Sunday, March 10, 2013

Asheville Marathon Race Report

This race started off as being a great way for Kristen to see her parent and me to run a race that is different from the norm.  Being only my second actual marathon and with Terrapin 50k closing in the I didn't want to run this race as hard as possible, but to have fun with it.  I wanted to take it easy and enjoy it.

Well as the race weekend got close I kept on eyeing the weather forecast.  I was hoping for a race in the 40s at least so I could enjoy it a bit and not worry about it being too cold.  Well as the race got closer my hopes and chances at that were not looking good.  The forecast was 25-32 and by the time you add in the 10-20mph wind the wind chill was 15-27.  I have run in those temps before, but usually not for so long and certainly not with the wind usually.  I usually overdress so I knew I was going with just shorts, but on the top I went with a short sleeved shirt and a long sleeve one over top of that along with gloves.  I had run in that clothing on Candlers Mtn before and even in the snow and felt fine.  I thought it would work and keep me warm after I got going.

Race day was here and the temps were just what they were calling for.  The water stops were suppose to have GU gels and GU chomps so I only brought one pack of chomps and 4 gels.  We were a little late to the start, but we weren't alone and they had pushed the start to 7:15.  I used a nice looking spot for a last minute pit stop since the lines to the porta johns were pretty long.  I got in line at the start and got my watch ready.  I said a quick prayer for the race and we were off!

I hung with 4:00 pace group starting off, but had no intention of really hanging on to them.  I wanted to get warm more than anything else.  We climbed up a bit to the pace where Kristen had her prom years ago.  It was the first building we saw that day.  It was as we descended down the hill that I saw a sight that just put me in my place. I got passed by a guy who must have been at least 60 or better.  He was in some fairly short shorts and had on running tank top.  I just watched as he pulled away down the hill.  I half expected the guy to be wearing the old school waffle pattern shoes.  How he wasn't frozen is beyond me.

As I started to climb up the gradual hill at mile 3 I came upon another runner and we had a little chat.  He was running his second marathon like me, but he had run 3 50k's.  The bombshell he dropped on me was he was running a 50 miler that coming Saturday.  Just 6 days away!  I wished him good luck and to take today a bit easy.  We parted ways as we topped the hill and started running through the water stop at mile 5.  This water stop was pretty neat because they read names off the race bib and cheered you on by name.  Just got some water and it wasn't long until we took the right turn to the Biltmore house.


I was sure to stop for a second to get an honest picture here as this is what made the race very unique.  The guy in the red shirt is the person I had been talking to the last bit.  As I made the turn in front of the house I was coming up on mile 6 and I had about 58 minutes on my watch for the opening section.  I made my way through the gardens, but they weren't exactly in bloom yet.  It was at this point my stomach sent a warning shot across my bow basically.  I knew this wasn't going to get better.  Being an ultra runner I began to be on the search for a tree or porta john.  Either works just as well in my own view.   I went past the Bass pond and it is a nice view along with the waterfall at the end of it.  I kept on thinking that these views would be really perfect if I were on some dirt single track.

Around mile 7 we got on a gravel road with some horse in the middle as we ran around where they were.  They looked like they were mocking us by running from one end to the other.  After we turned at the end we started down a long straight section that I knew would have to last for 3 miles.  It was at this point that we were totally our from behind any trees and the wind finally tore into us full strength.  It was a head on wind for the next 3 miles.  Any idea of warmth was stripped away.

As I neared the bridge and mile 10 my stomach warned that bad things were on there were if I didn't heed the warning.  I pasted porta johns, but all had a line of a few people.  Call it stubborn or whatever, but I wouldn't wait in a 3 person deep line just yet.  I saw Kristen, my parents and her's as I crossed the bridge to do what would be the next 10.  My stomach was now screaming to find a spot to stop or else.  I saw what would have been a perfect spot only to see the local security for the grounds with a car parked near by.  As I neared mile 11 I saw two porta johns at the water stop and no line.  I knew this was my chance.  I only had to wait for the person in it and I finally was able to get relief.  I came out to hear my watch beep 11 miles soon after.  That mile had take 13 minutes.  I knew it was time to make up for it.

This was the turning point in the race in many ways.  This was a run that was suppose to be a nice fun run, but I was pretty cold and it didn't look to be getting any better.  I also wanted to make up some of the spots I lost at my pit stop.  I knew there was a long way yet to go, but I figured I would try to reel in one person at a time from there on out.  From here the course hit some hills.  I had to grin a bit as hills are what I see week in and week out on Wednesday nights and most weekends.  I started to gain and pass groups.  We had a section of out and back to get to the halfway mark.  It was downhill to it and it was a one lane gravel road which made passing hard at spots.  I came into halfway around 2:08.  I passed people up the hill and realized I might want to eat something.  I had eaten a gel, but needed some chomps now and I got them down before getting back to the water stop so I could wash them down a bit.  The fun part was the water in the cups were freezing.

The course wound its way around to another lake and the vineyard along with another hill.  I kept on catching and passing people.  Another water stop and another frozen cup.  At times I thought the wind was going to blow me off of some of these hill tops.  I ran across the dam and snapped a quick picture or two and as I came up Dam Hill I happened upon the guy from earlier in the day who had his 50 miler coming up.  I passed him as we topped a kind of steep, but short hill.  We had a few words in the passing and I kept on moving.  I had some people who were on the 2nd inner loop pass by me a times and I would hold pace with them for a bit.  They had roughly a 2 mile lead on me at that point.  I went past the bridge from earlier and started the inner loop.  This one had another nice steady climbing hill to the water stop at mile 19.  I was really catching and pass people on these climbs.  I admit I loved every bit of it.  I had tried to open a pack of the chomps, but the small sample sizes at the water stop had no tear open spot on them.  I had even tried using my teeth on them, but to no avail so I was just able to keep doing gels instead.  I went back across the dam again and was soon going past mile 20.  I crossed this at about 3:15.  My first 10k of the day was about 58-59 minutes.  I had 20 miles on my legs now and they were starting to remind me of that fact.

I crossed the bridge back to the other side for what would be a 10k out and back more or less.  I saw Kristen and her parents again.  I asked if they had a knife to cut open the GU Chomps I had been trying to open.  No luck so off to finish the race.  I was still feeling pretty good since I was catching and passing people.  Some that I remembered passing me at the start of the race.  All of sudden a pain shot up my right leg.  It originated from my the right side opposite of where the ankle bone is.  I changed my stride and fast to what looked very awkward to anyone near me I'm sure.  After about 20 steps I went back to my regular stride and it didn't shoot the pain so back to the run.  Around now at mile 21 the 4:15 pace leader passed me.  I figured I would fall in and keep his pace.  He slowly but surely kept pulling away.  I was trying to hold him, but it just wasn't happening.  His average mile needed to be 9:40ish to get the finishing time.  I looked down to see 9:10 pace on my watch.  I was still catching and passing people, but just wasn't closing the gap to this pace guy.

As we neared the turn around at about mile 23 I figured I would keep up my pace and not worry about the pace guy.  I wasn't going to let up on my pace, but wasn't going to worry about him.  I got my last cup of water for the race and 2 slices of an orange.  I bit into the slice and it was half near frozen.  I made the comment to the crew at the water stop, "Hmm.. frozen OJ".  It was at least something in my stomach for the last 5k.  I was going hard and was catching people by the truck loads.  As most I'm sure did the 20 mile training run, they were nearing the end of what they were willing to run.  I past packs of 4 and 5 people at a time.  As I neared mile 24 I saw mister 4:15 pace guy getting closer.  At this point I felt like a shark that just got the scent of blood.  The wind was blowing and I was frozen, but I put my head down and I pushed hard.  A little before mile 25 I caught and passed mister 4:15 pace guy.  I made a quick comment that he was killing me trying to run him down.  This last mile was going to be all I was worth.  I kept passing people and I was enjoying that, but I felt close to a block of ice and wanted to be done!

Earlier in the day around mile 4 I had heard some of my newly added songs to my MP3 player.  I made a small prayer almost saying I wanted to end the race to my Veggie Tales song I recently put on it by the Newsboys.  At mile 4 I said I might even stop to get that song.  In that last mile I knew I wasn't about to stop and try to find the song not to mention I don't think my hands had the feeling in them to get the song playing.  Lo and behold with about a half mile to go, the Veggie Tale song comes on!  I was pumped even more.  I reeled in and past a few more people on the way to the finish.  I saw Kristen and my parents as I made the last turn to the finish line.  4:11:20 chip time.  237 out of about 1000.

It was nice race all in all.  The wind had made it unbearable at points and the temps combined to really make it a hard day.  I am not sure if I have run that long and been that cold.  They gave a finishing blanket to go along with a finisher's medal (piece of wood in this case).  I wanted to get warm more than anything.  I went to the massage tent, but the line wasn't worth the wait.  I went to a heated bathroom and finally was able to change and start to warm up.  The warm shower afterwards was the best feeling I felt all day!  Had the weather been a bit more cooperative, it would have made for a more enjoyable run.  However, it was still a pretty neat run and was nice that it wasn't all asphalt.  The out and back section at the end was the only part I didn't care much for.  The views were nice on the rest of the course.  The other fun note was my parents were tired from getting up that early and then being in the cold so about 45 minutes into the drive back to Lynchburg the guy that ran the marathon got tapped to be the driver...The Lord was merciful helped me get us back and in good time.  I did the barrage of caffeine along with water so between that and my bladder I had something to keep me awake.  I was tried for sure and I was actually in the bed by 10 something that night, which nearly never happens.  I slept like a rock.  Fun weekend and glad to be warm again!

My YouTube video of the race is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0flSuODHFxo&list=UUDRXE9v_w4tn3ffL1G3LSRQ&index=1

Blake E.


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