Rails to Trails Marathon

Norwalk, WI has an outstanding community. 

I recently discovered this quaint little village while running in the Rails to Trails Marathon last Sunday. The entire community came together, provided generous support at multiple aid stations, encouragement and cheering as well as a providing potpourri of desserts. With a population of only 653, participants in the race outnumbered the community 2:1.

About a month prior to the race I was feeling good, logging solid miles and hitting my goal pace. Just a few short weeks out, I noticed pain in my left knee and immediately became worried. At first I presumed IT band issues, a very common overuse injury by runners. I soon found out that it was Patellar Tendinitis (an inflammation of the tendon right below the kneecap). After this occurred, I significantly tapered and reduced my mileage, hoping to recover enough before race day. My original goal was sub 2:50. Now it was finishing the race with a respectable time. After seeking advice from my phenomenal Athletic Trainer, I was able to implement some temporary relief measures, allowing me to run.

Come race day, I did manage to set a new Personal Record of 2:48:36 (6:25/mile) and ended up finishing 2nd overall. I could not have done it without the support and encouragement from friends and family, especially my main support crew, Laura. Due to the large number of half marathoners crowding the aid stations at miles 17 through 23, I missed three crucial water stops. Thankfully, Laura was there with a water bottle in hand, providing a smooth hand off to a thirsty runner. Additionally, she drove me to the race, collected my warm-up clothes, took care of me after the marathon and drove me home.

I did track all of my splits from the race for the sole purpose of creating an awesome line graph. After analyzing my splits and the elevation profile of the course, I saw an interesting development. At mile 6 there's a considerable climb, which begins the entrance into the 3/4 mile tunnel. One would presume that a significant climb (~200 ft) would result in a slightly slower average pace. Quite the opposite happened.

Immediately upon entering the pitch-black tunnel I felt a temperature change of about 10-15 degrees. The warmth inside the tunnel must have been due to the insulating properties of the solid rock enclosed on all sides. The race organizers did have boxes of flashlights at each end of the tunnel for runners to use, though I was too stubborn to pick one up and continued into the unknown. The terrain was a smooth rock surface, slightly wet from the dripping ceiling. Small puddles were sparse, though inconvenient enough to potentially be a hazard. What I remember most vividly from the tunnel were the propane lanterns emitting a small radius of light along the way, providing a beacon of inspiration. The surreal experience I witnessed was the contributing factor in my splits, from a 6:28/mile pace to 6:03/mile (while climbing 200 ft).

Elevation Profile - Rails to Trails Marathon

Returning from the out and back, it would appear that I "hit the wall" at mile 20. That may have been the case, though I did face a few obstacles on the last 6 miles. The climb proved to be more difficult on the return than the way out. Additionally, the half marathoners were finishing at the same time I was headed back. It required a significant amount of maneuvering and dodging to avoid a collision. I addressed this issue earlier, but I did miss three important water stations towards the end due to overcrowding. With those variables mentioned, it is still interesting to see the trend in my pace as I traversed 26.2 miles.

Mile splits - Rails to Trails Marathon

After finishing the race in 2nd, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. I passed the 2nd place runner at mile 24 and somewhere found the energy to run a 5:50 last mile to secure my spot, yet it still wasn't enough for a victory. 

If I had ran the race in three out of the last four years, my time would have most likely secured a number one finish.

Winning times for Rails to Trails Marathon:

2008: 2:54:19

2009: 2:55:52

2010: 2:29:54

2011: 3:00:22

Furthermore, the winner of this years Rails to Trails Marathon wasn't even supposed to be here! Marek (the guy who won) only ran the race because the New York Marathon was canceled (due to Hurricane Sandy). 

This experience adds to my list of weather-induced top place finishes:
2011 Oshkosh Half: 1:19:13 8th place (38 degrees and raining)
2011 La Crosse Half 1:19:24 5th place (was winning, took a wrong turn at mile 13)
2012 La Crosse Half: 1:16:42 2nd place (weather canceled the marathon, beat by a marathoner)

2010 Maple Leaf Half: 1:15:23 2nd place (lost by 5 seconds)

2012 Madison Half: 1:14:39 7th place (weather canceled the marathon, beat by several marathoner(s))

2012 Rails to Trails Marathon: 2:48:36 2nd place (Hurricane Sandy canceled NY, beat by NY marathoner)

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "It is not about the destination, its about the journey" - I have had quite the journey running these races! Though I race because I love running, I believe that having aspirations to win a race and reach that destination is a respectable goal. 

Ryan Hall, an elite professional runner, shares the same fortune. A New York Times article says it best:

"Hall has yet to win a major marathon. He finished 10th at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. After taking fourth at Boston in the spring of 2011, he finished fifth at the Chicago Marathon last fall."

The great thing about running is that you don't have to win to make something of yourself.

Leading up to the Boston Marathon I had averaged 48.14 miles per week (for 10 weeks prior) and ran a 2:58:47. 

For Rails to Trails? 34.17 miles/week. How did I do it?

I would credit my faster time to an extremely nutritious consumption of food. From regularly eating tomatoes, avocados, carrots and hummus, to walnuts, pecans, almonds, seeds, salads, bananas, apples, greek yogurt and almond milk. Food matters!