Fall 2008

So CM will be happy that I've resumed by race blogging. But I have to catch up with the major events that I neglected.....

NYC Half Marathon:

Saira and I timed our summer vacation to cooncide with the NYC Half Marathon which takes place in Central Park but also runs through Times Square. It was a hot day and we were out late the night before. But I lined up and ran a respectable race. Central Park is hillier than I expected - although my friend Alyssa has warned me of this. I was pleasantly supreised to see Alyssa, Michael and the girls cheering me on in Times Square. That was a real nice energy boost. I stopped for about a minute to chat with them.

Time	Distance	Split time
0:10:54	1	10:54
0:22:03	2	11:09
0:33:59	3	11:56
0:44:40	4	10:40
0:54:45	5	10:05
1:05:21	6	10:36
1:16:16	7	10:54
1:29:10	8	12:54
1:41:26	9	12:16
1:52:10	10	10:44
2:02:40	11	10:29
2:13:09	12	10:29
2:21:12	13.1	8:02

Parks Half Marathon:

Very Hot and Very Humid. I went too fast in the beginning, running with CM and then lost her around mile 8ish. I never run this race well.

Time	Distance	Split time
0:11:04	1	11:04
0:21:15	2	10:10
0:32:55	3	11:39
0:44:43	4	11:48
0:55:55	5	11:12
1:06:45	6	10:50
1:17:35	7	10:50
1:29:35	8	11:59
1:40:47	9	11:11
1:52:37	10	11:50
2:04:48	11	12:11
2:17:23	12	12:34
2:28:04	13.1	10:40

NYC Marathon:

It took me two years to get into this race. I would say 2008 was a year that I was undertrained and struggled in all of my fall races. NYC Marathon was no different. Saira and the kids accompanied me to the big apple. We stayed in Murray Hill and had fun in the city. On race day I woke up around 4:30am and was at the NY Public Library by 5:30am to get the bus to Staten Island. I was in Staten Island by 6am. For the next 4 hours I sat around freezing. Although I had brought old sweats with me to keep me warm, the temp at 6am was in the 30s. Many people were more prepared for the waiting at the start and had brough blankets and sleeping bags. After over 4 hours of waiting in the cold, I started at 10:20 am.

I ran slowly in the beginning and ended up speaking to a woman from Baltimore for about 4 or 5 miles. At mile 8 I saw Ken who was waiting for me as a spectator. I saw him again at miles 13, 18 and the finish line. What a great boost. The NYC Marathon is a great race and you truly get to see best parts of the city. As for my race, it was a dissapointing time. I think my body worked too hard keeping warm for 4 hours at the start.

Time	Distance
0:32:09	3
1:03:36	6
1:44:59	10
2:17:30	13
3:40:00	20
5:04:50	26.2

JFK 50 Miler:

Third year in a row and an hour slower than 2007. What else can I say. The start was 19 degrees. Ken and Kate took off like jack rabbits. Ken had the race of his life finishing in 11 hours or so. I was closer to 13.5 hours. I was paced by CM from mile 16-27 and by Pam and Alyssa from mile 38-50. Nothing helped.

The night before, we met at a German Restaurant (Schmankerl Stube) for dinner. In attendance were Saira, Ken, Barry, Jeanne Lou, Joanne, Kate and Gayatri. Not exactly your standard pre-race restaurant.

We carpooled to the start at 4:30 am and were off running at 5am. I was slower throughout the race compared to 2007 and came into Weverton (mile 16) 30 minutes later than expected. Coming off the swtitchbacks off the mountain, Saira and CM were waiting for me. Saira had a change of shoes and CM was hanging out with Mark and trying stay warm. CM and I ran to mile 27 in what turned out to be a run walk the entire way. I just couldn't get going. After CM left me at mile 27, I started to feel even worse and started to walk more. Eventually, I convinced my self to run 3 minutes and walk 2 minutes and that worked until mile 38.

Saira, Pam and Alyssa were waiting for me at 38 and after another change of shoes proceeded to power walk the remaining 12 miles.

Lesson learned: don't run a 50 miler coming off a fall with only one marathon two weeks under your belt.

2008 Frederick Marathon

May 4, 2008

I was looking forward to running the Frederick Marathon. After missing the HAT 50K, I was anxious for a marathon length race to test my fitness coming after a spring of decent (for me) running time. I was able to clock 1:34 at the Cherry of Blossom 10 miler and 53:33 at the Pikes Peek 10K. Given this, surely I could run an average pace of 10:30/mile for 26.2 miles to finish in 4:35. Here is where I went wrong:

1. The longest run I had put in since the SGGT Marathon on March 1 was ten miles.
2. I arrived late at the race. Even though I arrived within spitting distance one hour prior to the 6:30 am start, I was stuck in traffic to park for the entire time. I arrived at the starting line about 5 minutes after the gun
3. Although I had a race plan (which I never have), I didn’t bother to look at the course elevation chart detailing the second half of the race
4. It was warm!

Given my total lack of appreciation of what was going to happen in the second half of the race, I ran the following spits:

10 miles: 1:41
13 miles: 2:12 (which incidentally is a half-marathon PR)

I’m still feeling good so I forced myself to slow down a bit. And then mile 18-19! Did I mention the hills in the second half? By the time I scaled Mount “Holy Hell this Sucks” I felt I was running in sand. Once over the aforementioned hill, we were treated to shorter but just as nasty hills right until the end. To add a little insult, we got to face some fairly significant wind in our faces until the end. Final time 4:48:16. I’m not terribly disappointed to my lack of distance conditioning this Spring and the hilly course profile.

Overall, I think the course is boring. We ran through some fairly industrial areas, residential communities and the back of a Walmart.

2008 Pikes Peek 10k

April 27, 2008

Pikes Peek is the MCRRC signature event of the year. With about 4,000 runners it is event that’s appropriate for new and experienced runners. This year, Saira entered the race. It is the longest distance she has ever run. Joining us was Semira, Alyssa S., and Mary E. We arrived at the start around 7:30 am and I started to warm-up, hoping to beat the 55 minutes from 2007. After the warm-up, I met up with Mary. The four of were approached by a race photographer for a pre-race photo and then we seeded our selves in the appropriate pace group. Alyssa and I stood in the 8:00-10:00 minute group, while the others were a little further back.

Alyssa and I started at a faster than expected pace. My plan was to start at 9:30 and run negative splits to the end and finish in the 54 minute range.

Time	Distance	Split time	Split pace
9:01	1	9:01	9:01
17:59	2	8:58	8:58
26:38:00	3	8:39	8:39
35:07:00	4	8:28	8:29
43:36:00	5	8:28	8:28
51:56:00	6	8:20	8:20
53:27:00	6.23	1:30	6:31

Instead, we started at a 9 minute pace and ran negative splits. Alyssa and I stayed with each other until about mile 4 when she slipped back a little. At mile 5ish, she caught up and pushed the pace. I tried hard to keep up, but fell behind. On the decline heading toward the finish, I was able to catch her with the plan of finishing together. Knowing that I’m good on down hills, she prompted me run ahead. I finished just a few second ahead in 53:33 with an average pace of 8:37/mile.

After Alyssa, the next one in was Mary in 1:01:43 followed by Semira in 1:05:48. We all went to the side of the course just ahead of the finishing line to wait for Saira, who finished in a jubilant 1:14:51.

2008 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

April 6, 2008

The temps were in the high 40s and a light to moderate rain fell through most of the run. I arrived via metro about 25 minutes prior to the wave start and stood in the porta-potty line for most of that time. I was in the 3^rd wave start. For the first 3 or 4 miles I was stuck in a sea of runners compounded by the narrow roads around Hains Point. I really struggled to get a steady pace going. While the use of headphones typically doesn’t bother me, the headphone users were truly becoming a nuicance as that had little awareness around them and would either suddenly stop or change directions without notice. Around mile five I was finally able to get going and starting running in low nine minute pace. All-in-all a good run. Next year I plan to seed myself in a faster wave.

Details:

1:34 with an average pace of 9:24/mile. Here's how it broke down...

Mile 1: 10:01
Mile 2: 10:01
Mile 3: 10:10
Mile 4: 9:28
Mile 5: 9:54
Mile 6: 9:06
Mile 7: 9:15
Mile 8: 9:09
Mile 9: 8:37
Mile 10: 8:31

Seneca Creek Greenway Marathon and 50K

March 3, 2008

This year’s event was cold, windy and sunny. A vast improvement to the icy mud fest from last year. I carpooled to Riley’s Lock with Michele M. and I met up with Caren J. who drove us to the start in Damascus. There we found Mark Z. picked up our race numbers and took after Race Director, Ed Shultz, yelled “Get out of Here” as the official start of the race. As planned, I took it extremely easy for the first few miles. I eventually caught up with Michele and her running buddy David A. We ran together for a while but I slowed down and Michele took off. I caught up to Michele again at the Clopper Aid Station. She tried to convince me to run around the lake (this is the point where the marathon runners can elect to run the 50K option). Sticking to my plan to only run the Marathon (really 28 miles), I wisely refused and continued on with the marathon.

The run was uneventful until I passed the Route 28 Aid Station where Don Libes had his peep show. With 7 miles to go, I ran with a guy who was running his first marathon. I remarked this was one hell of a first marathon to pick. He was suffering and having trouble getting into a run. We chatted for a while when two triathletes passed us. These two were running their first 50K. This motivated me and I stayed with them the rest of the way, finishing in 6:38.

At the end, we were treated to great post-race food. I indulged in two hot dogs. I chatted with Michele M. and Wayne C. who finished a bit later and with Michele H. who won the women’s 50k. Saira and the kids picked me up and it was the end of a perfect day.

Next up: HAT 50K

See Mark Z’s blog for more…. http://zhurnaly.com/cgi-bin/wiki/Seneca_Creek_Greenway_Trail_50k_2008

2007 JFK 50 Miler

Pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/eburki/JFK502007?authkey=ERnDdR7ejGk

Boonsboro, MD,
4:00 am

We convened in the auditorium of Boonsboro High School to listen to the pre-race briefing and chat with our fellow runners. I was to start with Ken S. and Marry E. The three of us had arrived the evening before and "enjoyed" an Italian dinner. Accompanying us was Mary's fiance Andy and my wife, Saira.

Start - 5:00 am

The gun went off promptly at 5:00 am and we started the three mile trek uphill to the South Mountain Inn where we would first enter the Appalachian Trail (AT). In the rural darkness the views of the night sky was amazing. While we were still on the road, I took the time to do a little star gazing. Upon entering the trail, we clicked on our headlamps and started the tentative run on the dark and slippery trail. We came off the trail and onto pavement again after about a mile and started another climb to the ridge only to join the trail again at the top. Sunrise was at 7:00am, but we could start seeing fairly clearly at around 6:45am. By now, Ken had taken off ahead and Mary was a few minutes behind.

Aid Station #1 Gathland - (Mile 9.3)

I arrive at the first major Aid Station at Gathland (Crampton Gap). To my surprise, I see Ken who was evidently not too far ahead. I stock up with fuel and send a text message to Saira telling her I'm leaving the aid station. I leave Gathland (probably spent a few minutes too long there) and still see no sign of Mary. Ken has taken off again - being much more efficient at the aid station. I find the section after Gathland to be the most difficult part of the AT. It is rocky with tricky footing and ends with about a mile of switchbacks. I have a couple of minor ankle rolls, but otherwise come off the switchbacks unscathed.

Aid Station #2 Weverton (Mile 15.5)

I enter Weverton Cliffs a little head of schedule and see the MCRRC aid table and Ken sitting down and changing his shoes. I grab a PB&J sandwich and start walking out of the station and look for Saira and my change of shoes. Not seeing her, Ken and I leave the aid station. I send another text message to let her know and follow-up with a phone call. I tell her that I'll meet her at mile 27, Antietam.

We finally leave the AT and start the C&O canal portion of the run. Within a mile, the female leader, Anne Lundblad, passes us probably at a 7 min/mile pace. Ken and Anne exchange a moment that keeps us jazzed for a little while. Ken and I run for a little while, but I start to fade. This is the same section I struggled with last year (2006). Ken helps me tremendously and we start a run/walk approach that gets me going. Ken, a civil war buff, also recounts some local battle scenes and helps take my mind off of things. I tell Ken to abandon me and save his own race, but he stays. A mile or so before to Antietam I lose Ken, as I take a natural break.

Aid Station #3 Antietam (Mile 27.1)

Entering the Antietam Aid Station was a huge relief. I saw the MCRRC table the with wonderful club volunteers Caren J. and Amanda H. suppling fuel and encouragement. Saira was there with camera ready. I was able to change my shoes, shed my top and take some Tylenol. The trip to the next major aid station at mile 38.4 was much better. I was able to get into a bit of a rhythm and felt like I was making better progress. I ran past a couple of runners who were beginning to lose it -- asking me if I would "join them for a little Gel, possibly on a salad of sandwich." Amused...I picked up my pace. I start feeling good about my time entering the next aid station - Taylors Landing. I arrived around 2:45, about 20 minutes earlier than last year.

Aid Station - Taylors Landing (Mile 38.4)

I enter the aid station, grab some soup and then seek out the MCRRC table. Don Libes and his daughter are manning the station. I grab a PB&J, some coke, and chat with Don. Don snaps a photo and is doing some video taping as well. His signs are motivational as always. I look around for Saira and don't see her. Saira was also supposed to be accompanied by Pam R. and Alyssa S. who are to pace me the 12 miles to the finish. I figure I missed her again and exit the aid station. I'm a little worried about the cold. I was hoping to grab by top at this point, since it would be dark soon. After about half a mile, I see the three of them standing along the trail. They had just arrived! I grab my top, a couple more Tylenol and Pam, Alyssa and I take off for the last leg of the run.

Since my legs are not responding at this point, I ask the Pam and Alyssa to try to keep me running and pace me on a 2 minute run/walk. Alyssa must have a little drill sergeant in her, since she refused to let me walk when I wasn't supposed to. She was even motivational to some of the other runners as well. Although she may have frightened a couple of them. Between the two of them, they got me to end of the canal portion in good time.

Aid Station Dam 4 (Mile 41.8)

Arriving at Dam 4, the runners were required to wear reflective vests since it was getting dark and we were entering the rolling hill leading to the finish in Williamsport. As soon as we entered the road there was a long uphill climb. We walked uphill and as soon we were on top Pam and Alyssa started the 2 minute drill and forced me run. My legs were fried!! Alyssa actually pushed me a couple times to get me up the hills. After what seemed like an eternity, I had to beg them to let me walk the uphills and run the downhills. Thanks to too much tea, my pacers needed to take a natural break and sprinted behind a barn. I kept running and took advantage of a long downhill. It seemed a while before they caught up to me and I had started to worry that maybe the cops or a shotgun wielding farmer didn't take kindly to their pit stop. They caught up with me in time to see the local protesters (all 2 of them) with signs telling the runners to get off their roads. They were met with some great quips by the runners. One of them pointing out that they had misspelled "run" as "runn."

Alyssa started pointing out landmarks to run toward (a tree, a "shiny sign", etc.). We actually started to run kind of fast, I think at a couple points we weew breaking 10/min miles pace. I looked at my watch and saw for a brief period a pace of 9:24/mile. Finally we rounded a corner (it was dark now) and saw the spot lights at the finish. Pam and Alyssa ran off to the the side and yelled me all the way to the finish.

I finished in 12:31, a full hour and two minutes faster than last year.

Ken, Pam, and Alyssa were instrumental in ensuring a great JFK finish for me. Saira, as always, was wonderfully supportive and tirelessly trucked from stop to stop.

At the finish was my sister and brother-in-law. Seeing them capped off a fantastic day!

Kenneth Swab: 11:56:52 14:17
Emaad Burki: 12:31:33 14:59
Mary Ewell: 13:48:36 16:31

2007 Marine Corp Marathon

October 28, 2007

*Race report by Ken Swab (he captured it perfectly)*

I [Ken Swab] fly in to DC from Berlin on Friday night, to be greeted by a cool rain. Saturday morning the rain continues, but by late morning ends and the sun comes out, boding well for the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 28. My running of the race is the result of a series of coincidences. First, Dina signs up for it as her first marathon, perhaps because of my and others urging telling her she is strong and prepared enough to do so. Then Caren, who is also signed up, has to drop out because of injury. I cannot prevail upon her to sell her entry on eBay, where thy are selling for well above the entry fee, so I buy it from her so that I can run with, and support, Dina. Then Dina has to defer her entry until 2008 for a number of reasons. Fortunately, Emaad, who I will run the JFK 50 miler with in three weeks is running, as is Wayne, and we arrange to carpool to the MCRRC hospitality suite at the Holiday Inn in Rosslyn for the race.

Sunday dawns bright and sunny, with temps in the upper 50s or low 60s, and Emaad and Wayne are right on time for our carpool. We get to the suite in plenty of time, chat with other members of the club and walk, suitably attired in trash bags to the start. Our timing is good and we see the wheelchair racers start at 7:50 as we approach the start line. We walk toward the back of the pack, get in line and cross the start line about five minutes after the Marines have fired the howitzer to start the race.

Emaad, Wayne and I run together through Rosslyn, where the one mile marker is surprizingly misplaced about a quarter of a mile too far according to Emaad's GPS. That gives us a slow first mile but a very fast second mile split. This is the hilliest part of the course, and we walk a lot of it. It is also very crowded - no surprise in a race that will see over 20,000 people finish it. As expected at the MCM, there are people running with shirts commemorating servicemembers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Emaad is wearing his Syracuse shirt, and he is getting an occasional shout-out from spectators. As we head up the ramp toward Key Bridge, Emaad and I take a break in the bushes while Wayne forges ahead. We cross Key Bridge into Georgetown, and as we pass Georgetown University I yell out Hoya! and am met with the traditional Saxa! response from the student spectators.

Out MacArthur Boulevard we spot Wayne ahead, but I tell Emaad not to allow me to try to catch up with him, and soon Wayne disappears from our sight. We make the turn onto Canal Road and head back toward Georgetown, where I once again exchange Hoya! Saxa! cheers with the crowd. Then we are up on the Whitehurst Freeway, where there are surprisingly large crowds.

As we reach the 10 mile marker by the Kennedy Center, Emaad remarks that we have run the same time that he ran for the Army 10 miler a few weeks earlier. This does not bode well, as we still have 16 miles to go, but we are feeling good, the weather is just about perfect and the crowds are great.

We go down Constitution Avenue, turn onto the Mall and about mile 12, in front of the American History Museum, we are overtaken by Wayne. Somehow we got passed him, most likely when he stopped to use a Portapotty. The three of us run on toward the Capitol, but this year's course turns on 3rd Street, rather than around the reflecting pool and the Grant Statue at the foot of Capitol Hill. As we make the turn to head west onto the Mall around mile 13 Wayne pulls away, and it is the last we will see of him on the course. He goes on to finish in 4:46.

Along the mall there is an aid station with goo packs, and I grab three and stuff them into the back pockets of my RaceReady shorts, even though I'm not a big fan of goo. the weight of the packets starts to make my shorts droop, and I have to rearrange them to the side and front pockets.

Emaad and I make the halfway point in 2:21, a pretty fast pace for us. We pass the Tidal Basin and head down the long stretch on Hains Point. I duck behind one of the bridge abutments and Emaad takes advantage of the stop to stretch, as he is beginning to feel cramps in his calves. He has lost his Succeed tablets, so he doesn't have the ability to replace the sodium he is losing through sweating. He tells me to go ahead, but I demur and we walk a bit. We reach the water table at the end of the point, near the Awakening statue of the giant emerging from underground, but I lose Emaad, and after walking a bit waiting for him to catch up, I begin
to run.

As always, the turn onto the 14th Street Bridge is a great part of this course. It narrows to a single lane, packed with yelling spectators on both sides. Their voices are amplified, as the road goes under the bridge before turning up the ramp, and there is also a band playing there. One is nearly overwhelmed by the sight and sound of the crowds, and it provides energy for the next two miles across the bridge and down the highway toward Crystal City. This is the stretch where I developed ITB problems in 2006 and I'm on full alert for any signs of trouble from my knees or hips.

Instead, I develop pain in my right quad or femur. I can't quite decide what it is, but it hurts and I have to start walking. I determine that it isn't an ITB problem, so I push on. Going thru Crystal City I remember that I brought ibuprofen with me, and I take them out. I'm between water stops however, and I manage to get two down without anything to drink, but I can't down the third one. As I head north I spot Emaad and we exchage a hand slap. He is only about a half mile behind at this point. Just past mile 23 is a water stop, and the third ibuprofen goes down easy. The earlier ones start to kick in, the pain subsides, and I'm running reasonably well again.

The new course is slight frustrating, as one has to run past the turnoff for the finish before coming back to it. But the course is what the course is, and soon I'm back at the turnoff to the Iwo Jima Memorial. It's uphill all the way, but lined with spectators in the viewing stands, and I feel pretty good so I run the entire way, finishing in 4:54:59, my second fastest marathon. Emaad has cramping problems the last few miles and finishes in 5:11.