Online Diary: Morten
Entry: October 13
Entry: October 8
Entry: October 5
Entry: September 28
Entry: September 23
Entries 11-20
Entries 1-10
Entry: October 13
I did it!!! What a race, what a run what a fantastic feeling!
Here is how my day went:
My alarm went off at 4:45 a.m. For the first time in a very long time I actually felt really good. No sore throat, no sore legs - no sore anything! I had a good portion of cereal and then a good hot shower. Then 45 more minutes of rest in bed… and I was ready!
All my gear was packed and ready. I knew it was going to be really chilly so I had four layers of clothing on. I had a 10 minute walk to the gear check, and I arrived at around 6:30 a.m. I arrived with enough time for several nervous last minute toilet visits. I had a tiny discussion with myself about when to hand in my gear as I did not want to undress my extra clothing too early. On the other hand, it would be a disaster if I got to the start corral too late (seeded corrals closed 15min prior to the race). I decided 6:50 a.m. was the right time… But that was WAY too early!
In spite of turning my gear in too early, I had a really big jumper on top of my singlet . . . but I was still freezing!! And jogging in the cold wind made it worse. So I walked around to see if I could find the warmest place around the corral. That place happened to be next to people I did not know. I admit that it must have looked a bit weird – this runner stalking groups of people talking in the corral. It kept me warm, or should I say sort of warm. With 15minutes to the start my toes went numb. That last 15 minutes were very cold. I figured that the body would awake when I started running. And it did… except for my feet, which continued to hurt in that “freezing-stone-hard”-fashion. Only after mile 6 did they finally wake up.
Anyway, the start went smoothly. I ran out just behind the Nike Pace Team approximately 40 seconds after the race started. I had decided not to risk anything in this race and not go for anything faster than 2h59min. After the first few miles my heart rate dropped to 79% of HRR. That was a bit lower than in my previous marathons. That really comforted me, and except for my cold legs I felt really good and confident (actually, I was confident from mile 10 on that I would make it). The crowd was really good and almost convinced me to run away from the 3h pace team.
After 13 miles when we turned into the wind (west) my legs started to feel a bit too cold. They started to stiffen up. I looked at my heart rate. NO NO, I was still doing good – way below 83% of HRR which I knew should be my upper limit for the marathon. I was really worried that they would start cramping. But I tried to relax and I talked to the legs about behaving during the marathon, especially since I had trained so much for it. The legs remained stiff for the rest of the race, but they did not cramp or hurt. The only thing they did was prevent me from running faster and thereby probably saved me from hitting the wall.
Up until the last four miles there were a lot of people running with the pacers, but in the very cold wind in this latter stage, the group broke up into a lot of smaller groups. I stayed with the pacer until one mile before finish. Now I was sure that my cold legs would not let me down. So I gave the last mile a good kick. Or so it felt like it. I must have been a bit tired because even though I was running all out, I only ran 6:45min/mile for the last mile (I guess that hill was a bit tougher than I expected!). The last few hundred meters were just fantastic - the crowd was louder than anything I had ever heard before (goes for the whole course)! I could see that I would make it on the clock at the finish. I was screaming like I never screamed before… I had tears in my eyes when I crossed that finish line. I crossed the finish line in 2:59:33 (after running the first half in 1:29:35).
I have dreamt of the day that I would run a marathon faster than 3 hours and now I did it!! I cannot describe how good it felt to obtain the goal I have been working so hard to obtain for almost 3 years. It took me a bit more than 3 years to get from walking around the block to running a marathon faster than 3 hours. I am so proud and happy that here - 2 days after the race - I am still one big happy face! In my previous four marathons I have never been 100% happy. I always had a thought that I could do it faster and that my ultimate goal was to break 3 hours. This year I made it. I am SO SO happy and I really don’t care if I could have finished 2 minutes faster…
Luckily, my body felt very good after the marathon (after a long hot shower to warm up my frozen muscles) so I was readily able to celebrate with a good steak, beers and red wine! In previous marathons, I always felt slack and tired after the race.
On Monday morning I left for Hawaii. Unfortunately, I had a window seat in a tiny, tiny plane. I sat down for 10 hours without moving . . . not a good thing for post-marathon legs. I never thought that I would get out of that chair. It hurt so much!
Well, here I am – on a much needed holiday!
Take care,
Morten
sub3chicago2009@gmail.com
Entry: October 8
The last post before the marathon
I must admit that the last few weeks have been stressful. But all that is out of my mind now. Only one thing counts now: Running that marathon faster than three hours! Emails from readers have helped me to turn my mind to the positive and look at the bright sight of all my training. Not even a few late bumps in my training road will prevent me from succeeding in my ultimate marathon goal!
Since Sunday I have spent 30 minutes a day stretching/loosening up my body. At the end of these sessions I relax and close my eyes and visualize the race mile for mile. From lining up and all the way till I cross the finish line in 2:59:31! I have never done such things before, but several readers recommended to me to include mental training in my preparation. And I can really feel that my confidence is growing with each deep breath I take during those “mind” marathons! I feel much more confidence today than when I commenced these drills. I feel great!
Here is how I will spend the next days:
Today I will start my carboloading. I have actually been eating quite healthy for the past months, so the only change will be that I cut down on the proteins in my diet and add some carbs instead. Fats are almost not in my diet anyway. One thing that I already started cutting down on today is diet coke… I drink way too much of that. Surely cola is not good for the body when trying to prepare for a marathon. So I replaced a lot of cola with water and juice.
Also, I will have the last proper run today. I will run seven miles at an easy pace, but include 6 x 20 seconds strides (picking up the pace for 20 seconds).
On Friday, Sidse and I will fly to Chicago… and have a small walk around the city. If you know some good restaurants to check out – please let us know!!! I will go to bed really early Friday to get a good night sleep (in case butterflies keeps me up on the night before the race).
On Saturday I will get up early and run a very easy two miles jog at 7:30 a.m. (same time as the marathon). Thereafter, I will head to the Expo where I will participate in the Online Diary Panel Discussion on the Main Stage at 11 a.m. After this I will hurry down town to watch a VERY important soccer game between Denmark and Sweden. This game is almost as scary as the marathon itself! World Cup Qualification is at stakes.
Saturday night needs to be planned as I have had trouble finding a proper pasta restaurant with space for Sidse and I. Suggestions??
On Sunday I will get up approximately three hours prior to the race start and have some cereals. I aim to be at the start area 90 minutes before the start. It seems that we will avoid the heat… So I have bought some cheap clothing that I will wear until the start goes and then just throw it. As the forecast is now, I will wear shorts, singlet, sleeves, gloves and a beanie. The latter will be tossed when I get warm. The plan is to follow the Nike Pace Team (3 hour one). After the race – I will celebrate the new sub 3 PB with Sidse and a couple of Danes who have contacted me via this diary.
Monday morning we fly to Hawaii for a two-week vacation!
I guess this is it? I will, of course, write about my race. But I would like to thank all my readers for all your support! It has really meant a lot to me - especially during the hard times!
Have a great race!!!
Yours sincerely,
Morten
sub3chicago2009@gmail.com
Entry: October 5
Hey Runners,
I had another bad week… But I don’t want to put it down on paper since it just makes me sad and insecure. With less than one week left I need all the positive thoughts I can get a hold of! I share the same confusing thoughts as my fellow diarists Darci and Anna. Both of them managed to describe how their anticipation and thoughts change every minute in the weeks before the marathon… it can be so frustrating! Instead of writing about the same anticipations, fears, etc., I will try to summarize my preparation for this marathon.
From when I started my marathon schedule on May 18th I have averaged 50.5 miles a week (wearing out three pairs of sneakers). Fifthteen percent of my training has been with heart rates higher than 80% of HRR and I have had five runs longer than 30k (18.5 miles). This morning I weighed 167lbs (76kg) and my resting heart rate was 41. Last year at the Berlin marathon I finished in 3h11min. If you compare the numbers, I think I should gain some confidence:
|
Berlin 2008
|
Chicago 2009
|
Avg miles per week
|
32 miles
|
51 miles
|
Runs longer than 18.5miles
|
1
|
5
|
Training above 80% HRR
|
15% (13.5 hours)
|
15% (20.1 hours)
|
Weight at marathon
|
175lbs
|
167lbs (maybe 168 at race day)
|
Resting Heart Rate
|
48
|
40
|
Hopefully I will benefit from these numbers and cross the finish line before the two changes to a three on the clock. The later weeks’ setbacks have increased the need of support on race day! So please, dear spectators, cheer for us. It really means a whole lot! And, dear runners, if you pass by a guy in a Denmark singlet give him a cheer! I will be easy to recognize as I have “Let’s Go Crazy” printed on my back (the name of my running club back home in Denmark).
I hope I get to write another post before I travel to Chicago, but if not: Take care, watch yourselves and LET’S GO CRAZY!
See you at the Expo!
Morten
sub3chicago2009@gmail.com
Entry: September 28
Hey Runners,
Less than two weeks… I can now feel the anxiety sneak up on me. Every time I think of the marathon the butterflies in my stomach wake up and my legs go totally numb. The latter is truly annoying since I am trying to convince myself that my recent leg fatigue setback will not influence my marathon since it is happening during the taper. The act of calming myself and saying “you have strong legs” is very hard when you cannot feel your legs. Usually I do not get nervous or tense, but this year is very different. I think it is because I have announced that I am going for the sub 3 and that I am writing this diary… what will people think if I fail??? Well, we won’t go there since I WILL MAKE IT!
After the Queens Half Marathon my cold sneaked back on me and I had to stay home from work for two days. However, that did not prevent me from having a tempo run session on the track at Riverbank Park. I changed my scheduled intervals to two times 15min at half marathon pace, which is less demanding on the respiratory system than trying to hammer out 400s at 5K race pace. I ran a little slower than I should be running at a higher heart rate – but, in spite of the cold, the run felt very good (not too hard).
Thursday I felt all-good again! I could not find one single excuse to leave out the half-mile repeats ;-) And I was flying! The legs responded just as I want them to respond at the marathon: feather light and strong. I had a really good session of half-mile repeats. I kind of felt sorry that I had to stop after six repeats (since I am tapering).
The long but slow run on Saturday was boring! Not even the fact that it was my last longer run could cheer me up. I did not stay out on Friday night, but I was literally sleeping while running. It felt like the 16 miles would never end! I’ve never experienced a run like that. Nevertheless, I completed it and I am happy that another week is gone and that I feel much better now! I left out all easy runs again, but I think I benefited from not running too much this week. Hopefully I can put in a few calm and easy runs during this week.
My week totaled 32 miles:
Tuesday: (still having the cold): 2x 15min AT @ 6:36/mile (85% of HRR); total: 8 miles
Thursday: 6x 800m @5:43/mile (83%); total: 8 miles
Saturday: 16 miles @8:06/mile (66%)
See you at the Expo!
Morten
sub3chicago2009@gmail.com
Entry: September 23
Selfish Runner
Sometimes we need to take a step back and think about what we are doing. I admit that the last five months has been nothing but running and work… When training for a goal like Chicago I focus so intently on it that I sometimes forget about the world outside of my running routes and heart rate diagrams.
Luckily, a kind reader sent me a link to his blog two weeks ago and today he made it into to a local newspaper. Reading about his efforts and commitment was truly an eye-opener for me, and now I feel a bit ashamed for being so selfish about my training, and for crying over whether or not I am ready to break the 3 hour barrier…
Our kind reader is Ross Forman. Just like me, Ross started running very recently and at the time he started, he could not run three miles without walking. Neither of us could, when we first started out, imagine running a marathon! Now he is preparing for his 6th marathon as I am getting ready for my 5th in Chicago and my 6th in New York. From reading his blog. I can tell that we share the same passion and dedication to distance running.
So what is the difference, then? As I am solely focused on my own progression, Ross is also running for a charity. He is Chicago’s top fundraiser for both 2007 and 2008, he single-handedly raised more than $10,000 dollars for AIDS research....WOW! What an achievement! Not only has he been struggling with marathon training but he also managed to raise a huge amount of money for researh!!! Amazing!
I think I will stop worrying about minor set-backs as elevated resting heart rates and just enjoy that I got into running!
To learn more about Ross and his fundraising efforts, be sure to check out his blog.
Morten
sub3chicago2009@gmail.com