On August 30, I ran the
Millennium Meadows Marathon in Grand Rapids, MI. Excluding virtual races, this was my third
marathon of the summer. These three
marathons had the following things in common.
1)
Each one was limited to 100 or fewer runners.
2)
They each had some form of staggered start.
3)
They each had a loop course, so there were only one or
two aid stations.
4)
Packet pickup was held outdoors, instead of using an
indoor venue.
5)
There wasn’t any pre-race dinner or post-race party.
This is what races look like
during a pandemic.
When Deb and I traveled to
Michigan three weeks ago, we didn’t know what air travel would be like. This time, I knew exactly what to
expect. I was flying into the same
airport. In fact, I was on the exact
same flight, and I was renting a car from the same rental agency, so everything
about the travel experience felt familiar.
I was originally planning to
have lunch at a brewery near the airport, but my flight arrived early, and as I
was leaving the rental car garage, I realized they wouldn’t be open yet. Instead, I drove to my hotel, in hopes that
my room would be ready early.
I stayed in a downtown
hotel. Not only was it convenient for
the race, but my hotel was within walking distance of several restaurants and
breweries. I didn’t know which ones were
open and which ones had outdoor seating, so I wanted to have lots of
options. The only downside was having to
pay for parking at the hotel.
I was able to check in when I
arrived. After packing a few things, I
walked to a nearby restaurant to eat lunch.
In the afternoon, I went to Millennium
Park to pick up my race packet. This was
the same place where the race would start and finish. I could’ve picked up my packet Sunday
morning, but they were encouraging people to pick up their race packets on Saturday,
if possible. That way it wouldn’t be as
crowded in the park before the race.
Driving to packet pickup gave
me a preview of my driving directions for the race. One of the roads looks kind of sketchy, so I
was glad I got to see it in daylight before driving it in the dark. I also got to check out the parking situation.
In addition to my race bib and
T-shirt, I received a yellow bandana. We
were required to wear some type of face covering before the start of the race. One option was to wear the bandana. We could also bring our own masks.
Grand Rapids is known for its
breweries. It’s sometimes called “Beer
City.” This was my first visit to Grand
Rapids, so I wanted to visit a few breweries, if possible. There were several breweries within walking
distance of my hotel, although a few of them are temporarily closed. I looked for breweries that also served food
and had outdoor seating. There were more
than enough. For dinner, I went to Grand
Rapids Brewing Company.
Instead of their usual
breakfast service, the hotel had grab-and-go breakfast bags. I picked up a bag on Saturday, so I could eat
an early breakfast in my room Sunday morning.
The weather on race morning was
the best I’ve seen in months. The
temperature for the start of the race was in the upper 50s.
The race started and finished
at the Meadows inside Millennium Park. There
were three waves for the marathon. People
needing more than six hours started at 6:00.
People expecting to finish in less than four hours started at 6:30. Everyone else started at 6:40. Other race distances had their own start times.
We lined up at least six feet
apart and started one at a time. Every
five seconds another runner started. Face
coverings were required until we started running. Rather than use the bandana provided, I wore
a surgical mask. After I started
running, I took it off and tucked it in a baggie inside my fanny pack.
I didn’t know how fast I could expect
to run. I’ve been putting in lots of
mileage, but it’s all been at an easy pace.
I haven’t been working on speed.
In a normal year, I depend on frequent racing to stay sharp. I’ve only run two marathons since March. One was a trail race, and both were hot. In July, I ran the Xenia Avenue Marathon in
3:46, so it seemed like I ought to be able to run at least that fast in cooler
conditions.
Most of the course was on a
four-mile loop through the park, which we ran six times. We also had to run about a mile to get from
the park pavilion to the loop, and a similar distance at the end.
We started out by crossing a
long wooden bridge. After that we
followed a path that took us to a road.
After a U-turn onto the road, we continued until we reached the main
loop.
I didn’t have any feel for what
my pace should feel like. I started at a
pace that was faster than my training runs.
Other than that, I followed the runners in front of me.
My first mile took 8:17. That’s faster than my pace at the Xenia
Avenue Marathon, but not fast enough for a Boston qualifying time. I didn’t think a faster pace would be
sustainable, so I kept up the same effort.
By now, I was following a runner in a red shirt who was about 50 feet in
front of me.
There were two aid
stations. One was at the beginning of
the loop. The other was halfway through. Aid station protocols were revised because of
COVID-19. They had water and Gatorade,
but no food. That’s fine with me. I usually just drink Gatorade. Volunteers filled cups, but they didn’t hand
them to the runners. Instead, they put cups
on the tables, and we could grab them as we went by.
Early in the loop, we were near
a river. The sun was still below the horizon,
but there was enough light to see the water.
It was as smooth as glass. I
regretted not having a camera or phone with me to take pictures. The keys for my rental car were so bulky that
there wasn’t room in my fanny pack.
The pace in the second mile
felt too fast. I was still following the
runner in the red shirt, and I wondered if he was pulling me into a pace that was
too fast. My second mile was 8:22, which
was slower than the first one. That
confirmed that I shouldn’t try to speed up to a Boston-qualifying pace.
In the next mile, I started to
fall farther behind the runner in the red shirt. Was I slowing down? No. I
actually sped up to 8:15 in that mile.
He sped up more.
Shortly after the three mile
mark, I noticed an awful smell. It
smelled like oil, but I couldn’t see where it was coming from. It was still somewhat dark.
The first half of the loop was
flat, but in the second half, I noticed a few small hills. I didn’t try to maintain my pace going over
hills. I just maintained a consistent
effort. There were also more turns, and
I occasionally lost sight of the guy in the red shirt.
In the last mile of the loop, I
looked across some water on my right and saw a long wooden bridge. I assumed that was the bridge we ran across
in the first mile and that I would eventually run back across it in the last
mile. I was wrong, but I wouldn’t realize
that until much later.
By the end of my first lap, I
lost sight of the runner in front of me.
Was I settling into a slower pace?
No. I actually sped up to 8:09 in
that mile.
As I neared the end of the
loop, I saw a sign pointing to the right that read, “13.1.” That showed where half marathoners would turn
after completing their third lap. A
short time later, I saw another sign pointing to the right that read, “26.” That showed where I would need to turn right
to run to the finish after completing my sixth lap.
My recollection from looking at
the course map was that I would turn left after each lap to start the next one. Then I saw a sign pointing to the right that
read, “6.” I had just passed the five
mile mark, so I incorrectly interpreted this sign as pointing the way to mile
six. In fact, there was also a six mile
race, and this was pointing the way to their finish.
It seemed wrong to me, but I
started to turn right. Several
volunteers immediately said, “No. No. Turn left.” If not for the volunteers, I easily could’ve
made a wrong turn.
The half marathon started later
than the marathon. As I started running
my second lap, I started to see lots more runners. I had lost sight of the runner in the red
shirt. All the runners I saw now were
doing the half marathon. Several of them
were starting their first lap at the same time I was starting my second lap.
I had no idea what pace these
runners were going. I had to do my best
to ignore them and run my own pace.
As I came alongside the river
again, it looked different. By now, the
sun had risen, but it was still below the trees. There was enough light to illuminate the
water, but there were small patches of fog.
Again, I regretted not having a camera.
Halfway through my second lap,
I again noticed a foul oil smell. To my
right, on top of a small hill, I saw a large oil tank. How old was that tank? Was it still full of oil? Was it corroded and leaking oil? I noticed that smell every lap. It was hard to ignore. It was nauseating.
I started to feel pressure building
in my intestines. I thought I did a good
job of emptying them before the race, but I seemed clear I would eventually need
a bathroom stop. I didn’t notice any
port-o-potties on my first lap. When I
reached the aid station on the middle of the lap, I was relieved to see a
port-o-potty there. I didn’t need to
stop yet, but it was good to know I could stop here on my next lap, if
necessary.
I wondered if I would slow
down, now that I was no longer trying to keep up with the runner who used to be
right in front of me. As it turns out,
my pace was about the same in this lap, but my mile times were more
erratic. They ranged from 8:07 to 8:31.
By the last mile of my second
lap, I felt more pressure in me intestines.
I knew I needed a bathroom stop.
I didn’t know if I could make it back to the aid station I just passed,
so I was really hoping there was another port-o-potty at the start of the next
lap. Thankfully, there was.
As I finished my second lap,
and got to the aid station, I went straight for the port-o-potty. I knew I was losing time, but I took as much
time as I needed to empty out as much as I could.
As I started my third lap, I didn’t
know if I would get back to the same pace.
Fortunately, it was early enough in the race that stopping for a couple
minutes didn’t cause my legs to get stiff.
I did, however, start to feel cold.
We were well-shaded, and a couple of minutes of not moving were enough
for me to cool off.
When I finished my 10th mile, I
checked my time. I ran that mile in
10:45, but that included the bathroom stop.
I wouldn’t know my current pace until the next mile.
At the end of my 11th mile, I
heard my watch vibrate, but I didn’t look in time to see my mile time. I had to wait another mile. At the end of my 12th mile, I finally got to
check my pace. I ran that mile in
8:22. I did get back to roughly the same
pace as before.
By the last mile of my third
lap, it was apparent I would need another bathroom stop. I wasn’t paying any attention to my pace or
my effort. I just wanted to get through
that mile and finish the lap. When I got
to the 13 mile mark, I was shocked to see that I sped up to 8:01 in that
mile. That was my fastest mile so far.
As I finished that lap, I was
half done with the race. My time for the
first half was 3:50, but I was about to take another long bathroom stop. When I got into the port-o-potty, I was
relieved to see that I didn’t have an accident.
My shorts were feeling wet, but apparently that was just sweat. I still had to relieve the pressure in my
intestines, though. Once again, I took
as much time as I needed.
After another long bathroom
stop, I didn’t know if I could find the motivation to get back into my previous
pace. It started to seem like my pace
didn’t matter.
My mile time for mile 14 was
meaningless, because it included a bathroom stop. My mile time for the 15th mile, however, was
8:20. I got back into the same pace as
before. For the rest of my fourth lap,
my mile times were similar to earlier laps.
By the end of that lap, I was
starting to notice swelling in my fingers.
That can be a symptom of hyponatremia, which is caused by overhydrating
and/or lack of salt. I’ve experienced
that in ultramarathons, but never in a marathon. My fingers were so swollen that my skin felt
tight. It was difficult to move my fingers. I was drinking a small cup of Gatorade every
two miles. That didn’t seem excessive.
The good news was that I didn’t
need to make a bathroom stop that lap.
Apparently, I finally got everything out of my system.
I maintained the same average
pace through my fifth lap, but I needed to work harder just to run the same
pace. I knew I’d have more motivation in
my last lap, but it seemed like I was running out of gas.
As I started my sixth lap, I
looked at my watch. Up until then this
point, I had been paying attention to my individual mile times, but not my cumulative
time. It was obvious now that I would
break four hours by a wide margin, even if I slowed dramatically in the last
lap. If I could maintain my current pace,
I would beat my time from the Xenia Avenue Marathon, in spite of the time I
lost because of bathroom stops. That
gave me the motivation I needed.
The last lap of a multi-loop
course is always easier, because you know you’re seeing everything for the last
time. By now, the entire loop was
getting pretty familiar. My favorite
sight was the river. This was the only
part of the loop that looked different each time. As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the
light hit the water from different angles.
I recognized the turn that
marked the easternmost point on the loop.
After that I was mostly running back towards the start/finish area.
Shortly after the midpoint of
the lap, I smelled the oil again. That
was my least favorite part of the loop, but I was past it for the last time.
The first three miles of that
lap were all either 8:12 or 8:13. I was
speeding up a bit. I realized by now
that the last mile of each lap was always my fastest. The first two miles of the loop were
flat. The third mile was slightly
uphill, but the fourth mile was slightly downhill. How fast would I run it this time? I had been as fast as 8:01. Would I break eight minutes?
During that mile I saw the long
wooden bridge again. I still assumed I
would run over that bridge at the end of the race.
Then I heard cheering. It came from somewhere across the water on my
right. I looked across the water and saw
the pavilion near the finish line. I
never noticed before that you could see it from here. I was hearing cheers for runners who were
finishing.
I finished that mile in
7:57. That was my fastest mile so
far. There was no question I would beat my time from the Xenia Avenue Marathon.
I finished the lap, and made
the right turn to leave the loop. Now I
was on a road. There weren’t any course
markings here, and I couldn’t see any runners in front of me. If I hadn’t run this road to get to the loop
at the beginning of the race, I would think I made a wrong turn.
I heard mechanical noises. I looked to my right and saw an oil rig. As I got past it, I smelled oil again, but it
wasn’t as strong as the smell near the big oil tank. We were running through a park that struck me
as a nature preserve, yet they were pumping oil here. That seemed wrong.
As I got farther down the road,
I saw a runner in the distance. I wasn’t
the only one on this road. Eventually, I
saw him turn right. Then I saw traffic
cones where he turned. That was the
U-turn from the road to the paced path.
After the turn, it was slightly
uphill. Assumed I was climbing up to
bridge, but I never saw it. At the 26
mile mark, I still couldn’t see the bridge.
Then, after making a turn, I saw the bridge on my right. I wasn’t going to cross it, but I saw other
runners who were. I realized they were
runners who were finishing the half marathon.
They took a more direct route back to the start/finish area. My route back was not only different from
theirs, but also different from the route we took in the first mile. I merged with the half marathoners and
continued toward the finish line.
I finished in 3:42:27. I took satisfaction in knowing that my
bathroom stops didn’t prevent me from running my fastest race of the summer. Without those stops, I would’ve had a time in
the high 3:30s.
The artwork on the finisher medal
depicts the bridge. I only ran over this
bridge once, but runners doing the half marathon ran over it twice.
I had lunch at New Holland
Knickerbocker with some friends who I didn’t know would be at this race. Three weeks ago, Deb and I went to the New
Holland brewery in Holland, MI. This one
has the same menu, so I was able to have the same post-race pizza. It’s their pickle pizza, which has cheese
curds, bacon, and pickles. I also had a
beer flight.
There was still one more
brewery I wanted to visit. Later in the
day, I went to Founders Brewing Company for dinner and a flight of their beers.
I’ve completed at least three marathons
or ultras in all 50 states. One of my
long-term goals is to eventually complete at least five on each state. I haven’t made much progress on that this
year. Three weeks ago, I ran my 4th marathon
in Michigan. This was my 5th, so I’m done
with Michigan.
Race Statistics
Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: 3:42:27
Average Pace: 8:29
Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:
405
Michigan Marathons: 5
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