As part of our continuing Q&A series, here is a quick chat with New Jersey Marathon champ and swell person Rachel Clattenburg:
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My goals were to run as close to 3 hours as I could and
especially to run a smart race. My race plan--concocted by Dan and Alan, with Drew's advice
mixed in--was to reach mile 19 feeling relaxed, comfortable and ready to race
the last 7 miles. I settled in with a pack of about 6 guys who were all
shooting for 3 hours. We stayed together until mile 18. It helped a ton to have
people to run with for all those miles.
It was quite windy and I knew there would be a tough headwind the last 10k. In retrospect, the wind might have helped
my race. I was so worried about it and that concern made me more conservative in
those first 19 miles than I otherwise might have been.
RC at Mile 5 |
At what point did you start thinking about place? How, if at all, did the possibility of winning change your approach to the race?
Ha! I thought about place from before the starting gun went off,
of course. I always eye my potential competitors milling around the starting
area. There was another woman running in our pack for the first bit. Then
around the 10k mark I noticed that the cheers changed from "Go
ladies!" to 'You go girl!" and I looked back and couldn't see her
anymore. But I was nervous the whole way that there was someone gaining on me.
I wanted a lot in the tank for the last 10k in case another set of pigtails got
close.
Any surprises during the race? What were the hardest parts?
My first surprise was when we turned onto Pemberton Ave in the
first 5k. I decided that had to be a good omen! I was surprised I felt so good at 30k. For the first time ever,
I didn't have any really bad stretches during the race. But the whole race took
a lot of focus and I found that hard. I also ran the whole race afraid that
something was suddenly going to go wrong. That feeling didn't go away until I
crossed the finish line. My first reaction after finishing was a big wave of
relief. Oh, and I got my own bike escort the whole way. That was a fun
surprise.
How did you approach nutrition during the race?
My
approach to race nutrition is always the same: eat as much
sugar and caffeine as I can without feeling ill. In my perfect race, all
aid stations after halfway would be stocked with flat Coke. I carried a
disposable bottle
with Nuun in it (Gatorade bothers my stomach) and drank most of that. I
ended
up carrying the bottle through mile 19, which was probably not so smart;
I
should have ditched it sooner. I ate one gel 5 minutes before the start
and
then I had 3 others, all by mile 18. That's the most I've ever consumed
in a
road marathon.
Now stepping back a bit, lopping off 13 minutes is a HUGE
jump, particularly for someone who's fairly experienced with distance
racing. How did you make such a big jump this time around? What do you think
were the key elements to your training?
Three things:
1. I've finally figured out some strategies that keep me healthy
for long stretches of time, so I came into this training cycle with a lot of
uninterrupted running in my legs.
2. The workouts, specifically: the Dojo Tuesday/Thursday
workouts, WRC Sunday long runs and Alan's training plan. I haven't done
specific marathon training like that ever before, and I've certainly never done
such hard workouts.
3. Most importantly, my awesome training partners. I would never
have run so hard, or so long, or so frequently, without their company. This
training cycle has spoiled me forever because I only had to run by myself once
per week.
Breaking the tape |
You seem to be someone who likes to race frequently, over lots
of different distances, and on different surfaces. For example, in 2013, you
raced over twenty times! What impact do you think that has on your marathon performances?
Do you think it helps to have the variety and/or volume of racing?
For
a few years, every time I would set out to train
specifically for one goal race, I'd end up injured and unable to race.
In
an effort to break that pattern, in 2012 and 2013, I just ran and raced a
lot, but without any
goal races. It worked in that I didn't get injured, but I was a bit
over-raced at times! I don't recommend it as a training strategy. But
maybe it gave me a good base.
The
50k trail races are good crash courses in
mental toughness and how to pace based on effort. In every single one of
those races, I've hit a very low low.
Learning how to stay positive even when I'm pretty sure I'll be
bivouacking on
the side of the trail for the night has helped me in rough patches
during road races. Also, pace is not a useful metric in most trail
races, so I had to learn to run based on effort.
RC rocking the Dojo hoodie! Oh, and getting a big trophy |
In terms of racing/training, what are your plans for the rest
of the year?
First off, plenty of
easy running, which will abruptly end with the Dojo women’s team trip to the Virginia
Wine Country Half Marathon. Then some shorter races this summer. I also plan to
do lots of running in the woods. Trail
running is good for my head and all the upping and downing is good for my legs.
This fall I'm planning on the Steamtown
Marathon unless I can nab a transfer bib for Marine Corps.
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