2011 Steam Whistle 12k Race Report.

The storms came in the night before.  The race was planned for 9AM but we had to postpone it until noon.   Fortunately the storm passed through town and it brought cooler temperatures. 

The race started promptly at noon.  Per normal, I started out too quickly.  I was in fourth place for the first mile but the top three were pulling away.  However, Terry soon passed me and he also started pulling away from me.

This is a hard 12k race.  The first half is slightly up hill.  I was hurting the entire out portion of the race.  My legs were hurting.  I could not wait for the turn around.  Although the effort was still hard the race felt easier on the return.  Mentally this race was hard on me.  I ran the entire race solo – I was in no man’s land (and there was some wind in the way out).  I did not have anyone to pace off.  In addition, the races that were ahead of me were just too fast.  I was not able to reel them in at all.  I knew that there were two racers about 30 seconds behind me and that kept me going.

Half way.

I was able to get a PR for the race by finishing the 12k in 49:19 (6:36 pace).  Last year was 49:38 (6:39 pace).  Of course I am pleased with a PR but I was really expecting more.  I have a lot of trouble at these shorter races (7.45 miles).  In comparison I was able to drop 2 minutes from my half marathon PR from last year (that is 9 seconds per mile).  But this race I only dropped 19 seconds.  A half marathon is only 9 more kilometers.  I wanted to drop somewhere around 12 seconds not a messily 3 seconds.  I finished 5th overall (6th last year) and 2nd in my age group (last year I got first).  I was able to maintain my place through the race.

Smaller pinecone this year.

Still, I am pleased that the PR streak continues.  I have another chance to test the waters next weekend at the First Light Half marathon in Mobile.

Race Report - Baton Rouge Beach Half Marathon 2010

This past week has seen some decent volume and a taper for the Baton Rouge Beach Half Marathon. The month before the race had zero speed work. And last week consisted of –


Sunday – 14 miles (the middle 10 at tempo pace)
Monday – AM – 6 miles at comfortable pace / LUNCH – 6 miles at comfortable pace
Tuesday – AM – BIKE Trainer (20 min FTP repeats) / LUNCH – 6 miles at comfortable pace
Wednesday – AM – 6 miles at comfortable pace / LUNCH – 6 miles at comfortable pace
Thursday – AM – BIKE Trainer (FTP work – FAIL) / LUNCH – Strength Training
Friday – AM – NOTHING / LUNCH – NOTHING

Total Running for the first part of the week equaled 44 miles. I had intended to do some track work on Tuesday night to get 50 miles for the 4 days. I actually made it out to the track but was lacking motivation. The wind was blowing and the temperature had dropped throughout the day. I was cold. In addition, because of the weather, Ginny and Audrey had done their speed work and were finishing up by the time that I got there. I skipped out on the sessions. This would have been the third workout of the day and I would have needed some serious motivation to run fast circles in the dark by myself.

I left work a little early on Friday. I arrived at Charles’s house at 3PM and we left for Baton Rouge. The runners were Terry, Audrey and myself. Charles would be the Sherpa for this race. Last year the weather was much worse. It was in the low 30’s and the sky was splitting a wintery mix. This year the weather would be much better. We arrived at package pickup with plenty of time to talk race tactics, eat too much and drink not as much as last year. Charles and Audrey were staying at Charles’ parent’s house. Terry and I were sharing a hotel room. Terry is a running machine – he has done Boston more times than anyone I know. HE is also a statist ion. He plans his races to the letter. He leaves very little to chance. I enjoyed picking his brain about all aspect of training.

I drank more than I should the night before a race – the optimum amount should be zero – but I did better than last year, I only had a couple – last year I had n+1 – too much.

I was a little restless but the next thing I know is Terry is awake and drinking some special sports drink to calorie load. He also had one before he went to sleep. I look over and it is 3:30AM. I decided to go ahead and make my oatmeal (with the hot water from the coffee maker). This would give my body plenty of time to digest the complex carbohydrates for the 7AM start of the race. In the next couple of hours I ate a banana and a couple of small granola bars. I also drank a lot of coffee.

The runners

We arrived at the race at just before 6AM. It was chilly. I was wearing some track pants and a light jacket over my running shorts and light weight technical fabric shirt. I hit the portaloos twice (the coffee). I heard them announce the start of the race while in said portaloo. I jumped out and sprinted to the race start. I then heard them say that the race would start in 2 minutes. I walked the rest of the way. Last year this race was chipped timed, however, there was no start timing mat, only a finishing mat. Remembering that (I read my blog from last year – see, these blogs do serve a purpose because I remember very little about last year’s race) I seeded myself near the front. This year there was a start timing mat!

Charles showing off his post sugary surgery running fitness.

I had already programmed my virtual nemeses on the Garmin for a PR run. I had set it for a 6:43 pace for 13.15 miles. I always pad the race distance when using the virtual nemeses. This would put me at a PR time of 1:28:19 – which would be 61 seconds faster than my PR from the Jazz Half on October 30th.

He always goes out too slow ...

A minute PR in a month is an aggressive goal and I had my doubts. The start gun went off and I activate the Garmin as I crossed the start mat. In this race the people doing the full marathon start 200 yards behind the half marathoners and a few seconds later. All I know is that within the first quarter mile this super fast Kenya full marathoner comes screaming past us mortals.

I was a little chatty in the first mile or two. I was running with a guy named Hunter who wanted to run in the 1:25’s and a guy named Zack was looking for 1:27. These guys were both a little too fast for me. I hung with Hunter until about mile 2 where I let him go. My Virtual Nemeses had once again started out too slow. I was 150 feet in front of him. I slowed the pace down and chatted with Zack for a little while. He was planning on running a 10 mile tempo and then kicks it at the 5k to go mark. That is not the fastest way around the track but to each his own.

Zack pulled away from me for a few miles and a couple of runner got between me and him. I was running my paces but the effort in the early miles seemed harder than they should have been. Doubts started to creep into my mind. I wanted to slow down a good bit and I was not even at the half way point. This was not good.

However, clicking off miles 7 then 8 then 9 the pace did not seem any harder. I had started to gain some ground on the few guys that had passed me and on Zack. The race course had a lot more hills than I remembered (I did not remember anything about the course). It was deficiently not flat. I tried to keep the time lost to a minimum on the hills and I also pressed the pace on the decline. The entire race I was between 30 feet and 100 feet ahead of the virtual nemesis. At mile 10 I was still feeling good but it was getting harder. It was getting harder for everyone. I started to creep past the people that had passed me. Zack was fading hard but he gave me some encouragement. I also passed the guy in blue. He told me to go get them. I continued on – I was not running faster but I was not fading. Everyone else was fading hard. I think I passed 4 people in the last 3 or 4 miles.

Don’t let me kid you, the race was hurting and hurting bad but it is just a race – I could push on at the prescribed pace. I only had a couple of miles to go. However, at this exertion level it seems like each mile is a race in and of itself. The 1 mile race at mile marker 11 and 12 were tough. I kept looking across the lake to see where the finish line was. I refused to scroll through the screen on the Garmin to see the exact distance to go – I just thought to myself “What would be the point? I am going to run hard until I finish – regardless of the distance!” As I had passed the last couple of guys I could hear and feel them right behind me. I am not really a racer. I did not try to put them away as I passed. I just kept my same pace and let them fade. I let them say in the race because I was racing against the clock. I was not racing for place. With about 50 yards until the last turn I could hear the heavy breathing of someone right behind me. I did not let my pace fade and picked it up just a little bit. I had just passed a field marshal that had told me there was half a mile to go. I round the last turn for the straight away and kicked it up a notch. I was running flat out. However, the guy in blue was still right there with me. He was working hard and I was hoping that he would blow. He kicked it up a notch. I had nothing left but I dug deep. In my head I was doing quarter mile repeats and my arms were pumping and my stride was long. I was giving it everything that I had – this was my second ‘dig deep’. I kept it up until the end, however, the guy in blow had one more. He shot past me in the final 10 feet. There were 3 timing mats and he shut it down after the first one. You had to cross the last timing mat for the official time. People were yelling for him to continue. He sucked it up and beat me to the final mat by a fraction of a second.

I ran through the finish corral . Someone tried to put the medal over my head but I just grabbed it. I took a 90 degree turn away from the spectators and gagged a little. I was cooked. I took a few seconds to gather my composure and shook the blue guy’s hand.

I had a new PR by a 1:41 – NEW PR 1:27:39 (6:41 pace) (Average heart rate 171 / Max 190 ). That is nearly 10 minutes faster than I ran this race last year. But much more importantly it is 10 seconds per mile faster than my best half marathon time from last year (First Light from January 2010 – 1:29:30). I like the half marathon distance I have gotten faster and each and every one of the races that I have done (the only exception was the Jazz Half in 2009 – just after I did my ironman – it was a ‘fun’ run).

The running calculators still do not think I have what it takes to run a sub-3 marathon. McMillan says I need a 1:25:20 (6:31 pace) half to make a run for it. There are doubts in my mind but I am confident if I can continue to work my plan I will be successful.

Checking the results I finished 10th overall!  However, I was 5th in my age group (the guy in blue was NOT in my age group).  Damn, this is a competitive age group!

I tend to base my running performance off of my half marathons – here is the progression:



11/29/2008 – 1:37:15 - Gulf Coast Half (first half) - PR
10/31/2009 – 1:40:05 – Jazz Half (FUN RUN)
12/05/2009 – 1:37:07 – Baton Rough Beach Half - PR
12/20/2009 – 1:33:53 – Ole Man River Half - PR
01/10/2010 – 1:29:28 – First Light Half  - PR
10/30/2010 – 1:29:20 – Jazz Half - PR
12/04/2010 – 1:27:39 – Baton Rouge Half - PR

Baton Rouge Beach Half - pre race

Taken from Steve in a Speedo taken from The Oatmeal. 

This is the locker room at the Payne Center.  If there is something for an older guy to prop their leg on they will find it!  A few actually bring a step ladder for occasions where no bench is available.  On a side note, I went to a nice gym in Sydney and they had a sign that the blow dryer was to be used ONLY for hair on your head.  Severe penalties including dismissal from the gym would apply if the blow dryer was used on other hairy areas.  You know that there had to have been an incident.

I am racing the Baton Rouge Beach (there is a lake) Half Marathon this weekend with some friends.  I raced this last year with a self inflicted injury (too much pre race festivities) - last year's race report.

I have done no speed work but I hope that a month of running hills in Sydney will pay off with another PR!

Anxiety times 2

So I have a benchmark half marathon this weekend and I am leaving the country for about a month! I have been ‘just a little’ anxious this week.


I always get race anxiety. I like to set goals. And these goals are usually just out of reach. They are not a sure thing by any means. So I guess I test myself and I do not want to come up short. This is where the anxiety comes in – I do not want to fail. I also know that these races will hurt. They will push me mentally and physically. I have been working on trying to convert the race anxiety to race energy. I think I do a pretty good job. I traditionally race well. The excitement (internal and external) allows for me to put up very good efforts. This will be a good test considering the enourmiously how low my running volume has been (we are talking less than 20 miles a week). That being said, I think I just might be able to squeek a PR out of this race. I mean, what is the point in racing if you can’t throw down a PR!

bravado
bra•va•do (brə-väˈdō)
noun pl. bra•va•dos or bra•va•does
1. a. Defiant or swaggering behavior: strove to prevent our courage from turning into bravado.
b. A pretense of courage; a false show of bravery.
2. A disposition toward showy defiance or false expressions of courage.

For this half marathon tomorrow I hope to be able to throw down a good benchmark that I can base all of my winter paces off. This race will determine my interval paces, my tempo paces and my long run paces. This is important to me. I will retest at another half marathon at the first of December.

I also get some anxiety from traveling. I pack too much. I think about things that I might need. It is excessive. And a trip like this – well, I have some anxiety to say the least. I am trying to change this travel anxiety into race energy. If I can get my mind wrapped around this I should have a fantastic race.
 
 

More stuff.

Making weight!

Sunfish Triathlon Race Report

I have a confession. I have been talking the talk but not walking the walk when it comes to training. I preach about following a training plan – any training plan but I have lapsed. You see, if I do not have big goals then I let things slide. After I qualified for the Boston Marathon at the end of February I have been in the need of a new goal. I half assed it with the half ironman in New Orleans. I coasted on my existing fitness and finished in 5:08 – A PR but not my goal time. That is what happens when your longest ride of the year has been about 45 miles.

Just some of the Hattiesburg Crew!

Then I found a new goal and that was the pump and run challenge. I actually trained for this event. I was back in the weight room and back on the track doing speed work. Working the plan, as always, paid off – I won that challenge. Since then I have now raced two triathlons with less than stellar results. I have just gone through the paces and not actually followed a plan. And my results show this lack of attention. Now, my fitness is not in question. I am still exercising and eating a healthy diet. But exercise without purpose is not training. To do my best I need to train. Running haphazardly with friends, doing whatever in the pool and attacking at group rides will not pay the bills – so to speak.

So after the Sunfish Triathlon on Saturday I was upset with myself. This has been the first year that I have failed to have PR’s at all of my races. I have only myself to blame. The races have simply not been as important to me. In the Sunfish this year I was 1:12 longer on the bike and 23 seconds longer on the run. The swim was also a lot longer – 1:59 – but everyone’s swim was longer.

Enough whining. The weather was great for the Sunfish and I had a decent swim. I went a little wide out in the lake but with the time trial start I had no contact with any other swimmers. I swam an easy pace. I tried to keep Robin in sight and was right next to him for 2/3 of the race. Going wide on the last buoy I lost him. He ended up finishing the swim about a minute ahead of me.

I had a good transition and jumped on the bike. I pushed the pace from the start. There are some large hills on the bike coarse and they had me huffing and puffing. I attempted to attack each of the hills and keep the intensity high. I was only passed once on the bike, however, it was from someone in my age group. I was not going to let them go but once I crested the hill I never saw them again.

The bike was over before I even knew what hit me. I had remembered previous years where I thought the hills and 16 something miles would never end. It was like BAM – that’s all folks. I really thought I had put together a solid effort on the bike. I thought that I was faster than last year and I still had legs that I could run on.

Leaving T2 I saw Robin about 100 yards in front of me. I knew that I could not match his speed. I did not even try. I watched my GPS too damn much and kept my heart rate in check. This is a race – I should have let everything fly…

With about a quarter of a mile left I picked up the pace. I simply had too much in the tank. I ran fast and hard and finished much too strong. After the race my friend Ted said that I looked to comfortable. He was exactly right. For this race I only went through the motions.  I finished overall 1 postion better (24th out of 300 something) and one better in my age group (5th).

Still, we have a good turn out from Hattiesburg. Sam won the race. Chris won the masters. Robin placed second in age group. Brad placed second in age group. Raland placed 4th in Clydesdale (missed third by one second). We also took home the relay title by 25 minutes!

2010 Sunfish Results

Pump and Run Race Report

We got a break from the weather Friday night for the Pump and Pant Extravaganza. It was not nearly as warm as it could have been. The race had got me back into the weight room at the gym for the last two months. In addition, I knew that I would have to watch my weight carefully. I do love the body weight lifts (or body weight calculated lifts). You can get stronger or lose weight to get more lifts. I was hoping to do both.


When I first started training for the lift my best was 32 reps (32 x 20 seconds = 10:40). That would not be enough to even place. I kept up the lifts twice a week and had some great gains. While I was training I realized that the bench press has a huge skill component. It is not simply how strong you are. I worked with the timing – I added a pause of the lift. I started to add segments to the lift. I also started to cheat a little bit with the bounce off of the chest. This allowed me to work my way up into the 40’s and then 50. I was stuck at exactly 50 reps for the last couple of weeks. And then I had a breakthrough and was able to push myself to 55 reps (55 x 20 seconds = 18:20). This would get me low – this could win the race. The bounce was saving my arms – it was not like I was being wild but I was getting more reps. The momentum allowed me to overcome the sticking point as my arms fatigued. This was working.

I made a few mistakes leading up to the race. With the run only being a 5k I continued with my normal run training. This meant intervals out on the trace on Tuesday. This was challenging – the speed stayed up (quarter miles at < 1:25) but the recovery dropped to 30 seconds. On top of this the heat and the humidity increased (as if it were possible). I failed on the intervals giving up after 9 repeats. I walked slowly back to campus. I also got back into the group ride on Thursday morning. For good measure I actually upped the swimming and had two breakthrough sessions on both Wednesday and Thursday. And if that was not enough of a ‘taper’ I challenged some friends to a flex arm hang throw down during lunch on Thursday. I could really feel this in my biceps on race morning.
I jumped on the scale Friday (race) morning and scale showed 158.0. This was not acceptable. You see I have been judging my performance on lifting 110 lbs (158.0 x 70% = 100.6). The race would be rounding up. I needed to lose a pound of weight while resting the legs and the upper body!

I was determined to not affect my performance but I need to drop a pound. I normally do not eat any salt in my meals and today would not be any different. That is just what I did not need – retain some water. I ate my normal oatmeal for breakfast and since I was not exercising there would be no second breakfast. I drank my normal coffee all morning.

Not knowing what to do with myself without being able to work out at lunch I grabbed a book and headed to the gym. I need to get my ‘lifting gloves’ from my locker. I also jumped in the sauna for 30 minutes and read my book. I was careful about the length of time.

For lunch I had another bowl of oatmeal. I had some homemade soup in the refrigerator but I knew there was a little bit of salt in the soup – so oatmeal again. I also limited myself to only 32 ounces of water for the afternoon. I normally drink about a gallon of water while sitting at my desk at work. I knew that this would not put me into dehydration but it would limit the extra weight.

After work I weighed again at home. I was seeing 156.6 (dressed in my running clothes but no shoes). This was perfect. However, it was still close. I grabbed 2 gels (with 2x caffeine) and 2 bottles of sports drink. I was going to load up on the sugars and caffeine right after I recorded my weight.

I arrived at the race site and had my bag of goodies. I got in line at the scale and took off my shoes. I nervously got on the scale. I know that scales can fluctuate. The reading was exactly 157 pounds. This was a huge relief (157.0 x 70% = 109.9). I had made my weight. I took a gel and downed a small sports drink. It took about 15 minutes before we were ready to start the lift. Robin explained all of the rules. For each lift to count - Feet had to be on the floor – check. The bar had to touch your check – check. Absolutely no bouncing off of the chest - what? Damn, damn, damn! I was going to have to lift legitimately.

The high school had 10 bench presses and they were doing different weights at each station. There were several people lifting less weight than 110 lbs but most had to lift more – some much more. The guy right before me was also lifting my weight. I let him go first and he put up a huge number – 40 reps! He was wearing board shorts and a wife beater undershirt – I was willing to bet that he could not run.

Feet on floor, bar at chest, no bounce!

Not sure what is up with my arm - fatigue.

I was next. I did a quick set of 10 pushups and I took that second gel– I take this stuff seriously. I mentally broke the lift up in 12 rep segments – I would pause for a second after each segment. In practice this would allow for me to lift 12 / 12 / 12 / 6 / 6 / ? / ? – We would see today. I was extra careful about the clean lifting. I knew that if any of the reps did not count that it would affect the entire lift. I did not want to fail mentally. I just wanted to put together a good set. It was tough. The first three segments went just like training but that is where the arms got heavy. Once I got to 36 reps I broke it down into sets of 3 – this did not work long. Then it was every single rep that I could get. This is where the bounce in practice had helped. I eked out a couple more reps for a total of 45 (45 x 20 = 15:00).



I watched my friends finish up their lifts and then we headed outside for the 2 loop 5k. My friend Neil was there and I was going to pace off of his shoulder. This strategy has allowed me to PR in the past. I saw the guy in the board shorts (he had taken off the wife beater). He was lined up right with me. A little bit of chit chat and then, bang, we were off. I settled in behind Neil and just ran. The pace was hard but manageable. I had my ‘virtual nemesis’ on my GPS watch set for a 19:00 5k. I was killing him. Putting 10’s of feet into him.

Neil and I stride for stride

However, as always, he generally is a much better pacer than I am. The pace started to get hard at the mile mark and I had to let Neil go after a mile and half (I was a couple of hundred feet ahead of the virtual trainer on my watch). My heart rate was sky high – like 190 BPM. This is okay at the end of a 5k but not in the middle. I tried to let my heart rate come back to me but it was not going to happen – I was not going to walk or anything – I just wanted to walk – NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

I watched Neil pull away. I was trying to maintain my pace and not lose too much ground. I was secure in 6th place. I was still running hard just not at the previous pace. My heart rate stayed high but my pace dropped. The race was hurting. I just went out too fast.

There were a lot of 90 degree turns during the race. I hate it when I do this but I started to look behind me during the turns – to see how ‘comfortable’ I was. He was a good ways back but that dude in the board shorts was right there! I was drifting back from Neil and this guy was gaining – it was all happening very slow but it WAS happening.

I would later look at my splits and see that the first 1.5 miles was clocked off at 9 minutes exactly (that is an 18:38 5k pace – My PR last year was 19:09) – too fast for me. No wonder I was blowing up!

There was a long straight away leading to a 90 degree turn around with a 200 yard sprint to the finish. On this first long straight way I started to hear someone coming up on me. Then I saw a shadow. @#$%!!! I was hurting but I picked the pace up. The shadow stayed with me. I rounded the 90 degree turn around and the guy was so close that I did not see him. He was right there on my shoulder! He was going to slingshot around me! I picked it up again! I was running as fast I could and just trying to hold on. It was dead heat. I crossed the finish line a few feet in front. I was able kept my 6th place finish!

Getting reeled in!

Foot race at the end

Giving it EVERYTHING

Why do we run? - because it feels so good to STOP!

As soon as I crossed the finish line I had to sit down. I have never kicked that hard at the end of a race – NEVER. A couple of minutes later I congratulated the guy behind me for a solid race and thanked him for pushing me. I needed the pressure.

Cooling down

Awards were given to the top 12 (there were 50 participants). I was really impressed with some of the placing. There were a couple of lifter type guys that put up more than 40 reps at very respectable weights. They placed high in the standings. The guy that I had the sprint with ended up with 3rd or 4th. And the second place participate was a young track girl that lifted 50% of her body weight 48 times. She also ran a 21:xx 5k. I only had a rep or so to spare. If the guy had not pushed in the race I could have drifted back in the standings – that is why I love competition.

I ended up taking first with a time of 4:54 (19:54 5K – 15:00 = 4:54). It was a great race and a lot closer than I thought it was going to be. I thought I was going to run a little faster and I thought I was going to lift a little more. I got lucky. Everything came together just enough – my weight, my lifts, and my run.

Sometimes just enough really is enough! I look forward to the race next year.

Crawfishman - Race report in picutres

This weekend I did something that I have never done before – I went to a triathlon that I did not compete in! It was an experience. I tried to register for the Crawfishman last week but the race was full. Since this little race is so big around here I grabbed a ride with my friends and became the official race photographer.

With the inclement weather, the race was called; I ended up looking like a genius.

It was raining from the start of the race and I had a trash bag poncho and a golf umbrella (thanks JD!). This was the first time that I have been at a triathlon that I have not thought that the swim was long –I guess the perspective is different when you are not participating!

Here is the race in pictures:

Race Finish

Rack number 1 (Sam - he won the race last year)

Swim start

Leaders of the swim

Sam exiting T1 in third

Raland after a good swim (checking his watch)

Dan - right behind Raland

Lance (no shirt), Greg to his left, and Chris (who started in a later wave) on the far left.

First female - notice both feet off the ground!

Margarita tent!

First bikers arriving to a called race.

Lance showing off his swag.

When the storm hit they pulled the few remaining swimmers from the lake and stopped any more bikes from heading out.  I have never been to a race that was called - and they should have called this race.  If I am not going to participate then this was the race to sit out.

It was nice to see the front runners all shake each others hands when they dismounted.  They congratulated each other on a tough bike.  I am sure the racers were disappointed that the race did not have a finish but I did not hear anyone complaining. 

I think everyone still had a great time!

70.3 New Orleans - 2010 - Lessons Learned

Cool down!

I know that I am beating a dead horse but I do think about these things.  They allow me to race better next time. My lessons learned from 70.3 New Orleans 2010 are as follows:

1. PRE-RACE: Plenty of time this year. There was no long walk to the swim start line. My start time was also nearly an hour later than last year. Pre-race set up is an experience that you learn. I am much better after having a lot of races under my belt. I was even able to assist a few people in transition prior to the race. I have made lists of what I need in transition (I will follow up with this in another post) and this takes much of the anxiety out of the situation.

2. SWIM: I watched the conditions worsen for more than an hour. Last year I do not think I would have had success. This was the first open water swim that I have done this year. Once again I had to draw upon experience. I have had bad swims. I have had good swims. I have learned that I need to swim my own race. I have built up a comfort level (confidence level) with swimming. I might not be the fastest swimmer out there but I will complete the swim and be able to contend with any situation that might arise.

3. BIKE: I was able to stay within my heart rate zones. I was comfortable. I was tempted to push the pace (and I did when the wind was at my back). But overall, once again, I raced my own race. I still need to determine where that fine line is on the bike. Did gaining a few extra minutes on the bike cost me 10 minutes on the run?

4. RUN: I am a better runner than last year. I took a minute per mile off of last year’s pace. However, I wanted 2 minutes per mile. Maybe I was naive in my run goals. The heat was a factor. Maybe I should have run more at the hottest times of the day to build some heat acclimation. The heat from this race will feel like a winter’s morning in two months.

5. ENJOY THE RACE: Once out of the water I had a good day. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to reach my goal. I was able to keep positive even though I knew that I was not going to have a 4:59. At the end of the race I did say (and it is on video) that "I never want to do another long distance race again". I think I say that at the end of every race! I still want to break 5 hours and I am looking around for another race.

All races are different from year to year. In this race the swim was rough, the bike was faster and the run was about the same. Well, the run was hotter but only because I started it an hour later than last year.  And the tranistions were much shorter.

By the numbers:

Improvement 2009 – 2010

SWIM----4.9%
T1-----15.1%
BIKE----2.0%
T2-----18.6%
RUN----12.9%
TOTAL---6.6%

I 'lost' 3  minutes in the swim (from my projected time).  I 'lost' 90 seconds from a bathroom break.  I wonder if I could have pulled that extra gear knowing that I only needed 4 minutes (instead of 8 minutes) to reach my goal?  I knew that I was not able to run 30+ seconds per mile faster but could I have willed myself to run 17 seconds per mile faster?  I just don't know.

Recovery: Last year there was a tri team that had a kiddie swimming pool filled with ice water that their athletes were using to cool down. I wanted that last year but it was only for their athletes – I asked. This year, they had this set up in the medical area. Once I discovered this I made a bee line for the water. I definitely did not need an IV or anything by I wanted to cool down and start my recovery. The medical staff was awesome and I submerged myself for about 5 minutes. It was painful on my feet but so refreshing everywhere else. I highly recommend the ice baths!!!

Checking Race Results

Race Report - RUN - 70.3 New Orleans - 2010

T2: 1:54

The run – TIME: 1:46:08 SPEED: 8:07 RANK: 218

I stopped just short of the dismount line. I unclipped from the pedals and put weight on my legs for the first time in two and a half hours. The legs were strong. There were no wobbles at all. This gave me confidence for the start of the run.

I ran with the bike through the transition area. I passed several people that were walking. One person was walking with their bike in my transition row and I politely said on your left. He moved over and I sprinted to my bike. I quickly racked the bike and took my helmet off. I also sat down to put socks on for the run. I did not want my feet to be the limiting factor on this run. I removed the gps watch from by bike and carried it in my hand. I would put it on my wrist while on the move. Socks on, shoes on, visor on and a gel stuffed in the back pocket of my unitard. I was off.

I looked at my watch and did some quick calculations. My stop watch indicated that I was 3:22 into this race. In my fantasy world I wanted to run close to my marathon pace – that is about 7:10 – which would be just less than a 1:35 half marathon time. I had a couple of minutes to spare.

As I had planned all along, the run is where I was going to “WIN” this race.

I thought to myself, “You have put yourself in position. Now just execute!”

And execute I did. I ran out of transition at a solid pace. Everyone seemed to be running well. In many races, at this distance, there are people walking and cramping right out of T2. This did not seem to be the case this time. Everyone was running well. Everyone was running right around my pace. I could feel the heat. Looking back I did not notice the temperature on bike at all. The bike was not like some of the middle of summer rides were you are dripping sweat on the top tube. I did not even wear a head band or anything on the bike. But at the start of the run I could definitely feel the heat.

Feeling strong

I started to slowly gain on some of the runners but it was slow going. I looked at my gps watch and I was a little faster than I wanted to be – I was running at a 7:05 minute per mile pace. I also needed to pee. I saw a single port-a-loo at the 1 mile water stop. I ran up to it and it was occupied. I knocked on the door and someone said just a second. Thankfully they were quick. I jumped in and unzipped my unitard. Let me tell you – using the facilities in a unitard is not the easiest of endeavors – but I managed. I have never needed to use the bathroom in a race except for the ironman. I guess I had drunk enough water during the bike (and probably some during the swim). It felt like I was in there forever. Actually it was only a minute. Yes – I timed the break. From stop to start it took almost a minute and half for this pit stop. I ran out of the port-a-loo and grabbed a cup of water at the water stop.

From that point on I never saw low 7 minute miles. I knew that I still had a shot at sub-5 but it was going to be difficult. I tried to draw from my training and dial back the run, but only a small amount. I was not going to give up much. Mile two clicked off at around a 7:30 minute per mile pace. If I could maintain it would still be close – real close.

The heat was now really starting to be a factor. I was not sure why I was not able to maintain my paces. After all, I had run a low 7 minutes per mile pace for an entire marathon only a couple of months ago. That is when it hit me. I had run that race when the temperature was in the 50’s. Not only that but I had finished that race by about 10AM. This half ironman run did not start until noon.

I was drinking ice water at each water station to cool off. I saw a lot of people dumping water over their heads. I was already starting to hear squishy shoes as I passed people. I never douse myself with water. I cannot stand water logged feet on a long run. To me that am just asking for trouble.

At this point, I guess from all of the water my stomach started to ache. Once again, I have never had these kinds of issues during a race. I was still very hot by I tried to limit the amount of water I was taking on. I was still drinking but not as much. I did discover a solution. At first I was holding the ice in my hands as I ran. From experiences training during the summer I know that my hands act as radiators for my body. It really has a cooling effect. However, the ice in my hand was not lasting long. It was melting fast and dripping all over the place.

Sprinting it out

The solution that I settled on was to run with the cup of ice and hold it in a claw like fashion. I put my fingers inside the cup and clamped the outside of the cup with my thumb. The ice lasted longer and I still got the cooling effect. It is kind of gross but, if necessary, I was also able to drink while running.

The ice was still melting fast as it pulled heat from my body but it would almost last until the next water station. Now, I was only drinking when I was taking gels. The stomach was still hurting but I knew that I had to continue to fuel my body. Last year I was doing walk breaks later in the run. I was stronger this year. I kept up my revised pace and I would not allow for myself to let 8 minute miles slip away. In the end it did but …

Over and out.

Running down Esplanade I only had a few miles left and I thought to myself, “There will be no walking during the last 3 miles of any race!” When crossing the mile twelve marker I made the decision. I picked up the pace. This was the fastest mile since mile 6. I knew I had a little bit in the tank and I wanted to tap it before it was too late. I was not able to run as fast as I wanted to but I did see improvements in my physical and mental abilities.

TOTAL TIME: 5:08:32 RANK: 235/1655

Race Report - BIKE - 70.3 New Orleans - 2010

T1: 2:37


The bike – TIME: 2:39:34 SPEED: 21.1 RANK: 403

Immediately following the swim, there were wetsuit strippers inside transition. However they were located in a sandy / grassy area. I did not want to start the bike covered in grit. I thanked them as I ran past. I did the foot stomp method and it was fast and efficient.

I thought my postion was a little more aero.  I have some spacers I might removed.

I set up a few alerts on my gps watch. I have never used these so why not try it on race day. I set a lower limit on my heart rate at 150 and an upper limit at 165. I know that this is a huge range but I wanted to stay just below 160. I guess I should have fine tuned the alerts. In a shorter race last year I averaged 171 BPM for a 27 mile bike (The Heart O’Dixie). So I know I can maintain a higher heart rate. But that race had a shorter run (7miles).

I also set an alert for every 7 miles (56 / 7 = 8). The watch would take a lap and remind me to take a gel. In addition I was going to monitor the speed for each of these 7 mile laps and how they compared to my overall average. This worked out well except for the differences in time it took to cover 7 miles. I knew the wind was in my face after the first 7 mile spilt. I hoped that I would be able to make up the time.

The bike was uneventful. That is a good thing. Starting so late in the race there was always someone to pass. I was able to constantly reel riders in and benefit from the few seconds of draft. I don’t know if it really makes much of a difference but I tried to take advantage of the situation.

I also know that I could have gone faster. And, I know that I would have gone faster if I would have been near racers of the same speed. They would have pushed me. This was actually a good thing. The bike portion of the race for me was simply to put in a measured hard effort so that I could put in a good run at the end. I am still not sure where this line is located.

The race started out in a residential area with several sharp 90 turns. Everyone was taking this easy. Then the race opened up on as you rode along the lake shore. You quickly came to a large draw bridge that is the steepest hill on the course. The only other hill is a large overpass. After that, like I said, the bike was uneventful. I successfully procured water bottles at each stop and consumed my gels. I also had some power bar pieces from one of the aid stations. Towards the end of the bike I made myself take some more water into my system. I had only had 3 bottles and I am usually a big drinker.

One of those 90 degree turns

I had 8 gels taped to my top tube. I consumed a get immediately after the swim in T1. I left 4 gels still attached to the bike. I think the power bar pieces made up for the calories that I missed. I think that a gel every 20 minutes is not necessary. However, I have read that you should take in as many calories (within reason) that your body will allow. I can definitely take in the calories.

In the last leg of the bike I let the intensity drop. I wanted the legs to recover. At the end, I came to a full stop just before the dismount line and I unclipped. I jumped off of the bike and my legs were solid! In the past I have had that shaky leg feeling but it was not present today. That let me know that the legs were in good position to take on the run.

SPLITS (every 7 miles)

1. TIME - 23:40 SPEED – 17.7 HR AVE - 157
2. TIME - 20:41 SPEED – 20.3 HR AVE - 156
3. TIME - 21:36 SPEED – 19.4 HR AVE - 155
4. TIME - 19:28 SPEED – 21.6 HR AVE - 156
5. TIME - 19:12 SPEED – 21.9 HR AVE - 157
6. TIME - 18:06 SPEED – 23.2 HR AVE - 157
7. TIME - 19:16 SPEED – 21.8 HR AVE - 153
8. TIME - 16:59 SPEED – 21.6 HR AVE – 150 ***

*** 6.12 miles by my watch – a little short

Race Report - SWIM - 70.3 New Orleans - 2010

The swim - TIME:  38:21 SPEED 1:49 RANK 500


What a difference a year makes. Last year the lake was as smooth as glass and I was terrified. At this point I had never had a “good” swim in any race – ever. The 1.2 mile point-to-point swim looked like miles and miles. I had a rough swim last year – read about it here if you like.

If it had been these conditions last year I am not sure if I would have even started the race. At the race briefing the day before the officials repeatedly said that you could skip the swim if you were uncomfortable – you would just not be eligible for an age group awards, etc. I understand but then that really is not a triathlon is it?

Anyway, I had an hour and twelve minutes to watch wave and wave start. At the start of the race the water was a little rough but it progressively got worse. I was watching the flags and they were getting whipped around. The conditions changed in that hour. I saw a few people call for help before my wave was even lining up. Their race was over.


To make matters worse there were four 90 degree turns on this course. And I am sure you know how everyone bunches up at a turn buoy. And in these conditions it was even more congested. I liken it to riding on the bike – you know how everyone is spread out pretty good and then you hit that big hill and the better riders pull away. This leaves everyone else struggling up the hill and bunching up. This is what was happening at each buoy – times 4.

From ernestov on garmin Connect (not my swim - I was probably all over the place)

I like to breathe on my right side and this was into the swells. It took me about a quarter of the race to get the timing down so that I could take a breath without a mouth full of water. While I appreciate all of the safety boats and such the smell of diesel was in the air. This was not very pleasant.

It was very difficult for me to sight in these conditions. I was way out to far into the lake and had to angle back hard for the second buoy. Even in the best of conditions I am not very proficient at sighting. I stick my head up and lose momentum. In these conditions I had to come to a complete stop and really look hard to see the line.

Drafting during the swim – yeah right - this was just not possible for me. I did bump into a number of people but being able to benefit from better swimmers was not going to happen.

After making the turnaround I once again veered of course and was closer to the shore than I should be. There were a lot of people off course with me. The swells were pushing us towards the shore and I drifted to my right. I had to make another hard correction to get around that last buoy.

As I neared the swim exit I saw people walking and I stood up. I could barely touch and had to do that tip-toe walk thing. I should have just swum a few more yards before I stood up. Once I got my footing I was able to run out of the water and into transition.

I was really not prepared for the swim this year. I have not done any open water swimming since last August (IMKY) and I have used just about any excuse to skip the swim workout. Don’t get me wrong. I am not making excuses – I take full responsibility for the lack of training. I could have done better.

All things considered I would not say this was a bad swim. In fact, not long ago this swim would have been a disaster. I can now look back and use this race as a confidence booster. With that I am pleased.

70.3 New Orleans - By the numbers

I am a little slow getting a detailed race reported completed.  The race with the heat took it out of me and I have hit the hay pretty early the last couple of days.

Transition - Race Morning

But by the numbers;

Swim: This was a rough swim. These were the worst conditions that I have ever swum. There were no whitecaps but the swells were large enough to toss me around, take on water and not sight very well. In addition the swim was an out, a large rectangle and then back kind of swim. There were four 90 degree turns around buoys and starting at the next to last wave meant lots of congestion.

Last year: 40 minutes. Goal time: 35 minute. Actual time: 38 minutes. In better conditions I could have achieved my goal time. All in all, considering the conditions I am happy with the swim.


Bike: This year there was a head wind going out. This is much better mentally. I wanted to race the bike in a rather conservative method so that I could “win” my race with the run. Once again, starting so late in the race (1:12 after the race start) means you don’t get passed much and that there are hundreds (thousands) of people in front of you. I was constantly passing riders and truly flying on the way back. Having a tail wind push you back to transitions was actually cool.

Last year: 2:42. Goal time: 2:40. Actual time: 2:39.

Run: I was in position to reach all of my goals. It got HOT on the run. I let the race slip away. I still have lots of room for improvement.

Last year: 2:01. Goal time: 1:35. Actual time: 1:46.


Total Race - Last year: 5:30. Goal time: 4:59. Actual time: 5:08.

I had a good race and I believe that I did better than the numbers indicate. I am a better athlete this year than last year. This was just a harder race.

70.3 New Orleans - And the winners is ... Andy Potts

I had a good race - I imporved on all aspects of the race (report to follow).

The day before the race I happen to meet (and by meet I mean rode in an elevator) with Andy Potts. I said coyly, “You look familiar.” To which he said “oh yeah”. And then I extended my hand and introduced myself and Andy did the same.

He went on to lead the swim by more than a minute. I saw him leading on the bike and he eventually won the race!

I’m not calling it a man crush but it was pretty cool to rub shoulders with the elites.

70.3 New Orleans - 2009 - Lessons Learned

Lessons learned from 70.3 New Orleans 2009. (reposted from last years race report - more from this race report swim, bike, run).

1. PRE-RACE: I did not really anticipate just how many people were going to be at the start of this race. I should have arrived at transition a little bit earlier. Although the walk to the swim start was only about a mile and a half I really think walking bare foot started me off on the wrong foot (so to speak). Also, the shoes for the run were just plan silly. By selecting 'light and fast' shoes to save a few seconds per mile it cost me tens and twenties of seconds per mile. For these longer races I have to go with a cushioned trainer. I already knew this but was blinded by some artificial time goals - that was a mistake.
2. SWIM: My swim wave was larger than some of the local triathlons that I have been in - I got very disoriented and claustrophobic being in the middle of the churn. I never thought that I was going to die or drown or anything like that - but my breathing was out of control and I was struggling. Looking at my heart rate for the entire race - it was the highest during the swim - for all of the swim. I know that this not only cost me minutes on the swim but minutes on the bike and minutes on the run. I need to continue to be more confident in the water - not just with swimming but in positioning myself with other racers. This will be one of the toughest to improve on - a few days after the race (or really just a few seconds out of the swim) it is hard to imagine getting that messed up just swimming. I did hear of several racers climbing out of the water in disgust and throwing there goggles off. Knowing what I was feeling that could have been me. I am going to try and do as many races this year to help build that 'swim race' experience.
3. BIKE: I did pretty good on the bike. I was walking a tight line on keeping the pace up and saving energy for the run. At this point it is hard to tell if I pushed too hard or not hard enough - my run was off and was going to be off regardless. On the back half of the bike - into the wind - my effort dropped. I will work on the mental toughness required to keep the pace up! I have done a lot of bricks this season but none at race pace - In need to throw in a lot of race pace bricks.
4. RUN: I never got into a groove on the run. My feet were sore before I even left transition. However, even if I was feeling great (and my lungs and legs felt pretty good - but not great) I am still not sure if I would have been able to find that extra gear. When I ran that half marathon in the fall my heart rate was up near LT. This run was low zone 2. I'm just not sure if I could have picked it up and raced the run. I just ran it. Once again I need to have some race paced bricks and work on the mental toughness to deliver in these conditions.
5. ENJOY THE RACE: I do a pretty good job of this but why not push through the pain, run a fast race and enjoy it the entire time. After all, I am doing this because they are fun. I need to live it up more - my pay check does not depend on my race results - it is okay to have fun.

Things that I did right.

1. I tested my boundaries successfully. No injuries. I enjoyed the experience. At the time I was not sure if I wanted to continue this long distance racing after this year. A day or two out and I can't wait to test myself again.
2. Swam in a wetsuit with out problem. Sure I had problems in the swim but it was not because of the wetsuit - if anything the wetsuit gave me confidence. I would probably be more scratched up if I did not have the suit on.
3. Nutrition and hydration never caused me any problems. I took a gel just about every half hour once I was out of the swim. I taped them to the top tube of my bike and that worked great. I took them prior to the water stations on the run and that worked great. In training I took them every 45 minutes but I think 30 minute is just about right. I drank lots of water during the bike and run. I never had to pee but I also never really felt thirsty. The April heat was not a problem - of course I did not fly into town from some snow covered part of the country. I was also done with the race by 1PM - before the real heat of the day.
4. Transitions went well. When I saw the size of the transition area I thought that there would be no way to do this fast. I thought 4 minutes a piece would be tough. Well, my bike placement was exceptional and that allowed for me to have both transitions combined come out to less than 6 minutes. I still need to learn to do the flying mount / dismount.
5. Recovery was much better after this race than even the half marathon that I did in the fall. This race was a much longer duration (4 hours longer) but the intensity was a lot less. Also, I only had one beer at the race finish. I am sure that the beer negatively affects my recovery.

Mardi Gras Marathon Race Report

I had brought 5 different shirts for the race. I had a contingency for everything. I had 3 sleeveless shirts, a short sleeve shirt and a long sleeve shirt. I knew that I would not be wearing the long sleeve shirt but just in case.

I knew that it would be cold / cool prior to the race but I was planning on running hard. I did not want overheat in the later stages on the race. Race morning would be in the high 30’s / low 40’s.

I decided on a triathlon Zoot sleeveless jersey because it had a ½ length zipper. I had also brought a pair of tube socks that I had cut the ends out of – these would be my disposable arm skins. In addition I also had disposal gloves and a disposal long sleeved cotton shirt.

After walking the mile to the starting line I milled around corral number one for about 45 minutes. I used the bathroom twice – I was nervous. The first time there was no line – the second time I only had minutes to spare. I was cold and nervous and shaking. I was not as anxious as before my ironman but there was a lot on tension in the air. I wanted to do well. Like I said, there was no fear just a heck of a lot of anxiety.

When the gun fired the elites, corral 1 and corral 2 started. It was crowed at the start but I crossed the timing mat within seconds. I had my ‘virtual partner’ going on my left wrist and a regular stopwatch on my right. I got passed by hordes of people in the first 2 miles. I stuck to my plan. I kept to my paces. The half marathoners split off early in the race. I saw many people making the half / full decision. The split was between mile 3 and mile 4. I thought to myself that you had to be having a bad day if you jumped ship this early.

I continued on with the full marathon. My paces were maintaining. In fact, they were maintaining easily. However, I was running about 10 seconds slower than my last 30k race. I had some doubts start to creep into my mind. How could I have run 10 seconds faster for 18.6 miles? I am not sure how I did it three weeks ago but this was a different race.

Anyway, I was sticking to my race strategy, I was going to try and run even splits for the entire race. If I had more at the end (yeah right) I would pick it up. I ran with a couple of older guys for a couple of miles and I was chatting up a storm. We were swapping race stores left and right. I saw Becky from the running club around mile 7 or 8 – she yelled at me and I was sure she was going to tell me to shut up and race (I would see Becky and Holly a couple of more times during the race – they are fantastic cheerleaders!) The older guys started to drop off of my pace a little bit so – I had made this decision earlier – I was not going to slow down at all to talk. It would be okay to talk but I had to keep to my race plan. I dropped the older guys and picked up with a guy that I had met that morning. He needed a 3:10 to qualify and we were running similar paces. I ran with him and another guy for about 8 more miles. At times it was tough to stay up with them. They would drop me at the water stops and I would have to quicken my pace to catch back up. I am not very good at running and drink at these water stops. However, even though I had to quicken the pace to catch back up, I felt it was worth the effort to ride along with them. Although I was pushing it my ‘virtual partner’ kept was telling me that I was a little slow. I tried to catch back up to him but I just did not want to get into any danger zones.

At this point we were entering City Park. The half marathoners broke off to finish their race. I had run about 15 miles and I was still feeling strong. The course had the half and full marathoners break apart and come back together twice– after the first break we never actually intermingled – there was always an island or cones separating us. We, the full marathoners were running up the west side of City Park. I recognized this section from the Ole Man River Half that I had run back in December. This was a long flat straight section. I crossed the 17 mile marker at 2 hours and thought to my self, no scratch that, I said it out loud, that there was only about an hour to go. I proclaimed “That we could do anything for an hour.” Even though there was very little wind I had been tailing these guys for several miles. I was starting to push past them. It was time to move out on my own. I left them – I would not call it a pass, definitely not a pass with authority or anything I just got in front and kept going. We rounded the north section of the park and I was worried. I still felt strong but I knew that “The Wall” would be lurking. The temperature had climbed into the 50’s. This should not have been warm much less hot but most of my training has been in the 30’s. I had to take off my sweat band a couple of times to wring it out. I passed mile 20 and there was such a relief. I was past the first 20 miles and just had a 10k to go. There was an out and back for a couple of miles and then the course would come back into the park for the finish. I ran mile 20 on schedule (7:08 minutes / mile) – just as I had planned. I actually felt really good. I passed several people during this mile and kept to the plan.

This little out and back section turned 180 degrees at mile 21. That is when it hit me. I was running strong because of the tail wind. I don’t think the wind was that strong but it did not have to be. Running into the wind I was still passing people but it was hard going. These next 3 miles would be the slowest miles of the race. I lost 59 seconds during these 3 miles. It got hard in this area. And I was alone. I was trying to sight up ahead and reel runners in but they were getting few and far between. In a race this large it is amazing how many people I saw that I knew. At about mile 24 and a half I passed another runner. He knew my name and I looked up. This was a guy named Michael that I had run with at the 30K race 3 weeks ago. He needed a 3:10 to qualify for Boston and I told him to jump on – to finish this race strong. I don’t know how it made Michael feel (he finished in 3:11:xx – heart breaking) but it was encouraging to me. I knew the finish was within my grasp and I knew that I could push harder / push farther. I picked it up and my times got back on track. Mile 24 was the absolute slowest of the day (7:32) but mile 25 was back (7:07). I would continue to push hard until the end. Mile 26 felt like it took forever but I was on – it clicked off at 7:13. Down the finisher chute I kicked it up. I saw the clock and it was ticking up – I was damned and determined to not allow another minute click past. I sprinted the last minute and finished by a clock time of 2:08:5X and a chip time at 2:08:44.

When I finished I was spent. I was hurting – not a bad hurting like something permanent just sore from the effort. I received my finisher’s medal and got my photo taken. I did not feel hungry but ate a banana and a bar of some kind. I also took some sports drink. My face was crusty from salt.

I only needed a 3:15 to qualify for Boston so I knew that I was safe several miles back. This probably let me slip off of my paces. I had wanted to finish in a low 3:07 (as per the running calculator). I have become a better, more patient racer over the past 3 months. During the fall of last year there was no way that I could have come close to qualifying. Now, both the first and second halves of this marathon would have been half marathon PR’s in early December.

I am indebted to many friends that have allowed for me to experience this race. As I have said, I would not have even taken on this challenge without the encouragement from so many Pinebelt Pacers (special thanks Charles and Jim who talked me into running all of the build up races). I also could not have done this without the constant encouragement of Jodie who had to put up with all of the talk – the training this / the racing that. I am sure it has been tough on her for the last 3 months (not to mention all of the ironman stuff from last year).


Splits for the race - slowest - mile 24 - 7:32 / fastest - mile 15 - 6:59 average - 7:11
Average Heart Rate - 169

So, this is the race report. I would also like to put together a lessons learned for this marathon and a race review - a review of the Rock & Roll Mardi Gras Marathon itself. Stay tuned.

My race - by the numbers.

2 Cliff bars for breakfast
8 gels during the race (1 before / 7 during)
7:09.00 pace 1st half (1:33:57)
7:13.81 pace 2nd half (1:34:47)
7:11.90 pace Total

Qualifying for Boston in my first marathon … pretty sweet!

On yeah, at the expo I already signed up for next year’s race.

2010 Mardi gras Marathon - Boston Qualified!

First marathon down and a Boston Qualifier (3:08:44). Full race report to follow.

Before and after.