I ran a Marathon! I find it hard to believe that it is true, especially when I consider how poor my physical condition was about 1.5 years ago. Well, my goal time of 4:30 slipped away by 4 minutes, which is disappointing but I am still very excited to have finished close to my goal. Quite frankly I feel fortunate just to have finished. The longest I ran in training was 20 miles and I had no clue as to how the last 10K would go. All in all it was a great experience and I will be back next year. Here is the order of events:
4:15 – Breakfast at the hotel (Utah State University Inn, great little place). Ate a bagel with Jelly and an OJ. Saw the rain outside and cursed to myself. What a way to start the morning of my first marathon.
4:30 – Got on the bus for Merlin Olsen park and chatted with a guy who was very excited to beat his PR from the Ogden marathon (his first). He lifted my spirits. I exchanged to the bus to the starting line and could not believe how long the ride was, especially all the uphill. The thing just kept going and going... To add to my discouragement I saw lightning. I have been close to many lightning strikes and I am terrified of it so I silently prayed that we would not have to deal with that.
5:00 – Our bus was among the first at the starting line and so I didn’t have to wait long for a port-a-pottie (thank goodness). The rain stopped and there were no signs of lightning. They had a tent with heaters and a big old bonfire. I had a good time talking with a few fellow runners. It was chilly up there but it really wasn’t all that bad. With about 15 mins to go I had to go to the bathroom but the lines were horribly long. So I had to contribute to the hydration of nature... I then went down and lined up at the 4:30 pace area.
7:00 – It was actually a bit after 7:00. The mountain men’s guns went off and cheers went through the crowd. It was all very exciting. I got to the start line and started my Garmin. Here we go...
Miles 1 – 9: I felt great. It was slow running but I needed to stay at pace. I wanted to maintain a slightly under 10 pace but ended up running 9:35, which probably contributed to some of my struggles with the last 10K. The course is absolutely beautiful. I really enjoyed these first few miles. The volunteers were great and the support on the course was top notch. So far I was very impressed with the organization of the marathon. Then a horrible thing happened at mile nine. My hamstring close to my knee started hurting really bad. Every step came with a sharp pain. This caused me to start to panic. I had had plenty of problems with PF and other foot pain but my hamstring, especially on my left had never been a problem. The pain was starting to get so bad that I thought I might not be able to complete the rest of the 17 miles.
Miles 10 – 14: I said a prayer and asked for help from on-high and help came. The pain started to go away, although it would come back every two miles or so. I think I was also able to get my mind to ignore some of it, in any case I was able to run through it although my gait was slightly affected. I could not stop and stretch because I am the type of runner that if I come to a complete stop my legs lock up and it takes forever to get going again, if at all. It was great to get to mile 14 and see all the supportive spectators. I actually enjoy getting to the half of any run because I tell myself that all I have to do now is run home.
Miles 15 – 20: I started to pass a lot of people during this stretch of the run. My total average pace was 9:45 but it was quickly deteriorating to well over 10. My body started to slow down and so did everybody else. By this point we were running in city streets and facing all sort of small hills that were very tough. My spirits were lifted when I saw my wife and my daughter (both had run the 5K much earlier) at the 19-mile marker. The gave me a much needed boost and I was able to raise my hands and give them a smile. They were saying “you look great” and I was thinking “but I feel like crap!”
Miles 20 – 24: After I hit mile 20 I was encouraged by the fact that my feet were feeling good. My feet are usually killing me by mile 17 or so, but I had no pain to speak of. My hamstring however was bothering me but not enough to make me stop. A guy passed me and for some reason said that he was cramping up but he didn’t care and he would finish the race, this inspired me. However, no more than 3 minutes later I heard him scream, grab his leg and come to a complete stop. I felt bad for him and concerned for me. My average pace kept deteriorating and by mile 24 it was about 10:17. My legs were really tired by now and the distance was taking a heavy toll. I didn’t feel like I did when I hit the wall during the Provo River half but it was more gradual.
Miles 25 – Finish: It was around this point (I think) that we tackled the main street hill. This was demoralizing but I was able to keep going. My wife and daughter had been able to cheer me on at almost every mile marker from mile 19 on, which helped a lot. The most beautiful words that I think I have heard were “keep it up, after this turn you will see the finish line!” This gave me a boost and when I turned the corner I saw it! I started sobbing, which was weird but the tears came involuntarily. The finish was lined with quite a few spectators and this kept my adrenaline going. I was able to spot my wife who was excitedly cheering me on. I got to the finish line and stopped my Garmin. The reading said 4:34:24 with a distance of 26.47. I could not believe the distance was so off but didn’t care all that much. I was bummed about missing the 4:30 goal but sooo excited to have finished. I made the mistake of bending down to get my chip off, which sent shooting pain through my hamstring but I was able to keep hobbling to collect my medal. My daughter had snuck into the runner’s area and gave me a hug and congratulations. All in all a great experience.
Other quick facts:
Milliseconds net time: 4:34:17
Calories burned: 3500
Final average pace: 10:22
Recovery Status: 5 days later my hamstring still hurts but only when I go up and down stairs. I plan on running again in about 4 days.
Next challenge: 2009 Grand Slam, hope to break 4 hours at the Ogden Marathon. | 