See BamaDave Run (and Lift) - Page 16 - JP Fitness Forums

gobbla · 12-09-2005, 12:28 PM

It's nice having a cast iron stomach!

Good luck to you.

BamaDave · 12-09-2005, 04:22 PM

Thanks! I'm about to throw up. I just ate a massive piece of carrot cake. That should top off my glycogen levels no problem!

kuri · 12-09-2005, 04:28 PM

Dave, wishing you & you alone a good tailwind tomorrow!

Bill2380 · 12-09-2005, 04:41 PM

Dave, have a great run!

BamaDave · 12-09-2005, 08:13 PM

Thanks, everyone! And we are supposed to have a tailwind toward the end of the race, from what I understand. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Buk · 12-09-2005, 11:27 PM

Good luck Dave! Show everyone how hard and well you have been training!

Marykaa · 12-10-2005, 02:09 PM

Maybe you're running as I write this.. so I'M sending you engergy waves.. Keep it up!

BamaDave · 12-10-2005, 04:26 PM

My time was 3:04:27 (7:02 average pace). I'm happy with the result - just shy of 13 minutes faster than my Feb. 2005 run at the Mercedes Marathon. Obviously I still have more work to do to get to a sub-3 marathon... I had a feeling that was going to be the case! I was on pace for sub-3 until ~ the 20-mile point, but then I slowed down (ah the magic 20 mile mark) and all of the rest of my miles were substantially over 7:00/mile. One nice thing was that I was seeded #81 and placed 49th (~1,000 total entrants). I came in 7th in my age group. Dang, it was cold, too --- race start around 20 degrees, which is freakin' cold for down here. Better than heat by a landslide, though! I'll log my lap/split times later. My legs feel pretty good right now, but I have a massive blister on the bottom of my right foot, which should be fun to heal.

Marykaa · 12-10-2005, 05:01 PM

Congrats on being faster than in feb! and on your 49th! and 7th! placings! You're getting better .. that's what counts the most. It's just a question of time [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

good luck with your blister.

Bill2380 · 12-10-2005, 06:42 PM

20 degrees, that can't be normal for Alabama. [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] Any time you are in the top 5% of anything you can assume you're pretty damn good. Congratulations on a great run.

kmwest · 12-10-2005, 07:46 PM

Wow, Dave. Awesome. You know, if you book your flight to Boston now, you can save substantially on airfare... :-D

gobbla · 12-11-2005, 04:00 AM

4 minutes is nothing! awesome race, great job!

BamaDave · 12-11-2005, 07:58 AM

Thanks, everyone! I am thinking seriously about Boston. Maybe even this year. My wife thinks I should run it while I have the qualification time, since you never know what's going to happen down the road. The qualification time is good for 2006 and 2007.

20 degrees is pretty cold for Bama, but not completely out of the realm of normal for December.... especially in Huntsville, which is almost in Tennessee. It was just a rude shock, especially considering that during the Winter, I'll have just a few morning runs that cold... much less a race. I checked the temp. records from yesterday, and it was actually around 24 by race start, and 38 when I finished (quit laughing kmwest!). I was cold except for maybe the last 6 miles or so. I need to get fat again, because I used to be really cold tolerant. Now I despise both cold and heat. I need to move to San Diego!

BamaDave · 12-11-2005, 09:05 AM

These were my mile lap times for the Marathon:

Laps:

Mile 1 - 6:47 (Did I really just run the opening mile of a race at the pace I wanted?)

Mile 2 - 6:46 Felt very easy [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Mile 3 - 6:51 (wanted to run just a little faster)

Mile 4 - 6:43

Mile 5 - 6:50

Mile 6 - 6:52 (even though my pacing is decent to this point, I feel like it is taking just a little too much effort for me to sustain this through 26.2)

10K Split - 42:15 accrued (6:49 ave. to this point)

Mile 7 Split - 47:43 accrued (6:52 from mile 6 to 7)

Mile 8 - 6:52 (6:52 seems to be my number)

Mile 9 - 6:56 (oops)

Mile 10 - 6:56 (oops, now 6:56 is my number)

Mile 11 - 6:47

Mile 12 - 6:52

Mile 13 - 6:51

Mile 13.1 - 1:29:44 (6:51 ave pace to the 1/2-M point, but I can tell there's no way I am going to to run the second half in 1:30:15 or less to get the sub-3).

Mile 14 - 6:55 for the 14th mile

Mile 15 - 6:44 (hey, I'm gettin' speedy again... Actually, this may have been around the time we were getting off of a seemingly endless straight, open road that had a headwind just strong enough to be annoying. So I may have hoofed it a little to finish that stretch or out of joy over being off that damned road!)

Mile 16 - 6:59 (big slow down! Punishment for the 6:44)

Mile 17 - 6:55

Mile 18 - 6:52

Mile 19 - 6:54

Mile 20 - 7:05 (uh oh, the first "7" on a lap time - the party is over!)

Mile 21 - 7:23

Mile 22 - 7:27

Mile 23 - 7:40 (sucked, but I thought it was even worse)

Mile 24 - 7:29

Mile 25 - 7:50 (worst lap - ow my legs hurt! Why do the last 2 miles seem longer than the first 14?)

Mile 26.2 - 9:05 (7:34 pace -- I really tried to give it some gas toward the end, but this was the best I could do). 3:04:27 FINAL TIME on the results sheet, 3:04:24 CHIP TIME.

It's interesting to compare the results in my age group from the recent 1/2-M in Huntsville to the marathon. The guy who finished just behind me in the 1/2-M beat me by almost 3 minutes yesterday. His time is probably more in line with where I should have finished. Then there's a guy who crushed me in the half by over 6 minutes, who ran a 3:01 yesterday... and I believe he has run a 2:52 at Rocket City before... Also, the guy who offered to help pace me at one point (he never mentioned again, so I didn't ask him to pace me yesterday), finished 5 minutes after me. You just never know how a marathon is going to go - even experienced marathoners have "off" days, whereas other days, everything comes together perfectly.

My marathon data from the Forerunner at MotionBased is located at:

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/i....pkValue=11316

kuri · 12-11-2005, 12:23 PM

Great job Dave. I am seriously impressed!

Just go for Boston man - no regrets. Enjoy your abilities to the fullest.

Buk · 12-12-2005, 01:18 AM

I ran a 7:09 mile today, I would only have to do it 25.2 more times and I would be just a few minutes behind you Dave.

Seriously, great job. Wish you could have come in under the 3 hour mark, but now I will get to see you break it in Birmingham - assuming I can get through the half before then. There were lots of 6:52 in there, and I hope they were comfortable, because that is what you need.

I am not sure I see the draw to Boston. I know that they limit their racers to those that qualify, but other than that? New York seems more exciting to me, and to run Pikes Peak is almost like a different challenge than a marathon. I guess maybe I would see Boston as more competitive and New York as more fun! I think they have similar notierity and name recognition. My choice at this point would be for the fun of New York, and the cahllenge of Pikes Peak.

Dave, you are the man!

hard_rox · 12-12-2005, 09:33 AM

Awesome job with the race, Dave!!! You'll be under 3 hrs no problem.

BamaDave · 12-12-2005, 10:51 AM

Thanks, guys!

Buk, I've had those same thoughts about Boston. And while it would be more competitive because of the qualification, that basically means unless you are a 2:30 marathoner, you'll probably be running in a mob much of the time. On the other hand, Boston is still more or less "THE" marathon and would be one of those "once in a lifetime" things. It's hard to decide, because it's not a marathon where I'm going to get a PR because of the crowded field... so it's something that could be postponed until a little later in life... but then, what if I break my leg and don't ever qualify again?? I've never been to Boston and would like to go there anyway.

Pike's Peak is definitely on my agenda -- I agree, a totally different experience... very challenging, and even if I am walking much of it -- hey, I'm walking up Pike's Peak! When would I do that again?

New York would be a great, too. Just being in New York is a cool experience.

So are you definitely going to run the Mercedes Half??! It's a good one! Only 8 weeks and 6 days away -- run, Buk, run - hit that pavement!

I am going to go for the sub-3 at Mercedes - what the hell, why not?? I have nothing to lose, and I would rather try. I checked results from runners who did both last year, and the trend is that Mercedes is 3-5 minutes slower that Rocket City for most. One guy equaled his time, and I found one guy who improved, which was encouraging.

The 6:52 miles were comfortable, but I could just tell even fairly in the race that I wasn't going to be able to hold it through 26.2. I'll just have to consider an ave. pace of 6:52 to mile 20 as a good trainer for holding it through 26.2. More work needed. My legs never felt as light and loose as they did at the 1/2-M, and I could try to guess why all day -- it was very cold at the start, so should I have worn tights (actually, I ain't got none), did I not taper back enough, was the 21.3 hilly trainer three weeks ago too much too close to the race... I believe I gained back a few pounds during the taper period... did that slow me down slightly?? I think more likely is that I just wasn't ready, yet, to sustain that pace for 26.2.