There. (The 2007 San Francisco Marathon)
The race: 26.2 miles in 3:28:04
There. I did it.
And I have to say I'm absurdly happy about it. When I set out to run 3:30 a year ago, I had this kind of race in mind - run it wire-to-wire and make the goal comfortably. One year later, I'm really, really happy to have done it.
I'm going to make a lot of comparisons to last year's race, so you might want to read last year's race report first. Also, it helps to be familiar with the course.
Race Morning
Just like last year, I couldn't sleep a wink. I got to bed around 9pm, read a bit, closed my eyes and even tried counting sheep. My brain simply did not shut off, and I felt like I had been awake all night when the alarm went off at 4am.
I followed my detailed list of things to do (eat, drink some water, dress, etc.) and was ready to go at around 4:40 am, and just as I reached for my phone to call the cab company where I had made a reservation, they called me. The next thirty minutes had me vacillating between hoping in my car to drive myself downtown (with the downside of having to park and walk and having to drive myself home) or continuing to hope that the "he's almost there" from the cab company would come true). I got close enough to driving myself that I had my key in my hand. At last, the cab showed up, and I got to the starting line area about 15 minutes later than I had hoped. I quickly pulled off my extra t-shirts, noting the chill of the air and the moisture of the fine mist of what looked like a typical foggy morning. I took a GU (Lemon Sublime), made sure I had everything I needed and put the rest in a bag for the "sweats check". I had just enough time to drop my sweats at the drop-off, find Chris, stretch a tiny bit and get into the corral for the start. A bit of stress to get me started!
We found a spot a bit behind the 3:30 pace group (I was hoping to use them as a barometer, knowing that if I was ahead of them, I was okay), and waited for the start. The announcer said a few things to try to whip up some excitement, but it felt a little weird to be in a crowd on the Embarcadero, in the darkness, being encouraged by a faceless voice. Five minutes after the official start, our wave, wave 3 (3:30 to 3:44 expected finish), found the starting line and began. The 3:30 pace group seemed to have a minute head start on us.
The first few miles
Chris was harboring ambitions to run a 3:10 race again (he did once before, but not on this course), and had trained to do it (nearly), b
ut had little optimism he actually could, so he agreed to start off with me on a restrained pace. I was struck immediately about how, unlike last year, I did not find all the other runners around me going much faster right off the bat. This, combined with me keeping an eye on my heart rate (I wore the heart rate monitor strap this year), and Chris and I cruised into a half-mile split about 20 seconds slower than the slow-start plan I had printed and worn as a pace-band. We didn't overreact: it was good to warm up slowly, and we found we had to pick our way around people to get moving a little faster. Still, I didn't want to make up for the 20 seconds all at once, as that would have us going too fast and defeat the purpose of warming up in the first few miles. We made up about 7 seconds of the deficit, passing the first mile-marker and heading into Fisherman's Warf.
Mile 1: Plan:8:20, Actual:8:33
This year, I was more focused on pace and barely noticed these first few miles. At each mile mark, I took two or three squirts of water from my water bottle. Conversation with Chris was light (comparatively speaking), and mostly dealt with our splits and strategy. The two mile split at the end of Jefferson Street came and we had more than made up the difference, coming in 17 seconds faster than planned but feeling a bit cautious about doing so.
Mile 2: Plan:8:10, Actual:7:53
One major difference this year was that I was going to have heart rate readings throughout the race. Last year, even though I always trained with my heart rate monitor, I chose not to run the race with it. Mike and I had an extensive email discussion about this, Mike making two main points:
And, I was extremely thankful that I had brought my water bottle this year. Believe it or not, they were distributing water in plastic cups! Uh, you cannot crush a plastic cup so you can carry it and sip from it. And, they get underfoot and kicked around while runners pass. Bad move, RunSFM team!
Up and over Fort Mason Hill and cruising down into the Marina, the path was still thick with runners, and Chris and I had to sort of keep an eye out for each other to stay together.
Mile 3: Plan:8:10, Actual:8:16
I reminded Chris about the upcoming "buttonhook" on Crissy Field, and we hit the fourth mile marker and passed the 3:30 pace group.
Mile 4: Plan:7:55, Actual:7:58
At this point I started to wish that I had spoken to the pace group's leader to understand his pacing strategy. Some people take advantage of flatness and adrenaline of the first five miles to grab some time, while others take it slow. So at four miles, knowing that we were running faster than the pace group, and knowing that we were behind my slow-start plan by a bit, I was wondering about someone else's strategy for putting in a 3:30 race.
Mile 5: Plan:7:55, Actual:7:57
The Golden Gate Bridge
Now I know that the sixth mile of this course is, out of context, the hardest. It starts with a steep incline up Lincoln, and just when you finish that, it flattens out for a short bit before it heads uphill again. Then, after a quick path through to the bridge, you are on the bridge and running uphill until the end of the mile. I think I had underestimated this, as I had not given much of an allowance for this hill and so we missed this split by over 20 seconds. Oh, and during this mile, it was time to take my first in-race GU (Lemon Sublime - goes down easiest for me).
Mile 6: Plan:8:00, Actual:8:23
But a couple of notes about the bridge:
Mile 7: Plan:7:55, Actual:7:46
At this point, I started watching my heart rate monitor more closely and decided to try to maintain an effort around 170-172 bpm on relatively flat ground. I took advantage of the downhill section approaching the Vista Point parking lot, skimmed past the water stop, worked the same uphill that I had just taken advantage of, and found myself way ahead in the mile 8 split, a pretty fast mile.
Mile 8: Plan:7:55, Actual:7:14
I started to think about what Pfitzinger had said -- that one should be running their marathon at just under Lactate Threshold pace. I wasn't sure I could really do that, but since I was running my LT runs at 175 bpm or so, this 171 reading seemed okay to me.
I maintained a bit, and found that I took care of the middle section of the bridge faster than pace, too. I was breathing a little heavier than I wanted, I felt a little dull pain in my right upper hamstring that I had trained through. I was wondering if I could keep it up.
Mile 9: Plan:7:55, Actual:7:43
Presidio to the Park
I took advantage of the water stop just at the end of mile 10 to refill my water bottle: running slowly through the line with the bottle in my left hand, open, I would grab a cup, dump it in the bottle, grab another cup from the next volunteer, and did that through the line, getting about three or four cups in the bottle. Even with the slow-down, I beat my split by five seconds.
Mile 10: Plan:7:55, Actual:7:49
Then, Lincoln's downhill. I suppose the reward for the challenge of the sixth mile coming up Lincoln is in the old adage, what comes up must come down. I had planned to take it fast, but not as fast as last year, but Galen had been encouraging that I take it really fast. So, feeling pretty solid from having been ahead on the last few splits, and watching to see that my heart rate, normally quite low going downhill, wouldn't go above 165 or so, I pushed hard down the steep section of Lincoln, flying past people, recalling my Cross Country days where our home course had an even steeper section... just letting gravity do the work and really getting some air there. Result? A 6:49 split, 1:11 faster than an even split, 36 seconds ahead of my plan for that mile, and 26 seconds faster than any other mile I would run that day. I smiled a bit at the result, just hoping I could build on that to combat the next mile, which was the start of things turning south on me last year.
Mile 11: Plan:7:25, Actual:6:49
Coming up Camino Del Mar and turning left of 27th, I was disappointed to see 27th roped off at Lake, meaning I would have to take the 26th Avenue alternate again this year. I was half a block down Lake Street and I heard the people behind me directing the other runners to go straight (they wouldn't take the alternate), and I cursed out-loud and said, to no one in particular, how I'd just missed it and how much harder 26th is. I actually considered re-tracing the half-block to take 27th, but that was a fleeting moment. Instead, I faced the three hills on 26th and tried to maintain effort. From Lake looking South on 26th, you can see the three peaks lined up, waiting.
On the second hill, I saw the sign for the 12th mile marker, noticed I was ahead of pace, and started in on my second Gu (another Lemon Sublime). I was pleased to make this split in 8:00, 15 seconds faster than I had allocated (partially based upon last year's 8:28 split on the same mile!).
Mile 12: Plan:8:15, Actual:8:00
I came to decide that this next mile was a bit more difficult than otherwise advertised: there's the third hill on 26th Ave., and after a brief respite, the path into the Park up Transverse is actually a bit uphill too.
Golden Gate Park
So I started to push on the downhill of JFK Drive, heading West towards the mile 13 marker.
Mile 13: Plan:8:10, Actual:8:02
I reached the half-way mark, where they had a clock synchronized to the gun-time. I looked at my own watch and concluded two things:
Mile 14: Plan:7:45, Actual:7:31
By the time I reached the marker for mile 14, I was realizing that this was it: I was running strong, ahead of pace, feeling pretty solid and now was the time to make or break this race. I knew that it was these next three miles last year where I started to fall off the pace.
Coming up MLK, I was pleased to note it was still foggy. I repeated my refill-the-bottle technique at a water stop and worked the first uphill, acknowledging "one hill down", and noting when we passed Sunset Boulevard, the path to those Lake Merced runs. I felt okay about the split, due to the water stop and feeling that 4 seconds wasn't bad at all.
Mile 15: Plan:8:10, Actual:8:14
I knew I needed to work Middle Drive heading East, and I fell in behind a woman and a man who were chatting a bit and keeping a solid pace. They commented about the weather (and I agreed to myself: very good for a marathon!). As I worked the uphill section of Transverse, heading in to the mile 16 mark, I was pleased to see my time for that hilly mile was 6 seconds faster than I had allowed in my plan! Onward to Stow Lake!
Mile 16: Plan:8:10, Actual:8:04
Up JFK and as I approached the entry road to the Stow Lake Loop, I saw Mike, Rachel and Anna (K-Stars) who cheered for me. Mike let out a great roar! I headed down the back of Stow Lake and observed a couple of runners who had stopped, one who was walking, another who stopped entirely and bent over at the waist. I remembered that I had stopped on the other side of Stow Lake last year, and I was still fearing how it would feel to come out the other side. I made the split on mile 17 a little slow, but didn't panic. I considered: if I had to run 8:30 miles the rest of the way, I would still come in within five minutes of my goal. My legs started to show the first signs of fatigue.
Mile 17: Plan:8:00, Actual:8:07
I came back up the path on the other side and felt okay, pushing a bit to try to make the split, and knowing, perhaps for the first time in this race, that I was doing much better than last year. This was the spot last year when I walked, and I drove through it, feeling pretty good. I even felt good enough to take my third GU (Tri-Berry -- time for a little caffeine!). (I say "good enough" because if I am breathing too hard, it is hard to get the GU and the water that it requires, so I tend not to want to do that while going uphill or pushing hard.)
As I came out of Stow Lake, I was cheered by Mike, Rachel and Anna again, and Mike even ran along side me for a couple of minutes. He told me that I was way ahead of pace, I looked great, and I looked better than last year. Mike was basically validating what I had just concluded, and it was encouraging. He also asked me if I had struggled anywhere, and then he encouraged me to keep at it.
Further down on JFK, I saw Jacob, and I smiled at his cheer. I was starting to have fun.
Mile 18: Plan:8:10, Actual:7:51
I continued to feel good. I came upon my sister-in-law and my niece who seemed to have just gotten there in time to cheer me on. Just around the Conservatory of Flowers, I saw David, Arianna and Sunny who cheered me on, and a little bit past the water stop, I saw Brennan and Deb who cheered and took a picture, saying I was going by so fast they could only catch me from behind.
Again, I was thinking about how at this point last year, I was fading. But last year, it was sunny already at this point, and this year, still foggy and overcast. I was concentrating on making this mile a good one, and as I turned the corner to pass through Lake Alvorad Tunnel, I was pleased to knock off another good mile.
Mile 19: Plan:8:00, Actual:7:53
The Haight and The Mission
I was so pleased, in fact, that I practically bounded up the incline to get to Haight Street, and remarked to myself how it felt easy to do. Then I realized that the front part of Haight was also uphill, and I had some incline to work before the great downhill section that was etched in my memory from a 20 miler I finished here with Chris last year.
As I pushed along, I saw Erin, who had accompanied my wife last year, cheering. Then Kings (a K-Star) came along and ran a couple of blocks with me, telling me I looked good, and that, like Chris, I was running fast.
Mile 20: Plan:7:55, Actual:7:52
At this point, I faced the uphill section of Haight that I remembered, but it didn't seem so hard. I recalled how I was really flagging at this point last year, so I just kept pushing, eyeing my heart rate, keeping a solid push going. At the turn down Buchannan, I saw Daniel, pushing a stroller (whom I presume contained his baby born just a few days before my kids). I flew down the steep block from Hermann to Market Street, crossed Market and headed down Guerrero, wondering if I'd see some of my friends at the corner where I had seen a few last year. Nope. I pressed on, noting an especially good mile.
Mile 21: Plan:8:00, Actual:7:31
Turning the corner onto 16th, I saw the big hill ahead. I knew this hill, and it would be the last significant hill on the course. I worked the slight decline heading down 16th Street, making sure I got in some water, and worked my way to the hill. As I approached the corner of Harrison and 16th, I was confused to see the 3:30 pace group joining the main route from the alternate that ran down 15th. Suddenly, they were ahead of me, but I knew I was ahead of 3:30 pace by at least a couple of minutes, so it took me a bit to get over the fact that the 3:30 group was ahead of schedule. Should they be more or less on pace for 3:30, not ahead of pace?
Another half-block and I was at the hill, greeted by what felt like a mob. It was only four people (Arno, Viv and Jeff and my wife), but they were so enthusiastic and made so much noise, and they scrambled up the hill with me, cheering and yelling and showing me signs. It really carried me up that hill! I turned the corner on Florida (an alternate), waving bye to them, hitting the split well.
Mile 22: Plan:8:10, Actual:8:14
Potrero and Dogpatch
On to the last bit. 17th Street for a number of blocks, working the pace, cruising through a water station for one last partial refill, one last GU (Tri-Berry) to carry me through. Across to Mariposa (slightly uphill for a block, still felt okay), and down Mariposa and under the I-280 overpass.
And then, something happened.
My heart rate monitor strap, which had started to slip a little, simply fell down to my waist. This had happened to me in a 10k last year, and I thought I had tightened this one enough, and I had had no problems with this newer model all season. I had been visualizing that in these last four miles I would rely on the flat terrain and the heart rate monitor to drive a consistent and strong finish, perhaps even faster than pace. However, I was feeling like I was ahead, so I wasn't too upset to lose the heart rate info.
I was confused, however, by the split my watch was reading, and I basically missed the mile marker as I headed up Illinois for the absolutely last incline of the course.
As we approached the water station, I heard the 3:30 pace leader (now just a bit ahead of me) tell people to take their time at this one, as they had plenty of time. I passed them at this point, and I would not see them again.
Mile 23: Plan:8:00, Actual:?
A left turn onto 22nd Street, and I saw Karen, Stephan and Toby cheering at the corner of Third. Turning North on Third, I saw Erin C. at the corner of 20th Street. She had driven up from Palo Alto and wore a cap from my favorite baseball team. Here, the turn North would point to the finish, but there was still over two miles to go, and I was starting to feel taxed. I knew that I was in shouting distance of the end, but I couldn't get a read on my effort (I was missing the heart rate monitor) or my pace (I had missed the mile 23 marker), and I didn't want to overdo mile 24.
Mile 24: Plan:8:00, Actual:?
I hit the split button right at the mile marker to make sure I'd get a read on the split at mile 25, and I headed up towards the ballpark. Just a bit more!
Mile 25: Plan:8:00, Actual:8:35
I reached the mile 25 mark and realized I had slowed down. However, I also saw that I had 12 minutes to go 1.2 miles and meet my goal, and I said to myself, "I've got it." I picked it up. Around the back of the ballpark, over the pavement commemorations of various Jint milestones, up the tree-lined path and on the Embarcadero!
The Finish
I started to visualize the distance left, being familiar with it from so many training runs. It started to melt away, and I reached the mile 26 marker pleased and ready to charge home.
Mile 26: Plan:8:00, Actual:8:01
I saw my wife near the finish with another sign, jumping up and down, and I pushed and drove to the finish line, raising my hands in the air as I crossed the finish. I clicked the stop button on my watch. I was elated. I knew I had beat my goal by about two minutes. I checked the final time on my watch (3:28:07), and knew I had a great time.
I wandered over to the volunteers who clipped the timing chip off my shoe, reached the other volunteers who presented me my finishers medal (no navy dude in dress-whites this year), and grabbed water and a banana.
I kept wandering forward and connected up with my wife, and I was just ecstatic. I had finished ahead of my goal time, I didn't have to stop to walk at any point, and I just felt like I ran a great race.
More food and then the on-site, 8 minute massage, and I started to get phone calls. My Dad and Mike called, and then I called Chris after he sent me a text message. We went and found Chris who was waiting for his brother to finish, and then we stayed there, cheering runners with a few blocks to go, and got to cheer my brother as he finished.
Aftermath
We made sure my brother connected with his wife and daughter, and that he made his way to the tent with the massages, and then my wife took me home. A shower, some emails to friends, a beer, a visit from my brother and family before they left for L.A., a great steak dinner, and then a fantastic night's sleep.
• • •
I am thrilled. I am so thrilled that I want to show you some graphs!
This first one shows how well I followed the plan. For the stat-head, the standard deviation between actual and plan is 16 seconds.
You can quickly see which miles were tricky for me (the 6th and 25th miles), and which miles I totally rocked (8, 11 and 21).
This next graph show the race from how far ahead or behind I was to the goal pace of 3:30. When the blue line is above the x-axis, I was behind pace, and when below, I was ahead of pace. The pink line shows what the plan was, and also illustrates when I was ahead of plan or behind it.
You can see how I got behind plan on the uphill on Lincoln and the first part of the bridge, but then with that fast mile I had coming back on the bridge, I caught up. Then, the large drop between 10 and 11 is how much ground I gained on Lincoln. And I never gave it back!
This next graph shows the data I have on heart rate. (After it fell to my waist, it didn't give valid data.)
A few things are easy to see with this graph:
It shows how different the two races were, mile by mile, but has a data problem that amplifies this.
You can see that I ran pretty much the same as last year, if a little behind, until I sprinted down Lincoln. This year, I continued to run at, around, or faster than plan from that point on, but last year, mile 16 and then definitely by mile 19, I had started to fade. This year, I kept it solid and finished well.
• • •
Just like I couldn't resist trying to understand why it didn't go well last year, I will try to understand why it did go well this year.
There. I did it.
And I have to say I'm absurdly happy about it. When I set out to run 3:30 a year ago, I had this kind of race in mind - run it wire-to-wire and make the goal comfortably. One year later, I'm really, really happy to have done it.
I'm going to make a lot of comparisons to last year's race, so you might want to read last year's race report first. Also, it helps to be familiar with the course.
Race Morning
Just like last year, I couldn't sleep a wink. I got to bed around 9pm, read a bit, closed my eyes and even tried counting sheep. My brain simply did not shut off, and I felt like I had been awake all night when the alarm went off at 4am.
I followed my detailed list of things to do (eat, drink some water, dress, etc.) and was ready to go at around 4:40 am, and just as I reached for my phone to call the cab company where I had made a reservation, they called me. The next thirty minutes had me vacillating between hoping in my car to drive myself downtown (with the downside of having to park and walk and having to drive myself home) or continuing to hope that the "he's almost there" from the cab company would come true). I got close enough to driving myself that I had my key in my hand. At last, the cab showed up, and I got to the starting line area about 15 minutes later than I had hoped. I quickly pulled off my extra t-shirts, noting the chill of the air and the moisture of the fine mist of what looked like a typical foggy morning. I took a GU (Lemon Sublime), made sure I had everything I needed and put the rest in a bag for the "sweats check". I had just enough time to drop my sweats at the drop-off, find Chris, stretch a tiny bit and get into the corral for the start. A bit of stress to get me started!
We found a spot a bit behind the 3:30 pace group (I was hoping to use them as a barometer, knowing that if I was ahead of them, I was okay), and waited for the start. The announcer said a few things to try to whip up some excitement, but it felt a little weird to be in a crowd on the Embarcadero, in the darkness, being encouraged by a faceless voice. Five minutes after the official start, our wave, wave 3 (3:30 to 3:44 expected finish), found the starting line and began. The 3:30 pace group seemed to have a minute head start on us.
The first few miles
Chris was harboring ambitions to run a 3:10 race again (he did once before, but not on this course), and had trained to do it (nearly), b
ut had little optimism he actually could, so he agreed to start off with me on a restrained pace. I was struck immediately about how, unlike last year, I did not find all the other runners around me going much faster right off the bat. This, combined with me keeping an eye on my heart rate (I wore the heart rate monitor strap this year), and Chris and I cruised into a half-mile split about 20 seconds slower than the slow-start plan I had printed and worn as a pace-band. We didn't overreact: it was good to warm up slowly, and we found we had to pick our way around people to get moving a little faster. Still, I didn't want to make up for the 20 seconds all at once, as that would have us going too fast and defeat the purpose of warming up in the first few miles. We made up about 7 seconds of the deficit, passing the first mile-marker and heading into Fisherman's Warf.Mile 1: Plan:8:20, Actual:8:33
This year, I was more focused on pace and barely noticed these first few miles. At each mile mark, I took two or three squirts of water from my water bottle. Conversation with Chris was light (comparatively speaking), and mostly dealt with our splits and strategy. The two mile split at the end of Jefferson Street came and we had more than made up the difference, coming in 17 seconds faster than planned but feeling a bit cautious about doing so.
Mile 2: Plan:8:10, Actual:7:53
One major difference this year was that I was going to have heart rate readings throughout the race. Last year, even though I always trained with my heart rate monitor, I chose not to run the race with it. Mike and I had an extensive email discussion about this, Mike making two main points:
- Heart rates in marathon average 19 bpm higher than normal
- Maintaining even effort via the monitor typically reduces performance
And, I was extremely thankful that I had brought my water bottle this year. Believe it or not, they were distributing water in plastic cups! Uh, you cannot crush a plastic cup so you can carry it and sip from it. And, they get underfoot and kicked around while runners pass. Bad move, RunSFM team!
Up and over Fort Mason Hill and cruising down into the Marina, the path was still thick with runners, and Chris and I had to sort of keep an eye out for each other to stay together.
Mile 3: Plan:8:10, Actual:8:16
I reminded Chris about the upcoming "buttonhook" on Crissy Field, and we hit the fourth mile marker and passed the 3:30 pace group.
Mile 4: Plan:7:55, Actual:7:58
At this point I started to wish that I had spoken to the pace group's leader to understand his pacing strategy. Some people take advantage of flatness and adrenaline of the first five miles to grab some time, while others take it slow. So at four miles, knowing that we were running faster than the pace group, and knowing that we were behind my slow-start plan by a bit, I was wondering about someone else's strategy for putting in a 3:30 race.
Mile 5: Plan:7:55, Actual:7:57
The Golden Gate Bridge
Now I know that the sixth mile of this course is, out of context, the hardest. It starts with a steep incline up Lincoln, and just when you finish that, it flattens out for a short bit before it heads uphill again. Then, after a quick path through to the bridge, you are on the bridge and running uphill until the end of the mile. I think I had underestimated this, as I had not given much of an allowance for this hill and so we missed this split by over 20 seconds. Oh, and during this mile, it was time to take my first in-race GU (Lemon Sublime - goes down easiest for me).
Mile 6: Plan:8:00, Actual:8:23
But a couple of notes about the bridge:
- Fog! Blessed, San Francisco fog! While the downside was a slick surface, I knew from last years' heat explosion that fog would be a blessing.
- Mile Markers: Everywhere except the bridge, the mile markers are large and obvious (like the Mile 1 marker), and last year, I didn't see the mile markers on the bridge (they were smaller). I knew what to look for this year, and knew approximately where to look, so I managed to get the splits on the bridge.
- One great part of the bridge is that you get to see the lead runners as they head back from the out-and-back loop. I noticed that bib #1 was in the lead, followed closely by another single-digit-bib runner (turned out it was #5).
Mile 7: Plan:7:55, Actual:7:46
At this point, I started watching my heart rate monitor more closely and decided to try to maintain an effort around 170-172 bpm on relatively flat ground. I took advantage of the downhill section approaching the Vista Point parking lot, skimmed past the water stop, worked the same uphill that I had just taken advantage of, and found myself way ahead in the mile 8 split, a pretty fast mile.
Mile 8: Plan:7:55, Actual:7:14
I started to think about what Pfitzinger had said -- that one should be running their marathon at just under Lactate Threshold pace. I wasn't sure I could really do that, but since I was running my LT runs at 175 bpm or so, this 171 reading seemed okay to me.
I maintained a bit, and found that I took care of the middle section of the bridge faster than pace, too. I was breathing a little heavier than I wanted, I felt a little dull pain in my right upper hamstring that I had trained through. I was wondering if I could keep it up.
Mile 9: Plan:7:55, Actual:7:43
Presidio to the Park
I took advantage of the water stop just at the end of mile 10 to refill my water bottle: running slowly through the line with the bottle in my left hand, open, I would grab a cup, dump it in the bottle, grab another cup from the next volunteer, and did that through the line, getting about three or four cups in the bottle. Even with the slow-down, I beat my split by five seconds.
Mile 10: Plan:7:55, Actual:7:49
Then, Lincoln's downhill. I suppose the reward for the challenge of the sixth mile coming up Lincoln is in the old adage, what comes up must come down. I had planned to take it fast, but not as fast as last year, but Galen had been encouraging that I take it really fast. So, feeling pretty solid from having been ahead on the last few splits, and watching to see that my heart rate, normally quite low going downhill, wouldn't go above 165 or so, I pushed hard down the steep section of Lincoln, flying past people, recalling my Cross Country days where our home course had an even steeper section... just letting gravity do the work and really getting some air there. Result? A 6:49 split, 1:11 faster than an even split, 36 seconds ahead of my plan for that mile, and 26 seconds faster than any other mile I would run that day. I smiled a bit at the result, just hoping I could build on that to combat the next mile, which was the start of things turning south on me last year.
Mile 11: Plan:7:25, Actual:6:49
Coming up Camino Del Mar and turning left of 27th, I was disappointed to see 27th roped off at Lake, meaning I would have to take the 26th Avenue alternate again this year. I was half a block down Lake Street and I heard the people behind me directing the other runners to go straight (they wouldn't take the alternate), and I cursed out-loud and said, to no one in particular, how I'd just missed it and how much harder 26th is. I actually considered re-tracing the half-block to take 27th, but that was a fleeting moment. Instead, I faced the three hills on 26th and tried to maintain effort. From Lake looking South on 26th, you can see the three peaks lined up, waiting.
On the second hill, I saw the sign for the 12th mile marker, noticed I was ahead of pace, and started in on my second Gu (another Lemon Sublime). I was pleased to make this split in 8:00, 15 seconds faster than I had allocated (partially based upon last year's 8:28 split on the same mile!).
Mile 12: Plan:8:15, Actual:8:00
I came to decide that this next mile was a bit more difficult than otherwise advertised: there's the third hill on 26th Ave., and after a brief respite, the path into the Park up Transverse is actually a bit uphill too.
Golden Gate Park
So I started to push on the downhill of JFK Drive, heading West towards the mile 13 marker.
Mile 13: Plan:8:10, Actual:8:02
I reached the half-way mark, where they had a clock synchronized to the gun-time. I looked at my own watch and concluded two things:
- Gun time would be about 6 minutes ahead of my time, meaning that if I saw a time earlier than 3:36 at the finish line, I'd have met the goal
- Since I was half-way, a quick doubling of my time showed 3:26, meaning I was about two minutes ahead of 3:30 pace.
Mile 14: Plan:7:45, Actual:7:31
By the time I reached the marker for mile 14, I was realizing that this was it: I was running strong, ahead of pace, feeling pretty solid and now was the time to make or break this race. I knew that it was these next three miles last year where I started to fall off the pace.
Coming up MLK, I was pleased to note it was still foggy. I repeated my refill-the-bottle technique at a water stop and worked the first uphill, acknowledging "one hill down", and noting when we passed Sunset Boulevard, the path to those Lake Merced runs. I felt okay about the split, due to the water stop and feeling that 4 seconds wasn't bad at all.
Mile 15: Plan:8:10, Actual:8:14
I knew I needed to work Middle Drive heading East, and I fell in behind a woman and a man who were chatting a bit and keeping a solid pace. They commented about the weather (and I agreed to myself: very good for a marathon!). As I worked the uphill section of Transverse, heading in to the mile 16 mark, I was pleased to see my time for that hilly mile was 6 seconds faster than I had allowed in my plan! Onward to Stow Lake!
Mile 16: Plan:8:10, Actual:8:04
Up JFK and as I approached the entry road to the Stow Lake Loop, I saw Mike, Rachel and Anna (K-Stars) who cheered for me. Mike let out a great roar! I headed down the back of Stow Lake and observed a couple of runners who had stopped, one who was walking, another who stopped entirely and bent over at the waist. I remembered that I had stopped on the other side of Stow Lake last year, and I was still fearing how it would feel to come out the other side. I made the split on mile 17 a little slow, but didn't panic. I considered: if I had to run 8:30 miles the rest of the way, I would still come in within five minutes of my goal. My legs started to show the first signs of fatigue.
Mile 17: Plan:8:00, Actual:8:07
I came back up the path on the other side and felt okay, pushing a bit to try to make the split, and knowing, perhaps for the first time in this race, that I was doing much better than last year. This was the spot last year when I walked, and I drove through it, feeling pretty good. I even felt good enough to take my third GU (Tri-Berry -- time for a little caffeine!). (I say "good enough" because if I am breathing too hard, it is hard to get the GU and the water that it requires, so I tend not to want to do that while going uphill or pushing hard.)
As I came out of Stow Lake, I was cheered by Mike, Rachel and Anna again, and Mike even ran along side me for a couple of minutes. He told me that I was way ahead of pace, I looked great, and I looked better than last year. Mike was basically validating what I had just concluded, and it was encouraging. He also asked me if I had struggled anywhere, and then he encouraged me to keep at it.
Further down on JFK, I saw Jacob, and I smiled at his cheer. I was starting to have fun.
Mile 18: Plan:8:10, Actual:7:51
I continued to feel good. I came upon my sister-in-law and my niece who seemed to have just gotten there in time to cheer me on. Just around the Conservatory of Flowers, I saw David, Arianna and Sunny who cheered me on, and a little bit past the water stop, I saw Brennan and Deb who cheered and took a picture, saying I was going by so fast they could only catch me from behind.
Again, I was thinking about how at this point last year, I was fading. But last year, it was sunny already at this point, and this year, still foggy and overcast. I was concentrating on making this mile a good one, and as I turned the corner to pass through Lake Alvorad Tunnel, I was pleased to knock off another good mile.
Mile 19: Plan:8:00, Actual:7:53
The Haight and The Mission
I was so pleased, in fact, that I practically bounded up the incline to get to Haight Street, and remarked to myself how it felt easy to do. Then I realized that the front part of Haight was also uphill, and I had some incline to work before the great downhill section that was etched in my memory from a 20 miler I finished here with Chris last year.
As I pushed along, I saw Erin, who had accompanied my wife last year, cheering. Then Kings (a K-Star) came along and ran a couple of blocks with me, telling me I looked good, and that, like Chris, I was running fast.
Mile 20: Plan:7:55, Actual:7:52
At this point, I faced the uphill section of Haight that I remembered, but it didn't seem so hard. I recalled how I was really flagging at this point last year, so I just kept pushing, eyeing my heart rate, keeping a solid push going. At the turn down Buchannan, I saw Daniel, pushing a stroller (whom I presume contained his baby born just a few days before my kids). I flew down the steep block from Hermann to Market Street, crossed Market and headed down Guerrero, wondering if I'd see some of my friends at the corner where I had seen a few last year. Nope. I pressed on, noting an especially good mile.
Mile 21: Plan:8:00, Actual:7:31
Turning the corner onto 16th, I saw the big hill ahead. I knew this hill, and it would be the last significant hill on the course. I worked the slight decline heading down 16th Street, making sure I got in some water, and worked my way to the hill. As I approached the corner of Harrison and 16th, I was confused to see the 3:30 pace group joining the main route from the alternate that ran down 15th. Suddenly, they were ahead of me, but I knew I was ahead of 3:30 pace by at least a couple of minutes, so it took me a bit to get over the fact that the 3:30 group was ahead of schedule. Should they be more or less on pace for 3:30, not ahead of pace?
Another half-block and I was at the hill, greeted by what felt like a mob. It was only four people (Arno, Viv and Jeff and my wife), but they were so enthusiastic and made so much noise, and they scrambled up the hill with me, cheering and yelling and showing me signs. It really carried me up that hill! I turned the corner on Florida (an alternate), waving bye to them, hitting the split well.
Mile 22: Plan:8:10, Actual:8:14
Potrero and Dogpatch
On to the last bit. 17th Street for a number of blocks, working the pace, cruising through a water station for one last partial refill, one last GU (Tri-Berry) to carry me through. Across to Mariposa (slightly uphill for a block, still felt okay), and down Mariposa and under the I-280 overpass.
And then, something happened.
My heart rate monitor strap, which had started to slip a little, simply fell down to my waist. This had happened to me in a 10k last year, and I thought I had tightened this one enough, and I had had no problems with this newer model all season. I had been visualizing that in these last four miles I would rely on the flat terrain and the heart rate monitor to drive a consistent and strong finish, perhaps even faster than pace. However, I was feeling like I was ahead, so I wasn't too upset to lose the heart rate info.
I was confused, however, by the split my watch was reading, and I basically missed the mile marker as I headed up Illinois for the absolutely last incline of the course.
As we approached the water station, I heard the 3:30 pace leader (now just a bit ahead of me) tell people to take their time at this one, as they had plenty of time. I passed them at this point, and I would not see them again.
Mile 23: Plan:8:00, Actual:?
A left turn onto 22nd Street, and I saw Karen, Stephan and Toby cheering at the corner of Third. Turning North on Third, I saw Erin C. at the corner of 20th Street. She had driven up from Palo Alto and wore a cap from my favorite baseball team. Here, the turn North would point to the finish, but there was still over two miles to go, and I was starting to feel taxed. I knew that I was in shouting distance of the end, but I couldn't get a read on my effort (I was missing the heart rate monitor) or my pace (I had missed the mile 23 marker), and I didn't want to overdo mile 24.
Mile 24: Plan:8:00, Actual:?
I hit the split button right at the mile marker to make sure I'd get a read on the split at mile 25, and I headed up towards the ballpark. Just a bit more!
Mile 25: Plan:8:00, Actual:8:35I reached the mile 25 mark and realized I had slowed down. However, I also saw that I had 12 minutes to go 1.2 miles and meet my goal, and I said to myself, "I've got it." I picked it up. Around the back of the ballpark, over the pavement commemorations of various Jint milestones, up the tree-lined path and on the Embarcadero!
The Finish
I started to visualize the distance left, being familiar with it from so many training runs. It started to melt away, and I reached the mile 26 marker pleased and ready to charge home.
Mile 26: Plan:8:00, Actual:8:01
I saw my wife near the finish with another sign, jumping up and down, and I pushed and drove to the finish line, raising my hands in the air as I crossed the finish. I clicked the stop button on my watch. I was elated. I knew I had beat my goal by about two minutes. I checked the final time on my watch (3:28:07), and knew I had a great time.
I wandered over to the volunteers who clipped the timing chip off my shoe, reached the other volunteers who presented me my finishers medal (no navy dude in dress-whites this year), and grabbed water and a banana.
I kept wandering forward and connected up with my wife, and I was just ecstatic. I had finished ahead of my goal time, I didn't have to stop to walk at any point, and I just felt like I ran a great race.
More food and then the on-site, 8 minute massage, and I started to get phone calls. My Dad and Mike called, and then I called Chris after he sent me a text message. We went and found Chris who was waiting for his brother to finish, and then we stayed there, cheering runners with a few blocks to go, and got to cheer my brother as he finished.
Aftermath
We made sure my brother connected with his wife and daughter, and that he made his way to the tent with the massages, and then my wife took me home. A shower, some emails to friends, a beer, a visit from my brother and family before they left for L.A., a great steak dinner, and then a fantastic night's sleep.
• • •
I am thrilled. I am so thrilled that I want to show you some graphs!
This first one shows how well I followed the plan. For the stat-head, the standard deviation between actual and plan is 16 seconds.
You can quickly see which miles were tricky for me (the 6th and 25th miles), and which miles I totally rocked (8, 11 and 21).
- Mile 6: I think this was a flaw in the plan, as I should have allowed at least 8:15 for that uphill on Lincoln.
- Mile 25: I just faded here, not pacing well while trying to hold on and finish strong.
- Mile 8: Feeling great on the bridge!
- Mile 11: Smokin' down Lincoln. While I set a 7:25 plan and had run this mile in 7:02 last year, I just didn't want to count on running down that hill so fast.
- Mile 21: I guess there was some downhill there and I kept up momentum from the downhill that ends at Divisidero.
This next graph show the race from how far ahead or behind I was to the goal pace of 3:30. When the blue line is above the x-axis, I was behind pace, and when below, I was ahead of pace. The pink line shows what the plan was, and also illustrates when I was ahead of plan or behind it.
You can see how I got behind plan on the uphill on Lincoln and the first part of the bridge, but then with that fast mile I had coming back on the bridge, I caught up. Then, the large drop between 10 and 11 is how much ground I gained on Lincoln. And I never gave it back!This next graph shows the data I have on heart rate. (After it fell to my waist, it didn't give valid data.)
A few things are easy to see with this graph:- Mile 3 has a high maximum heart rate but an even average heart rate. That's because of the short but steep hill heading up to Fort Mason.
- Mile 6 is that largely uphill mile starting at Lincoln, as indicated by the high peak and the high average during that mile.
- Mile 10 had some uphill to it, but in general, it was an easy-effort mile.
- Mile 21 has the short uphill on 16th street.
- Interesting! From mile 14 onward, my average heart rate trended lower than in the first half of the race. Generally, the phenomenon of heart rate drift would have my heart rate trend upwards. Here, I think this reflects how the first half of the course is really challenging (and that's validated by the fact that the times for the first half-marathon and second half-marathon winners were seven minutes apart).
It shows how different the two races were, mile by mile, but has a data problem that amplifies this.- Last year, I didn't get a split on the bridge, so miles 6-10 represent the average of the total time. I'm sure I didn't actually run even splits, and that slow mile 6 and fast mile 8 would probably be similar.
- It shows clearly when last year started to go wrong and this year stayed right: Mile 16/17. In fact, I was struck to see that I had run the same splits over the three previous miles, 13-15, within one second on each split. I was in the same place, going the same speed, and the wheels started to fall off last year, but they didn't this year.
You can see that I ran pretty much the same as last year, if a little behind, until I sprinted down Lincoln. This year, I continued to run at, around, or faster than plan from that point on, but last year, mile 16 and then definitely by mile 19, I had started to fade. This year, I kept it solid and finished well.• • •
Just like I couldn't resist trying to understand why it didn't go well last year, I will try to understand why it did go well this year.
- The weather, water, and carbo-loading. I know that all three were better this year, and I combine them because I feel that last year, had I drank a lot more water and, to a lesser extent, carbo-loaded as seriously as I did this year, I might not have bonked so hard. Really, the conditions were ideal this year, and my prep and water drinking on the run were much better.
- I was in better shape on race day this year. I think this has more to do with the fact that I had trained like this before, more than how hard I trained this year or last. Quite simply, having done 50 mile weeks the year before, I was still in some sort of shape to deal with them more easily this year. When I was putting in 50 miles a week this year, it wasn't nearly as hard, and I could run faster while doing so.
- Less aggressive race plan. Last year, I aimed for 3:23 and started to stress when I was missing the splits I would need to get there. This year, my pace band would lead me to 3:30 on the dot, and this created less stress and a more realistic approach to the race. I was behind my 2006 pace until mile 11, showing how I paced myself more gently until I flew down Lincoln.
posted by Brent at
5:10 PM
1 Comments:
An inspiring success story!
By
Brandon, at 5:51 AM
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