2013 Self-Transcendence Marathon, August 23

Final Tune-up Race for NC24

There is a lot of background needed to get a full and proper perspective of this race, but the gist of the result is that I accomplished my main purpose as a dress rehearsal and preparation for my goal race, the North Coast 24 12-Hour Run.

Unlike the last few workouts before the Endless Summer 6-Hour Run which were very promising, the workouts for the two weeks leading up to this race were more discouraging. Besides having to stop short on my back-to-back long runs at the start of the period, I finished it with one run cut short and totally scrubbing the next day because I felt so bad. After waking up the next morning drenched in sweat and feeling under the weather I even called out sick for work. I had serious thoughts of not even running the race though I was feeling better by Wednesday afternoon. Thursday I felt okay and this would be the last time I'd be able to run under race conditions before NC24, so I decided to drive up to Nyack, NY and do whatever was necessary to finish the race. I needed to do that to regain my confidence that I could push past that 14-16 mile limit I seemed to have hit.

It's about a three hour drive, mostly turnpike and parkway, so it should have been easy. What I didn't count on was torrential rain before I ever left Pennsylvania. It was so bad that if I'd been able to see well enough to change lanes and pull onto the shoulder to wait it out I would have. Then I had second thoughts because the visibility was so bad I could envision someone plowing into me on the shoulder. It added another layer of tension to my anxiety about the race.

Once there check in was done and the clerk mentioned that other guests were also there for the marathon. I decided to drive into town to scout out restaurants and also drive out to the park to check out how long it would take in the morning and see whether parking would be an issue. There was plenty of parking but my anxiety level about whether the course was really flat rose after seeing the hills I had to drive over to get there. I needn't have worried on that score as the paved trail hugged the lake shore and couldn't have been more flat unless they ran it on a track. When I got back to the motel I had another surprise awaiting me. Apparently there had been an accident nearby that had knocked out a utility pole and we had no power, so I went for a little walk to stretch my legs, then sat in my car reading until the power was back. At least dinner that evening was good. I found a tiny pizzeria restaurant called Tarantella's for my prerace baked ziti with eggplant. Very good. After returning to my room I set the alarm, read for a while and went to bed early.

I'm not sure what I did wrong but the alarm never went off, so I was about 20 minutes later than planned getting up. It didn't make any difference after all as I was ready quickly and had to wait for the staff to finish brewing coffee and putting out the complementary breakfast - for me just coffee, a Danish, and a banana. There were four or five of us waiting around to grab a bite to eat before heading up to the marathon. One of the guys asked for a ride so I offered. I ended up seeing him several times during the race along with a member of my running club who had driven up to run this race as part of a double for the weekend. It was nice to have at least a couple familiar faces. I parked near the finish, picked up my number, and wandered toward the starting line. Being relatively early there were a number of water fowl including ducks, swans, egrets, and a great blue heron in the lake. Of course I'd left my camera in the car and didn't think there was enough time to go back, take pictures, and take it back to the car before the start.

Leading up to the start was a short explanation of who Sri Chinmoy was and why they sponsored these races, then a moment of silence for meditation. The race began on both the path and a parallel road to ease the congestion at the start. The first lap was a short one, followed by 8 full laps, then a finish onto the grass where the chute was set up. Each full lap was 2.95 miles with aid stations just under a mile apart, the spacing being about what I'll see at NC24 on the .9 mile loop. I quickly discovered the aid stations included watermelon, which I found really hit the spot. Later after I'd tried the Cytomax and diluted Gatorade, I tried the Coke they also had. By that time it was largely defizzed and helped me more than the diluted Gatorade. I couldn't stand the Cytomax.

I decided to start the race on a run 9 minutes, walk 2 minutes schedule. That lasted for about 10-11 miles when I realized I had to walk more if I was going to finish the race. I shifted to about a 6 minute run and 3 minute walk adjusting the times so that walking coincided with reaching an aid station. By the time I reached 15-16 miles my legs were tired and I was slowing down a lot. I decided I had no choice but to walk for a while, a long while, if I was going to finish. If I didn't finish it would defeat the whole purpose in driving up to run, so I continued even if I had to walk the rest of the way. Besides it would be good practice because I know I will be walking a lot at NC24. What surprised me considering how tired my legs felt running was that for the next 8 miles of walking I averaged 14:45 pace and had one mile in 14:00. With one lap to go I decided I could start running again and see whether I could push the effort a little and get a little cushion to finish under 6 hours. There weren't that many runners left on the course by that time but I was quickly catching up to and passing those that were. I was still in a run-walk mode but I dropped my pace for the last lap to 12:39 and finished in a gun time of 5:48:01. The race wasn't chipped timed, but my Garmin recorded 5:47:51 from when I crossed the starting line with a distance of 26.24 miles versus a certified distance of 26.22 miles. That's close enough for me.

Although I hadn't felt bad during the race other than my legs being tired, as soon as I stopped I became light-headed and dizzy, so it was another trip to the medical tent. After a little rest, ice on the neck, and lots to drink I was fine and managed to still get to the remains of the post-race buffet. I was interested mainly in the pasta and garlic bread along with whatever beverages I could find.

As far as lessons to take away from this, I need to start with a more conservative run-walk ratio. I need to be willing to make adjustments as soon as it becomes apparent that they are needed and not postpone them. Fifty miles is going to be a tough goal to reach, but it should be possible now that I know approximately what pace I can walk at.

Marathon and dress rehearsal should not be used in the same sentence together.  

Good job George.

Marathon and dress rehearsal should not be used in the same sentence together.  

Really doe!  It just boggles my mind that people run for hours past the marathon distance!

I do not know what to expect for you in a few weeks, but you have set yourself up for a good race.  Taper well my friend...wait, do ultra runners taper?!

Great job!  You took away a lot of things that will help you with NC24.   I wish you the best with it!

Not a bad result, all things considered. Best of luck for the big one!

George, while I agree with your analysis, I wonder if you aren't underestimating what the illness and the stress of the trip took out of you.  I spent the week before Boston running a grand total of five miles as I was fighting an intestinal bug that just kicked my ass.  I was running Boston as a fun run but I don't think I could have run it much faster than I did because I was still fairly weak from that illness.

Congratulations!You learned some very important things in this race which will serve you well come goal race day. I'm so glad this turned out a positive event for you. This has been a great training cycle, George, with many new challenges for you. New challenges are what keep us, racers, going. May you go strong at NC24!

May I asked what is baked ziti?

George, I'm sure you've said somewhere - but what is your goal for the NC24?

Is it to complete the 12 or the 24 hours with whatever distance?  Or is it to complete some set distance (you mentioned 50 miles in your RR above) regardless of the time?