Harrisburg Marathon Race Report

Well the marathon attempt was a bust for both Jen and I yesterday. Jen ran around a 3:53 and needed a 3:41 for a BQ. She said she felt fine till mile 17 and fell apart the last 9 miles. She still had a good run considering she wasn't specifically training for the marathon and only had a couple long runs under her belt.

As for me I made a rookie mistake. I felt good all day needing a 3:10:59 for a BQ time. I ran the first half in 1:34 and had over a minute in the bank. Over the next 6-7 miles I was running a negative split (7:05 miles) and still felt good. There was a hilly section around mile 18 and 19, and those miles were slightly slower, but I still had time in the bank. At mile 22 I did the math in my head and had 32+ minutes to get to the finish. I simply figured 32 divided by 4 = 8, so I could run 8 minute miles and make it with ease, so that's what I did. I backed off my pace and ran the next 3 miles around 8:00 minute pace. At mile 25, I looked my watch and forgot to factor in that last .2 mile. I basically sprinted the last mile, and came up just seconds short.

I literally watched the clock turn 3:11:00 just a couple hundred feet away. I just about walked the last 100 feet in disgust, and finished with around a 3:11:50. Overall I felt good and wish I could take back that last 5K….

posted by Chad Holderbaum @ 10:29 AM Comments: 2