Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon - RunMarathon

This is my very first complete year of running and my second marathon. I had previously run the Seattle Marathon (3:34:00) in November. After my first marathon I started slowly ramping up my miles and began working on frequency and consistency. The bulk of my training was done between 50 and 70 MPW. I had little to no emphasis on speed work. With the higher mileage, I just didn’t feel my body was/is ready for the stress that speed puts on it. Not yet anyway. I can’t say enough positive things about the benefits of higher mileage at slower speeds. Not just the physical benefits and the better race times, but the stress-free joy that I feel when running.
All that being said, there were some mistakes I made. My motto I got (from a Stephen Hawking lecture of all places) is: Performance, feedback, revision. Mistakes are all part of the process and I absolutely realize that. During what was supposed to be my peak training week I had a week long family engagement. I had to push my peak training to 5 weeks out and just go in as much as I could during the family week. I know this had some negative effect on my race but when it comes to family, it’s not something I am willing to compromise. The day before the race, I also had a little peer pressure to “overindulge” from my boys (we have been friends for over 10 years and c’mon, look at em. Would you say no?)

The other mistakes were specific to the race and not the training. The addition of speedwork when I am ready for it will no doubt get me over some of the limiters that I am having right now. But I had to be a little patient.
The course is a veeeeery interesting one. It is a point-to-point downhill marathon race on a scenic rail-trail 50 miles east of Seattle. It starts at about 3,500 ft. of elevation up in the mountain pass. The first three miles are flat, cold, foggy and damp inside an unlit tunnel so you have to wear a headlamp. After that it is a very gradual downhill across several VERY high trestle bridges (EEEKS! I closed my eyes on one…) and basically, through the woods on a gravel trail to the finish. There are waterfalls, wildlife, hikers, and mountain bikers out there but that is about it. No big crowds, no bands, nothin’.
I’m a minimalist when it comes to running. I don’t wear a watch, no HR monitor and this time, no music either. It is a very freeing feeling. It was tough; don’t get me wrong, especially on such a secluded course. It’s just you out there, fending off the negative thoughts with the sounds of birds and your heart beating in the background.
We got to the start with plenty of time. I took a nice long jog and then did some strides to warm up. I have heard many people say to skip the warm-up for the marathon but I think it was the best thing I ever did. I felt fresh, warm and ready to go at the start. At the starting line I had my headlamp on and a drop bag and my sunglasses in my hand. I started pretty close to the front as I didn’t want to get stuck behind anyone and be forced to go slower than I wanted. What I did backfired a little too. When you are in that dark tunnel your perception is off. My headlamp was lighting up the reflectors on the guys shoes in front of my so I just kept my eyes on those and went. I very successfully turned off my headlamp just before the end of the tunnel, placed it in the drop bag and then put my sunglasses on. This all went smoother than I had hoped. Once I got out of the tunnel it was clear to me that I had just run the fastest 5K of my life. NOT the way you want to start a marathon. That is when the slight downhill grade started. The first half of the marathon went really well. Deep down I knew I shouldn’t be going so fast. It’s a rookie mistake and I know better. Some of the water stations were manned and some were not. At the manned stations you had to stop and grab a pre-poured cup off the table while the un-manned stations you had to stop, get a cup out of the bag, pour your beverage of choice and then go. It was a little difficult to stop your momentum but not too big of a deal. There was also a headwind. Probably just enough to break even with the downhill advantage. THEN it started to rain. I would really love to someday do a race that didn’t involve rain. My sunglasses were cracked and with the rain, I decided to go ahead and ditch them. My friends and family were just beyond the half-marry point with signs and screaming encouragement. They handed me a water bottle. I chugged a little of it then tossed it and went on my way. The downhill was taking a serious toll on my legs and my feet. At this point I realized that racing flats just didn’t provide enough protection from the rocky trail. It felt like someone was beating the bottoms of my feet with hammers. Tenderfoot, I know. I got to see my little cheering squad again just past mile 16 and then again at 21. A huge improvement since the last marathon I did was avoiding the wall at mile 20. I felt alright. I knew that I had screwed myself with the WAY-TOO-FAST start in the beginning and was definitely slowing down but I was still hanging in there. The last miles took foooorrreeeeeevvver but that is pretty normal. I was able to get outside of myself and kick it in for a nice finish. I was able to pull of 6th in women overall and 1st in my AG.


1. Eventually, more speedwork
2. A more sound training plan
3. Not drink 4 beers the night before and have pizza at 10 PM
4. PACING (This really should be number 1)
5. Different shoes