MY JOURNEY TO BOSTON 2014
Running the Wausau marathon was a last minute registration after deciding not to run the Boston marathon 2 weeks prior to race day. My training for the Boston marathon was going perfectly up until the end of my first 20 mile long run. Unsure of the injury, I went to the doctor and got the diagnosis of a "borderline" stress fracture in the metatarsals of my right foot. The doctor cleared me to run Boston but encouraged me to take time off. I spent many long days in the pool and on the bike hoping and praying I'd be able to run the race. After taking 4-5 weeks off, I decided to "test" my foot on an easy run one afternoon and after 5-6 miles, the pain was back almost immediately. I was definitely bummed at this point and tried to think through how I could run/walk Boston while dealing with this nagging pain.
After talking through everything with my family and Brett, I decided in my best interest (and especially for my future running plans), to not run at Boston. After having everything set for the race (travel plans and race goals in mind), I was definietly frustrated and bummed by this decision. I know things happen for a reason but after hearing and seeing the sad and tragic news that occured on that race day in Boston, I felt blessed and lucky that my family and I were safe and sound. The reason I chose Wausau was because it was the only race that allowed me a few weeks to fully "heal" as well as was before the registration date for Boston 2014. Not knowing how I would feel during the training for Wausua, I decided to run a very "easy" and low mileage based training plan. The plan called for 3-4 runs a week and one 20 mile long run. I have never done anything like this before but knew I wanted to run at Boston in 2014 (and be healthy!) more than anything so I decided to take the risk of running a new plan.
Although I finished the training plan injury free, I really did not feel totally fit on race day. Wausua was definitely a very low key and relaxed marathon. The race started on a dirt road at one of the local parks (about 1 mile away from our hotel) and everyone seemed as though they were out for just another long run in a beautiful country/midwest setting. During the national anthem prior to the race, I got teary eyed thinking about my goals and how badly I wanted to just re-qualify for Boston. I really didn't care about my finish time...I just wanted to finish and re-qualify. The runners, volunteers, and friends/family at this race were super friendly and encouraging. I was by myself most of the race but thankfully Brett decided to ride his bike ahead of me and cheer me on a various spots. Below is a small recap of the miles and how I was feeling. I was beyond surprised with my finishing time and was super excited to find out that I actually "won" the female division of the entire marathon. I couldn't have done this without the support of my loving and caring husband (and coach), family, friends, and the Wausau community. Thank you Wausau for an awesome experience.
Wausau Marathon, August 24, 2013
Goal time: 3:20/Re-qualify for Boston
Actual time: 3:00.39; 1st female, 8th overall
Training program: 12 weeks (1 long run/week with 20.5 miles being the longest run)
Miles 1-3: felt okay. Very nervous about my foot and how it would respond to the distance/pace. I started out at an easy pace to be sure my foot was warmed up before I pushed it. After about the 3rd mile, I began to relax a bit and get into a groove.
Miles 3-6: felt better. Less nervous and my legs and foot felt great. I continued to keep the pace relatively consistent from the beginning so that I didn’t go out too fast. I was with 2-3 other people during this time in the race which was nice at times but also annoying. Annoying only because I totally dislike when people run with headphones on and music turned up to the point that others around you can hear it (just a small pet peeve of mine). One of the guys I was running with though was a good running “partner.” He said no more than 2-3 comments within the entire time we were running together. And when he did talk, it was all positive.
Miles 6-10: Getting into a groove. The 2nd female was close by me at this time. I had no desire to ever push the pace before the race started (only to maintain a consistent pace to enable me to requalify for Boston) but when I felt the 2nd female creeping up to me, I wanted to see how my body responded to it all...so I pushed it a bit.
Miles 10-13: Nearing the half-way point. The entire run, I was counting down the miles. When I reached mile 10, I told myself “only 16 more miles to go...I can do this and I have run 16 miles many times.” I would also picture myself where I was during my training runs at this point in the race (how I felt at mile 16 during the training run and where I was on my routes...the Cleveland MetroPark was the primary location that I had stuck in my head).
Miles 13-15: thank goodness for my husband. I felt just fine at this point but was beginning to have more times of running by myself than I did running with someone else. Having Brett on his bike ahead of me was a blessing for sure. It gave me something to focus on rather than thinking “Oh, I’m by myself, I’m comfortable and don’t need to run any faster.” When I run by myself, I rarely push the pace unless it is a workout and/or race. As cheesy as it sounds, I was more or less “chasing” Brett through Wisconsin.
Miles 15-18: These miles I felt the best. I thought about pushing the pace more but knew I had at least 10 miles to go and was afraid of the “unknown” and possibly hitting the wall. I was starting to get hungry at this point too but snacked on my fruit snacks until mile 21. The temperature was starting to get warmer at this point as well so I made sure to hydrate at every water station possible.
Miles 18-21: Getting excited to finish but not sure I’d have a “full tank” to push and feel good at the end. Doubting myself quite a bit here that I PRed by so much. I was by myself through most of these miles again as well which was nice but also difficult to ever want to really push myself. I tried to stay calm and relaxed and just enjoy every minute of the race.
Miles 21-24: Needed an extra Gel block because I was starving at mile 21. Not sure if I was so hungry because I didn’t eat much the night before and/or if my body really just needed that extra gel block. I usually eat 1-2 packs of fruit snacks and 1 gel block on my previous marathons so needing an extra gel block was a bit of a surprise. Glad to have the extra energy/nutrition though because it did seem to help with the remaining miles.
Miles 24-26.2: Wanted to break 3 but not feeling totally ready. When Brett asked if I wanted my splits to be able to break 3, I said no. When I finished so close to the 3 hour mark, I was regretful that I didn’t push it more but at the same time, I was very happy with my race time. Definitely an awesome feeling finishing at the 3 hour mark exactly and to be the 1st female. I had a bit of a kick at the end but not a ton. Once again, being by myself wasn’t the easiest because I never really felt like I had to push myself but at the same time, it was a blessing so that I could finish and feel as good as I did.
Post-run: Never really got super sore like I have after Boston marathons. Ready to run again on day 3 (easy though). Excited for what the future holds and definitely more focused on my running goals. I think the biggest challenge for me will be to push myself past my comfort points and to not be afraid of running fast.
Estimated Mile Splits
1 - 7:10
2 - 14:28 (7:18)
3 - 20:34 (6:06)
4 - 27:36 (7:02)
5 - 34:19 (6:43)
6 - 41:20 (7:01)
Missed 7
8 - 55:21 (14:01 for 2 miles)
9 - 61:28 (6:07)
10 - 68:14 (6:46)
11 - 76:16 hilly (8:02)
12 - 83:27 (7:09)
13 - 1:30:38 (7:11)
14 - 1:37:45 (7:07)
15 - 1:44:47 (7:02)
16 - 1:51:35 (6:48)
17 - 1:58:25 (6:50)
18 - 2:07:24 (Doesn't seem right. Was racing ahead to give her clif blocks)
21 - 2:25ish
22 - 2:30:40
23 - 2:38:31 (7:49)
24 - 2:45:20 (6:49)
25 - 2:52:12 (6:52)
26.2 - 3:00:39 (8:27 in final 1.2)
