We got back to the course Sunday morning nice and early,
temps were hovering just below 60 degrees already and I felt ready to
rock. I did some light foam rolling,
hit the porta-potty about 5 times, drank a swig of water quick and headed to
the line. I nervously inched my way up
to the front and watched as a team of Kenyan and Ethiopian runners that slowly
and calmly walked right up to the line moments before the race start… I was
very jealous of their calm demeanor right before they tore off. A couple quick announcements by race
director Joe were followed by the echoes of the national anthem sung by a local
barber shop quartet… before we knew it the race gun cracked off!
Right away I settled into my race pace of around 6:45-6:50
and felt pretty dang great, the first few miles flew by pretty quick as I got
in my rhythm and honestly was just so happy to be running again after what felt
like an eternity of tapering. I remember thinking around mile 6, I wonder if
all the people around me are having as much fun as I am? Race or no race I was really having the time
of my life. Miles 7,8,9,10 again just
flew by and my pace was steady and even dropping a bit, mile 11 I was feeling
so great I hit a 6:30 not realizing it but I quickly adjusted back. I hit the 13.1 (1/2 marathon) mark about 1:29
feeling strong but also very much aware that the temperatures were rocketing up
very fast and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
The next 4-5 miles got a little
tougher… we turned onto Arsenal Island
which did not have a lot of shade, it was also not open to the public so there
was very little support, my pace was fine but my effort level was increasing a
bit. Luckily by mile 17 we rejoined the half
runners for a while and left the island.
Here we were able to run through a couple shady spots and get some much
needed water and ice water towels from the volunteers. I instantly felt better and by the time I hit
mile 20, I was rocking a 6:50 pace which would put my finish at a 2:59. I smiled at the crowd with every bit of
confidence that this race was mine… and then
I turned into the molten lava streets of downtown Moline for the final out and
back 6 mile stretch of hell of earth that would send me into a pretty fantastic
tailspin…
Turning off the bridge into the streets of downtown Moline I
felt the effects nearly immediately… the sun was up in full force and there was
no protection, only the surrounding concrete to aid the cooking of my already
dehydrated organs. I watched in horror
as my pace slipped back to a 7:40, I tried desperately to do the math in my
head and thought I would still be ok… 5, miles, 4 miles, each pending mile,
kilometer, foot seemed like an eternity and was having flashbacks to Ironman - Racine where I also got severely overheated and stumbled through to a sick
finish. With 2 miles left I was holding
pace at 7:40 but clearly was having issues, both arms had gone completely numb,
my vision was getting blurry and I was starting to have a sort of out of body
experience trying to figure out why I was staggering instead of running a
straight line. I somehow managed to
struggle all the way through the end and collapsed pretty much at the finish
line. My official finish time was
3:05:47 which was 47 seconds of my Boston Qualifying time… it was also a kicker I had been pacing off my
Garmin which still had my finish pace under goal but also had the course measured
at 26.5, amazing how a 26.2 mile race can come down to a matter of seconds at the
end.
So after the finish Rob and Jake helped me to the DRC tent
where I crashed for a bit before moving to my SUV to yack for a while. It was a very strange feeling as I thought if
I missed my BQ time I was going to be very upset but I really wasn’t, I pushed
myself harder in that race than about any other to date and there really isn’t
anything more I could have asked. I
actually came away more fired up to train harder for the next one as I know I
will get that BQ before registration opens next year. I also
managed to get a first place finish in my age division and 18th
overall which I was very happy about considering the tougher competition at
this race… I just wish I could have been on stage to receive my award when the
legendary Bart Yasso called my name instead of hearing over the loud speaking
with my head in a trash can in the parking lot, such is the life of a runner J
So now I’m onto the next, I have my first 50K trail race on
October 11th and then back to the grind to train for the Madison
Marathon in November…. I’ll keep you posted!
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