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Racing and Training Stories
Trace Rogers' Columbia Rivers Power Marathon Race Report
I had been looking forward to repeating this race since this was my 1st marathon. My time last year of 4:37 (I walked for 3mi) reflected the work & illness that got in the way of my training. This year was going to be different!
The 1st half of the year was filled with training for my innaugural Half Ironman Triathlon. Michelle StanWiens' training group, Performance High, was great to work with again this year. I received awesome instruction & was very prepared for that race beating my goal time by 10min (5:50 finish time)!
As soon as that race was done all my thoughts turned to marathon training. I had 3 solid months of consistent training, sleep, & nutrition to ready me for my 1st marathon of 2011 (Top of Utah in Logan). But unfortunately I got sick 11 days before & couldn't get adequately recovered. It was time for a change!
Five weeks later we arrived in Umatilla, Oregon. Columbia River Power is a beautiful course. It begins by going over the McNary Dam into Washington followed by 4mi of rolling hills. You hit pavement & run over the main bridge between Washington and Oregon. On the other side you head out on a 5mi out-and-back trail along the Columbia River to the turnaround.
The weather was awesome (it was expected to be 50deg at start rising to 68deg by race finish) & I was feeling good. We ate dinner & I prepped my bag so I could quickly leave from the room in the morning. My plan to get to bed early was thwarted by one of my kids who kept me up until 1:30am! Luckily, during these last few weeks, I had focused on getting good rest.
I woke up at 5:30am, had a quick breakfast, & went back to bed until 7:00am. The race started at 8:00am just outside the door of my hotel (couldn't be easier)! While waiting for race start I kept my hydration up & made sure to take my pre-race nutrition & supplements.
Just before the race began I started Endomondo on my iPhone & ensured I had a good heart rate reading & a GPS signal for my Polar. I had 2 goals:
1. To run the entire marathon (no walking as in the last two races)
2. To run based on my heart rate rather than a particular pace. My heart rate in L2 corresponds to a 9:41min/mi pace so I set my watch for goal finish time of 4:15.
The race started & off I went at my 9:41min/mi pace. I carried 16oz Amphipod of water, 10oz Amphipod of Accel Gel, & S-Cap electrolyte pills. My regimen was 2oz water every 5min & 4oz water at each aid station which were 2mi apart. I also took an S-Cap every 45min & 1oz Accel Gel every 20min after the first hour. In training, I found that this nutrition/hydration combination kept all cramps away, kept me hydrated, & helped maintain my energy. It seemed to be working well as the miles flew by - I completed the first half of the marathon in 2:05.
My heart rate stayed quite low for 17mi. The great thing about L2 is that your breathing is easy enough to talk so I had great conversations with numerous runners. I was feeling pretty strong & my goal of 4:15 was in sight. At Mile 11 my heart rate began moving up to the top of L2. Then, at Mile 23, there was 1/4mi hill which felt like a mountain! I kept on trudging even though my feet started numbing at Mile 24. I saw my pace slowing & I forced myself to pick it up. The last 3mi were pretty difficult, but I kept running at all costs. No walking for me this time!
As I approached the final mile I started realizing that, while I was going to end a bit later than my goal, I could still cut 20min off my 1st marathon time. I crossed the finish line at 4:17 with my family cheering me on!
While the 2nd half of the race was not a negative split (faster than the 1st half), I managed to maintain pretty consistent times up to the last few miles. My heart rate climbed throughout the 2nd half until it reached L5 by the last 3/4mi.
All in all it was a awesome race! My major milestones in this race were:
1. Truly listened to my coach.
2. Ran the whole race (1st time in 3 races!).
3. Maintained my heart rate goals throughout the race.
4. Ran with Merrell Sonic barefoot shoes (felt great, no socks, no blisters).
5. Had a good time.
6. Hit my nutrition goals.
7. No cramps or even a hint of cramps.
8. Good hydration without overdoing into "sloshiness".
9. Minimal soreness immediately after the race & the next day.
10. 20min personal record!
11. Was healthy.
I would highly recommend doing this marathon. Even more, I would recommend Michelle's training techniques as a great way to prepare for a marathon, any marathon. Though myseason is now over I am already looking forward to my goal of running 5 marathons & Robie Creek Half Marathon in 2012!