I Will Qualify for Boston...

Last weekend, the Illinois Marathon didn't go as planned.  I ran a 3:42:58. I needed a sub-3:30 to qualify for Boston. That's OK. It was a miserable day in Champaign...in fact, the marathon was cancelled when I hit 24 miles. Still finished and received a medal. The wind and rain slowed me down. Eventually, I gave up chasing the unicorn. That's also OK.

I will qualify for Boston...on a trail marathon!

Yep, I'll run a qualifying time on a certified trail marathon course. I love trails. And they love me. Of course, many trail marathons are rather hard. Lots of hills and uneven terrain. Fortunately, I've found several "easier" trail marathons. They are run on packed dirt or crushed limestone. They don't have lots of hills--they are mostly flat or net downhill courses. Here they are:

Towpath Marathon, OH (October)
Light at the End of the Tunnel, WA (June)
Tunnel Lite Marathon, WA (September)
Whistlestop Marathon, WI (October)
Peak to Creek Marathon, NC (October)

If you know of other fast trail marathons, let me know!

Not sure which one I'll try first. I currently have my eye on the Towpath Martahon this October in Ohio. I've run it before and it did not go well. That was a LONG time ago. I need to redeem myself. The two Washington marathons are close to my brother's house. Those would be a fun trip.

It's time to train for Howl at the Moon 8-Hour race (August) and Barkley Fall Classic 50K (Sept). Along the way, I'll figure out a marathon plan.

3:42:58 Doesn't Get You to Boston

I ran the Illinois Marathon yesterday and finished in a time of 3:42:58. Slightly better than last year, but it won't get you to Boston...unless you're a 60-64 year old man. I'm not. So, I'm not going to Boston. Hey, at least the marathon itself was interesting. Lots of rain and wind all day, and around mile 24, they cancelled the race due to lightning. I still finished, but many did not. If nothing else, it was memorable. 

Still, in this massive failure at a Boston qualifying time, I learned a lot. First, it's not easy qualifying for Boston. Second, road marathons are not my cup of tea. Third, I now know who I am. I (re)learned many lessons while running for 3 hours and 42 minutes. Actually, I didn't run the whole course. I walked for about 1/2 mile around mile 21. I knew Boston was out of reach, my legs hurt, and I was cold. I gave up. It felt good to walk. I immediately started cheering on all the runners that passed me. I chatted with spectators. It felt right. In fact, it sorta felt like I was in an ultra. I just maintained forward progress and enjoyed the journey. Eventually I picked it back up and persevered to the end...even when police said the "race was cancelled."

Boston is not an easy destination. If you run there, you've earned it (unless you were a charity runner). There are clear standards, and if you meet them, you can register and run the race. Simple and transparent. It ain't easy, but anything worth achieving takes effort. The reward comes after you put in the hard work. I respect Boston runners. It's a bucket-list race. A destination. The mecca of running. Someday, I hope to be toeing the starting line in Hopkinton.

Road marathons don't make me feel good. I don't like anything about them. Roads are boring. They don't have rocks and roots to step around, tree branches to duck under, logs to jump, or creeks to cross. Plus, they are hard on your body. I'll take soft and winding trails any day. Roads, like tracks, do serve a purpose if you want to test yourself against a distance. How fast can you run 5K, 10K, 21K, or 42K?  The answer probably lies on the roads. But, I'm a trail nerd. Short or long, I prefer trails for both training and racing. The extra challenge and unpredictability are enticing. I'm pretty sure what my next romp down Main Street will involve, but I'm never sure what the local trail will bring.

Ultras are my forte. I enjoy them. They test me mentally and physically. From 50K to 100+ miles, I feel proud completing them. Sure, I also compete with other runners, but the real thrill is just finishing the darn things. They are tough. Any runner can finish a marathon, it takes a special kind of (idiot) runner to finish an ultramarathon! Those are my peers, comrades, and friends. You hear a lot about how great the "community of runners" is...that's true. The community of ULTRA runners is even more special and connected. There's no substitute for the shared experience of ULTRA pain and ULTRA fatigue that binds people together. We become family. We support each other and want each other to succeed.

The Illinois Marathon taught me a few things. Most importantly, I now know who I am. I'm a trail ultra guy. And I am satisfied with that moniker. I'll run when I can, and walk when I have to. It's all about relentless foward progress. Don't give up, just keep moving and enjoying the journey. That's what ultras are about...and life too.

Pre-Marathon Jitters

I will be racing the Illinois Marathon tomorrow morning in Champaign, IL. Less than 24 hours to race day! I'm much more nervous than I've been for any race in the past few years. Well, maybe the Umstead 100 had me anxious, but not much else. The difference?  I actually have a time goal (similar to Umstead 100). This is my attempt to get into Boston for 2016. Normally I just run races. I try to do OK and I usually end up in the top 25% of finishers. This time, I don't care where I place, but I want a sub-3:30 to qualify for the big dance. It's all about me versus the course...or more accurately, me vs the finish clock. I've trained well, tapered well, and currrently seem to be eating and hydrating well. I'm pumped. This could happen.

My biggest concern is the weather. Looks like a low of 47 and high of 60 with wind and rain (and chance of thunderstorms). Not ideal.  Love the predicted temperatures, but I could do without the rain and wind. It's going to feel cold on the course. Running 26.2 miles with wet socks and shoes sounds...not ideal. I can't control the weather, so I'll deal with it. I plan to have lots of clothing options in my car as I wait for the start. Hats, gloves, shirts, jackets. I'll be ready. Maybe the running gods will be smiling on race day and the weather will be perfect for the 3.5 hours I'm on the course. Maybe. It's possible.

For this trail ultramarathon runner, a road marathon isn't my dream race. Still, I'm excited. This will be ultra/marathon race #99. Howl at the Moon 8-Hour in August will be #100. Howl was my first ultra too. Then the Barkley Fall Classic 50K in September. During Barkley, I'll be wishing I was back on the smooth and flat roads of Champaign!

Why This Marathon Will Be Different

Last year I ran the Illinois Marathon in a time of 3:47. I'm planning on a very good, maybe even great, Illinois Marathon on April 25. If I run under 3:30, I'll qualify for Boston. I'm shooting for a 3:27. If everything goes perfectly, I might run 3:25. My best marathon, run in 2001, was a 3:33 in Chicago. Fourteen years later, at age 49, why do I think I can run faster in Champaign, IL? How can I knock 20 minutes from last year's finish? Good question. Here are my reasons:

Experience (plus Desire)
The Illinois Marathon will be my 99th ultra/marathon. I have a lot of experience running long. And last year I ran this same marathon for the first time. I know the course and I know what I need to do to perform well. Plus, after 98 ultra/marathons, and being almost 50 years old, I won't have a lot of future opportunties to knock out a good marathon finish time. Time to do it now. Experience + Motivation should equal a fantastic marathon run.

Gels
In past marathons, I never took anything beyond water and gatorade. Maybe a slice of banana at an aid station. Now I've been practicing with gels on my long runs. I think I'll try to ingest 5 over the course of the marathon. Some will have caffeine for an extra kick. The extra calories should help propel me to a strong finish.

RunGum
Caffeine really does work. It's a proven central nervous system stimulator. I stopped drinking coffee about a year ago. Now I'm really jazzed when I drink tea (or anything with 50+ mg of caffeine). I've been experimenting with RunGum for long training runs and a few races. Each piece of RunGum has 50mg of caffeine (and some B vitamins and taurine). It seems to give me that extra push when I need it. And it doesn't bother my stomach. Good combo on marathon day.

Long Runs
Last year, and for many of my marathons, I've not done that many actual long runs in training. This year, I've gotten in many long runs in rather tough trail conditions. I'm strong and I have endurance. I'm also injury-free. I seem to have strength and endurance. 20-30 mile runs don't kill me. Maybe 26.2 will be easy? Probably not, but I am confident I have the endurance. It's the speed over 26 miles that has yet to be tested.

Speed Work
It's been a long time since I did consistent speed work. The past 6 months have been much better and more consistent. Yasso 800s, tempo efforts, fartleks, marathon pace runs. I've done them all. I feel ready. Not sure if this will carry over to a full 26 miles, but I actually have some speed.

Music
Music matters. It motivates and encourages you to dig deep. I'll have my iPod along for the run. My plan is to not use it for the first 10-11 miles, then grab it from a friend around that point and start pumping the music to motivate me to stay strong. It always helps in long ultras...why not in a marathon too?

Friends
I should have lots of friends along the full marathon course. Friends in the race and friends on the course, including aid stations, should inspire me to run well. Not sure I'll run with anyone I know, but I'll see lots of buddies along the route. Many will be working at aid stations (especially my club, the Kennekuk Road Runners at mile 10), others live within a block or two of the marathon route and will wander to the streets to cheer me and the others along.

Wildcard?
The weather. I can't control it. Right now, it looks good. If it's warm and sunny, like last year, it'll be tough to stay on pace. If it's cool and overcast, I may just be punching my ticket to Boston around 10:30am Saturday morning!

Predicting My Marathon Finish

I always like trying to predict my finish times. Whether it's a 5K road race or a 100 mile trail ultra, it's fun to think about best and worst case scenarios. It's never easy, often the predictions are wrong, but it's a neat excercise. With the Illinois Marathon only 9 days away, it seems about the right time to be predicting my finish time. And you can play along too!

To provide some context, here are predictions based on the McMillan Running calculator:

My most recent 5K time (20:28) predicts a 3:19:26 marathon
My most recent half-marathon time (1:32:35) predicts a 3:14:51 marathon
My most recent 50-mile time (9:04) predicts a 4:05:12 marathon

My goal is to qualify for Boston. I need a 3:30. Based on my 5K and half-marathon finishes (about 6 months ago), I should easily be able to achieve a 3:30 marathon. I'm probably not in as good of shape as I was back then...at least for pure speed. I could probably run a 20:45 5K and a 1:34 half-marathon now.  I could likely run a faster 50-mile trail race (same conditions). What does that mean for my April 25th marathon?

If weather is good (cool, overcast, and no wind), I predict a 3:29 marathon. Just enough to qualify for Boston, but probably not enough to actually register and get into the race! (You often need about 1.5-2 minute cushion to get into Boston.)  That time would still be a PR, but it would be disappointing. Very disappointing.

If the weather is warmer, or otherwise not ideal, I think I'm looking at around a 3:35 finish. Solid, but not what I want or need.

So, how fast, or slow, do you think I will run at the Illinois Marathon?

What is (my) Marathon Pace?

What is marathon pace?

pace

pās/

noun

1. consistent and continuous speed in walking, running, or moving.

   "most traffic moved at the pace of the riverboat"

   synonyms:

   speed, rate, velocity; More

So, "marathon pace" is the average pace that you run a marathon. Easy. I understand now. Whatever my finish time is, I divide by 26.2, and I have the average pace per mile. Nice.

I have the Illinois Marathon coming up in 2 weeks. So, my marathon pace will be the average per mile pace when I run the Illinois Marathon. One problem...I don't know what that pace should be! Easy enough to calculate if I knew my finish time. That's the problem. I don't know what my finish time should be, or will be, but I do have several targets.

First, basic goal, is to beat 3:30. That is my Boston qualifying time. A 3:30 finish is an 8:00 pace per mile. That seems doable (if the weather cooperates).

Second goal is to run a time that will not only qualify me for Boston, but also allow me to register for the race.  that usually means beating your qualifying time by about 1.5-2 minutes. Let's say a 3:28 finish. That's 7:56 per mile pace. Might be possible.

My ultimate goal would be a 3:25 finish. Plenty of wiggle room for Boston registration. And, it just seems like a fast time. That translates into a 7:49 pace per mile. Hmmmm...that seems fast. Maybe too fast. I can dream.

I guess my marathon pace is somewhere between 8:00 and 7:49 pace per mile. Split the difference and I get about 7:55. I suppose that's what I'll aim for and if things feel good after 20 miles, I can pick up the pace. Right, that'll happen.

Not sure if any of these marathon paces are really achievable with my current fitness level, but they sure seem feasible when I look at race prediction charts. My last race, a half marathon in October in 1:32:35, predicts a 3:15 marathon! I actually think I could run a 1:32 or faster half-marathon right now, but not a 3:15 marathon (7:26 pace). I'll be happy with anything under 3:30 (8:00 pace). It's nice to know the fancy prediction charts think I can run faster. Maybe some day. For now, my heart says to "give it a try." That's what I'll do on April 25.

3 Weeks to the Marathon

I now have less than 3 weeks to the Illinois Marathon (April 25). I think I peaked too early. If this race was in mid-February, I would have aced it. I had a great November, December, and January. February sucked for training, but could have been a nice taper period. Alas, the Illinois Marathon is at the end of April. I feel good about my endurance and I do have basic speed. I'm worried about my stamina--can I maintain moderate speed over the full distance? Right now, I'd say not likely. But I still have 3 weeks of "training" to peak for the marathon.

My plan for the next three weeks is simple...don't screw anything up...and try for a little speed. Endurance is complete. I won't run anything longer than 10-12 miles. I'll try to incorporate marathon paced runs (7:55/mile) and marathon effort runs (75-78% HRR). I'll try to get in one or two progression runs, ending sorta tempo like, at about 7:30 pace. No short and fast intervals. No serious hills. As usual, and possibly a mistake, most of my runs will be on trails. Gently rolling grass and dirt trails. Maybe I should do more road runs in preparation for the road marathon, but I don't like roads. Last year's Illinois Marathon showed me I could do fine at the marathon with mostly trail training. Trails make you strong. They make roads seem easy and smooth. I'm counting on that on race day!

I have about 2 weeks of good training left. Then one week of really easy taper. Essentially, from now until the marathon is really a taper, but I can still do some confidence building workouts that won't drain me. It's time to heal and build. And hope for cool weather come race day. How about 45-50 degrees, overcast, and no wind?