I was surprisingly relaxed going in to this marathon. I have had a tremendous amount on my mind between buying a house and worrying about work stuff that I wasn’t able to focus solely on training for and running the marathon. In addition, I was plagued by minor, irritating pains that I didn’t want to turn in to major injury so I knew I was lining up for the race under trained. I was initially thinking this would be to my disadvantage; however, I think in some aspects it helped me stay relaxed.
Marathon morning started early with my alarm going off at 5 am. I slept well the night before and felt only slightly groggy as I rolled out of bed. I had laid out everything I would need for the day’s race – clothes, bib, food, etc. and all I had to do was scoop up the pile, put it all on and I was ready to run. Well, almost ready to run, I sipped water and ate oatmeal and a banana for breakfast.
As I was getting ready, the rest of the house started to come to life and by 6 we were out the door, crammed in the car and ready to make the one hour drive to Burlington. Due to parking concerns, we were aiming to get to the race an hour before the start. After parking, walking to the start area, finding a bathroom (no wait, we were lucky), and eating a last minute orange, I calmly waited for the announcer to ask all the runners to line up. We chatted and checked other (more adventurously dressed) runners – Tony the Tiger, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and Sean the walking classified ad.
Finally, the time had come to line up and I got in a last round of hugs and good luck wishes and I took up a position slightly back from the 4:30 pacer. My previous marathon PR was 4:35 and I was aiming for 4:20 or better for this race. My plan was to run just behind or with the 4:30 group for the first 5 miles, then get past them and stay ahead of them for the rest of the race, keeping my pace under 10:00 per mile.
Without corrals, the starting line was crowded and somewhat confused but we all managed to get in line without too much difficulty. In the starting line for my first marathon I had no idea what to expect, no idea what it was I had gotten myself in to but I was excited to be there among the crowd of runners. I was distinctly more nervous during the lineup for my second marathon. No one was there with me at the start line and I felt lost in the huge crowd of runners. This time, my third time, I was far more calm. Is this what comes with experience? I knew I could complete the distance and I knew no matter what I would be proud of the accomplishment.
Then, a feeling of doubt hit me. It wasn’t doubt that I would run the marathon that morning but doubt that marathon running was really something I wanted to keep doing. Why wasn’t I nervous with excitement? Why wasn’t I doing the pre-marathon lineup jig – nervous bouncing, stretching, swaying, chatting – like everyone else who was lined up with me? Had I lost the marathon mojo and wonder this quickly?
I was sad but that is no way to start a marathon so I told myself to focus on the mission I had laid out before me and figure out the rest of these feelings later.
Then the gun went off and the crowd of runners surged forward. I crossed the start line about 2 minutes after the gun, started my watch and just like that I was running my third marathon.
The Vermont City Marathon is set up as a series of out-and-backs so I was able to see my family at the start line, around Miles 3, 9 and 15, as well as the finish line. It had been drizzling all morning and by the time I saw my family around Mile 3 along Church Street, the rain had become steady. I enjoy running in the rain and this morning was no exception, especially since it made the mid-60s temperature seem much cooler.
The first out-and-back was along a highway with not much in the way of scenery. I felt great during these miles with all of my splits coming in under the 10:00 mark. I had lost the 4:30 pacer in the shuffle of the beginning and my slow first mile but I finally caught up to the 4:30 group just after mile 6 and scooted past. By Mile 9, I was rounding the corner back on to Church Street, ready to wave to the family and ended up giving a jumping high-five to my brother. It felt great seeing them cheering for me. It is overwhelming to have people there in the crowd to support you. I was on cloud-nine. Nothing could stop me.
The second out-and-back took us south to a park and the halfway mark before circling back. This section of the course was uneventful and running felt good. I got to the halfway point and thought about how 13 more miles wasn’t going to be a problem. The rain had stopped by this point but the day was still overcast. It was great running weather. Just before Mile 15, as I swooped back in to the center of Burlington and as I was about to face the Assault on Battery, a 6 block uphill climb, I heard someone shout my name. There they were again, my family cheering me on just when I needed them. As I passed, I heard my mom shout “You’re looking good” and then saying “she really is looking good” to my Dad (I am assuming). I felt good, I was looking good…bring on Battery.
I love hills. My running thrives on getting out of breath on the uphill and fighting to get it back once reaching the top. The race organizers position a group of drummers at the bottom of the hill to drum us up to the top. It was a lot of fun to get their support and so much crowd support but for me it was unneeded. Battery Street was mine. I chewed it up and spit it out. I conquered it!
After a quick jaunt through the park where we started the race, I was ready for the third and final out-and-back. This was to be the longest section – 5 miles out, weaving through neighborhoods and along a road with traffic followed by the final 5 miles along a narrow bike path along Lake Champlain. I actually enjoyed the courses side trips in to the neighborhoods because it was so encouraging to see the people out on their lawns cheering for us, setting up water stations, offering oranges and other goodies. The community truly supports the race and its runners.
By Mile 18, I was back out on the highway and the sun was coming out. It was clearing up (and I was drying out) to be a beautiful day. Despite the sun and accompanying heat, the race conditions weren’t too bad. However, I was starting to fade. The sun did nothing to reenergize me. Up to Mile 20, I had been having a fairly easy go of it. I didn’t feel like I was pushing my pace too hard and I felt very comfortable. There was no real effort on my part to hit mile splits between 9:30 and 10:00. After Mile 20, hitting 10:00 became increasingly more difficult. My hamstrings began to hurt and my calves started to cramp; however, I was able to run through the pain and kept going, telling myself just to get to the next mile marker, get to the next aid station.
From Mile 24 onward, I was involved in a mental struggle against my legs. My body was tired and my legs hurt, all I wanted to do was make it go away; however, I knew if I walked not only would I be disappointed but it would mean being out on the course much, much longer. I just wanted to be done running, please and thank you.
“This is nothing.” “This isn’t real pain. It will not defeat me.” “You can do it. Don’t quit. Just keep running.” I started repeating these motivational snippets to myself and even started mumbling to myself. This is the first time I’ve truly (and literally) had to talk myself in to finishing a race. The desire to walk was so strong but each time I hit a mile marker and saw how close I was to staying on pace (10:10 was my slowest mile split, not counting the first mile) I knew I had to keep running. I promised myself that if I started doing the zombie runner shuffle, if my pace fell way below that I could walk but my splits stayed close to the 10:00 mark.
Finally, I heard the crowd. Finally, I saw the crowd. Finally, I saw the 26 mile marker. Only .2 miles left to go. I saw my Mom cheering me on and telling me that my husband and little brother were just ahead, I knew I had to keep running. I saw them and I kept going. At the final turn, I saw my Dad (nice high-five) and I was almost there. I was almost done but by this point, I was almost in tears. I was so close to the finish line but I was still running. It felt unfair. I just wanted to stop.
Despite my negative thoughts and the pain, I turned on a finishing kick, passed three runners (and got passed one) and finally I had finished my third marathon. My legs were on fire, my quads and calves were burning and my hamstrings were achy, and I was just plain exhausted but I did it! I crossed the line in 4:19:09, smashing my PR by 15 minutes and beating my race goal by one minute. Despite all the pain and soreness, despite my exhaustion I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.
All my doubts about running marathons were long gone.
I caught up my family, grabbed some food (great selection – Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream!) and hobbled back to the car, proud of myself and the day’s accomplishments.
Next up: how close can I get to the 4 hour mark? Find out next time!
Mile Splits:
Mile 1 : 11:30 (No idea why I started that slow)
Mile 2 : 9:53
Mile 3&4 : 19:32
Mile 5 : 9:33
Mile 6 : 9:49
Mile 7 : 9:33
Mile 8 : 9:52
Mile 9 : 9:33
Mile 10 : 9:25
Mile 11 : 9:50
Mile 12 : 9:55
Mile 13 : 9:35
First Half Split – 2:09
Mile 14 : 9:42
Mile 15&16 : 19:43
Mile 17 : 9:48
Mile 18 : 9:41
Mile 19 : 9:49
Mile 20 : 9:42
Mile 21 : 10:08
Mile 22 : 10:06
Mile 23 : 10:09
Mile 24 : 9:52
Mile 25 : 10:10
Mile 26 : 10:10
Final .2 : 1:57
Finish : 4:19:09
Lessons Learned
1. Burlington, VT knows how to put on a great marathon event.
2. I’m getting better at even pacing but I’m not quite there yet.
3. Stick to the plan. I had planned out when I would eat my gels and Fig Newtons but I didn’t follow through on it. I think it would have helped alleviate the calf cramps if I had.
4. I love running…especially marathons.
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