Well I can finally say that I am a marathoner. As I sit here and reflect on the weekend, I can't help but feel blessed. I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to the marathon. I will not soon forget my first experience. It was the most exciting race I have ever run. The crowd was deafening, the competition stiff, the conditions challenging, and the last two miles never-ending.
Here are my abbreviated recollections of the race. My most nervous time was early-morning on race day when I was saying goodbye to my family and friends in the hotel lobby and then being escorted to the bus. I was glad that I saw the whole process last November at the ING New York City Marathon, so I knew what to expect. Nevertheless I was still really nervous. I was relieved to have Terrence and Meb along with me.
Meb and I warmed up 45 minutes before the start. It was weird to only jog a mile for a warm-up, but I felt totally ready to go.The pace was erratic as we loped through the first mile in 5 minutes. After a slow opening two miles, I knew that all attempts at a world record were off. It became clear that the warm weather would be a factor. After the first three miles, I took a swig of water at nearly every mile until late in the race. I began to think more about how to finish as high as possible rather than running a fast time.
The first 15 miles were a breeze. They felt easier than my training runs. I just took in the sights, and enjoyed the enthusiasm of the crowd and the feeling of floating along. It was really enjoyable. It wasn't until 20K that I began to gather my energy for the race. Meb and I worked together in the second pack, which included the 2004 Olympic champion,Stefano Baldini, and last year's NYC champion, Marilson dos Santos.
The leaders never got that far in front of our second pack, so once we hit 20K, I decided to make a push to catch them. I knew that if I was going to have any shot of winning, I had to move now before one of the big guns made a major attack. I did my best to be patient, but still covered my 14th mile in 4:42. Just after I joined the pack, Ramaala went to the lead and started to push. After about a mile or so, we settled back in, but I think those fast two miles may have played a factor for me late in the race.
Still, I was excited to be with the leaders. I noticed that some of the other runners were surprised to see me. I knew that they hadn't factored on me being around late in the game. It took me a little while to get used to running next to Tergat and Geb, but after a couple of miles, I stopped thinking of them the way I always had, as running gods, and started to think about how to take a swing at winning the race.
I don't remember exactly when it happened, but around 18 miles or so I moved up on the shoulder of the rabbits. I knew that I had to go to the front if I was going to have a shot at winning. I had to get excited and engage in the race. This was my chance. Once the rabbits peeled off at 30K, I took the lead and started to run hard. I thought about all my long runs through the mountains dreaming about this moment. Me and the big boys, at 22 miles, pounding away on each other.
I still felt good at this point and was receiving a lot of support from the crowd. I was a little hesitant to put in a hard surge, as I was intimidated by the thought of coping with the last several miles. Remember: This was my first marathon. But in hindsight I wish that I would have surged and tried to get a gap. If I could have broken away, I might have gotten even more excited and perhaps shocked my legs out of the monotonous pace that I was stuck in. I knew that this was my shot. But despite all my efforts, I was not able to get away.
Somewhere around 23 miles, Felix Limo put in a surge, and I was fell off the back of the pack with dos Santos. At this point I was just trying to get to the finish. I was able to pull away from him with a mile to go, but couldn't make up any ground on the leaders. I was disappointed when I saw my 25th mile split of 5:08. I knew that I had to hang on and finish up the best I could. I was also disappointed to not be among the leaders gearing up for a final sprint.
So, I set my sights on the yellow jersey of the fading Tergat and did my best to reel him in. The last 2K was a very unusual experience. It was a pain that I had not felt before. My legs were getting really tight and numb. I tried to relax as much as I could without slowing too much. It was hard to stay positive at this point, but I was so close and had run so well for so long that I knew I had to give it everything I had those last couple of miles.
When I crossed the finish line and saw my time, I was pleased. Not bad for the first time out, especially considering the conditions. But I was even more pleased with the way I had run the race. I knew that I could run 2:08, and even faster, but it was even more special to have been leading the London Marathon in what the press was calling possibly the greatest marathon field ever assembled. I had taken my swing. I may have come up short but I didn't have any regrets.
Once I finished, the first person I saw was my wife, Sara. Boy was she a sight for sore eyes! It was great to see her there; we were a team. We had been through so much training for this day. She had sacrificed so much for me, and it meant a lot to see her so proud of the way I ran. One thing that I love about the marathon is that it really is a team effort. I had observed this watching Deena train for her marathons, but it wasn't until I had been through it myself that I realized how important it is to have a supportive spouse, teammates, and a great coach. The success of my marathon debut was a tribute to the support of my wife, coach, teammates, and friends. It wasn't just me running out there. I am so grateful to have Terrence for a coach. I really had no idea how to prepare for a marathon, so I was totally trusting him that I would be ready to go. And I was as ready to go as I could have been at this point in my career, thanks to his skillful coaching.
While my debut went as well as I could have hoped, I remain hungry for more. Now, I know that I was made for the marathon, and I know that there is so much more in me. Last Sunday in London, I got a small taste of what is possible. I want to be even fitter and more ready to go for next November's USA Men's Olympic Marathon Trials in New York City. But that will have to wait a couple of weeks. Next, I'll be taking a break. But come July, I will be training with a new fire in my eyes, completely focused on the beginning of my journey toward Beijing.
Lowlight of the Week: Tapering and waiting for marathon day to come around.
Highlight of the Week: Seeing my wife in the marathon finish area.
[Editor's note: For the record, Ryan Hall is now the second fastest American marathoner of all time behind only Khalid Khannouchi. However, since becoming an American citizen in 2000, Khannouchi has run 4 marathons faster than Hall's 2:08:24 at London. Hall's time is the fastest-ever by an American-born runner, and the American debut marathon record, eclipsing the 2:09:41 jointly held by Alberto Salazar (New York City, 1980) and Alan Culpepper (Chicago 02).
5 BEST AMERICAN MARATHON TIMES Khannouchi, 2:05:38, American record, London 02 Khannouchi, 2:05:56, Chicago 02 Khannouchi, 2:07:01, Chicago 00 Khannouchi, 2:07:04, London 06 Hall, 2:08:24, London 07
next currently active American Abdi Abdirahman, 2:08:56, Chicago 06
What a week it has been! So much has happened it feels like it has been two weeks since I last wrote. I am writing from a beautiful flat just outside of London overlooking Bushy Park, where Meb and I have been doing all of our training since our arrival on Thursday. What a trip it was getting over here. To make a very long story short I basically went from thinking I was going to miss my flight to reclining in first-class after being bumped up when all the seats were taken in coach after my late check-in. What a blessing that was! It was funny because I was just talking with Deena about what it is like to fly first-class and I was telling her that I always wanted to. It is a different world in first-class. After dinner I slept until breakfast. I hardly missed any sleep at all. So I arrived in London well rested and ready to go.
My adjustment to the time change is taking longer than I remembered, so I am glad that we made the effort to come over about 10 days early. I am also reaping the benefit of Deena's experience here last year. I am staying at the same place she stayed before going to the meet hotel, training in the same parks, and eating at the same restaurants. It has been really nice to simply walk into a good training situation.
My legs have been feeling good. I am ready to go. Now it is just a matter of getting to the line. I have never anticipated a race as much as the London marathon. I love the whole marathon experience. I love that you pour yourself into something, beating your body until it can't take any more, and then you rest, and wait, and wait, until you are completely recharged and then there is just one final 26.2 mile trial ahead. I feel like I am about to slay the dragon that I have been preparing the last four months to fight. And then in the end you just get out there and take your swing.
It has been hard to not think too much about the race. I lay awake at night and picture myself running out there. I know that it is going to be the hardest thing I have done at this point in my running career. But I am not thinking about Tergat, or the pace I will have to run, or the pain that I must endure and overcome, what I am attempting to do is focus completely on running with passion and joy.
Anytime I have had a really great race I wasn't thinking about overcoming some seemingly insurmountable obstacle, I wasn't thinking at all, I was just doing. In Mammoth, when I do my tempo runs early in the morning, with the mountains majestically shooting up all around me, I find the peace that's so important to success in this sport and in life.
Highlight of the week: Being surprised by my wife who arrived a day early in London. It makes a world of difference having her here.
Low-point of the week: Trying to stay awake in the middle of the day and then sleep through the night, especially the first couple of days. I must admit that I have been pretty moody as a result.
I am ready. No more two and a half hour long runs, no more 15 mile tempos, no more marathon simulations. All the hard work has been done and now I must wait, the countdown begins. My patience is going to be tested over the next two weeks. I already wake up every morning and think 'only __ days till London.'
On Tuesday I ran my first ever 26-miler. It wasn't anything crazy, in terms of pace, but it gave me a lot more confidence that miles 20-26 aren't something to be scared of, just respected. It was nice to have my coach accompany me on the bike, giving me the fluids, and talking to me about London. I was surprised when I finished with two miles on the track expecting to be running 5:20 pace and seeing 9:25 for my last two miles.
Later in the week I put in my last tempo run going what felt like 8 short miles. In my buildup for London I have put in 5 tempo runs of 12 miles or longer, 5 runs of 2:15 or longer, and 4 marathon simulations running 8-10 miles at a moderate pace and then putting in 8-10 miles at marathon pace. I will step to the line knowing that I have done everything I could do to be ready for this, and then the fun part begins, 26.2 miles testing my body and celebrating all the hard work that has gone into this one moment, and it all happens on two hours one Sunday morning.
Apart from running, it was a fun week in San Diego. Sara and I had a couple excursions going to a Good Friday concert and service and then going to see a movie Saturday in downtown San Diego, and lastly, Easter Sunday church and a Easter barbeque party with teammates. Our Easter barbeque was a blast as always. It is so great having Gabe Jennings as apart of our team. He adds so much to the group dynamic. We never have a boring party when Gabe is in town. We played Balderdash, and I won't go into too much detail, but at one point Gabe was rolling on the ground laughing hysterically! It was a very memorable night.
Highlight of the week: Easter Sunday. It is so great to have holidays that give a fresh perspective on life.
Lowlight of the week: Forgetting about the sweet potato chips that Sara and I were making for the BBQ while they were broiling...they would have been so good.
Just three weeks to go now! This week was probably the most eventful thus far.
I began the week feeling great, flying through my favorite trails in Big Bear on warm evening runs. Then, on Tuesday morning, the pine trees were bending from strong winds and snow was falling hard. I battled the conditions the best I could, but sometimes everything seems to be working against you. There are some runs when you really just can't get going, and this was one of those days.
I am starting to get better at staying positive
on such occasions, but it is still something that I hope to improve
upon throughout my career. I have seen Meb and Deena handle sub-par workouts while staying
level-headed, and it seems like most great runners are always
optimistic no matter what challenges they may be facing. I think that is what allows them to be great. In
marathon training, these days are inevitable. The way you handle them
is the important thing--the thing that determines how they affect you.
The snow
storm passed just as quickly as it swooped down on us. The next day,
the sun was out, allowing me to bounce back physically and mentally by
the time the
weekend rolled around for the Stanford Invitational, where I raced a
10,000 meters on the track for the first time.
My trip up to Stanford put me in a great mood. The
weather was beautiful, my legs felt good again, and I got the
opportunity to catch up with a lot of friends and teammates that I
hadn't seen in a long time.
It was good to be back on the old stomping grounds and back in the track scene. The Stanford 10,000 was the perfect opportunity for a stress-free tune up for
London.
The race ended up playing out pretty much exactly how I thought it would. We ran a solid pace but nothing ambitious. I felt strong the whole way, but not like I was ready to really roll. At
this point, I feel like I can run all day long but not necessarily like
I can run anaerobically very long. That's why I waited until 500 to
go to make my move.
I was pleased to close in 60 seconds for my
last lap, but frustrated to get out-kicked in the final 100 in front of
the home crowd. It would have been nice to really run a great race because it was the perfect scenario to run fast.
My old teammate Jon Pierce did a great job pacing the first two miles, and my old teammates even brought out the drums for me. Lord willing, I will return one day and run fast there.
But as for this weekend, I can say: "Mission Accomplished"--one more good deposit in the bank.
The week ended in southern California, at Carlsbad, where I had ta chance to watch my wife, Sara, compete in the
Carlsbad 5000. It was great to get to see her again after a week of being apart. Now I am joining the team down at the Olympic Training Center in
Chula Vista, where we have everything we need right at our fingertips. This
will simplify life even more in these last weeks of preparation, and
allow me to focus all my attention on getting myself to the London start line as
fresh and rested as I can be.
Low point of the week: Feeling the snow pelt down on my bare neck as I muscled my way through the rain and snow during Tuesday's workout.
High point of the week: Spending the day in Carlsbad with Sara after being apart for the previous 10 days.
Sara and I were awakened Monday morning by the sound of crunching wood outside our bedroom window. I went into the back room to investigate and found a giant brown bear pulling the siding off of our new mobile home. I yelled to Sara to come check it out. She immediately ran to grab the camera while I proceeded to yell and throw whatever I could find at the bear. Despite all my efforts the bear never even acknowledged that I was there. Luckily for us the bear took off before he completely destroyed the side of our house.
I love Mammoth. Where else do you have to worry about bears breaking into your house rather than burglars?
The weeks training went very well and with a month to go I feel very prepared for my first marathon. I believe that I am as prepared as I could possibly be at this point in my career. The big workout of the week was a marathon simulation, in which I ran 10 miles moderate and then 10 miles at marathon pace. It is good to get to that notorious 20-mile point and still feel like there is something in the tank. The further I go at a hard effort the less intimidated I am about the new distance. I can't believe there is just four weeks to go now. London seemed so far off for so long and now it is finally on the horizon.
As London draws closer I can't help but think of all the things that could go wrong before I toe the line on April 22. What if I get food poisoning like Meb did this past year before the ING New York City Marathon? Would all the training I have done and all the hard miles I have logged be in vain? But then all of us soul runners know that it is not about the outcome. Sure it is great to win races and achieve personal goals but in the end that satisfaction only comes every so often and eventually we all stop winning races and we all start running slower and slower.
For me, and I believe for a lot of runners, it is about the day in, day out joy of running. It is about running through the forest on a warm day getting lost in your thoughts not wanting to be any where else in the world. There are so many day-to-day aspects of running that I love and to lose sight of all those days just because one day did not go well would be foolish.
High point of the week: Beating my pops in a game of pool. I got totally lucky on this one but I took him down fair and square. Upon making the winning shot I jokingly throw my hands over my head and then road my pool stick like a hoarse (happy Gilmore style). It was pretty funny; we enjoyed a good laugh over it.
Low point of the week: Saying goodbye to Sara on Wednesday. She went down to San Diego to the Olympic training center to get in some sea-level training (where I will join her on Sunday), while I am staying up in Big Bear to put in my last week of altitude work before London. We are blessed to get to spend so much time together but then it makes it more difficult to say goodbye.
Last week was a good one in my training program. I ran all my workouts
with a renewed perspective, coming off the disappointment of Gate River
Run in Jacksonville. My slightly beaten up legs kept reminding me of
Jacksonville. I had a good opportunity to practice running at the
proper effort level rather than at the pace that I have set in my
head. After all, every day of running is different; some
days you just have got "it" and some days you don't. And as hard as we
pros work to get it right on race day, there are no guarantees.
I have always done some of my very best running in practice. I
particularly remember a day when I was running mile cut-downs at
Stanford during my senior track season. I started out in the 4:20s and worked
my way down to sub 4:10 for the last couple…and it just felt easy. I
guess that is why running is so addicting--because when you have one of
those days, there is no feeling like it. You're just floating along the
track or road effortlessly. I sure hope I have one of those days in
London.
As London draws closer, it has begun to hit me just what I am getting
myself into. Last night I had a dream that the London marathon was going to be the next morning, and I was really nervous about it. I
can't help but wonder what my first experience will be like. I have
heard so many horror stories of newbies hitting the wall. But then
there are people like my training partner Deena Kastor, and Alberto
Salazar, who ran right through the wall setting debut records on their
first times out. I am not going to be naive and say that there is no way I can hit the wall, but I know that I have a couple factors working in my favor.
First off, I have a great coach who has done a very thorough job preparing
marathoners in the past and has prescribed challenging workouts that have made me far stronger than I have ever been. Secondly, I have been able
to pick up many helpful hints and see how two Olympic marathon medalists--Deena and Meb--prepare for their upcoming marathons. I have
put in much of the same work that Deena has in her preparation for
Boston, and I know she is ready to roll. So I can piggy back off that
and assume that I am also ready to perform well. However, I know that I
will have to run smart, since the first-marathon pace at London will be
searing. But hopefully I will have some smart racers to follow,
including Meb and the Athens Olympic gold medalist, Stefano Baldini,
who always seems to work his way up from behind.
Lastly and most importantly I have my faith. I am not trying to say
that God is going to magically help me through the later stages of the marathon, but I have the comfort of knowing that He is always with me,
and all those who trust in Him. Whether I am coasting along
effortlessly or struggling home, I know that He will always be with me
and love me no matter what may come. This gives me the peace of mind
that running is all a bonus, something to be enjoyed in the ideal
sense, not something to stress about or make a bigger deal than it actually is. I have already won a prize far greater than any marathon
could offer, and the good news is that it is available to all who trust
in His name.
Highlight of the Week: Our St. Patrick's Day party at "the Leprechaun's Hall-ow." Our new mobile home is very green, and we decided to capitalize on it, so we had a green-themed party complete with green
eggs and ham, green matzo ball soup, and many other green creations.
All the people in our training group are so great. Even though we see
each other twice a day, six days a week, that doesn't stop us from
throwing parties on every occasion that we can find an excuse for. My
wife, Sara, is an amazing hostess. She thought of every little detail
to make the atmosphere complete for our party.
Lowlight of the Week: The
freezing cold ice-bath that follows my hard runs, particularly the
first three minutes before my legs go numb. On the other hand, I think
these baths really help me get a complete recovery after the hard days.
It's Monday morning, and I am sitting on the second of three flights from Florida (where I ran the Gate River 15K Saturday morning in Jacksonville) to Reno, sorting through the weekend's events. Its not like the race was a complete disaster--I still finished second to my training partner Meb Keflezighi. But the race was far below my expectations and what I was looking for as a momentum-builder for the London Marathon.
Coming off an American half marathon record in Houston that felt effortless, I expected to have the same speed and stamina in Jacksonville that I had in Houston. Didn't happen. I knew by the end of the first mile that I was going to have to work a lot harder than I did in Houston. Once I fell behind American record pace, I lost all my excitement. I began to focus on winning the race, but physically and mentally I was just not "on".
Afterwards I was greatly disappointed, but within the last 24 hours, I've gained new perspective on the race. This new perspective will be crucial to my preparation for London. For one thing, I needed a good humbling experience, so I wouldn't go into London over-confident and expect the race to feel easy. That could make me vulnerable to going out too fast.
I also learned that no matter how fit I am, I should go into races excited for a variety of possible outcomes. I need to learn to be just as excited about winning or placing in the top 5 as I am about running fast times and seeing my full potential realized. This will be key for London. Before the Gate River in Jacksonville, I would have only been excited in London if I was running with the lead pack. Or with a closely-pursuing Stefano
Baldini. Now, my expectations have not changed--I'm still hoping for a
great race--but I have changed my outlook on what would be exciting to
me. I know I must be ready to run my best in whatever pack I find
myself. I have to be ready to finish without regrets. Hopefully the
Gate River race served as a learning experience that I will eventually remember more fondly than I do at the present.
Best moment of the week: Landing a 15" native rainbow trout while fly-fishing at Hot Creek in Mammoth. Ian Dobson and I went out for a short session on Tuesday. I have never caught a big trout on a fly rod, so I was pumped when I landed this beauty.
Worst moment of the week: On our flight to Jacksonville, Sara and I were sitting in an exit row, and the flight attendant was giving us the typical rundown on what it meant to sit in an exit row. When she finished, she looked at me and asked if I was over 15 years of age. I couldn't believe it! I know I look young for 24, but 15? Maybe I am going to have to grow out the beard again.
Moving. This word sums up my life since graduating from Stanford, and this past week was no exception. Since being married in September 2005, my wife Sara and I have not spent more than three weeks in any one place. Our life has become one long transition. It was almost comical when we returned from a month racing in Europe this past summer and got back in our car, crammed with everything we owned that was important to us, and realized it felt like home. We always joked about being "homeless" until this past November, when we bought a mobile home in my hometown, Big Bear Lake, California. After this week I am hopeful that this will be the end of the vagabond phase of our life, at least in terms of living out of the car and having to pack it to the brim every couple of weeks.
From a training standpoint, this week may not have been the best for a move, but I was pleasantly surprised that training went so well in spite of it. The last 10 days I have faced my most difficult period of training thus far in preparing for what I like to think of as my "prize fight" – my marathon debut in London this April.
Last week ended with a marathon simulation of 10 miles brisk (5:45 pace), 10 miles at marathon effort (4:55 pace) and then a three-mile cooldown. A few days later I ran the farthest I have run at a hard effort by completing a 15-mile tempo run (around 4:55 pace). Finally, to top it off, I ran a 2 1/2 hour long run with a fartlek during the last 30 minutes.
As this week draws to a close, I’m even more excited for London as I feel more and more prepared. While doing my 15-mile tempo run, I couldn't help but feel that I was created to do this. I feel as if at last I have finally stopped spinning my wheels trying to be a middle-distance runner and embraced the longer distances.
Worsts of the week: Packing the car fuller than any car has ever been packed to move up to Mammoth. I really, really hate packing. Hopefully it's the last time. A close second was waking up Tuesday morning in Big Bear and looking out the window to see six inches of fresh powder that had fallen overnight, sabotaging my workout plan of 3x3 mile repeats. I ended up running the workout on a treadmill at the local gym. It was only the second time I have had to run on a treadmill this winter, so I am grateful for that!
Bests of the week: Waking up in our new mobile home on Thursday morning and the random encouragement I received throughout the week. One day when I was out putting in some miles, feeling a little lonely and tired, a random person stopped his walk to cheer me on. Then, a couple of miles later a person walking out of Taco Bell yelled some encouragement. Later in the week, I was doing some strides when an elderly lady with a serious look on her face told me, "You're faster than a horse!" A little encouragement from complete strangers can go a long way.
