Marine Corps Marathon 2015 log

Fundraising for Friends4Michael: $2,020.

Week of July 27

M - 0

T - AM 9 PM 5

W - AM 7 PM 9 - 3 by 1600 with 3 min rest (5:16, 5:07, 5:00)

Th - 9

F - 11

S - 13 - 2 WU, 6 @ MP (5:40, 41, 42, 41, 44, 38 - 34:10 (5:41 avg) 5 CD

S - 17 - (17.36 miles in 2:04:32 - 7:10 avg.)

Total - 80

Week of August 3

M - 6

T - 12 --- 2 WU, 4 miles in 22:40, alternator, 5:55, 5:20, 6:01, 5:20, half mile easy, 2 miles in 11:01 (5:30, 5:31), 3.5 CD

W - 15 (1:49:28 - 7:18)

Th - 10

F - 11.5

S - 20 ---  2:11:22 (6:34) Dueling Ferries: Opening 10 in 68, back 10 in 63. Started over 7 min pace and worked gradually down from high 6 pace from there. 6:30s by 8. Ran last 5 at 6:15 pace.

S - 10.5

Total - 85

Week of August 10

M - 6

T - 11 with Luke and Outlaw

W - AM 12 - 5 by 2k with 2 min rest on bike trail trying to run smooth at 10-15 seconds faster than marathon pace. Somewhat successful. Had some stomach problems. Reps were 6:50-55 so roughly 5:30 pace or slightly faster.

Th - 10

F - 10

S - 6

S - 12 - Falmouth Road Race - 46th. 39:36.

Total - 68

Week of August 17

M - 7

T - 10

W - AM 10, 10 by 2 min on/1 off PM 4.5

Th - 9.5, 5.5

F - 12

S - 10

S - 20 - 1 WU, 19 in 1:59 (6:15 avg) on hilly loop. Humid. Decent effort. But when I wanted to get rolling, at 16, I started struggling. Finished with a few laps on high school track.

Total - 88.5

Week of August 24

M - 6

T - 17 --- AM 10 PM 7

W - 17 --- AM 5 PM 12 - Track: 3 by 2k (6:24, 19, 15); 2 by 1600 (5:00, 5:00). 3:30 rest.

Th - 14.5 --- AM 7 PM 7.5

F - 10

S - 12 - 3 WU, Gettysburg Alumni XC 5k, 4th, 16:53, change shoes, 5 by 1k on the course at marathon effort with 3 min rest, 2 CD  

S - 16

Total - 92.5

Week of August 31

M - 6

T-  15 --- AM 10 PM 5

W - 18 --- AM 12 - 4 by 2 miles on Anacostia trail w 3 min rest. Rough. Too humid. 10:53, 54, 11:08, 11:50. PM  6

Th - 10

F - 11

S - 15 --- 10, 5

S - 20 --- AM 6 PM 14 - Larry Noel 15k, 54:33, 1st. Good practice running marathon effort in the heat on a hilly course.

Total - 95

Week of Sept. 7

M - 7

T - 15 -- AM 10 PM 5

W - 17.5 -- AM 8 PM 9.5

Th - 8.5

F - 22 (2:22:40; 6:29 avg.) Threw in a faster mile every 4 miles. Got in a pretty good rhythm, with times varying a bit during stretches when I had to negotiate bridges and more traffic.

S - 7

S - 14

Total - 91

Week of Sept. 14

M - 15 --- AM 8 PM 7

T - 16 --- AM 10 PM 6

W - 0 - off, sick

Th - 15 --- AM 9 PM 6

F - 11.5

S - 10

S - 20 - Navy Air Force Half Marathon - 1:17:27, 20th. Had to go into this with a run-for-fun mindset. Still getting over cold and didn't want to run hard and set myself back another few days. A solid run at marathon "effort" and helpful to practice things I am not good at - taking water, gels.

Total - 87

Week of Sept. 21

M - 6

T - 15 --- AM 10 PM 5

W - 18 --- AM 6 PM 12: Workout was 4 by 2 miles on roads w 3 min. First two were on point (10:40) with Luke, Sam, Kieran. Towards end of 2nd, though, I felt a twinge in my quad. Strained my hip flexor. Hoped it would work itself out on the 3rd, but it didn't. 11:00, and called it day, jogged in.

Th - 13.5 --- AM 7 PM 6.5

F - 11.5

S -  25 - 24 in 2:34:52 (6:27) + 1 mile jog in to avoid walking.  Soul-sucking headwinds.

S - 11

Total - 100

Week of Sept. 28

M - 6

T - 15 --- AM 10 PM 5

W - 15 --- Todd's War session: 44:45 for 8 miles on the track alternating miles at MP with intervals between 1600 and 400.

Th - 8

F - 14 -- AM 10 PM 4

S - 22 --- 2 WU, 4 by 4 miles on, 1 off: 23:30, 23:09, 23:12, 23:04

S - 11

Total - 91

Week of Oct. 5

M - 6

T - 17 --- AM 5 PM 12, 10 by 800 (2:25 avg)

W - 8

Th - 9

F - 12

S - 10 --- 4 mile tempo on track, 22:35, 6 by 150. Windy!!

S - 17

Total - 80

Week of Oct. 12

M - 6

T - 10

W - 14 --- AM 5 PM 9, Mall, 3 by 1 mile with 2:30 rest (5:00, 4:55, 4:50)

Th -  8

F - 9

S - 8

S - 14 --- 10 steady (6:25 avg), 3 on hilly stretch (5:50, 5:50, 5:30)

Total - 70

Week of Oct. 19

M - 6

T - 10 --- AM 5 PM 5

W - 8 --- Roads: 2 miles in 11:32 (5:48, 44), two minutes rest, two by ½ mile at 5:18 pace, 5:15 pace

Th - 6

F - 5

S - 4.5

S - Marine Corps Marathon. 2:34:45, 17th. This is one of my best efforts and my best marathon since 2009. I expected to run faster but understand why I didn't. I will post some additional thoughts soon.

43 Laps + Father's Day 8k

In my last post I mentioned my decision to run Marine Corps Marathon in support of the Friends4Michael Foundation and shared my plan to run D.C. Road Runners One-Hour Track Run as a fundraiser. I stole this idea from my dad; 20-some years ago I watched him run 10+ miles on the Monmouth University track to raise money for the Special Olympics.

Prior to last night I found out the event record was 17,700 meters, roughly 44.25 laps. I came up a little short of that last night; the results indicate I covered 43 laps (17,217 meters). But I was pleased with the effort on a hot night (I am feeling that marathon strength coming back!), and am really grateful to my GRC teammates who pitched in money per lap -- especially Charlie and Tex, who also helped pace me.

Looks like these 43 laps will raise more than $800 -- on top of what has already been raised -- for Friends4Michael. You can still donate here.

The other thing is ...

The GRC's Father's Day 8k is coming up - it's on June 21 at 6:30 p.m. This is a really fun, low-key race, and I always enjoy being on the other side of things, helping to put a race on. This race benefits our club, and it's always fun to see families incorporating this race into their day. There's a Facebook page, too.

  

Running MCM for Friends4Michael Foundation

This October marks ten years since my first marathon, and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate that than by running my first Marine Corps Marathon in this city I call home. 

I have spent the fall and spring getting back to the fundamentals - racing cross country and track - and I believe I will be ready in October to take a fresh run at 26.2 miles and go under 2:30 again. (My training will focus on running 5:40 pace and finishing in the top 10.) 

But I have another, much-more-important goal - and that is to raise $1,000 for the Friends4Michael Foundation. 

This started, to be honest, by asking myself how I would gain entry into this sold-out race. My first thought - to be honest, again - was: "Who could I call? What back channels could I go through to get in?" 

But then I looked at the list of all the great charities that partner with the Marine Corps Marathon and I started thinking about everything differently. Running had given me so much. Here was such a great opportunity to re-channel all of that positive energy. 

The logo, "The Mighty Kwinn: Fight for the Cure!," reminded me of the Bob Dylan song. Then I started reading about what this was really about, which is the Friends4Michael Foundation and the story of Michael Kwinn.

 

As a runner, I get very results-oriented (see paragraph two). I am frequently guilty of losing the perspective of what running is really about, and how lucky I am to be able to do this. I want to be able to set high goals without losing that perspective. 

Michael was extraordinary. This is a kid who, after finding out he had a brain tumor, devoted the rest of his life to raising awareness about his disease, raising money for research, and helping people in any way he could. 

The other thing about Michael was, he never, ever quit. He never gave in. He never stopped putting up a fight. He accomplished so much in his 14 years. And now his spirit lives on through his family and his friends and through volunteers and runners - through Friends4Michael, which provides financial assistance to the families of children who have brain tumors and also raises money for research efforts. 

I am so honored to represent Friends4Michael in the Marine Corps Marathon. I just have one more goal I did not mention - and that is to put up a performance that would make Michael proud. 

You can contribute to my fundraising effort in two ways:

Fundraiser: On Tuesday, May 19, I will participate in D.C. Road Runners One-Hour Track Run. It is pretty simple: You run as far as you can. In an hour. In a circle.

I am asking friends to pledge to donate an amount - a quarter? 50 cents? a dollar? - for every lap I cover. My goal will be to run ~11 miles, or 44 laps. 

If you'd like to participate, email me at dickson.mercer@gmail.com and let me know what you would like to pitch in. Afterward I will report back to everyone with my result, and we can all make a really nice donation together.

I would love to get a lot of participation on this. 

That said, you can also Just Make a Donation by going to my Crowdrise page or by donating directly to the foundation.

Thank you for your support!  

Training Update: Nov. 24 - Feb. 1

(Recently, when I have thought to update this blog, the thought following that one has been: “If I have time for this, I should probably get my act together on that story I am working on for Charlie, instead.” The latest one was a profile of Christo Landry. I look forward to sharing it here.)

***

Looking through the logs I’ve posted below, thinking about it all in the context of 2014, the Boston Marathon feels like it happened so, so long ago.

That was a very disappointing race that capped a trio of tough marathons. I look back on those races – Boston, Twin Cities, Boston – and recall mistakes I made in training, mistakes I made in the races themselves, external factors that were out of my control … But I'm also trying to let all of that go now. I'm accepting that those races just weren't my days.

The mystique of the marathon, in a lot of ways, is what I both love and can’t stand about it. I love how complex it is – the way, for example, my friends Teal and Breezy write about it.  (I love even more how they race them.)

But also, truthfully – repeating myself here – I cannot stand that complexity. Because, really, it’s so simple: in the sense that there is no universal program – in my opinion – that will lead to success for everyone (particularly, I think, for working professionals). There is only the program that will work for you. You just have to figure out what that program is. (Right - I know - it's not simple at all, as it turns out.)

The sort-of driving thought behind my running right now, though, is that the specific training for the race - for me, I am saying - is much less important than the larger training picture: the building blocks. 

Strength and speed. Most runners tend to have one more than the other. I have less speed. On one hand, sure, races at half marathon and below are radically different than racing the marathon. I think, though, if I'm going into a marathon cycle, unable, say, to regularly break 16 minutes for 5k, aren't I really just adding whip cream on top of horseshit? 

The above paragraph does not apply, it seems, to many marathon specialists. But I do think the "data" reveals it applies to me. You look at my two best years in marathoning, 2006 and 2009 -- I am aware, by the way, that it is now the year 2015 -- those followed years in which my speed was optimized, or close to optimized. In 2006, I was coming off four years of anaerobic-intensive training (college), and a season in which I lowered my 5,000 personal best to 15:13. In 2009, I ran my second-fastest marathon on the heels of breaking 16 in a summer 5k and running a new personal best in the half marathon.

After Boston, I hit the reset button and tried to go back to the beginning. I ran some summer mile races, which were equal parts fun and frustrating but served the larger goal of improving my efficiency running at faster speeds. I started breaking 16 for 5k again. I ran a couple five-milers under 26 minutes (something I had never done, only splitting it in a 10k.) 

One of my favorite parts of the second half of the year was bumping into my college coach at cross country meets - from Gettysburg's home invitational to Lehigh's Paul Short. He even made it out to Clubs, where I not only had him, but my parents, and my wife's parents, all supporting me - and proud of me, even though I of course got completely crushed. 

One of my favorite athletes is Andre Agassi. Not because of the commercials, the style. (To be clear, the inspiration for the trucker hat comes from the way my dad, and many others, used to dress for running and racing during the early days of the "boom" ... and Levon Helm.) But the way Agassi would climb out from rock-bottom, getting his confidence back at small-time tournaments, and rise all the way back to the top of the sport. 

I'll never reach the top of the sport. But I do believe I can again reach the top of my game. 

***

(After running 15:49 for 5,000 indoors some weeks ago, I looked up my last indoor 5k result and saw that it was almost exactly 10 years earlier: 15:26 at the NYC Armory. It was a decent-enough rust buster. And I'm looking forward to going for a personal best for 3k at the Princeton Invitational on Feb. 22. The idea, all along, was to use the fall as a springboard to new track personal bests in the spring; I updated my GRC profile to kind of reflect that. We'll see.)

Nov. 24-30

M - 6
T - 5, 7
W - 9
Th - 10 - Nazareth Run for the Pie 5k in Nazareth, Pa, 5th, 15:56 (39 seconds faster than last year)
F - 10
S - 10
11 - 11 - Pre-Club Cross Country National XC, 6k - 7th, 20:00
Total - 68

Before Nazareth Pumpkin Pie 5k with bro and sis in law. @luffdiddy FTW in 15:02. I broke 16 on this course for first time.

A photo posted by @dicksonmercer on Nov 27, 2014 at 2:37pm PST

Dec. 1 - 7

M - 5.5
T - 7
W - 5, 7 - PM - Rough workout. Caught a cold. 3 by 1600 in 4:54, 4:55, 4:59, 1 by 800 in 2:29
Th - 7.5
F - 10
S - 10.5 - Cell Tower workout: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 + 4 strides
S  -12.5
Total - 65

Dec. 8-14

M - off
T - 9.5
W - 9 - 6 by 1:45
Th - 8
F - 5
S - 10, Club Cross Country Nationals 10k, 33:48, 332nd
S - 6
Total - 47.5

@macdonaldadrian and I with our college coach, Aubrey Shenk, after clubs.

A photo posted by @dicksonmercer on Dec 14, 2014 at 9:08am PST

Dec. 15-21

M - 7, 4
T - 10, 4
W - 10
Th - 9, 5 - PM Beer Mile, 9:59
F - 9
S - 10
S - 15.5
Total - 83.5

Dec. 22-28

M - 8
T - 10
W - 10
Th - 10
F - 12
S - 10
S - 15, in NJ, Manasquan Reservoir, 22 by 1 min on/off
Total - 75

A photo posted by @dicksonmercer on Dec 28, 2014 at 7:19am PST

Dec. 29-Jan. 4

M - 10
T - 10
W - 10
Th - 10, at Lafayette football stadium. 6 by ~300; 20 diagonals on field, jogging end zone
F - 10
S - 10
S - 15, + 20 by 1 min on/off
Total -75

Jan. 5-11

M - off
T - 8, 4,5
W - 5, 9 - 30-min progression on treadmill: started at 6:00, accelerated every quarter mile, ended at 4:56; 5.5 miles during the segment.
Th - 9
F - 10
S - 12 - 8 mile tempo in Rock Creek Park. 5:36 average.
S - 13.5 from Sycamore Landing. Road loop.
Total - 70

January 12-18

M - 5
T - 10
W - 5, 8 - Treadmill. Did 6 by 3 minutes, progressing from 6 flat to 5 flat during each rep, pushing up pace every like 30 seconds.
Th - 8
F - 9.5
S - 9 - Terrapin Invitational: 15:49, 6th. 9:55 through 3200. Faded.
S - 10. Cold and rainy. Emily and I moved our long runs to Monday holiday.
Total - 64.5

January 19-25

M - 14
T - 6
W - 5, 11 - Bethesda Tunnel - 5 times 4 by 300+. 2.5 min rest between sets, 45 sec between reps
Th - 8
F - 11.5
S - 10
S - 17
Total - 82.5

January 26 - Feb. 1
M - 5
T - 10
W - 8, 9 - Bethesda Tunnel - 3 times 4 by ~600 (out and back). 4 min rest between sets, 45 seconds between reps.
Th - 8, 5
F - 12
S - 11 - Track: 3200 in 10:15, 3 by 800 in 2:23-25; 2 by 400 in 67-68
S - 19
Total - 87