|
What a BUMR!
Jonathan Wykoff writes about some thoughts resulting from too many hours in the hot sun.
In the past, (some distant past you’d probably not care to remember) many of you have probably used the expression, “What a bummer!” If I were to ask, you’d probably tell me it was used to express discontent over some situation. Well, I’m using this expression a little differently. I think the addition of one more word and the omission of one “M” and one “E” would more correctly express my feelings: “Wow, What a BUMR!”
Confused yet? I’m not. I’ve never had a clearer picture of marathoning. This year’s Bakersfield Unofficial Marathon Run (BUMR) taught me more about training for and running a marathon than anything I’ve done in the past.
If you have ever even considered running the dreaded 26.2 miles, you have probably read more than your fair share of training, nutrition, and tips articles about the subject. Not to mention the countless friends, acquaintances, and strangers you have questioned about what it takes to do a marathon. I am no expert on the subject, but I now believe that the BUMR should be everybody’s first marathon. I’ve ran marathons in Big Sur, Lake Tahoe, L.A., Phoenix, and San Diego. All of these events have had one thing in common: they are all larger than life spectacles hosted in marvelous locations. I put months of training into these events, not to mention all of the planning, travel, and expense. On race day, I always had a hard time listening to all of the good marathoning advice. All common sense flew out the window, and I have always finished feeling thrashed. Even races that I had been in multiple times gave me the same problem. Then I ran this year’s BUMR, and learned a few lessons, things I have heard or read many times, but never put into action. The fact that the BUMR is a local event without huge atmosphere, and costs a mere $1 to enter, made it very easy to relax, and not sweat the training. I’d like to relate a couple of lessons.
First—don’t sweat the taper. I have always worried about the taper, and wondered what is enough rest without losing performance. I typically would do a 20 mile long workout about 3 weeks before the marathon, and then begin my taper by ramping my weekly mileage down from about 50 to 15 in those last three weeks. Through all of this, I would be thinking, “ I need a little more…. It wouldn’t hurt to run just a little further…. or faster.” On January 11, I ran the Phoenix marathon. Four weeks later I ran the BUMR. In between the two events, I ran a total of about 35 miles. Adding it up, that is 7 weeks of taper with a 26.2 mile run in the middle. My run was great. My average pace at Phoenix – 7:45. By comparison, my average pace at the BUMR - 7:45. “Yeah,” I thought sarcastically, “that the extra month off of serious training really hurt my performance.”
Second – take off slow. At the starting line of marathons, I always plan on starting out a little easy and then picking it up later in the run. Great plan. Most books and articles mention how good this strategy is. Then the race starts. I spend the time doing math in my head. The first mile goes by, and I am 10 seconds too fast. I calculate the second mile; this one was 15 seconds too fast. “I need to slow down.” Mile three, I’m only 10 seconds fast again. That’s a little better. Mile four, 15 seconds too fast again. Now my problem sets in. “Hey, I’m feeling really good. Maybe I can hold this pace.” If you ever have this thought during a marathon, stop, find a wall, and beat your head against it. You will be hitting “the wall” later in the marathon so why not save yourself a couple of hours and K.O. yourself against a wall before then. At Phoenix, my second half was a lot slower than my first half because of this exact problem. I went out just a little too fast and finished way too slow. I crossed the finish line feeling (and looking) so bad that the medical staff wouldn’t leave me alone for quite a while. At the BUMR (just a month later) I started off nice and slow, sped up in the second half, and crossed the finish line feeling great. (I went home and did some yard work that afternoon) The fact that there was no pressure of performance allowed me to relax, and not worry about pace. I have never ran a marathon and felt that good at the finish line. Heck, I had never ran negative splits at a marathon. By the way remember my comparative paces? Phoenix – 7:45; BUMR – 7:45.
My point? If you are thinking about running your first marathon, BUMR would be a great choice, fun event with smiling faces and no pressures. Save L.A., Rock n Roll, or New York for a later date. The BUMR is on a much prettier course than the slums you run through in L.A. anyway.
(Side note: Mike F., you did a great job with this event. Thank you. I like that the distance is 26.6 miles to match the shirt!) |