More details to follow later but for only my third marathon, and for the deplorable condtions, I was elated to qualify for Boston. My foot is in a bucket of ice as I type and I still can't wipe the silly grin of my face.
10-4/2008
Well here go all the details. Body Comp on race day 181.4 lbs 16.7% to 9.6% BF and yes I actually did bring my scale to St. George. I know I am an OCD freak but I wanted to know if I was bloated or dehydrated so I would better know how to prepare at 3:30 in the morning. Anyway I slept terrible Suzanne asked me what time it was at 2:55 and I could never go to be after that so at 3:05 I got up to start getting ready.
Before I left Motel 6 took stomach med (Prilosec) ate one power bar, ate one fruit leather, took my Advair inhaler and Afrin. I didn’t wear my ankle braces but I brought them just incase things tightened up before the race. I used my roller and massager on the Achilles that morning. Left Hotel at 4:05 dressed warm racing shorts and shirt covered my long nylon pants with liner, dri fit long sleeve shirt and old sweatshirt. Plus running gloves and hat. Left on bus before 4:30 sat next to a real nice lady named Maryanne Holts I believe she finished in 3:18.
We arrived right at 5:00 AM. It was poring down rain and windy. I headed right for the portapotty. I stayed there for a half hour because no one was waiting outside, I was the first one to use it so it didn’t stink and it was windy and cold outside. Inside I ate another power bar, two more fruit leathers mixed up my Nitric Oxide with a bottle of water and drank and started to mix energy drink E3, and I ate a banana and cleaned out the body. Then I took 4 Ibuprofen
Walked around in the wind and cold for a bit and came back to porapotty at 5:45AM still no line I took another Advair inhaler and took two Imodium. Walked around a little more sat by fires at 6:10 bathroom lines were long. I got a plastic bag to wear for the Marathon the weather was brutal. 6:20 I took another two Imodium and 3 psyedophedrine. I took off my hat and pants and drifit shirt and put back on the sweatshirt I got on my honeymoon. I drank the whole bottle of my 5-hour energy drink. Ate my last fruit leather and downed a Gu. Dropped off my drop bag and I was ready to go 5 minutes until race time. I and on my plastic bag over my sweatshirt. The rain was really coming down. It was nice to be in the middle of the warm bodies.
The gun sounded and 32 seconds later I had crossed the start line. With the dark clouds it seemed dark for so long. The pack was tight there wasn’t a lot of room to move and I was surprised how slow the pace seemed.
Mile 1 7:36 HRA 150
Mile 2 7:08 HRA 168
Mile 3 6:46 HRA 170
Mile 4 I missed it in the dark but I estimated 7:03 HRA 169
Mile 5 7:04 HRA 169
Mile 6 6:31 HRA 169
Mile 7 7:09 HRA 165
Mile 8 8:00 HRA 168
Mile 9 8:11 HRA 168
Mile 10 7:26 HRA 168
Mile 11 8:46 HRA 167 I missed the sign again must have been hid behind portapotty had 20ses to much
Mile 12 6:58 HRA 164 probably 20 secs to little because of mile 11
Mile 13 7:05 HRA 168
Half way point 13.1 1:36 55
Mile 14 7:12 HRA 169
Mile 15 6:29 HRA 171
Mile 16 6:33 HRA 167
Mile 17 7:02 HRA 167
Mile 18 6:52 HRA 164
Mile 19 7:40 HRA 169
Mile 20 7:27 HRA 166 I think I was about 24 secs long
Mile 21 6:34 HRA 164 I think I was about 24 secs short.
Mile 22 7:20 HRA 166
Mile 23 7:14 HRA 165
Mile 24 7:31 HRA 161
Mile 25 7:37 HRA 164
Mile 26 7:40 HRA 168
Mile 26.2 1:34 HRA 168
Total Time 3:10:41 that is the Marathon time watch time I clicked a little early and stopped a little late. I ended up with 3:10:45.
HRA was 166/175. Much better than my last Marathon 171/188 in Ogden 2006.
I was a little surprised after the first mile that the pace was so slow. The pack was tight and I couldn’t see anything. The lights from the State Trooper told me that the rabbits were way out in front. As we would pass mile markers this first little I didn’t even know until we were right on tip of them and I could hear the Garmin’s around be clicking off. I would hit my Polar to mark it off. After a click I would hit my watch night light to try to see my time. It was difficult to make out especially with all the rain and elbows around me.
I didn’t want to get caught looking for to long and hit a pothole. At the second mile I remember think okay I am on pace. The plastic bag made it hard to run well. It had a lot of wind drag. It got worse as the pack around me started to thin out. As I hit mile 3 I remember thinking I had been climbing a hill but I didn’t know when and that the large pack made it tough to see where the corners were especially with all the darkness. At Mile 4 I thought well it must be time to ditch the plastic bag I was on the left side of the road I bunched it up and tossed it to the side. Now for the sweatshirt right before mile 5 I took it off dried off and through it to the right at the mile 5 sign and that was the last I ever saw of my Honeymoon Port Townsend sweatshirt that alone would make Suzanne happy.
By Mile 6 it was starting to get light enough to easily see no more watch night light I probably should have been cold with the wind in my face but I think my internal temperature was warm enough that it wasn’t to bad just a little in my left fingers. I had a glove on my right hand so that wasn’t as bad. Mile 7 I consistently grabbed Gu and Gatorade from this rest stop on with only one exception. I didn’t feel like I needed it and I intended to keep it that way. I felt good as we cam down the hill but I could see this mountain dead ahead and I wondered how the road would go around it.
I took the hill real slow I didn’t want to waste too much power or flare up my Achilles. The tendonitis hadn’t presented itself and I certainly didn’t want to give it any cause to do so. Mile 8 was my slowest and Mile 9 was slower still I kept watching my heart rate and taking it slow. It seemed like over those two mile I was passed by a couple hundred people but it must have been more like 50. I kept cutting the corners and running my race. The one nice thing was as I was climbing the hill it seemed like the wind was blocked out it was the one saving grace for the hill on this blustery day. It was also very easy to see the ¼ inch stream coming down the road and it paid to steer clear of them. I saw a few puddles that were so huge that people would go 6 feet out of there way over twenty yards just to avoid them. It really paid to be focused to take good angles.
As I hit mile ten the hill was gone and the wind just poured on. The rain was coming down good. I was tucking behind any runner who seemed to be in my league because letting someone else cut the wind seemed to save a lot of power.
At Mile 11 I slowed again as I came to another hill. Body still felt good and I didn’t want to push it plus I was enjoying the wind slowing down again. Mile 12 a good downhill I started to cut it loss a little more the wind was really pounding. I meet up with a Dave P (I think) FRB guy from Preston, ID He was recovering from an injury as well and it turned out he was the cousin of one of my neighbors two blocks over. We were a little conversational for a few miles and I left him a about 4 miles later.
At mile 13 I was feeling strong and I was happy a moment later when I noticed I was ahead of BQ pace.
At mile 14 I started to see the 3:10 pace group there were like 20 people the first time in awhile I had seen a group even half this size. I gladly tucked in behind them and let them cut the wind for the next two mile 10 hill. I soon worried I might no be able to keep the pace so I let them go but I kept them in eyesight until about Mile 23 most of the time. They must have finished in about 3:07 and change. The crowds were great and I love their enthusiasm I flashed them a lot of smiles and my token piece sign whenever they looked deserving.
At mile 20 I remember think I have this in the bag I can run 8:00’s from here on in and should still easily qualify. Half a mile later I remember think I just wanted to slow down and walk. It took a little mental yelling before I had myself convinced this was not a good strategy. By now I was really starting to notice town people and a few runners pulling up lame or just stopping and walking. One go was cursing and screaming not again not again. I felt really bad for him and everyone else I saw slow up.
Mile 22 I calculated again I could go right about 9:00 mile pace and still coast it in for a BQ. This is when I really started to smile. I had been hearing the whole race 931 and I kept wondering who just ran a 9:31 mile no one is going that speed around here. At mile 23 it finally occurred to me that’s my bib number. Kind of funny that I was so out of it. About that time I could feel some slight cramping and I just wanted to finish in time so I slowed a little bit more. MY heart rate was down and I became conversational with just about everyone. I ran into the guy who took first in my heat of the South Jordan Marathon relay. He just found out he got in and had never ran more then a 14 miler to prepare. He was a wonderful sprinter and He left me about 1.5 miles before the finish really nice guy. I felt very happy to run by him. He is a FRB (Terry Bean) guy as well. The last three miles I put both hands in the air several times for quite awhile at a time. It was awesome to hear the crowd roar every time I did so. Usually I punch it so hard at the end but this was more like a celebration. I have never run to crowds this big and loud. St. George is Awesome. I picked up a little the last .2 but nothing like normal the streets were wet and in running flats I didn’t want fall. I don’t think I ever quit smiling from about 9:30 until noon.
I think I was still smiling when I found Suzanne ten minutest later and I was (yes I know I am an emotional basket case) crying at the same time.
I got the quick massage a little to eat. I walked through the makeshift hospital to remind myself of the price on bodies to obtain the costly reward. It was cold so Suzanne grabbed my drop bag and we headed back to the hotel. The shower felt great the ride on the way home not so much. The body still hasn’t felt good and the other half of the family has come down with a bug so I wonder if I am coming down with it to. It was awesome to run beside such great people. This morning (Monday) I registered for Boston. That felt great. I can’t say I love the Marathon but I do love the feeling of accomplishment. I know I can do better but at some point I will probably just stay with the 5k’s 10k’s and half marathons. I am really excited to starting doing upper body lifting this week. I haven’t since the middle of June.
Thanks for all your support. Sub 3 here I come. | 