Grandmas Marathon. Obviously I'm thrilled with the race, did not think I had the fitness. Tremendous pack effort today. About to board a plane, so will write a full report tomorrow.
***Executive Summary***
I can't believe it. Where did that come from?
***Full Report***
Traveled out to Duluth with my training partner Mike on Friday. We flew into Minneapolis and rented a car to take up to Duluth, which ended up being under $200 for flight + car. Nice. Did the usual pre-race things, packet pickup, spaghetti dinner, relaxed in hotel room, etc. Watched Ironman 2 on TV, which might need to become marathon tradition now. Duluth was cold and foggy, which is the only thing I've experienced there.
When I travel to races, I am always paranoid of forgetting my flats or singlet, or something crucial. I've gotten a lot more relaxed about race lately though, almost to a fault. As result of my laxness, I ended up forgetting my watch. So I would be running this race "naked"! Meh, no worries. Either I'll run fast enough or I won't, the watch won't help that. Plus, I anticipated the course would have a few clocks set up to gauge off of. If anything, it would be liberating to not have a watch.
Got up at 5:15am on Saturday, ate a bagel and a banana, drank a bottle of Emergen-C-laced water, plus 2 cups of coffee. The bus left to shuttle up to the start line at 6am sharp.
Once we got to the start, we had about an hour to use porta-potties, warm up, and drop gear.
Mike and I had been scoping out the weather literally almost every hour during the previous day. Temperature was looking to be very good (~50 degrees and cloudy), but the wind forcast keep shifting. The final forcast looked to be a very light wind (2-4 mph), but going toward the E-NE, which would be a headwind. And day of the race, that's what it appeared to be: very little wind, I'd say about 2 mph headwind at the start...not bad, but not a tailwind either! But it was definitely great conditions to run in...not hot and not windy. That's all I ask for: a fair chance to prove my fitness.
Still, even with a very slight headwind, pack running would be very important. Even an unnoticeable headwind can take it's tool in time over 26.2, and I had no margin to spare. Plan was to get in a pack, tuck in, and do not leading.
Mike and I were unsure what sort of pack we'd have for the sub-2:18 pace. The answer was: a big one! It was the most amazing pack I've even race with, better than Boston and Trials.
Our pack formed very quickly during the first mile. The lead pack (of about 20 Kenyans, plus Nick Arciniaga, went through Mile 1 in about 5:00, and our pack wisely gauged off them, let them go early, and rolled through at 5:14 (reported by someone in the group, since I had no other way of knowing!)
By the 2nd mile, our pack settled into a groove. We had perhaps 12-14 people. The truly remarkable thing is that this pack held intact all the way to Mile 20, with almost no people falling off until then. Pace felt easy, as it should have. I had no tightness or anything hurting, and health was good. All I could ask for.
Mostly I just tried to tuck in, and let other people take the leading duties, and thereby take what little wind there was. I feel like the wind picked up slightly during the race, but it was never more than 4-5 mph. We ran in and out of fog, and I felt quite cold at times (was wearing singlet and shorts, no gloves), when in the really foggy areas. I was fairly drenched early on in the race, from all the mist. Hydration strategy was this: open my mouth and breathe in!
There was a clock at 10K, and we went through it in 32:38 (5:16/mile). Seemed to be right on.
There was very little talking in the group, but a general understanding that we were all after the same thing. There were a couple Kenyans with us, but almost everyone was American, going for the Trials standard.
The pack was nebuluous and just flowed. Different people would come up and take the lead at times, but I'd say about 2 guys took it upon themselves for pacesetting duties. Fine with me. The rest of us bounced around in the pack, continually shifting, moving to get water bottles, etc. We'd share water at times, and generally watched out for each other, taking good tangents, not cutting people off, etc.
There was a clock at 10 miles, and we were at 52:15 (5:14/mile), meaning we had picked it up a little. Turns out mile 9 was a 5:05, according to one runner with a watch, so that's where we banked the time.
Apparently that split must have made people a little too comfortable. My next split was the half marathon, which was exactly 1:09:00. Taking our 10 mile split, and this half marathon split, Miles 11, 12, 13 must have averaged in the low 5:20s!
As far as how I was feeling...not terribly optmistic! I felt great through 4 miles, effortless. By 10K, I was already getting some tightness in my hammies, and a little leg fatigue. Lungs felt awesome...breathing like an easy jog. By half marathon, my legs were still tight, feeling a little beat up, and pace certainly did not feel easy. But my breathing was still really good, so I used that as encouragement. But this certainly was not the easiest-feeling first half I've done, and I've felt better through 13.1 at Indy both times I ran it, at Trials, and at a lot of my Utah marathons (TOU, UVM, St George). So gauging off of how I felt, compared to past marathons, make me a little skeptical that 2:18 could happen, especially since it would take a negative split.
But I didn't dwell on it. I was there in 1:09:00. I felt okay. There was a great pack. And I would keep going.
After the half, I did not get any clock feedback until Mile 20. At this point the group was getting very serious, and there was virtually no talking anymore. We just clicked along. I could feel my body taking on accumuating fatigue, and I had no idea if pace was going south on me, but I just tried to stay focused on the current pace, and worry about time once I got to 10K left. From 17 to 20, I was just counting down the miles to 20, so that I could turn the marathon into a 10K race, which I could handle mentally.
Finally got to 20 miles, and I finally got my clock feedback: 1:44:51. Meaning we were under 5:15/mile again, and 13-20 was a blazing 5:12/mile pace for the whole pack. I think a few people saw the half split as a little slow, and tried to compensate.
But I was a little startled to find myself at Mile 20, with 10K to go, on pace for Trials, and with money in the bank...and with legs under me! At this point, for the first time, I actually thought I could make the standard...but woud take a 33:00 10K.
It was time for the race to start.
It was also time for our pack to break. Right at 20, a couple guys broke off, and I broke off with them. I pushed Mile 21 pretty hard, and immediatey regretted it within the mile. My legs went from feeling okay, to pretty bad. I could feel myself slowing, and still had 5 miles left. That 4mph headwind suddenly felt very strong, and my legs suddeny felt very heavy. Shoot.
But then my race was essentially saved by a guy coming up behind me and passing me. I knew I had to go with him. I tucked in behind, and it worked...I felt a lot better immediately, and got back in a little groove. A painful groove, but a groove nonetheless.
During the last 5 miles of the race, we got into Duluth, and hit the only real uphills of the race...as well as some nice long downhills. I tried to just survive the uphills, and make up time on the downhills. Again, I had no idea of pace during this stretch from Mile 20 to 25. I just tried to the run the pace of the guy in red ahead of me, didn't know if we were staying on or falling off. Sure felt like I was falling off!
But when we got to a clock at Mile 25, it read 2:11:16. (5:17/mile from 20-25). Doing the math, I figured if I could run 5:30, plus 1:10 for the last 0.2, then I could get 2:18! I was in disbelief. How?
The guy in red had dropped me...he was finishing really strong. I was not, and knew it was going to be very close. My legs had nothing left. I think I was fit enough to race 25, not 26.2. But with the time in my head and the crowds at my side, I willed my legs forward. Short, fast turnover, that would have to do.
There was one more random clock, no idea the mile marker, but flipped over 2:15:00 when I went by. I had 3 minutes to get to the finish. Tried to go faster, but it didn't work.
Finally made the final turn, and I could see the finish, and the finish line clock. 2:17:15. I had 45 seconds to make the final stretch, but it must have been 200 meters...a long finish. Sooo many times, I've underestimated how long it takes to finish, from when I can first see the clock. Watching it click over 2:18 would not be acceptable.
It was painful watching that clock click over though. My legs were pretty much locked up, and the finish seemed so far away. I was already going all out, but when I saw it flip over 2:17:40, I tried to find one more gear and just laid out whatever was left. Now that was painful! My "finishing kick was more of a stumble. But the clock said :52 when I I crossed the mat.
Wow.
Where did that come from?
Why were all my tuneup races so slow? I had no indicator this was possible...
How did I negative split despite not feeling great at the half?
Thank you God for good legs and good health.
Thank you for the opportunity of a 3rd Trials.
Can't believe it.
5:33 pace for the last 1.2; it was all I had in me and it was barely enough.
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