And ABQ Marathon?

I'm not sure where to even begin so I'll just lay it out.

DNF at 14.  That means I Did Not Finish and dropped at the 14 mile mark.

Sigh.  I'd trained marathon pace at 8:20 but knew with my lower miles overall that even though that was the correct pace to train at, I'd not be able to run a marathon at that pace.  My plan was to go out at a 8:45 pace for the first half except for mile 12/13 which had a bit more uphill.  I'd hoped to then speed up to 8:35-8:40 or just maintain.

I'd felt pretty terrible through taper but mentally focused on the training I'd hit. I'd managed 6 days of running most weeks and felt great and had solid miles.  I'd had a solid 10k which predicted marathon pace and I'd felt i was holding back a bit on that 10k because of the course. I'd not had any aches or pains. My cycle was finally lining up correctly for a race.

I went in with the idea that I'd just relax and coast and enjoy the first 10 miles.  I knew it would start to feel hard somewhere after that and that was ok.  I was ready.

I went out right on pace (8:45) and then hit the next two miles a bit faster as it was downhill towards the river (8:40).  Once on the river path I was back comfortably at 8:45.  This is ever so slightly uphill for the next 10 miles.  I think i felt good from about mile 4-6. And then I wanted to slow because it was feeling harder.  And I did to 8:50.  That's ok, i told myself.  No need to beat my head about this.  Stay focused and relaxed and smart.

The best part of this race was taht it was an out and back along a bike path with easy access in a lot of places for course support.  We were at this race with a big group of runango marathon online forum friends who were all doing the marathon to get NM checked off their 50 states/50 marathons list.  K was spectating with S who was the wife of a runango runner i've known online for years.  He was running the half as he's recovering from an injury and their daughter was running the full marathon.  There was another spouse out there cheering for his wife who was running the full.  So I'd have my own personal cheering section in a few different places and it was wonderful! 

I'd figured out fueling/hydration needs and decided to carry water in my race vest. This was a wise decision as they had these itty bitty little cups out there with water.  I had fuel in a small handheld carrier and stuck to my plan and felt good about that.

So what happened?  By 10, my pace had slowed more.  I just didn't feel like i could push it at all.  then at 12 a more gradual uphill started.  I'd expected to slow quite a bit here but it felt like i hit a wall.  Uh ok.  K and S were at the 12.8 mark as I'd requested a drop of more fuel here.  I reached the turnaround and came back and walked with K just a bit to use the inhaler again.  I was having a bit of a hard time taking a deep breath although i wasn't wheezy.  I fully expected to stay in the 9 range and that would've been fine.

I left K and S and it was not fine.  My pace was slowing even more even though i was going downhill now.  It felt even harder and everything was starting to ache.  I crossed a main road (the trails cross underneath the roads) and realized that I was going to start having to walk and even hitting 10 minute miles was going to be tough.

Really?  Did i want to finish just to finish even though it was going to turn into a death march for 12 miles?

No.  I've done death marches and really I didn't need another one.  I stopped and texted K that I was done.  And that was it.

Now the rest of the day was great because we went back to the finish to cheer the rest of the runners in and there were some spectacular performances that were just thrilling to be there for.  As a large group we went off to my favorite restaurant on my recommendation and had lots of fun celebrating the victories.  And then we went and did the Tram.  AFter 20 years of visiting ABQ, I finally did this most popular tourist activity.

So what was the problem people kept asking?  Altitude?  ABQ is at 5000 feet.  Uh maybe? Low miles overall?  Maybe? I'm just not mentally cut out to race a marathon?  Probably.

Overall I really enjoyed the Hanson Marathon plan and hope to incorporate those principles into my training going forward.  I've never been able to hit such consistent miles on 6 days of running and feel so good and strong.

What's next?  We are enjoying summer again in Albquerque and I hear winter has hit Seattle.  I'm not really looking forward to a lot of running right now in rain and wind but we shall see.  I need a bit of a break from formal training for sure.  

Ticking along

I feel a bit more confident to mention what my goal race is this fall.  I've been training for the Duke City Marathon on October 21st in Albuquerque, NM. 

I know.  I've said I hadn't planned on doing another marathon.  I think the long runs take a toll on me. However, this past year I have managed to increase my weekly mileage to 40 miles per week with no run longer than 12-14 miles. 

This plan has agreed with me and I've felt stronger and very solid.  The hip issues which have been such a problem in the past have dissipated (I do some basic maintenance which helps). I know I've stayed on top of low iron issues. I'd planned on trying for a master's half marathon PR but that stupid trip and fall derailed that plan in Vancouver in June.

Why Albququerque?  K was raised there and I've visited once a year since I was in college.  I've always wanted to do a race there even with the altitude.  This year, a whole bunch of running friends are running the full marathon there in their quest to run a marathon in every state.  I could run the half there and had initially planned on that.  then I started looking more at the Hanson Marathon Plans where there is no long run over 16 miles and at the course (flat!) and thought some more.

Hmm.  I put the Hanson Marathon Plan all into a excel spreadsheet (let me know if you want it!) so I could better see how the miles play out in this plan.  And it seemed right for me and at the right time.  The plan is interesting. 

If I were a first time marathoner, there is no way I'd do this plan.  I would feel the NEED to run 18 or 20 miles.  I've run 3 marathons total and some longer trail races so I know I can cover the distance and the time.  The plan appeals to me too in that weekends are spent on back to back runs of moderate distances.  I like that a lot instead of planning for 28-22 miles and having to take a rest day before and after to protect myself because I'm concerned about injury. 

CoachLesley.com has of course been helping me modify this plan and helping me set paces too.  It's been very enjoyable overall and has helped my focus and strength.  that 10k a couple weeks ago definitely proved that.  Only the race will tell however. 

I am trying not to think of altitude.  There is nothing I can do about that!  And the other nice thing is that Duke City does allow for change of events with just a fee if I need to change to the half distance for whatever reason.  I am excited about the marathon and feel like everything is going really well.

It all reminds me not to take it for granted though.  Last year at this time, I'd planned on my first 50k but life got in the way.  Someone I knew and thought was a really neat person died suddenly of a stroke at work.  I ended up with a weird virus in the days before the race and I ended up DNFing the full 50k but finishing (unofficially) the 25k.  This year?  The race was cancelled because of widespread fires and smoke in the Cle Elum area. 

Dear friends are visiting in consecutive weekends coming up.  I can't wait to see them and have fun exploring Seattle.  I'll still get the training in (easier since I won't have a long run) and I like the distractions. 

The heater kicked on for the first time of the season this morning.  I guess it's Fall!