Run CRANDIC 2019: A Day Zero F*cks Were Given
So, I've posted the outcome of my Sunday marathon already, but if you want to see how the sausage was made, feel free to read on...
I set my alarm for 5:15 Sunday morning, but woke up once around 3, again around 4 and for good around 5:05. I got up, used the restroom and got dressed. Since the starting temperature was only supposed to be 29, I initially opted for my cold weather running tights and base top, plus my running hoodie. I had originally planned to run in my Captain America compression shirt, but I thought it was going to be too cold for that.
Well, I got downstairs and put on my hoodie while packing up my gear and discovered the zipper on my hoodie was broken. So, I went back upstairs, found my Captain America compression shirt and threw it on over my base layer, hoping that would be warm enough for the race, along with my hat and gloves.
I left the house around 5:40 and parked near Hancher Auditorium on the University of Iowa campus a little before 6. The race didn't start until 6:30 and it was pretty brisk, so I didn't leave my car until around 6:10. I dropped my bag off at gear check and did some halfhearted stretches to stay warm. Although cold, it was a beautiful morning, with some really cool fog coming off the Iowa River. The race began on a bridge over the river.
As I indicated in the title, I had no plans, no concerns, no approach, no nothing toward this race. I figured I'd just settle into a pace and run that for as long as I could, figuring my wheels would come off at some point thanks to my somewhat lackadaisical approach to training for the last month. This would be my most chill marathon ever, reflecting my most chill training ever.
So, we started a little after 6:30, I turned on Strava and shut off my screen. I'd still get audio updates every hour and adjust as needed as I went. Again, no plan.
This was a *very* hilly course and started with a slow, mile long climb up to the interstate overpass. From there, we ran down into the river valley. It was super, super foggy - even foggier than the morning of the Disney half marathon for those of you who ran that. People 100 feet in front of me were disappearing into fog, even with the morning sun shining fairly brightly. It made for some great aesthetics.
The rolling hills continued for a few more miles, then we flattened out a bit as we headed into North Liberty, one of the several towns we ran through. I got some compliments on my Captain America shirt, which was cool. But there were very few spectators. Plus, no music or any kind of on course entertainment. It was easily the quietest marathon I've ever run. Plus, I think there were less than 300 marathon runners.
Anyway, we continued into North Liberty where there was a big party of spectators last year when this race was in it's first year. The problem was, the course was reversed last year, so we were hitting NL later in the morning. Plus, the half marathon started in NL last year, but didn't this year. End result: very few people spectating. But, I saw my friend Emily along the way, so it was fine.
Looking at my pace on Strava now for the first time, I was largely in the 8:40s-8:50s for splits for those first nine or so miles. Considering my last long run was three weeks earlier and at a pace of roughly 9:15-9:30, I figured I'd be in trouble sooner rather than later, maybe as soon as the half marathon point. I was popping energy chews with caffeine every couple of miles and grabbing water at each water stop, though, and everything was feeling pretty good.
At this point, a majority of the spectators had been the same sets of parents or wife/children combos cheering on the same runners every few miles (since we were running on a highway, it was easy to see a runner, drive ahead a mile, see them again, drive ahead, etc. etc.). So, as we were leaving North Liberty, some guy saw his wife and kids for the billionth time. She told him she loved him and I said, to no one in particular, "Aww, that's f*cking precious." Well, the dude next to me also had his wife and kids cheering him on along the course and jokingly asked me to not make fun of him when they showed up again. I told him no promises, but ended up running with him for the next 4-5 miles.
This guy (whose name I never got) was great company. He was a teacher from Dubuque and this was his 10th marathon. He helped me maintain my pace and we made small talk for several miles. It made the time and distance go by really fast. Eventually, he peeled off to get some supplies from his wife and kids and I was on my own again. But, I wasn't totally on my own. Over the next several miles I saw my friend Emily again, my friend Josh (one of the race organizers) several more times and a few other people I knew. Plus, the few spectators that were out were digging the Captain America shirt.
Sometime around mile 15 or 16, I figured the wall was coming at any time, plus I just kind of kept going, passed some people and managed to maintain my pace or even set some paces down in the 8:30s. Surprisingly, the miles just seemed to breeze by, too. I wasn't working very hard (or it didn't feel like it), but I was in a good zone mentally and physically.
I kept chugging past mile 16, 17, 18 ... I hit the wall hard at 18 down at Disney and anticipated the same this time, but dang it, but legs just kept going. I'm just barely smart enough to not question a good thing, so I just said, "Hey bud, let's party."
Around mile 19 or 20, I started doing the mental math and thought I might even manage a sub-4, which was not even remotely under consideration going into this race. I spent a mile or so thinking I might even PR before realizing I had the math wrong, but a sub-4 was still in the works.
I kept on keeping on through miles 20-24, passing people, cheering on people I saw walking and enjoying what turned out to be probably the best racing conditions I've ever had (or at least tied for the disney half). Not too warm, sunny, no wind. All bueno.
But finally, at mile 25 I hit the millionth hill on this course and it was a pretty steep one. So, I said to heck with it and walked the hill, which turned out to take longer than I had expected. That mile came in at 10:29. I was able to run downhill from there and keep that up until another hill during mile 26, which was shorter, but I also walked.
At this point, I knew I had my sub-4 since I had a pretty wide margin of error. I ran into another friend about a half mile from the finish line. He had run the half and gave me a high five as I passed. Then, I don't know, I just wanted to walk a second. A woman next to me said pretty quickly that I couldn't walk, so I said fine and ran to the finish. The final 10th of a mile had a ton of spectators, including a woman I used to work with, so that was nice.
I crossed the finish line, got my medal and realized I forgot to turn off Strava. Strava time was 3:54:20. Official time was 3:54:15. So, I missed my previous PR from almost exactly a year earlier by roughly 6 minutes.
So, I don't really know what to make of this race and the outcome, because it's truly unexpected. While I certainly put in some miles, I would not say I trained all that hard, especially in the last month. But, this was easily my most consistent race. It helped that I wasn't injured, the weather was perfect and I didn't have to worry about Disney-related fatigue. But, maybe there's something to just letting go of any goals or any worries and just going for a run.
Now, where does this leave me? Lakefront Marathon is in 5 months. I "set" my personal worse there in 2017 and I want to redeem myself a bit on that course. So, my plan had been to step up my training a bit this summer. BUT...I just had my second best race just chilling out and running for fun. Lots to consider in the next few months. For now, I'm going to take a week or two off and not worry about running.