Sunday run: Marathon - 1

After a yucky weather last Sunday, Baltimore got a great weather this weekend that could make any runner go the extra mile. I was looking forward to today's run and planned to run 25 miles today. This planning is very unlike me but then given the last week's nasty weather, I had to take full advantage of today's weather.

The run was on the familiar Canton-Fort route but on my way to the Fort, I tripped on a pavement, fell, and busted my Gu packet. Fortunately, the backup packet came handy. On training runs that are 20 or less, I don't take Gu or water but I needed the encouragement for the extra 5 miles I was planning to put in.

25.2 miles @ 8.7 min/mile

A summary of the week that was:

Mon -  8 miles @ 7.5 min/mile

Tue  -  4 miles @ 7.2 min/mile

Wed -  3 miles @ 7.0 min/mile

Thu - 10 miles @ 7.8 min/mile

Fri -     8 miles @ 7.1 min/mile

Sat -  10.5 miles @ 8.0 min/mile

Sun - 25.2 miles @ 8.7 min/mile

Thursday: Port and Fort

The week so far:
Mon - 8 miles @ 7.5 min/mile
Tue  - 4 miles @ 7.2 min/mile
Wed - 3 miles @ 7.0 min/mile
Today - 10 miles @ 7.8 min/mile

Today's run was not very unusual. Except I felt like going on Pratt. Running towards the Fort seems to be the favorite route of many Baltimore city runners. While running, I see many runners doing wrong things that I have to resist my urge to stop and correct them. But occasionally you can also spot elite runners - or at least runners who know what they are doing. What gives that away? Running form. Running form is like obscenity -- you know it when you see it. I will write more about what I learnt about my form later when the homework pile is not so intimidating.

Weekend Runs: The worse is yet to come

Sat - 10 mi @ 8:30 min/mi
Sun - 17.16 @ 8:12 min/mi

Today's run was the usual Fort-Canton-Harbor run but the weather in just a period of two days has turned hot and humid. By the time I finished my run today (around 9:20am) I was soaked in sweat and dehydrated. Running in the following weeks will be challenging. Suddenly, running in those horrible winter months appear more appealing.

Sunday run - Fort/Canton/Harbor - 17.16 miles

Friday: Towson University Track

Today's run was a little off the course - I went to Towson U. track for some work and ran for while there before heading back home. The run from Towson to Mount Vernon is really fun and I should try this again. The track at the Johnny Unitas stadium is the best I've seen in the neighborhood. Highly recommended. Today's run was 11 miles @ 8:25 min/mile.

New Home

The past few days have been super-busy not only due to work deadlines but also due to the recent move to my new house. I'm still living out of boxes but running as usual; mostly around the Fort area. A summary of the week that has been:

Sat -  Moving
Sun  - 19.2 @ 7.9 min/mile
Mon -  7.5 @ 8.0 min/mile
Tue  -  8.3 @ 7.7 min/mile
Wed -  7.5 @ 7.3 min/mile
Today - 4.0 @ 8.0 min/mile

Monday/Tuesday: Recovery Runs

Spent yesterday and today doing recovery runs:
Monday - 3 mile @ 8 min/mile + 30 min bike
Tuesday - 6.5 miles @ 7.3 min/mile

This is a busy week. I have a conference deadline on Thursday and I'm moving from my current apartment by end of this week to a nice comfy house in Mt. Vernon. Lot of boxes left to pack!

Savage Love: Mountain Maryland marathon

Picture this:

Summary:

• Official Time: 3:44  Garmin Time: 3:52**
• First trail race
• Stunningly beautiful course on Mt. Savage
• First high altitude race
• Reasonable race organization 

** Forgot to turn off my Garmin at the finish line.

Details:

Marathon #3 for 2010 is in the books. I ran this race with Jay and unlike any other race I've run we decided to drive to the race venue on the day of the race. I left Baltimore around 3:40 AM in the morning without having slept much at all. This was a race against odds - crazy terrain, Piriformis injury, and no sleep. I survived.

Cumberland is a beautiful little town in MD and we knew we were up for some great sights when we spotted the big hills on our way there in the darkness. We reached there perfectly on time for the packet pickup, thanks to Jay's driving and everything sailed perfectly to the start of the race. I only wished I had a jacket with me in the beginning and the end of the race.

This was my first trail race and I had no idea what to expect. I did not get any trail shoes since most of the surface was crushed limestone gravel. Trail running is a different beast. For almost the entire run you are alone, except the stunning views Mother Nature provides. "This is where wallpapers come from", was my thought as I ran through the course.

Your only human contact is other racers and the good folks at the aid stations which are much fewer than most road races. So, there is no opportunity to feed into the positive energy created by the cheering spectators. There were lot of times during the race where I could not see any other runner before or after me. Which also means you have to be very careful and watch out for those trail markers to avoid getting lost.

This was also my first high altitude race. The race itself involved a climb of 1000ft on Mt. Savage. Nothing in my training had prepared me for this and the first half of the race felt like riding an untamed horse.

This the second time this marathon is being held. Credits to the organizers for pulling off a nice race but hope that next time the volunteers will be more prepared -- a lot of times it appeared they had no idea. Also if you are running this race (highly recommended), it's a good idea to carry your own supplies. The only thing you can rely on is water and watered down Gatorade. Oh, they also had bananas and whole apples at the aid stations if you had time to stop and munch!

I finished the race in 3:44.  The Priformis injury seemed under control except for a dull pain throughout the race which kept me from pedaling harder. The medal is made of porcelain and makes a fine coaster/paper weight. It's also fragile so another thing to take care of after your run.