The running gods were in my favor during that morning a week ago yesterday. A front had delayed its movement to the east coast and gave way to weather that could not be much more ideal for a marathon. The temps were in the mid 40's with a projected high in the upper 50's. No rain, no high heat, some sun. All those miles running in blizzards, rain, record heat, blistering cold complete with high winds, and still I get blessed with this. I must have done something right in a previous life. I awoke with a feeling of readiness that I had not experienced before. I pride myself on being prepared but had never felt this ready before. They say that the hardest part is the training and that from there you just need to show up. Well, as nice of a thought as that may be, you still have to lace em up and go out to run 26.2 miles. Confidence is good but I'm more for just being ready with said confidence in hand. It was a strange feeling though. I had no chance of coming anywhere close to competing for a top finishing spot, but it did not matter as I had my own race I was running. There were no Kenyan's on my radar. There were no elites that I was set to battle with in an epic run to go down in history as a true battle. My adversary was nothing more than a clock. A simple, man-made concept of time and the little digital lines that represent something that had consumed me for 16 months. This was going to be a battle that could only be experienced in true intimate fashion by no one other than the one attaching my bib number, wearing my shoes, and running with my beating heart. This was a personal journey that only I could embark on. The training had been completed. The travel and preparations had been completed. There was just one thing left to complete now.
7 am found me in the first corral, with the elites, on one knee giving thanks to anyone/anything that was there with me and listening. As I thought about the things that had led to this point, I found myself crossing that starting line and running. Unfortunately, the race started with a hiccup. My watch went into standby mode the second I went to start it. So, the first quarter mile my watch was worthless. Thankfully, it registered and started after only that little ways. I was set and going. While the weather was perfect, I started to realize that it would end up being a little warm for the long sleeved compression I was wearing under my shirt. With my bid number attached to my shirt, I had to removed both and put my planned shirt back on. I hope that long sleeved I ditched brings warmth and good fortune to the person it got donated to. I wanted to keep my gloves on to wipe away sweat and keep from my hands getting sticky when spilling on them during the fluids spots. At this point, I was in the race and ticking off miles.
I decided to keep the 3 hour pace group behind me. It was a large group that was talking a lot and annoying to run with. I figured that as long as I kept them all behind me, I would hit my time. In doing so, I was going a little quicker than I had planned. Anybody that knows me, or follows this blog consistently, would know that this is nothing new. That tends to be my M.O. Regardless, I was feeling very comfortable and decided to allow myself to continue at that pace. I was getting so lost in the run that I began to lose miles. I have that happen during long runs often, but not like this. I would hit mile 6 and realize I did not recall going through mile 5. The same would happen at mile 9 and others after that. I came through the half marathon at exactly 1:28:00. By itself, that would have been my 4th best half ever. Yes, I was feeling good and still very relaxed. My buddy jumped in at this point to run with me for the 2nd half. The next 8 miles were completed much like the previous 13.1. The last 5, that's where the real battle started.
I have had races, and runs, that I had to push through to complete. It is said that a marathon is broken up into 3 parts. The first part is the first 13.1 miles and you run that with your legs. I had completed that part and into the 2nd part. This is the next 6-7 miles. Your legs start to get tired and you need to run this part of the marathon with your head. You remember your training and still are carrying the excitement of the race. This is hard but you can get through it with some focus. Then you enter the 3rd part of a marathon which is roughly the last 10k. Your legs are tired, your feet hurt, you've been talking yourself through the last 6 miles, and you are starting to think about the finish and how far you still have to go. This last part is all heart. The negative talk and thoughts of stopping begin to creep into your mind. The water stops seem like a great spot to take a little extra time because you've run so hard to this point and you deserve a little break don't you? You're under your goal time so far and have some time banked. If you act on one of those thoughts, it is easier to act on another and another and another. Now you are battling yourself as well as the clock. By mile 22 and 23, my hips started to really tighten up and my legs were getting harder and harder to keep moving. The last 30 minutes were about to feel as long as the previous 150. I tell people that it was the hardest thing I have ever had to push through to complete. I had previously planned to allow myself to walk through the last stop with 2 miles to go. I took in some extra gatorade and water to give myself what I needed for that final push to the finish. Coming through the home stretch I could see the beginnings of the finish line. I had half a mile to go. I had a quarter mile to go. I could see the finish line and I was doing everything I could to just keep my legs moving. When I crossed that finish line, I threw my arms in the air and knew I had done it. I did not see the clock but I just KNEW it! I had accomplished what I had set out to do and became overwhelmed with emotion. Typing this now, that emotion comes back up just as if I am experiencing it all over again...minus the pain!
So what does someone do that just accomplished such a goal? I walked directly to the hotel where our post-race reception area was...and I got a massage...from 2 massage therapists at the same time! I ate some food and drank some fluids. I was still taking in the moment. My goal was in hand and I was now entering marathon retirement. My body is currently enjoying some much needed rest and recovery. I don't know my exact plans moving into next year but will be doing many races as usual, just no marathons. I plan to focus on the half marathon and other races of shorter distances. I am so happy to have this goal in hand but this is just the beginning and I am far from peaking. This is just one justification that I'm heading in the right direction. I'm so pumped for what is ahead for me and my evolving running career. For now....
See ya out there...no time soon though :-)
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