Top 10 Finish at Knickerbocker 60K

After a disappointing performance in Chicago and a decision to shut it down in NYC, I finally had a race come together. Saturday I placed 7th overall in the Knickerbocker 60K.

Race Report

I got up at 6:00 am, gathered my things and went out the door into a dark, wet morning. Rain was slowly falling from the sky as I jogged to the subway. As I felt my heart pounding from the easy jog, I started worrying about the lack of proper preparation I'd done in the days preceding the race. And was that my foot hurting or was I just being paranoid?

When I got to the subway, I ate a banana and a PowerBar. I caught both trains as they were arriving, and then made my way over to the NYRR office to pick up my race packet. There was still a little over an hour before the race was to begin, so I took my time getting ready and attaching my race number. I chatted with Claude for a bit as he gave me some statistics about how many people had signed up and how many had showed thus far for packet pick-up. I then spotted Dave and Gwen, so I joined them as we chatted about the past couple year's races and about the weather forecast. Around 10 a.m. thunderstorms were supposed to roll in and pound NYC for several hours. Not the ideal conditions, but I'd run in them before. And secretly the inclement conditions were exciting to me. Ramon came in shortly thereafter and we all calmly chatted until about fifteen minutes prior to the start.

We walked over to the starting area joking about already being too tired to run. I found a place just past the water tables to place my drop bag so that I could easily access it. Then I joined Dave and Ramon near the front of the starting pack. As usual, there was a short, very informal speech prior to the race and then start of the race. My plan was to try and run a 5:30, so I didn't want to go out too fast. I knew I needed to average 9:00/mile, but I knew I'd start out faster and then slow as the race proceeded. What I didn't expect was to go out at a pace I thought felt easy, and then find myself in the top five or six runners. As I cruised along the 1.46 out-and-back section, I knew I was going to fast and tried to slow my pace as I watched Ramon distance himself from me. I came back through the starting area still cruising along to cheers from the small crowd. It was nice to hear people calling me out by name.

As I progressed down to 72nd Street I tried to slow my pace a little even though I knew I was probably still running too fast. I kept expecting to get passed, but no one was going by me. I cruised down Cat Hill and made the turn onto 72nd. I turned onto the west side of the park and still no one passed me. I knew I was still running sub-8:00 miles, but how no one was passing me was confounding. I came up on the west side aid station and was blown away by the number of people there. The past two years there were two volunteers there. There were probably 30 volunteers out there cheering on the runners. I grabbed a cup of gatorade and blew through the aid station. Through the rolling hills up to the 102nd transverse I kept looking over my shoulder for people passing me, but I saw none. Volunteers were directing runners at each corner of the transverse, which were new this year. Once I made my way back onto the east side, I noticed how warm it was. I was sweating quite a bit. Another 3/4 of a mile found me back at the start area. Loop 1 was complete.

I heard the lap counters yell out my number and almost immediately call out number 12. I decided to skip my drop bag and just grab some water. Shortly after the water tables, runner number 12 passed me. That was what I needed to calm my delusions of grandeur. The deluge of fast runners were now going to pass me and I'd fall into my normal pace for the remainder of the race. I slowed my pace slightly and kept a smooth gait, but as I progressed through the loop no other runners came by. When I arrived at the west side aid station, I saw a couple of familiar faces. Two of the girls from Run Club were volunteering at that aid station and cheered me on. I once again just grabbed a cup and cruised through. As I came back around to the east side, I continued my smooth stride and picked it up slightly when I came back to the starting area to a multitude of cheers. Two loops and about 9.5 miles down, still only one runner had passed me.

I decided to make the stop at my drop back since I was already close to 10 miles. I took a quick sip of Muscle Fuel and grabbed a quick handful of beef jerky. As I ran I ate the jerky. About a 1/4 mile before Cat Hill, I ran by and said hi to Angela (one of our Nike Pacers) who was out pacing a different running group that was training in the park. After I came down Cat Hill and turned onto the 72nd St transverse, I saw Betty Eng, who immediately joined up with me and asked how I was doing. I told her I was feeling pretty good but that I thought I was running too fast. I told her I thought I was in 8th place and if I was in the top 10, I was definitely going too fast. Betty told me what was going on with Run Club that morning and ran with me through the west side aid station. I ran through the rest of the second loop and finished strong, once again heading to my drop bag. I took a couple ibuprofen and started my fourth loop.

I ran through the flat section at the beginning of the loop and wound around a couple turns to see a smiling face greeting me. Tiffany would be joining me for the next hour and a half. Tiffany asked me how I was feeling as we made our way toward Cat Hill. I said I was feeling good and she told me I was looking pretty strong. I told her that I was pretty sure I was in 8th place overall. Drops began to fall from the sky and by the time we were making our turn onto 72nd Street, the skies opened up. My eyes stung as the water washed sweat into my eyes. I had a hat in my drop bag, but I was still over two miles from the start area. Tiffany offered to go back and get my hat, but I declined. I continued running as my shoes and the streets filled with water.

As we rounded the corner and turned onto the west side, the rain continued to pummel us. Tiffany kept on talking, telling me stories. She asked me if she was annoying me, but I told her it was fine. I was enjoying the company. When we came through the aid station, Tiffany split off and ran around the outside. I grabbed some gatorade and drank it quickly as I ran through the aid station. I saw a couple familiar faces of Run Club regulars volunteering at the race who cheered me on. I met back up with Tiffany on the far side and we cruised through the downhill past the reservoir. Tiffany continued to encourage me saying I looked stronger than any of the other runners she had seen on the course. I was pretty sure she was just trying to make me remain positive, but I appreciated the boost of confidence. Rain was still falling as we came up the hill toward the start/finish area. I came through strong to the applause of the spectators and volunteers. Immediately going to my drop bag, I grabbed my hat, took a sip of muscle fuel, and ran back out to meet back up with Tiffany for the start of lap 5.

I'd done just over 17 miles and I was still feeling strong even though I was soaked thoroughly. We cruised through the flat section and charged down Cat Hill. As we made our way over to the west side, Tiffany told me the story of her favorite tree and how it became her favorite because of a class project she did when she was younger. I had no idea which tree she was talking about, so she started scanning the area for a leaf to show me. A short time later, she showed me the yellow leaf and I realized I'd seen the trees everywhere. The rain subsided and I started feeling like I was overheating, so I took my hat off and continued my assault on the course. I kept telling Tiffany that I was expecting people to start passing me at any time, but no one ever did. When we turned back onto the east side heading south, I told Tiffany that I couldn't wait to take a big sip of the Mountain Dew I had waiting in my bag. She looked at me like I was crazy, but I explained that the sugar and the caffeine had propelled me through several long races and rides.

I once again came through the start/finish area strong knowing I was over 20 miles into the race. As we neared the Met, I spotted another familiar face. Bev joined us and told me she would run with me until Paul came out to relieve her later. The rain had ended, but the wind was still blowing. Tiffany and Bev ran out in front of me trying to do their best to let me draft off of them. As we came down Cat Hill, I had to tell them to speed up as I was right on their heels. I didn't really want them to pace me, I just wanted the company. The previous two years I had done the race completely solo and listened to music the entire race. This year, I dropped the headphones and opted for friends.

Every time I would encounter a hill, Bev would jump out front and tell me that there was a harness linking her back and my chest and that she was pulling me up the hill with it. Initially, I blew it off, but later in the race I zeroed in only staring at her back and imagined the harness. It really did help. The three of us continued to run through the sixth loop. Bev tried to offer me gels, granola bars, and water, but I wanted to stick with the things I had brought in order to not mess with my system. Still no one had caught up to me. Finishing up the sixth loop, Bev continued to remind me to cut the tangents in order to run the shortest course. I looked up at the clock when I came through the finish area noting that I was just short of the marathon distance and was not too far off my NYC Marathon time from two weeks before. A little more than 11 more miles to go.

At this point, I was walking my water stops while trying to refuel. I popped a couple ibuprofen with some Mountain Dew and caught back up to Bev and Tiffany. Bev told me that Paul should be waiting on the corner of the 72nd Street transverse. Once again, I had to make the girls speed up so I could cruise down Cat Hill. When we got to 72nd Street, there was no Paul. Bev told me she would run another lap with me. At the corner, Tiffany announced her time running was up. She bid me good luck and I gave her a quick hug and thanked her for running with me. Now it was just Bev and I. She told me stories of her cousin playing college hockey, while continuing to encourage me.

I was starting to feel fatigued, so once again Bev offered up a GU she had. I once again declined telling her that I had one I was going to take at the aid station on the west side. I took my powergel just before the aid station and grabbed some water. I saw another familiar face this time. Ronit was there cheering. She might have been there the lap before, I can't really recall. Her and Bev jogged ahead as I quickly walked through the aid station to the cheers of the volunteers, apparently giving what was later described as "death stares" to people. It wasn't on purpose. It was more that I was getting fatigued and knew I still had quite a few miles to go. I ran out of the far side of the aid station and caught up to Bev and Ro. When I met up with them, Ro turned around and headed back to the aid station.

We ran downhill and as we started back up, Bev made me imagine the harness and she "pulled" me up the hill. After the crest, we began the descent toward 102nd street. Shortly after, I heard a man on a bike come up from behind and announce the men's leader was coming through. Great. I was being lapped. I turned and saw Ramon smoothly running toward me. We exchanged a few words, shook hands, and then he was off. I yelled at him to keep strong and crush the last lap. I watched him put distance between us as Bev and I turned onto 102nd Street. Just as I was turning back onto the east side, the 2nd place men's runner cruised by me. Bev and I looked at each other and agreed that it looked like the guy had just started running. He looked really fresh. Ramon was going to have to really push it to stay in the lead.

Bev once again encouraged me to cut the tangents and ran out in front of me going up the final hill on loop 7. Making the last slight turn on the loop and catching sight of the start/finish area always gave me a little boost of energy. This time was no exception. Bev handed me a couple of Endurolytes, I picked up the pace, and came across the mat feeling energized. I once again stopped at my bag to drink a little Mountain Dew. I exited the area and shortly after saw Dave walking with Gwen. He wasn't looking very good. I gave him a few words of encouragement as I ran by him. I did take a little satisfaction knowing I lapped another person, even though I felt bad for him. He yelled back that he wasn't feeling that great, but he was going to finish regardless. That's exactly what I hoped to hear him say.

I was really started to feel the fatigue come back as I put the start/finish area behind me. Bev was sure that Paul would be standing at the 72nd Street transverse, but after I sped through Cat Hill, once again Paul was not there. I told Bev she didn't have to run with me, but she refused to leave me alone. Bev continued talking with every stride. She had run much more than she originally planned. I was glad for the company though. As we neared the west side aid station, I felt like I was going to bonk. I told Bev that I'd take her GU Roctane. I told her I didn't want to do it because I'd never used it before, but I knew I needed something. I also knew if I waited 2 miles to get back to my bag, I'd likely bonk hard on the last lap. I took the GU and then walked quickly through the aid station drinking some gatorade to add more calories to my system. Once again Ro ran with Bev while I was in the aid station. When I caught up to them, Bev asked if it would be ok for Ro to run the last loop with me. I said that was fine. Ro peeled off to go over to the starting area and Bev and I started downhill.

As I cruised downhill, I warned Bev that I might need to take a really quick walk break at the bottom of the hill. When we go to the bottom, I told her that I refused to walk on a flat section and pointed out a short section on the uphill and said I was going to walk the 20 yards or so. I stopped and walked. Just as I was restarting my run, Tim caught up to us. I said, "great, the first time I stop after over 30 miles of running and you show up." We all laughed and continued up the hill before starting downhill toward 102nd Street. Tim peeled off and I noticed a CPTC runner not too far in front of me. I recognized him from the beginning of the race and knew he was in front of me. I mentioned this to Bev, but I also said that I was running my own race. He was slowing and I would catch him. There was no reason to speed up. Shortly after, I passed him putting me in what I believed to be 7th place. I couldn't believe I was still in the top 10. With a little boost of energy from moving up a place, I cruised down the hill to the 102nd Street Transverse where I saw Coach Cane waiting.

Cane took a couple pictures of me running to post on his blog since I was running in his City Coach singlet. Cane filled Bev and I in on a couple other people running as he joined us. I was surprised to see him running since he was coming back off a string of injuries that had him sidelined for months. Along the 102 Street transverse I started feeling my calf seize up. I was trying my best to not let it cramp, but there was no stopping it. I jog/limped over to a lamp post and stretched it out as Bev tried to massage my calf. The cramping went away and we continued onto the east side and up the hill toward the start/finish area. Cutting the tangents, I made my way up the hill and caught sight of the finish. Bev gave me the last 3 Endurolytes to try and stave off the cramping for the last lap. I made one last stop at my bag and drank more Mountain Dew and some Gatorade. I yelled at myself as I exited the start/finish, "one more lap. four more miles. lets do it." I grunted and ran the flat straightaway to catch back up to Bev and Coach Cane.

Cane tried to block the persistent wind as Bev once again talked about Paul being at 72nd Street. I "charged" down Cat Hill one last time and felt the calf cramps returning. Once again there was no Paul at the corner. Ro was waiting to run the last 3/4 of the race with me. My calf was knotting up, so I stopped and stretched it out again with Bev massaging the muscle. Once I got it under control, I bid farewell to Bev and continued running with Cane and Ro running about 10 feet out in front of me.

With Bev gone, it became silent. I was happy to have to company, but Bev's constant talking helped distract me from the pain and fatigue I was feeling. I had to take another short walking break on the first uphill on the west side. Of course as soon as I started walking, I saw a duo of girls I knew from Run Club. I grunted and started running again. Cane and Ro glanced back to see that I had started again and sped up again. Cane said a couple words of encouragement as I continued my slow trudge up hill. I was happy to see the west side aid station for the last time. I walked while I took a quick drink of water and then forced myself to start running again. The first few steps getting restarted are more painful than running. Its really hard to get restarted once you stop.

I ran down the hill after the aid station and caught back up to Cane and Ro. I went through the flat section and then started up the hill. I could feel my body slowing down. I was going to walk. There was no stopping it. Sometimes your body will make you walk no matter how much you want to keep running. I warned Cane that I was about to start walking and by the time he looked back, I'd already broken my stride. I only allowed myself to walk about 20 feet before I got myself to restart. I went up the hill and then started the descent to 102nd Street. Just then, I got passed. I knew it was coming, but mentally it was initially demoralizing. Cane warned me, "Run your own race. Don't worry about it." I realized I was still potentially in 8th place and shook it off. Only minutes later, toward the bottom of the hill I heard a guy on a bike announce that the women's leader was approaching.

I looked back and saw the bike, but no runner. I made the turn onto 102nd and shortly after the women's leader passed. Once again, I was demoralized. But once again, Cane wasn't going to let me get down. He immediately said, "stay with her." I replied, "I can't. I'm done." To which Cane simply responded, "stay with her." I picked up my pace slightly and shadowed the women's leader thinking there was no way I was going to be able to stay with her for well over a mile. Soon after she stopped to walk and I overtook her. In front of her and back into what I believed was 8th place, I felt rejuvenated. At least as rejuvenated as one can be after running about 36 miles. I turned onto the east side and spotted the guy who had passed me about a 1/2 mile back. I was going to catch him. Just before the base of the final hill, Bev rejoined the entourage and ran well out in front of me. I cut the tangents and could feel myself reeling the guy in as he followed the contour of the road. I was going to regain that 7th place finish. Bev was yelling words of encouragement as Cane and Ro fell off behind me.

When I hit the top of the final hill, my world started to turn inside out. I suddenly felt a strange type of dizziness. I was having a very difficult time running in a straight line, and it took all the control I had not to start stumbling. I could see the finish line a couple hundred meters ahead, but I couldn't compose myself to finish strong. Bev was telling me to catch the guy in front of me. I told her that I was falling apart. I was afraid I was going to pass out less than an 1/8th of a mile form the finish. I concentrated as hard as I could and finally pulled it together with about 100 meters to go. I still didn't feel right, but I was able to pick up the pace and finish the race. I finished about 10 seconds behind the guy I was trying to catch, but I was still happy with an 8th place finish. I looked at my watch and saw that I'd clocked a 5:22:16. Almost 8 minutes faster than my goal, and 34 minutes faster than the previous year.

Coach Cane, Bev, Ro, Claude, Ramon, and several others congratulated me on a strong finish. I finished off my mountain dew and ate a little. Once I stopped running, I felt normal again. I'd literally run my tank to empty and somehow coasted to the finish. After a little while of watching runners come in, I checked with the time keepers and realized I'd actually come in 7th place! I had originally miscounted the people in front of me, so I was actually running one place better the entire race. It was my best finish in a race to date. I was extremely happy.

My splits:

5:22:16

1: 10:54 10:54 (out-and-back)

2: 29:49 40:43

3: 30:12 1:10:54

4: 31:57 1:42:50

5: 31:55 2:14:44

6: 34:13 2:48:57

7: 36:24 3:25:20

8: 38:20 4:03:39

9: 39:57 4:43:36

10: 38:40 5:22:16

I couldn't have done it without the help from friends. Coach Cane told me that I was the one that did the work, they were just there for company. I agree to an extent, but I don't think I would have done as well if I would have been running solo. I still think I could have PRed and done well, but I don't know that I would have done as well as I did.

I'd like to say thanks to the volunteers and everyone who came out and cheered. I'd like to extend a HUGE thank you to the following people:

Betty Eng - thanks for running with me, even if it was for a short time. Seeing a familiar face during a race always gives me a little lift.

Tiffany - thanks for running with me through the rain. thanks for talking to me and keeping me distracted. thanks for teaching me about your favorite tree. and thanks for those training runs pre-chicago.

Ro - thanks for being there cheering for a couple laps and then leading me through that last brutally painful lap. And thanks for the celebratory drinks.

Coach Cane - thanks for taking me through that last lap. but most of all, thanks for making me chase after the lead girl. if I had been alone, I would have let myself get down and I doubt I would have gotten by her and gotten the boost to finish as I did.

Bev - thank you most of all. you ran more than you needed to. you ran more than you agreed to. you talked my head off, which was greatly appreciated. you continued to encourage me even when I was really started to feel fatigued. And yes, that invisible harness pulled me up several hills. Thank you.