Garden Spot Village Marathon 2013

April 6, 2013

This was my third time running the Garden Spot Village Marathon. I knew the course well: Rolling country roads and a few steep hills.

This time I came prepared. I ran well over the winter as part of my Ironman Lake Placid training. I had a race plan complete with a target heart rate. There was no pressure for time, as I had already qualified for Boston Marathon 2014. I did want to have a steady pace throughout and especially during the climbs.

I did have an equipment issue for this race. My Garmin 910XT died the week before so I had to send it back to exchange for a factory refurbished device. My back-up running watch, the Timex Run 2.0 was still being shipped. So I had to run with my back-up cycling device, the Garmin Edge 500. I attached the 500 on my quick release strap and wore it on my wrist for the whole race so I could monitor my heart rate.

It was a cold morning! My heart rate started out below target but I couldn't run any faster than 7:20-7-30 pace. I pretty much held on to that pace throughout the race. The run itself was a blur by now (2 months later). The crowd of runners pretty much settled after about 10 miles. A few people passed me during the second half, but mostly I passed other runners who slowed down.

I knew there were 2 big hills toward the end. I saw my partner Dan on one hill. I was on a good pace and mentally prepared for one last big hill. The weird thing was that there was no more hill after the one  Dan stood on. I realized that after I reached the 24-mile marker, and started to kick in for the final 2 miles.

I crossed the finish line at 3:15. Not my best marathon time but 3:15 was very good for me! I got first place for my age group, which was the first time ever in a race!

Summary: Good training + no taper + hilly course = 3:15 is awesome!

Millersville Turkey Trot 2012 Race Report

Five days after my Philly marathon, I took on the Millersville Turkey Trot. The 5k race was held at Penn Manor High School. It was a big race for a small-town 5k, with nearly 1,000 entrances. While I was waiting for the start in the high school gym, I looked around but did not see anyone from my high school days.

Runners were given disposable time chips to wear on our shoes, but there was no timing mat at the start.  I lined up at the front, by the left side, along with some 10-year olds and a stroller. All the obviously fast cross country high school and college boys lined up front and center.

Mile 1: I felt strong and fast. I reached 1 mile before 6 minutes.
Mile 2: All the rolling hills got to me. I slowed down, but strangely, no one passed me. I reached 2 miles around 12:30.
Mile 3: I was dying. My stomach was turning upside down. I felt like I was moving in slow motion. As I entered the high school track for the finish, I could not kick for a strong finish. I tumbled toward the finish line, clearing up a spot to get rid of some nasty stuff that came out of my mouth.

My final time was 19:41. I came in 36th out of 917 finishers and 3rd in my 35-39 age group. Technically, it was a 5k personal best for me. I had done better in training so this PR wasn't as sweet as my marathon PR but it was nice to have a 2nd PR in less than a week!