Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Race Re-Cap: Grand Rapids Marathon

Well, it's done! My time was four minutes slower than last year's marathon (a time I was really, really hoping to improve on), however, I felt so strong throughout the entire race. The last two miles were tough, as is to be expected, but I never hit a wall. Never thought "Why on earth am I doing this?" Even though my finish time was slower than I'd hoped, I'm so happy with myself. I feel like training by heart rate prepared me to start slow, keep it steady, and finish strong. I had a race plan, I stuck to it.  Plus…I ran a negative split!

Miles 1–7 @ 12:23/mile
I kept my heart rate at 155bpm. This was tough. I felt like I had more to give, but kept telling myself that energy I gave now would be better spent at the end. I fueled for the first time at the 5 mile mark.

Miles 8–13 @12:17/mile
Still feeling great. Upped my heart rate to 160bpm. Lots of hills in this part of the race. Fueled for the second time at the half marathon mark.

Miles 14-20 @ 12:14/mile
Miles 14 through 18 were my fastest of the entire race 11:35–12:05/mile. There was a 7 mile out and back stretch that seemed never ending. But despite the mental boredom, I kept telling myself how strong I felt, even though my legs were starting to complain a bit by mile 20. Two fueling bonuses this section were the most delicious banana half I've ever eaten at mile 15, and pickle juice (holy cow did that hit the spot) around mile 18.

Miles 21–26 @ 12:12/mile
That slow pace I started with in the first half paid off in these last five miles. By mile 22 I allowed myself a 1 minute walk/water break at each mile marker. My quads were on fire, but I'd keep pushing until I saw the next mile flag. This stage of the race I passed at least 6-10 people per mile – so good for my mental strength! At mile 23 I started running with an older gentleman that had run the marathon before. We chatted and kept each other moving forward until I stopped for water at mile 25 (I know…only 1.2 miles to go, but I needed to walk for a minute.)

Mile .2 @11:15/mile
Kyle and the girls were waiting for me at the 26 mile mark. I was struggling to keep it together when I saw them at the corner, cheering for me. Then, the girls grabbed my hands and said they were going to run to the finish line with me. If I thought it was difficult before, try running the last .2 mile while holding your daughters' hands and trying your best not to hyperventilate while crying. :) Challenging, but beautiful! I can't wait to see the finish line photos with my babies.

So…that's it. Marathon #2 is in the books. Sunday night when I crawled (literally) into bed, I told Kyle I was pretty sure that was my last marathon. Today, despite two days of the sorest quads I've ever had, and a 48-hour fear of stairs, I'm thinking I'd like to give the Grand Rapids Marathon another try next year. I've signed up for a Heart Rate 102 – Bag 'O Speed plan through the Train Like a Mother Club and will use it to train for the Sergeant Preston Yukon King 10K on January 1st. I truly feel that heart rate training is for me. I ran five days a week, slow and easy, injury free, and finished a marathon with nothing more than terribly sore quads for the next couple of days. Oh…and a great sense of accomplishment. Can't forget about that.

No comments:

Post a Comment