ING Georgia Marathon – Post Race Commentary

My wife made me pose for this one

It’s been quiet here at Chad and Dave’s.  I know.  Not without an excuse good reason, I can assure you.  The marathon, a nice golf weekend and a bunch of work-related travel (I am typing this at 33,000 feet by the way) have been keeping me offline for the most part.  However, like the sunshine over Atlanta, I am back.

The ING Georgia Marathon was a wonderful experience.  It was painful, but rewarding.  I was very anxious in the week leading up to the race.  The wall that I hit on my last long training run was still fresh on my mind.  My 4-hour goal was bugging me.  I had a lot of stuff going on in my think tank, but I stayed focused.

I did very little during the two weeks leading up to the race.  A handful of short runs were about it.  My last maintenance run before the marathon was a 5-miler through Central Park, which was pretty cool.  Weather was 56 degrees and perfect at 7:00 am.  I think this must have been the first spring like day in Manhattan and there were a bunch of runners out.  It was a great way to end 16-weeks of training.

I could go into details about the Friday and Saturday before the race, but I’ll spare you.  In summary, Friday was filled with a lot of pre-race nerves, last minute research about race day tips, nutrition, carbo loading, etc.  Honestly, a bunch of wasted worry and energy.  Saturday, I woke up refreshed, energized and fearless about the race.  Funny how that happens, but I honestly felt very relaxed.  I ate like a horse on Saturday – cereal, French toast, yogurt, sandwiches, pizza, pasta, cookies – you name it, I ate it – I wanted to make darn sure I had plenty of fuel stored.

The morning of the race was very uneventful, other than the change in the weather forecast.  As of Saturday night, it looked like the rain was going to hold off until after the race, but that was not the case on Sunday morning.  Rain was scheduled to start at 7.  Again this was another case of needless worry as the weather held off and was quite nice.  It did cause me to make a last minute decision and wrap some gore-tex around my waste.  Dave and I took a cab to Centennial Park, which was a good call.  Met up with Andy at our corral and got ready to rumble.

The first 3 miles were what you might expect – crowded, slow, enthusiastic, apprehensive.  It was good to finally get started.  I was the Pace Marshall for the first couple of miles making sure that we didn’t start out too fast and gave verbal citations for unnecessary weaving.  I felt good for not having run much.  Legs were very fresh and I was just trying to get mentally set for the next 4 hours.

Dave cruising out front to a new PR

Around mile 4, we lost Dave.  He ran out ahead and I never saw him again.   A few minutes later, Andy stopped for water and I lost him.  The next 22 were just me, my thoughts and about 16,000 other runners.  I was looking forward to the point of no return split at mile 7 when the half-marathoners would leave the course a little less crowded.  Cruising through Inman Park, Little 5 and Candler Park was nice – I had done this track several times before, so it felt good.

There was a slight drizzle from mile 6 until around 13, but it wasn’t bad at all (good thing I had that annoying jacket tied around my waist, which I would never use).  The weather was really good, so the slight spitting wasn’t bothersome at all.  I kept cruising up Dekalb Avenue on my way to Agnes Scott College.  This stretch of road was a little boring and I was starting to get tired, but I still felt good.  At this point, I had consumed about 3 Gu packs.  My strategy was one gel every 30 minutes up until 2:30 and then I was going to try and take one every 20 minutes to help battle that sure-to-come wall at some point.  3 hours and 15 minutes was the magical moment on my last long run, so my hope was to grind it past that point and then take it a few steps at a time.  I refilled my water bottle at Agnes Scott, which was a good call.  Much easier to drink from my bottle than stopping for those shot-sized drinks every mile or so.

I have to hand it to the City of Decatur for really breaking out the enthusiasm and support for the race.  They had all of these signs along the track with pretty stupid limericks, but it was funny and appreciated.  I hit the 13-mile mark near the town square and the support was tremendous.  Reminded me that we should go to downtown Decatur more often.  I don’t think I have taken the kids there before.

At mile 13, my 4-hour goal was still in sight.  I passed the mile mark right at 2 hours.  I still felt strong, but I was in agreement with myself that I really wasn’t going to focus on time.  I just wanted to run through the finish line.  The next 6 miles were a total bore.  I was very disappointed with the stretch of track that weaved through Druid Hills.  Dullwater Lullwater, Oakdale and Springdale are some of my favorite streets in Atlanta and I have run these many times, but miles 16-19 are where the rubber meets the road and there was NO fan support (not much, anyway).  I think I was just starting to get tired and I was looking for any reason to gripe at this point.  I did pass a girl in a UGA running shirt, so I mustered up a very weak “Go Dawgs”.  That’s about all I had at that point, but it felt good.  I started to reflect on UGA football, but quickly put those negative thoughts of last season to rest.

Let me preface this section with the fact that I am a big fan of Virginia Highland.  I lived there for 3 years and have very fond memories of our time on Adair Ave.  However, I’d like to punch the course planner in the mouth for not finding a more downhill path through the neighborhood.  It was like running the rails of the Scream Machine.  Brutal.  The fan support was quality on N. Highland, but too little, too late, I was toast.  The downhill reprieve on Los Angeles was a gift from God.  I started feeling better again.

This is not meant to be a gripe session, but I would most likely follow that punch in the face I mentioned earlier with a kick in the nuts rear to the same course planner that came up with the creative turn-around point in Piedmont Park.  We basically ran uphill through the park to the 22-mile marker and then did a U-turn.  I thought that was pretty stupid, but once I turned around it was kind of downhill and I got to pass a bunch of runners coming up the hill and think to myself “glad that’s not me”.  Yes, I was coming unglued.  I was starting to doubt myself and my legs.  I was now “The Creeper” – my legs were moving, but I was definitely not running.  I cursed the seventh Gu I was about to swallow.  I cursed runners as they passed me.  I cursed the hill coming out of the park on 12^th St.  I was not in a happy place.

The final 4 miles were all mental.  I just kept saying “one foot in front of the other – that’s it, you are so close to the goal – don’t stop”.  I kept this up and actually did smile when someone shouted “Go Bad Chad” (that was the ridiculously juvenile name I had on my bib).  I kept going.  I think I smiled again when I passed the Cheetah, but I probably shouldn’t mention that.  I vividly recall the uphill at mile 25.  There was a hydration station right before the 25-mile mark.  I grabbed a Gatorade and walked through for a few seconds so I could drink it all – I was parched.  This was the toughest decision of the race – “do I just walk for a minute and then go or do I push?”  “Everyone is taking walking breaks at this point.”  “Don’t look at them”.  “Run!”  “Get those feet moving . . . “  So I did, I got the momentum moving forward again and came around the final turn to Marietta St.  The home stretch.  I couldn’t see the Finish Line, but I could hear it.  I knew it was close.  I made it.  Coming down the final stretch, I heard “French” and it was my videographer friend, Will.  I muttered something incredibly cool like “almost there” and shared a high-five.  I was feeling good again.  About a tenth of a mile later, I heard “Chad – Daddy!”, it was the family.  All smiles and cheer.  I stopped, gave a wave, I think I said help me “I love you guys” and kept going. 

I crossed the finish line at exactly 4:15.  I was pleased.  It was over.  Then the real pain set in. 

Yes, I will run another and I will definitely run it in under 4:00.  Who’s in with me?