Starting Late
… but finishing with a smileGood News About Marathon Mortality
Last year two runners died at the Philadelphia Marathon — a young man just after crossing the finish line of the half marathon, and an older but experienced athlete in the quarter mile before the finish of the full marathon. Obviously this was big news and very tragic. And, although there are reports of deaths near the end of distance running events from time to time and they get a good deal of attention, it is not really that common.
Just recently a study by Johns Hopkins University researchers put the incidence of marathon mortality in better perspective. Looking at marathons from 2000 through 2009 they found only .75 deaths per 100,000 marathoners — just 28 out of more than 3.7 million in the 10 year period — and, in spite of running becoming more and more popular, there was no increase in incidence over time. On top of that, they found that exactly half were under 45 years of age. So, at my age, I’m liking my odds more and more! 
The researchers also found the average finishing time did not change significantly from 2000 to 2009 — 4:34:47 vs 4:35:28. That means if I reach my goal of finishing in 4:3x:xx I’ll be able to consider myself an average marathoner. At 63 years old, that actually sounds pretty impressive to me. Guess it doesn’t take much these days…
Mortality Among Marathon Runners in the United States, 2000-2009
Retrieved May 28, 2012, from http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/05/04/0363546512444555.abstract.
The American Journal of Sports Medicine, May 4, 2012.
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Third Time’s the Charm?
I’m officially registered for the Philadelphia Marathon in November with the goal of finishing in 4:3x:xx. And I’m hoping the third time is the charm. I am determined to build on the training I did for the NJ Marathon earlier this month so I can achieve my goal later this year.
My reverse taper is almost over. I should be back to 30 miles per week next week or the week after, then I can slowly build up through the summer.
Last Two Weeks:
May 14 – 3.34 miles – 9:41 pace
May 15 – 4.01 miles – 9:47 pace
May 16 – 4.12 miles – 10:25 pace
May 17 – 4.15 miles – 10:17 pace
May 19 – 6.00 miles – 9:43 pace
May 21 – 4.34 miles – 10:02 pace
May 22 – 5.09 miles – 9:54 pace
May 23 – 5.32 miles – 9:55 pace
May 25 – 4.19 miles – 9:47 pace
May 26 – 7.47 miles – 10:11 pace — And the humidity is back!!!
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Red Dress Run for Fun and SRPS
Fast Tracks Red Dress Run
OK, this photo definitely requires an explanation!
Today my running club — Fast Tracks — held its annual Red Dress Run. This is a fun, prediction run and held in conjunction with our club’s support of Students Run Philly Style (SRPS). All members of Fast Tracks — male and female — are encouraged to wear red dresses for the occasion. Since my wardrobe is oddly deficient in red frocks I had to improvise. Using a red shirt I fashioned what I called a peek-a-bootie skirt — if you peeked, you could see my bootie (because it only covered the front). Hey, at least I tried (gamely? gam-ly?). And, as you can see above, it afforded me the opportunity to strike a provocative Angelegging pose.
Fast Tracks also hosted more than a dozen SRPS students who joined our run along Valley Forge Park’s River Trail. Donated prizes like a basket of cheer, GPS watch, massages, and other goodies were also raffled off with the proceeds going to support the SRPS program. And I won one of the raffle prizes — a Ladies Night Out shopping trip! I guess my red dress get-up was a little too effective! Well, my wife, Marie, will appreciate the prize!
And speaking of red — best wishes to members of Fast Tracks running tomorrow’s Run for the Red Pocono Marathon and Half Marathon Relay. Stay hydrated, my friends!
Looking Forward…
It has been great to get back out running this week after taking last week off post-marathon. I’ll be back up to 30+ weekly mileage after another week, and I’m feeling no ill effects from the marathon after my quads finally stopped complaining. So it’s time to take stock and look ahead. I’ve decided to run another marathon in the fall. I am still convinced I should be running close to a 4:30 marathon time, and since I already have a good base going into the summer I want to take another shot this year. I’ll probably register for the Philadelphia Marathon in November unless I find an alternative in late October or early November. I’m determined.
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New Jersey Marathon Photos
New Jersey Marathon, a set on Flickr.
Collection of photos taken by Marie Dolton and Nilesh and Brinda Kulkarni. Thanks!
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Breaking It Down Post Marathon
It’s Always Good to be Finished!
I clearly didn’t run the race I had planned on Sunday. The weather was ideal and I achieved a PR by 8 minutes, but I can’t say it was highly satisfying. I ran into trouble earlier than I did in my first marathon and did not run at all as well as I had in my training runs. I still believe I should have finished much closer to a 4:30 finish. So what went wrong? I’m still not certain, but some clues emerged when I looked at the splits from my Garmin and began to deconstruct the run.
A Good Start
My intention was to stay with the 4:25 (finish time) pace group through mile 10, then gradually increase my pace to 9:45 (minutes per mile). However, the pace group was already averaging closer to 10:00 rather than the 10:07 planned as we approached mile 10. Even so, I picked it up in mile 11 to a 9:49 pace but just couldn’t hold it. At mile 12 I was back to a 10:04 pace and then did the next three miles a bit slower but still with the pace group.
Something Happened, But When and What?
Around mile 15 or so I knew I was struggling when I fell behind the pace group and could not close the gap. But looking at my splits later, I made a surprising discovery. My heart rate had spiked to 161 beats per minute much earlier — during mile 9. I was still averaging the low to mid 140s, but my heart rate continued to spiking to 161 bpm through mile 13 and still spiked to 150 and 152 in miles 14 and 15. It wasn’t until mile 16 when my pace slowed from 10:18 to 11:19 — a full minute per mile slower — that my heart rate settled back down to averaging in the 130s and only topping out at 140 to 142.
So even though I didn’t realize it until mile 15 or 16, something was going clearly going on before that. I also remembered getting flushed in my face twice during the middle miles. I can’t be certain, but it could easily have been when my heart rate was spiking. I do think it was before mile 15. It didn’t seem to last too long and I was still running at a good pace so I didn’t think much of it at the time.
Ten Very Tough Miles
After mile 16 I held my pace to 11:15 in mile 17 and 11:12 in mile 18. But by mile 19, I dropped to an 11:54 pace and my expectation of a 4:30 or better finish shifted to simply breaking my previous 5:00 time. Amazingly, even though I struggled to keep running from mile 19 onward at a glacial pace dropping to 13:43 pace in mile 24 and a dismal 13:59 in mile 25 and my perceived effort was much greater, my heart rate dropped even lower — into the upper 120s and lower 130s.
I managed to shave a minute off my pace in mile 26 — from 13:59 to 12:55. And in the last two tenths, with the crowd cheering and the finish line in sight, I managed to conquer the pain and actually ran a 10:30 pace.
More Pain than Before
I could barely walk through the finish chute which seemed to be endless (and pointlessly long since the water and food was at the very end and they clearly didn’t need that much room to distribute medals and take official photos). My quads, IT bands, and hips were completely trashed and painful. After meeting Marie, Nilesh, and Brinda, we made it to the massage tent where the therapist could only stretch me a bit and then tape ice bags to my quads, IT bands, and cramping calves. I was too sore for anything more intense. I wasn’t in this much actual pain after my first marathon.
After the massage tent, I managed to choke down a protein bar (not too pleasant, but I needed it) and drink lots of water. Back in the hotel room, I soaked my legs and hips in ice water for about 10 minutes then showered. My calves had settled down and I wore compression socks, and my hips improved pretty quickly, but my quads and IT bands still made it difficult to walk.
Surprisingly, I didn’t feel much like eating. I remember being very hungry after the Philadelphia Marathon. For dinner I just had an egg and cheese panini at a sandwich shop, then a roll with butter and small coffee cake later that night. My GI tract was gurgling a bit and felt slightly uneasy. I also remembered that I had a fair amount of gas through the night before the race.
Questions Unanswered
G.I. Issue?
So did I have some GI distress during the race? Maybe. Something definitely was happening, and this is the most likely explanation that I can come up with. I checked back at all my long training runs and never had a sustained period of heart rate spikes like that. The only times my heart rate increased during my long runs was when sprinting the last few hundred meters to a water stop or running up a significant hill. There were no hills on the course at all, and I definitely did not do any sprinting!
Did my pre-race meals have anything to do with it? Being away from home, I had to rely on restaurant meals. For lunch I had penne pasta, but, warned by the waitress, I had the sauce on the side. It was, indeed, way too spicy and I only had a tiny taste. The penne itself was dusted with parmesan cheese and some herbs but seemed OK. For dinner I had a very delicious sweet potato ravioli dish. The portion size was not huge like some Italian dishes, but maybe there was something in the sauce that didn’t sit well.
Anxiety?
Was I nervous about the race? I honestly don’t think so. I was really confident in my preparation and readiness for the race. And even though I didn’t get the best sleep the night before the race, I did get ample sleep all week before the race. I was worried about my friend Chris getting to the half marathon start on time and handing off his bib, but once we connected and he got going, I still had plenty of time to prepare for my start and find my pace group. At the outset I was running comfortably and easily.
Conditions?
I did notice that once we got out of Long Branch, we were mostly running on the right side of the roadway — often on the shoulder where the camber is most extreme. And being on the right side of the road, it was the opposite pitch from the way I normally run on roads when facing the flow of traffic. I began to notice that it was bothering me so I tried to move to the flatter side whenever possible, even running on the left side of the cones at times to avoid the tilt. This may have contributed to my hip, quad, and IT pain at the end, but I doubt it had anything to do with my heart rate spikes.
Strategy?
When I ran the B & A Half in March, I walked the water stops so I could get a full drink of water and very brief rest. It worked fine for me then and I originally planned to do the same for the full marathon. However, I decided instead to run with the 4:25 pace group which meant not stopping for water.
On the recommendation of one of the pace leaders, I carried a disposable water bottle instead of taking water at the first few hydration spots which tend to get more crowded. I ended up keeping the bottle with me because it was helpful to be able to take a sip whenever I wanted and I could easily re-fill it from the cups at the water stops while still running through. That allowed me to take my GU gel packs at regular three-mile intervals and wash it down with water rather than try to coordinate it with the water stops.
Once I dropped behind the pace group, I walked the remaining water stops, but I lost the benefit of the walking breaks early in the race. I think I will forget about running with a pacing group and walk the water stops for the next marathon. It probably takes no more than 30 seconds extra to walk each stop which is less than 10 minutes overall.
Although carrying the bottle didn’t seem too bad, once Nilesh started running with me at mile 18, he carried the water bottle for me and it was a relief. I think I will get a hydration belt with small bottles and carry no more than two bottles during training. That way, I can re-fill the bottles at water stops, not stop so long on training runs, and be able to hydrate during a marathon without carrying anything in my hands. And I can continue to take my GU gels on a regular schedule.
So I’m still not sure what happened. It could have been some GI distress. Maybe I was more anxious than I knew. Maybe I should have stayed with my original plan to walk all the water stops. And maybe it just wasn’t in the cards for me this time.
Third Time?
Which begs the question: Perhaps the third time will be the charm? I am now looking forward to my reverse taper, building back up to a base of 30+ mile weeks and building back up to long Saturday runs of 10 to 20 miles. I’m not sure if I want to tackle a fall marathon or wait until next spring. But my next goal is a 4:30 or better marathon finish. I’m disappointed I didn’t get it this time, but I still believe I can do it!
