The Road to the RVA Marathon

After the Outer Banks triathlon, it was time to focus on the upcoming Richmond Marathon. OBX was on September 14th which gave me about 2 months of focused run training before the November 16th race. I had a pretty busy season thus far including some fairly long runs with MTT. I was feeling pretty tired and wanted to cut back on my weekly training hours. With a 21 miler the Sunday after OBX, and then another 20 miler the following weekend, I had plenty of run miles under my belt and felt pretty good about my chances of getting a marathon PR in November. 

My current Marathon PR was from 2017 at the NYC Marathon.

As a side note, unbeknownst to me, a movie was being filmed during the 2017 NYC Marathon and I made it into the movie. If you blink, you will miss me but a friend send along this screen grab. Also, you can see my race report for NYC here. http://jimsoccernut.blogspot.com/2017/11/2017-tcs-nyc-marathon-race-report.html

That is me in the red Gobble Wobble shirt

Sports Backers Marathon Training Team (MTT) runs out of Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond. The stadium is 1 mile from my house. When MTT started, I decided I would run from my house to the stadium, run with my MTT team, and then run home. I have always enjoyed doing that kind of thing and have run from my house to the Monument Ave 10K, run it, and run then back home. And I used to ride my mountain bike from my house in Henrico County to the downtown trails, ride all the trails, and then ride back home. There is something appealing about not having to drive, park, etc. So, for MTT, I always got 2 more miles than what was prescribed in the MTT training plan. Overachiever? Maybe. Sorta like this guy. 

This routine seemed to work out well for me. I would run 1 mile to the stadium and then have a little break including using the indoor bathroom at the stadium which is always a runner's dream. Then I would run the prescribed route with Team Limes which always included SAG stops where we could all refuel with water, PowerAid, gels, etc. Then I would take a little break when we got back to the Stadium before slogging that last mile home. 

With the extra mileage and all the hill work that I normally did not do, I really felt primed to run a good race. I made a decision that I would stop training for triathlon and just focus on running. I wanted to sleep more and thought that skipping the 5:30 AM pool sessions, and long bike rides on the weekend would give my body more rest. I also made a hard decision to stop training with my coach who I had been training regularly with for more than 5 years. It was tough to break up with him because I had learned so much from him enjoyed a great deal of success under his guidance. It was nice to simply complete workouts as prescribed and not really have to think about it much. But I was a bit burnt out and wanted to try going at it by myself for awhile. Plus, I could really use some new tires on my car and the cost savings would help with the tires and various other expenses. It took a while for my decision to sit well with me. I missed Dave. I threw myself into MTT. 

On October 17th, I was running track after a weekend 22 miler, and I was feeling fast. The weather had gotten cooler. It was really the first cool track workout I had. After a short warm up of 2 miles and some strides, I was ticking off some decent paces that felt relatively easy. Below you can see my laps. I pressed the lap button after one time around the track. I did one mile followed by some active rest and then a 2 miler. Again, it all felt very easy. I had one more 2 mile interval to do. Somewhere around 600 meters into it, my hamstring started to complain a bit. I pulled the plug and called it a day. 

          Lap #           Time             Cumulative Time      Distance            Pace              HR

Well, that sucked. I took the next two days off and did all I could to heal including compression, heat, stretching, and rest. On the following Sunday, I took off from my house a little slower than usual to let myself warm up. Of course it was relatively cold and rainy. Our first real bad weather run of the season. I was planning to see how I felt when I got to the stadium. When I got there, I felt pretty good. My hammy was fine and I was ready to resume business as usual. 

The route that day went through the Fan of Richmond and with all the rain and poor drainage around that area, there were flooded areas and I ended up running through some pretty cold puddles. Is it a still called a puddle if it comes up past your ankles? Oh well, I was soaked already so I shrugged it off and kept on trucking. Then, about 3.5 miles into the run, my hammy started to act up. I told the person I was running with that I was going to slow down and that she could keep going. We were discussing how slow I was going to go when suddenly a sharp pain shot through my hamstring which caused me to shout an expletive and then stop all together. It was like a snake bite. This was not good at all. I turned around and started walking home. I decided it would be less mileage to walk home than to walk back to the stadium and then back home. So, that is what I did. 

Mine was my left leg

I hobbled home. It was pretty miserable as far as walks go. It was cold and rainy and I could not move fast enough to keep warm. I would occasionally shuffle a bit more than a walk but that would not last long. It took me about 40 minutes to walk home. I took a quick hot shower and then got bundled up and drove my car back to Sports Backers Stadium so I could sign back in so the Team Limes coaches did not wonder what happened to me. 

So, now what? I consulted my physical therapy friend who always gives me guidance and she thought I should go see someone. I decided to try to get into see a professional ASAP. I called the VCU Sports Medicine hotline which was a perk of training with MTT. They were supposed to give MTT participants priority appointments. I managed to get into pretty quickly to see an NP at the VCU Sports Medicine clinic. She gave me a thorough exam and wrote me a prescription for physical therapy. I spent the next day trying to get in somewhere and finally landed at Richmond Physical Therapy near Willow Lawn shopping center which was not too far from my house. 

Richmond Physical Therapy (RPT) was great. The entire staff was pleasant, supportive, and knowledgeable. Mary Beth took good care of me and put me on the road to recovery. At this point, my marathon plans were on hold as I worked through the exercises, trying to heal and get stronger. 

Short video of my doing an exercise at RPT
https://www.facebook.com/richmondpt/videos/569002377185411/

While I was going to PT, I started to ride my bike some. Mary Beth said it would be fine to ride my trainer. So I would do some short rides before doing my exercises. Riding was not a problem for my hamstring so at least I had that going for me. 

I don't want to get into too many details but I do want to share this one tool that really played a bit part of my recovery. I call it the "Magic Ball". I put this ball under my hamstring while sitting at my desk at work or while driving my car. I can do active release as well as massage while multitasking. After a short session, my hamstring always feels better. 

The Magic Ball

I ended up being mostly out of commission for two weeks. I ran two of the long taper runs with Team Limes. I took it easy, took a few walk breaks, and mostly held it together. After my two taper runs, I decided I would go ahead and try the marathon but with adjusted goals. I knew it would be a bit of a struggle but I thought if I took it easy, I might be able to run around 4 hours. So that was the plan. I would try to run 9 minute miles and just hope that I did not blow up. There was always the possibility I would have to pull myself out of the race at some point so I went in to the race with that notion in the back of my mind. 

Next up will be my actual race report. I know, the suspense is killing you. Did I survive? Did I finish? Did my hamstring act up? What was the race swag like? Did I swear off running forever? 

Do I like to race? Recap of the second half of 2019

I have been delinquent. I know. All my loyal readers have been waiting with baited breath for my latest race report. People want to know what other great feats of endurance I participated in during the second half of 2019. They want to know what place I came in in my age group. Did I suffer any hardships leading up to a race? Did I bonk hard in the last leg of a triathlon? Did I get injured and have to adjust my goals? Did I have to go to the doctor at all? Did I pee myself on the bike?  I have been down right mean by keeping everyone out of the loop. For that I apologize.

Today, I will get caught up through the summer of 2019. Once I get my loyal readers caught up, I will have a race report for the Richmond Marathon. And then, and only then, will I turn my attention to a new subject that should garner a bit more discussion I think. But first, here are some abbreviated race reports for the rest of 2019.

After Ironman 70.3 VA, we went to the beach for an early season vacation. I ate a ton of ice cream and generally took it easy. We did some hiking and lounging on the beach and one day we went for a run. It was a nice getaway. Here are a few photos from the trip. 

It was a fun trip that included ZERO races. 

We got back from the beach on a Friday. The next day, I rode my bike from my house down to the Cap 2 Cap start at Dorey Park. I had to push the pace a bit to get there before it started so when I arrived at the starting line for the 100 mile bike ride, I was gushing sweat after my 17 mile warm up. I did well for the first half of the ride but then all the ice cream caught up to me and I lost my mojo. It was a death march back to Dorey Park where I used the bathroom, grabbed a post race dinner roll, and then headed for home. Of course the skies opened up and I rode the 17 miles back to my house in pouring rain. I ended up with 135 miles that day and I must say it was rather miserable for the last 65. I had wanted to see how an extra long bike ride would feel. Now I know.

Two weeks later I did the Dominion Energy Riverrock Trail Trio which consisted of a Friday evening trail 5K, a Saturday morning trail 10k, and a Sunday morning trail Half Marathon. Let's just say I did well. I dropped in the standings as the weekend progressed but that was to be expected. I was kinda sore going into day 2 and quite fatigued going into day 3.  The weather was rather warm and I find it increasingly difficult to keep the gas pedal down in the heat the older I get. Here are my results from the three races.

Two weeks after Riverrock, we headed north to visit with Melissa's sister and family. They are always so accommodating and always make sure we are comfortable when we visit. It was good to catch up but in addition to some family time, we also did the Independence Olympic Triathlon. I was still a little run down from the beat down of Riverrock (run down from the beat down- could be a song), but I still did pretty well in the race, taking 5th in my AG. It was a fun race on a closed course which I would do again someday. Plus the pre-race grilled Salmon out on Diane and Scott's deck was quite satisfying and relaxing. 

Results below. 

After the June 2nd triathlon, I started up with the Sportsbackers Marathon Training Team here in Richmond, VA. MTT as it is know around here is a very large training team that prepares newbies and veterans for the Richmond Marathon in November. They have training plans, weekend supported runs, group hill workouts, group track workouts, advice, access to VCU Sports Medicine staff. Running with MTT is a good way to meet other like minded people. You know, people who want to run a marathon. They create the routes for the weekend long runs and have SAG stations every 3 or 4 miles on the routes so you can refuel with water, Power Aid, gels, and other snacks. MTT makes running in the heat and humidity of summer in Richmond slightly more bearable. 

While I was training with MTT, I was also keeping up with my triathlon training. I decided I would do one more triathlon, the Outer Banks Triathlon in September. I had done the race once before. It is a small race but a good race for all levels. Plus, my brother-in-law Dave decided to make this his first triathlon. He was doing the Olympic distance while I was doing the Half. I was looking forward to sharing all things triathlon with Dave and being there to congratulate him on his accomplishment. 

But before we get to that, I had one more small race to do in Virginia Beach on July 13th. The Allen Stone Braveheart Memorial Run/Swim/Run took place at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. The race is a benefit for the Navy Seals Foundation. The Navy SEAL Foundation provides immediate and ongoing support and assistance to the Naval Special Warfare community and its families. I happen to know the race director for the event who went to school with my brother Erik and who is an accomplished endurance athlete himself. He participated in the John Rosen Memorial 5K that I produced a couple of years ago. I was so happy to be able to support his event. 

This event consisted of a 1K barefoot beach run, then into the ocean for a 1K swim, followed by a 5K boardwalk run. It was great fun and I highly recommend this race to anyone looking for something a little different that supports a great cause. Check them out at http://www.allenstonememorial.com/.

I know what you are thinking, how did you do? Not too shabby. Got 3rd in my AG. I am not sure why I did not get swim splits. 

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner - 3rd

On to the OBX Triathlon.

A week before the race, Hurricane Dorian blew through the region and the race was in jeopardy of  being canceled. Thankfully, the water receded from the roads and we were able to race. Unfortunately, the storm runoff from the hurricane meant the bacteria levels in the sound were deemed unsafe and the swim was canceled.  I was disappointed that the swim was canceled but it was the right thing to cancel. After all, a google search about swimming in open water with high bacteria levels came up with this:

Q: What could happen to me if I swim in water with elevated levels of bacteria? A: Exposure to bacteria in the water can cause symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps, chills and fever. Skin rashes and infections of the eyes, ears, nose and throat may also occur.

Gross!

Without getting into too many excruciating details, the run felt like a death march. It was so hot! I was burning up. I would run for a while and then had to walk to cool off. Over and over again, I found myself having to walk more than I wanted. It was my slowest half marathon ever in any race. However, I still placed well in a small age group. 

Well, that about wraps it up for Triathlon season. Up next would be the Richmond Marathon, my last "big" race of the year. Next time, I will enthrall you with my story of that race. 

2019 Results - First Half of Season Complete

My next race was the very popular and fun Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K here in RVA.

After the January 5K, I got back into the groove and starting logging a lot of swim, bike, run miles on a consistent basis. I had some great solo track workouts and was starting to feel faster. Unfortunately, just before the Monument Ave 10K, my allergies kicked in and I felt terrible, could not sleep or train, and probably lost a lot of fitness. I also missed a few days of work which is rare for me. By April 13th, I was well enough to race although my lungs still felt a bit scratchy and I still could not hit any high notes which is something that happens to me when I get sick. My voice kind of disappears.

When race day came, I went in not expecting much.  Before the race started, I decided that if I could negative split, that would be a win. My pacing for these types of events still has a lot to be desired. I usually go out too fast on the first mile and fade from there. It was a overcast day with some drizzle but it was not cold and quite humid. Without going into too much detail, I managed to eek out a 43:51 10K which was good enough for 21st place out of 707 in the men 50-54 age group. And probably for the first time ever, I negative split which means I ran the second half ever so slightly faster than the first half. You would think after 13 years of doing this race, I would have the pacing figured out. But I guess some people take longer to learn than others.

Maybe someday I will get back to running under 42 minutes for this race. But the last two years, I have been unable to push the pace hard. I am getting older and most likely my PR has come and gone for this race. I will probably keep doing it though as it is fun and the biggest local race in RVA.

Next up was the Ironman 70.3 Virginia on May 5th which was 3 weeks later. I did not really have time to do another build phase for this race. Ideally, I would have been putting in some longer, more epic workouts before a short taper. But since I had gotten sick and was still not 100 percent, I had to be content to maintain my fitness in the weeks leading up to the race.

Race day was humid. It had rained hard overnight and the field where transition was setup was steamy. I knew by the time we got to the run, the weather would be a big factor. I don't want to get bogged down in too many details so I will try to summarize as much as possible.

For me, a half Ironman takes between 5:15 and 6 hours depending on the courses. This course is fairly fast so I was hoping to go under 5:30 for sure. As we got ready to swim, I got very nervous as I often do before these events. The swim is always a bit stressful for me since I am a very mediocre swimmer and sometimes the swim is crowded and there can be a fair amount of contact between participants. For this race, I was more nervous than I have been in a long time. Luckily I was able to meet up with some friends before the swim start which was a bit comforting. I waited in the swim line with Busher and we chatted about all kinds of things. He seemed pretty relaxed which helped with my mood. Also, Jill was there to help me with my last minute wetsuit adjustments which also helped calm me down a bit.


The swim ended up being OK. I did not have any major collisions and there were not too many bottlenecks on the course. The current assisted swim was fast for the fist two thirds of the race. For the last part, the current did not seem to help as much and I had to really push to keep moving at a good pace. In the end, Ironman clocked my swim at 37 minutes. However, my Garmin puts me a few minutes faster. I did have a cramp at the end and had to deal with that on the dock before running out to get my wetsuit stripped off by the wetsuit peelers. It seems like the run from the water to T1 was quite long. Then again, these things usually are quite long.

I was 72 out of 146 in my AG in the swim.

The bike course was quite nice and I gotta hand it to Ironman. They made a special effort to have people, cones, and signage out on the course to identify areas where the road was narrow and bumpy. There were a few "no passing" zones which helped keep people safe on parts of the course that could have otherwise been a bit sketchy. The first three fifths of the course was quite fast and I averaged about 20 mph for these first few sections. The second to last section did get a bit windy with pavement that was not as fast. The course plus some fatigue did slow me down a bit. But I rallied at the end and had a decent bike split.

With a time of 02:46:54, I was 61 out of 146 in my AG on the bike. Much better than the swim.

Onto the run. I have done this run many times and each time, I start out well and then the heat catches up with me and I start to falter. Same thing happened this time around. I did well for about 5 miles and then I just had take some walk breaks as I could feel my body heating up. Unfortunately, I had made a stupid mistake and left my hat and sunglasses in transition because it looked cloudy when I was in T2 and there was a forecast for more rain. Of course the sun was out after about 5 minutes of running and it was got quite steamy. I managed to keep on trucking and despite the walk breaks, managed a 2 hour half marathon.

I ended up 48 out of 146 in my AG for the run which also happened to put me at 48 overall in my AG. My overall place was 472 out of 1539. Ironman races are definitely more competitive than other brands of races. This performance would have put me in the top 20 in my AG if it was still a REV 3 race I think.

That wraps up the first part of my season. Next up was an Olympic distance triathlon in PA and then a Run/Swim/Run event in July in VA Beach. Rain or shine, toe the line!

Goodbye 2018 - Hello 2019

Post Race Blues 😞

After completing Ironman Arizona in November of 2019, I have to admit, I was slightly bummed about the way things went. I have yet to crack the Ironman code and have a perfect race. Chattanooga was probably my best performance overall but I still think I can do better. After the race, I started thinking about what I wanted to do in 2019. Did I want to try another Ironman? Did I want to give a full Ironman a break? Did I want to try doing an ultra trail running race? Did I want to take a break from structured training?  One idea I toyed with was doing a self-supported Ironman on my own. Basically a Will Turner style race. I had already committed to Ironman 70.3 Virginia in early May but other than that, I was not sure what I would be interested in doing. 

In these situations, when there is uncertainty or perhaps some moodiness, it is probably best not to make any decisions at all. So, I talked to my coach and talked about some options. After talking with him, I decided I would just try to enjoy a little time off and not worry about 2019 for a while. 

I took one entire week off where I did not do any workouts. I mostly went to work and ate a lot. It seemed like I was hungry every couple of hours for 2 to 3 weeks after Ironman Arizona. Melissa and I relived our trip and looked at finisher videos and photos and let her amazing accomplishment sink in. For the next two weeks I did not do much. I did a few very short runs and swims for a total about 2 hours of training per week for the next two weeks. But then, after my three week hiatus, I was ready to get back to it. On the 4th week after Ironman Arizona, I managed to put together a solid 10 hours of swim, bike, run training. After that, I was ready to start ramping things up. I was back to 10-12 hours of training. My shoulder still was not 100 percent but it felt good to be back in the groove. 

New Years 

For New Years, we traveled up to my hometown of Vienna, VA to visit with my family. I took my bike and running gear of course. On the the day before New Year's Eve, I went on a ride with some Vienna friends.  The temperature would have kept me inside in Richmond but I was determined to try to ride outside more in the winter and committed to meet some cyclist friends on the bike trail for a 2 hour ride. Boy, did it not disappoint. Riding with these two guys was so much fun. No expectations, no rigidity. Just an organic ride with a few short attacks on the hills and some easy segments where we conversed about everything from cycling to soccer to everything in between. We ended up with 40+ miles and it felt so good. That was my longest ride since IMAZ and really made me feel like my fitness was returning. 

While out on the ride, I noticed a sign on the trail advertising a New Year's Eve 5K which would be taking place the next day at 4 PM. Well, I could not pass that up. So I registered for the race. The next day, I ran to the start from my Mom's house which was about 2 miles down the bike trail. I did not know what the course would be like other than the fact that part of it would be on the bike trail. I was looking forward to a nice flat course. But when the gun went off, we turned onto a road that went up a nice little hill. I heard someone say, "This is not the steep hill." Great. "I was not aware there would be any hills" went through my mind which is sort of a little joke I say sometimes when running up a hill in a race just to be silly. I did not say it out loud on this particular day. But after a few more hills, the course did flatten out and we were running down the bike trail. From here, it was a simple out and back. As I approached the turnaround, I started counting the front runners so I could see what place I was in overall.  

I was in 25th place when I went around the turnaround cone. I could see a few people ahead of me and it looked like I was gaining on them slightly. From the turnaround back to the finish there was a false flat. I had run and biked this part of the trail very often and knew that the subtle up hill could feel like nothing on a good day. But with some fatigue and a headwind, it could slow you down a bit. But I kept trudging along. I picked off a few younger runners who had perhaps not paced themselves well. And then I had a little boost as my brother Erik and his wife Melissa were standing on the trail outside the local brewery and gave me a nice cheer. That was all I needed to help me claw myself into 19th place. And then, there was one more person in front of me who I managed to pipe at the line for 18th overall. 

After the race, I checked my results and saw that I had won my age group (M50-59). Wow! That was unexpected. The prize was a one hour massage. Not too shabby for a last minute entry. After collecting my gift card, I ran back to my Mom's house in the dark on the bike trail. Luckily, the moonlight was strong enough that I could see plenty well. It was a little creepy but there were still a few bikers and runners out there here and there. 

After I got home, I had a quick bite and we went to Erik's house for his annual New Year's Eve party where I had lots of fun talking to folks I had not seen in years. It was probably the most fun I had had a party in quite a while. 

First Race in 2019

On January 12th, I competed in another 5K, the first race of 2019.  Melissa and I both did the Run4Meg charity 5K.  It was a chilly January morning but after warming up for the race, I decided to run in shorts. It had been about 2 weeks since the last 5K and I had put together another couple weeks of solid training leading up to the event. When the gun went off, I found myself in about 5th place after the fist few minutes. I was going at pretty good pace, slightly faster than my New Year's Eve 5K pace. The first 3 runners were pulling away from me but I still had 4th place in my sights. Sightly past the half way point, I saw Melissa who was racing. She was going in the opposite direction as I had already reached the turnaround. She gave me a nice cheer which gave me a boost and I was able to pass the guy in 4th place. Now I just had to hold him off. I pressed down on the gas pedal ever so slightly and took a look over my shoulder. He was not able to react. So I held that pace for another half mile or so before turning up the heat for the last quarter of a mile. I ended up 4th overall and 1st Masters Male which entitled me to a $50 gift card at a local running store. Melissa has since used this prize to get some new shoes. After all, what's mine is hers. 

2019 Plans

So far, these are the events I have planned for 2019. There are a few I still have to register for but this is pretty much what I have in mind so far. 

• April 13th - Monument Ave 10k
• May 5th - Ironman 70.3 VA
• May 6th through the 10th - Beach Vacation
• May 11th - Cap to Cap Century with some extra miles
• May 17th through 19th - Riverrock Trail Trio - 5K Friday, 10K Saturday, 13.1 on Sunday
• June 2 - Independence Olympic Triathlon
• July 13th - Allen Stone Braveheart Run/Swim/Run 
• September 13th, 14th, 15th - Savage Man - Big Savage (Friday Prologue Swim/Run/Swim/Run/Swim/Run, Saturday Olympic Triathlon, Sunday Half Iron distance Triathlon.