Race Report- The Space Coast Marathon, Cocoa, Florida
Conditions: 80 degrees, sunny, cloudless, windy (10-15 mph), humid, and dewpoint around 70.
Race prep: Mostly did half-marathon specific stuff, but got a pair of 17 mile runs and a 20 mile run in in the weeks leading up to it with a full taper minus a marathon-paced 13.1 about two weeks before (6:05 average).
The race: So this was my second ever marathon, so my expectations were all over the place. The race started off with me following the lead group in 5th overall by the first half mile. I was hoping to run at about a 6:05 pace, and started off running quite well, as I just wanted to ease into that pace. By mile 4, I had run a 6:10, 6:07, 6:05, and had moved into a group of 3 runners way behind the lead runner (and eventual winner). We sat together for a bit talking and just enjoying everything. One of the runners (Marc Burget) had mentioned he had been injured after Boston so he was taking it easy this race and he said he was shooting for a 2:40-2:42, so I figured he’d be a good one to pace with as he’s done that before. He is normally a low 2:30s marathoner, so I felt I could trust his pacing. This was also nice as talking passed the time and he even offered/gave me one of his GUs at mile 8 when they didn’t have the box of GUs opened up for the runners yet, which meant I didn’t have to stop. We were clicking along at 6:04-6:05 up until around mile 10 and then we just slowly dropped the pace to 5:55-6:00 for the next 5 miles or so. This turned out to be a terrible idea for both of us. We both went through the halfway point at around 1:19:30 or so with him a couple of seconds back, but I could really tell he was breathing much harder than me, so as he slowed down a bit, I kept the pace (which turned out to be 2 more miles) since I felt fine.
Mile 15 was really the turning point for me (and likely Marc as well). The sun had fully risen into view and the heat really started getting at me. I had prepared and drank at every water stop the entire race except one (the stupid one without the GU that was being overrun anyway by runner’s going the other direction), but it just wasn’t enough for the conditions. I could taste the salt on my lips and feel it on my face at mile 15 and immediately knew I was in trouble even if my pace wasn’t suffering yet. Even with 2 Gus and about 12 half-cups of water at that point, I just wasn’t hydrating well enough at all. Mile 16 was a 6:12, Mile 17 was a 6:18, and I knew that I was in even bigger trouble as the cramping began. First the quads, then the hamstrings, then the calves, then the side of my abdomen. Fortunately, Marc had caught up to me, however he must have been hurting a bit too since we locked into a 6:40-6:50 pace. We were able to use each other as a crutch for the next couple miles until about mile 24. Neither of us were breathing hard, but our gaits were just a mess trying to battle through it, so we battled it by giving each other encouragement. Mile 24- 26 were terrible- somewhere in the 7:00-7:30 range at best, but I don’t even want to check my watch to guess. I also felt like I was moving in slow motion and was incredibly sloppy with my footfalls. I wanted and felt like I could speed up at any moment, but even a slight lean forward made the cramps spastically retract my muscles and my legs just wouldn’t fight through it. So, to compensate and to make sure Marc didn’t get too far ahead, I’d throw in 10 second bursts to catch and pass Marc, and then suffer some pain for the next 20-30 seconds or so. In retrospect, it must have been kind of funny to watch. I was trying everything to speed up, even moving to running more on my heels to try and stretch my legs, but it had been too late for that for a while now.
During the last half mile, Marc had found another gear and I just couldn’t will myself to catch him, as he crossed about 20 seconds in front of me for second place. I loped in after that in third place and congratulated him and thanked him for helping me along. In the end, I could do nothing but feel sincerely gratuitous for him though. Without him there, the conversation, and just using each other to will ourselves faster, I think I would have had an extra 10 minutes slower on my final time.
Overall… I think I can honestly say I just need to practice more marathons. That’s really it. I need more long tempos, more marathons, and more confidence in myself in that distance. My body will get used to it, and I will learn how to fuel better. I’m just a slow learner I suppose. The first 15 miles really felt fantastic though, and even speeding up during miles 10-15 felt right at the time, so that’s a positive sign. I guess the nine minute PR is also a nice final thought for me to hang my hat on, so at least I can focus on the positives a bit and learn from the negatives.
Splits: I can't bear to look right now.
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