Fox Cities Marathon - Race Report

The Fox Cities Marathon is one of my favorite races.  It is organized, it runs through my hometown and the entire fox valley, and it's run in the late summer/early fall, which is my favorite time of year.  It's been 8 years since I've last run the Fox Cities Marathon.  The Fox Cities Marathon was my first ever marathon back in 2007 and it is also the course I've run my marathon PR on, in 2010 of 3:03:46.  For all of these reasons, the Fox Cities Marathon holds a special place in my heart.  Coming off of a 3:04:58 marathon at the Oshkosh Marathon this past spring, I wanted to push all my hypothetical chips into the middle of the table and work my ass off and finally break the 3 hour threshold.

After recovering from the Oshkosh Marathon someone recommended I check out the Hanson's Marathon Method.  After they read my Race Report from the Oshkosh Marathon and heard me describe my late race struggles of feeling weak and drained the final 10k, he felt I could benefit from the Hanson's Marathon Method.  I figured I really had nothing to lose and could possibly benefit from a change in my training strategies.  So I purchased the Hanson's Marathon Method book and followed the Advance Plan while running an additional 2 miles for each scheduled "easy" training run.  The book recommended upping weekly mileage by running these additional 2 miles if you were looking to run a marathon under 3 hours.  Below are my print offs of my training schedule I followed leading up to the marathon.  The only changes I made, were instead of having my off day scheduled on Wednesdays, I bumped Friday's easy training run to Wednesday and bumped Saturday and Sunday's run to Friday and Saturday, then had my off days on Sundays.  This just made my life easier for family and personal reasons.  Essentially my week was broken down as follows:

• Monday: Easy
• Tuesday: Speed/Strength Day
• Wednesday: Easy
• Thursday: Tempo
• Friday: Easy
• Saturday: Easy/Long Run
• Sunday: Off

  

Prerace

Heading into race week, I was skeptical and had no real idea how the race was going to go for me.  Since June, I had been struggling with some achilles tendonitis and a soft tissue injury to my hip.  I was pretty sure I would be able to push through the full race, but truly didn't know.  I modified the training schedule the final week, to include 3 total off days, opposed to the scheduled one day off the training plan called for.  Weather-wise, you couldn't ask for a better forecast.  At race time the forecasted temperatures were in the middle-to-upper 40's increasing into the upper 50's by 10:00am.  I chose to wear a new pair of shorts I bought at the race expo, which I know is a text book no-no, but I felt comfortable with the shorts and myself that it wouldn't be an issue.

Saturday night was a relaxing evening, and had a filet of Ahi tuna, some wild rice, and a sweat potato.  Sarah and I dropped the girls off at my parents house for the night as Sarah was running the half marathon on Sunday too.  We got to bed early and eventually woke up at 4:15am.  We picked up Tessa and my dad and parked our vehicle in Neenah near the finish line and took a bus to the start line.  We got to the start line about an hour before race start.  I took care of some business and started warming up around 6:30.  Throughout my training, I had been experimenting with Rock Tape and used Rock Tape on both calves with hope that it would help prevent any potential issues throughout the race.

Nutrition Plan

If you have read any of my past race reports, you'd know I like to keep things consistent and simple.  So, with about an hour to go before the race, I took a couple Tissue Rejuvenator capsules, Mito Caps, and Race Caps Supreme.  Normally, I also take a couple Anti-Fatigue Caps, but because I was a total procrastinator, I never ordered a new bottle after running out.  With about 15 minutes to go until race time, I took a serving of Hammer Fully Charged, which is a phenomenal preworkout booster which I don't ever go without.  During the race, I planned on taking a Hammer Gel about every 6 miles with the first at about mile 8, and then miles 14 and 20 respectively. 

Miles 0-13.1

This entire season, I bought into the Hanson's Marathon Method.  With that being said, part of their philosophy is to race with even splits.  So that was my goal.  I trained all summer to race at a 6:40/mile pace.  I know that a 2:59:59 marathon equates to a 6:52/mile pace.  Knowing this, my strategy throughout the race was to have every mile fall between a 6:40-6:50 split.  As the race started I really wanted to judge how things were going to play out throughout the first 10k.  Everything was feeling pretty good after the first few miles.  My calves were feeling good, my hip was a non-issue, and simply put, I felt good.  Then, around mile 5 or so, I started to notice a pain on the outside of my left foot.  It felt like a shoe issue and was debating changing shoes when I next saw my mom.  As I continued, the pain slowly just went away.  It was weird and hard to describe, but like I said, it felt like a shoe issue, but just disappeared later on as I continued running.  I continued pushing forward and feeling good.  I crossed the half way point at about 1:28, which was basically right on track for what I had hoped.

Miles 13.1-20

It was around miles 15 or so, where I started to get some minor side stitches.  I got really concerned and worried that my day was going to completely become unraveled.  Throughout my training, following the Hanson's Marathon Method, I never ran further than 16 miles in a single training run.  Typically, I go at least 20 miles, multiple times, if not up to 22 or 24 miles.  I started wondering if my training was failing me and I was just going to fall apart by the time I hit mile 18+.  I knew that I had a couple of options, one, I could worry about my training and the side stitches, or I could focus on what I can control and just keep pushing forward.  Eventually, the side stitches went away, and I was right back to turning out splits all within my goal target range of 6:40-6:50.

Miles 20-26.2

As soon as I hit the 20 mile mark, I checked my watch to see how things were going and what the chances were of my FINALLY getting my sub 3 hour marathon.  At mile 20, I was at 2:15:05, so I knew all I had to do was run 7:00 miles for the final 10k and I would be right were I needed to be to set myself up for success.  Only problem was, I was hurting.  I kept pushing hard, knowing that I had a chance.  Around miles 23/24, my hamstrings started cramping.  I knew that if I just kept pushing they would lock up on me good, so I took short stretching breaks to loosen up my hamstrings.  I did my best to do this while continuing to move forward.  I ended up coming down the homestretch and saw the race clock just break 3:00:00.  I pushed as hard as I could to try and put up a 3:00:XX finish time.  I crossed the finish line in 3:01:05, missing my ultimate goal by 66 seconds.  66 F#*king seconds.  Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to set a new PR.  A PR that has been in place for 8 years.  It leaves me motivated for next year and excited to have a great race.  It also confirms that the Hanson's Marathon Method is legit and without a doubt, I will be following their training plan next year with the goal of again, a sub 3 hour marathon.

Post Race

I finished the race in 8th place and 1st in my age group (technically 2nd, but the 1st overall finisher was also in my age group).  I am thrilled with my race and my time, I am also bummed to come so close to the goal I have been chasing for over 8 years.  After the race, I hung out with Sarah, my dad, and my kids.  It was an awesome day.  A damn near perfect day for a marathon.  After taking in some water and moving around to loosen up, I got to ring my first ever PR bell.  I have never gotten to ring a PR bell, since there never really was a "PR bell" when I set my last PR 8 years ago.  We then let the girls play on the playground while we all waited for Tessa to cross the finish line after her first ever marathon.

What's on Tap

Since finishing the Fox Cities Marathon, I haven't even run a single mile...and quite honestly, it's been pretty nice.  I worked my ass of the past 4 months training for this race.  I have run the most miles throughout those 4 miles ever during training and made a lot of sacrifices throughout those months.  Mentally and physically, I just need a break from training.  My achilles need to heal up and so does my hip.  Also, I mentioned the pain I felt in my left foot early on in the race that eventually just went away.  Turns out that after the race, later in the day, I started feeling a tingly pain every time my foot plants.  It's strange.  It's not painful, but just a weird sensation in my feet.  It has now been a couple weeks since the race, and I'm still dealing with the apparent nerve issue.  I'm hoping the issue eventually goes away, but we'll have to wait and see.  I have also been working on a new table and bench set for our house which has taken up pretty much all my free time the past couple weeks.  I'll get a blog post up soon about that build later on.

As always, thanks for reading and Cheers!

The Other Side of the Curb

Today was the running of the Fox Cities Marathon.  In past years, I am usually wearing a race bib and participating.  But not today.  Today, I would be on the other side of the curb as a spectator.  It has been years since I last watched a race from the sidewalks.  The last race I watched was the Green Bay Marathon back in 2006, over 7 years ago!  I watched my dad run that marathon and qualify for the Boston Marathon for the first time.  Back then I was just starting to gain interest in endurance sports.  I really didn't have the passion I do now for endurance sports.  I also didn't have the appreciation for what it takes to prepare for such events.

This year, however, would be different.  My race season came to an end two weeks ago following Ironman Wisconsin.  This is the earliest my race season has ever ended.  If you have read my last post, "Post Ironman Depression," you know how I've been handling the down time.  If not, let's just say it's been hard and different.  But, since posting the update, things have been getting better.  My mood has been on the up and up.  I have been starting to look into new races to do in 2014 and I have been getting more and more excited.  I have also been talking to friends about how I've been feeling along with teammates and other people who have been in my position before - which has helped greatly.  Also, simply writing the post about how I've been feeling seemed to help.  But, today, I got some unexpected therapy.

My good friend from work, Bob and his wife, Sadie, were running in the Fox Cities Half Marathon.  This was Sadie's first ever half marathon, so I really wanted to get out to the course to offer some support to bother her and Bob.  Bob was gunning for a finish around 1:30, while Sadie was hoping for a time under 2:10.  I had worked the night before for 12 hours and finished work at 6am.  The race started at 7am, so, my first hope was to get to the start line and watch them take off.  I got to the start line around 6:45 and was lucky to find Bob and Sadie.  It was a cool morning, with temps below 50, but ultimately it was a perfect day for a marathon/half marathon.  Both Bob and Sadie, were doing well, nervous, anxious, and excited.  I had thought I would have hated being in that atmosphere without actually running, but it was the exact opposite.  I was excited to be there and fed off the excitement from all the runners.  It was great to be there as a spectator.  I have never been in that position before.  I enjoyed it.  Don't get me wrong, I would have rather been running, but it fun to be there supporting the runners.

After watching the race start, I jumped in my car and drove to mile 2.5.  I was there early enough to watch the race leaders go by and I stayed there until both Bob and Sadie passed.  They were just getting into their comfort zone for the remaining 10-11 miles.  Right after they ran by, I headed to mile 7 and got there early enough to watch a lot of runners pass by.  Bob ran by right on pace for a 1:30 finish and he looked fresh and strong.  A little while later Sadie went by looking just as good and she looked like she was having fun.

While waiting for Sadie to run by I got to see so many runners pass by.  It was during this time I had a ton of thoughts go through my mind.  I hope I don't come off conceited, but all of my races, I am usually in the front packs of runners.  I start races in the lead groups to avoid the crowds and try to finish with the lead groups.  I am always a part of the race, pulling energy from the spectators, never have I been on the curb just watching runners pass by.  I saw a wide range of runners all with different goals.  I saw the lead runners who share similar goals as I do, very specific goals, with precise paces and strategies.  I saw runners who had general goals of finishing under certain time.  I saw running who had private goals of just finishing.  I also saw runners who had very simplistic goals, such as just having fun and enjoying the camaraderie of the other runners and enjoying the atmosphere of having crowds of people throughout the entire run.  They would be running with friends and family members.  They would be chatting, laughing, and having fun.  It was completely different from what I was used to seeing.  It was refreshing.  It was inspiring.  It was a completely new and different side of races.

Like I said, it was refreshing.  It inspired me and reminded me what endurance sports are all about.  It's not about the time, even for the elite runners.  Sure, it's nice to place or finish under your predetermined goal time.  But, there's more to it than that.  It's about the journey that brings you the finish line.  It's about the "stuff" that comes between the clock starting and the clock stopping.  Every race brings new challenges.  They always have many ups and downs.  You never know what a race will bring.

Watching this race was exactly what I needed to shake this funk I was in.  It was entertaining, it was inspiring, and it was motivating.  So congratulations to all the finishers today in all races across the country!  I hope all racers found some joy in their races and are proud for simply getting to the start line and having the courage to start the race.  Also congratulations to Bob who finished in 1:31 and Sadie who crushed her first time goal with a time of 2:07!

Be fast, be strong, and carry on!