I went into Sunday’s Tucson Marathon having no idea what to expect. I was optimistic that I could set a personal best, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if I was 30 minutes slower than that. I’ve had a rough year with marathons, with just one (arguably two) good races. I knew Tucson would either salvage my 2009 or finish the year in fitting fashion. 26.2 miles after I crossed the start line, I wrapped up my year with a whimper.
Tucson has a big downhill net and has a fast reputation. But I always compare it to the Golden Goose. Take from it gently, and you’ll be happy. If you kill it, though, you’ll be sorry! This was my fourth time running this race and in two of my three previous attempts, I’ve killed the goose. But my personal-best, a 3:00:05, was in Tucson in 2007.
I’ve struggled through the second half of 2009, battling through a severely sprained ankle, a full plate (ahhh, life!) and a lack of motivation. About two months ago, I decided to stop having a pity party for myself and I started pushing during my training. I’ve improved quite a bit since October and based on recent training results, I wouldn’t have been surprised with anything between a 2:58 and a 3:30 on Sunday. My A goal was 2:59:59, the elusive sub-3! My B goal was a 3:09:59 and my C goal was a 3:15:59, my new Boston qualifying standard since I’m 35 now.
I ran Sunday with a pretty bad chest cold. What started as a sore throat last Monday turned into burning lungs and a painful cough by race day. My legs felt great, but I knew I was a little sick. That’s not a legitimate excuse, though. I’ve run 3:16 in the wind and rain with bronchitis. I think that’s what I have right now, but I’m not totally sure.
Anyways, they changed the course changed a little bit this year. I knew that there would be rollers for the first 8 or so miles, and then by about 10, it would be a gradual downhill the whole way. I kept myself in check early, running well on the downhills and staying conservative on the uphills. The average elevation for those first eight miles was about 4,500 feet, about 3,500 feet higher than I’m used to. The 8th mile was a long, continuous uphill with probably a 150-200 foot gain. When I came out of that, I wasn’t totally cooked, but I was definitely starting to get beat up.
The downhill started by about 9 or 10 and I started cruising. I stayed at my target heart rate and was running in the 6:40/mile – 6:45/mile range and pulling closer to where I needed to be (sub-3 requires a 6:52 pace). But that only lasted for about 3 miles. By 12 or so, I started feeling a little faint and lightheaded and I was coughing pretty nicely. And really, I’m not in shape right now.
I think I hit the half at about 1:34 flat, but my legs were really starting to get stiff and I knew it wasn’t going to happen. I thought I had a chance at a 3:08 since I was cruising down the hill. Between 12 and maybe 15 or 16, I was turning miles consistently in the 7:05-7:10 range and I didn’t feel like I was slowing. I thought I’d found a groove.
But by about 16, I really started to fade. I also encountered a pretty strong headwind. I started getting those “why in the heck do I put myself through this” and “why did I decide to do this 60 times next year” thoughts. The last 10 miles were really miserable. I was getting pretty stiff in my legs and my back started to hurt pretty nicely.
As I got closer to the finish, the pain got worse, the legs turned slower and my goals started slipping away. I started thinking I might be lucky to break 3:20. I found a little tiny bit of a second wind with about a mile to go and I passed a few people, but it was way too little and way too late.
One funny story about somebody I passed: There was a guy dressed in a Superman costume that I jostled for position with all day. At one point, he was running with me and told me, “nice run”. I told him I needed some of his super powers and he laughed. I was wearing green and joking around, I told him I was going to be his kryptonite at the end. Sure enough, I passed him for good at about 25.5 and in the finish area, he joked with me that I was right.
I crossed the finish line 3:17:02 after I crossed the start line. It was my 14th fastest marathon out of 28. Basically, right in the middle. Blah. A fitting way to cap a lousy year. I ran 9 marathons this year, and only two of them were faster than this race. Boston was great, but that was it.
I had a great year in 2008 and got complacent. I took it all for granted and really struggled this year. 2010 will probably be a bit of a struggle early on since I have 7 marathons in January, but I suspect that 183.4 miles at marathon effort before February will help me get my speed back. My goal for the year will be to average 3:09:59 or better, and of course, I want to get this sub-3 monkey off my back.
So, that’s pretty much it. Not my day, not my year. But finally, I can look past everything and just focus on starting Operation Jack on January 1. It’s almost go time!
Katie Abdolhosseini says
That was a great race! From what I hear the winds that day were terrible! And with you finally coming down with the chest cold thingy, I am suprised you didn’t die out there! 😉 Great job! I am sure that sub 3 will happen soon!
Ally Phillips says
OK, running with bronchitis? I’m no doctor, but, holy yikes! I know you were really looking for that sub 3, but, with the crazy few days you had leading up to the marathon, it’s understandable that you’d have a rough go–especially if you were battling a cold or bronchitis! Is mile 16 just the bad mile or something? That’s where I started to fade–well, 16-17ish.
I know that 2010 will be a crazy running year, but, I’m sure you’ll break that 3 hour mark. Now, if I could just break 5 (and I can’t believe I typed that for everyone to see! Ha!).
Al Noonez says
You CANNOT race all 60 ‘thons… if you do, you will have mediocre results. Concentrate on two or three and “run” the others… your body and mind will thank you.
Jen Morgan says
I’m with Ally what are you doing running around with bronchitis?!?!? If it’s in the head go ahead but if it’s in the chest – REST!!!!
Crazy boy!
Well I hope you use the next two weeks to get some much needed R&R! See you in 11 weeks!
Sally Boles says
Someone has to say it so as your friend, I will. Stop feeling sorry for yourself! You say 2009 wasn’t a great year, but you were able to run 9 marathons. Most people can’t or won’t run even 1. That sounds to me like a fabulous year! Plus, there are too many marathoners out there who wish they could run a 3:17 marathon and probably never will and you call that a bad day! I always say that every marathon is an experience and I learn something from every marathon I run. There is a bright side to every cloud. You just have to look for it. Here’s to a great 2010 for you and Operation Jack!