I went for it. I put it all out on the line… and crashed.
If the saying is sub-4 or bust? Well, I busted. Don’t get me wrong. I am more than thrilled with my PR. As a matter of fact, it was a 15-minute PR and that is a HUGE chunk of time to shave off a marathon… especially if you “busted” on the last 6 miles.
Here is where it begins.
My goal was to finish sub 4 hours at this past weekend’s Two Cities Marathon in Fresno. It was a flat and fast course that was optimal for setting a PR. Through most of my training, I have found comfort in my pace being 8:30-9 minutes, with several of my times being closer to lower 8 minute miles. The strategy was to start out between the 3:45 and 4:00 pacers and hold 8:30 for as long as I could, then ease into 9-9:30 minute miles once I started to feel fatigued. I always start out fast and I’m not a consistent or negative split kind of racer. I was playing into the “type” of runner I am. Go with it.
Here is how it broke down
Mile 1: 8:31
Mile 2: 8.32
Mile 3: 8:32
Mile 4: 8:36
Mile 5: 8:33
Mile 6: 8:30
Mile 7: 8:22
Mile 8: 8:37
Mile 9: 8:39
Mile 10: 8:36
Look at that. Clock work, or what? I was in the zone for the first 10 miles with thoughts of glory awaiting me at the finish line. This was also the point I was expecting to meet up with wifey and The First Lady. When I didn’t see them, it sort of broke my concentration. I didn’t want them to be waiting for me after I had already passed, so I stopped and texted them to let them know I had passed mile 10 in case they were still in transit.
Mile 11: 8:57 — the extra 30 was for the text.
Mile 12: 9:10 — here is where I saw them, stopped to give hugs and kisses.
Mile 13: 8:55
Mile 13.1: 1:55:31
At this point I have lost my focus on the 8:30 splits. When I took out my phone to text, it messed with the volume and for some reason the volume was going up and down on my iPod… extremely annoying. Not making excuses, just providing context.
Mile 14: 8:47
Mile 15: 8:52
Mile 16: 9:03
Mile 17: 9:09
At this point, I am starting to fall apart mentally. My legs are trying to keep a 9 minute pace which is what my goal was at this point. The problem is, it has been a mental battle since mile 11 to find my energy. I have hit the mental wall, way too early.
Mile 18: 9:32
Mile 19: 9:59
Mile 20: 10:09
Mile 21: 9:38
That dip back down into 9:30 was from hitting the turnaround on an out-and-back layout from mile 16. It was only a 4-mile stretch, but it felt like forever and was killing my mental game.
At mile 20, I was at 2:59:53 — that means if I hit 10 minute miles for the last 6, I’ve got sub-4 with a tiny sprint to the finish. I was this close. All I had to do was just keep moving forward. Just keep the legs moving.
Mile 22: 10:36 — ugh, c’mon.
Mile 23: 12:50 — I can feel it slipping away and take several long walk breaks. I’m drinking a lot of water and am mentally toast.
At this point, I have come to grips with sub-4 NOT happening. My legs are feeling extremely heavy and I’ve been losing the mental battle since mile 13. I sit down on a curb. THAT’S RIGHT. I sat down and stared at my watch for 10-15 seconds. I needed to give up on sub-4 dreams. I needed to watch it slip away so that I could focus on what I needed to do to finish. I busted out my phone, texted the wife to let her know I was slowing and to expect around 4:10.
Mile 24: 14:22 — this was the sit down mile, but let’s call this the “re-focus mile.“
Mile 25: 10:51 — it was slow, but I ran most of this mile with walks through a water station or 2.
Mile 26: 9:40 — mentally back in it with a mile to go… trying for the sub 4:10
.2 — 7:56 (this was more of a 1/2 mile pace. My total milage for the race was 26.45, but that’s a good kick to the finish, cramp in the leg and all.)
Finish time: 4:09:28 — a 15-minute PR
My plan was spot on, even if it fell apart. I expected to hold my 8:30 pace until mile 15-16 and wanted to maintain the last 10 at 9-930. I was off by 6 miles. I hit my wall way too early and never recovered. Heck, even if I was able to hold 10’s the last 6 miles I would have hit my goal. The plan was good (sounds like line from a bank robbery movie). But with a marathon, anything can happen. Running really is a mental battle and my battle started too soon on race day. I hit the mental wall at mile 11 and hit the physical wall at mile 20. My legs just didn’t want to run anymore.
I aimed high. I went for it and I can hold my head up saying that I put it ALL out there. I know that my training is working when I can shave 15 minutes off my marathon time and feel like I could have finished better.
Thank you for all the well wishes and congratulations on Facebook and Twitter. I thought of all of you while I was running. Seriously. I felt like since I put it out there on the interwebs, that I needed to make it happen. It definitely made some of those miles easier to manage.
A major shout out to (my friend? twitter pal? I’m never sure of these things) @jessicapatrice on finishing top 10 for women and 1st in her AG. I got to hang out and talk with her pre-race and was happy to see a familiar face on race day and on the course.
Also, an online shout out to @RoadBunner — I saw her twice on the course, both times screamed “ROAD BUNNER!” with no luck. I wasn’t 100% sure it was her. I met her for half a second once, but knew she was racing. It was a lucky guess with her Oiselle gear. She looked strong and fast. We figured out the confusion on twitter afterwards… gotta love social media.
I’ll post a ton of pictures tomorrow of the swag, meeting an olympian and the best finish line moment, ever.
Comment away… good or bad.
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Still a 15 minute pr! Nothing to balk about at all. Well done!
so so proud! 15 min PR is AWESOME!
You my friend are a FUreakin’ rockstar :)
CONGRATS TO YOU!
I see so much of myself as I read this. I’m exactly this kind of runner: out fast, bank time, hang on for dear life (or not) at the end. Know that it can work, (it got me to Boaton) but it huuuurts.
Congrats on the monster PR. That sub 4 is yours.
CONGRATS on the PR! That’s proof that you do have a sub 4 in you!
I had something similar happen to me once on a course. I was expecting to see hubs and the kids at mile 9 of a 1/2 marathon. They weren’t there. I was totally deflated and needed to see someone I knew to boost me up. Those last 4 miles were painful mentally!
It really is a mental game out there. Having them at the finish line definitely DID keep me going and not walk the entire way in.
Awesome awesome job! Seriously even a 2 min PR isn’t easy so 15 mins??? That’s fantastic. You gave it your all clearly. And you’re right, you just never know what can happen with each and every single run. That’s what makes it so interesting ;-)
Ugh!!! You started so super strong and your plan was awesome!!! Congrats on your major pr!!! You’ll get that sub 4…you are so close!!! Great job!!
I need to make a marathon shirt that says “this wasn’t part of the plan.”
Incredible! Congratulations on a fantastic race and race report! Nice work!
You killed it!! I love it when people have big goals and just GO for them. No wussy junk around here. haha A fifteen minute PR is huge, even if it’s not exactly what you were going for. I’d be so proud!
That’s right! Go big or Go home…
I’m really proud of you because you went for it. You had a solid plan and you put it all out there. Seriously, 15 minute PR??!! You have lots to be proud of and I’m pretty sure that the First Lady is super proud of her Daddy. BTW – how in the world did you get up and run again after sitting on the curb? I would have just rolled over at that point.
Sitting down and watching my hopes literally “tick away” may have been a little melodramatic, but it needed to be done so I could focus on finishing. Trust me. Stopping did cross my mind plenty of times.
I think you did an amazing job with your 15 minute PR ! Yowser! And how you managed to get back up and get going again… my legs would have been cramping beyond belief if I did that.
You will get the sub 4 next time!
I’m so glad you went for it – sometimes we learn more from races where it doesn’t go right than when we reach our goals. And if you don’t shoot for the stars, you never know if you could have done better. Congrats on a HUGE PR, assess what you want to do differently next time, and move on! =)
Awesome job with your PR, despite the elusive 4 Min mark… That was one of the more entertaining mileage breakdown I have read! Thanks for the chuckle ;. Congrats!
Congrats on the PR, B! Proud of your hard work and positive outlook on the race!
I love your continued passion — and total honesty when it comes to recapping this entire thing. You are absolutely right — ANYTHING can happen during a marathon. Even the best laid plans can be thrown off by the tiniest of things…and man, that wall — she’s a b*tch isn’t she?? Regardless, you crushed that PR and even though you didn’t make your sub-4 dream this time, you have all the pieces in place to make it a reality next time. Full confidence in you my friend!
Darn that wall. She is just so eager to hang out with me I guess. Knew I’d see her, just not that soon. If I didn’t have a positive attitude, I couldn’t still be doing this.
Forget the sub 4. That is monster PR. Sub 4 will be there another day. Nice work!
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Thanks.
You absolutely rocked with knocking 15 minutes off! The sub 4 is coming another day especially when you have such a amazing attitude.
15 minutes WOOOT!! May not have been the A goal you were looking for but it’s great that you went for it and came up with some fantastic results. The mental game is the hardest part of running. I try to tell myself that the body can do incredible things, the mind just needs to move out of the way. Sometimes relying too heavily on the watch can be the downfall. I always go out too fast too! This next one I’m running with a friend who is going to try to keep me under control. Re-think the type of runner you are, start practicing negative and even splits, sometimes that can make a difference. You are a sub 4 marathoner, it’s in you, there’s no doubt, let your body do the work, push your mind to another place.
Def. something I need to really work on (keeping my splits more even throughout). Maybe one day you can show me how it’s done when you are in town for awhile. :)
Congrats on your PR! That is a huge one! And I love that you are still so proud of it even if you didn’t meet your goal. 4 is still out there waiting and you will still get it!
Congrats on your PB!! SO proud of you!! :)
Congratulations on your PR! You know what they say at Oiselle… Go fast, take chances! Sometimes they pay off big, sometimes, they pay off small, and sometimes you don’t know which of the two you got :) It is always bittersweet when you had a goal you didn’t reach but I think it is true — a PR is a PR and that is always something to celebrate.
BTW, you didn’t tell me you hollered twice. I definitely only heard you at that final turnaround. Sorry I was too out of it to realize.
Thanks… I thought you looked like you were floating along with ease. You did look determined tho, congrats to you as well.
Ya, the first one, I think I said to late and too quietly because I wasn’t sure it was you.
Congrats on a huge PR! In my short experience with racing, I have decided it’s better go for it and take a chance than play it conservatively. Most of the time it doesn’t work out, but it’s way more rewarding when it does. Sub-4 is coming for you! Great work, again, and it was awesome to see you!
Been there, done that. Sorry you didn’t meet your goal. BUT..a 15 minute PR is awesome!
I know it wasn’t what you hoped for but a 15 minute PR is pretty flipping awesome, and you should be so proud of yourself!!
You rocked a huge PR while fighting a huge battle for a majority of the race, and now have an even bigger fire inside you. Sub 4 is in your future.
That sounds pretty much like my previous marathon strategies: Run solid and strong for as long as I can, then hold on for dear life to maintain a respectable pace/finish time. Congrats on your PR!!!
ya… not the best plan, but if you know it’s coming, helps you manage.
Congrats on the PR!! The mental battle is something I still battle with during a marathon – it will all come together soon enough, right??! :)
Congrats!