Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story -

Before we start off, please be sure to check out Part One of the Cascade Express Marathon. You’ll hear how the training went and the obstacles I had to overcome to get to the start line. For those who already in the know, buckle in! All aboard the Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story.

The Wee Hours

Being up at 2 am for a race that doesn’t start until 8 am is not the ideal start to the day. On the upside, it did give me a few hours to contemplate the task ahead. I spent some time reviewing the last eight weeks of training. It made me feel pretty good to see the work I was able to do in a short period of time.

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story - cannot sleep. Image of a man laying in a bed with his head on a pillow. His glasses are on and he looks tired. — Why am I not sleeping???

I also spent time re-reading some excerpts from Deena Kastor’s book, Let Your Mind Run. Turns out that a quote from that book ended up playing a role in my race that day. Fortunately for Jill she was able to sleep until 5 am.

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story. Image of a hand holding a book that is entitled "Let Your Mind Run".

Pre-race Fueling

I usually wait to eat until two hours before a race begins. But since I was bored, I decided to have my bagel with Nutella and cup of coffee early. Breakfast was followed by a couple of the magic “no poop pills” which help me run without having issues.

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story - magic pills!. Image of person holding a homemade pill bottle that reads "Magic Poop Stopper" on one side and a drawing of a pile of poop with a circle and line. — It’s really just Imodium

Packet Pickup

Packet pickup was scheduled for 6:45 am at the start line and we were less than ten minutes away. Since I always prefer to be early we left the hotel around 6:30 am. I quickly discovered that I wasn’t the only who had that preference. By the the time we arrived, there was already a line or runners waiting for packets. It was around 55 degrees at the trailhead but it felt much cooler to me. This temperature is great for racing but not so great for standing around. After grabbing my bib we went back to the car to warm up and wait.

The Hazy Sunrise Surprise

As we watched the sun come up, we noticed that the sky was very hazy. Turns out there was an air quality warning that day due to wildfires in the area. We were cautioned against being outdoors and doing strenuous exercise. I shrugged and put my bib on my shirt. I watched the final scene of Vision Quest on my phone, to calm my nerves before the start. Yes…I was a bit nervous for this one.

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story. Image of the text alert about the air quality.

Image of the Cascade Mountain obscured by hazy air.

On Your Marks!

About ten minutes before 8 am we were called to the start line. This race had just over 300 registered runners but it seemed like a lot more as we awaited the start. We observed a moment of silence for the victims of 9/11 and then we were off. This was the least amount of fanfare I’ve experienced at a marathon and I was fine with that. Today was all about the business of getting the job done. I had one primary goal for the race and that was to improve my BQ cushion to at least five minutes. This meant I would have to run under 3:20, something I hadn’t done since November of 2020.

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story - cold and nervous. Image of a man in race gear, wearing a numbered bib, a jacket and a hat. — Cold and a little bit nervous

The Fueling Plan

I’ve always sucked at fueling for marathons so I committed myself to sticking to a plan this time. I had 16 oz of water with LMNT the day before and the same the morning of the race. I had six Maurten gels and the plan was to take one every four miles during the race.

The Racing Plan

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story. Image of the race map.

The race started with a 2.5 mile out and back section. The entire race was on a gravel rail trail with varying degrees of loose rocks and potholes. A fair amount of concentration on footwork would be needed to avoid tripping or twisting an ankle. There was a 3:05 and a 3:30 pace group. I lined up in between the two.

When we set off, I decided I would attempt to go a bit faster for the first half. I wanted to take advantage of the cooler weather when I could. The forecast called for much warmer in the later miles. I also knew that on my longer training runs, breathing had been problematic. With the air quality issues we were having, I definitely had concern.

Miles 1 – 5

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story - running by Keechelus Lake. Image of a lake surrounded by mountains. — Keechelus Lake

I hit my first challenge about 3/4 of the way through the first mile. My Stryd foot pod is usually very trustworthy. That day, however, it showed me running at an 11:30 pace. I knew based on my effort that it wasn’t close to accurate. I made the decision to turn it off and to rely on gps alone. This would allow me to get correct data for most of the race. However, I knew the data would be inaccurate once I got to the tunnel. That stretch of the race was scenic as we ran along the edge of Keechelus Lake. I took my first gel at mile 4, happy that my fueling strategy hadn’t fallen apart just yet.

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story - running the path. Image of two men running in a race on a trail. To their right are trees and rocks. — So far, so good

Image of a man in an orange running kit, wearing a numbered race bib. He is wearing glasses and his baseball hat is on backwards. — So far, so good

Miles 6 – 7.4: The Tunnel

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story - Snoqualmie Tunnel. Image of a tunnel with a long, gravel path. — The Snoqualmie Tunnel

Coming back thru the start line I saw Jill just after mile 5. I grabbed my flashlights from her for the run thru the Snoqualmie Tunnel. It started to rain a little bit at that point. To keep my glasses dry until I got to the tunnel, I turned my hat around.

The next 2.4 miles were dark and humid. Water dripped from the ceiling and made the ground damp. Footing was dicey as the trail was cambered and full of potholes. Since GPS was useless, running was done entirely based on feel. Despite all of that, I actually enjoyed this stretch of the race.

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story - inside the Snoqualmie Tunnel. Image of a long dark tunnel. The walls are made of stone and the path is gravel.

By this time I was already running by myself, something that would continue for the rest of the race. Fortunately there were mile markers in the tunnel which I used to manually lap my Garmin. After two miles the light at the end of the tunnel started to get brighter. It continued to grow as we approached the exit just shy of mile 8. I dropped off my flashlights at the exit and felt pretty good. I managed to run the entire tunnel without rolling an ankle. It was a unique experience for sure and one I won’t soon forget.

Image of a light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

Miles 8 – 11

I took my second gel just past mile 8. Every two miles, there was a water stop and I forced myself to sip some water at each one. The race was very scenic with stunning views of the Cascade Mountains. These views did a lot to take my mind off the fact that I still had 18 miles to go. I was feeling strong and confident at this point.

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story - running the Iron Horse Trail. Image of the Cascade mountains. There are evergreens on the right and left and some orange leafed trees in the foreground.

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story - running the Iron Horse Trail. Image of a gravel path with evergreen trees on either side.

Mile 12: Change of Plan

At mile 12, I had my first bit of gut adversity. My third gel didn’t sit well in my stomach. Looking back, I think it may have been the caffeine in that particular gel. I decided it was best not have any more gels. I wasn’t sure this was a smart choice but I knew I didn’t want to get sick. My new fueling plan was to grab a cup of Gatorade and sip it at all future aid stations.

Halfway

Since there was no timing mat or marker at the halfway point, I ran past it without noting the time. I believe I came thru that point in around an hour and thirty four minutes, a 7:11 pace. I was pleased that I had a bit of a cushion. However, I was a little concerned I may have burned too many matches too early in the race.

I could essentially run the second half of the race in an hour and forty six minutes, an 8:05 pace. This would still allow me to come in under my goal time. Since we never know what the cutoff will be for Boston, I knew the further I was under my qualifying time – the better.

Miles 16 – 19

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story - running the trestle bridge. Image of a running bridge with a mountain and evergreens in distance.

Image of the Cascade Mountains. Blue mountains are in the background. In the foreground are evergreen trees and a mountain pass.

The views continued to be stunning as I ran over a number of trestle bridges. Around mile 16 , I noticed my breathing was becoming an issue. The smoke in the air was evident and I was having a harder time taking deep breaths. With ten miles to go, I knew a lot could go wrong. A four minute cushion could easily turn into a deficit. I kept telling myself to be brave and I gave myself no excuses. Regardless of the outcome, I wanted to be proud of my effort.

Mile 20: The Legs & The Rock

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story - the pebble in my shoe. Image of a man's hand holding a pebble about the size of a dime. — It’s smaller than it felt

Approaching mile 20, the legs got very heavy. which caused me to stumble a few times. I managed to keep upright. But I knew I would really have to focus on picking up my feet to avoid a tumble. I also noticed something in my shoe around this same time. Before the race began, I told Jill I would stop and remove any pebbles that made their way in. But at mile 20, I doubted my ability to untie/tie my shoes. Instead, I decided to live with it. In Deena Kastor’s book, her coach is quoted as saying this when a runner complained about blisters:

“good thing your foot is four feet from your heart.”

Thinking about this quote made me smile. I decided I would deal with the consequences of the rock when the race was done.

Miles 21-25

From here on out, I started every mile the same way – recalculating the pace needed to run a 3:16:30. I figured that a cushion of 8:30 should be good enough to get me to Boston next year. The scenic landscape was less impactful as I became more focused. Breathing hurt and I kept thinking about how good it would feel to just be done.

Image of a gravel path through a heavily wooded area. The trees are mostly evergreen.

Motivation

I had come too far to slack off and miss my goal. Hitting it would get me in to Boston for ‘23 and ‘24. If I missed it, I would have to raise a lot of money for charity to run next year. I continually reminded myself that giving up could cost me $8,000! I also passed a few runners during this stretch which gave me energy. Even though I was hurting, I was staying in the fight. I even forced myself to smile. I figured if it works for Kipchoge, I’ve got nothing to lose by trying it myself.

Image of world champion Kipchoge, smiling as he sets the world record at the Berlin marathon. — He beat me by an hour and twelve minutes that day!

The Last Mile

By the last mile, I knew I would hit my goal. I just stayed focused on running as fast as I could. For most of the entire race, we ran in a straight line. Right at the end, when you were hurting the most, there were a couple of turns. A left hand turn followed by a right, brought the finish line in sight. I sprinted towards the line.

The Finish

Being a smaller race, Jill was right there when I crossed. I had a quick moment of elation and then quickly felt like shit. I managed to make my way to a bench and I didn’t throw up! (This is a win, in my book!) I laid down on the bench for a bit. I enjoyed a life saving ice cold Coke whilst Jill went to pull the car closer.

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story - the end. Three images. The first is a man with his arms raised, looking amazed. The second is the same man with his arms raise, smiling. The third is the same man with his arms lowering and he looks to be in pain.

Post Race

After the race I went back to the hotel and crashed hard. My stomach wasn’t right for a while and I wanted nothing more than to sleep. Jill ran to the store and got some food for me to eat in bed. After a few hours, I was well enough to walk across the street and grab a celebratory beer. When the results were released later that evening I discovered that I finished 29/228 overall and 2/18 in my age group (50-59).

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story - post race celebration. Image of a woman smiling. She is wearing a black ball cap and a black halter top. She has a beer in front of her on a wooden table and there are mountains in the background.

Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story - the medal. Image of a racing medal that says "Cascade Express" in front of a glass of craft beer.

We spent the next day exploring. We walked around North Bend and enjoyed a delicious lunch overlooking Snoqualmie Falls. As is our custom, we visited a couple of breweries in Seattle before catching the red eye home.

Image of a waterfall with two streams and foam at the bottom. — Because, oysters!!

Image of a woman holding a glass of rose wine. There is a bowl of soup and a slice of bread in front of her. She is in front of a window that shows many trees in the background. — Because, oysters!!

Because of all the adversity over the last nine months I consider this one of my most successful marathons. I set a tough goal, did the work, and secured my spot in Boston for ‘23 and ‘24. As it turns out, I found out this morning that my 44 second cushion from April would have been good enough for Boston next year. I’m glad that I didn’t know that in advance as it challenged me to push beyond what I thought I was currently capable of.

Image of a man standing at the top of a mountain. In the sky is written this phrase "Adversity is opportunity in disguise".

I want to thank Jill for all of her love, support, and encouragement as once again, none of this would have been possible without her. She is truly the best!!

Image of a woman in a sun dress standing in front of a large, stuffed otter who looks to be holding her. — Thanks a million, Jill!

3:14:03
2/18 age group
29/228 overall

Mission accomplished!

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