Competitive Jerks Racing and Training - 2023 (Read 574 times)

Funny about your watch—seems almost everyone I talk to says their watch predicts race times that are ridiculously fast. I’m happy with my 8 year old Garmin 220, which doesn’t judge me.

Yup. Garmin 235 says 5K 20:50, 10K 43:12, HM 1.35:40, M 3:19.02. I haven't run a single step since February 10^th.

Boston Marathon

Mile 1-3.1 (6:37.8, 6:38, 6:38.4; 5K 20:43 6:40/mi average)

The starting area is similar to CIM. I was, at one point, concerned ABOUT the start. For some odd reason I had it in my mind the Boston Athletic Association would be stopping each wave at the starting line for a few seconds before sending them off. Something like “treating each wave special” and giving them their own countdown. This actually scared me for some reason until I saw the 3 hour plus long video on YouTube (how this man uploaded a 3 hour video to YouTube is beyond me) until I reassured myself a few times it is going to be just like CIM where the elites take off, then everyone in front of me starts walking, and there will NOT be a stop/pause “ceremonial” type send off. Since I’m at the back of the corral I hear a volunteer tell the group behind me he’ll hold them about 10 seconds after we leave just to create some space. I get my GPS (yeah I hadn’t done that yet) for the starting line and enjoy my hype song putting me back to the start of every successful marathon I’ve raced and stop worrying so much and just try to remind myself to run my own race, 6:40/mi pace, nothing faster than 6:38, nothing slower than 6:45, get to 17, fire station, right hand turn, get over the hills, eat every 20/6, hill at 23 under the freeway or whatever. Since I have my own timer I really don’t need to worry about how far behind the on course clocks I am. I have the same pace band set for the goal time I’ve always used. Actually, I have two copies. One is vacuum seal laminated while the other isn’t and I’m holding it reviewing the times still. As we start moving forward I get a little excited for things to start happening. I’d just heard my hype song, and it’s happening. Until it isn’t. Everyone stops moving. “ah, we just moved up a corral.” Start moving again, a little faster, and again we stop.

“okay...BLACK FLAG! You can’t do that twice!” Everyone is obviously excited and nervous to start the race, and just following the people ahead of them like cattle. Settle in. Run your race. We start walking, then jogging, then jogging faster, and I see a timing mat so I start my watch a few seconds before, I see the official starting line (more like a giant yellow square with some blue stuff on it) and we’re off. I’m a little surprised there isn’t a giant arch above me like some other races (CIM), and I just run. I put myself at the very back of my corral so everyone could go out fast and try to get ahead of the crowds HOPING I’d have some space. I have no space. I don’t know how long 10 seconds is, but I’m definitely about 2 feet away from every single runner in every single direction. “FUCK this is packed.” People are moving all over, and I spot a few runners off to the left of the road running on an asphalt sidewalk/path. Fuck yeah man. I’ll go over there and just run my own race. The downside to this, is Mother Nature grows things on the side of the road so I’m whipped once or twice by some branches, and kind of feel sorry when I duck last second around some branches and wonder if the person behind me was slapped in the face of anything I pushed out of my way. I hope back into the road (I think there was a small bike lane) when I approach two cops in full on “fuck around and find out” gear, and enter the first little town. I’m checking pace and a little surprised I’m able to be at 6:45/mi from the start. Everything said the first mile is the slowest and hardest to get into pace, so maybe hopping off to the side helped. There is like one “hill” where the cops and the crowd was standing and I’m confident I passed 200 people here just by keeping it an even effort. It’s the first time I can actually SEE how many people are in this race. A 2 lane road is packed with people elbow to elbow like nothing I’ve ever seen. I realized there was a hill when the 2 feet of space I have in front of me becomes 1 foot and I hop back and forth between the path, and the road, because I’m still getting passed on the path because there are still people behind me who want to go get ahead of the crowd. I just don’t see how it’s possible, and I remember hearing about the first 8 miles being downhill, people go out too fast, and it’s crowded the whole way due to being 2 lanes. Yeah, it is.

I was told to “enjoy it” and “soak it all in” which I’m trying to do. Google Earth showed me there was a church, and apparently I blew past it without even noticing it. Probably because I was on the left hand side trying to keep pace for a slight PR while also getting passed while also trying not to slow people down. Still, it’s my race and if you want to get around me you can. I’ve never seen a runner reach out and push someone, politely, through a crowd to avoid tripping, falling, and getting trampled like a Tour de France crash. I cross the first mile, and the GPS is already off a bit, but the crowds are out. We’re just cruising through some small towns in Massachusetts on a Monday with probably 8 THOUSAND people in an eighth mile (like 200m for those who can’t measure correctly), most of them have the day off and won’t be able to go anywhere, and this happens every year. It’s cool to see so many people so often and just adds to the “how big this is” I’m starting to get an idea of. Up to this point the biggest race I’d done was Chicago, but the streets there are bigger. It was really only packed at the corrals and the first mile. This is different. This is 2 lanes with no shoulder all being shared by the runners and spectators. It’s just rolling hills though. Similar to CIM except these are not as tall. Everyone still slows DOWN for them, which is annoying, but we’re just rolling. Kids are on the streets looking for high 5s, Adults out with adult cups. Everyone’s just having a good morning.

Mile 2 I approach “my kind of people.” It’s some kind of small parking lot with caution tape and Coors “belly” kegs used to make a barrier letting the spectators know NOT to enter the street. By “my people” I mean “Coors light drinkers.” It isn’t a massive area, but the crowd is happy to see us, and I get a kick out of making the “security fence” out of something as simple as caution tape and knee high kegs. According to Google Earth it’s TJ’s Food and Spirits. Shortly after this is the first aid station. I’d tried to research this to plan out my drinking, but all I really found was “the first aid is at mile two” and my brain ignored whatever information someone with cognitive thinking skills could have deduced as “where the aid stations will be located along the course.” I’m more of a “pictures are helpful” kind of person. I WAS able to find out aid stations are on both sides of the road, and they’re staggered (thank you detailed YouTube video) so there is no need to run from one side of the road to the other when you realize there is 2 ounces of Gatorade or water passing you by at 13 mph…like “that time I was at CIM in the 3 hour pace group” so you can chill out and “stay in your lane” (I HATE that phrase) until the water is handed out.

Aid stations were about as big as CIM. I’m starting to realize why people say so many nice things about CIM. It pretty much has the support of a big marathon, without the crowd. I’d tried to figure out when I’d drink along course and sort of settled on “eh, just like before or after a gel I guess.” Since I’d never heard of Poland Spring water I was a little concerned they were giving us some kind of sparkling water so I skip this one and roll on to mile 3. All while trying to “take it in” and maintain race pace which seems to be getting SLIGHTLY easier even though the sidewalk path has been gone for about a mile at this point. At some point along the way I made a move to get around people and feel a courteous hand on my back pushing me through. More of a “yeah keep going don’t stay there” than a “get out of my way” and I give them a thumbs-up as a thanks. I understood the purpose, and it was still odd since I’ve never had this happen before. Its just one more thing to add to the “how big this REALLY is” aspect.

On the way to mile 3 we pass a gas station and I, being an old man, check the price of diesel fuel which makes me cringe. I’m still checking pace frequently since I’m in this mass group of people who seem to still be trying to get ahead of the crowd, and I’m just absorbing more of the ways people could ruin their race here, or make the hills harder than they have to be. You’re SURROUNDED by people who are as fast as you or faster and they’re all just looking for their chance to settle into their race, or PR, or maybe they’ve planned a massive positive split. I just keep myself in check while trying to check out area and stay race focused. Things are kind of  becoming a blur because I’m probably 80-90% focused on the race and 10% trying to block out last night’s sleep and any sort of discomfort I might have. We hit mile 3, I check my times even though I know it’s 20 minute 5k pace and we roll into Ashland. This is the first time I feel like the race opens up and gives a bit of breathing room.

Mile 4-6.2/10k (6:38.5, 6:38.5, 6:39.7; 10K 41:32 6:42/mi average 20:49 second 5k)

Ashland is cool. It’s a long town with lots of people on the streets cheering you on. It’s a little relieving to get some space after the crowds, but it still feels NOTHING like CIM. It’s more like the START of CIM at this point. I can run my pace and my race comfortably without concerns someone might trip me, but it’s still really closer so hopefully no one makes a mistake. The rain at the start has stopped, it’s grey skies, and just feels comparable to CIM which is just something I know. It probably helps me stay focused on racing because I tried to visualize where I’d be if I was there and nothing comes to mind. Probably a grocery store or something but at that point I feel like I’m running with my Sunday buddies while this is still more packed. There is kind of a lot of people running this race, and I’ve started in Wave 1. I remember passing the landscaping company on the way to mile 4 probably because it’s another hill where I had to move around people. I’m really starting to wonder about Newton if THIS is making people slow down. Maybe they went out too fast, or maybe they just back off on hills and try to sprint the downhills to regain time. Sure enough, this is exactly what happens. “ah cool. I just passed like 500 people…..and here they all come”. Okay, not quite 500, but definitely 30 people I’d just passed ran by me about 10 seconds after summiting some roller along the way. Right before the mile 5 marker I’m checking out the crowd and see people chillin in their garage (hey that for sale? Ah…I have no way to get it home) playing music, and barbequing. It’s cool to me and I start thinking about how this really IS a parade to them. It might as well be the Nevada Day parade. Brawts and beers. Watch the runners. Cheer them on.

The road narrows up a bit, but there’s a legitimate sidewalk now. Folks are on the sidewalks, and kids have their hands out so I start giving them gentle high 5s. More like a “tap” so I don’t knock them over. Since I’m up close to the fans I start realizing some of them get more and more into the street which starts to bug me but not too much. They want to see people, probably their friends, and they’re not REALLY in the way, yet.

I roll by the mile 5 aid station and grab some water. I realized a gel was coming up soon, and something about “5.6 at CIM” pops into my mind at some point about there being water here. Since it just rained I’m a little worried about the humidity impact on the run and how I might not feel thirsty or dry like I usually do. It’s just plain water. Cool. Since I know I’m dumb as a runner I organized my gels as caffeinated on one side and decaf on the other. I’d made a plan of caffein at 6 and 12, MAYBE a half-calf at 18, and a decaf at 24. I check the clock and it’s close enough to 40 minutes to eat it. Since I’m holding my unlaminated pace band folded up in my left hand, and I don’t want to drop it because I only have one backup tucked into my pocket with my gels, I didn’t get a full opening of the Maurten, but it works. Instead of shot gunning it I eat it in thirds to let it settle, not lose anything, and maybe break apart the digestion process or something. Yeah I was thinking three “bites” over 20 seconds would aid with digestion. I told you. I’m dumb.

A video I saw about spectating talked about the train station being a good spot to see runners. I can kind of see a train on the left in the distance, and there really are A LOT of people here cheering you on. It’s downhill so I try to keep control of speed because with this much excitement, and some downhill mixed in after a caffeinated gel I can again see how it’s easy to be going too fast and not paying attention to how the body feels or you ruin a day because you’ve gone hard for 6 miles. I don’t think I took anything from the aid station, and I’m starting to look around for who I’m running with. I do this at other races to maybe get a “team” going together on race day. Something like a group who is all on the same page as far as aid stations etiquette, spacing, pace goals, sprint finishes, hill plans, etc. there just doesn’t seem to be anyone looking around. Everyone is focused on going forward. AS a train starts up and leaves the station I start thinking about some race where you have to “beat the bridge” and oddly the marathon where the train crossed the course and stopped runners does NOT come to mind (yeah, that happened, and people had to wait like 10 minutes to cross. Good bye BQ) but thoughts of “wouldn’t it be cool to race a train” does. I’m starting to enjoy checking things out, things OTHER than my pace, and since it’s pretty flat I can’t tell how many people are ahead of me. I never look back because who looks BACK in a marathon.

Watch beeps. Distances are off. I expected this just based on experience, and the pace I’d picked accounted for it. I’m glad I opted to NOT load the PacePro strategy for the course. Too much data, too many beeps, too many numbers. I just did what I know which is total time per mile. The pace band is starting to crumble a little, but I keep it protected in my palm so it doesn’t get ruined. I check the band and I’m about 7 seconds behind. Not bad. Just get to the hills, but my right hip bone area hurts. Plus I didn’t sleep well. I probably can’t hold this pace. I’m probably too tired because I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m probably going to have to pull out. Is this too fast? No. I did it in training. I did 10 miles at this pace. It’s too early to think about pulling out…but I feel tired and my muscles are tired-sore. I think “Look, in order to get to mile 24 you have to get to 17, and to get to 17 you have to get to 13, and to get to 13 you have to 10 so just get to 10. You did 10 in training. Forget the body battery thing and just run. Remember at CIM where you couldn’t sleep? Same thing. Just run.”

Miles 7-13.2 (6:39.9, 6:38.7, 6:41.8, 6:38.3, 6:39.4, 6:36.3, 6:38.3; 15km 1:02:20, third 5k 20:48 6:42/mi average. 20km 1:22:59, fourth 5k 20:39 6:39/mi average, HALF MARATHON 1:27:32 6:41/mi (4:09/km) average.)

This area just kind of blurs together. There are hills comparable to CIM and as before I just go up them, but now I can feel it in my legs. It feels good in the “I’m putting effort into something” kind of way especially after spending all day Saturday flying and finding some steps to climb. It reminds me how I thought “man this must be what stiff legs feel like” as I’m going up them. I still get passed by people I just passed on my way down. Apparently this is a thing. Since the road is back to 2 lanes I can again see how it’s packed. It’s probably going to be like this all day long, with some spots where it opens up, and at least I can go around people easier than those first miles. Roll through another aid station I ignore because I just had something and then we’re at the lake. My buddy Matt mentioned this lake. He’d talked to another runner who mentioned it, and I saw a video about how it’s on the right and to look at it so I do. I actually embrace being at mile 8 of the race, about 1/3 of the way done, but not 1/3 of the way done, and just keep running. As I look at it I think “this is probably something I’d look at every time I’d run this race” and I see a sign for an upcoming 5k on the side of the road. It’s flat, we pass the mile 9 aid station, and I’m checking out the water to see if there is a headwind because it doesn’t feel like there is one. All the weather forecasts I looked at for all the places said I’d have 7-10 mile an hour (12-16 km/h) headwind but I’m not feeling anything. It is just like being at CIM the first time I broke 3 hours and was worried about the headwind at miles 7-12. There isn’t one. Maybe with all the people here the wind just gets pushed away, or maybe it’s just the light breeze I was asking for to keep the smell of runners away, and give some cooling to use. Still, the lake at mile 9 is pretty cool. I’m glad I looked around a bit during the race. It helps me enjoy it and have a moment away from the race to relax the brain I guess. Almost like a familiar face or landmark where I get this positive memory.

As we roll into Mile 10 it’s now more residential. The homes kind of make me think it’s a rich area of town, and there are a TON of people here. NOW the fans are starting to get a little too close. We’re on a 2 lane road with bike lanes on either side and the fans are standing in the bike lane. They’re doing the thing where people try to see in front of the person ahead of them, and the person behind them does the same thing, but literally no one looks down to see they’re all the way through the bike lane during THE FUCKING RACE YOU’RE SPECTATING. It doesn’t make the narrow road any better to have an aid station here either. I’m appreciating the keg shell/caution tape barrier a LOT more. Why would you need one here? There is a sidewalk. People will just stand there, right? Sheeeeeeeeet.

It’s about this point I’m starting to realize “I’ve passed a LOT of aid stations without drinking anything. When is the last time I drank anything? I had a gel at 6, and I think some water after. How long ago was that? 20 minutes. I should probably start keeping track of things better. How often are the aid stations? Are they every mile or 2 miles? All I remember is they start at mile 2, but I don’t know when or where they are.”

We’re in Natick (pronounced Neigh-tick, not NAAAAA-tick) which someone somewhere said “feels like you’re there forever because you spend the most amount of time there. It’s a busy town and we’re probably running through the middle of it so, again, it makes sense for a bunch of people to come out and cheer us on. I’m glad the weather wasn’t 2018 30F degrees with snow and a 20 mph headwind. This would SUCK with no one out here but runners. We pass a big church and I consider taking a photo of it for my wife (she took a photo of one somewhere else) but decide not to pull my phone out. I could have, but figured I should focus on the race. Since it’s just about pancake flat, and the town is mostly brick buildings it just seems to fit my cliché “Boston/Colonial” idea of what a small town in Mass. would look like. I enjoy the shapes and style of buildings because it isn’t what I have at home, and the crowds cheering people on.

I hit mile 11 knowing there will be Maurten gels offered soon. I’ve been checking total time to every mile and assessing the body and it’s just not complaining much anymore, and mile times are consistently 7 seconds behind pace. I’m also something like 3:11 behind the official clock time but pay about that much attention to it since I have what I need. Around this time, since I knew I’d be eating and because it was falling apart, I ditched my paper copy of the time splits. I’m seeing the paces I want to see per mile, and I’ll just get the laminated one out because this is wadding up into nothing, and I want to know the whole race. I’m not sure why I kept checking EVERY mile, but I did. It made me comfortable and helped me stay calm seeing I’m being consistent and following the plan to stick with a 6:40/mi pace (PR pace) and waiting for mile 17. The gel station is just as big as any other aid station, comes slightly after Natick, and is one of the least populated places along the course. They have giant white banners, like the ones you see advertising “CAR WASH” on the street, in white and black. I assume this means they have caffeinated and decaf, and I’m wondering how they sorted it all out. Up front is decaf on the right, then caffeinated. I grab one, consider grabbing a second, and somehow only rip a small corner off it. Again with the slow eating. Three is a little lake on the right hand side before you start going up a hill and my 40 minute reminder “it is time to eat” beeps. Sweet. Got it down, almost half way, feeling good and the stomach isn’t pissed off. Just keep cruising to Wellesley and see what this “scream tunnel” is about. People have said you can hear it a mile away, but I’m a mile away and I can’t hear it. Until I can. It sounds like a whisper then a rush of wind as you get closer. Runners seem to be more spaced out here. One guy ahead of me says “what is that?” THAT is legendary. “you ever run this before?” nope. He’s jacked before we even get within sight. We’ve only heard of this in race reports, or from those who have witnessed it first hand. The Wellesley Scream Tunnel. An all female school with the day off and a parade coming through. A tradition dating back decades. A spectacle so large it has an email address you can request a sign be made for you. A place where you “have” to give a girl a kiss and the girls are being held back by barricades like you’re the biggest celebrity to come through town and they just want to touch your shoulder. Ho. Leigh. SHIT. THIS IS FUCKING BIG! The VOLUME of the scream tunnel would rival a jet engine. Going into this I told myself not to mess around with getting a kiss because Boston was a race and stopping/starting would probably hurt too much plus the whole traffic thing. It could ruin my day, but you’re probably not going to come back. You won’t get the chance to do this again. It’s going to take like 5 seconds. You HAVE to get a kiss, but it’s 2023 so don’t just assume some girl standing on the course wants one. Fuck. Umm…okay find one with a sign saying “kiss me.” THERE! So I ran up, she was leaning over the barrier with short blonde hair and very smooth skin with what I remember as a beige long sleeve sweatshirt thing and a sign. I take about three hard steps to stop myself, make myself as tall as I can, land one on the cheek and take off because I’ve justified ruining a PR to kiss a girl I’ll never know. Previously, like YEARS ago, I’d imagined I’d be running this for fun so I could get a photo and tell her where I’m from. Today, straight up “kissing bandit” and as I run away I see I’m averaging a 6:35/mi pace. “ah. I can see how this gets people excited. You can’t think, there is excitement, and I just loaded up some caffeine that probably didn’t ACTUALLY kid in within 5 minutes, didn’t exactly HELP the situation.” Dial it in. The guy ahead of me just high 5s as many girls as he can. After we pass the guy to my left says “check your pace” and I agree. I say “fucking college girls. I haven’t felt 18 years old in a LONG time.” Worth it. 10/10 would do again. Experience it, right? Enjoy it, right? slam on the brakes, down shift, then get back to it. Off to the fire station and the hills. This was probably the shortest mile in the entire course.

As I enter to town of Wellesley I again notice its big, and the crowd is FULL. The runners have thinned a LITTLE bit, and it kind of reminds me of a spot on CIM. My favorite spot. Fair Oaks. You hit this S curve thing, and Fair Oaks just gives me this happy feeling of a small town where the embrace the race is filled with Olympic hopefuls and common folk, and just gives me good vibes. This is what Wellesley reminds me of, except it’s bigger. I roll through town and on the far edge see my buddy Matt’s wife and kids. I yell out “HEY!! MATT’S WIFE!!!” and she acknowledges I can’t think of her name. I didn’t them when he ran CIM so today it’s kind of special because I know he's excited about it, and so am I. Around mile 13.5 is the Wellesley Police Department. One of the NICEST police departments I’ve ever seen. This thing looks better than City Hall and probably belongs in some type of Historical Preservation society and also as an example someone uses to say “police make too much money.” Up top they have a sign. Big sign. Something about Wellesley Police and “RUN FASTER.” I laugh thinking “only time a cop is going to tell me to run faster. Aight then!” Again, I’m realizing more and more along the way how big this is to the area, and how much people enjoy watching runners especially at half way when they haven’t hit the hills, it’s been mostly downhill, and they’re all jacked on Testosterone, caffeine and “I still got it” coursing through their veins.

Half way there. Feeling better about the hip and running. Still staying in control until we “take a right hand turn, hit the fire station, get up the hills, and drop the hammer.” Pace band says 1:27:30 for the half. I’m at 1:27:43 elapsed time when I cross the timing mat.

 

 

dave up next with his marathon!!!!!!!!

No he's not!!!!!!

RP - I looked at your RR and said damn, that's a long report. Then got to the end and realized it's only the first half.  Although my Boston RR was also a monster. Did you neglect all the pre-race stuff? Or was it some pages back and I missed it because I haven't been keeping up with this thread? A couple comments:

- Crowds - the only mammoth races I've run were Boston and Chicago. For both, getting water at the aid stations was a white-knuckle ride, like merging onto the freeway at 70mph. I think Boston may have been tougher early, but to me, Chicago was tougher longer. I think it was mile 23 at Chicago when I was finally able to get water without having a heart attack. I don't remember the later miles being that bad at Boston. Although with the day I had there, I don't remember much about the later miles at all.

- Wellesley - ha, I have about the same story. I went in saying I wasn't giving any kisses, because it's dumb to begin with, and because I'll be doing Serious Racing and won't have time for such nonsense. But it's impossible to not get caught up in it - what a rush. I ended up kissing two women, and got my fastest mile split of the day.

RP: some reminiscing on Boston in the '70s.  Back then the checkpoints were the town centers.  Also no aid stations, but spectators offered oranges, beer, whatever.  The Wellesley Tunnel was just as well known and popular.  I saw runners turn around, backtrack, and run through it a second time.

With only 1100-1200 runners, except for the elite who lined up in the first two rows, it was first come, first serve.  I had no idea what I was doing at my first Boston and as a result ended up at the back of the field, probably lost a minute at the start and chip timing was a thing of the future.  Next year I knew better and lined up close enough to the front that if I'd leaned forward I could have tapped the favorites on the shoulder. I think I was in the fifth or sixth row. In any case that was about right because I finished 184th that year.

I think I was in the fifth or sixth row. In any case that was about right because I finished 184th that year.

Now this is an accomplishment not a single one of the Competitive Jerks on this forum will be able to achieve. Top 200 finish at Boston.

Ok RP I just read part 2 of your trilogy 

Awesome read, felt like I was there. You had a guy push you so it's a DQ then outside assistance .

Did you carry your phone with you ? Surely not. My phone is massive and heavy.

The Wellesley College thing sounds like alot of fun. In this PC world I'm surprised it's still allowed. What's better than kissing a smelly sweaty middle aged man 

You did so well to keep on pace through the crowds.

RP - Really enjoying each instalment.  That paragraph of the doubts running through your head sounds very familiar, although it turns out you really don't need them anymore (unlike others..).  You and Cal just seem to be built to crush marathons.  Not that others here don't have really impressive marathons but for you 2 it seems like it's at the exclusion of all other distances and you always deliver.

Incidentally, that Wellesley section almost makes me want to get a Boston qualifier...

Keen - Can you please update the front page to remove my 5km Park Run and 10km time trial - I may still have a crack at these distances another time.  Also add Selwyn Marathon on June 5 (which is why I'm removing the other 2).  I don't know what to put for a goal.  I want to get through it without the same issues but if I just made finishing my goal, I could easily do that at the pace I jogged 42.2 in after that cancellation in 2021.  So unless anyone has a good idea, I think just leave it blank.