3/25/2007 Heart Mini-Marathon: 18 The Hard Way

I thought it was going to be great that one of my longest runs would fall on the same day as the Heart Mini-Marathon. I was thinking that I'd run 9 miles before the race, and then the 9.3 mile race. I reconsidered, thinking that I the first nine would wear me out enough that I wouldn't run the race at my best. So I decided to split it up, and run 6 before, take a little rest, and then the 9.3 mile race, and finish up with a slow 3 after the race. I don't think that I regret stuffing in another 9 miles around my race, but it was not an easy day of running, as a matter of fact it was probably the hardest day of running I've had ever.

The first 6 miles was really fun. I got out on the 5k course, which was a part of the longer 15K course. It's pretty rare that I'm able to get out to a race early enough to get out on a course when it is empty. It was nice to jog through the first part of the course, stopping every now and then to take a photo. I did the first 3 miles on a mostly empty course and a few other runners warming up. I got back to the start a few minutes before the 5K race began, so I did the 2nd 3 miles near the back of the 5K pack. It was a big boost to go along with the flow of the other runners. It's been a while since I've been in a race, so my legs forgot what it felt like to be swept along with all the other runners.

I got back to the start area in plenty of time to relax get refueled and ready for my race. I was very excited to get to the race. That might explain my rookie mistake at the beginning of the race. I had no reason to believe that I could keep a sub-7 minute pace up for. 9.3 miles, especially after running 6 miles. Despite what I should have known when that gun went off and I got up to the starting line among the sea of other runners I practically broke into a sprint. The first mile was a very quick 6:47, the second mile was a little slower. The following miles fluctuated up and down, but on an ever slowing pace. By the time I finished the mile 6 Torrence Pkwy. hill, a 1/4 mile in which I had been dreading all morning, I was feeling the miles building in my knees and hips. It was like a pressure building that was making it ever harder to keep running let alone keep up a pace. By mile 8 and the final climb of the race I was picking out points along the race route just to keep going.

The good news is that I did manage to finish the race, and meet my goal of getting of running a 7:30 pace. The bad news is that 7:30 pace started with a 6:48 pace and deteriorated to a close to 8 minute pace. That will not due for the marathon. If I do not reign myself in at the beginning of the marathon I will be not be able to finish. Hopefully this will be the lesson that I need to get my marathon strategy together. It's time to set aside pie in the sky dreams of running for a Boston qualifying time on my first marathon. I could try for that, but that would most likely lead to a lot of pain and a very long day.

With this in mind I've decided to set a goal of running an 8 minute pace for the marathon. It will be well under the 4 hour marathon time that I've been thinking about, and a pace that I feel very comfortable holding. Let us hope that it is a lesson learned.

I can't be to hard on myself. I did manage to lower my time from last year by nearly 8 minutes. That is a huge accomplishment in a year's time. I finished 33rd in my division of 201 and 259 out of 3049 overall. That is not a bad day's work.