I guess I'll start with my mile splits. They tell the story pretty well. Mile 1 - 8:38 - This mile climbed about 100 ft. in the first 2/3 mile. I felt like I was taking it fairly easy as I warmed up and got into a rhythm. Miles 2-7 - 7:31, 7:47, 8:06, 8:09, 8:04, 7:59 - I felt good, especially on the downgrades. I mentally backed off a little on the flats and upgrades because I knew I didn't have the training in to run hard throughout. I expected to be challenged later in the race, especially those last miles down University Ave., and I didn't want to expend too much energy too soon. My overall pace up to this point was just over 8:00/mi. In retrospect, it may have been too fast, but I felt comfortable and didn't feel like I was pushing. Mile 8 - 9:48 - My bladder had been feeling uncomfortably full for a while, so I finally had to stop at the mile 7 porta potties. I estimate I lost a full minute draining my bladder. I only drank 6-8 ounces of liquid before the race this morning, I must have been well hydrated from yesterday. The second half of this mile also had the beginning of the first big hill. Miles 9-13 - 9:06, 8:07, 8:27, 9:18, 8:56 - I continued to feel good through these miles. My pace slowed because of the hills through these miles. Mile 14 - 9:47 - As planned, I took a gel before the aid stations at 7 and 13. By the time I reached all the porta potties at the start of the half marathon at mile 13.1 I was beginning to feel some stomach cramps. I debated whether to stop and finally did at the last porta potty. I spent about a minute there and felt a bit better afterward. Mile 15 - 9:00 - During this mile the stomach cramps returned and worsened. I was grateful I only had to wait a short time for a porta potty to become available at the aid station. Mile 16 - 14:14 - I spent about 5 minutes in the porta potty, and watched my overall pace slip from 8:33/mi to 8:55/mi. I've used these gels in many marathons and never had trouble before, but something told me they were causing the stomach issues. After this stop I decided to skip gels the rest of the race and hope that Powerade would get me to the finish line. I had no more stomach trouble. Miles 17-20 - 9:31, 9:34, 9:30 - My stomach troubles were in the past, but I was about to begin to pay the price for my inadequate training for a marathon. My longest run in the past 8 months (since my troubles at the St. George marathon) had only been 16 miles. As I expected, this unexplored territory offered adventurous physical and mental challenges for the next 10 miles. I got what I deserved. Miles 21-26.2 - 9:50, 9:25, 10:00, 11:04, 10:01, 9:18, 7:42/mi kick. I was grateful to see Larry at mile 20.5. My wheels were continuing to come off, but Larry had his wheels and rode his bike with me until the finish chute. His company was much welcome. He said he had been watching runners while waiting for me. Some seemed like they were on their 1st mile, others seemed like they were in terrible pain. He said I looked somewhere in between. I told him I must be deceitful, because I was really struggling. I first noticed the pain from the blisters forming on both big toes just after I met Larry. They ended up being pretty big. I walked briefly on the steeper upgrade in mile 24, but walking didn't feel any better than running so that didn't last long. With Larry's encouragement, I rallied some willpower the last couple of miles and finished as strongly as I could. Finish - As we approached the finish Larry asked if they had pretty good stuff at the finish line. I said, "Yes. They have stopping." I was breathing hard and my energy was spent, and I was very happy to kick down the chute, cross the finish line, and stop. Afterwards I told Larry, "I don't know why I do this." I wasn't referring to running marathons. I was referring to running a marathon alone, with insufficient training, when none of my buddies are running. Without Larry being there it would have been a pretty lonely and discouraging event. On the bright side, the weather was perfect and the vistas, volunteers, and spectators were awesome. I finished about where I expected and, aside from a couple of big toe blisters, uninjured. My troublesome right hip got pretty sore and stiff, but feels okay now. The foot neuroma and numbness that I've been battling since St. George didn't bother me today. My feet felt beat up and tired, not surprisingly, but I didn't notice any numbness. I'm confident that as I continue to step up my training I'll continue to improve. My plan is to be ready to get back on the St. George marathon horse this fall that bucked me off last year and ride it strong to the finish. Stats:
04:03:48, 9:18/mi (half: 01:52:42, 8:36/mi) Age: 51
Age group (50-54): 37th of 82
Overall: 712th of 1635 Not too long ago I was finishing in the top 10%. Now it's the top 50%. The glass is half full, not half empty...and I hope it is filling and not continuing to drain.
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