Mileage for the Year 2014
1,593 miles
Mileage for week 5/26- 6/1
40 miles
6/1
Off- Elliptical for 90 minutes
5/31
Off- Elliptical for 75 minutes
5/30
Off- Elliptical for 60 minutes
5/29
6 miles
My run this morning sucked! My heel pain is not getting any better at all. I'm sure it's Plantar Faciaitis. It's tolerable, but it's no fun and it does hurt. It's been hurting since May 5th and I wonder if it is related to my achilles injury before Boston. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I'm going to read some literature and learn how to heal it. I'm not going to be running in the mornings anymore for sure, because that's when it's worse. Maybe move to softer surfaces again for awhile. Maybe pool and elliptical for a week or more. Ugggh...
5/28
6 miles
Easy recovery pace before work today. Took it real slow to recover and to warm up my left heel. Nice to run in the morning though.
5/27
10 miles (8 x 400m @ 5K pace w/ 1:30 rest)
Ran after work today from Skinny Raven. I ran home and did the 400s on King St. I felt pretty good tonight and was fun to do a 400m workout. I think it's the first time I've done one in the last 7 years.
Here it is:
3 mile warm-up w/ Striders
8 x 400m (1:14-1:16 pace)
4 mile general aerobic
5/26
6 miles
Super easy recovery to Huffman and back. Still smokey and my left heel is still painful, but goes away intermittently or gets better as I run. It definitely feels better when I run on softer surfaces.
May 19th- May 25th
Mileage for the Year 2014
1,553 miles
Mileage for the week 5/19- 5/25
63 miles
5/25
14 miles
I felt great today. Actually probably the best I felt since Boston. Started at 7:25 pace and progressed down to my last 3 miles were all sub 6. Still have heel pain though. Ran my Boston prep route too. The fires from Kenai are making it really hazy and smoky out.
5/24
9 miles
3 mile warm-up w/ striders
3 x 1200m @ Tempo (5:27 pace) w/ 2 min rest
1 x 1600m (1:25, 1:20, 1:15, 1:10)
2 mile cool down
I did my Tempo work between Huffman and Dearmoun and the mile on the track at Hanshew. I felt pretty good.
5/23
9 miles
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!! Ran a General Aerobic pace to Dearmoun and back with an extra mile before heading up to South. I felt pretty good and it was nice to do it before work. My left heal still hurts, I may not race the Twilight 12K next friday.
5/22
6 miles
Easy recovery pace on the turf. Kept it super easy. Felt ok.
5/21
9 miles w/ 5 x 1000m
Ran after work from Skinny Raven. Did an easy 3 mile warm-up w/ striders. I felt better and better as I did my 1000m intervals. I was able to do them back and forth on King Street, so the terrain was pretty flat with some rolling sections.
Here it is:
3 mile warm-up w/ striders
5 x 1000m (5:30ish pace with last 2 sub 5:20 pace)- 2 min rest-1:45 rest
2 mile cool down.
My left heel is super tender in the morning. I can barely put weight on it. It gets so much better as the day goes on until I don't really feel it anymore. Frustrating.......
5/20
10 miles (6am/4pm)
Both were easy recovery pace. Ran on the turf at south and then my 2nd run was from Skinny Raven on Dimond. My legs felt pretty good. My left heel hurts pretty good when I put weight on it and especially in the morning. Not sure if it's plantar faciatis or not. It does feel a heck of a lot better after its warmed up, but still bothers me that it's not getting a lot better. I still feel like an old man and I'm going to get a massage this week.
5/19
6 miles
Easy recovery pace on the field turf at South. I ran the last 20+ minutes barefoot. Felt pretty good, but still have that left heel pain. Still tolerable. Did some eccentric calve raises when finished.
1,553 miles
Mileage for the week 5/19- 5/25
63 miles
5/25
14 miles
I felt great today. Actually probably the best I felt since Boston. Started at 7:25 pace and progressed down to my last 3 miles were all sub 6. Still have heel pain though. Ran my Boston prep route too. The fires from Kenai are making it really hazy and smoky out.
5/24
9 miles
3 mile warm-up w/ striders
3 x 1200m @ Tempo (5:27 pace) w/ 2 min rest
1 x 1600m (1:25, 1:20, 1:15, 1:10)
2 mile cool down
I did my Tempo work between Huffman and Dearmoun and the mile on the track at Hanshew. I felt pretty good.
5/23
9 miles
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!! Ran a General Aerobic pace to Dearmoun and back with an extra mile before heading up to South. I felt pretty good and it was nice to do it before work. My left heal still hurts, I may not race the Twilight 12K next friday.
5/22
6 miles
Easy recovery pace on the turf. Kept it super easy. Felt ok.
5/21
9 miles w/ 5 x 1000m
Ran after work from Skinny Raven. Did an easy 3 mile warm-up w/ striders. I felt better and better as I did my 1000m intervals. I was able to do them back and forth on King Street, so the terrain was pretty flat with some rolling sections.
Here it is:
3 mile warm-up w/ striders
5 x 1000m (5:30ish pace with last 2 sub 5:20 pace)- 2 min rest-1:45 rest
2 mile cool down.
My left heel is super tender in the morning. I can barely put weight on it. It gets so much better as the day goes on until I don't really feel it anymore. Frustrating.......
5/20
10 miles (6am/4pm)
Both were easy recovery pace. Ran on the turf at south and then my 2nd run was from Skinny Raven on Dimond. My legs felt pretty good. My left heel hurts pretty good when I put weight on it and especially in the morning. Not sure if it's plantar faciatis or not. It does feel a heck of a lot better after its warmed up, but still bothers me that it's not getting a lot better. I still feel like an old man and I'm going to get a massage this week.
5/19
6 miles
Easy recovery pace on the field turf at South. I ran the last 20+ minutes barefoot. Felt pretty good, but still have that left heel pain. Still tolerable. Did some eccentric calve raises when finished.
May 12th- May 18th
Mileage for the Year 2014
1,490 miles
Mileage for the week 5/12- 5/18
60 miles
5/18
12+ miles
Ran my Boston prep route this morning. Another beautiful sunny day in the AK! My legs were tired and a little tight from yesterday's workout. I still threw in 6 x 30 sec. striders at the end.
5/17
10 miles
Had a fun workout today. Todd List is helping me with getting a little more speed this summer and I plan on running a 10K and 5K this summer and get my 1/2 marathon time down in august before my fall marathon. Here it was:
3 mile warm-up w/ striders
4X (2 min hard, 1 min easy, 1 min hard, 30 sec easy, 30 sec hard)- 5K pace
4 X 200m @ 1 mile pace
1.5 mile cool down
5/16
6.5 miles
Easy recovery pace on the turf at South. Felt good and it was another beautiful day in paradise. Super excited for my daughters dance recital tonight!!!!
5/15
10 miles
Ran in my Hokas again and on the turf field. Talk about a nice surface! Started easy and ran at General Aerobic pace. It's a lot of circles, but want to recover 1 more week from Boston. Ran the last mile on the actual track in 6:15 pace.
5/14
10 miles (4 @ Tempo)
1/2 day at work because of graduation, so I was able to start my run around 11:30am today. It was my first workout since Boston. I did my tempo miles between Huffman and Dearmoun and they felt ok. I kept them around 5:35 pace since I didn't want to push it. I also ran in my Hoka's since I left my trainers at work yesterday. I felt pretty good and it was nice to know my Achilles is pretty much all healed up!
3 mile warm-up
4 miles @ Tempo (5:35 pace avg.)
3 miles @ General aerobic (6:30 pace).
5/13
5.5 miles
Easy after work tonight. I work the Hoka's for the first time and they felt great. I'm thinking of using these as my recovery running shoes.
5/12
6 miles
Super easy recovery pace on the field turf at South. Another beautiful and sunny day.
1,490 miles
Mileage for the week 5/12- 5/18
60 miles
5/18
12+ miles
Ran my Boston prep route this morning. Another beautiful sunny day in the AK! My legs were tired and a little tight from yesterday's workout. I still threw in 6 x 30 sec. striders at the end.
5/17
10 miles
Had a fun workout today. Todd List is helping me with getting a little more speed this summer and I plan on running a 10K and 5K this summer and get my 1/2 marathon time down in august before my fall marathon. Here it was:
3 mile warm-up w/ striders
4X (2 min hard, 1 min easy, 1 min hard, 30 sec easy, 30 sec hard)- 5K pace
4 X 200m @ 1 mile pace
1.5 mile cool down
5/16
6.5 miles
Easy recovery pace on the turf at South. Felt good and it was another beautiful day in paradise. Super excited for my daughters dance recital tonight!!!!
5/15
10 miles
Ran in my Hokas again and on the turf field. Talk about a nice surface! Started easy and ran at General Aerobic pace. It's a lot of circles, but want to recover 1 more week from Boston. Ran the last mile on the actual track in 6:15 pace.
5/14
10 miles (4 @ Tempo)
1/2 day at work because of graduation, so I was able to start my run around 11:30am today. It was my first workout since Boston. I did my tempo miles between Huffman and Dearmoun and they felt ok. I kept them around 5:35 pace since I didn't want to push it. I also ran in my Hoka's since I left my trainers at work yesterday. I felt pretty good and it was nice to know my Achilles is pretty much all healed up!
3 mile warm-up
4 miles @ Tempo (5:35 pace avg.)
3 miles @ General aerobic (6:30 pace).
5/13
5.5 miles
Easy after work tonight. I work the Hoka's for the first time and they felt great. I'm thinking of using these as my recovery running shoes.
5/12
6 miles
Super easy recovery pace on the field turf at South. Another beautiful and sunny day.
May 5th- May 11th
Mileage for the Year 2014
1,430 miles
Mileage for the week 5/5- 5/11
44 miles
5/11
10 miles
Ran after work today at Skinny Raven. It was close to 70 degrees and sunny! Ran my South Loop with an extra mile. Kept it general aerobic pace and threw in 8 X 30 second pick ups. I'm not gonna lie, I still feel pretty trashed in my legs. I need a massage!
5/10
8 miles
Beautiful sunny day in Anchorage. Ran to Dearmoun and back. It felt so good to be outside in the sun. My legs felt pretty good too. Still have pain in my left heel. It's definitely something I feel comfortable running through.
5/9
8 miles
Ran on the field turf again. Kept it easy and my left heal still hurts. I've had this before and it gets better when I warm up. Gonna ice and stretch and continue to run easy. Another beautiful sunny day!!! Happy it's the weekend too.
5/8
6+ miles
Another easy run. Ran around the campus of South Anchorage. Mostly softball, football fields. I kept it easy, but legs feel a little tired still. I may take a day of no running tomorrow just because. I want to make sure I'm recovered from this marathon.
5/7
6 miles
Another easy 6 on the turf with some striders. I felt good. I believe my Achilles is healed. I'll continue to do my eccentric exercises and take it easy all this week.
5/6
Off
5/5
6 miles
Super easy on the field turf at South. Probably the best I felt since starting back to some sort of running. No pain at all in my Achilles which is awesome! I'm still tender in my left heal region, but was better as I warmed up. I even did 6 x 20 second striders.
1,430 miles
Mileage for the week 5/5- 5/11
44 miles
5/11
10 miles
Ran after work today at Skinny Raven. It was close to 70 degrees and sunny! Ran my South Loop with an extra mile. Kept it general aerobic pace and threw in 8 X 30 second pick ups. I'm not gonna lie, I still feel pretty trashed in my legs. I need a massage!
5/10
8 miles
Beautiful sunny day in Anchorage. Ran to Dearmoun and back. It felt so good to be outside in the sun. My legs felt pretty good too. Still have pain in my left heel. It's definitely something I feel comfortable running through.
5/9
8 miles
Ran on the field turf again. Kept it easy and my left heal still hurts. I've had this before and it gets better when I warm up. Gonna ice and stretch and continue to run easy. Another beautiful sunny day!!! Happy it's the weekend too.
5/8
6+ miles
Another easy run. Ran around the campus of South Anchorage. Mostly softball, football fields. I kept it easy, but legs feel a little tired still. I may take a day of no running tomorrow just because. I want to make sure I'm recovered from this marathon.
5/7
6 miles
Another easy 6 on the turf with some striders. I felt good. I believe my Achilles is healed. I'll continue to do my eccentric exercises and take it easy all this week.
5/6
Off
5/5
6 miles
Super easy on the field turf at South. Probably the best I felt since starting back to some sort of running. No pain at all in my Achilles which is awesome! I'm still tender in my left heal region, but was better as I warmed up. I even did 6 x 20 second striders.
April 28th- May 4th
Mileage for the Year 2014
1,386 miles
Mileage for the week 4/28- 5/4
28 miles
5/4
6 miles
Another beautiful day. Ran to Huffman and back after work. Achilles feels good, but my left heel is kind of tender. Nice to be running outside though.
5/3
6 miles
Easy run to Huffman and back. Weather was beautiful out. First run in Alaska this year with my shirt off. Kept it east and my achilles felt really good as far as no pain. My legs still feel really dead with little pop in them. Still need to recover. Encouraging about my achilles though.
5/2
5 miles
Took it nice and easy. Probably 8 min pace on the field turf. Really excited because my achilles felt great! No pain at all. I'll keep it easy still for awhile. I need to make sure it's healed so I can go after my goals this summer.
5/1
3 miles
Easy recovery pace on the field turf.
4/30
4 miles
super easy on the field turf at South. I wanted to test my Achilles out with an easy run and thought the field turf would be a great surface for it. It felt good actually moving the body a little bit. Achilles felt fine, but I had some pain on my left heel when I started. It was gone after a mile though. I may or may not try it again tomorrow.
4/29
Off
4/28
4 miles on the elliptical for 45 minutes.
1,386 miles
Mileage for the week 4/28- 5/4
28 miles
5/4
6 miles
Another beautiful day. Ran to Huffman and back after work. Achilles feels good, but my left heel is kind of tender. Nice to be running outside though.
5/3
6 miles
Easy run to Huffman and back. Weather was beautiful out. First run in Alaska this year with my shirt off. Kept it east and my achilles felt really good as far as no pain. My legs still feel really dead with little pop in them. Still need to recover. Encouraging about my achilles though.
5/2
5 miles
Took it nice and easy. Probably 8 min pace on the field turf. Really excited because my achilles felt great! No pain at all. I'll keep it easy still for awhile. I need to make sure it's healed so I can go after my goals this summer.
5/1
3 miles
Easy recovery pace on the field turf.
4/30
4 miles
super easy on the field turf at South. I wanted to test my Achilles out with an easy run and thought the field turf would be a great surface for it. It felt good actually moving the body a little bit. Achilles felt fine, but I had some pain on my left heel when I started. It was gone after a mile though. I may or may not try it again tomorrow.
4/29
Off
4/28
4 miles on the elliptical for 45 minutes.
April 21st- April 27th
Mileage for the Year 2014
1,358 miles
Mileage for the week 4/21- 4/27
27 miles
4/27
Off- 40 minutes of easy elliptical. Felt good to at least do something aerobic. Gonna take another week off from running to heal my Achilles. It's better, but still painful at times.
4/26
Off
4/25
Off
4/24
Off
4/23
Off
4/22
Off
4/21
27 miles "26.2 mile- Boston Marathon" (2:35:27)
118th Boston Marathon
April 21st, 2014
194th place overall out of 31,805 finishers
12th place (40-45 age group)
I made my first real attempt at trying to break 2hrs. 30 min. in this marathon. My preparation was pretty good the 18 weeks leading up to Boston. My mileage was higher than it's ever been and my workouts were better than previous years too. One thing I may have done wrong, is that I didn't get enough pounding on pavement. I ran a lot more on my treadmill then I'm accustomed too, which is great for preparing for warm weather, but I don't get the hard pavement or uphills and downhills that I probably need. Boston has so much downhill that I need to prepare the quads better for that terrain. My legs were pretty much toast at 16 miles this year. I tried my best to keep myself together and not completely blowup. It was one of the hardest things I've done. I suffered for a long time on the course Monday.
I am not making excuses or blaming my performance on one specific thing, but one thing that was discouraging leading into the marathon was that I got injured 1 week before the race. My left Achilles' tendon was very irritated and I could barely run a week before the race. I don't understand how this could of happened. There were exactly zero warning signs and I was being very careful to not overdo anything this close to the race. I was just finishing my 2nd straight taper week and ran 12 miles that Sunday. A few hours after my run, I could tell my Achilles was angry. The next day I could barely run and walking hurt too. It made for a very stressful week leading up to the marathon and very discouraging to me. I did my best to not talk about it to anyone and try to stay positive that it would get better on race day. It never really did. I took a few days off and even during my shakeout runs in Boston my Achilles was painful. If I hadn't just devoted the last 18 weeks to this race, I wouldn't have run. I didn't want to change my goal of sub 2:30 either. I just worked too hard to not at least try. I was committed.
The weather in Boston on race morning was excellent for running. It was in the 50's for just about the entire race. The sun was out, so it felt a little warmer and everyone got a little sun burnt. I took a private bus from MIT to Hopinkton. It was nice to be able to relax and have a bathroom on board. I would recommend this to anyone. I took off for Athletes village and the corrals at 9:20am. I walked to the corrals and got there about 20 minutes before the gun went off. I ran an easy jog for about 10-12 minutes before jumping into corral 1. Surprisingly my Achilles didn't hurt. Maybe it was just the adrenaline I was feeling. I was happy about it either way. I collected my thoughts and got mentally ready while standing in my corral. The gun went off and I was on my way to Boston!
Here are my splits for the race. I included my 5K pace and the half marathon time:
Mile 1: 5:54
Mile 2: 5:49
Mile 3: 5:38
(5K-18:10)
Mile 4: 5:28
Mile 5: 5:43
Mile 6: 5:33
10K- 35:38 (5K- 17:28)
Mile 7: 5:28
Mile 8: 5:42
Mile 9: 5:34
15K- 53:11 (5K- 17:33)
Mile 10: 5:45
Mile 11: 5:45
Mile 12: 5:33
20K- 1:10:57 (5K- 17:46)
Mile 13: 5:41
(Half- 1:14:45)- exactly on pace for what I wanted to run to the second.
Mile 14: 5:36
Mile 15: 5:49
25K- 1:28:46 (5K- 17:49)
Mile 16: 5:42
Mile 17: 6:10
Mile 18: 6:16
30K- 1:48:00 (5K- 19:14)
Mile 19: 6:09
Mile 20: 6:21
Mile 21: 6:37- Heartbreak Hill
35K- 2:07:58 (5K- 19:58)
Mile 22: 6:12
Mile 23: 6:16
Mile 24: 6:17
40K- 2:27:28 (5K- 19:30)
Mile 25: 6:08
Mile 26: 5:42- not sure where this came from.
Last .2: 1:10
Overall: 2:35:27 (5:56 pace)
I just tried to relax in the beginning of the race, but I also wanted to make sure I was on pace for sub 2:30 and hit the splits on my pace band that were specific to this course. I have used maclin's spreadsheet for this race in the previous 5 Boston's I've run and I've always finished strong.
I felt pretty good the first 10K and I didn't feel a thing in my Achilles' tendon. To say the least I was stoked! I remember going through the first 10 miles feeling great. I always remember my buddy Jerry Ross saying that the first 10 miles should feel easy in a marathon and it did. Right after 10 miles though, I started to feel the pain in my Achilles. Damn! It really started to hurt too. I honestly thought I was going to have to pull out of the race within the next mile. There was no way I could finish this race with this pain and I figured it was only going to get worse. I thought to myself, where is the bus that will take runners back to the start? I could't believe that this has happened. Maybe the bus is at the half marathon mark. I'll try to run to the halfway mark at least. I felt good aerobically, but I couldn't run. My form was off because I started to compensate for my Achilles. I couldn't push off my left foot like I wanted too. The pain was pretty good all the way through Weselley's college too. It's always fun running through the screaming tunnel of girls at that stage of the race, but I couldn't truly enjoy it, because my Achilles hurt. Shortly after this though, I noticed I was still running on pace and my Achilles didn't hurt as bad. I figured the pain was so bad, that my Achilles just decided to go numb. Either way, I was happy that it was much more tolerable. When I crossed the half way point I was suppose to be at 1:14:45 and I was exactly on it. Talk about pacing!! The next few miles I just tried to stay relaxed and in control. I was able to follow a couple runners that were running my pace and also trying to run sub 2:30.
As you can see with the above splits the wheels started to fall off before mile 17, which is pretty early in a marathon. I still had 9 miles to go! My quads were done and my feet were beat up and hurting bad. I thought it was going to get really ugly soon. I thought I could completely shut down and have to start walking. I've always heard horror stories and I've seen personally what this course can do to people. People walking down backwards off Heartbreak hill because their quads are shot. I never thought it would happen to me because I train hard and I don't take shortcuts. With the crowds at Boston, it would be a horrible experience to walk. I started to just concentrate getting full breaths and concentrate on my stride and form. I basically took it one mile at a time. I kept thinking to myself, if I run one more mile than I can take a break and I'll be that much closer to Boston. I was also scared if I did stop, I wouldn't be able to get my legs moving again and the pain of my Achilles would really set in to the point I'd have to be carried off the course.
To be honest, this race was one of the toughest things I've done athletically in my life. I really had to dig deep. I got it in my head that I was not going to walk, no matter what. I ran as fast as my legs would take me. I kept thinking over and over to keep my leg turnover going, relax my arms, and look up and forward. I knew my form wasn't pretty and I felt it. It wasn't about my time anymore, it was about surviving and getting to that finish line.
You know why people walk at this stage of a marathon? Because it's easy to walk. They don't want to have to suffer. Its an instant relief. Probably the biggest thing that kept me running were the crowds at Boston. It's amazing!!! The support this city gives to the runners. I kept thinking of the bombings last year too and the people that died and those that lost there limbs and there lives being changed forever. What I'm doing right now is so easy compared to that. No way am I going to take the easy way out and walk. No way!!! I just fed off the crowd and sucked it up.
Coming off of Heartbreak Hill I noticed my splits had fallen off, but not too drastically. It wasn't close to what I was planning on running, but I was somehow keeping it together barely. That really started to motivate me and I knew I would make it into Boston. The crowds of spectator's brought me to the finish line. All my energy was generated from the cheering spectators. I basically gave it all I had the last 2 miles. It was a constant wall of screaming and cheering these last 2 miles. GO ALASKA!!!!! It was so freaking emotional. When I turned onto Boylston street, I actually started to tear up when I was running. Last year 2 bombs went off down this stretch of the course and now the crowds and the city of Boston came back in record numbers to support this race. Boston took there race back! BOSTON STRONG!!!! I felt so freaking proud to be part of it.
When I finished, it was so emotional. I was overwhelmed with emotion. Like always, I put so much into this race. So much time and effort training. The very first thing I think about are my kids Zach and Taelynn. They are my world and I wish they were here to share this moment. I think about my own personal life and my journey. I want to do better. I want to help people more. I know I can do better. There is so many positive people in Boston this weekend and I'm so fortunate to be part of it.
Am I disappointed I didn't reach my goal of sub 2:30? Of course, I'm upset. I'm a competitor. I knew I was in the shape to do it this time. I'm going to give it another go down the road. Not sure when or which marathon, but I want to give another crack at it.
I am very proud of this marathon though. It was really my first competitive marathon where the wheels fell off and I had to fight a long time to get to the finish line. I've said it before, but its what I've learned from the sport of Wrestling that gets me to the finish line. You have to be able overcome adversity. Things aren't going to always go as planned. You have to adapt and move forward. It parallels my life at the moment too. Keep your head up, stay positive and move forward!
1,358 miles
Mileage for the week 4/21- 4/27
27 miles
4/27
Off- 40 minutes of easy elliptical. Felt good to at least do something aerobic. Gonna take another week off from running to heal my Achilles. It's better, but still painful at times.
4/26
Off
4/25
Off
4/24
Off
4/23
Off
4/22
Off
4/21
27 miles "26.2 mile- Boston Marathon" (2:35:27)
118th Boston Marathon
April 21st, 2014
194th place overall out of 31,805 finishers
12th place (40-45 age group)
I made my first real attempt at trying to break 2hrs. 30 min. in this marathon. My preparation was pretty good the 18 weeks leading up to Boston. My mileage was higher than it's ever been and my workouts were better than previous years too. One thing I may have done wrong, is that I didn't get enough pounding on pavement. I ran a lot more on my treadmill then I'm accustomed too, which is great for preparing for warm weather, but I don't get the hard pavement or uphills and downhills that I probably need. Boston has so much downhill that I need to prepare the quads better for that terrain. My legs were pretty much toast at 16 miles this year. I tried my best to keep myself together and not completely blowup. It was one of the hardest things I've done. I suffered for a long time on the course Monday.
I am not making excuses or blaming my performance on one specific thing, but one thing that was discouraging leading into the marathon was that I got injured 1 week before the race. My left Achilles' tendon was very irritated and I could barely run a week before the race. I don't understand how this could of happened. There were exactly zero warning signs and I was being very careful to not overdo anything this close to the race. I was just finishing my 2nd straight taper week and ran 12 miles that Sunday. A few hours after my run, I could tell my Achilles was angry. The next day I could barely run and walking hurt too. It made for a very stressful week leading up to the marathon and very discouraging to me. I did my best to not talk about it to anyone and try to stay positive that it would get better on race day. It never really did. I took a few days off and even during my shakeout runs in Boston my Achilles was painful. If I hadn't just devoted the last 18 weeks to this race, I wouldn't have run. I didn't want to change my goal of sub 2:30 either. I just worked too hard to not at least try. I was committed.
The weather in Boston on race morning was excellent for running. It was in the 50's for just about the entire race. The sun was out, so it felt a little warmer and everyone got a little sun burnt. I took a private bus from MIT to Hopinkton. It was nice to be able to relax and have a bathroom on board. I would recommend this to anyone. I took off for Athletes village and the corrals at 9:20am. I walked to the corrals and got there about 20 minutes before the gun went off. I ran an easy jog for about 10-12 minutes before jumping into corral 1. Surprisingly my Achilles didn't hurt. Maybe it was just the adrenaline I was feeling. I was happy about it either way. I collected my thoughts and got mentally ready while standing in my corral. The gun went off and I was on my way to Boston!
Here are my splits for the race. I included my 5K pace and the half marathon time:
Mile 1: 5:54
Mile 2: 5:49
Mile 3: 5:38
(5K-18:10)
Mile 4: 5:28
Mile 5: 5:43
Mile 6: 5:33
10K- 35:38 (5K- 17:28)
Mile 7: 5:28
Mile 8: 5:42
Mile 9: 5:34
15K- 53:11 (5K- 17:33)
Mile 10: 5:45
Mile 11: 5:45
Mile 12: 5:33
20K- 1:10:57 (5K- 17:46)
Mile 13: 5:41
(Half- 1:14:45)- exactly on pace for what I wanted to run to the second.
Mile 14: 5:36
Mile 15: 5:49
25K- 1:28:46 (5K- 17:49)
Mile 16: 5:42
Mile 17: 6:10
Mile 18: 6:16
30K- 1:48:00 (5K- 19:14)
Mile 19: 6:09
Mile 20: 6:21
Mile 21: 6:37- Heartbreak Hill
35K- 2:07:58 (5K- 19:58)
Mile 22: 6:12
Mile 23: 6:16
Mile 24: 6:17
40K- 2:27:28 (5K- 19:30)
Mile 25: 6:08
Mile 26: 5:42- not sure where this came from.
Last .2: 1:10
Overall: 2:35:27 (5:56 pace)
I just tried to relax in the beginning of the race, but I also wanted to make sure I was on pace for sub 2:30 and hit the splits on my pace band that were specific to this course. I have used maclin's spreadsheet for this race in the previous 5 Boston's I've run and I've always finished strong.
I felt pretty good the first 10K and I didn't feel a thing in my Achilles' tendon. To say the least I was stoked! I remember going through the first 10 miles feeling great. I always remember my buddy Jerry Ross saying that the first 10 miles should feel easy in a marathon and it did. Right after 10 miles though, I started to feel the pain in my Achilles. Damn! It really started to hurt too. I honestly thought I was going to have to pull out of the race within the next mile. There was no way I could finish this race with this pain and I figured it was only going to get worse. I thought to myself, where is the bus that will take runners back to the start? I could't believe that this has happened. Maybe the bus is at the half marathon mark. I'll try to run to the halfway mark at least. I felt good aerobically, but I couldn't run. My form was off because I started to compensate for my Achilles. I couldn't push off my left foot like I wanted too. The pain was pretty good all the way through Weselley's college too. It's always fun running through the screaming tunnel of girls at that stage of the race, but I couldn't truly enjoy it, because my Achilles hurt. Shortly after this though, I noticed I was still running on pace and my Achilles didn't hurt as bad. I figured the pain was so bad, that my Achilles just decided to go numb. Either way, I was happy that it was much more tolerable. When I crossed the half way point I was suppose to be at 1:14:45 and I was exactly on it. Talk about pacing!! The next few miles I just tried to stay relaxed and in control. I was able to follow a couple runners that were running my pace and also trying to run sub 2:30.
As you can see with the above splits the wheels started to fall off before mile 17, which is pretty early in a marathon. I still had 9 miles to go! My quads were done and my feet were beat up and hurting bad. I thought it was going to get really ugly soon. I thought I could completely shut down and have to start walking. I've always heard horror stories and I've seen personally what this course can do to people. People walking down backwards off Heartbreak hill because their quads are shot. I never thought it would happen to me because I train hard and I don't take shortcuts. With the crowds at Boston, it would be a horrible experience to walk. I started to just concentrate getting full breaths and concentrate on my stride and form. I basically took it one mile at a time. I kept thinking to myself, if I run one more mile than I can take a break and I'll be that much closer to Boston. I was also scared if I did stop, I wouldn't be able to get my legs moving again and the pain of my Achilles would really set in to the point I'd have to be carried off the course.
To be honest, this race was one of the toughest things I've done athletically in my life. I really had to dig deep. I got it in my head that I was not going to walk, no matter what. I ran as fast as my legs would take me. I kept thinking over and over to keep my leg turnover going, relax my arms, and look up and forward. I knew my form wasn't pretty and I felt it. It wasn't about my time anymore, it was about surviving and getting to that finish line.
You know why people walk at this stage of a marathon? Because it's easy to walk. They don't want to have to suffer. Its an instant relief. Probably the biggest thing that kept me running were the crowds at Boston. It's amazing!!! The support this city gives to the runners. I kept thinking of the bombings last year too and the people that died and those that lost there limbs and there lives being changed forever. What I'm doing right now is so easy compared to that. No way am I going to take the easy way out and walk. No way!!! I just fed off the crowd and sucked it up.
Coming off of Heartbreak Hill I noticed my splits had fallen off, but not too drastically. It wasn't close to what I was planning on running, but I was somehow keeping it together barely. That really started to motivate me and I knew I would make it into Boston. The crowds of spectator's brought me to the finish line. All my energy was generated from the cheering spectators. I basically gave it all I had the last 2 miles. It was a constant wall of screaming and cheering these last 2 miles. GO ALASKA!!!!! It was so freaking emotional. When I turned onto Boylston street, I actually started to tear up when I was running. Last year 2 bombs went off down this stretch of the course and now the crowds and the city of Boston came back in record numbers to support this race. Boston took there race back! BOSTON STRONG!!!! I felt so freaking proud to be part of it.
When I finished, it was so emotional. I was overwhelmed with emotion. Like always, I put so much into this race. So much time and effort training. The very first thing I think about are my kids Zach and Taelynn. They are my world and I wish they were here to share this moment. I think about my own personal life and my journey. I want to do better. I want to help people more. I know I can do better. There is so many positive people in Boston this weekend and I'm so fortunate to be part of it.
Am I disappointed I didn't reach my goal of sub 2:30? Of course, I'm upset. I'm a competitor. I knew I was in the shape to do it this time. I'm going to give it another go down the road. Not sure when or which marathon, but I want to give another crack at it.
I am very proud of this marathon though. It was really my first competitive marathon where the wheels fell off and I had to fight a long time to get to the finish line. I've said it before, but its what I've learned from the sport of Wrestling that gets me to the finish line. You have to be able overcome adversity. Things aren't going to always go as planned. You have to adapt and move forward. It parallels my life at the moment too. Keep your head up, stay positive and move forward!
April 14th- April 20th "Week #18- Marathon Week!"
Mileage for the Year 2014
1,331 miles
Mileage for the week 4/14- 4/20
25 miles
4/20
5 miles
Ran along the Charles River again. Went with Jerry and Monica. A couple of miles into it, I could feel the pain in the Achilles slightly. Oh well, I have to give it a go tomorrow. I'm trying my best to keep my spirits up. I can't wait to just run this race though!!!!
4/19
7 miles w/ 6 x 100m striders
Ran along the Charles river. I love this loop on marathon weekend. So many runners. I just wish I would've enjoyed it more. My Achilles felt fine the first few miles, but then the pain started up again. It was tolerable for sure, but an annoyance.
4/18
Off- Traveled to Boston
4/17
Off- Rest achilles
4/16
7 miles (3 @ MP)
Not in a good mood. My Achilles is definitely hurting. Can't believe I got injured out of nowhere. No signs, reducing my mileage. Today's workout was on my treadmill and it hurt while running slow. I needed to know where I was and if I was going to have to run hurt or not. Here is the workout:
3 mile warm-up w/striders
3 miles at Marathon pace (5:42, 5:42, 5:36)
1 mile cool down
I wanted to know how it felt while running at pace or faster. It was ok, but definitely not the same. I could feel it and it was sure angry after I was done. I guess I'm taking 2 full days off and hopefully I can run easy on Saturday and Sunday before the race. Ugggh..... I put so much time and effort into this and I'm in the best running shape of my life.
4/15
Off
My Achilles is sure angry at me for some reason. It's frustrating that it would all of a sudden start to hurt. No early signs or anything. Took the day off from running, but I did walk a couple miles. In the big scheme of things it's okay for a rest day right now, but I like the rhythm I was in. Hopefully better tomorrow.
4/14
6 miles
Easy recovery pace to Huffman and back. Weather was beautiful and 50 degrees out. My first outdoor run in shorts at least. My left Achilles down low by my ankle is pretty upset right now. Not sure where that came from. Need to keep an eye on it. I may not run tomorrow if it's still upset.
1,331 miles
Mileage for the week 4/14- 4/20
25 miles
4/20
5 miles
Ran along the Charles River again. Went with Jerry and Monica. A couple of miles into it, I could feel the pain in the Achilles slightly. Oh well, I have to give it a go tomorrow. I'm trying my best to keep my spirits up. I can't wait to just run this race though!!!!
4/19
7 miles w/ 6 x 100m striders
Ran along the Charles river. I love this loop on marathon weekend. So many runners. I just wish I would've enjoyed it more. My Achilles felt fine the first few miles, but then the pain started up again. It was tolerable for sure, but an annoyance.
4/18
Off- Traveled to Boston
4/17
Off- Rest achilles
4/16
7 miles (3 @ MP)
Not in a good mood. My Achilles is definitely hurting. Can't believe I got injured out of nowhere. No signs, reducing my mileage. Today's workout was on my treadmill and it hurt while running slow. I needed to know where I was and if I was going to have to run hurt or not. Here is the workout:
3 mile warm-up w/striders
3 miles at Marathon pace (5:42, 5:42, 5:36)
1 mile cool down
I wanted to know how it felt while running at pace or faster. It was ok, but definitely not the same. I could feel it and it was sure angry after I was done. I guess I'm taking 2 full days off and hopefully I can run easy on Saturday and Sunday before the race. Ugggh..... I put so much time and effort into this and I'm in the best running shape of my life.
4/15
Off
My Achilles is sure angry at me for some reason. It's frustrating that it would all of a sudden start to hurt. No early signs or anything. Took the day off from running, but I did walk a couple miles. In the big scheme of things it's okay for a rest day right now, but I like the rhythm I was in. Hopefully better tomorrow.
4/14
6 miles
Easy recovery pace to Huffman and back. Weather was beautiful and 50 degrees out. My first outdoor run in shorts at least. My left Achilles down low by my ankle is pretty upset right now. Not sure where that came from. Need to keep an eye on it. I may not run tomorrow if it's still upset.
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About Me
- Tom Ritchie
- Anchorage, Alaska, United States
- Age- 41 Occupation- Phy Ed/Athletic Director/Wrestling Coach @ South Anchorage High School