Trailbreaker Marathon
so as i stand in the middle of the street, shivering a bit from the barely above freezing temps, my mind is whirling away with questions. everyone else has gloves on…why did i leave mine in my gear bag? should i have worn a jacket like my dad suggested?
i had made a parting comment to a friend before assembling behind the starting line when he asked what my goal was. “finish” was all i could say. the past few years have been busy and i have had a few nagging injuries that always seemed to flare up once i had gotten my fitness to a decent level.
both issues combined have kept me from toeing the line for a long race for more than two years. however, for a number of reasons, the past few months have been better for me in staying healthy and getting in a solid amount of training.
after the National Anthem was sung, we were sent off through Frame Park. while crossing the bridge over the Fox River, i noticed friends of mine just ahead of me gently patting the statue of a fox as they ran by for good luck. there was one more statue at the other side of the bridge and many more of us gave this second fox a rub. heck, it can’t hurt…right?
the first few miles of the race wind through a parkway which then leads to the west side of town and onto the Glacial Drumlin recreation trail. i kept myself in check with a relaxed pace that was still a bit quicker than the eight minutes a mile i had planned on.
as the city turned to countryside, i kept a close eye on my pace and maintained a conservative 7:40-ish per mile pace as we made our way along a long, gentle grade to the next town west of Waukesha. much of my training is along this section of the Drumlin and i know that if i don’t press too hard i can take advantage of the elevation drop on the way back.
passing through the small town of Wales, we continued along the Drumlin trail for another few miles until being directed to cross the two lane highway and begin the “true” trail segment of the race. early on, the path leads us through a grassy field then over a small stream and into the woods.
i perched my sunglasses on top of my head so i could better pick out the rocks and roots that litter the trail. as i drew nearer to the observation tower, which marks the turnaround point of the race, i yielded the single track trail to the oncoming traffic of other competitors who had already made the turn for home.
cresting the hill on which the tower stands, i took a long look at the tower. i really don’t dig heights much. not sure why. regardless, i grabbed a cup of water at the base of the 45 foot tower and made my way to the top. standing tall at the top of the tower, i firmly grasped the rope dangling from a brass bell and gave it a few hearty rings. i then shuffled back down to terra firma, downed another cup of water and got my rear back in gear rolling down the wooded trail.
as i retraced the steps through the woods, i became much more aggressive with my pace and i began to pass a few other of my fellow competitors. just before leaving the wooded section, i came upon a group of four runners who i recognized as being…well…rather good. they were kind enough to let me pass and i quietly thanked them as i passed with the hope that i wouldn’t have to return the favor in the miles remaining in the race.
with seventeen miles behind me, i was back onto the friendly confines of the paved Glacial Drumlin trail. in years past, my legs were shot at this point of the race which made the return trip slow and rather agonizing. instead of wobbling, i quickly ramped up my turnover and found my legs to be ready to go. i gave my friend Jeff (who stopped out to watch) a firm “five” hand slap as i passed and then bumped the volume up a bit on my music.
with my sunglasses back in place, doubts were cast aside and i set myself to the task of reeling in other competitors. as i approached one of the earlier leaders, he sensed me coming and extended his hand for a quick high five. “keep it up” i gruffly implored him as i passed.
without regard for any preconceived notions of pace, i completely ignored my watch and began reeling in people who had been ahead of me. my friend Jeff continued to follow the race by driving to the intersections of country roads and the Drumlin trail as we headed east. each time he saw me he extended his hand for five and i adamantly gave a slap as i passed.
with less then seven miles remaining, the marathoners mix with competitors who are running the accompanying half marathon event. as i made my way through the now rather crowded trail, i was motoring at a much faster pace than the other runners i was with. from a motivational standpoint, it was awesome because i felt like i was flying. on the other hand, there were times where it was difficult to maneuver around pockets of runners who were otherwise oblivious to my approach. not being in a polite or proper mood, i proclaimed “LEFT” as i approached and zoomed past.
my zeal began to wane as i approached the city limits. i noticed that my legs began to not respond as quickly from each step. small elevation changes that i barely notice during my routine consitutionals felt much more pronounced and difficult to traverse. once onto the city streets, i glanced at my watch for the first time in an hour and noted that if i could dig a little deeper i had a shot at getting under 3:20.
under the watchful eye of police officers holding traffic back, we wound our way through the city and back into the park. i could see the finish line clock in the distance and with a final bit of effort i was able to get across the line with seventeen seconds to spare.
i shouted “sub 3:20” to my friend Jeff as volunteers removed the timing chip from around my ankle. my friend Chris had finished ahead of me and said that there were only three other marathoners ahead of him, according to a volunteer…which meant i was the fifth finisher. honestly, the news was stunning to me as i had no intent or expectation to run like i had.
after cleaning up a bit and changing into some clean clothes i got to talk with my friends a bit more. while i wished i could have hung around longer, my wife and kids were hosting my family at our house so i said goodbye and headed home.
a bit of analysis has revealed that for the first time in the twenty one marathons i’ve run, i actually produced a “negative split” in that the second half of the race was faster than the first. without question, the “uphill out” and “downhill back” profile of the race helps a lot but the conservative pace early on was also of real benefit later.
have i mentioned that Marathon & Beyond cited the Trailbreaker as one of “North America’s 25 Toughest Marathons?”
honestly, i’m still simply stunned as the effort now stands as my sixth fastest marathon.
1st half – 1:42:38
2nd half – 1:37:07
Finish – 3:19:45 (Gun Time)
Finish – 3:19:42 (Chip Time)
Overall – 5th/146
M35-39 Age Group – 3rd/19
Splits
Mile Time Elapsed 1 7:56.7 7:56.7 2 7:48.5 15:45.2 3 7:48.8 23:34.0 4 7:45.5 31:19.5 5 7:39.6 38:59.1 6 8:48.7 47:47.8 <-- too well hydrated 7 7:41.6 55:29.4 8 7:40.5 1:03:09.9 9 7:49.9 1:10:59.8 10 7:32.0 1:18:31.8 11 7:18.9 1:25:50.7 12 7:41.2 1:33:31.9 13 9:05.9 1:42:37.8 14 11:17.2 1:53:55.0 15 8:07.6 2:02:02.6 <-- tie right shoe lace 16 7:13.4 2:09:16.0 17 7:05.6 2:16:21.6 18 6:44.3 2:23:05.9 19 6:43.5 2:29:49.4 20 6:56.8 2:36:46.2 21 6:45.0 2:43:31.2 22 6:58.1 2:50:29.3 23 7:14.0 2:57:43.3 24 7:08.5 3:04:52.8 25 7:23.7 3:12:16.5 26 7:25.4 3:19:41.9 26+ :04.0 3:19:44.9