Sunday, October 19, 2008

Weekend Potpourri (NYCM Edition)

On this next-to-last weekend before the big dance, here’s a bunch of NYCM-related tidbits to keep you all informed and entertained.

  • If you’re one of the lucky ones that got a green start at this year’s race, rumor has it that you can get peed on if you run too close to the edge when you’re under the bridge. Of course, as far as I know, no marathon runner has ever come forth in the history of the race claiming to be a victim of this excretory humiliation so as far as I’m concerned, it’s all just an urban legend, just like the one where a man is supposedly walking down 5th Avenue and is struck and killed by a penny thrown down from the observation deck of the Empire State Building [link] or the one about gator colonies running rampant in the NYC sewer system [link]. Yeah, us New Yorkers are dense like that.

  • I’ve been asked by no less than five people this week if I’m going to break 3 hours at this year’s marathon. What? If I hadn’t known better I would’ve suggested that they all get an EEG because obviously something in their prefrontal cortex isn’t connecting right with their Broca’s area. Yes, I know that based on my 1:25:44 at last week’s Staten Island Half, most of the well-known race calculators (Runners World – 2:58:45; Marathonguide – 2:59:33; McMillian – 3:00:49; Running Times – 3:02:12) predict that I will be crossing the finish line right around the 3 hour mark, but all of them fail to factor in the fact that a) I’m notoriously bad at pacing myself in a marathon, b) I don’t run negative splits or even even splits and c) I don’t train nearly as hard as a 3-hour marathon runner ought to. Most runners I know who has broken that magical time barrier puts in an excess of 50 miles a week (and over 70 miles during their peak). I, on the other hand, average no more than 38 miles during my training cycle and max out at no more than 48 miles. Not to mention that NYC is a notoriously challenging course, full of bridges and hills at the most inopportune places. Yeah, so sorry to disappoint my fans, and I know there are many out there, but three hours isn’t really in the works for me…at least not this year. In my opinion, race calculators should incorporate both training intensity, course difficulty and maybe even weather conditions to increase the accuracy of their predictions. I’m sure some running guru with an advanced degree in mathematics can come up with a formula to help us out with that. Get on it!

  • I had a lousy last long run yesterday. Don’t know why. I hydrated well, slept well, ran my usual 2-bridges west side course that I was familiar with, but for some reason, had to really struggle just to finish 16 miles at 7:30 min/mi pace. For comparison, I raced 13 miles the previous week at 6:32 min/mi pace. I think the cold weather and strong winds really threw me out of sorts as I was never able to get my breathing in sync with my running. Towards the last couple of miles in Central Park, I even started to develop some pain in the bottom of my right feet. Plantar fasciitis. How irritating! I rested, iced, and elevated afterwards, but still ended up walking the rest of the day with a noticeable limp.

  • My first reaction after I ate, showered, and rested from my humbling run was that I should get a new pair of shoes just in case they were the culprit of my latest injury. So, I did something which I had never done before…I asked my guy friend to go shoe shopping with me. It didn’t occur to me until after the phone conversation ended how funny and ridiculous that would've sounded if it weren’t for the fact that a) we were going running shoe shopping, b) he was what I’d call a shoe nut (C’mon the guy bought a pair of the Limited Edition Asics NYCM Gel Kayano 15s the day it came out!), and c) I was desperate. Still, I can’t believe I called up another guy for company on a shopping trip. The ironic thing was that after trying out the new GT-2140 and Gel Kayano 15, I decided not to buy anything yet because I was still too sore after my long run to make an accurate assessment, while my friend ended up making yet another shoe purchase. Go figure.

  • My last tidbit is something I’ve been secretly planning for a while now but just haven’t told anyone yet. But since I decided to let the cat out of the bag last night at a friend’s birthday dinner, I guess this is as good a time as any to make an announcement. This December, I’m returning to the scene of an earlier crime, where I got sideswiped by a bus and lived to tell about it [story], and joining some Flyer buddies and a special blogger friend going for her first BQ, to run the Las Vegas Marathon. Eat your hearts out, people. And no, contrary to what you might think, I’m not picking this course because it offers the quickest escape to debauchery after finishing a marathon.

Have a happy, fun, and safe rest of the weekend, everyone.

P.S. Please head on over and congratulate sRod on his amazing finish at the Breakers Marathon yesterday. He finished in 3:50:25 and knocked 19 minutes off his PR. He’s such the Rockstar of the Day! Now if I were so inspired to even knock just 9 minutes off my marathon PR, I’d come in under 3:00 and can join him on the stage. That’d be so cool. Just sayin’.

15 comments:

nyflygirl said...

i hear ya regarding the comments about my marathon time...i ran my PDR time through all those calculators you posted and get 3:33-3:37 for my marathon time. and everyone seems to think i'm gonna BQ in NYC...guess cuz they dont realize how much the hills make a difference? who knows. actually, its smart that you arent using your SI time as a predictor-i know others who have done that without adjusting for NYC's harder terrain...

make sure you stretch and massage those calves like crazy too!! on top of everything else you've been doing!!

2 weeks to go... :)

C said...

Belated congrats on that amazing half mary PR! Simply fantastic!

You forgot one more interesting fact about NYCM--Ryan Reynolds is running it this year. I think he's hot, but you totally need to show him who's boss and kick his ass in the race. The challenge is on, Lam! ;)

Anonymous said...

It always seems that when I go shopping for something specific, I come up empty handed and the person I got with finds cool stuff for themself.

Vegas sounds like fun, especially since FL will be there too! Take care of the body for NY marathon.

Meg said...

That shoe story is pretty funny. I never knew anyone could be such a running shoe aficionado! I hope your foot heals up quickly.
LV sounds exciting!

joyRuN said...

There are limited edition running shoes? Who knew?

So, would Vegas be the scene of a sub-3, then?

Run For Life said...

Quick!!! Delete the shoe part or else you may get sucked into it with other friends (I'm just looking out for your masculinity here, Lam.) hehe.

Hopefully the lousy last long run will bode well for race day.

LV sounds like it'll be fun and a good way to escape the NY winter for a weekend.

Taper well and good luck finding some new kicks.

Andrew is getting fit said...

I bet not only do you go shoe shopping but you also wear tights. ;)

Frayed Laces said...

You forgot one of the most important marathon predictor calculators:
The FrayedLaces predictor: 2:59:59.

Hey, if you break 3 and I BQ, let's go straight from the finish line to a bar for a tequila shot!

Felice Devine said...

You are hilarious!

That's awesome that you are going to run LV w/Frayed! V. cool. What's not so awesome is the news about the foot. I really hope it heals up quickly and feels good for the big day.

Laura said...

Still thinking about Vegas... not sure.

I've found all the calculators to be fairly accurate... IF I actually get up the motivation to try my best. Laziness usually gets the best of me around mile 20-22, and lasts until around 25.5. I got a copy of "Brain Training for Runners" for my birthday - now I just need to read it and start applying those principles!

Julianne said...

You are making me SO jealous. First the NYCM and now the Vegas Marathon??? *sigh* Can't wait to hear the race reports!!!

Um, yeah, the shoe story is pretty funny. I actually don't know any guy who needed company to go running shoes shopping. *giggle*

Seriously, I am jealous about both of those races!! Good luck OK? (Not that you need it. But I do hope you finish under 3 hours!!)

Trophy Wife said...

Now you've got all these readers even more anxious for you to break 3 hours! You're gonna get that question even more now. I don't think you give yourself enough credit. Good luck...and don't let the blogger world pressure get to you, we'll keep reading no matter what happens!

Jamie said...

LV is a good race. I have only done the half out there but my friend ran her first marathon and nearly BQd! Plus the opportunity for debauchry as soon as you get through the finishers shoot cannot be topped!

Nitmos said...

Taper time, eh?

Sounds like you are basically ready to roll. Now the waiting game....

Oh, and are you going to break 3 hours because I saw your half time...

sRod said...

Talk about a slow boat: NOW is when I read this post.

Gosh, when you put it that way it sounds more impressive than what it felt like. Thanks for the shout out Laminator. Much appreciated!

 
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