M.U.M.'s The Word!

Today was my last big race of the season, Marshall University Marathon. What a crazy year it's been! This was my 30th race for 2012 and my third marathon this year. After just missing my goal at Baltimore last month I really wanted to take another crack at 4:29:59 or better. I had no illusions that it would be easy, however. In the 4 weeks between Baltimore and Marshall, I ran two 5k's, a 5 mile, a 10k, and two half marathons. My legs are pretty much destroyed and I've been battling what seems to be bronchitis or an upper respiratory infection since Baltimore. I was going to find out just how tough I really am today if I wanted a shot at a PR.

On Saturday I made the 4.5 hour drive down to Huntington, WV and picked up my packet. This race is awesome in that you get a shirt and a jacket if you register early. I got both and was pleasantly surprised, except that the small shirt is still too big for me!

Shirt

 

The jacket is actually a dark forest/hunter green but my iPhone won't pick it up.

I didn't have the foresight to make hotel reservations for such a small marathon. Wouldn't you know I couldn't find a room to save my life? I ended up in a fleabag dump about 20 minutes outside of town. It didn't even have a name, the sign just said 'MOTEL'. The room was painted puke green, there were holes punched in every wall, the bathroom counter was pulled free of the wall, the smoke detector was missing, and there were what appeared to be blood stains on everything. I practically begged my husband to drive down and stay with me to save me from the huge, loud men stomping up and down the stairs, slamming doors, and screaming all night. Of course, he stayed home. I curled up on top of the comforter and fell into an uneasy sleep. I woke up every hour or two when a door would slam or someone would start yelling. I was so happy when my alarm went off at 4:30am and I could get the heck out of dodge!

My personal hell

 

I drove around and finally found an open gas station. I got a coffee and a donut and then drove to the stadium where the race started. The lot was practically empty so I enjoyed my breakfast and sorted out my gear. I decided to wear my INK n BURN shorts and camisole with a $5 Walmart throwaway and some cheap gloves. It was around 45 degrees at starting time.

 

One of the big issues with this race was a lack of communication with the runners. According to the website the starting line was at one intersection but it actually turned out it was about 2 blocks up. I was standing with a huge group of people when they made an announcement that we all needed to run to the real starting line before they started the race. I made my way up to the back of the pack at the true starting line and it was only a few minutes before we were off. I didn't start my Garmin with the horn because I assumed there would be timing mats at the start. I was wrong and, therefore, my watch was off the entire race.

 

As soon as I started I was pretty much on pace. I wanted to start out more conservatively this time in hopes of not bonking or at least not too hard. I wanted to stay within 10 seconds of my goal pace so 10:00 - 10:20 for an average of 10:10-ish.

 

Mile 1: 10:17

Mile 2: 10:09

Mile 3: 10:35

Mile 4: 10:36

Mile 5: 10:04

 

By the third mile I was starting to feel the effects of the past few months of extreme racing. I had weird aches and pains that would pop up and then disappear again a few hundred feet later just to be replaced with something else. First it was a pain deep in my groin and then it was my shin. Eventually my feet and ankles and even my lower back decided to protest too. I began to just ignore the aches knowing that one would disappear and another would arise soon. I finished the first 5 miles right about the 52 minute mark so I made it my goal to finish each 5 mile interval in 52 minutes. I figured that would get me a 4:26 - 4:29 finish.

 

Mile 6: 10:29

Mile 7: 9:57

Mile 8: 9:57

Mile 9: 10:14

Mile 10: 11:00

 

I'm not sure what exactly happened at mile 10. I was carrying my handheld so I wasn't stopping at water stops. I took my nutrition every 4 miles or so. I took a GU at mile 4, 2 Shot Bloks at miles 9, 13.1, and 17 plus another GU at mile 22. I tried to keep my walk breaks to take my GU or Shot Bloks under a minute.

 

Mile 11: 9:45

Mile 12: 9:55

Mile 13: 10:03

Mile 14: 10:35

Mile 15: 10:53

 

In the second half the temperature started to rise quickly. It was right around 72 degrees by the time I finished. At mile 15 I stopped to have my handheld refilled and I also started taking Gatorade at several aid stations. I was feeling surprisingly strong though. The aches were still there but I didn't feel like they were affecting me too much. One thing that was really irritating was the lack of scenery on the course. Downtown Huntington is just not pretty and I had nothing to look at besides the back of the person in front of me.

 

Mile 16: 10:22

Mile 17: 10:07

Mile 18: 10:03

Mile 19: 9:51

Mile 20: 9:56

 

At mile 20 I was feeling confident that a 4:29 was in the bag. I was taking a 30 second walk break every mile or mile and a half and it was keeping my legs happy. I never had any cramping or bonking. I started trying to see how hard I could push. I wanted to leave everything on the course and either succeed in epic fashion or blow up just as well.

 

Mile 21: 10:19

Mile 22: 10:29

Mile 23: 11:23

Mile 24: 10:29

Mile 25: 11:28

 

In mile 23 I stopped for a cup of Gatorade and the volunteer handed me water. I had to loop back to get the right cup and then walk long enough to get it down. I knew I lost some time but I hoped the last little bit of hydration and electrolytes would see me through since my water bottle was empty again. However, it didn't happen. Shortly after mile 24 my left knee hit me with a sharp pain. I ended up walking for about 90 seconds to relieve it and that cost me any chance of my 4:29. I told myself I had to still try though and I picked it back up.

 

Mile 26: 10:29

Last .42: 9:44 average

 

Stadium

 

This course is USATF certified so I'm not sure why I got such a long reading. I almost always get a 26.3 Garmin distance on marathons. This was by far the longest course I've ever run. Every mile marker was consistently a quarter mile past where my Garmin said it should be. I'm wondering if the starting line debacle didn't end up adding that distance?

 

Anyway, the last little bit of this race is what makes it worth running. You run down a ramp into the stadium (OUCH!) and onto the football field. You run to the far goal post, make a U-turn, and then run across the field to finish in the end zone. A little boy handed me a football as I made the final turn (to commemorate the football team killed in the plane crash) and so I tucked it and sprinted. I actually managed to catch and pass one woman in this final 100 yards. According to my Garmin I got down to a 7 minute mile here.

 

Catching another woman at the last second... literally

 

 

I stopped my watch and saw 4:33:45. Not the time I wanted but a PR nonetheless. I happily collected my medal and then sat in the turf to drink a bottle of water before heading home. However, my official time is now posted as 4:34:05. I am really unhappy that the lack of starting mats means I now have a 4:34 PR instead of a 4:33 PR.

 

Medal

 

 

5 marathons done and six states down!