I decided to run Grandma's Marathon for the third consecutive year for several reasons. First, the race was celebrating it's 35th anniversary and I also wanted to keep my race expenses down this year by running relatively close to home as much as possible. The Chicago Marathon (October) will be my one big race trip in 2011.
I felt well trained and injury free coming into this race. My training runs have gone well and my race schedule has been very busy with races virtually every other week since March. This has kept me sharp and race ready. However sometimes life events come up that disrupt even the best of plans. So although coming in well trained physically, I was tired and my mental/emotional state was not where it should be heading into the race. I questioned if I should even run the race knowing the toll a marathon takes on the body, but my family encouraged me to go ahead and race as planned.
My goal for Grandma's was to run under 3:11, 3+ minutes faster than my personal best. I set this goal in an attempt to move into the top corral for October's Chicago Marathon which requires a marathon qualifying time of 3:10:59 or better. I knew it would be tough, but felt I could achieve this goal provided the weather cooperated on race morning. But now my mental and emotional condition was a concern.
The weather was interesting on race morning. I woke up to cool temps in the upper 40's, steady rain, and a brisk wind from the east. An easterly wind was fantastic news considering this is an east to west, point to point marathon. Last year the winds were primarily in our face the entire way. However the rain was a big concern considering the cool temperatures. I ate my pre-race breakfast at the hotel and made my way onto one of the charter buses at 5:30am that transport runners to the start of the marathon in Two Harbors, MN. It was still raining as the buses dropped us off in Two Harbors. I was well prepared with layers of waterproof clothing to keep me warm and dry over the next 90 minutes as we waited for the race to being (7:30am). Many runners didn't come prepared for the cold rain and looked miserable.
As 7:30 approached, the rain began to taper off. I peeled down to my shorts and race singlet hoping we would be able to get the race underway before the rain started up again. I figured once I had a few miles behind me I could keep my body warm even if more rain came. Although it looked threatening throughout the race, we only experienced a few sprinkles along the way. This was fortunate as I found the damp tail wind chilling at times once I developed a light sweat. The course was predominantly wet throughout the race, although just a few puddles once we reached Duluth.
To make my goal, I needed to average at least a 7:17/mile pace for the race, so my strategy was to run somewhere between 7:10/7:15 right from the start and maintain it for as long as possible. I knew I might eventually crash and burn before the finish, but this was my one and only shot to make my goal before Chicago, so I had to try. Things were going well early in the race. I reached the 10k mark in just under 45 minutes (7:12/mile). The wind gusts were uncomfortably cold, but for the most part the cool temps were not a major problem.
As the race progressed, I kept a close eye on my pace and water intake. In cool wet weather I don't feel thirsty which can be dangerous, but I made an attempt to take water at each water station to avoid problems later. I also took a couple bites of my Power Bar, but like all my marathons, eating solid food is a real struggle. I eat in an attempt to keep my stomach from bothering me rather than a means to stay nourished. Not the best of approaches, but keeping my stomach comfortable during the final 10 miles is one of my biggest challenges.
The winds seemed to be picking up and swirling as I neared the midway point in the race. At times it felt like it was coming from my left off the lake and other times from my right through the woods. There were a few times when it hit me directly in my face, but fortunately the wind was at my back most of the time. I reached the halfway point in just over 1 hour 34 minutes (7:12/mile). My fastest first half marathon by about 3 minutes. I was successfully maintaining my pace and in good shape overall, although the first half of Grandma's is predominantly flat to downhill.
Now into the second half of the race I continued to monitor how I was feeling while trying to avoid thinking about the difficult miles ahead. Glancing to my left I could occasionally see Duluth way down the Lake Superior coast line. It still looked so far away. A vivid picture of how much race was still left to be run. I focused on positive thoughts and pushed on. As I approached the 20 mile mark we turned onto London Road where we entered the east end of Duluth. The crowds began to get thicker along on the roadsides as our scenery slowly turned from isolated woods to civilization again.
I could feel my body beginning to object to the 2+ hours of punishment as fatigue was loudly knocking at the door. I passed the 20 mile mark in 2:24:01. Doing the math I was relieved to know my pace had not slipped (7:12/mile pace), but anxiety was quickly replacing the relief as my body grew more and more weary with every mile. I also knew in the back of my mind that I had not fared well over the final 5 miles my prior two attempts.
Around mile 21, Lemon Drop hill became visible in the distance. Lemon Drop is a two tier hill. The first section is simply a freeway overpass across I-35. However instead of dropping on the other side, you climb again for several hundred yards. I think this section is so tough because the elevation changes are gradual until now. Plus, there is too much time to think about it (see it in the distance) as the preceding mile is a straight shot to Lemon Drop. I could feel gravity slowing me down as I hit the hill at mile 22. My anxiety began to grow again as I tried to resume my original race pace at the top of the hill but couldn't. My mile splits were now closer to 7:30/mile and the question was, can I hang on long enough to make my goal, or was I about to crash and burn.
We turned onto Superior Street which took us through the heart of downtown Duluth. The crowds are great through this section and the remainder of the race for that matter. Loud, encouraging and high in numbers. As I approached mile 24 my body began to bonk. It's hard to describe the feeling, but I would compare it to a 50 pound weight suddenly strapped to your back. Less than 2.5 miles to go and I could feel the life blood being sucked right out of me. Mile 25 was very discouraging. I wanted to respond to the loud cheers and steady encouragement of the many spectators lining the streets, but I had nothing left and knew my goal was in severe jeopardy unless I could increase my pace again over the final two miles.
I passed the mile 25 marker just before turning left onto Harbor Drive. My mile split was 7:55 and I knew right then it was over. My goal was not going to be achieved. I had 1.2 miles to go and felt deflated and exhausted. The sad thing is I knew I was about to finish with my fastest marathon time yet. I should be energized and excited, but what disappointed me the most was the fact that I wasn't able to finish the race strong like I hoped. I had nothing left.
I passed the Duluth Convention Center heading northeast directly into the wind, a wind that had been my friend most of the way, but at this moment became my arch enemy. I passed by the big orange boat called the SS William A Irvin, turned right on Railroad Street and then one final right on Canal Park Drive.
Just a few more blocks and it would all be over. I heard my family cheering vociferously as I ran by, the finish line just seconds away. I finished with a time of 3:11:44. My best marathon by 2 minutes, 16 seconds. My overall race pace was 7:19/mile. I missed my goal (to move into the top corral in Chicago) by just 45 seconds. Unfortunately close doesn't count. I will need to be content having run my fastest marathon and call it a day. I am happy, but missing my goal by less than a minute does hurt. If I had just held it together over the final 2.5 miles. I finished 440th among 6,337 finishers and 19th in my age group among 367.
As soon as I finished the race, I began shivering uncontrollably as my core temperature began to drop. My family loaded me up and took me back to the hotel where I sat in the hot tub for 30 minutes to warm up and begin my recovery. I have a series of races coming up before heading to Chicago in October.
Finish Results and Video:
