By the time I committed to run my first marathon, I had been thinking about running a marathon for a while. Well over a year. Something always got in the way, though. I wasn't sure I had the time. I didn't like running outside in the cold. I didn't have the desire or motivation to train for and run a marathon.
Then I completed my first 20-mile run. There was no reason why I ran that 20-mile run. I was training for a fall half marathon. I didn't need to run that far. I went along with friends who were training for marathons. And yet it wasn't awful. I figured I'd run 15 miles and then stop, but at 15 miles, I said, "Eh. What's another 5 miles?" Yes, it was hard at the end. Yes, I was sore the next day. Yes, I had a boost in my confidence. It was time for a marathon.
That confidence boost was probably the biggest reason why I plunked down and committed to a marathon. I believed I could do it.
I briefly considered switching from a half to full marathon that fall, but one great 20-mile run does not mean you are ready for a marathon. It was a smart move. I wasn't physically ready for a marathon, but more importantly I wasn't mentally ready for a marathon. Well, I PRed at the half marathon after PRing at another half marathon two weeks earlier (and one week after the 20 miler). I was pleased with my half marathon performances. It was definitely time.
I decided to pick one of the Rock N Roll marathons. I had another Rock N Roll race already lined up, and I wanted a Heavy Medal. I had a cancelled airline ticket that I had to use up soon. So I picked Rock N Roll Mardi Gras in New Orleans. There were 16 weeks before the race (I started at week 3 of my 18-week plan instead of week 1, and even that was a step back from my half marathon training), it was flat, and there were reasonable reviews on Marathon Guide. I plotted a training plan. I ran all winter. Off I went to New Orleans. Good things happened. I'm not sure I'd recommend Rock N Roll New Orleans as a first marathon (due to changes in the second half of the course that make it very isolated), but it was a good first marathon choice the year I ran. The weather, my race strategy, and the flat course got me to the finish line a full 4 minutes 30 seconds under my perfect day goal.
I was hooked. Yes, I liked marathons. In some ways, the marathon itself was the icing on the cake. It was more about the journey. I learned more from training for marathons that I ever imagined, and definitely more than from marathons themselves. In little more than a year, I now have 5 marathons on the books, 2 BQ marathons, 1 more planned for this year, and at least 1 planned for next spring. Big ones, small ones, and everything in between. Not perfect races, perfect races, and everything in between yet again.
Showing posts with label mardi gras marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mardi gras marathon. Show all posts
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Thoughts on Marathons 1, 2, and 3
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.
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.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Rock N Roll Mardi Gras Marathon recap
I ran the Rock N Roll Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans on February 13, 2011 as my first marathon. It was one of those races where the course, the weather, and my training came together. The weather was perfect ... cool at the start (around 40) but it warmed up (to the high 50s), sunny, and a gentle breeze at times.
Miles 1-2: The wave start actually worked. It took 13 minutes for me to reach the start line, but I went over the line running and had plenty of room to move. One of the most boring stretches. Levee on one side. Nothing interesting on the other side. But it was at the beginning of the race so it didn't matter. Everyone was excited.
Miles 2-7: Garden District. Nice houses. Aerial pictures taken at the 5K mark. Hit 5K at 28:41 (9:14 pace). Split off from the half marathoners at mile 5. Hit 10K at 56:55 (9:10 pace).
Miles 7-8: Audubon Park. I think this was my favorite part of the whole race. I really really liked the mossy trees in the park.
Miles 9-12: St. Charles Ave. Quick pit stop at mile 9. One of the worst streets in terms of road surface, but one of the most scenic areas. The half marathoners were on the other side of the street.
Miles 12-13: Downtown New Orleans. Not terribly scenic but at least the road surface was better. Water stop with Elvises (Elvises? Elvi?). Hit the halfway point at 1:56:36 (8:54 pace).
Miles 13-14: Edge of the French Quarter. There was a giant blow-up rocker spanning the road. Rock n roll onward.
Miles 14-17: Esplanade Ave. Also one of the worst streets in terms of road surface. My quads really started to hurt. I have never had that happen. I am still not sure why, but it's either because 1) I didn't drink enough water in the beginning of the race or 2) I didn't warm up or stretch enough or 3) I was getting cramps or 4) my quads are not as strong as I thought and I need to do some strength training. This part was kinda cruel because the half marathoners were on the other side of the street. Hearing "You're almost done" is great for half marathoners, but not for marathoners who still have 10+ miles to go. Hit 16.8 miles at 2:27:01 supposedly with a blazing fast pace of 8:27. I think this timing mat was in the wrong place. There is no way I made up over 20 seconds per mile since the halfway point. I don't think I sped up or slowed down significantly. If the mat was actually at 16.7 miles, then I was at an 8:48 pace. That's reasonable. I didn't pay attention to this mat anyway because it was in an odd unexpected place.
Miles 17-21: Along the edge of City Park up to Lake Ponchartrain. Crowd support was dwindling. My quads still hurt. One of the water stops had mini martinis. Stopped briefly to stretch at around mile 19. Hit the 20 mile mark at 2:55:44 (8:47 pace). I knew I had to run a 9:09 pace to run a sub-4 hour marathon. I knew a 9 minute pace was 3 hours even. I was right around that pace. I also knew that I would break 4 hours even if I slowed down. I almost started to cry. I was going to meet my "perfect day" goal on my first time out.
Miles 22-25: The "tail." Up to the lake. Turned left, made a U-turn, ran, made another U-turn, then turned left again to head back down to City Park. I was surprised at the pale blue color of Lake Ponchartrain. Beautiful.
My quads were still really really hurting. There was no reason to knock myself out. So I started taking more walk breaks. Mentally, I still had it. Physically, not so much. When you physically lose it, you need all of your mental skills to keep going. The mental training got me through the last miles.
Miles 25-26: City Park. Almost done. More nice mossy trees. I passed the 25 mile marker at just under 3:57 on the clock. I started about 13 minutes after the gun went off, so my time was around 3:44. I was going to comfortably finish under 4 hours.
The last 1/2 mile or so my iPod picked me The Saints Are Coming by U2 and Green Day. Well, wasn't that appropriate for New Orleans? The last mile or so wove through the park and around the New Orleans Museum of Art. I couldn't actually see the finish line until I passed the 26 mile marker.
Mile 26.2: Finished under a beautiful canopy of mossy trees. I am a marathoner!!
What I Liked: flat course, perfect weather, nice tour of New Orleans, the water stop with the bunch of Elvises, clocks at every mile marker, overall well-organized, bands on the course about every mile (most of the bands were really good), people in costumes, walking to the start line with a jazz band (thanks to DetermiNation), good size so that I was never alone, wave start kept the course from being too crowded, post-race shuttles were plentiful, text message tracking actually worked in real time (it was a paid system, but it was worth it), plenty of port-a-potties on the course
What I Didn't Like: gear check was hard to find at the end of the race, potholes and uneven road surfaces*, not too much crowd support in the higher miles, Cytomax on the course (uh, where's the Gatorade?)
*The road surfaces weren't a deal breaker for me. I knew about this even before I signed up and decided to register anyway. A local told me about the camber (slant to the roads, especially at the edges, to improve drainage). That was an important piece of advice. I would not have noticed the slant, but because I knew about it I tried to stay away from the edges of the road. I knew I had to be careful of my footing and literally paid attention to every step on the really bad stretches of road. It wasn't that much different than running in Rhode Island in the winter. I am used to potholes and watching for ice patches.
My pace was very consistent until mile 20. I actually ran faster at every split up to mile 20 (not counting the 16.8 mile time which has to be off). At mile 20, I knew I was going to finish in under 4 hours. So I slowed down. I finished in 3:55:27 with an 8:59 pace. I was aiming for a 9:10 pace. Under 4 hours was my "perfect day" goal. Well, I got a perfect day. Who says you can't have a time goal and have fun in your first marathon? I work well with picking a pace and trying to stick to it. Loved the scenery, loved the bands on the course, loved New Orleans.
Overall I had a great experience with the Mardi Gras Marathon. I am glad I picked it as my first marathon. Course and crowd support were good and it was just the right size. The bands on the course were motivating and played good music. I would run it again, although I have many more races on my list until I repeat marathons.
Miles 1-2: The wave start actually worked. It took 13 minutes for me to reach the start line, but I went over the line running and had plenty of room to move. One of the most boring stretches. Levee on one side. Nothing interesting on the other side. But it was at the beginning of the race so it didn't matter. Everyone was excited.
Miles 2-7: Garden District. Nice houses. Aerial pictures taken at the 5K mark. Hit 5K at 28:41 (9:14 pace). Split off from the half marathoners at mile 5. Hit 10K at 56:55 (9:10 pace).
Miles 7-8: Audubon Park. I think this was my favorite part of the whole race. I really really liked the mossy trees in the park.
Miles 9-12: St. Charles Ave. Quick pit stop at mile 9. One of the worst streets in terms of road surface, but one of the most scenic areas. The half marathoners were on the other side of the street.
Miles 12-13: Downtown New Orleans. Not terribly scenic but at least the road surface was better. Water stop with Elvises (Elvises? Elvi?). Hit the halfway point at 1:56:36 (8:54 pace).
Miles 13-14: Edge of the French Quarter. There was a giant blow-up rocker spanning the road. Rock n roll onward.
Miles 14-17: Esplanade Ave. Also one of the worst streets in terms of road surface. My quads really started to hurt. I have never had that happen. I am still not sure why, but it's either because 1) I didn't drink enough water in the beginning of the race or 2) I didn't warm up or stretch enough or 3) I was getting cramps or 4) my quads are not as strong as I thought and I need to do some strength training. This part was kinda cruel because the half marathoners were on the other side of the street. Hearing "You're almost done" is great for half marathoners, but not for marathoners who still have 10+ miles to go. Hit 16.8 miles at 2:27:01 supposedly with a blazing fast pace of 8:27. I think this timing mat was in the wrong place. There is no way I made up over 20 seconds per mile since the halfway point. I don't think I sped up or slowed down significantly. If the mat was actually at 16.7 miles, then I was at an 8:48 pace. That's reasonable. I didn't pay attention to this mat anyway because it was in an odd unexpected place.
Miles 17-21: Along the edge of City Park up to Lake Ponchartrain. Crowd support was dwindling. My quads still hurt. One of the water stops had mini martinis. Stopped briefly to stretch at around mile 19. Hit the 20 mile mark at 2:55:44 (8:47 pace). I knew I had to run a 9:09 pace to run a sub-4 hour marathon. I knew a 9 minute pace was 3 hours even. I was right around that pace. I also knew that I would break 4 hours even if I slowed down. I almost started to cry. I was going to meet my "perfect day" goal on my first time out.
Miles 22-25: The "tail." Up to the lake. Turned left, made a U-turn, ran, made another U-turn, then turned left again to head back down to City Park. I was surprised at the pale blue color of Lake Ponchartrain. Beautiful.
Miles 25-26: City Park. Almost done. More nice mossy trees. I passed the 25 mile marker at just under 3:57 on the clock. I started about 13 minutes after the gun went off, so my time was around 3:44. I was going to comfortably finish under 4 hours.
Mile 26.2: Finished under a beautiful canopy of mossy trees. I am a marathoner!!
What I Liked: flat course, perfect weather, nice tour of New Orleans, the water stop with the bunch of Elvises, clocks at every mile marker, overall well-organized, bands on the course about every mile (most of the bands were really good), people in costumes, walking to the start line with a jazz band (thanks to DetermiNation), good size so that I was never alone, wave start kept the course from being too crowded, post-race shuttles were plentiful, text message tracking actually worked in real time (it was a paid system, but it was worth it), plenty of port-a-potties on the course
What I Didn't Like: gear check was hard to find at the end of the race, potholes and uneven road surfaces*, not too much crowd support in the higher miles, Cytomax on the course (uh, where's the Gatorade?)
*The road surfaces weren't a deal breaker for me. I knew about this even before I signed up and decided to register anyway. A local told me about the camber (slant to the roads, especially at the edges, to improve drainage). That was an important piece of advice. I would not have noticed the slant, but because I knew about it I tried to stay away from the edges of the road. I knew I had to be careful of my footing and literally paid attention to every step on the really bad stretches of road. It wasn't that much different than running in Rhode Island in the winter. I am used to potholes and watching for ice patches.
My pace was very consistent until mile 20. I actually ran faster at every split up to mile 20 (not counting the 16.8 mile time which has to be off). At mile 20, I knew I was going to finish in under 4 hours. So I slowed down. I finished in 3:55:27 with an 8:59 pace. I was aiming for a 9:10 pace. Under 4 hours was my "perfect day" goal. Well, I got a perfect day. Who says you can't have a time goal and have fun in your first marathon? I work well with picking a pace and trying to stick to it. Loved the scenery, loved the bands on the course, loved New Orleans.
Overall I had a great experience with the Mardi Gras Marathon. I am glad I picked it as my first marathon. Course and crowd support were good and it was just the right size. The bands on the course were motivating and played good music. I would run it again, although I have many more races on my list until I repeat marathons.
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