Wenatchee Marathon Race Report

Wenatchee Marathon Race Report In All Its Good, Bad, and Ugly

It seems if it could go wrong it did. I think I can truthfully say, never again. I know, I know, many say that and then get bitten by the bug. But as someone said to me yesterday. Half can be fun and without the threat of death (usually). So now that is out there, on to the report. If you are a stat person here is the address for my Garmin activity: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/750218067. 

Friday night: arrived Wenatchee early enough to get a ground floor room. Down side. I had signed for a second night thinking the room would have a tub to soak in. (I don't have one). It didn't. Boo.  We went to the expo where I decided their shirts ran a little too small. While I was about to take a men's because they only had women's in the size I had, a woman arrived wanting to trade hers in. We just traded shirts. That was good. Daughter got to try on different styles of Hokas. Nice dinner at the WokAbout . Then she who usually goes to sleep between 8 and 9 tossed and turned and read and showered until 12:30. Alarm was set for 4:30. Not so good.

Saturday: nice breakfast of frittata provided by daughter, almost decent coffee and then discover that my phone decided to purge my carefully constructed play list. Fortunately all the songs were still there, just not the order. So play list reduced to just a shuffle that had to be restarted at 20 miles. Without tunes it would have been a really really long day.

Early start 6:30. There were quite few of us. That was good. None of the aid stations were to be set up for another hour and a half. This was not so good. I was ok, but most of the starters were not carrying any hydration. It was mile 8 before I came to a functioning aid station. As an aside, the aide stations were plenty but they were placed oddly. Clumps of them and then long stretch of nothing. Weird. On the other hand, there seemed no shortage of volunteers. Many orange volunteer shirts where ever you looked.

My race started well. I had a plan and I was keeping to it and on schedule for a 5:30-5:40 finish. 17/30 up to mile 8 at 12:50-13:00 minute miles. At mile 8 moved to 17/25, with a 12:40/45 goal. Still on plan. A couple of hills slowed me back to the 13 range at miles 15 and 16. Batetween 9:30 (3 to 3.5 hours into the race) it became noticeably hot. At 6:30 and 48 degrees we were already 15 degrees warmer than last week. By 10 am we were well on our way to 75 degrees. I had dressed knowing it would be warmer and could feel salt crusting on my face. Miles 17-19 I slowed down to 14 and 15 minute miles to compensate for the heat. In the meantime I'm drinking water every hour and skratch (electrolyte solution served at aide stations) at every opportunity.

Then it mile 20 it happened. Suddenly and without warning the inside of my right thigh knotted. It was painful enough to stop me short and I hobbled to a sign post to grab and stretch out the tissue. The

spasm let up and I started walking; broke into a run and my foot turned out on its own and my heel tried to find the back of my knee. Stretched it out again, started walking again. Every time I would try to break into a run, and on a lesser scale when ascending a hill, either the outside of my left thigh or the inside of the right one would spasm and my feel took on a life of their own, twisting in odd direction. In addition, my feet hurt terribly. They usually do after 15 miles, but this was different, this felt like blisters. I don't get blisters. Well. Nothing to be done for that at this point.

Stop, stretch, walk, evaluate. I knew I wasn't injured because I had experience this once before during a run, but it hurt like crazy and hindered my ability to run. Decision time. Quit? No. Too much time and effort and funds had gone into getting to this point and it was too close to the end. Because I knew it wasn't an injury and I seemed to be able to keep moving forward as long as I kept it to a walk, I evaluated my goal. My goal was to finish, finish vertical and ventilating and uninjured. I opted to continue but stay at a walk. I texted my Sherpa (incredibly awesome and supportive daughter) what was going on and asked her to still meet me at mile 22 with a full caffeine/sugar filled coke.

Miles 20-24 dropped to 16, 17 and even one 18 minute mile with an occasional stretch out. Dropped the coke bomb at 22 and kept walking. Awesome Sherpa daughter kept pace with me on her bike and was a help just being there even though there really wasn't anything to be done for it but keep walking or quit and cry. Mileage pace began to pick up a little, then between miles 23 and 24 that dreaded thing runners fear began to encroach. The coke had done its work but it also began to work on my gut in spite of 2 Imodium the night before and 2 morning of the race. And, wouldn't you know it, we were on one of those stretches where facilities were sparse. I thought I was going to have to get further into the next park we were to enter but then, right around the bend, when I thought I was really in trouble, there were 3 port-a-johns, complete with tissue. Hallelujah! Happy camper.

From there, relieved and revived by previous mentioned coca cola, time fell to 16 mm and we cruised into the finish line at 6:15:19 and an overall pace of 14:20 which included stopping and stretching and the brief necessary stop.  The training carried me even through the unforeseen.

From there is was after race food, etc. and keep walking. I checked the terminals for my official time and lo and behold I was listed as 1/1 for age div. I checked in with the RD to see if when all is said and done if early starts were eligible for age awards. He said yes but to check back. We went to lunch. I was hungry but had a hard time eating. My body just didn't feel like it wanted to accept the food. After lunch which was now beyond my time duration withing the official start and still 1/1, so they gave me the award. I went back on line later and there was finally a second person in my age group and she came in more than 2 hours after I did.

There you have it. In spite of an incredibly poor time I still snagged a first for age. Out of 160 marathon participants only 2 (1.25% ) were in my age division. Now that should tell you how crazy I am. Last year my big goal was to ride a century and participate in a duathlon. I did. This year it was finish a marathon. I did. I will probably never ride 100 miles in one go again and will likely never run another marathon; but I have the knowledge I could and did. I think the Half will be my game for challenge and it is still fun.

I must confess, in spite of having a plethora of healthy food at my finger tips, I ordered room service; which in the case of this establishment mean Dominos. I was definitely craving salty.  Slept well that night and woke early to drive home. Have blisters worth naming but now that they've drained don't hurt too bad. I don't know why I got them this time; I wore the same shoes and same brand socks as I wore on my 27 mile training run. In two years no blisters. Heat combined with the distance is the one change. Only aches and pains are my hips and gluts which stiffen up when I sit and make it hard to get moving again. It's the kind of ache that fades over a few days. Once moving, mostly all is ok.

It was on the way home the emotional impact of what I had accomplished just the day before hit and the tears came. In spite of Good, Bad, and Ugly all rolled into one, it was something  no one could have ever imagined. If you have known me long then you know too. If you haven't and you are reading this on blogger, read the picture in the top right column. I believe miracles happen.

About the Wenatchee Marathon. It is a small event but a Boston Qualifier. Other than no aide stations for early start it is a pretty well organized event, but so low key you wonder if anyone is in charge. The course is mostly asphalt trails along the Columbia river with views of the Cascade mountains. I would not call it a flat course, but it is not arduous. Total elevation gain over the 26.2 mile double loop is 1309 feet.