My race schedule for this year is all but set but I wanted to start by setting myself up for the tri season and attempt to achieve a goal I had not thought possible in the past. I figured a great way to work on my weakest area, running, would be to do an early season marathon. What better than the inaugural One City Marathon in my home town of Newport News. I also, wanted to set the bar high and attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon. This would require that I run faster than 3 hours 15 minutes in the race and would mean I would need to shave at least 12 minutes of my personal record set in late 2013.
When I discussed this with my coach Adam Otstot, he thought it was doable but I would need to put in a lot of work and learn to run in an “uncomfortable” state. This was not a surprise as I have learned that to get faster you have to learn to exist outside your comfort zone and in some cases way outside for an extended period of time.
In early November, the time came to get to work. My first workouts started while traveling for work and if those were any sign of what was to come, I knew I would be digging deep a few times each week. The plan kept up with the biking and swimming but both would eventually drop down to once a week. Well, swimming would have been more but I found myself sleeping in a few times a week, especially after interval Tuesday or speed work Thursdays.
As the months went on I fought off a few colds, some minor injuries and had to deal with cold temps, rain and snow. Luckily I had my training partners Steve Smith and Jason Bridges to keep pushing me as well as a great group to run with on Sunday’s. Things were going well, training was on mark, and I was crushing my speed work. At the end of February, the plan was to run a half marathon. We all signed up for the Colonial Half in Williamsburg and I was really looking forward to see what I could do in race conditions.
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| Before Colonial 5K, Carter, Jason, me and Steve |
The week leading up to race brought snow and more snow which lead to the half distance to be cancelled. Luckily, the 5K portion of the course was clear and safe enough to race so Jason, Steve and I decided to give that a go. The race went great, I set a PR at 19:07 and my first ever age group win. A plus was meeting and racing with Carter Ficklen, Carter and I are of similar strengths running and as it turns out were shooting for a similar time for the One City marathon and we both wanted to qualify for Boston. After the race that day, we talked and agreed to work together at the marathon.
Race morning arrived and I was really ready to race. Months of hard work and hours upon hours of over thinking the hell out this was about to be put to the test. One of the best thing that happen race morning was the weather, low 50’s, dry, a bit foggy but not bad.
We got to the race site and everyone was joking, trying to stay relaxed and debating how warm or how many layers to wear. Our group kept growing as friends kept arriving. It was probably the most calm I had ever felt before a race. As time ticked away, Jason, Steve and I head out for a quick warm-up, we got back right as people started to line up into their corrals to move towards the starting line.
Carter and I lined towards the front, a row or two back but right in front of the 3:15 pace group. The plan was to take the first 2 miles slow and work into our race pace. Always sounds good in theory, we wound up averaging closer to the high end of our race pace over that distance and slowly built on that.
The first 5 miles felt great but I started to get tightness in my low back. This has been an issue for me for years on long runs but up to this point had rarely been an issue in a race. It really helped that everyone around us was chatting and joking around, also I was seeing a lot of familiar faces cheering. It became apparent early that no matter what part of the course we were on Carter knew everyone.
As we closed in on mile 9, my excitement level was going through the roof. Not only where we holding a sub 7:20 pace but in about ¾ of a mile, my family was going to be waiting at the end of my street. Also for the first time since I started racing, I was going to see my granddaughter Addison on course. So many times in prior races, just thinking of her helps keep me going but to see her was going to be awesome. As I came up the street I saw friends and neighbors, my spirits rose and then I saw everyone and Addison sitting up on Orlando Sr. shoulders holding a sign. It was the shot in the arm the doctor ordered, all the pain went away and I wound up pushing the pace. Thankfully Carter mentioned we were a little hot and I slowed back down.
Speaking of Carter, he not only made sure we were trying to work the “tangents” of the course but he would tell me to draft off of him for a bit and then we would switch for a while. Unfortunately during this time the back pain was starting to radiate into my hips and it was causing me to zone out. I was so grateful for Carter staying on top things such as, when it was my turn to pull, if the pace was too fast or slow, or just chatting to help take our minds out of the pain cave. Thinking back, I truly believe this lead to the second wind I got on the back part of the course.
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| Feeling good |
Around mile 21, Carter was about to get the same pick me up that I had after mile 9, his parents were on course to cheer him on. At this point we got separated and as it turned out would stay that way for the rest of the race.
I have to be honest the next few miles were a total blur, I remember some things but really zoned out until mile 24. At this point my calves started to cramp and just about everything else was hurting. I decided to stop looking at my watch and just run, but when it would beep as I completed a mile, I could not help but look. Each time, I saw my pace was gone up.
As I made the second to the last turn, I saw what looked to be about a mile and half until the last turn before the finish line. I was on a straight road with street lights so I focused on the next street light and concentrated on it. As the distance fell away I saw a building at the end of the street and focused on a window on the third floor. The focusing on those things really helped keep my mind in the game.
As the final turn came into view, the pain went down and my pace went up. As I came to the finish I did not see a
timing clock, it was not until I stopped my Garmin that I saw my time, 3:13: and change. A friend Daniel Ballin was working there as a medical volunteer, he came up to congratulate me. Then out of the blue, my coach Adam was there, he was just excited as I was. I stayed at the finish line for a moment until Carter finished, I was so excited that he also qualified! What a great day all around.
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| Photo Credit Daniel Ballin |
Damn, I had done it, not only qualified for the Boston marathon but I did something I never thought possible just a few years ago. It’s funny, Adam and I have had countless conversations since we started working together in 2012, about how I wanted to run faster. It has been one of those things that has really bothered me but with his guidance and a lot of hard work, I was able to run a marathon at a pace I barely could hold running a 5K in 2012.
As mentioned it was a great day all around. Adam had won the 8K race, Michael Leech, Jason and Steve took 2nd, 3rd and 4th, respectively and Steve won the Masters division. Both Carter and I qualified for Boston, my good friend and Snapple teammate Craig Politte set a big personal record.
As for my stats at the end of the day, I finished with a time of 3:13:07, 18th overall and took 2nd in my age group.
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| Otstots Hotshots with our coach |
I have so many people to thank! To start, a huge thank you to my family who puts up with a lot, especially with the time commitment my training and racing takes. Steve Smith and Jason Bridges, it is honor and privilege to train and race with you, I can’t wait to see what the rest of 2015 brings. To my friends and training partners who have been by my side or running far up ahead but are nice enough to hang out until I finish. Thank you, you all have been a huge inspiration. Carter Ficklen, I could not of done this without you, I wish we could have crossed the finish line side by side but maybe we can do that in Boston in 2016. To the best coach out there Adam Otstot, I am so lucky to have the opportunity to work with you. This race is by far one of my favorite races to date and I can not thank you enough for guiding me and I can not wait to see you crush some dreams next month in Boston. To Primal Sports Mud, thank you for believing in me and selecting me to be part of your team as well as having such an amazing product that help speed my recovery. To the Snapple Tri club and their amazing sponsors, OSMO nutrition, Clif Bar, SweatVac to name a few. All contributed to the success of my training and racing. Also, a huge thank you to Alison Sacks and the Capital Nutrition group. Alison has been a huge help in re-working my daily nutrition plan and it has made a significant impact.
So now, I sit back and patiently wait for September to come and I get a shot at securing a bib. Also, the time has come for me to switch my focus to tri season and my first race of the year, Ironman 70.3 Raleigh on 5/31.
