Beginners and Beyond

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The Marshall University Marathon. A wall of wind is still a wall. (Read 148 times)

Love the Half


    Extremely short version:  2:59:42.  Fuck the running gods.  I spit at thee.  I fart in your general direction.  I'm still here, bitches. And I know everything.

     

    Long, narcissistic, attention whore version:  My "A" goal for the year was to run a sub 3:00:00 marathon at the Marshall University Marathon on November 10.  Everything I have done this year focused on that one goal.  I spent the first part of the year developing my speed.  Mission accomplished with an 18:33 at the West Virginia USATF 5K Championships in June.  Bear in mind that an 18:33 5K is only a 5:58 pace and it predicts anywhere between a 2:58 and a 3:04 depending on what calculator you use so I knew I had some serious work ahead of me.

     

    The next focus was endurance.  Lots of endurance.  I wanted miles of trials and trials of miles.  I wanted to remove, molecule by molecule, the very tough rubber that comprised the bottom of my Asics Nimbus.  I have heard many preach the benefits of more and more miles.  OK.  I heard it from Goo.  Hell, that's good enough for me.  So I ran as many miles as I could.  I got sick of running miles at 10:00 p.m. because I hadn't been able to get in a run that day.  Hated every damn step.  But I did it.  I didn't get enough sleep.  But I got the miles.  It turns out that this Goo fellow may well know a thing or two about running.

     

    Once I felt that my endurance was developed fairly nicely, I turned to my stamina.  That has been (and, spoiler alert, remains) my weak point.  Probably always will be.  As human beings, we all have innate strengths and weaknesses and stamina is my weakness.  It's why I hate, hate, hate tempo runs and why I knew I needed to focus my last couple of months of training on my stamina.  It went well and then it went better than well.  I started dropping 6 mile tempo runs at a 6:30 pace, closing them close to 6:15, and feeling good doing it.  I was absolutely in the best damn shape of my life and it wasn't close.  I knew that none of that great endurance and burgeoning stamina guaranteed a sub 3:00:00 marathon but I knew I had a good shot.  Then, the wheels came off.

     

    I had been struggling with what I now think is piriformis syndrome for a while and it finally reached a point that I could barely walk.  I'd start a run and it would be agonizing for the first half mile or so.  My gait changed and that's not good.  I broke down and went to my family doctor.  She gave me a couple of prescriptions and sent me to physical therapy.  It sure as hell didn't fix it but it took the pain down to a tolerable level.  That was fine.  Even when I went to see her, I told her I didn't need to be fixed now - I just needed to be fixed enough to survive until November 10.  It seemed to work.  Then, Elmo struck.

     

    I had planned for a brutal week three weeks before the race.  On Saturday, I sat in an Elmo toddler chair and folded clothes.  Lots of clothes.  No big deal as I've done that a bunch of times in the past.  Only this time, when I got up, my back was sore.  Meh, I'm 51.  Shit hurts sometimes.  As the day went on, my back hurt worse and worse.  By the end of the day, I could barely move.  I spent Sunday on the couch and I didn't run for a week.  Missing that week of training took all of the fire out of me.  I simply didn't have the desire to train.  The week before the marathon I only ran 40 miles and I skipped three days.  I could feel fitness slipping away.  Monday of race week, I attempted a marathon pace run.  I only lasted six miles and it felt more like a tempo run even though it was at "M" pace.  In other words, my goose was cooked.  Then, I did 5 x 800 on Wednesday and I was clipping them at a 2:58 pace and it felt easy so I didn't know what to think.  I have never entered a race with less confidence.

     

    The Race

     

    All normal stuff.  Did an insane carb load the day before and I remain convinced that skipping this step is just setting yourself up for failure.  It's miserable to take in 3,500 calories in carbs alone in a day but god does it work.  Over hydrated the day before and spent all of last night peeing.  Apparently, I will never get this right.

     

    Anywho, got to the race and did a decent warm up.  Jogged about 3/4 of a mile and did 1 minute race pace + 1 minute jog + 1 minute race pace + 1 minute jog.  Then did some strides.  Truthfully, and surprisingly, my legs felt awesome.  I decided at that point to just relax and take what the day gave me.  I saw the half marathon 1:30 pacer and figured I'd try to keep him in sight.  Well hell, he wasn't pacing a 1:30 because he was gone quickly.

     

    I read a lot of race reports from folks who talk about how easy the first miles feel in a marathon.  I never felt that way today.  In fact, I never felt relaxed.  I felt like I was pushing on every damn step of every damn mile.  It sucked from the first step to the last.  My left hamstring started barking at me somewhere between Miles 2 and 3.  Not good.  I started feeling the first twinges of real discomfort around Mile 8.  Hell, that's not much beyond when I feel them in a half marathon so I'm pretty much assured of a long and miserable day.  Much to my surprise though, I realize that I'm pretty much dead on pace for a 3:00:00 marathon but, given the way I feel, I'm also fairly certain that won't last.  The way this course is laid out, there is a long stretch running East to West from about Mile 2 to about Mile 7.  It's a double loop so you see it again from Mile 14 to Mile 19.  The wind on this long stretch is in your face and it's not too bad on the first loop.

     

    Near the halfway point, another runner and I are running nearly side by side and he suggests we link up and try to run sub 3:00.  I let him know that sub 3:00 isn't happening for me today and I'm shooting for a sub 7:00 pace which would still be a 5 minute PR.  I hit the halfway point at 1:29:54.  If I was going to run sub 3:00, I needed a cushion of a minute or so.  A six second cushion ain't gonna cut it.  Still, I'm now clipping down the road around a 6:40 pace and it feels fairly comfortable so I'm wondering if maybe, just maybe, sub 3:00 is possible.  Then I turn West.

     

    At Mile 14, the race turns West and holy shit.  Now I know why a 6:40 felt comfortable.  I am now running straight into a 20-30 m.p.h. wind.  It just stands me straight up.  The guy who wanted to run with me has linked up with two other runners.  They're about 50 yards ahead and I try like hell to close the gap but I simply can't.  At Mile 15, I run perilously close to my car and all I want to do is get in and go home.  Sub 3:00 is gone, I'm miserable, everything hurts, I have over 10 miles to go, and not only do my legs hurt but I'm struggling aerobically.  And I'm running slow as molasses.  There is absolutely nothing good happening here and I know damn well I have four more miles of running straight into this god forsaken wind.  It has sucked the life out of me.

     

    By Mile 16, I'm in pure survival mode.  I'm staring at a point in the road about 10 feet in front of me.  I have my head down and I'm simply trying to put one foot in front of the other without my pace completely falling apart.  The three amigos who were 50 yards ahead are now more like 200 yards ahead and they're pulling away.  What's worse is that I look behind me and the nearest person to my rear is nearly out of sight so it's not like I can ease up a bit and join with him.  So, I'm stuck with time trialing in miserable wind with my body feeling worse than it has ever felt at this point in a marathon.  All I want to do is quit.  Still, I am unwilling to give up on the sub 7:00 pace.  I know that the wind in the face won't last forever and if I can survive to Mile 19, I'll still pull that out and I keep hanging onto that reed of hope.

     

    Just past Mile 19, we turn East and the wind is at my back.  I resolve to make what time I can here because I know we turn West again around Mile 21.  I look at my Garmin and see 6:50 and get pissed.  That's not taking advantage of the wind.  So, I pick up the effort.  I have long since come to terms with my calves feeling like they have knives being thrust in and twisted so I keep hammering away.  Of course, at Mile 21, I hit the wind again and my pace again drops something awful.

     

    Around Mile 22, we go through an underpass and it must have done something to my Garmin because I was nearly dead on the Mile splits up to that point but I'm off from Mile 23 to the finish and I end up with only 26.1 and this is a certified course.  Anywho, I'm putting my head down and running because just past Mile 23, we turn East for the final time and the wind is at my back.  Before I reach that point, I resolve to buckle down when I make the turn and lay into it with everything I have left in me - which isn't much.  But, I make the turn and find that I am mentally broken.  I simply can't find the willpower to push myself.  Nah, I'm not jogging but I can't push.  I simply can't.

     

    But, this is a double loop course.  Around Mile 24, I see one of the leaders of our local track club.  He is the 4:30 pace leader.  He looks at his watch, gives me a stern look and says, "dude, you gotta go, you gotta go."  My initial reaction, none of which is spoken, is "fuck you."  "I have given this miserable ass race everything I have in me and the wind has kicked my ass and I have never been comfortable and I have just sucked from the start and how dare you tell me what to do."  Or something like that.  Then, I realized he was right.  I knew that if I didn't go now and I left time on the course, I couldn't live with myself.  A sub 3:00 might be out the window but a sub 3:02 wasn't and maybe even a sub 3:01.  So, goddammit, get your miserable lazy ass in gear and run like you care.  So I did.

     

    I saw the three amigos ahead and I resolved to catch them before the end.  Gradually, oh so gradually, they started coming back to me.  At Mile 25, I caught two of the three.  We ran together for a very brief time but I had already made the decision that Mile 26 would be my fastest mile of the race.  So, about every 200 yards, I dial it up one more notch.  The one time I look at my watch, I see something stupid like 6:35.  As it turns out, I will run Mile 26 at a 6:24 pace.  When I entered the stadium, I looked at the total time on my watch and saw 2:59:00.  For literally the first time in this race since the halfway point, I thought that sub 3:00 was in reach because there were just over 200 yards to go.  I just ran as hard as I could.  And then I ran harder.  And harder.  And harder.  I have never run so hard in my life.  Garmin pegs me at a 4:44 pace.  I'm not buying that but it was an all out sprint.

     

    As I round a turn for the final stretch, I hear the announcer yelling something like, "come on for sub 3:00" and I push even harder.  I can't see the seconds on the clock but I can see 2:59: and I keep begging the numbers not to change.  Finally, I can see 2:59:4 but I can't see the last number so I just run and run and run.  When I stop my Garmin, I see 2:59:45.  My official time will be 2:59:42.

     

    Pshht.  Piece of cake.  I had 3/4 of a second per mile to spare.  That actually kind of blows my mind.  3/4 of a second per mile slower over 26.2 miles and I run 3:00:01.  If I run that last mile in 6:50 rather than 6:24, I finish in 3:00:06.

     

    Post Race

     

    I knew my parents were going to be there for the finish but I also knew my wife and kids couldn't make it.  I crossed the line and fell to my knees in complete certainty that I was about to puke.  I didn't.  When I looked up I saw my mother but then a voice behind me said, "hi daddy."  I got the best surprise of the day when my wife and my kids were in fact there.  I had been tricked but it was a great trick and a wonderful surprise.  I hung around for a couple of hours with the local track club group and cheered on other runners and drank a couple of beers.

     

    For lunch, I went with my parents and my wife and kids to a fundraising lunch for Sojourner's Shelter which is the women's homeless shelter in this area.  They do wonderful work with these families, some of whom have lost hope, and give them work and life skills to help them become independent.  Great organization.  Damn good lunch as well.  Returned home and then went to a local pizza joint and had a couple of beers with folks from the local track club.  Then, drove back to Huntington and met Ann (Lil Blue) Elaine, and Dan at a locally owned restaurant for some awesome food and great beers (think Sierra Nevada Narwhal Imperial Stout).

     

    What the hell?  That has to be the best post race ever.  I get surprised by my family, I get to support a local charity, and I get to support a locally owned business.  I think I'm pretty happy right now although I concede that the Imperial Stout may have something to do with that feeling.

     

    Lessons Learned

     

    If you think you have applied enough Vaseline on a day when the humidity is extremely low and there will be a lot of wind, you are wrong.

    Short term goal: 17:59 5K

    Mid term goal:  2:54:59 marathon

    Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life.  (I started running at age 45).

    Docket_Rocket


      Haha.  Love your last sentence.  Congrats!

      Damaris

       

      As part of the 2024 London Marathon, I am fundraising for VICTA, a charity that helps blind and visually impaired children. My mentor while in law school, Jim K (a blind attorney), has been a huge inspiration and an example of courage and perseverance. Please consider donating.

      Fundraising Page

      Love the Half


        BTW, my perception that this was a difficult race for me is supported by observation from others.  I had 4 or 5 people tell me that when they saw me in the race, and one saw me as early as Mile 11, I looked awful. The guy who saw me at Mile 11 is someone who has been running for 40 years and he said he figured I was in for a miserable day.  I have to admit he was right.  It is difficult to describe how lousy I felt throughout this race.

        Short term goal: 17:59 5K

        Mid term goal:  2:54:59 marathon

        Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life.  (I started running at age 45).

        hog4life


          Congrats on the sub 3. Now change your sig line to get rid of that short term goal.

          Jack K.


          uʍop ǝpᴉsdn sǝʇᴉɹʍ ʇI

            Oh, hell yes! Great stuff, LtH. Considering your Elmo chair injury, hamstring problem at mile 2, and the wind, it is safe to say you ran a great race. When I first started lurking around here, I knew you knew what the heck you were talking about. That is freakin awesome.

            redrum


            Caretaker/Overlook Hotel

              Dude!!  That's just an awesome RR!!

               

              If I never run a full, you put me in your shoes for this one!!!

               

              Mega-congrats & way to push.  (Daggers in the calves amongst all the other pain you must've been feeling makes me hurt all over)

               

              Curious.........Of the 3 amigos, what happened to the 2 you caught & the 1 that was (I'm guessing) in front of you?

               

               Randy

              catwhoorg


              Labrat

                Well done LtH. Just think what you could have done on a non-windy day., that must have cost you some significant time.

                 

                2:55 or better has got to appear as a goal soon.

                5K  20:23  (Vdot 48.7)   9/9/17

                10K  44:06  (Vdot 46.3)  3/11/17

                HM 1:33:48 (Vdot 48.6) 11/11/17

                FM 4:13:43 (Vdot 35.4) 3/4/18

                 


                delicate flower

                  Impressive showing, LtH!  Congratulations on getting that sub-3:00 marathon.  Sounds like it was a wonderfully miserable experience.  I wonder what you could have pulled off had you not been slowed by injuries, had more favorable conditions, and if you actually felt good on race day.

                   

                  So what's next?

                  <3

                  Venomized


                  Drink up moho's!!

                    Congrats!  Time to adjust that short term goal.

                    TJoseph


                      That was an awesome race.  Congratulations!

                      Robert31320


                      Team TJ

                        Congratulations on hitting your goal despite your recent issue with your back!  Job well done.

                        Running for TJ because he can't.

                         

                        Awood_Runner


                        Smaller By The Day

                          Having recently run my first marathon, it's a good thing I knew the result before I read the report.  Just reading about the first half of the race would have led me to believe that there was no way in hell you'd reach your goal.  I'm glad you were able to hold on and make it happen.  Awesome job LTH, and thanks for sharing.  You've been a big help to people like myself, and it's good to see you succeed in your own goals.

                          Improvements

                          Weight 100 pounds lost

                          5K 31:02 Sept. 2012 / 23:36 Sept. 2013 (Same Course)

                          10K 48:59 April 2013

                          HM 2:03:56 Nov. 2012 / 1:46:50 March 2013

                          MARATHON 3:57:33 Nov. 2013

                          happylily


                            You, sir, are a real badass. Quite impressive training and racing. Huge congratulations, you did it!

                            PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013

                                    Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013

                            18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010

                            HobbitLegs


                            elevenses

                              Congrats! So happy for you, especially with all you've been through. "Hi daddy!" = best part.

                              MothAudio


                                Sub-3, negative split, last mile fast mile, driving through that wind, never giving up. Balls on the table performance Brad.

                                 

                                Your report reminds me way too much of my 1st BQ attempt, when I began feeling the pace much too early and knew I would be in for a very long day. I’ll never do that to myself again but it’s my proudest marathon moment.  I ran this past weekend and I would have been cursing the Running Gods if I were racing any distance, never mind 26 miles. I prefer to cast my gaze toward the heavens when I feel like an animal trapped in a "cage of pain" and the only way to make it go away is to cross the finish line. Having your family and friends there to support you is a fitting tribute. Your report should provide insight on why some runners only run one marathon a year.

                                 

                                Crap, there goes the last PB you had on me.    Much respect.

                                 Youth Has No Age. ~ Picasso / 1st road race: Charleston Distance Run 15 Miler - 1974 / profile

                                 

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