Detroit Free Press Marathon Recap
Running a marathon is an emotional roller coaster. It feels like experiencing life in a day. It’s about managing those emotions, living in the moment, and working to get the best out of yourself. Piece by piece, here is my recap of all I experienced running the Detroit Free Press Marathon on October 16th.
0.0 Miles — 0:00
I had on a long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, and my favorite pair of half tights. Standing at the start line, surrounded by my fellow runners, I quickly realized I was over-dressed. The previous day was cold and windy in Michigan and I anticipated the same. But we were blessed with slightly warmer weather and less wind.
I got really nervous that I was going to be really sweaty which is bad in a marathon. I decided to calm my nerves and managed to take off my long sleeve shirt while keeping on my short sleeve (very impressive, I know). Disaster averted.
With about two minutes till start time, the speakers started playing “Lose Yourself” by Eminem. I thought it was a little stereotypical and over the top until I realized that Eminem is a literally from Detroit, so it felt fitting. That was the first time all morning I felt a big rush of adrenaline and realized that I was actually on the starting line, about to run a marathon, something I had been talking about, thinking about, and training for for months. I soaked in this adrenaline for a moment, before grounding myself and reminding myself that I needed to be smart and run an even pace at the start.
We were finally allowed to jog all the way up to the start line, the countdown began, and then we were off.
3.1 Miles (5K) — 19:55
The 5K mark was somewhere on top of the Ambassador Bridge. It’s the bridge you go up and over to cross into Windsor, Canada. It’s a beautiful sight and one of the coolest landmarks I’ve ever run by in a race. I recognized all this at the moment but it was not my focus.
My focus was on my time and pace. 19:55 for 5K is not a bad pace for a marathon. However, it is far off pace from a sub 2:40 marathon, one of my goals going into the race. It was here that I found my mantra for the race.
“You have to give yourself a chance to do something special.”
I said that, out loud. I don’t know where this mantra came from. Normally, I believe race mantra’s are something you practice over and over in long runs and hard workouts. It’s a power phrase you go to when things gets tough. This was a phrase I never once used during training.
And yet, it felt right in the moment. In the marathon, you have to make a lot of decisions. Is this the right pace? Should I stay with this group of runners or move up? Should I take a gel now? Should I drink Gatorade or water? Should I smile and wave at volunteers or just keep it all business? My advice would be to have most of these decisions planned out ahead of time and anything else, go with your gut.
“You have to give yourself a chance to do something special” felt like the right thing in my gut. I knew I needed to pick up the pace to give myself a chance at a great race. Picking up the pace was a risk. It could mean I blow up in the later stages of the race. It could mean I pass a lot of runners in the next few miles only to look like a fool after mile 20 as people pass me.
But in my gut, I knew it could also mean one of the best races of my life. It could mean a huge personal record (PR), a race I’ll never forget. It could mean that all the training I did actually led to a big jump in my ability as a runner. I picked up the pace and kept repeating to myself “You have to give yourself a chance to do something special.”
7 Miles — 43:17
O’ Canada. We ran along this beautiful river front road in Windsor. The sun was starting to rise and I was starting to run fast. My time in Canada was spent catching groups of runners, running with them for a little bit, then moving forward.
In Canada was really the first time I started to take notice of the crowds. There were one hundred meter stretches with people cheering very loudly for each runner that passed. I’ve noticed in years past that most runners don’t acknowledge the crowd. They like to stay in the zone, maybe only give a slight nod. I see the reasoning behind this. Acknowledging the crowd can sometimes lead to a surge of adrenaline, something that can throw off your race plan.
Recently though, I’ve taken a different approach. I like to smile at the crowd, wave, and say thank you. Two reasons for this: One, these people are taking the time to wake up early and cheer on a group of random strangers. Or, if they are volunteers who run the water stations, they are giving their time away to play a major role in your race. These people deserve recognition and gratitude. Second, I belief that gratitude is the most emotionally sustainable source of energy a runner can use in a race. Running from joy is much more sustainable than running for hate, to prove someone wrong, or running out of spite.
During the Detroit Free Press Marathon, I truly felt grateful to be out there running. Running is my favorite activity in the entire world. It brings me so much joy and I cannot picture my life without it. Running the marathon was a celebration of those feelings. I ran with those feelings in my heart during the marathon. That’s why I waved and smiled at the crowds and thanked them for coming out.
10 Miles — 1:01:36
Right after mile 8, were entered the tunnel between Windsor and Detroit and crossed back into the US. There was a huge crowd and I continued to pick off runners one by one.
Shortly after coming back to the US, I saw my Mom, Dad, and Sydney. I smiled, nodded and gave them a thumbs up to let them know I was having a good day so far. More on them later.
13.1 Miles — 1:20:19
I laughed when I saw my split at the half marathon. I was rolling. And then I found those words again.
“You have to give yourself a chance to do something special.”
Halfway in, I felt that I had given myself a chance. I’d rebounded from my slow start and now was a really good second half away from a special race. A few things crossed my mind.
First, almost five years earlier, I ran my first half marathon. I ran that in 1:20:15 and felt really good about that result. Now five years later I had run the first half of a marathon just four second slower and felt good. I had come a long way in five years.
Second, my half marathon PR is 1:19:54. I thought I could beat that in the second half of this marathon. I felt I had 1:19 low or 1:18 high in the legs. I could crank out a half marathon PR and marathon PR in a day. And run under 2:40.
“You have to give yourself a chance to do something special.”
I was ready and wanted to do something really special. My chance was here, and I was 13.1 miles from achieving it.
15 Miles — 1:31:26
The marathon is an exercise of patience. After the halfway point I was pretty pumped up and excited to get after it. But in order to have that special second half, I needed to be smart. After I crossed the halfway mark, I decided to stop checking my watch, except at critical points. One was at 15 miles and then the next would be at 20 miles.
The section from 13.1 to 20 was the most isolated part of the course. The only crowds I saw were at the water stations every couple of miles. This feels fitting. The second half of the race is when the task of running a marathon sets in. The adrenaline is gone and it’s time to really focus if you’re going to have a good one.
20 Miles — 2:00:11
I ran mile 10 to mile 20 in 59:35. My 10 mile PR is 59:30. I almost ran a 10 mile PR, in the middle of the marathon. Honestly, I thought I did during the race. Only looking afterwards did I realize I was just off.
My first reaction to running what I thought was a PR was to think how I was going to run a 10 mile PR, half marathon PR, and marathon PR in the same race. It seemed fitting. My training leading up was by far the best I’ve ever trained. Here I was proving that to be true.
21.7 Miles — 2:11:47
The first signs of some cracks in the armor. I was not starting to fade as I have in other marathons. But things were starting to get really hard. I was starting to look for the next mile marker. I started to want for that finish line to come. At this point, I still felt I had enough for the last 4+ miles to run sub 2:40, but it was going to really be a grind.
But I don’t run marathons for them to be easy. I run marathons to find out just how fast I can run and just how hard I can push. So I welcomed the challenge ahead.
25 Mile — 2:32:39
I have read about runners’ vision going blurry at the end of races. I thought that I did not have the ability to push myself that far in a race. Until it started to happen in between miles 24 and 25. I had to focus on the road in front of me. My peripheral vision was blurry. I could not really see anything except what was in front of me. I could not really think about much except that I needed to keep running and I really wanted to stop running.
At some point, someone offered me a beer at a water station. My response was “Fuck, I wish.” They were shocked but laughed.
I did manage to pass another runner during this point who was also really suffering. I also was passed right before mile 25, the first time I had been passed in ~20 miles.
When I was passed, I had a feeling that was my chance to latch on if I wanted to run sub 2:40. I tried, but there was nothing in me that could latch. It was all I could to keep running and I knew that I was running a really special race.
26.2 miles — 2:41:02
I made the final turn towards the finish. A good sized crowd, but I just wanted to see my girlfriend and parents. I saw them close to the finish line and tried to motion to them to come meet me after the finish line because I might not be okay. I must have not looked that bad because they thought I was celebrating.
I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch. 2:41:02. I wanted to run a sub 2:40 marathon. I didn’t get it. But I felt immensely proud. And I still do. I kept walking very slowly, until I was able to meet up with my girlfriend Sydney and my parents. My third marathon done and what a journey it was.
Reflection
Not running a sub 2:40 marathon may seem like a failure on the surface, but this race was far from it. I left every ounce of myself on that course. I crossed the finish line knowing that I had nothing left to give. I felt an overwhelming sense of pride finishing that race. I still feel that pride today, remembering the race. The time on the clock cannot take away that feeling.
I ended up 9th place at a big city marathon. I ran an almost 8 minute PR in the marathon. I am always hesitant to say “best race of my life” but this is a race that I will look back on and feel really proud of for a long time. This race has also changed my perspective on what I thought I was capable of as a runner. It has me excited thinking about the next big race (more on that later).
I do need to say thank you to my girlfriend Sydney and my parents for their tremendous support. Syd has listened to me talk about workouts for the past few months and has been super supportive during this training block. She has always encouraged me to pursue the things I want to pursue. My parents have done much the same. They continue to show their support for my running and these big races. I feel lucky to have them in my life and lucky to have them there for me on race day.
I also want to thank all my friends and readers during this marathon build up. I was nervous to start writing again and was nervous to chase a big goal in running again. I have so many people in my life who are supportive and that means a lot. Even if you are not someone who has reached out directly, just by reading these pieces I have felt your support. So thank you, and I love you ❤
Tucker
