Marathon update
Here's the text messages I got today with Rob's chip times:
6.2 miles: 00:43:27 (6:59 pace) (predicted 3:03:05)
13.1 miles: 01:29:57 (6:51 pace) (predicted 2:59:35)
18.6 miles: 02:06:42 (6:47 pace) (predicted 2:57:50)
finish: 2:59:04 (6:49 pace)
Personally, as a spouse of a longtime runner, I think the text messages are a great invention. About the time I start wondering how things are going and if he got hit by a car or anything (okay, that's highly unlikely during the marathon, really, since they close all the streets off - I really worry more about him getting hurt in some much more mundane way), I get another text message.
Anyway, the predicted times getting lower and lower is normal - he always runs what they call "negative splits" in the marathon, which just means he runs the 2nd half faster than the first half. So all looks normal there up until the finish time. I saw him right around mile 18, though, and I knew something was wrong - he wasn't running smoothly like he usually does. He's been complaining about his hamstring a little bit, and sure enough, that was it. He said he almost quit but he kept going because he knew he could still break three hours. Crazy thing. (I'm being flip but this really does worry me a fair bit - I worry that he's going to try to run through some really serious injury one of these days, and make it worse.)
(Hey, I just found out that if you go to abc13.com tomorrow and put in Rob's bib number - 1179 - you are supposed to be able to see him cross the finish line! Ain't technology grand.)
6.2 miles: 00:43:27 (6:59 pace) (predicted 3:03:05)
13.1 miles: 01:29:57 (6:51 pace) (predicted 2:59:35)
18.6 miles: 02:06:42 (6:47 pace) (predicted 2:57:50)
finish: 2:59:04 (6:49 pace)
Personally, as a spouse of a longtime runner, I think the text messages are a great invention. About the time I start wondering how things are going and if he got hit by a car or anything (okay, that's highly unlikely during the marathon, really, since they close all the streets off - I really worry more about him getting hurt in some much more mundane way), I get another text message.
Anyway, the predicted times getting lower and lower is normal - he always runs what they call "negative splits" in the marathon, which just means he runs the 2nd half faster than the first half. So all looks normal there up until the finish time. I saw him right around mile 18, though, and I knew something was wrong - he wasn't running smoothly like he usually does. He's been complaining about his hamstring a little bit, and sure enough, that was it. He said he almost quit but he kept going because he knew he could still break three hours. Crazy thing. (I'm being flip but this really does worry me a fair bit - I worry that he's going to try to run through some really serious injury one of these days, and make it worse.)
(Hey, I just found out that if you go to abc13.com tomorrow and put in Rob's bib number - 1179 - you are supposed to be able to see him cross the finish line! Ain't technology grand.)