Executive Summary

10th marathon, finished in 3:50:59. My worst time since #3 in 2014. But not unexpected.

Background

Huge PR & BQ last October. Followed it up with what may have been too-enthusiastic training for a couple 5k's. Developed some kind of strain in one hamstring, as well as pain in the front of the opposite hip. Then a pretty severe flare-up of lower back pain, unlike anything I've had in a long time, took me completely out for a couple weeks at the end of December. Started building back up in January, and back to more or less normal mileage in time to start training for Eugene. But physically I never really came back 100%.

Training

For my race last fall, I bought a McMillan 12-week custom plan online. Since it worked pretty damn well the first time, I recycled it. However since I was still battling some ailments, I stuck to the lower ends of the recommended range for each workout, in terms of time/mileage and in some cases number of reps. So weekly mileage ended up peaking at low-mid 60's rather than the usual 70+. Still not bad, but everything was a struggle. The hammy & hip issues continued to be nagging, and also developed some kind of lower abdominal strain. None of this stopped me from running, but made at least the first mile or two of every run feel like the cooldown miles after a hard workout or race. And never felt like I could get completely warmed up. Oh and the back pain which had subsided returned, although not as bad. However more annoying than the aches & pains was a general sluggishness. All my paces from easy on down were 30-60 sec/mi slower than usual. In part maybe due to the physical issues, but really felt like something else is going on I need to figure out. People have suggested low iron/ferritin, but have not yet gotten around to getting that checked. Got through the cycle as planned, but it was pretty grueling.

Goal

Based on my training paces as well as a 1:41 half I ran about 6 weeks ago, I figured 3:40 would be best case, 3:45 more likely, and a fair chance I would have a hard time breaking 4:00. It was pretty hard to predict. I hoped maybe I had something inside me that would come out on race day. (Spoiler alert: I didn't.)

Race Day

- Slept like crap.

- My hotel didn't start breakfast till 7:00; race started at 7:00. No problem, found this out in advance & picked up some stuff at the grocery store Saturday. Went down at 5:00 to see if they at least had coffee, and in fact breakfast was all set up. OK then. 
- Weather was looking like starting temps in the low-mid 40s with steady rain. This is what it looked like Saturday night. Checked Sunday morning, and miraculously it showed no chance of rain till 10:00. Ended up with not a drop, stayed mostly overcast although the sun even came out for a bit (in the later miles when it was least welcome. Probably got up to low-mid 50s, so really could not have asked for much better.

The Race

I planned to target starting with an 8:30 pace, and maybe if things went well I'd be able to pick it up to 8:20. Or maybe I'd end up drifting towards 8:45.

- Start was very slow. There was a lot of congestion, and I was taking it very conservatively. First mile was 9:05.

- Miles 2-18 I kept it reasonably steady between 8:30-8:45. It was pretty clear I would not be going any faster.

- Miles 19-22 I was feeling the fatigue. Slowed only slightly to ~8:50, but knew any late race surge was not going to happen.

- Mile 23 I felt a sharp knee pain. WTF? That wasn't even one of my injuries. That slowed me down - 9:08, 9:28, 9:24, and I was feeling pretty rough. Although I was seeing a lot worse carnage around me at that point.

- Mile 26 I decided I wasn't going down without a fight. Last mile was back to 8:34, and I was passing a bunch of people. Picked it up even more for the final tenths. The race finishes with an entrance into Hayward Field and a half lap around the track in front of a grandstand full of cheering spectators. Watch had the race at 26.4; my last 0.4 was 7:27, no doubt faster for the final 0.1.

Finish 3:50:59

OA 640/1494

AG 29/60

I know I was slow today but that still seems like a pretty fast field - to barely end up in the top half of old dudes.

Eugene Marathon promo

I highly recommend this race. It is very well organized, with good crowd support at a number of spots along the course. It was pretty flat; one moderate hill & some other minor elevation changes.  But these were the best things about it:

- Finish at Hayward Field. That really was cool. I'm not really a track & field fan, but I got a little emotional. And glad I ran it this year - they will be closed next year for major renovations, so the race will be re-routed.

- Portapotties at the starting corrals. OMG it was a wonderland. So many. All races should adopt this ratio. Minimal waiting all the way to the starting time.

- At one aid station, the volunteers handing out drinks wore either blue shirts that said "Water" or yellow shirts that said "Gatorade". No other stations did this, but every aid station at every race should.

- My favorite sign ever from a spectator: "Run like someone called you a jogger!"

Postscript

- Maybe I should not have run this since I was in no shape to do so, but no regrets.

- Obviously not a good time for me, but I raced it reasonably smart, and the finish was fun. I was mainly happy to get it done, and check another one off the list. You never want to take these things for granted.

- I plan to take some time off and try to heal up a bit. This is usually my favorite time to do shorter races, after a marathon is done and before the next cycle starts. But this time, we will have to see.

- This fall, I am targeting the Seattle Marathon in late November. Weather usually sucks, and it is supposedly hilly AF. But I have wanted to do this one, and now is the time when the BQ is already in hand.

...Obviously not a good time for me, but I raced it reasonably smart, and the finish was fun. I was mainly happy to get it done, and check another one off the list. You never want to take these things for granted.

Truth.

What's your medal collection look like?

Have you decided whether Boston will be a PR attempt or a victory lap? I think that's the thing that needs to be answered, then plan accordingly (as much as we can in this stupid hobby).

Anyway, I know there are those who think that simply completing a marathon is no big deal. I am not one of them. Nice job. That shiz is not easy.

Even with your list of nagging health issues, you still managed mileage in the 60's. And then had a decent race day. Impressive!

Now stop being stubborn and give your body some rest.

 

Have you decided whether Boston will be a PR attempt or a victory lap? I think that's the thing that needs to be answered, then plan accordingly (as much as we can in this stupid hobby).

 

Anyway, I know there are those who think that simply completing a marathon is no big deal. I am not one of them. Nice job. That shiz is not easy.

TBD, plenty of time to decide. I can see both sides. Depends what kind of shape I'm in at that time I guess. I will say that since no PR was going to happen Sunday, I'd tell people "I'm just doing this one for fun." That is a dumb thing to say, because there's nothing fun about running one of these things, at least if you are running it at marathon effort. The miles in the 20s were just as physically & mentally tough as ever. But after you've done this a few times, you just tell yourself to keep plugging away.

 

This.  I think it's harder to hang in with a race when you know it's not necessarily going to give you the result you want, so kudos for that!

Totally. And in training... continuing to try to do workouts when you are not close to target pace makes me just want to quit (and I have). So I admire the way you stuck with it.

 

Now stop being stubborn and give your body some rest.

Preferably more than a week.

And I'd pursue the ferritin test..

You did a good job of pacing it by effort and gauging your current shape/pace

Nice job, DaveP.  When life hands you lemonade, you run a marathon anyway.  It was frustrating to watch your injury after injury the past six months, but you handled your training and the race about as well as you could have.  The speed may not have been there, but you'll get that back.  There is still a lot of value in getting another marathon cycle under your belt.  Stop getting hurt ffs.

+1

There's something to say about your mental toughness, and despite the hardships you faced for your entire training cycle, you persevered and still ran a really impressive time. Well done, marathon man!

Nice job.  It was a tough training session this time around but you did it.

Executive Summary

10th marathon, finished in 3:50:59. My worst time since #3 in 2014. But not unexpected.

Even though a disappointing result, your experience and knowledge show as you were not surprised by it.  Crossing the finish line of any marathon is an achievement.  Nice job getting it done!