Great Kobe vs LeBron commercial

If you have not seen this commercial yet, it is awesome! I loved it!

Pacing at Cleveland Marathon

The email came in Tuesday morning…”Cleveland Marathon lost it’s second half pacer for the 3:20 pace group.” Being only days away, this isn’t good. Since I wasn’t going to run Cleveland this year and taper for the 50k the next weekend, I was like, what the hell. Nice fast run..1:40 half marathon then back off the rest of the week. Sounds like fun!

Ok, so for all you non-runners out there…a MARATHON pacer is a person who runs with a sign as a specific pace so people who are trying to run a certain speed or qualify for Boston have some one to help them. They are free of charge and supplied by the marathon for it’s participants.

So, I got the call from Kelly, who heads up the pace group. She informed me that 3:20 was covered now, but they had some problems with the 3:00 pacers. Hmmm. 1:40 half marathon a week before an ultra..sure…, but a 1:30 half might hurt a bit more. Doable…but would probably impact my race. We then worked out a plan to have three people instead of two cover the 3:00 group. Cool.

She then asked me if I had experience pacing. I told her I had. But it usually involved a head lamp, being up all night, and at least one person puking. Kelly informed me that it should be that bad. Bummer!

I went to the expo and got to meet all kinds of people and also met some folks who were going to try and break 3 hours the next day. Vince was there with Vertical Runner. Talked to him a bit while there too. Also got to see tons of the VR Training group folks. It was a total blast.

Some of the perks of the weekend was a hotel room downtown in the Radisson (great view of the city), valet parking, VIP access to everywhere, food, shirts, more food, more shirts…it was great. So, I got to do what I love doing and got paid for it. Sweeeet.

So, the next day was crazy. Got up and headed down to the Galleria to meet up with the other pacers. Found Sean, one of the other 3 hours guys (pictured above next to me with his tongue out Gene Simmons style), and headed to the start coral. Right up front and center. Right behind the elites. Pretty damn cool. Having trained with a few of the folks up there, I talked with them for a bit. Wished them luck and BANG...off we went!

We shot out the start a bit quick and rounded the stadium at about 5:30 pace. A bit fast. The guys were going to back it down and get in a groove. I hit the first mile marker so my watch was synced and bit them farewell until mile 18.

We were then rushed to a car and escorted out to Mile 18. And waited.

I got warmed up and started running in reverse to meet up with the group. Saw the leaders going past. A bunch of the SERC guys came flying past. Everyone looked and was running very strong. Then I saw the balloons. It was Sean….RIGHT ON TIME!

I started running with Sean and got a quick briefing of how things were going. We were a bit a head of schedule, but we wanted to run around a 2:59. We were at 6:46 pace so things were looking good. He still had a group runners, and in the group was the first place female. I took the balloons and Sean dropped back to help another VR runner qualify for Boston (way to go, Sean! and congrats Howard!)

For the record, it isn’t easy running with those balloons in that wind. But, I found a way to rest it on my shoulder and pushed through it. The group pasted Mile 23 and we were still on time. At this point, I started to pick up people who were ahead of me and told them this train was pulling in BEFORE 3:00 on the clock. A few guys were hurting, but some encouragement helped and they were hanging with us. The group kept growing.

As we rounded towards the finish, the wind got worse and worse. I began to yell at people to get behind me so they could draft a bit and get out of the wind. I remembered how windy it was at Boston this year, so I knew it was beating on them pretty good by now. By mile 26, I had a line of guys in a train. Not realizing I had picked up about 5 guys. I guess I wasn’t joking about bringing this train in on time! They got a kick out of the “Pain Train” comment ala Terry Tate.

As we pushed down the home stretch, the crowd was going nuts. It was great. Then I could see the clock…oh yeah!

We did it! 2:59:16! On the money!!!!

I crossed the timing mats at the finish line and I walked to get a drink of water. On my way, I was tackled from behind. One of the "Pain Train" members was hugging me, completely out of breathe, and saying he could have not done it without me. What cool experience….except the whole guy hug thing and all…well, you know.

As for pacing, sign me up! I told Kelly, I had a great time and would LOVE to do it again. However, my next pacing gig is going to be back in the woods in June.

Divided by Night: New Crystal Method Album!

Finally! After 5 years, a new album from one of my favorite groups out there, The Crystal Method, has released Divided by Night. I grabbed it the day it came out on iTunes and listened to it at work all day. Great album! Not quite as good as their first album Vegas, but it keeps growing on me the more I listen to it.

If you jump on iTunes, check out tracks: Divided by Night, Smile?, Double Down Under, and my favorite Drown In the Now featuring Matisyahu (awesome song!)

Sadly, checking their website, no Cleveland dates have been released for the tour. I have caught them several times over the years and they still rank as one of the best shows I have ever seen.

However, there is one in Vegas…hmmmmm.

Run 4 Life

While I was in Boston, my roommate, Joe, and I had many discussions about training. Joe is a bit heart rate training guy. It is how he has trained for many years and credits it to staying healthy and injury-free. He has been running a very long time and still gets it done. (Over 50 years old and runs a sub 3 hour marathon!) He credits it to his heart rate based training. Thinking he might be on to something.

Now, the funny part is I have been wearing a HRM for quite some time. You would think I would be looking at that data more closely. I review it after a race, but that is pretty much the extent of it. I guess I approached it from the idea of seeing what my heart rate was at a certain pace and distance instead of looking at it the other way around, what my pace is at a certain heart rate.

Basically, my racing is very similar, I typically go out too fast and never, NEVER adjust for things like wind and hills on my pacing. I always jokingly say my race strategy is this: light my hair on fire and run to towards the finish line. (Which explains the second half of Boston.) For the most part this has worked pretty well, but I see some huge gain if I were to even out my pacing. Paying closer attention to the down hills in the beginning of Boston may have helped in the second half. So, I have decided to really bring in HR based training and racing.

First, I needed a bench mark. So I thought this race would be good. I used a previous 5k as a guide and determined my pacing from there. However, at the last minute, I changed my heart rate zones to be a bit more aggressive. What could go wrong, right?

Read on.

So, at the race I saw some folks I knew and chatted with them while I got ready. Got warmed up with Tracy and Paul, then headed to the start. And off we went.

Like in typical fashion, my pacing was dead on my new expected rate and hit the first mile marker 5:59. Hmmm. I was had originally was thinking 6:15 pace was a better starting point. But I was feeling pretty good. Who doesn’t at mile one, right?

At this point, I had moved into the number 5 slot was right behind number 4 guy and I had Tracey and Paul right behind me. We hit mile two at 12:20 and still held our same positions. I was right behind 4th place guy, and Tracey and Paul and drifted back a bit. Still going well, but starting to feel it a bit. At this point the wind really picked up on the course.

We hit mile 3 at 18:50, but now 4th place guy was pulling from me and I was really feeling it. At about 3.5 miles Tracey caught me. I had thought about pushing it again, but didn’t want to jeopardize 6th place as well and let her go.

We round the corner and finished the race in 25:26. A new 4 mile PR! Good for 6th overall and 2nd in my age group. Not bad for a “test” race. My fifth PR of the year, too!

So what did I learn?

My max heart rate isn’t as high as I had thought. The last minute change in zones nailed me a bit in late stages of the race. However, I have a great plan for a 5k now.

Wind really does impact your heart rate…Joe you were right!

Over the summer, I am going to do much more heart rate analysis on my runs and races and see what I can do by fall.

First Place at Run for the Border!

I teamed up with Steve H from Vertical Runner for this race in downtown Cleveland. It was a total blast. Here is how the race goes down…you run from station to station. At each station you get a clue where the next one is. No one knows the exact route. All we knew was it was 3-3.5 miles.

Not knowing until just before we started there was going to be drinking involved. I am not sure, but it was right then I knew this was going to be the greatest race ever.

So, 3-3.5 miles, 1 shot of tequila, and 1 corona later Steve and I cross the line. Almost 20 minutes flat. Cleared second place by 10 seconds. Two minutes faster than last year's winning time. So, it was a course record, too! How 'bout that!

I have to say, it wasn’t pretty. Holding a 6 minute pace after a shot of tequila and chugging a beer was ROUGH. ROUGH! But they say you learn a lot about yourself running. I wasn't expecting learning this.

But a win is a win. Guess Steve and I have to return next year to defend our crown.

Until then, I will be drinking, err, I mean training.

Boston Marathon

It has been a bit since my last update. Things have been really busy since Boston. But here goes…

Wow. I don’t even know where to start with this one. This past weekend was really indescribable. Events were very surreal upon arrival. Strangely, everything I saw was how I had always pictured it: people with Boston Race jackets on the plane, banners all over the airport welcoming runners, the cold, wet spring time Boston weather.

I really don’t think it all hit me until I got to the expo and picked up my number. The room where you get your number and shirt was this long, long hallway. Along it are the numbers for pickup. Most marathons, packet pickup is just a line or two. This one had rows and rows of numbers. I couldn't believe my eyes. And that was just the numbers! In the next room, there were dozens of people handing out the race shirts. Once again, most races have one person doing this. Boston had teams of people based on size.

As for the race, it was a great time. The fans and folks of Boston are amazing. They are Bostonians though and through. In one cheer they are loving you…and ripping you at the same time. It is great. But no matter what, they are cheers and love the runners. Best rip said to me at a water stop…”Thought you guys were supposed to be the best???” Damn! Where did that come from!?!

I can’t say I am totally satisfied with my time. The course beat me up way more than I expected. Heading into the Newton Hills, things were starting to get ugly.

I had been warned by several veteran runners about this. They had done the exact same thing. I told folks after, it was like watching a train coming right at you, and you don’t move. You know it is going to hit you, and there you stand. Boom. Too late.

All said and done. 3:20 was the time. I placed in the top 5,000 people (80% finish) in the arguably most competitive marathon in the world. That makes me a solid B runner in the big picture. I will take that. Aside from my time, those were my goals. And I have a sweet jacket now to boot.

I learned a lot in Beantown this year and can’t wait to try it again. Booking my hotel now for next year. The countdown has started…342 days, 18 hours, 3 minutes and 32 seconds until Monday, April 19, 2010 at 10:00:00 AM. See you all in Hopington…again.

Boston

Well, I am here. Back in Boston. Great to be back with a sort of prodigal son like feeling. Lots of memories. I know many of you are going to be tracking my progress so I wanted to post some info about the race ccoverage.

Go USA! Keep an eye on Hall and Sell on the men's and Goucher on the female. It would be great to bring the cup home and get Hall higher in there Marathon Majors.

My bib number is 5675. I will be starting at 10 in wave 1, corral #5.

AT&T has set up Athlete Alert where you can track people's progress. You can get there HERE. On that page is a nice listing of the top runners, both male and female. Go USA! Keep an eye on Hall and Sell on the men's and Goucher on the female. It would be great to bring the cup home and get Hall higher in there Marathon Majors.

There is also Internet TV coverage on WBIZ and on Universal Sports.

Boston's WBIZ also has an entire section set up with all kinds of marathon info like a Heart Break Hill Webcam. Pretty cool site.

Well off to the expo to get my number and then head to dinner with the SERC runners tonight!

12th place at Spring Classic

It looks like spring time is finally here. This past weekend was the annual Spring Classic Half Marathon in Strongsville. With Boston just two weeks away, I had originally wrote this one off. After a workout this week, Vince talked me into it.

I had gotten some calls later in the week that Kevin and Rob were also going to be running it. Talking with them, we formed a basic plan: go out easy, about 6:55-7:00 min pace then pick it up in the second half. For once, that is what I did.

The race started and settled in the pace. It felt good holding that pace and was able to talk to Kevin about Boston a bit. As this thinned out, we formed a group which was Kevin and myself holding the line, and Michelle (another VR Runner who was holding 1st place Masters and 2nd female overall.) An update from Corigan informed us at that time, we were about 25th place overall.

As we made our way out to the first turn around, the wind started picking up quite a bit. But the group held. Kevin and I formed a wind wall for Michelle. As we made our way to half way, I wanted to jump the pace, but keep pulling myself back.

As we hit the second turn around which though the running path, the group started to splinter. At this time, I figured it was time to get the party started and I finally picked put the pace and started moving on folks. I passed a few by mile 7. A second update told me I mad moved to 20th place.

Hold the pace, I caught a number of folks to the next turn around. Going into mile 10, the wind REALLY picked up. I pushed even harder, but my pace seemed to hold the same. My final update as that I had passed 15th pace and was gaining on 14th and 13th.

The wind was crazy. Holding my visor as I ran, it was getting impossible to hold the pace I need to go sub 1:30. I was able to pick off a few last folks to come in just over 1:31 and 12th place overall. Sadly, 9th ,10th ,11th were all with in seconds of each other and also ages 30-34. Left me 4th in my age group! Oh well. I was happy with my placement and a new PR.

So that is it. That was my last long training run for Boston. It is taper time. 4th race of the year and my 4th PR! Nothing else I can do now, but rest and work on my race plan.

Steak on a Stone

Ok, so I had heard of this place you can go eat called Steak on a Stone <http://www.steakonastone.us/> Basically, this restaurant brings you a plate out with a stone on it heated to about 700 degrees. On it is an uncooked steak. So, while you eat it, it cooks it slowly. Different idea all together. I had to check this place out.

Basically, the principle of it is the first bite and the last are exactly the same. So, Jeff and I headed there and I got the filet. Wow. I have to say, it may have been the best steak I have ever had. Plus, I cooked it. It was awesome.

If you are in the Montrose area, there is one there. I heard there is one up in Cleveland as well.

The wine selection was not the most indepth I have seen. But, it did have some by the glass that were pretty good. You mght be better off ordering bottle serivce is you are there with a group who like wine.

After the weekend I had a steak really hit the spot. I hadn't had a good steak in a long time. Going to have to get there again very soon.

Last Long Training Run for Boston

Every year Vertical Runner organizes the Are you ready for Boston (Hope you Like Hills) Group Run. This is a 19 mile run through the CVNP on the some of the worst hills there. Basically, the course tries to simulate the Boston Marathon course. Long down hill, then some small rolling hills. Then a tough climb up Oak Hill. More rolling hills. Another big down hill to the Valley again. Then up Hines Hill (about a 2 mile climb) to the Hike and Bike to head back.

This year Vince talked me into making it a little different and doing what he did last year which was to double Hines Hill. Hmmm. Ok! What could possibly go wrong. Well, we did it. And it sucked. We even finished off on the Boston trail instead of the H&B. Guess Vince didn't get enough.

Final stats for the day way just over 23 Miles at just under 8 minute pace. The combined vertical was 6,300 feet (3187 gain & 3144 loss).

Elevation Chart