Haven’t had much time to compose my thoughts and write a detailed race report, so I’m afraid this will have to do for now…..
First of all, what a great race! The course changes for this year’s event made for a very challenging second half and probably the wisest decision I made all weekend was to drive the last 10 miles of the course on Saturday (the day before the race). I knew exactly what to expect from mile 16 to the finish and my pacing was probably the best I’ve ever managed in over 20 marathons – quite a mean feat considering my Garmin died just before the race started and I decided to run with no watch or timing device. The only mile split I’m aware of is the first mile in 6 minutes 22 seconds – from this point forward I just ran on “feel”.
The early miles went well, I felt great and was running so easily I convinced myself the pace was probably too slow. Going in to the race I thought I had a shot of being first in the Masters Division and was trying to get a feel for who my competition may be. Luckily the half marathon runners wore yellow bibs, relay runners had the letter “R” on their backs and marathon runners wore a blue bib, so it was easy to tell who was running which race.
Just before 8 miles an “older guy” went steaming past me – the flash of blue on his singlet told me he could be my toughest opposition. At this stage in the game I wasn’t going to chase him down, but I did keep him in my sights and noticed how he seemed to back off a little once he’d established a good lead on me. Around 10 miles I had to stop to relieve myself – I’d been fighting it since the early miles and knew I couldn’t/wouldn’t last another 16 miles. I figured a stop now would allow plenty of time to find my rhythm and get back into the race. I left the port-o-john and the “older guy” seemed to be half a mile away (it wasn’t half a mile, but it certainly was quite a distance). I tried not to panic, soon found my stride again and also felt a lot more comfortable for the stop!
Fast forward to the halfway mark where the half marathoners went one way and we went another. Now I was only 20 or so feet behind the “older guy” and knew I’d be passing him soon. Here’s me approaching 13.1 miles. I had no idea what pace I was running and how close I was to my pre-race goal of 1:26:30, but looking at the race results I was just 28 seconds too fast!
As I said to my daughter (who was taking the photos) – “Now the fun begins! The hills are waiting for us…” I also didn’t know I was currently in 7th place in the marathon. Maybe that was a good thing or I might have panicked. Anyway, within half a mile I’d moved in to 6th place, sensed the “older guy” fading away and concentrated on catching the two other runners I could see in the distance. I was still conscious of not hammering it and knew I needed to save a lot for the hills. I just stuck to the same pace and gradually reeled the guys in.
As I drew level with sixth place guy, I asked how he was feeling. He said “Ok”, but was worried about the hills. I mentioned that I’d driven the course yesterday and knew exactly what to expect. His “Me too” reply wasn’t too enthusiastic and I grinned to myself knowing that he’d already probably psyched himself out.
The first hill (pictured left, copyright FrederickNewsPost.com) was a long drawn out affair, but I just chipped away and didn’t really suffer from it. I also reminded myself we’d be running down the same hill on the way back! Nice…
At this stage in the race (9 miles to go) I was still running comfortably. The steady supply of fuel from my flask of Perpetuem was working wonders and I felt great. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was in third place and heading towards a pretty fast time.
After a nice downhill section, the road leveled off before we made a sharp left onto Terra Firma Road. Terra Firma Road was a steep, twisty climb that made my quads burn and my lungs scream for air. I’ve no idea how slow I ran this section, but I was almost down to walking pace by the time I reached the top. Luckily I knew when it was going top level off and my breathing soon returned to normal.
The next several miles through the neighborhoods were great – up and down hills, being cheered on by enthusiastic homeowners and offered all kinds of drinks, snacks and candy. A few people shouted I was the seventh runner, someone else said I was in fifth place and running stronger than anyone ahead. All these comments gave me inspiration and before I knew it I was back on the main road heading to the finish.
With the hills out of the way at mile 22, my thoughts turned to the 10-20mph headwind and how my left knee seemed to be locking up. The camber on the shoulder of the road was quite bad and I had to veer to the side to find the flattest surface to run on. The wind was annoying but helped offset the rapidly rising temperature. I just needed to stay strong to the finish and hoped the cramps would stay away.
I won’t say the last 3 or 4 miles were easy, but I ran with a great rhythm and everything just felt right. The short out and back near the airport at mile 24 seemed to be another turning point for me, and with “only” two miles to go, I pressed on for the finish.
I kept telling myself “one step at a time” and “keep the rhythm” and compared the remaining mile or so to a mile I run at home – “Come on, you can finish this off!” Before I knew it I was at mile 26 and a spectator shouted out “Point two to go and you’re at 2 hours 49 minutes.” I couldn’t believe that time could be correct and just kicked it in to the Fairgrounds entrance where the race would end.
Into the Fairgrounds, onto the track, round the final bend and the clock read 2:51:30. I sprinted to the finish and couldn’t believe I’d finished in 2:51:36. A volunteer quickly hung a medal around my neck and someone else rushed up and told me I was third overall and asked if I was ok. I was in total shock to be honest and still am to some degree.
So, official finish time – 2:51:36
Official place – 3rd (and I guess 1st Master)
Second fastest marathon ever and probably my most even paced race too.
Splits:
6.5 miles – 42:46 (6:35 pace)
13.1 miles – 1:26:02 (6:34 pace)
21 miles – 2:18:22 (6:35 pace)
24 miles – 2:37:13 (6:33 pace)
Finish – 2:51:36 (6:33 pace)
That’s it for now. I guess the “mini race report” wasn’t much of a mini report after all. Enjoy…
Huh… Maybe running without your instruments paid off? Something to be said for listening to your body, huh? Awesome job!! I’m so excited for you.
I think you’re right Eric. I didn’t panic after a “slow” mile and I didn’t freak out after a “fast” mile – I just ran.
Funny thing is I was thinking about running old school (i.e. without a watch) a couple of days before the race. Maybe I’ll do it again next time too…
Great job! That’s a tremendous run. Way to psyche out the guy in sixth.
I like to have all of my splits but I try to stick mostly to effort-based pacing and mostly ignore the watch during the race.
Thanks Blaine. Yeah, I’d love to know what my splits were. Would make for interesting reading I’m sure.
The runner you passed who was “worried about the hills”– that was me, I believe. You misread me, though… I hadn’t “psyched myself out” for the hilly section. I wasn’t even concerned about being passed…. I’m not that competitive. Heck, I didn’t even know there was prize money being given out! (I certainly didn’t expect to be anywhere near the top five.)
It’s just that I was starting to realize, based on how I was feeling around the time you passed me, that I’d invested a bit too much in the first half of the course. It seemed likely that I was going to “wall” it well before making it back to the fairgrounds, and that turned out to be the case. All the energy drained out of me very quickly around mile 20, and I struggled from there… I couldn’t even take much advantage of the downhills back into town. Lost a full minute per mile off of my earlier pace.
Kind of a dumb miscalculation on my part, and I should’ve known better given my familiarity with the course. But, well, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Once in a while you have to go out on a limb, even if it means the branch might break (as it did for me on Sunday).
Anyway, congratulations on your finish and your excellent performance!
Hey Karsten – great race to you too! I guess I’m a bit too competitive, but just took inspiration from the moment I drew level and exchanged a few words with you.
Based on previous Frederick results, I didn’t expect to finish where I finished either – it was a total surprise.
Thanks for the comment and congrats for hanging in there!
–Steve
Great report on a great race. What a day it turned out to be! I wish I’d run more even splits, but I certainly have no regrets. I’ll chalk it up to experience and hope to learn for my next one (Are you going to complete the MD double and run Baltimore?). Is there any way you could email me any really good pictures your daughter took? It looks like she took some nice ones. On a side note, I ran one of my best races at a “predicted time” event where we weren’t allowed to wear watches (the Steeplechasers’ Lewis 10 miler). Funny how that can work when you run on feel.
Great job on your run!
peace,
Jay
Baltimore would be fun. I haven’t signed up for the double though and am planning a return to Richmond in November instead.
I’ve emailed a link to my photos and also a Frederick News Post slideshow.
Recover well,
–Steve
Awesome race Steve!
As always, a very well executed race and great pacing!
Congratulations!
Charlie
Thanks Charlie! Your race schedule in the last month has been most impressive but very hectic – Monument Avenue 10k, Dismal Swamp Stomp Half Marathon, Country Music Marathon and of course yesteday’s Frederick Marathon.
I know you’re going to have an excellent summer after building a great base over the winter months.
Great race yourself on a pretty challenging course!
–Steve
Hi Steve
I was and still am absolutely blown away by your race report. I can only hope that some day I will be able to run the way you do. I know I could learn a ton from you on just how to run naturally… how to let your body dictate pace instead of focusing so much on splits. Boston ’08 was my fifteenth marathon, but I’ve only been running for around 5 years. Reading your race report (and your blog for that matter!) makes me realize how far I have to go.
Congrats again on such a great race and exemplifying what it means to be a MARATHONER.
BTW, thank you so much for being so encouraging on my blog. I appreciate the comments from anyone who chooses to make them, but coming from a runner like yourself is truly an honor for me.
Bill
Wow! Crumb Run Steve that is quite an impressive race you knocked out there. Congrats! I dream about such races–well I don’t entertain such speed–but the strength and execution part I always hope for. Not yet, but maybe someday.
Steve – Great race and great race report! First in the Masters Division…way to go!!! I can’t even fathom running towards the front of the pack at this point. Perhaps I’ll have a shot at Age Group placing when I’m 70 or 80 and the only runner in my age group 🙂
Truly, I have mixed emotions about how I ran this weekend. I’m happy because I finished – and finishing the first marathon is a big achievement. Also, I finished with my initial goal time of 5 hours which was great. However, I’m not happy with the way I ran the race…a 30 min disparity between the first half and second half.
However, I think about the first time (OK, two times) I ran Half Marathons and I did the same thing – too fast at first and paid for it at the end. By my third Half Marathon I knew how to pace myself better and enjoyed it a lot more.
I hope to meet you at another race soon!