Ran 26.2 miles in 3:45' .
After the 3M 1/2 marathon which I set a PR at 7:27" pace, I know I was in shape to run a 3:30:00" marathon or close to it. Unfortunately I was not feeling great 3 days after that. The following weekend after the 3M, it took me two and a half hours to finish our 13 miles long run! I ran the first 4 miles at about 8:45” pace then really slowed down after that. At the end I was running at 15-20 minutes per miles, almost at walking speed! My running buddies said after waiting for almost an hour they were about to drive back to look for me! During that run, I felt extremely fatigue and all my joints aches. It was not painful but just moderate aching. I still do not know why other than may be I was sick, over training, or something… But normally when I got sick it must have something to do with my allergy problem like sneezing, coughing, sinus headache, or fever. I had none of those symptoms this time. The 2 1/2 weeks before the marathon I knew something was wrong when I failed to keep up with my running buddies on every single work out! The 3M half marathon was the last “good” work out that I had before the Marathon. I tried to give myself a break by running every other day and was hoping that I would recover in the next 2 weeks for the marathon but I did not. On Marathon day, I felt OK but not great. I ran the first 2 miles at 8:43" pace, almost 1 minute slower than recommended (the first mile was very hilly). On the next 8 miles the course is flat and I ran at about 8:12" pace. Physically I felt OK but somehow the “fire”, competitive spirit, and energy level were just not there. At mile 9th, I was 3 minutes behind my MGP and the hills are just begun. They are from mile 9th to 17th. I knew then it was not my day. From there on I stopped looking at my watch and just run to finish. It was mentally then physically very hard running through those 8 hilly miles with no hope (qualify for Boston). The thought of quitting, go home and come back another day did cross my mind – several times. The course elevation finally reached its peak at mile 17th. Still 9 more miles to go! At that point I was getting tired and I started taking a 20-30 yards walk break at water stops. The last 5 miles was hard but they are not as hard as some other work out that I had done in training. I was able to run the last 5 miles without taking a walk break, passed many people, and felt very good about it.
Somehow I did not feel too much disappointed about my 3:45:00 result because down deep inside I know I could have done better. My running buddy finished in 3:37’ which I think is fair given the difficulty of the course. I will have to come back and try it another time (=:
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