There was nothing particularly special about this race that called out to me. It just happened to fall on a day that worked perfectly. I’m always on the lookout for a good Saturday marathon, since almost all of them run on Sundays. It's probably just me, but i feel that Saturday is more conducive to travel overall. I do wish they had timed it for the evening, to celebrate/experience the "midnight sun" on the summer solstice, but i'm not one of the organizers.
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| Photo credit: Gianina Chong |
My time was (as seems to be the theme over the past 2 years) nothing special. Perhaps i could have finished sub-5 (which i consider to be the minimum requirement to not hang my head in shame), but throughout the race i reminded myself that I AM NOT IN TIPTOP SHAPE and never tried to push too hard. This was good AND bad: despite finishing with a time that results in me hanging my head in shame, i still feel like i finished pretty strong. Let me explain.
Even though i didn't have a "gameplan" like the pros, i had come up with a "loose strategy" based on the elevation chart: take it relatively easy until mile 17 (basically to "get over the hill"), and then open up for the last 9 miles. In this, i think i did a decent job, not running any particular target pace, going "by feel" (easy at the first 17 and hard-ish at the last 9), and deciding what to do depending on what the course presented.
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| Elevation chart |
I mostly stuck to my tried-and-true run-walk-run ratio of 3-minutes-to-1. HOWEVER, if it was a tough uphill, i would slow down to a walk, and if it was a decent downhill, i would do a fast jog, regardless of what my ratio called for.
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| Enjoying one of the downhills. Photo credit: Gianina Chong |
In the end, i conserved enough stamina to do my running intervals at 9:00 to 9:30 when i finally let loose. This resulted in a negative split. If i may toot my own horn, i am somewhat proud of that, since it indicated that i sped up while every else was slowing down. You can see that in how my "place" got better as time went by. I was in 638th out of 742 around six miles in, but finished 473rd. So, i outran 154 runners who were ahead of me by the halfway mark.
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| "Placing." |
I honestly felt strong for most of the race. More significantly, AFTER the run: i haven't experienced as much soreness as i have in the past. Since my overarching goal is to keep healthy while running marathons indefinitely, it's probably ok that i didn't push myself too hard.
Some other things that may have contributed to how good i feel after this race (documented for future reference, in no particular order):
1. Gu up every 30 minutes. I went through 10 gel packets.2. Drink water when i felt even remotely thirsty AND at every mile. I ended up finishing my entire 2 L bladder, running empty only when i was half a mile from the finish. I urinated once, around mile 9.3. I immediately ate a huge piece of loaded focaccia (the equivalent of a small pizza) almost immediately after crossing the finish line.4. I wore compression socks after the race.
Finishing strong and feeling good after the race may be an accomplishment in and of itself, even if i do have to hang my head in shame. Now, if only i can get a faster finishing time...
All-in-all, i'm happy with my fitness journey over the past 12 months. I've made steady gains since i started training with a heart rate monitor. The latest piece i've added to the puzzle is calculating my training zones based on my heart rate reserve, using my ACTUAL maximum heart rate (around 184) instead of my calculated max of 173. When running, i FEEL like my cardiovascular fitness has improved. More importantly, the metric i use (average HR vis-a-vis average pace during an easy run) has also shown objective improvement. If i continue to train this way and apply the racing lessons i continue to learn, maybe i'll be able to hold my head up high again one day.
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| Feeling good. Photo credit: Gianina Chong |
RACE NOTES
1. The expo was straightforward, really no vendors except for a local running store. HOWEVER, they had a Qdoba stall handing out free chips and salsa, and another stall where they had a wall of names. This latter stall gave out "free" shades and gaiters.
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| There i am. Photo credit: Gianina Chong |
2. Weather on race day was less than ideal. It started out in the mid 50s and ended up in the low 70s. Considering the location, i expected it to be cooler, but it IS summer, and it WAS basically the longest day of the year (around 16 hours of sunlight). Thankfully, there was plenty of shade on the course to keep one cool.
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| Mid-50s and sunny. Photo credit: Gianina Chong |
3. Small races are really a pleasant experience. There were just over 700 marathon runners. Since the field was so sparse, Gianina and i were able to leave our Airbnb around 45 minutes prior to the race start, get to the site, park, and mosey on over to the start line with plenty of time to spare. In fact, she stayed with me all the way until the race actually started. Unfortunately, because of the narrowness of some of the running paths, there was quite the crowd to navigate through for the first 2 miles or so. It eventually thinned out enough that i could run-walk-run most of it without fear of being run over.
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| Photo credit for the above: Gianina Chong |
4. The course - while pleasant enough - wasn't as picturesque as i expected/wanted it to be. Even though we ran the first part on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail which nominally has a view of coastline, you couldn't really get that view unless you wanted to walk off the trail a bit. There were some gorgeous views of the mountains, especially when running through the city and there weren't as many trees in the way. A few years ago, they had to stop the race for several minutes because a bear was blocking the path. I was looking forward to a similar experience, but unfortunately the closest thing i had to a wildlife encounter was spotting a moose standing 200 yards off to the side. Overall the course wasn't super difficult, but it seemed decently hilly, especially leading up to mile 17 and then at the finish line. There was a gravelly area from miles 15 to 17, but nothing that my road shoes (Nike Vomero 17s) couldn't handle.
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| Squint and you'll see the moose. |
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| A view of the city and the coastline. |
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| Mountains in the distance. |
5. The aid stations seemed well-stocked but i didn't really partake, except for a few cups of water here-and-there. Someone was handing out beers at mile 21. I believe there were an ample amount of porta-potties, but we were actually ENCOURAGED to use the woods ("It's Alaska, people!") for bodily functions.
6. There was no organized entertainment and almost no spectators. Not an issue for me.
7. The post-race experience also had zero fanfare. Cross the finish line and collect your medal. They were giving out "free" food (there were grilled cheese sandwiches and chips with salsa) and you could also wait in line to get your "free" beer. I did not partake. Because the event was so small (?!), Gianina was able to meet me at the finish line, give me the aforementioned loaded foccacia bread, and help me walk to the car that was parked about a block away. Small races FTW!
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| Photo credit: Gianina Chong |
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| Photo credit: Gianina Chong |
I kind of enjoyed this one, mainly due to the timing and small size. I also thought Anchorage was a pleasant place to visit, as long as one doesn't overstay their welcome. However, with the course overall being meh and the amount of hassle it took to get there, i would not run it again.
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| Beer flight + fried halibut and chips at 49th State Brewing. |
With a year of heart-rate-zone-training under my belt, and more experience with proper hydration, nutrition, and recovery... let's see how i do at this year's CIM.
