RR: Alaska Mike's 2011 Boston Marathon

Alaska Mike · Apr 20, 2011

2011 Boston Marathon
April 18, 2011
Boston, MA
 
Time: 2:45:30
1st half: 1:18:43 2nd half: 1:26:47
361st OA, 331st Male, 39th M40-44
 
Mile splits: 6:16, 5:59, 5:58, 5:45, 6:01, 5:52, 5:56, 5:58, 5:58, 6:01, 6:06, 5:57, 6:00, 6:02, 6:14, 6:03, 6:23, 6:31, 6:25, 6:34, 6:38, 6:26, 6:31, 6:18, 6:43, 6:20
 
Pre-Race
The pre-race this year was pretty uneventful. Arrived in Boston on Saturday around 11 am, got checked into the hotel, picked up my bib and had lunch with Adam, Monica and Cheryl from Team LIT, then dinner with my coach and a couple of her clients/friends. I spent most of Sunday in my hotel room, keeping off my feet. Watched both 'Without Limits' and 'Prefontaine' on DVD. Had lunch with Yoshiko from Team LIT. Grabbed dinner at the bar at Maggiano's and was in bed at a reasonable hour.
 
One thing I didn't do this year was run at all in the last three days leading up to the race. I was scheduled to do a 'shake the rust out' run on Saturday, but didn't have time in my schedule. I could have and probably should have run Sunday, but I don't think that played a significant role in my race. 

Was up a bit early on Monday, got dressed and headed out to the bus area. Grabbed breakfast at Au Bon Pain (basically the same meal as last year) and then headed over to the Park Plaza Hotel to wait for the CARA bus. I met Dr. Charlie and Heather from Multisport Madness and chatted with them while we waited. Boarded the bus and I mostly listened to music on the way out and chatted with Charlie and Heather. 

Just before 9 am I stepped out of the bus to get a warm-up in. I stretched for a few minutes, ran an easy 1.4 miles in just over 8 min/mi pace and then got back on the bus to collect my stuff head out to the start. I probably could have used some strides in my warm-up, even an hour before the race. Boston is a tough race to warm-up for. 

The weather this year was perfect. Temp at the start was right around 50 and there was a strong tail wind. You couldn't ask for a better forecast. 

I walked down to corral #1, did a few pickups/high skips/butt kicks along one of the side streets and then headed into the corral. I took a PowerGel about 10 min before the start and downed it with some water. Watched the elite runners parade by and got a high-five from Ryan Hall. Shed my throw-away clothes, listened to the national anthem and waited for the gun. Boom!
 
The Race
As usual, even in corral #1 we had to walk to the starting line. Started running as we crossed over it but the pace was pretty easy. I was okay with that, I knew that at Boston its better to go out too easy than too hard and the downhills in the first mile are among the steepest. I stayed in the middle of the road, avoiding the edges which slope off to either side. I stayed there for many of the early miles, which also meant I wasn't veering off to high-five the kids on the side of the course. I came through the first mile in 6:16 and was surprised, my gut feel was it was somewhere around 6:30.
 
The race plan I had agreed with my coach called for the first miles to be 6:10, 6:03, 5:48, 5:51. So I was a bit slow, but not overly worried about it. I did check my watch for the first four miles, but ran mostly on feel. Last year I ran the entire race just at or below my Lactic Threshold (LT). I have a pretty good feel for that and know when I'm exceeding it. The first half of this race it felt like 6 min/mi average was what I could sustain without exceeding my LT, so that's where I stayed. I don't have HR data because I grabbed the wrong HR strap and it had a dead battery (poor pre-race prep). Mentally I don't think the slower pace affected me significantly, I was still in good spirits as I knew my race goals were aggressive and felt that if I could run a PR by a few min that I would be satisfied with the results. 

After the first four miles I ignored the watch other than to hit the lap marker at each mile marked. I think miles 8 and 9 may be a bit off because the aid station was right at the mile marker and I prioritized getting fluids over hitting my lap button, so I was late a mile 8 (which made mile 9 short).
 
I stuck to my standard nutrition plan, Gatorade every two miles. A PowerGel that I carried with me at about mile 16, then another that I picked up on the course at mile 20. I never felt low on energy.
 
Somewhere around Framingham I passed a guy wearing a race shirt that I recognized some of the sponsors from Alaska. He was from Anchorage and we chatted for a few seconds before I pulled away.
 
Around mile 10 I could feel that I was having to work a bit. That was a little bit worrisome since the first 10 miles are so downhill and the tough part of the course was coming. I was still confident that I was running the race well and a solid PR was achievable. Then I felt a twinge in my left quad. The kind of twinge that comes from downhill pounding. I knew that was an ominous sign, this was way to early in the race to be feeling the downhills. At that point I made a conscious decision. I could have backed off, trying to minimize the impact of the remaining downhills on my legs. But my thought process was that if I had trashed my legs on the early downhills, slowing down now really wasn't going to fix anything. I had set aggressive goals and if I wanted to have any chance of a PR (I had realized a 2:35 wasn't happening by this point, I was too far behind schedule) that I needed to stay aggressive and risk blowing up. So I kept pushing the pace.
 
I went through the Wellesley scream-wall and did the usual high-fives of all the co-eds. There seemed to be more signs this year offering kisses, but I abstained. I'm sure my HR was up, but no data this year to record that.
 
Shortly after Wellesely I crossed the half-marathon point. I was about 1 min 15 sec behind my 2:35 pace and I knew from how I felt that I wasn't going to be running a negative split on this course today. I was mentally okay with that, but my legs were feeling more beat up than they should have at that point and I didn't have the feeling that the first half was 'easy'.
 
The long downhill heading into Newton Lower Falls, right before mile 16 and the first of the Newton hills, is always my checkpoint for the race. If my quads are trashed going down that hill, I know the rest of the race is going to be very painful. This year my quads were trashed and I knew it would be a long day. The best I could manage on that mile was 6:03, last year I ran 5:57.
 
We passed over 128 and started climbing. I actually didn't feel horrible on the uphills, but I wasn't as strong as I felt last year. Mile 17 this year was 6:23, last year I did it in 6:10. Mile 18 is about ¾ downhill then has a steep uphill after the turn at the Newton fire station. I slowed down even more on this mile, as much do to an inability to run any type of pace on the downhills as being slow on the uphills. I was holding my own on the uphills, but not passing people like I have in years past. And my quads were simply trashed on the downhill and I was focused on not walking than I was on hitting any particular pace. I crested Heartbreak knowing that any chance for a PR was gone.
 
When you're hurting, the final 6.2 miles of that race can be the longest and loneliest miles in marathoning. The crowds grow in size and really get into it, yelling that you're doing great and you're almost there. When you're having a bad day you just really want to be left alone to finish the damn thing in anonymity. Every step is painful and you start to see people in front of you who are stopped and stretching out cramps and your body tries to temp you into joining them for a short walk break. Your mind keeps you from doing that, your pride screaming at you to suck it up. I didn't feel all that tired or that my systems were being taxed very heavily during the final 10k, I just couldn't pick up my pace due to my quad muscles not wanting to fire.
 
The final 2 miles before the turn onto Hereford were the worst. I got chicked about five times. I had a guy in bright pink compression socks and arm warmers pass me. Then right before the Mass Ave underpass, my new acquaintance from Alaska went by me. I took the right on Hereford and the left on Boylston, gutted my way down the final stretch and crossed the finish line.
 Post-Race
There were the usual cheery volunteers at the finish line telling me what a great job I did. I was a bit down and I think it showed because several of them mentioned I didn't look great and checked twice whether I needed assistance.
 
Headed to the basement of the Hancock building for a massage. The lady giving me the massage also seemed concerned. She asked when I had last urinated and I responded that it was right before the race start. That worried her and I didn't bother explaining that if you're going to run a sub 6 min pace you're probably not stopping to pee on the course. I drank a full bottle of water and did notice that my hands were cold, even though I ran the entire race with running gloves on. The massage did seem to loosen things up and I quickly changed into dry clothes. I then waddled over to MJ O'Conners for post-race beers and to congratulate my fellow Team LIT and MSM runners.
 
Analysis
I have a couple of ideas about what went wrong during this race. Because of the new job I took in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska last summer, I did about half my training this year on the treadmill. Well, the treadmill is not the same as the roads, boys and girls. It is generally advised to run on the treadmill with an incline of 0.5% to 1.0% in order to more accurately simulate the roads. I tend to get injured when I run consistently with an incline so I typically run at 0% incline on the TM. I also just think that treadmill running is different and easier. I think I need to be more aggressive with the paces on the treadmill and see if I can acclimate myself to running with an incline. Correspondingly I think I didn't do enough tempo runs outside.
 
I also clearly didn't prepare for the downhills. This relates somewhat to the amount of treadmill running I did, but not entirely. In previous years we have incorporated downhill strides into my training plan and I don't recall a lot of those in this cycle. Coach Chris and I have also already discussed putting in some pylometrics when I'm up north to try and toughen up my quads and prepare them for the downhills.
 
Finally, although I thought I ran a fairly smart race, I did make one major mistake during the run from Hopkinton to Boston. I failed to high-five any of the little kids along the race course. Clearly the running gods frowned upon my hubris and decided to smite me down with a vengeance. I shall practice my technique and be liberal and generous in sharing the joy of the race with the young fans in 2012 and I'm sure to return to my past glories.
 
In re-reading this note it occurred to me that an observer might think I'm down or discouraged about the results of this race. That isn't the case although I am disappointed that I didn't achieve the admittedly aggressive goal I set for myself. One of the things that I really like about running in general and marathoning specifically, is that most of the time you get out of it exactly what you put into it, within the limits of genetics and age and god-given talent. If you put in the appropriate hard work in the form of training, have a well-thought out plan and aggressive but achievable goals and execute that plan smartly, then most of the time you will hit those goals. When you don't, most of the time it is because you did something wrong. I had some unique challenges this year and I didn't fully accommodate those challenges in my training plans or my race objectives. All of which is fixable. I had the opportunity to run the Boston-freaking-marathon for the fifth time. I finished 361st out of 24,000+ people in the year I turned 40. Over the past five years I've lowered my marathon PR from 3 hours to 2 hours 40 min during a time when most athletes are slowing down. I got to celebrate these accomplishments with good friends and fellow athletes. No, I'm not unhappy. But I'm not satisfied either.
 Thanks
As always a huge shout-out goes to my coach, Chris Palmquist, for getting me through another Boston marathon. We had a big challenge in front of us this training cycle due to my work schedule. She put together a solid plan but things just didn't work out the way we wanted it to. We'll put our heads together, come up with a new plan for 2012 that compensates for where I fell down this year and keep moving forward. Chris had to spend even more time than usual this year talking me down off ledges, and that's something else we'll need to work on for 2012. Thanks Chris!
 
Also to all my running and workout buddies who got me through the long Chicago winters. I got to spend a lot less time with you guys this year due to my work schedule, but those runs are always my favorite of the week. Thank you Dave, Chris, Sue, Matt, Rick and everyone else.
 
And finally thank you to all my friends and family for supporting me through this effort. I don't say it enough, but it means more to me than you can know. Thank you.
 
Now onto Lake Placid and NYC marathon in the fall!

em73 · Apr 20, 2011

Mike, as always, it was great seeing you. You are an inspiration, not just for your talent but for your hard work.
 
I know you didn't have the race you wanted, but you've got an amazing attitude, and I can't wait to see you smash it next year. Are you going to go for your 2:35 in NY in Nov?

Alaska Mike · Apr 20, 2011

Thanks Monica! It was fantastic seeing you both on Saturday and at MJ's. You did a great job taking care of Adam, every time I meet you two my admiration for your patience and understanding increases. <img alt="wink.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/wink.gif">. Looking forward to seeing you again at NYC, where yes, I will be shooting for the 2:35.
 
Mike

mrscoby78 · Apr 20, 2011

Great read. Amazing attitude. I had a great time tracking you!

hobey · Apr 20, 2011

This RR embodies everything I admire about you - your talent, your work ethic, and your passion. While you didn't get the outcome you desired this time, I have no doubt your fantastic attitude and will to learn from your mistakes will have you smashing that 2:35 barrier sooner, rather than later. You will have a blast at NYC. I did, and I wasn't even running. The atmosphere in the city on race day is completely electrifying.

Thor · Apr 20, 2011

Mike, I approached your race report like I do them all -- I jot down notes on the point I want to comment on. But you know what? I threw them out. Well, not really; they're still on a yellow sticky. The point is that hobey is right in everything she said, and she did it far better than I could. Mike, you are such a quick-study of self and sport that, if you were able to take a step back like the rest of us can, you too would see that a 2:35 or, really, anything you want is attainable and, as long as you stay healthy and with the same drive or even more, you will attain it. It's slam dunk. You are too smart a person, too smart an athlete, and incredibly driven. I sent you a note a few days ago in attempts to make you feel better, to turn the mirror facing you to somewhere else. And you cut right back at me, "Thor, you know that the day was as good as they come. It was a fast day." Those weren't the exact words, but the gist was on. You know exactly why you didn't get what you came for. And you wouldn't accept somebody, on your behalf, making it sound better than it was relative to the goal. I know you're happy with a 2:45. I know it. But you're not in the context of your goals. I admire you, man. Keep up the great work. And hey, you will love LP!

SpartyGirl · Apr 20, 2011

"I finished 361st out of 24,000+ people in the year I turned 40." - holy sheet man! That pretty much sums it up. <img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif">

AdCo · Apr 20, 2011

Wowo Mike.. You are AWESOME.. 
 
oh, and I finished 22424 this year

cak73 · Apr 20, 2011

<img alt="icon_salut.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/icon_salut.gif"> Nice work out there, Mike! 
 
You may not have met your 2:35 goal, but you put in a smart, solid effort out there on Monday. As you gain experience training with your work and travel schedule, I have no doubt you'll be able to figure out how to make adjustments in order to get that 2:35 next time.
 
Great seeing you this weekend and great to know I was out there following in the footsteps of my awesome LIT teammates!

Tri-Tammy · Apr 20, 2011

I think what I admire most about this race report (and you) is your honesty and bravery as an athlete. It takes guts to continue the race when you realize it's not your day. It because of this that I am sure 2:35 is within your reach. And really, for you Mike, anything is. Great job Mike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
And next time, high five the kiddos. <img alt="wink.gif" id="user_yui_3_3_0_8_130332638484314" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/wink.gif" style="width:16px;height:16px;">

niemsco · Apr 21, 2011

Dude.. first of all great job! I thought you were going to watch the 2008 IMWI highlights where I make guest appearance running into the stadium. That surely would have gotten you fired up!
 
Its tough, real tough training the way you did. I've never traveled to the extent you were and when I was traveling I had a horrible time training. As I was reading about your quads turning to jelly, I started thinking in mind that it could be the treadmill. It sounds like it could be part of the issue. You know, I did read that the Boston champ awhile ago, Steve... whatever, too lazy to look him up, I think he is a brit, use to put 2 x 4s at the back of his tm and do 14 mile runs as a key workout once a week. Apparently it worked for him, something to consider if you have to do this tm thing again. 
 
Guy with pink? Well he would have been far ahead of me so I can't say much about that. Time to get past it and start hitting that bike for Placid or that guy in pink is going to show up passing you on the climbs... we can't have that!

Alaska Mike · Apr 21, 2011

@ ScoobyDoo - Thanks!
@ Hobey - {{Blush}}. Thank you very much for the kind words. And yes, I'm very much looking forward to NYC. But for now I'm focused on Lake Placid, I'll stress about NYC starting in Aug.
@ Thor - Thank you! Always treasure the honest feedback I get from you.
@ Sparty - The funny thing is I look at it and think that I finished 40+ minutes behind the winner, so still lots of room for improvement. Thanks!
@ AdCo - Hey, I'm just as or more impressed with your finish. You weathered some tough spots in training. Congrats!
@ Tammy - Actually I was more stubborn pride that keeps me going when I'm having a bad race. That and the faster I get to the finish line, the sooner the damn race is over! And high-fiving every kid I see will be at the top of the priority list next year.
@ Scott - I'm over it already and focused on Placid. Thanks for the comments!
 
Mike

Yo Sake · Apr 22, 2011

Mike, it is a great pleasure to know a great runner like you. As you quoted in FB, you learn so much more from not so successful experience and you can only get better at it again next year. Though you fasties don't have to suffer for a long time like we slowpokes do when things don't go the way we would have hoped, the pain/challenges you face - mental & physical - must be way greater than what most of us experience. Congrats on another solid race, digging deep, finishing top what 1.5%?? WOW. The beauty of this sport is, we can try again, again, and again, until you decide that is it (and run the Boston for a pure fun including kissing as many girls as you like). You have the control. I am very much looking forward to hearing about your next marathon training, and seeing you again at Boston. 
Good luck with your next challenge!

jenotter · Apr 22, 2011

What a great RR! You are really an amazing athlete and I enjoyed reading about your Boston experience. Interesting points about the TM running! No doubt you'll get that 2:35 very soon - sounds like you have a game plan ready to go and your dedication, motivation, talent and determination will get you there.

Alaska Mike · Apr 22, 2011

@Yoshiko - Thank you very much for your extremely kind words. Not sure if my pain/challenges are any more or less than anyone else on the course. For me, the sting of not accomplishing what I'd hoped to is lessened a bit by the fact that I've had 4 awesome consecutive races at Boston, so I was probably due for one that didn't go as planned. I'm nearing that age when everyone slows down, I'm just hoping to put that off for as long as possible. Thanks again!
@Otter - Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the RR. I do have a plan and I think I've learned some valuable lessons from this race, now I hope I only have to learn them once!
 
Mike

pcsronbo · Apr 23, 2011

It's taken me a while to diget my thoughts... so here they are!
 
first of all congrats on an exceptional race. Yup, it was an exceptional race. Not the one you wanted, but the day unfolded and it seems had a good read on your body as it was unfolding and very importantly, you didn't dispair. I'm pleased that you didn't just toss in the towel once those quads were trashed. You kept going and put up a damn solid race. I have to imagine when you are at your fitness level, how SMALL of a difference it must be between a killer performance and an "off" day. The variances at my level are much wider. The variances when I started are just beyond comprehension. But one thing I do know, is that there are for sure performance "cycles" and there are lower days and higher days and although I cannot tell you all the elements that have to come together for a higher day - it simply wasn't one of those days. So taking it from that perspective, you still knocked out a 2:45. Holy Sheit. That's an excellent race.
 
what could have led up to that? Hmmmm, let's armchair quarterback, because learning from our misses are the only way we score in the future right? I appreciate all the advice I've gotten from you over the years, so here is some arm-chair comments, hopefully one or more will help or make you think. Probably you know most of have already been over them with your coach, but here goes. (If nothing else, maybe someone else can learn from them). Please let me know where I'm off on any of these.... I sure the heck don't know everything...
1. The treadmill and travel. Ever since you mentioned this new job, I've wondered how that will impact you. You're going to have to adapt much more if you want to further improve
2. Mental block on 40. Hey man, I'm there too, but several times you commented in threads I can tell this four-zero number is weighing on your mind. It's NOT important. What is important is your fitness. All that changes is how you plan your workouts and adapt your recovery - which is something through trial and error only. Let it go man. I'm still working on it, but I can tell ya... let it go. Why weren't you worried at 39? It's the same thing really isn't it? Yeah, at 39 you nailed a 2:40. My massage therapist STARTED his 20 year marathon career at 40 (and was in your range in the mid/late 40's). I'm currently in the BEST shape OF MY LIFE and I'm 40. It's just a number. But I think it may be deep down nibbling at that confidence. You are a FREAKIN AMAZING athlete. Get that through your head and KEEP IT THERE because at your level, you must believe.
3. The flu. You were sick just weeks before. This had to have screwed with your training cycle. Also, you started back after week 1 and were expecting to return to normal, but this was a 2 week bug that ran around here. Some people 3. So even if you were fully recovered, your training cycle got kicked in the kidneys.
4. Why didn't you do you workouts the days before the race? I'm a firm beleiver in sticking with what works. So next time, don't skip 'em. Make other things suffer. work it into the schedule. Was there a lack of confidence going into it and did you self sabatoge yourself?
5. Why didn't you do all the warmups race morning? Was there a lack of confidence going into it and did you self sabatoge yourself?
6. Did you spend the days prior visualizing success?
7. The several calls to the coach to talk you down.... you need to find out where those concerns were coming from and stomp their azzes, so that the next time you toe the line you're going in as a monster of fitness and confidence.
 
Damn good race man, look forward to seeing your other races and seeing how you guys adapt things to accomidate your crazy work schedule.

Alaska Mike · Apr 23, 2011

RonBo - thanks for the comments!
 
It's weird, I've reach this level where I can run a 2:45 pretty easy. What happens is I can go up to my threshold and stay just below that level for what seems like forever. It's pushing beyond that, where I'm right at or over the red line that things really get tough. So while I still have to build up to a 2:40, it doesn't take that much out of me. A 2:37 would have me at or above the red line and would wipe me out pretty much. A 2:35 right now is going to take a good day.
 
Now onto your comments.
1. Yup. I knew that the travel and treadmill workouts were going to impact me, but I underestimated it. That's okay, it's a learning process. I need to step up my game and figure this out, that's all.
2. A lot of my comments about 40 are just me being my smartass self. My humor tends to be sarcastic or self-deprecating. One reality is I didn't really start heavy training until I was 36, so I have a lot fewer miles on my legs than most serious runners my age. However, none of us can outrun Father Time. My V02max is on a downward path. It takes me longer to recover from hard workouts than when I was younger. I'm more succeptable to injury. But I think I still have a few years left on the 7-8 year cycle that most runners have before they start to plateau. So I've got two contradicting trends taking place and I need to be aware of both of them. My best races are still in front of me though.
3. Maybe the flu impacted me. Kinda feel that was more the difference between 2:35 and 2:37, not 2:35 and 2:45.
4. Doing or not doing workouts three days before the race is going to impact things, maybe 1%. That wasn't the reason I didn't race as well as I would have liked.
5. Boston is a hard race to warm-up for. You've got to get warmed up, then walk 0.75 mi to the start. I did some strides and pickups at the start, and I think I was good to go. I could have done better, but again, like #4 that's the difference between 2:35 and 2:35:30.
6. Nope. Because of work, I spent the least amount of time of any of my previous Boston's getting mentally ready. My race plan didn't come together until the Sat before the race.
7. Yes and no. I was less confident going into this race than I have been in the past. A lot of that has to do with not having my normal couple of tough workouts where I really felt like I nailed it. Those always give me confidence going into a race, especially when they take place a couple of weeks before my key race. Didn't happen this year, need to discuss with the coach.
 
The biggest thing this year was that I wasn't prepared for the downhills. I had a faster run in me (though not a 2:35, based on my early splits), but if you look at my times from about mile 16 on I was just as fast going uphill as I was downhill. That tells me (and my body told me during the run) that I just couldn't accelerate on the downhills. And that's because my quads were so thrashed that the muscles wouldn't fire. I need to find a way to toughen them up before next year's race, coach and I have some ideas.
 
You've brought up a lot of good points and they are they type of points that will move me from a 2:37 to 2:35. I'll set my 2012 Boston goal sometime after I run NYC, if I hit 2:35 at NYC then I'll probably up the game from there again.
 
I really appreciate you taking the time to give me the feedback and value your opinion very highly. Hope to see you out on the race course this summer!
 
Mike

LeftRightRepeat · Apr 25, 2011

Sorry you didn't hit your goal but... Awesome race and great to see you!

donskiman · Apr 26, 2011

Nice report. Sorry it didn't turn out as you hoped. Still a race to be proud of though. It sounds like you know how to get where you want to be. I bet you'll do it too.

Alaska Mike · Apr 27, 2011

@John - Thanks! It was great seeing you again at MJ's after the race and hope to see you again there next year (or even better, during the race!)
@Don - Thank you! It was a solid race and I am proud. I think I still have some improvement in front of me and I'll keep shooting for that 2:35 or better.
 
Been thinking a lot about some of the stuff that RonBo wrote. It actually was similar to what my coach told me a week after the race.
 
Mike

RR: Alaska Mike's 2011 Boston Marathon

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