Race Report: Novant Health Charlotte Marathon

I never really know where to start with these race reviews. SO many thoughts.

Race Week thoughts

Leading up to the race, I had a lot going through my head about how my preparation for this race was different than previous races. A large part was about the busy-ness of race week leading up to Saturday. I traveled for work Tuesday through Friday, and had an incredibly stressful Tuesday prior to my afternoon departure. I spent Wednesday-Friday in Austin, TX for a work conference, which always brings late nights and a bit too much drinking. I was able to restrain myself pretty well, but still was more than a normal week.

The other "different" thing was the way I trained. The last marathon I ran (Hilton Head Marathon in February 2014) I'd followed a Hal Higdon plan (Intermediate 1, according to my blog) as usual, but hadn't maintained strength training. I'd traded out one mid-week run for biking, and I also skipped the first half of the actual training plan to train for the Paris Mountain Road Race. I started on Week 10. My overall weekly mileage was lower, but my long runs were faster. Generally, it was not a very focused training.

This time, I kept my weekly strength training and yoga, I dropped my cross-training (biking) and stuck with all of the recommended runs, I maintained at least one speedwork session per week, and my long runs were generally slower (10-12 min/mi pace) than the rest of my runs.

Let's just say that this seemed to all work in my favor. :)

Packet Pick-up and Night-before Marathon

I was able to get on an earlier-than-planned flight to get back to Charlotte from Austin, so I got in close to 5pm vs planned 6:45pm. My dad picked me up from the airport and we went straight to the Charlotte Convention Center for packet pick-up. The crowds were pretty thin by this point, so it was no problem getting all of my stuff, plus I picked up a sweet pair of running leggings and a new 26.2 car magnet (my old one got smushed in an accident early this year).

Ready to go!

Flat Marathoner

Swag.

Nails still in tact after a week!

Enjoyed a nice dinner at my parents' apartment and called it an early night (around 9pm) with my alarm set for 5:30 a.m.

I did not sleep well, but was eager to get up and going when the alarm went off!

Race Morning

Got up, took care of pre-race necessities 💩, ate breakfast, and got all geared up for the run. I remembered struggles of past races and training runs, so I made sure to open all of my race fuel (waffles and gummies) before stuffing them in my pockets. I got a new sports bra with a cell phone pocket in the back, and my running capris also had pockets on each side. Pockets are awesome!

Dad and I left the apartment at 6:30 to walk to the start line (~1.8 miles away) and I was glad he was there so I could wear my coat! It was 33F! ⛄ The walk helped warm me up a bit, and around 7:10 I handed off the coat and headed to the start corrals.

So cold!

I found the pacer for 3:45 (though his sign said 3:40) and stuck close to him. My goal time was 3:45, so I planned to run with him as long as I could and if I was still with him and felt good at the 20-mile mark, I'd take off.

Pacers!

Some short announcements, national anthem, and we were off just a couple minutes behind schedule! I was using a tracking app and had to start it at the start line (which was annoying), and I spent half of the race struggling to get my phone into the pocket on my back. Oh well.

We started off and of course the fun of dodging other runners is always an adventure. I saw my folks right around the 1 or 2 mile mark as we looped through Uptown before heading out towards Dilworth neighborhoods. My hands finally warmed up after about 3 miles and we entered some of the nice residential neighborhoods very close to the elementary school I attended. The course was nicely rolling with a few noticeable but not steep inclines. It was pretty much ideal for a marathon, because most of the other ones I've done have been pancake flat and it really wears you down after pounding on the same grade mile after mile.

Red arrow = pacers. Right on target!

As we went through some of the "hilly" neighborhoods, I found myself wanting to go faster than the pacers. So I did. I easily pulled ahead of them and didn't give it another thought. In my mind, I was telling myself, "Run your race." We ran down Queens Road with the beautiful big houses and huge oak trees, and passed aid station after aid station. I think I saw my folks again somewhere before this, maybe around Mile 5? 7? I can't remember.

Still running, still smiling.

I started to think I should stop in the port-a-potties because my need to pee was not going away. Around Mile 12, I decided to make the pit stop. I found a port-a-potty with no line and jumped in. Pretty quick turn-around time, and right as I exited I saw the 3:45 pace group run right by. Perfect! I hadn't gotten too far behind my goal. (Spoiler alert: after looking at my Garmin splits, even with a stop I was still sub-9 for this mile)

We looped through Uptown close to the finish area and the half marathoners split off to complete their race while we continued around Panther Stadium and went out towards the NoDa and Central area. I'd started eating about every 2 miles at about the 6-mile mark, and this kept me well sustained through the race. I also took water at every stop, which was definitely needed.

Saw the folks again around mile 20? 21? Something like that.

 

 

Still smiling, but a little more forced.

It was during this loop (heading away from Uptown) that it started to get difficult mentally. Then I saw a sign that someone was holding that said "Mental toughness is finding fuel in an empty tank". YES. Done.

There was also another sign that I saw that said "At least you're not on a conference call" which definitely made me giggle. The cheers and music that was sent through the tracking app also brought a smile to my face every time. So fun!

At last we turned and headed back towards Uptown via the Greenway, and I knew we were getting close. Just a couple more miles! I saw my folks one last time as we passed under 4th street.

The end is near!

Exiting the greenway and turning onto Stonewall street was the worst part - Stonewall was a gradual uphill for about a mile until you crested right around the 26-mile mark. SO HARD. None of the other hills affected me quite like that one.

Ugh, indeed.

Finally crested the hill, turned the corner, and there it was - the finish line!! I saw the finish clock said 3:41:XX so I knew a PR was in the bag. I didn't start my sprint until I was pretty close, not realizing that my start time had been a few minutes after the clock so I was really close to a 3:3X:XX time... but still, I'm not upset about my results.

Uh, not bad for consistency, eh?

Yes, please!

Happy!

I found my parents soon after I finished, and we walked the 1.8 miles back to their apartment. Walking was hard, but I think it's for the best to keep moving a bit right after the event. Plus, I had to drive back to Greenville later in the day, so sitting in the car would be difficult.

I got back, took a hot hot shower, and piled under blankets to get myself warmed back up.

The rest of the day went like this:

Ok, not that bad, but everything did hurt. Today (Sunday) it's still challenging to go up and down stairs, but I'm moving better than I thought I would. Still planning to take today and tomorrow as a full rest day.

So yeah... a shiny new PR, blew my goal time out of the water, and feel pretty darn good. :)