2017 Double Double

The original 2017 race season has concluded with the running of the Madison Marathon. (The Berbee

Derbee was recently added and is just for 'fun'; yeah, right, whatever). The highlight of the day is Chris completing her first Marathon with a finish time of 4:55:18. I'm happy to see her go sub-5 and has it has been a pleasure to watch her planning, preparation, participation and performance over the last twelve weeks. I am very proud of her accomplishment.

The 2017 calendar presented itself for a potential "Double Double" accounted for by two sets of two races (or events). The first double was the Ironman 70.3 Madison and Horribly Hilly on consecutive weekends, previously blogged. And the second, the Chicago and Madison Marathons.

My goal for the second double was to Double Boston Qualify (BQ) the Chicago and Madison Marathons in the same year. I'd come close in Chicago and qualified in Madison in 2016. One of my major motivators was being told that running two Marathons within a five week period couldn't be done as their was not enough recovery time. That was following the two in 2014. My first ever Marathon, with no expectations, missing a BQ by 28 seconds - I didn't even look at my watch that day, running by 'feel' and then the Madison after leading my AG at the half, crashed and burn due to poor race pacing and nutrition strategy.

It took me until my sixth Marathon to BQ in 2016 and was close enough in my two 2016 attempts that I thought a BQx2 in 2017 was possible. A double. Chicago 2017 turned out to be a career day BQ minus 10 and Madison 2017 a worthy BQ minus 5. Goal!

2014 Haunted Hustle 3:40:28 missed Boston Qualifier (BQ) by 28 seconds
2014 Madison Marathon 4:10:06 crashed and burned (led AG at the 1/2).
2015 Ironman 140.6 4:55
2015 Haunted Hustle 4:25:02 crashed and burned
2016 Chicago Marathon 3:40:08 missed BQ by 8 seconds.
2016 Madison Marathon 3:37:45 BQ (but missed race entry by <1 minute)
2017 Oct 8 Chicago Marathon 3:28:54 = BQ minus10 minutes
2017 Nov 12 Madison Marathon 3:34:28  = BQ minus 5 minutes

The 2017 Madison Marathon was a good gut check. The morning started 35 degrees and overcast

with a possibility of precipitation. It was a real 'tweener' day for "What to Wear". I went with the CW-X Stabilyx Tights - they have built in Kinesilogy technology, over CEP lower leg sleeves; an Adidas long sleeve Polypropylene base layer under a Fleet Feet Racing T Shirt; Asics run hat, Grainger clear and optical glasses, throw away gloves, Features socks, and Brooks Launch shoes. Turned out to be perfect. No issues.

Nutrition was a possible issue as I had no breakfast, a quick return to the car before the race produced a Hammer Gel, and I carried 8 ounces of First Endurance EFS in an Amphipod Runlite belt. My plan was to supplement with Gatorade at the water stations. I made a decision not to carry 'Hot Shot' muscle cramp prevention; I may need to rethink this part of my race strategy.

After a PR Chicago run i was thinking 3:35 would be a good day. I positioned between the 3:30 and 3:40 pacers. At the 12 mile mark I started to feel left calf tightness. This has been a re-occurring issue for me since a Monona 20K blow out a in 2013. I thought about how the science of 'Hot Shot' is  to disconnect the message between the brain and the muscle and with no supplement on hand I figured I tried to do it myself. The tightness never went away the rest of the day.

At mile 14, I was slowed by a train crossing. All good until mile 21 when the calf started to really hurt. I stopped in Warner Park. It wasn't like it was a long thought our process. I just stopped. I stretched and resumed running and went back to the mind control plan. I thought if I could slightly change my stride, foot position or something maybe I wouldn't stress the same muscles. It kind of worked and then in mile 24 a right hamstring cramp. Ouch.

At the packet pick up on Friday I met Dane Rauschenberg. He ran 52 Marathons in 52 weeks. We chatted for a few minutes and I bought his book. He ran the Madison Half in 1:32:13 carrying a 3'x5' American flag to honor Veterans' Day. I started reading the book Friday and Saturday. Chapter Two is entitled "Failure is Inevitable".  The discussion revolves around "Failure is rarely final and even less often fatal." and what do I learn from my failures. I learned a lot about pacing and nutrition in my early crash and burns. What was today's lesson to be?

During a Marathon there is plenty of alone time - plenty of time to think. I thought about Meb Keflezghi running his last Marathon last week in New York City 'leaving it all on the course' finishing in 2:15:29 and collapsing at the finish. I thought about my Madison Marathon crash and burn and how much it hurt, my thoughts of quitting, and how those thoughts were interrupted by a wheel chair competitor passing me by. And I thought of Veterans' Day and how whatever temporary race day inconvenience I may experience really isn't so bad.

I thought of the chapter of failure and what it meant to me. I concluded competing in endurance sports is not about pushing to failure, but challenging myself enough that failure is possible. In doing so, I'm finding reaching goals presumably out of my reach are possible.

I decided I would try as hard as I was able as long as could. If you've ever heard me run, or bike for that matter, you would know I am a 'loud breather'. I started that way early in my short running career figuring that oxygen was a pretty important part of VO2 so I may as well maximize intake and exhale. I've heard "I though a freight train was coming up behind me" and have learned to go to stealth mode when overtaking competitors as to not give them a 'heads up' that they may be passed.

My normal breathing patterns combined with the various grunts and groans of me deflecting the pain of the left calf strain and right hamstring cramping created a significant amount of noise. Even with the reduced pace I was able to pass some runners and others who decided to walk. At one point, my spectacle was shamed by a couple half marathon walkers who did not appreciate my effort. I kept up the pace until the last series of turns surrounding the Capitol Square, when I briefly stopped to stretch my calf and a few of the people I had been running with much of the day passed me.

I composed myself and ran the last several blocks. As I approached the finish line I could see that I

was sub 3:35. I was very pleased with the effort. I gave the PR bell a good clang (it was a Madison PR for me), raised my arms and yelled "Boston Marathon Qualifier ladies and gentlemen". It's was nice to see the smiles on the medal people and hear the cheers of the crowd. It's really quite a rush of emotion, validates the effort, and makes the finish chute chocolate milk taste, oh, so much better. 

Many thanks to the Madison Marathon, Fleet Feet Sports, sponsors, volunteers, fans, pacers and racers for a very good day.

1	7:50	176	1.17
2	8:03	179	1.13
3	8:06	181	1.11
4	7:57	178	1.13
5	7:50	179	1.16
6	7:44	182	1.15
7	8:02	179	1.13
8	8:04	177	1.14
9	7:53	181	1.13
10	8:00	177	1.14
11	8:02	178	1.14
12	8:04	178	1.13	calf
13	8:05	180	1.10
14	8:26	181	1.07	train!
15	7:57	185	1.11
16	8:04	182	1.10
17	8:05	183	1.05
18	7:43	185	1.08
19	7:52	184	1.09
20	7:49	186	0.98
21	8:24	183	1.03
22	8:26	186	0.98
23	7:53	189	0.87
24	8:32	187	0.95	hammy
25	8:22	186	0.87
26	8:51	181	0.90
27	2:54	184	0.83
	3:34:36	182

The season recap I scored myself a 91%. I rank each event 1 through 5. Five being the "A"races or events. Then grade my performance one through five. I did give myself three 'sixes' in performance for races I qualified for USA Triathlon Nationals, set a Half Marathon PR and  Qualified by 10 minutes for Boston.

date	.	max	rate		event
	.
02/19/17	.	3	4	80%	Austin 1/2 Marathon
05/06/17	.	4	4	80%	Lake Monona 20K
05/25/17	.	1	3	78%	Aquathon
06/04/17	.	3	4	78%	Lake Mills Sprint
06/08/17	.	2	3	75%	Aquathon
06/11/17	.	5	6	88%	Milkman 70.3
06/17/17	.	5	5	90%	Horribly Hilly
06/24/17	.	3	4	89%	Verona Olympic
07/06/17	.	1	3	88%	Aquathon
07/08/17	.	2	4	88%	Pardeedville Sprint
07/20/17	.	1	3	87%	Aquathon
07/23/17	.	3	4	86%	Ripon
07/30/17	.	3	4	86%	Tri-ing Olympic
08/10/17	.	1	3	85%	Aquathon
08/19/17	.	4	6	88%	Madison Mini 1/2 Marathon
08/27/17	.	2	4	88%	Sugar River Sprint
09/17/17	.	3	4	87%	Devils Lake Sprint
10/08/17	.	5	6	91%	Chicago Marathon
11/12/17	.	5	5	91%	Madison Marathon

The 2018 schedule is set. Very similar to 2017 however my main focus will be to set up the 2019 Boston Marathon and a potential 2019 Ironman Madison 140.6

Chicago Marathon 2017 Review

Wow. What a day. A new PR by over 8 minutes. Qualified for the Boston Marathon by over 10 minutes.

The plan was to negative split with pace ranging from 8:20 at the start to finish at 8:05. As raced, the max split time was 8:13 with six of the eight 5k's 8:05 or less. The race starts in Grant Park and within half mile from the start the course goes through a three block tunnel under a building. When I emerged from the far end. My watch lost GPS signal and indicated I was in an obviously impossible 5:00ish pace. I figured it would reset itself but the second mile had similar results. Uh oh, I may end up running by pace group sight and feel.

By the third mile the average pace function was working again and was showing a more sensible times but they were 'too fast'. My plan was to start at 8:20's for the first six and take 5 seconds of each subsequent six.

I tried to locate the pace group signs. I didn't want the 3:40 group to catch me and I wasn't about to look behind me to see where they were. I saw a group ahead of me but wasn't sure if it was the 3:35 or 3:30 group. I hadn't seen the 3:35 group in the corral and thought maybe their wasn't one. I decided to keep them 'in sight' for a while.

I read an article not long ago about how watches may limit our ability to exceed goals. I thought maybe today would be a day to test that theory.

The miles clicked by rapidly. With all the fanfare, bands, drumlines, cheering and enthusiasm and the water lines every 1.5 - 2.0 miles there was very little 'alone time'. No chance to think about "how far have I gone?" or "how far do I have to go?" The senses were stimulated by the environment.

The water stations were very long, a hundred yards or more, I waited  until the last 1/4 and then dropped in grabbed Gatorade and / or water and got back into the race. I took advantage of a Gel distribution around the half way mark. Most people ran through the lines and continued. A few stopped or cut in at the last moment causing a break in the flow. Two runners cut directly in front of me unnecessarily on the race course.

I recognized that I was 'changing gears' thru the water stations, corners, and race in general. This allowed me to avoid external changes in pace and to run the best tangents I could. When I was crowded in a pack during the race instead of falling back in to the pack I would accelerate thru opening to better position. I would accelerate in to and out of water stations. And instead of joining the gradual squeeze thru turns I found I could speed up at the last moment and make a 'straight line' turn, hitting the tangent and staying ahead of other runners slowed by the turning traffic.

I was feeling really good at the 13.1 mark and started to think about "racing." Should I start my kick at the 10k or 5k mark? About that time I came upon a runner with a Michigan Alumni singlet. I went to bed Saturday night with Michigan State holding a second half lead. As I got close I asked "Did Michigan come back last night?" And the runner said "Hi, Kris" it was Bill S from Sun Prairie! 40,000 runners, I see exactly one I knew before the race, and it's the same person I ran in to at last years race. (And no, Michigan did not come back).

I commented "I'm feeling pretty good, I think I'll either do really well today or crash and burn". I remembered all too well the 2015 Madison Marathon. I lead my age group at the half, crashed and burned and finished 4 hours plus. What I learned were valuable lessons in pacing and fueling. Two mistakes I did not care to repeat.

The thought of 'how well can I do if I try really hard?'  kept crossing my mind.

I returned to thinking of my race strategy. I like breaking up the race in to segments. Half's, 10k's and 5k's. I like to train hard to a tired state, and then continue pushing. I want to know what it feels like to be tired near the end of a race so I will know how to respond. I thought If I continue feeling good I might start 'racing' at the 10k and if not so much the 5k. Fortunately the "last mile pace" function was working. I didn't have much confidence in the "average pace" function and did not even look at it.

About this time I came across two pacers. One had a 3:30 bib and the other a 3:35 bib. And they were about ten feet apart. OK back to running by feel. At each mile my watch would vibrate, I would look and I would think, wow, I'm really banking time. In the back of mind I kept thinking about the 2016 Chicago Marathon when I came in with low expectations, ran poor tangents (ran an extra 1/4 mile), fueled badly and missed a BQ by 8 seconds. I watched then as the average pace slowly crept up as my pace slowed down. I kept thinking will it happen again? And when?

The "wall" at mile 20 did not materialize. It was just another mile. I kept thinking in terms of 5 and 10k's. One or two laps around Pheasant Branch "I do that all the time".

The last lap times kept coming in under eight minutes. And I was passing a lot of runners. Very few passed me. I felt I was getting stronger. And it was really fun! I started working the crowd. And many times they responded which generated even more excitement. If I read the results correctly, I averaged 7:07 over the last 2k!

The last 5k was the fastest 5k. The second to last 5k was the 2nd fastest 5k. The last half was faster than the first half. Negative split.

As I approached the finish line the clock read somewhere between 3:30 and 3:40 I didn't know how long it took to cross the starting line after the official start. I stopped my watch 3:29ish. I still figured it had something to do with the 1st mile loss of GPS signal. But I knew I did pretty well.

I went through the finishing chute and headed back to gear check. On the way I passed an information booth. It looked like another runner was getting his race time. I asked, they said yes, looked it up 3:28:54 "that's a good time!" Wow. Unbelievable. A PR by 8:51 !?! A Boston Qualifier minutes 10 minutes !?! ( I checked, the 2019 BQ AG M55-59 is 3:40 and BQ minus 10 is a lock). A 4% improvement !?! Not 'seconds' but 'minutes'!  AG 72 of 1407 - top 5.1%.

As I continue to dissect "how did that happen?" I keep coming back to the fall and winter swimming, winter indoor cycling and running, spring and summer cycling and triathlon.

The Madison Marathon is on the calendar for November this year. I look to repeat this year's schedule next year although I'm thinking of adding an Ultra-Marathon. And in 2019 I'm planning for a significant event on Patriot's Day ...

	lap time		race time
	mins	secs	hours	mins	secs	seconds	per 5k	rank	%oftotal
5k	8	5	0	25	07	1507	1507	6	12.6%
10k	8	11	0	50	30	3030	1523	7	12.7%
15k	8	13	1	16	02	4562	1532	8	12.8%
20k	8	03	1	41	02	6062	1500	5	12.5%
25k	7	58	2	05	49	7549	1487	3	12.4%
30k	8	03	2	30	48	9048	1499	4	12.5%
35k	7	51	2	55	10	10510	1462	2	12.2%
40k	7	45	3	19	13	11953	1443	1	12.1%
							11953
finish 2k	7	07
1st half			1	46	31	6391	6391	51.0%	% of total
2nd half			1	42	23	6143	6143	49.0%	% of total
finish			3	28	54	12534	6143
							12534
2017	Chicago		3	28	54	12534
2016	Madison		3	37	45	13065
	Difference		0	08	51	531

Chicago Marathon Fast Facts

AG 55-59 Top 1000 Runners (37 Negative Splits)

136 BQ's (19 Negative Splits) & 76 BQ-10 (9 Negative Splits)

Bib 18590 First Half 180th place, 2nd Half 37th fastest, Finishing Place 72nd.

Passed 108 runners second half, passed by zero runners second half. 

Age graded time 2:54:13

Weekend Stressors Do Not Waylay Gameplan

The weekend started ominously enough with a short interaction with a Wisconsin State Trooper. Turns out I wasn't the subject of attention.

The GW Class of 77 gathering followed the packet pick up.

And then I discovered I forgot my nutrition! <see my product review here!

The Sunday 5:15 AM train added to the fun...

With the recent safety issues in the US security was heightened. There were three gates and each entrance security guards with metal detectors. One by one they scanned the athletes entering Grant Part. A very slow process. I finally entered the race venue at 7:10 ran to gear check, and then ran to the starting corral. The corrals closed at 7:20 I was about 100 yards from the corral when the National Anthem began to play. A man in front of me, who appeared to be military, stood at attention. I dropped in behind him. As the song concluded I patted him on the back and wished him a good day. Most (90%+) of the runners continued on their way. I guess the insistence on standing for the anthem only applies to professional athletes and not weekend warriors. A dual standard in my opinion. I remember seeing 7:14 on my watch.

Chicago Marathon 2017 Preview

https://www.chicagomarathon.com/ <-- participant and athlete information including 'live' updates.

Saturday
AM packet pick up McCormick Place
Afternoon Glenbard West Class of 77 40th Reunion
Dinner with Megan & Louis at Barone's Glen Ellyn

Sunday
5:15AM Train to OTC
7:20 corrals close
7:30 race starts
After noon Flip's Glen Ellyn

Action packed.

Last year 3:40:08 missed a BQ by 8 seconds. Came back a month later, ran a BQ 3:37:45 in Madison and failed to gain entrance in to Boston by less than one minute.

This year's goal time 3:40 or (8:23 per mile) and stretch goal 3:35 (8:12 per mile).
300 seconds over 26.2 miles.

Bib number 18590. Wave 1 Corral D. The plan is to start just ahead of the 3:40 pace group to stay, negative split, run tangents, and fuel properly.

The first objective is to look at my watch after the first mile and not see a 7:30 and not come in the 1st three at less than 25 minutes. Negative split is the race objective. Controlled enthusiasm at the start is the key.



Ill be carrying 150 grams (correction) of carbohydrate in the form of First Endurance EFS to supply in one bottle on a Profile-Lite Breeze belt. Ill consume the energy drink and water at the aid stations as needed targeting the middle through last volunteers.

Ill be wearing my Garmin 920XT. The only two fields that are active at last mile and average pace. No heart rate monitor.

Ironman Racine 70.3 race hat, Nemesis prescription sun glasses, Adidas singlet, Zoot shorts, Feetures socks, Brooks Flight shoes, lock laces, Desoto arm coolers, CEP compression leg sleeves, plenty of Body Glide and Chamois Butt'r. Game day decision on carrying salt and cramp supplements.

And, yes, I'm taping my nipples.

Good luck to the Madison Fleet Feet, Race Day Events, E3, Endurance House, Prairie Athletic Club, Bombay Bicycle Club and Trek Ride Club participants.

	lap time		average pace		race time
Mile	mins	secs	mins	secs	hours	mins	secs
1	8	20	8	20	0	08	20
2	8	20	8	20	0	16	40
3	8	20	8	20	0	25	00
4	8	20	8	20	0	33	20
5	8	20	8	20	0	41	40
6	8	20	8	20	0	50	00
7	8	15	8	19	0	58	15
8	8	15	8	18	1	06	30
9	8	15	8	18	1	14	45
10	8	15	8	18	1	23	00
11	8	15	8	17	1	31	15
12	8	15	8	17	1	39	30
13	8	10	8	16	1	47	40
14	8	10	8	16	1	55	50
15	8	10	8	16	2	04	00
16	8	10	8	15	2	12	10
17	8	10	8	15	2	20	20
18	8	10	8	15	2	28	30
19	8	10	8	14	2	36	40
20	8	10	8	14	2	44	50
21	8	05	8	14	2	52	55
22	8	05	8	13	3	01	00
23	8	05	8	13	3	09	05
24	8	05	8	12	3	17	10
25	8	05	8	12	3	25	15
26	8	05	8	12	3	33	20
26.1	1	37	8	12	3	34	57