A Marathon on a Parking Deck

Sometimes it’s the little things that become big things just by igniting a spark.

You've probably read some of the stories and seen some of the videos. Someone running a marathon on their back deck, training on a 20 foot long balcony, running endless laps on a small rooftop or climbing the equivalent of Mt. Everest on a small flight of stairs. Despite the ways some of the world has shut down, runners and humans are finding ways to keep doing what they are doing and in the midst of a pandemic, discovering a new dimension of mental fortitude.

I consider myself lucky to still be able to run many places that I enjoy. My gym may be closed, but the trails and mountains are near.

However, as an act of solidarity, I felt the need to put myself in the shoes of those less fortunate that none the less are still pressing on. One. Step. At a time. I've had the idea of running a marathon on the upper level of my work's parking deck for several weeks now. It was important to incorporate UVA in some capacity into the run, so using our parking deck as a venue added a brief, but familiar place for those that came to watch. The parking deck was large enough for the laps to not be too cruel on my joints, but repetitive enough to still be a decent mental hurdle. Each lap was exactly 0.12 miles, just enough to be comfortable, and the abundance of space allowed for safe social distancing, should people come to watch. I actually bailed on the idea the previous weekend, but forced myself to inform my coworkers five days before this particular run to establish some accountability.

In reality, it was just an informal invitation that if the dozen or so members of my work team got bored enough, they could come watch me run circles, 219 of them to be exact, and leave whenever they got tired of the monotony. There wasn't much pomp and circumstance to it. I honestly figured there would be mild interest, but before I knew it the thought of getting out of the house, seeing coworkers for the first time in five weeks and doing something together, became the most exciting thing people had done in weeks.

(Just about to start. 52 degrees, rain tapering off)

“Race” morning finally arrived and I decided to have some fun and made a custom race bib. Afterall, you've got to make it official, right? I decided to go with the number 2420, which is the street address to our building. Coincidentally, it also represents the two classes at UVA most influenced by covid-19, the incoming class of ’24 and the graduating class of ’20. How about that unintentional symbolism for you?

So, I’ll keep the recap short. I started my run at 9:57am on April 18, 2020. It had just stopped raining and the parking deck was wet with several small puddles that I had to navigate around. 2 miles into the run my supervisor arrived and was the first one to cheer me on. Throughout the morning additional coworkers came with their children, spouses, with signs, snacks and goodies. The sun came out, the wind began gusting, but the energy was starting to grow. Familiar faces seeing familiar faces, and even with mouth coverings, you could still make out the huge smiles. People got to catching up, sharing their quarantine stories, and then that turned into singing, then dancing, then pure laughter.

(My coworker, Elizabeth, with sign her daughter made for me)

(passing by my aid station, aka car)

I had completed 5k, then 10k, then 10 miles, then halfway done. What I had planned to do as a casual 9:00 minute pace quickly derailed with the extra energy and enthusiasm brought on by my UVA family. The pace dropped to below 8:00 and then held steady in the 7:40’s for the next 20+ miles. It was suprisingly easy, it was conversational, and most importantly, it was fun. At mile 18.4, my coworker's husband, David, joined me, and despite hitting a few of those small “walls” and fighting a 25 mph gust around every turn, that last hour breezed by quicker than any final hour of a marathon. By now, I had memorized every slight change in camber of the parking deck, every drain, every little crack, that one pebble in the South West corner, that one puddle that still hadn't dried yet. With the end in sight, my pacer and I talked about doing a kick to end the run strong, so when my gps ticked over to 25.2, with one mile to go, I started to press a little harder. With music blasting from the car of our marathon “DJ”, I got a little boost of energy and knocked out a 6:50 final mile. My coworkers even put together a finish line, so despite the fact it was just a made up event, it’ll go down in my history books as a marathon finish. Believe it, or not, that last mile of 6:50 was the fastest final mile I have ever run during a marathon, despite being 14 minutes off my personal best. Still, who can’t stop and smile at running a spur the moment 3:21 marathon of the top of a parking deck.

(about to run through the finish line my coworkers, Diane and Erin, made)

When it was all said and done, the day had very little to do about marathons and running. It was about not allowing the challenges in the current world stop you from doing the things you enjoy and despite all the social distancing barriers, we can still come together as a community to rally behind a unified cause. I believe that cause was less about cheering on a guy running laps around a parking deck and more about being in all of this together. My supervisor and teammates all agreed that our three hours together on a random sunny Saturday was the most fun they have had since this all began five weeks ago. That, in itself, was worth more than any official marathon medal.

As the days went by, the story took off. That spark grew. I’m glad people felt inspired and that in a time of such uncertainty and fear, that I could do something small for the betterment of morale, to make people smile, and provide the momentary comfort of our old normal. I’m nobody special, and that’s proof that anyone can be a bright spot in seemingly dark times.

(the run was shared on UVA President James Ryan's Facebook page)

Lest we forget. I’m just a regular dude that sometimes runs and shamelessy eats Taco Bell and Digiorno pizza. UVA is the home of many heroes during these times. They include the University leadership, medical staff, doctors, surgeons, nurses, engineers designing 3-D PPE, our donors, our medical students, first responders, facilities management, fellow Virginia Medical Reserve Corps members, and countless others.

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars” – Martin Luther King Jr. (Mountaintop speech, 1968)

COVID-19 and The Spring Running Season

Like many of you reading, my spring running plans (and possibly summer) were completely turned upside down by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Virginia now has 49 known cases and now my place of work, the University of Virginia, has reported it's first known case. This March and April I had hoped to complete my 149th and 150th marathon and longer events, but it does appear that the time for reaching those milestones will have to wait.

That said, I am not upset. Yes, I am dissapointed that I will not get to run some of my favorite trail races, many of which I have waited 6-10 years to run again. Yes, I will miss seeing and reconnecting with old friends in the running community after much time away. Yes, like many of you, I have lost non-refundable entree fees due to cancellations.

But, let's keep all of this in healthy perspective. I support ALL of the cancellations and tough decisions made by race directors and local officials. I understand the logisitics of putting on races and the overhead costs that can't be returned to paying runners. Our running events are, in fact, first world luxuries and if not running, or not getting refunds is the worst of our problems, I will gladly take it. We should all strive to continue to support our loyal and hard working race staff, continue to take the proper precautions, and to use this time to strenghten our communities. Be calm. Be caring. Be compassionate.

Now, more than ever, is the time to continue running and be outside. Nobody has cancelled your ability to enjoy nature and even enjoy the same trails you could have run on race day. This is the time to remember that we don't always need to pay an entry fee to experience something of value from enjoying our hobbies in a less formal context. Without the rustling of hundreds of runners sifting along a singletrack trail, maybe you'll notice something new, or remember something you have forgotten. Perhaps just the simplicity of the sound of your breath juxtoposed with the barren late winter branches crackling together in the breeze. Maybe you'll notice wild flowers blooming that were still merely green buds on your run several days ago. Enjoy the silence and allow yourself to listen. Take time to look up, look down, look within, and see what you may have been missing.

Get outside. Get outside with your family and friends (with intelligent social distancing when needed). Get back to loving what you do in the absence of a finisher's medal, placement, official time or social media race post to share with your audience.

Be kind to those who had to make tough decisions for the betterment of socities well being, and yours.

We'll hit the trails together when the time is right. On the plus side, this fall running season will have the most options ever. Considering it a blessing rather than curse that it may interfere with your preplanned fall race schedule. Also, how cool is it that you might be able to run the same race six months apart, instead of having to wait a year to run it again?

Be smart and be safe. And again, be kind.

Has it Really Been 3 Years?

Yes, you read that correctly. My last post was over three long years ago. That said, since I am no longer on any form of social media, I'm pretty sure the viewership of this blog is pretty close to non existent. That's a big change from the glory days of Lost in the Woods Running, which was somewhere between 2009 and 2014. But, alas, life has a tendancy to throw us curve balls, and for me, right at the moment when I thought I was nearing the pinnacle of my running "career".

Flashback to three years ago. Ah yes, it was 2017, and 2017 was going to be a huge year! I had been in a groove since the fall of 2014 and the momentum was going strong. 4 ultra wins, a marathon win, a 100k state record, a 2nd place trail marathon and my first BQ.

I had qualified, again, for the legendary Spartathlon ultramarathon and I actually was selected to represent team USA. A dream come true!

Lastly, on the heals of a 77 mile 12 hour run, I was going to attempt to qualify for the US men's 24 hour team by running at least 140 miles in a 24 hour race.

....Oh, but did I mention those life curve balls? My 2017 curve was more like one of those cartoon baseball games where the pitcher throws a zig zagging, swirling, spinning curve that defies the logic of science.

That's when my running started to come to a halt, and over things I literally could not control.

But, I made my efforts here and there, so I was able to fake the funk through 2017.

September 2017 - I completed a casual 64.63 miles at the Hinson Lake 24 hour. It was one lap more than my previous year.

October 2017- I won a small, but unique road marathon, the Cary Firehouse Tour Marathon. Marathon win number 2.

October 2017- This was the beginning of the end. I "ran" the Medoc Trail Marathon the day after confirming my significant other had been cheating on me. This coupled with family health issues all bubbled up to a disapointing run/hike. It was nearly three hours slower than my 2nd place time from the previous year.

Then came the one year away from racing, and pretty much away from running completely. It wasn't planned or predictable. I made a poor job choice that seemed wise at the time, a very poor relationship choice(taking back the cheating ex and having history repeat itself), and I found myself pulled away from running and the running community by things I had placed a false value on, as well as things that truly did take priority over running.

My weekly mileage became non-existent and over a four month span from late 2017 into the spring of 2018, I literally did not run a step or even go to the gym. I gained 13 lbs, and none of it was muscle. I was roughly 10% body fat and a lean 150 lbs when I qualified for Boston in October of 2015. Although others said they didn't notice a difference, I could see and feel it all too well. I was 163lbs and over 15-16% body fat for the first time since my sophomore year of college. I realized if all that could happen in just 4 months, what would happen within a year? A 40lb weight gain? 50!? I didn't want to find out.

It wasn't until May that I cowboyed up and committed to getting back into shape. It was now or never. I hit the gym hard and the muscle came back quick. I went from barely being able to bench 175 lbs for one repetition (my pr is 260 from college) to repping 185 for five reps within six weeks. The running, however, was a bit different. I was getting in the mileage, but the speed didn't seem to come back. I remembered when I was running a brisk 8-10+ miles every day from 2010 through 2016, and now I was lumbering through 2-3 mile runs at a 10:00 pace. I couldn't even run my marathon pr pace for ONE mile. It was tough, but I knew it wouldn't be easy. My ego hurt more than my legs, and at times I didn't even want to enter any races, and although I have never been super fast, I was still embarassed of how slow I had gotten in such a "short" period of time.

(The Bell Buckle Summer)

It's funny how just a few months in the right place can change a trajectory.

(fire side evening with the Cantrells)

Remember that poor job choice I mentioned above? Well, I got laid off after three short months. At the time it sucked. I was living off a lousy $600 a month in unemployment, applying for work, trying to find someone to takeover a lease, but it turned out to be more a blessing than a curse. I got my apartment subleased and spent the summer of 2018 in Bell Buckle, TN. I spent some time with a family you may have heard of if you've ever heard of the Barkley marathons. I got back the hunger to run regularly, to run far, though the speed still hadn't come back. Although some of the people and relationships revolving around my Bell Buckle Summer have since moved along in their own directions, I still look back at it with fondness as the place that brought me back from the year away from ultras.

The Comeback.

September 2018- A Race for the Ages. My first race in nearly one year. My 2nd year running ARFTA. 115 miles. The most I've ever done in a running event. Some running, but also a lot of walking in the intense TN summer heat.

October 2018- High Bridge 50k. 4:22. Pleasantly surprised considering my typical weekday mileage was still in the 20-30 range, but again this was a pancake flat course.

November 2018- Paced the 4:00 hour group at the Richmond Marathon. Achieved the most consistent segment splits of any pace group. It was my 4th year pace leading there.

January 2019- Tideland 24 Hour. 63+ miles. Learned I could still run 50 miles in 9 hours on trails.

January 2019- Frostbite 15k. Finished in 1:11. Better than expected, but the 7:27 pace was still slower than my marathon pr pace and very close to my trail 50k pr pace.

February 2019- Colonial Half. Ran the entire event with a friend. Our 1:51 felt pretty easy, even on a cold and icy day, so that was a good sign.

March 2019- Dogwood 12 Hour. 58.65 miles. 1st overall. It was nice to finally win an ultra again, but truthfully, this was not even close to a competitive event. The 2nd and 3rd place runners were 14 and 17 miles back.

April 2019- Hampton 24 Hour Run for Cancer. 56.25 miles. This was almost entirely social to catch up with old friends. It was my 3rd running.

May 2019- Bust the Banks Half. 1:57. This was a nice challenging trail half that was part of Dominion Riverrock weekend in my home city of RVA. Definitely a reminder of my lack of running fitness, but at least I broke 2 hours.

September 2019- A Race for the Ages. 122 miles. New event PR, but my legs were toast only 20 miles in.

September 2019- Pepsi 10k. A local Charlottesville 10k. Legs were recovered from ARFTA 12 days earlier, but still felt slow, though fresh. Finished in 46:54. That said, even without ARFTA, I doubt my lack of speed would have let me break 46 minutes.

October 2019- High Bridge 50k. 4:36. Ran without a gps. The 8:51 overall pace felt fairly comfortable and I never walked. I could have definitely dipped under 4:30 if I knew what pace I was running, but likely would not have reached my 4:22 from the previous year (which was still 24 minutes slower than my 50k trail pr).

November 2019- The Richmond Marathon t-rex. Yes, I ran the entire FULL marathon in an inflatable t-rex costume. Logistically and physically very demanding, but worth it. My time of 4:15:03 was nearly two hours faster than the only other recorded full marathon run in the same costume.

(photo credit: Richmond Times Dispatch)

(photo credit: Richmond Times Dispatch)

February 2020- Icy 8 Hour Trail Run. Every year I've run this event, I have run less than the previous year. In 2009, I won the innaugural event with 50.3 miles. I ran 48.9 miles in 2012 for 2nd place and then 47.5 in 2013 for 4th. This year my small victory was just that I showed up and completed at least a 50k. I ran a controlled 28.5 miles in 4:50 followed by walking a final 4.7 mile cool down loop to finish 32.9 miles in 6:10. I volunteered in 2019, but it was nice to come back as a participant for the first time in seven years. I also become the first person to have run this event in three different decades.

February 2020- Sugar Hollow Bridges 10k. Signed up the day before and regretted it the moment I showed up. 30 degrees with a wind chill in the low 20's and light snow drifting over the Crozet mountains. My A goal was to break 46 minutes, which would have been nearly a minute faster than my 10k six months ago. My B goal was to break 45 minutes, which I hadn't done in three years, which seemed like a long shot. The end result was a pleasantly surprising 43:45. The course is a gradual uphill 5k, turning around with a gradual downhill 5k. Thanks to a fairly controlled first 5k, I left enough in the tank to really hit the downhill with a decent effort. While this was still well off a 10k pr, it was 30 seconds per mile faster than my last 10k (7:03 pace vs 7:33).

What's next?

Qulifying for Boston 2022. I BQ'ed in 2015, only to miss the acceptance cut-off by 6 seconds. I've now waited five years, and you bet your ass I've been itching to give a BQ another attempt. After a long layoff, I finally think my running fitness is turning in the right direction for it to be a possibility this fall. The one catch, five years ago my qualifying time was a 3:10 and now it is.....still....a 3:10 since the BAA once again lowered the standards two years ago. On the bright side, if I go sub 3:10, there is, knock on wood, a 100% of getting entry in Boston, as opposed to maybe getting in with a time 2:03 under the qualifying mark.

But, while I am already working to get that sub 3:10 leg speed back, I am doing several spring ultras to build up my core endurance. This spring will mark a long awaited return to trail and mountain ultras after really only doing flatter loop styled fixed time events much of the past three years. I will also be closing in on my 150th marathon, or longer, event with the Terrapin Mountain50k being number 149 and the Bull Run 50 miler being the big number 150. Bull Run being number 150 is fitting, since a Virginia Happy Trails event was also where my 50th marathon/ultra took place in July 2010. After that, I will likely cap off April by returning to the Promise Land 50k. Perhaps with the residual build up of endurance from the spring races, I may attempt a summer 100 miler (though not Old Dominion as it falls on my parent's 50th anniversary) before turning exclusively to fall marathon training in late July or August.

Well, whew! That was the quick recap of the long three year gap between posts, but I am hoping to be back semi-regularly with not as fast as before race reports, but reports none the less.

Happy trails and happy running in 2020.

-Mike Bailey

First Sub 4

Well, I finally ran my first sub 4 hour trail 50k. 3:58 to be exact. It probably could have happened a lot sooner, and definitely on a paved course (I've split 4:10 for 50k during a paved 100k), but I have never run a faster 50k trail race before.

I decided the Frosty 50k in Winston-Salem was an ideal event to finally go for the sub 4 goal. I was also using the race as a starting point to gauge my fitness goals for the rest of 2017. January can be a weird time of year for me to figure out what kind of shape I am in because my running tends to taper off heavily around the holidays. My fitness seemed decent enough through the fall and I capped off 2016 with a solid 12 hour run, but my speed work had been lacking. I had also only logged about 25 miles per week of running since Christmas and a quicker 50k is a much different beast than running for 12 hours. Lastly, I went into the Frosty 50k about 5 lbs heavier due to plentiful holiday feasting and an increase in strength training, which is great, but not necessarily for running.

(Courtesy of Shannon Johnstone)

Not much to report on my race. The Frosty 50k course is fast, but still contained some rolling hills around Lake Salem and wet packed dirt from rain the day before. Temps were in the low 50's and muggy, but good for running. The 50k's four 7.75 mile loops made the overall pacing strategy fairly easy, since all I needed to do was make sure each loop was completed in under one hour. I basically ran it like a trail marathon with 5 miles tacked on. Loop 1 was probably a bit fast, loop 2 was right on goal pace, loop 3 had a 1 minute gear swap pit stop, loop 4 saw a marathon split of 3:18 but was plagued by bad stomach issues the last two miles. If I could have just maintained the 7:45's I was running for miles 30 and 31, I would have had a 3:55-3:56 finish, but the final two miles ended up taking 19 minutes. Thankfully, the stomach issues had little impact on placement, other than one spot, and no impact on making the top 3.

On a funny side note, I had totally forgotten that there was a 25k race also going on. I was admittedly a bit baffled by the number of people that magically disappeared after the second lap, but was also happy to find out I was well ahead of the 25th or 30th place I thought I was in.

(Courtesy of Robert Hill Photography & Twin City Track Club)

I think my lack of any regular training runs in the 15-20 mile range was really noticeable after mile 20. Legs got pretty heavy and pace dropped off a bit, but still in the high 7:40's. I think with more ideal training and continued speed work, I could average sub 7:30 pace for the 50k, which would bring me into the 3:52 range for this kind of course, or even 3:40's for a road 50k. For now, I'm just happy to knock out another PR and check off another ultra running goal.

Nutcracker 12 Hour Recap

I decided to jot down a few thoughts and notes from my final event of the year, the Nutcracker 12 hour run in Erwin, NC. Figured I'd do it now before I forget the details of this fun little event. This is mostly for my sake and trying to plan ahead for future longer ultra events and also to remember what I did right and what I can improve.

Training: None. I did my base mileage of 40-50 miles per week and signed up a few weeks before the race.

Goals: I based my tentative goals on a run I did in April. Basically, in April, I had decided to run the daylight portion of a 24 hour race that had similar smooth trails as Nutcracker. There I ran 71.25 miles in 11:10. Adjusting for a slight fade, I figured over 12 hours I could do another 5 miles. However, given the lack of training mileage, I honestly wasn't sure how feasible that goal was. In short, I figured somewhere between 75 and 80 miles was doable.

The race: My strategy was to start pretty slow and gradually speed up. The course consisted of a 5 mile out and back on the Dunn Erwin rail trail for a total of 10 miles per lap. The course had about a half dozen road crossing in each direction and near sunset we started half mile out and backs for a 1 mile lap. The starting temperature was a brisk 22 degrees at 7:00am, but allowed for a beautiful golden sunrise over frosted fields and neighborhoods. The daytime highs were in the low 40's, sunny with a slight breeze, and then dipping back down to 30 when the sun set.

(Running with the one and only Santa at the start. Photo courtesy of ROAM Ultras)

Miles 1-10: These were my warm up miles at an easy 9:17 pace. It was nice chatting with a few runners as I settled into the pace I hoped to hold for a half a day. By the end of the first 10 miles quite a few folks were infront of me, with some already ahead by a mile gap.

Miles 10-20: I continued to hold pace and resisted the urge to speed up, despite the fact the lead runner now had nearly a 2 mile lead. My mantra was to be patient and experience told me that slow and steady is the key to success in 12 and 24 hour events. 20 miles completed in just under 3 hours. Only 9 more hours to go.

Miles 20-30: With temps now in the upper 30's, I ditched my heavier jacket for a light running vest. During this stretch I figured I would gradually start speeding up a few seconds per mile just as other runners would be starting fatigue. I reached my marathon split in 3:53. Not too fast, but also not too slow. The runners ahead of me start coming back. 30 miles complete in 4:27.

Miles 30-40: Holding at a low 8:50's pace, I hit my 50k split in 4:36. I pass the lead runner around mile 37 and complete 40 miles in 5:51. Time wise, we're not even halfway done....

Miles 40-50: Nothing too impressive, just a bunch of nine minute miles, but in this kind of event, nine minute miles are good enough to spread things out. 50 miles complete in 7:25.

Miles 50-60: Fatigue starting to kick in and the legs are feeling a bit heavy. 9:00 pace starts slipping to 9:15 and 9:30, but overall it's not too bad given the cold. 60 miles complete in 9:00. 3 hours to go.

Miles 60-70: I finally get to switch to the one mile laps, which allows me to see the other runners on a more frequent basis. It's a much needed energy boost to see some familiar faces a bit more often. I reach my 100k split in 9:23. It's a half hour slower than my PR, but with over two and a half hours to go, I think it's right where I need to be. The cool darkness settles in and now there are 70 miles completed in 10:45. Mathematically, I had already won the race, but I really wanted to run as close to the full 12 hours as I could.

Miles 70-77: My legs are definitely feeling tired, but the night has brought a surprising boost of energy. With temps now back in the low 30's I switch back into my heavier jacket from the morning. Dang, the zipper somehow broke and I spend several costly minutes trying to fix it. The course is dark, but dozens of steadfast runners are still out there hammering away in the cold. The moon above sets aglow the earth below and the twinkle of local Christmas lights remind me how quaint and friendly this little town of Erwin has been today. Time check, 45 minutes to go. Looks like my zipper malfunction may have cost me the time to run an extra mile and I will have to settle for four more laps. 77 miles completed in 11:55.

Nutrition: 3,000 calories. Mostly Tailwind, 4 gels, a few handfuls of pretzels, gel blocks (bad idea in the cold), 1 ginger cookie
Gear: Hoka One One Clifton 1, North Face Torpedo Pants, long sleeve Nike compression shirt, Marmot Stride Jacket, Pear Izumi wind vest, Injinji mini crew socks

Afterthoughts: I was pleasantly surprised how well my legs felt given my relatively low running mileage. I think if I had been a little more confident early on, I could have gone a little faster for the first 50 miles and still had plenty in the tank for later. In addition, on a slightly warmer day, with a better training base, I could realistically foresee getting 80 miles on this course. Also, as a pleasant surprise, I found out that one of the Spartathlon qualifiers is completing 120k at a 12 hour race. 120k equals 74.4 miles, so my 77 miles actually requalified me for Spartathlon, which is nice because my qualifier from 2015 expires this year.


Anyway, in case anyone from the event reads this, thanks to all the volunteers and to Roam Ultras for this fun seasonal event.



Happy Holidays!

Wrapping up 2016

It's strange to think that it has been fall for several months now and another autumn running season is nearing a close. With temperatures still in the 70's, and even 80's, there have been times it hasn't felt like fall at all and yet here we are three weeks removed from Halloween and one week from Thanksgiving.

I remember how I used to wait excitedly all year for the fall running season to do my favorite races; the JFK 50, Mountain Masochist and the Marine Corps Marathon. However, with the price increases and politics of JFK, the price increase of Masochist and not being able to train in the mountains, and the logistical craziness and crowds of Marine Corps, I haven't had the desire to do any of the big three races that were typically the defining highlights of my year.

Things do change. My move to central NC has given me the wonderful opportunity to try many new events, but I've also realized I've been running much more than I had planned. The mileage and lack of any real training finally caught up to me in late October and forced an executive decision to pull back on several races in order to relax and rest my body. I also realized that in a two month span from September through late October I was essentially running an ultra or marathon every other week, or every third week. And though most of these races were done as casual efforts, there was no denying that doing an "easy" 103 miles at A Race for the Ages, followed by "only" 63 easy miles Hinson Lake taxed my legs more than I thought. Flashbacks to 2008 and 2009 when I severely over raced and hurt the potential of doing better at bigger goal races.

The misleading crux, and albeit also a pleasant surprise, came when I got 2nd place overall at the Medoc Trail Marathon, again on minimal recovery time. Granted, the field is typically not competitive, but I did run a 7 minute PR for the event, despite running an extra 3 minutes off course. This, of course, gave me the false confidence to proceed with the idea of trying to run a BQ at the fast downhill Peak to Creek marathon. Well, this is where I learned that a 4th straight race on minimal recovery, while running only 45 miles per week, was going to seriously backfire. Needless to say, I had all the signs of poor recovery and fitness that was okay, but not great. Quads were sore early, glutes were sore early, and typically comfortable marathon pace was far too laborious. I fought through it, slogging into the halfway mark in 1:33:40, but conceded at mile 15 that this was just going to have to be a pretty day in the mountains. No 3:05, no BQ, just a 3:19 long training run. I also had to remind myself how crazy it is that several years ago I would have only dreamed about running a 3:19, and now I was considering it a epic failure from a performance stand point.

Thankfully, the fall running season did not end on that sour note and I successfully paced a very strategically accurate 3:45 pace group for the 3rd straight year at the Richmond Marathon. We came in at 3:44:58, and for the second time were the closest pace group to goal time. Now time to rest up and maybe get in some actual training sans interruption by over racing. Who knows, there might even be a semi secret goal race in December I plan to run. But, who knows?

Just Missed Boston

By 6 seconds....

First world problems I know, but still a tough pill to swallow. I worked my butt off to get my first ever Boston qualifier a year ago. I ran a 3:07:57, which was 2:03 under my qualifying mark of 3:10. I admittedly did not think that would be enough, given that it required 2:28 under the previous year to get in. However, as fewer qualifiers came in, the statistics showed my time might very likely get me into the 2017 race.

I was about 99% certain going into the big notification day that I would be receiving an e-mail from the Boston Athletic Association congratulating me on my acceptance into the 2017 Boston Marathon. I instead, however, sat with a sinking feeling in my gut as I glanced at the message "All those who ran 2 minutes and 9 seconds under their qualifying time were accepted." Crushing...6 seconds. That's a big hill, a mile into a headwind, a few slow water stops, a few high fives, a missed workout, who knows. Not sure where I could have shaved the time, but I'm trying not to second guess. I ran as well as I could on a fast course in ideal fall weather. No complaints there.

It's the waiting that sucks. I had waited 11 months to apply to Boston, and now I wait yet another year to do it all over again. Back to train for yet another BQ in hopes that I can lower my time again and secure a spot. The reality is needing to run at least 3 minutes under the BQ time, and 5+ under for essentially a guaranteed spot. But, my talent is on the bubble. It's what makes it so much work just to get a BQ, no less a time a few minutes faster. It has literally taken years, if not an entire decade, to go from running a 5 hour marathon, to a 4 hour, to 3:33, a 3:10, and finally a BQ. But, the improvement margins are getting smaller and harder to achieve and I am getting older.

I admit, not running Boston was much easier to accept when I was a 4 hour marathoner or even 3:30 marathoner. I wasn't close enough to entertain the notion of running Boston for it to bother me. But, now that it's in reach, it's like getting a faint grasp of that starting line, online to get pushed back again. It tough being on the fringe, but rest assured when I finally do get into Boston, it will mean that much more knowing I didn't get it easy.

And worse case scenario, my BQ goes up to a 3:15 in five years, but only time will tell. Another good year of health and running is hardly a certainty these days. A heartfelt congrats to everyone on the other side of the looking glass that got in, and especially to those that got in by mere seconds. Here's to Boston 2018.