Keep Moving Forward: A Training Log (Comments Welcome)

Today's post is brought to you by the letters P and R and the number 26.2.

As some of you already saw I Strava, I ran the inaugural CRANDIC marathon yesterday, finished and PR'd. Here's a little recap of the day...

My alarm went off at 3:50 a.m. and I got up, got dressed, ate a bagel and downed half of a large blue Powerade. I think I was out the door by 4:30. I had to be across town no later than 5:15 to catch a shuttle to the starting line in Cedar Rapids. I think I was on a bus by 4:50 a.m. The bus was not built for tall guys (I'm 6'5") and I was a little worried about messing up my back during the 30ish minute ride to Cedar Rapids, but it ended up being fine. I sat next to a guy who is going to Disney for the first time this summer with his wife and 4 y/o son, so you can imagine what we talked about.

The starting line was in Cedar Rapids' New Bohemia district, but we were dropped off a few blocks away at the NewBo Market. That was super nice since it was probably 38 degrees out and we had an hour to kill before the race. I found a coworker who was also running the race and hung out with her while stretching intermittently.

At about 6:20, we started walking to the starting line. It was still pretty brisk. I had a crummy long-sleeve shirt over my long-sleeve running shirt. I knew once we got moving I'd be fine. My coworker and one of her friends hung back by the 5 hour pace group and I worked my way up to the 3:50 pace group, which was pretty easy. I think about 800 people ran the marathon. (Another 2200 or so ran the half and the 5K, which started further down the course, we all ended at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.)

After some announcements and the Star Spangled Banner, we were on our away...and I felt like crap. My calves were super tight and I had the familiar pain on the top of my right foot that a I dealt with leading up to and during last year's Lakefront Marathon. I had no idea where this was coming from since I never experienced pain like that during this last training cycle. Anyway, I kept pushing since there really wasn't much else I could do.

DopeyBadger and I discussed a 8:45 pace and I did not do a good job of sticking to that. I wasn't terribly off, but I was on the fast side until mile 21 or so. More on that later.

So, despite the aches in my calves and foot, I pressed on. The first five miles or so were incredibly hilly. After we got out of the city, we crossed Interstate 380 and got onto Highway 965, which is where we would spend a majority of the race. This section of the race was mostly rural and we were completely exposed to a pretty strong headwind that persisted the entire race. There's not much else to report on this section of the race, just some ups and downs and a lot of wind. But, the sun was up by this point and it felt really good. I saw one of my buddies (my coworker's husband) along the route and there was also a dude who had three tables set up in front of his house. Each table had a different variety of Cap'n Crunch on it. I didn't have any, but it was pretty funny.

Mile 15 came in at 8:59, my slowest mile of the day and the only one at that point to even pass the 8:46 mark. In my last two marathons, I hit the wall pretty hard around this point and started into walking/running routine. This time, I tried to think about what DopeyBadger had said about motivation and what was motivating me. I wanted that PR and I knew I had to pick up the pace a little bit to do it. Mile 16 came in at 8:35 and I was back in my groove.

Around mile 17 or so, we got into North Liberty - a city along the route where I knew my parents and two oldest daughters would be. This was also where the half and full routes merged and it was a bit of a cluster, but only for a moment. Around mile 17.5, I saw my parents and kids. They were holding signs they had made and cheered me on. It gave me a nice little boost. I also knew that in another seven miles or so I'd see my wife and youngest daughter.

For the next few miles, we were on a bike trail that ran between North Liberty and Coralville. The trees and houses offered a nice break from the wind. It was also at this point that fatigue was setting in pretty well. With seven or so miles to go, I tried doing mental math of what kind of pace I'd have to maintain in order to be at 3:45, 3:50 or just under 4:00. Fun fact: It's super hard to divide by 7 when you are running on fumes.

By mile 21 or 22, we were in Coralville. I was still chugging along until we got to a big, long, arduous hill. I was determined to run the whole darn thing. It was killing me and it must've showed because a woman passed me and said something like, "You're almost to the top. You've got this." It. Was. A. DRAG.

So, seriously, that hill killed me. I knew the area well enough to know that regardless of what route we took to the finish line, I had 2-3 more big hills in front of me. I wasn't depressed or anything, but my legs were saying, "Dude. Enough already." We had a decent downhill after that big hill, but right after the Mile 23 water station was a short, but steep hill and ... I walked. I wasn't thrilled about it and it wasn't a super long walk, but my legs were dying.

Once I got to the top of that hill, I continued running and had another downhill portion to enjoy. Around Mile 24 or so, I saw my wife, youngest daughter, in-laws and two of my coworkers. As I ran by, I saw my daughter scramble to grab a sign one of her sisters had made for her and hold it up for me. It made me smile.

Funny aside: after the race, I called my wife, thanked her for being there and apologized for not saying anything when I ran past. She was like, "You said, 'Hi, Pumpkin Pie (my nickname for my daughter). I love you.'" I have no recollection of that, but I'm glad I said something!

There was a little more walking in Miles 24 and 25, which came in at 9:41 and 9:50. I knew by this point I had my PR and probably a sub-4:00, but I was still trying to keep chugging along. The final stretch included a hill I saw lovingly referred to on a sign as "heartbreak hill." That's no joke. I've run it before on training runs and it's a slog. I walked almost all of it. I'm not proud, but that hill is a widowmaker. Mile 26: 10:50. Yeah.

Anyway, I resumed running at the top of the hill, which leads to the University of Iowa sporting complex. We ran around the outside of the baseball field (with signs warning passersby to look out for flying baseballs) and then toward Kinnick Stadium, our football field. I didn't have much gas left in the tank, but enough to finish at a pace faster than a walk. The race ended through the concourse and the finish line was right at the Nile Kinnick statue on the south side of the stadium. I looked at the clock as I went by and saw something in the 3:40s, so I knew for sure I beat 3:50. Then it was a blurry (in my mind) high-five from Herky the Hawkeye, someone gave me my medal and that was it. Marathon #3 in the books!

After talking with a few people in the crowd that I knew, I found a table to verify my time. Gun time was 3:48:08, chip time was 3:47:58. So, that's roughly a 32 minute PR (I'm not awesome at math even when I'm well rested ;) ).

The rest of the day was chocolate milk, beer, hotdogs, wayyyyy too much sun, more beer, burgers and an 8:30 p.m. bedtime. I'll spare you the details.

So, goals:

- Finish: yes
- Have fun: yes. Not "Disney fun," fun still fun.
- PR: yes
- Sub-4:00: yes

I accomplished all of my goals and, right now, I don't have any more time goals. I feel like I have peaked as a runner or, at least, reached a level of fitness that I am extremely happy with. My next big race will be Dopey 2019 and I am much more concerned about just completing that challenge, not shooting for any PRs at any distance. That could change, of course. Now, I'll be honest, part of me wonders what I could do on a considerably less hilly course (Chicago??), with no headwind and with zero walking. But really, after my first two marathons I wondered if I had a sub-4:00 in me and now I know the answer.

Acknowledgments: My performance on Sunday would not have been possible without @DopeyBadger. He wrote the plan that lead me to the run of my life and offered words of advice and encouragement throughout my training period. I am extremely grateful.

Also, thanks to the readers of this journal for offering so much feedback and encouragement. I don't know if you get anything out of this journal, but I get so much for following along and cheering me on. It means a lot and I hope I get to meet all of you during WDW Marathon Weekend 2019.

Speaking of which...two more (short) races this summer, then it's on to the Dopey Challenge.

Keep moving forward.
 
Congrats on reaching all of your goals!
Definitely sounds like a rough race, and the fact that you were able to pull out that PR and do so well despite the tough conditions is really impressive. Great job!
Also ... hills towards the end of races should be illegal. It's just not fair.
 
Congrats on reaching all of your goals!
Definitely sounds like a rough race, and the fact that you were able to pull out that PR and do so well despite the tough conditions is really impressive. Great job!
Also ... hills towards the end of races should be illegal. It's just not fair.


I agree! That hill is brutal even on fresh legs.
 


Mile 15 came in at 8:59, my slowest mile of the day and the only one at that point to even pass the 8:46 mark. In my last two marathons, I hit the wall pretty hard around this point and started into walking/running routine. This time, I tried to think about what DopeyBadger had said about motivation and what was motivating me. I wanted that PR and I knew I had to pick up the pace a little bit to do it. Mile 16 came in at 8:35 and I was back in my groove.

Here's your PR. This was the pivotal moment in the race. Every marathoner (and racer in general) comes to a crossroads where things can change. You chose the path that helped lead you to a PR. Kudos on busting through that mental moment.
 
Congrats on the PR. Those hills sound killer! As being from across the river in Nebraska, I don't care much for Herky the Hawkeye (hahaha) but glad he gave you a high five, you earned it!
Awesome running!
 
Here's your PR. This was the pivotal moment in the race. Every marathoner (and racer in general) comes to a crossroads where things can change. You chose the path that helped lead you to a PR. Kudos on busting through that mental moment.

I agree. Based on my past two marathons, that is a make or break moment for me. I’m thankful I had your words of wisdom to push me through. The PR made it all worth it.
 


Congrats on the PR. Those hills sound killer! As being from across the river in Nebraska, I don't care much for Herky the Hawkeye (hahaha) but glad he gave you a high five, you earned it!
Awesome running!

Ha ha. Come on over the next time the Huskers play in IC and I’ll show you that hill I’m talking about.
 
Wonderful recap! Congratulations on such a great race and PR!!! My legs hurt evening thinking about those hills- you're a rock star!

Congrats on the PR. Those hills sound killer! As being from across the river in Nebraska, I don't care much for Herky the Hawkeye (hahaha) but glad he gave you a high five, you earned it!
Awesome running!
Ditto :)
(If you're looking to end in the best college stadium next time, the Lincoln Marathon is always the first weekend of May...)
 
Wonderful recap! Congratulations on such a great race and PR!!! My legs hurt evening thinking about those hills- you're a rock star!


Ditto :)
(If you're looking to end in the best college stadium next time, the Lincoln Marathon is always the first weekend of May...)

Ha! I’ll keep that in mind. I need to make a list of “local” (adjacent states) marathons.
 
Your Strava post didn't even show up on my app (I guess I could have searched you, but I just figured you didn't upload the race or something), so I went to the tracker on the Crandic website to find your results. Hahaha.
:magnify::magnify::magnify:

But congrats again!! You put in the work, you destroyed some hills, and you earned that medal (and beer!!)!
 
Your Strava post didn't even show up on my app (I guess I could have searched you, but I just figured you didn't upload the race or something), so I went to the tracker on the Crandic website to find your results. Hahaha.
:magnify::magnify::magnify:

But congrats again!! You put in the work, you destroyed some hills, and you earned that medal (and beer!!)!

Stalker! Ha ha. Just kidding!

I think I earned the first beer, but the rest of them were just because I really like beer (and it was hot and I needed to rehydrate).
 

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