Rock N Roll DC Marathon - My second sub 3!

I always feel a sense of joy when I can write that the latest marathon was my best one to date. That is certainly true of yesterday's Rock N Roll DC Marathon (the old National Marathon). Training mostly by running my son in a Bob's Ironman stroller to and from daycare or with a backpack to and from my new office in Bethesda, I wasn't really sure about my fitness. However, the added miles seemed to pay off as I was able to hold my marathon pace, stick to the plan, and run a smart race - good for my second sub-3 marathon, just one tiny second off my PR set two years ago on the pancake-flat course that is the Houston Marathon.

My training routine became 2-3 week days I would run with my backpack to Bethesda cutting across DC on Irving by the Hospital Center through Columbia Heights, down Klingle and up Porter then straight up Connecticut Avenue to East West Highway where my gym was right across from my office. The other 2-3 days I would run Miles to daycare then Metro to Bethesda. It is the only way I can get in my run now, and it gives me the ability to really get in a lot of mileage. Some days I could get 14-18 miles, and really the lowest I would get would be 9-10. Almost every day is a double. On the weekends during the winter it is too cold to take him in the morning for a run, so I have been running during nap time. On Saturday, I was likely able to get in 90-120 minutes with Shawn. And those Saturday runs we usually doing some sort of speed or tempo work. For example, three weeks before the race, we ran 16 miles at tempo with a short warm up. That gave us the confidence to know we were ready for the marathon. On Sunday, I would get in 60-90 minutes, usually easy miles.

My race day gear

On race morning, it was a cold but perfect 30 degrees with sun. Usually, I like 40-50, but I prefer cold to hot. There wasn't too much wind - we were generally happy with the weather. Alex met us at my house and Shawn's wife drove us to the start. We timed it well as we didn't have to wait outside too long before the start. We hit the bathroom, checked bags, and went to the start where we did our warm up. I had a few throw-away clothes to stay warm for the first few miles. Mile one was crowded and we were able to stick together and to the plan. Mile two was a little better and we were running well as a team. Mile three and four we continued with our pace and in formation, but as we hit Rock Creek Park, Shawn began to put a few seconds between us. I tapped Alex on the arm to indicate stay back since we were doing fine. We climbed Calvert and lost 20-25 seconds, but we knew that we would. Over the next three miles, we back it back and established our pace again as we went through AdMo and Columbia Heights, up Harvard, down passed the reservoir and Howard University. As we hit North Capitol, Alex and I felt good and the plan was intact. We turned onto K Street and passed the former CQ Roll Call building where I worked with Shawn and Kate. Kate and their kids were out and I handed her my Red Sox beanie since I didn't need to wear it anymore but didn't want to throw it away. We ran by H Street and saw Adam Siple, my friend from GW and a fellow Bay Stater and runner. I was with Alex through the mile twelve marker but then I felt good and had some wind at my back and a slight downhill so I thought about catching Shawn. I sped up, leaving Alex, and hit the halfway point on East Capitol in 1:29:28.

Can you see Alex and me on the right?

Mentally, I was in a great place and my body also felt pretty strong. Right by the mile fourteen marker, I caught Shawn and we stayed together - for the next 2-3 miles. Within a mile of catching Shawn, we passed a water stand. I tried to grab two cups and hand one to Shawn, but he didn't want it. He didn't drink any liquids in the race. Before the mile sixteen marker, I had left Shawn a few seconds behind. At 17, he was further behind - he was holding a great pace but I had dropped mine slightly and was feeding off positive thoughts (I felt good, I figured I had an hour or so to go and knew I could hold this pace) - I really felt like sub 3 was going to happen no doubt and a PR or 2:57-2:58 was possible. I was able to hold this mindset through Anacostia Park and passed mile 21 ready to tackle the Fort DuPont hills.

Alex and I climbing Calvert with Christie on our tail

Looking at the course elevation, I knew this section was going to be challenging. Pre-race, I was prepared to lose a minute on Calvert and a minute in Fort DuPont. I didn't try to tackle the hill, just survive. As I was climbing, my left hip flexor started hurting. I figured it was just the hill and in the back of my mind wondered if it would end my race. That was a tiny thought that went away after the hill and my hip stopped hurting. It never was pain, so that was good. With about 5K left, I had 22-23 minutes to get under 3. I hoped I could get that 2:58, but there was another climb up Minnesota before a slight downhill on the straight away to RFK. But, at the 40K mark, a strong wind blew me back - wind tunnel! That took away my ability to find a 6:45 pace that could have gotten me 2:58. But, with my 2:59 safe in hand, I was able to finish strong and respectfully. In fact, I was only one second off my PR. Had I realized I probably would have tried to sprint to get under my PR. But, I don't feel regret since I know I gave it all I had.

At night, Shawn, Alex, and I drank a few beers at the new Tastemakers in Northeast DC and had their famous ice cream sandwich (two of their cookies with two scoops of ice cream in the middle) and recapped the race. Shawn should have stayed with us and drank water and taken more than two Gu. Alex said, "Great race! Those mile splits are a thing of beauty - a perfect race on a tough course!" And, I congratulated all of us on PRs and a well run race. Now, time to recover so I can try to run strong in Boston in five weeks!

DC Road Runners Club Members smile with new PRs and a great race!

2nd Place Age Group 40-44 (Shawn won 3rd) out of 145

33rd place overall out of 1882

31st male finisher out of 1152

My splits:

6:54; 6:42; 6:49; 6:42; 6:49; 6:50; 7:11; 6:39; 6:33; 6:29; 6:44; 6:48; 6:33; 6:21; 6:44; 6:51; 6:36; 6:41; 6:48; 6:52; 6:52; 7:28; 7:02; 6:33; 7:07; 6:53 (.48) = 2:59:32 for an average pace of 6:51.

First 10K = 42:35 Pace = 6:52
6.9 miles to the 1/2 = 46:52 Pace = 6:47
6.9 miles to 20 mile mark = 46:18 Pace = 6:42
Final 10K to Finish = 43:52 Pace = 7:04

New Half Marathon PR at Rock 'N Roll DC

My coach mentioned that often one can secure a half marathon personal record while training for a marathon. We decided to go for it and ditched last Saturday's workout in favor of a simply long run with no push so that I would be fresh. Plus, we scheduled a mini taper this week to aid in my goal to walk the start line with fresh legs.

I left my house around two hours prior to the start, walked to the BikeShare and took a bicycle, rode down and docked by the NoMa Harris Teeter, and started my warm up run by running to and around the Capitol then down the Mall near 12th Street. I put in three slow but steady warm up miles followed by my pre-race routine. In the starting corral, I saw Rob Wolfe (2:55), Alex Albertini (3:07), Amanda Hicks (1:28), and Dan Burns (1:33). Many of us chatted it up and talked about our goals for the race. Alex was hoping to qualify for Boston and he did since in 2017 he will be 35. I think his time should be enough under the qualifying time of 3:10 to get back to Boston.

When the race began, it was crowded for the first few miles. I held steady and put down a 6:37 which was in line with my goal for the first mile. Two guys in front of me were chatting and blocking me until one asked if I wanted to pass them. When I replied that I did, they parted and I darted ahead. As I left them behind, I heard one say to the other something about he didn't want anyone other than his girlfriend breathing on him. I found that funny yet I thought to myself, "If you don't want to be so close to people, don't race a large race," since the first few miles are always so crowded and people try to get around others. The second mile through southern Foggy Bottom and toward the Lincoln Memorial allowed me to begin to quicken my pace. I recall that the first water stop was manned by DC Front Runners. I didn't have a chance to get any fluids and went along over Memorial Bridge, around the traffic circle in front of Arlington Cemetery, and back over the same bridge then left down towards Rock Creek Parkway. Once I passed the 5K mark, I noticed a white guy with long dreadlocks and I thought he might be some runner I ran with at the Rocket City Marathon. I asked him if we met in Huntsville and he said he'd never been, so it wasn't him. I wished him a good race and he slowed down, realizing he went out too fast for his projected marathon pace.

On the slope and just prior to the Kennedy Center, my club, DC Road Runners Club, was manning that fluid station. I grabbed a Gatorade from Miguel Cuya and found Michael Pryce-Jones who handed me some water and cheered me. Rock Creek can be a challenging section with its rolling terrain, but I held steady in the 6:20s with my goal to keep it close to 6:25. The "Calvert Climb" is the real challenge for this course. I planned to expect to lose thirty seconds and was fortunate to keep the mile under 7:00 (barely at 6:59). Once I crested, there were more rolling hills through Adams Morgan, but I recovered well to keep the next two miles close to 6:21. I frequently run this stretch in training and knew exactly what to expect. The final real climb of the half took us up Harvard and once we crossed Georgia Ave, we were headed downhill and past the McMillan Reservoir and Howard University. Here, I simply wanted to stay consistent. Right when the race took us onto North Capitol, we passed mile nine and I did some bad math in my head and thought I was going to come in around 1:25. My course PR set in 2014 was 1:25:47 and I had to work hard at the end for it, passing a fellow club member in the last half mile.

After a mile on North Capitol, we crossed the ten mile mark which meant there was 5K left. At that point, I thought to myself that I could certainly finish within twenty minutes and that would put me close to 1:24:30 or so, which would be close to my PR and certainly faster than my course personal record. But, I felt good running through H Street - where I was cheered on by the H Street Runners and fellow GW alumni, Adam Siple - and ran a strong 6:21. The last challenge was going from H Street up 13th Street then left on Constitution and another left on North Carolina. That puts you on C Street and within the final mile where I was able to really turn on the jets. My finishing kick and the friendly downhill left me average a blistering 5:45 for the final 1.1. That effort not only earned me my personal best but helped me sneak in under 1:24 - a thirty-one second personal best!

The course was much harder than my previous PR at the Navy Air Force Half in the fall, also here in DC, which is basically the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler Course with part of Rock Creek added onto the route. If I can get under 1:23, I can qualify for the New York City Marathon; or, if I can hold onto my time and age up into the over 40 men, under 1:25 will do it. Either way, it was a great day for a race, a great job sticking to the plan, and perfect weather to accomplish my goal!

My splits = Thirty second PR and nearly a two minute course PR! Ran smart. Started off easy and held a strong pace. 6:37/27/22/20/27/24/59 (Calvert Hill)/ 21/22/11/21/26/ 5:46 for mile 13 and 52 seconds for the final .16 according to my Garmin for a 5:34 sprint finishing kick.

99 overall/14470; 89 Male/5731; 12/929 Division

Next race = the best race in the world, the Boston Marathon!

Running Through My Dreams

I had a dream last night that I was about to finish the Philadelphia Marathon in 3:09 which would give me time to spare to qualify me for Boston, but I couldn't find the finish line. I was getting really scared and annoyed because the seconds kept ticking by and I was at the end of the race, but I just couldn't cross the finish because it wasn't there. That was the fun dream I had last night - it was nice that I can dream that I will do well, so that's a plus.

On the plus side, my friends qualified for Boston with some strong running this weekend at Chicago. I am happy for them and jealous at the same time. I'm jealous because I'm frustrated I have not qualified yet. I think I've done the work, but it hasn't all come together yet. I have some great shorter distance times: 1:28:54 half and 66:21 10 miler on a hilly course. I should be able to do a 3:10 marathon.

Today I ran a solid 12 with 4 at tempo. I did 2 with Sammy to warm up and then did another 2, then 4 at tempo (27:40 total) and then 4 cool down. I ran to the Zoo and looped back - the hardest part is the hill at the end going up Rock Creek to Calvert and Connecticut. I was at 3.5 miles and gave equal effort up the hill, but it's a killer. I have to remember that I live by so many hills so my times will be a bit slower than they should be but I should not grow discouraged by this.