Can you see the big smile on my face through your computer monitors? :-)

 

Yes, it was good.  All of it.  Saturday night dinner with Jack and three lovely ladies, Lorraine (Jack's wife), Terrie and Sue (my wife).  Dan fortuitously finding Sue and me in a sea of people Sunday morning.  Debby and her husband, Tom, finding the three of us just a few minutes later.  Terrie finding Dan and me at the starting line amidst a crowd of runners.  Perfect race day weather.....40's, overcast, moderate humidity and very light winds.

 

This was my first completed marathon in over 8 years. I ran 13 of them in 1983-89 at ages 45-51.....all between 3:22 and 3:55.  Then I took a break from running for 7 years until six months ago when I cranked it up again. I knew this would be my first marathon over 4 hours. I estimated that something around 4:20 was realistic.

 

Now, the race itself.......4:12:50 (official).  I got 4:12:47 on my watch and saw 4:12:48 on the clock at the finish....but I sure ain't going to quibble!  The official time goes in my running log.

 

Dan and I had similar race goals.  His primary goal was to better his MCM time of 4:25.  My race goals framed a 4:15-4:30 range....4:20 realistic goal, 4:30 minimum goal, and 4:15 optimistic goal.  So, we decided to run together as long as we both could and, if one or the other was stronger later in the race, each finish as best he could.

 

My race plan was to average 10 minute miles (4:22 pace) for the first 13 miles, gradually pick it up to around 9:50 (4:18 pace) to 20 miles and see how well we could run the last 6.2.  I felt that this strategy would give us the best assurance of staying under 4:30 if we faded in the last 10k, and the best shot of getting closer to 4:15 if we were able to pick it up in the last 10k.

 

Very quickly, my race plan went out the window.  We spent 30 seconds crossing the start line and our 1st mile split, a flat mile, was still 10:16....14 seconds too fast.....and that turned out to be our slowest mile of the race.

 

For any technocrats (like me) reading this, we had only two other miles that were over 10 minutes....both uphill.  Mile 8 in 10:04 and mile 10, the most uphill of the race, in 10:02.  Sixteen of the 26 miles, including all of the last 6, were under 9:45.  Our 13 mile split was 2:07:04....a 9:46 pace.  We ran the last 13.2 miles in 2:05:46....a 9:32 pace.  Our first 6 miles took 58:42 (9:47 pace), the second six 58:31 (9:45 pace), the third six 58:11 (9:42 pace) and the last 8.2 miles took 1:17:35 (9:28 pace).  We ran the last 10k in 58:05....a 9:22 pace.

 

We both felt good coming through the middle miles and only began to really work hard on an uphill climb that spanned miles 19 & 20.  Dan began to push the pace in mile 21 and I just hung on as best I could, sometimes as much as 20 yards behind him.  Then we came back together going into mile 23 and I pushed him for awhile.  We fed off of each other and found a finishing kick.  We ran mile 24 in 8:56, eased to 9:33 in mile 25 to "save" a little for the last 1.2 uphill finish (sound like MCM?), which we ran at a 9:22 pace.  He finished a half stride in front of me.

 

Debby met us as we came out of the finish chute.  She and Tom were manning the complimentary cell phones.  Dan called home.  I couldn't reach my sons.

 

Post race refreshments consisted of hot broth, buns, bananas, oranges and beer.

 

We didn't see Terrie finish, but Jack did.  I won't divulge her finishing time.  I'm sure she will post a report.  I'll just say that she is also happy.

 

A little post race info.  My legs were very tired and achy last night, but have felt just fine today.  The only soreness at all is when I first get up after sitting for awhile and that quickly goes away.  Except for a little tightness in my right groin area, there are really no symptoms of having run a marathon yesterday.

 

This was the slowest marathon I have finished.....but, in one very significant way, the best one I have run.  Never before have I managed to run negative splits in a marathon.  Never before have I been as strong in the last 6 miles as I was in this one. Never before have my legs muscles not tightened in the last 6 miles.  Never before have I, apparently, recovered as rapidly as I have from this one.  I really think this was the closest I have come to running a "perfect" marathon. I attribute all this to three things:

 

1)  Running with Dan.....which was not only an absolute pleasure, but very fortunate.  I think we complemented each other very well.  His youthful energy....he is 20 years younger than I am....pushed and pulled me to a faster time than I would have run by myself.  My holding him back a little, especially early on, based on my marathoning experience probably helped him to run a better race and avoid a crash like he had at MCM four weeks earlier.  Dan pushed the pace a little when we went uphill, which he does better than I, and I did the same coming back downhill, where I excel.  I think that we both had a better race running together than we would have had alone.

 

2)  My training.....Although I did no speedwork at all, I ran higher mileage during the last 5 months since starting my second running life than I have ever run in a similar period.  I had 9 weeks of 50+ miles, including the only 70 mile week I have ever run, 11 runs of 20+ miles, and 1126 total miles.  I think I now have the running base that I wanted and needed on which to build a complete training program next year.

 

3) Most importantly....all of you.  I said before the race that I was going to count my blessings during this race.  I did.  You were running with me.  I almost let Dan go in miles 21/22 when it got really difficult.  I knew that I could ease a little and still finish under 4:15....better than my ceiling goal. I was very tempted to do so.  I fell off his pace several times during those two miles and he would move away from me.....and every time I would think of you and you would push me back up to him.  Maybe there really is something to this "positive vibe"

thing. :-)

 

Sarah said that she would be with me in mile 22, which is where she and I were stopped in MCM four weeks ago.  You were, Sarah.  And it was just when I needed you.  I felt Billy running with me in Brazil.  The two Deb’s and Mikey in Canada, Tim in Ohio, Bob in North Carolina, Kristin in Utah, all of you. I really am a very fortunate man.

 

A special thanks to Dan, Jack, Terrie, Lorraine, Debby and Tom for a weekend of great memories.  And thanks to all of you for your support, encouragement, friendship.....and for tolerating yet another of my long posts.

 

Jim2

  

Return to Race Log

Return to Personal Race Reports