2018 HALF BORING HALF MARATHON RACE PREVIEW

At the beginning of last years Boring Half.

It is nearly the one year anniversary of the event where I announced "I'm back!" to running. I wasn't expecting it at the time, but this was the race that really lit the fire in my comeback. I didn't have much time to prepare, as I had spent most of August recovering from two broken toes. At the time I broke my toes, I was just starting to get back to running, my knee inflammation had finally been tamped down and I was trying to get back in shape. The toe thing really threw my planning off so when I finally was able to run again I had less than a month to prepare. I was able to manage about ten runs to cram for Boring, starting from a baseline of three miles and peaking at a six mile "long" run the week before.

My goal last year at Boring was to run it as long as I could (I figured something like eight miles or so, as the six miles the weekend before was tough). Then I could walk/jog it in. There was no thought of running the whole thing, that would be a dumb goal to make and was probably nearly impossible. Well, what do you know, I not only made it to mile eight, I ran the whole damn thing, finishing in 2:22. I actually felt stronger toward the end and ran my fastest miles up a slight hill. It blew my expectations out of the water and gave me the sense that yeah, I can do this again. After that race I started running regularly, at least three times a week, and a couple months later ran 1:56 at the Holiday Half. My mojo was back baby!

So this race really sticks out and means something to me. When I was looking for races to sprinkle around the training cycle to keep things interesting, this one was an easy addition! The race organizers are fun and put on a really good event. It's got that small, local, organic feel to it. Not some big production by a for-profit company, but a labor of love by a few people. I don't know if it will become a yearly tradition like Shamrock or Miami, but it does fall at a perfect time to test your abilities after a summer of training.

In terms of the course, like last year, it is run 100% on the Springwater Trail. So basically you run 6.55 miles along the uninterrupted pedestrian trail, turn around, and run back. The first couple miles are slightly downhill, meaning the last couple are slightly uphill. Last year I didn't even really notice the uphill on the way back even though I did notice the downhill on the way out. I think I was running on magical fairy dust at that point. So this year I fully expect to feel that uphill on the way back, although it is pretty gentle. The weather on Sunday at the moment appears to be low 50s and sprinkles. Not my ideal weather, but close to ideal running weather. Hopefully it will stay dry-ish.

Finally, my goals. I am using this as a measuring stick for my progress over the summer and to set realistic expectations for the Marine Corp Marathon. This half is coming in the heat of marathon training, so my legs won't be completely fresh, but I should be able to run near my best time given my fitness. I'm not using it as practice for my marathon pace or anything, I am using it to see what my marathon pace should be...

GOALS:

"A" Goal: Sub 1:45. This is a stretch. This means I have to average 7:59/mile or less. I ran the Independence Day Half at 8:12/mile, so I need to shave 15 seconds a mile from that. That's a tall order... but on a perfect day? Maybe.

"B" Goal: 1:47:32 or less. Honestly, this will be my main focus, beating my Independence Day Half time. 8:11/mile or less. The extra mileage I've done over the last two months for marathon training should result in a faster time. I'll be disappointed if all those miles doesn't translate into some improvement.

"C" Goal: Sub 1:50, 8:23/mile or less. To feel like it hasn't been a complete disaster, I need to get under 1:50. Maybe it just isn't my day and all those miles catch up with me during the uphill finish. Getting this goal wouldn't be the end of the world, it just means I haven't really gotten faster in the last few months, which would be okay. I am marathon training after all and have done minimal speedwork.

BRUNCH RUN & RETROSPECTIVE

Mile 8 aid station at George Rogers Park.

After a two year absence it was back to the Portland Marathon Clinic Brunch Run on Saturday. This is the event where they bus you to a mystery location twenty miles away and then you run back to brunch. Usually pretty fun... in theory at least! Read about my experiences in 2013, 2014, and 2015. This is the run that introduced me to PMC and is usually my favorite of the training cycle because it is not the same old route and it always has great aid stations with lots of stuff.

About that same old route part though... yeah. So this year we did the Willamette Park (West Linn) to Willamette Park (Portland) route again. This was the route in my first year, 2013! This was also the route in 2015. This means that out of the four Brunch Runs I have done, THREE have been this same route! Ha! In 2016 and 2017 they did routes I haven't done before (Cook Park in Tigard and Kelly Point Park in Portland) but it's almost like they welcomed me back with this route like a homecoming or something.

I will say that this run went a lot better than back in 2015. I remember that one kind of sucking a lot. Now, that was in the middle of marathon training where my arthritis was starting to be noticeable a little bit (in retrospect). I was able to power through that cycle and a run a great time of 3:39, which was only six minutes off the year before when I was working my ass off to break 3:30. That 2015 cycle was more of a "survival" cycle, kind of like what I'm doing now. Get the miles in, but not worry about speedwork so much. Compared to the way I was feeling that training cycle, this year is going much better.

This was my third twenty miler of the season and I only have one more planned. Yikes! I'm going to have to do that one myself on the day before the Portlandathon. Will probably end up doing various loops from my house. Maybe I'll even buy some candy and shit for when I stop over between the loops. Anyways, crazy to think the dreaded twenty milers are almost out of the way. They've gone so well this year. Again, my legs felt fine during the run. Sure, they were tired toward the end, but nothing like I have felt in the past on some of these twenty milers. It gives me a glimmer of hope that with any inflammation tamped down, maybe, just maybe, the "20s" this coming marathon won't suck as much.

As for the weather on the Brunch Run, it was perfect. That certainly helped with feeling good. Do a twenty miler in 85 degrees and it's an entirely different story! It was actually sprinkling and about 60 degrees when we started. Most of the run was overcast, and then toward the end the clouds broke up a little. Still thought, it was probably 68 degrees when we finished. Very comfortable. I had to scarf down the brunch and jet because the Oregon State football game started at 5:00 and I earned some guilt free tailgating dag nabbit.

Finally, for a little fun, I was curious about how my training was doing compared to 2015, my last marathon training cycle. So far, I've been right on track, doing even more miles than I was doing back then. Awesome! Now, my long runs at the time were with the 3:30 group and averaging like 9:45/mile, so I was actually working harder. So it's not completely apples to apples, but the miles are there. Gives me confidence I can run the marathon. It's going to be a touch slower, sure, but I'm definitely on track and my attempt to "baby" myself a little through this cycle isn't really babying myself much at all!

ALL-STAR BREAK AUGUST

Has it really been over three weeks since I updated this thing? Ugh. No news is good news in this case I guess! The training plan has been going well and every week I'm a little more confident in my abilities to run the marathon. There have been a couple things of note since I last wrote, so I'll just do some bullet points:

• I just got done with what I am calling my "all-star break." You know how sports leagues shut things down about halfway through the season and have the all-star game? Well, not that I had an all-star game but the last two weeks have been my "break." And by break I mean I didn't do a long run either of those weeks. I did keep up my mileage and even did 32 miles last week on vacation, so I haven't been totally slacking off. However, it is back to reality tomorrow with a 20 miler!

• Speaking of 20 milers, I did my first one in three years on August 4th along the Fanno Creek Trail with the Portland Marathon Clinic. My long runs to that point had gone pretty well so I honestly wasn't even nervous. The run went great! While my legs did feel a little tired toward the end, it was not bad at all. The best 20 miler I can remember. Even the rest of the day and the next day my legs felt pretty good. Couldn't quite believe it. I think I was definitely struggling with some low grade arthritis for a few years before I was formally diagnosed. My legs have felt so good this training cycle.
• I've now done two tempo runs of six miles where my average pace was below 8:00/mile. These are my first sub-8 tempo runs in two and a half years. One of them was more steady, 7:55 pace +/- 10 seconds a mile... the other one, last night, was more of an "accidental" tempo. I ran fast to Sunstone since I left my house a little late, so I did a 8:25 mile there. Nothing too crazy. The first mile with Sunstone was 8:50. Again, reasonable. Well, then someone took off and I followed them and I ended up finishing the rest below 8:00 including a 7:18 mile that almost killed me. By the end of the run I was sprinting at 6:30 to get the average pace below 8:00 before finishing (success... 7:58/mi average).
• I did an 11-mile run at the Umpqua River during the large family campout. Running while camping is never fun since you are sleeping on the ground, but it felt really good and allowed me to enjoy the rest of the weekend guilt free. I love running that route in Roseburg when I am down there, so it felt nice to be able to do that again.
• One night at Portland Running Company I tested out my potential marathon race pace. I ran seven miles @ 8:45/mile, which would be a 3:49 marathon pace. It felt okay, not great though. It was also 91 degrees so that wasn't fair. I'm doing the Half Boring Half Marathon in a couple of weeks. I will run this my hardest and then extrapolate my marathon pace from there. All signs point to sub 3:50 being my "A" goal and sub 4:00 being my "B" goal.

Here's a blurry pic of me at Sunstone to cap the post.

END OF JULY TRAINING RECAP

One of many weekday runs with Sunstone Running Club.

Well, thought I should update everyone on how marathon training has been going. All told, it's been going pretty well! The training schedule really keeps me accountable, I'm going to hit my runs no matter what! If I have a run on Tuesday that I skip for some reason, you bet your ass I'm out there on Wednesday getting it done. No excuses, barring injury or sickness. Same with the long runs. Do I like waking up at 7am on Saturdays to run? Hell no. However, am I always glad I did it? Yes. The rest of the weekend free with no long run looming ahead is awesome!

As planned, I am hitting three runs on the weekdays. The plan is Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, but sometimes I switch it up to Monday, Wednesday and Thursday depending on how my legs feel after the long run Saturday and Monday night run. With the increased mileage I'm definitely not feeling the need for speed, although I'm still trying to throw in a run here and there to try and keep whatever speed I have up. As, as planned, those have been sporadic as my main focus has been on getting the mileage in. So far, I've been able to build my mileage without issue, so I have to keep going with what's working.

In regards to long runs, those are going well. These were my main concern when I started marathon training... I felt confident my knees could handle 5-6 mile weekday runs at that point, the big question was whether or not they could handle the long distance weekend runs and resulting weekly mileage into the mid to high 30s. And so far so good! Last weekend I did 18 miles and my body held up very well. My legs were definitely tired by the end but nothing major at all. Better than I remembered feeling on most 18 milers. The next challenge will be 20 miles this weekend, but I'm not worried at all to be honest. It has been pretty smooth sailing to this point so another two miles shouldn't be too big of an issue (famous last words?).

One of many long runs with the Portland Marathon Clinic

My knees actually feel really awesome. Since I noticed the psoriatic arthritis at a low level for years in other areas (upper back, jaw) before being treated, it is reasonable to assume it was also in my knees at a lower level for a while. Perhaps some of the discomfort and soreness I felt during these long 16+ mile runs was actually the arthritis acting up a little. Or maybe I am just remembering it as worse than it was because the fact I am running 18 miles again kind of blows my mind. I think the real test will be in the chute after the marathon... I am 5 for 5 for being a complete shitshow as soon as the race finishes. I didn't understand how people could just be walking around and smiling after the race. Maybe, just maybe, when I finish this time, my legs won't immediately turn to jello and cramp up.

Honestly, they probably will revolt as usual because a marathon is a long freaking way. However, training is going well and I am confident I can finish it. That will be a huge accomplishment! I basically had to start from scratch after almost two years on the bench with no clue if I would ever be able to run again. So to be in the heat of marathon training feeling so good is awesome! Fingers crossed the next two months go as well as the previous two! 11 weeks down, 12 to go!

2018 INDEPENDENCE DAY HALF MARATHON RACE RECAP

Post race celebration. Was I really happy? Find out below!

I woke up around 7:00 on the 4th of July, a Wednesday this year. I had picked up my race packet the day before at Portland Running Company, so I wasn't too stressed about the time. I was able to drive to Champoeg Park and wander to the start line by about 7:40am or so for the 8:00 start. Easy peasy!

The only thing I was worried about was the slight feeling of having "to go #2." I got in the line for a port-a-potty but with the limited number of potties I didn't think I was going to be able to go in time. Someone got some "inside info" about a pod of potties down a hill that didn't have a line. By the time I heard this and wandered down there, the line was just as long! Oh well, after a bit I gave up and just lined up to start. Hopefully it could wait!

THE FIRST LOOP (8:07, 8:17, 8:11, 8:06, 8:53*, 8:22)

After the national anthem and some final instructions, the race went off right at 8 o'clock. It was a little congested at first, as most races are, so there was a bit of weaving and holding back at the beginning, but as you can see, I still ran a pretty fast first mile. With my goal of beating Corvallis, I knew I had to run 8:30 miles or below. I decided I would try to run somewhere between 8:15 and 8:20s and see how far that could take me. All told the first few miles were a little fast, but nothing too tragic. I was feeling pretty good all told despite the lack of a proper taper for this race.

That 8:53 mile is not accurate. So we get to the turnaround for the first loop (which would total 10k) sometime during the 8:06 mile preceding it. On the way back to the start line somewhere in the forest paths my watch lost the GPS signal. I didn't realize it until I looked down at my watch to check my pace and saw it as "--:--." Great! Not. Anyways, I was in a rhythm so keeping up the appropriate pace wasn't too hard. I knew at some point my watch would kick back in and I could use it again, the mileage would just be off. It wasn't too long before the signal was acquired again. My watch, which was hitting the mile markers dead on, was now .25 miles behind at the next marker. Annoying, as my overall pace was now jacked, but whatever, my race was unaffected.

For those of you not familiar with Champoeg Park, the race is along paved trails through lush forest along the river. It's very pretty and great scenery for the race. The paths weren't too wide, but wide enough for two way traffic to proceed without issue for a race this size. There was one foot bridge that was under construction that had room for only one person going either way. Luckily, whenever I hit this bridge I didn't have an issue with oncoming traffic. The course itself was pretty flat, although there were definitely some hills toward the turnaround point.

A flavor of the trails I ran through in Champoeg Park. Screencap of this video, credit YouTube user NatureCyclist.

THE FINAL LOOP (8:10, 8:36, 8:16, 8:40, 8:19, 8:36, 8:24)

The finish line was up a small hill for about a block. Someone was shouting instructions out, if you were running the 10k you were done, if you were running the half, cross the mat and then turn around and go back out for another loop. Honestly, it felt kind of good to not be finishing, I made the turn around with maybe 33% of the other runners around me. Let's get this done! I was still feeling good, so far it was the perfect half marathon pace; my lungs were burning a little, the pace was challenging, but my legs felt good and I was confident I could go the distance without a major breakdown.

This loop was a lot lonelier, mostly it was just me and my thoughts running through the streets and trails of the park. I was in a rhythm and just plodding along. This loop would be slightly longer than the last one, as they added some distance past the first 10k turnaround to make sure we hit our 13.11 miles. Unfortunately, this extra distance was not flat and required a big hill climb on the way back. As a result, you can see the 8:40 mile. I knew I had a lot of extra time to play with at this point so I wasn't worried and just kept plodding along. I was doing the math in my head and now that my watch was off, I knew the pace reflected on there was about 10 seconds a mile too high. Considering my watch pace was still below my goal pace, I was in great shape.

On the way back to the finish I definitely starting to feel the subtle uphills that I didn't feel on the way back on the first loop. My legs were definitely tiring now, about mile 11 they started to complain a bit, but that's normal for a half marathon. I was able to keep going without issue although I was definitely ready to be done. I had also spent the whole race with that slight urge "to go" still there, so I was looking forward to taking care of that. Luckily, it did not require my attention during the race, which was quite the relief! Anyways, I rolled up that final uphill and through the finish.

POST RACE

Photo credit: www.runoregonblog.com

Holy shit! 1:47:33! Not only did I get my goal, I SMASHED it! Awesome! Good to know that my dedicated training was paying off. The marathon training definitely helped in those final miles too. Now that I was doing runs up to 16 miles, those final few felt so much better than Corvallis. I did have a secret goal of sub 1:50 but I never thought I would be in the 1:47s. Awesome! In my head, anything below a 1:45 half marathon is "fast," so hopefully I can get there by the end of the year. That used to be my baseline, as long as I got sub 1:45 I could live with it.

The post race part included a burger and a beer, both delicious. I checked the results and unfortunately I placed 4th in my division (out of 5 - ha!) so no awards ceremony for me. I was 15th out of 125 though, so that was cool. Once I was done eating I didn't really have any reason to stick around, so I drove home and took a warm bath. I then crawled into my bed and took a 3 hour nap. Oops.

Overall, a very successful race! I'm glad I signed up as it was fun to test my progress and come out feeling pretty good about how my training was going. I think I'm going to sign up for the Crawfish Crawl 5k in August - that will be my next official race. Will be good to get a baseline 5k time to work off of, although I won't taper or anything for that so it could be painful. After that, my next race will likely be the Boring Half Marathon followed by the big daddy... the Marine Corp Marathon!

Official Chip Time: 1:47:33, 8:12/mile. 15/125 overall, 13/61 male, 4/5 M30-34.

INDEPENDENCE DAY HALF MARATHON RACE PREVIEW

Pretty good reason to miss my only run so far (midweek 6
miler. Beavers 2018 baseball champs!

Has it really been almost a month since my last blog post? Oh my word! A quick update before I get into the race tomorrow... everything is going well with the marathon training! Still sticking to my training schedule and hitting all the long runs. Body feels good, no complaints there. Really an optimal training cycle so far! A long ways to go yet, but I am feeling pretty positive. Long runs have ventured into the "actually long" territory, I've now ran 16 twice and will run 18 next week, but they are going easily enough except for the "holy crap it's been forever are we done yet?" mental challenge. Physically they feel fine!

And with that, let's get into the race tomorrow. I signed up for this one a while back when I was looking to sprinkle in some races throughout the training cycle to keep things interesting and keep me on my toes. Now, a race always sounds better in theory (like a 5:30am plane flight), and then when it's actually race day you're like "why am I doing this?" Well, why I voluntarily chose to wake up at 7am on a holiday I'll never know! At least all the hot dogs and beer afterward will be guilt free. I think I'll enjoy the race as it should have some nice scenery and a good atmosphere. Just not all that excited about running it at race pace!

However, I do want to run it to the best of my abilities just to see how I stack up. I could always just 9:30/mile it and enjoy it, but that wouldn't really tell me anything. Now, I'm not going to enter this race 100% just because I didn't taper properly before it. I ran 16 on Saturday and then 4 miles last night. Not too bad and I did cut back on the Monday miles, but ideally I would give my legs a couple days rest before really attacking a race. So while I might not be able to achieve my best possible time given my current fitness, I think I should be able to get relatively close.

When I was in Omaha last week I did what ended up being a half race pace tempo run for five miles. It was mostly motivated by the traffic whizzing by me on the highway at 55mph and a fear for my life (pedestrian infrastructure over there is garbage), but I was able to hit 8:15-8:20s pretty easily. For being 82 degrees and humid outside the run was surprisingly easy. I just hope it feels that easy come tomorrow morning! On Monday I went out for an easy four miles as part of a mini taper and 9:45s were kicking my ass. So it's hard to predict how I am going to feel on race day!

Course map for tomorrow. Let's get loopy!

The weather looks a bit warm, 68 when the race starts and around 76 when I'll finish. It should be overcast though, so that will help. Not the ideal temperature, but nothing too tragic either. It can be a lot worse in the summer. If the sun does break through I'm also fairly certain a lot of the course has shade, so that shouldn't be an issue. The course itself is two loops, the first loop being a 10k, and then the second loop being that same loop plus an extended out and back to hit our mileage.  It's also pretty dang flat. So overall, while my legs aren't super fresh and the temperature is a bit warm, it should be a pretty quick race for me assuming I can find a groove.

Overall, I'm not going to do the usual A, B, and C goals, as this isn't a "target" race, more of just a "check up." I will tell you that I hope to beat my Corvallis time. Now, that race went amazing... one of those runs where everything clicked and you are certain you performed to the best of your abilities. I'm not sure how this one will go, so we'll see. I'm not going to be disappointed if I don't beat Corvallis as long as I give it my best try. However, it would be pretty sweet to beat that time given how well that race went! I'll need to go sub 8:30 to do that, so I'll probably target 8:20s and hope I can hold on.