My attempt at working hard and finishing “uncomfortable!”

White Rock 2008 Race Report 

When I decided to run White Rock for a second time, I thought this was the year I would try to qualify for Boston. Of the 13 prior marathons I have run (one being in an Ironman), I never really set that target as my goal. Sure it would have been nice, however, I never did what it took to take that goal seriously, i.e. never trained at the pace I needed to run a 3:40. Another reason I chose this year was because it was between IM races on my schedule (I promised Tom I would only attempt an IM every 2 years so we could recover financially and so my body could heal a bit longer between efforts) and because it was close to Shreveport and my Dallas roots. And the final reason was that I turn 35 in January and this would give me 5 more precious minutes! Game on!!!

For all my past marathons, I never had a time goal so I just followed Hal Higdon’s plans and tried to get in mileage. This was the most “comfortable” for me because I love to go out and just run without looking at my splits and worrying about anything else. The Saturday Morning Runs were great for my previous training. I could go out and hold on with the group, talking and running all morning. This training served me well in most of my past marathons because all I wanted to do was finish feeling good with a smile on my face. I made it a point to talk with anyone on the course that would listen, I thanked every volunteer, and stopped whenever I felt necessary to walk. Why be uncomfortable? That just wasn’t for me.

This year I wanted to see if I could push myself for many reasons. The main one has to do with my kids. Every day I ask them to get uncomfortable in the water and expect them to push through hard workouts in the pool (I constantly reminded myself of this while doing repeats on the track and wanting to stop dead in the middle of the workout!). As a coach, I expect nothing but the best from my kids, why can’t I expect that from myself? Is average for me really enough? Did I really enjoy running a 5+ hour marathon at the at the Florida Ironman? Was I capable of so much more? Many people have encouraged me to try so I finally decided it was the right time. I must admit also that Kevin’s Cook’s amazing performance last year – taking 30 minutes off a PR -was stunning and I thought just maybe I could succeed with my own goal too.

As the triathlon season winded down, I started to look forward to my run focus. I quickly purchased the www.runningplanet.com plan for a 3:40 marathon (the best $9.95 I have spent so far) and was happy to see that the workouts looked doable for the most part. My schedule can be very tricky with all the commitments I pile on my plate so I worked everything in and started with gusto. Long runs just have to happen on Sunday mornings for me so even though I missed my running friendships on Saturdays, this was something I had to do. Track was now Tuesday/Thursday so I missed Hutch and the group on Wednesdays too. This really worked to my advantage because I was able to single in on the times that worked for me and knew at some point in the marathon I would be alone with my Garmin and would have to prevail without relying on anyone else.

Come race day I felt prepared. Sure I missed a few of the workouts along the way but all the mile repeats and time specific long runs helped build my confidence for the big day. A big part of my race preparation also dealt with my mental focus. In countless races (running and triathlon) I check out mentally and just “quit.” Who wants to hurt? I sure didn’t and would justify that I just didn’t care enough to push through. In the weeks leading up to the big day I refused to let any negativity slip into my mind. I seriously watched what I ate, I made sure to get enough rest, I stretched, etc. – all things I never really monitored before. Sure the forcast said hot and windy, so what! This was going to be my day.

Well, the forecast was right, it was hot and windy at the start (perfect temps for me are 40 at the start and 50 at the finish). The pacer for the 3:40 (no 3:45) group lost his balloons and half his sign before we even sang the pledge of allegiance, but I still felt good. The plan was to have Craig hang with me until the half split and then we would catch back towards the finish. The start was crazy, way too many people in a little space. The first mile split was considerably slower than what we were aiming for but “Bill the pacer” made up for it with 8:00’s the next couple. I held onto the pack and looked forward to the half split for a little more breathing room, even though I would miss listening to Craig chat it up to other participants.

Amazingly I didn’t talk to anyone. I simply could not have if I wanted too. In order to keep my pace I had to focus on the race and all the little details that worked for me in my training. This was not a pace I could comfortably hold talking to others and a Runner’s World article on pacing told me too keep all energy levels in tact so I could draw on them for when I would need a boost the most. The first part of the lake had the wind at our backs which was helpful, even though it was so windy that the hair in my ponytail constantly whipped into my face! The white caps on the lake were amusing to look at, almost as much as watching the bikers attempt to go the opposite direction we were!

I tried to stay steady as much as possible and “draft” a little, but still saw my pace slip and watched the 3:40 group pull ahead. That was fine because I wasn’t trying for 3:40, it was 3:45 for me and my mental calculations had me on pace still. I did not get a pace band with splits (mental note to use this next time) so I played multiplication games in my head as I trucked along. My Garmin kept reading 9:30’s but I knew I had a little time in the bank from the fast first half. The plan was to get away from the lake and start the downhill through the neighborhoods to the finish downtown.

Tom greeted me at mile 21 – a nice surprise. I admit that I would have missed him if he didn’t jump out with the camera but decided his love pat would push me to the finish! He later told me he has never seen me that focused in a race! At 22 I knew I had to pick it up but was still unsure of how much and when. Yes, everything hurt but my desire to push hard to the end took over and it at least felt like I was getting a little faster with each step. At 23 I passed a woman getting lifted onto a stretcher and being put into an ambulance. At this point I knew I had to turn it on and push hard for me and her – she would not get to finish so close to the end, what a bummer (and to find out she later died was a huge shock, we are all blessed to finish no matter how long it takes us). At 24 I threw down my water bottle and decided now I’m really serious! Then I saw Craig and his excitement was very contagious. Even though I quickly motioned for him not to talk too much, I was thankful to have him cheering me on and leading the way. I picked it up like I never have before and ended up finishing with 8:00 minute miles! It was totally uncomfortable and I didn’t know how I was going to walk once past the finish line but I was truly giving it everything I had. My Garmin read 26.55 miles with a time of 3:48:50something. Three minutes short of Boston but that no longer mattered. I left everything on the course and that was an amazing thing for me to experience.

No, I did not reach my Boston goal this time around but I did gain so much more. This was 20 minutes faster than I ran the same race in 2001 – my first ever marathon. It was also faster than my PR of 3:55 at Wichita, Kansas in 2004. I have NEVER in my entire endurance career finished so strong that I could barely walk at the finish, and this was huge for me. Sure, it can easily be said that the weather was a factor and that I probably could have taken the necessary 3 minutes off to qualify without 30mph winds but I will never know that for sure and refuse to dwell on it. This was a breakthrough performance and I can’t wait to test my mettle again in the next one.

John Pat for literally had to “catch” me at the finish. He wasn’t there necessarily on purpose but I was thankful to have someone to keep me upright. My salt intake was lacking for such a warm day and when I tried to stop moving I felt surely I was going to pass out. The goal was to keep moving but I couldn’t do that on my own without getting wobbly. Once Tom found us he took over and would have put me in the medical tent if it was closer than the hotel. Fortunately we were able to get upstairs quickly so I could start taking the salt tablets I should have had on the run!

Boy do I hurt today and my toenails leave much to be desired (good thing it isn’t sandal season) but it was all worth it! Thank you to everyone that sent well wishes my way. It was great to know we had over 152 Shreveport/Bossier participants traveling to Dallas to compete as first-timers and veterans. Tom, Craig, and John Pat really helped me get through this and I am very grateful for them all.

I’m still trying to figure out what my next race will be. I didn’t want to go to Boston until 2010 so I have time to decide. This excitement has me looking sooner rather than later so who knows what I will come up with. It is time to refocus on swimming and running as I prepare for a half IM in May and another full in November but I just might be able to squeeze another marathon in the next few months… Stay tuned!