Denouement

Deseret News Marathon 2013

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Location:

Kowloon Tong,Hong Kong

Member Since:

Jul 02, 2007

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Olympic Trials Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

Unaided:

5K - 17:11 (track Pre-kids and at BYU) (1998)

10K - 35:48 (track Pre-kids and at BYU) (1998)

10K - 35:34 (road - Shek Mun 10k 12/12)

1/2 Marathon 1:19:44 (UNICEF HM 11/12)

Marathon 2:47:08 (ING Hartford Connecticut 10/10)

Aided:

St. George Marathon 2:50:40 (10/08)

1/2 marathon - Hobble Creek 1:17:14 (8/08)

10K - Deseret News 10K - 35:02 (7/08)

Short-Term Running Goals:

PR 1/2 marathon AGAIN


Long-Term Running Goals:

Break 2:46 in Boston!

Personal:

I used to run for BYU, but only after trying out three times and finally walking on, so I was never a star. However, it was wonderful to run with great people and under Coach Shane. When you run with fast people, you can't help to improve! I graduated BYU in 1998, and didn't run a race until 2002, after having my second child. My hiatus and other crazy life commitments have made my competitive running suffer, but the last couple of years I have tried to get back into it the best I can. I have been married since 1996, to Paul Lowry, who is a runner himself. I have three boys (my three rascals), ages 12, 10, and 8.

After a great 2008 season, I was injured and eventually diagnosed and cross-diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a type of arthritis disease, which precludes running for all but the most stubborn.  So I am on medications, trying to stay healthy, and seeing my PT often.  And running!  Now beating the streets in Hong Kong.

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
NB RC900 Black/yellow Lifetime Miles: 183.31
NB RC1300 Red/Black Lifetime Miles: 195.31
2012 MTR Lifetime Miles: 4035.70
890 Blue Lifetime Miles: 310.55
NB RC 1600 Lifetime Miles: 96.76
RC 1400 Lifetime Miles: 90.60
NB 890 Baby Blue Lifetime Miles: 233.26
NB 890 Electric Blue Lifetime Miles: 319.67
NB 890 Tokyo Turquoise Lifetime Miles: 163.54
Race: Deseret News Marathon 2013 (26.2 Miles) 03:06:28, Place overall: 3
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.0026.340.000.000.000.000.0026.34

I decided to do this race because Josse was and my coach said the half or the full would be better than the 10k since I am trying to build my mileage at this early phase of training. So I came in mostly altitude adjusted (have been here since July 1st) and a bit chubby and out of shape, as all my runs have attested (trying to hang on as the ladies chat, etc).  I wondered what it would feel like to be running a marathon knowing that it is my tenth marathon and virtually guaranteed to be my slowest (prior slowest was Ogden marathon 2008 at 3:02).  I hoped it would still be a positive experience and more “fun” even though I am undertrained, because I hoped to be able to run with Josse and Mack and Aubrey (the last ended up not being able to come) for much of the race. 

I rode up with Josse and her mom to Ericka’s house the night before (thanks Ericka again—nice pad!).  I took my ambien at 8:02pm and set my alarm for 3pm but we didn’t tuck in until 9:45pm or so, so my speech got slower and sentence construction got more and more difficult before bedtime :D  Woke up 5 til 3am, felt pretty chipper, but by the time we had got half way up the canyon in the bus I was feeling tired.  It felt so weird going into a marathon with little expectations and preparation (longest run was two 17.5 milers).  So I kept pinching myself.  No good success in the port a pots but I wasn’t worried.  It was just going to be a fast long run so no prob making pit stops along the way.  I saw and chatted with Allie who seemed excited and ready to go, and she helped lather me in glide (on my back only I should clarify, I could reach everything else). 

I have never run a marathon with a hr monitor or a hr plan, so here’s the plan.  My coach says that the ideal marathon racing level is about 85% hr for the middle of the race, with some creeping at the end.  Considering my condition and preparation, he advised 75% hr for first 5-6k then 80-82% for most of the race, with the option to creep up at the end.  Josse said she was on board to follow my watch and Mack said she would follow suit.  Mack’s brother also was with us and in a similar condition.  So we all started about 3-4 rows from the start of this very small marathon (500-600 people?)  Here’s how the race went:

Mile Pace HR HR % Note
1 7:04 155 84% My hr started high (false readings—not sweaty enough) then calmed down toward the first mile mark
2 6:42 139 75% Hr now on track, Josse, Mack, Mack's brother and I are all running together.  I rip off my tshirt Josse gave me after 1.2 miles because the temps were comfortable
3 6:40 135 73%  
4 6:55 150 81%  
5 7:08 157 85% Already flattening it seems--I thought this mile was supposed to be downhill?
6 7:35 154 83% The uphill starts
7 8:14 157 85% A girl passes us as we go uphill, I think to myself, "that skinny girl is a gazelle and the laws of gravity do not apply to her"
8 7:44 153 83%  
9 6:44 147 79% after the 8th mile, the 2 mile long hill ends and we see a group of four ladies in front of us and a guy spectator tells Mack Josse and I that we are ladies 8, 9 and 10.  We know we are running conservatively and we will pass these ladies, just not sure when. They are just ahead of us at the 9 mile mark, which is close to the 1/2 marathon start, and Josse grabs a water bottle conveniently left by someone else (a new sealed one) and she shares with us.  
10 7:11 152 82% In this miles we do  a 1/4 mile out and back bit which allows us to see the front ladies (except #1 Allie who is already gone, gone gone). There is a purple lady and a pink lady quite a bit ahead of the rest of us.  We make a move on the 4 lady pack during the turn around and the gazelle and another chick respond.
11 6:50 152 82% By this mile, I pull away from Josse and Mack a bit with two ladies. I take a first gu in this mile.  We chat and get to know each other a bit.  She is very nice and admits she loves the uphills.  Our conversation makes the next couple of miles go by well, but I am troubled because gazelle's breathing is much more relaxed than mine.
12 6:54 150 81%  
13 6:58 149 81%  
14 6:51 151 82%  
15 7:20 155 84% Somewhere between mile 11 and 15 I stop for  a not so fast potty break, probably adds 45-60 sec then I make up some of it with a surge, I guess it might be here b/c of the elevation and the split, Josse, Mac, 1-2 other girls and some guys pass. Some take a couple of miles to catch
16 6:55 158 85% I catch up with Josse who is running with Cam somewhere around the 16 mile mark, and take a noncaffeinated strawberry gel provided by the race right before the 16 mile mark.
17 7:05 156 84% Cam counsels Josse and I to be patient, that there is a lot of race left.  Josse and I both agree, but I still feel compelled to break away after running with them for a bit.  It was pretty irrational because in assessing everything, my HR was too high, I was close to the distance of my longest run and still had 9 miles to go, my quads felt sore from all the downhill and my left knee hurt.  There were no girls ahead in sight, still I felt like I should push, so I did, thinking, "I will crash but ok"
18 7:21 160 86% Mile 17 and 18 on Wasath feels uphill but the course elevation shows a slight downhill.  My pace is maintaining but hr rising.  I respond by paying less attention to my HR
19 6:56 160 86% When I turn onto Foothills I am in 5th place (Allie, purple girl, pink girl and gazelle), but I can see pink girl.  I am sore but think, "ram in the thicket".  She is great motivation and I slowly reel her in.  I am also running scared of Josse behind, fearing my agressiveness will increase my pain and bonk magnitude in the last few miles.
20 7:07 161 87% Pass pink girl somewhere around 20.  I think I can see gazelle but she is way ahead.  My shoe comes untied and I need to go potty again, so I run with an untied shoe for about half a mile.
21 8:06 161 87% Port a pot stop and tying shoe at the same time, not super fast, about 3-5 guys pass me back but no girls
22 6:37 156 84% Sweet downhill, mile 2 of the 10k.  I am thinking, "I feel good, lets hope this lasts for a couple more miles".
23 7:03 161 87% This mile has some downhill and the uphill to south temple.  I try to close the gap with gazelle, but not really on the uphill.  The uphill is about 300-500m and I just relax up the hill, I didn't want to get in oxygen debt.  Then I push it again when I turn the corner and head down south temple.  She is 1.5 blocks ahead
24 6:47 159 86% She is 1 block ahead
25 6:37 160 86% I get within 75 or so meters but have a moment of doubt "Who would know I was in striking distance if I wimp out now and don't try?"  But I be brave and remember the ram in the thicket Sasha-stat (99% of all people who come into sight after being out of sight toward the end of the marathon are yours for the taking).  So I surge some more.
26 6:54 168 91% At about 25.2 I pass gazelle, and she says good job, a good sign, but right after we turn onto the last dreaded long uphill stretch.  Perhaps 1-2% elevation gain for perhaps 800m, and my eyesight is not good enough to see if the end of the race is at the end of the stretch or if there were turns.  I told myself to act as if this stretch were the end. Then I tell myself that gazelle is good at uphills and to surge with good hill form (learned from uphill sprints!) and if she is surging I am too and hopefully that will break any spirit left in her.  So for this half mile stretch I surge about three times, then have to turn a corner.
0.34 6:34 pace 168 91% I know where I am finally and have to turn one more time then kick the best I can to the finish.

 At the race food area someone asks if I was the third girl, and I said yes, and he said, “You are the gazelle!  You finished so strong!”  Wow, cool that the nickname I gave skinny hill-girl was applied to me.  Then when I picked up my bag, the guys there asked, “were you the third girl?  You are the gazelle!  You have some girls hatin’ you!  You passed them.”  That was cool. 

I am so happy with this race.  It is funny to have my worst performance in a race also be my best.  My overall time is the worst of all marathons, but I had no drop off in pace at all, so I ran it with the best effort distribution.  Over 24 hours later, I am also happy that I could feel pleased with a slower performance.  I may never be at my A game again, with Phd school starting in under two months, and I would still like to find joy and participate in races.  I am kind of a competitive person so I wasn’t sure if I could find pride in a slow time.  But I do, and that makes me happy :D  I feel like an old woman today but I feel like I have more roads to run, more races to run, more running buddies to make and to learn from.

NB 890 Electric Blue Miles: 26.34
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Clay on Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 20:17:57 from 71.195.208.140

Nice race Kiddo!!! I wish I could have seen you why you were here. Take care!

From seeaprilrun on Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 20:30:07 from 205.172.12.210

this is an interesting report to read! congratulations on this being your slowest/happiest marathon--but I somehow doubt this is the end of your speedy road. I enjoyed the tone of joyful acceptance--it's just nice to run, isnt it!? Great job! I've always looked up to you on this blog.

From allie on Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 21:45:10 from 97.126.223.134

ram in the thicket!

i am glad that you are happy with this race and can see the many positive things about your performance other than just the time. you certainly ran the course well and finished so strongly -- 6:37 for mile 25! i love that you pushed through and fought for position all the way to the end -- overtaking someone for a podium finish at 25.2 -- yeah, there will be some hatin' ;) you looked great coming in -- very strong. i agree that you were the gazelle.

it was so nice to see you again. enjoy the rest of your time here and safe travels back to HK. and good luck with the PhD!

From Smooth on Fri, Jul 26, 2013 at 04:29:35 from 121.44.250.224

Good job Michelle, the gazelle!!! :) :) :) Very nicely done!!! You are a class act! :)

Best wishes with your PhD!!!

From Kam on Fri, Jul 26, 2013 at 09:51:51 from 68.66.163.179

Your recap is great. It's fascinating to hear what is going on in your mind in the late stages. I guess the haters should train a little harder so they don't get passed at mile 25...

From Tarzan on Fri, Jul 26, 2013 at 10:51:11 from 63.255.172.2

Great job, Michelle Gazelle!

From josse on Sun, Jul 28, 2013 at 20:51:19 from 70.208.1.162

Fun times, I'm so glad we got to run most of this race together:) and you are such a great finisher. Great job, until next time....

From Cam on Thu, Aug 01, 2013 at 12:08:24 from 67.222.234.132

You ran an awesome race Michelle! Congrats

From runningafterbabies on Thu, Aug 01, 2013 at 12:11:31 from 174.52.130.66

Nice job passing gazelle there at the end! Des News redemption is sweet and so is the $450 you will take back to China. Happy and safe travels. I will look forward to your next visit.

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