Recaps from previous years:
2009 (full) 2010 (half) 2011 (full) 2012 (half)
On Saturday, May 4, 2013, I ran the full marathon in Kenosha for the third time. It's become a tradition since the race started in 2009. I run the full 26.2 in odd years, and the half marathon (13.1 miles) in even years.
For the third consecutive year, my friend,
David Hoskinson, made the trip from his home in Ohio. As he did in 2011 and 2012, he ran the half marathon. He finished the 2013 edition in 2:29:17. It wasn't his best effort, but considering that he made the seven-hour drive the night before and had limited opportunity to train, that's a notable accomplishment. Congrats, buddy.
I donned a bright orange shirt that matched my bright orange Asics Neo33 running shoes. While I hadn't run a race in anything besides Sauconys since 2005, I trained plenty in the Asics, so I was confident they'd hold up well. I also wore the typical RaceReady black shorts and a black long-sleeve base layer. The shorts had plenty of pockets for gels, sport beans, and my iPhone, which I used to post real-time updates to the blog. Before the race began, I also had a jacket, gloves, and my purple NU winter hat, which I switched out for a black cap right before the start.
We arrived at the starting area at about 6:00 a.m., one hour before the start. The starting area is right by the lake, so it was pretty cold.
David and I took shelter in a post-race party tent while waiting for my parents to park the car. I chowed down a chocolate chip Clif bar with a little bit of water. Time went by pretty quickly, but we were in the starting corrals with time to spare. The pre-race activities featured a moment of silence to remember all those affected by the tragedy in Boston a few weeks prior.
Mile 1 - 8:25
The "GO" signal came right at 7:00 a.m., and I reached the starting line about thirty seconds later, starting my Garmin Forerunner 305 and the Runmeter app on my iPhone almost simultaneously. I waved to my parents, stationed just past the start, and gave them my warm-up clothes as I passed by.
Mile 2 - 8:03
It's easy to go too fast at the start, especially when it seems like everyone is passing you. I did my best not to get too excited, keeping in mind that many of the lightning-quick starters weren't even in the same race as me. The current results show more than 1,000 marathon finishers and more than 2,000 half marathon finishers.
Mile 3 - 7:51
After a relaxing first mile, I picked things up in the second and third miles as the course reached Southport Park and headed back to the north. There were still plenty of runners around me, but I had room to run. I could hear the RunMeter app updates coming from my iPhone speaker every half mile, but I didn't discern every single word from its computerized voice. At the very least, I knew it was working.
Mile 4 -- 8:04
Still going strong and feeling great. If I could keep this up, I'd get a personal best for sure! I got extra encouragement from those who were following my run on Facebook. Whenever somebody clicked "Like" or left a comment on the thread started by RunMeter, I would be notified via an audio message, again via the iPhone speaker. I still couldn't hear everything clearly, but I knew I had a strong virtual cheering section.
Mile 5 -- 8:16
Okay, now let's hear it for those who braved a slightly cold morning to cheer on me and 3,000+ other runners. A decent group of spectators lined the streets downtown. I recall high-fiving someone dressed up as a duck. Near the north end of downtown (about 51st Street), I spotted my parents. My dad always does a great job capturing me on film, and Mom is always shouting at the top of her lungs for me to keep going. Considering that I've been doing marathons for almost eight years, their continued enthusiasm and support is remarkable.
Just one block further along, I spotted
my friend, Nick. I stopped to take a quick picture of him, as this was his first time cheering me on during a marathon. His support was essential later on in the race. I'll explain further down.
Mile 6 -- 8:16
Runners are off the city streets and on a trail continuing north, along the lake. I don't recall feeling cold or uncomfortable, probably because of the base layer and the previous five miles of running. If there's a hilly part of the course, this is it. I had no problems at all.
Mile 7 -- 8:04
Still lots of runners and plenty of spectators, including my parents. With the turnaround point in the distance, I began to see elite runners heading back to the south, moving so incredibly fast and looking perfectly relaxed.
Mile 8 -- 8:47
I reached the turnaround point and still felt wonderful. Having achieved better times with more solid fuel intake, I started my intake of sport beans and gels much earlier than normal. I downed a lime accel gel and chased it with two cups of water at an aid station, slowing a bit and stepping aside to stay out of harm's way. Don't be afraid to take a short walk break, especially in the early going. I think it helps more than it hurts.
Mile 9 -- 8:17
LOTS of runners still heading north, including David, who I high-fived as he went by. I started eating sport beans. I saw my parents one more time, who informed me that they were heading back to my house to watch my youngest son. My wife and daughter would be on course to cheer me on in the second half.
Mile 10 -- 8:41
In what is becoming a tradition at the Wisconsin Marathon, I made a pit stop in a small restroom shack at Lake View Park. No waiting. In fact, nobody in there at all. I wonder how many runners actually recognize that the building has restrooms. Anyway, I was still feeling great, moving on from sport beans to some Clif blocks -- black cherry flavor infused with caffeine. Yum.
Mile 11 -- 8:19
Remember Nick? He was still at the same place as when I saw him last. This time, he had his camera ready, and was filming me as I approached. With the weather turning warmer and the wind predominantly behind me (blowing north to south), I decided that now was the perfect time to lose the base layer. I took both shirts off and put just the orange one back on. The fact that Nick got this all on video made it quite hilarious for the other runners, I'm sure. Nick also gave me a ziploc bag with three gels and another pack of sport beans that I had given him the night before. My supplies replenished, I continued south on my 26.2-mile journey.
Mile 12 -- 8:13
I stayed strong through the downtown area, where plenty of spectators kept my energy level up. At the rest stop just before the half marathon turnaround point, I had a vanilla accel gel, leaving me with four more servings in my pockets for the rest of the race.
Mile 13 -- 7:53
Just past the mile 12 marker, the half marathoners turn around and head north for the finish, and the marathoners continue south. Things became a lot quieter and a lot more 'serious' at this point. I wasn't exactly sizing up the competition, but I took a moment to survey the runners around me. We're all in it for the long haul.
Mile 14 -- 7:54
There wasn't a clock at mile 13.1, but I estimate that my first half was about 1:48:04, which is nearly the same as my
personal record performance in Minneapolis last June. While slightly concerned that I was going too fast with a lot of race in front of me, I nevertheless forged ahead, turning in two consecutive miles under 8:00. At the mile 14 aid station, I had yet another accel gel -- this time a raspberry one with caffeine. I'm still on the fence as to whether or not caffeine improves my racing performance, but I try to include a little bit whenever I run a marathon or beyond.
Mile 15 -- 8:09
At about mile 14.5, I passed by a 'homemade' aid station. Someone had set up a card table with several 8 oz. bottles of ice mountain water on it. Sensing an opportunity, I asked if I could take one. An enthusiastic "yes" came in response, followed by an even more enthusiastic "thank you" for me. This was the perfect tool to regulate my water intake for the remainder of the race. I could have gels whenever I wanted, and I could drink smaller amounts of water more frequently, rather than slogging down multiple cups at each aid station.
Mile 16 -- 8:21
I slowed down just a bit to have another vanilla accel gel and some water. I also filled up my now nearly empty bottle at the mile 16 aid station. In the past three miles, I picked off several runners. The only time people ever passed me was when I slowed at an aid station.
Mile 17 -- 7:55
RunMeter, continuing to announce split times, also told me the following: "Message from Jenelle: See you at 18!" I was thrilled to hear that I would soon be seeing Jenelle and Eliana. Another sub-8 mile. I didn't notice it at the time, but a tailwind was probably helping.
Mile 18 -- 8:27
Jenelle and Eliana were at the same spot as they were two years ago. Eliana was sitting in our jogging stroller, waving a flag and a red/white pom pom. Jenelle was filming me with her iPhone. It was hard to hear them because of some vuvuzelas and a cowbell, but they looked very happy to see me. I stopped to snap a picture of them before moving on. I ate my last pack of sport beans.
Mile 19 -- 8:09
Yay for finally reaching the turnaround point! Heading back north, I felt the wind coming from the north and a bit from the east, but it wasn't slowing me down. I saw plenty of runners in front of me before making the turnaround, but there were a ton more behind me.
Mile 20 -- 8:39
I saw Jenelle and Eliana one more time. They were still full of smiles and cheers. Jenelle had a bag of race fuel (accelerade and more gels) with her, but I decided that I didn't need them. A bit down the road, I ate my last vanilla accel gel. I was still feeling pretty good, though perhaps just a tiny bit overhydrated. As luck would have it, I spotted a portable restroom on the side of the road, and saw someone exiting it just as I approached it. Perfect timing. I can't set it up any better than this.
The aid station just before the mile 20 mark had PowerGel available. Though not my favorite brand, I ended up grabbing one chocolate flavor and one pomegranate / acai berry flavor. Now I was sure to have enough fuel to get to the end. On to the final 10K!
Mile 21 -- 8:17
I assessed my time and state of fatigue. I was averaging about 8:15/mile, so I could set a PR as long as I kept that pace. From an energy standpoint, I was feeling it in my legs, but not to the point where I wanted to slow down. At this stage in a marathon, I usually find myself thinking about extra walk breaks to save my strength. Instead, I was thinking about all the other races where I reached the finish knowing that I could have persevered and gone faster in the final miles.
Let's drop the hammer and see what I've got left.
Mile 22 -- 8:00
I took the chocolate PowerGel at mile 21.5. Ugh. It was way thicker than the accel gels I was downing earlier in the race. I'm glad I had plenty of water left in my 8 oz. bottle to wash it down.
Mile 23 -- 7:48
I was picking off runners left and right. I kept reminding myself of all the times I had slowed down, determined not to do it this time. "Just hold out for another half hour. The race will be over and done before you know it." I kept myself busy by doing math in my head. As I reached 22.22 miles (four to go), I did some calculations and considered the possibility that I could push it hard enough to cross the line in 3:33:33, which would be sweet. I don't remember the exact pace I would need to set to achieve this goal, but I knew I had to run sub-7:50 miles.
Mile 24 -- 7:40
Without realizing it, I broke my record for the fastest mile during a marathon. I considered eating the other PowerGel, but I was convinced I could finish strong without it. I drank the rest of the water in my bottle and threw the empty container to the side of the road by the last aid station. I noticed that RunMeter had stopped announcing splits to me, indicating either a GPS failure or a low battery issue. My guess was the latter, and it was confirmed when I checked my phone after the race.
Mile 25 -- 7:51
Still picking off runners, I was now certain that I would not slow to walk until I crossed the finish line. I was still doing plenty of math in my head (which is a great way to pass the time). It seemed like I was going to finish in the high 3:33 or low 3:34 range, so I no longer focused on 3:33:33, instead simply trying to get done as quickly as possible. I was very excited, because I was certainly going to beat my time from Minneapolis and set a new personal best.
Mile 26 -- 7:43
I flew past the half marathon turnaround point, which just over a mile from the finish. In addition to the marathon runners I was regularly passing, I was now passing half marathon walkers as well.
The Finish
Jenelle and Eliana were at the finish with lots of spectators. They were a hundred feet or so in front of the line, and I nearly missed them as I zoomed by, but I did spot them in time to give them a wave. I passed one more runner, heard my name announced out loud, and crossed the line with a big smile, followed by more smiles when I spotted David, who got several
great post-race photos.
I stopped my GPS watch, which showed 3:33:48. Knowing that I stopped it several seconds after crossing the line, I realized I was way closer to 3:33:33 than I thought I would be. The final chip time was
3:33:39.
Could I have gone faster?
Of course. I could always go a
little faster, and I probably could have found a way to shave six seconds off my time, knowing now how close I came to 3:33:33. However, I am still very, very happy with my performance. I covered the last 10K in 48:56. As you may have noticed, I'm quite thorough with record-keeping, and the best final 10K before this race was in Tybee Island in February 2008 (51:46). Almost three minutes difference. Wow.
Post-Race
David, Jenelle, Eliana and I headed back to the house pretty quick after I was done, though we did stop to get the free beer and bratwurst that traditionally accompanies this event. For some reason, Eliana wanted me to carry her to the car instead of riding in the stroller. My upper body was fine, so I had no problem granting that request.
I had quite a bit of stuffed pizza for lunch from Tenuta's, one of my favorite pizza places. The weather was beautiful for the rest of the day, perfect for celebrating a personal record performance in my home town.
Photos
Here's a
link to the complete photo album. A few of these photos are linked above. Enjoy!
Race Statistics:
| Miles 1-5 | 8:25 | 8:03 | 7:51 | 8:04 | 8:16 |
| Miles 6-10 | 8:16 | 8:04 | 8:47 | 8:17 | 8:41 |
| Miles 11-15 | 8:19 | 8:13 | 7:53 | 7:54 | 8:09 |
| Miles 16-20 | 8:21 | 7:55 | 8:27 | 8:09 | 8:39 |
| Miles 21-25 | 8:17 | 8:00 | 7:48 | 7:40 | 7:51 |
| Miles 26-End | 7:43 | 1:37 |
- Finish Time: 3:33:39
- Average Pace: 8:09/mile
- First half: 1:48:04 Second half: 1:45:35
- Fastest Mile: #24 (7:40) -- Fastest ever during a marathon
- Slowest Mile: #8 (8:47)
