How to Run Back-to-Back Marathons

Now that I've had some time to reflect on my spring racing season (which included the Shamrock Marathon, Gansett Marathon, and a 5K), this is my Top 5 list on how to survive back-to-back marathons.

1. Be smart. Yes, you need to get back out there quickly, but you also need to give yourself enough recovery time. Don't push it too hard.

2. Listen to your body. If you feel OK, keep training. But if it doesn't feel right, stop. Immediately. Don't wait until things get worse. If you need extra rest, take it. If you need to modify your plan, do it.

3. Learn from previous racing experience. You should know how quickly you recover both physically and mentally, how you like to train, etc.

4. Try it with shorter distances first. Race on successive weekends, or schedule half marathons a couple of weeks apart.

5. Plan in advance. Ideally, you want one race to be your target and the other to be practice or just for fun.

Did my back-to-back plan work? I'd say yes. I danced with the devil and came out OK on the other side. I got back-to-back PRs in both marathons (although part of this was sheer luck in getting perfect weather both times). I did not get injured in 22 weeks of training. I recovered quickly from both marathons.

I essentially ran the same time in both marathons, although I ran two very different marathons. My current PR is from Gansett, the second unplanned marathon. Although Gansett was slightly faster, Shamrock is the marathon I will remember as "better." I ran more evenly at Shamrock and had a physically and mentally better race. Plus Shamrock is my first BQ marathon. At Gansett, I had issues with my Garmin and knew I went out much too fast. But where better to test yourself than at a race like Gansett? You don't know unless you try. Sometimes you don't get it right. I do not regret going for it. Shamrock may have been the "better" marathon, but Gansett earned the bragging rights. I ordered a custom race necklace for Gansett, in part because it is Gansett and in part because it is my current marathon PR.

For the record, I do not advocate running back-to-back marathons. Definitely not for a first marathon. Yes, I have done it twice (2 in 10 weeks last year and then 2 in 4 weeks this year). Yes, I survived. Yes, I got 2 PRs out of it. But yes, what I did was admittedly foolish and risky. Very very risky. You really have to know what you are doing. I cannot stress that enough. You need enough running experience to understand your mind, body, and motivation. You have to cross your fingers and hope you don't get injured or burned out. I didn't have the luxury of planning in advance because I didn't know that I'd be running a second marathon until I finished the first one. I had Gansett on my radar, though. Once I had a qualifier in hand, I knew I needed to recover quickly and push only when it was appropriate.

Of course, I was highly motivated to qualify for and run Gansett. That made a difference. And it wasn't the first time I had done back-to-back marathons. The first time, I was not as good or as smart a runner as I am now. That first set wasn't pretty, but I learned from it. That made a difference, too.

Gansett Marathon Playlist

This is so behind the game that it isn't funny. I wrote the playlist down over a month ago and then didn't have a chance to update with my thoughts. Oops. After Shamrock, I assembled the random mishmosh of songs that I had during the marathon into a playlist and matched it to my Garmin map. I don't care enough to do that for Gansett. It's interesting enough that I am posting it anyway. Some songs work. Some songs don't. The ones that don't work get eliminated from future playlists. And then some songs surprise you. I never know which songs will end up being really helpful until I am out there.

Here's what my iPod picked me for the second half of the Gansett Marathon. It is in order, except for the 1st 7 songs. Songs with (S) are repeaters from Shamrock.

U2- Get on Your Boots. I think I knew this song was going to be first when I cued up my playlist.
U2 - Beautiful Day. I have a love-hate relationship with this song. No strong feelings about having it for Gansett, though.
Foo Fighters - Bridge Burning (S). I am keeping this song on future playlists.
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell. This song makes it onto every single running playlist. It saved me at mile 23 of Chicago.
Elvis Presley JXL Radio Edit Remix - A Little Less Conversation. This song is fun. Kinda like the Fraggle Rock songs.
Kevin Rudolf - I Made It (S). Haha, not yet.
The Naked and Famous - Young Blood. This song did not make the cut for earlier playlists. It made a return for Gansett.
Sean Kingston - Fire Burning (S). Keeper.
Chris Brown - Turn Up the Music (S). Yep, keeper again.
Dropkick Murphys - Captain Kelly's Kitchen. I tried to skip this song because I couldn't remember why I had it on my playlist. I thought the button on my headphones that skipped ahead to the next song, but the button paused my iPod instead. Oh well. Just go with it.
The Police - Everything Little Thing She Does is Magic
Switchfoot - The War Inside. Clever, iPod. This was around the point where I started bargaining with myself to keep running. Just run til the end of this song and you can take a break. Walk a little and start up again. Repeat.
Pitbull w/ Chris Brown - International Love. I can see myself getting tired of this song, but we'll see.
The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony. I remember hearing this song but didn't have any particular thoughts about it.
Switchfoot - Meant To Live. Not the first time this song has helped me in a race.
Journey - Don't Stop Believin'. Definitely a message you want to hear in a marathon.
Fraggle Rock - Stuff Samba. Short and upbeat and has the line "Do the stuff you've always done before."
Civil Twilight - Fire Escape. This was a new find through Pandora.
Lady Gag - Judas. Here because of the beat.
Incubus - Dig (S). Still love this song.
Switchfoot - Rise Above It. Good message for a marathon.
Hanson - Can't Stop. (S) Oh, you were really clever, iPod, picking this song again just like you did at the end of Shamrock.
Darshan (from the Bend It Like Beckham soundtrack). I like the beat of this song. I don't even think it is in English.
Switchfoot - The Sound. One of my favorite Switchfoot songs.
Pearl Jam - The Fixer. Yeah yeah yeah.
Katy Perry - Part of Me. This song was making me angry, but it might be one of the surprise helpful songs. I found myself thinking, "How badly do you want it?" I said out loud "I want it" and started running again.
Fitz & the Tantrums - Money Grabber. Kinda don't have any strong feelings about this song either. Has a good beat.
Fraggle Rock - Pass It On. Skipped. Just wasn't feeling it at the the very end of the race.
Wang Chung - Everybody Have Fun Tonight. My race playlists are heavily populated by girly pop songs and 80s music. Don't judge. And don't pretend like you don't like these songs too.

I pulled my headphones out a little bit before the end, probably about a little more than a quarter mile to go. The end.

Gansett Marathon Race Review

I ran the Gansett Marathon in Narragansett, RI on April 14, 2012. I am admittedly biased towards this race. This is a (formerly) local marathon for me. I really really miss living near Narragansett. Small towns in coastal New England have a charm like nowhere else. Narragansett in particular is special to me for a number of reasons.

I volunteered last year and saw that it was a quality event. I told myself eventually I was going to come back to Gansett and run it. Eventually just happened to be this year. Volunteering gave me extra knowledge since I've seen both sides of Gansett.

As of this week when new qualifying standards were announced (the standards dropped by 5 minutes as I suspected), I am no longer Gansett qualified. That's OK. That is exactly why I ran this year. Run it while I had the qualifying time and flexibility to run a marathon on short notice. Will I qualify again? Probably. But I don't have to. It's nice to not have that pressure.

I'm not going to post pictures, but check out last year's volunteer report and my Gansett race recap for a few photos.

My thoughts:

Extremely well-organized - Like, extremely. I cannot say enough good things about the race director yet again. He thought of everything. The level of detail was incredible. I am detail-oriented and even I was floored numerous times. Never seen anything like it anywhere else.

Size - Very small. So small it isn't chip-timed. I am surprised there were fewer runners this year than last year. I thought Gansett would grow. Too bad. Maybe next year?

Mile markers - Signs were every mile and half mile on handmade sandwich boards, plus a special sign at one mile to go. Painted marker on the road at 13.1 miles. Some jackal stole a few mile markers in between when the markers were put out in the morning and when runners came through. Who steals mile markers? Really? I didn't notice the mile 2 marker missing, I heard another runner's Garmin go off at the mile 10 marker, and a volunteer told us about an orange cone in place of the mile 13 marker (plus it was just before a halfway mark painted on the road).

The course - mostly flat, one hill, many gentle inclines and declines.The inclines and declines are so gentle that you can't really see them, but you can feel them. Many pretty areas. You'll see the ocean, the Point Judith Lighthouse, fishing boats in Galilee, The Towers, some big houses, and a couple of beaches.

Minimal course support - There were very limited spectators, but the ones who were out were great!

Weather - Unpredictable, although usually reasonable. Weather in New England in April is a crapshoot. You could get anything. We lucked out and got a perfect day this year. 

Camaraderie - Everyone is nice. I had several good conversations before, during, and after the race.

Participant lists - Some of the volunteers had lists with participants' names and bib numbers, so they cheered us by name. This is one of the extra nice things about running a small race.

Race DJ - He does all of the races in the Narragansett area. Announces you by name and qualifying race at the beginning of the second loop and at the finish.

Open course - Good and bad. Could be problematic because of inconsiderate Rhode Island drivers. It actually wasn't problematic. Yay. There are a couple of road sections with dangerous curves, but there were volunteers out to help us. I never felt unsafe. Volunteers and/or police were stationed at all major road crossings. Spectators can easily drive around to multiple points on the course during the race.

Aid stations - 13 total, spaced about every 2 miles. They are purposely placed in spots so that you pass them at least twice. In the second loop when most runners were running alone, a single volunteer held out a cup of water and a cup of Gatorade and you'd just tell the volunteer which one you wanted. An aid station at mile 12/23 had Gus. I only saw Gus the second time around, but then again I carry my own fuel anyway.

No frills - No expo, no medal, no pace groups, no cheering squads or on-course entertainment, no big sponsors, no silly costumes (OK, there were a couple of costumes. Literally a couple of costumes), no shuttles, no gear check.

But also no hassles - No big crowds. No lining up in corrals for ages. No waiting outside. There is no shuttle because there is plenty of free parking right next to the start, finish, and host hotel (all in the same area). There is no gear check because you can leave your bag in the hotel ballroom. Pick up your packet the evening before or day of the marathon. Hang around inside until just before the race starts. Use the real bathrooms in the hotel instead of port-a-potties.

Swag - This year had a long sleeve tech shirts (white with the Point Judith Lighthouse on the front, Gansett logo on the back, and nothing else ... not filled with corporate sponsors), a finishers patch, and a button. That's it.

Entry fee - $70, regardless of when you registered. This is a steal for a marathon. 

Transportation/hotels - I have family in the Providence area and drove down from there for the race, but I'd recommend renting a car and staying in Providence or Narragansett if you are coming from out-of-town. Or stay in Boston if you are also running Boston, rent a car, and drive down for the day.

Random tip - Check your packing list, and check it twice. Make sure you have all of your marathon gear. Since there is no expo, there is no opportunity to buy something you forgot. There is a running store in the neighboring town of Wakefield.

There were some minor things that went wrong, but those happen at any race and they were so minor they aren't worth mentioning. I have no doubt that the race director takes runner feedback seriously and will make changes in the future. 

Overall, this is a high quality event. I've done all sorts of races. Small local events. Big city marathons. Mid-size races. Everything in between. In all honesty, while I think it is worth trying out some of the big races, the big races turn into spectacles and are sometime more hassle than they are worth. Gansett was a world of departure from the big races.  It really is a marathoner's marathon. If you qualify and want a small race that is only about the marathon, run Gansett. If you are a 50 Stater trying to get your Rhode Island marathon in and qualify, run Gansett. It is leaps and bounds better than Cox Providence and Amica Newport (although for non-qualifiers, I'd recommend Amica over Cox).  I liked it a lot and would run it again (if I re-qualify). For now, I'll enjoy having my Gansett patch on my office bulletin board.

Gansett Marathon Race Recap

A week ago, I was running the Gansett Marathon. Gansett is a small qualifiers only marathon in southern Rhode Island. Highly recommend it if you qualify!

Good morning, Narragansett


I had a 45 minute drive down to Narragansett. I left a little after 6am so that I would be comfortably chilling inside at the host hotel about an hour before gun time. Everyone is friendly. I chatted with another runner (who happened to go to one of the same schools as me), went outside for a warmup, dropped off my phone at my car, stretched, went back inside briefly, and then headed to the start line with about 5 minutes to go.

I immediately ran into Shelby and Celia and we chatted before the gun went off. Or not. There was so little fanfare that I almost didn't realize the race was about to start. With about 10 seconds to go, I realized I hadn't turned my Garmin on. Now, the runner I was a year ago would have freaked out by a technological failure. Past me used technology as a crutch. The runner I am today realized the Garmin is a tool. It was going to act differently, but that didn't make it any less useful. It actually turned out to be an advantage.

Mile 1-4 Ocean Road. I lost the first 1/4 mile because my Garmin hadn't picked up a satellite signal. I started the timer right when the gun went off. Fine. I'll go by time, not distance. One of the nice things about Gansett is that there are mile and half mile markers. Being 1/4 mile off meant that I essentially had quarter mile markers too. Started off by running under The Towers for the first time and down along the ocean. I ran with Keith Straw for about a half mile. There were exactly 2 people in costumes, and Keith Straw is one of them. He runs in a pink shirt, pink shoes, and pink tutu and carries a wand. Slightly uphill in the beginning. Big houses. Ocean views in spots. You can see the Point Judith Lighthouse if you know to look for it. My legs felt tight at first but loosened up after a few miles.

Mile 5-6 Point Judith. Lollipop to the lighthouse. This was one of the few sections of the course that I didn't know too much about. Sorta. I had ran to the lighthouse before but not from this direction. It was quiet and pretty.

Mile 7-8 Along a road near a beach to Galilee. Still pretty quiet. I saw a spectator I thought looked familiar. It was Skinny Runner's mom.

Mile 9-10 Great Island. A small bridge, fishing boats, some small hills, and really bad road surfaces. Some jackal stole the mile 10 sign, so I never saw it. I kinda needed the mile 10 marker to gauge where I was in relation to where I wanted to it. It was right around mile 10 that Skinny Runner caught up to me. I am pretty sure I heard her Garmin go off where the mile 10 sign should have been. We stayed close together til about the halfway point where she left me in the dust. Passed a friend twice and swapped out empty water bottles for full ones. Skipped the aid station at mile 9/10 (passed it twice) because it had orange Gatorade. Can't do orange anything during a race.

Mile 11 - Galilee Escape Road. The only "hill" of the whole race. No breeze. Full sun. It was the only time that I worried about getting too hot. Talked to a guy in a hamburger costume. I asked him if he was sponsored by Crazy Burger, a Narragansett institution. He said no, but he did get a lot of free burgers.

Mile 12-14 Point Judith Road. I knew this part was going to be difficult. Slightly uphill again. We were limited to the shoulder of a 4-lane road. Ate a few pretzels. Pulled out the iPod at mile 13 (or pretty much mile 13 because a jackal stole that sign too). Hit the halfway point at 1:39:xx. WHO RUNS THEIR FIRST SUB-1:40 HALF MARATHON IN A MARATHON?? I knew I had gone out too fast and I knew I needed to slow down. Several miles in the mid-7:00s (which I didn't know until I looked at my data after the race)? Way too fast for me. I had passed the hamburger, so at least that worked in my favor.

Mile 15 - Isolated stretch in the woods. Had some weird GI issues that thankfully went away quickly. Maybe it was the wall? I don't really know. At least it was quieter than Point Judith Road.

Mile 16 - Narragansett Town. Slightly downhill. Passed Crazy Burger and Markos Kabobs. Ran past the finish line. The race DJ announces each runner by name and qualifying race. Swapped out a water bottle when I saw my friends again. Raised my arm up as I ran under The Towers again.

Mile 17-20 - Second loop. Back on Ocean Road. I was pretty much running alone by this point, although I drafted behind a couple of runners for a little bit. At mile 18, I dropped one of my water bottles. It was a sign that I needed to take my first walk break. And then the wheels started to fall off. I finished all of my pretzels. I was getting dehydrated. I was running out of water and that was messing with my head. The aid stations were about 2 miles apart. That's farther apart than I am used to. There was one aid station where I literally came to a standstill to get more water. I started bargaining with myself by using my iPod. Just run through the end of this song and you can take a walk break. A song called "Can't Stop"? Well, can't stop. Other than dehydration and a weird feeling in my stomach, I was feeling OK. Nothing hurt. I wasn't too hot. Hit mile 20 at 2:36:xx or something like that.

Mile 21-24 - Point Judith Road again. Ugh, not again. So boring and gently uphill. I started counting down the miles. 5 to go. 4 to go. 5K to go. Just hold on and keep moving forward.

Mile 25 - Isolated stretch in the woods. One mile to go. I played more games with my music. Just keep running until the end of this song. Mile 25 was the first time I knew I wasn't going to make sub-3:30. Even sub-3:31 was going to be tough. "How badly do you want it?" popped into my head, and I said out loud, "I want it." Just keep running.

Mile 26 - Narragansett Town again. Just make it to Crazy Burger. Just make it to Markos.

Mile 26.2 - Rounded the short loop around the finish line. Heard the race DJ announcing me again. Saw that I was going to be damn close to 3:31 running up to the finish. Crossed the line at 3:31:02, 8:03 pace. 25 second PR after setting a huge PR 4 weeks earlier.



Going into Gansett, I really had no idea what was going to happen. I wasn't sure how to train for back-to-back marathons. I knew I had to be very careful to not push myself too hard, burn out, or get injured. I had several time goals because I just didn't know which one was realistic. To run a huge marathon PR and turn around and do it again 4 weeks later is a pretty amazing thing.

And now I add a Gansett Marathon finishers patch to my collection of race bling. Contrary to this picture, it was not easy ;-)


Here's the rest of the Gansett swag. Long-sleeve T-shirt with the Point Judith Lighthouse on the front and Gansett logo with The Towers on the back, button, and finishers patch.

Marathon Training Week 22

Haha, oops, I never posted this over the weekend. Better late than never I guess.

My plan was cross-train, run 3-4 miles, rest, run 4-5 miles, run 3 miles, rest, and the Gansett Marathon, plus minimal strength training early in the week. Second week of a 2-week taper.

Sunday - 20-minute yoga podcast, plus pushups and lunges.

Monday - 3.7 mile run on the treadmill, plus upper body strength training and calf raises.

Tuesday - Rest. Usually a running day, but not this week. I kinda didn't know what to do with a Saturday marathon. I did a lot of walking in DC pretending to be a tourist.

Wednesday - 5.2 mile run with the group from my local running store. Not sure I am going to stick with this group long-term, but it is good for now while I am learning routes in my new area. Did abs and lower back exercises when I got home.

Thursday - 3.6 mile run on the treadmill. And traveling to Rhode Island.  And my traditional pre-marathon viewing of Spirit of the Marathon.

Friday - Rest. And work. Got lots of chicken parm in ma belly. I missed the chicken parm in Rhode Island. Still the best anywhere.

Saturday - Gansett Marathon. Shiny new PR again at 3:31:02. More later.

Total Miles: 38.7

Reeeeally Quick Gansett Update

3:31:02

That's a shiny new marathon PR by 25 seconds after setting my previous marathon PR 4 weeks ago.

Highlights:
My Garmin was off from the very beginning because I didn't turn it on until seconds before the race start. And yet it did not throw me off at all.
Unofficial sub-1:40 half marathon. For real???
Ran with Keith Straw (who runs in a pink tutu and holds a wand) for the first half mile.
Ran with Skinny Runner from mile 10 to about the halfway point. Then she left me in the dust ;-)
Met Shelby from Eat, Drink, and Run and Celia from Running Seal. Nice job, ladies!!
I beat a guy wearing a hamburger costume.

I will do a full race recap and review later. Can't make any promises on when they will be up. I have a busy few days ahead.

Marathon Eve

Oh hi, I am running a marathon tomorrow.

I am actually not that excited yet. That's a good thing. I slept reasonably well last night. Enjoying the calm before the storm is nice. By tomorrow morning, I'm sure it will be a different story.

I used my 9 hours of travel time yesterday to think about my marathon plan (and my new job and lots of other things). A good race happens when, among many other things, you manage mental focus and energy correctly. Use too much energy before you toe the line and you've already failed. Plan carefully, put your focus in the right place, and good things happen.

The weather is looking mostly good. Not completely perfect but still pretty reasonable. Slightly breezy. Sunny. Temps starting off in the mid-50s and rising to the low- to mid-60s by the time I will finish. Definitely need sunscreen. Definitely need to be careful about dehydration and electrolytes and salt. Lessons learned from Chicago and Shamrock will come into play. The aid stations are about 2 miles apart. I will probably ask a friend to have extra water bottles ready for me at some point.

Bib (Odd-numbered again. Good thing?) and race T-shirt are in my hands. Time to track down my favorite chicken parm from my favorite little Italian restaurant in Rhode Island for dinnah. C'mer, chicken parm, get in ma belly. We've got a marathon to run in the morning.

OK, now I am excited.

Gansett Training - All Wrapped Up

My short run this morning ends another training cycle. A short one. Now I head off on the road to Rhode Island.

Goals? Oh, I dunno. On a perfect day, I would like under 3:30. Then I'd be able to register for Boston when it is open to runners 5 minutes under the qualifying times. Believe it or not, Gansett is certified and should be accepted as a Boston qualifier. I am not hell-bent on 3:30, though. Even without being 5 minutes under the qualifying time, I think my Shamrock time will be good enough for Boston because 1) it is the first year with tougher qualifying standards 2) I am 3 minutes 30 seconds under the new standards and 3) last year everyone 1 minute 15 seconds under the old standards got in. I should get in with my Shamrock time. But strange things are happening in marathon registrations. It would be nice to meet the new standards by 5 minutes.

3:30 was my super secret goal for Shamrock. Yeah, yeah, I said it was 3:35. It was. Yet, I was on pace for sub-3:30 until mile 22. At that point, I remember thinking that I didn't want 3:30 that badly. I knew I'd make 3:35 with plenty of time to spare. That was good enough for Shamrock. I wasn't huffing and puffing to get a 3:31 finishing time. I wasn't wiped out at the end of the race. To get down to 3:30, I'd only have to run 1 minute 30 seconds faster. That's not slowing down in the last 4 miles or going 3-4 seconds per mile faster earlier in the race. Hmmm. I think I can do that.

On the other hand, I'm realistic. Shamrock was a perfect race. Perfect races don't happen often. I have no idea what will happen when I get out there on Saturday. Two marathons in 27 days is no small undertaking, especially when you were training for the first marathon all along. My body could decide I pushed it too far. I could mentally collapse. I am most concerned about my mental skills holding up. As a backup goal, I'll go with 3:35. Or 3:40. Or 4:00. Or not last. When it really comes down to it, I'm not that concerned about the time on the clock. Honestly. I just want the T-shirt and finishers patch. I want the bragging rights of being able to say, "I ran Gansett."

Why Gansett Could Be Good

I know most of the course. I love running in Narragansett. The Towers? Point Judith Lighthouse? Yes please.
My friends will be out to cheer me on.
The course is flat. Mostly.
Volunteering last year was helpful. I have extra knowledge that most runners don't have.
Easy logistics. No big crowds. No big hassles. It is pretty much show up and run.
The weather should be reasonable. Well, it is New England. Anything could happen.
I'm still coming off of a stellar training cycle and marathon performance.
I maintained my training in between the two marathons, including a most excellent fast-paced long run in poor weather conditions.
I have ran back-to-back races before and did well in both. Granted, running 2 half marathons 2 weeks apart is different from running 2 marathons 4 weeks apart. Still, I did PR in both half marathons ... by a minute and a half both times.
My confidence stuck around. That's big.
New mantras. Stronger now. BQ-5.
Everyone at Gansett qualified by meeting pretty difficult standards. Running with skilled runners is a good thing.

Why Gansett Could Be Bad

I know most of the course. There are a couple sections that are very boring.
2 marathons in 27 days? Kinda crazy.
Very small size. Most likely, I will be running alone at some point.
It is a 2-loop course. You pass all of the points in the second loop on the first loop.
I will be in the back of the pack.
Could be windy.
I am working the day before the marathon. Why did I think that was a good idea?
Distractions. I have been so scatter-brained and aimless for the last few weeks. Not having a routine is no bueno.
Didn't train specifically for Gansett. Shamrock was my goal race. Not sure I have switched mindset that quickly.

I have a feeling that Gansett is going to be more mental than physical. But we'll see what happens once I am out there. You never know what is going to happen in a marathon. I am using the same pace card I made for Shamrock. I am wearing the same sparkly white nail polish I wore for Shamrock too. Whatever happens at Gansett, getting into Gansett period was the bigger achievement. If I walk away with my 3:31 marathon PR intact, I am perfectly happy with that. Worst case, just think of it as going for a nice 26.2 mile run in Narragansett with a bunch of other people.

Go go Gansett go!!

Gansett Playlist

In races and long runs, I try to go as long as I can without music. This may or may not happen at Gansett for a number of reasons. It is a VERY small marathon. Probably 100-120 runners this year. That's small for any race, no less a marathon. Volunteering last year, I saw that there were some clusters of runners. Most ran alone, though. It is a two-loop course. Run 16 miles, then run 10 miles. Guess what? You pass all of the mile markers for the second loop in the first loop. I am familiar with most of the course, but that is not necessarily an advantage.

I started with my Shamrock Marathon playlist and edited it down. Any song that I did not like during Shamrock was cut. Goodbye, Elevation by U2. The location-specific songs that dealt with the ocean or water are also good for Gansett.

I didn't have time to add much, but I recently purchased (and still have $50+ in iTunes GCs):

Foo Fighters - Word Forward
Outasight - Tonight Is the Night
Calvin Harris - Feel So Close
David Guetta & Nicki Minaj - Turn Me On
Civil Twilight - Fire Escape (thanks, Pandora!)

Marathon Training Week 21

My plan was cross-train, run 5, 6, and 4 miles, rest, 4-5 mile pace run, and 10ish mile long run, plus strength training where it fits. First week of a 2-week taper. All I have do now is stay healthy and uninjured.

My ankle is bugging me again. I get random aches and pains during taper, but I am not sure this is a taper madness random ache and pain. I'm on it, though. Keep an eye on it and be cautious. I think it is because 1) I haven't been good about spending time with my tennis ball and/or 2) there are mad hillz yo in my new area. Getting the tennis ball out again helped a bit.

Sunday - Traveling. I am so over traveling. I will make an exception for Gansett, though. Did a couple of 20-minute power yoga classes from Hulu Plus, which were interrupted by commercials and weren't very good anyway. Did a 20-minute yoga podcast that I have done before. Much better. Also did planks and pushups.

Monday - 5.2 mile run. Hilly but pleasant weather.

Tuesday - 6.2 mile run. Same route as Monday but went a half mile farther before I turned around. Slightly slower because apparently I did not learn from last week that I need to go earlier and eat enough before I run. No matter. I wasn't carefully monitoring the pace and I wasn't trying to push it.

Wednesday - 5.3 mile run with a group from my new local running store, plus about a half mile (untimed, unmeasured) warmup and half mile walk home. Did upper body strength training, squats, and lunges.

Thursday - Rest

Friday - 4.5 mile pace run. Even with the hills, I got my overall pace in the 7:40s. My lower back was hurting, except when I was running. Wonder what I did to it? Sciatic pain? I don't even know what sciatic pain is supposed to feel like. Did some abs in the evening.

Saturday - 11 mile long run in Rock Creek Park. It was one of those super pleasant runs where you felt like you could run forever. I got distracted by the quiet and prettiness of Rock Creek and went a little farther than I intended to. Oops. It was a perfect day to run a little farther. I am looking forward to spending more time in Rock Creek Park. In taper madness pains, my back was mostly feeling better and my ankle was better too. Two days with a tennis ball seemed to help.

Total Miles: 32.2

One week til Gansett!!

Marathon Training Week 20

My plan for the week was ... my own plan. I didn't like any of the plans I saw, so I made up my own multiple marathon schedule. I'm keeping Hal Higdon's intermediate structure of run 5 times a week (3 days in a row, then 2 days in a row), cross-train one day, and completely rest one day, plus strength training where it fits. I can adjust as necessary. I start a 2-week taper after this week.

Will this work? I don't know. I am going into uncharted territory. But I know how I like to train. I have learned through multiple training cycles how to listen carefully to my body. I've been doing this long enough that I think I know what works. We'll see what happens on April 14.

Gansett will throw off my schedule in the last week because it is on a Saturday. Every other marathon or half marathon I've done has been on a Sunday. That's pretty minor, though. A day or two has never really thrown me off in the past.

Sunday - last yoga class at my gym. I was sad that my regular instructor wasn't there, although I went on Monday after one of her other classes to say goodbye. My legs needed yoga. Oh, they could feel it. Did calf raises before class.

Monday - 4.5 mile run in the AM. A wee bit chilly but generally pleasant. Last day at my job. Carried my box of stuff from cleaning out my office about a quarter mile. Jelly arms.

Tuesday - 9.3 mile run. Last longish run in Rhode Island. Cold and windy. I was not feeling this run at all. Went out too fast in the beginning. Felt tired and lightheaded at the end. I didn't eat enough beforehand or bring enough water with me (had an 8 oz Fuelbelt bottle ... not nearly enough). And I started my run later than I usually do, hence not enough food. Lesson learned. I felt perfectly fine once I got home and had more food. And water. And coffee. Went to the gym to do lunges, upper body strength training, squats, and core work. Still having some occasional weird issues with my right quad, so I lightened up on the squats a bit. Last time at my gym.

Wednesday - 5.7 mile run. Last time on my regular running route. Miscalculated my turnaround point, so I ended up running farther than I meant to. Not as cold, though. Walked all over Boston. Last time I will be in Boston for a while.

Thursday - Rest. And traveling. Again. It'll be nice when this traveling business lets up.

Friday - 7.2 mile pace run. Flew around my hometown in capris and a short-sleeve shirt. I'm not sure what my pace should be, but I figured run comfortably fast. Overall pace was 7:33. Hello, confidence. Glad you're sticking around. I needed that after some of the runs I had this week. I still got it.

Saturday - 18.2 mile long run in and around Eisenhower Park. In the mist. Wasn't too cold, though, as long as you had the right clothing. Ran a little bit in the park, then around the park clockwise, then in the park, then most of the way around the park counter-clockwise, then a few more miles in the park. Took bathroom breaks at mile 2 and 15, refueled at my car at mile 10, and had to take a short untimed walk break at mile 16.5 to get rid of a painful side stitch. I planned the end carefully so that I ended exactly at my car. At that point, I had been misted and lightly rained on for almost 2 1/2 hours. I needed to get into dry clothes as soon as I stopped. I was glad that the bathroom that wasn't open earlier was finally open. It was warm, or at least warmer than it was outside. This was another run to boost my confidence. My pace held steady in the 8:10s, fell to 8:09 at mile 13, and finished in the 8:00s. The last 6 miles were sub-8 without even trying. Well, I was trying in the last 3 miles or so but wasn't pushing it before then. Woot!

Total Miles: 44.9

It's taper time again!!

So about that Gansett Marathon course being flat

It is. Sort of.

I scratched my head looking at the Gansett course map and elevation chart. It looks like there is a hill in the beginning of the marathon and then another one later on. Because the course loops around twice, you get to run both hills twice. Joy of joys. The Blessing of the Fleet 10 mile race runs on part of the Gansett course. I ran the Blessing several times. I don't remember hills.

That's because the hill in the beginning isn't a hill. It is a long gentle incline for about 3/4 mile. One of the nice things about my job (wah, last day was Monday) was that I worked close to Narragansett. I popped down after work last week, parked at Narragansett Town Beach (I miss this crescent-shaped beach so very much), and ran about the first 2 miles of the Gansett course. The start is at the curved part above the r in Pier at the top of the map.



R2's elevation data backed me up. It is not as bad as the graph makes it out to be. Check the scale. The "hill" is an elevation gain of about 60 feet over 3/4 mile. I could see and feel the long gentle incline. It wasn't that bad, though. I turned around at mile 2.4 at the blue spike and ran back to just before where I started. Also, I don't know why it looks like I went below sea level at the very beginning. That is not possible. I promise you I did not jump in the water and go for a swim ;-)



Side note: I actually used a similar example in my stats class to illustrate what happens when you change the scale of your graph. I took the official elevation chart and my Garmin data from RnR Providence. I made the course look flat and then made it look hilly. All I did was change the scale.

If that's a "hill," the rest of the course is pretty darn flat. Good stuff.

In related Gansett news, I dug up my emails from volunteering last year. I saw the race from the other side and was impressed. Can I just say how amazingly organized the race director is? His level of detail for volunteers (maps, specific instructions, times to expect runners, etc) is incredible. Then there was a spectator guide to match. Holy organization, Batman. Big race or small race, I have never ever seen anything like this. Super impressed yet again.

M is for Marathon

Anyone remember when I said 3 marathons in one year was too much and there was a chance I'd run 3 in 2012? I thought carefully about that. 3 marathons in 2012 it is.

At some point, I said I wouldn't double down on my training and run 2 back-to-back marathons again (did 2 in 10 weeks last year, got injured in between, and had a mentally bad second marathon). Yeah, I thought carefully about that too. 2 marathons in 27 days it is. I am not the only one who qualified at Shamrock who is also running Gansett. Excellent. More crazy runners.

I also said I wouldn't train through the winter for a marathon again. Yet I did it and it was better than I expected. Much much better than last winter. Wait, what winter? It was the mildest winter in a long long time. It barely snowed. I only needed my soft shell jacket once. I only needed a fleece once or twice. I had some runs that required no cold weather gear. The bike path where I do my long runs stayed clear the whole time. I only had to adjust my running route because of snow a handful of times.

Now that Shamrock is all wrapped up, these were my spring race plans. There were a select few people who knew about my Plan A. I didn't want to jinx it. I had Gansett on my radar but couldn't commit until I saw how I did at Shamrock. Plan A it is!

Plan A (under 3:35): Run the Gansett Marathon on April 14. Maybe run the Frederick Half Marathon in Maryland on May 6. I am signed up for Gansett (this is how organized this race is ... I was in the list of registered runners within hours of registering). Still not sure about Frederick. Dunno if I want to race again after doing 2 marathons in 27 days.

Plan B (3:35:01 or over): Run the Long Island Marathon or Cox Providence Marathon. Both are on May 6. I have family in both locations, so my only costs would be the entry fee and transportation. Or maybe the half for either. Or the Frederick Half if I didn't want to travel. A spring half would mean I'd have to put all my eggs in the Marine Corps Marathon. I probably wouldn't be able to qualify for Boston for 2013. Long Island is mostly flat. Cox was a mental disaster last year. I am a Cox legacy, though, and didn't want to give that up. Either marathon would have been a decent but not optimal choice for another BQ/GQ attempt. Thankfully, I don't have have to go that route. I'm kinda done with traveling for a while.

Marathon Training Week 19

I spent 18 weeks for training for Shamrock and will spend another 4 weeks training for Gansett. 22 weeks total I guess?

My training plan for the week was no plan. Take it easy. Sign up for Gansett. Rest and foam roll in the beginning of the week. Attempt to start running on Wednesday or Thursday. Try to do a shorter long run over the weekend. Run in Narragansett!

I looked into Hal Higdon's multiple marathon plans. I like Hal's plans, but I'm not sure the 4-week one is right for me. The mid-week runs looked reasonable. But there is a longish long run the weekend before the marathon and only one week of taper. I would like to do one longish long run next weekend. I'm leery of a one-week taper. So I think I am going to make up my own plan. I have the flexibility to be able to run more, although I know not to ramp it up too quickly. The big thing I need to do is continue to pay very careful attention to my body. Now is not the time to do anything stupid.

Monday and Tuesday - Marathon recovery. No running. Foam rolling and playing with The Stick. Submitted my application for Gansett, waited to get it approved, and signed up the next day. Go go Gansett go!

Wednesday - Still no running. More foam rolling and playing with The Stick. My left leg felt reasonably OK. My right quad was still sore. It was getting better, though.

Thursday - 3.7 mile run. Got going just before 7am for an easy run to test the legs. Wore a skirt and short-sleeve T-shirt. In March. Pace was around 9:00, nice and easy. My right quad was still not 100%, but everything else was fine. I enjoyed seeing most of my morning regulars. Did some pushups in the evening because I felt like it. Got out the foam roller since I already had my mat out.

Friday - 4.6 mile run after work in Narragansett along the sea wall and Ocean Road. Beautiful weather. Waaaay too fast (8:18?!?), but everything felt good. I psychologically needed it. Right quad is up to 99%. Scouted out part of the Gansett course (long gentle incline in the 2nd and 17th miles that I somehow never noticed before), then got dinner from Markos Kabob for the second night in a row. Narragansett is one of the things I will miss the most. Less than one week til I leave Rhode Island :-(

Saturday - 8.5 mile long run. Paced this one in the 8:40s. Much better. Felt great. It was a perfect day to be out for a run. Right around 50 degrees with mostly sunny skies and some breezes. Went to Brown University and downtown Providence, then turned around and retraced my route.

Total Miles - 16.8

And now for my next act

It's official. I am running the Gansett Marathon in Narragansett, RI. In 25 days. 27 days after Shamrock.

Crazy? C'mon now. Did you really expect anything less? You're talking to someone who has already ran a marathon and half marathon 7 days apart. Yes, this is different. I will manage it. I got here by working hard, but I also got here by carefully listening to my body.

I volunteered at Gansett last year because I wanted to see what it was all about. I knew I'd qualify. Eventually. I didn't know that eventually was going to be this year. My time might not be good enough for 2013, so 2012 it is. Plus I can use my Shamrock time for Boston for next year. That actually works pretty well. How could I not sign up for the only qualifiers only marathon outside of the Olympic Trials?? People say you are ready for next marathon when you have forgotten the last one. I was psychologically ready to sign up for Gansett as soon as I crossed the finish line at Shamrock.

Gansett will be very different than, say, a big city marathon like Chicago. Heck, it'll be different than a small city marathon like Cox Providence. It will be a marathoner's marathon. No big corporate sponsors. No frills. No crowds. No big hassles. I'm looking forward to that.

I haven't mapped out my training plan yet. My legs are a little bit more beat up than after Chicago. But not by much. I am not having any trouble with stairs. I brought The Stick to work with me to use as necessary. I'll wait and see how long it takes me to recover. This week is going to be easy, hopefully getting back into running at the end of the week. I will be temporarily unemployed (mostly) after the end of this week. That means extra time to run. This opportunity is not likely to come around again anytime soon. Why not take advantage of it?

I knew there was a reason why I set the background on my phone to this picture of The Towers. Gansett runs under The Towers twice. I ran Shamrock with my phone tucked into the pocket of my Fuelbelt. In a way, The Towers came along with me :-)

Reeeally quick Shamrock update

3:31:27.

That gets me into Boston for 2013. But it also gets me into the Gansett Marathon for 2012. In 4 weeks. As soon as the results are official, I am signing up for Gansett.

More later. Seriously could not have gone better!

Volunteer Report - Gansett Marathon

I volunteered at the the Gansett Marathon in Naragansett, RI on April 16, 2011. Gansett is a qualifier-only marathon with current age-graded qualifying times 5 minutes faster than the Boston Marathon. Runner's World readers may have seen April's story about this race. Or you may have seen last year's article on cnn.com or the piece on NPR. Last year, the race was in Exeter (rural RI town) with about 50 finishers. But because it was so successful, it was moved to the seaside town of Narragansett. About 160 people finished this year. Since I don't qualify (yet), the next best thing was volunteer.

The course was a two-loop course with a 16-mile loop followed by a 10-mile loop on a similar course. I was at an intersection a couple miles from the end of both loops. Runners came by my spot twice.

Some Observations:

- The race director is an accomplished runner and is EXTREMELY well-organized. He does great things on a shoestring budget. I don't think this race has broken even yet but I have no doubt it will in the future.

-The runners were super awesome. My favorite was the guy in a pink shirt, pink tutu, and wand. I thought, there's no way this guy can be fast. He finished under 3:20 (BTW, this was Keith Straw ... saw him on the Badwater special on the Weather Channel).

- Handmade mile markers at every mile and half mile on sandwich boards (pictures below). Not chip-timed due to the small size.

- Flat, pretty course - I've ran on just about the entire course in other races. Very scenic. You'll see the ocean, a lighthouse, fishing boats, big houses, and The Towers.

- Weather - Unpredictable this time of year. It was very windy. Now, it is always at least a little bit windy close to the ocean. It was unusually windy due to a storm that came through the evening of race day. Otherwise, the temperature was perfect.

- Large gaps between runners - There were several small packs of runners, but I'd say the majority were running alone, possibly without another runner in sight.

- Minimal crowd support. Given the small size, I wasn't surprised.

- The course was open to traffic with volunteers at street intersections. My spot also had a police officer to help direct vehicles. However, because the course was open, that means spectators with cars can easily drive around the course to see their runners at multiple points.

- Several miles of the course were on the shoulder of a busy 4-lane road. The shoulder still had leftover sand in it. Apparently, the street had been cleaned, but the sand from the sidewalks had been cleared into the street and was still in the road. The race director said the town of Narragansett seemed amenable to the race and he'd try to work with the town next year.

- Swag - minimal and not in a bad way. Finishers get a patch with the Gansett Marathon logo. The T shirts looked and felt nice. No corporate logos on the shirt, just Gansett Marathon in a swirly font on the front and the Gansett Marathon logo on the back. The age category awards were beautiful glass sailboats.

- Course support - can't really comment but I think everything went smoothly. Water stations had water and Gatorade. There were 6 stations, 2 with Gus. I'm not sure how many total stops there were, considering that runners passed most spots twice.

- Logistics - Start and finish lines were across the street from the race host hotel. Pre- and post-race staging ground was the hotel banquet room.

- Traveling - This is not an easy race to get to without a car. Cabs and public transportation to/from and in Narragansett are limited. The airport is far away. Well, 30 miles is far for Rhode Island. Amtrak is closer (the Kingston Amtrak station is one town over), but even that is not particularly accessible.

- I have heard pretty much only good things from runners, volunteers, and spectators alike. Aside from the sand in the road and a runner's comment that you see the mile markers for the second loop including a 1 mile to go sign on the first loop, that's it.

- Did I mention the race director? Yeah. He's so good it's worth mentioning again.

- Southern Rhode Island is a nice place to visit - OK, I am completely biased here. I lived in a neighboring town for 7 years and now live in the Providence area. I realized that I really really really miss living near Narragansett. Sorry, that has nothing to do with my report. But come visit Rhode Island ;-)

What will happen with Gansett next year? To some extent, I think it will depend on what happens with Boston registration. No one really knows how Boston registration with the changes will go. Gansett got a spike in registration right after Boston closed, so some of this year's race was an overflow from Boston. I am certain Gansett will grow as more and more people hear about it. But no idea how quickly.

Gansett is about the marathon and the runners, not the frills. It will always be a qualifier-only no-exceptions marathon. EVERYONE was really nice. The weather is unpredictable, but that's true of almost anywhere. The course is flat and PRable, even with the wind. Overall, Gansett is a well-run quality race. Eventually, I want to qualify for Gansett. I'm not sure when that will happen. Maybe next year, maybe in a few years, but it WILL happen.

Pictures:

The Towers, Narragansett, RI


View from the banquet room of the race host hotel


Runners getting ready to go


Mile 16 1/2 mini sandwich board


Finish line


I saw the start and then I went out to my position.



Mile 14 sandwich board


Bonus points if you can figure out what the bottom line of this means: