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| Jill after her Baystate 2012 finish. Photo by Jimmy Shelton. |
Before I could leave for Portland and even begin to think about the race, I had my work cut out for me. I had created a master schedule document for my husband that outlined the kids’ schedule, carpools, soccer games, basketball tournament, and activities for 4 days. I was also going to be meeting up with my friend and former coworker Krista, who lives in Bend. She planned to come on Saturday and Sunday. I left Westford on Friday morning. One car ride, one bus ride, two plane rides, and one train ride later, I arrived in the beautiful city of Portland. I spent Friday afternoon getting settled into my hotel room, walking over to the expo to get my race packet, getting some groceries, and going to grab some dinner at Pazzo. My plan was to stay on Eastern time since it was pointless to adjust by 3 hours when I needed to be up early on Sunday and Monday, so I was asleep by 7:30. I figured coming home and getting back on my regular schedule would be much easier. I was awake very early the next morning. I had some breakfast and waited for daylight so I could get a quick run in. I ran a 3 mile loop across the river and back, did some strides, and walked back and grabbed some coffee and then some yogurt and granola a bit later. I spent the morning lounging around reading and watching a movie (a huge treat!), and getting my race gear ready. I spent the afternoon shopping for little gifts for my family. I sipped watered down Gatorade throughout the day to stay hydrated. I loved that I could walk everywhere. I went out for a quick bite to eat at a fantastic and authentic Italian restaurant called Mucca Osteria. The chef (straight from Rome a few years ago) was clearly annoyed with me because I asked for the pasta sauce on the side. I’m always careful about eating foods that are plain and familiar for the 2 days leading up to a marathon. I went to sleep around 8:00, and did actually get some sleep. It was very broken up, but I probably got about 6 hours, which is a bonus for the night before a big race. I got up at 4:30, got some coffee from the lobby, and had PB&J and a banana for breakfast along with watered down Gatorade. I got dressed and tried to stay relaxed.
I had a 5 minute walk from my hotel to the start, and arrived about 20 minutes prior to the 7:00 start. I was happy to see a friendly and familiar face in my corral - CMS runner Barbara McManus, who was there to run her 39th marathon (wow)! Barbara asked me if I saw Shalane. No, I hadn’t, but she JUST had. I looked all around and could not see her. I had been hoping to catch a glimpse of her sometime that weekend since she lives in Portland. I jogged around for about 5 minutes then lined up to sing the National Anthem and send off the wheelchair athletes. It was still a bit dark out when the race started shortly after 7:00, and we were off.
My initial goal was 3:05. That is what I trained for, and that is the pace I ran for my marathon pace workouts. Once I saw the weather forecast (warm, reaching 80s by the afternoon), I knew I had to be careful and thought realistically I could run 3:08, which would mean a 1:34 1st half. It felt like low to mid 60s so far. I started off and made sure my running felt easy and relaxed. I missed the first mile marker, and asked the gentleman next to me what his pace was and he said 6:59. Too fast. My second mile was also fast (under 13:53 for 2 miles). Mile 4, which had some downhill, was 7:30. Too slow. That should have been my first clue that the mile markers were not all accurate. I do not typically run a marathon with a GPS watch. I use a no frills timex and click off my own splits, which gives a more realistic account of pacing during the marathon. I have never before questioned mile marker accuracy on a USAT&F certified course, and did not realize that I should not be relying on the mile markers until mile 11. Mile 11 was 8:00 and mile 12 was 6:17. I was definitely working harder than normal to run even pace (which usually comes easy to me) throughout the first half of the race. I did not realize I was setting myself up for a too fast and erratically paced 1st half. I hit 13.1 in 1:32:15. Shortly after the half, I could see the St. Johns Bridge up ahead. It looked like it was dangling from the clouds high up in the sky, and I began to dread the mountain that I would need to climb from mile 16 to 17 to get to the bridge. The hill was pretty steep and long, and I slowed considerably. I thought that this must be what climbing Mt. Washington must feel like (note to self: never enter the Mt. Washington lottery). Once I got onto the bridge and over the crest, I could feel my quads start to ache. I looked forward to the downhills that were ahead and hoped to make up some time. Throughout the race, I had been drinking the ultima replenisher drink that was offered about every 2 miles. It tasted like chalk. I knew that it tasted terrible ahead of time. A few weeks before the marathon, I checked out the race website and saw that they would be serving ultima, and that it could be purchased at Whole Foods. I did buy it, and used it on a couple of my harder long runs. I did not encounter any problems with it then. Although I did not like the taste, I knew I needed to drink it because it was a warm day (eventually reached the 80s that afternoon). At about 18 miles, my quads were becoming increasingly heavy and my toes (yes, my toes!) started to cramp up. Although not show stoppers, those little buggers were highly annoying and I was not looking forward to 8 more miles of trying to wiggle them around inside my shoes to get the cramping to stop. I started to slow to around 7:20 – 7:30 pace. Around mile 20, I began to feel nauseous. I tried to think of anything but how awful I felt and just hung on. Just after the marathon foto guy who was stationed at mile 24, I pulled over and got sick. I think I lost about 4 minutes time. I am thankful that he did not photograph me! If he did, none of those photos were included in the link they sent out. I felt better when I got going again, and I just focused on putting one foot in front of the other to the finish. A volunteer handed me a barf bag, but I am proud to say I talked myself out of throwing up at the finish. Krista and I heard a few people complaining about the mile markers, so my suspicion was confirmed. Later on after I cleaned up and rehydrated, I went for a celebratory burger and beer at Rock Bottom Brewery, and then later on to Henry’s Tavern to catch some of the Pats game.
In a final twist of fate, when my flight left PDX early Monday morning, the plane took off towards the St. Johns Bridge, and made a tight turn around it to head out East. I was forced to see the entirety of the bridge and remember that that was where the beginning of the suffering began. However, it was very cool to have such a close aerial view of the course up and down the river. Overall, the course was beautiful and the city is fantastic. It truly is a walking city and very environmentally conscious. There are coffee shops, pubs, great little restaurants, and lots of shopping (a 3-floor Nordstrom and a Nordstrom Rack!) all within close proximity. The train from the airport to the city was very convenient and cost $2.50. The race was well organized and the volunteers were great.
Ever wish you could have a do-over? Maybe some day I will return! And hopefully they will be serving Gatorade.
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