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Lincoln National Guard Marathon - RunMarathon


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Lincoln, Nebraska
United States
Lincoln National Guard Marathon
54F / 12C
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 19m 30s
Overall Rank = 789/1192
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 103/136
Pre-race routine:

The night before, I shaved and then Deener and I went and ate Playa Azul. I had loads of chips and salsa. For the dinner I had my usual, Playa Azul Seafood.

Afterwards, we went home and I got my stuff together as Deener watched Secretariat. I also had my customary 2 or 3 beers to calm my nerves.

The next day I woke up at 4 a.m. Dressed, ate Honey Nut Cheerios, went for a walk, and then picked up Jeremy. At the race site, we met up with some Beatrice (and Beatrice area) runners for fellowship and a group picture.
Event warmup:

While at home, I walked .5 mile. At the race, we did some light stretching.
Run
  • 4h 19m 30s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 09m 54s  min/mile
Comments:

Going into this run, I knew it wasn't going to be good. My knee had been bothering me for a few weeks. I honestly thought it was my IT Band. My plan was to make the 13 mile mark before 10 a.m. and then I'd have the flexability to walk the final 1/2 if needed. Even though I'm competitive, my main race this year is Ironman Louisville. I didn't want to push so hard that I would risk myself for that race.

Two hours before the race, I took two Ibuprofen and brought extra with me to take along the way.

Began the race very conservative. Jeremy and I tucked in with the 3:50 pace group and ran the first few miles a little over a 9 minute pace. My knee was making it's presence known, but wasn't screaming at me.

After a few miles, I began picking up the pace. I was averaging around an 8:30. The knee felt good and I was pulling away from the pace group. I saw a lot of people I knew during the 1/2: Deener and Kim, Jeremy's parents, Becky (a high school classmate), and other familiar faces I cant honestly remember their names.

At mile 10, I stopped at an outhouse to pee. At approx. mile 12 I grabbed for my baggie with the Ibuprofen. While doing so, I dropped the bag and couldn't retrieve it. At this point, I knew the last 1/2 was not going to be good. Right after the 1/2 and full split, I saw Deener and Kim cheering me on. Great to have that support. I also saw good ol Johnny Holl somewhere in there as well.

Made the 1/2 mary point at 1:54:53. Lot better than I expected. Ahead of me, I could see the 3:50 pace group. I couldn't see Jeremy, but I assumed he was a good amount ahead of the group. My plan was to crank the music, catch back up with the pace group and Jeremy, run as far as I could before walking. Within a matter of a couple miles, I caught up and passed the pace group. I also caught up with Jeremy. At that point, I knew it was time to walk.

Jeremy and I began alternating walking and running the rest of the race. My knee was throbbing and I'm sure he had his aches and pains.

We saw our wives around mile 17. Also saw Jeff, Kaylee, Brian, and Brynn at Holmes Lake. We also saw Erin and then Cory running their races. We then saw our wives again at the same place we last saw them. Along the bike course, we saw Bly and then TJ giving their support to other runners. The reason why I'm reporting this is because the support goes a long way during the last 1/2 of a marathon.

We pushed ourselves to run the last .5 mile into the stadium for the 50 yard line finish. I've never been so happy to be done running. My knee was hurting bad. I probably had 5 or so different people ask me if I was alright during the run and after.

Usually when Jeremy and I race, we race. During the marathon, it was very encouraging to have Jeremy supporting/motivating me and then us finishing the race together. Had he not been there, I probably would've slipped into a demoralizing state of mind (even though I planned for the worst). Not to mention, it was easier for our wives to keep track of us.

Nutrition was on. Gels around miles: 5, 10, 14, 18, and 22. Not to mention Gatorade, Water, Oranges, and Jelly Beans. Yuuuuummmmmmm!!!!!
What would you do differently?:

Go into the race injury free. It all began in February when I was sick. I took 2-1/2 weeks off to recover. When I resumed training, I jumped back into the plan were I was suppose to be. This was to much mileage at once. It all caught up to me mid-April.

In April, I ran 22 miles with no problem at all, but a little IT band discomfort. The next week, I had a hard 30 mile bike. It was windy, uncomfortable, my back was tight, and I could tell I wasn't positioned correctly on my bike. The next day, I tried a run and could only go two blocks before my knee began hurting. The next few weeks I hardly trained and tried babying the knee.

Not only was I physically weak going into the race, but I was spiritually weak also. The last few weeks, I haven't spent much time in the Bible or in prayer.

Plans to prepare for Louisville:
1) Improve relationship with God. (Beginning to understand the lyrics behind, "I will praise You in this storm").
2) Figure whats going on with knee and heal
3) Strength and Core training
4) Back Adjustments once a month
5) Listen better to body during training
6) Drink more water and watch diet better.
Post race
Warm down:

Massage and went with friends to eat at Buzzard Billy's.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Knee problems.

Event comments:

Love the race. Spectators are what makes this race. The support was awesome. Some spectators even made make shift aid stations with cardboard tables and a bowls of Jelly Beans. Like Jeremy said, those were the best tasting Jelly Beans ever.

If you want to find ways to serve, cheer on runners and make little aid stations such I previously said. This goes a long ways, especially after the 20 mile mark.




Last updated: 2011-01-18 12:00 AM
Running
04:19:30 | 26.2 miles | 09m 54s  min/mile
Age Group: 103/136
Overall: 789/1192
Performance: Bad
Course: The first 1/2 was a loop course. The 2nd 1/2 was an out and back course to Holmes Lake.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2011-05-03 8:41 AM

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Subject: Lincoln National Guard Marathon


2011-05-03 11:01 AM
in reply to: #3479371

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Subject: RE: Lincoln National Guard Marathon
w00t! Good job buddy! Sorry we had to dine and dash on ya, hopefully you enjoyed the Crawfish Etouffee at Buzzard B's! It's a little disheartening to see that a 4:19 marathon in the M35-39 AG is 103/136. I probably won't ever come close to a 4:19 so that means I'll be closer to 136/136 when I get there!
2011-05-03 9:50 PM
in reply to: #3479371

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Subject: RE: Lincoln National Guard Marathon
Way to grind it out, still way better than I would be at that distance. Hope the knee gets better soon then start crankin it up for Louisville.
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