2009 Hartford Marathon

October 10, 2009

I turned in my worst performance for a race of any distance at the 2009 ING Hartford Marathon. Surprisingly, I'm not terribly disappointed, probably because the lackluster showing didn't come as that big of a surprise.

I hate making excuses and I don't like to over-analyze situations. Neither normally ends up being productive. In this instance, however, I will engage in a little of both to at least attempt to explain why I struggled so much in the race.

I'll start by saying that the Hartford Marathon is a fantastic event, one that I would definitely do again. The organization is top notch, the course is fair, the volunteers are great, the crowd support is strong enough and Bushnell Park is an ideal locale for the start and finish.

I picked Hartford because of its proximity to our new home in New Jersey, and because of the good reviews the race received on http://www.marathonguide.com/. I had hoped to do a marathon sooner in the season, but my schedule just didn't permit that.

In the days and weeks preceding the race, I knew that I wasn't in "marathon shape." My weekly running miles have declined since we moved to New Jersey, mainly because of longer work hours. Various other factors also kept me from being able to dedicate the time needed on weekends for long runs.

My longest run before this race was the Jersey City Half Marathon two weeks earlier. I performed well in that race, but wasn't under any illusion it had sufficiently prepared me for the marathon. Still, I thought that all the running I had done in the past 20 months (I had done 5 marathons and two long-distance relay races) would help me make it through the Hartford race without too much difficulty. After all, I had set a PR of 3:34:23 in Green Bay in May without having trained specifically for 26.2 miles.

Since the Hartford race is on a Saturday, I took the day off from work Friday so we'd be able to drive up as soon as Max got out of school at 300. We managed to leave Cranford by 3:30, but hit horrific traffic, especially once we got to the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut. The drive ended up taking nearly 5 hours, about twice as long as I expected.

The biggest problem with that was that we didn't make it to Hartford in time for me to go to the marathon expo. As a result, I wasn't able to stock up on the shot blocks and jelly belly sport beans that I typically use for marathons. Also, since the boys were anxious to go swimming in the hotel pool, it meant that I'd be getting to bed much later than I had hoped.

I remarked to Patty on a few occasions that evening that I felt wholly unprepared to run the race the next day. That said, I wasn't dreading the run, and I still thought I'd be able to turn in a reasonably good time.

I was up at 5:30 on race morning, after a fitful night of sleep. I ate a Clif Bar, had a coffee and drank water and Gatorade. I ate a bagel on the 1-mile walk over to the XL Center, where I would pick up my number and timing chip. The check-in was very efficient.

I got to Bushnell Park at around 7:00, an hour before the start of the race. Things were buzzing already, as the runners milled around and vendors set up shop for the day. The temperature was a very comfortable 60 degrees, and the rain that had been forecast looked as though it would stay away.

At around 7:30 I packed up my bag and headed over to the bag drop area. I also tried starting my Garmin, but it didn't work. There was nothing I could do to get it to function, so I packed that up, put on my Timex and handed in the bag. I was disappointed to not have the Garmin, since I'd run each of my previous marathons with it. But since I planned on running with a pace group, I wasn't too bothered.

I went to the bathroom and then headed to the start line, near the beautiful state capitol building. The sun was starting to peek out as I scoped out the runners and looked for the pace groups. I love the nervous energy at the start of marathons - that wonderful combination of excitement, optimism and trepidation all bundled up.

I wasn't sure which pace group I would run with. I thought briefly about trying the 3:30 group, but I knew that I didn't realistically have 8:00 per mile in me for the whole race. I wavered between 3:35 and 3:40 before settling on the former, thinking I had an outside chance of setting a PR.

The 3:35 group was wonderful. There were several guys between 50 and 55 who needed 3:35 to qualify for Boston, and there were also several women hoping to qualify. The pacer was serving in that capacity for the first time. He would be running his first NY Marathon in three weeks, after running a 3:05 at Hartford a year earlier.

The race started about 5 minutes late, but not many runners were complaining. The temps were comfortable and the camaraderie was enjoyable. I downed another Clif Bar while waiting.

The first mile goes through downtown Hartford before heading over the Founder's Bridge into East Hartford. We completed the first mile in about 8:45 owing to the crowd. We sped up a bit and completed the second mile in about 8:15, still slower than the 8:12 average pace we would need but everyone seemed pleased.

I was particularly happy because the Mile 2 marker was right in front of our hotel, where Patty and the boys were waiting to cheer me on. I gave them all a quick kiss, Patty remarked how sweaty I was after just two miles (temps were in the mid-60s and it was humid) and I was on my way.

Gradually - and quite expertly, in my opinion - our pacer sped up over the next several miles. By mile 9 we were almost on pace for a 3:35 finish and almost everyone in our group was running smoothly. I felt quite good, the only problem being that I really needed to use the bathroom again.

Around Mile 10, I stopped in a port-o-potty. I took care of business and was back out on the course, probably a little more than a minute after I stopped. I was eager to keep running with the 3:35 group, so I sped up - BIG MISTAKE.

I'm not sure how fast I ran, but I suspect it was about 7 minutes/mile, since I was blowing past everyone. I could see my group in the distance and I figured I could sustain this faster pace until I caught up, at which point their pace would feel slow.

I caught the group around 12.5 miles, and I was spent. I knew at that point I would probably struggle. That's awfully early in a marathon to have that feeling.

I passed the halfway point of the race in 1:47:48, just a few seconds per mile behind 3:35 pace, but I was cooked. I took a lengthy walk break right after crossing the mats at the midpoint. Up until then I had walked though most of the aid stations so I could get full cups of beverage. But from the midpoint on, I would be relegated to more-frequent and longer walks.

I was disappointed, but still thought I could finish with a reasonably good time. If I just ran 10-minute miles I would still finish in less than 4 hours. And even though I was struggling, 10-minute miles were going to be simple. Even 9-minute miles were possible.

I wasn't, however, factoring in the cramps that would wallop me in the following miles. Before mile 15, I started dealing with cramps in my thighs and calf muscles, the kind that make you grimace (as I'm doing in the picture) and sometimes scream in pain.

I'd had problems with cramps before - at the Philadelphia and Catalina marathons - but never this soon in a race. I actually considered, however briefly, that I might not be able to finish the race.

I decided I would recalibrate my expectations - as one of my friends says, "the goal in any marathon should be to finish without the need for emergency medical intervention". I also just tried to enjoy the event and the spectacle. The scenery at this point of the race was quite nice, the volunteers were great and crowd support was strong. I also knew I would see Patty and the boys a couple more times on the course.

When the 3:40 pace group caught up with me, I managed to run with them for about three-quarters of a mile before the cramping set it. When the 3:45 group came by, I just let them go. I don't remember seeing the 3:50 and 3:55 groups, but they most certainly passed me.

Patty and the boys were waiting for me around mile 20, as the course once again passed near our hotel. This would have been the perfect opportunity to bail on the race. Six miles is an awfully long way to go when you're struggling as I was. But I figured I was earning this medal, so I shuffled off.

The next few miles were run through an area near downtown Hartford that wasn't very scenic and had relatively little crowd support. I really wasn't enjoying myself at all at this point. Seeing the 4:00 pace group breeze past me was particularly demoralizing.

Then there's a stretch of a couple miles run on a path along the river. This is quite nice, especially the cheering zone at around mile 24 where I saw Patty and the boys one final time. That gave me a bit of sustenance.

The last two miles were a struggle, as I cramped up frequently. When I did manage to run, it was really a "Frankenstein shuffle" because I couldn't bend my legs too much and couldn't lift my feet very high off the ground.

Various people who didn't appear all that fit or capable were passing me. Remarkably, I was also passing a few people who seemed to be struggling even more than I was. For me, the most demoralizing moment came - even as it made me chuckle - when a lady passed wearing a shirt that said, "I'm not fat and slow, I'm pregnant and fast." She must have been about 5 months pregnant.

The home stretch of the race would have been exhilarating had I been feeling better. Crowd support is boisterous and runners pass under the arch just before crossing the finish line to hear their names announced. I finished with a chip time of 4:06:59.

Shortly after I crossed the line, before I received my mylar wrap, I could feel my left calf tightening. Within seconds it was a full-blown cramp that had me screaming in pain. A volunteer asked me if I wanted to go to the medical tent, but I declined since I knew I could rub out the knot and walk off the pain. It was the last reminder of the extent to which this race had humbled me.

I grabbed my medal and a little food. I wasn't in the mood to eat much, which was a bummer because Whole Foods was the supplier and it was a nice spread. I grabbed a bottle of green tea and started the slow trudge back to the hotel.

As I walked back, medal around my neck, several people congratulated me for finishing the race, including many people who still had several miles to go in the race. Just a few steps away from my hotel, I came across runners who still had 6 miles to go. When they congratulated me, I felt guilty for having written in an e-mail immediately after the race that my finishing time was "dismal". Here were people who were going to finish in 6 hours, and their accomplishment was every bit as significant as mine, or as the person who finishes in 2:30. Nothing "dismal" about it.

I showered and we loaded up the car for the drive back to Jersey, which took about half as long as the previous night's drive. We arrived home in time for the boys to play outside with their friends, and we enjoyed a wonderful day on Sunday. I am a huge fan of Saturday marathons for exactly those reasons. So nice to have some time to wind down before heading back to work.

All-in-all, this was an enjoyable marathon experience. I didn't have a particularly fast finishing time, but I learned some valuable lessons about preparation and race strategy that should help me in future races. Next stop on the The Wiz's marathon circuit: New Orleans or a return to Napa in early 2009. Maybe even Richmond in a month!

Jersey City Half Marathon

September 27, 2009

The Newport Liberty Half Marathon has a beautiful course, which will sound surprising to many given that the race takes place in Jersey City. What makes it so special is that about seven miles of the race traverse paths through Liberty State Park, with views of the Manhattan skyline, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Unfortunately, the 16th running of the race took place in a drenching rain that created massive puddles and mud, while gloomy skies obscured what should have been awe-inspiring views.

No matter, it was a wonderful way to spend a rainy Sunday morning.

My friend Gregg had lured me to this race. He'd run the Fox Cities Marathon in my hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin a year earlier. So it was only fair that I run a race in his adopted hometown.

I was eager to run the race. It was a great opportunity to spend some time with Gregg. It also seemed like a good training run for the Hartford Marathon on Oct 10.

I met Gregg at his spacious apartment in Jersey City about an hour before the start of the race. We planned to jog about a mile to the start line along with a friend of his who was also running the race. The friend arrived about half an hour later than expected, so we drove part of the way and jogged the rest. Gregg and I made it to the start line a few minutes before the start.

The upshot of all this was that I didn't have time to go to the bathroom and I hadn't had enough to drink before the race. In the end, that didn't seem to affect my performance, but it did make me a bit anxious at the start.

The race started at 8:30, near the Newport Pavonia rail stop near the Hudson River. The temperature was around 55 degree and there was a light rain falling. The forecast had called for a 100% chance of rain, so it seemed likely that we would be running in the rain throughout the race.

The first mile was slow because of the large number of runners. It didn't bother me too much because I wasn't planning on going all-out on this run. I wanted to keep my pace at around 7:30 per mile. I finished the first mile in a little over 8:00 minutes, so I figured I could get back on pace slowly over the next several miles.

The first few miles are run through the streets of Jersey City, an area that I knew reasonably well since I worked for several years at Harborside near the Exchange Place train PATH stop. I felt strong at the start, and the rain wasn't really much of an issue as we ran through the city.

The weather conditions started to play more of a role when we entered Liberty State Park about three miles into the race. We encountered large puddles, which most people attempted to avoid in this early part of the race. The problem was that sometimes going off the path was worse since the grass was muddy. Another factor in the park was the wind, since there were no buildings to block the gusts. As we wound our way through the park - with the rain and wind picking up at times - there was much less incentive to sidestep the puddles since we were already soaked.

At the half-way point of the marathon I was exactly on my 7:30/mile pace. I wasn't sure I would be able to sustain that speed, but I also knew that I wouldn't run out of gas. I had been eating gel shots and drinking plenty of water. My feet bothered me a bit as they squished around in my soaked shoes, but overall I was doing well.

I slowed a bit in the second half of the race, taking slightly longer walk breaks through the aid stations, but I didn't have any miles of more than 8:00 minutes. As I entered the final 5K of the race, I wasn't concerned about my time; I just wanted to finish strong.

Around mile 13 I saw Gregg on the sidelines - he had finished ahead of me in 1:32:33 - and he was prodding me to pass the guy in front of me. I managed to do exactly that, and crossed the finish line in 1:39:20, a 7:35/mile pace. It was good for 216th out of 1579 finishers. I was 30th of 135 in my age group. See full results here.

My finishing time ended up being just 25 seconds slower than my half marathon personal record. I had only one half marathon previously - in 2007, I did the half marathon at the Fox Cities races in Appleton. Before the Jersey City race, I hadn't checked to see what my finishing time had been at the previous half marathon. Had I known I was so close to a PR, I might have had enough in me to make up those 25 seconds. But I was still pleased with my performance, especially considering the weather conditions.

After the race, we jogged about a mile back to Gregg's apartment. We enjoyed a breakfast of pancakes, orange juice and coffee along with Gregg's wife and her family. Then I headed back to Cranford to spend the rest of Sunday with Patty and the boys. All-in-all, it was a great day.

Milan Melon Festival

I ran my first race in a few months today, and I won! Well, I won my age division - the always-popular 38-44 bracket.

As is something of a tradition, Patty, the boys and I spent the Labor Day weekend in Ohio. We had a wonderful time visiting with Patty's parents and spent a perfect day on lovely South Bass Island. Today, I ran the 36th edition of the Milan Melon Festival Road Race.








I had twice before participated in the MMFRR, first in 2006 in the 5K and again in 2007 in the 10K, where I finished 3rd in my age group. This is a well-organized event in a nice, small town that happens to be the birth place of Thomas Edison. The t-shirt is always superb, and all can be had for a modest race-day entry fee of $12.

There was no 10K this year, so I toed the line in the 5K, hopeful that I would be able to place in my age group. I looked at the finishing times from recent years, and it seemed as though I could get a top-three finish if I broke 20 minutes. I hadn't run a 5K in more than a year, and hadn't done that much speed training, though I did run a few 3.5-mile races earlier in the summer.

I arrived at the race locale about 75 minutes before the race. I wanted to ensure that I registered soon enough to get one of those precious t-shirts. Rain had been forecast, but skies were partly sunny when the race started at 9:00 am, with the temperature a very comfortable 65 degrees.

I felt great in the first mile, which I finished in 6:12. I slowed in the second mile on purpose, as I was hoping to run an average 6:20 pace and was certain I wouldn't be able to sustain the pace I ran in the first mile. I did the second mile in 6:28, which was a bit slower than I would have liked. I completed the third mile in 6:24, and did the final 1/10th of a mile in 44 seconds.

I had no kick in me at the end. One guy who must have been about 25 blew by me in the last 50 yards or so, but I wasn't too disappointed. My finishing time was 19:48 (a 6:22 per mile pace), which was my second-fastest 5K. (I ran a 19:24 in June of 2008 at the Roselle Run for the Roses in the Chicago suburbs)

I finished 10th overall out of 373 participants. Among the people who finished in front of me was a 12-year-old boy who beat me by four seconds. The top woman finished six seconds behind me.

I've had a great few days of running. I ran 9 miles on Saturday when we arrived here and I did 6.25 miles late Sunday afternoon. I wasn't sure I would have much gas left in the tank for the Monday morning race, so that's another reason I was so pleased with the result today.

I've got the rest of the week off from work, so I look forward to a few more long runs. I'm doing the Jersey City Half Marathon in a few weeks (hoping to finish in 1:35) and I'm planning to do the Hartford Marathon next month (hopefully in less than 3:30).

Central Park - The Rematch

We had a perfect night for the media challenge in Central Park on Wednesday. Unfortunately, my News Corp. team finished second - again. We were beaten by our old nemisis, McGraw Hill.

I finished the 3.5 miles in 22:50, a 6:31 pace and 41 seconds faster than I ran the same course a few weeks earlier. But it was a fast crowd, and I finished in 23rd place, compared with the 20th place showing previously. (I'm told the summer intern factor played a role in the fast times. That makes sense, but I think the conditions were just considerably nicer than they were the last race.)

Once again I failed to place in the Masters category, though I was just 20 seconds behind my buddy Gregg, who collected some hardware for the third race in a row. Since I narrowed the gap on Gregg, I'm fairly certain he's hearing my footsteps in his dreams.

All in all, it was a wonderful race on a great course on an absolutely flawless night for running. I particularly enjoy spending time with good friends from Dow Jones.

I'm looking forward to a couple long runs this weekend. I'm thinking about doing 6 miles on Saturday and 12 miles on Sunday. The weather looks to be perfect.

Run long!

My New Running Home

We've been in New Jersey now for almost a month, and we're acclimating quite nicely. We're living in temporary housing in Union, until we take ownership of our home in Cranford next week. My running hasn't been as consistent as I would like, in part because of the locale but mostly because of long hours at work. I have managed to get in about 30 miles a week, which is a nice base.

I did my first race in Central Park a few weeks ago, completing a 3.5-mile course in 23:31, a 6:43 pace. I was reasonably pleased given my lack of speed training, but I am hoping to get in under 23 minutes at the next race this week. The races are part of the NYC Media Challenge, and my News Corp team has a good shot at winning both individual events and the overall title.

I haven't selected a fall marathon, though am thinking that the Detroit Marathon could be a good fit. I have two friends who are planning to run the race, and I could combine the trip with a visit to my in-laws on the lovely North Coast of Ohio.

The only other racing on my schedule currently is the River To Sea relay from the Delaware River Gap to the Jersey shore, on Aug. 1. I'll be proudly representing the Dow Jones Deadliners, with many of the same participants who raced the American Odyssey relay from Gettysburg to Washington DC a few months ago.

2009 Green Bay Marathon - The News

TITLETOWN USA - Stephen Wisnefski recorded his fastest marathon finishing time at Sunday's 10th running of the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon.

Well-rested, injury-free and aided by ideal running conditions, Wisnefski completed the race in 3:34:23, an 8:10 per mile pace. His previous best was a 3:35:11 finish at the Community First Fox Cities Marathon last September in nearby Appleton, Wis., Wisnefski's hometown.

Wisnefski, who completed his fifth marathon in 15 months, was pleasantly surprised with his performance Sunday. Going into the race, he was unsure what to expect given that he hadn't done the kind of training he typically would have for a marathon. He ran less than 20 miles in each of the three weeks prior to the race.

"I think the relative lack of training turned out to be quite beneficial," Wisnefski told his mom, dad and two sons after the race. "My body was more-rested than usual; my legs were fresh."

Wisnefski started Sunday's race runinng along with the 3:40 pace group, but moved ahead of the group after a few miles. He ran the first five miles at an average 8:02 per mile, putting him on pace to finish closer to the 3:30 finishing time that has long been his goal.

At the 10-mile marker, Wisnefski had an average pace of 7:59 per mile, and he hit the midway point of the race in 1:44:20, or 7:57 per mile.

It was around the halfway point that Wisnefski first caught sight of the 3:30 pace group. He decided he would try to keep them within view and maintain his pace around 8 minutes per mile for the remainder of the race.

Much of the second half of the Green Bay Marathon is run on a paved trail along the Fox River. The scenery provides a welcome change for the runners.

Wisnefski held on to his 7:57 per mile pace through mile 15 and was gaining ground on the 3:30 pace group. By mile 17, he caught up with the group and started running with the pack.

"I didn't set out to catch up with the 3:30 pacer, but was able to do it by holding my pace steady," Wisnefski said. "It was a good group; the miles really ticked off when I was with those guys."

Running with the group, Wisnefski's pace slowed a bit the next few miles. At mile 20, his average pace was 7:59 per mile.

Wisnefski said he felt better at this point of the race than he had in previous marathons. During this race, to avoid the cramping that plagued him in his last two marathons, Wisnefski walked through nearly every aid station and consumed one or two cups of Gatorade.

The weather also helped. The temperature at the start was in the low 40s, under sunny skies. The temperature never got above 60, and the wind was light.

Wisnefski stayed with the pace group through mile 22, but fell back from the pack soon after that when he took a longer-than-usual walk break through an aid station. He ran mile 23 in 8:15, but just didn't have the energy to catch up with the pace group again.

"I realized I just didn't have it in me," Wisnefski said. "I started calculating what it would take to get a personal best, and I was confident I could achieve that."

Wisnefski, after all the hydrating he'd done, was also in desperate need of a bathroom. He stopped at a port-o-john in mile 24, and felt considerably better after that.

Runners look forward to running a loop through historic Lambeau Field in the final mile of the race. For Wisnefski, a life-long fan of the Green Bay Packers who hadn't been in the stadium in 30 years, it was a special treat.

"It was one of the main reasons I decided to do this race," he said, referring to the loop through Lambeau. "Seeing Lambeau in the distance (in mile 26) provided a big mental boost, and coming out of the tunnel into the stadium was really inspiring."

The Lambeau inspiration, as well as the sight of his parents and sons, enabled Wisnefski to pick up the pace in mile 26, which he completed in 7:50.

The finish line is visible to runners when they exit the stadium, only about a tenth of a mile away. Wisnefski made a final push when he realized he could have a clock time of less than 3:35. The chip time was about 30 seconds faster than the clock time.

Feeling better than he ever had at the end of a marathon, Wisnefski retrieved the truly unique medal and sought out his family. He then enjoyed a brat and Titletown Brewing Company 26.2-Mile Ale.

Wisnefski finished 313th out of the 1585 runners who completed the marathon. He was 57th out of 175 in the 40-44 male bracket. Click here and here for the details.

The Green Bay race capped a busy start to 2009 for Wisnefski, who ran the Catalina Marathon in mid-March and was a member of a team that participated in a 200-mile relay race from Gettysburg, Penn., to Washington DC last month.

Wisnefski isn't sure what comes next on his running schedule, as he's getting set to transfer to the New York area. He says he's looking forward to training and racing with his colleagues there.

2009 Green Bay Marathon - Part 2

May 17, 2009

Just about every aspect of the Green Bay Marathon was fantastic - the organization (efficient), the course (beautiful and flat), the volunteers (helpful and friendly), crowd support (boisterous), the loop through Lambeau Field (inspirational) and the finish line atmosphere (festive). The medal - with its unique ribbon - was incredibly cool. I can't recommend this race highly enough.

Oh, and I ran a personal best of 3:34:23. I'll post a full race report later in the week.