Age is just a number.

Salt Lake Marathon

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Location:

UT,USA

Member Since:

Feb 27, 2006

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

(2008) 5k Magna Classic (15:18)

(2007) Ogden Marathon (2:29:31)

(2007) St George Marathon (2:25:18)

Masters PRs:

17:09-2nd place Masters-

Draper Days 5k (2013)

1:16:58-2nd place Masters-

Utah Valley Half Marathon (2013)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Sub 2:40 at Deseret News Marathon. Never quite conquered that beast yet.

Long-Term Running Goals:

Run a good marathon again in the future.

Personal:

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to Ukraine's Armed Forces

Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	0.00	Year:	404.70
Brooks T-7 Lifetime Miles:						1193.31
Brooks T-7 Lifetime Miles:						1031.20
Saucony Fastwitch A-5 Lifetime Miles:						617.50
Skechers Go Run Lifetime Miles:						496.50
Saucony Kinvara 3 Lifetime Miles:						816.50
Brooks T-7 (used) Lifetime Miles:						1113.00
Saucony Kinvara 4 Lifetime Miles:						542.50
Brooks T-7 Lifetime Miles:						922.90
Brooks T-7 Lifetime Miles:						1051.50
Saucony Fastwitch Blueberry Lime Squeeze ) Lifetime Miles:						788.00
Nike Pegasus Lifetime Miles:						1008.10
Reebok Running Shoe Lifetime Miles:						442.35
Under Armour Black Micro Lifetime Miles:						463.00

Sat, Apr 16, 2011

Race: Salt Lake Marathon (19 Miles) 01:56:25

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
0.00	19.00	0.00	0.00	19.00

I really dreaded having to write this up today. I don't know what to say except that it just did not workout the way I thought it would today. I did learn some things about my physiology however that is really making me wonder if maybe I should just hang up the racing shoes and focus on other areas in my life. I don't want to write anything to lengthy today and besides I'm just not in the mood to elaborate or create excuses for myself. It would just further enlarge the problem and make me feel all the more disillusioned.

So in a nutshell it was like this; I never really felt strong from the start however about the time I started taking gels after mile 7 I felt very strong up until mile 17. For some reason I just could not control the wild swings in blood sugar levels I was feeling and to top off all of that my hip was bothering me and my achilles tendon was stinging me. Jeez! what else could go wrong I thought to my self! Definitely not healthy in so many way ways. You know I'm feeling old, frustrated, and just plain broken down... I have trained at my limit in the past 3 months and perhaps past it also. I don't know if thats the problem or perhaps a combination of things however I do have my suspicions concerning the blood sugar issue. What to do? I just don't know at this point. Right now I'm just feeling sheer frustration:(

Night Sleep Time: 0.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 0.00	Weight: 0.00

Comments

From Rob Murphy on Sat, Apr 16, 2011 at 15:27:24 from 24.10.248.6

Hey Steve. Give me a call if you want to hash this over some more.

From Maurine/Miles on Sat, Apr 16, 2011 at 17:27:12 from 63.255.172.2

Sorry things didn't work out the way you wanted Steve.

From Steve on Sat, Apr 16, 2011 at 18:26:34 from 75.169.109.145

You sure looked smooth when we passed each other. Don't even give the thought another moment on stopping and don't analyze it anymore. We all have those races. I for one am not a believer on "finishing every race", a lot of bloggers here are. You are in the groove, get up on some trails and enjoy it for a bit!

From Burt on Sat, Apr 16, 2011 at 19:43:12 from 72.223.90.79

Sorry dude.

From Walter on Sat, Apr 16, 2011 at 22:08:29 from 24.2.66.36

Steve, dont beat yourself up over a bad day. You are an incredible runner! Just look at your profile pic from Ogden and remember your an awesome force! I have seen you in action. dont gold plate your running shoes just yet. Plenty of time to continue your excellence. Call me and we can run. Id love to get with you. Anytime.

From Adam RW on Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 03:28:53 from 24.10.132.131

Steve, Unfortunately not everyday goes as planned. And often when one thing starts to go others seem to pile up. Just focus on what you learned from today. As you suggested take a step back on look at other things in your life for a little. I have no doubt that before long you will find what you need and get back to it.

From jtshad on Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 09:13:42 from 69.20.183.178

Sorry it didn't work out for you today. You are an incredible runner and have been putting in some huge miles. You did the right thing and saved yourself for another day. I know it is disappointing but just try to move on and know that you run for fun and longevity and can rebound.

From Superfly on Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 16:13:43 from 74.211.21.81

Sorry Steve. I've had so many bad races that I totally know how you feel. Tired, old, worn out. Ready to just focus on family and life... the list goes on. All these frustrations seem to boil over after a hard training cycle and a depressing race. I guess it's just part of the game. I'll have more disappointing races and so will everyone else... but if you keep at it once in a while you roll one off that's not too bad.

From Seth on Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 16:54:02 from 75.169.119.15

Tough break man. I hope you find your groove again.

From RAD on Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 20:40:27 from 98.202.17.113

Sorry you had such a cruddy race Steve! I think we all end up with a few of those, just means you are a true runner that understands the ups and downs, but gets back on the horse and just enjoys it until it comes back the way we want it. Good luck sorting things out in your head, we're all here and still (at least me) admiring how in the world you can run 19 miles at low 6's pace on a BAD day! I'd be happy to have my 5K pace there :)

From Fritz on Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 22:50:48 from 67.182.226.25

Sorry to hear about the lousy race. "All things in moderation". We all have our own definition of moderation and I think we know if we have crossed the line. I am sure you will find your balance and be back before you know it.

From Rossy on Mon, Apr 18, 2011 at 14:32:51 from 167.138.234.15

Hey Steve! Don't get too down on yourself. If the marathon was one week earlier, I would have probably called it day at the half way mark. You put in some monster mileage lately and there is no way I could survive this mileage. Keep your head up Steve and remember that running is fun and just enjoy it!

From Sasha Pachev on Mon, Apr 18, 2011 at 16:16:48 from 192.168.1.1

Steve:

Some thoughts. Less than 300 miles in January and February followed up 450 or so in March makes it so that March training becomes overtraining. It is possible to run a couple of minutes off your PR in the half overtrained, but marathons usually ended up a complete disaster, they are mean beasts, and will punish you severely for the smallest mistakes both in training and recovery. Speaking from experience of 50+ marathons.

Another thought is that good marathons rarely happen unless you've done well in more than 50% of shorter races or trustworthy time-trial workouts within the last couple of months of the marathon. At least for me, the pattern persisted in over 50 tries.

I do not think your situation is hopeless, and with a proper long term approach that accounts for your recovery opportunities you can be back to at least your prior PR levels in a year or so. Come over sometime for a run, and we can do some evaluation and analysis.

From steve ash on Mon, Apr 18, 2011 at 23:08:13 from 76.23.2.151

Thanks for all of the comments it helps to get fresh perspective.

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