Charles St. 12 (PR)

September 8, 2015September 8, 2015 veggiefueledrunner Race, Race Recap #charlesst12, #chuck12, #personalrecord, #pr, #race, #run, #runfriends, #runhappy, #running, #training

The alarm was set for 0400 hrs. when I woke up and looked at the clock it was 0345 hrs. I thought about going back to sleep for 15 mins, but decided I would rather get up now and eat than wait to hear my annoying alarm clock go off. I got up made a shake, drank it, and went back to sleep for another hour. I’ve been getting up early before long races and eating something, I think it helps to get something in my stomach and eating earlier gives it time to settle.

0515 hrs. I woke just before my alarm went off, I had a nightmare that I slept through my alarm and missed the race completely, thankfully it was only a dream. I got up got dressed, packed some clothes for after the race, and I was out the door to meet Elizabeth. We were going to ride to the race together since it was a point to point from Towson to Power Plant Live in downtown Baltimore. We arrived at the start line and immediately got in line for the bathrooms, let’s be honest that is pretty much what everyone does because you are going to have to go if you have hydrated properly. After we used the bathrooms, we warmed up a little and did a 5 min run near the start line. We ran into one of our friends Laura, we briefly chatted and made out way to the start line. I decided to use the bathroom one more time, and made it back to the start line just before the race started. I saw two of our other running friends Sarah and Lauren. I talked to them and they were planning on starting at a faster pace then I wanted to, so was Elizabeth. I wanted to use this run to simulate, the best I could, what I wanted to do in the marathon.

We were all at the front of the starting line around the 1:35 pace group, when the race started. Sarah, Lauren, and Elizabeth took off and I hung back and slowed down that first mile. My first mile was 8:17, still a bit faster than I wanted to be and it was uphill. I wanted to start around an 8:30 pace. The Charles St. 12 is an overall negative downhill race, the key word being ‘overall’, it is actually a pretty hilly course. Just after the first mile there was a water station, which I though was great this early in the race. The second mile was mostly downhill, and I ran it in 7:51. I remember thinking without a plan this race could get out of control quickly because of all the changes in elevation. I made a conscious effort to slow down a bit; I was feeling strong but I didn’t want to burn out and not have anything left for the end of the race.

At the end of mile 2 there was another water stop; I thought to myself this is great if there is a water stop approximately every mile. That was not the case. Mile 3 I slowed to 8:30 on a pretty steep climb and then my pace evened out around 8:15 a mile. Miles 3, 4, and 5 came and went without a water stop. I was getting pretty thirsty and even some other runners around me began to comment on the ‘now’ poor placement of the first two water stops, they were to close together. Finally around mile 6 there was a water and Gatorade stop. Just after the stop I heard someone from behind call my name, it was my friend Pat. I was surprised to see him, he had told me he wasn’t running the race, we ran together for a few miles and talked politics. He decided to slow his pace just a little but I was feeling strong so I pushed on. Normally, I would have hung back but I wanted to make sure I could keep the pace and feel good at the end. Now my pace was just below 8:10 a mile and I was still feeling strong.

The water stops picked again in frequency and were much better placed for the remainder of the race. In mile 8 my right shoe came untied twice which really annoyed me. I finally tucked in my laces, which I should have done earlier. After each time I stopped to tie them I sprinted back to where I was, I had noticed which runners were behind me. So while I didn’t lose any time I didn’t make up any either. At mile 9 there was a water stop at the bottom of a steep hill which followed a steep ascent, near the Washington Monument. I think it was poor placement of the water stop but that late in the race I’ll take water whenever I can get it.

With only 3 miles to go I though about really starting to push the pace, but I was also feeling like I could use a bathroom break so I decided to keep the pace the same and not pick it up to much. The rest of the course was downhill, from mile 10 I was pretty familiar with the terrain, since it was in downtown and I run a lot there. I wasn’t sure if there was going to be a final climb in Federal Hill, some of those streets can be pretty steep. We ran through Fed Hill mid way through mile 10 and thankfully there were not any hills. All of mile 11 was along the promenade of the Inner Harbor which made for a great finish, after the final water stop at the mileage marker I decided to pick up the pace. Just before the finish line my Garmin 220 beeped, I looked down I had run a 7:44 mile, the fastest one of the race. I sprinted the remaining few hundred meters and crossed the finish line at 1:38:16 an 8:11 pace! That was PR! It was PR by default because I had never run that distance but I had also never run that long at that pace so it was a great feeling.

After quickly grabbing my medal, I saw Sarah and Elizabeth waiting for me, but I made my way to the bushes. I though I was going to vomit after my sprint. I didn’t and Elizabeth came over, and said ‘Let’s go get our beers!’. That’s the whole reason to run right, free beers at the end! We stood around and chatted for a little while and then decided to make our way back home, I was meeting Sarah and FKBT for brunch, Elizabeth had to work. We walked back and stopped at Lululemon, because well you just have to stop in when you walk by. I bought some boxers because I had forgotten to pack some; I used this as an excuse to finally buy the one thing I had been holding out on buying. I’m so glad I bought them they are super comfortable, no surprise there. But I digress.

I went back to Sarah’s apartment, showered and changed, our friend Theo, came back with us too and we went to brunch at Warehouse 518. Tim’s (FKBT) friend Aiden is the head waiter there and he took care of us! I have met him a few times and he is a pretty fun person and made sure to take care of Sarah and I since we just finished the 12 miler. It was great to catch up with Tim, I haven’t seen him much since he moved and it had been quite some time since Theo, Tim and I hung out together. Brunch was delicious! If you are in the Mt. Vernon area I recommend Warehouse 518!

You have to put back the depleted carbs after a race!

Overall it was a great day with friends and we all PR’d, so we were all happy! It was a good way to judge where we are all at in our marathon training, though I think we all agreed we would have liked to run that extra 1.1 miles to see if we could have PR’d at the half distance. The Charles St. 12 is a race I will consider doing again next year.

Did you race this weekend? How did it go?

-Veggie Fueled Runner

Week 12 (8/31-9-6)

September 7, 2015September 8, 2015 veggiefueledrunner Race, Training #chuck12, #marathontraining, #run, #runfriends, #runhappy, #running, #temporun, #training, marathon

Week 11 ended on a bit of a rough note with the long run, but overall it went pretty well. I was happy with the week and felt I made the most out of it. I’m looking forward to the lower mileage week this week and the Charles St. 12 on Saturday.

Monday: 4 Miles (Pace 8:21)

Last week it was rather cool for the last week of August, in Baltimore the heat can return in an instant! The heat and humidity came back today. It was in the low 90’s with 70% humidity, so I waited until later in the evening to run. I hydrated throughout the day and was feeling better after yesterday’s long run. I started my run feeling good and then just like yesterday around mile 2, I felt like a ton of bricks hit me. I felt wiped out. I pushed through and finished my run. I chalked it up to not having enough water throughout the day, even though I thought I had. Glad to get this one behind me.

Tuesday: 2.25 Miles (Pace 7:58)

It is looking like the heat will not subside until the weekend, which will be better nice since I have a race this weekend. I was suppose to go 6 miles today, but I waited till later and didn’t have the time. I was meeting a friend to move lacrosse goals which turned out to be harder than one might think. Anyway, I digress. I figured since I wasn’t running 6 miles I would run a bit of a faster pace. I got my miles in around the neighborhood and felt pretty good today. I think I am rehydrated!

Wednesday: 5 Miles (Pace 8:00)

This evening I ran with my friend Cat and her brother. She wanted to do a tempo run and I was fine with that, I’m suppose to do speed work tomorrow but I figured I could just swap days. We ran around Canton and Fells Point, we started out pretty slow around a 8:30 pace, we chatted and caught up on what everyone had been up to, then John (Cat’s brother) really picked it up. We quickly dropped to a 7 min mile and averaged 7:30 for the next 3. The conversation dropped to a minimum during those 3 miles, the last mile we slowed down and cooled down. It was still muggy but it felt good to get a tempo/speed work in. I decided at the end of the run I wasn’t going to do intervals tomorrow.

Thursday: 3.3 Miles (Pace 8:14)

Since I wasn’t doing intervals I figured I would still do the mileage I would have running intervals. I looped around my neighborhood and had a strong run. It was negative splits which I am always happy with.

Friday: 1 Mile (Pace 8:24)

Tomorrow is race day! I made sure on my short run tonight to deliberately run a bit slower. After my run I made some pasta for dinner, which I had also had for lunch and dinner on Thursday. Carbo-loading!

Saturday: 12 Miles (Pace 8:09)

See Charles St. 12

Sunday: 3.1 Miles (Pace 8:09)

This morning I was little sore from the race, my feet and quads mostly. I hobbled around a bit and then got ready for the day. I was meeting a friend from high school; we were going scuba diving in in a quarry in Westminster. We drove up spent about an hour maybe a little more in the water, had lunch and then came back. I showered and sat on the couch for a little while to rest and I started to dose off, I texted some friends and asked if the wanted to go see a movie, they said yes. That gave me the motivation to get up and run before going out. My first mile was pretty slow, I think swimming loosened my legs up some but I was still tight. Close to the end of the first mile it felt like my legs released and my stride was back to normal. I didn’t want to push it to much I wanted to use this run to stretch out. My next mile was smooth and 40 seconds faster, my 3rd mile felt just as good and was 20 seconds faster. I didn’t mean to run negative splits today but I was really happy that I did and even more surprised I was able to do it at my race pace just a day later. In my mind I’m hoping that means the training is paying off!

Total Miles: 30.65

-Veggie Fueled Runner

Week 11 (8/24-8/30)

August 31, 2015 veggiefueledrunner Training #chuck12, #marathontraining, #run, #runchat, #runcommunity, #runhappy, #running, #training, marathon

Week 10 was a solid week, I left some miles out there but overall I was content with the week. Coming up is another tough week with 3 longer runs, after that I get a bit of a reprieve.

Monday: 4.1 Miles (Pace 8:11)

Today was a good day to start off the week and inspired me to run my mid-week article about the running community. I ran later in the evening, the humidity returned, but was bearable. I ran around my neighborhood. For the last few runs around my neighborhood I always see a group of young boys playing in the same area. Everytime they see me one yells, ‘Hi’ and I yell ‘Hi’ back, then he says ‘My name is Justin’ and I’ll respond ‘Hey, Justin how’s it going?’. Our brief conversation always goes that way, today he yelled back you always say the same thing, I laughed to myself, by then I was to far away to say anything back. It is reassuring to see nice young people in the area. (Gee, I sound old. haha)

Tuesday: 10.2 Miles (Pace 8:56)

My friend Kristen was suppose to run with me today she wanted to run longer than we normally do at Tin Roof, which is where I met up with her and some other runners. I wasn’t sure if I was feeling up to 10 today and I told her I would be running at a slower pace. She took off with the other runners who were running around a 7:45 pace, about a mile in I broke off and ran by myself the rest of the way. They only ran about 5 miles total. I ran around the stadiums, Fed Hill, Locust Point, Ft. McHenry, and back along the promenade in the harbor. I picked up my pace after mile 7, to change it up a bit and make sure I could do after running slower. When I got back to Tin Roof everyone had already left, so I went to 7-11 got a gatorade and drove home.

Wednesday: 5 Miles (Pace 8:04)

The MAC was suppose to start a new run group tonight to take the place of City Sports Run Club. When I arrived only one other person was there and I asked the staff if there was going to be a run tonight. He said no, it would start next week. Since I was down in Harbor East I decided to run the loop I would have ran with City Sports. I ran into Kristen about a 1/4 mile in and we ran together. It was a negative split run and I was pretty happy with it!

Thursday: 2.1 Miles (Pace 8:11)

A tempo run was scheduled for today, but I sort of squirmed out of it. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do for my long run this weekend and I rationalized that I sort of did a tempo run yesterday and talked myself into an easy run around my neighborhood. I was really happy with my splits, I eased into the run with a 8:43 mile and turned it up the second mile and ran 7:43.

Friday: 1 Mile (Pace 8:21)

Even though I took it easy yesterday, today was a scheduled rest day. I ran in the early evening and took an easy run around the neighborhood.

Saturday: 9 Miles hiking; 1 Mile (Pace 8:11)

Today, plans changed about 10 times. I was supposed to go hiking with my friends, then I arrive and they told me we were running. I didn’t have running shoes, but said I would run in my Vibrams. Then we get started on the trail and we decided to hike, but I left my water and gear so I didn’t have anything to drink. We hiked 9 miles in about 4 hours. The terrain wasn’t that difficult but my legs were tired after being on my feet for that long in Vibrams. We stopped and ate afterwards, the food was good, but it did not agree with me. I stuck close to home for a while. Once I starting feeling better I decided I should get in a mile. Today I was suppose to run 10 miles, but the time I was on my feet and how I was feeling I figured a mile run would make 10 and that is I rationalized it. Plus I wouldn’t have been on my feet for so long if I had just ran 10 miles like I wanted to, anyway…

Sunday: 17 Miles (Pace 9:35)

It was a bit warmer today than it had been the rest of the week, so I decided to hydrate throughout the day and run in the evening. This run was the first one in a long time that I decided to take a fuel belt with me. I had 20 oz. of water and some bloks to help keep the sugars in my body up. I was feeling great during the run, I decided to start at the Korean War Memorial and do a tour of the city. I ran the docks on Clinton St. then up to Patterson Park where I did some laps and hills, then along the promenade to Harbor East, into Locust Point, through Fells and down into Little Italy. I felt strong throughout the run, I was drinking a little bit of water every 4-5 miles and taking a blok at the same time. I would chew on them for about a mile instead of eating it quickly. Everything was going great until just before Mile 16, I’m not sure what happened. I looked down at my Garmin and things started to go black, I almost fell over. I thought I had been taking enough fluids and eating, but I started to think I was dehydrated. I thought there was a convenience store close by so I made a loop and doubled back, but no such luck. I knew one was about a mile away in Power Plant so I made my way over there. I wasn’t feeling good at all. I bought some water and gatorade and mixed them together. I was starting to feel better. I gave my left over water and gatorade to a homeless guy outside the store. I chatted with another one for a little while about exercise, he told me I should do some pull-ups and I’ll get ripped really quick! I thanked him for the advice, popped another blok and started running again. This time I think the blok actually made me feel worse. I was running on President St, trying to figure the quickest way back, when someone started yelling my name. It was my best friend and his wife driving by, I yelled back to turn around but they didn’t hear me. I stopped and called his cell phone it went straight to voicemail, thankfully his wife answered. They were getting dessert at Vaccaro’s. I asked if they could give me a ride back, they said they could, so I ran over to where they were at. As I got to the bakery, my Garmin beeped for 17 miles. I got really stiff on the quick ride back to my truck. I know I left 3 miles out there, but they weren’t going to be quality miles and I wasn’t feeling well. When I got home I stretched out and sat on the floor for a little while. I wasn’t really feeling well, but that is to be expected after a long run. I hopped on the scale, I always weigh myself before and after a run, I had lost 7 lbs. on this run. That could explain why I wasn’t feeling well, most of that was water weight. I drank some more fluids, but didn’t feel like eating. After an hour I started feeling better and had a light snack, before finishing typing this and going to sleep! Overall, I think this was a good week of training but I’m looking forward to the reduced mileage next week! Oh and next week is a race week, I decided to run the Charles St. 12 for the first time!

Total Miles: 49.4

-Veggie Fueled Runner