Training Log Archive: PG

Getting close now. Sometimes the waiting is the hardest. Lots of anxiety.

But there is also the usual question -- would you rather be doing this or not doing this? And the answer once again is, of course, doing this is better. And especially, to be doing this at this age, just to still be able to even to get to the start line, is so much better than being relegated to the sidelines. That time will come soon enough, maybe gradually, maybe suddenly, but in the meantime I think of one of my favorite sayings -- nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Weather looks like is will be reasonably unpleasant, wet and strong headwinds. But the temperature should be about right, mid/upper-40s. Just have to get the clothing right. Current plans are to start with just shorts and a singlet, plus cap, plus some light gloves, plus a long-sleeve shirt wrapped around the waist in case I get chilled in the latter parts. All subject to change, of course, depending on how it feels in the morning.

And, as I usually do, experience, thinking back to times I have raced in miserable weather, and how it went. And how it went, well, you get wet but you don't melt.... :-)

Still time to sign on and join the many fine folks willing to donate to our juniors if I can put in enough miles. See Tuesday's log entry and add your name to the comments, or email me, pg@crocker.com

And tomorrow, if you're curious, my number is 22159, I'll start roughly 10:55. There are mobile apps, also searchable results online, giving live splits at about half a dozen spots. See here for links.

C • Best Wishes 5

C • Halfway 39

Short run in town but a few hills. Walked every one of them, just reminding myself that it's good strategy. Maybe the equivalent of not quite half the Newton Hills? Though, of course, I didn't already have 15 miles in the legs...

This may be the last run before Monday, unless I do something even shorter tomorrow. To Boston on Saturday to pick up my number and drive the course (I always like to know as much as possible about what lies ahead). Sunday is just waiting. Monday up early, get the club bus in Palmer, it drops us in Hopkinton, and then....

90-60-40-10 (% odds of starting-finishing-under 4:15-under 4:00)???

Relax, relax, relax.

Four days.

Oh, and thanks again to all the folks who have signed up to help the juniors. Really great, and it's helped my pre-race morale immensely. And still plenty of time to sign up.

C • Good luck 8

C • Boston Marathon athlete tracking 3

Same as yesterday. Same mental training too, focus on gentle, gentle, gentle. I'm pretty sure it helps, quads not as sore as usual.

Beautiful late afternoon. Plus a little walking training this morning, partly very specific (I expect to do a bunch of walking on Monday), part not specific at all (I won't be carrying a golf bag). So about 10 miles total on the day!

Here's something I am thinking of doing. I'd put notice of it on the main page of AP. But I just want to be sure it's not a bad idea for some reason I might not be aware of. Comments welcome.

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PG at Boston -- Extra motivation needed

On Monday April 20 I hope to be on the starting line in Hopkinton, MA, for the 119th running of the Boston Marathon.

The race has a large dose of sentimental appeal. Twenty years ago at the age of 50 and with a history of close calls (3:01 and 3:02, among others) but no success at breaking 3 hours, I had one of those days at Boston when the legs were light and the energy never flagged. The 2:57 that day is still one of the fondest memories of my life.

Sometime a year or two ago I got the idea of running Boston one more time, when I was 70. You have to qualify, but for an old man they give you plenty of time, 4:25. I ran Burlington (VT) last May, 3:47, and then sent in my entry to Boston last September. Ahead, I expected, were many months of training.

But the fates don't always make things easy, and problems with an Achilles tendon that lingered and lingered meant there was minimal training between mid-November and early March. But hope springs eternal.

Unless something flares up in these last few days, I expect to start. I also will be woefully unprepared. My original goal, assuming good training, was under 4 hours and a good placing in the 70+ crowd. That has gone out the window, But there is still the hope for a decent race.

And this is where I need some help. I expect I will run out of gas miles and miles before the finish. I have always had a fair bit of determination. I have done my share of suffering on the way to the finish lines of very long races. But, when the willpower is fading, some extra motivation can really help.

So I have decided to challenge myself to use the race to raise a little bit of money for a group whose progress I have greatly enjoyed watching the last couple of years -- OUSA's Junior Team. My plan is to donate to them $10 for every mile I do, and to double that if I finish, and to double that again if I finish in under 4:15. So I am potentially on the hook for 26 x 10 x 2 x 2 = $1,040. But if that was to come to pass, I would very happy to make the donation. And as the miles go by, I can imagine myself thinking, Come on, keep going, it's not just for yourself, think of the good things the juniors are doing.

So there it is. And the question -- anyone else want to sign on? The donation per mile is totally up to you, as is whether to add a bonus for finishing, as is whether to add another bonus for finishing in any particular time. If I know there are others out there who are backing me, it will be that much harder to quit. And that is what I need.

The process is simple. Just make a pledge here on AP (or if you want to do it privately, e-mail me, pg@crocker.com). And then, assuming I make it to the start line and make it at least one mile, send in the appropriate donation for the juniors. No middlemen, no complicated process.

And maybe we can put together a nice sum for the generation that is going to be running the sport when I am running in M80 or M90. :-)

Thank you in advance to anyone willing to participate.

C • Good Idea 84

Local roads in town. That was OK. Really focused on running as relaxed and as smooth and as gently as possible, putting out as little effort as possible. Seemed to help.

Six days.

Day off. It feels odd to "taper" from such a low base, but more training isn't going to do a whole lot more for my prospects.

Main thing is to get my mind in the right place. One often hears the word "experience" tossed around, not often sure what it means. In my case, I try to find experiences in the past that have some resemblance to the challenge at hand, and then draw either positive or negative guidance -- either do this, or don't do that, depending on how the past event went.

I look back at the past and have quite a bit to choose from -- 33 ultras completed (plus 4 DNF's); 25 rogaines (15 of them 24-hour); 21 marathons finished (plus 3 DNF's). I remember many of them fondly, adventures in the best sense of the word, but I don't remember a single one that wasn't a struggle.

Some lessons...

-- Leadville in 1984. Third year of the event, in the first two years only folks lining at high altitude had finished, and not many of them. I was scared of getting lost at night, so I busted my butt to get through a long trail section at 70 miles just as it got dark. No problem, just 30 to go, but the legs were done. And 30 miles takes a long long time if all you can do is walk. 14 hours for the first 70, 11 for the last 30. Ouch.

Remember -- Pacing, pacing, pacing. Time saved early is lost in spades later.

-- Western States in 1993. Tough year, deep snowpack for the first 25 miles, then wicked hot in the canyons (it was 110 in Sacramento). I croak in the heat, and this time I croaked big time. Sort of OK to the river crossing at 70, but my stomach was already rebelling. Couldn't get anything to stay down, not even any caffeine to help stay awake, but wouldn't quit. Walked (staggered?) all night. At an aid station around dawn I was offered a cup of chicken soup, managed a few sips. It turned the tide. At the next aid station, 93 miles, a can of Coke went down easily. Ten minutes later I was just ripping along the trail down to No Hands bridge and back up to Auburn.

Remember -- The body is capable of great misery, but also great rebounds. Keep plugging. Keep up the intake of fluids, of electrolytes, of sugar. But if it is hot....

-- Cayuga Trails 50 Mile two years ago. It was a fine day to run, cool and damp. The distance manageable. The course hilly but not outrageous. The footing muddy at times but not bad. No big deal, done many 50s much harder, but this one just took forever, 11:26. How could it take so long?

Remember -- You are old. That is the reality. Two years older than at Cayuga, a year older than at Burlington. And each year seems to knock you back even more. So adapt. Adapt your pace, adapt your tactics, adapt your attitude.

Seven days to get the mind ready.... :-)