"The stars need to align" is an often (and perhaps overused) phrase in running. It means that for a runner to maximize performance, everything needs to go well: weather, fueling, sleep, having a good day, and more. But the planets literally aligned on the Friday before my marathon in Newport News, VA. Along with it came ideal racing weather.
Race Week
Race week arrived and it was without a doubt the most eventful race week of my life. Our house would go on the market on Friday so that meant staging it for photos on Monday, having cleaners come Wednesday, and being out of the house all day Friday while potential buyers came to visit. On top of that, we had some things with the new home to manage, and work was also very eventful.
I refused to let it be a self-fulfilling prophecy. I told myself that the 2019 DNF might not have been stress related and I could have been overtrained (I ran an 81- mile week just three weeks out). And there was actually nothing to stress over anyway. We got the house where it needed to be for putting it on the market, and the rest we would leave up to our realtor. We decided that we wouldn't interact with her until after the marathon, so we could spend the weekend focused on the race and not thinking about offers.
I slept relatively well all week. The previous week I had been waking up at 1:00 in the morning consistently with anxiety, but that abated the week before the race, thankfully. I'm proud of myself for not letting everything going on in my life impact my ability to focus on having an excellent race. And the last thing I wanted would be to use it as an excuse to not push hard in the later miles.
After the cleaners came on Wednesday, we didn't want to cook anything messy in our kitchen, which made it challenging to eat heathy meals. On Thursday night we opted for sushi. On Friday we got a buffet of cold appetizer-style foods from the grocery store and had them for dinner: smoked salmon, fresh bread, stuffed grape leaves, fresh mozzarella, hummus, etc. We really wanted to start eating early, like at 5:00, but the showings lasted all the way until 6:15.
Shoe Choice
I am down to my last pair of my all-time favorite adidas Adios Pro 2, and they have a half marathon and full marathon on them (both PRs). I could have worn them again for this race, but I felt like perhaps they had lost some pop after two hard races. In the weeks leading up to the race I sought an alternative. The adidas Adios Pro 4 unfortunately didn't fit me - I was between sizes. In my normal size my toe was hitting the tip of the shoe and when I sized up by half a size the shoe was too roomy overall and not locked in. I was bummed because the Adios Pro 4 is supposedly a great shoe.
Then I tried the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4. I loved version 2 of this shoe, and with an 8mm drop I thought it could be the answer. But I did an 18-mile run with 11 miles at marathon pace and I didn't love them. I thought they were fast, but towards the end I think my forefoot was getting sore, which means they were likely too firm for a marathon. I also felt like they were too much "shoe" - the stack height felt too high.
I then tried the ASICS Metaspeed Edge. I had worn their counterpart (the Sky) in Boston last year and liked those. But I didn't find the Sky to be particularly fast. They were too bouncy with not enough ground feel. The Edge felt faster, but I noticed my forefeet were getting a bit sore towards the end of my run so those were a no-go. Probably good for shorter races.
I tried out the Brooks Hyperion Elite PB on the Tuesday before the marathon. I loved everything about them. The fit, the ride, the feel. But I didn't want to take chances. If I had another week to train and ensure they felt good during a long run, then I would have used them.
That left me with one option: The New Balance Fuel Cell Elite V2. I wore these shoes for Richmond back in 2023, so they only had one marathon on them and I figured they would be good for another one. These shoes don't feel fast when running but I think they do their job "behind the scenes". They are super comfortable and they save your legs. During Richmond, my legs didn't get tired until very late in that race and I attribute it to the shoes. My theory is that they allow you to run at your marathon pace for longer without straining your legs, as opposed to propelling you forward with an aggressive carbon fiber plate. They have a carbon plate, but it's not as propulsive as most other shoes. Unfortunately, the new version of this shoe is totally re-done with a 4mm drop that would never work for me. And bonus: my running club is sponsored by New Balance and they like us to wear that brand when we race.
Saturday
On Saturday morning, I ran a 2.62 mile shakeout run. I felt energized and strong and ready to go! Then it was time to shower and ensure the house was perfectly staged for the open house that would occur later that day. I had a banana at the house and then we went to a local bagel place where I stocked up on bagels. The drive down to Newport News took about three hours and I slept for about 30 minutes so it seemed to go even faster.
We got to the hotel and I laid out all of my gear to ensure I hadn't forgotten anything. Usually I have all my race gear laid out on my bedroom floor during race week and I keep adding to it. But this time I had to keep everything inside the bag so I was out of my natural packing routine.
Next up, lunch! We went to a local deli and I ordered the world's most bland sandwich: turkey on white bread with lettuce and tomato. No cheese or anything else.
We then proceeded to pick up my bib. I was part of the elite masters field for this race, which meant I was able to have bottles placed at three locations along the course: miles 7, 13, and 21. When I picked up my bib, I handed them my three bottles, each of which contained about 12 ounces of water mixed with Skratch Labs hydration + energy. It would be nice not to have to carry my own bottle for very long or have to stop at the water stations. This benefit was part of the "planets aligning"!
Throughout all of this I made sure I drank plenty of water+ electrolytes throughout the day. I estimate that I probably consumed about 80 ounces of fluids. I also snacked on my bagels and almond-butter filled pretzels. When I carb load, I don't count carbs. I just eat whatever feels comfortable. I don't want to overload my digestive system with an unusually high amount of food that it's not used to.
After chess with Mike, we went back to our hotel and figured out where Greg would go to cheer for me and take photos. He would drop me off at the start and then take photos at four different locations. Greg had run this race back in 2019, so I also spent some time analyzing his data to get a sense of where the hills were. I had run the half marathon here twice (2020 & 2024), which is the second half of the full marathon. I was very familiar with the second half, but not the first. I noticed that Greg's Garmin had him at 26.37 miles. Yikes. Other runners seemed to log similar mileage - around 26.4. The course is curvy in places and has a good number of turns, so I would have thought 26.3 would be reasonable, but 26.4 meant I would have to run faster than I did at my recent Tidewater marathon (26.25) just to get the same time.
Once we had figured out Greg's spectating plan, we made our way to dinner. We ate at the same restaurant that we did last year, the night before my 1:29:50 half marathon. I ordered the same meal: chicken parmesan with no cheese. We got to the restaurant at 5:00 and we were back to our hotel by 6:00. Nice and quick!
Throughout the day, we often checked our home security app to see how many times the doors opened and closed. We wanted to get a sense for how many people were coming in and out. But we didn't stress over it.
We went to bed early at around 8:00. I brought my Lagoon pillow because hotel pillows are notorious for being the wrong height. One pillow is never enough, but two is too high. With Lagoon, you can adjust the height of the pillow and customize it to how you sleep! (Use discount code ELIZABETHCLOR if you want to try it and save 15%!). I slept relatively well and surprisingly had zero anxiety dreams about the race. Usually I dream about missing the start, showing up without my shoes, showing up without gels, or being unprepared in some way.
Before the Race
I woke up naturally at around 4:00. I laid in bed for a bit just trying to relax and get myself in the right headspace without psyching myself out. Because I was overwhelmed all week with the house and with work, I hadn't given as much thought to the marathon. To perform well, you really have to want it. If you are too relaxed or focused on other things, then it's easier to give yourself permission to not push as hard. The goal was to be excited and focused enough to really push, while remaining relaxed. Today I would run the race of my life. I visualized it. I visualized myself pushing really hard at the end to make it happen.
I got out of bed and had breakfast: one banana and a handful of almond butter pretzels. I tend to keep my pre-race breakfasts on the smaller side, only eating what feels comfortable. I had eaten plenty of carbs the day before and I would be fueling throughout the race.
Having missed the start of my previous marathon because I got the start time wrong, I wanted to get to the start extra early. We left the hotel at 6:00am and arrived to the race just before 6:15. We waited in the car until around 6:30, at which point I said goodbye to Greg.
I headed over to the Elite tent where we had our own porta potty. It was thankfully empty and I got to use it right away. Then I hung out with Mike Wardian in the tent while I untied and re-tied my shoes a dozen times. I had my UCAN gel 15 minutes before the race start at 6:45.
Weather
It was very cold at the start line. Not as cold as the 18 degrees from my marathon in December, but still cold. It was 27 degrees with 10-15 mph sustained winds. The windchill made it feel closer to that 18 degree mark! Greg said he was colder spectating this marathon than the one in December because of the wind. At least we had no wind at the other marathon. It was sunny without a cloud in the sky. Start temp was 27 degrees, finish temp was 33 degrees. Sustained wind of 10-15 mph, which was mostly a tailwind. I give this a 10 out of 10 on my race weather scale. That said, if the course were a loop or an out-and-back, I'd have to downgrade to an 8. Not only is a headwind challenging, but when the temps are in the 20s it feels brutally cold. So generally this is "8" weather that I upgraded to a "10" due to the direction of the course.
Strategy and Goal
Everything pointed to a sub-7:20 marathon pace being perfectly attainable for me. My two longer marathon pace runs (11 miles inside of 19 miles) averaged 7:15 and 7:13 respectively. And I felt great during those. Taking the longer course into consideration, this would yield a time of around 3:13. My "A" goal was to run a time of 3:12-3:13. My "B" goal was to PR with sub 3:15:11. My C goal was to finish healthy and strong. Ultimately breaking the 3:15 was really the most important. I had run 3:15:34 and 3:15:11 but never under. And I was so close last December!
My strategy was to to run the first 10 miles at pace of 7:20-7:25. After that, I wanted all of my miles to be faster than 7:20.
Race Start
I didn't really warm up aside from doing a few strides around the park for 20 seconds at a time. I did some dynamic stretching and I had used a lacrosse ball in the hotel to loosen my glutes. The race had two pacers for 3:15. I had not been expecting that, which meant I had to decide if I was going to run with them, purposely avoid them, or just ignore them altogether. If I could stick with them the whole time, then I would get my sub-3:15 goal because pacers notoriously run faster than their goal pace. But pacers often go out too fast. I decided I would not try to stay with them but if I happened to be near them I would feed off of their energy. The ideal situation would be to run slightly behind them for the first 10K and then catch up or pass them. But once again, I had no idea how fast they would go out.
When I ran the One City Half Marathon exactly five years ago in 2020, I decided to stick with the 1:30 pace group. That ended up being a mistake. They went out too fast and I lost them at the 8th mile, coming in at 1:31:xx. I think if I had a more conservative start I would have been closer to my sub 1:30 back then. Lessons learned - pacers usually go out faster than I would.
Anyway, a few different people approached me at the start line and told me that they followed me on Instagram. I took photos with them and wished them good luck in their races. I love meeting Instagram runners in real life!
The national anthem was sung, and it was almost go-time! I tossed my jacket off (they donate them) and waited patiently to start. It was so cold! The sun hadn't fully risen and with bare shoulders I was quite uncomfortable.
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| Mile 7 |
Alright, time to run the fastest marathon of my life! But to do that, I had to take it easy and chill in the beginning. Be patient. Enjoy the ride. I decided to focus on other runners and their outfits. Some runners were wearing tank tops and shorts. Others had long tights and multiple layers. I was running near someone in a sweatshirt that she kept on for the whole race. Quite the variety!
I ended up being tucked behind the 3:15 pace group for these miles. I counted about 20 people in front of
me who all seemed to be part of the pace group. I was able to run my target 7:20-7:25 without having to weave or pass people. There was a turnaround at one point when you could see the runners coming in the other direction. I noticed that the pace groups really formed packs in this race. Most people seemed to be running totally alone or with just one other person. I was grateful for my pack because there was some headwind here and I was shielded nicely.
I had the luxury of only needing to carry my water bottle for the first three miles because I knew I would get another at mile 7. I had been unable to drink enough fluids during my December marathon because my hands were too numb to hold a bottle or even take water from volunteers. I did not want that happening again. I planned to take my first gel at 40:00, but in the spirit of trying get more fuel in early, I took it a little early at 37:00. I knew that meant I would have to take my next one early, too, to maintain the 40 minute gap. It's better to fuel early when your stomach can properly digest it.
I was happy with how these miles felt. Controlled and easy. My gels were staying put in my waistband and in my sports bra. I was happy to discover a new way to hold gels because that opened up more options for me in future races.
Mile 1: 7:24
Mile 2: 7:22
Mile 3: 7:24
Mile 4: 7:23
Mile 5: 7:17
Mile 6: 7:22
Miles 7-13
I saw Greg at mile marker 7 and broke away from the pace group to get closer to him. Shortly after that I grabbed my bottle from the elite table. My bottle was identifiable because I had put zebra duct tape around it. I held onto this bottle for a few miles. At mile 8 I saw something almost as good as Greg: a Zebra U-
Haul! I first noticed that U-Haul had a zebra on some of its trucks maybe 10 years ago. Now, whenever I see a U-Haul, I have to check to see if it has a zebra on it. Usually it doesn't. I ran a 4-mile race eight years ago and a Zebra U-Haul was parked at the race holding all of the water and supplies for the race!
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| Zebra U-Haul from a previous race |
I had another Maurten gel at around 1:12. The original timing of this was 1:20, but since I had taken my other gel a little early and I wanted to err on the side of more fuel earlier. I had five Maurten gels with me plus honey stinger chews. (And I had consumed the UCAN gel right before the race). The plan was to take 4 Maurten gels + chews during the marathon. But I was worried that the chews would be hard to access because they were tightly wedged in a small pocket and my hands weren't fully functional.
I saw Greg again at 11.5. This part of the course was very narrow and I was stuck in the middle of the 3:15 pace group. There would be no breaking free to get a good photo but that was fine. At least he would know that I was on track for a time of 3:15, if not faster.
Things were going along really well and I still felt like I was having exactly the race I wanted. At around mile 12 I started chatting with another runner. He said his PR was 3:14 and he was hoping to break that. I also learned where he was from, that he likes to ski, and so on!
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| Mile 11.5 |
These seven miles were the fastest of the race. They were all sub 7:20 except for mile 9. I am pretty sure I was ahead of the 3:15 group for much of this stretch. I was executing almost exactly as planned. I hit the halfway point at 1:36:55 on my watch (I don't have the official split yet) so I was on track to run just under 3:14.
Mile 7: 7:17
Mile 8: 7:16
Mile 9: 7:24
Mile 10: 7:18
Mile 11: 7:17
Mile 12: 7:16
Mile 13: 7:19
Miles 14-20
Mile 14 was my first hard mile. It was directly into the headwind, which was a rude awakening after so much tailwind. I knew it was just temporary and I allowed myself to slow down and go by effort. I was able to draft off of the guy I had been chatting with previously and that helped somewhat. But then I lost him and was on my own. The 3:15 group was behind me. I logged a 7:29 mile which was disheartening but I told myself things would improve when I reached the Promised Land.
What is the Promised Land? I had run the half marathon twice, so I was fairly familiar with the second half of this course. The Promised Land was a long, straight stretch of road that had a slight downhill profile and tailwind. Once I got there I would cruise all the way to the finish. I pictured this as the last 6 miles of the race but that was not reality. . .
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| Mile 16.2 |
I saw Greg at mile 16.2 and I wanted him to know that I was strong and running well. So I perked up and it really helped energize me.
Up next were the miles that Greg remembered being the hardest - the park near Christopher Newport University. I remembered the park being annoying, too. I was prepared for a rough patch, but then. . . the Promised Land would show up and I would glide my way to a PR!
It was hard to stick to the tangents during this part because the road was curvy. I tried my best though. The next gel would be my only Maurten caffeinated gel. I only like to take one caffeinated gel when I race because I typically avoid caffeine altogether and too much is a shock to my system. I had originally planned to take this gel at 2:00 but I took it ten minutes early at 1:50. The caffeinated gels never go down as easy as the regular gels, but I managed to consume the entire thing without any gag reflex.
Unfortunately the 3:15 pace group was getting farther and farther ahead. Every now and then I would get a burst of motivation and try to close the gap and that helped me keep them in my sights. But I never caught up fully. I didn't care that much because I knew that by my calculation I was still on track for a PR. Pacers are notorious for getting people to the finish line early. I wasn't going to let that pace group make me think I wasn't still in this. I kept thinking "this is your day, make yourself PR" and "there's no reason you can't PR - you have the fitness for it and the weather is perfect."
I logged a 7:21 for both miles 16-17 and that pepped me up and rebuilt my confidence. I had imagined things deteriorating after mile 15, but instead they were improving.
Mile 14: 7:29
Mile 15: 7:28
Mile 16: 7:21
Mile 17: 7:21
Mile 18: 7:23
Mile 19: 7:28
Mile 20: 7:22
Miles 21-Finish
I told myself this was it. Now was the time to PR. I kept telling myself I needed to make it hurt. I remembered back to my December marathon and how I felt like I just accepted the fade at the end until I realized a PR was within reach. "DON'T ACCEPT THE FADE" I kept telling myself over and over again. Don't accept it. Keep pushing the pace. You know you can be right around 7:20. If you want this you will need to make it happen. You will have to push for it. Do not accept the fade.
I grabbed my final water bottle from the elite table at mile 21 and took a few big swigs before tossing it. I reminded myself that I was in a much better spot fueling wise than I was last December. I was fitter. There was no reason not to be faster! I had to work.
The 3:15 pace group was fading into the distance and I kept waiting for the Promised Land. The stretch where I made 1:29 happen last year at this race. But the course kept turning more than I remembered. I just wanted to put on cruise control and go. Mile 21 was 7:29 and once again I was dangerously close to the land of 7:30s and I did not want to be there for the rest of the race. I got a stomach cramp. I told myself to ignore it and that it would pass. It was pretty bad for about half a mile but then it went away entirely. Phew. I perked up a bit during mile 22 knowing that I was so close to the end and ran a 7:27 mile.
This was truly a test of mental grit. Dare I risk fueling again knowing that my stomach was potentially having issues? I figured I would try to take a 5th gel during the 23rd mile. I wanted all the help I could get on the way to the finish line.
It didn't go well. As soon as the gel was in my mouth, the gag reflex was triggered and I knew I had to spit it out. I slowed down a bit, turned my head to the side to spit, but I ended up vomiting instead. Not a ton, but just enough to be taken aback by it. I needed a mental reset. I stopped and walked about 4-5 steps. Oh no. I felt like crap. This was bad. Really bad. I would be walking to the finish. But within seconds I started running again and realized that vomiting was just what I needed! I suddenly felt so much better and could run faster than before I threw up! And where was that Promised Land with its straight road with a net downhill tailwind?
I came across one of the two 3:15 pacers. The pacing group was far ahead, maybe about 30-45 seconds up the road at this point. I said "Oh you're the 3:15 pacer!" He said "Yes, but the rest of the group is up ahead. But actually, he's planning on running 3:14 so you are still on track." And then he said "I'm running catch up pace right now so you need to keep running this pace to get it." That really helped me so I kicked it into high gear and I tried my best to catch the group. And I actually ran faster than the pacer who had talked to me!
Mile 24 was therefore the fastest mile of the race in 7:15. I was so excited about that. Yes, it was part of the Promised Land. But no, it was not downhill - actually a slight net gain if you consult Strava! Suddenly I felt amazing. The vomiting must have really helped and also knowing that I was closing the gap on the pace group up ahead.
I started checking the time on my watch during the last mile. I saw 3:08. Okay, I could rally. Just six more minutes and the PR would be mine. Just like last December, I had no idea if I would be able to PR or squeak under 3:15 but I was going to give it everything I had.
I ended up running the last 0.39 at a pace of 6:50 and my last full mile was a pace of 7:06 according to Strava. The mind is so amazing. When you believe that your race could be over it's so easy to fall into the trap of believing it and to stop trying. When you think there's a chance you could get your goal and it's all come down to this one moment, the motivation allows you to do things you thought would be impossible. The last mile (from 25.4 to 26.4) was 7:06 and it was not downhill, it was flat!
Mile 21: 7:29
Mile 22: 7:27
Mile 23: 7:44
Mile 24: 7:15
Mile 25: 7:27
Mile 26: 7:18
Final 0.39: 6:50 pace
I was brimming with joy as I crossed the finish line and saw 3:14:xx on the clock. My official time was 3:14:42, which is a PR by 29 seconds!
After the Race
Shortly after I crossed the finish line I threw up. I typically throw up after marathons and half marathons so this was nothing new and it made me feel so much better. It was all liquid. I think I drank too many fluids. Because I kept getting new bottles it was easy to just keep hydrating like I was running in 50 or 60 degree weather.
But when it's only 30 degrees, your hydration needs are different and it's easy to over drink. I think that's why I got the stomach cramp and why I threw up during and after. Nutrition will forever be a formula that needs to be fine-tuned.
I re-united with Greg and I was so happy! I was on cloud nine seeing that I had gone under 3:15. It wasn't my "A" goal, but it was the main goal.
They handed me a lightweight jacket at the finish line to help me stay warm but I got cold very quickly. I think it was only 33 degrees at the finish and still windy. Brrrr. We didn't linger around the finish line because I was very cold. We headed straight to the car and then to grab lunch. While waiting for our lunch I started shivering really badly. I needed to get warm. We took the food back to the hotel and unfortunately there was no bath tub, which is the fastest way to warm up. Instead I took a lukewarm shower with the world's lowest water pressure. It was like torture. I ended up wrapping myself in the bed blankets and drinking hot tea to finally stop shivering. Once I felt like myself again I was able to truly bask in the joy of a new marathon PR!
Stats
This was my 36th marathon.
I don't have my official half marathon split, but I think I can approximate 1:36:55 and 1:37:47. Slightly positive splits. I think that final mile really helped bridged the gap.
According to Strava I ran a marathon time of 3:13:25, at an average pace of 7:22. Yipee!
I placed second in my age group (45-49). Interestingly, the top three finishers in this age group were all faster than the 40-44 age group. The top three in 40-44 were 3:29, 3:30, and 3:37.
The woman who won my age group ran a time of 3:14:05 and likely kept up with that 3:15 pacer, who clocked in a 3:13:56. The pacer who I passed ran a time of 3:17.
The Newport News One City event now holds my half marathon PR (1:29:50) and my full marathon PR (3:14:42).
Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
I am really proud of this race! It was a lot harder than I anticipated given the ideal weather and the tailwind. I thought my fitness supported a sub 7:20 pace for the entirety of the race when in reality I had to fight hard to run a 7:22 pace. My heart rate data supports me running a faster time because my heart rate was relatively low.
I think I need to work on:
- Not being afraid to push to my goal pace around the mile 18-20 mark even if it's getting hard.
- Getting the right balance of water/electrolytes/fuel (I probably could have had plain water without electrolyte mix in each bottle at these low temps)
- Not worrying about how it will feel later in the race if I push hard now. I am getting better at this but I think I could still improve.
I am most proud of:
- My mantra - Don't accept the fade
- Rallying hard after I vomited
- Running a 7:06 final mile (from 25.39 to 26.39)
- Not letting the stress of my house being on the market impact my running
- Staying relaxed the whole race
- Believing that I can still PR at age 46, given that I started running marathons at age 27
- Actually getting my goal!
Of course I am wondering if I could have just willed myself to keep up with that pace group. I think my training supports a time of 3:13:56 even on a "long" course. But I think I am always going to be second-guessing if I could have pushed harder, no matter what the race. That's part of being an athlete. Always trying to determine where you could have improved.
Pace groups can be a mind f**k though. It's easy to see a pacer and believe that they are perfectly pacing to the goal time and then freak out if they pass you. Most runners have experienced being demoralized when a pace group blazes past them. But pacing is a strategy and different strategies work for different runners. A pacer is just one runner approaching a goal time in one particular way and encouraging others along the way. I don't think the 3:15 pace group helped me or hurt me, but it just gave me something else to think about as I was running.
I had the advantage of the tailwind during this race. Yes, it was a headwind and a sidewind during portions, but it was a tailwind for about 70% of the course. I did finally enter the Promised Land! But I think the fact that the tangents were hard to hit, making me run 26.39 miles was a disadvantage for sure. So maybe the two counteract each other and 3:14:42 is a fair & square time!
Do I think I will ever get dramatically faster and run under 3:10? That's still TBD. I am not sure how many fast years I have left at this point. I certainly want to try. I have chipped away at this PR from 3:15:34 in 2018 to 3:15:11 in 2024 to 3:14:42 in 2025. I'd love to see a big dip but to do that I think I will need to re-examine my training and figure out what I need to get there.
I was very fortunate to have Greg cheering for me in multiple places during this race. Of course I totally missed him at the end as I was laser focused on breaking 3:15. He did an excellent job with the photos and the videos, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. I don't know where I would be without his support.
We didn't make PR cake last night because we were so tired and we have to keep the kitchen clean with our house still on the market. But we have an offer in hand, so it won't be long before our kitchen is back in action. And I think it will be the last PR cake I make in it. Very sad. We are absolutely looking forward to our new kitchen for future PR cakes.
Next up, Boston!
