My goal race for fall 2020 was supposed to be the Youngstown Peace Race 10k. Once that went virtual I basically told myself “f it, I’m racing a half marathon.” I chose Made in America Half in Massillon as my goal race and figured I would race the Towpath 10k as a prep race. I’ve been running 14 miles for my long runs with long run workouts of 7-9 miles at 6:50 pace to prep for a strong half marathon, not just one that I can try to finish. Last summer I ran a half very unprepared and I didn’t enjoy it so I want to make sure I’m prepared to race a good effort in November. I also have four senior high school athletes joining me for this race and it wasn’t even my idea! Shout out to Julia for dragging three of her teammates into the long distance road racing cult. The girls and I all have matching orange t-shirts, so if you see bright orange running by on the Towpath on November 8th, scream “Go Bucks!”
Picture this: I had the day off of work in mid-September and was feeling wildly motivated, overconfident in my running ability (as usual) and the Towpath registration had just opened up. I’m clicking through my options and don’t feel like racing a 10k. I’m kind of slow right now and would rather not huff and puff through a 40:00 10k. A half would be better. It’s $75! I check the marathon price. $85. I might as well do the full. Several clicks later, I’m signed up for 26.2. Thankfully, my overconfidence carried me all the way through an 18 mile long run a few days later, three weeks of half marathon training and about 18 miles of the Towpath marathon. My main goal was to finish the race and I did not ask myself to suffer. I could do what I needed to be comfortable and finish with a smile.
The week of Towpath, Teresa Ferguson (yes that Teresa Ferguson) texted me to see if I would like to run the full with her. She was thinking 7:40s, I said we should do 7:30s, she agreed and the plan was set. You know what they say about conservative plans and very competitive women.
Race morning came and I was in the Cinemark parking lot by 7 a.m. I was launching in the first wave with Teresa at 7:50. After finding what i thought was the starting line, I found a place to pee in the woods because I hadn’t brought a mask and the porta potty line was long. Speaking of masks, it’s the one criticism I have of Towpath’s Covid guidelines. They asked runners to bring masks to the start but I noticed there was no direction on what to do with it when you got there. Sure enough, there was nowhere to dispose of a mask and people were carrying them. This led to a good number of masks being scattered along the Towpath. Otherwise, all guidelines made sense, kept runners safe and led to a very pleasant race.
First 10 miles splits: 7:21, 7:03, 7:06, 7:03, 7:12, 7:07, 7:09, 7:05, 7:03, 7:09
I almost missed the start because I wasn’t at the right start line but I got there just in time and stood on my X across from Teresa. We started with the clock and I told her I thought we were running too slow. There was one lady running in our wave that was close behind and looked comfortable. The first mile was 7:21 and felt like butter. Without increasing the effort we went 7:03 the second mile and immediately I could see how things were going to go. We would not be running 7:30s today. We kept heading north on the Towpath and clicking off 7 O’s, talking most of the time and taking water and Gatorade at every aid station. I saw quite a few people that I knew and cheered for them as we passed. Rachel was running the 10k and Todd and the boys were out cheering her on so I got to see them in the first few miles. Keegan was racing the half and his dad took the pics below. I said a couple times that we should slow down and we did try each time it came up, but it was like we were locked into an effort and couldn't change it. That is perfect marathon pacing when you’re trained for the distance, but I knew there was no physical possibility that I could run a PR marathon on my limited training. This is not my mind being negative. I felt very positive the whole race but the marathon is not a distance you can fake and I know what it takes to run a low 3:00 marathon.
The new Towpath course takes place in Valley View near lock 39 and the full uses several loops, with the far north one to be completed twice. I saw mile markers for 17 and 20 on our first pass through and that felt so far away at mile 6 and 9. We even got to see the finish line around mile 11. At the turn around here, we saw the woman who was in the lead and I estimated she was running around 3:00 pace at the time. She won the race in 3:04. The lady in our wave was still close behind and looking good. Then there was literally no one, not even a man, for many minutes between us.
11-20 mile splits: 7:17, 7:04, 7:20, 7:04, 7:16, 7:15, 7:25, 7:40, 7:57, 8:06
We were still cruising at about a 7:10 average through the half but you can see above that the splits were not as steady. We were naturally slowing down a bit but I would see the split and try to pick it up to the previous pace. This was a sign that I was feeling it, but if you asked me at the time I would have said I felt fine. Teresa was quiet but she wasn’t struggling. Just an experienced veteran working her way through yet another stellar marathon. As we headed back north, I started to drop her a bit, not willing to let go of 7:15s and letting impatience get the best of me. We headed north again, crossing back over the small bridges that are almost the only hills on the course (only 295 feet of gain). As we ran north I knew that this final stretch would be brutal for me. My legs started to feel worn out at about mile 14 and it wasn’t as easy to eat my Honey Stinger chews because I was slightly thirsty. We saw all the half marathoners come through in this stretch and were lapping marathoners and half marathoners but the traffic never got out of hand. Throughout the first 16 miles I did not fully consider what I was trying to do. I was running my first marathon since April 2017 on no marathon training and running a low 3:00 pace. Ignorance is bliss until it forces you to jog at mile 18! As we came back south for the second time, nausea set in after an aid station Gatorade and my calves started screaming at me. I kept my promise to myself that I would not suffer for this race and began jogging. Teresa passed me within a few minutes and asked me if I was okay. I told her I was completely fine and needed to slow down. No more than a minute went by and the other lady who went off in our wave came flying by, running about 6:50 pace. She ended up running a 3:10 in what I believe is her first marathon.
21-26.2 splits: 8:22, 8:30, 8:21, 8:35, 8:50, 7:55, 7:54 for 0.31
When I started to jog I also allowed myself to walk through most of the aid stations and drink a whole cup of water. When I was running through them I only got a couple sips before throwing the rest over my face. My stomach was upset and I couldn’t eat my Honey Stingers or take Cliff gel from my gel flask that I only had for an emergency. I also started my period but I figured that I would be okay until after I finished and didn’t stop at a porta potty. I shuffled north one more time for the small loop that takes you through 21 miles and this was the only time I considered dropping out. Fortunately, that seemed like a long walk and I figured I might as well jog back and finish the race. I was well over 8:00 for these miles and there were a couple of stretches where I basically tiptoed in order to not shake my stomach up more. I finally turned south to head back to the finish and thanked the loud volunteers that were directing the runners on the proper loops.
As I hit 23 miles, I realized I was going to finish a marathon. I still felt nauseous, a little sleepy and sore but I knew I was finishing. During the 25th mile I stopped in my tracks, grabbed my last two Honey Stinger chews and forced myself to chew and swallow them so that I could have energy for the last mile. It worked and I ran under 8:00 for the last mile, passing Shari and Jennifer who ran the half and were walking back to their cars. I shouted at them, “I’m doing it!” I came into the finish and started crying because I couldn’t believe what I was doing. Teresa and the PLX crew were there and I sat and stretched with them as we cheered in a couple of their Boston qualifying finishers. That club has an impressive amount of Boston qualifiers. After a while, I realized I needed to leave because I had to coach Adrian’s soccer game at noon. It was a mile walk back to the car and my feet hurt so bad that I went barefoot. I drank about a gallon of Gatorade and water on the way to the soccer game and made it for the second half.
After my last full, I peed blood, was sick for three days with an electrolyte imbalance and further damaged my back and hip, leading to an interrupted summer training cycle and a tibial stress fracture. This was such a positive experience that I’m considering doing another marathon next fall. If I just keep training with Teresa, Amanda, Greer and PLX, I’ll always have long run buddies and it won’t be such a chore to get 20 milers in. I won’t ever love 26.2 and I know my body isn’t built for it, but this experience may have me coming back for more despite that.
