After running the Boston Marathon, I took 3 full weeks off
with no running at all to allow for a deep recovery. I ate a lot and enjoyed the extra sleep. Before long, I was itching to get back after
it. With my progress in the past year, I
decided to continue to focus on my running and set aside long course triathlon
for a season. I set my sights on St.
George Marathon, Gilbert Half Marathon and then the MESA-PHX Marathon. I believe I can get to sub-3 hours for a
marathon and St. George and Phoenix are the best courses for me to pursue that goal
as they both have downhill sections, but not too much down.
St. George does not have a lottery for marathon entry
anymore, so it is first-come first-served for registration. MW and I signed up and trained together with
the rest of the Delancey Loopers team. When I started running again, the rest
of the team was also in off-season, so we collectively decided to run the
Strava Mile Challenge in June and go for mile PRs. Of course, we made the attempt on our
familiar loop since it is fast and flat.
After warming up for a couple of loops, we started an all-out
effort. Most of the team set PRs that
day and I ran sub-6 minutes for the first time ever. We also did a few 5k races and I pursued my
goal of sub 20 minutes. On the third
attempt I squeezed in at 19:56 at Kiwanis Park.
What was interesting about that race is that on the 3rd mile,
my HR was 4 bpm higher than I have ever recorded. I found a new zone of suffering that
day. Everything was hurting for the last
mile and yet I kept pushing hard because I could see that 20 minutes was in
reach.
By mid-July, we were heavy into marathon training with long
runs and rising weekly mileage. The
pattern of workouts was similar to before with a hard workout on Tuesday, a
long run Saturday, and mostly easy running on the other days. I have come to really appreciate the easy
running; it does not hurt as much, it helps me recover, and I can feel the
benefits of high mileage weeks with limited damage. In August and September, I had several weeks
with 50+ miles.
This year I have traveled a lot for work and over the summer
I was in San Francisco or San Jose many weeks.
This turned out to be a big help because the temperature was much cooler
than Gilbert and there are many hills to run.
I ran frequently along the Embarcadero, Crissy Field, across the Golden
Gate Bridge, and down through Golden Gate Park.
During one run on Twin Peaks for some hill miles, I was running in the
clouds with a cool mist. The view was lousy, but the feeling was awesome.
Back in Phoenix, MW and I were joined by JS for some long
runs on the Phoenix Marathon course which also has great hills for
training. We started very early to beat
the heat, but by the end it was always plenty warm. Some of my workouts and long runs I suffered
from the heat and blew up. One of my
strongest workouts was a long run on the Phoenix course where we ran 6 miles
steady and then goal marathon pace for 10 miles without stopping. This was a real race test and I nailed it. Even when I hit my targets I felt that it was
harder than it should be and I wondered how I would be able to push that hard
for 26.2. We talked about this a lot and
from past experience came to expect that the fitness and speed were developing,
they were just masked by the heat.
As race day got closer, Coach D helped me develop a race
plan that would enable me to get a PR. I
was aiming for 3:08-3:10, but thought that 3:05 could be possible if everything
went perfect. The key I was told was to be conservative in the first half and
let the race come to me in the second half.
My plan was to average 7:15 pace, so the first half I aimed for
7:25ish. There is a long hill starting
at Veyo and the temptation is to work too hard and that can burn too much
energy. I had practice running uphill,
so I knew to find a sustainable effort level and not worry about the pace
showing on my watch.
Taper went smoothly so I was heading in to race week with no
injuries, no sickness, and no hard travel the days prior. I bought some new Newton Gravity shoes for
the race, got a haircut to lose some weight 😊,
and packed my bag. Speaking of weight,
after Boston I promptly put on about 10 pounds and I found it harder than
expected to shed that when running 50 miles a week. It is somewhat unexpected,
but the reason is because of the fueling demands of running that much. During August and September, I focused on
protein intake (IsaPro shakes) right after runs, had frequent small meals, and
stayed away from sodas. The Isagenix
AMPED bars and protein shakes helped a lot, but they don’t replace the need for
making good decisions on what you eat and portion size. By race week, I was back down to my normal
186 race weight and I felt good.
KB and our two youngest drove up with me to St. George. We planned a little stay in Las Vegas after
as the kids were on fall break. I was
excited to have someone cheering me on and something extra to look forward to
at the finish. Since we left after
school, we did not get to the hotel until past 9pm and the race expo was
closed. This was not a big problem as
the packet pickup was open in the morning.
I got my stuff sorted out and tried to go to sleep at 11, but sleep
eluded me until probably midnight. I
wasn’t particularly nervous, I just wasn’t that tired.
Gear: Newton Gravity VI shoes (Blue), Wright double layer
socks, Adidas Delancey Loopers singlet, Adidas BAA shorts, Adidas BAA cap, Plantronics
Backbeat FIT earphones, throw-away gloves, and SPI Belt with phone. 3 AMPED Fuel gels, BASE salt in Ziploc, and
e+Shot. Warmup jacket and sweat pants
for pre-race warmth. I carried the
e+Shot and one gel inside my gloves so that my SPI belt wasn’t as heavy.
Nutrition: IsaLean shake, AMPED bar, bagel and banana early
morning, AMPED Power and Gel before the race, AMPED Fuel, e+Shot, and water
during the race.
The hotel had an early breakfast for the athletes and a
shuttle to the start. I picked up my
race packet and met MW and JS in the line to get on the bus. The morning was chilly and the forecast was
for clear skies and a light wind from the north, which would be at our backs. The temperature at the start line was in the
high 40s, so we huddled around fires to keep warm and I had some extra
layers. We ditched our clothes in the
gear bag and went to the start. The
start was delayed by 15 minutes to wait for a final bus coming up the road
which prolonged the shivering. The dawn
twilight helped to illuminate the road better than I remember from last time,
perhaps it was the delay. Also, I wasn’t
rushing to climb over a barrier to get in the start chute like last time. The start for me was very relaxed and I
relished the opportunity to go for it.
The anthem, the gun, and then finally we were under way.
I quickly settled into a comfortable pace and tried to
relax. The only thing that was bothering
me at the outset was my right sock. It
felt like it was bunched up near my toes and it was uncomfortable, but my feet also
felt cold so I just let it be to see what it felt like when they warmed
up. About 10 minutes later the sensation
went away, so even if my sock was bunched up, it wasn’t bothering me!
I debated what to listen to on this run. I have been listening to various podcasts
while running solo and nothing when running with others. I enjoyed running Boston without music, but
in the end decided to use my running playlist for this race because there would
not be crowds most of the way. It turned
out to be great because my playlist was fresher since I haven’t listened to it
for some time.
The miles clicked by and I was
allowing my pace to flow with the terrain, trying to keep a consistent effort
throughout and nudging here and there.
It really helps to have other runners around to keep a steady pace, but
I have to be careful not to speed up as I tend to do that when a runner passes
me.
The course is fairly quiet
until there is a smattering of activity at Veyo as the hill looms ahead. The last two miles were the fastest to that
point as there was a bit of a downhill.
The next couple of miles would be slower and I tried to focus on keeping
a steady effort. As we turned up the hill,
some runners slowed and some blasted up the hill and it made it more difficult
to stay steady, but I maintained my effort level and didn’t stress about the
pace being slower.
The music helped me to enjoy
my surroundings. Each new song and each
new turn with beautiful mountain vistas in the clear sunrise brought a smile to
my face and I just relished the moments.
There were several similar moments throughout the morning. I like to take pictures, but since I wasn’t
going to stop I took mental pictures and simply enjoyed God’s creations.
The signs along the course
were not all that great this time around.
Several said ‘If Trump can run, so can You!’ and there were a few about
crop dusting. Not that imaginative I
thought. Last time seemed much better.
At mile 9 I stepped into a
Port-a-pot and when I came out I saw the 3:15 pacer in front of me. This was perplexing because I thought I was
ahead of that pace already. I crossed
the start line about 45s after the gun at about the same time as that pacer, so
I couldn’t figure out why he was there.
I figured I would pass him soon.
By half way, I was starting to
get excited. I was right on my target
average pace of 7:20 and the big down was in front of me, and most importantly,
I felt great. The temperature was still
cool, my legs were fine, and I felt like I had plenty in the tank. I started to let my pace creep up and there
were some sub-7 miles that really helped to nudge my average down.
I took a gel at mile 7 and
then again at mile 14 and chased it down with some water. I was saving my e+Shot until I felt I needed
an energy boost, and I didn’t feel I needed it yet. At each aid station I carefully navigated
through the runners to get a cup of water and take a sip. I have learned this to be helpful even if not
thirsty because it keeps a continuous supply of hydration throughout the run.
On one particular sweeping
curve, the red canyon walls lit up by the morning sun came into view. The blue sky and trees in the valley provided
rich contrast. At that moment, A Beautiful Day by U2 started and all I
could do was smile. And run. It was indeed a very beautiful day.
I still had my gloves on, not
because I needed them for warmth, but because I liked wearing them. It was helpful to have something to wipe my nose
and brow with and I was still carrying an e+Shot. I finally ditched them at mile 20 after
taking the e+Shot and my last gel. I
thought at that point, ‘OK, the gloves are coming off!’ and I geared up for the
challenge ahead.
I steadily knocked off several
miles in the 6:55 to 7:05 range and I was still feeling strong. I felt prepared mentally to push through when
it got more difficult. I remember seeing
a runner pushing a stroller and passing me.
Then I overtook him on a small incline, but then he blew past me again
after. I found out later he was an elite
runner. At this point, I was passing
many runners. I only remember one other
runner that passed me in the closing miles.
What a great feeling.
Coming down through the canyon
I continued to enjoy the sights. As I transitioned
into the city, there were more crowds and noises. I stopped my music to enjoy the sounds
more. At 2 miles to go, I knew I was in
range of a PR and I was determined to hold onto it. My legs still felt OK. They were sore and telling me to stop, but it
wasn’t near the degree of pain I have felt in previous races at this
point. Also, I was not laboring to stay
on pace. The last mile I had to dig deep
to keep the legs moving fast as the course was also flattening out. The fact that I was on plan psychologically
helped me to stay on target for just a few minutes longer.
During the final stretch I
heard my name for only the second time on the run. The first time someone read my bib, but this
time it was my son shouting from the side lines. I turned to my left and saw him waving. I didn’t see KB or CB nearby though. I turned ahead and the finish line was in
sight. I pressed on and finished with a
little kick. The time said 3:11 and
change so I knew that I had a PR. My
official net time was 3:10:54 for a 2-minute marathon PR and a 6-minute course
PR. Happy day!
After passing through the
finishing shoot I gathered some frozen treats and drink and waited for MW and
JS to finish. About 20 minutes after
finishing my appetite started to come so I piled my plate high with post-race
eats. I found KB and the kids and went
to give them some hugs and take a picture. To memorialize my new PR I parted
with $8 for the medal engraving.
My first half was 1:38:02 and
second half was 1:32:52, a nice 5-minute negative split. In fact, the second half was my second
fastest half marathon ever! From 35k to
40k was my fastest 5k section. Overall,
my average pace was 7:17. I still need
to drop that by 25s to get to sub 3 hours!
At some point late during the
run and then later in the day when I looked at the times, I had the thought
that this was my best marathon. Not just my fastest, but my best executed
race. The conditions were favorable and
I followed the plan. I have never felt
so good at the end of a marathon. Better
preparation certainly was a big reason for that, but so too was mental preparation,
pre-race activity, weather conditions, patient execution, and a little bit of
good fortune along the way. If I never
have the opportunity to run a marathon again, I would be very satisfied with
this one!
I never did find out why the
3:15 pace group was in front of me. I
don’t ever remember passing them and they were hard to miss since they had
balloons. It remains a mystery.
Next up is Gilbert Half
Marathon and then the MESA-PHX Marathon in February. That will be my sixth time doing that race
and another opportunity to get closer to a 3-hour finish.
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