After the Mississippi Gulf
Coast Marathon, I took a week off from running.
Since then, I’ve been doing short runs every other day. I’ve been trying to give my right knee some
rest, while still keeping up some level of fitness. While my knee still isn’t 100 percent, all my
other injuries have healed. That’s a
start.
Gulf Shores is about halfway
between Mobile, AL and Pensacola, FL. I
flew to Pensacola on Saturday, and drove from there. As I reached the Gulf Shores city limits, I
saw a sign that read, “Gulf Shores - Small Town, Big Beach.” I guess that’s where the name of the race
comes from.
Packet pickup was at the same
hotel where I was staying. In a normal
year, they would’ve had an expo. This
year, they set up a drive-through lane for packet pickup in the parking lot.
The race packet included a
T-shirt, medal, and various goodies. It’s
unusual to give runners their finisher medals before they actually run the
race, but I understand why they did it that way. They wanted to minimize contact between
runners and volunteers. What’s also
notable is what wasn’t in the race packet.
It didn’t include a race bib. I
wouldn’t get that until I checked in on the morning of the race.
My hotel was right next to the
beach. It’s a white sand beach that stretches
far in either direction. It reminds me
of the beach in Biloxi, MS.
This race was selected by the
50 States Marathon Club for their first quarter reunion. Normally, there would’ve been a club meeting
the day before the race. Because of the
pandemic, there wasn’t any meeting.
Instead, we were all encouraged to wear our club gear and look for each
other.
I didn’t sleep well Friday
night, so I was feeling tired all day on Saturday. I explored the hotel property, but I never explored
the town at all. I just didn’t feel like
going anywhere. I had dinner at the
hotel with my friends Kasey and Heather who were also staying there for the
race.
I never sleep well the night
before a race, but I think I got more sleep Saturday night than I did Friday
night. I felt better in the morning than
I did on Saturday.
The course was a double loop,
which made race day logistics easy. The
start and finish were near a venue called The Hangout, which is the site of an
annual music festival. The Hangout was about a mile and a half from my
hotel. That was just far enough that I
chose to drive there, rather than walking. I left a little early, so I could get a close
parking spot.
To keep the start area from
getting crowded, the race was divided into eight waves, with 15 minutes between
waves. I was in the first non-elite wave,
which started at 7:30 The earliest I
could check in was 7:10. At check-in, I
needed to turn in a COVID-19 waiver form.
The temperature was in the 60s,
with coastal humidity, but the forecast called for morning showers. It was raining lightly as I drove to the
start, but I didn’t expect it to rain for the whole race. I would’ve been too hot if I wore a rain
poncho, so I tied a light jacket around my waist, just in case I got cold. As it turned out, the rain stopped just as I started
running.
We were required to wear masks in
the start area, but we could take them off after we started running. I’m getting used to that. All of the other races I’ve done recently had
the same policy.
In contrast to my last race, I
didn’t have any time goal today. I’ve already
qualified for the 2022 Boston Marathon, so I didn’t have to worry if I was no
longer in peak shape. My only goals were
to finish the race and enjoy the experience.
I wanted to carry a camera with me, but I made a last-minute decision to
leave it in the car, so it wouldn’t get wet.
It looked like it was going to be a gray day, so I didn’t think it would
be good day for pictures.
My friend Michelle was in the
same wave, so I decided to start the race with her. I didn’t think I could run at her pace for
the whole race, but I thought I could run with her in the early miles. I was wrong.
Within half a mile, I could tell the pace was too fast, so I eased up
and fell behind.
I started out running with
short rapid strides. I’ve also been
doing that in my recent training runs. I’ve
found that’s more comfortable for my injured knee. It’s tiring, so I can’t keep it up for very
long, but I can do it until I get warmed up.
In the first mile, we were on
city streets, running away from the coast.
We had a light headwind. Throughout
that mile, I was noticing some discomfort in my knee, but I expected that.
I reached the first mile marker
in 8:40, even though I was no longer trying to keep up with Michelle. I knew that was too fast, so I eased up a bit
more.
Early in the second mile, we
turned onto a paved path that took us into Gulf State Park. At first, we were running near the northern
edge of the park. I no longer noticed
the wind. Aside from the fact that we
were running in a different direction, we were also surrounded by trees. Here, we were sheltered from the wind. I also noticed that my knee felt better. I think I just needed a mile to get warmed up.
I didn’t check my time at two
miles. When I finished my third mile, I
looked at my watch. I was averaging nine
minutes per mile. That was still too
fast. Over the next few miles, I eased
up some more. I also stopped looking at
my watch.
I needed to run by feel. I was willing to put some effort into my
pace, but only if the pace was sustainable for 26.2 miles. I didn’t know what pace that would be. It’s been seven weeks since my last
race. During that time, I never ran
farther than seven miles. I didn’t know
how much that would affect my ability to run a marathon. I rarely go that long without a long training
run.
We gradually turned and ran
into the interior of the park. After
about five miles, I started to notice my knee again. It wasn’t a big deal, but it confirmed what I
already knew. I needed to take a break
from racing, so my knee can get better. Around
six miles, I met a runner who noticed I was wearing a “50 States Finisher” shirt. He had seen other runners wearing similar shirts,
and he was curious about it. I ran with
him for the next two miles. Then I realized
his pace was too fast for me, so I had to slow down.
Aid stations were more limited than
they would be in a normal year. Every
few miles, there were tables with water bottles, but we were expected to bring any
other nutrition we needed. I wore a fuel
belt that holds one bottle. I started
the race with a 20 oz. bottle of Powerade that I bought at the hotel. That was enough to get through the first eight
miles. When I ran out of Powerade, I was
already past the first two aid stations, but the next one was only a mile
away. When I got there, I discarded my
empty bottle and grabbed a bottle of water.
For the rest of the race, I just drank water.
Most of the route was paved,
but there were sections of boardwalk, where we crossed marshy areas. Most of them were fairly short. Just past nine miles, we began a longer section
of boardwalk. It was about a mile and a
half long. It was during this section,
that I noticed much more discomfort in my knee.
It was the worst it has felt during a run since September. I wasn’t sure if it had something to do with
the surface I was running on or if that was just a coincidence.
Toward the end of this long
section of boardwalk, I saw a tall pedestrian bridge in the distance. To climb up to the bridge would’ve been a
huge hill. I recognized that bridge as
one that crosses Beach Boulevard. I saw
it while driving to my hotel. I was
pretty sure we wouldn’t be going that way.
The rest of the loop was more
exposed to the wind. At times, the wind
was tiring, but it also kept me from overheating.
I reached a junction. There was one section of boardwalk that
continued straight ahead. There was
another one branching off to the left.
That one led to the pedestrian bridge.
There wasn’t any sign indicating which way we should go, but I saw two
other runners go straight, so I followed them.
I was already pretty sure that was the correct way to go.
In general, this course was
well-marked, and they also had course marshals in several spots. This was the only unmarked junction that I
thought really needed a sign. I suspect
there wasn’t any easy way to put signs up on this part of the course. I’m pretty sure I passed the 10-mile mark on
this boardwalk, but I never saw a sign for it.
As I neared the end of the
longest section of boardwalk, I crossed a stream. To my right, I had a view of a small lake. The clouds no longer looked gray, and I was seeing
some patches of blue sky. I briefly
regretted not having a camera with me.
After that section of boardwalk,
we ran through an RV park and then ran on a path that led to another section of
boardwalk. This one wasn’t as long. When it ended, I reached a road. There was an aid station there, and a
volunteer said to follow the bike lane and then cross the street at the intersection. This intersection was one of the entrances to
my hotel. I really need to make a list
of all the times I ran past my hotel during a marathon.
From here, there was about a mile
and half to the end of the first loop.
The rest was on city streets.
Here, I could feel the wind again.
It was a headwind. The wind direction
had shifted since the start of the race.
As I neared the end of the
first loop, I started to notice some soreness in my legs. It was the type of soreness you might expect
to feel in the last few miles of a race.
I wasn’t even half done. I knew
the second half would be difficult, mostly because of going seven weeks without
any long training runs. I’m not in
marathon shape any more.
I’ve cut way back on my
training so my knee would have a chance to heal. My hope was that I could run just enough to maintain
a minimal level of fitness, but not so much that it would aggravate my
knee. I seem to have done just the
opposite. I was running just enough to
aggravate my knee, but not enough to stay in shape.
I finished the first half in
2:07. I ran the first half at the pace I
expected to run for the whole race, but I knew the second half would be slower. I could already feel a difference in my
mechanics. My motion wasn’t as
fluid. I wasn’t running efficiently. I could feel that I was going slower.
As I started the second half, I
was once again running away from the coast.
For the first time in the race, I started to feel hot and sticky. That only lasted a few minutes. Then it started to rain lightly. It was just enough to cool me off, and it
only lasted for a mile or two.
By the time I entered Gulf
State Park again, I realized my knee was feeling better. Apparently, it really was the boardwalk that
made my knee hurt. It’s possible the
boards were a little bit springy, and that put more strain on my knee.
When I reach the 15-mile mark,
I told myself I only had 11 miles to go.
Physically, I was struggling, but 11 miles just didn’t sound like anything
intimidating. I thought back to the
Running Ragged 20in20 series. That
series was intimidating before I started, but after a week or so, running
marathons every day felt normal. It was
a long time on my feet, but on any given day, if I only had 11 miles to go,
that seemed manageable. That’s something
that stays with you.
A few minutes later, my friend Tom
caught up to me. He started in the same
wave, but he started at a more conservative pace. Tom said he was now hoping to finish in
4:30. At the halfway mark, I was on pace
for 4:14, but when I considered how much I was slowing down, 4:30 seemed like a
reasonable goal for me too. I ran the
rest of the race with Tom.
I let Tom set the pace, Sometimes, I had to work hard to keep up with
him. At other times, the pace felt
easy. On average, it was sustainable,
but just barely. Running together, however,
made the last 11 miles more manageable for both of us.
Just before the long section of
boardwalk, we passed an aid station. I
didn’t need a new water bottle, so I kept running. I noticed Tom was no longer with me. He must’ve stopped at the aid station.
As I started onto the
boardwalk, I knew Tom would catch up with me.
I had to slow down for two reasons.
First, this boardwalk starts with a long gradual uphill section. It’s really the only significant hill in an
otherwise flat race. My second reason
for slowing down was to reduce the wear and tear on my knee.
Tom caught up to me, and then
started to pull ahead. I had to pick up
my pace to keep up with him. Eventually,
I picked up my pace even more to try to catch up again after falling
behind. Then I caught my foot on the
edge of one of the boards. I tripped and
stumbled forward, but I avoided falling.
That made my knee hurt, but only briefly. Overall, it still felt better than it did in
the first lap.
As we got off the boardwalk and
into the last two miles of the race, Tom started running with more
confidence. I was working harder and
harder to keep up with him. With less
than a mile to go, I tripped again. This
time it was on pavement. Something solid
was sticking up from the pavement, but I never saw what it was. Again, I was able to keep from falling.
Each time Tom accelerated, I
did my best to match it. With about five
blocks to go, I almost gave up, but then I dug deep and caught up again.
At 26 miles, Tom looked at his
watch and said we could break 4:26. He
took off. This time, I didn’t try to
keep up. I was already at my limit. Before we finished, Tom was already half a
block ahead of me. He finished in 4:25:57. I followed at my own pace and finished in
4:26:19.
We bumped into several friends
in the finish area. One was Michelle,
who had a disappointing finish after missing a turn and running more than a
mile out of her way.
This race had excellent
post-race food. Each of our race bibs had
a food coupon and two beer coupons. To
redeem them, we walked over to The Hangout.
I was expecting the beer to be Bud Light or Miller Lite, but they had a
selection of craft beers. The food was a
boxed lunch. We had our choice of a turkey
wrap, a ham and cheese wrap, or a veggie wrap.
The boxed lunch also included chips and cookies. It was a filling post-race meal.
The Hangout also proved to be a
great place to hang out after the race.
The had lots of tables, included several that were outside. By now, the sun was out. We had running weather that was reasonable, if
not ideal, followed by warmer weather for hanging out afterwards.
After having lunch with Tom, I
bumped into Kasey and Heather. Then we
bumped into Michelle, along with a few other runners we knew. I stayed in town much longer than I normally
would after a race.
Eventually, I went back to the
hotel, so I could get cleaned up. I
spent way too much time in sweaty clothes and shoes. Kasey and Heather had the foresight to bring
their finished medals to The Hangout. I didn’t
take my medal out of the packaging until I got back to the hotel. It has a cool design. The beach depicted on the medal has sand embedded
in it.
I had dinner with Kasey and
Heather again. This time we went to a place
that we heard was the best restaurant in Gulf Shores. It didn’t look like much, but the food was
great.
When I woke up on Monday, my legs were so stiff I could barely move. It’s amazing how quickly I lost my fitness. In September, I was running marathons day after day, and they felt like they were just my daily training runs. Now, I feel like this was the first marathon I ever ran.
Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: 4:26:19
Average Pace: 10:10
Lifetime Marathons/Ultras: 431
Alabama Marathons: 4
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