Relentless

Phoenix Marathon 2:29:26

Up early and to the busses.  Ally dropped me off and I walked over to the busses and found Riley and Spencer getting on the bus just as I was, so it was nice to tie in with somebody.  After the long drive down yesterday, Ally and I drove the course last night and I noticed that the first four were pretty nice.  Then the two miles up in the neighborhood, really were a pretty good uphill.  Following which there was another nice section for 2 or 3 miles and then it was flat.  As I drove the long straights, I kept telling myself that it really was flat and that even though I knew it would feel uphill when I was tired, it was flat and I would be okay. We also planned a few places for her to meet me and I hoped she would find them all okay. 

So anyway... got on the bus and up to the start.  It was only just a tiny bit cool at the start and I worried how warm it was going to get warm quick as the sun came up.  Hit a secret bathroom, talked with Jake a little and got to the line.

(Splits are by Garmin - which was on for the first three miles and then got off.  I know that Garmins aren't perfect, but this was the most I was ever off in a marathon.  And on the curvy parts of the race, I was all alone so I took very good tangents.  When we hit halfers, it was on the straights and I didn't really have to dodge much; I just ran outside the cones when necessary.  So what I am saying is that I really suspect the race was a bit long, but it is what it is).

1-5:38, very easy start in the lead group of about 5 of us.  Some dude jumps out in the lead.  2-5:18, Jake and the others start to go a little quicker, using the downhill and I just stick to the back of the group.  3-5:30, we turn off Usery and catch the leader (who I was calling Brooks in my mind because he was wearing a green Brooks singlet and green Connects.  I let Riley, Jake, and Kenyan go up in front of me.  I knew I was in for a long lonely ride.  4-5:31, A guy yells at Brooks to use the downhill and he suddenly sprints past me.  I catch him in 50 meters.  5-5:57, we start uphill and the lead three have put some 20 seconds (a guess) on me.  As we turn a kid comes up along side me (side note #1:  All day I thought it was weird that I just won the 35-39 age division - when the crap did I get so old?  And now as I am typing this I call a early 20's dude a kid!  I guess I am old) and a guy who turns out to be his coach is yelling at him to work the uphill (side note #2: I had named green guy Brooks in my mind and people around me kept yelling, "Go Brooks."  Turns out this kid was named Brooks).  He and I chatted and he was an NAIA kid going for his marathon qualifier.  The time he needed was 2:44.  I thought to myself, "Then you are not in the right place right now."  I urged him to relax and stay with me.  No need to push up these hills.  6-5:50, Ally had met me just past 5 with a water with a Carb Boom (gel) mixed in.  Last night I had thought this was too early, but I am glad I decided too.  It was already hot and I needed liquid and whatever.  I was already taking water at the aid station and soaking my head trying to keep cool before it really got hot.  At the top of the hills, I timed the gap and it was 40 seconds.  7-5:07, making the turn I gave some last parting advice to Brooks and just let the downhill roll.  This was a real cool section of the run (my favorite) and generous as shown by the time.  8-5:14, another nice mile and I notice something, the guys aren't pulling away anymore.  9-5:20, I don't really remember the course as well as SG or whatever, so I kind of forget the miles, but I do remember I just felt amazing through here.  Of course the thoughts go through your head about keeping calm, slowing down for later and such.  But I was just running.  10-5:15+25 secs.  By this time, the watch was reading way off on the miles.  So I hit lap when I passes the official 10 mile mark.  I would guess that from mile 4 on, the watch was reading 5-6 secs. early each mile - so I should keep that in mind when going back to evaluate my splits.  We are on one of the long straights.  Many more to come.  11-5:25, this mile was just a second early and then it started getting off track again.  Ally met me in here with my second water and gel.  She also handed me my hat which I was very happy for.  I had been soaking at every aid station and now I could keep my head wet.  12-5:17, Brooks' coach was leapfrogging me to yell for his kid and he told me I was gaining on the leaders.  They actually were staying the same distance (maybe coming back a few seconds), but it felt good to still have them right there.  13-5:26, I hit the official half at 1:12:03.  I felt very good and was realistically thinking that 5:30 pace was very possible as I knew that the pain would soon be coming, but then I would run a 2:25.  14-5:23, still staying very strong and I felt good about the whole 5:30 thing.  15-5:35+8 secs (reset the watch again to the official markers), but here I started to fade.  16-5:37, tried to tell myself that I was still doing well and that I could bring the time back and all was good.  But I know my body and it was tired.  Ally got me a third water and gel here and also 2 electrolyte pills.  I actually think this saved me a bit.  I wish I would have taken a set just a little earlier and then another set around 19-20.  17-5:36, one last time I see Brooks' coach and he tells me that one has fallen off the pack (around here somewhere).  I start to see Riley up ahead and it gives me a little boast.  18-5:44, but we get into heavy 1/2 traffic and I can't see him anymore.  I really think that if I could have seen him continually, I could have kept a little mental energy.  19-5:46, was hoping to see Ally here but I saw all the road closures and all the runner and driving traffic and realized she wasn't going to make it to our last couple planned stops.  Was bummed because I had a flat Pepsi for that last 10K zip and I wanted a couple more e-caps.  Oh well... it had been neat seeing her along the way - now I was really on my own (even though I was in the midst of many trafficy 1/2'ers.  Although the 1/2 was in the way like usual and they messed up my view of Riley, I only really had 1 situation where someone really messed me up.  An old lady cut right into me and I had to jump to the side not to kill her.  Unfortunately, the jump took me into two other ladies and I had to stop.  They were nice about it, but it was tough to get moving again.  I think that happened here on 20.  20-5:46+10secs to re-adjust to the final 10K, just can't quit get the legs moving fast enough.  21-6:02, bummed to see a +6:00 going into the final 10K.  It kind of shot me into survival mode.  22-5:52, was doing calculations about ending times and things were still looking like sub 2:28 if I could roll out some 5:40-45's.  23-6:00, but not when you do that.  24-6:08, ehhh.  Tired, end it all.  25-6:20, maybe someday I'll learn how to finish a marathon.  26-5:58+28secs to re-adjust again (see, that is what I am talking about - getting of 28 seconds in just 5 miles; that is too much), decided to kind of suck it up and get it going and finish.  There was a downhill here to the final turn and I tried to move it a little.  To tell the truth, I thought this mile would have been quicker.  I must have really been stinking it up before the downhill.  .2-1:25 (5:44 pace), even this was .25 and the 1/2'ers had split to their own side, so no traffic and perfect tangents (I really am not complaining, just working some of this out in my head/in print).  Good thing I did try and pick it up because I kept seeing my watch creep closer and closer to 2:30 and I was thinking I had worked too dang hard for the last 3 months and the last 26 miles to let a sub 2:30 go.   (Adios 93.75)

A couple notes:  my feet got pretty hot.  Don't know if it was the race/heat or the Adios.  It was a warm day, but not brutal.  Obviously, I run in much hotter than this all the time; the difference was that I haven't for many months.  Any days in the upper 50's have seemed very warm - and that has been on easy runs; no hot/warm training runs.  So temps of 50-upper 60's is very warm for me right now.  The long straights are tough on me mentally; always have been.  Need to figure out how to work through that.  And 23 miles solo is no way to run a marathon.

I obviously would have like to had a much quicker time.  I really believe I am in my best shape ever.  But at the same time, I kind of thought I would be about 5 minutes back of Jake and that is about where I was - if I wouldn't have gone 1:17 in the second half and gone more like 1:15 I would have been much happier.  Nonetheless, I am very fine with how it all went.  I have had races that didn't go super great and then let it totally affect me in so many ways.  Today was no different; things could have gone better.  But they did go well, and I am happy and a peace with the result and what I was given today.

Goals for next week: recover and have fun with my family and with the team with my extra time. 

Also, it was fun to meet a few new people like Spencer, Burt, Collin and a few others.  Utah and the blog did great.