Well, I finally got one right.
But when people ask if I qualified for Boston (sub-3:25), I can truthfully say...
I'm not sure.
- The clock at the finish was reading 3:24 and change.
- My watch read 3:24:53: I started the watch 10 sec before the start to ensure proper operation (if the watch malfunctions, I don't cross the starting mat until I have it working). Therefore, my watch's clock time should have been conservative
- The unofficial race timing had me at 3:25:23, 24 seconds slower than my Boston standard.
I've asked the timing company to revisit.
The other strange thing: the 5k timing mat had me at 7:27 pace. My Garmin splits below have me at 7:45. No way should there be that big a discrepancy! Almost 200 yards??? Regardless, my biggest issue is the elapsed time.
However, even a 3:24 doesn't get me to Boston because this year's cutoff was about 90 seconds faster due to the number of entries. No big deal; I'm very happy with my race.
Split
|
Time
|
Distance
|
Avg Pace
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | 3:24:54.0 | 26.22 | 7:48 |
| 1 | 7:55.5 | 1.00 | 7:56 |
| 2 | 7:43.1 | 1.00 | 7:43 |
| 3 | 7:49.0 | 1.00 | 7:49 |
| 4 | 7:41.0 | 1.00 | 7:41 |
| 5 | 7:48.3 | 1.00 | 7:48 |
| 6 | 7:59.2 | 1.00 | 7:59 |
| 7 | 7:37.6 | 1.00 | 7:38 |
| 8 | 7:47.8 | 1.00 | 7:48 |
| 9 | 7:47.4 | 1.00 | 7:47 |
| 10 | 7:37.5 | 1.00 | 7:38 |
| 11 | 7:55.8 | 1.00 | 7:56 |
| 12 | 7:48.0 | 1.00 | 7:48 |
| 13 | 7:47.1 | 1.00 | 7:47 |
| 14 | 7:46.2 | 1.00 | 7:46 |
| 15 | 7:57.4 | 1.00 | 7:57 |
| 16 | 7:42.9 | 1.00 | 7:43 |
| 17 | 8:12.5 | 1.00 | 8:13 |
| 18 | 8:05.1 | 1.00 | 8:05 |
| 19 | 7:35.7 | 1.00 | 7:36 |
| 20 | 7:54.5 | 1.00 | 7:55 |
| 21 | 8:07.0 | 1.00 | 8:07 |
| 22 | 7:28.2 | 1.00 | 7:28 |
| 23 | 8:14.9 | 1.00 | 8:15 |
| 24 | 7:46.1 | 1.00 | 7:46 |
| 25 | 8:04.3 | 1.00 | 8:04 |
| 26 | 7:10.4 | 1.00 | 7:11 |
| 27 | 1:31.4 | 0.22 | 6:47 |
Mile 17 was the bastard uphill to the St. John's Bridge; I pulled back on pace and kept effort level. That's the first time I've been able to climb that hill without walking.
Finally, a solid finish!!! Check out my last 1.2 miles. I was running scared, trying to catch the pace group. My hamstrings were sending warnings for the last 8 miles, so I stopped a bunch of times to stretch them. At about 39k, I went all in and decided it was time to gamble. Up until then, several times I was only steps away from complete hamstring seizure. Lots of pace jockeying to keep legs in check; aerobically I had plenty of capacity.
Takeaways:
- The Tuesday night speed workouts are huge. Keep doing them, and develop a better high end
- Core and posterior chain work helped a ton. Hamstrings were threatening but never seized. And my last 10k was solid.
- I had a larger breakfast earlier in the morning, and stomach was really full. Back off a bit.
Plan:
- Recover
- Continue with Tuesday night group speed work (invaluable)
- 20 miles a week or so thru winter
- More intensive Plyo/Core work
- Get back in the pool
- next year, run a fall marathon (PDX or Marine Corps) and get 3:19:59. That will get me into 2016 Boston; that year, I'll be 50, so my qual time will be 3:30. The 3:19 will get me into the Sub-10 minute group that can sign up before the masses who sneak just under the radar.
couple other things:
- I ate a little more breakfast than usual, 3.5 hrs prior. Stomach was uncomfortably full the entire race. Only took 2 of my planned 6 gels, and 4 of six salt caps. Didn't want to upset stomach further
- Crimson urine afterward. Kidneys? Nah, just beet juice powder at breakfast
- drove home 3 hrs solo afterward, then ran a mile to flush the legs. Today, I'm feeling the least damage I've ever experienced after a marathon.
discovered that Emergency has a lot more electrolyte than salt caps. Been drinking that every morning.
Glad that one's in the books! Come a long way from my debut 4:35 of 3 years ago.
And my resting pulse is 48!
