The Vermont City Marathon: A learning experience
A great number of things went wrong for me at the 2006 Keybank Vermont City Marathon. My NYFlyer buddies and I went for dinner the night before the race, and one of the jokes that came up was that, if you're going to make mistakes and have a bad race, it might as well be one that you don't really expect to obtain a PR in anyway. So that's just what I did.
I lost any expectation to set a PR in this race due to the weather. The forecast the morning of the race was up to an 84 high, under sunny skies. This was absolutely not in my control, and even though I'd been obsessing for the last week and a half about it, I could accept this. However, I still had hopes for a PR, and even now, after the race is over, I think I could have set one, had a number of other factors not interfered.
Now let me say that indeed, the the heat was just brutal. We went to a course review session at the expo on Saturday, and I will verify that where the Race Director described that there was going to be full sun, she was dead on. However, where she said there was going to be shade, there was little. The temperature at the start of the marathon was 62, and when I finished, just before noon, it was in the upper 70s, with a "real feel" in the mid-80s. I am very sun-burned. You can even see the outline of my iPod armband on my upper arm.
As for the other factors: for starters, my hip bursitis, which I thought had completely gone about a week prior to the start, decided to return for the marathon. It didn't really kick in until the halfway point, but it gradually got worse and worse, until mile 18, when I realised I was limp-running. By about mile 21-22, the pain was extreme, and I couldn't get my right leg to extend forward without a jolt of pain shooting through my side.
Not that I could have run at mile 22 if I wanted to. Also at mile 18, (maybe because of the limp) my left calf began cramping up. And to follow, at about 22-23, my right calf decided to join in the fun and cramp up as well.
But truly the folly in this race was my own fault. In my training, I had worked so hard on speed and the pursuit of shorter distance race PRs, that I didn't spend enough time concentrating on marathon pace training. As a result, I just plain went out way too fast. I hit the wall earlier than any of my previous marathons, at mile 18, and walked for a bit. When I started to run again, that's when I cramped up.
From then on, it was a tragic attempt at limp-running and walking. At one point, I had rested long enough that I really felt energetic enough to power forward, but with the pain shooting through my hip and the feeling that my calves were about to explode, my legs just wouldn't have it. It was the weirdest thing - I'd try to run, and just be able to perform this hopping, limp-gait thing, that made me visualise Terry Fox, attempting to run across the continent on one leg, back in 1980. When I'd almost break into a good stride, my calves would cramp and I'd almost fall over.
I won't put all my splits here, because really, it's just too embarrassing. I will say that I averaged sub-7s over at least the first 4 miles, my Half Marathon time was a near PR of about 1:34, and my last few miles were near a 12-minute pace. After reading this, please don't give me advice about going out too fast and pacing myself, as I believe that is pretty self-evident.
I finished in 3:44:43. My priority after crossing the finish line, was to get some ice for my hip. The entrance to the medical ten was barely 5 ft. ahead of the finish mat. I veered into the entrance, and when I stopped, my legs cramped, buckled, and I fell, just to be caught by a big burly medic. My left calf was exploding in pain. I couldn't stretch it out, and the medical guys helped me into a wheelchair and found me a bed to sit on in the tent. A few minutes later, I left with some acetaminophen, and an ice pack tucked into the side of my shorts. I had to go back to the finish area to collect a medal, though, which I had forgotten about.
This wasn't the worst finish time of the three marathons that I've done, but it certainly was the most excruciating race of the three. Fortunately, there was free beer and ice cream at the finish - two of my favourite things to get for free - so I was happy with that. And it was good to have the company and support of my fellow club members, who arrived shortly after me. The two other Flyers had pretty good finish times, and seemed satisfied... or at least, more satisfied than I was, anyway.
In the immediate future, I plan to not run for a couple of weeks so that I can fully rid myself of the bursitis problem (lest it become chronic). I still hope for a Boston Qualifier at Chicago, but this race has definitely taught me the value of learning to pace myself over greater distances.
Hopefully, it will be cool and cloudy at Chicago, but judging from my first three marathons, I just don't seem to have that kind of luck. Fingers crossed.
I lost any expectation to set a PR in this race due to the weather. The forecast the morning of the race was up to an 84 high, under sunny skies. This was absolutely not in my control, and even though I'd been obsessing for the last week and a half about it, I could accept this. However, I still had hopes for a PR, and even now, after the race is over, I think I could have set one, had a number of other factors not interfered.
Now let me say that indeed, the the heat was just brutal. We went to a course review session at the expo on Saturday, and I will verify that where the Race Director described that there was going to be full sun, she was dead on. However, where she said there was going to be shade, there was little. The temperature at the start of the marathon was 62, and when I finished, just before noon, it was in the upper 70s, with a "real feel" in the mid-80s. I am very sun-burned. You can even see the outline of my iPod armband on my upper arm.
As for the other factors: for starters, my hip bursitis, which I thought had completely gone about a week prior to the start, decided to return for the marathon. It didn't really kick in until the halfway point, but it gradually got worse and worse, until mile 18, when I realised I was limp-running. By about mile 21-22, the pain was extreme, and I couldn't get my right leg to extend forward without a jolt of pain shooting through my side.
Not that I could have run at mile 22 if I wanted to. Also at mile 18, (maybe because of the limp) my left calf began cramping up. And to follow, at about 22-23, my right calf decided to join in the fun and cramp up as well.
But truly the folly in this race was my own fault. In my training, I had worked so hard on speed and the pursuit of shorter distance race PRs, that I didn't spend enough time concentrating on marathon pace training. As a result, I just plain went out way too fast. I hit the wall earlier than any of my previous marathons, at mile 18, and walked for a bit. When I started to run again, that's when I cramped up.
From then on, it was a tragic attempt at limp-running and walking. At one point, I had rested long enough that I really felt energetic enough to power forward, but with the pain shooting through my hip and the feeling that my calves were about to explode, my legs just wouldn't have it. It was the weirdest thing - I'd try to run, and just be able to perform this hopping, limp-gait thing, that made me visualise Terry Fox, attempting to run across the continent on one leg, back in 1980. When I'd almost break into a good stride, my calves would cramp and I'd almost fall over.
I won't put all my splits here, because really, it's just too embarrassing. I will say that I averaged sub-7s over at least the first 4 miles, my Half Marathon time was a near PR of about 1:34, and my last few miles were near a 12-minute pace. After reading this, please don't give me advice about going out too fast and pacing myself, as I believe that is pretty self-evident.
I finished in 3:44:43. My priority after crossing the finish line, was to get some ice for my hip. The entrance to the medical ten was barely 5 ft. ahead of the finish mat. I veered into the entrance, and when I stopped, my legs cramped, buckled, and I fell, just to be caught by a big burly medic. My left calf was exploding in pain. I couldn't stretch it out, and the medical guys helped me into a wheelchair and found me a bed to sit on in the tent. A few minutes later, I left with some acetaminophen, and an ice pack tucked into the side of my shorts. I had to go back to the finish area to collect a medal, though, which I had forgotten about.
This wasn't the worst finish time of the three marathons that I've done, but it certainly was the most excruciating race of the three. Fortunately, there was free beer and ice cream at the finish - two of my favourite things to get for free - so I was happy with that. And it was good to have the company and support of my fellow club members, who arrived shortly after me. The two other Flyers had pretty good finish times, and seemed satisfied... or at least, more satisfied than I was, anyway.
In the immediate future, I plan to not run for a couple of weeks so that I can fully rid myself of the bursitis problem (lest it become chronic). I still hope for a Boston Qualifier at Chicago, but this race has definitely taught me the value of learning to pace myself over greater distances.
Hopefully, it will be cool and cloudy at Chicago, but judging from my first three marathons, I just don't seem to have that kind of luck. Fingers crossed.
posted by Skylight at 3:51 PM
2 Comments:
I'm sorry it was so tough, but you're a more experienced marathoner now, and that definitely counts for something. I admire you for pulling through under such ugly circumstances. Take care and be well, my friend.
very gutsy performance there, and like the others (and yourself) said, having this experience under your belt will only help when you go for the BQ...
and with regards to the weather in chicago...don't think that you will be cursed. think about it, even the boston marathoners eventually got a break with the weather...as will you.
rest up and recover-now "chicago needs you" :)
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