Race report: Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon, Geneva, IL

State: 6 of 50

BQ margin: 12:27 faster than age group requirement of 3:55

I had previously run a Boston Qualifying Time in March, but with a scant 52-second margin, I was not about to risk missing getting in to next Spring's Boston Marathon, so I did the sensible thing and set out to train through the swampy sweltering summer in Atlanta. I wanted my “last chance” to lock in a better time and improve my odds. The Boston Athletic Association accepts the fastest runners within each age group first, and when the race fills up, even if you technically "qualified," you might still not make the cut because of the limited race size. It has gotten tougher each year. I guess that makes us want it all the more. People actually go nuts over this.

One aspect that makes the Last Chance Marathon special is that it’s currently one of only two races in the U.S. that qualifies you for not just one, but two, years of Boston entries. Big Cottonwood in Utah is the other race. It also means that if you don’t get your time here, you will definitely not be running Boston the following Spring because it's on the last day of sign-ups.

Even the race bibs are meaningful. The first three digits of the number (in my case - 355) indicate the finish time needed to qualify you to enter the Boston Marathon based on your gender and age. The next number is the table position of a "special water bottle" you can fill with whatever you like and have waiting for you at the beginning of each lap. The last number is the number of the table it will be placed on. So I was the "0" table, which was last. I looked forward to seeing my squeeze bottle waiting for me each time I complete a lap. The number beside the name indicates the number of times each participant has run the Boston Marathon. I think mine actually deserves to get a 2.3 because in 2015 I lasted until mile 10 before getting violently ill, throwing up all over the place, and getting hauled off in the medical bus back into town. I earned every step of that 0.3! Now the word "Elite" at the top. well...I don't know how to tell you this, but...I'm kind of a big deal! LOL

Because of its focus on Boston qualifying and because all entrants are required to have raced another marathon in the prior twelve months in which the finish time was less than a minute slower than the time needed to BQ, the race attracts a pretty specific and fairly elite crowd. This race is not one just "for fun." It's filled with 300 people who have their hearts set on going to Boston in April and who have a decent chance of accomplishing that goal. In fact, it felt like I was looking at a subset of the exact crowd that I would see in Boston. Everyone was very fit, and all were obviously anxious to achieve the required finish time. It's not surprising that I finished first in my age group because I was aiming for a tougher margin than most. It's also not surprising that my gender and overall results look much less impressive because there were many younger men and women trying to BQ, whereas this is not the case at many marathons.

Look, even my Adidas Boston shoes are in the spirit of the race!

The site of the race was Geneva, IL, and the town of Geneva is about 45 minutes west of Chicago. It is quite suburban and very charming. The Fox River runs through the town and is the focal point of the race. The course is along a roughly three-mile paved, flat trail which flanks both sides of the river and requires 8 loops to complete. This is, of course, not everyone’s cup of tea, but I found it scenic and with long enough loops not to be too monotonous. The course was breezy and tree-lined, thereby providing shade for about 3/4 of each loop.






I flew up Friday morning with my friend and training partner, Linda. We are the same age, so we had the same goal. We also run about the same pace, so it was very nice to have company for this race. We had a very early flight, and so we were able to meet up with my good friend, Eliot, from Chicago for breakfast on his way out to Washington to run a marathon of his own. He is on a mission to run all 50 states, each in less than 3:30. He only has 4 to go!

After breakfast we headed out to the suburbs and entered the town of Geneva. It didn't take long to find the running store where we picked up our race bibs. Then we headed to the course to take a preview walk around the three-mile loop. We could quickly see why this location is the scene of many weddings and other events. We passed a beautiful Japanese garden and walked through canopy trees along our way. The river was visible for almost the entire course. We then checked into our room and had an early dinner before retiring to our room to rest up for the race.

         

The race was supposed to have started at 6:30, though the gun didn't actually go off until 6:36. The temperature at the start was 54 degrees and the air was less humid than it was in Atlanta. After sizing up the pacing crew, I decided I would just strike out on my own. Though I technically only needed a 3:50 to have a 5-minute Boston cushion, I was aiming for a 3:39 as my A goal. I had trained for that, but I also knew there was no pressure if that didn't happen. My training had been pretty solid, so I aimed high.

My spirits were up at the start, and my generous taper had left me with seemingly endless energy. So I floated across the start line with pep in my step and optimism in my soul.

I recently purchased a Garmin 245-music watch, so that meant I had tunes already loaded on my watch (without needing to carry my phone). As the gun went off I was listening to Tom Petty's Runnin' Down a Dream. I charged out, a bundle of extra energy. I knew my pace was too fast for the start, but I was swept away with a feeling of euphoria in running with this elite crowd and by the beautiful scenery.

As we went down the first stretch dawn was just breaking and a mist was rising from the river. I could see the elite runners ahead as they turned right to cross the land bridge across the river. It was such a beautiful sight that I got completely choked up. In fact, I'm choking up again as I write this. It's an amazing feeling running a marathon. Or at least it can be.

There were three water stations along the course, which meant we had water every mile. At the beginning/ending of the loop there was the "special water station" where we each could have our own drink waiting on a table set up for us (just like the elites have at Boston!). So I grabbed my drink and got a few squirts at each lap. Then they have a "discard pad" where you toss the drink away and they carefully place it back on the table for you at the next lap. This was very handy!

The mile markers along the course were all portable. Each marker had the mile number and a meaningful word on a banner. These were words like unstoppable, stamina, float, form, trained, determined, etc. It was fun to read each one. As we got to later laps, they had removed the earlier markers so that you could focus more on those later miles. I thought: so this is where I'm going to hit mile 20...

About at mile 10, I saw a very surprising sight. There, just standing on the side of the road, less than a foot away, was a young fox! It was quite beautiful and vibrant red. I wish I had been holding my phone so I could have taken a photo. I guess it makes sense why they call this area Fox Valley.

Although the path was quite narrow, we didn't seem to have any crowding problems. In fact, much of the time there were only a few people in my sight. However, before I finished my third of eight laps, the race front runner passed me. He just came floating by as if running were completely effortless! I think he ran a 2:38. Just amazing.

I stayed focused on my music and on being positive. I knew my 18 weeks of training had been solid, and that the weather was as good as could be expected this time of year.

My feet kept up with the beat of the music I played. I made a special soundtrack of songs that each have around 188 beats per minute so that they would match my natural running cadence. This is the first time I have run a marathon with music, and I think it worked out well. Both my watch and my earphones held their battery power for the duration of the race.

My pace was slightly faster than planned and fairly steady for the first half. I didn't worry too much , though, because I was feeling very good. I have run enough marathons to know that it's important to save energy for those last tough miles. I slurped down my Gu packs every 6 miles. I have practiced using it on all my long runs.

I did face one unfortunate circumstance which proved to be problematic in the last 5 miles of the race. By only halfway through the race, my left quad had already begun to feel a bit achy. I generally take Advil halfway through the race to help with general soreness, but to my chagrin, I discovered it was not in the pocket of my "special cup" where I had tucked it away. It had apparently rolled out when I had tossed the cup on the discard mat. I knew that the last few miles were going to be rough without it.

After the first three laps, the volunteers placed arching sign posts designed to look like all the official town signs from Hopkinton to Boston that runners always pass along the Boston Marathon route. Having already run Boston twice before, I was very familiar with these towns, and once again, as I ran under these archways, I got choked up. I knew there was a very good chance I would be there again next April.

I knew the last two laps (roughly mile 20 to the end) were going to be tough, both physically and mentally. I was getting passed by many other runners, but I reminded myself that most of these runners were probably a lap (or more) ahead of me, and that I shouldn't be disheartened. Cheering from the sidelines were many supporters wearing their Boston swag from previous years. They were very encouraging as they knew each of us was giving it all we had.

One lap to go...

My pace really started to slip after I hit mile 21. However, I was determined to fight for every second and to not get lazy, knowing that I was well ahead of the minimum time needed, but still wanting to get the best time possible. My stamina seemed to be holding well, but the pesky issues that have been plaguing my left leg became a major issue. As I walked briefly through one water stop, I could feel my quad start to buckle. It was very frustrating and extremely painful. I tried to just manage the soreness and not give up any more pace than I had to. But I'll admit to lapsing into the ugly run/walk that hits so many at the end. The results are evident in the splits above. I tired to think about my friends and happy places, but the pain dulled my thoughts and I just had to manage the best I could. As the sun had risen, so had the temperature. It felt pretty hot in the sunny places, and I was wishing for 55 degrees again.

For the last two miles, I pulled out my earphones and just listened to outside noises and my inner voice instead of my playlist, which was already into its second cycle. One girl in front of me sounded terrible! She was wailing with every breath. I felt sorry for her, but I also wondered if all that noise wasn't counterproductive. I kept pushing on, knowing that I was going to make it and that it would all be over soon. The times I broke into a walk, I almost hobbled. So I tried to limit that as much as possible.

Finally the finish line was just ahead and although the pain from my leg was very intense, my heart still skipped a beat as I ran under that giant blue and yellow banner. They called out my name and said that I had indeed qualified for Boston! They ring a giant "Boston bell" for each runner if they make the required time. It was very exciting!!

Ouch, just ouch!!! I think that's the most despairing I've ever looked after a race.
Zoom in on this photo and you can see my true agony.

But I sure know how to plaster on a smile when I realize I'm done!!

After the race I went to the medical tent to get some delayed pain relief from ibuprofen. Later I met up with Linda for a celebration and a couple of photos. She had qualified too! It was a completely satisfying thought to know we would both being going to Boston and likely training for it together.

The race is so specifically focused on the BQ goal that they did not do age group awards. However, that did not stop me from being pleased that I was first out of twelve in my age group, and that I had a sizable lead over second place. Linda and I signed up for Boston as soon as we got back from the hotel. Registration closed at 5:00pm, so we did not waste any time.

After that, Linda and I showered up, checked out, and headed back to Chicago to catch our flight home. It was certainly a short trip, but we accomplished what we had come to do, and now I have my 6th state's marathon completed and my 17th overall. Next up is the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, Alabama (state #7!), on December 14. Nine friends will also be running that day, and it promises to be a great girly road trip. Time to get back to the training after a rest day or two!