Well thanks everyone first off for your support and I thought of you
when I was running. I won the Pocatello Marathon overall which was
cool with a 2:51:16. Thanks to Jeff not running it or other fast
blogger runners, or I won't have won . It was pretty exciting.
Results
1 85 KORY V WHEATLEY POCATELLO, ID TIME: 2:51:16 First Half 1:26:26. Pace 6:35 (Downhill all the way)
Second Half 1:24:49. Pace 6:28 (Hilly with some flat... I'm impressed by the negative split)
First
off it was about 10 or 15 degrees hotter at the top this year than
last. I thought I should take it pretty conservative at the top,
thinking maybe I need to wait for the Top Of Utah Marathon to really
perform, because the weather was going to be in the 90's today. The
first 5 miles drop over 500ft, and I was coasting along in 7th or 8th
place (6:23,6:29, 6:31, 6:29, 6:27). Now I look at these times I
realize I should have picked the pace up and could have been under
2:50. Oh well what's done is done. The runner in 1st place took off
like a Rabbit he was way ahead by mile 5, but I knew he would be
caught. I felt really good with so much energy and my legs felt
strong, and breathing good that I really should have ran the first half
faster. The next miles (6:30, 6:30,6:41,6:31,6:34,6:33,6:44,6:33) I
started talking to, two other runners that were with me at this point,
and I really should have ran faster miles. There's no excuse for a 6:41
and 6:44 . I normally don't like to talk in a Marathon race, but it
just happened. Really for me there was no point in the race that the
heat was a factor, I carried a 20oz water bottle in my hand for the
whole race and that helped. Second half: I knew I
needed a negative split to decide to go for a 2:50, but did I decide
too late with this being the dreaded part of the course. By mile 14
the guy in first place was two minutes ahead of me, but all along my
goal was to race myself and not others, and that's what it's always
been about for me. Mile 14 on went like this (6:38, 6:37, 6:45 "first
good hill portion"", 6:32). Mile 18, at this point I passed the runner
in first and he was hurting. My wife was following along in
the car at this point and I told her at mile 22 I'm going to kick it in
gear, and I also ran along side the car so she could refill my water
bottle (they don't close the road in this marathon). Now my strategy
at this point was to start running hard after the 21st mile ( Mile 18
began with 6:21, 6:37,6:22, and 6:48 the biggest hill in the course
which is only 162ft gain). Still feeling excellent I finished
strong (6:20, 6:10, 6:13,6:19, 6:22), finishing time of 2:51:16.
Sixteen seconds less and I would have been at least 2:50, oh well. There
was a funny point in the race at mile 23 where one of the volunteers
called ahead to the finish line as I passed him and said "The winner of
the marathon passed mile 23". I'm thinking there's still three miles
to go and anything can happen. I didn't realize how far I was ahead
the next runner came in at 2:59. Good run, and Jeff ran and won
the half marathon congrads! to him. We had a good time talking... he's
a great guy and talented runner. I'm not sore, in fact I mowed
our lawn after the marathon and felt good. I did take an ice bath just
to help heal the muscles faster. I'm sure I'll feel something when I wake up tomorrow. I'm running the Top Of Utah in two
weeks. I've go to figure out what running or training I need to do.
Really you can't train, because it's two weeks away. I'll properly run
a 12 miler next Saturday and just short runs during the week and the
following week.
Thanks guys/gals for your encouragement.
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