2006 Freezescale Marathon
Pre-Race
Well it's finally race day. After a restless night where I watched TV for about an hour at midnight, I woke up for good at 4AM. I had seen the weather reports at midnight and it looked like ice was going to occur. I downed my 34oz. Gatorade Endurance, ate a bagel with peanut butter, and then ventured out into the cold to get to RunTex to catch the shuttle. Little did I know that I would be living three pre-marathon nightmares before I got to the starting line.
Nightmare number one (can't get to the starting line part one); It was 27 degrees outside and it turns out the ice had settled on the bridges and elevated roads. I headed North on MoPac as usual to get to RunTex. About a mile down the road, there was a fire truck blocking the road due to ice. I had to turn around and figure out how to get to RunTex and avoid any bridges. I called Alex to tell he and Jay that I was going to be late. He told me how he got to RunTex and I followed that path. I had to detour one more time, but got to RunTex about 5:10 and jumped on a bus. I was already stressed at this point, but felt good to get on the warm bus.
Nightmare number two (can't get to the starting line part deux); the buses were driving slow as hell due to the road conditions and it took us over an hour to get to the start line. The bus was hot as hell inside and the stress level was climbing thinking that I only had 45 minutes to do all my pre-race stuff. Once I got off the bus, I hit the can to drop a deuce, and heard over the loud speaker that the race would start 30 minutes late. The heart rate decreased and I headed towards the Freescale plant to get warm. I ran into Rich, Shannon, Richard, and Kelly there. We did a brief warmup, did a couple of hydration adjustments, stripped down, dropped my bag off, and got in line near Marci.
I stood for a couple of minutes and realized nightmare number three (you got to the line with no food)...I checked my food belt! I got back out of the chute, ran over to the bag check, and with terror in my eyes asked if I could get my bag back. The people didn't know what to say. My bag was long gone and I was hosed. I was thinking screw it, I am going home. I then took another hydration adjustment and got in line. I had trained and was going to go as far as I could and hope that someone would help me out with some food along the way. Worst case I would stop for Powerade at every stop and hope that those calories would sustain me.
I pushed my way back into the chute between the 3:15 and 3:20 groups just before the gun went off. I moved towards the middle of the pack and let it go. The one good thing about all the pre-race panic was that I didn't have time to get too cold. I didn't have too much problem running a decent early pace in the crowds. I just wanted to get out without falling or too much time damage. We headed out onto Anderson Mill and it opened up even more. I started my gel scavenger hunt and actually started to see unopened packets on the ground. Now I had to look far enough ahead to spy one, snatch it up and not trip up anyone. I was moving pretty well and had a good mindset even though I was still stressed about the food situation. Before we crossed over 183 I was able to pick up a couple of gel packs within a few feet of eachother. Things were looking up! I shoved them inside my gloves to warm them up. I crossed over 183 and onto the part of the course I know from our training runs.
Mile 1-5 Splits - 8:06, 7:44, 7:44, 7:41, 7:27
As we headed down Jollyville, I ate one of my packs at mile 5 and started to look for Rudy thinking he might have some more gels. I saw him just past mile 6 and he said he didn't have any extras. A few minutes later, he comes flying up to me with a Gu in hand. What a lifesaver! I was now good to go through about 20 miles if I ate one every 5 miles. My strategy was to eat every 4 miles, but this was better than nothing. I was on cruise control now and the miles seemed really easy. I was within my pace range and feeling good. I caught up with Diana and Charlene and ran with them for awhile. As we rounded onto Great Hills I felt the need to pee...and was not happy about it. The bushes along the start of the old course were coming up so I figured I would hop in there quickly. The bad part is when your boys are that cold, things don't want to come out quickly. I probably wasted a minute there and as I was going, Patrick, Diana, and Charlene passed me. I finished my business and caught up with them. Patrick gave me a bag of those Gel cubes so I was good to go until the end. We were cruising along now kind of ebbing and flowing like in Chicago. It's always nice to be around friends during the race.
Mile 6-10 Splits - 7:35, 7:47, 7:38, 8:03 (pee), 7:43
The next section we all knew like the back of our hand except we have been running it a little wrong. We went an extra block in the industrial section and then headed across 183 to Shoal Creek. We did the boring section next to the railroad tracks and it was nice to be so much further along than in previous years. I was still feeling really good and the miles were flying by. I tried my first gel blocks in this section and they were a bit challenging to eat since they were so cold. It was hard to breath and chew them at the same time. They were actually pretty good.
Mile 11 - 15 Splits - 7:44, 7:48, 7:46, 7:51, 7:48
We were back on Shoal Creek for a mile and then over to the eastbound part on North Loop. I had to make my second potty stop right at 2222 and Shoal Creek. This one cost me over two minutes and once I got started again I knew my BQ was out the window. I still wanted to finish strong and reach my second goal of 3:30. I wasn't looking forward to the North Loop part, but my hip was hurting a bit and I thought the hills might help my sore muscles. With the exception of the long potty mile all my splits in this section were under 8 minutes. I actually slowed a bit when we turned down Duval which is weird. It may have been that I was on my own now.
Mile 16 - 20 Splits - 10:16 (deuce), 7:56, 7:53, 8:05, 7:59
The last 10k is where the race really begins and it is usually my downfall big time. I was so glad to be heading through the University/Downtown/Congress area during this part instead of the old out and back on Lake Austin Blvd. I have always enjoyed this area of town to run in since I moved here. I ate my last gel at mile 20 and actually had one left over that I tossed. I passed Charlene and Erine during mile 22. Charlene was having an awesome race and poor Erine was struggling again. I remember passing him in Chicago before I crashed and burned. Carla and the girls made it to the race which was really a nice surprise. I didn't think they would make it since the weather was so bad. They were at 2nd and Colorado and screaming strong. They gave me a little boost and I knew the next 4 miles were going to be a real bitch...the out and back on Cesar Chavez. Mile 24 was the slowest running mile of the whole day. I felt really fatigued and this was the climb up the freeway ramp. Shannon passed me in this section and we saw Pete who was cheering us on. Once I got to the turnaround point I tried to pick it up. I knew I was going to be close when it came to the 3:30 goal. On the back portion of Cesar Chavez, the 3:30 pace group passed me, but they were a bit ahead of schedule. Sean and Rich passed me and I tried to keep up with them, but couldn't. I ran how I felt the rest of the way...which was tired, but I didn't quit and crossed the line strong.
Mile 21-26.2 Splits - 8:14, 8:07, 8:12, 9:01, 8:33, 8:44, 1:41
The last 6 miles really doomed my 3:30, but it was the potty stops that really cost me. All in all I was really happy with the day given my pre-race stress. I PR'd by almost 3:30 and I am within 10 minutes of my BQ time. I have to admit my training for this race was not as good as Chicago, but I think I am mentally stronger than in previous races. I didn't walk at all today and my worst non-potty split was 9:01. I really believe that my next marathon will be the one that gets me into Boston.
RunFar is still trying to figure out my chip time, but I think it is somewhere between 3:31:05 and 3:31:07. I know I didn't hit my watch as soon as I crossed so there may be a few second variance...not a big deal. As for the winter season, I PR'd all the races including the marathon. I didn't race Pervasive so no Distance Challenge results this year.
Well it's finally race day. After a restless night where I watched TV for about an hour at midnight, I woke up for good at 4AM. I had seen the weather reports at midnight and it looked like ice was going to occur. I downed my 34oz. Gatorade Endurance, ate a bagel with peanut butter, and then ventured out into the cold to get to RunTex to catch the shuttle. Little did I know that I would be living three pre-marathon nightmares before I got to the starting line.
Nightmare number one (can't get to the starting line part one); It was 27 degrees outside and it turns out the ice had settled on the bridges and elevated roads. I headed North on MoPac as usual to get to RunTex. About a mile down the road, there was a fire truck blocking the road due to ice. I had to turn around and figure out how to get to RunTex and avoid any bridges. I called Alex to tell he and Jay that I was going to be late. He told me how he got to RunTex and I followed that path. I had to detour one more time, but got to RunTex about 5:10 and jumped on a bus. I was already stressed at this point, but felt good to get on the warm bus.
Nightmare number two (can't get to the starting line part deux); the buses were driving slow as hell due to the road conditions and it took us over an hour to get to the start line. The bus was hot as hell inside and the stress level was climbing thinking that I only had 45 minutes to do all my pre-race stuff. Once I got off the bus, I hit the can to drop a deuce, and heard over the loud speaker that the race would start 30 minutes late. The heart rate decreased and I headed towards the Freescale plant to get warm. I ran into Rich, Shannon, Richard, and Kelly there. We did a brief warmup, did a couple of hydration adjustments, stripped down, dropped my bag off, and got in line near Marci.
I stood for a couple of minutes and realized nightmare number three (you got to the line with no food)...I checked my food belt! I got back out of the chute, ran over to the bag check, and with terror in my eyes asked if I could get my bag back. The people didn't know what to say. My bag was long gone and I was hosed. I was thinking screw it, I am going home. I then took another hydration adjustment and got in line. I had trained and was going to go as far as I could and hope that someone would help me out with some food along the way. Worst case I would stop for Powerade at every stop and hope that those calories would sustain me.
I pushed my way back into the chute between the 3:15 and 3:20 groups just before the gun went off. I moved towards the middle of the pack and let it go. The one good thing about all the pre-race panic was that I didn't have time to get too cold. I didn't have too much problem running a decent early pace in the crowds. I just wanted to get out without falling or too much time damage. We headed out onto Anderson Mill and it opened up even more. I started my gel scavenger hunt and actually started to see unopened packets on the ground. Now I had to look far enough ahead to spy one, snatch it up and not trip up anyone. I was moving pretty well and had a good mindset even though I was still stressed about the food situation. Before we crossed over 183 I was able to pick up a couple of gel packs within a few feet of eachother. Things were looking up! I shoved them inside my gloves to warm them up. I crossed over 183 and onto the part of the course I know from our training runs.
Mile 1-5 Splits - 8:06, 7:44, 7:44, 7:41, 7:27
As we headed down Jollyville, I ate one of my packs at mile 5 and started to look for Rudy thinking he might have some more gels. I saw him just past mile 6 and he said he didn't have any extras. A few minutes later, he comes flying up to me with a Gu in hand. What a lifesaver! I was now good to go through about 20 miles if I ate one every 5 miles. My strategy was to eat every 4 miles, but this was better than nothing. I was on cruise control now and the miles seemed really easy. I was within my pace range and feeling good. I caught up with Diana and Charlene and ran with them for awhile. As we rounded onto Great Hills I felt the need to pee...and was not happy about it. The bushes along the start of the old course were coming up so I figured I would hop in there quickly. The bad part is when your boys are that cold, things don't want to come out quickly. I probably wasted a minute there and as I was going, Patrick, Diana, and Charlene passed me. I finished my business and caught up with them. Patrick gave me a bag of those Gel cubes so I was good to go until the end. We were cruising along now kind of ebbing and flowing like in Chicago. It's always nice to be around friends during the race.
Mile 6-10 Splits - 7:35, 7:47, 7:38, 8:03 (pee), 7:43
The next section we all knew like the back of our hand except we have been running it a little wrong. We went an extra block in the industrial section and then headed across 183 to Shoal Creek. We did the boring section next to the railroad tracks and it was nice to be so much further along than in previous years. I was still feeling really good and the miles were flying by. I tried my first gel blocks in this section and they were a bit challenging to eat since they were so cold. It was hard to breath and chew them at the same time. They were actually pretty good.
Mile 11 - 15 Splits - 7:44, 7:48, 7:46, 7:51, 7:48
We were back on Shoal Creek for a mile and then over to the eastbound part on North Loop. I had to make my second potty stop right at 2222 and Shoal Creek. This one cost me over two minutes and once I got started again I knew my BQ was out the window. I still wanted to finish strong and reach my second goal of 3:30. I wasn't looking forward to the North Loop part, but my hip was hurting a bit and I thought the hills might help my sore muscles. With the exception of the long potty mile all my splits in this section were under 8 minutes. I actually slowed a bit when we turned down Duval which is weird. It may have been that I was on my own now.
Mile 16 - 20 Splits - 10:16 (deuce), 7:56, 7:53, 8:05, 7:59
The last 10k is where the race really begins and it is usually my downfall big time. I was so glad to be heading through the University/Downtown/Congress area during this part instead of the old out and back on Lake Austin Blvd. I have always enjoyed this area of town to run in since I moved here. I ate my last gel at mile 20 and actually had one left over that I tossed. I passed Charlene and Erine during mile 22. Charlene was having an awesome race and poor Erine was struggling again. I remember passing him in Chicago before I crashed and burned. Carla and the girls made it to the race which was really a nice surprise. I didn't think they would make it since the weather was so bad. They were at 2nd and Colorado and screaming strong. They gave me a little boost and I knew the next 4 miles were going to be a real bitch...the out and back on Cesar Chavez. Mile 24 was the slowest running mile of the whole day. I felt really fatigued and this was the climb up the freeway ramp. Shannon passed me in this section and we saw Pete who was cheering us on. Once I got to the turnaround point I tried to pick it up. I knew I was going to be close when it came to the 3:30 goal. On the back portion of Cesar Chavez, the 3:30 pace group passed me, but they were a bit ahead of schedule. Sean and Rich passed me and I tried to keep up with them, but couldn't. I ran how I felt the rest of the way...which was tired, but I didn't quit and crossed the line strong.
Mile 21-26.2 Splits - 8:14, 8:07, 8:12, 9:01, 8:33, 8:44, 1:41
The last 6 miles really doomed my 3:30, but it was the potty stops that really cost me. All in all I was really happy with the day given my pre-race stress. I PR'd by almost 3:30 and I am within 10 minutes of my BQ time. I have to admit my training for this race was not as good as Chicago, but I think I am mentally stronger than in previous races. I didn't walk at all today and my worst non-potty split was 9:01. I really believe that my next marathon will be the one that gets me into Boston.
RunFar is still trying to figure out my chip time, but I think it is somewhere between 3:31:05 and 3:31:07. I know I didn't hit my watch as soon as I crossed so there may be a few second variance...not a big deal. As for the winter season, I PR'd all the races including the marathon. I didn't race Pervasive so no Distance Challenge results this year.
posted by Paco at 2:21 PM
2 Comments:
Great race report, Frank! Congratulations again on the big PR. Ever closer, ever closer...now it's on to Indy.
Great race always nice to get a PR.
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