Prologue
Although I was staying at a hotel on the park, only a few blocks from the start line, due to the size of the marathon, 45,000 entrants, I had to leave an hour before the 8 a.m. start. The crowds were immense and it took me about twenty minutes just to get to the bathrooms near my starting corral.
My Tucson time was fast enough to get me entry into the third corral. The first corral was for the professional runners and the second corral was for the elite 100. To get into my corral I think you had to be under 3:10 which meant everyone had at least run one marathon and was relatively fast.
In 2006, the Chicago Marathon was run with temperatures in the 30’s, wind gusting over 25 mph and wind chills in the 20s. This year’s temperatures were not even close to that. The temperature was in the mid to upper 70s at the start with humidity to match.
As I waited in my corral for the start, I was already perspiring. There were so many runners in the corral and we were packed so tight, my GPS was giving my weak signal warnings when my hand was at my side.
Act 1 – The Shady Half
My original, pre-weather, plan was to run with the three hour pace group for the first twenty miles and then decide if I should push on, hold steady or fall back. Based upon everyone saying Chicago was fast, I was hoping to finish under three hours, maybe around 2:55. After arriving in Chicago and walking around for a day, I changed my expectations to be 3:10 to 3:15. I’ve already broken three hours so there’s no need to risk getting hurt.
I worked my way towards the front of the A-corral and was about ten rows from the front when the gun went off. I hadn’t found the official three hour pacers but I did see several three hour back bibs so I knew I was close. The gun sounded, the crowd surged forward and got up to speed. What a difference being in a seated corral and near the front. It took my about fifteen seconds to hit the start line and the whole group moved out. As we went under a bridge, I looked to my left and was amazed at the mass of people moving with me. Everyone looked relaxed, fast and ready to fly.
And fly I did going through the first mile in 6:15 and the first 5k in 20:54. I pulled up on the pace a little hoping to settle around 7 minute miles, wait for the three hour pacer and then drop down to 6:50s. It sounded like a good plan in my head but I settled around 6:45 as we headed north towards Lincoln Park.
During the first half, I saw women dressed as cheerleaders, guys dressed as cheerleaders and Elvis singing in the middle of the road. I knew it was going to be warm but I didn’t think I’d be hallucinating.
Act 2 – Into the Loop
As we passed the half-way point, we started to move west into the neighborhoods surrounded by the loop. While the first half was characterized by tall buildings, this section was mostly one and two stories tall. The tall building offered the opportunity for shade and since the route was mostly north-south, there was plenty of shade to run in. This section was mostly east and west so the shady spots were few and far between.
I was still holding a pretty good pace and feeling pretty good at this point. When I went through the half under 1:30, my mantra became Harvest Moon is this hot. Drawing on my Harvest Moon experiences, I knew I could run a half in the heat in 1:40 so I started thinking in terms of half-marathons and 10ks.
Act 3 – Out of the Frying Pan
By the time I went through 30k, I knew it was hot, I was hot and that I wasn’t staying as cool as I wanted. My pace was good with the first six 5ks being right at twenty-one minutes with a split of 2:06 for 30k. With 12k (7.4 miles) to go, the decision became to push for sub-three or to relax a little and finish comfortably. As I progressed through the race, I saw more and more runners reduced to walking and decided to easy up a little and see how I felt. I was a little bloated so I knew I wasn’t absorbing liquids as fast as I should or could.
The next 5k, I decided to ease up a bit and gave up about two minutes completing that 5k in twenty-three minutes. That left me close to sub-3 with only 7k and thirty minutes. It’s then that I saw my first and only three hour pacer. He was all alone as he caught and passed me. Apparently his entire group of other pacers and runners had all succumbed to the conditions and dropped off the pace. At that point I decided to not push for sub-3 and cruised the last 7k to the line. If all the other pacers and all the other sub-3 runners had been dropped by the heat, I wasn’t going to risk it. At the remaining aid stations, I made sure I took plenty of fluids and I even ran through a medical tent to grab some ice.
Epilogue
Shortly after finishing and finding Susie, the race director made the decision to end the race. Apparently conditions out on the course had deteriorated and the aid stations were having trouble keeping up with the demand for fluids. The temperature continued to climb and it was having a devastating effect on the remaining runners. The people who hadn’t reached the half-way point were diverted back to the finish area. Buses were dispatched to the aid stations to pick up runners and police were instructing all the remaining runners to stop and walk to the finish.
Personally, I had a very good run considering the conditions. Being near the front of the race meant that I had access to plenty of fluids and wasn’t trapped in the sea of humanity. I don’t know if I will do another mega-marathon or if I’ll stay with the smaller races. I was originally planning on running the NYC marathon next year but now I’m not so sure. I think I’ll take it easy for a month or two and then think about it.
Official Time: 3:09:35, Chip Time: 3:09:20
1/2 Split: 1:28:48
Showing posts with label Marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marathon. Show all posts
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
2007 Tucson Marathon
Prologue
The day began like a lot of other marathons, an early morning bus ride out to the middle of nowhere. Everyone on the bus thinking and talking about the journey they are about to undertake.
After the bus ride and the wait, it’s time to warm up and get ready to run. As I peel off layers, I notice a lot of people in tights, long sleeves, gloves and stocking caps. Was I optimistic wearing a singlet, shorts and ball cap? The temperature is in the low 40s and you can see your breath but the skies are clear, it is Tucson and yesterday it warmed up into the 70s.
The announcer gives a five minute warning and everyone starts to move into place. I line up about 5 rows from the front not wanting to get sucked out at the start but not wanting to have to weave too much. As I’m waiting, I over hear a runner talking about trying for three hours. Looking around I see he’s wearing a bright safety green singlet.
Act 1 – The First Half
The starter counts us down, three, two, one and then nothing. No gun, no whistle, no GO, nothing. Everyone is standing around and a couple of seconds pass. Finally the announcer yells GO and everyone is off. A couple seconds later, the gun goes off.
The course starts with a half mile climb and the starting crowd is like any other marathon with people going out too fast. I settle into my pace and try to take the climb easy. After a few miles, the crowd has thinned out and I notice the bright green singlet about 50 yards away. I decide to close the gap and over the next couple miles I catch up to him.
After a mile or so to relax and catch my breath, I pull even and say hi. He’s checking his Garmin so I ask if he has a goal. He (from Phoenix) says his goal is three hours and I know I have the right runner. I then notice another runner (Detroit) at my side and I ask his goal which he states as 2:55. Another runner (Atlanta) joins us and his goal is also three hours.
With three runners going for three hours, it’s time for the a decision, do I stay with these runners and try for three hours or do I drop back to a more comfortable pace. I decide to stay with the group and see how it plays out. The miles start to click off and we go through nine miles in just over an hour. We pass the halfway point in 1:31 and the pace is feeling good.
Act 2 – The Lonely Miles
Somewhere over the next couple miles, Detroit picks up the pace, or maybe he just held the pace and the rest of us slowed down. I decide to go with Detroit covering his move and over the next couple miles both Phoenix and Atlanta drop off the back.
Around mile sixteen, Detroit starts to fade but I still feel comfortable with the pace. I look ahead and there’s a runner ahead of me with a blue singlet. I decide he’s my new pace partner and I move to close the gap. He’s a bigger runner so I decide to use him for a wind block. I noticed a pretty good headwind and there’s no sense fighting the wind alone.
Act 3 – The Real Marathon Begins
Blue guy is holding an even pace and we hit the twenty mile mark at 2:15. The saying is that the marathon starts at twenty miles and now I find myself only forty-five minutes and ten kilometers from a sub-three hour marathon. I’ve run both stand alone and triathlon 10ks under forty minutes so I know I have the ability. I just need to hold my pace and I should make it.
Blue guy starts to fade but he did pull me up to another group of runners; another blue guy, shirtless guy and Ironman guy. I tuck in next to the new blue guy with shirtless leading the way and Ironman hanging on the back. Ironman is breathing heavy and I wonder how long he’ll hang on.
With five kilometers left, Ironman has been dropped and blue is starting to fade. He’s slipped of the back and surged back a few times but I think he’s done. I focus on shirtless and just hold onto his pace. We only have five kilometers to go and we have twenty-five minutes to get there.
At the twenty-four mile mark, it’s just me and shirtless. We have around twenty minutes to go only 2.2 miles. I pull even with shirtless and ask what his goal was. He wanted to go 2:50 but with the headwind, he thought that a sub-three marathon is a good effort. He has no doubt that we will break three so all I have to do is hang in and not break.
Bearing down and focusing, I climb the last hill and take the turn towards the finish line. I hear Manuel and Susie yell out surprised to see me so soon. As I cross the finish line, I notice the clock rolling over to 2:58 as the announcer calls out my name.
Epilogue
I can’t believe it I’ve broken three hours by almost two minutes. When I first started running marathons, I thought I would break three but after the first few, I thought it was a pipe dream. Three hours was the rare air that real marathoners breathed. Here I was in that same exalted company. Dreams can come true if you just relax, prepare and let them come to you.
The day began like a lot of other marathons, an early morning bus ride out to the middle of nowhere. Everyone on the bus thinking and talking about the journey they are about to undertake.
After the bus ride and the wait, it’s time to warm up and get ready to run. As I peel off layers, I notice a lot of people in tights, long sleeves, gloves and stocking caps. Was I optimistic wearing a singlet, shorts and ball cap? The temperature is in the low 40s and you can see your breath but the skies are clear, it is Tucson and yesterday it warmed up into the 70s.
The announcer gives a five minute warning and everyone starts to move into place. I line up about 5 rows from the front not wanting to get sucked out at the start but not wanting to have to weave too much. As I’m waiting, I over hear a runner talking about trying for three hours. Looking around I see he’s wearing a bright safety green singlet.
Act 1 – The First Half
The starter counts us down, three, two, one and then nothing. No gun, no whistle, no GO, nothing. Everyone is standing around and a couple of seconds pass. Finally the announcer yells GO and everyone is off. A couple seconds later, the gun goes off.
The course starts with a half mile climb and the starting crowd is like any other marathon with people going out too fast. I settle into my pace and try to take the climb easy. After a few miles, the crowd has thinned out and I notice the bright green singlet about 50 yards away. I decide to close the gap and over the next couple miles I catch up to him.
After a mile or so to relax and catch my breath, I pull even and say hi. He’s checking his Garmin so I ask if he has a goal. He (from Phoenix) says his goal is three hours and I know I have the right runner. I then notice another runner (Detroit) at my side and I ask his goal which he states as 2:55. Another runner (Atlanta) joins us and his goal is also three hours.
With three runners going for three hours, it’s time for the a decision, do I stay with these runners and try for three hours or do I drop back to a more comfortable pace. I decide to stay with the group and see how it plays out. The miles start to click off and we go through nine miles in just over an hour. We pass the halfway point in 1:31 and the pace is feeling good.
Act 2 – The Lonely Miles
Somewhere over the next couple miles, Detroit picks up the pace, or maybe he just held the pace and the rest of us slowed down. I decide to go with Detroit covering his move and over the next couple miles both Phoenix and Atlanta drop off the back.
Around mile sixteen, Detroit starts to fade but I still feel comfortable with the pace. I look ahead and there’s a runner ahead of me with a blue singlet. I decide he’s my new pace partner and I move to close the gap. He’s a bigger runner so I decide to use him for a wind block. I noticed a pretty good headwind and there’s no sense fighting the wind alone.
Act 3 – The Real Marathon Begins
Blue guy is holding an even pace and we hit the twenty mile mark at 2:15. The saying is that the marathon starts at twenty miles and now I find myself only forty-five minutes and ten kilometers from a sub-three hour marathon. I’ve run both stand alone and triathlon 10ks under forty minutes so I know I have the ability. I just need to hold my pace and I should make it.
Blue guy starts to fade but he did pull me up to another group of runners; another blue guy, shirtless guy and Ironman guy. I tuck in next to the new blue guy with shirtless leading the way and Ironman hanging on the back. Ironman is breathing heavy and I wonder how long he’ll hang on.
With five kilometers left, Ironman has been dropped and blue is starting to fade. He’s slipped of the back and surged back a few times but I think he’s done. I focus on shirtless and just hold onto his pace. We only have five kilometers to go and we have twenty-five minutes to get there.
At the twenty-four mile mark, it’s just me and shirtless. We have around twenty minutes to go only 2.2 miles. I pull even with shirtless and ask what his goal was. He wanted to go 2:50 but with the headwind, he thought that a sub-three marathon is a good effort. He has no doubt that we will break three so all I have to do is hang in and not break.
Bearing down and focusing, I climb the last hill and take the turn towards the finish line. I hear Manuel and Susie yell out surprised to see me so soon. As I cross the finish line, I notice the clock rolling over to 2:58 as the announcer calls out my name.
Epilogue
I can’t believe it I’ve broken three hours by almost two minutes. When I first started running marathons, I thought I would break three but after the first few, I thought it was a pipe dream. Three hours was the rare air that real marathoners breathed. Here I was in that same exalted company. Dreams can come true if you just relax, prepare and let them come to you.
Official Time: 2:58:14, Chip Time: 2:58:07
1/2 Time: 1:31:32
19th of 1149 Finishers, 19th of 705 Men, 5th of 116 Men 40 - 44
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