Dallas WhiteRock Marathon 2007 Recap
The following is a commentary
of the ups and downs of the 2007 WhiteRock Marathon. Also included are
our splits (Giddings and I were together for the first 16 miles) and the
justification/explanation of each cold, wet mile. Having finished in a somewhat
respectable time (for a 200 lb. behemoth), I will also offer some possible
explanations.
To begin, we were fortunate
that the rain we encountered on I-635 at 6 a.m. avoided the course of our race,
otherwise we would have been MISERABLE! We did endure some cool/cold temps but
nothing too extreme, and by the end of the race my clothes were soaked from the
on/off drizzle, sprinkles, lake-effect snow, etc. While not perfect our
conditions could have been much worse!
Since I am not privy to the
luxuries of a technologically savvy time piece that will do everything but run
the race, I have relied on my trusty Walmart watch and have manually entered my
times into a word document.
Having run the last 2
marathons in post-4 hour times, I was determined not to try to “bank” time by
running too fast at the beginning and saving something for the last 6 miles (I
use the term “Run” loosely since the last 6 miles of each was a cramping and
walking debacle).
SPLITS
Mile Time Comment
1 9:21:05 tarting slow, and telling
Giddings to slow down!
2 8:54:38 A little quicker. Coach G’s
gizmo is our guiding light…
3 8:18:93 Down a big hill. Still telling
Coach G to SLOW DOWN!
4 9:17:47 Starting to get comfortable.
Still running with sleeves and a pancho
5 8:50:49 Not a bad pace—I just know
what lies ahead in about 15 miles…
6 9:01:02 Giddings GPS
Gizmo is giving feedback as well as real-time stock quotes…
7 8:38:52 About to jump
on the Professor’s back as he likes to speed up…
8 8:34:53 Still too
fast! Banking time does NOT work as I have tried the last 2 marathons!
9 8:46:78 Just about
right…
10 8:59:69 Approaching
Lake Superior and concerned about the chance
of Lake-effect snow…
11 9:01:06 Lake looks
familiar. One of coach G’s wisest moves was to run around it about
5 weeks
earlier…Brilliant!
12 9:09:42 Coach G
refuses to look to his right at the body of water and tries to convince
Himself that
it is not there. He is still wearing 2 watches as we have yet to
Encounter
Daniel. We believe he
is close to the finish line and depositing his
$10,000 prize
winnings
13 8:58:06 Lake still
there—Giddings still denying its existence. Half way
point! So far
So good.
Feeling much better than this point last year. Still wearing pancho,
Long sleeve
shirt, gloves, and ear-warmers. Good weather, few sprinkles.
Good pace.
GPS Gizmo continues to update us on pace as well as latest Iowa
caucus results
14 8:56:36 Encouraging
the professor to enjoy the beautiful lake scenery. He still denies it.
15 9:09:63 Just passed
by a barefoot guy on the phone…
16 9:21:03 Little slower
pace. The professor has abandoned me to use the restroom so it
Looks like it
is me and my Walmart watch from here on out. No more GPS
Gizmo. No
more ESPN highlights from last night’s games….
17 9:18:92 Slowing down
to save myself for miles 20-26.
18 9:37:23 Leaving the
lake. It did not have the same effect on me that it did last
Year. There
is still something left in my tank for the next hour of running.
Approaching
the infamous hills that have been on the professor’s mind since
Early
October. Thanks to the professor and his articles, a new strategy
seems to
Be helping. Many runners
are walking, hurting, cramping, etc, but since learning
About the effects of Teleoanticipation, I
am focused on a very efficient runner
In front of me and following in his
footsteps, not looking to the left or right to
Recognize the ailing runners or cramping
muscles.
19 9:21:63 Still working
to complete the hills and moving faster than many around me.
My goal is to
not walk and so far I am on track. I am still behind my runner
And he does
not realize how beneficial he is.
20 9:41:78 Last of the
hills! Still not walking but realizing the next hour will be difficult.
21 9:33:28 End of the
hills and I have just passed my model runner who has helped me
So much so
far. He is no GPS Gizmo, but I am appreciative nonetheless.
22 9:34:24 Just watched
the 4 hr. pacer pass me. A younger and less
experienced Patrick
Would have
tried to keep up with her and died about mile 25. I have chosen
To keep my
pace and continue my strategy. Slight twinge of a cramp in my
Left
hamstring, but I am continuing to find runners in front of me running with
Good form and
ease.
23 9:33:
08 Goo and Oranges are keeping
me going. It’s been 23 miles with my trusty
Pancho and
long sleeve shirt, but it has come time for me to leave these rain-
Soaked
articles behind and gut-out the last 3 miles.
24 9:44:84 Slow mile.
Wondering if I have a chance for 4 hours. It will be close!
25 8:53:29 Time to pick
up the pace. Feeling quite good in preparation for the last 2 miles.
Determined
not to acknowledge those who have cramped or are walking.
I’m hoping
the professor is feeling as good as I do, and wondering if Daniel is
Back in Wichita Falls already. A
little chilly running through downtown Dallas,
But we have
been fortunate the deluge has been avoided. I have overtaken the
4 hour
balloon and a sub-4 hour race is in view…
26 8:07:
58 With no GPS
Gizmo to tell me I am going too fast, I have now
begun my
Steve
Prefontaine-like kick towards the finish line.
.2 1:49:33 The last .2
finds me in higher spirits than any of my previous 3 marathons.
No cramps! No
walking! It has as successful a race as one could have hoped for.
This may have
not been possible without the aid of Coach G’s Satellite tracking
System which,
if nothing else, has provided a little levity over the past 4 hours.
Total 3:58:34
Credits
While I cannot point to one
specific thing that I have done differently, there are a number of factors
that have played a part in return to sub-4 hour status.
1. Stating the obvious, I did more running. I
upped my training from 3 days a week under the old program to at least 4 days a
week under the Patrick Fariss modified version.
2. I trained OUTSIDE. For the last 2 races, I
did a great deal of running on a treadmill. This time I did almost all of my
running outdoors and incorporated large hills. Up at 4:45 a.m. was not an easy
thing to do 3-4 times a week, but it was instrumental in developing the right
mindset.
3. Carb-loading. I was diligent and disciplined
in the 7-10 days before the race.
4. Taper. I cut back my running the last 2
weeks which I was always afraid of doing.
5. NOT GOING TO THE DOCTOR. With the onset of
a sinus infection/cold, I avoided going to the doctor which could have been a
mistake. However, avoiding antibiotics may have
helped me avoid the cramps that like to accompany me during the last 6 miles.
6. TELEOANTICIPATION! Thanks to the article
from Coach G (one that was not propaganda produced by the NYT), I was able to take
my mind off of running by performing numerical operations on the house numbers
as I ran. Also, for the first time, I would not allow myself to look at
those people who were cramping, walking, or running in pain or with bad form.
Instead, I made a conscious decision to watch on those people who had good form
and were running with ease. Even though it seems like a silly idea, I believe
that not allowing my mind to focus on these negative issues, allowed me to run
with relatively little pain.
7. Lastly, SLOW DOWN!!! A wise man once
delivered this mantra to me for 17 miles and it paid off. This time, the roles
were reversed. I made up my mind to start slow and continue slow during the
first 20 miles so I would have something left at the end.
Overall, it was a positive and
enjoyable experience. The professor filled our first two hours with levity, and
despite my pejorative comments about his hi-tech gadget, it was quite a useful
tool. I am also glad the professor was able to find his way to the finish line after making a wrong turn
somewhere between miles 19 and 26. Thankfully, he was in good enough shape to
turn around and find his way back to the original course. My recommendations
for next year will be to mark the course better so that individuals are less
likely to become lost or discombobulated. I was less sore after this
race than any other, and with Austin right around the corner (2/17/08), I can take this week off
and start some light runs on Saturday. Hope you enjoyed our recap and
we’ll see you next year!!!
Merry Christmas!!!
Patrick
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