Country Music Marathon - Race Report

How did the marathon in Nashville go? My official finisher’s certificate about sums it up.

When I left the previous weekend for our road trip to Tennessee, the weather for the marathon was supposed to be rainy with a high of 71 – cooler and cloudier than it was supposed to be the few days before Saturday’s race. However, by the time we made it to Nashville the forecast was looking much bleaker – rain…wind…hail!...tornado!!

I tried to remain positive about the weather. Really, how often is it as bad as the weatherman says? The race organizers had sent out on email on Friday saying that as long as the full marathoners were on pace to run a 4:30 or better time at the 11 mile mark we would be able to finish the race and not be diverted to the half marathon finish. Not a problem!

However, I had trouble sleeping the night before the race. I feel asleep quickly around 9 o’clock but I don’t think my mind ever shut itself off but I woke up at 2 and didn’t fall back asleep until 4. I kept worrying about the weather and questioning myself – what if I was having a bad day and fell off my pace early? what will I tell people? what if they cancel the race altogether? Not the thoughts I needed running through my head only a few hours before running a marathon.

I woke up at 5 to my alarm and I got dressed I was sleepy but I knew I had to shake it off – shake off last night’s frustrations and anxiety, shake off fretting about my pace. I stepped outside on the porch of the B&B we were staying in to eat my bagel and banana and was encouraged. The sun was coming up. It wasn’t raining. There was just a slight breeze. Maybe today wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

At 6 I headed out for the race start line, about 2 miles from where we were staying. I walked and jogged my way to Centennial Park feeling very confident about the next few hours. I wondered about the starting area for a bit and didn’t pay much attention to the race announcers since there were still 30 minutes until the start. I probably should have been paying more attention because it turns out they decided to start the race 15 minutes early so by the time I realized what was going on I had to push way through a crowd of runners to even get close to the pace group I was aiming for.

Before I knew it…and without really realizing what was going on…suddenly I was across the start line and running my fourth marathon. Running the first mile or so toward downtown Nashville in a massive sea of runners (going downhill) was awesome. Even though there were 35,000 runners, the streets and waterstops I never felt like I didn’t have enough room to run. For once, it seemed, a race had gotten the corral/wave start right (this has not been my experience with the local DC mega-races).

A bit about my strategy: nine minutes thirty seconds. That is the number I wanted to see each time I hit the lap button on my watch when I hit the mile markers – 9:30. I wanted 9:30s through Mile 20 and at that point I would assess where I was at and speed up if I could or continue to focus on hitting 9:30s.

As I ran along with the huge crowd, I was able to dial in to my pace quickly and stay there (within reason – I’m still not very good at knowing my pace by feel). The first 11 miles of the race went well – plenty of crowd support, saw my super spectator (husband, Mike) at Miles 5 and 8 and got a boost of energy seeing him. At Mile 11, the half marathon course split off and the few marathon runners (4000 compared to the over 30,000 running the half). I actually didn’t mind the lack of crowd support but the course itself was pretty lacking – they loop us through some business parks, etc.

Also, this was about the time that the clouds started filling up the sky. I was hoping that I would beat the rain but as I ran along it looked less and less likely.

I was still feeling good – some tightness in the hamstrings, my legs were starting to get tired and I was regretting the decision not to get new shoes about a month ago but all in all I was very positive about the race. I hit Mile 17 and my legs rapidly started feeling heavier and heavier. I was trudging up a hill and I made the decision to power walk to the top. I have never, NEVER, been forced to walk in a race. It was demoralizing. To make matters worse, I hit another bit hill at Mile 18 and it take even less time to talk myself in to walking to the top. Giving up was so easy at that point.

I started questioning everything. Making up my own running schedule was a bad idea. Just Run – that’s so stupid. Why didn’t I do specific marathon pace runs? I should have been more consistent during the crappy winter weather. I shouldn’t have cut down my taper to two weeks, I’ve tried that before and it doesn’t work for me. I should know better. I’m not the marathon running type. Why am I doing this? This sucks.

That was the lowest I’ve ever been with my running. However, I made it to the top of the hill and told myself that I had to take it one mile at a time. Just get to the next water stop and take it from there. Surprisingly, things did get a little better. My hamstrings were still screaming and my legs still felt like bricks but my mind wasn’t beating me up any more. I made it to Mile 20 at 3 hours 14 minutes. If I could do the next 6.2 miles in one hour, I could still PR. So that is what I set out to do – push for the next hour at 10 minute pace. I could do it. There were no more hills. I just knew I could do it.

And then I turned the corner and saw two things: the mile marker for 21 and police cars, police barricades and a policeman with a bullhorn. “Runners turn right and head toward the stadium. Severe weather is imminent. Runners divert to the stadium. Sever weather is imminent.” My heart dropped. I was on pace why are they diverting us. I forgot all about my tired legs and screaming hamstrings. The pain just melted away and was replaced with…

I’m not sure what it was I was feeling. Anger? No, not really. Frustration? Definitely but it was different too. Grief? Ok, that sounds a little dramatic but yes, kinda. Disappointment? Yup, in myself, in the race, in the weather.

I couldn’t believe my luck. The police car and barricades were being put in place just as I came around the corner. If I had been just 5 minutes faster, I would have been able to finish it. I was upset when I realized that I could have prevented being diverted from the course. If only I was a faster…by which I really meant “better”…runner. Several runners were jumping the barricades and running around the police cruisers, totally ignoring the instructions to divert and not finish. I slowed down to contemplate what course of action would I take – screw it, I’m a runner, I finish races that I start, weather and police be damned or better safe than sorry and live to run another day.

I made that turn and ran back to the stadium in a clump of 10 or so other quasi-marathoners. I just couldn’t bring myself to defy authority (not to say that is a bad thing – there was some pretty severe lightening going on in the distance and the Country Music Marathon is not worth dying over). Anyway, we headed back to the stadium, dodging pedestrians, runners who had finished their race (mostly half marathoners) and traffic. We jumped the barrier near the 26 mile mark and ran across the finish line.

The clock read 3:42 and to everyone watching, we looked legitimate. I felt sick to my stomach. I wasn’t legitimate and I knew it. I felt like I had tricked somebody, gotten away with it and felt guilty. I grabbed water, a space blanket and a medal and went to find my husband. He was shocked to see me so early and thought I must have had an amazing race. I had to confess (and that is what it felt like, a confession) that I didn’t run the whole race, that they had diverted the course and didn’t allow me to finish.

As we walked back to the car, I skipped the food and other finish line amenities because I didn’t feel like I deserved them, I started to get angry. I was angry with myself and with the weather and with the race organizers. I mumbled and cursed (sometimes loudly, sometimes under my breath) and I wanted to shout. I was mad at myself for crossing the finish line. I was mad at myself for taking a medal I didn’t feel like I deserved. The other runners would had cross the finish line around me ran the whole thing and I did not belong there at that time.

By the time we made it back to the bed and breakfast, I was a little calmer about it and had started to come to terms with not being allowed to finish. It was raining so hard outside and there was lightening, I know it was the right decision on everyone’s part. However, it then became apparent after the results there were half marathon runners…lots and lots of half marathon runners…finishing well after I would have come across the line. I understand they need to get people off the streets and that the police and EMTs had much better places to be than watching me run by but it still irks me that I could have finished in the time they held the course open for the half marathoners.

Breath. Calming down. (As you can see, it still stings a little).

So I didn’t get to finish the marathon. I have NOT run four marathons (no matter what everyone says…it is a fact) but I am OK with it. I have been recovering nicely this week and am seriously contemplating another attempt in a few weeks. I really want to see what I can do on the training I’ve done.

I did so many things wrong before this marathon (no running but lots of strenuous hiking the week before, not eating well the week before, very little runs at marathon pace, not pacing correctly on the hills, etc.) that I need to give myself a fair shot at a PR this spring.

Mile 1 9:39
Mile 2 9:25
Mile 3 9:29
Mile 4 9:44
Mile 5 9:46
Mile 6 9:19 – Energy boost after spotting my spectator
Mile 7 9:49
Mile 8 & 9 18:51
Mile 10 & 11 18:23
Mile 12 9:10
Mile 13 9:24
Mile 14 9:24
Mile 15 9:41
Mile 16 9:41
Mile 17 9:42
Mile 18 10:55 – Uh oh, had to walk up a hill, hamstrings feeling very tight
Mile 19 11:10 – Not good, had to walk up another hill, but decide to rally
Mile 20 10:26 – That’s getting better, feeling a little better
Mile 21 through finish about 22.2 18:22

Pros

-Nashville is a fun city, absolutely worth the visit
-Excellent support on the first half of the course
-Race Organizers have made up for having to divert the course – apologies, coupons to other events

Cons
-Second half lonely compared to the first half (for some this could be a pro)
-Race Organizers weren’t very good at communicating the changes to the start time and what to do once they diverted the course – was I supposed to cross the finish line?
-Expensive
-Goodie bag was just leaflets and ads (sign of the times more so than the race most likely)