After a challenging, but successful, 4 to 5 weeks training since the Seashore Nature Trail 50K, Sunday’s Chevron Houston Marathon was supposed to be a confidence boosting race. In fact, the pre-race plan was to go for broke and target a new marathon PR.
Unfortunately, things don’t always go to plan, so instead of kicking off 2013 with a bang, I ended up calling it a day a little way past the 13.1 mile mark.
So, what went wrong when the race preparation seemed to be so right? Here’s what I remember…
Several days before leaving for Houston I developed a slightly-sore spot on the inside of the left knee. Not sure where it came from to be honest, and although I hoped it was one of those phantom taper pains, the minor discomfort left me feeling a little nervous. Saturday’s short shakeout was quite promising though, and I figured once the marathon started at 7:00am the next day, everything would be fine. Actually, the warm temperature and humidity during the shakeout run were more of a concern than the knee pain.
Ally and I hit the race expo after breakfast and managed to hook up with Andy O and Janet C. Ally decided to buy a Houston Marathon visor as despite the pleasant Saturday weather, potentially heavy rain was forecast during the race. We also picked up a couple of those cheap-and-cheerful Tyvek jackets just in case we needed to stay warm and dry at the race start the following morning. More for peace of mind than anything else, I also waited in line to have my left knee taped up. Runners either seem to love KT Tape, or hate it. As a first time user, I have to say my knee felt a lot more stable after being taped. Good stuff!
Dinner was a fun time with fellow dailymiler Sean Brown, his wife Michelle and two sons, Sam and Matthew. Sean would also be running the marathon, with the family out on the course cheering him on.
After a quick check of the weather forecast and the laying out of the race day gear, it was time to get to bed. Breakfast was my usual Hammer Nutrition Sustained Energy, and then it was time to leave the hotel and walk the mile or so to the drop bag location at the George R. Brown Convention Center. It was already pretty windy and MUCH cooler than the previous morning. Thankfully it wasn’t too bad once we started walking, and the Tyvek jackets definitely helped keep the chill at bay.
Despite the huge crowds of runners for both the full and half marathons, dropping the gear bag off was quick and easy. In fact, everything about the Houston Marathon weekend was flawless in terms of organization and logistics – very impressive! Finally it was time to head to the marathon start area. The forecast rain had started, and the wind was picking up, but somehow we managed to find Sean trying to stay warm in his corral. I wished Ally and Sean good luck, then battled my way through the crowds to the get to the start line.
Despite the wind and the rain, I decided to strip off the Tyvek jacket just a couple of minutes before the race got underway. Excitement was building and runners all around me were keen to get going. Then, with a huge boom from a cannon, we were off. The wind picked up even more and the rain lashed down even harder. Some reports say the rain was sleet, but all I remember is fighting against the wind and rain as we made our way up onto an overpass where there was absolutely zero protection from the elements.
Goal pace for the early miles was a fairly conservative 6:20/mile. I glanced down at the Garmin a couple of times but couldn’t even read the screen. My effort level seemed to be right, so I just put my head down and ran. The pre-start excitement was quickly quashed – runners all around me were grimacing, straining and breathing hard, and it reminded me of a scene from the final mile rather than the first one. I wished I hadn’t disposed of the Tyvek jacket so hastily, but the damage was done and already I was frozen to the bone.
Mile 1 finally arrived. This time I could see the Garmin screen, but the 6:30 mile split wasn’t what I’d hoped for. Faster, Steve. Faster. Mile 2 and 3 were better, but the effort level was far too high for the pair of 6:21 splits. Mile 4 was a disappointing 6:29, and from here things went from bad to worse.
Try as I might, I could not run any faster. I tried to relax. I tried to dig deep. I tried to increase my cadence. I tried to “think warm”. I called upon all my tough-workout mantras, but nothing worked. I felt defeated. Looking back, mentally my race ended here.
Physically, I gutted out several more miles, but just past the 13.1 mile mark, I did something I’ve never done in a marathon before – I stepped to the side of the road and informed the medical crew my race was over. At Mile 10, with a 6:59 split, I’d decided to make one big push to turn things around. The next 3 miles were 7:04, 7:30 and 7:40. There would be no turn around today.
In those tough, tough miles, thoughts kept turning to the Rocky Raccoon 100 which was just 3 weeks away. The RR100 was to be my first 100 Miler and the culmination of 7 months of training. As difficult as it was to pull out of the Houston Marathon, it was also one of the easiest running decisions I’ve had to make – I needed to minimize further damage and save myself, both mentally and physically, for Rocky Raccoon. Job done. DNF.
I pride myself on being a gutsy runner. I always give 110% and typically thrive in tough conditions. Today, for whatever reason, was not my day. The SAG wagon ride back to the Convention Center was an experience. The van was packed with cold, wet and disappointed runners. We traded battle stories and reassured each other that we did the right thing.
The Houston Marathon was not what I hoped for, and definitely not what I wanted, but maybe things happen for a reason and my next trip to Texas will be more successful. I have 3 short weeks to regain my confidence, and psych myself up for my biggest running challenge to date. Let’s go!