Irving Marathon 4/27/2013 (2nd failed attempt to BQ)

Boston Qualifier.  Certification #: TX13063ETM

I dismissed the event when first learned of it: weather was unlikely to be ideal; things tended to go wrong at inaugural events; I didn't want to give up spring long run and Texas Road Rash.

_Decision
Casey emailed me 2 days after the 100k day, "The Irving Marathon got certified as BC qualifier." 

Peaking for a marathon 20 days after 100k was out of question.  My 2008 12-hour and 24-hour skates took over a month to recover. 

“Can I PR by 8 minutes without marathon specific training?”  I thought I had a chance if weather cooperated.  According to VO2-based calculator, my theoretical marathon time was 3:14:06.  I need 3:19:59.  Minimally, I had a chance for another meltdown, which would become fun memory.  Scott Jurek won Western State and Badwater 2 weeks apart.  Sometimes bodies would rise enough for the occasions.

_2013 Boston Marathon Bombing.  4/15/2013
My brain couldn’t process a friend’s text that Monday; he thought I was in Boston. 
For days running 2014 Boston felt like a calling.  I wasn’t the only one.  The interest to qualify skyrocketed that week.

(from http://running.competitor.com/2013/04/news/want-to-qualify-for-boston-in-2014_70892)

_Preparation
Recovery from 100k and tapering for marathon coincided.
Things within my control
1.    staying skinny
2.    minimum training
3.    rest
4.    carbo load

_Condition
Forecast was on the money: 67F, 84% humidity at 7:30am. 
Casey called 11 hours before the gun: south end of the course was on utility road with sharp rocks.  WTF.

_Race
Garmin 305 paced me at 7:33 for a 3:17:57 finish.  This leaves 1% margin.

4 distances started at the same time: 5k, 10k, half, full.  I loved the timer's expression when he saw the 2 barefoot runners without shoe lace for his disposable chips.  He seemed to ponder over the no-shoe-no-service policy but finally approached the 2 runners, "come see me when you finish."

The utility road wasn't bad during the first loop.  I avoided the bigger rocks by picking landing spots.  A barefoot runner ran gingerly on grass; the other disappeared.

The course was 7 miles of trail; 2 loops; 2 U-turns per loop.  I didn't anticipate half marathoners’ moral support when I started loop 2.  I also didn't anticipate 7:33 pace would put me in 7th place.  I overtook 1 guy at 3rd U-turn and started to fantasize 43-minute final 10k to get on men’s podium, "I just need 1 guy to falter."

14 miles flew by.  Legs' unhappiness became noticeable.  I increased cadence to make up for stiffness.  This worked for another 5k.  I started to lose time.  I burned a match at every hill.  I was hopeful of 3:19:59 finish.  I prepared myself to go anaerobic.  "Last 10k is gonna hurt."

_"20 miles of hope and 6.2 miles of reality"
I expected 2nd wind or the wall; instead, I got cramps.  Left calf and hamstrings shrank the moment I grabbed a Chick-fil-A cup.  I kept the pace and ended up limping.  I walked a bit then started jogging.  Boston was out of reach.

2 guys passed me before the levee.  I didn't respond.  Footing was difficult on the unpaved surface.  Hot spots formed inside of shoes.  The laces bit.  I walked the final U-turn and saw an Indian dude catching up.  I resumed running.  “I can still finish top-10.”

A smiling Kristen Rains caught me on the pavement.  I stayed with her.  She smiled, "we're almost done." She high kicked then sped away.  I was Wile E Coyote.

Mile 22 was a funny state of mind.  With each step, the finish became farther.  I resorted to Ironman shuffle.  "Just keep moving." 

Half marathoners took breaks from their phone conversations to make eye contacts: "You can catch her!" "You're almost there!" "Looking strong!"  I appreciated these lies from complete strangers.  I was surprised those hairy Indian legs hadn't caught up. 

The last 4 miles felt like 4 hours.  I crossed the line within a minute of 2 other guys.  We placed 9th  ~ 11th behind 2 girls.

This guy didn't beat me (image off official YouTube video)



_#’s
time: 3:35:06
pace: 8:12
place: 10/220
blister: 2
black toe nail: 1

In addition to $450 prize, Joe Beislver’s 6:25 pace won him 366-day supply of Chick-fil-A.


_Pre-race physical activities:
-20 days.  100k run in 24 hours.
-13 days.  28-mile skate at Road Rash.  5-mile cool down run.
-12 days.  6x800.  Sluggish during warm up.  Smooth sailing after first rep.
-9 days.  5k tempo.  Leg sore throughout the run.  I skipped the last 1k.
-7 days.  Long run at 8:44 pace.  Legs didn’t like it.  I shorten the run to 10k and questioned my ability to finish marathon at any pace.
-3 days.  1-mile tempo.  The weather and my body peaked for this low-humidity 40F day: I woke up 135.8 lb and pain-free.  6:55 pace felt like jogging. 

_nutrition
I carbo-loaded for 3 days and gained 2.0 lbs by race morning.  I stapled 4 gels to waste band in addition to the 2 gels in the hat pockets.  This worked well.  I wasn't even hungry after the race.  Gel and liquid went well at 7:33 pace heart rate.

2 lb felt like a stiff penalty for a full tank of glycogen.

_things for organizer to improve
1.    The course map was based on a visually pleasing rendering of the trail with weird orientation.  Outlines of the river were, err, beautified.  I visualized a graphic artist who's never good at reading maps.
2.    It was unclear whether racers could sign up at packet pick up.  Many wasted $7.5 on active.com.
3.    It was unclear whether the trail would be closed to non-event traffic.
4.    Volunteers received insufficient training.  At one point an aid vehicle impeded my progress.  Another volunteer expected me to come a complete stop for water.
5.    1 water station ran out of water the first hour. 
6.    300:1 racer-to-porta-potty ratio.
7.    Parking.  The race was delayed half hour.
8.    The delay was announced late.
9.    The announcer had different instructions for the start than official literature.  I was among "fuck it, I'm starting from the front."
10.    It’s uncool to advertise “The course is a paved, 12’ wide trail” when sharp stones on unpaved road were involved.

Texas Road Rash 04/14/2013

2013 was the closest I came to cancel the trip: legs weren’t recovered from the 100k day; I didn't practice pace line in 2013; Jenny’s entire family was sick, including the Border Collies; I tried to recover for the Boston Marathon qualifier 13 days away.

I thought about friends at the events vs. cost.  I kept the trip on schedule.  Aunt Sherry could use some replacement Pyrex lids.

_Excursions
Casey and I exited the high way when we thought Robertson’s was a restaurant.  It turned out ot be a cute little store selling decent sandwich. 

Shopping didn’t work out at Round Rock outlet mall.  Corning closed its store.  Oakley Transitions had a cool demo; I embarrassed a salesperson by asking about the price.

_Boot maker
David and Jennifer Simmons traveled to the race with casting kit.  I debated whether to acquire more skates.  The 2005 laced boots were all-purpose while Mojos were only suitable for short events.  A back up would reduce the risk of last minute repair like 2011.  I considered other toys on my list: TT bike frame, power meter, massage chair, pool robot, and kitchen counter.  New skates had high ROI.


I research frame options.  Simmons wasn’t the best value, but it’d eliminate 1 excuse for height issues.  I chose stability over roll and went with 3x110 hi-lo. 

photo by Donnie Lucas


I monopolized the craftsman’s time.  I explained my Mojo problems.  David watched me skate and explained “it’s all in the cast.”  He had to say that twice before I grasped the implication.  David offered to fix and update the early generation Mojos free of charge.

Jordan showed up.  I had a million questions but decided to go with a simple hello.  I didn’t need to risk ruining his day with wrong topics.  I learned my lesson with KC Boutiette.  Olympic was a double edge sword.  After all the sacrifices, the bronze medalist would leave the career at age of 29 to face a world where most wouldn't care about his stories.  I felt for him.

Casey had his feet molded at Bont booth by multi-tasking Debbie Rice.  Casey had to help manning the booth.

_Friends
I was happy to see Candy but not the ankle extrusion.  She kept her promise on version control.

Jessica was slightly taller than I remembered. 

photo by Shelley Kautz

I was glad to see Luke--always fun to skate with.  He didn’t sing at this race.

Shelley brought mom.  Her smile was infectious.

It was fun talking to Donnie and Doris over dinner.  Doris gave thoughtful answers regarding Popemobile.

Ryan McGee sold his Ninja and was no longer dating Asian southern California females.  I hope he’ll be Dr. McGee next time we meet so we can forget about his Justin Bieber past.

I sought vegetarian nutrition advice from Brian Shicoff and Rob Bell.

Mackowski showed up with mostly healed wounds.  I didn’t expect to see Jerry and didn’t know his race plan.  Timo stayed at his lake house watching The Masters.  “Tiger is playing!”

I saw a guy warming up in Ragbrai jersey.  I introduced myself to Jamie and didn’t think I’d see him again.

_Wave start
I let the lead pack go.  Casey and Tom started at compatible speed; I joined the group.

Casey’s quads radiated excessive energy.  We stayed in front.  I wanted a safe team skate and arrogantly assumed 3 of us were sufficient to control the pack.  I wished I discussed strategy with teammates before the gun. 


Doug shouted instructions to his kids, which boiled down to “patience!”

I barked invitations, directions, and encouragements.  I was Mike Harris.  I missed coach’s presence.  The pack grew in size: Bob, Luke, Jamie, and lots of pint-size skinsuits.  Skaters sitting in for free ride.  I didn’t care.  I just wanted a good skate with friends.


I focused on steady pace.  Casey was the strong man and pulled the lion’s share.  Tom led the long downhill; I wanted him to take no chances but didn’t expect him to skate so hard against wind.  A kid with T-shirt over skinsuit couldn’t wait; I let him go.  We swallowed him back in--multiple times.  We picked up racers with unwise starts.

We lifted the pace at lap 3 then let the half-marathoners go.  No marathoner tried to escape.  I felt confident about the 2nd half.

Lap 4.  I took over after Tom’s downhill pull.  My legs didn’t respond.  I asked Luke for help on Hwy 79.  Jamie also chipped in.  Tom showed signs of fatigue.  I was no longer confident.  I focused on staying relaxed.

photo by Shelley Kautz

Lap 5 was uneventful.  Skaters lacked cooperation or incentive to attack.  We settled into the slower pace and picked up more racers spitted out by other packs.  Casey seemed ready to kick into the next gear.

The pros lapped us.  Justin Stelly and Rob Bell worked hard in the pack of 3.  The only pro I recognized was Alex.  He looked less like He-Man this year.

Final lap.  We picked up more skaters, mostly temporarily.  Casey made moves.  Half the pack couldn’t respond.  I asked him to wait.  He had no one to race against and didn’t need another cheese grater in “open” category. 

Bob Harwell hung tough; he’s my hero.  Tom skated with decreased steadiness after his final pull; I stayed with him.  A few kids attacked indecisively therefore annoyingly.  Candy skated by herself; Gentleman Casey opened a comically large gap to let the famed racer in.  Jamie improved my sense-of-direction ranking by making a wrong turn a mile before finish. 

Young racers got in position for sprint; you could see gears turning in their heads.  Casey pulled them.  The scramble for the line wasn’t overly chaotic.  Most of us were tired and/or old. 

_Post race
I tried to take frames off and stripped a mounting bolt.  David Simmons helped me out.  If all went according to plan, these Mojos would become my rec skates.

Casey and I ran a lap.  It felt good.


Avg: 18.0 mph   
Distance: 28.2 miles
Time: 1:33:51.28
Lap 1     15:40.57    18.0mph     4.700     15:40.57
Lap 2     15:51.59    17.8mph     9.400     31:32.16
Lap 3     15:36.84    18.1mph     14.100     47:09.00
Lap 4     15:35.98    18.1mph     18.800     1:02:44.98
Lap 5     15:44.05    17.9mph     23.500     1:18:29.03
Lap 6     15:22.25    18.4mph     28.200     1:33:51.28

110k Long Run 4/6/2013

Timing wasn’t perfect: I wasn’t recovered from last race.  Ultra marathon was a poor way to prepare for Texas Road Rash.  But there were limited weekends outside of racing season.  This could be my best chance for 100k.

Goal: 100k in 24 hours.

_Logistic
A safe approach was to use the house as the base and return often.  This worked well in 2012.  Kay and Voon signed up for a White Rock 5k on this Saturday morning; running a 5k with her friend was Kay's fitness goal.  I wanted to be there. 

_Running to a 5k race
I planned a route to the 8am race using Google map.  I picked only familiar paths.  I was concerned about White Rock Creek Trail: it cut through car traffic, but 1 bridge could be flooded.  I would be easy to rob.  Driving would sidestep many issues, but running 19.3 miles to a 5k start was appealing.  I memorized the route for 3:30am start time. 

_Behind schedule
I shoved down calories with coffee, wanting to reduce luggage.  I played Midori SACD that prepared me for the half marathon 13 days ago.  The concerto sounded different.

I had too much stuff to carry and eventually found a way to balance gels, sunglasses, headlamp, iPod, and visor on my head.  I organized the Fuel Belt such that using the phone wouldn't require exposing cab fare.  I got out the door 10 minutes late.  I was down to 20 spare minutes to reach registration before 7:30am deadline. 

GPS was set to 11:00 pace.  When too far ahead, I walked the climbs to bleed average speed.  Weather was nice. 

_Detour
I had fond memory of White Rock Creek Trail: the first back spasm, re-learning skate stride, and meeting Texas Flyers.  I entered the dark parking lot, turned on the headlamp, and was greeted by the sign "White Rock Creek Trail Closed.  Use Cottonwood Trail….” 

I didn't know whether the Cottonwood was a trail or a street; I didn't know if it would help me cross the interstate highway.  I could
1.  whip out the phone to search for a new route, but I didn't want to increase my mug-ability.
2.  use car-friendly route, which would add 5k to my run; I didn't have extra 33 minutes.
3.  trust the trail to be usable on the other side of the 4-lane highways. 

I turned on my sense of direction and ran through LBJ construction then along Central service road.  This reminded me of Mackowski's interstate shoulder skate at Tour de Donut.  I located the trail 15 feet below Central Expressway. 

The detour cost 20 minutes.  I started to skip walking breaks.

Over the concrete barrier at the construction site, something resembling police crime scene tape caught the visor and yanked stuff off my head.  I looked at $300 of merchandise on gravel and marveled how complicated my running had become.  Miraculous, the 5' drop didn't damage the iPod, Oakley, and Petzl.  I changed my mind on ROI of Oakley Transitions lenses.

The final challenge was sidewalk-less residential area along Buckner Blvd.  I didn’t anticipated wet lawns.  Keep socks dry was a priority.  I ran on medians and inside car lane against traffic. 


_5/15k race
I ran with Voon and Kay averaging 11:00 pace.  I gain new perspectives watching runners at this speed.  I was amazed at Kay’s efficient strides and conjectured spine and muscle pain shortened the feedback loop--much like running barefoot.

Voon set a 5k PR.

_Weekend morning with friends
I joined Timo and Casey’s 15k’s final mile.  It was a nice surprise to see Shelley and other Pegasus Flyers.  They skated Tour Dallas.

Casey was my sponsor for the day.  He provided sunscreen, replacement gels, and bought me taco plate at Fuzzy's. 

Timo seemed surprised that I used shrimp tacos as fuel but didn’t argue with its scientific principal: assuming a skinny Asian could ingest 60 hotdogs in 10 minutes....

_Nutrition
Dehydration was the main concerned.  I learned the hard way my body didn't absorb water at sufficient rate.  I sidestepped the issue by spreading the miles throughout the day.  I carried 2 10-oz bottles in Fuel Belt.  32-oz Gatorade was easy to find.

_Round 2
Running became easier after Casey collected the unneeded gear.  Taking off headlamp was a big relief.  I held 11:00 pace with no drama for a few miles after brunch. 

_Issues
I tallied surprises and mistakes around 50k:
Trail closure
Dropping headlamp, iPod, sunglasses
Losing mileage on GPS due to user error
Forgetting to store iPod in car for 5k
Forgetting sun screen before round 2
Losing 1 headphone insulator when getting it out of visor packet

Long events were engineering as much as biomechanical challenges.

_Detour (part 2)
Cottonwood Trail was easy to identify at the south end.  It never came near the detour sign for White Rock Creek.  1 year into the 5-year construction, Dallas had not put up a reasonable sign for trail closure.  I felt the city council loathe non-motorists.  I fantasized taking that triathlon-friendly J2EE job in Boulder, Colorado.

The trail took me to neighborhood where gas stations’ main traffic was lottery enthusiasts.  I felt like an intruder standing in line to pay for Gatorade with Visa.  Times like this reminded me that logic and reason were often irrelevant.  非我族類其心必異.  Not a comforting thought.

_Undertrained
Beyond the annual long run, I didn't practice the pace, nutrition, walking, and equipment.  I was inexperienced in dealing with fatigue beyond marathon. 

I lost the will to run somewhere around mile 38.  I wasn’t hurting exactly, but without conscious effort, I found myself slowed to a walk—reminiscent of eating donut #18 when I beat Mackowski at the donut race.

_Rest
I made it home by 4pm to discover uncle & aunt dropped off fresh eggs, fruits, vegi, and mochi.  It was sweet.  I was still a kid in their eyes.  The eggs came with feathers.

I made Muscle Milk blueberry smoothie and noticed minutes elapse between sips.  I didn't feel tired but dozed off when not in motion.  I ate a quick dinner then went to bed after shower.  I needed 14.5 miles in 11 hours, plenty of time. 

_Round 3
I woke up at 9:45pm unmotivated.  I looked for excuses to shorten the run but finally made it out of door by 11pm.  “Just run 5-mile loop 3 times.  Just do it!”

_Eat and Run_
I sometimes felt the authors tailored their stories for me.  I saved _Eat and Run_ for 2013 long run.  Scott Jurek articulated the mechanism that made ultras difficult as my average speed dropped below a fast walker. 

Jurek and I shared certain social challenges.  I faced similar cross roads that led to his conversion to plant-based diet.  Maybe long runs heightened my ability to relate to others.  There were parts I thought he was reading my mind.

After all these years, it’s still weird to hear Chinese philosophy terms in English.  This book included multiple vomits and recipes for guacamole and other dishes.

My natural running pace was now 11:30 min-mile, as opposed to 8:30 pace marathon training’s recovery run. 

_Random thoughts
After finishing Jurek’s 8-hour book, I continued with Updike’s _Rabbit is Rich_.  Some scenes were incompatible with physical activity.  I turned iPod off and let my mind wonder.

Biff would start Ironman Texas 70.3 in a few hours.
Aunt Sherry ate her first Whataburger after 30 years in the US.
Roger Ebert passed away.
Family in Taiwan faced new health challenges.
Ninja’s master cylinder failed.
Endless house maintenance: DE filter pressure gauge, RO filters, door paint, landscape.  “Why do I own 4 exterior doors and 4 toilets?”
A tooth seemed to have cracked.
“Aren’t long runs supposed to clear my mind?” 

I was mostly walking by now.  There wasn’t enough time to finish 100k by walking.  I didn’t care.  I started to think about food for next 24 hours.

_Wrapping up
I made the final stop at the house to defrost edamame, bacon, crab cake, shishamo, clams, and chicken.  Great culinary experience was more about context than best of everything--I looked forward to finish that bottle of awful sauvignon blanc with salty fish.

_Final miles
I listened to David Sedaris for the final loop.  Plano cops didn’t hassle me; I wondered how often they saw laughing runners with sun visor 3 in the morning.  I wondered what would happen if I flagged the cruiser down and offer to buy coffee and donuts.

5k to go.  I tried sub-8:00 pace; it didn’t happen.  I had to focus to hold any single-digit pace.  I reached home 7 minutes before 24-hour deadline.

_#'s
3:39am        47.4 mi@12:30
11:00pm    10.4 mi@16.11
2:32am        4.8 mi@12:29

total:         100.7 km + unrecorded distance in 23:53:00