RACE #23
Coming in at #23...
When I sat down to make my 'list' of favorite races/memories/experiences, I found it easy to find races where I ran well...races where I either won, or anchored a team, or ran on a winning team...but how about the tough races? Tough races, that may take more time...maybe when I finally sit down and write my auto-biography, maybe then more of the tough races/crash-and-burn races will appear.
A few weeks ago near the end of and after the Silver Rush 50 MTB, a race that really beat me up, physically AND emotionally, I knew it was one of the hardest races I've ever done. The course beat me up, and for the first time, I felt like I was in heart failure...duh. But where did I place it on my suck-o-meter? Top 3, for sure. Top 10 'tough' races WERE all run at the marathon distance, UNTIL that MTB race... Coming in at #2, and #23 as it pertains to this countdown, is the 2008 Chicago Marathon...a day I do NOT want to have back!
2008 was a 'fine' year of running for me...I had 1:23 and change at a trail half-marathon in Woodville, WI earlier that year...and had one of my best races ever at the Lumberack Days 10 Miler, but that race makes the list down the road.
Chicago, in shape to run sub-2:50 or so, but was lost as to what to do...pace? Race? Sit this one out? ...as it was going to be a scorcher, and we all know how I handle the heat...not.
...quick, phones ringing...who? Jenny Wilcox? Wants me to pace her...3:00? Deal... Jenny was an athlete of mine at the time...rock-solid runner and multi-sport athlete, and if she needs/wants me to pace, hell yea! I have purpose!
I honestly don't remember much about the travels and/or pre-race nutrition, though I KNOW I should have taken it more seriously...ugh.
Jenny and I both had 'preferred' bibs for the race so she was easy to find...but it was already warm, with plans of mid-80's, if I remember correctly.
Mile 1, 6:59, mile 2, 6:58...and so it goes...we hovered right at/under 7:00 pace through at least 16, maybe 17 miles, but holy cow, it was getting warm. I remember at some point past the United Center, mile 17 or so, I stopped to use a 'potty', which is a good sign...'I'll catch up, Jenny' I remember telling her. Quick break, maybe :25 seconds...out I go on a mission to find Jenny...I took off at sub-6:30 pace looking, searching...and I held that pace for at least 1 mile, maybe longer...but then I was done...it left that quick (...and I never did find Jenny...) ...the wheels fell off, hard.
I don't remember much about the final 10K...it was a lot of walking, sitting on curbs, walking with that 'tilting-left' lean...oh boy was it ugly.
1st half in 1:31 and change, 2nd half in 2:10+...and it was an UG LY second half...wouldn't wish that upon anyone...
Once I crossed the finish line, done...I found a chair/trash can and vomited over and over...and that finish-line/chute area must have been 2 miles long...I'd walk for a bit, then sit and vomit...felt like it took hours!
(Medal is here...somewhere...)
In hind site, I should have given the race the respect that it deserves, I was coming off a number of races that I crushed...maybe my head was too big for my own good? Well, whatever it was, it sucked...#2 on the 'painful' scale.
On the bright side, Jenny rocked...3:03, maybe? #beast
Splits
| Split | Time | Diff | min/mile | miles/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05K | 00:21:37 | 21:37 | 06:58 | 8.63 |
| 10K | 00:42:48 | 21:11 | 06:50 | 8.80 |
| 15K | 01:05:09 | 22:21 | 07:12 | 8.34 |
| 20K | 01:26:35 | 21:26 | 06:54 | 8.70 |
| HALF | 01:31:21 | 04:46 | 07:00 | 8.58 |
| 25K | 01:48:43 | 17:23 | 07:10 | 8.38 |
| 30K | 02:13:11 | 24:28 | 07:53 | 7.62 |
| 35K | 02:39:15 | 26:04 | 08:24 | 7.15 |
| 40K | 03:16:42 | 37:27 | 12:04 | 4.98 |
| Finish | 03:42:42 | 26:00 | 19:04 | 3.15 |
I did, however, run 4 more marathons in 2009, but I paced them all, (3:15-3:35) as I was not ready to toe the line. (I'm a p****...)
I preach to athletes to NOT put that next BIG race up on a pedestal, because once you do, the race won. But there's a difference between putting the race on a pedestal and respecting the race...I found out the hard way!
HONORABLE MENTION for today...it's just another story.
Racing and memories...so many, but also, SO many amazing workouts...and workout partners!
...like races, a number of workouts really resonate with me...sometimes wondering how I did that.I think back November of 1992, coming off a 15:36 5K (7th place), I was ready to rumble!
That Saturday I supposed to race a 5 miler, but I couldn't afford the entry fee, so I headed to the track with my girlfriend for some 'frustration' 400's... 42 degrees, chilly with a light wind...one of those days...I'm ready. Wanted to run 70's solid, 12-14 miles total.
2 miles easy/stretch and strides...then I proceeded to run 16 x 400 meters, averaging 69.42 for the 16, rotating 200/400 recovery jogs... 'D' stayed and ran the stopwatch and ran some of the recovery laps with me. What a workout...I had done 16, 20, even 24 400's as part of a workout in the past, but never did they feel that easy...and consistent. ...wish I had raced!
I'll always remember this workout for what it was, I'll also remember this girlfriend, but that's a story for another day, for sure. Now THAT would make a great read...
Running playlist song #23: Who's Your Daddy (Original Extended Play) - Benny Benassi
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