Guzzlin' Drinks, Droppin' Pills and Fast Women: My Grandma's Marathon Race Report

LOGISTICS

I drove over solo from Lincoln to Des Moines on Thursday night (3 hours). Then Friday morning I hopped in one of 3 minivans full of Des Moines runners heading north. The vans included some of my Des Moines running friends such as Ryan Kramer, Greg Bell, Martin Popp, Tony Cendana, Paxton Bennett, and Ben Jaskowiak.
The drive up to Duluth was another 6 hours or so. And it went very smoothly.

The weather at Grandma's is always unpredictable (and the forecast had been changing daily) so we were excited when we approached Duluth and the temperature dropped from the 70's to down around 45 or 50 very quickly! It was about 2:30pm Friday when we arrived at the Expo/Packet Pickup at the convention center in downtown Duluth. The place was busy but it was very well-organized and we were able to get in and out pretty easily.

Packet Pickup in Duluth.

We then headed about 10 minutes away to the dorms at University of Wisconsin-Superior where we would be staying. The dorms are nothing fancy but they are very affordable and there is shuttle service to the starting line for both the half and full marathon from right outside the dorms. The dorms also provided sheets, pillows, towels, and soap which was great. The less details to think about on race weekend, the better.

About 4pm I did a 3 mile shakeout run with Ben Jaskowiak, Ryan Kramer, Martin Popp. It was cool and windy. Great running weather! I felt a bit sluggish, but I usually do when I only run 3 or 4 miles per day those last couple days before a long race. (I had cut down to 80 miles the week before the race and ended up logging only about 30 miles between Monday and Friday on race week).

Then around 6pm we headed to dinner at a local restaurant called Clyde's. This was a really cool atmosphere compared to hitting the pasta dinner that was basically set up in the middle of the Marathon Expo. Clyde's is also apparently a good music venue, so it's on my list to go back next time I'm in Duluth.

Then it was back to the dorms and to bed around 9:30 or 10.

RACE DAY

My alarm was set for 5am because the shuttles came at 5:45 for a 7:45 race time. My roommate Ryan Kramer didn't snore and I actually slept well on the dorm bed. When we woke up to foggy, misty, cool conditions, I was excited. With temps in the 40's and very little chance of the sun coming out, I was no longer worried about heavy rain or heat slowing me down.

I ate my normal breakfast of one banana, a cup of dry cheerios, and an energy drink. The shuttle ride up to the start line was about 45 minutes and went smoothly. I got off the bus and walked immediately to the Porta-Potties. Unfortunately, there were already rather long lines. I had time to burn so I waited 5 or 10 minutes to use one. But more bathrooms is my number one recommendation to the Grandma's race directors because the lines grew to ridiculous lengths as it came closer to race time. I simply had to go in the woods for my last pit stop just a few minutes before the race started.

I warmed up with Des Moines runner Ben Jaskowiak. We did an easy 10 minute jog (around the parking lot of the car dealership next to the starting line) and then a few stride-outs and drills. We then walked our drop bags over to the dropbag area and made our way to the start line. Although I wasn't entered as an elite athlete this year, allowing elites to drop their bags right at the start line would be a nice touch. I know it would have saved us all some time and some fighting through the crowds.

I got to the starting area and found my Lincoln Running Company teammate Jason Zakaras. We both were shooting to run 2:35 and we planned to run together. We lined up probably 25 yards from the front of the pack because you don't want to get pulled out too fast by the truly elite runners who get out in 5 minute mile pace.

I just went with my normal race singlet, shorts, hat and PRO Compression socks. My only modification for the cool weather was a light pair of gloves. I had 3 Clif Shot Gels stuffed inside my gloves. I like the Double Espresso flavor with 100mg of caffeine for a nice boost. I also had about 8 Salt Stick brand salt pills in my little zippered back pocket of my running shorts.

The old "use your gloves to carry fuel" trick. 2:24 marathoner Eric Noel gave me this tip. 

The weather felt great as we started. Upper 40's, heavy fog, light winds which blew from the east--right off the lake. (Grandma's Marathon runs north to south on a 2-lane highway that skirts the western edge of Lake Superior). With all the fog I didn't see much lake on Saturday, but I hear it's pretty. It was misting off and on so the humidity had to be near 100%. The road was wet but there really were not many puddles so the damp weather didn't seem to slow you down or cause any slippage at all.

Zakaras and I got off the start line comfortably and slowly worked our way past some packs of elite women and others in the first mile. We hit mile 1 in 6:01. It was comfortable and while we had wanted to be more like 6:05 or 6:10, it was a good start. We were ready to dial in on our 5:50 to 5:55 race pace goal.

I like to chat my way through the race so I was asking folks where they are from, how fast they plan to run, etc. Somewhere around that mile 1 mark, Zakaras and I met the two elite women that we would run with for the next 20 miles or so. Brianne Nelson and Lauren Jimison, pro runners for Adidas and Asics, respectively.

Brianne spoke up and said she was planning to run the Olympic Trials "A" Standard of sub 2:37.
Without even thinking about it I told her to just run with myself and Zakaras and we would take her there. Sometimes (ok, most times) I'm really full of crap---but I'm so glad that I opened my big mouth and offered to help these ladies stay on pace.

It was a win-win situation. Sure, I was leading the pack most of the race and taking the brunt of the light wind that was hitting us from the front-left.  But I would have set my own pace anyway. My long legs don't make it easy to tuck in behind shorter runners.
Mentally my race became much easier when I switched from thinking about running for myself to helping these women qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon. I was instantly accountable in a way I couldn't have been otherwise.

So we settled in and hit 5:49, 5:45, 5:51, 5:48 and then 5:52 for mile 6. We were right on pace. Even a bit ahead of pace. I was calling out the mile splits for everyone and trying to cut the best tangents I could in the fog on this curvy highway. Our little pack of 4 runners would swell to 7 or 8 briefly as we passed runners who had gotten out too hard, but it never lasted long. It always ended up coming back to just the 4 of us working together. Fans were few and far between out on the course, but probably every mile or so there would be a group at the end of someone's driveway.

Around mile 7 I took my first gel and then unzipped my back pocket to grab a salt pill. I imagined my thumb and index finger neatly plucking one pill out of my pocket. But I had visualized it wrong. When I pulled my hand out, I turned the pocket inside out. I turned around to see all my salt pills hit the pavement. And I started to curse my luck out loud.

Zakaras quickly told me to stop freaking out. This was a big help.
I mourned my mistake for about half a mile and then made a new plan to drink Powerade at each water stop and skip the plain water entirely because Powerade does have some salt content. I was even able to grab two cups of Powerade at some aid stations and I guzzled it down.
It turned out that I still felt low on salt between miles 13 and 18, but I never fully lost my vision/saw spots everywhere as I had in my previous marathon.

We continued to grind out miles in that 5:50 zone as we moved through the fog on the gently rolling hills of the highway (all splits listed below). We hit the half marathon in 1:17:07, which was right where we wanted to be.

Around this time we spotted 2 African men pacing 2 African women probably 100 yards ahead of us in the fog. We knew that we had to reel them in and then blow by them quickly so they didn't try to latch onto our group. Brianne and I discussed this out loud. It took us about 2 more miles to catch them and we passed them around mile 15. They didn't put up much of a fight.

We hit mile 20 in 1:57:49 and this was where it became every man (and woman) for himself. Zakaras started to pull away first. He wasn't speeding up much but he was holding that 5:50's pace where I had started to fade to between 6 minutes and 6:05 per mile. The two women also ended up pulling away from me the last few miles.

Brianne Nelson had a very gutsy finish to end up as the 2nd place woman. Brianne and Zakaras ran 2:34 and Lauren Jimison and myself ran 2:35. I gutted out the last 6 miles and passed several men who were hitting the wall. I was slowing slightly, but I wasn't dead. The last 6 miles is when you enter the city of Duluth. I passed many more runners than passed me during that last 6 miles. And I ended up knowing most of the runners who did pass me late. Iowa runners Jake Stanton and Martin Popp and Illinois runner Daniel Kittaka were among them.

The crowd support is very good once you get to town and that really helped to carry me through. You do wind around in town quite a bit and I started to wonder where the finish line actually was.
I finally found it and finished in 2:35:31. That's a huge PR for me!

Post-race I was impressed with how organized the drop bags were. With about 6200 runners in the full marathon and 7300 in the half marathon, that is no small task. And there were plenty of snacks to be had. I heard there was a long wait for post-race massage, so I just skipped that area.

Here's a few pics from finish line area:

I have to say that I was happy with my choice of shoes this time around. I went with the Scott Eride AF Trainer. It's a light trainer with great tread and I had no blisters or any sort of issues at all. I didn't think about the shoes at all during the run, which is exactly how it should be.

A huge congratulations to Brianne Nelson and Lauren Jimison who both made the U.S. Olympic Trials "A" Standard, which means they will have a chance to compete in Los Angeles in early 2016 and hopefully make the Olympic Team!

Thanks to all who made Grandma's Marathon 2014 such a special weekend. And we will see you further down the road!

RACE FUEL

3 Clif Shot Gels--Double Espresso

Powerade--Approx 30 oz?


LINKS

See my complete results here.

See my finish line video here.

See my Marathonfoto.com pics here. (4199 is my Bib #)


MY SPLITS (I don't race with GPS and I missed hitting my watch a few times)
Mile 1 -- 6:01
Mile 2 -- 5:49
Mile 3 -- 5:45
Mile 4 -- 5:51
Mile 5 -- 5:48
Mile 6 -- 5:52
10k -- 36:19
Mile 7 and 8 -- 11:49 (5:54.5 avg)
Mile 9 -- 5:58
Mile 10 -- 5:41
Mile 11 and 12 -- 11:52 (5:56 avg)
Mile 13 -- 6:00
Half Marathon -- 1:17:07
Mile 14 -- 5:41
Mile 15 -- 5:52
Mile 16 -- 5:51
Mile 17 -- 5:58
Mile 18 -- 5:56
Miles 19 and 20 -- 11:58 (5:59 avg)
20 Mile Split -- 1:57:49
Mile 21 -- 6:03
Miles 22,23,24,25 -- 24:13 (6:03 avg)
Mile 26.2 -- 7:25
Total Time 2:35:31

All-Comers Track Meet at Lincoln Northstar on 6/18/14

I went out to a local all-comers track meet last night. It was put on by my friend Brian Wandzilak at the Northstar High School Track.
I didn't run since I have Grandma's Marathon in just a couple days, but my son Gavin wanted to use the meet as a workout. So Gavin ran the 400, 800, and Mile. Gavin had a great time running against the grown-ups and high schoolers.
The weather was very windy and temps in the upper 90's. Not a good day to run fast, but still a good day for a workout.
Great to see some friends and LRC Racing teammates out there last night!
I had two hungry boys to feed so we didn't stay for the final event----the Donut 2k. I'm sure it was great fun in the heat.

Below are some pics from the meet. See them all here.
Download or use them if you like but please credit this website.

The 800 with Hayley Sutter, Gavin Sellers and company.

Gavin takes it all in. 

Dan Haden wins the 200.

Starting line (shaky chalk line drawn by Wandzilak) of the true mile.

True Mile start with Jacob Kaemmer, Andrew Jacob, Logan Watley, Jeralyn Poe and others.

This is Market to Market Relay mastermind Ben Cohoon on his way to a sub-6 True Mile.

Derek Sekora in the True Mile.

Gavin's USATF State Meet

Over the weekend my son 9-year-old Gavin competed in the 800 and 1500 meter events at the USATF Nebraska State Meet. Omaha Burke was the host for the meet and it was in the 80's and very windy both Saturday and Sunday.

Omaha Burke on Saturday morning. 

Gavin got a bad draw and ended up in lane one for a waterfall start in his 800 meter race on Saturday. This meant he had to get off the line very fast to avoid getting stuck in a crowd. So Gavin got out and led the race (in the wind) and then faltered in the last 300 meters and finished in 2nd place. He still ran a 2:39 to match his PR (personal record).

Gavin leads the 800 meters about 150 meters into the race.

He was disappointed after his performance Saturday and said his plan was to come back and win the 1500 Sunday to claim his first NEBRASKA State Championship (he has won a few in Iowa). I knew Gavin was much stronger in the 1500 than the 800, he just needed to run a solid race and not let the nerves get to him.

Luckily, Gavin got out Sunday in the 1500 and ran a very smart, very even-paced race. He was in 2nd place for the first 400 meters and then took over and ran solo the rest of the race. He ran a 5:19 which also matched his PR. See full results here. Gavin is in the 9-10 year age group.

I am very proud of Gavin's efforts from the weekend. Congrats on another State Championship!

Race Report: Havelock Charity Run 10k on 6/7/14

Wet And Wild Havelock 10k 

When I woke up Saturday morning there was HEAVY rain. Flood-the-roads type of rain. So things didn't look promising.
I got out of bed and got myself (and my 9 year old Gavin) up to the Havelock area of town anyway, about a 25 minute drive. My son and I warmed up for about 10 minutes and got completely soaked. Luckily, the rain let up from heavy to what I would call moderate or steady by the time the 7:30 race time came around. No lightning and just a steady rain meant no delays or cancellations---i.e. the race would start as planned.

Before the race it was fun to meet Lincoln native/local running hero Mike Morgan (who runs professionally for the Brooks Hanson's group in Michigan) but was back in town for the weekend. I lined up right behind Morgan at the starting line figuring he would get away quick and I could follow his line the first few blocks.

Starting line as the wheelchair athlete starts just a few minutes before the 10k start.

That's me on the right in the orange hat lined up behind Morgan.

I went into this race just looking for a nice workout/tune-up two weeks out from Grandma's Marathon. I was hoping to get out smart and see if I could run the second half of the race faster than the first (negative split). I was also excited to see how our LRC Racing team would do in the 10k team competition, and see if I could help the cause. This turned out to be a non-issue as there weren't many Team Nebraska jerseys (our chief rival) at the start line. I'm not even sure if they fielded a full team. The 10k field of individual runners, however, was very strong.

The Lincoln Track Club race staff did a nice job of getting the race started very close to on time considering the wet conditions that really slowed down their setup.

When the gun went off I quickly settled in at about 9th or 10th place and found a few other runners to pass those first couple miles with. I found out later that a couple of them were runners at the University of Nebraska (Lincoln). 

I hit the mile in 5:27 and was feeling pretty good that I was able to find a line on Havelock Ave that didn't have too many puddles, despite the raging river on the south side of the road as we approached 84th street. A nasty surprise when we turned south onto 84th street about 1.5 miles into the race was about 4 to 6 inches of standing water that filled that intersection. No way to avoid it.

I felt like the Scott Eride AF Trainers I was wearing did a nice job of draining the water, though. I've been wearing these light trainers for speedier workouts the last few weeks and I really like them. I'm likely to wear them at Grandma's Marathon in two weeks. They are more substantial and offer more cushion than the Skechers GoMeb Speed 2 shoes that I wore for the Lincoln Marathon in early May. I came out of that marathon feeling more beat up than I would have liked and I'm sure that wearing too light of shoes was a big part of that.

Back to the race......When we went south on 84th they had the right lane of traffic closed for runners. Unfortunately, that lane was about 3/4 filled with water so there wasn't much room to run. But we pressed on and hit the second mile in 5:33. 

Mile 3 is mostly uphill. I ran a 5:40 without using too much energy. I hit the 5k mark in 17:15 and started to use a downhill portion of the course to pass a runner or two. I got back down to about 5:20 for mile 4, but forgot to grab the split on my watch. 

Mile 5 was a turnaround loop in Mahoney park which included a few rolling hills. I was losing focus and started to struggle a bit. I was passed by a teammate just before the turnaround but was able to catch back up to him at mile marker 5 and he ran with me and encouraged me through the last mile. I was able to pass a runner wearing a Nebraska Wesleyan singlet in the last mile and also hold off a Team Nebraska runner who was closing very strong in the last 400 meters. 

This is me about 100 meters from the finish line.

I finished in 34:19 and was 10th place. I had reached my goal of going faster in the second half than I had in the first. I went 17:04 in the second 5k to 17:15 in my first 5k. I can't remember negative-splitting a 10k in a very long time so that was encouraging. 

Here are a few other pics my wife took of the top finishers Saturday:

Mike Morgan was first in 31:42. 

Trevor Vidlak was 2nd in 32:04.

Mike Rathje was 4th in 33:12.

This is my son Gavin (2393) at the 3k start. 

Congrats to my son Gavin! He was 28th overall and 2nd in his age group in the 3k race. This was more of a tempo run for him as he prepares for track meets later this summer. 

With nearly 800 finishers between the two races, this was a good-sized race. Kudos to Nebraskans for coming out to run in the wet conditions.

And Kudos once again to the Lincoln Track Club on a well-run event. They had ample donuts, Pepsi and other snacks available at the finish. The rain ended shortly after the race did, so it was a great time to catch up with teammates and rivals. 

And it was a great day to be under an orange hat. Hey, it keeps the rain out of your eyes.

Also a great day to be wearing blue and gold! Congrats to my LRC Race team on winning the 10k and 3k team titles on the men's side. And congrats to our women for winning the 10k team title in impressive fashion. 

Now on to the cooler climate of Duluth, Minnesota for Grandma's Marathon in just two weeks! 

Thanks for reading.

LINKS

See the LRC Racing team report here.

See the full Havelock Charity Run race results here.

See all the pictures my wife took Saturday here. Please give photo credits to my website if you want to use any of the pics. 

19 Days to Grandma's Marathon

I've been busy chasing kids (since school is out!) and putting in my peak training weeks here before Grandma's Marathon on June 21st.
I've been getting out at 5am every day the past couple weeks so I can get home to the boys and let the wife get to work. That means I also need a little afternoon nap some days, which the kids will usually comply with after a few empty threats.

It's watermelon time, suckers!

Training is going well. I'm feeling healthy and recovering well. I should be on track for my goal of 2:35 (5:55 minutes per mile pace) at Grandma's, despite only having about 6 weeks of training between the Lincoln Marathon and Grandma's.
My weekly mileage since the Lincoln Marathon on May 3rd has been solid. I took 5 days off and only ran 11 miles during my recovery week right after Lincoln. Then I went 98, 114 and 120 miles. I wrapped the 120 mile week yesterday (June 1).
I've been healthy enough lately to get in 2 faster workouts per week. Usually one on the track and one tempo run. I did a nice 11 mile tempo run last Friday, for example. I like to do my quality workouts alone so I can listen to my body and focus on my own pace.

My last 2 weeks of training. 114 and 120 mile weeks.

I went with too light of a racing flat for Lincoln Marathon and my legs really tightened up on me.
So I'm trying to decide which shoes to wear for Grandma's Marathon and I'm also looking ahead to my run across the Grand Canyon (and back!) on July 11th.
Stay tuned.

13 Questions with Colorado Marathoner Tom Nichols

13 Questions with Colorado Marathoner Tom Nichols

Vitals 

Name: Tom Nichols

Age: 31

Born and Raised: Auburn, Nebraska & Clarinda, Iowa

Currently Lives: Parker, Colorado

Day Job: Internal Auditor at TW Telecom

Fave Training Shoes: Brooks Defyance

PR's: 2:25 at Chicago Marathon 2012, 1:08:14 at Lincoln Half Marathon 2014

Marathons Completed: 10

Tom Nichols at the Lincoln (Nebraska) Half Marathon in early May where he finished 2nd. (Photo courtesy of The Lincoln Marathon and Gary Dougherty Photography)

Respect The Run: How and when did you get into running? Was running always your "first love" or would 8th grade Tom have chosen basketball or football? 

Tom Nichols:

I got into running in 5th grade after my family moved to Clarinda, Iowa.  We had to run a mile in PE and I had never done anything close to that before.  I was the 2nd fastest in my class and from there always wanted to get faster.  My first love is football.  Growing up in Nebraska, my dream was always playing for the Huskers.  Looking back, choosing cross country over football was the right choice. (Note: Tom lived in Clarinda, Iowa from 5th-12th grade and graduated high school there.)

RTR: How was your college career? Why do you think you have stayed with running as a post-collegiate when so many college runners just call it quits after graduation? 

TN:

I would call my college career "above average".  I ran at Graceland University in Lamoni, IA which was an NAIA school.  I qualified for Indoor Nationals in the 3k and 5k, but the standards weren't very strong.  I would say I under-achieved in college and wanted to prove to myself that I could run faster, which is why I kept going.  My running style (high-mileage/lower intensity) differed from the Ideas of my coach, so I was injured a lot trying to add more mileage during college and learned how to train the way I like now.

RTR: Congrats on a PR (1:08:14) and a 2nd place finish at the Lincoln (Nebraska) Half Marathon on May 4th, 2014. How did you feel out there and how does that race fit into the bigger picture of your 2014 racing?

TN: 

Thank you!  Very much appreciated.  I felt good out there.  I wanted to keep the leaders in sight, but Sammy (Rotich) got out so quick I was kind of on my own, til I picked up some Marathoners at mile 4 and they kind of latched on to me until mile 10 or 11.  My plan was to go easy the first 5k then build off that.  I really wanted to see if I could break 1:08, and I'm now second guessing the race to think where I could have dropped 15 seconds.  The wind caught me off guard the last 5k, which was when I really started wearing down.  Other than that I felt really good and am happy with the race.

That race is the 2nd of my 3 big races this spring.  The first was the Shamrock Shuffle 8k in Chicago, where I set an 8k PR (25:00).  The other race is Grandmas Marathon, and the Lincoln Half is big for my confidence and seeing that my training is paying off.  Going into Grandmas with 2 PR's will be very helpful.

 

RTR: Is your ultimate goal an Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier of 2:18? Does Meb's run at Boston (just days before he turned 39)  give you some confidence that you may just be coming into your prime marathon years? 

TN:

The Trials are the ultimate goal.  The time keeps getting lowered, which makes it tougher.  I still have a chunk of time to knock off, but I'm hoping Grandmas will get me closer. 

Yes, Meb's run at Boston is huge for knowing there are still more good years to come.  I'm nowhere near his level, but seeing guys in their mid-to-upper 30's setting PR's lets me know I have a shot to do that too if I keep working hard.

RTR: What's a typical week of training like for you during a marathon build-up? 

TN: 

My typical marathon training is anywhere in the 90-110 mile range.  I usually build up for 3 weeks then take a down week.  I don't run a lot of workouts, as mentioned earlier.  The big one is usually incorporated into my weekly long run of 20-24 miles.  That usually involves some sort of tempo or goal pace work at the end of the long run.  The other workout usually comes in the middle of the week and varies by the week.  One week it could be a longer tempo, the next it could be some sort of fartlek faster than goal pace.

RTR: Has your training changed at all compared to when you were 24 or 25? Are you smarter now about training, racing, and recovery?

TN: 

Adding to the question above, I think I'm being smarter about training and racing now.  I've had a few injuries that set me back (Hip in 2008 and Plantar Fasciitis in 2012).  I'm taking on a "less is more" approach when it comes to speed training and racing.  I learned over the years I recover very slowly and want to make sure I'm not sacrificing recovery to get in quality.  I love racing but have to pick and choose the big ones and sit out the smaller ones or use them as workouts now rather than racing as often as I did when I was younger.  I'm also running less intense workouts at this point, which seems to be working out well.

RTR: I understand you just moved out to Denver from Nebraska within the last 12 months. Do you feel like you are getting a benefit from living at altitude? 

TN: 

I moved out here to Denver about a year ago, and yes, I am noticing a benefit.  Its hard to describe, but running faster and hills are much harder out here.  I do find when I run at sea level I can work harder for a longer period of time.  As long as it isn't humid!!!

RTR: Are you finding some fast guys in Denver to run with? How important are training partners for you? 

TN: 

Slowly...  I'm not the most outgoing person, so meeting new people to run with is hard for me.  I live in Parker which is away from the areas that the large pockets of runners call home (Boulder, CO Springs).  I am finding a few guys and getting in good shape pushing my niece and nephew in the double stroller when I run with my twin brother and his friends. 

I would have to say the worst thing about moving from Lincoln is leaving all the great training partners I had behind.  I think the year before I left I had about 10 runs total by myself.  That was great.  Now I run at least half of my runs on my own.  It's nice when Ryan Regnier (Lincoln-based marathoner) comes out to Denver for work.  

Tom Nichols at mile 11 of the Lincoln Half Marathon.  (Photo courtesy of The Lincoln Marathon and Gary Dougherty Photography)

RTR: What's your key pre-marathon workout that lets you know you're ready to roll? How far out from race day do you run that workout?

TN: 

Usually it's the long runs that signal I'm ready to race well.  A lot of days I don't wear a watch, but I normally do on long runs and just get into a good rhythm and without knowing it, I'll be running 6:00 miles.  I've never been one to need a lot of speed work to feel fit, it's the strength runs that get me there.

RTR: Do you have a mantra/words that you repeat or a song that you sing in your head when a marathon gets tough? Maybe Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger," the Chariots of Fire song, or Katy Perry's "Dark Horse"? :-)

TN: 

Sometimes I'll get a song stuck in my head, but that varies every run.  I normally think to myself just get to the next mile and go from there.

RTR: What's your personal theory on the marathon taper? Cut mileage but maintain intensity? Cut back on both? Or don't taper much at all?

TN: 

I definitely back off, but not a ton.  I cut both mileage and intensity.  I usually start gradually lowering it starting 3 weeks out.  The 3rd week out I'll run about 70-80 miles with a day off, 16-18 mile long run and a shorter workout. Two weeks out is closer to 60-70 with a day off, 14-16 long run and short workout. The last week is just some shorter runs and strides to loosen up.  At that point the work is done, so I just want to get to the start line feeling as fresh as possible.

RTR: What's your take on the growing popularity of MUT (Mountain/Ultra/Trail) Running? You're in Colorado now, which is where UROC, Wasatch, Leadville and many other ultra races take place. Will we see you out there running a 50-miler in the mountains anytime soon? 

TN:

I think it's great.  Anything that brings attention and more people to the sport is a good thing.  It's not my thing, because of weak ankles.  I love seeing people getting into it.  My twin brother is doing some longer trail runs this summer so I'll probably go with him and watch his kids while he races.  I wouldn't count on me joining him anytime soon.  Maybe after I give up my competitiveness on the roads.

RTR: Who is your running idol and why? 

TN:

I've never had a huge running idol.  I liked following guys growing up, but I'd say I follow the guys I know more than certain professionals.  With that, I'd say Mike Morgan would be the top of the list.  Seeing a good friend of mine go as far as he can with the talent he has is fun to watch.  He is one of the toughest guys I know.

RTR: Tom, thanks for your time and best of luck at Grandma's Marathon in June!

Race Report: Lincoln National Guard Marathon (5/4/14)

My Day at the Lincoln National Guard Marathon

I had the race day kit all laid out. I had my banana and baggie of Kix on the nightstand so I didn't wake the family to get breakfast. Alarm set for 4:40AM. Socks, shoes, warmup pants, everything decided in advance.

I went out Saturday night and hid 3 water bottles along the course at miles 5, 11, and 17.5 so I could drink my own special sauce on the course. The forecast called for 50 as a low temp, highs in the 70's and windy conditions. This would be my do-over debut marathon after my 20 mile hamstring burnout at Quad Cities Marathon last fall, and I wasn't leaving anything to chance.

Race day gear laid out the night before.

I didn't sleep well the night before the race, but who does? I went over everything in my head way too many times. What if I get out too fast? too slow? How fit am I right now? How fast is Ryan or Pete or Ivan or Nate going to run? How many elite guys will swoop in from out of state for some prize money? The weather, the wind...? blah, blah, blah.

Just get me to the starting line.

Starting line about 6:20AM. 

I left my house in Lincoln at 5am for the 7am start time. I only live about 15 minutes away. But what am I going to do at home except agonize over which socks to wear. So I was there by 5:20 looking for a good parking spot. I got myself over to the Coliseum and just soaked up the excitement at last minute packet pickup for about 30 minutes or so. Something oddly comforting about listening to other people talk about their upcoming race and how they hadn't trained properly.

I'm normally a loner before a big race. This day was no different. I had about 15 Lincoln Running Company teammates running either the full or half marathon and doing a team warmup. Thanks but I need my space before a big one.
I ran just over a mile for a warmup. I normally do two miles or more. But this was my deliberate attempt not to feel too warm or too "ready" when the race started. That can lead to getting out too hard and racing right from the gun. I wanted to just settle in the first few miles and make sure I didn't blow myself up.

It seemed to work. I lined up for the race in about the 4th row of runners. I let the Kenyan marathoners (several guys from Minneapolis) and the fast half-marathoners get away from me so I didn't feel the urge to go with them. I started the race at a very easy pace (6:22 first mile) and talked with teammates Ryan Regnier and then Hayley Sutter during the first couple miles.
Looking up the road, I could see the race working out in front of me. Nate Stack was out very strong with his Team Nebraska teammates, but they were running the half-marathon.

Also in front of me were Ivan Marsh and my teammate Brian Wandzilak. I caught up to them around mile 2 and ran with them for a few miles as we passed through some historic neighborhoods and had some great crowd support along Sheridan Boulevard. Brian announced that it was his 'hood. And I guess I can't argue, he really does live a block or so off the marathon course.

Myself, Wandzilak and Marsh around mile marker 4.

I had run 6:22, 6:10, 6:10, 6:09 for the first 4 miles and I felt like I had the brakes on, so I started to press just a bit during mile 5 and left Wandzi and Marsh behind. I climbed the hill at 48th and Calvert (probably the first real hill of the day), grabbed my first water bottle from under a nearby tree, turned onto 48th street and hit mile 5 (6:09). There's a long downhill here for nearly a mile. I sucked on my water bottle during that mile and was running with Jerrod Anzalone from team Nebraska Run Guru Elite (NRGE). We passed several guys during this downhill mile. I went 5:48 for mile 6 and was feeling good.

Miles 7 and 8 were along the Highway 2 trail. I left Anzalone behind and caught up to Pete Kostelnick from team NRGE during this time and we ticked off a 5:53 and 5:57 together. Somewhere in here I had a GU. Then Anzalone caught us again as we climbed "The Hill" on 20th street together. There were some good groups of spectators along the way. But I called out a couple of quiet groups and said, "It's not a funeral YET, you can make some noise!"

View from the bottom of "The Hill."

View halfway up where "The Hill" levels off before rising again. 

"The Hill" is a moderate climb of about half a mile and it really wasn't too bad. It's definitely the longest hill on this marathon course. But the thing about this course is that it never stops rolling. Even the "flat" parts along Highway 2 have just enough elevation change to mess with you. (If you think that Highway 2 trail is flat, think about the climb up to the Arby's/Rock Island Trail interchange coming from east to west.)

I split 6:10 for miles 9, 10, and 11. Or at least I split 18:30 for those 3 miles---I forgot to hit my watch during those miles because I was talking with Kostelnick and Anzelone and trying to pay attention to the turns we had to make. At this point it was myself and Anzalone working together and Kostelnick was starting to fade. I had another GU and grabbed my next water bottle at mile 11 (sitting beside a telephone pole only a foot off the road) and sucked on that for a mile or so heading up 10th street toward downtown. I was feeling pretty good, feeding off the crowds, and passing more half marathoners during miles 12 and 13. I left Anzalone behind as we approached downtown. I went 5:54 for mile 12 and 5:55 for 13.

This is where the half marathoners turn into the stadium to finish and you can get a sense of where you stand in the marathon field. Up to this point, when you passed another runner it was common to ask "you in the half or full?" and maybe say a few words of encouragement as you pass. But now with the half marathoners gone there was no more mystery, and it felt lonely pretty quickly. I split right around 1:19:40 for the half marathon (the timing mat missed this one somehow). I would have preferred to be more like 1:18 at the half marathon mark, but I was trying to stay relaxed and not burn myself out too early so 1:19:40 was fine.

I could see Nate Stack in his red Team Nebraska singlet and also a National Guard runner maybe 30 seconds ahead of me as we headed from the half marathon point onto the lonely Antelope Creek Trail.
The wind, which I hadn't really noticed during the first half marathon, was now smacking me in the face as we headed east and south. Miles 14, 15 and 16 were just me slowly reeling in Stack and the National Guard runner. Stack even gestured to me a few times to get up there and help cut the wind. I felt decent on miles 14, 15 and 16 and had splits of 6:02, 6:07, and 6:08. I caught them somewhere around the 16 mile mark.

I downed another GU and settled in with the two guys I had been working to catch. Unfortunately, the spectator support was really lacking on this stretch compared to the first 13 miles. And the wind seemed to get increasingly worse as we ran miles 17 and 18. We were all suffering. Just before I grabbed my final stashed water bottle at mile 17.5, I remember thinking it wasn't just the wind that sucked, but it was getting hot outside too.

I took a couple drinks from my bottle in the next block or so and then tossed it. I felt like the bottle was slowing me down as I tried to keep pace with the other two guys. After less than a mile I knew dropping that bottle was a bad idea. I had a drink called Tailwind in there, which is similar to Gatorade but with a higher salt content. I had split 6:10 for mile 17 and was still with the pack. But during mile 18 I started to see spots and lose my vision.

I backed off late in mile 18 on the steep climb up to Holmes Lake and lost touch with Nate Stack and the other runner. I knew I needed some salt but I had thought the Tailwind would be enough so I didn't have any salt pills on me. I started to wonder if I could finish this race at all.
My legs, and especially my calves, were starting to feel like stone at this point. I wasn't sure if I had perhaps gone too minimal on my shoe choice or if the little rolling hills had taken a bigger toll on my legs than I thought. Probably both.
The Skecher's GoMeb Speed 2 is a light shoe and felt great on my foot the entire race. Meb swears by it, but I'm 6-4 and 160 pounds.....he's not. I'll explore this more in another post......

Skecher's GoMeb Speed 2 in action.

Luckily, I was able to get Gatorade at an aid station at mile marker 19. I knew that I would get to pass that same aid station again at mile 20---after the turnaround loop on 70th street. So the thought of more Gatorade carried me through mile 19, even though my vision wasn't the best. I ran exactly 6:24 for miles 18, 19, and 20. The wheels were coming off for sure and I was suffering. But these were also rather hilly miles and I literally couldn't even see straight.

The good news was that I had made the turnaround at 19.5 miles so I got a look at who was chasing me. I had been counting runners and I was in tenth place. Everyone behind me looked like they were suffering too. My teammate Ryan Regnier was the only one within a minute of me at the turnaround and he looked strong. I got my vision back at that mile mark 20 aid station and I was determined to hold my teammate off as long as I could. We had expected to see each other somewhere around mile 20 or 22. I knew going in that his strategy over the first 10k was even more conservative than mine. This is a guy that I meet at 5am twice a week to run with, we weren't being secretive about our race day strategy. He truly likes to build up his pace, stay comfortable, and come from behind in the marathon. I'm just not that patient.

I ran mile 21 and mile 22 in 6:20 and 6:12, respectively. But still I could feel Ryan Regnier getting closer and closer behind me. I passed my wife and kids for the last time at mile 22 and my wife gave me a cold towel, which was great. My boys were handing out fruit snacks to the runners too.

Samson, 5, and Gavin, 9, eating donuts and waiting for me to run by.

Ryan Regnier passed me just after mile marker 22 and I tried to go with him but my legs just wouldn't respond. I hung close to him for mile 23 but only ran a 6:28. I knew it was a mental game from here on in. 3 miles to go. I was convincing myself to push to the next block, then one more.
I was also passing many marathoners now (face to face) who were still on their way out to Holmes Lake and some offered encouragement. (The second half of the marathon is out and back.)

It wasn't pretty, but I went 6:33 for mile 24, 6:43 for mile 25 and 8:06 for the final 1.2 miles into Memorial Stadium. The finish at the Lincoln Marathon is on the 50-yard line right on the "Big Red" letter N. Pretty cool, especially for Nebraska fans. By the way, it was nice to have an entirely separate full marathon chute leading into the stadium because so many half marathoners were finishing at the same time as me.

I finished in 11th place in 2:43:03. I was about 75 seconds behind my teammate Regnier. And one spot out of the prize money! On the bright side, as bad as I felt, nobody else passed me or was even near me those last few miles. See Results Here.

My race didn't go perfectly, but I rolled with the punches and was able to finish my first full marathon with a respectable time. If I had a mulligan, I may have pushed a bit harder in the first half and definitely would have taken in more salt and fluid the whole way. I had 3.5 GU's/Gels during the race and probably only about 30 ounces of water and sport drink. Despite having my own fluids at my disposal, I just hadn't trained properly on taking in large amounts of fluid while running fast.

Special thanks to my sports chiro dude Dr. Rob Lane in Lincoln for keeping me healthy enough to run a March 1st 50k and then a May 4th marathon on a hammy that is still a work in progress!

Race Organization and Goodies: 

After I finished, things were a bit of a cluster. But with 12,000+ entrants this year (up from 10,000 last year) you have to expect some congestion. Tons of half marathoners were finishing when I was and we were all being herded off the football field and into the ground floor of the stadium where they had drinks and snacks available. But you had to grab it fast as you were being pushed down the hallway. It was just too many people at once and my legs were rubbery. I congratulated Regnier and Stack, then I grabbed a Gatorade and headed straight to the massage area and got worked on. They gave priority to marathoners (over half-marathoners) and they got me right in!

Kudos to Lincoln Track Club on a great race. The event was organized very well from packet pickup to pre-race emails to bike marshals on the course. Having the National Guard there in uniform, and seeing them working a water stop and the finish line, was awesome too.
More spectators on the second half of the course would be great, but you can't have it all.

Finisher medal, age group award, and salt-crusted hat.

Lincoln Track Club has done a really nice job growing this race over the last several years. I see why it sells out so quickly each year and why all 50 states are represented. But it's definitely time to stop and evaluate that growth/entrants allowed. The awards ceremony (with free lunch) was a great time to catch up with rivals and teammates. The awards themselves are nicely done and they offer awards deep into each age group. The finisher medals are substantial and handsome.

The race shirt looks more like a 4th of July theme, but this is the Lincoln National Guard Marathon and apparently serves as a championship race for that branch of the military. And the Guard did have some tough competitors out there. I know at least one Guardsman beat me to the finish line.

The Bottom Line: 
This is a hometown race with heart. Even if Lincoln isn't your hometown.


My splits are listed below:
Mile 1: 6:22
Mile 2: 6:10
Mile 3: 6:10
5k: 19:25
Mile 4: 6:09
Mile 5: 6:09
Mile 6: 5:48
10k: 38:06
Mile 7: 5:53
Mile 8: 5:57
Mile 9: 6:10 estimated
15k: 56:54
Mile 10: 6:10 estimated
Mile 11: 6:10 estimated
Mile 12: 5:54
Mile 13: 5:55
Half Marathon: 1:19:40 estimated
Mile 14: 6:02
Mile 15: 6:07
25k: 1:34:27
Mile 16: 6:08
Mile 17: 6:10
Mile 18: 6:24
Mile 19: 6:24
Mile 20: 6:24 and 2:02:44
Mile 21: 6:20
Mile 22: 6:12
Mile 23: 6:28
Mile 24: 6:33
Mile 25: 6:43
Mile 26.2: 8:06 and 2:43:03 total time