My 3rd marathon and 2nd Flying Pig turned out to be an interesting experience where I saw some great improvements that didn't lead to what I had hoped for: a personal record. The lack of success on that front was partially due to outside forces, but ultimately lands back on me. Every race is a learning experience including this one. Despite the lack of a PR the overall experience of the race was excellent. The improvements I'm seeing are due, in part, to the new friendships I've made leading up to this race. It's changed the way I train. It's changed how I experience race day.
Rather than going through a long, drawn out play by play of the race I thought I would play a little game of High/Low and re-cap some of the highs and lows of the race.
Pre-Race
High: I nearly pulled off the perfect race day preparation. My pre-race plan went off without a hitch....mostly. The plan was to get up at 4, grab a quick shower to shake off the sleep, eat, dress, drive down and meet the TNT Team at their hotel for some quick photos, then meet up with Dave and the Striders to hit the start line. Everything went off without a hitch. I was out the door and on my way.
Low: Everything was going right on track until I hit downtown and was driving up to the parking lot and pulled ot my wallet. Empty. Oh no, I had left the cash I set out for parking on the table. Why didn't I just put it in my wallet? Who knows. It was just after 5 am. The major street closings weren't until 5:30 so I had time to find an ATM and get back over to the lot, no problem. 20 minutes later after a quick, frustrating drive around the city I found the ATM, grabbed the cash and was back at the lot. No TNT meet up for me. It was now 5:35. They were probably headed from the hotel at this point.
High: Gina's "Five Minute Mile Mix". I chilled out at the car for a few minutes while I made my final preparations and listened to my friend Gina's "Five Minute Mile Mix". I popped open the trunk door while I loaded up on Gu, electrolyte tabs and tied my shoes. Everyone showing up in the lot got some of Kanye "Stronger", Beck "Earthquake Weather", or Gwen Stefani "What You Waiting For". They didn't say it, but I think they were quietly thanking for that little early morning boost. Thank you Gina and you're welcome Flying Pig runners.
We're so fast we're blurry before the race!
We're so fast we're blurry before the race!Race
High: Having a good running partner to pace with during the race. Dave has been a great running partner during training and on race day. A little trash talk gets the competitive spirits up. Pushing each other during training gets the race pace up. Someone that can make you laugh and talk about anything for hours while running keeps it fun. I hope to beat him in many more races.
Far, Far Back from the starting line
Low: Getting stuck in the back of the pack. At the start of the race we got stuck way back in the pack near the 5 hour pace group. We were shooting for 3:30, so this was kind of a nightmare. We spent 9 miles weaving around runners and walkers as we tried to get up to our goal pace. We added an extra 1/4 mile onto our run with all that weaving. In retrospect we should have pushed a little harder at the start. I was 5 minutes behind my time last year at the halfway point. Despite the fact that I felt like I ran a better second half than last year I didn't make up those 5 minutes.
High: Having a Garmin 305 to help set the pace. This gadget is a dream. During the race I could see my pace at any given moment and make adjustments as necessary. I have a tendency to go out to fast at the beginning of races, so this will be the perfect tool for that.
Proud to wear the Purple Jersey
High: Running for Team in Training. The crowd support for TNT runners is phenomenal. They have "scream teams" spread throughout the course to give support to the runners. It is such a boost to hear your name called out and see the groups of purple yelling and giving high fives. Dave would have to reel me in whenever we would pass one of these groups because it was such a rush that I would pick up the pace.
Low: Leg cramps. It is a consistent problem with me. I sweat very heavily and my body seems to fall out of balance at some point during the marathons. I have been working on pushing back the point at which this happens. Last year during the Pig it happened at mile 19. It was nearly debilitating. The last 7 miles were a nightmare. During Disney they struck even earlier due to the high heat and humidity that we weren't prepared to deal with. This year during the Pig I decided to drink a lot of Gatorade early on, take on a steady stream of Gu, and hydrate as much as possible. It really worked. The first cramp hit at mile 20, but it wasn't bad. I was able to stretch it out and get back on pace. I had a few cramps in the final miles, but none of them touched what I had gone through in previous marathons.
High: I was able finish strong. Thanks to a fellow runner and friend that I made during the Disney trip I finished the last couple of miles strong. I met up with Steve early in the race and we exchanged hellos and talked. He said he would be there during the final miles and sure enough he was. At about mile 24 he came out of nowhere and talked me through the final hill of the course. I think I was talking mostly nonsense to him as I pleaded, begged, threatened, and made deals with my legs to fight off the cramps that were threatening and push through those final miles. I owe him for that.
Far, Far Back from the starting lineLow: Getting stuck in the back of the pack. At the start of the race we got stuck way back in the pack near the 5 hour pace group. We were shooting for 3:30, so this was kind of a nightmare. We spent 9 miles weaving around runners and walkers as we tried to get up to our goal pace. We added an extra 1/4 mile onto our run with all that weaving. In retrospect we should have pushed a little harder at the start. I was 5 minutes behind my time last year at the halfway point. Despite the fact that I felt like I ran a better second half than last year I didn't make up those 5 minutes.
High: Having a Garmin 305 to help set the pace. This gadget is a dream. During the race I could see my pace at any given moment and make adjustments as necessary. I have a tendency to go out to fast at the beginning of races, so this will be the perfect tool for that.
Proud to wear the Purple JerseyHigh: Running for Team in Training. The crowd support for TNT runners is phenomenal. They have "scream teams" spread throughout the course to give support to the runners. It is such a boost to hear your name called out and see the groups of purple yelling and giving high fives. Dave would have to reel me in whenever we would pass one of these groups because it was such a rush that I would pick up the pace.
Low: Leg cramps. It is a consistent problem with me. I sweat very heavily and my body seems to fall out of balance at some point during the marathons. I have been working on pushing back the point at which this happens. Last year during the Pig it happened at mile 19. It was nearly debilitating. The last 7 miles were a nightmare. During Disney they struck even earlier due to the high heat and humidity that we weren't prepared to deal with. This year during the Pig I decided to drink a lot of Gatorade early on, take on a steady stream of Gu, and hydrate as much as possible. It really worked. The first cramp hit at mile 20, but it wasn't bad. I was able to stretch it out and get back on pace. I had a few cramps in the final miles, but none of them touched what I had gone through in previous marathons.
High: I was able finish strong. Thanks to a fellow runner and friend that I made during the Disney trip I finished the last couple of miles strong. I met up with Steve early in the race and we exchanged hellos and talked. He said he would be there during the final miles and sure enough he was. At about mile 24 he came out of nowhere and talked me through the final hill of the course. I think I was talking mostly nonsense to him as I pleaded, begged, threatened, and made deals with my legs to fight off the cramps that were threatening and push through those final miles. I owe him for that.
Post Race
High: Snacks! What better reason to run all that way! If you ever thought about running a marathon or half marathon this might put you over the top. About 10 feet after the finish line you get draped in a mylar blanket and handed a shiny metal. You walk another 15 feet and your surrounded by snacks: bagels, chips, bananas, oranges, ice cream!, juices, water. It kind of makes the whole thing worth it. If you don't feel like waiting until the end you can always go by the Gina school of running.
Low: Pain. Now that I've reached a goal that I've been working towards for 4 months, and I've finally stopped running everything hurts. I mean EVERYTHING hurts. The best thing to do is just keep shuffling along and collecting snacks to eat, because everything else is pretty much out of the question. Sitting is okay, but standing back up is a challenge, and I don't really need another challenge today. Stairs, hills, and any sort of step is pretty much out of the question.
High: Sharing the achievement with friends. I spent 4 months training with Team in Training and the Striders. Nothing makes the achievement sweeter than sharing it with fellow runners. We all love our families and are sooo thankful that they are there for us during those months of training and on race day, but when you can see the joy, pain, relief, disappointment and other emotions of another runner it's on a totally different level.
High: Family. After that last paragraph I realized I was being silly. Of course families are hugely important! You are the best I love you all!
Low/High: Ice bath. This awful/wonderful act of craziness can really improve recovery after a marathon. It's not that big of a deal. On your way home pick up a 5 lb. bag of ice. Fill up the tub enough to cover your legs and dump previously mentioned bag of ice in to the water. Step into the tub. Take some deep breaths and psych yourself up. Sit down. No really, sit down. Come on man! You can do this! GO! Once you get yourself into the freezing water you can just feel the heat seeping out of the muscles. I recommend a pair of headphones or something else to take your mind off the c-c-c-cold. I swear it's worth it.
These are some of the highs and lows. There were so many more memorable moments from this race that I could go on. There was coming across the bridge back into Cincinnati early in the race and feeling the bridge bounce under the pounding of thousands of runners.
There was this guy:
The Official Time:
Low: Pain. Now that I've reached a goal that I've been working towards for 4 months, and I've finally stopped running everything hurts. I mean EVERYTHING hurts. The best thing to do is just keep shuffling along and collecting snacks to eat, because everything else is pretty much out of the question. Sitting is okay, but standing back up is a challenge, and I don't really need another challenge today. Stairs, hills, and any sort of step is pretty much out of the question.
High: Sharing the achievement with friends. I spent 4 months training with Team in Training and the Striders. Nothing makes the achievement sweeter than sharing it with fellow runners. We all love our families and are sooo thankful that they are there for us during those months of training and on race day, but when you can see the joy, pain, relief, disappointment and other emotions of another runner it's on a totally different level.
High: Family. After that last paragraph I realized I was being silly. Of course families are hugely important! You are the best I love you all!
Low/High: Ice bath. This awful/wonderful act of craziness can really improve recovery after a marathon. It's not that big of a deal. On your way home pick up a 5 lb. bag of ice. Fill up the tub enough to cover your legs and dump previously mentioned bag of ice in to the water. Step into the tub. Take some deep breaths and psych yourself up. Sit down. No really, sit down. Come on man! You can do this! GO! Once you get yourself into the freezing water you can just feel the heat seeping out of the muscles. I recommend a pair of headphones or something else to take your mind off the c-c-c-cold. I swear it's worth it.
These are some of the highs and lows. There were so many more memorable moments from this race that I could go on. There was coming across the bridge back into Cincinnati early in the race and feeling the bridge bounce under the pounding of thousands of runners.
There was this guy:
The Official Time:
1 comment:
Wow, you had a great race, especially getting stuck way back in the pack at the start. Nice going. But you know, you should always carry money (two twenties tucked away in your key pocket) on a marathon and that would have solved your parking problem. It's been known to be necessary to buy water in races when it turns out to be too hot (think the Chicago Fun Run last fall) and paper money is as indispensible a marathon emergency item as an aspirin tab or a half ounce tube of vasoline (I always wear a tiny waist pack with that stuff in it). The Flying Pig was a tremendous race.
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