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.

SOMA 70.3 10/19/2014 RACE REPORT - Jenni Marshall

Pre-Race - Training, Nutrition, etc.  

I went into this race nervous about my training.  I didn’t think that I had trained hard enough or long enough to have a good race.   Training was more social than focused and I only added intensity to my swim, bike and run “when the spirit moved me.”   This isn’t the way I typically train for a race.  I usually have a training plan and then execute that plan as close to perfectly as I can.  I get pretty Type A about it but if I do the training plan perfectly, I am cautiously optimistic about the race.  This time around, I didn’t know how my social training would translate into race results.

My biggest concern was the bike (as usual).  I was not cycling very fast during training rides and I was concerned about all the turns on the Soma course.   Also, during a race I tend to get overly excited during the bike portion because I feel good and I ride too hard which results in killing my run.  Knowing this about myself, I thought I should come up with a race strategy to try to stay calm on the bike and not kill the run.  My strategy was to go out hard on the swim, cruise on the bike and then run hard.  

Race Morning

Breakfast - I decided to load up more than usual on calories.  I get depleted a lot during races so I thought a big breakfast would help start me of right.  Two eggs, oatmeal, First Endurance sports drink, coffee.  

Warm-Up - I ran out to where the swim buoys end and back.  Had more sports drink, Skittles and a Honey Stinger gel 20 minutes before the start of my wave.    

RACE

Swim - 1.2 miles 

Goals: Time Goal: 33:00 / 1:43 pace 

Non time Goal: I had a video analysis done by Frank Sole (Sole Swim Solutions) a month before the race.  He showed me how I could make my swim more efficient and pick up some speed.  I did drills he gave me for the past few weeks and I felt I could apply the key movements during the race.  These keys were to snap my hips (instead of them moving passively), bring my shoulder to my chin and don’t push down on the water.  

Results: Official time: 32:51 /  1:42 pace

The start of the swim was a little chaotic but not too bad.  A woman was in front of me and at first, I wanted to get around her but found that she was swimming faster than I could get around so I thought I’d draft behind her and see how it felt.  I often feel too impatient to do this or scared that I might be slacking and swimming slower than I’d like but every time I thought about getting around her, I found that I’d be expending way too much energy to do so so I stayed on her heels and enjoyed the ride.  It was great, she navigated through the traffic of the waves ahead of us and didn’t slow down until we made the turn.  At that point, I started ramming into her too much and thought I better get off before I took a hard kick to the face.  I swam hard the last third of the swim and felt good.  I tried to stay to the inside and get into a good, fast groove, keeping in mind Frank’s swim keys. 

I have done the swim portion of Soma 4 times before this race as part of a relay.  This was my fastest swim time in this race and it included having to get my wetsuit taken off.  For the relay, you don’t have to worry about getting it stripped off before entering transition.  Good start to the race.  

Bike - 56 miles

Goals:  Time Goal: 3:00, 18.67mph 

Non-time Goal: HR: 144-154; Relax.  Stay under control.  Watch cadence and HR.  If I start to feel tight or hurt, back off.  Don’t do anything to screw up the run.  

Nutrition: Water in aerobottle.  Flask of EFS Vanilla flavor (400 calories), to be taken every 20 minutes, washed down with water.  2 scoops of First Endurance in bottle cage under legs.  Skittles (if I need a pick me up).   Nutrition worked well.  I didn’t have very many Skittles because I didn’t want to screw up what I felt was working with the First Endurance products.  

Results:  Official Time: 2:50 /19.7mph, Avg. HR 156

This went a lot better than expected.  I calmed myself down in the beginning and at the start of each turn by making myself grab and drink from the bottle under my legs.  For the remainder of the bike portion,  I don’t feel like I overexerted myself.  I kept in under control, relaxed and had fun.  I watched my average speed after each lap and I stayed consistent the whole race.  I thought about pulling up with my legs as opposed to pushing down thanks to the hill repeats Jozsef Major had us do during the One group rides on Tuesdays.  

Run-

Goals:  Time Goal: 1:44 / 8:00 pace 

Non-Time Goal: HR 155-165

Nutrition: Flask of EFS (Kona Mocha flavor), water on the course, coke on the course.  I walked to drink at the water stations so I could get enough down.  I had some coke but it immediately gave me side cramps.  The EFS would give me a little pick me up.  

Results:  Official Time: 1:49 / 8:23 pace; Avg. HR: 165

Hot day out there!

My run was not what I had hoped for but I don’t think I could have done much more than I did.  I do not feel like I killed my run with the bike.  It was just hot out.  I had run 10 miles of the course on Monday during the same time of day that I’d be running race day and I had an 8:05 pace in Zone 2.  I was hoping that because I’d be in Zone 3 on race day, I’d be able to get the 8:00 pace but the heat squelched it.   I felt strong and from what many people told me, I looked strong on the course.  I tried to focus on maintaining form and using the strength I’ve gained through Crossfit Endurance at Power in Motion.   

Overall Race Time Goal: 5:20 

3rd place finish Age Group

Overall Race Non-Time Goal: Swim hard, relax on the bike, run fast. 

Overall Race Time Results:  5:16

Conclusion:  

My training may have not been my typical Type A formula but it still worked. I had fun being social, riding and running with my friends at One Multisport.  We did intervals on the bike and were being coached and encouraged by a professional triathlete, Jozsef Major.  When I would ride or run with the group, the intensity was up, not because of some set pace I wanted to do but because it was fun to test oneself within the group and just try to keep up.  

A big portion of my success was also the fitness and strength gained from doing the Crossfit Endurance program at Power in Motion.  Whatever intensity I was concerned was lacking in my swim, bike and run training, I made up for in the intensity to do the WODS during class.  

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 by Erik Svans

"Ground Zero":  If there's one phrase I could use to define what Marquee Olympic Triathlon was for me, that is it.  I wish I could say I had big aspirations for this day; but I knew it was going to be a gut check and a reality bites race.  After taking a year completely off, I knew re-engaging into training was going to be challenging.  When you're training every day, eating clean, resting sufficiently, and psychologically ready to take on a competitive training program, the stars will align and you become a lean mean fighting machine through your dedication and focus that YOU control.  But then there's life and the wrenches that it throws at you---but not all wrenches are bad!   Since my last race (IMAZ 2012), life has been full of change...good change.  New place to call home on two fronts (work: left a flailing partnership, and home: moved into a new house two weeks prior to Marquee).  With these changes, training has been more of a "I've got a free hour today, what am I gonna do?" kind of setup.

Most days though, there hasn't been much time for training.  As Marquee approached and our move occurring 2 weeks prior to race day, I decided to switch my approach from getting into training mode to using Marquee as a benchmark--to simply see what would happen if I raced on almost no training (well, at least no focused training at all).  No track workouts, no intervals on the bike,  and just 2 swims in the week prior to the race---I was truly at zero going in.  Not training, not eating clean, not resting enough, and psychologically too busy with other life events to focus on a training program and its outcome.

The great thing about our local races here put on by Lifetime is that they are predictable from sign up to awards---we don't need to think about the logistics because they are identical from race to race.  That took a lot of concern off my mind going into the race---I know the course, the transition, the competition, and of course the sea of Orange that is ONE Multisport is a welcoming sight.  I've raced this almost exact course 6 times now, so I knew I would at least be able to pull some good comparisons...



My race plan was very simple:  find my threshold and sit on it all race long.  That really has never changed, and it has always been self limiting for me.  Its gotten to a point that I can fairly accurately predict my pacing based on my training results---I knew I wasn't going to be anywhere near my "norms," but now i was going to learn my "baselines."

Swim:  I started front right as I almost always do, which allows me to see the rest of my wave as I primarily breathe to my left as we gas it off the line.  There was only 79 octane in the tank on this day, and I watched 3-4 guys in my wave sail off ahead...podium fairy tales went out the window as the swim usually set me up for a "catch me if you can" type of race strategy that has worked well for me in the past.  The swim was uneventful, and I got the first important gut check:  3m35s off my swim PR for this course, getting out of the water in 25:47 (PR is 22:06).  Gulp...

T1:  Getting shucked from my wetsuit was a perfect example of how not to get out of  a wetsuit, but I made up for it with a helmet buckle and flying mount and nothing more.  I came close to my 47 second PR for T1 with a respectable 49sec...like the seconds mattered on this day ;-)

Bike: "It is what it is."  I went old school, no HR or power---just me and my bike.  I settled into that threshold, and two laps later got gut check number two:  21.39mph average (because of the longer bike, the only relevant data is the mph).  Previous best in 24mph...seemed about right.  I could really feel how a lack of layered training affected my ability to suffer.  I had no depth,  just

T2: shoes left on pedals, helmet off while running, slide into shoes, grab glasses and bib number, and away I went.... 43 seconds.

Run:  I decided I wanted to let Carlos Mendoza pass me, not once, but twice on this day---he passed me on the bike, I passed him back in T2, and he flew by me on the run...its always great to see Carlos, hahaha.  Anyways, I shuffled along at ~7:10/mi pace with a guy from Tribe, and other than seeing Jenny and the kids at Mile 6, the run was something not to be proud of:  44:54 time versus a PR of 39:19.

Overall: Ground Zero sucks!  Some solid training is in the works, and a clear path on all other fronts will be here very soon!  Onwards and upwards!

Erik

2014 Boston Marathon: Elliot Kawaoka err #ElliotStrong!

Boston Marathon 2014: #ElliotStrong

I had a lot on the line.  Days leading up to the event, the smack talk on Facebook began. The bet was placed: I’d have to evacuate from Arizona and grow a beard if I didn’t break three hours. I had to perform… or I could lose everything.

Training:

Preparing for the Boston Marathon was tough because it was during peak tax season. Peak running mileage was only 40 miles a week. I had to make each workout count and every session had a purpose. With such limited training volume, the mindset my coach gave me was “quality over quantity.” Some workouts were painful and I hated every minute of them, but I always kept my mind on the prize… to crush triathlete dreams in Boston.

A typical training week consisted of 100 miles of biking, 10,000 yards of swimming, and 35-40 miles of running… all while working 10+ hour days, six days a week.  I honestly don’t know how I stayed motivated train to train at times.

A typical week of running sessions consisted of:

Monday – Easy, recovery jog (9+ minute miles)

Tuesday – 8-mile flat run along Tempe Town Lake at marathon pace

Wednesday – Track practice (speed work)

Thursday – Transition running off the bike

Friday – Easy jogging

Sunday- Long run (hilly)

My longest run was 21 miles. All long runs contained intervals at marathon pace.  Most were done on hilly routes, including McDowell Mountain Road and South Mountain. One of my favorite workouts:

2-mile warm-up

10 x 2:00 at 10k pace (5:30 min/mi) w/ 1:00 jog recovery

5 x 12:00 at marathon pace (<6:30 min/mi) w/ 3:00 jog recovery

Cool down

I sat down with coach Nick on Wednesday before the race to discuss my strategy.  Though my run volume was way down, I felt like I was well prepared and knew exactly what I needed to do in order to hit my goal. Nick always sets the bar really high for me.  I told him I want to go under three, and he just smirked as said, “low 2:50.”  I believe confidence is everything in endurance racing.  I needed to believe and trust in myself I could run a low 2:50 marathon time.  Nick gives me confidence I will perform on race day.  He prepares me to be the best.

In 2012, I went to my first Boston Marathon primarily for experience, finishing in 3:05.  This year, it was all about redemption.  A marathon is a long endurance event, and you have to race it smartly.  Yet, there is a certain point in the race where you shut off your mind, tell your legs to “shut up,” and go for it.  I was ready to kick the pissah out of this race.

Race weekend:

Friday: I flew into Boston Logan airport and immediately ran into trouble.  The airline lost my run bag! Crap!!!  Luckily my friend, Mindy, let me borrow her clothes for a couple days.  The downside – I had to walk around Boston in girl clothes.  The Bostonians were looking at me funny.

I went to Trader Joes to buy all my meals for the weekend.  Although we paid a fortune to stay at our hotel, they didn’t have any microwaves or refrigerators.  I began thinking of alternative cooling methods.  I dumped out the trash and stored all my perishable food in a trash can of ice!  It worked to perfection.

I hid all my food in a drawer, cut my fruit with the ice tongs, and prepared all my food on the TV stand. I was set.

Saturday:

Expo check in:

Being a special marathon year, they allowed thousands of additional runners for 2014.  This resulted in a madhouse at the expo.  I couldn’t walk around the expo without becoming a little claustrophobic.  I bought a Boston tee and quickly got out of there.

Then, off to the Boston Red Sox game! It was wicked cold.  I was the only dumb ass wearing a short-sleeve shirt.

The tradition at Fenway is unlike any other ballpark.

Sunday:

I hung out in the hotel lobby and drew out my race strategy.  I was going to do everything in my power to run Boston smartly and effectively.

As Russell Wilson puts it: “Separation is in the preparation.”

The majority of the day was spent napping, visualizing the race, and seeing all the awesome messages from my fans via text, email, and Facebook.  The support I receive from family and friends is remarkable.  These big-time races mean so much to me, and it makes me so happy getting your messages of support and well wishes.

Boston Strong Day.

I woke up at 5 a.m. and ate my first breakfast: oatmeal with bananas and strawberries, and a protein shake.  My friend, Dean, met me at my hotel and we walked to the Boston Commons.  Then, the 45-minute school bus ride to Hopkinton… this ride always seems to take forever.

I wore a Washington State hoodie as my throw-away clothing because it belonged in the Hopkinton dumpster … Go Dawgs.

We arrived in Hopkinton at 7:30 a.m., two and a half hours before the gun went off.  Race morning was sunny and a brisk 50 degrees.  I was freezing.  My feet and hands were going numb.  I found an open grass section in the sun, munched on a bagel, bundled up, and took a nap.

At 9 a.m., the announcement was made for the first wave of runners to begin walking to the start line.  The adrenaline I feel walking to the Boston Marathon start is unlike any other race.  You are surrounded with runners who all ran a similar Boston qualifying time.  Being in corral two, I was right in front of the elite field.  Our entire corral cheered them on as they toed the line.  I was running around greatness.

Hopkinton to Framingham (miles 1 to 6)

I began about a minute after gun time.  Being around experienced marathon runners was beneficial.  Surprisingly, no one shot out of the gate and ran like idiots.  Everyone seemed to take the first section of the course pretty conservative.  The majority of the first six miles of the race is downhill.  I focused on my downhill running I practiced in training – leaning forward, letting gravity do work, and keeping good form and cadence.  I settled into a comfortable 6:30-6:35 pace, taking in double-caffeinated PowerBar gels every 30 minutes.

Framingham to Natick (miles 6 to 10)

The course flattens out and I was still consistently hitting 6:30 miles at a relatively easy pace.  I tried to stay as loose and relaxed as possible, shaking out the shoulders every five minutes.  There are few sections along the course where there aren’t spectators cheering.  The crowd support at Boston was unbelievable.  Being on Patriot’s Day every year, the whole city seems to come out to support the marathoners.  I ran on the side of the course giving out high-fives to hundreds of spectators. I was feeling like a million bucks.

Natick to Wellesley Square (miles 10 to 13.1)

Still clipping away at 6:30 miles, I moved to the center of road to avoid the screaming, flirty Wellesley girls.  I gave them my love in 2012.  This year, I had my game face on.  Sorry hunnies, no kisses this year.  I started to get my beast mode on.  It’s all bout that action, boss.

Wellesley Square to Lower Newton Falls (miles 13.1 to 16 miles)

I decided to run with music this year for when I entered my dark moments.  I hit a rough patch early, at mile 15.  I had one mile to go before I reached the first section of hills. I splashed cold water over my face and blasted some Deadmau5 to bring me back from the dead. I quickly got back into the groove.

Lower Newton Falls to Cleveland Circle (miles 16 to 22)

I diligently planned this section of the course.  It contains the infamous hills of the Boston Marathon.  Rather than burning all my matches up these hills, I took a conservative approach.  I ran up them with a high cadence, ignored pace, and closely monitored my heart rate.  In 2012, I made the mistake of hammering up these hills, which resulted in blowing up in the final 10k.  I still worked hard up these hills, but I definitely felt like I was holding back.  When I summited Heart Break hill at mile 21, it was time to get to work.

Cleveland Circle to Kenmore Square (miles 22 to 25)

When it’s game time, it’s pain time.

I ran with anger.

Time to burn my matches.

Immediately after Heart Break, I got after it. Time to destroy dreams. I was flying past people like they were standing still.  It’s complete carnage out on the Boston course in the last four miles.  Runners are on the side of the road cramping up, falling over, and grimacing with pain. Passing runners gave me even more confidence and will to give it everything I had.  I was wearing the mask of pain.

As my friend, Stephen, reminded me before the race, “save your matches.”  I was igniting an entire book on this section of the course.

I was the little man with the big engine.  A little woman, with an even bigger engine soon began pacing with me.

Mile 25 was my fastest split of the day, a 6:19 minute mile.

I continued pacing with the girl until she picked it up to a sub six pace.  I put my head down and dug deep to try to hold on.  She was flying, and slowly put a sizeable gap on me.  She dropped me like a hot potato.

Kenmore Square to finish (miles 25 to 26.2 miles)

The final miles went by fast.  I still had plenty in the tank, which resulted in a much more pleasurable marathon experience.  Unlike many people who were completely gassed and holding on for dear life at the end, I was wishing the race was longer.

I reached the historic CITGO sign, the “one mile to go” marker.

I cool picture sent to me by a random spectator along the course.

Still cruising at a sub 6:30 pace, I hit Boylston Street and immediately got goose bumps from the horrific event that transpired in 2013.  I looked over at the exact location where the bombings took place.  Then I got a completely different attitude about my day.  This was more than just a race… more than hitting a certain goal time.  Spending the weekend in Boston before the race, I got to see, first-hand, the individuals affected by the bombings. These survivors didn’t let the 2013 events affect their desire and dreams of finishing the 2014 Boston Marathon. They were incredibly inspirational to me.  I ran the final stretch hard for them and I got a little emotional.

Boylston Street was packed with thousands of spectators.  I was running on air.  I felt their energy and cheers.  I pumped my fists in the air as I crossed the line in 2:52:51, a new Boston PR by over 13 minutes!!!

Suddenly I got really cold.  My lips turned blue and I was shivering uncontrollably.  A worried volunteer put me in a wheelchair and carted me to medical to warm up.  An hour in medical and five cups of hot chicken broth later, I was ready to fly home.

I quickly walked to my hotel, picked up my bags, stuffed my face with a Mike’s cannoli, and took the subway to the airport.

Tired but happy…

My hotel had these plaques delivered to all the Boston finishers.  Pretty cool.

My Garmin file of Boston

Thanks to my sponsors for your continued support: ONE Multisport, Endurance Rehab, Foosia, Complete Skin Care and Body Restoration, Destination Kona, Fuel to the Finish, Scottsdale Health Magazine, and Power in Motion Crossfit.

Also, thanks to the hundreds of Facebook messages and texts after the race.  My phone was blowing up.  The support I receive from the triathlon community, family, and friends is why I love this sport. Thank you all.

There wasn’t a single place I went in the city where I didn’t see “Boston Strong” shirts, hats, and signs.  It brought the entire city together.  The 2014 Boston Marathon was very memorable experience and the most special race I’ve ever participated in. It made me Elliot Strong. No beard for me.

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!