Wow, wow, wow where to even start. Yesterday was my fastest marathon to date. 3 hours, 52 minutes, 21 seconds. 2nd in my age group. 29th female. 135th overall. It feels surreal writing that – like it’s someone else’s stats, not mine.
Previously, my marathon PR was 4 hours, 15 minutes, 9 seconds, achieved at the 2022 Kentucky Derby Marathon. I was simultaneously proud of a PR that day while being so mad about those 10 seconds that kept me from a “sub-4:15.”
As my training cycle for Knoxville progressed, my long runs indicated that 4:15 wasn’t my best, but I had no idea what was in store. Going into the race I was thinking that I would love to sub-4:10, but that I would be happy just getting to the finish feeling good (or as good as you can after 26.2 miles on your feet!), and that I would be thrilled with anything faster than my race last year.
This isn’t me playing coy – I truly did not believe I had a sub-four hour marathon in me yesterday. Knoxville is a notoriously hilly course (helloooo Noelton – Knoxville’s “heartbreak hill”) and none of my training runs indicated I was in shape to finish in under 4 hours. I did have a big half marathon PR during this training cycle, and I knew if I stayed on that pace for a full I could achieve it, but that race hurt. It was mentally one of my most challenging races. And I really didn’t think I could hold that pace for double the amount of time, double the distance.
The funny thing about pushing towards a goal, is that even when all signs point to “can’t”, sometimes you surprise yourself. Yesterday, I had to pick between two mindsets – “don’t set your expectations too high, you’ll only get disappointed” and “if you don’t believe in yourself you’ll never achieve it”, between two race plans “don’t go out too fast, pull back so you don’t bonk at mile 18” and “I feel good right now, I’m just going to go for it.” Previously, I’ve run the first miles of my races conservatively, not wanting to expend all my energy too fast.
Yesterday, I’m really glad I chose the latter.
I guess the big lesson learned during yesterday’s race is that it’s okay to want something big and chase after it (no pun intended). If that means coming up short and feeling disappointed by the outcome, that’s okay as long as you enjoyed the process. It’s not worth it if it takes the joy out of doing the thing, but as long as it doesn’t, why not try? Trying and failing is how we learn and grow. And you never know – the next time you try might just be the time you accomplish something beyond your wildest dreams. Feels like a worthwhile tradeoff. I say, give it a go!
Okay for all my fellow runner nerds who really want the nitty gritty, here’s a breakdown of how I was feeling on race day and throughout the course. If you’re not a runner, you may just want to skip this part haha! I think my family has heard enough of my running talk, so lucky you!! You get to hear me blab about it below, so I stop talking their ears off:
- Race morning: I surprisingly felt calm in the morning. I slept great! So great, actually, that when I woke up I was confused about what day it was and why my alarm was going off. My eyes shot open when I realized, of course. As I got ready, stretched, and fueled, I felt pretty calm and honestly excited. A welcomed change from my last marathon race morning.
- Start line: Again, I was feeling excited here! I felt so spoiled that I could walk to the start line, which took away a ton of logistical stress that morning. Race day energy is always so exciting to me. I love being around others that share a passion for running. The start line announcer got everyone hyped up for the race, and we were off!
- Mile 1: Always a bit frustrating to weave through the crowd, but I was feeling good.
- Mile 1.5/2: I felt really good and was already tired of holding back to save my energy. This is where I decided “forget it, I’m just going for it!” and passed the 4 hour pacer. I knew I was either going to have a great day or seriously regret that decision. “Only time will tell!” was my mindset.
- Miles 4.5 – 8: Running through Sequoyah Hills is tough because it’s super hilly, but I love this part of the course. I sometimes train here, so it feels familiar, and there are tons of great distractions along the way – beautiful homes, water views, and of course funny signs and lots of people cheering. Mile 5 was the first fuel I took in while on the run. I use Honey Stinger chews.
- Mile 8 – Noelton hill. Tough because it’s basically a two-part climb, but I was feeling good and still ahead of where I thought I would be time-wise. Obviously I knew I was still ahead of the 4 hour pacer, but this was the first time I thought “okay you’re almost 1/3 of the way through the race. You could maybe sub-4 today.” After I crested the hill, I took in fuel for the second time.
- Miles 8.5 – 11.5 are on greenbelt, which I enjoy. I also did a bit of training there, so more familiarity felt good. Around mile 9 – 9.5 three of my fellow Pure Barre Knoxville instructors surprised me on the course with a sign and tons of energy. I was so surprised I don’t think I said anything to them except screamed happily and probably almost knocked them to the ground in a big side sweep hug before continuing on my way. They seriously gave me so much energy. I was having so much fun! Mile 11 was fuel #3.
- Mile 13: Around the split for the half marathoners to head to their finish line and the marathoners to continue, I actually thought to myself “I’m glad I’m not about to finish my race. I still have energy and unfinished business” and I forged on away from the finish line.
- Mile 13.5: The first time I saw my husband, my dad, and my brother since the start line. They gave me another amazing energy boost! It was so fun to see them and so sweet of them to arrange their entire day around my race and cheering me on.
- Mile 14: Fuel #4
- Miles 15 – 17: There were a few times in this stretch north of downtown where I started to think “what have I gotten myself into?”. I wasn’t very familiar with this part of the course, so it made it more challenging mentally to tell myself to just push to xyz location. Everytime I started slowing down or doubting myself, I told myself to “toughen up.” I knew I needed a little tough love to stay on pace and to not allow myself to start to feel sorry for myself and wallow in the discomfort. I wanted to keep joy in the run. Mile 17 was fuel #5. It was the first one that I kind of had to force down. If you haven’t run a distance race, let’s just say your body starts rejecting the sweetness due to fatigue and dehydration.
- Mile 18.25: My airpods died. Whomp whomp. They didn’t die until around mile 23 my last marathon, so it certainly took me by surprise. My playlist was bringing me a lot of joy and energy, so I did get a bit nervous about this.
- Mile 18.75: I saw Billy, Jake, and my dad again. They gave me a really good energy boost after a section that started to play mind games with me. I also grabbed my airpod case from Billy to try to charge them up a bit. Billy had to run alongside me to give me my case, bless him! I wasn’t about to stop and lose time that way. What a champ.
- Mile 20: Fuel #6
- Miles 21 – 24.5: These were the most challenging miles, mentally, of the race. It was another part of the course I wasn’t super familiar with, and I kept thinking it was time to turn back towards the finish line, only to find out that there was another turn in the course taking us further from the finish. Obviously my body was really starting to hurt at this point too, so it was harder to keep positive and keep on pace. Mile 23 was my last fuel. Definitely had to force it down, but I knew my body needed it.
- Mile 24.5: I was back on the Gay St. bridge heading towards downtown! I was in pain, but I knew the end was near.
- Mile 25: Running down the middle of Gay St. was tons of fun. I love the atmosphere of downtown, and there were lots of people out.
- Mile 26: We hit mile 26 on the Clinch Ave. bridge, and I could see and hear the celebrations below in Worlds Fair Park. I was almost there!
- Finish: Billy, Jake, and my dad were all at the finish line cheering me on. I was so exhausted mentally and physically, but I was so happy to have them there! We hung out a bit at World’s Fair Park and then walked back home so I could stretch and shower. We spent the rest of the afternoon at a brewery hanging out, playing cards, and laughing a ton. We missed my mom and my other brother, Milo, but all in all it was truly such a wonderful day!
