Sorry for the delayed report--my best laid GPS-and-text-message-enhanced plans fell apart! The plan was carried out, and the race went well. I went through ten miles in 57:21 according to the watch, and probably 57:45 according to the course markers. I wish I had done manual splits, as it would be nice to know the last 5k based on the course markings, and not the GPS. I guess either could be inaccurate, but I'm betting the course was way closer. Anyway, that puts the last 5k at 16:33 by the watch, and 16:41 by the course. That was around what I thought I could do, so I was happy with that finish.
I felt great overall, both through the first ten marathon pace miles and the last 5k. The weather was difficult at times, with the full complement of cold, rain, and wind during the race to keep things interesting. In the first four miles, we had some serious rain and wind, which made me worry a bit about hypothermia. I've never been soaking wet in 40F temps, let alone in 20 mile an hour winds. Not fun. During the third mile, we crossed the 10th Street bridge, which represented the worst of the course. The wind barrelled down the tree-lined Mississippi River canyon, driving the cold rain so hard that it appeared to be bouncing off of the bridge railing back up into my face. I was between groups of runners at the time, working my way up through the early speedsters. At just under five miles, I was in no man's land by around ten seconds. I had to make a decision to use some hills that were coming up to bridge the gap to a group that appeared to be running around my speed. I was able to make up the gap, and by six miles, I was settled in with another runner, John, a 2:27 marathoner. We had a good conversation over the next several miles, which was surprising to me considering the pace we were running. The wind was still a factor through nine miles, but it felt like a light breeze compared to the gale that hit us while crossing the bridge.
At ten miles, I set out on my own to reel in anyone I could, and over the next three miles, I would get one, and get close to another. It took a bit to figure out how fast I could push, but once I did, I felt like I was flying. I had another runner in my sights for the last quarter mile, but he was looking back and adjusting his effort to hold me off. I kept hammering as hard as I could, but I would only get within three seconds or so.
Here are the splits from the GPS:
5:43(157) | 5:46(161) | 5:49(163) | 5:38(163) | 5:35(165) | 5:41(164) | 5:55(163) | 5:45(161) | 5:49(161) | 5:42(160) | 5:32(167) | 5:14(170) | 5:12(172) | :34(175)
Good run.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
5 comments:
Nice work today Eric. It's amazing you can throw down three miles (and especially the last two) at such a fast speed with ten marathon pace miles in the bank. What a great exercise in holding back. I'm hoping this display of patience, coupled with the ability to throw down at the end will visit again come marathon day.
Good "workout".
Awesome report. You exercised patience. Nice medium goal accomplished. Put a big check mark on your magnet plan on your fridge.
Awesome race, and well done on the turbo boost after mile 10. That must have been a seriously competitive field, if 1:14 is only good enough for 9th!
Thanks, guys. I hope the second ten miles of the marathon goes as well as the first ten of this race. I'll be in good position if so.
The race was as competitive as ever this year. The leaders were out around 5:00 pace and held pretty close to that for the balance of the race, with the first two finishing in 1:07:21--a course record. Top five were all under 1:12, so it was a solid field up front.
I like the half marathon distance. I may have to skip the spring marathon next year and do some halfs and some of the larger, early-season races in Minnesota. The crowds are great, the fields are competitive. It's very exciting.
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