Paug Runners' World

[Augustus]

Thanks again, y'all.
No cheesesteaks.  :cry:
Philly was traffic city and after checking out of the hotel and packing up my son's stuff and all, I just wanted to get home.

[Buffalo Budd]

Well done Aug 

[mattstick]

If you're thinking of trying to beat my 3:52... your second marathon is tougher than your first.   8-)

[Augustus]

If you're thinking of trying to beat my 3:52... your second marathon is tougher than your first.   8-)

How would you know?

[mattstick]

I've got 2 medals around my neck, Toronto and Ottawa.

http://www.sportstats.ca/displayResults.xhtml?racecode=45552&bib=1243

http://www.sportstats.ca/displayResults.xhtml?racecode=46327&bib=1677

[Augustus]

Nice!
I said only one for myself after yesterday, but now I'm planning out 2014.
Pretty sure I'm doing LI in May.
Def doing the Sleepy Hollow half in March.
AND...a 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving AM.
Gunning for a 23 min finish.

[Augustus]

Also, what was different for your second?
Not as much training time?
Oddly enough, I felt as close to 100% yesterday, physically, but mentally bonked later as you can see by my splits.

[mattstick]

I trained harder, but less.  I think I only ran 30K one time before the Ottawa Marathon.

In an effort to run a 3:30, I was concerned with speed and ultimately dropped the ball on endurance.

The course was a lot tougher in Ottawa as well, but 4:12 was really, really disappointing after all that training.

[Augustus]

I feel ya. That stinks, especially when training with a specific number in mind.
My original goal was a 55, then a 52 with how my training was going.
I was on pace to crush, but had too much going on in my head.
I saw an ad for Ottawa and that course looks beautiful. 

[mattstick]

You've got me inspired to lace up the shoes and run something next fall, looking at The County Marathon in Wellington Ontario which should be nice and flat.

[Augustus]

Nice, man!

[sls.stormyrider]

for me, personally, the 1st was about finishing. I actually had plenty of gas left at the end (4:07 unofficial,n Boston 99) and it was the most fun I ever had running. The next 3 were about time, with more pressure and less fun (I tried to run a BQ). One of them, the temp was upper 70s-low 80s and humid. I was in great shape but the heat (and running a much too fast 7:20 split mile 17) wiped me out. Pace strategy for a full marathon is pretty tough - for me, anyway

Sounds like you hit your goal, great job

[mattstick]

That idea about having "too much in your head" is a pretty big hurdle too.  It's much more mental than you realize until you get into the race and into that third hour.

[Augustus]

Yep. I made "The Perfect Phish Show" as my playlist and was so excited to listen to it.
I was stoked to LISTEN to music as I ran.
Somewhere in there I realized that I wasn't listening to the music at all and that I hadn't been in quite some time.
Instead, I was crunching numbers and "what if?" pace outcomes for miles.
My last training 20 miler was at a comfortable 9:15, but I told myself that if I came out fast, I would stay with it while I had it in me.
Thing was, is that my miles were effortless for the first 15 and then I started thinking too much.
It's weird, but I'll take it as a lesson learned.

[Caravan2001]

That idea about having "too much in your head" is a pretty big hurdle too.  It's much more mental than you realize until you get into the race and into that third hour.

It's the same with cycling imo...I have not run a marathon but I have done many 100 mile rides (my longest ride is 137 miles) and your mental strength really plays a huge part in it, sometimes as much if not more than conditioning.  My first distance ride (1996?) was 130 miles from NYC to Montauk Point and I was not conditioned at all.  I think my longest ride to that point was 50 miles but I made it on mental fortitude.....Sometimes if you're not feeling it, it's hard to even make it half that distance....