The cancellation of the Tokyo Marathon hurt... my soul, and especially my wallet. But i understood why. COVID-19, outbreak containment, etc, made sense to me. So it rubbed salt in the wound when the virus made its way to California anyway, even before March 1st. Meh. In the end, i am nothing if not pragmatic, so i just rolled with it and found another marathon on the same date.
I have to say though - that aside from running it 5000 miles from where i originally intended - this marathon was everything i wanted it do be. I had hit almost all my target mileage and paces in the 16 weeks leading up to the race, i had a good game plan, i was close to my goal BMI - overall, the best prepared i've been in ANY of my previous marathons (including my very first one a little over 9 years ago). I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach (irrational) that i was going to disappoint myself the way i had in my last two races, but knew that there wasn't anything else to do but trust my training.
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| The much sought-after running photo where both feet are actually off the ground! |
It seems that the trust was well-placed. The run-walk-run method continues to reap benefits for me. Previously, i would extend the running intervals on downhills or if i was feeling particularly good. This time, i did not deviate from my 3:1 ratio at all. On the running intervals i would do somewhere between a 9:00 and 9:30, then dial it down to a 17-ish for the walk. I'm not sure i can run much faster and still be comfortable, so maybe i need to learn how to walk faster if i want to break 4:30. Honestly though - around mile 16, i realized that i had an actual shot at breaking 4:30 if i hit an average pace of around 9:50-10:00. That would have meant skipping some walk breaks, which could be disastrous. Reminding myself that the goal was to stay injury-free, not hit some arbitrary time goal, i stuck with the game plan, did a negative split (!), and finished 20 minutes faster than Chicago - 16 minutes faster than CIM.
The tectonic shift that i did in preparation for this race was to almost completely eliminate the consumption of Gu during my training runs. I used to go through one packet every 4 miles or 45 minutes (whichever was sooner). Occasionally i'd get away with six miles, especially during "speedwork," but without fail i'd need a Gu at some point or else i would just bonk. On a long run of 22 miles, i would go through five packets. Well, i read on some rando site (Runners' World? Reddit? I forget) that one isn't supposed to eat during a long run. Apparently, the WHOLE POINT of the long run is to train one's body to run on fat, not carbs. So i cut out the Gu on the premise of teaching my body to run on different fuel, and worked my way up to 16 miles on just water before bonking. Then, for the actual race, i consumed Gu the way i used to. It was, in a word, amazing. Each time i ingested the gel, i would feel stronger: a sensation of WOW, THIS IS GREAT! as opposed to THANK GOD I ATE SOMETHING OR ELSE I WOULD DIE. In my last 5 marathons, non-running areas such as my shoulders and arms would cramp and go sore (mayhap glycogen was being cannibalized everywhere just to feed the legs), but for this run everything felt great all the way to the end. So, for future reference: continue to subsist on minimal external fuel while training, but find the optimal ratio/timing for race day. Perhaps every 3 miles (or 30 minutes) instead? I'll try that out on a half.
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| Close to the finish - still going strong! |
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| Hanging loose as i crossed the finish line. |
Another thing i changed for this race - i changed my footwear from the Hoka Mach to the Nike Pegasus 36. More on this in the future.
In sum - i'm happy with the way this went.
Race Notes:
1. The expo was nothing to write home about. We were in and out in about 15 minutes, including packet pick up and looking at exhibits/merchandise. They gave out a decent backpack with the usual snacks, KT tape, etc.
2. Temperatures, as usual for me, were perfect. We started out in the mid 40s (warm enough to discard all my Goodwill clothes even before crossing the starting line) and ended up in the low 60s. There was a moment at the start when it started to drizzle, but that quickly stopped and it was clear/sunny for the remainder.
3. Bus rides from pickup points in Napa (where the finish line is) to Calistoga (where the race starts) are nice and convenient. In addition, they let you stay in the warm bus until about a half hour before the gun goes off - ample time to hit a porta potty (i only spent about 15 minutes in line for one). No food or water available for non-VIPs at the start... Good thing i had a full Camelbak and some bread to munch on.
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| The lines for the porta-potties. Not bad. |
4. I am really beginning to prefer the smaller races. There were only a little over 2000 marathon runners, which is a tiny fraction of the field for New York and Chicago. I did not have to weave around other runners (despite there being only one self-seeded wave) and was somewhat able to run the tangents, which resulted in me running only a wee bit over 26.2. On multiple occasions, i found myself running alone, which i honestly consider to be pleasant. Unfortunately, since i DO want to finish the World Marathon Majors at some point, i guess i'll have to contend with a gigantic field at least 4 more times.
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| At the starting line. I was about halfway into the crowd. |
5. The course, which runs south on the Silverado Trail, is GORGEOUS. IMHO, almost as pretty as Big Sur, without the coastline. Mountains on both sides, with one vineyard and winery after another. Not many spectators, which is fine by me (one can only laugh at a sign that goes "You run better than the government" so many times). While advertised as being net downhill, there were several rolling hills in the first two-thirds. Nothing compared to Big Sur, but certainly not flat (at least not until the last 6 miles or so). There was sufficient support on the course, with aid stations supplying water and electrolytes every two miles or so. There were porta potties at every aid station, and the lines were never more than two deep. People actually stopped using them around midway through the course, and i was lucky enough to waste very little time dashing into a line-less one at around mile 12.
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| Nice, picturesque backdrop. |
6. There wasn't really much of a post-race experience that i noticed. There was the usual medal, water, and food. The most important post-race experience to me is how to reconnect with family and get back to my hotel. In this, the small field continued to be a Godsend. Gianina and Adrian were waiting right at the finish line, and the car was parked just a couple of hundred feet away.
7. The race entry includes some free wine tastings with "partner" wineries. Since i'm not a big drinker, i didn't avail of any. Still, a nice perk for some.
So that's it. At this point, 7 marathons in, i think i've figured out a method that works. Now, to grind. I haven't quite decided on my next race yet, but i'm cautiously optimistic that things are looking up.
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| We just pretended to be in Tokyo by hitting a conveyor belt sushi buffet. |
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