Race Report: Space Coast Marathon

Well, today was not my day, and that is ok. I did not finish sub-5 hrs or even a PR, but I still found the strength to finish my 2nd marathon in one piece and smiling, so I call that success :) Lots of things went wrong today, most of which I could not control -- rain, wind, humidity, heat -- but the one thing I could control was knowing when to pull back when my knee (IT me thinks) started screaming. This race report is best told through the 5 stages of grief, all of which I experienced during this race.

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Denial - It was already warm -- mid 60s -- in Orlando when I woke up at 3 am and the forecast said it was 10 degrees warmer at the race. If we are being honest, deep down I knew then that I would not meet my goal. I still thought I could pull it off somehow, so I tried to ignore it. When we got to the race, it was windy but still warm enough to wear a singlet with my running skirt, and I even considered not wearing my knee high compression socks. I was upset; I kept bitching to anyone that would listen that it was too hot, while at the same time convincing myself it would be fine. By the time we walked to the start, it was 73º and I was sweating; but I chucked that up to nerves since everyone else was cold. Again, all the signs were there that I should adjust my plan then, but I ignored them. I almost immediately abandoned my 4:50 goal, but seemed to be running the pace I needed so kept at it. We finished the first half right on pace (2:35) and got our 2nd wind after seeing Jason, Omar and Laura. As soon as we turned the corner we were accosted with a serious 15 mph headwind with rain that knocked the wind out of my sails. I kept pushing but when my knee started to hurt, and I noticed our average pace had not changed in miles, I knew it wasn't going to happen.

Anger - I was angry that I had waited too long before listening to my body. The truth is that I was already sore and struggling a bit during the first half but that didn't seem out of the ordinary. I thought that was part of truly racing a marathon, but I didn't take my own advice and didn't focus on running the first half comfortably. If I had adjusted my pace and goal from the very beginning, run a steady easy pace, my knee may not have given out and I may have PRed. I'll never know that for sure, but you know I can't help but wonder it. Our pace had been increasing steadily through the first half, and then I took comfort when it was at least not decreasing. Once I realized that I was no longer even able to maintain the pace but it was in fact slipping, I was angry.

Bargaining - As my average pace slipped and slipped way past the point of no return to come anywhere near the 5 hour mark, I began calculating how low I could slip and still PR. I adjusted my intervals so I was running slower for longer, but that only helped for a bit. Then I began running slowly for however long I could, then taking a 1 minute walk break. I tried everything I could to at least hit that goal, but nothing worked.

Depression - I had hit the point of no return for even a PR and was in so much pain, that all I had left in me was tears. Every ounce of my body hurt like it had never hurt before. It even hurt to breath or hold myself upright. I started texting Jason and doubting if I could even finish. I was determined to try, but the walking became more frequent and I seriously thought of walking the rest of the race but 10K was a long way to go at a shuffle. My feet were screaming at me, so I ran when I could to help propel me forward a little bit faster. Then my knee would begin to protest and I'd walk again. This went on and on for I don't know how long and I was no longer trying to hold back tears and burst into sobs.

Acceptance - Kerrie caught up to me just before mile 20 as I hit this low point, and she stayed with me to the end. She was struggling too and we were giving the other strength to go on. This was her 7th marathon and she was just the ray of sunshine I needed at that moment. She always has a smile on her face, and her motto is "if we're not having fun, then why are we doing this?" She helped me remember what truly mattered today, pulled me out of my little pitty party, I accepted my situation confirming I made the right choice earlier, and helped me achieve the most important goal of all: finish with a smile! =) Then our other group leader Kirsty and Jason joined us just before mile 26 and now we were laughing. I had regained enough strength to running the entire length of the finishing shoot and finish running with a smile :) I was at peace when I crossed that finish line and proud that I had finished yet another marathon despite of the challenges I faced. 3 Years ago I didn't think running a marathon was something I could ever do and wasn't even sure I wanted to try, and now I've done it TWICE! (more if you count the training runs). And no, this will not be my last marathon; I'm still running BCM in February and others in the future, but the focus will be on enjoying the experience and running. I still prefer the half marathon distance and that will be my focus for speed next year.

Race Highlights: 

• Because this is a local race, there were a LOT of runners doing the half and full that I knew, including a huge showing from our Orlando Galloway Program. Since this is a bow-tie course, with 2 out and back sections, it was great fun to spot them along the way and cheer for each other. I felt like a celebrity every time one of them spotted me and screamed my name. 
• The course was gorgeous, and I'm so glad I had Dawn there with me to point it out during the first half. There were all these picturesque spots along the riverbed and some really pretty houses.
• The course support for this race is like no other. I loved seeing the themed water stations, having a ton of water along the way (though they decreased on the 2nd half when we needed them most), they were well stocked with gels, and the volunteers were very helpful and encouraging. 
• The medal is huge and even more impressive than last year's. I am glad I was able to be part of their 40th Anniversary. 
• Sharing it with my Galloway Family and Jason. I'm so proud that they all did so well.
• I wasn't last! =P
• Finishing laughing with great running friends! =)

Congratulations to everyone who finished this race! And a huge thank you to everyone who supported me today, whether it was on Facebook, exchanging cheers on the course, or helping me finish strong. I could not do any of this without you!

Stats:

• AG 38/48 
• Overall 748/906
• clock 5:47:13
• chip 5:43:16
• pace 13:07
• 10k 1:13:06
• half 2:35:02
• 20 miles 4:00:59 

Space Coast Marathon Goals, Pacing Strategy & Tracking Info

This is it! In less than 24 hours, I'll be undertaking my 2nd marathon. I'm a little anxious, but I'm far more excited! :) I really cannot wait to experience this and see what I'm truly made of :) So I thought in this post I'd let you in on the thought process behind my goals and pacing strategy. But first, here's how to track me on race day. I'm #248. Jason is #2872

Track Me:

1. Live results will be posted at http://SpaceCoastMarathon.com/ as we cross the timing mats for the following splits: 
• Full = 10K, half, 20 miles, finish. 
• Half = 5K, 10K, 15K, and finish
2. I'll run with my iPhone and Runmeter will post my splits to Twitter, Facebook, and Dailymile along with a link to a google map where you can track me in real time.
• The map will update every 5 minutes. 
• Dailymile, Facebook and Twitter will update every 5 miles. 
• I'll be able to hear your comments on all 3 of those sites; your happy thoughts and words of encouragement will be most welcomed. 
• The race starts at 6:15, and I hope to be done no later than 11:15, so you can sleep in and check in on me after you wake up :)

Goals: As always, my #1 goal is to do my best and finish with a smile on my face. I'm going all out on this race, so the smile at the end may be forced and through joy-filled tears, but that's still a goal. My primary time goal is anything under 5 hours, but I'm shooting for 4:50 - 4:55. My predicted time, with an all out effort and perfect conditions, is 4:46, so this is still a bit of a conservative goal. Of course, I'll adjust my expectations on race day according to the weather and how I feel. 

Pacing Strategy: My plan as always is to run negative splits because it is how I perform my best. If I start slow enough, I can pick up considerable speed at the end. I'll run the first half at a comfortable pace, then pick it up for the second half.

I used this race split calculator to determine my splits for various finishing times using very negative splits. A very negative split strategy will ensure I don't start out too fast even if my goal is too aggressive. By following a pace chart for 4:50 it also gives me a little cushion to still finish in under 5 hours, in case I don't speed up as much on the 2nd half or I run longer than 26.2 and thus my average pace on my watch would need to be faster to ensure I officially finish in under 5 hours. 

I am really good at sticking to my pace chart, and thus holding myself back too much, so this is another reason I'll have a pace chart for a 4:50 goal in case the stars align and I'm capable of that. Ultimately though, I know I can slow to an average pace of 11:24 and still make my 5 hour goal. Mile 1 on the pace chart for any of my goals is still slower than that, so I won't screw myself too much if the goal is too aggressive. 

Instead of bringing a full pace chart for all 26.2 miles and obsessing over every single mile split, I'm going to carry the compressed pace chart below showing a range of where my average pace needs to be at key points in the race (fastest = 4:50 finish, middle = 4:55 finish, slowest = 4:59 finish). This will ensure I stay on track but it won't matter too much if I hit every single mile split as long as my average is where it needs to be. 

Wish me luck and if you can login to Twitter, Facebook, or Dailymile between 6:15 and 11 am tomorrow and virtually cheer me on! I won't be able to respond during the race, but will hear/read every one of your comments and trust me they'll help :)

Marathon Training in the FL Summer

I've really been slacking on the blogging, but I've just been having too much fun running :) I officially started training for the Space Coast Marathon 2 weeks ago, and I'm so excited! This is their 40th anniversary and the space shuttle medal is amazing. I'm glad I only trained for half marathons last season, because it makes me feel as giddy training for my 2nd marathon now than I was when I trained for the first one =D

Even though I've done this before, it's a whole new experience because 1) I'm now leading a group, and 2) I'm training for a race in November instead of February or March. This is a huge difference in Florida because it means doing long runs in the brutal heat and humidity of summer. I thought I had everything figured out from last time, but it's a new challenge, and I have to rethink everything again.

For example ...

• I never brought my own water unless we were running super long since our routes have water stops every 2-3 miles, but now I bring a 10 oz bottle even for our short 3-4 mile runs. This way I can sip it when I need it and eat on my own schedule. I run with my fuel belt because of my phone anyway, so I might as well carry the small bottle in case I need it.
• I learned this morning that chaffing is a bigger issue when you are drenched by mile 1. My running skirt that worked great for a half marathon last November now needs extra body glide for a 10 mile run. 
• Waking up at 4 am, 3 times a week, is suddenly the best idea ever! I tried doing a track workout at 6 pm one week and just about died. I didn't even have enough energy to run back home and had to walk there. So now I meet my group at 5 am on Tuesdays for tempo/hill runs and Thursdays for speed work. I'm loving it because I'm motivated to push myself more when I'm leading a group, and it's a great way to start the day.
• There are advantages too: 
• having to start earlier to beat the heat, I'm done running before most people are even awake. 
• pushing through while it's hot, even if my pace is a little slower, will mean I'll be able to run that much faster on race day when the temps are a lot cooler. 

Another thing that is different this time around is that I have a time to beat, and I now have the confidence to work towards that goal. I'm in much better shape than last time, both physically and mentally, because I already know I can do this, I saw my pace improve a lot at shorter distances last year, and I've maintained my base during the Spring. I'm really excited to be doing track work again, and I have no doubt that PRs are in my future :)