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Tri-Cities Marathon

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Location:

Tacoma,WA,

Member Since:

Jul 07, 2010

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Age Division Winner

Running Accomplishments:

Marathon Maniac #5549

Bronze Level (*)

 


 

 Looking for a great Bible Study in your area? Check out Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). There are over 1000 classes worldwide, and people of all church backgrounds (or no background) are welcome to study the Bible together.

 


 

"You're only as good as your next race!" - Coach Mark Smith

"A nomadic portion of the metamorphosed igneous or sedimentary deposits of the Proterozoic era accumulates no bryophytic plant life."

 


Marathons:
Raced:
3:30:30 - Portland Marathon - October, 2003
3:19:57 - Portland Marathon - October 2004
3:11:45- Tacoma City Marathon - May 2, 2009 BQ
3:01:43- Tri-Cities Marathon - Oct 31, 2010 BQ
DNF - Eugene - April 29, 2012

Run for Fun:
3:29:47 - Green River Marathon - June 2, 2012
4:20:28 - Lake Youngs Ultra (28.75 miles) - June 9, 2012
3:33:33 - Tacoma City Marathon - May 3, 2013

Recent:
1:00:05 15K - FSRC Resolution Series - 2011
1:20:37 20K (adjusted) - FSRC - 2011

48:45 12K - Sound to Narrows - 2009
47:45 12K - Sound to Narrows - 2011


24:02 4 Mile - Four on the Fourth - 2009
23:27 4 Mile - Four on the Fourth - 2011


19:01 5K - Alumni XC race - 2010
18:45 5 K - Alumni XC race - 2011

11:13 3200m - Sparks Stadium - 7/20/2011
5:21 1600m - Sparks Stadium - 7/20/2011


29:45 8K - Lakefair - 2009
37:59 10K - Bank to Bay - 2010


Good ol' days:
16:38 Road 5K - Roman Meal Glove Run - 1988 (High school)
21:50 4 mile - Four on the 4th - 1994
27:57 5 mile - Black Cat - 1991
35:09 Road 10K - Auburn City Haul - 1991
42:24 12K - Sound to Narrows - 1990
1:19:44 1/2 M - Pacific Rim - 1990?


High School PRs:
2:06.5 800 - 1988
4:39 1600 - 1989
9:50 3200 - 1989
15:30 3 mile XC - 1988

College Track PRs:
32:55 10,000m - 1994
15:57 5000m - 1995

Short-Term Running Goals:

Get into Marathon Maniacs  Done (See above)

 

Recover from Knee Injury

October marathon or ultra, choosing between Defiance 50K, Poulsbo marathon and Ft Steilacoom marathon. The goal will be to finish at a moderately easy pace, no racing. Sub 3:30 would be nice.

Long-Term Running Goals:

Age gracefully

Join Marathon Maniacs Done (See above)

Run an ultra Done (See above)

Personal:

Married, with 1 daughter

IT Analyst/Programmer for 20 years. Also, an avid gardner with a small retail nursery on the side.

I've been a runner most of my life. I started running in 5th grade when the high school coach started a "run for fun" program at all the grade schools in the school district. Also, growing up my neighbor, who was about 8 years older than me, was a superstar in high school with a 4:15 1600m in the early 80s. So I had some good role models.

Most important, I love the Lord, and serve Him in my church and in Bible Study Fellowship, which is an international Bible Study open to people of all church backgrounds (i.e. interdenominational). If you are looking for a phenomenal way to study the Bible and draw closer to God this is the study for you. Check out BSFInternational.org to find a class near you. They are all over the place!

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Adidas Adizero Boston Lifetime Miles: 757.68
E-Train Lifetime Miles: 24.01
Brooks Adrenaline 14 Lifetime Miles: 292.13
Brooks Adrenaline - Gray Lifetime Miles: 125.94
Race: Tri-Cities Marathon (26.22 Miles) 03:01:43, Place overall: 5, Place in age division: 2
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.0026.220.000.0026.22

Tri-Cities Marathon - 3:01:43 - PR by 10:02

Tri-Cities has a great marathon course, mostly run along the Columbia River, crossing over said river 4 times using three different bridges (Hwy 182, Blue Bridge and the Cable Bridge). The course is mostly flat, except for the bridges. Only the last bridge was significantly challenging.

Over the last 18 months I had run a great summer last year, but then developed an abdominal injury that cost me 6 months of running. I was able to resume regular running in March of this year, and began "training" in April, so it was about 7 months of preparation leading up to today's race. My goals for the race kept changing as my training and fitness progressed faster than expected. On race day my main goal was to break 3 hours (6:52/mile), but I would be satisfied to break 7:00/mile (about 3 hours 3 minutes).

The first two miles were great and it felt easy. However, by 3 miles I was already feeling some fatigue in my quads. Also, my right hip and upper thigh, which had been bothering me for weeks, were very tight and sore. I knew it was going to be a tough go today. Nevertheless, I kept pursuing the sub-3 hour goal. There was a group of 6 of us who were shooting for this goal, so we mostly ran together, although for much of the first half of the race I hung back behind the pack by about 10-20 seconds.

I brought salt tablets to take throughout the race, to prevent cramping. Unfortunately, when I took them out at 10 miles to take my 2nd one I discovered the bag they were in had a hole, and I lost several of them. The rest I put in my mini-pocket and they slowly dissolved the rest of the race. I was still able to take them every 2-4 miles the rest of the way.

From mile 11 to 15 I felt pretty good, and during that time I caught back up with the pack. When we crossed the Cable Bridge at mile 16 the pack broke up. The front 2 runners took off and left the rest of us behind. I stayed with the rest of the pack for another mile and then decided to brave the wind and pulled ahead of them. At this point the wind was pretty harsh, as we ran on a trail along the edge of the river for the next 4 1/2 miles. The wind was definitely a challenge, sometimes head-on, sometimes sideways or swirling. Around 19 miles it was like a pulse that would blast me sideways every few seconds, impossible to adjust for it. At 20.5 miles the trail pulled a little away from the river and the wind became much less of a factor.

I held on to sub-3 hour pace all the way through mile 22, catching and passing a couple more runners. Some spectators said I was in 4th, others said 5th. But then my body began to give out. At first, I didn't slow too much, but I couldn't go any faster. The moleskin on my left little toe had come off by this time and that poor little guy was getting a lot of abuse from my shoe, but it was hardly noticable compared to the pain all over the rest of my body. Interestingly, my right hip had stopped hurting by this time, but it didn't help. I struggled down the road to the 24 mile mark, about 30 seconds behind schedule. I tried to take another salt tablet at the 24 mile aid station, but it made me gag, so I spit it out. No salt or gatorade the rest of the race.

What really killed me was the uphill onto the last bridge. It's not very long, but as I ascended I got slower and slower until I almost had to stop to walk just before the top. I forced myself to keep running over the crest, and as I descended the other side I found I had no energy left. One of the guys from the sub-3 hour pack caught and passed me at this point. I didn't feel too bad about it, though. He had been hanging back to pace a friend and must've decided to run ahead. He ran a solid last 2 miles, but he missed the sub-3 goal by less than a minute.

The last mile I just trudged through it, and as I neared the 26th mile I noticed that I was seeing little dark pin-pricks on the outsides of my vision. I hung on as best as I could, and just tried to stay up and moving through the finish line. The last thing I wanted was to pass out right before the finish.

Despite all the struggles, I still came away with a sub-7 performance, PRing by more than 10 minutes, from 3:11:45 to 3:01:43. I finished about 5th or 6th overall. The post-race recovery was not as difficult as last time. I was nauseated and starting to cramp more, but I still wasn't able to swallow a salt tablet. But, I discovered I could suck on one, and whenever it got too salty I would just sip a bit of water. Once the salt was down, my nausea and cramping improved. One of the great aspects of this race is that it starts and finishes at the hotel, so I walked back to my room. Apple juice is my new friend. Quick carbs and a different flavor than gatorade means I could swallow it without gagging. Within a few minutes I was able to swallow another salt tablet, and then I did something I've never done after a marathon before - I layed down on the bed and was able to get back up a few minutes later!

While this report sounds mostly negative, it was still a very positive experience. I'm pleased I was able to hold to the planned pace for so long even though I never really felt very good. Also, the cramping during the race was minimal, just a few spasms in my left foot. The salt really helped! Although my last few miles weren't as good as I had hoped, I still didn't slow down too much, and I was able to pass other runners in the later miles. Plus, it was a beautiful course. I would definitely do this race again sometime.

Splits:
Mile - Time - Split (Avg. Pace)
01 - 0:06:49 - 6:49 (6:49)
03 - 0:20:34 - 13:45 (6:51)
04 - 0:27:23 - 6:49 (6:51)
05 - 0:34:12 - 6:49 (6:50)
06 - 0:41:07 - 6:55 (6:51)
07 - 0:48:02 - 6:55 (6:52)
08 - 0:54:54 - 6:52 (6:52)
09 - 1:01:51 - 6:57 (6:52)
10 - 1:08:45 - 6:54 (6:52)
11 - 1:15:42 - 6:57 (6:53)
12 - 1:22:24 - 6:42 (6:52)
13 - 1:29:12 - 6:48 (6:52)
14 - 1:35:59 - 6:47 (6:51)
15 - 1:42:48 - 6:49 (6:51)
17 - 1:56:34 - 13:46 (6:51)
18 - 2:03:30 - 6:56 (6:52)
19 - 2:10:24 - 6:54 (6:52)
20 - 2:17:19 - 6:55 (6:52)
21 - 2:24:11 - 6:52 (6:52)
22 - 2:30:58 - 6:47 (6:52)
23 - 2:38:01 - 7:04 (6:52)
24 - 2:45:11 - 7:10 (6:53)
25 - 2:52:43 - 7:32 (6:55)
26 - 3:00:04 - 7:21 (6:56)
26.22 - 3:01:43 - 1:39 (6:56) - not much of a kick

Adidas Adizero Boston Miles: 26.22
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Jon on Mon, Nov 01, 2010 at 21:37:03 from 98.71.130.239

Toughing out a race where you don't feel great, and setting a PR in the process, is very commendable. Nice work. Next time you'll feel good the whole way and crush 3 hrs!

From rockness18 on Mon, Nov 01, 2010 at 23:21:50 from 75.25.96.223

Great race!

From RunnerAdam on Tue, Nov 02, 2010 at 02:01:28 from 70.187.165.211

Awesome effort - anything over 20 miles is a crap shoot for how your legs will act.

From jtshad on Tue, Nov 02, 2010 at 10:03:59 from 204.134.132.225

Congrats on the PR and a solid race!

From rAtTLeTrAp on Tue, Nov 02, 2010 at 11:39:41 from 72.102.151.100

Thanks for sharing the details Scott. I think this was an awesome race performance. It had to be tough maintaining that pace in the wind with such a small group of runners and little crowd support. Are you thinking about a spring marathon yet? *Eugene*

From Tom on Tue, Nov 02, 2010 at 12:33:20 from 137.65.56.16

Great job toughing it and and getting the PR. We learn alot from these type races.

From DLTheo on Thu, Nov 04, 2010 at 13:53:34 from 155.130.107.41

Thanks everyone!

Jon, I hope you're Right!

RattleTrap, it was tough once I passed the last couple people I could see, around mile 19 or 20. I was all alone the rest of the way after that. Kind of weird, actually. Not thinking about a Spring marathon. Maybe fall, though. Carl is planning to do Tacoma.

Tom, you're right, it is a learning experience. With 4 marathons under my belt now, I'm definitely no expert. Lot's more to learn!

From rAtTLeTrAp on Thu, Nov 04, 2010 at 14:49:05 from 76.121.76.165

It's tough to keep strong in those last miles when you're running alone. I have a hard time keeping at it after 10 miles when I'm running alone. That's cool that Carl's doing Tacoma. Maybe we can do some long runs together.

From AZDesertmonsoon on Thu, Nov 04, 2010 at 15:03:33 from 204.17.31.126

my wife's family lives in the tri-cities. How many people ran in the race? Was it well run?

From Kam on Thu, Nov 04, 2010 at 19:28:33 from 68.66.163.179

Sick, sick, sick. That is an awesome report. Congrats on shattering your p.r. Salt pills, eh?

From DLTheo on Fri, Nov 05, 2010 at 10:35:47 from 67.185.144.91

AZDesertmonsoon - the race is pretty small. They had record numbers this year - 300 in the marathon and 65 relay teams (2-4 person teams). It is a very well organized event, and the course is mostly flat and beautiful, run mostly on the Columbi River. The only hills are the bridges - there are 4 crossings. The race started right on time (within 1 second on my Garmin). Plenty of food afterwards, too. I highly recommend the race for a PR.

From DLTheo on Fri, Nov 05, 2010 at 10:38:27 from 67.185.144.91

Kam - thanks! Yes, salt tablets. Thermotabs, to be specific. They have regular salt (sodium chloride) and potassium chloride, so you get a little potassium along with the sodium and chloride. They work pretty fast. I first heard about salt tablets from a cycling friend, and then in the book The Lore of Running they are described as advantageous for marathoners and ultra-runners.

From DLTheo on Mon, Nov 08, 2010 at 13:17:13 from 155.130.107.42

It's official - I was 5th overall and 2nd in my age division.

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