Photo from Melissa over at melissarunningit.com
Like the sign says. Rock On! Let’s jump right into it and take a look at my San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon race recap. Remember when I posted about What to Expect on Marathon Day… well, like I said on the last line of that post:
“Just when you think you know it all, a race will knock you on your butt… all you can do is learn from it and keep running.”
For giggles, here was the race plan:
Miles 1-4: 8:30
Miles 5-10: work down to 8:20
Miles 11-20: Hit 8:10-8:20 like clockwork
Miles 20-22: Wild-card. Looks like a 300 ft climb. Just keep moving fwd.
Miles 23-26: Drop the hammer and go as fast as possible.
Mile 1: 8:34 – right on pace.
Mile 2: 8:13 – oops, that was a little fast.
Mile 3: 8:15 – hey, slow down.
Mile 4: 8:15 – I’m really trying to slow it down.
Mile 5: 8:13 – no joke, I’m getting upset with myself.
Mile 6: 8:11 – it’s almost getting funny know.
Mile 7: 8:21 – this is a positive step at getting closer to my desired pace.
Mile 8: 9:09 – applies dollop of vaseline to sensitive area on foot.
I started to feel the beginnings of a blister on the arch of my right foot. I had already passed one medical tent handing out vaseline and thought about stopping. Around the middle of mile 8, I decided to make an attempt to address it early before it’s too late. Since my 50 miler in April, the feet have been in a weird sensitivity zone. Strange, as blisters usually are never a concern.
Mile 9: 9:20
Mile 10: 8:40
Mile 11: 8:41
Mile 12: 8:45
Mile 13: 8:54
Mile 13.1: 1:54:31
#FuFace, deuces and a heel strike, FitFluential shout out!
At this point, I’m already behind my pace for setting a PR. There is consistency in the numbers, but they are off from my race plan. I spent the first 7 miles trying to slow down and the last 6 trying to speed up. I can tell that this already doesn’t look good.
Mile 14: 9:20
Mile 15: 9:02
Mile 16: 8:43
Mile 17: 8:38
Mile 18: 8:34
Mile 19: 8:34
Mile 20: 9:07
You can see where my pace is comfortable, around 8:45. I’m trying to keep the momentum going to see if I can salvage a PR. The blister seems to have resolved itself and I’m running pretty consistent. I know that I have a huge hill coming up and if I can get past that, it should be a straight shot to the finish.
Mile 21: 10:34
Mile 22: 10:31
Wow. That was a tough climb this late in the race. Going uphill on a closed freeway. I could see it taking the energy from most of the runners. I was well aware that all the lanes were closed and made a straight line through a curve going from the far left lane, to the far right line, making the distance the shortest possible. This is called running the “tangent.” Those that stayed in the far left lane the entire time, probably ran a few extra tenths of a mile going up an incline
Note: If you stay within the marked area and within the cones, take the shortest distance possible. A marathon route is always measured as the shortest possible route. This is why your total distance on your GPS will be over 26.2 (or 13.1, etc) at the end of a race. It is most likely because you are running a longer route through the course. Think of it this way. If two people do a lap around a track (one in the inside lane and one in the outside lane) and start and stop at the same point, the person on the inside lane will run a shorter distance even though both did a lap. See the graphics here!
Ok, back to the race.
Mile 23: 9:24 – my legs and mind are toast and I know the PR is not possible
Mile 24: 11:49 – I can’t get my legs to move any faster. I decide to eat a popsicle. No joke. They have been handing them out the past couple miles. It looked almost like an Otter Pop. I’ve decided to have some fun and enjoy myself. I’m a small child enjoying a red otter pop in mile 24 of a marathon. Best. Thing. Ever. and the most fun 2 minutes of the race. Well worth it.
Mile 25: 9:15
Mile 26: 9:49
Mile 26.2: 3:58:51
10 minutes slower than my marathon a month ago in Toronto, but I’m thrilled with my third sub-4 hour marathon of the year. It definitely wasn’t the race I wanted to run, but happy that most of the miles are around 8:45. I’m not really sure what happened. Looking at it, it seems as though I went out too fast… the numbers indicate so, but I really was not running with a huge effort those early miles. I felt really, really comfortable and was surprised to be looking at my watch to see those “quick” miles. Like I said, it started to be funny in a ridiculous kind of way.
Post-race concert at Petco Park with The Psychedelic Furs.
Quick run down
Perfect weather. We could not have asked for a more ideal day to run. People were sweating almost immediately, as was I, but I never felt hot and it was overcast with moisture in the are almost the entire race. Hands down, best marathon day weather I’ve experienced.
Runners and Spectators. There were a lot of runners, around 25,000 (6,500+ marathon, 18,000+ half, 100+ relay teams), but it never felt crowded on the course. There were always people around you, but there was never a need for too much weaving. There was also a good amount of crowd support throughout the course. It was a nice balance of having people around you, but not feeling surrounded.
Course and Organization. I’ve never run in San Diego before, so it was nice to see the different areas. From downtown, to Balboa Park, to running through Old Town, behind Petco Park, Little Italy and through Mission Bay Park. It was a great course, even with some of the miles being on a freeway. Oh, one cool thing was running through a tunnel that had lights flashing on the ceiling and music playing. Very cool and the first time I had seen that done. It was like being at the club… if you remember what that is like. And as always, from the expo, to the start line, to the course entertainment and refreshments all the way to the finish line, RnR sure knows how to organize an event.
Breakfast. Guess what I forgot to bring with me. Guess when I realized it. Yep.
Fuel. Guess what else I forgot at the hotel. And can you guess when I realized it? Close. It wasn’t until mile 2 when I thought about putting my sunglasses away. I typically will take a GU gel almost every hour. Since I had none with me, my only option was to utilize the on course fuel. Thankfully, it was GU, but it was a flavor I was unfamiliar with, Mandarin Orange. Gamble time. Try it and risk my stomach destroying me or run a marathon on an empty stomach. Both. I decided to eat the GU around the halfway point. I figured if it came back to haunt me, it might be close to the end of the race and I could run through it. Downside was I would be running most of the race without fuel. Thankfully, it settled nicely and I was able to (with confidence) have another around mile 19.
The last two were total rookie moves.
I am always excited to be surrounded by family at the end of tough races. This little lady has changed my life and my perspective on everything. I race with a bow on me (see right shoulder on photos above) to remind me that I am setting an example of what it is to lead a healthy lifestyle and to strive and reach for goals. No matter how I feel or how I think I could have done it differently, it doesn’t matter once she smiles at me. It just melts my little running heart.
The First Lady was there at the finish line and I’m always happy to show her the hardware.
Ok, now onto the semi-announcement, that wasn’t an announcement, but I wanted to share it anyways. Well, you most of you know that I am running the San Francisco Marathon… no big surprise. Well, it’s this weekend… as in this Sunday, June 16.
That’s right, 2 marathons in 14 days.
I’ve got a long post set up for tomorrow on why, what my race plans are, how I got to this point… but mostly why this Sunday may be one of the most important races for me so far. (Click here to read it now.)
Any comments are always appreciated.
Advertisement:
Love the photos, you look so happy! Good luck in SF, hope to see you there. So awesome you run so many long distances, I would love to work up to that. (trying…)
You certainly are a crazy runner with 2 marathons in 2 weeks…but you are so going to rock it (pun intended!) Kids tend to give you a brand new perspective on just about everything!
Love the quote at the beginning. Been there. Done that. Great job on finishing sub 4 despite so many hiccups!
You are going to be awesome!!!! Great recap!
you have the best race faces!!!! and two marathons in a week? crazy? YES! but itz totally you and you’ll totally rock it!!
two weeks*
you DO know some of us are hoping for TWO marathons in our whole lives?
Great recap!
Congrats again! I can picture the race route now. What a great place to end the race too. That’s such a pretty ballpark. Oops on the GU. I made the mistake of deciding to try a new flavor once. I have no idea why blueberry pomegranate sounded like a great idea. It was not. Not at all.
Congrats on another great marathon! Also – Em is jealous of the First Lady’s awesome hair :)
You always have the best race photos. I have yet to master this ability….maybe I need lessons. I’d say you are crazy for your back to back marathons but would I expect anything different from you? As we say in PHX, Give ’em hell next weekend!! =)
you crazy man!!! good luck :)
You make it sound easy
Woah!! I was just going to say that two marathons in a month is huge, no worries about not meeting your goal time. But back to back? You’re amazing!
Aw First Lady LOVE!!
I think rocking 2 marathons + an ultra in the last few weeks means Pavey needs a break! And some donuts! xox
Dude, you are crazy. haha. But I love that you are hitting sub-4 now consistently. So awesome. Even more awesome? A red Otter pop. Why don’t they hand those out at every race??
congrats pavey! looking forward to seeing you this weekend at SFM =)
Great recap! I felt like I was with you the entire race! I LOVE that you ate a popsicle at mile 24!!! Gotta have fun when you’re running!
Sometimes races don’t go the way we think! Even if you feel completely prepped and ready. Drives me insane but I’m getting more used to the fact.
I find it interesting how many people I know that went into that race (including myself) with plans for PRs and how differently things turned out. I’m glad you still had a good time on the course and so glad I got to meet you IRL!
Can’t wait to hear how this weekend’s marathon goes! I’m sure you’ll rock it! Kick butt sir!
Your daughter is adorable! And good luck at the SFM!
That is pretty insane….but sounds like the perfect Father’s Day fun. ;)
Congrats on your 3rd sub-4 marathon! I choose to focus on the positive. Love your attitude about the race.
You are a little bit crazy, but hey aren’t we all?
I enjoy reading your race recaps…I have my first full coming up in August so I like that yours are detailed so I can use some of your knowledge. Great job on the sub-4 and good luck on Sunday!!
Love the recap & pics but especially the one with your daughter!!!
Holy moly on 2 marathons!!!!!
Congrats on your time. That hill at mile 20 destroyed a lot of people’s times (myself included). Good luck on your SF marathon. I did a half marathon this Saturday (6 days post race) and my legs were not happy with me!
Sub-4 marathon and a popsicle?! You’re my hero.
Great job and awesome example for your daughter!
Enjoyed the recap! Nice job! Good luck in San Fran!!
Great recap! It was so nice meeting you. Best of luck in your upcoming race.
Great recap!! Cannot wait to hear about San Francisco!
Well, I’m glad to see what a good attitude you took about the race snafu — I sure wasn’t nearly as positive about mine a few months ago. Such a big difference between knowing what you “should” do and executing on it … anyways, best of luck in the next race!
Congrats on the solid race.
That hill SUCKED!!!
You are on fire PR! Love the pic…that is just toooo epic! Love it!!!!
Your little one is just too cute!
Thank you for this post. I didn’t feel so hot after this marathon after making it through a long winter in Minneapolis, MN, of training. I was down for a while as I really wanted to break 3:50 (but had similar problems of not being able to slow enough in the first half and the nasty hike of a hill). But your perspective of another marathon under 4 as still a good thing helped me reframe the result. There’s always the next race, right? At the end of the day, it was fun to be in San Diego.