It's marathon time again, but it's time for a scenery change. This weekend it's off to Traverse City to experience the flat, fast course known as the Bayshore Marathon. This is the course known locally for PR's and the perfect spot to attempt to qualify for Boston. There's no way that I'll qualify for Boston, but this was suppose to be the race where we'd get CT qualified. With her injured, the new goal became getting my sub 3:30 finish.
This is the first marathon where travel became a factor. It wasn't a big deal, but the first time prior to a race not to sleep in my own bed and probably the most important pre-race known being the food. It was hard even getting a hotel booked months out, I had a feeling for dinner it would be a challenge too. The chain restaurants wouldn't take reservations, plus I figured everybody would head to them, so my master plan was to find a mom and pa type place. "Best pasta in TC" in a Google search gave me my target. First of all, it was a challenge even finding the place, my Google search could have been "most obscure whole in the wall pasta restaurant in TC". Next, when we did find it, I thought my entourage was going to have a mutiny. The place was tucked in a dead strip mall and it was about the size of my walk in closet. It had three two person tables about the size of a coffee saucers and as we walked in, I could feel the doubt from both CT and Downhill about my choice. Luckily, because I'm the man, I did call ahead and reserve a table for four, which happened to be out of view and happened to be almost setup in their kitchen. Still getting some doubt from my girls. The food turned out to be pretty damn good, the girls put away their knives and their thoughts of mutiny, order was restored!
Race morning, my nemesis the heat was out. With my success at the River Bank Run, my plan was to do the exact same thing, hang with my pace group the whole way, only problem two days before the race I found out Bayshore doesn't have pace groups, so much for that plan. Bang goes the gun, without a set plan, I decided to run based on feel. First couple of miles were slower. Next feel miles I found my comfortable pace. The water view was okay, I didn't find myself staring off at it though. I did pay attention to a couple of spots that had direct sun light. Since it's an out and back course, I would be back through these spots and already the sun was uncomfortable. I was already predicting these would be my downfall on the way back. Like I said, the water didn't impress me too much, but I was very surprised at the level of support from spectators along the route. That made this a very enjoyable marathon simply for that. I reached the turn around spot ahead of schedule, but not too fast. I still felt pretty good only 13.1 to go.
At mile 18, I was eight minutes ahead of my goal pace, but I could also feel the wheels starting to come off. My feet were getting very sore, it was getting warmer out, I was feeling warmer and I believe I made my first real mistake. Being so paranoid of the heat, it was about this time I started dumping a cup of water on my head going through water stops. Don't get me wrong, it felt good, but I was being careless when I did it and ultimately my shorts were getting very wet, which in turn started to chafe my inner thighs. At mile 24 my eight minutes I had built up as a pad were gone. To maintain my goal, I'd have to run the last two miles at an eight minute per mile pace. To be so close, yet the struggle knowing my body just wouldn't be able to run that fast, it's hard. All the training, every time it gets hard willing yourself to keep going for this moment, now that moment is here and it's still impossible to pull off. I knew I had my PR no matter what, but I really wanted my goal and as much as I tried to will myself to keep pushing, my body just said this is what's left and this is all you've got. Missed it by four minutes, which seems to be a trend because that's what Grand Rapids Marathon ended up being too.
The aftermath, my thighs burned for days! Not muscle, but they were raw from the chaffing. I won't be making that mistake again any time soon. The physical pain was the worst, the mental pain being so close, didn't help, but both of those combined were completely negated by our bus ride back to the hotel. First of all, we almost missed the last bus. Downhill, in addition to stating numerous times this was her last marathon, also I think was suffering more pain than I was and proceeded to share EXACTLY how she was feeling with everybody on the bus. Sailor's would blush, with some of the colorful language she was using. For me, I can't remember laughing so hard. Entire trip worth it, right here. Legs on fire, feeling down about missing my goal, gone. This twenty bus ride, laughing, joking, with my running family....wouldn't trade it for the world!
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