2011 Grandma's Marathon - Race Report

The 35th Anniversary (my 5th) of Grandma's Marathon took place on Saturday, 18 June, 2011, in Duluth, MN. Duluth. This event known as a world class event with small town charm will always hold a special place for me since it was my first marathon. And now, for the past five years has become an annual favorite. The point to point race which starts in Two Harbors and finishes in front of Grandma's Restaurant in Canal Park borders the Great Lake Superior. The run along the great sea is majestic, quiet (at times), and challenging. The weather this time of year is unpredictable and ranges between cool and wet to hot and humid.

Executive Summary
The race on the men's side was the closest in Grandma's history. The race from Two Harbors to Canal Park started at 7:30 AM in chilly and wet conditions. The temperature never reached 50 degress all morning. The race concluded with its closet-ever margin of victory. A mere two-tenths of a second separated the top two male finishers. The women's race was also close with the winner crossing the line less than 30 seconds in front.

For me, a new marathon PR by over 20 minutes and a Grandma's PR by nearly 30 in conditions that were good for most runners and not so good for spectators and race volunteers.

Pre-Race Preparations
Pre-race prep actually began on Wednesday when we pushed our last lactate threshold workout and carb-fast. I started this practice about three years ago and is something I picked up in one of the many pre-race nutritional articles I had read. The basic concept is based on the idea that the human body can only store a limited amount of carbohydrates, which is one of two primary fuel sources we utilize during prolonged physical activity. Our bodies can store about two hours of carbohydrate (glycogen) fuel to sustain moderate activity (running in this case). In an attempt to maximize storage of this fuel source within the muscles, perform a lactate threshold workout and then starve your body of carbohydrate food sources for up to 8 to 10 hours before going on a carb binge. The threshold workout and deprivation are reported to increase the muscle's ability to absorb and store glycogen (carbohydrates). It seems to work for me, but as with any advice (especially from me), take it with a grain of salt and do your own experiments to find out what works for you.

Race Report
For me, race morning started early at Spirit Mountain campground, climbing out of my tent before 4:00 AM after a night of continuous rain and temperatures in the mid 40's. For the five years I have participated in this event I've stayed at the campground. At $30 per night, hot showers, and good company, I'd have it no other way.

Gordy, Shawn, and I pulled out and headed down to the DECC (Duluth's Convention Center), where buses and a train would haul the majority of the registered 8300+ participants to the start line; 26.2 miles up the north shore of Lake Superior to Two Harbors. We knew that the weather was going to be dicey Saturday morning and had already agreed to ride the train up knowing that it would arrive about 20 minutes prior to race start. The thought was, better off on the warm train than standing around at the start line with nowhere to hide.

The ride up was slow and uneventful. The train was full and there was plenty of chatter. It was fun getting to know some of those around us. A man and wife from Colorado sat with us. They had just spent four days in the Boundary Waters, portaging their canoe around four lakes. Sounds like a great pre-race workout!

When the train pulled into the start area I was standing in a four- deep line for the restroom. The lines outside in the port-o-pot coral looked to be 30 or 40 deep so I figured I'd stay put. As I exited the restroom, passengers were still exiting the train. Gordy had my drop bag and met me by the exit door. The rain had stopped, and the sky was ominous, but the darkest clouds looked to be to our west and south. The wind was out of the east but the storm looked to be moving north west to south east. We kept our fingers crossed.

As we walked to the starting area a sea of runners draped in garbage bags lay in front of us. We wished each other well knowing that we each had our own races to run this day.

I positioned myself near Charlie, the Cliff pace runner I wanted to start out with. I had no intentions of running with Charlie for long. My strategy today was to run how I felt. This is actually a pretty dangerous strategy and could easily lead to an early blow- up.

It's interesting to watch the runners around you. There seems to be many (too many) runners who take themselves way too seriously jostling for position. Before I knew it the National Anthem had played and the race started.

Taking some lessons I have learned from my Yogi (Sara), I had set my intention for today's event. During Yoga practice we set an intention (if we so desire), the intention can be for someone or something or can be as simple as focusing ones own breath. This is a place of comfort and strength and can be returned to at any time throughout practice, to regroup and re-energize. I knew there would be several times during today's run when I would need to return to this intention. Regardless of whether you are a frontrunner or a rookie, there will come a time, during these types of events, where you will want to stop. It might because of a physical challenge, muscle fatigue, cramps, etc., or it might come from your mind, telling you it has had enough and that resting is much more compelling than continuing.

Today, mile 18 was my first challenge. My left hip was talking to me (loudly), it wanted my attention and it succeeded. I first started with the old 'Ironman' mantra, "You can do anything for 8 miles". This worked temporarily but would not carry me the rest of the way. I returned to my intention, I focused on it, and blocked out all other outside distractions and pushed on.

Shorty after, the Cliff pace group I wanted to stay in front of today went by. I felt a bit defeated, but this too I let pass. I was running my race today. My pace, my breath, my movement had become labored; I pushed on.

As we climbed up over 'Lemon Drop' hill at mile 22, and started to make our way into town, my body ached. My feet felt every step, my hip was making sure I did not forget about it; it took everything I had just to focus on puting one foot in front of the other. The crowds started to grow, I was amazed all day by the support; the support from the dedicated volunteers for which this event would not be possible, and the thousands of supporters and spectators along the way. This was not a good day to stand along a marathon route, or to work a water stop, play a musical instrument, or cheer words of encouragements. I was inspired by their support and was able to draw on their energy to push forward.

When I crossed over the timing mats on mile 25 I new from experience what to expect that last 1.2 miles. The finish at Grandma's can be cruel. When you think you're done, it throws yet another turn your way. You come around the DECC and expect the finish, you run along the freighter docked out in front of Grandma's and you expect the finish. You weave back under the freeway, and you expect the finish. Finally, coming around the last corner, you enter the finish shoot, and still you have another 1/8 of a mile. But now you know you're just about there, you let the crowd carry you, and you push for the finish arch.

I pushed stop on my Garmin as I went under the arch. It was the first time (intentionally) all day that I looked at my watch. I had no intention of playing the time game today. As I stopped my watch I also noticed the front of my jacket, and realized that I had apparently not used enough body glide, and for a brief moment thought about how I would pay for the mistake later in the shower.

My finish medal was placed around my neck, I wobbled a few times as I made my way through the finish area, picked up my shirt, filled my water bottle, and drank several additional glasses of water. I ran into Jason, Jay's son (a work colleague). Jason and I ran together briefly about the 10K mark. We chatted briefly, said a few words of encouragement, and wished each other well. I saw Jay four times on the course cheering the runners on.

I started to shake, I was cold, I was shivering. I took in a couple a small glasses of orange juice, a chocolate milk (yum), a bag of potato chips, and a few strawberries. I quickly found Charlene and Alexandra. Gordy came over eating ice cream (he loves ice cream almost as much as I love regular Ruffles potato chips). We quickly made our way to the drop bags and headed for someplace warm.

Grandma's does a great job with post- race food, some of the best I have had. But this year the only thing I was focused on was getting to someplace warm. The weather, providing for good running conditions, did not play well with post- race activities.

The Results
The day produced a new marathon PR and a new Grandma's PR. The day was not without challenges and I feel I am stronger for it. I was able to push through some tough times that in the past I would not have. I'm satisfied with the result and feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to participate.

On this Father's Day weekend, I think of my Dad. I think that he would have enjoyed being here today and that I would have enjoyed him being here. I got involved in multi-sport endurance events after his passing. I hope that he knows how much he has meant to me and how he has inspired me to challenge myself with these types of events.

What's Next
Well, I decided to slide another trail run into the schedule. On Saturday, 02 July, we will play in the hills of Afton State Park located just 7 miles east of the homestead. There are two distances available; a 25K run and a 50K Ultra-Marathon. We will be doing the 25K run. Stay Tuned...