1. Your first marathon is a special thing. I wouldn't have changed a single thing about my first marathon. Except for strength training on my legs, but I didn't know that going into my first marathon. Everything went right. Got perfect weather. Started out conservatively. Ran a smart race. Knew I was going to reach my A day goal at mile 20. Almost ran negative splits. Reached my A day goal of finishing in under 4 hours.
2. The only good thing about my second marathon was finishing in under 4 hours. No big PR. Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. I take that back. I never thought I wouldn't finish and didn't get caught up in negative thinking, so that went well. Learn and move on.
3. My third marathon is my current PR. I did a lot of things differently in my training. Got a Garmin, did yoga, added strength training, increased mileage, ran faster, etc. They paid off. Mostly. I got a PR by 2 minutes 30 seconds. Recovery was very easy. Extremely easy. There was one big mistake. I made a miscalculation about the temperature. I checked the hourly forecast right before I left. 60 degrees. Except it was Chicago and there's one problem with temperature readings in cities. It was at least 5-10 degrees warmer than I thought it was. The temperature reading was probably taken somewhere in the suburbs. Cities hold heat. Even though it was 60 somewhere in the Chicago area, it was probably closer to 65-70 in downtown Chicago. That's enough of a difference to need to slow down or adjust expectations. Well, I didn't do that because I didn't realize it was that warm. Note to self. The next time you are not cold while wearing a tank top and shorts, it means it isn't cold. OK, done beating myself up. Learn and move on again. A PR is a PR.
All of my marathon times were within 5 minutes of each other. What's going on?
My guesses:
1) I trained correctly but got the wrong day in Chicago.
2) I ran within my ability but near the top of my ability.
3) I am reaching beyond my ability and don't have the miles/speed to get there yet.
Hmmm.
Showing posts with label cox marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cox marathon. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Cox Marathon - Part II
So here the secret goal from the Cox Providence Rhode Races Marathon. I tried to qualify for Boston. Epic fail. I am laughing because it was quite an epic fail. I was on BQ pace for about the first 15 miles. The technical failure of dropping my iPod and resetting my time at mile 12 really messed with my mental game plan, though. I knew my approximate paces up to that point, but I never got myself to do the mental pace calculations after that. So not only did I not BQ, I didn't PR either. Oh well. You live and learn. I knew it was a risk to try to BQ. I knew there was a very large chance it wouldn't happen. I knew I probably hadn't done the right training. I knew my foot/ankle injury could flare up. I knew that putting too much pressure on myself almost always backfires. Ultimately, it was a combination of the iPod fail and the massive quad muscle fail that did me in. Your race performance is determined by your training. You control your training. Your race performance is also determined by the way things come together on race day. You have no control over how that happens.
I decided ahead of time that I was OK with letting go my goals, in part because I wasn't sure if they were realistic and in part because of the foot/ankle issues. One by one during the race, the goals fell on the ground. Not because of my foot but because of my quads. It's always something you don't expect. And yet, the no-goals-met marathon was a success. I still finished in under 4 hours, so that is a success. I ran 2 marathons in 10 weeks, so that is a success. I wasn't fully healed from an injury, so that is a success. I missed a PR by 2 minutes, but I only missed a PR by 2 minutes on a slightly harder course with much less crowd support and on a day about 10 degrees warmer. So that is a success. I never reached a point where I wanted to quit or didn't think I'd finish, so that is a success. I hit a physical wall but not a mental one, so that is a success. I didn't get bogged down by negative thoughts, even after letting go of every goal, so that is the real success.
The moral of the story? Never underestimate the power of a positive attitude.
I decided ahead of time that I was OK with letting go my goals, in part because I wasn't sure if they were realistic and in part because of the foot/ankle issues. One by one during the race, the goals fell on the ground. Not because of my foot but because of my quads. It's always something you don't expect. And yet, the no-goals-met marathon was a success. I still finished in under 4 hours, so that is a success. I ran 2 marathons in 10 weeks, so that is a success. I wasn't fully healed from an injury, so that is a success. I missed a PR by 2 minutes, but I only missed a PR by 2 minutes on a slightly harder course with much less crowd support and on a day about 10 degrees warmer. So that is a success. I never reached a point where I wanted to quit or didn't think I'd finish, so that is a success. I hit a physical wall but not a mental one, so that is a success. I didn't get bogged down by negative thoughts, even after letting go of every goal, so that is the real success.
The moral of the story? Never underestimate the power of a positive attitude.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Cox Providence Rhode Races Marathon recap
I ran the Cox Providence Rhode Races Marathon on May 1, 2011. Marathon #2. The race starts in downtown Providence, crosses over to East Providence, heads south into Barrington, and then heads back into Providence again. Most of the course follows the area on/around a bike path. The weather was perfect. Sunny, not too hot, slightly breezy.
I missed a PR by 2 minutes and met pretty much none of my goals, but I finished in under 4 hours so I'll call it a success. Given that I had a nagging foot/ankle injury since mid-March, missed several weeks of running due to the injury, was 10 weeks out from marathon #1, and ran semi-injured, that's not too bad. I ran pretty much at my planned pace til mile 12. And then I dropped my iPod, Nike+ stopped my workout, and I had to reset my time. I never got my groove back. Plus my quads were really sore starting at about mile 12-13. The exact same thing happened at the exact same point in my first marathon. I have to figure out why because it is not fun when your quads give out halfway through.
Mile 1-2: Providence. Crossed the start line in less than a minute. It was crowded at the beginning. Didn't see the mile 1 marker. First "hill" is just before mile 2. And then we split off from the half marathon course.
Mile 3: over the bridge to East Providence and through an industrial area
Mile 4-8: hit the hills, one before mile 4 and one at mile 6. Hit mile 5 at 42:15 on the clock. Waaaaay too fast, although it didn't feel too fast.
Mile 9-10: Crescent Park Carousel area. Saw Narragansett Bay. I think I hit mile 10 at 1:23:?? on the clock. A good few minutes under my goal. I knew this was still too fast but still didn't feel too fast. My foot was feeling mostly OK but my quads weren't. Took 2 Tylenol.
Mile 11-12: First section on the bike path. An area I have ran on many many times.
Mile 12: Dropped my iPod. Nike+ ended my workout. I had to reset my time and start again. Thought it was a good time to take a walk break to fix my iPod and eat some pretzels. Plus my quads were hurting. I was planning on taking a break at about 12 miles anyway.
Mile 13-14: Barrington. Passed mile 13.1 at 1:49:?? on the clock. Really rough road surfaces. I was not expecting this. Barrington is one of the wealthiest towns in Rhode Island. I thought they'd have better roads. But got some nice views of Narragansett Bay again.
Mile 15: Back on the bike path, still heading south. I think I was still pretty much on pace til about this point. Passed mile 15 at low 2 hour mark. But I had stopped keeping track of my time and pace. I was losing it. Mentally felt OK but was physically hurting. I could have pushed myself had I not had previous quad pain experience. At least I didn't let negative thoughts get to me.
Mile 16-19: On roads. Still in Barrington but starting to head north towards Providence. I don't remember much about this part. Mostly run-walking.
Mile 20-23: Back on the bike path in East Providence. Hit the 20 mile mark at 2:53:?? on the clock. The best area of crowd support was in Riverside, near where my running buddies and I meet to start our long runs. Downtown Providence was in sight at about mile 22. Short but steep hill just before mile 23. My running buddies were waiting for me at mile 23/24. I so needed to see them.
Mile 24: Narrow pedestrian bridge over a river to get back into Providence, then India Point Park with posters made by Team in Training.
Mile 25: No man's land in Providence. Very little crowd support.
Mile 26: Downtown Providence. Saw the 26 mile marker lying on the ground, so I wasn't completely sure it was the mile marker.
Mile 26.2: Finished on a slight uphill.
Pros - generally well organized, great volunteers, good course support (except traffic enforcement in 1 area ... but that is more of an issue with rude RI drivers), split off from the half marathon at mile 2, nice views of Narragansett Bay and Providence, aid stations were stocked, gear check was fast and easy, fairly flat, local race for me (can't beat leaving for the race an hour before the start and still having plenty of time to spare)
Cons - some really rough road surfaces around miles 13-14 (worse than NOLA), difficulty passing people on the pedestrian bridge (not a problem for me but can be difficult if runners don't understand how to pass or yield to other runners), course was semi-closed, bikers were on the bike path (although the bikers were less problematic than I expected), many turns on the course, crowd support was OK but was nonexistent in many areas
Overall, I'd say Cox is an OK marathon. I've ran the Rhode Races half marathon every year since it started in 2008. They had some major issues in the past but have improved a lot. I run on most of the course for my long runs, so I am familiar with the area. I knew the marathon was small (~1200 finishers). I knew the pedestrian bridge could be a problem and I knew crowd support wouldn't be that good. And I entered the race anyway. I probably won't run it again, and I'm not sure I'd recommend it. It is definitely not a good first marathon or one I would travel to, but it is an OK choice for a local marathon.
I missed a PR by 2 minutes and met pretty much none of my goals, but I finished in under 4 hours so I'll call it a success. Given that I had a nagging foot/ankle injury since mid-March, missed several weeks of running due to the injury, was 10 weeks out from marathon #1, and ran semi-injured, that's not too bad. I ran pretty much at my planned pace til mile 12. And then I dropped my iPod, Nike+ stopped my workout, and I had to reset my time. I never got my groove back. Plus my quads were really sore starting at about mile 12-13. The exact same thing happened at the exact same point in my first marathon. I have to figure out why because it is not fun when your quads give out halfway through.
Mile 1-2: Providence. Crossed the start line in less than a minute. It was crowded at the beginning. Didn't see the mile 1 marker. First "hill" is just before mile 2. And then we split off from the half marathon course.
Mile 3: over the bridge to East Providence and through an industrial area
Mile 4-8: hit the hills, one before mile 4 and one at mile 6. Hit mile 5 at 42:15 on the clock. Waaaaay too fast, although it didn't feel too fast.
Mile 9-10: Crescent Park Carousel area. Saw Narragansett Bay. I think I hit mile 10 at 1:23:?? on the clock. A good few minutes under my goal. I knew this was still too fast but still didn't feel too fast. My foot was feeling mostly OK but my quads weren't. Took 2 Tylenol.
Mile 11-12: First section on the bike path. An area I have ran on many many times.
Mile 12: Dropped my iPod. Nike+ ended my workout. I had to reset my time and start again. Thought it was a good time to take a walk break to fix my iPod and eat some pretzels. Plus my quads were hurting. I was planning on taking a break at about 12 miles anyway.
Mile 13-14: Barrington. Passed mile 13.1 at 1:49:?? on the clock. Really rough road surfaces. I was not expecting this. Barrington is one of the wealthiest towns in Rhode Island. I thought they'd have better roads. But got some nice views of Narragansett Bay again.
Mile 15: Back on the bike path, still heading south. I think I was still pretty much on pace til about this point. Passed mile 15 at low 2 hour mark. But I had stopped keeping track of my time and pace. I was losing it. Mentally felt OK but was physically hurting. I could have pushed myself had I not had previous quad pain experience. At least I didn't let negative thoughts get to me.
Mile 16-19: On roads. Still in Barrington but starting to head north towards Providence. I don't remember much about this part. Mostly run-walking.
Mile 20-23: Back on the bike path in East Providence. Hit the 20 mile mark at 2:53:?? on the clock. The best area of crowd support was in Riverside, near where my running buddies and I meet to start our long runs. Downtown Providence was in sight at about mile 22. Short but steep hill just before mile 23. My running buddies were waiting for me at mile 23/24. I so needed to see them.
Mile 24: Narrow pedestrian bridge over a river to get back into Providence, then India Point Park with posters made by Team in Training.
Mile 25: No man's land in Providence. Very little crowd support.
Mile 26: Downtown Providence. Saw the 26 mile marker lying on the ground, so I wasn't completely sure it was the mile marker.
Mile 26.2: Finished on a slight uphill.
Pros - generally well organized, great volunteers, good course support (except traffic enforcement in 1 area ... but that is more of an issue with rude RI drivers), split off from the half marathon at mile 2, nice views of Narragansett Bay and Providence, aid stations were stocked, gear check was fast and easy, fairly flat, local race for me (can't beat leaving for the race an hour before the start and still having plenty of time to spare)
Cons - some really rough road surfaces around miles 13-14 (worse than NOLA), difficulty passing people on the pedestrian bridge (not a problem for me but can be difficult if runners don't understand how to pass or yield to other runners), course was semi-closed, bikers were on the bike path (although the bikers were less problematic than I expected), many turns on the course, crowd support was OK but was nonexistent in many areas
Overall, I'd say Cox is an OK marathon. I've ran the Rhode Races half marathon every year since it started in 2008. They had some major issues in the past but have improved a lot. I run on most of the course for my long runs, so I am familiar with the area. I knew the marathon was small (~1200 finishers). I knew the pedestrian bridge could be a problem and I knew crowd support wouldn't be that good. And I entered the race anyway. I probably won't run it again, and I'm not sure I'd recommend it. It is definitely not a good first marathon or one I would travel to, but it is an OK choice for a local marathon.
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