Recap from the Space Coast Marathon yesterday, which was my 9th marathon.

A little background for the new folks on RA:  I was a higher mileage runner from 2011-2015 (50-70 mpw) but took up triathlons in late 2015.  I run about 30-35 mpw now with a shitload of biking and swimming added in.

My last three marathons were 3:16 in April 2015 (PR, but missed BQ by 62 seconds), 3:26 in Oct 2015, and 3:22 in Oct 2015 (BQ but missed cutoff).

My coach's plan for this had me targeting 3:08.  I thought that was a stretch but Coach knows what he is doing and I listen to him.  My plan was miles 1-10 at 7:20 pace, miles 11-20 at 7:10 pace, and the final 10K and "let it rip" pace.  I followed his plan but those first 10 miles never felt easy.  Right from the start it felt like I was running hard.  I followed my plan though and forged ahead.  This course is two straight-shot out and backs, so I got to see all of the runners behind me after I made the turn.  It's weird to see so many of them when you are running your race mostly alone, or with only a couple other people.  I saw Docket Rocket and got a high five.  After making the turn at mile 6.5, I was then running 12 straight miles into the sunrise.  Pretty scenery but I could have done without the sun blasting me in the face for 12 miles.

I hit mile 10 and picked up the pace.  Miles 11-20 were supposed to be 7:10 pace.  I got to mile 15 but then let my pace to settle back to around 7:20.  7:10 just felt too hard, and with 11 miles to go I wasn't going to force it.  At this point I knew I probably had Boston in the bag barring a disaster, which of course can still happen.  This race offers a half marathon option, which is the second half of the marathon course and starts 30 minutes earlier.  So once I passed the 13.1 split, I saw the hordes of HM'ers on the other side of the street.  Thousands of people on that side of the road, and just me on my side of the road.  Weird.

I hit mile 20 and my pace began to slip.  Not too bad as the marathon goes, and I was still on target for Boston.  I was still mentally locked in though, battling as best I could.  I was hurting.  This final 10K is where I felt like a 35 mpw runner and not the 50-60 mpw runner I used to be.  My lack of LR endurance felt evident, but I was still fighting.  I saw Docket again for another high five.  Around mile 24, the 3:15 pacer passed me.  I knew I was ahead of 3:15 pace.  I said to him not to get too far ahead of me because he was my PR.  He said not to worry because he was ahead of pace.  "No fucking shit," I thought.

Around mile 24.5 I knew I had a PR and Boston locked up.  This is the first time in a marathon where I was able to enjoy the end of the race without feeling like I had to race the clock.  I had it and I knew it.  I floated the last mile and soaked in the moment.  It was about damn time.

Final time was 3:13:46.

2:16 PR

BQ -11:14 (take that!)

AG 5/109

OA 33/1325

I missed my goal by about five minutes but I don't care.  I am ecstatic with my race.  I hadn't PR'd a running race in almost two years and I was starting to think I'd never PR the marathon again.  And I know I've got faster ones in me now too.

A few random thoughts:

• The race was 55 at the start with a dew point in the low 50's.  Nice at the start, but the temps shot up 10 degrees pretty fast once the sun came up.  Not hot, but plenty warm for a marathon.  The final 10 miles of my race was in the "heat"
• After doing a 140.6 and a number of 70.3 triathlons, time-wise, the marathon seems to go by fast.  That sounds weird, but the actual clock time just seemed to go by fast, which I think was helpful mentally.
• Missing your marathon goal by five minutes isn't that bad when you've seem some of the collapses others experience.  Still, a three minute positive split isn't great.  
• I spent way too much time on my feet Friday and Saturday.  That probably didn't help.
• I could not tell you how many times I had to shout "on your left!" to slow jogging/slow walking half marathoners taking up the entire road during the final 10K of my race.  Most of them were nice enough and moved aside, but it's a minor annoyance to have to deal with when I'm in enough discomfort as it is.
• There was a full bar set up in a resident's driveway, with top shelf stuff?  Who the hell wants that during a marathon/HM?  Not even me when I was a drinking man.  
• DW did the marathon two person relay and clocked a 2:10 in her half, the second half of the race when the wind kicked up.  She rocks.
• A few other runners recognized my tri club on my singlet and gave me a shout out, which was cool being 1500 miles from home.
• I am guessing being a lower mileage runner cost me 5 minutes in this race and I can live with that.  

My tri club singlet and finisher trinket.

Red shorts are faster.

'Sup.

Congrats!  My experience was very similar to yours, except much slower.  The sun, the course, the heat, etc.  But well run!  Very happy for you!

Great race!  Congrats on the huge BQ.  Way ahead in the future, I know, but are your Boston plans to run it as a victory lap or to try to re-BQ?

This is wordier than I had planned.  oops

You earned it buddy. This is awesome. Must have been an amazing feeling to know you had the thing locked up, and enjoy your final miles even while suffering through them. Which seems to make no sense. But yeah.

Maybe the lower mileage cost you some minutes, but I bet the heat cost you more. You have been destroying your training runs. No way you could've run your best time in that weather. I can't remember - what made you pick that race?

See you in Boston.

Congrats!  Enjoyed the report.  Heat and the time on your feet probably had an effect, but you BQ'd by something like a mile and a half with a 2+ minute PR and that's definitely something to be very happy about.  Who knows, on another course and on a cooler day you might get that 3:08 but on this day and this course you ran a heck of a race.

Great race  Baboon, and congratulations on  getting  BQ!   Yeah, an Iron Man guy on the old RWOL was  about 3 mins slower from when he was only running and higher mileage, but you beat your old PR doing TRI training, showing you are on the upswing still and the extra aerobic training is really helping you.

My opinion around these parts counts for exactly zero, but you made marathon race training look extremely easy.

Congratulations on punching your ticket to Hopkinton. It's been a long time coming.

This is wordier than I had planned.  oops

Because you're a gentleman, and wanted to make me feel better for writing a novel re 3 miles.

But seriously, that could have been twice the length, and I still would have enjoyed every word.  So, so, so well run with a great result, and a well written report.  I hear you about the "it seems short after IM."  That's about the only experience I can think of that would make the marathon seem short, unless you're an ultra runner I suppose.  You're badass, and I'm super impressed, and really happy for you.

Post the pictures again, I can't see your shorts either!