Ilana Katz MS, RD, CSSD
It’s been more than a week and the obligatory race report has been calling my inner conscience. This marathon report feels especially significant to me, as it was followed by a week of (sometimes) strenuous hiking and exploring beautiful Utah.
Believe it or not, Ironman Chatty, although two years ago for me, still feels like yesterday… I am not ready for another Ironman quite yet, although am having endurance withdrawals. This lead to the declaration of 2016 being the year of “Just a Marathon.” Oh yeah, there is even a hashtag for #justamarathon, for all the crazy ultra-endurance peeps who one day “submiss” themselves to just a marathon. For all those others rolling their eyes, don’t be haters, there is no real help for endurance junkies other than endurance. I have gone on a tangent now, but: This always reminds me of the time I was giving a sports nutrition seminar to a group called “couch to 5k” and during the presentation I kept saying “its only a 5k” – granted, I was genuinely referring to the science of sports nutrition that in a 5k one typically does not have to focus on in-depth sports nutrition so to speak, but from their point of view, I was belittling them. Oh goodness did I get schooled when one of the group raised their hand and blurted out “please stop saying it’s just a 5k.” And I have learned a very important lesson since then… y’all know what that is. On that very note, I will certainly contest that from experience, running a marathon (and training for it) can be just as tough, if not tougher than training and racing an Ironman. Any takers? (oh you ironman peeps, calm your hormones ;-))
The year of the Marathon began with my application via the lottery for NYC marathon. I was dropped like a hot cake. The usual “we regret to inform you that most first time applications in this lottery are turned down… so keep on trying.” Maybe in year 7 it will happen for me, maybe I will eventually get in to NYC (by which time I would more than likely be hobbling a marathon.) So that turn down lead me to sign up for a different, lesser known, but probably almost as coveted St. George, and it too was a lottery… one that I actually won. Congratulations Runner, you are in it to win it!! And so the training began.
Many months and many long run days later: It was a gorgeous day in St. George. Started off cold, colder than expected. I was under the false impression that early October is still warm in most parts of the country. I was waiting on the bus to transport all us eager beavers 26.2 miles up the road to the start, comparing my little running skirt and sports bra outfit to many of the over-dressed, sporting hat and gloves, long running tights, bundled in fleece. My inner laugh was “oh are y’all gonna be hot as hell.” Fast forward 26.2 miles out and 2500 feet elevated from the last sentence. Now look whose laughing. Shivering to the bone, I was very grateful for the space blanket handed to us inexperienced Utah-in-the-Fall newbies. Get this, there were even pit fires one could huddle around, it was very well thought out and warming.
The course was wonderfully scenic, all you ever wanted in a marathon. There were a couple of tough challenges, namely mile 8 – 12ish was just one long climb with no breaks (the elevation map lied). The reprieve was mile 16 to the end was one long downhill. Now that may sound like chocolate icing on top of a chocolate cake to a marathoner, but some of it was pretty steep, and steep downhills are the other side of the pendulum to steep uphills. Pendulum extremes, no matter which end, are extremely challenging. One really has to put the brakes on if you want to save your quads for as minimal as “walking” the next day (and don’t forget, I had a solid 5 days of strenuous hiking to follow). I heard that little voice in my head, planted by a fellow endurance junkie, an experienced St. George marathoner, recommending some hill repeat training (and only now did the hill repeat DOWHILL ring a bell…. Oopsy daisy).
I had a difficult time around mile 11 or so, not feeling good, wandering why the hell I sign up for this stuff… I did all the required training, what the fiddlesticks? One starts going over and over in their head what could be different… yeah, could have run more during the weeks, yeah could have trained more on hills, yeah yeah coulda shoulda… but not to diss my training, because from after that bout of feeling miz I started feeling great, and the training pay off started paying off. I could have flown to the end but I had committed interval sets as a race strategy. Famous last words from coaches; Stick to the race plan. It also included some mmm…mmmm delish mocha gels every 30 – 45 minutes, and boy when you are really focused on getting sports nutrition right, you better find a flavour that you can stomach. Mocha y’all. Specially for those coffee addicts. Its my new favourite. Sickly sweet salted caramel move over.
I was sorry I did not have my phone or a camera to capture the experience, because it was a great one. I do not have any good shots from the race photographer, because I was wearing too many race belts (fuel, interval timer, and race number all on different straps) and all these straps tied around my waist – hence race number landed facing the back, and that’s where it stayed… co-ordinating race belts and still feeling comfortable is an oxymoron. I have proof of all this in the marathonFoto proof:
(at least MarathonFoto captured one running pic, and one finisher pic).
I have done a few marathons to date, and this one is definitely one of the more beautiful ones. It is very well organized from the expo, to the transport, to the start area, line up and finisher experience. It was an awesome plan B to a turned down NYC entry. I recommend it. And then being on one of the most beautiful states it is worth an extended trip to get in some scenic encounters. I stayed on, accompanied by a couple of hiking buddies, we explored some of the well known National parks around Utah. From Zion, to Bryce, on to Canyonlands and Arches. Every one of these hiking days was unique, and completely different to the day before. Every wince (don’t forget I am hiking on marathon legs) was worth it.
The year of the Marathon take aways:
– Never belittle your goals. There is no such thing as “just a marathon” similarly there is no such thing as “Just a 5k”
– Mocha is the new salted caramel flavour
– Utah is gorgeous.
– St. George is a great plan B, if not even a Plan A, for a marathon bucket list item.
– Utah is cold in the early stages of Fall.
– I pronate on a downhill run (and paid for it via ankle swelling and bruising all through my hiking week)
– Downhill is just as hard as uphill, I swear!
– Elevation maps with tiny scales can be deceiving
– I am still good at sports nutrition 😉 – great marathon, finished strong, even though it got hot in the end.
– Hello, my name is ilana… I am an endurance junkie
