I felt a bit underprepared coming into this race. I had a great half-marathon in February, but put in very little speed work in preparation for it. [My goal was to run long, and per Mary Johnson (2024), you can run long, or run fast, not both]. I took a week off running more than a mile a day after the half-marathon, ran easy for the next two weeks, and then started a six week faster 5K plan (Luff, 2023). I think that plan was a bit ambitious. Speed work twice a week felt hard, and I found it difficult to hit paces. I noticed my HRV dipping several times, and not recovering for days, up to a week, but I soldiered on.
My schedule race week was not ideal. Our car went down Sunday. That led to extra stress, and an extra long work day Monday as I added use of the light trail to commute to and from my office. Work duties of all kinds swamped my husband. I did try to get good sleep, and mostly succeeded in staying in bed for seven hours each night. I did not necessarily sleep well, though.
On the food front, I ate things that I knew could irritate my stomach, and they did. (I simply couldn't figure out a better meal plan, so I went with what I had.) I did decide to take vitamin C and zinc daily, as I heard on a podcast that vitamin C one to two weeks before a race can reduce incidences of illness in runners (Samuels, 2024). Whether it helped or not, I do not know, but I made it through the week healthy. Praise the Lord! I ate pasta for dinner the night before the race and I stuck with my typical nightcap of pancake/banana/hot cocoa. Still, my stomach felt off the morning of the race.
Goals
I set ambitious goals for this year's Pat's Run. I wanted to PR. If that wasn't possible, I wanted to at least get close to my time from two years ago. And if I could, I wanted to spot and get a picture with fourth place US Olympic Trials finisher Jess Tonn McClain.
For reference: here are my times and the weather conditions for my last four races:
April 15, 2023: Bib 3321 8:12/mile, 34:26 85 degrees
April 23, 2022: Bib 2200 8:23/mile 35:14 81 degrees
April 27, 2019: Bib 3846 8:21/mile 35:06 96 degrees
April 22 2017: Bib 12507 9:14/mile 38:47 94 degrees
With warm temperatures forecast, reaching my A goal would be tough.
Packet Pick-up
I somehow got a 1327 bib number this year! Maybe because I ran fast last year? Maybe because I registered for the race right after running last year's race? Whatever the case, I took the low bib! It put me in corral 2, the number which they put on the front of the bibs this year (helpful, since the corral system is a bit confusing). Packet pickup, or at least the packet pickup parking lot was very busy Friday. Actual pickup was a breeze. In and out.
Race Day
I got up at 4 am, puttered around the house for a bit, and sensing that my stomach was still off, chewed some papaya enzymes and drank 8 ounces of cold water. I climbed my stairs five times for a warmup, and off we went to catch the 5:15 am light rail! The light rail station was a bit sketchy, but seeing other runners in their Pat's Run shirts on the light rail increased my race excitement.
The race expo opened at 6 am. We picked up a few things, the best of which was this magsafe charger my husband convinced me to get. I did not want to give away my information for the required survey and used his, so it's his gadget, but a useful one, he says! I did see Jess Tonn McClain, but I was too shy to go up to her, despite my husband's urgings to do so.
Warm-Up
I jogged for five minutes about 40 minutes before race start time, and then ate my banana and drank another 8 ounces of water. I made another bathroom stop. (The more I run, the more. learn to embrace using porta-potties.) Then into my corral I went. Earlier corral placement meant not only less runners to weave through as I ran, but also cooler temperatures. With the sun already up and highs of forecast for the day, I considered it a major blessing!
The Run
Miles one and two felt hard, and slow. My lungs burned. Seeing paces of 8:23-8:25 a mile made me think I would definitely not PR. I talked to myself in the third person and told myself to keep trying. (For some reason in my mind, I called myself by my maiden last name while doing so?) There is a hill someone around mile two, and when I came down the other side, I told myself to move. (I also worked to pick people off as I could. This is where I wished for a pacer.) Mile 3 came fairly quickly, and I felt better. I also saw that I had started running under 8:00/mile. I don't think I have ever run that fast for over a mile. Could I keep it up? If I could keep at it, I might be able to shave off those last few seconds of my mile per hour pace to get to a PR! I told myself not to count myself out. Jess Tonn McClain hadn't, despite being an unsponsored athlete at the US Olympic Trials. I too, could keep trying and keep going.
The last 0.2 miles of the race is uphill into the stadium. There is a pretty short, steep rise to get into the stadium, and then the downhill onto the grass. The race organizers covered the field with some kind of material, but the grass still felt squishy underfoot, especially after having run on the roads. I gave it my all, not even giving thought to trying to smile, as I usually like to do. I was working for this and if I grimaced, oh well!
Results
An agonizing part about this race is the late race results. With 27,000-28,000 runners, clock time is not chip time. The race websites are also slow to load afterward. I saw that my watch (started before the race, and stopped after the finish line) showed 8:08/mile, though, and felt very pleased with that. After I got home, I got the final results: 33:40 and 8:01/mile. Wow! Thank you Jesus! That is going to be hard to beat! I am getting older, though, and tomorrow, let alone next year are not guaranteed. I just wanted to rejoice in this run!
Final Thoughts
My husband got down on the field this year, which resulted in some cool shots of me coming across the finish lane. I did get back to Jess Tonn McClain's #LovePup booth just to catch her before she went out to run more. (She is the Olympics alternate, so has to stay in marathon shape.) The medals are pretty cool, magneting together with previous medals, for a series of three (to be finished next year), showing stages of Pat Tillman's journey.
This is/was a race, but ultimately it is about Pat Tillman and the ultimate sacrifice he made serving our country. This is an event that is about his family purposing their grief for the betterment of humanity. This is an event that is about community. I always smile seeing the many different types of people that wheel, walk and run this race. It's special!
Extra special this year is the 20th anniversary for the race. Maybe for that reason, the medals and race shirts are inArizona State University's maroon and gold colors. Given that this is my husband's graduation year, that feels extra special.
All in all, what I would say about Pat's Run this year is that itt was super special, super meaningful, poignant, even. Thank you, Lord, for the ability to run! Thank you Pat Tillman and all the other men and women who have given their lives to preserve the freedoms we have, including the ability to run. Thank you Pat Tillman Fund, Arizona State University, and race organizers, and the city of Tempe for a great event. Super special. Super meaningful. Thank you!
References:
Caplan, H. (2024, April 40). Lane 9 with run coach Mary Johnson, keeping the goal the goal. (no. 7) [Audio podcast episode]. In The Lane 9 podcast. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lane-9-podcast/id1208568777
Luff, C. (2023, July 6). 6 week intermediate 5K training schedule. Run for Good. https://run-for-good.com/6-week-intermediate-5k-training-schedule/
Samuels, H. (2024, February 23). Supplement myth busting series: Immune boosting supplements, do they actually do anything? [Audio podcast episode]. In Holley Fueled Nutrition podcast. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/supplement-myth-busting-series-immune-boosting-supplements/id1525009621?i=1000646542973
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