Eat Drink Run Woman

This past Sunday, I ran the perfect race.  It wasn’t a personal best, but it brought together everything I’ve learned in my prior five marathons.  That’s not to say I won’t continue to learn, but I have a much better idea of what works for ME.  This marathon also proved I could run a BQ on an “unaided” course (I know many running snobs would consider the Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon a “cheater” given it’s all downhill.  While I obviously was more than happy to use that as my BQ, I do feel redeemed I could run a fast race on a more challenging course).

Buckle in folks; another epic race report follows.

Pre-race

As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t think I had another BQ in me going into this race.  The Tunnel and Skagit Flats marathons had taken their toll, and my No. 1 priority was to heal my body (after all, I’m planning on running marathons in November, December and January in order to earn another Maniac star).  In fact, I was so set on recovery I actually skipped a couple of recovery runs that were on the schedule (call me a rebel).

As race day drew near I was pleased to see the aches and pains in my lower calf were greatly diminished (new shoes certainly helped).  However, I still wasn’t convinced I could race.  To make matters worse, my darling came down with a horrible cold that settled into his chest.  I’m normally the one to get sick, so I feared I would soon catch what he had.  Not sure if it was the Zicam I snorted thrice daily or the fact he had a couple of out-of-town photo shoots (and therefore didn’t expose me as much to his germs), but it seemed I was keeping the cold at bay.

The forecast predicted perfect running weather — clear, cool, little wind.  I had been reading reports from previous marathons and knew things could get rough should the wind pick up along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  As for the course itself, there were mixed reviews.  Some people felt it was a relatively easy course, others cursed the rolling hills.  However, I also read Royal Victoria is one of the more popular races at which to BQ.

We caught the 8 a.m. Victoria Clipper from downtown Seattle, which put us into Victoria about 11 a.m.  The boat was packed, as not only was it marathon weekend, Monday was Columbus Day in the states and Thanksgiving in Canada (I was glad I booked early).  Our hotel, the Hotel Grand Pacific, was just a short walk from the Clipper terminal.  We totally scored with a 10th floor room with a view not only of the famed inner harbor and the Empress Hotel, but also of the race start.

Once checked in we headed to the expo to pick up our race packets.  The expo was pretty typical — lots of booths touting other races, as well as vendors peddling various running gear.  I admired the “travel roller” offered by one company (basically a take on a foam roller, but in a convenient travel size!), but resisted the urge to pick one up.  I also passed over the RVM logoed merchandise as the trip itself was quite the splurge.

We then headed to a pub for some lunch and liquid carbo-loading, then back to the hotel for a nap (neither one of us had gotten much sleep the night before).  Because we weren’t looking forward to shelling out $16 apiece for breakfast the next morning (plus a $4.50 delivery charge, tax and tip), I found a list of grocery stores in the yellow pages.  Fortunately one was just a few blocks from our hotel, so we loaded up on juice, instant oatmeal, bananas and yogurt.  We then headed to the Empress Hotel for the pasta feed — an incredible buffet spread featuring all sorts of pasta dishes, as well as salmon, salad and an array of decadent desserts.  Dick Beardsley was on hand to offer motivation and inspiration, and while I had every intention of getting close enough to bitch-slap him on behalf of Nitmos, he had surrounded himself with a bevy of burly bouncers (gotta love alliteration).  Next time, Nitmos; I promise.

We got back to the hotel just before 9 p.m., only to find they had shut off the elevators in order to investigate a fire alarm.  We could go up to our room; we’d just have to walk up 10 flights of stairs.  By now we were ready for bed, so we decided our quads could handle it.  Just as we had drifted into a deep sleep we were jolted awake by the fire alarm and a voice over the speaker, “Attention please, attention please.  We are investigating a fire alarm.  Please stay where you are until further notice.”  This happened a couple more times, and then we heard the wail of several fire trucks.  Just what you need the night before a marathon, huh?  I started mulling over what I’d do should we need to evacuate — grab everything, or just my running gear?  About an hour later the voice came back on to say everything was okay.  Thankfully we were able to drift back off to sleep.

Race Day

The next morning I ran some water through the coffee maker for our oatmeal.  But once again I made a tactical error — I forgot the spoons!  I mixed the oatmeal in some water glasses and tried “drinking” it, later resorting to scooping it out with my fingers.  I watched the half marathon start from our balcony as I downed a couple of cups of coffee.  While the past few days had been quite chilly, it seemed to have warmed up a bit for race day.  Still, I decided to wear a long-sleeve technical tee under my Marathon Maniacs singlet (this was my first race as a Maniac).

While I was antsy to get down to the race, my darling saw no need to hurry.  I finally coaxed him out the door about 8:10 (the race started at 8:30) and we headed toward the gear check.  However, we realized it was a block over from the race start; our hotel was just as close, if not closer, so my darling headed back up to the room to drop off our extra clothes.  I headed toward the start and started chatting with one of the runners we met on the Clipper.  I was startled to hear “And they’re off!” signaling the start of the wheelchair race.  We were scheduled to start five minutes later and I began to worry my darling wouldn’t make it in time.  With barely a minute to spare he sprinted toward us and we took our appropriate spots in line.

While I didn’t think I was prepared to BQ, I figured I’d at least start the race with that goal in mind.  My mile splits during my long runs have been extremely consistent, so I figured I’d shoot for a fairly even race split (or a just a slight negative split).  My goal was to average 9:15 for the first eight miles, then I’d pick up the pace just a tad.  My hope was to reach the halfway mark between 1:59-2:02; anything less and it’d be an indication I’d gone out too fast (and therefore would fall apart toward the end); anything more and it would be tough to finish within four hours.

The start was quite crowded (I believe there were approximately 1,900 marathoners) and it took a little over a minute to cross the start pad.  Fortunately I resisted the urge to get caught up with the initial excitement and ran the first mile very conservatively (it was my second slowest mile of the race).  Although my ego wanted to speed up and pass others, I knew from previous races I’d be passing them in the final miles — if not earlier — if I played my cards right.

Splits for miles 1-8 (average 9:08):

9:24
9:05
9:19
9:04
8:58 (oopsie!)
9:06
9:07
9:06

While I was a bit warm with my long-sleeved shirt, I was thankful for it once we headed along the waterfront.  Since dehydration has plagued me in past races, I slowed through each water stop (they were placed almost every 3K) and took a couple of cups at each one.  I also took in two gels and a packet of margarita Shot Blocks during the race (the extra sodium in the margarita flavor helps keep the dizziness at bay).  By now I was feeling REALLY good and made sure to take in the sights (in past races I’ve gotten so focused on the run I barely remember the course).  I also chatted with several other Maniacs, one of whom provided some great tips on running in and getting around Boston.

Splits for miles 9-13:

9:05
9:01
9:00
9:03
9:01

Although the course was marked in kilometers, I decided to keep Garmin in miles as that’s what I’m used to.  I know not to fully rely on Garmin — every marathon I’ve run has been long — but at least it would give me some general feedback on my pace.  The course also included signs at each 5-mile mark, which really helped.  I started to get nervous as I hit two hours and couldn’t see the halfway point, but was soon running over the timing mat at 2:01:20; I was still in the race.  Since I was feeling so good I decided I could pick things up a bit.

Splits for miles 14-19:

8:50
8:50
8:58
8:57
8:57
8:55 (am I consistent, or what?)

Every marathoner has heard it — “The real race starts at Mile 20,” or “The marathon can be divided into two equal halves: miles 1-20, and miles 20-26.2.”  Call me a textbook marathoner, ‘cuz that’s exactly when things get tough for me.  I figured I’d still be in the race should I hit the 20-mile mark with at least 55 minutes to go.  Anything less and my BQ dreams would be dashed.  I believe I had about 58 minutes left when I hit that mark; certainly doable, but no guarantee.  By now my quads had decided they were done and it took all my mental faculties to convince them to continue.  Fortunately I wasn’t experiencing any pain — I just was dealing with dead legs.

While the rolling hills didn’t provide too much of a challenge in the first two thirds of the race, running them on dead legs was brutal.  However, I refused to walk them for fear I’d give up entirely.  After all, I already had my BQ; I didn’t need to prove anything (at least that’s what my quads kept telling me).  Fortunately my brain was able to silence my quads and I kept running.  I was too close — there was no way I could allow myself to give up.  I didn’t look at my pace going up the hills (I knew I wouldn’t like what I saw), but kept telling myself I’d be able to pick things up just a tad on the downhills.  By mile 24 I was really struggling, and of course that included the worst hill (resulting in my slowest mile of the race).

Splits for miles 20-26.2 (Garmin measured 26.5):

9:04
9:01
9:13
9:00
9:29
9:03
13:41 (for 1.5 miles)

I knew once I saw the Hotel Grand Pacific the finish line would be close.  With a mile to go I spied it; I glanced down at Garmin and saw I had almost 10 minutes before the 4:00:59 mark — still no guarantee I’d make it.  Normally the crowds at the end provide the needed energy for me to surge across the finish line, but not on Sunday.  I was totally spent and lurched across, hoping someone would catch me should I pass out.  While Garmin read 4:00:29, the timing clock read 4:01:52.  I wouldn’t know for sure whether I’d BQ until I saw the official results.

I managed to make it through the finish chute without passing out, although it was a slow go.  I saw my darling at the end and he led me to the bananas and chocolate milk.  Alas, he blew up in the second half and didn’t BQ (although he still finished in a respectable 3:40:48).  We headed toward the conference center for our massages, then back to our hotel to clean up.  Normally I like to nap after a race, but I was eager to see the results and take in the awards ceremony.  I found my name and shouted “Yes!” as I saw 4:00:26 as my chip time.  I now have the option to head back to Boston in 2010 should our finances allow.

And as an added bonus, I won a travel roller during the awards ceremony raffle!