Chaire Herodikos Selymbriaios!

Seattle Marathon

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Location:

Cambridge,MA,

Member Since:

Apr 15, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

3:25:46 Marathon (Seattle '07)

1:36:56 Half Marathon (Whidbey '07)

1:34:30 Half Marathon - in race (Seattle '07)

53:02 12k (Rhody Run '07)

6:55 pace 14.52/185 mi relay (Northwest Passage '08)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Weight

June 1: 163  157!

June 8: 161  156

June 15: 159  156

June 22: 157  153

June 29: 155

July 6: 153

July 13: 151

July 20: 149  August 1: 149.6!

Races

Oct 26: Cape Cod Marathon 

Long-Term Running Goals:

Emulate my stepfather -- still running at 87!


Personal:

I know a secret technique for opening mangos taught me by a Wolof sorcerer. I was briefly a political appointee at the U.N. I am intimately familiar with a disciple of David Hume.

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Mizuno Elixir Lifetime Miles: 128.80
NB 890v2 Lifetime Miles: 106.80
Kinvara 2 Black Lifetime Miles: 328.45
Merrell Sonic Glove Lifetime Miles: 9.90
Kinvara 3 Red Lifetime Miles: 83.10
Kinvara 3 Blue Lifetime Miles: 99.25
Race: Seattle Marathon (26.2 Miles) 03:25:46
Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
0.007.2019.000.000.0026.20

"Does ripe fruit never fall? Or do the boughs

Hang always heavy in that perfect sky..."

Many good things about this race. First, the weather. There were signs yesterday that heaven and earth had moved to accomodate us: contrary to forecast, the clouds parted and brilliant sunshine ensued. All afternoon, it was like a (frozen-over) Miami. Somewhat overcast by evening, but I peeked out this morning at 6:30 and what should I see but a full moon, the biblical levanah. I knew then that we were living large.

The next thing that was good was my ability to stick to race plan. Went out exactly at 7:45 for two miles, holding firm against the impulse to rabbit, then ranged between 7:30 and 7:15 for the up-and-down heading toward the bridge. By the bridge turnaround (mi 6) packs had started to form, and I was in about the fifth or sixth one, going a pretty steady 7:05. I felt great. Totally within myself, spectacular scenery along Lake Washington boulevard. What's not to like? We cruised around Seward Park, hit the halfway point at 1:34:30, and by then big thoughts are flitting through my frontal cortex. Someone said I was in 47th place.

Alas! At mi 18, a very weird signal emerged from the second metatarsal in My Left Foot. Apparent neuropathy. Serious numbness going on, and while still runnable, it began to mess up my mechanics. I was putting out more and more energy with less and less gain, and it was energy that I just didn't have in reserve  My splits crept inexorably upward: 7:40ish on mile 18, 7:50 on mile 19. Then on mile 20 I hit my Waterloo. Things Fell Apart. Dale had caught up with me at this juncture, but I was more or less cocooned in survival mode. By the (vicious, nasty, unforgivable) Galer hill at mi 21, the race crew had stopped telling me "right on, great time!" and was now giving me the old lady cheer: "you're doing great! Hang in there!" I hit the last 10k at 2:41-something, and my BQ had turned into a pumpkin; now the goal was simply not to walk. 

So there you have it: a six mile jog (using the term loosely) that ranked up there with the Minnow's three hour tour for overall time-efficiency. And yet, I can't imagine any track workout that could possibly have taken more out of my musculo-skeletal system than that 9:30-10:00 pace. When I hit the last hill (the race designers very thoughtfully penciled in a 5% grade more or less to the finish line) my legs felt like the floor of the pit at CBGBs after a Sex Pistols show. My calves felt like the crash dummy in a Lamborghini factory. My foot felt like--well, I couldn't feel my foot.

Anyway, I guess I'm going to have to get it checked out; feels better, but still a bit numb/sore. Assume it's there's some kind of pinching action in the foot bones at the end of the sciatica. Moreover, immediately after crossing the finish line I could barely walk, which I assume means that I was running with low glycogen stores.

Injury aside, the soreness does suggest to me that I needed more training to improve efficiency of glycogen storage, and probably a more thoughtful carbo-loading program as well. Possibly I overdid it on the first half, though in any case I don't think I could have made the BQ with anything slower than that 1:34 half, so it's probably a moot point. All in all, I feel pretty good about this, Baby's First Marathon. I had a nice strong start, I persevered through some adverse conditions, and I ended up with a respectable time after two months of serious training. My private aim was somewhere between 3:30 and 3:15, and having made that target I think I can now sleep the nap of the blessed.

I'd insert my splits here, but left the Garmin on auto-stop, and it helpfully put everything on hold whenever I ran through a tunnel, next to a tree, or in the shadow of a porta-potty. The race crew was pretty good about calling out splits, but after the Great Toe Revolt of Mile 16 my recall less than perfect. 1-2 averaged 7:45, mile 4 clocked in exactly at 30, I think mile 6 was 45:50, and then I averaged between 6:55 and 7:05 up to mi 18.

Major congratulations to Dale, who ran a great race and got his BQ. I'm not surprised at all given the quality of his training. As for me, wait till next year saith Leo Durocher.

Weight: 0.00Calories: 0.00
Comments
From Benn on Sun, Nov 25, 2007 at 17:39:50

HAHAHA! All I could think of was the Seinfeld episode with the clock fiasco! Look forward to reading about the race man! I'm sure you dropped the hammer!

Benn

From MichelleL on Sun, Nov 25, 2007 at 18:03:30

I have been refreshing the race reports page waiting for your report, so don't leave us hanging too long!

From Dale on Sun, Nov 25, 2007 at 18:36:42

Aaron,

You looked great out there late in the race, especially since this is your first one. Sorry I didn't get to see you in the finish area...it was a madhouse, of course. Now go find some ibuprofin!

Good race!

From James on Sun, Nov 25, 2007 at 18:49:28

You shoulsd have made Dave Nelson do that with you. Looking forward to the report.

From Dale on Sun, Nov 25, 2007 at 19:27:00

Take nothing away from yourself on this one....I WISH I could've come close to doing as well as you did on your first marathon, much less on 2 months serious training??? Wow man! You've got some great marathons ahead of you.

Congrats again. A race definitely well run.

From MichelleL on Sun, Nov 25, 2007 at 19:29:44

Aaron-is your time a 3:25 then? Sorry your body didn't cooperate with your high aspirations, but it is a respectable start and should make you hungry for your next go around.

From Benn on Sun, Nov 25, 2007 at 19:37:41

AWESOME JOB AARON! You have the drive and dedication needed to get your BQ. You'll do it in no time! Keep up the great work.

From josse on Sun, Nov 25, 2007 at 21:17:09

I often have the same low glyco problems in marathons. I found that products from Hammer co. to really help me. If you want more info on what I do feel free to ask. Great job on the marathon, they are all learning for the next.

From Tom on Sun, Nov 25, 2007 at 21:25:29

Aaron you should be pleased with your race, you did great especially for your 1st marathon. First one is usually always a learning experience with a few mistakes. Your BQ is right there within your reach for the next one.

From Lyman on Sun, Nov 25, 2007 at 23:02:01

There is nothing that can prepare you for the last 6 miles of your first marathon. It took nothing less than all of my mental, physical, and spiritual/emotional strength to cross the finish line on my first marathon but the reward was equal to the effort. Your time is exceptional for a first and that BQ is well within your reach for the next one. Enjoy the recovery.

From David on Sun, Nov 25, 2007 at 23:49:24

Way to push through it and finish tough. Nothing to be ashamed of with that time, and you didn't get soaked/frozen. Some good things. I didn't miss you because of the timing, a combination of things meant I couldn't make it to the course when I planned; I didn't realize it started at 8:15. When you recover we'll get together for a few miles on a weekend.

From James W on Mon, Nov 26, 2007 at 07:56:00

Aaron, congrats on a great time for your first marathon. My first marathon, I barely broke 4 hours - I didn't know what to expect, and I did end up walking quite a bit during the last 8 miles or so. You did a great job. Muscular ache - after St. George, I could barely stand up. In fact, when I sat down, I almost couldn't stand back up again.

From Bonnie on Mon, Nov 26, 2007 at 09:10:27

Great Job Aaron - now you have a baseline to work from - you have gotten the dreaded "first marathon" out of the way!!

Rest well.

From Paul Petersen on Mon, Nov 26, 2007 at 09:11:44

Way to persevere. No BQ, but at least you got an entertaining race report out of it. Congrats on your 1st marathon. You've earned a weeks worth of naps.

From jtshad on Mon, Nov 26, 2007 at 09:55:40

Congratulations on a solid time for your first marathon. The first one is a real learning experience...you have some more great races ahead of you as you learn from this one and get the BQ the next time.

From Sean on Mon, Nov 26, 2007 at 10:37:40

Great job. Tough course. Anytime it doesn't rain, sleet or snow for the Seattle Marathon it is a miracle.

From Michael on Tue, Nov 27, 2007 at 09:37:55

Way to run Aaron - great job for your first marathon. The 2:25 time in the heading took me by surprize, until I read your report. Im glad you had good weather - cant imagine the challenge if it was the normal cold Seattle rain. I read about the marathon in the Seattle Times while heading back from Thanksgiving in Washington, sounds like a scenic course. Hope you recover and heal well

From Dave Holt on Tue, Nov 27, 2007 at 12:09:12

Good work - one down, many more to come!

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