A fourth major - Chicago 2013

Peckham

Monday 30th September

4 miles @ 7:39 pace

Ah, the easy days of tapering. Some nice runs over next few days to look forward to.

Today marks the end of the month, and with April 1st having been the start of the road to Chicago it also marks the end of a 6 month training block. Wavered a bit towards the end, but if I had been offered the numbers below back in April I'd have taken them.

Some nice round numbers in the totals - 1,234 miles in 150 hours!

|April|May|June|July|August|September|Total
Miles|165|212|213|211|244|190|1,234
Days ran|23|25|24|23|28|23|146 out of 183
Average distance|7.2|8.5|8.9|9.2|8.7|7.9|7.2
Average miles per calendar day|5.5|6.8|7.1|6.8|7.9|6.3|6.7

Peckham

Tuesday 1st October
Finally it's October! According to the Garmin I ran into town from work, but can't remember much about this one.

6 miles @ 7:40 pace


Wednesday 2nd October
Wanted to do a bit of faster stuff in this run. Had in mind doing 5 x 1 mile at 10k pace, but after doing two of them I wasn't really in the mood (and was pushing them a little faster than I should have been). Instead I recalled what I had read from drquirky earlier that day about a fartlek session that he had done, so headed off on one of these. Lots of short stuff ranging from 30 seconds up to 3 minutes, plus the two miles at 10k pace reminded the legs of faster running.

6.7 miles @ 7:20 pace (average, but all over the place really)


Thursday 3rd October
Another run from work into town. Very wet, and was glad to seek shelter whilst waiting for the bus home from town. Not ideal to be standing around in wet gear, but no ill effects.

6.3 miles @ 7:28 pace


Friday 4th October
Rest


Saturday 5th October
Final "long" run, and as I was on parkrun duty this morning a run home was the best way to fit it in. This one is supposed to feel very easy, but I think the 2 hours on my feet before the run, the warm conditions and the rumbling tummy made it a little harder than it should have been. Enjoyable enough 90 minutes or so listening to some Saturday morning radio chat.

Started off with a lap of Malahide Castle before hitting the road and taking a roundabout route home. A few miles done subconsciously at sub-7 pace, and glad to hit the shop near home to get a couple of cold drinks.

13 miles @ 7:20 pace

No run tomorrow, so only 4 runs left in Ireland before boarding the plane to Chicago. Nothing dramatic in the schedule (apart from Sunday), maybe 2x1 mile @ 10k pace on Tuesday evening.

Next week in work is looking handy enough too, so stress levels should be kept to a minimum.

All good.


Weekly totals
36 miles (40ish planned)
5 runs (5 planned)
1 session?
"Long" run: 13 miles

Gavlor

Best of luck with it!

Peckham

Monday 7th October

4 miles @ 7:51 pace

Here's the jittery week. Nice easy run, leisurely running...and then you start to worry whether running at a very easy effort at this stage in the proceedings should be resulting in 7:30 pace.

Taper madness, hey!

drquirky

Peckham wrote: »

Monday 7th October

4 miles @ 7:51 pace

Here's the jittery week. Nice easy run, leisurely running...and then you start to worry whether running at a very easy effort at this stage in the proceedings should be resulting in 7:30 pace.

Taper madness, hey!

Peckham- having similar issues. I ran w/ no watch last night and that seemed to help lol...

Peckham

Tuesday 8th October

4 miles @ 7:32 pace

Had in mind doing 6 miles with 2 x 1 mile at 10k pace, but pushed this out to tomorrow evening. Left the Garmin on the time of day setting so as not to get distracted by pace as I did last night.

Minor panic yesterday when I realised that the Aer Lingus Advance Passenger Information is not the same thing as ESTA. Bit of Google searching informed me that applications are valid for 2 years, so my application from travelling to Boston last year is still valid. Confirmed this through the ESTA website. Bit of a bullet dodged there!

Peckham Jnr heading off to Granny and Granddad tomorrow morning. Final full day in work for me. Big day is getting closer!

nosnagaoithe

Best wishes this weekend Peckham - with a solid few months training in the bag, you'll have no problems...

wideball

Best of luck in the Windy City, sounds like a must do race. Spent a J1 summer in Chicago many years ago, great city. Enjoy!

Krusty_Clown

Travel safe and best of luck in the race. Focus on all of the really solid sessions you have completed and have no doubts. Anticipate the tough moments, and understand that they are temporary and will pass. Drink well and be merry. No surrender. You can bring a horse to water, but wait until after the race. Insert other cliches here..

Peckham

Plenty of doubts, but that's what this week is all about. Embrace the doubts or something like that.

KC - What's the beer recommendation for Chicago? Anything special we should be looking out for? Goose Island is all I know about there.


No run today. Legs had an achy feeling, so am resting them. Bit of foam rolling this evening, and will get out for a short zippy run tomorrow.

theboyblunder

best of luck Peckham, hope you get the time your training deserves

drquirky

[QUOTE=Peckham;86943836
KC - What's the beer recommendation for Chicago? Anything special we should be looking out for? Goose Island is all I know about there.
[/QUOTE]

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26/7520

This is the "it" beer from around those parts. 3 Floyds makes quality beer.

This guide may help

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/July-2011/Chicagos-Best-Craft-Beer-Chicagos-36-Best-Local-Craft-Beers/index.php?cparticle=4&siarticle=3#artanc

Sorry to bogart this question- Good luck in Chi-town Peckham- will be cheering you all on from Budapest!

Krusty_Clown

Peckham wrote: »

KC - What's the beer recommendation for Chicago? Anything special we should be looking out for? Goose Island is all I know about there.

As Dr Quirky suggested, anything by Three Floyds is pretty amazing, but if you can get your hands on a bottle of Dark Lord Imperial Stout (not easy! they queue for 24 hours to get their hands on this stuff on draft!) then bring it home. It's 15% and will likely be the one and only beer you drink that day! (Instead, bring it home and I'll drink it for you!). In fact most of the Three Floyds stuff is around 9-12%, so drink 'em slow! Alpha King is a little more 'sessionable' (beer-snob way of saying you won't get pissed as quick!), at just 6.5%

Bell's make some very good beer, so look out for it (Two-hearted ale is top-notch). I'm a big fan of Dogfish Head beer, which you used to be able to buy over here, but is so popular, it's no longer distributed outside the US. 60 minute IPA is a cracker.

Anything by Stone Brewing (California) is top-notch, but you better like your hops as these are as hop-bitter as you can get. Their 'Ruination' is great, but again, you'll be lucky to find anything below 8%. Anything by Russian River (California), is worth searching for. If you can find a bottle of Pliny the Elder, I'll give you good money for it. Pliny the Younger would be impossible to find. For local breweries, you have to look to Two Brothers, and Goose Island. Goose Island IPA is a solid beer, but because you can get it over here and because they're now part-owned by Anheuser-Busch, you may want to stay away on general principles (but a good fall-back option!). You're really spoilt for choice in Chicago, as they get beer from California, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, etc. where many of the good US craft beers are made. Just find a bar with a good selection and make your way through them. Often-times, the beers in a bar will be approximately the same price, what they do is vary the quantity they serve you for the same money. So a 12%-15% beer will be served in something like a wide brandy glass. Remember, the smaller the portion, the slower you drink it!

If you're looking for some beer to bring home (go for the higher ABV big bottles!), then the Whole Foods Supermarkets usually have a selection of really good beers. They're also good for marathon-food.

TRR

good luck, hope it goes to plan and you run a PB

Beef

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

As Dr Quirky suggested, anything by Three Floyds is pretty amazing, but if you can get your hands on a bottle of Dark Lord Imperial Stout (not easy! they queue for 24 hours to get their hands on this stuff on draft!) then bring it home. It's 15% and will likely be the one and only beer you drink that day! (Instead, bring it home and I'll drink it for you!). In fact most of the Three Floyds stuff is around 9-12%, so drink 'em slow! Alpha King is a little more 'sessionable' (beer-snob way of saying you won't get pissed as quick!), at just 6.5%

Bell's make some very good beer, so look out for it (Two-hearted ale is top-notch). I'm a big fan of Dogfish Head beer, which you used to be able to buy over here, but is so popular, it's no longer distributed outside the US. 60 minute IPA is a cracker.

Anything by Stone Brewing (California) is top-notch, but you better like your hops as these are as hop-bitter as you can get. Their 'Ruination' is great, but again, you'll be lucky to find anything below 8%. Anything by Russian River (California), is worth searching for. If you can find a bottle of Pliny the Elder, I'll give you good money for it. Pliny the Younger would be impossible to find. For local breweries, you have to look to Two Brothers, and Goose Island. Goose Island IPA is a solid beer, but because you can get it over here and because they're now part-owned by Anheuser-Busch, you may want to stay away on general principles (but a good fall-back option!). You're really spoilt for choice in Chicago, as they get beer from California, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, etc. where many of the good US craft beers are made. Just find a bar with a good selection and make your way through them. Often-times, the beers in a bar will be approximately the same price, what they do is vary the quantity they serve you for the same money. So a 12%-15% beer will be served in something like a wide brandy glass. Remember, the smaller the portion, the slower you drink it!

If you're looking for some beer to bring home (go for the higher ABV big bottles!), then the Whole Foods Supermarkets usually have a selection of really good beers. They're also good for marathon-food.

Good Jesus, if he's trying to remember all that he'll forget his race strategy.

Abhainn

Best of luck lad. Enjoy everything

Peckham

Thursday 10th October

Probably the final run on Irish soil, unless I wake up particularly early tomorrow and head out for a nerve settling 15 minutes.

Wanted to wake the legs up, so did 2 x 1k at 5-10k pace with a little bit of easy stuff before, between and after.

Total of 3.6 miles with the faster bits at 5:40ish pace.

Just the bags to pack now.

Bit of a surprise when I hopped on the scales this morning and weight was well down on where it was when I weighed myself around a week ago. Have been consistently at 68kg+ for the past 6-8 weeks, but weighed in at 66kg this morning. Bit puzzled as I always weigh myself first thing in the morning, and I'm well hydrated. Weighted myself again this afternoon and I'm up a little bit to 67kg which would be expected as I've eaten well so far today. Not worried or anything, just puzzled.

RunningKing

Best of luck at the weekend - your training deserves a great time.

pconn062

Have been following your progress Peckham, hope it goes well for you.

KielyUnusual

Best of luck in Chicago. Just rein it in for the first few miles and you'll fly home.

Gavlor

Best of luck, enjoy the experience

ecoli

Best of luck over there. Work is done now just time to reap the rewards. We tend to get carried away a little with chasing times etc so much that we forget the most crucial thing; running is our hobby, so enjoy it

BeepBeep67

Go spend all that training you've put in the bank.

jfh

ecoli wrote: »

Best of luck over there. Work is done now just time to reap the rewards. We tend to get carried away a little with chasing times etc so much that we forget the most crucial thing; running is our hobby, so enjoy it

Totally agree, Chicago is a fantastic city, take it all in, you've done the training to have an enjoyable marathon if that's possible

Peckham

Saturday 12th October

3.1 miles @ 8:04 pace

After a very smooth journey to Chicago, I took it very easy on Friday afternoon/evening. We were staying with Mrs P’s brother, so hung around his apartment for a few hours before heading off to the expo. Nice meal in Cheesecake Factory on Friday evening (went for a healthy pasta option, avoiding the temptation of burgers and the like, and also just tasted Mrs P’s cheesecake rather than going for a slice of my own – plenty of time post-race to indulge in such food!).

Up early on Saturday, so went out for breakfast. Again avoided the nicer looking things on the menu instead having oatmeal and fruit. Back to the apartment before heading out on a short run along the lake front. It was about a 5 minute jog to the lake front path which was like rush hour due to the numbers of people out running and cycling. Great spot for running and if it wasn’t for the race the next day I could have stayed out running there for much longer.

Relatively easy touristy afternoon, with a relaxing boat tour with the other boardsies to see the sights. Nice pasta dinner on Saturday evening, before getting back to the apartment to sort out the race gear, get a gentle massage on the legs and in bed around 9. The advantage of the jetlag meant that it wasn’t long before I was asleep.

BeepBeep67

Ya BIG teeze!!! Get on with it!

Peckham

Sunday 13th October

Starting typing this, didn't realise how long it had gotten!

Pre-race
Woke a few times during the night, and then again 5 minutes before the 4:40 alarm. Quick bite to eat (muffins and pre-packaged oatmeal) before heading out into the dark streets. Took a taxi for the 1.5 mile journey to our arranged meeting point at the hostel where many of the other boardsies were staying. Security presence was quite obvious around Grant Park where the race was starting, with plenty of cops and large angry dogs.

At about 5:45, myself, blockic and RunForestRun made our way into the park. We had been warned about the security measures which included having our clear plastic gear check bags searched before entering the park, so in order to avoid these inevitable queues and to use the fast track security lane we just shoved everything we needed into our pockets. In the end, the queues weren’t so bad (but I guess we were a little earlier than many others).

Headed towards the gear check area, picking up two lads from Monaghan en-route and settled ourselves before being joined by DukeofDromada, Mrs DofD and belcarra shortly after.

Everyone seemed relaxed as we all headed off to the start at around 7am. Most of us were in Corral A, and we ended up in a nice starting position about 10 metres from the startline with a plan to run the first few miles together. My plan was to do the first 5k at 6:50 pace, before speeding up to 6:40 pace for the next two 5k segments, with a gradual speed up over the remainder of the race with the objective of running the final 15k at 6:25 pace. This would have got me home in around 2:52.


0-5k (20:42)
Really wanted to avoid the usual fast start so when the gun went I took it very easy, being very conscious that whilst I wanted to stay with the others, if I felt they were going too fast I’d let them go. In the end it seemed everyone was very disciplined during this first mile.

About 200 metres after the startline you go through a 500 metre tunnel, and coupled with the high buildings throughout much of the race this means that the pace feature on the Garmin is effectively useless, so there was no monitoring of pace other than the time taken to hit each mile split. Entering this tunnel was strange as the temperature suddenly shot up about 10 degrees taking the dawn chill out of the air, and similarly exiting it again gave a shock to the system as the temperature fell back down again. Hit the first sizeable crowds coming out of that tunnel on the first of the many 90 degree corners, with a big shout from Mrs P and her brother waving a tricolour. Was about 10 metres behind the others for most of the first mile and was delighted when I hit the lap button at the first mile marker and saw 6:50 flash up on the screen. First mission accomplished!

The effects of the tunnel and high buildings are obvious from looking at the Garmin spilts as it recorded this first mile as being 1.2 miles and that I ran it at 5:25 pace. I guess this mile must have caught a lot of Garmin addicts by surprise!

As always the first 5k were all about settling into a nice rhythm and feeling comfortable. The significant crowds of runners gradually thinned out over the first few miles, as people dropped back from an initial fast pace. RunForestRun and DukeofDromada gradually moved off into the distance, but blockic remained about 10 metres ahead of me for most of the first 5k. Miles were ticking along nicely in the 6:40s and hit the first 5k marker in 20:42, a little faster than the planned 21:14.


5-10k (20:58)
Just after the 5k mark I had my first incident in the race as I felt one of the four gels pinned to my shorts come loose and slip down through my shorts and onto the ground. Not to worry as I had only planned on taking three so this meant that the spare one was gone. I also caught up with blockic at this stage and we chatted briefly before running alongside each other without much chat (he seemed focussed on the task in hand!).

After 5 miles it was time for the first gel, but when I went to rip it open I managed to squirt most of it onto my face and glasses. Took the remaining half a gel along with some water from the excellent water stations (these were situated every 1.5 miles or so, and had around 100 volunteers at each station. Layout was perfect, with the first 40-50 volunteers handing out Gatorade (always in green paper cups), followed by the next 40-50 volunteers handing out water (always in red paper cups). In addition there were half a dozen or so with long handled brushes sweeping the discarded cups off the road. Never had a problem getting a drink, and never felt like I was tripping over/blocking anyone trying to do so. The miles continued to tick along easily and hit the 10k marker 17 seconds ahead of where I had planned to be. So far so good.


10-15k (20:38)
After around 11k, blockic commented that he wanted to drop the pace back a little so we agreed to go our own ways. He said he’d see me at the finish, but I commented that we might see each other before then (which turned out to be true). To be honest I was a little worried about him at this stage as he looked like he was working quite hard, but these worries turned out to be unfounded.

The 12k point marked where we turned back on ourselves (we’d effectively been running in a straight line for 6 miles at this stage). The breeze had been into our faces up to this point, so this boosted the confidence a little as the light wind would now be at our backs. However, it was at the back of the mind that the same breeze would be a headwind for the final 3 miles of the race.

Was feeling great as we made this turn and started to really enjoy the crowds. No crowds compare to the ones you get at US marathons, and whilst the volume wasn’t quite the same level as some points in Boston, the signs were in a league of their own (“If a marathon was easy, it would be called your Mom”. “The reason your feet hurt is from kicking so much ass”. “What’s the difference between you and Chuck Norris? Nothing”. “Unlike our government you won’t shutdown”). As we were also out at the edge of the city at this stage we were running through various neighbourhoods, so there were plenty of pockets of loud noise. Most notably around the churches where various church groups pumped out their happy music!
15k point arrived at 1:02:18, so I was still about 30 seconds ahead of the target time. Feeling even better.


15-20k (20:53)
Had planned to speed up to 6:35 pace at 20k, but decided given that I was ticking along ahead of pace, I’d hold off on that for a while and continue to enjoy the 6:40s. Can’t remember much about these 5k, broadly similar to the previous 5k.

When the 20k point came I was now pretty much bang on target, only 4 seconds out from where I had planned to be.


20-25k (20:53)
Saw Mrs P and her brother just before the halfway point. Big roar from them and a smile and wave from me. Feeling great and looking forward to the halfway point. Things definitely getting that little bit harder and just before I saw them I started to get apprehensive about the pain that undoubtedly lay on the road ahead.

Hit the halfway point at 1:27:46, so as planned I needed a 2-3 minute negative split to hit my target. Also at this point a guy about 20 metres ahead of me pulled up at the side of the road and started walking. This was coupled with my quads tightening a little, but I knew this was just one of the first low points in the race and it would end soon.

Had taken some Gatorade on board just before halfway (wanted a bit of a boost, and didn’t fancy a gel), so I took the gel at the 25k point. Definitely a tougher section than the one before (also crowds were thinning out quite a lot after halfway), and by the time 25k came I was now 20 seconds behind target time. No worries, just keep churning out the 6:40s and that should leave me enough to speed up at the end to go sub-2:55. Whilst I didn’t take it off, the pace band became largely redundant at this stage.


25-30k (20:47)
The 6:40 miles just kept on coming, despite things feeling that little bit harder. The only thing I remember about this portion of the race was how surprised I was to be at the 30k marker. Only 12k to go, surely that can’t be right. I was now 50 seconds behind what was written on my pace band, but all I was focussed on was 6:40s. Didn’t worry about pace, and just let it naturally happen. At some mile markers I was surprised to see 6:4X flash back at me as I was convinced I was slowing down rapidly.

Run was also getting a little boring at this stage. Only a few pockets of crowds – some Mexican neighbourhood, followed by Chinatown (which is supposed to be one of the highlights of the race, but I didn’t pick up any energy from it).


30k-35k (21:18)
32k. Okay, make or break time. Can I inject some pace for the final 10k and finish sub-2:55? Let’s give it a go.......nope, as soon as I push forward a little I could feel the left calf straining a little. Not good so eased back down again.
As this segment went on I really felt like I was in a marathon and starting to work hard. There would be no further injections of pace, and wasn’t feeling great generally. Still one more gel to take, but really didn’t feel like it, so took on some Gatorade instead at the next water station. The 6:40s on the watch were turning into 6:50s. It was becoming a battle. I knew I’d see Mrs P soon. Had to hold it together until then at least.


35-40k (22:28)
A real struggle. 2:55 was gone. Can I break my PB? Can I go sub-3? Couldn’t face any gel, so took more Gatorade at the water station just after the 22 mile point. Mrs P was due to be just after the 23 mile point, so needed to pull some energy from them when I saw them. Tried to fool myself into thinking I was okay – smiled for the photographers, pumping up the crowd etc., but really it was turning into a battle I thought I was going to lose. Mrs P and her brother thought I was looking really comfortable when they saw me, but I felt like the walking dead at that stage. Looking at the video she took of me, I actually look 500% better than I was feeling!

Just after I saw Mrs P and her brother, it was around a corner for the long straight 3 mile stretch to home. Just keep pushing.


40k+
If I start walking now, would I still get under the 3 hour mark? Trying to suck energy from anywhere I could get it. The skyscrapers are getting closer again, nearly back in the city. I’m getting warm though, more liquid needed. I see that cringe worthy sign you often see at this stage in a marathon – “Someday you won’t be able to do this. Today is not that day”. Damn right, this is probably the last time I’ll run this fast in a marathon, I’ve just got to hold it together. One final push.

There’s the 25 mile sign. Someone starts talking to me. It’s blockic. Sh1te, I’m in a race to the finish now! Keep with him. He slowly moves in front of me, and I realise everyone else around me is overtaking me. I’m too scared to look behind in case I see the 3 hour pacers.

1 mile to go – Blockic is gone. Will I walk? No, I’d regret that. About 8 minutes to go sub-3, surely I can do that.

800 metres to go – Only minutes left now. I can hold this together. There’s the turn into Grant Park. A gentle uphill to negotiate after that.
400 metres to go – This is no gentle uphill. It’s a mountain. I roar out some expletives. Why is the crowd thinning out again? We’re in the final half mile.

Top of the hill, 200 metres to go – Someone shouts that it’s downhill from here. As I come round the corner I see he’s right, that’s definitely downhill and there’s the finish line at the bottom. Where’s the crowd gone? There are bleachers lining the road all the way to the finish, but there’s no-one on them. Never mind, I start punching the air to the imaginary crowd.

Finish
Cross the finish line roaring. 2:58:30. It’s a PB, but not by much. But most importantly, I’m finished. I try to look strong going past the medical people, there’s no way I’m going to allow a repeat performance of my Boston finish! I see blockic and go over to congratulate him – finally he goes sub-3. Soon after we’re joined by DukeOfDromada and RunForestRun – PBs all round.

Quickly drain two bottles of water, gratefully take a beer from the girls handing those out (less than five minutes after finishing the race and I’m already sipping quality beer!). Medal, food, photographs, some tears, more photographs, long line to collect the gear. Enjoying the PB beer in the sunshine.


Post-finish
Spend some time with the lads at the “27th mile party” enjoying more free beer, before heading to Kitty O’Shea’s to meet Mrs P and her brother. Joined shortly after by yaboya1, and then the rest of the boardsies (apart from the youngest member of the contingent who couldn’t last the post-race pace!). A few beers there, a lot more as the day went on.

I know I should feel a little disappointed with my time - a lot of work over past few months, and not a huge amount to show for it in terms of PB, which remains at 2:58 – but I’m not. Maybe it shows me that I’ve reached my limit in terms of marathoning. I might never find out.

One niggle in my mind. Why did I slow down so much in the latter stages? I was running well within myself but ended up with a 4 minute positive split. It definitely got warmer towards the end, but not enough to make that much of a difference. All I can think of is bad fuelling. I should have taken that third gel. Essentially I only took 1.5 gels during the race, given that most of the first gel ended up all over my face.

Spent another three days in the city. Plenty of food that scores low on the nutrition scale and high on the taste scale, and plenty of high quality beers. Lots of shopping too – our 26kg of luggage on the way out magically increased to 44kg on the way home!

Great trip, great event. Slightly marred by the heightened security, particularly the finish area being closed off so much. However, of the “majors” I’ve done it’s probably the one I’d be least likely to return to – doesn’t quite have the atmosphere of Boston or London, and not as fast as Berlin.

Gavlor

Report of the year so far!

Well done for digging in and battling the demons

BeepBeep67

Well done K, don't hang the runners up yet

TRR

Peckham wrote: »

One niggle in my mind. Why did I slow down so much in the latter stages? I was running well within myself but ended up with a 4 minute positive split. It definitely got warmer towards the end, but not enough to make that much of a difference. All I can think of is bad fuelling. I should have taken that third gel. Essentially I only took 1.5 gels during the race, given that most of the first gel ended up all over my face.

Well done, fair play for hanging on. Maybe one thing you might consider is incorporating more races in your marathon cycle. Specifically 10ks or 10 milers. I always find I'm desperately trying to hold onto pace in the latter stages of them and I think they kind of give you a race toughness that no amount of training or sessions can simulate. Just a thought, might be BS!