Not what I was hoping for this weekend. Figured if nothing else, I would get a nice relaxing night in a hotel without kids. Checked into my "no smoking" room and it smelled like a casino. On top of that, it was right next to the indoor swimming pool that was open until 11 and below the rowdy high school swim team. I wasn't overly concerned about getting to bed early since the race didn't start until 9:15 and actually slept pretty soundly once I drifted off. Got to the start line early as usual and jogged a little over a mile. Met up with Cal, Bill and Don. Asked Bill for advice on the course and he said to resist the temptation to hammer the first couple of miles (should have listened to him). I analyzed splits from other peoples races last year to try to get a feel for the course. It would have actually been a decent predictor if I would have followed it.
| Mile | Split
| Note | | 1 | 5:36 | The course starts with 1.3 miles of screaming, quad killing downhill. The pace really isn't that fast. I just let gravity do it's thing. I wasn't pushing too hard and felt comfortable. Ran near Rich Borget and knew that meant I was going too fast. This was 20 seconds too fast according to my calculator.
| | 2 | 6:04 | After 0.3 miles of the super steep hill the course turns onto the trail and has a more comfortable gradual downhill. Split was only 10 seconds too fast.
| | 3 | 6:33 | Right on pace and feeling pretty good.
| | 4 | 7:20 | Turned onto the dirt road and started the uphill portion of the race. Set my pace by hanging with the group of runners around me. A few seconds slower than predicted but right where I want to be.
| | 5 | 7:07 | Felt like I started to push the pace and passed a few runners. Counted the runners coming back down to see where I stood. Made the turnaround and slipped and almost fell. I was in 27th place at the turnaround but immediately passed 2 runners as they stopped for a drink. My goal going into the race was to finish in the top 25. Passed 2 more runners putting me in 23rd place.
| | 6 | 6:58 | I'm guessing my split here. My Garmin lost it's signal and I didn't realize it until later. I assumed that only my mileage was wrong and the timer was still going (more on this later).
| | 7 | 7:10 | My analysis showed that mile 7 was 5% slower than the average pace and I couldn't figure out why because the elevation chart showed a steady downhill. There is a good, steady climb during part of this mile which explains the slowdown. Once again, I estimated the pace because of the Garmin error but reset my splits so all other splits are accurate.
| | 8 | 6:39 | Feel decent but can tell that my legs are just about done. They are getting really heavy and I am losing the desire to push.
| | 9 | 7:03 | At this point I called it quits. At least I made it twice as far as the last 1/2 marathon when I sent up the white flag after 4 miles. I forgot to bring my GU with me but they had it at the table just before the 9 mile mark. This aid station was a complete mess.
| | 10 | 6:58 | I'm in survival mode and just shuffling along.
| | 11 | 7:13 | Predicted a little slower than average for this mile but not this much. There are a lot of rolling hills once you dump out into the neighborhoods that really take their toll.
| | 12 | 7:10 | Really struggling and can hear somebody catching up to me. He moves by me on the last big hill and I have no energy to respond.
| | 13 | 6:52 | Was able to pass a runner that I had my eye on for 2 miles. I could tell he was struggling just a little more than I was.
| | 13.1 | 0:31 | On the high school track for a final push. Glad to be done
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When I finished I thought my final time was 1:25:41 because that was what my Garmin showed. While I was disappointed with how I felt at the end I felt good about the time. Once the results were released, I realized that not only did my Garmin stop measuring when it lost it's signal but the timer stopped too. My final time was actually 1:29:14. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I could not believe that I was that slow. After a lot of reflection during the drive home I am more at peace with it and have come up with a few thoughts about the race and my training.
The fact that most of my daily runs are 8 miles and I fell apart after 8 miles in this race is not a coincidence. I have not done enough consistent long runs (15+ miles) in the past few months to sustain race pace in a half marathon. When I PR'd in August, I had a couple of months of decent training including long runs. Since then, I have run very few runs past the half marathon distance. Not only is there a physical limitation but the mental skills required to push through the discomfort is missing. I usually take a GU at the halfway point. While you do not need the extra carbs during a 1/2 marathon, it always provided a little pick me up. Since I forgot mine and only got 1/2 a clif shot at mile 9 I think this may have hurt me a little (especially since I went out too fast). Despite the race starting later than most races and it being unseasonably warm, I do not think the heat had anything to do with my collapse. Even though my shirt was soaked, I never felt hot during the race. My weight is probably a limiting factor in me being fast right now. I have to decide if I want to allow my weight to drop and become gaunt again to run faster times. I look a lot thinner than I really am and I'm not sure I want to be 15 pounds lighter with where I am in my life right now.
While not entirely thrilled with the race, I did complete one race in the Runner's Series which is the most important thing. Now I have to decide if I am happy being a 1:27-1:29 half marathoner and 3:05 marathoner or if I want to refocus on training serious and dropping weight and becoming a 1:20 halfer and 2:50 full runner. Does it really make a difference in the grand scheme of things?
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