Marine Corps Marathon entries for sale

In case you missed out on the lottery for the Oct. 22 Marine Corps Marathon, there are entries to be had at the Phidippides running store here in Atlanta. They announced today that they had entries for sale on their website.

I ran in the race in 2014 and it was one of my top memories in my running career. When I saw the announcement, I nearly jumped to sign up for the race but then thought better of it, thinking that I would have some trouble gearing up for a marathon in eight weeks and just two weeks after I'm planning on running in the Army Ten Miler (also in Washington, D.C.).

Someday I'll run in it again and will base my training on the eight words that I said to the Marine who handed me my marathon medal three years ago: "Thank you for your service to this country."

Day 3,877: Vinings Down Hill 5K

Rocking a sleeveless Team BEEF shirt for the first time for this race!

It's been two years since I ran my current 5K PR in the Vinings Down Hill 5K. I'd been eagerly awaiting this race, in part to have a good 5K qualifying time for Group A of the Peachtree Road Race.

But I also needed to be realistic -- I hadn't done any meaningful speedwork in three weeks, although this meant I was entering the race fresh, right?

I drove up to the Overlook parking deck about an hour before the race started. It was very easy to find parking and I was able to use the restrooms and get a short warmup before the race started. When I was waiting for the race to start, I was very sweaty, a testament to the humidity of this race.

When the race started I wanted to make sure that I did not run too fast like I did in the first mile of last month's Westside Beltline 5K. So I held back lots and made sure I ran strong up the hill that's at the first half mile of the course. My first mile time was 6:55.

I had enough energy to attack the next hill that comes at 1.06 miles. After this my pace started to slow down to about 7:20/7:30/mile. I noticed this after glancing at my watch but there wasn't much I could do about it. My data shows my cadence fell apart at 1.41 miles and I didn't run under a 7-minute-mile pace until well after the last hill had cleared at about 1.88 miles. Mile 2 was 7:11.

I ran at under 7-minute-mile pace until Mile 2.54 and started to slow my pace at the last set of gradual rises before the turn to the Lovett School. Once turned, even though the section is briefly downhill, I ran at about a 7:30/mile pace pretty much to the finish. (Mile 3 was 7:07).

I finished in 22:12, which was not really a time that I was expecting, although this time is a good starting point for what I need to do going into the fall and winter. Thankfully there are races ahead and I can submit my 1:39:20 half marathon time from May 28 for Group A consideration.

Time: 7:59 a.m.
Temp: 73 degrees
Gear: Technical shirt, sleeveless (Team BEEF), Mizuno shorts, cep compression socks, Newton Gravity V.

Day 3,873: Being a Mizuno shoe tester (again)

It was rainy testing shoes for Mizuno, but somebody's got to do it.

I returned to the Atlanta Track Club today to test more shoes for Mizuno. I did it last November and it was pretty fun to run in different shoes and give my opinion of them.

This time around they only needed people who wore men's size 9 shoes. I signed up since my shoe size varies from maker, from the size 9 I wear in the Newton Gravity V to the size 10 that I wear with the Nike Free RN Distance.

I dutifully reported at the Atlanta Track Club's headquarters. This time we were presented with five kinds of Mizuno shoes. We were to run 4-5 minutes in them and then rate them based on how we felt.

The first three were basic cushioned trainers. The last two were much more faster shoes and I ran the best in these, although to be honest, it was fully raining and I had a motivation to get back to the HQ!

In all I ran 2.6 miles. It was a nice way to provide some feedback for running and I hope to have the chance to do it again soon!

Day 3,869: Tread troubles: Saucony ISO Zealot 2

Trouble with tread: My Saucony ISO Zealot 2 after 275 miles.

After bringing my first pair of Saucony ISO Zealot 2s to 500 miles last December, it's clear my second pair won't last that long.

At least the tread doesn't appear to be able to last that long. The other day I noticed the orange rubber of the outsole start to peel off. Today it's clearly worn down to the foam, not a good sign. Most times after 500 miles there's hardly any wear on the treads of my shoes.

My theory is this shoe has extra wear from me using it during double stroller runs, having to push off on my right foot to get going, pushing close to 100 extra pounds.

In any event, these were basically my backup shoes, as I never wanted to race in this type of shoe again after I developed the stress fracture in my shin after last September's Craft Classic Half Marathon. (I'd already purchased these shoes before the injury and kept running in them for easy duty to get the most out of them for my money).

Still, for daily use, they were more than dependable. I'll still try to get as much out of them but probably will be hunting for a cushioned daily trainer.