The Race

Having done a number of marathons previously, the wake up for this one was a bit of a rarity.  The marathon started at 8:00 AM (the half-marathon started earlier around 7:00 AM) and our hotel was only about 10 blocks from the start.  I’m used to getting up sometime between 3 or 4 AM so that I can get ready, get some food, and then get on a bus that would drive me to some staging area, where I would wait for a few hours before lining up and starting the race.  This time I was able to get up at 6 or so, get ready and have breakfast, and then start walking up to the start around 7:15 AM.

The course was quite and empty at dawn the day of the race.

The walk up was nice.  The weather was still a bit cool, but not terribly uncomfortable for a t-shirt and shorts.  I left all my post-race gear with my family choosing to forgo wearing some extra clothes up to the start and using the gear check.  There were less than 3,000 runners running the marathon, so the start was pretty relaxed and seemed almost empty compared to most marathon starts.  I was able to spot my friends while walking up so we all chatted about while waiting for the start.  I may have missed them, but I didn’t see any bathrooms near the start of the race.  It was not a big deal as there were several hotels right near the start and a number of runners were in and out of them using the facilities.

My goal for the day was to run a 3:30.  My previous best was a 3:16, and that was several years ago.  I’m running a 24 hour run this summer, and in the fall, I’d like to get down to 3:10 for the marathon (my Boston Qualifying time).  I felt hitting a 3:30 in the early spring and jumping right back into training after a brief rest would be a good way to get the year started.  The forecast for sun and warm weather had me doubting the goal a little bit.  I had spent the better part of the previous 4 months trying to cram in long runs through ice and several feet of snow while dealing with 20 degree temperatures, and the prospect of suddenly running in 70 degree temperatures just seemed a bit much.  Even with all that, I was still eyeing 3:30 as my goal time as I got the the start.

The start was corral-less, I assume because of the overall low number of runners.  About 10 minutes before 8:00, people started to line up, and I tried to track down my pace group.  The pacers were all holding up their finish times on a stick, but the 3:30 group I was trying to find was nowhere to be found.  I settled in between the 3:20 and 3:40 groups hoping that the pacer would show.  I eventually located them (2 of them) off to the side of the start and settled in next to them as the gun went off.  I was off and running only about 10 seconds after the official clock started.

Mile 1 – 8:06 – This mile was nice and smooth.  I settled in a few steps to the right of the pacers and hung there.  The pacers kept things nice and steady, settling down to almost an exactly 8:00 pace after the initial start.

Mile 2 – 7:54 – Mile 2 we continued heading south.  I’m not sure if it was intentional, but by this point, the pacers had erased the time deficit from the start and we were right on track.

Mile 3 – 7:59 – At the start of mile 3 we did a quick loop that brought us up to the bridge … the one and only hill on the course.  The bridge tops out at 40′.  Being only 3 miles in, this was a breeze.

Mile 4 – 7:45 – We picked it up heading further south towards the turn-around.  The crowds started to thin out a bit as we got closer to the turnaround.

Mile 5 – 8:05 – Mile 5 brought us down to the turnaround.  The turnaround is situated nicely on a long straight away, so a decent bit of the pack gets to see the leaders coming back the other way.  The pacers still had us right on track, having slowed it down a bit after the previous fast mile.  By now the sun was shining pretty bright, so I knew we’d be in for some heat later in the day.

Mile 6 – 8:22 – I had to make a quick pit-stop on this mile, so I dropped back from the pacing group for a bit.

Mile 7 – 7:52 – Somewhere around Mile 7 or 8, we entered Camp Pendelton.  There were several military personnel out cheering us on, and it was a nice change of scenery from the somewhat dull road-running heading out and back from the turnaround.

Mile 8 – 8:06 – As I was tracking the pace group back down I ran into one of my friends tailing the back of the pack.  A few hundred yards later, as we caught up with the pack, we ran into our third friend. Its funny how close we were for the first bunch of miles without realizing it.

Mile 9 – 7:30 – Mile 9 brought us to the base of the bridge, and we started to pick up the base a little, opting to run slightly in front of the pace group, rather than in the ever growing pack.

Mile 10 – 7:48 – Still feeling pretty good at this point, the bridge, part 2, seemed just as easy as the first.

Mile 11 – 7:43 – Mile 11 brought us up on the VA Beach boardwalk.  The sun was really out now, but the breeze kept things mostly cool.  There were quite a few crowds by the hotels which was nice.

Mile 12 – 7:54 – As we went up the boardwalk, I tried to look back every once in a while to ensure we weren’t getting too far ahead of the pace group.  Slowly our lead started to build though, and sometime after the half-marathon, I stopped looking back, hoping I could bank enough time before the heat got to me towards the end.

Mile 13 – 7:49 – The first half felt great.  We came down off the boardwalk and took back to the streets.  My one friend dropped off at about the half marathon point, but considering it was his first marathon, that was a smart move.

Mile 14 – 16 – 23:23 – Once we were on the streets, we met up with the returning half-marathoners coming back south.  Most of them had tons of encouragement to give.  One of my few complaints about the race was that I couldn’t see the mile marks heading north through this area.  I think they were on the other side of the half-marathoners.  In any case, I missed a couple splits, but we kept a nice pace going through these miles.

Mile 17 – 7:58 – I had expected there to be a gel stop at the start of this mile, but no such luck.  I had to make do with Gatorade and water from here on it, having already eaten my sports beans back towards mile 10.

Mile 18 – 8:02 – The mile 16-19 stretch was on a deserted road with few crowds.  Trees kept the sun off of us, but there wasn’t a lot to focus on other than running forward.  The race organizers had lined this stretch with a seemingly endless number of signs providing trivia and jokes of all kinds.  For a tough part of the race, it was a nice distraction.  Also, somewhere around here, my remaining friend started to drop back.

Mile 19 – 8:13 – By this point I was really starting to feel bad.  It was getting warmer and my quads were just not working.  I started to play the game telling myself to just get to mile 20 and take it from there.

Mile 20 – 7:59 – The start of Mile 20 got us through a rest stop, which also had some gel.  I took some time to walk and get a some gel, some Gatorade, and some water in me (and on me).  After turning the corner into Fort Story though, the sun hit you full force and there was no breeze.  At this point I knew the last few miles were gonna be tough, especially with the heat.

Mile 21 – 8:04 – The brief walk at the last rest stop had done wonders for my legs.  It seemed like a few seconds of walking was gaining me functional quads for about 2 miles, so the walk through rest stops thing was gonna be my plan for the rest of the race.  The sun was still giving everyone a beating, and I saw one unfortunate runner getting loaded into an ambulance, and another ambulance passed me as I continued on.  I also passed the lighthouse somewhere in this mile.  While I’m not sure of its significance, it’s something to look forward to in the last bunch of miles and helps to break up the long trudge back home.

Mile 22 – 8:26 – Mile 22 took me out of Fort Story and back into a more residential area.  The crowds were back, as was another quad saving rest stop.

Mile 23 – 8:28 – By Mile 23, I felt I had lost something in my splits and the 3:30 goal was out of reach.  The 3:30 pace group past me, now with a noticeably smaller pack, and I slowed up a bit to get a bit more comfortable.  I still figured I could come in within a few minutes of my goal, but 3:30 seemed out of reach.  Still, that seemed reasonable, considering the heat.

Mile 24 – 8:20 – Still heading back home, I was resisting the urge to look at the street numbers as the went by.  Counting down from 80 some back to 30s just made things seems longer and monontonus.  There were still lots of people out, and a couple people had hooked up sprinklers and hoses to cool off the runners as the went by.  The crowd support for the entire race was great overall, and really was supportive at the end.

Mile 25 – 8:48 – I was still cruising towards the end for this mile, albeit at a slightly slower pace.  There’s something about hitting the 1 (really 1.2) miles till home mark that puts a spring back in your step, so this was likely the hardest mile of the day.

Mile 26 – 8:11 – Mile 26 brought me by one last water stop which I skipped and then back up onto the boardwalk for the finish.

Mile 26.2 – 1:44 – With the finish line in site, it was just a matter of trying to keep moving forward.  I passed at least one runner that was stopping, stretching, and then running: I guess cramping so badly that he couldn’t get through the last bit of the race in one go.  There were a ton of people at the finish line, and this turned out to be one of the few races I actually had my name announced at as I crossed the finish line.

Chip Time: 3:30:34

Marathon #8 in the bag.  All in all, I considered it a success.  I missed my goal time by 34 seconds, but considering the heat that I hadn’t quite acclimated to, I was happy.  I felt this set me up well for some of the longer distances I have planned for the summer and also, hopefully another try at a Boston Qualifier in the fall.

Overall, I thought the course was great.  It was almost pancake flat and was perfect for a fast race.  The bigger half-marathon brought a decent amount of crowds, but having a smaller group run the marathon was much appreciated as it made the start nice and easy.

The Post-Race

After crossing the finish line, the race volunteers guided me through the finish chute.  The usual water and Gatorade were handed out as I walked through, and they also had bananas, cookies, and some other fruits down the length of the chute.  As I mentioned before, this race used the D-Tag option for chip timing, so I didn’t have to deal with removing the chip after finishing.  Also, as I continued through, volunteers handed me a medal, a running hat, and a cotton long sleeve finishers tee.  The running hat and long sleeve shirt were both a surprise, and served to somewhat justify the high price of the marathon.

I met up with the spectator portion of my family in the finish chute and chatted with them for a bit, then continued on out of the chute and back around to wait for the rest of the crew.  My friend that stuck with me until around mile 19 came in a few minutes after me, and my third came in around 3:40, which is great, especially for a first marathon.  My sister came through at almost a 30 minute PR and had even run negative splits despite the heat.    After congratulations all around we split off, my family heading back to the hotel to check out and my friends and I heading to the post-race beer tent.

The post race beer tent was huge

Getting to the beer tent was a minor feat as you had to walk down about 10 steps to get out on the beach where the tent was situated. Steps have never been my friend after any marathon.  Once on the beach though, I gotta say, there’s nothing that has felt better on my feet after a long run than walking on cool sand.  The beer tent was situated a couple hundred yards down the beach and it was huge.  I’m sure the tent easily could have held a few thousand people with room for more.

When we got in, things were well organized.  They had plenty of beer stations serving both Yuengling and Yuengling Light. I think there was a limit to how many beers you could get, but to be honest I probably couldn’t have drank more than 1 or 2.  I went with the Yuengling, and my friends and I stood around in a circle recounting stories from the day’s run.  The tent also had Irish Stew, which I’m told was very good, but my stomach usually is not ready for food until an hour or two after a marathon, so I didn’t give it a try.  We all hung around for a bit, but I had to take off early.  The Holiday Inn only offered a late checkout till 2, and I wanted to shower and change before the ride home: both for my sake and my family’s.

Yuengling was a nice treat after the race

All in all I had a great time at the race.  It was very well run, the weather was beautiful (although maybe not for running), I had some good company on the way, and I more or less hit my goals.  I may not be back for another Shamrock Marathon since I’ve got plenty of other marathons on my list, but it certainly is one I’d consider doing again.