It makes for some interesting reading:
It was the best of times.....
On Friday I went and picked up my number and chip. I got there at 3 and they were still setting up. I picked up my bib and the T-shirt ( My large looked like a medium???) Walked around the expo, and bought some NipGuards based solely on Beast's recommendation. After one use, I can say they are great and I am now a believer in them. Headed home and tried to relax.
The weekend was going to be hectic for me. My daughter's communion was on Saturday ( I asked Father Gene to bless me for a good race, he obliged), so the reception afterwards became my carb loading party.I drank lots of water through out the day, tried not to do anything to strenuous.
Me and the wife decided, that it was probably best that I go alone. Her sister had bailed on her, and she was feeling uncomfortable about being there without anyone she knew. I thought it was no big deal (this would be a bad mistake on my part).
Sunday I couldn't sleep so I got up, and got ready. I was out of the house by about 5:35, and low and behold within 5 minutes a black cat crosses in front of me on one of the streets ( is this an omen???)
Got to Eatontown on race day, and Rt 36 was packed with cars, all of them runners it seemed. I got to President's Park, it was around 6:45 and I could see the half marathoners walking towards the start. I grab my bag and start walking towards the hotel. I wait around waiting to see the start of the half, call my wife, and then check my bag in. I start walking around I have a gel and some water, and I try to find the only face I know, Mother Glo. I finally find her at the Start, along with Shannon and Gloria's friend Emma ( Ladies, it was a pleasure to meet you) I head up to the 4:00 pace group and wait the start.
8:05AM, were off, I settle in, and I start to have fun. The pace feels great. I am enjoying this, but I think to myself, I have to do this for 26 more miles????Goal one was to finish,Goal two was to break 4 hours. I wanted to average 9:10 for the first half (2 hours) and then run 1:59 for the second half (or try and and run the last 6 miles at about 8:40-8:45
Here are the splits for the 1st half:
Mile 1 9:04 I start running next to TNT girl from Pittsburgh named Barbie. She is running an even pace, and we start talking.
Mile 2 8:46
Mile 3 9:13
Mile 4/5 18:01 (avg 9:00) I am now completely my gel schedule, and for that matter I think I made a critical mistake, I am grabbing Gatorade and diluting it with water
Mile 6/7 18:24 (avg 9:12)
Mile 8/9/10 27:28 (avg 9:09) My ankle is starting to get a little "sore" at around mile 8.5
Mile 11 9:03 I think my ankle is starting to become a issue
Mile 12 9:13 My left hamstring is trying to adapt to my ankle, this is not good
Mile 13.1 10:59 Lin Mark timing has me through in 2:00.40, with a 9:13 average
Being off my gel schedule, I should have been drinking the Gatorade instead of diluting it. This I feel was critical mistake 1.
I am right on pace, I feel good, and I know that a 2 hour second loop is possible. I would wait for Ocean Ave (Mile 23) to see where I am out and try to go negative. I am now running with a girl named Sharon, whose husband is trying to BQ.
It was the worst of times.....
After the first loop, I kept thinking wow this course is so easy, Its not too bad. I can deal with the ankle. Should be ok.
Here are the splits:
Mile 14/15 19:16 ( 9:38 avg) trying to take in as much water as possible
Mile 16 10:21 uh oh Houston we have a problem, I am getting tired, sort of how I felt like last summer. But hey 10 more miles or 2 X 5 mile runs. I can do this
Mile 17/18/19 32:34 (10:11 avg) pulled it a little together, a 4:10 finish is not bad. At the next water stop (around mile 17.5), I plan on drinking as much as possible, I tell Sharon, to go on. I will catch up to her. She waves back her thanks for helping her up to this point.
Mile 20 11:51 I didn't hit the wall it fell on me!! I am now walking/running I figure that if I keep this up I should be ok
Mile 21 11:41 ok not bad, I am not liking it, but I can gut this out
Mile 22 11:55 I am now fast walking, but my left hammy is acting very weird. Plus my right calf is not exactly all pumped up either
Mile 23 12:12 about 50 yards before the marker, MY hammy tightens up real bad, I start to walk.
Mile 24 15:47 I am walking and trying to run, but my gait is so weird and every step feels like my hamstring and calf are going to pop, I believe I am now dehydrated. But I have two more miles I can do this.
Mile 25 12:37 Ok the running walking method is working, split is not to bad. And besides the finish is close I am now next the board walk.
Warning: The next passage is not for the squeamish at heart, it is ugly, read at your own discretion
I go no more than 50 meters past the mile marker, and my right calf seizes. I see what looks like a golf ball sized indentation in it. I want to just sit and take pressure of of it. As I try to sit on the Boardwalk, my left Hamstring starts its thing, I fall on my butt to the Boardwalk. OUCH THIS FREAKING HURTS. I can't quit now I am so close. I try and let it works it way out. I try and get up, it tightens up. I am now having visions of crawling to the finish. things feel a little normal, I get up, and start to walk, As I am walking its feeling better. I am now passing people with my "race-walk", But I back off as soon as it feels weird again
Mile 26 15:19 ok not bad I am now on the Boardwalk, and the crowd is getting me to the finish. .2 2:47 this split can't be right when you consider that I walked and then was determined to run across the finishing mat
Second half is in 2:37.12 with a 12 minute average. I finish in 4:38.54 (gun time) chip time was 4:37.52 for a 10:37 average.I thought after the first loop that would be easy, little did I know that this black widow by the sea was about to tangle me in her web. And that she did.
I am amazed that I finished at all. As I enter the chute I am trying to find SpinGoddess, considering, I am tired, hurting and have no clue what she looks like. I am approached by some young girl who offers to remove the chip, I say yes. I am handed my FIRST FINISHING medal and my finishers hat. I feel like I don't deserve it because of how I finished ( my emotions would boil over soon.) it hurts to walk, I grab some water, and I figured based on my finishing time, I should see Glo pretty soon, I want to wait and be there as she PRs, after 10 minutes, my legs are hurting and I am feeling a little weird. I think I wanted to go inside. the walk to the hotel is hard. I get my bag, go to the bathroom, grab my phone and call my wife. I am now missing her not being here. I am thinking about my hour plus drive home. She answers on the other side and says "did you finish" I start to ball, I don't know if its from the emotion of finishing this goal of mine, or from the pain. She wants to know if I ma ok, I tell her yes, but that my legs hurt. she wishes she could be there for me and she states I will never run another one without her there. I get a hold of myself and make my way inside to eat something. I have some chili, and cornbread and then when I try and get up, I almost fall backwards. God this sucks!! I make my way to the massage room and wait for almost for two hours till my turn. I keep looking for Glo on the results list I still don't see her.
After the massage which helped, I started the long walk to my car It is 3:30 by the time I leave the parking lot and start to head home. Thankfully traffic was flowing. I got home had some dinner as I am eating my next door neighbor comes over and congratulates me. It is now that it all hits me. Finishing a marathon, no matter how bad you do, is a huge deal. You have to be proud of that fact. It is not an easy feat, no matter how non chalant anyone tries and makes it seem.
Long Branch must be a cursed city for me, My first half a marathon ended here and the run sucked. I gave up running not to for from there at Monmouth University. back in 2000 as I started to train for the 2001 addition, and the day before the 2000 race I broke my leg in 6 different pieces, effectively putting an end to my attempt to run 2001. And after yesterday. I am starting to think a blessing couldn't even help me. Geeze even President Garfield had a bad time here.
I want to extend this already ridiculous length report and thank some people:
My wife, and kids for being there for me. Now if I leave some one out please forgive me, but Glo, Stace, jVal, Allison, Bruce, Aubrey, Xtaper, waterdogg, TP, and anybody who answered and offered up advice to me when I asked some stupid questions.
Will I run this race next year? Don't know yet I may just do the Ocean Drive. But at this point I will rest for the week ( I leave for Cali on Thursday) and I will probably get a 3 mile run in next Monday. And then I will start to get ready for Philly in November.
(for the record I started to train for Philly but gave up on it after a month)
Mile 25 12:37 Ok the running walking method is working, split is not to bad. And besides the finish is close I am now next the board walk.
Warning: The next passage is not for the squeamish at heart, it is ugly, read at your own discretion
I go no more than 50 meters past the mile marker, and my right calf seizes. I see what looks like a golf ball sized indentation in it. I want to just sit and take pressure of of it. As I try to sit on the Boardwalk, my left Hamstring starts its thing, I fall on my butt to the Boardwalk. OUCH THIS FREAKING HURTS. I can't quit now I am so close. I try and let it works it way out. I try and get up, it tightens up. I am now having visions of crawling to the finish. things feel a little normal, I get up, and start to walk, As I am walking its feeling better. I am now passing people with my "race-walk", But I back off as soon as it feels weird again
Mile 26 15:19 ok not bad I am now on the Boardwalk, and the crowd is getting me to the finish. .2 2:47 this split can't be right when you consider that I walked and then was determined to run across the finishing mat
Second half is in 2:37.12 with a 12 minute average. I finish in 4:38.54 (gun time) chip time was 4:37.52 for a 10:37 average.I thought after the first loop that would be easy, little did I know that this black widow by the sea was about to tangle me in her web. And that she did.
I am amazed that I finished at all. As I enter the chute I am trying to find SpinGoddess, considering, I am tired, hurting and have no clue what she looks like. I am approached by some young girl who offers to remove the chip, I say yes. I am handed my FIRST FINISHING medal and my finishers hat. I feel like I don't deserve it because of how I finished ( my emotions would boil over soon.) it hurts to walk, I grab some water, and I figured based on my finishing time, I should see Glo pretty soon, I want to wait and be there as she PRs, after 10 minutes, my legs are hurting and I am feeling a little weird. I think I wanted to go inside. the walk to the hotel is hard. I get my bag, go to the bathroom, grab my phone and call my wife. I am now missing her not being here. I am thinking about my hour plus drive home. She answers on the other side and says "did you finish" I start to ball, I don't know if its from the emotion of finishing this goal of mine, or from the pain. She wants to know if I ma ok, I tell her yes, but that my legs hurt. she wishes she could be there for me and she states I will never run another one without her there. I get a hold of myself and make my way inside to eat something. I have some chili, and cornbread and then when I try and get up, I almost fall backwards. God this sucks!! I make my way to the massage room and wait for almost for two hours till my turn. I keep looking for Glo on the results list I still don't see her.
After the massage which helped, I started the long walk to my car It is 3:30 by the time I leave the parking lot and start to head home. Thankfully traffic was flowing. I got home had some dinner as I am eating my next door neighbor comes over and congratulates me. It is now that it all hits me. Finishing a marathon, no matter how bad you do, is a huge deal. You have to be proud of that fact. It is not an easy feat, no matter how non chalant anyone tries and makes it seem.
Long Branch must be a cursed city for me, My first half a marathon ended here and the run sucked. I gave up running not to for from there at Monmouth University. back in 2000 as I started to train for the 2001 addition, and the day before the 2000 race I broke my leg in 6 different pieces, effectively putting an end to my attempt to run 2001. And after yesterday. I am starting to think a blessing couldn't even help me. Geeze even President Garfield had a bad time here.
I want to extend this already ridiculous length report and thank some people:
My wife, and kids for being there for me. Now if I leave some one out please forgive me, but Glo, Stace, jVal, Allison, Bruce, Aubrey, Xtaper, waterdogg, TP, and anybody who answered and offered up advice to me when I asked some stupid questions.
Will I run this race next year? Don't know yet I may just do the Ocean Drive. But at this point I will rest for the week ( I leave for Cali on Thursday) and I will probably get a 3 mile run in next Monday. And then I will start to get ready for Philly in November.
(for the record I started to train for Philly but gave up on it after a month)
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