June 21, 2008 – Anchorage, Alaska Marathon – Race Report

Genesis:

Melissa and I went to a Team in Training (TNT) information meeting at the beginning of this year on January 12^th. After all of the holiday eating and trying to set some new physical goals and resolutions, we thought that this might be a good thing to become a part of not only for its charitable interests, but for the support of training with a team as well.

Melissa has her heart set on running. Swimming doesn’t interest her as much, so my interest in doing the Austin Triathlon would have been all by my lonesome. There was no swaying this runner! We are a team in our marriage. Due to the nature of our work schedules, it would have been all together too challenging to try to set different event goals. I want to support my wife in her athletic training so… a marathon it was. I was going to become a runner.

TNT had two marathon events during this season- San Diego, CA and Anchorage, AK. We’ve never been to Alaska, so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity. The fundraising goal was a lofty one though. $5400. And that was per person! Since Melissa and I would have a very similar network to pull from for fundraising we decided that it would be best if only one of us signed up with TNT. (And… Purple is Melissa’s favorite color, so she was the obvious choice!) A fundraising goal of $10,800 just seemed too challenging for the two of us to meet.

We asked many questions about the logistics of whether or not I could train along side her with TNT’s support, even though I was not an official TNT member. Not too mention the logistics of my traveling alongside as a fellow race participant but unofficial TNT member. It turned out that this wasn’t difficult at all. So, the seed was planted and the journey began. Team Davis set forth the wheels in motion to run a marathon in Alaska!

The Journey:

TNT held this season’s kick off party on Groundhog Day. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go to the kick off with Melissa because I was helping out with the Conroe Music Teachers’ Association Spring Theory Test. Melissa and I had already been underway with our own training start, although the TNT official training season didn’t start until the following Saturday, February 9^th. We decided to go ahead and get started because the very first thing that TNT starts you off with is a 5k.

We didn’t know quite what to expect, but out of the unknown became routine for us. Saturdays became our long run days. Our social calendar gradually changed and our bed time became much earlier on Friday nights to compensate for the early rise the next morning.

Our coaches, Pam and Tracy, have been the best support crew! Not only did they run along side us, checking to see how we were holding up, but they also prepared run courses for us - complete with water cooler stops en route. Melissa and I got used to prepping our hydration belts the night before, but even though we had fluids at hip access, the heat of Houston is something that cannot be rivaled. The coolers were much appreciated.

Part of the process in training is figuring out what nutrition supplements work or not. By “work”, read “lack of upset tummies or digestive problems”. We discovered that I need more electrolytes than Mel. This is probably due to the fact that I sweat more. Gatorade and sport gels became the norm for our Saturday run snacking. Apple Cinnamon and Key Lime became our favorite flavors for gels because both taste like pie. MMMMmmmm.

Our mileage was steady and read like a stock report. For the most part, every Saturday we were adding two more miles to the previous run distance; however, once we got into the longer runs of 16 or 18 miles, we would back off on mileage before adding more distance. That way it allowed us some recovery time.

With the way that life gets busy, I struggled to get in the 2-3 runs during the week to keep up with training. So, consequently I felt great on some Saturdays, and was good to just jog/walk the Saturdays when I didn’t feel so good. I became VERY aware of how important rest is in this process. The day of our longest run had come (21 miles) and I was knocked out of commission by a fever that topped over a hundred. That may not sound like much, but my temp runs low (97.6 on average) and I rarely get sick. So, I was pretty much miserable. I did the best that I could to stick to the schedule from that point on, but knowing that I had missed the longest run in our training made race day that much more ominous to me.

The Race:

Race day began at 4:45am for us. We had to get ready and be down in the lobby by 6:10am in order to load the bus by 6:30am. And we for SURE didn’t want to be late!

“Getting ready” is a story all on its own. Friday, we spent the day driving around Alaska with our family and that evening was the pasta party. We left it early in order to prepare for the next day. We had a mandatory TNT meeting at 8pm and we didn’t want to be up late after that preparing our race gear. We still had to do some things afterwards, but we did our best to knock out most of it before the team meeting.

Our minds were whirring with emotions, details, and uncertainty about the next day and we did the best that we could to get a good night’s sleep and to not forget any needed items. Mel and I already realized that we had forgotten our anti-chaffing necessities of Body-Glide and Vaseline. Fortunately, these were sold at the Packet Pick Up Expo and our Hotel Gift Store respectively. We got our race numbers pinned to our jerseys, and all of our clothes were laid out in two dimension versions of ourselves from socks and shoes, to visor and sunglasses. Our hydration belts were set as well with 2 empty bottles to fill on the course and a third one filled with a Gatorade sludge that was the equivalent of eight water bottles. This was so we could mix it ourselves on the latter part of the course without having to deal with a messy powder. After slapping on sunblock, some TNT temporary tattoos and using a sharpie to write our names and “Team Davis” on our arms and legs we were ready!

I felt fairly confidant about my nutrition plan; having acquired much information from seasoned veterans and the ultimate race resource, my sister. I had a bagel with Peanut Butter at 6am (two hours before race start) allowing plenty of time to digest so I don’t feel like I’m running with a brick in my gut. Fifteen minutes before race start I had an espresso gel to give me that extra boost of wakeup power (even though I probably had plenty of adrenaline just from the excitement of it all!). I planned on having a gel every hour, on the hour. The first two included protein, and I had another gel with added caffeine which I used later in the course.

I typically sweat a lot, and even though it is was much cooler in Alaska, this still held true. So I still took a few electrolyte pills, and I used NUUN electrolyte tablets in one of my water bottles. The other bottle I filled with plain H20 to aid in processing the gels on the hour. The aid stations on the course offered an electrolyte drink called “Ultima Replenisher” but I stayed away from that because during the training I learned that it’s not the best tasting and I’m not sure that I react well to it. Plus, there’s no telling what concentration the race volunteers might be mixing the stuff in.

From what I’ve heard, in the last six miles or so your body is dependent on what you’ve put into during the first several hours of the race. Meaning, it’s already depleted whatever fuel it has in storage and is not running on what you have put into it AND what is being put into it at the time. I’ve heard that liquids are the fastest way for your body to absorb nutrition… so this is where the Gatorade sludge came into play. For the most part, I feel very confident about how my nutrition plan worked. I was planning on only relying on the aid stations for water, but during the middle of the course I started grabbing handfuls of pretzels because I was HUNGRY! And, I’ll tell you what… the little bite size pieces of granola bars they offered have never tasted so good in all my life.

Here is both a map of the course and my mileage breakdown compared with the given elevation course map:

Mileage Breakdown-
Mile 1 12:35:14
Mile 2 11:30:64
Mile 3 11:49:58
Mile 4 12:09:64
Mile 5 11:43:65
Mile 6 12:00:19
---Tank Trails Begin---
Mile 7 15:24:40
Mile 8 09:23:90 CHECK OUT THAT SPEED!!!!!
Mile 9 11:32:74
Mile 10 13:03:24
Mile 11 12:52:16
Mile 12 13:30:41
Mile 13 13:59:27
Mile 14 14:04:96
Mile 15 14:18:16
----Tank Trails End-----
Mile 16 14:36:16
Mile 17 12:39:03
Mile 18 16:51:07
Mile 19 13:57:44
Mile 20 16:04:30
Mile 21 14:53:63
Mile 22 16:09:84
Mile 23 14:32:81
Mile 24 13:32:35
Mile 25 13:30:26
Mile 26 16:49:99
Mile 26.2 02:19:12

Personal Time – 5:55:54; Chip Time- 5:55:22.1; From Race Start- 5:57:49.2

The race start began at a local High School. The weather was overcast, with light drizzles of rain on occasion and the temperature was slightly chilly. I kept warm and dry by the aid of a “trash bag poncho” and the high school gym. I felt amazingly loose at the race start. Maybe this is because during the waiting period I spent a lot of time warming up with light stretching (something to remember in the future).

The first few miles of the course stayed in the same conditions. Jogging along the highway, we were honked and waved at by passers-by. The scenery was breath taking. The morning clouds had shrouded parts of the mountains in gauze that covered the earth’s jagged, rocky wounds. The evergreens did their part by offering their own mossy covering to the fractured backdrop. All in all, it felt like we were running through the midst of Gaia’s wake up routine.

I shed my plastic skin at around mile 6 if I remember right, and the air was refreshing. My goal was to try to keep a twelve minute mile as my pace and my new watch was helping me keep track of that goal (as well as when to imbibe the gels).

Miles seven through fifteen of the course are known as the infamous tank trails. Supposedly, these suckers had baseball sized rocks, and add to that elevation and the need to scan three feet ahead to know where to plant your feet; well, needless to say, I was dreading the thought of them. I was relieved when I finally got to their entrance. For the most part it was a gravel road and I knew this was doable. There was the baseball sized rocks (some were even larger), and there was the added hills, but at first I felt like I was just doing a cyclocross course with my feet. It was exciting. The first aid station in the forest was disco themed and this added to my party mentality; however, the effect wore off. My feet got tired of having to do a multi-point balancing act and I kept running in zig-zags to try to find the parts of the trail that had been worn down to dirt by tire tracks. At one part along the course, there was a sign in the trees that read “WARNING: Unexploded Ammunition – DO NOT ENTER.” I thought to myself, “Great… THIS is what they’re having us run through?!?”

I was disappointed after mile 7 because it was the first time that I wasn’t near my 12 minute pace goal. So I booked it during the next mile and did my best to makeup the time. I was ecstatic to have shaved nearly 3 minutes off my goal pace finishing the next mile at 9:23. After that I saw my family for the first time and even though I was hurting, I pressed through to run by them. The arch of my right foot was hurting pretty bad by this point and I attribute it to the balancing that I had to do by running on the trail. Of course, all the while I was thinking and praying about my sweet wife’s feet and hoping she wasn’t dealing with any pain from new insoles. So, maybe it was sympathy pain. At any rate, it hurt and I did the best I could to stop and stretch it out, trying to not lose too much time in the same moment.

The first part of the tank trails were an expanse of open gravel capable of supporting one or two vehicles, but later on it was definitely a foot path, offering room for only two or three abreast. The forest crowded in on both sides, and I suppose due to the light rain of the morning the path was somewhat muddied. This made the downhill a little nerve racking as the last thing I wanted to do was stumble. In the midst of this there were a few stopped runners. I wanted to see what they were looking at because I figured it was wildlife. It was a moose! I didn’t stop though because I wanted to make the best time possible.

It was a relief to come to the open road at the end of the tank trails. My feet were finally on level ground, and it was downhill. All I wanted to do was see my family though, and mile 18 couldn’t come quickly enough.

On a side note, most family would probably wait it out at one viewpoint and then head to the finish. I’m fortunate to have the best family in the world. They go the extra mile… literally. Dad drove the course the night before with Mom and Pat in the car with him. They planned things out to the “T” and cheered us on at not one, not two, but three stops and the finish line. Although I only saw them at the first two because I’m so fast! ;-)

I’ve heard about “The Wall” from several runners which is something that usually occurs around mile 20 or 21; however, I probably hit it a little earlier because the longest I ever ran during training was 18 miles. I had a fever that was over 100 degrees the day we were supposed to run 21 miles in our training. “The Wall” is the point where your body just doesn’t feel like it can go any further and it becomes for the most part, mental. I started setting small goals of jogging for 2 minutes or to the next fixed focal point and I tried not to walk more than 20-45 seconds at a time, but there were times when all I could do was walk and just keep moving. The secret weapon of my music mix was futile at this point in the game.

The last few miles became easier because mentally it was more of a countdown rather than a “count up,” if that makes sense. The course had taken on a mix of wooded and open park trails with construction sites mixed in. It reminded me of Terry Hershey Park and the trails of The Woodlands combined. At mile 25, the course wound around a lake with a neighborhood on its right. There was a two story house that had its entire front face decorated in purple balloons, TNT banners and signs, and huge banner that said “Thank You Runners!” I saw this just after passing a woman that was holding a sign that read “Leukemia Survivor” and she waved as I passed by. I had to do all that I could not to just fall to my knees and weep. It’s difficult not to tear up even as I write this.

At the end of the course, there is something known as “insult hill.” For a quarter mile the road into the neighborhood wound its way up a steady climb of 100 feet. This was the last thing needed after 25 miles of pain and endurance. I made my way up and the high school around the bend was a beautiful site. There were flags of every color lining the course to the track finish line, and seeing the high school meant that I would see my family to cheer me through to the end. Rounding mile marker 26, I had doubts as to whether or not my body could sprint to the finish. But with feet flying, arms pumping, and face held firm, I focused all my might and ran. Ran! As fast as I could, I ran. My mom wasn’t even able to snap a photo of me until I was already passed her.

I untied the timing chip from my shoe, picked up a bottle of water that was passed out, and just looked for my mom. All I could do was weep. I never in my life thought that I would run a marathon and I just had. My initial goal was to beat a challenge made to me in Houston of finishing in less than 5 ½ hours. When I realized that that was unattainable for me, I focused on finishing in less than 6, and I made it! Barely, but I made it!

All along, my plan was to be my wife’s teammate. Knowing how hard “Insult Hill” was, I walked back to the top of it and waited for her. I wouldn’t let her finish without me by her side. She already had a cheering squad with her of TNT teammates and coaches, and I could see her excitement when we locked eyes. She has the most beautiful eyes and you wouldn’t even realize the challenge that she had been through because it didn’t show. When we made it to the track the Houston TNT coach was pushing her to run and I’ll tell you I have never seen Melissa run so fast. I was astounded. After crossing the finish line, she laid it all down. All the pain, all the weariness, all the exhaustion and she just wept with my arms wrapped around her. There has never been a moment more tender and proud than this. We are a team. Team Davis. Marathon finishers.

Epilogue:

That evening, after the race was finished, we attended a victory party with Team in Training and our family. There were several hundred people there from all over the country. Melissa and I had just barely had enough time to get cleaned up before arriving at the Egan Convention Center. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was lively. Melissa and I even got up and danced a little (Although, I suspect that us both having had our ice baths, and popping some ibuprofen helped with that ability. Not to mention the overall crowd energy in the room.) Despite the tired, aching bodies, it was a lot of fun and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

The next day we enjoyed a southbound drive to Whittier, AK to depart on a 6 hour Glacier Cruise. This was the kind of scenery and raw, Alaskan wilderness that I was looking for! We saw salmon leaping through the water, hundreds of birds gathered on a cliff side, sea otters both in the water and floating on top of ice chunks the size of a crumpled SUV, and GLACIERS! These beautiful crags of marbled ice had somehow frozen bits of the sky inside them allowing the most brilliant blue to show through. Everything was still and mysterious. There were low-hanging clouds that seemed like they never have moved, and never would. I felt as though I were floating between two worlds with the way the mountains reflected in the water. The colors were muted due to the overcast whether. It’s as if we were in the process of being transformed into grayscale. Mysterious beauty, indeed.

The journey home was a tedious one. Our three hour wait at the airport and seven hour trip on the plane proved to be rather uncomfortable. The once graceful structure and fluid mobility that God had given me for legs had been replaced with steel rods and mechanized mockery. I was dehydrated and a pressurized airplane cabin didn’t help the matter. I got up every now and again to move so that my parts wouldn’t rust, but what I needed more than anything was rest and it wasn’t going to happen. I felt too nauseated.

We finally arrived safely at home, and there was mail to pick up and thirsty plants to water. Luggage was stock piled and a shower was craved. So, after getting cleaned up I felt like a new man… well, save for the aches and pains. Ibuprofen was again befriended and Mel and I settled in for a long nap. Six hours. The rest that we had was incredibly satisfying. That evening we enjoyed some good Tex-Mex from Lupe Tortilla and a movie rental. Oh… and DARKNESS!!!! Yes, it was good to be home - A place where the sun actually sets and familiarity abounds.

Will I do another marathon? We shall see. To quote Melissa, “It’s amazing how quickly your body forgets the pain and you focus just on the feeling of finishing afterwards.” The memories are far to precious so I’d say you can probably expect me in San Antonio come November :-)