I'm still really happy about the 2011 Boston Marathon. Such an exciting race!

I had seen one video of the women's finish but it just showed the very end where Caroline Kilel (Kenya) is in front of Desiree Davila (USA) for the whole clip. But that leaves out all the exciting surges where Davila kept pushing on the uphills. This clip here (embedded below) still leaves out a lot of those final surges but it does include a lot of key moments.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYrvIRe0zTc
Some things to watch for:
- 0:00 The start with great running conditions: 46F, 42% humidity, and a 14mph tail wind
- 0:36 Kim Smith (New Zealand) off to a fast start, opening a big lead on the pack right from the beginning
- 0:55 Kara Goucher trailing the lead pack but still going
- 1:10 Smith stumbling...calf pains
- 1:27 Smith getting passed by the pack. She tries to keep running on it and will eventually drop out.
- 1:38 Pause here to look for runners behind the pack
- 1:43 See Davila in the white top pulling forward to catch and then lead the pack? Go Davila!
(on left side of screen in Men's race, we see Ryan Hall (USA) leading the men's pack)
- 2:18 Getting close to the end. Lead pack down to 3. Davila in front!
- 2:28 Kilel surges back to take back the lead
- 2:44 Davila puts on another burst of speed -- pulls in front again!
- 3:24 Kilel wins by 2 seconds and sinks to the pavement.

Kilel on the ground makes sense to me. She just ran 26.2 miles at an average pace of 5:26 per mile! I don't think you really get a true sense of how fast these elite runners are going when you watch it on TV. One of my old offices was along the Boston Marathon route and we didn't get Patriot's Day off. So on Marathon Mondays, we would have a barbecue for lunch and watch the runners go by. First time I saw the elites run past, I was blown away. I wouldn't be able to keep up for just 10 yards.

Here's a shaky amateur video but the first 2 minutes give you a little more of a sense of the speed of these runners.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsEtkk7Fhfo

What a day for US runners! The Boston Marathon hasn't been won by a US runner since 1985. Davila came close this year and she's young so maybe next year... Kara Goucher, placed 5th and set a PR (Personal Record). Her blog post says it just wasn't her day -- but I still think she ran a phenomenal race. After all, she just had a baby last September!

For the men's race:


Let's think for a moment about this race. Moses Mosop (Kenya) in his first marathon race breaks the course record AND beats the world record time -- and still comes in second place to Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya). Unbelievable. And when they finish, they're both still standing, looking strong, and exchange congratulations. I'd have collapsed to the ground. They averaged 4:42 per mile. Can you imagine sprinting for over 2 hours straight? They have such beautiful strides coming down the finish too.

You can even admire their strides in slow motion!
Slow-motion of the Men's top finishers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV7E6Qi5ifg (22 seconds)
Slow-motion of the Women's top finishers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kky1ufm0uyQ (33 seconds)

Ryan Hall (USA) finished 4th in 2:04:58, breaking his own record of fastest marathon time by any American. As far as holding the world record though, Mutai doesn't get to officially claim the world record because the course in Boston doesn't fulfill the various requirements. You can read more about that here.

Cross-posted to runners community: http://runners.livejournal.com/5067840.html

Igloo!

Feb. 15th, 2011 08:58 am
So far in 2011, only 1 in 3 runs have been while the temperature was above freezing. With all the snow and ice, the sidewalks have been a near solid block of ice for weeks now. I've taken to running in the road, wearing an orange jacket that I hope tells cars, "Please don't hit me!" On the plus side, I set a new personal record. My coldest run ever now stands at -6F with a windchill making it feel like -21F. Did I mention that I love the adjustable fleece hood my boyfriend gave me? (Hot Headz 6-in-1 Fleece Hood if anyone else is looking.) I had bundled up enough that I ran 4 miles that day relatively comfortably.

All this cold has a silver lining though. It's been cold enough to freeze a river. Cold enough that 3 men took a chainsaw and ice saw down to that frozen river and cut out blocks of ice. And just for kicks, they built an ice igloo!


photo of igloo with ice fishing huts in the background

Click to see more photos )
fitfool: (running by sea)
Thanks to [livejournal.com profile] cmmunchkin and [livejournal.com profile] chipleduff, I've decided to try streaking. Before you book flights to come visit and post videos to YouTube, I'm talking about something more G-rated. The United States Running Streak Association (www.runeveryday.com) has collected the names of compulsive runners who run every day. At least one mile. Every day. No excuses about "I stayed up late finishing a paper" or "I have an early meeting at work" or "But I have a sore throat!" I think [livejournal.com profile] cmmunchkin is on day 150 and [livejournal.com profile] chipleduff has hit 97 days of running in a row. An unbroken string of days where they each managed to squeeze at least one mile into their busy days. I had heard of this several years ago and while the idea appealed to me, I kind of shrugged it off as something people who were crazily dedicated to running did. But when I heard those two LiveJournal friends were streaking, it suddenly seemed a lot more possible. I mean...these are two Real People (or at least I assume so...they could be imaginary friends for all I know).

So yesterday, after noticing that even trying to wash and brush my hair was painful, I decided that I wouldn't try to go to the gym to lift weights. Instead, I ran Day 1. Later I learned it was National Running Day. I liked the coincidence. And today I got up insanely early to run day 2 of my fledgling streak. My 8am meeting was then postponed by 2 hours so really I could have slept in a little more but at least I got my run out of the way. I still find running a conscious effort. But I also still feel tremendous pride in myself after I finish.
fitfool: (running by sea)
Is it a sign of old age that when I had originally written down my target dates, I looked up the wrong age groups because I had forgotten how old I was? I would've passed all three areas if I were in the 32 to 36 age group. But alas, as a member of the 27-31 group, I didn't pass the 2-mile run. I can't really blame my age there...I haven't run since my last PFT update in December when my watch died. I guess I'm really motivated by being able to collect data and if I can't measure it, I can't get myself to brave the cold. But I said I would join in this challenge from [livejournal.com profile] marathoner452 so I got my watch battery replaced and timed a 2-mile run today. The track was covered in 1-2 inches of snow so that slowed me down a bit. And I've lost my endurance too...I had to run/walk it and my lungs burned and my ears hurt from the cold. Enough excuses. The good news is that I did more pushups than I've ever done. Still no sign of defined biceps but at least my muscles seem stronger. And my situps have improved a lot too. The final breakdown?

Two-minutes Situps: 70 situps --> 87 points
Two-minutes Pushups: 42 pushups --> 83 points
Two-mile run: 21:03 --> 55 points (needed 60 to pass)
Total points: 225

I think I'll have to try again in a few weeks so I can pass all 3 sections.

links to the standards for the different age and gender groups )

I Ran.

Dec. 18th, 2005 09:25 pm
fitfool: (running by sea)
I ran 26.2 miles to get here

Image hosted by Photobucket.com
 
That's what it says on those mylar blankets they gave out at the end of the marathon. I wish I had thought to grab more since people were dumping theirs all over the place. I was messing around in Photoshop and spliced my leg onto a backdrop of those mylar blankets they give you at the end. I like how "I Ran" shows up in this cropped version.

And I did run today. I'm joining [livejournal.com profile] marathoner452's challenge to try to meet the standards at the 70th percentile in the Army's Physical Fitness Test. (Want to join? She's writing about the PFT Challenge in her journal.) 2 minutes of sit-ups, 2 minutes of push-ups, and a 2-mile run. We'll test ourselves March 1, 2006. So I needed to go for a run since I've been very lax in that part.

Relatively warm (for winter) in the mid-30s. Sidewalks icy. Tennis courts have so much ice that they look like skating rinks. The gates to the track had been padlocked. Looking on the other side, I could see that someone had cleared out one lane on the track and there were other footprints in the snow there. So I climbed over. Only 2 icy patches on the track. I did the first half mile in about 4:20 but then my watch stopped working. It's been acting nuts for the last few weeks. I kept a fairly steady pace but I'll assume I slowed down and estimate the time at 18:00. My running needs more work.

Total:
- est. 18:00 2-mile run
- 60 sit-ups
- 40 (real) push-ups





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fitfool: (running by sea)
This past weekend I scanned through over 28,000 pictures in the Lost-n-Found section to see if I could find any more pictures of myself from the marathon (my race report in a previous post). I did pick up one more of myself and got to play detective and matched up about 3 dozen other unidentified runners (based on clues like partial bib #s, names on shirts, and country flags) and sent those in to Brightroom. Even if they don't buy the pictures, I figure they'll at least look at them and I got a little thrill every time I matched someone up to a bib #. Exciting to scan through those pictures. Lots of great handcycle pictures (their bib #s got blocked by the handcycle cranks) and I got to see a bunch of the costumed runners.

collage of NYCM pictures

Some highlights:
* One of the Achilles Team members (with TWO prosthetic legs)
* save-the-rhino
* the Blues Brothers
*
Spiderman
* Superman
* a wizard
* Handcycles headed uphill
* in full firemen gear
* Emotional displays: Exultant | overwhelmed | mission accomplished | content, with kids | fighting on | disappointed
* And if you're into ogling physiques, the warm day exposed a lot of skin (here and here and here).

Here's the link to the lost-and-found gallery of pictures: (all pictures in this post came from Brightroom)
http://www.brightroom.com/lost_photos.asp?EVENTID=7803

Oh and some of you run with the Reservoir Dogs, right? Do you know this person?
Photo ID# 7803-5980-022

And another question...the bridge that the firemen are on...which one is that? I didn't like it and neither did my feet. Oww.





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Short Version: I did it! Finished with a chip time of 4:42 on a warm and humid day.

The rest is really long behind the lj-cuts. I'm pretty happy. I can imagine trying to do this again some day (though not soon).

ChampionChip timing device
Champion Chip timing device; picture from NYCM website

Getting to the Start at an Ungodly Hour )

Waiting for the race to start )

The Start of the Race - Staten Island )

Brooklyn )

Queens )

Manhattan, first time )

The Bronx )

Manhattan, second part )

Hooray! I won! I won!

Want to see some more pictures? Go to this post.




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I'm not familiar with NYC's layout or bridges so I've been doing a bunch of websurfing trying to keep my nerves in check this week. I'm tempted to do no runs at all this week since I still feel tired. The predicted weather so far looks pretty good. On this weekend's run, it occurred to me that the temperature was 30 degress less than what I had run in for one of my 20-mile practice runs. Kinda hard to decide on what to wear for race day. I guess the trick is lots and lots of expendable layers. Here are some of the links I've been checking on.

Predicted Weather - http://wwwa.accuweather.com/forecast-detail.asp?partner=accuweather&myadc=0&traveler=1&zipcode=10001&fday=7&metric=0

NYC Marathon Pace Calculator - http://www.nike.com/nikerunning/usa/home.jhtml?ref=running_global_redirect#home
Need to register for free to use the site. This gives you a pace calculator for the marathon, giving you longer splits for the bridges and uphills.

Interactive Map of Route - http://www.thetimoneygroup.com/nyc/
For anyone looking to run or watch the NYC Marathon, The Timoney Group has produced this great map showing the different color routes, mile markers, Km markers, and porta-potties. You can click and drag around the map and also zoom in and out. Awesome! (They have no connection to the race though so it might not be exact. They based their info off of whatever was available on the race's official website.)

The Bridges
1. Verazzano Narrows Bridge (the first mile)
2. Pulaski Bridge (halfway point on this bridge)
  - Views from Pulaski Bridge
3. Queensborough Bridge (mile 15)
4. Willis Ave Bridge (mile 20)
   - scroll down for another view
5. Madison Ave Bridge (mile 21)

Things I Wish I Knew the First Time I Ran NYCM - http://www.tricharlotte.com/nycm/nycm_things_i_wish_i_knew.htm




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My running partner called late yesterday afternoon and invited me to join him for a 5-mile run. I looked out the window and it was still sunny. Windy but no rain. And I needed to clear my head anyhow. We headed out on a new loop and chatted. I felt like we were going at a comfortable but faster pace than our previous runs together and yet I still felt like I was chatting easily. Could the rest from tapering really be helping? Possibly. I felt good enough that after he left, I continued on another 4-mile loop at a brisk pace for a short tempo run before the sun set. Paces averaged 10:22 for 5 miles and then 8:59 for the 4-mile leg. And I still felt really good at the end of the run. I'm feeling more optimistic about the marathon.




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For last week's runs, the temperatures didn't get past 50F and Friday morning's run was at 37F. I should find my gloves. Forget fall, we've moved right into winter as far as I'm concerned. I take that back...there are plenty of signs of autumn still. On Wednesday there were shattered pumpkin rinds along the side of the road. For Friday's chilly run, the frost-tipped fields lay in shadow while the ridge of trees gleamed gold and red in the light of the rising sun. Along the edge of the road, the fallen leaves and pine needles lend a welcoming cushioning to the hard surface of the roads. The soles of my feet are tired or maybe it's these new shoes I've got. I'm running in Brooks Adrenaline GTS Six. I've noticed my soles feel sore after just a few miles...maybe 3? Yesterday I ran with two pairs of socks and that postponed the sore soles feeling until about mile 10. I might try that though it looked like I was getting the beginning of blisters that way.

I'm taking the tapering to heart. Only ran 3 times last week (20, 5, and 6 miles). Felt pretty good for the 2 shorter runs and am making a point to run over my hillier routes now that I know the course isn't as flat as I had thought before. My training routes have generally included some hills though so I should be ok. I hope. I need to start getting to bed earlier though. I'm not feeling nearly as rested yet as I would've expected but I think I can blame that to spotty sleep habits lately. Two more weeks...




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This final long run loomed large in my mind. Waking briefly at 4:30am, I considered going out and getting the run over with. But that would have given me only 4 hours of sleep and I wanted very much to be able to finish this run. My previous attempt at 20 miles had been cut short at 17 miles, followed by a long walk home and 2 weeks of feeling nervous about the marathon. This was my last chance to get a final 20-miler in before a 3-week taper. I had run 20 miles twice back in August but since then my training had been spotty for a while. I worried that I had peaked too early and was now deconditioned.

It was a long run and I ended up writing a long entry )
This morning's run was 4.1 miles run at what felt like an easy pace. And when I got home I was thrilled to see that the easy pace was under a 10-minute mile. Finally seem to be feeling stronger again in my running. For the last 2 weeks, my runs seemed to take more effort from me mentally and physically. So this gives me hope for Saturday's long run despite the gloomy forecast for yet more rain. Today's wildlife sightings included 2 little roadkill frogs and lots of migrating geese flying overhead in V formations.

Oh speaking of the rain...last weekend we got 4 inches of rain on Saturday and the river's water level rose 2 inches. So it wasn't just my imagination that it was a lot of rain. Not as bad as folks in other parts of the state though...they got over 10 inches and experienced major flooding. And even that pales in comparison to the recent earthquakes and Hurricane Katrina. Mother Nature sure can throw her weight around. :(




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For the 3rd morning in a row I got up and went for my run. Took the 6-mile out-n-back route. Ran at an easy pace on the way out (the way that has 2 big uphills) and then sped up for the return leg since I could cruise down the hills. I keep hearing differing descriptions of the NYC Marathon route. The overall impression I get is that it's mostly flat but the 5 bridges act as big hills. Since I've always crossed those bridges in a car, I never paid much attention to the elevation changes. Others said the bridges aren't that big a deal if you've trained on hills. Most of my uphills in training have been gradual uphills. I hope they were challenging enough to get me ready.

Finally got a chance to listen to the podcast I had downloaded over the weekend. Listened to the Phedippidations (SteveRunner) podcast on the Long Slow Run. I know...I'm slow to come around to the podcast phenomenon. I still like the radio. But I get a weak or non-existent signal on my favorite stations up here. Anyhow, I enjoyed listening to someone tell me about what beneficial changes were happening while I chugged through another training run.

So...it's time to start adding things beside music to my mp3 player. Audible.com has lots to choose from. I'm especially excited to listen to This American Life since I rarely remember to tune in at the right time to listen to it on the radio. But now I can listen to it online.




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Just a light misting rain. I wouldn't have noticed it really except for the raindrops caught on my glasses. I got up a little late and rushed to get my run in and made it a quick tempo run. My soas muscles felt slightly sore and tight but they loosened up after a mile. Pleased to see that nothing else hurt.

Last Saturday, while I waited for the rain to go away, I had downloaded several podcasts from SteveRunner.com. But the rain didn't go away so I left the mp3 player at home for fear that the rain would kill it. I would've taken the mp3 player today (tucked into a plastic bag) but I was in such a rush I barely remembered to bring my keys. At least I got to run without once stepping in a big puddle.




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It's still raining. I ran up 4 flights of stairs to work up the nerve to step outside, thinking that I would ramp up my heartbeat, and gather momentum as I came down the stairs and just barrel out the door. I still hesitated once I saw the rain but finally just pushed myself out. Figured as long as I was getting wet I would try the speed workout I missed last week. I didn't want to be out there long and remained very focused on the workout. Just banged it out and headed home. Splits: 8:32, 8:37, 8:23, 8:27. I felt pretty proud to just go and get it over with.

This morning my running partner called to see if I wanted to go for a run just as I was settling into my workday. Oh yeah...other people get the day off. Hopefully our schedules will match up one of these days.




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Woke up this morning to the sound of steady rain. Normally the drumming of the raindrops lulls me into a contented state while I contemplate the joys of a warm bed with a roof over my head. But today I was supposed to run 10 miles. I decided to wait the rain out but I waited for quite a while. Finally late in the afternoon I checked the weather forecast. 90% chance of up to 2 inches of rain predicted for Saturday and Sunday. Guess the weather forecasters got that part right. I had already skipped Friday's run and it was supposed to be wet tomorrow too so I got dressed, took a deep breath, and got soaked.

Just a training run but I'm strangely talkative today )
fitfool: (laptop work)
Even though I will probably never win a race, I still love running for always giving me room to improve upon my previous runs. Tonight I just read up on age-graded results. Male and female runners of all ages compete in races. The general trend I've seen suggests that the speediest runners will be young and male. (and I've been soundly beaten by several 11- and 12-year olds of both genders.) But as you get older, while your times might get slower, they might still be improving relative to what a person of your age and gender is capable of. Enter the age-graded scoring tables. Go to this Age Graded Calculator and enter in your age, gender, and race results. The calculator will then adjust your time for your appropriate division and rank you in an Achievement Percentile. The ranges are approximately:
* 100% --> World Record Level
* 90-99% --> World Class
* 80-89% --> National Class
* 70-79% --> Regional Class
* 60-69% --> Local Class

So in my first year of racing in 2002, my percentiles ranged from 43.1% to 51.9%.
And so far this year, with many more miles under my belt, my percentiles range from 51.9% to 54.4%

Even more encouraging, I don't have the nagging knee pain I had throughout 2002 and 2003. On the other hand, I am getting tired of all these training miles so I don't know how much more improvement I'll be seeing. Then again, if I can just keep producing these race times in 20 years, I should be winning age-group medals in a few decades.

Curious? Read about it in more detail.
or Try this More detailed age-graded calculator that includes calculations for shorter distances and different track events too.




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I watched Four Minutes the movie tonight on ESPN. Despite knowing full well that young Roger Bannister would break the 4-minute mark for the mile and knowing that this was just a dramatization of the event, I was still excited to watch the climactic race at the end, sitting up in my seat and muttering "Go Roger Go!" at the tv screen. I was surprised to learn that he was an athlete on the side, focusing primarily on his medical studies and largely training alone. He does eventually accept training with a coach but I'm shocked he was able to do as well as he did by squeezing in practice runs during his lunch breaks. He retired soon after his record-setting run and had a long career as a neurologist.

Some quotes from the movie:

"3 years! That's an awfully long time to be running around in circles."

"There's nothing a man can't do if the spirit is there."




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fitfool: (running by sea)
Another foggy morning. This time I could only see 50-100 feet ahead of me. Perfect setting for a medieval adventure. Imagined running as a ranger elf through the forests. My imaginary sword was swinging awkwardly at my side and I adjusted the mental picture to a sharp dagger instead. Physically I felt fine but mentally, this 10 mile run felt longer. I took this at a comfortable pace and ran the PowderMill loops in the easier direction (where there are more downhills than uphills). For the last 2 blocks, I imagined coming down 5th Ave at the end of the NYC Marathon, crowds clapping and cheering. I managed to get myself choked up imagining this.
scenery on this route, but on a non-foggy day )
fitfool: (laptop work)
Today's schedule called for my third 20-mile run. I felt like I was ready for this run and had even contemplated turning it into a 22 or 24 mile run, thinking that any miles after 20 would give me a huge psychological boost in confidence for the real thing. Two weekends ago I had that great 30K and today's intended training pace was a minute-per-mile slower than that race pace. Monday and Tuesday I had done a 10x800 workout and a 5-mile tempo run in good times. I felt strong on Wednesday night, running up some tough hills. So I was ready and eager to get another 20-mile run in and the accompanying bragging rights.

The day was crisp and absolutely perfect for running. Clear sky, dry air. Beautiful fall day. After 5 miles, I shed the outer cotton long-sleeve t-shirt and left it on my bike. Felt much lighter during the 2nd 5-mile loop. I felt horrible after 15 miles. There was no specific physical pain I could point to. My butt was kinda sore. My left shoulder felt pretty tight. The soles of my feet felt tired of all the pounding. But the biggest problem was that mentally I couldn't summon the will to keep running. Gave in to the urge to walk after about 17 miles. I called Michael and asked him to mix up a pitcher of Gatorade for me.

I had been feeling so strong and athletic Wednesday night and then this truncated run came along and dashed that self-image. The weirdest part was that afterwards, it took a long time for my breathing to return to normal. Usually, I'm breathing easily after a cooldown walk around the block. But I was still panting 30 minutes after returning (even after having walked the last 3 miles). I just lay down and watched tv for a few hours. Watched the Red Sox lose to the Yankees (thankfully Cleveland lost so our playoff hopes are alive). Watched and suprisingly enjoyed the movie Starsky and Hutch. (no idea how it compares to the original tv series).

Next weekend is only a 10 mile run. Maybe I'll bump that up to 15 to try to soothe my ego. I have my last 20-mile run scheduled 2 weeks from now so I'll try again then.




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