Topic: kestrou's Chicago Marathon After Action Report
kestrou Cool Runner
posted Oct-22-2006 09:16 PM
Gang,
The good news, I PRed by 20 minutes. The bad news, I missed qualifying for Boston by one minute and ten seconds.
Here's details, but no excuses because I think I ran the best race I could have today (note mental aberation at the end! *grin*)
The weather forecast was for rain, but the front moved through during Saturday night and even though it was misting the windshield on the drive to Grant Park on Sunday morning, by the time I got there and was getting in the corral there was no precipitation all day. Temp was in the low/mid 40s for the entire run.
My goal was 3:20, and there were four pacers for that group - and when they merged the "Preferred Start II" corral with the "Preferred Start I" corral about 5 minutes before the gun I was able to work my way through the crowd and get right on the elbow of one of them named Ben and off we went.
Pace to make goal is 7:38/mile and I missed the first mile, but average for the first two miles was 7:23 (a tad fast), then mile 3 was too fast at 7:18 - during which I asked Ben how many marathons he's run and what his times were - and he said, "NONE!" I kid you not, he'd never run a full marathon. "But not to worry," he continued, "I've done 20 mile training runs at 6:30 pace and am confident I can run a marathon in 3:20." So when mile 4 cracked off at 7:04 (WOW!!!) the crowd around him were sounding off! Yup, we're four miles in and a little more than a minute and half ahead of pace! His immediate off-the-cuff plan he yelled out was "OK, we're going to drop to eight minute miles for the next few miles to burn off this time, and then get back on pace."
Just so everybody knows how marathoning "expert" I'm NOT, this was my fourth marathon - but I couldn't believe he wanted to burn off what we'd put in the bank in miles 5/6/7. Yes, it does suck that we've gone out too fast, but I think I would a whole lot rather make the "withdrawal" much later in the race and just GET ON THE STINKING PACE NOW. So I went ahead on my own shooting for a 7:38 pace - which I did quite nicely. Clicked off miles 5 through 20 all plus/minus 10 seconds of goal pace, and my "bank account" had grown by less than 45 seconds. Net result is I've very evenly paced off 16 miles at 7:35 pace (I'm patting myself on the back here *grin*).
Mile 21 was a little slow from a strong headwind (8:06), but I came back with 22 at 7:44. At this point, I'm figuring (incorrectly) that I need to run 8:00 to make Boston, so 23, 24, & 25 pass by in 7:54, 8:00 and 8:01.
Now it gets interesting: I'm 1.2 miles from the finish and figuring (incorrectly) that I need an 8:00/pace - and the one hill on the entire course is from 25.75 to 26 - then you turn left and cruise a flat 385 yards to the finish.
I'm definitely tired, and I know that hill is going to slow me down, so I "put the hammer down" at 25 and then "attack the hill" when I get to it. The mile 26 mark is at the top of the hill, but I missed it and didn't get my mile split for it, but now I've got the finish line in sight!!! The only problem is that my legs have turned to Jello from the hill charge...
My pace slows to a crawl, and my legs aren't cramping, but the muscles are shot. A younger guy runner sees me "chicken walking" and comes up beside me to see if I want to "walk it in with him". I'm still staggering and he puts his arm around me to support me because my legs can barely hold me up. After a few seconds I told him, "I can't even stand" and he sat me down, after which I just laid down on my back and he went on.
In case you've never run Chicago, it's important at this point to know that the crowd is about 10 people deep all along this part of the course (literally 200 yards from the finish) and I'm laying on my back in the middle of the course.
After laying there for a short time (honestly I don't know if it was 15 seconds or a minute), I sat up, stood up, then started shuffling towards the finish - AND THE CROWD WENT WILD!!!
Net result is that I came in 1:10 past my BQ time - but they shoulda gave me an Oscar! *grin*
OK, here's come the punch line: I didn't need an 8:00 pace the last 1.2 miles - I NEEDED AN 8:48 PACE! I'd figured incorrectly since I was so tired. *pained grin* If I would have known that an 8:48 pace would get me there then I wouldn't have "charged" at 25 and up the hill - and just *maybe* I would have made it because I wouldn't have kicked so hard to get to the top of the hill.
So, not an excuse, because I think I ran the best race I could have run today - but you always gotta analyze these things post-facto, right?! *grin*
Looking forward to my next attempt, and I'm relishing my PR by 20 minutes.
Kevin
P.S. - Congratulations to spkoest - who I met at the expo - and who made his BQ!
[This message has been edited by kestrou (edited Oct-22-2006).]
posted Oct-23-2006 12:15 AM
Yikes! Laid down right there within sight of the finish. You've got to give it to you for dramatic for sure. Hey, one minute, no big deal, you'll get it next time. A 20 minute PR is HUGE. Way to go.
posted Oct-23-2006 05:54 AM
Wow, great report. Sorry about the meltdown so close to the finish, but the hugh PR is something to be proud of. Next time you'll get that BQ!
posted Oct-23-2006 06:59 AM
Your twenty minute PR is fantastic. I hope any disappointment that you just missed a BQ is tempered by the knowledge that you are going to absolutely blow right by 3:20 pretty soon. Sounds like it would be a good idea to quiz those pacers before the gun fires, resume, references, that kind of thing.
posted Oct-23-2006 07:50 AM
Great report, great race! I can't believe you were laying on your back with less than a quarter mile to go! You must have REALLY attacked that hill!
That's really funny, and you have a great attitude about it. And a nice PR to boot - I'm going for a 22 minute PR (second marathon) in two weeks, so it's encouraging to me to hear you do it on your fourth!
How did the dummy pacer and the pace group make out?
Your good humor about the whole thing is inspiring! Others might be beating themselves up; you're taking solace not just in the 20-minute PR, but the absurdity of it all. There's a huge lesson here for all of us, I think: if we've got a specific goal, it's worth making a second wrist band with a series of "last 1.2 mile" scenarios so we don't have to perform mental calculations at the moment we're least equipped to do that.
It's an amazing, memorable story. You were flat on your back after a Herculean effort--and then, like Lazarus, you ROSE FROM THE DEAD! That's two mythic personae for the price of one. Not bad.
posted Oct-23-2006 10:43 AM
Thanks all - glad my you're finding the humor in this too. It's what keeps me going, because there's always another marathon, right?!
I "held pace" until Mile 24 at Quad Cities just 4 weeks prior. Figured I couldn't get any closer and *not* make it, until I held pace to mile 26 and then had to lay down for a minute. As DanMoriarity mentioned - the only guy that got closer and then laid down was the winner!
I'm definitely going to "two pace band" it next time. I've run both my recent races with a 3:19 band with the plan of a slightly positive split - but then I'm struggling with the 3:20:59 calculations late in the race.
Thanks again for the encouragement!
Next up is the JFK50 in 4 weeks (so I have two weeks to recover, then two weeks to taper ) and I'll be looking for my next BQ attempt sometime after that. Not sure of which one yet, considering Houston in January and will keep you all posted. Does that put me in the "Spring Marathon Trainers" thread?
posted Oct-23-2006 01:34 PM
What a story. Sometimes the legs don't cooperate and things just don't pan out, but it's a nice consolation to get a 20 min. PR. I'm sure you'll get it next time. Hey, I waited 25 years from age 17 when I first had the goal to run Boston till age 44 when I qualified. You were smart to bag the pace group and run your own race. It's really hard to make clear decisisons and mile 25 so don't feel bad.
posted Oct-23-2006 03:02 PM
Kevin, Congrats on your PR. Sorry to hear about missing your BQ, but you know that you can get it.
On another note: Pace to make goal is 7:38/mile - I asked Ben how many marathons he's run and what his times were - and he said, "NONE!" I kid you not, he'd never run a full marathon. "But not to worry," he continued, "I've done 20 mile training runs at 6:30 pace and am confident I can run a marathon in 3:20." So when mile 4 cracked off at 7:04 (WOW!!!) the crowd around him were sounding off! Yup, we're four miles in and a little more than a minute and half ahead of pace! His immediate off-the-cuff plan he yelled out was "OK, we're going to drop to eight minute miles for the next few miles to burn off this time, and then get back on pace."
I paced a 3:20 group this spring at KDM and we came through at (3:18:14 / Chip Time, 3:19:22/Clock Time). The majority of the runners with me were half marathoners, but two guys that came with me when the half/full separated both qualified for Boston. That was my first experience, but I also had 20+marathons under my belt. I've done 20 mile training runs @ 6:30 pace, but that really has nothing to do with pacing a group at 7:38. In my opinion, this guy was in way over his head. He started burning you guys up before the race even started.
I've run Chicago 3x's. The first year I didn't use a pace group. In 2003 I went out with the 2:50pace group, when there was one and the leaders had us on a 2:45pace. I dropped back to a 3:10 finish. In 2005, my goal was sub2:55, but did not run with a pace group. Me(2:54:22) and two guys(2:56ish) were right on pace. Around mile 8-9, the 3:10 guy comes blowing by us. We are thinking, "what is this guy doing?". Well, my buddy runs right up beside him and asks such a question. The guy has no clue and he also didn't have any runners with him either.
I really feel for you man. A pacer is supposed to be just that. Supposed to forget about what he wants to do in the race and lead other runners to their goal. Hopefully, this experience doesn't pursuade you from using future pace groups. The majority that I have been contact with including "rootsrunner and PacerChris" are very good pacers in their own rights.
Thanks for the stories. I don't "blame" the pacer for my near miss - but was definitely surprised at the situation. Not that I think pacers are "superman" or anything but, foolish me, I thought there was some "quality control" to the process. Guess not!
Thank you and the other pacers who really do have their act together. I'll definitely plan to use pace groups again - but I'll do a little QC questioning myself before the race.
posted Oct-23-2006 07:45 PM
Oh man, I wish I could slam a PR like that with a nap in the middle. You ought to be very satisfied with an excellent run and the certain knowledge that you have 3:20 in you. Loved the way you handled a tough situation, both on the road and writing about it later. We all know running is a weird game. You'll get it done next time.
posted Oct-23-2006 08:16 PM
On behalf of qualified pacers like crunningman, myself and my Clif Bar teammates, that stinks that you got a knucklehead for a pacer! Banking 60+ seconds in the first 4 miles = a pacer not doing their job right or very poorly placed mile markers. If anything, I'd rather be 60 seconds too slow over the first 4 miles!
I know what you mean about the math getting tough at the end. My BIL the Uber-Engineer can't add 2+2 late in a race! In addition to a pace band (which can sometimes be small and tough to read) wirte down a few key points in Sharpie on your arm. Example - mile 20 in 2:32:00, or Mile 25 - 3:11 or whatever time is key.
Cpngrats on your PR - it might be worth considering another crack at BQ before late Feb - you've got the training in you, just recover, get a few good runs going and take a shot at it. Your reward if you do it will be that you can just jog Boston 2007 and enjoy the run/atmosphere, and you'll have already q'ed for Boston 2008 which you could train properly for.
posted Oct-24-2006 10:11 AM
The pace groups at Chicago this year were TERRIBLE! I'd planned on running with the 3:30 group for the first couple of miles just to warm up, but they all took off so freakin' fast. I ended up running an 8:09 1st mile, and the 3:30 groups were nowhere in sight. I sped up quite a bit over the next few miles (closer to 7:30, i.e. too fast!) and I don't think I passed all the 3:30 pacers until about 10 miles.
I would've been pissed if I'd planned on running with them the whole time!
But like everyone else has said, you need to be prepared to run your own race if you sign up with a pace group and they're not doing what they're supposed to be doing.
(Also, that little hill at the finish absolutely killed me. I had to stop about 3/4 of the way up, because I thought I was going to pass out. So, while I didn't have to lie down, it still was far from pretty. I still PR'd by 11 minutes, but I know I could've gone faster, had I stuck to my pace in the first half better...)
posted Oct-24-2006 02:43 PM
Excellent race report! Congrats on the big PR too. Sorry to hear you lost it at the end though. The good news is that you got a roaring ovation for your finish. And the really good news is that you weren't 15 minutes back wherein you probably would have been trampled!
I had the same problem with my pacer at Des Moines. He had run a few marathons, but it was his first time pacing. By the mile 3 marker we were about 45 seconds ahead of pace (and while a couple mile markers were definitely off during the race, the first few coincided well with my Garmin - they actually came after my garmin was clicking out the miles). By mile 4 they were at least 1:00 ahead of me and I was under pace by about 35 seconds. By this time the 3:50 group had also charged past me and I didn't even catch them until mile 8! I definitely think you were good to let them go rather than bank those extra 8 miles.
Enough on all of that though. I was looking forward to your RR and I am glad you got the PR. I watched the webcast of the Chicago Marathon and it was really great.
posted Oct-22-2006 09:16 PM
