Notes from a wet Portland race:
Rain, rain and more rain!
Fortunately it was quite warm (15C) so even waiting at the start in a full downpour (in the dark) at 06:30 was not uncomfortable.
Had a small breakfast of peanut butter sandwich and banana. Wanted coffee, but the coffee area of the hotel was not open, and there was no coffee maker in the room. Not the energized start I had hoped for!
Started out with the crowd, but realized that everyone starts fast. Tried to keep the pace and HR down as was my original strategy. Almost as soon as the gun went off, however, my HR shot up to above 130! (I was trying to keep it below 120 (72%) as I had in my long training runs). I even walked for a minute or two, but either because of the hill in the first 5K or the excitement of the race, I realized that I would have to walk the whole race to stay below 70%. Decided at that point to try to maintain 130 avg (78%). Felt comfortable and went with it.
First 10 KM was not so good. No rhythm, negative thoughts. Got stopped waiting for a train that crossed the marathon course at KM 8!
Took 1st GU (energy gel) at 11 KM. Immediate improvement of energy and mood. This carried on for at least another 10 KM's.
Around 24 KM's felt sort of run down again. At the 25 KM took 2nd GU and stopped for a SB. Felt great again! Passed a lot of people climbing the big hill up over the St. John's bridge.
After the bridge, the course was somewhat flat, and then some nice downhill sections. Felt good! Decided to keep running at the current pace or faster, and let the HR go where it may.
KM 35 - KM 40: No IT band pain or cramp! Took 3rd GU. Kept pushing! I really wanted to bring home my first negative split marathon.
KM 41 to Finish - Still felt good. Happy to finish, but did not feel dead. I don't know how much I can improve before Seattle, but this was a confidence booster!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/52524498
Great story! I am so happy for you. Cool with the negative split! I actually had a negative split in my first marathon. 2:02 first half and 2:01 second half.
SvaraRaderaI like the train part. Ha ha ha. A train stopping the race. Not "directly" Swedish...
Congratulations to you !! You tactically did a perfect run. I know from Växjö last year that negative thoughts is hard to handle when you realizing that the HR stays higher than during training (in the same tempo). And best of all, you felt good after the race, that's most important ! Just a small question, since you took your first energy-gel already after 11km, are you sure your'e pre carboloading was enough ?
SvaraRaderaHeheh, the train-stop is not only a US-phenomena. Lidingö-ultra had one railway-track-crossing point (but I was lucky there)....
Once agian, very well done, I am fully convinced that Seattle will be so much fun for you now...
Hej Mr. Legend!
SvaraRaderaI think I struggled through the first 10 KM for a couple of reasons:
1) The early morning start. I do all my running in the afternoon, and am always kind of sluggish in the morning. I know I should plan my long runs on the weekend early in the morning to be better prepared for races, but I never do! I also was caught off guard in Portland without any coffee.
2) The food I ate seemed adequate, but as I mentioned above, I am used to drinking some coffee to get started. The GU I brought with me had caffeine, so I think that is what gave me a quick boost.
3) The hill in the first 5 KMs wasn't that big, but in combination with standing around waiting for the start in the rain for 40 mins, it felt extra daunting!
Ok, that explains a lot. Roma for me back in 2009 was an early morning start at 8.00 AM. I slept very bad the night before, and was awake allread 4.00 AM in the morning, but at least I had enough of morning coffe that time :-). I like morning-starts but nit that early ..... 9 - 11 AM is ultimate for me. Stockholm sucks, the start is to late. In Växjö this weekend we will go out 11.00 AM, that's OK......
SvaraRadera