This morning, I ran the Super Tunnel Marathon in North Bend, WA. This is a new race that uses the same course as the Light at the End of the Tunnel and Tunnel Lite Marathons. The course is almost entirely downhill, but it’s a gentle grade. Having run the Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon two years ago, I knew it was a fast course.
Once I realized I had a realistic chance of qualifying for
next year’s Boston Marathon, I arranged my race schedule to give myself the
best possible chance. This race was my
first chance to qualify. I also
scheduled another downhill race three weeks later.
The course for this race starts in a small parking area near
Snoqualmie Pass. After leaving the
parking lot, runners enter the Snoqualmie Pass Tunnel, which is two and a half
miles long. This used to be a railroad
tunnel.
After the tunnel, the mostly dirt trail turns downhill and
descends 2050 feet before reaching the finish in North Bend. The first 21 miles (including the tunnel) are
on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. The
last five miles are on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail.
Excluding the first three miles, which are fairly flat, the
average grade is about 1.6 percent.
Although that’s not at all steep, I worried about how my legs would
handle running downhill for that many miles.
Running downhill can beat up your quads, but it’s also hard on your
adductors. I injured my adductors in
both legs last year. They’ve healed, but
I’m still working to rebuild strength in those muscles. My physical therapist has advised running
with a slight forward lean. That forces
me to use my glutes, which relieves some of the strain on my adductors.
For the past few months, I’ve tried to incorporate some small
hills into my training runs. On the
downhill side of each hill, I lean forward and run fast, paying close attention
to my form. More recently, I did a few
runs on the treadmill. I varied the
grade between -1.5 and -2.0 percent and ran downhill for an hour or more at a
time.
To qualify for Boston, I need a time of 3:40. The Boston Marathon is usually
oversubscribed, so to actually get into the race, you need to be a minute or
two faster. I figured 3:37 would be
safe, but anything slower would put me “on the bubble.” That’s an average pace of 8:17. If I could break 3:35, I would be able to
register during the first week. That’s
an average pace of 8:12.
On my treadmill runs, I set the speed just a little bit
faster than the pace I needed to break 3:35.
In addition to conditioning my legs for downhill running, I also wanted
to get a good feel for what this pace felt like.
I flew to Seattle on Saturday, arriving in the early
afternoon. I stayed in Issaquah, which
is just east of Lake Sammamish, along I-90.
From there, I would need to drive about 20 miles in the morning to get
to the finish area in North Bend.
When I ran the Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon in
2014, the region was experiencing a heat wave.
As the temperature climbed in the second half of the race, the heat
gradually wore me down. The time I
gained by running on a fast course was roughly offset by the time I lost as I
began to overheat. When I arrived in
Seattle on Saturday, it looked like déjà vu all over again. The weather was again being characterized as
a “heat wave.” It got up to 93 degrees
in North Bend. It was the third straight
day with temperatures in the 90s. Fortunately,
Saturday was the last unusually hot day.
The forecast high for Sunday was only 75. That’s still hot for a marathon, but nothing
like 93. I could expect to be
uncomfortable in the late miles, but at least I had a fighting chance.
After checking in, and making sure the AC was working, I had
dinner at Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria.
It was nice finding authentic Neapolitan-style pizza only a mile from my
hotel.
I had to get up early to drive to North Bend to catch a
shuttle to the start. The race didn’t
start until 8:00, but the last shuttle left at 6:35. I got there early and boarded the second bus. When I checked in at the start, I received my
race bib and two drop bags. The first
drop bag was for warm-up clothes that I wanted transported to the finish
line. The second bag was for my
flashlight. It’s dark inside the tunnel,
so most runners use a flashlight or headlamp.
Just past the tunnel, there’s a place to drop off a bag with your light,
so you don’t need to keep it with you for the whole race.
Even though this is a relatively small race, they had pace
groups. Many runners attempt to qualify
for Boston on this course. Since I was
hoping for a time of 3:37 or better, and needed to run faster in the first
half, starting with the 3:40 pace group wouldn’t help. Instead, I lined up right behind the 3:30
pace group. My plan was to stay as close
to them as I could in the first half, and then allow myself to slow down a
little as I got hot. I expected the late
miles to be slow, so I was planning to run positive splits.
The temperature at the start was in the mid-50s. When it was time to check my gear bag, I
stayed in the sun to keep from getting cold.
Once I started running, I was comfortable.
I followed the 3:30 pacers through the parking lot, onto the
trail, and into the tunnel. Inside the
tunnel, I had to split my attention between staying close to the pacers and
staying in the middle of the tunnel. The
trail slopes toward either side, so it’s more comfortable to run in the middle. That was easier said than done while running
by the light of my flashlight. There were
at least a dozen runners following the 3:30 pacers, so it was tough to get
right behind them. If I got too far
behind, I was afraid I would lose sight of them.
Inside the tunnel, it was cool and damp. The trail surface was surprisingly wet, and
there were a few small puddles. The pace
felt brisk. A 3:30 marathon corresponds
to a pace of 8:00 per mile. I expected
that pace to feel reasonable once we started running downhill, but I had to
work to run this pace on a level grade.
The first two mile markers were inside the tunnel. They were well marked, but I didn’t bother to
look at my watch. I would have needed to
shine my flashlight on my watch to see my time.
It was easier to just stay close to the pacers and assume they were
keeping us on the right pace.
Running through the tunnel, I held my flashlight with one
hand and kept my small drop bag in the other hand. As I neared the end of the tunnel, I turned
off my flashlight and quickly stuffed it into my bag. Then I tied it shut and made sure my bib
number was still visible on the outside of the bag. I had to do this within the last 50 yards of
the tunnel. Before that, there wasn’t
enough natural light to see without my flashlight.
Outside the tunnel, volunteers were lined up on both sides to
take our bags. Seeing most runners go to
their right, I went to my left. That was
a mistake. After dropping off my bag, I
had to cross over to the other side to get a drink at the aid station. Runners were streaming out of the tunnel, and
a few bumped into me as I crossed over to the other side.
Aid stations were spaced two to three miles apart. That’s pretty good for a trail marathon,
where most of the course isn’t accessible by road. Knowing it would get warm later, I was
worried about drinking enough to stay hydrated.
I usually drank a cup of water and a cup of Gatorade. That forced me to stop briefly at each aid
station. I can drink one cup on the run,
but not two.
By the time I was done at the aid station, I had fallen
behind the pace group. The trail turned
downhill now, so I didn’t have to work as hard to maintain my pace. Now gravity was doing some of the work. Still, the pace we were running felt
brisk. I couldn’t catch up to the pace
group too quickly. I had to be patient
and close the gap gradually.
When I reached the three mile marker, I looked at my watch. It was all zeros. I remember pressing the Start button as I
crossed the starting line, but I must not have made good contact. Usually, I keep looking at my watch until I
see the seconds counting up. I apparently
forgot to do that.
I quickly started my watch.
I was still about seven seconds behind the pace leaders. It probably took another few seconds from the
time I crossed the three mile mark until I started my watch. If we were on the right pace, the pace
leaders would have passed the three mile mark in about 24 minutes.
At four miles, I got my first split. It felt like we were going fast, but I was
still surprised to run the fourth mile in 7:40.
I felt like I was just able to keep up.
Now I knew why.
I moved up next to one of the pace leaders and asked him if
he remembered his three mile split. It
was 24:10. Since I started my watch
about 10 seconds later, I made a point of mentally adding 24:20 to all my
future splits.
The next time we reached an aid station, I again fell behind
the group and had to gradually catch up.
Again, I took my time.
Most of the time, the trail was surrounded by tall trees on
either side. That gave us lots of
shade. Every so often, we would cross a
bridge or come alongside a clearing.
When we did, we got gorgeous views of the surrounding valley. We also were briefly in the sun.
When I was in the sun, I could see my shadow in front of
me. This was an opportunity to evaluate
my form by watching the shadow cast by my head and shoulders. Ideally, the shadow should move forward down
the trail with no side to side motion. I
could see a slight side to side bobble by my shoulders. I wasn’t able to maintain my posture running
downhill at this pace.
At eight miles, we reached another aid station. By now, catching up to the pace group would
have taken too much effort. I resumed my
previous pace, but didn’t try to catch up.
I estimated I was running about 15 seconds behind them.
I found the pace to be barely sustainable. Common sense suggested I should back off a
little. I was afraid to do that for two
reasons. First, I was afraid I’d back
off too much and not be able to get back on the pace I needed. I was also afraid I’d be slow in the last
five miles. I wanted to have a five
minute cushion at the 21 mile mark. That
meant I couldn’t afford to slow down, even though I was worried that my current
pace was too fast.
My next mile was 7:45, even though I was hanging back behind
the 3:30 pace group. In the next mile, I
fell further behind, but that mile was also 7:45. Clearly, they sped up for a couple of
miles. I was glad I was no longer trying
to keep up. I eventually lost contact
with them completely and tried to maintain a similar effort.
My next few miles were a little bit slower, but I tried to
keep them close to eight minutes. I
questioned how much longer I could do that.
I wondered if I had already blown this race by starting too fast.
The next time I saw my shadow, there was no side to side
bobble by my shoulders. Now that I was
no longer fighting to keep up with the pacers, my posture was better.
My pacing plan was to run the first half in 1:45. Then I could afford to run the second half in
1:52. I reached the halfway mark in
about 1:44:30. So far, so good. Now I needed to hang on for eight more miles
of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. That
was easier said than done. My next few
miles were in the range of 8:21 to 8:26.
That was fast enough for now, but it wouldn’t give me the cushion I
wanted in the last five miles.
Assuming my 24:20 adjustment was correct, I reached the 15
mile mark in two hours. That would be
the last time I had an average pace of 8:00.
My most recent miles, however, were slower.
I felt like I was really fighting to maintain the best pace
I could. I still had five more miles
before the turn onto the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. If knew I would be slower on that trail, so I
couldn’t afford to slow down before then.
I ran the 17th mile in 9:28.
That was disheartening. My
previous mile had been 8:26. How could I
slow down by more than a minute? I
wondered again if I had blown my race by starting too fast.
I refused to give up.
I maintained my effort in the next mile.
It was 7:47. Then I realized the
17 mile marker must have been misplaced.
The average of those two miles was 8:38.
That seemed more reasonable.
In addition to the shade, we sometimes had a cool
breeze. I was thankful for the
breeze. I would get hot eventually, but
for now it was keeping me cool.
I battled my way through four more miles to reach the only
significant turn on the course. After
leaving the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, I ran a short but noticeable downhill
segment. Then I ran through a
campground. As I left the campground, I
was on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail.
There were three reasons I expected to be slower on this
trail. First, it was a more level grade. While there was still a slight downhill
trend, it was far less noticeable than the previous trail. I knew it would take more effort to run the
same pace. Since I couldn’t pick up my
effort, that meant I would be slower.
Second, a portion of this trail has a surface of loose rocks. I knew that section would be slow and
tiring. Finally, the temperature was
climbing. It was about 70 degrees by
now. For the first time, I was starting
to feel hot.
At the 22 mile mark, I figured out how much time I had to
break 3:37. I needed to average about
8:45 per mile. My previous mile was
8:43. This was going to be close.
At times, I had to remind myself that 3:37 was an arbitrary
goal. I wanted to qualify for Boston
with three minutes to spare, but I didn’t really know what it would take to get
into Boston. Without knowing, every
second counted. I was tiring, but I
spurred myself on with the mantra, “every second counts.”
I ran the next mile in 8:45.
I was doing it. Then I slowed to 8:51
in the 24th mile. Breaking 3:37 now
seemed doubtful. I kept fighting. “Every second counts.”
I reached the section of trail with loose rocks. It was tiring, and I knew the loose footing
had to be slowing me down. I fought for
it. “Every second counts.”
Occasionally, I crossed a bridge over a small stream. On the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, the bridges
were fairly long, and the surface was usually covered with gravel. On this trail, the bridges were all made from
concrete slabs. The firm traction on the
bridges was a welcome relief from the rocks everywhere else.
When I reached the 25 mile sign, I saw I had slowed to
9:30. I wasn’t going to break 3:37. Unless I could speed up, I wouldn’t even
break 3:38. I had to do what I
could. “Every second counts.” I tried to pick up the pace, but I was
running out of gas.
Eventually, at a slight bend in the trail, I saw the 26 mile
sign. It quickly became apparent that
the 25 sign had been misplaced. I didn’t
slow down after all. I was still on pace
to break 3:37. Looking ahead, I could
see the finish line. I could see the
clock.
Knowing my watch was wrong, I watched the clock all the way
in. I finished with a “gun time” of
3:36:41. I later learned my “chip time” was 3:36:39. That was a Boston qualifier with 3:21
to spare.
After finishing, I had to really work on stretching my
adductors. My hips were also sore. It was tough to keep my hips moving as I
walked around in the finish area.
The finish line food was great. Beverages included chocolate milk, Coke,
water, and Gatorade. Food included
watermelon, chips, cookies, two kinds of cake, and chili. There were probably several foods I
missed. I couldn’t eat much solid
food. I mostly ate watermelon and
rehydrated with chocolate milk and Gatorade.
I know several runners from Washington, and I also saw some
friends who traveled from Oregon. I
spent longer than usual visiting in the finish area. Then I caught a shuttle bus back to my car. I felt better after a hot bath and some
stretching, but I expect to have sore legs for days. This is a fast course, but you pay a price
for running a downhill race.
I have a tendency to go out too fast in races. More often than not, I pay for it in the
second half. I’ll be the first to admit
that I’m not smart about pacing myself for even splits. Every now and then, however, it works out.
Today, I ran the first half fast for a reason. Many times throughout the race, I thought I
had made a mistake. In the end, I was
able to hang on. My plan was to run the
first half in 1:45 and the second half in 1:52.
Give or take a few odd seconds, that’s exactly what I did.
I still have one more race before registration for the Boston
Marathon begins. Today’s time was
probably fast enough, but I still have one more opportunity to improve my
qualifying time. My next race is also
downhill. It descends about twice as much
as this one did. I may be able to run
faster, but it’s nice to know I probably don’t have to. The pressure is off now.