Run Derneld, Run!

St George Marathon 2017

Recent EntriesHomeJoin Fast Running Blog Community!PredictorHealthy RecipesDerneld's RacesFind BlogsMileage BoardTop Ten Excuses for Missing a RunTop Ten Training MistakesDiscussion ForumRace Reports Send A Private MessageWeek ViewMonth ViewYear View
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
201620172018201920202021
15% off for Fast Running Blog members at St. George Running Center!

Location:

Idaho Falls,ID,United States

Member Since:

Oct 15, 2016

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

Favorite Marathon: St George

Favorite Half Marathon: Cottonwood (Revel)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Overcome 2020!

Long-Term Running Goals:

Finish a marathon in under 3 hours.

Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
ASICS GEL-Contend 4 Lifetime Miles: 626.66
Saucony Guide ISO White Noise Lifetime Miles: 1520.56
Saucony Guide ISO (Pair 2) Lifetime Miles: 1396.48
Saucony Guide ISO (Pair 3) Lifetime Miles: 718.09
Race: St George Marathon 2017 (26.219 Miles) 03:11:52, Place overall: 266, Place in age division: 29
Total Distance
26.50

This race went better than expected. I have been feeling pretty awesome about this. The day before the race went pretty well, even with all the shenanigans involved with visiting in-laws that tend to conflict with good race preparation. They involved things like an undisclosed amount homemade caramel popcorn. For dinner we had a big simple salad with the normal iceberg lettuce, but also some spinach mixed in. As I've learned from past marathons, I've found that I haven't yet eaten too much fiber the day before a race. Also had pretty cliche things like several rolls that Cheyenne made for me, and some traditional cut oats (not sure exactly what they are, since they didn't taste like steel-cut oats or rolled oats). The morning started at 3:45am. Prepared myself some more oatmeal, and this time mixed in some grape jelly (I was kind of winging it at this point, just eating something that seemed suitable). Getting to the start line, CLIF had a a booth with gels and mini CLIF bars. I ate one of the bars, a half-banana, and drank a cup of hot chocolate. Then I sat for two hours and shivered. It was definitely colder than last year, which was a good trade-off as the race was also cooler at the end.

My goal was to go under 3:20 in this race. Since there was a 3:15 pacer, I decided that as long as I could keep him in sight, I would be keeping the needed pace. Another easy way to keep track of this was making sure my miles were close to 7:30 each, which is easy math (7:30, 15:00, 22:30, etc.). I found that except for the uphill at Veyo, keeping a 7:30 pace wasn't too bad. I was nervous that I would fade out later at that pace, but that never happened! I finished the first half in a little over 1:39, about as fast as I did the Ogden Half just last year, which was pretty exciting. Back in the SLC marathon in April, I decided to push harder at mile 19. I made the same mental decision at mile 17-18ish in this race, based on how I was feeling. I thought I had a lot left in the tank and I would regret it if I didn't try and empty the tank by the end of the race. The rest of the race was filled with so much energy. I have always held myself to 3/2 breathing in marathons, and around 23.5 I switched to 2/2 and started really hauling. It felt so good to catch a lot of people, but sadly this means I probably could've finished earlier if I kept a steadier faster pace through the beginning of the race as well. I guess I'm still learning to listen to how my body is feeling/learning what my capacity is. The last few miles I was really trying hard to get all my energy out into the race, evidenced by the splits: 7:11 7:04 6:50 6:46 6:39. It felt so good to run into a PR with my wife, daughter, father-in-law, and few other in-laws there to cheer me on. 

Things I think I did well going into this race:
1. Time - I probably averaged 9+ hours of solid running/week (70ish miles)
2. Nutrition - I have been eating a lot of fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and grains. My family has been doing better in general at rarely eating out and trying to get a full spectrum of nutrients. Nutrition during the race also went well. It was gross having a GU stroopwafel and 3 or 4 gels within a 3 hour time frame, but it definitely was good for my endurance.
3. Good rest during race week.

Things I think I can improve for the next race:
1. Workouts - Although I've been adapting them often, I pull a lot of my workouts straight from Jack Daniels' Running Formula. I'm trying to learn about different coaching styles and figure out how to create workouts tailored to my current conditions. Any suggestions on how to get more of this knowledge would be greatly appreciated (that's right, I'm talking to all you hundreds of people who will read this).
2. Better rest throughout training cycle. I typically get about 6 hours of sleep at night, but I ride the bus for an hour to work, and another hour back, so I can usually get close to 8. I also like to read though, and the bus is a good place for that. I just need to balance between sleep and books...
3. Pacing - This problem also exists in my half marathons, but it is becoming more apparent in my full marathons. My last marathon was a 1.5 minute negative split, and this one was a 6.5 minute negative split. I'd like to balance out my pace during the race a little better. 

 

1 7:52.9 7:52.9                      
2 7:35.4 15:28                      
3 7:10.9 22:39                      
4 7:12.2 29:51                      
5 7:27.4 37:19                      
6 7:06.1 44:25                      
7 7:05.0 51:30                      
8 8:09.1 59:39                      
9 7:56.3 1:07:35                      
10 7:38.4 1:15:14                      
11 8:03.0 1:23:17                      
12 7:36.7 1:30:53                      
13 7:18.8 1:38:12                      
14 7:21.1 1:45:33                      
15 7:03.1 1:52:36                      
16 7:01.1 1:59:37                      
17 7:14.9 2:06:52                      
18 7:17.7 2:14:10                      
19 7:28.8 2:21:39                      
20 7:08.9 2:28:47                      
21 6:58.4 2:35:46                      
22 7:11.3 2:42:57                      
23 7:04.3 2:50:02                      
24 6:50.1 2:56:52                      
25 6:46.4 3:03:38                      
26 6:39.3 3:10:17                      
26.2 1:36.1 3:11:54      
 

Weight: 0.00
Comments
From jtshad on Sun, Oct 08, 2017 at 11:50:11 from 173.198.176.201

Congrats on a great race and finishing time!

From Donald Davis on Mon, Oct 09, 2017 at 10:32:45 from 65.222.251.100

Thanks Jeff! It has felt so good to learn from people on the blog, set goals, plan, and accomplish this. Thanks for slipping in advice here on the blog sometimes and for being one of many FRB inspirations!

From allie on Thu, Nov 02, 2017 at 15:41:25 from 172.4.198.186

i'm late, but...

great job! easily under your goal time, with a very strong finish.

i do agree with your analysis that the fact that you are so peppy in those final miles is a sign that maybe you aren't running to capacity. that's good news, because it means your lifetime goal of a sub-3 is very likely achievable.

i ran several 3:10-3:30 marathons in my early years of racing, and my experience was similar to yours -- lots of energy at the end, passing people, probably feeling too good, etc.

i finally dropped below 3 when i joined this blog and learned a lot more about training (specifically mileage and consistency + proper rest), but i think another big factor was a shift in mindset/personal confidence.

i know it's very unscientific, but believing/realizing that you can run sub-7 pace over a full marathon is a big step in actually doing it. it's shifting your mind from running a marathon to racing one. your pace has to be right up against that uncomfortable line.

for me, that was a big shift, as i originally just trotted through marathons to finish them -- i ran without any pace goals or knowledge until i realized i was leaving stuff on the table.

dig through the discussion forum on training topics and training reviews. as a start, search "tinman tempo" or "big workouts" to get some really good threads with a lot of different opinions and advice from the fast bloggers of yesteryear.

you can run a sub-3...definitely. :)

Add Your Comment.
  • Keep it family-safe. No vulgar or profane language. To discourage anonymous comments of cowardly nature, your IP address will be logged and posted next to your comment.
  • Do not respond to another person's comment out of context. If he made the original comment on another page/blog entry, go to that entry and respond there.
  • If all you want to do is contact the blogger and your comment is not connected with this entry and has no relevance to others, send a private message instead.
Only registered users with public blogs are allowed to post comments. Log in with your username and password or create an account and set up a blog.
Debt Reduction Calculator
Featured Announcements
Lone Faithfuls
(need a comment):
Recent Comments: