Runner's High
Richmond Marathon
November 10, 2007
Marathon #14
Place 484 (out of 3,783)
Age Place 13
Gender Place 80
Finish Time Chip 3:30:36 (only 4 minutes away from my PR)
Pace 08:06.2
Half-Marathon Gun Time 1:49:43
20th Mile Gun Time 2:44:58
I get SO nervous before a race. Every race, short or long. There's no real reason I should get nervous still, after all, I'm experienced enough by now to know what to expect. But sleeping the night before is a real challenge. This was no exception. I rode down with my girls, Heidi and Laurie. I knit an entire mitten on the drive, while battling with my pre-race anxiety. A lot of it this time was about the weather. Would it rain? What would I wear? The temperatures were supposed to start in the high 30's or low 40's, and end in the low 50's. Wonderful running temps, but tricky to dress for, especially with the threat of rain. I battled with clothing choices all night and right up until minutes before the start. The noise in my head went something like this: "Short sleeve or long sleeve. Short or long. Red shirt is better. Black shirt might not be comfortable. short or long. SHORT OR LONG! What if it rains. poly gloves, check. red hat, check. watch, check. If I'm too hot, will my sleeves stay pushed up? I should go short sleeve. But what if it rains." And so on, repeated for hours on end, driving me batty.
Short sleeves won out in the end, and it was the right choice. It did not rain, the sun stayed mostly hidden, and the temperatures were ideal. The course itself was absolutely gorgeous, with gently rolling hills here and there, plenty to look at, and fantastic crowd support. The them for the run was the 70's, because it was the 30th anniversary of the marathon. There were bands nearly every mile, often playing catchy 70's tunes. Even the police added to the enjoyment. I saw one wearing what I think was meant to be a 70's pimp costume, and another had disco music blasting from the loudspeakers of his car. Everything about the marathon - course, weather, people - was perfect.
I went in without a real plan, which is usually a mistake. This was the second main factor contributing to my case of nerves. I had conflicting desires duking it out inside, and by the start I still hadn't worked out a real strategy. Part of me wanted to go for broke and see how fast I could run, and the other part wanted to stick with my happy group of 5 and have fun together at a reasonable pace. I consulted with Kenny, my fantastic running partner from Steamtown, but he didn't want to commit to anything faster than the rest of the group. So, I began the race with the group at a 3:40 pace. It felt good. Easy. We had driven most of the course the day before, so I knew where we were and felt relaxed as we ran down already familiar streets, seeing familiar landmarks. I smiled a lot in the first few miles. This was going to be a great race, no matter what happened!
A few miles in, Kenny said to me "I think we could do a 3:30." I smiled, and told him to say go whenever he was ready. But his daughter Kelly was running with us, and she was in pain from a back injury the week before. She probably shouldn't have even tried to run, but that's a very hard decision to make after all of the preparation and anticipation of a race. He didn't want to abandon her, and I understood. I wanted to go faster. I knew I could, but couldn't quite make the commitment to leave everyone else either. So I waited.
At mile 10, it was time. I had held the 3:40 pace easily, and wanted to break away. Laurie was missing, but I wasn't worried about her. Heidi had attached herself to the 3:40 pace leader, so she was taken care of. Kelly was having trouble, but I thought she would be ok with the pace group also. Kenny? Maybe he would stay with her. So, I set off on my own, speeding up just a little. Then I noticed Kenny was with me. I said nothing, but we kept going, quickly leaving the 3:40 group behind.
At mile 11, we were clearly in a zone, passing runners left and right. I let myself worry a little about whether or not this was too fast, and tried to temper my enthusiasm a little. After all, there were still 15 miles to go. I consulted my pace band, and informed Kenny of our progress at each mile. At the halfway point, we were 45 seconds off of 3:35 pace. We could definitely make that up, I thought. Another mile or two and he asked how far off we were from 3:30, but when I told him, he said "That's a lot to make up. I'm happy with this." I agreed. 3:35 was the goal.
We ran strong, doing several miles just over 8 minute pace. That would get us there. We didn't talk much after this, just short consultations at every mile about the pace, and the occasional comment about the entertainment on the course or the scenery. Mile 18 came and I felt the pain. Or rather, I felt the signs of being tired. My legs were harder to lift, and propelling my body forward took effort. It was just the beginning of the hard part of the race, the end game that took so much concentration and determination. There was that little thought that wanted to get out into my conscious, the one that said "This is hard. I want to stop now." I deliberately told myself to shut up and started doing math to keep my focus. 8 minute miles would catch us up to 3:35 pace. Once we were caught up, we'd have a few seconds per mile to slip and still make that time. If we kept up 8 minute miles, we could even drop to 3:34. I focused on that.
Miles 18 to 22 were hard. Real hard. I thought about the finish line and wished I were there already. I battled the negative thoughts about slowing down, trying to picture how happy I would be when I did cross the finish line knowing I had not given up. I concentrated on my watch and the mile markers. I gave up doing math at this point, knowing that all I had to do was hold the pace, 8 minute each mile. It was a constant mental challenge to stay in the game. The 3:35 game. But then mile 22 rolled around and we only have 4 miles to go, and it changed. Kenny and I were apparently right in sync with each other, because he reported the same mental battle when we compared notes later. Miles 18 to 22 were hard, and then it got easier. I knew by then that if we had made it that far at that pace, we would be able to hold on to the end. Then we sped up.
The last 4 miles were fast! 7:40, 7:30, 7:40, 7:20! We hit the last turn just before mile 26 and it was downhill and straight ahead to the finish. I told Kenny then that we only had to countdown the blocks. We were at 1st street and the finish was at 10th. I called them out. "Two!" "Three!" "Four!" Then I could actually see the finish, and I ran!
The first thing I did when I crossed the line was check my watch and it said 3:30:40. I turned to Kenny who came in right behind me and showed him my watch, and he showed me his. We couldn't believe it! All that time we made up after the first 10 miles, and so much of it just in the last few miles! For him, it was a PR. For me, just a fantastic surprise! A smile was firmly affixed to my face as we hobbled onward to get our medals, space blankets, and water.
The others had mixed experiences. Laurie had foot and toe problems, and a disappointing finish. Not every race is a good one. Kelly capitulated to her back injury at mile 17 and dropped out. Heidi sufered some leg cramps and fell back a little from her 3:40 goal, but was deservedly happy with her 3:45 finish. Others had impressive successes though, like Tommy and Helen, who both qualified for Boston. I am so proud of Helen especially who worked harder than anyone I think to achieve her goal.
For myself, it is Tuesday now and I'm still smiling. I have a feeling that with better planning, I might also have gotten a PR in this race, based on how easily I adjusted my speed midway and made up so much time. That puts me in the same kind of fitness level I was in 2005, which is more than I ever could have expected of myself this year. I am all kinds of excited! Plus, I've never felt so good after a marathon before. No limping, no hauling myself up and down stairs by my arms, no trudging about and wincing. I feel refreshed, strong and ready for another. Heck, I feel like a superhero! I'm probably going to be one grouchy b$*% when these supercharged endorphins finally wear off. :)
My splits, for the record:
1 8:35
2 8:21
3 16:26 (I missed mile 4 apparently. Averages to 8:13)
4
5 8:20
6 8:45
7 7:42 (Hit mile 6 a little late, so these two aren't accurate)
8 8:16
9 8:20
10 8:13
11 8:15
12 7:59
13 7:51
Half 1:48
14 7:53
15 8:01
16 8:09
17 8:06
18 8:03
19 7:52
20 7:59
21 7:57
22 7:48
23 7:41
24 7:33
25 7:42
26 7:18
Finish 3:30:40
Official Finish 3:30:36
November 10, 2007
Marathon #14
Place 484 (out of 3,783)
Age Place 13
Gender Place 80
Finish Time Chip 3:30:36 (only 4 minutes away from my PR)
Pace 08:06.2
Half-Marathon Gun Time 1:49:43
20th Mile Gun Time 2:44:58
I get SO nervous before a race. Every race, short or long. There's no real reason I should get nervous still, after all, I'm experienced enough by now to know what to expect. But sleeping the night before is a real challenge. This was no exception. I rode down with my girls, Heidi and Laurie. I knit an entire mitten on the drive, while battling with my pre-race anxiety. A lot of it this time was about the weather. Would it rain? What would I wear? The temperatures were supposed to start in the high 30's or low 40's, and end in the low 50's. Wonderful running temps, but tricky to dress for, especially with the threat of rain. I battled with clothing choices all night and right up until minutes before the start. The noise in my head went something like this: "Short sleeve or long sleeve. Short or long. Red shirt is better. Black shirt might not be comfortable. short or long. SHORT OR LONG! What if it rains. poly gloves, check. red hat, check. watch, check. If I'm too hot, will my sleeves stay pushed up? I should go short sleeve. But what if it rains." And so on, repeated for hours on end, driving me batty.
Short sleeves won out in the end, and it was the right choice. It did not rain, the sun stayed mostly hidden, and the temperatures were ideal. The course itself was absolutely gorgeous, with gently rolling hills here and there, plenty to look at, and fantastic crowd support. The them for the run was the 70's, because it was the 30th anniversary of the marathon. There were bands nearly every mile, often playing catchy 70's tunes. Even the police added to the enjoyment. I saw one wearing what I think was meant to be a 70's pimp costume, and another had disco music blasting from the loudspeakers of his car. Everything about the marathon - course, weather, people - was perfect.
I went in without a real plan, which is usually a mistake. This was the second main factor contributing to my case of nerves. I had conflicting desires duking it out inside, and by the start I still hadn't worked out a real strategy. Part of me wanted to go for broke and see how fast I could run, and the other part wanted to stick with my happy group of 5 and have fun together at a reasonable pace. I consulted with Kenny, my fantastic running partner from Steamtown, but he didn't want to commit to anything faster than the rest of the group. So, I began the race with the group at a 3:40 pace. It felt good. Easy. We had driven most of the course the day before, so I knew where we were and felt relaxed as we ran down already familiar streets, seeing familiar landmarks. I smiled a lot in the first few miles. This was going to be a great race, no matter what happened!
A few miles in, Kenny said to me "I think we could do a 3:30." I smiled, and told him to say go whenever he was ready. But his daughter Kelly was running with us, and she was in pain from a back injury the week before. She probably shouldn't have even tried to run, but that's a very hard decision to make after all of the preparation and anticipation of a race. He didn't want to abandon her, and I understood. I wanted to go faster. I knew I could, but couldn't quite make the commitment to leave everyone else either. So I waited.
At mile 10, it was time. I had held the 3:40 pace easily, and wanted to break away. Laurie was missing, but I wasn't worried about her. Heidi had attached herself to the 3:40 pace leader, so she was taken care of. Kelly was having trouble, but I thought she would be ok with the pace group also. Kenny? Maybe he would stay with her. So, I set off on my own, speeding up just a little. Then I noticed Kenny was with me. I said nothing, but we kept going, quickly leaving the 3:40 group behind.
At mile 11, we were clearly in a zone, passing runners left and right. I let myself worry a little about whether or not this was too fast, and tried to temper my enthusiasm a little. After all, there were still 15 miles to go. I consulted my pace band, and informed Kenny of our progress at each mile. At the halfway point, we were 45 seconds off of 3:35 pace. We could definitely make that up, I thought. Another mile or two and he asked how far off we were from 3:30, but when I told him, he said "That's a lot to make up. I'm happy with this." I agreed. 3:35 was the goal.
We ran strong, doing several miles just over 8 minute pace. That would get us there. We didn't talk much after this, just short consultations at every mile about the pace, and the occasional comment about the entertainment on the course or the scenery. Mile 18 came and I felt the pain. Or rather, I felt the signs of being tired. My legs were harder to lift, and propelling my body forward took effort. It was just the beginning of the hard part of the race, the end game that took so much concentration and determination. There was that little thought that wanted to get out into my conscious, the one that said "This is hard. I want to stop now." I deliberately told myself to shut up and started doing math to keep my focus. 8 minute miles would catch us up to 3:35 pace. Once we were caught up, we'd have a few seconds per mile to slip and still make that time. If we kept up 8 minute miles, we could even drop to 3:34. I focused on that.
Miles 18 to 22 were hard. Real hard. I thought about the finish line and wished I were there already. I battled the negative thoughts about slowing down, trying to picture how happy I would be when I did cross the finish line knowing I had not given up. I concentrated on my watch and the mile markers. I gave up doing math at this point, knowing that all I had to do was hold the pace, 8 minute each mile. It was a constant mental challenge to stay in the game. The 3:35 game. But then mile 22 rolled around and we only have 4 miles to go, and it changed. Kenny and I were apparently right in sync with each other, because he reported the same mental battle when we compared notes later. Miles 18 to 22 were hard, and then it got easier. I knew by then that if we had made it that far at that pace, we would be able to hold on to the end. Then we sped up.
The last 4 miles were fast! 7:40, 7:30, 7:40, 7:20! We hit the last turn just before mile 26 and it was downhill and straight ahead to the finish. I told Kenny then that we only had to countdown the blocks. We were at 1st street and the finish was at 10th. I called them out. "Two!" "Three!" "Four!" Then I could actually see the finish, and I ran!
The first thing I did when I crossed the line was check my watch and it said 3:30:40. I turned to Kenny who came in right behind me and showed him my watch, and he showed me his. We couldn't believe it! All that time we made up after the first 10 miles, and so much of it just in the last few miles! For him, it was a PR. For me, just a fantastic surprise! A smile was firmly affixed to my face as we hobbled onward to get our medals, space blankets, and water.
The others had mixed experiences. Laurie had foot and toe problems, and a disappointing finish. Not every race is a good one. Kelly capitulated to her back injury at mile 17 and dropped out. Heidi sufered some leg cramps and fell back a little from her 3:40 goal, but was deservedly happy with her 3:45 finish. Others had impressive successes though, like Tommy and Helen, who both qualified for Boston. I am so proud of Helen especially who worked harder than anyone I think to achieve her goal.
For myself, it is Tuesday now and I'm still smiling. I have a feeling that with better planning, I might also have gotten a PR in this race, based on how easily I adjusted my speed midway and made up so much time. That puts me in the same kind of fitness level I was in 2005, which is more than I ever could have expected of myself this year. I am all kinds of excited! Plus, I've never felt so good after a marathon before. No limping, no hauling myself up and down stairs by my arms, no trudging about and wincing. I feel refreshed, strong and ready for another. Heck, I feel like a superhero! I'm probably going to be one grouchy b$*% when these supercharged endorphins finally wear off. :)
My splits, for the record:
1 8:35
2 8:21
3 16:26 (I missed mile 4 apparently. Averages to 8:13)
4
5 8:20
6 8:45
7 7:42 (Hit mile 6 a little late, so these two aren't accurate)
8 8:16
9 8:20
10 8:13
11 8:15
12 7:59
13 7:51
Half 1:48
14 7:53
15 8:01
16 8:09
17 8:06
18 8:03
19 7:52
20 7:59
21 7:57
22 7:48
23 7:41
24 7:33
25 7:42
26 7:18
Finish 3:30:40
Official Finish 3:30:36