PR or Bust at Green Bay Marathon?

I have been getting a lot of flack lately that I’m not taking enough time off after major races.  I don’t tell anyone my race plans unless they ask anymore.  I ran in the Green Bay Marathon last weekend.  After having a great Boston, having my second fastest 10 miler the next week, and then getting a PR the week after that on a half marathon, I even started having second thoughts about how my Green Bay marathon would go with only a weekend off.  Maybe it was too much and my luck would run out.  I managed to get a cancelled hotel room last minute, so I didn’t know I was going to do GB until the week before. 

I drove up with Judie and her husband Eric.  Judie had gotten a free entry into Green Bay by winning a raffle at Quad Cities.  When they got to their hotel room, they got one of two executive suites at the hotel with 2 separate rooms and 2 baths.  With 2 good things happening to her for this trip, she was hoping for a 3^rd good thing…a marathon PR.  Eric went to run the half.  We were all hoping for the best.  The weather cooperated…it was perfect.  There were 40 mph winds the day before, strong enough to knock down 3 tents.  Luckily the wind was not as strong on marathon day.  My goal was to maintain an even 8 minute per mile pace for as long as possible.

The 5K and half marathon started at the same time as the marathon.  After about a mile, the 5K runners turned off.  My first 3 miles were at a 7:45 pace which was way too fast.  I knew it was too fast and tried slowing down, but it was hard to especially when you get passed by everyone.  I then realized a lot of the runners were running the half, so it was very dangerous to keep that pace.  The first 11.5 miles are run together, and then the half marathon runners turn to go back to finish.  It really thinned out at that point.  Parts of the course reminded me of the Milwaukee marathon.  Other parts reminded me of Grand Rapids.  It’s really a beautiful course, primarily flat.  There is just one hairpin turn that slows you down and a couple of bridges to go over.  We run along the Fox River for about 5 miles against the wind the latter part of the race.  We ran under a “wall” at mile 20.  This wall is the same inflatable wall they use at the Twin Cities, MN marathon.  I was still feeling good and maintaining an 8 min per mile pace. 

I ran by myself the entire time on autopilot.  For a while I ran with the 3:30 pace group, but the guy was so efficient at water stops and runs through them so fast, he would catch me at the water stops, and I would pass him after that.  After mile 24, I never caught back up to him.  Not good if I wanted to break 3:30.  Then comes mile 25 where we run past the hotel and run around Lambeau Field and back out through the player tunnel.  That was the highlight of the race.  It’s the end after that, but because you need to take a right turn in the parking lot to the finish line, you really couldn’t see the finish area or the time.  I knew at that point that I couldn’t break 3:30, but I finished with a 3:31:39 time which was my second fastest marathon time which was good enough to win my age group.  Not bad for someone who should have been resting. 

I waited around for Judie.  She had hoped to finish in under 3:50 which would be 9 minutes better than her previous best.  She had a great marathon and finished in 3:46, 13 minutes better and a PR for her!  Eric finished the half in 1:32 which was a great time for him.  It was a very nice ride back to Chicago!  I just got a call from my friend Alida who ran the Rockford marathon the same day.  She was hoping to break 3:30 but wound up with a 3:31 time too.  She picked a lot hillier race than I did and probably would have broken 3:30 had she run Green Bay.  She now wants me to do a flatter race in Iowa on June 14 with her so she can break 3:30…