Is sub 3 possible for me in 9 weeks? 16 weeks actually (Read 624 times)

So darn close and a PR at that!  Congratulations!!!  One more cycle and you are cracking 3:00, no doubt.

It looks to me like you ran a pretty good race.  You slowed down some at the end, but you didn't blow up and held most of the miles 7:1X except on the hill.  As I said way earlier in this thread, I thought sub-3 was out of reach.  But I think you came very close to maximizing what was within your reach with the 3:03.  Great job, I hope you're happy with it.

What were your half splits?

Very impressive, sub 3 or no sub 3, well done David.

Very impressive. Congrats.

Thanks guys. Here is my race report.

Pre-race eating:

Saturday I ate a lot to have the final carb loading.
Breakfast:2 pieces of whole grain toast with peanut butter, a glass of orange juice and a banana.
Morning snack:a banana and a handful of cashew nut
Lunch:white rice with lots of vegetable (onion, celery, eggplants, turnip, zucchini) and beef (slow cook)
Half a banana before a 3-mile run in the afternoon
Dinner:the name as lunch
Before going to sleep, I had 2 pieces of whole grain toast with peanut butter, a glass of orange juice
I woke up at 2am and couldn't sleep for 2 hours. Had the same toasts at 3am.
Got up at 5:30 and had 1 piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter, half banana and a glass of orange juice.

Saturday race:

I got to the race venue at 7:20am. Everywhere was a long queue for the Porta Potty. Luckily the local grocery store opened their washroom for runners. So I managed to get the job done before the race.

It was quite a big crowd even there were only less than 100 marathoners as all races started at the same time.

I walked along the route using Google Street map last night, so I was quite familiar with each hills. Therefore, I was quite prepared.

I think my fuelling was good. I used all 5 GUs and drank at every water station, rotating with water and energy drink. I wish there were more water stations in the second half.

After about 10K, I followed a guy who was targeting a sub 3 as well. We ran together and rotated to lead all the way till 35km (22mi). It was great to work together that way. Runkeeper told me that I was on the target pace all the way until that point as well (except the beginning). After that, the hills were just too difficult for me. I couldn't manage to follow him. I tried all sorts of tricks. I talked to myself that I am strong, I can do it. I imagined all you guys were rooting for me. I said to myself that this is the moment of the ultimate test of marathon and I needed to focus. I just needed to keep turning my legs, keep relaxing, focus on my posture. However, a mile long stretched hill was not ending. I slipped my pace now and then. I knew the last 5K would be most downhill, but it didn't help. There was still gentle rolling hills. That wasn't help at that stage. I kept telling myself it is the last 5K and I just had to keep going. I need to forget about the dead legs, just keep turning them. I tried to speed up with faster legs turning. The Runkeeper reported that I was behind my target pace, 1s/mi, 2, 3, 4, 5. I doubted that I could make it but I still hoped the Runkeeper might get the GSP measurement wrong. Unfortunately this time it was damn accurate. As usual, the last 3km was like 10km. I kept running but the marker didn't seem to change at all.

I could hardly walk after the finish. It was the hardest among my 3 long-distance races. It took about an hour to get some recovery to walk some distance. I was like a baby just learning how to walk.

I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't make a sub-3. However, as you all pointed out, my mileage was just not enough for the endurance needed for a sub-3. Anyhow, I am happy that it is a 7-minute PR.

Thanks all for the suggestions and comments. I have learned a lot.

MTA: One thing I forgot to mention. It was a big mistake to wear minimalist shoes (no padding) which I bought 3 weeks ago and tried on 17-mile and 13-mile long run and the speed workout. It was very light, but the absorption was just not enough. I felt my calves getting tired just after 10km. I had some negative thoughts, but immediately I thought: well this is marathon. Marathon spirit is to manage difficult time. So I got over it quite quickly.

Well done David. No reason to be disappointed. Big PR and sub 3 is just around the corner. You ran this race like a pro.

As far as your choice of shoes, are you talking really minimalist shoes or racing flats? There is a difference, but this is one of the things you can fix for the next race.

Well done David. No reason to be disappointed. Big PR and sub 3 is just around the corner. You ran this race like a pro.

As far as your choice of shoes, are you talking really minimalist shoes or racing flats? There is a difference, but this is one of the things you can fix for the next race.

I think it is race flat. I don't have much knowledge about the shoes. I usually go to the shoe shops and described what I wanted and the assistant suggested one for me. I think my legs are not strong enough to wear that kind of shoes for a marathon.

It is New Balance MR10V2-D.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ATL7UR6/ref=twister_B0096615AS