I flew to Fort Worth yesterday. With COVID-19 cases rising all over the
country, I was a little bit leery about traveling to a race. The nice thing about a series like this is
that I can do four races, while only having to travel to one city. Not that I’m in Fort Worth, I can stay at the
same hotel for the whole series. My
hotel room has a kitchenette with a full-size refrigerator, so I can prepare
and eat meals in my room. Other than the
races, I plan to mostly stay at the hotel and keep to myself.
The races are all small, and
they have good protocols for COVID-19, so I didn’t consider them to be
risky. If there was one thing that made
me nervous, it was needing to buy groceries on the day before Thanksgiving,
which is typically one of the busiest days for grocery stores. After checking in at my hotel, the first
thing I did was head to Kroger to buy groceries. I was worried that the store would be packed,
but I was pleasantly surprised. I was
told they were busy earlier in the day, and they expected to be busy
later. I apparently got there during a
brief lull.
After buying groceries, I went
to Montgomery Plaza to pick up my race packet.
I’ll have the same race bib for all four races, so I only needed to do that
once. I’ll be wearing bib #5. That’s the lowest bib number I’ve ever had
for a marathon.
I expect to eat most of my
meals in my hotel room, but I found one local pizzeria with outdoor seating,
and yesterday was a nice enough day to eat outside. Local residents might have found it to be too
chilly, but it’s much warmer here than it is at home.
Each race of the Texas Quad has
a name. Today’s race was called, “The Walk.” You don’t actually have to walk, but most
runners were doing at least some amount of walking. That’ll be true every day of this
series. Personally, I planned to run
most of the way, but I didn’t rule out taking walking breaks to manage my pace.
I saw several familiar faces
today. Some of them were runners who also
did the Running Ragged 20in20 Series in September. I also saw several runners I didn’t
know. Most of them, I assume, are local
runners. I’m not sure how many are doing
the Quad and how many were just doing today’s race.
We’ll have the same course all
four days. It’s an out-and back
alongside the Clear Fork of the Trinity River.
To complete a marathon, we had to run eight laps. There was also a half marathon, which was
four laps of the same course.
After the Running Ragged 20in20
Series, I needed to take a break to heal from injuries. For the first week, I just rested. Since them, I’ve been doing physical therapy,
while running every other day. My
longest run in the last eight weeks was only 12.25 miles, so I didn’t know how
I would hold up over a marathon. My knee
is feeling better, but it’s not 100 percent.
A bigger concern is a tendon in my left leg that I still notice whenever
I run. I can run as much as 10 miles without it
getting worse, but I didn’t know how it would hold up over 26.2 miles.
I didn’t know how fast I should
try to run today. Aside from the
injuries, I also didn’t know what kind of shape I’m in. I had a great fitness base before the Running
Ragged 20in20 Series, but since then my training has really dropped off. I wasn’t sure to what extent I’ve lost
fitness.
We lined up in two rows, spaced
six feet apart. Everyone was required to
wear a mask or face covering in the start/finish area and any time they were
less than six feet from other runners.
We were ordered by bib number, with the exception that anyone expecting to
run the marathon in five hours should line up in the first three rows. Apparently, there weren’t many other runners
who expected to break five hours. I
ended up in front. The race was chip-timed,
so runners lining up farther back didn’t lose any time.
I planned to start the race on
pace for four hours. I didn’t know how
long I would keep that pace. I’ve run
that pace comfortably for up to nine miles, but I haven’t had anything I would
call a “long run” in the last eight weeks.
We started out heading east,
but quickly descended a short hill and made a sharp turn onto a path that was
closer to the river. Then we headed west
until we reached the turnaround.
I started out running with Ed,
who was lined up next to me at the start.
I eventually moved ahead, but I didn’t want to get too far out in front. Within a few minutes, a few other runners
caught up. I assumed the runners I didn’t
recognize were doing the half marathon, but I wasn’t sure. I let the fastest one go, but stayed with
three others. I wasn’t sure how fast we
were going until we reached the turnaround.
When I did the RunningRagged
20in20 Series in September, most of my times were between 4:30 and 5:00. I expected to run similar times in this
series, but I wanted to see if I could win one of the races. My best chance at a win was today. After today, I’ll have tired legs, so I won’t
be able to compete with runners who are arriving with fresh legs.
When the lead runner was coming
back from the turnaround, I tried to ask her which race she was doing. I thought she said, “what?” I assumed at first that she didn’t hear the
question. Then Calix, who was running near,
said he thought she said, “half.” I
assumed Calix was right, and that I didn’t have to worry about competing with
her. I also didn’t have to compete with Calix,
because he was doing the half marathon.
There was at least one runner near me who was doing the marathon, and
she wasn’t running the remain three races of the quad. I had to make a decision. Did I want to try to compete with a runner
who could afford to go all-out today, when I had to worry about having
something left for the next three days?
I checked my pace as I reached
the turnaround. To be on pace for a four-hour
finish, I needed to get there in 15 minutes.
I got there in about 14 minutes. If
I wasn’t thinking about competing for the win, I would’ve slowed down a
bit. Instead, I kept up the same pace.
There was one other runner who
was just ahead of me. I didn’t know at
first if he was doing the marathon or the half marathon. Until I knew, I tried not to fall too far
behind him.
As we neared the end of the
lap, there was a fork. The trail on the
left stayed close to the river. The
trail on the right went up a hill. The
trail on the left was the way we went out, so I assumed we would come back the
same way. I was wrong. A volunteer directed us up the hill. I soon saw that that would bring us back to start/finish
line going the same direction that we started, instead of having to make a 180-degree
turn.
There was an aid station with
some pre-packaged food items, but beverages were self-serve. We were each expected to bring a cooler with
our own beverages. I brought a small
insulated bag with a few bottles of Gatorade.
Just before crossing the line, I stopped to open a bottle of Gatorade
and take a drink.
I finished the first lap in
roughly 28 minutes, putting me well ahead of a four-hour pace. After stopping to drink, I briefly fell behind
the two other runners I was trying to keep up with.
We were mostly running on a
concrete path, but there was sometimes a gravel trail running alongside of
it. We were told we could run on either
path, but the course was measured along the shortest path. In one place, the concrete path turns and becomes
slightly serpentine, while the gravel trail goes straight. Here, the gravel trail is the one that was
measured.
There was another race going on
at the same time as ours. It was a half
marathon that started a few miles farther east and did a single
out-and-back. Their course overlapped with
ours, but they were supposed to stay on the concrete through this section. They had cones indicating they weren’t
supposed to continue onto the gravel.
Before the race, Angela told us we could ignore those cones and go straight. By the time I was finishing my second lap, I
was seeing runners from the other race.
Their bib numbers had a different design than ours.
My second lap took about 29
minutes. That was slower than the first
lap, but still faster than a four-hour pace.
I continued to run at that pace for two more laps.
It wasn’t until my third lap,
that I learned that the runner who was just ahead of me was doing the half
marathon. I no longer needed to worry
about keeping up with him. Ironically,
it was during that lap that I passed him.
As I started my fourth lap, I
had a lead for the first time. I had
been carrying a camera in my fanny pack since the beginning of the race, but I
didn’t feel like I could stop to take pictures without falling behind. I stopped briefly to take a picture of the
river, but I couldn’t get the camera to turn on. I tried a few times and then gave up. It seemed like the button was jammed. A short time later, I reached another place
where I wanted to take a picture. I
tried again to turn on the camera, but I still couldn’t get it to turn on. I finally gave up on it and put the camera
back in my fanny pack.
As I was in the second half of
that lap, I saw runner #20 going the other way.
She was the runner who was out in front since early in the first
lap. Up until now, I assumed she was doing
the half marathon. If so, she would’ve
been finished by now. She was already in
her fifth lap, so she was obviously doing the marathon. For almost half the race, I assumed I was
competing for the overall win. Now I
realized I was way behind the overall leader.
When I finished my fourth lap,
I took the camera out of my fanny pack and put it my bag in the finish
area. If I couldn’t use it, there was no
sense in continuing to carry that extra weight.
I reached the halfway mark in
roughly 1:55. That put me on pace for 3:50,
but the pace didn’t feel sustainable.
Now I had to decide how fast I wanted to run. Running as fast as I was today would leave me
sore and tired for the next three races.
I was willing to risk that to compete for the win, but my pace now
seemed less relevant. I clearly wasn’t
going to be the overall winner. The lead
woman already had a huge lead and was running a pace that I couldn’t possibly match. Similarly, I already had a huge lead over all
the other men. Even if I slowed down,
none of them were likely to catch me. I
had to decide how badly I wanted to break four hours. I wasn’t sure yet.
As I started my fifth lap, I
tried to maintain about the same effort.
When I saw the lead woman coming back, I checked my watch. I checked it again when I reached the
turnaround. She was at least 16 minutes
ahead of me. I definitely wasn’t going
to catch her, even if she slowed down.
That lap was a little bit
slower. For a hour-hour finish, I needed
to average 30 minutes per lap. My first four
laps, were roughly 28, 29, 29, and 29.
This one was roughly 31. I gave
back a minute. I still had four minutes
in the bank. If I continued to give back
one minute per lap, I would still break four hours, but it would be close. I couldn’t afford to keep slowing down.
In my sixth lap, I almost didn’t
recognize the lead woman when she passed going the other direction. I saw her race bib, or I wouldn’t have
realized it was her. Partly that’s because
she shed a layer as it started to get hotter.
Mostly, it’s because I saw her much earlier than I expected. She added at least a few more minutes to her
lead.
I expected to get hot in the
second half, but I didn’t. There was a
breeze in the river valley, and it helped offset the rising temperatures. I started the race wearing tights. I did that to keep my legs warm in the early
miles, but I thought I would regret it later.
I never did.
As I finished that lap, I saw
that I had given back more than a minute.
With two laps to go, I was ahead of a four-hour pace by only two and a
half minutes. That’s when I finally
realized that I really wanted to break hour hours. As I started my seventh lap, I tried to pick up
my effort.
I was once again surprised how
soon I saw the lead woman coming back. I
had barely started my seventh lap when I saw her nearing the finish of
hers. I fully expected her to lap me. I was surprised that I made it almost to the
turnaround before she went by. I told
her she was running strong. Then I
checked my watch as I made the turn. I
ran the first half of that lap in 16 minutes.
In just half a lap, I had already given back a minute. I had to pick up the pace.
Seeing the lead woman in front
of me, I decided to chase her. I knew I
couldn’t catch her, but I was hoping I could speed up enough to keep from
falling any farther behind. If I could
match my pace with hers for half a lap, I could stay within striking distance
of a four-hour finish.
At first, I was still falling
behind. Then I picked up my effort even
more. Finally, it seemed like I was
staying about the same distance behind her.
As we got closer to the end of the lap, I could see that I was falling
farther behind again. At first, I
thought I was easing up in my effort.
Then it occurred to me that she was on her last lap, so she was probably
speeding up in anticipation of finishing.
When I finished that lap, I was
pleasantly surprised to see I ran the second half in 13:30. I made up the minute I lost in the first half
and gained an additional 30 seconds. As
I started my last lap, I had a cushion of just over three minutes. I knew I wouldn’t sustain my recent fast
pace, but I was reasonably sure I wouldn’t give up three minutes in one lap.
Now that I was running on my
own again, I couldn’t be certain if I was running fast enough. I planned to check my time at the
turnaround. If I could get there in 16
minutes, I’d feel confident. I got there
in just over 15 minutes. I ran somewhat
faster in the second half of the lap, eventually finishing the race in 3:56:17.
While I wasn’t the overall winner,
I was still the first place male. Technically,
that’s still a win. Texas is now the 11th
state where I’ve either been first overall or first male in a marathon or
ultra.
After the race, it occurred to me that the problem with my camera might be the batteries. Usually, when they're getting weak, I'll get an error message when I try to take a picture. What if they were totally dead? The last time I used the camera, it was working fine, but that was two months ago. Could the batteries have gone completely dead since then? Evidently, they did. After I changed the batteries, I could turn it on. It acted like I was turning it on for the very first time. I had to set the date and time. At least now, I can take pictures again.
It’s good to know that I can
still run a marathon in four hours. I
hadn’t done that since August, and I had gone eight weeks without even running as
far as 13 miles. There was other good
news. I never had any discomfort in my
right knee. I still don’t think it’s 100
percent, but it’s improved significantly since my last race.
With respect to my left leg, the news is mixed. I felt a certain amount of soreness from the beginning of the race. It never got much better, but it also never got much worse. I also didn’t have an uptick in soreness after the race. I iced it, and I’ll ice it again. How it'll feel during the next three races is anybody’s guess. For what it’s worth, I plan to do liberal amounts of walking in the next three races. Today’s race was called “The Walk,” but it’s probably the only race in the series where I won’t do any walking.
Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: 3:56:17
Average Pace: 9:01
Lifetime Marathons/Ultras: 426
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