Road to Boston & Potomac River Run Recap

[mrshandy]

This may get very long and sappy. You have been warned.[/p]

So my road to Boston started with what I thought was a pipe dream. I finished my first marathon in 4:01:32 a little over 2 years ago. Great time and I was proud of what I was done. Boston was something that I always thought would be cool, but not as something that was possible Got pregnant with DD a month later and kept running until 28-30 weeks, can't remember exactly. One of last longer runs. I came up with this (crazy) postpartum plan.

pandce.proboards.com/thread/167149/crazy-post-baby-plan-dream

DD was born August 2013 and I ran a half and 10-miler in Spring 2014. I PRed in both, good times not quite BQ worthy times, but it was a great first step. H and I had really changed our diet back in February(low carb, high protein, cut out refined sugar) and had good results. I was at my lowest weight of my adult life.

Convinced by the wonderful ladies on this board I committed to using Pfitz 18/55 for my marathon training (goodbye sleep). I picked the Potomac River Run because I knew it was flat and such a simple race. It was a small race run entirely on the C&O canal. I started training in mid-July. I was pretty damn disciplined. I stuck to my runs and apart from 4 days due to hip pain and one day during taper, I ran every single run. I struggled with the Lactate threshold tempo runs and intervals, but I gave it my all.

Race Day:

Up around 6:10 to drink some coffee and enjoy some peace. H had made some motivational signs for me all the around the house. I ate breakfast (oatmeal and PB bread) around 7ish. My running partner (N) picked me up at 7:35 or so and we were off. It was a 20 minute drive and we got there just as they were starting the 8AM start. We made a few trips to the bathroom, walked over to the start to check it out, another trip to the bathroom and then got all my race gear on. I ran into gt7301b and it was nice to see a friendly face.

I wore a t-shirt, capris, arm warmers, disposable gloves, lightweight ear warmers and a fuel belt. The weather was cold and cloudy, so I left my sunglasses in the car. The start was a little chaotic since I knew I wanted to be near the front. It was such a tiny race that they didn't have timing chips, just did things the old-fashioned way.

They started and we were off! It was great to be running. It was cold and N and I went out fast. Probably a little too fast, but I felt strong and N is fast. (BQed a few weeks ago) The course was an out and back twice so my plan was to lap at each turnaround. It was pretty flat except for a few small slopes on the first few miles. Those felt great as we headed out (not so great in the final stretch) I ditched the arm warmers probably around mile 3-4 and the gloves 2 miles later. I was aiming to hit 53 minutes at each turnaround which would end up with around a 3:32 finish. First quarter (6.55 miles) was 50:15 (7:46 pace). Whoa, it was nice to have a cushion, but I knew I couldn't maintain that.

Miles 6.55 - 13.1, we tried to stick a little closer to 8mm. I started to feel it around 12.5 and that scared me a lot. Nothing hurt, I just felt a wave of hunger and weakness. I had to keep reminding myself to fuel. I had planned to try to time my tailwind swigs with the water stops, but I kept forgetting when they were coming up. We turned at 13.1 and it was hard to see people finishing the half. Including this 8-year old girl! I think she set the record for fastest half or something. That's what someone who was running with her seemed to indicate. We had finished that half at 51:33, which was pretty good. Leaving us a nice cushion still.

Miles 13.1 - 19.65, we were doing good until miles 15-16 albeit a little slower but steady, then things started to get a little ugly. I was feeling weak and needed a boost. I pulled out my emergency GU. I was worried about cramping, but needed something other than the tailwind. Then N told me she was in some major pain and she told me to go ahead around mile 17.5. It was sad to leave her, but I knew that I had to run my race (she already has her BQ). Around mile 18, I knew to look out for H and the kids. I caught sight of him just as he was getting set up. I had to shout HIS name to get his attention. Ha! It was awesome to see them and knew I would see them on the last stretch. I reached the turnaround and showed a 53:21. A little slower than my goal, but I knew my cushion would carry me through.

The final stretch was hard. I saw H at mile 21.2 and that was great again. I gave him a hug and a kiss. I saw N and knew that she was done for the day. (I had suggested to her that she get a ride with my H if she wanted to stop)  I needed the boost and knew that my race wouldn't be a matter of seconds. I was losing pace, I kept do the calculations at the mile markers, but I knew that as long as I didn't fall apart. I would make my BQ and maybe a sub 3:30. I knew that if I could get to mile 24-25, I could make it. So I focused on that. The little crowd support that there was dropped off for those last few miles. I chatted with a few fellow runners, but there weren't many of them. I thought about everyone that had supported me throughout this process: my husband, my Moms running club, H&F . I thought about some good family friends and her H is dying of cancer. I thought about my kids. Mile 25 was harder than I expected. I kept counting down the tenths of the mile, just get to .5, .7. Finally I caught sight of the crowd of people around the finish line and was just so, so, so happy! I looked at my watch as I passed the 26 mile marker and knew that I was going sub 3:30.

I ran towards the finish line and was screaming and so excited. I crossed it and was shouting and actually collapsed to the ground in emotion.  People I didn't know were congratulating me and could tell that I had just accomplished something huge. N and H and the kids were there. I hugged him. My stomach didn't really want anything so I mostly just drank some water and Gatorade. DS was being difficult. I went up and double checked the time they had recorded 3:29:22, which was the same time as my Garmin.

Funny thing that the mile markers were showing up before the Garmin (about .1 difference) which is a new thing for race day since it's usually over. But I knew that it would be a different race that others since it was such a simple course and no weaving in between people.

While I missed all the hoopla that comes with a bigger race, I'm very happy with my choice. The lack of crowd support was hard, but I was prepared for it.  I knew that I had to get in the zone. Thanks gt7301b for all the support!! I saw her out there like 3 times and that was so cool.  The course was easy and really just designed to run fast. The t-shirt is not to my liking and the medal is a little pathetic. But I bet the medal and t-shirt for Boston are a lot better.

I had some silly dreams of winning prize money (last year times show I would have come in second of the women), but N and I realized early on that this was not happening. There were some fast girls that showed up and that went out the door.  I probably got an age group award, but DS was being difficult (seriously dude I just BQed don't you know what this means? , it was cold and we had no idea when they were going to do an awards ceremony,  so we decided to head out. Hopefully I get it in the mail.

Overall, I'm feeling pretty good physically. Sore, but no major pain points and no chafing! I even went up and down the stairs forward. Much better than my last marathon 2-years ago. I'm still debating what to do about Kiawah. I'll probably stomach the $35 and drop down to the half. So silly that they make you pay to run less, IMHO. But, I think I'm not going to feel like training over the next few weeks. We'll see.

Sappy part: This board has seriously inspired me in every way possible. I wouldn't be the runner I am today without you guys. I was not an athlete in HS. Not good enough to make varsity soccer or volleyball, hated running the 3 miles we had to run before JV soccer.  I feel like a true athlete. Running a marathon is not something I could ever do for most of my life. Until like 3 years ago, it was a pipe dream. Boston even more so. Now I'm going to run Boston among the few athletes that qualify to do this. I still can't believe it.

Thanks everyone for your support!!

Edited to add picture: This is at home. Somehow in all the chaos with 2 kids and the finish line. I got zero pictures after the race. Hopefully they got some good pics on the course. My husband made this sign for me. Excuse the messy hair.

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[humpforfree]

You are a rockstar and I got teary reading this. Congrats! Now change your signature marathon PR!

[cinco]

Love the picture! You are adorable
I'm so happy you had the speedy race you trained your butt off for! Well done!

[runaways]

Congrats again! I'm seriously impressed by what a strong race you ran. Yet another H&F inspiration for my own BQ attempt, whenever I finally get the time to make it happen!

[lb2006]

love, love, LOVE this!!!! You should be so proud and your hard training paid off!!!

CONGRATS!!

[clseale]

I love all of this!! I am so happy that all of your hard work paid off. Pfitz is no freakin joke. His double digits tempos are basically why I haven't done a lick of speed work since January, when I wrapped up his 12/55 plan. LOL! YOU on the other hand, took no shortcuts. You busted your ass, you put in every ounce of work possible to meet your goal, and you crushed it. Congratulations!!

I'm so happy that you decided to go with the small race. Having done two big races & one very small one this past year, I still stand by the small races being the right choice for a BQ. You went out there knowing you had a job to do. You didn't have to deal with people in your way, distractions, or extra mileage, and you grabbed that BQ & you made it yours! It was smart to break it up, the way that you did. We have a rail trail that sounds similar to the path you were on today, and I want them to do a marathon there, so badly! They make for fast courses. 

I was going to ask you about an age group award! With a race that small, you had to be in the top of female finishers. I was also curious to see what you had planned for Kiawah. The $35 sucks, but you should be set up for a HUGE half PR!

[juliabug]

Fantastic race! I'm so happy for you! Thank you for sharing your experience.

[G22]

Huge congrats on the BQ and an awesome race!

[MrsE]

Awwww!! This made me tear up. I am SO thrilled for you! Congratulations!! This is well deserved. All of your hard training paid off! Enjoy the high and yay for your BQ!

P.S. I *love* that your H left you motivational signs around the house. How sweet is that? Congrats!

[adcobe]

Congrats on the BQ! Your experience is very motivational.

[taratru]

Congrats again on what sounds like a perfect day!

[CallingAllAngels]

What an amazing accomplishment! You are so inspiring. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[ebeth]

So happy for you! Your progress has been really inspiring. Hoping you have SO MUCH FUN at Boston 2016!

[ktzmoh]

What a huge day!! I loved this recap so much. Congratulations woman!!

[kams]

Well, I am just so impressed. What a well trained, well run, gutsy, but also smart race. What an incredible PR, and amazing day.

I have been a little down on myself lately, and wondering how I'll ever get back to where I was before getting pg with #2, let alone better/faster/fitter, and several times I've thought of you as an example of it being possible. Really, so amazing.

So many congratulations!!!!

[Mushe]

Wow wow wow, you are incredible, and a real inspiration to me! Congrats on this amazing accomplishment!

[sadlebred]

Congratulations on your amazing BQ!!

[gt7301b]

Great job and recap. I am inspired by your ability to run, manage kids, and still have what appears to be some resemblance of a life

You looked strong out there.

[mrshandy]

Nov 17, 2014 7:09:33 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

Great job and recap. I am inspired by your ability to run, manage kids, and still have what appears to be some resemblance of a life

You looked strong out there.

Thanks! Congrats to mrgt! He looked great! I hope I didn't annoy him too much with my shout outs.

[Wines Not Whines]

Congrats again!

Do you mind sharing what your training paces were?

[gt7301b]

Nov 17, 2014 7:22:59 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

Nov 17, 2014 7:09:33 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

Great job and recap. I am inspired by your ability to run, manage kids, and still have what appears to be some resemblance of a life

You looked strong out there.

Thanks! Congrats to mrgt! He looked great! I hope I didn't annoy him too much with my shout outs.

Ha, you didn't annoy him at all.  And if you did he'd be annoyed with me too, he said he could hear me screaming from a half mile away when I saw he was going to make it

[jene]

You are so amazing! Congrats on your BQ, well done!

[libbygrl109]

I am so excited for you! Congrats on fantastic race, and I can't wait to hear your Boston recap in 2016!

[mrshandy]

Nov 17, 2014 7:56:35 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

Congrats again!

Do you mind sharing what your training paces were?

I tried to stick to what Pfitz prescribed which was 10-20% above GMP for long and medium long runs. 15-25% above GMP for easy runs. I had a few long MP race runs which really boosted my confidence. I did those around 8mm which was faster than I actually wanted. I had actually started with a goal marathon pace of 8:10mm, but after the cutoff this year I realized that it was not going to cut it (lol). So I upped my GMP to 8:05mm which would have put me with a 3:32, I think.

I think I hit one of the Lactate Threshold tempo runs at my goal pace of 7:52. The rest of them did not go as planned. I sucked running fast in the early morning when I had to do them. I did intervals at 5K pace which was 7:14mm. I had one failed interval run, but the rest of them I hit just at 7:14.

Edit: I was definitely unnerved sometimes when I saw how fast some of the moms in my running group (with the same goal as me) would do their long/medium long runs. But I knew that I was running high mileage and I should save my energy for the tempo/interval runs.

More info than you probably wanted.

[shauni27]

OMG AMAZING! Congratulations!

[bostonmichelle]

Congratulations!! This is such an amazing and inspiring recap.

[shell24]

That's awesome, congratulations!!

[arch01]

This made me teary. Congrats!!!

[runblondie26]

I'm so psyched for you! Congrats!!!!

[mswax]

AWESOME!!!!! So many congrats!