Check :D

There’s two neat piles on my suitcase: one in the official UPS clear bag with the stuff I’ll get back after finishing, one with my clothes for the race and the hobo outfit to toss away just before the start.

My main meals the last few days consisted of pasta.

I’m experiencing the taper induced weird pain here and there. What’s up with my foot? Can this be all mental?

For the last seven weeks, I’ve been training more volume and more structured than ever before for a single event.

I’m somewhat excited, you could say!

Goals! When I signed up, I said I’d run about 3 hours 20 minutes. Then I realised I could probably be faster. So, by now, the goal is:

A goal: 2:59:59 (because sub 3 is so pretty)

B goal: 3:04:59 (because Boston Qualifying would be nice)

I’ll start out with a 4:14 min/km pace, or probably a bit slower due to all the people, but if I finish with that pace, that’s the A goal. But in any case, I don’t want to suffer so much that I get tunnel vision and can’t take in the atmosphere anymore! It’s New York after all and I’m not coming here every year. (Until now, at least.)

All set!

At the end of training week number five for New York, I replaced the speed work with Üetliberglauf, the last in the 2011 ZüriLaufCup series. I already had my six results, it was not possible for me to advance in the overall ranking and I could not be passed either, so it was just for the sake of it.

Because I live rather close, I could run to the start; I was a bit late and had yet to collect my number, but that went smooth and I could join the crowd waiting for the start.

The weather was perfect and I looked like something stung me in the right eye:

I saw some people from afar and exchanged nods and thumbs up, and then we started. I had done the race in 2010 already and remembered especially some brutal climbs. Every flat or downhill bit was to be considered a little gift.

There was a small group I ran with for the first few kilometres. On the flat bits I would gain on them, in the uphill parts they would gain on me. Finally it was just one guy and me, and in the first longer steep uphill part, he went ahead and I had not the faintest chance to follow; never saw him again in that race.

I felt quite good overall, and the steepest bit was so gruel in my remembrance that the reality could not quite live up to it. After the halfway point, there was a longer downhill bit, and even though I felt quite fast, two guys caught up with me. I decided to stick to them, and together we passed a bunch of people (among them “red guy” from Hallwilerseelauf). Eventually I managed to get away from them again, and before the steepest bit of the way back, I saw that the leading woman was not too far away.

With maybe four kilometres to go, I caught up to her, breathing loud enough for her to glance back about five times. Sorry about that! I’m not a big fan of loud breathers myself, but I couldn’t help it. I passed her, and on the last downhill part there weren’t many people any more. Just before the end, I saw two guys close to each other and decided to try and get them.

Once I was with them, I tried to get away as quickly as possible, but that was a wee bit early for a strong finish and I almost blew up. Plus there was a chaos with walkers and people from the fun run all returning at the same time, but I managed to finish before the two.

I ended up 11th in my age group and with the third best result of my 2011 ZüriLaufCup races. As expected, that didn’t change my overall ranking, so I’m still number nine there.

I chatted a little bit with some people, but I got cold very soon and headed inside to get changed. I jogged home to cool down properly and was rather content with myself and the world. From now on, there was just one more hard workout on the plan (90 minutes marathon pace); other than that, the NYC taper would begin!

Some guy was filming the crowds directly after the start of Hallwilerseelauf with a camera drone. I’m pretty sure I’m nowhere to be seen, but it’s hard to tell. I’m the one wearing black, so…

Finisher clip from Hallwilerseelauf. I’m always afraid to lose time by slowing down too early! Why do people stop directly after the timing mat anyway… very dangerous! ;)

I’m already in New York for the marathon on Sunday, but there are still two race reports to write! My head will probably explode if I try to keep all the memories inside, so I better get started.

Hallwilerseelauf is a half marathon I did last year already, where I improved my PB from 1:29:59 to 1:27:21. This year, I came from a 1:25:02 at Greifenseelauf, but had a solid four weeks of NYC specific training in my legs. My goal was to beat the 4 min/km mark, 1:24:24 for the complete distance.

I bumped into a lot of people before the race: two guys from work, Oli, a guy I know from elementary school and often see at races, a girl I know from a group of people with whom I spent last New Year’s Eve… lots of chatting to do thus.

My wave started four minutes after the elite wave and three minutes after the wave with the relay runners. After a short while, we already bumped into the slower relay runners; a bit annoying, but after some time the field was stretched out enough to avoid any collisions.

As expected, the first few kilometres were very fast as they’re a bit downhill. I tried to do a fancy pacing trick with my Forerunner: loading the course from last year and then “scale” it to my new goal time. I put it to 95%; turns out that’s 95% of the speed, and not 95% of the time, so it was actually slower. Once I realised it I put it to 105%, but I didn’t look a lot at the watch anyway.

I tested my NYC outfit with arm warmers, and I’m happy with it.

Once the course got flat, my pace dropped to a bit faster than 4 min/km for most of the time. I kept passing people and was more or less waiting for the legs to become heavier, but just like at Pfäffikerseelauf three weeks before, it just didn’t happen.

I played back and forth with some people, like for example this guy in red:

He was in front of me for the better part of maybe half an hour, then I passed him, he passed me again, I passed him again… and eventually I lost him. (Behind me.)

The 10 kilometre point came, the North end of the lake with its many spectators, and before I knew it, I was on the final stretch.

The legs still refused to show signs of getting tired. The last bit of the course was not so flat, but really varied and interesting to run; other runners were few and far between.

Once I saw the finish line, I mobilised some last reserves for a strong last few metres:

I was sure that I was below my 4 min/km goal, but seeing 1:20:28 on the watch was still a surprise. A very positive one. Lots of training is good for something after all! If I can improve this by a bit and get a 1:19:00, I would qualify directly for NYC marathon, so I could sign up myself and get cheap flights and alll… worth trying!

siphotos:

The New York City Marathon is this Sunday. In this 1983 photo, SI photographer Mel Levine gets an aerial view of the runners as they cross the Verrazano Bridge. (Mel Levine/SI)

GALLERY: Aerial photos of the New York City Marathon

That’s what the elder  man with crutches said when I passed him on my mini run (warm-up, 15 minutes marathon pace, cool down) today. I take it that I now have the physique of an east African elite distance runner (think Gebrselassie), so people want to feed me (or give me some of their muscles).

Or he was just crazy.

Or he said something else.

Oh, and there was a guy asking for change when I ran past. I usually just say “no”, but this one earned a “Now!?” I think, my outfit has space for about one coin, and it was taken by the key to my apartment.

Yay, adventures in training! Race week! Four days until New York marathon! I’m flying tomorrow. Can’t wait!

Some time ago, I decided to run New York with my trusty Cloudsurfers. With two weeks to go, I finally replaced them with a new pair, the old one having almost 775 km on them. Wearing one old shoe and one new shoe at the same time was quite a revelation: the old ones are really not worth using anymore. All the bounciness completely gone.

I didn’t have problems breaking them in when they were new, so I hope I won’t have problems breaking in the new ones.

They didn’t have my size in the trademark black/lime colour anymore, but “silver grey/azur” is fine with me. I took them for a spin yesterday, and tonight they’ll come with me on my 90 minutes marathon pace “final test” run.