Devastated in Miami during first marathon!

acmacvic

 

Here is the email I sent a few of my friends when I returned.....

Sitting here trying to figure out what went wrong in Miami and how I can improve. Thought I would ask you for obvious reasons.

 

I trained for 12 weeks from an approved intermediate full plan. Ran all long runs (up to 21) at an 8 to 8:20 pace. Ran 6-8 mile runs in between at 7:10 to 7:30 pace. Showed up race day rested, hydrated and feeling great/ready. Followed my race plan to the number, never going too fast. In fact a little slower. At the half way point was a little slower then planed but not by much and still feeling great and ready to turn up the pace! At mile 13, had drank 32 oz of water and 2 GU's. My pace went 1-4 at 8:55 and 4-13 at 8:45.

 

Still running 8:45 at mile 15 my right leg (above knee) starts to cramp, I ignore it. By mile 16 my left is cramping in the same spot and forces me to stop! So bad I can hardly walk never mind run. I walk/ run for the rest of the race. DEVASTATED!! Never being able to run again for more than a mile with the cramping. Finish the last 1.5 at a 9:00 minute pace.

 

It wasn't that hot, humid but not bad. No idea what happened here other than its my first one?

 

It was fun, the finish line felt good but my time was 45 minutes off my mark! WTF!

mgraffeo

Angus, I don't know what to tell you, other than i had a very similar experience at Philly in November, and still haven't figured out why. personally, I think it was a combination of poor running mechanics trashing my quads throughout all the long runs, and them finally calling uncle during the race, combined with inadequate salt intake.

Took me weeks to come to that conclusion. Best of luck in your quest.

Joe Matchette

@Angus-- during your training, did you ever do any sweat tests? I ask because you said you only had 32 oz by the halfway point. So let's call that roughly 16oz/hr. And if you combine that with the heat/humidity of Miami (yes, even in January), I am wondering if you weren't dehydrated.

Other questions:
- how much time in advance of the race did you get to FL? possibly some acclimation issues there?
- was the weather for your training runs anywhere close to what raceday conditions were?
- What is your VDOT? Or, more importantly, how did you come up with your race paces?
- Lastly, where did you get your training plan? Depending on the plan, you might have been way OVERtrained, especially if you were doing an EN OutSeason plan in addition.
(If I missed some of these details in another post, please excuse my ignorance...)

Paul Hough

I'm guessing the humidity took a much greater toll than you realized. If you are sweating a lot, water and a few GU's ain't gonna give you enough electrolytes. You need to get some S-caps baby! Experiment with those on your long runs and see if they help.

Bruce Thompson

Angus - I had a similar experinece in the 2010 Chicago marathon.  When I looked back at my intake during the race, I was way low on H2O and electorlytes and way too high on calories.  You may want to add up everything you consumed (H2O, calories, Gatorade if any, amount of sodium and potassium, etc)

32 oz of H2O over 13 miles seems very low.  You were probably well down the path of dehydration by mile 13.  Also, if you only took in 2 GUs, they don't have many electrolyes so you may have been low on those too.   I agree with the comments about doing a sweat test (there are instructions in the Wiki on how to do the test) and also adding in S-caps during your next race. 

I did several sweat tests  before IMCDA and learned that I sweat alot - losing up in 36 oz per hour in 72F temp, even more on a hotter, humid day. So on the run @ IMCDA (80F temp but lower humid) I drank 2-3 cups of H2O at each aid station starting at mile 1 plus used concentrated Infinite Nutrition.  I also took one s-cap/hour.  Result:  had to stop to pee several times but no cramping (I'll take that trade-off every day) and my last 10k was my fastest 10k split of the IM marathon.  

J.T. Thompson

Angus - I agree with all the comments above....you can get dehydrated before you even know it...happened to me at IMCDA - didn't feel that hot last year and I just didn't keep up and it hit me late in the race....so do some analysis to rule this out or come up with a better hydration plan.....

charris

Hard to answer without some more information. Further to Joe's questions:

-What did a typical week look like during the 12 weeks (number of runs, mileage, were the types of runs just long at 8:something or short at 7:something?)

-What was your mileage before your 12 week buildup?

-Were you also biking and swimming?

 

I'd say a large percentage of the time it's simply "ran too fast for level of fitness". Not always, but usually.

 

The marathon is a very complicated beast to say the least. Including counter-intuitive things like somehow being able to run 20 miles in training at 8:20 pace, and then inexplicably not being able to even run 15 at a *slower* pace. The brain and body are strange things indeed.

 

Let us know some more information and we can troubleshoot some more - good on you for gritting your teeth and toughing it out!

acmacvic

I have completed two half IM's and used Hammer Endurolytes. Both races were hot but not crazy hot (80-85). Although I did not use any endurolytes during my marathon training (it was between 30-50 degrees) I did plan to use them in Miami. I lost the full container early in the race, i thought i would be ok.
I'm 6' and 170, don't sweat a lot. In training for HIM I usually consume 16-20 ounces of water on bike and little less on run. This was what my plan was for Miami. I usually do GU's at the 45 minute mark on training runs and thought I would stick with it. I took in two by the half way point (13) and when I started to fall apart, I started to take more in. The total was 6 for the day. I have bonked before and it was ugly. That is NOT what happened here. I felt fine, crazy energy but my legs would NOT work. Pain at times was a 9.
Pace question. I have completed two half mary's and did them at about 1:45. Both HIM's I did a 1:55. 5k test is a 20:20, so with these numbers my pace was to go 1-4 8:55, 4-20 8:45 and 20-26 negative splits to the finish.
Training question. I ran 6-8 twice a week, 5 on Sat and 8-21 on Sunday. 12 week program. NEVER under 8:20 pace and best 7 pace for 6 a few times.
Thanks for all your help, makes me feel better.

Joe Matchette

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I have bonked before and it was ugly. That is NOT what happened here. I felt fine, crazy energy but my legs would NOT work. Pain at times was a 9.

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Your statement highlighted above really, really concerns me.  Have you considered talking with your doctor?

MattAaronson

Angus, sorry to hear about the race. Sometimes it just isn't your day. You should assess and analyze, but not over-analyze. When I did the Vegas 70.3 back in September I was ready to ROCK the run...but got off the bike and within a mile has massive quad cramping that stopped me in my tracks. I hadn't experienced that before...it came right out of the blue. Aside from being super disappointed, I now have this undertainty about "will it happen again?". Despite all the data, analysis, etc -- of which I am a rabid fan btw -- sometimes the race just doesn't come together and you just have to move on. On the upside, there is a massive marathon PR waiting for you in the future.

Joseph Lombardi

 Hey Angus...sounds like a tough day....but hey its the Marathon...they ain't supposed to be easy...and the rarely is the ride smooth.

Lots of good feedback already....I have had similar...in fact the same happened to me, like Mike..at Philly just this past November....

I would consider the humidity to play more of a factor than you may have realized....you're from MA running in FL in Jan/Feb....guessing you didn't train in similar conditions as the race....

Hey you're in great shape...recover...refocus...and repeat.

Good Luck.