Race Report-Jacksonville Bank Marathon
I posted this on my blog and realized I hadn't posted it here. The race was on 12/18/2011
I did thew race with my husband Joel, it was his first marathon, my second. We didn't do the hotel thing, so we left for Jacksonville at 3am. Aunt Flow had graced me with her presence that morning and I was not happy to see her. Already not the best start to the day, 4 hours of sleep and an unwelcomed visitor. Got to the race site, picked up our race packets and set up out bibs and timing chips. Went to the porta potties a few times. Hung around waiting for the race to start. I was confident in my training, but this morning I was unsure if it was going to be a sub 4 hour day. Nonetheless, I was happy to be there, and happy to be wearing my Team RWB shirt and hat for the race.
The first 3 miles were an out and back, 1.5 miles out, turn around, and cross the starting line again while stepping over a timing mat at the 3.1 mile mark. I crossed this mat in 28:06. Me and Joel were still together at this point, around mile 4, the course went off the main road and went into residential area. I started focusing on my pace and breathing and realized that Joel was nowhere to be found, I kept looking behind me and he wasn't there.
I was trying to weave around people, it was hard because so many people wear headphones and they can't hear anything, so if I say "right behind you" they have no idea I am trying to pass a wall of people all oblivious to the people trying to get around them because of their headphones with blaring music. I don't wear headphones in races. Reached the 6 mile point and said to myself "only 20 more to go". I spotted the 4 hour pace group by the white balloon with a 4:00 on it, I passed it and told myself "just stay in front of that stupid balloon".I started thinking about Christmas, and spending time with Joel and the girls, and seeing their faces on Christmas morning excited about all the gift we got them, we started our Christmas shopping in September. At mile 8 the half marathoners split off to the finish of their race, I yelled to them "Merry Christmas!" and nobody smiled or waved or even said it back, a few of them just gave me strange looks. Made it to the 10-mile mat and crossed it in 1:27:29. I was thinking "16 more miles and I am a 2-time marathon finisher.
I had told Joel on several occasions that the 10-mile point is where things start to get difficult. It is the point where the excitement of starting the race is over, and you are nowhere near finished. I was at the 10-mile point, and was feeling pretty good, I was really wondering how Joel was feeling, as well as where he was at this point. At the pace I was going, I was on par for a sub 4 hour marathon. Mile 11 came and I was starting to feel that dreaded bubble gut feeling. I had been taking a GU gel every 5 miles, which had worked awesome in training, but just like last month at the Thanksgiving Day half, it seemed like my body wanted to reject it once I hit a certain pace. I ignored the bubble gut feeling hoping it would go away.
About halfway through mile 11 the course passed a small cemetery. For some reason my eyes were drawn to this cemetery. Wondering about what kind of people are buried there. I said a silent prayer for the families of those in the cemetery, who would be spending a Christmas without their loved once who was buried there.
Made it to the halfway point, crossed the mat in 1:55:14. I was halfway done and I was starting to feel not so good. I stared at the ground while running, it is a coping skill for me when I am hurting. Halfway done, and still on par for a sub 4 hour time. Mile 14 is when the wheels started falling off, way too early for a marathon. My calves were aching, my hamstrings were tight, my gut was feeling funny in a bad way. In my pain I thought back to my time in Iraq, I always go back here when I am hurting, it reminds me that no matter how bad I may feel in a race, that I am here in the race because I want to be here, I am safe, and no one is going to shoot me or my friends, another coping skill. Iraq was scary, walking across the desert in heavy gear in 130 degree heat hurts too. I remember all I have been through in my Iraq deployments, and it gets me through the dark places in a long race.
Mile 16 I had a near "opps I crapped my pants moment" so right after the mile marker was a porta-pottie. GI DISTRESS!!!!! AGGGHHHH!!!!! NOW????!!!!!!ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!SUB 4 HOURS IS ON THE LINE!!!!!!!!!!
Finally got out of the porta pottie after what seemed like forever. As soon as I stepped out I saw that stupid 4 hour balloon and I was pissed! Obviously I had been sitting for a few minutes so I had a little pep back. I took off and quickly passed that stupid 4 hour balloon and didn't look back, I knew I had to create a gap between me and that stupid balloon to still have a chance at sub 4. This may had been a mistake, but suddenly I found myself a woman possessed. I didn't want to lose a chance at sub 4 hours, especially not knowing when I would get another shot since I already know I am not running a marathon next year.
Without even realizing it I had just ran the next 4 miles at an 8:20 pace in an effort to create a gap between me and the 4 hour balloon. Made it to the 20 mile timing mat in 2:59:34. Right after that a National Guard soldier saw my OIF tattoo and we were talking about the Army. I think he was hurting to and just wanted to talk to somebody to get his mind off the pain. It helped me as well and we were at mile 21. He ran ahead of me and I was alone again. I was in a lot of pain at this time, this is where I started walking through aid stations to make sure I was getting good drinks and to give my knees a very short break, these walking breaks lasted about 20 feet, but they helped tremendously. I picked up this strategy during the ironman run and decided to bring it to my marathon since it helped so much in Muncie 70.3 and then ironman Louisville.
At mile 22 I was really tired of running and just wanted to be done. A lady on a mountain bike rode up from behind me, looked at me and said "come on ironman, only 4 more miles to go!" she must have seen the tattoo on the back of my left calf. I smiled the best I could and said thank you. At mile 23 all I could think about was pain, it hurt. I was silently praying for strength to get me through this.
Mile 24 every runner I saw looked miserable, we didn't speak to each other, but misery loves company. Looking at my Garmin I still wasn't sure if I would make sub 4, but I was still holding on to hope. I gritted my teeth, stared at the ground, and got myself to mile 25. One more look at my Garmin and I knew I had it, I had 15 minutes to do a mile for sub 4, and I can walk a mile faster than that. I tried to hurry my steps, but I almost fell over. Instead I jogged at a 9:20 pace to the finisher's chute, it was all I could manage right now. That last .2 seem so incredible long. I crossed the finish line with a fist pump into the air knowing I just ran a sub 4 hour marathon. Final chip time was 3:56:29.
After I got my medal and some water I headed back to the finishers chute to wait for Joel. I had no idea how he was doing or where he was. Everything hurt, everything was pulsating. Every muscle in my leg felt so tight. Every few minutes the weight of the race would come over me and I would momentarily cry a few tears. I didn't want to sit down since I knew how hard it would be to get back up. I waited and waited, and waited some more. I was really getting worried about Joel, I hoped he wasn't hurt. Finally, after 35 minutes of waiting he finally entered the chute. I was cheering for him and yelling "you did it!" and he yelled back "that was much harder than I thought it would be!" Joel finished in 4:31:47. He was so happy and proud of me for my sub 4 finish, he knew how much it meant to me.
I did thew race with my husband Joel, it was his first marathon, my second. We didn't do the hotel thing, so we left for Jacksonville at 3am. Aunt Flow had graced me with her presence that morning and I was not happy to see her. Already not the best start to the day, 4 hours of sleep and an unwelcomed visitor. Got to the race site, picked up our race packets and set up out bibs and timing chips. Went to the porta potties a few times. Hung around waiting for the race to start. I was confident in my training, but this morning I was unsure if it was going to be a sub 4 hour day. Nonetheless, I was happy to be there, and happy to be wearing my Team RWB shirt and hat for the race.
The first 3 miles were an out and back, 1.5 miles out, turn around, and cross the starting line again while stepping over a timing mat at the 3.1 mile mark. I crossed this mat in 28:06. Me and Joel were still together at this point, around mile 4, the course went off the main road and went into residential area. I started focusing on my pace and breathing and realized that Joel was nowhere to be found, I kept looking behind me and he wasn't there.
I was trying to weave around people, it was hard because so many people wear headphones and they can't hear anything, so if I say "right behind you" they have no idea I am trying to pass a wall of people all oblivious to the people trying to get around them because of their headphones with blaring music. I don't wear headphones in races. Reached the 6 mile point and said to myself "only 20 more to go". I spotted the 4 hour pace group by the white balloon with a 4:00 on it, I passed it and told myself "just stay in front of that stupid balloon".I started thinking about Christmas, and spending time with Joel and the girls, and seeing their faces on Christmas morning excited about all the gift we got them, we started our Christmas shopping in September. At mile 8 the half marathoners split off to the finish of their race, I yelled to them "Merry Christmas!" and nobody smiled or waved or even said it back, a few of them just gave me strange looks. Made it to the 10-mile mat and crossed it in 1:27:29. I was thinking "16 more miles and I am a 2-time marathon finisher.
I had told Joel on several occasions that the 10-mile point is where things start to get difficult. It is the point where the excitement of starting the race is over, and you are nowhere near finished. I was at the 10-mile point, and was feeling pretty good, I was really wondering how Joel was feeling, as well as where he was at this point. At the pace I was going, I was on par for a sub 4 hour marathon. Mile 11 came and I was starting to feel that dreaded bubble gut feeling. I had been taking a GU gel every 5 miles, which had worked awesome in training, but just like last month at the Thanksgiving Day half, it seemed like my body wanted to reject it once I hit a certain pace. I ignored the bubble gut feeling hoping it would go away.
About halfway through mile 11 the course passed a small cemetery. For some reason my eyes were drawn to this cemetery. Wondering about what kind of people are buried there. I said a silent prayer for the families of those in the cemetery, who would be spending a Christmas without their loved once who was buried there.
Made it to the halfway point, crossed the mat in 1:55:14. I was halfway done and I was starting to feel not so good. I stared at the ground while running, it is a coping skill for me when I am hurting. Halfway done, and still on par for a sub 4 hour time. Mile 14 is when the wheels started falling off, way too early for a marathon. My calves were aching, my hamstrings were tight, my gut was feeling funny in a bad way. In my pain I thought back to my time in Iraq, I always go back here when I am hurting, it reminds me that no matter how bad I may feel in a race, that I am here in the race because I want to be here, I am safe, and no one is going to shoot me or my friends, another coping skill. Iraq was scary, walking across the desert in heavy gear in 130 degree heat hurts too. I remember all I have been through in my Iraq deployments, and it gets me through the dark places in a long race.
Mile 16 I had a near "opps I crapped my pants moment" so right after the mile marker was a porta-pottie. GI DISTRESS!!!!! AGGGHHHH!!!!! NOW????!!!!!!ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!SUB 4 HOURS IS ON THE LINE!!!!!!!!!!
Finally got out of the porta pottie after what seemed like forever. As soon as I stepped out I saw that stupid 4 hour balloon and I was pissed! Obviously I had been sitting for a few minutes so I had a little pep back. I took off and quickly passed that stupid 4 hour balloon and didn't look back, I knew I had to create a gap between me and that stupid balloon to still have a chance at sub 4. This may had been a mistake, but suddenly I found myself a woman possessed. I didn't want to lose a chance at sub 4 hours, especially not knowing when I would get another shot since I already know I am not running a marathon next year.
Without even realizing it I had just ran the next 4 miles at an 8:20 pace in an effort to create a gap between me and the 4 hour balloon. Made it to the 20 mile timing mat in 2:59:34. Right after that a National Guard soldier saw my OIF tattoo and we were talking about the Army. I think he was hurting to and just wanted to talk to somebody to get his mind off the pain. It helped me as well and we were at mile 21. He ran ahead of me and I was alone again. I was in a lot of pain at this time, this is where I started walking through aid stations to make sure I was getting good drinks and to give my knees a very short break, these walking breaks lasted about 20 feet, but they helped tremendously. I picked up this strategy during the ironman run and decided to bring it to my marathon since it helped so much in Muncie 70.3 and then ironman Louisville.
At mile 22 I was really tired of running and just wanted to be done. A lady on a mountain bike rode up from behind me, looked at me and said "come on ironman, only 4 more miles to go!" she must have seen the tattoo on the back of my left calf. I smiled the best I could and said thank you. At mile 23 all I could think about was pain, it hurt. I was silently praying for strength to get me through this.
Mile 24 every runner I saw looked miserable, we didn't speak to each other, but misery loves company. Looking at my Garmin I still wasn't sure if I would make sub 4, but I was still holding on to hope. I gritted my teeth, stared at the ground, and got myself to mile 25. One more look at my Garmin and I knew I had it, I had 15 minutes to do a mile for sub 4, and I can walk a mile faster than that. I tried to hurry my steps, but I almost fell over. Instead I jogged at a 9:20 pace to the finisher's chute, it was all I could manage right now. That last .2 seem so incredible long. I crossed the finish line with a fist pump into the air knowing I just ran a sub 4 hour marathon. Final chip time was 3:56:29.
After I got my medal and some water I headed back to the finishers chute to wait for Joel. I had no idea how he was doing or where he was. Everything hurt, everything was pulsating. Every muscle in my leg felt so tight. Every few minutes the weight of the race would come over me and I would momentarily cry a few tears. I didn't want to sit down since I knew how hard it would be to get back up. I waited and waited, and waited some more. I was really getting worried about Joel, I hoped he wasn't hurt. Finally, after 35 minutes of waiting he finally entered the chute. I was cheering for him and yelling "you did it!" and he yelled back "that was much harder than I thought it would be!" Joel finished in 4:31:47. He was so happy and proud of me for my sub 4 finish, he knew how much it meant to me.
Jillian
Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran, Army Wife, 3x Ironman Finisher
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