I've spent the past hour geeking over my running blog. What started as a reread of my Boston Marathon post from 2007 turned into me reading all of my marathon posts over the past few years. Chicago(2006), Boston(2007) and Philly again (2009). I added mileage, I looked at workouts and I tried to piece together differences that can explain performances hoping for a smoking gun. Of course no gun turns up and I'm left with a few hints. Maybe it is total mileage, maybe it was those mid-week long runs before Chicago that payed off on race day, the extra gu at mile 10, slower tempo runs. The list goes.
I am sure if I e-mailed Jack Daniels and Pete Pfitzinger my logs over the past few years they could find a myriad of missed opportunities, over/under-training, and poor choices but that obviously isn't going to happen. The best I can do is look at when things worked, Chicago and to a lesser extent Boston. In Chicago I ran a negative split and a great race, in Boston I faded a little in the end but overall held things together for a PR on a tough course in bad weather. The thing both of those marathons have in common is more mileage. A total 100+ more miles in the 3 months prior to the marathon than I had for D.C.
I do this not to torture myself but to try and learn from experience. I don't think I am going to run another marathon in 2009 but I am sure as hell not going to let sub 3:00 go just yet. And whenever training begins anew the status quo is not going to work. It didn't work in Philly last year and it obviously didn't work last week. So I'll take my time, try and at least put this monkey on my back down for a little while and in the future, plan and stick to a training regimen that hopefully will have some wise improvements.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
National Marathon, Washington D.C.
I was laying in bed the evening before the race and I hear my phone buzz. “I’m gonna go out with you tmrrw” was what Seebo had texted, adding a little more to the positive vibe I had building for the race. It was marathon number 7, the lucky number, I had eaten a big Thai meal the night before with Heather, Ian and Nora, my pre-race meal before a great performance at Chicago and now I had a friend to run with for the beginning of the marathon. Things were going to be good.
In the morning I met an equally excited Ian in the lobby of our hotel and we hopped a ride on the metro to RFK stadium, the race start. It was cold, cold enough to frost the grass and freeze my feet as I anxiously paced around waiting for the sun to come up and the starting gun to fire. I at first was not able to find Seebo in the starting corral but as the announcer blasted “1 minute to race start” I eyed him a few rows ahead and sidled up.
The gun went off and we were on our way. The sun was rising, the wind was light and my hopes were high. We planned a slow first mile and at 7:37 it was even slower than I was shooting for but that was fine. I could see the dome of the Capitol building ahead with the Washington Monument poking behind, an up lifting sight early in the race. We cruised by the Capitol building and along the mall for the next couple miles, there was some decent downhill along this portion and it made the going easy. 2 - 6:50, 3 - 6:42, and 13:39 for miles 4 and 5.
By this point we had turned off the mall and were heading north into the uphill portion of the course that would take us through mile 8. I wasn’t feeling perfect but good. Seebo and I exchanged some complaints about how the hills were more than we expected but definitely manageable. Crowd support to this point had been non existent and that continued for almost the entire race with the exception of the guys from Howard University in mile 7 that had hip-hop music blasting and party going on. 6 – 6:54, 7- 6:57, 8 – 6:38.
I was behind schedule with the slow start and the early hills. I had planned for this looking at the course profile before the run but I was still itching to make up some ground on the downhill that had started at mile 8 and continued through 10. We were on our way back to RFK to drop off the half-marathoners and we took advantage of the grade to hit a couple quick miles with minimal added effort. 9 – 6:39, 10 – 6:30, 11 – 6:41, 12 - 6:40.
An uneventful race to this point, just how you want it but now things got interesting. I knew we were soon going to have to break off from the half-marathoners and I kept my eyes open for the break. There was a large highway sign reading “Marathoners Left - Halfmarathoners Right”. Seebo and I began easing to the left of the road and continued on. Mile 13 – 6:40.
Seebo and I were both looking for our turn away from the half marathon finish but it never materialized. Now we are running down the long chute to finish line and it is obvious something is wrong. I am scanning for white marathon bibs but none are to be found only the yellow half marathon bibs. Across the finish line I see a pile of people but no route on the left for us and the rest of the marathoners to run through. We cross the line and I brush off the guy trying to hang a half marathon finishers medal on me. I am screaming at anybody who will listen “Where is the full marathon?! Where is the full!!!!!!!!!” The first woman has no idea and I am in total panic mode. A few seconds later another volunteer tells us we missed the turn which is back up the finishing chute, and over the hill. Seebo and I retrace our steps back up the hill and then cut across a long grassy downhill to join the marathon again.
What the fuck. I was in shock that this had happened. I was pissed at myself for missing the turn and pissed at the race organizers for not making it more obvious. Seebo was trying to calm me down and keep me focused and it did work. The actual half split for the marathon went by in 1:31 something and I knew we had lost around 2 minutes. Damn.
I hit the gas a little and hoped I could make some time up. Mile 14 split 9:17. I was averaging 6:40’s and now I drop a 9:17 so I am guessing I threw 2:37 out the window with the bad turn. I am fuming, my mind is racing about what to do, I keep running and try to think things through. Do I shoot for 2:59 despite the lost time or count anything under a 3:02 on the marathon clock as a sub 3:00 marathon? I decided to run harder for a few miles and see how I felt. 15 – 6:36, 16 – 6:36, 17 -6:32.
My spirits were buoyed by these splits and through mile 18 I really thought I had a shot. Maybe I was in better shape than I imagined, maybe I could really run a 2:56 and that lost time was the impetus to push myself harder. Mile 18 – 7:04.
Whoa. What happened? I didn’t slow down, the mile must have been long. Mile 19 7:07. Here we go again, the slow horrible decline through the last 6 miles. I keep pushing and just hope it is a bad patch but I can feel in my legs that it probably is not. Mile 20 – 7:33. I was able to dig and push very hard to pull off a 7:02 for mile 21 but that was it. The remainder of the way was just trying to hold on and not let the decline get to bad. I won’t go through the detail but here are the splits, they can tell the story. 22 – 7:55, 23 – 8:32, 24 – 9:27, 25 – 10:16, 26 – 9:25, 0.2 1:51. Finished in 3:13:52 (or 3:11:XX when you subtract the mistake)
You train for these things in hopes of hitting your goals and as it starts to unravel on those long miles at the end you have plenty of time think through the reality that all the work you put in is not going to even get you across the line with a BQ. I finished angry, sad, upset. Heather met me not long after I crossed the line, she knows what the race meant to me and gave me a huge hug. I was feeling very emotional and needed a few minutes to calm down.
I eventually hobbled through the food line and met up with the support crew; Ian, Nora, Allison, Steve, Reba and soon Seebo who finished a few minutes behind me. So I didn’t hit my goal, but was all the training really a waste? No way. I was standing there with my beautiful (pregnant) wife Heather and six friends all because I have this damn running bug. For me this will always outweigh a bad marathon no matter how those last miles feel.
In the morning I met an equally excited Ian in the lobby of our hotel and we hopped a ride on the metro to RFK stadium, the race start. It was cold, cold enough to frost the grass and freeze my feet as I anxiously paced around waiting for the sun to come up and the starting gun to fire. I at first was not able to find Seebo in the starting corral but as the announcer blasted “1 minute to race start” I eyed him a few rows ahead and sidled up.
The gun went off and we were on our way. The sun was rising, the wind was light and my hopes were high. We planned a slow first mile and at 7:37 it was even slower than I was shooting for but that was fine. I could see the dome of the Capitol building ahead with the Washington Monument poking behind, an up lifting sight early in the race. We cruised by the Capitol building and along the mall for the next couple miles, there was some decent downhill along this portion and it made the going easy. 2 - 6:50, 3 - 6:42, and 13:39 for miles 4 and 5.
By this point we had turned off the mall and were heading north into the uphill portion of the course that would take us through mile 8. I wasn’t feeling perfect but good. Seebo and I exchanged some complaints about how the hills were more than we expected but definitely manageable. Crowd support to this point had been non existent and that continued for almost the entire race with the exception of the guys from Howard University in mile 7 that had hip-hop music blasting and party going on. 6 – 6:54, 7- 6:57, 8 – 6:38.
I was behind schedule with the slow start and the early hills. I had planned for this looking at the course profile before the run but I was still itching to make up some ground on the downhill that had started at mile 8 and continued through 10. We were on our way back to RFK to drop off the half-marathoners and we took advantage of the grade to hit a couple quick miles with minimal added effort. 9 – 6:39, 10 – 6:30, 11 – 6:41, 12 - 6:40.
An uneventful race to this point, just how you want it but now things got interesting. I knew we were soon going to have to break off from the half-marathoners and I kept my eyes open for the break. There was a large highway sign reading “Marathoners Left - Halfmarathoners Right”. Seebo and I began easing to the left of the road and continued on. Mile 13 – 6:40.
Seebo and I were both looking for our turn away from the half marathon finish but it never materialized. Now we are running down the long chute to finish line and it is obvious something is wrong. I am scanning for white marathon bibs but none are to be found only the yellow half marathon bibs. Across the finish line I see a pile of people but no route on the left for us and the rest of the marathoners to run through. We cross the line and I brush off the guy trying to hang a half marathon finishers medal on me. I am screaming at anybody who will listen “Where is the full marathon?! Where is the full!!!!!!!!!” The first woman has no idea and I am in total panic mode. A few seconds later another volunteer tells us we missed the turn which is back up the finishing chute, and over the hill. Seebo and I retrace our steps back up the hill and then cut across a long grassy downhill to join the marathon again.
What the fuck. I was in shock that this had happened. I was pissed at myself for missing the turn and pissed at the race organizers for not making it more obvious. Seebo was trying to calm me down and keep me focused and it did work. The actual half split for the marathon went by in 1:31 something and I knew we had lost around 2 minutes. Damn.
I hit the gas a little and hoped I could make some time up. Mile 14 split 9:17. I was averaging 6:40’s and now I drop a 9:17 so I am guessing I threw 2:37 out the window with the bad turn. I am fuming, my mind is racing about what to do, I keep running and try to think things through. Do I shoot for 2:59 despite the lost time or count anything under a 3:02 on the marathon clock as a sub 3:00 marathon? I decided to run harder for a few miles and see how I felt. 15 – 6:36, 16 – 6:36, 17 -6:32.
My spirits were buoyed by these splits and through mile 18 I really thought I had a shot. Maybe I was in better shape than I imagined, maybe I could really run a 2:56 and that lost time was the impetus to push myself harder. Mile 18 – 7:04.
Whoa. What happened? I didn’t slow down, the mile must have been long. Mile 19 7:07. Here we go again, the slow horrible decline through the last 6 miles. I keep pushing and just hope it is a bad patch but I can feel in my legs that it probably is not. Mile 20 – 7:33. I was able to dig and push very hard to pull off a 7:02 for mile 21 but that was it. The remainder of the way was just trying to hold on and not let the decline get to bad. I won’t go through the detail but here are the splits, they can tell the story. 22 – 7:55, 23 – 8:32, 24 – 9:27, 25 – 10:16, 26 – 9:25, 0.2 1:51. Finished in 3:13:52 (or 3:11:XX when you subtract the mistake)
You train for these things in hopes of hitting your goals and as it starts to unravel on those long miles at the end you have plenty of time think through the reality that all the work you put in is not going to even get you across the line with a BQ. I finished angry, sad, upset. Heather met me not long after I crossed the line, she knows what the race meant to me and gave me a huge hug. I was feeling very emotional and needed a few minutes to calm down.
I eventually hobbled through the food line and met up with the support crew; Ian, Nora, Allison, Steve, Reba and soon Seebo who finished a few minutes behind me. So I didn’t hit my goal, but was all the training really a waste? No way. I was standing there with my beautiful (pregnant) wife Heather and six friends all because I have this damn running bug. For me this will always outweigh a bad marathon no matter how those last miles feel.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
As usual this final week of taper before has me feeling completely out of shape to run a good race. I've only run twice, 5 on Tuesday and a 30 minutes this morning, this week. I am debating a short run (20-minutes) tomorrow morning if only for the little mental boost I will get from getting out there.
It is finally here and I am finding myself more nervous than I expected. I think it has to do with traveling to the race. When I race in Philly, that feeling of a big event just isn't there. Add to the travel meeting up with Ian and Seebo along with a few others makes it even more of an event. Rolling out of bed to run a marathon in Philly has it's merits but for me I think traveling to a race is better. Regardless of the way things turn out I know it will be a good weekend.
I can look back at many memories on this training cycle, some good some not so good. Morning runs in 15 degrees and snowing, fresh snow spoiling track workouts, making a few new friends on long runs, dragging my ass home on two long runs which ended horribly, surprising myself at the Frostbite Five Miler. Lets hope all these things add up to a memorable climax. The race report will be next.
It is finally here and I am finding myself more nervous than I expected. I think it has to do with traveling to the race. When I race in Philly, that feeling of a big event just isn't there. Add to the travel meeting up with Ian and Seebo along with a few others makes it even more of an event. Rolling out of bed to run a marathon in Philly has it's merits but for me I think traveling to a race is better. Regardless of the way things turn out I know it will be a good weekend.
I can look back at many memories on this training cycle, some good some not so good. Morning runs in 15 degrees and snowing, fresh snow spoiling track workouts, making a few new friends on long runs, dragging my ass home on two long runs which ended horribly, surprising myself at the Frostbite Five Miler. Lets hope all these things add up to a memorable climax. The race report will be next.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Yesterday was a beautiful afternoon for a run and I grabbed Boomer for 5 mile loop into the Wissahickon. I must have been moving out because Boomer was dragging much more than usual when we reached the last mile and the long hill up Rex Avenue. Tongue lolling out of his mouth and panting at full speed as we moseyed up the hill enjoying the sunshine and a real feeling of spring in the air. Damn I can’t wait for the marathon.
Monday, March 16, 2009
It seems my blogging has tapered even more than my running. Last week consisted of al 5 mile runs at varying paces except for Saturday when I joined Seebo and Steve K for 10+ miles around Fairmount Park. It was great to catch up with Steve who I am sure despite his extended absence from running over the past year or more will still kick my ass down Broad Street in May.
My taper is going well, legs are bouncy and my energy is up. I am normally in bed at this point but with the reduced mileage I'm just not as tired. Hard to believe the race is only a few days away. The weather forecast is tightening up and has honed in on a high in the upper 50's and partly sunny. The low the evening before is 36. This means we'll be running in the 40-50 range. For me that is perfect and if the weather holds it will be one more excuse I'll have to check off my list.
My race day plan is to go out extremely easy in the first mile (7:10-7:20) and then ease into the pace until I am right around 6:45. As always I'll try to break the race into bigger chunks to avoid worrying about the small variation from mile to mile. For three miles the math is easy. I want to hit 20:20. That means 61 minutes for 9 miles and 2hr2min for 18 miles, simple to remember. I can also look at 5 mile pieces in 34 minutes. Both of those will get me in right around 2:58. If I can just communicate this to my legs and lungs I should be fine.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
I am ensconced in the marathon training doubt that occurs in the days leading up to the race. I feel slow - my legs are sore - my hamstrings are tight - my energy is low – there is no way I can keep this pace up for 26 miles. I’ve come to expect this creeping doubt and it really wouldn’t feel like a taper unless it was there. These thoughts are erroneous but yet I still can’t stop them from popping up. I can however, step back and look at them in the context of past marathons which enables me to at least keep them at a distance. I still have a very positive outlook on the race it is just amusing that these ideas always surface.
These thoughts were racing around my head yesterday on a loop through the Wissahickon. My hamstrings did still feel tight but are much better this morning. For no reason I decided to run marathon pace for a mile in the park. I came in a little slow at 6:50 but it felt easy. It doesn’t really mean much anyhow. 5+ miles in 41 minutes.
These thoughts were racing around my head yesterday on a loop through the Wissahickon. My hamstrings did still feel tight but are much better this morning. For no reason I decided to run marathon pace for a mile in the park. I came in a little slow at 6:50 but it felt easy. It doesn’t really mean much anyhow. 5+ miles in 41 minutes.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The extra daylight from DST allows me to take it into the park on my evening runs and that is just what I did last night. The hamstring all the way up on my right leg is tight and sore making me glad that I am tapering because I wouldn’t run hard on it. I’m not really sure why it is sore. My mileage is down and I don’t remember a sudden event on any of the runs. I told Heather I blame it on the extra stretching I did on Saturday’s long run. She rolled her eyes.
In any case it is no big woop, I’ve had the same problem in the past and it passes with easy runs. In fact, yesterday’s run seemed to loosen it up and it feels better today. 5+ miles in 40 minutes.
I’ve been keeping an eye on the weather forecast for the race, seeing how it changes as we approach the big day. This is what I’ve seen so far. First number is the low the evening before and second number is the high the day of the race. It’s funny to see the changes.
28:47, 38:61, 33:52, 36:56, and today the forecast is 43:54. The temperatures vary but the partly sunny forecast persists. We’ll see what race day brings.
In any case it is no big woop, I’ve had the same problem in the past and it passes with easy runs. In fact, yesterday’s run seemed to loosen it up and it feels better today. 5+ miles in 40 minutes.
I’ve been keeping an eye on the weather forecast for the race, seeing how it changes as we approach the big day. This is what I’ve seen so far. First number is the low the evening before and second number is the high the day of the race. It’s funny to see the changes.
28:47, 38:61, 33:52, 36:56, and today the forecast is 43:54. The temperatures vary but the partly sunny forecast persists. We’ll see what race day brings.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
The weather has taken an extreme turn to warmth in the last few days and I welcoming it with open arms. The snow quickly melted away and 50-60 degrees temps are in its place. The runs I am about to describe all took place in shorts, t-shirt, and no gloves and at no point in any of the runs was I regretting the decision to wear so little.
Friday I took Boomer out for an easy 3 miles and then went out myself to put in some tempo miles. I had been running 5+ mile tempo runs in just over 30 minutes so I figured a 24 minute tempo run would be considered a taper. I ran a rolling course with no net elevation change in 23:51. When I got home it mapped out to just under 3.9 miles. Roughly 6:10 pace. I think I ran a little to hard but a good workout. 8.8 miles in 62 minutes.
Saturday. An afternoon run in the park. Heather and I drove to the top of the park. She ran for 6 miles and I ran for 8. A very muddy run that left my entire backside splattered. The park was teeming with people on the first really warm Saturday we have had in a few months. Nobody seemed to mind the mud. 8 miles 61 minutes.
Sunday. My last greater than 10 mile run until the marathon. Seebo and I met at the Art Museum at 9:30 and went out for a 15 mile loop that included the Belmont Hills. The pace stayed easy which was good because I wasn't feeling very fast. Seebo and I chatted the entire way and I barely glanced at my watch. Suddenly we were 1:45 in with a couple miles to go. 15 miles almost felt like short run. 15.7 miles in 2:09.
And with that I shut the doors of my barn and hope that I have enough hay in there to keep me going for 3 hours at 6:48 pace.
Friday I took Boomer out for an easy 3 miles and then went out myself to put in some tempo miles. I had been running 5+ mile tempo runs in just over 30 minutes so I figured a 24 minute tempo run would be considered a taper. I ran a rolling course with no net elevation change in 23:51. When I got home it mapped out to just under 3.9 miles. Roughly 6:10 pace. I think I ran a little to hard but a good workout. 8.8 miles in 62 minutes.
Saturday. An afternoon run in the park. Heather and I drove to the top of the park. She ran for 6 miles and I ran for 8. A very muddy run that left my entire backside splattered. The park was teeming with people on the first really warm Saturday we have had in a few months. Nobody seemed to mind the mud. 8 miles 61 minutes.
Sunday. My last greater than 10 mile run until the marathon. Seebo and I met at the Art Museum at 9:30 and went out for a 15 mile loop that included the Belmont Hills. The pace stayed easy which was good because I wasn't feeling very fast. Seebo and I chatted the entire way and I barely glanced at my watch. Suddenly we were 1:45 in with a couple miles to go. 15 miles almost felt like short run. 15.7 miles in 2:09.
And with that I shut the doors of my barn and hope that I have enough hay in there to keep me going for 3 hours at 6:48 pace.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Another 18 degree morning but the sun is at full blast this time of year so it quickly warms things up. It took more mental coaxing then normal to get me out of bed and I nearly bagged the run. As usual I was glad I got out the door after 10 minutes of running. All easy miles on an improvised loop around CH. I downloaded a new live album featuring Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Rollins. The be-bop and the rising sun made for a energizing run. 5.8 miles 45 minutes.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
It’s been all easy runs since my long run on Saturday.
Sunday was a short recovery run that felt like a recovery run. As expected my legs were beat up, not in an injured way but in a fatigued way. I decided to shelf the shoes I used for the long run until marathon day and start a new pair. I am not normally into good luck charms or anything like that but maybe I can rekindle some of the good mojo that came with Saturday’s run when I lace them up on race day. Plus those sneakers have just over 100 miles on them, broken in but not broken up. 4.2 miles 36 minutes.
Monday the East coast got hit with a late season snowstorm. It made my decision to take the day off even easier. March snows are usually known for their brevity as teh days that follow warm up and melt everything away. Unfortunately that was not the case this time and the weather since the storm has felt more like mid January than early March with temps in 20’s or lower.
Tuesdays’ freezing morning temps made me push off the run until the evening. I wanted to run eight but after the first four miles with Heather I was cold and not in the mood for four more so I called it a day. It is funny how quickly the realization that you are tapering can sap some of your determination. 4.4 miles in 41 minutes.
I didn’t have the option to push my run this morning because of a midterm in the evening so I bundled up and went out. It was cold but thankfully the lack of wind took out the bite. I download a podcast about running called Phedippidations. From a single listen I found that it is performed, produced and distributed by some runner from New England named Steve who thought it would be a good idea. So here I am running, listening to a guy named Steve talk about tapering for a marathon while he is running. I swear our breathing fell into unison at a few points. It’s mix of running info, running inspiration and descriptions of his runs. Probably not something I’ll listen to on every run but it did get me more serious about tapering properly.
7.2 cold, snowy, icy miles in 56 minutes. I can’t wait for the 60 degree weather they are forecasting for the weekend.
Sunday was a short recovery run that felt like a recovery run. As expected my legs were beat up, not in an injured way but in a fatigued way. I decided to shelf the shoes I used for the long run until marathon day and start a new pair. I am not normally into good luck charms or anything like that but maybe I can rekindle some of the good mojo that came with Saturday’s run when I lace them up on race day. Plus those sneakers have just over 100 miles on them, broken in but not broken up. 4.2 miles 36 minutes.
Monday the East coast got hit with a late season snowstorm. It made my decision to take the day off even easier. March snows are usually known for their brevity as teh days that follow warm up and melt everything away. Unfortunately that was not the case this time and the weather since the storm has felt more like mid January than early March with temps in 20’s or lower.
Tuesdays’ freezing morning temps made me push off the run until the evening. I wanted to run eight but after the first four miles with Heather I was cold and not in the mood for four more so I called it a day. It is funny how quickly the realization that you are tapering can sap some of your determination. 4.4 miles in 41 minutes.
I didn’t have the option to push my run this morning because of a midterm in the evening so I bundled up and went out. It was cold but thankfully the lack of wind took out the bite. I download a podcast about running called Phedippidations. From a single listen I found that it is performed, produced and distributed by some runner from New England named Steve who thought it would be a good idea. So here I am running, listening to a guy named Steve talk about tapering for a marathon while he is running. I swear our breathing fell into unison at a few points. It’s mix of running info, running inspiration and descriptions of his runs. Probably not something I’ll listen to on every run but it did get me more serious about tapering properly.
7.2 cold, snowy, icy miles in 56 minutes. I can’t wait for the 60 degree weather they are forecasting for the weekend.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Yesterday was a mock marathon. I woke up 2 hours before my long run, ate more than I normally would, prepped more than normal bringing two gels and stashing some water along the route and got ready for 22 miles.
I met Seebo, Luke, Jenny and Cassi, in front of the Art Museum at 8:00 for a long loop almost all the way my house and back to the Art Museum. 22 miles had me a little nervous, you want things to go well on the last really long run before taper. Luckily they did. The pace bounced above and below 8 minute miles the entire way. We made a couple water stops, I popped my gels as planned and just took a nice long run with some friends.
We landed back on Kelly Drive with four miles to go and I was feeling great. I thought about accelerating to marathon pace for the last four but my goal was 3 hours of running and it would just force me to run more distance. I did pick up the pace in the last mile, slowly accelerating until I was at tempo by pace in the last 100 meters. I didn’t even feel the normal ache that sets in as soon as you stop a run that long.
My watch read 2:56 so after chatting for a while with Seebo I ran the 0.5 miles back to my car, this even felt good. 23 miles in 3:03.
I met Seebo, Luke, Jenny and Cassi, in front of the Art Museum at 8:00 for a long loop almost all the way my house and back to the Art Museum. 22 miles had me a little nervous, you want things to go well on the last really long run before taper. Luckily they did. The pace bounced above and below 8 minute miles the entire way. We made a couple water stops, I popped my gels as planned and just took a nice long run with some friends.
We landed back on Kelly Drive with four miles to go and I was feeling great. I thought about accelerating to marathon pace for the last four but my goal was 3 hours of running and it would just force me to run more distance. I did pick up the pace in the last mile, slowly accelerating until I was at tempo by pace in the last 100 meters. I didn’t even feel the normal ache that sets in as soon as you stop a run that long.
My watch read 2:56 so after chatting for a while with Seebo I ran the 0.5 miles back to my car, this even felt good. 23 miles in 3:03.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
