Youth and Enthusiasm Beats Old and Experience by 55 seconds

Silicon Valley Marathon Report

Youth and Enthusiasm Beats Old and Experience by 55 seconds, or running the Silicon Valley Marathon against myself four years ago.

On October 27th, 2002, I ran the Silicon Valley Marathon.  It was my second marathon and I was very much an inexperience youngster of 65 who was out to get that 4:30 marathon I did not get on my first marathon on June 21, 2001 in Anchorage , Alaska .   This year, four years later, I am experienced old runner of 69 who had run 73 previous marathons.  The course was unchanged in the four years and weather was close to identical. My analysis of finish times as a function of age leads me to a rule of thumb for male runners in their late 60’s; the time per mile increase 24 seconds/per year.   The four years that I am now older translates into about 1 minute 30 seconds per mile or 39 minutes of an entire marathon.   As an old runner I would concede that time to the enthusiastic youngster.   Also as an inexperience youngster I had better pre-race taper.   In 2002, the Saturday of the week before I ran about 6.5 at a 10:07 pace.   Then on Tuesday I ran about 4.5 miles at a 9:21.   This year I did not taper.  The Saturday of the week before, I ran a 26 mile training run, followed by another 26 mile run on Sunday.   As an old runner I would concede the better taper to the enthusiastic youngster.   Also, this year before my pasta dinner I had scotch and water.   Normally I don’t drink alcohol the day before a marathon.

In 2002 I used 8x1 run/walks.   This year I used 5x1.   In 2002 I ran up all of the hills.  In 2006 I walked up all of the hills.

I had recorded the mileage splits from 2002 so that I could compare them with my 2006 results.  In 2006, at Mile 5, I was running 4:56 behind the youngster of 2002.   At Mile 10 I had fallen further behind to 13:39.   By Mile 15 the youngster was 17:19 ahead.  This year while running Mile 18, I remember being passed in 2002 by an older who asked how I was doing.   I responded that I should have had some longer training runs.   He said “No, you are doing fine.”    At Mile 20 I had cut the time behind to 14:35.  At Mile 25 the time behind the youngster was down to 5:02.  In 2002 I finished with a time of 5:08:16.  This year it was 5:09:11 or 55 seconds behind the youngster.   It must have been the scotch and water.

Some interesting comparisons:   

Half Marathon split:   2002  +51:26    2006  +0:34

Reduction in PR               2002       20:57

Missed a new PR             2006         1:51

Age Group Position                 2002   8th out of 9,   2006 8th out of 10