Intro
This is going to be a long entry, be warned. I'll be discussing my motivation for running a marathon, why I chose the one I did, my training schedule, and a long winded blow-by-blow of the race. This is mainly just a way for me to record my thoughts before I forget them. In a later blog post I plan to include a
comparison of my training stats for my 2007 marathon with this 2011 marathon.
Decision
In December 2010 I decided that I wanted to do another marathon. It was a very spontaneous decision as they often are. It is rather easy to forget all the hard work that usually goes into training for a marathon!
My only other marathon experience was the Royal Victoria Marathon in 2007 when I ran 3:02:56. My goal for that race was to break 3 hours, and because I only just missed it I knew I would run another marathon one day and break the 3 hour mark. So naturally when I decided to do the
North Olympic Discovery Marathon (or NODM for short) I had the same goal.
My main reasons for choosing NODM were: close proximity to Victoria and small race (usually ~300 in the full marathon). NODM is a point-to-point marathon that starts in Sequim and finishes in downtown Port Angeles which is a short ferry ride away from Victoria. There is a good website called
marathonguide.com that has user comments about the marathon and previous results. I found it a useful guide for helping me make my decision.
Training
By registering in mid december I had a full 5 months of training from January through May. Each month I wanted to increase my mileage and gradually incorporate more long runs and tempo runs, and ending with a 3 week taper at the end of May leading up to the race on June 5th. I also planned on incorporating a few local races into my training plan - Bazan Bay 5K, Comox Half, and the TC 10K.
The training went pretty smoothly with no real set backs except for one nasty cold in early March and a brief vacation in Hawaii. January, February and March were decent months, but not as consistent as I wanted (probably partly due to the less than ideal weather!). But luckily April and May were really solid training months where I was able to log some really high mileage (for me) and lots of tough long runs and tempos. Each of my 3 pre-marathon races went well too with a road PB of 17:57 at Bazan Bay 5K, a steady 1:25 Comox Half, and a really great 10K PB of 36:09 at the TC 10K.
All in all I was feeling pretty confident going into Sunday's marathon. But I knew that a marathon will always be tough and not something to take lightly.
The Race
We stayed at a nice hotel 5 mins from the starting line which was a great way to do it. I jogged the 5 mins to the start line, stretched a little gently, and then did 1km at race pace.
I had a pretty clear strategy in mind - push the downhills, don't slow up much on the uphills, aim for about 1:27 at the half way, and most importantly -
stay positive. The toughest part of the marathon is from 25-33km so I wanted to make sure I was well under 1:30 at half to make up that. I also wore a fuel belt with 2x10oz bottles which I filled with water and one nuun tablet in each, and carried 6 gels (I love the Vanilla Clif Shots) in the belt's pouch. The plan was to take one gel every 25-30 mins (or roughly every 6-7km) which I calculated would give me enough energy to last the marathon. And I also planned on alternating between taking water and gatorade at each aid station which were well spaced out at about one every 2 miles.
Below is a screenshot of my
Garmin Activity showing the
elevation,
pace, and
route.
0 - 5km (20:38, 4:07 pace)
The first part of a marathon is always the best feeling: the pace is so slow feeling, and I'm also so excited. I started off the race in about 6th place, but by the 3rd kilometer I had overtaken two guys were who already breathing heavily, including one guy wearing a long sleeve heavy running shirt... not a good choice for the 20+ Celsius weather! Ahead of me in 3rd place was the lead female runner (wearing the distinctive pink top) who would stay in front of me for most of the race. As I finished the first 5km I had closed the gap on her to about 50m.
5 - 10km (21:08, 4:13 pace)
The first 8km of the course is a big loop that took us back to the start line before we started heading away from Sequim towards Port Angeles. The course was mostly on roads with a short segment on a paved trail through the park near the starting line. During this 5km section it is a gradual uphill, and I made myself slow down as I didn't want to blow up early going out too fast in the heat (plus my heart rate was still too high and I wanted to drop it below 85%). So although the pace dropped a bit, I was still feeling confident, high-fiving the volunteers at each aid station and generally feeling okay. During this section the girl in pink had pulled away and I could only just see her on some of the long straightaways. It was at about 7km when I first saw my wife and mother-in-law, who were both taking photos of me just as I had started sucking back my first gel, probably made for some great photos!
10 - 15km (21:02, 4:12)
This section was probably the flattest part of the course, and flew by uneventfully. The first river crossing was at about 9.5 miles (15km) where we crossed the Dungeness River. It was very scenic, and not a difficult river valley like some of the ones coming up. At this point I was getting more concerned with how high my heart rate was staying. My watch was telling me that it was hovering between 86-88%, which I know is a little on the high side for a marathon (75-85% is "safe"). I expected it to be high during the first 20 mins since this usually happens to me, but after an hour into the race it was still there and I was starting to feel the effects of the heat and my mind was already warning me to slow down. But I also have a theory that my max heart rate is higher than my age predicts, and so I told myself not to worry about my heart rate - if it's too high then my body will force me to slow down.
15 - 20km (21:01, 4:12)
It was around here when I had one nice moment when I passed a man and woman who were walking the full marathon. I ran by and yelled out "great job, keep it up!". They replied saying "Thanks! You're much nicer than the other 3 runners who ran by and didn't say anything. We hope you win. You're looking really strong too!". Definitely a confidence booster.
But just before the half way I was starting to really struggle. I had just taken my third gel (around 1:20), and already drank all the Nuun flavoured water in my fuel belt. I wasn't feeling great, and I knew my pace was starting to slip.
20 - 25km (21:07, 4:13)
I didn't know it at the time, but these last 20km were remarkably consistent. My pace varied from 4:00 to 4:23, but somehow each 5km was the same time. It sure didn't feel that way!
My plan had been to drop off the fuel belt as soon as I finished the water and carry the remaining 3 gels in my hand. As I approached the aid station at the half way point I was really unhappy. I felt like crap and was very disappointed that the time was already
1 hour and 29 minutes - a full 2 minutes slower than my game plan. The guys at the aid station were busy yelling at me to keep going "you're looking great, keep it up" etc. Ha. Yeah. Right. As I ran by I asked if I could drop off my belt and collect it at the finish line, and they said yes. So I stopped for 5 seconds as I dropped the belt, grabbed the remaining gels from the pouch, handed the belt to the volunteer and sprinted off yelling out my name and race number as I went on. I wondered if I'd ever see the belt again but didn't really care. I was just glad to be feeling a little lighter and less constricted around my waist. The next few kilometers were much better and I was able to get my pace back down under the magical
4:16 pace that I needed to break the 3 hour mark.
25 - 30km (21:58, 4:23)
Right at 25km I had a short but painful calf cramp in my right leg. I stopped for 2 seconds and gave it a quick stretch fearing the worse. The prospect of running the last 17km with a cramp was scary.
I knew that the first really tough hill section was at the 17 mile mark (27km). So with that in mind I pushed the first few kilometers to try and gain a few seconds and hoping my calf would not be an issue. At 27km the trail dropped down into Sieberts Creek and back up again. I had jogged this section the day before to prepare myself, and boy was I glad I did! It is very steep, but also very short. And knowing that my wife and mother-in-law would be there cheering me at the top of the hill I flew down into the valley, and pushed really hard up the hill, making sure to give them a winning smile to give the illusion that I was still feeling strong and confident! Even though I knew at the point that it was going to be almost impossible to break 3 hours now. But still, having just seem some friendly faces my confidence grew, and I kept pushing through the tough undulating hills. At some point near the 30km marker my left calf had the same sharp cramping feeling, but it also didn't last and so I kept going without stopping.
30 - 35km (22:11, 4:26)
This was always going to be the toughest section because it is so far into the race and it features the hardest hills. It was exactly at this point when I knew my pace was slowing and my sub 3 hour goal gone that my mind started to try and trick me. I kept thinking thoughts like "if I just slow down here a little bit, then it will be impossible for me to break 3 hours, and then I won't
have to keep pushing". This is what makes the marathon so tough. Of course the physical aspect is tough, but that is the "easy" part to train. I think it's the mental aspect that is what makes the marathon so tough. At this point I was already seeing myself slowing slightly and finishing in 3 hours and 2 minutes again. My mind trying to justify that it was still a good result.
But then I got lucky. Up ahead I suddenly saw the lead girl (pink shirt, called Tanaya Gallagher), who was obviously slowing. And even more of a surprise I saw the 2nd place guy (gray shirt, called Kurt Warwick who I later learned had ran an impressive 2:47 at Boston this year) who I hadn't seen since the start. Hmm. So maybe even if I can't break 3 hours I could pass them, and come in second! I was spurred on to catch them, and also knowing that the toughest hill section was right at 20 miles (32km), and after that it was all down hill! Almost.
Around 31km I easily passed the guy in gray who was hardly moving, and voiced some encouragement, and then flew up a short hill and passed the girl in pink. Saying something nice too. I made sure to keep pushing it for the next 500m to get away from them and leave them feeling a little disheartened by my pace even if I knew I couldn't keep it up for long!
Then came the famous Bagely Creek hill. I quickly inhaled my second to last gel (mmm Vanilla) and descended a nasty switchback downhill followed by a very steep 33m hill climb over 400m. I had also scoped out this section the day before so I knew it was steep. I do admit to stopping for a few seconds at the top here to catch my breath, but only for a couple seconds. A guy standing at the 20 mile marker yelled out my time of
2 hours and 17 minutes. This was again 2 minutes slower than the 2:15 I had hoped for, leaving me 43 minutes to run the last 10.2km. Still possible, but it was not going to be easy. After my slowest kilometer through Bagely Creek of 4:58 I reached the
highest point of the marathon (77m, 250 feet). It was almost all downhill now. Yeah! I quickly sped up to a pace of 4:05 down the hill.
Here is where I got lucky again. I saw my wife at 33km and got a surge of energy after she yelled out "
the lead runner is not far ahead, you're totally gaining on him!". What?!? No way. Well, maybe even if I don't break 3 hours I might be able to win this race. Inconceivable! Anyways, down I went and at each aid station and many walkers that I passed all said the same thing: "You can catch him!". I passed one couple on this section who yelled out "showoff!". Um, sorry?
35 - 40km (21:35, 4:19)
By now the route was taking me out to the coast, down to about 10m of elevation (having dropped over 60m in just over a kilometer). And what had I gained from that nice downhill? 11 seconds. Oh well, I was still gaining on the lead running (blue shirt, Adam Read). Ahead of him I could see the official cyclist who was keeping the trail clear for him. For the next 2km I slowly reeled him in despite putting up slow kms of 4:26. I gulped back my final gel. As I got closer and closer to him the walkers that I passed would yell like crazy for me to catch him. Part of me wanted them to be quiet so that the lead runner didn't hear them and start to speed up! But luckily for me he was toast. Nice. I came up along side him at around the 37km marker (3 miles/5km to go) and shouted some encouragement and again picked up my pace making sure to look really strong. The official cyclist pacer looked very surprised to see me, and we quickly left blue shirt guy behind. The cyclist then radio'd in: "Guess what, we had a new leader! Bib number 66, Chris Callendar". I envisioned hearing the announcer at the finish line saying just that. At this point I realized that unless something terrible happens, I was going to win this race! Passing the 3 runners had really taken my mind off the pain and allowed me to run at a really decent pace without my mind interfering.
At this point I remember looking at my watch and saw it read
37.2km, and
2 hours and 39 minutes flat - exactly 5km to go. I realized that if I wanted to break 3 hours I could still do it, but I had to run the last 5km in
under 21 minutes. It was possible, but that meant I had to run my second fastest 5km of the day. It really helped having the bicyclist in front of me, he'd honk his bell and all the walkers would move aside and start cheering for me. It was great encouragement. About all I could do was put my thumb up as a way of saying thanks.
40 - 42.2km
Just before 40km there is a nasty little gravel hill around a sharp 150 degree turn. I flew up it anyway despite feeling rather unsteady. There is a less than pleasant horse-shoe shaped loop around an old mill that is all gravel. My pace slowed very slightly. My watch read exactly
2:51 at the 40km mark. 2.2km in 9 minutes. That meant I still had to run faster than the 4:15 pace and hope for enough energy to sprint the final 200m to squeak under 3 hours. Once I got back onto the seaside paved trail I knew I could do it, but didn't dare let myself think too far ahead or slow down. As I rounded the final curve and
finally saw the finish line in the distance I knew I had done it. I sprinted the final 200m in 30 seconds and crossed the line in a time of
2:59:47. The clock unfortunately read 3:00:35 when I crossed, but it must have been started early for the other races.
After I crossed the line everything gets a little blurry, but I definitely remember doing a lot of screaming and fist pumps, and then gave my wife a big delirious hug. And there was an awesome woman there who helped keep me from falling over as I wobbled through the finishing area. She said "What took you so long? I've been waiting for you for ages!", but she was laughing so I replied "I did my best to get here sooner, sorry to have kept you waiting".
Then got "mobbed" by the media. One guy from a local newspaper and one from the local radio station interviewed me. It was great. I was on a huge high of course, and got to spurt out all the usual cliches that professional athletes say. I was amused that they both asked me how many marathons I've won. At first I said 2, and then realized that they asked how many I'd "won", not "run". Oops.
Anyway, it was a great day and remarkable race. Especially learning afterwards how many other runners suffered in the heat. I'm not sure if I can top this one. I was awarded a really nice piece of art (see photo on the right) for coming in first, and a plaque for being first in my 30-34 age group. Huge thanks to my wife and mother-in-law for the support along the course (and during my training), and to my father-in-law for the inspiration to run marathons. And also to Angela and Roger who were the only other Vancouver Island runners that I knew at the race.
My Garmin Connect Activity
