Peterthon VII: The Ultrabrittneypeterthon poster

Peterthon VII: The Ultrabrittneypeterthon

· 32.1 miles
4:24:57

Since you couldn’t run this with me, this one was for you, Brittney! We miss you!

Peterthon VI poster

Peterthon VI


3:21:48

aka Brittneypeterthon! (Brittney Johnson did one too!) a number of things over the last couple of weeks had resulted in pretty low ambitions for this peterthon, so my plan was somewhere between taking it easy and seeing how i feel. i didn’t sleep well for a third night in a row, but the temp was a better than forecast, so i could wear my favorite gear. stryd said i should target 264W for a ~3:20, but my plan was to go 3.1mi at 245, then decide to go up to 255 or maybe 264 for the next 20mi, then whatever i could muster for the final 3.1. this breakdown has worked well for me before when i wasn’t confident of my pace target. but… once my legs started moving, i felt great. so i did 255 for the first bit, then 265 for the rest. i had a slightly positive split but i blame that on the ridiculous wind gusts (the wind was fine but the gusts made it really hard to be consistent) and the direct sunlight at the end. brittney sent me a perfectly timed message — i got it right as i touched the 31st st beach house to turn into a headwind for the next 13mi. i crossed the “finish” at 3:21:48 with a little boost and felt great. then panicked that maybe strava would think it was less than 26.2 so i ran a few more meters. thank you Brittney, Min, and Coach Fahey for always supporting me on my peterthons!

Peterthon V poster

Peterthon V


3:19:28

this was hard! my legs weren’t into it but i’m happy i was able to make it work. hits: hydration. nailed it! fueling. nailed it! weather. perfect! (little warm on the way back) pre-race diet. nailed it! no tummy troubles, no potty stops. spectators! my folks came out to gillson and made my day. much appreciated boost on the way out, much needed boost on the way back. nailed my target on the first half: 275W, as planned, in 1:36 no stops! i have a mental thing about stopping. definitely wanted to stop a couple times but didn’t! sub 3:20!! power PR — 265W compared to PR of 262W misses: didn’t PR (3:17) didn’t get 3:15 i had a much worse second half than first right hamstring came close to cramping a few times didn’t sleep much last night or the night before. too excited! northwestern closed part of the trail so i had to detour this route… never again. WAY too much mental energy required to follow the route. next time i’m sticking to the trail. once a long time ago i told benji i could’ve done better in a race, and he pushed back and said if that’s true, i would have. i feel the same about today. i’m as fit as i’ve ever been, but the stars aligned for a 3:19. i’m not overjoyed and i’m not pissed — i feel like i earned a 3:19, and that’s an accurate measure of my capabilities now. hell yeah!

Peterthon IV poster

Peterthon IV


3:20:16

I was much calmer and less (zero?) anxious about this Peterthon than any in the past, which really had a huge impact. This one was mapped as 26.2 pretty precisely because no funny business on the lakefront like there is along the river. I was a few watts over target on the way out, and kinda worried about it, but had a hell of a time finding a bathroom for an unfortunately necessary bio break so I’m glad I banked some time: I stopped several times at beach houses but all the doors were locked for the season. Ended up losing 3min running into McCormick (but I’m super grateful I had the option). Struggled pretty hard to make up the time, but almost managed, finishing 16 seconds behind my goal. Oh! And the water fountains were still mostly on. A handful were off but my usuals were all on.

Peterthon III poster

Peterthon III


3:21:44

well! that was tough, but i was more or less in control the entire time! my plan was to avg 257W for the first 10mi cruise (after a slower warmup), and then 258W for the second 10mi cruise, then a fingers-crossed-for-258W for the rest. and i did! my first avg was 260, a bit high, and the second was 258, on target but positive split. and i managed to keep at 260 for the last 5k. and with the wind as it was, i’ll take it! the temperature wasn’t as bad as my long run two weeks ago, but the humidity was a beast — 98%, with obvious moisture in the air. i got home to zero fanfare. not sure anyone in my family even noticed. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Peterthon II poster

Peterthon II


3:17:24 Personal best

3:17:24 when watch said 26.22, but i ran a little extra in case the GPS was wrong. other than the possibility of my GPS being wrong, i may never do an official race again. this was so much better. felt amazing. couldn’t have asked for better weather. struggled the last few miles, but nearly cried because i could’ve run those last three at a 10min/mi pace and still would’ve hit my 3:20 target. my sister, mom, and friend’s family all came out to cheer me on 😊

Peterthon I poster

Peterthon I


DNS

I broke my shoulder and couldn’t run this one. It also sent me spiraling into a midlife crisis. I didn’t realize how much of my identity was around running, biking, and generally being active.

Official marathons

Chicago Marathon poster

Chicago Marathon


3:33:37

Sufferfest. Boy did I mess this up. I was exactly on target until around mile 19 or 20, when everything became remarkably difficult. Pretty sure the wind made the heat feel okay, but the humidity made me lose a lot of water and salt. Cramped around mile 21. Stopped to walk a million times. Missed my goal by over 15 minutes. My plan was 17 minutes at 235W, my easy warmup pace, then four 6-mile laps at 259W (adjusted down from 261W due to weather), then 90 seconds at whatever i could do to cross the finish. I nailed the first three but it all went downhill from there. My average power wound up being 241W, worse than SF in 2019.

San Francisco Marathon poster

San Francisco Marathon


3:31:49

so many hills! so so many hills. it made a consistent power almost unattainable. my lap power was consistent and on target for 20 miles then dropped, sooner than i’d hoped. my power output skyrocketed on hills even if my pace was practically walking. i accepted this for a while but it probably is what caused my post 20 mile slowdown. those hills… i also got crushed gravel in my shoe but didn’t want to stop, so it shredded up my foot for like 7mi until i stopped to take my shoe off. i feel a really strong sense of accomplishment. i got my power goal, which feels good, missed my time goal, which feels meh, but mostly, i feel like… wow, i did it. this is my third marathon so i can’t quite explain it. maybe because i almost couldn’t run due to airplane issues? either way, feels good.

Chicago Marathon poster

Chicago Marathon


3:35:13

rained almost the whole time, which made my feet a touch uncomfortable but was otherwise fantastic. had complete control over my pace until the last bit, when i just ran out of juice and slowed down a touch. but never stopped, which was my goal!

Chicago Marathon poster

Chicago Marathon


3:37:51

That was awesome. I paced like a rockstar until around mile 20-21. And then shit the bed. Those last 6 or so mile stretch was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I was hoping for a better time, but that was the best I could do, and feel fantastic about it. Also: the Chicago Marathon is wonderful. So many supportive people every inch of the way.