First Marathon Tomorrow

Rob said:

I am running my first marathon tomorrow. I just want to say thanks to
the group for all the information that I have gathered by lurking and
reading past posts that have helped me with my training.

Good luck ! look forward to the report ...

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

Rob said:

I am running my first marathon tomorrow.

Good luck Rob, and whatever you do don't pull a Pendejo!

Which race? If it's Fargo, I can instruct my half-sister there (T. Pendejo)
to cheer for the dude who looks like a lurker. She'll probably bake you a
batch of cookies too.

If Palos Verdes, be sure to show some respect by orienting your rug in the
direction of Chez Stumpus during the prerace call to prayer.

Rob said:

I am running my first marathon tomorrow.

Good luck and if it gets tough, remember that it's all in the mind, you
*can* do it, straighten up, lift your head, look way ahead and use your
arms. Enjoy yourself!

Thanks to you all for the encouragement and advice....not Fargo or
Palos Verdes but Boise, Idaho....the famous potato marathon of all
things. It has been 95 degrees the last few days so let's hope for
cooler weather.

Rob

Quoted message said:

not Fargo or Palos Verdes but Boise, Idaho

Well in that case tell their amazing food co-op that Pendejo says hi,
and use that occasion to load up on tons of postrace goodies.

Rob said:

Thanks to you all for the encouragement and advice....not Fargo or
Palos Verdes but Boise, Idaho....the famous potato marathon of all
things. It has been 95 degrees the last few days so let's hope for
cooler weather.

Rob

Good luck, Rob. I hope you get some potato samples (like chips) at aid
stations 😉

Dot

--
"Success is different things to different people"
-Bernd Heinrich in Racing the Antelope

"Rob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thanks to you all for the encouragement and advice....not Fargo or
Palos Verdes but Boise, Idaho....the famous potato marathon of all
things. It has been 95 degrees the last few days so let's hope for
cooler weather.

If the temp does soar then temper your finish time expectations. It's
too close to race to talk about salt but if it is hot, stay with the
sport drink to get some salt.

Good luck!

-DougF

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

not Fargo or Palos Verdes but Boise, Idaho

Well in that case tell their amazing food co-op that Pendejo says hi,
and use that occasion to load up on tons of postrace goodies.

Gee whiz, Charles, where *haven't* you been?

Karen
--
live! vicariously!

joe positive:

Quoted message said:

Gee whiz, Charles, where *haven't* you been?

Winners podium; prison; Atlantic coast states between NJ and FL; AL; HI;
Wetern Europe; Asia; Africa; southern hemisphere; to a dentist in a decade;
episode of "What Not To Wear"; NASCAR event.

If the dude had said Olathe, KA - the fourth and final American marathon
listed for today in marathonguide.com - I'd have been at a loss.

Here are the results....
My goal was 3:30... I felt that was conservative but doable for my
first marathon. I finished in 3:23 according to my watch, but I
official results have not yet been posted. My pace chart probably
would indicate that I am inexperienced and did a lot of things wrong.
The first 13 my pace was around 7:20, but I was unable to keep that
pace and the last few miles were in the 8:20 range....I am going to
blame a change in the wind😉 There was a severe thunderstorm(kind of
ominous) at about 5:00 a.m., but things cleared for the race and the
temperature stayed around 80. A few minor stomach issues trying to
hydrate and fuel during the heat, but altother, I am pleased. I credit
the advice, valuable information, and support that this group gave me
to help me achieve my goal. I hate to admit it, but I am already
thinking of the next one.

No potatos at the aid stations, but plenty of baked potatos at the
finish.

Rob

Rob said:

Here are the results....
My goal was 3:30... I felt that was conservative but doable for my
first marathon. I finished in 3:23 according to my watch, but I
official results have not yet been posted. My pace chart probably
would indicate that I am inexperienced and did a lot of things wrong.
The first 13 my pace was around 7:20, but I was unable to keep that
pace and the last few miles were in the 8:20 range....I am going to
blame a change in the wind😉 There was a severe thunderstorm(kind of
ominous) at about 5:00 a.m., but things cleared for the race and the
temperature stayed around 80. A few minor stomach issues trying to

I'd say you did pretty well overall. 80 is not quite a bakefest, but it's
certainly warm enough to cause a lot of problems for the overenthusiastic
beginner -- it's actually very warm compared to most marathons. Keeping it in
perspective, 10:20s at the end of the race would have been "bad", 8:20s is less
than perfect, but not too bad either. Pace judgment is really tricky in
marathons because the distance is so long, and without prior experience
(actually, even with), it's hard to know what to expect.

Congrats on blowing away your goal mark.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

Rob said:

Here are the results....
My goal was 3:30... I felt that was conservative but doable for my
first marathon. I finished in 3:23 according to my watch, but I
official results have not yet been posted.

Nice results, Rob. Congratulations!

Quoted message said:

My pace chart probably
would indicate that I am inexperienced and did a lot of things wrong.

Or pace charts aren't always right.😉

Quoted message said:

The first 13 my pace was around 7:20, but I was unable to keep that
pace and the last few miles were in the 8:20 range....I am going to
blame a change in the wind😉

This just sounds like you went out a little too hard. If you finished
faster than your goal, and were slower in the 2nd half, then your 1st
half must have been faster (or my brain isn't functioning, which is a
real possibility). You'll get better with experience.

Quoted message said:

No potatos at the aid stations, but plenty of baked potatos at the
finish.

Well, shucks. At least they gave you some at the end.🙂

Dot

--
"Success is different things to different people"
-Bernd Heinrich in Racing the Antelope

RobWLamb said:

My goal was 3:30 [...] I finished in 3:23

Hey, nice job! I reckon ya done good.

What was the course like?

"Charlie Pendejo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What was the course like?

Did they throw spuds at you while yelling Dodgeball! (like on the Simpsons
last week). Now that would have been a marathon...

Rob said:

My goal was 3:30... I felt that was conservative but doable for my
first marathon. I finished in 3:23 according to my watch

Excellent news!

....snip...

Quoted message said:

The first 13 my pace was around 7:20, but I was unable to keep that
pace and the last few miles were in the 8:20 range....I am going to
blame a change in the wind😉

Overall pace is about 7:45 so you can't have spent much a lot of time in
the 8:20's With the experience you now have and/or in better conditions
(80°F isn't excactly an optimal marathoning temperature), it'll be 7:20 or
better all the way :-)

....snip...

Quoted message said:

I hate to admit it, but I am already thinking of the next one.

He's hooked and swallowed the fishing rod too ;-)
Take your time to recover, IMHO that's the most critical step right now to
set the scene for your next races.

Well done again.

"Rob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Here are the results....
My goal was 3:30... I felt that was conservative but doable for my
first marathon. I finished in 3:23 according to my watch, but I
official results have not yet been posted. My pace chart probably
would indicate that I am inexperienced and did a lot of things wrong.
The first 13 my pace was around 7:20, but I was unable to keep that
pace and the last few miles were in the 8:20 range....

Still, a damn good effort for a first race. All the books and charts
will only provide some generic guidelines. At this distance it's
experience that counts.

Quoted message said:

but things cleared for the race and the temperature stayed around 80.

If you trained in 90's and raced in 80's then it may have felt
comfortable. In the NE all my long runs have been at best 60 and if I
showed up to race in the 80's, it would be a long day.

Quoted message said:

I hate to admit it, but I am already thinking of the next one.

Seek psycological help for this problem. 🙂

-DF

There were no hills and the overall elevation loss was about 160 feet.
The course *was* point to point winding along bike paths that follow
the river, but the recent warm weather and showers increased river
flows and flooded some critical points of the course. It was re-routed
to include a loop and an out and back turn-around. If I had never been
on the course it would have been fine, but the re-routing took me on
one of my least favorite training routes 3 times during the race.

Rob said:

Here are the results....

[report of an excellent race went here]

Very nice, especially in that heat. In ideal weather, a slip from 7:20 to
8:20 pace would not be out-of-the-ordinary for a first-timer, so you did
really well holding on in 80-degree weather. And you beat your goal, too.
Cool.

Karen

--
live! vicariously!

Thanks for the acknowledgment and advice. How long of a recovery
should I expect and how far out is reasonable to plan for my next
marathon. Thanks again.