Oshkosh Marathon - Race Report

Alright, so lets be honest, I ran this race on April 29th and it is August 8th today.  I am already now two races down as far as Race Reports go and I'm already closer to my next marathon than I am to this race's race report.  But, as I tell my kids, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit.  This was my second ever full marathon at the Oshkosh Marathon.  If I had the chance, I honestly wouldn't choose this race.  But, when I registered, I though this was the only spring marathon I could run, so I couldn't pass it up.  It's a cheap race and it's close to home, so I can't turn it down, especially when it's the only weekend I can race.  But towards the end of my training, I accepted a new position at my work and no longer work shift work.  I am now working straight days, Monday though Friday.  Sure, it sounds great, but, it's quite the change after 8 years of working night shift.  I gave up my extended "weekends" and all my spare time to train.  But, I didn't find out about the job change until a little over a month before the race, so it really didn't totally effect this training plan as one would think.  Honestly, the weather had a bigger effect on my training than my job change did.  But I sucked it up and did what I could with what I could.  That meant training many early mornings in sub-zero temperatures on top of trudging through some snow here and there.  Over the years, I have become accustom to it though.

Training for This Race

Going into this race, I really wanted to work on my weakness.  Even though I have run over a dozen marathons and even run a pretty successful 50 mile ultramarathon, I honestly think my weakness is long distance.  I guess to be more specific, running fast at long distances.  So with this training plan, I upped my usual long distance training runs.  This training plan, I scheduled long runs up to 24 miles, with the idea that this would help build my comfort with running long.  I also threw in my marathon standard of 800 repeats.  My training went well, other than dealing with the weather, as I stated earlier.

Prerace

I honestly don't totally remember exactly how my race morning went.  I remember getting up early as usual and got to the race site early (as usual).  The weather forecast was decent, a bit cold if you ask me, but for a late April race in Wisconsin, it was as good as you could ask for.  My warm up was good, I ran about a mile to a mile and a half and felt good at the end. 

Nutrition Plan

In the past, it has seemed that I have always struggled taken in calories towards the end of every marathon.  So, to hopefully circumvent this issue, I planned on taking in few calories, more spread out over the 26.2 miles.  I had planned on taking in 4 gels over the 26.2 miles.  Prior to the race, I took my usual dosage of 4 Hammer Anit-Fatigue Caps with 4 Endurance Aminos.

Miles 0-26.2

As soon as the race started I did my best to try and hold back and not succumb to the urge of starting out too fast.  After the first mile or so, I knew I started out a tad too fast.  I felt good though.  I didn't want to mess with what was feeling good.  Then, at about mile 2 or 3, I met up with an old friend from my YMCA days.  I ran with him for a few miles and talked a lot for my tastes.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed chatting with him and it sucks that it seems I only see him at races, but I hate talking while I run.  I mean, I absolutely HATE talking and having a conversation during races.  But, that is what I (we) did.  I don't regret it, but it sure did throw off my pace and my breathing.  I ended up pulling away from him around mile 6, which is right about the same time I took a minute or so to stop and put some band-aids on my nipples.  Sarah thankfully brought some for me since for whatever reason, I completely forgot.  Don't worry, my nipples thanked her later for bringing those for me.  I kept pushing on after that.  Everything was going really well.  Like really well.  No, I mean REALLY well.  My pace was all below my goal pace.  I felt good, like really good.  I was beginning to think this was going to be race.  The race that I finally break 3 hours.  Then, mile 19-20 hit me...as always.  I hit mile 20 and everything just seemed to slow down.  It was like molasses in December.  My breathing struggled and my legs felt like cement.  This has been my nemesis in my marathon races.  I don't know if it's a mental struggle or a purely a fitness struggle.  I'm thinking it's likely a combination of both.  Either way, I finished the race in 3:04 and change, which is the best time I have put up in a marathon since my BQ in 2009, when I ran a 3:03 and change.  So considering this is the best race I have ran in nearly 10 years on top of the fact that my training was so-so, I was left very motivated for what is to come.

Post Race

After the race, I hung around for a while with the family and some friends.  It was cool and windy, so I didn't stand around too long.  But enjoyed a good race.

What's on Tap 

Well, this is interesting.  If I had written this somewhat after the race, I would talk about running the High Cliff Ultra 25k in August or even my training strategies for the Fox Cities Marathon in September.  But here I am, 4 days after the Ultra 25k, and almost a month out of my fall marathon.  So, I guess I'll just say stay tuned for my race reports from those races, which I will do my best to get posted ASAP.

Thanks for reading and as always, cheers!

 

Oshkosh Marathon - Race Report

It's been a year and a half since I last ran a marathon and 16 months since my last half marathon. I've really missed the longer distance events. Sarah and I had a couple extensive discussions about possibly racing another Ironman in 2017 or 2018. I got excited at the idea of racing a 70.3 half Ironman this summer to get back into racing long course triathlons again, but then I took a step back and tried to plan my training for a 70.3 this year. I had a very difficult time scheduling 4 hour bike rides and 4-6 hour training blocks into my personal schedule. My life is in a new place now, with a third daughter. I was having a hard time figuring a way to allow me to get all the training in. There is no doubt in my mind that I would be able to finish a 70.3, but I want to be competitive. The idea of just finishing doesn't motivate me to put in the training. So that lead me to some new goals for 2016. I have wanted to "run the year" the past few years, but never truly attempted to achieve it, due to cycling and swim training. I decided that I would focus on running for a while (few years), while my kids are growing up. Running is easy to work into my schedule. It's much more conducive to run before the sun comes up in the morning, where the same is cannot be said for cycling or swimming. I am also able to take advantage of drop off child care at my local YMCA and run for up to 3 hours on a treadmill. So That leads me to my goal races for the year. I decided to focus back on distance running this year. First on my list was a spring marathon. Second was my first ultra marathon.

I registered for the Oshkosh Marathon for a few reasons. First, I couldn't beat the cost. I got a 50% off deal from Groupon for the marathon. Second, it fit into my work schedule and my personal schedule, and it is close to home and wouldn't require me to travel or stay in a hotel. Lastly, two years ago while training for the Whistle Stop Marathon, I did a lot of my training runs on the Wiouwash Trail, as the marathon was a trail marathon and fell in love with the scenery on along the trail. The Oshkosh Marathon has a 7 mile stretch of of the trail as part of the course, which was enticing.

Training for This Race

I created a strict, specific, 16 week training plan leading up to the April 24th race. My training was going great initially. But, then came my first hurdle. I some how, some way, injured my neck on January 25th. It put me in the Emergency Room. I took a 2 week hiatus from running to allow, what my chiropractor called, a compressed disc to heal. I finally got back to a normal running routine on February 9th. At that point, I made some minor adjustments to my training plan and began following it very loosely. I was actually probably very smart about my training. I followed my training plan with workouts, but was flexible with what I did on a day to day basis. I knew what I needed to achieve throughout a specific week, but made my day-to-day decisions based on how I felt, my personal schedule, and other various metrics. But then, on March 31st, I had a 10 mile tempo workout, which I ran on a treadmill. I felt great afterward and went to work that night. I made the decision to do a "back-to-back" running day and run a 6 mile "easy" run the morning after work. I finished it, but noticed a "niggle" in my left calf throughout the run. It never hindered my run, but I noticed it. It got tighter and tighter throughout the run, but finished. I biked the next day, hoping to work out the soreness. I then attempted to get back out for a run on April 3rd. I wasn't able to get further than 2.46 miles. At this point the race was 3 weeks out. I knew that if I was going to be able to not only run the race, but finish, I would have to be smart with my calf and not force anything. I made a couple more attempts at running on both April 5th and 6th, but ended with the same results. I felt good for about the first mile, then noticed my calf tightening up, and would just bag the run all together. I took my second two week break from running, this time during my peak training weeks. I finally was able to get back to running on April 15th, just about a week out from the race. These two "injuries" really changed my goals for the race.

I will say though, I really took away two big learning points this training cycle. First off, on the Endurance Planet "Ask the Coaches" Podcast, one of the host's favorite running workouts was an "over/under" run. The concept is simple. You take your goal race pace, then run a mile at 10 seconds faster and alternate that with a mile at 10 seconds slower than your goal pace. Basically, I would run a mile or two warm up, and follow that with 4-8 miles alternated at a 6:40 pace and 7:00 pace. The workout is challenging and never really gives you a slow recovery. I fell in love with this workout and will definitely use this again. The second learning point I took away was the idea of having a flexible training schedule. Basically I knew the 2 or 3 key workouts I wanted to achieve during a weekly training cycle, but would plan out my cycle literally in 2-4 day stretches. in the past, I would follow my training plan to a "T." This would get difficult and frustrating. But making these adjustments made my life less stressful and allowed for my body to adapt and recover. If I wasn't a complete idiot that one day which caused my calf to tighten up. I completely blame myself for "injuring" my calf, due to just being stupid.

Prerace

The entire week or two leading up to the race, I had been checking the weather forecast. The forecast was not promising. All week there was an 80% chance of thunderstorms and cool and breezy. The night before the race, the forecast was the best I had seen. There was a slight chance the rain would hold off until the afternoon. I was ecstatic with this. Not that I would have any control over this, or let this get to me mentally, but let's just be honest, no one likes running in the cold ran...let alone thunderstorms.

The Friday before the race, we brought the girls to a Brewer's game with some friends of the family. I did something that I don't think I have ever done....drank alcohol within the week of a major race. I had three beers! I guess, at this point, I had the mentality that I was not going to be setting any personal records at this race, just based on my training. I chose to have a few brews to enjoy the company and have fun. I thought, what's the worse that could happen at this point? Three beers would not dramatically impact my race, 36 hours later.
 

 

  
On Saturday, I was on my feet way more than I would have liked to be, but again, oh well, life is life. I had to take care of filling in several holes in our yard and planting grass in those spots. I also made it down to the race expo for my packet pick-up. The process was actually very smooth, I credit that do the smaller size of the race. That evening, I had a baked filet of tilapia with a sweet potato and a salad for dinner. I drank a lot of fluids throughout the day and finished the day with my traditional cup of chamomile tea before bed. I was able to get to bed right around 8pm and watched a little of the start of the NHL Playoffs.

I woke up when my alarm went off at 4:30 and was on the road by 5am and got to the race site by 5:30...exactly as I planned. I just chilled up until about 6:20ish, which is when I stated doing some of my favorite dynamic movements to help loosen and warm up before the race. The weather outlook was just about perfect. Temperatures were in the upper 40's with overcast skies. The rain looked like it was going to hold off for the morning.

Nutrition Plan

In every single previous marathon I have run, I have had some sort of breakfast.  Whether it be a Powerbar (way back when), toast with peanut butter and honey, or a sweet potato.  For this race, I chose to try something new...to not eat a damn thing.  All I had before the race was coffee and a few swigs of water with a tablet of Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes Fizz.  My fueling free morning seemed to work, as I never really got hungry before the race. 

The days leading up to the race I took my standard dosage of 4 servings a day for 4 days leading up to race day of Race Day Boost.  As far as my race plan, I wanted to keep it as simple as possible.  I first took two capsules of Anti-Fatigue Caps one hour prior to the start of the race, then I carried 4 Hammer Gels with me, along with a few additional Anti-Fatigue Caps.  My plan was to take a gel at or around miles 5, 10, 15, and 20 and take an additional 2 Anti-Fatigue Caps around miles 10 and 20.  I ended up taking a gel at 5 and 10 and 16.  At that point my I never really felt like I wanted to take an additional gel, but also felt like I needed something.  So at about mile 21-22, I forced about half of my last gel down.  I also took two Anti-Fatigue Caps around mile 13.  My body started craving something sweet, but not a gel, around mile 23.  So, I took an orange slice from an aid station, and it tasted so good.  I also took about three cups of Gatorade from 3 separate aid stations from the remaining 4-5 miles of the race.  I felt good, all around, just wasn't digging the gels at that point in time.
　

Equipment

New Balance 890v5 ShoesSLS3 Compression Socks
Nike Running Shorts
Hammer Nutrition Race Singlet
Sleefs Arm Sleeves　
TomTom Spark Cardio+ Music

Miles 0-10

 As I mentioned above, my training was inconsistent at best leading up to the race, so my expectations were curbed.  I really didn't have any specific goals other than not to embarrass myself.  I set a wide range of times for a finish goal.  My range was 3:00 to 3:30.  I figured I should have no problem finishing within that time window.  So at the start of the race, I really just wanted to take it intentionally easy and just get into a groove that I could sustain for at least 20 miles.  Once the race started I did my best not to get sucked into the rush that happens at every race start.  I knew that still went out a bit too fast and did my best to pull myself back.  By mile 4, I had the inkling that I probably had been going too hard.  My heart rate at this point was in the mid to upper 160's.  I slowed up a bit, but also tried not to look at my watch for time and distance as I just wanted to run based on feel for at least the first half.  As I continued to pass mile markers, I continued to see my heart rate in the 160-165 range.  I decided to just do my best to try and regulate my heart rate the best I can and just keep the fact that this was a 26.2 mile race and not anything less.  

Miles 3-20 were by far the most scenic miles of the race.  These miles were run on the Wiouwash Trial that I mentioned about.  The course was set up to run the first 3 miles to get out of the City of Oshkosh and to get onto the trail itself.  Miles 3 to 10 were all north on the trail.  There were several old bridges from when the trail was originally a train track.  I first saw Sarah and the girls along with my parents and my in-laws around mile 9.  It was great to see some familiar faces as it had been a while since I saw anyone.  The total number of marathon participants was pretty low, which left us runners pretty spread out, so it was nice to just see a person.  Just before reaching the mile 10 mile marker, you hit the turn-around point and headed back south down the trail. 　

Miles 11-20

After hitting the turnaround point just before the 10 mile mark, I was on the "home stretch."  I only had another 16 miles to go and I was making my way back into the City of Oshkosh.  At this point in the race, I had a feeling my heart rate was too high and was going to cause problems later on.  I just did my best to keep my pace in check and keep a close eye on my heart rate.  My goal was to stay below 160 bpm.  I look at my watch for a time for the first time just after the half way mark.  I was at 1:34.  My immediate thought was, "Wow, I could really put up a good time."  My second thought was, "I better get my heart rate down if I want to be any where near a even split."  As I approached mile 15, my stomach wasn't really craving a gel, so I opted to push it back a mile or two and see if that made a difference.  I approached the water station in the vicinity of mile 16, I forced myself to take as much of a gel as I could.  I ended up sucking down at least 75% of it and I called it good.  It was right about this point that fatigue set in.  Part of me was pissed that it again was happening.  That again, I would be taking walking breaks.  The other part of me was actually surprised that I made it this far before fatigue got the best of me.  My cardiovascular system was feeling great, my lungs felt like they could keep on keeping on.  My legs though, they felt heavier and heavier with every passing mile.  I did my best to just make it mile marker to mile marker.  

Miles 21-26.2

By the time I got to mile 20, I was still just going mile to mile with short walking breaks.  My legs were destroyed by this point.  I again didn't want anything to do with a gel, but knew I needed the calories.  At mile 21/22 I forced about a half of a gel down the hatch.  I knew that I didn't get nearly enough calories, so I started to take Gatorade from the water stations.  The flavor of the Gatorade tasted great and wasn't exactly what I would have preferred, but they went down great.  At about the 23 mile mark, I grabbed an orange slice, and let me tell you, it was the best damn orange and it hit the spot.  After getting to mile 24, I just kept telling myself, "2 more miles...15 more minutes."  I just kept pushing till the end.  I finished the race in 3:17:53, 18th place overall, and 3rd in my age group.

Post Race

At the end of the race, I had mixed feelings about my race.  First, I was actually really happy with finishing at all.  I honestly had forgotten how hard marathons were.  I guess a better way of putting it would be that I took running a quick marathon for granted.  It's not easy at all.  See, over the last couple years, I have been running shorter races, simply using my base fitness.  Marathons are not easy, nor can you just mosey your way through one.  Sure, you may be able to mosey your way to just simply finishing one, but if you have ambitious goals, you better have put in the work...and consistent work.  Ultimately, at 3:17 marathon is nothing to scoff at.  Especially knowing that I took four weeks off from a 16 week training plan (25%).  Not only did I miss 25% of my training plan,  two weeks were the two biggest weeks leading up to my taper.

After the race, I got to hang out with my buddy from Winnebago.  I haven't seen him in what felt like years.  But it was great to catch up with him after a race.  He ran the half marathon after working all night.  After sticking around for a bit, I headed home to try and take a nap before work.  Yup, I had to work third shift the night after a marathon.

What's on Tap

With my marathon out of the way, I have one remaining "A" race left on my schedule and it is quite possibly my biggest race, at least since the Ironman.  On October 22nd, I will be running the "Fall 50," a 50 mile ultra marathon in Door County, WI.  I am also 1/3 of the way into my goal of running 2016 miles in 2016.  I am behind the 8 ball to be honest, but with my training for the Fall 50 coming up later this summer, I should be close.  Also coming up is our family trip to Florida, which we are all very excited for.