On March 3, I ran the Little Rock Marathon. I’ve done this race three times before. It’s the largest marathon in Arkansas, and it’s popular among runners who want to run marathons in every state.
A signature feature of
this race is their huge finisher medal. I
saw a preview of this year’s medal last November at the expo for the Route 66 Marathon. It’s roughly the size of a dinner plate.
There aren’t any direct
flights from Minneapolis to Little Rock.
On Delta, I would have to change planes in Atlanta. It’s easier to fly to Memphis and then drive
from there.
Deb has never been to
Memphis before, so we decided to make this a two-part vacation. We spent two nights in Memphis, followed by
two nights in Little Rock.
Thursday, February 29
We arrived in Memphis in
the early afternoon. We stayed at a
downtown hotel, so we would be close to Beale Street and all the good
restaurants.
After getting settled
into our hotel, we went over to MaggieMoo’s for a snack. Then we strolled down Beale Street.
Later, we went over to
the Peabody Hotel to watch the afternoon duck march. The ducks swim in the fountain all afternoon. Then, at 5:00 PM, the Duckmaster leads them
from the fountain to the elevator, so they can go up to their overnight home on
the hotel roof.
After the duck march, we went to Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous for dinner. Memphis is known for barbeque, and there no better place for barbeque than Rendezvous.
Friday, March 1
After breakfast, I went
for a run along the riverfront, while Deb did a workout in the hotel’s fitness
room. Later in the morning, we went back
to the Peabody to watch the ducks again.
This was their morning duck march, when they leave the roof to take the
elevator down to the lobby and walk to the fountain. Deb and I arrived at the Peabody just as the
Duckmaster was going up to the roof to prepare the ducks. We were able to go up to the roof with him
and see the ducks as he was feeding them.
We spent most of the
afternoon touring the Graceland Mansion, as well as Elvis’ cars, planes, and
various memorabilia.
We were originally
planning to have dinner somewhere on Beale Street. It was a chilly day, and we had already spent
quite a bit of time outdoors, so we stayed close to our hotel for dinner.
Saturday, March 2
We drove to Little Rock
on Saturday, but we didn’t need to be in any rush. We could have slept in, but we woke up early
anyway. We had breakfast and did
workouts at the hotel before getting on the road for the two-hour drive.
We arrived in Little Rock
before noon. We stayed at the Doubletree
which is two blocks from the start, finish, and expo. It was too early to check into our room, so
while we waited, we went to the expo at the Statehouse Convention Center.
Our timing couldn’t have
been worse. The Saturday running events
were still in progress, and the finish area was inside the convention center. We were trying to get into the building at
the same time that hundreds of runners who had just finished were streaming out.
After packet pickup, we
explored the River Market District. Then
we went to the sculpture garden next to the river. We were expecting about a dozen sculptures. There must have been at least 50.
When we got back to the
hotel, we were able to check in. Out
room had a view of the Broadway Street Bridge.
This bridge is part of the marathon route.
We were both pretty
tired, so we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing at the hotel. We had an early dinner and went to bed early,
in anticipation of getting up early.
Sunday, March 3
Sunday was race day. The race was originally scheduled to start at
8:00 AM. Four days before the race, I was
notified by email and text message that the start time was changed to 6:00 AM
to avoid excessive heat in the afternoon.
At the time of the announcement, the forecast high for Sunday was 80
degrees.
Weather forecasting isn’t
an exact science. By race day, the
forecast high was only 77 degrees. I’m
sure the race director will be criticized for changing the start time, but she
was acting on the information she had at the time. Having an earlier start is better than
cancelling the race, and a change to the race day schedule can’t be done at the
last minute.
I had to get up earlier
than I originally planned, but our hotel was close to starting line. Because of the earlier start time, the
temperature was in the low 50s when we started.
I expected to be more than half done before the temperature even got into
the 60s.
The starting line was
behind the convention center. We were able
to come into the convention center before the race to stay warm and use the
bathrooms. They also had a gear check
there. We could go out a back door to
get to the start corrals.
I lined up with the 3:50
pace group. This isn’t an easy course,
so that seemed like an ambitious pace.
The early miles aren’t too tough, so I decided to start with the group
and see how it went.
In the first mile, I stayed
close to the pace leaders. The pace felt
fast, but as it turns out, we were only five seconds ahead of our target pace
for the first mile.
Next, we crossed the
bridge into North Little Rock. There was
an earlier start at 5:30 for people who needed extra time to finish. As I was crossing the bridge, I saw runners who
took the early start already coming back across the bridge. I expected to see at least two runners I know
in that group, so I moved toward the center of the bridge to look for them.
I spotted my friend
Charlotte wearing a T-Rex costume.
Charlotte wears a different costume for every race. This race had a dinosaur theme, so her
costume was on point, as usual. Later in
the race, I often saw volunteers wearing inflatable T-Rex costumes.
Coming off the bridge, it
was downhill, and I found myself getting ahead of the group. When I finished the second mile, I saw that I
ran it about 15 seconds too fast. I continued
running on my own through North Little Rock.
I knew I would probably slow down coming back up to the bridge. I assumed the pace group would catch up to me
on the bridge.
Right at the 3-mile mark,
I started up the ramp to the bridge. It’s
enough of a climb that I slowed down, rather than tire myself out. As I expected, the 3:50 group caught up to me
just as I was reaching the center of the bridge.
On the downhill side of
the bridge, I sped up again, and I got ahead of the pace group. For the next few miles, I was running ahead
of them, but I could hear them behind me.
As long as I could hear the pace leaders talking to the group, I knew I
wasn’t getting too far ahead of them.
During those next few
miles, I started to catch up to runners who had taken the 5:30 start. Most of them were with pace groups. I passed the 8:00 group, the 7:30 group, the
7:00 group, the 6:30 group, and the 6:15 group.
I also saw two more friends who had taken the early start.
In mile six, we started
an out-and-back section. There was a
half marathon that started at the same time as the marathon. The half marathon turned around before the
marathon did. Then the only runners
around me were other marathon runners.
Because so many of the
runners around me were slower runners from the early start, I had to be careful
not to let them influence my pace. I
made a point of following runners that I knew started when I did. I was far enough ahead of the 3:50 group that
I no longer heard them behind me.
Eventually, we turned
around too. Just before the turnaround,
I reached an aid station. The 6:00 pace
group from the early start got there just before me. That was a large pace group, and they were
all heading toward the aid station tables, making it hard for me to get through
them to get to the tables. I lost
several seconds at that aid station, but I didn’t worry too much, because I was
still ahead of the 3:50 group.
As I made the turn, I was
able to see where the 3:50 group was.
They were farther back than I expected.
On my way back from the
turnaround, I reached the seven-mile sign.
Mile seven was a little slow, in part because of the time I took at the
aid station. I was still ahead of the
group, though, so I didn’t worry about it.
When we reached the spot
where the half marathon turned around, we merged in with them again. Those runners had not run as far, so their
average pace was slower. The half
marathon runners outnumbered the marathon runners, so I had to be careful not
to let them influence my pace. I looked
for runners who I had seen ahead of me before the merge point. I made a point of keeping up with them.
Mile eight felt
tiring. I wondered if I had sped up in
that mile. When I finally saw my time
for that mile, I saw that I ran it at exactly the right pace. Instead of worrying that I was going too
fast, I worried that it felt more tiring than it should.
At about nine miles, I
reached a section with a few rolling hills.
I wanted to ease up on the hills, but the 3:50 group caught up to
me. I didn’t want to fall behind, so I
worked to keep up with them on the hills.
Over the next few miles, I began to doubt whether I could keep up this pace
for the whole race. What concerned me
most was knowing there was a tough uphill section in the second half. If I was struggling with the pace now, how
would I keep up with the group on a hill that’s almost three miles long?
The temperature was still
comfortable, but the humidity was high, and I expected it to get warmer in the
second half of the race. I felt it was
important to stay hydrated, so I drank Gatorade at every aid station.
Over the next few miles,
I started to see unofficial aid stations.
There were spectators offering water, but I skipped those water stops.
Some spectators were
offering beverages other than water. I
saw a beer stop. Then I saw a mimosa
stop. Then I saw one called Communion on
the Run. I skipped all of those
stations. I was sticking to Gatorade.
I kept up with the group,
but always felt like I was working too hard.
There were times when I wondered if I would have to drop back and run at
a pace that felt sustainable. I took it
one mile at a time. I was determined to
stay with them at least until the long hill.
At 12 miles, I started to
feel some light drizzle. I wasn’t enough
to make my clothes feel wet, but it ensured I wouldn’t get too hot.
In the 13th mile, I crossed
a freeway and saw the state capitol to my left.
I knew soon we would run in front of the capitol. I also knew the uphill section I feared would
start about a mile later.
I hit the halfway mark in
1:55:00. I was exactly on pace for a
3:50 finish. If I wanted to break 3:50,
I would have to run faster in the second half.
As I turned and ran toward
the capitol, the only runners in front of me were other marathon runners. Everyone doing the half marathon had already
turned the other direction to run toward the finish.
Mile 14 was slightly downhill,
and I started to pull away from the pace group.
The “14” sign was right in front of the capitol. As I started the next mile, I was still going
slightly downhill, but not for too much longer.
Halfway through mile 15,
the road turned uphill. Immediately, my
legs felt heavy. I knew the next few
miles would be tough.
I managed to stay ahead
of the 3:50 group until the “15” sign.
Then I slowed down to drink at an aid station, and they caught up to me. The next mile was all uphill. It wasn’t steep, but the hill was gradually
wearing me down. I didn’t know how much
longer I could keep up with the group going uphill. I started to fall behind them.
Rather than fight hard to
keep up with the group, I chose to run at the best pace I could manage without
wearing myself out. My goal now was to
stay close to them.
At 16, the course leveled
out. We weren’t done with the hill. This was just a false summit before the last
part of the climb. I used this level
section to catch up to the group. Then I
moved ahead of them.
Eventually, the road
turned uphill again. There was a tough
section leading up to the 17-mile sign, but I managed to stay just in front of
the group all the way to the top. As I
got there, I could hear one of the pace leaders telling the group we were right
on pace.
Now the road turned
downhill, and I raced ahead of the group.
There was still one more short uphill section. I slowed down there, but when the road turned
downhill again, I took off.
The rest of mile 18 was
all downhill. One section was so steep
that I had to shorten my stride and pick up my cadence as much as I could. That section was uncomfortable. After that, there was still much more
downhill.
In mile 18, I sped up to
8:08. That was my fastest mile of the
race, and it put me about 40 seconds ahead of schedule. Mile 19 was also mostly downhill, allowing me
to gain more time. I wondered what my
legs would feel like when the road finally leveled off.
That mile included one
uphill section. We had to climb up to a
bridge. It wasn’t a long climb, but it
was steeper than any previous hill. I
had to slow down coming up to the bridge, but I used the downhill side to get
back into a fast rhythm.
Just before finishing
mile 19, we turned onto Riverside Drive to begin a long out-and-back
section. I knew this section would be
mostly flat. Mile 19 was another fast
mile. It wasn’t as fast as mile 18, but
I was now more than a minute ahead of schedule.
I had left the 3:50 group
behind. I wouldn’t see them again. To keep up my pace, I started gradually
reeling in and passing the runners ahead of me.
For the next two miles, my average pace was 8:30.
When I got to the “21”
sign, I could see the turnaround. When I
got there, I only had five miles to go, and I was about a minute and a half
ahead of schedule.
I made the turn from the
road to a bike path going the opposite direction. For the rest of the race, I would be running
back toward downtown and the finish line.
That was the good news. There was
also bad news.
After turning around, I
immediately notice a headwind. Miles 20
and 21 had felt deceptively easy, because the wind was at my back. Now, I was fighting the wind, and I would be
running in this direction for the rest of the race.
I was no longer feeling
any drizzle. Now the wind was keeping me
cool. Getting too hot was not going to
be an issue.
Running into the wind was
more tiring. Mile 22 wasn’t as fast, but
it was still fast enough. I actually
gained another eight seconds. I couldn’t
keep it up, however.
In mile 23, I was no
longer able to catch up to any of the runners ahead of me. I had to settle for keeping pace with them. At the end of that mile, there was a small
hill. Going up that hill, my calves felt
sore and stiff.
Mile 23 was a little slower,
but I only gave away four seconds. My target
pace was 8:47, and I ran that mile in 8:51.
With three miles to go, I
skipped an aid station. I no longer felt
the need to drink at all of them. I also
didn’t feel like I could afford to slow down, even briefly. I needed to keep moving with a consistent
rhythm.
I continued to battle the
wind all through the next mile. In a
lapse of concentration, I forgot to look at my watch, so I didn’t know my pace
for that mile. With 2.2 miles to go, I
was no longer sure what kind of cushion I had.
I just had to bear down and keep running. I told myself I had to fight the wind for another
20 minutes.
I slowed down for one
last drink of Gatorade. Then I committed
to skipping the aid stations for the rest of the race.
There were still two
hills ahead of me. The first one started
at about 24.5 miles. It was the climb up
to a bridge. As I started the climb, my
calves felt sore and tight. As I
continued up the hill, my quads started to feel like cement. Then I felt soreness in my glutes. I can’t remember that last time I had so many
muscle groups all complaining at the same time.
I think it was between
that hill and the next one that I passed an unofficial aid station. I heard them offering water, Gatorade, cold
beer, and Fireball. I wasn’t stopping or
slowing down for any of those.
At the “25” sign, I saw
that I had 12 minutes left to finish within 3:50. I only needed an average pace of 10 minutes
per mile. My slowest mile so far was
9:01, and that was an uphill mile. I
knew I would break 3:50, and in all likelihood, I would break 3:49.
There was one more
hill. Knowing it was the last hill made it
easier to lift my effort. I was passing
other runners going up this last hill.
After a slight bend to
the left, I saw more of the downtown buildings.
I immediately recognized the Doubletree Hotel. It was still a few blocks away, but it gave me
something to run towards. I knew the
finish line was just two blocks past the hotel.
Just before getting to
Doubletree, I ran under a bridge.
Underneath the bridge, I saw the lipstick station. This is a unique feature of this race. One of the sponsors is L’Oreal. They always set up under this bridge to offer
the female runners a chance to touch up their lipstick to look good in finish line
photos.
The “26” banner was
directly below out hotel room. When I
got there, I saw that I sped up to 8:28 in mile 26. I already knew I would break 3:49, but now I
realized I could break 3:48.
Deb was watching the race
from our hotel room. Three times during
the race I ran within sight of our hotel window. At the end of mile one, I waved in Deb’s
direction just before crossing the Broadway Street Bridge. Deb was watching, but she couldn’t pick me
out of the crowd. She thought she saw me
when I crossed the bridge again two miles later, but she couldn’t be sure. The last time was at the 26-mile mark. She spotted me there and took this picture.
From there, I could see
the finish line. I crossed the line in
3:47:59. Then I continued walking toward
the finish area, which was inside the convention center.
I knew the finisher medal
was big, but I was still surprised how heavy it was when they put it around my
neck. My best guess is that it weighs
three pounds.
The lower level of the convention
center was a warm dry place to recover after the race. They had lots of food, including warm
pasta. They also had a variety of
beverages, including beer and chocolate milk.
In the next room, there were tables and chairs, so we could sit down to eat.
I finished my pasta and
beer, but I put everything else in a plastic bag to carry back to the
hotel. I wanted to walk the rest of the
way to the hotel before my legs got too stiff.
Outside, it was drizzling again.
It was more noticeable now than it was during the race.
When I got back, it was
only 60 degrees. Later, the sun came
out and it started to warm up. At noon,
it was 63 degrees. It got warmer later,
but only runners who took seven hours or longer were likely to get hot.
I left my phone at the
hotel. When I checked my phone, I saw a
text with my official result. I placed
second in my age group. My award will be
mailed to me.
Long after I was done
running, we could still hear cheers from behind the hotel. We occasionally looked out the window and saw
runners still finishing.
In the afternoon, Deb and
I went shopping. We started with a flea
market that was outside of town. Then we
went to an antique store and a store with jewelry made from beads. When we were done shopping, we had an early dinner
at a burger and malt shop on the west end of town.
Monday, March 4
Before we could fly home,
we had to drive back to Memphis. That
meant one more day of getting up early, so we could be packed and ready to go
when breakfast started.
We got to the airport
plenty early. When it was time for
boarding to start, we found out that our flight was delayed because of a
mechanical problem. Then they told us
there weren’t any mechanics available.
It was 45 minutes before a mechanic arrived. Then it was another 15 minutes to fix the
problem. Thankfully, we had a direct
flight, so we didn’t have to worry about missing a connection.
Arkansas was another of
the states I needed for my fifth round of marathons or ultras in every
state. Now I just need West Virginia,
Wyoming, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Ohio and Vermont.
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