Air Force Marathon

19 Sept: Air Force Marathon in 3:29:31
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AFMC Team--I applied for the AF Materiel Command Marathon Team, which I was lucky enough to be selected for. 2 men and 2 women were selected to run the half and the full. I was selected to run the full.

Pre-Race--The AF paid for 2 nights in billeting, plane ticket, registration, per diem, and uniforms. What a deal! The race took place on a Saturday, and I arrived in Dayton, Ohio the Thursday before. It was nice to figure out parking, food, expo, locations of everything on base, etc. It was even better to relax on Friday and to eat some good food.

Food--I ate my usual sushi and Ben and Jerry's the night before the race, which was fantastic. I also tried to drink a lot of water and fluids on Thursday and Friday. The morning of the race I ate a turkey sandwich on flatbread with gatorade. I think my food was right on.

Race--Before the race I wore 2 long sleeved shirts and a jacket. I also wore a beanie and two pairs of pants. I think I was the only one who wasn't cold out there. I forgot my favorite race socks at home, but luckily I brought some other pairs of socks to wear. Oh well.

Pace Team--I met up with the 3:30 pace team. The pacer told us he would run every mile at 8:01 (plus or minus a few seconds, of course). After the gun went off, it seemed like the pace team just took off. I lost them in the first half mile. I didn't catch them again until mile 11. It seemed like we were running a lot faster than 8:01. Maybe it was just because I was trying to catch up. And the pace leader changed. It was so confusing for me. I don't think I'm going to follow the pace team so closely anymore. I am pretty good at pacing and conserving, but at least I learned something.

Overall Race--I think the race as a whole went ok. I took my gels at the right time, my clothes were pretty good, I was well fueled, and I was somewhat conservative. I decided this time I would start out at a faster pace than I had ever run during the first half of a marathon (in recent history). Kind of gutsy, but I wanted to try it. I did get tired during the hills at the end, but I'm glad that I went out a little more ambitiously.

Post-Race--The finish line was well organized, the awards ceremony was super short (yay!), and the CSAF was there! How cool is that?! The medals were neat too. After I finished I was walking around like I hadn't even run a marathon; it was so weird! I purposely parked just inside Gate 22C (or whatever it was), which was the closest to the fitness center. The super nice Security Forces people let me drive on the course to the fitness center so I could shower. I ate some Chipotle afterward and then I went to the airport to catch my flight. It worked out just fine. I would definitely like to run this one again. Running down Main St was so fun.

Went went wrong:
Parking was confusing (though I figured it out)
Forgetting my socks
Not training enough
Temperature was hotter than ideal and a little more humid

What went right:
Setting my sights on 3:30 goal, taking a little risk
Finally ran my 2nd sub-8:00 pace marathon (barely)
Clothes
Food
Race nutrition
Relaxing before the race
Lots of foot powder in my shoes and socks
Running for AFMC!

Still need to work on:
Training (and motivation)
Confidence
Nutrition (outside of race week)
Relaxing, de-stressifying on a regular basis
Finding a new pair of running shoes (my old shoes are discontinued)
Goals and sticking to my guns

Splits
9:20 (plus time to get to the start line)
7:58
7:39
7:59
7:33
7:43
7:53
7:56
7:50
7:47
7:46
7:29
7:53
7:44
7:48
7:54
7:52
7:36
7:50
7:48
7:56
8:07 (let the hills begin!)
7:52
8:38
8:05
11:39

1st half 1:43:26
2nd half 1:46:05
Total time 3:29:31, 7:59 pace

AG division 4/100
Women 15/516
Overall 198/2012

Boring Workout Log Stuff

30-31 Aug: ?
1 Sept: CrossFit
2 Sept: Bike 30 min (foot pain)
3 Sept: 4x400/50 air squats in 10:45
4 Sept: ?
5 Sept: Run 3 mi, bench, hard core abs
6-7 Sept: None
8 Sept: CrossFit Helen in 11:46
9 Sept: Run 32 min (3.75 mi)
10-11 Sept: None
12 Sept: Run 30 min slow on the canal in AZ
13 Sept: None
14 Sept: Run 4.5 mi in 37 min
15 Sept: 1 mi WU, 2 mi at MP
16 Sept: None
17 Sept: Run 19 min
18 Sept: Run 14 min
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Stress--I have been working on stress reduction, and it seems to be working ok. Work is under control a lot more. I think being gone from work has really helped me with this, weirdly enough. Taking deep breaths helps. Stretching, slow running, and taking control of little things has helped too.

Overall training--Training has not been going well, mostly because I've been lazy, unmotivated, slacking, and bothered. But I feel a lot better. I did not want to train for this marathon. It was hot, I had a ton of work stuff going on, a lot of life changes happened, and the timing of this wasn't good. But the marathon is over, so I feel so much better now.

Focus--I still like running full and half marathons, but I want to focus on shorter distances. I would like to run a sub-20 5K before the end of Feb 2010. I think I am moving to Georgia in Nov, and Colin will follow in Feb. And then I can start training for Boston in Georgia.