2023 New York City Marathon

New York City Marathon. Wow! What an amazing experience! I’ve been told that the NYC Marathon is a great running event, and that the course is tough. Both statements are accurate.  

The NYC Marathon was my second marathon in just four weeks. I had just run Chicago and set a personal best of 2:29:38. I didn’t have any specific time goal for NYC, but I figured with the tough course and a double marathon four weeks apart, running anywhere between 3-5 minutes slower than Chicago would be a good day. The one goal I did set for myself was to try and place Top 3 in the M45-49 age group. 

I was grateful to have been accepted into the sub-elite program. The experience and treatment was first class. The NYRR designed the sub-elite program to give a special race day experience to their most competitive entrants who are not part of the professional field. The sub-elite athletes were given special transportation to the start escorted by NYPD, a separate staging and warm-up area near the start but away from most of the 50,000+ participants, a clear starting position at the front of Wave 1, a special baggage drop-off and expedited baggage pickup at the finish, and a special professional/sub-elite post-finish recovery area. I’ve been part of a sub-elite treatment in other races, but certainly not to the extent of this, especially in a marathon or race like the NYC Marathon. The coolest part of this experience was being in the same staging and warm-up area at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Center with the professional athletes. There are not too many occasions when you get to share the same stretching area and warm-up track with Olympians and World Champions. It felt surreal to be around many professional athletes like Hellen Obiri, Gidey, Molly Huddle, Cam Levins, Elkanah Kibet, and Tola, to name a few. It was also cool to catch up with my Strava friend Steve Chu and former Army running teammate and professional runner Elkanah Kibet. 

 

The NYC Marathon is a tough course because of its hills, mainly on the bridges and in Central Park. What better way to start a marathon than on a hill. The race starts on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and is a one mile gradual uphill. I went out conservatively and hit the first mile just over six minute pace (6:01). The second mile is back down the bridge. Despite it being downhill, I stayed relaxed and made sure not to push to make up the time. I essentially made up the seconds from the uphill mile on the downhill while keeping my effort relaxed. 

The next 10 miles from miles 3-12 in Brooklyn were rather uneventful. I ran primarily by effort and feel. My Garmin was splitting the (gps) miles around the mid 5:40’s. Although the Brooklyn part of the course is considered flat, I actually felt like there were more slightly rolling hills than I expected. I ran with a group of about 10-12 runners for a good portion of 4th Ave. 

By the time I got to the halfway point on Pulaski Bridge, I was running mostly by myself. I hit the halfway mark in 1:15:56, which I was happy with because a 1:16-1:17 second half would put at around a 2:33 marathon. However, I knew that the second half of the course was going to be tough, because we still had the Queensboro Bridge and Central Park hills to run. The Queensboro Bridge was eerily quiet that I could hear my breathing and Alphafly shoes hitting the pavement. The climb up the bridge was about a half mile, but felt more like a full mile. Just as I crested the bridge, a couple of runners wearing the same singlets came from behind and passed me on the way down towards Manhattan. They must have attacked the bridge hard, because I never heard them coming. I eventually caught and passed these same two runners about 1.5 miles later on First Ave. 

The crowds on First Ave were amazing and very loud. I reminded myself to stay patient as it’s easy to get excited by the energy of the crowd. I was successful in staying patient for miles 17 (5:44 gps split) and 18 (5:48 split) on First Ave. However, I somehow got a carried away towards the end of First Ave that I threw down a 5:37 split for mile 19. 

In the Bronx and Harlem I was still feeling good and running well. As I crossed the 21 mile mark, I saw a gentleman holding a sign “Last Damn Bridge”. It actually made me smile, but I immediately thought about what was still to come. The Central Park hills! 

Around mile 23 as I headed into Central Park is where things started to get difficult. The long gradual hill up mile 24 was tough, but what made it feel even tougher was the cramp developing in my left hamstring. It felt like the cramp was on the verge of seizing up my left leg completely. Fortunately, there was an aid station up ahead where I downed three cups of Gatorade. Cramps in the hamstring around the 24 mile mark seems to be a common theme in my marathons. I experienced this same situation in Chicago a few weeks ago and in Boston earlier in the year. The Gatorade definitely helped calm the cramp, but I think what also helped was the elevation change. I felt like the downhills in Central Park allowed the hamstrings to stretch out. 

When I made the right turn onto 59th St., I was confident that I would finish strong or at least not run any slower than I was running at the time. There is a slight gradual climb up 59th St. before making a right turn back into Central Park towards the finish. Luckily, I knew what to expect as I had run this climb and section of the course during my shakeout run the day before. 

The finish line experience in New York reminded me of Boston’s finish on Boylston. There are flags of different nations and lots of spectators that line both sides of the course, as well as a large grandstand just before the finish line. With 400 meters to go, I glanced at my watch and saw that I just had to run at about a 6 min/mile pace to finish in 2:33:xx. I tried my best to enjoy the finishing stretch while thanking the crowd for their support.  I finished in 2:33:40, which I was very happy with on a tough course. 

Not long after I crossed the finish line a volunteer escorted me to the sub-elite post-finish recovery area tent. This was a nice benefit, because it was a short walk and they already had my checked bag ready for me. At the tent I looked up my results to see where I had placed overall and in the M45-49 age group category. Unfortunately, at that time the overall and age group results were not posted yet.  It wasn’t until the evening and when my flight landed in Louisville that the overall results and AG placing were posted on the website. I was ecstatic to find out that I had placed 2nd in the M45-49 AG at the NYC Marathon.  This was my second 2nd Place M45-49 placing in two World Marathon Major in a matter of four weeks.  NYC is my 4th Star in the Abbott World Marathon Major. I’ve done Boston (x9), Berlin (2009), Chicago (2023), and NYC (2023). All that’s left for the Six Stars are Tokyo and London, which I’m not sure when I’ll run it. 

Nutrition: My pre-race/raceday/post-race nutrition was no different than previous marathons. The night before I loaded up on carbs by having lots of pasta. In the morning at about 5am, I had a cup of oatmeal, a banana, and a bottle of Herbalife24 CR7 hydration. When we arrived at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Center in Staten Island, there was still two hours before the race would start. So, I had another cup of oatmeal, 3/4 of a bagel, a banana, coffee, and sipped on a bottle of Maurten 320 mix over the last hour. Ten minutes before the start I had one Maurten caffeinated gel. During the race I took in a Maurten gel at miles 4, 8, 12, 16, 19 and 22. Miles 12 and 22 were caffeinated gels. I took in fluids at all the aid stations with the exception of one (not sure why). Water at the aid stations when I took in my gels, and Gatorade at all the other aid stations. After the race at the recovery tent, I had my delicious Herbalife24 recovery shake. 

Shoes: Nike Alphafly Next% 2 (orange)

  

2023 Chicago Marathon Recap

The Chicago Marathon, as well as New York City Marathon, has always been on my bucket list of must-do marathons. I can now check off Chicago, and in about three weeks I’ll be able to check off New York as well. This will leave me with just Tokyo and London marathons to achieve running the 6-Star Abbott World Marathon Majors (Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York, & Tokyo), something I hope to accomplish. 

I got into the Chicago Marathon by earning a spot in the AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championship through the 2022 age group rankings. Not only was I excited to run Chicago for the first time, but I was also pumped to be competing in the Age Group World Championships against some of the fastest masters’ runners. The AGWC is in its third year of existence. 

My buildup for Chicago went extremely well. If I was to compare this buildup to my other marathons (even though I don’t like to compare them because I think each one is different in their own ways) I’d probably say that this was the best one. In the 14 weeks of training, not including the last two weeks of taper, I averaged 102 miles/week with 12 of the 14 weeks at 100+ miles. I think the only downside of my buildup was that I did not run a tune-up half-marathon or any races in the lead up to gauge my fitness. However, I was okay with it because I’ve trained for many marathons and knew that I can determine my level of fitness based on how my marathon-specific workouts went. 

My time goal going into the race was to run under 2:30. But I’d also be happy with a 2:30 finish time since it’s the only marathon time between 2:29 and 2:39 that I haven’t ran. As for a non-time goal, I wanted to place in the Top 3 of the M45-49 division as part of the Age Group World Championships. Based on the last two AGWC, I’d have to run sub 2:30 or low 2:30 to have a chance at a podium finish. 

The weather on race morning was perfect for the marathon, mid 40 degrees with a high of 55, cloudy and about 8mph winds. For my warmup, I jogged very slowly from the Wanda AGWC tent to the start line. I was lined up in Corral A about five rows back. About 20 minutes before the start, the professional and elite field were marshaled to the start. Moments later, a couple hundred runners as part of the American Development Program assembled behind the pro/elite field. When the gun went off at 7:30am the pro/elite and ADP field took off while Corral A was at a standstill. I was confused, but immediately realized that we had a different start time. 

One minute later a second gun sounded, and we were off. I couldn’t believe how many runners were in front within the first half mile to a mile. There had to be about a few hundred or so runners, and that wasn’t including the pro/elite and ADP field. The first mile felt very pedestrian, and I knew I was running much slower than marathon pace. I came across the first mile marker in exactly 6:00, about 15-20 seconds slower than goal pace. I stayed calm and did not worry because once the front pack thinned out, I’d slowly pick up the pace. I did just that, splitting the next two miles in 5:34 and 5:37. The first three miles were manual splits at the mile markers. I did not rely on gps pace/splits early on, because the tall city buildings were causing significant inaccuracy. I remember my watch reflecting that I was running well over 6:00 pace when I knew I wasn’t. 

I stopped manually splitting my watch after the first three miles. I wanted to focus on running by feel and not rely on the watch. After 34 marathons I know my body well enough and what the effort should feel like. The plan was to put the legs into cruise control at marathon pace, and then let the brain go to sleep for at least the first half of the race. When I get to 20 miles I’d then have to dig deep and run strong over the last 10k. Of course, this is easier said than done. 

I came through 10K in 35:32 and 15K in 53:24, right on pace for a 2:30 or just under. At around 10 miles I started to feel some tightness in my right hamstring. It didn’t feel like a cramp was developing, but just some tightness that would be concerning if it didn’t go away. Luckily, the tightness disappeared after about a mile. 

One of the things I liked about Chicago besides the flat and fast course and great weather on marathon day was that there were a ton of runners to run with. At no point along the course was I ever running solo and in no man’s land. There was always a small pack of runners to run with or a string of runners up front to chase after. However, despite there being some runners to run with, I still stuck to my race plan of running my own race and pace. 

I went through halfway in 1:15:05, which was 25 seconds slower than my half split at the 2022 Boston Marathon when I broke 2:30. At this point I was feeling good and comfortable, so I thought I’d have a good shot at negative splitting or at least running even splits in the second half. 

As part of the Age Group World Championships, all AGWC runners wore a custom back bib displaying their age group division and last name. At first, I thought this was a dumb idea because it’s an easy target for other masters’ runners behind you to key off and chase after. Well, it turned out to be a good thing because I was one of them chasing and overtaking other runners. During the first half of the race, I passed a good number of runners with AGWC back bibs. It was especially motivating each time I caught and passed a runner in the same M45-49 age group. 

From miles 15 through 22, I felt great and was clicking off miles at just under 5:40 pace. I kept telling myself to stay relax as there were still lots of running left. I also reminded myself that pushing a few seconds faster than MP can easily turn into 30 seconds added onto each mile late in the race. Around the 21-mile marker, I heard a spectator yell out 2 hours 35 seconds. At first, I was wondering what the hell he was talking about, but then wondered whether Kiptum just ran a new world record of 2:00:35. 

Around mile 23 the course took us through a U-shape stretch of road where you can see the faster runners heading in the opposite direction towards the last couple miles and to the finish. This was cool, because I got to see the top American women and how the race was panning out. I was surprised to see Molly Seidel as the next woman and only about a minute behind Emily Sisson. I expected to see Emma Bates running with or just behind Emily. Unfortunately, Emma was much further back with a few other women in front of her. 

At around 24.5 miles, I caught up to a small pack of runners with a couple of them wearing AGWC back bibs, one with a M40-44 bib and another with a M50-54 bib. I was trying to decide whether to hang with the group or continue pushing through.  Since I was still running well at this point, I decided to push through. Moments later I felt a slight cramp flirting with my left hamstring. Interestingly, I experienced the same type of cramp in my hamstrings this late in the race in my past two Boston Marathons. I stayed calm because I knew how to deal with it. At the next aid station, I downed 3 cups of Gatorade. The Gatorade helped subside the cramp, just as it did in Boston. Luckily the aid station was only about 100 meters away from when I felt the cramp or else the cramp would have gotten worse before it got better. 

About a half mile later there was a sign telling us we had One Mile to Go. I don’t remember exactly what my watch read with a mile to go, but I do remember thinking that I was on track for a sub 2:30 and possibly match my PR. 

Just before the 26-mile mark we make a right turn and run up a short hill on the highway bridge before making a left towards the finish. This part of the course reminded me exactly of the Boston Marathon’s infamous finish “Right on Hereford, Left on Boylston”. I didn’t think the short hill was tough at all, but that’s likely because I still had some legs under me. After I crested the hill and made the left turn towards the finish, I checked my watch and realized that I could possibly PR by a few seconds. I made one final push on the straightaway and crossed the finish line when the clock read 2:30:38. At first, I was like “What???”, and then I remembered that I started the race a minute later than the pro/elite field. I stopped my Garmin and it read 2:29:39, so I knew I broke 2:30 and PR’d. My official time was 2:29:38, a new personal best by 10 seconds and the second time going sub 2:30, both as a master’s runner.

I was happy to have achieved my time goal of a sub 2:30 and new PR, but I was even happier when I found out I placed 2nd in the Age Group World Championships M45-49 division. As a top 3 finisher in my age group, I was invited to attend the Chicago Marathon Champions Reception later that evening.  This was an awesome experience as I was recognized and celebrated with the top performing athletes, to include the new World Marathon Record Holder Kelvin Kiptum, Sifan Hassan, Emily Sisson and Conner Mantz.  

L-R: M45-49 2nd, 1st, and F45-49 1st Place

New Marathon World Record Holder
Kelvin Kiptum, 2:00:35

I know this recap is long, but I wanted to add some final thoughts and data.

Overall, I loved the Chicago course. The course is flat and can be very fast when there is good weather, and on October 8th we had perfect weather for the marathon.  It can get very windy (I guess that’s why they call it the Windy City), but on the day the 8mph winds didn’t have much of an impact. I thought the crowd support was good.  I didn’t notice any dead spots of crowds along the course, so that was a big plus.  

I’m a big fan of running an even split or preferably a negative split race. I ran negative splits with the second half 32 seconds faster (1:15:05 / 1:14:33). Official 5k splits below.  

Nutrition: I stuck with my pre-race/raceday nutrition plan as it has worked for me in my previous marathons.  The night before the race I drank one bottle of Maurten 320 drink mix to stay hydrated and load up on more carbs.  In the morning, I had my breakfast 2.5 hours before the race and then sipped on a bottle of Maurten 320 about an hour before the race.  I took one caffeinated Maurten gel 10 minutes before the start and an additional five gels over the course of the race.  I took one gel alternating regular with caffeinated gels about every 4-5 miles (miles 4, 9, 13, 17, and 21).  In addition to the gels, I alternated drinking Gatorade and water at the aid stations. 

Shoes: Nike Alphafly Next% 2 (orange). 

Marathon Results and Statistics (Updated)

#	Marathon	Date	Time	Pace	1st Half	2nd Half	Place
1	Marine Corps	10/26/2003	2:52:22	6:37	1:22:46	1:30:36	47
2	Honolulu	12/14/2003	3:09:38	7:14			176
3	Boston	4/19/2004	2:59:23	6:51	1:24:39	1:34:33	307
4	Houston	1/16/2005	2:42:14	6:12	1:21:11	1:21:03	25
5	Marine Corps	10/30/2005	2:41:15	6:09	1:20:16	1:20:59	35
6	Austin	2/19/2006	2:38:16	6:02	1:19:17	1:18:59	54
7	Rocket City	12/9/2006	2:39:21	6:05	1:18:29	1:20:52	9
8	Grandmas	6/21/2008	2:54:08	6:39	1:25:23	1:28:45	80
9	Amsterdam	10/19/2008	2:35:37	5:56	1:17:34	1:18:03	43
10	Hamburg	4/26/2009	2:34:33	5:54	1:17:16	1:17:17	36
11	Berlin	9/20/2009	2:34:06	5:53	1:16:20	1:17:46	98
12	Marine Corps	10/25/2009	2:41:33	6:10	1:17:16	1:24:17	34
13	Rotterdam	4/11/2010	2:35:46	5:57	1:17:04	1:18:42	73
14	Munich	10/10/2010	2:33:50	5:52	1:16:46	1:17:04	9
15	Rotterdam	4/10/2011	2:35:26	5:56	1:16:32	1:18:54	67
16	Boston	4/16/2012	2:36:35	5:59	1:18:29	1:18:06	56
17	Boston	4/15/2013	2:36:49	5:59	1:17:08	1:19:41	179
18	Big Sur	4/28/2013	2:46:05	6:20	1:23:08	1:22:57	11
19	Richmond	11/16/2013	2:36:44	5:59	1:17:27	1:19:18	12
20	Boston	4/21/2014	2:53:34	6:37	1:17:24	1:36:10	1310
21	All-American	5/4/2014	2:48:03	6:25	1:20:37	1:27:26	3
22	California Int'l	12/7/2014	2:32:29	5:49	1:16:41	1:15:48	65
23	Boston	4/20/2015	2:33:13	5:51	1:16:13	1:17:00	119
24	California Int'l	12/6/2015	2:31:54	5:48	1:15:12	1:16:42	44
25	Boston	4/18/2016	2:37:23	6:00	1:15:35	1:21:48	90
26	Indy Monumental	11/5/2016	2:31:44	5:47	1:15:15	1:16:30	11
27	Boston	4/17/2017	2:34:49	5:54	1:16:14	1:18:35	97
28	Boston	4/16/2018	DNF
29	California Int’l	12/2/2018	2:32:16	5:49	1:14:57	1:17:19	186
30	Rocket City	12/14/2019	2:31:04	5:45	1:15:31	1:15:33	3
31	Boston (Virtual)	9/7/2020	2:31:16	5:46			9
32	Boston	4/18/2022	2:29:48	5:43	1:14:39	1:15:09	118
33	Indy Monumental	11/5/2022	2:34:32	5:54	1:14:50	1:19:42	45
34	Boston	4/17/2023	2:32:59	5:50	1:14:50	1:18:09	237
35	Chicago	10/8/2023	2:29:38	5:42	1:15:05	1:14:33	152
36	New York City	11/5/2023	2:33:40	5:52	1:15:57	1:17:43	80
37	Boston	4/15/2024	2:35:07	5:55	1:15:23	1:19:44	235
		Average	2:38:50	6:03

Facts and statistics in no particular order.

• New Marathon Personal Best is 2:29:38, 10 seconds faster than my 2022 Boston Marathon
• Ran my PR on my 35th marathon at the age of 45!
• 2nd in 2023 Wanda Age Group World Championships M45-49 AG, and also 2nd in Chicago Marathon M45-49 AG
• 2nd Place in M45-49 AG at New York City Marathon only four weeks after Chicago
• Boston Marathon
• 12 total Boston Marathons, but 10 finishes and 1 virtual
• 5th in the M45-49 age group in 2024
• 4th in the M45-49 age group in 2023
• 10th in the M40-44 age group in 2022
• Had a streak of 7 consecutive Boston's (2012-2018), but I DNF’d in 2018 from the brutal stormy, rainy and freezing conditions. I tried to get back on the course after visiting the medical tent, but my body shutdown (mild hypothermia). 
• Placed 119th Overall in the 119th edition of the Boston Marathon (2015)
• Placed in the Top 100 in 2012, 2016, and 2017
• 56th Overall in the 2012 scorching heat
• 90th Overall in 2016; very warm and windy
• 97th Overall in 2017
• 3rd Place Overall in 2013 Boston2BigSur Challenge (2 marathons in 13 days)
• Average marathon time and pace for my 34 marathons is 2:39:06 / 6:04 pace
• Ran 2 marathons at sub 2:30, 22 marathons in the 2:30's (between 2:30:00 to 2:39:59), 5 marathons in the 2:40's, 4 marathons in the 2:50s, and 1 marathon over 3:00 (decided to run Honolulu last minute as a fun run while on vacation). 
• Ran 21 marathons at sub-6:00 pace or sub-2:37:12.
• 8 marathons with a negative or even split halves.  I'm considering Hamburg Marathon and 2019 Rocket City Marathon even split races since I was only 1-2 seconds slower in the 2nd half. 
• Ran 6 marathons in Europe: 3 in Germany and 3 in the Netherlands. 
• Avg finish time and pace for European marathons is 2:34:53 / 5:55 pace.
• Is European's pavement better than the US for running or are the courses just faster?
• I ran 5 marathons 2 or more times - 10 x Boston, 3 x Marine Corps, 2 x Rotterdam, 3 x CIM, 2 x Rocket City
• The most marathons I ran in one calendar year is 3 in 2009.  
• 5 - # of times I hit the "Wall" in the marathon.
• Marine Corps '03 - what better way to experience the wall than in your 1st marathon.
• Boston '04 - HOT! 2nd hottest Boston Marathon in history at the time. (can't use the heat as an excuse since I ran well in '12 Boston when it was hot again)
• Marine Corps '09 - Ran MCM only 5 weeks after Berlin.  
• Boston '14 - you can't expect to run well in Boston if you don't train on hills.
• All-American - cramped badly at 20 miles, but still fought hard for 3rd Place.
• 2:54 at Grandmas Marathon - still decided to run Grandmas after only 4-5 weeks of training; had IT band syndrome that lasted for 8 weeks.

Rocket City Marathon - 2:31:04 (new PR and Guam NR)

It was my second time running the Rocket City Marathon (first time was back in 2006), and my 30th total marathon.  I had originally planned to run California International Marathon (CIM), which I ran three times (2014, '15, and '18) in the last five years, but CIM was already sold out when I tried to register.  So, my other options for a late fall/early winter marathon were Indy Monumental in early November or Rocket City a month later.  Rocket City actually ended up being the only option, because Indy occurred during the same timeframe that I would be TDY (temporary duty) for work.  

I was pretty excited, but also surprisingly calm on race morning.  Not sure if I was calm because of the smaller field size (less than 2,000 runners) or because I felt fit and confident in tackling the distance.  Or maybe it was because I had gotten to the start line healthy and enjoyed the process along the way.  This alone was already a win for me.  My marathon PR going in was a 2:31:44, ran at Indy Monumental in 2016. Based on recent races and a good marathon buildup, I felt that I was ready to improve on my marathon PR.  The weather was perfect for marathon running, 43 degrees, overcast and very little wind, although it felt very windy on the long stretch to the Space Center.

The starting gun went off right at 7am and within a half mile of the race I already found myself running alone.  There was a lead group of four runners, another two runners behind the lead group, me, and then another three runners about 20 meters behind me.  Just after the Mile 2 marker, the three runners just behind (Josh, Rodney, and Martin) caught up to me.  I had no idea at the time, but the four of us were all in the Masters category.  I asked them what their goal pace or time was, but got no answer. Shortly after, Josh and Rodney picked up the pace creating a small gap that slowly increased over the course of the next 13 miles. Martin, on the other hand, dropped back a few steps, so I was running solo again.  This assembly line, Josh and Rodney running together, myself, and then Martin, remained the same from mile 3 until around mile 18.  

I felt really good in the first half, running my own pace and easily clicking off mile splits (GPS) between 5:40-5:45.  The only frustrating thing early in the race was that my Garmin watch was splitting each mile early, about 8-10 seconds before the mile markers.  The time and distance between when my watch split and when I crossed the mile markers increased as the race progressed. At first this was disturbing and had a negative impact on my mindset.  All I could think of was that I was running longer than the actual marathon distance. My inner self then told me that this was something out of my control, and that the GPS accuracy was likely off due to the frequent turns in the course.  From then on, I focused all my mental energy at the task at hand, running what felt like the right pace and effort.

I came through 10K in 35:41 and the half in 1:15:31. Just before the halfway mark, I saw my wife and she handed me my plastic water bottle I gave to her at the start. I was really glad she still had my water bottle, because I likely wasn’t taking in enough fluids early in the race.

Approaching halfway 

Miles 16 through 18 were the toughest miles. The course took us through West Huntsville on 9th Avenue and then onto Governors House Dr., which ran parallel to Interstate 565 towards the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.  The combined three mile long stretch of road was slightly uphill and rolling with noticeable headwinds.  I ran my slowest miles of the race on this section, splitting 5:50 and 5:52 (GPS) for miles 16 and 17.  On 9th Ave I saw Josh and Rodney about a minute and a half ahead.  It didn’t seem like I was closing the gap on them, but at the same time I wasn’t focus on it.  I was fixated on running my own race and ensuring that I was putting in the right effort.

Around Mile 18 at the Space Center, I noticed that I was quickly closing in on Josh.  Rodney was about 50-100 meters in front of Josh but within sight.  I caught and passed Josh right after the 19.4 mile aid station.  About a half mile later I shot by Rodney as we headed into the Huntsville Botanical Garden. I couldn’t believe how good I was feeling with 10k to go.  There’s a saying that the marathon is broken down into two races, a 20 mile long run and a 10k race.  This couldn’t be truer, and at 20 miles I felt like the race was just getting started.  Just before I exited the gardens I was surprised to see and overtake another Masters runner (Dancan).  Didn’t know he was a Masters runner until after I viewed results.

After meandering through the botanical gardens, the course took us back onto 9th Ave for miles 23 through 24.5.  I was now running in the opposite direction of the other runners heading out to the Space Center.  This was nice because all the runners were cheering me on.  One runner yelled out that I was currently in 4th place and that 3rd place was not far ahead.  I overtook the runner in 3rd and kept that position until the finish.  I later found out that the 3rd place guy I overtook (Chris) was trying for the Olympic Trials Qualifying (OTQ) time of 2:19, but fell off pace.

At mile 25.2, a race timer yelled out “one mile to go” and the time “2:25:25”.  Until this point, I really had no idea of my estimated finishing time except that I was somewhere in the 2:31 range.  After some quick calculation, I realized that I needed to run just under a 5:35 last mile or faster to go sub-2:31.  I knew that a 5:35 mile was doable, but it wasn’t going to be easy.  With about a quarter mile to go, I ran by my wife along Big Springs Park and she yelled for me to “push it all the way to the end!” I think she knew that I was cutting it very close to breaking 2:31. The marathon finishes inside the Von Braun Center and when I made the turn into the arena, I saw the clock just about to turn over from 2:30:5x to 2:31:00. Unfortunately, I came up short of becoming a 2:30 marathoner by 4 seconds.  I crossed the finish in 3rd Place Overall and 1st Masters with a chip time of 2:31:04, a new PR and Guam National Record by 40 seconds.  Results are here.

Pushed it all the way to the end!

I was excited to have just run a new PR, but even more excited with the way I executed my race.  My half splits were 1:15:31 and 1:15:33.  The last 10k was by far the best finish I’ve had in any my 30 marathons.  I averaged 5:37 pace (based on GPS splits) for the last 7 miles (mile 20 to 26).  I told my wife afterwards that I felt like my race was worth a sub-2:30 performance.  Interestingly, my Garmin watch, as well both of the top two finisher’s watches, measured the course at 26.55 miles, which if true is equivalent to a 5:41 average pace and 2:29:11 estimated marathon effort.  The reality though is that official results are what counts.  I ran 2:31:04 on a certified course and super proud of it.

Mile Splits (GPS)

Okay, I should end this race report, but before I do so I want to note a couple things.

• Nutrition.  I didn’t talk about nutrition in my write up, but here’s what I did.  I took one Maurten gel just before the start, and an additional five gels over the course of the race (miles 6, 12, 16.4, 19.4, and 23).  I felt that my nutrition was spot on!  On the hydration side, I think it was fine.  I took in fluids at every aid station except one, which I missed (not intentionally).

• Masters Running (40 yrs and over).  There were some very good Masters runners at the 43rd Rocket City Marathon.  The title for Top Masters and $750 was very competitive, and I was really proud to come out on top.  It’s crazy that six of the top nine finishers were Masters runners.  It just goes to show that age is just a number! Also in addition to the $750, I also won an additional $500 for 3rd Place Overall.  Combined I took home more $$ than the overall winner! 

RCM Male Masters Champion
and Finisher’s Medal

February 13 - April 9 Training

April 3 - 9

Mon: AM - 10.1 miles easy (7:34); It was raining very heavily, so I chickened out and ran on the treadmill.  PM - 4.5 miles easy (7:26)

Tue: AM - 8 miles easy with 8x20s pickups (7:06); PM - 4 miles easy (7:41)

Wed: AM - 10.4 miles including 5x5:00 fast, 2:00 easy on rolling hills.  Goal was to run around 10k effort and just get a feel for some higher intensity over and down the hills.  Covered 5.9 miles for the 35 minute fartlek and averaged 5:28 pace for the faster running.  PM - 5.1 miles easy (7:34)

Thu: AM - 8 miles easy (7:24); PM - 3.1 miles easy (7:55)

Fri: 7.8 miles with 8x20s pickups 

Sat: 17 miles including 3x3 miles at 5:40-5:45 with .65 jog at 6:15 pace.  Last long run and marathon workout before Boston.  The last two long runs contained at least 10 miles of continuous marathon pace, so this run was somewhat a reduced marathon workout.  The first 3-mile segment felt very smooth with even splits of 5:43s (17:09).  On the 2nd segment, I had to stay focus so that I wouldn't drift off pace.  I ran 5:42, 5:42 and 5:39 (17:03).  This segment didn't feel as easy, but it also wasn't too hard.  The last segment is where I felt most controlled. I ran 5:40, 5:40 and 5:38 (16:58).  In the last mile, I was averaging 5:35 pace for the first 1/2 mile before I slowed things down.  There was no sense of running faster than I needed to.  This run was a good confidence booster going into the last taper week.  I ran in my new Saucony Boston Freedom ISO, which I plan to race in on Patriot's Day.  

Sun: 5 miles easy (7:42)

Weekly Total: 83 miles on 11 runs/ 7 days
I enjoyed this week with the drop in mileage and am looking forward to even more of a drop next week. While 83 miles may still seem like a ton of mileage with just over a week till race day, it really isn't when you think percentage of peak.  I peaked at 110 miles during this marathon training cycle, so percentage wise, this training week was only at 75%.  

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March 27 - April 2

Mon: AM - 9 miles easy with 8x20s pickups (7:13); PM - 5 miles easy (7:20)

Tue: AM - 10.3 miles with 12x2:00 on/1:00 off on rolling hills (6:27). Ran the 2:00 at about 5:00ish track effort.  The tough part of this workout, besides the uphills, is the 1:00 minute recovery.  They seem to dry up very quickly.  I ended up covering 6.1 miles for the 36 min fartlek.   PM - 6 miles easy (7:20)

Wed: AM - 8 miles easy (7:35); PM - 4 miles easy (7:52)

Thu: AM - 10.1 miles with 4 miles of 30s fast, 2:30 moderate.  Ran the fartlek on a slight rolling hill course with the 30s at 4:45-4:50ish pace and the 2:30 recovery around 6:15 pace.    Good workout that didn't take a whole lot out of me.  PM - 5 miles easy (7:23)

Fri: AM - 5.6 miles easy (7:22); PM - 7 miles easy (7:16)

Sat: 19 miles long run; 3 miles w/u, 10 miles at 5:45, 1 mile jog, 2x1/2 uphill, 2x1/2 downhill, 2 miles c/d.  Felt really good and smooth.  Ran a portion of the 10 miles on the 2.1 mile golf course loop and some on the track.  Ran 56:26 for the 10 miles, 5:39 pace.  Following the MP run, I jogged a mile to Bluntville Ave for the 1/2 mile repeats.  Felt pretty strong on the uphill repeats running 2:44 and 2:41 for the 1/2 miles.  Instead of the usual double between the uphill/downhill, I only ran a 1/2 mile recovery before the 1x1/2 mile downhill. Ran sub-5:00 pace with a split of 2:26.  Got in some pounding on the downhills.  Overall, this was an excellent workout, and I finished the run feeling like I could have ran longer and faster.  Good sign!  

Sun: AM - 7.1 miles easy (7:23); PM - 4 miles easy (7:37)

Weekly Total: 100.2 miles on 13 runs/ 7 days
This was my last really tough week and the last time I'll hit the triple digit mileage for a while.  Of the last 14 weeks of training, I had a total of 10 weeks at 100 or more miles.  

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March 20 - 26

Mon: AM - 10 miles easy with 8x20s pickups (7:07); PM - 5 miles easy (7:28)

Tue: AM - 11.3 miles including 6x1 mile with 1/4 mile jog. Goal was to start at 5:10ish and work down to low-5s.  Ran 5:10, 5:09, 5:06, 5:05, 5:06, and 5:06.  The first three intervals felt good, but the last three were tough.  PM - 6 miles easy (7:27)

Wed: AM - 12 miles with 10 miles moderate over rolling hills working down to 6:00 (6:15).   Thought this run was going to feel tough on the legs after yesterday’s workout, but that wasn’t the case.   I actually felt great and averaged 6:05 pace for the last 10 miles.  PM - 5 miles easy (7:14)< Thu: AM - 8.1 miles easy (7:15); PM - 6 miles easy (7:20)

Fri: AM - 5.7 miles easy; PM - 6 miles easy with 8x20s pickups on slight hills. Ran four uphill and four downhill pickups.  Tough long run tomorrow. 
Sat: 24 miles long run; 2 miles w/u, 4 miles each at 6:10, 6:00, 5:50, 5:40, and 5:35, 2 miles c/d.   This was a tough and strong long run workout.  The first and second 4 mile sections felt very smooth and comfortable.  On the third 4-mile section at 5:50, I still felt okay, but it wasn’t a walk in the park.  The 4th 4-miles at 5:40 felt a little tough, but I had no problems hitting the paces.  On the last 4-miles, I split 5:34 for the first mile, but could not hang on for the last three.  I was only able to run 5:39, 5:41 and 5:41 pace.  My 4-mile splits were 24:30 (6:07), 23:52 (5:59), 23:10 (5:47), 22:40 (5:40), and 22:36 (5:39).  

Sun: AM - 8 miles easy (7:27); PM - 3.2 miles easy (7:32)

Weekly Total: 110.4 miles on 13 runs/ 7 days
Wow, what a great week of training!   It was my second time hitting 110 miles during this marathon training cycle.  I definitely got in a good variety of workouts and volume.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March 13 - 19

Mon: AM - 9 miles easy with 6x20s pickups (7:09); PM - 5 miles easy (7:28)

Tue: AM - 12.6 miles including 3, 2.5, and 2 miles tempo with 800 rec jog.  The goal was 5:25 pace for the 3 miles, 5:15 pace for the 2.5 miles and 5:10 for the 2 miles.  It was freezing cold (24 deg with real-feel of 13) and the legs never felt it could run faster than 5:25ish pace.  I wasn’t breathing hard, I just couldn’t push the pace.  On the 2.5 mile tempo, not much changed and I still ran 5:25 pace instead of 5:15s.  When the legs started to feel very heavy on the last lap of the 2.5 miles, I decided to call it the day.  The legs obviously was not recovered from the rolling hills long run.  PM - 4.1 miles easy (7:34)

Wed: AM - 4 miles easy (7:56); PM - 12 miles progression working down to 6:00 pace (6:31)

Thu: AM - 8 miles easy (7:14); PM - 4.4 miles easy (7:20)

Fri: AM - 8 miles easy with a mile of in/outs (7:11); PM - 4 miles easy (7:20)

Sat: AM - 18.5 miles long run with 60 min fartlek of 3:00 fast, 3:00 steady over rolling hills.  Averaged 5:31 pace (5.4 miles) for the fast sections and 6:15 pace (4.8 miles) for the steady recovery.  This was a tough, but good workout for the Boston course.  PM - 4.4 miles easy (7:38)

Sun: AM - 6.2 miles easy (7:48); PM - 4.8 miles easy (7:31)

Weekly Total: 105 miles on 14 runs/ 7 days
Finally back in the triple digit mileage.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March 6 - 12

Mon: AM - 6 miles easy (7:17); the plan was 9 miles with pickups, but I was short on time.  PM - DNR; move-in day to our new home.

Tue: AM/PM - DNR; big fat ZERO for the day.  The house is littered with boxes and unpacking them seemed more important than running.  Well, in all honesty, I was too exhausted to fit in a run.  Hopefully, this won't become a habit.

Wed: AM - 13.5 miles including 5x1 mile with 1/4 slow jog, 1 mile jog, 4x1/4 mile downhill at 5k effort. Goal was 5:10ish or just under for the mile repeats.  Ran the mile repeats on a 1/2 mile path (out and back), because the high school track right across the street from my house doesn't allow anyone besides students to use the track.  Man, I was pissed! Anyways, I ran 5:09, 5:08, 5:06, 5:06 and 5:06 for the mile repeats.  The last two reps were tough.  For the 1/4 mile downhill, the goal was to beat up the legs.  That I did.  Ran 67, 66, 68, and 68.  PM - 6.6 miles easy (7:28); 20 mile day. 

Thu: AM - 10.1 miles easy (7:03);  PM - 5.1 miles easy (7:22); ran into the high school track coach and got permission to use the track for future workouts. 

Fri: 11.1 miles including fartlek of 10x2:00 on/2:00 off on rolling terrain (6:38); Averaged 5:13 pace for the on's and 7:21 for the recovery.  Tough session after only one easy day between workouts.  PM - 4.7 miles easy (7:31)

Sat: AM - 8.1 miles easy (7:47); PM - 4.9 miles easy(7:55);

Sun: 22.2 miles long run on rolling hills (6:37); exploring new routes in the area. 

Weekly Total: 92.3 miles on 10 runs/ 6 days.
This was supposed to be a high mileage week (~110), but I missed three runs. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

February 27 - March 5

Mon: AM - 8.2 miles easy (7:18); PM - DNR; travel to Disney

Tue: AM - 10.5 miles easy with 8x20s pickups; went from running in winter conditions in KC to warm and humid conditions in Florida.  PM - 4.8 miles easy (7:37); late night run after spending the day at Disney.  Legs are beat from walking all day.  I really wanted to skip out on my 2nd run, but I've missed too many of them the past week. 

Wed: AM - 12.2 miles with failed fartlek of 10x3:00 on/ 1:30 jog.  Goal was to run the 3:00 starting at 5:25 pace and work down.  I knew this was going to be a tough workout to complete because I was already feeling exhausted before I started the run.  I ran the first three repeats at 5:23, 5:21, and 5:21 pace, but the effort felt a lot harder.  After running only a 5:39 pace for the 4th rep, I decided to call it the day.  Ended up running the remaining miles as a long cooldown.  PM - DNR; was planning on running 3-4 miles very easy, but again the legs were beat from Disney. 

Thu: AM - 11 miles easy (7:20); too tired to wake up early so I end up suffering in the Florida heat. PM - DNR; tough workout on Saturday, so I'm giving the legs some rest.

Fri: AM - DNR; travel back to KC.  PM - 5.4 miles easy (7:19); legs feel back to life.

Sat: 23.1 miles including 5x2.5 miles at 5:40-5:45 pace with .65 miles jog at sub 6:20 pace.  Successful workout.  Ran the 2.5 miles in 14:22 (5:45 pace), 14:19 (5:44), 14:11 (5:40), 14:12 (5:41), 14:04 (5:38) and the .65 miles recovery jogs in 4:03 (6:14 pace), 4:05 (6:17), 4:04 (6:15), 4:03 (6:14), and 3:55 (6:02).  Was really glad to nail this workout after feeling exhausted throughout the week. 

Sun: AM - 8.1 miles easy (7:29); PM - 4.6 miles easy (7:41)

Weekly Total: 88 miles on 9 runs/ 7 days
This week was the most tired I've felt in a long time.  At first I thought I'd have no problems getting in my runs because I'm on vacation.  Unfortunately, vacation doesn't actually mean rest, especially if it's a vacation to Disney World.  Ha!  I had a ton of fun with my family, so it's all worth it. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

February 20 - 26

Mon: AM - 10.2 miles with 8x30s fast, 2:30 at 6:15 pace (6:41).  I enjoy this fartlek run, because you get in some fast running while teaching the body to recover at a moderate pace.  Covered 4.05 miles (5:55 pace) for the fartlek section.  PM - 6.1 miles easy (7:49)

Tue: AM - 8.7 miles easy (7:24); PM - 6 miles easy (7:31)

Wed: AM - 13.1 miles including 6 miles alternating 5:45 and 5:10 pace.  Goal was to alternate a mile at around marathon and 10k effort.  This was an intense workout towards the end, but I managed to get through it.  The toughest part of the workout was trying to recover following the faster miles.  I'd feel like I was going into oxygen debt during the start of the 2nd and 3rd slower miles, but would finally recover after about 600m.  Ran splits of 5:44, 5:11, 5:45, 5:10, 5:46, and 5:06.  PM - DNR; moving day.

Thu: AM - 10 miles easy (7:15); last run in Maryland.  PM - DNR; road trip begins.

Fri: AM - 11.3 miles with 7.3 miles moderate (6:13); first stop on the long road trip from Maryland to Kansas.  Ran on the Caperton Trail in West Virginia.  PM - DNR

Sat: AM - 8.5 miles easy (7:27); it was 35 deg, rainy and 30mph winds in Terre Haute IN.  Treadmill was much better than suffering in the cold. 

Sun: 24 miles long run (6:19); with the past few days of travel and missed 2nd runs, my plan was to try and get in a long run of at least 20 miles when I arrived in Kansas City and before flying out for a short vacation tomorrow.  Felt amazingly good and smooth throughout the run. 

Weekly Total: 98 miles on 9 runs/ 7 days
Not too bad of a week considering I spent three days traveling from MD to KS.  I do wish I would have gotten out for a short run on Thu or Fri to put me over 100 miles. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

February 13 - 19

Mon: AM - 5.4 miles easy (7:36).  Very windy.  PM - 8 miles moderate (6:20); holy windy, 20 mph winds with gusts up to 30mph.  Felt sluggish in the first mile, but smooth the rest of the run, even with the windy conditions.

Tue: AM - 8 miles easy (7:28); PM - 6 miles easy (7:56)

Wed: AM - 11.7 miles with 20x1:00 on/off fartlek.  Started around 5:10 pace and worked down to 4:55ish pace for the 1:00s.  Averaged 5:00 pace for the on's and 7:32 for the recoveries.  PM - 6 miles easy (7:21)

Thu: AM - 10 miles easy (7:02);  PM - 5.8 miles easy (8:56); my last run with the lunch run group on Aberdeen Proving Ground. It's been fun running with these guys.

Fri: AM - 6 miles easy (7:44);  PM - 4.2 miles easy (7:31)

Sat: AM - 22 miles long run (6:29); started out easy and worked down to upper 5s by the end.  Ran in Arlington, VA on the Mt. Vernon Trail. 

Sun: AM - 7 miles easy (7:37);  PM - Did not run; getting the house ready for the packers tomorrow.

Weekly Total: 100.2 miles on 12 runs/ 7 days
This week's training was a little more conservative and I'm glad it was.  This was my last week stationed at APG, and between work out-processing and preparing for the movers, things were pretty busy and stressful. 

February 6 - 12 Training

Mon: AM - 10 miles easy with one mile of 100m strides, 100m jog (7:13);  PM - 5 miles easy (7:40)

Tue: AM - 10 miles easy (7:12); PM - 5.1 miles easy (7:56)

Wed: AM - 10 miles with 2x2 miles tempo with 1/2 mile jog.  The goal was to run the first 2 miles tempo at 5:15 pace and then the second at 5:05 pace.  The first two miles actually didn't feel too bad and was able to complete it in 10:26 (5:13, 5:13).  The second 2 miles, however, was very tough.  I came through the mile in 5:03.  I was hurting pretty good and even doubted myself that I could run another mile at 5:05.  So, I decided to take a very short rest before proceeding with the last mile.  Ended up running a 5:07 for the last mile.  PM - 6 miles easy (7:20)

Thu: AM - 8.4 miles easy (7:41).  Yesterday was 66 degrees and sunny, and 12 hours later it's 30 deg and snowy!  PM - 4.7 miles easy (7:38)

Fri: 8 miles easy with 8x20s pick-ups (7:19); big workout tomorrow, so only one run for the day.

Sat: 20.1 miles with first 6 miles at 6:15, 6 miles of 3:00 at 5:30 pace, 2:00 at 6:15 pace, 1 mile jog, 6 miles at 5:45, 1 mile cool-down. (5:59 overall avg).  Tough long run workout.  The first 6 miles moderate (37:09, 6:11 pace) felt nice and comfortable.  After the moderate 6 miles, I rolled right into the fartlek workout, which I programmed into my watch as 7x3:00/2:00.  With the prescribed paces (5:30/6:15), the 7 repeats put me at 6 miles (6.08 to be exact).  The fartlek went really well for the first 5 repeats. It wasn't until the last two repeats that the paces started to feel tough and the legs feeling like bricks.  During the mile jog, I thought to myself "how in the world was I going to run 6 more miles at 5:45 on heavy and tired legs."  It turned out that my legs were able to handle the 6 miles at MP effort.  I ran the 6 miles in 34:05 with the mile splits at 5:38, 5:42, 5:40, 5:41, 5:41, and 5:40. 

Sun: AM - 8 miles easy (7:41); PM - 4 miles easy (8:10)

Weekly Total: 100.3 miles on 12 runs/ 7 days
This was the toughest training week so far of my Boston Marathon training cycle.  The volume is down a little (though, I still hit triple digits), but Saturday's workout made up for it.