March 2nd: This Is Why I Run

Oh man, did I have some fun today.

This is why I don't do selfies.

Today was the E. Murray Todd Half-Marathon, run by the Monmouth County Park System. The course starts and finishes at the Collins Arena on the Brookdale campus, and wends through Lincroft, Holmdel, Colts Neck and Thompson Park back in Lincroft. It's a really beautiful run through farmland and horse country, and it's also really challenging -- more on that later.

The last couple of days, I've had a little scratchy throat. As you know, I just got done being really sick, so this latest thing has had me concerned. And in particular, I didn't know if I would be ready to do today's run. But I woke up this morning feeling OK, took a cold pill and a couple of ibuprofen just for some insurance, and drove down to Brookdale.

One thing I noticed right away is that given the early-in-the-year date of the race, it attracts pretty much only serious runners -- or at least semi-serious runners. There were a few people that I wasn't sure were up to the challenge, but 90 percent of the runners looked to be at least at my general level of fitness. And that was confirmed as I was driving home later -- the trail through Thompson is close to the road, and I thought maybe I'd stop for a few minutes and cheer on the stragglers. We were talking about 2:15 since the start, roughly, and as I looked into the park, I couldn't see anyone left on the course.

People warming up on the indoor track at Collins

The other thing I'd been concerned about with this race was the weather. The snow isn't forecast to arrive until later, but all week, they've been warning of temps in the low 20s, which is stretching the limits of my willingness to be outside. But though it was a bit raw, it was into the 30s by start time (9:00 a.m.), so I didn't have to go to any great lengths to bundle up. There was, however, a period of light mixed precipitation about midway through the run.

When I did my half marathon in the fall, my plan was basically just to run. To that point, it was the longest distance I'd gone, and I really didn't have much of a plan, other than to try to run comfortably and get to the end. This time around, I went into it with a much better plan, and it really paid off. I carb loaded last night, and then reinforced in the morning with coffee, a couple of Kashi waffles and, in the parking lot at Brookdale, half a bottle of Chia Fresca. I also carried a Gatorade G1 packet for mid-race. The one thing I'd do a bit differently is wait a little longer to use the G1. I took it at about 3 miles, thinking that the sugar would need a little time to get into my bloodstream. But I probably should have held off another mile or two. Nonetheless, my glycogen levels were good throughout -- and that was key.

The other part of my plan that I executed well: starting slow, being patient and not expending tons of energy early in the race trying to get around people. Now, I mentioned that most of the people in this race were serious runners. But I also think a lot of those runners a) top out at 13.1, and b) don't really plan for it. The first couple of miles, I let people go by me, and when I found runners going at roughly my pace, I stuck with them for a stretch until they either took off or fell back. That paid a lot of dividends toward the end.

I also mentioned that the course was challenging. This is probably the toughest course I'm likely to run. There are four or five serious climbs, starting with a really long one in the fourth mile. This is where the training pays off. This is where not leaving the treadmill flat pays off, where doing intervals pays off, and where strength work pays off. Lots of people were really laboring up the hills. I learned today that I really love hills -- well, uphills, anyway. I'm strong in my core, in my quads and in my glutes, and I can keep my pace pretty well, so I went past a lot of people on hills. The worst hill, actually, was on Newman Springs Road in Holmdel. We were coned off to about a yard-wide track on the right side of the road, which made it really tough to get around anyone.

My goal was to get in under 2 hours, and through 5 miles, I was roughly on pace to do that -- maybe about 15 or 20 seconds behind, but that's nothing to make up in 8 miles. Somewhere not past there, I hooked up with a guy named Frank who was also looking for that general finish. We were able to chat for a few miles, and I think we probably helped each other with our pacing, too. It was during this stretch that the weather started weathering, too, so it was kind of nice to have a distraction from that. At about 9 miles, Frank took off. I wasn't yet ready to get into my serious kick, so I let him go.

The turn into Thompson Park happens right around the 10-mile mark, which is really perfect. That's where I wanted to turn on the jets a little bit, and the entry into the park was a good psychological threshold, kind of in the way that entering Central Park is for NYC marathoners.

This is the other area in which the training really paid off. Although I was a little unsure that I could sustain it for a full 5k, I started just blowing past people. I mean, seriously just running right by people who were probably having pretty good races. The glycogen was good, the aeration was excellent (though I was clearly getting closer to VO2 max), the legs felt great, and everything was going just how I'd imagined it. It was just a great feeling, in miles 12 and 13 especially, to just leave people in the dust. Not to take anything away from their races -- the people I passed in the last mile surely finished in a very good time and should be proud. But man, when you see someone really laboring, and you know you've got plenty in the tank, that's just awesome. The only regret I have is that, with my really quick final 5k, I didn't have an all-out sprint in me at the end. The last mile was probably under 8:00, or close to it, and the final 5k was about 26 minutes, which isn't too far off from my top 5k pace.

No medals, but a pretty decent shirt that will come in handy for St. Patrick's Day

So...drumroll...an official finish of 1:56:36. That beats my fall 13.1 by 4 minutes, on a much
tougher course. According to one calculator I found online, that portends a 4:04:12 marathon -- not too far from my dream goal. And the NJ Marathon will be an easier course, too, so between that and some more speed training, I may well get there.

Well, tomorrow's supposed to be a rest day. But it's also supposed to be a snow day, and I may not be able to resist the temptation for a couple of slow miles with Lily. Then back into the grind, topping out on Saturday with 18 or 19 miles. Man, I hope I can get some cooperative weather -- I really don't want to spend 3 full hours on the treadmill.

Total miles since starting the blog: 387.0