Buffalo Marathon race recap

Official time: 4:37:41 (final chip time) - 477th overall of 637 finishers (gun time)

Overall, this race was a good experience. I woke up at 5am as I needed to pick up my race bib/chip. Temp was a comfortable 63 degrees. Luckily, the hotel was only three blocks from the start line. I had almost a full hour to sit down, relax, and finish my breakfast before heading out the the start. I was at the start line with approx. 10 minutes to go. I was able to get close to the start line with no problem. I was ready to go. I did a few final stretches and then the "3 minutes to go" was announced. The gun went off and we were headed through downtown Buffalo towards Lake Erie.

A summary fo the first 10 miles:

Mile 1 = 8:01
Mile 2 = 8:49
Mile 3 = 8:50
Mile 4 = 9:03
Mile 5 = 8:44
Mile 6 = 8:53
Mile 7 = 9:31
Mile 8 = 9:11
Mile 9 = 9:16
Mile 10 = 9:00

I felt great. The first 10 miles were easy and I tried to slow my pace down but the race atmosphere got the best of me. I definately went out much faster than I wanted to and I think this hurt me later in the race. I think if I went out slower, my time would have been better.

The thunderstorms never arrived and there was just a light rain for approx. 10 minutes. The sun came out by mile 18 and really warmed things up quickly. I finished the race and the temp was 73 degrees. The humidity was high in the morning but I was well hydrated.

My pace definately slowed down later in the race and it was hard to pick things back up. I officially "hit the wall" at mile 22 (which was much better than previous marathons). Early signs of bonking came to me around mile 18 but I kept moving and was able to work through the fatigue. At mile 22 I felt my body shutting down. I was sick to my stomach and made the last stretch very tough. The last mile of the race is always the longest. I did not see the 25 mile marker but I knew I was close. I could hear the announcer over the PA and the crowd at the finish was getting closer. I soon passed the 26 mile marker. What a feeling! This race was in the bag. I picked up my pace and made the final turn towards the finish. I could now see the finish line and I ran as fast as I could through the finish chute. There is nothing better than crossing that line and getting the race medal.

Overall, a great experience and a fun race. I enjoyed running this race and I feel I am in good shape for my upcoming races and then planning for my fall marathon.

Based on this race, I know I have a very good shot at a marathon PR in the fall. It is time for a new marathon PR! I know I am capable and will one day run a sub 4 hour.

That is all for now. Thanks for the comments - I be checking in on your running blog soon.

Happy running and good luck with the races!


BUFFALO MARATHON NEWS LINK: http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/85863.html

In memory of Steve Prefontaine

Well, the race is less than 24 hours away. I'll be headed to Buffalo later this afternoon. Race is at 7am tomorrow.

I will be featuring stories and links about runners that I follow and about interesting stories that I read. To start, I am a big fan of Steve Prefontaine. I saw this commercial clip recently and wanted to pass it along.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYgDz9atz58

Prefontaine is a true inspiration. Check out the movies about his running when you get a chance.

Make sure you sleep well...

...the night before the night of the marathon. I'm packing it in early tonight. I am hoping for decent weather on Sunday in Buffalo.

Mostly cloudy and breezy with a couple of showers and a thunderstorm - High of 71. According to the latest hourly forecast, the rain starts around 11am. With any luck I will be dry most of the race. Of course, the weather always changes and I pay may too much attention to it. I must be getting anxious!

I can't wait for the race - marathons are tons of fun.

Buffalo Marathon - 5 days to go!

Posts that contain Buffalo Marathon per day for the last 30 days.

Get your own chart!

Last long run

I ran 7 miles yesterday for my last "long" run. I ran it in 1:01:39 (8:49 pace) which I am very happy with. I did not intend to run this faster, but it just felt right so I went with it. I continue to feel very good although my legs feel a bit heavy today and my energy is down a bit. I need to focus on good diet this week and get some good rest every night. One week to go...

Great Wall Marathon

Another unique race: The Great Wall Marathon. Good luck to all on Saturday!

No running today - I am running 8 miles tomorrow morning. Taper, taper - the big race is around the corner.

11 days to go!!!

Well, I have only 11 days to go until the Buffalo Marathon. I am completely psyched for this race. I really don't know how I will run overall but I have been feeling good lately. As long as I can get at least 4 hours of sleep the night before, I am good. I will also make sure I get great sleep for at least 3 days prior. I want to cash in on all of my reserves on marathon day. After all, these races take all of the fuel that we have...and then some.

My week so far:

Monday: 4 miles in 35:38 (8:54 pace)
Wednesday 4.1 miles in 33:51 (8:15 pace)

I am planning a couple more 4 mile runs and then an 8 mile over the weekend. I plan to get my inspiration this week from this story about a runner racing the Everest Marathon.

Happy running. Good luck to those of you with big races this weekend!

Week in review

The photo to the left my final stretch of the 2006 Rochester Marathon.

Here is a quick recap of my running week (just 2 weeks from today is the Buffalo marathon!):

Monday: 4.2 in 38:04 (9:04 pace)
Tuesday: 4.8 in 40:14 (8:23 pace)
Thursday: 4.2 in 37:27 (8:55 pace)
Saturday: 12 in 1:52:48 (9:24 pace)

Total miles: 25.2

I felt great Saturday morning on my 12 mile excursion. I decided to cut my long run before I went out on Saturday since I do not want to add too many miles in these "taper" weeks. I figured 12 miles is much easier for me to recover compared to my typical 20 miler. I headed out the door at 6:20am Saturday and the temperature was 46 degrees, as I expected. Everything felt great on this run. I definately felt like I could go many more miles as I finished. The pace I ran felt comfortable and I added in some hills along the way. Perfect morning to run. Everything was quiet as I ran through farmland and back country roads. I can't wait for the race. I am not sure what kind of time I will run but I want to get out there and do my best.

Happy Mother's Day to everyone!

72 degrees: 4.8 miles in 40:14

Went out for another lunch run today and felt great even with the sun and warmer weather that I need to get used to running in again. It is amazing how the weather can go from the 40's to the 70's in the span of just a few weeks. I plan to get a couple more weekday runs in before another long run this Saturday.

Great weather

Today I was able to get out for a lunch time run. I left around noon and the weather was perfect: sunny and 68 degrees. After the first mile or so I really started feeling the sun. I don't usually run very well in the heat so hopefully these afternoon runs will help me out. I am sure things will get tough when it hits the high 70's and 80's but my lunch runs are uaually between 4 and 5 miles so it should be ok for me.

Today was my first run since last Tuesday. I ran 4.2 miles today in 38:04. My average weekly mileage for this marathon training is very, very low. The marathon is around the corner so my last long run will be this Saturday morning. Usually I like to run my last long run three weeks prior but I could not schedule it this time.

I am running in my last pair of Asics GT-2100 shoes. This is my sixth pair since the model came out and I can no longer find my size. I'll be due for a new pair in a couple months. I'll be purchasing a couple pairs of the 2110 model. I really enjoy the Asics shoes and have had very good experiences training with them.

Four days after the marathon I will be running the Chase Corporate Challenge in Rochester, NY followed by the Utica Boilermaker 15K in July. More talk to follow on these races.

The 3100 mile road race

Check out this 3100 mile race event that is run on a city block. The longest road race in the world (and interesting loop course). Not your typical road race, but an interesting story.

No miles today, hopefully get out early tomorrow morning.

4 miles in 33:41 (8:25 pace)

Today was a great running day. The forecast called for 80% chance of rain and I was able to get out and run on my lunch. I felt good today - I tried to maintain a faster pace and I felt decent. The first mile clocked in at 9:33 on my Forerunner 201. I picked it up and finished strong. I am not sure how these workouts will really help my marathon race. My long run pace has slowed quite a bit since the fall. I am not sure what to expect when I run Buffalo at the end of the month. I am looking forward to the race. I just love the whole marathon experience.