Marathon By 40

It wasn’t pretty, but I did it! After missing most of my runs in October to the weather, being sick, traveling, or just plain being lazy, I decided to go ahead and run in the DRC Half this weekend. My previous long run (see below) was only 8 miles, and I’ve only run a handful of times since then.

The race day was great. We couldn’t have asked for better conditions. It was a beautiful morning, crisp and cool early, and sunny. I got to the field in plenty of time for bag check and a short walk around vendor tents. I wandered to the starting line around 7:45 and saw that the last pace balloon was 2:30. Considering I was trying for just under 3:00, I moved towards the very back of the pack. I was planning on taking this run like all my other long runs, starting with a 5 minute walk, so I figured it would be OK to start with the walkers in the back. I was right, and the timing worked out just right as I was able to walk all they way through the large ramp on to Mockingbird. I started my first 3 minute run after the first few steps over the Mockingbird bridge.

Miles 1-10 went fairly easy and well. It was fun to see friends who live on the course out cheering us along. I know I surprised at least one of them who didn’t expect to see me there. I continued on a 3 run / 2 walk interval, changing occasionally to accommodate a hill or bunched-up turn in the road.

My first real sign of fatigue came heading up the dam to mile 8. I was supposed to be running at the time, but the narrow path and steep hill were too much to take on in what was left of our crowd, so I ended up walking. Getting to the top, I started to run again, but it was much more difficult to get going than it had been earlier.

Once I did start running again, I felt much slower, but at least I was able to stay in the 3/2 interval. I didn’t hurt (other than a small blister starting to wear on my right foot), I just felt the full effect of weighing too much. It started to feel much warmer than it had when we started. Things went well until mile 10 when it was increasingly difficult to get running after the walk breaks. I switched to a 2/3 for a while, but found myself walking much more than walking. There were only short (less than a minute) runs from there until I got under the Buckner bridge when I “sprinted” hard to the finish. It did feel good to finish strong, even if it were about a third of mile.

It felt great to finish. My steps immediately shortened and felt very stiff. A volunteer placed the medal around my neck and I staggered over to get an official picture. I couldn’t stop smiling.

After finishing I ran into John and Bill, who both finished well ahead of me and were enjoying the after-race treats. We all took time to enjoy a beer in the sun and I got lots of good advice for my next event from these seasoned runners.

I’m happy to started and finished. It’s a big step towards my final goal. And per a friend’s advice, it was great to go just to see what a large event is like. Props to the DRC for putting on a well run race. It was easy getting to the start/finish, the bag check went smoothly, and I enjoyed the pizza and beer after.

I’ll likely write more about lessons learned and plans for the next race later. But its worth mentioning now how around mile 12 I thought “this distance running is hard stuff.” I have even more respect now for all my friends and acquaintances who have finished a marathon before. There’s a steep road up ahead, but after feeling the sense of accomplishment I had this morning I realize that its a challenge worth taking.