Yesterday I ran my second marathon 30 MINUTES slower than my previous one, yet I feel in better shape and thought I better prepared. Yes, it was about 25 degrees warmer than it has been, but I really don’t think it should have been a factor. Anyway, I’m angry at my poor performance because I felt so well mentally and physically prepared and I just didn’t do well…anyone know why this happens???
honestly, there are so many things that can cause it, trying to identify them all will make you nuts.
but I’d wager to say it’s the weather. 25 degrees is substantial and your body just might not have been in tune with it. I understand that you’re angry, but the sooner you come to peace with it the better you’ll feel.
Like kitty says, there are too many factors to say for sure, but a 25 degree temperature difference would kick my ass. 3 degrees in the pool is the difference between me overheating or feeling fine, 25 degrees running could be the difference between maintaining a 7:xx pace and slogging along at 9:00+.
I know that for the Boston Marathon, they say that 50 is about the best temperature for it, and that when it gets into the upper 60’s or higher, people start dropping out by the hundreds.
If you ran the Marine Corps, you’re not alone. A friend of mine was off her goal time by almost 10 minutes, and based on her training, she should have easily made her goal time. In fact, before the marathon, we talked about how she was going to have to hold back to make the goal time. After the race, she talked to a few other runners whose times were off between 10 and 30 minutes. Sounds like the heat and lack of cloud cover were big factors.
It doesn’t matter how you do; it matters that you do. But, yeah, it’s so much more fun to have a good race than to survive a tough race. I seem to have either really good days or really bad days, both training and racing. I like to think that consistent training, weight control and adequate rest will reduce the number of bad days…but this hasn’t really shown itself yet. In fact, for long rides, I notice I often feel better on 5 hours of sleep than on 8 hours.
The temperature is a major issue. Huge volumes of energy can be spent dissipating heat. Also, electrolyte concentrations change significantly on a regular basis, for any number of reasons. Phosphate. I always suspect this as well.
As with all things, keep turning over rocks until you find the snake. Train smart. Get the same 7 hours of sleep every night. Eat the same good stuff regularly. And be satisfied that even rotten races and training days have great value in the big picture.
I’m with el guapo.
As with all things, keep turning over rocks until you find the snake.
Not really a smart thing to do but if you find him quickly remember: “red and black friend of Jack, red and yellow kill a fellow.”
For me, it’s karma.
If your prep is good and you feel like you’re in the groove but the results don’t show it, it might be your karma.
I finished the SOMA 1/2 yesterday in 5:30, which was well off my PR of 5:05. I was in pain throughout the bike and run. While I was suffering, I thought about 3 people who I have let down recently and thought to myself; “I deserve to feel like this.”
Once I learn how to stop being an a$$hole, I’ll probably have better race results.
i had similarly bad experience at a 1/2 marathon in may. i was about 10 minutes off my estimated time. however, when i looked at the results the next day, i was 2nd in my age group and 16th overall. turns out it was the heat and everyone was 10 minutes slower than normal.
I just got back from Marine Corps. 30 minutes off my goal time. Answers for me: bad night’s sleep (sick baby) and HEAT.
At Boston in April (85 degrees) I ran a 3:45. Five weeks later in Vermont I ran a 3:06 (my marathon PR is 3:00). Did very little training in between. Biggest difference was the temperature.