National Marathon - Mar 29, 2008 (PR)

This was my 2nd National Marathon, 15th overall in 8 years. It was a sunny but cool day with temperatures in the upper 30's and ending in the lower '40s.

I woke up at 4:30am, ate a couple of pancakes and made sure everything was ready. Got out of the house at just after 6:00am and arrived at RFK stadium at 6:25am, consuming a banana and Hooah bar along the way.

My training has been more consistent and intense than before any previous marathon, though perhaps with fewer miles. This marathon was really intended more as a long run in advance of my return to the Boston Marathon in a few weeks, hopefully as a confidence builder. I had three goals in mind: either beat 3 hours, beat 7 minutes per mile pace, or beat my previous PR of 3:12. Pretty ambitious for a "long run" but they seemed reachable.

The course had substantially changed since the previous year. This year it looped back at RFK at the halfway point, then crossed over the Anacostia back to RFK. I was a little disappointed in that I recalled fondly the challenge of the "Calvert climb". Man, that was a steep hill.

The race got off to a good start. I was trying to be conscious of my time, to make sure I wasn't going too fast. Plus, though this was a relatively small marathon, there was a density of runners (marathoners and half marathoners) early that seemed to slow me down. I missed the mile 1 marker but at mile 2 I noticed that 13:27 had elapsed. I had a better than 6:44 pace so far! At first, I thought I must have been going too fast but my legs felt easy, so I thought I'd try to sustain a 6:50 pace.

The couple of miles of Connecticut Avenue and Columbia Road were the hilliest parts of the race. My legs still felt good though they slowed a little to give gravity its due.

The half marathoners split off at the halfway point, back at RFK. At the 13.1 mark, I checked my watch and noticed that it read 1:29:36. I was on track for my loftiest goal. I could beat 3 hours.

I pretty much sustained a 6:50-6:55 pace until around mile 20. After that, my calves had run out of steam. It reminded me of times in marathons past where they had spasmed and caused me to limp haggardly the last few miles. I slowed to prevent this and reminded myself that this was a "long run" and that I should still be on track to easily best my PR of 3:12.

These last 6 miles were also very solitary with very few runners and few spectators cheering you on. The couple of miles along the Anacostia had a sustained cool breeze coming right at me. Starting at mile 23 my pace had deteriorated to 8+ minutes.

At around mile 25, my left calf had it's first sharp spasm. I consoled myself by recalling that this first spasm was usually a one mile warning before spasms become debilitating. I just had a little more than a mile to go!

I finally got across the Anacostia and, with RFK in sight, was able to accelerate a bit. It was very satisfying to push through the finish line at 3:06:49 with a 6 minute improvement on my previous best time!

Afterwards, I recalled the contrast with the prior year's National Marathon. Then, I ran conservatively the first 20 miles, and really turned up the speed in the last 6 miles, gaining a PR of 3:18. This year, running more aggressively the first 20 miles and dogging the last 6 miles, still gaining a PR.

Breaking 3 hours at Boston now seems attainable but for the calf question. What measures can be taken to prevent calf spasms? S-caps? Plyometrics? More miles? This is something I will try to answer in time for Boston.

-Em

National Marathon Personal Statistics
========================================
age: 45
chip time: 3:06:49
overall: 58/1387
sex place: -/-
45-49 div place: 6/129
pace: 7:08
mile 6: 0:41:16
mile 10: 1:08:29
mile 13: 1:28:56
half: 1:29:36
mile 19: 2:10:42
mile 21: 2:25:04

mile elev   pace  net pace
---- ------ ----- --------
(each * counts as 50 feet in elevation)

m0  .*      -
m1  .**     6:43~
m2  .*      6:44~  6:44
m3  .       6:46~
m4  .       6:46~  6:45
m5  .*      7:08~
m6  .***    7:08~  6:52
m7  .****   7:18   6:56
m8  .***    6:38   6:55
m9  .**     6:43   6:53
m10 .*      6:31   6:51
m11 .*      6:49   6:50
m12 .**     7:03   6:52
m13 .       6:34   6:50
m14 .**     7:02~
m15 .***    7:03~  6:52
m16 .*      6:38   6:51
m17 .       6:58~
m18 .       6:59~  6:52
m19 .       7:04   6:53
m20 .*      7:11~ 
m21 .       7:10~  6:54
m22 .       7:39   6:57
m23 .       8:09~
m24 .*      8:10~  7:03
m25 .*      8:17   7:05
m26 .       7:54~
end .*      1:36   7:08