GRANDMAAAA!!!!!!!!!!
A little more background on the run - There were water stations every
other mile, starting at mile 3, up to mile 19. From then on, there
would be water at every mile. Since my goal was to eat every 4 miles,
and I need to drink water with the Gu, I opted to wait until mile 5 to
get my first Gu. That was fine, given how much I had to begin with! I
kept that in the back of my mind though as I ticked off the miles, even
though I was a mile off of my plan.
So now we're past the half-way point. I'm thinking about all the training I've gone through to get to this point - all the hopes and dreams I had of possibly getting that elusive 4:00 Finish time, but I was beginning to drag. I kept thinking about ways I could improve my efficiency, or if I was getting enough to eat/drink. My HR just wouldn't drop down.
Erin really started working on me around mile 15. We exited the water zone, and our pace maker was WAY ahead of us - I SWEAR he sprinted through the zone. I think I made a crucial mistake at this point. He was maybe 100 yards ahead, and instead of working off that 100 yards over the next mile or so, I felt like I needed to get to him sooner - just to mentally stay in the game. I really picked it up, and I realized how much my legs were not in the race anymore. I caught him within a quarter mile, but my HR spiked in the mid to upper 180's to catch him. Erin (the smart one) who then gradually caught up to me, made me realize that it was pretty silly to do that. While I agreed, and wasn't about to admit to someone who was barely breaking a sweat that she was right! :) , I was back in my pace group and focused at the task at hand.
Unfortunately, this is where the bad times began...
16.2 Miles - Third Checkpoint - Time: 2:29:13 - A.P.O.S.: 9:20/mile
We watch the pace group slowly pull away just before this checkpoint. I simply can't, in good conscious anyway, hold the pace any longer. My HR is averaging about 182 at this point, and we're going through some rolling hills. I know that Erin is itching to go, trying desperately to push me along, but it's of no use. She's seeing her window of breaking 4 hours slipping away, and while still technically achievable for me to do the remaining 10 miles in under 1:30, I really have little choice to make. We had set out to run this race together, and while Erin would have stayed with me if I asked her to, I, *tear*, cut the cord and sent her on her way. At mile 17, on the dot, I...was...on...my...own... *more tears*.
Okay, it really wasn't that dramatic, but one sweaty, difficultly timed, running kiss later, she was off. She knew what she had to do to break 4 hours, and I had no doubt that she'd get it. I later found that she blew by the pace group that we'd been following for so long, and just knowing that made myself feel better about the race.
It should be noted that at mile 17 - in the water station, I walked for the first time in the race. I thought it would be easier to eat my Gu and drink while walking, and sure enough, I was right. I never wanted to rule out walking through aid stations - certainly to minimize it, but I thought it would be a bit later when I'd hit the first one. Oh well - the pain was beginning to set in. I tried to find pace groups (err, unofficial clusters of people running together) to try to stay with. Some I could hold, but I'd usually end up loosing them for a moment or 2 - then finding another group that was a few paces behind them that I'd tag onto. This went on for some while.
19.3 Miles - Fourth Checkpoint - Time: 2:59:12 - A.P.O.S.: 9:41/mile
Erin @ 19.3 Miles - Time: 2:56:37 - A.P.O.S.: 8:51/mile
Clearly, I began to slow down a bit. The "Wall" was fast approaching. It sort of straddled either side of mile 20 - the second half of 19 and, well, almost all of 20. I had to walk a little bit. My HR was resting in the 180s, and I just needed a moment to get a drink, eat some oranges and cool down. My hat that I was wearing was tucked into my waist band - too hot to wear. People had sprinklers set up in their yard, and I took the opportunity to run through them. I knew that I could conceivably SPEED UP and break 4 hours, but I officially let that one sail.
This was by far, the most difficult stretch of the race - I had finally hit the "wall". This was all about getting one foot in front of the other - feed off of others energy where I could. I was a little disheartened when I saw that the 4:15 pace group had caught up to me (sooner than I thought possible), but I later learned that their pacer was on a 4:07 pace - wish I knew that then!
23.1 Miles - Fifth Checkpoint - Time: 3:37:43 - A.P.O.S.: 10:09/mile
Erin @ 23.1 Miles - Time: 3:27:48 - A.P.O.S.: 8:13/mile
Well, leading up to the 23rd mile, my pace did speed up. Contrary to what is shown above, most of that slowdown came from the mile 20 "wall". The stretch was mostly flat, but did have one "big" hill at the end. Once we made it over that hill though, there was a downhill stretch that lasted the better part of a mile. What a relief! I began to believe that I was going to finish just over 4 hours and feel good about everything. It's amazing how much your emotions can swing just from the direction of the pavement! My HR "dropped" into the upper 160's, and I began to talk to others around me. I had clearly found "my group" by this point. Mostly guys - middle aged or otherwise - recreational runners that were hoping for 4 hours, but made peace with it at this point. Runners still serious enough to pass up the free beer bongs being offered to runners, but not above talking, joking and offering encouragement. I met up with a guy who was in his 60's doing his 38th marathon, and he proved to be fairly inspirational as the race drug on.
We were now into downtown Duluth, and the spectators, music, and atmosphere was a lot of fun - a big boost to my confidence, for sure!
25.0 Miles - Sixth (and Final) Checkpoint - Time: 3:56:25 - A.P.O.S.: 9:51/mile
Erin @ 25 Miles - Time: 3:43:13 - A.P.O.S.: 8:07/mile
I did walk through an aid station or 2, so my times at this point were not great. However, I really didn't have anything to race for that this point. 4 hours was clearly out, and as long as I beat 4:22 (which would be 10 minute miles), I knew I'd feel like this was a success. In the back of my mind, I had the number 4:09 sitting there. 4:09 represented a roughly 9:30 pace. If I could slip in under that, I'd feel like this was a success (oh, the things you tell yourself to get through the race). After walking through the aid station at mile 25, I picked up the pace. I knew what I had to go for, and I knew of only one hill in my way. I booked it up, but slowed at the top. Enter, the old man I met earlier - he comes tearing by me! No way was this dude besting me at the end - I'm young and invincible! I really pick up the pace and catch him within a 100 yards. I ask him about the finish line (that I can't see yet) and I take off. It was a very difficult stretch, but oh so worth the finish.
26.2 Miles - Official Chip Time: 4:08:01 - Ave Time Overall: 9:28/mile
For Erin - Official Chip Time: 3:52:57 - Ave Time Overall: 8:54/mile
Immediately after finishing, I grabbed my metal, a t-shirt, a bottle of water, and I started looking for Erin. I felt a HUGE rush of endorphins, and it was impossible to do anything but smile. What a feeling. Aside from the fact that I could hardly walk, I felt fine! Speaking of walking, while standing around, I felt something in my shoe - it was my "index toe" on my right foot. I felt the nail... just, sort of "bend" up in my shoe. Not cool. I didn't want it tear off while I was standing there, so I asked a medical guy nearby to help me to the curb. Well, he got me a race blanket, put me in a wheelchair and took me to the medical tent. Overkill, maybe... I had a doc help me get my shoe off and examine it - it was fine - just runners toe. I can post a picture later if there's any interest!
The only bad part about the medical tent is that they kick you out of the runners area when you're done. Because of that, I didn't get any snacks or anything. It's alright though, I eventually got it taken care of back at the car (right as the rain moved in).
In The End:
I had text messages going out to a bunch of people as the race went on, including Erin's parents. We eventually caught up with them at Starbucks, found the Ellie-Meister (she was more excited to see our shinny metals than us), and we were off on the long trip back to Kansas (err, Iowa for the night). I could hardly move by the time we got there, but we had an AWESOME dinner, including several pints of beer, and slept very hard that night. I received lots of congratulatory texts, and decided that I was pretty happy with my time, and that this would likely be the last marathon I ever do! I think half's will be my upper limit from here on out.
Stay tuned for my "reflections" post.
D
Running Total:
June: 48.21
2012: 303.07
The journey from slightly overweight, to slightly awesome - and turning 30.
Friday, July 6, 2012
THE BIG DAY (CAPITAL LETTERS) Part 1 - 6/16/12
I can't believe it - the Marathon is freakin' here!!!! As I left off in the last post - we both woke up energized and very excited. The weather was shaping up to be nice (though maybe a little warm) after a threat of storms the night before (that would move in as we finished the race, thankfully). We were at the starting line... with almost 8,000 of our new best friends. I ate 4 Gu packs over the hour leading up to the start - thinking I would get a nice base going and some caffenne to boot. Not sure if it worked, but it was worth a shot. We had our "sweat-bags" full of post-race supplies (including Erin's phone), so we snapped an "insurance photo" before the race for good measure:
They had a medical tent with sunblock and Bengay. Yeah, I rubbed them both on. Combine that with my lack of deodorant, and I was the best smelling and sexiest Beast on the course! The crowd was electric! The Star Spangled Banner was accompanied by the flyover of a couple of jets (which was awesome), and we took our spots in the 4 hour pace group. There was no turning back.
Pacing: Well, I just looked back at all of my entries, and despite talking about pacing a lot, I it looks like I never laid out my goals. Everything sort of changed after the leg injury(ies), but it went something like this:
Worst Case: "Finish - under 5 hours, hopefully (baring a huge injury)
Good Case: Finish in 4:30
Great Case: Finish in 4:15
Best Case: Finish in 4:00 or better
Before the injuries set in, you could have sold me on 3:54-3:50 as best case (better than 9:00 mile average), but I put that one to bed. Aside from that, my goal was to eat a Gu every 4 miles and hit water and Powerade as I could. I had a big pocked on the backside of my shorts that I would keep stocked. Yes, I was in nothing but shorts, shirt, a chest strap, and a diaper full of Gu packs - I was dead sexy indeed!!!
Without further flub-bubbery, the race!
*Note - I'll throw out my stats at every official check point. My A.S.O.P (Average Pace over Stretch) will give you my pacing for that particular stretch of run since the previous checkpoint - NOT overall. This gives a better play-by-play.
START: Watch Time: 0:00 (Gun time - Roughly 3:35)
I won't focus on the gun time any more than that right there, but it's important to remember that Boston Marathon qualifying (and official times in general) are based on gun times. Since that really didn't bother me, ehhh...
My Heart rate was 140 before the race started. I was pretty excited. Therefore, it was no surprise that after the first mile (at 8:55 pace), my HR was close to 168. This would not do for 26.2 miles, but it was flat and I chalked it up to being nervous. Surely, the pace group would slow up a smidgen an my HR would drop down to the 150's. Ha.
Mile 2: 8:55 pace - 170 HR
Mile 3: 8:55 pace - 172 HR
Mile 4: 8:59 pace - 172 HR
You get the idea, it was getting a little upsetting. I felt fine, but I knew I'd pay for this before the race was over.
10K - First Checkpoint - Time: 56:02 - *A.P.O.S.: 9:02/mile
This was a fun reflection point for me. Back in 2008, when my left foot was toast and I could hardly run (and weighed about 195 lbs), I ran a 10K in Wichita. It was only a 10K, and it took me just over 56 minutes to do. I had to walk some, just due to the sheer pain in my foot. It was a very rough time - funny now that my leisurely paced 10K on the front end of a marathon is now 56 minutes. I felt like, if anything, I'd accomplished something today - just from that. Now, I've run 10K's faster (my record being just over 45 minutes in 2009), but it was a special thought.
Our pace leader was the model of perfection and pacing. He tried to keep the group energized and excited, which was a nice distraction. I just felt like I had a hard time keeping up - always felt like I was running to catch him. He was consistent - same pace up hill and down. That was a little rough for me, but like a trooper, I kept at it. My HR had not declined. I had already hit 180 on a few of the hills and was constantly holding in the low 170's. Nerves? Who knows... Was I slowly digging my own "marathon grave", or would I get this figured out? In spite of myself and my HR, we kept on.
I could tell that Erin was hardly sweating, but I was doing enough for both of us, so it was okay. The temps were in the low to mid 70's by this point, but we saw clouds in the distance, and we were getting really nice tailwind breezes off the lake (cold!) which helped mentally as much as anything. I was hopeful that the coulds would bring cool weather and maybe some rain! (No storms, please!).
13.1 Miles - Second Checkpoint - Time: 2:00:20 - A.P.O.S.: 9:18/mile
I was actually a little shocked - our pace guy slipped up by 20 seconds! Actually, just the opposite - I was very impressed that we were holding so consistent in our pacing. By this point, my HR was approaching the mid to upper 170's per mile, so I had a feeling that everything was starting to catch up with me. I didn't feel like I had overexerted myself to that point, but I noticed that getting that extra kick to hold the pace up a hill was tough. I think Erin began to notice it too. It wasn't that I was slowing down or anything, just that I was concentrating a lot more and wasn't as talkative. Maybe the point I knew it was getting difficult was in the "water zones". Either our pace leader liked to sprint through them, or it was really just a bigger effort to catch up to him right after we made it though. I didn't stop in these zones, but I did slow to get water, eat a Gu, and drink. I think around mile 13, I knew I was in for a LONG day...
Part II? Stick around...
I am ALL that is MAN!!! |
Pacing: Well, I just looked back at all of my entries, and despite talking about pacing a lot, I it looks like I never laid out my goals. Everything sort of changed after the leg injury(ies), but it went something like this:
Worst Case: "Finish - under 5 hours, hopefully (baring a huge injury)
Good Case: Finish in 4:30
Great Case: Finish in 4:15
Best Case: Finish in 4:00 or better
Before the injuries set in, you could have sold me on 3:54-3:50 as best case (better than 9:00 mile average), but I put that one to bed. Aside from that, my goal was to eat a Gu every 4 miles and hit water and Powerade as I could. I had a big pocked on the backside of my shorts that I would keep stocked. Yes, I was in nothing but shorts, shirt, a chest strap, and a diaper full of Gu packs - I was dead sexy indeed!!!
Without further flub-bubbery, the race!
*Note - I'll throw out my stats at every official check point. My A.S.O.P (Average Pace over Stretch) will give you my pacing for that particular stretch of run since the previous checkpoint - NOT overall. This gives a better play-by-play.
START: Watch Time: 0:00 (Gun time - Roughly 3:35)
I won't focus on the gun time any more than that right there, but it's important to remember that Boston Marathon qualifying (and official times in general) are based on gun times. Since that really didn't bother me, ehhh...
My Heart rate was 140 before the race started. I was pretty excited. Therefore, it was no surprise that after the first mile (at 8:55 pace), my HR was close to 168. This would not do for 26.2 miles, but it was flat and I chalked it up to being nervous. Surely, the pace group would slow up a smidgen an my HR would drop down to the 150's. Ha.
Mile 2: 8:55 pace - 170 HR
Mile 3: 8:55 pace - 172 HR
Mile 4: 8:59 pace - 172 HR
You get the idea, it was getting a little upsetting. I felt fine, but I knew I'd pay for this before the race was over.
10K - First Checkpoint - Time: 56:02 - *A.P.O.S.: 9:02/mile
This was a fun reflection point for me. Back in 2008, when my left foot was toast and I could hardly run (and weighed about 195 lbs), I ran a 10K in Wichita. It was only a 10K, and it took me just over 56 minutes to do. I had to walk some, just due to the sheer pain in my foot. It was a very rough time - funny now that my leisurely paced 10K on the front end of a marathon is now 56 minutes. I felt like, if anything, I'd accomplished something today - just from that. Now, I've run 10K's faster (my record being just over 45 minutes in 2009), but it was a special thought.
Our pace leader was the model of perfection and pacing. He tried to keep the group energized and excited, which was a nice distraction. I just felt like I had a hard time keeping up - always felt like I was running to catch him. He was consistent - same pace up hill and down. That was a little rough for me, but like a trooper, I kept at it. My HR had not declined. I had already hit 180 on a few of the hills and was constantly holding in the low 170's. Nerves? Who knows... Was I slowly digging my own "marathon grave", or would I get this figured out? In spite of myself and my HR, we kept on.
I could tell that Erin was hardly sweating, but I was doing enough for both of us, so it was okay. The temps were in the low to mid 70's by this point, but we saw clouds in the distance, and we were getting really nice tailwind breezes off the lake (cold!) which helped mentally as much as anything. I was hopeful that the coulds would bring cool weather and maybe some rain! (No storms, please!).
13.1 Miles - Second Checkpoint - Time: 2:00:20 - A.P.O.S.: 9:18/mile
I was actually a little shocked - our pace guy slipped up by 20 seconds! Actually, just the opposite - I was very impressed that we were holding so consistent in our pacing. By this point, my HR was approaching the mid to upper 170's per mile, so I had a feeling that everything was starting to catch up with me. I didn't feel like I had overexerted myself to that point, but I noticed that getting that extra kick to hold the pace up a hill was tough. I think Erin began to notice it too. It wasn't that I was slowing down or anything, just that I was concentrating a lot more and wasn't as talkative. Maybe the point I knew it was getting difficult was in the "water zones". Either our pace leader liked to sprint through them, or it was really just a bigger effort to catch up to him right after we made it though. I didn't stop in these zones, but I did slow to get water, eat a Gu, and drink. I think around mile 13, I knew I was in for a LONG day...
Part II? Stick around...
June 15th - Let's get Grandma'd!!! (sp?)
Well, the packet pickup day had arrived. We were staying at a cabin about 30 miles north of the start of the race, so we had to pass the course on the way down. Luckily, the course was drivable, so we took the opportunity to become acquainted with it. I'm glad we did! It was encouraging to see that the hills were few and far between, and the scenery (right on the lake) was beautiful. It was one of the items on our check list for the day. Here's a few others:
Marathon Eve Day Checklist:
_X_Drive the Course
- See above, check!
_X_Pick Up Our Packets
- The experience with packet pickup was pretty intense. The Duluth Convention Center was a flurry of activity - full of vendors, exhibits and people that are in much better shape than me! I had to break out my number to set the mood:
Timing chips checked out - we were ready to roll.
_X_Get Some Supplies for the Run
- Nothing too major, we simply picked up some sunglasses (to replace my broken ones), a race belt for Erin, a hat for each of us, and a headband (for Erin). That one wasn't so much for running the next day, as it was for the future.
_X_(Once back at the Cabin) Eat some Dinner, Pack, and get Ellie to Bed!
- We had a good dinner of some pasta, some fish, watermelon and leftover soup. It would do, pig... it would do...
Along with the packing, our vacation had effectively ended that night. We would need to pack up all of our clothes, possessions (and what not), get the car loaded, and clean the cabin before we could call it a night. We had all of our stuff laid out for the next day; what we would be wearing, our race numbers, directions, timing chips on our shoes, food, water, etc - all ready to go. We shipped Ellie off to the Grand Parentals so that we could get set up to go. We probably got to bed around 10pm, but confident that we'd wake up the next morning (at 5am), toast a few waffles and hit the road with no major issues.
We.... were.... RIGHT!
I have to say, we were up and at em' the next morning, and all of the planning made everything go off without a hitch! We made it to Two Harbors, MN at the shuttle parking lot, ate our breakfast, drank lots of fluids, hit the bathrooms and made the shuttle to the start line. It was happening, but the energy was good and the pain hadn't set in yet. Nothing left to do, but "it"!
Next up - the Race!!!
D
Marathon Eve Day Checklist:
_X_Drive the Course
- See above, check!
_X_Pick Up Our Packets
- The experience with packet pickup was pretty intense. The Duluth Convention Center was a flurry of activity - full of vendors, exhibits and people that are in much better shape than me! I had to break out my number to set the mood:
Timing chips checked out - we were ready to roll.
_X_Get Some Supplies for the Run
- Nothing too major, we simply picked up some sunglasses (to replace my broken ones), a race belt for Erin, a hat for each of us, and a headband (for Erin). That one wasn't so much for running the next day, as it was for the future.
_X_(Once back at the Cabin) Eat some Dinner, Pack, and get Ellie to Bed!
- We had a good dinner of some pasta, some fish, watermelon and leftover soup. It would do, pig... it would do...
Along with the packing, our vacation had effectively ended that night. We would need to pack up all of our clothes, possessions (and what not), get the car loaded, and clean the cabin before we could call it a night. We had all of our stuff laid out for the next day; what we would be wearing, our race numbers, directions, timing chips on our shoes, food, water, etc - all ready to go. We shipped Ellie off to the Grand Parentals so that we could get set up to go. We probably got to bed around 10pm, but confident that we'd wake up the next morning (at 5am), toast a few waffles and hit the road with no major issues.
We.... were.... RIGHT!
I have to say, we were up and at em' the next morning, and all of the planning made everything go off without a hitch! We made it to Two Harbors, MN at the shuttle parking lot, ate our breakfast, drank lots of fluids, hit the bathrooms and made the shuttle to the start line. It was happening, but the energy was good and the pain hadn't set in yet. Nothing left to do, but "it"!
Next up - the Race!!!
D
Final Tune-up: 6/14/12
As the title may indicate, this was the final stretch out for the big run ahead:
We made every effort to stay loose and easy. In fact, I think Erin may have run this in jeans. I hate running in pants, but I definitely ran in some athletic pants. It was sorta drizzly and cold out, but we managed, and did so in good spirits. After we finished up, it was right back to playing pitch and having a drink...
We talked some strategy - if/how we would tackle the race - mile by mile, what to eat and when, and how we would get to the starting line in time. We already knew the answers to these questions, but it was just good to talk it all over. I think it finally felt real during this run. You definitely start to notice every pain, every tingle, and every twitch - starting to slowly creep into your mind. What if my ankle starts to click in the first mile? What if my knee shuts down after mile 8? What if I get explosive diarrhea? We joked about a few scenarios, but we tried to keep it light to avoid thinking about what could happen. At this point - we were going through with it, so we convinced ourselves to accept the future for what it would be and move on.
I think I'll do a "lead-in" post before the marathon. 2 days!
D
Running Total:
June: 22.01
2012: 276.87
Getting our final "stretch" in for Grandma! (ewwwww....) |
We talked some strategy - if/how we would tackle the race - mile by mile, what to eat and when, and how we would get to the starting line in time. We already knew the answers to these questions, but it was just good to talk it all over. I think it finally felt real during this run. You definitely start to notice every pain, every tingle, and every twitch - starting to slowly creep into your mind. What if my ankle starts to click in the first mile? What if my knee shuts down after mile 8? What if I get explosive diarrhea? We joked about a few scenarios, but we tried to keep it light to avoid thinking about what could happen. At this point - we were going through with it, so we convinced ourselves to accept the future for what it would be and move on.
I think I'll do a "lead-in" post before the marathon. 2 days!
D
Running Total:
June: 22.01
2012: 276.87
6/12 - Some Minnesota runnin'!
Welpers, we're up in the Great State of Minnesota - doing a little country running!
We probably went a little faster than I wanted to, but it felt good the whole way - no knee pain or anything. That maybe had something to do with the dirt we were running on. I did, however lose my sunglasses on this ride. I should have taken a picture - I'd been limping this pair along for some time. The nose piece fell out (as the glasses had cracked at some point), and I was adjusting them about every half mile or so as I went. I guess it's good that they broke pre-marathon, as I didn't have to worry about them during the run.
Obviously I'm updating this after the marathon itself, but I must say that we were pretty pumped at this point - both feeling good about our chances. While still close to 80 degrees, it was still nicer than the miles we'd been putting in so far in Kansas. We also knew that while we'd be running down on the lake (about 800 feet of elevation below where we were running), it was going to be nicer still. My new shoes still felt wonder, and at this point it was about deciding on what clothes we were going to wear. We concluded the run with a big meal and some relaxation - dunking our feet in some very cold water. Minnesota is nice this time of year...
From here, 4 days to go!
D
Running Total:
June: 19.93
2012: 274.79
We probably went a little faster than I wanted to, but it felt good the whole way - no knee pain or anything. That maybe had something to do with the dirt we were running on. I did, however lose my sunglasses on this ride. I should have taken a picture - I'd been limping this pair along for some time. The nose piece fell out (as the glasses had cracked at some point), and I was adjusting them about every half mile or so as I went. I guess it's good that they broke pre-marathon, as I didn't have to worry about them during the run.
Obviously I'm updating this after the marathon itself, but I must say that we were pretty pumped at this point - both feeling good about our chances. While still close to 80 degrees, it was still nicer than the miles we'd been putting in so far in Kansas. We also knew that while we'd be running down on the lake (about 800 feet of elevation below where we were running), it was going to be nicer still. My new shoes still felt wonder, and at this point it was about deciding on what clothes we were going to wear. We concluded the run with a big meal and some relaxation - dunking our feet in some very cold water. Minnesota is nice this time of year...
From here, 4 days to go!
D
Running Total:
June: 19.93
2012: 274.79
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