Lynn Woods 10 Mile Relay

On Tuesday afternoon, I got a text from my friend Jeff that he had lost a member of his team that was running a 4x2.5 mile relay at the Lynn Woods reservation on Wednesday night. I wasn't aware there was such a race, but it sounded like fun, so I agreed to fill in. I held back a little because I was worried about getting hurt - not something you really want to chance this far along in marathon training. The last time I ran trails was almost thirty years ago in the Marine Corps, and I had a vision of dodging roots, stones and branches. At least this time I wouldn't have to do it wearing boots and carrying a rifle.

Jeff assured me it wasn't that bad, and for the most part it wasn't. There's one part called the "goat path" that is a short climb straight uphill over roots and rocks, but other than that it's mostly about dodging rocks on the path. The path itself is more an old dirt road.

I ran the second leg on the team, and I was happy I was able to run it in 19:42 at slightly less than an 8 minute mile pace.

Our team didn't place (we competed in the "senior men's" division - even older than the "master's" division. Ouch.) but the whole event was a lot of fun with a great atmosphere. About 100 teams competed, so at any time there were 100 runners on the course and 300 hanging around the start line cheering on teammates. 

One of the nice things I like about running (and this it shares with Irish music) is the way it brings together people of a variety of different ages. Just like the Danvers 5k, this race featured runners from high school age to those in their 70's. I hope to do it again next year.

Seacoast Running Festival 10k

If the Triple Threat Half Marathon was a killer, the Seacoast 10k course is built for speed. Very flat, and a slight downhill from start to finish, with a couple slight uphill sections. It was a pretty good day for running as well, in the 70's and cloudy for most of the race.

I had planned on running with Ellen, but I felt a lot of juice in my legs during the warmup so I decided to try for a PR. The race was timed by Racewire but, oddly, the start did not have the timing mats. So we pushed to the front of the corral and got off right with the gun.

The course, while flat and fast, is a little odd. It includes running along roads, a rail trail, a wooden bridge, through parking lots and a park. The mile markers were not correct according to my GPS, which is not always accurate but never two tenths of a mile off. And my GPS recorded 6.2 miles at the finish so it was accurate assuming the course length was correct. The bad mile markers set up a bit of a false hope as I thought I had a chance to break 46 minutes as I passed the 6 mile mark. But when I turned onto the homestretch I could see the finish line and it was clearly more than 1/4 mile away (when it should have been two tenths of a mile).

In any case, I ran a good race and PR'd by three minutes finishing in 46:23. My splits:

1. 7:42
2. 7:39
3. 7:22
4. 7:29
5. 7:28
6. 7:20

It was a good day all around for the Tye family, as we all PR'd by several minutes. Ellen knocked 5 minutes off of her North Andover 10k down to 52:33, and Ethan took about 3 minutes of his N.A time to 45:12.

Peak Mileage and Preparing for the Clarence DeMar Marathon

Well it's the Triple Threat Half Marathon last Sunday and right into a peak mileage training week for the marathon - 50 miles this week including a 20 mile run next Sunday. This is all in preparation for the Clarence DeMar marathon on Sept. 27 in New Hampshire. A big concern for me is getting rid of most, if not all, the weight I put on post Disney. Here is my weight record since last November:

11/10/14    180.0
12/1/14      181.0
12/8/14      181.0
12/15/14    180.5
1/10/15       Disney Marathon
1/19/15      185.0
1/26/15      184.0
2/2/15        187.0
2/9/15        186.0
3/16/15      191.0
7/6/15        192.5
7/13/15      190.0
7/20/15      189.5
7/29/15      188.5
8/5/15        190.0

I intentionally pigged out at Disney World in the week after the race so I'm not surprised I put on a few pounds. And not all the weight is fat since I've definitely become stronger since last winter - including running a 1:44 PR half marathon in Binghamton when I weighed at least 190 lbs.

If I want to get in the 180 range for the DeMar marathon, I'm going to have to get medieval between now and then. I've gone to the steel cut oatmeal for breakfast and I think I've decided to cut the alcohol completely - so no more Osborn Tavern after the weekly Danvers 5k until October.

What are the marathon goals? Given the 1:44 marathon PR and the 1:46 I did on the challenging Triple Threat course on a hot day, I think a 3:40 marathon is not an unreasonable goal. That's a 1:50 half marathon pace.

But I don't want to be carrying 190 lbs on Sept. 27 when I try to meet that goal.

Killer Courses and the Triple Threat Half Marathon

My first half marathon was this race - the Triple Threat - at just this time last year. It wasn't until I had run some other half marathons that I realized just how difficult a course this is. Looking back at it this year, the course almost seems designed to break your spirit. It's an out and back course, net downhill on the out and (naturally) uphill on return. It's rolling hills most of the way, and the final 5k is mostly uphill, including some very steep sections. And just when you think you have climbed the final hill, and make the turn for the last quarter mile back to Rockport High, what greets you but a final insult in the form of one more small hill to overcome. I have seen far more runners walking the hills on this course than any other, and I'm talking about runners who were on pace to finish sub 1:50. Here I am on the first half of the course before the beatings began:

Another unique feature this course has is a 100 yard stretch running through sand as you go past Pebble Beach at about the 3 and 1/2 mile mark. Of course, as an out and back course, you must run through the sand again just before you take on the final 5k. Thanks Rockport!

If you want more, the race is called Triple Threat because there are 1 mile and 5k races before it, and you are invited to run all three. The half is plenty for me, but even if you don't run the earlier races, their very existence pushes the half marathon start to later in the morning (10:15) so the weather gets a chance to become nice and hot - mid 80's in this case, significantly hotter than it was last year.

I normally don't take any water on half marathons, but given the heat, I thought it would be the better part of valor to take water every chance I had. I'll have to work on the technique, because I had trouble drinking while running and eventually just stopped briefly at the water stops and walked while taking water. That's something I'm going to have to work out before the Clarence DeMar marathon in September.

I ran a 7:50 pace on the way out, which put me about a minute ahead of a PR pace. I had no illusions about PR'ing, however, knowing what was facing me on the way back. One thing I was determined to do was to keep running up the final hills and not bail out and walk like I did last year. And I managed to do that, eventually finishing in 1:46:49, a couple minutes slower than my PR but more than 3 minutes faster than my time on this course last year.

Tricia came to cheer me on along with our friends Jeff and Dianne (who took the picture above). This race is well run with cheerful volunteers and a lot of spectator support along the course. At least three times I ran through sprinklers people had thoughtfully put out. And it certainly is a beautiful course. But the best summary is one an older female runner made as we were walking to the car and cheered her on as she passed still on the course. Her comment: "This course is harder than childbirth."

Sometimes, however, it's good to take on a challenging course rather than just looking for a PR course every time. If you can take on this beast and finish running, you can feel satisfied you slayed the dragon and your other half marathons will seem easy.