2009 Rochester Marathon, Phil Nesbitt Places & Wins
SBR Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 5:28PM The 2009 Rochester Marathon took place today and SBR's very own Phil Nesbitt took on the full 26.2 miles of running, yes you read that right, running 26.2 miles and no bike!
The very ability to run 26 miles is a feat in itself, but Phil not only completed the full marathon, he won his age category (19-24) and also placed 22nd out of the 671 in the full marathon (almost 3,000 people total in all events) and qualified for the Boston Marathon with his performance! Outstanding job!
Phil ran the race in a time of 3:06:11, which amounts to a 7:06/mile pace for the relaxing 26.2 miles. He felt good throughout the race and was running a sub 7 minute pace through mile 19, but he had only 1 goal in mind and that was to qualify for the Boston Marathon, in which he needed to run a sub 3:10:59 and did so with his final time.
Phil ran a smart race today and paced himself, which saw him besting his previous marathon time by 20 minutes! By placing first in his age bracket and overall standings, he took home some hardware as a reward for his efforts.
Once again, awesome job by Phil and here's to looking forward to the Boston Marathon next month. Hopefully Phil recovers in time for the Altamont Circuit Race in a few weeks, as Catskills is probably out of the question with what his body just went through.
Reader Comments (6)
I will be at the Catskills this weekend -philip
Very impressive feat, Phil! Congratulations.
Outstanding job Philip...Your Mom
Phil, First off you are crazy! Second, I would love to know what goes through your mind as you are running. Also I think you are insane for doing the Catskills race (if you are)! What does your body feel like anyways? Us non-runners would like to know! Craziness aside, congrats on a great race, that is an amazing accomplishment! Enjoy Boston and if you need any mental stuff let me know :)
Shannon, first off thank you very much, I feel much better compared the last time I ran a marathon. As far as what goes through my mind, it's quite peaceful really (for the first 18 I would say). It is dependent on the pace I'm setting (if marathon pace; I am relaxed and in deep thought about life and nature usually but if short and fast; I focus on the pain and use it to motivate me) also, I think about how truly fortunate I am to even be able to feel the pain of running that distance, because there are people out there (including my best friend) who have not been afforded this opportunity and I think that its my responsibility to make the most out of what physical ability I possess. I am also most inspired by the walkers doing it because they are working considerably harder than I and for them, such an experience is life-changing. I also think about what excuses people come up with for not utilizing their potential (i.e. too busy, too tired, etc...), and it pushes me to show them that the experience is well worth the effort.
My body responds well and I have to work extremely hard to keep my pace slow during longer events. In a distance like a 5k, there is room to push as hard as my body will let it with minimal consequences later in the race (I usually run around a 5 minute first mile in a 5k). Yesterday, I felt great but a race like that required my to listen to my mind and experience over my body. I was never really short of breath and carried a social conversation for 17 miles with the guy that placed two in front of me. Runners speak of this proverbial wall at mile 20, and it not only exists but forces you to run the previous 19 miles in accordance with how you assume the last 10k will go. This means that my body (mostly quads, hamstrings, and calfs) start to seize up around that point and my focus becomes not about speed but about running just under that redline point where you completely falter. This is why my pace fell off to around 7:30's for the final 10k. My mind and lungs wanted more but my legs were unable to oblige. I wondered if I would have felt the same regardless of my overall pace but am unwilling to find out. Pain is a funny thing; I go into a race assuming I will be in some degree of pain (cramping muscles, lack of oxygen, swollen feet and knees, blisters, stiff neck and back, or just plain burning from lactic acid), but I do it anyways because I know that without this pain everyone would run that way and if everyone did it then I would have no way to separate myself from the rest of the world. You can use pain as either a deterrent of a motivator, and I prefer the latter. It reminds you that you are alive and you think of how amazing it will feel once it subsides. That is how my body feels during a marathon, and honestly, I wouldn't want it any other way. As for the catskills, I really want to get out and support the team. This week will provide a little more insight about my recovery but I am working hard to make it out. Thanks again.
Phil, Thanks for the sweet response! I will prob pick your brain more this weekend just to let you know! I am excited to see/support you guys during the race. Does your girlfriend ride by any chance? I am most likely bringing my bike down and will ride on Sat. Anyways, congrats again on all your achievements and we'll see you this weekend :)