Know your mile splits!

On Thanksgiving Day, I ran the Turkey Chase BCC 10K in Maryland, which is one of several races my kids and I run together each year. It was quite cold and windy; but it was great fun, as usual. I was a bit disappointed, though, with my time, which was 55 sec. slower than last year's time. It was the only short race (5K, 8K, 10K) this year that I didn't run faster than I did last year, after I'd started more "serious" training for marathons, both with my local running club and with the RYBQ online community. It was not because of training--I'd fully expected to run a course PR--but because of a "technical racing detail." I missed reading the first three mile splits on my watch, and, by the time I realized by Mile 4 that my average pace was too slow, it was too late to make up the time over the last two miles. Mile 4 didn't feel that slow, but it was 32 sec. slower than Mile 5. Here are the splits:

7:56 - Would have been a course PR pace. I started near the front of my wave so was able to run without road congestion.
8:14 - Mile 2 was hilly, winding through residential neighborhoods north of Bethesda, and I'd expected it to be my slowest mile.
8:12 - Should have picked up the pace more, after the slow Mile 2. Mile 3 is along Rockville Pike, one of several major roads that lead into Washington, DC.
8:20 - Thought I was going faster than this pace! Still on Rockville Pike, Mile 4 ends in downtown Bethesda. I finally read this mile split and realized I really needed to pick up the pace!
7:48 - I tried but the last two miles were generally uphill.
7:58 - Especially the last mile!

Lesson learned: Gain a better feel for my pace without a watch (i.e., by effort) and/or make sure I catch those mile splits. In these short races, there's not much time to make up for mistakes!

Zombie Apocalypse, MCM version (Marine Corps Marathon race report)

From the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) finishers area, next to the Marine Corps War Memorial (also called the Iwo Jima Memorial), to the post-race celebration area in Rosslyn, VA. is a fairly long walk that crosses U.S. Highway 50 on a bridge. I was slowly crossing the bridge, and, looking at the people around and in front of me who, like me, were all limping, I was thinking that this looks just like in those zombie movies. :)

But, what a fun race MCM was! I really enjoyed running it. Weather was almost perfect. Spectator support was terrific, one of the best for marathons. People coming out to support "The People's Marathon"! Granted, some of them may be tourists, a bit annoyed and impatient with all the road closings. :) The opening ceremonies were highlighted by skydivers (marines? not sure), some of whom carried *huge* American flags. Quite a sight. The presence of all the marines along the course, especially along a stretch going towards Hains Point, reminded all the runners the overall purpose of MCM. The race logistics were mostly efficient and well-done, including porta potties (sufficient number--though, of course, never enough!) and bag checks and pick-ups. Water stations were every 2-3 miles. I took mostly water, though Gatorade was also available. There were four food stations (oranges, Gu's, Sports Beans, and Munchkins). I skipped the oranges and Munchkins but took a Gu and a bag of Sports Beans. I also had three of my own Gu's. The ground around the stations was kind of sticky, from spilled Gatorade and discarded oranges--I figured I probably lost a few seconds as a result. :) Orange peels were everywhere; good thing they weren't handing out bananas. Getting the finisher medal put around your neck by a marine lieutenant was pretty cool. The MCM medal is the second-most popular finisher medal in North America for 2013, according to "Marathon and Beyond" magazine.

And, the post-race warming jacket (throwaway though reusable to some extent) was definitely better and more functional than the usual space blanket.

I do have two main gripes. First is the general course congestion, especially in the early miles but also the new out-and-back along Rock Creek Parkway (Miles 6-9). The latter was just too narrow for the number of runners. In my post-race survey response, I suggested wave starts of the corrals in future races. We'll have to see. Second is the long wait in line, some 45 minutes, to get into the Rosslyn Metro station, to head for home. Fortunately, weather cooperated. Someone should be looking into improving the getaway logistics. Actually, there is a third gripe. Those race photographers need to be more visible, especially those who are sitting on the ground, in the middle of the road (!). They are collisions waiting to happen.

The course congestion, I'm pretty certain, costed me a new PR. MCM was my first generally negative split marathon—and, I did not stop and walk at all (except for the four planned water stations for ~10 sec. @), even up that final hill to the Marine Corps War Memorial. I felt good throughout and essentially did not run into the wall. I kept missing the mile splits on my watch, which was a good sign (i.e., the miles were going by fast!). This being three weeks after having run the Wineglass Marathon, I was relatively conservative in my pacing. I ended up with 4:24, two minutes shy of my PR, though 20 minutes better than my previous MCM (2011). I think the extra time the course congestion caused easily exceeded two minutes. It wasn't until after ~Mile 9 did the field opened up enough for me to consistently run at my planned pace.

The best thing about this MCM is that it provided the data point to finally enable me to see why an even pace at the fastest speed one can sustain for a particular set of race conditions should yield the best results. Starting at around Mile 20, near the approach to the 14th Street bridge, I did quite a bit of "fishing," especially going across the bridge. This was rather uncustomary! With each overtaking of groups of runners who were in front of me, I felt as I gained energy. Also, I now know what changes to my training I need to make, when I start the next training cycle in December for Shamrock in March. The following pace chart for three of my marathons this year really tells the story!