blog (January, 2004)
an' we love to take a biath
Last night, for the morning's planned Bellefaire JCB Biathlon, I prepared performance enhancing substance (Fair Trade Organic from Timor) measured for more punch with Brewed Fresh Daily's suggestions. Thermos-full and empty mug, a bottle of water, two apples and a banana placed surrounding my alarm clock for help in the morning..
Alarm sounds, dreamsequence interrupt, stretch my legs and "this could be ugly," I think, but push on and help myself to most of the goodies I left out.
My warmup ride to the race was quite shorter today than yesterday, and made even shorter in meeting another rider en route who'd been to the race before. He shared some tips with me, as I'd never raced on bike before, and showed me around to get registration and gear in order as I slugged a tug more black gold from the mug I'd toted along. The event turned out to be quite a grander ordeal than I'd expected; many racers, and not just a few of them serious looking.
~17:20 on the 3 mile run was a mediocrity much easier to swallow than my performance in the 5k yesterday. I was happy to be on the roads this time, rather than wet grass, sans spikes.
Two miles into the run, the three runners in front of me were led to make the turn back toward the staging transition area too soon -- at the point where the walkers were to make the turn -- not those racing biath. Dude next to me yelled at them so, but they continued on, and the poorly informed flaggers turned us in the same direction, until a cop car flew down and set us right.
If I am correct in thinking the three in front of me will be unfortunately disqualified, I was first coming into the staging area, and feeling pretty good. Not so serious a race as I'd thought. I corraled Judy, my bicycle, away from the tree I'd leaned her against, helmeted my dome, hopped into the saddle and began the more unfamiliar portion of the race.
A couple stronger riders passed me within the first couple minutes, then four more when I stopped to rework Judy's chain, which slipped off when I threw her in high gear on a downhill. I maintained a quick pedalling cadence and a decent speed, lost a few more places and gained a few. Don't really remember. I counted it in my favor that everyone who passed me had clipless pedals, tight biking clothing on, and nice zoomy bikes. I was sponsored by Mesh Shorts, Tank Top, and Sneakers.
Good times. I mean, the experience. I don't know about the time. Afterward, I gulletted some fruit and bagel slices from the post-race picnic, and headed off to yoga class to try and get some of the kinks out.
familiar faces at the races
Out to the farm today to run with Case Cross Country in their preseason scrimmage. Our alumni squad put up a good fight -- perhaps beating one of the college teams there? I'm not sure how respectable I consider my 19:01 5k, but I rode my bike a good eleven miles out there so's I'd have an excuse for mediocrity, and I stand by that.
On the ride back I saw a sign for a nearby biathlon going off tomorrow at 8:30am. We'll see how my legs enjoy standing up in the morning, and what mood the clouds are in...
Bolder Boulder
I've forged last-minute plans to run the Bolder Boulder 10k tomorrow morning. I'm hitching a ride Denver-to-Boulder with a neighbor of the folks with whom I'm staying. Hopefully I'll be able to register and hop in the run, and maybe get a mobile photo up here mid-"race". This one's for fun; just a joggy-jog.
Feel free to call and wake me up! 5:20am GMT (7:19am EST).
(five.eight.five) three.two.nine - eight.one.eight.six
Boston Marathon Live Update
108th Boston Marathon
At 3:10:48 PM, Jeff Schuler (Bib 2451) Finished
Pace: 0:07:13
Official Finish Time: 3:09:50
Net Finish Time: 3:08:52
Boston Marathon Live Update
108th Boston Marathon
At 2:08:30 PM, Jeff Schuler (Bib 2451) At 30K
Pace: 0:06:51
Projected Finish Time: 2:59:28 (Net)
Boston Marathon Live Update
108th Boston Marathon
At 1:28:50 PM, Jeff Schuler (Bib 2451) At Halfway Point
Pace: 0:06:42
Projected Finish Time: 2:55:32 (Net)
Boston Marathon Live Update
108th Boston Marathon
At 12:43:10 PM, Jeff Schuler (Bib 2451) At 10K
Pace: 0:06:48
Projected Finish Time: 2:58:09 (Net)
blown out on the trail
I'm finally about to get this stupid marathon done with -- that's been lurking, creeping eversoslowly these last four months, and now BAM!
Well, Monday is gonna be the bam.
Be the BAM.
This morning I packed up half my room into the car, and drove afternoon Cleveland-Rochester. Soon to bed. Tomorrow morning the parents and I hop in the car and off to Boston, and Monday the footrace. Foo-trace.
Lovely weather we should be having. The 81°F high that weather.com was forecasting has dropped to a chilly 76°, though, so that's a good trend. Keep pushin'.
Each runner wears an RFID chip attached to her or his shoe for official timing. This year the Boston Athletic Association is providing racers with the opportunity to send live timing reports to six email addresses or mobile devices -- at 10k, halfway, and 30k, and finish.
I set up a supersecret email address to receive these updates and wired it up to this'a'here site using Sebastian Delmont's MTMail, so those performance updates will appear here as entries when I and my bib #2451 passes through the checkpoints. The race starts at noon Monday. I'd better get my ass across the finish line under 3 hours. I was 3 seconds over last time in Dublin, and I won't let that happen again.
Nice utility, though, that Verizon & the marathon organizers are providing. My parents will receive these text updates to their phones so they have some idea of where along the way I've burned out from exhaustion, or am buried in the hail. Smart mobs, man. Smart mobs.
Still trying to decide whether to follow Duncan's suggestion to bring slips of paper with me during the race to pass out my phone number to goodlooking onlookers (or onlooking goodlookers) around the Wellesley College area.
Look for me afterward. I'll be the guy at Legal Seafood drooling on his lobster and falling asleep in his beer.
19 days out; refrain
Beginning tomorrow-April 1, I'm cutting out coffee and alcohol for a few weeks. Lent? No, the Beantown Marathon.
The race is in nineteen days, and with my last long run finished, as of yesterday, the proverbial money's in the bank.
Well, the little that I've invested, that is. Come raceday, I'll have been training for four months, compared to the two I put in for Dublin, the only other m'thon I've run. And I'll have more long (>20 mile) runs under my belt this time. But I haven't been nearly as dedicated as I'd hoped, and my overall weekly mileage has been weakly, overall.
Those are the breaks, the brakes, the breakers. Berserker shirkers, soda jerkers and basement lurkers.
We'll see how it goes. I've gotta cool down the calorie consumption now that I'm getting into taper mode and'll be running less. I just put down a 1200 calorie tub of peanutbutterchocolate soya ice cream this morning, and it was wonderful. Last cup of coffee now. Tomorrow will be headaching and tea'tea'tea.