The Second Marathon
“You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can’t know what’s coming.”
- Frank Shorter
A runner’s second marathon is a strange affair. Much of mystery and dread that define a first marathon has passed into experience. Things that terrified you the first time around can now be dismissed with a casual flick of confidence. Fears that cost you sleep before are now part of the basic routine. Simply put: you know you can do it, because you’ve already done it before.
On the other hand, it’s still a marathon. It’s still 26.2 miles, and it’s still an incredible challenge of strength, endurance and perseverance. Your first medal doesn’t automatically earn you a second one — you still have run the race.
Over the Hill (or Hills)
Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota was my second marathon. The point-to-point course winds along a rural highway along the banks of Lake Superior, before finally heading into the city of Duluth around mile 20. The city really rolls out the red carpet for race weekend, and Grandma’s seems to attract a high share of talented runners and experienced marathoners. And although the race is run in mid-June, typically the northerly latitude and cool breezes off the lake make this a fast and enjoyable course. I loved the atmosphere in Duluth during race weekend, and I can’t think of a better way to have celebrated my 40th birthday, a milestone which officially passed the day before the race.
Grandma's route, along Lake Superior.
The Early Going
I started this race with a simple goal: in light of some training interruptions, I just wanted do better than my first marathon (3:29:40). I planned to start right at a 3:30 pace, and then pick up time along the way from the downhill portions of the course and (hopefully) from my finishing kick.
So, on a beautiful, sunny June morning in northern Minnesota, I started my first race as a masters runner — which sounds much more dignified than “over the hill” slow-poke. From experience, I knew the early miles would be deceptively easy. The early morning temperatures were comfortable, and spirits were high. True to plan, I found myself effortlessly hitting or beating my goal pace of 8:00 minute miles for the first part of the race. The early miles clicked off rapidly without taking too much physical or mental energy. Indeed, with help from some slight downhill portions of the course, I had banked almost a full minute ahead of my goal by the time I hit the half-way point.
Obstacles Occur
Unfortunately, there are some obstacles in marathon running that no amount of preparation and no amount of experience can overcome. One of those things is the weather. On race day, high temperatures, stifling humidity, no cloud cover, and poor wind patterns combined in a perfect storm of bad conditions. It turned out to be the hottest Grandma’s race in 30 years. The race was “black flagged” by race officials an hour after the start, meaning that environmental conditions presented an extremely high risk of heat stress and hydration problems. The weather exacted a heavy toll on runners: the average finishing time for the 2007 marathon was 15 minutes slower than the historical norm, and more than 1 in 20 runners would require medical attention during or after the race.
I was pretty well acclimated to summer running, and honestly I did not feel the adverse effects of the weather until around mile 16. To that point, while I was aware of the rapidly deteriorating conditions, I was able to push aside those realities and run the race according to my plan. Now, reality started to push back. Starting with mile 16, I began to make withdrawals from my time bank, rather than deposits. My pace didn’t slip significantly — less than 10 seconds/mile at this point — but the previously effortless task of keeping an 8:00/m pace now became a laborious chore. By mile 20, with the toughest portions of the course still to come, it was no longer a question whether I was going to slow down; instead the concern was how much time I was going to lose before the heat shut me down completely.
Lemon Drop Hill
Mile 22 of Grandma’s Marathon marks the start of Lemon Drop Hill. I know the cutesy name “Lemon Drop Hill” makes it hard to conjure up daunting images of steep uphill running, but let me assure you this hill was no piece of candy. As one renowned running coach has said: “If the hill has its own name, then it’s probably a pretty tough hill.” Whatever heat-sapped endurance reserves I still had were spent running up that incline. Moreover, reaching the top of the hill gave no respite because my legs now felt like wooden pegs. With the sun blazing overhead, I just couldn’t will myself to go faster. Eight-minute miles were just no longer possible, and my race plan was slipping away. From mile 22 to mile 25, the time vault leaked completely dry; I now had no cushion to break my prior marathon time.
Finally, the Finish
I ran the last couple miles in a thick fog of exhaustion and dehydration. The streets of Duluth were lined on both sides with cheering families, friends and spectators — but the scenes are merely fuzzy memories to me. Weather, time, and distance had emptied my tanks completely. Every block that I was still moving was a small victory. Finally, on willpower, or on habit, I mustered a tiny burst of pace in the very last stretch of the race, and I crossed the finish line. 3:29:37 — faster than my first marathon … by all of 3 seconds.
Looking at my watch as I crossed the line, I was pleased to have met my goal of setting a PR marathon time, especially under the poor weather conditions. Yet, the effort had undeniably extracted a heavy toll: I felt sick and disoriented, and would for several hours afterwards. Joy and nausea make for a strange combination.
Fortunately, the bad feelings fade much faster than the good ones. In hindsight, I’m very pleased with my race and I know that I was in better shape than I thought. I ran a strong, even race under some pretty bad conditions. More importantly, I accomplished my goal, outright, in a new age class, and with no excuses required.
All that being said, I’ve also got to admit that I’m no closer to Boston than I was after Chicago. There’s still work to be done — so now, on to marathon number three!
Splits and Stats
| Mile |
Split |
Time |
| 1 |
07:50 |
00:07:50 |
| 2 |
08:00 |
00:15:50 |
| 3 |
08:05 |
00:23:55 |
| 4 |
07:58 |
00:31:53 |
| 5 |
07:55 |
00:39:48 |
| 6 |
08:01 |
00:47:49 |
| 7 |
07:57 |
00:55:46 |
| 8 |
08:02 |
01:03:48 |
| 9 |
07:54 |
01:11:42 |
| 10 |
07:35 |
01:19:17 |
| 11 |
07:54 |
01:27:11 |
| 12 |
08:02 |
01:35:13 |
| 13 |
07:50 |
01:43:03 |
| 14 |
07:49 |
01:50:52 |
| 15 |
08:04 |
01:58:56 |
| 16 |
08:10 |
02:07:06 |
| 17 |
08:04 |
02:15:10 |
| 18 |
08:00 |
02:23:10 |
| 19 |
07:55 |
02:31:05 |
| 20 |
08:01 |
02:39:06 |
| 21 |
08:05 |
02:47:11 |
| 22 |
08:06 |
02:55:17 |
| 23 |
08:13 |
03:03:30 |
| 24 |
08:13 |
03:11:43 |
| 25 |
08:13 |
03:19:56 |
| 26 |
08:02 |
03:27:58 |
| 0.2 |
01:39 |
03:29:37 |
|
| Split |
Split Dist |
Split Time |
Split Pace |
| 10K |
10K |
0:49:29 |
07:58 |
| Half |
~11.1K |
0:54:20 |
07:53 |
| 20M |
~11.1K |
0:55:15 |
08:01 |
| Finish |
10K |
0:50:33 |
08:08 |
Overall Place: 719 out of 6966 (top 11%)
Division Place: 96 out of 596 (M 40-45) (top 17%)
Gender Place: 596 out of 4408 (M) (top 14%) |
A personal note: You might notice in some of the race photos that I wore a black ribbon on my shirt during the marathon. While training for Grandma’s Marathon in early 2007, I suffered two devastating personal losses. My mother passed away in February, and my beloved dog Aare, in March. During this time, running became one of the few ways that I could channel my emotions and my grief. With the loss of my Mom and Aare still weighing heavily, I decided to honor their memory by carrying their names, on my heart, from start to finish.
Grandma’s Marathon – June 16, 2007
The Second Marathon
“You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can’t know what’s coming.”
- Frank Shorter
A runner’s second marathon is a strange affair. Much of mystery and dread that define a first marathon has passed into experience. Things that terrified you the first time around can now be dismissed with a casual flick of confidence. Fears that cost you sleep before are now part of the basic routine. Simply put: you know you can do it, because you’ve already done it before.
On the other hand, it’s still a marathon. It’s still 26.2 miles, and it’s still an incredible challenge of strength, endurance and perseverance. Your first medal doesn’t automatically earn you a second one — you still have run the race.
Over the Hill (or Hills)
Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota was my second marathon. The point-to-point course winds along a rural highway along the banks of Lake Superior, before finally heading into the city of Duluth around mile 20. The city really rolls out the red carpet for race weekend, and Grandma’s seems to attract a high share of talented runners and experienced marathoners. And although the race is run in mid-June, typically the northerly latitude and cool breezes off the lake make this a fast and enjoyable course. I loved the atmosphere in Duluth during race weekend, and I can’t think of a better way to have celebrated my 40th birthday, a milestone which officially passed the day before the race.
Grandma's route, along Lake Superior.
The Early Going
I started this race with a simple goal: in light of some training interruptions, I just wanted do better than my first marathon (3:29:40). I planned to start right at a 3:30 pace, and then pick up time along the way from the downhill portions of the course and (hopefully) from my finishing kick.
So, on a beautiful, sunny June morning in northern Minnesota, I started my first race as a masters runner — which sounds much more dignified than “over the hill” slow-poke. From experience, I knew the early miles would be deceptively easy. The early morning temperatures were comfortable, and spirits were high. True to plan, I found myself effortlessly hitting or beating my goal pace of 8:00 minute miles for the first part of the race. The early miles clicked off rapidly without taking too much physical or mental energy. Indeed, with help from some slight downhill portions of the course, I had banked almost a full minute ahead of my goal by the time I hit the half-way point.
Obstacles Occur
Unfortunately, there are some obstacles in marathon running that no amount of preparation and no amount of experience can overcome. One of those things is the weather. On race day, high temperatures, stifling humidity, no cloud cover, and poor wind patterns combined in a perfect storm of bad conditions. It turned out to be the hottest Grandma’s race in 30 years. The race was “black flagged” by race officials an hour after the start, meaning that environmental conditions presented an extremely high risk of heat stress and hydration problems. The weather exacted a heavy toll on runners: the average finishing time for the 2007 marathon was 15 minutes slower than the historical norm, and more than 1 in 20 runners would require medical attention during or after the race.
I was pretty well acclimated to summer running, and honestly I did not feel the adverse effects of the weather until around mile 16. To that point, while I was aware of the rapidly deteriorating conditions, I was able to push aside those realities and run the race according to my plan. Now, reality started to push back. Starting with mile 16, I began to make withdrawals from my time bank, rather than deposits. My pace didn’t slip significantly — less than 10 seconds/mile at this point — but the previously effortless task of keeping an 8:00/m pace now became a laborious chore. By mile 20, with the toughest portions of the course still to come, it was no longer a question whether I was going to slow down; instead the concern was how much time I was going to lose before the heat shut me down completely.
Lemon Drop Hill
Mile 22 of Grandma’s Marathon marks the start of Lemon Drop Hill. I know the cutesy name “Lemon Drop Hill” makes it hard to conjure up daunting images of steep uphill running, but let me assure you this hill was no piece of candy. As one renowned running coach has said: “If the hill has its own name, then it’s probably a pretty tough hill.” Whatever heat-sapped endurance reserves I still had were spent running up that incline. Moreover, reaching the top of the hill gave no respite because my legs now felt like wooden pegs. With the sun blazing overhead, I just couldn’t will myself to go faster. Eight-minute miles were just no longer possible, and my race plan was slipping away. From mile 22 to mile 25, the time vault leaked completely dry; I now had no cushion to break my prior marathon time.
Finally, the Finish
I ran the last couple miles in a thick fog of exhaustion and dehydration. The streets of Duluth were lined on both sides with cheering families, friends and spectators — but the scenes are merely fuzzy memories to me. Weather, time, and distance had emptied my tanks completely. Every block that I was still moving was a small victory. Finally, on willpower, or on habit, I mustered a tiny burst of pace in the very last stretch of the race, and I crossed the finish line. 3:29:37 — faster than my first marathon … by all of 3 seconds.
Looking at my watch as I crossed the line, I was pleased to have met my goal of setting a PR marathon time, especially under the poor weather conditions. Yet, the effort had undeniably extracted a heavy toll: I felt sick and disoriented, and would for several hours afterwards. Joy and nausea make for a strange combination.
Fortunately, the bad feelings fade much faster than the good ones. In hindsight, I’m very pleased with my race and I know that I was in better shape than I thought. I ran a strong, even race under some pretty bad conditions. More importantly, I accomplished my goal, outright, in a new age class, and with no excuses required.
All that being said, I’ve also got to admit that I’m no closer to Boston than I was after Chicago. There’s still work to be done — so now, on to marathon number three!
Splits and Stats
Overall Place: 719 out of 6966 (top 11%)
Division Place: 96 out of 596 (M 40-45) (top 17%)
Gender Place: 596 out of 4408 (M) (top 14%)
A personal note: You might notice in some of the race photos that I wore a black ribbon on my shirt during the marathon. While training for Grandma’s Marathon in early 2007, I suffered two devastating personal losses. My mother passed away in February, and my beloved dog Aare, in March. During this time, running became one of the few ways that I could channel my emotions and my grief. With the loss of my Mom and Aare still weighing heavily, I decided to honor their memory by carrying their names, on my heart, from start to finish.