The Road to Boston

In the running world for many Boston is the ultimate destination.  It is the pinnacle of training and a marathon that many runners strive to run.  The Boston Marathon is the only marathon that you have to qualify to run.  Just being able to say I qualified for Boston would be an honor for many people.  There are many marathons that market their races for just that cause.  You will see some races that say things like “High Boston Qualifier totals”, “Fast course”, or “Flat course”, the list goes on.

To BQ, as it is known to many runners, is no small feat.  The marathon qualifying time differs between male and female.  Also as you get older, the qualifying time gets slower.  When I say slower, it is still a challenge to qualify at any age.  So, here are the qualifying times for both Men and Women.

AGE GROUP	MEN	WOMEN
18-34	3hrs 10min	3hrs 40min
35-39	3hrs 15min	3hrs 45min
40-44	3hrs 20min	3hrs 50min
45-49	3hrs 30min	4hrs 00min
50-54	3hrs 35min	4hrs 05min
55-59	3hrs 45min	4hrs 15min
60-64	4hrs 00min	4hrs 30min
65-69	4hrs 15min	4hrs 45min
70-74	4hrs 30min	5hrs 00min
75-79	4hrs 45min	5hrs 15min
80 and over	5hrs 00min	5hrs 30min

 

The Boston Marathon is more than a race, it is more than just a marathon for many people who train hard to arrive in Boston.  I know many runners who have the ultimate goal of qualifying for Boston.  The Boston Marathon is the oldest annual marathon having reached its 112^th running in 2008.

One of the inspirational stories of the Boston Marathon is Team Hoyt (http://www.teamhoyt.com/).  This father and son team has run the marathon 26 years straight.   Dick Hoyt pushes his son Rick, who has cerebral palsy, in a wheelchair through the course.  This team has a personal best marathon time of 2:40:47.  Team Hoyt has completed 65 marathons and 224 triathlons (including 6 ironman competitions).

I will run Boston someday; I’m still working on achieving my BQ, which is currently 3:10:59.  I have a few milestones to reach during the road to Boston.  I’ve broken them down into 5 steps to BQ; I’ve completed 2 of the 5 steps so far.

 

ü  Complete a Marathon

ü  Sub 4 Hour Marathon

§  Run a Half Marathon at BQ pace (1:35:20) – 1:44:11 current Best

§  Run 20 Miles at BQ pace (2:25:30) – 2:39:43 current best

§  Run a marathon at BQ pace (3:10:59) – 3:50:16 current best

So, all in all, the Boston Marathon is one race that goes beyond the normal 26.2 miles that comprises a marathon.  For many it is a runners dream and a long sought goal.  In this aspect, the journey is much more important than arriving at the start.  Finishing the race is symbolic of a journey well traveled and a goal well met.

2008 Bolder Boulder 10K Race Report

May 26th was the 30th Anniversary of the Bolder Boulder.  This was the 3rd time that I ran this race and I improved both my course PR and my 10K PR.  The interesting thing about my time on this course is that I almost exactly ran my 5K PR for the full 10K (21:13 – which would be 42:26 for 10K :) ).  The conditions were ideal for running with temperatures in the low 50’s and overcast skies.  After the race a slight drizzle formed over the expo.  I felt great the whole race.  I tried pushing myself a few times but set into running a 42 minute 10K.  At mile 5 I felt a little fatigue, but pushed through it, and soon it was gone. 
Official Time: 42:30 (6:51 pace)
Race Number: BB406
Ranking: Overall – 1086/48387, Age group (M33) – 29/461, Male – 956/22100
Distance: 6.2 (6.30 garmin) Nike+ – 6.27
Temperature: Low 50’s with overcast (perfect race conditions!)
Starting: 30th Street & Iris Ave
Ending: CU Stadium
Start Time: 7:05 AM
Ending Time: 7:48 AM
Gear: Shorts, short sleeve tech shirt, sunglasses, injinji socks, Nike Jasaris, Forerunner 305.
Nutrition: Breakfast = Oatmeal, golden Raisins, honey
Nutrition: Pre-Race = 1 GU, 32 OZ G2, supplements (endurolytes, anti-fatigue, sportslegs, race caps).  1 Piece of Quench gum during race.
Splits:
Mile 1 – 6:41
Mile 2 – 6:41
Mile 3 – 7:00
Mile 4 – 6:53
Mile 5 – 6:42
Mile 6 – 6:59
Last .2- 1:34
Pre-Race:
4:30 A.M. – Pre-race prep & breakfast
5:15 A.M. – Left house to meet up to car pool to Boulder
5:45 A.M. – Car pool left Target in Loveland in route to Boulder
6:30 A.M. – Start Line stretching and Prep
7:05 A.M. – BB Wave Start
Race:
The BB wave was pretty large and it took most of the first mile to get unbunched.  There seemed to be less entertainment on the course this year, but it may have been that I was more focused on finishing fast than previous years.
At 1KM I did see the Blue’s Brothers and around Mile 2 I remember seeing Elvis.  Early on I passed a couple that wore matching shirts that said Married on Saturday.  I’m thinking they finished the race together.
At 3KM there was the first group of belly dancers.  Followed quickly after was the lone Elvis, singing away.  There was the usual slip and slide and dive pool near the middle.  I saw one runner fly down the slip and slide and then dive in the pool.  He ran back on the road and almost bowled another runner over.
Right before the halfway point, I smelled the customary bacon aide station, but I didn’t see the bacon, it was probably on the opposite side of the road.  Then there was the 2nd group of belly dancers.
Along the route were people in their driveways cheering us on.  Some with stereo systems hooked up, some with cowbells.  Some portions of the course ran through business areas and the crowds thickened in those area’s cheering the runners on.
The hills on the course tend to sneak up on you and zap energy stores.  After you hit 8KM there are steady reminders that you are nearing the end.  8.5KM, 8.7KM, 9KM, 9.1 KM, 9.3KM, the signs tend to be energy builders as it seems that the course is speeding by fast.  Although, in the back of your mind the banners bring the thought “Am I there yet?”.
Then with a little over a half of a mile left you hit one last hill, then you see the 6 Mile mark and you enter the stadium.  The jumbotron displays runners entering finish chutes, the stands have cheering family & fans.  Underfoot the sounds of the footfalls echo on metal as people open up to finish hard. 
Then you are done, the race is over and the voice calls out, keep moving, there are runners behind you.  All of the finishers are herded around a corner, up a slight incline and toward tables of drinks.
I usually don’t drink gatorade right after a race, but the water cups were being filled from buckets.  These buckets were being filled with a hose, and by the flavoring of the water, a brand new plastic hose.  After downing a cup of the water I opted for a cup of gatorade.  I then chatted with another runner for a little while and waited for my friends to finish.
All in all a great race, my legs felt fine and I was not too tired at the finish.  I felt a little tired coming up on the 5 mile mark, but I soon felt fine.  Last year I remember being much more spent during the run and being forced to walk a few times.  No walking this year as I worked toward my sub 40 goal.
Post Race:
We followed the flow of people and entered the Bach Field House.  Here they have lines and lines of volunteers giving out the Bolder Boulder lunch bag, a bottle of water, soda, & beer.  We collected our loot and proceded to the expo.
The expo always has tons of samples, so we filled our bags with an assortment of items including beef jerkey, chips, flavored water, sports beans, free T-shirts, water bottles, hats, playing cards, vitamins, rice cakes, pain relief rub, race brochures & other stuff that I can’t recall at the moment. 
They had samples of turkey, sports drinks, ice cream, some other items that caused some odd assortment of faces when consumed, power bars, and other things that didn’t make very big impressions.  There were other vendors like Adidas, Verizon, local running companies, No Nike booth, a timex booth, No Garmin booth, and the Bolder Boulder race apparel store.  I think that pretty much summed up the expo, give or take a few more vendors and give aways. 
We didn’t stay for the festivities due to the steady drizzle.  We still had 4 hours to wait, so we opted to head home and envision the next year of running the Bolder Boulder.  There will be a 2 hour airing of the festivities tonight on the Fox Sports Network channel.
 Bolder Boulder Race Map

2008 Bolder Boulder Garmin Splits:

Bolder Boulder Elevation Profile:

Nike+ Graph:

Race Gear:

2008 Post Race Expo:

Finish Photo:

New LOST Book: LOST ate my life

In November 2008, a book will be released that will look at LOST’s fan base in a whole different light.  The book is entitled LOST ate my life: The Inside Story of a Fandom Like No Other.  The book is authored by Jon “DocArtz” Lachonis, a LOST blogger that some of you may know from thetailsection.com, www.docarzt.com or many other websites that he has contributed to.  The book will also feature Amy J. Johnston, another LOST blogger who maintains the Evil Puppet Masters site - http://www.evilpuppetmasters.com/.

The book will also include interviews with the writers and producers from the show.  Jon also mentions that there will be additional sources in the book and a few surprises.  What LOST book would be complete without a few surprises?  I sure will be checking out the contents of certain page numbers :)

You can pre-order the book on Amazon.com HERE.  Amazon currently has the book for 32% off or $13.57 This book should help during the later part of the hiatus before season 5 starts.  The 11/1/08 release gives you enough time to digest the contents of the book before the season 4 blu-ray is released on 12/8/08.

Make sure you check out DocArzt’s site along with the evilpuppetmasters for your latest LOST information.   Join the DocArzt forums to keep up on the latest info during the upcoming LOST dry spell – http://www.docarzt.com/lost-forum/

VerveEarth – a new way to surf

I received an email from a new blog startup site called verveearth.com.  Basically, the site works by putting blogs on a map so that you can surf geographically.  It looks like they have just hit 10,000 bloggers on the site.  You can also search the website for blogs based on content.  It definetly is an interesting way to surf the blogging world and see what people are writing in your area.  It may also help you to find information from different locations.

Here is what they emailed me -

Your blog 1Miletogo’s Nike+ Page caught our attention. I’m the founder of a recently launched startup for bloggers. We are searching the internet for the world’s blogs by geography, and we found yours for Fort Collins. I would like to invite you to our site which plots the content of the internet on an interactive map of the world. VerveEarth is an entirely new way to surf the net. It shows spatial and geographic connections that a blog search engine could never reveal.

The site is www.VerveEarth.com. Once on board, you can easily claim your blog a place in the VerveEarth world. The site is free to use and a way to drive new traffic to your blog. If our vision resonates with you, please give us a mention or add our widget to your blog. Please see our FAQ for any questions, and we welcome your feedback. The VerveEarth team will make a timely reply.

So, I set up a site at
http://www.verveearth.com/landing/#type=user&id=14794&page=0&back=1

 

8 Tornados in Northern Colorado

We had some wicked weather here in Northern Colorado today.  We had at least 8 tornados touch down!  This kind of weather is not usual for this part of Colorado.  So far there has been 1 reported death due to the tornado.  The picture above is taken from Highway 34 outside of Greeley, in the background you can see the State Farm Building that was in the direct path of the tornado.

The first tornado just missed the location that I was at by a few miles.  We were setting up some servers at an offsite location.  The personnel reported that we were under a tornado watch and they moved the patients to the basement.  A few minutes later the power went out and high winds were outside.  The tornado was reported to have been at least a half mile wide as it continued just outside Greeley, CO, right along the road I drive to come to work.

The weather is still unstable and we are under a tornado watch until 8pm.  Watch the video below of the storm that passed close to Greeley.

Video: Tornado -

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/24778702#24778702

Video: Damage -

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/24779368#24779368

Picture Slideshow – http://www.9news.com/9slideshows/Weld%20County%20Tornado%205-22-08/

Hopefully the worst of the weather is over now.  It looks like Fort Collins missed most of the damage, but I will see when I get home.  Currently, some of the roads are closed, so it is a wait and see.

Here is a picture taken from the State Farm Building that was in the direct path of the tornado.

The thirst quenching gum

Have you heard of Quench Gum?  It is a product that will help you get rid of dry mouth.  I tried it about a year ago after receiving a piece in a race packet.  All I could say was wow, start the water works.  It certainly will rid you of dry mouth and keep you quenched.

I tried the product while being dormant and it really gets the juices flowing.  This morning I tried it for the first time during a run, and it did a good job of keeping the dryness away.  A few chomps here and a few chomps there really kept the dry mouth at bay.  Of course this product shouldn’t be a replacement for fueling during a run.  It is handy for shorter runs or just keeping the drool flowing.

The product comes in a few different flavors, the multi pack that I got had lemon/lime, orange, and fruit.  The website also shows a stick version that has raspberry, strawberry/watermelon and orange/fruit.    The website also has a mist version for  those who don’t chew gum.

The gum stick has 20 calories each and 4g of carbs.  The “chunk” style has 15 calories and also 4g of carbs.  The mist is calorie free and carb free.

Here is an excerpt from the website:

In the mid 70’s, Quench was developed for professional athletic teams and quickly escalated to America’s top-selling sports gum.  In the heat of thirsty competition, Quench Gum’s tart-sour flavor and saliva stimulants help relieve what athletes refer to as ‘cotton mouth’.  Quench works to soothe away that irritating, arid feeling inside your mouth and throat.

The website also states that the gum has been recommended by doctors for Post Op patients, Kidney dialysis patients & Patients on antihistamines, tricyclic antidepressants and anticholinergics.

There is a list of locations that the gum is available at including REI, Big 5 sports, Sports Authority, & Walgreens.  Check out their website at: http://www.quenchgum.com/home.htm So, if you suffer from dry mouth or you like to drool, go and try some Quench Gum. 

National Run a Mile Day

May 6th is the National Run a Mile Day.  May is traditionally National Running and Fitness Month and May 6th is the anniversary of the first sub 4 minute mile by Sir Roger Bannister on May 6th 1954.  This May 6th marks the 54th anniversary of the first sub 4 mile.  The goal of this holiday is to get people to get out there and run a mile.  Wherever you can run it, on a track, through the neighborhoods, on a treadmill.

The American Running Association has more information on the Run a Mile Day.  They even have T-Shirts for the event.  If you would like a T-shirt email the American Running Association with sizes and requests at milerun@americanrunning.org.  Shirts are $8 each and $15 shipping on orders under 10 Shirts.  Free shipping on orders of more than 10 shirts.  The ARA is also sending free shirts to the best 3 photos that can mimic the attire and setting of the historic sub 4 mile.

 

For more information check out this site: http://www.americanrunning.org/associations/412/files/runamile.pdf.

Above all, get out there today, and move 1 mile or 5280 Feet!  You only have 1 Mile To Go!

2008 Colorado Marathon Race Report

Well the 6th time is the charm.  I finally broke 4 hours on the marathon today.  This is the 3rd time that I run the Colorado Marathon, 6th overall.  I beat my previous PR of 4:15:34 by almost exactly 25 minutes with a 3:50:36.  Last year at the Colorado Marathon I ran a dismal 4:50:25.  I am very happy to break 4 hours, I was on schedule to be in the low 3:40’s but couldn’t muster it, but there is always next time.  

 I think that my recent training at the gym and my loss of over 15 pounds since my last marathon PR were the factors leading to my performance today.  So a heads up and thanks to Trainer Tom at 24 Hour Fitness!

So, here are the stats on the race.

Official Time: 3:50:36 (1:46:06 Half) 8:49 Pace
Race Number: 226
Ranking: Overall – 198/686, Age group (M3034) - 25/56, Male – 151/394
Distance: 26.2 (26.42 garmin) Nike+-well sensor died at the start
Temperature: high 30’s at the start, high 50’s at the finish (perfect race conditions!)
Starting: Steven’s Gulch Campground area in the Poudre Canyon
Ending: Downtown Ft Collins on Linden Street
Start Time: 6:15 AM
Ending Time: 10:05 AM
Gear: Shorts, short sleeve tech shirt, hat, sunglasses, injinji socks, Equalon 2’s, Forerunner 305 (my HR monitor died and was not used during the run).
Nutrition: Pre-Race = 1 GU, 24 OZ gatorade, half bagel, supplements (endurolytes, anti-fatigue, sportslegs, race caps)
Nutrition: Race = 2.5 GUs (couldn’t stomach all of the 3rd), 40 OZ GU2O (with endurolytes added), about 30 OZ H2O, supplements (8 endurolytes, 4 anti-fatigue)
Caloried Burned: 2839
Splits: 5K (24:54), 10K (49:39), Half (1:44:11), 20 Mile (2:39:43), Marathon (3:50:37)

PRE-RACE:

3:15 AM – Rise and shine, shower and grub.  I had my usual pre-race meal of oatmeal, golden raisens and honey.

4:02 AM – Leave the house to go to the staging point for marathon busses.

4:23 AM – Marathon Bus departs the station.  Part of the race brochure mentions a ride to the start on a luxery bus,  ahh spare no expense.  The ride up the canyon was more interesting than previous years, as the driver seemed to be swearving in and out of the cones at times.  It was actually quite a fun ride.

5:08 AM – Marathon Bus arrives at Steven’s Gulch and we wait our turn to exit the bus, which actually happens about 10 minutes later.  It is always interesting driving from the staging (which is close to the finish) to the race start.  The first time that I ran the race, we were like holy crap, this race seems so much longer than 26.2 miles!

Before 6:15 AM – stretching, watching, talked with a friend, porta-pottied early to skip the massive line.

RACE TIME

We lined up and waited for the call to start.  The sun was starting to peak over the mountains and the weather looked great.  I had my garmin set and IPod was ready to go.  We were told to stay within the cones otherwise we would be disqualified.  Then the bull horn sounded and we moved like the normal slow herd of cattle trying to get going.

About .25 miles in my IPOD anounced “Activity Stopped”.  I thought, ahh No, I’m running… I continued to run, but restarted the nano in hopes that everything would be good.  Then I got the “Searching for Sensor” and I turned on the music and continued on.

I started a little slower than my desired pace and pushed on.  Around mile 2 the herd had dissipated a little and I evened out the pace at 8:00ish.  I also started the mental “road kill” tally (which was 49 Net by the finish). 

Throughout the first 22 miles I relied on my own GU2O drink, so I didn’t stop at any aide stations.  I drank on the run, which was something new for me, usually I stopped to take a drink.  Drinking from the flasks while running was actually much easier than I thought it would be.

I continued on, feeling great and enjoying the scenery.  One thing about the Colorado Marathon is that there aren’t too many spectators.  Especially through Poudre Canyon.  I saw 2 or 3 specators by the time I reached the bottom of the canyon 17 miles into the race.

Around mile 9 there was some chanting music playing across the stream.  It was hard to tell what it was, but it was considered moving.

I passed over the half marathon timing pad with a 1:44 (garmin time).  A guy sitting in the car next to the pad shouted out 1:46.  I continued running at my 8:00ish pace just feeling great and enjoying the run.  I had just passed my previous half PR of 1:47, so things were going well.

At mile 15 I passed a runner who was running in memory of his brother Aaron.  As I passed I said for Aaron.  I got a burst of energy and continued down the canyon.  It reminded me of 2 other marathons that I had run in memory of a loved one.  Last year I had ran the Colorado Marathon in memory of my Mother-in-Law.  In 2006 I ran the Vegas Marathon in the memory of my mother.  Someday, I will be running Boston in the memory of my mom.

Right at Mile 17 you break out of the Poudre Canyon and turn onto Highway 287.  This is the first major spectator area.  There were all kinds of people snapping pictures, cheering, a couple CSU Ram costumes were there, cowbell, and just plain energy to pump you along the journey.  This spectator area was the largest of the spectator areas, only surpassed by the finish.

I continued on 287 for a couple miles, still feeling good.  Soon the hill at mile 19 was on the horizon.  I blasted through the hill at a little slower pace.  I still hadn’t walked once during the whole marathon, but that would soon change.

Mile 20 came and passed, I started to feel the affects of running a little, but I was still going strong.  Mile 20 passed, it was my slowest mile yet at 8:33.  Much better than I have seen at previous mile 20’s.  I was 16 minutes ahead of my fastest 20 miler. 

Soon after mile 21, I started to get short of breathe.  I have had this shortness after returning home from visiting sea level.  But never 21 miles into a run.  I was sapped and was forced to take walk breaks to regain my breathe.  This shortness continued for the rest of the race and seriously messed with my pace.  Once I was finally forced to walk, it took a toll on my mental and physical self.

 I pushed on, my main goal of sub 4 hours would still be mine.  My primary goal was sub 4, my secondary goal was to get under 3:40.  I thought that maybe the shortness was from dehydration, so I drank more and started getting double doses of water at the aide stations.  It didn’t seem to help much, but I continued on. 

I came up to the corner with .3 miles to go and saw the finish.  I opened up, I wanted to get under 3:50.  I pushed and passed a few people on the way to the finish chute.  Just missing a sub 3:50. 

POST-RACE:

In the finisher chute, the clipped off my tag, handed me my medal and a bottle of water.  I got a 2nd bottle of water and headed out to walk around and get the legs use to walking again.  I looked for a friend but didn’t find him.  I still couldn’t get rid of my weezing.  I drank and drank, stretched, walked around.  Finally about 15 minutes later all systems were go.  I checked out the standings and saw that I ended up 198th overall, 32 in my age group (if I remember correctly), and 157 out of the men.

I was walking around and another Nike+er approached me.  I met Jeffowsley and his family, very nice guy.  This was his first marathon and he ran a sub 4 also.  I chatted with them for a little and then we parted ways.  I then decided that I should head home and start the relaxing

So here are my Graphs:

THE RACE MAP

 

MY SPLITS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE ELEVATION

CALORIES BURNED

THE RACE BLING

THE TIMING CHIP

The Power of the Race Number and the Expo

The excitement for a race flows when you receive your race number.  It solidifies, that soon, very soon, all of your training will come into play.  Whether your goal is to PR, to finish, to have fun, that goal will be tested before you know it.   On race day when you pin on the number, you then know that it is game on.  The number tells the spectators to cheer for you, it can be your bus pass, it is more than your entry into the race.  The number empowers you to push yourself harder than in training, it allows you to run like you never have before.

How you receive your race number usually falls into a couple options.  For smaller races it usually is drop off your form, get a number.  Sometimes the number will come in the mail.  But for marathons and half marathons usually you get to partake in the Race Expo.  Ahh, the race expo, every expo is different, but has that same energy, that same excitement.  I’ve seen online expos, pre-race expos, and post-race expos.  Each one is exciting and brings a new element to the thought of Race Expo.

The one online expo, was mainly just a printout of coupons for an online race event.  Not much to report there, but it still brought about an excitement for World Run Day.

The Pre-Race Expo is the norm for Marathons and Half Marathons.  It gives you a chance to pick up your race number, shirt, “goody” bag, & buy some last minute supplies.  It can be handy if you have traveled to the race city, but by all means not the best way to pick up supplies, since some expos only have supplies related to their sponsors.  I have seen expos that have only a few vendors to the huge expo that was at the PF Changs Rock N Roll Marathon Expo.

You will typically see at least a few brochures for other races at an expo.  It is a good place to pick up some intel on future races.  Sometimes there are some good giveaways at the expo, trial products, drawings, and discounted goods.  Just being able to walk around and see alot of running relating products in one place is a great site.  Alot of times, there will be stuff that you have never seen before, and some that you will never see again.

The after race expo is good to see products and get samples of items.  You have already run your race and you need to kill time before the festivities.  The only Post-Race Expo that I have been to was the Bolder Boulder 10K.  Most race packets for the BB10K are mailed to the participants or nearby running stores, this allows people to pick up their packets locally.  So there isn’t a Pre-race expo to attend.  The post-race expo for the BB10K is a pretty large party with all types of samples.  Usually you will need a couple race bags to carry away all of your “booty”. 

So, there you have it, the power of the race number and the excitement of the race expo.  These two things set the stage for many races and raise the excitement for the upcoming trial.  So, get out there and sign up for a race so that you too can feel the raw power that the number can give you!