I must be crazy! I just finished a serious Ironman training
schedule and then had a great event at Ironman Coeur d’Alene in June. So why on earth would I just drop in to the
Portland Marathon the first weekend in October?
Because if one doesn’t challenge oneself, then how can you see what you
are truly made of? How can you really
experience what you are capable of?
The Portland Marathon is a
special event to me. In 2009, it was the
first really big endurance event I had ever done. It was also a freaking great time. Excellent support and entertainment and
afterwards, I said that if I have the ability, I will try to do this event
again and again. I came back in 2010 and
ran it with my sister, Gretchen, for her first marathon finish. That was extra special, too. So after finishing my second Ironman
triathlon in June, following it up with a fall marathon just fell into place.
The trouble is, however,
that I didn’t do much training for this event since the Ironman. I did a few running events and triathlons and
just a few training runs, but nothing over 15 miles. Uh oh.
This could prove to be a big liability, especially when I reach mile 20
and above during the marathon. I shared
privately with people close to me that I had serious concerns about the
race. I informed them to not be alarmed
if they get a call that the medical team had to provide assistance to me
because I needed IV fluids or had passed out somewhere. Yes, that wasn’t a joke, it was a real
concern.
Strategy
My game plan for the day was
to 1. Finish. 2. Not
require the services of the medical crew.
3. Have fun and enjoy the
moment. 4. Keep a proper pace, but also enjoy the feel
of the run which means that if I felt great then I should run the pace that I
want. For nutrition I had all 4 bottles
in my hydration belt with my diluted G2, 4 PowerGels, 2 Flintstone’s
multi-vitamins, 3 Endurolytes sodium pills and some Advil and Immodium just in
case.
Miles 0-9
You know what is
amazing? I don’t remember much about the
first 9 miles of the event. My plan was
to go really easy for the first 13. I lined
up with the 4:45 pace group. I tried to
keep my mind off of the distance, and just focus on my pace and the thoughts
running through my head. About the time
I “woke up” from this mind displacement strategy, I was looking at the Mile 9
marker. Hah!
During the run I saw some
people I knew; some folks that I have known through triathlons, other races and
a few people from work. Hah, I also saw
Aunt Cathy’s brother-in-law at the pirate aid station. The guy was in full pirate garb and really
playing the part. It was a riot!
I also saw two different
couples running dressed as a bride and groom.
I talked to one of them and they said they were getting married TODAY at
mile 20 of the marathon! Holy
smokes. How cool is that?
Miles 10-16
This was the section where I
felt the very best all day. I had just
finished listening to a How Stuff Works podcast on old English clothing (yes,
so obscure but that was on purpose) and my music playlist started. I had picked out some great songs to get me
pumped. I even had Tchaikovsky’s 1812
Overture in there with cannons and bells.
But my power song is Chris Tomlin’s ‘Our God.’ I really picked up the pace when that one
came on.
My pace improved to around
10:06 or so and my half-marathon time was 2:15.
I looked at my Garmin and briefly thought that if I kept it together I
could possibly beat my best time at this event of 4:27.
Miles 16-24
Just after mile 16 is where
we make the mile long ascent up to and across the St. Johns Bridge Willamette
River
But, there is a very steep
road up to the bridge. And after running
16 miles, a person has some very sore muscles already. I had to walk most of it. I had short bursts of running, but I was
getting pretty tired.
As I came to the end of the bridge, I could see Wendy off to the left. She handed me a banana and a bag of Ruffles potato chips. If you can remember from IMCDA 2010, it was Ruffles potato chips that got me out of a very deep and dark hole at the beginning of the marathon. Something about the salt and taste of them that I really like. Shortly after seeing Wendy I ran into a friend from work who jumped in and ran with me for a bit.
Ok, I was starting to feel
some fatigue. I was down to one last
bottle of G2. I had been taking in a
PowerGel every hour. I could feel the
salt from my sweat on my face and skin.
I knew I had a high sweatrate and getting in fluids and replacing salts
was important. I took some Endurolytes
and also the vitamins. I never got a
headache as I have experienced before when I get dehydrated, but my knees had
lots of pain. I think it was runner’s knee
from an inflamed and sore IT band. I
took some Advil and started feeling better.
During this time on the
bluff by University
of Portland
My pace quickened a bit when
my power song was played again, but I had to start walking a few steps. My heartrate was off the charts at 150+. It should be about 136 at this point. I was looking at blowing up at any
moment, I could tell.
Miles 24-Finish
Okay, my fun meter is
pegged. I am ready for this to be
over. I was really hurting. I was very thirsty. I was completely out of G2. I was taking some Ultima electrolyte drink at
the aid stations along with water, but it wasn’t enough. My mouth was dry, my tongue was swollen and
at one point it felt as if I was going to hurl.
I tried to keep a slow and
steady pace the last couple of miles. I
was doing a bit better about this. At
mile 25 I saw my mom! She was on the
side of the road and she called out my name.
I stopped and took a pic! My mom
is so special and she has always been there for me and my sister at our events.
Okay, last mile to go. My power song came on one more time but I
didn’t feel too powerful. I just kept
plugging along as we came along the waterfront and got ready to make the turn
onto Salmon Street
One last turn from Salmon
onto 3rd and there was the finish!!!
Oh yes! I can’t believe this is
my 4th marathon! Such a huge
accomplishment considering 4 years ago I was just starting my weightloss journey and could only walk…. I couldn’t
run yet. Wow!
Post-Race
The post-race experience at
this event is great. Lots of goodies and
snacks. The medals are a great looking
piece of hardware. I found the snack
tables and guzzled down some water to clear my parched mouth. Then some chocolate milk. Mmmmmm, my favorite post race treat. Got some food, my shirt, roses and then my
picture taken. I was feeling pretty good
so I cruised on out and found Wendy and my mom.
They were excited to see me and of course my mom got a little teary
eyed.
Well goodness, can you
believe it? With minimal specific
training, I showed up to the Portland Marathon and not only finished without
requiring medical attention. I was only
12 minutes off my best time of 4:27. And
other than being really sore and a little nauseous, I felt great.
Thank you all for your
support!
Mike