Race Recap: Maine Coast Marathon

Running in the Maine Coast Marathon definitely solidified my feelings about small town races...I love them! Runners seem more friendly, the locals are excited to have you in their town, you're not jockeying for room on the course, and the race logistics are much less complicated than the big city races. Held just south of Portland, the Maine Coast Marathon course was a point-to-point (my personal favorite). The race started in the quaint community of Kennebunk and finished on the University of New England's campus in Biddeford, but not before winding me and my fellow runners around the twisty, surprising hilly roads, that lead us to the gorgeous Maine coastline.

Temperatures were in the high 50s and a fine mist was falling at the beginning of the race that turned into a steady light rain as the race wore on. Ideal racing conditions, rain and all, in my opinion. There was quite a bit of fog along the coastline that robbed some of the views that I was hoping to see, but I was still able to appreciate its beauty.

I was secretly hoping to PR and felt that if things went my way, it was possible. I had run in the Flying Pig Marathon the week prior, but I'd treated it as a training run and I felt fully recovered going into Maine Coast. I settled into an 8:30 pace and maintained that for the first 13.1. Kennebunk was a really cool seaside town to run through and I was surprised to see a lot of locals out (in the rain) cheering us on. Many parts of the course were on rural roads which made this marathon feel more like a weekend long run (just the way I like it!).

After crossing the halfway point, I dropped my pace down to about an 8:20. By mile 18, I was averaging an 8:10. My legs were definitely feeling it, but I still felt like I had enough in the tank to push on. Crossing mile 20, I was right on target to PR, which excited and encouraged me to keep pushing. Then, mile 23 happened. I hit a MASSIVE wall. I've hit plenty of walls, but this was like no wall I'd ever experienced before. Typically, my body gives me a good warning that I'm about to max out. However, I got no warning at all. One second I'm running strong, the next my legs feel like jelly and 10 pounds heavier. From that point on, I was in complete survival mode. It was a pretty helpless feeling.

20	8:12.1	1.00	8:12
21	8:09.8	1.00	8:10
22	8:07.9	1.00	8:08
23	8:40.2	1.00	8:40
24	9:08.7	1.00	9:09
25	9:10.1	1.00	9:10
26	9:35.0	1.00	9:35

 My MELTDOWN

3 hours, 47 minutes and 22 seconds after I started, I crossed the finish and missed out on my PR by about two minutes. Yet, I had no disappointment about not PRing. I left everything I had out on the course and it wasn't enough this day. But hey, that's running. I don't look at falling short as a failure. Instead, I see it as a motivator to keep pushing and testing my limits. Running a marathon isn't suppose to be easy and that's one of the main reasons why I love this distance.

Cheers!

Race Recap: Flying Pig Marathon

Once and awhile you run in a marathon that sucks. The organization is poor. The course isn't well thought out. The volunteers are cold and leave you wondering why they even came out to help. Locals find the race to be disruptive and an inconvenience.

Let me tell you, the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati was none of these. From the moment I was greeted at the Flying Pig Welcome Center at the airport till the time I crossed the finish line, I was thoroughly impressed. The folks that organized this event knew how it should be done.

I had heard good things about Flying Pig. Then again, I'd heard good things about other races only to be let down when I ran in them. So, I didn't set my expectations too high. However, the expectations I did have were quickly knocked out of the park.

I decided to sign up for "The Pig" rather late. My good friend, Drew, lives in Cincinnati and he and his wife just had their first baby, Cole. I was anxious to meet the little guy and Drew mentioned to me that I should come out and run in the race. It doesn't take much persuasion to get me to do things like this, so I was in!

I landed in Cincinnati Friday afternoon and Drew met me at the airport. Later that evening, Drew, his wife, the little one and I walked down to Hyde Park for some ice cream (yes, I fuel my runs with ice cream). A section of the course goes through Hyde Park and when we got down there, I noticed a nice touch by the Flying Pig staff, official course marker signs. I thought that was really cool and something I had never seen done at a race before.

Flag lining the course in Hyde Park

Huge toilet at the expo

Expo

After a relaxing Saturday at the expo and walking around downtown Cincinnati, it was time to get some rest. The marathon started at 6:30AM, so I was up and at it early. Drew dropped me off at the start with plenty of time to kill before I needed to get into my pig pen (corral). The course started behind the Bengals football stadium and wrapped itself around downtown and even part of Kentucky before it sent you up into the hills. While some are not the biggest fan of hills, I like them. So, I found this part of the course to be pretty enjoyable. Besides, the view you got of the city at mile 7 makes the climbing well worth it.

Start line

Miles 14 through about 17 were without a doubt my favorite part of the course. It was here that the course went through the community of Mariemont and their residents were out in full! Many people were having little block parties throughout this section and it was awesome to run through it all!

Things got a little quiet from miles 19 to 25.  However, the volunteers at the aid stations during this part were lively and full of energy, which helped make up for it. In fact, the volunteers were awesome throughout the entire race. My thanks to all of you!

The stretch to the finish was electric. Cheering and enthusiastic spectators lined the course and you couldn't help but move your legs faster. As I neared the finish swine (aka finish line) my mind wandered to the events that took place at Boston. The whole race weekend was full of Boston love and support and crossing the finish line was pretty special.

What happened in Boston didn't deter anyone from running. In fact, the outpour of support was so big after Boston that both the marathon and half-marathon ended up selling out. I love my running family and I'm very proud to be a part of it. I will continue to run this year with Boston in my heart and on my wrist, thanks to these awesome, pig-inspired, Boston Strong wristbands! I would recommend running the Flying Pig Marathon to anyone. Absolute first-class event from start to finish!

My Garmin upload

The last 10 days

At the beginning of the year, I became Medals4Mettle Washington, DC Chapter Coordinator. On April 13th, I did my first medal donation for my chapter at Georgetown University Hospital. As a special bonus, local runner and elite endurance athlete, Michael Wardian, joined me to help pass out medals. We had a blast and met some really awesome kids. Below are a few pictures from our hospital visit.

If you live in the Washington, DC metro area, feel free to contact me if you would like to donate any running medals. If you live elsewhere and would like to donate, I encourage you to check out our chapter listing to find the one nearest to you.

Following that weekend, tragedy struck at the Boston Marathon. I, like many other runners, was left in disbelief. How could something like this happen? I began to worry about the runners I knew running in the race. I knew Michael and my friend and featured runner on my blog, Ali Hatfield, were running in it. I spent the afternoon glued to my Twitter feed and news reports. Thankfully, I learned that Michael and Ali were alright. (Ali wrote a pretty powerful blog about her Boston experience and I encourage you all to read it.)

When I got home from work that evening, I went for a run. I felt that running was the only thing I could do to show my support to everyone in Boston.  It seemed I wasn't alone. Soon, #runforboston was trending on Twitter. The whole world was running. Everyone uniting to run for Boston was the only glimmer of light on such a dark day. The running community never ceases to amaze me.

Later in the week, I wrote up a blog asking local Washingtonian runners to join me for a Boston Marathon tribute run on Saturday on the National Mall. Through word of month and social media, my post racked up over 800 hits by Saturday. Local news stations caught wind of my run and when I arrived at the meet up location on Saturday, I was surprised to see that a couple new stations had showed up. About 30 runners came out, most dressed in Boston colors.

After a moment of silence, we set off for our run around the National Mall. It was a special experience for me. It was a true honor to lead this awesome group of runners on our tribute run. Thanks to all that came. Fox's DC station did this awesome piece on the run, which can be viewed here. Note: They asked me to take off my running hat during my interview, so please enjoy my crazy hair.

Photo Credit: Washingtonian Well+Being Blog

Looking ahead, I have a lot of fun races coming up. The first weekend in May I'll be running in the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. Then, I'm off to Maine (just south of Portland) the following weekend to run in a small town marathon. Come June, The North Face Endurance Challenge Series comes into town. I've run in this race the last two years (the marathon in 2011 and the 50K in 2012). This year, I've decided to up the ante again and I signed up for the 50 miler. The North Face always does a fantastic job hosting this event and I'm sure this year's race will be no exception.

It has been a tough week for the running community and I hope everyone has been doing alright. My thoughts remain with all those affected by this tragic event. I will continue to run for them.

Twitter Road Race for Boston - Benefiting The One Fund

It's still hard to believe what happened at the Boston Marathon on Monday. A race that celebrates human achievement and perseverance was quickly shattered by the ruthless acts of an evil villain. My eyes wouldn't let me believe what I was seeing and reading on the internet and my Twitter feed. Why? Why would someone do this? It's a question I'm still asking myself.

The outpour of support from the running community since this tragic event has been amazing. We are one big family and our family has been attacked. Runners across the country and even the world have been lacing up their shoes and running for Boston. Among all the confusion, running has provided us with a little clarity and peace.

When I heard about The One Fund, created by Boston Mayor Tom Menino and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, I loved the idea of hosting my next Twitter Road Race to benefit it. The sole purpose of the Twitter Road Race is to connect runners with other runners, near and far, and run in same race.

In the past, I would hold the Twitter Road Race over the course of a day or weekend. For this race, I will keep the finishers form open through the end of the month (April 30th). Also, this race will have no set distance. Run as much or as little you would like. If you want to submit multiple runs, go for it! Think of this race as more of a fun run. When you finish your run, post your distance on the finishers form. Then, donate to The One Fund and tweet using #TwitterRoadRace4Boston about your run! You don't have to make a donation to participate - I know some of you may have already donated to other charities and causes.

Please help me spread the using #TwitterRoadRace4Boston. Lets see how much we can raise for The One Fund!!! Thank you so much!

Cheers,
Doug
@dougcassaro

Boston Marathon Tribute Run in Washington, DC

Where: Meetup in front of the L'Enfant Metro entrance on the corner of 7th and Maryland SW (map)

When: Saturday, April 20th at 12pm

Metro DC Runners:

Please join me and my running friends for a run to tribute those affected by the attacks at the Boston Marathon. Wear your Boston Marathon colors (blue and yellow) to show your support. Lets show Boston how much DC runners care about them! Please share this with anyone you think might be interested in running with us. If you use Twitter, spread the word using #DCruns4Boston. Thanks and I hope to see you out there!

Cheers,
Doug
@DougCassaro

Race Recap: New Jersey Ultra Festival - 100 miler

So, it's taken me a week to do a write up on my ultra, mostly because I needed some time to decompress and reflect on this run. To simply sum up my race, I did not achieve what I set out to do, finish. The irony is, I ran 70 miles, a personal best. But, along with my PB, I snatched up another acronym no runner likes to get, DNF. Normally, if you run a PB, you're floating on cloud nine. You're overjoyed. Elated. I felt none of that. I felt deflated and defeated. It was a very lonely feeling after running for almost 17 hours.

Flash forward back the beginning of the day and me and about 50 other runners set off for

Sunrise on race morning

our 100 mile journey. There was lots of smiling and laughing from everyone at the start. I overheard one runner say, "Only 99.9 miles to go!" In the back of my head I wondered how long it would take those smiles to fade? For the chatter to stop. Would it be 30 miles in? 50? When the sun went down?

The course - which started/finished at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds in northern Jersey - was open until 12pm the following day, so there was plenty of time to complete the race. I set off at a comfortable, relaxed pace and settled in for the long haul. The course was a 10 mile loop. About 2 miles was on paved roads and the rest was trails.

Instead of approaching this race as 100 miles, I viewed it as ten 10 mile races. Breaking the race down into 10 mile chunks made it seem less daunting. Even though it was on the cool side (high 30s), hydration was important. Also, taking in solid foods was equally important. Typically, I run with a hydration pack. But, there was ample water on course, so I opted to use my handheld instead. I went through about two bottles per lap. At the start of each lap, I would drop a Nuun tablet in my handheld and would refill it once with water on the course. I also had ate one Gu each lap in addition to my standard ultra fare: PB&Js, bananas, cookies, candy, chicken broth...

It took me awhile to find my rhythm, but I was finally able to get into my zone by the 3rd lap. The sun peaked out every now and again, but the temperature remained cool. There was a pretty good breeze that would always chill me at the end of each lap when I would take a short break to restock and change my clothing, if necessary.

After 30 miles

In conjunction with the 100 miler, there was a 100K, 50 miler, 50K, and a marathon. So, for a good portion of the day, many runners were on the course. The trail was in fairly good condition at the start. But, as the race wore on, all the foot traffic changed the already damp and partially snow covered trail into a fine, muddy purée. At first, I tried avoiding the puddles (for fear that it would make my feet cold). But, I soon realized that the cold water acted as a nice little in-race ice bath for my feet, so I started intentionally running through some of the wet areas.

At the end of my 4th lap, I was greeted by some friends that traveled to the race to cheer me on. Seeing some familiar faces was nice and I was beyond grateful for them coming out and standing in the cold.

50 miles in

As I set out for my 5th lap, I was greeted by some terrible pain in my right foot. I had opted to rest a bit longer and chat with my friends and I think my foot cramped up because of that. The pain was so bad that I needed to change the way I landed on my foot. I feared that if the pain didn't improve, I might not be able to continue. Fortunately, once I got to the softer grounds of the trail, the pain subsided and I was able to relax and refocus.

With my foot acting up and hitting one of my many walls, the 5th lap was a rough one. Yet, finishing it meant I was halfway home. The sun was beginning to hang low at the start of my 6th lap, so I donned my headlamp.  This was also the point in the race when I started to get very chilled. The temperature was beginning to drop and the winds weren't dying down much. I don't mind being a little cold while I run and in fact, I prefer it. But, I was beyond cold. I was shivering as I ran and was praying for the tree-lined trail section (trees = good windbreaker). By the time I reached the 3rd mile of this lap, I was feeling warmer. However, I noticed that I was hardly sweating, which concerned me. When I finished my 6th lap, my friend asked me how I felt about running the last 40. I replied that other than being cold, I was feeling confident and optimistic. I thought I was in a real good place going into my 7th, but that's when things took a turn for the worse.

I was absolutely frozen. My chattering teeth were so loud that I'm sure I spooked any wildlife nearby. It was well after 9pm, the wind was still blowing and the 'feels like' temperature was in the 20s. For the life of me, I couldn't get warm. I was also starting to hit another wall which was making me walk more than I would have liked to. Any body heat I was able to generate while running was quickly lost when I would take a walking break. I was starting to head down a path I didn't like.

Nightfall

Throughout this lap, I was trying to figure out how to warm up. Obviously, I knew I needed to add another layer. I also knew that before I set out for my 8th lap, I needed to warm up my body. I decided to sit in my car and blast the heat. In theory, I thought it would work. Unfortunately, it did not.

I sat in my car for a good 15 minutes trying to get warm. I knew I wasn't in good shape. I still had more than a marathon to go and I really questioned my ability to continue in my current state. The dreaded fear of having to drop out was starting to become a reality. If you know me, you know I don't quit. I love to challenge myself and prove my mind wrong. But this time, I needed to be realistic and listen to my body. As much as I wanted to continue, I knew it was time to pull the plug. My race was over...30 miles shy of my target. It was a tough pill to swallow.

Throughout my race, I live tweeted and posted updates on Facebook so my friends and family could track my progress. The amount of comments I received was overwhelming. It left me speechless.  Saying "thank you" doesn't even come close to showing the amount I appreciate it, but I don't know what else to say. Even articulating my emotions as I write this is hard, but just know that I'm so grateful to have you all in my life. Your support means so much to me.

To run a PB and DNF in the same race is a pretty brutal feeling. Part of me wants to be happy with what I have achieved, but the other part of me is severely disappointed. Even now, I'm still not sure how to feel about this race. What makes it even harder is when my friends and family talk to me about my run and congratulate me. I smile and thank then for their kind words, but inside I'm hurting because I don't feel like I deserve any of it. I came up short. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud that I ran as far as I did, but I wanted that 100 mile finish real bad. However, I have no regrets about dropping out. It was the right thing to do.

I'm not sure when I'll go for it again, but something tells me it won't be too long before I'm hitting the payment button on a 100 mile entry form. I will keep trying until I get it!

My run - Garmin Upload

2013 Nuun Ambassdor - A new journey

When Nuun contacted me to inform me that I was selected to be an ambassador for them in 2013, I was stoked! Nuun is a product that I believe in and that I've been using in conjunction with my training for well over a year now. I had heard of Nuun, but never tried it until my friend Jocelyn sent me a tube of it so I could take pictures around DC for her 2012 Nuun Hood-to-Coast application video. It was a really cool video that you should watch. Like, right NOW! She sent me the Lemon-Lime flavor, which coincidentally is now my favorite.

Wait, you've never heard of Nuun? You can learn about it all on Nuun's website. But, in a nutshell, Nuun is a small, dissolvable tablet that once dropped into 16 ounces of water, becomes a delicious electrolyte enhanced drink, minus all the sugar. As I mentioned before, Lemon-Lime is my favorite flavor, but there are so many other great flavors you can choose from, such as: Lemonade, Tri-Berry, Grape, Orange, Fruit Punch, Citrus Fruit, and Kona Cola, to name a few. Go to www.nuun.com to learn about all their other great flavors and products.

Here's what you'll get from one Nuun tablet:

Sodium (carbonates) Potassium (bicarbonate) Magnesium (sulfate) Calcium (carbonate) Vitamin C Vitamin B2

360.0 mg 100.0 mg 25.0 mg 12.5 mg 19.0 mg 500 mcg

I look forward to representing this awesome product in 2013 and I hope the next time you think about hydrating, you do it with Nuun! Stay hydrated!

Doug