99 Days

99 days. Just a little over 14 weeks. That's the countdown to the 37th Marine Corps Marathon, on October 28th. My first marathon, and with any luck, not my last.

My training has been going surprisingly well, knock on wood. I'm keeping my heart rate in check on my easy runs, my long runs have been productive, and I'm throwing in some cross-training for good measure. Last night, I took it up another notch.

The distance training group I belong to has a weekly track session on Thursday nights for speedwork. The sessions are optional, but I was finally able to have my schedule accomodate one of these sessions last night. The prescribed workout was 2 to 4 sets of the following workout: 800 meters at Threshhold pace, a 400 meter jog, and then 400 meters all out. Our coaches say your threshhold pace should be 10-20 seconds slower than 10K pace, which for me would be an 8:45-ish pace, or 4:22.

After a 4-lap warmup on the track, we got to it - and the results were surprising. I ran my first 800 in 4:17, which was not that far off from my plan. After my 400 jog, it was all-out for the next 400. I ran that 400 in 1:45, which translates to a 7:00/mile pace. Now, if someone had told me 4 years ago, when I started running, that I would be able to break off a 400 in 1:45, I'd have said you were crazy. But there it was, the pace on my Garmin read "7:00".

After the set, we were told to recover for 2-4 minutes, then start the next set. I broke off a 4:08 on my next 800, which was much faster than I had planned. I jogged a 400, then ripped a 1:52 for my all-out 400, a 7:28 pace. Man, I'm liking this speedwork. The paces for my final set mirrored set #2, almost to the second.

What does this prove? For one, it's that I'm more fit (and faster) than I imagined. Second, how much faster could I be if I dropped the few more pounds I need to get my weight under 200? And third, I don't hate speedwork - really, it was nothing more than sucking it up for 8 minutes before taking a short blow, and repeating it. This was my first "official" speedwork session (previous ones had been by myself, unstructured). I know that this is going to benefit me in 99 days.

I know that there are some out there who fear the marathon, especially the "what have I signed up for??" reactions, but not me. I am very much looking forward to this new challenge. And this is all because I'm training right, training smart, and training well. My confidence is brimming right now - these next 99 days are going to go slowly, but I need to keep this adrenaline in check and continue to train the right way.

99 days.

Nathan HPL-020 Hydration Vest Review

I realized 2 Saturday's ago, while running in the searing heat & humidity, that my normal 4-bottle fuel belt wasn't going to cut it for marathon training runs in the later parts of the summer. With a recommendation from one of my Distance Training Program coaches, I researched and purchased the Nathan HPL-020 Hydration Vest ($90 at Potomac River Running Store, Reston, VA).

The vest is marketed towards trail and ultra runners as lightweight (14 oz. empty) and comfortable, and I can assure you that after my first run, it is both. Putting the vest on with an almost-full bladder (2 liter capacity), it was indeed comfortable. The body of the vest is made of a breathable mesh, the same material as my Nathan Quick-Draw Elite handheld, so I was familiar with the material. The bladder didn't add that much extra weight to the back, and after sucking out the air in the bladder after I filled it with my Nuun mixture, there was very little sloshing around during my run.

The vest has two main pockets on each side. The left side had a zippered compartment where my iPhone fit perfectly, as opposed to my fuel belt, where it didn't fit at all. That compartment also has an elastic pouch in front, perfect for GU packs. On the right side, there is a drawstring pocket which will also work well for holding sustenance for long runs.

The sternum strap provided a nice firm fit across my chest, and it has a handy tube clip for holding the bladder tube during your run. Four side straps (two on each side) give you the ability to cinch the vest as tight as you want to your body. Also, each side of the vest has a guide hold through which you can put the bladder tube, whichever side you prefer.

The pouch holds the 2-liter bladder, which has a top closure that seals using a Slideseal (TM) closure. This makes pouring your beverage into the bladder simple and mess-free. The hose also has a bite valve for easy access with minimal spillage during your run.

There is a back pocket on the outer portion of the pouch which can hold small items like gloves, keys, wallet, etc., and also a small harness at the bottom which can hold a folded jacket. I'm obviously not going to need that during the hot summer months, but a few reviews I read on previous models said that the harness didn't hold items in that well.

One of my main complaints about this would be the difficulty in cleaning the bladder and tube. Apparently, you're able to turn the bladder inside out after rinsing it out, but I assume that's if you can remove the tube, which I couldn't. I had to hand-dry the inside of the bladder to prevent mildew from forming. The tube, on the other hand, still had a bit of moisture inside it Sunday morning; I'm hoping that it can stay mildew-free.


All in all, the vest performed as expected on Saturday's 8-miler. It takes a litle getting used to the extra weight on your back, but on the positive side, it helps keep you more upright, with shoulders back. I had a very consistent run, with good form, because of this. I just need to hydrate more - 25 ounces in 80 minutes just isn't enough. Lucky for me it wasn't that hot on Saturday.


So, to sum it up, if you're in the market for a hydration vest for summer marathon training or ultra running, you will be very pleased with the Nathan HPL-020.

Crossed Up

I'm approaching my 4-year run-iversary in early September, and during that time, I've never been one to cross-train. The way I figured it, I was a runner. Runners run. That's all I need, right?

And when I got injured early on, it was "no running; no going". I'd eventually get out of fitness while recovering, and back to square one I'd go.

But this time, I decided to take it to the next level. When I was dealt the double whammy in June, Plantar Fasciitis followed by mild calf cramps, I decided that I'd take the bike out more often. I was already logging some bike miles since Bike-To-Work day in May, but with the injury, I ramped it up and made it more of a workout. I got myself up to a consistent 12-to-13 m.p.h. pace on my rides, and did at least 10 miles each time out. Reston is naturally hilly, so I even get some hill work in without even trying.

What I have come to realize, after looking at my splits from last week's 5K PR, is that the 25 or so miles of cycling I'm doing each week has actually strengthened my legs, rather than tiring them out. As a result, I was able to power my way up hills in the race and keep a more consistent and faster pace than I normally had in the past.

So I'm now a convert to cross-training; the benefits have been, well, beneficial to me the past 2 months. I'm going to keep up with my 2 cycle sessions per week, at least as long as it's light in the mornings. Maybe, just maybe, I'll gain a few seconds that I can use in the Marine Corps Marathon in October.

Firecracker 5K Race Report

Yesterday was the 3rd running of the Firecracker 5K in Reston, VA, presented by Potomac River Running Store. I was on and off about this race up until Tuesday. My recent brushes with injuries was a main cause of concern, since I didn't want to re-injure myself this early in marathon training by running a 5K.

After my run on Tuesday motning, though, I was fairly happy with how both my PF and calf issues had healed. My PF still gives me some very slight discomfort, but the calf issues seem to have subsided. So I went and registered in person at packet pick-up on Tuesday and made the decision to treat the race as speedwork. The plan was to run the first 1/2 mile at 5K pace, do a 1/4 mile jog, and keep that cycle up for 3 miles, then sprint the final .1 to the finish.

When I woke up on Wednesday, though, the weather was rather nice, considering the heat we've been getting lately. I got to the site at 7 AM for the 8 AM gun time, and took a 1.3 mile run to warm up on the middle third of the course. It was after that warmup that I made the call - I was going for a PR today.

The first issue was the crowd - over 1600 runners shoehorned onto a small 2-lane side street, which narrowed to one lane right after the mat. I tried to go as far forward as I thought necessary, because there's always a bunch of people who line up too close to the middle. The gun went off, and I still had to do a lot of dodging, but made it through the first quarter-mile just fine. We turned right, onto Baron Cameron Road, and that's when the first hill came. Another quick right onto Reston Parkway was even more uphill. Since I was on my home turf, I run that road 2 to 3 times a week, so this was a piece of cake. The wheezing and huffing I heard around me made me think others didn't think the same.

At about the 3/4 mile mark, it was a nice down-slope, to a right on Sunset Hills Road. My Garmin said I did my first mile in 8:12, but I didn't hit the 1 Mile mark until the Garmin read 1.15 miles, 9:02 pace. Mile 2 was downhill-to-flat, and I covered that in 7:45. Mile 3 was by far the toughest part of the course. We made a turn at about the 2.5 mile mark onto Cameron Glen Road (at which point I was clocking a 7:50 pace for mile 3), and was met with a nice hill. Making our way back to Reston Town Center was mostly flat with a slight upslope, and the last 1/3 of a mile was tough. But when I hit the 3 mile mark in under 24 minutes, I knew I was gonna shatter my 25:59 5K PR.

I crossed the mat with the gun time reading 25:48 and my watch reading 25:27, 3.18 miles. Gun time alone got me a shiny new PR, and if my Garmin time holds, that would be a 32-second improvement from the 5K I ran in 22-degree temps this past Thanksgiving.

I plugged the time into the McMillan Running Calculator to see what they predict my marathon time to be, and I got 4:08 - all of the other calculations were very close to my other race times from 2012, so I'm really hoping that I can come close to a 4:08 in October. Training for a 4:15, so we shall see.

EDIT: Official finish time: 25:31, 464th overall out of 1729 finishers; 335th out of 772 men; 42nd out of 102 age group 45-49.