Short Version: I'm very disappointed with the race today. I started a little too aggressive and basically quit at mile 19. I need to step back and reevaluate some things and figure out how to move forward. I will write more detail later once the disappointment wears off. If I write the report now, it will be very whiny and negative.
Long Version: I think that I am in a better state of mind so here goes. Started out the race with Jon which I knew would be at a slightly more aggressive pace than I was planning. I figured that if you don’t test your limits then you will never know what they are. From the get go, my lower legs did not feel right. They were burning but everything else felt good. We averaged 6:30 for the first 5 miles and it actually felt exactly as it should (other than the lower leg discomfort). At the 5 mile aid station I decided that I needed to back off and let Jon go ahead. I averaged 6:45 for the next 5 miles which is the pace that I was planning for the first 10. This pace felt a lot better and the burning sensation in my lower legs disappeared. I started to fear what the first 5 miles were going to end up doing to me. Slowed to a little over 7:00/mile pace going through the rollers which was 10 seconds/mile slower than I anticipated. Hit the half way point in 1:28:45 and was right on track. The only issue up to this point was that the taylor’s bunion on my right foot was absolutely killing me. This happened during the Striders ½ marathon during this same section of the course. I changed my stride a little to see if I could make the pain go away but nothing seemed to work. I soon realized that the camber on the right side of the road took some of the pressure off and it felt much better.
After the half marker, I was back down to 6:45/mile for the next 5 miles except the big climb during the 15th mile. I ran this mile in 7:24 which was a little slower than I wanted. I moved past the 1st place female runner while she hit the bushes for a potty break. Through 18 miles I was averaging 6:49/mile which was probably right on target. The only problem was that I was finished. My splits started to get slower and slower and I knew that I was in survival mode. My legs felt like they weighed a ton and the heat started becoming an issue. Despite being in the canyon, there wasn’t a lot of protection from the sun. I averaged 7:22/mile for miles 19 through 22. Despite the slow down, I was only passed by one marathoner and 2 relay runners and I moved ahead of a few guys that were struggling. The first place women passed me and I could hear the second place female not far behind. I was pretty sure who it was and sure enough here comes Michelle blowing by me. I got a little adrenaline rush and was able to pick up the pace so that I could run with her and we ran the 23rd mile in 6:57. This actually frustrated me a little because it made me realize that my slow down was more of a mental break down, not a physical one. My pace slowed to 7:05 for the 24th mile and Michelle started to pull away. She was really moving well - she is one tough chick. After Michelle was out of sight, I completely gave into the discomfort and finished the last 2.2 miles at 7:50 pace. Final time: 3:04:15.
I’m not sure if I have ever been more disappointed after a marathon. It’s not so much the time, it’s the fact that I gave up. Sasha talks about Quality X and it is apparent that I have very little. When Michelle passed me, I could tell that she had a very high level of discomfort but she didn’t let it discourage her. She kept at it and was able to tough it out. I really admire that and am envious of that ability. I was anxious for this race and was really looking forward to a more legitimate sub-3. I can look back and pick out a million things that I could have done differently during training and the race but I wonder if the lack of Quality X prevents me from being a quality marathoner.
I was able to meet a lot of bloggers at the start which was really nice. I also so Brent near the end taking pictures (thanks for getting my attention). I guess we learn more from our failures than our successes so I am going to really look at the things I did going into this race to see if I can make an effort to improve.
Update with results: I finished in 30th place overall and 6th in my age group. Four of the 5 people who beat me in my age group are FRB'rs (Jeff, Chad, Kory, Walter). Was chicked by 3 but one was an FRB so that doesn't count. One was an old chick so maybe that should count as 2.
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