Some takeaways:
Napa Valley was a bit harder course than I imagined. Hills
were large, after all we were hugging a literal mountain lol. The race – running
loosely with others, carrying gels and getting water was not ideal. Neither
were the elements – wind and sun and winding road. Alone the last back half, dodging
half marathoners the last 10k or so – another thing not ideal.
I still really really enjoyed the course, setting a PR,
course record, and being OAF (who wouldn’t!). I also really had an amazing time
– the whole trip (well besides the parts I didn’t lol). I usually just sign up
for races based on what others are doing, what others tell me I should do, with
prize money or the best opportunity to run fast in a pack of others – which aren’t
inherently bad things! Before, I’d only done flat marathon courses and I
liked this rolling course which on paper looked most like CIM, rolling hills with
net downhill, but the difficulty/grade of hills may have made it more like
Boston. I’ve never done either but this is what I have gathered from others
and my own investigation!
I’ve been lucky when others I planned to travel with backed out or races I planned to do got cancelled and I had to find a last minute alternative my parents came to support me. This made previous half and full marathon trips much more enjoyable! Strangely, although I enjoy lots of alone time the day before a marathon the last thing I want to do is be alone in a hotel room… It’s the anxious overthinker in me.
I usually don’t stop and really contemplate what exactly I
want to race and what I want out of a race. I’ve read and heard conflicting views
– 12-16 weeks for 1 race. A race every month. Everyone has a preference and many
have views on how much or little is practical and beneficial for development.
Yet, what do I like, what do I want are things I’ve been contemplating.
Personally, I feel like I “wasted” so many years not running
consistently that I just want to keep going, to push the envelope and really
see what I can do, like the top female role models and American record holders (Keira,
Sara) always seem do. Combine potential with hard work and see how far it will
take me. Nothing to lose, only to gain.
I took the trip to Napa alone, for myself, to see what I
could do. The experience was empowering. I flew across the country to run a
marathon with thousands of others in a city I’d never been to with the crazy
goal to not only win and set a course record but PR by 7 minutes and hit the
Olympic Trials Standard. I didn’t hit all these, but I did win the female
division, set a course record, and set a 4 minute PR.
I met this lady at a Champagne bar after the race. Soon,
despite my best efforts to conceal that I’d won the marathon and was an elite
runner, the whole bar knew I’d won a marathon in their town. The best part of
the night wasn’t the free drinks, it was the conversation, where this lady kept
encouraging me to bask in my accomplishment, to enjoy my 30’s, to enjoy living
my independent life. Similar to what I’d heard earlier from my parents, friends,
and coach – that they were proud of me, to not be too hard on myself, that it’s
okay to be both disappointed and proud of how far I’ve come and how great and
accomplished a runner I really am. It’s okay to try and fail to hit the
bullseye.
Somehow, despite being 5 months after Chicago, the build-up seemed
a tad rushed; looking back. Probably due to all the changes and literally a
more condensed training cycle than I’m used to for marathon as I usually do not
race but do a 12 week build. This time I had 6 weeks with James McKirdy before
Houston half before training through this half and ditching 2 other marathon
choices before settling on Napa 7 weeks later.
During our initial phone call, James really wanted to hear about
my previous training. The almost 3+ months he’s been my coach it’s been
apparent that he listened to me – what I thought wasn’t helpful and what
I would enjoy more of he included in my training. Long gone are the 12 weeks of
straight endurance work, and I’m happy about it and feeling fitter than ever.
Overall, his training included harder (but appropriate)
workouts– faster and longer than I’d ever done. My peak mileage (100 mi/wk) was
higher than I’d ever done. It was the most run doubles in a block I’ve ever
done. The long run sessions were also on rolling terrain to better mimic the
race course and to get in a longer loop (flat long loops in Tally are
non-existent!). We still got in lots of endurance work during this block but
also track speed sessions! Yay for balance!
I was initially practicing with Maurten 320 in bottles. I
practiced with gels twice (during long run workouts). The fueling wasn’t going
the best, I had a bit of a stomachache and nausea, typically during the cool
down, of my sessions. I think it was mostly due to the harder sessions, 15
seconds per mile quicker than I’d gone before Chicago marathon. Although the
wind and sun on this exposed rolling loop in Tallahassee (Southwood for anyone
familiar) could be partly to blame. I wouldn’t change the workout location and
it was great practice for race day course conditions and was easy to set out
fluids. I thought on race day I’d be fine with nutrition since I’d start at a
bit of a slower pace. For my next race, I can practice race-specific
fueling more often and pay close attention to how I feel. I can pace workouts
more appropriately (negative split) to help with the GI distress!
I should have started a bit more conservative during Napa
Valley. It would have been easier on my stomach and legs and led to a better
result if I had adjusted my pace earlier on, slowed down so I could finish
stronger the back half. The last 8-10 miles felt like an entirely different
race, which of course I was not expecting. The headwind, the sun, the much
warmer temperature… all made it so much more difficult! I think it should
always be expected the back half is going to feel harder than the first half
and I can really take this into consideration for my next race!
I’m excited to keep having fun while improving fitness and take away some lessons from this race! I’m confident I can break 2:37 running a smart race, with a bit of race day weather luck! I’m also excited to try bottles for nutrition for the first time! I think this will make things substantially easier. The journey, not the destination. What a great journey it’s been, and I’m far from done yet.
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