Chip Time: 3:24:26 (7:48 min/mile)
Gun Time: 3:26:58 (7:54 min/mile)
306/6555 Overall. 644/6555 Age Grade.
280/4200 Men. 72/700 M25-29.
Marathon #3… done! First impressions.
THE GOOD.
I’ve only dreamed about finishing this marathon for the last two years. That dream’s now become reality.
Now that it’s over — I’m thankful for being able to experience SF this way at least once in my life. I’m also grateful for the opportunity to train and race with so many different fellow runners. I was constantly amazed and motivated to see everyone’s commitment and progress, day in and day out!
THE BAD.
This marathon was hard. For most of the race, I felt like I was putting in more effort for worse results. There wasn’t any one physical thing that “failed” (like cramping calves in Vienna or an upset stomach in Seattle); it was systemic. I felt like I was running in heat (despite the relatively cool weather early on).
My pacing was also a mess. I hadn’t studied the course, and I had no plan going into the race. I was overconfident in thinking that I knew the roads. This especially hurt me from Miles 13 (GGP) through 23 (Dogpatch), which I hadn’t recently previewed. I felt lost. Despite data from my watch, I kept feeling unsure how much I needed to push. (It also didn’t help that I ended up running 26.66 miles according to my watch.) I’ll not make these mistakes next time.
THE OTHER.
Initially, I was pretty bummed by my result. For some reason, I thought I could PR again, on a more challenging course! But as I type this now, I’m feeling pretty good. This bodes well for my next race, in two weeks… my first 50K (with 4392 feet of elevation) :]
