Glass City Marathon Race Recap (4/22/18)

Let's begin with a Jeopardy question, shall we?  

For 500 points:  The most difficult marathon that I have competed in thus far.

Answer: What is the Glass City 2018 marathon?

BINGO!  I bet most of you got that one right, since a) only my friends read this blog, and b) why else would I start a recap blog about the race with that question?!

Time for the nitty, gritty details that my friends appear to enjoy hearing about, starting with the day before the race. Actually, I will rewind to a couple of weeks before the race.  I ran the Xenia half-marathon, and was feeling pretty darn confident.  My overall pace (8:49) felt relatively easy, and I was excited to see how this translated to my marathon.  Following Xenia, I felt less than great for the first week of taper, which is typical for me.  Also, my quads felt pretty tight, especially in the days leading up to Glass City.  I rolled them frequently, saw my chiropractor for some deep tissue work, and had a "flushing massage" with my massage therapist.  Nothing really helped.  My left quad especially was worrisome to me... not painful, and running didn't both it.  It was just... tight.  I decided to wear my quad/hamstring compression sleeve for the 48 hours leading up to the race, and it definitely helped!  My body does love compression :)  

I was ever-so-excited to have my best friend Tamara join me for the trip up to Toledo.  We hadn't had a chance to chat much since her ah-maz-ing Boston marathon on Monday, so it was a jabber-filled two hour car ride!  We didn't leave until after 3:00, so I had Allison pick up my bib at the expo (which closed at 4:00).  Tamara and I stopped at her parents' house (where we'd be sleeping that night), and then headed to Mancy's, our favorite pre-race Toledo eatery.  Allison, her fiance Donny, Amy, and her husband Robert met us there, and we had a great time chatting and eating.  I was not super hungry for my pasta meal, but boy did I eat a lot of bread!  I ended up also going to the restroom no less than 4 times while we were there... pre-race hydration = on point!

Dinner selfie <3 Note Tamara's wine glass.  Being a cheerleader has its perks!

Tamara and I headed back to her parents' house after dinner, where we enjoyed a bit of conversation + cupcakes with her parents and their friends.  I set out my outfit and race necessities, took my Melatonin, and turned in at around 9:45 PM.  I could immediately tell that it was going to be a long night.  My mind wasn't racing or anything... I just didn't feel super sleepy.  I tossed and turned until around 11:15, when I got up and got some water.  It was close to midnight the last time I checked the clock, and my eyes snapped open at 4:30 AM.  4.5 hours of sleep is not an acceptable amount for me, ever, but especially not the night before a race.  I didn't really worry about it too much, though, as most people say the amount of sleep the night before a race isn't as important as TWO nights before (when I'd gotten over 8 hours).  My alarm wasn't set to go off until 5:15 AM, so I stared at the wall until 5:00 when I couldn't wait any longer.  I got up and started getting dressed.  I swear, getting ready for a marathon is like getting ready for prom!  All of the layers (race clothes, throw-away clothes), fuel belt, lubing up with Aquaphor, etc. etc. etc.  It takes awhile!

Tamara picked my outfit out... my signature PINK!!!

I crept downstairs to eat my bagel and banana, and then finished my pre-race preparations (including a successful bathroom mission LOL!) while Tamara ate her own breakfast.  We were out the door by 5:48 AM, right on schedule.  Awesome thing #1,085 about Tamara: we both like to be early for our big races!  She knew how important this race was to me, and was prepared to do anything in her power to help me get there.  We headed toward the race start and were parked about a quarter-mile from the start by 6:15 or so.  I quickly decided that I needed to visit the porta-potties, so we headed over to the starting area, where we joined thousands of other runners.  I did my dynamic stretches, overall feeling good.  Nothing was bothering me... my quad felt good after the compression sleeve for the past 48 hours... nerves were high but that was a good thing!  Time to turn the butterflies into positive energy.  I knew I'd be fine once the race started.  

At 6:45 we headed over to the corrals, trying to hook up with Allison and Amy.  I ducked into the "C" Corral at 6:50, and just after that Allison and Amy found Tamara.  They hurried over to where I was waiting for the race to begin.  Tamara had been worried that I was going to be running alone, since we hadn't found the others, and I acted like I didn't care, but I was secretly overjoyed when they arrived.  I didn't bring any music, and 26.2 miles was a long way!  

The three of us had discussed our race at dinner the night before.  We were going to start together, at around an 8:55-9:00 pace, and see how things went from there.  I was pretty sure that Amy wouldn't be with us for too long, as she was running the half and would likely push the pace a bit more.  The first mile was a cluster--sooooo many people, and within a quarter-mile, there were WALKERS!   A huge pet peeve of mine is people starting in the wrong corral.  "C" Corral was for marathoners from 3:45-4:10, and half marathoners from 2:00-2:20.  One, I thought this was dumb (a 3:45 marathon in no way correlates to a 2-hour half), and two, no one should be walking in the front of this corral... at least not a quarter-mile into the race!  Okay, rant done.

Due to the aforementioned cluster of a start, our first mile was relatively slow (9:13).  We had to do quite a bit of weaving in and out to find an open area where our bodies could happily run, and that took approximately 0.95 miles (no joke, I looked at my watch to see when it happened).  Shortly thereafter, Amy asked me to start talking, as she'd noticed already that I wasn't saying much.  Typically on our runs, I am a chatterbox.  I had already realized that this race wasn't going to be the happy-happy-joy-joy one that I was hoping for.  Our pace, which should've felt easy, definitely did not. I wasn't sure what was wrong, but I told her that I was "conserving energy for the marathon" or something like that... which was basically true.  I was scared to death that if I started to talk, I would waste energy that later on I would sorely need.    

Miles two, three and four (8:55, 8:54, 8:54) ticked off pretty quickly.  I held Allison and myself in check after Amy took off shortly after the 5K mark.  Our pacing was pretty much spot on.  The weather was perfect.  Everything was going swimmingly, at least on paper.  The only problem: I felt "off".  I couldn't pinpoint the problem, but for some reason, running felt hard.  Don't laugh, I know that it's a marathon and it's SUPPOSED to be hard.  But not at mile 4.  I found myself looking forward to my first gel at mile 5.5.  "Remember," I said to myself, "Tamara told you that she felt so much better at Boston after her first gel."  I smiled when we saw Tamara and Donny cheering for the first time at mile 4ish, and I smiled again when I pulled an apple cinnamon Huma gel from my fuel pouch a mile later--my favorite!  It basically tastes like cinnamon applesauce.  I looked forward to the surge that fueling gives me... and it never came. Mile 5 was 8:53, mile 6 was 8:54.  At least our pacing was good...

Mile 4 (happy to see Tamara!)

Allison and I continued moving forward, the miles passing by on my watch.  I kept my focus on everything positive... the other runners, the gorgeous weather, the friend by my side, the posters that those cheering us on had made.  Still, though, as I got to mile 7, I found myself thinking, "Only 6 miles til the halfway point."  Oh my goodness... six miles just to get to 13.1.  And then another 13.1 after that.  Never have I ever ran a marathon and said to myself at mile 7, "Only 6 miles til I am halfway."  The first half of a marathon, if you are a) trained correctly and b) running the race correctly, should feel very easy.  Relaxed.  To say I was worried at this point would be an understatement.  I decided to start breaking up the race into chunks. I knew we'd see Tamara and Donnie again at mile 10, so I told myself, 5K til you get to see your friends again!  5K is nothing!  I focused on that small goal, passing the time by chatting with Allison.  I'm not sure if she realized how difficult things were already becoming for me.   I know that Tamara didn't... she said I looked amazing at mile 4 and mile 10!  

Mile 10: I can see the look in my face... it's saying, "Umm... not so sure about this."

The half-marathoners turned off shortly after mile 7.  I was feeling okay at that moment, telling myself that even if we just maintained our current pace, we'd make both my goal (3:50-3:55) and Allison's PR (3:57).  Originally I had hoped that we'd go faster for the second half of the race, but deep within I knew that most likely, that was NOT happening today.  I didn't let myself get down about it... I simply decided I would do what needed to be done to make it through.  

I felt decent for miles 7-14.   There were good moments and bad ones, but more good than bad.  I kept telling myself, just keep this pace.  Just keep this pace.  You don't have to go any faster.  Miles 7-13 were 8:55, 8:52, 8:52, 8:59, 8:58, 8:58, 8:52.  Half marathon split was a 1 high 1:56ish.  I remember thinking to myself at that point, hey if we can just keep it the same, we have a 3:52-3:53.  OK, yes, I can DO this... positive thinking, right?!!

It didn't last for long.  At mile 14, I started to fall back into my mental funk.  12 more miles.  TWELVE.  I decided to go back to my strategy of dividing the race into chunks.  3 more miles til mile 17.  Then 3 more till 20.  Then a 10K to finish.  Allison and I made the unspoken decision to go a bit faster.  Mile 14 was 8:49, mile 15 was 8:50.  I was happy to see Tamara at mile 15.  She told me later that I still looked like I was doing well, smiling, having a great time.  (Damn, I am good at faking this happy runner thing; look at my picture below!)  

BEST RACE PIC EVER!  Mile 15!  I love my smile, my arms, etc.!

Mile 16 was slower, 8:57.  I fueled at 16, this time taking a caffeinated Huma gel.  Lemonade, yum!  I waited for the jolt of caffeine to give me a surge.  Waited... and waited.  Usually caffeinated gels give me a great boost, since I don't drink coffee.  Not so much today.  Mile 17 came, and I settled into my next 5K.  I knew that this would be the roughest stretch of the race.  It would be into the wind (which had picked up during the race--still only about 8-10 mph, though), and had the biggest uphill on the course at mile 19.  I was proud of how well Allison and I powered through this stretch!  Lots of self-talk, lots of encouraging each other.  I asked Allison to repeat the biblical verse she'd told me at the start of the race: "Run with endurance the path which is set before you."  This verse got me through so very many miles, but especially the stretch from 17-21 (8:53, 8:49, 8:48, 8:51, 8:57).  

Mile 20 came and went, and I experienced a bit of a downer when I didn't see Tamara at mile 20 as I had expected.  The race had turned onto the bike path again, and other than this small spectacular section with a bridge and a river, it was not the most interesting part of the race.  I had started to walk the water stops back around mile 16, to make sure I was getting enough hydration.  Allison was still running through them, but I would catch her within 200 yards or so.  However, by 20, this was getting more and more difficult.  When we finally saw Tamara and Donny at mile 21, Allison was about 10 yards ahead of me.  I think that Tamara finally realized that I wasn't doing so hot at this point.  She hopped into the wearing her beautiful blue-and-yellow Boston Unicorn shoes.  She asked me what was wrong.  I told her  that it was my legs, they were just so tired... that I was just so tired, all over.  She encouraged me to do a few high knees or butt kicks to vary my stride, to get my legs loosened up.  I told her I would, wanting to try anything that might help me get out of the rut that I'd been in for most of the race.  When those didn't work, I decided to do a short surge to catch up to Allison again.  When I was within 5 yards of her, I shouted out that I was there, and soon we were side by side again.  I told her that I was struggling and needed her.  She said she'd stay with me, but immediately after hearing her words, I felt guilty.  This was HER race, who was I to tell her to slow down?!   I told her to go, and she immediately said no, that best friends were more important than PRs.  At that point, we agreed to stick together till mile 25, and then she'd go on and finish ahead of me if she felt good AND if I was still okay with it.  I was so grateful to have her by my side, and worked hard to stick with her.  Mile 22 was an 8:46, so clearly I was pushing it a bit in order to be with my friend.

At the water stop at mile 23, I heard the volunteers yelling out "water first, Gatorade second!", just like at all of the stops.  Gatorade was the one thing in my arsenal that I hadn't tried yet.  Maybe I needed some electrolytes, I thought to myself!  I slowed down and walked through the stop, sipping on the cup of lemon-lime Gatorade.  I watched Allison continue on, and when I started running again, I realized that I most likely wasn't going to see my friend again til the finish.  I was happy for her, that she felt great and was going to have a kick-ass PR.  As for me... I started to do the dreaded countdown.  2.9 miles to the finish.  2.8.  2.7.  Every tenth seemed to last years.  I focused on the runners around me, passing people when I could, reminding myself to be grateful that I was strong enough to finish this race.  1.9.  1.8.  1.7.  God, this trail is never ending.  1.3.  1.2.  1.1.  I can't wait to say "Less than a mile!"  We finally turned off the trail and headed towards the stadium.  Praying with every step that my body would not give out on me, I covered the ground the best I could.  Only when I was within a quarter-mile of the stadium did I finally tell my arms to GO.  Churning my arms had the effect of forcing my legs to go faster, so I was actually able to sprint into the stadium and through the finish line.  I don't think I could have done it for more than that quarter-mile, that's for sure!  Miles 23-26.2 were 8:58, 9:11, 9:10, 9:12.  The final 5K was by far my slowest of the race.  I was able to go an 8:16 pace for the last 0.3 into the finish, though!

Thanks to Brooke for taking great finish-line pics of me!

As usual for me, I near-collapsed into the arms of one of the medical volunteers at the finish.  I am typically pretty woozy after a race, and this one was no different.  He helped me get my mylar blanket, medal and some water, and once he was convinced that I wouldn't pass out, he sent me on my way to find my friends.  I almost immediately ran into Tamara, overjoyed to see her face.  I WAS SO HAPPY TO BE FINISHED!  She led me to Donny and Allison, who was sprawled on the ground nearby.  We hugged and staggered to the post-race party area, where we got food (banana, granola bar, pasta, pizza, cookie) and settled down to rehash the race with Donny and Tamara.  It was fun to see a few of our MRTT friends Betty and Brooke, but mostly I was just happy to sit down and not move!  I was annoyed with myself at first when I saw 3:55:01 on my watch, but Allison checked my results on one of the computers and it said 3:54:59--those two seconds made me immensely happier LOL!  She herself had smashed her old PR by almost 5 minutes; I was so freaking proud of her!!!

Yay for a huge PR for Allison!  The medals are super cool--the runner moves!

After a bit, we said our goodbyes and headed back to our cars.  Tamara and I stopped back at her parents so I could get a shower before we went back to Westerville.  Once I was in the shower, I gave myself full permission to cry.  I really felt like I needed to.  The mental battles that I had fought that day had left me on an emotional edge that was hard to describe.  However, as the warm water ran over my tired muscles, I realized something:  I had left every single bit of myself on that course.  Not only physically (which I typically do in a race), but mentally as well.  I knew that I couldn't have done any better on that day than I had done.  There wasn't a single thing I could have, or would have, done differently to make myself go faster.  Therefore, no tears fell from my eyes.  A grateful feeling spread through my bones.   

My friends who messaged me after the race sent words of congratulations, and most were confused by my Facebook post relaying the difficulties I'd experienced throughout the marathon.  "But look at the pictures, you look amazing!  You look so happy!  You made your goal!"  Yes, yes, and yes.  Those pictures, that time, they are not the true story of this race, though.  The true story of the race is this:  I ran 26.2 miles on a day when running was not my friend.  All runners have bad runs, when your easy pace feels hard (or, as Shalane Flanagan said after her 9th place Boston Marathon finish a few years ago, "It was a bad day at the office").  Fortunately for most of us, those don't usually happen on race day.  But it did for me.  What I didn't do is let the race beat me.  I persevered... because that is what I do.  

I was almost happy when I looked over my heart rate data over the course of the race and saw that it completely justified how bad I was feeling.  Just two weeks ago, at Xenia, I ran an 8:49 overall pace with negative splits, with an average heart rate of 151.  Training HR pace is 140-150 for me, so a 151 meant that I was barely even working above my normal easy run effort.  At Glass City, my overall pace was 8:56 (that includes those final slower 3 miles), with an average heart rate of 165.  My heart rate soared into the 170's for the final 5K of the marathon, even as my pace slowed.  From the start, it was higher than it was at Xenia.  Again, it was just justification, physical proof that my body was working super hard to accomplish what it did.  

Now that it has been a few days, I can look back on the marathon with less disappointment and more pride.  Pride that I finished, that I accomplished my time goal, that I didn't let my physical and mental state get the better of me.  My take-away from this race: I am stronger than I knew!

Prior to the race, it was difficult for me to accept that a BQ wasn't going to happen.  Even before race week arrived, I was already day-dreaming about a possible September race, to see if perhaps, just perhaps, I could finally achieve my dream.  I spoke with my coach at length on Tuesday about the race, as well as the upcoming summer.  Here's what we've lined up:

Triathlons: Central Ohio Sprint (June 10), Mingoman Olympic (June 24), HFP Caesar Creek Olympic (July 8), with the hope of qualifying at one of these races for USAT Olympic Nationals on August 12. I need to get top 3 overall, or win my age group to do so.  Back-up plan in the event I don't go to Nationals: maybe do a 5K swim on August 19.  Other thoughts: I may swim on relays at the Ross Fit (July 22) and at Ohio 70.3 (July 29).   

Running:  We are looking at either the Erie Marathon (September 9) or the Air Force Marathon (September 15) as possible races for me to run to qualify for Boston.  I am also looking at the Last Chance BQ.2 Chicagoland Marathon (September 8) or The Huntsville Marathon in Utah (September 15).  The latter of the two is interesting in that it offers a BQ or your money back!  Both Chicagoland and Utah are "qualifying" races, where you need to be within 10 minutes of your BQ standard to run it the race.  Guess what... my 3:54:59 puts me at 9:59 from my 3:45:00 cut!  

Lots of decisions to make, and lots of training to get done.  My muscles have recovered from my race, and after three days of zero exercise other than walking, I am planning on getting back in the pool tomorrow, and then go for a nice easy short run on Friday with my best running friends.  Needless to say, I am ready for the next phase of training to begin!!!

Review/Recap/Review--the great trifecta!

My poor blog, I've been so neglectful!  Life, as always, is crazy, and gets in the way of blogging.  Someday I am sure I will find the time to fit it in on a regular basis.  Until then, you'll have to be happy with the combination entries such as this one.  I'm going to review (this training cycle), recap (today's race) and preview (my race in two weeks)!  No pictures this time--I have limited time to get this blog done and want to enjoy the final hours of my spring break!

Review
After the Indianapolis Monumental marathon in November, I blogged that I had decided on my spring goal: A BQ marathon.  So, this winter has been all about building up my mileage while attempting to stay injury-free.  And I ALMOST did it.  Training has been going pretty darn well!  I have been able to up my miles, continue to bike a couple of times a week and swim once a week, and do strength (Body Pump class) a couple of times a week.  I had one tiny blip a couple of weeks ago, when I had some soreness in my left foot.  Fortunately, I was able to will it away with ice, compression, and an extra day of rest.  The one thing that didn't happen this training cycle that I'd hoped would was the addition of speed work.  My coach had me doing intervals once a week (where I would run short bursts of speed, 60-90 seconds, within a run), but that ended after my tweaky foot thing.  And if I'm being honest with myself, it wasn't enough speed to warrant an attempt at a BQ.  I have confidence in myself, but I also know that in order for me to be able to run a marathon at an 8:25-ish pace, I need to have some faster miles in my training.  I'm not giving any excuses... just stating the obvious, and despite a pretty solid season of training, I am obviously not ready to run a sub-3:45 marathon right now.  

Recap
A few months ago, my friend Emily mentioned that she'd like to run a sub-2 half marathon this spring. I offered to pace her at the Xenia half, the same race I helped my friend Jamie PR at four years ago!  Unfortunately, Emily has been injured, so the pacing gig was cancelled.  I had registered for the race when it was super-cheap back in December, though, so I still wanted to do it.  My friend Katie was running the full, so I figured, why not tag along with her for the first 7 miles, til the marathoners split off?  We both loved the idea, and even better, our friend Amy decided to sign up at the last minute and join us.

Katie wanted to run the first several miles at around an 8:50-9:00/mile pace.  My coach agreed that this was a good, solid pace for me to try.  I was a little nervous, as I really don't ever run this pace.  My runs all pretty much stay in the 9:10-9:30 range.  Occasionally I dip into the high 8's, but it's rare.  Turns out I had nothing at all to worry about :)  

Amy and I rode together to the race.  Xenia is about 1 hr 15 min from my house, so we left Westerville right before 6 AM with plenty of time to get there.  The race is small, but well-organized.  It's based at the Xenia YMCA. We grabbed our bibs, and I stood in the uber-long bathroom line.   It was super cold out (the real-feel was sub-20!), so it was nice to have the indoor facility!  I met Amy back at the car where we stayed toasty warm until it was time to race.  The race started right on time without a hitch!  We were unable to find Katie, but she found us about 3 miles into the race.  That gave us a nice little 4 mile stretch to chat.  It felt like a normal training run!   The first 5ish miles of the race are the most hilly, at least compared to our usual running routes, but they're not TOO awful.  I fueled once, at mile 7, just as Katie was leaving us.  Amy and I spent the rest of the race talking about whatever random stuff we usually talk about during our runs.  I had to keep her in check a few times, as the goal was to NOT go faster than 8:45.  I accomplished this until the final mile, when she decided we should just go with the downhill that the course was giving us LOL!  My final time was a 1:55:51.  My pre-race goal was 1:55-1:58, with an average heart rate in the low 150's.  It ended up being a 151--woo hoo!  More than anything, I needed some confidence for my marathon in two weeks, and this race gave that to me.  The best part about Xenia: the post-race food!  Pizza, salad, cans of pop, and delicious cookies.  YAY!  Amy and I left after our meal, as we both had busy days back at home ahead of us.  

Quick wardrobe notes for the future:  a real-feel in the high-teens/low-20's warrants a lot of calculation!  I ended up with: tights (not fleece lined), a short-sleeve shirt under a long-sleeved half-zip (thin tech material), gloves and an ear warmer.  I was cold at the start, but ended up very happy with my decisions!

Preview
So... in two weeks, I have a marathon.  Back to Glass City I go!  I actually just registered for it a few days ago!  I swear, I have PTSD over registering for races and not getting to run in them, especially with this race (Glass City).  I talked to my coach last week about the plans for this race.  I wondered if I was even ready for a marathon, given the amount of training that I'd done, but he said he felt I was.  The big question: how fast would I want to go?  I proposed starting out at around an 8:50-9:00 pace, and then, at the half, seeing how I felt... going faster if I was feeling it, maintaining my pace if not.  He thought it was a great idea, and said using Xenia as a barometer would be a good plan.  

Well, if Xenia was my barometer, I am feeling pretty good about the race plan we've laid out.  Still very nervous... it's one thing to run 13 miles at an 8:50 pace.  It's a completely different thing to run 26 miles at that pace!  If I can hold it, though, I will end up with a very respectable 3:51ish.  I would be happy with that!  It's not the 3:41 that I am dreaming of, but it's still a solid time.  And... it sets me up for another marathon in the near future. (Just a little bit of foreshadowing there LOL!)