Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Sometimes, I Have Good Ideas

...and this is probably filed under, "Not One of Those Times."

You see, an opportunity arose for me to go racing in a couple of weeks. And me, being the Iceman of Team Rev3, decided, "Eh, what the hell. This'll be fine." (Side note: This crew is AWESOME. Between the hilarious banter and overwhelming support of one another...I still can't believe I'm a part of such a wonderful group of people.)

So, what idiocy have I managed to sign myself up for?

This kind:

Yes, that is what you think it is.

Yep, I'll be running the Boston Marathon in less than two weeks.

As always, whenever there's an announcement round these parts, we do the question-and-answer session.

How on Earth did you manage to get into Boston?!!?!?!?!?
One of the footwear vendors at the store was giving a clinic; at the end of it he made mention that he had a Boston entry. Nobody else was going to take it, so I said I would.

So, you would say this is a continuing perk of working in the running industry?
That would be a resounding yes. I'm incredibly lucky to have some of the contacts that I do, to do the work that I can with the vendors that I do. If there's any question that I'm not doing the right thing with my career, this helps answer it.

When did you find out that you'd gotten the entry?
On March 20th.

So, you decided that, "Oh, I'll run a marathon in 3.5 weeks? And not just any marathon, but the Boston Marathon?" I can see why you said that this wouldn't be filed under Good Ideas.
Yeah, nobody's ever accused me of being the sharpest tool in the shed. (Or, like when I talked with Ben the first time about it, "the brightest bulb in the shed." Sometimes I wonder...)

Please tell me you've been doing some other kind of training.
Well, of course I have, silly! Rev3 Quassy is just around the corner! Less than 8 weeks till I get to tackle that monster of a course again. So most training weeks have been around the 9-11 hour mark. It's just that we've (and by we, of course I mean Coach Doug) ticked up the run volume a little bit and reduced down to one strength training session per week. Otherwise, a lot of the sessions have been the same: averaging two swims, three bikes, three to four runs.

What was your long run in this build?
I put in a 16-miler that Saturday that I found out. Felt pretty darn solid, to be quite honest. Did it on tired legs from a pace swim and tempo bike that included a 30-minute FTP session from the day before. It actually was at a point where it felt better to just keep on running, so I feel pretty good heading into things. We've also done a fair number of 10-14 mile efforts just to keep the quality and volume there.

Do you have any goals with this?
I do! But they don't involve time.

Well...that's a lie. I do have a number in the back of my head that I feel like I should have no problem attaining. But I also know that this is really more of a challenge, to run a marathon on a 3.5 week build.

So, my goals are as follows:

  1. Run every single step from the start line in Hopkinton to the finish line in Copley Square. No aid station walks. No power walking hills. No, we are running this damned race.
  2. Meet up with all of my friends from the brands at the store, or those who work at the store, or those who I know via the store. 
  3. Meet up with my fellow Team Rev3ers! I know the Boston area athletes will be there, as well as a couple who are racing.
  4. Cheer on my buddy Seth, who is racing the 5K the day before. SUB 17 OR DIE, BUDDY.
  5. Then we come to my time goals. And unlike the Twitter back and forth that I had with another awesome coach (that'd be Kurt Perham, for those wondering) about my 5 x 1 mile workout at HIM pace...these will not appear on the Internet to provide pressure.
What's your plan for the weekend?
I'm heading down Saturday night after work. Will then wake up and spectate Seth's run. Then heading to the Expo for the 9 AM open. Why so early? Because I know that it'll take me FOREVER to say hi to everybody and make my way through the crowds. I'd like to be back to where we are staying in Brookline with the feet up by 1 PM. Then pasta dinner, early to bed, get up and go to Hopkinton.

How can we track you?
Bib number: 26723, in Wave 3, Corral 9. I start all the way at the end as a non-qualified runner. You can go to the BAA homepage and enter it in on race day. I expect to cross the start around 10:50 AM.

Good luck!
Thanks. I'll need it.

3 comments:

Matty O said...

haha: "When did you find out that you'd gotten the entry?
On March 20th"

Love this. Totally something genius I would pull off. Have fun out there man. You may need to stop to get kissed by the ladies (forget what mile they are at).

Ryan said...

Wellesley College, mile 12ish.

I had sent an e-mail to my coach, titled "tossing a log onto the fire" about it. His response: that's not a log, that's a bonfire you just set off!

It's going to be a good time. I think. I hope.

Maggie said...

Good luck at Boston, Ryan! We'll be cheering you on!