Green Bay Marathon

Quick summary, the race was cancelled 2 hours and 35 minutes into the event because of extreme heat, but I still finished anyhow in 4:28.

Long drawn out version, This is the race that wasn't meant to be I guess. A few months ago, I decided to do a marathon state streak. As part of that, I also decided to do a marathon on my 42nd birthday. I liked the idea of running 42.2km as a present to myself and it would give me credit for another state to help complete my streak. And so my journey toward the Green Bay Marathon began. This was not a PR race for me, but merely another race in a string of states and a chance to have some fun on my BD.

Two weeks ago, I ran the Colorado Marathon. Recovery went well and I was feeling very good this past week. Legs were back to normal. However, the weather forecast was looking very warm, downright hot. I didn't mind really, I was running for fun with no pressure for a goal time. A couple of days before the race, the RD offered marathoners the option to drop to the half, no questions asked, at the mile 12 half/full split because of the expected heat. That was not an option for me, I needed the full finish to get credit for the streak.

The race is centered around Lambeau Field in Green Bay, home of the Packers. I flew into Milwaukee, toured the MillerCoors Brewery then headed 2 hours north to Green Bay. The race expo was really nice, very well supported. Free pasta dinner and specially brewed 26.2 craft beer just for the race, all on the Lambeau stadium concourse. I turned in early, was asleep by 9 pm (I take an Ambien before all my races now). I slept very soundly and by morning I was refreshed and ready to run!

I arrived at the start line very early. It was already 68 degrees at 6 am, forecast to rise into the mid 80s before noon. Slow down, hydrate, and just have fun! The first several miles were very easy. I was sweating a lot, working hard, but it still felt great. We passed the local NWS office at mile 8, which was a pleasant surprise. (That is my employer). Local residents were out in droves and cheering us total random strangers on. It was just a ton of fun! Many folks who lived along the course also had set out their sprinklers so it was fun to run through as many as I could. It really was a beautiful morning and there was quite a bit of shade and it felt great to be celebrating my birthday in such a fun way.

At mile 12, the course splits with half marathoners heading back to the stadium. I honestly was feeling great. Yes, it was getting very warm. But personally, I was doing well. It's at this point that we lose the shade though, and running into a breeze. The breeze felt good though and cooled me off, but the sun was really starting to slow me down, temps were In the lower 80s at this time. Time to start taking walk breaks.  I hit mile 13 right at 2 hours.

By mile 14, I had settled into a very easy jog, with an occasional walk and was not having any problems. I was drinking water and Gatorade at every aid station, and they also had ice which was wonderful. And yet, even though it was hot, I was feeling Ok! The ice really made a difference for me. I would grab a full cup and just munch on ice chips until the next aid station, which were about 1 mile apart at this point. I stopped to pee at mile 17 and continued on.

At mile 18, everyone was told the race had been black flagged, that it had been cancelled and asked us all to stop. Honestly, to me, that seemed ridiculous, I felt fine. Really! We were back in the shade, the breeze was at my back, and I just made the personal decision at that moment that I would finish this race. I intended to complete 42.2 km no matter what. But what did it mean? No one really knew. Many of us continued on anyhow talking amongst ourselves. I did see one runner down on the trail around mile 19, and police were already there responding.

At mile 20, they were announcing over speakers that the race was cancelled and to stop, hydrate, and wait for a bus to drive us back to the finish line. However, no one ever said we had to leave the course. Again, while I was walking more and more, I was determined to finish. I still felt relatively fine. The ice helped a lot. Having cold ice in my mouth made it seem not so hot. I grabbed a wet towel from the aid station and sponged off. I was walking more and more, but I assumed they would keep the course open, and they did. If not, I would just find my way back to the stadium anyhow, I could see it in the distance. Police were still directing traffic on the course and not preventing us from continuing, and volunteers stayed at the water stations (thank you so much!). A few other folks had brought coolers of ice out along the last few miles and were handing it out too. Plus, I had money and could have stopped to buy something if I needed it. And that's how the last 6 miles went. One foot in front of the other, moving ever closer to the finish line, jogging for a bit, walking, eating ice, hitting every sprinkler that was out, and just celebrating life.

By mile 24, the temp was in the upper 80s. I knew that if I ran at all, I was probably putting my safety in jeopardy. I was monitoring my heart rate with my Garmin and was watching my rates closely. Any running and it would spike. So no running in those last two miles, I just walked it in. It didn't really matter how long it took, no official times would be posted, and I wanted to complete my journey.

And so ended my race that wasn't meant to be. I walked across the finish line in 4:28, got my medal and sat down. After about 15 minutes of rest, I was feeling pretty nauseous and my arms and legs started to tingle. That last mile in the sun really took its toll. I sipped some water, tried to get a root beer but they were out. The thought of regular beer, brats, or anything else just turned my stomach. I headed for my car, which was only a block away. After sitting in the air conditioning for a few minutes, I felt much better. And within 30 minutes, I was ready to eat and drink. And after I got back to Milwaukee and cleaned up, I enjoyed a fabulous birthday dinner and raised a couple of beers to my experience.

The race was cancelled 2 hours and 35 minutes into the run. At that point, the top 5 men had finished, and medical support was overwhelmed with mostly half marathoners going down. All of the med tents were full, 20 people were transported to area hospitals, and the directors made the decision to cancel the race. I feel bad for the people that succumbed to the heat, and in the end, it was probably the right decision to make, otherwise, somebody probably would have died. For me personally, yes, while the heat slowed me down, I think I played it smart. I knew what I had to do. There was no pressure to reach a specific time. And once the race was cancelled, I intended to finish if it took all day. At any point if I felt in jeopardy, I would have stopped and taken the shuttle back to the stadium.

Because the race was cancelled, no official results will be posted. I'm a bit disappointed. I know I completed the race and I'm healthy, but I guess it doesn't really count for the streak. I have a medal and my Garmin splits but no official result. And yes, it still feels a little hollow. I know it's just running and there are so many more important things in life than this silly race. Thankfully this was not a major goal race for me. We can't control the weather. And hopefully, there were no serious injuries in Green Bay and those that went down recover quick.

Another race jogged and logged, but well, not really.  Time to forget this race and move forward!

Colorado Marathon

Short version, I ran the Colorado Marathon today, shooting for a PR.  It's a 1200' net descent down the Poudre Canyon northwest of Fort Collins, CO.  Was on pace for PR through mile 22, but my quads were fried by then and I had to give it up.  Finished in 3:54:25, a full 11 minutes off my PR.  I took a gamble and rolled the dice and I lost.  Se la vi, nothing ventured, nothing gained.  I tried, gave it my best, and it wasn't meant to be.  But I still had a lot of fun!  It was my 22nd marathon/ultra in my 17th state, and I'm grateful to be able to continue to do it. 

Longer Version,  This marathon was supposed to be another in a string of races that I'm trying to do in a 365 day period. But, over the previous 8 weeks, I've discovered my speed again through planned speedwork, and my paces were back to my PR marathon paces of 15 months ago, so I thought it was worth a shot. 

The race is the most expensive race I've done ($125). Headed 8 hours out to Colorado and enjoyed seeing some of the sights around Fort Collins the day before the Marathon (primarily, the Anheiser Busch Brewery, the New Belgium Brewery, and the Odell Brewery, hey had to carb load a little).  Slept well the night before, and got up at 300 am, to catch a bus at 430 am. They bus you up the mountain into the Poudre Canyon to 6200 feet on coach buses, then you run back down the mountain into Fort Collins.  The first 15 miles were in the Canyon along the river, then 6 miles out in the open/flats, then 5 miles on a bike path into town.  The first part of the marathon is in the mountains and absolutely gorgeous.  Towering cliffs, trees, and the Poudre River, with no spectators, with a mostly closed road. A little slice of nirvana.  It was the most scenic and peaceful portion of a race I've ever done.

Before the race, I downloaded all of the results from the last few years in my age group and did a little spreadsheet analysis, determining that most runners positive split this course.  I planned on a 1:47/1:55 split, based on my fitness, which was an 8:10 pace for the first half, dropping down to an 8:45 pace for the second half. My PR pace is 8:28, or 3:43 from January 2011.  Gravity in the canyon really allows you to run faster than you think, it's a steep downhill, but it also can trash your quads pretty easily.  I thought I was ready.  I ran hill repeats for my long runs here at home.  I did the Stair Master several sessions for several weeks prior.  I felt like I could really do this.

Race start temp was about 39 at 615 am, with a light wind.  As we hammered down the mountain, it warmed into the lower 50s with a nice breeze about 15 mph.  I was on pace for a PR through the 15 miles in the canyon holding onto my planned pace, even though my quads were starting to hurt.  The road was also severely cambered, which really hurt at times. As I hit the flats, I gradually slipped my pace as expected, but my legs were already in trouble.  By mile 22, I couldn't hold it anymore and I couldn't get my quads to consistently fire.  I was still at PR average pace (8:30'sh), but my quads were burning with every step.  The mountain had won and I couldn't run for long stretches without a lot of pain.  I decided to let my PR go, I just couldn't hold it for 4 more miles, and once I made that decision, I dropped my pace considerably to save my legs as much as I could and just tried to pass time.  I walked quite a bit (gasp).   No use in pushing it now, and just had to shuffle to finish line.  It didn't really matter what my time was at this point, I just wanted the finish to get credit for another state.

Here are my splits...

Mile	Lap Pace	Run Pace	Avg HR
1	0:08:16		164
2	0:08:06	0:08:11	155
3	0:08:08	0:08:10	159
4	0:08:24	0:08:13	157
5	0:08:14	0:08:14	156
6	0:08:05	0:08:12	155
7	0:08:10	0:08:12	154
8	0:08:08	0:08:11	151
9	0:08:03	0:08:10	151
10	0:08:07	0:08:10	152
11	0:08:04	0:08:10	152
12	0:08:24	0:08:11	154
13	0:08:09	0:08:11	153
14	0:08:09	0:08:10	152
15	0:08:18	0:08:11	153
16	0:08:45	0:08:13	150
17	0:08:58	0:08:16	149
18	0:08:42	0:08:17	152
19	0:09:27	0:08:21	148
20	0:09:37	0:08:25	144
21	0:09:36	0:08:28	145
22*	0:10:09	0:08:33	145
23	0:09:49	0:08:36	145
24	0:10:50	0:08:42	140
25	0:10:35	0:08:46	140
26	0:10:30	0:08:50	141

* Decided to let the PR go and just finish.

Post Race Analysis: Like I said, I took shot, rolled the dice, but lost.  It was a gamble, but one I definitely wanted to take.  Running at elevation really didn't seem to affect me too much, as the significant 1200' negative descent seemed to counteract that.  I never really spiked my heart rate, or felt out of breath or in oxygen debt.   My downfall was that my legs were just not prepared enough for the lengthy and steep downhill. I overestimated my ability.   Perhaps if I had started a little slower, it might have worked. Or not, who knows.  But, my spreadsheet analysis suggested, for my fitness, based on previous results in my age group, an 8 minute positive split seemed reasonable and I was in PR shape based on paces over the previous 8 weeks.  I'm not disappointed though!  It was a beautiful day for a run.  I completed another marathon, in another state, and added another in my ongoing year long streak.  I'm not injured, just have very sore legs, no blisters, no chafing, and overall, I'm pleased.  Not a PR, but I certainly made another memory that will last a lifetime with a good running friend.

Moving forward. I have a few more races over the next few weeks to complete my year long streak in the middle of June.  No PR attempts coming up, but just running for the pure joy of it.  And then maybe another PR attempt this fall or winter.