Forums >Racing>Goal of Sub-3 Hour Marathon
Thanks guys. Unless things take a turn for the worse between now and Sunday I'll be lining up at CIM. My basic strategy is to try for something in 3:05-3:08 range without jeopardizing 3:10. This will mean a very conservative beginning and pretty much giving up on anything faster.
Hmm, if you're starting on 3:10 pace, I'm half tempted to start with you. I was originally thinking 3:10 for this race. Decisions, decisions.
Anyway, good luck, and hope to see you there!
BTW you're in San Jose, right? I'm in Menlo Park... you're welcome to ride with me, if going up midday tomorrow and coming back shortly after the race suits your plans.
bhearn, I am going to start with the 3:10 group. If I feel good, may pass the group at the 2nd water station, probably at 3.3 mile. Then if I feel good again, accelerate more in the 2nd half.
Hmm, if you're starting on 3:10 pace, I'm half tempted to start with you. I was originally thinking 3:10 for this race. Decisions, decisions. Anyway, good luck, and hope to see you there! BTW you're in San Jose, right? I'm in Menlo Park... you're welcome to ride with me, if going up midday tomorrow and coming back shortly after the race suits your plans.
Have a great run in Santa Barbara, John. I have a strong feeling you're going to enjoy yourself a lot more than you did up in Cowtown.
Thanks Jim, and good luck to all you guys in Sacramento. I'm hoping for a better run but the course is quite a bit more rolling with the most notable hill at mile 23.5 . If I feel good I'm going to hang with the 3hr pace group (either the official one, or the large cluster of people aiming for that time), try to drink, and see how that works out. I think sub-3 is probably a longshot but I'm hoping for a pr at least....
John
Thanks Jim, and good luck to all you guys in Sacramento. I'm hoping for a better run but the course is quite a bit more rolling with the most notable hill at mile 23.5 . If I feel good I'm going to hang with the 3hr pace group (either the official one, or the large cluster of people aiming for that time), try to drink, and see how that works out. I think sub-3 is probably a longshot but I'm hoping for a pr at least.... John
Even a rolling course, in my opinion, would be better than Cowtown marathon. When I finished the CT 1/2 I would NOT have wanted to run the same loop again - and not just because I ran at 1/2 marathon pace.
Good luck and have a great run John.
I'm driving up with the boss (she's about 5'1" and 98 lbs) about 11 or so. Your offer is much appreciated though--a super nice gesture. Hopefully we'll be able to spot each other, if not at the start in the early going of the race.
Have a great run!
Well, I'm 1 for 2 now on recommendations. The Alameda was pretty good, heh? I sensed during the Cowtown half that running their marathon wasn't such a great idea.
I look forward to reading your SB report with the usual great bunch of pics. Jim
This is becoming a very disconcerting trend. Effectively there are no aid stations. Ultima has no place on a marathon course. Portland and Silicon Valley also had only Ultima. I can't imagine what in the world the RDs are thinking.
If JH runs CIM I will probably drive up and try to be at the 1/2 point and at the finish, so if I go I'll look for you and throw a few cheers and maybe a gel or two at ya! You wearing your marathon maniacs yellow singlet? What time will you go for?
Well, it looks to be colder than last year (32 at start), so FYI I think I will likely go with the long-sleeve red maniac shirt. I think that will be only the third time in 43 starts I haven't gone with a singlet -- guess I've been lucky with weather.
They do provide Gu at 4 aid stations so I hope that will be sufficient.
I just discovered that CIM has only Ultima on the course!!!??? WTF???? This is becoming a very disconcerting trend. Effectively there are no aid stations. Ultima has no place on a marathon course. Portland and Silicon Valley also had only Ultima. I can't imagine what in the world the RDs are thinking.
BTW, I am still torn between sleeveless tech + arm warmers or long sleeve tech. Weather will be around 32F at the start to about 43/44 at the finish. Any suggestion?
I went with my charities short sleeve shirt, arm panties, shorts, calf panties (compression sleeves) and thin gloves. I never tossed the gloves. It was probably 30-35F the whole race. Any sun was early. It was freezing after the race........ So try to plan to get your stuff ASAP after you are done. You won't notice the cold while you are running.
Also throw away clothes before start...
They say miles 13, 20, and 23 (the last two of which are too close together anyway). But gels are not really a substitute for an energy drink.
Turn the heat down to simmer, boys. If you trained right, the weather's good (and it will be) and you don't do something stupid you won't need much more than some water and maybe a gu or three just so you can talk about 'nutrition' afterwards.
Maybe you're good with water and gels; I'm not! Anyway this isn't a goal race for me so it doesn't really matter, but the principle of the thing galls me. IMO putting on a large marathon with no energy drink is like not having mile markers, or portapotties, or gear check. It's a really basic, expected thing.
And to actively promote Ultima is even worse. Have you been to their website? You're immediately assaulted with loud movies decrying the evils of sugar. I hate to say it, but this new (it seems to me) trend to move to Ultima in races is all too consistent with the new view of the typical marathoner as someone who is not very fit and is running to say they've run a marathon -- i.e., someone who might tend to buy into the whole "carbs are evil" nonsense -- as opposed to someone running for performance. I don't mean to sound elitist by that; if you're physically able to complete a marathon, more power to you. But when it starts to affect the tone of the race, we have a problem.
I think from now on I'm going to hunt down marathons that do this, and loudly warn everybody I can away from them. I was shocked when I found out Portland was Ultima only this year. I was dumbfounded when Silicon Valley was as well. Now, I'm just mad. This has got to stop.