Do PR's expire?

One of my favorite running writers is Peter Sagal, host of NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me and frequent contributor to Runner's World.  One of my favorite pieces of his is an article that appeared two years ago detailing his attempt, at the age of 46, to run a marathon PR.

He achieved that PR with a 3:09, and the resulting piece is a wonderful meditation on the inevitability of aging and the hard work required to reach one's goals.  

"The stars continue to wheel overhead, not caring much whether or not a 46-year-old man managed to run a marathon faster than he ever had before. But the only story we get to tell is our own, and my narrative will say: He was a runner, and as he got older, he got faster. He learned something about running, and about himself, and what was within his capabilities, and what wasn't; and about what was inevitable, and about what was not. In the end, I set my PR not because I trained this way or that, or drank soy milk rather than sports drink, but because I chose to do it.

You can, too."

It also helps that his goal race was the Philadelphia Marathon, a race that has grown near and dear to my heart since the first time I ran it in 2005.  I can see the curves in the roads he describes, those spectators, that art museum, and even my own future.  14 years from now I will also be a 46-year-old, short, stocky runner, probably running the Philly Marathon, probably chasing increasingly elusive PR's.

In subsequent bylines, Sagal was described as a 3:09 marathoner.  Until recently.  If you check his byline in more recent issues of Runner's World, it seems he has been downgraded to a 3:20 marathoner.  Did he downgrade himself, or was that Runner's World's doing?

Meanwhile, try to find any piece of writing that doesn't mention Amby Burfoot and his 1968 win at the Boston Marathon in the same breath.  It won't happen.  It could be an article on foot fungus or an obscure marathon in the Gobi Desert or a new type of sports drink, and if a soundbite from Burfoot appears, "winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon," or some variation thereof, is automatically appended to his name.

For the record, I have nothing against this.  Winning a major marathon, even before East African dominance, is something to be proud of.  Burfoot has definitely won bragging rights for life in my opinion, and certainly seems to exercise those rights.

But what about Sagal?  What about me?  What about every Joe Schmo who will never win a marathon but who busts his ass to achieve his own equivalent of Burfoot's Boston win?  Have we not also won bragging rights for life?

Mark Remy, author of the Runner's Rulebook, would have us believe that PR's do indeed expire, or at the very least require an asterisk.

"A PR has a shelf life of two years.  After that, it's still a PR - just with an asterisk.  That asterisk means adding a disclaimer, such as 'My PR is 3:05, but that was at Yonkers in 1980' or '... I ran that at Big Sur in 2003.'  Two years is an arbitrary cutoff, obviously, but the larger point remains: It's disingenuous to imply that you're still capable of running that PR, or something close to it, if you are clearly not."

I disagree.  My PR is a 3:03:05 from 7 months ago in Philly, but if I ran a marathon tomorrow, I wouldn't come close to that time.  Perhaps with 6 months of hard training I could surpass that mark, or I might never come close to it again.  Does that matter?  Is it really such a running faux pas if I fall into conversation with someone at a race or at my local running store and mention my PR, and he is the one to assume I could do so again?  Why should it matter whether my PR was 20 days ago or 20 years?  Who cares if I can never run a 3:03 again?  The point remains that I once ran a 3:03, and can therefore speak knowledgeably on the subject.

Like Burfoot, I worked hard for my marathon PR and should be able to mention it at will without regard for some ninny who may get confused as to my true current abilities.  Like Burfoot, Sagal should be able to slap that 3:09 on just about everything he owns, including his own articles.

Who's up?

7 miles tonight over at the Haddonfield Running Co.  Tonight Brooks made an appearance to promote their new Glycerin shoe, and I tried on a pair for the run.  They were nice.  What can I say?  I am clearly not destined to review running gear for a living.

Afterwards there was a cooler with a variety of beers, but the only one that appealed to me was a Coors.

Let it be known that I am not a beer snob.  There's a time and place for just about every beer out there, and an ice cold Coors Light after 7 miles in the jungle humidity sounds just about perfect to me.

Summer 2014 No Frills Just Thrills Race #1

Every summer the South Jersey Athletic Club sponsors a race series at the Cooper River that it calls the "No Frills Just Thrills" Race Series.  Entry is only $5, $3 for club members, and gets you a bib and not much else.

Each race in the series is a little different, and tonight kicked off the series with a simple one 3.65 mile loop around the river.

It rained heavily all afternoon leading up to the race, then ended just a few minutes before the race started.  We may as well have run in the rain, though, because the humidity soaked us through long before the race ended.

Not sure of my exact splits, but I feel like I held a strong, steady pace throughout, and even ran faster as the race progressed.  The simple act of pushing myself and trying to outkick strangers at the end was indeed thrilling.  I love the marathon, but I'm never really racing against anyone other than myself.  Tonight was the perfect reminder that you don't always need expos and announcers and music and race shirts and everything else we've come to associate with the racing experience.  A start line, a finish line, and a love of the race are all one truly needs, and I love the thrill of competition that smaller, shorter races like this inspire.

I finished in 23:06.  6th place out of 75 runners, 2nd in my age group.

I was surprised to learn that there were prizes, and I won yet another pint glass for my efforts tonight.  Stevie is thrilled as we will never have to buy glasses again.

2014 Oddyssey Half Marathon Race Report

Two races in one weekend.  Overkill?  Not when the races are this good.  Wissahickon Trail Classic yesterday, and 5th annual Oddyssey Half Marathon today.

I ran this race spontaneously last year when a free race bib came my way.  I didn't worry about time and stopped at most of the carnival games along the way, and the great course through Fairmount and the post race atmosphere all brought me back for more this year. 

I will probably be coming back for many years to come, and here is why:

• It started back in April when the race director, Carl Ewald, took the time to cross the bridge and make an appearance at my local running store to promote his race.  It helps that he brought his race day beer provider, Sly Fox with him, and offered discounts for in-store sign up.  I think I only paid $60 to register that night.
• It's easy to drive to and park relatively close to the starting line (located outside of the Please Touch Museum in Fairmount Park).
• The course is gorgeous, taking in both Fairmount Park and the Skuylkill River.  It is mostly flat but still includes some wicked hills, including one in the last quarter mile.
• The post race atmosphere is amazing.  They set up a beer garden with free beers and pint glasses for runners, along with free massages and live music.

I didn't run a PR today, given the heat and my lack of speed training lately, but still finished in a respectable 1:33:22, good for 48th place out of close to 3,000 finishers.

But PR's just weren't important today.  It was the sheer amount of fun I had on the course.  It felt so good to be out on a course, running relatively hard, and I just had such a positive racing experience for it.  

During the race I was trying hard to photobomb other runners whenever possible (sadly I can't find any of the pictures, perhaps because I was behind them and my bib was obscured). When that failed I tried to strike a pose on my own.

Serious race photo
Penn Images

Not-so-serious race photo
Penn Images

When a group of spectators clapped for me as I ran past, I bowed while yelling, "thank you, thank you... and for my next trick..."

When a spectator yelled, "go runners!" I yelled back "go spectators!"

And when I crossed the finish line, there were no runners up to 20 seconds behind me and 20 seconds in front of me.  For the first time in a somewhat large race, I had the finish line completely to myself.  The crowd gathered there cheered solely for me, and the announcer called out my name and my hometown.  It was one of the greatest race finishes I've ever had.

Penn Images

The medals aren't too shabby either.

It was a hot and humid day today, and after the race I drank two bottles of water one after the other.  I then made a beeline for the beer garden where I was one of the first people to get a beer.  Ice cold beer from Sly Fox Brewery in a brand new Oddyssey pint glass while sitting in the shade watching the finish and shooting the breeze with other runners.  At 8:45 in the morning.  It doesn't get much better than that.  It made me thankful to be able to finish early in races, because by the time I left the beer garden, the line for beer was obscene.

Thanks for a great race guys, and see you next year.

Wissahickon Trail Classic: Race Report

9th annual Wissahickon Trail Classic this morning.  Ran this race for the first time last year and decided to come back for more today.  Here's me running it last year:

Photo by Clay Wells

It's organized by Pretzel City Sports and takes place in the Wissahickon Valley Park of Philadelphia.  The 10k trail wanders back and forth across the Wissahickon Creek while dragging runners up and down nervous looking switchbacks strewn with a healthy amount of rocks.  It also includes a giant red covered bridge.  It's a challenging trail, to be sure, but over 600 runners showed up today to give it a go.

"How many of you are running the race for the first time today?" the race director asked over a megaphone before the race started.  A few raised their hands.  "Hope you like suffering," he said with a wry smile.

The first half mile of the race is on a wide gravel path, and then crosses a road and abruptly shoves the runners up a half mile incline before petering out into sunny single track in a large meadow.  By this point, the race director told us, crowding will dissipate as the race will have sorted itself out.

Trail racing can be a pain, because on single track the people in front of you dictate your pace until you can safely pass.  This is probably a good thing, though, because it forced me to keep my pace in check. As I've written before, I tend to go out too fast in races and hang on for dear life by the end.

In the second half of the race, I was feeling amazing.  I felt like a mountain goat as I bounded on top of and over large rocks to pick off one runner after another.  Could I truly be suited for trail racing in a way I'm not for road racing?  Might just have to do more trail races to find out.

It helps knowing a course because I knew when to kick today.  In the last half mile I fell into a manic sprint that threatened to send me careening off the trail at each turn.  In the final tenth of a mile the course leveled out and I gave all I had left just to take out one more runner.  I could barely breathe after crossing the finish line.  Last year I finished in 55:25 and 85th place.  Today I improved my time by almost two full minutes and finished in 66th place.

Blue Steel

If you're in the Philadelphia area and want to experience a proper trail race, then I can't recommend this race enough.

National Running Day

Happy National Running Day, folks.  How did I celebrate?  Usual Wednesday night 7, hot and humid edition, with the crew from Who's Up?.  

7 miles around Haddonfield, then beer at the running store afterwards.

These guys have been doing this for almost a year.  I joined up a month or two ago.  Every week someone brings a pack of beer.  Two weeks ago I was up, and because I am a German teacher, I figured I should bring some German beer.  The guys seemed to love it.

As our Facebook group page says, it's a club for drinkers with a running problem.

I have clearly found my people.

May mileage

January: 65
February: 131
March: 174
April: 201

And now my biggest month of the year so far:

237 miles for the month of May.  Was hoping to get a lot closer to 300, but just wasn't in the cards this month.

I'll probably cut back on mileage in June for a bit, especially since it's getting hotter and I have no big races on the horizon.  I still want to run across the state of New Jersey this summer.  Anyone want to join me?

Running in Florida

Down in Florida for the weekend.  Stevie's family lives down here, and so I find myself in the Sunshine State every once in awhile.

I ran 10 miles this morning in what proved to be a teaser for the type of running I'm going to experience this summer.  I was very quickly drenched in my own sweat and had to survive by running into people's front yards and sticking my head in their sprinklers.

Luckily, Stevie's mother has a pool in the backyard.  And a dog.

The streak - day 182

Runner's World has once again issued their challenge for a summer holiday streak starting today, Memorial Day, and lasting until Independence Day.

Only thing is, I never stopped the last holiday streak.  Last fall I started the Runner's World winter holiday streak between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, and just kept going (I technically started on November 26th for a total of 182 days so far).

Let's take a moment to reflect on the idea of streaking, shall we?

• I love challenges, and this is a relatively simple one.  Minimum one mile of running a day and perhaps an obsessive personality.  That's all it takes to join.  Streaks can be as long or as short as you want them to be.  According to runeveryday.com, there is a guy out there who has been streaking since 1969.
• If I streak for a year, I can get an official certificate from the above website.
• Every run of the streak so far has been outdoors, even through a particularly heinous winter.  I'm aiming to keep it that way for as long as possible.
• I never tracked my mileage before this, and only started on January 1st.  I don't know how many miles I've put in during the entire streak, but since Jan. 1st I have logged 781 miles.  I'm aiming to finish 2014 with 2,014 miles under my belt.
• My original goal was just to streak 2014, but I have a feeling I am going to just keep going into 2015 and beyond.
• I've heard stories of guys running around airports in business attire just to get their mile in.  I haven't gotten that desperate yet, but there have been a few nights when I've waited until bedtime to run a mile, and it was a real struggle to get outside and get it done.  Also, running after a large dinner and/or several adult beverages make for an interesting running experience.
• My big race this spring was my first ultra - a 50k - and I managed to get in the training while maintaining the streak and staying injury free.  I think with streaking, flexibility with your schedule and listening to your body are incredibly important. Moving around runs and shortening runs has allowed me to prevent aches and pains becoming something much worse.
• I have yet to mix streaking with training for a real goal race - one in which I aim for a PR - so I'll be interested to see how that works.
• If you make certain things a priority in your life, you will always find you have more time than you think you do.
• Streaking has encouraged me to think ahead.  It actually becomes easier to schedule runs when thinking of other plans, because I don't have to think, "shoot, am I running that day?"  The answer is yes.  Always yes.
• One of the obvious benefits of streaking is that running becomes a habit that you no longer have to think about.  "Should I run today?"  See above bullet point.  It's just something that you get done every day whether you want to our not.  Kind of like putting on clothes.
• Should you streak?  Sure.  Get out there and see what you're made of, and let's compare notes in 45 years.

Margaritaville

Lazy Sunday today.  8 miles in the morning which puts me at 200 miles for the month already. Then grapefruit-strawberry margaritas on the roof at sunset and conversation with Stevie. Starting off summer right with a nice close to the day.

Margaritas inspired by thugkitchen.  Silver tequila and triple sec mixed with fresh lime, strawberry and grapefruit juices made just before mixing.  Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Boston - overrated?

Over three years later and I still get comments on the YouTube video I posted of my first BQ.

Not all of them are super positive.

Yes, my YouTube name is buffster85.

Movie Monday: The Truth of Running

Parents, talk to your kids about running.  Please.  Before it's too late.

2014 Dirty German Endurance Fest 50k: Race Report

Ran my first ultra this morning at the Dirty German Endurance Fest.  By day I am but a mild-mannered high school German teacher, so this race was right up my alley.  There were 3 races on offer today: a 25k, a 50k, and a 50 miler.  I had wanted to go with the 50 miler since last December, but eventually dropped to the 50k because I didn't get in as many miles as I wanted to this winter.  Next year, perhaps...

Located in beautiful Pennypack Park in Philadelphia, the race begins and ends at a small pavillion and is comprised primarily of a 15.5 mile loop through the park.  The majority of the run is in the shade and is gorgeous.  My God, how I love trail running.

Stevie accompanied me to the start.  We arrived at 7am for an 8am start.  It was still a little chilly that early in the morning.

We parked ourselves right by the finish area and pavilion where poor Stevie had to contend with over five hours of German folk music and a man with an accordion.

I decided because the weather was supposed to be cool that I would run without a hydration pack or a handheld bottle.  The aid stations were spaced out perfectly so that this was not a problem.

And let's just talk about aid stations, shall we?  As a marathoner, I'm used to water and Gatorade and the occasional Gu, but at every aid station along this course I was greeted by a veritable smorgasbord of options: cookies, crackers, chips, M&M's, PB&J sandwiches, boiled potatoes, trail mix, and Mountain Dew!  If being an ultrarunner means I never have to see another Gu or Powergel again, then sign me up.

The race itself felt more like just another long run.  There were no spectators at all on the course, and there were long stretches in which I ran completely by myself.  I guess this is par for the course in ultras.

Never having run an ultra before, it's hard to tell what is normal and what is not.  I walked up most of the hills, and wanted to run faster on the straightaways, but was too tired and too sore on the second loop.  Did I not taper enough?  Did I not train enough for the distance involved? Did I not fuel properly?  I managed to save enough gas for the end and was moving pretty quickly in the final few miles, and finished the race at a dead sprint.  My unofficial time was 5:11:32:

You might notice that, according to my Garming, I didn't run a full 50 kilometers.  The loop was supposed to be 15.5 miles, which the 50k people would just run twice.  When I finished the first lap, I noticed my watch only read 14.68.  I was paranoid that I had somehow cut off a section of the course and asked a few others about it during the second half of the race.  I talked to a guy at one of the aid stations who said he made and marked the course himself and guaranteed me it was 50k.  He also let me know that sometimes Garmins can get a little wonky on the course under all the trees and bridges.  I guess I'll take his word for it and claim I ran a full 50k.

I had brought a chair with me and a cooler full of beer to dump into my beer boot, but as soon as I finished it started to cloud over and cool down, and I was too cold to sit in a park drinking beer.  So I went home and had some there.

Here's to a great day of racing, and enjoying the benefits of running long.

My Best Race

After running my usual Wednesday night 7 with Who's Up? last night, I walked down the street to Grace Church to attend the South Jersey Running Club's last meeting before the summer break.  Local author Chris Cooper, author of My Best Race: 50 Runners and the Finish Line They''ll Never Forget, was invited to speak about his book.

After the meeting, I downloaded the book to my Kindle (the book is only available in e-book format) and started reading.  It features stories from famous runners like Jeff Galloway and Kara Goucher, as well as average runners, all about what they consider their best race.  The majority of the stories focus not on a PR or a first place finish, but on other, more poignant details that make the race indelible.

It's impossible to read a book like this and not ask myself the same question posed to these 50 runners: what was my best race?

My mind considers dozens of possibilities from over the years.  Was it the 800 I ran in high school track when I pushed myself to the breaking point and collapsed just short of the finish? Was it the 2011 5k in which I broke a 14-year-old PR and won the entire race?  Was it the first race that Stevie ever watched me run in which I set a half PR without even trying?

This might be the easy answer here because it is the most recent, but I think my best race would have to be Philly 2013. Sure, the PR and BQ were great and certainly help make it memorable, but it goes so much more beyond that.  The blood, sweat and tears I put into training make it a proud accomplishment.  The difficulties I overcame while training make it unforgettable.  But it's my wife Stevie that elevates this race to my best ever.

I will never forget the support she showed me, especially in the week leading up to the race. She left me notes of encouragement every day in that week.  She listened to my incessant stream of consciousness of self doubt and complaining.  She abstained from alcohol with me. She made signs and T-shirts for friends and family during race day.  She was with me during the race every time I pressed my fingers together and felt my wedding ring.  And after the race, when we found each other in the crowd, the others held back to give us a moment together. The majority of that race is a blur of excitement and screaming fans and fatigue and mental split calculations, but this is the moment that stands out for me:  wrapped in her arms, crying and mumbling, so happy to have someone to share in my triumph.

Movie Monday: Ginger Runner

In honor of my first 50k coming up this Sunday, here is an amazing video of a 50k over on the west coast:

Shot by a guy who calls himself the Ginger Runner, he carries a camera on a pole the entire race and ends up with some spectacular footage of the Pacific Northwest.  He also composes the music used in the video himself.

My favorite moment in the video is his reaction to one of the biggest waterfalls on the trail at 4:39.  He pauses to take in the beauty and the grandeur of the scene around him, then keeps on chugging though the race.

Shortened long run

I was aiming for 25 miles today.  Only made it 17.5.  Around mile 14 I developed sharp pain in my right hip, which then subsided towards the end of the lap at 16.5, but returned in force once I started on what was to be my final lap.  So I made the call to end the run short and finished with 17.5.

I hate that feeling of having to run less than I wanted to on a particular day.  It makes me feel like I'm making mistakes in my training.  Like all the running I've been doing this winter and spring has still failed to strengthen me and toughen me enough to get through a simple 25 mile run.  Because I crave the idea of pushing myself and finding out what I'm capable of, and consequently labeling a 25 mile run "simple."

On the other hand, I have to remind myself that mistakes are inevitable, even with the experience I have accumulated over the years, and gentle fluctuations in weather, diet, sleep patterns, and even moods can all affect training for better or worse.

I've been icing and stretching my hip all day today in the hopes of being ready for my first ultra next weekend.  I'm not going for any time goals, but neither do I want to limp painfully through any portion of the race.  All I want is to finish feeling strong and get myself a beer as quickly as possible.

My local taxidermist

The town where I live was formerly a blue collar town with shops like hardware stores, laundromats, five and dimes, diners, etc.

About 15 years ago the town started to reinvent itself as a hip destination for dining out.  The posh restaurants on the main street have proliferated in recent years, in addition to the little boutiques, yoga studios and thrift stores.

Still, there are some holdouts from the town's past.  Follow the main street long enough, and just before the businesses drop off, you'll find our very own taxidermist.

Just a block away from our apartment: our own local taxidermist

It's always a little startling to be reminded of this shop's existence when Stevie and I walk to get icecream at night.

Teacher Appreciation Week

A Day of Food.  Teacher Appreciation Week style.

Today, in the high school, parents from the PTA hosted an enormous breakfast for the teachers.  The homec room was filled with decadent egg casseroles and sumptuous french toast, fruit arrangements and rainbows of bagels and accompanying cream cheese.

I filled my plate twice with as much as it would hold and laughed off my co-workers' disbelieving stares.

Because I teach one 8th grade class, I was also invited to the teacher appreciation lunch over at the middle school.  This time I piled my plate with sandwiches and chips and veggies and meats and cheeses.  Also, my 8th graders made me thank you cards.  One of them drew me with a German hat and German flag cape:

After school I staggered to the nearest bar for a happy hour to send off a student teacher we had this semester.  I drank four beers and annihilated half a plate of pizza fries the others unwittingly left too close to me.

Stevie and I live above a Thai restaurant, so tonight we ordered take-out.  I had a full plate of curried chicken and rice and finished it faster than a nun leaving a whorehouse.  Or a whore leaving a nunnery.

I don't typically eat this much in one day, mind you, but it just shows you how hungry I've gotten lately, and just how much food I can put away if I buckle down and believe in myself.

My elbows are still hungry.

Wednesday night tempo

Joined the guys over at the Haddonfield Running Company again tonight.  The run is supposed to be 6.6 but I usually bump it up to 7 because apparently I'm OCD about my mileage and don't like decimals.

From the first few seconds of the run tonight I knew I was feeling good, so I decided to kick it up a notch.  Ran the 7 miles - on an intentionally hilly course - in 48:39.

6:57 pace.  Not bad on such a hilly course, and considering I ran 30 miles just three days ago.  If I ever want to break 3 hours in the marathon, I will have to run a 6:50 pace.

After running there was more beer and pizza to be had courtesy of the Woodbury Running Club.  Could definitely get used to this every Wednesday.

30 miles

This is what I look like after running 30 miles:

The longest run of my life so far.

When I wrote up my 2014 running goals, I decided I wanted to run my first ultra this year.  I'd run 10 marathons, BQ'd twice, and run countless other races, and was looking for a new high challenge.  So I set my sights on the Dirty German Endurance Fest because it's in Philly and I am a German teacher.  

They offer a 25K, a 50K, and a 50 miler all in one day, and I had planned to do the 50 miler. Unfortunately, though, I just didn't get in the miles I needed to due to a rough winter.  So today was supposed to be a test run.  I set my sights on 30 miles, and if I could finish still feeling strong, then I knew I would stand a chance at 50 miles two weeks from now.

Well... It didn't quite go that way.  I made it through the 30 miles, but just barely, and two weeks just isn't enough time to make up the difference.  I took that as a sign and downgraded to the 50K, but it'll still be my first ultra and should still be a fun day.

And a quote from this month's Runner's World:

"Hunger.  That tremendous feeling that makes you simultaneously crave yellow potatoes, apple pie and craft beer vanishes.  When running stops, you're never truly hungry anymore.  You just want to eat.  You don't need to fuel anything.  You just want to taste stuff.  The nonrunner feels hunger in his stomach.  The runner feels hunger in his whole body - the runner's elbows are hungry.  Dinnertime is a lot more exciting with hungry elbows."        - Marc Parent

At mile 16 I asked Stevie to make me an egg sandwich because I was already tired of Gu.  At mile 24 I devoured it in 2 bites.  The hunger is real.

Now it's time for bed.