Blog Posts From Turtle Training Tagged With b&a_marathon

The B&A Marathon -- March 1, 2009

Steve Carton — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:23:55 GMT

So yesterday I ran the B&A trail marathon for my third time. My seventh marathon in two years. Each time I run this I set a new PR! So I like it a lot. But it was a bittersweet day.

I had been watching the weather forcast -- the Annapolis area was expecting a winter storm starting Sunday, but with a preceding front coming through on Saturday overnight. It seemed like we had a good chance of an ice/snow-covered B&A trail for running on Sunday morning. I layed out my kit with about 5 clothing options the night before. When I got up at about 5:15 am, my back deck and yard were covered with a sheet of slush and I thought it might be a long, wet, rough day. But it wasn't all that cold -- about 32 at that hour, so I was hopeful that the trail would be no more than wet.

So I chose my clothes, got dressed, extracted my wife from her cocoon (she drives me -- for which I'm very grateful, though mostly afterward when I hurt) and made my ritual marathon-day breakfast - a banana and a sesame bagel with a little butter. And drank a pint of gatorade G2 (just for the preloading of electrolytes). Double checked everything and headed out the door. I didn't bring my camera on this one - it seemed like it might be a wet day.

Got to the Severna Park HS starting area at about 6:30. Plenty of time. The place was packed. The event was sold out (possibly for the first time ever?) and the auditorium was crowded. I think I heard that there were 1,00 registrants. Found some friends (Bruce) and shed some clothes, went to the bathroom and chatted. My RB (Spence) showed up and got ready. Spence was planning to run the half and our goal was that he would keep me on pace (about 10:18) for the first half so that I had a shot at breaking 4:30. My previous PR was 4:35. My hope was for even or negative splits.

Then we headed outside to the starting area. I pulled my customized trash bag on and stayed warm enough. Seemed like it was warming up. Then we started. Spence and I had stayed back a bunch in the field, so it took about a minute to cross the starting mat. Then we were off, headed out through the local neighborhoods and onto the B&A trail. Very crowded on the trail. I can see why they have to limit the numbers. But, as usual, it thins out a bit as runners hit their paces. And the weather wasn't bad. We had a little snow aff and on, but it was mostly clear all day.

We ran south for a ways. About mile 4, Spence had a bit of an accident. The trail has 6x6 posts implanted to keep cars from turning onto the trail. Spence didn't see one and tripped over it. Went down hard - face first. At firs, he thought he got bumped and bruised, but would keep going. But blood was pouring from above his eye. He dropped out to get it checked out and said he would catch up with me. Met a pair of youg guys who had decided saturday night to run the full marathon. They were cyclists, so they were in good shape. They were having a great time. Also met "Naptownrunner" from this site. He was volunteering (thanks)!

Up to that point, we were running a very consistent 10:18 pace (thanks to Spence). But after that, I seemed to pick it up a bit. Reached the 6.5 mile south-side turnaround and headed back up the one real hill on this course. Took it easy, but steady. Then hit my stride. Got to about mile 10 at about 1:40 or 10/mile. Faster than I had planned to go. But I felt great. I held back a bit because I felt good enough to run fasterbut I knew that would hurt me later on. I got a call from Spence saying he was heading to the hospital to see about stitches over his eye (ouch).

I got back to mile 13 which is where the 1/2 marathoners turn off to finish. The pack thinned out very significantly after that. Of the 836 finishers, 590 were half-marathoners, 246 ran the full. Passed 13.1 at exactly 2:11 and headed north. The second half of this marathon is mostly a head game. It's mostly flat (two "bumps" which are overpasses) but just goes on and on. I fell in behind a young man doing his first full. We kept the same pace for a bit, up to the northern turnaround point, about mile 19.5.

Coming back south, I started to flag a bit. I did the math (which is simple except that late in race) to figure out the pace I neededin order to break 4:30. Close to 11. So I forced myself to slow down a bit to that pace. I always seem to have a bunch of juice left at the end and knew that if I was close, I would make it. I stopped briefly to pee at about mile 21. Then just slogged along. Felt awful, but after 6 marathons, I know this game pretty well.

But then at mile 24, realizing that I only had about 25 minutes left to run, I knew the goal was in sight and my pace just picked up. Back to 10 and then to 9/mile. Got back to the final turn off the trail and onto the road to the finish and I was flying. Actually passing people. Hit the final stretch, felt great and was running like it was a 5k. I saw the clock and that it read about 4:28 and knew I was golden. As I ran down the chute, I heard a bunch of my peeps cheering me on, heard the finish timers announce my name. And then flew across the mats for a chip time of 4:27:46. Well below my target

I got a call from Spence. He ended up with 4 stitches, a shiner, and a huge lump on his forehead. So it was a bittersweet day -- a PR and a disaster.

I do want to say thanks to the volunteers. They really came through for Spence. And at every water sop, the start and finish, and at all the street crossing. Also a special thanks to the AA County police -- they were geat. And a special thanks to my wife for driving me and picking me up, and for putting up with all the traning time.

6 Days to B&A

Steve Carton — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:13:57 GMT

Six days to go. Ran 27 miles last week. Somewhat easier paces that I've been running. Did some lightweight intervals yesterday.

Plan for this week: today: 6-8 easy. Wednesday: 6-8 easy, Saturday: 2 at tempo pace. Marathon Sunday.

Ready or not...

Final 10 days of Taper to B&A, 3/1

Steve Carton — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:19:05 GMT

I'm in the final 10 days before the B&A Marathon, 3/1/09. Feeling very ready, psyched.

Been thinking about what runs to do for this last stretch. I'll try and get an LSD in Saturday morning - maybe 11-12 miles, but at a slow. easy pace. Then maybe some track work on Sunday, but easing up on the intensity a bit. That will put me at about 28 miles for this week, which is probably a good taper number.

Next week, I'll run an easy 8 miles or so on Monday and maybe 6 easy on Wednesday. I might go for a "wake-up" 2-3 mile easy run on Saturday. Or not!

This will be the 3rd time running the B&A, so I have a very good mental picture of the route. My RB is planning to run the half, so we'll stay together that far. I've worked a lot on pacing over the past few weeks, so am hopeful I won't make the same mistake this year as last - going out way too fast and then dying at the end.

Optimistically...

Not Tapering Like I Usually do

Steve Carton — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:33:23 GMT

Well, as I've pontificated before (does that make me a pontif?), I'm a big believer in a 3-week taper before a marathon. But I really didn't feel I got enough LSD work in before the next marathon, which is 2-weeks from tomorrow. I had a couple of 18 milers, but nothing over 20 since the Rehoboth marathon back at the end of November.

Now, this will be my seventh marathon in two years, so I have a big mileage base. But I was still concerned. But, I'm now into the 3-week taper period. So I talked this over with my coach and he told me that, essentially, I probably didn't need a 20+ mile run in. He went on to say however, that if I thought I could use the confidence that having at least one 20+, and as long as I wasn't trying to recover from any injuries, it was probably fine to have a 2-week taper.

I'm not nursing any injuries (except the obvious mental ones).So I went out this morning and did a 21 miler. Kept up a good pace throughout and finished strong. So I'm trying something new (to me) - a 2-week taper. I have a reduce-mileage plan for the next week and then just easy maintenance the next week. And then, Sunday, March 1, the B&A Trail Marathon.

I'll report back on how this works out.

Tapering to the B&A Marathon? Not!

Steve Carton — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 04:16:07 GMT

Well, last Sunday was three weeks to the B&A marathon (which is on 3/1/09). I should be starting to taper - let the wounds heal and all that. But I'm not happy with my training. I never got in a really long LSD. Longest was 19 miles. I really feel the need for a 22 miler. So I'm going to push my luck this weekend and shorten the taper to 2 weeks and do a 22 this weekend. Should be okay, It's sort of like I've been tapering already!

Next Marathon Decided

Steve Carton — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 02:15:07 GMT

Well, I had some thoughts about heading to FL to run the Sarasota marathon, but, silly me, there are a couple of deal breakers in that weekend - Saturday is Valentines Day, and Monday is Presidents Day. So there is no good way I can go there without sacrificing my marriage -- Maybe another one someday

So I'm targeting the B&A trail marathon on March 1. Signed up and ready (pretty much). Didn't get as much speed work in as I would like, but I've done several LSDs since the Rehoboth Marathon just before thanksgiving, including a solid 18-miler this past Saturday that had tons of big hill work. So I feel good. Maybe even good enough for a PR. If the gods smile down on me

Next Marathon - Sarasota or B&A Trail?

Steve Carton — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:31:28 GMT

Well, I'm puzzling over what I'm running next. I'm signed up for the B&A trail marathon on March 1.

I have an off-chance of being in Sarasota FL for business on 2/16. If that works out, then I'm going to try and fly there Saturday and run the Sarasota Dolphin marathon on Sunday 2/15. If that happens, then I'll run the B&A trail as a half. I don't actually have to decide about the half or full until I get to the half-way point. That's a cool thing about the B&A. And then I may run the National marathon as a full towards the end of March.

OTOH, if the FL thing doesn't work out, I'll run the B&A as a full and maybe run the National as a half. Decisions, decisions.

I had a very good LSD Sunday -- 19 miles at near race pace. So I feel I'm ready for any of these options.

The Baltimore Annapolis Marathon, March 2, 2008

Steve Carton — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:20:38 GMT

Well, I ran the B&A marathon yesterday and while I was please with my time, it was not my best day ever. I had (in a previous blog post) expressed some concern about my left knee. I had figured that if it was bothering me, I could stop running at the half and be scored for that instead of the full marathon, but that turned out to be no problem at all. My problem was all in my head -- I ran far too fast at the outset and then died towards the end.

My wife dropped me off at the Severna Park HS at about 7:15 am. I had been struggling over what to wear both the previous night and that morning. The forecast was for low 30s in the morning and up to the low 50s during the day. So, in the end, I wore shorts (with an extra pair of runners underwear because I hate getting cold in certain places) a long sleeve shirt, and an Annapolis Striders vest, which has mesh pockets for gels and so on. Then, in a fit of indecision, I put heavier stuff in my gym bag, figuring I would decide as late as possible what I wanted. Well, at 6:30 am, the thermometer in my car was reading 24! It was a bit colder than the weather gods had predicted. I had cotton sweats on to keep warm before the race and I was really undecided about what to wear. In the end, I decided (hoped) it would warm up, so I left my heavier stuff in my checked bag. I did add a second-layer shirt, and in the end I think it was perfect. Although the highs for the day eventually reached the low 50s, it was in the 30s and 40s for the race.

After getting that struggle out of the way, I did some short slow runs around the starting area to warm up and to stay warm. As the time to start approached, a strange thing happened: the race committee decided we were all set up on the wrong side of the starting line. So they had us move around to the other side (now heading east). But before we got there, the decided that was wrong and to go back (heading west). And then, they decided the east-facing start was correct after all, so we all moved to the other side. This time for sure! I was lined up way in the back, in any event. I didn't want to get in the way of any of the other runners.

When the starting gun fired, we all started pressing forward. It took me a little over a minute to reach the starting line. Much better than the 12 minutes for the Marine Corp! I started to run and had to stop immediately, the walkers ahead of me (who I assumed would start running when they crossed the starting line) kept walking. So I had to dodge around them to get running room. But then we were off, and it felt great. I was pretty much keeping pace with other runners around me when we hit mile 1. I was on a 9:40 pace, which seemed fast but felt good. Soon enough we were out of the residential area and onto the B&A trail which is a paved, mostly level trail that used to be the Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad. I love the trail -- it has all this history to it. And it just rolls along, though it was quite crowded with the 1000 entries in the marathon and half-marathon.

I saw several people I knew from Striders training, and got an encouraging hello and wave from Renee Cover (thanks) as we passed each other (twice). Anyway, I seemed to want to keep the 9:40 pace up -- I hit the 10 mile mark very close to the 9:40 pace at 1:37. And I passed the half marathon point at around 2:08. And it all felt great. Warming up, my knee was fine. So I kept going. I was doing great and going strong all the way to mile 18, which marker I passed in just under 3 hours. But then things began to get tough. I got more and more worn out. I started slowing down a lot until by mile 22 I was running a 12-minute pace. The only problem I had in those early miles was water -- it seemed like a long way between some of the water stops and I should have tanked up a bit more at each one. But that didn't seem to be a problem later.

Around there somewhere, I was caught and passed by a Ruth Ripley from the Syracuse, NY area. Ruth was running her 96th Marathon and she looked great. She was doing a run/walk Galloway approach and it was working well for her. I kept my pace up until Mile 23. By yelling at myself. Several years ago, my father passed away after a 7-year fight with cancer. So I told myself that the exhaustion and pain I was feeling were nothing compared to the exhaustion and pain he felt in all those years of chemotherapy and to buck up. And that worked for a long way. But at mile 24 I was dropping. So I shifted to Ruth's walk/run approach. I walked for 2 minutes and ran for 8. I was amazed at how much better I felt. I only actually walked for 3 intervals -- 6 minutes -- but it brought my pace way back down again to something nearer to 11/mile. And, as I came around the last turns into the finish area, I was almost sprinting.

There was a real treat waiting there. The race officials had a PA system and were announcing everyone's name as the approached the finish, shouting encouragement. It was a fantastic end to the race.

In the end, in spite of the difficulties I got into late in the run, I set a new PR at 4:35:25 -- about 4 minutes faster than the Marine Corp last October. So I can't complain too much. But I do believe that if I had held my pace at a slower 10/mile, I might well have broken 4:30. Who knows? Not me!

I would like to say thanks to the Annapolis Striders for putting on a great marathon. I liked this a lot more than the Marine Corp (which was just too crowded). To the Ron Bowman of the Strider for the training programs, timely coaching and training advice. To my running buddy Spencer Hines, who keeps me honest. And most importantly to my wife for putting up with the training time.

Slogging Onward...

To Run (the B&A) or Not To Run, That is the Question

Steve Carton — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:48:34 GMT

T-Minus 4 days, 15 hours, 25 or so minutes to the Baltimore and Annapolis Marathon, so I'm in my final week of tapering. I really haven't trained as much for this one as I should have, owing partly to this pesky kneecap injury suffered on a boat in the Virgin Islands. I had one 16 mile run at PR speeds and a 17 miler 2 days later, though slower. But I felt fine while running -- it was after that my kneecap hurt. So I took a week off and ran just a few warmup miles on the weekend. Well, my kneecap got all gushy with fluids. It's slowly receding (like my hairline).

So my plan (such as it is) is to start the marathon and check my knee at the half-way point. A cool thing about the B&A is that runners can decide to do the half, at the half-way point -- no earlier. So I really can postpone the decision until the last possible moment. And since I've done many runs further than 13.1 since the injury, I'm pretty confident about finishing that distance.

I've talked to a couple of trainer-types about this and they seem to feel that I probably didn't tear anything inside the knee and that this is more superficial. I hope so. And maybe that's just what I want to believe! So I'll start, maybe finish the half, maybe the whole, take some tylenol.

And then, as Toshi suggested, ice ice baby.

The Forced Taper

Steve Carton — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:53:29 GMT

Less than two weeks to the B&A marathon. Definately in taper mode. I took the past week off to let my knee heal a bit and then ran a short 5 miles last Saturday. It was an okay run, though I felt a bit leaden. Too much time off? Not sure. But my knee felt fine while I was running. I had planned to run 12 or so, but I got to about 5 and mother nature intervened. So I plodded on home to use the facilities and never made it back out the door again

But later that evening, my knee (outside, over the top of the cap) was very tender. I was quite worried, but by today (Tuesday) it feels fine again. So, I'm trying to decide if I should run at all during the rest of my taper, or if I should just let the knee rest, or if I should skip this marathon altogether! It's a hard decision. I'm signed up for Frederick in a couple of months, so the time off may be a good thing. But I really love the B&A marathon and want to run it. I'm sure I can get through it -- the issue is one of doing more permanent damage.

Ah well, decisions, decisions, decisions...

Time Off Heals Heels?

Steve Carton — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:03:14 GMT

Well, it's been 8 days since my last run. My knee was bothering me and so I decided to take time off to let it heal. It's better now, though it is still a little tender on the top of the knee cap (whatever that tendon is called). Interestingly, my heels feel better too. I hadn't really noticed before, but my heels have been aching a bit. I've had an on-and-off problem with plantar faciitis for many years (like 20 or so) and the dull ache is barely above noise level anymore. So it was a surprise that they are feeling better too. It's not like I've done anything to make that problem go away.

I take fish oil capsules every day (y'know -- cause I love the aftertaste). And Glucosamine/Chondroitin. Maybe several years of that regimen has helped. Who knows.

16 days to the B&A marathon -- hope I'm ready...

Late in the Game Injuries?

Steve Carton — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:35:08 GMT

Well, we're now 3 weeks from the B&A marathon and I may have a problem. Two weeks back my wife and I spent a week on a chartered sailboat in the BVIs. I know, it's not a good thing to take a week off training, but sometimes you just have to buck up and do these things. Anyway, during a moment of weakness (not uncommon for me anymore), I mashed my knee into the cockpit coaming. It welled up pretty good, but then was better. Until now anyway. After my final training distance runs last week, my left kneecap is just plain sore. No swelling or anything and it didn't bother me while running at all.

Since this is supposed to be the first week of taper, I think I'll leave off running entirely for the next few days -- maybe until Thursday or Friday. Let it feel better. Then try something short and easy -- maybe 10-12 at a slow, easy pace. Of course my hard pace would seem slow (though maybe not easy) to anyone observing. So I mean true turtle slow. And hope this passes.

Final Training for the B&A, 2008

Steve Carton — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 19:46:40 GMT

Well, only 4 weeks to the Baltimore and Annapolis marathon, 2008. I'm not ready. I thought I wasn't ready for the Marine Corp Marathon last fall, but I'm really not ready for this one. I think all the training I did for the MCM is gone and has been replaced by Christmas and New Years training, which is mostly doing beverage lifts!

I've done some 18 mile runs and did a 14.4 last night, but my knees are protesting and I generally felt tired and weak. Tomorrow I'm gonna drag my sorry arse out of bed at 5:30 to hook up again with the striders for a 22 mile trainer. If that goes well, then I might think there's hope. I'll do one more 20+ and then taper. It's a short taper, but I'm not focused on this marathon anything like I was for the MCM. I'm using it more as a long-distance training run for the Frederick, which isn't until May.

But I can't have a slower time either (some ego, huh?).

The Elusive 4-Hour Marathon

Steve Carton — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 01:08:35 GMT

I'm training for my third marathon, the B&A on March 2, 2008 (still trying to type that the first time!). The first was the B&A a year ago. I ran it in a long time -- almost 5:30. Had to walk a bit. The second was the Marine Corp in 2007, basically 7 months later. Ran that in just over 4:39. I was thrilled. It definately helps that the weather is cooler. My goal for the B&A this year is under 4:30. But a great thing is happening -- I'm actually getting faster. I think the tempo and interval runs are beginning to pay off.

I ran a 10 mile tempo run last night. Temps were in the low 50s. Great running weather. And I ran fast (for a turtle, that is). Completed the run in 1:28:20 -- averaging 8:50 per mile. Now, mind you, there is no way I could keep that up for a full marathon. Not yet anyway. But not too long ago I could not have run a 10k that fast. In fact, I was running 10ks in about that total time.

So, I'm beginning to think the unthinkable -- maybe a turtle can break 4 hours in a marathon. Probably not this Spring. But, maybe in the fall.

Strutting onward, chest out!

2008 Marathon Schedule

Steve Carton — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:58:22 GMT

I've cast my die and registered for three marathons in 2008. Now I have to get kickin with the training again. I signed up for the Baltimore-Annapolis (B&A) marathon on March 2, the Frederick marathon on May 4 and the Baltimore marathon on October 11.

I had pretty much committed to doing Frederick with my RB -- he lives close to that area, and it turns out there is a "special" (as in "rode the short bus"?) deal called the "Maryland Double" -- register for and complete the Frederick and Baltimore marathons in 2008 and get a discount on the entry fee and also a special double-finisher medal. So that seemed like a reasonable thing to do. I was planning to run something in the fall, and I think the Marine Corp is just too big.

So I had two. And then I started remembering how much I loved the B&A marathon, which was my first one (spring 2007). I couldn't resist. And, since I'm a member of the Annapolis Striders anyway, it's pretty much a requirement to run that race, isn't it?

So let the training begin...