2011 Baystate Marathon Race Recap

What a day and what a race!

Last Sunday, I completed the 2011 Baystate Marathon in 3 hours and 14 minutes, 87th overall, which well exceeded my goal of coming in under 3 hours and 20 minutes.  With my finish time, the near perfect race-day conditions, and (for the most part) even pacing, this marathon will not be forgotten.

Lauren and I jumped in the car around 6:15 AM, stopped at Starbucks to get a coffee and bagel, and began our hour-long drive to Lowell.   Once we arrived, I left my bag at the bag pick-up station, and meandered up to the starting line.  As I walked up looking for the 3:20 pacer (a race volunteer who runs the marathon at a pace of 3 hours and 20 minutes so less experienced runners can follow as opposed to worrying about their own pace), I saw that the 3:00, 3:10, and 3:15 pacers were at the front of the race pack.   Normally, they are much more spread out amongst the throngs of runners.  The race was noticeably smaller this year because the Boston Marathon changed the date of their deadline to qualify.  This year, the Baystate marathon occurred after the Boston Marathon qualifying deadline.  Needless to say, I found a spot about 10 yards away from runners who would be finishing this race much sooner than me.  No need to be anywhere near them and risk the chance of going out too fast.  After the national anthem and a moment of silence, a gun shot pierced through the air, and we were off!

The first three or so miles went through the busier part of Lowell.  I had plenty of room to run (not often the case during the beginning of a marathon) and there were plenty of people to speak with as I was running.  I chatted with a guy from Baltimore who had run some similar races as me in that area in the past, as well as a couple of other runners who didn't seem very interested in small talk.  Oh well.

The first three miles passed by at 7:27 (7 minutes, 27 seconds per mile), 7:20, and 7:02.  I knew that I needed to slow down or I would hit the wall by mile 12.  We passed our first bridge, and started the first of two 9 mile loops along the river.  The next two miles were the only section of the race where the course is not flat.  This first pass through the hills had no effect on my pace, at 7:20 and 7:15.

View along the course

The halfway point of this loop is a 150 yard bridge that has a separated walking path made of some sort of metal.  As I began to run over the bridge along with 40 or so other people, the walkway had a noticeable bounce to it, almost like you were jumping on a trampoline.  If the runners had a similar cadence running across the bridge, I could easily see a few of them getting some air from the bounce of the bridge.  Needless to say, it was a good laugh, and a good distraction from running for a few minutes.  At this point, I was still on a roll, with my mileage splits at 7:17, 7:10, 7:17, and 7:11.

After my first hour of running, I was still running at a pace that was faster than I planned, but I made the decision to try to hold this pace until mile 13, and then at that point I'd reconsider my strategy.  I had already had one of my four running Gu's (100 calories of carbohydrates in toothpaste form), and I had been alternating drinking gatorade and water at the water stops (which were every two miles on the course).

The next miles coming up to mile 13 came in at 7:12, 7:15, 7:07, and 7:13.  Wow, this was great! I still felt relaxed and the pace was still easy, considering I'd already completed half of the race.  I passed the 13.1 mile line (the official halfway point of the marathon) just over 1 hour and 35 minutes.  Keeping the same pace for the rest of the race, I could qualify for Boston.  Oh, the thoughts of grandeur one has while running a marathon....

The first few miles of the second loop required a little more focus, and were a little more challenging than the first loop because of the increased headwind.  While the cool air felt great, the wind in my face was something I'd rather not have to run through.  Still, I maintained the pace at 7:18, 7:07, and 7:20.

Merrimack River

As I bounced over the bridge again, I did so running with far fewer people than the first time around.  For the past few miles, there was a group of four or five runners that I ran with.  We were not exactly running together, but all of us would slowly pass each other (or be passed) depending upon how we felt at that particular moment.  While it was good to have the goal of keeping with this group, the constant passing and dropping was becoming annoying.  At this point, I needed to focus more on my pace, breathing, and body, and less on these guys trying to race.  And besides, the racing part of the marathon doesn't come until mile 20, and we were only at mile 17.  So, I made a deal with myself that I'd continue my pace for the next two miles and hang around with these guys.  If they were still around at mile 20 and I was still annoyed, then I would do something about it then.  The next miles come through at 7:18, 7:19, 7:18, and 7:16.

So that takes us to mile 20.  This is the infamous part of the marathon that makes or breaks you. The guys I had been running with were no longer to be seen.  They must have hit the "wall."  I still felt relatively comfortable keeping the pace, which is a huge accomplishment in and of itself.   I've always seemed to fall apart at this point in my previous marathons.  Now, I still felt like I had a chance to do something special.  Six miles is the length of my regular run at home, so I rationalized that this is just an easy 50 minute run that I do 2 to 3 times a week, so I should have no problems from here on out.  Marathon runners have also been known to hallucinate during this part of the run....

Perfect running weather

I passed mile 21 at 7:22, and it started to get more difficult.  My legs felt heavy, my heart rate was up much higher, and there was no one around to cheer us runners on.  There were a few runners about 75 yards in front of me, and I didn't hear anyone behind me.  So, I made it a goal to track those two guys down over the next five miles.  At this point, I'm worrying less about my pace, and more on catching up with the guys ahead.  I attempt to psych myself up and make it personal. Mile 22 comes at 7:28.

So far, I hadn't made up too much ground on the two guys in front of me, however, I hadn't lost any ground either.  Knowing that I had about a half hour left of running, I figure it's now or never, and I tried to pick up my pace a little bit more.  Guess what happened?  Here is where I hit the wall.  I ran for about a quarter of a mile at a quicker pace (or at least what I thought was quicker) before my hamstring started to get tight.  I immediately slowed down to avoid cramping up (and ruining any chance of running a good time), and then my body just hit a slump.  All of the energy I thought I had was nowhere to be found.  I sucked down my last running Gu, and walked through the water stop to make sure I drank an entire Gatorade in hopes of giving me one last extended jolt.  Miles 23 and 24 proved to be the hardest part of the race for me, and I completed them in 8:00 and 8:23, respectively.

With two miles to go, I pondered why I put myself through this misery.  Then I think about all of my friends who helped support Easter Seals on my behalf while running this race, and I finally get the jolt that I needed.  I didn't care how much this hurt, I had 2.25 miles left, and I was going to finish it as fast as I can.  I shortened my stride, and focused on how "easy" it is to turn my legs over. I thought of short, quick steps... chop, chop, chop.  My legs felt as heavy as roman cathedral pillars, but I was moving them as quickly as I could.  I passed mile 25 at 8:00 on the dot, and now I had a mile and change to go.

Mile 26 proved to be the most eventful mile of the entire race.  After the first quarter of a mile, both of my hamstrings attempted to shut me down.  I stopped for 5 - 10 seconds to gather myself and to prevent two massive cramps.  As I passed more and more spectators, the cheers and motivation become louder and louder, and I picked it up again.  My last mile consisted of many small races and accomplishments.  I told myself to sprint to the car 100 yards ahead of me, then sprint to the fire hydrant, and so on. I started to hear the announcer on his microphone at the end of the race, and I decided this is where I needed to go for an all-out sprint. 

I finished mile 26 in 8:15.  Everyone in the crowd is cheering, and as I continued to sprint to the finish line, I saw Lauren on the sidewalk cheering me on.  I picked up my pace, and within 10 seconds, boom, my hamstring cramped up, and brought me to a halt.  Damn!  I can see the finish line!  I quickly hopped along for a few steps, then one of the guys who I was running with runs right by me. Hell no.  I forgot about the cramp, sprinted by the guy, and finally finished my race in 3 hours, 14 minutes, and 25 seconds.

Running a marathon hurts during and after

What a race! I grabbed a bunch of waters, someone puts a medal on me, and I found Lauren waiting for me at the end of the runner's shoot.  A few medical volunteers came up to me to ask me if I needed any help (did I look that bad?), and I declined their offer and opted to sit down on a bench near by.  The next 25 minutes hurt almost as much as the last 6 miles, but the pain is the best that I've felt in quite some time.  The best medicine for this pain was the thought that I had raised a tremendous amount of money for Easter Seals, had a great race, and that I got to sit on the couch for the rest of the afternoon!

Thanks again to everyone who donated to Easter Seals on behalf of this race.  I really appreciate the support, and I had a great time sharing my training experiences with you.  And I also have to thank my wife, Lauren, for the continued support and motivation.  There were plenty of nights that I didn't want to run or blog, but she always helped remind me why I was doing this. 


If it's in the cards for you, I hope to see you out here with me lining up for another marathon soon!