Discussion: Tomorrow...

A COVID marathon on the warm side. You must be in the 7:30-8am group. Under 3:10, 3:05? Or...

Good luck!

Start at 7:47:10 my bib is 3-09. Hope to be done by 11 o'clock.
You can track me at
http://www.millenniumrunning.com/results-cmc-manch...

Good work, good for you. Having all the cards fall in place on any given day for any given runner calls for 'luck of the Irish'!

Yes well done, especially under the circumstances--warm day, not the easiest course, and very little company with the staggered starts. I should have given you a report of my run of the 2nd half of the course two weeks ago (and the first half in doing the half marathon a year ago)--expectations shape our spirit, and if you were expecting paved, that could be deflating.

I was half expecting paved myself on that rail trail, but didn't really know what to expect, so wasn't too surprised two weeks ago. And since I have done just about zero road running this year--essentially all my training has been either rooty rocky moguly trails or through the brush in the woods--that dirt trail felt as smooth as a highway to me. And I find the dirt a little easier on the feet and knees than pavement for mile after mile.

What you said about the slight uphill outbound. It's amazing how much even a very slight incline affects one's pace. I was about 13-14 min/mi going out/up and 11-12 coming back down even though I was tiring.

But from what a read a few years ago, the first couple of years of the race, the second half was brutally hilly, way tougher than the current course. I don't think the rail trail was finished then. I guess they got a bunch of complaints and took advantage of the then-new rail trail to make it a little more reasonable.

To me, the toughest part of the course is that last mile or mile and a half. It is psychologically difficult to go right by the finish and still have well over a mile to go on that out-and-back on Elm Street and across the Bridge Street bridge.

Sounds like you didn't damage anything, hopefully you can keep up the great running through the rest of the fall and into the winter.

Terrific run, even though way too warm to be at your best. We old guys who used to run marathons can only stare in wonder at what you can still do.

Thanks all!
o-maps: We did only an extra .4 mile or so after passing the finish: and out on the street parallel to Elm, and then onto Elm and a U turn back in. That was not so bad. But the hill coming up on Granite Street to Elm was a killer one mile before the finish.