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Coach Jack McClintic - October 24, 2005
The Three-Hour Marathon
If you are training for your first
marathon (which you need to run easy to finish) it would
be best not to read any
further for what follows is a story mixed with tips on
how to run a marathon for time. I never intended to break
three hours in a marathon; it just happened to me.
I first
got myself into trouble three years ago when I was a Blue
runner. It was a combination of Coach Frank’s
good coaching, some hard training and losing 20 pounds that
propelled me in the 2002 Houston Marathon to finish in 3:06.
This was far below the 3:15 I had hoped for. The thought
of breaking 3 hours came to me the instant I crossed that
finish line. The fear of failing also welled
up within me, since so many of my fast running friends had
tried to break three and had come up with a low three after
several tries. The next season I joined the ATP group to
give myself an extra edge towards cracking the barrier. Like
2002, the 2003 Houston Marathon had perfect weather, but
I finished in 3:01:28, eighty-eight seconds shy of the barrier.
I had trained well and run well. I told myself that a 3:01
is fine; it’s just numbers after all!
It would be a
while before I had another shot at going sub three. While
both running with and coaching the Katy Fit
ATP group, I got hurt in the 30K in December of 2004. Fortunately
I was able to run after a couple weeks, but my knee was still
very sore. Paige Krekeler, who was my assistant coach, and
I were able to pace most all of the ATP pirates in the 2005
Houston Marathon. They all got huge PRs and lowered their
times by an average of 25 minutes. Mark Coleman, Steve Brammer
and Nancy Husby got Boston Qs and Steve broke the 3-hour
barrier. I felt so satisfied personally and proud of our
ATP group that I didn’t miss the shot at sub-three.
We
were even more blessed right after the Houston marathon as
scores of Reds, Yellows, Greens and Blues joined our free
spring workouts. And out of this group some of them wanted
to run a fall marathon. I jumped in, too, so I could get
my own marathon done early which would mean I could help
pace the pirates again in Houston 2006. Floyd Trevino emailed
me some excellent fall marathons: Chicago, Tucson and Columbus.
I suggested the Wichita Marathon as it was close enough to
reach by car. I also remembered it as fast from running it
in 2000.
However by race morning I was depressed. We had an
excellent group of twelve Katy Fit runners on the starting
line. Everyone
in the group had a good shot at a PR; most had a good chance
of grabbing a Boston Q and even race hardware. However two
huge obstacles sucked all the marathon hope out of me. It
was 58 degrees at the start but we all knew that it would
be into the high 70s before we finished. It was going to
be a warm marathon. Secondly there were more hills than I
had remembered from five years ago. The thought of hills
and heat were weighing on all of us.
I did enjoy the pre-race
atmosphere as we all talked, laughed, hugged and took pictures.
We had cheered for our very own
Cathy Harris and Rose Trevino, who went out with the early
7:00 group to walk the course. We had Sue Dean Smith and
Dennis Woleben supporting us with a complex list of gear
and supplements. We lined up right in front of a crowd of
only 400 runners to do 26.2 in Kansas. We were all hoping
to find the yellow brick road to see what the Wizard would
give us! We all wore Texas flags on our singlets with Katy
Fit proudly displayed. The bibs had a large space to write
our names on them. I think everyone did except me. I just
like to run anonymously especially the last 6 miles where
I hate to hear anyone or anything. I am very private when
it comes to pain!
I knew deep down that the weather would
rob me of cracking 3 hours but I was still at peace and was
just going to hold
the necessary pace to break three to the halfway point. I
was running this thing for fun anyhow, so I might as well
play with my speed. I also felt in very good shape and that
I could do my best to compete against all the other 40-44
year olds in the race. They would have to face the same conditions
as I did.
The race director blasted a blow horn
to start us. I hesitated for a second, as I was used to
hearing gunfire
in Texas!
I was in the second row and immediately all these runners
were in front of me. I spent the next four blocks getting
back towards the front. I finally got to where I could see
the lead runners for the next mile. And there was our very
own Steve Brammer leading the entire race! For a half a mile
he was our leader and I was proud of him. I suppose a lot
of coaches would be upset with him for going out too fast,
but I wasn’t. I knew that he could not help it. He
really is two different people. Most of the time he is just
a great Clark Kent type of guy who will do anything for you
but during a race he turns into Superman and just flies out
of the start all fired up. He had told me over and over again
and even the morning of the race that he would run with me,
but I knew that I was talking to Clark Kent!
I came through
the first mile too fast myself with a 6:30. I had been talking
to a couple of guys that were both planning
to run 2:50s, but I abruptly told them that I had to slow
down. I was successful with my pace by mile two, right on
6:45 mile pace. Some guy shouted to me at this point that
I was in 19th place. We had lots of long low hills the next
several miles. I started talking to Garrett (it was on his
bib) and he told me that he ran a 2:59 last year. I just
thought to myself that I hoped he could lead me to the Promised
Land.
I panicked at mile 5 as I was already
slipping off pace. I was determined to hold goal pace for
13 miles. I
picked
it up and started passing a line of six runners. I wondered
how many of them would pass me again when I got tired! I
saw Cathy Harris and patted her on the shoulder to encourage
her. Then I came upon even steeper hills and for the first
time at mile eight I could feel my respiration start to quicken.
I thought, “I hate hills!” I listened to my body
and slowed down just a hair. At mile ten I saw Dennis and
Sue Dean and handed them my spent sports bottle and got another
one full of fruit punch Gatorade. I suffer terribly from
stomach distress in a marathon when I take in 8 ounces all
at once. The sports bottle allows me to sip on it every half-mile
and get it past my touchy stomach.
As I entered Fort McConnell
I wondered how I would feel at mile 20, when I would leave
the base again. J.R., a young
guy from Abilene, Texas passed me at about mile 11 and I
wished him well. I have never been a very competitive type
of runner. I always feel we are all out there giving it our
best and by doing so we are encouraging others to do their
best as well. Just past mile 14 a guy passed me like I was
standing still, but then I noticed that he slowed down again
about 80 meters ahead. I was just starting to feel a little
tired and chose to stay with him. I felt that if I could
keep such a strong runner in view, he would carry me to the
finish in less than three hours so I picked up my pace again
for the second time.
It was getting warmer on the base and there were more hills!
I thought about our whole Katy Fit team out there several
times and said a prayer for them. Dennis Shaw had programmed
a Katy Fit pace band for 2:59:59. It was a huge help in giving
me mile-by-mile feed back on my pace. By mile 18 I was now
2 minutes and 20 seconds ahead of my goal pace, 140 precious
seconds in the bank. I knew that I would be making withdrawals
soon, but how soon was the big question. Near mile 19 I saw
Steve Brammer for the first time since the start of the race.
He gave me a big hello and looked good. I didn’t think
I would catch him, as he was about 300 meters ahead of me.
Shortly thereafter Sue Dean and Dennis took my almost empty
Gatorade bottle and belt. I had only been able to drink about
38 ounces of sports drink, as my stomach was pretty nauseous.
I was still following the guy that blew by me at mile 14.
When we reached the 21 mile-marker it happened to me. My
energy drained right down and out of my body. I felt empty
and weak yet still had five miles to run. To my surprise
I still had 2 minutes and 20 seconds in the bank. For the
next four crucial miles I concentrated on keeping my form
upright and went through relaxation drills. Those same bad
old negative thoughts crept into me but I had some positive
thoughts to drive them away. I was able to maintain a 7:05
mile pace between mile 21 and 25 and kept the marathon demons
at bay. I thought of my Grandmother who had just died and
I was running this part of the race in her honor. At mile
25 I still had 80 seconds left in the bank and barring a
total melt down, I knew I had a sub three in the making.
I was hurting a lot, but felt very excited at the same time.
The last 600 meters was on a red brick road. I sort of fancied
it was the yellow brick road leading me to the Land of Oz,
the improbable land of a sub 3-hour marathon. When I ran
into the square I saw the clock 70 meters ahead with 2:58:39
and I sprinted across the finish line in 2:58:57. I did not
raise my hands or look at my watch; I was just relieved it
was over. The second I stopped I felt nothing but terrible.
My stomach was so nauseous, but worse than that was my head.
Everything was spinning around. A well-meaning volunteer
struggled to put a medal over my head as it got caught on
my glasses and swung into my eyetooth, clipping it!
I looked
for any kind of shade, but found none. If I had been at the
George R. Brown they would have already taken
me to the medical area. I really wasn’t that excited
about breaking 3-hours, but deep down inside I was satisfied.
My attention was upon Steve as he finished in a nice time
of 3:00:23. He raised his hands in victory and then collapsed
upon a massage table totally spent. We were both totally
spent.
My thoughts went out to the remaining
ten Katy Fit runners still out there in temperatures now
up into the 70s.
I had
to leave quickly as I had to make my Grandmother’s
funeral viewing in Des Moines, Iowa in six hours. I drove
to the hotel, showered and hit the road. I called Floyd and
he gave me the news of our crew. It was mostly disappointing
with a couple bright spots. The temperatures had melted most
of us. Sean Dunbar did get a nice 12-minute PR with a 3:16,
but missed Boston by 20 seconds. Floyd still felt strong
at mile 20, but his knee gave way and he had to tough it
out just to finish. Dennis Shaw and Bob Kleibert both ran
a nice 3:49 but were about 5 minutes short of a PR. Rene’ struggled
to a 3:59 well off of what she normally would run.
Nancy
Brammer ran an amazing 3:56 and PR’d by over
20 minutes and got a Boston Q. Pat McGannon ran a nice 3:34
in the heat, a four-minute PR and just 4 minutes shy of a
ticket to Boston. Karen Broyles finished in 4:24, well off
of her Houston PR. Rose Trevino had a terrific PR of 4:48.
Cathy Harris walked all the way into McConnell Air Force
Base, but was escorted off when they were closing down the
course. I felt bad for her, as she had run so well all year
only to be injured on the Addick’s dam hill. I also
felt guilty that I done so well upon a course that turned
out to be so hilly and hot. I should have chosen a better
marathon. I have often said to the pirates and I think our
experience validates it, that a hot day can subtract all
of our months of speed work.
But the key to running the marathon
well for time is the realization that it takes years to run
a good marathon. What
I mean is that it takes three to fours years of consistent
training before you really run one of these 26.2-mile races
at your optimal potential. I did not pull off a 2:58 marathon
just through good racing tactics, but rather I ran it well
because I had been doing twice-a-week speed work for eight
years on a consistent basis. I had run an average weekly
mileage of 40 miles a week for several years. It takes time
for one’s body to adapt and get stronger. Great marathon
times are already made before the gun ever goes off.
I hope
that those of you in the ATP program or those of you that
are thinking about joining will love this sport as much
as I do to keep training and improving for years to come.
For one day, one cool day on a flat course years from now,
you will run your own perfect marathon. You will feel great
up to mile 13, good up to mile 21. You’ll encounter
and conquer your own marathon demons from 21 to 25 and then
run your mile victory lap to grab your own prize of a perfect
marathon.
I want to leave you with just a few tips on how
to train well for the next three to four years to get your
own perfect
marathon time:
- Listen to your body. If you have a slight injury
coming on take 3 to 5 days off from running, much better
than getting
hurt and being out for months
- Run with friends; it’s
the relationships that are more important in running than
one’s time
- Eat well, rest and take vitamins
- Run slow on all of your
non-speed work days
- Run on dirt, grass, crushed granite
and rubber tracks, not on concrete or asphalt
- Push yourself
just a little on your speed workouts; always feel tired
but good when you leave the track. Over time
these are the magic workouts that make you fast
- Use good form when you run,
body straight up and down, shoulders down and back, eyes
focused on the horizon. Don’t
over stride and your arm swing should be forward.
- Avoid
all junk food except ice cream and find your healthiest
weight.
- Pick a marathon that is flat and has average temperatures
in the 40s.
- Remember at the starting line that “all
the hay is in the barn” and your job is not to
screw up your good training. Go out right on pace, relax,
hydrate and
have fun
until mile 18-22.
- From 22 until the finish line concentrate
on your form, relax and think positive thoughts.
- Go with
a group of Katy Fit runners and party to celebrate your
new time!
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