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Steve Mitchell's First Marathon Journal

44 Posts
This is my last post to my "First Marathon" blog. If you've followed my blog you'll know that technically this is my second marathon, but I took a Mulligan on the Oklahoma City Marathon because it went so badly for me. So here I was today, 6 months later, lining up for my second first marathon.

It took me 12 months of training to get here. I had not been a regular runner before last October. This was supposed to be a one-time "turning 50" goal, but I discovered that I loved running (because of my new friends in The Runners Edge), so I'm sticking with it.

Below are the statistics of what I did to make it to the starting line. These numbers are really low compared to what a serious runner would do.

  • Total training runs: 139
  • Total miles run/raced: 963
  • Total hours running/racing: 180
  • Half marathons: 3
  • Full marathons: 1
  • 5K runs: 3
  • Running injuries: broken wrist, shin splints, Morton's neuroma, bloody nipples (ouch), and one toe nail lost, all of which are healed, except for the neuroma.

A total of 8,050 runners lined up for the full marathon, half marathon, 5k and relay, about 1,800 of which were doing the full marathon. The starting corral was completely packed. I don't know when I've been so excited and nervous about something as I was for this race. The people next to me were very friendly. There was a woman from Atlanta running her 11th marathon, and a man running his first 1/2 marathon.

I'm not going to give the blow by blow on my race. The first half was very enjoyable. My split was 2:22:24. It was great seeing spectators I knew along the route: Lisa Flemming, Julie Hurley, Ron Honeyman, Coach Valdez, to name a few. My wife and daughters met me at mile 18. The big surprise was seeing my sister-in-law and niece at mile 21: Lauri, Lane, Evan, and Grace Williams, and Sarah and Chris Green. They had driven in from Fort Scott and Topeka for the race. Seeing them and their home made support signs could not have come at a better time for me.

At mile 4 I found myself with a three minute deficit, and knowing the course was downhill or flat from miles 4- 12, I decided to try to make up the deficit. I ran five of the next six miles below goal pace. In hindsight this was probably not a very smart thing to do.  The funny thing was that I never made up those 3 minutes. I guess I was too slow in the aid stations and offset my gains. All I know is that I paid for that transgression after mile 12.

My humorus memory from the race was that there was another runner there from The Runner's Edge who I passed at mile 3. He was running at a very even pace, and I running at an uneven pace. He never noticed passing me at the aid stations, but I always said hi when I passed him after the aid stations. At one point he exclaimed "How are you doing that?!" I think I was driving him a bit nuts. I must have passed him half a dozen times. It was funny.

My best moment of the race was passing through Westport where a band was playing. I don't recall the song, but I synchronized my pace to the beat. I was feeling strong and was practically bounding to stay in time with the music. It was fun. I stayed on that runners high down Roanoak Parkway to 47th street. I opened up my stride on the descent and was running effortlessly. I felt like I could run forever, but that definitely was not the case.

The second half didn't go as planned. I began losing speed with every mile. By mile 20 I was really dragging. My worst mile was 22, when I walked the hill from Gilham to Paseo Blvd. Beyond that I adopted the run a mile, walk a minute strategy and just tried to get the finish line one mile at a time, finishing in 5:09:28. Not what I wanted, but I'll take it. I'll have to wait until next year to break five hours. It will give me something to work towards!
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I'm second guessing my choice of a pace for the Kansas City Marathon next week. Saturday was my last 8-mile run before the race. I ran part of the way with Beth Rogers, who just returned from setting a PR in the Twin Cities marathon last week. Beth and I are pretty evenly matched, except for the fact that she is younger. We both ran our last 5K race in about 27 minutes, and we run in the same Saturday pace group. Beth's PR in the Twin Cities Marathon was 4:25.

 

The goal pace I had chosen for the Kansas City Marathon was 4:45. I arrived at that pace using a chart that Coach Valdez created back in July for The Runners Edge speed session group. Based on a 2-mile time trail that I did that I did in July, it predicted a 5K time between a 27:30 and a 28:00, and a marathon pace of 4:40 - 4:45. That was a pretty accurate prediction of The Race for the Cure 5K which I ran a month later in 28:14; however, that was a hot day and I knew I could do better. A month after that I ran the Labor Day 5K in Leawood, KS in 27:11. That improvement was due to cooler temperatures, a flatter course, plus another month of speed session workouts. The next row up in Coach Valdez's speed session document predicted a 5K time is 26:14 -27:15, which covers my performance in the Labor Day 5K, and a marathon time of 4:32 - 4:38.

 

There are a number of Marathon Pace Calculators on-line. These are just a few that I found:

 

 

All those on-line calculators point to a sub-4:30 pace. That does not take into account the fact that the Kansas City Marathon has three large climbs. Working in my favor is the temperature, which is forecast to be in the thirties or forties. Additionally, my week day runs have been getting faster. I clocked my fastest 4-mile hill workout a week ago with an average pace of 9:28 -- I typically run that training route about a minute/mile slower.

 

If I just wanted to get a decent marathon under my belt I would leave my goal pace at 4:45. If I wanted to be aggressive I would shoot for 4:30. The difference is an average pace of 10:18 vs 10:52/mile. The prediction chart on the Kansas City Marathon web site predicts a time of 4:36 based on a 27:11 5K. I would tend to trust it more than a generic marathon prediction calculator because it factors in the course elevation. As much as I want to shoot for a 4:30 pace, it would appear that the prudent thing to do is run with the 4:35 pace group. I will try to keep up with that pace group through mile 20, and then I can decide if I want to pick it up the last 6 miles. Knowing me, it is highly unlikely that I will have the energy to pull ahead at that point in the race.

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The Runners Edge gave a presentation of marathon tips last night at the Garry Gribble store on Ward Parkway. As Coach Eladio Valdez explained his approach to running a marathon it occurred to me that almost everything he said not to do, or that could go wrong, described my experience at Oklahoma City last April.

 

Eladio promotes what he calls the “smart pace” strategy, where you start out slow to warm up, and take some strategic walks in first half of the race, particularly at the first aid stations. You also back off on steep hills to avoid over heating. Some say a marathon can be divided into two “halves:” the first 20-miles, and the last 6.2 miles. The smart pace strategy is a conservative approach to the first 20 miles so that you don’t hit the wall in the last 6.2 miles.

 

The main point of the smart pace is to start out slow and warm up for the first mile or two. The hardest part of that strategy is forcing yourself to actually slow down, especially with all the race day excitement and everyone blazing past you. Trust me, I know. I tried and failed to start out slow at two half marathons and a marathon this year, and two of those races turned out very, very badly.

 

Eladio emphasized taking extra time at the first few aid stations to hydrate. As he put it, your body will use every ounce of fluid that you drink at the first aid stations, but only a portion of what you drink at the last one. By then it is too late.

 

Strategic walks allow your body to release built up heat. The length of the walks depends on your time goal. With a time goal of 4:45, I can walk briskly for 45 seconds while passing through the aid stations, or alternatively, I can save that walk for an upcoming steep hill. The time lost walking is made up by a slightly faster pace between aid stations, thus preserving your overall goal pace.

 

My plan for The Kansas City Marathon is to take it very slow the first mile and a half, up to the crest of the hill at Barney Allis Plaza. I’ll open it up a little bit going downhill between Barney Allis Plaza and Union Station, but still slower than my overall goal pace of 10:53/mile. There, at mile three, are the steepest hills of the race. The biggest of these is on Kessler Street. It’s a half-mile climb from Union Station up to the Liberty Memorial. I will run that conservatively and may even walk 45-seconds in the middle. I’ll also take it slow on Trinity Hill, just past the Liberty Memory. You can see the hills on this elevation chart that I made last summer after riding the route on my bike.

kcmarathon.png


By the time you get over Trinity Hill you are four miles into the race and ready for a nice long descent through Westport and down to Country Club Plaza at mile seven. That stretch only has a few short uphill sections. It will be my first opportunity to run at race pace, or slightly better on the steeper declines.

 

There is a relatively flat stretch through Country Club Plaza and past UMKC, followed by the second steepest hill on the course, Sunset Drive, leading up to Loose Park. We ran that part of the course on our last 22-mile training run. It didn’t seem that bad at the time, but nevertheless I plan a 45-second walk in the middle of it too, just like at the Liberty Memorial.

 

Once past Loose Park there is a slow climb from mile 12 ½ - 15 ½, finishing with a short, steep rise at 75th Street and Summit Road (aptly named).  There is no need for a walk at Summit Road since the climb is short and is followed by a long downhill stretch.

 

Miles 16 – 21 are an enjoyable descent passing Waldo and Brookside on the way back down to Country Club Plaza and the UMKC campus. This is another chance to pick-up the pace and make up some time.

 

The biggest challenge of the race will be in miles 21 – 24. Just as people are starting to hit the wall there is a climb from Brush Creek up to the intersection of Linwood and Paseo Blvd. The steepest part of the climb is on Harrison Street between Gillham Road and Armour Road. There is supposed to be an aid station with Gu Energy Gel at mile 21 just before the climb begins. I’ll probably take my time at that aid station rather than walking on Harrison. That’s easy to say now, but who knows how I’ll be feeling at mile 21 on race day.

 

Once you get to Linwood and Paseo Blvd it is downhill to 18th Street and Vine and then most of the way to finish line. This is where I hope to be reaping the benefits from running a smart race. I would like to still have enough gas left in the tank as I crest Linwood to open it up again on the descent to 18th and Vine. The elevation chart is deceiving/wrong. I remember it as pretty flat from 18th and Vine to the finish where there is a slight hill at the end.

 

I can’t wait to see how it turns out!
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I love the fall. Running in cool weather is so much easier than running in the summer. I don't handle the heat well. Now that it's cooler I'm having some of my best runs of the year.

 

Monday the temperature was in the fifties and I had a great 4-mile training run with my neighbor, Duane Gentlemen. We ran up Quivira Road on the west side of the Overland Park Golf Course. Those of you familiar with the area recognize that as a decent hill workout with a half mile gentle climb. Despite the climb we took a full minute off the average pace of our recent runs. I was able to stretch out my stride and go into cruise mode.

 

Duane commented afterwards that if you do your marathon training correctly you should feel an abundance of energy once you start cutting back on your miles. I have to say that I do feel stronger, but I give most of the credit to the cooler temperatures. Speed sessions are helping too.

 

Skunks must like the cool weather because I've seen three in the span of a week. A week ago Monday, Duane and I saw one in a front yard in the next neighborhood, then on Tuesday I saw one wandering out of the woods at Leawood Park after the speed session, and yesterday we almost ran into one.

 

We came across the skunk just a few blocks from the start of our run, about the same spot we saw one last Monday. I was talking and not watching where we were going when I heard Duane say “skunk.” I glanced up, expecting to see it in someone's yard, and then realized it was crossing the street right in front of us. By the time I saw the skunk it had crossed over to the curb and was about to duck into the storm drain as I passed within spitting distance, or should I say spraying distance! That's way too close for me.

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22-mile Training Run

Posted by Steve Mitchell Sep 4, 2009

I’ve been remiss this summer blogging about my preparation for the Kansas City Marathon, October 17, perhaps because things seem more routine the second time around. The big change this summer was the addition of speed sessions with The Runners Edge. Those are kicking my butt.

 

The speed session group includes about 70 people and we meet for twelve Tuesday evenings. Each week we alternate between a hill/road workout and a track workout. I’ve yet to complete an entire speed session, mostly due to the heat. I tend to last from 6:30 – 8:00 or 8:15 PM. To do everything I that I am supposed to do would take at least until 9:00. Looking back at my Garmin logs I see that my heart rate steadily climbs during each successive activity. Once my heart rate gets over 180 BPM, that is about the time the wheels fall off.

 

Heat and humidity have been a constant problem this summer, even though it has been relatively mild. With my high sweat rate the heat and humidity are my number one running impediment. The last two weekends have been cooler, which has been a real Godsend.

 

Last week was my first 22-mile training run. My longest training runs for the Oklahoma City Marathon were two 20-mile runs, both of which were a real challenge. I remember barely making it up the final hill of my last 20-mile run and wondering how I could make it six more miles in a marathon.

 

By contrast, last Saturday’s 22-mile run wasn’t that bad. I ran with our pace group leader who is recovering from an injury so we took it pretty easy. The strategy for all our long runs is to run a mile, and then walk a minute. We managed to keep our running pace between 10:00 and 11:00/mile most of the way. My legs felt rubbery after about 12 miles, as usual, and I felt fatigued, but most importantly I felt like I had more in me when we were done. That was a very nice feeling to have at the end of my longest training run.

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Over 29,000 participants came out today for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in downtown Kansas City, and I was one of them. There was a timed 5K, an un-timed 5K, a 5K walk, and a 1 mile walk. I carpooled downtown with the neighbor that I run with during the week. Since I got into running later in life just to run a marathon, I never got into running 5K races. In fact, I've only run a few 5K races in my life: a couple with my daughters, and one when I got into running for the first time about five years ago. I won't embarrass myself with my actual times. Suffice it to say I have never finished a 5K race in less than 30 minutes... until today.

 

This summer I signed up for Speed Sessions with The Runners Edge, so I was anxious to see what I could do. My running partner, Duane, won the Nashville Marathon back in the early 80's with a 2:42, and should be way out of my league, except that bad knees hold him back now. His goal was a time around 25 minutes. That is faster than I can run, but I decided to start out with Duane anyway to see how long I could hang on. It turns out that was not very long.

 

Duane and I waded into the croud just behind the front pack of super competitive runners. I would have been more comfortable starting near the back, but when you have won a bunch of races in the past, like Duane has, I guess it is natural to want to start near the front. When the race began we took off at very aggressive pace. After a couple of blocks I glanced down at my Garmin and saw Duane's pace was 7:00/mile. I immediately told Duane that I was backing off. I knew that I would blow-up completely if I kept up that pace. Duane went on to run a 25:42:80, or 8:17/mile.

 

The temperature was in the mid-80's and the course was hilly. This was not a good day or course to attempt a PR. Coach Valdez said he expected people to run 30 seconds slower than our normal 5K pace. Since I haven't establish a 5K pace yet, I just wanted to do the best I could. In my initial time trial for Speed Sessions I ran two miles at an 8:45 pace. I figured I would probably slow to a 9:00/mile pace for a 5K, and that was close to what happened.  Here are my mile splits for the race:

 

Mile 1 - 8:31/mile

 

Mile 2 - 9:01/mile

 

Mile 3 - 9:19/mile

 

Full 5K -  28:14:45 - 9:06/mile

 

My Garmin recorded my run as 3.16 miles in 28:14, a 8:55/mile average. Either way, my pace was around a nine minute pace, as expected.

 

The good news is that I climbed out of cellar. In every race that I've run in the last five years I've finished near the bottom 10 percent. I'm happy to say that today I made it into the 43 percentile of my sex/age group (45 out of 79), and 62 percentile of all runners (881 out of 2324).  That is still a grade of F... but it's almost a low D now!  I know, I've got more work to do.

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Still being somewhat new to running, I have just now begun to realize how rare it is to be able to run without a challenge of some sort. What I wouldn’t give for a long stretch of healthy running. After my first half marathon it was a pulled groin muscle that derailed my running, and discouraged me from running for a few years. This spring, during preparation for my first marathon, it was shin splints that challenged me. Now I’m dealing with an apparent Morton’s Neuroma.

 

Even if you are not dealing with chronic issues, there are the inevitable ups and down from run to run. Saturday was definitely one of my down days. Having missed my scheduled 18-mile group run while on vacation, I tried to get in a long run on my own. It turned out not to be my day. My feet felt like lead, and I gave in to post-vacation fatigue after only 9 miles.

 

Running, beyond the obvious physical challenge, is a test of will, whether fighting a snooze alarm at 5:00 AM, or toughing out an extra mile. Running also requires common sense, listening to your body, and knowing when to compromise. Perhaps I am a little too skilled at compromise.

 

This summer, as my training for the Kansas City Marathon gets into full swing, I hope to find the will to push myself a little farther and a little faster, while still being smart about my health. I’ve signed-up for 12 weeks of speed sessions with The Runners Edge. My goal is get below an average pace of 8:00/mile on a two mile run, and ultimately to finish a marathon in under five hours.

 

Last week I missed the group time trials for the speed sessions. I was on vacation and had to do my time trail on my own. Since I was in St. Louis, I did it around the Gateway Arch. I warmed up for about 10 minutes before starting my two mile hard run. I started out at a pace below 8:00/mile, but eventually slowed down. I finished with an average of 8:46/mile. Not as fast as I wanted, but faster than I’ve ever run for that distance. I don’t know if it is possible to shave off 45 seconds in just 12 weeks, but I’ll try. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, or at least so I hope.

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I'm taking my training up a notch for the Kansas City Marathon, running five days a week instead of just three, like I did for the Oklahoma City Marathon. Needless to say, staying motivated when the alarm goes off at 5AM is a struggle. To help keep me focused on my goal I got out and rode the marathon course on my bike wearing my Garmin Forerunner 305 and then edited the elevation graph to be my desktop background at work and at home. Hard telling if it will help.  I'll tell you next October!

 

(See attached image)

 

 

 

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This week I ran my two fastest 5-mile runs. Coming from a old, slow guy, the numbers aren't very impressive, but everything is relative. Also, today was my first run with my new metatarsal lifts. I'm still tweaking their placement on my insole, but the nerve on the ball of my foot between my second and third toe did not seem as sore today. Once I get the lifts in the right position I think they will barely be noticeable on my runs. They definitely didn't interfere with my speed.

 

 

 

In the past, my 5-mile runs have averaged between 10:30 and 11:30/mile, with many winter runs over 12 minutes/mile. This week has been a completely different story. I've been running with Duane Gentlemen, a former competitive runner with a best marathon time of 2:43. He won the  Nashville Marathon "back in the day." I need to find out when that was. He stopped running years ago due to issues with his knees.

 

 

 

Duane decided to start running again and now we run together twice a week. He's been coaxing me to get my pace up. Last week didn't go well because of the heat. We were supposed to run a 5-mile run a week ago, but I had to stop after 4-miles because I was so hot.

 

 

 

This week is much cooler, in the sixties, and I was determined to improve my time. Tuesday we ran a flat 5-mile route on the Indian Creek trail. I didn't have to battle the heat and I settled into a good rhythm. I knew we were making good time, but I was surprised to see that we had covered 5.02 miles in 49:26, or 9:50/mile.

 

 

 

Today, we did our hill workout with a loop in Stump Park where the elevation gain is about 100 feet. I really tried to push it, knowing we couldn't beat our time the day before on the flat course. Nope, I was wrong. We covered 5.02 miles again, but this time we did it in 49:11, or a 9:48/mile pace.

 

 

 

Can you keep a secret? I would love to push my pace down to 9:06, that magic number needed to finish a marathon in 4 hours. That may take a couple years to accomplish in a marathon, but I certainly could shoot for a 9 minute pace on training runs.  My realistic goal is to finish the Kansas City Marathon in between five and five and a half hours, but my stretch goal is to break five hours.  Only time will tell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Saturday marked the first week of The Runners Edge fall session. I ran 8 miles with Dashaun and his friend Jill.  DaShaun wanted to run with the 11:00 minute pace group, so I got to meet some new people. I felt guilty not running with my buddies in the 11:20 pace group. It was 78 degrees at 6:30 AM when we started. My shirt was soaked with sweat the whole run which caused chafing. I complained about it several times during the run. When we got back to the mall DaShaun pointed to my new white running shirt. There were trails of blood coming from both nipples all the way down to the bottom of my shirt. That's never happened to me before! Now I'm sporting little round Band-Aides on my runs.

 

 

I had a good run yesterday with Duane Gentlemen, a neighbor down the street. We finished 5 miles in 49:26, a 9:50 pace. That is my fastest five miles ever, thanks to the break from the heat we are having this week. That is a far cry from the previous run, Thursday, when I had to quit after four miles of our hill workout in the heat with the only a 10:57 pace.

 

 

I'm very excited about preparing for the Kansas City Marathon. My shin splits appear to be completely healed. My only complaint (other than the chafing <grin>) is some metatarsal pain in the nerve between my second and third toe. It's felt bruised for some time now. Last night I picked up some metatarsal lifts from Gary Gribbles Running Sports on Eladio's advice. He also suggested getting a wider shoe. My Brooks GTS are only about four months old, so I'm not quite ready to do that, but if the metatarsal lifts don't help I will have to bite the bullet and buy new shows. I don't want anything to interfere with my training for my next/do-over marathon.

 

 

   

 

 

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Today was the 36th Annual Hospital Hill Half Marathon, the “grand daddy” of half-marathons in Kansas City. It has the reputation of being the toughest half-marathon in the city because of its hilly course. The steepest hill is Hospital Hill, a mile-long climb around mile-2 in front of Children's Mercy Medical Center, behind Hallmark Cards World Headquarters. That is followed by College Hill on the UMKC campus, and finally, Trinity Hill, where the new Federal Reserve building sits on the former site of Trinity Hospital. Actually, Trinity Hill is just a small steep hill at the crest of a two mile climb that begins at Country Club Plaza.

 

I arrived an hour before the race an milled around the crowd. Before long The Runners Edge crew began to arrive. The first person I saw was Trisha Klaus, the woman who gave me her finishers medal at the Oklahoma City Marathon. She was there with her husband, Todd. Todd finished in 1:51:19 and Trisha with 2:06:30. Needless to say, I did not see them on the course today!

 

When I made my way over to the starting corral Pritha Hariharan was there. She went on to finish in 2:08:37. Virgina Harmer was nearby with her husband, who had come to cheer her on. Virgina was hoping to finish under 2:20, and did, with a 2:17:12. I also saw Mark Bertison, 2:14:37, Chuck Manthey, 2:12:35, Lisa Flemming, 2:19:09, and Bret Anthony, 2:12:58. Bret is a a local meteorologists that runs with our pace group.

 

This year the race had record attendance with over 5,000 5K, 10K, and half marathon runners. 2,389 runners completed the half marathon. I finished 2,164. Oh, well, at least I finished. If I keep this up Eladio is going to throw me out of his group!

 

It was a nice day today, with a temperature around 70 at start time and a cool morning breeze. I set out at a moderate pace, and at mile 1 I caught up to Mark Bertison, Chuck Manthey, Lisa Flemming, and Bret Anthony. Just as I did someone called out my name. It was Nancy Gacek. Nancy is a business analyst at DST Systems. Nancy and I had a pre-race pasta lunch in The River Market yesterday.

 

Not far from there we came to Hospital Hill where we caught up with Deb Skwarlo. Deb is an avid runner from our pace group who is going to sign up for speed sessions this summer. Deb said she felt like the slowest one in speed sessions last time, and wasn't going to sign up again because of it, but said that if I signed up, then she would. That way I would be the slowest one in the group!

 

Nancy and I watched as Lisa and the others pulled away on Hospital Hill. Nancy was wearing a smart pacing band with a goal of 02:20:00 that we were following. It must of worked, because Nancy went on to finish in 02:21:05. We ran together until College Hill, hitting the pace goals every mile along the way.

 

Around mile 3 Nancy and I visited with Marcela Renna. Marcela is from Argentina. Her accent almost sounds Italian. Marcela said she had no race goal, but went on to have a good run, finishing in 2:18:27.

 

Around Mile 4 the elite 10K runners began to streak by. Streak is the operative word. Four or five of the runners wore nothing but shoes an something similar to a Speedo, adorned with a bandanna tied around their waist for “modesty.” As we got to the turn off for the 10K race I meant to ask Nancy if she would miss the “bandanna boys,” instead I asked if she would miss the “banana boys.” I think that qualifies as a Freudian slip!

 

When we got to College Hill I bid farewell to Nancy as I slowed to run at my own pace. I tried to keep my pace around 10:00 – 10:30/mile on the flats and downhills, and was successful for the most part until I reached mile 10.

 

Mile-10 seems to be my downfall in every race. Its when I really start to feel the wind go out of my sails.  Actually, I started to get in trouble around Mile 9 when I reached The Runners Edge aid station. I was very happy with my pace from Brookside down to mile 9, staying under 10:30 all the way. I walked through the aid station, drank an extra Powerade, and took my last Gu Rocktane energy gel. Afterwards I could not push myself back to a 10:30 pace again. I was running 11:00 – 11:30 and my legs felt like rubber, an altogether too familiar feeling. When I reached mile 10 I decided to walk two minutes before starting the two-mile climb from Country Club Plaza to Trinity Hill.

 

That long climb from The Plaza to Trinity Hill went on far too long - figuratively and literally. I did manage to run, I mean, “jog” all the way up, with only occasional walks. I say “jog” because even when I was running I wasn't catching many of the people who were walking. The few times I checked my Garmin my pace was nearly 12:30/mile, and I'm sure I went over 13:00 more than once. Half way up the climb the 2:30 pace group passed me. That wasn't a good sign. Nevertheless, I pressed on and was very happy to crest Trinity Hill and start the decent to the finish line.

 

As I rounded the corner near the Liberty Memorial Deb Skwarlo caught up with me again. She was accelerating to the finish line, something that just wasn't in me at the time. I just continued at my own pace, crossing the finish line in 2:32:26.

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The goal was simple, run my first marathon before turning 50. There was no hint that my first marathon would turn into the humbling experience that it did. Nor could I have expected that the most powerfully emotional moment of the weekend would come off of the course. I learned a lot about running that day, but even more about human nature.

 

I planned to finish the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon in between 5 and 5 1/2 hours based on the pace of my 20-mile runs and my time in the Olathe half-marathon a month earlier. In my simplistic view of things, I just had show up at the race, run one more 20-mile training run, and then survive the extra 6.2 miles, right? That was not at all how it turned out.

 

Despite the outcome of my race, I still managed to have a great weekend thanks to the 45 wonderful people on the motor coach chartered by The Runners Edge. Coach Eladio Valdez took advantage of the time on the bus to prepare us for the race. We watched Spirit of the Marathon, and he encouraged each of us to come up to the microphone and share our race goals. It was interesting to hear the diversity of running experience and expectations. There was a mixture of half-marathon and full-marathon participants. Jim Harris, DaShaun Carter and I were running our first full marathons. Jim Schneweis and Kim Wingate were running their first half marathons. Several people, including Jamie Holland, were Boston Marathon veterans. Jamie ended up placing 24th overall with a time of 3:11:55. A couple were trying to qualify for Boston. Some were running to set a personal record. Many were running simply to honor the 168 victims of the Oklahoma City bombing.

 

Click here to see Photos from the bus trip.

 

The first harbinger of what lay ahead was that Eladio asked the experienced runners to share tips about running in the heat when they got up to talk about their running goals. Part way through that exercise Pritha Hariharan got a text message from a fellow Runners Edge member running the marathon in Nashville. It said she was having a terrible race because of the heat and humidity, and expected to take more than six hours to finish.

 

To me, being new to running, a temperature in the mid-70's with overcast skies sounded like a pleasant day -- completely missing the fact that there was 80 percent humidity. It's been an unusually cold spring, so none of us was acclimated to these temperatures yet. I wasn't thinking about the "20-degree rule," that says it feels 20 degrees warmer than the actual temperature when you are running, especially with that humidity. Coach suggested that everyone have a B or C goal in mind for the race, but I just wasn't listening.

 

We had a blast on the bus. Michelle Keller and others brought some great homemade cookies to pass around. Eladio's wife, Myra, entertained us with a parody. Eladio and Myra are fans of the Rocky movies. They wondered why runners don't get a theme song like boxers do in movies when they walk out to the ring. Myra memorized the words to "It's a Fight" by Three 6 Mafia, and lip-synced her impression how a rapper might approach the starting line. We joked about our whole group doing that at the race. It's one of the fuzzy photos I took on my cell phone at the link above.

 

There were 19,000+ race participants in the event, so it was crowded and a little chaotic heading to the starting line. I got seperated from my friends, so I waded into the crowd alone in between the 11:00 and 12:00 minute pace signs. I bumped into Brenda Lofton from my Runners Edge pace group (another blurry photo at the link above). Brenda and I started the race together, joined by her cousin, and stuck together for the first couple of miles, which is about the time DaShaun caught up with us. Brenda and her cousin went on to run the half marathon at their own pace.

 

DaShuan Carter and I signed up for the Runners Edge together. This was new to both of us, but we both thought we had a shot a five hours. By the time we hit mile three, the state capitol complex, we were both drenched in sweat. It felt wonderful when the wind gusted from behind us as we headed towards the capitol. We were still on pace for a five hour marathon at mile four, but by then I could already tell that I was over heating. I waved to DaShaun to run ahead without me. I slowed my pace a little and at the mile four aid station I ate a GU Rocktane Energy Gel and took a Succeed! S!cap, something I did every four miles throughout the race.

 

Despite being hot myself, I was surprised to see a runner throwing up at mile five on the side of the course, and then someone else just a block later. That scene was repeated several times. I decided that I did not want to be one of those runners, so when I got the aid station near mile seven I poured cold water on the back of my neck and head, leaning forward enough not to get any water in my shoes. That provided some short-term relief.

 

The people were great along the course. One of my race day highlights was John Mellencamp's "R-O-C-K in the USA" blasting from one of houses on the course. My feet fell into cadence with the music and I started cruising with renewed energy for the rest of the block. There were people cheering from lawn chairs and porches. A lady in costume was running up and down the street cheering the runners. One guy was even passing out beers, though I didn't see any takers. It was definitely a festive mood.

 

I didn't realize the race bibs were color coded until I started hearing people shout "way to go first timer." The cast on my wrist was a common theme to the cheers, "and with a cast too." All the cheering from spectators definitely helped.

 

At mile eight the heat was really starting to wear me down and decided I would walk for a couple of minutes. That was my first walk, other than walking through the aid stations. While I was walking Dan and Becky Thomas caught up with me. Dan an Becky got married at the Chicago Marathon last October. This was Becky's first marathon, and Dan went on to guide Becky to a 5:40 finish time. Dan "Mr. Motivator" coaxed me through both of my 20-mile runs. Dan asked if I took it easy the first five miles. I said that I had, but if they were coming up from behind at mile eight, then maybe I hadn't?

 

There was a big aid station just past mile eight. I drank a little extra Powerade, ate a gel and took an S!cap. I was dousing my head with cold water when I heard my name. It was Julie Hurley. Julie is a full Ironman finisher from my pace group. DaShaun and I were both inspired by her Ironman finisher jacket during training.  She was on her way to a 5:44 finish. Not as fast as she wanted, but a new PR nevertheless. I elected not to join her. I walked a little more, and then settled back into a slow jog.

 

At mile ten the paramedics on bicycles starting zipping past me. There was a man down on the course. I careened my neck around to see if it was anybody I knew, but there were too many people taking care of him for me to see his face. I didn't see anybody else down on the course that day, but I heard the sirens many times throughout the race. I noticed that my legs were starting to feel rubbery.

 

By mile 12 I began to seriously question whether I could finish the race and I wasn't even halfway through the course! I decided to walk as long as I needed to recover enough to make it to the finish line. I refused to be a DNF (Did not finish) or a DNR <grin>. As I walked I sent a Tweet:

 

"Over heated at mile 12. Walking a mile to recover. Probably looking @ 6 hours. Will not quit."

 

Shortly after that a course monitor pulled her truck along side me to ask if I was alright. I'm sure my face was bright purple by then. After assuring her that I was fine I started jogging again. Just past the halfway point in the course a woman noticed my KC Marathon shirt and ask if I was from Kansas City. I remembered her bright yellow top from mile five where she had she yelled out "Go Kansas City" as I ran past her. She was an Oklahoma City local who lived just on the other side of Lake Hefner. It turns out her best friend lives in Kansas City. We visited as we ran across the Interstate 44 bridge where Lake Hefner first came into view. We could see a light house, a seafood restaurant, and white caps churning on the lake.

 

The local paper had this to say about the wind on the course:

 

"Brutal wind

 

Runners faced heavy gusts throughout the race, but one particular spot had participants nearly running in place. Just after Grand Blvd., runners turn onto Classen for miles 20-24. Sunday, winds out of the south that reached 40 miles per hour made those four miles seem as tough as the other 22 combined. "Coming down Classen, it felt like my legs were going to fall off," said men's marathon winner Jordan Kinley. Miles 14-16 on the edge of Lake Hefner were also extremely difficult, with winds strong enough to knock runners off balance."

 

Walking part of mile twelve allowed me to recover some, but now I was turning into a wind gusting to 40 MPH for 8 of the next 11 miles of the race. I tried my best to keep running along the shore of Lake Hefner, but I had to walk frequently , especially on the hill where the course crosses back over Interstate 44. I felt the first twinge of a cramp in my calves not far from the interstate. I sent another Tweet:

 

"Calves cramping at 18, but feeling better. Lots of walking."

 

The cramping subsided after I took another S!cap, and now that I was out of the wind for awhile I was able to start jogging. I did okay between miles 18 - 20 , but by the time I reached mile 21 the cramps had returned and I couldn't run far without cramping. At mile 21 I sent my last Tweet of the race:

 

"Calf cramps worse at 21. Have to walk."

 

Tears welled up in my eyes when I sent that message. Not from physical pain, but from the pain of giving in to the conditions. It's funny, we've all heard stories about runners hitting the wall around mile 20, but never once had I considered what happens after that. The answer is that they walk 6.2 miles, or whatever distance they have left--a long, demoralizing walk. That was a sobering realization. The other thing that I realized is that there is no quick redemption after a race goes bad. I trained for seven months for this event, and now I must train and wait another six more months for the Kansas City Marathon before getting a chance to redeem myself.

 

Turning into that gusting wind again on Classen Blvd was just awful, and I was frustrated by feeling recovered enough to run, but unable to because of the cramping. Not only was I mad that I was walking, but I was embarrassed and dejected. I had been walking out of site on the trail by the lake, aside from the other runners who were walking near me, but Classen Blvd was crowded with cars. There I was on display, just a few feet from the long line of cars, walking, five plus hours after the start of the race, being blasted in the face with dirt and debree blown by gusting wind.

 

It seemed like an eternity before I finally reached the neighborhoods at mile 24 with some protection from the wind. Surprisingly, people were still out cheering the runners, not that anybody near me was still running. It's tough to hear someone say "great job" when you are walking. I would manage to jog for a block or so without cramping, but I was completely spent--both mentally and physically. I've never been so happy as I was to see the finish line ahead of me. About a block away I broke into a jog again and drug my sorry butt across the finish line, 6:29:08 from when I stated. Eladio, Dan and Becky Thomas, Chuck Manthey and Lisa Flemming were all waiting for me. It meant a lot to me that they had stuck around so long to see me finish.

 

Sadly, the finishing corral was a ghost town by then. There were no finisher medals, no finisher shirts, no more Carl's Junior hamburgers from the sponsor. I didn't see anyone to collect my timing chip until a National Guardsman stopped me and pointed me back 50 yards where a couple of teenagers were sitting on cardboard boxes talking. It was an anticlimactic end to disappointing marathon.

 

Riding back on the bus after the race was therapeutic. Eladio gave a good talk, afterwards we took turns going up to the microphone to share our experiences. It helped to hear stories from other runners who struggled at similar points in the race. The average time for the full marathon participants was 30 - 40 minutes worse than they planned. It was equally helpful to hear the stories from people who managed to beat the elements to achieve their goals.

 

Everyone was great to me. Mark Bertison told me that he had not trained any harder for his first marathon, but just got luckier with the weather. I spoke with two or three people who had similar times on their first marathons. Virginia Harmer reminded me that she once left a marathon at mile 18 in an ambulance.

 

The biggest surprise of the weekend happened when we stopped for dinner on the way back. I was standing with Eladio waiting to head back out to the bus when I noticed someone reaching towards me. It was Trisha Klaus, a seven-time marathon finisher from the 10:00 pace group, hanging her finishers medal around my neck! I couldn't believe it. It spoke volumes about Trisha's character, and about the character of the Runner's Edge group generally. The race organizers promised to mail a shirt and medal to everyone who finished, so Trisha will get her medal back, but I won't forget what she did.

 

My final Tweet from the bus said it all:

 

"I crossed the finish line. That's all that matters."

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The weekend of my first marathon is finally here, and I'm a nervous wreck.  You can sign-up for email or text messages when I cross the finish line or at various points along the way.  Just put in "Steven" and "Mitchell" and then pick "Steven C Mitchell" from the list.  You will be asked to respond with a confirmation code from a test message to complete the process.  I'm going to shoot for a 5 hour marathon, but will probably go slightly over.

 

I'm worried about the 40% chance of scattered thunderstorms and whether I'll get blisters if I run in the rain.  I'm worried that I peaked a month early for the Olathe Marathon that was canceled and I failed to fit in a make-up 20-mile training run. I'm worried that I was so zapped at the end of the Olathe Half-marathon and whether that will happen to me midway through the Oklahoma City marathon.  I'm worried about running in warm weather for the first time this year.  I'm just plain nervous about my first marathon.

 

 

 

I've been roaming  around the house all night getting ready and gathering the things I will bring:

 

 

 

  • Anti-friction cream.

  • Sunscreen, a mesh hat, and sunglasses.

  • 6 GU Roctane Ultra Engery gels for miles 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24.

  • 6 Succeed! S!caps for miles 0, 6, 10, 14, 18, and 22.

  • 6 asprin.

  • A tiny ziplock baggy that some spare buttons came in to hold the asprin and S!caps.

  • My favorite Ironman running socks.

  • RoadReady shorts with lots of compartments for my  GU.

  • A spare running shirt in case I don't like the KC Marathon shirts they are handing out on the bus to promote our marathon next October.

  • My beard is trimmed short.

  • My toe nails are clipped (I almost lost a toenail this winter from snagging during a run that left it black and blue.  It still hurts).

  • My Garmin 305 is charged.

  • My Phone is charged.

  • I have a backpack to leave at the start/finish line with a dry shirt, a drink, a snack, and some sweatpants to throw on for the shuttle ride back to the hotel.

  • I've pack clothes for the return bus ride Sunday.

 

Seems like a lot of stuff just go running.  Nevertheless, I'm sure I'll forget something.  Coach Valdez said he is showing the documentary "Spirit of the Marathon" on the bus on the way down to get us pumped up for the race.  We'll spend Saturday afternoon at the Expo, then have a group dinner.  I'm really really looking forward to the event and sharing the experience with the runners I have gotten to know in The Runners Edge.  I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

186 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: running, race, first_marathon, runners_edge, garmin_forerunner_305, energy_gel, roctane

Are Owls a Good Omen?

Posted by Steve Mitchell Apr 17, 2009

A week from tomorrow the bus chartered by The Runners Edge will be rumbling out of Kansas City destined for the The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon--my first marathon.  Tonight I squeezed in a short run after supper which turned out to be a veritable nature tour.

 

Aside from the plethora of rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks that have come out this spring, I was treated to the sight of a couple of woodpeckers in a territorial dispute over a dead tree next to the trail.  Their red caps flashed in the light from the setting sun at eye level as I approached the tree. They were surprisingly large.  They moved their fight elsewhere as I jogged by.

 

On the return trip I caught site of large owl sitting at the top of a tree next to the trail at Switzer Road, not far from where I broke my wrist earlier this month. It appeared to be a Great Horned Owl, about a foot tall.  I stopped and pulled out my camera phone, hoping to get a shot for my girls, but without a zoom it was just a bump on a far away branch.  I've been hearing owls a lot during my night runs for months now.  It was nice to finally see one.  After watching me fumble with the camera the owl decided it had seen enough and dropped from its perch in a graceful dive, wings outstretched, turning to fly deeper in the woods.  I would like to think my owl encounter was a good omen--okay, maybe I'm reaching a bit.

 

I know bats are not a good omen.  The Indian Creek Trail follows a park and some fields west of Switzer Road and the bats had come out in droves in the fading sunlight to sample the spring crop of flying insects.  This was the first time I noticed bats this spring.  I was so intent at watching the small bats dive and dart through the twilight sky, not far above my head, that I came inches from stepping on a large toad that had parked itself on the trail.  That could have been a disgusting mess! I wonder if any runners have injured themselves stepping on a toad?  Leave it to me to pull something like that a week before a marathon.

 

All that was missing from my nature run were the deer I've seen on my last two runs in a field near Nieman Road where I exit the trial. As I approached the field I was disappointed not to see any deer silhouettes, but then, as if on cue, a large doe crossed the trial not 40 feet in front of me. It stopped to graze near the side of the trail.  As I ran past her, maybe 15 feet away, the deer was looking in the opposite direction, not seeming to care about my presence.

 

Seeing the deer again so close was a nice ending to a pleasant run.  It is hard to believe that a week from tonight I'll be packing my gear for my first marathon.

171 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: training, running, first_marathon, tapering, spring, nature, runners_edge

Today was the reschedule Olathe Half Marathon.The original event was canceled last week due to a winter storm.  The full marathon was not rescheduled, so elected to roll my registration over to the half marathon.  The weather was more cooperative this week. It was 48 degrees at race time and got up to 50 degrees before a storm front blew through, bringing with it clouds, strong winds, and colder temperatures. 

 

I was moving slowly this morning and didn't arrive until race time.  I was running across a field to get to starting area when they fired a starting canon about 15 yards to my left - almost putting me into cardiac arrest.  I jumped into the crowd just as it was starting to move and found myself next to the 2:15 pacer.  I hung with them for the first four miles before settling into my own, slower pace. At mile 8 the 2:20 pacer passed me.  My pace really dropped off the last few miles.

 

The good news is that I set a new half marathon PR since I didn't crash and burn like my first two half marathons:

 

  • 2:26:47 -- 2009  -- Olathe Half Marathon (sadly, 33 of 37 in male age 45 - 49)

  • 2:41:07 -- 2009  -- Topeka to Auburn Half Marathon

  • 2:47:55 -- 2005  -- Gobbler Grind Half Marathon

 

The question is what pace group is right for me in a full marathon?  I felt pretty spent when I finished today.  That would be a 4:50 marathon pace if I kept it up, which I could not have.  I want to keep my time under or near five hours.  My original plan was to run with the 4:50 pace group, but after today I'm thinking a 5:00 pace group would be more appropriate.

 

Oh yeah, my broken wrist... not a problem at all.

152 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: race, half_marathon, first_marathon
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Steve Mitchell

Steve Mitchell

 Member since: Oct 6, 2007

Five years ago I set a goal to run my first marathon before turning 50. Well, here I am at 49 with only half marathons under my belt. I started this blog to add pressure on myself to finish.

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