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Charleston Marathon Race Report - 1st in AG

rtagherrtagher
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 Charleston Marathon Race Report - aka “Who needs hills when you’ve got headwind?”



Background

...so it all started back in Boston in the Spring of 2012...



After qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 12/2010 with a PR of 3:14, I was eligible to run in the 2012 Marathon.  I had continued to keep my speed up and even got a little faster so I thought that I might be able to run a 3:09 in Boston this spring (my plan was to do just that in order to qualify to run the New York Marathon).  So I trained with the intention of running a 3:10 or less and thought I realistically could have done it.  Then I arrived in Boston for the event and the weather there was like New England had been transported to the equator, in the 80’s all day, even at the start of the race.  I ran a 3:34, and the way people were dropping in the street, I was just happy to finish.



After Boston I concentrated on triathlon training and participated in IM Louisville in 8/2012.  I thought that the longer endurance training would actually slow my running down, but to my surprise I was actually going a little faster than I had been.  I decided to put triathlons on hold for awhile and signed up for my first 100 mile running race which is scheduled for this April.  I figured I might as well build to that longer distance with a marathon, and since I never got the chance to run full speed in Boston, I looked for one in January (before I would put the “far on top of fast”).  I saw that Charleston had one on a Saturday and it fit well into my schedule so I signed up.  That brings us just about up to speed (pun intended)...



Race preparations

I had been training and doing some speedwork with the hopes of maybe getting my marathon time down to a 3:05.  My speed was there, but I hadn’t done as many long runs as usual in my training so I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off.  Then, 13 days before the race day, I felt like pooh at work (I’m a pediatrician) and tested positive for the flu.  Went home and slept for 2 days straight.  Instead of a taper, my training came to a screeching halt.  I started to feel human after a few days and so a week before the race I did do a 13 mile run.  I was suppose to do it at “race pace” but was only able to do it at race pace + 30 seconds per mile.  I then decided my new race goal would be a 3:10, and knew I may have to be adjust that with a game time decision if I was not feeling well.



Nutrition

I had been in touch with Jesse from the Core Diet program about a nutrition plan for my upcoming 100 mile race and in addition to an individualized plan for that he also gave me plans for IM events and marathon distance.  So I was carb loading for a couple days before getting on a plane to head to Charleston.  I am happy to report that I was able to get four 4oz serving cups of applesauce through airport security for the next day’s breakfast - I knew that was a good omen.  



I had chatted with coach P a few days before the race about whether to carry fluids with me during the race since there was only to be an aid station every 2 miles.  I think he thought it would be a good idea.  At the time of our chat I had decided I did not want to carry anything, but after thinking it over for a couple of days, I did decide to wear my Fuelbelt and carry two 7oz bottle of Perform with me (thank goodness I did...coach P knows his stuff!).



Race Day

Weather was going to be pretty much perfect - 0% chance of rain, high 30’s at race start, supposed to be 50’s by the end.  I wore shorts, singlet, arm warmers (actually tube socks with the ends cut off so I could discard), and a jacket and gloves I knew I would eventually throw away.  I was also outfitted with my lucky EN cap!



Pretty crowded at the start, but I didn’t mind going a little slower at first, especially since I had not run at “race pace” for a few weeks.  If I was to run a 3:10, my pace would have to average 7:15/mile.  I knew the course was pancake flat, but was surprised at how much a headwind made it feel like there were hills on this course.  My first mile was 7:39, a bit slower than I wanted, but in the ballpark.  If you are interested in how the splits went down, here it is:







1


7:39.2


1.00


7:39




2


7:16.7


1.00


7:17




3


7:17.5


1.00


7:18




4


7:19.1


1.00


7:19




5


7:07.9


1.00


7:08




6


7:05.5


1.00


7:05




7


7:07.4


1.00


7:07




8


7:07.9


1.00


7:08




9


7:00.4


1.00


7:00




10


7:10.5


1.00


7:11




11


7:10.5


1.00


7:10




12


7:15.8


1.00


7:16




13


7:05.9


1.00


7:06




14


7:10.1


1.00


7:10




15


7:13.1


1.00


7:13




16


7:15.4


1.00


7:15




17


7:12.3


1.00


7:12




18


7:18.2


1.00


7:18




19


7:10.7


1.00


7:11




20


7:12.3


1.00


7:12




21


7:14.1


1.00


7:14




22


7:13.2


1.00


7:13




23


7:23.0


1.00


7:23




24


7:23.5


1.00


7:23




25


7:47.3


1.00


7:47




26


7:28.3


1.00


7:28









I feet and hands were warming up after that first mile and the sun was shining and I was feeling great.  I ditched the jacket after mile 5.  There was no pace team for the 3:10 I was aiming for, but I was well ahead of the 3:15 pace group and my pace was coming down to between 7:05-7:10 per mile.  At about mile 10, the full marathoners split from the those doing the ½.   I shed my gloves and was still feeling good.  I started to think, “Hey, maybe I could come in under 3:10, maybe a 3:07 or something...”  That was probably a bad idea.  I should have stuck with the 3:10 plan.



As in any race...things come up

Now that there weren’t too many people out on the course, I began to notice how windy it was.  There were not many people in front of me and certainly no way to draft behind them.  We were starting to make a lot of turns out on the course and you had to be careful you were going in the right direction.  At mile 12 we came upon an aid station and even though I asked one of the volunteers where to go next, I still ended up running about 20-30 yards off course before turning around to correct this.  I didn’t lose too much time, but it was a little demoralizing.  Just after this we were on the water (some kind of bay) and we ran straight out ¼ mile on a concrete pier only to go around an orange cone and come back - now that was a headwind!  My pace stayed into the range I wanted it to, but I could feel my effort level rising.  I threw off my arm warmers.



At mile 15 we rejoined (or collided with) the ½ marathoners.  When we started with those doing the ½, we were all going the same pace.  However, the problem here was that that the people we just joined were going much slower, even walking.  I looked up and saw the 2:30 pace team - but keep in mind this pace team was for the runners doing the ½!  I tried to keep the pace in the range that I wanted but felt I was wasting a lot of energy weaving in and out of people.  My effort level continued to rise.  I usually don’t like to feel any pain until mile 20, but at mile 18, I was starting to hurt.  I remember watching my shadow cast on the ground.  Since I had my EN cap on I tried to lean forward and improve my running form and make my shadow look like Dave Tallo’s profile pic.  This distraction only worked for a mile or so.  I started to heat up more and took my hat off and tucked it into my Fuelbelt.



I was hydrating well and getting my nutrition in, however, as you can see from the splits, I finally started to slow down in those last few miles.  I usually like to even split or even negative split marathons, and have been able to do so on the last several I’ve done.  Even in IM Louisville, I was able to increase my speed in the last few miles of the race.  But not this time.



The crowd thinned during my last few miles, but there was a lot of turns, sidewalks, and running through local parks at this point in the race.  Thankfully, there were still no hills. Because of EN Ninja race execution, I am used to passing a lot of people at the end of races.  I had my sights on one guy (looked like a triathloner because he had a tri top on) that looked like he could have been in my age group.  I couldn’t catch him.  I got passed by a younger guy that was looking strong.  At this point I think I was only passing some slower ½ marathoners.



I saw a crowd and some  beer and food tents and tried to make a finishing kick at what I thought was a finish line.  There wasn’t much I could give.  As I was coming down the street to the crowd, race volunteers were waving their arms like air traffic controllers to go left.  Now I’m thinking “this isn’t the friggin finish line???”  So I go another hundred yards to the left, take a right and go another hundred yards, before stumbling upon the actual finish line.



The ending of my race was less than stellar, but I had still come in at 3:11, 3 minutes better than my previous marathon PR in 2010.  And having been ill just 10 days before the race I felt good about it.  As usual, I was a little delirious after the race, but I needed to promptly get on a plane to get home, so I immediately got on the shuttle that takes you back to the finish.  When I got back to my car, my phone had a text message on it from my wife that read: “Congrats on your PR and you won your age group!”



Wow! This was my first age group win for a marathon.  The tri top guy I couldn’t keep up with must have been older than me.  This wasn’t a huge race, but there were a few thousand there and I’m still feeling good about a win.  They are going to mail me my award, which is framed art from a local Charleston artist who made the picture featured on the race T-shirts.  Can’t wait to get it.

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