long distance

Saturday, April 1, 2023

Irving Marathon Half 2023-04-01

This was to be an "A" event before realizing I already qualify to apply for 2024 NYC using Austin Half. Despite running Grasslands 2 weeks prior, I aimed to PR (1:32:14)

Legs weren't 100% despite a week of prep and nice weather. I finished in 1:33:06.

I manned mile-17 water station w/ Jung Lee, Sam Cotton, Stef Taniguchi. Helping marathon runners brought me out of sulking state.

I have 3 weeks to prep for Hachie 30-mile.

Saturday, March 18, 2023

Grasslands Marathon 2023/03/18--long training run at Oprah pace

it's easier to take first lap easy this year: I didn't have Mark Seeley, Mike, and Shaheen's pace to match. I started with Amy Clark who disappeared for a bush break as I trip over something after 5k. I was left alone.

It was cool watching how most front guys made the point to say hi to Amy first couple miles. They all expected Amy to win today <= no real competition.

I felt pretty unmotivated/non-strong after lap 1. Oprah pace felt natural.

#'s
official: 4:25:26
GPS: 25.6 mi@10:23; 181w

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Cowtown Marathon 2023/02/26--BQ

_objective
1. Qualify for 2024 Boston
2. Able to recover to peak for 4/1 Irving Marathon half.
3. Negative split.

_goal
A: 3:30 stay with the official pacer. I never achieved this time without full taper.
B: 3:33 easy number
C: 3:35 qualify for Boston 2024

_highlights
Legs somewhat rested at start.
Only 1 lb heavier than race weight.

_lowlights
In middle of a training block. Using half- instead of full-marathon.

_pacers
Alex was pacing for 3:35; James Allen for 3:30. It’s comforting to be between friends.

_race plan
Stay near 8:00 pace for opening miles.
Stay comfortable mile 5~18 between 3:30 and 3:35 pacers.
Lose 30~90 seconds at mile-9 bridge. (even effort—ignore spectators)
Reel James in before finish.
No complaining. Bring positive energy to others—especially if legs feel like shit.

_travel logistics Took Yama to Aunt Sherry at 3pm. Aunt wasn’t feeling well. I worried.
I skated to Expo to avoid parking fee.
The hotel was new and quiet. The assistant manager was friendly and gave me late 1:30pm check out. I was happy despite the sink drain & kitchen plug issues.
For the 2nd race I have a mini kitchen for dinner. I could get used to this.

_conservative start
Sticking to script wasn’t hard for 2 hours. Weather turned out nice.
Some guy cussed, “you cut me off, a hole.” I decided not to waste energy explaining running tangent & lines.

[GPS lost signal at underpass—I claims I went sub-3 min/Mi]

_biding time
8:00 pace got old by mile 14. Legs wanted to slow, cardio wanted to up the effort.
IRC cheered me on.
Couldln’t wait to mile 18. Reminded me of 2015 Heart break Hill—a lifetime ago.

_running free
I lifted speed at mile 18. The pace felt natural.
I saw 3:30 pacer at mile 23--I went faster. I felt I had even more to give. It was glorious.
I held back on the climb and resisted digging for the final mile.

#’s
official:
chip time: 3:29:00
pace: 7:59 min/mile
distance: 26/2 mi = 42k

splits
10K 8:00/M
15K 8:00/M
13.1M 8:03/M (1:46:00)
18M 8:03/M
22M 7:40/M
26.2M 7:59/M (3:29:00)

Both halves ended in 00 seconds—1 in 3600 chance.

racer count:
half: 4,924
full: 1263
ultra: 174 [Garmin Forerunner 245 said I was supersonic at the underpass]

Felt great—best executed marathon to-date. 1:46 then 1:43 for each half: overly positive for PR. Good enough when primary goal was to BQ.

Didn't go too deep—need to peak on 4/1 for Irving half.

bonus: Strava thinks my pace was 2:37/Mi at mile 10.5. Take that, Kipchoge. Haha

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Austin 3M Half Marathon (downhill to downtown) 2023/01/22

_goal “A”: 1:29:59 “B”: 1:30:29 = 6:52/mile “C”: 1:32 = 6:59/mile _downhill course The website made it sound like an easy and smooth course.

[elevation map on the site looked impossibly smooth]. I arbitrarily decided it’s a good course to try sub-90-minute for the bragging right. I’m vain that way. The “B” goal was such that I could say I ran the half in 90 minutes—vs. 91 minutes. I sought info on how fast the course was. Kisha: lots of downhills but there are some uphill to slow you down. Logan: it’s not really that fast. Jim: it’s smooth and flat but couple climbs. Tail wind would’ve mattered more. An experience pacer: Maybe 30~45 seconds faster than a flat course. As expected, the elevation change wasn’t homogeneous as suggested by the website.

[elevation per Garmin] Half the course was functionally flat. The 1.5-mile long climb section was mild. 1/3 of the course was fast downhill. The sun was on my face a lot. I wished I had sunglasses until I learned how close I was to the goal. _race plan Knocking 2 minutes off PB sounded impossible, but I didn’t dwell on the details. Course and weather were outside of my control. I’d start with the 90-minute pacers and play by ear. _race Weather was great: sunny, dry, low 40’s F, net tail wind. Stryd splits were on the nose at mile 1, very short at mile 2, but recovered after mile 2. I stayed close to the pacers around 6:45 pace. The gravity-assisted effort felt right; the shock wave traveled higher up my limbs than I was accustomed to. I stayed smooth at the expense of holding constant distance to the pacer. I ended up ahead of the pacers halfway. Hamstrings tightened at mile 7. 7:00 pace was manageable. Sub-90 was reachable if nothing else went wrong. Side stitch started at mile 8 before the climb. I slowed more, helplessly watching the pacers getting away. I felt I was struggling at 8:30 pace—Garmin said I was faster than 7:30. Runners passed me left and right. It was maddening I couldn’t match their speed. The climbs after mile 10 disrupted my rhythm. I ignored Garmin--just tried to stay with runners passing me. I managed to pass couple runners at the final climb before the finish line came mercifully at the bottom. GPS: Garmin 245 with Stryd 13.17 mi@6:52; 244w Time: 1:30:32 Official chip time: 1:30:29 = 90.48 minutes

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Dallas Half Marathon 2022/12/11--missed opportunity

_goal “A”: 1:31:59: sub 7 pace. “B”: 1:32:13: 7:02 pace. PR _mistake With family visit and holiday preparation, I stopped monitoring body weight. I ignored the mild fainting spells, forgetting it could be the symptom for low body fat. Calf cramped 1 morning. I finally stepped on scale --3 lb lighter than race weight. _race weekend logistics: 3:30pm: check into downtown hotel; hotel parking full; pissed 4:45pm: packet pick up before rain 8pm: Systemware Xmas party at Ritz Carlton 5:15am: breakfast; hotel lobby coffee ran out 8:30am: gun time; air temperature = 52F

[hotel room with a view] _race plan More climbs first 7 miles. I’d hold constant wattage just over 7:00 pace. Hold the same wattage for final 10k. Averaging 7:00 pace overall.

_race Weather was good but not great. Stryd splits were close to the mile markers. I lost a little ground at first 7 mile checks. I wasn’t concerned—I just needed to increase wattage for the final 10k. I stayed in comfort zone for too long and ended up 1:32:48—49 seconds behind “A” goal. I felt I wasted the training by poor execution. For several hrs, it was hard to swallow. I felt I could've raced faster if I invested more: skipped company Xmas party; asked a friend to pace me; weighed myself daily; practiced racing shoes more. I had no problem walking post-race—I just didn’t run hard enough. by 3pm, I was back to daily grind: puppy Yama and family activities. Monday I woke up with sore legs and felt blessed to have first-world problems. I wanted to celebrate the first sub-95-minute half since February 2015. Previous day no longer felt like a screw up: just a "B-" result when other parts of life took priorities. GPS: Garmin 245 with Stryd Time: 1:32:50 Pace: 7:02 Official chip time: 1:32:46

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

DRC Half 2022/11/05--dress rehearsal

For once everything worked as planned—extra 1 hr from Daylight Saving time helped. _Plan run by feel for 9 miles then go hard without digging too deep. Anticipating 95~98 min. The 95-minute pacers were in sight through out the run; I couldn't resist chasing them down for the final mile. Brand new Nike AlphaFly felt faster than 300-mile AlphaFly from last wk 10k. Stryd foot pod distance was spot on. With a little more training and a lot more rest, hopefully I could shave 15 sec/mile in 5 weeks at Dallas Marathon half. Chip Time: 1:34:54.9 pace: 7:15/mi

Sunday, October 2, 2022

A2A 38 + 49 mile stroll 2022/10/02--full circle

My default A2A plan:

Part 1: skate w/ Jessica for 38 miles.

Part 2: be an utility vehicle for 49-milers ‘til check point 4 or when Luke shows up.

Part 3: skate with Luke to Atlanta. Meet old and new friends.

_Preparation:

My foot race season ended in April. I intended to start long skates in July to prepare for February 24-hour solo in Miami, I would do just enough hills to get through A2A.

A chance encounter led to my acquiring puppy Yama. 10-week-old puppy was incompatible with high-volume training.

[He was 5.97 months old when I left home for A2A]

Between puppy, work, running, and aging, my training plan turned out unrealistic.

I skated little hill based on wheel completion count.

[2021 finished wheel]

[2022 finished wheel; motorcycle was sold during A2A]

Body weight control was the only aspect of prep that went well; Sonic still made me feel fat.

_the day before A2A

[renewed license arrived just in time; photos taken 12.3 years apart]

Flying Delta was more pleasant than American Airline, but I had to pay for upgrade to avoid checking in skates.

[my left neighbor had more leg room than my cheap middle seat]

[Herbinator, first Canadian sighting since COVID]

Dined at 3pm. Mellow Mushroom didn’t disappoint.

The opening ceremony was often an Olympian’s event highlight. That’s how I felt about A2A packet pickup: friends, organizers, and my skate heroes. I soaked in newcomers’ enthusiasm.

Without A2A, my sports life would’ve taken a different path.

_part 1: race

I stood at start having no confidence holding Jessica pace.

I moved to the left, so others wouldn’t have to get around me. I latched onto Jessica and Lenny at first turn.

I told Lenny I didn’t have the legs for that wattage. He kept the pace civil, despite the lead pack seemed only spitting distance away (world record = 25.81 meters).

I led the chase pack through a red light on a long descent when a cop decided to pull us over as gravity sped us up. I wondered whether 4 of us would fit in the cop’s backseat; I supposed there were worse things than sitting on Herb’s laps. I turned into a parking lot and was surprised no one was behind. I waited—this would be the first time I reached Dacula missing 49-mile start.

“Let’s go, Johnny. We’ll wait.” Lenny rolled passed the lot entrance.

I jumped the curb, ran on grass, and chased Lenny down at 28 mph while he took zero stroke.

We were 7 strong: Lenny, Jessica, Herb, Mario, Aaron, and an energetic Jen 秋雁. Mario looked closest to Super Mario among my Mario friends.

Herb was the first to drop, consequence of inactivity from knee surgery. I heard Jen flirting with her red line; she fell off the train. I didn’t notice when Mario disappeared. Aaron’s pulls felt too long; I silently accepted his gift.

Prior to the race, Jessica voiced concerns about frame positioning and edge control; I looked for but observed no symptom. Suddenly, she tripped; her rear wheel flew toward my nose. She regained balance before I could react. I developed appreciation for having a backup nostril.

I was among friends doing something I loved. Sky was big and beautiful; wind reasonable. During Hurricane Ian, I was unsure if I’d see Florida skaters. I looked forward to skate w/ Luke like the old days.

I was disappointed missing the 49-mile start.

I urged myself to stay in the present.

4 of us made mile-38 Dacula without further drama.

After annual hug from Valerie, I added weight to my pockets: phone, Allen wrench, Gu blocks, and bottled water. I ate bananas and chatted with 2nd place Brian Geisel.

18-yo Graeme Holland arrived 26 minutes ago when I was in a different zip code. I expected to see Luke & Naomi; instead, Jen rolled through, looking less lively than an hour ago.

_part 2: water boy

I caught up to Jen and offered to carry her nutrition before check point 4, intending to pace her to find her second wind.

Earl & Thomas skated by as Jen stopped to water plants. 4 of us rolled together and caught a spent Aaron who stayed too long with Lenny and Jessica; we spat him out as Jen found her rhythm.

_part 3: mission

I decided to pace Jen through her first full A2A. For my first 87-mile in 2003, Branda Harris made it so all I had to do was to follow the pack. This was my opportunity to pay back.

[yellow arrows were extra clear this year—Thank you, Henry] Getting lost with Herb and Bob in 2008 was a fond memory I preferred not to repeat.

Staying in slipstream became challenging as Jen’s muscles fatigued. I didn’t force her. I adjusted my pace while listening to her cadence and breath, a little surprised her cussing was English only. I urged her to resist digging too deeply into reserve.

“Is this Silver Hill?” Jen asked hopefully.

“Not even close.” I crushed her hope as each climb felt more endless.

Jen reached into her bag of tricks: conscious breathing, mantras, self-talk. Earl and Thomas turned marginally less stoic.

_”all for one, all for one”

Earl and I discussed Jen’s fighting chance. I didn’t explain Jen’s accomplishments; Earl could form his own opinion about her grit. Earl offered to stay with us if I didn’t take stupid chances at intersections.

I lost focus and left Jen behind. I felt I fell asleep on the job as I waited at T-intersection.

“This ain’t about you. Keep your eyes on the goal.”

Legs turned Jell-O by Silver Hill. We went down separately. I missed Luke.

[slowest Silver Hill in memory].

I was ecstatic to see Jen stayed persistent on the long climb to check point 5. I urged her to get out of CP5 as she wanted to extend her stretching session.

“Stretching is less efficient than lowering wattage. Plenty of climbs left.” I was the bad news bearer.

I made Greg running back and forth to fetch us Gatorade from the cooler while denying Jen unnecessary comfort.

The short stop did wonders to Jen’s fast-twitch muscles—but only for few minutes.

“A2A is 70 miles of hope before 17 miles of reality.”

The remain climbs were short but numerous, fuel tanks low. The street crossing became frequent, zapping average speed. I was encouraged seeing Jen finding her 3rd wind.

Earl and I had incompatible street-crossing style; I backed off. Earl’s strides reminded me of Win Hughes: milking every drop out of slow twitch muscles. He adjusted the pace to keep everyone in; I was grateful for safety in number.

Jen grabbed a bottle of water at CP6. Soup-Nazi-like, I took it from her and made her drink CP5 Gatorade instead. There wasn’t enough time for both bottles to enter bloodstream. A2A was about weight and energy management while delaying gratification.

My legs were frustrated by unfamiliar final miles; my feet ached.

“How much discomfort does one need to endure before stumbling on happiness?”

Jen carried her fatigue well--consistent with her 24-hour race results. I denied her additional nutrition—keep it simple; hold the momentum; get it done. I desperately wanted her to succeed.

We passed long-hair Peter and was buoyant by his positivity.

Earl led us through final turns and intersections—I was happy not having to navigate. My quads lost responsiveness with each turn. Finish line eventually came.