3rd Marathon in 5 weeks - Race Report (Read 669 times)

The Trilogy of Terror is complete. 3 Marathons in 5 weeks and 7th total, and I am happy to say lucky number seven was the best one yet. Although I missed a personal record by 5 seconds I am not to upset about that. I know I could have run easily 5 plus minutes faster today knowing then what I know now. The craziness of the whole day has been 2 weeks in the making. After the last marathon I developed some pain in my left foot, maybe plantar fasciitis, hard to say. Just really sore to walk on. It eased up enough to get some runs in although it turned out to be the lowest 2 week mileage since I was laid up in January. My Diet this week....hmmmm Top this off with the fact I wasn't behaving in the nutrition department. I didn't lower my daily calorie intake and was seen enjoying ice cream on an almost daily basis. It didn't concern me much because my goal was to just finish this marathon so I didn't take the whole 2 week layoff very seriously. The runs I did get in were a bit painful but bearable and that's what I hoped for on race day. My carbo loading day was different than usual as well. A protein shake for breakfast, Burger King for lunch, grilled cheese and some leftover pasta for dinner. Add to that an apple, 2 bananas, a pear and lots of pretzels thrown in throughout the day. No ice cream though! Race day morning I didn't set my alarm for daylight savings and it ended up going off at 4:00 instead of 5. I didn't really get back to sleep but I wasn't worried as I slept well up until then. I laid there questioning my sanity though We didn't register until Thursday so we had to do it by fax as online registration was closed (remember fax machines?). With the race an hour away we resorted to race day pickup which was an event in it's own right. First of all, the city of Hamilton is laid out in a non grid pattern scattered along a very hilly area. So the fact we missed our exit to the registration/finish area it was a nightmare trying to navigate our way back and forth trying to get there. We were at one point in time 2 minutes from the right area but didn't actually get to the right spot until 20 minutes later, which was only 10 minutes before race kit pick up closed. We then had to take a shuttle to the start and caught the 2nd to last bus for the full marathoners. On a bright note, I am thankful Mrs Daddyo was able to fit the car into a VIP spot right by the kit pick up (and this was also nice after the race not to have to walk a mile to get our change of clothes). Anyway, the freak out was over and we made it to the start with enough time to stretch and breath deeply again. The start area was a 5 minute jog from the school we were keeping warm in and after waiting in the long port-o-potty line (surprise) I got there with only a few minutes to spare adding more stress to the morning. I till you, it was a relief when the gun when off (actually, there was no gun, no horn, just a guy yelling 'Go!' which didn't quite resonate to the back of the pack where I was) - I was finally off and running and really able to relax. Race Strategy My race plan was in progress, just run smooth and easy and try to enjoy it all the way through assuming that this time around I could possibly crash and burn so I went out with no real time goal other than maybe finishing under 4 hours. I have also been nursing this foot soreness and was worried that it might flare up and slow me down. Every 'left' footstep hurt but it never got bad enough to hinder my running. This first half of this marathon was set in a rural area, farmer's fields, nice older homes, and no spectators other than at a few turns here and there bit the ones we did pass were very supportive. It was extremely windy in most of these parts with a fair bit of it straight in our faces making me think this was going to be a loooooong day. Still it was enjoyable and without too much strain I made it to 10K in 52:00 then made up a bit of time getting to the half way point in 1:48:30. This worried me a bit because I have never negative split a marathon so I figured I would end up 3:50 or so. I decided to just keep running around 8:15 miles until I started tiring and coast in smiling. We hit the long downhill, about 3 kms of steady downhill, which was nice but for the strong headwinds as this section was run on a very open highway. Still, down hills are always nice halfway through a marathon. So the 2nd half wound it's way back into civilization and along a road by the waterfront . This is where we hit the 20 mile mark and I felt better than ever, of course because I went out nice and easy even though I was actually making good time. I figured if I felt this good at 36k I would pick up the pace and try to keep it in the 3:30's. At 36k I felt so good and my time was close enough that if I finished strong I could actually PR. I picked up the pace and got it going as fast as I could muster, around a 7:45 per mile pace. Unfortunately at this point we had hit the waterfront trail which is where the wind was crazy so this pace was making me work hard and I was expecting to bonk, but never did. I did the best I could to run as fast as I needed to PR and thought I could do it. It was a tough HTFU final 5K, in about 24 minutes but 5 seconds too slow to tie my PR. I finished in 3:35:07 - 2 weeks earlier it was a PR of 3:35:02. So freaking close. I wish I could go back and run just one of those mile 10 seconds faster! Not to worry, like I said before, this was my best (marathon) race ever, in all aspects. I really enjoyed every moment, from the sore footsteps, to joy of giving it my all to run a fast final 5k with no wall. And my first marathon negative split. Really cool. And making it very apparent that at this rate a Boston Qualifier awaits me next spring. The post race was decent for a relatively small event (489 in the marathon, 850 in the half). Shirts were tech and passable, medals although not the best were decent enough and the food was good (including pizza!). I would definitely run this one again - and next time we will know how to get there on time! Oh, this 3 in 5 week spree earned me my Marathon Maniac Status - Woo hoo! With that downhill in the middle and a fast finish, I imagine I am going to be sore tomorrow so I head now for a hot bath and early night and dread the walk down the stairs in the morning. Who doesn't love marathons?! MTA: I feel like a shit, it was late when I wrote this repoert and I wanted to wrap it up and get to bed. I failed to mention that Mrs Daddyo ran her 3rd half marathon in 5 weeks as well (So is she a Half Marathon Manicac? ) She also was great to me all week, and Saturday especially, driving 7 hours the day before as we went to see our daughter in the provincial (state) finals for XC allowing me to sleep in the car. My daughter by the way finished a fantastic 44th up 60 spots from last year. Mrs Daddyo missed her PB by 3 minutes but considering she ran it as a long training run in the wind, she did awesome!

Great race and report Dave! Congratulations on achieving the Marathon Maniac status, but I already knew you were a maniac.

I forgot to add to the original post.... I feel like a shit, it was late when I wrote this repoert and I wanted to wrap it up and get to bed. I failed to mention that Mrs Daddyo ran her 3rd half marathon in 5 weeks as well (So is she a Half Marathon Manicac? ) She also was great to me all week, and Saturday especially, driving 7 hours the day before as we went to see our daughter in the provincial (state) finals for XC allowing me to sleep in the car. My daughter by the way finished a fantastic 44th up 60 spots from last year. Mrs Daddyo missed her PB by 3 minutes but considering she ran it as a long training run in the wind, she did awesome!

The Trilogy of Terror is complete. 3 Marathons in 5 weeks and 7th total, and I am happy to say lucky number seven was the best one yet.

I can't imagine running three in five weeks, very impressive Dave. With that kind of performance, I have no doubt a BQ is yours for the taking. VERY well done, congrats! (and congrats to the Mrs and your daughter, I love the tales of your running family)

3 Marathons in 5 weeks and 7th total, and I am happy to say lucky number seven was the best one yet. Although I missed a personal record by 5 seconds I am not to upset about that. I know I could have run easily 5 plus minutes faster today knowing then what I know now.

WOOHOO! Fresh maniac! Don't believe it when an old-timer tells you that you are supposed to carry her/his bag. DO believe it when they ask you to pick up their packets. (I've been doing more and more halves lately and may focus on them next year. Been wondering about a halfniac sub-club.)

Great job, Dave! Congratulations on the Marathon Maniac status! Great number too (my birthday, 11/66)! Congrats to Mrs. Daddyo and Daughtero as well.