1 year and 2 weeks since my first marathon, I am preparing for number 7. Why does it feel different each time?
Since I had 6 weeks to recover/train/taper, I’m not really sure how I should feel. Everything has gone according to plan, and I feel fine. Why am I worried?
I’ll tell you why. I want to BQ. Now. I want to get this monkey off my back (it is a little monkey, but a monkey nonetheless) and start planning a vacation in New England in 2011.
For my last race, a PR, I had no strategy, just to run comfortably and hopefully negative split. I did that, and surprisingly came up just 3 minutes (or 2 min 46 sec) short of a BQ. So what’s the problem? I just looked at the elevation chart. Houston’s looked as flat as…well…Houston. But there are a few bumps in Ft. worth, and we will be running some of them.
Now I know that elevation charts can be deceiving. True, there is only 200 feet separating the low point and the high point on the course. It is not like we are talking about oxygen changing elevation swings here. But there seems to be a 100 foot drop within the first half mile, and don’t even talk to me about mile 24-25 (uphill).
So, to develop a strategy. In Houston, I used the 10-10-6 strategy. Use the first 10 miles to warm up, the second 10 miles to get my time in line, and the final 6 to “sprint” and hang on. This course seems to lay out nicely for that same strategy. Putting pen to paper (or pulling out the trust spreadsheet), this means running the first 10 in 1:17:35 (7:45/mile pace), the second 10 in 1:15:57 (7:35/mile pace), and the final 6.2 in 47:20 (7:38/mile pace), leaving exactly 7 seconds to spare for a 3:20:52.
Easy enough, right?
Sure I’ve run a few marathons, but I definitely don’t consider myself an expert. However, the other day while running…alone…again, I thought it would be a fun exercise to rate the marathons I have run. But how does one rate a race? By my finishing time? By on course entertainment? Scenery? Organization? Post race food? Tshirt? Finisher’s medal? Yes, Yes and Yes to all of these.So at the risk of offending many, in order of worst to first, here is the my unscientific ranking of the marathons I have run.
- Number 6: San Antonio Rock n Roll Marathon - I was really looking forward to this race. But the weather was terrible, I crashed and burned, and the expo was crowded. Start line being near my father’s house was a huge plus, and the shirt was pretty cool. I did my first in race audio during this race.
- Number 5: Davy Crockett Bear Chase Marathon - This was my second marathon ever, and I had a great time. The race is held in Groveton, TX, which is a small town near the Davy Crockett National Forest, so most of the race was pretty scenic. However, there were very few fans, and the small race size meant there were a lot of lonely miles. The race shirt was pretty ugly, but a free pasta dinner the night before was a nice touch. I would gladly run this race again someday.
- Number 4: San Francisco Marathon - To say I have mixed feelings about this race is an understatement. When I finished this race, I never wanted to run again. The next day, I was already planning next year’s trip. Logistically, this was an easy race. My hotel was on the starting line, so I basically went from room to corral in 5 minutes. Awesome. Since it was a loop course, the finish was just as nice, although it took me 3 times as long to walk back up! Great city, great restaurants for refueling. Tough course. Tough, tough course.
- Number 3: Frankenthon - A race for runners by runners. Frankenthon was a nice local race, and was organized by a member of my running group. Despite its small size, it was an official Boston Qualifier. Because it was only 3 weeks from my goal race (San Antonio) I decided (wrongly!) to run it as a training run and not race it. Perfect weather, flat course, great volunteers, post race pizza, tech shirt AND socks, and a free massage at the end made this one of the most fun marathons I have run. Did I mention I actually won some hardware? I can’t wait to run this one again!
- Number 2: Houston Marathon - Good weather (were we lucky?), great fans lining the entire course, a flat course and a PR. What’s not to like? I can easily see why this race sold out in less than 2 days. The finishers shirt may be the highest quality tech shirt I own. This race convinced me that a BQ was not far away.
- Number 1: Austin Marathon - You never forget your first time, right? After running a few half marathons during the previous two years, I thought I would give the big race a shot. I had no idea what to expect, and my only time goal was to break 4 hours. I learned during this race that I was capable of being a decent runner. I learned that anything is possible with some desire and discipline. I learned that there is a good reason why people run marathons. When I finished this race, I was officially a runner.
After a week of rest following the 2010 Houston marathon, I am ready to start up again to be ready for The Cowtown Marathon 4 weeks from now. As my Pfitzinger training books states - 6 weeks between races is extremely difficult. It is just enough time to lose fitness, but not enough time to properly recover before I can get any meaningful training in. So why am I doing this?
Reason 1. There are only a few good weeks/months of cool weather left to run these races nearby. Once April hits, most of the races would require substantial travel.
Reason 2. I have not qualified for Boston…yet. And I will. Soon.
Reason 3. My friend Mike, who started me running back in the fall of 2006, wants to run his second marathon, and I told him I would do it with him.
Reason 4. Why not? I have spent a fair amount of money on shoes, shirts, socks, etc. I may as well use them as often as I can!
