Race Recap: Jenn Herr, Philadelphia Marathon 2019
Sunday, November 24th, 2019 was an unforgettable day as I accomplished my long-term goal of running 26.2 miles in less than four hours at the Philadelphia Marathon. The sub-four hour marathon had been my six-year obsession, representing a level of proficiency in running which alluded me in ten previous races. With each past marathon, I found new ways of falling short of my goal, suffering rounds of injury and a repeatedly battered ego along the way. I completed several intense training cycles over the years only to succumb to poor execution on race days. Excuses such as feeling jet-lagged at destination races, or poor weather hindering my performance became my talking points, but in reality, I repeatedly tanked the last 10k of the 26.2 mile distance after starting too ambitiously and practicing poor habits along the course. Many times I wondered if I was crazy or self-destructive for continuing to pursue marathons. (The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.)
At the Marine Corp. Marathon in October, torrential rains, flooding, high winds and humidity again shattered my hopes of achieving the sub-four hour race time, even after completing my most disciplined training cycle. There in Washington D.C. I ran a hard 16 miles on pace to hit my goal before slowing and sporadically ducking into tents & restrooms through the last ten miles to escape the deluge. Marines lining the course inspired me to finish that race in poor conditions, but I did so with tears in my eyes for again missing my sub-four hour time goal. (My finish time was 4:47.) Refusing to accept less than my best yet again after another hard year of training, I signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon as a “do-over” for that race, knowing that I was capable of much more.
In the four weeks between the Marine Corp and Philadelphia Marathons, I “un-tapered” and “re-tapered,” completing one more peak 22 mile long run with the NBR Sunday Funday squad. On that long run, I felt energized and fantastic the whole way, which came as a surprise after the Marine Corp race experience two weeks prior. The success of this long run gave some inkling that big things were finally in store for me in Philadelphia.
The time between marathons also allowed for reflection on the training I completed in previous months. In December 2018, I polled the NBR message boards for recommendations to achieve more at the half and full marathon distances. Several of our local competitive runners kindly responded, encouraging me to try McMillan training plans, particularly due to their customization/specificity, and their progressive difficulty which aided in gradual improvement. I excitedly engaged with coaches Greg McMillan & Andrew Middleton in January, who took into account my past struggles with the marathon distance and crafted plans for me incorporating the most extensive track, tempo and long run workouts, as well as the highest weekly and monthly mileage I would ever attempt. My training plans also included a regiment of easy runs, warm-ups, cool-downs, stretching and strength-training exercises. With well-crafted plans, success was then dependent on my diligence in following through.
I did many of my planned training at NBR group runs (Just Central, Doves, Saturday Coffee Run and Sunday Funday;) but many prescribed weekly track and tempo workouts had to be run on my own due to length and difficulty. Much of this training seemed daunting and insurmountable (high repetitions of 1600s, 8 mile tempo runs, etc.) but my work ethic and strong desire to reach the sub-four hour marathon goal did not allow me to be deterred. Many NBR teammates provided advice and support when I described challenging training that lay ahead. Over time, I came to enjoy running hard workouts on my own, digging deep and finding self-motivation to complete them. I became more focused, and better able to control my pace, effort and stamina at high speeds as months went by. Every week of mileage was hard-fought and completed for the sake of seeing improvements I had long desired. Consistently following my assigned warm-up, cool down and stretching regiment also helped me stay healthy and gain strength. My training and racing speeds drastically improved at nearly every distance this year, and I got into the best shape of my adult life.
As Philadelphia marathon weekend approached, a huge squad of NBR racers and cheerers planned to participate at the half and full marathons. More than twenty of us attended a pre-marathon dinner at Porta Restaurant to share in race preparation and ease our nerves over bowls of pasta, veggies, meatballs and beers (the best carb loader of them all!) It can not be overstated how wonderful it is to travel for a race and have our NBR squad there to share the experience. After a good night’s rest on a sufficiently full belly, my boyfriend Maurice saw me off from our hotel lobby, where I met teammates Jeanine and Eva, and we warmed-up a few blocks to the marathon start area. The air was damp and misty after a night of rain with temperatures in the mid-40s. Though we wore ponchos, conditions were much better than the torrential rain at the Marine Corp. Marathon a few weeks prior. Getting through security to the start area was easy, and corrals could be entered mere minutes before the 7:00 AM start time. Jeanine, Eva and I parted ways and wished each other luck for a wonderful race ahead.
At the race start, famous songs about Philly played over loud-speakers as I discarded my throw away layers and waited with the crowd of racers in the cold and mist. Elton John’s “Philadelphia Freedom” blasted when I crossed the starting line, providing great energy to kick off the race! Starting at the front and center of my corral made it easy to run my first mile too fast, before settling down to a reasonable pace. My starting race strategy was to stay calm and relaxed, to trust in my training and run at a comfortable effort for as long as possible, monitoring my mile splits along the way. I approached both the Marine Corp and Philadelphia marathons as 27 mile races instead of 26.2, to allow some wiggle room and banked time in my GPS monitoring and overall pacing. (In order to run 27 miles in less than four hours, you need to maintain an 8:51 min/mile pace; to run 26.2 miles in less than four hours, the necessary pace is 9:07 min/mile. If I maintained the 8:51 for as long as possible, I would bank some extra time to hit my goal at the end. I hope that made sense.)
I repeated 8:51 in my head as the first miles went by, reminding myself to stay relaxed. Running at a comfortable effort though, I was easily maintaining an 8:30 pace for the first 10k. I executed the nutrition plan I had practiced on long runs for months - stopping for water and an energy block every six miles. The Philadelphia Marathon course is fairly flat, with some small up and downhills along bridges and city roads. The diversity of park, waterfront, and commercial corridors contribute to a beautiful and stimulating course. Even when the misty air turned to drizzling rain and temperatures dropped, scores of spectators lined the course to energize the race. By the time I hit the half marathon mark, I was having a blast! I was also still maintaining a roughly 8:30 min/mile pace, and had a ton of energy to continue comfortably doing so. I started believing the sub four-hour finish was in reach, but also feared the “tanking” which plagued the final 10k of all of my other marathons. I told myself again to stay calm, and trust in my training.
The entire second half of the Philadelphia Marathon is an out-and-back, spanning six miles along the Schuykill River from the Art Museum to the Manayunk neighborhood. Mental fatigue became a concern (why are out-and-backs so draining?) Thankfully, NBR Cheer squads were out in force at several locations along this scenic stretch, dispersed among many others rooting for runners in the cold and rain. I responded with a yell, fist pumped and picked up my pace every time I heard “Go Jen!” or “Go NBR!” from the sidelines (Thank you so much to Gabi, Jen, Nicolette, Kalli and all those cheering along the River.) The Philly marathon app also allowed for those tracking you to send cheers and songs to your phone; I was taken by surprise, amused and pumped up when I heard the Rocky Theme Song and then “Eye Of The Tiger” blasting from my running belt. (Thank you whoever sent those cheers!) Another inspiring thing to witness on were the frontrunners of the race blowing past as I ran “out” and they ran “back.” I gave cheers and gained inspiration seeing teammates Jack & Shane among those speedy racers.
Miles 16 to 18 are where my previous marathons always started to go wrong - where I’d feel aches, exhaustion and my pace would fall to a shuffle. I waited for the wall to hit me, but by exerting somewhat harder effort, I was miraculously still hanging on to the 8:30 min/mile pace! I made it to mile 18 for another water and fueling stop still feeling no pain, and a big smile grew across my face. I had an hour and a half left to complete the final nine miles, and it seemed even more feasible that I would finally accomplish my sub-four hour goal. It wouldn’t be so simple though… I was feeling no pain, but my body slowed down to 9:30 min/mile pace even as I exterted harder effort at hilly miles 19 and 20 into Manayunk. Some worry washed over me until I spotted my NBR Doves running-mate Emily Palmer & her husband along the sidelines. As they screamed my name and ran down the street cheering, I was reinvigorated. (Mile 20 was also the turn-around point for the seemingly endless out-and-back, so I got to see them twice!) I also remembered my starting strategy to “bank time” and felt comfortable the goal was still well within reach.
The last 10k of the marathon was all about focus. Though my mile paces were gradually slowing down, my math determined that an 11:00 min/mile pace for the remaining six miles would get me to my sub-four hour goal. At the 23 mile mark where I previously agonized and walked through other races, I was still managing a 9:30 minute mile. The goal now seemed EASY. As I had done to complete all my difficult training workouts, I told myself to stay calm and focused on exerting harder effort for the final three miles. I tried not to let emotion and excitement impact my steady stride. At mile 25, another racer pulled alongside to say “...looking strong! We got this!” but then fell behind me. I realized I was picking up speed into the final mile, with over fifteen minutes left before the four hour mark!
The last half mile of the Philadelphia Marathon is an uphill climb from the Schuykill River past the Art Museum. I will never forget seeing NBR’s Mary Harvey and Emily Johnson on that uphill climb, declaring that I was about to break four hours, and having them scream and run alongside me into the finish chute. My smile grew enormous and I fought back happy tears as they encouraged me into a sprint. As I crossed the finish line, I raised my arms and screamed “YEEEEEEEAAAH!!!!” feeling a primal sense of having conquered the world in that moment. I had handily broken the four hour mark! On the other side of the finish line, Meb Keflezighi had arms outstretched giving high fives to race finishers. I yelled “I JUST FINISHED IN UNDER FOUR HOURS! CAN I HAVE A HUG!?” Meb politely obliged, and I am so grateful for him being there to make the occasion even more memorable. My boyfriend Maurice who has travelled and supported me through all my previous marathons and training, was waiting at the cold, rainy finish with a warm coat, beaming with pride. The bell on my marathon finisher medal happily chimed as we walked back to our hotel, and I recounted the wonderful morning. I checked my official tracked time to discover I finished the race in 3:55:34, a hard-earned personal record showing a twenty minute improvement!
All my hard work, discipline and diligence finally resulted in feelings of pure fulfillment and joy at the finish line. The process of successfully executing a marathon strategy was not something I had ever understood until ultimately doing it. With great training and a calm mind, the method of starting out comfortably, and gradually increasing effort in the final miles felt natural for the first time. The goals I had worked longest and hardest to achieve now granted me the largest reward in accomplishment. Even in the midst of professional stresses and a busy Thanksgiving week, I have since remained on a high as a result of my personal victory in Philadelphia.
I want to thank everyone in NBR that’s seen my efforts and has shared training, support, and advice over the past six years; most especially to those who called and messaged leading up to race day to remind me how prepared I was. In the moments I doubted my ability to achieve my marathon goal, the runs shared and things you all said resonated and restored my confidence. Also a hearty CONGRATULATIONS to all the other Philadelphia Half and Full Marathon finishers - it was a pleasure and an honor to have shared the unforgettable weekend and celebrating with you; so proud of us all.
