Backing it up :-)

Event Stats:
Name Tacoma City Marathon
Date 05/13/2007
Location Tacoma, WA, USA
Event Marathon
Finish Time 03:48:58

OK, so here I am in Tacoma, WA, one week after my marathon PR.

The run is an inaugural event, the start seems a little unorganized, but that (and the totally ugly finisher shirt (I mean, come on, who comes up with a black print on a gray shirt if you have a paint maker as your main sponsor) is about the only thing that needs improving.

The run itself is about 80% residential area, with a nice escape to a scenic park in the middle.

I start the run easy, pretty much wanting to just get a long run in. At about mile 5 I get passed by the 3:50 pace group. As far as I remember this is the first time I have seen pace groups in 10 minute increments instead of the usual 15 minutes. I stick to the group and start talking to their pacer, Steve. My plan at that point is to just stick to that pace until I blow up, and see how far into the run I am by then.

I stick to the pace until mile 21, then fall back a good deal when I fill up my camelback at an aid station, but never out of sight of the pace group. Mile 23 comes a very long and rather steep downhill and - being tall and heavy - downhill is something I’m good at. So I pretty much run that stretch flat out, catch up and pass the pace group and on my last breath make it to the finish in 3:48:58.

2 PRs in 2 weeks, not bad.