A Balance, Redefined

Chapter 8

Trial of Miles

Preface

I know last year I went a little long so I’ll stick to the basics this year. For the one or two of you that may actually care about the training aspect of the prep you can now visit my blog anytime you want (arw.fastrunningblog.com). I guess the important thing is I’ve been running now for over a decade and this is the story of my eighth marathon.

Brief Catch-up

For once I’ve had a “calm” year between now and my last marathon. Except for a real rough start on New Year’s Eve things have been going smoothly with family, work, and running. I wanted to try something a little different this marathon cycle and I boosted my mileage by a bit. In fact I ended up running just over 1300 miles in the 18-wks leading up to the race, this is nearly a third more than before my last marathon and 20% more than my senior year in college. Nine of the 18-wks were over 80-miles which is a first for me as well. Sandra got me a Garmin (this is a GPS for runners) for my 30^th birthday and that has helped me play with my training quite a bit. For the majority of the 1300 miles I’ve worn the Garmin and my average pace during this time has been 7 min 34 seconds per mile with an average heart rate of 146 bpm. My body held up well and I kept the intensity down to make up for the higher volume. So all I had to wait for was the big day.

This was a good year as a little after last year’s marathon the running blog announced a race team of which I was fortunate enough to get on. That inspired me to race more throughout the winter. I ended up racing 9 times between the two marathons, three of which were within 12-hrs as I participated in the Ragnar Del Sol Relay team but that is a story in itself. The other races all went well and I was putting down times near my college racing times but 8 years later and at altitude! All and all everything was in place for a great race.

The only hitch was that a couple weeks before race day I came down with a cold after visiting a children’s museum with the family but at that point all I had left to do was rest anyway. This was actually fortunate because it gave me the excuse to sleep a little extra and skip a few runs. I ended up getting nearly 8-hrs of sleep every night the week of the marathon and the previous week I was able to get ahead at work so that marathon week was not that stressful. The night before the race the founder of the blog and the race team, Sasha, spent the night. Sasha came by after the expo, we chatted about running for a bit and then both went to our own pre-race routines.

The Race

At 5am I got up after a decent 7-hrs of sleep and then spent an hour getting ready. During this time Sasha and I checked the weather and were disheartened to learn the forecast hadn’t changed, we were going to be facing a 20+ mph headwind the first half of the race. The good news was that the temperature was decent 45°F at the start with no precipitation (it had snowed twice earlier in the week). Going into this race I had placed a number of goals out there. The number one goal was to better my previous personal best by 5 minutes and run a 2:35, however I knew that the weather would have to behave to accomplish that. So I had to go to my back-up goals. That was to run within two minutes of 2:40, finish in the top 10, and keep my effort between 170-180 heart rate (HR).

Sasha and I then made the 7-min commute over to the start to meet up with the other two bloggers running the race. This short commute and general calm attitude of the weekend definitely made the pre-race seem surreal. Also, having done so many training runs on the course really made the race seem like just another run. I got to the line with only about 10 minutes to spare and met up with Kory and Dave (both fellow race team members) as well as some other local racers. I was hoping to work with them for some of the race but as you will see the weather played its part and people had to run their own races.

After the usual prerace fanfare there was a 10 count to the gun and we were off. I stayed back off of Sasha and some of the faster guys as I knew I didn’t want to burn too much in the first 7 miles as they are some of the hillier miles. During the prep for the race I took advantage of Sasha’s course tool from the blog. This is a program that allows you to map out a race and then it uses elevation data to adjust each mile for an even effort pace. Meaning if you want to run a 2:35 marathon which comes out to 5:55 per mile you may have to run an uphill mile at 6:15 pace but a downhill mile at 5:30 pace. So throughout this report I will refer to my predicted splits and actual splits.

The first mile I was still with Kory and some of the elite women. Bill Cobler had pointed out one of the top women who had run a 2:40 on this course the year before and I wanted to work off of her if at all possible. There were three women in the elite pack and then some of us “sub-elite” guys. It was a nice crowd considering that even though this mile was downhill it had a good wind to work against. The predicted split was 5:42, we hit it in 5:47 not bad. The next mile had some uphill and still into the wind target was 5:56, we hit it in 6:01. I was happy about this as I knew one of the biggest mistakes in the marathon was to go out too fast. During the next mile I knew I was going to get to see Kaitlyn and Sandra and they were right at the 2.5 mile mark cheering me on in the shirts Sandra had made that said “Run Daddy Run” and “Run Adam”. I knew the climb to the 3 mile mark was not fun, as I’d run it easily three dozen times over the last four months, so I just stayed with the pack, target 6:15 hit 6:05. So I was back on 2:35 pace. Also, I was about to hit the fastest downhill mile of the course, at this point I started to move away from the pack and for the next 17 miles was more or less on my own. This is fine for me as I do most of my training runs on my own anyway. Mile 4 target was 5:22 and I hit 5:23, the best news of this was that I was feeling fine.

The next two miles are also aided and I got to see both some neighborhood friends and Kaitlyn and Sandra again. First, Shirley, Brian, Clara, and Owen were just past the 4 mile mark and then Sandra and Kaitlyn were at the 4.5 mile mark. This was a good stretch and there were a good number of people out to cheer us on. We then headed into Sugarhouse Park; this stretch has two climbs in it the second of which is not fun. Mile 5 target was 5:35, I hit 5:33 still a nice effort. Mile 6 had the climbs and was only supposed to be 6:17 and I was a little overzealous in a 6:01. Just out of the park Kaitlyn and Sandra were there again and hooked me up with some Gu and water. After that point we split off from the people running the half marathon and started up another hill. All during this time (from mile 4 on) I was watching Dave and Matt (a runner I don’t know) trade breaking the wind. I was jealous of their teamwork but didn’t want to put in a surge at that time to catch-up, I figured I would try and close the gap by mile 9 and see if I could work off of them after that point. Mile 7 target was 6:14 with two hills and I hit it in 6:07. However, the next 6 miles were more or less directly into that 20 mph wind. Mile 8 is a straight stretch and all I did was watch Dave and Matt. I knew the elite women pack was not far behind me so I just got into the zone, tucked my head, held in my arms, and tried to block out the wind. Mile 8 target was 6:05, I hit 6:28. At this point I decided I was not going to watch my pace anymore. To my credit I didn’t, I only glanced at my Garmin for a few splits and to check my heart rate but more or less was able to block pace out of my mind and just run on effort.

Mile 9 I knew was a tough one. There is a half mile climb up Keller Lane (Bill aptly named Killer Lane) and then a good two miles of “easy”. So I backed off a little on the climb target 6:21, hit 6:20. Turning onto 2300 E, I could see Matt start to pull away from Dave but Dave was still out of my reach. I started to reel him in hoping that me catching him would help fuel him against the wind. Mile 10 target 5:48, hit 6:09. I could see the clock about to click 1 hour and knew I was off pace but still feeling pretty good. I actually caught Dave right at the mile mark. I could tell he was in a little trouble but I mumbled something to him and he was able to tuck in behind me for the next mile. I was hoping that he could stay with me until the 13 mile mark and we would then be able to take turns down the hill but him having pneumonia for a couples weeks just a week or so prior to the race prevented that. To his credit he still had a GREAT race considering everything… Mile 11 target 5:36, hit 5:54 and I was on my own again. Mile 12 isn’t too bad except for the wind, target 6:00 and hit 6:10. The only consolation at this point was I knew the worst of the course and weather was about to be put behind me.

Mile 13 is the hardest mile on the course by elevation change and it was the most direct into the wind of all the miles. However, I knew Kaitlyn and Sandra were waiting for me at the turn down 6200 S. Target was 6:22 and I only mustered a 6:43, not bad. Sandra handed me a second water and Gu and it was time to head down the hill. Sandra actually had the other people at the half way mark all cheering my name as well. I could hear people close behind but would not look back. I just focused on Matt and tried not to let him extend his lead on me. Since mile 10 he had put another 20 or so feet on me and was maybe 100m ahead. I tried to relax down the hill with only a cross wind to deal with but it was hard to convince the legs that it was time to switch gears, target 5:47 but just managed a 6 flat. I wasn’t gaining on Matt but he also wasn’t putting any distance on me either. Miles 15 to 18 are more or less on an expressway. This is a long stretch and with a tailwind for the first time during the race, I felt like I was baking in the sun. I was starting to get worried about hydration but as I had taken at least of sip of water at EVERY water station I knew that couldn’t be the case. I took a third Gu at this time but very slowly “chewing” it. Mile 15 target was 5:36, I hit a 5:54. At this point I just wanted to hold on to mile 18 when I knew it would be the full tailwind and mostly flat. Also, Kaitlyn and Sandra were waiting there for me. So I just locked my gaze on Matt and tied an imaginary rope to his back. Miles 16 and 17 were meant to be in 5:45 and 5:44, I hit 5:56 and 5:58. All this time I actually did not look at any of these splits, I didn’t want any numbers to get in my head and just kept watching my heart rate to make sure I was staying over 170, which I was. This is a completely new strategy for me as it was my first marathon wearing a heart rate monitor but it was working well. Mile 16 was the first time during the race that I felt my legs but I kept telling myself only 1 more hour, 1 more hour, you can do it!

I ran around the corner to see mile 18, Kaitlyn and Sandra. Sandra let me know I was in 12^th place at this point and handed me my third water and 4^th Gu. This Gu did not go down well but it did not trip me up. I knew all I had to do was keep the legs moving. I also knew that Chad was waiting at the 20 mile mark and that would help. At this point I also noticed that for the first time since mile 10, I was gaining on Matt. I could also hear people behind me and that made me want to push that much harder. Sandra actually has a picture and two of the women were only about 50 m behind me and Kory just behind them. Target for 18 was 6:00 and I hit a 6:08.

Mile 19 I was feeling the leg fatigue but the rest of me was still rearing to go. This was a great sign as in most previous marathons I was “done” by mile 17. Target was 5:53, hit a 6:05. Then to my surprise and relief I saw Chad he turned around and stayed a few feet off to the left or ahead of me. He gave me an update that two of the Kenyans had dropped and that he thought I had a good chance of catching Matt. I knew this had me in 10^th place and I was eager to not come in right at the gun but I didn’t really feel like I had a surge in me. Mile 20 target was 5:50, hit it in 6:04. All during this time I was still not looking at splits just trying to hang on, trying to reel in Matt, and listening to Chad’s words of encouragement. Mile 21 I could tell something was seriously wrong with Matt as he walked through a water stop. I could also see another runner (not sure who) that was a causality of the wind from the first half. Matt passed this other guy and then I passed them both. To Matt’s credit he was dealing with a severe calf cramp. As I passed I could actually see his calf muscle spasm. I knew this put me in 8^th place and that really lit a fire in my body. Mile 21 target 6:00, hit 6:15. The next mile was just maintenance, 22 target 5:54, hit 6:00. All during this time Chad continued his encouragement.

The next mile we caught the tail end of the half-marathoners. They were on ~mile 10 and we were on mile 23. For the most part this was not a problem. Chad also did a great job of yelling out that there was a marathoner back. Most of them moved but they were spread out enough that the weaving was minimal. During this mile we headed into Liberty Park. This was fine except that someone was making breakfast and all I could smell was bacon and I actually got a little nauseous. The great news was I could see the start to the 5K and knew the finish was within reach. Mile 23 target 5:55, hit 6:11. I actually saw that split and wasn’t thrilled with it but since my perceived effort was that I was just walking and I thought Chad was just being nice when he kept saying good pace it was actually encouraging that it wasn’t slower. Chad continued to try and lift my spirits but I really felt spent. Mile 24 target was 5:48, hit 6:05. I little better but now we turned up the last hill. It hit my legs like a ton of bricks. Don’t get me wrong this is the slightest of hills but it HURT. Target for mile 25 6:01, hit 6:19. Now only 1.2 miles to go. I started trying to yell at myself. I knew I was slowing but I didn’t know by how much I hadn’t looked at the mile 25 split. I also knew the elite women couldn’t be that far behind. I kept yelling come on you can do it. Chad was getting the half marathoners to cheer for me and there was finally a little more downhill. Mile 26 target was 5:50, I hit 6:18. I was spent. However, the last turn into The Gateway Mall and the entire crowd cheering gave me that final “sprint”. I couldn’t believe I did it but when my eyes focused on the clock and I saw 2:39 click by, I said to myself there was NO WAY I WAS MISSING A SUB 2:40 AND SPRINTED WITH EVERYTHING I HAD LEFT. I lifted my arms in victory and barreled through the finish line. Last 0.31 in 1:47 or 5:45 pace. The marathon is actually 26.2, my Garmin had 26.31 amazingly close considering it is done by satellite. My official chip time was 2:39.50 a 30 second PR!!! My average heart rate was 178. Later I’ll post a table like my MP workouts but for now my splits are all above.

At the end of the finish shoot I actually felt pretty good. I said congrats to Sasha. I then went and thanked Chad for all his help. Then I went to find Kaitlyn and Sandra. They congratulated me through the fence and then I was taken by someone to the elite tent. I was interviewed on camera, first time for that (later that night I got my 1 second of fame as they used a sound bite from that interview on the local Fox news). I then went and briefly congratulated the woman’s champion who came in less than a minute behind me, briefly congratulated Kory but did not see Dave. The next day I found a nice little top ten table in the local Tribune. One cool fact is that of the seven people who beat me only two of them are not paid athletes! To celebrate Sandra and Kaitlyn presented me with Again to Carthage, the sequel to Once a Runner and then after a nap and a walk around the mall to stretch the legs we went to dinner at Tsunami for some SUSHI!

Overall, I did not make my 2:35 goal but I more or less accomplished everything else I set out to do. Could have I pushed harder? Maybe a very little the last two miles but I don’t think so. I feel fine now but I should, I trained for it. My legs don’t like stairs too much today but I’ll be good to run again before the week is out. Thank you to all my family for their prayers and all my friends on the blog for their support and comments. Many a day during the winter months when it was below zero snowing and 5:00am in the morning I only got out the door because I knew someone would be checking up on me later in the day on the blog. Thank you!!!