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Do Not Try This At Home: M2B Marathon Report

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Bob
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Post  Matt W Mon May 27, 2013 9:40 pm


I want to start off by saying that I highly recommend training for a marathon, and following a full training program really helps you do well in the race. That being said, I really didn't do near enough to be ready for a marathon except one thing: pick a marathon with a lot of downhill.

Since I ran Boston '12, I haven't really been putting in any kind of real training, and especially not marathon training. It's not like I was sitting on the couch eating bon bons for the past 12 months, but most of my running involved going out and running 4-6 miles at whatever pace I felt like and doing that 2-4 times a week. I had started to get a little more serious at the beginning of the year, but lost my momentum when I started coaching basketball. I looked at my Garmin log and I had a grand total of 9 runs longer than 10 miles this year, all in the last month (I may have had one or two runs that were off the watch though). I think 7 of those were in the 10-12 mile range, one was a half marathon I ran May 5, and the one "long" run I tried fell apart so badly that I shut off the watch at 14 miles and walked/jogged the last few miles to my house. So you can see, my training (if you can call it that) was not the typical recipe for success that strive for at the beginning of a training cycle.

Still, I wanted to get a BQ and go back to Boston, especially after the events of 4-15. After looking around for races, one that I saw as a BQ possibility was the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon that started in Ojai, CA, and went to Ventura. I figured with the shape I was in, I would need a little downhill help from whatever course I ran. It also gave me about 6 weeks to get ready for the race and was within easy driving distance from Vegas. As it turned out, I don't think I could have asked for too much more from the race itself; I just had to go out there and do it.

The M2B Marathon is the smallest marathon I've done, with a cap of about 1,500 runners (there's a half and 5K as well, but I'm not sure on the cap for those. I heard 3,000 total runners). The expo was very low key as it was pretty much show up, get your bib and shirt, and leave. I guess there were a few booths there but I didn't stay longer than I had to. My wife and I stayed close to the start, which was nice because I was assigned a 4 AM shuttle time and I didn't want to get up that early. Race morning went fairly smoothly at first, but my race morning prep was a little out of practice and I forgot to apply Body Glide to all the appropriate places. I realized this while I was standing in the looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong line for the porta-pots (note to race: two lines for all the stalls just means everyone has to wait a long time). My wife agreed to go back to the hotel and hand me the Body Glide at mile 11. She's pretty awesome like that.

After barely escaping the queue in time, I jogged to the start with a few moments to spare and squeezed into my corral. The RD had everyone count down from 5 and then yelled "Go!" Apparently, someone behind me thought he belonged on the front line because he sprinted past, cutting off some people and bumping into others. I was thinking, "Relax, it's a long race, buddy," and other runners had some choice words for him. Then he collided with one of the big traffic cones that separated us from traffic, knocking it down. A woman yelled out, "That's karma, $%#@&!" When I saw him dying at mile 21, I thought about mentioning karma to him again, but decided to just let him keep his karma to himself.

The first part of the race is about a 6 mile loop of the northern part of Ojai, CA. It's pretty country, so I got to enjoy that as I tried to figure out what pace my legs wanted to run. After almost a mile on city streets, we joined with the bike path that makes up most of the course. It was difficult to pass much in the crowded first miles, so I just tried to settle in and enjoy the race while my legs were still fresh. This part was fairly rolling, with some short steep uphills, a few generous downhill portions and gradual to flat sections. There were a few times when my legs had a bit of creekiness, especially in my bad hamstring, which worried me a bit for later, although they shook it out after a while.

Once we made it through the starting area again and rejoined the bike path, I started to let out my pace a little more. There was a nice downgrade that wasn't too steep, and a lot of this part of the course was shaded. At this point in the race, the temperatures weren't too bad, but as the race went on, you could notice the difference between sun and shade.

The miles clicked off fairly easily here, and I started to calculate in my head where I was relative to 3:00 pace. I realized that I was a lot further ahead than I thought I'd be at this point, but figured that I would be giving away time at the end of the race, so I needed to keep focused and run as relaxed as I could at this pace.

At around mile 11, I saw/heard my wife. She handed me my Body Glide and I did a quick application, although I think it wasn't quite enough to save me from a little pain. It was a nice boost to get some cheers though. I continued to enjoy the shaded scenery and the downhill path as I worked my way up through the pack. At mile 17, I got a nice surprise as my wife found another viewing point to stop at. At this point, the course levels out and is a little more open with less shade, but I was able to keep riding the momentum of my earlier miles and keep the rhythm of a faster pace going. I could tell that it was taking a little more effort to stay focused, but I was pleased with how I felt at this point of the race. By the time I got to mile 20, I was shocked at how good I felt, although I know that things can change quickly in a marathon. I saw my wife again between mile 21 and 22, which was a nice boost. It must have been a nice distraction too, because I lost track of which mile I was on and thought I was on 22 when I saw the mile 23 marker. In the last 5K, I started to really feel the effects of the race though. My stomach was telling me that it couldn't handle another gel, so I stuck to water or the NUUN they were handing out. This was the warmest part of the course and I could tell I was slowing. We had also joined with the half marathon at this point so I was running past them too. At around mile 24 there was a U-Turn for the marathoners, while the half kept going straight. There was also a water station at that point, but I got cut off from a much-needed drink when I ran around some half runners. I knew there was another station in a mile, but I was starting to struggle it seemed like a long mile to me at this point. I just wanted to finish and be done. My stomach was bugging me and I almost stopped at a beach restroom, but I managed to gut it out and shuffle in to the finish. It wasn't pretty at the end, but I made it through the last stretch and claimed my medal and my BQ.

Shortly after getting my medal, my body revolted against me for putting it through such torture, as I leaned over a railing and puked on the beach 4 or 5 times. After a bit, I recovered, although I was a bit out of it for a while. I think my wife was entertained by my ramblings though.

Here are my splits for the race. I'm pretty happy about them considering the shape I'm in at the moment. I have a little time to get in better shape for St. George in the fall and hopefully Boston in the spring.

1- 6:57
2- 6:49
3- 6:49
4- 6:56
5- 6:57
6- 6:47
7- 6:41
8- 6:41
9- 6:45
10- 6:41
11- 6:37
12- 6:36
13- 6:39
Half Approximately 1:28:40ish
14- 6:38
15- 6:32
16- 6:32
17- 6:28
18- 6:33
19- 6:33
20- 6:34
21- 6:33
22- 6:37
23- 6:42
24- 6:50
25- 6:57
26- 7:02

Official Time 2:55:52.9 (BQ minus 14:07)
35th place and 6th in my age group
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Post  Matt W Mon May 27, 2013 9:48 pm

Some of the scenery:

Do Not Try This At Home:  M2B Marathon Report Img_2611


Post Race by the Pier:
Do Not Try This At Home:  M2B Marathon Report Img_2710
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Post  JohnP Mon May 27, 2013 10:41 pm

Fantastic race, Matt, great job. With that time, I would think you'd be almost guaranteed in next Boston. Congratulations. So are you going to train for Boston? Smile
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Post  Matt W Mon May 27, 2013 11:14 pm

JohnP wrote:Fantastic race, Matt, great job. With that time, I would think you'd be almost guaranteed in next Boston. Congratulations. So are you going to train for Boston? Smile

Thanks John. Yes, the plan is to actually train for my next marathons. They are a lot more fun that way. Of course, there are some new developments at work that could throw a wrench into how much I get to train, but that remains to be seen for the time being.
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Post  mountandog Tue May 28, 2013 7:30 am

nice run. 2:55 on little training. sweet. see you in Boston.
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Post  Alex Kubacki Tue May 28, 2013 8:41 am

Great job on going sub-3 on no training. Congrats on getting it done and getting the BQ.
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Post  Ben Z Tue May 28, 2013 11:39 am

Geez. With only a couple weeks of running you nearly beat my PR. Congrats...I guess tongue
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Post  Michele "1L" Keane Tue May 28, 2013 2:59 pm

Oh to be young again......and run sub-3 on almost no training. Wait - I never did that, it was a lot of training Wink. Congrats Matt on the sub-3 and the BQ. You should be assured to get to Boston next year, and I will see you there after considerably more effort Wink.

By the way, your splits really didn't fall off that bad - so nice way to stay focused and run an easy pace through most of the race. Your wife is certainly special to meet you all those times on the course - what fun. Just keep her away from the finish in Beantown.
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Post  RobA Tue May 28, 2013 7:01 pm

Wow Matt, great job on so little training. Looks like you'll be whooping me at St. George with some consistent training behind you. Congrats on the race and I look forward to joining you at both St. George and Boston next year.
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Post  Mark B Tue May 28, 2013 11:59 pm

2:55 on limited training? Pfft. Piece of cake. Even I can do that.

Oh wait.. you weren't running the half? jocolor

Congrats on pulling a impressively fast race out of thin air, Matt. You must not be as far out of shape as you think.

The scenery around Ojai looks gorgeous. Nice place to run!
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Post  Dave-O Wed May 29, 2013 3:17 pm

Despite limited training, really nice, even splits. Sounds like you had to "go to the well" a bit in the end, but all things considered, a very successful race.

See ya in Boston!
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Post  Jerry Wed May 29, 2013 3:20 pm

Matt W wrote:
JohnP wrote:Fantastic race, Matt, great job. With that time, I would think you'd be almost guaranteed in next Boston. Congratulations. So are you going to train for Boston? Smile

Thanks John. Yes, the plan is to actually train for my next marathons. They are a lot more fun that way. Of course, there are some new developments at work that could throw a wrench into how much I get to train, but that remains to be seen for the time being.

No pressure, Matt. If you end up not training for Boston, you can always pace Jerry. lol!
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Post  amyjoann Thu May 30, 2013 5:09 pm

Wow great job! maybe when you do start to train again you should rethink it, you may not need as many miles as you think Very Happy
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Post  dot520 Thu Jun 13, 2013 7:48 pm

How does this happen?  Minimal training and a really, really decent marathon.  Wow!  Quite impressive!
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Post  Bob Thu Jun 13, 2013 8:50 pm

dot520 wrote:How does this happen?  Minimal training and a really, really decent marathon.  Wow!  Quite impressive!

Yeah, kind of shitty that someone can do this.  Then, has to let me know about it.  Sheesh. 

But hey, good job on making it back to Boston.  I doubt I'll get there in 2014, despite my 20 week schedule I'm using, but you, yeah you, go and have a nice time.

Oh, and congrats.  Mighty impressive. Smile
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Post  Julie Thu Jun 13, 2013 8:58 pm

Wow, that is great! I'm amazed you can keep up that kind of pace for a marathon sans training! Congrats! I'll try not to be too jealous.
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Post  Jim Lentz Tue Jun 18, 2013 4:03 pm

Amazing!
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Post  Ken Cushing Wed Jun 26, 2013 12:10 am

I'm afraid those sub-3 days are 15 years behind me. And I only did it twice. Great job.
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Post  John Kilpatrick Fri Jul 05, 2013 2:09 pm

Bob wrote:
dot520 wrote:How does this happen?  Minimal training and a really, really decent marathon.  Wow!  Quite impressive!

Yeah, kind of shitty that someone can do this.  Then, has to let me know about it.  Sheesh. 

But hey, good job on making it back to Boston.  I doubt I'll get there in 2014, despite my 20 week schedule I'm using, but you, yeah you, go and have a nice time.

Oh, and congrats.  Mighty impressive. Smile

  Haha - I can relate!!!  But hey, if you got it, you got it!  Great job Matt!

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