2009 Bayshore Marathon BQ report (Read 648 times)

This was it for me, the big tamale this spring.  A second chance at a Boston Qualifier for the year, after a couple of pitstops at Disney in January turned a close call at 3:15:59 into an "oh well" 3:17:35. 

Training for this marathon has been amazing.  It's been the single best training cycle for me ever, including high school.  Since last August, it's been roughtly 2100 miles on the roads of Michigan, by far the most I've ever run.  After averaging 60+ mpw in the 8 weeks prior to Disney, I averaged 70+ mpw in the 10 weeks prior to Bayshore.  However, my hammy and ITBs were starting to act up.  But it was the right time in my training on a hopefully good weather day.  Would it be good enough to get out there and get it done? 

The weather was A-MAZ-ing!  50ish at the start and cloudy, which turned into ptly cloudy and 60 at the finish.  Maybe a little S wind, enough to cool, but not enough to hamper any pacing in the latter half of the race. 

For those who don't know the course, Bayshore is an out and back marathon in Traverse City Michigan.  It starts on the edge of town and goes out north of town along the eastern shore of the Old Mission Peninsula to a start park, and then turns around and comes back along the same course.  It is pretty flat.  There is a hill at the beginning/end of the course and the 13 mile mark of the course, and some slow rollers in and around 7-9/17-19, but for the most part, its about the camber of the roads.  The road is winding in places, and tilts to one side or other, so making sure that you find a flat spot on the course is sometimes more important than finding the tangent on the course, depending on how things are going. 

Before the race had started, I felt confident that 3:15 was in the bag, so I offered to pace together with friend to his BQ time at 3:10:59.  I figured, I had a shot at 3:10 and I thought it would help to have a couple of people pushing each other along.  The plan (there always has to be a plan!) was to start out at 7:25s for the first six miles, and then push it down to 7:15s.  If the training is there, and the pacing is there, then the even miles will carry the day to 3:15:59. 

All of the pre-race planning (heavy carb loading during the week, but not as much on the evening before!) went perfectly, and Saturday morning found me amongst a bunch of online friends before the race start, talking about race goals and where we saw ourselves finishing.  It was a great way to keep my mind off of everything to come.  I met Cory amongst the rest of us, and we moved to the starting line. Cory and I found a nice place (A little too far back, as it turned out) for the start, and after the Star Spangled Banner, we started.  

As I mentioned, it was a bit too far back.  For the first mile, we dodged a bunch of people and did a lot of bobbing and weaving through the crowd.  As a result, it was not a 7:25 mile, but a fast 7:10 mile!  I think the downhill mile really helped us along here, but it was a story of things to come.  The next mile was also 7:10.  It's the old story in the big race after a taper.  Everything feels so strong and so fresh that keeping any sort of pace discipline is difficult.  Finally, as people started talking and getting to know each other nearby, we found a few more people looking for the 3:10 goal, and we settled into a pace in the mid-high 7:teens in a pack.  The next eight or nine just rolled off, and I felt so fresh.  I've never felt that good in a marathon.  IT WAS AMAZING!  At about 6 miles, we met up with the half marathoners going in the other direction, and I caught a quick hello from my buddy Rick, and Cory got some kind words from his buddies going in the other direction.  However, as time rolled on, I could feel him slip a little bit, the footfalls were starting to shuffle a bit, and he was falling off a bit, first to the back of the pack, and then off the back.  Finally, around 11, he told me to take off, that today wasn't his day.  I shouted a few words of encouragement, and took off toward a couple of guys that looked as fresh as I felt at the vanguard of group.  I caught them about a mile and a half later.  Phil, the guy who helped pace me at Glass City, passed me going in the other direction at 12, and he was making damn good time at sub 3 pace.  I hit the turn at the half at 1:35:20.  Almost right on the money for sub 3:11, and all of us who were still in the pack looked strong.   I was still feeling great, and the leaders started working it a bit, working the pace down into the 7:10 range. 

The next 4 miles were a bit of a blur, punctuated by quick meetings with friends still coming up to the halfway point.  Those miles were in a zone and extremely consistent at low 7:teens.  I took my second gel at 16, but I could start feeling my hammy start to tighten.  By 18, it was starting a full on revolt, and taking the ITBs prisoners.  The 7:teens started to hit 7:20s, and then 7:20s became 7:30s. The fellas I was running with opened a gap, and made it wider, and then disappeared around a curve. But....BUT.  I had a cushion. 

I love that phrase, which was my goal all cycle.  If something bad happened...I HAD A CUSHION!    By the time I hit 20, I was running 7:30s, at least 10 seconds off goal pace, but I had 5 minutes to give.  After 21, I could have run a full 60 seconds off goal pace, and still made it.  It was the best feeling to have at that point.  It helped me to stay relaxed, and just roll with whatever the course had to offer.  I took my last gel at 21, and worked toward the finish, wincing with every step of my right hammy, and hoping that the race would end soon.  With three miles to go, I could still run a 27 min 5K, and still BQ. 

At mile 24, I peaked out at 7:58, a full 41 seconds off goal pace. However, things started loosening up a little, something that I was happy about.  So, with 2 to go, I tried to pick it up and finish strong as we entered Traverse City from the north. 

At that point, I'm happy to say, I hadn't hit the wall yet. my leg still felt like total crap, and it was a struggle for every extra second, but I managed to push the pace down a bit, and pass a few guys (including the two people in the lead pack with me back at 11-16, who really flamed out), get passed a couple of times in return. and bring the pace down to 7:40 again. 

Then the emotion kicked in.  Ok.  So this has been one of my biggest goals of my life since 2003.  I've had one big flame out and one near miss on my record since then.  But, holy crap!  This was it!  I was going to BQ!  The ol' waterworks didn't start up then, but it was a close fought thing.  Exactly at 26 miles, the course turns off from the road, and turns onto a track, where the last 380 odd yards are on an oval.  The adrenaline kicked in, and it was off to the races!  I could hear my wife screaming all of the way across the track, and it was like there was no lead weights at all.  With a raise of my fists and a cross of the finish line, it was DONE!

Executive Summary:

Chip time: 3:13:16
overall place: 84/1735
ag place: 11/127
splits: 1:35:13/1:38:03

YES!!!!  My wife was there, and Rick and Phil were there for congratulations as well!  I grabbed some refreshments, and it was there in the food tent that the waterworks opened up.  All of the hard work, extra effort and long cold miles PAID OFF, and in full.  Pain never felt so good. 

The rest of the day was spent watching friends sprint into the finish, some with great successes, some content with finishing, but the important thing is that all of them finished.  All that remained were the celebrations, and they were great indeed.  But that's another story.

By far, this is the most complete marathon I've ever run.  In the space of 30 months, my marathons have gone from 16 and bonk (3:31:30, Sept 07) to 24 and bonk (3:17:35, Jan 09) to no bonk (3:13:16, May 09).  I've never been able to go FASTER for the last 2 miles before.  I would like to have paced the early miles a little better, but I don't think that would have helped for the later miles, I think I still would have cramped up in those rolling hills at 18-20. All of the pre-race planning was perfect, I don't think I'll change a thing in that regard for Boston.  I'm hoping to add some strength training to my workout schedule, in an effort to add some core strength to my body, and hopefully help my speed. 

So now what?  Shorter, faster, harder.    It's time for a sub 40 10K, and finally break my oldest PR, 1:28:24 in the half in the fall, and then start building toward Boston this winter.  How fast can I get...time to find out!

Great job!

I hope you got some ice cream afterward.

Congratulations Jeremy!   Awesome race report!!!   

You know, even if I hadn't already known that you BQ'd, the constant smile after the race would have given it away!!!!