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FLRC Newsletter - June 2004 |
| Long Island Marathon | |
After surprising myself last November with a finish time of 3:27:37 at the Philadelphia marathon, my second marathon, I was determined to qualify for the Boston '05 marathon by the end of May. Since the end of last December, I ran an average of about 40–45 miles per week, to the disgust of many "real" runners, on treadmills and the 200-m indoor track in Barton Hall (including the long distance runs) during the winter. However, I've done 100% "real" running since the end of March, when the weather got better.
I decided to do the Long Island marathon because it was relatively nearby, and I had a friend's place to stay at. Despite the warnings that the course would be rather boring—it was flat—and the weather would most likely be decent. My initial strategy was to maintain a 7:10 pace until mile 20 and then hope that I had enough energy left to run the last 10k at a faster pace…supposedly.
As always, I started out WAY too fast for my own good and passed mile marker 1 in 6:23. I guess I had too much adrenaline flowing to realize that I started out too fast. After that rude awakening, I settled down into a comfortable pace in the 6:50's. I considered dropping down to a 7:10 pace, but it felt great pacing in the 6:50's. So much for my initial strategy! Mentally and physically, I felt perfectly fine and energetic until mile 12, maintaining a steady pace in the 6:50's.
Miles 12 through 23 went out and back on the nonscenic, lonely Wantaugh Parkway. Just think of a never-ending Interstate with trees on the left and right with no one in sight. Upon entering the parkway, I immediately felt the strong, continuous 5–15-mph headwinds. At first, I was able run through them unhindered until the half-marathon mark. I got a half-marathon PR of 1:30:22, beating my previous PR of 1:33:21 in the 2004 Skunk Cabbage HM. Not an appropriate time to set a half-marathon PR!
All was fine until mile 15. Mentally, I had trouble just even running because of the continuous headwinds and fact that I was on a boring parkway. In a natural fashion, my pace dropped to the mid-7:20's, probably because of the strong headwinds and/or because of running the first 13.1 miles too fast. My legs also started to feel a little fatigued. While I knew that I did have energy to go faster, I wanted to conserve energy for the last 10k. The next thing I was looking forward to was reaching the turnaround at mile 19 and leaving headwind hell.
Mentally, I felt better after the turnaround, with no more headwinds; however, my pace didn't improve. After hitting mile 20, I tried to push the pace. However, it felt like I was putting more effort to keep myself moving at a slower pace than earlier in the race! To say the least, I was still maintaining a sub-8:00 pace. Throughout, I was dreading hitting the infamous "Wall" and eliminating my shot of qualifying for Boston that day. Assuming that I would not hit the Wall, I knew that I was in good enough shape since I needed to complete the last 10k at an 8:00 pace to qualify.
Again in a natural fashion like at mile 15, my pace slowed down to the 7:40's after mile 20. Throughout the remaining stretch on this parkway, I tried to push the pace, but my legs simply couldn't go faster, despite having no breathing problems. So, I remained contented maintaining the 7:40's pace and focused on that. The next thing I was looking forward to was getting out of the dreaded parkway!!!
Finally, around mile 23, the course exited the parkway through a steep footpath, as opposed to an off-ramp. The short, steep climb was a welcomed alternative to the monotonous pancake terrain. Mentally, I was relieved to exit the parkway; however, physically, I was still fighting to maintain a decent pace through mile 24 and ended up pacing in the 7:50's, despite the lack of headwinds. At mile 24, there was some spectator who was shouting "just two more miles to go". At that point, I realized that I hadn't hit the Wall, and I regained my mental resolve to finish strong. The last 2.2 miles were really painful; but, I managed to pace in the low 7:20's, despite the headwinds between miles 24 and 25. I didn't even make a conscious effort to do so either! In terms of scenery, the last mile was absolutely wonderful. It was on a gently winding bike path that reentered Eisenhower Park, passing behind a school and playground en route. Right after passing mile 26, I used all the remaining energy that I had and tried to sprint; however, I felt one of my legs cramping a bit and let off a little bit. Despite that, I'd say that I still had a strong finish.
When I got back to my apartment late that evening, in my mailbox was an application for the Chicago marathon. Coincidence? My next marathon goal is to run a sub-3:00 race. In the meantime, my next running-related goal is to enjoy the beautiful trails Ithaca has to offer.
Splits:
Mile 1—6:23
10K—42:23 (PR)
HM—1:30:22 (PR)
Mile 20—2:20:49
Marathon—3:08:10 (PR)
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