Friday, April 30, 2010

Thinking about running....

I shared this quote from John Bingham, running writer and speaker, with a friend who recently started running.

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run."

Her response was as powerful as the original quote about why running is great.

"I like it because I can do it alone, I have my music to drown out all of the thoughts in my head - and sometimes I'll even pop out one of the headphones so I can hear my feet on the dirt and know that I am moving forward. Sounds weird I guess, but for me, right now, it's good."
- A Runner

I got the orginal quote from Runner's World daily kick in the butt newsletter.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Today's Run - 4/29

The weather has been perfect for morning runs this week. I was planning to take today off, but I spoke with a friends about running last night and that made me want to run. I am trying to minimize my miles and pace to build up slowly. I ran about 4Miles at an easy pace.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Today's Run - 4/28

A great morning for a run! It was cool and the sun was up when I left the house at 6am. I am still recovering from Boston, and wanted to keep my mileage and pace to something reasonable. I did a standard route around the neighborhood to get a 5mile run in.

My recovery is progressing and overall my legs are feeling pretty good. I am trying to keep my runs to small to mid distances and build back up to longer runs. The 5mile run seems to be the perfect distance for weekday runs. I can fit the distance in and not impact the rest of my morning schedule.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Today's Run - 4/24

I headed back to ACAC for the first time in a couple months for Today's Run. This was the first run since the marathon and I did a 2Mile recovery run on the treadmill. It felt good to run again, even with my hamstrings being tight. After my quick run I did some ab work and walked around the track with Emily. I am looking forward to getting back into the gym and having more diversity in my workouts.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Today's Run - 4/19

Today was the day I have been training for since December.  I did not have any trouble sleeping but still woke up before my 5am alarm.  I got up, showered and got dressed to go run my first marathon. 

Emily and I left the hotel to find a diner to grab breakfast.   We walked to the only 24hr diner in Boston for breakfast.  We entered the dinner to find the place pretty much empty, and the wait staff jumped into action once we sat in a booth. 

I needed to get a good mix of carbs and protein for the this meal; it was 6am and I had ~4 before the race and ~9hrs before I would eat a meal again.  I ordered banana pancakes, scrambled eggs, some banana bread and a coffee.   As we waited for our food the owner came over to talk with us. He told us about the diner's history and different movies that were filmed there.  He asked where we were from, if I was running the marathon.  Although he did not claim to have run the Boston Marathon and it was doubtful he ran at all,  he had lots of advice about the course and how to complete it.  He was very nice and as we finished up breakfast he gave me some banana bread and a coupon for a free breakfast the next day ONLY IF I completed the race.

We left the diner and walked to the Boston Common to load the buses to take me out to the Athlete's Village in Hopkinton.  We arrived at the Boston Common a little before 7am.   Emily and I were watching in amazement of all the runners ascending on the common and by 7am the lines were starting to get long.  As we took a few pictures of the crowd a woman asked if we would take a picture of her and her boyfriend.  After taking her picture, Emily noticed that the woman's bag showed that she was from Charlottesville!   We introduced ourselves and spent the time in line and on the ride to Hopkinton talking about Charlottesville, recent races we run, training, raising money for charities and the overall experience.  It was nice to connect with someone to pass the bus ride.   The bus ride was fairly somber, runners were reading newspapers, eating breakfast, talking about how many times they have run Boston, and debating what will be the hardest part of the race.

 
We arrived at the Athlete's Village a little before 9am.  I had hoped to get to the Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center before the race but there really was not enough time.   I had been drinking water all morning so the first thing I did was stand in line to use the porta-potty.  That killed about 30mins of time!  



I headed into the main village to check things out. To create the Athlete's Village, the BAA took over the high school athletic fields, put up tents to serve water and food, created walls of porta-potties, and constructed a scaffold for the local announcer to survey the crowd.   There were people everywhere!  Runners doing yoga, dressing, eating, and doing warm-up runs.   I found a spot in the main tent to sit down, eat some more banana bread, drink more water and wait until it was time to head to starting corrals. 

With about 45mins to go, I took off my warm-up suit, put on my bib and cut a couple holes in the trash bag I was sitting on to use it as a wind breaker.  I decided I better use the porta-potty again before heading out.  This time the line was not as bad.   As I waited the local announcers gave commands about starting times and other general information.   The announcer notified the crowd that Massachusetts National Guard F14 would be flying over head.  About 2Mins later 4 F14 came roaring across the tree line.  He said the planes would fly the 26.2 mile course in 4mins, and the crowd ahh and then groaned knowing that they had a bit longer of a journey.  The planes few over at ~10am to mark the start of the race.

I followed the crowd to the Buses to check our bags and then head down to the starting corrals.   The starting corrals were ~1/2 mile from the athletes village and it was a good walk to warm up a bit.   The crowd was in a good mood as we walked to corrals.  We got to my starting corral at about 10:20 and waited for the Wave-2 starting pistol to fire.  Once the gun went it took about 15mins before I hit the starting line to offically start the race.



I started out feeling good the runners moved pretty a quick cadence, and I fell into an easy pace.  The spectators were great in Hopkinton to start the race.  The folks cheered and lined the street with extended hands to give the runners High-Fives.   I spent most of the race on the left edge of the runners to get a good view of the crowd.

My goal was to run the first 13miles at 9min pace and I started out a little quicker than that averaging a 8:50pace.  I was happy with that considering it was downhill and I had heard the bad stories about starting out to fast.  As I ran through the first 5K I started to gain confidence and was really enjoying the run.  I was trying to soak in the crowds and what was going on.  Driving the course helped as I picked out things I remembered.  I counted the number of Dunkin' Doughnuts, looked for the Framingham Train Depot and different churches along the route.

I got through the first 13miles just as I wanted at a 9min pace!  I was feeling pretty good and thinking that my plan had worked exactly like I wanted.  A little before mile 13 I noticed my left foot felt like it was starting a blister, and my left calf was starting to get tight.   I continue to push on modifying my gait a bit to see if I could loosen up my calf.  I found that running on flat roads hurt the most when I landed on my mid-foot.  I concentrated to land heal first and see if I could stretch my leg as I ran.   I quickly realized that this was something that I was going to struggle with for the next 13Miles.

The sounds of crowd started to grow more intense the closer you get to Boston.   The first big crowd interaction after the start is at Wellesley College.  The girls were out in full this year with signs for free kisses for runners and screams that made me think I was one of The Beatles.   As I left the girls of Wellesly my leg cramp really set in, forcing me to stop and stretch it.  At about mile 15,  I stopped because my left calf muscle had completely cramped up and a specatator offered me Advil as I was bent over in pain.   I suppose it could have been just about anything she gave me, but  they kicked in at about mile 18 right before the start of Heart Break Hill climb in the Hills of Newton.  I do remember seeing the Fire Station and thinking here come the hills.

Heart Break Hill is well named, not because it is overly steep but because it goes on for a long time which can break your will to run.  The crowds were great and almost push you up the hills.  It was a great relief to get to the top and know that I had made it through the hardest parts of the course.

Coming out of the residential setting of Newton and into the more urban setting of Boston College was a big change in spectator attitude. The Boston College students were out and mostly drunk to cheer on the runners and I needed every ounce of energy they could spare.  The Boston College energy somehow got me from mile 22 to 25 with my left leg cramping but not as bad as earlier.  The CITGO sign began to taunt me once it came into view.  It never seemed to get any closer, just staying on the horizon.   At a water station I saw a volunteer with a UVA shirt on, I called out Wahoowa! as I took the water cup.  Once we hit mile 25, the pack started to pickup up speed and I worked to keep up.

The crowds continued to grow the closer I got to the finish. I pushed on towards the end and my thoughts started to turn to finding Emily near the finish line.  I was not sure where she would be and even if I would see her.  I turned onto Boylston St and I could see the finish line structure in the far distance.  I moved to the center of the road to so that I could see the entire scene and the crowds.    With about 2 blocks to go, I heard a group calling my name and saw Emily waving a sign "Run Doug Run!".



I darted over to the rail where she was and stopped in for a hug and kiss on my way to the finish.   After seeing Emily, I had a burst of adrenaline which helped me get to the finish line.  I crossed the line with my arms up and a smile!


 

114th Boston Marathon Results

Bib   Name                 City    State Country 
24187 Morrison, Douglas E. Keswick VA     USA          

Checkpoints
5k      0:27:20
10k     0:55:17
15k     1:22:53
20k     1:50:55    
Half    1:57:11    
25k     2:23:29    
30k     3:03:20    
35k     3:36:53    
40k     4:14:06
Full    4:28:36

Pace    Official Overall Gender  Division
0:10:15 4:28:36  19348   11547   4132


Saturday, April 17, 2010

Boston Day 2

A wicked awesome day in Boston today! Even though the weather was not great, Emily and I were able to get out and around town pretty well.  We started the morning with a Dunkin' Doughnuts and a walk to the race expo to pickup my race packet.   We walked along the race route and came across the teams building the finish line structures.   They had closed off the road to traffic and we were able to take some great photos.



From the finish line we walked to the Haynes Convention Center and the number of runners and the excitement in the air grew.  I picked up my packet with my Bib# and headed into expo to see what we could find.


After finishing at the race expo, we headed out to Hopkinton to the Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center BBQ.    We stopped at the starting line first.


At the BBQ we met up with my other charity team members and presented our donations to the center.  We raised over $120K as a team!


After the BBQ we drove the Marathon course back to Boston so that I could get a feel for the route and Heart Break Hill.  Like I said, a wicked awesome day!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Boston Travel

We are on our way to Boston this morning.  Emily's folks came over early this morning to stay with Ella for the next 4 days. We traveled to the Richmond airport, parked the car and checked our luggage with out any issues. 

As we passed through security, Emily was flagged for security check. Luckily we made it through with out incident and I was able to snap this picture of the TSA working to ensure our safety from hostile combatants.




We arrived at the gate to find a number of other people looking at runner magazines and websites.  It is fun to see others making the same trip and preparing for the race on Monday.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Today's Run - 4/15

Today's run was supposed to be my last run before the Boston Marathon. Unfortunately I was up late working and woke up feeling worse than yesterday. I decided to take the day off from running to allow my body to rest. By the end of the day I was feeling better. I hope to be 100% for the race on Monday.

The folks at work gave me a great send off this afternoon and they helped me exceed my donation pledge goal. I can't say thank you enough to the people who have supported me on this journey with kind words, training advice and financial support.

It is hard to believe my training is over and we leave for Boston in the morning. I have packed my race day items in my carry on to make sure that I don't lose it in transit. I will need to pickup some misc items when we get into town, but nothing that won't be easy to find.

Race weekend is here and it is going to be great!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Watch the Boston Marathon Live

You can watch the Boston Marathon on the Universal Sports website. You can find the schedule here

I will be the guy in the green shirt and black shorts.

More Boston Race Prep Info

Everyone is publishing Boston Race Tips.

Today's Run - 4/14

I woke up this morning with a sore throat! I decided to run anyways because it was a short run and I am not really feeling bad. I wonder if it is just the spring pollen or because I have slowed down my running and my body is vulnerable to catching a cold. I will continue to monitor and hope that I bounce back quickly.

Aside from my sore throat my run this morning was uneventful. I went in search of a few hills to make sure that I was mentally prepared for the Boston Course. This was a 4Mile run and my pace was pretty good.

I continue to feel pretty well rested and excited about the upcoming race.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Boston Marathon Start... Madness

This clip shows the madness of the start of the Boston Marathon. Amazing to see the how many people are watching and running.

Today's Run - 4/13

I started my last week of running before the race this morning with a 3Mile run. This was an easy run and I found it odd running such a short distance. During my training I found that mentally preparing to run long distances was more challenging than the physical act of running. This morning i was getting into the grove when it was time to stop.

The excitement for the Boston Marathon experience to begin is mounting. I am getting emails from the race organizers about the race activities. Family, friends and co-workers are reaching out and offering support. People ask if I am getting nervous about the race. So far I am not nervous, just anxious in anticipation. I am confident in my training and expect it has prepared me to run this race. I am curious how the crowd of runners and spectators will affect me, how the event is organized, and the feeling of finishing the race. This going to be a great experience, that I can't wait to get started.

We Run This Town!

I don't wear new balance shoes, but I liked this site New Balance made for running Boston.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Preparing for Boston

I am approaching the final week before the Boston Marathon. I am a excited about the race and not sure what to expect but I can't say that I have thought about the logistics of the trip to stress out.... yet! McMillan running provided some good information for Pre-race Tips that will help me through the week and race morning.

I picked out my race day uniform today. It is a very bright green top and black shorts. I figured with a really bright shirt Emily would be able to see me in the crowd, and if nothing else it will be a conversation starter. I will layer as required to match the weather. The 10Day forecast shows that it will be perfect running weather.

I am excited we are going to Boston early and spending the weekend in the city. There are number of activities with Respite Center that we will attend. Emily and I will needed time away from our day to day routines and enjoy this last trip before baby number 2 comes in June.

Today's Run - 4/10

I headed out today on the final long run of my Boston Marathon training program. The weather was absolutely perfect, high 30's and sunny with little wind. I pieced together a route that had a number of changes in elevation. I can tell my training has prepared me to charge up and down hills. I found that I caught and passed multiple other runners today.

I found it difficult to maintain a steady pace on this run. With all the elevation changes it is difficult to maintain a completely steady pace but I was feeling tired from my travels this week. I am still struggling with pre-run nutrition for longer runs. I can tell that nutrition / meals before running is affecting my performance and need to figure out something better. This morning I tried out Sport Beans. I found these to be easier to eat on the run than some other sport gels.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Today's Run - 4/8

A quick out and back run this morning on the pretty much the same route as yesterday. The weather was perfect again and I finished the run pretty quickly. I had forgotten how quickly a 3mile run goes by.

Today's Run - 4/7

I am traveling to CT again and was excited to run outside rather than running on the hotel treadmill. I ran an out and back route that I have run in the past and extended it to get to 6Miles. The spring weather has been great this week and the early sunrises made this run great.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Today's Run - 4/5

I decided to move my Tuesday run to today due to business travel schedule this week. I felt well rested this morning and pretty well recovered from the 10Miler on Saturday.

I headed out this morning to see if I could maintain a constant pace of 9:20 for the 4Mile run. I hit the this split right on for miles 1,3 & 4. The second mile was a challenge because of a large hill. I made the time up from mile 2 on the last 1/4 Mile. I am impressed that I was able to hit the 9:20 pace consistently. I will add pace work as a regular part of my work out and see if I can push the times down and remain as consistent.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

C'Ville 10 Miler Results

35th ANNUAL CHARLOTTESVILLE TEN MILER
USATF Certified. Registration No. TBA
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 4/3/2010 Weather: Cool, CLEAR, 50 deg

Place Div/Tot Gen/Tot  Name              Ag G Bib   
===== ======= ======== ================= == = =====
566   68/158  408/1094 Douglas Morrison  34 M 1682     

Split5m Nettime Guntime Pace 
======= ======= ======= =====
39:02   1:20:48 1:20:48 8:05 

There were a total of 2344 runners. Results have been posted here

Today's Run - 4/3

Race Day today with the C'Ville 10Miler! I have run this course for many long runs during my training program. I was excited to see how my training had prepared me for this race. My taper has allowed me to rest a bit and I felt pretty good this morning. The weather was excellent for a road race.

It was an early start this morning. I left the house at 6:30am after a breakfast of I peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a banana. I made sure to drink plenty of water before the race and had a GU Jell 15mins before the race start.

I found the 9min pace group in the runner corrals. After the gun went off, I found that many of these runners were actually sub-8 min runners. Needless to say, my first few miles were much faster than usual. I decided to see how long I could keep the pace and did pretty well until mile 7. The second half of the course is more difficult than the first half, but even as I feel of the sub 8 min pace I still beat my goal of sub 1:30 by almost 10mins! My gun time finish was 1:20:48 and a new Personal Record!

The C'Ville 10Miler is a home town race that many runners train for and use it to start out the racing season. It was great to see a number of other runners that I know and to run in a big pack of people. The best part of the race was that Emily, Ella and Emily's folks were on the course. I found them at about mile 4 and they had big signs and smiling faces. I was excited to find them and hear their cheers. I was able to run by and grab Ella's hand for support which helped me stay focused for the next couple of miles.

It felt great to share the event with them and knowing that they were there supporting me. It is amazing to finish a race and hear "Good Job, Great Finish!" from your wife and "Go Daddy Go!" from daughter.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Nutrition mishaps

My recent thoughts of nutrition lead me to an article on Running Times about crazy things people ate before running a marathon. I could not imagine eating a steak before the race. Check out the article here.

Today's Run - 4/1

A 4Mile run on 4/1! I was really happy with my run this morning. I felt well rested and my legs were not too sore. My pace was pretty good this morning at 8:28/mile. The weather is warming up and the sun is rising earlier so I don't have to run completely in the dark.

Acting on my thoughts of pre-run meals, I ate a few bites before I headed out this morning and I felt much better on my run. I will continue to test different items and quantities to find the right mix.