Well, THAT was a good idea...
Or so I felt at the time. The hows and whys of what came to be my registration for the 2010 Spinx Marathon are still, even to the most well-informed, at issue. Nevertheless, perhaps through my sheer idiocy and willful and wanton desire to prove something [or nothing] to myself, it was decided that running this marathon - a mere 20 days after having run Chicago Marathon - was the right thing to do. Again, it was a good idea.
While I was excited for the race, I did have SOME sense of calm in that my only goal was to finish, not to PR. At times, mentally, I struggled with that. More often than not though, I was comfortable with treating it as a "long run."
Going in, the weather was going to be perfect, the weather I wanted in Chicago, really. Temps at the start hovered in the low 40s and the sun rose shortly before our 8:00 a.m. marathon start. No gun, no cannon, no air horn... just a "GO!" and all 700-plus marathoners were on the way.
The first 13 miles were about as I expected. This was after all, by and large, my back yard from a running standpoint. Familiarity with the area, with the rolls, camber of the roads would be assets to my run for the day. At the halfway mark, after having seen my wife for a Gatorade refill, I felt pretty good. My pace splits were "about" where I wanted, give or take. Actually, a little faster than I had hoped. Yet still, I felt decent.
The back half of the course, I am sorry to say, was a little bit of a different story. Rolling hill after rolling hill seemed to begin a constant onslaught on what was an already sore pair of hamstrings. Truth be told, I have been fighting a bad right hamstring for TWO YEARS now. You would think I would learn... Suffice to say, the constant climbs did not help.
Yet with all of that, even through mile 21, I was on pace to PR or at least come very close to it. The last 6 miles were set to be on a portion of our glorious Swamp Rabbit Trail. A portion that I thought, or at least dreamed, was a steady decline. In a word - no. What seemed like a gradual yet unrelenting uphill the entire time continued that tension on my hamstrings. Then, the cramping set in, especially in the calves. Much like in Chicago, the decision was made to "live to run another day", manage the pace, and finish with a flourish.
With a finish time of 4:51, I am proud to say I was about on par with my finish time at the 2009 Marine Corps Marathon. Even though I felt as if I understood my goals, I wanted better. I think I always want better. The stadium - a minor league baseball park where we crossed the finish line, was rather empty when I made the turn around the warning track. No matter. It was for me. The silence, to me and at that time, was nothing compared to the feeling of crossing that finish line. Addiction. Twelve steps. I think the rest is known.
It is clear to me that my love for the marathon runs deep into the recesses of my soul, not just in the running aspect, but also deeper and into the heart of all things pre-running for me. My ability to be a marathoner does not define me, although I find it hard to think of myself as many things other than a runner these days. At the same time, I want to be better. Constantly. Better at running, taking part in better nutrition. Everything. I know, it is a process.
So, 10 weeks from now will be Marathon #4 - Charleston Marathon, followed by Snickers Energy Bar Marathon in early March. My goals between now and than are simple... Stretch, get this hamstring in some better shape, recover with some nice and easy runs and slowly get my base back up.
Part of me, perhaps sadly so, wants to be disappointed in my efforts or, at the very least, in my results. I cannot be. That, I believe, is still the prior me looking for that easy way out, the path of least resistance.
Amazing but true.
So, through nutrition and some easy running, I will get back up there... Wherever there is.
Be well.
