It ain't Chinese algebra!

I'm very happy.  Simple as that--just really happy.  If the stars align and everything goes great, I've got a 2:29 in me.  I was hoping that today would be the day.  Turns out it wasn't, but I'm more than okay with a 2:31:29.  But first, the countless details that make entries fun (or boring, depending on your preference):

My training has gone well and despite the lack of quality tempo/interval workouts, I've ran more miles than ever (see Fri, Oct 8th) so I was hoping things would work out in the end.  If there was going to be a problem, it was going to be the weather.  Much like SG last week, the weather in Portland has been great this fall leading up to this weekend.  That all changed on Friday night when storm clouds rolled in, bringing with it rain, humidity, & wind.  Saturday weather was rotten and the weather forecast called for the same on Sunday; 60-62 degrees at the start, 70-80% chance of rain, 92% humidity, 8-15 mph winds with gusts up to 20 mph.   I've ran in plenty of rain since moving to Portland--no big deal.  I was worried about the humidity being a factor in messing up my hydration gauge, and of course, wind is never good.  The one positive was the temps, although take away the other elements and I'd love it if it was 46 degrees when the gun went off.  Anyway, the point being that I spent much of Friday and Saturday over-thinking the weather, thinking all was lost and otherwise being quite negative about it all.  Thankfully I've got an understanding wife & other family members who made me realize "who cares?!"  Just deal with it and it may not be that bad.

I woke up at 5:15 to eat a bagel, banana and yogurt.  A quick check of the weather reveled only 5 mph winds with the other elements (rain, temperature and humidity) staying the same.  That immediately lifted my spirits and by 5:45 I was driving to downtown Portland.  By 6:15 I had parked my car and with 45 minutes to spare, began the search for a bathroom.   The lines were endless at the starting line port-a-potties so I walked to the nearest hotel and took care of business, getting back to the starting area with 10 minutes to spare.  The only guy I recognized was John Lucas and after talking with him, learned that he was hoping to run a low 2:20.  He'd dropped out the Eugene Marathon in 2008 at mile 18 due to injury after shooting for a Olympic Trials Qualifying time--I figured the win today was his.

We took off at the gun and made our way through 2 things; downtown Portland and rain.  I simply tried to avoid puddles while running a conservative first mile.  In my four previous marathons, I've started out extremely conservative with the hopes of a strong second half and possible negative split.  Today, I wanted to run by feel as much as possible.  I was surprised to be in 5^th place at mile 1 and shocked at how easy a 5:42 felt.  The thought went through my head "if you don't take a RISK, there is no REWARD."  At that point I made a decision that would determine the rest of my race; I was going to RACE this marathon, not just run strategically, methodically and otherwise a "safe" marathon.  Mile 2 (5:56) had some slight uphill but there were still 5 of us running as a pack, including Lucas.  I asked him when he was going to stop toying with us and he replied he wasn't feeling great.  A short time later, around mile 3 (5:52), Lucas and two others broke away slightly, leaving myself and a runner named Phil Olson in 4^th/5^th place.

Phil and I had a number of things in common; 30 years old, married, kids, similar training, and most importantly, both shooting for 2:29.  Although just 3 miles into the race, there weren't any runners near us to the rear and with the lead pack gaping us by just a bit, Phil and I committed to work together to achieve our goal of 2:29.  Near mile 4 (5:34) Phil took some Gatorade from a family member and shared his drink with me also (for the life of me, I can't remember how that worked out?  Did he offer the drink? Did I really ask some stranger if he'd share his drink with me. i.e 'He dude, can I have your leftovers?').  Right then I realized how valuable Phil's kindness would be to me throughout the race.  I'd heard horror stories about Ultima, the replenishment drink (void of carbs) which was served along the course.  Phil had family members set up at 6-7 spots throughout the course to provide Gatorade and he stated he was willing to share with me each upcoming time.  I had planned on drinking water for 26.2 miles so was immensely grateful to have a better option.

Miles 5 (5:34) and 6 (5:27) were uneventful, other than seeing my wife and son braving the rain to show their support.  How cool are they?!  The course turned lightly and the next 3 miles were ran directly into a somewhat strong wind.  By mile 7 (5:47), one of the three leaders had fallen off the pace and Phil and I urged him to hang on with us and work together.  Strength in numbers, you know?  Turns out it was Karl Siebach (xcrunner7) making his marathon debut after a 1:11 Painters Half Marathon in January earlier this year.  We made our way to mile 8 (5:40) along some of the loneliest parts of the course before turning around at mile 9 (5:34) to finally have the wind at our backs for a couple miles.  Mile 10 (5:35) put us at 56:45, right on pace for 2:29.  I was feeling solid; not great but not bad by any means.  Karl dropped off the pace at mile 11 (5:18) and I saw my family once again as Phil and I set our sights on catching the 2^nd place runner who was 100meters ahead of us.

There was a slight uphill through mile 12 (5:44) and slight downhill at mile 13 (5:29) when Phil and I passed the runner ahead of us to move into a tie for 2^nd/3^rd place.  This was new territory for me--racing a marathon with a top-5 (top 2-3 even??) place on the line.  It was a fun thought and definitely pushed me to keep the pace humming along.  The next 4 miles were on a flat, lonely highway into the wind once again, with traffic moving along at 45 mph in the lanes parallel to us.  The mile marker was long for mile 14 (5:52) and short for mile 15 (5:15), followed by one last flat mile (mile 16 in 5:35) before the one major hill on the course.

Phil and I salvaged a 6:11 on mile 17 which was entirely uphill as we crossed St. Johns Bridge and then pushed on through 18 (5:35).  At this point, and for the first time all race, I dropped off the pace and fell a bit behind Phil for half a mile.  I dug deep to close the gap and caught up to Phil by running mile 19 in 4:58??  Another misplaced mile marker!  Either way, I was back to being shoulder-to-shoulder with Phil, still running for 2^nd place, and for the past 3 miles, within striking distance of Lucas.  Spectators told us we were 30-40 seconds behind him and on straight roads we could clearly see the gap we needed to make up.  Mile 20 (6:16) was long, making up for the short mile 19.  Either way, our 20 mile total was 1:53:04, nearly 70 seconds under 2:29:59 pace.  I was beginning to feel the effects of running 20 miles but was hopeful I could hang on for a few more solid miles.

Uh, maybe not.  Mile 21 (6:05) was when Phil pulled away for good and I was left alone in 3^rd place, not sure how far behind others were.  Mile 22 (5:55) was better, but not quite what I was hoping for on the last (and only?) downhill of the course.  All of the sudden I was passed like I was standing still.  No joke.  Some guy I hadn't see all race ran passed me and took a bit of my confidence with him in the process.  I latched on for about 15-20 steps before fatigue set in even more.  Despite the slowing pace, I'm still hanging on for a sub-2:30 and 4^th place.  Mile 23 (5:57) makes a sub-2:30 an even greater challenge and then what should have been a minor uphill feels much more major before mile 24 (6:03).  Once again I was caught from behind, only this time I put up more of a fight.  We jockeyed back and forth during the next mile and I lost :).  Now in 5^th place, mile 25 (6:13) put me 16 seconds behind 2:29:59.  I told myself just one more push to the finish and maybe, just maybe, I could sneak across the finish line under 2:30.

The final mile was rough.  There was no wall, no cramping, no bonking, no upset stomach.  Just tired.  Simple as that.  I asked my body to respond and there was nothing there.  I really believe, on this day, I gave it my all and my body gave all in return.  That worked for 25 miles.  Too bad the race is 26.2, eh?  It could have been worse though.  As I made my way along the final mile, I approached a runner laying in the ground, surrounded by 2 police officers.  I heard the policeman ask the individual if he could, with assistance, get up and move to the sidewalk.  I looked down to see John Lucas, the race leader for 25+ miles, looking completely dazed and confused.  I felt horrible for him, especially after his bad luck last year in Eugene.  Now in 4^th place (what a lame way to move up in the standings!), and figuring John had assistance, I continued towards the finish line, feeling slower with each step.  I passed mile 26 (6:36) and thankfully the finish line (.2 in a not-so-speedy 1:33) before my body's gas tank reached completely zero.

I hope this post didn't sound negative (sometimes I have that tendency).  I'm more than happy with this time.  Really happy!  If anything, it made me realize that a sub-2:30 is within reach.  I learned a lot today.  Number one, to give it your all--without risk, there is no reward.  Second, it's probably not a good idea to race a marathon in shoes that already have 350 miles on them--they felt fine until mile 23 and by then they felt shot!  I also, the value of having someone to work with along the course.  I wouldn't have done as well without Phil and his generosity/running style.  I owe a lot to him and was pumped to see him take 2^nd with a 2:29.  I'm sure there's more to say but I'm tired and want to go to bed.  So that's it for now.  Not sure what's next but hopefully more good races!