It has been a whole year since I toed the line for a marathon. I ran the Gilbert Half in November and set a 1:29:51 PR, finishing 2nd in my age group. I achieved my goal of sub-1:30 and set myself up for a solid marathon training cycle.
My goal heading into the build
was to set a PR at Phoenix and take another step closer to Sub3. Throughout December and January, I was
running in the low 50s miles per week on 5 runs per week. Late in December there was a key workout that
shifted my thinking for the race. We
went as a team to run on the Phoenix course and had a workout of 2x4mi @ marathon
pace late in the run. Prior to the workout,
DD had asked me what I thought my marathon pace was. I told him I wanted it to be 6:50, which
gives a 3hr marathon. He said that I
should try for that and see how it felt; I could always back off if I needed
to. There were 3 others on the team preparing
for Sub3 attempt, so I was planning to hang onto them as long as possible. After drafting for most of the first set we
turned and crossed a road and I wound up on the front of the pack at the start
of the second set along with Derek. We
set out in that first mile and held the pace.
Soon I felt there wasn’t anyone right behind us; the other three had
fallen back slightly. By the end of the
set I was still holding the pace and Derek told me I seemed in control. It was a huge mental boost and I began to set
my sights on Sub3 at this marathon.
As training progressed, I ran
a lot with the Sub3 group. This helped
me get stronger and more confident in my ability to run that pace. As the race came closer, Derek said there was
no reason NOT to try for Sub3. If I
tried and failed, I would still likely set a PR and if I didn’t try, I might
wonder what I could have done. So, I
settled on a pacing strategy that would get me in the 6:50 average range.
Gear: Newton Distance VII shoes (Green), Wright double layer
socks, Adidas Delancey Loopers singlet, Lululemon shorts, Adidas BAA cap,
Plantronics Backbeat FIT earphones, throw-away gloves, arm sleeves, and SPI
Belt with gels. 4 AMPED Fuel gels, BASE
salt at start, and e+Shot. Warmup jacket
and sweat pants for pre-race warmth. I
carried the e+Shot and one gel inside my gloves so that my SPI belt wasn’t as
heavy. Race weight: 186
Nutrition: Peanut butter bagel and banana early morning,
AMPED Nitro and Fuel before the race, AMPED Fuel, e+Shot, and water during the
race.
During my long runs in January
I frequently had GI distress and I did some research into potential
causes. One factor included dairy as it
takes a while to break down. I decided to avoid dairy for 24 hours before races
and long runs. My next long run was much
better and so I avoided dairy before the race too.
MP came to run this race with
me. He has been recovering from injury
and was aiming for 3:15. We had a great time talking about race strategy and
drove the course to prepare.
My race plan was to run with
DD, AM, JS, and JN at the start to try and conserve energy and keep pace
steady. We had lots of practice on the uphill
segment in Las Sendas, so I knew how to ease off to keep effort even. Then I was going to aim for 1:29 half to give
myself a chance at Sub3.
The morning was cold which
meant great running weather! We bundled
up and headed to the busses. We were
fairly early so when we arrived at the start there were no lines for the
toilets. After, we headed to a fire to
keep warm and I was in touch with some of my teammates to try and meet up. I was getting ready and put my ear phones on
and they would not turn on. They have
been temperamental in the past, but I was able to get them going. Not this time. I tried and tried, and then realized time was
getting on. I headed to the gear drop
and by this time the announcer said that there was only 2 minutes until gun
time. I had not found the others I was
going to start with so I looked for the 3:00 pacer. I was fairly close to the front of the group
when the gun went, but there were still many in front of me. I wasn’t sure if the others were ahead or
behind.
For the first mile I
concentrated on avoiding others and the cones in the road. The 2nd mile I sped up as it was
down hill and I was hoping to catch the others.
I thought that it was worth spending some effort to catch them so that I
could draft with them for several miles.
I turned the corner at McDowell and then saw DD and JN in the
distance. I caught them before turning
into Las Sendas. They did not know where
the girls were either and had been pushing to catch them! No wonder it was hard to catch up with
them. As we turned into the hill, I choose
to run my own pace instead of working to stay with them. At the top of the hill there was a gap but they
were still in sight.
I thought that running to
catch them in the early miles may have cost too much effort. The miles felt fine, but I knew that the
effort was an unplanned withdrawal from the reserves. I decided that I was going to stick to my
pace plan even if I had to run solo. And
I was really solo as my earphones never did turn on.
I remember feeling pretty sad
at one point in the race thinking about what I would do if I met my goal of
running Sub3. Then what would I pursue? There
are other races I want to pursue, but nothing that was as compelling,
challenging, and yet achievable as reaching for this goal!
At the turn on McDowell again,
I was in a steady groove running in the 6:45 range and cruised through the halfway
mark at 1:29:24, a new half PR! The
miles kept clicking off steadily and I was enjoying the signs and fans along
the way. The weather was still cool and
I had ditched my sleeves and belt with friends along the way. I turned south on Val Vista, past the church
at 16mi and then headed west again into old Mesa. The next turn south was at mile 20 and
suddenly JN came into view. He was struggling and as I passed him, I offered a
word of encouragement and he said he was getting dehydrated.
Not long after this, my pace
fell off. I had completed 20 miles on Sub3
pace and had the best 10k, 10mi, 20k, half marathon, and 20mi runs ever. But I could no longer sustain it. I felt like I had fitness to keep going; the
suffering was different than last time. I
was not laboring with my breathing. I
just couldn’t get the legs moving fast enough.
I did my best to hold pace, but soon I realized I would not be able to
get Sub3.
Passing through Downtown Mesa,
LS, the 3:05 pacer passed me. Although
he was no longer pacing 3:05. He had
handed off the duty at the halfway mark, and then picked up the pace to finish
in Sub3 himself! He encouraged me to
keep going hard.
I had listened to a book on
endurance and it had a section that explained that the brain can be fooled into
thinking it is getting some nutrition just by the tastes. I avoided Gatorade during races because it
seemed to cause cramping and GI distress.
At mile 23, I was hurting and my primary goal was already out, so I
thought I would give it a try. I took a
cup of Gatorade and took a sip, then spit it out. In moments, my stomach was tight and
cramping. It may have been the shock of
the electrolyte and it was very uncomfortable!
I had to stop for a moment and stretch out before I could get moving again. I think I lost about a minute. Won’t be trying that again!
I turned into the finishing
stretch with a strong PR in hand. I
watched for my family and gave them a wave.
I crossed before 3:05 and found out later my chip time was 3:04:34 for
10th in AG. What a run!
AM had made her goal of Sub3
with help from DD. JS was very
close. JN was several minutes behind
me. JS and MW were aiming for BQ time, but
did not make it and I was devastated for them; they were very well prepared.
Aside from the headphones, my
gear and nutrition worked well. Weather
was perfect for running. I think going
hard early cost me a couple of minutes in the end, but I still may not have
been able to finish Sub3. Lesson learned
is to be at the line with starting group earlier and avoid temptation of going
out too hard. I knew the importance of
this, but I thought that running with my squad would be more beneficial than
the cost of catching them.
After the race I decided to
run Utah Valley Marathon June 1 down Provo Canyon. I would be able to build further on my
fitness and speed.
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