Thunder Road Marathon 2011
By: Shawn Matthews
I am a huge Springsteen fan. And one of my all time favorite songs is his unplugged version of “Thunder Road.” It just makes sense that this would turn out to be my favorite marathon, in spite of the hills and the spots with no crowd support, and the incident in ’09 where my leg hair burned off. Most importantly, this has become my favorite marathon because it is the location where I finally finished in less than 4 hours. I have felt really good all year, and over the last two months I had made a couple of adjustments to my training and diet. So, in spite of what I said to those around me leading up to the race, I was supremely confident that I would crack the 4:00 mark. In fact, I was so confident that this opening paragraph was penned the Friday night before the marathon.
In May of this year I took part in the New River Bataan death march, largely at the suggestion of my then ex-friend Troy Eisenberger. I was woefully under-prepared for the hills/mountains that we had to climb, and finished in roughly 4:35. I decided to make some adjustments after that, so I started doing some of the P90X workouts (plyometrics) and decided to no longer run with a fuel belt. I also made it a goal to eliminate wearing the orthotics I had worn in my shoes for 5 years, and to get out of the “Clydesdale” category of runners, namely the 185 lb classification. Towards the end of the summer I gradually stopped wearing orthotics, and in October I started the “Paleo” diet, which allowed me to drop 10 lbs by race day. The diet gave me cause for concern, as it completely eliminates grains and bread in addition to any dairy, cheese or processed foods. What kind of runner would I be if I did not carb load in the days before the marathon?
The day before the race, I decided to partake in some limited amounts of pasta, as I did not want to completely take a chance on what I already thought would be a big PR day. On a side note, my car battery sounded a bit weak, but like a jackass I decided to postpone taking it in to the shop as I was focused on last minute race details, supplies, song lists, etc… fast forward to 6:25 a.m. on race day, and my car would not start! Luckily I had made plans to ride down with my neighbor, as he was also running the full, so we took his car and the crisis was averted.
Once we finally arrived downtown, we went to the convention center to do what one typically does before a race after one has had a cup of coffee. Well, the convention center was closed but we found some porta potties with small lines. There was a quick Mark Ulrich sighting, we chatted briefly and then I was off to the start. I negotiated my way into the 4:00 corral, looking around for fellow UCRR folks. Erin Osetek is always so loud and boisterous, so I easily spotted her up ahead. Something told she me would go out and quietly run a strong race, I believe she ended up with a very impressive 3:41. Shortly after the national anthem the gun went off and we were moving, I was about 50 seconds behind the gun time. It was really nice not to have to wait in the corral for too long. So for the first 5 miles I tried to go out slowly, as coach Théoden Janes had advised me to start out slow and gradually get to my desired/needed pace by mile 5. It was challenging as the adrenaline was pumping, and I saw a lot of people fly past me. I memorized several outfits, so I could remember them as I passed by in the 2nd half of the marathon. The first 5 miles went by in a sluggish 9:11, 9:21, 9:03, 9:06 & 9:22; definitely slower than goal pace but I had stuck to the plan for the most part. I do remember getting to the top of Providence road hill and thinking, “wow that was easy.” Perhaps some good residual impact had come out of the New River Marathon. Kara Pettie Vincent of RFYL fame joined me around mile 4, and we gradually started to build our sub 4:00 group. I knew Kara and I both had designs on our first sub 4:00 so it would be a good gauge to run in the same group as her. Plus, her outstanding husband took possession of my gloves for me when it warmed up. Right around mile 5 a key moment occurred, as a clean-shaven Troy Eisenberger jumped in to pace us. I was concerned that without the moustache he might lose his Frank Shorter-like speed, but he was solid and steady as always.
Miles 6-10 were uneventful, strolling through the finer parts of the South Park area, seeing Jack Shannon’s 2nd home & many other sprawling estates. Somewhere in this section I made the mistake of telling Troy that I had some Springsteen and Eminem on my Ipod. That set off about 15 miles of Troy doing impersonations of The Boss, which was quite funny since it sounded more like Mr. T crossed with Keifer Sutherland. This was very effective on his part, as it continually made me laugh and distracted me from the pain that was beginning in my feet. Miles 6-10 went pretty well, with miles of 9:04, 8:59, 9:12, 9:10, and 9:01.
As we finished the climb up Morehead, my legs felt fresh, and I was a bit relieved when the half marathoners detoured off to the right. No offense to those fine people but I wanted more of the road to myself. After we finished up the Morehead climb, my feet were really beginning to bother me. I had recently purchased a new pair of shoes at RFYL, and although it was the same model I had been wearing, I only had about 20 miles on them. On a side note, legend has it that Tim Friederichs once bought a new pair of shoes at the Marine Corps expo, and promptly ran a 2:59 the next day. But I know Tim Friederichs, I have run behind Tim Friederichs, and I am no Tim Friederichs. So, the feet were getting a little tender, but otherwise I felt good. As we started to circle back towards the stadium I finished 11-15 at 8:59, 9:06, 9:08, 9:00 & 8:50. My 13.1 split was 2:01; I would have to go slightly negative on the back half, but I did have some secret weapons ahead.
At mile 16 as we passed the stadium, local celebrity Théoden Janes hopped in to pace us. I know he had a minor issue with his foot from NYC, so I really appreciated him stepping in to help. He gave me several great tips throughout the last 10 miles, and it is pretty obvious he has learned a thing or two in his 47 marathons after just entering the sport a few years ago. He also did his own version of the Ed Morse 2 step, continually running ahead to check on Kara, and then circling back to Troy and me. 16-20 in the books, and I felt ok aside from my feet. I kept telling myself that I could run through the foot pain, it could be problematic afterwards, but I could run through it. There was a quote going through my head from Théoden’s coach, Kelly Fillnow : “Your body can endure so much more than you think you can.” It felt like there was a small layer of broken glass under my right fore foot, not an injury type of pain, just temporary pain. 16-20 clocked at 8:51, 8:53, 8:58, 8:35, and 8:45. I knew Anna, Jack and Ella would be at mile 21 and I was already feeling an emotional charge.
Around mile 20 I started to cramp a bit in my legs, and Théoden gave me a great tip of counting to 100 as a distraction. I’m pretty sure the counting technique is also used for women giving birth. (Not trying to compare a marathon to giving birth, I’m sure child birth is much worse and I don’t think you get a race shirt for that event) The counting worked well throughout the remaining miles, and I recommend it to anyone in the same situation. So at mile 21, I saw my family up ahead on the sidewalk in downtown Noda. My reason for running, my reason for living, my biggest motivation for just about anything in life; they were exactly what I needed. Théoden had run ahead and I saw him already with them, my painfully shy daughter Ella giving him a high five. This made me laugh out loud and was just one of those classic visual memories that stay with you. I arrived at the family aide station, and gave quick hugs, I love yous, took a swig of a diet coke and got out of there quickly. It was too short, and I felt bad that my wife had waited around for that, but time was the enemy and the enemy was going down. I figured seeing the fam would give me a boost that was equivalent to a highly caffeinated gel, and we still ran an 8:55 mile #21 in spite of the 10-15 second pit stop. Somewhere in that area, I believe on 35th, there is a very sturdy faux brick wall in the center of the road. I ran through it, gave it a nice pounding, and on the other side I was happy to see many “NoDanians” drinking and offering adult beverages. In my opinion this was the best section of crowd support, they were my kind of people; rowdy, drunk and very encouraging. Kind of like the Sammons brothers on vodkaredbull. As we were on the backstretch, I saw some of our elite UCRR runners up ahead, runners that on most days I could not catch unless I were on a bike. It was obvious that something had gone wrong, and I felt really bad for them. It just goes to show that it is a very long distance, crazy things sometimes happen, and you often need all the stars to align to have a good day. We finished up our last real hill on Hawthorne, coaches Théoden & Troy were incredibly selfless and giving me all sorts of WOE (grade school football coach acronym, Words Of Encouragement). They also interspersed some cursing into their WOE so it was definitely in a language that hit home with me. Troy was mumbling something in his Springsteen/ Mr. T/ Jack Bauer accent, and I just tried to stay in the zone and completely focus on light, short steps; trying to maintain the 180 cadence or something close to it. (Thank you Mr. Savage) As I slowed a bit approaching mile 25, Theoden said something to the effect of “leave it on the course, don’t finish with any regrets.” So I kicked it up a notch and powered through the cramps and the pain. Miles 21-25: 8:56, 9:09, 8:57, 8:57 and 8:55. My prior marathons would have been something like 9:07, 9:45, 10:15, 10:40. 10:57 for this section, so this consistency that late in the race was extremely satisfying.
As we ran up 7th, and hopped on McDowell, I found my favorite Springsteen song, and tried to power out as best as I could. Barring some major engine lock in the last ½ mile I would breeze past my goal of 4:00. We saw Diane talking to some cops by the courthouse, no doubt trying to find out where the checkpoints would be for that night. She hopped in to our little pack and ran us in to the final turn. As we turned on to MLK, she threw out some WOE that was more Andrew Dice Clay than MLK, but it was effective. During the last .25 mile or so, the Jamaican sensation Patrick Beach ran a bit with me, showing youthful exuberance much more indicative of a 21 year old sorority girl than the 42 year old CPA we all know and love. As I crossed the finish line with a 14-minute p.r. of 3:58. I was overwhelmed with emotions. All of the work, all of the focus on that goal, all of the 6:00 a.m. runs on the Blair Witch dark greenway, the weight I had lost in a short window of time, it all paid off. It was nice to put together a plan and see it work out. Such a team effort in a sport known for individual performance, I was so moved that Théoden and Troy could be so selfless in pacing me. Frankly the thought of everyone’s support was much more powerful than just the idea of breaking 4:00. I had been inspired by the brief meeting with my family, the crowd support, all of the messages, encouragement & coaching in the days leading up to the race. The physical training had me well prepared, but it was the mental game that made it happen on race day.
What worked: Paleo diet & losing lbs, sleeping in my own bed the night before, eating pickles, starting this race report the night before the race, having a plan for the race, following pacers, no fuel belt, plyometrics, doing a 20 miler two weeks before the race with a minimal taper, & there was nothing more powerful than just being able to see my family, as brief as it. What didn’t work: only putting 20 miles on my shoes before the race.
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By: Kara Vincent
Everyone says that you have to let go of your last marathon before you can run your next one…I agree. After a VERY rough 4:30 MCM in 2009, I gave up on running and stuck mainly to 70.3’s and 13.1’s because up until the last 4 months I have HATED running! Until recently, I have found some pretty awesome friends training for various marathons, so I decided to start running with them. I decided not to follow a specific plan, but kept in mind what our USA Fit group was doing and kept Michelle and Christa’s plan in mind too. Before I knew it, I was up to 18 miles and felt great and even managed to keep up with Christa, Michelle and Ed. At that point, I decided to sign up for Thunder Road, but only telling a few people.
Over the last few weeks the word spread and suddenly everyone wanted to talk about my time. With the mess that happened in Washington, DC and my horrible time, I didn’t want to talk about my race time with anyone, however a select few managed to get it out of me. Secretly, I knew I wanted a PR (4:14 in 26.2 with Donna) and I also knew that a 4 hour marathon would be ideal but I couldn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want to feel like a failure again!
Although I had a lot of people trying to get me to run with them, I decided I was going to go with Theoden’s (TJ) advice and try for a 4 hour with Shawn. We had a game plan and I was set! Mile 1- 9:30, 2- 9:24, 3- 9:18, 4- 9:12, 5-9:07, 6-20- 8:50 and then the hard part would set in. After this two things would happen, I would either fall apart and would be ok because I had some time to play with, or I’d pick it up and cross the finish line before 4. Here is what happened on 11-12-11:
I made sure this day started like everyone other day, so for breakfast I enjoyed half of a peanut butter bagel, a Canadian dill pickle and washed it down with pickle juice. Thought it might be just an old wives tale, but I now believe otherwise! Thanks Ed!!
Getting to the start line was amazing! I saw so many friends there: Danielle, Steph, Graham Graham, Nate Dogg, Cindy, Lori, Lisa, Matt, John, Eddie, Mauro, Ashley, Dale, Marcel, and Melissa. Only one missing was Kay, my other running partner. After a few pictures we found our way to the start line! At this point I couldn’t find either of my TWO running partners. Instead of panicking, I decided I’d be ok! I am now comfortable running alone and it wouldn’t be that bad. I forgot to find the satellite on my Garmin, but it managed to find it quickly and suddenly we were off through the streets of the Queen City. I waved to Adam as I ran by and checked out the other people screaming and clapping around me. What a cool feeling having these familiar faces around me!
Within the first mile Kay was fortunate enough to be screaming for another USA Fit runner. Luckily I knew that voice, and I was able to find her, actually ran back to find her. Who runs back in a marathon? This kid! During my backward run, I was fortunate enough to say “hello” to Leroy within the first couple of miles! Anyways, during my running time with Kay, we managed to pick up 2 weird runners, one who asked us both out to which Kay replied, “We’re both married.” And the other was a guy who just kept turning around to stare at us, what a weirdo! Kay had to make a pit stop at mile 3 and I kept going. While Kay was in the port-a-potty around mile 4-ish I found Shawn, lucky for me I knew he had a green shirt on and knew he wore 2160’s. We ran together and joked about our “coaches” plan for us and how we felt good about it. At mile 6 Adam was there to say “hi” and filled up my water bottle for me and made sure I was eating. He was excited to know that I had already had my Gushers!
Mile 7 was jam packed with fans but we managed to find Troy who jumped in with Shawn and I to entertain us. He kept Shawn talking and me listening (who woulda thought I would listen and not talk?). Around mile 7.5 Kay caught up with us again, but was not feeling so hot because she just ran her little tail off to catch up to us. She was able to stay with us until about mile 10. The miles between 8 and 12 were pretty awesome! I saw a lot of great friends along the way including Kathy and Martha. Thankfully at mile 12, I was able to stop and get a keep going hug from Hayworth which was great, because it was where the half splits off and I had to keep going. At least I was half way there!!
At mile 12.5 Adam’s smiling face was waiting to hop in with me, which was awesome because I needed it for sure! We had a nice talk and a quick pace, but I was still right on target! I ate my Honey Stinger Waffle and I was good to go! I actually felt more comfortable in the back half because I had already previewed it twice, so I knew where I was going and what was ahead! Miles 13-16 were awesome, I felt great and just kept plugging along. Whenever anyone would talk about our pace, I would put my ear muffs on, I wanted nothing to do with the time, and wouldn’t even look down at my watch. At mile 16 our 4 man team turned into a 5 man team and we picked up TJ who was just gonna run a little with us! He seemed to be pretty impressed by us and how we were looking. I felt great and was in a good place, I was in “the zone.” At this point, we were back running through the city and we were in the middle of the street! Before long we were getting on Trade street, when Adam was leaving to go to the finish line and we were headed to the long never ending hill! Lucky for me Troy and TJ were on their game and talked the entire way up! Another 6 miles had past and I had another Honey Stinger waffle. After crossing 277 we were on the down hill we saw Sarah (and her sweet husband who signed her up for the race) and Marc who was surprisingly, on his lap top. But it was great seeing familiar faces cheering me on as I ran by!
At mile 19-ish, TJ had to tell me to slow down, I was really exciting about the loud music and guy talking on the mic. A little while down the road, we also had to make a quick stop so Troy could get the label I now had on my foot off. We never stopped though, we kept on trucking…6 to go!! Around mile 19.5 I saw Matt and was ready to head into NoDa. TJ was nice enough to fill up my water bottle again, so I didn’t have to stop and that was key to my success.
Right at the corner I was welcomed by some AWESOME USA Fit runners…loved seeing Eddie, Dale and Ann! Ann ran with me for a second and TJ just kept yelling, “Hit the Wall KV…go hit it!” And there I was hitting the wall…literally, but I felt great! There was no wall hitting for me! As I ran down 35th street with the HUGE crowd support and beers being passed out, I just smiled and soaked it all in! At mile 21 I remember “Walkin on Sunshine” being played and I danced a little with them and smiled as I saw Tom snapping pictures! What an awesome experience!!
As I headed down the Plaza with TJ by my side I ate my last gel while TJ trying to keep me from thinking too much. He was telling me about why he started running. It was an awesome feeling to just keep running next to him and listen to why he started running, but holy crap really? Those 2 miles seemed like it was 10! I kept running I kept seeing other runners, other friends, and I hated seeing them feeling so bad, but I kept on and stayed in the zone! Listening to Theoden’s quote by Kelly, “You can go so much farther than you think you can. Fit, Fast and Fresh…”
As we turned onto Hawthorne I knew what was ahead of me, and I couldn’t even think about it. TJ was going back to get Shawn, leaving me at the WORST possible time, it was THE hill…the WORST hill in the race (in my opinion). ”Just keep running KV. You can do this. The fastest way to get there is to run. And if you just keep running, you’re gonna make it! You can do it!” And with that I was on my own. I practiced what Dale said, “Only look 6 feet ahead of you” and I did just that. Grabbed some water from the boy scouts and I was off! This is my Bitch! This is my BITCH!! And it was my bitch…I made it up the hill and kept TJ’s voice in the back of my mind, so I kept running.
Mile 25?? Already? I still feel relatively good. What happened to me?? I remember crossing the bridge and seeing the city. I saw Shelby standing there with her fairy Dust and she sprinkled some on me and just then, I let myself look down at my Garmin for the first time all race and saw that my current pace was 8:32?? Really! I just kept running, and as I turned the corner and looked up, I saw Adam standing there waiting to run me in! And then suddenly TJ was next to me too! How lucky am I?? As I raced to the finish my stomach was feeling a lot less than good, and I started slowing down a little. TJ and Adam were there to encourage me and helped me get up the last big hill. Right before the last corner, I saw Mauro standing there and waiting for a big hug! He said, “Kara, you’re under 4!!” I just kept running, and smiling. As I ran toward the finish I saw Steph, Lori and Graham Graham with high fives waiting and on the other side was Train…”under 4? that is AWESOME!” I saw the mats and couldn’t decide which one was the timer, so I ran over both before stopping!
And then I saw the time 3:57:30!! I did it! I got under 4! I was so excited, but I knew I had actually done better than that because I was 1:20 behind the official start! WOW!! Tears welled up in my eyes, but then I couldn’t breathe so I had to make myself stop. I walked and got my medal, saw Ed and thanked him for the pickle juice help! I found Adam, and Lori, Steph and Graham Graham and hugged them all! They had all just finished a half marathon, and they think I helped them! Really, they helped me! They were part of the reason I started to love running again, they helped make running fun for me!
Looking back on my race, there are so many people who helped me reach my goal (even though they didn’t know what my goal was). I couldn’t have done so well if it wasn’t for Ryan, who took care of my legs every week and made my IT (which didn’t even hurt ONCE) feel better every week. TJ who kept me believing in my ability to run and kept my goals in check. My runners who have made running more enjoyable and fun every week! My USA Fit friends who always managed to make me run at unGodly hours of the morning and made my days better! For Christa, Michelle, Ed and Denise who made me run with them and then helped me believe in my ability to run faster than I thought possible. And especially for my supportive and amazing husband who never complained about my 5am wake up calls on Saturday morning or my lack of wanting to do anything on Friday nights and who was the BEST support runner I could have asked for.
The truth is I did it, I ran it but I never could have done it without the support I have had in the last few months from some pretty amazing friends :0
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By: Rusty Starnes
This race started for me shortly after returning from the Blue Ridge Relay. I was so geeked up from that experience that I was ready to take on another challenge. So after some quick and easy persuasion from Laura Oberbauer to run TR with her, I signed up for it the following Monday. By the weekend I had realized that I only had 8 weeks to get ready for it and I thought…WTF did I just do?
Luckily I had registered earlier for the Davidson Run for Green half marathon the first Saturday (9/17) after BRR so I knew I already had a decent base of 13+ miles to work with. After the Davidson half, a funny thing called “life” happened. As many of you know, my wife and I are expecting our first child, a baby girl, on Dec. 17th. Well, the little bugger isn’t even here yet and she’s already controlling my life. The next several weekends were filled with “expecting baby” classes and shopping for baby stuff. Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely loved and enjoyed these classes and shopping for my future brewing assistant. I know now what to expect when “things” happen as it gets closer to the due date and won’t freak out because I don’t know what to do. The classes weren’t something I could dismiss so I could get in training runs so I just rolled with it. And knowing that I could go out at on any given day and run a half marathon, I wasn’t too stressed out about getting ready for a marathon. I just had to manage my time and set priorities.
The plan was now to spend the next 7 weekends with an extremely altered training plan. Short runs during the week and long runs on the weekend with little to no time for cross training. Week 7 – 15 miles, Week 6 – 18 miles, Week 5 – 20 miles, Week 4 – 18 miles, Week 3 – Rocktoberfest Half, Week 2 – 15 miles, Week 1 – 10 miles, then TR. Instead my training ended up more like Week 7 – sick, Week 6 – 14 miles with UCRR, Week 5 – 10 miles in the mountains of Lake Lure (our babymoon), Week 4 – sick again but 13 miles then Bank of America 500, Week 3 – Rocktoberfest Half, Week 2 – Chapel Hill but was able to get almost 9 miles in once the torrential downpour stopped. Then off to the UNC/Wake Forest football game, Week 1 – 15 miles, a short 4 miler during the week then TR. I also manager to get about four short runs in during the weeks.
Early on I had the good sense to reach out the fellow UCRR resident ultra badass Jonathan Savage because I knew given the time constraints that it would be hard to properly train for TR. His biggest advice was to use the run/walk method. I decided to practice that method on my long runs. Wow what a difference it makes on my legs afterwards. I put it use at the Rocktoberfest, not setting a goal time as I tweaked a hamstring three days prior, and finished in 1:57.43. I literally walked through every water station and felt great at the end.
Race day of TR. I went to bed well hydrated, well…maybe a little too hydrated as I had to get up a few times during the night, and woke up super early to give my body time to wake up and regulate. I had PB&J on toast and coffee. Went over my check list to make sure I had all of my running gear in order. Pinky toes were taped to help with the blistering I had been getting, Body Glide in all the right places, warm fleece to wear to the race as it was quite chilly out and dry clothes to put on afterwards. A kiss to the wife, pet the dog on the head and out the door I went.
I got to Laura’s and we were going to take the light rail to the start. At the last minute we decided to hop in Laura’s car and park in her work parking deck since it was only a block or so from the finish line. That way we could leave our bags in the car and not have to deal with bag check. After getting parked we made our way to the Convention Center only to find out, like everyone else, that they weren’t letting runners in. Really??? Don’t you think this was something that we would’ve liked to have known yesterday??? We decided to walk across the street onto the “green” and found a mall like area that was open. There were a few runners inside keeping warm but it wasn’t crowded. We chatted with a lady from Virginia who was running the half, did some light stretching and soon it was time to get to the starting line. We made our way through the crowd and out onto the street. “Where are all of the runners?” Laura asked. I looked to my left and said “Uh oh. We may need to go that way.” We were standing in the direct path of the start line with the front runners staring right at us. We jumped out of the street and started navigating the crowd back towards MLK to the back of the pack. We settled in behind the 4:15 group knowing full well that we were probably still too far up. Well, let me rephrase that. “I” knew “I” was probably too far up. For those that don’t know Laura, she was actually using this as a “training run” for the Tucson Marathon coming up next month. Yes, a “training run”. She volunteered to pace me since this was only my second ever marathon. She had run Chicago in 3:41 so I wasn’t too worried about her running in the 4:15 group.
The start of the race was completely different than any other race I’ve done before. I was completely calm. There was no nervousness. No anxiety. No anticipation. I had no expectations other than to finish and collect the 39.3 medal for running both the Rocktoberfest Half and TR in addition to the 26.2 finisher’s medal. My training had gone out the window long ago so my expectations were way down. There was a time when I thought about switching to the TR Half but I had already paid for the full and would have to pay an additional fee to switch. It would’ve cost me more to run the half than the full so I decided to just “run” with it and see what happens. It was my last race of the year anyway so I was going to just enjoy it. As I stood in the back of the crowd struggling to hear the Star Spangled Banner I reflected on this last year. All of the events I had run, the new friends I had made at UCRR, how my life has changed and IS changing with a baby on the way. I was completely content. And for the first time since the BRR I felt peace within myself and I was truly happy again. My life is pretty damn good.
As we stroll across the starting line, Laura and I are already deep in conversation. And this would continue the whole race. Well, mostly with Laura in conversation because she’s, well, she’s a talker. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. She’s just a very social person and is so amazing to have conversations with. She talks in open ended dialogue that provokes responses and conversation. Yep, there’s a reason why she’s a lawyer. “Hey there’s Diane and Patrick”; “Hey guys!!!” I yell as they’re standing on the sidewalk watching the runners herd by. We move on ahead and nice comfortable pace. The morning presented us with perfect race weather, cool and sunny. It felt like a morning group run. And that’s how we approached it. Soon the first water station appears. “Already?” I thought to myself. “There are some porta-johns. Maybe I should stop at some point.” I don’t want to have the same mistake as Kiawah last year. I had to go at the start of the race but didn’t. I held it until I couldn’t hold it anymore and stopped at mile twenty. BIG MISTAKE. My legs completely locked up and it took me an hour and a half to run the last six miles. I ended up finishing in four and half hours. “Well make sure you stop early if you have to go” Laura told me. There was already a long line at each toilet and I really didn’t have to go. I just didn’t want go get to mile 20 again and realize then that I have to stop. Better to get it out early. I decided against stopping and we kept running. The crowd support was great and the miles just started piling up like empty wine bottles at a UCRR function. We stopped at each water station after station #1, got our Gatorade and water and walked through until we finished our beverages. Then we picked up our pace again. This walk/run thing is amazing! Jeff Galloway was really onto something when he started teaching this. Thank you, Savage for the advice. As long as we kept moving forward we weren’t losing any time. Miles 1-5 were 9:40; 9:31; 9:00; 9:07; 9:14.
Random thought…”I’m hungry” I commented. More conversation and the people watching were helping us pass the time. We were admiring the fall colors, the beautiful neighborhoods and houses, the other runners. It was interesting seeing the looks on peoples’ faces as we ran past them or them past us, while we were running and having a normal conversation. They looked at us like we were crazy for trying to run a marathon while talking. The miles were cruising by. There’s a juggler…some cheerleaders…a lady on stilts! Wow she’s tall. I remember her yelling “Don’t worry. The downhill part is over now.” I thought that was kind of funny. The next thing I knew we were coming up to the split off for the half and full runners. The crowd there was so energetic. I high fived a mascot (I think it was a Chick-Fil-A cow) and a bunch of kids. The music was cranking. I literally got chills as we ran through. Then Laura said “Yay, we’re halfway there!” The feeling quickly went away then. For some reason I immediately started focusing on how far we still had to go. I mean I felt great but I could tell my legs were starting to feel a little tired. However, my spirits were soon lifted by the Butler HS cheerleaders as one placed a set of silver beads around my neck. I thought it to be a bit of a nuisance at first but Laura quickly pointed out that the beads were a great distraction. And she was right. The slapping of the beads against my chest soon made me forget about how much further we still had to go as I focused on the rhythm of the beads tapping against me. So I let them ride around my neck for the rest of the journey. Miles 6-13 were 8:56; 9:09; 9:15; 9:11; 9:06; 9:27; 9:38 and 9:24.
Up ahead I could see the 4:15 pace group. I thought, “If I could keep this pace I could beat my old record.” A PR without really training? How cool would that be? Soon I started getting hot and struggling a bit so I removed the long sleeve tech shirt I was wearing underneath. It was soaking wet. The cool air gave me a brief sense of renewal and energy. A bit later we caught up to a guy who we had been watching run with an American flag. It was such a privilege to run next to him for a couple of miles as he represented this great country of ours. He probably thought I was man-crushing on him (not that there’s anything wrong with that) because I kept looking at him, watching him hold the flag and watching his form. I just felt honored to be able to witness his dedication and determination first hand. The next 7 miles I could feel my body ever so slowly start to fade as I was approaching new territory in distance for the year. I hadn’t run more than 15 miles at any point this whole year. I knew it was going to be a challenge, and a challenge it was. Miles 14-19 were 9:19; 9:49; 9:30; 9:53; 9:58 and 9:42.
Around mile 19 Laura looked at me with this strange expression. “Are you OK?” she asked. “Yeah, I’m just struggling a little bit. This is new territory for me.” “Yeah, me too. I’ve been looking forward to the second half because I’ve never been in this part of town” she replied. “No” I said. “I mean I haven’t run more than fifteen miles at once all year. We’re almost at mile nineteen now. This is a new distance for me.”…Silence… Then it registered with her. “YOU WHAT???” I just smiled. “Yep. My training got all screwed up and I wasn’t able to run more than fifteen miles”. “ARE YOU CRAZY?” Laura yelled almost half laughing though I know she didn’t think it was a joking matter. “Apparently so” I responded. At this point we were heading into NoDa. I was looking forward to this section of the course because I knew we would be turning back towards town and I was looking forward to getting past the 20 mile mark where everything fell apart last year.
The NoDa people know how to party on a Saturday morning let me tell ya. This was by far my most favorite part of the race. There were several houses with front yards full of people, food, music, fire pits, beer stands. Yes, BEER stands! Up ahead there was a make shift “wall” around the mile 20 mark. At least I think it was 20. My Garmin was showing close to 21. I have friends who’ve ran TR in the past and told me to literally “hit the wall” and run through it. I wasn’t sure I understood what that meant until I saw it. It was such an adrenaline rush seeing the wall and all of the people hanging out around it partying and shouting encouragement. It was definite motivation to push through the proverbial wall. As I was focused on “hitting the wall” I noticed a small table off to the right side just before it. There was some NoDanians (as Shawn calls them) standing around passing out small cups of water. I thought, why not? I felt I was getting dehydrated and even felt some twinges in my hamstring earlier that told me I could get hit with leg cramps down the road. As I grabbed a small cup of water I noticed a larger solo cup with a dark liquid. Someone in the yard yelled “Grab a beer!”. “Beer? You guys have beer?” Anyone that knows me knows that I run to drink beer. I like to use Jack’s moto for UCRR-“Drinkers with a running problem.” My favorite thing to reward myself with after a run is beer. I knew I didn’t have a set goal other than to finish so I treated myself with a beer. Yum… It was a tasty beer too. And I grabbed a banana to get some potassium in me. It was a perfect pairing of a malty brown ale and sweet banana. I decided to enjoy the moment and walk slowly soaking in the atmosphere that is NoDa and the NoDa residents. I was smiling, pumping my fist in the air, rocking to the music. I finished my beer and ran to catch up with Laura and run through the “wall”. “What’s this?” I said shortly after we got through the wall. Another beer stand? Yep. Sure enough another group had a beer table on the other side of the wall. “Don’t mind if I do” I said as I grabbed another beer. And off we went. Mile 20- 10:03
Laura and me after the wall before beer two.
Halfway to mile 21 my right hamstring started screaming at me. It was not happy. “What’s wrong with you?” I asked it. “I’ve given you Gatorade, water, enduralights, and banana…what more do you want from me?” My hammy was having none of it. Apparently he got his buddy, left hammy, in on the act too. Soon my abs joined in on the party. Hell, even my arms on the inside bend of my elbows thought they shouldn’t be left out and started cramping too. I retraced my steps in my mind and thought of all of the Gatorade and water I had taken. Surely it was enough. Well, surely it was, but it also wasn’t. A guy ran past us carrying a Coors Light tall boy. “Maybe it’s the beer causing me to cramp up” I thought, and Laura suggested the same. No, it can’t be the beer. That was only like 10 minutes ago. Then it suddenly hit me. I had gotten up two and half hours before the race to have some coffee and toast and that was all I had until the second water station. I didn’t take in any fluids after I left the house. Nor did I have any other food. I guessed this much about the food because I was feeling hungry around mile 6 or so. But my body depleted itself of much needed fluids before I was even aware. By mile 21 it was too late. The funny thing is I knew better. I always drink lots of water and sports beverage before any long run, not wait until I’m running. But for some reason, it totally slipped my mind. I still had 5 miles to go and I knew it was going to be a battle of my mettle.
Laura, bless her heart. She tried so desperately to inspire me and push me and encourage me to keep fighting. I got so focused on my body cramping that I started tuning her out. By that point I had tuned out pretty much everything around me. It was like I was running in a tunnel. I vaguely remember other runners, crowds, traffic but I really have no recollection of it. I felt like a zombie out there just running around going “mehhhhhh”. Actually more like Frankenstein that became a zombie from the way my body was contorting with the cramping. Finally we hit the “hill”. At least it’s what everyone else called a hill. I replayed the Blue Ridge Relay over and over in my mind. I laughed a bit and said “That’s not a hill!” in my best Crocodile Dundee impersonation (“that’s not a knife” for those of you who have seen the movie). But it probably came out more like “Blahs ot a bleh”. Nope. At that point it was definitely a hill. And I was walking. I had decided that I was going to double the walk/run method and just walk whenever I couldn’t run anymore. As long as I kept moving forward, I thought to myself, I will finish this thing! At some point Laura had commented “Should I ask you if you’re going to run another marathon?” I had told her about me telling my wife last year after I finally finished Kiawah that I would never run another one. If I had to make a choice right then and there to carry me the rest of my life, I would’ve said no. Instead I just half smiled and said “I’m not answering that right now”. I knew that my mind set at that point wasn’t conducive to make such decisions. Laura slowly pulled a few steps ahead of me while turning back to face me and tried to pull me through it. “Come on, walk faster. I can see downtown. The faster you walk the faster we can get there and you can have your beer with your brother” My brother! That’s right! My brother’s band, StellaRising, was playing the finish line stage. (He’s the drummer for those of you interested and maybe had a chance to see them play.) He had planned to hang around after they played so he could hang out and have a few beers with me since we don’t get to see each other very often. “Come on, pick it up!” Laura yelled. “LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!” I screamed back laughingly. She had picked on me earlier about how annoying she would become when I really started struggling. I hope she knew I was only joking because I really appreciated the words of encouragement she was giving me. About halfway up the “hill” another runner ran up beside me and started walking with me. We chatted briefly and I was amazed that he could speak zombie. Soon he said “dude, if we ran these last few miles at an eleven minute pace we can still come in under four and a half.”I responded something like “bleh blah boo blee blee”. I looked ahead and saw Laura watching me intently and I began to pick up my feet to a slow trot. I pushed to the top of the hill, and then I had to walk a bit more. I could see downtown and we looked so far away still. I would run until my legs cramped up then I would walk until it stopped. Run again, walk. Over and over this went on. Run until I cramped then walk it out. The point was to keep moving ahead. An officer saw me struggling as I approached an intersection. I wanted to hurry through because of the waiting traffic. He said to me “Take your time sir. They can wait. Keep walking if you have to. You’ll get there.” And with those words I picked it up again. I was determined to get to the finish. With my head down, looking about ten feet ahead, cursing in agony under my breath (and sometimes out loud) I clicked off the next few miles. Sometimes running, sometimes walking. I checked my Garmin and realized that I actually could break 4:30 if I tried. I became determined. Eventually we came to MLK and mile 26.
As we turned up Laura shouted “Rusty, I can see the finish up ahead. Come on let’s go!” I fought through the cramps and pain. I picked my legs up as fast as I could, quickening my pace. I could see the finish just ahead. And then something happened. The crowd was quiet. The crowd was quiet, I was hurting and I got pissed. “What’s wrong with you people?” I shouted. “Come on, get it up! Let’s go!!!” I started waving my arms upward and shouting and the crowd suddenly came to life. I felt energetic again. My endorphins kicked in, the cramps stopped and my pain went away. The crowd was cheering us in and the announcer even commented on it. At the point of the finish line I looked up to see 4:23:37. I did it. I actually beat 4:30. After severely under training, not hydrating properly and drinking beers at mile 21 I set a PR by 7 minutes. Thunder Road is done. My last race of the season…unless Susan lets me run the Huntersville Half on December 2nd. Miles 21-26.2 were 11:55; 11:13; 11:11; 11:32; 12:54; 11:38 and 10:09.
What worked: Jonathan Savage and Laura Oberbauer.
What didn’t work: Not hydrating properly before the race and not training properly leading up to the race.
Now the question remains, will I ever run another marathon? In the words of Troy, “F**K Yeah!”
* * *
By: Paul Newnham
I signed up for Thunder Road months ago with very little intention of actually caring too much about my time. It would be 18+ months since my last marathon so it seemed like a good idea to get another one under my belt. Early in the summer I stumbled upon my copy of Pfitzinger’s “Advanced Marathoning” and for some reason decided that since I had time I may as well do one of the plans in there. The question was, which one.
With the summer heat on it’s way I made the brilliant decision of going with the 18 week 55-70mpw plan which would put some of my biggest mileage and speed days right through August into September. Those midweek 12mile tempo runs and Saturday 20’s were absolutely brutal but as the summer progressed I knew that I could handle the miles(peaked at just over 70mpw) and I did have some speed in me(two 16 milers at 6:45 pace).
Anyway, early in September after a couple strong training runs I hit on the idea of going for sub3. I’d read enough blog and discussion posts that I what I needed was consistent mileage(check), be injury free(check), lots of medium/long runs at pace(check), and all the stars to be aligned(almost check). When I saw the emails starting to go around regarding pace groups I seized on the opportunity to jump in and let Jonathan Savage lead the way.
As race day approached all the negativity kicked in and I got a cold, felt sluggish, and generally looked around for a solid excuse in case it didn’t work out. Race day gave me more excuses(stuffy nose, cough, chilly weather, convention center closed, forgot my pace tat etc.) I jumped in to the corale next Jonathan who was sporting a crown on his head and thus made for an easy target to spot and follow. And then we were off(and by the way, how about a starter’s pistol or cannon or something other than saying “go”).
I won’t bore you with all the details mile by mile(splits are below,) but I will say that it is next to impossible to even pace the course so focused on Johnathan’s mantra of “steady effort, not steady pace”. The first three miles I didn’t have much motivation in me to make it through the race, but over time I began to feel more comfortable. We built a fairly large group around us and settled in to checking off the miles, and listening to Jonathan dish out advice, wisdom, and words of encouragement.
As you can see in the splits we were dead on at the half, and by then our group had thinned considerably as the halvers split off and some of the group dropped off pace. Mentally I’m feeling really good at this point, and in fact, through mile 19 really enjoyed how the miles were just clicking by.
By mile 22/23 however things started to get a little shaky. I’m still surprised by how tough it got for me. I lost focus and form around 22 and would have slowed down significantly had Jonathan not been there. Between encouragement and blatant name calling Jonathan managed to find the right blend of words to motivate me to the finish. He didn’t need to stay with me(by then we were off pace by a minute or two) but he did, and he focused on helping me dig into my whatever reserves I had to finish up. I’ve always been able to push hard but this was the hardest race I’ve ever finished. I truly found a level of toughness in me that I didn’t know I had.
The last mile or so was a bit of a blur but I do know that after I crossed the finish line I just about collapsed. Jonathan was off to finish up another 10miles and I spent the better part of the next 20minutes just trying to get warm and not pass out. Lesson learned that I need to go straight to find my gear and get warm clothes on!
Sub3 didn’t happen, and though obviously there’s a twinge of disappointment, I have to say that I could not have run this race any differently. I left everything on that course and I can’t look at any particular area where I can say I should have done it differently. For once I have every excuse I need for failing, but have no need for them as I accomplished as much as I could.
Thanks for reading.
1) 6:43.93
2) 7:04.69
3) 6:44.37
4) 6:41.56
5) 6:55.21
6) 6:48.26 – 10k 42:27
7) 6:52.61
6:55.20
9) 6:48.18
10) 6:56.35
11) 6:52.38
12) 6:51.27
13) 6:59.16 – 1/2 split 1:29:57
14) 6:50.48
15) 6:43.06
16) 6:50.88
17) 6:48.75
18) 6:48.48
19) 6:44.11
20) 6:56.92 – 2:16:59
21) 7:05.28
22) 7:20.08
23) 7:01.08
24) 7:13.39
25) 7:29.07
26) 7:28.89
.2) 1:39.85
* * *
By: Christa Phipps
After a week of searching and trying to figure some things out…running wise, I have decided to write a race report. More to close the race out in my mind than anything, however, I know there is much to learn through the struggle of not meeting a goal.
I trained hard for this race and wanted to go strong. I needed this race to show me that last years BQ was not a fluke. I needed to know I could pull off another 3:45 marathon. I needed this to prove to myself that I could go the distance and not falter. However, this was not to be. Now I sit and deal with all the “what if’s” and “I should of’s”.
The day started uneventful. Just like every training run. I got up at 0500 and met with the one who created me, who understands me, who knew what my day would hold, and who would be with me every step of the way. I read my Bible and prayed for a glorious day for me, Michelle, and all my friends who would run.
Michelle and I left for the race and both of us were in agreement that we were calm. I had not told anyone what I wanted to do in this race. I had just said I would line up with Ed and the 3:45 pace group and see what happened. That is what I did….
The gun went off and we were running….
Mile 1 – 5 came and went. I just focused on staying with Ed. I noticed that my stomach was starting to feel weird and my legs were not turning over. However, I felt like I would bounce back after I took a gel.
mile 1 – 5: 8:36, 8:35, 8:16, 8:19, 8:25
Around mile 5.5 I took my first gel just like I did every training run. But I noticed it was not working well with my stomach. Mark Ulrich joined us and I felt like this would push me on. During mile 6 – 7, I started playing the I want to turn off at the half point game in my head…WHAT! No!
I promised myself I would run with the pace group to the half turnoff then if I did not feel any better, I would just turn off and run the half. I noticed I was now 1 step behind Michelle. I was having a hard time keeping it together. And I would have turned off at the half point, if I had remembered passing it.
I really should have quit. I cannot recall mile 11 to just past turning onto Morehead. I remember thinking, “How did we get here?”
Mile 6 – 13 splits: 8:22, 8:30, 8:32, 8:23, 8:26, 8:25, 8:24, 8:45
Then Mark asks me if I’m OK. This jolts me back into reality. I try to figure out where I am, why I’m doing this, and why I haven’t stopped yet. I told him I wasn’t doing well so he suggests just slowing down for a few miles. After I admitted I was feeling bad, my times start going up…up…up. Mark was wonderful and encouraging. However, I could not pull it together enough to get back on pace.
Mile 17 I see my wonderful family. I hear my husband yelling at me to get on pace. I see my sweet children yelling for me to finish. My oldest daughter, Abigayle had written me a note the night before. She had expressed how proud she felt every time I crossed the finish line of a marathon. So I decided I would finish. I knew I would not meet my goal, but for my children, I would finish what I started…. no matter how messy it would be.
Mile 14 – 19: 8:54, 8:56, 9:03, 9:22, 9:43, 9:16
At mile 20 I saw 2 angels waiting to run the last 10k… Holly and Denise! They looked so fresh and cute! I would have cried but I was too dehydrated. No tears would come out. I do remembering going through the wall at NoDa and wishing it would have fallen on me…. I could have stopped then!
At mile 21, I saw my family again. My mom and dad had joined Matt and my girls. Funny how even at my age, I just wanted my mom! She is a 2x cancer survivor and the strongest person I know. This gave me a small boost. I had upped the pace to a 9:09! =)
However, I soon was reminded how much time it took when you have to stop on the side of the road to throw up.
I would run, stop, run, stop, run stop. Somewhere along the Plaza, Theoden passed me. He said something encouraging but I honestly would not have known it was him, except that Holly said his name. I remember thinking that a really cute girl was running with him but I could not figure out who she was…. It was Kara. I didn’t know it was her until I read her race report.
Mile 20-26: 9:09, 10:38, 10:01, 10:30, 10:48, 12:34, 9:08
As Holly and I turned the corner and ran I saw my family! My Maggie (who HATES running) got on the course and ran me in. This made all my pain worth it.
After it was finally over, all us girls got a picture!
After this race, I have to admit my ego took a blow. I felt like I showed a side of me to everyone that I don’t like to show. I don’t want to appear weak or unable. But that is what I felt like I showed to everyone. However, as I read the reports from others and talked to everyone, I soon noticed they did not think this. They understood… Some have been where I am!
All my non-running friends keep saying…”Hey, you finished!” But finishing isn’t enough anymore. I feel like I need to finish well. But maybe it is enough. Maybe I should be glad that I was able to finish, even with the way I felt and the stopping to try to puke and the pain. Maybe I should be satisfied…but I’m not! I need to know I can do a 3:45 again. Not to requalify, but for principle.
This race is now behind me and I will not speak of it again.
Now I look toward Boston!
Let the training begin!
