Pocket Rocket
This may be shocking to regular readers, but I’ve actually finished a race report within ten days of a race. The Rocket City Race Report is alive and kicking. I’d love you to read it.
It’s no sappy 1st-person account of agony. It’s a review from a runner’s perspective, and a must-read if you’ve run the race, or are considering it.
Check it out, then come back here if you care to comment.
– Dean
December 18th, 2007 at 7:50 am
That was a great report! It made ME want to run there. If I ran marathons. Which I don’t…but still…
December 19th, 2007 at 12:45 am
Dean – great to see a race report – but throw a bone to us hardcore runner types – we want split times! *grin*
I know that’s quite a “personal level of disclosure” – but that’s what tells another runner the true tale of the race.
We’ve all had those races where we’ve had “time in the bank” at mile 18 or 20, and then the withdrawals from that earlier deposit start getting made – with interest accrued! – and we struggle to end with a positive balance on the account.
That, to me, is what racing is about – the struggle to maintain that pace WHEN IT HURTS!
Sure, I appreciate courses layouts inspired by an alcoholic hog on a truffle hunt – but details about the expo and shirt aren’t what keep me on the edge of my seat.
That’s this runner’s opinion – and glad to hear you take inspiration to continue from the gains you’ve made.
Took me four marathons to qualify, once I got serious – set four PRs in a row (with #3 being a miss by one minute and nine seconds) before I made it – and you will too.
Regards,
kestrou
December 19th, 2007 at 7:56 am
I just can’t keep everyone happy. Now I have to dig up my watch. I’ve just never been a big split guy.
Roughly, here it was:
– Started on pace. (7:20)
– Freaked out.
– Slowed down on purpose (7:30 – 7:40)
– Gradually moved back to pace.
– By mile 6 I was on pace.
– Stayed on pace or roughly there through mile 15.
– Miles 15-19 were dead on (7:20)
– Mile 20 was a (7:15)
– Mile 21 was back on pace (7:24)
– Mile 22-23 were slower (dang hill at 21.5). Not too bad, – but slow enough to ruin my chance at 7:15. I was on the knife’s edge.
– Miles 24-26 were probably about 8:10ish. I’ll have to check. If 3:15 were on the line in these miles, I think I could have pushed harder.
– Final .2 was spry. I picked it up to finish with dignity.
Thoughts? Did I start too slow (paranoid I was going to crash later)?
– Dean
December 19th, 2007 at 10:39 am
I am now seeing what it means to be a hard core runner, and it’s not something I really want to be. I particularly enjoy the touches a race has to make you, the runner feel important. It looks like 2008 is going to be the year that good things happen, including you qualifying for Boston. Congrats.
December 19th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
No need to be “hard core.” Just be you. You should run if you love it… if you love the benefits.
Thanks for your confidence in me. I often (read: mostly) feel very “soft core.”
– D
December 20th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Dean – that “end of race fade” is what I expected (it’s common and I do it myself). I certainly won’t recommend banking more time early – but I do know what cures “late race fade”, and that’s MILEAGE BASE!
My next “real marathon” is four months away (yup, Boston) and I’m running 60ish miles per week right now to have a big base. I have some other races in between (Disney half and full marathon and a pair of ultras) that are all components of getting that weekly mileage base to 70, and then will then keep it there for a couple of months while I then add some serious speedwork.
Jason – I keep telling myself that someday I won’t be a hardcore runner either, that I’ll just take it easy and enjoy running – but what I enjoy is the training and piling up the miles. Yes, it’s a different mindset than the average person… 🙂
kestrou
December 20th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
I’m psyched. Rocket City was the least I’ve ever faded. I am back on the miles bandwagon again for the assault on Myrtle Beach in late February. January will be a gargantuan mile month for me.
Thanks for the inspiration.
If all goes well (knocking on faux wood desk), I shall see you in Hopkinton.
– D
December 21st, 2007 at 9:45 am
Dean, You must have run the wrong route! I thought the course was as FLAT as a pancake….well you certainly couldn’t call anything a hill!
Who was that old imposter that you listed as me finishing?
The years certainly haven’t been kind to him!
What a GREAT marathon! get it on your schedule for next year eveyone.
BobS
December 21st, 2007 at 9:52 am
Ha Ha! Maybe that’s why I didn’t qualify!
Yes, Flatness is a matter of perception. Maybe I’m just a weak girlie man, a mere flabby baby.
I may be wrong to be preoccupied with flatness. But I’m not wrong about you. You are strong.
– D
December 23rd, 2007 at 11:47 am
Dean,
Great race report. As I mentioned yesterday, I too expect that you will continue to see PR’s by large chunks. Based on my recent experience at Kiawah, I would also agree with Kestrou about the base mileage.
I remember many years ago (OK – many, many years ago) reading an article with Joan Benoit where she described a marathon as a 10 mile social run, followed by a 10 mile hard training run and then a 10K race.
I never comprehended how any could race the last 10K until Kiawah this year, where I was forutnate enough to have a really good day. No fade – I was able to pick it up in the final miles. I ran negative splits for the first time ever, and most of my improvement over my prior PR (about 5 mintues worth) came in the last 10K.
Now, lest this sound like mere self promotion, I am not what anyone would call a naturally talented runner. What I’d point to as the reason for my relative success is that I discovered Greg McMillan’s website, which prompted me to train differently for Kiawah than my previous attempts in two ways:
First, I increased my peak weekly mileage from the mid-50’s to the mid 70’s. 70+ mile weeks sounded like a lot when I first looked at my training plan, but I found that once I got into a routine it did not require much more time or commitment than 50 mile weeks.
Second, I ran alot more of the total mileage at marathon pace or slightly faster. In particular, I really focused on what Greg McMillan calls the “fast finish” long run. I did four of those, and in many ways they were harder than the marathon itself. As for speedwork, I put aside the novel concept of Yasso 800’s and focused more on 1000m to 2 mile repeats.
(Note: Out of curiosity, I did do the 10 x 800 Yasso test 11 days before the marathon just to see where it put me. Using McMillan’s estimate that you need to add about 5 minutes to what the Yasso 800’s predict, I was right on.)
Anyway, sorry to blab so much, but I get really stoked by seeing folks share their traning/racing experiences. We all have different perspectives, paces and reasons for being out there, but I learn something new and helpful from every runner I meet.
December 31st, 2007 at 8:23 am
Great race report Dean. You had me laughing out loud with your description of the massage therapists and the soup. Rocket City sounds like a great event. Much like the MDI marathon it is only a marathon and treats the runners like gold. It’s now going on my todo list. Re: BQ’ing I wonder if you’re trying too hard with a marathon a month. How about a longer 12-16 week plan with more of a build instead of racing and recovering all the time as you seem to be doing? Just a thought.
December 31st, 2007 at 10:12 am
Be very very quiet Mike, it’s marathon season. I’m just hitting these races to take advantage of my fitness level right now.
After Myrtle Beach, I’ll take a break. Wait, the week after that, I’m running the Mount Mitchell challenge (40 miles). After THAT, I’ll take a break.
If I don’t BQ at Myrtle, my next attempt will include the proper training regimen.
I promise.
– D
August 23rd, 2009 at 9:52 am
Thanks for the report. I’ll be running RC in December. It’ll be my second marathon. The first was a tiny thing no one has ever heard of called the Andy Payne in Oklahoma City. 122 finishers, of which I was 101. I’d have beaten Kate Hudson, but she’d have seen me crossing the line ahead of her. But considering that just a year earlier, I had yet to run my first mile, I’ll take it.
I tell my friends that my plan for qualifying for Boston is not to improve my pace, but to maintain it for the next 33 years…