There's just something different about a marathon that makes it stand out in comparison to other road races. This will be my 8th race over the past 8 months, but my only marathon of the year. Yes, I'm nervous and excited before every race, regardless of the distance, but a marathon adds a totally new dimension to the term "pre-race jitters". It's the intimidation factor that comes with a 26.2 mile challenge that takes 3 hours of non-stop racing to cover the distance. It's the fear that at this time of year in Minnesota, the weather may try to take over the race and bring me to my knees. It's the fear that despite being 100% committed to a disciplined training routine for months, my performance may still fall short of expectations, ending in disappointment. Or, maybe I will come down with some kind of "bug" the night before the race and be less than 100%. Yes, much of this is complete paranoia, I know. But nevertheless, those are some of the fears that repeatedly cycle through my mind in the days and weeks leading up to every marathon.
I typically keep a close eye on my caloric intake throughout the year, but in addition, this year I decided to follow a more regimented diet in the final 7 days leading up to the race. After reading many articles about what to eat and what not to eat before a marathon, I disciplined myself to follow a hybrid plan for the pre-race week. I love my sweets, but much to my disappointment, none of the plans I read about listed dessert as an essential part of a pre-race diet. The interesting thing I discovered while following my diet, is that I felt continuously stuffed with food, to the point that I rarely felt hungry. Yet, I actually lost a few pounds over the week, despite the fact that my mileage was also cut back considerably to allow my body to be fully rested for the race. With just a couple days remaining before the race, I was looking forward to my first post race dessert.
The preceding days leading up to Sunday's race were cold and windy. Very windy. The race day forecast for Sunday morning was 35 degrees with double digit NW winds. I've mentioned before, that this was going to be the first Twin Cities Marathon without the indoor comforts of the Metrodome for runners to keep warm before the race. This year and next, runners will be exposed to the elements before the start of the race. I've got my cold weather race routine down pretty well. Layers upon multiple layers of clothing. Full length tights, Thicker windproof running pants over the tights, two long sleeve hooded sweatshirts over a waterproof windbreaker. The only challenge is trying to stuff all this gear in the clear garment bag before the race starts. Since the Boston Marathon bombing, extra care is taken at these races to ensure the safety of runners and spectators. Thus clear bags for runners personal effects, but they aren't very big. Race officials only accept the bags they provide to the runners. Runners drop their clothing bags off with race officials just before the race begins. The bags are then transported to the finish line, so runners can be reunited with their warm belongings after the race.
The news was all good on race morning. First, the air temperature was a bit warmer than expected (39 in downtown Mpls) and the wind speeds were also much lower than expected ( just 5-7mph). In addition, I found a downtown office complex about two blocks from the start that allowed runners into their building. Not sure that was supposed to happen, but nobody kicked us out. This allowed me the opportunity to peel down to my race shorts and shirt in comfort, before heading to the starting line about 15 minutes before the gun. I often keep an old sweatshirt on, as I did this morning, for added warmth. Then just seconds before the race starts I toss it to the curb and away we go.
The weather was absolutely perfect for a marathon...at least from my perspective. 40 degrees, dry and calm are the ingredients I would order for every marathon. The first two ingredients were spot on, and the winds were as good as calm, considering the prior night forecast.
As the race began, I had a little trouble settling into my race pace over the first mile because of satellite interference with my Garmin. Tall buildings (downtown areas) cause issues like this all the time. I had to ignore what I was seeing on my Garmin and run by feel until we were clear of the tall buildings.
My goal in this race was to finish somewhere between 3:15 and 3:20. Last year I ran 3:17 in conditions about 5 degrees warmer than today. My training and racing season has gone off without a hitch this year. No injuries, or other setbacks. It has been full speed ahead. I always feel like I should/could have done more with my marathon training, but in reality, I had a very good training summer and I'm coming into this race as prepared as I've ever been for any marathon. At the same time, I'm also a year older since my last marathon and 3 years older since my fastest marathon.
For me, the first hour of every marathon just fly's by in no time and all. The runners are upbeat, giving high fives to the spectators along the route. Then the mood gets a bit more serious as the half marathon checkpoint approaches. Most runners still remain positive for the most part until the two hour mark hits. From that point on, it becomes very quiet on the road course. The spectators are still cheering with enthusiasm, but there is little acknowledgment of this from the participants. I was happy with my race so far. My pace to this point was steady as a rock. Yes, I was starting to feel the life blood getting sucked out of me too, but with two-thirds of the race behind me, I was doing okay...at least my mind was hanging tough and telling my body I was okay.
At the 20 mile mark, the Twin Cities Marathon has a large inflatable medieval looking wall that surrounds both sides of the street and over the top of the road. I think the intent is to provide encouragement to the runners, by symbolizing they are running through the wall, rather than hitting the wall. But I've always hated this inflatable contraption, because it's a visual reminder that the toughest miles are staring me in the face on the other side of this thing. Most runners have already hit the wall, or are about to hit the wall at this point in the race anyway. The good news for me was that my pace was still intact as I approached the beginning of a 3 mile (miles 21-24) climb up Summit Avenue. This is where many runners (including me) have faltered in prior marathons. I noticed that I was beginning to reel in the runners around me. As I raced up Summit, that pattern continued. Runners were faltering all around me, which actually helped drive me, as I passed one after the other. I've never done this before, but I refused to look at my Garmin to check my pace after the 20 mile mark. I just kept forging on, as my confidence grew at every mile marker. I sensed that my pace maybe lost a few seconds/mile along this 3 mile climb, but that's a fairly insignificant change in pace considering the uphill miles. Having reached the 24 mile marker, my climb up Summit was complete. The next mile (25) would be level again, followed by the last mile that provides a nice downhill finish. I was spent, but I knew I had a good time brewing, which helped me to continue to push through these last two miles.
I finished with a time of 3:13;19, good for 522 place among 8,852 runners and 8th in my age group among 295 men. This was my fasted Twin Cities Marathon and second fastest overall marathon behind my 2011 Grandma's, where I ran 3:11:44 - 1 minute 35 seconds faster. However, I think today's marathon was my best overall marathon race for the following reasons. In 2011, I benefited by a strong tail wind blowing to our backs over the first 24 miles of the race, on an easier course than Twin Cities. I also finished poorly in 2011 as I hit a wall at the 24 mile mark and couldn't push through it, slowing down considerably. Today, on a tougher course, I was able to maintain a steady pace (7:23/mile) from start to finish...and that I'm very proud of. At the same time, it's very humbling to see a few other men my age completing this race 20 minutes faster than I did.
My next and final race of the year is Thanksgiving Day morning in St Paul - the Turkey Trot 10k. My only 10k of the year. This gives me about 6 weeks for my legs to recover while also working on my speed training. Something I haven't had to do since my first race back in March.
Race Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/race/show/2569/2014_Medtronic_Twin_Cities_Marathon-Marathon
