As he prepared to make his marathon debut, at the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials in Houston, no less, Ryan Vail thought it would be prudent to pick the brain of his roommate, who had five marathons under his belt.
"I roomed with Jason Hartmann, and I remember him telling me about his Chicago experience [in 2010]," Vail says. "He was on 2:09 pace with 4 miles to go and ended up running 2:11:06 that day, so we're talking about losing 2-plus minutes over 4 miles. He described the agony of being so close to a goal and losing it right at the end. That definitely instilled some fear in me."
For a naturally aggressive racer like Vail, fear has been a helpful force for the marathon. While he doesn't toe the line timidly, it has given him a healthy appreciation for the distance and brought a level of modesty to his approach.
"That little bit of fear really instills a mental picture for you that the race doesn't start until later, and it gives you an idea of what you should be feeling like at certain parts of the race," he says. "It's about keeping your goals realistic and staying focused on where you need to be and not getting overexcited."
Vail finished 11th in that first marathon in 2:12:43. And despite Hartmann's cautionary tale, Vail's 22nd mile, at 5:15, was his slowest. "You drop a couple of miles at 22 to 24 that were slower than your previous miles and you start thinking, 'Oh, no! Is this it? Am I about to hit that brick wall?'" he says. "There is a little bit of panic that starts to go through your body."
Scroll down for Ryan Vail's essential workout.
Experience goes a long way toward managing that fear. When Vail ran his second marathon in Fukuoka last December--he was slated to run the New York City Marathon but was displaced when the race was canceled due to Superstorm Sandy--the wall never came and he ended up eighth in 2:11:45.
Each step of his fledgling marathon career has been well-thought-out under the guidance of Dave Smith, who was Vail's coach at Oklahoma State University. With Smith, Vail, 27, has run PRs at various distances for nine straight years. He aspires to make the U.S. marathon team for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and his mileage reflects his commitment. According to a training blog he maintains, Vail, who lives in Portland, Ore., hit 151 miles seven weeks before New York.
Even with the high mileage and two intense workouts per week, Vail is taking a measured approach to his third marathon. "In New York, I just want to place well," he says. "I want to be competitive and treat it more like it was a cross country race. New York is a tough course, so I don't want to put too much emphasis on my splits. I just want to be competitive and in control."
Update: Vail will have to wait for a sub-2:10 breakthrough. On a windy day in New York, he was the top American finisher in 13th place in 2:13:23, almost 5 minutes behind winner Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya. "Based on my training, I thought I was going to finish a little stronger on this course,&All About 75 Hard.
Essential Workout
Ryan Vail, 27
WHAT: TLT (Tempo, Long, Tempo) with a 4-mile tempo, 10-mile run, 4-mile tempo
WHERE: Published: Nov 12, 2013 12:00 AM EST
WHY: To simulate the effects of the latter stages of a marathon and to practice maintaining focus and concentration while nearing exhaustion
WHEN: Health - Injuries
THE DETAILS: The distances and speeds can vary. Early in marathon training, the workout might start and finish with 3-mile tempos, then build to 4-10-3 and eventually hit 4-10-4. With eight weeks to go until New York City, Vail hit 4:45 pace for the first tempo, 5:48 pace for the 10 miles and 4:40 for the final tempo, which was 3 miles.
