domingo, noviembre 22, 2009

Mi crónica del Maraton de Zaragoza, o como correr 2 maratones en 3 semanas


Unos días antes de correr en NY, mi colega Mac me convenció para acompañarle a correr el Maratón de Zaragoza. Por movidas varias se había quedado sin acompañantes para esa carrera y me pareció una buena manera de probar mi capacidad de resistencia al final de temporada ya que de mi motor diesel no esperaba gran cosa en cuanto a tiempos.

Tras 4 días de descanso total post-NY, Alejandro Santamaría me puso un plan de 10 días bastante cañero en cuanto a series pero con pocas tiradas largas. Me sorprendí a mi mismo haciendo series de 3000m a 4:40 una semana despues de un maratón pero parece que funcionó. Mi idea era salir sin objetivo de tiempo, correr y ver lo que salía.

En principio estaba pensado que fuéramos solos pero esta semana Ana y Pepa, la mujer de Mac se apiadaron de nosotros y decidieron unirse con nuestras 4 niñas para animarnos en distintos puntos.

El recorrido en Zaragoza es casi absolutamente llano e ideal para hacer buen tiempo, aunque tiene zonas en las que puede soplar bastante viento por la situación de la ciudad. Entre el km 21 y el km 36 hay 15k en los que se dan varias vueltas alrededor del Recinto de la Expo y del Parque del Agua con muy poco público, pero en general está bien organizado.

Tras cenar en un Italiano la noche anterior, nos fuimos pronto a la cama y a las 6:30 ya estábamos desayunando en la habitación. La salida era a las 9h y estaba situada a 5 min del hotel así que estuvimos casi 2h tumbados consultando el pronóstico del tiempo para esa mañana.

20 min de calentamiento y nos colocamos en la salida. Mac en el corral de 3:00 a 3:30h y yo en el de 3:30h a 4:ooh.

Salida y primeros 5km en 25 min bastante rápido pero con buenas sensaciones. Al llegar al km 10 seguía con el mismo ritmo (50 min) y empezaba a pensar que podía ser mi día ya que salía el sol, no había una sola nube en el cielo y me sentía bastante bien. Mas o menos por ese km me adelantó María Vasco, la marchadora que hizo los primeros km marchando y luego paso a correr. Bajé un poco el ritmo para asegurar, ya que dudaba si había empezado demasiado fuerte y pasé la media en 1h 49m. A partir de allí el recorrido del maratón se hacía bastante desangelado, con varias vueltas arriba-abajo por la zona de la Expo y por el Parque anexo, incluyendo cruzar el Ebro 4 veces (en el recorrido en total se cruza 7 veces). Aguanté relativamente bien hasta el km 30, por el que pasé en 2h 42m, igual que en NY, aunque desde el 26 notaba que ya no estaba igual de fresco.

Los últimos 12km fueron duros fisicamente, con sensaciones regulares a ritmo de 6 min/km y parando en los avituallamientos a estirar los isquios, que estaban como piedras. Me recuperé en el km 39, donde me esperaban Ana y mis hijas y llegué a meta en 4h 01min (otra vez que me quedo a 200m del sub 4h) , aunque muy contento por el simple hecho de haberlo acabado.

Ah, Mac se salió con 3h 16min, me alegro mucho por él: Enhorabuena!!













martes, noviembre 03, 2009

Crónica del Maratón de Nueva York 2009


40º Maratón de Nueva York (1 nov 2009)




Un año más y para celebrar el 40 aniversario de esta prueba (que nació aprox. 1 mes antes que yo) el primer domingo de Noviembre volvía a New York por 3º año para participar en su Maratón, esta vez acompañado por Ana, que se había apuntado también. Llegamos el jueves por la tarde con un tiempo lluvioso y 60% de probabilidad de lluvia para el domingo. Yo por si las moscas, me preparé para mojarme.

New York, espectacular como siempre y con un ambientazo de Maratón Internacional por toda la ciudad, con múltiples grupos de corredores de muchos países.




Esa misma tarde decidimos pasarnos por la feria del corredor para retirar los dorsales y evitar colas. Espectacular como siempre la organización y los voluntarios, así como los múltiples stands de marcas deportivas con todo tipo de gadgets. Compré unas Zoot y unas camisetas y para el hotel.









El sistema es bastante rápido. Tras comprobar tu identidad con el pasaporte lo primero es retirar el dorsal, este año daban un chip basado en una banda adhesiva que no había que devolver (ya era hora!!)






Luego se comprueba el chip, se retira la bolsa del corredor (con una camiseta técnica muy bonita) y se pasa a los stands de la feria para aprovechar el tipo de cambio Euro/US$




Había bofetadas por hacerse la foto frente a este panel con el recorrido del maratón





Al día siguiente (viernes), visita a SBR para comprobar las ofertas de sus rebajas de fin de año. Lo más interesante era el 35% de descuento en neoprenos ya que el resto de cosas no me parecieron mucho choll0.






A mediodía cruzamos a Central Park para hacer 30 min tranquilos y asegurar que todo estaba en orden. Incluimos los últimos 4 km del recorrido del maratón pero nos resistimos a hacernos la foto en la meta por aquello de la mala suerte.






Y por la noche, cena con unos amigos aprovechando la invitación del equipo de http://www.strands.com/ con la suerte de compartir mesa con 2 campeones del mundo de maratón: Abel Antón y Martín Fiz, que además de darnos muy buenos consejos nos demostraron que son unas excelentes personas. Martin preparaba la Behovia pero Abel correría al día siguiente con 4 chefs españoles (Proyecto Running Chefs)




El sábado reunión para la foto del equipo que bajo la dirección de Alejandro Santamaría http://www.trientrenos.com/ nos presentábamos en NY, todos terminamos con tiempos entre 3:40 y 4:10. Gracias Alejandro!!



Esa noche cena en Carmine´s , un italiano super-recomendable junto a Times Square y pronto al hotel a prepararlo todo, la verdad es que sin agua y sin ciclismo la preparación previa pierde mucho, pero es lo que hay.

Tras una noche de lluvia continua nos levantamos a las 5:00 am para desayunar algo y presentarnos en la recepción del Hotel Hilton, de donde saldrían los autobuses hacia Staten Island a las 6:30 am. Seguía lloviendo y tardamos más de 1 h en llegar.




Al cruzar el Puente Verrazzano dejó de llover pero seguía bastante nublado. A lo lejos el skyline de Manhattan era espectacular




Dos horitas largas de espera y nos preparamos para la salida. En mi caso en la 2ª ola, y en el de Ana en la 3ª. Todo el terreno estaba embarrado y fue difícil encontrar un hueco para tumbarnos. Como conocía el tema de años anteriores, llevé dos sacos de dormir desde Madrid y nos tumbamos en la carpa-iglesia mientras se celebraba el servicio religioso.

Y llegamos a la línea de salida. Sabía que tras subir los ca =:si 2km de cuesta inicial en el Puente Verrazzano a continuación venían casi 13km relativamente llanos y decidí apretar para ganar algo de tiempo. Este año corrían unos 44.000 corredores y era prácticamente imposible correr a ritmo sin tener que hacer slalom. Mi objetivo era pasar la media por de bajo de 1:50:00, los 30k por debajo de 2:40:00 y entrar en meta alrededor de 3:45:00


Los tiempos en los primeros controles fueron bastante estables, entre 5.10 y 5:15 min/km y las sensaciones muy buenas





Tiempos de paso
  • km 5 : 0:26:18
  • km 10: 0:52:44
  • km 15: 1:19:33


A partir del km 15 hay un par de subidas, no muy duras pero que se quedan en las piernas, bajó algo la media a 5:20 para llegar a la Media Maratón, ubicada sobre un Puente entre Brooklyn y Queens. Los avituallamientos estaban muy bien, pero había tanta aglomeración de gente que esra casi imposible no tener que parar en ellos para pillar un vaso. Además el hecho de no recibir botellas sino vasos de papel hacía imposible poder beber mientras se corría-


  • km 20: 1:46:26
  • Media : 1:52:21

Hasta aquí bien, aunque superaba en 2 min el objetivo, posteriormente 4km más o menos llanos y se llega al primer momento duro psicológicamente de la carrera: el puente de Queensborough con casi 3 km de largo y una subida continua de 1500m. Cuando llegas al final entras en Manhattan por la 1ª Avenida, repleta de animadores y enfrentas una recta de 5km hasta el Bronx muy parecida al Pº Castellana por dimensiones y perfil

  • 25km: 2:14:30
  • 30km: 2:42:59

Seguía manteniendo el diferencial de 2-3 min respecto al objetivo pero empezaba a notar una sensación muy dolorosa en los aductores, al principio era solo una molestia muscular pero cada km que pasaba se hacía más incómoda.


Al llegar al Bronx se suben otros dos puentes, uno para entrar y otro para salir enfilando la 5º avenida en la zona de Harlem. Tras ese punto se llega al 2º tramo más duro de la carrera, la subida de casi 2km hasta Central Park y los últimos 4 km de toboganes por el parque. En ese punto pensaba que todavía poder hacer sub 3:50 (tenía casi 37 min para 7 km) pero el dolor de mis piernas se hizo insoportable y pensé que algo se me rompería, solo pude mantener un rimo alrededor de 5:50 min/km. No sé si será por el dolor de patas o por haber entrenado bien pero esta vez no tuve la sensación de llegar al muro y me veía bastante entero.

Los km del 35 al 40 fueron los clave, más de 30 min para 5 km, por lo que dí por perdido el 3:50 y simplemente me concentré en el sub 4h que me parecía seguro. Corrí tranquilo los últimos 2k

La anécdota final fue que por mi Garmin los 42,2 km se cumplieron casi 400m antes de la meta real (enrealidad hice 42,6km) . Me tocó apretar los último 200m ya que pensé que por una gilipoyez podía volver a pasar de 4h pero por lo menos superé esta barrera psicológica.


  • 35 km : 3:13:28
  • 40km: 3:44:01
  • 42,6 Km: 3:58:01

Por cierto, Ana terminó en 4h 10min a tan solo 12 minutos, un gran tiempo para alguien que pensaba hacer 4:45h y que ha entrenado madrugando para salir a correr antes de las 7 am




Pensaba que esta sería mi última carrera del año pero ....



Y por si alguien se plantea correr en NY, unos consejos de la organización:


There are many challenges to running the ING New York City Marathon, from the logistics of the massive start out of Staten Island, to climbing the five bridges, to the huge cheering crowds, to "the Wall" at 20 miles, to the last 3 miles in hilly Central Park and the final sprint (or at least wobble) to the finish line at Tavern on the Green.

One Tough Course

No marathon is easy, but the ING New York City Marathon can be even tougher than most because of the course. It's not fast—don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You need to be realistic with your time goals or you will be setting yourself up for disappointment. To predict your marathon time, you would generally take your half-marathon time, multiply by two, and add 10 minutes—assuming comparable courses, weather, and training. For the ING New York City Marathon, add another five to 10 minutes to your range. For example, if you ran Grete's Great Gallop Half-Marathon in 1:30, your range for the ING New York City Marathon would be 3:10 to 3:20.

Here is what makes the course so tough:

The hills. The five bridges along the course offer uphill climbs ranging from a quarter mile to a mile followed by a downhill of roughly equal length and grade. The problem is, you lose more time on the ups than you gain on the downs. In addition, from 8 miles on there are several moderate inclines of a quarter mile to a half mile (in addition to the bridges), which tamper with your quest to stay on pace. The toughest hills aren't even the toughest. At the end of the marathon even the slightest inclines take a toll. And there are several ascents in the last 3 miles that make the going plenty tough at a time when the distance to go is enough of an obstacle. You start a moderate incline just past 110th Street on Fifth Avenue, which gradually increases until you turn into Central Park at 90th Street. The climb is relentless, and lasts almost a full mile. And there are still more hills to abuse your tiring legs in the final mile. The two long blocks up Central Park South don't look so bad to the spectators screaming at you to pick up the pace. But after more than 25 miles that moderate incline is a challenge for sure. And wouldn't you know it—the last quarter mile is up a more-than-moderate uphill. Whose idea was that?

The weather. Be prepared to adjust your clothing, pacing, and fluid intake for the weather. One thing is for sure: New York is always windy on marathon day! It is just a matter of how windy and in which direction the breezes blow. And they usually blow in gusts that swirl around the big buildings so that at times you swear you're being blown in opposite directions. If the weather forecasters claim the wind is from the north, then expect especially tough going from 2 to 15 miles and 16 to 20 miles—that is, most of the way—with a tailwind from 21 to 25 miles. And if the wind is from the south, you'll fly from 2 to 15 miles and from 16 to 20, but that headwind will be tough from 21 to 25. Most likely the wind will hit you at various angles as you wind your way through the course. That is, you can't trust it at all.

The crowds. You have two types of crowds to deal with: the millions of spectators along the course and the 44,000 athletes navigating it. Both can help and hinder your efforts. Spectators may crowd the course as they press forward to cheer on runners, they also make the course a bit longer because you can't cut perfect tangents along the way. But for the most part the throngs of screaming marathon fans will help keep you going. This makes for a faster race than if you were out in the country with just the cows looking at you. Along the course you may have to weave around runners who started too fast. And you'll have to slow at aid stations to get a clear shot at the fluids. But overall, having thousands of runners to pass—and to pull and push you—will help keep you going.

The turns. A course is measured as if you ran the shortest possible distance. That means cutting perfect tangents on each and every turn. Even if no spectators or other runners were in your way, it would be impossible to run exactly the way the precision-obsessed course certifiers go. As a result, you will—sorry—run longer than 26.2 miles. This is why some miles are longer than others. A mile—about 20 city blocks—on a straight line up First Avenue is measured almost exactly the way you run it. But a mile in Central Park is longer than a mile, because you can't exactly follow the way it is measured. The more turns in a course, the slower the course, not only because you end up running a bit longer, but also because you have to slow to make turns while you run.

The logistics. In a small race, you can show up an hour or so before the start, pick up your number, loosen up calmly, jog a little, and walk to the start line a few minutes before the start. But because of the huge numbers of participants and the complexity of the city itself, the logistics for the ING New York City Marathon are complex, and can tax your physical and emotional energy. You have to get to the expo to get your number—and if you're not careful you may spend too much time on your feet wandering around catching the excitment. This may drain you. You should therefore visit the expo early. At the start, you have to make your way to the baggage area and then to your start corral. Then you proceed to the start area and stand for about half an hour. This sure isn't an ideal warm-up, but how else can the race officials line up thousands runners from all over the world in time for a reasonably orderly start? Try to be patient. Through all the course's challenges, hang in there! Don't let the fact that New York is not a world-record course scare you away from having a great race. Enjoy the excitement and energy that make the ING New York City Marathon unique. You run New York not to run a personal record, but because it is New York—where the world comes to run! I've run the race 12 times and coached thousands of finishers of all abilities. Believe me, knowing the ING New York City Marathon course can help you plan your strategy on race day. The following description can be a big help.
Mile-By-Mile Course Tour (Note: Kilometer markers are also posted every 5K.) Segmenting the course in your mind is a great way to break it down into more manageable pieces. After all, 26.2 miles not only sounds like a long way to run—it is! So take it one borough at a time, enjoying all that New York City has to offer along the way.


The Start/Staten Island At the boom of the cannon, you are off and running—uphill. The first mile is up the incline of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. It actually doesn't seem that steep, as you have to start slowly due to the crowd. You are full of adrenaline, and you can't see the slope ahead of you, just a mass of runners. Think of this as a safeguard—if you had a perfect start, you would most likely sprint up the hill and waste a lot of energy that you would love to have late in the race. The second mile is all downhill. Be careful not to pick the pace up too much here or you will not only waste energy, but you could also overstride and cause an injury as you are not fully warmed up. It is best to disregard your time splits for the first 2 miles, as they are not accurate readings of your pace. Average your time for the first 2 miles for a more accurate reading.

Brooklyn From 2 to 8 miles the course is fairly flat and can be fast, depending on which way the wind is blowing. There are some slight ups and downs, but not too bad. And it is almost a perfect straight line. The Green and Blue starts merge on Fourth Avenue just before 4 miles. Until mile 8 they are to the right of the median, and the Orange start is to the left. Crossing the median is prohibited. Green and Blue start runners shouldn't attempt to pace themselves with Orange start runners—at least not until after the 8-mile mark, where all three starts merge. Use the huge Williamsburg Bank clock tower to guide you to the 8-mile mark near the Brooklyn Academy of Music. A bit past that point, you encounter a few uphills that aren't too nasty, but after running along the relatively flat sections for 6 miles they can upset your ryhthm.

From 8.5 to about 10 miles you get some nice downhills, followed by some moderate ascents over the next mile.


From 11 miles to the 20K mark it is mostly down or flat. Look forward to a nice downhill at 20K as you turn right. Then you go left, toward the Pulaski Bridge, and climb more than a quarter-mile, passing the 13-mile mark and the half-marathon mark on the way to the bridge's crest.

Queens You then zoom down the other side of the bridge into Queens. The next mile or so is mostly flat, but brace yourself for what lies ahead. You start a gradual climb at about 14.5 miles, then turn left and start the steep half-mile climb up the Queensboro Bridge. You pass the 15-mile mark soon after you start the climb. The half-mile down the other side of the bridge is tough on the legs, as it is steep and you wind sharply to the left at the steepest section at the bottom, where you cross the 16-mile mark.

Manhattan Now begins the charge through the largest and loudest crowd on the course. First Avenue is straight, but it is not flat by any means. Rather it is a series of moderate ups and downs ranging from two blocks to over a mile. Know when the downs are coming, and use them for relief and to push a bit more to make up some time. From 60th Street to 70th Street is up, then down from 70th to 74th, followed by up from 74th to 86th, down from 87th to 90th, then a flat stretch to 96th. From there begins a difficult stretch. It is uphill almost all the way to 125th Street, and then you climb almost half a mile to the top of the Willis Avenue Bridge. In addition to the uphills, the thinning crowd makes this section tough as you get farther away from the rowdy East Side bars.

Bronx Near the end of the bridge, you at last get a downhill, which takes you past the 20-mile mark. This part of any marathon can be tough. Continue down and around to the right where you have a one-block flat segment, followed by a left turn and an uphill on 138th Street. This year the course turns right onto Third Avenue/Morris Avenue, left onto 140th Street, left again onto Rider Avenue, and then right onto 138th Street and over the Madison Avenue Bridge, where you cross the 21-mile mark. Finally, you dip down, then turn left onto Fifth Avenue.

Manhattan, Again You are now—at last—headed south for Central Park! The crowds in Harlem are very loud and supportive, especially the gospel singers at the churches. The half-mile after 21 miles is flat, then slightly uphill. Don't get fooled when you see trees ahead. It's not Central Park yet, but rather Marcus Garvey Park. You go right, left, left, right around it (and the turns are not easy on the legs at this stage!), and at 22 miles return to Fifth Avenue, where you enjoy a flat-to-slightly-downhill half mile to the edge of Central Park at 110th Street. But don't get too used to it. After you cross 110th Street the route gradually ascends. The 23-mile mark is at 103rd Street, and if you're struggling, you can tell yourself that from here it is just over 5K to the finish! However, from here almost all the way to 90th Street is—sorry—uphill. Use 90th and Fifth as a mental uplift. Many local runners gather here before and after training runs, and NYRR's headquarters is nearby at 9 East 89th Street. Think of it as very friendly running territory. You cross the 24-mile mark at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a location with a large crowd, then roll down a half-mile hill to Loeb Boat House. This is followed by a short but significant incline-nothing uphill is insignificant at this point—that carries you past the 72nd Street transverse. It's flat and slightly downhill as you approach the 25-mile mark, where you veer left to exit the park via a half-mile downhill stretch—hooray! You turn right onto Central Park South by the Plaza Hotel and go a quarter-mile slightly uphill, flanked by huge crowds. At Seventh Avenue, you get a long block downhill as you collect your energy for the final assault. At Columbus Circle, you zoom down a 100-yard stretch to the park's West Drive, then start a gradual ascent that becomes a serious climb at the 26-mile mark. But so what! You can't even see the grade. All you can see are marathoners—your fellow heroes and heroines—bordered by the massive cheering crowd. And soon all you see is that wonderful, long-awaited sight: the finish line clock. You may have felt and looked awful a few yards back, but now is the time to look great for all your fans, and for the finish-line photo that will stir memories for many years. Painful memories, for sure, but proud ones. Because conquering a marathon is a serious accomplishment. Beating the ING New York City Marathon is even more special.