MONDAY, MAY 31, 2004

This morning my training consisted of a 26.2 mile long run. I trained with maybe a thousand-plus other runners. Someone was nice enough to cater the training run and recruit folks to hand out water and energy drink. They even marked many of the mile splits on the path.

You know that I am way into endurance sports when I start thinking of a marathon race as a training run for Ironman Canada.

Heck, I ran Boston six weeks ago--or should I say melted down at Boston in 86 degree heat six weeks ago. I have recovered well from my 4:45 death march. But, yes, my performance at the '04 Boston Marathon left a taste in my mouth like a piece of meat gone bad.

So my Lakeshore Marathon this morning was something more than Ironman training, I must admit. It was a little redemption, as well. I needed to run a decent marathon after Boston.

Actually, my last four marathons since I injured my achilles in October 2002 were not all that terrific. In 2003 I ran a warm Boston in 3:49, the marathon leg of Ironman Canada in 4:40, and the Chicago Marathon in 4:09. (To add perspective: My marathon PR is 3:27, set just before I was injured in 2002.)

So yes, there's more to 'fess up to. I want to go back to Boston and really redeem myself. But to do so I needed to requalify. For this old guy I needed to run a marathon in 3:45:59 or faster. As I have shown, I had not done this in 19 months, despite four opportunities.

A final note on my motivation. My left achilles tendon is basically healed--meaning that it now only rarely gives me twinges of pain. But to have it not be a bother and having the strength and push-off in my left leg that I had before I was injured are two different things, I have learned. I am getting my power back. But this is taking time. So the other thing I wanted to test this morning was how far along the "full recovery" spectrum I have come. Would I be able to push-off with power and stride-out later in the "long catered training run"?

In keeping with my low key approach to the race, I skipped the expo. I just showed up at 5:15 a.m. and collected my packet, put on my number and my timing chip on my shoe, checked in my jacket, and was ready to go. No hooplah, no stressing out. Just a training run...

Let me offer some background on the Lakeshore Marathon. The first one was staged on Earth Day in 2002. The race was something to remember, that's for sure. Very cold, 30 mph gusty winds from the east directly off of Lake Michigan, waves hitting the seawall in various places, drenching runners, the north end of the lakefront trail incomplete, which meant that we hurtled a concrete wall and ran about a quarter mile through wet mud. Also, the race was poorly manned--my Run to Eat Club which had volunteered to help out a bit, but mostly came to spectate and support several of us who were running, instead took control of the finish area, reorganized it and made sure that at least runners were properly greeted at the end and got space blankets and their medals. The mile markers almost all blew away before the race and fluids were not all that available on the course.

Despite all this, the race course is what this race is about. It's flat and all on a pedestrian/bike path--maybe two-thirds paved and one-third screened gravel--but that's the least of it. The views on this course are terrific. If you have been up and down Chicago's lakefront east of Lake Shore Drive, it is pretty spectacular--McCormick Place, Soldier Field, the Museum Campus including a path around the Shedd Aquarium, yachts in the boat basin, Buckingham Fountain, skyscapers of the Loop and up Michigan Avenue, the Coast Guard station, Navy Pier and the Ferris Wheel, Ohio Street Beach (ground zero for open water triathlon wetsuit swimming!), Oak Street Beach, the Gold Coast, more harbors and boats, park land galore, Lincoln Park Zoo, etc. Plus the lake itself, calm and shimmering this morning in mixed sun and clouds.

I kind of perversely enjoyed the "adventure race" in 2002. I had run a great race at the Washington DC Marathon about a month earlier so I ran the inaugural Lakeshore as a training run with my friend Joe, who between stomach problems and cramps had a lousy first half--two hours. He urged me to leave him at that point, so I hustled back, for about a 3:52 finish as I remember it.

I did not do last year's race, but I heard it was "better." I talked to the race director at the Boston Marathon expo this year and he said that he had "fixed" the problems and had had a good race in 2003.

Hey, I was just looking for a training run--and a little redemption--so I signed up.

Today's race was much much nicer, starting with good weather and better organization. Not perfect by any means, but Mark is getting his act together.

I got a Boston time, ran 3:40:59.6, so I am happy!

We had nice weather and the course is just beautiful--all along Chicago's lakefront, 2/3 paved path. 1/3 gravel path.

Me negative split a marathon? No way. I am the original racing rabbit. That said, I held back some and ran in the high 7s to 8 minutes the first 9 miles, then my mile times crept up and heart rate crept down. Ran about 1:46 first half, 1:55 second half, which really is not that "rabbity" for me! Picked it up last three miles and felt like I was running with better form again. I liked that!

Now I have to practice walking stairs without looking like it hurts. (Part of trying to have a "stylish" recovery!)