Good news: I improved my marathon time by 11:13 which is great. The only other marathon I've run was the NYC Marathon last year (excluding Ironman) where I did a 3:55:38. Bad news: I missed qualifying for the Boston Marathon by 3:26 - so close but no cigar! Man!
I'm kinda bummed I didn't qualify but I can't be upset because I improved my time by a lot. And, I'm really happy with my performance with the factors that played into this race. One, I never REALLY gave myself a rest after Ironman - I was doing an oly tri 3 weeks after and then a half the second weekend of September. With recovery after the half, I had 3 solid weeks of training for the marathon which included three 20 miles on the weekends. My nutrition has gone down the drain and I'm not sure why I thought eating healthy the week leading up to Baystate would somehow make up for the last 2 1/2 months. The weather has been freakishly cold for October (well, all summer at that) and this morning it was 40 degrees with a feels like 33 degrees, windy, overcast skies and 80% chance of rain. Mentally, I was checked out of race mode after the Pumpkinman Half. So considering all the above, I'm extremely proud of my time today and it only gives me better hope for a chance of qualifying next year. Now, on to the race...
It was an 8am start. I met Kathleen and Brian (from work), Kathleen was doing the marathon, Brian the half, in the arena where check in was and shortly after we headed to the race start.
After saying goodbye to Justin and Jen, we hunted down the 3:40 pacer. This is a 1,000 person race so it wasn't too hard to find the pacer and get a spot close by. For the first 7 miles or so the rain held out but once it started raining, it rained. With the rain, it felt cold and with my clothes soaked, I started freezing up. I held strong till about mile 21 where even grabbing a cup of water hurt because my hands were so cold. I stuck with the pacer till mile 20 and was feeling awesome about a qualifying time, too. I guess that's the thrill of racing long distance... you never know when things will go right or wrong and how. The other runners were awesome and everyone was in good spirits. I liked the pace group I was with - a good group of peeps to run with.
Throughout the race, the 3:40 pacer switched out 3 times. This mentally deflated me a bit because while I know they are doing this to guarantee a true finish time, I would like the same pacer to pace us the entire time so that their bodies can adjust to the mileage we are putting in and pace us off how we all feel. The last pacer that came in was told we were behind our time by 1 minute (which I disagree with) which seemed to have translated to like 5 minutes to her as she booked away from the pack. None of the group stuck with her as her sprint with fresh legs was just not doable for us with 20 miles under our belt. It was now my responsibility to finish this race on my own.
Clearly I slowed down enough in those last 6 miles to come up short. When I hit the last mile marker, I had about 6 mins left on my watch to qualify. I tried to pick up the pace but my body was saying no. I hit 3:41:00 as I turned off the street into the final finishing area, which honestly was a let down for being so close but I was also so happy for doing such a great time and just finishing. It was cold at the finish and I was shaking. I B-lined it to the bathroom to change into dry clothes which oddly, did not warm me up.
At the end of the day, it's another marathon I've successfully completed! I think I'll be back at Baystate next year to try to get my 3:40 and will cross my fingers for better weather! =)
Thanks for Jus and Jen for coming out on a gross day and cheering me on. I envied you two as you drove by in the car screaming out the window with cheers.
NOW, it's officially the end of my race season - time to be lazy and put some weight on before we do this all over again next year! hahahaha.
Getting my stuff ready at race check-in 
Mad at Jen for dropping out of the Marathon :(
Race start
3:40 pace group - I'm the one in the grey shirt in the middle!
Headed for the finish - oh the rain.
Jus and I after the race!
4 comments:
You know, I forgot you didn't really take a recovery after IMLP. That's even more self assurance that you easily have a BQ in your legs. Enjoy your 'getting fat' period, I'm just coming off mine today!
Congratulations Lizzy! You did awesome! And better than I could ever do, so kudos to that!
However... picture #2 seems to be a recurring picture at races. :)
Now go eat some food!!!
Joey- yea, i think this gave me a good perspective on how rested up i need to be for a marathon in order to do a fast time - next year i'm going to plan my race schedule out far better than I did this year!
Cork - Thanks! It would have been fun for you to have done the half - maybe next year? Yes, pic #2 is a recurring pictures, hm.. and jenny always seems to look so happy in them to..hahaha.
And, yes, I will thoroughly enjoy my lazy days ahead! : )
Yes, I will definitely want to sign up for the half next year. :)
Post a Comment