I've got to say, I am completely bummed that Tampa's Gasparilla Distance Classic is no longer going to include the marathon.At the end of February, I ran the "Final Voyage" of the Gasparilla Marathon and I had an absolute blast. A gorgeous day made the out-and-back course along the water so enjoyable. It was flat and fast and the size of the field was perfect.
I crossed the finish line in 3:43:43 -- a new PR by more than 20 minutes. I was thrilled. My training program was an aggressive six-week plan after roughly three months of simply sticking with a weekly mileage base with few long runs.
I ran Chicago in October after training poorly, mainly due to the birth of my son. When you've got a newborn in your arms, let me tell you, the last thing you want to do is head out for a long run. I PR'd in Chicago, but I didn't break four hours. I didn't really plan on doing another 26.2 so soon. I was feeling so strong with my running by the end of December, though, that I decided to take on another full.
The Gasparilla Marathon worked out perfectly because I was going to be in Florida for work from mid-February through the beginning of April. The bulk of my training was done in Chicago and Toronto -- often through the snow -- and only one final long run during my tapering period was needed while in Florida.
When race day arrived, I got up at 4 a.m. and was at the convention center in Tampa well before the 6 am start. While stretching inside -- I've got to say, having indoor bathrooms and places to get loose inside was an awesome change from other races -- I met a guy named Chris. We chatted for a bit and headed to the start line together.
I saw Chris later that morning, around Mile 20. I caught him and we wound up running the final six miles together. I think it was good for both of us. He pushed me when I was hurting and when we got to the home stretch, I pushed him to a strong finish. We finished only a couple seconds apart.
I ran the first half in 1:44, which was only two minutes slower than I ran the Las Vegas half marathon in December 2008. I took a similar approach to my last Chicago Marathon -- go out hard with the intent of slowing some later. The only difference this time was I put in the training and was able to hold that early pace for much longer.
In Chicago, I was really only ready to do maybe 16-18 miles total. I faded hard during that race, but went out fast enough at the start to PR at 4:04. This time, I was able to hold a hard pace (for me) for 18-20 miles. I knew I could slow to an 8:30-9:00 pace, if needed, and still be on pace for around a 3:45 finish.
I wound up doing the second half in 1:59, which was almost exactly what I was aiming for. When I saw I had 1:44 in the first half, all I said was get under 2 hours for the second half. That's a comfortable pace for me, even when my legs are aching. So, my game plan paid off. I hit my targets and crushed my previous marathon best.
As for the course, it was fantastic. You run through downtown Tampa, through some nice little residential areas, along the water, down beautiful Bayshore Boulevard, around a small lake and then back. The only complaint I had was that the half marathoners rejoin the marathon pack at one point. So you went from running in a very thin crowd to being in a mass of people at about the halfway point. Really, though, that's a small complaint.
Following the marathon, I felt great, too. The next morning, I was walking fine. This meant two things in my mind. 1) I trained really well this time around and have really learned how to approach things in the days leading up to the race. 2) I didn't run hard enough! I think it was more of the former than the latter. I can't stress enough how much core and strength training have helped me stay injury free for the past year.
I was so happy with how things went at the Tampa Marathon, that I decided to take a physical and mental break from running. Here we are, it's April 25, and I've only JUST started running regularly again. I did four six-milers this week for a solid 24-mile week. I'm over 2,300 miles since I started logging them in October 2007 and I'm planning on running my next marathon in November.
My favorite part of the last marathon wasn't the cool medal, the PR or anything that happened during the race, though. When I got home from the marathon, I opened up the door to the condo I was staying at and my lovely wife had my son in a little T-shirt that read "Future Marathoner." Let's learn how to crawl first, buddy.
~JB
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