I knew going into Saturday that it was going to be cold and mother nature did not disappoint. This race festival of sorts offers an 8K and half marathon in addition to the full marathon. There was record participation this year at just over 20,500 runners with 10,000 signed up for the half marathon while another 6,500 ran the full and 3,500 completed the 8K.
I had been in the Richmond area since Wednesday for work and had been looking forward to a lazy Friday resting my feet and getting some work done. It turned out to be a rather busy work day and before I knew it the work day was over and I would soon become increasingly antsy, not to mention bored, and was really looking forward to the other guys showing up. They came rolling in about 9:00 pm and then it finally starting sinking in. We were a few short hours and one sleep away from bundling up and going after 26.2 miles. Normally I don't sleep very well before big races but not this time. Oddly enough once we turned the television off I was out like a light and the next thing I knew it was morning and time to start fueling up.
The 5 of us sat around the room and scarfed down bagels, peanut butter, and bananas with coffee, water, and Diet Pepsi (I don't drink coffee so don't judge me ;) We packed a change of clothes for the bag drop, made the final decisions about what to wear and how to dress warmly at the start and what would get thrown away, then loaded up to head to the start.
The 8K started at 7:00 followed by the half at 7:30 and then the full at 7:50. We decided to leave our hotel at 6:45 to give ourselves plenty of time to get there, park, check bags, etc. At least we thought we had time. Our navigational prowess soon went awry and we found ourselves driving directly into the start amongst a sea of people, gridlock traffic, and nowhere near a parking garage that wasn't full. I will admit that I contributed absolutely nothing towards getting us to the start but it's worth noting that Joe Haines was riding shotgun and holding the map....
We finally made our way away from the masses towards more parking garages with no empty spaces before finally settling on pulling off the side of the road to parallel park just before the freeway exit ramp. Hey, if nothing else we weren't going to get boxed in when it was time to leave, right? We made the brisk 1/2 mile walk towards the start with no time to spare. We could hear the final half-marathon waves starting and it was clear the marathon was minutes from going off. We were all in wave 1 but first we had to check our bags so we knew getting a spot near the front probably wasn't going to happen!
After a quick tie and dump of our bags we navigated through runners still shedding our layers of clothing but at this point the race had started. We did all we could to stay together as we approached the mat but I was having trouble finding a signal and wasn't crazy about starting the race without my watch. I knew at least one of us had the time so I assumed if I stayed with the group I would know my net time and eventually I would pick up a signal for pacing. Little did I know I would spend the next 3 hours trying to do math in my head.
For us the start was a bit of a cluster to say the least. We were boxed in with slower marathoners starting out in addition to catching up with the back of the half marathon group. Getting out to a slow start doesn't bother me and I actually prefer it but I was high stepping the barrier poles and dodging cones while trying not to trip and keep up with the group which eventually got to be too much. I finally picked up a signal about mile 1 but had lost the group and the crowd was too thick to even see them much less chase them. At that point I decided to make a quick pit stop and use that opportunity to regroup.
I came out of the bathroom ready to settle in and determined not to get stupid and chase the group and hoped that I would eventually make up time on the back half. The course was great and so was the crowd support. There was water and powerade every 2 miles which was more than adequate. It was cold but the sun made it fairly comfortable once the blood was flowing. Of course when the wind picked up, and it did at several points on the course, the running became very difficult and it was REALLY cold. It took me about 5 miles to really hit my stride which is about the time a lot of the other runners were shedding their extra layers and settling in. Of course I decided to follow suit by ditching my gloves and long sleeve shirt leaving me with a singlet and arm warmers (which I would soon regret).
My goal coming into the race was 3:10 and one that I thought was very reasonable. I really believed I had 3:05 conditioning and even though I trained for that pace I knew the stars would have to line up for a 3:05 day. As hard as it's been I'm learning to listen to my body and just wasn't willing to push too hard. I know the Plantar Fasciitis can't really get much worse but running hard and far certainly doesn't help!
As I crossed the 10K mark I had my first 'Oh $#!%" moment when I saw the clock at 49 minutes and some change. I knew I had gotten out slow but there's no way I was running 7:50 through the first 6.2 miles. That would begin my internalizing just how far behind the gun I crossed the mat and how many miles off my watch was. I know that marathoners ran without watches forever before this great technology we have now but I'm just saying, once you have it, not having it sucks!
Once I convinced myself I was alright I just continued cranking out my race pace miles hoping eventually I would catch the group knowing it would probably be on the back half. Later I would find out that through the first 10K I was at 47:32 and a 7:40 pace so I guess the clock wasn't too far off?! That would have probably still freaked me out so the watch thing was probably a blessing in disguise. But make no mistake, at no point was I happy about not knowing my time!
By the time I got to the half way point I was feeling good physically but really getting antsy to catch the group. I had already chased down a long lanky Joe look-alike only to realize that all of these runners look the same from behind. I didn't have any idea what my time was but based on my recent splits I felt like I was in the ballpark. I knew I would have to run a negative split to even be close to 3:10 but I also knew that my legs and lungs were on board if I could just get my feet to cooperate. My split at the halfway mark was 1:36:47 which put me about a minute behind the group with a 7:23 pace.
I knew there was a bridge just passed the half way point that was one of the more challenging parts of the course. My plan was to hold steady, grind through the bridge, then treat the last 10 miles like a tempo run and just give whatever I had left. Just before the bridge I spotted the group, undeniably all 4 of them, and this time I was certain. They were still a good 400 meters off in the distance so I picked up the pace a bit but nothing crazy. I followed them onto the bridge where we were all fully exposed to the wind. It was the coldest I had been the entire race, my face hurt, my fingers were numb, and I was REALLY wishing I hadn't stripped down an hour ago. At this point I was more concerned with catching them to block the wind than the 'family reunion' I had envisioned.
When I finally caught up we were all pretty much miserable so the pleasantries were kept to a minimum. There were actually quite a few other runners latched on almost like a school of fish. Knox and Joe seemed to be cutting most of the wind for the group so I decided to take a turn and give Knox some relief. Of course once I got up there I wasn't sure if I was cutting the wind or just slowing the pace :/ At any rate, we were passing mile 16 and had our sights on the 20 mile mark. The bridge seems to be a real gut check for a lot of folks - myself included. It's a bit early to actually be the 'wall' but it's tough enough to make that remaining 10 miles seem like a really long way!
My legs were starting to get a bit grumpy at this point but there were no signs of cramping and while I don't really measure or run by heart rate my pacing was around 7:15 and felt very comfortable. Our group remained close through the 20 mile mark and we ended up crossing the mat at 2:26:07 with our pace down to 7:18. I spotted a fairly large pace group ahead hoping it was the 3:10 group but knowing it was probably the 3:15 group. The wind was becoming a nuisance at this point so I decided to chase them and tuck in behind for a while.
At this point I wanted to maintain a steady pace through mile 24 and then I was just going to let it all out, whatever was left, for better or worse. I knew the pace group started before us so my net time was, or should have been a little faster than 3:15 but no idea by how much. Yes, this whole time thing was extremely frustrating in case you missed it. I picked up the pace a bit and pushed ahead of the pace group with my splits in the last 3 miles at 7:12 / 7:16 / 6:56 and finished with a time of I have no idea. Really, never in my life have I had to wait so long for my 'official' time...
The runner tracking system didn't work properly so the updates were off and I got started late so the clock time wasn't applicable. This frustrated many folks which was evident from the Facebook bashing they received during the race. My GPS signal failed at the start so I knew that I ran 3:03 plus whatever my first mile was which I assumed put me in the 3:10 - 3:12 range and would later find out, about 5 hours later, that I ran 3:11:11 and a 7:17 pace. Not a PR but I knew from the start this wasn't going to be a PR day for me and I was perfectly fine with that. It was another Boston Qualifier, another race to learn from, and a day I'll never forget.
Like I've said before, I generally measure success by the clock but this day was more about perseverance and a genuine appreciation for being blessed with the health to run, the ability to compete, and having the economic means to do so because let's face it -- running shoes, traveling, and race entry fees aren't cheap. I'm also very fortunate to have a supportive family that has learned to deal with my hobby through the good and bad times along with awesome running friends that bring out the best in me! Even after a horrendous start I didn't panic, stayed the course, and finished strong with 1:37 on the front and 1:34 on the back. With a little recovery time and some love from Mother Nature (and Father Time) I expect to come back next year more experienced, stronger, and faster.
As far as the Hanson plan, my thoughts really haven't changed that much. I think it's a great plan but it's clearly geared towards runners with some experience that have time specific goals as opposed to just trying to cross the finish. I was able stick to the plan pretty much by the book and had no problem in the later stages of the race despite long runs of no more than 16 miles during training. Running conservative for the first 6.2 was a huge factor too though. Obviously the last few miles were very unpleasant physically but the human body isn't going to feel 'good' after you've been running for 3 hours no matter what plan you follow. The Hanson plan will build strength and increase speed if followed correctly but the 6 days a week plan offers little deviation if you really want to benefit from the structure and it's all about structure.
It's safe to say that we all wanted to, and expected to run a little bit faster on Saturday. As competitors we're just naturally inclined to want and expect more from ourselves but we're also old enough to appreciate the moment while we're in it and recognize that things like this don't come easy. There's no denying the effort was there - we trained hard, planned our race, and raced the plan the best we could on that particular day. And even in the moments after the race with weary legs and salty skin we plotted our next race knowing that the best was yet to come.
Congrats to all that raced this weekend and good luck with your running through the holidays. Aside from a 5K for fun I won't be racing or running with any regularity for a while so if I blog it will likely be some meaningless banter about random things that annoy me or my version of public service announcements advising folks what to do, or not do, to make my running life more enjoyable. And with that said, my apologies in advance :)
~ One tired runner
Once I convinced myself I was alright I just continued cranking out my race pace miles hoping eventually I would catch the group knowing it would probably be on the back half. Later I would find out that through the first 10K I was at 47:32 and a 7:40 pace so I guess the clock wasn't too far off?! That would have probably still freaked me out so the watch thing was probably a blessing in disguise. But make no mistake, at no point was I happy about not knowing my time!
By the time I got to the half way point I was feeling good physically but really getting antsy to catch the group. I had already chased down a long lanky Joe look-alike only to realize that all of these runners look the same from behind. I didn't have any idea what my time was but based on my recent splits I felt like I was in the ballpark. I knew I would have to run a negative split to even be close to 3:10 but I also knew that my legs and lungs were on board if I could just get my feet to cooperate. My split at the halfway mark was 1:36:47 which put me about a minute behind the group with a 7:23 pace.
I knew there was a bridge just passed the half way point that was one of the more challenging parts of the course. My plan was to hold steady, grind through the bridge, then treat the last 10 miles like a tempo run and just give whatever I had left. Just before the bridge I spotted the group, undeniably all 4 of them, and this time I was certain. They were still a good 400 meters off in the distance so I picked up the pace a bit but nothing crazy. I followed them onto the bridge where we were all fully exposed to the wind. It was the coldest I had been the entire race, my face hurt, my fingers were numb, and I was REALLY wishing I hadn't stripped down an hour ago. At this point I was more concerned with catching them to block the wind than the 'family reunion' I had envisioned.
When I finally caught up we were all pretty much miserable so the pleasantries were kept to a minimum. There were actually quite a few other runners latched on almost like a school of fish. Knox and Joe seemed to be cutting most of the wind for the group so I decided to take a turn and give Knox some relief. Of course once I got up there I wasn't sure if I was cutting the wind or just slowing the pace :/ At any rate, we were passing mile 16 and had our sights on the 20 mile mark. The bridge seems to be a real gut check for a lot of folks - myself included. It's a bit early to actually be the 'wall' but it's tough enough to make that remaining 10 miles seem like a really long way!
My legs were starting to get a bit grumpy at this point but there were no signs of cramping and while I don't really measure or run by heart rate my pacing was around 7:15 and felt very comfortable. Our group remained close through the 20 mile mark and we ended up crossing the mat at 2:26:07 with our pace down to 7:18. I spotted a fairly large pace group ahead hoping it was the 3:10 group but knowing it was probably the 3:15 group. The wind was becoming a nuisance at this point so I decided to chase them and tuck in behind for a while.
At this point I wanted to maintain a steady pace through mile 24 and then I was just going to let it all out, whatever was left, for better or worse. I knew the pace group started before us so my net time was, or should have been a little faster than 3:15 but no idea by how much. Yes, this whole time thing was extremely frustrating in case you missed it. I picked up the pace a bit and pushed ahead of the pace group with my splits in the last 3 miles at 7:12 / 7:16 / 6:56 and finished with a time of I have no idea. Really, never in my life have I had to wait so long for my 'official' time...
The runner tracking system didn't work properly so the updates were off and I got started late so the clock time wasn't applicable. This frustrated many folks which was evident from the Facebook bashing they received during the race. My GPS signal failed at the start so I knew that I ran 3:03 plus whatever my first mile was which I assumed put me in the 3:10 - 3:12 range and would later find out, about 5 hours later, that I ran 3:11:11 and a 7:17 pace. Not a PR but I knew from the start this wasn't going to be a PR day for me and I was perfectly fine with that. It was another Boston Qualifier, another race to learn from, and a day I'll never forget.
Like I've said before, I generally measure success by the clock but this day was more about perseverance and a genuine appreciation for being blessed with the health to run, the ability to compete, and having the economic means to do so because let's face it -- running shoes, traveling, and race entry fees aren't cheap. I'm also very fortunate to have a supportive family that has learned to deal with my hobby through the good and bad times along with awesome running friends that bring out the best in me! Even after a horrendous start I didn't panic, stayed the course, and finished strong with 1:37 on the front and 1:34 on the back. With a little recovery time and some love from Mother Nature (and Father Time) I expect to come back next year more experienced, stronger, and faster.
As far as the Hanson plan, my thoughts really haven't changed that much. I think it's a great plan but it's clearly geared towards runners with some experience that have time specific goals as opposed to just trying to cross the finish. I was able stick to the plan pretty much by the book and had no problem in the later stages of the race despite long runs of no more than 16 miles during training. Running conservative for the first 6.2 was a huge factor too though. Obviously the last few miles were very unpleasant physically but the human body isn't going to feel 'good' after you've been running for 3 hours no matter what plan you follow. The Hanson plan will build strength and increase speed if followed correctly but the 6 days a week plan offers little deviation if you really want to benefit from the structure and it's all about structure.
It's safe to say that we all wanted to, and expected to run a little bit faster on Saturday. As competitors we're just naturally inclined to want and expect more from ourselves but we're also old enough to appreciate the moment while we're in it and recognize that things like this don't come easy. There's no denying the effort was there - we trained hard, planned our race, and raced the plan the best we could on that particular day. And even in the moments after the race with weary legs and salty skin we plotted our next race knowing that the best was yet to come.
Congrats to all that raced this weekend and good luck with your running through the holidays. Aside from a 5K for fun I won't be racing or running with any regularity for a while so if I blog it will likely be some meaningless banter about random things that annoy me or my version of public service announcements advising folks what to do, or not do, to make my running life more enjoyable. And with that said, my apologies in advance :)
~ One tired runner
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