Austin Marathon - Big Group Funtimes

Austin Marathon
February 17, 2008
3:59:13

This was a really fun race for me, and I thought it was organized very well. There's no gel on course (but I bring my own), and there could have been a few more portable restrooms at the aid stations, but those are pretty small issues. It's tough to find things to complain about as far as this race is concerned. Unless you want to complain about the hills -- but can you blame race officials for that? :)

Austin Photo Album

Here's the full recap:

From O'Hare to Austin
I was thrilled to leave Chicago and land at the Austin airport on time -- around 11:00 a.m. After a short wait, my cousin, Todd, picked me up at the airport, and we made our way to the expo to pick up our packets.

I signed up for the full marathon, and Todd signed up for the half. Also in the car:
Paul (Todd's friend, running the half)
Jon (Todd's friend, running the half)
Robanna (Jon's cousin, cheering us on)

At the expo, we picked up packets for three more of Todd's friends who also signed up for the half -- Andrew, Branelle (pronounced "bran-yell"), and Erin. More on them later in the recap.

Walking Around Town
After checking in at the hotel, the five of us had lunch at a place called Fido, an Irish bar/grill in downtown Austin. It was the first place we found after we got caught in the rain. We didn't eat a whole lot -- this was just a preliminiary meal to gear up for carbo-loading later in the day.

After lunch, we stopped at a 7-Eleven, where I was hoping to find some Accelerade, which worked really well for me in my past two races. I didn't find any, so I settled for some Fruit Punch Gatorade.

The Others Arrive, Dinner Time
With a small kitchen in our suite, we were able to cook our own dinner. Andrew, Branelle, and Erin arrived with all of the necessary supplies. With eight of us talking and hanging out in the suite, there was never a dull moment. We enjoyed pasta, salad, and garlic bread. A big thank-you to Erin, Branelle, and all those who helped make dinner -- including the "engineer" that the hotel staff sent up with an oven rack for the bread. It was a wonderful meal. With the race starting at 7 the next morning, we were all asleep by 10:30 or so.

Getting Ready
I was up around 5 and went through my usual pre-race routine of making a short jog around the hotel to make sure I was comfortable. I was able to store five packs of GU and one pack of sport beans in my RaceReady shorts without any issues. I would also be carrying a small digital camera with me during the race.

The seven racers left shortly after 6 a.m. We made our way south about a mile to the start area. We quickly located the gear check areas (full marathon to the left, half marathon to the right). I went left, shedding my layer of warm-up clothes, and dropping them off with the appropriate volunteer.

Where'd They Go?
As I went to re-join the group, I quickly realized that I had completely lost them. With 12,000 people in the starting area, I walked around a few different areas in an effort to locate them -- no luck. I knew there was talk of getting in line at a portable restroom, but they were spread out throughout the area, so I wasn't sure what to do next.

With most of them planning to run at a slower pace than me, I decided to hold back at the start until everyone was away, and then I'd slowly scan the crowd and approach them from behind. While I felt a bit weird waiting around while others crossed the line, the strategy worked perfectly. As it turns out, they crossed the start line about 30 seconds before I did, and I found them about a quarter mile down the course. Whew!

Movie Time
Everyone was excited to see me, and I quickly executed my plan of capturing everyone on video. Jon was planning to run about a 1:45 half, so he had started much earlier, but everyone else was together, running somewhere between 10:00 and 11:00 pace. I ran ahead, stopped, turned around, and cheered for Andrew, Branelle, Erin, Paul, and Todd as they ran by, my camera rolling the entire time. I repeated this process once more before I settled into a steady pace with the group. While I was running much slower than my usual pace, I didn't really care, because we were all having so much fun encouraging each other. Branelle occasionally shouted, "Marco!" after Erin had dropped off the pace a bit. Erin's immediate response of "Polo!" assured us that she was still nearby.

Hanging Out and Zooming On
I stayed with Todd for the first few miles and took some more photos and video. We passed the 5:00 pace team somewhere during mile 2. I noticed our group of 6 spreading out a bit, with Andrew and Branelle further ahead and Erin and Paul a little bit behind us. After 3.5 miles, I decided it was time for me to pick things up a bit. I wished Todd well and told him that I hoped to see him at the finish.

The Rest of the First Half
As I increased my pace to about 9:00 / mile and passed hundreds of runners, I looked for Andrew and Branelle. I unfortunately didn't see them -- it's likely that they slowed to walk at an aid station while I was speeding through on the other side. I was still in good spirits, though, passing the 4:45 pace team after only a few more miles. I caught the 4:30 pace team before mile 10, at which point the half and full marathon courses split. There were still plenty of runners to keep me company after the split, but there was also plenty of room to keep passing folks. I had overhydrated just a bit, so I made a quick pit stop at mile 13. I felt pretty good as I reached the halfway point in about 2:05 (2:13 on the clock).

Fuel, Hills, and the Fastest Mile
With the aid stations about a mile apart, my alternating-fuel strategy was working perfectly. I'd have Powerade at one station, then GU+water at the next, and so on. I also substituted sport beans for GU on one occasion. This kept me strong as I powered through the second half, reaching the 4:15 pace team around mile 17.

The course had some hills. I don't think any of them were all that big, but even little ones can have an impact. I noticed that my heart rate had a lot more variance in this race than it did in the mostly-flat Rock N' Roll Arizona Marathon or the really-flat Tybee Island (Georgia) Marathon. I tried to keep my effort solid and steady, and I thankfully didn't have any problems.

The completion of mile 18 marked the highest elevation point on the course. There were still some ups and downs after this point, but no more significant climbs. About 3/4 of the way through mile 19, I noticed my pace was especially quick, so I decided to push it just a little more to turn in a split of 7:59 -- what will hopefully be the first of many sub 8-minute miles in my marathon adventures. I eased up for the next few miles after that, taking some extra time to walk and gather strength for the final miles.

Beer? Are You Crazy?
Somewhere around mile 21, a young man was asking if anybody wanted some beer. The group dynamics of the race had me in an unusually relaxed mood, so I took him up on his offer. As he popped open a can of Bud Light for me, I warned him that I would have some but that I couldn't drink the whole can. He nodded his acknowledgement and exclaimed, "Dude, you're my hero!" as I had a gulp or two. I seriously considered chugging it all down, but I decided not to risk the potential impact on my stomach. Maybe next time. :)

On to the Finish!
At mile 24, my chip time was 3:41:15. My initial thought was that four hours was out of reach, as 2.2 miles in 18:45 seemed like a lot. Then, the logical side of my brain kicked in and suggested that it was possible -- 8:30, 8:30, and 1:45 and you're home. So, I gathered my strength and pushed ahead!

With about half a mile to go, I was moving along very well. I also kept my eyes open for Todd and friends, who were potentially waiting for me near the finish. I still had my camera with me, and I was considering stopping, handing off the camera, running backwards about 50 feet, and then running by so they could get me on video. I reached the mile 26 mark, and I was flying. As I turned the final corner, I spotted some of Todd's friends cheering me on! I smiled and raised my arms in acknowledgement. However, I was moving way too quickly to stop myself, so I kept going. It all happened so fast that I can't recall exactly which of Todd's friends I saw. In any case, I arrived successfully at the finish with a chip time of 3:59:13.

Post-Race Celebrations
After a short time in the finish area gathering my warm-up clothes and grabbing some snacks, I spotted Todd, Paul, Andrew, Branelle, and Erin on the other side of the fence, each of them decorated with a finisher's medal. Never have I seen five people more excited about my finishing a race. I recorded another movie as they congratulated me, full of enthusiasm. Don't get the wrong idea here -- I am very appreciative of all the support I've received from friends and family at past races. However, this is the first time the support came from other runners. Something about this time was different, and it was very cool. I expected Todd to be at the finish, but I was very surprised that so many of them had waited around -- at least 90 minutes -- for me to finish.

We later met up with Jon and Robanna, and our post-race celebrations went on for the rest of the day. I'll spare the details, since this recap is way too long already. Let's just say that I made some new friends on this trip, and I hope to run with them again sometime. I was back home in Wisconsin by Monday night, already considering another trip to Texas to run Rock N' Roll San Antonio in November!

Race Stats and Trivia:

Miles 1-5	10:45	10:53	10:36	10:14	8:54
Miles 6-10	9:00	8:46	9:11	8:52	8:47
Miles 11-15	9:20	9:21	9:42	8:36	8:37
Miles 16-20	8:58	8:28	8:59	7:59	9:08
Miles 21-25	8:27	9:11	9:24	9:07	8:16
Miles 26-End	8:10	1:32

• Average Pace: 9:08/mile
• First half: 2:05:18 Second half: 1:53:55
• Fastest Mile: #19 (7:59) Slowest Mile: #2 (10:53)
• This is the most negative split I've ever recorded, with the second half being 11:23 faster than the first.
• This is my third marathon in a 36-day period. All three were run in less than four hours.

How'd Everybody Do?
Chip times are listed below:
Jon (not pictured): 1:46:50
Paul (top center): 2:15:22
Branelle (top left): 2:16:46
Andrew (bottom center): 2:16:52
Erin (bottom left): 2:23:43
Todd (top right): 2:29:06
Ben (bottom right): 3:59:13