Male, 29, 6'0", 130 lbs.
PRs: 3K: 8:40.12 (2022) 5K: 15:18 (indoors) (2021), 8K: 25:16 (2021), Half Marathon: 69:22 (2022), Marathon: 2:30:25 (2019)
Goal races: Boston Marathon,
Goal: Boston Marathon: 2:20 mid/finally break 2:30
M: Off
T: 12 miles @ 7:13 avg
W: 13.45 miles @ 6:26 avg 3 mile warmup, 2 @ MP, 3 minutes easy, 6x 1 minute hill repeats w/ jog down recovery, 3 minutes easy, 2 @ MP, 5K cooldown
TH: 11.16 miles @ 7:17 avg
F: 6.36 miles @ 7:13 avg
S:10 miles @ 7:15 avg
Sunday:15 miles, 2 mile warmup, Choo Choo 9 miler+, 4 mile cooldown
Total: 68 miles
Workout:
Coach wanted to toss some hill stuff ahead of Boston. Ended up doing my MP stuff on some rolling terrain too. Hit 5:31/5:29 then felt pretty strong on the minute hill repeats (Paces: 4:59, 4:56, 5:02, 4:48, 4:32, 5:01). Finished it off with a 5:26, 5:23.
Race:
Prerace:
Arrived to the start about 35 minutes before race time. This race had no bag drop so I dropped my bag over by a speaker and ran my warmup. Legs felt decent this morning though it was a little colder/windier than I would have like out. Got back and stuck around for the second to take a group photo for the race series I joined. By this point I really needed to get my race stuff on and get to a bathroom. I didn't have anywhere to put my backpack yet so I was a bit nervous I would have to run back to my car and miss the start. Find a bathroom with about 10 minutes to go but it has a line. I take off my tights in line and shuffle in place nervously because I was starting to really cut it close. Was out of the bathroom with 3 minutes to spare and as I jogged over saw my buddy in the timing truck and was quickly able to drop my bag over. Got to the line in time for the national anthem.
Race:
I didn't expect to have any one to run with on this one so I brought some headphones and my mighty pod for some tunes. The starter blows his whistle and I take off. Game plan for today was a controlled effort between HMP and Marathon pace. Anything between 5:20-5:30 average was just peachy. I spent the first 400 meters simultaneously trying to lock into some kind of pace, put my other mitten on, and firing up my music. This course featured rolling hills throughout but a course that I was fairly familiar with due to all the workouts I ran on it last summer. I decided to err on the side of caution and progress slowly. With Boston 2 weeks from now there was no reason to leave it out here getting out a little more conservative wasn't too bad here.
Mile 1 came by and it was 5:28. I felt okay but not confident enough to start pushing faster here. As I continued to make my way up and down the slight uphills and downhills I began to figure out that this will more than likely just be a solo effort. The course was essentially an out and back and I knew the back half had some tough sections that would not be very fun especially later in the race. Mile 2 went and I was just slightly faster, 5:26. Breathing was comfortable at this point but I didn't feel all that warmed up. I guess that's what happens when you spent the prerace waiting for the bathroom instead of doing drills. Through 2.5 we had a hairpin section that took you under the overpass and I was able to see my lead at about 30 seconds. The rollers leveled out and I began to have my legs really start moving with me. Third mile was slightly faster, 5:23. The fourth mile got real quiet as we approached the end of the bike path. I've run this section of the bike path countless times in workouts solo so it felt almost second nature knowing when to press and let go of the gas. I tried to keep it controlled as I wondered if I could hold this comfortably over the second half. Consistent over the next section I thought to myself. At least until I get to the turnaround. Mile 4 came and went, 5:23 again. I hit the cone that designated the turnaround and made my move for home.
As I came to almost a full stop I took a couple quick steps to get back into rhythm. Since this was an out and back I could see the rest of the race coming toward me. A combination of that and some great songs gave me more pep in my step. I felt controlled, smooth, and had absolutely no issues. I was telling people good job, smiling, and just overall having a great time. This was the best I've felt all race and my next mile showed that, 5:15. As soon as I saw that I was like, ope, we gotta calm down now, no need to be running this fast. I set a goal to try and keep it just at 5:20 but it made it tough as I got more energy seeing people pass by on their way out. Mile 6 was right on pace, 5:20. The next three miles saw another rolling section that challenged me a bit but I was already stuck in a comfortable rhythm. Up and down the toughest section of the final three I was slightly faster, 5:18. Again I wanted to pull it back again but I just kept clicking, 5:17 now. As we approached the final mile I began to pass some of the 5K finishers which gave me an extra boost of confidence. I made my turn onto the final bridge, crossed the bridge and took the downhill for home. With about 400 to go I realized the race was going to be short of 5 miles. So I ran through the finish line, told a volunteer to pass me a medal and kept running until I got to 9 miles. I looked at my watch and saw 5:0_ so I slowed down significantly so I wouldn't get a stern talking to. Final mile came out to a 5:13.
Official time had me at 47:32, Full 9 miles was 48:10.
This was exactly what I needed ahead of Boston. I'm excited to see what I can put together in two weeks. Didn't feel very tired during that effort and it gave me a ton of confidence.