Cape Coddah

Sunday was the perfect day for running. It was 55-65 degrees and sunny with a light breeze. The route along the roads and shores of Falmouth was stunning. Really gorgeous. The Cape Cod Marathon had an 8:30 am start, and it felt right.

If you backtrack a bit through some of my posts leading up to the race, you'll see that I went through a phase in which I was worried about my performance. After posting high mileage weeks with six, five and four weeks to go until the event, I went two weeks with only 16 total miles and no long runs. Throw in a China trip, and I was starting to worry about my ability to run the race at all. The worry (mostly) left after a strong 10 miler the Sunday before the race. I ran at my goal race pace and felt strong throughout. At that point, my mindset changed. I realized that I had put in some serious work over the past few months, and I decided (and decided is the word) that I was prepared.

On the day before marathon Sunday, Mrs. VTR and I drove down to Falmouth to get our bearings and check out the route. We drove all 26.2 miles and made an effort to talk up only the positive aspects. (Killer rolling hills? No way man, they're nothing compared to "real" VT hills. It's all mental, right?) I planned to do a short run that day, so I ran miles 22 - 24, the supposedly flat section that follows about 8 miles of rollers. I was glad to get out because this section was not flat, and surprises are no good on race day. Having run it early, I was prepared to hit it again on Sunday.

So race day arrived, and as I said it was perfect. The drive to the Cape was uneventful and the pre-race flow was smooth. My goal was to do the run at an 8 minute mile pace for a time of 3:30. I framed this as my stretch goal, but I really wanted it. I thought it was doable on paper, but I came in at a 3:45 in my only other marathon, so I knew it would be a challenge.

It's hard to describe the actual progression of the run, so I'll stick to some of the high points.

1. Wing man -- at mile five, a guy that I had been trading positions with for a few miles casually asked me, "You doing eights?” I was, so we ran together for about 20 of the 26.2 miles. It was really helpful to have a partner to pass the time with -- the course seemed to fly by at points.
2. Hills -- I think with hills, it's all about the mental preparation. When I was choosing a marathon, I read a lot about the CCM course, especially the rolling hills from miles 12 - 22. I incorporated hills into my training runs, but more importantly, I was mentally ready for them. As a result, the hills seemed manageable, and I ended up being pleasantly surprised by all of the downhills (no one mentions these) on the backsides of the rolls.
3. Game planning -- Planning is critical for a marathon. My first game plan was to run at a manageable, steady pace, unlike the Burlington Marathon in which I went out waaayyyy too fast and crashed hard for the last 7 miles. I practiced the pacing on training runs, and I was able to experience strong finishes each time. For the marathon, the pay off was at mile 17, when I hit the mile marker, felt good, and compared that to the absolute agony I felt at mile 17 in Burlington. Pacing saved me this time around. My second strategy was about fuel, and it started the week before the race when I made sure to hydrate and eat well. On race day, I discovered a new product that pulled me through -- Cliff Shots, Margarita with Salt flavor. They have 300mg of sodium to prevent cramping, taste great and have the consistency of gummy bears. I was determined not to let salt loss get the better of me, so I ate a whole package of the shots over the course of the race. No extreme cramping and no stomach issues. Score. Check out those shots before your next race. I also had a couple of Gu's and water at every stop.

For posterity, I'm including my splits here:
Mile 1 -- 7:50
2 -- 7:49
3 -- 8:15
4/5 -- 15:23
6 -- 8:06
7 -- 8:02
8/9 -- 16:55
10/11 -- 15:40
12 -- 8:15
13 -- 7:38
14/15 -- 15:36
16/17 -- 15:50
18 - -8:01
19 -- 8:04
20 -- 8:07
21 -- 8:02
22 -- 8:20
23 -- 8:10
24 -- 8:21
25 -- 8:10
26.2 -- 10:02

In sum, it was a great race, and I feel proud to have hit my 3:30 goal. In the process, I learned more about myself and the sport of marathon running. I also felt the LDT love on the course. It was great to connect with Agricola and Phat doing the thing that brought this group together in this venue in the first place.

I'll end this long post with this thought: I'm already thinking about the next race. Damn.