Place is based off of Men alone 153 overall. I got my Sub 3 I'll write more later. I am still so sore hasn't been this bad since my first.
Life is full of adversity and I guess in some weird way that is why I enjoy running so much. It always seems to be some type of microscopic symbolic model analogy to life. I thought a lot about the day I might break the 3 hour Marathon. Over the last 4 and half years since I ran my first and realized how difficult it would be do it became a major “bucket list item for me”. It required the type of dedication that I can only associate with worthwhile human relationships. It required a huge about of sacrifice, not only of time but of activities, will power, sleep, health, pain, blood, sweat and tears. It has consumed me to the point that I have become a different man. I would hope a better man but it has also helped me to realize flaws in my armor. In some ways I feel more selfish for spending so much time but in other ways I hope I inspire others to dedicate themselves to higher causes.
I know that it is a goal far easier for some to achieve then others. There are those that run better that put forth far less effort and many more that work much harder yet can’t achieve similar results no matter how much they try. Obviously I have been blessed with a fair amount of good health and talent. This probably puts more emphasis on what happens before the race and the extensive training I have put in for many years. However, there is another payment that comes after. When you push yourself beyond what you can do and your body pays a physical toll for having crossed the bridge. The emotional drain left me in tears and the physical pain left me just short of wanting to trade it in for physical relief.
Race day was pretty normal I had tapered well of course I couldn’t sleep before and my nerves were completely shot. After a solid 3 and half hours of sleep I awoke and prepared myself. Starting in the bathroom with the usual stomach med Prilosec, shaving, lather up with the usual pre race ICEE HOT. I used my Advair inhaler, Afrin, and ate a fruit leather and power bar, I drank a half bottle of Gatorade finished dressing in my singlet, shorts, and racing flats with two extra long sleeve shirts, a sweatshirt, and pants to keep warm plus hat. I took the shuttle first to the bus then bused up the mountain I made the usual chatter with those around me. We arrived at 4:48 less than 2 hours until race time. I ran to the bomb fire and tried to drink and relax. I took my N.O. Explode. 3 pseudoephedrine, 2 Imodium another 2 fruit leathers, 2 ibuprofen, 1 loratab, 1 power bar and one bottle of Gatorade along with a packet of electrolyte before the race ever started. IT was way too much and I think I am just about ready to throw out all chemicals every again for the price I would pay after the race. Talking and changing and running back and forth to the port a potty had me end up at the starting line late.
I was far enough away I never heard the gun fire and by the time I got started the clock had been running for 2:44. This left me in a state of panic and I started way to fast. In the first minute my HR hit 186 for about a 20 second stretch. As soon as I realized it I started to settle down. I started around the 4 hour crowd and for the first 4 miles I felt like a Salmon swimming upstream. I was constantly dodging people weaving in and out. I felt like a little boy running through a crowded mall at Christmas time. I tried not to touch anyone but I am sure I rubbed up against a few unsuspecting souls. A lot of that time I spent running in the ditch on the side of the road jumping over sage brush. It was dark and the moon which had been a couple days from being full had lowered back down the West mountains but still provided a little bit of reflective light to the sky as the sun was still another hour from exposing itself in the East. After two miles, I ditched my plastic bag and that at least made things a little quiter. At mile three my left shoe became untied this further frustrated me that I didn’t start right and remember to tie a double knot. I ran another mile and then I stopped to tie it. With gloves on and in the dark it seemed impossible to fix the knot I wound it two times and pulled it through itself slip knot style hopping it would hold. It did the rest of the way. Two miles later I ditched my last long sleeve shirt along with the gloves. We had been blessed with a tail wind at the start and nice cool temps in the 40’s Even with all the adversity I hit my 10 K at about 41 minutes. The first 7 miles were
1 7:00 min HRA 156
2 6:52 min HRA 161
3 6:24 min HRA 161
4 6:33 min HRA 163
5 6:41 min HRA 165
6 6:13 min HRA 162
7 6:22 min HRA 163
I am sure the cool temps were keeping the heart rate artificially low. I am kind of curious where I would have been had I not been hooking and bobing in and out of traffic. The first two miles have a bit of up hill then it drops significantly. The added time at mile 5 is probably from me stopping to tie the shoe. At mile seven you start up hill. Last year I made a conscious decision to slow it down here because of a tendonitis problem. This year a I made it a decision to turn it up a notch. The hills didn’t scare me and the fact that I was still back with a slower pack made me feel confident as I passed so many people. It was starting to get light and the effects of the sun could be seen. I continued up the hills. I hit my half way point 49 seconds ahead of my goal time of 1:31:25 at mile 14 I was ready to hit the down hill and I felt confident the Sub 3 was still in my grasp. 8-14 was like this.
8 7:40 min HRA 167
9 7:32 min HRA 162
10 7:14 min HRA 165
11 7:39 min HRA 165
12 7:13 min HRA 164
13 6:38 min HRA 166
14 6:46 min HRA 166
It didn’t take long into the downhill until I started to feel the effect of the speed. My left hip really started to ache right around where I had the stress fracture this last winter. That made me worry but I wasn’t willing to slow up. I knew I still needed to make up time. I passed a couple of friends Camdog who had just down a 100 miler 3 weeks before and S.T. My right foot really started to hurt on the big toe at mile 16 and by mile 18 I could see that a huge blister had busted and stained the inside of my shoe with blood. The bones hurt enough that I barely noticed the pain from the blister. That is one thing about speed. As much as it hurts it is almost numbing. Then again maybe that was just the Loratab. One last little uphill was a nice relief because I didn’t feel the bone chortling slamming of my joints quite as hard going uphill. As I hit mile 20 the temperature really started to rise and so did my heart rate. I felt confident the Sub three was mine as long as disaster didn’t hit.
15 6:23 min HRA 167
16 6:12 min HRA 166
17 6:33 min HRA 167
18 6:33 min HRA 168
19 6:46 min HRA 172
20 7:04 min HRA 170
Mile 21 starts back into the downhill and I was off again. Soon effort I was noticing people pulling up around me. In hindsight these were probably people having cramps and bonking I just kept digging deeper and running. A few little rolling hills and I was nearing town. I was really paying attention to my splits. Some times when I runner bonks he is the last to know. Things were going well I was doing a lot of math in my head I felt confident. The joints hurt and unlike last year I didn’t look like I was having a good time. I was grimacing for the majority of the last three miles. With about 1 to go the sign said 25.2 that couldn’t be right I though where was the 25 mile sign. I grabbed a Gatorade thinking it was water while looking at the sign and through it in my face. Well let me just tell you Gatorade in the eye feels nothing like a massage. As I turned the next corner I saw the 25.2 sign. I grabbed a wet towel which is for cleaning off but I sucked some of the water out and I swear they put a lot of bleach in that water. I Cleaned off for the approach. The signs ticked by quick I saw Suzanne in the Grand Stand and gave her my preconceived SUB three sign. Starting as late as I did she was sure I wouldn’t get it. Final numbers were.
21 6:26 min HRA 166
22 7:00 min HRA 170
23 6:40 min HRA 172
24 6:48 min HRA 174
25 7:02 min HRA 175
26 7:18 min HRA 175
26.2 90 secs HRA 176
Total HRA 167
After I finished I walked slowly through the mister found Suzanne and we hugged and cried. I walked around for ten minutes before getting a massage and started to cramp up. After that it was back to the potty, then to the hotel, then back for my drop bag and to talk with friends. We left about 1:00 and I felt like I was on deaths door the whole way home. I hadn’t felt remotely close to this bad since my first marathon. I think it was all the crap I took and I have just about sworn it off. We stopped a dozen times I will spare you some of the details. When I arrived home my friend Steve gave me an IV. I couldn’t eat much or drink much for the next 36 hours. I already signed up again for next year but I am not sure how hard I will push it again. Like I have always said I am kind of a 5 K guy and not a naturally born runner. Oh well here is to anyone who wants to give it a try.
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