2:11:20

This past weekend, i completed the Napa Valley Half Marathon in 2:11:20.

Not as fast as i'd like (sub-2) but not too shabby. Unlike my previous "fast" halfs (halves?), i did not "run-jog-run" this one; rather, i relentlessly followed a 3:1 run-walk-run strategy, but dialed up the run intervals to my tempo pace. The final result was just a smidge slower than my first run-jog-run half three years ago. This was more a proof-of-concept than anything, to show that i can do intermittent bursts of tempo pace up to a total duration of two hours. Moving forward, i'll need to experiment with three things: faster-paced run intervals, faster-paced walk intervals, and longer run ratios (3:30:1 or even 4:1).  If i can achieve all three, maybe i'll be able to run the elusive sub-4 marathon one day. 

As far as why i ran a half and not a full, i have been injured since Huntington Beach, and was simply not up to doing the full 26.2.  Around two weeks after that particular race, i started running 20 miles a week again, and both my Achilles tendons just got completely inflamed.  The pain in those areas became so bad that there were days i could barely walk, and they were extremely tender to even gentle touch.  I ended up taking an additional 6 weeks off running altogether.  After that self-imposed exile, i started testing the waters at 10 miles a week with a 10-15% weekly increase in mileage.  Ultimately i was able to do a 10 miler, but that was only around 5 weeks prior to this race.  

Much to my dismay, i basically get injured after every marathon.  I suspect that the mainly culprit is improper recovery, namely trying to just "pick up where i left off" after a short period of rest.  However, i am no elite athlete, and probably need to dial it back up slower.  I also think that after a race, i get so focused on improving my performance that i forget "the basics" - that is, emphasizing pace and mileage and neglecting proper running form.  

So, form: the reason my Achilles tendons suffered so hard is probably because i was trying to run with my ankles.  This is a shame, because Galloway's run-walk-run method in fact encourages that.  Once i stopped doing that and started running more mindfully - focusing more on using the thighs and hips - the pain let up and i was able to run properly again.  Overall, i've become more introspective than before (that's what the prospect of NEVER RUNNING AGAIN does to a man), and have codified the steps for getting back into running.  I'm not smart enough to have come up with this on my own; i based it on an article i read on Runner's World, plus some personal tweaks: 

JB'S RECOVERY PLAN

1. 1-3 weeks of no running (1 for a half, 2 for a full, and 3 weeks if it was a particularly hard marathon). 

2. Only 10 easy miles the first week back. 

3. Focus on form!  

    a. Push from the glutes

    b. Drive the legs using the hips

    c. Run lightly: "paw the ground" with the feet

4. Rotate shoes every few days (currently switching between Vomero and Pegasus). 

5. Consistently do eccentric Achilles strengthening exercises. 

6. Do lunges and glute exercises during the "no running" period.  

Race notes: 

1.  The expo was nothing special.  The swag included a decent backpack.  Otherwise, it was just the usual local running stores, sign-up booths for upcoming races, and overpriced race merchandise.  Nothing necessarily bad with that last one, especially if one wants to support the local economy.  There was also "free" wine tasting.  The lines were so long that you wonder how anyone could pony up $140 for a race but not just buy their own damn bottle of wine.  

2.  The weather was definitely a little nippier than i  prefer, starting out at 36 degrees and ending up in the mid 40s.  I took off my "overpants" right at the start (although next time i should probably do sweatpants and not just pajama bottoms), peeled off my throwaway sweater about 1/2 mile in, and discarded my long-sleeved shirt (yes, i wore three top layers) around 1.5 miles in.  I felt decently warm, especially when running in the sunlight.  

3.  There were buses to the start, but they left too early for my taste (5:10 for a 7 AM race), so Gianina just dropped me off at the starting line.  There was a decent crowd at the start, but i only had to wait 15 minutes for a porta-potty.  No food, but there were coolers where you could fill up your water bottle.  

4.  Small races FTW!  Only a little over 2000 runners, it was great.  Most of the time i felt like i was running alone... easier to run the tangents that way.

At the starting line.

5.  The course was the Silverado trail, with great views of rolling vineyards.  I even spotted some hot-air balloons in the distance.  Elevation wise, some hills until a little past the halfway mark, and mostly downhill after that.  There were aid stations every 2-3 miles or so, and what appeared to be ample porta-potties that i never needed to take advantage of.  

6.  Not much of a post-race experience.  Get your water and medal at the chute, walk a bit and get some food.  The parking lot is right there at the school, and since there's not that many people, it's relatively easy to get a spot.  It beats marathons where you have to walk another mile or so just to meet your family.  

I'm uncertain what the future holds.  Hopefully my recovery plan prevents more injuries.  I wonder if i should drop down to half marathons; the training is not as intense and the recovery is not as painful.  But something (hubris?) tells me that my marathon days aren't over yet.  

4:34:38 (AKA It's Not Tokyo But It'll Do)

This past weekend, i was supposed to run the Tokyo Marathon.  Instead, i completed the Napa Valley Marathon in 4:34:38.

The cancellation of the Tokyo Marathon hurt... my soul, and especially my wallet.  But i understood why.  COVID-19, outbreak containment, etc, made sense to me.  So it rubbed salt in the wound when the virus made its way to California anyway, even before March 1st.  Meh.  In the end, i am nothing if not pragmatic, so i just rolled with it and found another marathon on the same date.

I have to say though - that aside from running it 5000 miles from where i originally intended - this marathon was everything i wanted it do be.  I had hit almost all my target mileage and paces in the 16 weeks leading up to the race, i had a good game plan, i was close to my goal BMI - overall, the best prepared i've been in ANY of my previous marathons (including my very first one a little over 9 years ago).  I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach (irrational) that i was going to disappoint myself the way i had in my last two races, but knew that there wasn't anything else to do but trust my training.

The much sought-after running photo where both feet are actually off the ground!

It seems that the trust was well-placed.  The run-walk-run method continues to reap benefits for me.  Previously, i would extend the running intervals on downhills or if i was feeling particularly good.  This time, i did not deviate from my 3:1 ratio at all.  On the running intervals i would do somewhere between a 9:00 and 9:30, then dial it down to a 17-ish for the walk.  I'm not sure i can run much faster and still be comfortable, so maybe i need to learn how to walk faster if i want to break 4:30.  Honestly though - around mile 16, i realized that i had an actual shot at breaking 4:30 if i hit an average pace of around 9:50-10:00.  That would have meant skipping some walk breaks, which could be disastrous.  Reminding myself that the goal was to stay injury-free, not hit some arbitrary time goal, i stuck with the game plan, did a negative split (!), and finished 20 minutes faster than Chicago - 16 minutes faster than CIM.

The tectonic shift that i did in preparation for this race was to almost completely eliminate the consumption of Gu during my training runs.  I used to go through one packet every 4 miles or 45 minutes (whichever was sooner).  Occasionally i'd get away with six miles, especially during "speedwork," but without fail i'd need a Gu at some point or else i would just bonk.  On a long run of 22 miles, i would go through five packets.  Well, i read on some rando site (Runners' World?  Reddit?  I forget) that one isn't supposed to eat during a long run.  Apparently, the WHOLE POINT of the long run is to train one's body to run on fat, not carbs.  So i cut out the Gu on the premise of teaching my body to run on different fuel, and worked my way up to 16 miles on just water before bonking.  Then, for the actual race, i consumed Gu the way i used to.  It was, in a word, amazing.  Each time i ingested the gel, i would feel stronger: a sensation of WOW, THIS IS GREAT! as opposed to THANK GOD I ATE SOMETHING OR ELSE I WOULD DIE.  In my last 5 marathons, non-running areas such as my shoulders and arms would cramp and go sore (mayhap glycogen was being cannibalized everywhere just to feed the legs), but for this run everything felt great all the way to the end.  So, for future reference: continue to subsist on minimal external fuel while training, but find the optimal ratio/timing for race day.  Perhaps every 3 miles (or 30 minutes) instead?   I'll try that out on a half.

Close to the finish - still going strong!

Hanging loose as i crossed the finish line.

Another thing i changed for this race - i changed my footwear from the Hoka Mach to the Nike Pegasus 36.  More on this in the future. 

In sum - i'm happy with the way this went. 

Race Notes:

1.  The expo was nothing to write home about.  We were in and out in about 15 minutes, including packet pick up and looking at exhibits/merchandise.  They gave out a decent backpack with the usual snacks, KT tape, etc.

2.  Temperatures, as usual for me, were perfect.  We started out in the mid 40s (warm enough to discard all my Goodwill clothes even before crossing the starting line) and ended up in the low 60s.  There was a moment at the start when it started to drizzle, but that quickly stopped and it was clear/sunny for the remainder.

3.  Bus rides from pickup points in Napa (where the finish line is) to Calistoga (where the race starts) are nice and convenient.  In addition, they let you stay in the warm bus until about a half hour before the gun goes off - ample time to hit a porta potty (i only spent about 15 minutes in line for one).   No food or water available for non-VIPs at the start... Good thing i had a full Camelbak and some bread to munch on.

The lines for the porta-potties.  Not bad.

4.  I am really beginning to prefer the smaller races.  There were only a little over 2000 marathon runners, which is a tiny fraction of the field for New York and Chicago.  I did not have to weave around other runners (despite there being only one self-seeded wave) and was somewhat able to run the tangents, which resulted in me running only a wee bit over 26.2.  On multiple occasions, i found myself running alone, which i honestly consider to be pleasant.  Unfortunately, since i DO want to finish the World Marathon Majors at some point, i guess i'll have to contend with a gigantic field at least 4 more times.

At the starting line.  I was about halfway into the crowd.

5.  The course, which runs south on the Silverado Trail, is GORGEOUS.  IMHO, almost as pretty as Big Sur, without the coastline.  Mountains on both sides, with one vineyard and winery after another.  Not many spectators, which is fine by me (one can only laugh at a sign that goes "You run better than the government" so many times).  While advertised as being net downhill, there were several rolling hills in the first two-thirds.  Nothing compared to Big Sur, but certainly not flat (at least not until the last 6 miles or so).  There was sufficient support on the course, with aid stations supplying water and electrolytes every two miles or so.  There were porta potties at every aid station, and the lines were never more than two deep.  People actually stopped using them around midway through the course, and i was lucky enough to waste very little time dashing into a line-less one at around mile 12. 

Nice, picturesque backdrop. 

6.  There wasn't really much of a post-race experience that i noticed.  There was the usual medal, water, and food.  The most important post-race experience to me is how to reconnect with family and get back to my hotel.  In this, the small field continued to be a Godsend.  Gianina and Adrian were waiting right at the finish line, and the car was parked just a couple of hundred feet away. 

7.  The race entry includes some free wine tastings with "partner" wineries.  Since i'm not a big drinker, i didn't avail of any.  Still, a nice perk for some. 

So that's it.  At this point, 7 marathons in, i think i've figured out a method that works.  Now, to grind.  I haven't quite decided on my next race yet, but i'm cautiously optimistic that things are looking up.

We just pretended to be in Tokyo by hitting a conveyor belt sushi buffet.