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Posted by davidall99 on 4/24/2007 on davidall99's blog
Only 3 minutes 45 seconds kept me from celebrating a successful Boston Marathon qualifying race at the Whidbey Island Marathon, and, "only" celebrating my first successful marathon after 10 years of no races what-so-ever... I'm trying to focus on the positive... 3:23:45 - 1st marathon in ten years, PR by 16 minutes, Half-Marathon PR by 5 minutes, beautiful run, met and ran with Dean Karnazes for a couple miles, spent a wonderful weekend with the family. Yeah, the 3:45 isn't that big of a deal but MAN, it would have been nice... Some things I learned along the way that most likely caused the breakdown... HYDRATE!!! no matter how good you feel... Didn't do enough of this in the first 15 and it caught up to me on 18... Side stitch for about 6 miles slowed me down. Don't make your first qualifying attempt on a hilly course... My bad, I had no idea it had so many hills... But, I think the hydration issue had more to do with it. As Dean was signing my book www.ultramarathonman.com I mentioned that I was trying to qualify and he gave me a funny look and uttered "on this course???"... I knew I was in trouble but was still confident. :) Add more long tempo runs... I don't think my legs were ready for the pounding at that speed. That last 3 miles was brutal. I knew I had 25 minutes to run 3.2 and knew that I couldn't go any faster, and didn't care. At that point, I wanted to finish, and knew I'd be close. Overall, it was an awesome race. Everyone was really friendly, the course had a ton of volunteers and plenty of room to run. Great food and expo. Easily the most beautiful course I've ever run on and although a bit hilly, nothing you can't manage if you've been putting in the miles. If you are in the pacific northwest, it should be on your list. I am definitely happy with my time, especially since I know I can shave off more than 4 minutes. | ||
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3 minutes 45 seconds |
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5 comments
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JR says:
Found your post instructive. I'm about to run the Eugene Marathon, my first in 8 years. Previous best (LA) 4:10. Lighter now, and the Eugene course is easier than LA was when I ran it, but my chances of qualifying for Boston are negligible. Just breaking 4 would be a triumph. Congratulations on your 3:48:45
JR says:
Sorry, you ran 3:23:45, my mistake
weltal327 says:
Hey man I think it's so cool you met Dean. If I ever hear he's at the same race as me I will be running the course with my book and sharpie in case I can get him to sign it. Good luck on your next qualifying attempt.
davidall99 says:
It was cool... He was the "official host" of the Whidbey Island marathon and was really available throughout the weekend. I thought it was funny when I couldn't find him at the starting line and then about a half mile in, there he was, right next to me. We ran across the Deception pass bridge together. :) I got a picture with him after the race and I'll post it later. He looked fresh, I looked not so fresh. :)
davidall99 says:
Hey JR, Good luck in Eugene! I've heard it's a nice flat and fast course. If I could do it over again I would have run that one instead, but maybe next year. I also love Eugene, very cool town. I also heard the field should be a good one, many top runners are using that race to qualify for the Olympic marathon trials. Good luck! and remember, water at every aid station, especially the first half! :)
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