I have been struggling to get under 3: 45 since I had finally broken the 4:00 barrier a few years ago.
Last year I trained for NYC with a sub 3:45 goal, trained for a 8:22 pace, missed it, in fact, I came in over 4 hours.
I ran Whiterock (Dallas, Texas) about 6 weeks later just for fun with no goal of breaking 3:45.
All of 2004 I concentrated on my goal, studied more, ran more, had shin splints which stopped me for 6 weeks just before I started my 18 week marathon training, put in more miles, up to 60 per week during my marathon training, ran Tempo, and VO2 max workouts.
I had a few PR's during the year, 1/2 marathon 1:42:44 (October 2004), our three person marathon team placed 2nd in the three person Masters Marathon event in Cowtown (Fort Worth, Texas) , Feb 2004.
Overall it was a good year, all things considered; I can't complain.
I trained for an 8:12 pace for this years Whiterock Marathon, which is a 3:35 marathon and a BQ, but my main goal was to break 3:45.
As my training progressed, the 8:12 pace began to feel good, but my Tempo and VO2 max training was a bit sub-par, so a BQ, wasn’t likely, in fact trying to improve from my best marathon of 3:48:33 in 2003 (Whiterock, Dallas, Texas) to a BQ was a real stretch, so I kept it in perspective.
So, again my main goal was to come in under 3:45, then depending on how close I came to 3:35 in the 2004 Whiterock Marathon, I might consider training for a BQ in 2005.
I ran a 1/2 marathon a couple of months back, just to practice my 8:12 pace amongst a large field (The Half at Whiterock Lake, Dallas, Texas, at least 3,400- plus runners, as I recall). I came close to pace in the first half, then ran a negative in the second half and almost beat my best 1/2 marathon.
Anyways, Race day came yesterday....
Whiterock Marathon, Dallas Texas , Sunday Dec. 12,8:00 AM, my bib 1549, beautiful weather (maybe a tad bit on the warm side), start about 48 degrees, my finish about 68 degrees, days high about 77-78, clear, slight SW breeze.
I placed myself close to the front, positioned myself by pace.
My goal was to attempt the 8:12 pace and adjust accordingly, 1st goal was a to HAVE FUN, 2nd goal get under 3:45, 3rd goal get under 3:35 (BQ, very unlikely).
The gun went off, and away we go...
I found it difficult to home in on my pace, I could see the Cliff Bar 3:30 pace group and the same 3:40 pace group was somewhere behind me.
I was running a bit too fast, but slowly homing in on marathon race pace.
1/2 marathon split.....8:03....Yep. I know...too fast....
I started getting a bit tired at mile 17, but I was still holding strong.
At this point I felt 3:45 was a gimmee....
Now, the BQ (3:35, my age 51), I didn't want to get too excited, but I was still running at a pace that was going to get me to the finish at about 3:33 or so...
I began thinking about the rest of the course; I have run Whiterock every year since 1999 so I know it by heart.
I knew 18 through 23 was hilly, and are the real test in this race, so I began preparing for it mentally.
If I could get through this zone without loosing too much time a 3:35 might be obtainable (now, Boston, as I understand it gives you an extra 59 seconds above the posted qualifying time of 3:35, for a 3:35:59 net time to qualify).
I had a wristband on with all my splits and I was watching them closely at every mile....
I hydrated well, and sufficiently, with a PowerBar Gel at 7, 14 and 19.5....
I got through 18-23 loosing about 90 seconds, not bad in my mind considering the up hill grade. I was tired and wanted to stop, I was really pushing.
I had about a minute to spare; mile 23 to the finish is all flat and slightly down hill. The downhill grade should help me.
I was tiring out, and when I hit mile 24 I had lost another 45 seconds, now I was into the 3:35-3:35:59 area.
I needed to speed it up some, I knew that I couldn't afford to loose much more time, a BQ was in my grasp...every so slightly.
Mile 25, status quo, 8:59, I could still make it....
Mile 26, a really hard 8:25 pace, my legs are really tight, and my right hamstring wanted to cramp desperately (I need to figure this out, my right hamstring always gives me problems). A blister on my toe was screaming at me.
I was ready to kick it in one more time down the final .2 mile stretch, gazing down at my watch, looking down the stretch, I knew it was really going to be a tight finish, I began to have doubts, if I made it, it would be with seconds to spare.
With a few hundred feet to go, I heard my wife hollering at me, "kick it in, your okay, you got it (referring to the sub 3:45 goal, I had told no one that I might try for a BQ)....
50 feet to go, its close, I might make it...30 feet to go, the right hamstring finally locks up, stops me dead in my tracks, I can't move, I hold on to an observer for a few seconds.... She says, you’re almost there.... I thank her, I lost about 5 to 10 seconds trying to get started again and manage to jog across the line with my hands high in the air...
But I knew I missed it...
3:36:36 official time, 3:36:7.5 chip time....
I was there, had it in my grasps, and lost it.
It was a great day; I achieved more that I could have ever imagined I gave it my all with no regrets, probably made a few mistakes along the way....
Marathon #9 (since 1999) was an awesome day; I broke 3:45 with a 12 minute 25 second PR....
I came sooo close to getting it all.
Part of me is ecstatic; the other part is in shock that I came this close to a BQ.
I would have preferred to have missed it by five minutes than to have come so close.... I keep thinking, if I had performed better at mile 24 and 25 (right after the hills) I would have made it.
Don't get me wrong, it was an incredible day, I had FUN, I shook off the 3:45 demon, just like I did the sub 4:00 demon, but to have come so close to a BQ, is pure shock, it is hard to put into words.
No one but other runners can possibly understand the emotions surrounding a day like my 2004 Whiterock Marathon.
So, now it is back to the drawing board, time to start all over again.
But this time, I don't need 13 minutes to reach a 3:35, I just need to knock off a few minutes...

Splits
Mile 1: 8:20
Mile 2: 7:56
Mile 3: 7:59
Mile 4: 8:23
Mile 5: 8:14
Mile 6: 8:11
Mile 7: 7:52
Mile 8: 7:44
Mile 9: 7:48
Mile 10: 8:02
Mile 11: 8:05
Mile 12: 8:02
Mile 13: 7:49
Mile 14: 8:08
Mile 15: 8:08
Mile 16: 8:04
Mile 17: 8:12
Mile 18: 8:14
Mile 19: 8:12
Mile 20: 8:40
Mile 21: 8:40
Mile 22: 8:18
Mile 23: 8:39
Mile 24: 9:01
Mile 25: 8:59
Mile 26: 8:24
Mile 26.2: 1:49
Total Official Chip Time 3:36:7.5, Start time 3:36:36
375 in overall Male, 17 in age group.
Beautiful day, sunny and clear.