For Whom the Dogs Bark

55F, 94% and calm.  Too bad I am in recovery mode, pretty superior weather this morning and it won't last.  Ran 4.14 in 40:45, average pace 9:51, LHR.  I feel fine, but my legs are definitely in recovery mode, it was difficult to maintain a 10-minute average and keep my heart rate down.  I am going to pace Wade in a big 10-mile race this Saturday.  It might be difficult to keep up, he ran the last half of a long run at 7:50 pace on Saturday.  He has started running every day and thrives in the cooler temperatures.  Just another Wyoming guy.

Some post-marathon thoughts:

1.  I ran 19 miles at 7:56 per mile two weeks before the marathon, under more difficult conditions (73F, 93%) than the marathon (67F to 81F, low humidity), 8:02 per mile.  I can only conclude that for a sea-level runner, going to altitude creates enough extra stress on body systems to more than compensate for the significant net downhill.

2.  I understand that there are statistics showing SGM is 5 minutes faster than a flat sea-level marathon, i.e., it is an "aided" course.  I think they are probably pretty good statistics.  But I also believe that a sea-level runner going to altitude gives up a lot, more than an altitude runner gains by going to sea level.  Having now run 3 non-disaster marathons at altitude and 4 at sea level (in addition to 1 disaster marathon at altitude and 2 at sea level), I think my own experience bears that theory out.

3.  Can't say enough about the organization and friendliness of the SGM volunteers.  The folks who helped me at the finish line were angels, and very competent ones at that.  I will always remember their kindness.

4.  No more whining about being old.  Sorry about that.  I am now mentally refreshed and ready to keep chasing my 7:30/min GMP.

5.  Wish I had taken out that tarantula.

65F, 93%, E 3 mph.  Warming up, probably be 70F by the weekend, but we are on the tail end of this stuff.  I had to get done by 5:50 in order to get the seminary run started on time, so I ran faster, 8:44 average pace, HR 145-150, last split 8:13.  Overall 6.11 miles in 53:20.  8 tomorrow and 10 on Saturday, but traveling next week so I don't know how fast I can ramp up.  Thinking of doing Richmond again this year, just to test out my low altitude theory, ya know?

75F, 93%, E 7 mph.  Got up very early to get my run in before taking kids to seminary.  Ran 8.11 LHR miles in 1:22:15, 10:09 per mile.  Legs seem to be recovering OK, but still quite weak, like I am in the middle of a training cycle. 

Met my armadillo friend again at mile 5.1.  Suddenly he was running alongside and he stuck with me for a pretty good stretch.  Checked him on the Garmin, 9:45 pace, I think he was 10 flat the last time we met, so he has been getting out.  I'm thinking of entering him in the next pet race, but see that's the thing:  we are just friends, nobody has brought up the P word yet.

71F, 93% E 7 mph.  I paced Wade at the 10 for Texas race in The Woodlands this morning.  It was a big race, over 2500 runners, they actually sold out, which doesn't usually happen around here except for the bigger marathons.  Wade had some good days in the cooler weather earlier in the week, but he had ratcheted his expectations down to 8:15 pace because of the return to summer temperatures.  Probably 75F by the time the race started and close to 80F by the finish.  (Something about that finishing temperature seems vaguely familiar.)  I picked up Wade and Linda, another friend, at his house at 5:30 and we drove out there, arriving way too early, the race didn't start until 7:30.  So we toured the PoP, which had lights, running water, Kleenex box and dried flower arrangements.  Only in Texas.

Linda had a friend, Annette, who had registered then couldn't race.  The race was full when I tried to register, so I took Annette's number.  I took the tag off the bib, not wanting to be a Boy Named Sue. 

We ran 0.47 warmup, then met up with a bunch of people from CypressFit, our running club, they were out in force.  The organizers made a major effort to get people lined up according to goal paces, so even though the early stages of the race were on pretty narrow roads the first-mile jostling issues were minimized.  Our first mile came in at 7:54.  After that it got progressively slower until by mile 5 our overall average crept over 8, and we finished at 8:11 per mile (1:22:24 for 10.07 miles), which was fine for today.  Wade's slowest mile was mile 8, 8:29, but he dug deeper and got 8:19 and 8:12 for the last two, so he finished strong in the heat.  If he had made his original 8 flat goal I might not have been able to keep up on my recovering legs.  Afterwards we hung around for some good food and conversation. 

5:40 per mile won it.  8:13 per mile won Annette's age group, so it was a good decision to take the tag off.

Happy weekend all.