On Saturday, May 18, 2013, I completed the Fargo Marathon.  The site was selected for a few reasons including being close to family (my parents came over from Bismarck), and the fact that it is a very flat course.  I was shooting for my first sub-4 hour marathon, and the flat course would definitely help.  In 2011, I ran a 4:09 with somewhat minimal training.
I took a half day on Friday and drove up to Fargo alone, arriving at about 4pm.  I met my parents for an early dinner at 5pm at an Italian restaurant.  I ordered bowtie pasta with a red meat sauce.  I had been drinking lots of water that day and several prior, so I continued that at the restaurant.  Well, I snuck in a delicious glass of pinot noir to take the edge off.
I went to bed around 9:45 and slept like a baby until a thunderstorm worked its way through the area at about 3:30am.  I quickly went back to sleep and woke up at 5:30.  I felt pretty good.  Breakfast was a bagel with peanut butter, a banana, coffee, and Gatorade.
The drive to the Fargo Dome was longer than I expected.  There was a line of traffic virtually the whole way.  I'm glad I gave myself plenty of time.  The marathon started at 8:15am and I wanted to get there by about 7.  I ultimately arrived at about 7:15 and relaxed with a friend until heading outside at 8.  It was chilly (about 50) and cloudy at the start.  Perfect running weather, except a decent breeze right in our faces.
I didn't feel the need to wear a visor, apply sunscreen, or wear sunglasses - big mistake, but we'll get to that later.
I ran with said friend Corie, as we had the same goal of a sub 4 hour marathon.  We started out just behind the 3:50 pacer, figuring we could do about 8:50 miles for the first 20 and give ourselves time to do 10 minute miles for the final 6.2.  We were cruising along for the first 12 miles while the sun was still behind the clouds.  When the clouds went away, the entire race changed. 
We've had a very cold spring, so I was completely unprepared for the heat and humidity which descended upon us at about mile 14.  I could feel myself getting drained, and keeping the 8:50/mile pace became difficult very quickly.
I decided at about 15 that a 4 hour marathon was probably out of the cards, and may be even a little dangerous (I ended up in the hospital after a 2006 marathon).  So I decided to take as many walking breaks as I needed and run when I could for the final 10 miles.  It kept getting warmer and more humid.
Based on the splits below, you can see how the heat affected me:
1 - 8:51
2 - 8:40
3 - 8:55
4 - 8:42
5 - 8:56
6 - 8:55
7 - 9:14
8 - 9:08
9 - 8:58
10 - 8:56
11 - 9:08
12 - 9:08
13 - 9:17 (here comes the sun)
14 - 9:19
15 - 10:04 (walking breaks begin)
16 - 10:32
17 - 11:29
18 - 15:40 (I walked most of this mile)
19 - 12:38
20 - 14:29
21 - 13:27
22 - 12:37
23 - 14:58
24 - 13:23
25 - 12:59
26 - 12:21

Grandma's Half Marathon - June 2012

This weekend was Grandma's Marathon weekend in Duluth.  I was lucky enough to be selected for a half marathon spot via their lottery system.
I did very few long training runs leading up to this event.  Other than Goldy's 10 Mile and pacing the two hour group for the Maple Grove Half Marathon, I haven't even approached a ten mile run this spring.  I feel like I'm in pretty good shape, but distance training has been at a minimum.
I went into the race trying to beat my previous best of 1:50:35 which was established in 2006 at the Urban Wildland Half Marathon.  At that time I was prepping for the Twin Cities Marathon.
We arrived in Duluth on Friday and had a relaxing evening of dinner with our hosts/friends.  We went to bed around 9:30 and set the alarm for 4am (ouch!).  I was up a few minutes before the alarm.  We had breakfast of a bagel with peanut butter and a banana, and caught the bus to the starting area at around 4:50am.
We had a long wait before the 6:45am start of the race.  I worked my way through the thousands of people and found the 1:50 pace group leader.  I knew that he'd bring us in just under 1:50, which would beat my goal.  This works out to about an 8:23 mile.
It was very crowded over the first mile.  I found myself doing some zig-zagging, but managed to keep my eye on the pacer and not let him get too far out of sight.  By about mile 4 it was pretty easy to stay within 20 feet of him.  He did not walk through water stops (he never drank!) which is my habit, so I had to catch up after every water stop.  Eventually I just got ahead of him leading up to the water stops so we'd even out after them.
The miles really flew by.  I never realized how often I check my watch and focus on timing until this race when I didn't have to think about it.  By about mile 11, I was pretty sure I could stick with him until the end but it would be a challenge.  The sun was out and the day was warm and muggy.
When we got into Duluth with a couple miles to go, the crowd really helped me through the tough parts.  When we finally got to the DECC around mile 12.5, I asked the pacer how much time we had "in the bank" and he said about a minute.  Then I knew I had it in the bag.  It felt terrific to finish.  I could have maybe finished 30 seconds or so faster if I went all out for this race, but not much more (if any).  Here are the splits:
1 - 8:55
2 - 8:12
3 - 8:04
4 - 8:13
5 - 8:08
6 - 8:06
7 - 8:20
8 - 8:26
9 - 8:20
10 - 8:14
11 - 8:17
12 - 8:21
13 - 8:16
13.1 - 7:59 pace
Total chip time:  1:49:12
5K:  25:55
10K:  51:41
19 mile:  1:23:13

Goldy's Run, 4/14/12 - 10 mile

This was the first major race of 2012.  I "ran" the Valentine's Day 5K in February, but it was a total fun run and speed was not the objective.
Goldy's Run begins just outside of the Gopher football stadium in Minneapolis.  I knew very little about the route when I started the race, so I just tried to play it by ear.  My PR at a 10 mile distance is 1:17:00, and I knew I didn't stand a chance to get close to that.  I typically try to keep it around 1:20, but that's for later in the racing season when I have some speed work under my belt.
So for this race I was shooting for around 1:24 to 1:26.  My friend Tammy was running with me and she said that she'd be happy with a 1:26 or so - a perfect running partner!
The race started off down University Avenue toward the river.  It was pretty crowded for the first mile or two, with little opportunity to pass others.  There was an early hill at about mile 2.  I also noticed that the first mile marker was at the 1.09 mile mark on my Garmin.  Others noticed the same thing.  This 0.09 to 0.10 discrepancy held throughout the race, which was kind of a bummer.
The race had several large hills in the last half of the race, which really tired the runners out.  The weather was perfect, but not good enough to relieve us from those darn hills.  There was one especially steep one at about mile 8.5 as you cross the river for the final time and arrive back into the U of MN campus.  We needed a short walking break at the top of this hill.
I finished in just over 1:25, and Tammy finished in the 1:26's.  I felt pretty good at the end, but definitely tired.  I don't know how much faster I could have finished if I had run on my own (if at all).  Overall, a good kick-off to the 2012 racing season.  Next up, Trail Mix next weekend!

2011 WhistleStop full marathon

Even though I'm filing this under the 2010 Grandma's blog, I wanted to add notes regarding my 2011 WhistleStop Marathon, which I completed the day before writing this.
My training for this marathon was not nearly as intense as my preparation for last year's Grandma's. I consistently did weekend long runs, but was horribly inconsistent on mid-week runs. I have a new job with a long commute, so morning runs would be difficult and it was a busy summer which took up many weekday evenings.
I basically used Hal Higdon's mileage charts for weekend distances. I ended up doing two 20 milers with a 13 miler in between. I did the last 20 three weeks before race day.
I was a little worried about how race day would go. My 20 milers went fairly well, but I thought my lack of weekday runs would hurt me in the last 6.2 of the race. So I went into the race thinking I'll take it easy, aiming to be steady and finish healthy. I was confident I'd improve my PR of 4:48, barring any medical (back) issues which have plagued me in the past during marathons. I prepared for this by working Tylenol into my training to handle the pain that pops up after a couple hours of running.
Anne and I arrived in the Ashland area at about 4pm the day before the marathon. We picked up our packets and went to the cabin where we were staying to fix dinner. We had pasta with ground turkey meatballs and Newman's Own marinara, along with a salad and warmed up french bread. I had about 3/4 of a glass of wine and several glasses of water. I skipped the salad to avoid too many vegetables and had extra pasta and bread. There were seven of us at the cabin, and we watched a movie (True Grit) before hitting the hay at about 10:15pm.
I slept well and woke up before the alarm shortly after 5am. It was a great day for running, with temps in the upper 40's with a wind out of the west at about 20 mph - a great thing for a west-to-east race! I decided to bring several options to the starting area and make a game-time decision on what to wear when the gun went off.
We boarded a bus at about 7:15am to get to the starting area. I was very relaxed and was looking forward to the run. I joked the whole way with my friends John and Dave and a few other people on the ride up. When we got there, we ended up waiting for the start in a small bar. We bellied up and took it easy as 9am approached. It was nice because there were plenty of restrooms, and we got good seats in the bar to spread out our stuff and get everything ready.
The gun went off at 9am, and the weather was perfect. Mostly sunny, about 42 degrees, and a wind at our backs. I went out at a very easy pace, trying to stay calm and remembering all the miles that were ahead of me. Not fearing those miles, but respecting them (if that makes any sense). The marathon is mostly on a crushed gravel trail. It was well packed this year, but some areas get a little soft. If you don't watch it, you might step on a bigger rock or hit a soft spot and turn your ankle.
I was feeling great for the first seven miles or so. There were plenty of water stops, and plenty of room on the course. It never felt crowded (a far cry from last year's half marathon).
I decided to take a walking break at mile 7 for a minute or two. Not that I needed it, but I thought it would be good to get some rest in for later. On the spot, I thought that I'd rest at mile 7, then do it again 6 miles later, then 5, and so on. I picked out a tree about 75 yards from mile marker 7, and walked to it then started running again.
At mile 10, I took my first gel. I was feeling really good, like I was out on an easy training run. But as you'll see later, my pacing was pretty good (for me), faster than most long training runs.
My next walking break was scheduled for 13 (7+6). I walked for a little while and started up again, seeing the halfway point. I looked at my watch and it said 2:04. I'd have to do a negative split to hit 4 hours, but I was fine with not doing that. I figured I might be able to do about a 4:15 the way I was going.
I started running again and took a second gel at about 14 at a water stop. There were plenty of water stops, and all the volunteers (mostly kids) were terrific!
Just in case, I popped a Tylenol at about 14 since my muscles were getting a little sore. At this point I realized that I was feeling MUCH better at this point in the race than I had at any of my previous three marathons.
So my next scheduled walking break was at mile 18 (13+5). I actually felt really good at the 18 mile mark so I just kept going. I found myself wondering when the pain would arrive, as this was about where my shoulder and back pain started in the last two marathons. I think the Tylenol did the trick, since the pain never arrived! So I was going along pretty well but starting to get tired.
I didn't do any more extended walking breaks, but I did take a little extra time at each water stop. I don't remember where I took my final gel, but I ended up using three. I didn't take the last Tylenol I had, nor did I have to resort to the vicodin I had along just in case.
At mile 20, I was getting really tired and my feet were starting to hurt, but nothing really out of the ordinary. For some strange reason, I reached up an high-fived the 20 mile sign which was about 7 feet off the ground. Maybe I was thinking how horrible this point was for the last two marathons, and how happy I was to cruise right by it this year.
For the last 6.2, many people were walking. I passed several people through this stretch, and was feeling good about the fact that I still had a decent amount of energy while so many people were having a tough time (I know this sounds selfish, but I needed some positive thoughts at that point).
When I passed mile markers, I hit the lap button on my watch and looked at how long the previous mile took. I tried to keep them under 10 minutes, and started to calculate when I might finish. A sub 4 hour marathon was out of reach, but I realized at about 19 that a 4:10 was in reach. That number sounded good so I kept running with very few walking breaks the rest of the way.
As I neared the finish area, I could hear the crowd and the emcee over the speakers. The last half mile or so seemed to take forever as you enter the recreational area and wind through fields and buildings. I turned the last corner and saw Anne cheering me on. I made a little dash for the finish line, seeing the clock at about 4:10:05. I knew I crossed the starting line about 30 seconds after the gun went off, so I was sub 4:10! There was a cameraperson in the finishing area right as you cross the line so I had a big smile, raised both arms, and got my picture taken. I actually might buy that one if it turns out. It felt so good to finish!
I had some water, made my way through the food area, and met up with Anne and friends outside. I was walking very slowly for the next hour or so, as I picked up my sweat bag and got some more food.
Here are the splits:
1 - 9:42
2 - 9:12
3 - 9:26
4 - 9:14
5 - 9:25
6 - 9:14
7 - 9:20
8 - 9:48 (includes walking break)
9 - 9:18
10 - 9:26
11 - 9:10
12 - 9:05
13 - 9:03 (nice little 3 mile stretch here!)
14 - 9:58 (includes walking break)
15 - 9:15
16 - 9:14
17 - 9:25
18 - 9:28
19 - 9:04
20 - 9:51
21 - 9:43
22 - 9:52
23 - 10:25
24 - 10:04
25 - 9:31 (wow!)
26 - the last 1.29 miles didn't accurately register because I forgot to hit stop at the finish. It says 17:45 for this distance, which included walking around at the finish until I realized the time was still recording. I suppose I could add up the 25 splits and subtract from my finishing time - maybe later.
My official finishing time is 4:09:32.3. This averages out to 9:31/mile. I was 254th out of 477 finishers, 181/283 men, and 16/27 in males age 35-39. Not too shabby!
I am really happy about my result. After three painful marathon experiences before, I didn't know if I could make it through one without experiencing such major problems. But I made the adjustments and got it done - and had a lot of fun doing it!
After the race, we went back to the cabin to clean up and relax. I didn't take a nap, I was still pretty pumped up about the race. So I just took a long shower, relaxed with a magazine, and hung out until we went to dinner at about 6. We went to our traditional dinner place, Patsys, then went to the Blues and Brews festival in Ashland.
A great weekend all around! Already looking forward to next year, but maybe just doing the 10K or the half. Or...maybe the full? Who knows!

Race re-cap - finally :)

30

It's been almost a month, and I'm finally getting around to updating the blog on the big event.
There's so much to say about the day and what happened, so I'll just give an hour-by-hour recap.
We left the Twin Cities on Friday morning to beat the traffic as much as possible. We stopped in Hinckley a little after noon for lunch at Subway. It was really packed, I'd imagine because it's a popular stop for people on their way up north on the weekends.
We arrived in Duluth and went straight to packet pick-up. The expo was fun, we walked through the whole thing and ran into some people we knew.
Anne was doing the 5K at 6pm and was planning to have dinner afterward. That'd be too late for me, so I met a friend at the pasta feed at the expo. We met at 5pm so I could finish and watch Anne do her race. She did great, a PR!
After the race we stopped by Green Mill so the girls could eat. I had a few large glasses of water. Their pizza and beer looked TERRIFIC!
We went back to the house where we were staying and I started getting things ready for the morning.
Like a running nerd I literally laid things out in the order I'd put them on. I packed up the backpack which Anne would bring along the course to support me. I made sure I had plenty of gels, water, electrolyte pills, and anything else I'd need.
I went to bed at about 9:15pm with the earplugs in since there were other people in the house. The alarm was set for 4:45am so I could eat and make the bus at about 6am. I woke up ready to go, had a good breakfast and jumped on the bus with a bunch of other nervous people. On the ride up I sent about 10 texts to other runners and friends. This was probably a good stress reliever to keep my mind off the race for a little while.
OK, finally time for the race. The strategy Bill and I established was as follows:
Miles 0-5: 9 minute miles, relaxed
Miles 5-20: 8:15-8:45/mile, relaxed but a little more focused, walk through water stops
Miles 20-26.2: Whatever I have left
I lined up at the starting area just ahead of the 4 hour pace group. I wasn't using a watch since I trained myself to identify my pacing, kind of a "tool box" where I can grab whatever tool I need throughout the race.
When the gun went off, I did the first 5 miles and felt very relaxed. My support crew met me at mile 5 and I had my first gel. The weather was good, not great, for a marathon. It was about 60 and cloudy with a wind out of the south of about 10-15. So it was in our faces. It didn't feel like it provided much resistance, it was more of a refreshing breeze.
I was running with a girl who I chatted with at the starting line. We were at exactly the same pace, so it was fun to chat it up for the first 5 miles.
After the 5 mile mark, I sped up a bit to trim about 30 seconds a mile off my pace. I passed quite a few people at this point. The sun came out and the temperature rose about 5 degrees which was noticeable.
I held the pace pretty well, and at the end of Mile 9 I took a walking break and met the crew for a gel and water. It added about a minute to that mile, which was fine. I was getting tired, as you can see in this picture.
The next 5-6 miles were fairly inconsistent. I was getting pretty tired, and kind of nervous about how I was going to finish. I mixed in some walking breaks, and the weather was getting warmer.
At about mile 18, I saw the crew and was feeling ok but not great. I noticed I was slowing down.
After I crossed the Mile 19 mark, my back completely flared up. Just like 2008! It wasn't really a sharp pain, it was more like a major discomfort. I walked for a while, hoping it'd go away, but it didn't.
My body did NOT want to run anymore. I decided since I had over six miles remaining, I'd take a long slow walk for a while and let things cool down. I found myself zig-zagging in the street. A medical volunteer asked me several times if I was ok, and she told her colleagues "Watch this guy, he might go down any time." There was a time there where I questioned whether I could finish this thing.
So I swallowed my pride and kept walking for almost two full miles. As you can see from the splits, Mile 20 took me about half an hour. The medical volunteer followed me for a while, and eventually I found a medical station and got a chewable Tylenol. That seemed to help after a few minutes.
After walking for what seemed like an eternity, I tried a slow jog. It wasn't as bad as I thought. Actually I should say it didn't hurt any worse than walking :) So for the next few miles I tried to run at least half the time. When I approached Lemon Drop Hill, I decided I was going to run up the whole thing. Turns out my friends Kris and Mark were spectating in the area, and they took this photo. Note how the spring in my step is pretty much gone - but I was still moving!
Once I made it to the top of the hill, I was in the town of Duluth. There were a lot of spectators cheering the runners on, which was great. I kept running as far as I could and took some walking breaks, but not as many as I took around miles 20-22. It was tough, but I knew the end was near. Mile 24 seemed to take forever, as I was waiting for the left turn to come up which led to the canal park.
I'm very proud to say that I ran the full lengths of miles 24-26.2. I could not WAIT for this race to be over. My back was on fire, my legs wanted to quit, and I wasn't feeling very good about myself since I was missing my time goal.
As I approached the finish line, I saw Anne and Melissa on the last turn (mile 26). I mustered up a smile and a wave. Their enthusiasm and smiles really cheered me up as I approached the finish line.
When I crossed the line, I wasn't feeling too well. My legs were cramping, my feet felt like they were sliced up by a cheese grater, and of course my back was flared. I got my medal and t-shirt, and saw Anne and Melissa on the sidewalk.
I told them I'd meet them later outside of the finishing area, and I went and sat down on the sidewalk for a while. I leaned back and laid down for about 15-20 minutes. It took every ounce of energy to stand up, plus I felt a little nauseous. I gingerly walked around a bit and grabbed some ice cream. I met the ladies at our designated spot and rested for another 10-20 minutes. It felt great to lie down and get off my feet.
Then I limped over to the edge of the lake to cool down my legs. The beach was really rocky and the water was freezing. It was almost impossible to walk over this given the state of my legs and feet. It wasn't comfortable but it probably helped my recovery. It was also great to run into my friends Stef and Kristal :) You can see how pained and uncomfortable I am in the picture on the left. But of course it went away after a while.


Time for a review of the splits. It's certainly a tale of two races:
Mile 1 - 9:17
2 - 8:58
3 - 9:04
4 - 8:54
5 - 8:52
6 - 8:39
7 - 8:33
8 - 8:46
9 - 9:29 (walking break #1)
10 - 8:11
11 - 8:30
12 - 8:35
13 - 8:24
14 - 8:33
15 - 9:00 (starting to tire and feel some pain here)
16 - 8:56
17 - 9:50 (walking break)
18 - 9:21
19 - 8:55 (gritted my teeth and got back on pace....for now)
20-20.17 - 33:04 (28:16 pace, I didn't hit the watch right on mile 20)
21 - 23:13 pace (still walking)
22 - 15:29, started jogging
23 - 12:22
24 - 13:16
25 - 11:18
26 - 11:07 - speeding up!
26-26.2 - 10:16 pace
Chip time: 4:48:57
10K mark: 55:44
13.1 mark: 1:55:39
20 mile mark: 3:18:54
25 mile mark: 4:35:08
Overall, I'd say I was on pace for about 20 miles, then basically sustained an in-race injury, and managed to recover to run most of the rest of the way. I went in with a sub 4-hour goal, but obviously missed that.
However, I am just as proud of the fact that I recovered from a major setback to finish this race. When I started walking at mile 19 and could barely walk in a straight line, I was thinking it was 50/50 whether I'd finish this thing. I ended up running the last 2-3 miles of the race, and I'm very proud of that fact.
Doing another marathon isn't exactly on the top of my list right now. I'm thinking of maybe doing it again in two years, and address the back issues between now and then. So we'll see what happens!
I'd like to conclude this portion of the blog with a couple of thank-you's. Thanks to my beautiful girlfriend Anne for all of her wonderful support throughout my training and the race itself. And of course thanks for Bill Wenmark for his great and challenging training program. I achieved some amazing things in this training program, things I wouldn't have imagined I could do at the beginning. Thanks again to you both!

Race weekend is here!

I just woke up from what experts call the most important night of sleep before the marathon- two nights out. Now today I'm being very careful of what I put into my stomach and what time I do so, to make everything go as smoothly as possible tomorrow.
Bill and I wrapped up our race-day strategy this week, here we go:
No watch! This might bother me a bit since my training involved timed intervals and maintaining a specific pace. But as we talked about, over these months I've developed a "toolbox" of different effort levels that I can call upon at any time.

Miles 0-5 - At the top of this toolbox is my relaxed long run pace, about 9 minutes/mile. This is what I'll do for the first five miles of Grandma's. Minimal focus will be needed to maintain this pace, I'm sure I'll have to focus more on slowing down than speeding up. At the 5 mile mark, I'm sure I'll feel good, have a decent sweat going, and have plenty left in the tank.

Miles 5-20 - For this 15 mile stretch, the pace will be 8:15/8:45 per mile. This is a bit slower than what I did for an hour last weekend. This will require consistent focus, but not completely locked in 100% of the time (it'll take about 2.5 hours!). I'll walk through all water stops and take walking breaks as needed.
I've developed a pretty good gauge of when my body needs a break and also when it's ready to get rolling again. So during this stretch, I'll be more focused on how I'm doing and if I need any adjustments (breaks, water, etc).

Miles 20-26.2 - Anyone who reads this who has done a marathon will appreciate that I included the last 0.2 miles! For this last stretch, we don't have a specific target pace. I will take an inventory at mile 20 and see what I have left. I'm sure I'll need some walking breaks and my upper quads will be screaming at me. Hopefully some ibuprofin will help out with that.
Ideally, I'll hit mile 20 before the 3 hour mark and have an hour to do the last 10K. I hope to have enough gas in the tank to cruise to the finish at a 9:30 pace (including walking) over the last 6.2 miles and cross the line in under four hours.

There are a few things we talked about doing along the entire 26.2. One is continually sucking on a cinnamon candy. So I bought a bag at Target and will bring a handful to the start and keep the rest in my backpack - which, by the way, will be carried by my support-gal-extraordinaire girlfriend :)
I need to make sure to take a couple Electrolyte tablets about half an hour before the start, and one at least every hour throughout the race. In 2008, I was an absolute salty mess at the finish, head to toe. My sister still talks about this. During this year's training, the tablets really helped.
I have a TON of gels in the backpack. I'll probably use 5-6 max for the race, so Anne can give out extras to anyone in need. I don't imagine I'll be doing a long run for a while after this :)
I only trained with water as an in-run drink, so I'll be good there. On the drive up today, I'll take a look at the map to get familiar when water stops will come up on the course.
I'm a little torn on music during the race. There's no better sound than hearing 7000 sets of feet running around you on race day. Plus you can take in the energy of all the other runners, and maybe strike up a conversation with someone running a similar pace.
On the other hand, I did all my long training runs alone with my iPod. I have a familiar set of about 100 songs that carry me through the tough miles.
I think I'll start the race without the iPod and have it available in the backpack in case I want it later. I'll give it back to Anne at our last in-race meeting so I cross the finish line with just me. the headphones are big and goofy, and I want a beautiful picture of me crossing the line :) I can be such a girl sometimes....
OK, time to start the day. I need to finish packing, do some stretching, and refill my glass of water. We'll leave the Twin Cities at about 11am, and have lunch on the way up. The plan is to eat dinner early (around 5pm), watch Anne and others do the 5K, and get to bed by 10.
Please keep me in your thoughts at 7:30am tomorrow! If anyone reads this before then, feel free to follow my progress via text messages. Check out the Grandma's website for details.
Here we go!!!!

Wednesday 6/17 Core

Actually I'll briefly cover two Core sessions today since there isn't a whole lot to report. I totally took it easy at the Monday and Wednesday sessions leading up to Saturday's marathon.
The primary focus was stretching. I really want to stay loose this week, and I find it tough to find the motivation to stretch on my own.
I did about 60% of the exercises to stay "warm" and have some fun with the group. I avoided running on the bleachers again for fear of injury.
Coach Bill stopped by and we chatted about a new race strategy. I'll have an entry devoted to that later today.