Be sure and read this article by Matt Fitzgerald at active.com. He makes some very good points about the importance of training at goal marathon pace and proper pacing on race day. Two important keys to successful marathoning:

1) training at goal marathon pace in order to condition your body and mind to recognize how race pace "feels".

2) shorter runs at slightly faster than goal marathon pace. This will make goal marathon pace feel easier and more comfortable.

http://www.active.com/running/Articles/5_Tips_for_Marathon_Pacing.htm

Ya Gotta Believe

Coach Kevin, Team McGraw

"How was your race?"

How many ways are there to answer this question?? If i have a personal best or place in my age group i can spit out my time and a play-by-play recap. If it was not so good, usually a simple "it was fine" conveys the message that i did not race up to my expectations. I guess it all depends on where we set our goals. In a marathon, i am focused almost completely inward. It takes tremendous focus and the only thing i am trying to beat is my goal and the distance itself. I think this holds true for 99% of the competitors in a typical marathon.

Sometimes personal goals and competitive goals combine to produce optimum performance. Sometimes those two motivations can produce mixed results. For example, last weekend i competed in a local triathlon. When I am in top racing shape i can be competitive in my age-group. This season i am in good shape for triathlons. Not great. My swim is fine and my run is actually as good as it has been in awhile. My bike, however, is lacking. i just have not done the necessary mileage on the bike in the last 12 months and it is going to take me a season to get it back. So... last week i had my normal swim, a so-so bike (could not keep up with my main age-group competition) and a very good run. I actually felt very good and finished strong. I could not have gone any faster. Finished in the top 25. However, i placed 4th in my age group. Oh, the horror! One place off the podium. AARRGGHHH. "Kevin, how was your race?" "Oh, it was fine."

After the 1.5 hour drive home i had reconciled the sometimes frustrating personal and performance goals. I train to improve my personal well-being (physical and mental). My base motivation for racing is to push myself and see how far/ fast I can go. I want to do the best i can. I want some level of validation that all of the training is working. Sometimes my best is going to be 4th place. Based on my current fitness level i had raced as hard as i could. "Dad, how was your race?" "It was great... I gave it my all!"

Dragonfly Triathon 2008

Somedays you're the windshield ...somedays you're the bug.

My triathlon season opened on May 10th with a splat, or whatever noise a body makes when it blows up into 1,000 soggy pieces! Maybe it is splatter??

Gulf Coast Triathlon in Panama City Beach, FL is one of the traditional kickoffs to the southeast tri season. GCT is a half-ironman that consists of a 1.2 mile ocean swim, 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run. An early season race of this distance certainly helps motivate you during those dark winter months and chilly spring days. GCT also exposes your weaknesses and helps shape your summer training. This year's GCT offered a full array of obstacles. Rough ocean, windy bike and a hot run. The ocean was a yellow flag, choppy mess. Spotting course buoys was difficult but I managed to stay relaxed and had a decent swim. My lack of long bike rides was firmly exposed on the windy bike course. My lack of heat training was also beginning to show. I knew the day was going to be hot so I drank as much as I could tolerate on the bike. i would estimate I drank 6 - 7 bottles in 2.5 hours. All of those liquids and absolutely zero urge to take a bathroom break for 5+ hours. It was getting hot.

I was thrilled to get off the bike. My run is in pretty good shape so i knew my chances of salvaging a good race time would come down to the run. I felt pretty good (reference the attached smiling runner photo at Mile 1) in the early miles and was able to hold a good pace. By the time we reached the turnaround the sun was out in full force. There is NO shade and the temps were up to 90 degrees with 80+ humidity. I felt like I was still running hard but my splits were slowing. i knew what was happening but could not do anything about it. I was taking full advantage of the aid stations and the ice sponges. By mile 10 I was doing the survival shuffle. (as evidenced by the attached photo at mile 12) I went through the "dark place" several times but finally focused on "just keep moving because you can stop at the finish line". I was very glad to finish and end the internal drama. An hour in the Medical Tent and 2 bags of IV fluid and i felt much better.

Lessons learned? You cannot beat the heat. Long training rides are good. Take what the day gives you...sometimes the day gives you a swift kick. In hindsight i was racing at the beach doing what I love. Not such a bad day after all.