Notes
Dinner - spaghetti & meatsauce (Macaroni Grille) & bread
Chocolate chip granola bar right before bed
Breakfast - bowl of oatmeal, no coffee
I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to RACE a marathon, but this was my 4th, and with every one, I gain a greater appreciation for those who can.
But here it was, twenty days after running Flying Monkey with its well earned “not flat, not fast” reputation, and I’m at the start line of Rocket City, a marathon known to be flat and fast. Good news, yes, but on the other hand, since I PR’d at the Monkey, the pressure was on to PR here as well.
Standing in the bone soaking cold at the start line, here is what I heard of the announcements. “blah, blah, blah, blah, 32nd running of the Rocket City marathon, blah, blah, blah, …running a marathon imposes major trauma and near exhaustion to the fit and healthy, and can cause severe injury for the medically unprepared.” Nice. (OR to say the same thing with only one word, “Idiots.”) Then the national anthem, the start gun, and we’re off!
My race strategy was to break the first 20 miles into 5 mile increments, and run about a 9 min pace for the first 5 and see how I felt at that point. After the first 5 miles I didn’t really feel that great, so I was thinking this may be a long day for me. Still, I was a little bit ahead of my plan at 44:32.
Mile 1 - 9:03
Mile 2 - 8:55
Mile 3 - 8:44
Mile 4 - 8:51
Mile 5 - 8:59 ---- 44:32
About mile 6 or 7 we were running through a residential area, and as I looked up ahead, there was this little kid standing out in the driveway holding both hands up in the air as everyone ran by. I noticed that no one around was waving at him, and I felt bad for the little fella, so I smiled and gave him a big wave. He never moved. And as I got closer, I saw that “he” was a statue. It was clear I wasn’t the fastest on the course…and as my big goofy grin faded away I was hoping it wouldn’t be too obvious that I’m not the brightest either. Um, yeah, it’s going to be a long day. Not long after that we went through a tunnel, and people ahead of me were yelling to hear their echos. This would not be the case on the way back at about mile 22 when we went through it again. So at the end of 10 I was ahead of a 9 minute pace, still not feeling great, but not too bad. (NOTE: My Garmin measured the course 26.38, so I think I was closer to a 9 pace than the splits show.)
Mile 6 - 8:49
Mile 7 - 8:46
Mile 8 - 8:54
Mile 9 - 8:40
Mile 10 - 9:05 ---- (44:12) 1:28:47
At each 5 mile increment I took a gel and two cups of water, and I walked for long enough to drink both cups down. I found that the energy I gained from walking for 30 seconds or so made up for the time lost. After the stop at mile 10 I started feeling more energy so I did the next 5 at a faster pace, and I hit the HM point at 1:57:05. My legs felt a little fatigued but not too bad, so I tried to hold a pretty steady pace.
Mile 11 - 8:38
Mile 12 - 8:44
Mile 13 - 8:53
Mile 14 - 8:45
Mile 15 - 8:36 ----- (43:35) 2:12:22
It turned out that there wasn’t a water stop until about mile 16, so I stretched the second gel a little further than 5 miles, but my plan at this point was to take my last gel at mile 21.
Mile 16 - 9:11
Mile 17 - 8:52
Mile 18 - 8:28
Mile 19 - 8:37
Mile 20 - 8:40 ----- (43:49) 2:56:11
One of the tough things about the marathon is that you don’t really know if you’ve started out too fast until you’re 20 miles or more into the race (unless you started WAY too fast).
If you look at my half split vs. finish time (1:57:05 vs. 3:54:23), it appears that I ran almost an even pace. But anyone who has ran a marathon knows that the real halfway point is the 20 mile mark. So looking at my pace for the first 20 miles vs. the last 6.2 tells quite a different story (8:48 min/mile vs. 9:25 min/mile). And for about 20 miles my thoughts were clear, and I felt pretty good.
But mile marker 21 brought with it the first mirage…a water stop that wasn’t there. It was real enough for me to take the gel out of my pocket and open it so I’d be ready to take it just before I got to the tables of water. There were spectators…but no tables of water. So on I slogged cradling the life-giving gel packet in my hand like a fragile egg for what SEEMED like another two miles to just before mile marker 22 where there was a real water stop.
I remember hearing the splits being called out and 3:15 something was my split. So in my exhausted stupor, I thought, “4.2 miles … if I walked 15 min miles it would be about an hour and that would still be under 4.” “Hey wait, did I just lie to myself? SHUT UP and KEEP RUNNING!” But I don’t know if I can. Do you HAVE TO STOP? My legs hurt, my hips are stiff, my stride feels like I’m walking on stilts, every step hurts. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!!! WHY DID YOU DO ANOTHER ONE OF THESE!! YOU’RE NOT EVEN A RUNNER!!! Get that out of your head.
Is that roadkill? Yes what’s left of a squirrel – try not to gag – LOOK AWAY FROM IT!! - think positive thoughts. Ok I’m imagining a big wheat field – where did THAT come from? Oh it’s the one from Gladiator – the one he sees before he dies. Think peaceful thoughts. Better now, but it still hurts. Stomach rumbles and my collar seems to tighten. Pull it away from my neck – oops don’t touch my throat. Slow down a little, don’t hurl. What mile am I on? Pass marker 23…hoping no one says “Only a 5k left.”
Somewhere along the way someone says, “You have the strength in you.” Hey, that’s good! I can use that. So I try to hang on to that the rest of the way. Mile 24 finally. 2.2 miles left – I don’t remember the split, but I remember having trouble adding 22 to whatever it was. I hadn’t looked at my watch since mile 22 because I didn’t want to know how slow I was running. I thought the best I could be doing the way I felt was about a 10 min pace.
That's it I’ve got to stop. No you don’t HAVE to stop – you just WANT to stop really bad. Your body is still working, though it’s certainly not pretty. I’m throwing up then, I can’t do this. Slow down a little but DON’T walk! You’re going sub 4 if you keep running. You’ll hate yourself later if you walk. You don’t HAVE to walk, you just WANT to.
Vision is blurred. Are your eyes watering? The winners finished over an hour ago, why is this so hard for you? You have the strength in you. Mile 25. 1.2 to go. You can walk a little now, then finish strong, it’ll be ok. Who walks this close to the finish? No, keep running. Walk or you’ll throw up at the finish line. Just keep running.
What’s that sound? Angels? No, it’s a cheering crowd, and an announcer! Someone is in the road ahead – what’ she saying? “Left turn, only point 2 left.” Turn left, and there it is – the glory of the finish! “Someone’s on your heels.” I can’t help it this is all I have. Can’t read the clock…3:59.xx ?? It’s that close? Look again – 3:54.xx!! I cross the finish - I made it. I MADE IT!!! A 14 minute PR!! Lady with concerned look asks, “Are you ok?” Yeah, but my legs hurt. Oh man – my legs! Can’t remember what else was said, except that I had trouble forming complete sentences, and my hips and legs ached. She put the medal around my neck, gave me my finishers hat and asked if I knew where I was going.
I hobbled over to find a place to recover and my body felt that strange mix of pain and pleasure. You know, that “major trauma and near exhaustion” kind of pain. No, I didn’t race the marathon, it was just me against the course, the clock, and the voices of doubt that tried to tell me it doesn’t matter if a middle of the packer gives less than his best.
The great Vince Lombardi said,
"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle-victorious."
And as I sat down in the grass wondering if I would be able to get up on my own, I think I got a small taste of what he meant.
Mile 21 - 9:06
Mile 22 - 9:14
Mile 23 - 9:05
Mile 24 - 9:02
Mile 25 - 9:19
Mile 26 - 9:20
Last 0.2 (or 0.38-) – 3:17 ------3:54:33 (Official time showed 3:54:23)