I ran the Mystic Places Marathon this past weekend, and managed to knock almost 15 minutes off of my PR. My best race so far was in Cleveland where I ran a 3:07:05. My goal was to run under 3 hours, but I did not even run at 3 hour pace until mile 19. After 7 miles, I decided to stop trying to slow down and to just roll with it. I went through the halfway point in 83:30, 6 ½ minutes ahead of pace. The best I got was about 8 ½ minutes ahead of pace, which started to degrade from miles 21-25. I did the last mile and a half at 6:30 pace, though, so I did not mind. My official finishing time was 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 37 seconds. I am still over 2 ½ minutes from guaranteed entry in the New York City Marathon, but I do not plan on running that for a few years anyway. My goals for the marathon are to run a 2:45 at some point in the next year or two, and to run one in every state and DC. I am 12% there now.
The race was a lot of fun. I had some good conversations with folks near the start, but from about 10 miles forward I basically ran the race by myself. There was a relay runner that caught me for a few miles, but we did not talk a whole lot. I got to see a lot of the same spectators two (or even 3) times, despite them not moving, and I got to see the field as I was on my way back and they were on their way out. Thankfully, my fiancé and my sister did not bother trying to see me at the 17 mile mark (where they bussed spectators out to) because I was over 8 minutes early getting there and they would not have had time from the finish of their 10 mile races to see me. It was a good feeling to know that in the last few miles when I was starting to get a bit sore, that I could run a full minute under pace each mile back in and still not only PR but make my goal pace for that race. My finish was great, coming in strong and having both of my nephews running along side me for the last 80 to 100 feet or so.
The post-race massages at the race were second to none. I have never had one as thorough, and it was just what was called for to get me (mostly) mobile again after finishing. Instead of having people come in on a buzzer and only get 5 or 8 minutes, they basically took care of you until they were done. My sister lucked out since her kids took tips from the massage therapist and all four of them worked on her at once.
A couple of the elites had gotten the wrong numbers and chips, so there was a lot of confusion over the results and it took them a long time to get it all sorted. The band that was playing in the mean time was pretty good, however. They had cold showers available, but when it is overcast and in the low 50s that did not seem very desirable. I heard that the clam chowder after the race was pretty good, but I did not have any.
I would not run the race again for a few years, given my 50 state goal, but I could see myself running it again at some point. There are a few bumps in the road to make it interesting, you can’t get bored because there are constant turns and changes going on around you, and the race officials for the most part seemed to be on the ball (except with switched numbers of a few athletes getting money).
heck yeah, the course map was confusing.
But it was a good race. Congrats, and too bad indeed at missing out on the chowder. Not quite “New England” -- it’s a clear white base, and cut the chill nicely.
I missed out on the massage, so probably, karma-wise, we’re even.
Well, chowder just wasn’t in the cards for me. My stomach was twisting and turning and I just stuck to an apple to get the juices flowing and a couple bagels to tide me over until after the awards.
[...] The Mystic Places Marathon last weekend was a bit quicker than I had intended to run. Check the full post if you want to see my splits. If you would like to see a few, I have pictures of the race online. [...]
nice job its sounds like it really worked out for you. good stuff
[...] My month off from running will end on Friday (My last marathon was on October 23rd) so I can get a run in where I am going. I did my normal Monday workout this morning. I have no problem with not working out Thursday as I will be driving and will not have a lot of time as I meet up with family that I have not seen for a while. [...]
[...] For my own training, I partly agree with Todd Henderlong’s opinion on the matter, and in fact took a month off after my last marathon. However, while it is a good idea to give yourself some time to rest and recover after a marathon, I do not believe that 2 months is necessarily called for, especially in competitive (as opposed to recreational) athletes. [...]
[...] Today was my first run back in just over a month. I wanted to take some time off after the Mystic Places Marathon and a heavy season of racing. I was a bit out of breath at the start of the run, [...]
[...] Other times, the goals may be similar in nature but not related to completing each other. For example, I wanted to run a marathon under 3 hours, and I want to run a marathon in every state. I can accomplish the one or the other on the same track, but I can also complete one and never accomplish the other. I’ve already run a marathon in under 3 hours, but I am only 12% of the way towards running a marathon in every state. [...]
[...] When I ran a 2:52:37 in the Mystic Places Marathon, I thought that I was 2½ minutes away from an automatic qualifying time for the ING New York City Marathon. [...]
[...] No matter how you cut that, it beats the 2:52:37 that I ran last Autumn in the Mystic Places Marathon. This was also a much easier race for me. Effort wise, it was on par or even easier than running the Vermont City Marathon this Spring. [...]
[...] years ago, I ran the Mystic Places Marathon. It was one of my favorite marathons that I have run to date, and I figured that I would run it [...]
[...] I walked for 3 or 4 miles to a nearby park to read a book, and then walked back. After the Mysic Places Marathon in Connecticut, I walked around New York City the day after. I basically walked until I was too [...]