Rome Marathon 2014---Post-race musings:
Overall, not bad for my third marathon. I'll get it straight soon.
Time: 3:24 (on my watch). I think officially it was 3:23 and some change.
Training: My plan was a good training plan but I
miscalculated and had to start into the program at the 5th week. I wish I would
have had the ability to train during those first 4 weeks and get some better
base miles. My fault but I'll get better at planning these races in the future.
The start: SUCKED! Got pre-race jitters, couldn't sleep and
ended up arriving late to the start. This put me farther behind than last year.
I was approximately 300 yards from the actual line. From where I was I couldn't
even see the starting line nor could I hear the music or gun go off from where
I was standing. I tried not to panic because I knew there was nothing that was
going to get me ahead of the crowd. For the first 12k of the race, I spent my
time trying to strategically get into places where I could sprint and make up
time. My lesson is that no matter how crappy sleep is, I need to be at the
starting area at least an hour and half before the start.
Strategy: Despite the bad start, I felt my strategy is good
and worth trying to repeat again. I was able to maintain negative splits after
the first couple of miles and regain a 7:20 pace. After 10 miles, I started
being inconsistent with my time and would begin to feel the pressure of needing
to increase the speed to make the time. By mile 15, I was beginning to feel a
little off in terms of timing and was officially soaked (backpack, shoes,
clothes). I started to feel heavy but tried to mentally blocked this out. Mile
20, my strategy for keeping pace was out the window and I naturally fell into a
"maintain pace" and ironically was the average mile pace when I would
do my Yasso sprints. I want to explore this a little more because I believe if
I expect this for my finishing pace, then I need to tightening the race
strategy during miles 13-20.
Hydration: I hydrated too much prior to the race. For some
reason (maybe out of last years experience of walling), I decided to drink 32 ounces
of NUUN electrolyte right before bed and then I woke up and sipped on PERPETUEM
in the morning and while traveling to the start line. I also carried a
hydration bladder with NUUN electrolyte drink during the race and did not stop
at most of the aid stations. Around mile 13, I started to get some gastro
issues and felt like throwing up for most of the race. Additionally, my stomach
felt like it was on the verge of feeling 'sloshy'. I took a sip of solution
every 10 minutes and then stopped once I really started feeling like I was
going to throw up.
This is completely out of the ordinary for me during my long
runs and I should have kept to what I normally did during training. No major
hydration the night before and in the morning. I should have only used a
diluted solution for my hydration pack. I craved more water then I did anything
else.
Once I got regular water in me I felt fine. I should've remembered that I
have run long runs before without doing any of these things except hydrate on
course with my pack.
Nutrition: I felt like my nutrition was good because of my
stomach issue, I minimized my food intake around mile 17 or so. Next time, I'm
going to mix it up and have a solid or at least look for a solid non-sugary
substance to take in during the race. I felt as if this may have settle my
stomach a little earlier.
Equipment: Perfect. I sat at my door before I left our flat
and contemplated whether to run in my Hoka's or Saucony. My biggest fear was to
run in the rain and be wearing shoes that didn't drain well. My saucony's would
have been the better choice. My Hoka's soaked up the water and didn't drain
well which left me running with water log's on my feet. I'm still hesitant
about saying this was a bad decision because I felt like I needed the comfort
of the Hoka cushion to assist in my mid-stride recovery. It's a toss up.
In the end, I ran strong and managed the challenges very
well. I think I'll be where I want to be with a little more adjustments and
experience. I've also decided it's time to get a professional coach and
nutritionist for monthly advice and monitoring. I feel like I've done
everything I can for myself and now is the time to expert training.
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