Blog # 5: May Edition

The Road to Orlando: A Monthly Running Blog Chronicling my Training and Racing Leading up to the U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials 

I’m writing this blog two days removed from my record-setting win at the Toledo Mercy Health Glass City Marathon.  It is 7:32 PM on a Tuesday evening, and I’m lying in bed with my Normatec Recovery Boots set to the maximum pressure level setting.  I’m focused on a quick recovery and have already looked ahead to what is next, but I understand the importance of reflecting on a big accomplishment.  I could have rested on my laurels after CIM and played it safe with low pressure races–but no, I set a public goal to win a competitive regional marathon– and I delivered.  Prior to the race a competitor asked me what my goal was and I responded unequivocally–”to win”.  He was expecting me to say a specific time, and my answer didn’t register with him so he asked again.  I repeated my original answer right back to him, just a little louder that time.  A different racer, Alex Burks, chuckled at my answer and said, “I respect that. Maybe I’ll be able to give you a challenge today.”  As I said in my last blog, Toledo was the first marathon I ever did.  While it is cool to say that I improved from a 2:54 to a 2:20 on this course, the reality is my mental game and dedication to the sport was weak back then.  At this point I can confidently say that my mental toughness and self-efficacy is better than it has ever been and are the reasons I’m in the best physical shape of my life.  

Race Recap

The field this year was the most competitive it has been in the history of the race.  A total of 14 runners broke 2 hours and 30 minutes (5:43 per mile) which is twice as many as the second best year.  I am not ashamed to admit that prior to the race  I skimmed through all the male participant names that were registered to see if I recognized anyone fast.  I saw one person who I knew could challenge me–Luke Hickman.  Luke has a marathon PR of 2:18 and competed in the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials.  A friend of mine told me another guy from California by the name of Alex Burks would be competing.  Alex ran a PR of 2:16 in 2021; however, the earliest anyone could qualify for the 2024 Trials was January 1st, 2022.  So I knew neither one had hit the standard and that they would likely be chasing a sub 2:18 time to claim their ticket to Orlando.  Knowing this information beforehand allowed me to develop my race strategy.  Luke and Alex would be forced to push the pace from the beginning to hit the time goal.  While both have proven they are capable of running that time, I knew it would be very challenging to do without the big pack running that you see at bigger races like CIM, Chicago, Houston, and others.  The weather was great and the course is flat, but I knew that leading the race for an extended amount of time would be taxing for them both mentally and physically. Having already qualified for the Trials, I wasn’t worried about time.  This was a huge advantage as it allowed me to sit back and wait patiently to make my move.

Luke Hickman went out aggressively from the start.  Although I knew he was in the race, I didn’t know what he looked like initially.  From the start we were running with half marathon runners, so it was difficult to figure out who was in the lead.  Eventually I saw a lead golf cart and biker 20 meters ahead of two runners who did not have an outright lead which told me one of them was the lead marathoner.  I was running in a pack of 5 or so guys through the first 5 miles.  Through 5 miles the leader had about a 50 meter lead on us.  I asked my group whether the leader was Luke Hickman.  One of the guys said it was, and he also said that “he isn’t going to come back to us.”  Without hesitation, I responded with, “I guarantee I’ll catch him.”  I spent 20 minutes deciding on whether I should include this quote in the blog because it sounds cocky and may seem like I’m taking a negative dig at Luke.  This quote wasn’t directed at Luke at all.  I said it to motivate myself that I could close the gap on him.  Having said what I said, I felt obligated to make a move right then and there, and so I did.  I surged in front of my group and started chipping away at Luke’s lead.  Alex Burks responded to my move and tucked in behind me.  It took us 4 miles to catch Luke around mile 9, but he held on strong and didn’t officially relinquish the lead until a mile later.  Alex surged to the lead at mile 10 and gradually built up a 25 meter lead through the halfway point.  Luke and I split 13.1 miles around 1:08:50, right on pace for a sub 2:18 OTQ effort.  At this point all of the monetary incentives were still at play: $1,000 to the winner, $500 bonus for beating the course record of 2:20:58, and a $1,500 bonus for running 2:18 or better.

I could sense that Luke was dropping off OTQ pace at the halfway mark, so I surged past him and locked in on Alex whose stride looked fluid.  While I never doubted myself at this point, I felt that Alex was going to be a force to be reckoned with throughout the rest of the race.  I gradually started chipping away at Alex’s 25 meter lead over the next two miles and caught him by the start of mile 15.  I pulled up beside him and gave him a fist bump out of respect.  Yes, we were both competing for the win and prize money, but we had a mutual appreciation of each other’s hard work on display.  We traded leads through sinuous neighborhood roads in miles 15 and 16.  Every time I took a lead, it was very short lived because Alex would surge ahead and gap me by 3-5 meters.  In my mind it was too early to be making these kinds of moves.  I knew he was trying to gain some information on me to gauge how tired I was.  Ultimately, I decided to just let him have the lead and stayed as relaxed as possible 10-15 meters behind him. 

Alex led through mile 17 and most of mile 18.  The last 400 meters of mile 18 going into mile 19 was uphill.  I was still feeling pretty good, and we were still on OTQ pace (5:15 per mile).  I had actually been smiling at the start of every mile since the halfway point because I read that it reduces the perceived level of effort.  This is the first race I have ever done this, and I will definitely be doing it in all future races the rest of my career because it helped.  At the start of the uphill nearing mile 19, I decided it was finally my turn to make a decisive move and test Alex. He had been checking his watch frequently which told me he was probably tired and stressed about staying on pace. So I reached into my bag of tricks and pulled out what my friend Greg Black calls “The Salyer Surge”.  From experience I knew that if I was going to make a pass, I had to be aggressive with it and put some doubt into his mind.  I made the pass up the hill and he didn’t respond.  The race was over and I could feel it.  I respect Alex for the race he ran.  He had one singular goal which was OTQ or bust.  Winning with a time slower than 2:18 didn’t matter to him, so he went for it.  The same goes for Luke Hickman.  I have no doubt that both guys will get the OTQ soon enough in a more competitive race where they can work together and feed off the energy of a large pack chasing the same dream.  Alex and Luke most likely saved their legs for another day in those final miles and finished 12th and 10th respectively.  

Those last 7 miles were just me, the lead bike, the lead cart, my thoughts, the pitter patter of my shoes, and cheers from spectators and other runners.  I slowed down a lot those 7 miles and missed out on the $1500 OTQ bonus, but I still maintained an honest effort.  I dared not look back to see how large my lead was because doing so alerts the guys behind you that you’re tired, and I didn’t want to give Alex or anyone else a sense of optimism.  Good thing I didn’t slow down more than I did because Derek Miller was closing hard the second half of the race and ran a full minute faster than me over the final 13.1 miles for a 2nd place finish in 2:21:43. In the event that Derek did catch me, I definitely had another gear that I could have tapped into to pull away for the win.  Overall, I think my pace slowed due to several factors: running solo, many abrupt turns on the course, and because I developed a slight irritation in my right hip flexor.  I told myself not to settle and kept charging.  I was falling asleep a little bit around mile 22 and realized I needed a wakeup call, so I emphatically yelled “Let’s Go!!!” which gave the gentlemen in the lead cart a good chuckle.  My friend and teammate Chris Lemon cheered me on shortly after this point.  Later on with about a half mile to go, Matt Lemon (also my friend and teammate and Chris’ brother) was cheering me on, and I let out another “Let’s Go!!!”  The final stretch of the race entered the football stadium and finished on the field.  I let out all my emotions during those final 50 or so meters, yelling “Let’s Go!” while clenching my fists and flexing my very wimpy bicep muscles.  Some may see this type of celebration to be a little too much, but I don’t give a damn.  Running is a sport just like any other sport.  In the marathon you only get 2-3 opportunities a year to show off all the hard work you’ve put into your training.  You better believe I was excited to win that race.  Below are the mile splits from me, Luke, and Alex in that order.

Post Race

Shortly after the race I was interviewed on live TV and also by the Toledo Blade.  I made sure to give a well-deserved shoutout to my family, friends, and training partners in Dayton Track Club Elite and the Dayton Distance Project.  Then I headed into the medical tent for some treatment on my hip flexor.  Dr. Greg Mackenzie from Xcel Sports Medicine treated me several days before the race and also the day after.  It is quite possible that there could have been a different outcome without his intervention.  After getting treatment I found out about my wife’s amazing race in the half marathon along with the epic performances by my fellow teammates.  Megan made a really fun sign for me with Michael Scott’s face on it that read “Eat Pasta, Run Fasta.”  The other side was a picture of Steve Prefontaine with a quote that said, “The best pace is suicide pace, and today is a good day to die.”  On the drive home I made a couple of pit stops and celebrated by eating a burger and fries from Five Guys and some ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery.

I received amazing prizes from this race.  Along with the $1500 in prize money, I received a giant check, two medals, a plaque, the finishing tape, a jacket, a mug, and an article in the Toledo Blade.  However, none of that came close to what I discovered the next day.  The entire race was live streamed with footage from the lead cart and excellent lead commentary by Matt Folk, a very accomplished runner who has won the race three times.  The production and commentary was on par with a world marathon major, no joke.  The footage of this race is the greatest prize I could ever ask for because it gives my family and friends an opportunity to see the entire race, and it gives me wonderful memories that I’ll be able to vividly relive for years to come.  

What is next?

My next big race will be the Columbus 10K on June 4th which is part of the Ohio Elite Racing Series where the top runners from Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Toledo will compete.  I won the race last year.  The course is flat and has a lot of straightaways, making it a good PR course.  The winner also earns $550.  The next races in that series are the River Run 10K in Toledo in July, followed by the Germantown 8K in August, and then the Minster 10K in October.  There are a number of smaller summer and fall races I will do as workouts.  Additionally, I plan on running the Air Force Marathon for the second consecutive year in mid September.  I may also do the Akron Marathon or Half Marathon in late September because they offer great prize money.  My peak race in the fall will be the Columbus Marathon in mid October.  It is possible that I transition to writing my blog every other month moving forward, but we shall see.  Please feel free to reach out and let me know if there are any questions you have or any topics you want me to address in future blogs.  Thank you all for following along on my journey!