Thursday, March 27, 2014

The Good, the Bad, and the Big 100



Ah, the Phish lottery.



Even though the pre-sale ticket request lottery has been online for several years now, I still think back to the days of obtaining money orders, hand-writing the envelopes, filling out the forms, and making sure the exact rules specified in the Doniac Schvice newsletter were followed perfectly.



Though it is a much easier process now, I still get the same excited jitters.



And when the results are obtained (much sooner now, of course), it is always a rush of mixed emotions:



The Good News

This year’s lottery yielded my best returns ever – eight of the nine shows!  Either I got lucky or demand is low.  This morning, the tickets went on sale for the one show I was missing and within minutes, I snagged the ninth. 



The Bad News

As per usual, I will be a Lawn Boy.  That makes 9 for 9 at Saratoga Performing Arts Center; nine Phish shows at SPAC since 2004 and I have never been in the pavilion.  I will also be grazing in the grass for both nights at the Mann in Philadelphia.  The three nights at Randall’s Island in New York are general admission, so that could go either way – I may be able to work my way up to the front as I did at Bader Field in Atlantic City.



The Big 100

But here is the best part – I typically end up with one pavilion seat each summer.  This year’s was perfectly timed.  I will be in the pavilion for the first show of tour, at the former Great Woods in Mansfield, Mass., which also happens to be my 100th Phish show! 



Time to book the hotels!


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Phish lottery - Summer 2014

While I was busy battling Liza Recto about the Lower Potomac River Marathon, Phish announced its summer tour!

My gut reaction was to treat it like I usually do - request tickets to all dates that require an average of less than three hours of driving per show.  Amazingly, that amounted to the first nine shows.

Thinking that might be a bit much, I created a spreadsheet detailing the price of tickets, the amount of driving (from home as well as from the previous show), hotel rates in each city, and gas usage.  I then calculated the average expenditure per show for any combination of dates, thinking that maybe there would be some cost-effectiveness of flying to Chicago and checking out the three Northerly Island shows combined with the Michigan show instead of driving to Massachusetts and Upstate New York.

Obviously, the cheapest per-show rate was simply the three Randall's Island shows (coming out to around $88 per show, since no hotel would be involved).  Interestingly, the next cheapest per-show combination was to do the entire first third of the tour, including a night seeing the Albany production of 'Hands on a Hardbody' (what great timing)!  All told, it comes out to about $110 per show for all expenses except parking and food.

And so, after many hours of deliberation, calculation and caffeine consumption, I went with what my gut told me after all: One show at Great Woods, three at SPAC, two in Philly, and three at Randall's Island.

Today, I saw a "hold" on my credit card for $522.25.  This bodes well.  It means I am either going to every show but with lawn seats (awesome!), fewer shows but with pavilion seats (just as good!), or some combination thereof.  And there is always Saturday's public on-sale to make up the difference.

Either way, I will see you on tour!!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

My appeal to the USATF

I was clearly getting nowhere with Liza Recto (race director for the Lower Potomac River Marathon), so I filed the following appeal directly with USA Track & Field. Below is the email I sent to Lyman Jordan, the Maryland course certifier for the USATF. 
Dear Lyman Jordan,

I would like to formally submit a complaint and file an appeal regarding the course certification of the Lower Potomac River Marathon, certified as MD04016JS.

In speaking with the race director, Liza Recto, she informed me that she measured the course to follow the "shortest possible distance" according to the method laid out by the USATF.  This included tangents across corners and the middles through curves.

However, before the race, we were instructed several times to stay on the left shoulder of the roadway at all times, due to the fact that none of the roads would be closed.  This instruction is still available on the race website here (under "Safety"): www.cbrcmd.org/lpr_marathon_2014.htm.

Thus, runners were not allowed to run the "shortest possible distance", and this added several seconds or even minutes to their times at the end.

Therefore, I humbly appeal to you to order a re-measuring of the course according to the instructions runners were given.  If, in fact, this added enough extra distance as to cause a discrepancy in finish times, I would like to see that the participants' official results be adjusted.

Thank you for your time.  I hope that you seriously consider this appeal.

Respectfully,
Daniel Galioto
Participant in the Lower Potomac River Marathon on March 9, 2014

Friday, March 14, 2014

Liza Recto still does not get it...

 ...and she continues to hurl thinly veiled insults at me (note the part about "experienced runners") and argue the irrelevant GPS case.  

She is testing my patience and tempting me to not take the high road as I have been doing. 



Mr. Galioto,
The reason runners are instructed to stay to the left, facing traffic, throughout the marathon course, is for safety, and because running that way would also result in the shortest possible course.  It would be irresponsible of us to instruct runners to run down the middle of the road to ensure the shortest possible course, when roads are open to traffic. Experienced runners know that running tangents ensures the shortest route, and that they are allowed to do so without risk of disqualification on unconed sections of a course, and they do so on the unrestricted sections of the course.  I have seen photographs.  Refer to the sections that I took from the USATF manual regarding coning, monitoring, and disqualification.

The runners start on the lefthand side of Rte 249, facing traffic.  When they cross the bridge to the island, they may run unrestricted according to the notes on the certification map.  As these roads are not closed to traffic, it would be prudent to stay to the left.  If you were running down the middle of the road and a car approached, it would make most sense to move to your left, for the sake of distance as well as safety.  Crossing the road to the right would add distance.  If you were to run with traffic on the right side of these uncurbed roads, you would likely add distance because you might be forced by traffic to follow the curve of the road, running on sand, grass, or mud.  Also, if you rounded the monitored turnaround cone from the right, you would add distance by having to return to the left side.   Upon returning to the mainland you resume running on the left side of Rte 249, and your next turn is to the left on Lighthouse Road.  Thus, the shortest way to approach the mainland from the island would be from the lefthand side of the road.

You are free to present your case to USATF, but as GPS is not 100% accurate, it is impossible to determine whether you indeed ran the distance indicated by your instrument.  Therefore I do not see how USATF could adjust your time as you see fit.

Liza Recto

Thursday, March 13, 2014

And so I try again to explain

In this follow-up letter to Liza Recto (the race director of the Lower Potomac River Marathon), I try again to appeal to her good senses and her good side.  I do not think I could possibly be more polite and respectful, despite the negative attitude of her previous email.
Ms. Recto,

I am sorry that you misconstrued the intent of my email. All I asked for was your assistance in raising questions to USATF, to reach an outcome that would serve us both - more accuracy and better results for runners.  I never once used the GPS calculations to challenge you. Because I actually did research the USATF measuring guidelines before I emailed you, I came to the conclusion that both your measurements and the GPS watches were correct.  It is too bad you think that is such a worrisome notion, because it appears to be true.

The GPS watch was merely the indicator that something was amiss. I never questioned the accuracy of the course you measured; I questioned the accuracy of the course we actually ran. The discrepancy lies not in the measurement, but in how the instructions for the runners contradicted the measurement guidelines. In fact, if everything you said is true, then you have proven my point perfectly.

You measured the course to follow the shortest possible routes, but then instructed the runners not to take them. Your email says that only Route 249 was restricted, but that was not the message received before the race. This is a direct quote from the "Course Information" page on the website (though the emphasis is mine): "Runners will run on the left side of the roads, facing traffic, throughout the marathon course."

Being denied the opportunity to take tangents and run the middles of curves cost me precious seconds in every mile.  Therefore, I was penalized by a minute and a half for following the rules.
That is why I asked for assistance to bring this to the attention to the USATF.  I was not threatening or challenging you, but that seems to be your impression.  I thought this would be helpful to both of us.

I disagree with you that an appeal would not be beneficial, so I will continue to pursue the matter.

Sincerely,
Daniel Galioto

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Liza's reply...

...in which she completely misses my point and gets all snooty and condescending...



Dear Mr. Galioto,
Thank you so much for the compliments!  It's our fun and friendly runners that create the convivial atmosphere of our race.  We certainly enjoyed hosting all of you..


Regarding the course:  If you look at the certification map you'll see that I myself measured it for certification.  And if you read the FAQ on our website you would know that my pet peeve, and that of many race directors, is being challenged by runners with "My GPS says..."  Please read the link that explains GPS discrepancies.  If someone tells me that a distance matches their GPS, that's when I worry.  There's a very good reason that GPS is not an approved method for certification.


The USATF course measuring manual is about 50 pages long, not counting sample forms.  Course measuring is labor intensive, and we measurers risk life and limb doing our job (riding against traffic down the middle of the road, steel taping distances from landmarks while traffic whizzes by, etc.).


The correct way to measure a course is via the shortest possible route, i.e. on the tangents.  Also note that a "short course prevention factor" of .1% (42.2 meters for a marathon) is incorporated in the measurement.


To quote from the USATF manual:  "...when measuring on a winding roadway, do not follow the side of the road.  Unless portions of the roadway will be closed to runners by cones and/or barricades AND will be monitored, measure the straightest and shortest path posible, moving from one side of the road to the other as necessary to follow the shortest possible route."

 
As it is not feasible to monitor an entire marathon course, I measured the straightest and shortest possible course as instructed above.  There is an alternative, though not feasible, and not very nice for the runners.


Also from the USATF manual:  "If your course is laid out to restrict the runners to a route which is longer than the shortest possible route (on pavement), traffic barricades or intensive coning is required.  Course monitors are nice but often are absent, mis-positioned, or simply ignored by the runners.  Instruct course monitors to disqualify on the spot, any runners they observe cutting the course as defined by the barricades and cones."

 
As I said, not feasible, and even if we charged everyone triple to cover the cost of cones, there would've been an unacceptable number of DQs.   I enjoy DQ'ing runners who flout the "no headphones" rule, but I would hate to DQ someone for inadvertently stepping outside the "cone zone" to pass a slower runner.

 
Please note that only the Rte 249 section (~14 miles) is restricted (runners must stay to the left of the double yellow line), and only a few sections have significant curves.  Most of it is straight and was measured as such.  There was no need for me to cross the double yellow line at any point when measuring on tangents. 


 Runners crossing the double yellow line after the monitored turnaround / Rte 249 crossing would be adding distance to their run.
 

 I measured the course properly, documented all measurements, and submitted the documentation to the Maryland state certifier (at that time, John SIssala),  Thus I don't think an appeal to USATF would be beneficial.
 

For more information, you can read the USATF course measuring manual at www.usatf.org.
I'll be glad to forward your comments to the current Maryland state certifier, Lyman Jordan.

 

Thank you again for the compliments.  We hope to see you at Piney Point again.
 

Liza Recto

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Letter to the director

This is the letter I have sent to Liza Recto, the race director for the Lower Potomac River Marathon.  As for the part about her car being in a ditch, it really is true.  Her car rolled into a ditch while she was out placing mile markers before the crack of dawn!


Dear Ms. Recto,

First, I would like to thank you very much for directing such a wonderful race.  Everyone involved - from the runners to the volunteers to the spectators - created a friendly and inviting environment.  And to have the placement of mile markers and an on-time start as the foremost things on your mind while your car was stuck in a ditch? Well, that is just extraordinary.

Though I am happy to have the opportunity to tell you those things, the reason I am writing to you today is because of a discrepancy with the course that all the runners with GPS watches (including me) had noted.  I am not sure if anyone else brought this up to you, but we all came up with 26.45 as the course distance.

This may not seem like a lot, but it translates to anywhere from a minute (for the faster runners) to several minutes (for the back-of-packers).  For me, it was about a minute and a half, but even more importantly it was the difference between qualifying for Boston (with a 3:09:12 according to my watch) and not (with a 3:10:44 on the official clock). 

After looking over the results, I think I may be the only person in this predicament, but I do believe it is worth looking into for the sake of accuracy and for any past or future runners that may find themselves with this dilemma at your otherwise lovely race.

It is my belief that the reason for this discrepancy is that the runners were instructed to stay on the shoulders of the roads due to traffic.  The USATF likely measured all the shortest distances - tangents around corners and straight lines through curves.  This was probably why we lost a few yards with each passing mile, as our Garmins beeped farther and farther before the mile markers as the race progressed.

I hope you will help me appeal to the USATF to recalibrate the course and, hopefully, retroactively adjust all finishers' result times.  Again, this is especially important to me as it makes or breaks my Boston qualification. Any assistance from you, the Chesapeake Bay Running Club, and even other runners would be most appreciated.

Thank you for your time and for putting on an all-around enjoyable race and a fabulous weekend.

Sincerely,
Daniel Galioto

Monday, March 10, 2014

Lower Potomac River Marathon

The first thing I did at 4:45 a.m. was look out the window.

It was still dark, but I could see it was overcast and cloudy but, thankfully, there was no rain.  

The temperature was hovering around 40 and I spent a lot of time changing in and out of my running tights and switching hats.  As the morning progressed, I put on my shorts - in the parking lot of the Paul Hall Center in Piney Point, Md., about 10 minutes before this charming and friendly little marathon began on its grounds.

It turned out to be a smart move.  But then, everything I did at this race seemed to be a smart move.  While not my fastest, the Lower Potomac River Marathon may very well be my smartest race ever.

The first half of the race was the scenic portion.  Driven partially by my desire to take in the sights and partially to save my energy for the hilly second half, I took the first few miles slowly.  Don't go out too fast, was advice I was given before my first marathon and always had trouble heeding.  Not this time.

After clocking a 7:40 first mile while chit-chatting with mid-packers, I picked it up in the next few, staying around 7:20.  I used the "virtual pacer" feature on my Garmin GPS and it kept me in check.

The terrain was flat, the weather was perfect, and I chugged along comfortably, letting Mr. Garmin tell me I was behind pace (set to 7:15) every so often.  Sometime around Mile 7, I was on auto pilot and cruised perfectly in the target range.  

The first half was a series of out-and-back legs at three points on and near St. George Island - the end of Piney Point Road and back, then to the entrance of Camp Merryelande and back, then to Piney Point Lighthouse and back.  By the time I hit the halfway point, I was on track to meet my 3:11 goal.

But there was a problem.  With each successive mile, my Garmin beeped before I hit the marker; and each time, it happened farther and farther away.  So while the official clock at 13.1 showed 1:35:45, my watch told me I hit the halfway point more than a minute before that.  Which one was correct?  I believe the Garmin was, but more about that in my next post.

After the halfway point, I made my next smart decision - time to stop running and start racing.  The second half was simply another out and back, but on Route 249, a main road that was not closed to traffic.  Nothing to see here, so time to set the gearshift...

The long, steady uphills between Miles 15 to 19 were not incredibly steep, but proved to be difficult as a strong headwind started pushing against me.  But, as I always say, hills are where I make my move and I was not about to let 11 mph winds stop me from overtaking at least four runners, all of whom seemed surprised to see me doing so.

A bit spent at the top of the hilly portion which was also the turnaround point, the wind was at my back as I cruised downhill. This helped me push the pace ever so slightly simply by extending my leg turnover.  This smart move helped me regain some time lost on the uphills and also regain some strength for the final 10K.

On this last, flat, final segment, fatigue was setting in.  But it was not "the wall".  By now, I know the difference, so I knew it was OK to dig deep.  At some points, the Garmin told me I was ahead of the set 7:15 pace, but as I made my way into the last 5K, I occasionally slipped behind pace, despite the feeling in my legs that told me I was moving faster.

In the 26th mile, the usual spots were hurting.  My left hamstring and Achilles tendon, my right groin and trapezius.  But pain is not a factor in the last mile of a marathon, especially if I have not hit the wall by then.  The only thing to do is push.  Harder.

My Garmin showed 26.2 miles long before I rounded the final turn into the last 400 meters, clocking me at a 3:09:12 marathon.  When I hit the finish line, feeling strong and triumphant despite the nagging discrepancy, the clock showed 3:10:45.  Either way, my fourth best marathon ever.

When I set my goal in January, I decided against shooting for a PR and went with a smarter and more modest 3:11.  

Despite the harsh winter, I trained smartly, doing the best I could in the uncontrollable elements.  

Saturday night, I wisely controlled my tendency to overeat and had a smart and reasonable dinner.  

In the first half of the race, I smartly hung back, saving the real racing for the back half.  

It all paid off and I finished feeling great - so great that I spent the next hour and a half cheering the more than 100 people into their own triumphant finishes. And spreading that positive vibe felt like a smart thing to do, too.

Smartest.  Race.  Ever.


Click for official results

Check back soon for my next post to see why the small time discrepancy is a very big deal.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

The possibility of cold rain

In a little over nine hours I will be running the Lower Potomac River Marathon. 

The forecast now says that it is possible I may encounter my worst nightmare - temperatures in the low 40s and rain.

I can deal with rain if it is warmer and I can deal with (much) colder temps without rain.  I can even do snow.  But nothing is worse than rain in the 40s.

If I wear extra clothing, it gets too heavy from the wetness.  But if I keep it light, that cold rain chills me right to the bone. 

It is only a 30 percent chance, but it is still possible. And it is doubtful we will see the sun.

But I am here to run a marathon, come hell or high water, so the only thing to do is soldier through.

I just hope I can sleep a bit tonight.


Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Five days until the marathon

With only five days left until I run the Lower Potomac River Marathon in Piney Point, Md., I am getting nervous.  You would think I have not done this 10 times before.

Training is essentially done.  In this morning's bitter cold of 9 degrees, I managed to do four 400-meter repeats at an average of 1:25 apiece - faster than 5K pace.  Thanks to my new Garmin GPS watch, I was able to measure out those blocks on the roads since the tracks are still covered in snow.

But those were four quick little bursts to cap my speed/quality training from the past few months - months that have included the harshest weather in my nine winters of running.  My speed work, tempo runs, and hill sprints were surely compromised by the ever-present ice and snow.  Still, I gave each workout my all, never shied away from the hard stuff, and ran outside for every single run without skipping any at all, even on the coldest of days.

So I will finish my taper and go into the race with a lot of hard effort behind me, if not the most stellar training times and workout results.  I am injury-free, ready to go, and keeping expectations realistic.