Ridge To Bridge Marathon, Morganton, NC, 2008 They say that the third time is the charm and it certainly was for me yesterday. This was my third marathon in the past one year period. Following my "virgin" marathon - Thunder Road in December '07 - I PR'd in Virginia Beach (Mar '08) by 11 minutes and PR'd again yesterday by 11.5 minutes....11 seems to be my lucky number. Description: This is a very small marathon in it's third year. Last year it had about 100 entrants and this year about 160. It sells out very quickly. The course is a point to point course run basically down and through the mountains with spectaular views of the fall foliage. At one point we were running through a cloud line...very cool. The principal feature of this marathon is basically the 2800" drop in elevation in the first 12 miles or so followed by rolling hills till the end. However, the 2nd half is continually peppered with lots of rolling hills that weren't necessarily huge but they were relentless from miles 12 to about 23. THe chart may be a little deceiving as each lateral line is 500', it is definitely not flat almost anywhere on this course. The big hurdle is the 300' climb around miles 17-18. My Goals: 1. to finish ( It's an accomplishment to finish any marathon IMO ) 2. to PR ( run sub- 3:56:36 ) 3. to BQ ( run 3:45:59 or better ) My Strategy: 1. Run as fast as I could ( holding back just a little ) and cover a distance of 21 miles or more in 3 hours or less. I was counting on banking lots of time in the first half due to the elevation drop. 2. At the 3 hour mark I would then have 45.59 minutes to cover 5.2 miles ( 8:51 pace ) which sounded doable but difficult for me at that point of the race with all the rolling hills. 3. Constantly monitor the Average Pace field on my Garmin constantly and don't let it start creeping up. I need an 8:37 average pace to to achieve a BQ... 4. Ditch the HR monitor...I haven't been using it all summer and didn't want anything to give me 2nd thoughts about pushing my limits. Fashion report: Nike black Livestrong baggy shorts that I used in my first marathon. black/blue Saucony tee, power socks, Blue/White Saucony Hurricane X's, and a blue head buff. Pre-Race: I didn't get ANY sleep on Friday night, I was just plain antsy and anxious to get going...this might have been due to getting too much sleep the night before. There was a complimentary breakfast at the Holiday Inn at 4:00AM where I met some other runners and we talked and got to know each other a bit. I had a bagel, banana & OJ and then then checked out. I had to then drive to the Finish Line area to park and at that point the buses would be transporting up up to Jonas Ridge where the race starts. The Luxury Coahes left at 5:30AM and were so loaded up that they barely made it up to the top. I think the driver had it in low gear all the way. I was very nervous about not sleeping that night. The Race: Perfect weather conditions. It was rainy all night but stopped about an hour before the race. Temps ranged between 48F & 58F with cloudy to sunny skies at the finish! The race started promptly at 7:00AM with the early starters - who would need more time to finish - starting at 6:30AM The race is not chip timed but it is seeded. Race numbers are handed out according to the approximate finish times with the fastest runners in front and slower runners in back. I was # 76 and pretty much in the middle of the pack which wasn't very big and the Start went very well. We started in the dark and were supplied with glow sticks for our wrists and small handheld flashlights. It was very cool to see all the lights running down the mountain in the darkness ahead of me. I just went with the flow and when I looked down at my Garmin after a couple of miles or so, I was looking at a sub-8 minute pace....Whow! Too fast for me normally but this wasn't going to be a normal race. I just went with it but held back just a little. What can I say about the first 12 miles? There actually were a couple of hills in this section but basically it was like riding a roller coaster downhill for 12 miles! I throughly enjoyed it! If you're looking for some body pounding action...this was it! When I looked at my average pace toward the end of this ride, it was something like a 7:51 pace...If you've never run downhill for that many miles, I highly recommend it...it's a blast and it feels so good to be going that fast. I don't remember exactly but I know that I completelly blew through my HM PR, I think that I was somewhere around a 1:44 half! But, all good things eventually come to and end and while it was fun, the reality of the second half was facing me. The rolling hills started at the bottom and continued to almost the end of the race. Miles 12 through 16 were OK but my pace was now starting to slow as expected. At mile 17 I encountered "Zion Hill". This is a two stage climb leveling off in the middle for a bit then resuming upward to the crest of the hill - covering a little over a mile in distance with about 300' of elevation. After running so fast for 17 miles I almost felt like I was walking. I had to walk parts of this hill as did most everyone else at this stage of the race. I reached to top at about mile 18.5 and was coming up on my first goal strategy. It was at 3 hours into the run and I managed to cover 21.5 miles....great, I'm ahead of my goal so far. All of a sudden my calves started to really hurt and I was walking frequently. A BQ was still in sight but at this point I knew that I was in trouble because of the pain I was having. I pressed on and was motivated not only by a couple of runners that I had been going back & forth with, but also thinking about how my BQ was so close yet so far. Miles 19-23 were a real struggle for me as I was hurting and my average pace was slowing. I got some help in miles 23-25 where I encountered a nice downhill and was able to at least halt my slowing average pace. Mile 26 was an uphill again it was getting dicey. I was losing pace and slowly approaching my minimum BQ pace of 8:37. At this point I focused on a runner in front of me and decided to try and catch him that no matter how much it hurt. It was a real struggle to force myself not to stop for a few moments but I knew that every second counted at this point. I didn't want to lose a BQ for a few seconds so I hever stopped after that point. I kept my focus on the lone runner ahead of me. It turns out that he was actually seeded #14 and obviously was having some trouble. The last portion of the race was a nice little downhill going through a greenway and over some wooden bridges...it was very cool. It felt weird running over those bridge after running on pavement for 26 miles. I was on "auto-pilot" at this point, it was almost like an out of body experience to numb the pain. I kept pushing and running hard as I could & came through the gate about 50 feet behind him. After the race he thanked me for pushing him and I thanked him in return for keeping me motivated til the end! I made it with about 1 minute to spare after running for 3:44:55! It was the toughest but most rewarding finish for me. I couldn't believe that I actually BQ'd! I was so excited. My calves were so sore after finishing that I had a tough time just walking. I was so focused on the finish gate that I blocked everything else out and forgot to stop my Garmin. My final Garmin time and the last split are completely off. At the finish gate I was greeted by David Lee the RD and he congratulated me and a handmade marathon medal was placed over my chest. How is it that we can run so hard for 26.2 miles, finish the race, then suddenly be barely able to walk or pick something up off the floor?...Amazing! Post Race: There was a great spread of pizza, BBQ pork, salads, fruit, real homemade chocolate chip cookies & homemade Cherry cobbler. I wasn't very hungry initially but forced myself to sample everying on the menu. After an Ibuprofen, some food and putting my jacket on, I started to feel much better. We all received lots of goodies including a Brooks L/S tech tee shirt, R2BM back pack, R2BM car window decal, homemade chocolate chip cookies and other stuff. David Lee and his staff made everyone feel special and everyone was just so friendly. It is a very special marathon with lots of attention paid to detail...a one of a kind experience! Final Results: 3:44:55 11:35 minute PR & a BQ. P.S. I want to thank all the folks on the forum for just being here and helping to motivate me. I may not be very vocal sometimes, but I do appreciate the support and camaraderie...without it I never could have accomplished this goal. After the race at the finish line: Me & John.. a buddy I met there. Elevation Profile: My Splits: Homemade medal:

How is it that we can run so hard for 26.2 miles, finish the race, then suddenly be barely able to walk or pick something up off the floor?...Amazing!

Congrats, Peter. In my one and only marathon, I too was struck by the contrast between how I felt while running and how I felt immediately after finishing. I ran my last mile sub-8:00 and could possibly have run sub-7:00 if motivated. Afterward, I felt that I could barely walk the mile or so uphill to my Army barracks. I will never forget that one of my roommates, Sgt. Pellegrini, a crusty guy who yelled a lot and could be abrasive, was waiting for me at the finish line. He walked me back to the barracks, carrying my knapsack for me. "I figured you might need some help after that," he said. Dark Horse

Well done!!! Congrats on the BQ

Congratulations on the BQ!! For some reason I thought you already had a BQ...so this is big news! I am so glad you managed to push that last mile...that is what got you that excellent time. I am not sure how your quads handled that downhill so easily, you must have a nice light turnover or quads of steel...

Jeez...I'm huffing & puffing just reading your RR! I'm sure others will say this, but I'm not surprised at your superb performance...just about every day you've been posting 8-20 mile runs over hills..your training really held up. A few other things really impressed me: Your detailed race plan including pace, knowledge of the course, "banking" time, etc.; smart pacing during the race including walking a little of the uphill portion; mainly, your perserverance when you started to hurt. Your PR, BQ time, & the home-made medal (how cool is that!) were just the crowning touches from all your preparation. Well done! DickyG

What a great race report, Peter! Were it not for the title I would have been on the edge of my seat with the suspense. I can practically feel your calves -- that downhill must have been brutal. I'm surprised your quads survived. Speaking of brutal -- those hills before 18 and in mile 26 are just harsh! Congratulations on your achievements (PR & BQ). Will you be in Boston in April?

Congratulations Peter! You ran strong on a quad shredder of a course and kept your goal in sight the whole way. You trained so well over all those hills and I was guessing you would hit a great one. The photos are super and so is your report. Thanks for sharing this. Way to go! Karin

Congrats on the PR and BQ!!! AWESOME! Great photo's , you have a gorgeous smile! I really like the finishers medal too! I'd love to run this race...(I love downhill courses) Congrats again, Great job! arf