(Looking for part 2 of the race report? Click here. For part 1, click here.)
The Ironman Lake Placid marathon is a tricky beast that requires considerable patience to tame.
Last year, I royally messed up my pacing by running as if I were starting a “regular” marathon, rather than preparing for 26.2 miles after I’d already gone 114.4 miles. (Last year’s run report can be found here.)
All year long, I’ve been committed to running patiently and not repeating the same mistake. Here’s a little snippet from the run portion of the race plan I wrote for myself:
- DON’T RUN LIKE A JACKASS OFF THE BIKE.
- Grab water on way out of T2, one for head, one for mouth-rinse & spit
- DON’T RUN LIKE A JACKASS OFF THE BIKE.
As I left T2, I dutifully grabbed the two waters, poured, rinsed and spit, while thinking in my head: DON’T RUN LIKE A JACKASS.
The trouble with this advice, however, is the nature of the first mile of the IMLP marathon. First off, you start with a ferocious downhill that’s harder to run slowly than it is to run quickly. You drop over 100 feet in the span of a quarter mile. (See below.)
Secondly, there are THOUSANDS of spectators, cheering your name, telling you to go for it. And you want to–really badly. Thirdly, after sitting hunched over for hours, it feels incredibly good to be upright, homo erectus once again.
But, I remembered how I wilted during last year’s marathon, and my goal this year was a 4 hour marathon. I knew I had that in me. And I knew the only way to get there was a negative split. I had practiced negative splits in training, and I have done countless races with negative splits. The key to the negative split is patience and faith in your ability. You can’t charge head first into the mouth of the beast, and you have to trust that you can charge when the time is right.
TIP: When you start a marathon (during Ironman or otherwise), you are going to feel good. But, stick to your pacing strategy. You cannot “bank” time for later. If you start out too fast, you will ultimately lose time on the back end of the marathon–more time than you can bank. Practice training negative splits doing progressive tempo runs, or by finishing the final miles of your long runs at or slightly under marathon goal pace.
In my race plan, I had broken the marathon into four 10k (6.2 mile) segments, with a final 2k push to the finish. This segmentation strategy comes from Chrissie Wellington. I tried it when I ran Boston, and this approach really works well for me.
TIP: Break the marathon (or any long distance!) into manageable bits. While I use 10k, you can use any increment that works for you. You can even use the natural divisions of the course. For example, if there is an out an back, you can count each leg of the out and then the back.
With last year’s pacing mistake fresh in my mind, my goal for the first 10k was to keep it nice and easy, with my heart rate between 130-135 beats per minute. This is really low for me on a run, and I had trouble keeping my heart rate in this range. My heart rate wound up averaging 136 bpm for this portion, but I felt strong with steady splits. By the time I got to 6 miles, I was ready to ratchet up the pace.
So, I didn’t think there was any need to worry about a slight HR elevation on this first 10k.
There was, however, a reason to worry about the niggling in my right leg. I could feel the tendons over the side of my knee, rubbing, stretching, pulling. Ouch.
Just as with the bike, I did what I had to do. I reached in my emergency pack and grabbed the Aleve. Within 15 minutes, the pain had subsided to a dull rub, and I continued onward.
It’s beautiful out there.
For those of you who have never seen the marathon course, the majority of the route takes an out-and-back along River Road, which is a particularly picturesque stretch of country road, with a river that winds along the route, bucolic fields, and lush greenery.
As you run back toward town, you can see the Olympic Ski Jumps, looming in the distance. There is something about those ski jumps, at once intimidating and inspiring. They are a reminder of the great athletes that have graced Lake Placid, imbuing the air and ground with a greatness that pushes you to meet your own great expectations.
As I came back in to town to finish my first loop, I ran up Mirror Lake Drive, looking left to see if I could catch a glimpse of my family and friends. There was my brother, yet again, head above the crowd, screaming my name. Then he yelled, “JJ did it! He’s an ironman again!”
“Time?!” I yelled back.
“10:08.”
I started weeping for joy immediately. My husband is a complete animal of Ironman racing. This was only his second Ironman, on one of the toughest courses there is, and he had achieved a personal record by 34 minutes. Whether or not he qualified for Kona, he had attacked the IMLP beast and won! (He’ll be doing a guest post here shortly.)
There is a brief out and back section on Mirror Lake Drive, which allows you to pass family and friends yet again. This is a great boost at the half marathon mark.
On my way back, I saw my sister-in-law Tracy, and heard her rallying cries of “Woop! Woop!” Followed by, “Yeah, sister! You are killing it!”
Then, I heard John’s voice – clear and loud above the thousands of spectators.
“Maria!” He exclaimed. His face was positively glowing with the rush of endorphins and the high of a job well done.
I looked over and gave a fist pump.
“Two hours.”
I yelled to him.
Last year, I had said the very same thing at the exact same point to my brother. But, I didn’t pull through on the promise last year. My poor pacing had resulted in a slower second half last year.
But, this year felt different. I knew I had the four hour marathon, if only my leg would hold out. It was starting to hurt again, so I popped another Aleve.
Heading back toward River Road, I was starting my third 10k segment. It was hot, and the sun was blazing despite the fact that it was late afternoon.
At the aid stations, neatly spaced about 1 mile apart, I greedily grabbed sponges and cups of ice to cool off.
TIP: Keep your core as cool as possible. Shove the cold sponges in your top and shorts. If you wear a hat, put the ice in your hat. Ladies, use your sports bra as an ice shelf.
The aid station volunteers are incredibly helpful and supportive. This becomes especially important on River Road because spectator access is limited to almost zero spectators since the road is closed to traffic.
TIP: On the bike and run, be vocal about what you need at the aid stations. The volunteers are extremely responsive if they know what you want. Point so the person knows you are grabbing the cup/gel/whatever that s/he is holding.
With approximately 8 miles or so to go, I started playing my favorite game: picking off runners.
Here’s how it works: I select a person in front of me who looks to be running at a fairly good clip, and concentrate on catching them. As soon as you catch one, it’s time to pick another one.
This strategy offers a great mental boost because it serves as tangible evidence of progress, and it helps to ensure that I don’t drop my pace in the final taxing miles of the marathon. This “game” also gives me something to think about other than the sufferfest that is a marathon.
TIP: It’s really easy to spiral into a pity-party. Don’t let your mind go there. Repeat mantras, play the “pick off” game, focus on the present moment or the pretty scenery, concentrate on your race plan.
As I ran through the second loop, the game started to get really easy. There were many people walking or otherwise visibly slowing down. One man was retching horribly in the bushes. I averted my eyes, as sometimes just the sight of someone puking can make me gag. I did NOT need that at this point.
I kept my eyes focused on the road ahead, and kept motoring.
After the turnound on River road, Ironman has an “Athlete Inspiration Board” where family members can post messages for us when we are out on the no man’s land that is River Road. John’s mom had selected a great one for me. As I passed over the timing mat, the message appeared on the screen:
“Be blessed, not weary.”
This was a reference to a well-known passage from the bible (Isaiah 40:31), which says, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Ah, Jeanne is always good with the tear jerker. I’m not a religious person, but I am spiritual, and this is a beautiful passage that celebrates faith, hope and commitment. Be blessed, not weary became one of my mantras during the final 10k.
In what seemed like a blink, I found myself back at the bottom of the steep hill that leads to the final out and back on Mirror Lake Drive. At the top of the hill was an announcer with a microphone, chanting: “Runnnn-nnnneeerrs! Runnnnn- nnnnnneeerrrs!”
Many people wind up walking this hill because, while short, it is quite steep. It makes Boston’s heartbreak hill look like a speed bump.
TIP: One thing I’ve learned from ultra running is that there is no shame in walking steep hills if they are going to cause your heart rate to spike too dangerously. No sense pushing the uphill, and then leaving yourself too weary to bomb the downhill. The key, however, is to speed walk and keep your posture erect. Don’t bend over into the hill as this makes it hard to get oxygen into your lungs. Stand erect, pump your arms and walk briskly. Breath steadily.
I turned on to Mirror Lake Drive and Team U Crazy was still out there, screaming their lungs out. As I passed them, I knew they would rush to the oval to catch my finish. They had time, as the out and back on Mirror Lake is about 2 miles.
Along this out and back is house. He and his buddies were out there with a blender that was powered by a bike hooked up to a trainer. There were margaritas in the blender.
“Want a margarita? Plenty of sugar to keep you going!” They tried to tempt me.
“Not now,” I replied, smiling and laughing.
“Awww, c’mon, do it!”
I resisted the temptation and kept on moving. There would be plenty of margaritas to come, but I wanted to enjoy the moment that was coming. The moment I had visualized for months. The Olympic Oval moment.
I made the final turnaround on Mirror Lake Drive and said to the fine volunteers and spectators that were partying there, “I won’t be seeing you again!” I smiled BIG and offered up a fist pump with a flourish.
One of the men said, “Leave some fun for somebody else, will ya?”
“Oh, there’s plenty of fun for everyone!”
I came down the final stretch, and went right following the sign that read “To the finish.”
At this point, I was running HOT. But, the second I stepped into that Olympic oval, I slowed to a crawl. Last year, I rushed this moment.
Not this year, not this time.
I looked into the faces of the spectators and smiled. I gave high fives.
My soul soared with the the flags that fly majestically over the Olympic Oval.
I looked to the heavens to thank God for this wonderful blessing that is the human form fully alive.
I looked to my left and saw Tracy hanging over the barricade. I ran over to her and hugged her tight.
“You did it sister,” she said to me. “You did it!”
Then, through my tears and laughter, I heard Mike Reilly, saying it like no one else can:
“Maria Simone, from Absecon, NJ, you are an ironman! C’mon, Maria! Maria, C’mon!”
As I crossed the finish line, I blew a kiss to my dad, to whom I dedicate this race.
The numbers
I ran a 3:56:50 marathon to cross the finish line in 12 hours, 51 minutes and 26 seconds. A personal record by 41 minutes and 21 seconds. Yes, I had wanted to go faster, but I raced strong and hard. This is what I had on this day.
I had moved from 69th place in my division following the bike to 40th in my division in the final tally (out of 122 35-39 females). This compares to placing 63rd last year. I was 1,150 overall, moving up a whopping 503 spots from last year!
While I’m pleased with the improvement, the numbers just don’t properly capture the essence of this beast that is both gentle and fierce, exhilerating and exhausting, rewarding and frustrating.
I poured what I had into this race, and it gave me everything it had as well. The beast and I were buddies once again.
I think my finishing video, which John took, sums it up perfectly:
