P.F. Changs Rock 'N' Roll Arizona Marathon - RunMarathon

I really thought I had this one nailed, and that a 3:35 was in the cards. I had ramped up my run and speed training, and was confident that going out at 7:30 min/mi would be manageable this year before tapering back to 8:10-8:15. I started out at a 7:15-7:30 pace, and was going along fine for the first 7-8 miles. My hips were tighter than usual, but I worked at loosening them up as the course rolled along. My buddy Shawn caught me at mile 7 and kept going right on by, which I was proud of as I did not attempt to keep pace and blow up my plans. I felt my hamstrings starting to tweak a little bit at the half mark, then my calves joined in the fun at about mile 15. Nothing that stopped me or made me walk, but it kept me focused on my stride a bit more and took some of my energy. Walked just a bit about mile 16 and the U-turn to head back west on Indian School, then sucked it up and started running, just to catch up to Shawn at mile 17, as he was walking and looked a bit spent. I kept going and tried to work through the twinges in my legs, and planned on walking at the turn south on Arcadia. Walked a bit before then, but kept to my plan and walked about mile 20, when Shawn and the 3:40 pace group went rolling by. I had already known that I lost 3:35, as my pace had gotten way above 8:30 at mile 17-18, and now it was down to seeing whether I could hold it together to PR (3:43). I ran/walked to keep my calf cramps at bay, waiting for the 3:45 pace group to go by so I could run with them. I never saw them go by, so I pushed as much as I could, and walked up the Van Buren overpass before working to run the duration. As I entered the Rio Salado chute, I looked for my wife and youngest daughter, but never saw them, even though they were there cheering their hearts out (I need to turn off my music when I get close to the finish). I was disappointed that my plans were lost at about mile 16, but still proud of finishing another race and coming in under 4 hours.

A few things (I think) hurt my plan a bit. I train in Brooks Adrenaline, but have some Zoot Neutral ultralights and thought they might help me at the race. Wrong. I think I should have stuck to my normal wear and trusted the stability shoes more, especially for a long race. I also forgot my salt tabs, which although the temps were cool and I was not sweating like the summer, I think my body has gotten used to the salt tabs and that might be where the cramping cam into play. Last, I trained with a run/walk strategy, at least walking through aid stations every few miles, and my pride got the better of me and I ran through most until I could run no longer. I can only guess that the lack of planned recovery took some pace out of me later in the race. All of these are conquerable factors, and I have no one to point fingers at except myself for some decisions I made. My end results were still a 9:00 pace, which I am very well known for, so all in all, it was an average result for me (and thus no long-term beating myself up is allowed).

Shawn was waiting for me in the finisher's chute, so I grabbed my medal, snapped a pic, got my nutrition (kudos to RnR AZ for the free Jamba Juice!!) and walked/talked with him. Met up with Kym and Devyn and Shawn's wife Keri she ran the half) and listened a bit to the B-52s. Walked around to stretch and checked the iPhone for emails on people's progress.

We stayed longer than normal as we waited to see my sister-in-law cross the finish line. She had a migraine early and some side issues, and had to stop at an aid station along the course before continuing, so she was well slower than her hopes. We had tracked her progress and when she was not coming along Rio, I walked (also to stretch my legs) until I got to the bridge where I saw her making the turn. I ran along side her, trying to keep her spirits high, and she was disappointed but in great spirits for finishing. I peeled off before the final turn so she could experience the first-marathon finish in all its glory. We talked for a short bit, then headed home, got some pizza, donned the compression pants and foam roller, and watched the NFL playoffs with Shawn and family.


I am no expert, so my assessments are probably a waste of time, but thinking back I come up with a few things:
1. Wearing the Zoot Neutrals for a long race instead of sticking to my stability shoes probably wore my feet and legs a bit more than planned.
2. Forgetting my salt tabs could have played a role in my leg cramps.
3. Not following my run/walk strategy and running far too long without recovery (that I trained so hard to follow and worked well).
4. Getting mad at myself when I realized I lost my PR goal - until I came to my senses.
5. Not stretching right before the start - my hips were tighter than expected.
6. Too high a HR - not sure exactly why it happened, but it could have played a role.



Only complaint - start on time! I know traffic in Tempe got bad, but athletes need to be prepared for that and leave earlier. Yes, if it means you are at the start 30 minutes earlier than you want, tough beans. I only hope the race director makes a point to tell people that they need to be parked no later than 2hrs before the race start.

That being said - I liked the fact that they had the extra "early" Gu station at mile 7-8. In years past they have not done this, and it was more than welcomed (I carry enough but it replenishes what I use). Also, the Jamba Juice at the finish was awesome and very much appreciated.

Thanks to to all the volunteers, cheering squads, bands and spectators that make this a great race year-in and year-out. The new course had different challenges, and it will be fun to get used to it as well as I was used to the previous route.