"Running is like golf: Everyone has their input and none of it's right. Running is basic: Just breathe, and don't give up."
~ Michelle Beadle
January 26, 2014
Thought of the Day
January 24, 2014
I'm Famously Anonymous
Reading Runner's World on the plane and I see...me? Yup. Under the yellow arrow pin.
January 19, 2014
Meb Wins Houston!
They said he was too "old" at 38? GTFO. Meb just won the USA Half Marathon Championships in 1:01:23, taking home his 22nd national title.
What's that for the old man? Oh, just a nifty little 4:42 per mile.
"...there have been people who are more talented than me — but no one should out-work me. No one should out-smart me. If they have the talent I can’t do anything about it, but other small things I think I can do and help me be a better runner and a better human being and a better person and hopefully inspire others to get the best out of themselves." — Meb
Run to win Meb!
What's that for the old man? Oh, just a nifty little 4:42 per mile.
"...there have been people who are more talented than me — but no one should out-work me. No one should out-smart me. If they have the talent I can’t do anything about it, but other small things I think I can do and help me be a better runner and a better human being and a better person and hopefully inspire others to get the best out of themselves." — Meb
Run to win Meb!
January 18, 2014
RIP. Run in Peace.
The story of Meg Cross Menzies really hit me, maybe it's because I'm a newish father to a beautiful girl, maybe it's the unity of the running community, maybe it's just that time of year to be reflective as we turn to a new racing season. Thought about it a lot over my two runs this weekend, and you know what?
I refuse to say "Rest in Peace"...I doubt she's getting much rest in Heaven; she's with other runners and they're running with winged shoes, never glimpsing "the wall" and setting PRs with each step. No one is watching a Garmin, no one is having a "heavy legs" day, and no one has to put Glide on their nipples.
Newton's first law says a body at rest will remain at rest unless an outside force acts on it, and a body in motion will remain in motion. For the past two days, that outside force acting on those at rest, maybe 90k of them, was Meg. And I have to think she remains in motion, running intervals across Heaven while St Peter chases her in sandals to hand her Honey Stingers (I can't imagine in Heaven they eat Gu, that flavor comes from somewhere else). She's challenging Pre to 10ks, and she's on a Ragnar relay team with 11 of the Apostles (sorry James the Less, you're driving).
Though I may not know Meg yet, I expect to see her later, lined up on a starting line when my time pounding Man's pavement has passed.
Long may you run. All of you.
I refuse to say "Rest in Peace"...I doubt she's getting much rest in Heaven; she's with other runners and they're running with winged shoes, never glimpsing "the wall" and setting PRs with each step. No one is watching a Garmin, no one is having a "heavy legs" day, and no one has to put Glide on their nipples.
Newton's first law says a body at rest will remain at rest unless an outside force acts on it, and a body in motion will remain in motion. For the past two days, that outside force acting on those at rest, maybe 90k of them, was Meg. And I have to think she remains in motion, running intervals across Heaven while St Peter chases her in sandals to hand her Honey Stingers (I can't imagine in Heaven they eat Gu, that flavor comes from somewhere else). She's challenging Pre to 10ks, and she's on a Ragnar relay team with 11 of the Apostles (sorry James the Less, you're driving).
Though I may not know Meg yet, I expect to see her later, lined up on a starting line when my time pounding Man's pavement has passed.
Long may you run. All of you.
 Ran 6 and 10 miles for #MegsMiles this weekend. |  Run in Peace. |  A worldwide impact. |
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January 7, 2014
Polar Vortex Run
Ran Flying Pirate in tropical storm, ran Marine Corps Marathon in opening winds of a superstorm, now I can check 'running in a polar vortex' off the bucket list.
Ir wasn't the best run, but since couldn't get out this weekend, I really needed to log some miles. So I ran a quick four miles in 15° weather with a wind chill of 5°. Between my thermal tights and my thermal jacket, nothing was too cold except for my face, and I was huffing on a few hills since I don't have my winter lungs yet.
Though my Tauntaun froze before I reached the first marker, I managed to snag a quick selfie:
Ir wasn't the best run, but since couldn't get out this weekend, I really needed to log some miles. So I ran a quick four miles in 15° weather with a wind chill of 5°. Between my thermal tights and my thermal jacket, nothing was too cold except for my face, and I was huffing on a few hills since I don't have my winter lungs yet.
Though my Tauntaun froze before I reached the first marker, I managed to snag a quick selfie:
January 6, 2014
January 3, 2014
Snow Day!
Today was an absolutely awesome five-mile snow run in 14° weather, -4° wind chill. The rail trail and horse trails were perfect; a couple inches of snow with a crunchy layer on top and no ice. A five mile fun run with no watch was just what I needed to kick off 2014.
Snow day selfies! Beast mode level 100 unlocked.
Snow day selfies! Beast mode level 100 unlocked.
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November 28, 2013
Turkey Trot Time!!
Though it's been cold and my long runs have sapped some of my speed, it's turkey trot season! So since I wasn't at the beach this Thanksgiving like years prior, I took part in two turkey trots this week.First up was the Vienna Turkey Trot at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department. I turned in a 18:52 (6:05/mi) time on a course that is mainly downhill through the turnaround and almost all uphill on the way back. That was good enough for 5th place overall and 2nd place AG.
The second was on Thanksgiving day itself on the W&OD Trail. The Giving Thanks 5k was a fairly flat course but it very a very, very frigid morning that felt like 10º. I'm not sold on the course measurement, because though I held my pace well over the first couple miles and seemed on my way to another sub-19, I ended up finishing in 19:10 (6:11/mi). That time was good enough for the Mister Irrelevant position...4th overall. But I was first in my age group.
November 19, 2013
November 17, 2013
Race Report: .US 12k National Road Racing Championships
The inaugural .US National Road Racing Championships (odd name since
it's sponsored and promoting the '.us' top-level internet domain) took
place this morning, and it was definitely an interesting event. The
event is the flagship road race of the USA Track & Field USA Running
Circuit, offering $100,000 in prize money to elites in various
categories. The elite race included Olympians and world class athletes
such as Shalane Flanagan, Abdi Abdirahman, Molly Huddle, Sara Hall, and
dozens others. The race also featured an open category for everyone
else...which is obviously what I participated in.Much of the logistics were outsourced to Pacers Events, so the check-in, bag check, etc all ran very smoothly. I'm not sure if it was the cold weather, odd distance, or number of other race options in mid November, but the race was not very well supported at all in terms of runners. Barely over 700 people, elites included, ran the 12k; that doesn't bode well for the sustainability of the race. Closing off almost eight miles of city streets is a large undertaking for less than a thousand participants. The city itself didn't really come out either, as most stretches were completely empty of spectators.
| The Course |
| Race Day |
Before I started my race I watched the elite women and
elite men corrals start. Once they were off I lined up in the sub-6:30
corral; the 12k distance, about 7.5 miles, is a really odd race and one
I'm not familiar with. I also wasn't familiar with the course or
elevation profile. So I decided to gun for 6:30, which slots between my
10k and half marathon PRs.The low turnout of runners cleared pretty quickly and I found plenty of space to run. The course had very little in the way of sites or crowds. Sponsor Burke & Herbert Bank had a couple cheer stations, but other than that it was a very quiet and plain run along city streets. I clicked through the miles in an even 6:30 pace, feeling good at the halfway point but still holding back a bit; I was very concerned either an unexpected elevation change would sabotage my pace or my body wouldn't know what to do with the odd distance. As I cleared the 10k mark and hit some hills I picked up the pace to finish and ended up running a 6:28 pace.
Ultimately, the event ran smoothly although between the plain course and lack of turnout, for both runners and crowds, I'm not sure I'll run this every year. There's a lot of other races on the calendar in that time, most of which are conventional distances with more to offer.
| The Results |
12k : 48:10 | 6:28/mile
The Swag |
Included in registration was a non-technical short-sleeved white shirt with the .US Championships logo. All finishers received a charcoal-colored medal with a sharp ribbon of red, white, and blue. The colors and design of the ribbon and medal were really nice. Additionally, the expo and the race had merchandise for sale from USATF; I ended up picking up a set of red thermal sleeves, a beanie hat, and even my daughter got a little something.
 12k Open Medal |  Baby's First USATF Bib! |
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November 3, 2013
Yeah, Right
This person clearly doesn't have an infant. Needless to say, my daughter didn't get the memo on the time change.
October 31, 2013
October 28, 2013
Bulleit Rye Bloody Mary
The perfect post-marathon drink, a beautiful combination of rye whiskey, spice, and bacon. It's basically a rye version of the Bourbon Boar, which I discovered watching Bar Rescue on television.Tastes great on a Sunday, tastes even better after 26.2 miles.
- 1.25 oz Bulleit Rye Whiskey
- 4 oz Bloody Mary mix
- 2 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 bacon strip
Add liquid ingredients to ice in a shaker, shake for a minute, serve with bacon strip.
October 27, 2013
Race Report: Marine Corps Marathon 2013
I came into my third Marine Corps Marathon with a decent training year. Even as a new father, I managed to get close to my usual annual mileage, and I was looking forward to the year's peak race.
The expo at the DC Armory was a complete hassle, as usual. Expos at the Armory are always a zoo, and I figured the Boston Marathon bombing would make security even worse...and I was right. I showed up on Friday morning to avoid the Saturday rush, and there was already a long line snaking through the grass outside the outdoor tent to get bibs. There were no ropes and no one organizing the line, and it just snaked back and forth in the grass for about an hour. There was a small security check just to check into the bib tent. Then runners had to walk across the street to the Armory where another line and a more thorough security check was waiting to get into the expo for shirts, vendors, etc. The expo had all the usual booths, Brooks was again the title store, but for some reason it seemed less exciting than in years past. Maybe I've just seen all these vendors too many times. I still picked up a few goodies like a running jacket from Wear Blue Run to Remember, restocked my Nuun supply, and even bought my daughter a few fun running items. Between security and wandering around the expo, it took most of the morning.
Turns out going on a weekday was a fantastic call though, because the lines on Saturday were hours long, hours! Add to that a power failure with a generator and some people waited four hours to get their bib. Then once inside the Armory, those same people found the Brooks store sold out of race jackets, sizes, etc. This really isn't a surprise though, as it seems like every year there are major hassles and logistical failures with MCM. I run Marine Corps Marathon because it's the largest local marathon, but I always say I run MCM in spite of all its warts; I'm not sure how it ends up on so many runner bucket lists and gets its "good for first-timers" reputation.
The 2013 course cut out a major hill after Canal Road, opting for a flatter course with miles 6-9 going along Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway. The course started between Arlington Cemetery and the Pentagon, cut through Rosslyn with some hills, and then crossed Key Bridge into Georgetown and along M Street. After coming off the course change at mile 9, it was past the Kennedy Center, Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, and Lincoln Memorial before hitting halfway on the windy and remote Hains Point peninsula. The course then passed the Tidal Basin with a view of the Jefferson Memorial and turned to run along the National Mall, eventually turning after an up-close view of the US Capitol building. The course went back along the Mall to 14th St, passed the Holocaust Museum, and then hit the 14th Street Bridge for the long gut-check miles over the water. The course finally wound through Crystal City, past the Pentagon, and up the final hill to the Marine Corps War Memorial.
Removing the hill near Georgetown was a very welcome change this year, and certainly earned everyone an extra minute or two on their time. Unfortunately there's no way to flatten out the first 5k.
After running 2011 with ice on the first overpass and running 2012 in the opening winds of Superstorm Sandy, it was pleasant to wake up for MCM 2013 to a perfect running day. The temperature was perfect and there was limited wind along the water, even on Hains Point. After dropping my bag at the Pacers hospitality tent, I walked through charity village; it's always motivating to walk along the tents and see the wounded warriors and wheelchair racers getting set up. And it helps that charity village has some hidden banks of bathrooms. I then made my way to the starting line to listen to the pre-race broadcast and watch some of the ceremonies. Since I ran a positive split in prior years and my goal time slotted nicely with pace groups, I decided to turn the thinking over to a pacer and stood near the gentleman holding the '3:15' balloons.
The first 5k was almost all uphill, and I was thankful to be in a pace group to avoid going out too hard. Although between the tens of thousands of runners and the hill, even our pace group was already a minute or two behind when we hit the 5k mark. We were confident the pacer would make up that time and by the time we cleared 10k we were looking better at 7:31 pace versus a goal of 7:26. Our pacer was very chatty, and we kept hearing old war stories through mile 9 as we were exiting the Parkway. It was about this time where I got tired of jokes and stories and wanted to run my race, so I started getting 50 yards or so ahead of him and just making sure I stayed there. As we hit 20k at 7:33 pace and breezed through Hains Point, we were still a minute and a half off our target time and I slowed up to check the pacer's timing. He kept saying the course mile markers were off and that his watch showed us being okay; that's when I started getting very concerned. The course mile markers aren't that far off, and I know the 13.1 mat was near spot on. Also, GPS watches are notoriously wrong, and I was simply shocked that our pacer would be relying solely on that when so many external factors were saying we were behind.
After Hains Point we did a quick up-and-back for miles 15-17 along the Tidal Basin, where I saw my parents twice and even walked next to them for a few paces to say hello. I was feeling really good, getting a bit ahead of the pacer, and at this point I realized how far I'd come from the prior year. I wasn't really breathing too deep or going too hard, it was just comfortable, and I felt very confident in maintaining that effort. The run along the Mall was fun and the crowds ballooned as I crossed the 30k mat in 7:27 pace, very close to goal but knowing the bridge would sap some of that. I contemplated booing the Capitol building...the government shutdown weeks earlier caused so much drama and cancellations in the DC running world. I was at mile 20 and the bridge in no time. I gave my parents another thumbs up here and set off for the long, lonely miles of 20-22 where it's just inclined concrete with no crowds and no real landmarks. Around this point I was pretty sure our pace group was going to miss its mark, but I figured I'd rather maintain an even effort and turn it up at mile 24 if I still had anything left in the tank.
Crystal City with its twists and turns, not to mention a few small hills, is always challenging. It's after a tough stretch on the bridge and it's where the accumulated fatigue really hits. Even though I was in better spirits than prior marathons, I was still ready for it to be over halfway through Crystal City at mile 23. As I cruised to the Pentagon and hit mile 24, the pacer and the small group remaining caught up, and it was about that time I realized I probably didn't have enough in the tank to clear 3:15. I still turned it up a little bit to earn back some time lost on the bridge, pushing past my parents at mile 26 and into the finishing chute. After tackling the final hill at the end (thanks Marines!), I hit the finish line at 3:16:36, missing my target but still very, very pleased with the run.
After we crossed the pacer said "you guys can take a couple minutes off your time, the course was long." No, it wasn't. He just failed as his primary responsibility. I was a little disappointed in how the pace group worked out, but at least I wasn't going for Boston and absolutely needing to be under 3:15. I wasn't disappointed though in my effort. I feel I left it all on the road and to be honest, may not have had a 3:15 in me that morning, pace group or not.
10k : 46:46 | 7:31 /mi
20k : 1:33:53 | 7:33 /mi
30k : 2:19:03 | 7:27 /mi
40k : 3:06:19 | 7:29 /mi
Final: 3:16:36 | 7:29 /mile
Images marked with MCM logo courtesy of MCM Flickr page. Image proofs from MarathonFoto used in accordance with fair use four factors.
| The Expo |
The expo at the DC Armory was a complete hassle, as usual. Expos at the Armory are always a zoo, and I figured the Boston Marathon bombing would make security even worse...and I was right. I showed up on Friday morning to avoid the Saturday rush, and there was already a long line snaking through the grass outside the outdoor tent to get bibs. There were no ropes and no one organizing the line, and it just snaked back and forth in the grass for about an hour. There was a small security check just to check into the bib tent. Then runners had to walk across the street to the Armory where another line and a more thorough security check was waiting to get into the expo for shirts, vendors, etc. The expo had all the usual booths, Brooks was again the title store, but for some reason it seemed less exciting than in years past. Maybe I've just seen all these vendors too many times. I still picked up a few goodies like a running jacket from Wear Blue Run to Remember, restocked my Nuun supply, and even bought my daughter a few fun running items. Between security and wandering around the expo, it took most of the morning. Turns out going on a weekday was a fantastic call though, because the lines on Saturday were hours long, hours! Add to that a power failure with a generator and some people waited four hours to get their bib. Then once inside the Armory, those same people found the Brooks store sold out of race jackets, sizes, etc. This really isn't a surprise though, as it seems like every year there are major hassles and logistical failures with MCM. I run Marine Corps Marathon because it's the largest local marathon, but I always say I run MCM in spite of all its warts; I'm not sure how it ends up on so many runner bucket lists and gets its "good for first-timers" reputation. | The Course |
Removing the hill near Georgetown was a very welcome change this year, and certainly earned everyone an extra minute or two on their time. Unfortunately there's no way to flatten out the first 5k.
| Race Day |
After running 2011 with ice on the first overpass and running 2012 in the opening winds of Superstorm Sandy, it was pleasant to wake up for MCM 2013 to a perfect running day. The temperature was perfect and there was limited wind along the water, even on Hains Point. After dropping my bag at the Pacers hospitality tent, I walked through charity village; it's always motivating to walk along the tents and see the wounded warriors and wheelchair racers getting set up. And it helps that charity village has some hidden banks of bathrooms. I then made my way to the starting line to listen to the pre-race broadcast and watch some of the ceremonies. Since I ran a positive split in prior years and my goal time slotted nicely with pace groups, I decided to turn the thinking over to a pacer and stood near the gentleman holding the '3:15' balloons.The first 5k was almost all uphill, and I was thankful to be in a pace group to avoid going out too hard. Although between the tens of thousands of runners and the hill, even our pace group was already a minute or two behind when we hit the 5k mark. We were confident the pacer would make up that time and by the time we cleared 10k we were looking better at 7:31 pace versus a goal of 7:26. Our pacer was very chatty, and we kept hearing old war stories through mile 9 as we were exiting the Parkway. It was about this time where I got tired of jokes and stories and wanted to run my race, so I started getting 50 yards or so ahead of him and just making sure I stayed there. As we hit 20k at 7:33 pace and breezed through Hains Point, we were still a minute and a half off our target time and I slowed up to check the pacer's timing. He kept saying the course mile markers were off and that his watch showed us being okay; that's when I started getting very concerned. The course mile markers aren't that far off, and I know the 13.1 mat was near spot on. Also, GPS watches are notoriously wrong, and I was simply shocked that our pacer would be relying solely on that when so many external factors were saying we were behind.
After Hains Point we did a quick up-and-back for miles 15-17 along the Tidal Basin, where I saw my parents twice and even walked next to them for a few paces to say hello. I was feeling really good, getting a bit ahead of the pacer, and at this point I realized how far I'd come from the prior year. I wasn't really breathing too deep or going too hard, it was just comfortable, and I felt very confident in maintaining that effort. The run along the Mall was fun and the crowds ballooned as I crossed the 30k mat in 7:27 pace, very close to goal but knowing the bridge would sap some of that. I contemplated booing the Capitol building...the government shutdown weeks earlier caused so much drama and cancellations in the DC running world. I was at mile 20 and the bridge in no time. I gave my parents another thumbs up here and set off for the long, lonely miles of 20-22 where it's just inclined concrete with no crowds and no real landmarks. Around this point I was pretty sure our pace group was going to miss its mark, but I figured I'd rather maintain an even effort and turn it up at mile 24 if I still had anything left in the tank.
Crystal City with its twists and turns, not to mention a few small hills, is always challenging. It's after a tough stretch on the bridge and it's where the accumulated fatigue really hits. Even though I was in better spirits than prior marathons, I was still ready for it to be over halfway through Crystal City at mile 23. As I cruised to the Pentagon and hit mile 24, the pacer and the small group remaining caught up, and it was about that time I realized I probably didn't have enough in the tank to clear 3:15. I still turned it up a little bit to earn back some time lost on the bridge, pushing past my parents at mile 26 and into the finishing chute. After tackling the final hill at the end (thanks Marines!), I hit the finish line at 3:16:36, missing my target but still very, very pleased with the run.After we crossed the pacer said "you guys can take a couple minutes off your time, the course was long." No, it wasn't. He just failed as his primary responsibility. I was a little disappointed in how the pace group worked out, but at least I wasn't going for Boston and absolutely needing to be under 3:15. I wasn't disappointed though in my effort. I feel I left it all on the road and to be honest, may not have had a 3:15 in me that morning, pace group or not.
| The Results |
10k : 46:46 | 7:31 /mi20k : 1:33:53 | 7:33 /mi
30k : 2:19:03 | 7:27 /mi
40k : 3:06:19 | 7:29 /mi
Final: 3:16:36 | 7:29 /mile
The Pictures |
 C's first MCM shirt |  Reading the MCM children's book |  Course view near Lincoln Memorial |
|---|---|---|
 Coming through Tidal Basin area |  Mile 20, about to hit The Bridge |  Final push at mile 26 |
 MCM 2013 medal |  My biggest fan |  MCM signage |
 Early miles near water |  Passing the US Capitol |  14th Street near mile 20 |
 Coming up the final hill |  In the finish chute |  OORAH! |
October 18, 2013
Earn Up to 5 Medals! So much bling!
Does this just represent another reason races cost so much?
Or does it represent everything wrong with races?
Or does it represent everything wrong with races?
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