race report: Columbia metric marathon 26.2k, Dec 3 (long)
Tom B.
far of 2006. It was the best possible way to cap off an up-and-down
year. Things ended up going a bit differently today than I expected,
but I guess for the first time at a new, weird race distance it's going
to be a learning experience.
First off, I warmed up like I do for a marathon. No pressure, no
effot, just lots of walking (maybe 30 minutes total), and a little bit
of easy jogging. Probably about 1/2 mile of that, no faster than
8:00/mi pace. No strides.
The start was nice and casual, even though there were no chips. No
crowding. I expected a pretty relaxed pace for the first few hundred
yards and I would just tuck in probably somewhere around 10th-20th
place. For one thing, I figured a long, difficult (hilly) race like
this, in December, would have a field of mostly experienced runners.
Anyway, I started pretty much right on the front row (about 20 people
wide), and felt nice and relaxed/rested as we started up. But then for
some reason, the rest of the field went completely nuts, and I was in
about 50th-75th place by the first turn (around 1/3 mile in). Crazy.
But then people started to rig up (in the first half mile of a 16+ mile
race!), and I tried to float by on the outside without changing my own
speed.
By mile 1, I think I was in about 10th place, and I could see the real
lead pack about 200 yards ahead -- looked like about 6 guys. By mile
2, the lead pack was just about out of sight, and they had shed one off
the back. I caught up with him about mile 2.5, we talked a little bit
about the crazy start and ran side-by-side for around another mile, and
then he dropped off too.
So... at mile 3.5, I was alone, and the lead pack was now totally out
of sight. Only 13 or so miles to go. Well, wouldn't you know, I was
absolutely alone the entire rest of the way. Not a soul in sight,
front or back. Fortunately, I had ridden the course 2 weeks prior on
my bike, so I was pretty aware of all the upcoming turns. But it was
funny to catch the course marshals napping at a few turns. I had to
call out to a few of them to wake them up and confirm that I was going
the right way, especially in the 2nd half where there were some
confusing sections on bike paths.
I guess there's not much to report about the rest of the race. It was
obviously a time trial more than a head-to-head affair. When I had
thought about a goal 2+ months ago when first considering this race, I
thought 6:00/mi would be a nice round number to shoot for. But then I
had a fairly lackluster 10k on Thanksgiving (strong finish, though),
and when I plugged that into a couple of race calculators, I saw
numbers like 6:05/mi. Not to mention that this metric course is quite
hilly, much more so than the 10k.
So I adjusted my goal to go under 1:40 (6:07/mi), but left the
possibility open to run harder in the 2nd half if the opportunity
presented itself. At the end of that crazy first mile, my split was
5:57. But it felt really easy! Definitely a lot easier than the
first-mile of 5:59 on Thanksgiving (which may have been mis-marked).
I cruised for the 2nd mile, still feeling good -- 5:56. OK, now my
mind was racing at this point, trying to figure out if I was fitter
than I had realized, trying to figure out how much effort I could put
out here and still make it to the finish before crashing. The major
hills started around this point, and this is where I gave up on
adjusting my pace based on what the watch said. I marked all the
splits, looked at the watch maybe half the time as I marked them, but
kept running by feel.
After a while, I realized that my splits were almost all under 6:00/mi,
so I decided that 6:00 pace for the entire race might be just barely
possible. That became my single-minded focus for the rest of the race.
When I got to around mile 12 and saw that I was about 30 seconds ahead
of 6:00 pace (the math was really easy for this), I started to get
really psyched even though I was hurting.
Final splits:
1 - 5:57
2 - 5:56
3 - 6:07
4 - 5:56
5 - 5:49 (5 mi = 29:47)
6+7 - 12:06
8+9 - 11:52
10 - 5:57 (5 mi = 29:56, 10 mi = 59:43)
11 - 5:49
12 - 6:00
13+14 - 11:49
15 - 6:05 (5 mi = 29:45, 15 mi = 1:29:28)
16 - 5:49
16.28 - 1:33 (5:32/mi)
final = 1:36:51 = 5:56/mi pace
The weather was absolutely ideal. Around 32 at the start, maybe 36 at
the finish, very light winds.
As far as calories and fluids, it was a hybrid strategy. I ate
breakfast like it was a marathon (half a whole wheat bagel with a bit
of PB). But then ran the race more like a half-marathon -- I had
nothing whatsoever during the race. No fluids, no gel (I carried one
but didn't use it). Thank you, weather gods, for making this possible!
It's so much less hassle to ignore this stuff altogether and just run.
An overall great race that reminded me why I love running. I'm really
happy with how it went.
Tim Downie
> Man what a great day. I totally kicked ass, and had my best race by
> far of 2006.
Nice report and great result Tom. (Weird distance though). Great way to
see out the year (or have you got anything else lined up?)
Tim
Tom B.
> Nice report and great result Tom. (Weird distance though). Great way to
> see out the year (or have you got anything else lined up?)
Thanks Tim. Nope, nothing else lined up right now. Maybe it's time to
let a couple of nagging pains heal for good (I hope). Although... when
the form is good, it's SO hard to let go. Might have to check to see
if there's something interesting on New Year's Day.
PiledHIgher
Beginning runner wrote:
> In article <1165177451.4...@l12g2000cwl.googlegroups.com>,> Congratulations!
Could be a worse distance, given that a marathon is 42.2km, an imperial
marathon would be 42.2miles!
Tony S.
news:1165177451.4...@l12g2000cwl.googlegroups.com...
> Man what a great day. I totally kicked ass, and had my best race by
> far of 2006. It was the best possible way to cap off an up-and-down
> year. Things ended up going a bit differently today than I expected,
> but I guess for the first time at a new, weird race distance it's going
> to be a learning experience.
That seems like an interesting distance since there's not much between the
half and marathon usually on roads.
...
> final = 1:36:51 = 5:56/mi pace
>
> The weather was absolutely ideal. Around 32 at the start, maybe 36 at
> the finish, very light winds.
Congrats, Damn fine run Tom! Good report, thanks. You do well time-trialing
alone it seems.
-Tony
Dan Stumpus
"Tom B." <tom.b...@gmail.com> wrote
> final = 1:36:51 = 5:56/mi pace
>
> The weather was absolutely ideal. Around 32 at the start, maybe 36 at
> the finish, very light winds.
Methinks you're ready to give the low 2:40's a try...6:10 pace on a flat
course is within reach. But don't let me influence you... ;-)
> An overall great race that reminded me why I love running. I'm really
> happy with how it went.
Congrats, and you had a strong field to "compete" against (no one came back
to you???)
Maybe I should try that 4 miles/week program you've got going...
-- Dan
Dot
> Man what a great day. I totally kicked ass, and had my best race by
> far of 2006. It was the best possible way to cap off an up-and-down
> year. Things ended up going a bit differently today than I expected,
> but I guess for the first time at a new, weird race distance it's going
> to be a learning experience.
>
I marked all the
> splits, looked at the watch maybe half the time as I marked them, but
> kept running by feel.
'Tis nice to see people who can do that instead of being so dependent on
external markers.
>
> After a while, I realized that my splits were almost all under 6:00/mi,
> so I decided that 6:00 pace for the entire race might be just barely
> possible. That became my single-minded focus for the rest of the race.
...
> final = 1:36:51 = 5:56/mi pace
>
> The weather was absolutely ideal. Around 32 at the start, maybe 36 at
> the finish, very light winds.
...
>
> An overall great race that reminded me why I love running. I'm really
> happy with how it went.
>
Congratulations, Tom. Very nice race and nice report. Thanks for
sharing. Funny how some days things just seem to click in place.
Dot
--
"If we reach all our goals, we are not setting them high enough."
- Matt Carpenter
joe positive
<dstump...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>Maybe I should try that 4 miles/week program you've got going...
Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing...
Good job, Tom! Though something makes me wish you'd pick more
"normal" distances to race :-)
Karen
live! vicariously!
Doug Freese
From: "Tom B." <tom.b...@gmail.com>
Subject: race report: Columbia metric marathon 26.2k, Dec 3 (long)
Date: Sunday, December 03, 2006 3:24 PM
> Man what a great day.
A great effort!
>So... at mile 3.5, I was alone, and the lead pack was now totally out
of sight. Only 13 or so miles to go. Well, wouldn't you know, I was
absolutely alone the entire rest of the way. >
For most road races it is rare to have no one in sight for long periods
of time. For many of my races I have had to run alone for 4-5 hours
with the only humans being the aid stations every hour or more. I'm used
to running solo in a crowd, did you find it harder mentally and/or
physically to hold pace without some body to focus on? For me and I'm
sure most others that end up in a gap, it is even harder when you're not
having a good day. ;)
-Doug
Doug Freese
"Dan Stumpus" <dstump...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:QuOch.6583$tM1...@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>
> "Tom B." <tom.b...@gmail.com> wrote
>
>> final = 1:36:51 = 5:56/mi pace
>>
>> The weather was absolutely ideal. Around 32 at the start, maybe 36
>> at
>> the finish, very light winds.
>
> Methinks you're ready to give the low 2:40's a try...6:10 pace on a
> flat course is within reach. But don't let me influence you... ;-)
You are evil Dan, he wants to heal and you're tossing a carrot. :) I
sense Tom will not bite.
> Maybe I should try that 4 miles/week program you've got going...
And no elevation? You would have to dead or at least dying. ;)
-Doug
Tom B.
> Methinks you're ready to give the low 2:40's a try...6:10 pace on a flat
> course is within reach. But don't let me influence you... ;-)
Well.... I do want to take one more crack at the marathon, one final
all-out effort. I think 2:42-2:43 might be just within reach if I can
stay injury-free. That'll be the hardest part, I think. But I really
do need some time off right now from long runs and the harder
tempo/progression stuff.
> > An overall great race that reminded me why I love running. I'm really
> > happy with how it went.
>
> Congrats, and you had a strong field to "compete" against (no one came back
> to you???)
I looked at the results today, and the next guy in front of me was 1
1/2 minutes ahead, while the next guy behind was 4 1/2 back. I suspect
that I probably closed the gap a little in the 2nd half, but not by
much. As it turned out, that lead pack was pretty small. Only 3 of
them, and all were the "serious runner" types.
> Maybe I should try that 4 miles/week program you've got going...
Somehow I don't see this happening...
Tom B.
Thanks Karen. I was a little unsure about running an oddball distance
like this, mainly because I can't compare it to anything I've done
before. So it's hard to say whether it's a step forward, or just
treading water against the irreversible downhill slope, or whatever.
(and I can't really use it for bragging rights when I talk to my
friends at work -- nobody knows what's "good" in a 26.2k)
But then I realized that I could get one nice thing out of this, which
is a chance to try "hard" running for the first time in something
longer than a half-mar, to get a feel for what it would be like to try
to run a marathon up to the standard of my 10k/10M/HM times.
Here's what I learned -- those guys like Dan who can run a marathon in
sub-6 pace are some tough cats. I had a lot of time for my mind to
wander during the looong solo portion of the race, and I came back to
that a couple of times. GodDAMN that's fast! By 10 miles at that
pace, it was getting really hard and I was seriously questioning my
ability to hold on for 6 more miles. The idea of keeping that up for
16 more is just beyond imagining.
Tom B.
> From: "Tom B." <tom.b...@gmail.com>
> For most road races it is rare to have no one in sight for long periods
> of time. For many of my races I have had to run alone for 4-5 hours
> with the only humans being the aid stations every hour or more. I'm used
> to running solo in a crowd, did you find it harder mentally and/or
> physically to hold pace without some body to focus on? For me and I'm
> sure most others that end up in a gap, it is even harder when you're not
> having a good day. ;)
I think I've got the right mindset to do these long solo stretches.
But it is a bit of a regret sometimes not to have a chance to find out
whether a crowd could psychologically tow me along to a faster time.
In the one ultra I did, I really liked the combination of solitude on
the trail, then joking it up and having a great time at the aid
stations.
In the "small pond" road races I usually run, the solo stuff is not
that uncommon for me. Lance will probably tag this as a cherry-pick,
but my first marathon was like this. Off the front at 2 miles, then
alone the rest of the way. Although there were 3 spots where we
rounded pylons, so I got a chance to see the whole field going the
opposite way.
The longest solo effort I ever did was with a group of 3 other buddies.
We biked the C&O canal towpath from Cumberland, MD to DC. These guys
were all good riders, so they dropped me like a bad habit after about 2
hours of pre-dawn riding in the dark (this was October, so not enough
daylight hours for the whole distance). The next 11 hours were solo,
just trying to keep pushing the whole time, only one 15-minute stop. I
kept picturing them standing around by the car at the finish, tapping
their feet impatiently, waiting for "the slow guy" to freakin' finish
already.
bj
>
> But then I realized that I could get one nice thing out of this, which
> is a chance to try "hard" running for the first time in something
> longer than a half-mar, to get a feel for what it would be like to try
> to run a marathon up to the standard of my 10k/10M/HM times.
>
If you want another oddball long distance, DCRRC has a 25k in late February.
It's an out & back course at Belle Haven, I think.
bj
ant...@mail.biu.ac.il
Tom - congrats on a well run race - and finishing well inside all your
planned goals.
Always helps to have ideal weather conditions.
I can relate to that fast a start by all the bolters and hauling them
in the
first 2-3 kms.
I've never run a race without at least some contact. Mind you, I'm not
that
far near the front either...
Anthony.
Teresa Bippert-Plymate
for doing it all alone, I find that a lot harder than when running
with others. And thanks for the great report, it was a lot of fun
to read and pretty exciting!
Teresa in AZ
Dan Stumpus
"Tom B." <tom.b...@gmail.com> wrote
> Here's what I learned -- those guys like Dan who can run a marathon in
> sub-6 pace are some tough cats.
My theory on this, having started out with a 3:21 marathon, gotten down to
2:37, and now being old and slow, is that the pain level is independent of
how fast you run. What matters is how much you're willing to hurt on a
given day. My 3:17 last year hurt a *lot* more than any sub 2:40 did (agony
each step on shredded quads), and I had to endure another 40 minutes of fun,
to boot.
> I had a lot of time for my mind to
> wander during the looong solo portion of the race, and I came back to
> that a couple of times. GodDAMN that's fast! By 10 miles at that
> pace, it was getting really hard and I was seriously questioning my
> ability to hold on for 6 more miles.
But you did, and that means you're tough...
> The idea of keeping that up for 16 more is just beyond imagining.
It's easier if you have a 1:14-1:15 half marathon under your belt (which you
could do if you focused on running (this is nag #23 along those lines, I
think)
Ed Prochak
Teresa Bippert-Plymate wrote:
> Wow! Super race Tom! I'll bet you're chuffed to bits! And kudos
> for doing it all alone, I find that a lot harder than when running
> with others. And thanks for the great report, it was a lot of fun
> to read and pretty exciting!
>
> Teresa in AZ
>
And I second Teresa's comments. It can be so easy to slough off the
effort when you get isolated from other runners. Good job in holding
pace and surpassing your prerace goal.
Nice report too. Thanks a lot.
Ed
Ed Prochak
Teresa Bippert-Plymate wrote:
> Wow! Super race Tom! I'll bet you're chuffed to bits! And kudos
> for doing it all alone, I find that a lot harder than when running
> with others. And thanks for the great report, it was a lot of fun
> to read and pretty exciting!
>
> Teresa in AZ
>
And I second Teresa's comments. I can be so easy to slough off the