Race Report: 2022 Pine Tree Marathon

On May 16, I ran the Pine Tree Marathon in Portland, ME.  This race is part of the New England Challenge, which includes marathons in all six New England States over six consecutive days.

In 2014, I ran the entire series, although it didn’t include a Vermont race at that time.  This year, I’m just doing three of the six races.  When you’re racing in different states each day, the travel is just as challenging as the running.  I’m not a big fan of having to check out of my hotel and drive for a few hours on the same day that I’m running a marathon.  For that reason, I’m only running every other day this time.

To get a reasonable rate on a rental car, you need to pick it up and drop it off in the same place.  With that in mind, I picked an airport that was centrally located for my trip.  My first race was in Portland, and my last race is in Hartford, so I flew to Boston and drove from there.

My flight got in right just before noon on Sunday.  After picking up my rental car, I made a lunch stop in Revere before continuing to Portland.  The drive took about two hours, so I arrived in Portland in the mid-afternoon.

The last time I was in Portland, I didn’t have time to do any sightseeing.  This time, I had much more free time.  The place I was most interested in visiting was the Portland Head Light.  This lighthouse was originally completed in 1791, and underwent significant renovations during the Civil War.  It was decommissioned in 1989 after being operational for more than 200 years.  Since then, it has been converted to a museum.

There were sunny skies over most of Portland, so I was disappointed when I got to Cape Elizabeth and found it to be socked in with fog.  I could see the lighthouse, but I couldn’t take any good pictures.  I took the pictures below on Tuesday, when the skies were clear.

Last winter, Deb and I binge-watched a TV series called Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  The last few seasons of this series featured a setting commonly referred to as “The Lighthouse.”  The fictitious lighthouse in the TV series was said to be somewhere on the shores of Lake Ontario.  In fact, the actual lighthouse used for exterior shots was the Portland Head Light.

After getting back to the hotel, I organized my clothes for the race and then walked to dinner.  When I booked my hotel, I didn’t know if it was close to any good restaurants.  As it turns out, I found a good pizzeria just half a mile away, and there was a brewery in the same building.

When I was in Fort Lauderdale for the National Senior Games, I needed to be up at 4:30 three days in a row, so I got used to an early-to-bed, early to rise schedule.  I’m doing the same thing this week.  I went to bed right after dinner, and I was able to get to sleep right away.  On race morning, I woke up before my alarm.

As is often the case, I was staying at a hotel that has a complimentary breakfast, but I had to leave before they started their breakfast service.  When I woke up, I made some tea and ate a few shortbread cookies.

The race started at 6:00 AM, but I needed to get there early to pick up my race packet.  For the other races in this series, I’ll wear the same race bib, so this was the only time I needed to get there early.

The temperature was in the low 50s.  When the temperature is below 50, I wear tights.  Today, it seemed like it was warm enough that I should be comfortable in shorts.  While I was waiting for the race to start, I occasionally felt a few drops.  I didn’t know if it would rain during the race, so I started the race wearing a light jacket.  I also wore gloves.

The course was a 3.55 mile loop around Back Cove.  We ran this loop seven times, plus an out-and-back at the beginning, to make the distance come out right.  The course is certified, and the race is chip-timed.  You can qualify for Boston here, but I wasn’t that ambitious.  I just wanted to run the race at a comfortable pace and keep some gas in the tank for Wednesday.

I started running at a pace that felt nice and relaxed.  I didn’t have any time goal.  Instead, I ran by feel.  At any given time, I ran at the pace that felt most comfortable.  That’s what I generally do for training runs, but I rarely do that in a race.

There was one well-stocked aid station in the start/finish area.  When I finished the out-and-back, I wasn’t that thirsty.  I knew it would be about half an hour before I came back to the aid station again, so I drank a small amount of water.  After that, I always drank a substantial amount of Gatorade.

By the time I started my first full lap, my hands were getting warm.  I took off my gloves and put them in my fanny pack.  I kept my jacket on a little longer.

We were running on Back Cove Trail, which is firmly packed dirt.  While technically a trail, I found it to be a good running surface.

At one end of the cove, we ran across a bridge.  This was the only part of the course that was paved.

The course was mostly flat.  The only hill was coming up to the highway before turning to cross the bridge.

After about three miles, I started to feel sweaty underneath my jacket.  It was time to take it off and tie it around my waist.

By the middle of my second lap, I started to notice that my hands were getting cold, but only on one side of the cove.  There was a breeze blowing in off the coast.  I got coldest where I felt that breeze the most.  I also sometimes felt a few small  drops.  At first, it seemed like drizzle, but I don’t think it ever rained during the race.  It seemed like there was a fine mist in the air, where the wind was blowing across the cove.

By my third lap, I also noticed my legs were getting cold.  In the first half of the race, my hands and legs only felt cold on one side of the cove.  By the second half of the race, I was feeling cold all the way around the cove.

In addition to water and Gatorade, the aid station had a variety of food.  I don’t usually eat solid food during a marathon, but I paused after my fourth lap to eat a PBJ.  I wanted to make sure I was taking in enough calories to stay warm.

Before starting my next lap, I slowed to a walk, so I could put my gloves on again.  Even though my hands were cold, they were also sweaty.  I had trouble getting my gloves on.  I probably walked for at least a minute while I put on my gloves.  During that time, my legs got even colder.  With gloves on, my hands quickly got more comfortable.  It didn’t help my legs, however.

I wasn’t trying to stay on any particular pace, but I still noticed when my watch recorded a split.  Early in the race, my mile times tended to be between 9:30 and 9:45.  By the middle of the race, I was consistently running miles that were slower than 10 minutes.  That trend continued.  By the end of the race, my pace slowed to roughly 11 minutes per mile.

As my legs got cold, some of the muscles in my legs felt tight.  I’m sure it was affecting my running efficiency.  It seemed like my strides were getting shorter.  I probably could’ve compensated by putting more energy into my stride, but I didn’t want to do that.  I wanted to run the whole race at a pace that felt relaxed.  I was also afraid I might pull a muscle if I tried to pick up the pace when my muscles were so tight.

I felt like my cadence never changed much.  As a result, any decrease in stride length led to a slower pace.  I could’ve worked to increase my cadence, but I really didn’t want to put too much energy into this race.  I just accepted that this was going to be a slow race.

When I finished my fifth lap, I ate another PBJ.  I had a little over seven miles to go, but all I could tell myself is I had two laps to go.  That’s how it is when you’re running multiple laps.  You measure the remaining distance in laps, rather than in miles.  You could know exactly how many miles are left, but that somehow feels abstract.

After my sixth lap, I ate an egg roll.  The egg rolls were warm, but not too hot to eat.  That really hit the spot, although washing it down with Gatorade sort of ruined the flavor.

With only one lap to go, the remaining distance seemed much more manageable, but I was running so slowing that it still seemed to take a long time.

I finished the race in 4:34:20.  I never expected to be that slow in a race where I was basically running the whole way.  I slowed to  a walk a few times, to put on gloves or to take off my jacket.  I also took a few pictures.  Other than that, I was always running.

The finisher medal was in the shape of the state of Maine.

Ordinarily, I would’ve left right away, so I could get back to the hotel and warm up.  I decided to hang around at the finish when I found out they were making a pot of chicken fagioli soup at the aid station.

While I was waiting for the soup to cook, I went to my car to get a pair of wind pants to keep my legs warm.  It was only after pulling them on over my shoes that I realized how dusty my shoes were.  I got a lot of dust inside the lining of my wind pants.

I ended up talking to other runners for more than an hour before finally driving back to the hotel.  I was looking forward to warming up in the hotel’s hot tub.  It wasn’t until I got there that I found out the hut tub was out of order.  I had to settle for taking a hot bath in my room.  At least I had a tub.  That’s something I usually make sure of when I’m booking a hotel for a race.

When I retrieved the data from my watch, I looked to see if my cadence changed during the race.  From the first graph below, you can see it remained fairly consistent.  There are a few outlying points, but those were times I slowed to a walk briefly or stopped to take a picture.  From the second graph, you can see the way my pace changed throughout the race.  The deterioration of my pace was due entirely to a gradual shortening of my stride as my legs got cold.

I’ll be curious to see how my next race goes.  Hopefully this one was a fluke.  If the weather is similar, I’ll probably opt for tights instead of shorts.  I’m also a little worried about my left hamstring.  Later in the day, it still felt tight.

Most of the other runners had to leave right after the race to drive to New Hampshire for tomorrow’s race.  I’m skipping that one.  I’ll be spending one more night in Portland before driving to Rhode Island for Wednesday’s race.  That means I can sleep in tomorrow and enjoy the hotel breakfast.

Race statistics:

Distance:  26.2 miles

Time:  4:34:20

Average pace:  10:28

Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  453

Maine Marathons/Ultras:  4

2022 National Senior Games: 5,000 Meter Race-Walk

On May 11, I competed in the 5,000 meter race-walk event at the National Senior Games in Fort Lauderdale, FL.  This was my second race-walking event in two days.  Yesterday, I did the 1,500 meter race.

In contrast to yesterday’s race, which was on a track, today’s race was on pavement.  It was a 1,000 meter road circuit outside of Florida Live Arena.  We needed to complete the circuit five times.

I already had my race bibs, since they’re the same ones I wore for yesterday’s 1,500 meter race.  That meant I didn’t have to leave the hotel quite as early as I did yesterday.

I felt like the breakfast I ate yesterday was about right, so I did the same thing today.  I bought Pop Tarts in the hotel store and had them with tea, which I made in my room.  That allowed me to eat breakfast as soon as I woke up, so I would have a little time to digest before the race.

Although I already had my race bibs, I still wanted to get to the race venue a little early.  I was a unsure exactly where we were supposed to meet, so I allowed some time for getting lost.  When I got to the arena, the first two gates I passed were closed.  I continued until I found a gate that was open, but I still didn’t know exactly where to go.  There wasn’t any signage.

After driving more that halfway around the arena and its many parking lots, I saw an employee on a golf cart.  I stopped to ask him if he knew where the race-walking event was.  He didn’t know, but he told me had seen a white tent in one of the parking lots near Gate 2.  I continued driving around the building until I saw a white canopy with several cars parked nearby.  That was it.

I was there in time to watch the start of the women’s heat, which started at 7:30.  The men’s race wasn’t scheduled to start until 8:15.

While I was watching the women’s race, I learned how competitors are informed of red cards.  Often a judge will say something as a walker passes, but you don’t always know for sure if they’re giving you a red card, or if it’s just a warning.  Near the end of the course, there was a board where they listed the numbers of any walkers who had been given red cards.  Each red dot next to a number represents one red card.

In pre-race instructions, the walkers were all told that even if they see three red dots next to their number, they should continue walking, just in case there was a mistake.  If someone is actually disqualified, the chief judge will hold up a red paddle and ask them to leave the course.

The weather today was several degrees cooler than yesterday.  There was a chance of a late morning shower, but that never materialized.  I found the conditions to be almost ideal for a 5K race.

I had been worried about whether walking at an all-out pace would aggravate my lower back.  It never bothered me during yesterday’s race, and I felt fine for the rest of the day.  I was surprised that I felt much better after an intense 1,500 meter race than I did the day before after sitting on a plane for a few hours.

This morning, I felt fine when I got up, but after driving to today’s race, I noticed some minor discomfort near my right hip.  Every so often, I would lean against a light pole and do some pelvic tilts.

I walked yesterday’s race at a pace that extrapolates to 9:38 per mile.  That gave me a good idea what my top speed is.  What I didn’t know is what pace I could sustain for 5,000 meters, which is more than three times as far.  Besides yesterday’s race, I had two other benchmarks in mind.  The first was my 5,000 meter time from the Minnesota Senior Games last August.  That worked out to an average pace of 9:55 per mile.  The other was the 10:17 pace that I averaged last month at the B.A.A. 5K race.  I expected my pace today to be somewhere between those two.

I placed fourth yesterday, and I wanted to see if I could climb into the top three today.  My top speed isn’t as fast as some of the other walkers, but I was hoping my marathon training would give me more staying power.  Before the race, I recognized the guy who won my age group yesterday.  I didn’t spot the second and third place walkers from yesterday’s race, but that didn’t mean they weren’t here.  Also, I didn’t know if there were fast walkers in today’s race who didn’t do yesterday’s race.

The course had two turnaround points.  Roughly 100 meters from the start, we turned around a circle of cones.  The other end of the circuit went through a parking lot, and the turnaround was much wider.

When the gun went off, I started walking as fast as I could.  There was a lead pack of about seven walkers who reached the first turn ahead of me.  One of them was the guy who won my age group yesterday.  I didn’t know how many of the others were in my age group.  Since men from every age group were in the same heat, I liked my odds of being in the top three or four in my age group.

Two men were way out in front.  The other five who were ahead of me were in a pack.  The guy who won my age group yesterday was leading them.  I was surprised how close I was to his pace, but that was in the first 100-200 meters.  Then I gradually fell farther behind, although I could almost always see them.

There were at least six race-walking judges spread around the course.  Except for the turnarounds, the course was basically out-and-back.  That meant each judge could observe walkers from both directions.  On average, we passed within sight of a judge every 100 meters.

As I was nearing the far turn during my first lap, I heard one of the judges warn the walker in front of me that his knee was bent.  As we passed near the next judge, he warned the same walker.  The next judge did too.  As we reached the end of the lap, he passed near the chief race-walking judge and asked her something.  I couldn’t hear, but he probably asked her how many red cards he had.  It might have already been three.  The judge said, “I don’t have any information for you.”  Then she added, “… but I’m calling you for bent knee.”

As I finished my first lap, I looked at my watch.  I finished that lap in 6:16, which put me on pace to finish in 31:20.  That was slower than my time last August at the Minnesota Senior Games, but it was faster than my time a month ago in the B.A.A. 5K.  That was within my expectations.

I had established a reasonable starting pace.  Now I had to work hard to sustain it.  I still wasn’t that far behind the pack of walkers in front of me.  I tried to tether myself to them.

Midway through my second lap, I felt my watch vibrate as it recorded a split.  My pace for my first full mile was 10:02.  Again, that was within the range I expected.  I wanted to get my pace down to 10 minutes, but I just haven’t done enough recent training.

As I neared the end of my second lap, I looked at the board for red cards.  I was looking for number 41.  That was the walker who was right in front of me in my previous lap.  I had since passed him, but I knew at least four judges had said something to him about his form.  His number wasn’t on the board yet.  Sometimes a judge will give you a warning and keep their eyes on you in subsequent laps.  If you can correct your form, you’re OK.  If you can’t, they’ll give you a red card the next time they see you.  Apparently, this walker was able to correct his form.  Much later in the race, I saw he had one red card, but I don’t think he ever got disqualified.

I walked my second lap in 6:13.  That was three seconds faster than my first lap.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t hold that pace much longer.  It was in the third lap that I began to struggle with the pace.  I did the best I could, but I slowed down a little.

The race was chip-timed and there was a race official just past the finish line transponder who could see our splits for each lap as well as our cumulative times.  Each time a walker passed, he read their time and their lap split.  That proved to be helpful when I finished my third lap.  When I looked at my watch, I saw my time, but made a mental arithmetic error as I computed my split.  I thought I had sped up by one second.  In fact, I slowed down by nine seconds.  I realized by mistake only after the official told me my split.  Then I lit a fire under myself to pick up my effort in the last two laps.

Near the beginning of my fourth lap, I got another mile split from my watch.  It was 10:14, which was discouraging.  I worked even harder to pick up the pace again.

I saw that I was started to gain ground on one of the walkers ahead of me.  I knew he was in a different age group, but I tried to catch him anyway.  Near the end of the lap, I finally reeled him in.  As I went by, I said, “Don’t worry about me.  I’m not in your age group.”  As it turns out, he had other worries.  We passed a judge, who gave him a red card.  After the race, I found out he was disqualified.

My fourth lap was one second faster than my third lap.  As I started the last lap, I looked for the walker who won my age group yesterday.  He was on his way back from the first turn.  It’s possible his lead wasn’t as large as it had been earlier, but he was still at least 100 meters ahead of me.

After making the turn myself, I looked for him and realized there were no other walkers between us.  I assumed he was winning our age group.  If he was, then I was in second.  That gave me the motivation I needed to hold it together for one more lap.

I lapped several walkers who were near the back of the pack.  I kept my focus on the one runner ahead of me who I knew was in my age group.  I knew I wouldn’t catch him, but I didn’t want to lose sight of him.

I finished the race in 31:31.12.  I heard the timing official say I had sped up in my last lap.  I did, but only by one second.  I went to the walker I had been chasing and asked him if he had won our age group.  He did, but as it turns out, he had been worried about another walker who started even faster.  That guy got disqualified.

When I finished, they were still presenting the awards for the women.  They did them one age group at a time, and there were eight awards for each age group.  It took time to get through them all.  Eventually, they got to the men, but I still had to wait for all the older age groups before they got to mine.  Then I finally got confirmation that I won the silver medal for my age group.

I never noticed my lower back during the race, but I started to notice it afterwards.  It felt different than it did before the race.  I had some minor soreness near my tailbone.  I couldn’t do much about it while I was at the race.  When I got back to the hotel, I took a hot bath and did some more stretching.  After that, it felt much better.

I don’t have any other race-walking events scheduled.  In the short term, I’m going to shift my focus back to running marathons.  Walking will still be a part of my training, but I can do longer walks at a less intense pace.  If my back continues to improve, I may do the walking events at this year’s Minnesota Senior Games, but those are still a few months away.

Race statistics:

Distance:  5,000 meters

Time:  31:31.12

Average pace:  6:18 per kilometer; 10:08 per mile

Average cadence:  174 strides per minute

Place in age group:  2nd

2022 National Senior Games: 1500 Meter Race-Walk

On May 10, I competed in the 1,500 meter race-walk event at the National Senior Games in Fort Lauderdale, FL.  I qualified for nationals by winning my age group in the 5,000 meter race-walk event at the Minnesota Senior Games last August.  There are two race-walk distances: 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters.  I didn’t do the 1,500 meter race in Minnesota, but if you qualify in one distance, you can do both distances at nationals.

At the Minnesota Senior Games, the 1,500 and 5,000 were both held on the same day.  I didn’t think I could race both events, since they were only two hours apart.  At the National Senior Games, the 1,500 and 5,000 meter events are on different days, so it seemed more reasonable to do both.

The National Senior Games take place over 14 days.  There are events in 21 different sports.  I was only competing in the race-walk events, which took place on the first two days.

I stayed at a hotel that was near the airport.  Ideally, I would’ve stayed at a hotel that was closer to where I was racing.  The 1,500 and 5,000 meter events were held at different venues.  There weren’t any hotels close to the track and field complex where the 1,500 meter race was held.  There was one hotel close to where the 5,000 meter race will be held, but I couldn’t get a room there.  No matter where I stayed, I would have to get up early to drive to the races, so I picked a hotel that had some nearby restaurants.

I flew to Fort Lauderdale on Monday.  I arrived after noon, so I made a fast food lunch stop before continuing to my hotel.  After checking in at my hotel, I had to wait until 4:00 before I could pick up my credentials.  In the meantime, I went to the hotel’s fitness rooms to do some leg and back exercises.

Athlete check-in was at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.  We had to check in and pick up our credentials before we could pick up our race bibs for individual events.

In addition to my badge, I received a welcome bag that contained a program, some coupons, and some product samples.  The most useful product sample was probably the pain relief gel.

There were some good restaurants near my hotel, but I wanted to get to bed early, so I had dinner in the hotel restaurant before turning in early.

My alarm was set for 5:00 AM.  I was already awake at 4:30, so I got up and started getting ready.  I was planning to leave before the hotel started their breakfast, so I made a cup of tea in my room and ate some Pop Tarts that I bought the night before.

The race was held on a 400 meter track at the Ansin Sports Complex.  I had to pick up my race bib at the race venue between 6:00 and 7:00 AM.  I was planning to get there around 6:30.  Since I was up early, I was able to leave a little earlier than I planned.  I got to the race venue a little after 6:00.

When I checked in, I received two race bibs.  The first one, which I wore on the front of my shirt, was a standard race bib with a timing chip.  The second race bib, which I wore on my back, showed which age group I was in.

The race was split into four heats.  I was in the third heat, which was for men between the ages of 50 and 69.  My heat wasn’t scheduled to start until 8:20 AM.  In the meantime, I talked to other walkers and watched the first heat, which was for women, ages 70-94.

While the first heat was still going on, they were already lining up the men who were in the second heat.  Since my heat was next, I put my phone in my car and made a bathroom stop.

When I checked in for my heat, I was assigned a number reflecting where I would line up.  This number was also used by the race-walking judges, in case they needed to disqualify someone.

They had stickers with numbers from one to thirty.  I was assigned number 32.  Since they didn’t have any stickers for numbers above thirty, they had to use a “3” and a “2.”  I had to wear stickers like this on the front of my shirt, the back of my shirt, and on my left hip.

The temperature at the start was 74 degrees.  I was expecting high humidity, but I really didn’t notice it.  There was just enough of a breeze to keep me from feeling hot.  We were also starting before the sun got too high in the sky.  I found the conditions to be surprisingly comfortable.

I’ve never raced this distance before.  All my training has been for the 5,000 meter event, which will be held tomorrow.  I’m hoping to be competitive at that distance, but I didn’t expect to be competitive in the 1,500.  With that in mind, I viewed today’s race as a tune-up for tomorrow’s race.

We started on the far side of the track.  We had to go three quarters of the way around the track and then do three complete laps.  I was lined up in the outermost lane.  When the gun went off, I focused only on the first 100 meters.  I walked as fast as I possibly could, with no regard to whether I could sustain this pace for 100 meters.  I needed to cross over in the inside lane before the first turn.  My goal was to pass as many people as possible in the first 100 meters, so I wouldn’t be behind as many people when I started the turn.

I was going as fast as I could, but the majority of the walkers in my heat were already in front of me by the time I got over to the inside lane.  After that, I just followed the other walkers around the turn and tried my best to keep up my initial fast pace.

By the time I entered the second turn, I was gaining on the walker right in front of me.  I stayed behind him going around the turn, but sped up and passed him as soon as we reached the next straightaway.

There were five race-walking judges spread out around the track.  Any one of them could give you a warning if your form was borderline or a “red card” if your form wasn’t legal.  There are two possible infractions.  The first is called, “lifting.”  It means you have both feet off the ground at the same time.  The other infraction is called “bent knee.”  The knee of your supporting leg has to be straight from the moment you make contact with the ground.  It’s easy to know if you’re lifting.  You would feel it.  It’s harder to know if you’re consistently keeping your knee straight.

I was mostly concerned with the effort it took to walk so fast, but whenever I saw one of the judges, I asked myself if I was confident my knee was straight on every stride.  I was reasonably sure it was, but I wouldn’t know for sure unless a judge said something.

As I was nearing one of the judges, I saw her suddenly move toward the track.  Then she said, “Number 3, bent knee.”  That was the guy in front of me.  Going around the next turn, I heard another judge say, “Number 3, right knee bent.”

By the end of my second lap, I passed walker number 3.  He was the last runner I would pass.  By then, we were spread out far enough that I was more concerned with maintaining my pace than my position relative to other walkers.

Although my number was 32, there weren’t that many walkers on the track.  There were several no-shows.  I counted about 24 runners in my heat.  I didn’t know how many of them were in my age group.  The 50-54, 55-59, 60-64 and 65-69 age groups were all on the track at once.

I could’ve looked for the age group listed on each walker’s back, but I pretty much only saw the walker in front of me.  I really didn’t have any idea where I stood against other walkers in my age group.

If three different judges give you a “red card,” you’re disqualified.  There’s one exception to that.  In the last 100 meters of the race, the head judge can disqualify you, even if you haven’t been flagged by any other judge.  The purpose of that rule is to keep someone from taking off and running when it’s late in the race and only one judge is around.

With this rule in mind, I was very conscious of my form as I entered the last 100 meters.  Rather than fight like mad to shave off a second or two, I played it safe and maintained my same stride.

I crossed the finish line in 8:59.96, but I would have to wait for the awards presentation to find out how I placed within my age group.  While I was waiting, I heard one of the judges call for number 3 to come see them.  I knew what that meant.  He was disqualified.  That wasn’t a big surprise, since I already knew at least two judges had flagged him for bent knee.

Number 4 and number 16 were also disqualified.  Number 16 was flabbergasted, since he didn’t remember getting any warnings.  Most likely, he was disqualified in the last 100 meters by the head judge.  That’s why I was extra careful in the last 100 meters.

I eventually learned that I placed fourth in the 60-64 age group.  They had medals for the top three finishers and ribbons for places four through eight.

Before I left the Ansin Sports Complex, I learned that the race bibs I wore today will also be used for tomorrow’s 5,000 meter race.  Since I already have my race bibs for tomorrow, I won’t have to get to the race venue as early.

My pace for today’s race was about what I expected.  I didn’t know if that would be fast enough to be competitive, so I’m happy with fourth place.  Tomorrow’s race is the one I was training for.  My goal is third place, but I didn’t get my training going until March.  I’m not as fast right now as I was last October.

The three walkers who finished ahead of me today will probably all be doing tomorrow’s race as well.  Can I place higher in a longer race?  I know the pace I was walking today won’t be sustainable for 5,000 meters.  It stands to reason, however, that everyone will have to go at a slower pace tomorrow.  I’m hoping I have better endurance than at least one of the guys who finished ahead of me today.  If nothing else, I appear to be within striking distance.  That’ll make tomorrow’s race exciting.

To be continued …

Race statistics:

Distance:  1,500 meters

Time:  8:59.96

Average pace:  6:00 per kilometer; 9:38 per mile

Place in age group:  4th

Race Report: 2022 Lincoln Marathon

On May 1st, I ran the Lincoln Marathon.  I’ve heard good things about this race, but I’ve never run it before.  I chose this race for two reasons.  First, I needed another Nebraska marathon for my fourth circuit of 50 states.  Second, I could drive to this one.  There were other races I considered for this weekend, but they all had expensive airfares.

I got up early on Saturday to get started on the drive.  Not counting stops, it’s a six hour drive.  Sitting in the car for that long was making my lower back uncomfortable, so I had to stop a few times to get out of the car and walk around.  I also made a brief lunch stop in Des Moines.

I encountered heavy rain in southern Minnesota and drizzle in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska.  When I got to my hotel, the rain was ending, but it was so windy my hat blew off my head.

The marathon starts and finishes near Memorial Stadium, on the campus of the University of Nebraska.  The stadium is on the northern edge of the downtown area.  I stayed at a downtown hotel that was about half a mile from the stadium.

By chance, my friend Eliot was staying at the same hotel, and I randomly bumped into him and his girlfriend, Sue.  They were on their way to meet some other friends at a bar.  I was planning to walk to the Marriot for packet pickup, but they offered me a ride.  After I picked up my race packet, we all went out for beers.

My hotel was in an area that’s loaded with restaurants and breweries.  I had dinner at an Italian restaurant that was two blocks away.  Then I had a beer flight at a brewery that’s adjacent to the hotel.

I got to bed early and slept about as well as I’ve ever slept the night before a race.  I woke up well before my alarm was scheduled to go off, so I had plenty of time to get ready for the race.

It was 40 degrees, but with a strong wind that made it feel like 30.  The race had a gear check, but I didn’t want to bother with that.  I dressed warm and wore a light jacket to the start.  I was planning to tie it around my waist, but it was so cold that I kept it on for the first few miles.

When I ran the Savin Rock Marathon five weeks ago, I felt like I was restarting my marathon training.  Since then, I’ve also finished the Boston Marathon.  My times in those races were 4:13 and 4:11 respectively.  My goal for this race was to improve my time.  It’s only been two weeks since Boston, so I didn’t expect to improve dramatically.  I was looking for incremental improvement.  I would’ve settled for a time that was a minute or two faster.

I didn’t know if I could run as fast as four hours, but I saw a four hour pace group, so I lined up next to them.

The sun was at a low angle, and we started out running right into the sun.  With the sun in my eyes, I found it hard to see.  I knew there were patches of uneven pavement, so I started at a cautious pace.  It was all I could do to see the pavement clearly.

We ran into the sun for a few blocks before making the first turn.  After that, I could see more clearly.  I noticed I was right behind the 3:50 pace group.  The pace felt easy, but I made a point of not passing them.  I knew 3:50 would be too fast.

After another turn, I could tell the 3:50 pace group was accelerating.  I didn’t try to keep up with them.  I kept running at the same pace, and I gradually drifted back.

When I saw the 2 mile sign, I looked at my watch for the first time.  I was averaging less than nine minutes per mile.  I questioned whether that pace was sustainable.  My pace still felt relaxed, so I kept going at the same pace.  I was careful, however, not to fall into the trap of keeping up with the runners around me.  I ran my own race.

Somewhere in the third mile, I turned a corner and found myself running into the sun again.  It felt like I was running up a long gradual hill, but it was hard to tell.  I had to look straight down, so I couldn’t actually see the hill.  I just felt like the pace was suddenly tiring.

I also felt hot for the first time.  Under my jacket, I could feel sweat on my arms.  I took off my jacket and tied it around my waist.  Before long, I also had to take off my gloves.

The first time I reached an aid station, I noticed the cups had lids and straws.  I’m sure the people who organized the aid stations thought they were being helpful, but it’s really tough to drink through a straw when you’re running.  I tried, but it was too difficult.  I had to take the lid off and drink straight from the cup.  I did that at all the aid stations.

Shortly after the aid station, I large group caught up to me.  I knew there was a 4:00 group somewhere behind me, so I assumed it was them.  I was planning to join the group, but I found their pace difficult.  I was surprised how quickly the group was overtaking me.  Then I saw the sign the pacer was holding.  This was the 1:45 group for the half marathon.  Their pace was much too fast for me.  They evidently lined up farther back in the start corral.  I kept running my own pace and let them go by. 

At four miles, I checked my watch again.  I was still averaging less than nine minutes per mile.  I still wasn’t sure if that was a pace I could sustain.  I decided to stop looking at my watch, so I wouldn’t get emotionally invested in maintaining that pace.

Shortly after the 5 mile mark, I started talking to another runner.  I had to pick up my pace a little to stay with him, but I enjoyed our conversation.  I knew I couldn’t run at his pace for the whole race, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt me to run with him for a mile or two.

After another mile, we made a turn onto a bike path, and I felt a headwind for the first time.  Earlier, I felt hot.  Now I felt cold.  I wondered if I would regret taking off my gloves.  I considered putting them on again, but I knew I wouldn’t be running into the wind for the whole race.  I decided to live with having cold hands for now.

There were aid stations roughly once per mile.  By the time I reached the aid station near the eight mile mark, I felt like I needed a bathroom stop.  Many of the aid stations had port-o-potties, but this one didn’t.

Another pace group caught up to me.  Again, I initially assumed it was the 4:00 group.  It was another half marathon pace group.  This time, it was the 1:50 group.  That was still too fast for me, so I didn’t make any effort to stay with them.

This course was mostly flat.  There were a few sections that were slightly uphill or slightly downhill, but none of them were steep.  The longest hill was somewhere near the nine mile mark.  That hill was slightly uphill for about three blocks.  After cresting that hill, I saw a spectator holding a sign that read, “It’s a hill.  Get over it.”  The runner next to me saw that sign and said, “There’s another hill?”  The spectator immediately said, “No. No.  It’s just the one hill.  You’re past it now.”

When I first started running marathons, I heard a nugget of wisdom from a friend.  If you don’t feel fresh at the 10 mile mark, you’re going too fast.  I sometimes ask myself at 10 miles if I still feel fresh.  I have a tendency to start at a fast pace, so the answer is usually no.  I asked myself that question at 10 miles.  I didn’t feel perfectly fresh, but I felt better than I usually do.

I was around 11 miles when I saw a row of port-o-potties and none of them were occupied.  I no longer left the urgent need to make a bathroom stop.  I assumed I would probably need to stop eventually, but I had a concern.  I knew I was ahead of the four hour group, but only by a couple minutes.  If I made a bathroom stop, I might fall behind them.  I was worried that would be too demoralizing, especially if I couldn’t catch up to them.  For that reason, I decided to press on.

I had only run a mile since the 10 mile mark, but I was in the middle of a long stretch that was right into the wind.  Now, I clearly did not feel fresh.  Running into the wind was tiring.

After another mile, I began to see some downtown buildings.  Soon, I recognized where I was in relation to my hotel.  When I reached the street my hotel was on, I knew how much farther it was to get back to the stadium.  I started to feel strong wind gusts.  I was only a few blocks from the stadium, but it was really tiring.

The first half of the course was a big loop.  When we got back to the stadium, the half marathoners would turn and run to the finish, while the marathoners would run past the stadium and begin the second half.

I reached the halfway mark in 1:57.  I was three minutes ahead of a four hour pace, but I still wasn’t confident I could do it.  Three straight miles running into the wind took a lot out of me.  My average pace so far was just under nine minutes per mile, but I was much more tired than I should be heading into the second half.

The second half of the course was out-and-back.  As we continued running past the stadium, we gradually turned until the wind was at our back.  After that, we had a tailwind all the way to the turnaround point.  I needed that to regain my composure.

Just before the 14 mile mark, we crossed a bridge and turned onto a bike path that followed Antelope Creek.  I started to wonder how long it would be before I started to see the fastest runners coming back.  I didn’t have to wait for long.  Somewhere between 14 and 15, I saw the lead runner coming back.  He was escorted by two motorcycles and two bicycles.  I ran a long way before seeing the second place runner.

After about a mile on the bike path, I turned and crossed a bridge.  I briefly felt a headwind, but only until I got across the bridge.  Then I turned and had a tailwind again.

For the next several miles, I tried to put in enough effort to maintain a 9:00 pace.  I stopped checking my watch, so I didn’t know for sure.  I was afraid that if I was slowing down, knowing that might demoralize me.  I was running by feel.  I tried to put some effort into it, but not so much effort that it would break me.

With the wind at my back, I started getting hot.  The sun was higher in the sky now, and the temperature was several degrees warmer than it was at the start.  I was dressed warm, but if I wasn’t, I would’ve been freezing on the going into the wind.  There was no way to dress perfectly for this race.  When I ran into the wind, I was too cold.  When it was at my back, I was too hot.  I had the wind at my back all the way to the turnaround, but I knew I would have to run into it on the way back.

I’m not sure exactly when or where, but somewhere in the second half of the race, I realized I was fighting to break four hours.  It wasn’t my goal at the start of the day, and I still didn’t know if I could hold the pace, but I realized I would be disappointed if I didn’t do it.

For the last few miles before the turnaround, I was really looking forward to getting there.  Psychologically, the remaining distance would seem more manageable when I was retracing my route back to Memorial Stadium and the finish.

The last half mile before the turnaround was alongside a lake.  This was the most scenic part of the course.  I saw the 3:50 group coming back.  I estimated they were almost a mile ahead of me.  I was still ahead of the 4:00 group, but I didn’t know how far back they were.  I wouldn’t know until I was on my way back.

When I made the turn, I immediately felt the headwind.  It was cold, and it was tiring.  I knew I’d be running into the wind for the rest of the race.  Why was I looking forward to reaching the turn?

I looked for the 4:00 group.  I didn’t see them at first, but I wouldn’t have to wait long.  My lead on them couldn’t have been more than two minutes.  That was a little bit disappointing.

Coming back from the turn, I had to fight the headwind, but I was determined to maintain my pace if I could.  I put more effort into it than I did at any point earlier.

A gust of wind almost took the hat off my head.  I had it on as snug as possible, but I had to start looking down, so the wind couldn’t catch the brim of my hat.

With about four miles to go, I started to feel stronger wind gusts.  When it was gusting, just running at any pace was tiring.  I seriously questioned whether I could maintain my pace.  I reminded myself that the four hour group was still somewhere behind me.  If they caught up to me, I would have to decide how badly I was willing to fight to stay with them.  I hoped to put off that decision for as long as possible.

All the way back, I was seeing progressively slower pace groups that were still heading out.  I was just past the 23 mile mark when I saw the 5:30 pacer.  Then I recognized him.  It was my friend Tom, who goes by the nickname “pacer Tom.”

After passing Tom, I recognized a building in the distance.  It was the dome at the top of the Nebraska State Capitol.  It’s in the downtown area, so I had a much more tangible feeling that I was getting closer.

With about two miles to go, I returned to the bike path along the Antelope Creek.  I would follow the creek for about a mile before getting back onto the streets that would lead me back to the stadium.

For a long time, I resisted looking at my watch.  I knew the wind was slowing me down, but I didn’t know how much.  At the 25 mile mark, I finally looked.  With only 1.2 miles to go, I wanted to know what pace I needed to break four hours.  I had about 14 and a half minutes.  I knew that was plenty of time.  No matter how much the wind slowed me down, I would break four hours.  I just had to keep running.

I heard someone tell another runner the four hour pace group was within sight.  Earlier I didn’t know what I would do if they caught up to me.  Now I knew.  At this point, I would fight to stay with them.

I crossed back over the same pedestrian bridge I had crossed earlier.  Soon, I could see the top of the stadium over the other buildings.  I had to go all the way around the north end of the stadium to get back over to the west side.  The good news is that I was gradually turning out of the wind.

I checked my watch again at 26 miles.  I was pleased to see I ran the 26th mile in 9:10, even thought I felt like I was running out of gas.  Other runners were putting on a strong finish.  I couldn’t speed up like them, but I also didn’t slow down.  I finished in 3:56:46.

I was hoping to improve my time, but I didn’t expect to improve by 15 minutes.  I also didn’t expect to get back under four hours this soon.  The best part is that races have value as training runs.  My effort in this race will help prepare me for the next one.

The finisher medal had a different design on each side.  The 45 signifies this being the 45th year the race was held.

After I finished, a few different volunteers offered me water bottles.  I’ve learned to skip the water, unless I’m unusually thirsty.  There’s usually a better beverage as you continue moving through the finish area.  In this case, it was chocolate milk.

Next, I was guided into the lower level of a parking garage, where I received my space blanket and food bag.  I like races that give you pre-assembled bags with your post-race food.  This one was especially nice, because it was a good bag.

After walking through the parking garage, I was met by other 50sub4 members who had already finished.  We waited for one other member to finish.  Then we assembled for a group photo.

The finish area was fenced off.  The only exit was at the end that was farthest to my hotel.  That made the walk back longer.  As I was walking back, I felt the wind pick up again.  I was thankful that the wind was relatively light while I was standing around in the finish area.

After getting back to the hotel and showering, I had lunch with some friends who I originally met years ago at the Little Rock Marathon.  The temperature had climbed into the mid-60s, and it we were sitting in the sun.  Suddenly, it felt like a nice day.

For the first time in months, I was staying at a hotel that has an indoor pool and whirlpool.  I spent part of the afternoon relaxing in the whirlpool.

For dinner, I went to a pizzeria that was recommended by one of the runners I had lunch with.  Before this trip, I didn’t know the best pizzeria in Lincoln.  Now I do.  It’s Yia Yia’s Pizza & Beer.

My lower back bothered me on the drive to Lincoln, but it didn’t bother me as much driving home.  I’m happy to say that it didn’t bother me at all during the race.  Also, this was the first time in a year and a half that my right knee not only didn’t bother me during the race, but also didn’t bother me walking up and down steps afterwards.  It helped that this race didn’t have any steep hills.

This was my first time running in Lincoln, and I liked the race.  The wind was awful, and it would’ve been horrid if we also had rain.  Other than that, I thought it was a good race.  I’ll eventually want to run one more marathon in Nebraska, and I’ll consider doing this one again.

Race statistics:

Distance:  26.2 miles

Time:  3:56:46

Average pace: 9:03 

Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  452

Nebraska Marathons:  4