4:09:05 after crossing the starting line, I threw myself across the finish line at my first marathon. I really wanted to break the 4 hour mark, but after dragging around legs of lead for the last 3 miles, I was pretty happy to make across the line at all. I walked a little in miles 23, 24, and 25 (maybe about 3/4 of a mile total); mainly to make sure I got some water down instead of just splashing all over my face. Have to say the hardest part was trying to start running again after walking. Just a boatload of agony.
I almost thought I was hallucinating when I heard Kevin’s voice in mile 26. He ran up toward me, hung a u-turn and ran me in the final stretch. The final talk in really helped. After the finish line, I was pretty much a wreck. Legs were all sorts of wobbly. I told my wife and brother I just needed lay down for a bit. I’m guessing I was pretty dehydrated (even though I hit every water stop on the second half and supplemented with onboard gatorade), because I had some pretty fierce chills; kinda scary actually. After pounding down a few waters, some more gatorade, and nice lay down in some muddy grass, I was feeling good enough to grab some food and walk back to the hotel.
I’m gonna put together another post that has more details during the run soon, my brain is just too mushy right to type more at the moment. Stay tuned.
But, I can’t leave out my list of thank-you’s.
- My wife, Sandy, for letting devote some much time in my recent past to get ready. She was always a barrel of laughs when I hobbled up the stairs after all those long runs and listening to me bitching about everything running related. It takes real courage to watch your loved one spend so much time destroying their body.
- To 1st Marathon Crew. Geez, where to start? How about the top? Kevin, of course! Without his superb training program, I’d still be running pansy half marathons. His amazing knowledge of running, ability to share, and accessibility removed all my excuses. Thanks for turning me into a real runner.On to the crew, themselves: Larry, he’s my rock; he just never stops. Bob, you’re just a speed demon; hopefully, someday I’ll be able to catch you. Joe, I don’t know anyone more determined than you; thanks for pushing me to run my fastest ever 10k-ish distance on the 40 minute tempo. Mark, I think I’ll be joining you on the shorter distances. Melissa, I’ve never seen somebody pick up running as fast as you; get ready for the big times!I don’t wanna slight the rest of the crew either, every one of you gave me the drive I needed to meet up for a new challenge each week. Best wishes on all your future racing endeavors. Its been a true privilege to run with each of you.
- To my brother Ray. Thanks for all the race week hospitality; Have fun finding that piece of rotini pasta that’s jammed somewhere in your stove from my pre-race pasta meal. You were also a great sport for sitting through that whole marathoner panel discussion at the expo. I know it wasn’t your cup of tea, but I hope you got a few laughs out of it.
- To the Purplewire Crew. Thanks for all the moral support through out the training period. Also, a big shout out to Jay and Cha for letting me adjust my work hours around my running (and zillion other things.) Its amazing to work with such a great team.
- To the Rochester Marathon Folks. While this was my first real marathon, I’ve done a few dozen other races up to now. This one was pretty well organized, I’m happy to report. No lines at the packet pick or chip pickups. A well stocked post race area with lots of options. The only real complaint I can offer is that mile markers need to be a little bigger; for folks like me (blind as bat without glasses), they’re a little hard to pick out. Other than that, all was great!
- To the spectators. Its hard to replicate the crowd from Utica that carries you through the Boilermaker, but there were some sections in the marathon that came pretty close. I tried to bank up all the kind words I could and start paying ’em back out in mile 20. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who paid me a compliment or gave a little shot of encouragement out on the course. Its you guys that got me through!
Surprisingly, I’m writing this on the evening of the race day, without even taking my requisite post race nap. Unsurprisingly, my eyes are beginning to drop, so I think its off to be with me after a challenging, but rewarding day.
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