Lehigh Valley Half Marathon

Let me just start off with the fact that I do not recommend any of the following activities:

1. Going from months of complete sedentary life to finishing a half marathon.
2. Being an out-of-towner, showing up at a bar full of out-of-towners and drinking whatever beverages the cute bartender brings over your way, even if it is free of charge.
3. I should really emphasize item 2.
4. I should also add over here that item 2 should NEVER EVER happen on the day before a long run, like, a half marathon.
5. Item 2 should really NEVER EVER happen on the day before a half marathon ESPECIALLY if said half marathon is your first run of the season.

So basically, I showed up in Allentown, PA this past Saturday afternoon for the race packet pick up and expo so that I could run in the half on Sunday. After I was done with the race things, I went over to the Allentown Brew Works for a quick little lunch. I sat at the bar and order their pulled pork sandwich and asked the bartender for a beverage to go with. He thought their Pilsener would go well, so that was what I had ... on my own volition.

While I sat there, I watched the game (Mets vs Atlanta) and sent a few text messages over to H. He decided not to come with me this year, and this was my first race without him, so I was missing him a little.

Since it was still quiet at the restaurant, and being alone, the bartender gave me some company and threw a sample of their Wit over my way. I freakin' LOVED the Steelgaarden Wit. When this became known to the bartender, I received a few more glasses of the Wit.

After a little while, the ladies next to me had ordered a very pretty mixed drink - it was a vibrant shade of pink. Seeing my intrigue, the bartender gave me a bit of the pretty pink concoction - a watermelon martini. It was incredibly tasty.

By now, it was closing in on 4 o'clock, and I desperately needed some water. So after paying my tab, and having pinky swore that I would return for dinner (the Roadrunner Pasta had me all sorts of intrigued), I stumbled my way back to my hotel room.

And there I remained for the rest of the night. I eventually started to puke, and it basically didn't stop until well past midnight. Somewhere between drinking bottles and bottles of water and puking, I had managed to place a wake up call in the early morning. After five hours of sleep, I woke up with the headache and nausea entirely gone. I decided to run in the half just for the sake of finishing and to ignore my time entirely.

That was exactly what I did. I'm not going to mention my time here because it is incredibly slow, but considering the fact that I did not train, and having had the worst hang over I have EVER had ... the mere act of finishing 13.1 miles (and not being sick afterwards might I add) isn't too shabby.

And a note to the cute bartender - I'm so sorry for not coming back, though I tried my very best. The thing is ... the Porcelain God just would not let me leave his alter.

Philadelphia Marathon

Each time I go to Philadelphia with a lot of uncertainty, I leave that City with the uncertainty left behind. In 2006, I showed up at the Jefferson Hospital Half Marathon in Philadelphia after being thoroughly beaten by the hills of the Runner’s World Half Marathon in Allentown, PA (now known as the Lehigh Valley Half Marathon) just a few months prior. I officially declared that if I didn’t finish strong in Philly, then I would only run for my own enjoyment and bow out of these half marathon events.

After the Jefferson Half Marathon, I not only felt great, but I really believed that on that day, I could have finished a full marathon. I remember seeing the 10th and then the 11th mile marker after a mere blink of the eye. Not only was I without uncertainty after that race, but I signed up for my first marathon shortly thereafter.

I ended 2006 with the Marathon of the Palm Beaches. Ground temperatures had reached 90 degrees by 10 AM on that course, and nothing more than stubborn pride made me cross that finish line. In 2007, a return trip to Allentown was made, and I had to redeem myself by ripping those hills to shreds. With that item checked off my to-do list, a more daunting task was ahead of me - the Quebec Marathon. Although I did beat my Palm Beach time, I did require medical attention after stubborn pride delivered me, once again, to the finish line.

Discouraged, a little heart broken, and uncertain about myself as a marathon runner, I half heartedly attacked my already relaxed training schedule for the Philadelphia Marathon. I left a lot of things get in the way of my training as I skipped numerous tempo and speed sessions. I clung on to my distance runs and some of my strength training, but I would go without those at times as well.

I’m amazed by how calm I was the night before the race. It even featured an unfriendly discussion regarding my marital arrangements with my fiancé. The morning of the race, I was a little panicky. I was unsure about how many layers of clothing I needed, and what I should strip at the half way marker, which ultimately asks the question, “So, where should I pin down this freakin’ bib number?” When everything was finally set to go, I had 15 minutes to show up at the starting gates. And I found myself, a marathon runner, mixed in the gate for the half marathon. I eventually figured a way to the proper gate, and five minutes later, we were off and running.

Me just before I got lost amidst the half marathoners gate

Feeling a bit more optimistic after the start horn

Course Highlights

1. Near mile marker 5 in South Philly

We were running through a residential neighborhood and there was a hand written sign that said something to this effect –

Running 26.2 miles for a t-shirt and a soft pretzel??

I thought to myself, Wow, there’s a soft pretzel too? Bonus. And at that, I laughed out loud.

2. Near mile marker 7

This is part of the downtown area emerging from South Philly. There were a lot of locally owned mom & pop type stores. One of the stores is called Condom Kingdom, and it had a very elaborate store front with a huge sign above the entrance. A group of middle-aged mothers were really interested in the store, and decided to gather around for a picture. Low and behold, one out of the ten of them had packed a digital camera. Again, I laughed out loud, and so did the guy next to me.

3. Around mile marker 8

This is when the outermost layer got stripped – the water repellent windbreaker. I also opted to take off the gloves, but within seconds, had to retrieve them. Right before my little strip, one of the volunteers on a Segway had a malfunction. She was spinning in circles, her battery pack was in tangles, and a spectator was trying to help her out, but he only got further tangled into the Segway mess. That one got a quiet internal giggle. Those Segway things seem a bit silly to me, but it would be wrong to laugh at somebody else’s struggles. Bad karma while in the middle of running a marathon just didn’t seem like a smart thing to do.

4. Drexel Frat Houses around mile 9

I wasn’t a fan of frats until this marathon. These college kids were out bright and early, banging away at pots and pans on their porches. This one guy completely won my heart within 25 paces. He would use his wooden spoon and point at a cute girl running by, and say, “You, I love!” and bang away at his pot just to point again when another chick passes by. I, of course, laughed out loud at this, and so, of course, he pointed at me and threw out a “You too, I love!” before banging away.

5. Somewhere in the midst of the 10th and 11 mile … was a hill

It was mild hill, nothing to really complain about, but you did become aware of your quads and a slight increase in the heart rate. Then a sign emerged saying something about the last hill before fast track hos, with a super tiny 2 in between the h and the o. That one got a chuckle.

6. A little bit after the half marathon point

I was very happy to see my picture taking fiancé at this point because he had a Snickers Marathon Bar ready for me. Out of all the protein bars out there, I’m a fan of the Cliff and Luna Bars, but the ones by Snickers tend to last a bit longer. It probably has something to do with the preservatives, but one bar for every marathon that you run can’t be too bad.

And then the test appeared without a notice- miles 18 - 21.

This was by far the most difficult part of the course. We were heading out to Manayunk, PA, which did not offer much in terms of spectators or infrastructure along the way. It was just a long stretch of road on a cold, wet, rainy day. I didn’t even notice how miserable of a day it was until I was heading out of Philly. I tried to focus on my breathing, took a few sips of my Gaspari Size On from my CamelBak, nibbled on the Marathon Bar, and tried to let go of my fears. Eventually, as we started to cross over on to Main Street, a little laughter was just around the corner.

7. A beer stand prepared by the local neighborhood bar.

I, of course, abstained.

And then, we crossed over to Main Street Manayunk, and were greeted by Navy Veterans declaring the view that we were about to see by the waterfall is the most beautiful view that the entire marathon had to offer.

I do believe the man was quite accurate in his statement. A little while later, mile 19 was right there.

8. And a few staff members of Le Bus were handing out brownies to the runners at miles 19 and 21!

Admittedly, the circumstances may have had an impact on my assessment, but I swear that those were the best damn brownies I have ever had.


So, now came the home stretch. Armed with a belly full of Creatine (compliments of Gaspari Size On) and brownies, I was confident that crossing the finish line without the need of medical attention afterwards was entirely achievable. I checked my time, and it was even feasible for me to finish this 26.2 mile sucker in less than 5 hours. If I could just get my mind to work with me, I can EASILY get in by 4:45 / 4:50. The problem was that the way back into Philly was just as desolate as it was getting out. I could not conjure up any positive thoughts, even though I saw the miles winding down. Even at mile marker 23, I was still holding back. It was until I actually saw the Philadelphia Museum of Art well after the 25th mile marker that I snapped out of my funk and started to turn it on. I bolted after the 26th mile marker and had more than enough left to sprint it in.

I felt like I could have done maybe another 5 miles, but certainly at least another 2. I wish I had given it up earlier at 23 miles, and I kicked myself for not doing so … but I was smiling the whole time.

I did cross the finish line strong at 5:00. It was a PR. I know I will do better next time around, and I will eventually get to Boston. And quite possibly, by way of Philadelphia in 2008.

The Night Before in Philly

It’s the night before the marathon, and I’m calm for the first time. I was a nervous wreck the night before the Marathon of the Palm Beaches, and I was just plain scared before Quebec. Tonight, I’m calm. I know I will finish, but the time is questionable.

Walking around the expo and registration, I heard a lot of nervous chatter and worries about proper gear and attire. The placement of your tag poses an interesting question given that there will be layers of clothing that may or may not be stripped during the course of 26.2 miles. A group of girls around my age were waiting in line behind me for our race tags, and I overheard their conversation regarding this matter, and what sort of clothing would optimize their comfort through the race. They eventually submitted that no matter what they wore, they were going to feel a lot of pain regardless.

I laughed a little to myself. For whatever reason, the pain doesn’t scare me, and I don’t really care to avoid it. I can certainly do without it, but it doesn’t bother me too much. I’m actually a bit curious as to how I will handle myself this time around. I’ve always approached the marathon with the thought in being slow and steady, and to run nowhere near my normal pace until the 20th mile. Well, each previous marathon, I got way too excited after the 5th mile. I'm thinking this time around, I will be smarter and just let the excitement pass.

Well, wish me luck and send a prayer. Take off is scheduled in 8.5 hours.

The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

Fall Distance Running Gear:
Under Armour Cold Gear mock turtle neck and running tights
Columbia Breast Cancer Awareness fleece vest
CamelBak with 50 ounces of Gaspari's SizeOn sports drink
Asics Gel GT-2120 Trail

The Delaware and Raritan Canal stretches along Central Jersey all the way down to the New Hope area of Pennsylvania. Along side the canal is a tow path, and that is usually where I find my distance runs.

I have a love-hate relationship with this tow path. The gravel and rock hurts the feet, and I have suffered from numerous ankle twists and sprains due to the highly irregular surface. When I see a big pile of leaves, I will come to a complete stop and walk because underneath the colorful and seemingly even surface can be a jutting tree root, a large rock, or a big hole looking to shell out some unmerciful pain after an inevitable fall. Oh, and did I mention the mud puddles? Those puddles can cover such a wide expanse of the path that there is no possible way to continue forward without stomping into that thick organic brown liquid, soaking your socks through, and being rewarded with some lovely blisters for your pursuit of more miles.

And then you have to endure every last one of those obstacles again on the return trip.

The tow path itself is beautiful, especially this time of year. Right before the red and yellow leaves started to fall, there was an amazing spread of wild purple flowers all over the landscape. The view is calming, but the run can be maddening especially if it had rained. If the path was dry, then the problems are not quite so numerous.

On Sunday, I decided to buy a new pair of running shoes. I think my form suffers as I fatigue, so I have been eyeing the Asics Kinsei’s (to the left) for its motion control feature. In all honesty, I’ve been coveting them because it’s just a hot looking shoe, but my rationalization is that the motion control will prove beneficial for this weekend’s marathon in Philly.

Am I ready? No, I probably won’t finish with a Boston qualifying time as I had originally hoped in the beginning of this year. Will I finish? Hell yes, and I’ll be happy with anything near 5 hours.

So while I was at my favorite running store, I asked the cute sales boy who is about all of 15 years of age regarding their selection of trail shoes. I ended up sticking with a stability shoe from Asics that is made for trail running, the Asics Gel GT-2120 Trail (below and to the left), and took them out that afternoon for a ride. What an amazing difference.

The first couple of miles were on the road en route to the path, and my toes fell asleep. I had a moment’s hesitation and thought that maybe these girls were going to be returned. When I hit the path, everything changed. I felt completely in control, and I can tell that my ankles were secured in place. Midway through my run, I realized that trail running is an entirely different sort of running. I felt the smaller muscle groups (ankles, calves, hip flexors, even a bit in the adductors) working harder than they ever had before. By the time I was finished with the 15 mile run (I know … not a good idea for a taper week, but I couldn’t resist), I felt sore in places that I didn’t think could be touched by running. I welcomed the discomfort, and found the soreness refreshing.

I do believe that this marks the beginning of a whole new running experience, and I do look forward to chronicling every single one of them.

Week #2

I think I pretty much missed Week #1, but Week #2 was 85% there.

Monday 10/01 - Power Session

Tuesday 10/02- 6 miles at 5.8 MPH

Wednesday 10/03 - Power Session

Thursday 10/04 - Late night at the office, brought home a pizza and watched Grey's Anatomy.

Friday 10/05 - Should have gone to the gym to make up the missed 5 mile tempo, but ended up vegetating at home.

Saturday 10/06 - Power Session

Sunday 10/07 - 12 miles between 5.8 and 6.5 MPH pace (got a little cocky after the 10th mile)

I was geared up for a run outside when a few drops of rain and some scary clouds sent me packing for the gym. Do you have any idea what it's like to spend over two hours on a treadmill? Because I did take my run indoors and spent that amount of time on a treadmill, the clouds decided to move on to other places. I know if I had continued on my run out on the trail, the sky would have immediately split open with rain the very second I reached the farthest point from home.

So, for all of you people out there that enjoyed the afternoon outside in the Jersey sunshine on Sunday, you're quite welcome.

Tonight, we got some more Power in store.