Boston Marathon Scorecard

Boston is everything folks come back from the race gushing about.  It truly is a special experience for a marathoner.  I am so thankful that I have had 2 really good experiences in Boston even though I landed in the medical tent at the finish line both times.  My first was 2010 and my 2nd and most recent was 2021 in the fall edition for the first time in history because of the pandemic.  It was not my best time but I am proud of how I competed and gave it everything as I was in medical over an hour after.  Boston destroys your quads like no other Marathon I have done.  If you ever have the opportunity to qualify and experience Boston, do it!  Thanks to my family and friends for all the support leading up to and thru the event. 

Marathon Scorecard
	Boston (2010)		Boston (2021) - Fall edition
Training Consistency	A+	Fairly injury free and sick free cycle. Had some injuries but did not miss much time and was able to keep training going.   Had more miles and more 6 day efforts than ever before.	A	Didn’t miss any time because of injury or sickness.  Focused on long runs, did decent workouts.  Mostly cut out med long run and mileage was 50-60 pretty consistently.
Workouts	B	Intervals were good. Long runs good.   Not enough tempos and especially marathon pace tempos over longer distances.	B	No killer workouts.  Just good consistency. Should have committed to more hilly runs which will do in the future for a Boston cycle.
Taper	A	79.8,67,52.8,40.8	B	Pushed right up until 1 week and did 2 miles at pace 2 days before race.  Might have been a tad too aggressive but felt good race morning.
Pre Race Weekend	B-	Ate too much night before and ate greasy meatballs with spagetti which was stupid on my part. Did yard work Sat and hamstrings were really tight Sunday.  Started race with left hamstring still tight.	A+	Great sleep the whole week before. Great accommodations up in Boston.  Had a good meal the night before.
Pre Race Morning	B	Struggling with this. Seeing Megan. I think I am eating stuff that is leading to stomach trouble.	B	Not sure got enough in me.  Probably should have forced a bit more nutrition in me.  Peed constantly before though and on the first mile
Race Hydration/Nutrition	C+	Thought I drank ok but skipped some stops and should not have. Didn't take enough GUI and need to consider something else because I am so tired of GUI. Put myself in dangerous place after as visited medical tent. Lost 40 seconds at mile 13.1 to use the porta john to poop.	C+	Had 3 Gels.  Going forward need to carry 4.  Peed so much before and stopped on 1st mile that was reluctant to drink for a bit.  Boston has water/gatorade every mile so I think I was getting plenty in even though hit medical
Effort	B+	Splits did not fall off as much as I thought.  Was surviving 4 of last 5 miles rather than racing but kept it together and did a good job to compete the last mile.	A+	Really proud of how I competed especially the last several miles even though I got passed by so many folks.  I committed to not stopping as was able to keep the pace under 8 min.  Went straight to the medical tent in a wheel chair after as I completely gave it everything.
Pace	B-	Too fast at start despite telling myself over and over not to.	B	I went out about where I wanted to.  Maybe a bit over my head with the pace but 1.22 at half was about right since Boston is such an aggressive downhill the first half.  Just ran out of gas the last few miles.
Weight	A	Was 162 for MCM which was post college low. Got to 159 before Boston. Passed folks on uphills and felt good on uphills which is a good gauge.	A+	166 before I left.  Lean, probably should have done push-ups and core as did very little.  Will integrate these into upcoming cycle.
Form	B+	Really thought about it and ran upright but always an area that I need to be aware of.	B-	Reasonable although to be honest didn’t think about this too much the last half and probably should have to have kept a bit more focused on being efficient.
Stretching/Strength	B-	Should do more core. Get content and not consistent with stretching.	B-	Abandoned pushups and core.  Did more hip flexor stretches but probably need to work these things back into routine going forward.
Course	B+	Point to Point.  Fast first half.  Forgiving last couple miles	A	Boston is so unforgiving!  Absolutely loved it but goodness 16-21 is brutal.  Fans were amazing and really willed me thru the last couple of miles. I need to figure out better how to race this course.
Weather	A	Perfect.  A bit windy but not enough to impact performance.	B-	High 60s and overcast with a slight head wind.  The 90% humidity I think is what eventually did me in. Comparatively for Boston was ok
Fan Support	A+	Awesome throughout.  Really helped last 4 miles	A+	Incredible! Huge crowds pretty much the entire way.  Was giving high 5s to kids who put their hands out, cheered back to crowd and lots of high 5s going thru Wessley.  Crowd was so helpful the last few miles when I was really suffering.
Competition	B+	Lots of targets.  Had trouble locking in with a group	A	Forgot how much quality competition is at a major.  The only weirdness is with the rolling start, was constantly passing folks and then had some folks pass me.  The downside is when I started to not feel good, I was still passing folks even though I was slowing down. Still an A because there were so many targets to try and catch.
Race Am Logistics	B-	Long.  Did fine with it but just a long time to wait.	A+	Excellent!  Got on bus at a good time from the subway.  Didn’t have to wait around much at all before starting the race.  Portajohn situation was easy. Wore warm clothes that thru off at start.
Shoes	B	Wore trainers	B+	Wore a new pair of brooks flats that were more support than the 361s and a thin pair of Belagu socks..  Think they will be awesome for 8k-half.  A bit of a stretch for a marathon but I don’t think they hurt me.  Might have beat up my legs a tad bit more.  Might have to finally break down and go super shoes.

Marathon Splits
	2010	2021
	Boston	Boston
	6.12	6.38
	37.04	38.30
	60.08	62.20
	1.19.21	1.22.09
	62.47	65.19
	2.02.55	2.07.48
	39.35	45.24
	6.22	7.18
1	5.54	6.22
2	5.47	6.09
3	5.56	6.09
4	5.52	6.07
5	6.14	6.08
6	5.58	6.14
7	5.59	6.13
8	6.12	6.16
9	6.05	6.22
10	6.11	6.20
11	6.09	6.23
12	6.1	6.20
13	6.06	6.17
14	6.49	6.15
15	6.16	6.34
16	6.12	6.19
17	6.13	6.42
18	6.18	6.48
19	6.12	6.38
20	6.22	7.03
21	6.31	7.30
22	6.14	7.10
23	6.24	7.10
24	6.24	7.26
25	6.29	7.55
26	6.18	7.28
	1.15	1.25
	2.42.41	2.53.53

Running Buddies Distance Festival

Sunday Nov 22, 2020 @ 7:30am START TIME

Benefits

• You get to race competitors!
• No entry fee or registration.  Just show up
• Excellent for spectators and runner support 
• No cars or road crossings as totally within the park. Dodge the occasional bike or person walking a dog. 
• Virtually no elevation change. Flat and fast!
• Easy to follow course; basically a straight out and back with a sweeping turn and then one 180 turn

About

• Gun goes off at 7.30am so be warmed up and ready to go! Please be at the start line no later than 7.20am as the start line is a mile from the Old Bell Parking lot (take a left out of lot on trail and head towards Providence road; start is green pole right before Prov Road Bridge)
• Bike support, run pacers, fans are encouraged.  Please respect the park and be courteous to others on the path. Self support with water you can stage throughout the course. We will setup a table at old bell parking lot so that as you pass you can scoop up items (your own bottles, gel, drop off gear)
• If you are a spectator or finished competing, please social distance and/or wear a mask. 
• Park at the Old Bell road parking lot.  1 mile warm-up to the start line on the greenway right before Prov road.  If you want someone to drop you off, enter from Prov road and walk down.

Course

• 7.1 mile loop starting at the Running Buddies10k start (reverse Running Buddies 5k) near Providence Road.  Green pole on top of drainage sewer.  There will also be an orange mark on the ground. 7.13 per loop; 1.13 from Start to Finish, last loop is 1.85 out and back
• Straight all the way past the RB 5k start/RB 10k turn around (3.1 miles) carrying on the gravel towards Independence not the McAlpine XC course.  
• Bear right as if running the first mile of the XC course.  Slightly past the 1000m marker on the XC course around the turn, take your first right on the gravel to cut back onto the main straight.  
• Head back towards the RB 5k start and all the way to the RB 5k finish
• Marathoners complete 3 full loops of 7.1 miles (21.3 miles); 4th lap will be 4.9 miles; Finish line will be approx .1 before you reach Old Bell.  Finish will be marked however, ensure your GPS is 26.2 if you are looking for virtual "credit".  The turn around on the 4th lap is approx the Mcalpine HS XC course start line.  The turn around for lap 4 will be well marked.
• Half Marathoners complete 1 full loop; on 2nd loop you will finish approx .1 before you reach Old Bell (1.1 miles short of a full loop).  Finish will be marked however, ensure your GPS has 13.1 if you are looking for virtual "credit".  
• Full marathoners will run 3 full loops. On the 4th lap you will run just past the start of the high school cross country course start line and turn around before the middle school 3k start marker.  There is a squiggly tree vine that marks the turn around. 
• Marked Half finish line is the same as Full finish line to avoid confusion. 
• If you desire to run a fast 5k or 10k or any other distance we welcome your participation at the start or any point during the event. 
• Questions:  contact Aaron Linz:  aaronmlinz@gmail.com

Course Pictures and Commentary

- orange dots/lines on ground or on trees to mark course

Start of course in light with last green pole on the left.  This is looking back at Prov road.  Runners will start going away from Prov road.  This is the 180 degree turn for each lap.

This is approx 3.5 miles into the loop before you start to head right along the XC course.

As you come around the bend on the XC course, the first turn on the right will take you back to the main path.  Note the orange dots on the trees as indicators.  

Recommend running right up the middle of the gravel as you are cutting back to the main path.

Turn back onto the main path, note the orange markers.  The rope will be down.  Stay on the gravel as it is wet and muddy if you cut too close on the left and you will be cutting the marked course short if you go in the grass. 

Finish line!!!  Once 1 full 7.1 lap is complete, for half marathon, 6 miles for the 2nd lap. The concrete cylinder on the right - note the orange dot.  run all the way thru the concrete cylinder past the green pole and direction sign there on the right.  You can see the Sardis bridge and short walk/jog back to Old Bell parking lot.  This is the same finish for the marathon.  

For marathoners ONLY!! Your 4th lap is your last and will be a turn around about 40 meters past the high school cross country 5k start line and about 20 meters before the middle school 3k start line.  There is a squiggly vine tree branch thingy that is the turn around.

Note the squiggly tree vine thing next to the bike.

looking at marathon turn around and note the middle school 3k start..white sign on the upper right of the picture. 

marathon turn around looking back towards the high school XC start line. 

Tequila 400m CRC B-Day May 5 - Park Rd Shopping Center

Charlotte Running Club turns 6 years old on Tuesday May 5, 2015. We unofficially celebrate the club birthday each year with the Tequila 400m. When we founded the club in 2009, the crew below was doing a 400m workout at JCSU in an massive (in fact kind of dangerous) thunderstorm. On our last 400m, we each took a shot of Tequila and then ran an all out 400m. Here is the original crew.

Where: This year we will move to our 4th location. On Tuesday  May 5th anyone interested should be in front of Omega Sports Park road location at 7.15pm. We will head down to the greenway for the race.  If you want a few miles before the race come join the official CRC birthday celebration at 6.30pm.. 

Format: At 7.30pm, each racer will have a shot of tequila in hand (lime and salt will be available and optional). We will all take a shot and then line up for the 400m. At the sound of the gun, boom, we are racin!!! First male and first female to the finish wins cash!!! A $10 bonus to anyone you breaks Thomas Eggar’s course record.  Happy Birthday Charlotte Running Club!!!

Registration: 7.15-7.25pm- $5 cash gets u one shot of Tequila (bring milk if u are a non drinker) and a chance to win cash if you are the top male or female finisher. Find Aaron Linz to register.

Even if you don't want to "race", come celebrate and cheer! Please keep social media pictures to a minimum as we will certainly have fun at the event but it is not something sanctioned or anything we want to make too public given the nature of the activities.

Pacing for Runners

Over the last few weeks I have had a few runners ask me about pacing and ways to improve pacing. My sense of pacing is pretty good these days but I have had 30 years of practice.  My sense of pace has evolved to the point that I will confidently bet anyone $100 on any day that I can run within .5 seconds of 75 secs for 400m on a track.  I just know how it feels from years of experience.  37/38 thru 200m.  5 min mile so 1.15, 2.30, 3.45, 5 min if I were to carry it out thru the mile.  I do not expect this article to fix all your pacing issues you might have but I do think there are some ideas in here that should help to improve your pacing.  

Why do I care about pace?

Inexperienced runners make a few mistakes that have less to do with their fitness and more to do with not knowing how to run smart.  Running tangents is 1 mistake but that is a topic for another day.  Working harder than you need to because your pacing is erratic is the mistake I am looking to help you correct in this article.

1) Most inexperienced runners start off way too fast.  If they are capable of an 8 min mile, they start off at 6 min pace.  They feel “great” not recognizing they have a full 5k to race.  As a result, after running the first mile in 6 min, they do not feel so hot anymore and end up at a much slower pace and ultimately do not sustain the 8 min average over the course of the race. You get no credit for a stellar 2 mile time in a 5k race.  The only time that matters is the full 5k finish time.

2) Inexperienced runners tend to over-adjust.  If they are off pace, they will surge and trying to make up all the lost time as quickly as possible.  This wastes a ton of unnecessary energy.  Think of a car.  If you go 0-60 as fast as you can, your car works really hard and burns a lot of gas.  If you gradually build towards 60, it is less stress on your vehicle and burns less gas.  Your body operates in a similar fashion.

Running at a pace that is within your capabilities helps you reach the finish line in the most efficient manner.  Why torture yourself with a pace that is unreasonable the first part of the run only to hold on for dear life the 2^nd half of the run? Wouldn’t it make much more sense to run at an even pace that feels much better to your body?  You get to the finish line in the same amount of time either way but via pacing, you get there a lot easier.

2 examples of races where pacing has substantial benefits. The 3200m track race (metric 2 mile) is a terrific event for pacing.  No matter what your competition is doing, if you hit your 400m splits each lap then chances are you have put yourself in position to do well for the last 800m to have a good race time and beat your competition.   I believe the marathon is another excellent event for pacing.   The marathon is about how many miles you can sustain a given pace.  You want to get to a point in your training where you can click off that pace for miles upon miles. 

The curse of the GPS Watch

Within the last 10 years, GPS watches have been introduced which are good and bad for pacing.  They are good because you can get instant feedback.  They are bad because runners tend to rely on the GPS rather than the nature feel of a pace.  Runners with GPS tend to over adjust a lot as well.  They will glance down, see they are off and start picking up the pace or slowing down until the pace is visibility back to where they want it to be on the GPS.  This results in unnecessary surges and slowdowns rather than smoother pickups, slowdowns if you adjust over the course of a full mile. Runners also tend to constraint themselves to a particular pace they have established for themselves with the GPS when the weather conditions, course or how you feel that day dictates a different pace.  Also, GPS watches are not always accurate.  On a trail with lots of turns, they are rarely accurate.  They are not accurate on a track especially if you are moving fast because you are turning too much to get an accurate read. On a normal run, a GPS can be with +-5 sec per mile accurate which if you learn to pace effectively, you can accomplish on your own.  For road races, often the course is longer on your GPS (there are lots of blogs/articles as to why so I won’t get into that).   So if you rely just on your GPS rather than the mile markers on the course, there is a good chance you will not be on the right pace you have targeted for the event you are in.  As an example, a couple years ago I was running 6.10 pace for the Toronto marathon as I had planned.  Since it was the first time I had raced with a GPS, I made the mistake of not realizing the GPS measured the course as 26.5 instead of 26.2.  I was close to a PR on my GPS thru what it thought was 26.2 but since the finish line was not there, it doesn’t count.

Learning to Pace

So how do you learn to pace?  A good starting point is a 400m oval track found at most high schools or colleges.   The second best option is a route with mile markers.  McMullen greenway, Mallard Creek Greenway and Mcalpine Greenway all come to mind as good places if you can’t find a track here in Charlotte NC.

Let’s say you are capable of 8 minute miles.  Break that down to 400m so you are down to 2 min per lap on the track.  You can break that down to 1 min per 200m.  Start your run and take a peek at the 200m.  If you are around 1 min, great.  If you are a bit over or under, remember how it felt to run the first 200m and try to run a bit slower or faster for the next segment. 

At the 400m, check that you are on track for 2 min.  Make the same adjustments but this time, try not to check the pace until 800m.  Basically, try to get to checking every 400m.  I recommend hitting your lap split on your watch each 400m if you are measuring by the 400m.  Trying to calculate math in your head as you run because more challenging than you would think especially once you start to get tired. Once you feel like you have locked in the feel, try checking every 800m and then every mile. 

Tips for Maintaining your Pace

1) If your route is hilly, being 5-10 sec off on a hilly mile vs. a flat mile is minor and expected deviation.  If you try to maintain the same 8 min pace on an uphill segment, you are working much harder.  There is a good chance on this same course, it will get smoothed out by a downhill portion where you can go 7.45 to offset for example an 8.15.

2)  High school cross country runners are notorious for this but it happens at all levels.  The gun goes off at a race and the first 400m is like a mad sprint!  It is ok to establish yourself in the race especially if you are a front runner and you are on a course that narrows quickly. But, you have to remember you get zero credit in this sport for running half, ¾ or even 90% of the race well.  It’s not like football or basketball where you accumulate points vs your opponent and then can glide the last part of the race.  If you are racing at 5k, the entire 5k counts so therefore you need to plan to pace yourself thru it.  Run aggressive the first 400m but do not get carried away and instead use all the folks going by you as motivation to catch them as the race progresses.

3) Be aware of your surrounds.  Again, if you have raced in town and have some friends and rivals in a race, if folks that are usually faster than you are in front of you, you probably should not be in front of them unless you are having a stellar day. Vice versa..if there is someone you usually beat in a race, you should be in front of them.

4)  Use pace calculators.  Cool Runnings is good for multiple distances.  You can tinker with a specific finish time or a specific pace.  The other link is my favorite for tinkering with half marathon and full marathon paces.  In the 8 min pace example I have been using, your goal 5k time will be 24.51.  8 min,16 min, 24 min, 51 sec.

·         http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/4/4_1/96.shtml

·         http://www.users.on.net/~klima/rkcalc_home.htm

5) Build towards your goal pace. You may ultimately be targeting 8 min miles for your half marathon but 12 weeks before you race is it reasonable to click off 8 min miles?  Probably not.  Your fitness is most likely not there yet.  Try 8.15 pace then after a few weeks, 8.10, 8.05,etc.  The other approach is slowly add more distance to running at that pace.  12 weeks out maybe you run 2 miles at that pace towards the end of your long run.  8 weeks out, you are able to maintain 4 miles at that pace.

6) Practice paces a bit faster than goal pace.  Push yourself and see how it feels to maintain a pace faster than your goal pace.  This will not only stretch you but might help make your actual goal pace feel a bit more comfortable on race day because you have gone faster.

Summary

Do not be a slave to the pace!  While targeting a pace is smart running, how you feel, weather conditions, and course conditions can have a major influence on a run.  Some days, these influences will throw your pace way off.  In these situations, I encourage runners to give it the same effort as if they were running their goal pace but be less concerned about the actual pace because it is a bit beyond your control.  If you know me at all, I always preach having fun!  Certainly improving your pace can help make you a better runner but don’t get pre-occupied with it.  Remember to enjoy running. 

Happy Running!!!

Running Racing Calendar: Jan-April 2015

There are several good running race calendars out there but usually you can't get a full picture from just one.  I have been preparing for coaching plans for the winter/spring of 2015.  For those of you in Charlotte and possibly looking to field trip a bit in 2015, here is a good list of races thru the end of April.  I am sure I have missed some (some on purpose as not a fan, others I just missed).

Wk #	Week	Races
18	29-Dec	Frosty 50k/25k (Sat 1/3)
17	5-Jan
16	12-Jan	CRC 4 miler (Sat 1/17),Charleston Full/Half (Sat 1/17)
15	19-Jan	Fellowship of the Idiots 19.7 (Sat 1/24)
14	26-Jan	Super Bowl 4 miler Sat 1/31
13	2-Feb	Winter Flight 8k (Sun 2/8 at 2pm) - Salisbury NC
12	9-Feb	Cupids Cup 5k (Sat 2/14), Austin Marathon/Half (Sun 2/15), Myrtle Beach Full/Half (Sat 2/14)
11	16-Feb	Charlotte 10 miler (Sat 2/21), Gasparilla half/15k (Sun 2/22) Tampa
10	23-Feb	Cowtown Marathon (Sun 3/1) Ft Worth TX
9	2-Mar	BBT Half (Sat 3/7), Reedy River 10k (Sat 3/7) - Greenville SC
8	9-Mar	Tobacco Road Half (Sat 3/14), RnR Full/Half DC (Sat 3/14)
7	16-Mar	Elizabeth 8k (Sat 3/21), Shamrock 4 miler (Sat 3/21), Shamrock Full/Half (Sun 3/22) - VA Beach, Quintiles Full/Half (Sun 3/22)
6	23-Mar	Cooper River Bridge Run 10K (Sat 3/28), Ukrops Monument 10k (Sat 3/28), Hamilton Lakes 10k (Sat 3/28 3pm) - GBO
5	30-Mar	Know Your Craft 5k (Sat 4/4), CMS Spring break starts on Fri 4/3
4	6-Apr	Southpark Racefest Half/10k (Sat 4/11), CMS Spring break , RnR Raleigh (Sun 4/12)
3	13-Apr	Tarheel 10 miler (Sat 4/18), Flying Pirate Half (Sun 4/19)
2	20-Apr	Boston Marathon (Mon 4/20), RnR Nashville Full and Half (Sat 4/25)
1	27-Apr	New River Full and Half (Sat 5/2), Flying Pig Marathon (Sun 5/3) - Cinny, Pittsburgh Marathon (Sun 5/3)

The renewed debate about a sub 2 marathon

This morning, September 28, 2015 the men's marathon world record was broken!  Dennis Kimetto ran 2.02.57 in Berlin. Emmanuel Mutai has in close chase behind and broke the previous record as well. Breaking the 2.03 barrier will renew the discussion about the evolution of the record and whether sub 2 will be seen in our life time.  Let's assume at 41 years I have at least 30 more years in me. Heck, for argument sake, let's say we have 35 years to crack this record.  For sake of his blog, 35 years will be considered our life time.

Here is some math to chew on:
Dennis Kimetto 2:02:57 WR  

2.03 4.42 pace

2.00 4.35 pace 

58.23 2010 half current WR, 58.33 2^nd fastest half (sharing that the 58.23 is not a huge outlier)

(58.30 x 2)+ 6 min = 2.03 

A 6 min spread is pretty good for guys.  Elite and sub-elite women tend to be able to narrow the gap even more down to 4 min.  Mere mortal men are typically 8-12 min with some outlies.

Let's say guys are able to narrow the spread down to 4 min.  

(58.30 x 2) + 4 min = 2.01 4.37 pace. This is a 5 sec a mile drop from the current record.

To get down to sub 2, the half most likely has to get down to at least 58.

(58 x 2) + 4 min =2.00 4.35 pace.  7 sec per mile drop from the current record 

Beyond the math, unlike the women's world record where there are several women in the world running in the 2.19s but none close to the 2.15 Paula Ratcliffe world record, the men have a number of candidates capable of challenging the world record.  Right out of the gate, Chicago Marathon on October 12th has a field that could nail it.  But, to break the WR, realistically, you need world class marathoners as pacers because no one else can run that fast.  You need world class competitors. Emmanuel Mutai for example pushed the pace in Berlin and broke the previous record himself finishing second to Kimetto's world record. You need a course that is flat with few turns and good weather.  Over 26.2 miles, a few extra degrees of humidity, dew point, temps could slow you down 30+ seconds.  A windy day or the sun particularly shiny can slow you down too.


So is it possible that over the next 35 years the marathon world record will drop under 2?  I think so. It's a stretch goal for sure but mankind continues to do extraordinary things as we evolve.  The financial incentives are there making the marathon the darling distance event right now.  Elite competitors are now going for it right from the gun racing the heck out of the distance.  Over 35 years, a whole new generation of runners will come up the ranks with new goals and aspirations.  35 years is enough for man to evolve, specialize, and learn even more about how to push the threshold of man. 

I can't wait to see it unfold and will be cheering for all the incredibly talented racers who dedicate their lives to advancing the record.