26.29@8:18 (Garmin stats - pretty close to actual)
3:38:11 Santa Rosa Marathon
Great course and weather couldn't have been better. I had been eyeing Sioux Falls Marathon but the forecast called for it to be hot. I was a little worried about Santa Rosa finishing on an uphill but that turned out ok. Flew into San Francisco on Friday night with a direct flight and stayed at a hotel near the airport. Had time for a shakeout run in the morning then drove to Santa Rosa. Morning of the race, walked to start line, easy half mile walk then did some more jogging and a few strides before the start.
Went out with the 3:30 pace group and was ok with falling back a little at the start if I needed more warmup but felt fine staying with the group. First mile is kind of a loop around the outside of the starting area before heading to a jogging trail running along Santa Rosa Creek on an easy downhill (about 100 feet downhill over 4ish miles).
At 5.75 miles, sharp right turn for an out and back, first part dirt/gravel road to aid station at the turn around, back to the trail via a paved road, another right turn and back on the trail then just after getting back on the trail hit the 7 mile mark. We seemed to have lost our pacer. I thought maybe we had fallen behind him and he was at the next group up ahead (maybe the 3:25 group), but then all of the sudden pacer shows back up from behind us, must've had a stop at the aid station.
Get off the trail and onto the road where it is a little bit rolling. Mile 10 we run through the DeLoach winery, including right through the building with barrels and they had lights hanging from the ceiling looking like they could've held a rave there. Exited the building , aid station had chardonnay as well as water and electrolytes. We'd been running sub 8:00 for all of the miles. Next few miles out to the half marathon point were still good, pacer got us there at just over 1:44 with mile 13 at 8:03, mile 14 was 8:07. Gap started opening up between myself and the pacer. Mile 15 was 8:15, still not bad.
But then 16, 17, 18, and 19 got slower with 8:27, 8:38, 8:29, and 8:51. I remember a stretch where I was heading downhill but my legs just weren't moving and I felt like if I pushed too hard I'd have trouble with the last 6 miles and the steady uphill.
I rallied a bit at mile 20 coming back with an 8:20.
Then the 3:35 group passed me. But, instead of giving up I did my best to keep them in sight, and although mile 21 was 8:51, I managed 8:37 for mile 22. Now, heading more uphill I knew I could make it and even make it under 3:40 (wanted to at least be in the 3:40s away from the disastrous feeling 3:50 at Big Cottonwood last year. Mile 26 could've been faster. I wasn't watching my lap pace, if I had would've pushed to get under 9:00 instead of the 9:24 which if I had done that would've been under 3:38.
So, no BQ, not even a nominal one of 3:35 which would not have gotten me into Boston (but still would've been a BQ nonetheless). However, finally broke the streak of slowing down after having 3:39 at Treasure Coast in 2021 and then 3:50 Big Cottonwood. This was my first marathon wearing "super shoes" Brooks Hyperion Elite. Did not notice a huge boost but looking back I did seem to have a quicker recovery.
This training cycle I did not have any solid "classic" marathon training long runs. Did have two ultra races 32.5 and 28 miles at a slow pace. 10 mile run the week before the race felt good, the 13 miles the week before that was a little bit broken up due to the heat. Have to go back to begining of July where I did a 15 mile run at 8:58 average pace and a 17 mile run the week before that at 9:14 pace. Definitely a lack of classic long runs, but due to the extra cross training, the two ultras and a couple of 5ks somehow managed to make a small improvement (or maybe it was the shoes doing their part, who knows). Want to see what I can did with a few more good long runs.
After the race was fun with good food, two free beers, music and generally good vibes.
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