Finishing the Providence Marathon in 3:25:51 (50 minutes better than my last marathon)

So I ran Providence Marathon on May 12th. This was my first real visit to Providence, other than driving through or visiting the mall. In particular, I enjoyed seeing Brown University, the State Capitol building, and much of the revitalized downtown area (I gather it used to be pretty rough back in the day, but they have made a very determined effort to modernize and rejuvenate). My goal with Providence was to get closer to the Boston Qualifier (BQ) time of 3:05 that I need for my age category, but it was not to get BQ itself this time. That’s because my previous marathon time was 4:18:22. I was aiming for 3:40 or better, and I got 3:25:51. I was happy with that time, though I of course need to beat it if I am going to qualify for Boston in 2014.

I arrived in Providence on the Saturday evening, ate dinner at one of the local veggie restaurants (Veggie Fun) and stayed at the Omni Providence, which was an ok host hotel (once you got over just how busy they were that Mother’s Day weekend). The marathon itself began at 7:00am on the Sunday, a few blocks from my hotel. I was up at about 5:30, though I had prepared my gear the night before. At the expo, I had bought a rain jacket, which I wound up ditching after a couple of miles. I will want to make a few other wardrobe adjustments for the next race, but it’s an ongoing learning process. At the halfway point, it became clear I was not going to get BQ, so I did stop for a couple of minutes to water up, desweat a little, clear my sunglasses, etc. I also might have live tweeted (@jonmasters) a little, and that did slow me down. Again, I wasn’t planning to hit BQ on this occasion, merely improve my previous time.

Since Providence, it has become clear that I need to make a more determined effort to get in as many marathon attempts as possible between now and September’s Boston Marathon registration cut-off. I am currently registered for 4 more marathons between now and then:

• God’s Country Marathon (Galeton, PA) this coming weekend
• Grandma’s Marathon (Duluth, MN) on June 22nd
• 24 hour around the Lake Ultra (Wakefield, MA) on July 26-27th
• Via Marathon (Allentown, PA) on September 8th

There are a few others (e.g. one in WA that I happen to be nearby during) that I either cannot make because I am out of country, or because they have sold out. I am entering the 24 Ultra Somerville Road Runner’s marathon in July because the regular marathon is sold out, but they will give me valid marathon split. I’ll honor the spirit of the ultra and be prepared to go a full 24 hours – that’s how keen I am to get BQ.

#onerun for Boston (Memorial Day Weekend) – I volunteered with my friend Kris (@krismatt)

Meanwhile, preparations for this coming weekend are ongoing. I ran two half marathons over the Memorial Day weekend (1:37 and 1:40 respectively). This was, of course, not advisable but I am still working on common sense. This coming weekend, I am driving from Boston to Cloudersport, PA on Friday. On Saturday morning, there’s a shuttle to the start line in Galeton, PA, and then a 26.2 mile straight shot run back (with an unfortunate hill at the 16 mile mark).

This weekend is more of a sustaining exercise than necessarily likely to get me a BQ. It’ll be the point where I decide whether to book a ticket to Duluth next month (which I’ve already registered for) or hold off and train harder for the ultra in July. Either way, my last contingency is currently the Via Marathon on September 8th, but I am open to suggestions for other marathons. If it’s on findmymarathon.com or the USATF site then I’ve probably already found it, but do let me know in the comments, just in case.

Want to support me? As always, please give a donation to The One Fund and support the victims of this terrible tragedy.

I have an unholy craving for peanut butter lathered tortillas after running #guiltypleasure

I’ve been preparing for my first Full Marathon of 2013, this coming weekend, in Providence, Rhode Island (Cox Rhode Races). Last week, I ran another 4 half marathons (I had run 3 or so the week prior, I’m starting to forget how many I’ve done!), with a best average pace of 7:18 achieved this past Saturday afternoon. Prior to that I was running around 8:01 without pushing myself. Then, I was a little silly (ok, I was already pushing myself too hard last week) and went for a fifth half on Sunday. My knees objected (they’re still reminding my about that decision) so I aborted after 9 miles in order to prevent being out of commission this week. I am hopeful my body will forgive my indiscretion. Remember, don’t be like me. I’m certifiably nuts.

7:18 average page, half marathon in 1:35:40

Much as I would love to achieve an average pace of 7:18 or under for the full 26.2 miles, that isn’t actually the goal for this coming weekend. My first ever race of any kind was the Kansas Marathon last October in which I ran a time of 4:18:22. That’s good, but it’s not the 3:05 that I need for BQ (Boston Qualifier). My goal is to kinda “split the difference” (so to speak) and aim for a solid 3:30-3:40 time this weekend. Depending upon how my body feels after this Sunday, I’ll enter the Buffalo Marathon (end of this month) on Monday. My goal is to progressively (but very aggressively) reach my goal of sustained 7 minute miles in time for the two “contingency” marathons I have in the fall – one being Kansas, the other is in reserve at the moment.

I generally try to run in clothing that advocates my passion for advanced RISC-based architectures (not sponsored, just for fun: if you’re an ARM Server SoC vendor, I’ll wear your shirt too!)

Looking forward to this coming weekend very much.

So I took up running a year ago (plus a few weeks by now). I went from zero to my first race (a full marathon: 4:18:24) back in October, and I discovered a great new hobby with an awesome community to boot. I’m a guy who used to be 250lb (I’m a few lb shy of 150 now), so I would like to think I know a thing or two about what it’s like to go from a “couch potato” to a runner. I also would like to share my experiences with others who are considering getting into running: what I’ve learned, the mistakes I’ve made, and the awkward bits and the exhilaration, all of it. Most importantly, the fun and the joy of running!

In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing, I’ve decided I want to BQ (Boston Qualify) this year with the goal of running in 2014. The bombing was a terrible tragedy that affected all of us who live in the Boston area. I was fortunate enough to be on a business trip at the time, though a good friend of mine was volunteering, and everyone knows someone who was affected. Like many others, I feel a desire to show the world how strong and resilient this town is by running in next year’s event. To do that, I’m going to need to get my average pace down from around a (sustained) 8 minute mile to a 7 minute mile. My goal is to run as many marathons as it takes to get there, and to blog about it as I go. Watch this space!