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.

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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!

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.

3 miles in 24:03

9:48pm

Just finished a 3 miler on the good old treadmill. It is tough getting in some of these weekday runs but I always feel better when I am done! I am feeling decent this week although I have some discomfort in my left hamstring. Nothing I really need to worry about but I will try stretching more - I need to get better at doing that.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, Buffalo will be my fifth marathon. I have learned quite a lot about my running throught the last three years. Marathon running has really helped me focus in a lot of areas. For this next race I am really focusing on my nutrition leading up to the race and on race day. There is nothing worse than completely bonking at mile 18 with nothing left in the tank. I think if I make some adjustments it could help me on race day. More on this plan later but I have some ideas. For now I will try to get many fruits and vegetables in my system. This really works for me.

I bought a few Powerbars so I can pack one for my weekend long run. I am looking for Clif Shot Blocks but have yet to find a local store that carries them. I want to compare this to the GU I usually pack. Often I find that I require a little "solid" food on a long run rather than just GU and liquid.

More thoughts and stories soon. There is tons to talk about in the world of running!