I've never considered myself a very good runner. While I have realistic expectations about my potential as a runner, I feel that I have been underachieving for years. Part of that, I suppose, is due to the nature of triathlon. You're never going to reach your maximum potential as a swimmer, cyclist, or runner because you aren't able to dedicate the appropriate amount of time to any one endeavor. Rather, you find a balance that allows you to be competent at all three. I love the sport, but it also frustrates me at times that it prevents me from becoming a good runner, swimmer, or cyclist. As long as I'm in the sport I will never fully achieve my potential in any of those three sports. That's something I've come to accept, but I remain curious about my limits in the individual endeavors. So early on this year I decided that I would change my approach to the season in order to give myself some time to develop as a runner. I knew going in that a two month block of run-only training wouldn't be enough to unlock my (potential) talents, but I wanted to see just how much I could improve if I had a singular focus. The answer, as it turns out, is a lot. And it's only allowed my curiosity to grow.
Eliot Festival Day 5k
I first raced in Eliot when I was 14 years old. It was, I believe, my second road race. Back then I ran 19:21, a 19 second improvement over my first attempt at the distance earlier that year (the internet really is an amazing thing). Between the ages of 14 and 27 I ran the race whenever I was able. My best result prior to this year, was 2013 when I ran 18:13. In 13 years I managed to drop one minute and eight seconds off my PR on the course. But I'd never focused on running. It was just something that I did alongside swimming and biking. And, clearly, I never really developed. This year, however, was different. I ran 17:30, a 43 second PR on the course. Now, 17:30 in itself is not at all an impressive time. But a drop of 43 seconds from 18:13 to 17:30 in a single year is. It's a promising sign for the future and shows me that there is still significant room for improvement. Heading into this year I thought I might have exhausted my potential and would only ever be an 18 minute 5k athlete regardless of the training I did. I've proven myself that I have the ability to be much more than that. Taking huge chunks of time lets me know that there are still improvements on the horizon and, before long, I hope to be stopping the clock before it hits seventeen minutes.
PS - I sort of won the race. I mean, I didn't actually win, but I got paid as though I did. Erica Jesseman, a professional runner, happened to be at the race and crossed the line well before I did taking the overall win. She's an incredible runner and I had no shot to stay with her. Next year, maybe! However, I still took home the title of Overall Male which came with a nice (and unexpected) paycheck!
Maine Half Marathon
The Maine Marathon is one of my favorite races. Ever. I love everything about it and will return year after year. I wouldn't have told you that in 2006, though. Back then I stupidly attempted the full distance without knowing anything about running or how to train properly. I was running pure athleticism and ego. After hitting the halfway point in 1:35, by mile 16 my ego was bruised and my athleticism seemed to have disappeared completely. It was that race that caused me to try triathlon. I was so deviated by my horrific performance that I wanted nothing to do with the road racing scene. I certainly wanted nothing to do with marathons. In fact, I didn't run a standalone race longer than 10k between that day in 2006 and the same day in 2013. For all those years, I hated the Maine Marathon. Not because it was a poorly run race, but because I had suffered on the course. However, I have grown to appreciate what the race has given me. It was a turning point in my career.
Last year, when I tried a similar, but far less intense run-focus I managed to run 1:26:40 at the Maine Half. I was ecstatic with that result. It gave me hope that I might be able to run 1:24 some day. Twelve months later I toed the line with the number 1:23 in mind. Rather than running 25-30 miles a week like in the past, I have been putting in 40-60 miles per week the past 10 months. And the recent run focus had proven to me that I had the ability to break down the barrier I had set for myself.
I've worked very hard this year to institute progression into my run pacing. Approximately half of my long runs dating back to early last spring have had an element of progression. Those runs are fairly aggressive in nature, but I also attempt to build into every run other than my recovery runs. Even when I'm running easy, in my extensive zone, I end running (slightly) harder than I started. The results have been amazing and I am able to build into races much more comfortably. The days of setting a goal pace, running it for as long as possible, then fading late in the race are over. I now have the ability, both physically and mentally, to start below goal race pace and negative split.
My run at the Maine Half was nearly perfect. I planned to run the race in 4 stages broken down as follows: 2 miles, 5 miles, 4 miles, 2 miles. The basic plan was to run roughly 6:20, 6:15, 6:10, and 6:00-6:05 respectively for each segment of the race (subject to wind conditions and terrain, of course). At mile one, my watch buzzed with a time of 6:20. At mile 2 it read 6:21. Miles of 6:17, 6:18, 6:13, 6:18, 6:09 followed during my second segment. I continued on with 6:17, 6:07, 6:13 and 6:14 during segment three before closing out the race with miles of 6:11 and 6:03. The overall shape of my run, when I took into consideration the winds and terrain, was spot on. I could not be any happier with the way I executed the race plan. And there's room for improvement.
I finished the day, which happened to be 13.2 miles because I wasn't aware that the 13.1 measurement was taken with the first and last miles run on the footpath rather than the road around Back Bay, in a time of 1:22:20. In one year I dropped 4:20 off a very respectable 2013 finish. It's further proof that I have so much room to grow as an athlete. I am nowhere near my ceiling and that's incredibly exciting.
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