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Not a fail. 24 Hour Around the Lake Marathon - 5:17 PR (Read 680 times)

jpdeaux


    24 Hour Around the Lake (Marathon)

     

    Executive Summary:
    Official time: 3:16:06, a 5:17 PR.
    12th overall(/123) and 3rd(/20) in my age group.
    63rd day in a row running.
    Average mileage last 10 weeks: 74 MPW
    Longest training run: 29
    Race Nutrition: Gatorade only.
    I did have two of my now-habitual marathon sandwiches (white bread, Marshmallow Fluff and grape jam) a couple of hours before. I calculate they are the equivalent of two Gu's each. They did not disappoint.

     

    Verdict: Train for an Ultra, then run a marathon instead. Draft.

     

    Skip the rest if you're bored already. Apologies for length.

     

    This race actually consists of four separate races: A marathon, 12 and 24 hour individual ultras, and a 24 hour ultra relay. The course is a mostly flat 5K with slight grades up and down, around scenic Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, MA. The weather on race evening turned drier and cooler. The marathon start was a bit funky, with a half mile unchaperoned walk to the wrong place, then a quarter mile walk back to the real start. Then a "radio start" because we were out of earshot of the real gun, so our starting official gave a simultaneous countdown with his Nextel pinned to his ear. You had to trust him. He proved trustworthy as my watch was just one second off from the official clock.

     

    About 120 runners had signed up for the "short" race of the day. And let's get this out of the way right now. I did not win. How was I supposed to compete with a 19 year old first time marathoner getting lucky and running a course record 2:32? <grumble, grumble> How do you compete with that? Even Chuck Engle couldn't compete with that and took fourth. The kid didn't know any better. Anyways...

     

    We (marathoners) did a not-quite-one-mile slack loop around a nearby office building, including three nice speed bumps and four turns each way with a quick 180, then proceeded past, not across, the starting line of the (simultaneously started) ultras.

     

    My plan was to settle into a comfortable fast pace, similar to the 22:30 5K tune-up pace I did the night before in Mikey's FORR race in Reading, best case hoping for a 3:18 PR. The Lake is 5K around so I'd be able to quickly assess my condition and overall pace every 5K past the clock. To my great luck, along the first lap I met Simon with whom I seemed to share both a pace and a stride length. We cruised through lap 1 (the long one, 4 miles) in 29 minutes and decided to stick together and help each other out. The next three laps went by pretty steadily. I stopped for Gatorade once each lap and downed a full cup, then gradually caught back up to Simon each time. He drank on the run. I felt great. This was my familiar Lake loop. It was flat, more or less. The pace was challenging, but not hard, and life was good. I passed the halfway mark within 1-2 minutes of my half marathon PR, even throwing in a 6:57 at mile 11.

     

    It's a strange race for a few reasons. Although the marathon starts a mile behind the other three races, you quickly begin passing people who are gearing for 12 to 24 hours of running. And since it's a loop there is a high likelihood of lapping some runners multiple times. It's also a popular public exercise loop so strollers, dogs and 3-abreast "meetings" are common. "On your left!" was a common refrain. What little patience I have in my dotage evaporates when I get tired.

     

    Lap 5 (mile 16) was the last "easy" lap although my pacing stayed consistent through lap 6, up to about mile 20, mostly by tracking with the relentless Simon. He later said I helped set the pace, but I stumbled a few times to keep up so I knew I was near my redline. It did not help that some portions of the loop were unlit (I knew this going in and opted not to carry a light.) My stride was clipped by unseen changes in the terrain a few times and it threw off the rhythm and wasted energy. Around mile 20 I started faltering, but Simon slowed down and came back to me and insisted that I hang tough. What an unselfish guy! I was a bit humbled so I dug deep and came up with something extra for two more miles. At 22 I insisted to Simon that he go and finish his own race since we were close to the bell lap, so he went. I did my usual late-marathon slowdown to 8:30 pace, but then was joined early in the last lap by my friend Eric, fellow Shamrock and owner of RunningAhead, whom Ed (BadDawg) calls "The Great and Powerful Eric". He lent support, encouragement, and silent companionship on that lap and inspired a burst to 7:30 pace to finish the last mile and a half. This was a huge help.

     

    Normally I would have given back all those 7:05-7:20 miles by collapsing in the last few miles and ending up somewhere in my usual marathon comfort zone. But when I crossed the timing mats to start the final lap I realized that even if I slowed down to 9 minute miles I could still finish around 3:20. It began to dawn on me that in this final, difficult three mile stretch I could settle for 3:20 and not be in pain, or I could work to grab every minute under that and shave minute by minute from my PR. I went for the pain. After two 10-second walk breaks I decided any running was better than walking at this point, and soon it would be over anyway. Eric was with me and the slog was on. I skipped the Gatorade station on the back side, amped up the hurt on the slight downhill and picked it up, knowing that after the next rise there was a long easy downhill pretty much to the finish. My last half mile was a silly 6:59 pace. Official time: 3:16:06, a 5:17 PR, good for 12th overall and 3rd in my age group. Simon was 11th overall and second in our age group, about 3 minutes ahead of me. I later learned that he owned a marathon PR of 2:41 and trained with a woman who was an Olympic marathon qualifier. This could explain the relentless consistency in his pace. But only character explains his generosity in running with me and helping me along.

     

    The 8-loop aspect of this race also lends itself to loads of support. My fellow Shamrock runners, who were doing the 24 Hour relay or lending support, were a huge lift on each and every lap. Hearing the frequent yells and applause was an adrenaline rush and drove me to keep the pace. Knowing I'd have to repeat the story of my collapse kept me from such an end. Many thanks to too many to name, but here goes anyway:
    LisaEricMarshaBillBillySarahChrisReneeTimLinda BarefootTimMelissaBobEllenRalphEdDougBobSIMONAndyMike
    CurtisMikeyScottShawnDaveGeraldoBrianPatrickAndEverybodyElseI'mSorryIforgot.

     

    Suffice it to say I've never run a marathon alone, or by myself.

     

    Matt

      Nice job! GREAT PR!

      I am going to have to find one of these multiple lap thingies. May be a good mindtrip.

      jpdeaux


        Thanks Dan. Seriously those 5K chunks were the perfect size to keep evaluating your condition, and to break the race into manageable segments. And evening racing was an unexpected bonus.

          Great report Matt, congratulations on a HUGE PR!  You definitely earned it with all of the miles you've been putting in.

           

          Bob

            Matt,

             

            Nice race and way to go with the flow dropping from a 24 hr endurance race to a marathon and acheiving a PR!!!  Goes to show good training helps you regardless of the distance of the race.

             

            Great Job!

            "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it Great!

              And you did this in July.  Imagine what will happen in the fall in normal marathon weather.  Very nicely done.

              Runners run

              TMorin


                 

                The 8-loop aspect of this race also lends itself to loads of support. My fellow Shamrock runners, who were doing the 24 Hour relay or lending support, were a huge lift on each and every lap. Hearing the frequent yells and applause was an adrenaline rush and drove me to keep the pace. Knowing I'd have to repeat the story of my collapse kept me from such an end. Many thanks to too many to name, but here goes anyway:
                LisaEricMarshaBillBillySarahChrisReneeTimLinda BarefootTimMelissaBobEllenRalphEdDougBobSIMONAndyMike
                CurtisMikeyScottShawnDaveGeraldoBrianPatrickAndEverybodyElseI'mSorryIforgot.

                 

                Suffice it to say I've never run a marathon alone, or by myself.

                 

                Matt

                 

                I want to throw some thanks to the Shamrock crew. I was on one of the relay teams and they definetly supplied the most crowd support. Even at 2:30AM.