The Long Run

Niagara Falls Marathon

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Location:

FL,

Member Since:

Mar 20, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

PR's:

  • 1 mile : 5:43 (3/2017)
  • 5K : 18:34 (12/2011)
  • 5 mile : 32:03 (5/2010)
  • 10K : 39:29 (11/2013)
  • 11K: 46:47 (July 2008)
  • Half Marathon : 1:26:47 (11/2012)
  • Marathon : 3:06:34 (02/2010)
  • 50K Trail: 4:34 (01/2012)
  • 50 Mile: 8:34:48 (4/2012)
  • 100K: 11:06 (2/2012)
  • 100 Mile: 24:19:44 (1/2022)

Marathons:

  • Treasure Coast Marathon (FL) - 3:39:51, Mar 2021
  • Towpath Marathon (OH) - 3:35:26, Oct 2019
  • Jacksonville Marathon - 3:31:10, Dec 2018
  • NYC Marathon - 3:49:12, Nov 2017
  • Marine Corps Marathon - 3:27:00, Oct 2016
  • Utah Valley - Jun 2016
  • Marine Corps Marathon - 3:28:12, Oct 2015
  • Pocatello Marathon (ID) - 3:32:25, Sept 2015
  • Chasing The Unicorn (PA) - 3:31:20, Aug 2015
  • Run for The Red (Poconos) - 3:30:40, May 2015
  • Boston - 3:24:42, Apr 2015
  • Clearwater - 3:27:04, Jan 2015
  • Clearwater - 3:16:17, Jan 2014
  • Boston  - 3:27:00, Apr 2011
  • DesNews - 3:10:57, Jul 2010
  • Gasparilla  - 3:06:34, Feb 2010
  • Space Coast - 3:11:29, Nov 2009
  • Estes Park  (7500' and up) - 3:52:19, Jun 2009
  • Boston - 3:17:22, Apr 2009
  • Niagara Falls - 3:19:21, Oct 2008
  • San Diego RnR  - 3:24:18, Jun 2008
  • Jacksonville Marathon -3:21:24, Dec 2007
  • Chicago Marathon - 3:35:08, Oct 2007
  • Disney Marathon - 3:52:34, Jan 2007

 

 

 

 

Short-Term Running Goals:

 

  • Sub 40:00 10K
  • 2:59 Marathon
  • 1:25 Half Marathon
  • 18:30 5K

 

Long-Term Running Goals:

Maintain my health and continuously seek to improve my fitness. Maybe someday get under 3:00 for marathon. More importantly, I'd like to figure out what my maximum ability is and reach that.

I'd also like to find the right balance in life and use running to enhance and improve myself.

 

Personal:

Dad of  three (welcome Charlotte Dani on 8/10/20) awesome kids and stepdad to three almost as awesome as my own kids.

I have a brown dog named Stella, and three cats - Catty, Tortie, and Esperanza.

  (old lines that were a little out of date but couldn't quite bring myself to removing them completely:) Also, have one wonderful brown dog named Sammy and just added a grey tiger cat (Catty) whose life started out rough but now has a better home.

I've recently started another blog so I can easily add lots of pictures and so other non-FRB users can leave comments:

Forward Progress!

 Also, for 2012 I started a blog to write down each day one thing that I am grateful for

Grateful Blog

 

Love living in Florida but love to travel and see the country and rest of the world.

 

Favorite Blogs:

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to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 20.88 Month: 54.08 Year: 342.30
Brooks T7 Lifetime Miles: 202.78
Brooks ST5 Lifetime Miles: 403.91
GoMeb Speed3 Lifetime Miles: 483.77
Brooks Pure Flow Lifetime Miles: 160.60
Brooks Launch(lobster) Lifetime Miles: 782.98
GoMeb Razor Lifetime Miles: 468.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.5026.200.000.0026.202.000.0032.70
Asics Gel Equation Miles: 4.50
Race: Niagara Falls Marathon (26.2 Miles) 03:19:21, Place overall: 60, Place in age division: 19
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.0026.200.000.0026.200.000.0026.20


It was a good race and I met my main objective of a BQ.  It was also my best split with the second half only a minute slower than the first half.  Temperature was good, but the wind was a mixed bag.  Garmin lost signal at exactly mile 16 so it became a fancy stopwatch for the last ten miles.

I'm going to sign up for Boston tomorrow!!


Overall - 67

Overall Male - 60

Overall place at half - 117

The day before the race things did not look good for the weather, rain and 27 mph wind from WSW.   The forecast improved with wind from SW with the high winds not starting until the afternoon.  Race start time was 10:00 am.  The buses left the hotel starting at 7:00.  I had gotten up earlier after waking up throughout the night so I got onto one of the first buses.  The bus got to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo just after 8:00 after a fairly uneventful border crossing (the one guy that forgot his passport got off the bus before we left so no one held us up).  I chatted with the guy next to me on the bus.  He was Steve from Ottawa.   This was his third marathon and he was going for a 3:30.  It was really nice having the art gallery to hang out inside.  It was warm, the bathrooms were all open, they had live music (classical guitarist), and of course art to look at.  With the temperature almost 50 at this point I wasn't sure what to wear, when the wind picked up it felt a lot colder so I settled on wearing two shirts, a tight short sleeve under armour shirt and a long sleeve tech shirt, as well as hat and shorts.

I went outside as the time was getting closer and I saw my Dad.  Then my Mom, sister-in-law and niece and nephew showed up.  I talked with them for a bit then did a short 5 minute warm up.

One nice surprise is that I saw a pacer, there was a guy holding a 4:00 sign and had rabbit ears on his head.  I talked to him and asked about other groups and he said there was a 3:15, 3:20, and 3:30 group.  I soon saw the 3:20 guy.  In addition to the rabbit ears he was also wearing a full fuzzy bunny suit.   I was tempted to find the 3:15 bunny but thought I would stick with the 3:20 and play it safe.

I lined up next to the 3:20 bunny.  There were a couple of other guys wanting a 3:20 as well as a 20 something girl from Rochester (my home town).

The race started and we shuffled through the starting chute then pretty quickly got on pace.  The warm up had paid off and I didn't have any starting out problems like I sometimes do.  After one mile, the hat came off and I shoved it into my pocket.  Hit some wind on the second mile as we were going southwest.  Two more miles brought us to the foot of the Peace Bridge going into Canada.  It rises up quickly with a gradual descent on the other side.   The 5 mile point was not marked but it was someplace towards the end of the bridge.  It felt nice going down the bridge.   From the peak of the bridge to the finish line was a 120 foot elevation drop but mostly flat except for the bridge and the end.  At some point I had gotten ahead of the pace bunny.  I thought I would just go with what I felt running as long as it didn't feel too tough.

Mile 6 we were heading south to a turn around point at mile 7.  It was pretty windy here with gusts coming off of Lake Erie, but I knew we'd soon be turning around.   Mile 9 was just past the bridge and the start of a long steady stretch that looked mostly the same for the next 15 miles.   The Niagara River was on the right, and lots of nice houses were to the left with an occassional business or just some trees on the left.  The course varied between due north, northwest and due west.

I hit the halfway point at 1:39:30 (gun time).  Was slightly worried because I felt a little more tired than I should have for that pace and wasn't sure how I was going to hold up.  I could feel some small blisters starting on my left foot.

The aid stations were really cool, with each one a little bit different.  Some were staffed by high school students, one was run by bikers, another one by a fire department - everyone dressed in full fire fighting gear next to a fire truck with ladder extended over the course, and another station was staffed by doctors and nurses in scrubs.

As the miles went by I ran with various people, some of them I talked to and some I just ran next to or behind.  I spent several miles running behind a guy wearing a Mexico shirt.  I was a little jealous because all the spectators gave a big "Go Mexico" shout out to him.  Next time I'll wear a more exciting shirt!

Eventually I passed Mexico shirt guy.  Every now and then someone would pass me.

At mile 16 I experienced a technical malfunction.  The Garmin lost its signal.   I knew exactly what was happening when my pace went from 7:40 - 8:03 - 8:11 - 8:41 even though I wasn't really slowing down.   This was right at 16.0 miles one the Garmin, but just before the actual 16 mile marker point. 

Time for the backup plan, Garmin was now just a stopwatch.  I hit the lap button each mile marker and ran by feel in between.  Mile 17 came in at 7:41 which worried me.  I could not afford to slow down much this early on.

So, mile 18 was one of my best miles and gave me a huge confidence.  With no continuous Garmin feedback, that mile came in at 7:26.  I could still do this!!

Miles 20 and 21 were also great, coming in under 7:30.  The end felt like it was coming within reach.  I could see the Niagara Falls skyline.  I was passing up the half marathon walkers.  Physically this didn't make the running easier but it helped to keep me going.

About mile 23 the wind was picking up more and more, sometimes against me, sometimes just a crosswind.

Mile 24 went through the small town of Chippawa and across a small bridge.

Some time at mile 25 the pace bunny had caught up to me (but had ditched part of the costume).  I was worried I would not be able to keep up.  I also had a pace tattoo on my arm so I used that to keep a check on my progress.

Finally the last mile came up, the wind picked up more but it was downhill.  The river was rough and was dropping off.  I could see the mist coming up from the falls up ahead.  As I was getting closer,  and someplace on the last mile, I saw my brother Jim (who had just finished his first ever half marathon in 1:52).  He ran along side me for a bit then dropped off.  The pace bunny was right behind me and yelled at me to go for it.   Next, my nephew Brian ran with me "Go Uncle Mark!".   Last one was Jenny (who PR'd at 1:52 running the half with Jim).  She said "Mark, you're killing it! GO! GO!"  She ran with me to the 26 mile marker, then I ran in the rest of the way.  I wasn't sure exactly where I was for time.  Then I saw the clock, 3:19:3x ---- Yes, made it!

It was weird how time had seemed to slow down while on the course, then once I crossed I was back in the real world.  I was happy with my time and glad I played it safe because even with that it wasn't very easy.  I'm not sure what the final tally was with the wind, sometimes I was fighting it and every now and then it was giving me a small push.

It was so wonderful to have everyone there.  I downed a gatorade and a chocolate milk  We hung out for a bit by the falls and traded racing stories until we had to rush off to get back to our hotel before the late checkout time was up.

 Official splits:

First half : 1:39:30

Second half: 1:40:13

My mile splits:

 1 7:39 :15 sync garmin w/ marker
 2 7:28 
 3 7:37 :05 sync garmin w/ marker
 4 7:31 
 5 7:28 
 6 7:43 :28 sync garmin w/ marker
 7 7:39 
 8 7:21 
 9 7:31 
 10 7:31 
 11 7:31 
 12 7:38 
 13 7:38 
 14 7:27 
 15 7:32 
 16 7:43 Garmin died here
 17 7:41 
 18 7:26 this mile gave me hope
 19 7:43 
 20 7:29 
 21 7:24 
 22 7:54 
 23 7:53 
 24 8:03 
 25 7:56 
 26.2 8:49 7:17 pace - thanks family and pace bunny!

Summary race report - Niagara Falls Marathon 2008.  I would definitely recommend this race to anyone who wants a flat point to point race with great scenery.  Small/medium size race with not too many crowds, great volunteer support - although not a lot of spectators along the way but not so few that you ever feel lonely.


Comments(18)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.00

Ok, one more day of rest today.  I'll do something more active tomorrow, then go for a short run to ease back into things on Fri. or Sat.

Not wanting to procrastinate any longer, I actually did sign up for Boston today.

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.00

As promised yesterday, I did do something this morning. I went to the Y, did bike for 10 minutes, some stretching and core work, elliptical for 6 minutes, then some fast walking on the treadmill, and finally three sets on the bench press.

It was barely anything, but this was all I had planned for this morning - probably will walk Sammy tonight.

Maybe a baby run tomorrow.

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2.000.000.000.000.002.000.002.00

I had to do this sooner or later.  First run after marathon.  2 easy miles on the treadmill.  I warmed up on the bike first then did lots of other stretching and warm up.  Legs felt pretty good, took it nice and easy.  I wanted to go faster but I kept it slow.  A little bit of tightness in the lower calf of my right leg.

 

I'm am going to start using the new Shoe Manager feature today, I was excited to see it show up - thank you Sasha!  This is a pretty cool site where everyone knows the person running it by name, not just some impersonal email to "webmaster"  :)

After the marathon my quads felt it the most and I didn't really notice anything going on with my calf.  Tuesday's massage helped a lot to get my quads fixed up.  I think the calf issues will work itself out in a few days.

Yesterday I remembered that I do have a race coming up in a few weeks, and although it is not listed as one of my goals, there is a goal attached to it.   The St. Pete Times Turkeytrot Wingding 5K is a pretty big race with around 15,000 runners in it.  It's not chip timed and they only list the top 125 men and top 125 women (up from 100 in past years).   I missed top 125 last year.   Sub 20:00 will probably get me there, I'd love to PR (sub 19:46) and possibly break 19:00.   The course starts with a gentle downhill on the first mile, flattens out for the second and has a small hill in the third mile.   They are having two start times this year, one for runners and one for walkers, so that should help with some of the congestion.   There is also a prize for being in the top 125 - a coffee mug!   We have been doing this race now for a number of years.  This year, I'll do the 5K, then do the 1 mile run with the kids, and Jenny is going to do the 10K and maybe also win a coffee mug (for 10K women, might be in top 125 with sub 51:00, definitely with a sub 50:00).

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.500.000.000.000.000.000.004.50

I felt much better on today's run than yesterday's run.  I met up with the group at the Y this morning just before 7:00.   The worker that was supposed to open the gate was late and did not end up getting there until 7:30.  So, I spent some time chatting with the others and talking about our recent races.

Bob and Keith were heading to the track.  Eric was going to do 6 miles, so I ran out with him for 2 miles and then turned around.   Then I jogged over to the track and did part of the cool down laps for a total of 4.5 miles, overall average about 8:15.

Went inside to celebrate Fred's birthday who had just turned 75.

Nice weather, easy pace, and good friends.

Asics Gel Equation Miles: 4.50
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.5026.200.000.0026.202.000.0032.70
Asics Gel Equation Miles: 4.50
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