Well here goes again

Took a sleep aid and it worked fine.  Soon after I woke up I started packing.  THis made me extremely edgy.  I am really trying to tame my hyper energy but my hands already are shaking and I haven't had caffeine for at least 12 days.  My legs are feeling pretty good.  Not even to much Phantom pain.  under 44 hours to go.  We are driving down tonight after Nathan's Flag football and soccer games.  I am hoping that will help ease things.  I don't expect to get a lot of sleep on Friday night but hopefully tomorrow I will be able to sleep in.  Nerves just kill me. 

I always wonder if it wouldn't just be easier to have somebody wake me up and tell your racing in 1 hour and just deal with it.  So many emotions and things are flying through my head I will find it hard to concentrate today. 

Resting and enjoying St. George stomach is churning and Suzanne is sick.

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.

Much need day of rest I still feel like I am on deaths door.

Got my first real meal in my appetite is returning.  Pain is temporary Marathon times are forever.

Still resting but felt like I could run.  I promised Suzanne no running for one week.

I headed to the Gym and lifted Biceps and chest for 70 mins

Abs class with Kat for 35 mins then I lifted on the back for 40 minutes

Ellipitical for 40 minutes then I lifted on the shoulders for 30 minutes

I did a one hour spin class with Bobbi then I ran 1 mile in 8 minutes.

Day of Rest

Ran along the beach in San Diego 140 HR 1 hour 20 minutes

A little slower then yesterday along the beach in San Diego.

Lifted on chest for 50 mins then a little on biceps

Lifted on shoulders for 35 mins abs class with Kat. for 35

Lifted on Back for 40 minutes

Spin with Bobbi for 1 hour then a fast two minute interval session 5 qtrs at sub 80 secs followed by recovery.

Day of rest

5 mile run a 21:35 5k 36:35 for the 5 plus .1 cool down then abs with Laura and another 30 mins stretching and lifting leg and core weights

just ran fast outside

Slow outside then pecs and biceps at the gym for 75 minutes

On the TM at TH then 35 min abs with Kat

Lifted back and shoulders for 50 mins then did waynes Ab class

In Vegas for U2 walked about 6 miles before and after concert

Day off Rest

Ran outside at 5:30 then I lifted on shoulders and biceps for an hour and did Laura's ab class

Ran on Tm at TH 1% incline pretty up tempo.  Legs are finally starting to come back. Time 1:14:48 then the .3 for about 3 mins.

did the elliptical for 20 minutes HR 127/149, lifted on Back for 65 minutes, in the PM I went swimming with Suzanne 1 mile in about 35 minutes

I went pretty quick the kids had a Halloween Parade and I had to go.

Abs class with Chelsea then treadmill for an hour on step incline

Ran 10 mile in early AM 1:25:32 HR 136/143 then 75 min spin 146/169 no time for other stuff.