Rocket City Marathon - 2:31:04 (new PR and Guam NR)

It was my second time running the Rocket City Marathon (first time was back in 2006), and my 30th total marathon.  I had originally planned to run California International Marathon (CIM), which I ran three times (2014, '15, and '18) in the last five years, but CIM was already sold out when I tried to register.  So, my other options for a late fall/early winter marathon were Indy Monumental in early November or Rocket City a month later.  Rocket City actually ended up being the only option, because Indy occurred during the same timeframe that I would be TDY (temporary duty) for work.  

I was pretty excited, but also surprisingly calm on race morning.  Not sure if I was calm because of the smaller field size (less than 2,000 runners) or because I felt fit and confident in tackling the distance.  Or maybe it was because I had gotten to the start line healthy and enjoyed the process along the way.  This alone was already a win for me.  My marathon PR going in was a 2:31:44, ran at Indy Monumental in 2016. Based on recent races and a good marathon buildup, I felt that I was ready to improve on my marathon PR.  The weather was perfect for marathon running, 43 degrees, overcast and very little wind, although it felt very windy on the long stretch to the Space Center.

The starting gun went off right at 7am and within a half mile of the race I already found myself running alone.  There was a lead group of four runners, another two runners behind the lead group, me, and then another three runners about 20 meters behind me.  Just after the Mile 2 marker, the three runners just behind (Josh, Rodney, and Martin) caught up to me.  I had no idea at the time, but the four of us were all in the Masters category.  I asked them what their goal pace or time was, but got no answer. Shortly after, Josh and Rodney picked up the pace creating a small gap that slowly increased over the course of the next 13 miles. Martin, on the other hand, dropped back a few steps, so I was running solo again.  This assembly line, Josh and Rodney running together, myself, and then Martin, remained the same from mile 3 until around mile 18.  

I felt really good in the first half, running my own pace and easily clicking off mile splits (GPS) between 5:40-5:45.  The only frustrating thing early in the race was that my Garmin watch was splitting each mile early, about 8-10 seconds before the mile markers.  The time and distance between when my watch split and when I crossed the mile markers increased as the race progressed. At first this was disturbing and had a negative impact on my mindset.  All I could think of was that I was running longer than the actual marathon distance. My inner self then told me that this was something out of my control, and that the GPS accuracy was likely off due to the frequent turns in the course.  From then on, I focused all my mental energy at the task at hand, running what felt like the right pace and effort.

I came through 10K in 35:41 and the half in 1:15:31. Just before the halfway mark, I saw my wife and she handed me my plastic water bottle I gave to her at the start. I was really glad she still had my water bottle, because I likely wasn’t taking in enough fluids early in the race.

Approaching halfway 

Miles 16 through 18 were the toughest miles. The course took us through West Huntsville on 9th Avenue and then onto Governors House Dr., which ran parallel to Interstate 565 towards the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.  The combined three mile long stretch of road was slightly uphill and rolling with noticeable headwinds.  I ran my slowest miles of the race on this section, splitting 5:50 and 5:52 (GPS) for miles 16 and 17.  On 9th Ave I saw Josh and Rodney about a minute and a half ahead.  It didn’t seem like I was closing the gap on them, but at the same time I wasn’t focus on it.  I was fixated on running my own race and ensuring that I was putting in the right effort.

Around Mile 18 at the Space Center, I noticed that I was quickly closing in on Josh.  Rodney was about 50-100 meters in front of Josh but within sight.  I caught and passed Josh right after the 19.4 mile aid station.  About a half mile later I shot by Rodney as we headed into the Huntsville Botanical Garden. I couldn’t believe how good I was feeling with 10k to go.  There’s a saying that the marathon is broken down into two races, a 20 mile long run and a 10k race.  This couldn’t be truer, and at 20 miles I felt like the race was just getting started.  Just before I exited the gardens I was surprised to see and overtake another Masters runner (Dancan).  Didn’t know he was a Masters runner until after I viewed results.

After meandering through the botanical gardens, the course took us back onto 9th Ave for miles 23 through 24.5.  I was now running in the opposite direction of the other runners heading out to the Space Center.  This was nice because all the runners were cheering me on.  One runner yelled out that I was currently in 4th place and that 3rd place was not far ahead.  I overtook the runner in 3rd and kept that position until the finish.  I later found out that the 3rd place guy I overtook (Chris) was trying for the Olympic Trials Qualifying (OTQ) time of 2:19, but fell off pace.

At mile 25.2, a race timer yelled out “one mile to go” and the time “2:25:25”.  Until this point, I really had no idea of my estimated finishing time except that I was somewhere in the 2:31 range.  After some quick calculation, I realized that I needed to run just under a 5:35 last mile or faster to go sub-2:31.  I knew that a 5:35 mile was doable, but it wasn’t going to be easy.  With about a quarter mile to go, I ran by my wife along Big Springs Park and she yelled for me to “push it all the way to the end!” I think she knew that I was cutting it very close to breaking 2:31. The marathon finishes inside the Von Braun Center and when I made the turn into the arena, I saw the clock just about to turn over from 2:30:5x to 2:31:00. Unfortunately, I came up short of becoming a 2:30 marathoner by 4 seconds.  I crossed the finish in 3rd Place Overall and 1st Masters with a chip time of 2:31:04, a new PR and Guam National Record by 40 seconds.  Results are here.

Pushed it all the way to the end!

I was excited to have just run a new PR, but even more excited with the way I executed my race.  My half splits were 1:15:31 and 1:15:33.  The last 10k was by far the best finish I’ve had in any my 30 marathons.  I averaged 5:37 pace (based on GPS splits) for the last 7 miles (mile 20 to 26).  I told my wife afterwards that I felt like my race was worth a sub-2:30 performance.  Interestingly, my Garmin watch, as well both of the top two finisher’s watches, measured the course at 26.55 miles, which if true is equivalent to a 5:41 average pace and 2:29:11 estimated marathon effort.  The reality though is that official results are what counts.  I ran 2:31:04 on a certified course and super proud of it.

Mile Splits (GPS)

Okay, I should end this race report, but before I do so I want to note a couple things.

• Nutrition.  I didn’t talk about nutrition in my write up, but here’s what I did.  I took one Maurten gel just before the start, and an additional five gels over the course of the race (miles 6, 12, 16.4, 19.4, and 23).  I felt that my nutrition was spot on!  On the hydration side, I think it was fine.  I took in fluids at every aid station except one, which I missed (not intentionally).

• Masters Running (40 yrs and over).  There were some very good Masters runners at the 43rd Rocket City Marathon.  The title for Top Masters and $750 was very competitive, and I was really proud to come out on top.  It’s crazy that six of the top nine finishers were Masters runners.  It just goes to show that age is just a number! Also in addition to the $750, I also won an additional $500 for 3rd Place Overall.  Combined I took home more $$ than the overall winner! 

RCM Male Masters Champion
and Finisher’s Medal