2018: A Year in Review

2018 was another great year of running. I tied my PR in the marathon, finished second overall and first master out in South Dakota, and ran more miles than ever for a calendar year. I started running to work regularly, which accounts for all of my additional miles. Miles and I ran a lot of miles together: in addition to regular commutes to and from daycare and our favorite loop to the Zoo, we had our first races (2nd stroller at College Park 5K and 1st stroller at Capitol Hill 10K). And, today, we ran to the Smithsonian so he could play at the Air and Space Museum, with a quick visit to my office on the Hill.

A few stats to capture 2018 in running:

Total miles (bicycle and running) = 5,063 which was 691 total hours of exercise. I cut back on bicycling since I switched those bike share commutes to runs which allowed me to increase my total miles by over 600 more than last year.

Running = 4,265 miles (previous high in 2017 was 3614). That is about the distance from Washington, D.C. to Fairbanks, Alaska. I climbed 145,840 feet while running. That's the equivalent of summiting Mount Everest (29,029 feet) just over five times!

New places I ran = Deadwood, South Dakota, St. Michaels, Maryland. It wasn't a banner year for accumulating new cities, but I'm fine with that.

My my training partner Shawn captures my year in running:

"Kenny is getting better with age and he's doing it by working harder. When 2018 ends, he expects to have run about 4,200 miles -- he's currently at 4,050 -- a lifetime high that exceeds his previous best annual mileage tally by about 600 miles.

"He's not only running more. He's running faster. Kenny ran his second fastest marathon ever in March with a 2:59:32 at Rock N Roll DC, placing second in his age group on a very difficult course. The hill at Fort Dupont at mile 23 is a doozy. His PR is on the flat course in Houston in 2016 (2:59:31).

"The following month, he persevered on a rainy, cold day in Boston, setting a course PR of 3:08:36 when many other runners dropped out.

"And at the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon in the Black Hills of South Dakota in June, Kenny was the first master and second overall. He ran in the lead group of two for most of the race. He led the race outright from miles 12-14 until the winner, a 29 year-old, caught and passed him. He finished in 3:17 on a warm day when the winner crossed in 3:11. That made him the South Dakota State Master's Champion for 2018 and marked the 27th state in which he has completed a marathon.

"In November, Kenny set a course PR at the New York City Marathon in 3:01:06, easily besting his previous two attempts 3:26 (2010) and 3:12 (2015).

"He was third master at the DC Road Runners Club 20-Miler in September, setting a PR for the distance of 2:14:16 (6:43 pace).

"Adjusting to the running life as a father, Kenny placed second in the stroller division in the College Park 5K in May. He was then first stroller at the Capitol Hill Classic 10K later that month.

"He ran a 1-mile time trial in 5:15 during the summer and placed 2nd overall in the DCRRC 3K Track Championship in driving rain in July.

"And in November, Kenny placed 3rd AG/7th overall at the Camp Letts Turkey Trot Not-Quite 10K in 37:22."

It was very satisfying to see him run a personal record number of miles in 2018, improve his marathon time from 3:08:20 (Freedom's Run, 9/30/17) to 3:03:16 (Rock and Rock DC, 3/10/18) to 3:02:37 (New York City Marathon, 11/4/18). He also set many other PRs and win a few races outright and age group. It was great to run with someone who follows a similar routine and keeps pace.

The friendly competition was what was ultimately most rewarding in 2018. As I grow older, I maintain my goal of 50 marathons in 50 states. I am still striving for PRs, but I am narrowing my focus to the marathon. It was neat to train for a track one mile race even if the downpour conditions made a PR impossible. I hope that 2019 brings more PRs, milestones, and quality time running with friends and my son!

NYC Marathon Race Recap

Shawn and I have run hundreds or thousands of miles together. If I had the time, I could check the exact amount on Strava, but suffice to say that between long runs, recovery runs, easy runs, speed such as tempo, fartlek, and track, hill repeats, commutes, and my pushing Miles in the Bob stroller, he's probably the person I have trained with for the most miles (my dog Sammy has definitely ran the most total miles with me). Earlier this year, I pointed out to Shawn that his half marathon time qualified him for the New York City Marathon. He had always wanted to run it so when he signed up, I signed up since I also had a qualifying time. I have entered NY by three different ways (In 2010 I had been rejected three straight times and was guaranteed entry the third year, but this was discontinued. In 2012, I raised money for the charity the Blue Card but since the race was canceled, they allowed me to pay for entry into 2013, 2014, or 2015, and I chose 2015).

Got our bibs

We took the train up early Saturday morning and found seats together where we could stretch out. We talked strategy and expectations for most of the race. As reported earlier this year, we planned to race Rock N Roll together but that fell apart prior to the first 10K. This race, we mapped out and followed a solid strategy. While we plotted strategy and logistics, we ate lunch which consisted of pasta we packed for the ride. The train was easy and when we got to Penn Station, we walked over to the Jacob Javits Center where the expo and packet pick up is held. While walking, I texted my high school friend Nicole was was running her second marathon and first NY. She was a little nervous but I texted her that it was the race that should be nervous since she was going to kick its butt! We breezed through the expo, got our bibs, took a few pictures, and parted ways. I went to meet my coach at his hotel near the finish and handed him my dry clothes. I chose the poncho option, so it was clutch that Ryan took my clothes for me to change into after the race. Everything I was wearing would be tossed and donated.

With Coach Ryan Vail. Photobombed by an unfortunate sign.

After meeting with Ryan, I met my cousin at NYU where he teaches. We went back to his place and he found an old blanket I could use to stay warm then toss at the Athlete's Village. I bought bagels to eat in the morning about three hours before the race and some to bring back to DC. We went to dinner at an Italian restaurant near his house in Astoria and I ate two baskets of bread in addition to my pasta and tomato sauce! My cousin's husband's sister is also a runner who has run several halfs. She was very excited that she was visiting during the NYC Marathon and could watch it before her plane left. I gave her my logistics booklet explaining the race, where to watch, and course information. That seemed to make her happy. After dinner, I went to bed. I woke up at 4AM (it was the end of DST so I got an extra hour and felt quite rested) and showered and ate a banana. I left around 4:45AM and his neighbors were still awake and on the balcony. The city that really never sleeps!

Bib 3211 for 2018 NYC, my 44th marathon

I took the subway from Astoria (Steinway stop) to the Midtown bus. Luckily there was a runner on the platform and I could just follow him through the subway and to the bus. We chatted with other runners on our train including a young IT professional named Sebastian from near Warsaw in Poland. On the bus, I tried to get a little more sleep. On the bus, I sat next to a runner from the Boston area who loves to run New York but has no interest in the Boston Marathon. His aversion to Boston is training in the cold. After passing through security, I found the meeting spot, the orange area therapy dog station (the dogs licked our faces as we rested). When I returned from the bathroom, Shawn was there. We rested and I asked a woman to "Share the sun" who was blocking it from warming us. Around 9AM, we got ready and headed into our corral. In the corral, we waited around with other runners. One was taking a selfie, so I offered to take his picture in return for taking our picture and sending it to me.

Shawn and I have a friendly rivalry that makes us both better runners. This race was our tiebreaker for the year since earlier, he won the 1 mile and 3K at the DC Road Runners Club track meet, and I bested him at the Rock N Roll DC Marathon and the DC Road Runners Club 20 miler. But, I would have been thrilled if we finished the race together having paced each other to a sub 3 finish. If that had come to pass, we could have raised our hands together in celebration as we crossed the line.

The weather for the race was perfect. Starting in the 40s and rising into the 50s, we really couldn't have asked for better weather. Thankfully, the heavy wind on Saturday was mostly gone for Sunday, just an easy 5 mph wind that wasn't a factor.  It wasn't too cold that we were shivering in the Athlete's Village and it wasn't too hot on the course. We brought some throwaway clothes and blankets that kept us warm while waiting that we tossed before and during the race. When the race started, it took us about 40 seconds to run over the start line. We ran on the lower section of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Our Garmins had trouble accurately finding our pace, possibly because we were on the lower bridge and also due to so many other Garmin users. I knew not to trust my watch that read an 8:30 pace (when I was less experienced, I would have freaked out thinking I couldn't get into my pace) and sure enough, we clocked a 7:30 first mile even though my watch displayed only 0.9. The next mile had us running a 6:14 mile, which was again off. I assured Shawn that our pace was perfect and not to worry. I don't think he was worried, but sometimes I like to verbalize my inner monologue.

The run through Brooklyn went very much according to plan. We were settling into 6:50 pace, the effort felt easy, and the crowds were amazing. Even though there were so many runners near us, we were able to stay together without dodging other runners or exerting more energy than necessary. We tried to stick to the tangents as much as possible - only I veered to get water as Shawn brought his own. I wore my Red Sox visor through the streets of NYC and occasionally yelled for a fan wearing a Red Sox hat to give me a cheer - 2018 World Series Champions! In Brooklyn, I looked for my friend Chris and his son Alex between miles 8-9, but I didn't spot them. We hit the 10 mile mark right on pace and cruised towards Queens. I would call out the splits for each mile and did some quick, sloppy marathon math to know we were on pace. As we left Brooklyn and entered Queens, we passed the halfway point. 1:29:35 - right on pace to break 3! Before the race, we had talked about running the first half in 88 minutes (he rejected that and stated 89/90 minutes was smarter), so 89 minutes and change was perfect.

Queens was fairly flat and uneventful. In Queens, I looked for my cousin's husband and his sister.  Unfortunately, I didn't spot them, but later they reported they got to watch the leaders. I prepared us mentally for the Queensborough Bridge which is long and slow. As we approached and began our climb, it became quiet as no spectators are allowed. Again, I feared Garmin might be off so we just held our effort and didn't worry about effort. It paid off as we ran a the bridge smartly and entered into Manhattan to huge cheers. Within half a mile, I heard my name and saw my friend Michael cheering for me. That was fun to be spotted by a friend - three years ago my friend from college not only saw me, he took a great picture.

Through Manhattan, we kept our pace and even pulled slightly ahead of the 3 hour pace team. We did not intend to do so, but our pace brought us slightly past them. The miles were adding up, but mentally I remained in a good place. As we climbed the bridge into the Bronx, the pace team overtook us but we kept them in sight. The segment through the Bronx is not that long and soon we were back in Manhattan. The last time I ran NYC, I thought I could break 3:10 and felt my chances were good but I faded. This time, I felt I was on pace to break 3:00 and pushed towards my goal. With about five miles to go, I felt a burst of energy and felt like I had lost Shawn. I don't think I increased my pace as much as he lost the pace, but in any event, I felt I was going to run the final miles alone. That is what happened. I felt strong and kept pace as long as I could, but the climb next to Central Park slowed me by 20 seconds a mile. I thought all I needed to do survive and once in the park, I could lay down the hammer. But, those rolling hills took its toll and I was fortunate not to lose anymore time. As I headed to the finish, I thought I heard footsteps and wondered if Shawn was closing in on me. I don't know if I had anything left to match him if he was going to push me. But I finished then waited a minute or so before I saw him cross. We were both very tired and excited for our effort. It was a PR for him by 39 seconds.

If the end were completely flat, I could have broken 3. Our 3:01/3:02 was a sub 3 on a flatter course. The fitness was there as demonstrated at the 20 miler. If there were no hills in Central Park, I could have broken 3:01. But, I know I gave it my all even though I came up a couple of seconds shy of getting under 3:01. I am so proud of my time and very impressed with how Shawn has continued to get faster in his mid 40s. A 3:01/3:02 in NYC is amazing for a 40 year old, and even more impressive considering my first ever marathon was a 4:10 and my two previous NYC Marathons were 3:26 (2010) and 3:12 (2015). This year, I finished 1275 out of over 52,000 runners, so I definitely beat my bib (3211). This was my fourth fastest time out of my 44 marathons.

Comparing my three NYC Marathons:

Course profile

2010 NYC Marathon (Bib 7702 / Age 33) = 3:26:01
Pace = 07:52
Place Overall = 4,047 of 44,976, Place Gender = 3,565 of 28,849, Place Age Group = 3,566 of 3,857
Place Age-Graded 6,023 of 28,850
Time Age-Graded 3:26:01
Percentile Age-Graded 60.6%
Splits: 5K 23:11 (23:11 = 7:29) / 10K 46:10 (22:59 = 7:25) / 15K 1:09:44 (22:34 = 7:17) / 20K 1:33:23 (22:39 = 7:18) / 25K 1:57:50 (24:27 = 7:53) / 30K 2:21:54 (24:04 = 7:46) / 35K 2:47:25 (25:31 = 8:14) / 40K 3:14:47 (27:22 = 8:50) / Half 1:38:43 = 7:32 / 26.2 full 3:26:01 = 7:52 (8:09 2nd Hal)

2015 NYC Marathon (Bib 5011 / Age 38) = 3:12:47
Pace = 07:22
Place Overall = 1,709 of 49,461, Place Gender = 1,558 of 28,788, Place Age Group = 302 of 4,562
Place Age-Graded 2,498 of 28,788
Time Age-Graded 3:09:38
Percentile Age-Graded 64.84%
Splits: 5K = 21:19; 10K = 42:42; 15K = 1:04:20; 20K = 1:26:13; Half = 1:31:10; 25K = 1:49:10; 30K = 2:12:20; 35K = 2:36:33; 40K = 3:02:13

My 5K splits

2018 NYC Marathon (Bib 3211 / Age 41) = 3:01:06
Pace = 6:55
Place Overall 1,275 of 52,700, Place Gender = 1,183 of 30,580, Place Age Group = 228 of 5,109
Place Age-Graded = 1,453 of 30,580
Time Age-Graded = 2:54:55
Percentile Age-Graded = 70.3%
Splits: 5K = 21:25; 10K = 42:25; 15K = 1:03:33; 20K = 1:24:52' Half = 1:29:35; 25K = 1:46:33; 30K = 2:07:34; 35K; 2:29:07; 40K; 2:51:13

Running more overall miles and more miles at tempo pace during training has made me a better marathon runner. Having to run-commute with a backpack and running my son into daycare in a Bob's Blaze jogging stroller has had no negative effect on my training - perhaps it even helped by adding a level of resistance. Adding doubles has helped me in distance racing. And, switching from a set long run on the weekends to more total mileage but no traditional long run has not impacted my training. I hope to be able to use this method to keep improving my marathon and other race times. As documented in previous blogs, since the birth of my son, my training has changed. I have had to move my runs, run/commute with a backpack, run my son to daycare in a stroller, and completely ditch large group runs. While I miss running with my club every Saturday morning and doing track with them every Wednesday night, I’ve found ways to not only continue to train, but to actually increase my mileage and effort. 

This New York City Marathon was the race I hoped Rock N Roll DC earlier this year could have been. Having trained with Shawn for several years now, we planned to race New York together, pacing and pushing ourselves to break 3. It has been tremendously rewarding to witness his transformation into such a strong and smart runner in just a couple of years. By committing himself to doing the mileage and adding in speed, hills, and tempos, he not only dropped his times and qualified both for Boston and New York, he also inspired and challenged me. Plus, selfishly, having a friend and rival to push me and motivate me benefits me. He keeps me from getting complacent. I look forward to training runs where we can talk running, Red Sox and Patriots, politics, or the day's news while testing our VO2 Max or running at recovery pace. Running alone is not as rewarding to me as having a good friend and training partner to keep myself honest.

We're not quite as fast and accomplished as Des and Shalane, but we have pushed each other to achieve results.

Taper Time for NYC Marathon

One year ago today I ran a negative split at the Hartford Marathon, good for a 3:01. Today marks three weeks to the day of the New York City Marathon. During this blog, I am sharing photos from my last NYC Marathon race in 2015 (2015 recap). In 2015, I ran 3:12 on a warm day, better than the 3:26 from 2010, my first time racing NYC. Now that I think about it, all three of my entries have come in a different way: 2010 was the old "get rejected three times and get in the fourth," 2015 I raised money for a charity in 2012 but that race was canceled due to Hurricane Sandy so I took the guaranteed entry offered for 2015, and 2018 I qualified with my half marathon time.

View of Central Park - the finish line is down there somewhere

It is officially taper time! I've written about the anxiety of the taper before, and with fewer miles to run I have to be judicious about deploying them. I will try to replicate my taper from before the Rock N Roll Marathon where I ran a strong race. Based on how I tapered and adjusting for my tolerance for increased mileage, I'm going to try to stick to the following plan:

Bib and packet pickup at the expo

Week 1 = not to exceed 80 miles, fartlek midweek, and long run with 3,2,1 MP tempo
Week 2 = not to exceed 55 miles, fartlek midweek, and long run with a 20 minute MP tempo
Week 3 = not to exceed 25 miles, 5 x 4 minutes at MP midweek, then Sunday race day!

Pre race waiting to board the bus from Brooklyn to the start at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island

This week started as a rough one for me. Last weekend on Friday night, I came down with a fever and body aches. I've heard the rule for running when sick is if it is above the head (sniffling, congestion, runny nose) it is okay to run and below the head (body aches) then to skip the run. I ended up canceling Saturday and Sunday's run and on Saturday night decided I would also give myself Monday off (Columbus Day) as well. I thought I was feeling better so I ran on Tuesday, but by Tuesday night my fever had returned and I had a nasty headache. Dayquil got me through the weekend so we could go to activities with my son like attending the pumpkin festival, but I relied on Advil Sinus to make it through my workday (it was pretty effective).

Waiting at the start line

I was able to run again on Friday and on Saturday I ran my son to the National Zoo and back. And earlier today, I ran during Miles' nap - 17.4 miles in 2 hours and 4 minutes with the middle 11 miles at marathon pace (6:45-50). The first four were a struggle but then I found my comfortable pace.

Running mile 17

The Red Sox playoff run is a threat to my taper. In 2013, their last time in the ALCS, their clinching game was the night before the Detroit Marathon. I did okay with a 3:09, but late games are not good for my rest. It is hard to be disciplined when your favorite team makes a deep playoff run.

Snot rocket?

I also have been helping my brother raise money towards his goal of $10K for his charity Dreamfar High School Marathon to get his bib for the Boston Marathon. I solicited 50 of my past donors with the email at the end of this post.

Post race celebration

Dear Friend,

As you may know, this will be my seventh Boston Marathon and while each time I’ve qualified is a truly special accomplishment, this year has added significance. My younger brother Matthew joins me on April 15, 2019, in the Athlete's Village in Hopkinton for his first Boston Marathon!

Not only am I coaching Matthew, we are also working together to raise funds for the charity called Dreamfar High School Marathon (DHSM), an organization that challenges high school students to reach their full potential—physically, socially, emotionally, and academically—through a mentor-supported marathon-training program. Over the years they have served students struggling due to gender identity issues; autism, learning disabilities, and social phobias; severe depression; homelessness, as well as the overwhelming stress to achieve success in the classroom.

We are deeply moved by Dreamfar's mission and want to help them with their goal of reaching every student in New England. If you are able, would you consider making a donation to support our team, please?

You can donate at: https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/dhsm2019/matthewames2

Thank you for your support!

Kenny Ames

Running with my brother and our sons in the Bob's Ironman Double Stroller at the National Zoo

Link to Kenny's Running Blog

Video Updates on Matthew’s training:

October 10, 2018 Training and Fundraising Update: Part 1

October 10, 2018 Training and Fundraising Update: Part 2