Philadelphia Marathon 2011

You can do all the right training. You can log the miles, do multiple 20 milers, stick to the pace charts and the final day arrives. It could be your day or it might not.
Sunday, November 20, 2011 in Philadelphia was not quite my day. I lost the desire to run. There was no “wall” that I hit, no “bonking”, my mind was not one of a happy runner.

My race plan flopped. That’s not to say it was a total bust because, hey! I finished my THIRD marathon, it just wasn’t a personal record.
Full details can be found HERE The following is just thre race day details. 

The day before eats: 
A careful diet before a marathon is paramount in my training book.  Nothing new. Carbohydrates coupled with just the right amount of protein.  Try to carbohydrate snack every couple of hours. That way, you don't have to worry about cramming a full belly load of carbohydrates race day morning.
Breakfast:   Oatmeal (no milk, no sugar, just a little cinnamon).  Small vegetable egg omelet - NO CHEESE.  Dry rye toast. 
Lunch:  Garden salad and fish or shell fish, try to avoid excess oil and fats.
Suggested snacks:  Baked sweet potato.  Half an Ezekiel bagel. 1 cup cereal, high in carbs with limited fiber content.
Dinner:  Much the same as lunch with a little bread. Don't over eat at dinner time.

Try to drive the course or look on line so you can become familiar with course details. The hills, the aid stations, etc.
The Philadelphia course is not flat.  There are three or four hills to be considered.  They aren't long and they aren't steep but you do need to be aware of them.  Check out the elevation chart.

The Expo.

The EXPO was pretty packed when we got there just before noon. Packet pick up was easy and there were plenty of vendors with a lot of great stuff. Not too many freebies, or at least I didn’t grab many.
If I had to rate the EXPO, I’d say it was very good. It offered everything a runner could want PLUS Philadelphia Marathon gear was great quality.

My Experience on RACE DAY!
At 3:58 my alarm went off. It was time to choke down some pre race fuel and move around a little, shaking out the limbs, get the blood flowing. I wasn’t feeling good about the race. My stomach, which had been cramping for the last 3 days was STILL acting up. Ted caught a shot of the unmotivated runner. I was already cold and couldn’t imagine how I was going to feel outside.
Where’s my MoJo?!!!

We left the hotel at 5:30 am. It was only a mile walk. No buses nor taxis. The roads would all be closing at 6 AM.
Ted had his bike and walked with me to the starting area at Eakins Oval. The temperature was 48 deg. F with only a slight wind, by the end of the race it would be 58 degrees. True to form, Philadelphia could once again boast perfect weather for running.
There were runners coming from every direction, some were half marathoners and some the full marathon. This actually bothered me because I knew one of the hardest points in the run was going to be the split off. I would SO want to go towards the finish but would have another HALF to endure. Why did they have to torture us so?!
As we walked along, there were plenty of porto-potties, we saw the massage tent, the changing tents, race results, information, etc. Everything was well laid out and easy to find.
We had about an hour to wait before race time.

After 4 trips to the potties, we went over to the UPS truck until I worked up enough courage to give up my sweat pants. I would keep my long sleeve since it was a throw-away along with my blanket and Dollar Store gloves. UPS trucks were labeled alphabetically and located at Eakins Oval. They would later move to 21st and 22nd Streets at the end of the finish chute for pick up after the race. Very convenient in both instances.
The Green Corral, which was my assignment, was easy to find. It seemed there was no strict enforcement of corral assignments. With 5 minutes to go, I laid the warm blanket across the fencing and wished it well.
We all moved forward and then it was time to run.

From Eakins Oval we split left and right then merging together down Ben Franklin Parkway. We headed to Arch St. , 4th Street, to Race Street which took us towards the Delaware River. We ran tight for the first couple of miles. This was a pretty flat portion of the run. I may have felt a slight decline but then again, it could have been that starting race adrenaline. My legs had no warm up mile jelly feel, they just took off running. That was a good sign, or so I thought.
We ran towards Chestnut Street and I had to toss my sweat shirt. As shady as the course was around the tall buildings, I was still getting warm. The crowds were phenomenal. Excellent support. There were some tight turns and, since I was still near the 3:40 pacer, I heard him announce upcoming tight turns so I positioned myself at the ready.
We ran through Drexel, the college area where there was music and again, some good cheering for all the runners. Entering Fairmount Park, there was a hill I had convinced myself to look forward to because of the challenge. It was at the 10 mile mark, short but a fair incline. Made it ok but I think it took it’s toll.
The signs for the upcoming split, half marathoners and marathoners started showing up. It seemed as if those signs went on for miles. Miles 11 to 12 , for what ever reason, seemed to take forever. Then FINALLY, we split. Hmmmm… not too bad. I didn’t veer right to head in, I stuck to the marathon course and went left. PHEW! No giving up yet.

At 13.1, feeling ok, slowing slightly and passed by the 3:40 pacer, I didn’t care. I thought that if I had it at the twenty mile point, I may still be able to tail the pace group.
We headed along the Schuylkill River. There were periods of sun and shade. It seemed long. I was counting down the miles. I reminded myself at mile 16, “Only 10 more. Remember all those runs when you dropped Shane off and you didn’t want to go out for another 10 but you did? You’ll do again now”. I kept going but I was counting every mile. Then I got toe cramps that came and went pretty quickly. They scared me though. I tried to look excited and happy for Ted as he snapped another photo.

We saw the elite runners going back the other way. It seemed as if we were running down hill on Kelly Drive and that the INBOUND marathoners were running up hill, but when it came my turn to run those last 3 miles, it didn’t seem up hill at all. Weird! Probably going too slow to notice.
At mile 17, we made a tight left which took us down and back. I had assumed we ran down to the 20 mile point then turned and ran back but NO…, we took another left out of the “boot” and continued on toward Manayunk. This was a very difficult part of the course. It was sunny and hot and I had lost the desire to finish in any amount of time. I walked. I jogged. I walked. I slogged. When we finally turned around, which was another annoying tight turn around a cone type set up in the street, the crowds were 3 deep along the road. A lot of cheering. I was actually glad I was running and not on the bike, like Ted. Yes, Ted was still with me. He was my saving grace in this race. .
Miles 21 and 22 were kind of a blur so when I hit 23, it was a nice surprise. “JUST KEEP PUSHING”, I thought, but no, walking again. I saw the 3:50 pacer go by and I thought about my Wineglass marathon when I was running with the 3:50 and thought “I don’t want this” then surged forward. There was none of that on this day. I just watched as the red and white balloons got farther away in the distance.
I ran past the pacers on the OUTGOING side, 5:00 pacer, then 5:30 pacer, there were quite a few walking. It must have been tough for them to see all the INBOUND marathoners, but they cheered us on as we did them. Runner support! There was A LOT of that in this race.
The last half mile, I found my surge, UP THAT HILL.

It was too late. I crossed the finish line at - Garmin said = 3:52. Sure, it’s a Boston Qualifier for 2013 but it’s also a far cry from what I trained for during those 16 long weeks.
The biggest high light of the race, for me, came when I saw Ted waiting behind the fence. It was a high light for a few reasons:
1. I had finished.
2. I saw my loyal hubby waiting with a smile on his face, who stuck with me for most of the 26.2 (OR 26.43 by my Garmin!)
3. Because of what happened next which was the WORST THING!…
I walked over and said “Take a picture. This is my THIRD!” and I held up my 3 fingers for 3 marathons finished.

Before Ted took the camera from his face, I yelled in pain “OH! OH MY GOSH! MY CALF!” I was down. My left calf went into a cramp like I have never experienced before. It took me to the ground. Ted said the vein on my shin popped out like he had NEVER seen before. A lady police officer appeared next to Ted, trying to help. Two other police officers were on the ground with me. See that guy behind me in the photo with the yellow and black jacket? He was right there! The officer tried to massage it but it was too painful. They wanted to walk me over to the massage tent, while other people were saying “keep walking. you need to walk on it”. The pain subsided but I didn’t dare stop walking and I didn’t want anyone massaging it.
I got my bag from the UPS truck and walked in circles until Ted appeared again. We found a curb to sit and my calf relaxed.

We went back to the hotel. I couldn’t eat anything so we simply cleaned up, changed and checked out. I wrapped both hamstrings and the calf in the ice tape that was given in my goodie bag. I also kept massaging my legs with “The Stick” which I brought from homing, thinking the 5 1/2 hour drive out of Philadelphia might be rough.
Friends and family were concerned because my finish time never showed on the cell phones. I was concerned, STILL concerned since my results aren’t up yet. Wouldn’t that be a nightmare? Run a marathon, BQ and then they can’t verify your finish. I’m hoping to see my results soon….getting nervous!

UPDATE! OFFICIAL NET: 3:51:35 PHEW!
My Garmin Readings: 26.43 miles in 3:52. Not sure how I got that extra .2 in there?
1 at 8:17
2 at 8:02
3 at 7:58
4 at 7:58
5 at 8:16
6 at 8:06
7 at 8:06
8 at 8:25
9 at 8:07
10 at 8:46
11 at 8:15
12 at 8:35
13 at 8:40
14 at 8:29
15 at 8;30
16 at 8:43
17 at 9:04
18 at 9:34
19 at 9:27
20 at 9:34
21 at 9:27
22 at 10:03
23 at 9:46
25 at 9;23
and 26.2 at 9:14

All in all, except for the lack of results and the awful news of two runners dying in this race, the Philadelphia Marathon is a good race. I wouldn’t say it’s “flat and fast”. There are at least three considerable hills you need to take into account. The tight turns should also be considered as they cause a loss of rhythm. I don’t remember seeing any of the historic sites, I just ran, wishing I was done.
Why did I lose my MoJo? I think I came out of running Boston in April, 2011 all excited and kept up my distances over the summer. I burned myself out. I eventually slowed in shorter races and, although I remained injury free, just lost it.
What’s the plan now? Take a break. Mentally and physically recover then get my mind and legs where they need to be for Boston 2012. Maybe THEN, I’ll get my marathon PR.
Calf Report: It hurts like BLAZES. I don’t know what I did but it’s got me hobbling.

For more, go to www.applecrumbles.com

The Key to Pacing

The longer you have been running the easier it will be to pace yourself during a race. However, even the most experienced runners have trouble pacing when it comes to marathon distance.  It's been noted that about 90% of marathon runners complete the second half of the race in a slower time than the first.  Ideally, the goal is to run at an even pace throughout the entire race.

The subconscious mind is believed to control pacing. It's mission is to protect you from YOU!  In other words, it determines the pace at which you can maintain over the course of 26.2 miles without endangering your life.  The more experience you have, the more you can believe your subconscious. 

If pacing is off, it could result in muscle cramps, the infamous "BONK", a loss in good form resulting in injury.  To top it all off, you won't meet your goal finish time.  In the early miles, it's absolutely mandatory to run at a pace that almost feels too slow.  The pace should vary about 10 seconds from start to finish.  One way to achieve this if you question your pacing ability is to look for pacing teams which will hold pace and get you to the finish within 2 minutes of your time. 

If you want to go it alone, the easiest way to pace yourself is by looking at your last race time.  The 10K race is a pretty good predictor. This is dependent on whether or not you have trained in the most efficient manner for your body. By efficient I mean the correct weekly mileage, enough long runs, sufficient speed sessions without incurring injury and overuse problems,e.g. misalignment's, stress fractures.  You need to train hard for a marathon but not so hard that you end up injured and can't run at all.  Pay attention to your body and what it's telling you during your training and your racing.

According to Active, run the first half by time and the last half by feel. Another advantage to achieving correct pace is to know the course.   Going up hills will require more effort and you will slow, then going down, your pace will quicken but don't force it. Let gravity take you on the decline.

I gage my pacing as follows:  long training run about a minute and a half slower than 5K pace.
Marathon pace should be about one minute or so slower than 5K pace.  One last tip:  don't expect to run training runs as fast as you run races. You'll be rested and the adrenaline will be flowing. Let the excitement of the day and all your training get you over that line. Good Luck!

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