When we last left our intrepid band of questionably intelligent runners, the marathoners, clearly not understanding there was another option, took a left turn onto Exposition, while the only slightly smarter half marathoners took the shorter way back to the finish...
Half marathoners, skim through this - there's stuff to help you, too. Also, remember, if you're looking at the map, the mile marker marks the end of that mile, not the beginning...
Miles 11 and 12: The End of the Beginning
OK, so the marathoners are not off the dragon's back yet, but only have a little over a mile left to ride through it. You've all run it enough times that you'll probably unconsciously avoid potholes. And, for those of you who ran the Double Dragon, just think to yourself, "Well, at least I only have to do it once today."
Here, form, form, form. The road should open up a bit with the half marathoners turning off. Get out of the camber on the sides, and run the crown of the road, or at least out where it's a little flatter.
You get the short climb, then the long climb up to Windsor, then you've got a little reprieve until the big hill going up to Westover. Do not worry about your time here - this hilly portion is just a couple of miles out of 26.2. Don't burn yourself up now, when you could be conservative and have more in the tank later. Just get up the hill, balancing your pace and your energy output. Keep your head up, and your hips pressed into the hill. Roll all the way through your foot with every stride. There will be some crowd support here, but you should really be able to hear the crowd and the band at the top. Let that draw you up the hill.
When you get to the top, relax, shake it out. You've got another, oft-overlooked hill going up to 35th, and the climb to the peak of the bridge over Mopac is always a bit harder than I expect. Cherish this - it's not the last hill, but it's the last for another 9 or 10 miles, and it's the last of the hilly sections.
Now you get a downhill to Jackson, where you make a left turn.
Miles 13-18: Where the Hell Am I and What the Hell Am I Doing?
I always think this point is a little disorienting, which is bad, since I'm already only half Asian. HA! Sorry. Anyway, by this time, the initial excitement of the race has worn off, you enter neighborhoods where the crowds are spottier, and you've gotten through the section that people are stressed about, and that presented a set of challenges for you. From here on out, it's just a matter of running, and running, and running.
You can't lose purpose or discipline here, and your priority now is to get back on pace. If you feel good, you might be tempted to speed up, thinking it's flat from here on out. I would advise against that - it's not flat, for one thing - it's mostly a low, uphill grade until you get up to Great Northern, and then, of course, there's Great Northern. Really, you're not going to get significant flat or downhill until you turn onto Woodrow. And, there's always that other thing - you've got 14 miles left to run.
So, trust me, it's not as simple a calculation as it seems - "Gee, I've run the 12 hard miles, and I feel good. I should speed up." Well, maybe, maybe not. You've run 18, 20, 22 miles, and you should remember how the miles catch up to you quickly near the tail end of those distances. And, that four tacked onto the end of 22 aren't exactly a cakewalk. So, no matter how good you feel, just use these next four miles to see how you feel getting back on and staying on your marathon goal pace. If you dropped a bit of pace in the hills, that's fine - be patient, pick up just a little time on each mile until you get back to pace.
You'll take a right turn at 39th through a little neighborhood, then a left on Bull Creek. You hit the halfway point on Bull Creek, near 45th. Yihah. You cruise up to Hancock, take a right, go down a little hill and up a little hill. Again, just maintain pace.
Again, there's not a lot to say about these miles. You're running. You're trying to stay on the flat parts of the street, off the camber. It the sun's out, you stay in the shade. You're staying relaxed. If you feel things tightening up, change things up a little - butt kick lightly for a few strides, pull the knees a bit higher for a few, run slightly stiff-legged, kicking lightly out in front of you a bit.
There's a small incline up White Rock to Great Northern, then you enter, as I always think of it, what Douglas Adams might have called "the long, dark, teatime of the soul." Long and flat, the road itself is numbing, even discouraging for some people, and you're entering the true "middle miles" of the race. You've been on this road and on those miles, so you know them well. You know both better than the majority of the other runners out there. So, this is a good test of your where you're at with your pace. If you hold pace well here, and you get through mile 16 and up to Foster, and still feel just outstanding, then you can start thinking about turning up the pace, though I don't think I'd put too much effort into that just yet, at least not until you make the turn south.
If you do increase your pace, start planning in your head. Plan on just increasing your pace by just five seconds or so, and holding that pace up to mile 20, where you can reassess it then.
You might be at a point where you seriously doubt your ability to maintain your pace for the rest of the race. You're at an important decision point, and only you can truly make that choice. I will say that if you held on up to Great Northern, don't let your performance on Great Northern decide the rest of your race. It's a tough stretch of road. Just hold on, do your best, try to run comfortably for now, and make any real decisions after mile 18.5, when you've turned back south and into the downhills and flats.
At Foster, behind Northcross, you should see some crowds again, which should really help. You also know that you've hit the uppermost point of the course, and soon you'll be heading home. Let it boost you, but if you're considering upping your pace a little, again, think back to your training runs, and ahead to the final miles, and carefully weigh your decision.
Finishing mile 18, you're halfway down Morrow. Start looking at the ridiculous blue line we painted down the street - it'll be there for quite a while. Think of it as a big blue thread pulling you down the course.
Mile 18.5-24: Homeward Bound
I refer to the Simon and Garfunkel song, not the ridiculous Disney movie, though, if the ridiculous Disney movie works better for you... whatever.
At 18.5, you turn the corner south onto Woodward, and you're on your way to the finish. You're close to the end of the dreaded "middle miles", and the elevation profile finally starts trending downhill. This is another good spot to relax, shake out the arms, and hit the mental and physical "reset" button. If you're looking at the finish at this point, it's going to seem improbably far. You still want to break it into manageable chunks, a few or a couple of miles at a time. It's like when we do repeats - you don't want to think about the total mileage you have left, it's easier to think about the repeat you're on right then, and worry about the next one later.
These are flat to slightly downhill streets. If you struggled through the middle miles, try to regain a relaxed rhythm. If you're feeling strong, and have easily maintained your pace, you again have to choose whether to hold where you are, or give the pace a little nudge.
Most of us are going to have felt discomfort and maybe a bit of pain by now. We've all had little to large "dings" in the past six months, little to large aches and pains, and we all know what we really need to be concerned about, and what we can safely push ourselves through. If you're hurting here, don't dwell on it, but don't just try to ignore it, either - take a zen approach, or rather, a zazen approach. It's like meditation. People think they have to clear their mind, and they end up getting all mentally bunched up by trying not to think. Acceptance (but not resignation) is the better way - go through your body from head to toe. Think about how you feel. Look at it like you're picking up a shiny object, then put it back down. Go through it all, then be done with it.
I also know that all that zen stuff is a matter of practice, and sometimes just too hard to do. If it doesn't work for you, then just... don't give up, right?
Down Woodward and Arroyo Seco, left on Romeria, and back onto Woodrow, all the way to North Loop. Again, all you have to worry about is getting in, and/or staying in your rhythm and pace.
North Loop is a little challenge, but you're not running the full length of it like you did at 3M - this is relatively easy. If you've been struggling or just been holding on, let it take a little pace from you - conserve your effort to get you to the finish, or for where it's better used. If you're feeling good, try to minimize how much it takes from your time, but don't burn yourself up.
You turn right on Guadalupe, left on 46th. 46th kind of gently undulates ahead of you, up and down, and you can still see that blue thread of a line from last year, pulling you down it.
Left turn on Avenue H, right on 49th, and then, glory be, right turn onto Duval, and all it's glorious, perfect-decline downhills. You should start getting some more people out there cheering, and you're in more familiar territory, approaching the UT campus and all those students with their Sunday morning hang-overs. Take it all as a sign that you're close, you're out of the suburban and mental wilderness, and returning to center, where there's going to be lots of people supporting you.
There's a slight uphill just past 45th street. Don't think about the effort, think about the form. That will carry you through, and will make you feel stronger.
You're close. You have to make choices here about the balance between banking time and energy on these downhills, with the major thing in mind being what comes at the end of the downhill...
Mile 25-25.9: The Gut-Check, and the Flow to the Finish
OK. So, you knew before most people the changes in the course, and you ran the new course before most people, and you all know about Dean Keeton. Some of you ran the Human Race, that cruel August evening adventure, that had you running up this hill late in the race. From what I can recall, you marathoners have all run this, and run it well - you've beaten it, and on Sunday, you will not have run 24 miles just to be beaten by a hill that a bunch of out-of-shape engineering students and sorority girls jog up on a daily basis.
If you have not walked, or walked much, by now, then unless you get a cramp or something that really medically concerns you, you will not walk now. Be determined, pull your form together, decide you're going to look better and stronger than all the people dying around you. At the same time, when you see someone struggling up it with you, encourage them, tell them to keep moving, to come with you. Decide you're stronger, more experienced, and that you're there to set the example for the others. Don't push the pace, just be strong and steady. This is the hill that people will talk about, and you're going to be proud of how you took it on.
When you get to the top, it's time to think about finishing this damned thing. You've got a slight downhill shooting straight down the Drag. Trust that your breathing will catch up on its own coming off the hill, and maintain effort. Focus on being light and loose and striding easy.
At the left turn onto MLK, you've finished 25 miles, and you get the reward for your effort on Dean Keeton - an equally long downhill. Relax, and do what you can without burning out just yet.
Right turn on San Jacinto - a long, slight grind up to the last hill. It is too late to drop form or pace - hang on.
At 15th, the half marathon course rejoins you (though they will be long done). We'll finish together tomorrow...
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