Texas Metric Marathon

It's a 26.2 Km race in Houston. In prior years, it had been a 25K and served as the 2nd of 3 warm-up races for the Houston Marathon in January. Race conditions were just plain warm. Started at 67 degrees with a light shower and ended being sunny and 77 degrees.

Cutting to the chase (with the story below), my time was 3:21:29 at a 12:18 pace and average heart rate of 150 or 75%. My goal was 12:30 and <70%. No physical problems during or after the race. It was a good race.

For me, this race was to serve as an assessment of how I'm doing. My goals were to have a good time that was representative of the pace I'm targeting for Houston and to keep my heart rate below 70%. McMillan would indicate that a marathon pace of 13 minutes equates to a 25K pace of 12:30/mile.

I was very satisfied with the run, albeit my heart rate didn't stay put. Some due to the weather, but the early miles were due to me seeing people to catch or stay at their pace. I constanly had to rein in myself because this Fall, I had found a competitive streak in me. Now, it's "Can I catch her or him?" It's going to get me in trouble and did to some degree today.

This course is a 3 loop course. So, I wanted to, if I felt good enough, run the last loop at a faster pace than the first 11. I felt good enough. The first 11 miles were done at a 12:22 pace and the overall race pace was 12:18. The first 11 miles were fine and even though my heartrate was higher than I wanted, it wasn't causing me to have to slow down. Yet, I did because I did not want to bonk at the end. I WANTED to run a smart race and I can't run a smart race, if I'm chasing people.

So, I let people run past me all the while thinking that I may see them again on the last lap. As it turned out on the last loop, only 3 people passed me and I passed everyone I encountered. It was really getting warm on that last lap and the wind that joined the race the first two laps had disappeared.

I am hoping the discomfort I felt the last 2 miles (80-85% heart rate, sweating and my stomch muscles tightening up (no intestinal discomfort implied) would replicate the last few miles of the marathon. I never felt too tired to walk. I just kept plugging away. I was thinking of myself as a diesel engine...low rpm, steady mph, and good mpg.

I am very pleased with today's race as I had no physical problems at all, I probably would've run faster if it was cooler and I beat my goal time.

I would appreciate from y'all if my thought of discomfort over the last 2 miles to replicate the last miles of a marahon would be somewhat true, please.

My times and heart rate are below. Thanks for your time

Mile Time HR (with 200 bpm being 100%)

1 11:08 135

2 12:05 137

3 12:24 140

4 12:19 142

5 12:28 140

6 12:28 144

7 12:17 144

8 12:34 146

9 12:33 150

10 12:45 150

11 13:00 153

12 12:37 156

13 12:11 159

14 12:22 162

15 11:53 166

16 11:48 168

This is a job well done, oz. Nice pick up at the end.

We have this kind of series of races too leading to Dallas White Rock, very nice designed.

Nice job! Now as far as catching people and passing them in a race - not a bad competitive strategy and I use it all the time including during a marathon. You just need to trust your training and that you are ready to use the strategy to your advantage. Good work so far. See you in Houston.

Very consistent early miles Oz and very nice job at the end to pick up the pace. You look primed for a great race in Houston. Can we start praying for cool weather now? Yesterday SUCKED!!

ounce wrote:I am hoping the discomfort I felt the last 2 miles ... would replicate the last few miles of the marathon. I never felt too tired to walk. I just kept plugging away. I was thinking of myself as a diesel engine...low rpm, steady mph, and good mpg.

Well, you did run a smart race. Or, at least, smarter than you've run before. You were able to push the pace in the last lap. And that's good. But the discomfort you felt in the last two miles may approach what you'll feel in a well run marathon, but it's not the same and may not be even close. The only way you'll be able to encounter and overcome that feeling is to run a marathon well -- running easy for the first 20 miles and concentrating with deliberate intent in the last 10K. Let's see if we can't both do that in January.

Way to go, nice consistent pace. Good job.

Nice job Oz. I thought about your "Nekkid" moniker as I was running NYC. No one could seem to figure out what to call me with the shirt I was wearing.

Great race Oz! It's a very good sign for your upcoming marathon ... just keep building steadily!

--Reina

Nice finish indeed Oz. I think Kevin hit the nail on the head about concentrating on the final 10k of the marathon. The only thing different that I'd say is that the first 20 aren't likely to be run "easy" as Kevin said, but more likely comfortably hard. That may be more semantics than anything else, but I don't think a well run marathon includes many "easy" miles.

Very nice job on the race, Oz! I wouldn't mind just a little of that warmth here. It was 34 when I finished running this morning.

Thank y'all for the sage replies. As the weeks have gone by, I'm comfortable that I can maintain a 13 minute pace for 20 miles, if I can throttle it back early. Might have to run a slower than 13 for the first mile to keep the heart rate in check.

You see, all of my prior marathons have been races to stay ahead of the police who open the race course to regular traffic, usually 6 hours. Now, I don't think that'll be an issue as I think I'll beat the cops by 10-20 minutes. Last January's Houston, I ran the first half at a 13:13 pace, the next 7 miles at a 14:44 pace and the final 10K at a 15:30 or so pace. Finished at 14:01 pace.

So, I have to defeat my usual mindset of beating the cops and just run for THIS race. It's almost like my first marathon again. Comments welcome and thanks again.

Nice job Ounce.