Training Log Archive: hkleaf

C • 3:09:32!!! 6

Upper 30s (rising to 50s), clear, sunny, windy - I woke up at 4am to get ready for a 5am bus to the start. Arrived at the Start Village at 5:40 and proceeded to wait for 4hrs before the actual start! It was dark, cold, and windy. I underdressed and suffered for it. After the sun came up, things got a bit better. The start was crowded, but I didn't have too much trouble finding room and settling into my pace. The plan was to start out at 3:10, see how I feel, and adjust from there. The primary objective was to have fun and immerse in the whole experience. I brought my camera along and stopped to take pictures whenever there was a nice view. Many of my friends who live in NY were scattered along the course cheering, so it was cool to see them. The course was pretty flat with the exception of the bridges. Everyone seemed to start out fast, but I held steady around 3:10 pace the whole time. Brooklyn was long, but crowd support was pretty solid throughout. My quads began to tire around mile 15 on the Queensboro Bridge. Coupled that with a few stops to chat with friends, my pace slowed a bit in those late middle miles. 1st Ave from 16-18mi was a treat, as the crowd went crazy for us. Upper East side into Bronx was uneventful, then things picked up again from Harlem and into Central Park. Quads were tired, but I was feeling great and getting pumped from the crowd. The last few miles winding thru Central Park was very nice. The entire way to the finish I just couldn't wipe that big smile off my face! I knew 3:10 was still achievable, so I picked up my pace. It felt good to pass a bunch of people, plus my quads actually felt better at this faster pace. Coming into the finish, I made sure to smile for the cameras, and was happy to see the clock read 3:10:xx!

Overall, it was a very cool experience, running with 39,000 others, 22k of which were foreigners. There were so many cheers in French, Italian, etc. it made the race even more memorable. Other than the long and chilly wait before start, the weather couldn't have been better. Garmin wasn't taking splits, so I just ran by feel (kept my HR in check between 150-170, and stopped whenever I wanted to admire the views, take pictures, or say hi to friends. The end result was the most fun I've had at a marathon. The icing on the cake was getting a BQ time, so now I can go to Boston in 2010 if I want.

Splits per 5k:
5k___0:22:43__(22:43)
10k__0:44:48__(22:05)
15k__1:06:54__(22:06)
20k__1:29:29__(22:35)
Half__1:34:33
25k__1:52:34__(23:05)
30k__2:15:37__(23:03)
35k__2:38:38__(23:01)
40k__3:00:12__(21:34)
Fin__3:09:32__(21:39) (1:34:59)

Splits per Mile after 16:
16mi__1:57:25__(7:53)
17mi__2:03:46__(6:21)
18mi__2:11:04__(7:18)
19mi__2:18:14__(7:10)
20mi__2:25:39__(7:25)
21mi__2:33:02__(7:23)
22mi__2:40:16__(7:14)
23mi__2:47:15__(6:59)
24mi__2:54:13__(6:58)
25mi__3:01:11__(6:58)
26mi__3:08:04__(6:53)
Fin____3:09:32__(7:20)

Quad felt pretty shot. Sitting down and then getting up are diffiult. But overall, this isn't the worst I've felt.

Walking from finish to baggage truck, over to meet friends, then to late lunch, and finally back to the apartment. Never had a chance for an extended stretch, massage, nor ice bath. But I'm hoping all this walking will help with the recovery.

Event: LIOC AVALON TOWN PARK (PAUL SIMONS PRESERVE)
 

Event: OCIN Indian Creek foot and bike O'
 

50s, sunny, clear - Easy jog in the morning over to Riverside Park and back. Nice place to run, with lots of people already out exercising. The trip took a down turn when I stepped into a large pile of poo while exploring the trails. :( It stunk!

Various walking/touring around the city. Time/pace is an estimate.

Travel day. DAY-EWR. We'll see if I can manage to squeeze in any exercises today. Looking forward to a fun-filled weekend!
Happy Halloween to all!

Spent 6+ hrs on my feet walking around the city and the expo. I'll only count the brisk walking I did here. First from Bryant Park to Rockerfeller to see Nick's office, then over to Javits Center for the expo. Dawdled around the expo with Don and Val for quite a while before taking a free shuttle to Nike Town. From there, I walked to Columbus Circle for the 1 train to Nick's apt. We handed out candies to kids who were trick-or-treating in the building. Finally, went out to dinner in the Upper West Side.... long day.

I had wanted to do a final tune up on the track for a feel of goal pace, but they were resurfacing the track at Ryle. Plus, I received 2 late tickets from a friend to attend the UC-USF game, so the workout never materialized. It's not the worst thing, as I'll be on my feet quite a bit walking around the city anyway.

Levels 10-20, Random Hill, 616c.

Low 40s, cloudy, wind - Fall training group run from the Spot. Last one for this group. Just a short out-n-back to the Eden Park lookout, then we headed across the street for some celebration. We had about 20 qualified for Boston, so that's exciting!

Scheduled rest day. No soreness/pain of anything particular to report.