On October 6, I ran the Twin Cities Marathon, which starts in downtown Minneapolis and finishes at the state capitol in St. Paul. This is the 15th time I’ve run this race. It’s a home town race, so it’s too convenient to pass up. I also like the course.
Last year, this race was
cancelled because of hot, humid conditions.
This year, the weather was much better.
Race day temperatures were in the 50s.
The expo was held at
River Centre in downtown St. Paul. I
could’ve gone on Friday or Saturday. I
assumed runners coming from out of town would be going on Saturday, along with any
local runners who had to work on Friday.
I went on Friday, since it was likely to be less busy. While I was at the expo, I bumped into a few
friends.
After the expo, I had
dinner at Cossetta’s. This is one of my
favorite Italian restaurants, and it’s just a few blocks from River Centre.
Saturday was a warm day,
but a cold front moved through overnight, bringing cooler temperatures and
strong winds.
I returned from a trip to
Germany on Thursday, so I only had a couple days to adjust back to my own time
zone. I usually have an easy time
adjusting when I travel to Europe, but it takes longer to adjust back to my own
time zone. Since getting home, I’ve been
waking up too early. On race morning, I
woke up at 1:30, and I never got back to sleep.
There was a ramp in
downtown Minneapolis where we could park for free. Parking near the start would’ve been
convenient for before the race, but I chose to park near the finish area in St.
Paul, so I could get home quickly after the race.
There were two easy ways
to get to the start from St. Paul. One
way is to take a light rail line.
Runners could use it for free on race day by showing their race bibs. The other way is to take buses provided by
the race. They left from two different
hotels in downtown St. Paul. I chose to
catch a bus at the Radison (formerly Best Western, Kelly Inn). I always park in a lot that’s right next to
the Radison. It’s not free, but it’s
convenient.
The buses left between
5:00 and 6:45. The marathon didn’t start
until 8:00, but there was a 10-mile race that started at 7:00.
I was up early, so I
started getting ready. I arrived around
5:00, but I didn’t board a bus right away.
I wanted to get to St. Paul early to get a good parking spot, but I
didn’t want to get to the start area too early, knowing it would be cold. The temperature was in the 50s, but the wind
made it feel like low 40s.
I waited until 6:15 to
board a bus. In the meantime, I waited
in the lobby of the Radison, talking with other runners.
As the crow flies, it’s
only 10 miles from downtown St. Paul to downtown Minneapolis. The route the buses take is mostly on the
freeway, so it didn’t take long to get there.
I was in the start area by 6:30.
The start area is right
next to US Bank Stadium, which is where the Minnesota Vikings play. As soon as I got there, I got into line to
use a port-o-potty. The lines were
somewhat long, because the 10-mile race had not yet started. That race is much larger than the
marathon. I didn’t mind waiting in line,
because it didn’t have anything better to do.
I had an hour and a half before the marathon started.
After my bathroom stop, I
found a place to sit down. Other runners
were sitting on the steps in front of the stadium. Behind the steps, there were a few stone
slabs. I sat on one of the stone slabs,
but they were cold. Also, I was high
enough above street level that I was exposed to the wind.
The race had a gear
check, so I was able to wear extra layers.
Even so, I was shivering as I sat there in the cold wind.
While the wind was
miserable before the race, I realized it would be helpful during the race. The first 19 miles of the course make a large
circle through south Minneapolis, but the last seven miles are mostly going
straight east to get to the finish in St. Paul.
The wind was blowing from west to east.
We would rarely have to run directly into it, but it would be at our
backs for a good portion of the race, including the last five miles.
Outside the stadium,
there’s a small mock-up of a Viking ship.
I thought it was just a façade, but I noticed other runners inside
it. As turns out there’s an entrance in
the back, and a bench you can sit on. I
went in and sat on the bench. It was
more comfortable than where I had been sitting, and it was partially sheltered
from the wind. I waited there until it
was time to make my final bathroom stop.
By now the 10-mile race
had already started. With all those
runners gone, the bathroom lines were much shorter.
When I was done with my
bathroom stop, I took off my wind pants and checked my gear bag. I kept my jacket with me until the race
started. Then I took it off and tied it
around my waist.
I started running with
the 3:50 pace group. Before the start, I
had a chance to talk to the pace leader.
His name was Mike. I didn’t know
for sure if I could run the whole race at that pace, but I wanted to start at
that pace and see how I felt.
The first mile was
through downtown Minneapolis. It was
flat, but it was directly into the wind.
At first, the runners around me sheltered me somewhat from the wind. Within a few minutes, I started to feel the
wind resistance. That made our pace feel
tiring, but I knew we would only have a headwind in the early miles.
Before the end of the
first mile, I got ahead of the pace group.
As I turned the corner onto Hennepin Avenue, I looked for Mike, but I
wasn’t able to spot him.
My first mile was a
little fast, so I eased up a bit and kept looking for Mike. Before long, I made the next turn onto
Lyndale Avenue, which took me past the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and the
Walker Art Center. Since I was ahead of
the group, I was able to stop briefly to take a picture.
Lyndale Avenue was
uphill. I was still ahead of the 3:50
pace group, so I could afford to slow down on the hill. As I made the next turn, I was able to look
back and spot Mike. I kept running at an
easier pace until he and the group caught up to me.
Now we were running into
the wind again as we ran through the Kenwood neighborhood. It was tiring, but I knew this was the last
time we would have a headwind. When we
turned again and were finally out of the wind, I was much more confident that I
could keep up with the group. For the
next few miles, the wind was at our side.
I got ahead of the pace
group again, so I once again used it as an opportunity to take a picture. We were getting to the chain of lakes in
south Minneapolis. The first lake was
Lake of the Isles.
After I stopped to take a
picture, the group caught up to me again.
After that, I made a point of getting ahead of them whenever I was
planning to take a picture.
After Lake of the Isles,
we crossed Lake Street and ran around the west side of Bde Maka Ska (formerly
known as Lake Calhoun). This is
typically where the crowds are loudest.
This year seemed to be an exception. I saw big crowds later, but hardly anybody was watching here. Maybe people were deterred by the cold wind. Maybe some people were staying home to watch
the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings were
playing the New York Jets in London. It
was an afternoon game there, but in our time zone, the game started at 8:30 AM.
Years ago, this race
always coincided with peak fall colors.
As you can see in the picture above, the leaves are just starting to
turn. With climate change, the leaves
aren’t changing color as early as they used to.
Now, we don’t see peak colors until a few weeks later.
The next lake was Lake
Harriet. The first 10K race I ever ran
was two laps around this lake. There are
a lot of races here throughout the year.
By the time we left Lake
Harriet, we had already run more than seven miles. We ran on residential streets for a few
blocks, but then we turned onto the Minnehaha Parkway, while follows Minnehaha
Creek. Along Minnehaha Parkway, we had a
tailwind.
This parkway has some
rolling hills, but they’re all short. I
didn’t have any trouble maintaining a consistent pace. The tailwind may have helped.
Around nine miles, we ran
under the Nicollet Avenue bridge.
There’s always a band of some type set up under the bridge. It’s a strategic location. In rainy years, the bridge provides
shelter. There wasn’t any risk of rain
this year. We just had strong winds.
Before long, I started to
wonder how the Vikings game was going.
It had been about an hour since the game started. I tried to ask the spectators if anyone knew
the score. With the strong wind, nobody
could hear me clearly. Finally, one
spectator told me the Vikings were ahead 10-0.
Shortly after that, I got
too far ahead of the pace group. When I
looked back, I couldn’t see them. As we
turned onto Cedar Avenue to run around Lake Nokomis, I eased up a little. I ran the next mile a little slower, but I
still didn’t see Mike.
Around 12 miles, I saw a
few spectators handing out bananas. Then
I saw something that impressed me. Just
down the road, another spectator was holding out a trash bag to collect the
banana peels. That guy wins spectator of
the year.
Lake Nokomis used to be
the race venue for the FANS 24-hour race.
I’ve logged hundreds of miles around this lake, so I always feel at home
on this part of the course.
As I continued around the
lake, I saw a spectator holding up a white board with the score of the Vikings
game. They were now ahead 17-0.
I paused to take a
picture of the lake, and the 3:50 group caught up to me. It wasn’t really the best place to get a view
of the lake. A short time later, there
was a place where you can look across the lake and see the downtown
buildings. I wanted to stop again, but I
would have fallen behind the group. I
didn’t want to have to work hard to catch up to them, so I had to skip that
photo op.
We reached the halfway
mark in 1:54:49. We were 11 seconds
ahead of schedule. Shortly after that,
we reached an aid station that had pickle juice.
In the next mile, we left
Lake Nokomis and got back onto the Minnehaha Parkway. We passed the 14 mile banner. A short time later, I saw a banner that said
1 mile. It had been one mile since we
passed the halfway mark, so I realized it was the one mile banner for the half
marathon. This race never used to have a
half marathon, but they apparently added one since I last ran it.
At this point, I was
still with the pace group. Then I
inadvertently got ahead of them. The 15
mile mark was in Minnehaha Park. When I
got there, I saw that I had run that mile about 25 seconds too fast. After that, I eased up, but I remained ahead
of the 3:50 group for a long time.
Soon, we turned onto West
River Parkway, which follows the west bank of the Mississippi. We were on this parkway for almost four
miles. We no longer had a tailwind, but
this section was mostly flat.
We ran under another
bridge that had a drum band set up nearby.
They didn’t bother to set up under the bridge. That was a vote of confidence in the weather.
Soon, I heard one runner
tell another that the score of the Vikings game was now 17-7. The other runner said he knew that. He was listening to the game with his
earbud. I decided to run with him for a
while.
After running under the
Lake Street bridge, we had to come back up a ramp. I started to fall behind the guy who was
listening the game. Keeping up with him
going uphill took too much effort. As
the road leveled off, I was able to catch up.
Then, before I knew it, I was ahead of him. The fact that I kept running away from people
was a good sign. With nine miles to go,
I wasn’t having any trouble keeping up the pace.
Just before the 19-mile
mark, we went up a ramp to get onto the Franklin Avenue bridge. This was where we crossed the river. I stopped to take a picture and the 3:50
group passed me. I didn’t realize they
were that close to me. I had to use the
downhill side of the bridge to speed up enough to catch up to them.
As we got off of the
bridge, we turned onto the East River Road.
The next two miles were along the east bank of the Mississippi. The first mile was slightly downhill, and I
pulled ahead of the 3:50 group again.
The second was slightly uphill.
This was the first mile of a three mile stretch with an uphill trend.
The toughest part was a
hill just past 21, where we turned and ran out of the river valley. I often see people walking on this hill. I didn’t need to walk, but I slowed down a
little. I was still ahead of the 3:50
group. As long as they were behind me, I
wasn’t too concerned about slowing down temporarily on the hill. Overall, I was on pace.
After that hill, we made
two quick turns, and then we were on Summit Avenue, which would take us all the
way into downtown St. Paul. All along
Summit Avenue, we had a tailwind.
Early in the race, I was
cold, but now I was getting sweaty. The
sun was out now, and with the wind at my back, it wasn’t cooling me off.
After turning onto Summit
Avenue, I spotted the guy who was listening to the game. He said the score was now 17-10, and it was
about halfway through the fourth quarter.
A few minutes later, we reached an aid station. As we were leaving the aid station, he said
the score was now 20-10. That was the
last score I heard until after the race.
We had four miles to go. The next
mile was uphill, but the last three have a slightly downhill trend. I picked up my effort to make sure I wouldn’t
slow down in that last uphill mile.
I was within sight of the
last hill when I heard Mike giving the group a pep talk. He was encouraging them to conquer the
hill. I stayed with the group to the top
of the hill. Then I raced ahead as the
road turned downhill.
When I crossed the bridge
over Ayd Mill Road, I knew I had about two and a half miles to go. I was confident I could keep up the
pace. In mile 24, I sped up by about 20
seconds.
With a mile and a half to
go, I saw a sign on my right that said “free beer.” I veered to the right side of the road, where
there was a beer stop. There has always
been a beer stop somewhere along Summit Avenue, but it’s not always in the same
place. I usually don’t stop. This year I did. That’s a reflection of how confident I was
that I would break 3:50.
I had been drinking Nuun
at every aid station, and I was getting sick of it. The beer was refreshing. It was a nice change of pace.
Mile 25 wasn’t as fast,
but it was fast enough. Mile 26 had a
more noticeable downhill slope, so I was able to pick up the pace again.
The last seven miles of
the marathon were the same as the last seven miles of the 10-mile race, so I
was occasionally seeing their mile markers as well. When I saw the “9” banner, I had exactly one
mile to go. I should’ve looked at my
watch. It would have been useful to know
how fast I needed to run the last mile.
I wanted to know if I had time to stop for two more pictures.
The road curved to the
left. Soon, I could see the dome of St.
Paul’s Cathedral over the trees. A
minute or two later, we ran right by it.
From here, it was sharply
downhill to the finish. I had to get
around one more small curve before I had a clear view of the finish line. Behind it, I could see the state capitol.
After pausing to take
that last picture, I had trouble getting started again, even though it was
downhill. The miles were finally
catching up with me. I got there as
quickly as I could, but other runners were passing me.
I finished in
3:49:02. I broke 3:50 to notch another
Boston qualifier. I also ran negative
splits by 36 seconds. After crossing the
finish line, I waited for Mike to finish.
Almost immediately, I put
on my jacket. Then I made my way to the
gear bag retrieval area as quickly as I could.
Once I had my gear bag, I made my way to the beer garden. I was thirsty. They had a variety of beers, including one that
was non-alcoholic. I chose the NA beer,
because I could drink it quickly to quench my thirst, but still be safe to
drive.
I’ve done this race
enough times that I know which streets are blocked off and the best alternate
routes. One part of the drive home was
slow. There’s only one place in St. Paul
where you can get across Summit Avenue, and that’s Ayd Mill Road, which goes
under a bridge. Everyone else going that
direction had to take the same road, so it was a bit congested.
I had a great race, but I
may pay a price for it. It’s the third
straight weekend that I’ve pushed to my limit, and that may jeopardize my
chances of running a fast time next weekend in Chicago.
Sunday night, my sleep
was restless. I usually sleep best after
a hard effort. Instead, I woke up during
the night feeling jittery. That could be
a symptom of overtraining (or in this case, overracing).
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