I spent most of Friday and Saturday taking my friends around the city and going to the Expo to pick up our running numbers. We got all over the city and the weather was amazing. We had a big pasta dinner on Saturday night and I attempted to get some sleep before the race....this is really never a success. We got up around 5:30am and headed out the door a little after 6am. Evelyn was kind enough to give Paul, Janet and I a ride to the starting line. We had time to go to the bathroom, drop of our gear and gear check and hit the starting line. Paul was in a much higher starting corral than me and Janet so he started the race much sooner than us. We got across the starting line around 7:20am and hit the streets.
A few facts about the Detroit Marathon. We run across two bridges and through one tunnel. One of the bridges and the tunnel bring us back and forth to Canada. There was over 18,000 runners but only about 3,700 did the marathon. They have an international half marathon that obviously goes to Canada and a Michigan Half which stays in Detroit. I expected the race course to be pretty empty on the back side but with the variation of runners doing different races it was never really empty.
Anyway around mile 2 we start to head up the Ambassador Bridge and to Canada. Mary, Melissa and Denis were waiting here to cheer which was great. They had planned out multiple locations on the race course to see us throughout the day. Around mile 3 I lost track of Janet on the bridge. It was pretty packed and you had to keep moving. We knew I would probably be running a faster race than her so I just kept going. The view from the top of the bridge was amazing. The sun was just beginning to rise and the city looked great with the morning light hitting it. You had to remind yourself it was okay to slow down and take a look.
I had trained with the hopes of running at my best a 4:15 marathon but I knew this might be a long shot...my fastest time thus far in marathons is around 4:29 so that is a significant time drop. Early on in the race, I was keep pace and feeling pretty good. We ran about 3 miles in Canada and headed to the Windsor Tunnel which would take us back to Michigan. I was warned that the tunnel gets really hot but I wasn't ready for this. It is underground for about 1 mile and there is even an underground marker at the exact border between the two countries. I was sweating so much at this point. Outside the tunnel it was perfect running weather. Inside the tunnel felt like an oven. I was also warned to make sure my running number was clearly visible because customs officers would stop you upon returning to the US if they couldn't see your number. Honestly after running the race, this seemed like a customs nightmare but they obviously make it work. I asked Janet (who is from Los Angeles) if they would ever do a race like this between California and Tijuana. She just laughed.
Anyway, we emerged from the tunnel to a blast of fresh cold air which felt great...as we turned the corner onto Jefferson, I heard MC Hammer "You Can't Touch This" and they had a big banner saying "Welcome back to the United States." I have to say it was a little exhilarating especially with all the people watching looking for their friends and family.
I kept my pace and started looking for my family around mile 10.5 where they said they would be waiting. Right on cue I saw them and stopped to say a little hello. It is always great to see people you know around the course. It gives you that little blast of energy you need. My stomach was also feeling a little upset at this point and I found some porta potty's with no lines and hit one up. As I got close to the half marathon mark, my legs were already starting to feel it. I had gone out a little faster than I intended and was worried about the second half of the race. My friend Mary intended to join me at mile 15 and run to the end of the race. Right on cue she was there with Melissa and Denis at mile 15. I was so grateful to have a running partner at this point. I could tell I was starting to struggle and the next 10 miles were going to be brutal.
Mary made a point of talking to me and just telling me random stories which was great. Initially I was good at chatting back with her but as we progressed on the course my ability to respond quickly diminished. By mile 18, I was just asking her one line questions. My mile 22, I was just responding to her stories with one word answers. By mile 24, I was barely able to grunt a response back to her...and at that point I remember thinking "Stop talking to me...I don't have the extra calories to listen!" This wasn't actually true...I was so grateful to have someone running with me and motivate me to keep running. I also felt my body getting tighter and screaming at me to stop. My quads hurt so bad and literally every time I closed my eyes to blink I had to work very hard to open them again. I have never felt this depleted in a race before but I also knew I was incredibly close to getting my goal time.
Mary encouraged me to keep running and even helped me switch out my shirts when I was getting too hot. Throughout the whole race, I was using a run/walk method that I had read about for years but never used. Basically you run for a predetermined amount of time and then walk for a predetermined amount of time. I was running for 9 minutes and walking for 1 minute throughout the entire race. The fellow who came up with this method is a huge believer in it...but the idea is it only works if you do it from the beginning of the race even when you are feeling great. If you start walking once you start to feel tired...you have already lost the opportunity that the 1 minute brings to your bodies. I don't know the research behind it but I know it worked for me. Towards the end of the race these walk breaks became harder and harder. I had a difficult time starting to run after each of them. Mary and I decided together that I should probably skip the last walk break and just run the last mile....that was probably the best decision ever. I am not sure I would have been able to run again if I stopped.
Around mile 25, I saw my cousin Josh's wife, Pam, and their three year old Gina. It was literally at probably my lowest point on the race. I was so tired, felt like I couldn't keep my eyes open, and was struggling to finish. It was a huge to see them...and extra cute was to see Gina running after me with the sign her and Pam made. This little bit motivated me to keep going and push on.
I rounded the corner and saw the 26 mile sign...at the top of a hill....I pushed up it and rounded the corner. Mary cut out at this point and I saw Melissa, Denis, and Janet all waiting along the finish line route. I crossed the finish in an official time of 4:15:56...which was my goal. I couldn't hardly believe it. I knew I trained well for the race but I wasn't incredibly optimistic about finishing in my goal time. I have trained well for marathons in the past and completely flopped in the second half of the race. I really think having Mary run with me was a huge burst and also having my friends there cheering. Here is the link to my finishing time, splits and pace:
I met up with my dad, Paul and Janet at the gear check. Paul finished in a great time and qualified for Boston. The first thing Janet told me was she puked three times on the Ambassador Bridge. Apparently she wasn't feeling too well! She did say after that she felt great and had a much easier time running. As a Detroiter, I thought this was great because the owner of the Ambassador Bridge is a terrible man and is currently trying to block the building of another bridge over the river...much to the chagrin of pretty much everyone in Detroit. With that said, Vote No on Proposal 6.
After the race, we gathered at my house and quite a few family members came over for chili and a potluck. It was great. The perfect ending to a great race and a beautiful race day. At this point, moving was terrible for me so I pretty much stayed sitting at the table. Paul, Denis, Mary and Melissa hit the road shortly after this because they all had to work on Monday. It was great to see all of them and show them around the city.
Monday after the race was really difficult. Going up and down stairs and going to the bathroom was to be avoided at all costs. Janet and I took it easy...minus visiting John King bookstore...which if you are from Detroit or been there before you know this is a massive bookstore with 4 floors and tons of stairs. It might have been a mistake to go on Monday after the marathon but it was the only time we could go. I painfully moved up and down the stairs but it was worth it.
As I right this, I feel a thousand times better. I can move with relative ease. I have been going up and down the stairs like a champ with only slight pain. I am still not ready to run but I feel great. Mostly I am just in shock I ran the time I wanted to run and don't really feel any residual injury. It was a good enough race for me to consider training for another marathon next year.
