Mark Ulrich, a friend of mine from the University City Road Runners, went into the North Carolina Marathon in High Point on Saturday with a goal of 3:40. He hit the wall (even harder than I did in Virginia Beach on Sunday) at Mile 18 and limped to a 4:10:30.
But even though he called his race "a complete disaster," he had a sense of humor about it. This, essentially, was the race report he e-mailed that night to members of our group:
Lesson #1: Although a strong 18-mile run is generally a good thing, it isn't nearly as gratifying if the race is 26.2 miles.
Lesson #2: The water stops seem much farther apart when you are walking.
Lesson #3: You expect to get passed by other runners if you begin walking, but if you are walking slowly enough, it is also possible to get passed by other people who are walking.
Lesson #4: If you walk the majority of the way from Miles 20-26, but had a strong first 18, you can finish in 4:10, which isn't terrible considering you walked a good portion of the race.
Lesson #5: Even if you walk the last four miles, you can start running just before the last turn and people at the finish line will think you ran the whole thing.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Speaking of bonking in a marathon ...
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5 comments:
Love it! Thank you for sharing it...
I laughed my way through this whole thing. I would, however, be thrilled with a 4:10. I am running my first marathon the end of April, goal being sub 4:30, and all these blogs about the warm weather are starting to worry me. Like some, all my loooong training runs have been in cooler weather. I'm trying to read all the info I can find about how to hydrate and the best things to eat before and during the race. Any other tips would be great!!
I just did Va Beach. The day before I drank water all day long. This was highly recommended by a fellow marathoner, b/c staying hydrated keeps your muscles from cramping up. We ate grilled salmon and linguine for dinner (I'd heard from a tri-athlete that this is a great "power dinner"), took 2 electrolyte pills (salt tablets) on the morning of the race and packed some goo for the race! The heat didn't bother me, but it did seem to bother some.
Good luck in April!
This totally reminds me of Arizona! I actually got a 4:10 there. I bonked at mile 15 and did a run/walk to the finish line. A few years ago, I would have been happy with a 4:10. However, my goal was a 3:40 so I was really disappointed.
I wonder how the blogger last fall would respond to this kind of result. Remember when he said you were not a real marathoner if you could not finish in under 4:10! Mark may be disappointed with his time, but it is way better than most of us will ever run. Glad you have a sense of humor about this event and smart enough to realize there is always a second chance in running.
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