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I suppose I can come out of hiding for this...<br><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Race Report:</span> <b>Boston</b> <b>Prep 16 Miler.</b><br><i>January 27th, 2008</i><br><br><b>DERRY</b><b>, NH</b> <b>–</b> This morning I participated in my 2nd <b>Boston Prep 16 Miler</b> race. The <a href="http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=98829" target="_blank">race course</a> is billed as moderately challenging. It has 1,184 vertical feet of climbing, and 2,342 feet of elevation change (numbers according to the USATF). Moderately challenging is under the best of conditions. Today was far from the best of conditions for any of the runners. It was even worse for me.<br><br>
Race morning broke with a light snow falling. It wasn’t supposed to accumulate though, so I thought it was just going to be a coating of snow on the streets. That did not pan out however. The light snow continued and by the time the race began, the snow covered the streets. The temperature was in the mid 20s with light winds, which was so much better than last year’s 10 degrees with wind chills below 0. However the snow made the streets very slick.<br><br>
All of the racers had to deal with the snow though, so I figured it would slow down most of us, so I put the weather out of my mind. What I couldn’t put out of my mind however was the pain in my lower back. Early Sunday morning I got out of bed to use the bathroom, and while in the bathroom I lost consciousness and collapsed. For those of you who know me well, you’re not imagining things, that’s the 2nd time this year that has happened to me.<br><br>
Anyway, during the process of falling to the floor, I banged the right side of my lower back into the vanity. There are no visible signs of bruising, but it feels like I might have bruised a kidney or something like that. This made it painful for me to walk or bend. Running compounded the pain, especially on flat and downhill terrain. Climbing hills felt better, but still not like I normally do.<br><br>
Before the race started, I was fortunate enough to meet up with Flobear. She was in town for the race, and this was the first time I had a chance to meet her in person. We've talked running on a couple of running websites for a long time. <b>It was really great to meet her</b>. We walked to the starting line together.<br><br>
The race started about 20 minutes late. Eventually, the race did start. The first few steps of the race were the absolute worst. I was in a lot of pain with the back. I was well off the pace that I knew I was capable of running under normal circumstances. Runners were passing me like I was standing still.<br><br><b>MILE 1, 10:32. HR: 148, AvgHR: 148</b> I hit the mile 1 marker in 10:32 with a heart rate of 148 and an average heart rate for that mile of 148. Most of this mile is flat or downhill, and I felt it in my back. I knew it was going to be a long day for me if I was to finish the race.<br><br><b>MILE 2, 09:00. HR: 147, AvgHR: 146</b> This mile was mainly flat and downhill. It caused the back to scream at me, and I seriously thought about taking a DNF during this mile. I just didn’t think I could handle this for 14 more miles.<br><br><b>MILE 3, 09:04. HR: 145, AvgHR: 141</b> Another mainly flat and downhill mile. I was hurting pretty badly. People were passing me left and right still, but I knew there was nothing I could do.<br><br><b>MILE 4, 08:52. HR: 145, AvgHR: 145</b> Still painful. Heart rates of 145 are very low for me for a run like this, but it was as fast as I could get the body to go with as little discomfort as possible.<br><br><b>MILE 5, 09:16. HR: 160, AvgHR: 154.</b> This mile was the first mile that gave me much hope. First, it finished on a climb, as you can tell with the heart rate. Second, as I was climbing, I was passing other runners like crazy. More importantly, the pain in my back was much less when I was climbing. I knew that the later miles involved a lot of climbing, so I felt this might be okay.<br><br><b>MILE 6, 09:06.7. HR: 152, AvgHR: 148.</b> This mile had a long downhill to it, and it was pretty painful for me. Most of the runners I had passed on the climb went right back by me. When I hit the mile 6 marker, I had my first Gu energy gel.<br><br><b>MILE 7, 09:21.4. HR: 142, AvgHR: 148.</b> Another quite sore mile for me. I really was feeling it.<br><br><b>MILE 8, 09:06.8. HR: 147, AvgHR: 147.</b> As I got to the halfway point, I really wondered if I could finish the race. I know under normal circumstances, a 16 mile run is no problem for me. This was no ordinary day.<br><br><b>MILE 9, 09:09.9. HR: 144, AvgHR: 148.</b> As I got to the mile 9 marker, I felt some relief. I knew that the next few miles had some serious climbing in them. To most runners that sounds bizarre, but to me, it is what was going to help me through.<br><br><b>MILE 10, 09:28.9. HR: 150, AvgHR: 153.</b> This mile had some climbing in it, and it made me feel better. I went by several runners, and the pain diminished in the back, at least until the course flattened out.<br><br><b>MILE 11, 9:14.4. HR: 172, AvgHR: 155.</b> The first half of this mile was downhill, and it hurt like hell. The second half of the mile was climbing, and that felt so much better. I was able to pass a bunch of runners.<br><br><b>MILE 12+13, 18:50.2. HR: 155, AvgHR: 160.</b> I missed the mark at mile 12, but most of mile 12 was climbing, and felt great. I continued to pass many runners on the climb. But as mile 13 started, the course flattened out, and it hurt worse than I had at any point during the race.<br><br><b>MILE 14, 8:41.1. HR: 154, AvgHR: 156.</b> Again, this part of the course was flat, and I hurt more than I had during the early part of the race.<br><br><b>MILE 15, 9:22.9. HR: 155, AvgHR: 155.</b> During this mile, I was running with a woman who noticed some kids on the road. The kids seemed confused to why we were out there. The woman said out loud “They must be wondering why we’re out here today.” I said to her “I’ve been asking myself that same question for 14 and a half miles.” She laughed. But I was serious. Mile 15 hurt.<br><br><b>MILE 16, 8:51.3. HR: 160, AvgHR: 153.</b> The finish of the race was slightly uphill. I was glad of that. I was glad it was over. At the finish, a course worker asked me “How are you doing today?” I told her “I’ve had better days.” At least I had finished.<br><br>
Officially, I finished the race in 2:27:47 or a 9:15 average mile. By my watch I was about 10 seconds slower, but whatever. Officially I finished 411th out of 654. I was very disappointed by the result, but proud that I was able to deal with the pain and finish the race.<br><br>
As for the race itself, the organization does a nice job manning the course with volunteers. They had people on the course to point runners in the right direction. There were plenty of staff at the water/Gatorade stations. There was food at the end, although I didn’t bother to get any. I just wanted to sit there and see if I could get my back to stop hurting.<br><br>
Last year, the race gave away finishers medals. This year, they gave away something much more useful. It’s a nice winter head-band (I don’t know what they are actually called). I’ll say this, I’m much more likely to use that than I am a finishers medal. I’m also willing to bet that the medal costs the same as the head-band, so I’m glad the race director had the idea to provide something I will actually use.<br><br>
This race is well done. I have no doubt that if I am healthy next year, I will compete in the race again.<br><br>
Below is the run report for today’s race. Due to the conditions and the back pain, I have opted to not put these miles in as Race Pace miles like I normally would.<br><br>
Thanks for reading. Sorry that it wasn’t a better report. I think I’ll go take some Advil and see if I can get rid of this pain in my back.<br><br>
EQ43
Race morning broke with a light snow falling. It wasn’t supposed to accumulate though, so I thought it was just going to be a coating of snow on the streets. That did not pan out however. The light snow continued and by the time the race began, the snow covered the streets. The temperature was in the mid 20s with light winds, which was so much better than last year’s 10 degrees with wind chills below 0. However the snow made the streets very slick.<br><br>
All of the racers had to deal with the snow though, so I figured it would slow down most of us, so I put the weather out of my mind. What I couldn’t put out of my mind however was the pain in my lower back. Early Sunday morning I got out of bed to use the bathroom, and while in the bathroom I lost consciousness and collapsed. For those of you who know me well, you’re not imagining things, that’s the 2nd time this year that has happened to me.<br><br>
Anyway, during the process of falling to the floor, I banged the right side of my lower back into the vanity. There are no visible signs of bruising, but it feels like I might have bruised a kidney or something like that. This made it painful for me to walk or bend. Running compounded the pain, especially on flat and downhill terrain. Climbing hills felt better, but still not like I normally do.<br><br>
Before the race started, I was fortunate enough to meet up with Flobear. She was in town for the race, and this was the first time I had a chance to meet her in person. We've talked running on a couple of running websites for a long time. <b>It was really great to meet her</b>. We walked to the starting line together.<br><br>
The race started about 20 minutes late. Eventually, the race did start. The first few steps of the race were the absolute worst. I was in a lot of pain with the back. I was well off the pace that I knew I was capable of running under normal circumstances. Runners were passing me like I was standing still.<br><br><b>MILE 1, 10:32. HR: 148, AvgHR: 148</b> I hit the mile 1 marker in 10:32 with a heart rate of 148 and an average heart rate for that mile of 148. Most of this mile is flat or downhill, and I felt it in my back. I knew it was going to be a long day for me if I was to finish the race.<br><br><b>MILE 2, 09:00. HR: 147, AvgHR: 146</b> This mile was mainly flat and downhill. It caused the back to scream at me, and I seriously thought about taking a DNF during this mile. I just didn’t think I could handle this for 14 more miles.<br><br><b>MILE 3, 09:04. HR: 145, AvgHR: 141</b> Another mainly flat and downhill mile. I was hurting pretty badly. People were passing me left and right still, but I knew there was nothing I could do.<br><br><b>MILE 4, 08:52. HR: 145, AvgHR: 145</b> Still painful. Heart rates of 145 are very low for me for a run like this, but it was as fast as I could get the body to go with as little discomfort as possible.<br><br><b>MILE 5, 09:16. HR: 160, AvgHR: 154.</b> This mile was the first mile that gave me much hope. First, it finished on a climb, as you can tell with the heart rate. Second, as I was climbing, I was passing other runners like crazy. More importantly, the pain in my back was much less when I was climbing. I knew that the later miles involved a lot of climbing, so I felt this might be okay.<br><br><b>MILE 6, 09:06.7. HR: 152, AvgHR: 148.</b> This mile had a long downhill to it, and it was pretty painful for me. Most of the runners I had passed on the climb went right back by me. When I hit the mile 6 marker, I had my first Gu energy gel.<br><br><b>MILE 7, 09:21.4. HR: 142, AvgHR: 148.</b> Another quite sore mile for me. I really was feeling it.<br><br><b>MILE 8, 09:06.8. HR: 147, AvgHR: 147.</b> As I got to the halfway point, I really wondered if I could finish the race. I know under normal circumstances, a 16 mile run is no problem for me. This was no ordinary day.<br><br><b>MILE 9, 09:09.9. HR: 144, AvgHR: 148.</b> As I got to the mile 9 marker, I felt some relief. I knew that the next few miles had some serious climbing in them. To most runners that sounds bizarre, but to me, it is what was going to help me through.<br><br><b>MILE 10, 09:28.9. HR: 150, AvgHR: 153.</b> This mile had some climbing in it, and it made me feel better. I went by several runners, and the pain diminished in the back, at least until the course flattened out.<br><br><b>MILE 11, 9:14.4. HR: 172, AvgHR: 155.</b> The first half of this mile was downhill, and it hurt like hell. The second half of the mile was climbing, and that felt so much better. I was able to pass a bunch of runners.<br><br><b>MILE 12+13, 18:50.2. HR: 155, AvgHR: 160.</b> I missed the mark at mile 12, but most of mile 12 was climbing, and felt great. I continued to pass many runners on the climb. But as mile 13 started, the course flattened out, and it hurt worse than I had at any point during the race.<br><br><b>MILE 14, 8:41.1. HR: 154, AvgHR: 156.</b> Again, this part of the course was flat, and I hurt more than I had during the early part of the race.<br><br><b>MILE 15, 9:22.9. HR: 155, AvgHR: 155.</b> During this mile, I was running with a woman who noticed some kids on the road. The kids seemed confused to why we were out there. The woman said out loud “They must be wondering why we’re out here today.” I said to her “I’ve been asking myself that same question for 14 and a half miles.” She laughed. But I was serious. Mile 15 hurt.<br><br><b>MILE 16, 8:51.3. HR: 160, AvgHR: 153.</b> The finish of the race was slightly uphill. I was glad of that. I was glad it was over. At the finish, a course worker asked me “How are you doing today?” I told her “I’ve had better days.” At least I had finished.<br><br>
Officially, I finished the race in 2:27:47 or a 9:15 average mile. By my watch I was about 10 seconds slower, but whatever. Officially I finished 411th out of 654. I was very disappointed by the result, but proud that I was able to deal with the pain and finish the race.<br><br>
As for the race itself, the organization does a nice job manning the course with volunteers. They had people on the course to point runners in the right direction. There were plenty of staff at the water/Gatorade stations. There was food at the end, although I didn’t bother to get any. I just wanted to sit there and see if I could get my back to stop hurting.<br><br>
Last year, the race gave away finishers medals. This year, they gave away something much more useful. It’s a nice winter head-band (I don’t know what they are actually called). I’ll say this, I’m much more likely to use that than I am a finishers medal. I’m also willing to bet that the medal costs the same as the head-band, so I’m glad the race director had the idea to provide something I will actually use.<br><br>
This race is well done. I have no doubt that if I am healthy next year, I will compete in the race again.<br><br>
Below is the run report for today’s race. Due to the conditions and the back pain, I have opted to not put these miles in as Race Pace miles like I normally would.<br><br>
Thanks for reading. Sorry that it wasn’t a better report. I think I’ll go take some Advil and see if I can get rid of this pain in my back.<br><br>
EQ43
