Back for more pain again (Blue Ridge Marathon)

Apparently I didn’t learn my lesson last year, because I found myself running the Blue Ridge Marathon again this year.  The BRM calls itself “America’s Toughest Road Marathon” and I would say that is only ½ right.  The course is certainly a humbling experience, with 7200 feet elevation change up that covers not one, not two, but three mountains.   However a word of advice to the race organizers – if you really want to call your race the toughest, you might want to do something about all those pesky friendly locals.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, from the race organizers, to the volunteers, from the hotel staff, to the spectators, and even the racers, were just so nice.  If you are tired of races that are all about corporate sponsorship and money, this is the perfect antidote.

Night before

I did learn one thing from last year – don’t try to do this race all in one day, including the 4 hour drive each way.   This year, I took my time and went down the day before and toured the expo, which was well run and full of helpful and, you guessed it, nice, people.  It was easy to find everything I needed as opposed to some of the overwhelmingly huge expos at the larger, well known large races.  After the expo, I checked in to my hotel, laid out my race gear and set to figuring out dinner.   I had two choices in walking distance - Italian or Mexican.  You might wonder who eats Mexican food the night before a marathon.  Yep, this guy.  It is not as it might sound, as I had Pollo con Arroz y Vegetales.   Of course, I also had a beer and sopapillas for dessert.  Don’t judge, I was carbo loading.

Pre-race

The hotel had lots breakfast options and I was ‘cised to find my pre-race goto meal:  A bagel with peanut butter and honey, and tea.  I met lots of other racers doing the same thing – eating breakfast, not putting honey and peanut butter on bagels.  After breakfast and a quick potty stop, it was a short drive to the starting line.  The weather was ideal – 39 degrees and sunny at the start.  I waited as long as I could before taking off my sweatshirt and hat and dropping at bag check.  I walked over to the race corrals, found the 4:30 pace group, listen to the anthem (local opera singer – wow could she sing), knealed for quick prayer, before BANG, the race started.

Race

Having been beat down by this course last year, I revised my strategy (and training plan – thanks Fleet Feet Roanoke) and kept it simple.  On the uphill, I slowed my pace and walked the steepest grades.  I also made sure to occasionally walk/run backwards to use different muscles, take water at every stop, and pause at the top of the mountains to enjoy the view.  For the downhills, I made sure to take it as easy as possible using short choppy steps to control my decent.  Last year the downhills did a number on my quads.   I kept an eye on the 4:30 pace group, allowing myself to get a little ahead before the mountains to account for walking and taking a pic at the top, and then tucked in behind the pacers when they caught up to let him to guide me on the way down.

The strategy seems to work, because I had enough left to handle Peakwood, the 3^rd and final mountain.  Peakwood is, IMHO, the most difficult part of the course, given it starts around mile 17, and has some of the steepest grades.  To offset this misery, the whole neighborhood comes out to watch and treat the race as one big party.  People were cheering on the racers - any maybe laughing a little too.  There is a running joke (see what I did there?) about the Peakwood Conspiracy.  When you ask someone who lives there if you are close to the top, they always answer “it is just around the corner”.    Only after you turn the next corner do you realize they never tell you which corner.  

After coming down from Peakwood (thank you gravity) I settled into a pace I hoped I could maintain for last 6 miles.  Unfortunately, I forgot about the “hill” at mile 24.  I was forced to walk it, and that was the point where the 4:30 pace group caught and passed me.  Oops, I though, I hope I have enough to keep up with him.  At mile 25, I saw the pace group had a good 1 to 2 minute lead on me. 

Remembering that the last 1.2 miles were mostly flat/downhill, I put on a burst of speed.  Okay, I am not sure what it actually looked like, but it felt like a burst of speed.  I did start to slowly reel the pace group back in. After one last turn I saw the downhill to the finishing shoot with just enough time on the clock to get a sub 4:30.  I gave every last ounce I had and was rewarded with a 4:29:34! Yea me!  Almost 25 minutes better than last year. 

Aid stations

There we aid stations every 3 miles with water and Skratch.  Also plenty of Gu gels along the way as well.  I made sure to take water at every station to supplement my hand held Nuun.  No offense to all the wonderful volunteers staffing aid stations and volunteering to take pics, but my favorite aid stations were the ones staffed by locals.  Moo Moo Mosia on the back side of Mill Mountain?  Strawberries and Champaign at the top of Parkwood?  A bugler playing charge on the uphill? It is like I attended an outdoor festival and a race brook out. 

Post race:

First stop after getting medal and water was food !!!!  Unlike some races when most of the food is cleared out by the time I get finis, there was tons of pizza, salty snacks, bananas, and yes chocolate milk.  After doing a pretty good imitation of cookie monster (Nom Nom), I took advantage of recovery tent –ice bath, form rolling, and massage.  Hurts sooo good.  The massage therapist worked miracles, as I limped in and walked out.  Now I was ready to enjoy my post-race beer, the concert and perfect weather.   The perfect ending to great day.

Summary

I said it last year, and I will say it again – this is the most fun you will ever have running 26.2 miles.  Full disclosure, I received a free entry to this race in exchange for writing about it.

   

The Roanoke Star

Mill Mountain

Roanoke Mountain

   

Leaving Las Vegas

What is the 1^st thing you think of when you hear “Las Vegas”?  Running a half marathon, right?  Every year in early April, I have to travel to Vegas for work.   I know I won’t get much sympathy from many people, but I am not much of a Vegas person.   Many people don’t realize is much natural beauty surrounds Las Vegas.  Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion are all within driving distance.  Closer in, Valley of Fire and Red Rocks are also amazing and put the Vegas strip to shame.  

I also make it a point to look for local races when I travel, so when a few years back I discovered a half marathon near Red Rocks, I was all in.  Some years the race doesn’t coincides with my work trip, but this year, this year it lined up.  The timing was perfect to use this race as a tune up for the Blue Ridge Marathon two weeks later

The race is held in Summerlin, a suburb of just west of Vegas, at the base of Red Rocks.  The community has a big health fair that weekend that includes a 20, 40, or 80 mile bike rides along with a half marathon.  While the hills are not as bad as BRM, the combo of the dry dessert air, higher base elevation (the race starts at 3,000 ft.), and yes, some hills, make it a challenging race.  

The weather at the start was a bit warm for my tastes (64 degrees), but that was my only complaint.  The course winds through neighborhoods and parks.  The parks sections are my favorite, as you run through desert trails that are very scenic.  There were also plenty of aid stations to keep me hydrated.

Right at the start of the race, many people surged out front.  I resisted the urge to do the same and locked into a pace based on my heart rate.   I watched as 20 + plus people passed me in the first ½ mile.  As the course climbed from 2,900 feet to 3,500 feet in the first few miles, I was able to slowly picked off a dozen or people who started too fast.   Staying in my target heart zone I was able to averaging just over 8:35 per mile.  I was happy when I found miles four through eight to be mostly downhill, which enable me to speed up a little and average a 7:45 pace.  For the remaining 5 miles or so, I paced myself to average those two, at 8:10.  The result was a respectable time of 1 hour 47 minutes, good enough for 30^th overall, and 8^th in my age group.  If I can run the same time next year, I will place on the podium, as I age up into the 50+ age group.

What to wear with all the Weird, Wacky, and Wild Weather.

In the past week, I have run with the temperature in the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s, then back into the 30s on consecutive days .  I try to follow the Boys Scout motto of “always be prepared” but there is a limit to how many different clothes I can wear on given day.   In effort to simplify, I have a few go-to, versatile pieces of clothing.

Tights vs. Shorts – If it is in the 20s or lower (or 30s with wind), I wear tights.  However the majority of time, I find shorts with a pair of compression sleeves for my shins work just fine.  As added benefit, I can wear the compression socks post run, even if I am at work.

Gloves – I have several pairs of the ‘disposable’ gloves I got as freebies from cold weather runs.  Given they are free, I don’t mind if I lose them or even need to discard during a run.  As an alternative, I have a pair of brooks running gloves that are quite light and roll up easily to a pocket or waistband.  I have have a pair of slightly heavy Nike gloves.

Socks – Since I started trail running more than 15 years ago, I have been huge fan of Smartwool.  It is crucial during trail runs to have socks that keeps you warm even when wet.  Smartwool has been around since 1994, so I think it is safe to say they know what they are doing

Hats – I keep a Nike beanie for cold days.  It is very warm, and as I warm up, it is small enough to take off, roll up, and fit in pocket or waistband.  Lots of companies make then now.  I find you really don’t need something too thick, as long as it is tight fit.

Jacket – my favorite running jacket is a Salomon wind breaker.  Again, very light, breathable (not water proof) but amazing at cutting the wind.   Jackets that are breathable, or with vents, are key.

Base layer – my goto is Nike coolgear short sleeve top.  Perfect at keeping my core nice and toasty.

Other items – Arm sleeves are perfect for slightly warmer (40’s) or windy days.  I like they are very easy to roll down/up as need. 

Only Half Crazy

Have you heard the saying that people who run ½ marathons are only half crazy?  One week after completing the Rehoboth BeachMarathon, I was toeing the line for a race just a mile from my house called the Holiday Half.  When my wife had asked me why the heck I would want to run a half one week after finishing a full, my immediate answer was ”it’s the challenge of it.”  Of course, it help it was a last minute decision that I did not really have time to think about it.  Also, it is really hard to turn down a race on the same trails I regularly train on.

So there I was, ½ an hour before the race started, asking if it was too late to register. Luckily for me the people at Metro Walk and Run who put on the race were very accommodating to last minute request for procrastinators like me.  I even got a full goodie bag that included race technical shirt and a fuzzy blanket.

The big question for me was curious how my legs would hold up.  I decided I run by effort, or more accurately, heart rate rather than shoot for certain time or pace. Through experience, I know a good HR for a half marathon for me is low 160’s.  Yes, I know that is a bit high for someone who runs as often as I do, but it is what it is.

Race conditions were pretty close to perfect, at for me.  Many people don’t like running in the cold but I love it.  The day was a little chilly at 34 degrees, but there was no wind and it was partly sunny.   There was still some snow covering the wood bridges, but other than that, footing was solid along the trail.  I had considered wearing my trail shoes, but ended up making the right choice staying with my road ones instead. 

As usual, I started out a little fast and ran the first mile at a 7:30 pace.  One day, I will actually stick to my plan and not go out too fast.  Fortunately, the hill at mile 2 forced me to throttle back to a more sustainable 7:50 pace.  I settled in with a cadence that kept my heart rate right between 165 and 166 for miles 3 through 12.  While my pace did slow a bit, I stayed with my plan of running by effort.  I kept waiting for my legs to get heavy, but to my surprise it never happened.  I even had a tiny bit left to drop my pace by 40 seconds for the last mile.

Even more surprising, I finished with a PR in this half one week after hitting a PR in a marathon.  Maybe there is something to listening to your body instead of my watch.  There was great selection of post-race food – pancakes, eggs, sausage, bagels, oranges and bananas.  I made a pancake, sausage, and egg burrito before heading home.  This is the 2^nd year I have done this race and I can’t recommend it highly enough.  Relatively small size, nice trails, wonderful cheering and decorations and good eats.    

Rehoboth Beach Marathon Recap

Short version – Great race, very flat, super scenic and wonderful after party.  Definitely recommend it.  I missed a PR by a few minutes.  If you are looking for a BQ or PR, this is race to do.

Longer version:

The race size is relatively small, giving it a very friendly feel.  I think combined the half and full together have less than 2,000 runners.  I am lucky enough to have friends with a condo that was near packet pick up, the start, and the finish.  I arrived around 5 pm on Friday evening, picked up my bib, and did a little pre-race shopping.  After dropping my stuff of at the condo, I walked to the Dog Fish Brewing Company’s pub.  As a race sponsors, they givie 10% off to runners.   I had a yummy pre-race fish fry (beer fried fluke, calamari, fries) and a Dog Fish 60 minute IPA.  Well, maybe two of the IPAs, since I was carbo loading.  With no kids or family responsibilities, I was in bed by 9:30. 

I got up around 5:15 Saturday morning for my traditional pre-race meal (bagel with sun-butter and honey, tea).  After checking the weather, I decided on go with shorts, a compression top under a loose tech top, arm sleeves, and gloves.   For nutrition, I stayed light – a hand held water bottle with Nuun and Sports Beans.  And of course, my trusty Garmin 920.

At 6:15 I took a short walk (4 blocks or so) down to the boardwalk for the race start.  I was welcomed by an amazing sunrise over the ocean and perfect weather– a few clouds, low 40’s, and no wind.   The race started right on time at 7:00 am.  For the first 3 miles, the course is the same for both the half and full marathoners.  It was a little crowded, but nothing like Marine Corp.   At the entrance to Gordons Pond Trail, the half runners turn around while the full keep going.   The surface changes from paved to finely packed crushed gravel.   Very scenic as I wound my way through Cape Henlopen State Park for next 5 miles or so.   Miles went be very quickly as I fell in with 3:40 pace group.

Miles 9 through 12 are an out and back along paved road.  We passed the ferry before arriving at the turn around at the Lewes Beach Dairy Queen.  They had few samples out for runners, along with a sign “Dairy Queen makes you run faster”.   I skipped the samples, as I did not want to DQ myself.   At mile 12, I turned back into the park, again, feeling great and enjoying the view.

Around mile 18, my pace started to fall behind the pace group a bit, but I still felt pretty good.  I pass near the finish before heading back out along anther trail for a second out and back loop.  My pace continued to slow, but I did fine until the turn around at mile 22 when I took my first walk break.  I managed to alternate running / walking until mile 25, when I summoned whatever reserves I had to run the final 1.2 miles to the finish. 

I picked up my medal (nice swag!), an emergency blanket, and chocolate milk (my go to recovery drink) before shuffling three blocks back to the condo.  A quick shower and change of clothes and I was ready to head back for the after party.  Plenty of food and drink.  In fact, I had to give away a few of my drink tickets.  After stuffing myself, I went back to condo for nap before packing up and driving home.  I did have to stop near the bay bridge to refuel – small pizza for me and gas for the car. 

In all, it was a great race.  I met quite a few people who were running it as one of their 50 state marathon list (for one lady, only 47, this was her 49^th, she only had Hawaii left to complete it).  I think many places in the town were only open this late in the year because of the marathon, so the whole town was very welcoming.   Absolutely would recommend the half or full. 

From the Purple Mountains to the Shining Sea

My next two marathons are a study in contrast.  

First up is the Rehoboth Beach Marathon in December 2017, followed four months later by my 2nd time running the Blue Ridge Marathon in April 2018.

For comparison sake, take a look at some of the stats:

	Rehoboth Beach Marathon	Blue Ridge Marathon
Location	Beach	Mountains
Start Elevation	13 ft above sea level	1,033 ft
Max Elevation	20 ft	2,199
Total Elevation Change	296 ft	7,430 ft
Date	Dec	April
Typical Weather @start	40 degrees	65 degrees
People who run it are looking to	-       Qualify for Boston -       Check off DE as 1 state marathon run	-       Find bigger challenge than "just" 26.2 miles

Looking beyond the obvious, these two races actually have a lot in common. Both have wonderful after parties with excellent post race beer.  Nothing against Mic Ultra, but if I just ran 26.2 miles, I am not counting my caleries.  Rehoboth is sponsored by local beer company Dog Fish, and you get not 1, not 2, but up to 3 beers.  Blue Ridge offers a selection of several area micro beers native to the Roanoke Valley area.

Both also take advantage of state and national park land.  Rehoboth runs though Cape Henlopen while Blue Ridge runs along, well, the Blue Ridge Parkway.  That means incredible views, be it sunrise on the beach, or running above the clouds in the mountains.  

Finally, both are excellent source of revenue for smaller towns.  I am pretty sure some business in Rehoboth only stay open until the marathon before closing for the winter.  Year round population is less than 1,500 people, so race day with its 2000 runners more than doubles the population. Blue Ridge has estimated its 2017 impact to be more than $600,000 in local  revenue(http://www.blueridgemarathon.com/race-impact-continues-grow-tops-3-8-million-8-years/). 

I know the big races, such as Boston, New York, Chicago, and LA, command all the attention, don't overlook smaller races.  

It takes all the running I can do to keep in the same place.

Each time I create a training plan for new race I have to balance my enthusiasm - should sign up for that training plan that guaranties a BQ? With reality - can I really fit 6 workouts in on a Tuesday?  Like many of you, I have better odds finding a Starbucks drink for under $5 than finding time to work out.  I won’t bore you with the details, but I have (3) kids under 18 and both my wife and I work.   So I can relate with the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland who says “"…it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”

Rather than run twice as fast, I prefer to fall back on my Boy Scout training and always be prepared. That means being ready to squeeze in a workout run no matter the time or place.  I realize my approach is just that, what works for me.  For example, being a male runner, I am comfortable running solo, at night, and on trails.  That said, hopefully some of these ideas may work for you too.

Commute:  I am fortunate my work has a shower.  Or more accurately, my co-workers are fortunate I have access to a shower at work.  A couple of times a month, I bike to/from work.  One caveat, it does take some planning.  Start by scouting out your route (Google Maps has a bike option).  You may want a trial run on a weekend before trying it doing it for real.  Remember you will need to pack or wear your work clothes.  Paniers or backpack are good options.  Be sure your bike is in good working order by taking it to local bike shop or friend for quick checkup.  Finally, have alternative planned in case of bad weather, such as bus, train, uber, or a co-worker.   A fun way to try it for the first time is BikeToWorkDay or Care Free Day.

Runch: No, that is not Scoody Doo speak.  It stands for running lunch.  Instead of going out to eat or dining at your desk, consider going for a run instead.  Again, I am fortunate to have a shower at work.  This also requires some planning – I keep a set of running clothes, shoes, and a towel at my office.  And yes, I do change out the running clothes as needed.  I also bring my phone on my run so I can check in if necessary.

Kid’s Activities:  I have been known to keep a set of running clothes in my car.  If I have an hour while one of my kids is at soccer practice or dance class, I go for a run.  Usually typically  scout out the area ahead of time to find good routes.  It is also a good idea to let my child know, as well as another parent or the coach, when I head out for a run.  One time I was a good mile or two away from the practice field when a thunderstorm broke out.  My son had to wait in a friend’s car for me to return. 

O-dark Hundred:  I get up extra early for my long runs to minimize the impact to the rest of my family’s schedule. During the summer, my pool opens early for swim – 5 to 6 am.  On the other side, my daughter has a dance class 8 – 9 one night a week that I sometimes take advantage of.  Be sure to have reflective clothing and a headlamp or flashlight. 

It takes a village it is not uncommon for runners to talk about (or blog), well running.  However don’t assume.  For example, my boss knows I enjoy running, and it is great way for me to blow off steam.  As long as it does not impact my work, he is supportive of my mid-day runs.  My wife too, is very supportive.  We talk through my schedule, figure out what days work and which don’t.  Finally, my kids are very tolerant of me showing up at the end of their practice all sweating and breathing hard.

Finally, regardless of where or when, here are a few ways you can ‘always be prepared’:

• If you don’t have access to shower, baby wipes and talcum powder can work wonders
• Keep a running kit (clothes and shoe) handy.  I like to have one at work and sometimes one in the car too.  That means I don’t always run in my favorite shoes, or wear the same shirt twice, but that is okay.
• Be sure to have reflective clothing and a headlamp or flashlight for those dark runs.
• Be smart and safe.  I have reflective road id, and usually have my phone with me.

Anyone willing to share how they find time to workout?