Mission accomplished. Completed the Marine Corps Marathon in 3:42:18. Took longer than I imagined, as my pace plan to ratchet it down in mile 15 and mile 23 just wasn't possible on this day. I had pretty bad positive splits after mile 20, and lost 12 minutes starting with the hills and the bridge at mile 20. My injury and lack of training for the past six weeks definitely caught up to me in the final 6.2, as can be expected.
October 30, 2011
October 29, 2011
A Few Good [Miles]
Son, we live in a world that has roads, and those roads have to be run by people with bibs. Who's gonna do it? You? You, couch potato? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for the non-elites, and you curse the penguins. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That non-VIP porta potties, while tragic, probably save races. And my race..., while 3+ hours and incomprehensible to you, is somehow fun.
You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that road, you need me on that road. We use words like carb load, pace group, chafed nipples. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent running before you wake up. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and complains about the roads and bridges I shut down, and then questions the manner in which I use them. I would rather you just said OORAH!, and went on your way.
Otherwise, I suggest you get a foot analysis, and buy a pair. Either way, I don't care what you think you are entitled to.
You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that road, you need me on that road. We use words like carb load, pace group, chafed nipples. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent running before you wake up. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and complains about the roads and bridges I shut down, and then questions the manner in which I use them. I would rather you just said OORAH!, and went on your way.
Otherwise, I suggest you get a foot analysis, and buy a pair. Either way, I don't care what you think you are entitled to.
October 28, 2011
October 27, 2011
eGift Bag...Good in Theory
I run for free shirts and bananas...so the freebies are always on of the nicest bonuses when running a race. So we come to the Marine Corps Marathon, and they're doing an online eGift Bag. Good in theory...saves trees, saves costs, saves....yada yada yada.Bad in execution. The best items, like the USAA duffel bag (and I've been giving that company money since I was 16), have to be picked up at various vendors around town. I'm not going to Pentagon City with a coupon to pick up my swag.
October 25, 2011
Donations Top $2,000 !!!
Thanks to the generous donations of family and friends, my goal to raise $2,000 for Team USO was completed today. I'd like to thank everyone for sacrificing a little bit for those who have sacrificed more than their fair share for us. $2,000 in a program like the USO can do a lot to bring the home front closer to the front lines, this donation amount represents:
- 5,600 phone calls home to loved ones from Iraq and Afghanistan.
- 286 deployed parents reading their children bedtime stories through the United Through Reading program.
- 280 care packages delivered to deployed soldiers
October 24, 2011
What is Your Delay, Private?!?
So close to my aggressive fundraising goal of $2,000; so close I just sent Gunnery Sergeant Hartman out to encourage a few more donors....
October 23, 2011
October 13, 2011
Running with a Purpose
Running the marathon with Team USO became incredibly real once my brother donated in memory of three fallen soldiers. It's an easy reminder that an ache or a pain at mile 20 is nothing compared to the sacrifices our fighting forces are making around the world.
Pvt. Jonathan Falaniko
Died October 27, 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Age 20, of Pago Pago, American Samoa; assigned to A Company, 70th Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Division, Fort Riley, Kansas. Killed near the Khadra Police Station Oct. 27 when a vehicle containing an improvised explosive device detonated in downtown Baghdad.
Capt. Robert Scheetz Jr.
Died May 30, 2004 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Age 31, of Dothan, Alabama; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, Baumholder, Germany. Killed May 30 when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Musayyib, Iraq.
1SG Christopher Rafferty
Died July 21, 2006 in Operation Enduring Freedom
Age 37, of Brownsville, Pennsylvania; assigned to 37th Engineer Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C. Died July 21 of injuries sustained when his unit encountered a mortar attack during combat operations in Sharana, Afghanistan.
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Pvt. Jonathan FalanikoDied October 27, 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Age 20, of Pago Pago, American Samoa; assigned to A Company, 70th Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Division, Fort Riley, Kansas. Killed near the Khadra Police Station Oct. 27 when a vehicle containing an improvised explosive device detonated in downtown Baghdad.
Pvt. Jonathan I. Falaniko had been in the Army for only a few months. His father had served 26 years. Both were assigned to Iraq, and in October they spent two nights together and spoke to other family members by video conferencing. “It was one of the proudest moments for my family. My son was pretty proud of his tour of duty,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Ioakimo Falaniko. The elder Falaniko spoke to his wife and two daughters in Germany again by video teleconference to tell them Jonathan died. The 20-year-old Falaniko was killed Oct. 25 when a bomb-laden vehicle blew up near him at a police station in downtown Baghdad. “My son and I talked about the war. He and I understood the danger in our chosen profession,” his father said.
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Died May 30, 2004 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Age 31, of Dothan, Alabama; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, Baumholder, Germany. Killed May 30 when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Musayyib, Iraq.
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1SG Christopher RaffertyDied July 21, 2006 in Operation Enduring Freedom
Age 37, of Brownsville, Pennsylvania; assigned to 37th Engineer Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C. Died July 21 of injuries sustained when his unit encountered a mortar attack during combat operations in Sharana, Afghanistan.
October 12, 2011
Running a Marathon After Six Weeks of Rest?
So now what? It's no doubt that I will not be at my physical peak after all these injury-recovering easy weeks leading up to the marathon on October 30. But will I be at my mental peak? And if I'm not, how will that impact my ability to overcome the physical downside of the past month?
I should really just look at it as most first-time marathoners, a quest to just finish. Mentally and physically, I know I will finish. There's no doubt about it, I'm finishing -- especially since I'm running with Team USO and I'm specifically running to honor three Army soldiers killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But still...I'm inherently driven to meet goals, my goal time is 3:15-3:20, and I know I'll be disappointed if I don't make it.
October 10, 2011
Race Report: Army Ten Miler
Race Results
I obviously didn't win this thing, or even come close. But even without a PR, I greatly improved my overall, gender, and division percentiles from last year's results:
- Finishing Time: 1:09:57 (pace: 6:59/mi)
- 10k Split: 0:42:54 (pace: 6:55/mi)
I obviously didn't win this thing, or even come close. But even without a PR, I greatly improved my overall, gender, and division percentiles from last year's results:
- Overall Place: 1,034 out of 21,914 (top 5%)
- Gender Place: 917 out of 12,245 (top 7%)
- Age Group Place: 155 out of 1,903 (top 8%)
Race Report
On a sunny morning, I began my third ATM and raced the 27th annual Army Ten Miler, the largest 10 mile road race in the country with 23,000 runners at the starting line...and my first race in the 30+ age group! The starting corrals and starting mile went off as they always do, a mess of bodies...I probably ran a half-mile laterally through the race trying to weave around traffic...as seen by my first mile's 7:20 time. But I made up for the traffic by mile three, cruising in around 20:35 and regaining a sub-70 minute pace.
On a sunny morning, I began my third ATM and raced the 27th annual Army Ten Miler, the largest 10 mile road race in the country with 23,000 runners at the starting line...and my first race in the 30+ age group! The starting corrals and starting mile went off as they always do, a mess of bodies...I probably ran a half-mile laterally through the race trying to weave around traffic...as seen by my first mile's 7:20 time. But I made up for the traffic by mile three, cruising in around 20:35 and regaining a sub-70 minute pace.
My 10k (6.2 miles) split was 42:54, so I still had a 30-second or so buffer for a sub-70 race and my pace was averaging 6:55 after recovering from the first mile. But the Army Ten Miler isn't built for personal records, there are just too many sharp turns which cram people against the inside lines and make everyone slow down. The field I was running with came to a crawl, almost walking, around the two 90-degree right turns at the Capitol.
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| L to R: Gretchen, me, Jennie |
Hitting the final bridge towards the Pentagon, the race course changes were about to rear their ugly head. Due to a change in the finish line location, the 2011 race added an additional small hill on the bridge and a hill over the road by the Pentagon, and these two hills definitely beat me. I'd started to feel my hip a bit in mile 8, and on the bridge I was noticing my pace go down, so the final hill was a big hurdle. I lost my 30-second buffer built up in the race's first 8 miles, and I had to kick in an all-out sprint for the final fifty yards to come in under 70 minutes. Finishing time of 1:09:57, not my best, not my worst...and probably better than I anticipated based on the weeks before.
Hooooooah!!
October 9, 2011
Army Strong
Ran 'Army Strong' in the Army 10 this AM; no pain in the hip until mile 8 or so, and the last hill beat me. But I'm not complaining about a 69 min 57 sec finish. Not my best time, certainly not my worst time, but a fun run to support a good cause.
October 8, 2011
ATM Expo
Virtural reality parachuting at the Army Ten Miler expo. Descending from a distance of 3,000+ feet, missed my 'X' mark by only 36 feet.
Hoooooah!
Hoooooah!
October 7, 2011
Running Just Got More Expensive
Went in to see Dr. Kathy at Positively Chiropractic, a sports medicine specialist, and the results were very interesting, to say the least.
Her end conclusion was that my hip pain was likely a mix of some inflammation with the IT band and piriformis, and may have been initially caused by bursitis. I took my training log in with me and we reviewed that; I didn't really do too much or too fast, just some bad timing or bad luck in that my final peak run causing something to flare up. But in doing some stretches and muscle tests, turns out the left side is indeed weaker and so I'm working on key stretching (four times a day!) for the next month to improve flexibility.
But the most interesting aspect was the x-rays. Turns out that structurally, my left hip sits an inch lower than my right, and my lower vertebrae aren't aligned perfectly. Obviously nothing that can be done about that in a month, but possibly there exists some long term solution in adjustments, gait analysis, or ortho inserts if there exists a solution there. I found it pretty interesting, but it obviously hasn't impacted my running much in the past few years since I've traditionally had great results in the upper percentiles of everything form 5ks to 10 Milers. But hey, maybe that's indirectly caused some other nagging pains throughout the years that have come and gone, usually ignored.
I'm set-up with a Monday massage and follow-up, and then trying to set-up biweekly appointments for adjustments until the marathon, with every other appointment being combined with a massage. After the marathon, we'll see if I continue with some long term adjustments to fix the hip and spine skeletal issues. With about eight appointments and four massages in the next month...had to tell my wife that running just got a little more expensive, haha.
She said I was good to go for the Army Ten Miler on Sunday, and running 5-8 miles on Tues/Thurs/Sat of next week if I was able to run through the pain. It was surprising actually, almost like I wanted her to be more worried about Sunday so it would confirm my worries about the race. Sounds like it really wouldn't do much additional or irreparable damage, or inflame anything too much further; so the plan is to run on Sunday. I'm having the same dull pain, and a bit sore actually on the right as well from some of the massage/adjustment treatment.
I guess I'm going to take it a bit easier in the race, not going for the PR but also not just going for a Sunday jog -- at least I say that now, hopefully I'm smart enough to still be saying that at the line.
Her end conclusion was that my hip pain was likely a mix of some inflammation with the IT band and piriformis, and may have been initially caused by bursitis. I took my training log in with me and we reviewed that; I didn't really do too much or too fast, just some bad timing or bad luck in that my final peak run causing something to flare up. But in doing some stretches and muscle tests, turns out the left side is indeed weaker and so I'm working on key stretching (four times a day!) for the next month to improve flexibility.
But the most interesting aspect was the x-rays. Turns out that structurally, my left hip sits an inch lower than my right, and my lower vertebrae aren't aligned perfectly. Obviously nothing that can be done about that in a month, but possibly there exists some long term solution in adjustments, gait analysis, or ortho inserts if there exists a solution there. I found it pretty interesting, but it obviously hasn't impacted my running much in the past few years since I've traditionally had great results in the upper percentiles of everything form 5ks to 10 Milers. But hey, maybe that's indirectly caused some other nagging pains throughout the years that have come and gone, usually ignored.
 |
| Yes, that is a straight line that doesn't connect my hips. |
I'm set-up with a Monday massage and follow-up, and then trying to set-up biweekly appointments for adjustments until the marathon, with every other appointment being combined with a massage. After the marathon, we'll see if I continue with some long term adjustments to fix the hip and spine skeletal issues. With about eight appointments and four massages in the next month...had to tell my wife that running just got a little more expensive, haha.
She said I was good to go for the Army Ten Miler on Sunday, and running 5-8 miles on Tues/Thurs/Sat of next week if I was able to run through the pain. It was surprising actually, almost like I wanted her to be more worried about Sunday so it would confirm my worries about the race. Sounds like it really wouldn't do much additional or irreparable damage, or inflame anything too much further; so the plan is to run on Sunday. I'm having the same dull pain, and a bit sore actually on the right as well from some of the massage/adjustment treatment.
I guess I'm going to take it a bit easier in the race, not going for the PR but also not just going for a Sunday jog -- at least I say that now, hopefully I'm smart enough to still be saying that at the line.
October 5, 2011
The Hip Bone's Connected to the "OMG What is This Annoying Pain" Bone....
I know everyone's been on the edge of their seat waiting for my next weekly update (hahaha...seriously...I kid... is anyone out there? hello?), but it hasn't come for good reason. A few weeks ago, I completed my final super-long run, a 22-miler that was completed in just over 3 hours and left me feeling great mentally and physically. I felt fine afterward and took much of the next week off, except a quick 5-mile run on Monday. But during that week, I noticed a slight dull pain in front of my left hip when walking...okay, no big deal, I've had nagging issues before; they come, they go.
Ten days ago, I ran 8 miles and noticed there was a bit of ache there...not really sharp pain, just an annoyance, a perceived weakness or tightness. But it didn't distract from my running and felt better as I went on, so I figured the easy week took care of it. I noticed it again though in a short run thereafter and noticed it quite a bit in last Thursday's 8-miler...but I still kept a respectable 7:30 pace. So after two weeks, taking it easy (two runs per week), the pain was not only still there but seemed to be worse. The pain is worse after sitting, standing still, or laying down, and it starts to diminish after a few strides. It doesn't hurt going up or down stairs, and it seems to improve for ten minutes or so after long stretching of that area. So my completely unprofessional diagnosis is hip flexor issues.
So what now? My Team USO coach says I may want to skip this weekend's Army Ten Miler and rest until the marathon. That scares the heck out of me...to go from running 45-50 miles per week to running nothing for over a month, I have to imagine that would degrade not only my fitness level, but also my mental edge. She also suggested some experts, so I'm in for an expensive week or two of sports medicine.
Thursday PM: Chiropractor with sports medicine focus. Highly suggested by my coach.
Sunday AM: Unless the chiropractor says my leg will fall off...I'm an idiot and I'll probably run the Army Ten Miler. I won't be beating 68 minutes, but I don't think I'll be jogging leisurely either. It's stupid...but at least I'm smart enough to know that.
Monday AM: Sports medicine massage.
Monday PM: Orthopaedic and sports medicine specialist.