Fox Cities Marathon Report: 7 SECONDS!
Included in my participant bag for this year's Fox Cities Marathon was a roll of "Charmin Extra Soft" Toilet Paper. I laughed and made fun of it. Never again will I underestimate the importance of good toilet paper...especially when running a marathon.
Short Story: I finished in 3:00:07, eight seconds slow of my goal. I have never felt stronger during a run...unfortunately, my G-I tract didn't have a good day and I had to stop twice for potty breaks (using the porta-potty toilet paper then combined with sweat and produced Patten-like chafing in not-so-fun areas) and spend the better part of a minute in the last half mile dry heaving and puking. I LITERALLY was going to achieve my Sub-3 goal until mile 26, when I finally succumbed to a 15 second dry heaving convulsion that cost me precious time.
And now the long story...
As I mentioned, I've NEVER felt like I've been in better shape for a marathon. The "Sub-3" goal has been in the forefront of my mind since May, when I ran the Journeys Marathon in 3:02:21. Grandma's turned out to be way too hot, so I was hoping for a good run here at Fox Cities. The training this summer had me in great shape. I felt lean, light, and fast. The hill work I've been doing even had me noticing new muscles I didn't have before. I really felt good.
I slept like a rock last night, going to bed in my normal sleeping position (supine, no pillow, feet in a flexed position and held there by the sheets, our cat Grace near my left arm) and awoke to my alarm at 5:32 in the exact same position. Very rarely do I sleep that soundly. As I made my way to the bathroom, Ellie (who has been made aware countless times how good I thought this run was going to go) asked how I slept. I responded with a happy "Great!" and made my way into the shower.
The ride to the event was uneventful (outside of me feeling the need for a bathroom stop...number 3 of the morning...uh oh) and left me with about 30 minutes to loosen up and mentally prepare. I visualized myself in the finishing chute with "2:58:xx" on the clock. A couple yoga stretches and some stride work and I was chomping at the bit.
FINALLY, at 8 AM I was off. Despite knowing I had to keep things calm, I couldn't help it. As I said, I felt fast and the first mile showed it, clocking in at 6:35. I intentionally slowed the pace down a bit and still ran Mile 2 in 6:49. I felt amazing! Not having a heart rate monitor, I continued to run by feel, and clocked miles 3-6 from 6:33 (downhill) to 6:43, all under my goal 6:50 pace. In the middle of Mile 6 I started to feel something "brewing" downstairs. It continued to strengthen, so during the 7th mile I stopped off at a porta-john. Mile 7 was 7:05 because of the stop, but I felt great afterward and didn't allow for much worry to creep into my mind. I was running fast and free and didn't want to think about any G-I issues. Mile 8 went by at 6:34...perhaps a bit fast, but still I felt fine and my breathing was easy. It was a beautiful day with a wonderful breeze and the crowd, the course, everything was going great! Miles 9 to 13 continued to feel great, and I ran a 6:24 mile 11 (BIG downhill) and was under 6:40 for all of those miles. Still, my breathing was easy, relaxed, and my intermittent "body checks" for form, tightness, over-exertion all came back clear. I simply felt fantastic!
Mile 10, feeling good.
Not long into mile 13 (crossed half way in 1:27:42) my rear end started to feel "heavy" again. This was discouraging. My legs, my mind, my heart, were all having a great run. It was a bit of work to keep the pace under control, yet I was again feeling heavy in the last foot of my G-I tract. Again, to be safe, I stopped during mile 15 for the potty. 7:26 mile. And that one didn't feel so good after leaving the porta-potty. I was feeling even more chafe, too. Not so great. Mile 16 was a 7:03 mile (again, I'm aiming for 6:50 miles) and I was starting to feel some weakness.
Mile 17...Feeling Notsogood.
I had taken a gel in the first 45 minutes, and another every 45 minutes after that, along with an SCap every hour. Still, I was starting to feel like the Gels were simply going straight through my body, and not really adding much sugar to the bloodstream. Despite this creep of negative thoughts, my legs still felt strong and my breathing rhythm was right where I wanted it to be. I still felt great...for now.
I went through mile 20 feeling just okay. The time read 2:15 and change, so I still had a lot of confidence in my ability to run a 10K in under 45 minutes. Even at this point, despite some SERIOUS issues "down low," my legs felt strong and my breathing was right on. I continued to plug away at a "safe" pace, at least to me, passing miles 20-23 in 6:42, 6:54, 6:49. Things are looking good! ...
Then, I started to run out of energy. Mile 23 was tough, and I knew I had a fight on my hands to avoid a serious bonk. Still, I only needed to run about 7:40 miles to meet my goal, and I knew I was up to it. Scratch that, I THOUGHT I was up to it.
At Mile 25, the crowd really gets heavy. the end of the marathon is kind of a "loop" where you pass within half a block of the finish with less than a mile to go, so the crowd is all over the place cheering. I love that. About half way through this segment (half a mile to go), though, you're at the end of the peninsula where the event finishes, and it gets a bit empty. Good thing for me, too, as that's where I started dry heaving.
The wheels are coming off...
With less than .5 miles to go, I was doubled over, dry heaving. There was an event photographer right there, too, and I told him "Can't wait to see that one!" I continued on in a shuffle...half bent over, eyes glazed over, still knowing I just had to hold...it...together...for a couple minutes...
I thought I had it. I turned the final corner and could see the finishing chute. Unfortunately, as I continued along in the final couple hundred feet, running on fumes, my stomach finally revolted completely. Literally 200 yards from the finish--amongst the finishing crowd--I was reduced to dry heaving and mild vomiting. I tried to simply push through it, running forward as the dry heaves started. At one point, in a small moment of self-dignity, I tried to wipe off my face with my jersey after an episode dry heaving, only to vomit a bit into my shirt. That. Was. Awesome.
That's not sweat that has dampened my shirt...and the guy in the background staring at me also witnessed the vomit...hence the strange look.
150 yards to go, and time is running out. I can vividly remember trying to push through it...but I finally had to put my hands on my knees, in the middle of the finishing chute, and barf. Man did that suck. It was mostly just dry heaving, as there wasn't much fluid that came out, but it was not something I could do while continuing to run--I had to stop, hands on my knees, and let 'er rip. I told a pair of guys leaning over the railing how much it sucked, not that they couldn't tell on their own. I'm pretty sure I included the F bomb at one point too.
After that final episode, things came together for me and I literally sprinted to the line. I can remember, in full stride, seeing the clock tick over from 2:59:59 to 3:00:00...
There's still a chance...
I already knew...Not Quite.
| overall place: | 24 out of 1030 |
| division place: | 11 out of 75 |
| gender place: | 21 out of 614 |
| time: | 3:00:07 |
| pace: | 6:53 |
| 5 mi: | 33:28 |
| 10 mi: | 1:06:58 |
| half: | 1:27:37 (I didn't get passed in the second half of the run, and actually moved up 5 spots. Not bad!) |
| 15 mi: | 1:41:07 |
| 20 mi: | 2:15:10 |
| last 10k: | 44:58 (Looking at the race results, there are several 45-49 minute final 10k's among the people that finished in front of me. There was definitely a trend of fading as it got warmer.) |
Walking it off in Riverside Park. I wasn't real happy. Ellie's following me to make sure I don't end up jumping in the lake.
21 people checked to see if Glaven has commented yet:
Just think.... If you would have had a match, you could have lit your ass for that final boost/methane explosion to shave off the 7 seconds.
I hate to pull rank on you, but you can't my chaffing in 3 hours, even if you wear sandpaper for shorts. It takes a good 6-8 hours of the right concoction.... I will send you the recipe.
Too bad the photographer didn't get a "yawn in technicolor" shot.
7 seconds.
That hurts.
Now I can be trite, cliche, etc. "At least you finished"
Re: "Patten-like chafing:" You're right. Marathon chafing compares not to Ultra chafing. My bad.
Re: methane explosion: Might have worked, although it's difficult to light liquids...yuck, can't believe I just typed that.
WOW! Congrats on an amazing run, SO so close. I have no doubt you will get it, but a huge accomplishment! You should be very proud!
You are to be commended for your equanimity in the face of such a heart-breaker, if nothing else.
I'm pretty sure I included the F bomb at one point too
O, did you now? If I had missed my goal of a sub-3-hour marry by 8 seconds, every third word in my race report would have been "the f bomb" and the blogosphere would be drowning in my tears.
But you? You evince an almost "meh" attitude here. I don't know whether to worship you or have you committed.
In any case, after reading this:
The training this summer had me in great shape. I felt lean, light, and fast. The hill work I've been doing even had me noticing new muscles I didn't have before ...
I was thisclose to asking you what you were doing this Friday night and DON'T SAY WASHING YOUR HAIR BECAUSE I KNOW FOR FACT A YOUR HAIR IS SO SHORT YOU COULD GET PART-TIME WORK AS AN EMORY BOARD!1! ... but then you started talking all GI tract issues and I was like, Pfffttt! Forget it. this guy comes with too much baggage! I'm outta here!
Still, 3:00:07. Teh 'Bride sez this counts as sub-3 hours but frankly she's always kinda had math "issues", so I wouldn't cite that as evidence of any kind if I were you.
Still ... it's the thought that counts.
Congrats on the PR!
I can't believe the 'Nuck got here before I did!
24 out of 1030 overall... 21 out of 614 males... SO the real story here is that 3 chicks beat ya?
NO ONE passed you in the 2nd half? Wow - that's pretty sweet given the puking and all.
Super job. Really - to push it to the edge. That's an awesome day no matter how you look at it. The purrrrfect day sans stomach and minor chaffing (can't believe you tried to compare - only allowed if you resort to the same look as Matt) issues is yet to come...
Awesome race! I guess the positive way to look at it would be, its an amazing accomplishment to even come that close considering all the issues you had!
If you're not out there busting it, you don't even have a time, rock on!
Amazing race, 7 seconds, even with all those issues. A lot of times it takes a perfect race to PR and this one wasn't perfect. You'll have to give it another shot, enjoy the journey!
@Glaven: Thanks, I think. I was pretty pissed off at first, but I already wrote a race report with those sentiments (Grandma's) so I got over it. A lot faster this time.
@Helen: Yes, I got chicked. The winner ran 2:45 (!), but none of them were Irish. And, quite frankly, I only care if Irish women beat me. And, again, I apologize for making reference to Matt's chafing. Perhaps if SOMEONE would provide some photographic evidence of exactly WHAT he was wearing, I'd know better!
Ace: You're absolutely right...there was a lot of fading going on, and I managed to finish relatively strong. (Using the term "relatively" very loosely)
Mike: Oh yes, I'll break three hours...maybe in Philly?
Oh man, GI problems and you STILL kicked @$$ like that - NICE!
Congrats on the PR - the you'll hit that sub-3, no doubt.
Great race Nic. On reading the post title I thought you had scraped under the mark by 7 seconds. What a difference 14 seconds can make - and all because of some arbitrary distance of 26 miles and 385 yards. You certainly were on fire and heading for well under the 3 hr mark - you'll certainly gert there next time out. Hitting the 20 mile mark by 2:15 seems to be a prerequisite for getting under 3 hours.
Awesome race report! Those GI tract issues are never fun and you were so close. That shows that it is within reach and in the near future :-)
Great PR! Congrats on fighting through. I'm sorry you just missed your goal. You'll get it. Cheers!
Who took the picture of you and Ellie at the end?
What was the official chip time?
What color was the puke???
Grellan--Thanks! It really was a great run, despite the "issues..." and now the thought of "how fast can I go" has replaced the thought of "can I break 3 hours?".
Rachel--thanks! see you in a couple weeks! I'll be up at Twin Cities Running in a bright yellow jersey...
Viper--I drank very well after the event. You would have been proud.
Steve--My mom, 3:00:07 (same as my watch, incredibly, although I was really holding out hope that I was off on starting the Garmin), and clearish orange...from what I remember. I think the yellow Gatorade mixed with the undigested Chocolate Outrage Gu to create a clear/brown/orange concoction. Lovely.
My friend Don's marathon best is 3:00:06. He's been pissed off for 25 years about that. Still, he's run faster than you.
Find an easy course in about 4-6 weeks and nail that 3 hour barrier while you can!
ZOMG, I came here to tell you about this aimed-at-you kertwang that SteveQ left on my blog, and now I see he's left another one right here on your blog:
"3:00:06 ... Still, he's run faster than you."
Hahaha! Even though he f*cked up the diction a bit, still ... that's funny!
(I'd'a pasted the comment from my blog in this here comment, but I wanted to make you go to my blog to increase my traffic, because Glaven X sez: "Increase hits ... by whatever means necessary!")
I also wanna add that I am disappointed at all these people who are making jokes about your recent heartbreaking running disappointment. They disgust me and I abjure them!
("Abjure" means "admire", right?)
SteveQ...Twin Cities...
ya should have gone in the lake to cool off!
all that puke and you missed it by just a few seconds. so close dude, i'm still proud of you!
Some forewarning about Twin Cities: once you cross the river (to the not-evil side), there's a nasty uphill that I can never find when driving the course, but it's there and is before the infamous hill from the river up to St. Thomas college (I usually watch the race from this point. If you seem to be having a good day, I'll start throwing marbles on the course). From St. Thomas along Summit Avenue, it's a gradual incline for about 4 miles.
TC is an easy course and I had my PR there, but be aware of the uphill from 19-24 miles.
Man, you put up a good fight. You'll get her.
That's a bummer, porta-potty stops are good if you're not planning to win. Some people pee from time to time so we can't avoid peeing because its hard to hold your pee.
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