The Big Day - How to watch NYC Marathon

The marathon is just five days away - Sunday Nov 6th. NYRR has provided all the information you need to watch the event no matter where you are located. You can also track your favorite runners. Here are some excerpts for your convenience.

Start times -

Time (Eastern Time)	Official Starts
8:30 a.m.	Professional Wheelchair Division
8:52 a.m.	Achilles Handcycle Category and Select Athletes with Disabilities
8:55 a.m.	Foot Locker Five-Borough Challenge
9:20 a.m.	Professional Women
9:50 a.m.	Wave 1 (including Professional Men)
10:15 a.m.	Wave 2
10:40 a.m.	Wave 3
11:00 a.m.	Wave 4

If you are on location, here is all you need to know about the best spots.  A handy printable guide is available here.

A list of international TV channels.

Live results tracking via web. My info is pre-populated ;) I have the start time of 10:15. You can track up to 20 runners. Also available are apps for Apple and Android. Don't forget to check out the course map and leader board. Keep a close watch on the leader board as that is where the exciting stuff happens! As the race picks up heat and the top competitors make their moves you can see from mile to mile how the leader board changes.

Looking forward to a race to remember forever!

If I can run, u can run

Do unto you as you would do unto others

I had a great 13 mile (21 km) run yesterday. It was the first cold day of the season. Temperatures were below freezing in the morning. Ironically, I am not entirely sure if the 13 feels any different from an 18 from a psychological point of view to me. Physically it is very different though, even with the higher intensity of the 13 in my training plan. Certainly, the 13 is not as draining. Anyway, this week's training volume is significantly less as it is in the taper down phase of training. The 18 milers and 20 milers are a thing of the past.   The other two runs in this week'a plan are a 4 x 1000 m interval run at 5:00 minute/km pace and a 5 mile at 8:55 pace. Yet to do the 5 mile - planning this Saturday.  The two key runs this week so far, the 13 mile and the 1000 m intervals were done better than goal pace - 13 miler at 9:06 against 9:10 goal and 1000m intervals about 4:45 min / km against the goal of 5:00.  Coach seems to be bullish on me after the last 20 mile run and yesterday's 13 miler.  Two-three weeks ago his thinking on my race goal pace was 9:45 per mile. Now he is thinking 9:15. And I like the way it is changing :-)

Exactly 10 days to NYC marathon!  I can't imagine the training is practically complete.  Next week's three key runs are #1 - 6 x 400 meters, #2 - 3 mile easy, and #3 - NYC Marathon Sunday Nov 6 (Yaay!!)

As the training volume is lower this week my body is not as sore any more. I am not spending as much time doing stretches and foam rolling, which is giving me more free time to think about race day and about  handling the 26.2 mile distance.  Even though the taper down phase will have the body recover and overcompensate in such a way that it will come back stronger than before, it will still be both a mental, physical and logistical challenge.  So now I am spending some time reading up all they have to say on race day preparation in all its aspects. Things like how exactly I should divide and conquer the 26.2. Should I break it down into four 10K's, or two 10 miles and a 10 K, or two 13 milers, or is a 18 or 20 mile followed by the rest better for me as those are the longest runs I had in my training and I can go by the same playbook I used in training for those distances.  And how I can go about managing my pace so that I am running conservatively early on..  Or perhaps I am overthinking the whole thing.. may be I should just SHUT UP, RELAX, AND RUN THE DARN THING!

Anyway, I've been reading the book The Runner's World Big Book of Marathon and Half-Marathon Training. It's got lot of good advice and covers a lot of ground. There is a whole chapter on "The Big Day". I would like to leave you with a quote from it -

Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to your running buddy... You wouldn't tell him, "You're running horribly, and you're going to die." So don't say it to yourself, either.

"Do unto you as you would do unto others!"  - a powerful message we all could use a good doze of when our spirits are down.


If I can run, u can run

Starting the last week before taper

The last week before taper starts this Sunday.  That will be the last long run. I missed two key runs and a cross training session of the current week, so I really want an extra week. But that is the nature of time, what is past is past. You can't get it back.

First off, the long run last Sunday 10/9  was a washout due to bad weather - rains and strong winds coupled with some family schedule changes due to weather.  Similar unexpected work kept me out of Tuesday's cross training. I had some 400m interval runs Wednesday which went pretty good. Then late Wednesday onwards it was downhill for me healthwise. A tooth problem that stopped my training late August into September returned.  Pain on the left side of face radiating from a couple of teeth and their neighborhood going up across the left eye to the forehead.  That is getting sorted out now. Need to get the pain under control. Also the swelling - my left cheek is x 1.5 (lol).  That kept me out of Thursday's cross training and Friday's (today) 8 mile tempo. Also, can't eat well.. mostly fluidy stuff and something soft. I can gently chew on the other side. For situations like this is where an experienced coach can step in, and I am so happy to have Mickey McCauley of Furman Institute on my side. He can't help with the pain and medication, but that is what the doctor is for. Once he gets my report for the week he prepares my schedule for next week accounting for any variations that are needed for performance or lack thereof, or unexpected situations like what I am now facing.  The goals are challenging, but they are by and large doable. Once he received my email this afternoon, after my doctor visit and her take on where I am going to be healthwise in the next day, two days and a week, he sent me the following plan for next week. I do think the long run is going to be the most challenging because of the pace. Not that the distance is easy for me to handle. It does require some mental preparation and planning, and a sort of getting into a 'zone' if you will and staying there. Getting back to the pace, I think for the route/course I will be running on my long run  days it is a tough pace to meet, but I will be trying.   So here is what Mickey has set for me for next week -

--

Hi Kris,

Thanks for the report. Hope the tooth is better by tomorrow. Your 400'were better than I thought. I have made the 800's this week a little quicker. I have the 20 miler in this week it would still give you 3 full weeks to recover. last 2 weeks will taper. I actual have cut back a little on the other keys just not the 20 miler.

Key Run #1: Warm-up followed by 4 x 800m’s in 3:59 with a 1:30 RI between 800’s. Cool down.

Key Run #2: 6 miles @ 9:10 pace. Ease into pace.

Key Run #3: 20 miles @ 9:35 pace

Keep up some core work and stretching as well along with 2 bike workouts.

Running Tip: Going Out Too Fast

You can lose much more in the first few miles of a race than you can gain. Most coaches and experienced marathoners will tell you: The marathon doesn’t become a race until the final 10K. In order to reach the final 6.2 miles with enough juice in your legs to race toward the finish, you need to relax and settle into a rhythm for the first 20 miles. This is the key to a negative split (running faster over the second half than the first).

Race day is not the time to try new shoes or a new sports drink.

There’s a reason this statement has become a running cliche of sorts—because it’s true. The opportunity for testing new paces, nutrition, sports drinks, socks, racing flats or even a hat ended with your last long run. Stick to what you know and what you’ve tried during training so you can contemplate things you can’t control on race day, like the weather.

Have a great weekend and week.


Mickey

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Check out the running tip section above.  As the saying goes, the first half of the marathon is 20 miles and the second half is 6.2 miles!  Or some others say, as above, the marathon starts at the 20 mile mark.  Until then you are just trying to get to the starting point :-) And you want to get there in the best possible shape.

I will be focusing on the long run a lot this week as this will be my longest run prior to the event on Nov 6. If it is a race I wouldn't worry because I feel fairly confident that on a normal day I should be able to make it on pretty much any of the courses I've ran so far. However, on a training run on my normal route with other runs and workouts to follow during the week it is a different story. But hey, this is my last long run prior to taper.   So I will give it a shot.

Stick with it, folks! This is not a sprint. This is a marathon (pun intended)   :-)

If I can run, u can run

Three stretches to get you out of the bed

Even if you wake up say at 5 in the morning, or for that matter whatever time you do, if you are like me your body doesn't want to move about when you wake up. It feels like there is an invisible elastic band that pulls your 'chassis' back to bed resisting your efforts to move.   If this is you, then I will share three stretches that I do while still in bed after which the body doesn't feel bound to the bed anymore.  This is not like a whole regimen of stretches taking 20 or 30 minutes. These are three very simple stretches taking about 2 or 3 minutes at the most.


Spinal rotation or twist

Start with lying on your back with face upward (supine position)

1. Keeping your legs in front of you bend your knees so they point upward to the ceiling
   
2. Extend your arms sideways parallel to the shoulders keeping the shoulders in contact with the floor or bed. You could chose to extend your arms only up to the elbows with your hands folded and resting on your chest if there is not enough room to extend both arms fully sideways.
3. Gently drop your knees to the right side with your head turned towards your left and hips in contact with the floor as much as possible. You should feel a nice stretch in your lower back and spine. Hold that position for 10-15 seconds. Return to original position and do the same on your left side. 
4. Repeat this stretch on both sides two or three times

Prone twist

The prone twist is a mirror image or inverse of the spinal rotation. You start in a supine position - lying on your belly - and a similar twist now focused on the upper body to open your shoulders.  See the following YouTube video by Rebecca Pacheco -

Prone twist with Rebecca Pacheco

I really like the way this twist opens the shoulders and spine.  Repeat two or three times.


Child pose

By now you must be able to sense that your body is feeling more free to move. You are almost ready. The last one is the famous child pose.

1. Sit on your heels with shoulders above your hips. Keep knees at hip width.
   
2. Rest your forehead on the floor.
3. Bow forward and place your chest gently on the thighs.
4. Extend your arms gently forward 
5. Relax and let gravity gently stretch your inner thighs, hips, lower back and forward.
6. Hold position for 10-15 seconds

If you feel especially tight around the hips or inner legs you could stick a pillow under your torso or lower body lengthwise to help the muscles relax.

Spending a couple of minutes first thing in the morning on these three stretches will give you a good start off the bed.  Try it out. If you feel tightness around any of the larger muscle groups such as the outer hip (IT band) area or hamstring after a long run the previous day, you could add a couple of simple stretches to get them loosened a bit.  However, don't go overboard at this point. Any complex stretches should be kept for later when the body is properly warmed up.

If I can run, u can run

Hitting the high miles

I had a 20-miler this past Sunday.  Challenging as it looked, the 18 last week gave me the confidence to handle the distance.  I had a clear divide and conquer strategy, which is to do the 6 mile loop three times exactly I did last week and then do a couple of laps in and around Central Park of Morris County.  My main worry was to avoid running out of drinks around mile 15-16 like last week. If I run out of drinks I will cramp up and most likely will not complete 20 miles.  I could get to the car but then it will be around mile 12 or so which is too early to refill. Moreover, since I park the car at Central Park I would have a longer uphill run back to the loop which my legs will not appreciate.  Could I park the car at the other end at Mountain Way Park? That would be very inconvenient as well.  So I decided to park the car at Central Park as usual, but pack a small bag with a couple of extra bottles of drinks and snacks and leave it at Mountain Way Park. As I would have to leave this bag unattended, I didn't want anyone messing with it or calling the cops about a suspicious package. So I left a note in the bag, visible from outside, that this bag contains my drinks and snacks and I will be running in Central Park, Greystone Park and Mountain Way area. After leaving the bag at Mountain Way Park I went to Central Park to park the car and start the run. As luck would have it, a police officer was present as the park was busy with soccer games going on in all four fields.  I approached the officer and alerted him about the unattended package I've left  at Mountain Way. He agreed that someone might call and informed his dispatch office about the bag in case they receive any calls on the emergency line.

It was pretty late before I could start from home - after 11:15 or so.  Since my morning oatmeal and a plantain I ate first thing in the morning wouldn't cover several hours of calorie needs of the body I ate one more plantain and two slices of whole wheat bread - each slice about 110 calories and I am guessing the plantain would've been more than 100 calories easily.  Although the calories were covered well, this was to become a literal pain in the back pretty soon.  Around seven miles or so into the run the fibrous snack had moved from my stomach through my bowels.  I was running the next five miles with bathroom as the primary thought in mind. As you can imagine, it wasn't fun. Big lesson here. I had to break the loop and go straight to Central Park.  After the bathroom break I climbed my way back to the regular loop.

Part of the goal for this run was to eat, drink and wear as I would for the marathon.  So the eating and drinking part was taken care of with the extra package at the other end of the loop.  I put in a change of t-shirt as well as the weather looked a bit confusing. I wasn't sure if I would feel warm or cold, but thought at least initially I may need some extra warmth and wore a long sleeve warmer biking shirt. After about three miles I started feeling too warm and changed into the short sleeve tech t.  Rest of the run was comfortable in that t shirt.  I have a toe nail that is blackened from rubbing against the shoes in long runs. I had rubbed some vaseline on that nail before leaving home, but had forgotten to rub vaseline on my body.  This caused a lot of chafing.  Also another toe was feeling the friction against the shoe and had gotten sensitive.  So I definitely need to remember to rub liberal amounts of vaseline before long runs and on race day.

The 20 mile run felt more strenuous compared to the 18 than I had imagined. A long way into the run, I was feeling like, how shall I put it, a combination of pain and stress bubbling up in the leg muscles in large patches, like tiny bubbles of pain tightly packed foaming up from deep inside the leg muscles to the surface.  Perhaps this is that zone that people dread - the 'wall' that people hit and bonk as the muscles run out of glycogen.  I could still move at the pace I was moving, so I kept at it.  If this is how the three hour mark feels like  my legs better get used to it and I better get used to it mentally, too.  I stuck with the plan of doing three of those loops and coming back to Central Park for the last mile or so. As I was turning to Central Park for the finish there were cars coming out after the soccer games. It seemed like they had noticed this crazy guy running in the area for a long time... Many of them waved at me, and some even honked to get attention and then cheered as I worked hard to keep pace at the climb back into the park.

My goal pace for the run was 9:55 min/mile.  I was surprised to see that I finished 9:56.  Last week's 18 was 10:01. I was only hoping to land in that neighborhood. Anyway, the coach should be happy. I am. Personally, I think this course is hillier than NYC course which should make running here slower and harder in many ways, but I am not entirely sure if long stretches of flat sections on the actual course would turn out to be hard for my legs... Certainly, my lungs should not be worried.

After then run, I did some regenerative exercises in the soccer field such as some versions of squats with weights - I used one of them sandbags that is used to hold the goal nets down. Also did a few burpees as usual. These strength exercises help release growth hormones in the body to accelerate the recovery and rebuilding process. At the end of it all, heaviness and pain had become the overall sensation below the waist.  Hip flexors and ITB were especially sore. So where some large muscle groups in the glute area.  This is in addition to the soreness all over the legs which is hard to localize to specific points. I slowly dragged my legs (and butt) to the car.  Even the drive home felt slooooow.  Once home, did some active isolated stretches, crashed on the couch and waited for my lunch.. Shower can wait.  The only thought in mind at the time - hope I don't have another 20 miler next week :-)  But the run was satisfying.

Only one more month for the marathon - Nov 5. The countdown has begun. I am so looking forward to the taper down phase of the training :-)

If you haven't contributed to my marathon fundraiser for NYRR Mighty Milers a health program for kids, please consider making a small contribution. Time is running out -

https://www.crowdrise.com/tcsandnyrrmightymilersnycmarathon2016/fundraiser/krishnadaskootale

That which doesn't kill us, makes us stronger - Friedrich Nietzsche (and Conan the Barbarian)

Thanks again.

If I can run, u can run

Hit a snag, but back in the groove now

I hit some health issues, unrelated to running, late August into early September forcing me to stop running for nearly two weeks.  That meant after recovering a ramp up taking another couple of weeks with a total time loss of nearly one month.  To ease me into the training regime, in the first week that followed my coach had me do a 30 min run, a 40 min run and a 60 min run without regard to pace. Since that went well the following week we resumed the three key runs at a fairly moderate level  - intervals were 400m's and the long run was 12 miles.  This week we are back on full throttle with the long run at 17. Even though the long run is Key Run #3, I take that as the first run of the week.  So, yesterday I went for the 17. I was beginning to get worried about getting in the required number of long runs before the marathon. So I decided to focus on completing the distance. Further, I was having lot of trouble finding more flat sections to include in the route as we have mostly hills in our neighborhood. The search for flat sections pushed my route towards the town center. More flats should mean easier run, but I always had trouble breaking that down to mentally handle the distance. Perhaps it was because I wasn't very familiar with those roads, or it was the crowded streets and traffic. Somehow that route seemed to drain my energy.  So I decided to spend more time on my usual hilly routes in the neighborhood yesterday. Although the runs would be harder I figured it would be easier to get my head around the course. A 4 mile hilly route with 2 miles up and 2 down formed a major section of my regular runs before the marathon training pushed me to athletic fields, and other areas looking for a mix of hills and flats close to the NYC course.  I went back to that section and stuck a gentler one mile detour on the way up and the same mile on the way down making it a loop of about six miles. That worked pretty well. About two thirds of the way through I felt good enough to extend the run by an extra mile and ended up running close to 18.5 instead of 17 (Yay!!).  Although I was two seconds behind the targeted pace, this run was a confidence booster to face the 20 miler coming next week. I did run out of drinks again in the last 5k or so and the calves began feeling tight, but I was able to run and have a strong finish. In addition, also had the energy to do 10 burpees in the end to energize my legs!


If I can run, u can run

A hard but successful week

Last week wasn't easy but was a successful week.  The speed/interval sessions are feeling more comfortable. I am able to keep an even pace and the walk/jog rest intervals have now become jog intervals. The pace itself for various speed intervals are now within a few seconds of each other showing I am able to get a hang of the intervals and manage my pace better. Compare this to interval work early on where the pace was hopping around all over the place.  Coming to threshold runs, I think I still need to figure out how my Garmin Forerunner 620 work for pace alerts when used in workout mode. In the week before my pace tracking got messed up and I ended up falling below the target pace which was a doable pace. So last week I changed my pace tracking to a more simple format and didn't use the workout mode in Forerunner.  The greatest success and the hardest part of the week was the 17 miler.  It was a must do run for me as I hadn't really completed a 17 miler before.  Last time I attempted it my lower legs froze at 15 miles or so. I could've dragged them for another 1/4 mile or so but didn't see much point in it. Also, the week after I couldn't do the long run due to personal schedule. So last week was in a mandatory mode. I had to get that longer run in.  It was a hot day - upper 80's F (about 30 C) and real feel in low to mid 90 F (around 35 C) :(   There was no way I was going to be able to complete it on the usual course which is 2 miles up hill 2 miles downhill - repeat as many times as needed to cover the distance. I decided to do those hills just one time and explore other flatter areas near a park and the town center.  That really helped.  Goal pace was 9:50 per mile which I decided to throw in the wind and focus on just completing it.   I had taken 1/2 gallon of Gatorade which was done before mile 15 or so due to the heat.  Legs, especially the lower legs, were feeling heavy and muscles were complaining almost refusing to move in the last couple of miles. As would happen when you run out of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, etc.) cramps were beginning to raise their ugly heads but somehow I managed to finish the distance. It was a great morale booster.  I ended up clocking 10:07 per mile which was way better than where I thought I was going to land.

One positive about the 17 miler I mentioned earlier that i wasn't able to finish a few weeks ago is that I think I was able to narrow down what caused it. There were also a couple of similar cases in the past where I couldn't complete a long run target I had planned.  In all these cases I had done fairly rigorous leg exercises the previous day.  One time there was a 5k in the neighborhood which I judiciously decided not to run, but walk. However, I did a lot of jumping that day in the celebration with color both before and after the 'run'. No wonder the next day's long run my legs refused to move after mile 10 or so.  On the 17 miler recently that I had to stop at mile 15 or so, the day before was a rigorous session involving plyometric squats and other leg exercises.  I think I really need fresh legs for the long runs for the distances that we are hitting now.  So from last week onwards I am keeping Saturday, which is the day before my long run, a complete rest day, at least for the legs.  I don't think it is a good idea to bike the previous day and also do other leg exercises... duh..

Other things that seem to help me is some resistance band exercises for the hips on the evening of my runs, and some strength exercises for the legs and glutes right after the runs.. So this may sound crazy, but after a 13 mile run today I was doing burpees in the parking lot!!

Anyway, here is my report from last week!

Key Run #3:  Sunday 8/21

Target: 17 miles @ 9:50 pace. Lets see how this goes we need to start getting the longer run in.

Actual: 17.1 miles @10.07 (9:58, 10:23, 10:15, 10:30, 10:00, 9:31, 10:14, 9:25, 10:00, 10:14, 10:23, 10:09, 9:47, 10:09, 10:36, 10:14, 10:24 & 0.1 mile @ 9:15 pace)

Hot & humid day. Stopped a few times for bathroom and for changing drink bottles. Stopped the clock also. Finished ½ Gallon Gatorade and still ran out of drink towards the end and started feeling the beginnings of cramps on the upper calf. I know this was not the pace we were aiming for, but wanted to finish the distance.  Heart rate reached higher than ever recorded. Avg HR’s recorded for miles 10, 17 and the last segment (186, 188 and 198) were at or above what I thought was my max HR of 186 or so! Max HR for those segments were 205, 206 and 202! Just wondering whether I should update my Max HR in the Garmin watch.

Key Run #1:  Wednesday 8/24

Target: Warm-up followed by 5 x 800m’s in 4:06, jog 400  for RI. Cool down.

Actual: Warm-up followed by 5 x 800m’s in avg 4:02 (4:06, 4:00, 4:02, 3:59, 4:01). RI’s jogged. Cool down. Although didn’t run at the target, felt better at managing pace this time.

Xt-2: Thursday  8/25

Target: 10 min. easy spinning as a warm-up, alternate 1 minute at level 4 resistance (on a perceived resistance scale of 1 to 5) as fast as you can followed by 4 easy (level 1) minutes of fast spinning. Repeat this 6 times. 5 min. easy as a cool-down.

Actual: Same.

Key Run #2:  Friday 8/26

Target: 5 mile run @ 9:17 pace. Ease into pace.

Actual: 5.08 mile @ 8:59 pace (9:29, 8:43, 8:53, 9:03, 8:54, + 0.08 miles @6:58)

My attempt was to keep an even effort so the downhill was faster. Uphills actually turned out to need hard/very hard effort level.  I deliberately ran faster to make sure I don’t miss the target on this run.

Today I experienced pain on the right upper quad a spot about 6-7 inches below the joint on the front slightly to the right and a similar spot on the lower leg about four inches below knee slightly to the right again.. I thought it will go away after the first mile or so, but it didn’t.. Felt like it reduced later but never went away. It wasn’t too bad or intolerable. I also felt it on the one mile walk back home. After the post run stretches the legs felt perfect, though.

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Thanks for staying with me.  I don't know most people who are reading this blog, but I know that you are in US, France, India, China, Jamaica, UAE, Brazil, Canada, Russia, etc. etc.. Thank you for following my training. When I am out there in the scorching sun with heavy legs in my last miles you give me the feeling that I am not alone.  Sometimes that is all I need to dig a little deeper and move forward.

Thanks again.

If I can run, u can run