The official results aren’t posted yet, but according to my wristwatch yesterday I ran a 3:38:37 in the New Jersey Marathon, which I’m very happy with. The conditions on the pancake-flat course were excellent: overcast and cool. Just as soon I finished the sun came out, too, so I wasn’t freezing in my wet clothes.
My splits:
7:54, 7:59, 7:57, 8:03, 8:09, 8:15
8:10, 8:18, 8:34, 8:25, 8:35, 8:45
8:32, 8:38, 8:06, 8:20, 8:13, 8:23,
8:19, 8:21, 8:29, 8:16, 8:29, 8:44
8:39, 8:08, (1:44).
If I didn’t quite run a negative split, I was close! The race is on the Jersey shore in and around the town of Long Branch, just north of Asbury Park. It was a bit of a boring course, with few crowds and no bands or anything like that. At about mile 14 I was first starting to feel a little sore, but knew I still had a long way to go, and these gremlins came into my head. A bunch of the half-marathon participants had steamed by me at what for them was the finish and I started thinking negative thoughts, how nice it would be stop as well. Then thankfully I started talking to two women runners at around my pace, both of whom were going for a 3:40 to qualify for Boston. That was about the pace I was going for as well. One told me I looked nice and relaxed. Talking to them definitely snapped me out of my reverie and spurred me onward. I ended up running a really great second half. My hamstrings normally give me problems during marathons but I’d been stretching them during yoga and it paid off — this time I was hamstring-problem free. My hip flexors, however, did get kinda sore and restricted my stride a little. But nothing too bad — it was a remarkably low-pain marathon.
Logistically, though, there were a number of things that bugged me about this race. Like beforehand we would get weekly “race director updates” in our inbox. Only, they didn’t send the actual updates, just a notice tto go to the website. (And not even a direct link).
Speaking of the website, confusing wording on it meant that a number of runners (including my carload of Flyers) ended up going to the Monmouth Medical Center for the expo and to pick up our bib numbers. It turned out the hospital was just sponsoring the expo, not hosting it.
And I totally missed the soup and other hot food that was in a tent after the race! D’oh!
However I guess I can’t complain too much considering this is my best marathon in many years.
UPDATE: My official time was 3:39:15, or an 8:22 pace. 257 out of 1001 men; 299 of 1699 overall.
UPDATE 2: Okay, that was my “gun” time. My chip time was 3:38:40. I knew I broke 3:39!
congrats! looks like a very well-run race.
nice job
Dude, you’re a badass. I’d kill for 3:38. Congrats!!!
Great race. Seemed very disciplined and controlled. Impressive!
Excellent work! Now you have even me wondering about the benefits of yoga…
Nice work Big D. Boston is in your future if you commit to a summer of hard workouts and speed work. Fall/winter marathon plans? Sacramento is flat as a pancake.
“Low pain” and “marathon” don’t often come in the same sentence, especially when used consecutively. So I’d say that is a remarkable feat you pulled off! And a great time, too!
Remind us what your PR is again?
3:18 in the Chicago marathon, but that was back in 2000 when I was living in New Hampshire and really had very little social life. I was doing two-a-days and got up to 70 miles a week.
Since having knee surgery in 2002 I’ve run four other marathons – Vermont City (Burlington) in 2004, and NYC in 2003, 2005 and 2006. Weirdly, in all four of those races I was between 3:52 and 3:54. Not that I am really blaming my decline on the knee surgery; it’s more not doing speedwork, not doing two-a-days and, y’know, getting distracted by various chickadees.
Mofo, I do recommend the yoga. At least trying it. Since the marathon I’ve actually done bikram yoga three days in a row – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (this morning). I feel like it is a good workout that really gets my heart rate up and leaves me feeling … well, not exhausted, but def. like I’ve had a good workout. The other studio I go to, Kula, is also good and intense.
The trick is to find a class where you’ll be challenged, but not lost. Like I think some of the hourlong yoga classes at gyms are just too basic for you to work up a good sweat. Then you get the ones where everyone is doing headstands and inversions and it’s just crazy hard, esp. for a guy. Bikram is good for beginners because most everyone can do most of the poses, I think.
Both those classes and the ones I go to at Kula are 90 minutes, a good indication that they are pretty serious and you’ll be left lying in a pool of your own sweat by the end.
Lastly, the yoga teachers claim that once you get flexibility it stays with you even if you stop doing yoga or take a long break. Dunno how true that is, but that’s what they say.
Nice job at the NJ Marathon!