To the Hogne Residence

We’re So Back (Jackson, Pierce)

Brutal Ride to WingItz

Windy Ride to EMS

Powerline Hill #5

Buckle in folks, this write up is gonna be a long one. If you’re only here for the first paragraph though, let me just say that this race went so much better than I expected and I had an incredible time. It’s truly wild how quickly things change - about two months ago I thought I’d have a shot at sub-2:30, and now I’m smiling after dropping out at 20 miles. After developing an injury three weeks ago, I genuinely thought I wouldn’t make it a mile and it took 17.5 miles until I was even slightly sore. I got to see the entire course in the first half (electric crowds, beautiful scenery, friendly runners), and I’m optimistic that I’ll still have a great summer in the mountains. 

Mile Zero: Alright, so as I said, I was pretty certain that my race would be done within the first mile. I hadn’t run in the last three weeks, and there was still some slight pain when I pressed on the spot on my lower leg (I added a picture of the spot on my hike of the Beehive a couple weeks ago). However, my comfort level while walking had improved significantly, and I did a hop test to see if a stress fracture was the correct diagnosis… and luckily that felt okay, so I gave myself the green light to give it a try - and also gave myself the green light to drop if anything felt wrong. We got an AirBNB last night and I got some good sleep, and my dad dropped my mom and I at the waterfront start around 6am. I did some walking around, rolled out, and slipped on the Aeroswift jersey that Lars Hogne so graciously lent me for the race. Then, for the first time, I laced up my new Alphaflys. Maybe a bad idea to not run in them before the race, but I didn’t really have a choice! I gave a hug to my mom and took a photo before heading towards the start. Initially blocked by the sea of people, I had to weave through the fence to reach the first corral, and took my spot around the fifth row. I was extremely nervous, and just hoped for the best.

Mile One: The gun sounded, and we were off. I was anticipating a terrible pain in my leg any step, and so I carefully trodded over the mat - step, step, step… nothing. I kept increasing the intensity of my stride, and it was fine. Maybe a little bit of weakness (unsurprising), but I was running, and feeling okay. I looked at my watch as we charged down the opening street, and it read 6:20 pace, which was perfect! We rounded the corner and the cheers truly started. I found a slight rhythm, and made my way up the hill. It felt so good. I couldn’t stop smiling, because I was feeling fast, taking in the cheers, and for the first time in three weeks, I was doing what I love most - I was running! I crested the hill and slotted into a decently sized pack, although I was sure the positions would scramble as the race progressed. As I saw the one mile approaching I realized I’d sped up to 6:05 pace, but who cared, it felt easy. I knew my dad would be waiting at the two mile mark for me, so once I passed the mile marker (in 6:05), I was glad that at least I would reach him if I dropped out within the next five minutes.

Mile Two: Luckily, I didn’t drop out in the next five minutes and got to take in the energy of the event and truly process the fact that I was competing in a race I’d dreamt of for 8 years. There was a drum group on the side of the road, and I once again couldn’t stop smiling. It was so cool! I quickly realized that I was behind the two leading women, as there was a biker next to me who must have been tracking them. There were a bunch of people around us all chatting and it was nice to feel a relaxed vibe after being completely stressed about the race for the past few days. My leg felt fine, and when I saw my dad waiting at two, I tossed him my gloves and said, “Let’s do this!”

Mile Three: We turned off towards the neighborhoods and this was a moment when I really had to decide what kind of pacing I wanted to maintain for the race. We’d split 6:05 for the first few miles in the giant crowds, and as the spectators thinned out, it was easier to actually think logically. Well, maybe not, because I decided that I felt alright and elected to stay with the pack I was in. I made sure to thank all the volunteers directing us through the turns, because I figured the better spirits I was in, the better I would feel. Still, I was constantly conscious of any pain! We made a left into a loop road.

Mile Four: The neighborhood miles kind of blended together, but one thing I definitely remember was passing by a lemonade stand these kids had in their driveway and wondering how that would work. Were they charging for lemonade? Was it for the runners or spectators? What kind of runner would want lemonade during a race (if anybody would, it would be me, and I didn’t)? How could they expect to run a business revolving around runners or spectators when the former wouldn’t be carrying money and the latter wouldn’t be there to buy the lemonade since they were literally on the corner that is the furthest from the finish? That was pretty much all that happened in mile four. If you couldn’t guess, I was pretty relaxed.

Mile Five: We made our way onto the bike path, and by this point, a pack of six men and two women was established. The bike path was very cool, certainly a unique place to race and a very scenic one at that. I wanted to glance across the lake to see if I could spot the Adirondacks, and eventually the trees opened up, so I gave it a peek. Unfortunately, right as I turned my head, one of the guys in our pack ran up next to me and I awkwardly was staring him directly in the face! I didn’t spot the Adirondacks. I kept thanking spectators, but it was a little weirder now that the pack was pretty thin. Still, I relaxed and let a little distance form among the pack, even though I’d gradually make it back up at times too.

Mile Six: We were closing back in on the center of Burlington, and slowly the crowds grew. I was so excited, because one of my biggest goals was to at least make it to Church Street in the seventh mile, and I hadn’t had any pain to indicate that it wouldn’t happen. I still stayed tucked in the pack, although our group of six men moved past the leading women as we made our way along the lake. I was starting to question at this point if maybe I should ease off the gas, as even though I felt terrific, I really wanted to play it safe. I was about to do it, but then there was a person holding a sign with a mushroom for a power up, and I instinctively ran over to tap it. However, in the process of doing so, I accidentally nearly bumped into one of the guys leading our pack. This spurred him to fall back and suggest that someone else take the wind, so I volunteered. “Don’t do it Tyler, don’t do it,” I said to myself as I moved to the front - but I felt like I owed it to these guys to help with the pace, even though I had intended to fall back. We were rolling at six flat and I actually really enjoyed being at the forefront, because it felt like the spotlight was directed onto me!

Mile Seven: This was the best mile of the race, by a large margin. Technically the best part started at the very end of the sixth mile, when we arrived back at the waterfront park and made a 180 degree turn towards Main Street. The leaders were a few minutes up the road, and by this point the crowds (which were packed in) had quieted down. What happened next was the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced in a race - the six of us all worked together to hype up the crowd as much as we could. I lifted my arms up in a sweeping motion about five times calling for support, and I think it may have been the loudest moment of my racing career. Absolutely electric. Then as we turned onto the Main Street Hill, I saw my parents on the left side and gave them a giant thumbs up! We continued our celebrations up the hill and then came the moment I’d dreamed of: Church Street! Probably the coolest street in New England. The street was covered in marathon banners and flags and it was just so, so cool. I’ll admit, there were less spectators than I hoped, but I was so happy nonetheless. At this point, our group had split on the hill and I was running next to a guy who was competing in the half relay. We had a quick chat as I prepped to grab my first fuel from my parents.

Mile Eight: There was some confusion as I wasn’t quite sure where to find my mom along the side of the road, but luckily she was able to yell loud enough and I dipped off to the left to grab my GU Lemonade Liquid Gel. We then climbed another hill as I was struggling to get the gel down, which was not great considering it had been easy to drink on my Easter Long Run. Eventually I was able to finish the thing, and planned to snag some water at the aid station ahead. Unfortunately, my water-grabbing skills are not dialed, and as I went to grab water from one volunteer, I totally splashed the girl who was holding water behind her right in the face. I felt so bad! I apologized and continued on my way, approaching mile eight.

Mile Nine: After the excitement of downtown, the road got long and quiet, as I lost ground to my new Church Street buddy. I was suddenly in no man’s land, and felt the effort slowly grow harder. I tried slowing down, but somehow the pace held, and I was shocked to turn into the neighborhoods and roll through mile nine without even touching 6:20 pace. This may have been the last time I thanked a volunteer with a smile.

Mile Ten: The neighborhood was fun, but also not fun at the same time. I saw the leaders pass as I entered, as they were a mile ahead. There were some fun signs in yards and cheering sections in driveways, as well as a band playing “Highway to Hell” in their driveway. As one guy passed me (the same one who asked me to take to the front of our pack), he said “seems like a fitting song.” I started to feel my pes anserine bursitis here, not pleasant to feel with sixteen miles to go, but I also knew from experience that it would go away with more running. Heading out of the neighborhood I crossed the ten mile mat in 61:40, which was shocking because I truly felt like I was going 6:40 pace and couldn’t believe it was actually 6:10!

Mile Eleven: We were back on the big road, and I was back in no man’s land as the leading women passed back by me. We turned to approach the bike path, and I was starting to realize that it probably isn’t good to take three weeks off before a marathon. The parking area near the little trail at the bike path entrance was very fun for some reason, and I was ready to get going back to the waterfront to hit halfway!

Mike Twelve: Along the bike path, things got lonely. The only interesting thing that happened was that a guy had stopped to stretch on a fence, and it was nice to know that if it happened to me, I wouldn’t be the only one.

Mile Thirteen: Finally, the bike path came to a close and I was heading back to roads I’d been on 80 minutes earlier. I remember looking out to spot the Adirondacks again, and realized I couldn’t see them because of the clouds. I also realized that having clouds was a good thing, and not having views was a worthy sacrifice to make for a cool day.

Mile Fourteen: I rolled through halfway in 1:21:50, and I started going BQ math. I figured if I could run 7:00 pace the rest of the way I’d be okay, but obviously I was going to stay with 6:20s if I could to build a buffer. I started tightening up though, and I felt really slow, even though I was still holding a solid pace. I went up the hill to the turn back towards the South, and felt like I was barely passing the runners still on the first loop. I was relieved to reach the top. I knew the last time up the hill would be bad, but I’d worry about it when I got there. I also realized I’d see my parents again at 14, so that was exciting. I was not excited for the Lemonade Gel though.

Mile Fifteen: I passed by my dad, and let him know that it was not easy! He gave me my gel, and I fought to get it down. Then I saw my mom, and she gave me some water to wash it down. I only drank a little water… maybe not a worthy sacrifice for her because I later heard she got splashed! Making my way back down the long road, I felt stiff and my legs were really sore. But I was still chugging along, although at one point I thought about how there were eleven miles left and that wasn’t fun.

Mile Sixteen: Turning back to the smaller roads, I felt all alone and was worried that things would come crashing down and I wouldn’t BQ (foreshadowing!). Things were getting very sore in my quads and I was fighting for my strides, but still keeping it in the 6:30s. Crazy how much a few weeks off can drain you of fitness. 

Mile Seventeen: Back at the loop, there was a volunteer who said “nice to see you again!” I wanted to laugh, but I couldn’t. I also spotted the lemonade stand again, but couldn’t think of all the questions I had earlier. A guy passed by me and offered to let me draft off him, but I told him to go ahead because I wasn’t gonna keep up. I hit mile seventeen and I was surprised to see that I was still able to BQ if things went right…

Mile Eighteen: Cooked. Done. There was a tiny little hill right before the bike path, and I hit it and instantly felt defeated. 8:50 pace. I got onto the bike path as about seven racers passed me, and I brought the pace down to 8:00 before stopping to stretch on a tree - which was the final blow. After stopping, I attempted to run again, but I started to feel an ache in the spot the bad spot that was actually hurt, and I knew that my day was over. No use to risk it to jog 8:00 pace to the end. If I knew I had a shot to BQ, I would’ve gone for it, but I wasn’t going to happen. I started walking down the course, deciding that it might be fun to walk it all the way in.

Mile Nineteen: As I walked, I started thinking about the day and my goals, and realized how satisfied I was with the day. Even though I wasn’t going to close the way I intended, I still had a fantastic day and had gotten to see the entire course. I started thinking about how I really wanted to toe the line because I vowed to make my debut at Vermont - and realized that in all my fantasies, I’d never truly needed to have my first marathon finish at Vermont. All I wanted was my first experience. All I wanted from my first finish was a successful race. And so it was then and there that I decided to make it to the top of Church Street, to enjoy that experience again, and then drop so that I could have my first marathon finish on my own terms some other day. I got plenty of encouragement from other runners who told me I could do finish! I thanked them, even though I knew it wasn’t smart to do so. One guy in particular gave me the nicest comment about believing that things would get better and I would finish - if you’re out there and happen to see this, I appreciate your well-wishes! Things will get better, just not in the last six miles of today’s race!

Mile Twenty: I saw my parents running up the road towards me, clearly having left their spot to come see if I was injured. I shouted “my leg is okay! I’m just sore!” and updated them on the action. I switched out of my Alphaflys and put on the trusty old Kinvaras. I hustled to cross the tracks and beat the train, and then walked up the hill and then turned onto Church one last time. I walked in the dead center of the brick road and just took it all in. I was very content with the day, and also very sad that dropping out was something I was content with. Regardless, I felt very proud, and didn’t feel guilty at all when I stepped off at 20 miles and gave a hug to my parents. 

Alright, that wraps up the race report. If you read it all, you are either insane or one of my parents. Time to rest up. Hiking 🔜

And congratulations Matthew Lucas, who guessed my total running time today within ONE MINUTE!

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Tyler Sheedy

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To the Hogne Residence

We’re So Back (Jackson, Pierce)

Brutal Ride to WingItz

Windy Ride to EMS

Powerline Hill #5

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