Marathon recap

[jamalynn]

For my first marathon, it wasn't perfect, but it was pretty great.  I have learned from it and will try to improve on my next (yes, there will be another in my future, but I am not sure when).

We arrived in Albany late Friday afternoon, just DH and myself.  We thought it would be easier to not bring the kids and just go down there, run, and come straight home.  Everything was really easy for us on Friday night at the hotel, Expo, and dinner (Mellow Mushroom cheese calzone where I ate most of the crust and just a little cheese - no veggies for 2 days before this race).  My only concern was what to wear.  It looked like the temp would be around 42 degrees at the start. 

Saturday morning, as soon as I woked up, I checked the temperature - 42 degrees at 5:30am.  Shorts and a short sleeve shirt with gloves but took a long sleeve in case I changed my mind.  I don't like being cold. Ate a banana and a little almond butter and chugged some water.  DH drove me to the start and all I could see was long sleeves.  DH told me not to worry, he thought short was still the way to go.  DH brought his biked so he could travel around the course, see me many times, so he could cheer, and take a lot of pictures (he took 158 plus video).

I couldn't decide how to pace myself.  My longest race until now was a half marathon so I didn't know how to start.  I had been training with a BQ in mind, so I decided to start out with a 3:40 finish in mind (8:23 pace).  I always, I mean always, go out super fast, so I felt it would be a moral victory if I could keep that pace for the first 10 miles without trying to push myself to go faster.  DH said that I sould just focus on my myself and my time, not to worry about how fast others start.  I ate 2 shot bloks right before the start.  The cannon shot and we were off.  The 3:45 pacers whizzed by me at 0.5 miles.  They were going way too fast but I tried not to let it bother me.  I felt like I was running so slow.  I had never run a mile this slow in a race.  First mile - 8:22.  Yay!  Second mile - 8:26.  After 4 miles, I had gotten into a good stride and rhythm and felt great!  I saw DH at 4.5 miles where I gave him my gloves.  I was also very happy with my decision of the short sleeves.  The sun was out and I never was cold.  The weather was perfect.

I drank either water or Gatorade at every water station.  I found that Gatorade was really working for me that day.  I took 2 more shot bloks at mile 5.  Mile 8 offered Hammer Gels and I took one along with some water and got most of it down.  I also started talking to 2 men during the race that seemed to have the same pace as me.  One guy said he was planning on a 3:40 finish so if I stayed with him, he would push me at the end to see if I could BQ.  I thought, this is awesome!  I was feeling great.  I saw DH another 2 times.  He was cheering and taking photos/video of me.  Then he would text my whole family so they could get live play by play of exactly how I was doing.  At 10 miles, I was averaging 8:23 pace.  Things were looking good.  It was a flat course so I knew I wouldn't have to worry about any big hills killing my time.  At the half way mark, my pace was the exact same.  Another Hammer Gel at mile 13.3.  Mile 14 - 8:19 pace.

But then things changed.  I felt my quads starting to burn.  I was hoping to turn it up at mile 16, but that wasn't going to happen.  BQ time was gone.  I knew it.  Miles 15-21 were about 8:38 pace.  I did what I could to push myself, but I had already passed the 2 guys I was talking to, so I was onto Goal B (finish under 3:45).  Another gel at miles 18ish.  Then mile 22 hit.  My quads were done.  I thought if I could just get to mile 20, I would be ok, because I could just tell myself, a 10K and then you are done.  I stopped looking at my watch at this point.  I just wanted to be done and the miles were not clicking away fast enough.  I started seeing a lot of men (yes, all men) on the side of the course with cramps.  So I told myself, at least you're not cramping.  My goal was to get to mile 24, then I thought I could turn it up for the finish.  Nope!  I couldn't push myself anymore.  All I wanted to do was finish.  I finally returned to downtown Albany, and started to get excited.  I had been smiling for 4 miles.  The finish was cool.  They had us go through the Visitor Center and then out and we crossed the finish ling by the river.  I saw DH near the finish and he shouted, "Go mommy!  You're a marathoner!"  I crossed the line in 3:47:49 (Goal C was to finish under 3:50).  My garmin had the course 0.22 miles longer than a marathon.  My garmin pace was 8:37 which sounds so much faster than 8:41, so I am going with the garmin.    I was happy to be done.  Got some water and snickers marathon bar and continued walking to the car.  I had to keep my legs moving or I was going to cramp. DH massaged my calves at the car and then we were back to the hotel to shower and then back on the road. 

When we drove back, I saw I had 74 texts from my family.  DH had included my cell on the group texts, so I got to read through them, see some of the pictures/video he sent, and read my families reactions.  That meant a lot.  We got home late in the afternoon, and my whole family celebrated with me at a local Mexican restaurant (hello chips and salsa). 

I was initially a little disappointed I fell apart those last 5 miles.  I had trained hard and was surprised this happened, but I let it go.  For the most part, I had had a good race, I did get almost all my training runs in, and stayed pretty healthy through training, which is a lot to ask when you train in the winter with 2 toddlers.  By Sunday afternoon, I was beaming due to my accomplishment and told anyone about my race if they sat next to me long enough. 

My quads were sore for days, but I did do a slow 3 mile jog today.  I am excited to do another marathon, but the training take a lot of time, so I don't know when it will be.  I am guessing I need more speedwork, to ensure my quads can take my next 26.2 mile run.  Maybe some extra strength training this Spring.  We will see.  Thanks for reading. 

[kams]

That is a smoking fast first marathon (any marathon, actually!). Well done! I think the marathon is monumental in so many ways, and regardless of your training, sometimes it talks back in an unexpected and brutal way. To lose your pace a bit at the end, in your first marathon, is really nothing to be terribly disappointed by. You ran a stellar race! Congratulations!

[clseale]

Yay!! I'm so glad you have such a great re-cap! You should be so proud! That's an awesome time.

I'm always interested in hearing the post-race recaps from first marathons, because honestly, 9 times out of 10, the first marathon is a humbling experience. You just don't know how it feels, how to pace it, how your body will react, until you do it. Now you know, and next time, your last 5 miles will probably feel better. But really, they always suck. If they don't suck/hurt, then you left too much on the course. You'll get better at consistent pacing, though. Based on your half PR in your sig, you ran close to what I think McMillan would predict for a marathon. You did AWESOME!

We also ate at MM on Friday. I bet we passed each other several times over the course of the weekend. lol

[gt7301b]

Great job, marathoner.

I'm glad you are no longer disappointed with your time, you were amazing and now you know what to expect when you do another marathon. I doubt it will take much for you to BQ.

[Deleted]

Wow you are awesome!!! With that being your first, your BQ is around the corner. Keep it up!

[Deleted]

Awesome race! Congrats! I'm amazed at your time. Ditto PP, that's a great finish time, even more so for a first time marathoner.

[tuggyruns]

I am so in awe of you! What an exciting first marathon and smoking fast time! Way to go girl!

[gt7301b]

I'm coming back in to say you look too cute to have just ran a marathon!!!!

[Mushe]

Great job! I am honestly in awe of your accomplishment. Your BQ is so close, and I hope you get it soon!

[jamalynn]

Mar 5, 2014 16:31:47 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

I'm coming back in to say you look too cute to have just ran a marathon!!!!

Thanks!  My stride at mile 23 was very ugly though!  Not something you want to see. 

[runaways]

That's a hell of a finish time, particularly for your first one. Amazing job!

[thom]

Happy to read this! Congratulations on an amazing first marathon. I think you will definitely have a BQ in your future with a first marathon this fast.

Also, try not to be bummed about the extra .22 miles. It's not bad actually, depending on how many people & turns you were dealing with. Garmins measure differently than course certifying bike, so you'll always have some discrepancy.

Congrats again on your great race!

[Vally]

So impressive for any marathon, but especially your first! Congratulations!!

[sadlebred]

Very impressive! Way to push through the challenges! Congratulations!!

[bostonmichelle]

Congratulations!! That is an awesome time.

[runblondie26]

Welcome to the club! I enjoyed reading your recap. You ran a great time had some nice PR's along the way too.

[breezy8407]

Wow amazing first marathon! I am so amazed by the Moms here who can train for fulls.

[boston340]

What an impressive first marathon and GREAT recap of the race! I settling in with a cup of coffee and reading race recaps. You are a very strong running and that's a stunning marathon time - congratulations!

[sassystace]

Congratulations Marathoner!!

[taratru]

I'm about eleven million percent certain your first marathon experience was pretty damn good. The first one is the hardest, but now you know what to do the next time!

[jene]

Congrats, marathoner! You did great!

[cinco]

Congratulations again! You should be so proud. That is an amazingly fast first marathon time, and I have no doubts your BQ is just around the corner. Love the post race photo too!

[katyintx]

That is a pretty great first marathon! I'm so jealous...

You had an awesome first race, and I'm almost positive your BQ will come in no time.