Run a marathon in under 4 hours

I really blew it this time.

I ran the Denver Marathon yesterday.

I stayed with the 4:00 pace group up until mile 10 or so. I had to make a PortaPotty stop, and as I tried to make up the time (not all at once, of course), I just couldn’t do it. I tried to catch them by mile 13, but it was uphill and I kept going slower and slower. The top of the hill was the out-and-back turnaround at mile 14, and the downhill didn’t feel any better.

I knew my family was waiting for me at 18, and right after I saw them, I more or less collapsed. The old legs just couldn’t do it. I walked and walked and walked, and unlike a similar experience in Vancouver, I never felt any better. My sister, God love her, brought me two Tylenol and a banana at mile 20. I tried a few times to run, but couldn’t do it. Finally, about a mile and a half from the end, I recovered sufficiently to run it in. It was a 5:00 run, not a 4:00 run.

An old joke.

Today was a long run before the Denver Marathon, Oct 19. I needed 20 miles, but I decided to run 26.2 more-or-less gently. I tried running 11 minute miles, but that was too hard; instead, I ran to the mile markers, walked one minute, repeat.

I had a 1/2 marathon split of 2:18 and wanted to run some negative splits, but in the event, I ran the second half in the same time, finishing at 4:36. Still, I was proud to maintain a steady pace and not drop off at the end. It was odd to run the last six miles with “gas in the tank”. Normally, I am completely whipped at 20+ miles and can barely move at all.

I plan to take it easy next week, and then try another long run two weeks from tomorrow.

Today wasn’t my best race, either. I didn’t blow up at mile 9 like in Vancouver, but I did hit the wall at mile 20. My first half ran pretty much like I wanted, but the last half was trayf.

Finished in 4:26, well off my goal. (I would have at least liked a PR, if not a sub-4 time.) Next attempt will be in Denver, where I have a home field advantage of sorts. All my family are there and so I should have some cheering sections going on. It’s not as hilly and the altitude is similar to what I’ve been running in. Also, I think the humidity (even cold humidity) takes a lot out of me. I lost a lot of fluid.

Really blew this deal at the Vancouver Marathon May 4. I went out waaay too fast. Good news: I got a PR in the 10K (based on the posted split time). Bad news: you can’t get a PR in the 10K and have any juice left after about mile 9. I finished, and it wasn’t my worst-ever time, but not even close to my PR of 4:12.

Next attempt will be at the San Francisco Marathon Aug 3.

I’m going to try this at the Vancouver Marathon May 4. My PR is 4:12.