RACE REPORT: Eugene Marathon

Note: John Clark has run several races put on by the RMEC, and other races in the area. John joined the RMEC in 2010. Many of you have not met John yet. We hope to drag him out to the Teeter on Saturday for a long run soon!

Submitted By: John Clark (aka Teddy Cheetah)

My girlfriend, Alexa, and I arrived in Eugene, OR on Wednesday April 28, 2010. The race was not until the following Sunday May 2,010. I wanted to get out there early in order to acclimate myself to the west coast and run a few sections of the course.

The course was advertised as “flat and fast.” After driving it and running the hillier sections, I confirmed this to be true. There was only one “big” hill. It was between miles 8 and 9 and rose about 50 feet over the course of ¾ a mile. I knew my training in Umstead had thoroughly prepared me for this hill.

I ran the last five miles of the course the day we arrived in Eugene. It is mostly on bike paths along the Willamette River. The scenery was beautiful, and I knew I better enjoy it now because I would be barely functioning at this point in the race. I finished the run with a few strides on Hayward Field. I was the only one on the track and it was inspiring running on the same field where so many great runners had run before.

I spent Thursday running the “hilly” part of the course and took Friday off. Saturday, I ran a very easy 2 miles on Pre’s Trail.

I awoke at 4 a.m. the day of the marathon. I was able to stay on Eastern Standard Time, so this didn’t feel too early. I went for a short walk and had a light breakfast and started getting ready for the race. Alexa and I walked over to the start around 6:30. We got there 15 minutes before the race. I did a 5 minute warm-up jog, took some pictures, and went to the bathroom for the final time.

The race started at 7:00 a.m. Around the half mile mark, I realized I had had too much water before the race and needed to go to the bathroom. I ran the first two miles too fast but was able to get on pace the next two miles. At the end of mile 5, I spotted numerous porta-potties and took this opportunity to take a 30s bathroom break. I ran the fifth mile in 7:37, 22 seconds slow. Whether it was the need to make up time or the water weight I shed, I ran the 6th mile way too fast in 6:48.

From there on, I was able to keep my pace under control and ran between 7:10 and 7:16 for the next few miles. Little did I know that possible disaster was lurking around the bend around mile 10.

Alexa was positioned at the mile 10 aid station to give me my pack of GUs for the last part of the race. I saw her and made a cut over to her and got the GUs with no problem. She has become a master at her support crew duties. However, about 50 meters down the road, I heard what I thought was her yelling my name. Alexa doesn’t normally yell as I pass, so this was out of the ordinary. I assumed it was someone else that sounded like her and decided to keep going. Then I heard it again. I knew it was her this time. I briefly thought about ignoring her, as I was in the zone, however, I knew it must be important. I slowed and turned and saw her running towards me and yelling, “chip!” I looked down and discovered my plastic ties had broken and my timing chip had fallen off my shoe. Luckily, it happened right where Alexa was and she had the presence of mind to know what it was and get it to me before I got any farther down the road. I ran back the 50 meters and she handed me the chip and I continued running toward mile 11. Disaster averted.

I had to hold the chip in my hand for the remainder of the race. I didn’t have time to attach it to my shoe and worry about it coming off again. I still had four timing mats to go over before the finish. Therefore, I had to slow down and bend down at each of these mats in order for my chip to register.

I went through the half in 1:33:38 which was a little faster than I intended. I wanted to run the second half faster than the first as 98% of the fastest ever marathons have been run in this matter. However, now I just needed to keep from blowing up over the last few miles as I have in my two previous marathons.

I was able to keep pace until mile 22, when I ran 7:20. I knew I was a little ahead of the pace I need, but I didn’t have too much time to spare. I calculated I could run 7:20s from there on and still make my time. The next two miles were tough, but I managed to hold a 7:20 pace. It was during the 24th mile that I started having some very negative thoughts. This was where I fell apart during my last marathon. Luckily, I was better prepared mentally to handle it this time. I recalled a quote by Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are probably right.” At that point, I got rid of all the negative thoughts I was having and was able to get back on pace.

I knew with a half mile to go that I was going to make my time and qualify for Boston. The race finished on Hayward Field. This was very exciting, as the track is so rich with history. When I entered the stadium, the stands were still pretty full. I had two more timing mats to go over. Each time I had to slow and bend down to make sure my chip registered. This was all I could think of and I was unable to fully enjoy running before all the cheering fans. I finished in 3:10:20 and qualified for the 2011 Boston Marathon by 39 seconds.