Philadelphia Marathon Race Report

Philadelphia Marathon Race Report
3:01:32 personal best

Did I qualify for Boston Marathon 2015? YES
Did I break my personal best of 3:08:35? YES
Did I beat my friend / rival Ross Snyder's PR of 3:04:37? YES
Did I have a negative split? NO
Did I break 3:00 hour? NO
Start: I felt confident as I got in my corral waiting for the start. I had done everything I thought possible to set myself up for my fastest marathon yet. I was excited to see my Breakaway teammates Keith Fitzgerald, Tony Salvi and Professor Craig Green as we inched up to the start line. Tony & Keith planned to run together at 6:40 pace (faster than my target pace of 6:50). I asked the professor if he wanted to run with me but he said he wasn't going all-out.

Mile 3: I felt great! I was about 10 seconds ahead of my pace. I tried my best to keep my speed in check.

Mile 6: Sucked down my first gel pack. I was about 15 seconds ahead of my pace. I was excited to see Coach Todd Lippin cheering for me in front of Breakaway shop. I had been a regular at Todd's weekly track workout. Todd was the singular person who helped me to get fast this year! He made me aware of my bad running form. He helped me to control my pace.

Mile 9: I had to pee! I was about 30 seconds ahead of my pace so I decided to go to a portable toilet.

Mile 10: this was the climb to the Please Touch Museum. I trained on this hill and I was ready. I kept my heart rate in check and still flew by many runners.

Mile 11: This was the first turnaround point on MLK Drive. I saw Keith & Tony still running together, looking fast & sexy in their Breakaway tops.  Then I saw the 3:00 pace group balloons. They were a lot further ahead of me than I expected. This realization gave me a pause. Checked my Garmin to reassure myself that I was on pace. I repeated out loud one of Todd's sayings:  "Never panic. Keep moving forward."

Halfway: I was happy to cross the midway mark right on pace 1:30:04. However, the push to stay on pace took a little air out of me. Mile by mile, it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to hold the 6:50 pace. I was closer to 6:55. I was well aware of my slowing pace and there was nothing I could do. I kept moving forward knowing that I was still on pace to be under 3:03 which was faster than my friend Ross Snyder's current personal best.



Mile 17: Falls Bridge messed up my Garmin signal & played with my head. My pace per mile for current mile went from under 7:00 to over 8:00. I kept moving forward, waving & hifiving triathlon friends from both Breakaway & T3.

Miles 19-21 in Manayunk: I kept picking my pace up when my feet started to slow down. It was a constant battle. Saw Keith coming back without Tony. 3:00 pace group went by. Tony was moving but not at the fast pace that I was used to seeing.

Finally, I reached the turnaround point in Manayunk. Mile 20. I was about 1/4 mile behind the 3:00 pace grimy at this point and decided to start a chase. I needed to run 6:40 pace for the next 6 miles to cross the finish line under 3:00 hours.

I saw Hayley Germack. Hayley was my training buddy for many long runs. Hayley had had a breakthrough year, running sub 3:30 at Ironman Lake Placid & winning a bunch of AG awards at various races.

Hayley was between the 3:05 & 3:10 pace groups and looked strong. As a motivation for myself, I told myself "That bitch better not pass me this time!"

Last 6 miles.
I didn't quite run 6:40 pace but I manage to stay under 7:00 on the way back to the Art Museum. I was steady as I passed a few runners including Tony. I struggled a little bit during mile 25, averaging 7:13. I rebounded in mile 26, averaging 6:54.

I definitely sprinted toward the finish line one I saw it. I did not puke this time. I got my finisher's medal, and a few minutes later, a hug from teammate Keith, who ran a personal best of 2:56:37.



Damn, my legs hurt. Despite my efforts to move around & stretch, my legs especially my quads started to tighten up. I got my warmup clothes & lined up to receive a complementary massage by Philly Massages. It aw a miracle! I started to be able to walk again.

I found my partner Dan, who took photos at Mile 26. He was waiting for my friend Ian Harding. Once I saw online that Ian already crossed the finish line, started to walk back. We met up with Ian & his girlfriend to go out for a post-race brunch.

Final words: it was a good race for me but not a perfect race. I already started discussing with Ross Snyder of what we could do to break 3 hours.

Rock n Roll Philly Half 2013

Race strategy: even pace at 6:40-6:45 minutes per mile to finish at 1 hour 28 minutes.

Race preparation: 6 weeks of solid training; hitting target paces for most of my training runs.

Night before: Stayed out too late at the Frontrunners Philly 30th Anniversary party & Breakaway Racing party for an Ironman 70.3 world champion. No alcohol but lots of standing on my feet.

Race morning: uneventful walk to the start. Stretched & relaxed in my Coral #1.



Mile 1: went out fast at 6:20
Miles 2 - 4: held back to 6:35-6:40 pace. Saw Todd & Rita!
Miles 5-9: ran with random runners Tom & Maggie at 6:30 pace. Feeling great!

Miles 10-13.1: increased my pace to 6:20-6:25 range. Fast & steady all the way to the finish line.

Post-race: got a powerbar from Adam Furlong & jogged / walked home. Cheers for runners / walkers who were still between miles 3 & 4.

Result: 1:25:37 chip time.
5k = 20:30
10k = 41:00 (personal best?)
10mi = 1:05:42 (personal best)
13.1mi = 1:25:37 (vs. previous personal best of 1:32 at this race last year)

The difference: training! This was my focus race so I structured 6 weeks of training leading up to this race. Speed work with Breakaway at Temple track certainly helped. My weekly runs at race pace gave me the confidence. The cool weather was ideal.

Rock N Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon

Wow ... an unexpected PR is always nice! This race was not part of my racing program. I had a terrible run the previous weekend at the Delaware Diamondman Triathlon.

I signed up for this race to be part of the William Way LGBT Community Center's new fundraising running team. I figured 1:45 would be my realistic time, and actual wore a 1:45 pacing bracelet. One thing that I did differently for this race was to depend on my heart rate monitor to pace myself. This was a new toy. Based on limited data from the DDT run the previous weekend, I decided that I should be able to stay at a heart rate range of 160-165 bpm.




The morning of the race, I met up with a fellow Philly Fins swimmer and walked to the start of the race. Met up with members of the Philly Frontrunners and Team WayGay RunWay for photo ops. I think I was too distracted by all these activities that I checked my gear that contained a water bottle I needed. As national anthem went on, I picked up a discarded water bottle so I could take my salt pills and pre-run gel.

I started in Coral 4, by the way, along with my Fins buddy. I was assigned to be in Coral 1 based on my seeded time of 1:29. Coral 4 seemed to be my realistic pace group.

As the race run started, I felt good. I started to surge through the crowd. I was very aware of my heart rate so I knew I wasn't going out too fast. There was a problem, though! After the first 1/2 mile, I realized that my GPS wasn't turned on. I was getting my heart rate but not my pace and mile count! Luckily, I was able to keep running at the same pace while turning on the GPS function. My device started to receive my location around the Mile 1 marker. My first mile pace was around 7:15.

I studied the course map the night before, so I knew the course very well. It has changed slightly since its hey day of the Philadelphia Distance Run. I helped that I had trained on a large portion of this course for the past 8 years. I felt great turning back to the Art Museum area. I gained confidence as my device was finally functional. I adjusted my pace based on my heart rate while being aware of my pace.

Once I reached Kelly Drive, I stuck to the river side of the road so I covered the minimal distance of the course. Everything was working out so well. I passed one runner after another. My triathlete buddy/rival Vinny in his usual Spiderman costume. Shirtless Kevin of the FRP. Many nice female runners actually cheered me on as I passed them!

I executed my nutrition plan perfectly: Gu every 30 minutes, water every station!

I felt strong crossing Falls Bridge onto the Martin Luther King Dr, or West River Dr as most of us still called it. Four miles to go. I was running sub 7:00 pace. At this point, I figured I should be able to go under 1 hour 40 minutes, even if I slowed down a little. But I never slowed down. My heart rate started to inch north of 165 and I decided that I could take it.

One mile to go, I saw my partner taking photos of me! At this time, I started to feel the intensity of the race. I didn't even smile for the photos. I pushed on, and ran a 6:45 for the last mile!



All I could say as I crossed the finish line was ... 'oh, my god ... oh, my god...' After I stepped on the electronic timing mat, I felt onto my knees. I crawled to the right side and stayed on four for a minute. A concerned volunteer came over to ask me if I was ok. I said yes, and I only needed water. I found a bottle of water and started making my way through the exit chute. Picked up some more fluid bottles and some food. I drank and ate everything in sight, and slowly came back to life.

My official time of 1:32:54 was a personal best for a half marathon. Unofficially, I ran a faster half marathon split at Steamtown Marathon last year in the downhill first half.

I still can't believe I ran this well without much training. This run gives me confidence as I decided to train hard for the Philly marathon this year.

Chanticleer

When I take a break from swimming, cycling or running, I enjoy exploring Philadelphia and its suburbs. One of my favorite day trip places is a visit to Chanticleer, a magical garden outside of Philadelphia.

Urban Exploration

Right off of the Schuylkill River Trail is an abandoned water mill. It's somewhat hidden by trees. You have to go through a muddy trail to get there but it's worth a visit.

Wissahickon Trail Classic 10k

Wow, I got a personal record at the Wissahickon Trail Classic 10k this weekend. This is the only trail race that I know of within the City of Philadelphia. I ran this race twice before, and it's a pleasant surprise to have a PR while I am not i a top running shape.
I walked a lot going uphill, but I made up during the flat and downhill portions. Threw up a little bit toward the end. Landed on the wrong part of my feet 3 times. Fell once (at the next to last turn going downhill before the finish).

Come Out and Swim 2009

200 SCY breaststroke 3:22.42
100 SCY breaststroke 1:35.55
100 SCY freestyle 1:22.12
50 SCY breastroke 43.08

I also swam 50 breaststroke leg of the 200 IM relay with Jeff Rice, Marc Forget, and Minh Truong.



This was the first meet that I swam freestyle, and that I swam a relay. It was also the first meet that I placed in my age group, for the 200 yard breaststroke.



I was one of the organizers of the meet, so this was 6 months in the making. I was involved with all aspects of the meet. My main task toward the end was to coordinate 40 volunteers to work for the meet event. Luckily, volunteers showed up on time. After giving a quick orientation, I transfer the supervisor duty to my friend Eric, so I could start warming up for my first event.

The 100 yard freestyle was the most difficult for me. Although I practiced this about 100 times, I was very nervous swimming freestyle for the first time in a meet. I did well, but I almost had no energy left for my last event, 50 yard breast, which was only about 5 minutes after my freestyle swim.

Broad Street Run 2009

The Broad Street Run is getting bigger every year, and I am starting to like it. The coral start is new this year, and it is great for me to stay ahead of 20,000 slower runners / walkers.

My time is two minutes slower this year, but I am thrilled to have gone under 80 minutes.

I am done with the M30-34 age group for this race, so here are my results from the past 5 years:

2009: 1:16:09; 371st out of 1943 men in my age group
2008: 1:14:13; 238th out of 1504 men in my age group
2007: 1:16:23; 277th out of 1329 men in my age group
2006: did not run
2005: 1:30:08; 708th out of 1108 men in my age group

Judge Anders & Friends At Clean Air 5k

I organized two team of runners and walkers, Judge Anders and Friends I & II, for the Clean Air 5k race this year. Team members were me & my parents, Dan and his parents, Fins swimmers, and many of my personal friends.
Dan ended up getting a cold for the day, so he was the photographer for Team Anders. Dan's parents won age-group prizes (70+ male and female). It was my parents' first race ever. They walked the course and finished together just under an hour.

My time was 21:22. That was 62 seconds slower than my time last year, but I was thrilled with that time. It was nice to be with friends and family. I also enjoyed seeing members of the Frontrunners Philadelphia (gay running team) and Falcons (gay soccer team), as well as many random people whom I never thought were runners. The weather was great, and the Clean Air Council put together another fantastic event.

Jury Duty with Philly Mayor Nutter

I was on jury duty today. I was selected for a criminal case (robbery and illegal posession of fire arms on North block of 29th St. in January 2008). I was juror number 28. Juror no 19 was Philly mayor Michael Nutter. The mayor got a lot of looks when he first came in to the wait room, but most people left him alone for the rest of the day. He said hello to a few people but mostly kept to himself.

After waiting around for 5 hours, I was excused because of a personal connection. Not sure if Nutter was selected or excused.
Trial hasn't even started yet!

Timeline
8:15 am check-in, fill out survey no. 1
8:45 am - briefed on logistics for the day
9:00 am - received video instructions on how to fill out survey no. 1
9:15 am - received instructions from a judge
10:00 am - selected for a criminal case along with 49 other people
10:15 am - moved to a court room
10:30 am - moved to another court room; filled out survey no. 2
11:15 am - sent to lunch
12:30 pm - reported back from lunch
1:00 pm - sent to jury room behind court room 807
1:10 pm - sent to court room. Judge asked me two questions and sent me out.
1:15 pm - received the $9.00 stipend and sent home

vote for speedo power

vote for speedo power
Originally uploaded by reflexblue

My swim team, Fins Aquatics Club, nêds your votes to advance to the Final Four as Best Local Sports Team.

Please click to vote (UPDATED LINK) http://www.vizu.com/vot/Sports/outsports/poll-vote.html?n=155078&cId=

Thank you!!!

Fins Swimmers to Host Event to Benefit MANNA

For Immediate Distribution

Fins Swimmers to Host Event to Benefit MANNA



PHILADELPHIA, PA

The Fins Aquatics Club, Philadelphia’s gay swim team, will host its annual fundraiser on Saturday, January 24, from 10am to 1pm, at the Friends Select School, 17th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The team traditionally selects a local non-profit as recipient of half the proceeds of its Postal Swim. This year the team chose to donate 50 percent of the money collected to MANNA (Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance). MANNA is a Philadelphia non-profit group which promotes wellness through nutrition in communities living with, affected by, and fighting HIV / AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illness. The other 50 percent will benefit the Fins.


During the event, participants will swim as many laps as they can within a one-hour period to compete with other swimmers across the country. There are two one-hour sessions: from 10:30 to 11:30 and 11:45 to 12:45. Swimmers can either do a full hour or form relays. The results are then mailed into United States Masters Swimming (hence the national name of “Postal Swim"), with awards granted by age group and gender.

Fins President Anh Dang said, "I personally look forward to doing the Postal Swim every year. It's my favorite Fins event because it creates a connection between the team and the Philadelphia LGBTQ communities. The event blends three main aspects of the Fins: swimming, social, and community service." Spectators are invited to the event and can expect the usual Fins’ flair.

“The Fins is an athletics team that is also a strong, warm community,” said Fins Vice-President and event organizer Kacie King. “The Postal Swim is a perfect example of how the team brings people together and gives swimmers the opportunity for personal challenge. The swim also is a chance for those who are touched by the value of the Fins to support the team and for the Fins to give back to the broader Philadelphia community.”

For 2007’s event, the Fins re-named their version of the fundraising event “Swim for Jim! The James A. Robles Memorial One-Hour Swim” to honor the memory of the team’s recently deceased head coach Jim Robles, who was also one of the founders of the team. That year, 100% of the $3,920.20 raised was donated to MANNA, in honor of Robles. In 2008, over $1,500 was raised for the Mazzoni Center.


~More~



The Fins Aquatics Club is Philadelphia's gay and lesbian masters swim team. The Fins Aquatics club, formed in 1988, current has approximately 130 members. Members range from 19 years old to 63 years old.
We currently have 4 practices a week. The Fins welcomes swimmers of all ages, skill levels, genders and orientations. The team provides challenging, well-organized, coached work-outs. Some members focus on local, regional, national or international swimming competitions and/or triathlons while other members swim to keep fit.
The Fins Aquatics Club is affiliated with International Gay & Lesbian Aquatics and US Masters Swimming.

Battle for Pennsylvania

I'm co-hosting a fundraiser for PA State Rep Candidate Kevin Lee tonight! Kevin is the tall bald bear in the photo.


Kevin Lee
Candidate for State Representative
163rd District, Pennsylvania

Looked upon as a rising star in Pennsylvania Democratic politics, Kevin Lee was appointed to the Lansdowne Borough Council in 2004 and was reelected in 2005. He was immediately approached to run for the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives. Lee would be the first openly LGBT person to serve in the PA State Legislature, and with rampant anti-gay legislators fighting to advance an agenda, Lee’s voice would serve as an effective equalizer.
During his tenure on the Lansdowne Borough Council, Lee passed one of Pennsylvania’s first domestic partnership benefit programs for borough employees. He is also a Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute Harvard Fellow, where he impressed several colleagues at the John F. Kennedy School of Government Program.
While the current incumbent has been a member of the State House since 1978, his antiquated ideas and leadership no longer reflect the best interests of his district. As a health care worker, Lee recognizes the hardships that working families face to make ends meet and still obtain affordable health care for their children. There have been rumors that the current legislator will retire but we must make sure that Kevin has substantial funds heading into this election cycle and ensure he is able to get his message out proving he is the best person to represent PA’s 163rd Legislative District.
Contribute today to a well developed campaign plan that is a rare opportunity to elect PA’s first openly LGBT legislator.

Indigo Ball

Indigo Ball
Originally uploaded by reflexblue

I have gradually come to terms with the William Way GLBT Community Center. I am appreciating the center for what it offers and its potential.

Philadelphia Distance Run 2008

I still have some magic, and let it all out during the 13.1 mile Philadelphia Distance Run last weekend. Despite little training, I set a new personal best for a half-marathon. Perfect day. Perfect course. Magical pace of 7:26.


Chip time 1:37:24
Clock time 1:38:54
5k split 24:08:00
10k split 47:21:00
10 mile split 1:15:21
Average pace 7:26

Male 30-34: 176 out of 952 male 30-34 finishers
Male: 1,060th out of 6,509 male finishers
Overall: 1,277th out of 13,254 overall finishers

Bear Encounters

Earlier this month, while I was waiting for my Chinese takeout, I noticed two idiots making faces at me from the glass window. Naturally, I pulled out my iPhone to capture their silliness. Noticing that they were on camera, they started to act even sillier. They went around to the front entrance of the restaurant, yelling at me, "gaysian ... we love gaysians!" I was amused, but the restaurant workers were a little disturbed. I looked at my stalkers and now it became clear that one of they was Jay McCaroll http://www.jaymccarroll.com/, the first season winner of Project Runway.



After my weird run-in with the stalkers, I decided that a weekend in the Poconos would be a great getaway. I was stalked by bears! Not the kind of bears that drink beer and dance to Madonna at the Bike Stop, but the real bears in the wild. On the first day, I went running with Todd and Dan. One black bear ran across the street right in front of Todd and me. The next day, I went with Dan to the same general area. As I looked up, a big bear standing on its two feet, was staring right at me. I unleashed a scream so loud that probably caused leaves to fall all over. Dan was about 10 yards in front of me. Dan turned around and saw the bear and it started to lumber down and walked away.

Boys of Summer 2008

I made an encore appearance as a "lifeguard" at the Boys of Summer party last night. Guys seemed to behave better this year, but maybe that's because I left before midnight.

Ultramarathon

Lunch break @ Mile 17
Originally uploaded by reflexblue

I completed my first 50-mile run last weekend in the 24-hour race called 20in24. I approached it as a fun run since I didn't train for it at all. I ran slow, and slower, ran/walked, walked, and basically moved forward until I reached six Kelly Drive / King Drive loops.

Loop 1: 1 hour 30 minutes with Steve from Frontrunners Philadelphia
Loop 2: 2 hours; took 30 lunch break
Loop 3: 2 hours 15 minutes
Loop 4: 2 hours 30 minutes; vomited while sitting at the EMS station
Loop 5: almost 3 hours
Loop 6: 2 hours 15 minutes

I was painfully slow, but was there any doubt that I would complete 50 miles?

Ultramarathon

There will be blood, sweats, tears, cramps, and blisters during my first ultramarathon July 19-20. It's all you can run in 24 hours. I plan to run 50 miles in 12 hours.
I did my only slow training run today. It was difficult to go slower than my marathon pace. I will probably do a run / walk combo and keep moving until I reach my distance goal.
July 19 is only five weeks away!

Frontrunners 1 Mile Run/Walk with Pride

I won second place overall at the Frontrunners Philadelphia Pride Run!!! It was a rare one-mile road race, with two turns. The start was on Locust St. between 12th and 13rd Sts. We made a left turn on 11th, a right turn on Market, and the finish line was right after 5th St.

The winner was in a class of his own, zooming out from the start and leaving everyone behind. Comcast Jeff was second for the first 5 blocks. I passed him just before we turned on Market St. I slowed down a bit once I got on Market St and realized that the traffic was not fully blocked. I fully expected Comcast Jeff and other runners to pass me. I saw the finish line, hearing Addie screaming "Is that Anh", and never looked back.

My time was 5:50 minutes, same as my mile at the Penn Relays. I was exhausted but not as sick as how I felt after the Penn Relays.