Race information
- What? Big Island International Marathon (Hilo Marathon)
- When? March 20, 2016
- How far? 26.2 miles
Goals
| Goal |
Description |
Completed? |
| A |
Finish |
Yes |
| B |
sub-3:30 |
Yes |
| C |
sub-3:20 |
Yes |
Here is the
Strava data for splits
Ok, this is gonna be long...never done this before and I guess I got carried away. Skip to Mile 1 if you just want the race.
Background/Training
I'm a 28 year old male. In high school I ran a 17:07 5k/~10:10 3200m,
and threw down a 16:40 on the track my first year of college before I
gradually stopped training. I might've run faster but I had an addiction
to staying up real late and eating cereal, and semi-chronic knee pain.
In the last ten years, I have continued to run very inconsistently in a
recreational capacity, but have always stayed pretty fit. In the last
three years, I have been running a little bit more and done a handful of
races. Last May, I surprised myself, running a 1:27 half after only a
month of training and no real base at all. The last, and first, marathon
I ran was a little over two years ago, done in 3:51. I didn't train
very much or very seriously for it, but I was excited to do it. After
the first 8 miles, I took off my huaraches and ran the rest barefoot.
Barely ate any breakfast and didn't take in any calories aside from some
gatorade on the course, but I was stoked to finish and to go under 4
hours, in spite of not really knowing what I was doing. This time, I
decided to prepare much better. I got a GPS watch and began running a
1.3 mile loop in my 'hood every day, to start. I could definitely do
more, but I knew I needed to do this in a very methodical way to teach
myself discipline, restraint, and consistency. In the past, I have
wanted to run farther and faster in a single run than I really have the
conditioning for, because that's what I did in my "glory days" of
competitive HS and a bit of collegiate running. As a result, my running
was really inconsistent and often some minor pain or ache would flair up
and I would lose the desire to run because I thought I was hurting
myself. Anyway, the plan worked as I put in weeks of 14, 8, 15, 21, 25,
19, 27, 35, 38, 34, and 38 miles. I didn't do any real workouts, never
actually hit 40 miles in a week, and my longest run was 12.1 miles. Most
of the volume was done around 8:15 pace; some faster, some slower.
There are not a ton of other runners in the area, but some, and I
befriended them and we started running together on the course whenever I
came in to town.
 |
| Getting in some last minute rolling the morning of. |
Race strategy
With barely any race experience at this distance, and not much
training under my belt (some would probably call it threadbare), I just
wanted to run a comfortable-ish race at relatively even splits and have a
good time. I was pretty confident I would better my previous time, but
the rest was somewhat of a mystery. The course has ~1100' of elevation
gain, almost all in the first half. My plan was to go out at 8:00/mi
pace, or a tad faster if feeling good, until mile 16, when the course
flattens out and pretty much stays that way. Then, if possible, I would
drop the pace and adjust as needed.
Pre-race
Race start time was 6am Sunday, so I drove to town midday Saturday,
took care of some biz and met up with a friend, also racing the next
day, and then we went to crash at the house of some friends of his. I
picked up my packet and met up with friend J first, chuckling at the
diminutive size of the small "expo," in a small downstairs conference
room of a hotel near the start/finish. I bought a caffeinated GU, and we
threw his bike in my truck and went downtown. I took care of a few
errands, and at the farmer's market we grabbed a few ingredients to make
dinner for said friends who were putting us up in their basement that
night. We drove over to friend M's house, also racing tomorrow, and
chatted for awhile, sharing some bananas I grew at home and talking
about the race. We were all excited for it to be underway. Got in the
truck for another mile and arrived at our accommodations for the night.
After getting all my stuff from the truck, I sat on the couch and
chilled while J puttered around the kitchen, then we both got on reddit.
I did a little foam rolling and stretching, made a banana smoothie, and
spent about an hour looking for my car keys, which was a little
stressful. Most of that time I spent out in the rain, digging through
the truck. It had been either raining or drizzling all day, and looking
like it would continue into tomorrow. Fortunately that's not an issue in
the tropics. J finished dinner, steamed sweet potatoes, millet, and
veggie marinara, and we ate with the roomies and played Settlers of
Cattan. Then off to bed around 9, listening to music on my headphones
till almost 10. J and I both wake up before our 5 o'clock alarms
naturally, about 15 minutes earlier. I eat my caffeinated GU immediately
and some water. I don't drink coffee or consume caffeine usually so I
was planning on this giving me a boost of energy and a laxative effect.
Worked like a charm. Drank about a pint of homegrown banana smoothie and
visited the bathroom twice to great success, and we were out the door
and on our way. After a 10 minute drive in the rain, we park, visit the
park bathroom, job a bit then strip down to just our shorts. The sun
hadn't come up yet, but it wasn't really cold. I stepped in a puddle,
twice, soaking my shoe, but it ended up not being an issue. I didn't
even wear socks and never had a chafing problem, miraculously. There was
a big bunch of people milling around the start, and a local radio DJ
making periodic announcements on the PA. Apparently, due to a rare north
swell, high surf had made it past the breakwall and caused closure of
the road we were to use for the first mile. Nothing could be done so
they had to route us around it, but fortunately it ended up only adding
about .17 miles, since we ran it twice. The start was pushed back a few
minutes, and in the meantime I chatted to some of the folks around me.
Lots of Japanese runners, and a few visitors from the west coast. Then,
right next to me I noticed a very accomplished and even mildly
famous runner. Some friends of mine are friends of his, and had told me
he'd be there, hopping over from another island. I introduced myself and
we struck up a conversation. I told him I had him pegged for the win,
and he laughed, saying he's not been running at all, and only ran twice
the week prior in preparation. This was to be his shake-off-the-dust
race before Boston. Finally it was time to start, right as the sky was
starting to lighten up, and the DJ counted down from 10. Bang! A hundred
shrill digital beeps momentarily filled the air, and we were off.
Miles [1] through [8]
The first mile took us out of the parking lot start/finish area, onto
a sidewalk just one soccer field-width away from the road we were
supposed to be on, and parallel to it. I went out super easy, letting
people, including M and J, stream past me, and immediately my friend
from the start line and I got chummy and were chatting up a storm. We
breezed past downtown, went through the first mile, and back onto the
highway for the first out and back section. My watched beeped off a
7:29, which surprised me, since I felt very good and controlled, so I
went with it. In the back of my mind, I thought I might be rolling the
dice, but put that thought aside. My new friend, whom I'll call F, was
carrying like 6 gels which made me laugh, but it ended up being my
saving grace. It turns out we have a lot of mutual friends and common
interests, so we talked easily and copiously through the first few miles
(really the whole first 20). The leaders started to come through having
already hit the turnaround. 1st was on 2:30ish pace. I saw M in about
5th, and J not too far behind. We passed some people, and had two other
guys trading places with us for awhile, keeping an even 7:40 pace on the
watch the whole time. Towards the end of mile 8, we hit the 1st
turnaround, stomped on the mat and started making our way south back
towards the start/finish.
Miles [9] to [16]
Not long after the turnaround, a woman coming the other way called
out "9, 10, 11, 12!" We were pretty spread out over the course already,
but it felt exciting to be in the top of the standings. Around 60
minutes in, F gives me one of his gels, which I gratefully down. I
didn't bring any, expecting them to be every ~3rd mile as the website
had indicated, but actually didn't see any until mile 22! Still not sure
what was up with that.. maybe I had to ask. Up till now I'd been
drinking water or Gatorade at most aid stations, but not all. It was
raining lightly most of the time and I was cool and comfortable; number
pinned to my shorts, no shirt, and although my shoes were wet, my feet
were happy. F and I keep chatting away excitedly, eventually pulling
away from 11 and 12 after a little banter. There are some hills here but
we are cruising. The course takes us back onto the highway right before
mile 13. From here it's a long slow descent back into town, and we're
passing tons of half marathoners, and we only had the shoulder to work
with. By the tail end of mile 15, we are back on the flats for good. F
expresses gratitude that we ended up running together, because he
would've gone out way too hard and destroyed himself since he's
ultra-competitive and hadn't raced in awhile. We both felt solid and
were set to run a sensible negative split race. Starting at the halfway
mark with the long downhill, the average pace on my watch slower started
ticking down into the high 7:30s. Mile 16 took us over the start line
and out due east onto the second leg of the course. There were people
milling about and cheering, but I didn't really take notice.
Miles [17] to [21]
Mile 17 winds around a park and golf course, and at about this time
the sun starts threatening to break through. F and I pass a tiny kid
running the half, looks like he's 9, and shout encouragement at him. F
sees his wife coming towards us on the home stretch of the half, and
shouts her name a few times until she sees us. The guy is totally
electric, a stoke machine. Mile 18 is kind of a shitty industrial area
with a couple car dealerships, lots of puddles, and barely any real
estate to run on that's not in the actual lane of traffic. This was a
tiny race, with 221 full marathoners entered, and as a small town affair
there weren't any road closures in this area. Somewhere around here F
offers me another gel, which I humbly accept. At this point I'm having a
blast; this guy totally made my day, setting a good pace, yet I knew
crunch time was coming soon. Miles 19, 20, and 21 fly by in 7:12, 7:01,
and 7:06. Average pace has probably dropped below 7:30 now. The leaders
go by on the other side of the street, and later I see M looking strong
and placed high. It felt like we were flying, and the sun was rising
directly in front of us, creating a blinding glare of the wet road.
After a tiny dogleg at the end of mile 19, we catch a Japanese woman
who's been running alone and pass her. The back of her legs have about
10 bottle cap-sized dots on them, stickers or temporary tattoos. We
congratulate and encourage her as we go by, and F asks her about them,
but I didn't catch the answer and wasn't too interested; what had been
up till now a conversational pace was becoming a bit more forced, but I
was still feeling strong. The turnaround is at the very end of the paved
road, and there was an aid station and a timing mat. I snag a gatorade
and keep hustling.
Miles [22] to [26.2]
A minute or two after the turnaround, the course swerves us onto a
quiet narrow side street that's a block in from the main road we had
just been on. It's nice back here, but we're definitely in the final 10k
and I'm starting to learn what that's all about. F is a few paces ahead
of me, and starts telling me all kinds of stuff, about how I gotta
consciously breathe harder, force air in, pump my arms, focus on stride,
and pack in more gel if I can stomach it. At this point in the race,
I'm looking at my watch to check the distance very frequently. The fact
that the watch splits and the physical mile markers didn't match up had
been mildly annoying the whole time, but now, I couldn't stop myself
from adding .2 in my head to whatever number I was seeing and
subtracting that from 26.2, and then telling myself I only had that
distance left to run. Multiply that by 3-5 times per mile and it was
maddening. Mile 23 shunted us back onto the main drag, and F was maybe
10m ahead now. He said something about running on a slant and hopped up
on the sidewalk. The sun is higher and it's starting to get warm, and of
course it's as humid as a greenhouse. The next mile is more of the
same, except at some point F drifted back near me and was harping on me,
calling out tips over his shoulder, in some archetypal mashup of dad,
coach, and best friend. He was trying to get me to catch a guy in a blue
shirt up ahead, but I was just hanging on at this point. The beginning
of mile 25 had an aid station, and in my fatigued state, I failed to
grab a cup because F also took some and I was too out of it to react. He
put a cup in my hand and told me to go on and pushed me ahead. A few
moments later, I hear him come up behind me and pour a cup of water on
my head. It's awesome. He's grabbed a GU too. At this point I've had
about 3 of his, but this one I don't really want. My stomach feels kind
of numb and sidestitchy, but in a very vague way. It's hard to explain.
Like eating that last cookie in the package when you already feel full
and gross, I tear off the top with my teeth and have a gulp. Raspberry.
It's awful. A half mile later and I drop it; just holding it nauseates
me. Mile 25 is a three block detour to the south, towards the airport,
then back on the main drag. F is haranguing me to catch Mr. Blue Shirt. I
kind of hated it, but it also helped because I was fading and just
wanted it all to be over. Plus I think he was getting a kick out of it.
Back on the main road I can see J up ahead, appearing to walk and has
his hands on his head. This somehow delights F but I don't have another
gear. My vision is weird and fuzzy now, in addition to the fatigue. I'm
in sort of new territory here. Everything hurts, but mildly. My lungs
aren't burning like the end of a 5k, and my legs aren't totally shot
like the end of a cruelly hilly trail race, but they're definitely
heavy. Mile 26 is almost the same as 17, ringing the park, but now
there's more people coming towards me, but I don't really take note. It
feels like F is towing me. A barefoot runner with an epic beard
recognizes F and hands him a banana. They get a kick out of it, while J
and I share a more somber moment as I pass him. I put my hand on his
shoulder as I go by, and he turns to me with an expression of pain,
almost horror. Outside of the drama of the moment, it would almost have
been funny. Last year he dropped out at mile 20, and says that the same
thing is going on with his foot. I think the earlier pace has also
caught up to him. The last .2 is at the top of a bridge, then it's a
right turn and the finish is right there. I don't remember much, just
running to the finish and seeing those red number on the clock. At some
point F falls behind me, I suppose to shout encouragement and get me
across the line; he could have been long gone hours ago, so he didn't
care about place. I was his apprentice for the day, and he the master.
Suddenly I'm over the line and it's all over. 3:17. Someone puts a medal
around my neck and I struggle to stay standing. M was there to
congratulate me, I think, and F. I sort of stagger around for awhile,
then walk off to my truck.
Post-race
I was almost startled to find that walking around right after
crossing the line was quite uncomfortable. I crouched a bit, but didn't
sit down. I retrieved my sandals from the truck and grabbed a shirt and
drink of water, and walked back to the line. Ease of mobility returns
but I am of course sore and very tired. J is there, having finished a
minute behind me. I track down F and his wife, he kick it for a minute
and take a picture then they go to shower up. J, M, and I drive to a
cafe for a bite, then come back for the awards, but before that we have
to wait around for awhile. The food tent was giving out free Michelob
Ultras, so I drank a few to rehydrate (ha) and sent out a few texts
while sitting next to J. I placed 8th overall, and 1st in my age group,
because the overall top 3 are discounted, and got a little acrylic
square and a $15 candy store gift card to commemorate. I didn't find out
until I got home that night and plugged in my watch, but I was pleased
to see that while I was fading hard, I still kept the last three miles
at sub-8 pace; mile 4 was actually the slowest at 8:00, going up a hill.
M was non-stop chit chatting, but I was feeling ready to go so I drove J
home then grabbed a burrito. The rest of the day I was floating on a
cloud; I was extremely pleased with the effort given my very laid-back
training and also having sparked such a great connection with F. At home
that night, I was still feeling all the caffeine I'd eaten in the form
of gels, and was up until 2:30 browsing for a summer marathon.
What's next?
I'm registered for a trail 50k in one month, with something like 4-5k
elevation. That will be just for fun mostly, learning the distance. My
plan for the rest of the spring and summer is to get up to 60-70mpw and
just hold there, throwing in some MP and HMP stuff and mile and K
repeats eventually, and find a cool race to go sub-3 in August ideally. I
am very excited! Thanks for reading!
