After a five year layoff, I completed my fifth marathon. Yay. Honestly, I thought it might never end.
It wasn’t even in my mind. When I first got off the couch just six months ago and began preparing to marathon again, the idea of going for a personal record was the furthest thing from my mind. It should have stayed there.
My goal six months ago, actually even until six weeks ago, was just get back in shape, lose the 70 lbs I put on in the intervening years, and to finish the marathon in one piece. That was no small ambition. But then I got this crazy idea.
As my running improved, I began to wonder if was possible that I could set a personal record for the marathon by breaking 4 hours. As Matt as my witness, I tried to talk myself out of this. For that way lies madness. Six months is simply not enough time to go from 70 lbs overweight couch potato to sub 4. I knew this. But…
Over the last weeks of my training, running seemed so easy, my times had improved so much that I decided, against my own better judgment, to go for it.
I decided to run with a pacing group to try and take all the thinking out of it. I would not monitor my own mile splits, let the pacer take care of it. Just run.
Now the pacer is supposed run as close to even splits for the entire marathon. To break 4 hours with about 30 seconds to spare, you need to average about 9:08 per mile.
I lined up with the 4:00 hr pacer, who carries a sign with balloons attached and we went. I didn’t even wear a watch and I didn’t even look at the clocks. I ceded all responsibility for pacing to the pacer. I ceded all responsibility for my pacing to a person I had never met. Yeah.
Honestly, for the first 16 miles I thought that this was the smartest move ever. I was moving along very nicely, never straying more that 50 feet from the pacer. My running felt easy most of the time. I began to think that 4 hrs was mine. It wasn’t.
At mile 16 I began to develop a pain in my right hamstring and it quickly developed. I started to fade off the pace. I tried to catch back up but that only made the pain worse. By mile 17 my right hamstring began to cramp. Badly. I had to stop, stretch, walk, and then try to run again. It just got worse and worse. I was doing more and more walking. Even small hills made my leg scream. Even more walking. The pain got so severe that I even wondered if I might have to quit. But I kept going.
Miles 16 to 21 were a nightmare. I kept trying to run, but my leg would not cooperate. It hurt pretty bad. My gait was now completely off and this caused the rest of me to start hurting as well.
Stop, stretch, walk, run. Rinse. Repeat. I just kept going.
Somehow, when I got to mile 21, I found that I didn’t have to stop as much. From mile 21 on, other than walking through the water stations, I was able to run the rest of the way, albeit at a greatly reduced speed.
I crossed the line relieved but somewhat disappointed in 4:31. Given the nightmare I experienced out there, I guess a 1/2 hr lost could have been a lot worse.
So the question is, what went wrong?
Well, a number of things. Number one, I don’t think I drank enough. It was fairly warm and I skipped a number of water stops. Also, I was probably not fit enough for sub 4, even if my pacing went as planned. But the thing is my pacing strategy did not go as planned. I envisioned that with a professional pacer, to achieve my overall 9:08 pace, that my mile splits would vary from 9:00 to 9:20. I knew that too much under 9:00 and I would be in trouble. My Iphone was on my waist and recorded my mile splits.
Mile 01 – Average 9:35 /mile
Mile 02 – Average 8:45 /mile
Mile 03 – Average 9:01 /mile
Mile 04 – Average 9:16 /mile
Mile 05 – Average 9:24 /mile
Mile 06 – Average 8:44 /mile
Mile 07 – Average 8:05 /mile
Mile 08 – Average 8:56 /mile
Mile 09 – Average 8:38 /mile
Mile 10 – Average 9:05 /mile
Mile 11 – Average 9:16 /mile
Mile 12 – Average 8:54 /mile
Mile 13 – Average 9:02 /mile
Mile 14 – Average 9:01 /mile
Mile 15 – Average 8:30 /mile
Mile 16 – Average 9:06 /mile
Oh boy. Fully seven of my first 16 miles were under 9:00, some of them well under. This kind of pacing was a prescription for disaster for me and disaster is what I got. I should have paced my self. I ceded a responsibility that should have been mine and I payed the price.
But then again, even though it was a slower and more painful experience than need be, I finished the darn thing and now I am officially a marathoner again. Yay. I think I will take a nap now.
November 21, 2011 at 1:51 pm
Well done and with a very respectable time!
November 21, 2011 at 2:36 pm
But you did it! Congrats on finishing and way to go on all your hard work. (And I got scared for you when I heard on the news about a couple runners collapsing- prayed for everyone)
November 21, 2011 at 2:51 pm
Wow. I am sorry that you had to go through that, Patrick. What a nightmare. Especially to have it where you did. Miles 17-21 are just miserable to begin with anyway – (at least I hate them enough to never DO them again.)
But that PACING! What the heck? It almost looks like you had no pacing and that you were just running hills all with the with the same effort.
I sure hope that you take the necessary time off to recover that leg before moving on to the next phase.
Take care!
November 21, 2011 at 2:51 pm
Oh and STILL a very respectable time!
November 21, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Congrats on a job well done!
November 21, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Three cheers! Good for you, Patrick.
November 21, 2011 at 4:20 pm
Awesome!!!! Great job! I'm not a runner (never liked it, even when I was on Active Duty) so anyone that even thinks of doing a marathon has my utmost respect.
November 21, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Finishing only 30 minutes off your goal is amazing given the circumstances! Way to come back, Patrick! Now make sure you get the rest you need before you get back to triathalon training 🙂
November 21, 2011 at 5:17 pm
Well, congratulations on finishing, at least. Pat, I'm a 35yo female who has been running not quite a year, and on a GOOD day my pace is just under 10:00. FWIW, I think you did a fantastic job, especially under difficult circumstances. I hope you enjoy some recovery time off and then lace up them shoes again. Job well done!
November 21, 2011 at 5:42 pm
Good for you for working so hard to get where you are. =) God bless!
November 21, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Congrats! I think what you did was amazing!
November 21, 2011 at 8:55 pm
Take a victory lap
November 21, 2011 at 10:27 pm
Congratulations on finishing Pat!!!!That's an achievement unto its self.
I run with my iphone too and use RunKeeper to hear my pace through called out via my headphones at predefined intervals . Not sure if you can do this in a race, but it is a very nice way to run with music and have a pace coach. lots of other cool features too.
November 21, 2011 at 10:43 pm
It did not go as you envisioned, but you finished quite respectfully. I hope you heal soon and that you continue to run!
November 22, 2011 at 3:35 am
Thank you everyone…you are so kind.
My stupidity only forces me to greater and stupider heights of stupidity.
I will keep running and keep making mistakes. And loving every moment of it. I hope…