NYC Marathon Chapter Two, 3:48:46, pace 8:43. So the question is: Why could I run the Twin Cities Marathon twelve minutes faster five weeks ago than I could run NYC today? Here are some possibilities: (1) NYC is hillier and therefore tougher; (2) NYC is SO big that it's hard to get past people (true); (3) I ate a BIG egg sandwich at noon the day before the race, and a little too much food altogether that day; (4) Nobody was chasing me, meaning that I had no reason to push myself other than pride; (5) I had several different pains during the race (knee, quads, hammies); (6) It was too COOL for me(!?!); (7) Two marathons in five weeks is too much; (8) It just wasn't my day. Enough excuses? I'm leaning toward (8). None of the rest of them quite pass the smell test, though I suppose (7) is a possibility. Other people did just fine today; A & S made PR's! I did everything that I had planned, including gels, salt, and caffeine. Ran the whole way in shorts and a technical LS shirt.
The pains: (a) Right knee hurt a little early on, and again a few hours after the race. At the bottom of the kneecap, inside the joint, center front. It's been warning just a little, off and on, for a few months. Time to give it a bit of a rest? (b) Right hamstring felt like it was injured - pulled. Feeling was similar to the pain that preceded my hamstring pull in the 2004 TCM. But this time it didn't break. Time to give that a rest too? (c) Right quad muscle cramped up in the later miles, after the turn into Central Park. Slowed me only slightly, and it went away. This is something new, but certainly not serious. Good news is that the calves didn't hurt at all this time.
But after all that complaining and analysis, it was still a beautiful day, I had a good time and a good run, and I'm happy. SO many people from other countries! What a truly international event. One runner invited me to the Berlin Marathon. For a while I ran with a Scot named John. He ran with the 3:40 team for a long way, but I passed him in Central Park. The hills really didn't seem as bad as I thought they would. They were much more dispersed than the TCM hills. Great marathon, great day. A masterpiece.
Congratulations on a great race. I'm astounded by your speed. You say you've only been running about 4 years--what did you do before that? Tell me you've been an athlete your whole life or I'm really going to be depressed.
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