I don’t have to run fast to be competitive, and the Surf City Marathon was a perfect example of that. I was the official pacer for the 3:30 group for second straight year, and my goal was simple. I wanted to come closer to 3:30:00 without going over than I did last year. Last year, I went 3:29:54.

When pacing, I run by pace, not by heart rate. I keep an eye on my Garmin and do my best to keep my average and current pace right on the money depending on how long I think I’m going to run with the tangents. 26.2 miles required an 8:00 pace, 26.3 needed 7:59, 26.4 needed 7:57 and 26.5 needed 7:55. I planned on getting rolling at about 7:59 or so per mile and then adjusting based on how straight my lines were.

I explained my strategy to my group before the start of the race. I told them I was going to attempt to run as even as possible. There’s one decent downhill that I would take advantage of and we’d run about a 7:35, but on the way back up the hill, I told them we’d be a little bit slower. Aside from that, I’d be shooting for miles right around 8:00 and I promised them if they stuck with me, I’d get them to the line at the right time. I told them about my 3:29:54 from last year, and they seemed relieved.

But then a friend of mine who was running with was was talking to me about my run in the Diamond Valley Lake Marathon the day before. My group looked a little panicked when they heard that I was responsible for pacing them even though I had run a marathon the day before, but I told them not to worry. This was my fifth double, and the slowest I’d done in any of the second-day races was a 3:21 in Mobile this year, but the 22-degree temps (11 with wind chill) probably had a little something to do with it.

I told them I was so sure I’d run a good race, that if I did, they owed a visit to operationjack.com, but if I didn’t, they could go curse about me to everybody! And then, we were off.

I was a tiny bit slow out of the gate, but I’m not worried about five seconds after one mile. A marathon is a long, long race. I got heckled in the second mile, which surprised me. Some guy was flying buy, yelling that the 3:30 pacer was going too fast and killing his people. The funny thing was, I was actually slow. I don’t normally get mouthy on the race course, but I told him what my time was when I paced last year, and that I was pretty sure I’d be just fine.

I was a little off here and there on my early miles, but I settled into a routine. It looked like we were going to be running 26.4 miles, so I tried to keep my average pace at about 7:57. I got it there by about mile 8 and held it. I got a good feel for the effort I needed to run the right pace and locked into a zone. We hit the half in 1:45:03 and I jokingly told the group we’d make up the three seconds.

The more we kept rolling, the more it actually started to look like I was going to run about 26.35 miles. I figured I was probably going to be 20 seconds fast, but I didn’t change anything up. Less than a second per mile probably isn’t all that bad. I’m competitive with myself, so I’d rather be one second fast than 20, but there was no sense slowing people down if they were locked into a groove.

I started to fatigue a little bit over the final two miles, but the sun came out, and let’s be realistic … I was pretty close to the completion of my second marathon of the weekend. I tried to start motivating people, telling them to stick with me and they’d be in the 3:20s. Of course, it’s tougher to hit a pace when the sun’s peaking and you’re near the end of 26.2 all-out miles.

I ended up crossing the finish line in 3:29:39. I was a little bummed, because it was too fast for what I wanted to do. I really wanted to be in the 3:29:50s, but I expect a lot out of myself. I know that there’s really nothing wrong than being fast by less than one second per mile over the course of a marathon. Individually, I was pretty happy about my heart rate. Last year, I averaged 161 when I paced. This year, 153. I’ve suspected from my morning runs that I’m getting into better shape, but it’s going to be tough to see results because I’m not going to be fresh until next year.

Anyways, I had a lot of fun out there on the course today. For starters, it’s very rewarding to help people achieve their goals. Lots of people thanked me afterwards, and that was pretty cool. Also, I saw a lot of people I knew over the course of the race — probably at least two dozen yelled hellos. At one point, somebody running with me asked, “Is there anybody you don’t know?” It was a fun day. Good or bad, aren’t they all?

If you want to see my splits, they’re here.

Eight down, 52 to go. I can do this! Next up, Austin!

Imagine a day with perfect conditions for racing. Clear skies, no precipitation, absence of wind and great course conditions with solid footing. Take the exact opposite of that and you have the 2010 Diamond Valley Lake Marathon. 3:28:01 after the start of the race, I crossed the finish line after experiencing the worst race-day weather of any of my 35 (to-date) marathons.

The forecast was for rain, and the forecast was accurate. I hid under a tent that was just to the side of the start line until the beginning of the race and I took off from there. Within the first mile, I was getting whipped by the wind and the rain was stinging as it hit me. I knew it would be a long day, but the race report would be fun to write.

About 22 of the 26 miles of this race are run on a dirt fire road. We were on that path within about 1/2 mile and it was very muddy. I was cautious early, trying to get used to footing. It was slippery in parts, my feet sunk into the mud for a fair amount and there were dozens of big puddles I had no choice but to run through.

I fell into a rhythm after a couple of miles and knew it wasn’t going to be a fast day. This was my third time running this race and I never run a quick time. The course isn’t a killer, but it’s just not quick. In perfect weather, I ran a 3:17 two years ago and a 3:24 last year. Both times, I ran the Carlsbad Marathon faster the next day, so that’s probably a good indicator that I can’t really compare a performance on this course to a regular road course. It’s not a trail run, but it’s still not ideal for a blazing time.

At about six miles in, we cross over a long road — I think it’s a dam — and there was a fierce headwind that made me feel like I was on a treadmill. I was running and running and going nowhere. I had been running 7:30 miles in the mud, but with this wind, I turned an 8:37 mile on a flat road.

From there, the elements didn’t get any better. The rain was off-and-on the entire race. Sometimes it was a sprinkle, sometimes it was a heavy downpour. The course was a run around a large lake and after we got past that dam and wrapped around the lake, the wind alternated between crosswind and headwind for about 10 miles.

I hit the 1/2 in 1:41 and just hoped to match my 3:24 from last year. I knew I had no shot at a time I’d like. At about 17, it started to rain pretty hard. It was a little dark out and I started to cross over a dam on the other side of the lake. That’s when the hail started pelting me. I started thinking of Rocky IV when Rocky is training in Siberia. I was thinking that if Rocky would have been training for a marathon, this is the kind of run he would have had. It was straight-up miserable. Nothing fun about it. I went as hard as I could across that second dam, because I was afraid I was a lightning target.

I made a wrong turn at about 20 that cost me about 30 seconds, but I figured out quick enough that I was back on the right track and I kept plodding through the quicksand. Well, it was just mud, but it felt like quicksand. I could feel the strain in my hamstrings, because I had to pull with more effort for each step.

I ran out of gas and faded and realized the 3:24 wasn’t going to happen. A friend of mine, Jeff Cate, caught up with me and we ran the final two miles together. He was using it as a training run, and he looked really strong. I think he’s going to run in the mid-2:50s in Los Angeles March 21, although he thinks he’s only at right around 2:59 or 3:00. We finally finished and he forced me to finish in front of him.

I went 3:28:01 and he went 3:28:02. He probably could have gone 3:27 flat if he wouldn’t have stuck with me. My time was good for fifth overall, second in my age group. When I found out the guy who won last year in 2:42 was only able to run 3:03 to repeat as champion, I felt a little better about my time.

All-in-all, an extremely difficult today. But I know it was a great workout, I really beat myself up and in about a year, I’ll look back on it fondly. No sooner than a year though!

With 60 marathons on the schedule for this year, there’s no question I’m going to have challenging days that aren’t a whole lot of fun. Today was definitely one of those days. Running a marathon in Miami today seemed like a job, although I’m not complaining. It’s a pretty good job.

I knew heading into this race that it was going to be a challenging day. I didn’t sleep much Friday night (5 1/2 hours), flew cross country Saturday, didn’t sleep a whole lot Saturday night (4 1/2 hours) and woke up at 3:30 a.m. for the 6:15 start. That’s 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning my body time with 10 hours of sleep the two nights before!

I actually felt decent, but the weather was not at all conducive to running a marathon. It was about 70 degrees with 96 percent humidity at the start. It was really muggy and people around me were sweating before the start. I was convinced it would be a long, miserable day, but I didn’t fear it. My plan was to run by heart rate, keep my body under control.

I got rolling and I felt OK to start, but I felt really warm. There was nothing at comfortable about the run, but my legs were moving OK. I started to warm up pretty quickly and knew my suspicions were coming true. It was quickly turning into a difficult day and I knew I would have to take really good care of myself to not wreck myself.

I feel like I did a fairly good job of that. I knew I wouldn’t run a 3:07 like I did last week, but I wanted to at least get as much out of myself as I could. I was consistently running in about the 7:30 range. That’s all I had. I was feeling really warm and didn’t want to blow up.

The course was pretty nice. It started going through busier parts of Miami. We ran past a row of 8-10 cruise ships in port, then went through South Beach, and I think we hit downtown before the half. I’m not certain on my Miami geography, but it’s always fun to take a foot tour of a new city and see things I wouldn’t ordinarily see. I hit the half in 1:38, but didn’t feel bad. I wasn’t fatiguing too bad and I was maintaining pretty well.

The second half of the race went mostly through more residential areas, which I enjoyed. I like seeing neighborhoods in new cities. I started to slow a tiny bit in the high teens. 7:28s were turning into 7:34s. I thought I was looking at a 3:17 or 3:18, but I really started to struggle starting at about 22. My miles were pretty close to 8 minutes or so and I was giving it all I had.

I could feel a sub-3:20 slipping away, but I had nothing. By 24, I knew I was cooked and I was going to be close to that 3:20. I pushed and pushed, and felt very confident that I was giving it everything I had. It’s very important to me to give 100 percent in all of my races.

I tried to go a little harder at 25, but my body had nothing for me. I kept pushing and pushing and knew I’d be close. I saw the finish line about 1/4 mile in advance and gave it another try, and didn’t have much of an answer. I crossed the line 3:20:03 after I went through the start.

I don’t like the time a whole lot, but I’m completely comfortable with my effort. I stayed with a friend of mine who went 2:45 on the same course last year, but went 2:53 today and thinks he ran better. I know it was a tough day and I know I gave it my all. I think I finished about 145th and there were somewhere around 5,000 starters in the marathon. Not horrible, I guess. But the weather was.

So, that’s 6 out of 60 for Operation Jack. Next up, Diamond Valley and Surf City next weekend.

Some of you read my race reports and wonder why I get disappointed with 3:13s, 3:18s and 3:21s. It’s because I know I’m capable of more, as I did today. I’ve been working for a while to shake some rust off, and for the first time in about nine months, I’m happy with the direction I’m going.

I headed into Carlsbad today feeling pretty fresh after running a 3:13:56 last Sunday in the Arizona Rock ‘N Roll Marathon. At the time, I was pretty happy with how I ran, but I wasn’t completely satisfied with my fitness. I really want to run consistently better than 3:10, and the reason is twofold. First, I feel like I’m capable of that. Also, I have a lot of you supportive of what I’m doing because it’s difficult, so I feel like I have a responsibility to bring y’all good times.

This was the fourth time I’ve run this course and it’s never been easy. The first time was when I was just getting going with running. It was just my fifth marathon and I ran a 3:54. The next two times I went 3:16 and 3:19, although I ran the Diamond Valley Lake Marathon the day before those two. Today, it had been an entire week since I had run a marathon, so I was fresh (relatively speaking). My legs felt great, although I didn’t know how heavy they’d be once I got going.

I got rolling and felt fairly good early on. I run by heart rate and do my best to get as much as I can out of my body. As has been the case in all of my marathons this year, I started out running in the very low 7:00s, but I wondered how long it would be until I faded.

Carlsbad is a series of rolling hills with one big uphill at about mile 9, and a screaming-fast downhill on the way back at about 11. I’m a little weak on the uphills right now, and rather than break the bank, I keep it conservative. I’m getting quite a bit out of downhills, though. I ran my own race and tried to take care of myself as well as I could. I really hoped I had 3:10 in me today, and I stayed ahead of the 3:10 group until the big uphill at 9.

They passed me up and gained about a minute on me, but on the way back down, I passed them back up and for the first time this year, I really felt like I had some of the speed and power back in my stride that I’ve been missing. I felt good and I felt fast. I kept cruising and at about 14, a woman named Julie Brekke pulled up alongside me and told me she liked my pace and wanted me to pace her.

I told her we were cruising along at about a 3:07 pace, but I thought I might fade later so she was at her own risk. She laughed and told me she wasn’t worried and we kept rolling. We chatted for a little while and she was super nice. She was also CRUISING. She entered the race with a PR of only 3:17, but she was knocking off miles at right around 7:00 like nothing.

I never felt the fade that I’ve been feeling lately. I think part of that had to do with a switch-up in my race morning fueling, which included UltraFuel at the suggestion of a running friend of mine, John Hill. He’s a sub-2:40 guy, so I figured I ought to give it a shot at least once. I never felt like I was going to fade and I never felt much more pain than the typical fatigue I get during a marathon. Safe to say, it’ll be UltraFuel again next week in Miami.

As I got up towards around 20, I knew I was in store for a good day. I was moving well, feeling great and in a zone. I don’t have all the speed I did, but I can tell I have a lot of it back. I guess 26.2 miles at marathon pace every Sunday will get you in shape?

 

Anyways, Julie stayed strong the whole way and I started telling her that she was going to crush her PR. It was a no-brainer. She was moving way too well and she said she was feeling pretty well. I could tell she was money because she was killing me on the uphills. I can start narrowing down what my time is going to be when we get into the 20s and I knew we were looking at about a 3:07-3:08, maybe a 3:06 if we really turned and burned at the end.

I told her I wanted to try to push at 24, but I had nothing. I was able to keep rolling, but I couldn’t step it up. I tried again at 25, and I still had nothing. I was able to find a tiny little something at about 25.5 and finished hard. My final time was 3:07:21, my fastest of Operation Jack so far by 6:35, good for 27th overall. Julie went 3:07:28, good for 6th woman overall and 2nd in her age group. Oh, and a 10-minute PR!

I saw a great friend of mine right there at the finish. He had a great day, too, lowering his 1/2 marathon PR from 1:39 to 1:34. He was fired up that I finally put it together this year and ran a good race and gave me a big hug. I continued the hug-fest and gave Julie a hug. She really nailed her race, as did I, and we spent about half of the race together. Things like that warrant a hug!

All-in-all, I’d call it a great day. I’ll savor it for about four days and then start thinking about Miami!

If you read my blog on Friday, you know I ran race No. 4 of Operation Jack with a heavy heart. Last Tuesday, a man I knew passed away suddenly. We weren’t best friends or anything like that, but I had met him enough times and his daughter has been in my son Ben’s class the past two years and this really shook me up.

This race was dedicated to him. He really liked what I was doing with Operation Jack and I wanted to make him proud. I really wanted to go back down into the sub-3:10 range, but my body is still adapting to this schedule. This was my fourth all-out marathon in 17 days, so I’m not fresh. My goal was to run hard, stay at the right heart rate and not go easy at all when it got tough. There’s no going back on this race and I wanted to make it count.

I started off fine, running within myself the way I wanted to. I wanted to keep my heart rate between 170 and 173, not letting it slip when I fatigued as I’ve been doing lately. Unfortunately, I could tell by about two miles in that my legs hated me. It’s not like there’s no good reason for me to feel fatigue that early, but it was pretty startling nonetheless. I knew right then it was going to be a long, painful day.

I kept pounding out the miles and fighting to keep my heart rate high enough. The problem with fatigue is that it’s just too painful to run hard enough to get that heart rate up. But I kept pressing and pressing because I had to. I was actually pretty happy with how I was doing. It was a very uncomfortable run, but I felt like I was doing a good job accomplishing my goal, which was to put forth an effort that would make Peter proud.

As the miles ticked off, I feel like I did a decent job fighting through fatigue. I also dealt with side stitches on-and-off from mile 7 until well into the 20s. I’ve been getting those a lot lately, so I’m getting kind of used to them. I don’t know if that’s a good thing, but at least they didn’t wreck me like they have in the past. I hit the half right around 1:35:10 or so and for as lousy as I felt, I was pretty happy about that.

I held strong for quite a while, running pretty good miles. I was just on the outside of 3:10 looking in, maintaining a 7:18 average pace (3:10 requires a 7:16 or something like that) through the high teens.

But I started to slow a bit at around 21. I was getting pain all up and down the back of both legs, and really feeling beat down. I don’t think any of my miles were slower than 8:00, but some of them crept up there pretty close to 7:50. Once the race starts hitting 18 or 19, I can tell what my time range is going to be. I thought I was looking at a 3:12 for a while, but that gradually crept up to a 3:16 or so. I knew I wouldn’t hit the 3:10, but I wanted a Boston qualifier (3:15:59) and I really wanted to beat my fastest time of the year, 3:13:58.

Between 22 and 25, I wasn’t happy with how hard I was running. My heart rate slipped into the low 160s and I was really struggling to turn the wheels. But right before I crossed the 25-mile marker, I decided I was going all-out and giving it everything I could. I was pretty happy with how I’d run for Peter to that point, but that last mile was for him.

I got the heart rate up into the 180s and went crazy hard. My legs hurt, I was totally toast, and my breathing was pretty labored. I was almost wondering if I was going too hard. But I didn’t worry about it. I just went. I started picking off people, one after another, so I started counting. Oh, and just so you know, in a race like this at the pace I run, there aren’t a ton of people around me when I run. They probably average 20-30 yards apart. Occasionally there are a few nearby each other, but typically they’re pretty spread out.

The more people I passed, the more I didn’t want anybody to return the favor, and I know that when you pass somebody near the end, it makes you a target. Well, I passed 27 people in that final mile. Nobody passed me. It was a good mile, and a great way to end the race. I went 3:13:56, beating my best Operation Jack time (so far) by two seconds. I was very happy with how I ran and battled through pain to get it done. My speed isn’t all there and I’m obviously not 100 percent, but I’m actually pretty happy with how I ran. I’m sure Peter is, too.