Looking Forward at 2014

Okay, enough with the nostalgia about looking back and thinking about what HAS BEEN DONE. It's a new year with new challenges and it's time to focus on what I want to accomplish in the coming year.

Mile 19 at the 2013 Shamrock Marathon

I want to continue to push myself on my running. Although I can generally sustain a solid sub-9 minute mile pace, I need to find ways to get the lead out. If I am going to have any hope of breaking a 4-hour marathon, I have got to get my mile splits down. Following the 2013 Shamrock, I noticed that they have been creeping back up and I need to reverse that trend. That means dropping my holiday weight and eating healthier in 2014.  I have a notoriously bad sweet tooth and portion control issues.

Our Cornerstone Marine Corps Marathon Team at the start line.

Speedwork is critical. Our Cornerstone group has been doing speedwork on Thursday mornings and I need to keep that going. I am not a fast runner, but that workout pushes my limits and, boy, do I need some pushing. I was complaining one morning that speedwork really hurts and my friend, Amy, was not hearing it. Her comment: "it's supposed to hurt!" I won't forget that. Thanks Amy!

Cornerstone Striders "Speedwork" Thursday

Although I try to rotate my workouts between running, spinning or cycling and swimming, I have completely neglected weight work and flexibility. During both the Marine Corps marathon and the Seashore 50K, I noticed discomfort in my upper legs and hips. While running is great for the muscle tone in my legs, it does little or nothing for the upper legs. Lately, I have been doing some weight work on my legs and that seems to help. I have never been a big yoga fan, but I need to rethink that. While endurance is important, so is flexibility.

On the cycling front, I want to maintain my endurance on long rides. The Cap2Cap Century pushed me in 2013 and I need to keep from backsliding. I want to do the Tour de Cure Century this spring and one more century before the year is out. I love my bike and my wife got me a Camelback for Christmas that I am looking forward to using. Hopefully, we will get some more mild days this winter that permit a ride.

Ready for my first sprint tri

I remain an aspiring triathlete. I completed my first sprint in August, so I am not a complete rookie, but I have yet to do an open water swim. That needs to get done this year. I am planning on doing the Smithfield Sprint in April, but that is a pool swim. That means, I need to find either another sprint or an Olympic that gets me out of the comfort of the pool. I have heard good things about the Patriot, but I just need to find the right open water race.

Well, I clearly have my work cut out for me in 2014. I am not sure that I will achieve all of these goals, but I hope to make a dent. I turn 52 this month and I want to celebrate that by working toward a stronger and more fit me. The bar is set higher and I'm not sure I can clear this height, but I'm sure going to try!

Getting Ready for My First Ultra!

In just two weeks, I will be running the longest race of my life and I am both intimidated and excited. Over the past two years, I have completed three full marathons and a variety of half marathons, but never an ultra. In this case, I will be running the Seashore Nature Trail 50K at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, along with 299 other folks, who apparently decided that 26.2 miles just wasn't long enough. The event is sponsored by the Tidewater Striders and 2013 is the Fifth Annual.

So, why an ultra? Well, like most runners, I am always looking for a new challenge. A way to push myself a little farther or make myself a little faster. In this case, it was endurance. I am just coming off of the Marine Corps Marathon on October 27 and was trained up for marathon distance. I had originally figured that I would just back off a bit and train up for the Shamrock full in the spring. Most of my training runs are done with a group of runners in Suffolk, the Cornerstone Striders. The folks in this group have helped me develop as a runner and we push ourselves each and every week.

The founder of Cornerstone is a running mentor of mine. She is dedicated to the sport and won't accept excuses. More than a few times, she has pushed me along and gave me the encouragement not to quit, when that is what I was feeling. She was a member of our group that ran Marine Corps. When we finished that marathon, she mentioned the 50K. My initial reaction was, "no way, I'm done for 2013, except for one of the holiday races." But, the more I thought about it, the more I thought that I could push myself the extra five miles. I also thought that this would be an endurance race only, time would not be a consideration, except finishing ahead of the eight hour cutoff.

And so, I told her I would do it. Provided pace was not a consideration. I had also never run at First Landing and did not know what to expect. Fortunately, in the month since I committed, I have run twice there and have been using a new pair of cushioned shoes to help absorb some of the unevenness of the trail. First Landing is a beautiful site. Turns out we have 4 or 5 members of Cornerstone doing the 50K, so I will have some company. I am also planning on running with one of our Colonial 200 Relay teammates, who has run many ultra races and has promised to nurse me through the rough parts.

Well, in two weeks, I will either be elated at completing my first ultra or dejected, because I had to "DNF". I truly hope it is the former. Not sure that I will ever run another ultra, but wanted to be able to say that I tried one. Seashore 50K, here I come!

Marine Corps Marathon 2013 - A Review

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It took about 13 minutes after the gun for us to reach
the start line

By the most objective measure, time, the Marine Corps Marathon was not a successful marathon for me. It was my third full marathon and I had hoped to finish it in the range of 4:30. In fact, I finished in 5:04. And yet, by every other measure I can think of, it was a success.

Our Cornerstone Striders Marine Corps Marathon Crew including
 Cynthia, Amy, me, Andrea, Hank and Melissa. Jessica joined
 us as we were running up the Mall

Let me start with the people. We had a group of six Cornerstone Striders and one alumna running this race. For four of them, it was their first full. They all finished. Along the course, we saw lots of signs, but one of them stuck with me. It said "If you want to run fast, run alone, if you want to run far, run together." Although we did not all manage to keep together, we did for much of the race and we did have fun. In that regard, this was a great race.

The course is nothing short of amazing. I ran Richmond last Fall and loved it. But Marine Corps was better still. First of all, you are running with lots of other people. Something on the order of 30,000 I think. From the time the race officially started with the firing of the howitzers, it took about 13 minutes for us to cross the start line. With all those people, the run is much harder, because you get boxed in and spend a considerable amount of time and energy dodging and weaving around other runners. 

Running along George Washington Parkway toward Key Bridge
with Georgetown across the Potomac River

We navigated our way through Arlington and down the hill to Spout Run. Great downhill that opened up on a vista of the Potomac River with Georgetown on the opposite shore. The majestic spires of Georgetown University looked incredible. We worked our way up onto the Key Bridge and then turned right onto M Street into the heart of Georgetown. By Mile 5, we left Georgetown and passed the Watergate on the way up to Rock Creek Parkway. This was a long, gradual climb up and back spanned by some amazing bridges.

The Capitol marked the turnaround between Miles
18-19. An incredible sight.

Miles 10-11 took us past the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and on to the long loop around East Potomac Park and then toward the Mall. Miles 17-19 took up the Mall and past the Smithsonian and the Capitol. The crowds were amazing lining both sides of the street. We then turned off the Mall and headed for the bridge. The street was stickered with footprints that read "Beat the Bridge."

At that point, the marathon was getting tough. For some, it was too tough. We saw a number of runners sitting down along the curb looking like they were done for the day. We were faced with some overpass hills going into Crystal City. Miles 22-24 took us through that part of Arlington on our way to the finish line. I was beginning to experience some significant upper thigh pain, which forced more frequent walks and required me to drop away from my Cornerstone friends. I got a much needed boost by seeing my wife and daughter cheering me on at Mile 23.

Courtney and Anne met me at Mile 23!



You could begin to feel the finish line ahead. We passed the Pentagon and passed back along the starting area on our way up to Iwo Jima. The sacred grounds on Arlington National Cemetery was on our left as the Mile 26 sign came into view. Only 0.2 miles left. Only one problem, they were uphill. And this was no small hill. I joined those around me chugging up the hill to the finish. What a feeling! The best part was having the medal placed around my neck by a young 2d Lieutenant along with a crisp salute. That was hard to beat.

Andrea, Me, Amy and Cynthia posed for a picture in
front of the Iwo Jima Memorial

Although I was disappointed with my time, the Marine Corps Marathon was a great race and one that I will remember for many years to come.