Chasing the Leading Two

Motivated by a successful return to marathon running, I decided to push forward and test my limits by targeting the ubiquitous 3-hour barrier.

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My 2014 mileage: 1279km (-1172)

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My favorite preparation for New Year's Eve: a long run (29k) through the snow. Happy New Year everyone!

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Linz Marathon 2014 - 03:21:45

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My 2013 mileage: 2451km (+1165)

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Chicago Marathon 2013 - 03:50:41

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You can't "win" them all

We were off, making our way through endless corridors of skyscrapers. Busy people left and right, but the initial bulk quickly separated into smaller patches, enabling everyone to target their personal best. My focus was different, however. A glance at my vital signs revealed a brutal fact that simply didn't fit well with my game plan. My facial expression transitioned from relaxed concentration to a mask of terror: ninety-one percent! After only a few minutes of chasing the footsteps of Pheidippides, that sounded outright absurd. It's a heart-rate level I've come to expect in the late stages, certainly not that early. The GPS pace was way off even though it didn't feel like a particularly hard effort - the Chicago skyline made sure of that. So, I hung in there and waited for the first split time to clear everything up because, after all, it just had to be one big misunderstanding.

Four minutes, eleven seconds. A little on the swift side, yet not the root cause of what I was dealing with out there. Throughout the next kilometers, the heart-rate progression had spurred cautious hope for improvement before it returned to the dark side. Was there a way out? I attempted to find an answer by gradually slowing down. Nothing. The cardiovascular system failed to respond favorably, there was no chance of turning that around, no prospect of regaining control. To make things worse, my shins started to protest strongly against the pounding with every single stride. Thoughts of dropping out inevitably flooded my mind. That was not going to become a personal record hunt, it came down to survival - plain and simple. I was left to choose between dropping out and preparing to fade miserably in the course of the last twelve kilometers. Frankly, neither option was particularly appealing at the time. In the past, I was lucky enough to avoid having to make that kind of decision. In previous races, my inner voice had an effective array of tricks up its sleeve to pitch the sweet relief of stopping to me. Now, I was consciously considering it, if only briefly. Unless there's indisputable evidence that my health is facing an immediate threat, I am not dropping out. I never did and hopefully never will. So, there I was, running the Chicago marathon with a heart rate percentage of ninety-two ten kilometers into the race - that was going to be the only record of the day.

As I let loose of the pack of runners in front of me, I became fair game. It sure felt like I was passed by all of the 40,000 competitors I had initially left behind and I knew I had to pull the breaks even further to make it to the finish line in one piece. In doing so, I disqualified myself from corral B - it was nothing more than a bold letter on a piece of paper, nothing that even remotely resembled reality. The worst of all: even that dramatic countermeasure did not turn things around - more drastic methods were called for. Near kilometer twenty-five, I did what I haven't been doing in quite a while in a marathon - I slowed to a walk for several minutes.

Three thirty, three fifty - it wouldn't have made any difference and I honestly did not care anymore. No result slower than three fifteen would have satisfied my competitive mind. Eventually, I made my way to the finish line. Crossing the line after that odyssey felt strangely ambiguous. It lacked the sense of accomplishment I usually feel. Then again, I avoided the dreaded "Did Not Finish" status, which at least partially made up for the salt in my wound.

All of my previous marathon endeavors resulted in personal records. In every one of them, I was aiming at a PR that was within reach and I managed to get there by influencing the factors I had under control. In Chicago, I intended to stay true to that strategy. However, I was facing fierce resistance from an enemy that ignored my bargaining attempts. Every once in a while, those kinds of incidents are bound to happen. All you can do is pull through, analyze, and adapt. What you'll be left with at the finish line is not a PR, but the confidence you take away from having successfully conquered the latest seemingly impossible mission.

Despite it all, the Chicago marathon was an exceptional experience - flawless logistics, a flat course, hundreds of thousands of people supporting runners along the whole way, and a city worth visiting - I will return!

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Carbing Up for Chicago

You can do all the work in training but without the right amount of fuel at the right time - a scientifically sound strategy for maximizing muscle glycogen - there's no way whatsoever to magically translate the training mileage and hours invested into the target goal on race day.

Before Dubai, I followed the traditional protocol and simply increased the carbohydrate intake around three days before the event by means of consuming pasta spiced up with potatoes, mushrooms, and carrots. The trouble is, I never managed to avoid the "wall" which, after all, is nothing more than the painful fuel transition from carbohydrates to fat. While numerous aspects affect the wall's location - running efficiency earned through training certainly moves it further back - the one irrevocable factor is the available amount of fuel.

In 2013, I returned to Dubai. This time around, I was determined to optimize the process by taking advantage of the so-called Western Australian carboloading protocol. The gist of what they recommend is:

Maintain a normal diet up to 24 hours before a competition

24 hours before, run 3 minutes near maximum effort with the final 30 seconds at maximum effort

Consume 10.16g of carbs per kg of body weight throughout the next 24 hours

The goal is to maximize muscle glycogen storage beyond normal levels. It's not about maintenance - the aim is to increase the storage capacity by stimulating the synthesis of muscle glycogen using a short high-intensity workout. It all sounded promising, the only issue I had with it was the 3 minute session 24 hours before the race. To decrease the chances of negatively affecting the event, I changed the starting point to 48 hours before as recommended by Owen Anderson in a related article.

The outcome: The marathon experience in Dubai was radically different - I never came to a point of hitting the wall. The progression of my heart rate and my post-race condition confirmed that. Of course, as always, there's no way to objectively determine the contribution of the Aussie protocol to my race performance. Fact is, though, that my marathon experience changed for the better. Consequently, I decided to keep using the crucial elements involved for now: the Hansons marathon method and the Aussie carboloading protocol.

It's time to head out for the last run before Chicago to kick off the Aussie protocol - 700g worth of carbohydrates are waiting.

Some say: never change a running system. I say: never change a running system as long as you're making progress.

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Arrived in the windy city. 3 days to go.

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6 days to go.

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It's been decided! I will continue my marathon comeback with the Chicago Marathon. The race has a fast course, employs pacemakers for the masses, and - to top things off - Chicago is well worth a visit. For now, the only challenge will be getting in on February 19...

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Running along the bell curve

Statistics can serve as a source of motivation. That is, as long as they are in your favor and point in the right direction. So, I spent some time with the Marathon Austria database to see how my current marathon PR stacks up with other Austrian runners. The site holds the most comprehensive collection of marathon results of Austrian citizens, dating back to the 1960s. One of the possible dimensions to evaluate your personal finish times is the all-time Austrian ranking of marathon runs. My marathon debut of 2009, a sub-4 completed in 3:58:47, is ranked number 107,819 amongst all recorded marathon runs, 61.6% of all recorded runs were completed in a faster time. That is a respectable position. However, it does not come close to the 50% mark, a time of 3:49:05. With my New York finish time of 3:37:29, I managed to leave the second half behind. Still, a substantial 37.1% of faster times remained ahead of me. The difference between Dubai 2009 and New York 2009 in terms of ranking is astounding - a mere 21 minutes and 18 seconds account for 24.5% of all results. Then again, considering the bell curve the result distribution roughly resembles, that should not come as a surprise. While targeting a sub-4 was doable with low-mileage training, 3:37 did require a more substantial time investment that not everyone is willing or able to commit to. With the most recent race, Dubai 2013, the finish time of 3:20:40 reduced the leading pack to 19.6%, which still represents 34,341 or less than one fifth of all performances remaining in front of me. So, I'm down from 61.6% to 19.6% in the national marathon competition. Even though there are still quite a lot of times ahead of me, these numbers spur motivation to continue the quest for faster marathons. I'm not particularly talented when it comes to running. Before taking up running, I've never really been involved in sports of any kind unless you count taking out the trash. In my opinion, it comes down to putting in the work required for a specific goal. For Dubai 2013, the first training week involved 80 kilometers of running in around 7 hours, the peak training week covered a distance of 121.47 kilometers in 11.5 hours. I love challenges! That's what's driving me, that's what keeps me interested. Needless to say, I will attempt to further reduce the percentage. The next long-term goal is breaking the 3-hour barrier which would reset the percentage to 6.5% or 11,320 out of 175,275 marathon runs. This figure alone speaks volumes about the difficulty of reaching that very goal, though. It will take an uncompromising commitment to complete the training. Frankly, it will certainly take a healthy bit of insanity. Well, let's just say, the challenge has come to the right place ;) I'm ready for it!

What would it take to go even further? The next milestone statistics are as follows: 2.5% below 2:49:59, 0.79% below 2:39:59, 0.17% below 2:29:59. I'm not going to worry about these numbers because they're hopelessly out-of-reach anyway. However, I do think that I can finish a marathon in a time that only 6.5% have managed to break. After all, believing is the first step in successfully pursuing and reaching a goal.

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The restart is over. 3:20:40 is the outcome. An unexpected and reassuring outcome. An outcome that convinced me that this can go much further as long as I can keep up my investment and my commitment to set goals. The marathon remains the primary distance of interest. I'd like to see when I'll hit the wall - not during the race, that happened all too often anyway - in terms of not being able to make progress anymore due to reaching my personal limits.

Throughout the next months and years, my goal will be putting the leading number two in my marathon finish time - I intend to go below the 3-hour barrier.

Will it be in the cards for me? I can't say I'm sure of it but I'll give it a hell of a try - if you're curious how my latest endeavor plays out, please keep following...

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Dubai Marathon 2013 - 03:20:40 (PR)

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From 42k to zero to 42k. Back in the game :-]

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What keeps you going in the late stages of a running event? For me, most motivational one-liners never worked as they should have when recited in my mind during a rough patch. This time around, during training for the Dubai marathon, I finally found one that really clicks and is powerful enough to turn things around - "make it count".

These three words represent a compressed account of your training, your investment in an event and your desire to give it your all to make sure that your efforts are not wasted.

In decompressed form, it reveals exactly the right facts to reconsider slowing down:

Do not throw away the time and energy you invested in the ketogenic diet to bring your weight down from 82kg to 69kg in a matter of 9 weeks, just for the marathon.

Remember the grueling long runs you did on keto, every one of them feeling like the last 10 kilometers of a marathon.

Remind yourself of the numerous morning runs right before work.

You did not invest time in finding the right training plan to run a disappointing race.

A cold and foot tendonitis did not manage to stop your training, so it's time to deliver.

Three pairs of the Adidas adiZero Adios were needed to get you to the starting line.

Keep in mind that the lactate threshold test results showed a massive improvement after the 12-week marathon training and predicted a massive PR.

At times, you had to choose between going to bed or completing the plan by heading out for a run at 2:00am and you chose progress.

Every one of the 32k long runs felt like child's play and allowed for a fast finish.

You actually ran the highest mileage in your life with a maximum of 121.47 kilometers per week, without an issue.

This is not the time for excuses, it's time to make it count!

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T-36 hours...

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Shedding light on the unknown

Choosing a realistic race pace is all other than straightforward. The pace should be low enough to ensure that the race can be finished. However, the pace should also represent the maximum effort possible for the given event so that the investment was not wasted.

Previously, I used test races (10k and half-marathon) to determine realistic goals for the marathon. This time around, I completed two lactate tests - one before specific marathon training, one before the race. The results should serve as a guide for pinpointing the goal pace. I look forward to being able to judge this alternative route based on the actual results on Friday. On paper, this will be a suspense-packed race in the Emirate of Dubai...