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| At the finish with my biggest fan! |
Synopsis:
3:18:23 (chip time), a BQ and PR by more than 16 minutes
3rd overall female, 1st in my age group (F 30-35)
Going into the race, I had the following goals:
Primary: Run sub 3:20
Secondary: Run sub 3:30
Tertiary: Run a BQ, sub 3:35
In other words, I killed it!!
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| Happy finish! |
Pacing:
The thing I am most proud of is how I held my pace. Solid 7:25-7:30 for the first 16 miles, and slowed up just slightly during the portion on soft dirt, miles 19-21. But I resumed 7:30 pace for the entirety of the race, and actually picked up to a 6:50 pace for the last mile.
The other thing I came to realize during and following this race is that I think I could have held an even faster pace. I felt consistently good during the race, and pushed myself to the edge of my "safe zone" that I knew I could hold. But perhaps it was too safe. Perhaps I felt too good in the last 10K of the race. Perhaps I could have pushed it beyond and succeeded! This idea is hanging with me as I move into the next phase of my training for the year: getting back to shorter distances and speed. I want to test myself at faster paces held for longer intervals. I feel like I have a mental barrier on how fast I think I can run, and I want to push that barrier down.
Nutrition:
I stuck with my fueling plan and it seemed to work flawlessly. For the first time, I did not hit the wall in a marathon. There was no bonking whatsoever. Even as I began to feel fatigue, I did not feel total energy depletion, and my intake of fuel was spaced perfectly for my stomach to handle.
Here is what I did in the days leading up to the race, race day, and during the race:
The other thing I came to realize during and following this race is that I think I could have held an even faster pace. I felt consistently good during the race, and pushed myself to the edge of my "safe zone" that I knew I could hold. But perhaps it was too safe. Perhaps I felt too good in the last 10K of the race. Perhaps I could have pushed it beyond and succeeded! This idea is hanging with me as I move into the next phase of my training for the year: getting back to shorter distances and speed. I want to test myself at faster paces held for longer intervals. I feel like I have a mental barrier on how fast I think I can run, and I want to push that barrier down.
Nutrition:
I stuck with my fueling plan and it seemed to work flawlessly. For the first time, I did not hit the wall in a marathon. There was no bonking whatsoever. Even as I began to feel fatigue, I did not feel total energy depletion, and my intake of fuel was spaced perfectly for my stomach to handle.
Here is what I did in the days leading up to the race, race day, and during the race:
10 days out: Switched to 65% of calories from fat
3 days out: Switched to 70% of calories from carbs (approx
500g carbs/day)
2 days out: Last big
meal for dinner, consumed more electrolytes
1 day out: Continue
complex carbs, even more electrolytes
18 hours out: Small
meals every 2-3 hours. After lunch, cut out: red meat, fried foods, dairy, fats,
& fiber
3 hours out:
Breakfast of low-fiber carbs, small amount of protein (bagel, banana, peanut butter)
2 hours out: 12-16
oz sports drink (Gatorade)
1 hour out: Black coffee and Hammer Perpetuum
30 min out: Edurolytes, Tylenol
2-1 min out: Gel + 4 oz water
During the race:
- 4 oz Gatorade at 4.5 miles
- 4 oz water + Hammer Gel at mile 8.3
- 4 oz Gatorade at mile 12.9
- 4 oz water + Hammer Gel at mile 16
- 4 oz Gatorade at mile 19
- 4 oz water + Hammer Gel at mile 23
I generally followed the Marathon Blueprint plan from Runners Connect, which really helped me realize how I had been under-fueling for pretty much all of my past marathons. The only thing I adjusted was the volume of fluid intake. The Blueprint suggested 8 oz of water/Gatorade at each stop, based upon my calculated sweat loss rate. But when I tried this on my "dress rehearsal" run of 13.1 miles at marathon race pace, I got a bit sloshy. So instead of taking two cups at each aid station, I took one, and never felt sloshy or thirsty during the run. While I really like the Marathon Blueprint, that is one adjustment I would make to it: it assumes that all sweat lost must be replaced, but everything else I have read, and experienced, suggests that drinking by thirst is the best way to go.
All in all, everyone's nutrition plan is going to be different and it is mostly a matter of trial and error. I can do bananas before races, some people can't. So by NO MEANS should anyone mimic my nutrition strategy with precision! I'm just documenting what worked well for me...extremely well, in fact!
It is also important to note that post-race, within 10 minutes of finishing, I took down two scoops of Endurox R4 (Pacific Health Labs), which has been my choice of carb/protein recovery drink.
My body:
My hips and hamstrings held up just fine, much to my relief. I didn't even feel the little nagging hip pain that had been sitting there for a couple of weeks. I held my form pretty well, judging by my husbands pictures and video, and my achilles never gave me a problem. Tapering definitely helped get rid of those little issues that started to hit towards the end of training. Big thanks to Dr Matt Maggio for his incredible help keeping me structurally sound!
Gear:
I don't have too much to note about gear, except that my Oiselle Mac Roga shorts were PERFECT. Didn't ride up, didn't chaffe. First time I finished a marathon without raw inner thighs!
As I noted in a previous post, I ran in my Saucony Zealots and they worked flawlessly. Exactly the right combination of low weight and forefoot cushioning for my taste. Toes splayed out in the toebox, and I still have all of my toenails!
I ran in Zensah calf sleeves, as I always do during marathons. No calf soreness or cramping, but I have no way of directly linking that to the calf sleeves.
Race Review:
The Tomoka Marathon was very well organized and set in an ideal location. The start/finish area was at Rockefeller Gardens in Ormond Beach, which was easily accessible and a beautiful setting. My family had no problem parking and finding me. The course itself is absolutely gorgeous - flat, shaded most of the way, and very scenic, especially in the latter half of the race. The first half was through residential areas mostly, after which it snaked through Tomoka Park. The beautiful, old Florida cypress and oak trees shaded the roadways. The only part of the course that I disliked was the short jaunt into a soft-dirt trail around miles 19-21. My pace slowed then, naturally, but I did regain it when we got back on paved road. The only "hill" of the race was the bridge crossing in the final mile. It actually didn't feel as bad as I had feared, especially the nice downhill side.
The only thing about the race that I would change:
They started the half-marathon about 30 mins after the start of the full marathon, and the half course was went the opposite direction of the full marathon, then doubled back to the same finish line. So the last 6 miles of the marathon was quite congested with the latter group of half-marathoners - many walking - and the lead group of full marathon runners. Maybe in the future, they could either start the half an hour before the full, or have the half go the same direction as the full and then double back.
All in all, I am SO happy with this race and how my preparation paid off! As we all know, marathons can be hit or miss, and often random factors can turn a very well-prepared-for race go south. This time the stars aligned for me, and I am grateful!
All in all, everyone's nutrition plan is going to be different and it is mostly a matter of trial and error. I can do bananas before races, some people can't. So by NO MEANS should anyone mimic my nutrition strategy with precision! I'm just documenting what worked well for me...extremely well, in fact!
 |
| Post-race fueling is a must. |
It is also important to note that post-race, within 10 minutes of finishing, I took down two scoops of Endurox R4 (Pacific Health Labs), which has been my choice of carb/protein recovery drink.
My body:
My hips and hamstrings held up just fine, much to my relief. I didn't even feel the little nagging hip pain that had been sitting there for a couple of weeks. I held my form pretty well, judging by my husbands pictures and video, and my achilles never gave me a problem. Tapering definitely helped get rid of those little issues that started to hit towards the end of training. Big thanks to Dr Matt Maggio for his incredible help keeping me structurally sound!
Gear:
I don't have too much to note about gear, except that my Oiselle Mac Roga shorts were PERFECT. Didn't ride up, didn't chaffe. First time I finished a marathon without raw inner thighs!
As I noted in a previous post, I ran in my Saucony Zealots and they worked flawlessly. Exactly the right combination of low weight and forefoot cushioning for my taste. Toes splayed out in the toebox, and I still have all of my toenails!
I ran in Zensah calf sleeves, as I always do during marathons. No calf soreness or cramping, but I have no way of directly linking that to the calf sleeves.
 |
| Everything held up wonderfully! |
Race Review:
The Tomoka Marathon was very well organized and set in an ideal location. The start/finish area was at Rockefeller Gardens in Ormond Beach, which was easily accessible and a beautiful setting. My family had no problem parking and finding me. The course itself is absolutely gorgeous - flat, shaded most of the way, and very scenic, especially in the latter half of the race. The first half was through residential areas mostly, after which it snaked through Tomoka Park. The beautiful, old Florida cypress and oak trees shaded the roadways. The only part of the course that I disliked was the short jaunt into a soft-dirt trail around miles 19-21. My pace slowed then, naturally, but I did regain it when we got back on paved road. The only "hill" of the race was the bridge crossing in the final mile. It actually didn't feel as bad as I had feared, especially the nice downhill side.
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| A beautiful course! |
The only thing about the race that I would change:
They started the half-marathon about 30 mins after the start of the full marathon, and the half course was went the opposite direction of the full marathon, then doubled back to the same finish line. So the last 6 miles of the marathon was quite congested with the latter group of half-marathoners - many walking - and the lead group of full marathon runners. Maybe in the future, they could either start the half an hour before the full, or have the half go the same direction as the full and then double back.
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| The final stretch to the finish, having just come over the bridge. |
All in all, I am SO happy with this race and how my preparation paid off! As we all know, marathons can be hit or miss, and often random factors can turn a very well-prepared-for race go south. This time the stars aligned for me, and I am grateful!
