Notes
Eugene Marathon, 3:15:23, 7:27.5 pace. 6:10 PR.
Due to my calf issue I was expecting not to finish after mile 2 but I felt obligated and wanted to stay in as long as possible to run with Christine like we planned - I take first long shift, she takes over in the end while I hang on for dear life. So I separated from her a little bit because I didn't want to talk about my issue but wanted to stay in front. We were a little fast going down the early hills, 7:16 pace at mile 8. Then I caught up to Kathleen and she at first wondered why the hek I was way off pace. I tried to explain about the calf and that I was dropping out and just having fun. She bid me good tidings and I ran on. I sort of forgot about what the hek my strategy really was at that point. After the split (mile 9?) I saw a large pack of guys up the bridge and caught up to them like a dog does when he sees a bunch of other dogs. So I dubbed them the Dog Pound- a pack of 20 somethin's and one 50 somethin'. Me and the other old timer settled in behind them and joined in the conversation... they were all wanting to BQ. I looked at my watch and we were now at 7:12 pace. When they started slowing down their pace, us old guys got in front and tried to keep them on point at 7:15. Long story short, most of the Dog Pound couldn't keep up and it was only 4-5 of us around mile 12. So we traded lead positions and slowed down to 7:16 by the half marathon. One of the highlights of the race was seeing all the FOO cheering us on. Kurt, Jim, Stacey, Kathleen were awesome! But the best was going into the park and hearing some crazy girls shouting "GO PAUL!!". It was Theresa and Erika, literally RUNNING through the park waving and cheering me on. Some of my "dogs" were jealous- "Are they cheering for you?". "Yup!"
By then my calf calmed down, my breathing was perfect and I found relaxation along the way. That's when I decided not only was I not dropping out, I'm going to BQ if it kills me. I finally started thinking straight and broke off to slow the next 4 miles down to 7:20, now somewhat alone. At mile 18 is when I started feeling the exhaustion and pain of the race, and that's when Christine caught up. I ran 7:32 the next three miles up to mile 20 before she pulled out of sight - we're now averaging 7:19.
Not only was the last 6.2 miles painful, but it was also the worse part of the course! The hard and winding path and random hill placement was murder on my quads and hips, and then my calf started spazzing again. One thing I forgot to mention to Coach, seeing the Prefontaine movies right before Eugene had an advantage. I couldn't help remembering the line that said something like "The difference between me and the other runners is I can run through more pain than anyone can imagine!". Ok, I butchered that quote, but it inspired me to run through the pain I was feeling. I ran backwards (a suggestion from the other old guy that I again caught up to) around mile 22 instead of stopping and stretching. That and the hip-cramping slowed the last 6 miles to 7:58. The last mile, it felt like my conscious checked out and I dreamt of what it would feel like to finish under 3:15:59. My body went on an exruciatingly painful autopilot. I did manage to notice that even though I slowed, I passed my 50-somethin' running partner, and two more guys from the Dog Pound who graciously cheered me on, and drafted behind the second to the last standing canine.
When I hit Hayward Field track (that part was awesome!!) I awoke long enough to pass a couple of more finishers and looked up at the clock! 3:15:30, 31, 32, 33... I heard Theresa, Tony Mazza and Erika cheering me on... I would've waved, cried, or celebrated but it hurt too much. I crossed the finish line and fell to the ground and passed out! When I came to on the way to the clinic between two large guys carrying me, I was told I repeatedly told the nurses "I just qualifed for Boston!" We laughed about it when they released me 10-15 minutes later, and the head doctor walked me out and said "See you next year in Boston...."
6.21 13.1 18.62 7.32 26.2
0:45:10 1:34:14 2:19:45 0:55:39 3:15:23 7:28
0:07:16 0:07:12 0:07:30 0:07:36 0:07:27