This morning I ran the
Mississippi River Marathon - a very flat course that starts in Arkansas, loops around the largest oxbow lake in North America, following a very picturesque view of the lake, then farm fields (wide open spaces!) along a little highway, then climbs one "hill" (80ft elevation gain over about a mile distance, so not steep) to cross the newish $500M bridge into Mississippi, and ends in the center of Greenville after moseying along more (ugly and hot!) highway and then through some fancy neighborhoods with beautiful homes on large properties.
Over the 12 weeks of this past
training cycle, I mostly did what I aimed to do when I set some new goals for myself following Soldier. I ran 5 days per week (except during taper), which is something I haven't done in any other training cycle (I usually do 4 total runs per week, but I cut out spin class this cycle to make room for another run). My weekly mileage ranged from 30-50 (with one down week over Christmas where I only ran 15 miles), and most weeks clocked in around the mid-30s to mid-40s. I did at least one strength training session each week (except for Christmas week and the week Michelle was down at Disney), ramping up to twice/week during the last few weeks. I hit the trails about once per week, more in prep for the trail 50K that I have coming up in 3 weeks than for today's marathon, but since slightly different muscles are used for trail running, I figured it would help me tackle 26.2 road miles too. And I've been a very good girl (comparatively) about doing speedwork (I even threw in a couple sets of
Yasso 800s, which I'm learning to like - though not as much as fartleks or pyramids!)
Last night we stayed at a cabin in Arkansas not far from the starting line (after running by the expo to pick up my race packet, then Fox's Pizza for dinner, where they provided a 20% discount for racers -- there is nothing I love more as pre-long run fuel than PIZZA!), so Jay and the kids were able to drop me off closer to the 8:00am race start (and I didn't have to stand around in the freezing cold for an hour or more after taking the bus).
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| "Two Story", the cutest little cabin we've ever seen. |
There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people.
Bill Bowerman
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| Two jackets (and gloves in my pockets, ready to go - I was heading straight for those bonfires pictured there behind me). Unicorn earrings on for luck. |
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| Everyone sure looks cold over at the starting line... |
The temp was
34 degrees at 7:15am when I g
ot out of the van, not much warmer at the 8:00am start (according to my Garmin, the "feels like" temperature with the 5-10mph wind was 26 degrees), and in the mid-60s by the time I finished. I was dressed as appropriately as I could be, given my constant stalking of Accuweather (up to 3 weeks ahead of today's race, because that's what crazy people do) and advice from friends who have run this event in past years who reminded me how very windy (and thus extra cold) it can be up in The Delta in the winter. I abandoned my green throw-away jacket at the start, and by the time I passed Jay and the kids for the first time at mile 4.5, I debated handing over my second jacket. I didn't though, and within the next half mile I had it unzipped and flapping in the wind... By the time I crossed from Lakeshore Blvd to the highway, I had the jacket around my waist and was peeling off my gloves. As soon as I saw the family again at mile 7, I tossed them in the back of the van and headed out into the sunshine, not realizing that the jacket had rubbed the Bodyglide off the inside of my arms (one of my worst chafe spots, and BOY OH BOY did I get it bad during this race!) and I'd end up with a bad sunburn on my shoulders, arms, and chest due to not even considering wearing sunblock for a winter marathon...
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| The cutest cheering squad on the course! I had so many runners ask if they were mine as we ran past and tell me how great it was to keep seeing them out there, motivating everyone and full of happy energy! |
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| Feeling so good and still SO EXCITED at mile 7! |
(If you're wondering why I touched Cora's face, it was to plant the kiss I blew to her on her lips. She'd been blowing me kisses as I was running up to her, but I was afraid to stop and bend down to her level and risk not being able to get back up easily or get moving again without letting fatigue aches creep in, especially as I was facing the climb over the bridge, as seen in the background.)
No marathon gets easier later.
The half way point only marks the end of the beginning.
Joe Henderson
As I crossed the half marathon time check, I realized I was slightly ahead of my game plan (to run very gradual negative splits) and I was still feeling good, so I had high hopes of getting that 4:15. Jay and the kids passed me as I was running over the middle of the bridge and grabbed some photos, and the professional photographer was positioned on the ground just as the downslope started (so they had a good angle and a nice background for us). Looking at these, I'm pretty pleased with my foot-fall, and it's obvious I was in high spirits!
Anyone can run 20 miles. It's the next six that count.
Barry Magee
I saw Jay and the kids probably 7 or 8 times along the course (I actually tried to distract myself a few times by attempting to count our crossings, but the mind doesn't do well with numbers while running long distances... at least mine doesn't), and each time it gave me a huge burst of energy (spectators are all awesome and appreciated, but seeing your own family is the absolute best motivator!) Except at mile 22 when Jay unexpectedly showed up in the fancy neighborhood, standing solo at a street crossing (kids don't do 26 full miles worth of stops, apparently - they were relaxing in the van nearby). At that point I kinda collapsed into his arms for a big bear hug. I didn't tell him at the time, but I'd already been battling severe calf cramps for 2 miles and it was really taking a toll on me. I had been feeling really strong through mile 18, and was just starting to get tired around mile 20, but as I ran away from them at that water stop, I checked my watch and knew I still had a chance of making 4:15. My watch clocked right at 3:15 at mile 20 and all I had left to do was run a 10K in an hour or less, something I still thought I could do at that point. I had actually run an even 1:00:00 for the first 10K of the race (I checked my watch as I passed the mark, and it was one of the few times I looked at anything other than my "current pace"). I put a pace band in my pocket, but never once pulled it out to check on my progress. I figured clock time was good enough and I just wasn't in the mood to micromanage myself. It felt good to do that, and with my current pace staying between 9:10-9:25 while running, I was hitting my splits pretty close to 9:45 average when the water stop walks were averaged in (some faster, some a little slower), or so I thought... turns out my Garmin was a bit ahead of schedule mileage-wise (I totaled 26.57 on an accredited 26.2 course), so perhaps I should have micromanaged myself a bit!
Back to the calf cramps though... That stretch up and over the bridge ended up being the only long dry stretch of the entire course. There was no water stop for 3 miles, and with the temps up in the mid-50s by that point, I was hot and thirsty. I think I got dehydrated at that point and then just wasn't able to catch back up (I took extra water in the fancy neighborhoods because there were a lot of little homemade water stops, but it didn't seem to help). My left calf was the worst culprit, but the cramps affected both calves, and surprisingly, both my quads (never had cramps there before... maybe because the course was so flat?) I would be clipping right along at my comfortable 9:10-9:25 pace and then WHAM, a cramp would grab a muscle (or two) and my leg(s) would seize up and I'd come crashing to a halt. I tried quick stretches and massaging, and even cursing my stupid legs out loud, but the cramps just wouldn't go away. I had 6 miles of extremely frustrating cramps (frustrating because other than the cramps, I was feeling better than I expected to be and felt like I could have kept a strong pace had I not had to keep stopping). I had been playing a mind game with myself ever since the water stops had started being every mile (from mile 6 onward, except over the bridge) - I pretended that I was running intervals rather than a marathon. I would walk the length of a water stop, taking in a cup (or two or three, near the end) of water, then deposit my trash in the final can and start running again, telling myself I just had one mile to go until my next break. And I would run the full mile without even thinking about stopping or slowing down. It worked so well for me, and I think that made it even more upsetting at the end when mentally I was willing to push myself, yet physically my body just wouldn't cooperate. If I ever run this race again (unlikely, since I do few enough marathons that I'd rather do something new each time), I'll grab a handheld water bottle at mile 13 from Jay to take over the bridge with me. Oh well though, what can you do? I still ran the best race that I could and I had a good time out there (until the cramps hit, for sure), and I'll obviously do another marathon someday (and hopefully get that 4:15!), whether it's next fall or next spring (or further out than that, who knows).
Earlier in the week, I had created a bunch of posters for Jay and the kids (to help keep them entertained and to motivate runners out there besides myself):
The difference between the mile and the marathon is the difference between burning your fingers with a match and being slowly roasted over hot coals.
Hal Higdon
As upsetting as it was to keep grinding to a halt and walking within sight of the finish line (I could see it about a mile away), it was still exhilarating to reach the end and have Jay and the kids there screaming at the top of their lungs. The kids ran me in, Jay bought me a refreshing beer in a commemorative glass, and I went into the runners tent to grab a banana (since the three I'd had in the past 12 hours obviously hadn't been enough to stave off the cramps!) and every beverage I could get my hands on (water bottles, Gatorade, Coke, and chocolate milk). I finished with an official 4:22:59, so just ahead of Soldier with a 25 second or so PR. Any PR is better than no PR, right?!
In less than 20 minutes, my friend Lee came cruising by and we all rushed to the finish line to cheer her in (I stumbled over, since my muscles had already checked out for the day...) The announcer told everyone who she was and where she was from, and that she was completing her 50th marathon, a goal she had set for herself to complete by her 50th birthday (and she made it with 5 months to spare!) It was really special to get to celebrate that monumental feat with her, and she earned 2nd place in her age group on top of it all!
After we collected ourselves and changed our shirts and shoes, we walked back down the street to the brewing supplies store (always best to walk a little after running 26.2 miles!), which also sells many harder to find beers and has a selection on tap that you can enjoy in their beer garden (where kids and dogs are surprisingly allowed!) The kids played games while the adults drank and talked in the shade (something we'd been sorely missing out on the race course!)
By the time we finished our beers and race recaps, it was almost 2:00pm and time for lunch, so we headed out to the only place in town still open (apparently most restaurants in Greenville close by 2:00pm on Saturdays...) We were home in time for dinner (Greenville is just under 2 hours from Vicksburg), and after a hot shower and getting the kids to bed, I happily crashed into my own pillow.
Good day well spent, indeed.
Just for my records, here are the read-outs from my Garmin and the race website:
OK, I have to admit that I think it's pretty cool that even with my cramp issues near the end of the race, my second half clocked in at 2:15:29, which is still faster than my first ever half marathon race (
RNR NOLA, where I ran 2:15:41)... Always nice to get a little perspective and remember how far I've come in the past few years.
And for comparisons sake, here are my pace charts for MS River (above) and Soldier (below). There were 7 more water stops today, so my planned walk breaks probably totaled 20-24 minutes, whereas I took fewer planned walk breaks at Soldier. The end of today's race unfortunately looks a lot like Soldier though (where I was stopping constantly from fatigue, not cramps).
I don't know... I appreciate the marathon distance and what it takes to get yourself trained to complete it, but I really think I prefer the half marathon... I don't have any plans (AKA registrations) for either distance next year (and by next year, I mean our racing season here in the Deep South, late fall through early spring, 2015/2016), and there is no rush to make any commitments at this point. On one hand, I'd really like that 4:15. Or better. But on the other, it feels easier to wrap my head around training for a faster 10K and/or half marathon PR... Only time will tell what next racing season holds for me! Until then, there's still the MS 50 Trail 50K in 3 weeks to attend to...
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