A Tale of Two Races – A Dickens of an Experience (sorry about the length)
It was the worst of times. It was the best of times. It was the season of sweat. It was the season of comfort. It was the summer of walk. It was the winter of run.
Marathon 1 (first marathon ever, 61 years old, foolishness? possibly? probably? definitely!): USAF Marathon, WPAFB, Dayton Ohio, September 15, 2018. I had run twice in the USAF half. It is close to home and covers familiar territory. Goals: A – 4:30, B – 5:00, C – Finish. The race began in foggy conditions at 7:30 at 72°F, 96% humidity. Typically there is a flyover but this year it didn’t happen or wasn’t visible because of the fog. The course runs between two areas of the Air Force Base. The first three miles go up and down about 150’, thereafter the course is relatively flat except for an overpass or two. Around mile 5, the course enters a base housing area where residents come out in support – candy, bacon, drinks, cheering, signs and more. Between miles 8 and 10, the course exits the base and enters the older section of the city of Fairborn. This was the best of the course. The town folks came out in mass and cheer with veracity. USAF personnel appear throughout the course to offer encouragement. The course runs along the north side of the primary runway and passes by Huffman Prairie where the Wright Brothers refined their early invention. There are some pretty lonely yet scenic stretches on this course between miles 15 and 18. The waning miles return back to the start which is located adjacent to the US Air Force Museum.
At race start, the Event Alert System (EAS) classification was moderate (yellow) and I considered some pace adjustments accordingly. My first half time was 2:19:35. My A goal was out but I was still looking good for the B goal. Two or three miles later the aid stations indicated that the EAS rating had been raised to High (Red). By mile 17, I was starting to feel the heat and began to alternate walking and jogging. By mile 21, everyone was walking. The EAS rating had been elevated to Severe (Black). My completion time was 5:43:17. At least I had achieved the C goal and finished. I didn’t realize then that the C goal had been in more danger than I had thought.
Race results indicated that I was 27 out of 30 for my age group which was discouraging. I thought I had performed a little better than that. I later found out that the course was officially closed around noon. About 500 runners that were behind me and had yet to reach about mile 20 were boarded onto a bus and transported ahead of me to the finish line. Some chose to cross and receive medals. Others decided that since they had not actually finished the course that they would not cross the finish line. Race organizers issued an email explaining the circumstances and rationale. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature reached and exceeded 85, and medical were overwhelmed with dehydrated and overheated runners. Organizers acknowledged offered complementary entry into the 2019 or 2020 marathon to anyone that was stopped while on the course. The fact is that the weather was just brutal.
My feelings were that while I had technically completed a Marathon, I hadn’t actually ran a Marathon. The latter half felt more like a long distance walk. I expressed this to my coach. She thought about it and recommended considering the CNO Financial Monumental Marathon in Indianapolis. After some deliberation, I decided to commit – the second tale.
Marathon 2 (second marathon ever, obviously LOL): CNO Financial Monumental Marathon, Indianapolis, Indiana, November 3, 2018. This Race starts and finishes by the Indiana State Capital building. It is very well attended and has sold out the past 6 years. For the first 7 miles, the half and full share the same route which winds past many famous downtown buildings. With the split, the marathon continues northward along Fall Creek and follows a long circle-ish pattern through mostly Indy neighborhoods through mile 23. Then the course turns south for the final leg back into downtown.
In contrast with the USAF Marathon, the starting temperature was a cool 35°F. It felt warmer than the 2018 Disney World Half even though the temperature was about the same. The pack was broken into 5 waves, the first of which started at 8:00. I was assigned to wave 4 which had a predicted pace slower than I planned but certainly acceptable. The course was wide enough in the early stages that running at a planned pace was not encumbered.
The McMillan calculator predicted that I was capable of ~4:13 and my coach indicated that she thought I had a 4:15 in me. I was skeptical based on the work reported by
@DopeyBadger that the factor applied for marathon calculation is higher for less experienced/slower runners. Nevertheless, the target pace was set at 9:45 and off we went. The time for the half was 2:08:30. OK but the big question was whether the pace could be maintained for the second half. New territory here. Would the dreaded wall make an appearance? The 30K (18.6 mile) split was a bit slower. The last 8 miles will be remembered for both agony and ecstasy. The feet kept moving. The lungs kept breathing. The heart kept pumping. The mind kept encouraging. In the end, the final 8 miles were at a 9:50 pace and the net time was 4:19:07.
It’s farcical logic but there is a path that the time gets to ~4:12. If the overage of 0.25 miles (~2 minutes and I diligently tried to run the tangents) is removed and the Porta-Potty time (5 minutes) is removed (if only my bowels would have cooperated), then it gets to 4:12 as McMillan predicted. Of course this is whimsical thinking. Both these times were legitimately incurred as part of the official time and are fair for inclusion. What a hopeless dreamer…
In retrospect, both marathons were good experiences for different reasons. I learned some things about myself in both races. I especially look to those last 8 miles of the Monumental. That was an experience that made all of this training and time worthwhile.
I’m uncertain if I’ll run another marathon. This may be a one(two)-and-done thing. I don’t want to give up the fitness level so I will try to keep running/training. I will probably stick to the half marathons for a while and see where that goes. From past experience, there needs to be an event or motivation and discipline becomes fleeting for me. The Walt Disney World half is next scheduled event.
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At Monumental with USAF outfit.
