SATURDAY, MAY 05, 2012

Here's my report, data geek style.

The race was in Kenosha, WI, on Lake Michigan. We start near the mouth of the river at the lake, run around downtown for several miles, then run north among the lake (with only one hill of any consequence), do a 180, run back to town along the lake (ditto hill), lose the half marathoners, wander south through Pleasant Prairie with some lake exposure to within sight of the marina at the Illinois border, do another 180 and run back to town along the lake and finish back at the park at the mouth of the river. Flat and fast course, with the lake offering some good views.

I got to the race site an hour ahead - it was pouring rain. Temperature around 50 degrees, cold in the damp wind and fog. I sat in my car for 30 minutes and the rain finally let up.

The porta potty line was short. Then I took off my warm clothes and checked them at gear check, which went quickly. I stood in the start pen for about 10 minutes talking with fellow runners. After the National Anthem and a few words, the air horn sounded and we were off.

1 9:11 not yet warmed up. Glad I wore a toss shirt - darn cool with the stiff north wind

2 8:40 picked it up but under control. Tossed my shirt as I warmed up.

3 9:01 trying to find the pace for a 4 hour finish. I was trying to average 9 minute miles

4 8:45 obviously feeling good

5 8:39 maybe too good?

7 17:53 missed the marker - but closer to pace

10 26:44 missed 2 markers - settled in, feeling great, good turnover and form

12 17:56 missed another marker - still dialed in

14 18:00 talking with guys - we had formed a great informal pace group. Figure I crossed the half at about 1:56:40. This is where I fell off from the same time, same course two years ago

15 8:35 decided did not want to slip into 9+ this early, so tested my Pfitzinger picking-it-up-in-long-runs training. Felt really good to motor ahead of the pace group. Let's see where this goes...

16 8:43 faster turnover continues to work

17 9:05 on pace but getting tighter

18 9:07 still on pace but this is work in the stiff head wind.

19 9:00 pace group caught back up and we ran 9s

20 9:06 was thinking "what's left will be just a 10k." It helped

21 9:01 still with pace group remnants. One guy went ahead and others dropped back

22 9:41 really got tight. Could run but lost efficiency and some turnover.

23 10:17 even tighter but doggedly pushed ahead into the wind. Helped that just 5K left

24 18:33 decided to give it all I had - only three miles to go. Back to 9:16 pace!

26 10:24 losing more efficiency but the end is near - sub 4 hours!

26.2 2:18; 3:58:40 overall; 9:06 average. Boston time by 11:20! Best marathon time since 2005, first qualifier since 2007!

Conclusion: Amping up my training, mapping out and sticking to Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning 12 week plan with maximum weekly mileage at 61 worked. I had been fading and often cramping in the back half of my marathons. This time around I could easily pick it up for awhile in the second half and the fade did not come today until mile 22 and even then two of the last four miles were still close to goal pace.

Boston 2013, here I come!