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The White Rock Marathon in Dallas has become a tradition for me. It's a good fitness test in the off-season, and sort of a start to the upcoming triathlon season. It's a fun race, and coincides with my company staff meeting in Dallas. So, Heather and I make a weekend out of it and it is a great time.

I had 3 time goals for Sunday's marathon:

Primary Realistic Goal: Qualify for Boston (sub-3:15), even though I have no intentions of running it next year. This is just a personal goal for every marathon I run, and I felt was realistic for this race. Plus, I wanted to redeem myself from last year's 3:16, my slowest marathon ever. 

Secondary Aggressive Goal: Break 3:10 - this was a reasonable goal given my current running fitness level, and it is the Boston Qualifying time for my previous age group.

Dream Goal: Go sub-3. I set my PR at the Dallas White Rock Marathon in 2006 (2:55), but had what I considered a near perfect race that day. I really had no business in trying to go sub-3 in this race, as my running preparations weren't there. However, a "2" in the first digit of that finish time just feels so much better than a "3"!

I knew a sub-3 really wasn't realistic, but that's always an ultimate goal for me. Kind of like an eagle in golf, or making a full-court shot in basketball, or getting a triple on passing mallards. Everything has to go just right, and a certain amount of luck or grace may need to be involved. And going sub-3 contains a significant element of risk, sort of like going for the green in two from 240 yards out with a big pond to carry with the hopes of setting up an eagle putt. There just isn't much room for error. Hit it square, and you may have a shot. However, a slight mis-hit can be disastrous. The smart move is often to lay up. It's similar with the marathon. It is often best to "lay up" and finish strong.

I've never been much of a "lay-up" type of guy. My philosophy has always been "go for it!". It's always about calculated risks, though. I've just always been willing to take the risk for the chance at the big reward, even if it may be wiser to lay up and play smart. I guess it's in my nature.

A sub-3 marathon involves risk. For one has to commit to a 6:50 pace from the beginning of the race. If I'm not properly trained, this may mean I blow up long before the race is done. I learned this the hard way last year, as I started out the marathon at a sub-3-hour pace through 13 miles, but crashed and burned on the last half of the marathon, limping to the finish with my worst time ever. If I had been smart, I would have started off at a 7:25 pace and finished comfortably under 3:15. Instead, I suffered 13 miles of pain and didn't even break 3:15. In other words, I went for it, shanked it, and ended up with a triple bogey instead of an eagle.

So, I pondered what to do in this race. Should I lay up and target my primary goal of qualifying for Boston, or should I get a little aggressive and go for the birdie 3:10 finish? Or, should I just go for the green and hope for the best, a sub-3 eagle, if I may mix metaphors? Those of you who know me well probably know what I chose. I had to go for it. Life is short, and I'm not getting any younger. So, I toed the line on December 13 and pulled out my driver. The lay-up irons were staying in the bag. It was either going to be a disaster or a race to remember, all defined by that decision at the start.

I had some things working in my favor. First, temperatures were in the 50's. About perfect. Second, it was overcast and the sun wasn't expected to break out until early afternoon. Third, the winds were around 10 mph, so they shouldn't be much of a factor. The biggest thing working against me was my lack of solid sub-3 marathon training.

As I waited for the gun to announce the start of the race, I noticed an elderly man in front of me wearing a bib on the back of his shirt stating "25 years of White Rock". It listed the year, his age, and his finish time for each of his 25 White Rock Marathons. I scrolled back to the year when he was my age, 37, to see what his finish time was. It turns out that it was his fastest race, 2:58:05. I wondered if perhaps it was a sign of things to come. Time would tell.

The race started out well. The first couple miles are always tough, but then I often find a comfortable rhythm and roll with it. I felt great for the first several miles, easily managing a pace in the 6:30's per mile. Conditions were great, and I had a smile on my face. I was truly enjoying the day, but also wondering what lay ahead. In order to go under 3 hours, one needs to average a pace of 6:52 per mile. I went through the first 13.1 miles in 1:26:30, well under a sub-3-hour pace, averaging around 6:35/mile. However, it's a full marathon, not a half, so the real question was how my body would respond on the final 13 miles.

Unlike last year, I turned the corner on the back side of White Rock Lake and still felt good. I continued the pace for the next 5 miles, going through mile 18 at a sub 6:40/mile pace. But I also was starting to feel the effects of my too-fast start. I questioned the wisdom of pulling out my driver and started to think that perhaps I should have laid up.

Miles 18 - 21 are the toughest part of the White Rock course. The course isn't real hilly, but the biggest hills are in this stretch. I did some mental math to determine what kind of pace I had to average for the remaining 8 miles to get under 3 hours. I realized that since I started out so fast, I had banked up quite a bit of time and only needed to average a 7:25 pace or so for the remaining miles to get in under 3. That was a relief, though I questioned my math several times!

So, I opted to give myself a break on miles 18 - 21. I tried to back off my pace and lower my heart rate a bit. This seemed to help, and I still managed sub-7 minute miles for a portion of this stretch. My slowest mile was at mile 20 at 7:16.

With 6 miles to go, I was still holding on for a sub-3 hour finish. I slowed it up to ensure I didn't blow up at mile 25, thinking I could finish the last mile in under 7 minutes if needed. So, I made a goal of going under 7:30 for miles 20 - 25, and was able to average around 7:14 for that stretch. It felt good to run at a more relaxed pace and lower my heart rate, though my legs were screaming from the too-fast pace of the first 18 miles.

With a mile to go, I knew the dream goal was in reach. Now all I had to do was sink the putt for my eagle. I passed a couple people who were walking and cramping in the last mile. I tried to encourage them and promised I'd pray for them, which I did. However, I didn't stop to walk with them for fear that my legs would shut down if I slowed up. I wondered if I should have stopped.

The last 0.2 mile of the 26.2 mile race is always brutal. Mentally, one prepares for 26 miles. And it seems like the last mile lasts forever, because it is really 1.2 miles. I kept pushing until I could see the finish line. By this time my legs were really hurting, but I knew the putt was on its way.

I crossed the finish line in 2:58:09, my second fastest marathon ever. Perhaps the old guy's bib at the start of the race was a sign of things to come! I finished 39th overall out of around 4600 marathoners, and 6th out of 542 in my age group. The sound of that eagle ball rolling into the cup was music to my ears.

Every race is a lesson. Most races contain several lessons. My lesson at the 2010 White Rock Marathon was about grace. Grace can be simply defined as receiving something good that one does not deserve. That is what I experienced at the Dallas White Rock Marathon on Sunday - Grace. I really didn't expect to go under 3 hours, as I hadn't trained enough to warrant a sub-3 marathon. And I certainly didn't deserve it. But sometimes God grants grace when it is least expected and least deserved. That's what He did in sending his Son to save us from our sins. We certainly didn't deserve the grace he gave us. But that's what makes grace so beautiful.

So, today I'm thanking God for his grace, and I'm praising him for sometimes giving us things that we absolutely don't deserve. May you find his grace today as well.

Blessings!

Mike

Here's a report of the finisher's data:

Here's a graph of my HR and pace data from the race:

I had a lot of questions going into the race today - my pulled muscle in my side was still slightly aggravated, so I was a bit nervous about that. I was also anxious to see how my gluten-free diet would affect my race, and I was hopeful that I wouldn't have the nausea that has plagged me in recent races. I was really excited to race with Troy Bouma, an up-and-coming triathlete and good friend who is looking very strong and fit this year. I knew he'd have a good performance, as his previous weak link (a Walmart-special bicycle) had now been upgraded to a Cervelo P2C! We did our first race together at the Green Lake triathlon in 2006, where I was fortunate enough to win, and he turned in an impressive first-race performance of his own on his 100-lb mountain bike.

Troy and I left our hotel in Lino Lakes at 4:30 a.m. to get to the race site at Paradise Park in Chisago Lakes by 5:00 a.m. There were over 500 athletes in the Half Iron race, and another 800+ in the sprint. So, we needed to get there on time to get a parking spot. Conditions were great - light winds of 10 mph or so out of the northwest, and projected high temperatures in the upper 70's. About perfect. We got our gear set up in transition and got marked and then waited for the start.

Somehow, I lucked out and got in the first wave, while Troy was in the last wave. That meant I was grouped with the elite athletes (I felt kind of funny racking my bike next to the pros and top age-groupers in the elite wave! A little out of my league!). Troy was in the last wave and started 16 minutes behind me.

As we were getting ready for the swim, I commented that the swim course looked short. When I exited the water in 29 minutes, I realized that it was indeed short! I didn't swim very hard due to my sore side, and came in about 6 minutes faster than I expected. So, I think the swim was a bit short. However, maybe I just had a great day!  

I had a pretty good transition and was on my way. The bike was tough for the first 12 miles or so, and I struggled to find a good rhythm. The roads and course were great, but I just felt tired for some reason. Miles 18 - 30 were into a headwind, and I managed to average over 20 mph, so I was pleased with that. I was starting to find a rhythm and my legs were loosening up. I was drinking my prepared carbo-pro mix, and managed to take in 400 calories in the first 1.5 hours. When I turned the corner at mile 30, I was greeted with every triathlete's dream: a tailwind on the way home! I averaged 23 mph for much of the remaining 26 miles of the race, finishing in 2:34 for a 21.6 mph average. I was pleased with the bike split, and it took some pressure off the run. I drank another 200 calories or so on the last hour of the ride, consuming 600 calories while on the bike (all Gatorade and Carbo-Pro).

After a painfully slow 2+ minute transition (I can't figure out why I'm so slow in these transitions! Pathetic.), I was off on the run course. It felt great to start running, and I knew I could coast the run and still beat my goal of finishing under 5 hours. All I needed to do was run a 1:50 half marathon and I was in. I figured that should be easy, but one never knows what's going to happen on the course.

I started clipping off sub-7 minute miles for the first several miles of the race, and was feeling really good. By mile 7 or so, I was starting to feel some slight nausea and fatigue, and started to slow the pace. It was also hot on the unshaded portions of the course. I kept plugging through the miles, dousing myself with water at each aid station, and filling my cap with ice to stay cool. I drank a few sips of water at each aid station, and ate 1 pack of Sharkies during the run (around 150 calories). I felt a bit nauseous, but was able to keep running and keep the food down.

I met Troy when he was on mile 5.5 and I was on mile 7.5. I figured I was probably 14 minutes ahead of him, and I had a 16 minute head start from the beginning. He was looking great, and I was pretty excited for him! I couldn't wait to see him cross the finish, and knew he'd be well under his goal of 5 hours.

I finished the half-marathon in 1:33 at a 7:07 pace, and crossed the finish line with a total time of 4:43:30, my 2nd or 3rd fastest half ironman time. I was pleased with the finish time, and waited for Troy to come across the time. 22 minutes later, I got to watch Troy cross the line, finishing in 4:49, 11 minutes ahead of his goal!  What a great race for him!

Our splits were fairly similar - Troy was 3 minutes faster on the swim, and I was a couple minutes faster on the bike and 6 minutes faster on the run. Very comparable races, and we were both pleased. I finished 64th overall out of 514 racers, and Troy was 78th. I was 12th out of 69 in my age group, and Troy was 13th out of 50 in his.

I wore my Multisport Ministries race outfit and received a few comments again. What a great way to spend a Sunday - swimming, biking, and running all over God's great country, praising him in a sanctuary more beautiful than human hands could ever craft. I had so many answered prayers again - my sore side didn't aggravate me much, my nausea was still present but better than past races, and I finished in under 5 hours. We worship a mighty God, and it is such a privilege to serve him in this capacity. To God be the Glory!