I headed to VA beach early Saturday morning with Coach Jack and my friend Colleen, who were both pacing the the 4:00 marathon group. We arrived to beautiful, warm, sunny weather and headed to the Expo. Expo was nothing special but we did get this awesome shirt and cute race bag. I was hoping the shirt would be green!!
I got to bed later than expected Saturday night but managed to get a few hours of solid sleep. I woke up completely calm Sunday morning and headed out of the house in shorts and a short sleeve shirt. It was a beautiful morning and we knew it was going to be a warm day. One thing I didn't know is how much the heat would affect me during the race...
Anyway, this was a pretty small race with less than 3000 finishers. The half marathoners started an hour before us and the marathoners didn't even use corrals. I lined up just in front of the 3:40 pace leader to avoid the pack of runners around the pacer and my goal was to keep the group in ear shot. Race started off fabulous. I was feeling great and my pace felt so comfortable. The only thing I noticed was that I wasn't focused. I knew this from the get go. Hard to explain but I get into a "zone" and I wasn't there for this race. I was chatting with some runners and that's not something I typically do when I'm focused. The first few miles flew by and the temperatures were perfect!! There wasn't much crowd support but the energy of the other runners was still high and it kept me motivated. At one point we ran through the military base and there were some soldiers/cadets out there cheering for us. It gave me chills to see them and all I could think was that this is nothing compared to what these people do to protect us.
From Coach Jack's advice, I assessed where I was mentally and physically at mile 10. My body was still feeling good but I felt like the race had been long. I couldn't believe I wasn't at the half way mark yet. I remember at Philly I felt incredible at mile 13 and was ready to race from that point. So yesterday, when I was feeling like this, I sort of knew it wasn't the best thought to be having. My splits up to this point were a little quick, but I was feeling good. Looking back, I probably should have scaled back a bit, but hindsight is always 20/20.
Mile 1 - 8:23, Mile 2 - 8:04, Mile 3 - 8:06, Mile 4 - 8:10, Mile 5 - 8:19, Mile 6 - 8:14, Mile 7 - 8:10, Mile 8 - 8:14, Mile 9 - 8:06, Mile 10 - 8:21
We wrapped back around towards the start of the race, running on the boardwalk for a while along the beach and then headed back out the other direction to finish the second half of the race. I was at 1:47:16 at mile 13 which was about 2 minutes ahead of a 3:40 finish. I was happy to see the half way mark, knew I had to keep going strong and was excited about the possibility of a potential PR. We passed the half marathon walkers coming to their finish and this provided a nice distraction and kept me going for a bit. Well, we eventually hit Shore Drive at mile 16 and this was a long stretch of nothing. It was 3 miles of nothing but trees. I started feeling sluggish along this part of the course and really need a pick me up. Unfortunately, there were no pick me ups around and close to mile 19 the 3:40 group passed me. I tried to stick with them but I didn't have it in me. At mile 19 we turned onto Atlantic Ave which was a long and extremely boring stretch. We were out in the sun at this point and there was nothing around us. It was around this point that I officially went to shit. This was such a long stretch and I was surrounded by people walking and saw a runner unconscious waiting for EMT. I can't put blinders on to this stuff and it really affects me mentally. I know I haven't run a ton of races but I have never seen so many walkers! At one point it was only me and 8 walkers. Needless to say, this didn't help my mental meltdown. And yes, I did the unthinkable and I started to walk. I couldn't believe I was walking, and it killed me to do it, but I had nothing in me at that moment to keep me running.
I walked a bit at mile 21 and then started to shuffle along again with tears running down my face. It's a terrible feeling watching 3:40 slip away, then 3:45, then hoping you can hang on for a 3:50. I thought about hanging back and finishing with Coack Jack and Colleen but I wanted to be done as soon as possible so I pushed ahead. It was pissing me off that I was giving up and I can't even explain why I walked. I was tired but I wasn't in pain. I was a little nauseous at one point and my stomach was funny but it wasn't anything debilitating. My mind however, was just shot and I wanted to be done. I spent the remaining miles of the race shuffling along and taking little walk breaks. At mile 24 the 3:50 group came up and I gave it everything I had to stick with them. But I just couldn't. I ran as far as I could with them and then came to a dead stop and starting walking. What a shitty feeling. It was heart breaking to go back and look at my splits, but it shows how down hill things can go so quickly. Up to mile 19 I was holding my pace.
Mile 19 - 8:53, Mile 20 - 9:13, Mile 21 - 10:36, Mile 22 - 9:49, Mile 23 - 10:54, Mile 24 - 10:17, Mile 25 - 9:43, Mile 26 - 9:53
So, official result is 3:51:43. My third and slowest marathon. I'm tearing up just typing that. I know I didn't need anything out of this race and thank God for that. If this was my BQ attempt I would be devastated. It's a flat course which is great for a BQ but I need a little more excitement to keep me going and I clearly prefer to race in cooler conditions. I have a lot of thoughts about the race, but I'll keep that for a later post when I'm feeling a little better. I know a 3:51 isn't easy to come by for a lot of runners but I can't help but beat myself up. It's how I am. I'm very hard on myself and I can't stop wondering what I could have done if I didn't give in to my crazy head and didn't walk. I can't change anything now but I can take what I learned and apply it to the next race. Thankfully, there will be many more where I can redeem myself.
The volunteers along the course were great and when you crossed the finish line you not only got one of the coolest medals ever, but they gave us a hat and a long sleeve t-shirt. Then there's free beer and let me tell you, a Yuengling never tasted so good!!
Overall, I had an incredible weekend. It wasn't the race I was looking for but I got to spend time with some amazing people and those are the memories I'm going to take away from it. We laughed so much and had some hysterical conversations. I'm happy to say that once again I was able to entertain everyone with my poop stories. I won't go into details but let's just say I entered a port-o-pot wearing underwear and came out going commando.
39 comments:
Great race recap... don't be too hard on yourself. I am not sure I would have recovered after seeing someone unconscious either.
you still had a great race. i tend to be very hard on myself too but i hope that you can see that you ran a smart race. seeing something as terrible as an unconscious runner definitely has the power to really knock you off your feet (so to speak).
and you are smart in being able to see that you can apply what you learned here to your next race :)
Congrats on marathon # 3! Sorry that it wasn't your day and you had such a tough time out there, but you hung there and finished when I'm sure curling up on the side of the road seemed appealing. Try not to beat yourself up too much (easier said than done, I know). You've still got your BQ!
Nice swag... two shirts, a cap AND a sweet medal?
Congrats on getting through the race..I'd take any of your times in a heart beat - you are an amazing runner.
What a sweeeeetttt medal!
Next time have a shamrock shake! That always helps!
Stop beating yourself up! You did great!!!!
you know you are being way too hard on yourself... at least this was after you already had your BQ! i have had this same race too many times now, but not quite as fast. congrats on another marathon finish! they sure don't get any easier.
Good job on finishing strong! Don't beat yourself up - it's still a marathon! And not every race will be perfect. You are strong and still pulled out a sub 4! Be proud :)
I've been there done that and you probably learned a lot. BTW, I have SO BEEN THERE with the port-o-potty! Hehehehe!
You have nothing to redeem. You finish another marathon. A distance many don't even attempt. On any given day that same course could be a PR for you.
I am glad you enjoyed the most of your race! and came away with amusing porta potty stories to tell.
First things first, just keep reminding yourself this wasn't your BQ attempt. You already been there done that. BQ is yours. Next applaud yourself for finishing Marathon #3!
As for how the race played out; as your coach said, "they can't all be PR's" and as my coach told me, "there is no certainty in a marathon." We've all been in your shoes and the most important thing to do is walk away having lessons learned. Don't dwell on the fact that it wasn't your day, focus on the lessons you've learned about yourself and how the conditions played into it and move on. You are an amazing runner that everyone looks up to so don't loose sight of that!
P.S. I have bling envy. That is a seriously sweet medal!!!
Nothing wrong with 3:51! I qualified for Boston on my 8th attempt! Eventho u may not be happy with ur time, think how great it was for your body! Its 1 more marathon that you've done, its more experience and more training for ya! Great job!!
I've had races like that. The problem with full marathons (or even halfs) is that you can't just up and do one next weekend. You have to let your body rest and recover, and it's a while before you can try again. If this were a 5K, you'd be back on it again next week.
You still did great, though, and it sounds like you are trying to be constructive and figure out how you can turn this into a positive, so that is great. Sometimes, being able to say "I still finished this race, even though I had to run through this challenge, and I had to deal with this mental problem, and the conditions weren't right for me..." is almost better than a great time!
True I am salivating at the thought of 3:50 marathon any time in the near future, but that's my current level of fitness...so I know how it feels to just not have the race you felt like you could do or really wanted. Truly running is about more than the clock. It's about pushing yourself when you are ready to stop and finding out how darn strong you are and that if you put your mind to it you can overcome hard times!
Sounds like a tough race mentally. We all have races like this one. Crazy thing about running is you never quite know what kind of day you will have. Knowing you, you gave it your all and while you might not have met your PR, you should have no regrets about having done your best on that day.
What a GREAT medal!! I'm sorry that your race didn't turn out the way you had hoped and trained for.
I know it's no consolation for me to tell you that I would kill for your time since you are in a totally different class of runners than I am but I hope you can still find pride in your accomplishment!
Sorry you had such a tough race! Congrats on pushing through and finishing.
I love the medal. I must do this marathon next year!
Congratulations on finishing your 3rd marathon!! It is amazing to me!!
Your time was fantastic!
Sorry the race didn't go as you had hoped :( It's a reminder that running isn't just a physical sport- it takes so much mentally, and you can't always be on top of both at the same time. I think you did amazing though- congratulations on finishing your THIRD marathon and a great time from my view!!
Congrats on another marathon!
I totally know what you mean about seeing people walking. It makes you feel like it is okay to walk. I have done that and ask myself, why am I walking, I do not hurt.
Great race! I know it wasn't a PR for you, or even a 'good time' in your mind, but to someone like me it's amazing to see your time!! You gave it all you had. Some days are just better than others. You finished, and that's what counts. I would have dropped out at the 19 miles. Congrats!! (and that is a really cool medal!)
Congratulations on another marathon!!! You did great, so please don't be too hard on yourself. I did chuckle a little at the beginning of your post - I've never run in a race large enough to require corrals so it seemed funny that you were writing how it was small with <3000 finishers. Have a great week!
you should not be disappointed! It was so warm out there this weekend and you've BQ'ed so you should just have fun! I know it is hard because you want to PR, but you did great.
P.S. my sister was running the half and dropped her phone in the PORT a potty! got it out (what was she thinking?!!!) this was all pre-race.
They had the best swag I ever saw post race! After the half, my friend and I watched the full from outside our hotel...and...
OMG- I KNEW I saw you! I knew it- I saw you at mile 22ish!!!! You weren't walking, but you looked upset which is why I didn't jump out and say hi or anything. And the runner you saw, we might have saw her too and she did not look good. I was so worried about her but she did not want to stop when we offered to get her medical.
Wow third marathon! That's great! I understand about disappointment. I had a very high expectations for myself in a race and was WAY slower than I should've been. Try to shake it off as fast as possible.
But that medal is great.
That's still a great time despite not performing up to your standards. Everybody has bad races and yours just happened to come early in the season. Keep your head up and you'll be fine!
That is seriously still a great time. Congrats!
Seriously, you are fast! I'm not even close to that. Way to go! I know you are disappointed, but you rock!
That is still a very good time! Congrats! Running well under 4:00 for your 1st three marathons is brilliant!
Nice job on pushing through. This sounds very similar to my Philly experience this past year. I struggled to get into it mentally, was sort of bored by mile 10, and fell apart around mile 19. It's a sucky feeling, for sure, but you know that you're strong and totally capable of pushing yourself. It was just an off-day. Put it in the books, learn from it, and rock out on the next one.
Sick St Pattys day gear. Dont be so hard on yourself, many aspire to be where you are.
I still love you! :)
I know EXACTLY how you feel. I mentally gave up on my PR this weekend and let my body shut down. Yes it is a good time, but not what I had planned or hoped for.
Way to tough it out and find light at the end of the GREEN Marathon tunnel.
I know you're disappointed, and no one can take that away from you, but not many people can do what you can :) Congrats on another marathon!!
I'm impressed you kept up your pace so late in the race. I lost mine after 16. Like a power switch turned off and I could not get it turned back on. I wanted to, and I wasn't in pain, but my legs just did not want to run anymore. Horrible feeling. But, as you said, Shamrock was awesome. The course, the people, the medal, shirts, etc.... I'm seriously considering another marathon May 2 to have the spring race I'm looking for. Are you thinking the same way??
That broke my heart just reading it. You'll get the next one!
I think this will give you great motivation for the next one! :)
i hope that you can see that you ran a smart race. seeing something as terrible as an unconscious runner definitely has the power to really knock you off your feet (so to speak
home based data entry
Post a Comment