4 mile test run

I got in 4 miles this morning to test the leg. My foot feels good but my right calf and hamstring are tight. I think it is something that should loosen up with time. I might try one more run this week, we'll see.

Good news is I only gained 2.5 pounds this week with less running. I weighed in this morning at 167.5.

Monthly total for November was 146 miles!

Forecast still the same for Sunday. 60% chance of rain with temps from 37-57. Looks like rain is almost certain.

Race week preparation checklist:
1. Make sure all laundry is done for needed running gear.
2. Get a haircut.
3. Trim toe nails.
4. Get lots of sleep.
5. Drink a litte more.
7. Don't do anything stupid!

Zero mileage weekend!

My right leg has been bothering me all weekend. Actually it was mostly my right foot (5th metatarsal) all day yesterday. Today it feels pretty good but I think I needed the rest. Something just isn't right. I will probably test it tomorrow. The last time I had a zero mileage weekend was mid-July (see post) when we were camping in Mammoth for the weekend!

The forecast for December 6th in Sacramento is now "showers" (60% chance), with a low of 37 degrees and a high of 57 degrees. No more than 6 mph winds from the east, which would be a tail wind most of the way.

Black Friday!

December 6th is now on the 10 day forecast! They are calling for rain at this point with a low of 40 degrees and a high of 57! Looks like a 30% chance of rain. I will be watching closely.

10 days to go. I was going to run a 12 miler this weekend but I think I will really shut it down. My right leg would probably be sore for 2-3 days after that based on the last two runs. I will trust that the work has been put in.

Here is a feel good story of a young female runner in MN. It makes me cold just reading the article.

There was a showdown in Tulsa last weekend to break the record for a marathoner pushing a baby jogger (baby must be present in jogger). Well the record was broken with a time of 2:32:10. He also won the race (well actually his 10 month old was the first to cross the finish line)! Check out the slide show here. The first image of the starting line is cool for two reasons. First, you never see baby joggers at the front of the starting line. And second, one of my readers and high desert runner Chuck Fieland, is standing between the two joggers! Chuck finished in 73rd place with a time of 3:23:46.

Here is my Black Friday deal. If you are in the market for a Garmin, rei.com has the Forerunner 405 for $225!

Amazon has the Forerunner 305 (my watch) for $140!

Quote of the day: "It's lessons of life when it comes to athletics, especially in individual sports. It's not like a football player, when you make a mistake you've got your helmet on and your mask on, nobody can see you. But when you are running cross country and track you're stripped down to your skivies and you are bare-assing it to the world right there. You're two feet from the guy next to you and five feet from your fans and they're right in your face! That's the nature of the sport, it's cool"--Ron Warhurst (Michagan distance coach)

Another 6 mile run on Turkey Day

It was a lazy morning. The kids slept in until 7:30! I didn't get out for a run until 1:00 but the weather was still beautiful. Andi and I were talking yesterday about how thankful we are for the weather we have had over the past few months. It has been nearly perfect for marathon training. Today was no different. I was in shorts and a t-shirt and was cruising along today. My right leg is still not 100% but much better than Tuesday. I really have no idea why it has been bothering me. I am definitely shutting it down to give it time to rest before December 6th. It just feels tight and it aches during and after my run. At least I wasn't limping like I was on Tuesday.

I got an email from a high school friend of mine that now lives in Minnesota. His name is Bryce and him and I ran together for four years and eights seasons. We also used to get together for pick up basketball games and we could always out last everyone else playing for hours. Bryce was an 800m specialist in track and a tough cross country runner as well. I remember watching him break 2 minutes in his 800m split of a 4x800m relay at the state meet our senior year. He just picked up running again this year and was asking for suggestions on how to maintain his fitness in the cold Minnesota winter.

Both coming from Vegas, we tend to be wimps in the frigid midwest weather. I think the coldest temps I have run in were in Idaho at around 12 degrees. My advice is to invest in some quality winter gear! A pair of running tights, good running gloves, a skull cap (something to cover the ears), and some long sleeved running shirts are all essential. I occasionally wear a shorts sleeved shirt over my long sleeved shirt for an extra layer. I got my cap at Target $10, my gloves at Costco $10, and my tights and shirts from Nike outlet. I have also collected some nice long sleeved technical shirts from races. The Twin Cities Marathon gave out some great long sleeved finishers shirts (see pictures). Once you have some decent gear you just have to "saddle up" and get out there. It is one thing to say it and another to actually do it, especially first thing in the morning. You may have to resort to the treadmill for some of your weekly runs. When you are able to go mid day (weekends) the winter gear should help keep your ears and fingers from falling off. A running partner might also help keep you accountable and get your butt out the door.

Anyone else have suggestions for Bryce, please post a comment. Last year my dad said they went over a month with temperatures that were continuously below zero! Good luck Bryce!

I will try and post some treadmill workouts soon that will help ease the monotony. Click on the treadmill label below this post to read all my treadmill workouts over the past 2 years!

6 mile easy run with Andi

Andi and I went out together this afternoon for an easy run. We ran 6 miles averaging just about 8:00 pace. My right leg was tight the whole way and worse the rest of the day (mostly hamstring). I will continue to take it easy until it feels better.

The only other news is that bib numbers have been assigned for CIM. They were done alphabetically so my number is 6480 out of about 7500. Not quite ready for a 10 day forecast yet.

17 miles with marathon pace fast finish

Today was my last hard workout. I started at 60th and the aqueduct and headed east to the turn around behind Highland. It was cold, 39 degrees at the start, and there was a cold breeze across the aqueduct for the first hour. I came back on the dirt side and stopped at 8 miles to regroup (1:01:40 or 7:42 pace). I then started into the marathon pace finish portion of the run on the asphalt side, made the turn, and then a 180 after 4 miles so that I could come back on the asphalt side. As I was running I realized that my marathon splits are actually easy to remember. Every 3 miles should be exactly 20 minutes (6:40 pace). So I should be 40 minutes at 6 miles and 60 minutes at 9 miles. That will definitely keep me from looking at my watch too often on race day. Today I practiced staying relaxed at 6:40 pace and actually felt good about it. My right leg feels about 90-95%. As I was coming up on 8 miles I saw Clay starting his warm up and I decided that I should make it an even hour at MP so I added on an extra mile (mile 17 on the day was the fastest at 6:13). I was pleased with the effort given the fact that I did not eat breakfast, did not take in any fluids during the run, and did not do any gu's or gels. Here are the splits:

8 mile warm up= 7:56, 7:52, 7:56,7:44, 7:37, 7:35, 7:31, 7:25.

MP portion= 6:43, 6:43, 6:42, 6:41, 6:37, 6:46, 6:36, 6:34, 6:13 (avg 6:37).

Total time 2:01:20 or 7:08 pace

I will start to shut it down from here on out with exactly two weeks to go. I need to get my legs feeling fresh. I will do easy running from here on out with probably a 12 miler next weekend including 3-4 at MP.


NCAA Div III championships was Saturday and Ray Ostrander from CLU finished 144th out of 276 on a major off-day with a time of 27:03. I don't know what happened but I'm sure traveling took its toll. The Div III west coast runners always get crushed.

NCAA Div I championships is on Monday and I found a pre-race video interview with Ryan Sheridan of Iona who has an intersting story and has a great outlook on running, racing, and life. Here are my favorite quotes:

"That's the best part about our sport. You compete against these other people and at the end of the day you can still be friends."

"If I go out on Monday and finish dead last it's not a loss, I'm still running. I'm still physically able to do it, and there are people who can't do that...to be able to run is victory enough."

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

6 miles for Karl; Andi wins CLU Turkey Tri!

It was cold and windy this morning. I cut my run short at 6 miles (I was planning on 8). My right leg just doesn't feel right. We'll have to play it by ear tomorrow. I ran the 6 miles in just under 48 minutes (8:00 pace) but it wasn't pretty.

After my run we headed down to CLU for the CLU Turkey Tri (a sprint triathlon put on by Andi's brother Clark and his friends). The distances were 500m swim, 6 mile bike and 5k run. Andi was nervous about the event having never done a triathlon before. She went to the pool twice in the last two weeks to practice, winged it on her dad's bike, and thought the run would be no problem. She said the hardest part was getting her running legs back after the bike.

There were 7 competitors and 2 relay teams. Andi was 6th out of the pool, passed one on the bike and three more on the run. The only finisher ahead of her was part of a relay! She was also the only alumnus, the rest were current students! Way to go Andi! We are proud of you.

5 mile recovery run

No watch today just an easy 5 miles to loosen up and recover from yesterday. It felt like about 8:30 - 9:00 pace. It sure is getting cold out there in the morning. Last weekend I returned my Kayano 15s. I traded them in for a pair of New Balance 1225s. After wearing them at work for a few days I took them for their first spin today and the shoe feels much better on my right foot. Now I have to decide between the 1224 and the 1225 for race day!

Oh, and by the way, Ray Ostrander, a male runner from California Lutheran University, qualified for the Division III National Championships last weekend with his 10th place finish at the Regional meet at Pomona College. He will run at the National Championships in Ohio this weekend. It has been 13 years since CLU has sent a male runner to Nationals. His name was Jed Colvin, who I had the pleasure of running with for one track season in 1998.

My best finish at an NCAA Div III championship race was in 1999 in Estacata, Or where I ran 29:58 for 8k and was 86th place (out of 108) see results here. It was the only time I broke 30 minutes in a championship race. I was a much better runner than that but either injury or poor race tactics kept my PR at 29:12 for 8k cross country.

Yasso 800s! (average 2:49)

Clay, Dale, Michael and I met at Joe Walker this morning for Yasso 800s! For those of you that don't know what the heck that means, it is 10x 800m with equal recovery time. Your average time can be used as a predictor for your marathon time.

I woke up late and was 3 repeats behind by the time I got there. I jumped right in with Michael after a mile warm up and did his last 4 with him then finished out the last 6 on my own.

There were great conditions again this morning and here are my splits.

2:58
2:55
2:53
2:52
2:48
2:47
2:46
2:42
2:46
2:44

I have wanted to do this workout many times before but never attempted the full 10. It was tough! My average time was 2:49!

Clay and Dale were hitting sub 3:15s the whole way and Michael said he was steady at 3:00 before running the last few under 3:00 with me. It was a great workout for all of us.

There is some controversy around this workout as a predictor. Some people swear by it, some think it is baloney. I think the workout has to be placed into your marathon training at the right time (2-3 weeks out) and you have to have the aerobic base behind it to make it work.

Read Runners World's article here.

Coach Greg McMillan says that in his experience, Yasso 800s predict about 5 minutes too fast. In my case averaging 2:49 would predict a 2:54! Hey that is my goal time, how convenient.

I believe that the folks that don't believe it works also don't have the aerobic base to support a goal time equivalent. I read one discussion board post that said, "I can run Yasso 800s in 3:05 but my marathon time was 3:25." He either didn't have the aerobic base behind his training or he picked the wrong course. I don't think it would work if you ran Palos Verdes or San Fransisco (hilly). If you use this in your marathon training and you don't run the predicted time, my guess is that if you CONSISTENTLY built up your mileage over the next year or so you could probably hit that time. In high school or college I bet I could have hammered that workout and average 2:40s easy but there was NO WAY I had the aerobic ability to run a 2:40 marathon.

Yasso 800s are basically a VO2max interval workout (and a long one). If you take my goal time of 2:55 for the marathon for example, the VDOT calculator says my interval pace should be 2:53s for 800m, and McMillan's Calculator says I should be running 2:45-2:52. Funny how that works out!

Either way it was a great workout by all and we have one more hard workout planned for this weekend. Sunday at 60th and the aqueduct at 6am...16 miles with the last 8 at marathon pace (6:40)!


A few fun unrelated article to check out:
First, Deena Kastor submitted three holiday recepies to the New York Times! Green Chile Pumpkin Pie. YUM!

Second, a funny article on MEGAMARATHONERS! Can you believe that the record for most marthons run in a life time is 1636! My favorite quote is, "The jerk percentage among marathoners is just so much lower than the jerk percentage among lawyers," (no offense Brad). For those of you that still think that running is bad for your body and hard on your joints causing arthritis (you're probably not reading my blog), then how do you explain the guys in this article, all over 60 years old and all running strong (and more mileage than I do). Even one of these guys, Mr. Defronzo, was born with a curved spine and diagnosed later with an enlarged heart, and at the age of 74 ran his 402 marathon! Funny that he is also a lawyer with a 12ft x 12ft picture of himself finishing the Philadelphia marathon that says, "I will go the extra mile for you." His doctor says, "his vitals are those of a much younger man, and his muscular and skeletal system is spectacular."

Third, it is Thirsty Thursday again! This clip of Coach Jack Daniels PhD. is on altitude training and east Africans and is worth the watch!

6 mile progression run

Six miles this morning in just under 44 minutes (avg 7:20 pace). The pace quickened each mile up to marathon pace but six was all I had time for. My right leg ached early on but seemed to improve with the run. It ached all day.

I get a daily quote emailed from runners world. The last two seemed to go along with my article on consistent training.


To be a consistent winner means preparing not just one day, one month, or even one year—but for a lifetime.

Bill Rodgers


The more I thought about what I get to do, the less I realized I had to do. It was just a shift, just a new perspective, just a new and more grateful method for labeling the things in my life. Think about it—if you stopped yourself every single time you were about to say, "I have to" and changed it to "I get to," it might change your entire experience.

Kristin Armstrong, Mile Markers blog, runnersworld.com

300th Post!! 7.5 mile recovery run

Wow my 300th post!

Here is my 100th post!

Here is my 200th post!

It is fun to look back at the blog and see where I have been.
I ran farther today than both previous posts, I also ran slower today than both previous posts.
Today was a recovery run from the 2.5 hour run yesterday. I ran 7.5 miles averaging about 8:30 pace. It took about 6 miles to feel loose again, but I guess that is the reason for the run. It was a cold but beautiful morning.

For my 300th post I am giving my readers a sneak peak at the article I wrote for the next High Desert Runner newsletter. Hope you enjoy it.


Consistently Consistent
by Karl Stutelberg, PT

While at the Boston Marathon in 2008 I sat in on a Q & A with some athletes and coaches that included Coach Greg McMillan of McMillan Elite out of Flagstaff, AZ. I already knew of Greg and frequented his website, www.mcmillanrunning.com to use his pace calculator and read his blog. I was excited to meet him and hear what he had to say about the training of his group in AZ. After the presentation I asked Greg what he would recommend I add to my program to better my marathon PR, knowing quite well that there was no right answer. He told me consistency is the key to improvement.

Just being on a consistent program will overtime improve fitness and lead to PRs. The human body’s adaptations to the cardiovascular system and aerobic fitness change slowly over time. These cellular changes include increasing the number and size of mitochondria (the energy producing cells) and capillaries (the small blood vessels that surround and bring oxygen to muscle). This doesn’t happen after a day, week, or month of training. It happens over years.

Consistency means avoiding injury and illness, listening to your body, planning a training schedule and sticking to it. It simply means avoiding any setback that will keep you from running. It means getting up early for that 10 miler on a winter morning when the bed is warm and comfortable. It doesn’t mean that you must run every day. My training schedule involves running four days a week. It is not consistent if I run one day the first week, then three days the next, and then skip a week. It also is not consistent if I train for four months for a marathon, and then take three months off before starting to run again for the next race.

Olympian Ryan Hall said in an interview, “It’s about hitting this big block…it’s not just about that one big week [of training], its about weeks and months leading up to that to set up the ability to be able to do that week [of training]…People think it is just about what you did in that build up [for a marathon], its about what I was doing out in the forest in Big Bear when I was in high school logging miles and doing hard workouts…it is all cumulative.”

In Malcom Gladwell’s book Outliers, he discusses the key to success or greatness in any job or activity as requiring 10,000 hours of practice. He calls this the 10,000 hour rule. This means that it could take years of training to reach your true genetic potential.

Coach Jack Daniels PhD. says, “The worst person on the team may have the best potential. There is no way of knowing and you won’t know in a year. You probably won’t know in four years. You might know in 8 or 10.”

The key to any running program is a consistent gradual progression of increasing mileage and intensity of training over many years. Set your goals high, think ahead even a few years, and keep pounding the pavement.

20 miler with Dan on the aqueduct

Yesterday I was limping on my right foot all day at work and today I felt fine.
Dan and I got out at 6 am this morning and followed the same route that we did two weeks ago.

Bad news was I started the run in my new Kayanos and after about 30 feet I told Dan, "I can't run in these shoes," and switched to my 1224s.
Good news was I had no trouble after that.

I decided after today that I will run the marathon in my New Balance 1224s. They have been good to me since buying them two months ago.

My garmin had a low battery and so I decided to just go without it. Dan just had his regular stop watch so we had some idea of where we were. We stayed even most of the run and turned around at the last bridge before 110th. I am not sure on the exact distance but I am giving myself credit for 20 miles today. It was probably a little short of 20. We both commented during the run that our legs felt sort of stale. I think my exact words were "my legs feel kind of blah today." My total time was just less than 2 hours 30 minutes. The effort felt right around 8:00 pace or just under. We picked it up a little more in the last five miles on the way back.

At about mile 14 we ran into Sergio Reyes and another guy running the other direction.

The temperature when we started was 41 degrees and was 55 degrees when we finished. It was great weather for a long run.

My legs felt great all day today.

Clay, Dale, and I are doing Yasso's 800s Tuesday morning at Joe Walker track. I will attempt a marathon pace run next weekend. Those are the last key workouts planned. I may do one other shorter MP run 5-6 miles if I feel the need.

7 mile leg loosening

I missed getting out on Thursday due to laziness again. I decided to get out for an hour this morning but started off slow due to stiffness and after a few miles I decided this was going to be and easy run to get the legs loose before Saturday's long run.

I think I was just under 56 minutes for 7 miles or right around 8:00 pace. It was a cold and breezy morning. I wore a hat and gloves.

My left hamstring feels great, but all day at work I have had right lateral foot pain with every step. It is conserning to me as the 5th metatarsal is in the top 3 stress fracture sites among runners. I may not be doing the long run I had planned tomorrow. Is that what happens after you turn 30? I feel like I am falling apart.

I don't need to learn the hard way. I will listen to my body. I will run tomorrow, we'll just have to wait and see how it feels.

CIM GOALS

I have noticed that Dale and Clay have been discussing their goals for CIM and trying to decide what kind of pace they are capable off. Dale has PR'd in every distance from 5k to the marathon this year! Clay has run 5 half marathons this year but hasn't run a marathon in almost two years! Besides a 10k time trial of 37:33, I haven't run anything fast all year! It sure makes it hard to know if you are ready to sustain a certain pace for 26.2 miles.

I set a goal to run 2:55 at CIM a year ago. I figure I better put down my race goals on paper, I mean on the blog again.

A Goal = as close to 2:55 as possible

B Goal = PR (sub 2:58:37)

C Goal = Sub 3:00

I will be disappointed with anything else, unless weather conditions make these near impossible. A sub 3:10, or Boston qualifier, is always a good back up. It would be my 3rd marathon under 3:10. Here is the course elevation profile.

Less than four weeks to go!

I have one more 20 miler to do this weekend, probably Saturday, and a little more marathon pace work. Let's do this.

If you are interested in a marathon pace splits bracelet you can make your own at marathonguide.com. Click here and just input your goal time. It prints as a PDF.


My high school team ended up 3rd in the state of Nevada for cross country last weekend! I was correct in my prediction that a team from Reno would win. Carson HS killed with 3 in the top 10. Green Valley's top runner was 6th but he was 2nd from southern NV. The top 4 runners were all from the Reno area. There is less than a minutes between GV's number 1 and their number 5 runner! Centennial HS (also from Las Vegas) had all top 5 runners in the top 16 and still lost! Six of Green Valley's seven runners are seniors so it may take a while to rebuild. Here is the meet results.

8 mile easy run (59:43)

My left hamstring feels like it is on the verge of cramping all the time. There is some neural tension as I can also feel it in the arch of my foot. It doesn't seem to affect me too much on the run but I do feel myself compensating slightly. Running doesn't seem to make it worse.

Because of these symptoms I took it fairly easy today. It was almost like a fartlek workout as I would pick up the pace a little to test the left leg at faster speeds off and on. Average pace over 8 miles was 7:28. The afternoon sun was borderline hot! What month are we in? Here is a picture of the clouds after I finished my run. Cool!

Grinding out 17 with MP finish (2:06:50)

Andi and I got out early for a beautiful morning run. She ran the first 10 with me in 1:20:34 (we averaged 8:00 pace) and we ran even and tried to stay fairly level (its hard to do around my parent's house). The hills aren't that steep but they are long and steady. I commented to Andi that it was a much harder effort than I wanted it to be and I didn't know how the MP (marathon pace) finish would go. She did great for the 10 miles and I dropped her off at the house, then left for another 7 miles on my own. The effort was harder than I wanted it to be and my left leg only felt about 90% but I made it through. Here are my last seven mile splits 6:32, 6:52, 6:52, 6:27, 6:39, 6:26, 6:28. The first 2.5 miles are steady uphill. Total time for 7 miles was 46:16 (avg 6:36). Actually mile 15 and 16 felt the best on the whole run.

Total time for 17 was 2:06:50 (avg 7:28).

I had a little trouble with my Kayanos rubbing on my right foot on the downhill portions. I will give them one more trial run next weekend but if they feel the same as they did today I will probably run the marathon in my New Balance 1224s.

Here are some pictures from the Silverman Triathlon this morning. Ron is finishing the swim and then transitioning to the bike! He is probably just starting the run as I post this. He was a minute faster than he thought off the swim. The weather is awesome. It will be fun to here his commentary afterward.

Update: Here is Ron nearing the 10 mile mark of the half ironman. As I am posting this he should be finished! He did great and we are so proud of him!

6 mile leg loosening

We drove to Las Vegas last night and didn't get very good sleep. My legs were stiff out the door this morning so I cut it short at 6 miles in 46 minutes. The 7:40 pace felt like a jog. My left hamstring feels a little tight tonight though. I'll need a long warm up tomorrow. The plan is 17-18 with the first 10 at 8:00 pace and then the last 7-8 at 6:40 pace (MP). The weather should be great.

We'll be checking out my pal Ron at the Silverman Triathlon.

Good luck to all those running in Santa Clarita this weekend! We'll be thinking of you as well.

10 miles in new pair of Kayano 15s!

I had been putting off buying a new pair of shoes in hopes of getting a pair of the new Kayano 16s that are due out this month (you can get them online at Roadrunnersports.com). I had this gift card to sport chalet that I wanted to use so I was calling weekly to see if they got the new model in. Well, I had waited long enough so I got another pair of Kayano 15s (I'm not complaining, I loved my last pair). I took them for a 10 mile test run this morning and they passed. I ran my Rancho Vista Loop plus two laps around Marie Kerr Park in just under 1:15 (avg 7:30 pace). The pace was even most of the way. It was another beautiful morning. I found out later that the Kayano 15 was awarded the Runners World International Editor's Choice award for best shoe of 2009! I found the information on runningusa.org which also had a nice write-up on Sergio Reyes' win (and course record) at Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon. It was also reported on the Runnersworld Racing Daily Blog! He's finally getting some recognition as a "rising star on the national running scene." I found some nice pictures of Sergio from the Chicago Marathon here.

Meb had been getting some flack from some sports writers for not being born in America. Now other writers like this one from Sports Illustrated are speaking out on Meb's behalf. My favorite point this article makes is that the last American to win the New York Marathon, Alberto Salazar, was also not born in America. He was born in Cuba. Did you see Meb finish pointing to the USA on his jersey and pumping his fists then carrying the American flag around with him? Way to go Meb we are proud of you!

My high school Green Valley in Henderson, NV won the Southern Sectional Sunrise Division last weekend (results here). The individual winner also came from Green Valley! They will compete for the Nevada state title this weekend. This may be their best team ever. The best we ever finished when I was there was maybe 8th in the state (they only take 8 teams). Some team from Reno usually wins.

Good luck this weekend to Ron Gallagher who will be competing in his first half ironman in Henderson, NV (The Silverman). We will be thinking about you. Have a great race! The weather should be awesome!

Track workout 5x1600m cut downs

Dale called me last night wanting to get together for a run. I was planning on my hilly route but decided to meet at the track at 5:30am for 5x1600m again. Actually, I didn't decide to do five until I had finished the fourth one. I was feeling suprisingly good this morning. I cut the rest down to a 2-2.5 minute jog around the track and cut my times down from two weeks ago as well. Here are the splits. 6:23, 6:10, 6:06, 5:58, 5:41 (average 6:03).

Two weeks ago my splits were 6:21, 6:15, 6:06, 6:04, 5:49

McMillan's cruise interval pace for a 2:55 marathon is 5:57-6:04 so I guess I am on track.


Meb was on Letterman last night and did the Top Ten "things you think about when running the marathon." Number one was "I really hope that was Gatorade."


Sunday's marathon had 43,741 starters and 43,475 finishers. The latter is a historic high; New York's own previous highest total was 38,607 in 2007.

Actor Edward Norton completed the NYC Marathon in 3:48:01. I thought this was the fastest celebrity for the year but Olympic gold medal speed skater Dan Jansen ran 3:41:43.

5 mile recovery run & MEB WINS NY

I left the Garmin at home today knowing it would be slow. It felt like at least 9 min pace. Recovery days should be taken extra easy. The goal is just to get blood flow to your legs to help with healing and recovery. I thought about 5-7 miles but realized early on that the shorter would be better. My legs are very tired tonight.

The big news today was that Meb Keflezighi of the USA won the New York City Marathon in 2:09:15. It was so inspiring to see him win wearing a U.S.A. singlet. He is the first US male runner to win this race since Alberto Salazar in 1982! He looked so smooth the whole way and incredibly stong after his "move" at mile 24. I breifly met Meb in 1996 at the Runner's Workshop running camp on Catalina Island. I was just a senior in high school. He was a senior at UCLA I believe. Here is the picture. I am on Meb's right side.The other amazing story was that the US had 6 athletes in the top 10! Jorge Torres made his marathon debut with a 7th place finish in 2:13:00! Ryan Hall was a disappointing 4th in 2:10:36. The US placed 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10. And Sergio's time in Chicago (a slightly faster course) would have placed him 13th overall and 8th American.

The most amazing performance was Joan Beniot Samuelson, who didn't want to make any predictions this time, and ended up running 2:49:09 and was the 17th woman to finish! I believe that time is faster than her time at the Olympic trials in April 2008. She is now 52 years old. FYI she said her half spilt was 1:22!

See some great post race interviews on flotrack.org.


Late addition: Sergio Reyes won the Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon this weekend in 1:06:47! Just a tempo run for Sergio.