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A Birthday BQ? Could it be? (Read 397 times)


ultramarathon/triathlete

    I ran the Grand Rapids Marathon this past weekend.  My brother and his family live there and several months back I scheduled a family reunion for Oct 16th after reading that there was a marathon that day in his town.  And, it's my birthday.  Big grin

     

    After IMLP in July I did not have the "go" to really train any more. I was burned out and done with my A-race.  I kept leading my weekly team runs Tue/Th and lifted weights 2 days a week before work, but basically did little else other than an occasional weekend run of about 10 miles.  Tue/Th I typically get 12 miles in (6-8 on my own, followed by 20 min waiting for team to show up, then leading the workout which varies: speed/hills/tempo/etc of 4 or 5 miles).  That's it.  No "long runs" since the Ironman.  No biking, no swimming.  Just relaxing.

     

    Because of this, I expected Grand Rapids to be a slow, painful marathon, but oh well, another one for the log book and a good training run before NYC Marathon in Nov.  I usually run in the low 3:teens with a PR of 3:08 last year at this time, and Boston this year was 3:19, but that was painful as I was training for Ironman, not specifically for a marathon. I figured laziness after an Ironman is a valid excuse for not training enough.  I told myself (and my family) I would not be upset if Grand Rapids fell closer to 4 hours.  3:40s if all went well and everyone kept their fingers crossed.   

     

    Race weekend came and it was rainy and windy.  Friday afternoon I went for a 6 miler to keep the legs fresh and felt great until I turned around at 3 miles and found I'd had a strong wind at my back starting off, so the run home was substantially slower.  Saturday it rained a lot and was wicked windy again.  I played with my nieces and nephew and gave a lot of piggy backs and did little resting.  All of this just solidified the thought of a long, slow, painful marathon come Sunday (my birthday) but like I said, my A-race was over, this was just for fun.

     

    Sunday I woke up to some light rain, about 5am.  Bummer.  My parents were up and gave my wife and me a ride to the start (30 minutes away). I arrived with plenty of time to spare before the 8am start.  Guess I'm just used to arriving way early for races but this was a rather small one so I could have slept another half hour or so.  I said my good-byes and thanks for the ride and they headed back home, and I headed into the most amazing YMCA (race sponsor/ start location) I have ever seen.  It's huge.  If you live in that area, become a member.  It's half what I pay in NYC and 1000X nicer with multiple pools.  Must be very new.  If only they had gyms like this in NYC (or the space for a mega gym!).  I settled into the huge/clean mens locker room, got organized and decided to stay inside until the last minute so I would stay dry a bit longer.

     

    7:50 I headed out to walk across the parking lot and get to the line.  I never wait this long.  I like to start ON the line.  But it was easy to get to as most people lined up WAY back.  Also, the rain had stopped!

     

    A few pre-race announcements.  The director(?) read the birthdays and I listened for mine.  There were a lot of birthdays!  I heard my name and smiled. 

     

    Gun went off and I decided I'd just go with what felt comfortable and quick even though I knew it would be too fast and I'd pay later.  But, I figured, I'm gonna pay after about 18 miles no matter what I do, so I might as well enjoy the first half and and be happy with whatever that time ended up being.  At least I knew I was well trained for a 13-15 mile race.  I'd deal with those other miles later.

    Mile 1= 6:44, 2= 6:49, 3= 6:44, 4= 6:42, 5= 6:39. Pretty flat, felt easy.

     

    I was just ahead of the 2:59Tight lipped pace group.  I could hear the pace leaders talking about race strategy for the group and about the group being named after Lance Armstrong's NYC marathon debut.  I remembered running that race too, though Lance beat me that year by some 30 minutes I think. 

    Mile 6= 6:43, 7= 6:43, 8= 6:41, 9= 6:49, 10= 6:36, mostly flat, some small rolling hills.  Pretty steady.

     

    I held a comfortable 6:44 ave pace for a long time, running side by side the lead woman.   We got to the half mark effortlessly at 1:29.  I think there was a good hill there and I saw my family around then for the first time in the race, which was really nice since some of them had never seen me race before and I was still looking strong.  I gave several high-fives and smiled for the cameras.  Surprised that I felt that good.

    Mile 11= 6:49, 12= 6:39, 13= 6:46.

     

    I figured I'd just keep going with the lead gal for a few more miles.  I think she pulled away a bit after 15 at which point I saw my family again, due to the winding nature of the course.  Sometime around then we were on an out and back and I saw the lead guy coming toward me on the other side of the road, crossing his mile 19 at a good clip.  I got to see my family again at my mile 17 or so.  More high-fives! 

    Mile 14= 7:04, 15= 7:05, 16=7:16. Starting to slow but feeling "good" and more importantly, I was having a great birthday and smiling!  I didn't mind slowing down a bit to take in the day.

     

    A few more miles ticked by and the Armstrong pace team caught me, I think now I was around 18 or 19 miles, close to where I had earlier seen the lead guy bookin' along.  I could feel myself slowing more and more, losing a couple seconds off my ave pace every mile that went by, but I didn't hurt so I thought, what the hell, just keep going little by little 'till I can't any more.  I was pretty sure I'd finish well under 4 hours now!!  I was on that out-and-back and saw all the slower pace groups way behind me.  What a nice day and a beautiful tree-lined course tucked back in the woods.

    Mile 17= 7:23, 18= 7:31, 19= 7:29.

     

    Around mile 20 it dawned on me I was on course to qualify for Boston!  Before that point, Boston had never entered my mind or my race plan.  I started thinking of how nice it would be to qualify on my birthday.  But I also knew I had not trained properly and would probably miss the 3:10 I needed, but at least for a few more miles I could enjoy the "what if" on my b-day and that got me smiling quite a bit again.  And just then a guy with this year's yellow Boston Marathon finisher's tech shirt, who seemed to be about my age, passed me. So naturally I cranked it up a bit to stay in front of him. In my mind, he was shooting to qualify again, so he needed to stay behind me at all costs.

    Mile 20= 7:42, 21= 7:39.

     

    Mile 22, still slowing, but still on course for a Birthday-BQ, somehow.  Now the thought of Boston was really taking hold and I was fighting a mental battle of should/can I go for it or can I please just slow down and rest and slow some more and just enjoy the fact that I will be in the 3:teens and I was not even trying for that in the first place, so just take "good enough" and be happy!  It would be a good birthday-finish either way!  As I rounded a corner I saw my wife again, standing at the M22 marker!  I wanted to yell that I was on-course for Boston!  I wanted to high-five her!  But I had no energy so I smiled and waved as she took some pics and cheered me on and I forced myself to keep up a sub 8 min pace, which, in my mind, would keep me on course for a birthday-BQ.

     

    Now I was hungry.  I had decided I was done eating GUs around about mile 20.  I just did not have the stomach for it any more.  Water was fine but my stomach was grumbling and I was running out of energy fast. 

    Mile 22= 7:37, 23=7:52, 24= 7:58.  I wanted to walk.  Badly.  Screw Boston.  It's my birthday, I should be able to rest if I want to.

     

    Then the guy with this year's Boston tech shirt passed me again.  I hadn't seen him in a while and had totally forgotten about him.  It perked me up.  He was running with another person and they looked strong.  I kicked it up and passed them.  I had a mile-ish to go and mannnnnnn, I wanted to walk.  There were no people cheering on this lonely stretch of the course!

    Mile 25= 8:07.  I calculated I still had the time to run a 1.2 miles.  I think I had 9 minutes but that was foggy and my math is never to be trusted that far into a race.  With half a mil to go, I really really REALLY thought about walking.  It was hard.  Very hard.  But man, it was also very, very close.

    Mile 26 = 8:39.

     

    I saw the finish line down the road.

    I was squinting but I thought it said 3:09.  

    I needed it to NOT say 3:10!  

    I kicked it up.  

    I could do it.  

    I was doing it.

    It could happen! Holy cow, I don't know how, but I was still moving, and I was speeding up, and the clock was speeding along!

     

    My last .2 was at a 7:12 pace.

     

    Finish:  3:09:38.  

    Happy BQ to me!  

    I qualified for Boston on my birthday and in front of my whole family.   :-)

    HTFU?  Why not!

    USATF Coach

    Empire Tri Club Coach
    Gatorade Endurance Team

      Awesome race report and a hell of an accomplishment!  Nice work.

      "When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem." 
      Emil Zatopek

      JML


        That is one sweet birthday.  Congrats!

        Rebuilding my aerobic base....racing next year.....nothing to see here....move along now.

        LedLincoln


        not bad for mile 25

          Great work!  Probably would have been easier if you had paced yourself for sub-3:10 from the beginning, huh?  Anyway, thanks for writing the report, and congrats!


          ultramarathon/triathlete

            Great work!  Probably would have been easier if you had paced yourself for sub-3:10 from the beginning, huh?  Anyway, thanks for writing the report, and congrats!

             

            Ha, probably, but like I said, I was thinking I'd be a lot slower, so I went out without really caring if I blew up later.  My thinking was that, no matter what pace I did, I'd die after 18 miles.  I'm really not sure how I was able to keep a solid pace so long.  Makes me wonder if I would have been able to go sub 3 if I have just done some proper training in August and Sept!  

             

            Oh, and I forgot to mention I have bronchitis and adult whooping cough (who even gets that?!).  Luckily neither seemed to be an issue until about mile 23 and again at 24 when I had a few bouts of hacking and a hard time breathing.  Oddly, it seems to not be an issue until I STOP running. Then I can't stop coughing!  My Dr said this should last about a month uggggg!

            HTFU?  Why not!

            USATF Coach

            Empire Tri Club Coach
            Gatorade Endurance Team

            LedLincoln


            not bad for mile 25

              Oh, and I forgot to mention I have bronchitis and adult whooping cough (who even gets that?!).  Luckily neither seemed to be an issue until about mile 23 and again at 24 when I had a few bouts of hacking and a hard time breathing.  Oddly, it seems to not be an issue until I STOP running. Then I can't stop coughing!  My Dr said this should last about a month uggggg!

               

              Aw c'mon, bronchitis was my excuse for my poor showing in my first marathon!  Joking