The Omaha Marathon
Ok so this weekend I ran the Omaha Marathon, in Omaha, Nebraska. Not much of a trip for me I live here and I picked it, well, because one I haven’t ran the full before just the half, and it worked well with my schedule and I wanted to take a stab at those hills.
So most people think of themid west- Nebraska as farmland, being flat, vast, and boring. Well most of it is, but Omaha is not. Omaha is seated next to the Missouri river, therefore it is in the valley and has lots of hills. More than you could think and great big ones. I have ran the half marathon course which covered some of the hills that are ran in the marathon, but the marathoners they are lucky , they get to run more hills then the rest of the racers. I figured I did Big Sur and compared to those hills, well no comparison. Which was partially true. Big Sur did have more hills and bigger hills and well was more scenic as well. But From mile 9-15 Omaha represented the hills the city is surrounded by.
This race starts at the fiver front and in downtown Omaha. The biggest and busiest part of the city. Right by the Qwest Center, and the new baseball stadium being constructed. The course weaves through the cities whole 2 skyscrapers and various buildings on brick roads, on the Conagra campus(this is where pot pies are made), down to the oldest parts of Omaha, by the Henry Doorley Zoo, Rosenblatt Stadium, the area of town know as “little Italy” and North Omaha,toward the airport, around Carter Lake and back to the river front ending at the Bob Kerry pedestrian bridge. So it pretty much covers all of Omaha.
4 months of training and I made 2 goals, top 10 in my age group, and to break the 4 hour time frame for the marathon. Boston time would by nice but with a 4:10 PR I had to start a little smaller.
So first thought I had to deal with was work. I work usually long hours on my feet all day so I made sure to look at my schedule and I managed to have the three days off before the race. Should be pleanty of resting time for my feet and legs to not feel dead when running. Second issue was the taper, I did not get in the few tapered long runs I would have liked to, we have an aphid infestation(gnat like bugs) in Omaha and I was not able to run with my mouth and eyes shut for the last few weeks during the times that I was able to get out for runs. But I felt like I did train pretty well given the heat and getting back in the game from being off the routine for over a year.
The night before I had to decide what I wanted to do about water. The race would have water stops about every 1-2 miles, but not consistent. I trained with a Camel back, water system and I was pretty use to it. I had a women’s specific one ant it was not too big to deal with. It held about 1 liter of water. I liked having it, I felt it was easier to drink out of then cups and I learned my stomach did better with small frequent sips instead of big gulps at each station. I know I know, I could train to learn how to drink right but, I am not a big girl and the last 3 marathons my stomach was an issue. So do as you train. i decided to carry my camel back and when needed use the water stops for gatorade. I decided that wearing it would only slow me down as much as actually stopping at crowded water stops.
So the race was off, making it just in time for the start i was at almost the very back of the line, by the baby strollers and walkers, lots of crowds to make it through. The race did the first 10K loop as a whole, with all runners then after the 10K it split off and had a half marathon turn around spot while the marathoners pushed on, on to the hills.
I remembered there would be pacers with signs and thought if I could find the 4 hour pace group and stay in front of it I would be safe. Well somewhere around the 10K mark, I found the 3:30 pace group, oops too fast for me. I stayed back but they were in my sight for quite a while.
My first half I ran in somewhere around 1:50 they did not do a half time for the marathon, only 10K and 20 mile marker pace. So I was on track but I knew the hills did some work on my legs, a little sore and cramping so i brought my pace down a little. It was not long until I was at mile 16, then 17, then 18, they seamed to move by really well. I was worried when I would hit the wall, or if I would. I kept pushing on hoping to stay in the shape I was in. Then around mile 19 I had cramping in my quad right above my knee, was this it? The wall. Well I didn’t hit it, but I was running right next to it. I could not increase my pace without the pain increasing so I had to come up with a plan. If I stopped and walked I would cramp more, or possibly not start up again. I looked at my watch I was right on target for a sub 4 hour race if I ran less then 10 minute miles for the last 6 miles. So that was my mantra “10 minute miles, 10 minute miles” Pushing on and taking gatorade at all the water stops from 20 to 25 I kept going looking forward to each water stop, Iwould slow my pace to a brisk walk to drink then start up again. Watching them drop like flies around me, each runner hitting their own wall, getting cramps walking, taking breaks at stations, one lady needed a rescue squad to take her in. I recalled right where the 25 mile marker was and I counted down to that, I knew if I made it there I would make it that last mile no problem I just had to push on. There it was on the bridge a water stop then a 25 mile marker sign. This was it, I looked at my watch, so close if I held my pace I would make it to the end in less then 4 hours. So I pushed. I dug in, no pain no gain right! Weaving around the path that lead to the chute, and you could see the gate, the finish the crowd and my husband and mother. I was there. I crossed the line and looked up at the sign 3:54… not sure what my chip time was but I was done. Finished, a new PR, a new story, now to set a new goal, Boston, here we come!