The Marathon
So here's the nitty gritty... We woke up at 5:00, Eli was still sick (he threw up around 4:00), but he and Natalie came anyways because they wanted to show support. We drove the hour and half to Lawrence (just outside Indy) and picked up my packet and got ready for the start. They expanded the running field to 4500 runners this year (sold out) and did a great job accommodating except for the fact that so many people were trying to get off the highway at the same time (we beat the traffic). Because the organizers didn't want 500 people stuck in traffic to miss the race they pushed the starting time back a half hour to 9:00, a pretty late start for a marathon. It was cool outside so we waited inside for most of the time. When we came outsite we saw a guy wearing a shirt that dad would appreciate. Here it is... 
As for the race itself, they combined the runners from the 1/2 and full marathon and since I knew no one in the race I picked a couple of guys around mile one that seemed to be taking a real steady pace about where I wanted to be. They stayed consistent throughout the first ten miles and we made great time. My 5k was 24:50, 10k 49:55, and 1/2 marathon was 1:52:10. Unfortunately for me the two guys started speeding up. I couldn't figure it out until mile 12 when I realized they there were doing the 1/2 marathon and had started their kick. So I finished my first 1/2 much faster than I had anticipated and I paid the price for it. Up til that point I was running pretty consistent 8:30 miles when I should have been running 9:00 miles. For the next five or six miles I slowed it down to 9:00 but around mile 20 I just ran out of steam. I started walking off and on for the last five and killed any chances of doing a sub four. My final time was 4:11:52. I just checked and I was 446/1058 and 38/62 in my division. It is significantly better than my previous marathon times but I should have been able to do a sub 4 so I'm a little disappointed. The good news is that my training has paid off and I feel good about my efforts. I've also lost thirty pounds in the last year and a half and am almost to the 200 lbs. point I wanted to be at by marathon time. If I can lost another 10-15 lbs by marathon time next year I should be able to go quite a bit faster. The other good news is that I've learned much better how to deal with long miles and my body hasn't fallen apart--no big blisters (no blister period actually) no major chaffing or rashes, just tired muscles. It pays to put in the time to really train. It was also cool having Natalie and Eli there. I missed them at a few of the places they stopped to see me but still got to get in a few kisses in route. We'll look forward to next year.
As for the race itself, they combined the runners from the 1/2 and full marathon and since I knew no one in the race I picked a couple of guys around mile one that seemed to be taking a real steady pace about where I wanted to be. They stayed consistent throughout the first ten miles and we made great time. My 5k was 24:50, 10k 49:55, and 1/2 marathon was 1:52:10. Unfortunately for me the two guys started speeding up. I couldn't figure it out until mile 12 when I realized they there were doing the 1/2 marathon and had started their kick. So I finished my first 1/2 much faster than I had anticipated and I paid the price for it. Up til that point I was running pretty consistent 8:30 miles when I should have been running 9:00 miles. For the next five or six miles I slowed it down to 9:00 but around mile 20 I just ran out of steam. I started walking off and on for the last five and killed any chances of doing a sub four. My final time was 4:11:52. I just checked and I was 446/1058 and 38/62 in my division. It is significantly better than my previous marathon times but I should have been able to do a sub 4 so I'm a little disappointed. The good news is that my training has paid off and I feel good about my efforts. I've also lost thirty pounds in the last year and a half and am almost to the 200 lbs. point I wanted to be at by marathon time. If I can lost another 10-15 lbs by marathon time next year I should be able to go quite a bit faster. The other good news is that I've learned much better how to deal with long miles and my body hasn't fallen apart--no big blisters (no blister period actually) no major chaffing or rashes, just tired muscles. It pays to put in the time to really train. It was also cool having Natalie and Eli there. I missed them at a few of the places they stopped to see me but still got to get in a few kisses in route. We'll look forward to next year.
1 comment:
I love seeing the pictures...thanks for sending them. I am so proud of Tyler. It takes real commitment and effort and you did a super job!!! You are an inspiration to me.
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