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Houston Marathon

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Location:

San Antonio,TX,

Member Since:

Dec 13, 2009

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

5K PR - 18:01 - Nov '14

10K PR - 38:37 (workout) - Oct '14

Half-marathon - 1:22:43 - Jan '14

Marathon - 2:58:43 in Boston! - Apr '13

50 mile - 7:49:30 (2nd) - Nov '15

Short-Term Running Goals:

- Balance

- Run more trails, volunteer, more social running, run with a team

- Race a lot more.  learn.

Race results / possible schedule:

Apr 2 - Hells Hills 25k trail - 4th

Apr 9 - Toughest 'n Texas 20-mile Trail - 2nd

May 7 - Paleface - Trail Marathon - 3rd

May 29 - American Hero road 25k - 2nd

Jun 25 - Pedernales Falls 30k nighttime Trail - 5th (sick)

Jul 16 - Muleshoe Bend 30k nighttime Trail - 3rd

Jul 23-24 - Fossil Valley 9-hour nighttime Trail - 2nd

Aug 6 - Colorado Bend 30k nighttime Trail - 4th

Aug 27 - Reveille Peak 30k nighttime Trail (entered)

Sep 10 - Franklin Mountains 50k (entered - not all-out effort...I hope)

Sep 17 - Lighthouse Hill 20-mile trail (entered)

Sep 24 - J&J 50 mile trail

Long-Term Running Goals:

Compete in a few more ultras without going off course (again)

Sub-18 in a 5k

One.  Good.  Marathon.

Personal:

I started running at age 30, in late 2009.  I have 2 daughters (10 and 8 yrs old).

  

 

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Saucony A5 Lifetime Miles: 1054.70
Kinvara 2 - Gray/red Lifetime Miles: 1551.08
Kinvara 3 - Gray/red Lifetime Miles: 1244.23
1160s Lifetime Miles: 888.70
Saucony A5 Red Lifetime Miles: 565.10
Saucony A6 - Yellow Lifetime Miles: 214.00
Saucony A6 - Red/blue Lifetime Miles: 61.50
NB MT101 Trail Lifetime Miles: 302.00
Fastwitch 6 Red #1 Lifetime Miles: 286.50
Fastwitch 6 Red #2 Lifetime Miles: 267.00
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
9.0426.2035.24
Saucony A4 Miles: 26.201150s Red #2 Miles: 9.04
Weight: 0.00
Race: Houston Marathon (26.2 Miles) 03:01:10, Place overall: 269, Place in age division: 57
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.0026.2026.20

BQ!

50F to start, 58F at the finish, clear.

Miles 1-5: 6:59, 6:44, 6:51, 6:46, 6:51.  At the starting line I found myself right between the 3:00 and 3:10 pace groups, which is where I wanted to be.  Crowded for the first mile, but managed to get myself right on pace (looking for 7:00/mile to ensure BQ).  Then I started to get just a little carried away.  I let myself turn in a few 6:40s, but as long as it still just felt like a trot, I was ok with it.  21:19 at the 5K.  There was a huge group running with the 3:00 pacers.  I thought about going up there to draft, but then watched the chaos when they went through the aid stations and backed off.

Miles 6-10: 6:50, 6:49, 6:52, 6:56, 6:57.  After passing through the 10k in 42:40, and still 50-100m behind the 3-hr group, I started to wise up.  It still felt very easy, but it needs to feel very easy at that point, so I backed off just a little bit.  After 10 miles, the pace still felt like a trot, so I was very encouraged.

Miles 11-15: 6:47, 6:54, 6:52, 6:52, 6:54.  Just feeling great through this stretch.  I hit the half in 1:30:16, still keeping my eye on the 3:00 group.  I really was not that interested in sub-3 compared to getting the BQ, so there was a lot of back and forth in my brain about whether to step it out and go for the sub-3.  I kept deciding to save my energy and not blow the BQ by getting greedy.

Miles 16-20: 6:53, 6:53, 6:54, 6:45, 6:51.  Aerobically, I was sailing through this section, still barely breathing.  However, it no longer felt like an easy trot on my legs.  I was definitely having to push off a lot more to maintain the same pace.  I also started passing people here, and almost never got passed myself, which was a big mental boost.  At mile 20 my time was right around 2:18 and it was time to make a decision.  The sun was coming out and it was getting a bit warmer; there was also a 5-7 mph east wind (headwind) all the way to the finish.  I just felt there was no way I could bang out a 42-min 10k the way my legs were losing steam.  So, I stuck with the pace I was at, and it was the right call.

Miles 21-26.2: 6:53, 6:54, 6:54, 6:56, 7:00, 7:37, 1:54 for 0.25 (7:27).  Still banging out some great miles on the underpasses on the home stretch.  Saw the family right at mile 23; they took this shot.

I'll post some better pictures next week!  Anyway, I kept doing the math, seeing how slow I could run and still BQ.  With about 2 miles to go I was just passing people left and right, making what probably sounded like animal noises as I grunted my way past.  I hit the wall (again, 2 marathons in a row) in the last mile.  It didn’t help that the buildings downtown really funneled the headwind at us.  I really picked up the effort and kept seeing a slower and slower pace.  It felt like I was sprinting, yet I could only throw down a 7:37 final mile.  Finally, after about 26.1 miles, I stopped concentrating on my race and it hit me what I was about to do.  I did some celebratory fist pumps as the emotion finally caught up to me and crossed the line in 3:01:10.  Very close to even-splitting (1:30:16/1:30:54).  Pacing could not have been better.

I hung out with my sister and ate a huge bacon burger after finishing.  Waited for Danielle, who did not PR, but finished despite a couple ailments that had her almost deciding not to run at all.

Well, I am going to Boston in 2013.  I first got the idea to try and reach this goal 2 years ago, soon after I first started running.  I thought it would probably take 5 years to get to 3:10, which was a BQ at the time.  I have been so lucky that I’ve remained mostly uninjured and have had just about everything go right for me with my training.  Also lucky that there’s so much support here on FRB.  Thanks everyone.

Not sure what races will be next for me; chances are we’re moving to Oklahoma soon.  What I do know is that I will take a shot a sub-3 somewhere, hopefully before summer hits.  And I have a good 15 months to train for Boston, so expecting good things there.

Ok, time to bask a bit.

Saucony A4 Miles: 26.20
Weight: 0.00
Comments(27)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

My legs are trashed.  I think running on all the concrete in my lightest pair of flats is going to make for a long recovery - my first 2 marathons were in trainers.  But, who cares?

Now the obligatory post-marathon analysis and thoughts, before I have to start looking forward again.

Here are the 5K splits:

 

Ok, I thought my watch was acting funky as we were going through downtown at the end.  This tells me that the last mile could not have been as slow as Garmin thought, as I actually maintained basically the same pace for the final 2.195K (7:07/mile if you do the math).  Same effort given the headwind, I think.  Garmin just shortchanged me there at the end as we went through the tall buildings.  Makes sense because I was carrying an extra tenth of a mile on my watch (compared to the mile markers) and then somehow lost it in the last mile.  So, the good news is I don't think I ever hit any wall.  That is good to know.

Before I figured that out just now, I was thinking there was nothing I could have done to get sub-3, since I thought I was in the process of bonking at the end (stupid Garmin).  Now I wonder if maybe if I had stayed and drafted with the pace group, it would've been a different story.  But in the end I don't care.  Now that the monkey is off my back, I can go for broke trying to crack 3 hours next time.

This was the most fun part of the marathon:

I guess it is not the norm to run even-paced splits, although you would never know that with all the awesome runners that do it on FRB.

Looking ahead to the next marathon before I get depressed about this one being over, I am thinking about a few possibilites for this Spring, including Big D (Dallas in April - hot?), Oklahoma city in late April, Arbuckles to Ardmore (Oklahoma, April 1st), and Eisenhower (Kansas, mid-April) since we will probably live closest to those 4.  Will probably decide a lot later.  Gotta run another one before summer hits.  Then, I will probably run a different Fall marathon (not Houston) to give me a nice full training period before Boston.  Maybe Route 66 or White Rock...

Finally, here's the finish line video for a little entertainment (gun time 3:01:26).  I was a little excited.

Weight: 0.00
Comments(9)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.040.003.04

evening "run," 8:54 AP.  Still not ready to run though, wow.  Afterward my calf and hammy on the right leg were all sore.  I think the calf may have even been mildly strained at the marathon; it was making me walk funny until Wednesday.  Feels ok now, but I'm skipping the Friday run and will try to plod through a few on Saturday.  This is definitely my toughest marathon recovery of the 3 I have done.  I think it's because of the flats, but it was definitely worth the extra minute or two that they probably saved me.

1150s Red #2 Miles: 3.04
Weight: 0.00
Comments(2)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

 whoops, moved this entry to Sat.  Fri was a day off

Weight: 0.00
Comments(2)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.000.006.00

31F, N 14 mph.  Yesterday the high was 82, and we got a low of 29 this morning.  That's a pretty big drop.

8:13 AP on this run.  Still feeling pretty beat up everywhere, but today was a little better than Thursday.  Amazing how long the soreness is lasting, I really tore my poor leg muscles to shreds out there.  I'll add a few more tomorrow then another rest day.

1150s Red #2 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 0.00
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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
9.0426.2035.24
Saucony A4 Miles: 26.201150s Red #2 Miles: 9.04
Weight: 0.00
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