My first Race Report - Detroit Free Press Half Marathon --WARNING - 'tis long! (Read 572 times)

Sorry she's a long one, but here goes: I remember thinking as I woke up, “It sure feels like a good day to be racing”. The first look out the hotel window though, brought nothing but feelings of trepidation as I watched the wind knocking a lonely and meager city tree about. The wind, as it turned out, was not nearly as bad as I thought and the temperature was great for this, my first attempt at a half marathon. After all the race morning necessities were attended to, I and my two friends left the hotel room and literally walked out the entrance into the starting corrals. Ok, to be fair, it was probable two blocks to the start, but it was still nice knowing that we were two minutes from the start (and finish, amen!). The disconcertment for me began when my friend Josh lined up at his corral and I had to go another five corrals back to get to mine. MC, my other friend was two more behind me. I started to wonder how long it would take me to get out in the open and run at my pace being so far back. It would be a while. Standing in the corral at 6:45am for a 7:15am start I realized that I was going to need to hit the restroom before we took off. Glancing over to the lines waiting though I knew I was just going to have to stick it out, er, tough it out for a bit. The rest of this race report I can only recall in bits and pieces, so I apologize: The air temp was great for running but the wind had a bit of a bite. The nerves were getting amped up. People everywhere. My excitement grows. I can’t believe I’m doing this! Teary eyed start, and alone amongst so many people. I’m so happy! Five minutes pass before I hit the start line. Getting a little worried about being able to START RUNNING. So slow. Everyone says that’s good, go with it. Finally begin to start running. There’s old Tiger Stadium, and damn it, I miss her. Plenty of time to look at her, the pace is so slow. Running next to competitive walker for almost a mile, 2 hours is going to be tough. Corktown is beautiful, I had no idea. Miles two and three go unnoticed, but feel exceptionally slow. I see the Ambassador Bridge ahead, and for the first time see the whole throng of people in front of me. The sun is rising and the view of the bridge, the water and the people; simply spectacular. The image seeps into that little place where you store memories forever. I won’t ever forget this day. Worried about running over the bridge, the incline. Trained for it, practiced hills at 3 and 4 miles to prepare for this. It was nothing. Not even the wind made much difference. Still feel slow. 4 mile mark – 41 minutes and change. OH NO. Reality sets in. Quick math says “thou shall run at 8:30 m/m to finish in 2 hrs, henceforth”. Body says “BULLSH%T, thou shall”. Stop for the restroom, um, tree. MUCH JOY. Faster now, please lord, faster. Pace quickens. Look good for our Canadian friends! Beautiful run on this side. Weather is great, people are awesome. I feel like I could do this all day. Running fast now, feels good. I think about wife and kids, my parents too. I hope they make it in time, and without trouble. I say a little thank you prayer for them. They are the reason I’m running. I know that I love them. I hit the entrance to the tunnel (7.4 miles) at 1:09:44 and feeling better about my chances. FAST down the tunnel, SLOW and HOT coming out. Much whooping and hollering from runners. I laugh. This is FUN. Back into the open air. Cool breeze, straight in the face. Lovely. Meet a guy running his first HM too. Trying for 2hrs. too. He has a Garmin. He’s my new BFF!!! “What pace?”, says me after 9th mile rolls by. “8:43 m/m” replies my Garmin clad friend. It sets in, not today then, for the legs can go no faster. My new bff drops back, he can’t hold the pace. Mile 10 comes and goes, 1:34 something, the mind is numbing. The still functioning part calculates a sub-25 minute 5k will bring it home. The heart is willing, the legs are weak. HTFU runs through my head for the first, but hardly last, time today. Mile 11 goes by, don’t remember time, the HTFU part of brain says GO. YOU WILL MAKE IT. Sane part of brain just laughs. Mile 12, Tiger Stadium again. Can’t remember one thing I like about it. I hate Detroit. I hate running. Someone put a bullet in me. I want to die. FINALLY, I see the turn that takes us back up Washington, which I calculate to be the finish line. I am wrong. I hear “Four more blocks! You can make it!” from a helpful person cheering us on. I look down, 1:58:45. Disappointment, yes, but SO HAPPY for the end is near. Final turn. So many people! Cheering. Bells. And for one brief second, I hear him. My dad. With so much going on around me, his voice is one that harkens back to the days on the ball field, and the basketball court, for all those “growing up” years. When noise is noise, it is the voice of a father that cuts through it all. It lets me push the last bit of life left to my legs, to my heart. I pour everything I have into the finish. It isn’t much. But it is everything. His words carried me home. Thanks Dad, I love you too. When I am done, I am done. I careen off people walking by, apologizing. My legs move of their own accord. I don’t own them. So tired. Don’t sit. Not yet, for I won’t get back up. Hurting, sore, completely sapped. I see Josh, and he’s happy, and smiling and tells me how great I did. His joy spreads over to me, and I smile. Then I laugh out loud. And HARD. It starts to sink in. I DID IT! I finished. 2:02:28. I missed the goal, but not the point. I learned a lot today about how to prepare for a race, what to expect from a race, and how to execute a race plan. But I learned much more about myself than I ever thought I would. For it was on this day, I became a runner.

Really nice report. Nice run too! Sounds like you're bitten by the bug. Congrats.

Corktown is beautiful, I had no idea. Miles two and three go unnoticed, but feel exceptionally slow. I see the Ambassador Bridge ahead, and for the first time see the whole throng of people in front of me. The sun is rising and the view of the bridge, the water and the people; simply spectacular. The image seeps into that little place where you store memories forever. I won’t ever forget this day.

Great stuff

HTFU part of brain says GO. YOU WILL MAKE IT. Sane part of brain just laughs. Mile 12, Tiger Stadium again. Can’t remember one thing I like about it. I hate Detroit. I hate running. Someone put a bullet in me. I want to die.

There's absolutely nothing quite like a good love/hate relationship.

Final turn. So many people! Cheering. Bells. And for one brief second, I hear him. My dad. With so much going on around me, his voice is one that harkens back to the days on the ball field, and the basketball court, for all those “growing up” years. When noise is noise, it is the voice of a father that cuts through it all. It lets me push the last bit of life left to my legs, to my heart. I pour everything I have into the finish. It isn’t much. But it is everything. His words carried me home.

Even greaterer than the earlier great stuff. Well done POQ, congrats!

Great report Mike. It gets easier--don't worry. It's only when you think that you figured it out that it smacks you upside da head.

Kirsten--are you running GR this weekend?

Great report!

Congratulations Mike!!! The skies the limit for you.

Thanks everyone! I had a lot of fun w/the race and I was only a "little" dissappointed w/not finishing under 2 hrs. I learned a TON about what to do differently for next time too, not the least of which is to make sure I put in a better estimated finishing time so I can get w/people running at the pace I need! Looking at my splits from the race, I ran an 8:16 m/m pace in the 8-9th mile, which is listed as the "under water mile" because it is run in the tunnel between the US and Canada. I knew I was pushing really hard to try to make up time, I just couldn't hold that pace. Ah well, lesson learned. UP NEXT: The INDY mini-Marathon. May 3, 2008. You get to run one lap on the fabled track at Indianapolis Speedway. I'm not a racing guy, but I think that'd be pretty cool.