The night before, I drove from Kenosha to a hotel in Neenah, stopping at a Fazoli's in Oshkosh for pre-race pasta and breadsticks. I woke up at about 5:20 on Saturday morning to get dressed, go out for a short warm-up, and drive to the finish at UW-Fox Cities to catch a bus to the starting area at Riverside Park in Neenah.
This was the coldest race I had ever run, but I was ready for it. Included in my wardrobe was my anamagi jacket, purple NU winter hat, tights, and Asics running gloves that I got for Christmas. I knew that the gloves weren't super-warm, but I hoped they'd work well enough with temps in the 20s at the start, climbing to the 30s later on.
Early Going
I kept it strong and steady, being careful to take it easy on icy roads and sidewalks. There was sufficient but limited markings that showed us the direction of the course, so I also had to keep my eyes out for that, using a wallet-sized card provided by race organizers for additional guidance. On top of that, the course was open to traffic. Despite all the safety concerns, I was doing rather well and having a great time, occasionally sending real-time updates via my twitter account. It was a bit tricky, as my hands were a tiny bit numb, but I managed. I averaged about 8:07/mile for the first ten miles, just a little bit ahead of personal record pace.
One Little Slip
Now here's something I didn't share with folks until after the race was over. I stopped at a portable restroom during the 12th mile. About ten steps after exiting, I must have been a little too eager to get back on course, and I slipped and fell. It all happened rather fast, but I think I fell on my left side, and the left side of my head hit my Garmin Forerunner 305 on my left wrist. This had a two-pronged effect. First, the band broke on my GPS, so I had to carry it in my pocket for the duration of the race. Second, I scratched my ear and also had very minor scrapes on my left wrist and both knees. Surprisingly, my jacket and tights were a little dirty but not torn or damaged in any way. I walked for a bit to ensure that I did not have a serious head injury, and then I continued my steady trek to the finish.
Okay, Keep Going!
Runners were few and far between, but I caught up to a runner a little bit ahead of me during mile 13. He helped me ensure that the scratch on my ear was nothing to worry about. In addition, I took some extra time at the halfway aid station to ensure I was fine to continue. I was no longer concerned about PR pace; it was tough to monitor my exact pace with the face of the Garmin in my pocket, and I didn't want to push things after my earlier fall. I still moved pretty quickly in the middle section of the race, but my average pace slipped to about 8:21/mile through twenty miles. Thankfully, my hands were warming up nicely, and sharing updates was easier.
Podium Finish?
This race had only 36 full marathon finishers, and I was near the top. Volunteers checked us off at each aid station, so I knew how many were ahead of me at each point. I arrived at the last aid station, which was about five miles from the finish, alongside the fourth place runner. I moved ahead of him and built a decent gap in the next couple of miles, and soon I could no longer see him behind me.
The Final Stretch
With about half a mile to go, I spotted a runner in the distance. Could this be the third place guy? I decided to push it and see if I could catch him. I was amazed at how much I was gaining on him, as I didn't think I was going super-fast. I was about twenty feet behind him with roughly a tenth of a mile remaining. At this point, he turned around, noticed me, and picked up his pace to ensure a finish ahead of me. Apparently, he was coasting, and I gave him a little motivation to pick it up at the finish. Maybe if I had eaten the last pack of sport beans in my pocket, the shaking noise wouldn't have alerted him to my presence, and I could have slipped by. Probably not, though. He seemed to have tons left in the tank. I finished in 3:41:21, my fourth fastest marathon to date, just ten seconds behind the third place runner.
Results
I didn't see the official results posted until a few days later. To my surprise, I took third place! While it seemed to everyone at the finish area, including me, that I was the fourth across the line, apparently there were only two ahead of me. I have a note in to the race director just to make sure the results are as official as they're going to get. Here's a shot of me shortly after my << third place >> finish.
MCF Race Statistics:
| Miles 1-5 | 8:09 | 8:08 | 7:58 | 8:08 | 7:57 |
| Miles 6-10 | 8:14 | 8:14 | 8:09 | 8:07 | 7:58 |
| Miles 11-15 | 8:10 | 8:42 | 8:01 | 10:26 | 8:54 |
| Miles 16-20 | 8:32 | 8:05 | 7:54 | 8:27 | 8:35 |
| Miles 21-25 | 9:19 | 8:16 | 9:11 | 8:44 | 8:32 |
| Miles 26-End | 8:50 | 1:38 |
- Finish Time: 3:41:21
- Average Pace: 8:27/mile
- First half: 1:47:00
- Second half: 1:54:21
- Fastest Mile: #18 (7:54)
- Slowest Mile: #14 (10:26)
