What a race! I was determined to practice intuition during the race, as I dropped the pace too early in my last and seemed to not intake quite enough fuel which led to a bit of a bonk the last 10k! Conditions were far from ideal, with winds upwards of 15mph South and at least 70F with high humidity, but ~35,000 still toed the line come race day.
Being in the sub-elite American Development Program was amazing.
We had a private warm-up area as well as a large tent with tables and chairs.
Snacks, drinks, and porta potties in or area as well. I talked with 3 of the females
racing and warmed up with 2 of them. It really helped me relax before the race.
Plus it was amazing to line up by the professional runners, separated by a
barrier, and then start at the same time they did.
I had adjusted my goal of sub 2:38 to sub 2:40 due to the
weather conditions. So I planned to go out around 6:06-6:10 pace and hit closer
to 1:21 through the half to conserve glycogen for later in the race and help
prevent a bonk. I think I ended up coming in a bit closer to 1:19 through the
half. Unfortunately, my watch was way off with mile splits. I glanced at clock
and it read 1:20:XX, but I had crossed the start line a bit later than that as
I was not in the front row of my corral but closer to the middle. Anyways I was
happy to have not gone out way too fast as it felt like the main goal would be
to hold on, not decrease progress to the finish as the wind, heat, humidity
were taking a toll. Veering to the aid stations to grab 1-3 cups every 2 miles
was also zapping my energy. However, I had also vowed to not make the mistake
of under-fueling as I had in my last, which had landed me drinking chicken
broth in the med tent (lol).
I took 1 Maurten gel after the warm-up. Then managed to get most of 10 gels down during
the race (2 caffeinated). A cup water and a cup Gatorade Endurance was my go-to
at most aid stations. This fueling strategy worked great for me, and I was able
to maintain a bit less of a bonk and recover way faster post marathon (also no
med tent visit!) then after my first marathon. I felt so smart after the race, going
out conservative by feel and keeping my cool. I successfully carried out the
fueling strategy I’d practiced in all my hot and humid marathon paced sessions.
I gave the race all I had, but just couldn’t speed up the
last 10k like I wanted… like I’d practiced by closing my MP sessions hard and
doing so many threshold workouts. My quads started searing in pain (as the had
in my 1st marathon), and then even my calves starting cramping (like
I was about to get a Charlie’s horse). I prayed my calves wouldn’t cramp
completely up and force me to walk. At this point I just wanted to beat my PR
of 2:43 mid-high. I crossed the line in a new PB of 2:42:29. I placed 27th
female, beating many pros who bonked hard, some +11 minutes from their recent
PBs.
Overall, I just really wished conditions were better. Guess
I’ll just have to keep showing up; I’ve always liked a challenge.
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