Whining about the wind

It’s been difficult coming to terms with the result of Sunday’s race. Yes, I understand that running is a sport where there are many elements and variables that are out of the athlete’s control. And yes, I understand that sometimes it really doesn’t matter how hard a runner has trained or how fit they are.

Sometimes stuff just happens. It rains or gets too hot. The wind blows. What can you do?

That’s the smart rationalization, of course. But as I warmed up to run in yet another rainy, humid and windy day here in Central Pennsylvania I wondered why I felt the need to explain my race to everyone who asked about it instead of simply accepting the austerity of the outcome.

Why can’t there be an asterisk next to my 2:54:21 indicating that it was a wind disabled performance? They do that for wind-aided performances, right? Can’t it be a two-way street?

Along those lines I felt the need to look up the evidence from Dr. Jack Daniels that states running into a 15-m.p.h. headwind at 6:00 per mile takes the same amount of energy as running a five-minute mile. So if I ran into winds heavier than that with 32-m.p.h. gusts, how much time did I lose? Ten minutes? More? Less?

“You really haven’t had very good luck with the weather this year,” a friend pointed out, noting that I wilted in the heat during the Vermont City Marathon last May.

True enough. It was hot in Vermont that last Sunday in May. But I’d also wasn’t in great shape, either, having only come out of retirement eight weeks before the race. I needed perfect weather that day to run to the highest level of my potential. That wasn’t the case this time around. I was fit and trained despite noting that I was “a year away” from a good marathon. Rain or heat was not going to limit me this time.

Wind is a different story.

Nevertheless, before the whining and continued explaining gets too thick, I toughed out 10 miles in 1:11:49 despite driving, flooding rain and steady – yet tempered – winds. My recovery is going well, but I still have to relax a bit and heal. I actually entertained the idea of staying indoors and skipping the run because my right hip and hamstring are still a bit sore and my lower back is a bit tight, also, but then thought better of it.

Seriously, what am I going to do – not run? Because it was raining?

Ha!

Tomorrow’s forecast is much improved than today’s rain and flash-flood warnings. We’re supposed to have partly cloudy skies with 54-degree temps. I guess I’ll go out and run.

Running nugget
Here’s a story about Bill Rodgers, a guy who never complained about a day spent running, as remembered by former rival Art Hall.

Where was the Wicked Witch?

Stats:
2:54:21
7th place – 2nd in age

Breakdown
The weather was horrible -- a steady rain pelted us all day, while a 20-m.p.h. headwind (gusts up to 32 m.p.h. according to the local news) beat the dogbleep out of us. A kind estimate is that at least 15 miles of the race were run into that steady, driving wind. During the first half of the race the wind just beat me up and there were instances where gusts blew me backwards. Once, I took two steps backward while trying to run forward. Meanwhile, I had to dodge puddles for much of the race lest my feet get more soaked than they were and make it even more uncomfortable.

Wind, more than anything, is the runner's enemy. I'm sure that it affected everyone's performance.

I ran the first 5 miles in 31 minutes, which was off my 29-minute goal; 10 miles in 64 instead of 59; and halfway in 1:25 instead of 1:17. Needless to say I felt like quitting for much of the first half because I was so discouraged by the headwind. I actually pulled back a few times during the first half hoping that I could save some energy for the back half.

It seemed to have worked.

Despite it being the hilliest and most difficult part of the course, I ran OK from miles 15 to 20, holding my place even though I hit 20 in a really slow 2:12 (my goal was 1:56 to 1:59). Somehow, though, I decided to get tough over the final 10k, remembering from my old days that I used to tell myself that I could "run the last 10k of a marathon in 40 minutes in my sleep."

Well, I was close.

I hit 21 in 2:19:49 after stopping to drink my Gatorade and Red Bull mix and followed that with 6:37, 6:35, 6:43, 6:34, to 8:00 for the last 1.2 miles. At 21 I told my wife -- who with her dad gallantly met me at miles 7, 14, and 21 with my drinks and encouragement (they were amazing... truly and honestly) -- that I was "going to try to run the last 5 in 33."

Instead, I ran the last 5.2 in 34:29.

I was close.

Nevertheless, from the 21st mile to the finish I jumped from 11th place to 7th and needed about another 100 yards to take over 6th place. I'm sure I would have done it, too, because the 6th-place finisher had three guys pacing him on foot and two others on a bike, who repeatedly checked my progress to inform him where I was. He had a support staff like Lance Armstrong last weekend in NYC last.

Minus the TV cameras, of course.

With less than 2 miles to go, it appeared as if one of the bike pacers doubled back to check on my progress before reporting back. I suppose they told him to hurry up because I was closing fast.

I doubt they told him that I ran 19 of the 26.2 miles by myself and ran tougher than he did.

Anyway, I'm disappointed with my time -- 2:54:21. Based on my workouts and the charts measuring my times and VO2, I definitely feel that I was in shape to run between 2:36 and 2:40. Had the conditions been better today I'm certain that I could have gone sub-2:45.

What can you do? The time sucks, but I was tough and I didn't quit. I'm not discouraged. In fact, if I continue training the way I did since taking my first step in March, I'll get there. Perhaps the ship has sailed on 2:22 -- I'm too old. However, 2:30 is reasonable and I'm pleased to report that I'm back.

And I'm not going anywhere.

One tactical error
Chuck Engle, yes the Chuck Engle, ran the race and finished 3rd in sub-2:48. Had I seen him at the start or during the cluster of the first few miles, I would have glued myself to him and worked with him for the duration.

Afterwards I had the pleasure of chatting with the great Mr. Engle – truly a badass and a true gentleman – and now I’m even a bigger fan than I was before.

For my money, Chuck Engle is much, much more impressive than that Dean dude. If only the mainstream media (wait… isn’t that me?) were aware of how much more difficult his feats are that the other guy. Running is easy and anyone can do it. Running fast and consistently is an achievement.

Rant complete.

What's next?
Down the road, I don't know. I'll have to sit down with my wife and map it out. I'll definitely train to race in some of the better-known local races and try to get some PRs and be competitive.

Another marathon? Maybe in the spring and definitely one for the Fall. I'm too old to focus on two hard efforts a year, but I really love training hard.

Short term I'm contemplating jumping in the Northern Central Trail Marathon on Nov. 25 if the weather is nice and other variables are conducive.

We'll see...

Should we talk about the weather?

Generally, I really don’t hang out with runners. Better yet, let me explain that better… I don’t hang out with runners like me, and by that I mean obsessive folks who have to complete certain workouts every day and certain mileage, etc. every week.

I hang with people who run, but not folks who base all of their training and workouts on specific times in a particular race.

People like me are weird.

Be that as it is, whenever I talk to “competitive” runners about training, race and workout times and that kind of stuff, inevitably the conversation always ends the same way: “Sounds like you’re pretty strong. You’re going to do well in (insert name of race here) if you get good weather.”

The regular runners I hang out with never talk about the weather. It’s like it doesn’t exist in the realm of running in heir viewpoint. Oh sure, they know about the weather and the change of seasons and all of that, but the idea of how it effects racing and running is lost on them. If it’s raining or if it’s too cold, they just stay in and save the workout for another day or go to the gym and run on a treadmill.

The conversation about training with my friends usually culminates with a: “Wow, you run a lot.”

Frankly, I prefer to have my ego stroked and not to worry about the weather.

But the weather is an issue for folks who train for late autumn races in the Northeast. It appeared to be an issue at this year’s Chicago Marathon, too, where the times on the lightning quick course were just a tad slower than normal. Yeah, lots of people ran well at Chicago – 44 American men qualified for the Olympic Trials in the race – but think what they could have done if the wind and temperatures had been more seasonal.

It definitely makes it frustrating when a person trains hard during the heat and humidity of the summer only to have his race messed up by windy conditions and cold air. For people like me, who need every advantage they can get just to run a respectable time, the weather is that much more of a factor.

That’s why I’m hoping the spate of coolish temps and high, driving winds is just one of those crazy snaps in the system. Hopefully, the weather is getting the rain and wind out of its system now so it will be 55 degrees with no wind and overcast skies on Nov. 12 in Harrisburg, Pa. Yeah, I expect some wind since part of the race course rolls past the mighty Susquehanna River on the way around City Island, but as long as it’s manageable…

Today the wind was manageable simply because I’m used to it now. The steady 25-m.p.h. gusts had little effect except for a few areas where there were no trees, houses or building to block the air. Better yet, the mid-40 degree wind chills were kind of refreshing. When the wind was pushing me off the road or blowing directly into my face, the crisp, nip air was perfect. It made me remember that hot and humidity stretch in late July and early August when I had to do all of my running at night.

Today I knifed through the wind like a low 2-iron shot for my typical, easy Sunday for a steady and solid 11½ miles in 1:16:41. Though I ran the first 8-plus miles faster than 6:30 per mile pace, I didn’t worry about anything other than enjoying the run. I even took my iPod with me, which is something I do when I don’t care about my focus.

Either way, it wasn’t a bad way to spend an hour on a Sunday.

Running nugget
Catherine Ndereba, or as she is better known, "Catherine the Great," is in New York City for next Sunday's marathon. The Times caught up with her at an appearance at a school, where the Kenyan who often trained in nearby Valley Forge, entertained the kids.

How good is the NYC Marathon going to be this year? Catherine the Great vs. Deena Kastor in the women's race and the deep American field with Baldini and Tergat in the men's race...

Wow!