In Conclusion...

The race was a month ago, and it is time to put some final thoughts down.

How I feel
I've completed the Recovery Mesocycle, and when I run these days, I feel just fine. Saturday, I ran with the K-Stars and did a pretty fast 12-miler with Meredith (8:09/mile). It is starting to feel a bit like it used to, before all this attention to a schedule and specific types of runs, though I do throw in a Recovery run every now and then.

In my head, though, I'm still divided. Deep down, I'm still disappointed that I didn't meet my goal, and there is no escaping that. I worked very hard in preparation, and my memories of the race are not of triumph, but of the pain of bonking and the self-doubt of not meeting my goal. I know that much of that attitude, especially for being down on myself for walking so much in the final miles, comes from my cross country days. But knowing that in my head doesn't mean I don't feel that way: when people ask me how it was, I have to dig deep to not react with that disappointment.

On the other hand, it was an ambitious goal, tough conditions, and I had no experience upon which I could draw. Finishing any marathon is a tremendous achievement, and doing the first one in 3:44 is nothing to be shy about. I know this, I just don't feel this.

Why I didn't reach my goal
Which brings me to the list of hypotheses I put at the end of my marathon report. I can't just work so hard for something, not get there, and not try to figure out why. Without any scientific basis, I am resting on the following beliefs:

• Given the warm weather, I did not drink enough water along the route. Dehydration can lead to bonking, and I know I was fooled by the morning light (or darkness, rather). I didn't realize it was warmer than it should have been until I was out of the park, but the sky was a clear blue instead of the anticipated fog.
• Another strong possibility is that I did not carbo-load properly. Again, lack of fuel can lead to bonking, so it is possible that I didn't have enough fuel stored in my system from the start. While I did feel like I was eating rice, pasta and bread all day long, and while I did feel a bit bloated, it isn't clear that I ate the recommended levels of carbohydrates in those three days.
• Lastly, I may not have tapered enough. The training regimen was pretty hard, to the extent that while I was completing the final couple of 50+ mile weeks, I was feeling a bit sluggish on just about every run (I didn't have a day where I felt great all the way). Even running a 16 miler two weeks before the event might have been too much.

What I dismiss is that I didn't do enough training. I was able to meet targets, such as 14 miles at 7:45 pace. I shaved at least a minute off of my 10K time. 18 days after the marathon, I ran a 5:37.3 mile. Mike and Galen both said my training was both disciplined and sufficient, and Galen felt that I had a 3:30 marathon in me.

The future
So what next? I must be completely insane, because in my mind, I will run another marathon one day, perhaps as soon as next year. In this case, it is to prove to myself that I can beat the time I sought this time under better conditions, and perhaps, also, because I like the feeling of training for and accomplishing something this big.

What will make this more difficult in the future is that I will have two children to raise, so the time I spend training will be more difficult to find. That said, I can see, perhaps, starting up in time to run the 2007 San Francisco Marathon, and may even follow that up with an attempt for a Boston Qualifying Time in the California International Marathon in December, 2007.

In the meantime, I am likely to focus on my 10K time, and use track workouts with the K-Stars to help get there.

Final thoughts
Overall, I enjoyed this journey. The running, the companionship I found, the things I learned, the writing of this blog, and even the feeling of accomplishment.

I don't know how many people were reading regularly, but even without the readers, it is great to have a record of what I did, and it was a great creative outlet during the training.

• • •

This is my last original-content post on this blog. Thanks for being there!

Back to normal, in a sense

(Looking for my Marathon Report? Please also look below for my Recognition post.)

Yesterday, I walked out of my front door and ran directly from my house for the first time since January. Before, I was worried that my knee would not absorb the hills, and any prolonged knee trouble would threaten my training for the marathon.

The run felt pretty good. I didn't pay any attention to my heart rate (for a change), and just ran by feel. My legs feel okay, and while it took me a few miles to warm up, the hill coming back up Mission Street went by relatively quickly and without much struggle.

Monday night, I played softball without restraint for the first time this year. The first time I came up, I blooped one into shallow Right-Center, and dashed to second when it appeared they were slow in getting the ball back in (and no one was covering second). Surprise! The pitcher covered and had the ball in his glove before I was at the bag, so I accelerated and slid, hard, with a small leap and made it to the bag before he could reach down and tag me.

The next batter blooped one into right field and as I raced towards third, the third base coach sent me home. I ran full tilt, without any restraint. In the weeks prior to the marathon, I was holding back from running full tilt and sliding for fear of pulling a muscle or otherwise injuring myself.

So: just an observation that I'm feeling okay and am enjoying the regular way of life again. I think there will be about one more post, next week.

In Recognition... A party!!

(Looking for my Marathon Report? Look below).

Last Saturday, my wife and I threw a party and invited just about everyone who had anything to do with my marathon: providers of advice, runners who ran with me during training, and those who supported me in other ways. I had always said the party was about the guests, though my wife wanted to acknowledge my achievement. Either way, about 25 people were treated to a slice of hospitality at our home.

During the party, I took a few minutes to present:

The First Marathon and other Insane things Awards!

First, I acknowledged people more generally:

• The K-Stars. I have mentioned them many times in this blog, and have always had a side-bar link to their site, but I felt compelled to tell the crowd about how they are a great group of runners. I never imagined that I would never have to do any of my long runs alone. And I didn't. Ten times I went out for a Long Run, and all 10 times I had company. Sometimes just one, but many times 5 or 6 people. And great company at that.

• The friends who cheered me on race day. I told of the people who made signs and the people who jumped up and down. I also recounted the story of the runner who noticed all that and complimented me on my friends.

But I also wanted to (and did) acknowledge certain people specifically. Regular readers of this blog will recognize all these names.

Chris

Chris is one of the first people with whom I started running regularly. Back before I started this blog, when I was building back up from my right plica (knee) injury, Chris, Mai and I would do 8 or 10 miles on the K-Star Saturday runs. Then it started to seem like every week, Chris and I were on the same run, and eventually, we synched up our long run schedules and completed some ambitious runs. Two runs in particular come to mind: the time we ran the first 20 miles of the course together, and the time we did a 17-miler, with 14 miles at Goal Pace (without a watch!). Chris was recognized as the person who completed the Most Miles Run with Brent (250 miles!).

It was also true, right from the start, that Chris was a great conversationalist. Initially, we had in depth conversations about things like mortgages and job negotiation, and later, I saw a story-telling side of Chris that lead me to recognize Chris for Astounding Conversations while Running.

Chris tended to show up a few minutes late or just barely before we would leave for a group run, so with sarcasm, I also recognized Chris for Punctuality. That said, I really want to thank Chris for being there for me while I trained.

To make tangible these awards, I presented Chris with a certificate like the one shown here, as well as a box of GU in a flavor I think he'd like (Tri-Berry, with caffeine).

Incidentally, Chris realized at some point while I was training that as long as he was doing all these runs, he'd run the marathon as well. He turned in a 3:22 performance that day! Congrats, Chris!

Mike

Mike is another K-Star who would dispense much advice in conversations over brunch after Saturday runs, even though I didn't often run with Mike. Early on, he helped me sort out the oddities of my training program, especially in his offer to help me figure out my Lactate Threshold pace. For this, I recognized Mike for Coaching and Advice.

Mike was also one of the dedicated readers of this blog, and turned in the Most Blog Comments of anyone. This is especially noteworthy, since when I was writing, I often wondered if anyone was reading. Comments make the posts feel worthwhile, and what Mike had to say was often informative for not just me, but any reader interested in running.

Mike was also helpful in helping me figure out other technical aspects of the strange training schedule, and in once case, helped me simulate a 10K when I needed one, compromising his own run for the day in the process, and providing great encouragement even when I was struggling on that run. Hence, I recognized Mike for Special Running Guidance.

(Mike was also the one person who answered the Evite question about "how many miles did you run with Brent" exactly correctly, and no one else came very close.)

I presented Mike with a similar certificate and a box of GU in his favorite flavor (Plain.) How did I know? A blog comment told me.

Thomas

Thomas was another unofficial coach. Long before I ever decided to run a marathon, I talked to Thomas about his own marathoning experiences, and started picking up advice before I ever realized it. He's responsible for me reading and adopting the schedule in the book, and he didn't stop there. He helped me decode the book's mysteries, and was a constant reference on schedule oddities and ways to understand what I was doing with all this running. I recognized Thomas for Coaching and Advice.

Some of Thomas' advice came in Blog Comments. Knowing that Thomas was reading was a great boost to my determination to write, and like Mike, his comments were instructive.

Perhaps the greatest contribution Thomas made to my running, though, was the Inspiration I felt in knowing his own story and accomplishments. Thomas had, as part of a class on setting goals and achieving them, decided that his goal was to run a marathon in under 3:30 within two years, despite being essentially a non-runner at the time. In his second marathon, he broke 3:30. Within three years, he set a PR at Boston, running that challenging course in 2:42.

I presented Thomas a certificate and a box of GU in his favorite flavor (Espresso). Thomas also revealed his favorite flavor, as Mike did.

Galen

Shortly after Chris was running with me, I found myself running with Galen. Sometimes, Galen and I would do a mid-week Medium Long-Run together, and that really helped. Particularly memorable was one run where we still talk about another runner we saw, and a Sunday afternoon run where we ran 17 miles together the day after the simulated 10K. In the end, Galen would rack up many, many Miles Run with Brent: 236 in all, just one long run away from eclipsing Chris.

Galen was also terrific in helping me understand where I was within my developing IT Band injury, an injury he had himself. He demonstrated stretches specific to helping that injury, described in great detail how to recognize what was happening, and helped me understand how far I could push myself given what I was feeling. At that late stage in my training, this understanding was crucial to keeping me on track, so I recognized Galen for Injury Advice.

Galen was also a consistent reader of this blog, and provided nearly as many Blog Comments as Mike. Part and parcel of those comments was the most encouraging tone and statements of anyone I was talking to about this marathon training. It was not uncommon for Galen to provide an honest assessment of my progress, or to comment about what I accomplished in a 10K. For that, I wish to thank Galen for his General Encouragement. It meant a lot to me, and it didn't stop at the training: Galen said as recently as Tuesday that he felt I had a 3:30 in me, if not for the warm day on the race and the mistake we both made by not countering it.


Galen received a certificate and a new kind of Body Glide, a distance runner's best friend.

My wife

For some runners, their partner in life is another runner, so the understanding and support given is very natural. For other runners, their partner in life is a non-runner (or at least, runs only for fitness), and hence the understanding demonstrated could be less than optimal. At least one guy told me a story about how his ex-girlfriend used to complain about his sweaty running clothes after he got back from a run. Hm.

My wife is certainly not in that mold. There was never a point in time where I was made to feel guilty for evenings I would come home late after running 10 or 12 miles after work, or for Saturday or Sunday mornings where I would leave early to go on a long run. In fact, I was encouraged every step of the way, with comments about how proud of me she was, and her desire to know how my training was going, and an occasional ride home from downtown or BART when I was exhausted. For those reasons and so many more, I recognized my wife for Best Overall Training Support.

I also benefited from her general knowledge about food, and how she would pack me snacks so I would eat a little something before a weekday run, or how she would make sure I had something to eat when I came back from runs. She'd encourage me to take a bath and relax after Long Runs. So in this way, I wished to recognize my wife for Best Recovery Support.

When it came to the three 10K races, my wife provided the Best Race Day Support. For all three races, my wife:

• got up early to either go with me or meet me there
  
• scouted out locations to watch the race
• cheered wildly
• took pictures (all of the pictures in my blog of me running were taken by my wife)
• greeted me with excitement after the race
• made sure I ate something afterwards (after the first race, she went home and prepared a sumptuous brunch while I did the 7.5 mile "cool-down" to make for the 15 mile day).
  

And then, when it came to the day of the marathon, despite being six months pregnant with twins, my wife:

• got up early
• drove me downtown
• took up a post near mile 3
• cheered wildly, showing a sign to encourage me
• picked up our friend Erin
• drove to another spot, struggled to find parking, walked into the park
• cheered wildly, showing a different sign
• drove towards the finish and found a spot not far from the finish line
• cheered wildly again, showing yet another sign and giving one to Erin to show
• found me after the finish and held up yet another sign

So for all that, I recognize my wife for Best Race Day Cheering.

I think I surprised her when I announced these categories of recognition to the crowd at the party, gave her a certificate, and a small gift.

• • •

The party was a lot of fun, and it was great to have my relatively new friends in my home. I have a lot to be thankful for in this endeavor.