Message posted by: Jeremy M.

My first marathon is in the books. The best way to describe it is to say it was an amazing experience sprinkled with a few minor disasters. After missing the Dallas White Rock Marathon due to illness, I settled on Cowtown because I wanted to keep it local, and timing wise it was the best fit as it allowed for a couple of weeks to recover from the flu and time to gear back up. Because I never completely shook the disappointment of missing DWRM, I never felt like I was completely into the training. So I really thought that I hadn’t trained as much for Cowtown as I had for DWRM. But the overall numbers show that I was on par with the mileage and pace, so I can’t use that as an excuse some of the disappointments.

The weather on race day was great. Mid 30’s pre-race, warming up to the 50’s by noon with just a bit of wind. There were over 20,000 runners milling about, but most were there for the 5K and 10K, leaving about 5,000 running the half, 1,000 for the full, and a handful for the ultra.

The first couple of miles went way too fast. I felt like I was holding back, but the garmin suggested differently. My pace was around 7:30 but my heart rate was very low and I didn’t feel like I was pushing anything at all. My goal was to finish between 3:20 and 3:30, but at 8 miles in, I was on pace to make a run for a boston qualifying time. I tried to slow down, but I guess the adrenaline made that little voice say, “maybe this is just your day… maybe you can pull a qualifying time out of your @$$”. At the halfway point I was still feeling in great shape. HR was still low and I could have had a long conversation with very little difficulty. This was also the beginning of one of the more difficult portions of the race; a 4 to 5 mile ascent.

I did not have a detailed plan going in. It consisted only of two things: 1. run the first half at a 7:45-8:00 pace (if it felt comfortable), and 2. take the uphills (specifically mile 13-18) slow to save some gas for the last 10K. Since I disregarded the first one and felt great, of course I would be irrational about the second. I finished that section at a 7:45-7:50 pace. I guess I was thinking that since I had gone this far in the race at a fast clip (relative term of course), I might as well see if I could get close to a qualifying time. You more experienced runners likely know how this story ends and can stop reading now.

Somewhere around mile 19, my legs just stopped wanting to work. Everything above the waste and below the knees was in great shape (well my calves were on fire, but nothing I couldn’t push through). HR was still low and I was not drained mentally. I think I took my first walk of shame somewhere during mile 20 or 21. Every muscle in my legs above the knee could not be willed to continue. (I guess that means I met my lactate threshold? I don’t really know much about the physiology; Clyde?) I have heard and read about hitting the wall at mile 20, but I always thought that was a full blown mental or physical exhaustion sort of thing. I never thought it would be just my upper legs. Several years ago I completed a century ride. I thought that was the worst my legs would ever feel. I was definitely wrong.

The last 10K was a mix of jogging and walking at about a 10:00-12:00 pace. Even though I was not going to meet my goal, I was in decent spirits. I only got bummed twice. Once at mile 22 when I looked to the right and saw what seemed to be a very very far away Fort Worth skyline and knowing that somewhere in there was my destination. And once again at around mile 23 when the 8:00/mile pacer breezed past me, setting in stone the fact that I would not reach that 3:30 goal. When it was all over, I basically had a kick ass 30K race (again, relative of course) followed by a very painful 80 minute recovery run.

I finished in 3:43. I can’t say that I am extremely pleased with that time, but I am definitely not ashamed of it either. Regardless of all of that, that feeling of crossing the finish line of a marathon is one of the most amazing feelings I have ever felt. Before the race, I would have told you that I would have been extremely disappointed had I not finished under 3:30. Do I feel like I left something on the table? absolutely. But I am not in the least bit disappointed. There is no way to describe the feeling of accomplishment that came with completing my first marathon.

****

Just a note on the venue in case anyone interested in doing the Cowtown comes across this post. Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth is one of the best pre / post race settings I have ever been in. Even outside of the event, it is a really fun place to be. It contains tons of unique and fun shops, bars, restaurants, etc. It has a lot to offer that Dallas doesn’t. Add to that the closing off of all of the streets and the post race party atmosphere, I can’t imagine a better venue.

I would definitely recommend the 5K, 10K, or Half. In the full and the ultra, none of the roads were completely closed off and while the police did what they could, you still have to occasionally dodge traffic. You never feel so comfortable that you do not have to keep your eye out for inattentive drivers. Even though it is marketed as the Cowtown Marathon, the full and ultra are just such a small part of the event. Of course, this is my first, so maybe that is something you have to deal with in every full marathon.

The other thing that was frustrating was that for the last 2 or 3 miles, the half, full and ultra merge. Much of that stretch is funneled into one lane of a six lane road. A 3:30 (or insert any time in here) full marathoner, half marathoner, and ultra marathoner all finishing the last two miles of their respective runs in one lane was a bit chaotic. Of course it didn’t matter much to me since my pace was closer to the 3:30 half-marathoner who were the majority of the runners at that point. I just thought that each participant did not have to feel like they were impeding others in a different race. They could have easily widened that lane or made a couple of separate lanes.

To view the rest of the post, please log-in to www.ontri.com