Indianapolis Marathon, October 20, 2007

On October 7 I was one of the folks who was looking for Boston Marathon qualifying time at the 2007 Chicago Marathon, my hometown race. My per mile pace was slower than hoped until 18, but I still was on pace to get my time.  Then in the high heat I cramped badly and had to walk some and run easy.  I switched to just enjoying the day - even if it were overly warm - when at mile 23 we were ordered to walk it in for our medals.  A disappointment for sure, but it was necessary.  (At my stage of the race there was plenty of water and Gatorade at every stop - but I did see the volunteers pouring full jugs of water over runners' heads.)

I was in dilemma trying to figure out what to do after Chicago.  Marathoning is something I know a bit about (having run 26 marathons and 10 Ironman races), but I found myself wanting to get right back on a course to get my Boston time and yet knew racing again so soon could be risky.  I had friends doing Philadelphia and California International who wanted me to join them, but those races just seemed to be too many weeks away and too far away.  I looked at all the options and nothing pulled me...except Indianapolis.  I have relatives in the area and have enjoyed running and racing around the Indy area many times.  It just felt like the right race, even though I knew almost nothing about it.  (A few years ago when I was running as a drop-in at an Indiana Track Club training run in Bloomington some members were talking about the Indianapolis race versus Columbus and I learned a little - small race, not hilly.)  My running coach (Jim Spivey) was not enthusiastic about me racing so soon.  My Ironman/marathon coach (Mike Plumb) said, why not?  My running buddies were split on my choice.  So, of course, I took the plunge.  I was going to register on site (nice feature!) but the email about the race filling prompted me to finally decide and I registered on-line in the week before the race.

The result, of course, was great.  I know it was a risky idea - and subsequently have paid for running two marathons in two weeks and then getting little sleep by getting a bad cold - but it paid off.  Without the earlier depletion of Chicago I suspect I would have run 3:45, but my 3:59:30 was good enough for my Boston qualifying standard (4:00:59). 

The weather was great (temperatures in the 50s and 60s, overcast to sun), the volunteers were great, the course was great and my race strategy worked to a tee - put time in the bank by running the first half at 8:30 per mile pace and then withdraw it as I slowed down in the back half but never fully emptying the account.  I was in control all the way.  I watched my mile times rise in the back half and let them do so, trying to put out an even effort as my stride naturally shortened and not risking cramping by pushing harder. We ran through a section of Benjamin Harrison State Park that had a gorgeous trail (almost all paved) and it featured some hills, which I did not hit as hard as I might have otherwise wanted to. 

At mile 23 I knew I was taking time out of the bank a little too fast so I pushed the pace back up (risking cramping, which was my fear, not running out of gas).  Good that I did!  I did not know mile 26, unlike any other mile in the race, was all uphill!  My time that mile was identical to what I ran the mile prior, but my heart rate data shows what I knew - I was running a lot harder at that point to get to the finish line with a little time to spare!  It was hard, which made seeing the finish line and running across it under 4 hours even sweeter!

The marathon had just over 1,000 runners (and we were joined by 3,000 or so half marathoners for the first half).  With this small a race I was surprised pre-race to run into old running friends from Morris, IL: Cece, Marvin and John.  We idled near the start line in the dawn before the race, exchanged memories, stories and encouragement, and watched two fire department hook and ladder trucks suspend a huge American flag over the start line.  I left my friends for a short 5 minute warm-up and some strides, and then came back to the start and with my preferred start number was easily able to push up to about the eighth row from the front.  (What a difference from the legions ahead of me at Chicago!)  The start was fast and as we wound around the narrow streets of Fort Benjamin Harrison's residential area I was on a roll, with the first mile coming up at 7:52.  Subsequent miles rolled along without too much effort: 8:00, 8:09, 8:19, 8:19, 8:19, 8:29, 8:29, 8:29, 8:34, 9:15 (hills), 8:57, 8:46, and then mile 13 in 9:05.  At the halfway point I was exactly on my 8:30 per mile pace target over the first 13.1 miles.  In the balance of race my times climbed as expected - well, maybe just a bit higher than planned: 9:06, 9:24, 9:20, 9:39, 9:39, 10:12, 10:08, 10:04, 10:13, 10:28, 10:09, 10:05 (the uphill mile!) and the final 0.2 in 1:59:59.

As I was going maximum pace around the last corner to the finish line - and smiling broadly knowing I was going to get my Boston time, even if I did cut it close - I heard "Lee! It's Lee!  Go Lee!" and after the race connected with Alan and Joe from my Run to Eat group, who with two others had run the marathon as a relay team.  Small world, our running community!  I received medal over my head and wore it proudly as I found Alan and Joe and we enjoyed telling tales of our races in the warm fall sunshine.