I trained 480 miles from December 20, 2011 for this race. I started with Hal Higdon's beginners 2 and did that faithfully for 11 weeks. I started out pretty much cold having run perhaps once or twice a month since my first half marathon in October 2010, the Other Half. I trained about 155 miles for that race, but did not train for the three weeks leading up to the race having started a new job. My time then was 1:47:36 and I really struggled in the last half starting with the mile 7 hill.
This time around, as my pace quickly improved, I started to read a lot more and I mixed in a bit of speed work starting week 12. My first time trial came with the Striders 10 miler in week 12. I finished that in 7:07 miles. Given the hilliness of the race, I began setting pace targets of 7:00 threshold pushing into the high 6s and 7:30 marathon pace.
In week 13, I went to the IHC running lab to get a lactate threshold test and was saddened to learn that my threshold predicted 8:00 marathon miles. With six weeks to go, I didn't have much time to increase my threshold, but I was told of some areas of focus that could push my pace toward the 7:30 mark. I learned of Jack Daniels and the McMillan running calculator at this point and did two speed sessions a week until the last week.
Three weeks prior, I did the Riverton Half in 1:33:04, goal was to break 90 minutes but hilly and a windy day. With this evidence, I felt I could target a 3:10 marathon three weeks later, even though McMillan predicted me in the 3:16 range. This was also against the advice of my millimole build-up, but I thought I may as well lay it all out there.
Against the advice I'd read, I went out too fast averaging 7:10 over my first five miles with a 6:58 mile 3. I was at a 7:20 pace through mile 20 when the cramps in my legs (which I started to feel in my right quad at about the half-way mark) and overall fatigue took over. The last six miles were 7:49, 7:58, 8:27, 8:14, 8:54 and 9:07. As nobody passed me, I assumed most other runners were suffering a similar fate.
Still, I am proud of this time for a first marathon. I am happy that I only missed three training days and added workouts in the last six weeks. I am excited that the few nagging injuries I had did not become serious and I ran the marathon injury free. I am also very happy that I shed 20 excess pounds and I am now closer to my ideal weight.
I ran track in school from 8th through 11th grade. I don't remember precisely, but I believe my PRs are 5:01 for a mile, 10:20 for two miles and 16:20 for a 5k. That was when I was 6' and 120 pounds. I ran with Teren Jameson in jr. high and he and Adam Stark in high school. I never really improved my mile from jr. high when Teren and I were competitive and I always felt that I wasted my potential - partially because of poor work ethic and partially because I hated it so much. I now love it, I am running injury free and I am hoping to prove to myself that I can run somewhat competitively at the local level. With work and two young boys, this may prove somewhat of a challenge but we'll see... | 