Alright, guys. Need some feedback for the wife.
She officially got in under the BQ cutoff of 3:50 for her AG. But she obviously missed her goal of 3:40.
Things went well for 22 miles and then her legs (quads) gave out and didn't let her finish. Up until that point, she was close to on pace. Fitness wise, she was great. HR in 150s and low 160s. She never felt fatigued or that the pace was too much. This was all legs.
Her training was solid. Consistently 40-45 mpw. But slightly less volume than last year when she followed Hanson's very closely. This time was more about 70% due to work/weather/life.
She took gels ever 4 miles, drank at every aid station. This was on point. So really, everything went well until the last 4 miles. Story of the marathon. But, now the question is how to unlock that final piece since she should be capable of hitting that goal time.
Part of it, at least IMO, was the course. Yeah, it's a "gentle" downhill, but it's cumulative and I know right now my quads hurt me than they've ever hurt before. Hopefully
@gruecdcan weigh in a little as well based on his experience over so many marathons. Someone we know that ran a 3:39 on it said her quads were hurting by mile 5.
So, Monumental is next up for her. It's flat. What does she likely need to do to get that final 26.2 at her goal pace?
-- More volume?
-- Leg strengthening training
-- Specific workouts?
-- Not much, it was the course and it'll come soon?
-- Something else?