These kind of got buried under a huge race report, so I thought I would pull them into a separate entry and answer them.
It is hard for someone like me...a nonrunner for sure, to even imagine what the race and training was like...so I have a question for you. You really ran 26 miles at the same pace? Just as fast at the end as in the beginning? How much farther could you go at that pace?
Yes, 26+ miles, but not at the same pace. Much faster at the end. =) Seriously, the pace varied anywhere from around 6:00 per mile at the slowest to 5:00 per mile at the fastest. Most miles were very close to the overall average of 5:44 per mile. I did run the last couple of miles significantly faster than average pace, though--no joke! How much further? Maybe another 15-20 minutes at my average pace. Maybe another 5 minutes at my finishing pace. I was still feeling good, so it's possible. I wouldn't want to keep going though! Race is over!
And then another question...I know from reading your story that you asked a couple of times how far back Rotich was, but did you look over your shoulder at all? Do you think you ran faster from not knowing how close behind you he was or did you just stay with your pace?
I don't look back. I ran as fast as I thought was sensible based on how I was feeling, my fueling, etc. With two miles to go in a marathon, things can change quickly, so you still have to manage risk. I wasn't going all out until half a mile to go, because I knew he wasn't right behind me, there was no risk of losing my position, and it could have been disastrous to go too early. But, if he had been right on my heels or even a bit ahead of me, I would have unleashed hell over the final two miles to win that race! You just have to do what makes sense based on the situation.
Thanks for the questions, Cheryl!
Ni!
4 comments:
Since you're answering fan mail...
After a cursory look through your archives I saw only a few references to strength training. How much of what are you able to squeeze into your schedule?
You also mentioned doling out your mental effort in thirds through the race. To what extent beyond the increased mileage of high intensity running do you think the treadmill miles play in keeping your head in the race through the middle and later miles?
I like how you raced the closing stages and weren't just running for a time.
The fella I was telling you about ran 2:22:54 in Kyoto (late '80s) - he'd run sub-2:30 prior to that and received an invitation from the organisers.
Great job Eric. Just finished reading the report. I don't know which achievement is the better: the phenomenal win against some stiff opposition or the thrilling race report.
One thing I think you might have left unresolved (was going to say "hanging", but Ewen would have been all over it), was what happened to your painful need to pee later in the race? Did dehydration take care of it or did the discomfort just fade into the background of all the other fatigue-related discomforts that arise in the second half?
I also agree with the wombat-faced wonder about how you closed out in such style, to the point it left you feeling sick. Wow. That is so awe-inspiring, but I guess you sure had the adrenelin powering you on at that stage. This is surely going to stand out as a highlight of your life, but I hope you go on to even bigger and better things!!
Sorry for the delay answering questions! I have to figure out a better way to do these...
Sky, the answer is none! No strength work at all. Not even situps. It's definitely something I want to add, but it hasn't happened yet. A far cry from our days in the Sioux weightroom three hours a week. Man, just think what we could have done with another 25-30 miles a week!
I don't know that the treadmill running specifically helps the mental aspect of marathon running. For me, it's been a combination of a lot of things. Basically, if I catch anything bothering me, like avoiding going past my house during a run (the temptation to stop), I just do it over and over until it's out of my system. I've done this for running in the wind, the cold, the rain, running past my house, running on the treadmill, and some that I'm probably missing. The consistent theme is 'nothing gets to me', and if I find something that does, I train it out. All of that helps the mental focus immensely, which really comes into play late in just about any race. Great question.
Stephen, thanks for bringing up the unresolved pee problem...I was worried I'd never get to talk about that again. haha (rolling eyes). It was the worst at nine miles, but took care of itself by about 15. Not sure if it was dehydration, or just the brain shutting off the signal, but the urge just 'evaporated'.
Thanks for the kind words, guys.
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