2021 Barkley Fall Classic Recap

2021 Barkley Fall Classic Recap

I realized I hadn’t added this race recap to my site. Maybe I was trying to put it out of my mind. Somewhere along the way in Frozen Head State Park, I destroyed my knee. I am nearly 100% certain that it was this race that I tore my meniscus at the root and have not recovered since. Regardless, here is my short recap I shared on Facebook after the race.

The The Barkley Fall Classic was a very tough race, both physically and mentally. I was not sure if I was going to do it at all less than a week out. It fell on Lucas’s birthday and I was seriously debating if I wanted to run the race I had tried to get into for three years, or do a mileage challenge to raise money for the Lucas Fund. I had some guilt and anxiety going into the race, after deciding to just do it while I have the chance. And I really had not trained a whole lot. It was going to be hard.

Boy was it ever.

But at the same time, fun in a sick kind of way. If you have watched the Barkley Marathon documentaries, you are familiar with terms like “The Yellow Gate”, “Rat Jaw”, “Testicle Spectacle”, “Chimney Top”, “The Prison Tunnel”, “The Meth Lab” and of course, Lazarus Lake. Throw in a thunderstorm and torrential downpours, bees, hornets, and you have one mean race course.

The short and sweet version of a quite long and muddy race report is that I made it through all of the famous landmarks and pulled out at the second half of the ascent of Rat Jaw. I am guessing around 23 miles in. Even after dropping out, I still had to walk/run 3 or so miles to get back to the finish line to officially quit.

DNF.

It was a surreal experience. I made a lot of cool memories.

Thanks go to Becky for keeping me company, being my crew, and catching some cool photos of the action.

And thank you to all who donated to the Lucas Fund on his birthday. It means the world to me to keep his memory alive and help others at the UVA Childrens Hospital.
www.forlucas.com

2019 New York City Marathon Recap

2019 New York City Marathon Recap

The New York City Marathon. In the running world, Boston and NYC are pretty much on the same level. Most people don’t know qualifying for NYC is actually tougher than for Boston. Another race full of history, excitement and one of the largest marathons in the world.

This race review is a departure from my usual jovial race recaps that revolve around port-o-pot mishaps or bloody nipples. Fortunately, this race had neither of those, but it lacked something else. Unfortunately, NYC felt more like an obligation than an adventure.

I had mixed feelings going into the New York City Marathon. I was originally supposed to run the 2018 race, but decided to defer my guaranteed entry to 2019 due to too many scheduling conflicts with Connor’s soccer schedule. As the race drew nearer, my excitement to knock off the largest marathon in the world (50,000 plus runners) was not all that high. I am not sure if it was my sub-par performances at recent marathons, missing out on Boston 2019, or the fact that I don’t like large crowds of people; and New York City is, well, New York City. All of this factors led to a state of anxiety that I am not used to when doing something that I love – running.

Jen and I drove to New York Friday afternoon and visited the expo to pick up my race bib. The expo was a mile or so walk from our hotel and we cut right through Times Square. Too many people. Fortunately, the expo was spread out and not crowded. So that anxiety was relieved while we checked out the latest running gear and gadgets on display. After the expo we headed in the general direction of our hotel to grab dinner and head back.

The next morning, I got out of bed as the sun came up and headed downstairs to do a shakeout run. As soon as I left the hotel, another runner was holding the door and she said, “Are you going for a run?” I responded that I was and off we went. We ran to and through Central Park with no real route or routine and chatted while doing a few pickups along the way. Runners are awesome. Instant friends.

After that, Jen and I went for breakfast and then back to Central Park to further explore. I felt like Central Park was my escape from the big city, so I enjoyed walking around in the beautiful park. It is truly a gem tucked in the middle of a big city. We did not do much of anything the rest of the day besides grab dinner and head to bed early to be ready for race day.

To get to the race, I elected for the midtown bus. I had to be at the Midtown Public Library at 5:30 AM. My race start time was 9:40 AM. That’s a long wait. So, early Sunday morning I was up and out the door. It was chilly that morning; about low 40’s. I bundled in some throwaway sweats and pullovers. I walked a few blocks and found the line for the buses and waited patiently until we boarded. The ride is a little over an hour to the starting area. I passed the time chatting with a guy from Chicago, learning about that race which is on my calendar for 2020. Once at the starting area, you are ushered to your corresponding corral color. I was Wave One, Green Corral B. Each color corral has its own little athlete’s village with coffee, donuts and drinks. There, I nervously waited as the minutes slowly ticked by prior to heading out to the starting line. It was cold just sitting around with not much to do besides people watch. I walked around a bit to keep my nerves at bay and make sure I was where I needed to be when I needed to be there. Maybe it was because I was flying solo at this race, because I usually have a few friends with me to take the edge off the nerves, but I was anxious to get out on the bridge and get going.

Finally, they called my wave and they moved us to another waiting area. There was time to use the bathroom again here. Then it was time to walk onto the bridge. My group would be on the lower bridge. Fun fact – I had heard that you don’t want to run on the outsides of the bridge because people pee off the top. I definitely made note of that. There were announcements that bridge pee-ers could be disqualified. I hadn’t planned on peeing off the bridge although that does sound quite liberating. Kidding. We all packed the start line like sardines and shed the last of our warm attire as the time drew close to the starting cannon.

And BOOM! We were off! The course meanders through all five boroughs. A running tour of the city. My plan was to complete it in under 3 hours and 20 minutes which is my new Boston Qualifying time. I wanted to keep a pace of 7:15 to 7:35 minute per mile for the duration. The first mile was tricky due to the congestion on the bridge but I managed to knock out it out in the desired pace window. I started in the center to avoid any golden showers. I got tired of weaving around the slower traffic. I saw a window to the left that looked like clear sailing and piss-be-damned, I went for it. I was able to run along the left side with minimal resistance from the crowd. It was glorious. Once the bridge was done, I emerged pee-free, the crowd thinned a little, I settled into a groove and kept the pace rolling comfortably along as my nerves relaxed and I was doing what I love – running. The theme of the weekend so far had been LOTS OF PEOPLE. And this held true for the race. There were so many spectators. Bands playing music on nearly every corner. It really helped keep my mind off the miles and just run.

The first half went by smoothly with no issues. One thing I noticed, or did not notice, was which borough I was in. I never really got a sense when I entered or exited a certain area of the city. I was expecting a “Welcome to the Bronx” banner or sign. My GPS watch was giving me strange pace data where it would tell me I was doing an 8:30 mile when I knew I hadn’t dipped my pace that much. At the end of each mile it would buzz and say 7:10 or somewhere right in the range I was shooting for. I am not sure what was causing that since it was outside of the tall buildings. Maybe too many GPS watches in one area confusing the satellites.

The second half had more long, deceptive hills that started to put pressure on my pace window. I started to falter a bit. More mental than physical since I didn’t cramp up. Fatigued, yes, but not muscle shutdown mode that I have had before. I kept thinking about stopping to walk and regroup, which is a terrible idea. I managed to keep running all the way through as I made my way back to my safety zone – Central Park. I was doing the math in my head and I knew I would be close. Besides pace being off, my distance on my watch had me about a quarter mile longer, so I had more real estate to cover in less time. I was running out of steam coming up the final hill, but managed to get across the line at 3:18.

Done.

Give me my medal.

Give me my poncho.

I am ready to go home.

I had a plan. I stuck to it. I succeeded. Will it be enough?

Is 3:18 enough to get me into the 2021 Boston Marathon? I have my doubts.

The race itself is well organized, great crowd support and a challenging course. The 2019 NYC Marathon was just not at the right time for me. Sometimes, your goal races are not all you dreamed they will be; and that’s okay. I may give it another try some day, along with seeing more sights in New York City.

SHOE REVIEW – SKECHERS GORUN RAZOR 3 HYPER

SHOE REVIEW – SKECHERS GORUN RAZOR 3 HYPER

I’m hooked man.

Skechers.

Yes, Skechers!

The company that makes light-up shoes for kids and semi-dressy shoes for adults. Clunky looking running shoes.

But, out of nowhere, they grabbed my attention with a performance line that is pretty darn impressive.

I had purchased the Nike Vaporfly 4% at the hefty price of $250 because I thought that was going to be the end-all-be-all of marathon shoes. Blah. I was let down. Not a fan.

I kept reading about how great the new Skechers Razor 3 Hyper is and how light, springy and fast THEY are. Hell, they even say SPEED right on the side … which I thought was a cheesy design idea, further putting doubt in my mind that Skechers could step into the arena with the big boys. Finally though, I gave into the urge to try them. I am glad I did. Not only are they half the price of the 4% but they live up to the hype! And I have grown to not hate the “SPEED” graphic.

These shoes use a foam called Hyper Burst. The best way I can describe the cushioning in this shoe is like a pool noodle. Sturdy, yet light foam. Very springy. Like a very dense sponge, but not sponge-y. Soft, but responsive. The overall fit is a little narrow, but I have become used to Altra line of shoes that provide plenty of room in the toe box. The Skechers Razor 3 Hyper are still comfortable without being too constricting and the upper has not cause any hot spots. The rigid heel counter did not cause any rubbing on my heel or Achilles. I could run in these for hours with no worry of them bothering my feet.

I trained for a few months in the first pair I purchased and decided they were going to be my shoe of choice for the Erie marathon. So I ordered a second pair for race day. They were great for the 26.2 miles, even when I was not. But that’s another story.

Here are the tech specs:
Weight: 6.4 oz (size 9)
Stack Height: 24 mm (Heel); 20 mm (Forefoot)

I have been running in these two pairs of shoes for almost all of my runs recently. I like them that much. 

Skechers has some really cool shoes rolling out. The Go Meb Speed 6 was just released and I test ran in them recently after hitting ORDER NOW the second they dropped. Oh, and I have a trail shoe on pre-order. In addition, there is a SPEED ELITE version of the Razor coming out in a few months with a carbon plate in the sole. (YES, I HAVE AN ADDICTION) Maybe this is the end-all-be-all marathon shoe I have been dreaming of. We will find out!

** UPDATE – I The Speed 6 were way too snug and the Speed Trail shoes were very strangely sized. The right shoe was significantly smaller than the left. 

My Marathons

2013 Shamrock Marathon

3:17:16

2015 Wineglass Marathon

2:59:49

2017 Kauai Marathon

3:32:02

2019 Erie Marathon

3:16:01

2013 Baltimore Marathon

3:40:20

2016 Boston Marathon

3:11:11

2018 Shamrock Marathon

3:17:24

2014 Shamrock Marathon

3:04:17

2016 Marine Corps Marathon

3:24:36

2018 Boston Marathon

3:11:29

2015 Boston Marathon

3:02:44

2017 Boston Marathon

3:14:35

2018 Erie Marathon

3:22:54

For Lucas 10×10 – Take the Challenge!

For Lucas 10×10 – Take the Challenge!

HERE WE GO AGAIN! The For Lucas 10×10 Challenge is back! Are you ready to challenge yourself? Do you find helping others to be a source of motivation? Then the 10×10 challenge is for you!

 

Lucas would have been 15 years old on September 18, 2019. He will live forever in our hearts. To learn more about Lucas, visit www.forlucas.com.

 

The Challenge:

In the month of September 2019, participants must run, walk, bike or jog 10 miles per day for 10 straight days. 

100 miles in 10 days is no easy task. And that task should not go unrewarded.

There will be prizes –
And not just for runners!

COMPLETE THE 10×10
You will be entered into a drawing with other 10×10 finishers for cool prizes.
AND you get a cool tee shirt to commemorate the achievement.
See details below for contest rules.

HELP THE BABIES
A special prize will be awarded to the participant that raises the most money for the Lucas Fund.
Click here for details on how to set up your own donation page.

SHARE THE CHALLENGE
Help spread the word! There will be a drawing for prizes just for helping to get the word out about the contest.
Follow Running Dad on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and INSTAGRAM.
Tag #ForLucas10x10 on your social media posts so I can find you and keep track.

ABOUT THE FOR LUCAS 10×10 CONTEST: 

Successfully complete the 10×10 Challenge and you receive a high quality “For Lucas 10×10 Challenge” tee shirt. You will also get a frameable certificate to hang on your wall that proudly proclaims your feat of endurance. The rules:

  • Run, walk or jog 10 miles per day for 10 straight days starting within the month of September, 2019.
  • If you miss a day, you must start over again.
  • You may break your daily 10 miles into several logged activities per day.
  • You must “Like” RunningDad.com Facebook page and share your daily run on the Running Dad Facebook page. You can use the activity tracked on a site like Runkeeper, Strava, Nike, Garmin Connect, etc. or a photo of your sports GPS watch. Include the hashtag #ForLucas10x10.
  • You must share your “For Lucas 10×10 Challenge” posts on your personal Facebook page, Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #ForLucas10x10.
  • To receive a t-shirt and certificate, you must successfully complete the challenge. All submissions will be reviewed for authenticity.
  • You can win prizes for sharing the contest and raising money as well!