, Benita, and the group from the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, I believe it's definitely attainable.

Boston in April will be my 12th marathon.  Maybe that's the one ?  If not - then I'll try at the next one.

Below are some of the maps from my garmin showing some of the locations I've been lucky enough to run in in 2012.

So despite failing with the 2 main goals - 2012 was a good running year !

Dubai, including running around the man made 'Palms'

South from Cape Town along the coastal road, running in the shadows of Table Mountain

Laps of the Swan River in Perth

The 26.2 mile route of the London Marathon

A Hilly 6 mile loop I found in the Northern Beaches in Sydney

The Berlin Marathon

2011 quote. "I'll never run Tucson again"

In 2011, after a disappointing St George marathon, I scrambled for another race to attempt sub 3.  I chose Tucson.  Maybe it was the 3 marathons in just over 2 months (I'd run New York too), the warmer weather, the lack of runners around me, but it didn't go well.  I ended up staggering home in just over 3:08.  The 'downhill' screamer of a course was definitely not as advertised.  There were a lot of ups too, and the downs played a number on my quads.  I was definitely one and done with Tucson.  No interest in going back.

In 2012, the 'scramble for another sub 3 attempt after the goal race didn't quite go to plan' process led to me selecting CIM - the California International Marathon in early December.  Never mind the fact that I'd run it in 2009 and had said I was 'one and done' with it.  This year a number of my friends were going to run too.  A few years removed, I felt a little nostalgic.  A sea level course, with a net downhill, and the promise of good December weather in Northern California.  I was in good shape after Berlin.  Maybe this would be 'the one' ?

I was all signed up and ready to go.

And then the weather happened.

Rain and wind.  The forecasters were predicting it 10 days out.  I checked each day, but things weren't changing.  Several inches of rain on race morning and a strong (30 mph) partial head wind.  It looked miserable.

Given I was only running CIM for a sub 3 attempt, I decided not to go.  I looked for an alternative, and lo and behold - there was Tucson the following weekend.  A number of my friends decided to switch too.  CIM was out, Tucson was in.

Turns out it was a good thing.  Here's a photo of raceday at CIM...

One positive of having run Tucson the previous year was that I knew what to expect.  A steep downhill first mile, then net uphill with undulations for the next 4.  Then a gradual downhill to mile 10, with then 2 more miles of net uphill, including a couple of fairly steep ones.  Then mostly downhill until mile 24, then a nasty uphill, just when you don't want one, and rough uneven roads to the end, finishing for some reason - on a sand road.

I flew in the day before, hit the expo and met friends from the Boston RWOL board.  I met up with my Denver friends in the hotel, then hit an Asian place for dinner.  It was an early start so I went to bed soon after 9:30pm.

With the help of ambien, I managed to sleep fairly reasonably until the 4am alarm.  Left the room by 5, and was on the bus to the start soon after.  It was only just starting to get light at 7am as the gun went off.

Initial temperature was around 40 degrees.  Perfect, although I knew from the previous year that as the sun rose, and with most of the race along a blacktop highway, things would be warming up.  It may be early December - but this was southern Arizona after all....

I was starting with a 24 oz bottle of water.

The first mile shelves and I tried to hold myself back from going too fast.  Along side I saw a running friend, Scott.  His PR was 2:55, so I didn't want to slow him up, but he seemed happy to run the first few miles with me.

I was using Greg Maclin's pace band.  The plan was to hit the half a little over 1:30, and then make use of the 10+ downhill miles after that to run a negative split.  The previously year I felt I'd worked too hard the first 13 miles, and paid dearly the last 6.  I wanted to avoid that.

Mile 1:  6.51

Perfect.  A little fast, but excusable with the downhill.

The next 4 miles were rolling.  Scott and I ran together, chatting.  Grabbing water at the stops every 2 or 3 miles.  Other people would come and go, but mostly we were slowly moving away from people around us.

7.08, 7.06, 7.07, 6.52, 6.48

I still had my water.  I wanted to nurse it as long as I could, and take on as much from water stops as I could.  It was more by feel with the hills, but the splits were right on track.

After mile 6 we joined the main highway.  We were running down the hard shoulder.  The road wasn't closed, although there were road cones to at least warn on coming traffic of runners.  This was the point I knew we needed to pick it up a little.  Make the most of the next 4 miles gradually going downhill.

6.41, 6.39, 6.40

I was still running with Scott.  I kept telling him that he didn't need to run with me, although was secretly happy that he was.  We went through the first hour.  One down, two to go.  Probably the most relaxed and enjoyable first hour of a marathon I'd had.  I definitely felt I was running within myself.

Finally Scott decided he'd push on.  He opened up a small gap, but not much.  I wasn't trying to stick with him, but he just seemed to stay 30 yards ahead up the road.  I debated catching him but fortunately decided not to.

6.47

At this point we turned off the main road for the 'Biosphere Loop'.  This had got me the year before.  Very undulating, with the first 2 miles up hill.  This time I tried to continue to run by effort and not get caught up with the splits on the watch.

7.10

With the biosphere being an out and back, we got to see the race leaders coming the other way.  3 of my friends from Denver would be coming the other way before I turned.  Heather was the first past, leading the ladies race and looking good for her promise to break the course record.

Next up was Mike.  We saw each other and came to the middle of the road and high fived as we passed.

7.17

Scott was still only 100 yards ahead and told me later he was surprised I was so close to him at the turn around.

Now it was my turn to see the slower runners going in as I headed out.  I looked for my RWOL friends, but to no avail.

6.39

Hit the half in around 1:30:20.

Perfect.  Right on track.

My legs were a little heavy, but not as bad as they'd felt in Berlin.  Now was where the work would begin.

6.48

Out of the biosphere and back onto the main road towards Tucson.

I knew I had 20 seconds to catch up, and each time a mile went below 6:51, I mentalled subtracted the difference.

Pretty quickly I realized I was now back on target.

6.38, 6.42,

Just keep this ticking over.

It was getting warm.  I'd finished the water before we turned off the biosphere and I found myself looking out for water stops.  I was parched.  I wished several times the stops were more frequent instead of every 2-3 miles.  When they came along there were typically just a few people and the cups had very little water.  I tried to grab two at one water stop but after I took the first, the volunteer pulled the second cup back.  Fail.  Thirsty.

It was at this point the previous year that things had started to go south.  Mile 17.  I'd started to drift off pace and then fell apart badly.

I was conscious of that and wanted to avoid it.

6.39

Ok - definitely doing better than last year.


There was another runner from the group in Boulder who I'd met that morning.  She was going for 2.55 so I hadn't expected to see her, but there she was just up ahead.  I used her as a carrot and reeled her in.

6.37

6.45 for mile 19.  7 to go.

7.01.  Uhoh.  That's not good.  But just 10 seconds over and you had a cushion.

Still - it's work. I'm forcing myself to work.  Don't give in to the pain.  A few people are starting to go past, although I'm still passing others.

7.09.

Crap.  Still - you're just under target.

Just hang on for 5 more miles.

7.20

Shit !  I'm struggling.  I'm realizing I'm not going to get it again.  I keep trying to put in bursts to get back.  If someone overtakes me I resolve to get in their slipstream and speed up.  I do, but it only lasts 50 yards and then a gap opens.

I later worked out that through mile 22 - I was still just under sub 3 pace.

7.29.  38 seconds too slow.  That's really it now.

7.33.  Just hang in.  You'll be turning off this bloody highway soon,

F**k - that hill is a ba$tard !!!  A nasty incline.  I remember people walking there last year.  Hell - I think I did too.  But just 2 miles to go.  Don't fall apart and you're still going to PR.

7.49.  Ugh.

Ok - last mile.  I remember this.  Uneven road, looping around residential neighbourhoods and then back to the finish.  Look ahead for the turn - it seems to take forever.

And then - in the last mile - I run past a water stop that looks like it was taken from one of the marathon majors.  A good one hundred yards long with 50+ people giving out water.  Where were these people back on the highway ?!

Hold it together.  Suck it up.  See another RWOL friend who yells encouragement.  Try to pick up the pace a little.

7.32

Almost there.  Make the turn.  It really is f**king sand !!  Who could be that cruel to finish a marathon on sand ?!!

7.07 for the final part and over the line in 3:03:14.

A 55 seconds PR.

I'm really not happy though.  I was parched, staggering and once again just the wrong side of my goal. So close yet so far.  The last 4 miles again.

I met up with my friends.  Heather had won the women's race and crushed the course record.  Mike wasn't far behind her.  Scott too had run strongly.  From being together almost at the half, he'd flown down the last 13.1 miles and finished in 2:55.  A full mile ahead of me.  That's how to negative split a marathon !

I did end up coming 3rd in the 40-44 year old age group and getting a nice bit of Aztec Art.  And as I tell others all the time - "a PR is a PR" !  Hard to be too disappointed.

Quickly back to check out, I then spent time with my RWOL running friends before heading for the flight home.

It just means I'm going to have to work harder through the winter and get that sub 3 in 2013...

Berlin - Running the World Marathon Majors. Temporarily.

It's taken me a while to write this.

If I'd written this in October - I'd have been able to talk about Completing the Marathon Majors.

The 5 major marathons around the world.  Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London and New York.

When I finished - I definitely thought I was one of the select few to have run the set.  And I was.

Until last month, when they decided to add a 6th World Marathon Major.  Grrr !!

So tentatively - I'll be heading to run Tokyo in February 2014.


The Build Up

My running summer had not gone particularly well.

There were no injury issues, but for the first time since 'restarting' running late in 2008, I wasn't getting faster.  In fact I was getting slower.

It was a hot summer.  We had 73 days over 90 degrees in Denver, with 7 over 100 degrees.

And I was traveling internationally with work.  24 hours at a time in an airplane, with the accompanying jet leg definitely wasn't helping.  My training paces were slow.  If I ran faster, my heart rate went through the roof.

I ran 2 half marathons over the summer.  Both were 5 minutes slower than the previous year.

Not exactly inspring confidence.

I wondered if I might have an iron deficiency.  How could I be sucking so badly ?

Then as Berlin started approaching, a new work trip to Australia materialized.

There was a chance I'd have to chose which I wanted to do, but fortunately timing worked so I could do them both as one big trip.  The plan was to go from Denver to Berlin, run the race, then immediately fly to Singapore and then onto Perth.  Work 11 days, then fly to San Francisco, via Sydney for another week, before returning to Denver.  26,500 mile round the world trip.  DOMS the day after the marathon, in cattle class on a 18 hour flight to Australia.  Sounds like fun....

Berlin was the last of the 5 majors for me to complete (or so I believed at the time).

It was also the least enticing to me.

I'd lived in Chicago for years, so that had special memories.

Boston was the 'everyday runner's Olympics. You have to qualify and achieve that special 'BQ'.

New York I'd heard so much about.  It was the biggest, with supposedly the best crowds.

London is London.  The one that I'd promised myself I'd run as a 12 year old watching the first running.

But Berlin ?  The only reason I was doing it was to complete the set.  Perhaps because of the stories of the war from my grandparents growing up, but Germany was never a place I'd felt the urge to visit.  I envisioned a very industrialized landscape, with very serious people.  Not very interesting.

So in short.

• I wasn't particularly 'excited' about the event.  
• My form sucked.  
• I had a 3.5 week work trip to think about and pack for.  

Not exactly ideal preparation.


Berlin

I flew into Berlin less than 48 hours before the race was due to start.  I caught the metro to my hotel in the Mitte area of the city - just to the east of where the Wall had been.  Walking along partly cobbled streets, with cafes, restaurants and boutique stores, I immediately started to change my opinion of the city.  There were very few cars, lots of people walking and cycling.  Very laid back.

I hit the expo that afternoon - in a hangar of an old airfield in the city, and spent most of the Saturday hanging out in the Mitte in coffee shops, interspersed with shoveling carbs down my throat.

I had a very good, very spicy Indian dish the evening before the race, then went back to the hotel and watched college football via my slingbox connection to home.

The 8 hour time difference meant that, for the first time ever in a marathon and perhaps the first time ever before a race, I slept until the alarm.  No matter my body clock thought it was still 10pm at night - I felt reasonably refreshed.

Like Chicago - Berlin is a big loop of the city, starting and finishing at the same park, running through what was both East and West Berlin.

The start was just over a mile away from my hotel in a large park - the Tiergarten - so I walked.  

The bag check area was well marked, but then the directions from there to the start line itself was confusing.  I'm sure it was compounded by my lack of German language skills, but with less than 20 minutes to go I noticed many runners, like me, frantically trying to figure out where to go.

I finally found the right path for my corral and walked through a wooded area of the Tiergarten.

Unlike Chicago, New York and Boston where you find people desperately trying to find somewhere to use the bathroom at the last minute - here there was an obvious choice.  Lots of trees.

In Berlin you are seeded by your estimated time.  Signing up in 2011, I'd over optimistically put myself into the 2:50 - 2:59 grouping, which was still only the 'C' corral.

Speedy Europeans.  As with all big races, we were packed in pretty tightly a few minutes before the off.

And then the dancing started.

Literally.

On came some aerobic dance music, and 90% of the runners started jumping and dancing together as part of a warmup routine.  It felt like stumbling into a macarena convention.

Crazy Europeans.

My 10th marathon, and the 10th time I'd used the trash bag porto potty trick. Unfortunately this time - I hadn't been able to find a gatorade type bottle with a wider lid.  Perhaps because of the more stringent re-cyling movement, but the bottles in the shops all seemed to be the regular smaller sized water bottle openings.

There was a lot more 'aiming' and a lot more 'missing' than normal inside the trash sack that morning.


The Race

9am on the dot.  As you'd expect in Germany.  We were off.

The first 2 miles were straight along a wide road, with a large roundabout with a statue after half a mile, with runners streaming round on both sides.

Except it wasn't half a mile in.  It was 0.8 kilometers.

In the other 4 major races, markers had been placed at both the mile and km marks.  I'd naively expected the same.  Nein !  There wasn't a single mile marker on the course.

The 26 pace split markings on my forearm to check each mile were useless.

I was totally dependent on my garmin.  Which turned out to be an issue.

While I didn't believe I was in sub 3 shape - I didn't want to run an easy race.  I decided to start off a little slower, pick things up, hit the half in just under 1:30, and then see how long I could hang on.

The first half mile was crowded.  Clearly a lot of others had over-estimated their goal time even more than me.  I had to duck and dive.  While I wanted to start slower than goal pace (6:51 / mile) - I didn't want to be in too big a hole immediately.

Things slowly opened up and I hit the imaginary 1.608 kilometer mark...  the paces I'm posting are all taken from my garmin.

7:09

The course was heading west - away from the Brandenburg gate.  The crowds were noisy.  It was fairly cool early on (high 40s I'd guess), but blue sky and the sun rising.

6:50 

Nice.  On pace.  We turned north and crossed the river.  Then started heading east.  Maybe a little faster.

6:41

Suddenly I could feel something on my shoe.  I looked down and my laces on one shoe were undone.  Rookie !!  That's never happened before.  The timing chip they provide is one that needs to be threaded through the laces.  Clearly I hadn't double knotted the thing.  I debated running 23 miles with it undone and quickly thought better of it.  I pulled to the side and stopped and tied it up.

15 seconds lost.

6:52

I was starting to recognize the area we were running through.  It was where I'd run the morning before as a shake out run.  To the right was the Reichstag, and then we were heading into the Mitte.

I'd read Hitler's biography 10 years before and remembered some of the history of the area with Reichstag being burned.

And before you start making assumptions of me on the far right fringes with a shaven head - I read Churchill's and Stalin's too that summer....

6:35

A bit over eager there trying to make up for the shoelace stop.  The crowds were impressive.  Pretty much the whole way.  Berlin was definitely up there for support.  I'd probably rate it equal with New York and London for whole course support, with Boston and Chicago a little behind.

6:52

A big contrast between Berlin and London is the water stops.  In London - they're every mile, where you can take a bottle of water or sports drink.

In Berlin they were a lot less frequent, and the cups were made of a very brittle plastic.  You couldn't crush them into a V shape to drink without the thing cracking or you spilling it all down your front.  As a result, I once again was probably taking in less fluid than my body wanted.

6:40

This was feeling pretty good though.  My garmin was telling me I was now slightly ahead of pace.

Take it easy.   It was warming up.  The temperatures were only in the 50s, but it was bright sun without a lot of shade.  Not as cool as I'd hoped.

6:45, 6:43, 6:41, 

I was trying a new approach to my gels.  Previously I've had a hard time keeping more than a few down.  3 is the most I've managed in a race.  One of the theories from the testing I had done at the Boulder Center of Sports Medecine was that carbs could be an issue.  I'd changed to a Powerbar gel with a dual carb mix (maltodextrin and fructose) to aid faster absorption.  This time I was going to try and swallow 6 of the things.

At the 3, 7, 11, 15, 19, and 23 mile points.

Or whatever the hell that was in kilometers.

6:41

My 3rd gel.  I wasn't getting that queasy feeling in my stomach that I've had in the past, so maybe this was going to be okay.

6:50, 6:48

The garmin had me averaging around 6:46.  I'm not naive enough to trust it completely.  Rarely is it completely accurate with it's infamous 'garmin drift'.  But add 5 seconds / mile - and I seemed to be on target.

As we approached the half - I had my first, and really only chance to get an accurate measure of my pace.

We crossed the 21.097 KM point.  I checked my watch and saw 1:29:48 for the half.

Ok - that's about perfect.

My coach had given me an analogy of riding the bus.  For the first 3/4 of the race - you try to take things as easy as possible.  Sit on the bus, don't do anything you don't need to do, conserve your energy.  Then the last 1/4 - you need to get off the bus and work.

Unfortunately for me.  I was at the half way point and was already off the bloody bus pushing.

This wasn't feeling as easy as it should at the half.

But I wasn't going to slow down.

6:42

I'd read a quote in an article by Greg McMillan on the plane that resonated.

"You ain't gonna get out of the race pain-free so you gotta pick the pain — the pain of the race or the pain of regret." 

I'd had that pain of regret before.  I felt I'd been too quick to give myself permission to slow down when things inevitably started to hurt.

This time I was prepared for that.  I was determined not to give in.

One mile at a time.  Grind.  Grind.  Embrace the pain.

6:50

Gel.  Spill water down my front.

6:49

6:51

Still definitely grinding.

While my garmin showed me still on track overall, I was a little skeptical.  By this point in the race - people are normally starting to slow down.  I should be overtaking more people if I'm maintaining pace.  Instead - I notice a few people overtaking me.

7:05

Uhoh.  That was partly due to a crowded water stop, but I could tell I was slowing.

6:51

A slight second wind.  I think that's the first time that's happened to me.

Gel.  Spill water down my front.

6:55

7:00

7:03

22 miles in.  My garmin was showing 6:50 overall pace.  I wasn't thinking too clearly.  I thought I might still be on pace for sub 3, but in my heart I felt by the fact that more people seemed to be passing that I was now behind.

But I wasn't giving up.  I figured I could get to 5K to go, and push to make up the 30 or so seconds.

7:06

Grind

7:03

Grind

Crike !  I'm 24 miles in, the wheels haven't fallen off.  It really does seem to be partly mind over matter.

I think the sub 3 has probably slipped by, but I'm not falling apart.  I'm going to run a 3:01.  That's a 3 minute PR.

Boom.  Suddenly my right leg locked up with agonizing cramps in my hamstring.  No warning - just boom.  I stopped dead in my tracks and almost hit the road, yelping.  I tried to stretch, and after 20 or so seconds the pain subsided.  I gingerly started up again.  After a few seconds it seemed okay and I tried to get back on pace, but it was in the back of my mind - would it go again ?

7:36

At this point I was liking the idea of kilometers more.  I knew the marathon was a little over 42K.  I'd been counting them down ever since I hit 30K.  They were counting past a lot quicker than the miles were.

Maybe there's something to be said for this metric system after all.

Under 2K to go.  Think - you're going to be running through the Brandenburg Gate pretty soon - one of the highlights of the race, just before the finish line.

After several turns on side streets - I could see it in the distance.

I noticed people pointing at me and wondered why.  Later I realized I had a bleeding nipple.  Another first !  The bleeding nipple didn't hurt as badly as my legs though.

200 yards before the gate.  Boom.  It happened again.  This time the left hamstring locked up with cramps.  Are you frigging serious ?  I've never had cramps in a race before, and here I was getting 2 in the last few miles on different legs ?

This one was tougher.  It really took some time to get going.  Each step for a while felt like it was going to lock up again.

8:00

Hmmm.  That's 26 miles on the garmin.  That means I've got 0.2 to go in theory.  But the finish line still looks a bloody long way away.  I still need to get through the Brandenburg Gate, and then there seems to be another long straight until the line.

Through the Gate.  So much for finishing there - it's another 500 yards or so (as this photo shows).

See the clock counting down in the distance.  With the cramps, the thoughts of a 3:01 or 3:02 had become - beat your 3:04 PR.

Bloody garmin.  Bloody cramps.  I try to pick up the pace.  I've got a visible limp with my left leg, but the finish line is coming up fast.

Last 0.6 miles.  0.6 miles ?!!  7:18

And I'm over the line.  I missed my PR by19 seconds.  3:04:27.

I stumble back to the gear check and then stagger back to the hotel.  Later that afternoon I met up with running friends in a bar to celebrate their achievements, and drink copious amounts of Long Island Ice Tea celebrating the completion of the marathon majors.  Partei wie ein Rockstar !

Reflecting later.

Even if I'd had perfect garmin accuracy, I don't think I was on track for the sub 3.  Without the cramps and shoe lace stop, I'd have run around 3:02.

That's still significant for me.  That would have been a 2 minute PR on the back of a sub-par training cycle with limited enthusiasm.

To me that tells me the mental side is just as important as the physical.  Intuitively I knew that, but had never been able to put it into practice.  This time I felt I was much stronger mentally.  I didn't allow myself to slow down to make it easier.  I kept pushing, even when it hurt.  And I realized that I could push through.  It wasn't pleasant, but it was over at the line.

Although I did get another mental lesson.  Don't make any assumptions - even if you're just 2 miles out and things appear to be going well.    That's when I started to think about the PR I was running.  Unexpected things can happen out of the blue.  You need to be aware and stay focused all the way to the line.

The gel strategy seemed to help too.  I didn't take the 6th for some reason.  I wasn't feeling queasy.  Still, that was 2 more than I've ever kept down before.  Next time I'm taking all 6.  Something to be said for the dual carb mix perhaps.

The cramps.  That one is harder to figure.  I was taking salt caps with the gels.  The weather wasn't hot, but with the sun it was probably a little warmer than ideal.  This one might have been a lack of water with the less frequent water stops, and the hard-to-drink-from plastic cups.

I flew to Australia the next day, took a week off running, and then slowly started up again.  The race didn't seem to have taken too much of a toll, so I signed up for the California International Marathon in December.  Try and make use of my new found form and mental resolve and take another crack at that sub-3 goal without having to go through another full training cycle.

And next time I'll wear nipple protectors too.

Hudson Experiment and Physiological Testing

After 4 marathon cycles using Pete Pfitzinger's plans from his booked 'Advanced Marathoning', I decided to try something different and switched to use the plan from Brad Hudson's book - 'Run Faster' - for the London marathon.  Partly to try something different, and partly because the way I interpreted it - it was a little more intensity with the workouts, but less mileage each week.  I'd run over 3,000 miles in 2011, but didn't have the time to be able to do that with the demands of a new job that I'd started.

As you can read in my London race report - I performed okay.  Not as well as I might have hoped starting out in training, but based on my mental state going in - probably about as well as I could have expected.  My time was very similar to that of a year earlier running Boston.  Which told me that the lesser mileage and different training plan, wasn't hurting my performance.

Colorado is a hot bed of talent.  Many of the best runners and athletes in the world live or train here.  I found that Brad Hudson was actually located just up the road in Boulder.  Several of my (faster) running friends trained with the group, so one Sunday in May, I decided to tag along and run with the open Sunday run.

I recognized several of the elite runners there which was a little intimidating, but despite that - the run was fun.  There was enough variation in runners that I wasn't left on my own, and ended up running a reasonably fast - but controlled - 12 mile run. 

I talked briefly with Brad afterwards, and then started to read more about the training the group offered.  A few weeks later I went back and chatted with Benita Willis.  She's an elite Australian athlete trained by Brad, but also someone who trains other runners herself.  She was training another friend of mine - someone who's performed very well this year, winning multiple races.  The more we chatted, the more interested I became.  The group - Hudson Systems (link) is based on the European club system.  They have a club house, with a tv for live and replayed running events.  Despite having a number of elite athletes - no one was 'on a pedestal'.  Everyone was treated the same way.

The group is affiliated with the Boulder center for sports medicine.  Through them you could arrange a battery of tests to help improve training and get a better understanding of the way your body burns energy at different paces and thus fuel better in a race.

I went in to meet with Benita and James Carney, another athlete coached by Brad - and decided to sign up.  Coincidentally - Benita was the subject of the interview on the great Marathon Talk podcast that week (Marathon Talk Podcast )

Into the Boulder labs I went.

The test was in 2 sections.  

Both involved running on the treadmill with a metal frame on the top of my head supporting a face mask that measured oxygen intake and carbon dioxide exhaled.  A nose clip forcing all breathing to be done through the mouth.  It wasn't the most comfortable thing and made me concentrate on my breathing - something I rarely did.

The first test involved running for 4 minute intervals with a short break in between, each set at a faster pace.  The computer measured the inhaled and exhaled gases which could help evaluate the % of energy coming from fat burning, and the % from carbohydrate burning.  The faster you run - the more you end up using the carbohydrates as the primary energy source.  Your body only has a finite amount of carbohydrates stored in the muscles and liver, and when you run out - that's when you hit 'the wall'.  I'd visited Bonk City several times and hoped not to go back.

Knowing this ratio helps you plan a carb intake strategy to hopefully avoid that wall.

The other part of the first test was drawing blood after each 4 minutes to test the lactate levels - this to figure out how much the body was producing at different paces and also to figure out the lactate threshold.  That's the point over which your body is producing more lactate than it can break down - so a pace that isn't sustainable for long.  Combining the results of the tests - the doctor  is able to come up with the optimal paces and heart rates that you should be doing the different types of training runs at (recovery, base building, tempo, threshold etc).

My legs had been feeling heavy all week and my heart rate immediately seemed elevated to me, but I was able to suffer through and complete the test, although my finger looked like a pin cushion after blood had been drawn 8 times.

Then after a short break - the second test - running as long as I could at a set quick pace on the treadmill, as the incline was increased every minute.  You essentially run until you fall or jump off the treadmill.  Then blood is drawn again immediately after, and then a few minutes later.  This test finds the VO2 max - which measures the body's ability to transport oxygen during exercise.  That test was pretty miserable - I jumped off about 4.5 minutes in with the incline at 10% or so.  I was a bit disappointed feeling I'd quit too soon, but found out later I'd hit my VO2 max a minute before - so gutting it out longer wouldn't have gained me anything more than extra pain.  And it was pretty bloody painful enough already thank-you very much.

So what did the results tell us ?

Firstly my VO2 max reading is 61.6.  On the chart I was shown for 40-49 year old men, a 'good' reading is 44-47, a 'high' reading is 48-53, an 'athletic' reading is 54-60, and 60+ is 'olympic'.  LOL !

Although this was actually something I suspected.  Not that I have olympic level VO2 - but that oxygen deficit is not an issue for me.  When I go to sea level - I don't seem to get a lift.  I ran faster in a hilly 10K in Boulder, than I did on a flat sea level course.  When I go up higher in altitude - say to run in Breckenridge - I can maintain much the same pace as I can in Denver without a problem.  So this really wasn't good news for me - I don't get the lift that others do who live or train at altitude and then go to sea level.  I should probably try and run some of the higher altitude races - Pike's Peak, or Mount Evans Ascent...

I felt my HR was elevated for the tests.  Running at similar paces in the lab to those on a treadmill at home - my HR seemed to be at least 10-15 beats / minute higher than I saw there.

I hadn't slept well for several days previously, and it was a hot day which the doctor said could have been a factor.  Perhaps the 'lab' conditions and face mask had an impact too.

Based on the tests, it suggested my 'sub-threshold' level - a pace that I could maintain for about an hour - was 6.59 min/miles to 7.30 min/miles.  Given I've run multiple half marathons in the 6.24 - 6.35 range - that didn't sound right to me.  I can run for an hour and a half at that pace.  Hell - I've run for 3 hours and 4 minutes at 7:00 pace.  So I think the elevated heart rate perhaps played a part here.  The doctor suggested that I go and do a test on a track wearing a heart rate monitor - run for several minutes at the different ranges and get the average HR and see.  I'll be doing that later this summer.

However - the HR ranges themselves are still very relevant.  Knowing my minimum and maximum rates, as well as my lactate threshold - the sports doctor was able to identify that the HR ranges that would lead to optimal training for me.  Allowing me to recover, and get the most from each workout.

Even if my HR was elevated in the tests - these ranges will still hold true.  The theory is that I'll just be able to run faster paces within these HR ranges.

The other test of interest to me was the fuel test.  This is shown by the bar chart below.  The yellow bar shows the amount of carbs / hour I'm burning from fat stores running at that pace, the green showing the number of calories from carbohydrates.  The positive for me is that the yellow fat chart is fairly consistent across all paces, so my body continues to burn fat at a similar rate - even as I speed up.  I was told that in some people - it shelves off completely so that at high pace, all energy is coming from carbohydrate sources.  

What it shows me though is that I probably need to do a better job consuming carbs during a race.  It's hard to calculate exactly how many carbohydrate calories your body can store - the only accurate way would be to do a muscle and liver biopsy.  Not something I plan on doing....

The doctor believed it's normally between between 2,000 and 3,000 calories for someone of my weight.  If I want to run a marathon at 6:50 pace - then based on the results - I'd need to have at least 2600 calories of carbohydrates available (don't forget - you burn carbohydrates the morning of the race - getting to the start etc).  I struggle to eat gels - and often take none.  So if my body can only store 2500 calories as carbs - I'm going to come up short unless I can consume more during the race.

The next 2 days in training I ran by heart rate.  I was surprised to see at what I was considering a fairly 'easy' run pace (7.45 - 8:00 range) that my heart rate was in the 'tempo run' range.  I had been doing nearly all of my recent training at this level, except for the 'quality' runs when I'd run faster.  Based on what I now knew - I'd been training too fast.  It was no wonder that my legs were feeling heavy - I wasn't giving my body time to recover. 

The 2 key things I'm taking from this test are:

- until I can re-calibrate my paces - I'm going to use heart rate to dictate my training runs and races.  Unless it's a tempo or threshold run - I need to make sure I don't go above a HR of 145.  For recovery runs - I need to keep it below 125.  This will ensure that I recover and can then get the most out of my quality workouts.

- I need to experiment more with gels.  I have to learn to take at least 2 / hour in a marathon and keep them down.  That would give me 200 more calories from carbs / hour and should safely get me to the finish.  I learned from the nutritionalist that the gel I was using (stinger) only had 1 type of carbohydrate.  She said tests had shown that gels with a mixture - could be absorbed better.  When I take gels they seem to sit in my stomach and make me feel nauseous, so improved absorption sounded interesting.  Research had been done with some of the powerbar gels for instance that had a mixture of glucose and fructose and lead to increased absorption (Powerbar study ) - so I'll try some of these and by the time I run Berlin - I've hopefully found a gel that my stomach can handle and that can give me an energy boost.

All in all - an interesting afternoon, and hopefully one that will lead me to train smarter and improve my performances.  

If ever you get a chance to do a similar test - I'd highly recommend it.  And if you happen to live in Colorado - or even are visiting.  Go along to the Hudson Sunday open run.  You won't regret it.