Clyde's Comeback!

Good work. I have been watching you on the Internet. I was very pleased to see that you were holding a steady pace on the second half, and even sped up. Note that your time is equivalent to about 2:56 in St. George. Also note that statisically Utahns do not do well at sea-level marathons on the first try. Travel adds extra complexity, and something always goes wrong. Also, I believe, just because you are at a lower elevation does not mean you are going to run faster right away. So just like it is hard for a sea-level runner to take advantage of the elevation drop of St. George, it is equally hard for an altitude runner to take advantage of the extra oxygen at sea level without some extensive preparation.

Sasha thanks for your comments. I felt like I ran an ok race. I was told by another runner to wait until mile 17 to go out instead of at around 13. I think in doing that I waited too long and cost running under 3hrs. It would have also been nice to know anything about the course, so next time I run there I think it could be a lot better just knowing what I do now.

Knowing the right pace to go is very difficult, and comes somewhat with practice. I still have not figured it out. What I know, however, is that if I start fast, I finish slower, but still fast. If I start slow, I usually finish slower. When I ran my PR in St. George, although the second half is much faster than the first, it was a positive split 1:11:49 - 1:12:58. Other good marathons have followed the pattern - first half about 3-4 minutes faster than the second with the adjustment for the grade difference. Interestingly enough, I follow the same pattern in a 5 K. I have been able to run 5:00 - 5:10 - 5:15, but not 5:15-5:10-5:00. If I go out at 5:15, it is going to be 5:15-5:15 for the other miles, or slower. No amount or type of training I've tried so far has been able to change it.

However, there are many marathoners that run their best even or negative splitting. I believe to figure out what works for you need to try it both ways several times.

Clyde, Once again GREAT JOB on the Marathon and the negative split.

From looking at how you picked-up your pace with 9 miles to go, it looks like you didn't decided to even try for sub 3:00 until mile 17. Is this correct?

I hope you forgive me but I had to post your personal news coverage at the finish line -

Boston Globe &

CBS Evening News

Steve those pictures and stuff are me on a really bad day so don't laugh. I didn't start running until the last 9-7 miles. I wish I would have started back at 13-11. That would have give me the extra seconds I missed.