Nashville Race Report

Here's the dirty...

Great night's sleep - When we arrived in Nashville on Thursday night, I had a horrible night of sleep. I woke up to every single sound (and there were lots of unfamiliar sounds in this hotel room). I'm used to sleeping with a sound machine that plays light pattering rain all night. On Friday night, I got into bed and had the thought...'Surely there's an app for that!'. So, I grabbed my iPhone, searched for a 'white noise' app, and downloaded it immediately(free). My iPhone was turned into a sound machine and played light pattering rain all night long. I slept like a baby.

Great start line - the start line was very well organized. We dropped our bags, used the portopotties, and lined up in corrals. I was in corral 3. After the gun went off, they walked each corral to the front in 1-2 minute intervals, removed the guard rope in front and counted us down to our own staggered start. It was awesome! I did not run in a crowd that slowed me down significantly ever. (It was 67 degrees, not 62 as forecasted)

Great first few miles in the shade - My plan was to run based on effort for the first few miles to determine exactly what finish time I would go for. The ultimate goal pace was 7:38, and I was hoping that my opinion of running easy and comfortable would be somewhere between 7:30-8:00 because the weather was going to be a little warmer than we thought.

Mile 1 - 7:21 (lots of downhill - I was thrilled to see this time because it felt so easy. I tried to slow down)
Mile 2 - 7:33 (more downhill - This was great. I felt nice and easy and the splits were coming better than expected)
5K split - 23:46 (The split for the last 1.1 was 8:51, uphill significantly the whole 1.1 miles.) This is ahead of 3:20 pace, but I was keeping the effort nice and easy.
Mile 3.1-4 - 7:06 (Slight downhill, then uphill during this mile. Sun starting to come out, but we're running mostly in the shade)

Sun came out - At this point we're doing an out and back on Music Row. The scenery is pretty and there are some trees to partially shade us.

Mile 5 - 8:19 (completely uphill, nice and steady, I decided to relax the pace slightly to not over-exert on the early miles)
Mile 6 - 7:39 (mostly downhill, nice and relaxed. Saw Chad!!! The sun is out. Starting to get warm.)

Hills + Sun not a good combo

Mile 7 - 8:00 (some tight turns, narrower roads, a really slow lady was in front of me getting water, or otherwise this would have been 7:50 or so. For the first time, I knew that the temperature was going to be more than a factor than originally thought.)
Mile 8 - 8:16 (Uphill, our side of the road had less shade, it was heating up)
Mile 9 - 7:52 (Flat to downhill, felt okay, nice and steady, temp still rising without shade)

eased up - was okay with it - Once we got to the open city roads, the heat was becoming a factor for everyone. I knew that based on my effort for the first 10 miles that my body was going to have a really hard time cooling itself down much more. I was really hot. At every single water stop so far I had taken in Cytomax and water, and had poured water on my head/neck. There were half marathoners at this point who were suffering.

anyone got a pocket knife?
Mile 10 - 8:04 (Warmer. I started yelling at the spectators 'Pocket knife?' 'Anyone have a pocket knife or scissors?' After about 30 spectators a man jumps up at my question and offers his swiss army knife. I ask him to please cut off my pace bands. They were a burden to me at this point. It was a relief to let go of them and I just tried to enjoy the course from here on out.)

Karen and Pam! - Saw Karen and Pam somewhere during this mile. Gave Karen a big sweaty hug for being there and let her know how hot it actually felt running. They said I looked great. I told them I was just going for a good experience from here on out and was going to run easy but steady.
Mile 11 - 8:45
Mile 12 - 8:47 (Almost completely uphill. I was kind of jazzed that my splits were still under 9:00 while I was really trying to slow down and control my body heat. The pavement was beginning to be brutally hot and there was no shade at all.)

No walking the first half - People were walking everywhere and I desperately wanted to walk at this point. It was mostly about body heat issues. It felt better to cool off for a minute by walking instead of running and feeling my body heat steadily rise. I made a deal with myself to at least make hit to the half before I did any walking. I knew that I had so far to go, and walking would only make it take longer.

Mile 13 + .1 - 9:52 - My half split was 1:46 something, which is only a minute off of my PR for a half. Not bad at all, but it is not even close to what I wanted it to be today.

Elite waiting at a bus stop bench - Somewhere between 13 and 14 we look to the right and see an Elite runner waiting and stretching at a bus stop bench. Everyone I talked to after the race said that when they saw him, they felt better. At least we weren't the only person feeling like crap :).

7:32 (this is only a .9 split between 13.1 and 14)
Mile 15 - 9:21 (I walked for about a minute here at a water stop and through a water sprayer. It felt awesome to cool down.)

Passing and being caught - We got to a paved running path by the river which was totally exposed, but really flat. I started picking off people to focus on something other than the heat. There was a man pushing a wheelchair (similar to Team Hoyt), and that reminded me how everyone out there shared the same burden...some more than others. If he could run the course in the heat, I surely could too. Michael Wedel passed me and looked nice and steady. It was great to see him.

Mile 16 - 8:40

More passing - We got off of the river path onto the roads in the industrial park. The industrial area was at least a space with ponds, grass, and flat roads. We were near the Titans practice field. I passed lots of people who were fading. I knew that even if I walked the water stops to cool off, I was still running better than a lot of the folks around me.

Miles 17-18 - 19:45 During this part, there was a section where we were running uphill, into the wind, full sun, and were punished by having a clear view of a bank thermometer reading 78 degrees. Thanks for reminding us, though I was surprised it only read 78. That must have been in the shade because it felt like 85-90 degrees.

That band is pretty good - There was a fantastic band near the 18 mile marker. The beat of the song was exactly the tempo my feet were striking the ground. I gave them a big thumbs up and they waved back a supportive wave.

Mile 19 -8:37

Hot hot hot pavement - nuff said

Water stop walking - Still walking through water stops. It felt great to get the Cytomax into the body (thought the taste of Cytomax was making me gag at this point in the race). I also continued with water pouring down my neck and over my head.

Between 19 and 20 I caught Sean Braymen. I was so sad to see him walking. I walked with him for a good while and we ran for a bit together to keep him moving forward. He told me to go ahead and I did. This part of the course was uphill and where the half marathon course merged back onto the road. It was tight and crowded here.

Mile 20 - 9:51

Walking with Rogue friends - Shortly after walking with Sean, the marathon course passed by the Titans stadium where the half marathoners were finishing and where we would be 10k later. I saw Karen and Pam again and they said I still looked good. Well that's good, because I felt like crap.

Just ahead I spotted Jon Alter and was sad to see him walking as well. I pulled up next to him and asked him if I could walk with him for a while. He accepted my invitation and after the race told me he was glad to see someone familiar. We walked together for a little bit uphill and started running again to get to the next water stop. We walked through the water stop and I started jogging again downhill to get back some momentum. I thought Jon was right behind me, so when I felt myself chafing between my legs, I pulled over to the side of the road to apply some Aquaphor. I thought Jon would catch me and we would run together for a while longer. Not so.

Miles 21 and 22 - 19:19

I was on the last out and back section of the course, running uphill on my side, when up ahead I recognized Chad coming back the other way. I didn't want to see him because I wanted him to have a better race. However, I then saw that he was running with Keith. Oh no! They both were not going to make their time! Even though it was sad to see them, I was glad they had come together to get through the last miles. They both looked like they were suffering less than everyone around them and I know the last few miles were faster for the two of them together than they would have been apart. I gave Chad a huge sweaty hug in the middle of the street.

Hey, I look better than that person - From this point on I felt like crap, but I looked better than most everyone else around me. I kept looking at folks, thinking 'I look better than that person. I can do this. Just stay steady, walk the water stops to stay cool, and keep running in between.'

Mile 23 - 9:18
Mile 24 - 9:44
Mile 25 - 9:57

Last mile got me under 3:50, but a crappy poker hand - At 25 I saw that I could finish under 3:50 if I stayed steady and didn't walk. I knew I could do it. I skipped the last water stop and ran the tangents. Pam and Karen and one of the half runners from the north group were cheering at the .5 to go point. Karen was running with another Rogue runner just ahead of me (can't remember his name, but he had a big tattoo and a dyed mohawk). She let him go and turned around. When she saw me, she said I still looked good and asked me to close the last bit. I told her no, I was just going to run steady. She was good and coached me by saying it's still good practice to finish with a close. I admitted that I wasn't going to close because I was trying to finish with a good poker hand. AAAGGH!! She laughed, rolled her eyes, and told me to go ahead. I was going for 3:49:33, 3:49:44, or 3:50:00 at least so I would have 3 of a kind. Unfortunately, I didn't have the heart to slow down any more, so I finished in 3:49:28.

Mile 26 + .2 - 10:49

Medical folks worried about me - Immediately after I crossed the finish line, my temp spiked and I looked and felt like crap. The medical folks could tell I wasn't right and asked me if I was okay. I could barely move, but I was still standing. I said I needed ice. Ice, please. I'm really hot. The medical lady sprinted over to the cold sponge area and ran back to me to squeeze it over my neck. I kept walking (If you want to call it that) and could barely pick up water or sports drink. Another medical lady asked me if I was okay and I told her 'Yes, I'm just moving slow'. When I got to the trash cans filled with ice and Cytomax bottles, I seriously considered climbing in. If I was less coherent, I probably would have. Instead, I braced my hands against the sides of the trash can and fantasized about taking a dip in the ice. I stood there staring at the ice for a good minute or so until the lady handing out Cytomax started talking to me....I must have looked funny.

Me worried about me - I started getting pinpoint headaches in my head and worried that I might be having a stroke. Seriously. I almost sat down, but thought if I sat down I would not get back up. I just kept shuffling through the finishers chute, knowing that if I was in really bad shape, my body would take itself down to the pavement on its own.

Slowest walk ever! I shuffled through the finishers chute to get to the drop bags. Thank goodness Chad was at the bag drop, because it had already taken me 30 minutes (at least) to get that far.

Sunburn (after sunscreen) I was wearing 45 spf, waterproof, and a hat, and still managed to burn my face. Oh well.

Well, that's the long and dirty. Thanks for reading. I love running in the heat, just not racing in it. It was great running fast paces early and having them feel pretty good. I wish the weather could have been more cooperative. I'm thankful that I let go of my goals early and really enjoyed the race as much as I could. I'm proud of my finish, especially now that I see how the rest of the race field fared.

I have now run 10 marathons and am satisfied that I am a smart runner who can find successes in every race.