I had high hopes for the Tri-Cities marathon in eastern Washington State. I was feeling great. My body was fresh and strong after a two week vacation which included one week that I logged 40 training miles at high altitude (and hills!). I approached the weekend knowing I was ready to smash that 4 hour barrier. The Friday evening weather report was favorable, too. Low’s in the mid 30’s, highs in the mid 60’s, light winds, sunshine. I even slept well the night before the race, confident that I had done everything right.
I woke on race morning to cold, clear skies and horrid winds. The revised weather report called for sustained winds 30-40 mph with gusts to 60. The marathon course follows a river that runs east to west. The winds were coming from the south which meant primarily a side wind with a slight tail wind on the way out and slight head wind on the way back. I had planned on running a negative split, but with the weather conditions made a last minute decision to change my strategy. I decided to use whatever tail wind was present and bank some time on the way out, then ease up on the way back and hope for the best. The first half was wonderful. I felt like a kid playing in the autumn leaves. Occasional gusts blew the hat from my head and I’d have to detour to catch it. I hit the halfway point in 1:52, a nice half-marathon PR for me and I hadn’t even put out an effort yet.
Then it happened….
The wind shifted. Some time during the last miles of the “Out” portion of the race, the wind shifted to blow from the west. The river was now churning with 4 foot chop and white caps. We crossed the river at mile 17 to begin our journey back and were hit with a wall of wind. It stopped everyone in their tracks. The runners had bunched up and were at a 45 degree angle fighting the head wind. There was still enough of a side wind to slam your raised foot into your other foot, tripping runners and bruising ankles. Tumble weeds were appearing out of nowhere causing all sorts of problems for the wheel chair athletes. Lots of people were walking. Walking kept one foot planted and minimized your chances of blowing off course or into another runner. I started a walk/run rotation since walking seemed as fast as running. I looked at my watch; although I felt I was standing still somehow I was covering a mile each 12 minutes. My quads and ITBs were tiring from pushing against the wind AND I was still having fun! Out of nowhere I managed to find the strength to start continuous running again at mile 20 and I was running well. By mile 22 I was back to sub-9 minute miles. As I approached the finish, I knew I wouldn’t break that 4 hour barrier but I also knew I had an outstanding run and lots left in the tank. I was thrilled to cross the finish line in 4:03 something… a new PR for me. I was even more excited about my performance when I heard about all the PW's that people were clocking….
I even came away with a 2nd in my age group. It was far and away my best marathon. Not just a PR, but I felt so good through out the race. My heart rate stayed low and my energy stayed up. I felt this was truly a “mental” marathon and I faced the challenge.
Unfortunately the adventure was not over for the western Washington marathoners: the same wacky weather dumped unexpected snow and hail on the mountain passes. Two of the main routes back to Seattle were closed for hours, leaving many of us stranded on the wrong side of the mountain range. Mr. Dove and I detoured south and avoided most of the mess but still added hours to our drive home.
Fashion Report: Yellow Marathon Maniacs singlet, black knit gloves, black hat, black running skirt, Brooks Adrenalines and diamond studs. I topped it off with a coating of Dove’s Secret Sauce on the legs (baby oil and Red Hot liniment) that collected all the blowing dust, maple leaves and even a few tumbleweeds on the course so that I looked like Pigpen when I rolled across the finish line.
