Thursday, March 31, 2011
LoseIt! Hits a 1Million Users
I got a nice note from the LoseIt! team thanking me for being one of the first Million Users of the App. I was surprised that I was member #4814 of over 1 Million. I use this app all the time and I am happy that they are growing and succeeding.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
2011 National Marathon Results
SunTrust National Marathon
March 26, 2011 USATF Certified DC08006RT Washington, D.C.
There were 2879 finishers in the race so I finished in the top 45% of the field and 58% of my age division.
Thanks to the USNA Marathon Team for pacing me and the other 4Hr runners. It was great a great run and I appreciate the moral support to help keep me mentally in the race.
Official results can be found here.
March 26, 2011 USATF Certified DC08006RT Washington, D.C.
Place Div/Tot Div Guntime Nettime Pace ===== ======== ===== ======= ======= ===== 1289 166/288 M3539 4:07:35 4:00:39 9:11
There were 2879 finishers in the race so I finished in the top 45% of the field and 58% of my age division.
Thanks to the USNA Marathon Team for pacing me and the other 4Hr runners. It was great a great run and I appreciate the moral support to help keep me mentally in the race.
Official results can be found here.
Today's Run - 3/26
Race day started at 4:40am and I was out of the house by 5:30am to drive from my folks house to the DC Armory for the race. I hit a little bit of traffic but I was able to get a parking space in RFK parking lot a little after 6am. I decided to wait it out in my car vs going into the DC Armory. I left the car and got to the starting corrals a 20mins before the gun. I hit the porta-potty line and then found my starting corral.
What an awesome day for a race! The winter weather originally forecasted for race day held off for 12hrs. It was clear and crisp when the race started. I finally learned from my previous mistakes and did not over dress for the race. I decided to wear a Short Sleeve Tech Shirt, Running Shorts and a pair of Running Gloves. Although it was in the low 30's at gun time, once in the starting corral the tightly packed group of runners shielded the wind and raised the air temp.
Shortly before race time, I spotted the 4:00hr pace team and wandered over to start the race with them. As we headed out I decided to hang with the this pace team to make sure I did not start to fast. This worked very well as I was able to ease into the race. I enjoyed running in the streets of the District. The first half of the race provides a great tour of the different monuments, Capital, Adams Morgan and Howard University. As we returned to RFK Stadium, I thought to myself that the first half of the race to be much easier than last year when I ran the 1/2 Marathon and was optimistic as I started out for the next 13.1 Miles.
I continued to hang with the 4:00hr pace team and found running with a small pack of runners provided a good support crew. We had a bit of small talk amongst the runners, but overall I concentrated on keeping the a smooth consistent pace. Between miles 16 to 20 we started passing other runners on a more regular basis. As we ran down by the Anacostia River a cross head wind picked up and I worked on drafting behind or next to runners. My game plan for fueling and hydration seemed to be working well in the later miles as I was not feeling thirsty and the regular use of GU kept my energy levels high. We left the river section and crossed the 20 Mile mark right on time at 3Hrs.
The last 10K section of the race started on a section of rolling hills which when you saw them appeared to ask "Are you up for the Challenge?". I was determine to stay with the pace team as we hit the hills. I found my training in the hills in Charlottesville prepared me well for this section but I had 3 cases where my left hamstring cramped requiring me to slow down for a bit. I was able to remain cool and catch the pace group each time. At the 26th Mile I felt very good as I knew that I made it through without hitting the wall.
The last 0.2 Miles was a blur. The pack continue to pickup speed as we headed to the finish and we could see RFK stadium just over river as we turned onto East Capital St. This is a long straight shot to the finish with a 30Ft rise in elevation. The spectators grew in number as we approached. I worked to stay in front of the pace group and successfully croassed the finish line at 4:00:39, a new Personal Record.
Right after crossing the finish line I heard a group shouting my name and looked over to see my brother in-law holding a "Run Dug Run" sign, my brother, my wife and children along the spectator rail. I ran over to get high-fives, hugs and kisses. It was awesome to see my support team so soon after completing the race.
What an awesome day for a race! The winter weather originally forecasted for race day held off for 12hrs. It was clear and crisp when the race started. I finally learned from my previous mistakes and did not over dress for the race. I decided to wear a Short Sleeve Tech Shirt, Running Shorts and a pair of Running Gloves. Although it was in the low 30's at gun time, once in the starting corral the tightly packed group of runners shielded the wind and raised the air temp.
Shortly before race time, I spotted the 4:00hr pace team and wandered over to start the race with them. As we headed out I decided to hang with the this pace team to make sure I did not start to fast. This worked very well as I was able to ease into the race. I enjoyed running in the streets of the District. The first half of the race provides a great tour of the different monuments, Capital, Adams Morgan and Howard University. As we returned to RFK Stadium, I thought to myself that the first half of the race to be much easier than last year when I ran the 1/2 Marathon and was optimistic as I started out for the next 13.1 Miles.
I continued to hang with the 4:00hr pace team and found running with a small pack of runners provided a good support crew. We had a bit of small talk amongst the runners, but overall I concentrated on keeping the a smooth consistent pace. Between miles 16 to 20 we started passing other runners on a more regular basis. As we ran down by the Anacostia River a cross head wind picked up and I worked on drafting behind or next to runners. My game plan for fueling and hydration seemed to be working well in the later miles as I was not feeling thirsty and the regular use of GU kept my energy levels high. We left the river section and crossed the 20 Mile mark right on time at 3Hrs.
The last 10K section of the race started on a section of rolling hills which when you saw them appeared to ask "Are you up for the Challenge?". I was determine to stay with the pace team as we hit the hills. I found my training in the hills in Charlottesville prepared me well for this section but I had 3 cases where my left hamstring cramped requiring me to slow down for a bit. I was able to remain cool and catch the pace group each time. At the 26th Mile I felt very good as I knew that I made it through without hitting the wall.
The last 0.2 Miles was a blur. The pack continue to pickup speed as we headed to the finish and we could see RFK stadium just over river as we turned onto East Capital St. This is a long straight shot to the finish with a 30Ft rise in elevation. The spectators grew in number as we approached. I worked to stay in front of the pace group and successfully croassed the finish line at 4:00:39, a new Personal Record.
Right after crossing the finish line I heard a group shouting my name and looked over to see my brother in-law holding a "Run Dug Run" sign, my brother, my wife and children along the spectator rail. I ran over to get high-fives, hugs and kisses. It was awesome to see my support team so soon after completing the race.
I appreciate the support and understanding of my wife, family and friends who enabled me to train, listened to my ramblings about my LSR/Tempo/Speedwork runs, and provided grounding advice when I minimize the accomplishment of completing a marathon in 4hrs. Even though I did not obtain my goal of breaking 4Hrs, it was an excellent run and experience that I am proud of. I am thankful I was able to run this race and that I continue to improve my running capabilities. Looking back I can see that I enjoyed the training as much as the race.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Today's Run - 3/24
After a long day of travel yesterday, I forgot to set my alarm to get up an run this morning. Looking back at it that was actually a blessing, I got to sleep in a little bit and I got to run after work. I headed down to Innsbrook for my last run. I parked that Marriott and headed out. It was a little cool and windy but I was comfortable in running shorts and tech shirt after the first 1/2Mile. I did a easy 3Miles around the office buildings and lake. It was a nice way to put the end to a long week and a good training season.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Today's Run - 3/22
Well my marathon week started out with a bit of trouble. I needed to skip my run on Monday due to an issue at work which prevented me getting good rest on Sunday night. I was happy to get out and run this morning just to blow off some steam and get my feet moving under me again. Today was the last speed workout and it called for 4 miles consisting of 2 8:07 Mile with 1/2Mile Jogs repeats. After a little warm up I jumped right in and hit the splits with little issue. I always feel great after speed workouts.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Today's Run - 3/19
Today was the last long run before the marathon next weekend. It started out a bit rough and I was surprised on how much effort it seemed to take to hit the 9:45 pace. There was a considerable amount of head wind which may have contributed to the pace difficulties. I continue to test different timings of fueling during my run with the GUs. This time I used a Octane GU at mile 5, and that seemed to work pretty well. Race day fueling will be at miles 5, 10, 15, 20, 24 which is slight adjustment from previous thoughts. I am also concerned with my hydration as I know that I get very dehydrated late in the runs where I have a unquenchable thirst. I will work to drink more earlier in the race to maintain hydration.
Not much on tap this week, just a few small runs early in the week to keep the rust off. The speedwork on Tuesday should help build some confidence for the pace.
I am thinking about following the pace team during the race. I want to understand how they will target the expected pace with either even, negative or positive splits. I will create a mile by mile pace chart just in case I don't like the approach the pace team is taking.
Not much on tap this week, just a few small runs early in the week to keep the rust off. The speedwork on Tuesday should help build some confidence for the pace.
I am thinking about following the pace team during the race. I want to understand how they will target the expected pace with either even, negative or positive splits. I will create a mile by mile pace chart just in case I don't like the approach the pace team is taking.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Today's Run - 3/16 & 3/17
Traveling again this week to CT and the taper week is in full affect. I decided to run on the treadmill primarily because of the rainy weather and types of runs that I was doing. There was some discrepancies between my Garmin and Treadmill calculation of the distance and speed. The tempo and easy runs were pretty good.
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