Yep, an under 4:30 marathon. Eat that Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon!
Packet pickup was a joke. Well, I guess I couldn't say that. They didn't advertise it as an expo. Three tables in a gym where people were playing basketball. The half marathon bibs had 7 or 8 stacks. The marathon had 3 stacks. When I saw that I got more nervous. The shirt? Ugly ugly ugly. Burgundy and the logo from the race. And when I put it on, it was huge and I got a small!!! But then again for a $55 marathon, I guess I can't complain too much. So needless to say, no pin and no window cling for my car.
I decided the night before that I was going to run with my Virtual Parter, Phil on the Garmin. I set him for a pace of 10:25. I also set it so that my Garmin will switch between the screens on a medium screen.
I have a lot of photos to include but since I don't know whether or not people like pictures with posts, here's a link to the album. View it if you want to.Funny thing happened to me at the start. I was in the port-a-potty when the race started! Thank goodness for chip timing! I left Luke at the start saying I'll see ya when I see ya. I really had no idea but I knew it was going to be much later. He was going to be on his rollerblades.
The first few miles, I stayed well within that pace. Slowly, letting people pass me. Not worrying too much about anything. It was extremely chilly. I had wished that I wore my arm warmers. My hands finally warmed up about 2 miles in.
I didn't start my iPod because there were so much chit-chatting around me. Then I started the chit-chatting myself. Around mile 2, I got to talking with someone, asking them questions about the race. Then I think he started to get mad and stopped talking and raced on ahead of me. By this time, I was about a second or two ahead of Phil.
I had my camera & cell phone in my pocket attached to my SPIbelt but it was bouncing around too much so I grabbed my camera and just tied it around my wrist like I do in all my races. This will be my first & only time seeing my hometown like this, I might as well take pictures along the way!
Mile 5 I heard my cell phone text message sound. I still didn't have my iPod on. I pulled it out and it was my Dad. I sent him a response back saying I'm at mile 5.63. I started passing people at this point but yet I was still going well.
Ran past a woman wearing a Pumpkinfest 10k shirt. We said a few things about that race.
Ran through the one & only toll in Rockford. Speed limit said 5 MPH. It will be the one and only time that I was breaking a speed limit on foot! :-)
Running down N. 2nd St., I came across two taller girls (about an inch or two taller than me) and decided I was going to use them to keep me slow. Then I saw Luke. I was waving frantically behind them. He finally saw me.
I jumped the curb and I told him, I'm not out of breath, I'm doing well, I'm faster than my time, I haven't started my iPod and I'm not out of breath. I kissed him and went on my way.
I kept looking behind me and he finally joined up with me. I was talking to him. He was getting a look on his face but I told him, I'm not doing bad! I did the math wrong in my head again too. I said I had 13 miles left, I didn't, I had 17 miles. We had a good laugh at that.
There was a guy behind us that when I kissed Luke, this guy said that's one way to get motivation for a run. He ended up catching up with us. Asked about the bag that I was having Luke run with from the Illinois Half Marathon I did a few weeks ago. He also ran the half and he & I were talking about that.
This guy passed me and Luke split off when we were getting ready to go on the bike path. I ran into the guy again and about ready to pass him and asked if he wanted to run together. He agreed but didn't know if he could go my pace. I said that I'll slow down.
We chit-chatted pretty much for the next 2 miles. His name is Larry and he's a former marine that got his by a grenade and hurt his knee. His friend tripped over a cone in the race and twisted his ankle & knee and no longer could go his 1:45 pace. During those 2 miles with Larry, we split around another fellow runner. Come to find out, he was the guy from Mile 2 who I think got mad at me and took off to leave me behind. He was walking. I tapped him on the arm and smiled and said come on as I passed him.
At Mile 12 water table, Larry had to stop & walk and said that he'll leave me here but wished me luck on the rest of the marathon. When I split off from the half at 12.6, I heard Larry scream my name and said go get em! I pumped my arm in the air.
Right after that I hit a big hill. It was the only spot in the race that I walked besides through the water tables. This hill is a monster. Also, at this time, I got to see exactly how small the marathon field is.
Mile 13 was on top of the bridge. There was a guy taking pictures. I was feeling cheesy so I thew up the peace sign and smiled. Unfortunately, I heard him take the picture after I stopped smiling and was no longer looking at him but at the Mile 13 sign.
Luke totally surprised me not long after that about Mile 14. There were 2 runners in front of me that I've been following for miles now. I knew I was going to pass them but was debating when and how. Then I heard someone exclaim something and I looked over and saw Luke on the corner. I was like "Oh Hai!" We were chit-chatting again. The guy of the two runners beside me looked like he was in utter pain, his face was all scrunched.
Nothing too significant happened in these miles. Luke stopped to pick up something on the ground and told me not to stop. When he caught back up with me again, I told him "don't worry about me stopping. I won't even stop, even if you fall. Haha, just kidding." But he told him that he wouldn't want me to even then cause he'd feel bad. I know where he's coming from.
I was still knocking people off left & right. Passing people. I was still chit-chatting and my pace was still 10:15/10:16. My Garmin was a bit longer than the race course though. I would hit the next mile and a little bit later they had the sign.
Got into a neighbourhood loop and told Luke to stay at the corner and we'll pick back up again. In the neighbourhood, I met up with another runner when I saw the mile 17 sign and said "I've been looking forward to that sign for a few miles now. Only single digits to go!" We got to talking about Chicago Marathon and smaller races. He's doing another marathon in 2 weeks in Rochester, MN.
Luke met up with us right before Mile 18 and from here on out, he was with me on his blades. At one point, we had cars behind us honking on the road. It was a 2 lane road and cones were nowhere along the course but we were going single file along the white line. After 3 honks, Luke & I finally turned around and pointed to go around us. There were about 5 runners in total in the area. Three people behind me and two in front.
Right before Mile 21, I asked Luke for my pretzels. He handed me 3 squares and then I took a cup of water to help mush them in my mouth and swallow. Then I got 3 more pretzels and wash them down again.
Then it was bike path from Mile 21 to just over Mile 24. It was here that someone I passed (he was walking) at Mile 20.5, passed me with a vengeance. It was funny & notable because there's a 180 turn we had to do and as he was coming back towards me, he was looking directly at me. But that turn hurt badly. My feet were taking a beating by this time. I also dumped water on me for the first time.
I was still ticking people off left & right. It was very liberating and felt great to do so. But I was starting to get in pain. And I started to say as much to Luke. I knew I was on a 4:30 pace. Since I was under my goal pace, I thought I could definitely do an under 4:30 but I couldn't do the math too well out there and since my Garmin was over on the distance, it wasn't helping too much. But Luke could do the math and he was saying that it could happen. I started to get choked up, I told him that he can't say anything like that because otherwise I'll start crying!
At Mile 23, I had 3:55. I told Luke that if I could keep up under 10 minute miles from here on out, I could have an under 4:30 marathon. But the ball of my right foot started to hurt badly. So Mile 22, was 9:46. Crazy that I had that in me but then I started to falter. I gave Luke my iPod. I still hadn't turned it on so why bother wearing it anymore? And now looking at my Garmin stats, I can't believe that in Miles 22, 23 and 24 I was able to go under 10 minutes a mile. WTH?!
I told Luke to leave me at Mile 25 and to go to the finish line. He finally did at 25.25 and then I was left on my own. And of course right at that point, there was a bridge hill and strong winds. I slowed down but I didn't walk!
I DIDN'T WALK. Then back down the same hill that I walked up at 12.5 miles. A volunteer said that around the corner is 26 and then a .2 left to go. I wondered if she was in fact right, most people say "Almost there" but you're not even close.
Well, come to find out, she was right. I turned the corner and I saw the Mile 26 sign under the bridge. I kissed my hand and smacked the sign. The volunteer there was sooooooooo motivating, she was talking so much and such positive things. I have no idea what she said but it started to choke me up. Up a small incline and I went in between 2 guys passing them. There was a guy in a van saying people's bib numbers in a walkie talkie. I heard him say my number.
I turned the corner and there was the finish line. The two guys that I passed were talking about turning on the speed and I figured I would let them and they did. They blew past me but the good news is that I was all by myself on the bridge. I looked around for Luke but the faces blended together so I couldn't see anyone. And then I saw the clock. It was 4:29:35. Suddenly, it was my goal to come under 4:30 clocktime. I started pushing it and pushing it. I got to the finish line at 4:29:52.
I think I had a smile on my face. I know I didn't throw up my hands at the finish line. I grabbed the medal that was held out to me as I was still slowing down from my 8:45 pace that I blew past the finish line. I also grabbed a water bottle and let it sink in me.
This is also the first marathon that I don't have a finisher photo of me. :-( Nothing to buy to put in a frame.
I looked around for Luke but I didn't see him. After a few more seconds of just walking around, I finally saw his head from the sidelines before the finish line and started to walk towards him and then I started crying. I hugged him so hard and all I could say is "I did it. I did it." He had the biggest smile on his face.
Someone was nice enough to offer to take our picture. He asked I hope those are tears of joy. I said yes! And his friend was wearing the Lakefront Marathon shirt from last year. I pointed to that shirt and said "I ran that race last October and got 4:53. I ran today in 4:28!" They were very congratulatory after that. After he took our pictures, Luke and I just walked around for a little bit, holding hands.
Finally we walked into Davis Park were I found a spot to plop down. After a while, I got back up and grabbed a banana, cup of water, Gatorade and 2 bags of chips (locally made in Rockford!). I sent out a mass text message. And then looked at Luke and said "So, Rochester in 2 weeks?" He just smiled.
Notes:
- I ate a bowl of oatmeal & one half of a bagel before the race.
- I still got hungry at 9:40 am.
- I had three PowerBar Gel Blasts at mile 6 and three at mile 12 and three at mile 18. Nothing after that but a few pretzels at Mile 21.
- I walked through all the water tables (except for table #1 which I didn't stop at). I also had only water at all the tables. Once I saw Luke, I was having my PowerBar drink that I had stored in my bag that he was carrying around. That helped for the electrolytes.
- At mile 4, I was fantasizing about finishing under 4:30 and I sped up quite a bit at that time. I really had to stop myself from doing that.
- At Mile 20, I told Luke that I'm already thinking about my next marathon and doing the Indianapolis Marathon in November. He laughed. He said most people here are just thinking about getting to the next mile or finishing this one. He said that it was a very good sign.
- Apparently, Luke screamed my name after they said my name over the loudspeaker. Even the announcer said something about my cheering squad. However, I heard nothing. I was so focused on that clock & my time. I heard no screams. It was really an odd thing looking back on it now.
- I did wear my calf sleeves. They're black. My legs got warm from the sun beating on them. I probably should have gone with white.
- I thanked all the cops at the intersections but the first one. I also started to thank the volunteers towards the end by actually saying "thank you for volunteering!"
- Luke was getting more cheers than I was at some points. Around Mile 23 or 24 we passed by a group of 6 or 7 spectators and he got the "Go Support Team!" yell. He also got called my sherpa. In a small race like this, you can definitely do what we did. There was no mention of no rollerblades on the website, just no strollers, dogs or bikes.
I will say this though, even though he was with me for quite a while, I could still have done this race without him. I told him as much and he agreed with me. Now, I would have gotten probably over 4:30 because around Mile 22 I really started to be in pain and wanted to walk and he kept me going. Although, at the same time, once I reached Mile 23 and saw that I could finish under 4:30, I sped myself up. He had nothing to do with it. I also didn't need the PowerBar drink that he had. They had PowerAde drinks at the tables. I'm not sure how much the six pretzels helped me either.
This finish was a lot better than I had the last time I came close to beating 4:30. With St. Louis last year, I had no one to hug me. No one to hang out with at the finisher's area. I also had to walk back to the hotel room by myself. I was wondering if Luke's parents were going to come out for it. Luke wondered the same thing outloud on our way back home after the race but he said that they're probably so used to him not wanting people at his races that they assumed the same thing. They have offered to go to his races but he's always declined, saying that he's fine by himself.
Later on that day, we took a long-ish walk just to keep my legs loose. But my tummy was not happy with me. Things were not going well down below at all. I finally decided that I needed to get real, solid food in me and we ate at Red Robin for dinner.
I was actually surprised at how well I felt, muscle wise. Usually it hurts to sit down or stand up and I just have to plop down. But I can actually do squats!
Oh and my hyperextended knee? Yea, it's fine too. Not sure how that happened but it's still a bit tight when I straighten out my knee but no pain. I do have the muscle soreness that comes with any long run, especially when I stand up after sitting or laying down for a long time. But once I get up and moving, I'm fine. Luke and I walked to the grocery store the very next night (Monday night). Once we got back, my feet hurt and I took off my socks to take a shower and my toes were swollen. So I'll still have to be careful with the amount of time on my feet even though I feel OK.
Monday, I took off from work and treated myself to a massage & haircut. It was pamper Lindsay day. And I deserved it. :-)
Looking back on my splits from the race, I see now why I was passing people. All those people that finished directly behind me, were going faster than me at 6 miles and halfway. While I ran slow & steady.
Activity| Route: | -- | Elev. Avg: | 736 ft | | Location: | Rockford, IL | Elev. Gain: | -10 ft | | Date: | 05/16/10 | Up/Downhill: | [+885/-895] | | Time: | 07:04 AM | Difficulty: | 3.9 / 5.0 |
| Distance: | 26.35 miles | | | | Time: | 4:28:50 | | Speed: | 5.9 mph | | | | Pace: | 10' 12 /mi | | | | Calories: | 2828 | | |
 Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits| Mile | Pace (min/mile) | Speed (mph) | Elevation
Gain |
|---|
| actual | +/- avg | actual | +/- avg |
|---|
| 1 | 10' 18 | +0' 06 | 5.8 | -0.1 | +10 ft | | 2 | 10' 28 | +0' 16 | 5.7 | -0.2 | +17 ft | | 3 | 10' 19 | +0' 07 | 5.8 | -0.1 | +17 ft | | 4 | 9' 59 | -0' 13 | 6.0 | +0.1 | -20 ft | | 5 | 10' 10 | -0' 02 | 5.9 | +0.0 | -7 ft | | 6 | 10' 17 | +0' 05 | 5.8 | -0.1 | -27 ft | | 7 | 10' 06 | -0' 06 | 5.9 | +0.1 | +26 ft | | 8 | 10' 20 | +0' 08 | 5.8 | -0.1 | -4 ft | | 9 | 10' 20 | +0' 08 | 5.8 | -0.1 | -13 ft | | 10 | 10' 15 | +0' 03 | 5.8 | -0.0 | +7 ft | | 11 | 10' 13 | +0' 01 | 5.9 | -0.0 | -16 ft | | 12 | 10' 13 | +0' 01 | 5.9 | -0.0 | 0 ft | | 13 | 10' 18 | +0' 06 | 5.8 | -0.1 | +4 ft | | 14 | 10' 07 | -0' 05 | 5.9 | +0.0 | +23 ft | | 15 | 10' 23 | +0' 11 | 5.8 | -0.1 | +7 ft | | 16 | 10' 31 | +0' 19 | 5.7 | -0.2 | +7 ft | | 17 | 10' 15 | +0' 03 | 5.8 | -0.0 | +14 ft | | 18 | 10' 10 | -0' 02 | 5.9 | +0.0 | -3 ft | | 19 | 10' 23 | +0' 11 | 5.8 | -0.1 | +13 ft | | 20 | 10' 15 | +0' 03 | 5.8 | -0.0 | +30 ft | | 21 | 10' 11 | -0' 01 | 5.9 | +0.0 | -36 ft | | 22 | 9' 46 | -0' 26 | 6.1 | +0.3 | -23 ft | | 23 | 9' 34 | -0' 38 | 6.3 | +0.4 | -16 ft | | 24 | 9' 59 | -0' 13 | 6.0 | +0.1 | 0 ft | | 25 | 10' 19 | +0' 07 | 5.8 | -0.1 | +3 ft | | 26 | 10' 26 | +0' 14 | 5.8 | -0.1 | +6 ft | | end | 8' 47 | -1' 25 | 6.8 | +0.9 | -26 ft | | Versus average of 10' 12 min/mile |
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