When you're young, and still believe in Santa, you can't wait for Christmas morning. You are up in the middle of the night with excitement, unable to hold yourself back from peeking under the tree. As you get older, first discovering the truth that it wasn't a fat man who wields reindeer dropping off gifts, the need to rush starts to subside. And when you are older still, you realize there is a lot more to the holiday season - that it's a marathon - and there are exciting parts and energy needed at different stages throughout. This is much like the maturity progression of running an actual marathon; and it has become painfully obvious that I'm still quite immature. I ran the Portland Marathon on October 9th this year in 3:28. Yes, this is another Boston Qualifier, but it was also 10 minutes off my PR and the majority of the reason I felt so horrible for the home stretch (well, actually from mile 11 onward) is due to my inability to hold back early. The marathon mental game is important. You can train right: run all the miles, hit all your tempos and stay injury free - but if you don't have a good race strategy and stick to it - all that training becomes secondary to your mind. Holding back and waiting to push needs to be part of that strategy. For Portland, I didn't even have the strongest training block. That whole getting laid off, getting married and traveling the world didn't lead to the consistency that I needed to get in all the miles, and an early knee injury held me back further. Expectations should have been adjusted at this point. A sub-3:15 (and a 3 minute PR) should have been a goal I saved for a race that I could have the discipline to train for properly. But it didn't stop me from running my training tempos at a sub-7:20 pace, still holding on to hope that I could do that for 26.2 miles. The half marathon that I ran in Italy as part of peak training week should have been another indicator that my goal needed adjustment. I chalked up my poor performance to the very hilly course and two straight weeks of consuming far too much pasta and wine instead of an indicator that my fitness and endurance level were not where I wanted them to be if I were to maintain the same goal. I ran a 1:39 - which is also 10 minutes off my PR - and it didn't feel good. (Although I did manage to have a faster second half than first in a race and this is rare for me - and an indicator of running a smart race.) So, here's the breakdown - and dirty details of how race day went down: miles 1-3 average 7:20 pace I actually started this race well. Being part of the first "A" wave, it would have been easy to start way too fast - but instead, I started with the typical first-mile jitters. By the end of the 3rd mile (even with over 150 feet of climb), this pace felt smooth and not too aggressive. mile 4 fastest mile of the race with 6:41 Then came a beautiful downhill - and I knew it would be the best one of the race. So I took advantage of it. This was also about the time that the consistent rain turned into a sprinkle and I was able to really enjoy it. miles 5-10 average pace over 6 miles was 7:13 I caught the 3:10 pace group at the end of the 4th mile and hung with them for the next 6. This pace didn't feel overly challenging at the time but, even by the end of mile 5, I knew it wouldn't last. I simply didn't have the training to PR by this margin... but I wanted to ride out the feeling as long as I could. I could hear Jo's voice in my head: "it's surprisingly very easy to go from running fast to drop into 8+ minute miles if you go too hard, too fast." Part of me honestly hoped I would be some sort of exception to this statement - that was obviously provided from professional experience. I simply could not hold back when I needed to most. miles 11-13 average 7:39 pace By mile 11, I knew I was in trouble. Over the next 3 miles (and another small hill), I struggled to hold together a pace that pushed my current ability without making me want to pass out. I had started feeling the effects of the constant cold rain (which had unfortunately started to pick up again) and the bottoms of my feet began to ache. Somehow, I'd completely abandoned my typical nutrition plan and finally remembered to eat around mile 12. I choked down a 100 calorie GU. miles 14-16 average 7:59 pace This is when I started to fully understand the consequences of not holding back. I hurt. While I was still averaging a pace just under that doomed 8 minutes / mile (a pace I rarely even run on an easy day anymore) it felt like I was moving through tar. My legs were heavy. I lost my ability to smile for the cameras. mile 17 my 9:17 mile First a quick decline followed by the climb to get up and over the bridge. It was arguably one of the prettier miles of the course. But it still sucked. Hard. I knew that this one would be a challenge regardless of weather or how poorly I managed my energy before this point. It's a climb and there is nothing that makes a climb easier for me. miles 18-20 7:50 / 8:12 / 8:28 (averaging 8:10) Full on self preservation mode - but it was slipping away, every mile slower. This is usually the point in every marathon I've run that I question myself and my crazy desire to race at this distance. Only difference with this race was that I'd been questioning myself since mile 11. I saw cousins Tessa and Justin (along with Erik, who was riding a bike around the course to support me throughout) at the end of mile 20 and I couldn't even fake a smile. MILE 21 10:18 miles This mile represents the first time I've ever walked in a marathon. Erik rode up next to me on the bike and I started to hyperventilate. And cry. I let the pain of it - from bottoms of my feet through my tense shoulders - wash over me completely as I tried to catch my breath. Erik talked me through it. I did one full body stretch to work out the cramps in my hamstrings. I choked down a cliff block. And then... I started running again. Slowly. miles 22-26.2 average 8:23 pace As I started on these last five miles I did some sloppy math. I knew that if I was able to average a sub-8:30 pace for 5 more miles, I would still run under a 3:30 marathon. I also felt like I didn't deserve that time - not with how I was feeling. But I gave it everything I had to "save" this race. I walked and stretched again for about a minute at mile 21 and mile 22. Then I just pushed my way to the finish. I actually was able to pick up the pace from my current situation slightly for mile 26 and had a tiny kick left in me for the finish. None of this was pretty. But I crossed that line and didn't pass out so in terms of a marathon in general, it's still a small win. overall average pace 7:57 maturity
I now know, without a doubt, how to guarantee a shitty marathon by pushing beyond your sustainable pace too early (way too early). I needed to recap this - think through every mile, remember all the pain - so that I can re-live it when I get back out there for another marathon (not until next fall, btw, because exhausted). I need to remember that the expression "it's a marathon, not a sprint" is actually referring to A MARATHON. Just because I can run a sub-7 minute pace for a half marathon does not mean I can sustain that for two in a row. Not even close. A marathon is a beast. Training right and toeing the line injury free are the first battles. Having a strategy that includes self control to hold back on your pace until mile 20 is a sign of running maturity - a maturity that isn't reached without these growing pains along the way. I need to remember that the gift will still be there in the end.
2 Comments
Alicia
11/14/2016 11:22:46 am
Love this blog post Eliza. Way to push through and make it to the end of the race. It is our worst races that make us the strongest in the end. (Love the photo at the finish too lol, I just walked past them and didn't even let them try to take a photo after this race. How the heck do they expect runners to hold all that stuff, roses, medals, coins, jackets, tree, at the end of a marathon anyways?!)
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AuthorA Midwest girl gone global. I choose happiness everyday: I run, eat well, travel, and love completely. Archives
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