Notes
Illinois Marathon!
Race day comes around and I wake up with half a sore throat. Nervous is an understatement for how I'm feeling. All my other marathons I've just gone into happy with PRing, I've never gone in with a specific time goal. My stomach feels uneasy and before the start I throw up. Not good, there goes my breakfast. So I feel kind of out of it and not sure today is going to go well. Do some legs swings with Arturo and Leonel but that's about it for warming up. But then I'm standing on the line with a ton of IXC and elite people and I start to feel more relaxed. It was so cool having so many teammates with me, I have been so used to being alone on marathon race day.
Gun goes off and I race ahead and pack up with the Illinois Elite group. I am so thankful for them. I treated this race like our peak long run where I told myself I wouldn't be afraid of fast splits. We're cruising along hitting 6:45 miles, I'm feeling pretty good and keep reminding myself to try to feel as relaxed as possible and try and control my breathing. I eat at the 45' and 90' and stomach is feeling alright. There's a sprinkle of rain at the 10 mile mark and we get worried, good thing it didn't keep raining. At about the 12/12.5 mile mark Emma G, Richard, and Julia join the race. The Illinois Elite group starts picking it up to ~6:35 pace and I'm thinking that's not the move for me. Leonel goes with them at the halfway point.
Now it's me, Julia, Muneeb, and Richard. Richard is making Richard jokes and I am appreciative but did not have enough breath to respond. Julia keeps running a little bit ahead to try and pull me faster. I should have maybe ate a little better after the 2 hr point, but stomach wasn't feeling 100% so I had like one clif shot blok around 2:20:00. We're slipping into 7:00 pace around mile 16 and I'm getting a little worried about this breaking 3 thing. Around mile 18/19 I get a decent second wind and Julia and I separate from Muneeb and Richard.
I absolutely could not have done this race and broken 3 without Julia. Julia, your words of encouragement, pacing, wind blocking, and water carrying was amazing. The second half (in Champaign) was so empty. Without Julia I would have been alone and certainly might have slowed down. This race was so different (small) from the other marathons I've done. Julia, thank you for being an amazing training partner and best friend to me, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. Looking forward to when we run a marathon together for real sometime someday.
Around mile 20 we started running some 7/7:15 miles. Around mile 22 Julia says "this is where you're going to break 3 or not". By mile 24/25 I'm fading a little. I know that Julia is leaving soon. At 25 I'm by myself, time to finish. I'm running with the usual middle aged men who are plenty aware we're the cut off group of breaking 3. They're grunting and making all these encouraging comments to themselves. But best part is we're running country club, I know this route! We're coming closer to the stadium, I turn onto first street and see Emma G who yells that I have to turn over. I look at my watch, I'm not sure if I can make it. I'm coming closer to the stadium and I hear the announcer say "30 seconds to break 3 hours!" (AHH) I start kicking as fast as I can: 2:59:50 (chip time) I AM AMAZED. Take a few steps, take a break on the ground, find the rest of the illinois runners, Straw, and my parents. I feel on top of the world (despite looking out of it and having salt all over my face).
I loved this race, finishing in the stadium was cool, running with teammates was even cooler. New York 2019 coming next. Not sure what the one after that will be. Very much looking forward to grad school this fall and running with the Illinois Elite group.
Unfortunately this race I was pretty glued to my watch, I hope that can be different in the future now that I have this confidence boost of a race.
LEGS HURT A LOT.