Race Report: Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon

If there's one word that comes to mind when I think about the marathon, it's pace.

There are, of course, other elements that are just as important to racing a marathon — race day nutrition, getting to the starting line with both legs rested and largely un-injured, not getting hit by cars on the road crossings, etc. But over the last week as last Saturday's Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon has had some time to simmer on the mind (along with the 4-month, 1000-mile training cycle that led up to it), pace is the main impression that's been left.

Through all the miles, it's the speed of each mile that has mattered most: 6:30, 6:47, 7:00, 6:50, 6:47 . . . Miles during marathon training are no longer mainly a measure of distance, but speed.

If I had read those last paragraphs back in December when I casually mailed off my entry for the race, I probably would have been discouraged. I mean, who wants to be ruled by the watch for the next 4 months of their running life?

It was a good decision though. I had never really "raced" a marathon before, and so took aim (somewhat arbitrarily) at a sub-3 finish in May. I didn't realize it at the time, but having a concrete goal is just what the winter runner needs to persevere through the arctic temps of Jan/Feb without losing hope. Also, as I suspected, there are unique joys to be had in testing the physical limits of the body. I wouldn't want to be ruled year-round by King Pace, but his reign is fair and he has a way showing you glories of the kingdom you would not have seen any other way.

The Start

Ready, set . . .

So, as I toed the line with 400 others for the 7:00am start in the south parking lot of Holdingford High School, my mind was already thinking about the pace of the first mile. To run the next 26.2 miles in less than three hours, I would need to average 6:51 per mile. "I could start a little slow and then warm up into the pace," I remember thinking. But with overcast skies, temperatures in the upper +30F's, and winds howling @20-30 mph, I decided a quicker start might be more effective in fighting off frostbite.

(This also might be an appropriate place to clarify that, even though the word "trail" is in the title of this race, actual trails are not in any way part of the course. Minnesota suffers from a lack of language precision in this regard. I've written before about it here.)

. . . go! (note the watch checking too)

Quickly settling into 5th, where I'd hang out for the first 9 miles or so

Miles 1-18: Cruising through the Countryside

As is the case in most races, the first part is often the easier part. The legs are fresh, the course is new, and the competition is lively.

Sharon Hobbs, our race director, describes the point-to-point course this way:

The course is flat, fast, and picturesque. Many people feel that the trail from Holdingford to St. Joseph is the prettiest portion of the Lake Wobegon trail. The trail is primarily rural expect as it passes through four small towns along the route. In a post on the "A Prairie Home Companion" website, Garrison Keillor said this about the Lake Wobegon Trail: "I've biked the bike trail ... and love the ordinary beauty of farmland and meadow and the towns along it."

"Ordinary beauty" is an apt description for the entire route, but especially so on the first part of the course. In the first 5 miles, the Lake Wobegon Marathoner gets to enjoy these delights:

• An easy (and surprising!) downhill first mile before connecting to the main "trail" (6:26 for me!)
• An encouraging pass through downtown Holdingford with spectators lining both sides of the street to cheer us out of town
• A memorable crossing of the historic covered bridge just outside of Holdingford

• Pungent whiffs of freshly plowed dirt, grass, and cow manure!

It really is one of those classic rural, small-town-feel, middle-of-nowhere marathons. Which is just what I was looking for — and the course is even certified too (USATF #MN-08042-RR)!

My goal for these early miles was just to run on effort, making sure that I was at least hitting sub-6:50 miles. The first downhill mile was a little quick, but not too quick, and after that I settled in nicely clicking off splits in the 6:30-7:00 range depending on the wind and aid station stops:

Early on, kinda cold

1—6:26
2—6:35
3—6:43
4—6:47
5—6:43
6—6:33
7—6:45
8—6:48
9—6:44
10—6:36
11—6:56
12—6:32
13—6:47 (halfway in 1:28+)
14—6:39
15—6:43
16—6:47
17—6:44
18—7:00

I had hopes of finding a friend to pass some of the early miles with (or even, best-case scenario, racing against the whole way), but the closest I came was hanging with this guy in the blue shirt between miles 6-10:

Cruising in 5th place, early on

Aid station encouragement!

However, I soon realized that — because of the wind — he just began drafting behind me. I did make a strategic effort at one of the aid stations to let him go out in front so that I could then do some drafting of my own, but he ended up getting away from me a bit. I thought I might close the gap in the coming miles, or at another aid station, but it didn't quite turn out that way. I wasn't too concerned though. No compelling reason to push the effort early on given our solid splits and the head/crosswinds.

I do remember having one conversation with Mr. Blue Shirt (later introduced as Eric Porte), him asking me if I had run the course before. I, of course, hadn't. He said that he hadn't either. We both agreed that it was beautiful though. And with that, we saved our oxygen for the road ahead.

Miles 19-26: Holding On

Easier gave way to harder around mile 19.

I remember trying to describe the slowdown to Ashley after the race on our drive home to the Cities, and had difficulty putting this last 10k or so into words:

19—7:14
20—7:03
21—7:18
22—7:09
23—7:08
24—7:22
25—7:19
26—7:15
26.2—2:28 (7:14)

Enjoying some rare sunshine

I wouldn't describe it as a "low" point in the race, per say. My physical conditioning felt fine throughout (though obviously you're not "fresh" ~20 miles in). And I was happy with my nutrition, taking gels every ~40 mins. I felt neither nauseous or dehydrated at any point (cool weather helps here!).

The best way I know how to describe what happened is simply this: a lack of mental sharpness. Inevitably, at some point in the race, you have to push through some pain. And ~mile 20, I reached for some mental strength to do just that over the last 10k and none was to be found. I remember doing some quick calculations in my head for a sub-3 finish (attempting math during endurance activities is always fun!), and I basically needed to run the last 10k in ~44 minutes (7:05 pace) — very doable!

Nevertheless, every time I tried to push (@every mile marker coming down the stretch) I just ended up going the same speed. So then, eventually, I just decided to stop trying to push and simply put my efforts towards "holding" onto the pace until the finish.

The Finish

Needless to say, the finish line was a happy sight. Miles later in the race always seem to feel a bit longer. Because of the flatness and straightness of the path, you can actually see the finish line balloon from more than a mile away (= a good final test of patience)!

I didn't end up breaking the 3-hour barrier, but did set a new personal record (PR) crossing the line in 3:01:07 — good enough for 8th place!

Groaning giving way to glory . . .

Getting suited up for space exploration!

Post-Race

Overall, it was a great first race to start the year with. It would have been nice, of course, to run 67 seconds faster and sneak in under 3 hours. But it was a memorable run on a beautiful course, even if the weather was more winter-like than spring-like. (Remind me to wear gloves next year if it's cold again!)

What made this race even better was that it was Sam's first race too! We weren't sure what to expect, but he was awake and active for the start and finish, and mostly asleep in between:

Brrr . . . bundled at the start!

All smiles!

Warming up, post-race in the finish line "cabin"

We'll see, but I could definitely see us coming back next year to enjoy some more of the "ordinary beauty" this part of Minnesota has to offer — though hopefully at a pace a few seconds faster next time!