New York Marathon Race Report

NEW YORK MARATHON RACE REPORT - NOVEMBER 2015

BACKGROUND

The New York Marathon is something I’ve wanted to do for the past 3+ years.  I was scheduled to run the race in 2012 but due to the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, the race was cancelled.  Not only did I feel bad for the people of New York but I was very disappointed because my training had gone exceptionally well.  I seem susceptible to random injuries before big races and that did not occur so I was primed and ready!  

At the time I didn’t realize that I was getting the start of an overuse injury that I would sustain indefinitely.  The injury is piriformis syndrome and it is evil.  

TRAINING 

Training did not go well.  I have been battling injuries ever since 2012 and have not allowed myself to heal.  I always thought surely I would be healed up before the next big race because most major races you have to sign up for months in advance.  This has not been the case.  I have been getting away with allowing myself to heal a little bit and then going right back at it before being 100%.  My body finally said “ENOUGH!” and started giving me pain throughout my whole pelvis, back and hamstrings.   

My long runs consisted of one 18 mile run, 14 mile run and 12 mile run.  All others were 9 miles or less.  My typical plan would have had me doing a few 20 milers and a couple 22s.  I’ve spent hours doing PT, going to my chiropractor, getting tortuous massages and pain treatment. All of these things helped but didn’t eliminate the problem.   Underprepared and in pain was how I was going to have to go into this.   I struggled to accept the fact that there would be no PR and that walking a good portion of the marathon might be my reality.  I figured if I finished under 4 hours it would probably be a good day.   I decided I was going to have fun with this marathon. I got a Wonder Woman outfit, planned on taking pictures and thought maybe I’d look for anyone handing out beers. 

RACE DAY

Breakfast on race morning was a bowl of oatmeal and some coffee.  The race starts on Staten Island and I had signed up to take the ferry to the start.  Getting to the ferry was a little nerve racking when the cab driver didn’t know which way to go.  Seriously???  He was born and raised in Queens.  Oh well, got there on time and got a seat on the outside balcony.  I loved being on the water and getting pictures of the Statue of Liberty.  It was very peaceful and I was more relaxed than I ever have been before a race since I knew I wasn’t shooting for a time.  I said some prayers for a race day miracle and chatted with other runners.   I brought some chia pudding, blueberries and a banana with me to eat once I got to Staten Island and was in my corral.

The runners begin the race by running over the Verrazano Narrows bridge which has 2 levels.  I was fortunate my corral started on the top level so I had beautiful views of the water and New York once I started.  “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra played from the speakers.  Helicopters were overhead.  With my new relaxed attitude, I took out my phone and shot photos and videos. My first five miles were faster than I thought I should be (sub 8:00 pace) and I told myself to back down so I would hopefully not be miserable by the end of the run.  

Funny seeing you here!

My prayers for a miracle were answered around mile 8 .  I saw a runner up ahead of me and realized I recognized her running gait.  Could out of 50,000 runners representing 130 countries on the course, a running friends of mine from Scottsdale be just up ahead?  I knew a couple of my friends from Scottsdale were in New York for the race but hadn’t talked to them.  I decided I needed to speed up and investigate.  I was elated to see it was my friend Rebecca.  Unfortunately, she has been plagued with a lot of the same overuse injuries as myself.  We decided to stick together and push each other through.  She told me it looked like I was moving pretty well.  I warned her that I was real good at running 9 miles since that was the average distance of my training runs so we’d see what would happen after that.  We settled into a pace that was consistent with my training pace so I thought that was good.  I actually wasn’t even looking at my watch because I wasn’t supposed to be caring about my time. 

The pain started as little zingers in my hamstrings around mile 10.  The real pain started though at the halfway point when my feet started to ache.  Every step hurt, especially the right foot.   I have never been in such prolonged physical pain in my life.  By mile 25, I would get these weird, bad tingles that would radiate from my right foot up into my arms.  I was so happy when I crossed the finish line.  I was also amazed at how much pain I could endure when properly motivated.  I finished in 3:51, nowhere near my potential but I was happy. 

The many faces of pain!!!  Eek!

The support I had during this race is what defined it for me.  If I didn’t have a friend with me during this run, I would have walked and been out there a lot longer than under 4 hours. It was such a comfort to run with a friend. Also, the spectators in New York are awesome and loud!  Spectators are not allowed on the bridges so it is very quiet with just the sounds of shoes hitting the pavement and breathing. When you come off a bridge and enter one of the boroughs, you just hear a roar of cheering.  It was emotional for me when I’d get struck with the sounds to be part of something so big and wonderful and fun.  I slapped hands with so many people. I loved being Wonder Woman!  People love cheering for Wonder Woman!   I heard how I was awesome and looking great for miles.  By the end, it was evident I was in agony and people were telling Wonder Woman to hang on.  My husband Kirk and friends Nicki and Adam were cheering for me on 1st Ave and it was fun looking for them and seeing them cheer.  This is what helped my hold and finish.  

Not only did I have a lot of support during the race but also a lot to get me to the starting line.  

Thank you to Ian at Endurance Rehab for getting me in the day after I sent him a desperate email  with the subject line of, “Help, I can’t run!” 

Thank you to Don Wong for your tortuous massages.  I’m sure you understand the love/hate feelings I have about your care.  

Thank you to Terri Hollander for setting me up with Dr. Jonathan Carlson at Arizona Pain.  My back and hamstrings weren’t my problem on race day because of you.

Mission Accomplished!

Thank you to Dr. Justin Pierce at Valley Spinal Care for keeping me in line and for listening to all my tales of injury woes for the past few years.

Actually, thank you to everyone who knows me for listening to my injury issues.  I mean it this time when I say I’m taking time off to heal.   If you see me at a race in the next few months, tie me up and throw me in the back of a car.  

Thank you to my One and One Elite teammates for their encouragement and support!

Thank you to my wonderful family who lets me do this.  Thank you to my mother in law, Kathi Marshall for watching the kids so Kirk and I could go for a kidless trip to New York.  Also thank you to Carla Grande for her awesome hospitality in New York.  She has the best bed and breakfast in Greenwich Village!  www.greenwichvillagehome.com/

Finally, thank you to my husband Kirk who supports me and loves me through all of this.

TOUGHMAN 70.3 6/21/2014 RACE REPORT - Jenni Marshall

Race Week

Toughman 70.3 in Show Low, AZ was the race I’ve been working towards this spring and summer.   Goals for this race were to PR from last year’s time of 5:37 and to be able to run off of the bike.  I had recently had my heart rate zones for the bike tested for the first time and felt that armed with this knowledge, I would hopefully keep myself under control on the bike and leave enough energy for a successful run.  

Race Morning

Breakfast - Steel cut oatmeal, greek yogurt with honey, 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder in coconut water with a packet of orange Emergen-C, coffee, water.

Warm-Up - I do not follow my own advice about warming up.  Didn’t warm up except for a few yards of swimming before the swim start.    

RACE

Swim - 1500M (shortened course)

Goals: Time Goal: 33:00 / 1:43 pace (this goal was based on the original distance of 1.2 miles.) 

Non time Goal: Build, stay focused, don’t coast

Results: Official time: 26:18; 1:45 pace 

I built through the swim which was good, especially with no warm up and being at altitude.  I feel like I swing too wide around the buoys and am having to direct myself back in closer.  The last 200M or so of the swim was a new challenge.  We got to swim through weeds that came all the way to the surface of the water.  Fortunately, I had pre-swum the end of the course the day beforehand and knew what to expect.   

The run to T1 was different also in that we hand to run up a long steep hill that was covered with a narrow green carpet.  I was told I was the 4th female out of the water or the 2nd (2 different people had 2 different reports), so either way, I was feeling pretty good about where I was in the race.  

Bike - 56 miles

Goals:  Time Goal: 3:00, 18.67mph 

Non-time Goal: HR: 144-154; Stay under control.  Watch cadence and HR.   Keep racing on the descents.

Nutrition: 2 scoops of Fixx and a Nuun in aerobottle and other bottle; Endurobites, 2 salt tabs, 3 Huma gels

Results:  Official Time: 3:00 /18.67mph, Avg. HR 156

I had a hard time in the beginning (like the first 45 minutes) to get the HR down to anywhere in range.  I figured this would be a hard goal.  I was used to training in higher HRs before my test so getting it down was a challenge.  Average HR didn’t end up being too far off so I don’t think this hurt me.  What did hurt were my hip flexors.  I don’t know if sitting in the car for 3 hours the day beforehand and insufficient stretching did them in or what but they were distracting me from what have otherwise been a pretty calm ride. 

I was passed on the bike by my teammate Teri and a girl in a dark blue jersey.  I was excited because now I knew who to hunt on the run.  

Run-

Goals:  Time Goal: 1:51 / 8:30 pace 

Non-Time Goal: HR 155-165

Nutrition: Honey water, water on course

Results:  Official Time: 2:06 / 9:38 pace; Avg. HR: 159

So, this part didn’t work out as hoped for.  The run course was a little different than last year and added more trail so that was a surprise.  The race was also 3 weeks later than last year so it was hotter.  I had a side cramp the whole time.  Those are my excuses.  The tough part though is that I never felt like a runner.  I had short bursts of energy but no flow.  My legs were tight, I was hot.  I’m having a hard time with the mental game if I don’t see my competition.  I probably didn’t drink enough on the bike or mange my electrolytes sufficiently.   The only consolation on my run time is that no females that day broke 2 hours on the run and I had the 3rd fastest female run time.  It was a tough day for everyone.  

My competitiveness was fortunately satisfied in the last mile of the race.  I finally spotted dark blue jersey girl.  I saw her after the out and back and before the big hill leading into the finish.  I thought to myself, “Pass with authority, don’t look back, run as efficiently as you can, if she kicks, give it all you’ve got.”  The last mile of the race was one of my best and it worked.  I took 2nd place overall female by close to 2 minutes.  

Overall Race Time Goal: 5:29 

Overall Race Non-Time Goal: Build the swim, control on the bike, run like a runner. 

Overall Race Time Results:  5:37

Overall Race Non-Time Results: Hit goals until I got to the run. 

RX: Build bike fitness properly now that zones are identified

Manage fluid and electrolyte intake - Identify sweat rate?

Stretch and foam roll every day to fight tightness

TEMPE INTERNATIONAL 5/18/14 RACE REPORT - Jenni Marshall

Race Week

I’ve felt like I’ve been racing a lot lately which is fun but I was using it as an excuse to not train as hard on the dates before and after races.  I determined that this race was going to be a training day with no taper and no recovery afterwards.  I cycled 3.5 hours the day before out to Seven Springs immediately followed by activities with the family which gave me no time to stretch, roll, etc.  My goal was to use this race in place of a couple tempo workouts that I had scheduled for this week and I wanted to try and maintain a HR around 175.  

Race Morning

Breakfast - Brown rice cake with Almond Butter and Honey, 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder in coconut water with a packet of orange Emergen-C, coffee, water

Warm-Up - nothing significant.  Ran from the swim finish up to transition to see what it would feel like across the street, rocks, up the hill.  

RACE

Swim - 400M

Goals: Time Goal: 6:40 / 1:40 pace (this was to include the long run to transition) 

Non time Goal: Build quickly and finish hard

Results: Official time: 07:20; 1:50 pace 

I wasn’t focused.  I chit-chatted before the race start and almost forgot to line up.  I wound up lining up to the far left when I usually line up exactly with the buoy line which in this case should have been the far right(we were keeping the buoys on our right).  This kept me out of the fray of swimmers but I was fighting to get in and added some overall distance to my swim.  I was just warming up by the time it was over.  I never got into a good fast groove.  When I got out of the water to run to transition, I was around a lot of people just kind of jogging/walking up the hill and it was hard to get around them.  

Bike - 

Goals:  Time Goal: 37:00, 20.11mph 

Non-time Goal: HR: 165-175;Concentrate on using power from my glutes instead of my quads.

Nutrition: 2 scoops of Fixx and a Skratch labs in aerobottle

Results:  Official Time: 38:04 /19.54mph, Avg. HR 160

For some reason my Garmin wasn’t calculating my average speed or distance so I had no idea what I was averaging.  I figured this was ok because I was mainly focused on HR anyway.  I couldn’t get it up for 2 reasons.  First, my legs were kind of heavy from the day before.  Second reason was I really suck at turns and every time I slowed down for the turn, my HR drops.  I need to fix this problem.  

Run-

Goals:  Time Goal: 21:27 / 6:55 pace 

Non-Time Goal: HR 175+, go as hard as I can

Nutrition: None, sips of water on course

Results:  Official Time: 22:42 / 7:19 pace; Avg. HR: 168

Again, I didn’t know my pace due to my Garmin.  Again, I couldn’t get the HR up even though I felt like I was pushing hard.  My legs were tight like they had braces on them and I knew I had tension coming from my lower back.  I don’t think that I could have gotten to the pace I wanted even if my Garmin was working correctly. 

Overall Race Time Goal: 1:07:37  

Overall Race Non-Time Goal:  Push the HR to 175+, try to redline the whole time.  

Overall Race Time Results:  1:10:24

Overall Race Non-Time Results:  This was not a very successful race or training day considering what I was hoping for.  In order to correct this in the future, I believe I need to increase the number of tempo runs and bikes I do.  Fortunately, in my training plan for my “A” race this summer (Deuces, Show Low), it is calling for that exactly.  I need to increase my confidence in holding a fast pace and higher HR.  I also need to stretch and roll more.  Tight legs hold me back physically and mentally.  Finally, I need a pre-race warm-up.   A 10-15 minute run with some strides could go a long way.

Tempe Marquee Olympic Triathlon 2014 Race Report byJenni Marshall

MARQUEE INT’L DISTANCE APRIL 13, 2014 RACE REPORT - Jenni Marshall

Race Week

I went into this race very concerned about what my performance would be.  First, I had been professionally coached for the year leading up to Ironman AZ 2013 and now I was back on my own.  Second, I feared I had not done enough since Ironman to warrant a decent performance (do we ever feel we’ve done enough?).  Finally, I did the Splash and Dash the Thursday night before this race as a warm-up and test for Sunday.  My run was horrible and did not bode well for Sunday’s race. 

In order to “right the ship” for Sunday, I slept in Friday and Saturday mornings.  Our Friday noon Endurance Hour of Power at Power in Motion was a great foam rolling and stretching session.  My only workout before Sunday’s race was a 30 minute bike ride followed by a 10 minute run on Saturday morning. 

Saturday night I had my favorite pre-race meal of homemade basil sauce on grilled shrimp and gluten free pasta with green beans.  

Race Morning

Breakfast - Steel Cut Oats made in the slow cooker, 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder in coconut water with a packet of orange Emergen-C, coffee, water

Warm-Up - Ran down to where the turn buoys to see where they are in relation to the shore.  15 minutes before race I sucked down a MamaChia packet.

RACE

Swim - 

Goals: Time Goal: 25:00 / 1:40 pace (based on Splash and Dash); 

Non time Goal: Stay strong and controlled, don’t get overly excited, no thrashing.  Power comes from the core, drive from hips, high elbows.  

Results: Official time: 26:55; 1:48 pace (included running to transition and my Garmin had 1620m not 1500m); Wore sleeveless wetsuit.  Had clear water the whole time.  Was hoping for a faster time given I was swimming by myself.  Need to work on trusting my body to keep up with good technique and power.  Still think I thrash too much because I'm excited and feel like I'm "racing" more if I'm moving quickly instead of with purpose.  Work on this at Bartlett.

Bike - 

Goals:  Time Goal: 1:24, 20mph 

Non-time Goal: HR: 165-175;Stay upright (I crashed in this race last year), relax quads and upper body, trust yourself in the turns, think about power from the core, stay aero as much as reasonable

Nutrition: 2 scoops of Fixx and a Nuun tab in aerobottle; 1 Endurobite - half eaten at halfway point, other half a few miles out from transition

Results:  Official Time: 1:24:10 (19.96mph, jeesh wanted the 20.0 at least); Hit goal time, yes!  Had 20.3mph avg speed (based on my Garmin) at halfway point and held on for the remainder.  Was trying to negative split but that didn't happen.  HR stayed lower than I intended so need to work on getting it up and holding.  Tried to be patient with myself, stay strong and relax upper body.  Accepted the fact that I'm slow around the turns and told myself to just hit it hard on the straight parts.  Course got a little crowded in spots which slowed me down where I would otherwise be going faster.  Stayed in aero position quite a lot for me.  Felt happy and was having fun.  

Run-

Goals:  Time Goal: 47:00 / 7:35 pace 

Non-Time Goal: HR 168-178; Control breathing in the beginning - 3 breath count, don’t start too fast, hold back, drink.  Lift knees, drive feet down, use arms to give legs a break.

Nutrition: Flask with honey water and salt combo; water on the course; had some Coke too

Results:  Official Time: 44:33 / 7:11 pace; Holy shit, where did this come from and how do I bottle it for my next race?  Fastest 10K ever and :30 per mile faster than any 10K in a triathlon.  

I felt good and was happy I only had 6.2 miles to go instead of 26.2 like the last tri I did in Tempe.  I came firing out of transition like I usually do but made an effort to settle myself down a little and stay in control.  I kept looking at my watch to see when my average pace would drop to something around 7:30 but it didn't.  I ran the last mile sub 7!  Average HR didn't get up into the range I had set as my goal so I obviously have more to give.  Think getting back into track workouts will get my strength and confidence up in order to push a higher heart rate.  Very excited about this run!  Ironically, it was the same pace that I ran in my dismal 5K during the Splash and Dash on Thursday.

Overall Race Time Goal: 2:38:30  

Overall Race Non-Time Goal:  Relax, have fun, don’t waste energy getting tense.

Overall Race Time Results:  2:38:35

Overall Race Non-Time Results:  I had a lot of fun in this race.  In T2 as I was getting on my running shoes I said aloud to myself, “This is so much fun!”  It was great seeing so many One friends out on the course.   Thanks to everyOne for their support and to Lifetime for a fun race!