This was as much of a training run as a marathon could be,
at least for me. After heavy training and two races last fall, I needed a break
to recharge and repair some of the self-inflicted damage. When I registered for
this race I wasn't even sure I'd be able to run it due to nasty tendonitis in
both knees. On the other hand I REALLY wanted to go because a few good friends
would be there and I didn't want to miss out.
My goal for this race was to break 3:35 (8:12/ mile pace). I
was a minute short of my goal, but all things considered I am pleased with the
result. Due to my sore glute from yesterday, I could barely walk at the start
let alone run. Luckily it worked itself out by mile 5 or so. As planned I got
in with the 3:35 pace group from the start. Tina was signed up for the marathon
although she couldn't get the training in so she planned to run with me for the
first 16 then drop out. In any event, at some point we decided that she would
drop out as planned then join back in at mile 23 to pace me to the finish. She
also jumped in and paced Michelle for a few miles in there so she got about 23
total for the day! The miles clicked by pleasantly enough and I was planning to
stay with the pace group until mile 20. I was unable to do that and soon after
Tina peeled off I started to push past them a little bit. By mile 18 I was
feeling a little sick to my stomach. I had a caffeine gel earlier in this race
than I usually do and with the heat and intensity it quite possibly could be
the source of my stomach woes. A little before mile 20 I decided to pull out
and hit the restroom. I lost about 90 seconds! I thought I was moving fast, but
clearly not. I got sucked into using the sink - washing my hands, face, pouring
water on myself. Good grief. I jumped back onto the course and as I am coming
up to the turn around at mile 21-ish I see the pace group heading the other way
as they are now in front of me. Ugh.
If taking too much caffeine was my first error, I now made
my second - I decided that I needed to run as fast as possible to catch up to
the group. I figured I could rest once I caught up, but it doesn't really
happen that way when you're 20+ miles into a marathon. Mile 22 was 7:39, mile
23 was 7:57. So I start booking toward the group. I'm already thinking that the
finish line seems like a long way off, but I'm pushing as hard as I can. I am
maybe 10 seconds behind the pace group by mile 23 and I see Tina standing on
the side waiting to jump in. Mistake #3. Although it was nice to see a familiar
face, I immediately blurt out what transpired and I that I needed to run fast
to catch up. Then I start having a panic attack and have to stop because I
couldn't breathe. I think it only takes a minute or so for me to get a grip and
start running, but now I've lost all my ground, again. It's hot as hell (70
degrees and sunny is hot for this seattle-ite), the cross wind that I battled
the other way is still blowing and my quads are sore and for some reason my feet
are numb but in a bad way. Every step hurts like hell I'm not feeling up for a
fight -three miles seems like a long way to go. With a few ups and a lot of
downs, I keep moving forward and run the last three in 8:29, 8:23, 8:54, 7:53
pace for the last .2
We finish! 3:36:06 A little ugly at the end, but it's another
marathon in the bank and I learned a few things. It gave me the motivation to
run through January so I'll be headed into 2012 in better shape than usual. It
was a great excuse for a girls weekend (w/ Tina, Michelle, Lisa & Jill) in
a warm spot. A whirlwind weekend with a little running lot of laughs, it was a
ton of fun.
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