1st Marathon Race Report part 2...Race Day

Marathon race day!

4:15 am came VERY early. I got up and surprisingly I wasn’t super nervous nor was I the day before. Perhaps the calm before the storm. I got my gear on and had my steelcut oatmeal with apples and raisins in it and some bacon around 5am. We were planning to leave at 5:30. We heard the race was delayed so we left 15 minutes later. We had special permission to park at White Castle. It was nice to have an indoor bathroom, and trust me every runner (no matter what the distance) is obsessed with their poop before a race. Just a fact. I am one of those because I worry I will have problems on the course if I can’t go. Well, by this time my nerves were kicking in and I had the frantic pees (going several times before the race start). I was also panicked because I was late for my group meetups. I had my Tri girls to meet and the local SRTT/MRTT group photo. I’m not sure why we didn’t walk that way EARLY on like when we first parked. It was my fault for sure and I didn’t realize how many blocks we were away and how tough it is to move through crowds. We were trying to get lubed up and attach the race dots to my bib when that should have been done already. I ended up pinning my bib to my tank top.

Once we started making our way to the Slugger Field stature it was like trying to get through a mosh pit. SO MANY PEOPLE!! I made it and found my friends and did our pre races pictures. The race was once again delayed to 8:30am and we were told to seek shelter. The sky was wicked but it wasn’t doing anything weather wise. Better safe than sorry I guess and it gave people more time for bathroom breaks. I ran into my friend Carolyn and chatted with her before the race. She was running the marathon as well.

Another delay to the start time and 9am was the new time and word of 9:30 start time was rumored. We couldn’t hear the announcer from where we were at. I knew I was going to be trouble because I would be out in the heat longer and we didn’t carry sunscreen with us. It was supposed to be rainy and cloudy so I only put a little on my face as usual.  Everyone’s nutrition was messed up and unless you wanted fast food there wasn’t much you could do about it. When the race finally started it had been 4 hours since I ate breakfast. I tried to sip on my drink to keep my calories up while waiting, but I didn’t want to use up all my nutrition or know where I could refill my water. I didn’t plan for a 2-hour delay, and lesson learned to be prepared for this next time. I spent the extra time doing stretches and warmups and visualizing my race plan. I was ready to get started and had some pre race jitters. I felt like a caged animal ready to run and I had to calm down so I wouldn’t take off too fast and bust my pace plan. Harmony was there with me and feeling pretty good after her bout with food poisoning earlier that week. The race did start at 9 am, but from where I was in corral E it took about 20 minutes to cross the timing mats and start our race. When I started running I thought I had 6 hours to complete the marathon as hundreds more did too. I was not told that we only had 5 hours now (actually less). The corrals were a mess. People that were much slower were up towards the front and and it caused so much congestion on the course. It’s exhausting trying to go around people 3-5 wide and walking. We did a run walk method, but I made sure to move over to the side or at least signal before walking. I wish KDF would pit people in corrals and ENFORCE it. If you’re a walker, you start in the back. Period. Run The Bluegrass has a couple of minutes before each corral and it really helps thin the congestion.

The first few miles ticked off rather fast. I saw someone with cupcakes on the course and for a nanosecond thought about getting one. I knew better than to do that! I made sure to do the 3:1 Run walk ratio even when I felt good and wanted to keep running. Harmony was going to help me pace and get a good groove going until the half and marathon split. I suggested to her the idea to maybe try and run 4:1 since we were feeling good and I kinda wanted to bank some pace time. I knew I was going to be slower in the park and accounted for that. Harmony told me to stick with my 3:1 because that is what my body knew to do. I’m so glad I did in the long run. We did miss a few walk breaks because I didn’t hear or feel my watch alert me, but we adjusted the run time and did take a break. I didn’t wear my heart rate monitor because it was something else to fuss with and chafe me. During training I wore it all the time and learned to go by feel. I got to the point where I was fairly intuned with my body and could guess what my HR was within a few beats. I knew my HR would be higher during the race and I didn’t want to see a higher number and back off my pace even though I felt good. My knee felt better running than walking, but I knew I couldn’t run non stop and had a long way to go.  Stick to the plan!! Coach CC told me that often and it worked for my UBHM.

Along the way I would top off my water bottle at all the water stops. My nutrition plan was to add 150 calories of Tailwind every hour and nibble on a quarter of Fig Newton (1 pack was 100 calories) as needed to supplement calories. When I was testing my nutrition the 200 calories were a bit too strong in my water bottle so for the race I decided to drop it to 150. This was working out pretty well but I was diluting my calories too much and realized that when I would add another packet I may have some residual nutrition in my bottle. I had a few different flavors so I was worried it might taste bad mixed, but I didn’t dare empty my bottle completely. I did empty my bottle once at a water stop because I was going to add a new packet of Tailwind. I realized after I dumped it that I lost out on some calories and shouldn’t do that again. I was still trying to figure out this new nutrition plan on the fly. My new capris worked perfect to hold each packet of mix and I had a few in my water bottle pouch. There wasn’t as many water stops as I expected or hoped along the way and with the heat I really expected them to put out extras. NOPE. I felt pretty steady and good as far as nutrition. I accidentally grabbed one of the packets with caffeine in it around mile 5ish. I was saving those for later in the race, but it seemed to help perk me up a little. Hindsight I should have packed more of the caffeinated ones.

My capris were starting to chafe me a tad. I lubed up around my underwear line but I guess I didn’t go down far enough on my thigh. It wasn’t bad but I learned to address issues before they become a problem. We knew the SRTT/MRTT Scream Team would be at mile 6. I was happy to see Sonya and Amy and I put an obscene amount of Vaseline down below. No shame as I had my hand down my pants. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. It felt so much better!!

Before we got to Churchill Downs there was a bunch of macaws just perched along the side of the road. There were at least 7 or 8 birds!! They were so cool and made me smile. We should have stopped for a selfie but didn’t.  As we were running along I saw the course markings to turn to head towards Churchill Downs’s and started to turn on the wrong part of the road and too soon. I practically tackled Harmony and almost tripped myself. It was funny and we had a good laugh. We are now even for the snot rocket she accidentally blew on me weeks ago. I dropped part of my cookie I was eating and pretended to cry and said at least I didn’t toss my cookies…Harmony and I just laughed and kept running. My friends Bill and Lisa were there cheering on runners, but I didn't see them or know to look for them! Dang!  Churchill Down’s was neat to run around and too bad we didn't see any horses running this year. It was Harmony's first time on this course. We did stop for a selfie at the entrance and questioned again why we didn’t with the birds.  I was trying to figure out if I wanted to change shoes at mile 10 where the next scream team was going to be and my drop bag.  While running through Churchill I forgot there was a photographer there. I was looking down at my feet and in deep thought about my toes and how they feel they need to pop. Just as I looked up we were passing the photographer. Dang. Oh well. I never look good in race photos anyways!  Once we ran out of Churchill we came to the course split. This was a mental challenge as I knew it would be. Half marathoners run to the left and marathoners go to the right. I was on my own now around mile 9ish I think.

I was going to get an extra packet of Tailwind and my fig newton out of my bag and just stay in my new shoes. I could feel the ground and that helped my running form and the cushion was nice. However, when I got to mile 10 I didn’t see anyone in our group. It kind of worried me a little incase I needed something out of my bag. Was I to slow and they left already? I was hoping for some cheers and high-fives because that pumps you up. I kept on running my 3:1 and my pace was right on track and even a little better than planned. I felt good and strong. My toe was a little tender but I didn’t feel any blisters. I thought my RockTape had come undone because it felt like it was bunching a little but it was still intact later when I took off my shoes at home. I saw Nathan as I was running towards Iroquois park. He gave me a high-five and was running strong. He looked great!

As I approached the park I saw Barry Stokes from Barry’s Coaching that I used to work with a few years ago. Mike was my coach, but Barry worked with me some too. I think he was surprised to see on the marathon course and wished me well. The park was as expected long and hilly. I don’t fare well with hills and tend to walk them all. I couldn’t do that in this race, so I had to pick and choose my battles. Some of the hills weren’t steep but long and went on forever. I was doing well and got to see my friend Marian as I entered into in the park and the gal that made my Phoenix tank top waved at me and cheered me on. All was going well and my pace was good.

When I hit the 13 mile mark that was another mental challenge. In my head I would be finishing up if I was doing the half. I was right on pace to finish up before 6 hours. Somewhere in the park (I don’t remember which mile) a bee started chasing me and would not leave me alone!! Talk about encouragement to run faster up the hills!! Another runner saw me running faster all of a sudden as we had been kinda pacing together, and when I yelled bee she ran faster too. It made us laugh a little.  I saw a couple of big trucks picking up tables at water and aid stations in the park. They weren’t the sweepers (I asked) but I was concerned about them clearing the water stops for the loads of people behind me!! One of the water stops was already gone and I kinda started to worry a little. I thought maybe it was just some random volunteers that set up a water stop and packed up. 

Coming out of the park I was on my way and still feeling good. I was getting low on water and soon needed to add some more nutrition as planned. I figured I would just drink the rest of my water and get all the calories then fully replenish. Bad idea. The water stop I was expecting was GONE. WTH!!?? I was around mile 16 and nearly started to cry as I panicked what I was going to do without water for 10 miles and by now the temps were 90 degrees and humid. I found another water stop and again the water was all gone, but they still had a water hose hooked up. That worked.  We were forced to run on the sidewalk as the city was cleaning the streets. A lot of us runners were very unhappy. I’m not familiar with the area and I didn’t know it was a side road with cars. As I was running along I went to take a sip of water and right then a large Toyota SUV clipped my arm from behind with their mirror! My water bottle busted my upper lip and scraped my nose. I almost started to cry again but knew I had to stay strong and keep going and finish this damn marathon.

I’ve been training for this race for years. Everything that has happened to me over the last 5 years running has molded me into the runner I am today. This wasn’t the first time I’ve been hit by a car and I wasn’t dehydrated to the point I was seeing rats yet. Just keep running. The Force is strong with this one.

I came across a girl whose nose just suddenly started gushing blood right in front of me. I told her to lay down immediately and pour some water over her to cool off…she didn’t have any water either. I talked to her and calmed her down some and  I looked up and a course medic was on a bike up ahead so I flagged him down. He came to her aid and called for an ambulance and gave her some water so I didn’t have to pour what little I had on her. She was severely overheated. I knew that because I had that happen to me once. She was really scared and upset about the epic course fail as well. After she was getting help from the medic I went on my way trying to keep my pace easy and steady.

I was really really low on water and had to add my nutrition to stay on track and not bonk. It was so concentrated but I was hoping I would find someone along the way that could help me out. I grabbed my phone and texted Jeanette. I thought she may be at mile 19 or at least able to get ahold of someone that might be. I desperately needed water in a bottle that I could take with me and one to top off my handheld. I also wanted my fig newtons to nibble on. I should have made my packets a little more calories, 175 would have been good, and more of the caffeinated ones. I ran with a few people here and there and we talked about the mile 20 cutoff and our concerns. If we had 6 hours to run, we were fine.

A course official drove by us and I just happened to be on my walk break and he was rudely telling us we were too slow for the marathon course and needed to run faster. Really? Are you f-ing kidding me? You’re telling us to run faster and the course should be flagged red or black conditions and NO WATER. I was upset and livid. I picked up the pace because I knew I had to get to mile 20 before the cut off. I didn’t want to be pulled from the course. I was right on track with pace, but that damn delay caused all the problems and the course officials and city of Louisville weren’t working together or in our favor at all. I started to panic and run too fast. My heart was pounding and well over 180 bpm and I was feeling a little sick from drinking the way too strong concentration. I was running around a 10 min mile when my average was 12:20-13:30.

Mile 19 approached and I didn’t see my bag or anyone there with water. I became really upset and had to just keep going. I was over heating as could feel goose bumps all over me. You should NOT feel chilled when its 90 and humid out! I had been out of water for awhile and no water or aid station was in sight. I was approaching mile 20 and knew that was going to be another mental roadblock to tear down. I’ve never ran more than 19 something miles. My goal was to not pass out, get to that cutoff, find water somewhere, and finish this damn marathon strong.

Mile 20 I saw a gal in a SRTT/MRTT shirt…It was Kim and she had my bag with my other shoes, nutrition, lube, and a large bottle of water!!! I burst into tears. She filled my bottle up and I got a fresh pack of Tailwind. It was green tea buzz and tasted delicious. Off we went and she ran with me carrying my tote bag for the next couple of miles. We did the run walk and she kept me running when I wanted to walk a little more. It was the perfect amount of push and comfort I needed and when I needed It most. I had to calm myself down and we knew the sweepers were way back so I was okay. Just stick to the plan and run this marathon. All was going well again and I was feeling better after getting some fluids and a pep talk. I was worried about not knowing the course, but we followed the other runners. Nathan was tracking me on his phone and messaging Harmony my location. I had less than

We got to mile 22 something and I didn’t know where to go. There was so much confusion. The marathon course was now rerouted to the half course and heading towards the finish line at mile 25. I had less than 4 miles to go and over an hour to do it…NOPE. I was forced to merge in at mile 25 and Kim had to be on the outside of the gates. I stood there and cried for a bit. I was very upset and the officer didn’t even offer an apology. I told Kim I will finish strong and I’m going out to run after the race and make up the distance. It wasn’t because I was too slow, in fact I was running strong. Again that 90 minute (nearly 2 hours for me) really screwed this race up for so many.

Nathan finished his race a little later than he expected (4:42) due to the heat. He was in the medical tent and happened to track me again and had to leave the medial tent to catch me at the end. He was okay, but just needed to drink and lay down a bit. He had to walk the last couple of miles due to the heat and feeling bad. Nathan messaged Harmony and she was waiting for me as I rounded the bend to the finish line. She was yelling and cheering so loudly it made my heart jump and I was so happy to see her again!! She waited for me like she said she would and It really touched me. That’s a long time to wait after running 13.1 miles. She said she would have saved me some chocolate milk but there wasn’t any way to keep it cold. What an amazing friend!

Running down the shoot as they were tearing it down took away all the pomp and glory one would experience finishing a marathon for the first time. I didn’t run a marathon, only part of one so I didn’t feel the swell of joy like I did when I ran my first half marathon 5 years ago here. I collected my medal, found Nathan (they wouldn’t let him go back so he could get a photo of me running in). Harmony located us and I found Kim and collected my bag. I told them what happened and what I wanted to do to finish the full 26.2 miles. Harmony replenished my nutrition and water for me while I made a bathroom stop. Nathan was worn out and the heat really zapped him. We went and collected our other medal for the Kentucky Half Classic challenge and found a shady spot for Nathan to wait and rest. He held our stuff and Kim, Harmony, and I took off again. I still had on my marathon bib and harmony was wearing her medal tucked into her bra. Kim ran part of the way with us then it was just me and Harmony. While waiting for me to finish Harmony had a few lite beers and 3 bags of Sun Chips. HaHaHa!! I didn’t see the guy along the race course that was trading Advil for beer ticket stubs that were on our bibs. 

As were were running an out and back course (part of it was the race course again) the heat was intense and unforgiving. People thought I was still trying to finish the race (I was) or we were lost. Many people looked at us like we were crazy. We were. We took the last miles easy but I had a goal that we had to finish in under 6 hours. We recorded a video, stopped for a bathroom break, and walked a little more due to the blazing heat. I finished the 26.2 miles in 5:55. So if I was allowed to continue on the course and had water along the way I expect I would have finished 5:40-45 as I planned from the get go if not a little better if there was less chaos in the beginning and adequate water.

I am very disappointed that I didn’t get to run the 26.2 on the course, but I am proud of myself and rose above. Things that went wrong was out of my control. I’m sorry many many others had the same negative experience I did. Even the half marathoners that started in the back corrals were forced to change courses and run a shorter distance without water. This was my first marathon and it certainly toughened me up, but it won’t be my last. I took a huge risk with new shoes and nutrition, but those worked out well for me and much better than my original plan. I most likely will lose one toenail if not a couple. I guess that’s one of the many sacrifices of distance running. I’m not sure which hurts worse at the moment, my sunburned back and shoulders or my toe!

Thank you to everyone that cheered me on and supported me. It really means a lot to me.