A Marathon "V"

Another last minute decision worked out in my favor this past weekend. After Du Nats I felt pretty run down for most of the week and took it easy. By week's end I finally booked my ticket to fly out to Seattle for the Whidbey Island Marathon, an idea I had tossed back and forth for a few weeks. Mostly I wasn't sure if my few long runs would carry me through and if I was even recovered enough from Du Nats. But if you never try, you'll never find out, right? So I packed my bags (only one, it felt odd not to be lugging a 100lb bike case around...) and headed out to beautifully green Washington last Friday. Upon arrival the weather was great, a little cool, but sunny and GREEN! This would hold true for all of the weekend as well, lucky me!


What the Start of the marathon looks like
The two days leading up to the race I dealt with the usual pre-race demons of feeling tired, achy, sluggish, "out of shape and fat" etc. And as usual, by race morning, most of those symptoms subsided and I only had my bathroom antics to deal with. Speaking of which- we were lined up at the start of the race and I felt it coming on, so with the "one minute to go" announcement, I asked if I could run to the John real quick. They told me I had less than a minute to go, talk about pressure. I sprinted off the 100ft down the road, didn't even shut the door, and while peeing could hear the announcer saying "20 sec to go". I darted back out and raced to the start line and off we went. Whew, talk about last minute stress... But I wasn't about to start the race with a semi-full bladder.

With Max at the start the day before the race
The first mile started straight for about 200ft before we went uphill. This would be my slowest mile of the race. I kept in mind what everyone had told me: "this is a hilly race, I wouldn't want to run the full (marathon)... Oh yeah, it's hard, those hills are unrelenting." My tactic was to run towards the front of the women and then pace myself and try to make it out in front. Well, I was surrounded by guys early on, and then ran 20 miles pretty much by myself. After about 4 miles I finally found my rhythm, and after an hour my lower back started tightening up due to the constant up and down. For a moment I thought I maybe in trouble, but luckily I was able to positive talk myself away from any pain I was feeling.

If I could sum up the race in a couple words, it would be scenic, rolling, a few nice climbs. Overall the course was rolling. I found the first half of the marathon to be alot more challenging than the second half, which was also used for the half marathon racers. Turns out I had a pretty even split for the second half, and that rarely ever happens. My first half was around 1:26-27 and my second half was right around 1:27. Once I knew I was in the lead for the women, I got into a groove and picked off the miles at a steady 6:30-6:35 per mile pace until the last 6 miles when we were served a few more ups and downs. At that point I was enjoying the uphills more since they hurt less than the downhills.

Lots of half marathon walkers also crowded the course at this point and I had to yell "on your left" several times, which, if you are at mile 24 or 25 can be just as exhausting as putting one foot in front of the other. With a mile to go I realized I was far up ahead and tried to enjoy the crowds and last few steps as much as I could. Before I knew it, I crossed the finish line on the grass at the Oak Harbor City Park and then quickly realized the downhill damage done to my ITBs. Still I didn't feel too bad. I stayed hydrated the entire race, had salt tabs and gels to keep cramping at bay and blood sugar up and I want to say I was successful at keeping myself going strong to the end. (I even ended up doing a little swim with my mom afterwards.)

Finish Line- smiling, thinking "that wasn't so hard"

I crossed the line in first, only 2 minutes off my best time (which was run on the flats). I broke the three hour mark for the first time in the race's 9 year history and bettered the previous best by more than 9 minutes. Overall, I am happy with the result, especially after another near injury scare a few days after Du Nats. (thanks to Lifesport Chiropractic for getting me mobile again so fast!) My family topped out on the podium as well in their respective age groups in the half marathon, so, a very successful day for all of us:)

Top 3 men, top 2 women- apparently I had an itch...

Getting my award from the mayor of Oak Harbor, and apparently I'm really excited about it!
Now the waiting for my legs to come around is on. Day three post-race today and I am feeling better. Amazing how delayed onset soreness gets you every time, ha! This was open marathon #8 and it felt the most fluid and I was the least nervous. Every time I do one of these now I just smile when I find myself running along effortlessly at mile 20 or so, because it's all the tri training that has made me so much stronger at this event and my mindset now says "oh, it's just a marathon, piece of cake:)"

I'd recommend this event to anyone who wants to do a low-key, scenic and interesting marathon on beautiful Whidbey Island, WA with an amazing view and a challenging course. It's a Boston Qualifier as well!

Race Results HERE.

Some images from my mom's backyard- another reason I love visiting :)



View through the birdhouse, literally.





The famous sunset shots: