Gobbler Grind Marathon 2011 – Race Recap

Well, what a race! I have to say I shocked the pants off of myself with this one. Not literally, thank goodness. A calm head and a good mental game helped me run a really smart race.

(It was between 35 & 40 degrees and cloudy during the race with only a light wind. Pretty much perfect.)

But first, a little background. The Gobbler Grind was my 3rd marathon, and the one I felt the least prepared for. Here's why:

• I got started training late. Since this race was so late in the season, I really wasn't hitting it hard until most of my running buddies were tapering for their earlier races. I think this made me feel constantly behind...even if I was right on schedule.
• I only ran 3 times a week. I think most people would agree that long runs are the most important aspect of marathon training. However, you have to do more than just run long every Sunday. Most training plans consist of 4-5 days of running, as well as cross training. I, however, thought that was too much. I was on the fence about training for a marathon anyway, and I knew pushing myself to run that much would just turn me off. So I cut out all "junk" runs (or "easy" runs) and ended up with 3 runs per week: 1 long, slow run + 2 short, fast runs.
• I committed late. This is something I do quite often, but it was especially bad this time. The price of the marathon never increased and there was NO chance of it selling out so I just didn't feel pressured to register. I think I finally bit the bullet 3 weeks out. Up until that point I was saying, "I'll probably run the Gobbler Grind" or "I'm thinking about running it." I'm pretty sure this ended up affecting me mentally. I never really felt like this was my race.
• I hurt my knee. The day after I signed up for the marathon I headed out to tackle a 22 miler. I felt awesome and strong, telling myself, "Aren't you so excited you finally registered?!" Then, at mile 18, my right knee started hurting (I hurt my left knee during the Omaha Marathon last year.) So much so that I walked the 4 miles back to my car, fuming with anger the entire time. I was mad. I thought I was done for. But then I saw my PT the next day...and he worked his magic*.
• I "dropped off" instead of tapering. After I hurt my knee, I was afraid to run on it. I was probably a little too cautious. I dropped down to only 2 runs per week in the last 2 weeks of training. However, both of my long runs (16 miles and 8 miles) went fine. I just felt like I wasn't doing enough, and by the time race day rolled around I felt like I hadn't trained at all.

*When I saw my PT after I tweaked my knee (an appointment that was already miraculously scheduled for the following day), I was filled with encouragement. He told me 3 weeks was plenty of time to get back in order. And that the knee pain wasn't actually an injury to my knee, it was a twist in my pelvis causing excess pressure on my knee. He said it could have even happened while I was running - if my muscles were good and warmed up, it would have been easy to screw up my alignment by stepping on a stick/walnut/curb wrong. He stretched me out, got me all good and aligned, and sent me home with a few exercises to help remind my muscles how they're supposed to move. (P.S. His name is John Macy. If you're looking for a PT in Omaha I HIGHLY recommend him! He is so kind, he knows what he's doing, and he explains it all in a way that makes complete sense. He also knows how much running means to me and has never discouraged me from keeping at it.)

Ok, so where did all of this leave me come race day? Surprisingly calm. You see, I went into this race without much riding on it. I decided that if I'm able to run a marathon every year, I'd like to do it. Some years I may bust my butt for a particular time goal, and other years I'll just do it to do it. After being disappointed with last year's injury following a long, hard training season, I was more than ready for a "just do it to do it" race. And, whaddya know, I pulled out a PR. By over 10 minutes!

As Kate pointed out to me, the lack of (self imposed) stress probably benefited me in the end. She is about 100% more laid back than I am, so it's really hard to admit that she's probably right about this one. I tend to over think and even over prepare. For example, I started packing for my first marathon 3 weeks ahead of time. And I had a list a mile long just to keep my head on straight before the Omaha Marathon last year. This year's calm was a good thing.

• Good Sleep - I got 7-8 hours of sleep on both Friday & Saturday nights before the race. Usually pre-race nerves make me toss and turn, but this year I was out like a light.
• Less Anxiety - I don't know if I'm just getting more used to racing or what, but I wasn't nearly as torn up over the logistics of race day as I usually am. I laid all of my gear out like I do before a long run and was confident that I hadn't forgotten anything. It was a small race and Laura was able to drop me off right at the start line. And it started at 8:00 so I didn't have to be up ridiculously early.
• No Big Expectations - When I set a goal for myself, I go after it. I hate to fail and I always try my best to set myself up for success. I told a couple of people that I thought I'd come in around 4:30, but that was really it. I didn't even have secret personal goals that I was afraid to share. I was just trying to finish without injuring myself.

I mean, it wasn't like I was heading into this race completely untrained - I ran 2 20-milers at under a 10:00 pace. But I definitely didn't have a "leave it all on course" attitude. In fact, I was quite conservative, cool-headed, and relaxed. I think that really helped me run a smart race. Here are my take-aways:

• Start slow. I hear this all the time, but I've never really held to it on race day. I'm usually more of an even-paced runner. However, I was feeling cold and a little sluggish when the race started, so I lined up at the back of the pack. Like with the kids running the 5K. I just jogged along until I felt like I was good and warm. At one point I saw an 11:00 pace pop up on my Garmin (slower than I usually run), but I didn't care.
• Don't panic & remember what you know. Around mile 5 my knee started to hurt. If this kept up, I knew I'd have to call it quits at the half marathon mark, if not sooner. I stopped to stretch and thought about my last appointment with my PT. He told me the pain I was feeling in my right knee was due to the fact that I was pushing my left hip forward. I focused on keeping my hips back and, lo and behold, the pain went away. It was awesome! Throughout the rest of the race I just kept checking my posture and that my core was strong.
• Break the race into segments. Mental strategy is something that I practiced during my long runs - and something I recommend to everyone! My 20 milers were broken down into 4 5-mile segments. I did the same thing during the race, and just didn't think about the final 6.2 until I was there. Five mile chunks are so much easier to digest than anything in the double digits. However, I also think it's important to...
• Take one mile at a time. If I ever started feeling bad - sore, tired, bored, cold - I just focused on the mile I was running right then. I told myself, "Try to finish this mile in 10 minutes. It's just 4 laps around a track. It's just the distance from my house to the trailhead. It's that last, flat part of my favorite trail." I used this trick until I was back into a better mental state, and then it was smooth sailing.
• Stick to your fuel plan. Sometimes you don't feel hungry or thirsty while you're running (I feel less hungry when it's hot and less thirsty when it's cold), but you NEED the fuel and water. I took in about 100 calories every 5 miles and water and/or Gatorade at each water stop. It's amazing what a little glucose can do for you. That little boost feels so good when you're running for hours at a time!

• Walk down hills. Run up hills. I know, I know, this seems completely backwards. But I really think it saved me (and my knees) during this race. The course was pretty flat, with just a few short, steep inclines where the path dipped below bridges. These steep hills made my knees scream on the way down, so I just took it slow. Sometimes I'd even turn around and walk down them backwards, which really took all of the pressure off of my knees. I just reminded myself that any speed I might gain on the hills would eventually be counteracted by the pain my knees felt later. Running up the hills actually felt great, too. Since they were short and steep, I was forced to use a whole other set of muscles to power up them. It actually felt like a bit of a rest/stretch for those muscles that were carrying me the rest of the way.
• Aim for negative splits. (Run the second half of the race faster than the first half.) This is another one of those concepts that I hear all the time but can't seem to manage come race day. I can do it in a training run, no problem. But once a race clock is involved the "If I could be running faster right now I should just do it!" mentality steps in. By taking it slow in the first 5 miles, I had just enough energy conserved to speed it up during the second half, even if it was just a little bit. Moreover, hitting mile 20 and feeling "I can totally rock this out to the finish!" feels infinitely better than "How the heck am I supposed to run another 10K?!" Which brings me to my last point...
• Finish strong. I pushed it those last 6 miles. I put my head down, turned my music on, and picked up the pace. I felt strong, and I was on a mission. I tried not to slow down until I crossed that finish line. I grunted, I kinda felt like puking, and I was finally ready to leave it all out there. Once I realized 4:20 was a viable finish, there was no turning back.

Final Time = 4:20:50!!

I am VERY excited about this time! It was my goal time last year...the one I was on par to reach until I hurt my knee at mile 21. I did not expect to come away from this race with such a big PR (over 10 minutes!), but I'll take it!

Here are my splits:

And my stats:

• overall pace - 9:58
• 1st half - 2:11:38 2nd half - 2:09:12 (negative split!)
• overall place - 133/239
• female place - 30/82
• division place - 4th!! out of 11...but it still feels good Wait, if someone in my division got an overall award, does that mean I could have been bumped up for a division award?? Maybe I should check on that...

I'd like to thank my good friend, Laura, for coming along with me. Signing up for an out-of-town race last minute means it's really hard to find friends and family that are still available to travel with you. Luckily for me, Laura was able to swap shifts with a coworker in order to come cheer me on.

She kept me company on the 3 hour drive, was a ton of fun to shop with (although she makes me spend so much money!), and put up with all of my pre-race needs like packet pickup, studying the race map, and carb-loading.

She got up early to drop me off at the start line and was there standing out in the cold to take my picture at the finish. Then she waited around while I stretched and let my stomach settle.

And she even had a bathtub full of ice waiting for me back at the hotel!! She's either a really good friend or was hoping to steal my kidneys.

Overall, this was a great race. I felt good, the weather was just about perfect, it was small but not too lonely, and there was a nice, homey atmosphere. The fact that I set a PR was just icing on the cake. If you're looking for a small fall marathon in Kansas, Gobbler Grind is for you. What a great way to start Thanksgiving week!