Regular readers of this blog (are there any regular readers of this blog?) will recall that I've been trying to qualify for the New York Marathon for over 8 years. Yes, you can get into the NY Marathon via lottery as well, but since I've gotten REALLY close to qualifying three times, it's now a quest for me. I don't want to run NY unless I qualify.
This time around, I changed up my training strategy and focused on high mileage to the exclusion of nearly everything else. During the 8 weeks prior to the my taper, I averaged 62 miles per week. I peaked out at 75 miles in a week. That's just over two miles short of a half marathon, EVERY DAY. So running a half shouldn't be too hard, right? In the month of November, I ran 294 miles, my biggest month ever.
Fast forward to December 14, the day of the Kiawah Island Marathon. I needed a sub-1:32 half to attain my goal. That's a 7:01/mile pace. The plan was to run 7:05s for the first two miles, then get as close as possible to 7:00/mile through Mile 11, then pick up the pace at the end if I had anything left.
Lots of friends were running this race, including Mike and Dawn, who had both just run the Philadelphia Marathon and crushed it, Mike using a similar training plan to me. Mike said if he had anything left in his legs, he would try to pace me for the first 5 or 6 miles, but he didn't think he could maintain a 7:00 pace the whole distance. Dawn said she'd be behind Mike for sure.
As the race started, Mike was nowhere near me, so I looked for other runners to follow who were running a similar pace. Unfortunately I didn't manage to lock in to anyone running a consistent pace. Or maybe I wasn't consistent. There was a familiar group in my general area, but no one who I felt like I could just get behind and just run without thinking.
Still, my paces for the first miles were pretty solid, and the running felt pretty comfortable. The temperature was in the lower 50s and the road was wet from overnight rains, so the only real issue was a slight lack of traction in my two-year-old Nike Vaporfly 4% shoes -- the ones Kipchoge used for his first (failed) attempt to run a sub-2-hour marathon.
Miles 1 and 2: 6:53, 7:00. A little faster than planned but not terrible.
Miles 3 and 4: 6:56, 6:59. Still a little too fast but I was running comfortably, so no big deal
Miles 5 and 6: 7:03, 7:08. Starting to slow down a bit, but no big deal, especially since I had banked a little time. Now all I needed to do was keep a consistent pace to the end.
Then about a quarter mile in to Mile 7, I looked down at my watch and saw I was running a 7:58 pace. What? It didn't feel like I'd slowed down. I picked up the pace, just trying to get into a rhythm again. A minute later I looked down again. 7:35. Still too slow! Argh! I gave everything I had and looked down again a minute later. 7:25. Push it, Munger! Somehow all I could manage was a 7:21 for the mile. Maybe I could pick it up again in Mile 8.
A quarter mile into Mile 8 I peeked at my watch again and for the first time saw a pace that started with "8". Really? This is my "easy" training pace. Runners were starting to pass me. I really was going that slow. I simply couldn't will my legs to work faster. By the end of the mile I was able, barely, to get my pace back down into the 7s, with a pathetic 7:39. 5 miles to go.
Mile 9 is my least-favorite mile of the race, when the course follows a dirt access road to the beach, then passes in front of a luxury hotel for about 200 yards, and takes another dirt access road back to the pavement. This is the only part of the race where you get to see the beach at all, which, I suppose, is why they do it. None of the roads are on beachfront -- why put a road where you can build a $6 million home? The rest of the course is on lovely oak-lined streets, but not on beachfront. For me, the quick view of the beach isn't worth it slogging up a muddy road during a race. If you want to see the beach, take a walk on it before or after the race. Anyways, in front of the hotel there's an announcer who calls out your name and hometown. A few seconds after I passed the announcer I heard "Dawn from Davidson North Carolina." Uh-oh. Dawn was supposed to be way behind me! In no time, Mike and Dawn both passed me, urging me to join them. But I had nothing, and I had to let them run ahead without me. Mile 9 was my first mile in the 8s, 8:00.
After that things just went from bad to worse.
Mile 10 and 11: 8:03, 8:12. Ugh.
Mile 12: 8:21. Maybe I'd be able to pick it up for the final mile.
I did pick it up, but only barely, with an 8:17. I couldn't even muster a sprint up the finish chute, and several runners passed me on the way to the line. I plodded through, stopping my watch at 1:38:30. Officially my time was 1:38:27, worse than I had done in this race two years ago on a warm, muggy morning. Today the weather had been fine and I still hadn't managed a decent race.
I can't really say why I wasn't able to perform. My training had gone well, I think I tapered sufficiently, and I had no injuries. Sometimes you just have a bad day. It was a very different training protocol from what I'd used in the past and maybe it's just not the right type of training for me. Next year I'm going to take a break from my pursuit of a NY qualifying time and focus on duathlon and triathlon, with the year culminating (if all goes well) in my first Ironman in November. Stay tuned!
Below is my Strava summary of the race.
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