Race Report: 2009 Philadelphia Marathon

This past Sunday, November 22, 2009 I ran the Philadelphia Marathon. My official finish time was 3:59:14. This is how I got there…

The Day Before

I arrived in Philadelphia on Saturday, the day before the race, at about 12:30 PM. Thanks to my friend Mike, I had a great place to stay. Upon arriving, I chatted with Mike for a bit and then headed off to the expo to browse the booths and pick up my race shwag. (Sidenote: When you’re at an expo or something similar, be aware of your surroundings and DON’T CLOG THE AISLES! I felt like I was walking through the Time’s square Subway station at Christmas! KEEP IT MOVING OR MOVE TO THE SIDE PEOPLE!). Picking up my race gear was a breeze and I was quickly on to browsing the incredibly frustrating traffic of the expo.

I wasn’t really in need of too much at the expo, and since I don’t see the point in paying $50 for a pair of running shorts (unless, as I said to Allan later, they have little gnomes inside that keep you cool) I just looked for what I needed. The things I was looking for were GU Roctane (Blueberry pomegranate (there is a reason for that flavor)) and a pair of cheap, throw away gloves. I found both in about five minutes, although wading through the people to and from each booth took about five times as long.

The reason for me being very specific about the flavor of the GU I was looking for is due to my ability to sweat epic amounts. GU makes something called GU Brew in which the Blueberry Pomegranate flavor has double the sodium of their normal GU Brew and more than just about any other product. It also tastes decent. I have been using a bit of that flavor of GU Brew to get used to the taste and such, so I decided to not change things in the flavor of GU I was choosing. Also, GU Roctane has more sodium than most other gels and WAY more amino acids.

After making my purchases and heading back through the throngs, I made my way back to Mike’s place. After a bit, I got in touch with Allan and he, Mike, Andrew (Allan’s partner) and myself went to grad a bite to eat. This meeting marks only the second time that Allan and I have met face to face, but I always feel like I am talking to an old friend, which really helped to take the edge off and pre-race nerves.  After eating (Mike had to go catch a flight), Allan, Andrew and I talked for a while about running, nutrition and myriad things in between. We eventually parted ways for the evening, the plan being for me to walk to Allan’s hotel between 5:45 and 6 the next morning and we would walk from there to the start.

Race Day

On race morning, I woke up at 4:15 AM. I know it seems early, but it gave me time to take a long shower and really wake up.

I was out the door at about 5:45 and en route to get Allan. As luck would have it, when I was only about a block away from Mike’s place, Allan called and asked if I could bring him a packet of Hornet Juice because he had forgotten his. I ran back and got one for him and was on my way again.

I have a tendency to go one of two ways pre-race. Either I am extremely focused and not very talkative at all or I am like Jim Carrey on crack, making jokes and not shutting up. As we walked, Allan pointed out that I was rather like the former, looking straight ahead and rather stoic.

Upon arriving at the start area, Allan and I found what seemed to be the fastest and cleanest bathroom line in all of racing and I quickly found myself changing out of my warm clothes and into my race wear. We also both downed our bottles of Hornet Juice (and also Chia for me).After turning in my gear bag to pick up at the finish line, Allan and I headed into our corral (Gray) and did our best to keep our minds occupied before the actual start.

The Plan

My goal time for this race was 3:30:00. The plan was to go out  at a 7:59 per mile pace for the first 22 miles. Thereafter, Jeff (Coach) had built in a 14 second fade per mile, giving me some breathing room at the end. I had a wristband with my 5K splits written on it to keep me on track. I did not write down mile splits because, at Jeff’s suggestion, I need small goals, but not too small (e.g. 5 K rather than mile by mile). Allan was aiming for a 3:45. The weather was perfect, with temps in what seemed to be the high(ish) 40’s.

The Race

I said to Allan, “Let’s do this” and we were off. The first four or five miles were kind of a blur. I was doing a lot of weaving in and out of the people traffic. This was probably largely due to the fact that the goal time I submitted when entering the race was 4:00:00, thus, I was plaed a bit farther back. Unfortunately, this caused my pace to be about thirty seconds per mile faster than I wanted to be.

When I got to the half, I was about 6 minutes ahead of my goal pace, so I took the opportunity to go pee (pardon the details). While standing in the bathroom (I must stop peeing in the middle of marathons, something bad always happens) I began to feel faint, so I put the lid down and sat down. Almost immediately, I needed to throw up (again, sorry for the details), so I did. Now, this was not the kind of, something I ate puking, rather, I do believe that this was some sort of nerve response. In any event, I got worried.

After regaining my composure,I came out of the bathroom and as luck would have it, the 3:30:00 pace group was right there and I jumped in and got back in the groove. At this point, I was right about dead-on my goal time. The pace group, it turns out, was running a much different race than I was. The pace kept dropping to about 7:15-40 per mile and I was still trying to hold 7:59’s. They were actually pushing the pace on some flat sections so they could “take it easy” on an upcoming hill. So, after hanging on for about two miles I dropped out the back of the pack and did my own thing. It was at this point that I felt like my heart rate was spiking. I checked and it kept going to and staying at about 160~170 bpm. This was not good for this point in the race.

I had to assess what my next step would be. I slowed my pace to see if things would regulate and they did not. So, I stopped and simply stood still until my HR got into the 120’s. As I headed out toward the town of Manayunk, I knew that I would eventually be seeing Allan once I turned around and could see the people on their way out. The stretch to Manayunk is a long one and the run from mile 18 to the turn around point at about mile 20 was interminable. ONce I made the turn around, I saw that Allan was only about 5 minutes behind me. Once again, at about mile 21.5, I needed to let my HR come back down and I decided to just wait for Allan.

It was so nice to have company. Not only that, but someone you know, someone you can talk to about lots of things, running or otherwise. The last few miles had some walk breaks (every single one of which pissed me off because my brain and body disagreed) and some good conversation.

When we hit the last mile, we of course bumped up the pace. It’s interesting what happens there. Your body is telling you to go to hell and your heart and mind are so excited your body almost doesn’t matter. Just before mile 26 my calves began to cramp (and oddly, my neck did also) but I did what I had to do to drive to the finish. Allan and I crossed together with a time of 3 hours 59 minutes and 14 seconds. It was awesome!

Thoughts

Nutrition: This actually seemed to be fine mostly. At every aid station, I drank Gatorade Endurance. Admittedly, I should have had two cups at each station instead of just one. I had my GU’s at mile 6 and then again at the half. Once I became concerned about my HR I forgot the other two I had. Oops.

Crowd Support: The crowds were fantastic. They lined probably half of the course and really were so nice and encouraging.

Race Organization: From my perspective, the race semed very well organized. The aid stations were very well staffed and had ample fluids. The volunteers were excellent and helpful. There was nothing overly complicated about the race (which I love) or getting around.

The Course: Overall, I enjoyed the course. I do think that the elevation chart is a bit deceptive. I was not prepared for some of the long rolling inclines (approx. 3100 ft. of elevation gain). But I would indeed do this race again.

My Race: I broke four hours. In nine months, I have gone from never having run a marathon to becoming an Ironman and running a sub-four hour marathon. I am pleased that I broke four hours. I am not pleased that I did not meet my goal. I will eventually crush 3:30:00.

Rest: Now it is time for rest. I have not rested since probably February. It is time now. Time to recharge and let my legs heal. Bring on the tryptophan.

Official Results for the 2009 Philadelphia Maraton