Hi guys.
I'd like to first thank all the K-stars for the amazing support I received throughout my training and the continued motivation to run on a weekly basis. In particular I'd like to thank Mike Kim for designing my training program (not followed to the letter, admittedly, but then again I never follow anything to the letter), Abe for helping with my weekly "meat & potatoes" runs and Galen for some excruciatingly hilly weekend long runs.
I'm glad to report little by way of visions and short circuitry. Whereas previously (i.e CIM) the limiting factor was my cardio output, today was different. A few personal notes and observations I'll share with those who care to read further.
I ran the first half easily. The steep downhill grade allowed me to average in the neighborhood of 6:45. This was about 5 sec faster per mile than I needed for my goal, a sub 3:00 marathon. I purposely ran directly behind slower runners so as to avoid the desire to bank a few seconds here or there. I quite literally felt like I was jogging the first 8 miles, abiding the single rule I set - "you don't have permission to try until after mile 8". And I did. Mile 8 was as easy as mile 1. I decided that since I was ahead of pace I would remain at an easy pace at least until mile 10. And I did. I remembered that around mile 16 things would start climbing. I threw in a couple of pseudo :30 sec. accelerations to loosen up my legs and see how I was feeling. All was good, my perceived exertion (PE) was about a 3 out of 10 (4 steps per breath - my preferred off the cuff metric for PE). I decided to keep at this easy pace and save as much energy for a strong kick after the Newton hills were passed, about mile 21.
It's worth noting here that over the past few weeks/months I've been modifying my running mechanics, tweaking my form to be more efficient. Prompting this decision was my Kaiser 1/2 marathon performance. From the first mile I could feel my calves giving me trouble. By the end they quite literally felt like an overinflated balloon primed to pop. Walking was painful for several days. Indeed my assessment of the sub-par performance (1:27) was that the weakest link was my calves. This was a problem I'd had since taking up running a few years ago and figured the human soleus can only take so much abuse before it rebels. So Mike Kim and I would frequently compare running biomechanics notes on longer runs. Consciously taking stock of every nuance has proven invaluable towards correcting certain running deficiencies/inefficiencies. Most importantly of these corrections is that I've been able to shift the stress from my calves to the stronger glutes and quads. My stride has evened out, lengthened automatically and my calves are no longer an issue. During training I've felt extremely fast and strong as a result, my stride much more natural.
Miles 11 through 16 were more of the same: easy, fast and very relaxed. I guardedly thought to myself this could be easier than expected. I quickly banished these thoughts knowing what happened in my last marathon (First half fast, second half crawling with religious visions). I kept strong, and relaxed, trying to edge as close to 6:50 as possible. The undulating terrain made this somewhat difficult, constantly needing to readjust faster or slower.
Mile 16 was where I told myself I'd start easing up even more to take Newton with ease. My training included hills in every shape and length: marin headlands, cliff house, GG park, sausalito, east bay trails - paying special attention to hitting my quads on the downhills as hard as possible. I also threw in hills at the end of my runs in anticipation for Heartbreak hill. I should have the reserves to do this, I thought.
But I could tell that something wasn't right when I checked my watch and the even pace was abruptly knocked by :30 sec. I figured this was ok - to be expected even. But the next mile was little better, though I tried to correct. I further reasoned that averaging under pace afforded me the luxury of keeping this slowed pace on Newton. Even if I came out exactly at pace by mile 21 I could surely have something left to edge in under 6:50 on the downhills. I didn't worry about the slowed pace. by mile 18 or 19 I realized the temperature was really picking up. I grabbed a gatorade (I never do this) and an orange a few stops later. I was definitely hitting the wall but only mildly. I could hang on. I did my 3rd and last GU and decided to dig in after mile 20. My quads were starting to burn. Mile 21 was slow, despite my efforts. I gave myself some encouragement and pressed on. With the last hill behind me I decided it was now or never. I pushed, attempting to get below 7:00/mile. I realized that the constant up-down had trashed my quads, each step no longer a dull burning as per the up hill, but rather an acute stab of pain. A few miles out I knew I still had a chance of mounting a final attack but my best wasn't good enough with the increasing heat (ditched my hat & gloves along the way), slight headwind, shooting pain and glycogen depletion.
Let's just say I worked as hard as the damage allowed me for the final miles. I missed my goal by three minutes+. But I felt great at the end, knowing all was left behind the finish. I started at number 4829 and finished somewhere in the 1500's, and requalified for Boston next year - not a bad consolation prize!
For those interested, rough mile splits below:
mile 1: 7:00 mile 2: 6:41 mile 3: 6:46 mile 4: 6:46 mile 5: 7:00 mile 6: 6:45 mile 7: 6:47 mile 8: 6:50 mile 9: 6:48 mile 10: 6:48 mile 11: 6:45 mile 12: 6:34 mile 13: 6:48 mile 14: 6:43 mile 15: 6:56 mile 16: 6:44 mile 17: 7:14 mile 18: 7:12 mile 19: 7:12 mile 20: 7:33 mile 21: 7:54 mile 22: 7:10 mile 23: 7:22 mile 24: 7:03 mile 25: 7:21 last mile+: 9:04
For those interested, training weekly mileage below: (training program by Mike Kim - with infinite gratitude!!): note: These miles are lower than recommended.
wk   miles 18   52 17   22 16   41 15   34.5 14   50 13   23 12   40 11   16 10   52.5 9   39 8   57 7   22 6   59 5   47 4   35.5 3   55.5 2   33 1   32 0   8
total = 719 miles avg/wk = 37.8 mi/wk