Tucson Marathon Post Race Comments

I went to Tucson to attempt to qualify for Boston or also known as “BQ.” It is a down hill course late in the year which may be a reason almost everyone at this race has BQ on their mind. It is an entirely different mindset from any other marathon I have ever been at. All the runners look fast and most are.

My race comments are on the video, so below are the things I didn't talk about on the video. The elevation chart doesn't do this race justice. It has some tough sections that the chart doesn't show. It doesn't feel as down hill as the chart makes it look. My Garmin showed the same down hill profile but it seemed flatter. There was a strong headwind in our face that slowed us down and probably cost my friend Bruce his BQ, he mi

ssed by 39 seconds.

Down hill races may be harder than flatter courses. I did some long down hill runs but my legs ran out of energy on race day. Moving around that

night and the next day was difficult. They felt worse than they have felt in a long time, even after longer, “harder” races. In the end, this race became a real test. I just wanted it to be over and I still had 6 miles to go with little leg strength. I walked more than I ran on the way in. It was frustrating and I wanted to quit, but I don't like quitting unless I am going to injure myself. I pushed forward to the end and still ended up with a 4:07 or 4:06 on my Garmin. Click Here to look at my Garmin Stats.

Good race overall but little crowd support and getting back to our cars after the race was a nightmare. It took way too long, so they have to work on that and at least get more buses post race.

Overall, Tuscon was a great place to visit and the course was beautiful, I am into desert scenery. It was a learning experience and I am glad I did it. Lessons were learned, now it is time to get back out there and Train Focused!

Steve Mackel – MarathonTraining.TV Founder

zp8497586rq

December 16, 2009 | Filed Under Steve's Posts 

comments

Comments are closed.