I feel so bad for so many of you. To train your *** off for so long only to have to encounter the weather conditions that were presented yesterday. The marathon is tough enough, let alone trying to do it under sub-optimal conditions. It was fairly warm in Sacramento yesterday, but not nearly as bad ad the Midwest. Here is a quick breakdown of my week.
M: REST
T: 0:45 min (4 miles EZ + 2 mile @ MP)
W: 1:05 AM // 0:35 PM (12+ miles)
T: REST
F: 0:40
S: 0:35
S: Sacramento Cowtown Marathon (3:01:37) 9th Overall; 1st AG. Happy with my effort especially under the conditions. Full report after I had my coffee.
**********
Race report. Wow, where do I start? Felt pretty good in the last few days going into this. This was one of the most difficult training cycles for me due to the battle with the constant minor injuries. A few months ago I said to myself I would be happy to get to the starting line in one piece. The race was especially important for me because I would be running it with my 72-year-old Dad. This was his first marathon. The numerous ART (Active Release) sessions, the daily stretching/yoga routines, helped get me here.
Set the alarm for 4AM. Had good sleep all week. Had my bagel, ½ banana and coffee. Took and warm shower to wake up and got all my things together. Weather was looking at about 50 degrees at the start with a high of 75. Felt relatively warm outside so I decided to dress light. Headed out the door at 5:30, picked up my Dad and got to the race site @ 6:30. Lots of runners were already there. They expected about 4,000 people racing, but most of them would be doing the half marathon. Only 283 people ended up completing the full marathon.
The race got started right on time (7:30). I lined up toward the front and crossed the chip mat in a matter of seconds. The weather was perfect at the start, but I knew that it would start to warm once the sun came up. In the first 5 to 6 miles it was hard to see whom you were racing against since most people were running the half marathon. The marathon course at Cowtown is the half marathon route run twice. I knew this would be a mental challenge and I even practiced running a lot of double loops in practice. I was running easily in the beginning and hitting my paces. I was feeling good aerobically, but I was having some digestive/intestinal issues. First 6 mile splits were:
Mile 1 6:54
Mile 2 6:52
Mile 3 6:42
Mile 4 6:43
Mile 5 6:41
Mile 6 6:41
I was enjoying the course, but I must admit there were a lot of turns. I was happy that I was keeping a consistent pace. The course is relatively flat, but it was hard to just ?zone? out and run because of the turns. Miles 7 to 13, I was still feeling pretty good, but I could feel it warming up. I tried to take fluids (Cytomax) at every stop. I packed some gels, but my stomach was acting weird and I did not think I could digest them. Splits:
Mile 7 6:46
Mile 8 6:52
Mile 9 6:42
Mile 10 6:46
Mile 11 6:51
Mile 12/13 13:35 (1:28:12 @ Mile 13)
I hit the half in just over 1:29. Right on pace, but I knew even then that sub-3:00 was going to be a challenge. I started to feel the sun?s affects. I was also a weird sensation crossing the ?finish line? only to know that you had to do the whole thing over again. Especially when most of the people near you were done racing. Even with all the half marathoners registered, I still ran most of the race alone. I did managed to lock up with a guy at Mile 14. He asked if I was hoping to break 3? I said that would be great, but the way I am feeling now, just finishing strong would be a plus. We ran together for about a mile or so before he dropped off pace. Miles 14 to 18 were really lonely. I was by myself for the most part. It felt like average training run. There was one short out and back section where I saw a few runners, but that was about it. Splits:
Mile 14 6:49
Mile 15 6:45
Mile 16 6:46
Mile 17 6:54
Mile 18 6:52
When I crossed Mile 18, I figured I had about an hour to go. I was getting a little hot and a bit dehydrated. The Cytomax was really diluted. And, at a few checkpoints, they only had these small 4 oz. cups so I new I probably wasn?t getting enough fluid in. I was taking electrolyte tablets which definitely helped. The run started getting real tough mentally. One obstacle the marathoners were faced with was passing all the slower ½ marathon walkers and joggers. There is a long stretch of bike path were many walkers were walking side-by-side. When you are trying to zone in and stay on pace, it is very difficult to have to think about weaving and navigating between people. This one idiot on a mountain bike almost hit me at one point. Once I hit Mile 20 I felt myself starting to slow a bit. I decided to stop checking my splits and just gut it out and run the best I could. There was one runner about 200 meters ahead of me. I just tried to focus on him and stay with him. I still felt real solid aerobically. My heart rate was lower than normal. Not sure if this was a result of minor dehydrating or not. My usual marathon HR is @ 146-148. I was running 143-145. My right foot which I have been having problems with since December starting acting up. It was completely numb in the forefoot area. Not sure how much that was affecting my physically, but it was just an added distraction. It is been 10 months of diagnosis and doctors visits and they still cannot determine why I am getting this. Splits:
Mile 19/20 13:57
Mile 21 7:17
Mile 22 7:14
Mile 23 7:12
Mile 24 7:16
Once I hit Mile 24 I knew I was going to finish. I still resisted the urge to look down at my watch as I did not want to be disappointed if I did not break 3 hours. My leg turnover was still pretty good at this point. Finally I hit Mile 25 and I had to look down. The watch said 2:52. I still thought I may have a chance at this goal after all. I was still passing a lot of walkers and made my way to the finish. I saw the clock for the first time and at that point it was already reading 3:01+. Crossed the finish line with a smile on my face. I was so glad to be done. I would have really liked to have met my goal, and I think under more optimal conditions I would have done it. However, I feel real fortunate that I did not have to suffer through the miserable conditions so many of my fellow marathoners had to endure over the weekend. Splits:
Mile 25 7:20
Mile 26 7:13
Last 0.2 1:36 (3:01:37) 9th overall; 1st AG
Now what do I do? I am going to take 4 weeks off no running. I think I may be done with marathons for a while. I really need to get my ailments taken care of before I embark on another marathon training cycle. In some respects it is hard to train for six months only to run slower. At age 42, I am not going to get any faster. Long gone are the days when I would improve 7 minutes every marathon I ran. I think I need to find a new challenge. I am extremely happy that I took my first Age Group award ever for a marathon. I have never run Boston before, that is still something I want to do, but I will have to be put off for the time being. I will probably try and get a qualifier when I turn 45 and hope to run Beantown then. Until that time, I want to get back to the fun of running. Unstructured training, trail running, etc. Throw in a couple of low-key 5K?s etc.
Best wishes to those folks who still have their races ahead of them. I will continue to follow this thread with earnest. Thanks for reading.
http://This message has been edited by GoDawgGo (edited Oct-08-2007).
