Dark Horse
Cool Runner |
 posted Apr-16-2007 04:48 PM
  
SHORT VERSION: I was 10th out of 41 runners, in 3:57:29. Not too bad, I think, for a guy in his first marathon, who's never run more than 14 miles before. And this was an extremely tough course: there must be few other marathon courses this tough. LONG VERSION: For the last several weeks I've had a lot of trouble with my legs, especially my right hip and right knee. I would guess I've run only 7-8 times in the last month. I didn't run at all last week, and ran only twice the week before. By not running at all last week, I hoped my legs would heal up, and my plan was to gut out the race since I knew I wasn't in good condition. This is exactly how it played out. Another wild card is that I just got back yesterday from a four-day pass to Sofia, Bulgaria, with Sgt. Camargo. Between the drinking and the strip clubs and the late nights, I wasn't as well-rested or well-hydrated as I might have been. I got only three hours' rest our last night in Bulgaria. Maybe I'll post separately about my Sofia Taper™.  THE RACE: I've heard all this lore about "hitting the wall," but there was no wall, even though it was my first time running over 14 miles. I just felt progressively more like sh*t.
The cold winds were blowing 20-30 mph: my hands went numb, and my breath was steaming in the cold air. There is no flat part of the course. It's all uphill or downhill, and a lot of it is steep--both the uphills and the downhills. The problem on the downhills is to keep yourself from running too fast and going out of control, but whether you go pounding down the hill or hold yourself back, you beat h*ll out of your legs. (Thank you, inventor of ibuprofen: I just took three pills.) There can't be many other marathon courses like this, if there are any at all. In addition to the hills, you're running on a variety of surfaces: asphalt, concrete, dirt, gravel--the sharp pieces of gravel hurt like a b*st*rd on the soles of your feet--and there's one brief part of the course that is offroad and bumpy, like moguls in downhill skiing.
Below are my splits. We ran the same loop four times, but the first loop was longer because we ran extra to make the course measure 26.2:
1:01:27
1:57:24
2:57:41
3:57:29 I had no watch, so I only found out how I was doing when I passed by the start-finish line. I have a nice Swiss Army watch with leather band (list price $225, bought on sale for $149, thank you very much) and I had no intention of sweating all over it.
My main goal was to finish under six hours, because that's when they were closing the course. My secret goal was to beat four hours. I was 95% sure I couldn't do it, mainly because I've often had too much pain to run at all recently. But after the second loop, with my time at 1:57:24, I knew I had a chance.
Trouble was, I fully expected to fade: beyond 14 miles was terra incognita. I've just never run farther than that before. On the third loop, I used my arms to keep myself going, even when I wanted to stop and walk. Finishing this loop brought me close to 20 miles. I chose not to think about how the miles were mounting up: it was too scary.
After the third loop, with my time at 2:57:41, I knew I had a chance to break four hours. But I was worried about my legs giving out, because they were both hurting: I regarded them as time bombs waiting to go off; I just didn't know when. Also, I was expecting to hit that fabled wall. Well, there wasn't one, or if there was, I didn't notice and ran through it.
On the fourth and last loop, I knew I didn't need to save anything. I felt awful--kept wanting to stop and walk, especially on all those long hills--but I never let myself ease up, because I knew sub-4:00 was possible. The f*cking hills were kicking my @$$, but I made it my goal to slow down as little as possible on the uphills. I kept grinding the whole way, pushing, pushing, going faster than I wanted to, cutting off the tangents on curves, trying to gain or at least not lose precious seconds.
Here's something I think helped me. During my longer treadmill runs, I am in the habit of imagining that the last 6.2 miles are the finish of a marathon. There are no hills on the treaddmill--I keep the incline at 1%--but I visualize hills, and how I'm going to feel. I visualize pushing through the pain, no matter what, and I count down the miles and tenths of miles to the finish line. On the last loop of this marathon, I had no idea of my time or how far there was to go, but I remembered how I would always gut it out to the finish of my imaginary marathon--and now I tried to do it for real.
I grew stronger as I approached the finish. I was able to kick it in the last mile--wouldn't be surprised if I did the last mile in 7-something. That's what got me under four hours. I felt strong enough to run even faster, probably 6-something, but I felt there was a possibility I would faint or throw up.
I didn't have a watch, and I couldn't see the clock when I crossed the finish line: it was too dark. So I didn't know right away whether I had gone fast enough on the last loop to break 4:00. I wandered back to the clock, and was so pleased to see the time of 3:57:29.  I don't know what kind of swag the real Boston Marathoners get. All the sub-six hours finishers in our race are getting official Boston Marathon jackets and softcover books about the history of the race. I'm told we will also get medals, but we don't have them yet. As it happens, the local organizer of our race, Sgt. Fortuna, is leaving tomorrow to go home to Boston on leave for two weeks. He knows all the people at the BAA and plans to pick up our medals in person. Photos later. I didn’t take any, being otherwise engaged, but a lot of other people did. Dark Horse ------------------
I'm a dark horse, running on a dark race course
IP: Logged |
Dark Horse
Cool Runner |
posted Apr-16-2007 05:33 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Jim24315:
It will be interesting to see how you do against that young dude in your annual 2-mile test.
Jim, Thanks for your kind words, and I'm impressed by your memory. Specialist Bain was in the race today. However, he twisted his ankle--not too surprising on this course--and had to drop out, poor fellow. However, he is only 24, and trains hard, so I expect he will beat me in our PT test. He and I are planning to canoe down the Mississippi next year. His idea is to put in at St. Louis and get out at New Orleans and party hearty. At age 19, he hiked the 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine. He's quite a guy. Hanging out with people like him and Sgt. Ccamargo helps me stay young. Dark Horse ------------------
I'm a dark horse, running on a dark race course
IP: Logged |
grrrrr
