The Country Music Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee was my 16th career marathon. My mom made the trip with me, signing up to walk her first ever half marathon. We arrived on Friday morning and picked up our race numbers at the expo before it got too crowded. We took it easy the rest of the day, shopping at Opry Mills mall, touring the Grand Ole Opry, and enjoying pasta at Romano's Macaroni Grill.
We woke up shortly after 4:00 a.m. on Saturday. Rain was steadily falling as we got in our rental car and drove to LP field (near the finish). A shuttle bus got us to the start around 5:15. This gave us plenty of time to check out the "athlete's village". My mom grabbed some pre-race food while I walked my gear bag to the fleet of UPS trucks nearby. With over an hour until the race and rain continuing to fall, we sought out shelter in a McDonald's right by the starting corrals. We weren't the only ones. It was very nice of the restaurant manager to let all the runners relax in a warm, dry place.
I carried out my usual pre-race routine; a port-o-let stop at 6:20 and a Clif bar and some water at 6:45. I was in corral # 5, and my mom was in corral # 31. With the corrals heading out in waves, I reached the start line in about six minutes, but it took my mom an hour! The rain had dwindled to a sprinkle by start time, so it didn't bother me at all.
Having run my past races more conservatively, I decided to set an aggressive pace, approximately 8:30 a mile (my personal record pace is 8:44). My heart rate stayed in the 150s -- a good sign -- as I cruised through the first five miles in about 42 minutes. With the weather quickly warming up, I made sure to drink plenty of Accelerade and water throughout the race.
I didn't realize how hilly the course was until I actually ran it. There weren't a lot of steep inclines, but it seemed like I was always gradually climbing or gently descending. In any case, I kept up the pace as the miles counted up, reaching the halfway point in about 1:51.
I also increased my solid fuel intake, as I figured it would help keep me strong -- especially at the end. I had a serving of sport beans at mile 8, gel at mile 9, more sport beans at mile 11, and then more gels at miles 13, 16, 18, 21, and 24. A total of eight servings. When you're hungry, you're hungry. :)
At mile 20, I was still feeling great, and I was confident I could set a PR. With four miles to go, I determined that I could break 3:40 if I could run at 8:15 pace to the finish. However, fatigue set in at mile 23. I was in serious need of a break, and I had overhydrated a tiny bit. I knew that I could still easily set a PR even if I slowed a little. So, I made the decision to stop at a portable restroom (no waiting) at mile 24. Perhaps I could have pushed through to the finish, but I might not have been smiling when I made it. :)
My last three miles were all above nine minutes, but I was thrilled that I hadn't really "bonked". I came around the final turn full of enthusiasm. I didn't have a major finishing kick, but I picked it up a little as I crossed the line with a chip time of 3:43:06, beating my previous personal best (3:49:05) by about six minutes!
The fun wasn't over yet, though. After the usual post-race activities of medal adornment, chip removal, and food intake, I walked what seemed like a mile through crowds to get to the gear pickup area. I quickly got out my digital camera and cell phone. My mom carried her cell phone with her. She informed me that she was walking the final mile! This was exciting news, as I wasn't even sure if she would be able to walk the entire course.
I walked and weaved my way through the post-race crowd once more. I went back into the runners-only finish area to see how close I could get to the half marathon finish line. To my surprise, I was able to get within a stone's throw of the line, right between the volunteers handing out medals and the "Are you alright?" volunteers just past the finish who catch exhausted participants. I got a movie of my mom crossing the line with a chip time of 3:20:59. Way to go, Mom!
I was more than happy to help my mom through the post-race area. As we relaxed and enjoyed the festive atmosphere, we called friends and family to inform them of our successful finishes. What an awesome day!
After an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet lunch, we went to the airport and caught an evening flight back to O'Hare. It was certainly a marathon trip to remember!
Race statistics and photos:
| Miles 1-5 | 8:37 | 8:40 | 8:32 | 8:20 | 8:02 |
| Miles 6-10 | 8:23 | 8:33 | 8:34 | 8:22 | 8:22 |
| Miles 11-15 | 8:29 | 8:44 | 8:13 | 8:43 | 8:10 |
| Miles 16-20 | 8:18 | 8:35 | 8:23 | 8:26 | 8:18 |
| Miles 21-25 | 8:15 | 8:22 | 8:34 | 9:16 | 9:08 |
| Miles 26-End | 9:05 | 1:42 |
- Average Pace: 8:31/mile
- First half: 1:50:50 Second half: 1:52:16
- Fastest Mile: #5 (8:02) Slowest Mile: #24 (9:16)
- Race Photos on Shutterfly
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