OK so that's a typo but seems to fit my experience at the Andy Payne marathon. While I started the marathon with very little base training, I was feeling pretty confident considering I good I felt at the OKC 1/2 which I did with no training and my long run 2 weeks prior where Karrie and I did 20 miles and finished strong at a pace faster than the conservative 4:15 goal I had set for my first marathon.
Marathon day dawned hot and humid. As a matter of fact it reached 45 degrees hotter than my 20 miler two weeks prior which was in 45 degree weather. Don Garrett started us off with a pistol shot and I really enjoyed the first loop around Overholser. I had the opportunity to meet a few ultrarunners from Missouri and Texas and we discussed El Scorcho, The Mother Road, Grasslands and other nearby races.
This year I had decided to be simpler in my training and try drinking Gatorade and using GU since these seem to be common denominators at most races. This worked well for me in the cooler temperatures of early Spring so I was feeling confident and unencumbered.
Lesson to remember - what works in the cool may not in the heat.
To begin with in the words of Don Garrett "Aid is scarce" on this course. To complicate things I have always been a sipper when it comes to dehydration - if I drink more than an ounce of fluid at a time while running my stomach tends to resemble the volcano science experiment you remember as a kid. Top this off with 90 degree weather and aid stations 3-4 miles apart and you have a challenge.
In all fairness I had learned these lessons before at SunMart in December but oh how soon we forget. I was still feeling pretty good at the halfway point which we hit about 2 hours. Quickly after that my stomach became queasy and I struggled to keep up with Karrie who I planned to run with. By the route 66 bridge on the second loop (approx mile 15) I was dry heaving and hurting bad. My stomach was officially letting me know it was not happy.
It was at this point that I decided to walk for "just a few minutes" to clear my stomach and then catch up with Karrie. Big mistake. I spent the rest of the race alternating between nausea and dehydration. I would stop consuming fluids and walk until my stomach cleared and then run. After a few minutes of running I would be extremely thirsty and try to drink at the next aid station thinking. This would start things all over again!
I walked in just under 5 hours! WOW that was a disappointment but the overall experience was positive. I have had three long distance races and fared poorly in each from a time perspective - however in each of them I have learned (and sometimes relearned) valuable lessons that I believe will pay off over time.
This race's lessons
Marathon day dawned hot and humid. As a matter of fact it reached 45 degrees hotter than my 20 miler two weeks prior which was in 45 degree weather. Don Garrett started us off with a pistol shot and I really enjoyed the first loop around Overholser. I had the opportunity to meet a few ultrarunners from Missouri and Texas and we discussed El Scorcho, The Mother Road, Grasslands and other nearby races.
This year I had decided to be simpler in my training and try drinking Gatorade and using GU since these seem to be common denominators at most races. This worked well for me in the cooler temperatures of early Spring so I was feeling confident and unencumbered.
Lesson to remember - what works in the cool may not in the heat.
To begin with in the words of Don Garrett "Aid is scarce" on this course. To complicate things I have always been a sipper when it comes to dehydration - if I drink more than an ounce of fluid at a time while running my stomach tends to resemble the volcano science experiment you remember as a kid. Top this off with 90 degree weather and aid stations 3-4 miles apart and you have a challenge.
In all fairness I had learned these lessons before at SunMart in December but oh how soon we forget. I was still feeling pretty good at the halfway point which we hit about 2 hours. Quickly after that my stomach became queasy and I struggled to keep up with Karrie who I planned to run with. By the route 66 bridge on the second loop (approx mile 15) I was dry heaving and hurting bad. My stomach was officially letting me know it was not happy.
It was at this point that I decided to walk for "just a few minutes" to clear my stomach and then catch up with Karrie. Big mistake. I spent the rest of the race alternating between nausea and dehydration. I would stop consuming fluids and walk until my stomach cleared and then run. After a few minutes of running I would be extremely thirsty and try to drink at the next aid station thinking. This would start things all over again!
I walked in just under 5 hours! WOW that was a disappointment but the overall experience was positive. I have had three long distance races and fared poorly in each from a time perspective - however in each of them I have learned (and sometimes relearned) valuable lessons that I believe will pay off over time.
This race's lessons
- Acclimatize to the heat
- bring your own nutrition
- consume the minimum calories and fluid required for the distance
I immediately wanted to do another marathon after finishing. Ok maybe it was a day or two latter but I felt I had dealt myself short in this race by making a couple of tactical errors and look forward to trying again and being more successful. For the marathon unfortunately I'll have to wait for fall.
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