3/17/12: You Win Some, You Lose Some ...

And today I lost. Unfortunately I just had a really bad day at the National Marathon.

It started off well enough. For the first 6 miles I was clicking off 6:10s to 6:20s no problem. I felt really smooth and relaxed. Then around mile 7 my legs started to get way too tired too quickly.

I came through the half in 1:24. I had been aiming for 1:23, so I wasn't too far off, but I was MUCH more tired than I had planned. Then at mile 14 I started having serious cramping issues.

From there on out it was about managing the slowdown at first and then just surviving. It got pretty ugly, and I crossed the finish line in 3:09. I'm surprised at how this played out, as I really do think sub 2:55 was very doable, and even in not ideal conditions I should have been sub 3.

But sometimes there is not much you can do. My taper was great, I was in good shape, my stomach was fine, etc. I mean 4 weeks before I ran a 3:04 on a much tougher course no problem!

But I'm not going to worry too much about it. I will think about what I could do better or differently in the future, but sometimes this just happens. It was still a fun race, a good experience, another marathon notched, and a respectable time.

There will certainly be other races. Some of them will not go as well as I might like, but some will be awesome. Just have to roll with it!

Comments

Chen said…
I feel your pain on this one! At Napa a few weeks ago, I was on pace to PR and came through the halfway mark in 1:47, but then things just turned south and I ended up with a 3:48:53. Oops? You're right, though - another marathon in the books, and more opportunities to come! Congrats on finishing another!