Maumee Bay Olympic Triathlon – 2H10M00S – PR, 1st AG & 11th overall!

Summary:
I came to this race with one goal. 2 hours 10 minutes… which would be 3.5 minutes faster than my fastest race ever. I’ve had a good season so far in running (5k, 15k PRs and a solid Boston Marathon)… but I want to see where my triathlon fitness is after a spring of run focus, that shifted into a bike focus for these past 6 weeks. Despite a longer swim time than expected, I pulled it off and hit exactly my goal – 2 hours 10 minutes and zero seconds – 11th overall, including the Elites! It was a thrilling race for me and a testament to controlling the mental aspects of racing.

My cycling was the 3rd fastest of the day (including Elites) and my bike + run was 5th fastest overall! My swim was 52nd overall – which highlights where I need to now focus on improvement to become a true overall contender.

This was a fun and special race because it was a “who’s who” of Ohio triathlon. There were 15 members of Snake Bite Racing (my sponsored team) and a large number of our “rival” team – Spin / Second Sole Multisport Team. Also on hand was one of my fraternity brothers from the Beta House at Ohio State – Scott Anderson – who is an incredible triathlete. Conditions were pretty good for the race… 75-80F, sunny, and with a stronger wind than most gave credit (thanks to the exposed sections of the bike course along the lake and through open spaces). My pre-race routine was a little disrupted because of all of the friends there at the race. Maybe a little too much socializing and not enough focused preparation – left me scrambling a little before race time.

Swim:
When the gun fired, I started the swim with what I thought was great gusto. In the first 100 yards, I got punched hard in the left eye. Thankfully, the new goggles I bought for racing were very “padded” and took the brunt of the hit. Usual racing goggles would have been dislodged, or transferred all the pressure to my eye socket. Whew! While I felt like I was working the whole swim, I knew I was not so fast when Eric Gibb (teammate and kick-ass swimmer) passed me from the group behind (-2:00) right before the swim exit. Out of the water and I saw 26:30 – SHIT – I was hoping for 24:00 to 24:30. Was that the end of my 2:10:00 dream already? I WAS PISSED!!! (and luckily, I focused this emotion on going forward, instead of causing panic and frustration and distraction). I blew through transition with the one goal to beat Eric Gibb out onto the bike. I did. At least I did something right!

Bike:
Now I’m on the bike, and I have nothing to lose. If I don’t give it everything on the bike, I can kiss my goals goodbye. I had a very solid bike + run two weeks before at Deer Creek Triathlon (23rd overall – 54th swim, 12th fastest bike, 15th run). I had confidence after riding with the new teammates and the Spin group this spring, that I should be able to really crank it out on the bike. I did!

I stayed totally focused on the bike… pushing into every headwind… and maybe more importantly, pushed extra hard during the tailwind sections of the course. I think a lot of people coast and enjoy the break from the winds – instead of take advantage of the low wind resistance. I was pushing every meter of that course like it was all I had to do that day. On the second loop, I caught up to Kevin Krol (SSSMT). We went back and forth 3 or 4 times passing each other, before I decided “enough of this”… I put my head down and went as hard as I could for 60 seconds to see if I could get him to crack. As I approached a turn, I had a chance to look and see if he was still there – he was nowhere to be seen! I then saw Joe Bush (SSSMT) ahead and powered hard to make sure when I passed, there was no trying to hold on. After the race, Joe said – “man, you were FLYING on the bike” – hell yeah, I was! I was riding on the edge of stupidity, and didn’t fall into the typical trap of “what will I be able to do on the run”? This was the first of many “shut up and race” moments in my mind. Worry about the run during the run!

I tore into Transition from the bike and there were not very many bikes on the racks – that’s when I knew that I had a good ride! (Turns out I had the 3rd fastest bike overall – including Elites!)

Run:
The run started, and since I’ve been doing more hard bricks, felt “normally bad”. I kept thinking of Mark Allen’s article about the mental side of racing, and how you don’t have to “feel good” during a race to be having a good race. So true. If you feel good, you are probably going too slowly, and your body is comfortable. In this race, I was no where near comfortable!!
The first mile of the run was hot and windy and seemed to take forever. It was a 6:40 mile. Not bad – considering how lousy I felt doing it. But I did have a few thoughts of “how the hell am I going to hold this pace for the next 5.2 miles?”. Quickly replaced with “what do I need to run to hit 2:10:00” and then “shut up and race”.

Mile 2 was still plenty hot, and I settled into an uncomfortable rhythm. I was still mad at myself for the long swim time and that messing up my 2:10:00 goal. Kept pushing, and taking on the fluids and the salt caps I brought along. It was quite warm, and I also knew that the headwind we were running into now, would turn into a horrible “hot windless situation” on the 3.1 miles back. If you are running 9 mph and have a 9mph tailwind, you are stuck in the same hot, stale air. You cannot get any cooling effects from the wind. It is the worst! I was prepared for this in advance and loaded up physically, as well as mentally. Mile 2 (6:37) was faster than mile 1. : ) That’s good!

Mile 3 was toward the out-and-back turn-around, and a chance to see how the race leaders were doing… where were they? Closer I got to the turn-around, the closer to them I was! Wow! I was close! Still running into the wind, and pushing it, banking time for the slow-down that would inevitably happen with the hot tailwind. Mile 3 (6:31) was faster than mile 2 or 1! : ) That’s AWESOME!

Mile 4 was the mental turning point. Doing the math… I may be able to get to that 2:10:00, but it will take one hell of an effort, and a real PR of my 10K run time. I’m in – let’s do it!! (mile 4 was faster than all the others!) (6:30)
Mile 5 was torture! So hot, no cooling from any air movement. At this point, I’m pushing myself inside-out chasing the clock. Someone I pass yells to me… I realize this about a minute later – I’m lost in the pain and the push. Doing the math again – I can get to 2:10:00, if I run sub 6:30 for these last 2.2 miles… PUSH! Everything hurts. Nothing feels right… but this is red-line racing, right? To borrow Mark Durno’s words – “I can endure anything for 15 minutes”. It was time to find out if that was really true for me. I kept thinking about the torrid pace of our track workouts… at times sub 5:00/mi pace, surely I can muster fast miles now. So hot and red-lined for nearly 2 hours… but this is my chance of the season to place high and pull off a 2:10. Mile 5 was the fastest yet!!! (6:27) I CAN DO THIS!

Mile 6 and the last 0.2 miles were just a blur. No thinking now, except - thinking to not think (if that makes any sense). Body is out of energy (or close to it). Everything is screaming for me to take in fluids and calories – but I know nothing at this point will help except some water on the head. Anything else will only slow me down to take in, and could only give me problems in the gut or stay neutral at best. PUSH! The finish is so close! Or is it? The course is ‘mean’ in that you come within a few yards of the finish with about 1.5 miles to go. See the lucky souls who can stop moving, hearing the announcer beaconing in the finishers… but now we run away again, for one last hot loop around the lake. It’s taking forever, and I’m wondering how the body is holding up, but I dare not ask it, for fear of the answer. PUSH! Suffer just a bit more – for my goal, for the team, for the love of the sport! Last mile was 6:25!

I crossed the line and was ready to collapse. I was so glad to be done having to move!! I need a drink, some cookies, and a place to sit down! Then, I had the pleasure of cheering in team mates and friends.
It was quite some time before I knew what my finishing time was for sure. I didn’t trust my watch reading at first, because I’ve had too many mishaps before. When the posted the final results – I was ecstatic! 1st in AG, 11th overall! And true to my goal – 2H 10M 00S!

BULLSEYE!

Shut Up and RACE! (mental aspects of racing)

One of the most difficult aspects of racing is keeping your head on straight when things start getting rough. I've been working on controlling the mental side of racing - and it is working! Here are some of the most helpful advice I've been able to use. I should say that mental control while racing doesn't come naturally. The ability to quiet the mind isn't as easy as you think on a good day - it's nearly impossible when you are hurting and trying to push your body beyond limits. This requires practice and focus while training to develop these skills.

Mark Allen's advice that you don't have to feel good, to be having a good race. Quite the opposite sometimes. When you are digging deep and pushing beyond your limits, this rarely feels "good". This helped me greatly during my most recent race... I was feeling horrible during the run (after an incredible bike split), but I didn't let that get me down. Instead, I kept telling myself I felt like this because I was racing harder than I ever have before, and that if it were comfortable - it would be too slow. To "expect" to feel like that and embrace it, instead of panic and slow down - helped me negative split the run and set a run PR - despite feeling like crap from mile one. This was very helpful during the majority of the run.

Jef Mallet had an interesting story in Triathlete magazine a few months ago about red-lining and made an analogy to the "check engine light" in your car. The gist was that just beause you are hurting while doing intervals, or climbing a hill, etc. doesn't mean you have to pull back. You can always push it a little further and find some time to recover. This is especially helpful to me at the track or pool doing speedwork. During a 5 minute hard set when everything hurts and all you want to do is stop - it is so helpful to know that you can hang on just a bit more until the recovery.

Finally - Simon Whitfiled talked about how he bounced back and pushed through serious exhaustion and anguish during the 2009 Hy-Vee triathlon to win $200,000 for first place in a sprint finish. For him, when things are tough, he shuts off his mind completely... "Shut up and race" is his trigger to stop thinking, and let the body do what it can. Pushing through the pain, blocking out any mental chatter and just racing - is a pretty powerful tool. Not easy to do, but can come in very handy for shorter periods of time. "Shut up and race" were the last words in my head when the clock hit 2hours and my goal was 2h10m... The last mile and a half of my race, I was red lined and on the brink of falling apart. I kept running faster and blocked out all the pain, all the calculations, all the pressure... I just ran... and had my fastest mile and a half of the day.

Boston Marathon Recap – April 19, 2010

Woke up without alarm at 5:40am Monday morning, April 19th, 2010… Today is the day!! This is the legend… this is THE 114th BOSTON MARATHON!

Night before, We met with 25+ other Cleveland-area runners and support at LoConte – a great Italian place in the North End for the pre-race dinner. My stomach was still stuffed full in the morning! By 6:20am we were out the door and walked the mile to the bus loading area at Boston Commons that would take us to the starting area in Hopkinton. The air was electric, and the Botanical Gardens and Park were in beautiful spring bloom. Great way to start the day!

The bus ride was in a school bus (#6 – same number as Andy’s bus at home!) and took almost an hour. The marathon distance of 26.2 miles never seemed so long – driving it to a remote start for a point-to-point race drives the distance home!

Upon arrival at the Athlete’s village, I met up with some Cleveland friends (Mark Durno, Jerry Crabb, Jim LaMastra, etc). We had time to finish our pre-race preparations and talk a bit before starting the next 1 mile walk to the starting line. You cover an amazing amount of distance just getting from your hotel to the starting line on race day! More than 28 miles and it took 3 hours and 20 minutes (longer than the race itself) from hotel to starting gun!

10:00am the gun is fired – and it is GO TIME! Well – sort of… From the 6th corral, it took us almost 5 minutes to get to the actual starting line and begin running!

Now… this course is legendary for it’s difficulty… the first 6 miles are downhill, and packed with fast runners and loud fans along the street. It is so easy to get caught up in the moment and feel no pain and over-do it in this section. Most people have made this mistake and paid dearly late in the race where the larger uphill sections are and the race really takes its toll.

I developed a race plan that held me back for the first 8 miles in particular, and kept easy during the first 16 miles (the start of the hills)… this way, I would be fresh for the hills, and the fatigue that generally sets in around miles 21-26. I followed this very closely, and it worked well, I’m proud to say!

The weather was pretty good for race day… 50F at start and 60F at finish (a little warm, but not horrible)… sunny… biggest challenge would be the 15-20mph steady wind that alternated between headwind and crosswind. What I didn’t realize until mile 23 was that the wind was dehydrating me faster than normal – I often overdo my intake and salts and get a sour stomach by mile 19 or 20 – so this spring, I cut back in training and followed that during the race. The wind was causing me to “dry out” quickly – as evidenced by the numerous salt cakes on my face, neck and arms.

Anyhow, everything felt good and strong (and easy) in the first 6 downhill miles. The crowd was amazing! Many little towns a long the way – seems like everyone was out to cheer us on to Boston that morning.

I was just a few seconds faster than my goal pace for this section – so I held back well and my HR reflected that. My legs felt great, and ready for the rolling sections of miles 7-16. I saw Tim Walsh and Kim at mile 7 – was nice to see them!

I more or less held my mile-by-mile paces along this section. I still felt great, drank when I was thirsty and motored along, enjoying the sights and sounds of the race.

Approaching the half-marathon point in Wellesley, I could hear the screaming tunnel approaching of the girls. What a noise and what a lift! I hit the half-marathon at 1:34:58 which was about 7:17 pace. Just about on plan for a 3:09 finish.

I was still feeling great and relaxed coming into Newton Hills – which started around mile 17. Now, it was time to allow the body and mind to work as my pace and effort plan kicked it. The hills were hills. It isn’t that they are tremendously steep, but that they are longer and come late in the race, when people are often overly tired and they start to fall apart. Three good hills in Newton, before Heartbreak Hill (at mile 20.3).

I felt humbled and excited at the base of Heartbreak Hill. There is a statue there to commorate it. A lot of history of this race has occurred here – leads lost, souls broken. Not me, not today! I felt fantastic, and knowing it was the last significant effort / hill, I allowed myself to run strongly but comfortably up the hill. Focus was on good form, and controlled breathing – it’s a long hill (0.4 miles) and no reason to spike it here – there is still 10k of racing left! I felt fantastic at the top of the climb – it was lined with thousands of screaming fans… what an incredible place – especially because I felt so good still!

From here on in to Boston, it is a general downhill. Now it is time to let the legs fly and see what I have left. I felt great and dropped my pace down to 6:55-7:05 for the next couple of miles. Could see the city (and therefore the finish line) approaching. I was on pace to be about 3:10 at this point. Then just after completing mile 23, something started “pinging” the back of my legs… both of my hamstrings were starting to twitch… cramps were on the way – which is rather unusual for me in a marathon. I hadn’t taken in enough salts and fluids to match with what the wind was taking out of me. (This apparently was a common theme, as I’ve never seen so many people cramping up – and everyone I spoke to after the race seemed to have the same problem). I took out a Nuun tablet and started to suck on it (since I wasn’t near any water at the time). Too little, too late.

Boom, my right leg went totally straight – hamstring full locked up. Dammit! Had to stop moving for a good 30 seconds to try to stretch through it and relax… I knew what had to be done, and crunched into 3 E-caps right in my mouth, and grabbed a water bottle from a kind spectator… I chugged most of the 20oz bottle on the spot and walked through the cramp, swishing the saltiest water in my mouth to try to speed absorption.

It worked, and after another 30 seconds of walking and swishing, I was able to get restarted. I ramped my pace up to 8:00/mi for a quarter mile, and everything felt OK again… so I pushed it right back up to a 7:00/mi pace again to try to salvage a good time and at least BQ again! By this time – the CITGO sign was approaching! The “one mile to go” monument that everyone looks so forward to. This was it! The last mile of the Boston Marathon!

There are two uphill sections in the last mile that on any other day, look like nothing – but after 25.5 miles and the hills of Newton, they are a bit more real.

As I turned onto Boylston Street, I could see the finish line off in the distance. I was going to finish THE Boston Marathon, and in a respectable time! The finish line seemed to take forever to come to me… I looked around for Amy… She saw me, but I didn’t see her.

I crossed the line at 3:14:30… my second fastest marathon ever (within 56 seconds of Flying Pig), and on a more challenging course. While I was disappointed to not have gone faster, I was thrilled that I held to my race plan and felt so great throughout the entire race (with the exception of the cramp-fest from 23.5-24.0). I felt surprisingly good after the race… almost like I hadn’t pushed myself hard enough during the race. Holding back for the first two thirds of the race was a good strategy, maybe next time I can push the mid-section pace a little more – and keep the salt intake higher! : )

I was glad that my first experience in Boston felt good and “easy”… it raises the bar for my next return… now I know better what to expect, and maybe how to race it harder, without destroying myself too early.

Time to give myself a couple days off, and then shift gears to the triathlon season – which starts in June!

I’ll write separately about the amazing 5 days in Boston that Amy and I had together. It was our first real trip together without the kids and we had an absolutely fantastic time! Boston is definitely our kind of town! The people were great, the food was amazing and the city was so interesting! From the history dating back to the 17th century, to the harbor cruise and waterfront, to the modern transportation and city amenities. It was so great for me to travel with someone to enjoy all of the sights and sounds (vs my business trips around the globe alone). We had a fantastic time – and really enjoyed the time alone together! I love this woman! : )

Heading to Boston for a little personal history…

I’ve run about 10 other marathons before… with and without the 2.4 miles of swimming a 112 miles of biking before it. This one is different… it is BOSTON!

Many athletes I know and respect have been chewed up and spit out by this course. Caught up in the hype of race weekend in Boston, motivated by the 500,000 spectators that line the course to create a screaming tunnel of excitement from Hopkinton to Boylston Street, and swept up in the mass start of some of the fastest runners in the world – with the first 6 miles on deceptively difficult downhill sections. Sure a net downhill course sounds good – until you realize your quads have been ripped apart by all the downhill hammering… and then miles 16-20 introduce the Newton hills – 4 nice climbs on tired legs that are sure to test the best. Kaboom!! Many a competent marathoner have been reduced to a death march for miles 21-26.2.

Can’t wait! This is my first Boston Marathon… This is the 114th year for it –the longest “running” marathon in the world. My training leading up to this race has been better than years past.

The main objective for this, my first Boston, is to fully soak in and enjoy the experience. I have goals for the race, of course, but my primary objective is to try to do what others have failed to do, and race SMART, and enjoy the experience starting gun to finish line. My marathon PR is 3:13 (2009). Would be nice to PR at Boston, and on any other course I should be well below 3:10 this year (based on my 2 races this spring and training results)… but this is Boston… so I don’t hold myself to that goal Monday.

I am very fortunate that my wife of 14 years, Amy, is overcoming her fear of flying and her Motherly instincts to not leave the kids at Grandma’s for 5 days to join me for a fun birthday/marathon 5-day weekend in Boston! Also fortunate to know that about 30 people from the Cleveland-area running and triathlon scene will be in Boston for the race. There is a dinner planned Sunday night for the group at a great place in Little Italy for our pre-race Carbo dinner… it’s gonna be FUN! Most of the time will be just Amy and I seeing the city. We are staying at the Lenox in the Back Bay area. Very cool and small upscale hotel right by the finish line. We’ve only spent one night in Boston before – the first night of our Honeymoon. We didn’t see much of the city then, and drove to Cape Cod the next morning.


Training Volume:
I am following the tweaked Jack Daniels’ VDOT running formula plan for a third marathon. This year, my 8 week average has been 50 miles per week (with two weeks at 64+ miles) versus 42 miles per week in 2009 for my 3:13 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon. This has been a real challenge due to another hearty Cleveland winter and persistent cold weather. I had very few training days over 40F – one of my biggest fears has been that race day in Boston will be hot and I’ll melt – but at this point the forecast is for 50F at race time – this is good! : )

I was also able to accomplish a high training volume while traveling around the world on 3 separate trips in the past 4 months. In December, when I started my program, I ran in Germany, Spain, Germany (again), China and Korea… In January – I was in China for another 12 days – including running 2 miles on the Great Wall of China! (same section where the Great Wall Marathon is run). In March, I ran over 50 miles in Germany, 20 in China and 10 in Japan – and saw some incredible sights along the way! I’m a very lucky guy!

Oh – and this season I was completely injury-free and stayed just the safe side of over-training (thanks Coach Gregg!!).

Speed:
I have raced twice this spring to test myself and get the “race day” practice before Boston. I took 3rd place overall and ran a personal best 6:43/mi pace in the 15K Catch A Leprechaun Race in March. 8 days before Boston, I ran the Spring Classic 5K and took 2nd overall, setting a personal best 18:53 (6:04/mi pace) in a race where I chose to hold back the last mile to avoid any injury or excess fatigue going into Boston. These are great signs that not only is the endurance in place from the additional volume, but the top-end speed has improved as well. This bodes well not only for the marathon, but for the Olympic Distance triathlons I have on the June schedule.

My track workouts this year have been more consistent and faster than prior years. I trained at VDOT 52 for the marathon this year, VDOT 51 last year. My 5K race last weekend now puts me at VDOT 53. (for more info on VDOT – check my blog post from 2009 about VDOT and Heart Rate based training).


READY!
SO - I’m tapered and ready… getting antsy to race and frustrated to gain a pound from the lower activity – but this is normal, and what a taper is about. I’m on the flight now, with Amy next to me, who has finally calmed down and is giggling loudly at The Hangover to take her mind off of things. God bless her, she’s doing great – and facing her biggest fear head on! : )

We are going to have a great time together… and absorb the amazing atmosphere and true world-class event that is – THE Boston Marathon!

Weird things I've eaten while traveling...

I'm often asked about what I'm exposed to for food, and how I handle it when I travel abroad. I believe strongly in "When in Rome, do as the Romans do". How many chances in your life (besides reality game shows) do you get a chance to be exposed to such unusual food choices? I love food as it is, I love adventure, and I enjoy being tested / taken to the extreme at times. Plus, you win the respect of the locals and learn more about the culture when you are open to try new things!
China:
- Duck tongue (weird, but good)
- Pickled silk worm larve (sadly, a lot of these)
- Baby octopus (raw) - I liked it except for the "stomache / ink sack"
- Cuttlefish on a stick - I love cuttlefish, to have the whole squid-like thing on a stick was a bit weird...
- 100 year old egg (took like 30 minutes to get up the courage to take a bite - turns out to be quite good)
- Crab on a stick (entire softshell crab)
- Shui Zhu Yu (live fish boiled in hot pepper oil and served with these other peppers that make your tongue numb / tingle)
- Tianjin pancake (looks like a rotten pancake wrapped around fish)
- Rabbit stew (in the middle of rural China)

Favorite - Dim Sum meals with dumplings (esp BBQ pork), and so many things to try, and it is communial, so you get to try it all!
--> Love all the food I've had in China so far (some more than others)

- Toughest thing - it is extremely rude to be seen picking at your teeth, espeically with fingers instead of toothpick. (Would be like someone picking nose and eating your boogers in public in the US). It is a habit I have (picking at teeth) and struggle with there in public. Even using a toothpick is to be "hidden" from view.

Korea:
- Pigeon hot pot - lots of bones, work for a little gamey meat.
- Squid soup at 3am from a street food vendor (after bar hopping)
- Mulaki (sp?) a milky alcoholic drink - bizzare
- Soju - kinda like sake... but it sneaks up on you...

- Toughest part is sitting cross-legged on floor at low tables... and remembering to never eat / drink with left hand. In Korea, that is the "unclean" hand you "wipe" with... Oh - and take your shoes off before going in!

Japan:
- Sea urchin - just don't like it raw, cooked or otherwise. One of few foods I just can't get to like.
- To many, all the sushi and sashimi is weird. I love it and it is one of my top favorite meals in any country - when done properly, of course!
The rest of the food, I really, really like!


Holland:
Nutella ice cream with hot Nutella on it - not weird, but unique and soooooo delicious!

Germany:
Again, not weird dishes like Asia, but different and delicious!
Breakfast is always smoked salmon and other meats, cheeses and breads. Fresh local yogurt and whatever berries are in season.
The Hotel Weidenbruck where I always stay (a little, family hotel) has incredible food, and my favorite dinner (Ratsherrenteller = "Mayor's plate") is an incredible pork / spaetzel / bernaise sauce dish. They always have it ready for me on my first night there.
I wash it down with Kolsch beer (the local beer there)... YUM!

Spain
Paella, tapas and cheese plates are big in the Basque region where I stayed, and very, very good with their local wines y cerveza!
Nothing weird here, except for the hours... Tapas (snacks and beer time) from 6:00-8:30pm... can't even get into a restaraunt until 8:30pm at the earliest... I can't eat a big meal that late in the day every day.
Toughest part - finding out the hard way that breakfast isn't served until after 8:00am... I'm usually up, had a run and starvin by 7:00am... That was tough to get used to.

Great Wall of China – HuangYuGang

Great Wall of China – HuangYuGang – outside of Bejing / Tianjin

WOW is almost all I can say! It was a near-religious experience… a breathtaking, thrilling and rather physically demanding day. I had numerous “pinch me – am I dreaming” moments this day!

To step out onto something that was originally constructed over 1,400 years ago (about 550 AD) – was awe inspiring. To do so in the beautiful mountains on a cloudless sunny day was PERFECT – and because it was the “off-season” we had the entire wall to ourselves!! We were on sections that were 1400 years old, and others that were “only” 600 years old… and then a few sections that were rebuilt in the 1980s to replace sections that were destroyed by the Mongolians when they finally breeched parts of the wall.

From Tianjin, it was 2.5 hour car trip out to a very rural area. That alone was interesting, to see the small farm / peasant towns and villages. This is the “other side” or 3rd world aspect of China you also hear of. I saw it first hand. We were fortunate to have our own driver to take us, wait and bring us back in comfort. We drove two hours through villages and farms in the very flat plains from the coast, then suddenly the mountains sprung up. We went from near sea-level to a few thousand feet rather quickly.

When we arrived at the little village that the wall once protected, we had lunch in a little kitchen there. Kung Pao chicken and rabbit stew, along with fried rice and “local vegitables”. Let me tell you –“henhao cha” (it tasted very good)!

The full Great Wall tour starts with an interesting, winding ride up to the top of one of the mountains where one end of the wall starts. Switch-back after switch-back snaking through little houses and random goats. I wished I had my bike! Once at the top – we paid 50RMB each (about $7US) and met our tour guide (Mrs. Liu).

It took us about 3.5 hours to cover a little over 3km (~ 2 miles). I learned from the guide that this was the location of the “Great Wall Marathon” which I know about from being in the running community. It takes place in May. The course would be so TOUGH! They do 10 laps of the wall route I took today. So many steep and narrow sections – which were made more difficult for us because there was some snow/ice remaining in the shade on the steep slopes. I ran the wall in a number of the sections, up and down stairs and along some treacherous parts – it took a lot out of me, and I can’t imagine contending with 2,000 others for position along the wall. That race must be insane!

I got permission to climb a section of the wall that forked off the main wall - to one of the highest points, that is not a part of the “tour route” – it was so steep, I had to crawl up the face of the wall to get to the top! Getting down was even more difficult – I nearly crashed and burned – with my two companions looking on from a different section of the wall.

After we finished on the wall, we were taken into the “ancient” part of the village and to the labyrinth that was a model of the “real” one they had just beyond the wall – with the idea that if the Mongolians made it through the wall, they would then get lost into the labyrinth and die of starvation – the story is that a number of those soldiers actually did get lost and die within it!

I took about 250 pictures along the way, in addition to video. When I get back into the USA (and out from behind the Great Fire-Wall of China) I’ll post the best ones to my Facebook account (www.facebook.com/kenhagan)

15K RACE REPORT – March 7, 2010

Set a 15k PR of 6:43/mi today, as well as my 10k PR (6:34/mi) during the race. Finished 3rd over-all & 1st in age group... and felt like I held back too much in the first 5k!

First race of the year and 6 weeks to Boston Marathon. Time for a “tune up race”, as well have as a chance to gauge my progress versus last season. My training volume has been heavy for me on the run… many weeks in the mid 50s mileage. This marathon plan was the first where I used two speed workouts during the week. Intervals on Tuesdays (800s and 1200s) and threshold / tempo runs on Thursdays. About 155 participants in total there, I was told by the race organizer. It was nice to see teammate Angie Ridgel as well as Marty Mason from team Spin Second Sole there!

Race plan was to hold back and race the first 5k easy – 6:55/mi avg, then race the remaining 10K at Threshold pace (6:44/mi) or faster toward the end if I could. I ended up running a little too slow in the first 5k (6:58/mi)… but ran 6:33/mi average for the remaining 10K. I gained speed steadily over the last 5 miles. My last full mile was 6:22… the last 0.2 mile section was 6:05 pace. I could have pushed it harder during the early stages of the race… good to know! I could see Marty Mason up the road. I kept pushing the pace to try to close the gap, and apparently he was in ‘negative split mode’ too – as I went from 6:45/mi down to 6:22/mi over the remaining miles, I never seemed to make up any room. He took 2nd over-all, beating me by about 40 seconds. Great job, Marty!. Whoever took first was flying from the get go. We saw him on the out-and-back between mile 1 and 2… and never again.

I felt great throughout the race… I was impatient to push the pace before mile 3, but forced myself to hold back and follow the strategy. This was good, from a game-plan standpoint… and kept the race feeling comfortable. I need to push my race plan a little in the future. But there is definitely a difference between a 15k race, and the Boston Marathon – so I’ll stick with the plan for now!

5k warm-up before the race started 1 hour before the gun (maybe a little too early). Easy pace about 8:15/mi with two 400m pushes around 6:15/mi pace to get the HR up and systems ready for the race. Took 1 gel 15 minutes before the start, and then realized my new SBR tri suit doesn’t have any pockets! Carried 2 additional gels in my shorts for the race. Took a gel about 4 miles in, and then a final one with 2 miles to go. About 10oz Gatorade during the 15 minutes before the race, and just a sip at one aid station during the race. Didn’t need it.

It was quite cold – 24F during my warm-up 5K and about 30F at the start – but clear, sunny and only light wind. First race in the new SnakeBite Racing kit. Looks great and worked well over tights and a top to stay warm.
All in all – I had a great race. Beat my 2009 15K PR of 6:51 pace, bringing it down to 6:43/mi. My last 10K pace was 6:33/mi this year, versus 6:42 last year. I considered this to be good improvement!
6 weeks until Boston! With a few more good weeks of training and a 2 week trip around the world between now and Boston, it’s time for the final push! LET’S GO!