As Brad posted almost 24 hours ago, our Rocket City Marathon run was a comprehensive, unqualified success. I'm chuffed at our 4:39 time, partly because we exceeded expectations (especially my short-notice ones), but mostly because we agree we feel far better than we deserve to, post-race. Compared to my adventures at Chicago in '06 and '01, I feel about 10x less stiff and sore on D+1. I think we both agree that absolutely perfect race day conditions played a role (cool, calm, and clear) and I secretly think that by training far less for this run than the usual 18-week grind, I entered the race a bit less worn-down than I have in the past.
Another in-race observation: we both felt better-than-expected around mile 18, which is typically when your legs and joints really start to squawk. Brad decided we could pick up the pace and I encouraged him to string it out as far as he wanted. Our final mile was 8:24, which is almost a minute faster than my final mile was in '06 (which was run in a stiff, raw headwind, mind you). If I decide to go for Boston again in '09, I think I might run the first 18 miles at an ~8:15 pace and the final 8.2 at ~6:45, if I can. I really felt like I had a lot in the tank; I love to finish fast; and this seems every bit as counter-intuitive as running a marathon successfully on ~8 weeks' preparation. So, why not?
Finally, thanks to all of the people who contributed to Children's Medical Missions, as I requested in my kickoff post. I'm very proud to have run this race for a great charity run within my own extended family, and each of you who pledged a few bucks for each mile I completed now have a full 26.2 multiplier to reckon with. The "invoice" email will be heading your way shortly!
Another in-race observation: we both felt better-than-expected around mile 18, which is typically when your legs and joints really start to squawk. Brad decided we could pick up the pace and I encouraged him to string it out as far as he wanted. Our final mile was 8:24, which is almost a minute faster than my final mile was in '06 (which was run in a stiff, raw headwind, mind you). If I decide to go for Boston again in '09, I think I might run the first 18 miles at an ~8:15 pace and the final 8.2 at ~6:45, if I can. I really felt like I had a lot in the tank; I love to finish fast; and this seems every bit as counter-intuitive as running a marathon successfully on ~8 weeks' preparation. So, why not?
Finally, thanks to all of the people who contributed to Children's Medical Missions, as I requested in my kickoff post. I'm very proud to have run this race for a great charity run within my own extended family, and each of you who pledged a few bucks for each mile I completed now have a full 26.2 multiplier to reckon with. The "invoice" email will be heading your way shortly!
