I ran my first Marathon on November 8th and didn't think I would recover fast enough to run the half 2.5 weeks later. I ran this race last year but I haven't run the distance since then as I prepared for my first marathon. A friend suggested that I approach the Thanksgiving day run just as a fun run for the experience and tradition. So I signed up.
The next morning I called Fleet Feet and begged them to let me ride their bus to and from the race despite the sign-up window closing a week earlier. Their generocity shined upon me and I was told that if I came in that day they would let me ride... so I did. I was told I was "absolutely the last person" they would let sign up. Maybe the several hundred dollars I've spent there this year swayed them... The nice thing about the bus is that you don't have to worry about dragging your family out of bed or riding the train. The bus is allowed inside the closed road portion of the start area, less than a block from my start corral. The bus was heated with a toilet onboard so we could stay warm right up until 15 minutes before the start of the race. It really is worth the $30 bucks they charge. They even throw in a T-shirt, a pair of throw away gloves, a separate baggage claim, a finishers tent with better food, drinks, and even beer for those who want it. I don't think I would run this race without that option. It is nice to be spoiled every so often.
Oh yeah, I ran a race too... This whole "fun run" thing just doesn't compute in my head. I had only run 15 miles since my marathon, none of which were at a pace faster than 9 min/mile. I programmed the pace alarm on my watch for 8 minute pace the first 5 miles, 7:45 pace the next two downhill miles, 8:15 pace for miles 7-12, and gave myself 9 minutes for the last 1.1 miles. That would give me a finishing time of 1:45:45, slightly slower than the first half of my marathon but conservative considering my recovery and lack of proper taper and all that. If you remember, I ran the first half of my marathon in 1:44:12 (7:57 pace) and I think that led to my struggles at mile 23 (my goal pace that day was closer to 8:40).
The weather was almost perfect, perhaps a little cold but nothing too bitter cold and definately better than the downpour during the first mile last year. Since the Weather Channel was sponsoring the event perhaps they had something to do with the nice weather. ;)
Something new this year was corrals for the runners. During registration they asked for your estimated finish time (I said 1:50) and assigned you to 1 of 5 corrals. I was in the second corral, perhaps a little further back than I should have been. But its always a good feeling to start a race passing a lot of people.
The first several miles I was feeling really good and my splits were showing it: 7:35, 7:24, 7:39, 7:31, 7:40. I think 5 miles in I knew my 1:44:12 was going to be broken, but it was a matter by how much. I then hit the downhill 2-mile portion: 7:21, 7:08. At the bottom of the hill was an aid station and Jelly Belly sports beans. I love those things but unfortunately, at 35 degrees, they are more jawbreaker than jelly bean.
The next mile is a HILL. It is the same hill that is run as part of the 4th of July Peachtree Road Race. It is lovingly called Cardiac Hill due to the hospital conveniently located near the crest. It slowed me down a bit: 8:08. From there though the course proceeds through a series of flat to rolling but with more up than down: 7:36, 7:55, 8:06, 8:04.
I had begun to contemplate the possibility of a sub 1:40:00 run somewhere around mile 10 but I had forgotten how rough some of those late hills could be and with miles 11 and 12 over 8 minutes that possibility slipped away. Surprisingly I was feeling really good. My breathing was much faster than it had ever gotten during my marathon but nothing ached, not my knee, hips or calfs.
At the 12 mile marker I did the math and realized that it would take a 7:50 final 1.1 to go under 1:40 and although that was unprobable, that didn't stop me from trying. Of course that short steap hill from 12.25 through 12.5 had something to say about that... I continued to push but my lungs started burning but then I caught sight of the Olympic Rings that marked the finish line of the 1996 Olympic Marathon. It is amazing how that sight lifts the runners spirits.
I kicked to a sprint and enjoyed the refreshing and empowering feeling of passing others in that final stretch. But alas, I was not fast enough to go sub 1:40:00 but still far better than I had expected at the start of the day. My final split for 1.1 miles was 8:24. I had a chip time of 1:40:35 (7:41/mile pace).
There were 11500 registrants but only 8695 ran with a chip that makes them part of the official results. Here are my official results:
- Overall Place = 702/8695
- 35-39 Males = 94/708
- All Males = 575/4433
- Clock Time = 1:42:04
- Chip Time = 1:40:35
For perspective, last year this race was my first (and only) Half-Marathon with a time of 1:59:05. From summer 2006 until that race in 2007 I lost 55 lbs. In 2008 I only lost 15 lbs... but I would say that this is the year that I moved from jogger, to runner.
A runner with the ID of Boo*Boo on the Runner's World discussion boards had encouraged me earlier in the week with her story of her best race ever when she ran a 15k race few weeks after a full marathon. Those words of encouragement helped me to believe in myself when I started out fast. I too had the "best race of my life"... so far.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Gluttony on Thankgiving Day
Perhaps it was temporary insanity, maybe just a love of running, perhaps I just didn't want to let a nascent tradition die. But whatever it was, I think it is easy to determine that I am a glutton for punishment. Let me explain.
When I signed up for my marathon I decided to run the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon because it was a much flatter course than the Atlanta Marathon held on Thanksgiving Day. If you remember, I ran the Half-Marathon last year. During my training I often contemplated if I should just go ahead and run the Half again this year but figured I wouldn't have the desire so soon after my marathon. I figured wrong. Almost as soon as I finished two weeks ago I contemplated that it is not too late to run again on Thanksgiving. At the time I thought I would be out of town or have other Holiday plans but as the date approached, those plans fell through for various reasons. Then came Sunday...
While at church I was talking to a runner that I ran the first mile with last year and asked her if she was running again this year. She said that she was and asked me if I was. I mumbled some excuse about having just run my marathon and something about doubting I could best the time I clocked for the first half of that run... She then answered, "You can't expect that, run it for the fun, you know you can do it, it's a short training run compared to what you were doing for your marathon."
At that, I realized she was right. I was running 16-20 miles each Saturday for two months, all at a pace faster than I ran my Half Marathon last year! Although I ran the first half of my Marathon in 1:44:12, my official PR for the Half is still at 1:59:05 because that is the only race at that distance I have run.
So I did it. That night I went online and signed up for the Half Mary on Thanksgiving Day. Yesterday I arranged for a bus ride to and from the race with my local running store. Despite the fact that they had "closed" the sign-up window a week ago, they made one, and only one exception, for me. Why? I don't know, but I was explicitly told that I was officially the last registrant. A sign?
The only running I have done since my Marathon is a grand total of 3 runs for just over 13.7 miles... less than a mile more than I will be running on Thursday. With the lack of running, the celebratory food I consumed after my marathon, and the sheer amount of leftover Halloween candy I have consumed since then it is no wonder I am up 2-3 lbs since my marathon, but still in the 188 range. I will not even think about gunning for that 1:44:12, don't worry. It is about the fun and joy of running and continuing a tradition I started last year. It is about earning my Turkey. It is about being a glutton for punishment.
So my questions for you...
When I signed up for my marathon I decided to run the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon because it was a much flatter course than the Atlanta Marathon held on Thanksgiving Day. If you remember, I ran the Half-Marathon last year. During my training I often contemplated if I should just go ahead and run the Half again this year but figured I wouldn't have the desire so soon after my marathon. I figured wrong. Almost as soon as I finished two weeks ago I contemplated that it is not too late to run again on Thanksgiving. At the time I thought I would be out of town or have other Holiday plans but as the date approached, those plans fell through for various reasons. Then came Sunday...
While at church I was talking to a runner that I ran the first mile with last year and asked her if she was running again this year. She said that she was and asked me if I was. I mumbled some excuse about having just run my marathon and something about doubting I could best the time I clocked for the first half of that run... She then answered, "You can't expect that, run it for the fun, you know you can do it, it's a short training run compared to what you were doing for your marathon."
At that, I realized she was right. I was running 16-20 miles each Saturday for two months, all at a pace faster than I ran my Half Marathon last year! Although I ran the first half of my Marathon in 1:44:12, my official PR for the Half is still at 1:59:05 because that is the only race at that distance I have run.
So I did it. That night I went online and signed up for the Half Mary on Thanksgiving Day. Yesterday I arranged for a bus ride to and from the race with my local running store. Despite the fact that they had "closed" the sign-up window a week ago, they made one, and only one exception, for me. Why? I don't know, but I was explicitly told that I was officially the last registrant. A sign?
The only running I have done since my Marathon is a grand total of 3 runs for just over 13.7 miles... less than a mile more than I will be running on Thursday. With the lack of running, the celebratory food I consumed after my marathon, and the sheer amount of leftover Halloween candy I have consumed since then it is no wonder I am up 2-3 lbs since my marathon, but still in the 188 range. I will not even think about gunning for that 1:44:12, don't worry. It is about the fun and joy of running and continuing a tradition I started last year. It is about earning my Turkey. It is about being a glutton for punishment.
So my questions for you...
- Am I crazy for even trying this so soon after my marathon?
- What is your guess on my finishing time (assume I do finish...)?
- Is this any less insane than playing football with a bunch of teenagers from church that morning?
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
My Marathon Journey
A middle aged runner’s first marathon is perhaps held in a different light than those of our youthful counterparts primarily because many of us had to find our way back to running instead of merely extending a high school or college sport. My first marathon on Saturday November 8th was no different. It was perhaps far more significant because of the path I took to get there, not the 26.2 miles I traveled that day. No race report I write of my first marathon is complete without the context of how I got there.
I grew up fat. There is no way around that fact. I am a twin and for years I heard, "He’s the fat one". Although I was conscious of this, and it did bother me at times, I was not obsessed with it. I wasn’t hugely overweight nor was I sedentary, but even the sports I played accounted for my size. I was the lineman in football, valued for my bat not my fielding in baseball, and man could I set a pick in the low post! I enjoyed sports but only within the constrains of my size.
My senior year in high school planted the seed that changed my life. After a misunderstanding and some frustration with a coach change that year with our high school baseball team, I decided to switch sports and join the track team. Not to run, but to be a thrower, shot put, discus. As the team ran some 3-5 milers to get in shape at the start of the season, Coach Smith noticed that I was coming in behind the distance runners but before the sprinters, jumpers, and other throwers. He convinced me that under my belly was the heart and lungs of a distance runner. By the end of the school year I was a different boy. I dropped 40 lbs and was running the half-mile, mile, 2-mile, and 2-mile relay anchor in every track meet including qualifying for and competing in the state finals. I ran some my freshman year in college (good thing I met my future wife then) but during and following my two-year mission to South Africa, that activity fell by the wayside.
Fast-forward 10 years to my high school reunion. I had gained over 100 lbs and was approaching my peak weight of 275 lbs. What happened? College, marriage, kids, job, and graduate school… really, just life. It was about this time that my diabetic father started hounding me with stories of how every male over 40 and 230 lbs in our family developed Type II diabetes. He begged me to do something about it. I knew running worked for me based on my time in high school so that’s what I did. Over the next 6 years I floated between 240 and 265 more times than I can count. I would run a couple times a week but never with the discipline nor passion required.
In the fall of 2006, sitting at 255 lbs, the company I worked for sponsored a team in a local "Corporate Health Challenge" 5k. The missing element of the last 6 years was found. I found it was not the running alone that sparked me, it was the drive of competition and the race. That first 5k was painful but I lost close to 15 lbs and met my goal to run sub 30 minutes. After a series of 5 and 10k’s I decided I was ready to train for a half marathon. I trained for and ran the Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving Day 2007 coming in just under my 2-hour goal, reaching my 200 lb goal the week of the run as well. It was on that day that I decided I wanted to do the full marathon. After some research and discussion I settled on the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon run on a historic civil war battlefield just south of Chattanooga, TN.
During 2008, as I prepared for my marathon I slowly upped my miles per week as well as the length of my weekly long run. I also came to realize that although I had done the bulk of my half marathon training on our treadmill in the evenings, that wasn’t going to cut it this time. I changed my running schedule to the early morning and I started running outside. This had its challenges but really was the only way to fit in all the training I would need. In the process, I rediscovered the joy of training in solitude on the road and in the park. Running on a treadmill is now only done out of necessity of weather, childcare, or temporary insanity. My weight dropped very slowly the first half of the year only into the mid-190’s, but starting in August something changed. I lost weight every week from mid-August right up to my marathon where I weighed in at 185. Sometime during the year I decided to include an element of fundraising to my run. After taking a poll and researching various causes, I decided it was the threat of Diabetes that had inspired me in the first place. Thanks to family, friends new and old, and even strangers from the Runners World Discussion Board, I was blessed to raise $1,120 for the Diabetes Action Team by race day. That is the rough perspective from which I entered the race last Saturday.
Although Chattanooga is only 2.5 hours drive from our house in Georgia, we decided to go up on Thursday evening so we were not rushed in any way. We decided to drive up by way of some back roads through the mountains of North Georgia to enjoy the fall foliage. It was stunningly beautiful. On Friday we took our 4 children to the Tennessee Aquarium, and IMAX movie, and Ruby Falls (a 165 ft underground waterfall in a cave). Although the day involved some walking, by and large it was a very relaxing day and one I’m sure my kids will remember far more than their sweaty dad the following day. Friday night we picked up my race packet. This went smoothly but the expo for such a small race was disappointing to say the least. One guy sitting behind a table selling GU, not much more. We were staying in an extended stay hotel suite so we went back and my wife cooked my spaghetti dinner. It wasn’t until we were back at the hotel that I noticed my bib indicated I was only 31 years old, cutting 5 years off my life. Not a big enough deal to worry about but the official results did group me in with the next class down, oh well.
Race morning I arose at 4:30 and spent some quality time, um, lightening my load. After a shower and a light breakfast we were on our way to the race around 6 am. We had requested a late check out so I could come back after the race and take an ice bath but they couldn’t make a commitment until 9am so my wife planned on coming back after the start to find out. The weather was a bit chilly but really almost ideal. It was 45 degrees at the start line rising to 60 by the time I finished. Once parked I left my family in the car and went to, um, lighten my load again.
Clock Time --> 4:07:31
Second Half Split --> 2:23:06
Place --> 249th out of 551 tag wearers
Men 35-39 (my true class)--> 38th out of 68
Shortly after my run they held the Jr. Marathon. This was for all 1st through 6th graders. To qualify they had to run a total of 25.2 miles in the months leading up to race day and then they ran the last mile on race day crossing the official finish line of the marathon and getting a medal as well. My 10 yr old son participated and had great fun.
The day ended on one more sad note however, the hotel wouldn’t let me check out late so my wife had checked out during my run. Oh how I wanted that ice bath! I think it is partially due to missing that post race cool down that today, Wednesday the 12th, 4 days later, is the first day I have used the stairs without pain.
I grew up fat. There is no way around that fact. I am a twin and for years I heard, "He’s the fat one". Although I was conscious of this, and it did bother me at times, I was not obsessed with it. I wasn’t hugely overweight nor was I sedentary, but even the sports I played accounted for my size. I was the lineman in football, valued for my bat not my fielding in baseball, and man could I set a pick in the low post! I enjoyed sports but only within the constrains of my size.
My senior year in high school planted the seed that changed my life. After a misunderstanding and some frustration with a coach change that year with our high school baseball team, I decided to switch sports and join the track team. Not to run, but to be a thrower, shot put, discus. As the team ran some 3-5 milers to get in shape at the start of the season, Coach Smith noticed that I was coming in behind the distance runners but before the sprinters, jumpers, and other throwers. He convinced me that under my belly was the heart and lungs of a distance runner. By the end of the school year I was a different boy. I dropped 40 lbs and was running the half-mile, mile, 2-mile, and 2-mile relay anchor in every track meet including qualifying for and competing in the state finals. I ran some my freshman year in college (good thing I met my future wife then) but during and following my two-year mission to South Africa, that activity fell by the wayside.
Fast-forward 10 years to my high school reunion. I had gained over 100 lbs and was approaching my peak weight of 275 lbs. What happened? College, marriage, kids, job, and graduate school… really, just life. It was about this time that my diabetic father started hounding me with stories of how every male over 40 and 230 lbs in our family developed Type II diabetes. He begged me to do something about it. I knew running worked for me based on my time in high school so that’s what I did. Over the next 6 years I floated between 240 and 265 more times than I can count. I would run a couple times a week but never with the discipline nor passion required.
In the fall of 2006, sitting at 255 lbs, the company I worked for sponsored a team in a local "Corporate Health Challenge" 5k. The missing element of the last 6 years was found. I found it was not the running alone that sparked me, it was the drive of competition and the race. That first 5k was painful but I lost close to 15 lbs and met my goal to run sub 30 minutes. After a series of 5 and 10k’s I decided I was ready to train for a half marathon. I trained for and ran the Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving Day 2007 coming in just under my 2-hour goal, reaching my 200 lb goal the week of the run as well. It was on that day that I decided I wanted to do the full marathon. After some research and discussion I settled on the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon run on a historic civil war battlefield just south of Chattanooga, TN.
During 2008, as I prepared for my marathon I slowly upped my miles per week as well as the length of my weekly long run. I also came to realize that although I had done the bulk of my half marathon training on our treadmill in the evenings, that wasn’t going to cut it this time. I changed my running schedule to the early morning and I started running outside. This had its challenges but really was the only way to fit in all the training I would need. In the process, I rediscovered the joy of training in solitude on the road and in the park. Running on a treadmill is now only done out of necessity of weather, childcare, or temporary insanity. My weight dropped very slowly the first half of the year only into the mid-190’s, but starting in August something changed. I lost weight every week from mid-August right up to my marathon where I weighed in at 185. Sometime during the year I decided to include an element of fundraising to my run. After taking a poll and researching various causes, I decided it was the threat of Diabetes that had inspired me in the first place. Thanks to family, friends new and old, and even strangers from the Runners World Discussion Board, I was blessed to raise $1,120 for the Diabetes Action Team by race day. That is the rough perspective from which I entered the race last Saturday.
Although Chattanooga is only 2.5 hours drive from our house in Georgia, we decided to go up on Thursday evening so we were not rushed in any way. We decided to drive up by way of some back roads through the mountains of North Georgia to enjoy the fall foliage. It was stunningly beautiful. On Friday we took our 4 children to the Tennessee Aquarium, and IMAX movie, and Ruby Falls (a 165 ft underground waterfall in a cave). Although the day involved some walking, by and large it was a very relaxing day and one I’m sure my kids will remember far more than their sweaty dad the following day. Friday night we picked up my race packet. This went smoothly but the expo for such a small race was disappointing to say the least. One guy sitting behind a table selling GU, not much more. We were staying in an extended stay hotel suite so we went back and my wife cooked my spaghetti dinner. It wasn’t until we were back at the hotel that I noticed my bib indicated I was only 31 years old, cutting 5 years off my life. Not a big enough deal to worry about but the official results did group me in with the next class down, oh well.
Race morning I arose at 4:30 and spent some quality time, um, lightening my load. After a shower and a light breakfast we were on our way to the race around 6 am. We had requested a late check out so I could come back after the race and take an ice bath but they couldn’t make a commitment until 9am so my wife planned on coming back after the start to find out. The weather was a bit chilly but really almost ideal. It was 45 degrees at the start line rising to 60 by the time I finished. Once parked I left my family in the car and went to, um, lighten my load again.
We made our way to the start area and took some pictures (above). There was a good crowd at the start area as both the Full (600 runners) and Half (700 runners) races had sold out. My wife took the kids to a point 100 yds past the start line where she could film me. The start time of 7:30 came and went with loudspeaker announcing that we would be waiting for a few last minute registrations and for the lines at the port-a-potties to clear out. Apparently not everyone got up at 4:30 to attend to this… During this time my wife showed up and wanted to see where I was lined up so she knew which side of the road to stand on to get the best shot. She quickly gave me another good luck kiss and ran off. The runner standing next to me proclaimed, "She was cute, that should be good for at least 3 minutes off of your PR."
Finally the race started about 15-20 minutes late and for some reason I started my watch with the gun instead of as I crossed the start line 13 seconds later. I was full of caffeine, adrenaline, and good ol’ ignorance as I ran past my wife giving a high 5 to my older two children. I settled into a comfortable pace, convincing myself not to push. Perhaps instead of "not pushing" I should have been actively reigning myself in. I had set a goal of 3:48, which translates to 8:42/mile.
- 7:47
- 7:34
- 7:44
- 7:41
- 7:45 – First hill on the course. Long and gentle and extending through most of the next mile as well, no issues whatsoever.
- 7:51
My watch at the 6-mile mark read 46:35, quickly I did the math in my head. You just ran a 10k in about 48 minutes! Your PR is 47:43, what the heck are you doing? I kept assessing myself, I felt great, relaxed, breathing easy, not pushing, just slow down a little I thought, and I’ll be fine.
- 7:57
- 8:04
- 8:06
- 8:13
- 8:13
- 8:17 – Somewhere in this mile the half marathon runners turned off to return to the start/finish line while we turned for a second loop of the park.
- 8:15
- 8:15
Actually there was no 13-mile sign, just the 13.1-mile sign for the half marathon. As soon as I realized this, about 50 yds short of the sign, I clicked my watch for the split. It read 8:45 but the 14 mile split was 7:45. I split the difference and gave the same amount to each as an estimate. As I ran past the Half Marathon sign they also had an official clock which read 1:44:25. If you take off my 13 second start delay you get a Half Marathon time of 1:44:12. The one and only half I had run a year earlier was in 1:59:05. I was 15 minutes ahead of that pace! In training I had run as fast as 1:52:00, but I was even WAY ahead of that. The funny thing with my half split is that if I would have just been running that race I would have come in 63rd out of 700 and 6th in my division… all without "pushing it".
Perhaps it was the reality of knowing the course on my second loop and what things lay ahead, perhaps it was the torrid pace catching up with me, perhaps it was the caffeine and adrenaline wearing off, perhaps it was insufficient training, but whatever the reason, I soon started to see my splits slowing significantly.
- 8:45 – wow, slower than my required 8:42, and 30 seconds off the last mile… what happened?
- 8:40 – that’s a bit more like it, hold steady, just ahead of pace… now just hold this and you are GOLD!
- 9:29 – Remember that hill at mile 5? Here it is again, this time… issues.
This was the first uncomfortable mile of my run. I swear that hill got steeper and longer since the last time I was there. I told myself, "Hey, you built yourself a 10 minute buffer on your goal time, you are allowed to burn it, especially on this hill." I don’t know if it was just the day getting warmer or if my body was heating up but also during this climb I shed the $3 gloves I had been wearing all morning.
- 10:02 – okay, you were just recovering from that hill, you still feel strong – the 3:40 pace group flew by me like I was standing still, that’s okay, I wasn’t aiming that high anyway
- 10:09 – that’s it, just hold 10 minute miles and all will be fine, you may miss 3:48, but certainly not 4:00 and hey, a few miles at 10 and you may get a second wind…
- 10:53 – what? Is my watch right? Was the marker in the right place?
After 3 over 10 minute miles my head was quickly figuring out that I was burning through my 10-minute buffer VERY quickly. This was the first point where I did enough of the math in my head to know that unless something drastic changed, I wouldn’t make my 3:48 goal because I knew I didn’t have it in me to get back to sub 9-minute miles. I also realized that despite the fact I had never slowed below 11-minute miles in any of my long runs, I was now going into uncharted territory beyond 20 miles. I was however, still somewhat confident at this point that I would come in under 4 hours. I mean come on, I had over 70 minutes to run a 10k, surely I could do that! That was only 11:20 per mile!
- 11:08 – slipped some, but you can keep it in that 11 minute range no problem
- 11:34 – crud, NO MORE! The next mile will be faster than this one, FOCUS.
I’m convinced I was pushing harder during the 23rd mile. I started to pass a few runners that were dropping out. Perhaps the first runners I had passed since mile 15. Since then it had been nothing but a parade of well paced, disciplined runners blowing by me. Despite a small quiver in my thigh early in the mile, I was feeling a bit stronger than I had for quite a while. Then it happened. 100 yds short of the 23 mile marker, without warning, EVERY muscle in my legs from the hip down, thigh, hamstring, calf, foot… every single one in both legs locked up in one swoop. I almost fell to the ground as it hit but I managed to keep my footing and keep walking.
An aid biker riding along the course pulled up along side of me and asked if I was OK. Through tears of disbelief I told her I was fine… just "a" cramp. I walked like a mummy fighting diarrhea, not letting myself stop and recover. I told myself I wouldn’t walk, with the cramp I modified that goal to not stopping. My first thoughts were "This is not happening, I have too much invested in this, WHY ME?" I soon realized that these were questions of the defeated and I was not going to fail! I can honestly say the thought of not completing the run, never entered my mind. I walked all the way to the 23 mile marker before the worst of the cramps subsided. At the top of the next short hill I felt good enough to run again. The remainder of the race was a series of walk for 20-30 seconds, run until the muscles cramped up again, usually 1-2 minutes.
- 12:50
- 12:56 – Late in this mile the 4:00 pace group went by me. I tried to pick it up and stay with them but promptly locked up yet again. It was only then that I allowed my mind to grasp that I was going to miss that goal.
- 13:23 – Actually the 25 mile marker was missing. In all my duress it didn’t hit me until I was at least halfway through the next mile. My watch splits indicate 18:49 and 7:58 for these two splits, I averaged them out…
- 13:24
Early in this mile another runner ran past me during one of my walking phases and encouraged me with a "you can do it, come on!" I replied to him, "Tell that to my calf!" A few steps later he pulled up grabbing his leg. As I ran past him I said "you can do it, come on!" He replied, "tell that to my hamstring." Over the 26th mile we played leapfrog several more times, each time I would pass him I would yell out, "come on hamstring!" and as he would pass me he would return "come on calf!"
The last .2 miles I told myself I didn’t want to walk again and I would push myself across the finish line. I was unable to meet that goal yet again as I cramped up briefly and walked for 5-10 seconds. Making the final turn to the finish line I was able to run all the way through the gate and probably faster than I had for several miles. My wife had begun to worry if she had missed me somehow as I had told her I would be surprised to not make 4 hours, but she waited and captured video of me down the homestretch, half crying, half dead. I never even saw her. The last .2 miles took me 2:23. In the first few minutes after I finished the race I said to my wife, "That is the hardest thing I have ever done!" I may have been biased at the moment, but not by much.
Chip Time --> 4:07:18 or 9:27/mileClock Time --> 4:07:31
Second Half Split --> 2:23:06
Place --> 249th out of 551 tag wearers
Men 35-39 (my true class)--> 38th out of 68
I drew on many thoughts during those final 3.3 miles to fuel me to the finish line. Each time I was halted by cramps I thought about one of my children and the example I needed to set for them. I remembered all those who donated to my fundraising, about all the well wishes so many had expressed, my Runners World discussion board friends that had held me accountable for my mileage and weight loss each week, my father and his battles with diabetes and his many pleas for me to do something about my weight, and about my wife, who I don’t desearve, who put up with me and my training not to mention my weight for many years. It is amazing what you find for fuel when you absolutely have to.
So, the day didn’t go exactly according to plan, but the mere fact that it went at all has changed my life. One question I was always a bit wishy washy on before the run was whether or not I would ever do this again. My answer came, most certainly YES. My wife proclaimed, "well, I guess you have to do this at least two more times." I asked her how she figured that? She said, "At least once more to go sub 4, and again with me in a few years because we both know I won’t be anywhere close to that!"Shortly after my run they held the Jr. Marathon. This was for all 1st through 6th graders. To qualify they had to run a total of 25.2 miles in the months leading up to race day and then they ran the last mile on race day crossing the official finish line of the marathon and getting a medal as well. My 10 yr old son participated and had great fun.
The day ended on one more sad note however, the hotel wouldn’t let me check out late so my wife had checked out during my run. Oh how I wanted that ice bath! I think it is partially due to missing that post race cool down that today, Wednesday the 12th, 4 days later, is the first day I have used the stairs without pain.
Monday, November 10, 2008
The Marathon - Raw Numbers
I want to do the race report full justice but I have not had the time today to do it. I usually use my lunch hour to post but I was preparing for a meeting I was hosting at 1:00pm today so I didn't get to it. As so many of you have sent me questions on the results, here are the raw numbers. Although this may make the story to follow less climactic...
Mile Splits
Mile Splits
- 7:47
- 7:34
- 7:44
- 7:41
- 7:45
- 7:51
- 7:57
- 8:04
- 8:06
- 8:13
- 8:13
- 8:17
- 8:15 ---- Half Marathon 13.1 miles at 1:44:12
- 8:15
- 8:45
- 8:40
- 9:29
- 10:02
- 10:09
- 10:53
- 11:08
- 11:34
- 12:50
- 12:56
- 13:23
- 13:24
- Last .2 miles -->2:23
- Clock Time --> 4:07:31
- Personal "chip" time --> 4:07:18 (difference represents the 13 seconds it took me to cross the start line)
- Averages to --> 9:27/mile
- Overall Place --> 249th out of 551
- 35-39 yr Male --> 38th out of 68
- My Half Marathon time would have been good for 63rd out of 671
- Total money raised for the Diabetes Action Team $1,120
I hope to post the STORY tonight.
Monday, November 03, 2008
Into the Home Stretch
Well, here I am only 5 days out. Am I ready? I can definitively say, I DON'T KNOW. Being my first Marathon, I can only plead Ignorance. "Ready" can be defined in many ways I guess. In some ways I can proclaim that yes, I am ready, but in others, I just can't make a call. Thankfully, the only aspect that I can at this time define as "NOT READY" would be that I have not yet packed for the trip. Everything else is in some stage of completion.
This last weekend my fundraising efforts on behalf of the Diabetes Action Team surpassed the $1000 goal I had set for myself. I even have a few more people who have pledged but not yet donated. They will be appreciated but are no longer critical to meeting my goal. I send a big thank you out to all who donated to this cause as I know that required various levels of sacrifice. Special Thanks go to my two sisters who, along with my Parents, made some of my largest donations. I am truly humbled by all.
Mentally, I think I am ready, but that is subject to how I feel those last few miles... Of course it would help if my wife would stop sending me emails about how I have been doing it wrong all this time or reading articles that I might DIE on Saturday. I am excited about this challenge and I am already playing out in my head how I think it will progress and how I will respond to various challenges that may arise.
Physically, I am not perfect, but I am confident. My 15 day moving average weight puts me at 185.3 lbs. A weight that I haven't seen since my High School PROM! And I have seen several daily weigh-ins in the 183-184 range, which would give me a BMI of 24.9. Officially changing my category from "overweight" to "normal". A far cry from the "obese" 37.5 BMI I used to sport. I have not had a significant injury during my training and indeed my muscles and joints feel great. I am just getting over a cold that moved into my chest a week ago but I think I am all but over the worst of it. I could always be stronger or have better conditioning, but I am confident in the training I have put in.
The weather, I can't control. The forecast varies depending on which website you trust but all hint to a storm front coming in on Friday taking away the near ideal conditions we will have all week long. Instead of the upper 40's to low 50's morning temps we will enjoy each morning until Friday, the front will lower the Saturday temperatures into the low 40's or upper 30's. Brrrrr, but better than the 32 degrees that one forecast had it last week...
My mileage, although not awe inspiring, has been sufficient to meet most beginner marathon training plans. During my Marathon I will surpass 1000 miles for 2008 and 1200 miles since September 2007. I have run four runs of 18 miles and three runs of 20 miles. I have run no fewer than 15 miles a week since March and at least 30 miles a week since July.
In the pursuit of this endeavour, I truly believe I have redrawn my stars. I am healthier than I have been my entire adult life. I finally feel like I am setting an example of health for my children. Having been overweight for so much of my life it is almost difficult to not view the world from this perspective, but it is a different world. Although the changes have exhibited themselves most noticeably through my weight and health, I have also seen positive change in confidence, determination, perspective, optimism, and, perhaps not fairly, how others view me.
For a "free" sport, it has cost me plenty however. I have burned through $300 worth of shoes in the last year. Add on top of that roughly another $200 in shorts, shirts, socks, Gatorade, Gu, headlamp, and other various equipment. Add to that the several hundred dollars I've spent on race registrations, and you quickly see I have some real money tied up in this little hobby. But beyond the money, the cost of time has been felt by my whole family (not to mention my yard). I have mowed my lawn this summer only when it reached the embarrassing stage and even then my wife hired the neighbor boy to mow it once. My wife has had to work around my runs for countless activities and shopping trips. I want to thank my whole family, particularly my loving wife, for putting up with my training this summer as it hit its peak, dictating which weekend activities would and wouldn't get done.
Barring some unforeseen news, this will probably be my last post until after my run. So I will sign off wishing you all well and asking you to keep me in your prayers.
This last weekend my fundraising efforts on behalf of the Diabetes Action Team surpassed the $1000 goal I had set for myself. I even have a few more people who have pledged but not yet donated. They will be appreciated but are no longer critical to meeting my goal. I send a big thank you out to all who donated to this cause as I know that required various levels of sacrifice. Special Thanks go to my two sisters who, along with my Parents, made some of my largest donations. I am truly humbled by all.
Mentally, I think I am ready, but that is subject to how I feel those last few miles... Of course it would help if my wife would stop sending me emails about how I have been doing it wrong all this time or reading articles that I might DIE on Saturday. I am excited about this challenge and I am already playing out in my head how I think it will progress and how I will respond to various challenges that may arise.
Physically, I am not perfect, but I am confident. My 15 day moving average weight puts me at 185.3 lbs. A weight that I haven't seen since my High School PROM! And I have seen several daily weigh-ins in the 183-184 range, which would give me a BMI of 24.9. Officially changing my category from "overweight" to "normal". A far cry from the "obese" 37.5 BMI I used to sport. I have not had a significant injury during my training and indeed my muscles and joints feel great. I am just getting over a cold that moved into my chest a week ago but I think I am all but over the worst of it. I could always be stronger or have better conditioning, but I am confident in the training I have put in.
The weather, I can't control. The forecast varies depending on which website you trust but all hint to a storm front coming in on Friday taking away the near ideal conditions we will have all week long. Instead of the upper 40's to low 50's morning temps we will enjoy each morning until Friday, the front will lower the Saturday temperatures into the low 40's or upper 30's. Brrrrr, but better than the 32 degrees that one forecast had it last week...
My mileage, although not awe inspiring, has been sufficient to meet most beginner marathon training plans. During my Marathon I will surpass 1000 miles for 2008 and 1200 miles since September 2007. I have run four runs of 18 miles and three runs of 20 miles. I have run no fewer than 15 miles a week since March and at least 30 miles a week since July.
In the pursuit of this endeavour, I truly believe I have redrawn my stars. I am healthier than I have been my entire adult life. I finally feel like I am setting an example of health for my children. Having been overweight for so much of my life it is almost difficult to not view the world from this perspective, but it is a different world. Although the changes have exhibited themselves most noticeably through my weight and health, I have also seen positive change in confidence, determination, perspective, optimism, and, perhaps not fairly, how others view me.
For a "free" sport, it has cost me plenty however. I have burned through $300 worth of shoes in the last year. Add on top of that roughly another $200 in shorts, shirts, socks, Gatorade, Gu, headlamp, and other various equipment. Add to that the several hundred dollars I've spent on race registrations, and you quickly see I have some real money tied up in this little hobby. But beyond the money, the cost of time has been felt by my whole family (not to mention my yard). I have mowed my lawn this summer only when it reached the embarrassing stage and even then my wife hired the neighbor boy to mow it once. My wife has had to work around my runs for countless activities and shopping trips. I want to thank my whole family, particularly my loving wife, for putting up with my training this summer as it hit its peak, dictating which weekend activities would and wouldn't get done.
Barring some unforeseen news, this will probably be my last post until after my run. So I will sign off wishing you all well and asking you to keep me in your prayers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)