The good news to report is of a new PR for a marathon; 3h25m14s which is more than an 8 minute improvement on my previous best from San Diego. The bad news is that I missed out on Boston by some 10 minutes.
The day started great. I travelled to the course early with my occasional training partner Brett and watched him head off to do his Ultra Marathon (an extra 4.8 miles). I was relaxed and relatively rested after a pretty good nights sleep and I settled at the start line at around 7am.
It was here that I made the decision that would decide my Boston fate. Not seeing the 3h15m pacer at the start line I decided to head off at what I thought was a good pace and simply allow him to catch me, then I would run alongside for the remainder of the race.
I felt great as we started, I was near the front of the pack and although they quickly left me it was nice to see the professionals start right in front of me. The early miles fell away, being a largely flat course it was easy to get into a groove. Unfortunately it was quickly apparent that I was running too fast. My goal pace was a little under 7m30s per mile whereas I was running at around a 7m10s pace; rather than allowing my pacer to catch me up I was pulling away from him!
I guess this is when stupid decision # 2 came in; rather than slowing my pace I continued as is and banked some time.
Nicole had arranged multiple cheer leaders for my run and I saw the first of my supporters at mile five. This was quickly followed by another set at mile 7 and then my girls (and Omie!) at mile 8. Being nearly 2 minutes ahead of time by this stage I caught the girls by surprise nearly passing them before they realized it was me. They would later tell me that I was only around 10 minutes behind the Kenyans at that stage, another sign that I was going too fast!
As we head through the Biltmore area I continued to stick with my newly adopted plan and had no concerns regarding stamina. I in fact managed a sub 1h35m half marathon which was 7 minutes quicker than any I had done previously.
It wasn't until mile 20 that things started to go wrong. Nicole, Ava and Omie had travelled ahead of me and as I passed them Nicole shouted "you're doing it!". At this time I was still ahead of both the 3h10m and 3h15m pacers however not for long.
Within .5 of a mile of passing Nicole the 3h10 pacer passed and he was quickly followed by the 3h15 pacer. I ran with my intended pacer for perhaps 30 seconds and then watched him and the (sensible) group pull away.
Knowing that I was unable to catch them my heart sank as Boston had got away. Having the 3h20m pacer pass me around 2 miles later also did not help! By this time I was stopping every other mile and walking for 2-3 minutes. My time was deteriorating and despite the best attempts of fellow runners to get me moving I was spent.
I saw my final cheerleader at mile 24 and asked her to let Nicole know I was around 10 minutes behind schedule. I managed to chew threw the last 2 miles although my pace had dropped significantly.
Regardless of the disappointment over Boston, I was delighted to cross the line a full 8 minutes better than in San Diego and know that with a more sensible head and similar training I will bag it eventually.
When finally finding Nicole after the race she was stunned that I hadn't secured a Boston Qualifier, I had looked so strong at mile 20 it seemed impossible not too; so dramatic was my decline.
1 month after the event I am reflecting on a great 20 miles, and determined to ensure a better finish to my next marathon.
With our second child due in May I have decided to take the next few months off of training and will next run the Tucson marathon in December. That is a predominantly downhill marathon which although implies a quick time does in fact has its own challenges.
That said, I am confident that I can improve my time again. 4th time lucky?
Poor Little Paco
11 years ago
