Lincoln Half marathon (and Full), May 2023

For those that don't know, my 50 state marathon quest has always been a back-burner of a plan, partly because I never wanted it to be a priority over running other marathons I was interested in, and partly because there were some states that I had very little interest in traveling to. I'm sorry if I offend anyone, but Nebraska was one of those states. The upcoming Charlevoix Marathon in Michigan (in mid June) is a marathon I have always wanted to run, but I've had so much trouble with heat that I was afraid I wouldn't survive the training (even in April or May I have had issues in the past). I figured if I could find a marathon 6 weeks prior to Michigan I could "piggy back" my winter training. (Runner's logic knows no bounds). So....looking back 6 weeks from Charlevoix was the Lincoln Nebraska marathon. Oh boy. Coupled with Southwest airlines credit from their Christmas debacle it was meant to be. Jamie already ran Nebraska so she was out, but Robin needed the state! Maggie and Toby signed on as well, so the promise of a pleasant Spring marathon was born.

At first glance the Lincoln marathon reads a lot like the Kentucky Derby marathon, where the first half is a loop around the city, full of vitality, and as the half marathoners peel off to the finish line the full marathoners are led out to a lifeless concrete path away from town. Looking closer, true, there's a lot of concrete out there, but most of the out and back stretch is along a road, parallel to the trail, with some residences or businesses, so it's not as desolate as Kentucky, and the turn around is along Holmes Lake, which is actually quite pretty. Still, if the sun is out, this could be considered a death march, as there is very little shade. 

We lucked out with great spring weather this year, so in that regard training went well. Still, I had some inconsistencies with my long runs. Once or twice my back flared up. It's hard to get a handle on what I can get away with these days. Short answer is not what I used to get away with. I had so little confidence that I was on the fence about running the full marathon the whole time I was training. 

Flash forward to the week before the marathon and the "pleasant" forecast started taking the turn. Another hot one. If nothing else at least it helped me make a decision. Looks like I'm running yet another half marathon. (Note: My days of running hot marathons are truly over).

Onward to the race write up!

We flew into Omaha, had a quick lunch, drove to Lincoln, and went straight to the race expo. It was fairly small, but ok enough. I went ahead and changed my entry to the half marathon, although you didn't really need to, as they suggested you could change your mind "on the fly" race day and simply cut off to the finish line as a half marathon run instead. Mentally, I couldn't have that in my head as an option-I had to have my decision made before the race started. Also in my head though, if I miraculously felt great I would carry on to the full, so I would carry an extra gel or two...

The promise of an overcast day?

Race day morning it was about 60-65 degrees and cloudy. Not bad, but it was approaching 7:00 AM and the sun was already trying to break through the clouds. One thing we noticed off the bat with this race was how well organized it was. The race's start and finish took place on the University of Nebraska campus in and around the Memorial stadium. The National Guard were handling everything flawlessly. They utilized a porta potty set up I had never seen before. They took groups of 8 and shaped them into semi-circles with singular lines per grouping. So fast and efficient! (I know I know, it's the little things, ha). They placed our checked bags into numbered trash bins and wheeled them over to the finish area for later, and again, just right there with your bag as you finished. Flawless. We said goodbye to Toby right away, per usual, and eventually made our way back to our corral, again, an efficient system in place. It didn't take long for us to start and we were in corral D.

Maggie and Robin were gone right away. Initially I had a hard time deciding what pace to run. Should I run a "faster" half marathon pace, or maybe slower in case I felt good enough to go for the full? Well the debate didn't last long. With the occasional sun breakthroughs I was feeling it already. Decision was made to settle into a pace based on survival. Walk the water stops, drink two full cups, repeat as necessary. This was going to be one ugly race...and I was only talking about the half!

I would have really enjoyed this race if I wasn't suffering so greatly. They had live music everywhere! And all the bands sounded great! Maybe it was my brain trying to get me to stop running, but I could have easily hung out and listened to these bands. And talk about spectators! I don't know how many kids I high-fived for power (I'll try anything). I saw the same lady 3 times with her boom box and her poster boards, "Don't Stop Believing", "Ain't nobody going to break my stride"...They could have used more water stops, but the ones they had were amazing, and even included cups of ice! There was only one two mile stretch on a concrete path out near a freeway that was desolate, but even then people were driving by, honking, and yelling out the windows. It was that friendly and positive. Still, after mile 8 I found myself taking walk breaks. Hello Mr. Sun. An ambulance rushed through us to a guy lying off to the side, which was unsettling, and a true demotivator. I don't want to die, or end up lying in the grass thinking I'm dying! Walking is good. People don't die by walking. Ok good, it's not Toby, move along...

Nearing the finish, I'm shaking my head at the thought of continuing past the finish line. NO WAY. In fact, I panicked briefly, thinking I had missed the turn, as my watch said 12.8 miles and I didn't see anything ahead. But the finish line was there, around the corner from an insulting little climb that felt harsher than it should have. Again, efficiency in full force with the post race gauntlet. Medal, water bottle, food items in a box, and then out to the finish area, where I hear my name being called out. Maggie!! We had a good laugh/cry about that experience! By then (9:30?) it was 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Worry set in for Toby and Robin. 

Maggie and I had fun in the finish area. We had our picture taken together, roamed about and found cookies and pizza! We found an indoor restroom to change into dry clothes. We were getting close to the 3:15 finish time for the full so we headed over to catch Toby finish. I wasn't sure if he'd run faster than a 3:30 with the heat and with the after-effects of a massive allergy attack a few days prior, but he finished with a 3:21! 

We reunited with Toby and yes, he said it was UGLY on that second half, just beyond the pale, and he was SO relieved that neither of us had ventured out there. We pulled up tracking for Robin and watched the marathoners finish as it got hotter and hotter. Still, it was reassuring to "watch" her moving forward on the tracker. Toby miraculously recovered without his need to lie in a fetal position for 30 minutes. His recovery drink, whatever it is that looks like muddy water, appears to do the trick. Before too long Robin made her way to the finish! TOUGH! I touched her arm and it was HOT, so we all walked over to the baby pools at the medical tent so she could drop her body temp.

Toby's Garmin foot pod temperature thingy

Before too long we were finished with our Lincoln marathon experience (no beer), so we headed back to the hotel to clean up and venture out to see what else Lincoln had to offer. Their Haymarket Square had some great breweries, a great coffee chop, bakery, restaurants, and campus grounds to explore. It was a fun little town! 

In short, I highly recommend running this race, but the full? I'd say only if the weather was cooler, and even then with the caveat that you have to lower your expectations for that second half. 

After the fact I had a bit of melancholy. It was yet another marathon I didn't run. Not that it was the wrong decision-just the realization that I may not ever run another marathon, which is an ongoing internal battle I've been having lately. I've always accepted the idea that I couldn't run marathons forever, but I always thought the decision would easily come to me and it would be conclusive. Well it's not. I'm still trying! The heat has arrived and Michigan is on the horizon. We shall see...