(This is 8 pages long. No I don't have cliff-notes. Don't read it if you don't want to.)
Confessions of a First Time Marathoner, and Otherwise Horrible Runner
I?ve never been what many would call an athlete. Actually, let?s change many to anyone. I didn?t play any sports growing up. I tried Little League back when I was in the 7th grade ? played right field for the Atlanta Braves.
Just trying out ? I had no idea what I was doing. I took 3 swings, didn?t hit anything, and ran to 3rd base. They hit me a pop fly, which proceeded to hit me in the chest when I tried to catch it. I?m sure the coaches watching had to have drew straws to see who I would unfortunately be stuck with.
I played all season as the ninth hitter and got two actual solid hits on the ball. One was a grounder to the first baseman ? it went under his legs and I proceeded to end up on second. It was such a miracle that I received a standing ovation for 5 minutes. (That is not a joke ? I was that bad) My other ?hit? was a foul ball that same game, next at-bat. The only other time I got on base was by walking, and let?s just say I chose to walk quite a bit. (How else was I going to get on base?)
The other sport I tried out for was soccer ? I was about 6. Went through tryouts, and never got a call back to play for a team. Well at least in baseball I got the opportunity to suck?the same could not be said for soccer.
During high school it wasn?t much better ? we had the standard PE we had to go through ? required credits as the Texas curriculum. My fastest 1 mile time was a blistering 13 minutes, 30 seconds. How do you ask does one ?run? a 13:30? That?s all my little legs were able to give me.
College was a little better ? I finally started lifting weights and doing cardio. It was a learning experience ? learning what worked, what didn?t. Cardio I didn?t take very seriously, maybe a little after lifting but that was it.
Two years ago in January 2007, I finally decided to get better at running, so I started running at the gym. I could barely run a mile at that point ? it took everything I had to run that one mile. I slowly improved to 2 miles, then eventually 3 miles without stopping. (4x a week) In August I finally decided to try to up my mileage to 5 miles, which I was able to do with ease.
Given that newfound confidence, I entered into my first 5K ? the City of Richardson Corporate Challenge. I ended up running a 27:29, which wasn?t great but got me the running bug. Entered in my second 5K at the Addison Oktoberfest, and ended up running somewhere in the high 26 range, which I thought was a big improvement for me.
I didn?t enter any further races through the end of the year, but just concentrated on getting faster. They say you burn about 100 calories a mile run. Well, I started the year weighing in at about 172lbs, and by New Years, had dropped down to 148lbs. I did have a pretty bad stomach virus during Christmas, so 3-4lbs of that was due to not eating, but that?s still a good chunk of weight to be losing. (In college I topped out at about 197lbs, so this was the slimmest I had been since before I started lifting weights)
In March I decided to start doing 5K?s again, and enlisted my friend Jerry to start running with me. (6?4?, 250lbs) I ran in the 25 range, and just got the bug to start running races again. I signed up for what seemed like a 5K every week, two weeks max. (Jerry signed up for pretty much every race that I did, and got the running bug as well) In May I ran my first 10K ? the first 5K portion of it was very easy, and sprinted in the last mile. I was amazed at how good I felt running longer distances, and at that point, started researching various running clubs.
The first one I found was the Dallas Running Club, which seemed to be the biggest/most popular within the Dallas area. I signed up to be a member and started running in a few of their races. They were low key, low frills races, put on by a volunteer non-profit running club, but it seemed like a lot of fun, and a good way to meet fellow runners. Jerry joined as well, and we had a few good races with the club.
About late May they announced a marathon training program. Compared to Lukes Locker or Run On, it was definitely affordable compared to what LL/RO charged, so I went ahead and signed up for it. (10% of the cost) I received the running schedule and my eyes widened with a look of fear and anxiety after reviewing it. Running the longest training run of 21 miles? Other long runs of 15, 16, 18, 19, and 20? Are you kidding me? Not to mention, there were runs of 4, 10, and 5 on the same week as the 21 miler. My enthusiasm dropped and self doubt crept up in my mind, but decided I?d give it a shot. After all, the end goal is to run a marathon.
Started the training program and quickly grew to love it. Running 8, 9, 10 miles on the weekends became easy. I dreaded the interval/hill workouts on Wednesdays, but looked forward to the long runs. I started training on my own versus with the DRC ? nothing against them, but between traveling for work and other things, enjoyed running and training on my own.
My first ?big? race was one called ?Too Hot To Handle?, which was a single look around White Rock Lake. (9.3 miles) It was a big race ? some 4,000 runners were registered for the race. I experienced something I?ve never had before in any 5/10K before that. It had a big time race feel to it ? lots of people, excitement. But the biggest thing was the sound of running. 4,000 people running with and around you ? the pitter patter of feet gave off a beautiful sound, akin to pounding rain on the rooftop. It?s a sound you won?t ever hear anywhere else ? just the pitter patter of feet on the pavement. It was an amazing sound and one I won?t ever forget.
The middle of August I decided to enter my first half marathon, called The Hottest Half. I was looking really forward to it ? it would be my longest run yet, in a race setting to boot. I started off feeling very well ? ran 8 miles in a row before stopping. Instead of running smart and taking periodic walk breaks, I decided to run through the entire thing, and paid for it. (I wasn?t able to run more than a mile without stopping after that point) In the end, I finished with a disappointing time and a foot injury. (Plantar fasciitis) I took a week off from running, started again and injured my foot again. I subsequently went to a podiatrist, who prescribed some steroids and some excercises to nurse it back to health. I also got some advice from veteran runners and bought some stiff foot inserts to help support my feet. And a week later, I was back in the saddle again.
Weeks went by ? went through the various 15 and 16 mile long runs. At this point I start to realize a few things ? there are certain things you can control, and certain things you can?t. Things you can?t ? the weather. You can?t control if it?s 100 degrees outside, or if it?s 20 degrees with a windchill that makes it feel like it?s 10. You can control where you run ? outside versus inside. You can control your hydration ? bring a bottle of Gatorade/water with you. You can control what you wear ? multiple layers of clothing, or go shirtless. Long pants versus shorts. You can control how much sleep and what you put in your body the days before. Eating greasy crap and not hydrating will do nothing for you in the long run.
The big thing you can?t control are the intangibles. What are those? The factors you have no control over?the things that mean the difference between a great run and a crappy run. You can eat great, get 8 hours of sleep, but have no energy and hit a wall early. Or in the case of my 18 mile run, get 1.5 hours of sleep, drink/eat like crap the night before, and run the 18 without breaking a sweat. (I felt like I could have run the 26.2 then and there) The next week I ran 19 ? got plenty of sleep, ate great, but hit a wall at 14. Can?t predict it all.
My second half marathon arrives ? the Dallas Running Club ½ Marathon. The big test/tune-up before White Rock. It?s a hot day ? a high of 75, feels very summerish. (This is in November) I ran the whole way with the 2:10 pace group. I struggled to keep up the first 6-8 miles, and felt like I hit a wall around mile 10. (Kept walking/running/walking) I finally found a second wind around mile 11, and was able to finish strong and with a good kick to run a 2:10:10.
Few more weeks of training, and decide to run the Tulsa ½ Marathon. (Was going to be in Tulsa anyway to visit a friend) Woke up to perfect weather ? no wind, cold enough for long sleeves but not blistering cold. All I did the day prior was drink beer, so wasn?t expecting a great race. But surprisingly enough ? all I had was energy the whole race. Started off at a 10 minute mile, closed the gap to a 9:30 which I held for most of the race. The last 2.1 miles I ran at under a 9 minute mile, to finish the race at a 2:03. I honestly could have ran the race faster as a whole and probably finished under 2, but I was happy to have shaved almost 7 minutes off my time from 2 weeks prior.
Get in my last training run of 21 miles. I was glad to be done, but realized the marathon was right around the corner. Have two weeks of tapering. My last long run ? I was forced to run it in my old running shoes, since the airline lost my luggage briefly. I don?t know if it was the age of the shoes, the fact that there was no cushioning left, but my feet felt achy all week leading up to the marathon. I don?t know if it was psychological or if it truly was physical pain, but it started playing mental games with my head.
Fast forward to the Friday before the marathon ? go with Jerry to pickup our race packets. The Expo was alright ? the usual vendors selling stuff, free samples/hats/pens, just made you realize the magnitude of the race and how much goes into it. It also made me realize there were two days left, which made me nervous.
Saturday ? all day I had nervous thoughts running through my mind. How am I going to do? Did I eat/train right? I?m basically mind fucking myself, if that makes any logical sense. I start to lose some confidence, and feel my feet aching a little bit. Some form of self doubt crept into my mind and was wreaking havoc on my state of mind. My usual pre-race dinner of beer and pizza helped calm my nerves. I headed to bed at about 10 and went to bed nervous but excited.
White Rock Marathon ? December 14, 2008
- Crap, it?s early.
Woke up bright and early at 5AM. Not sure if it was race day jitters, but woke up before my alarm and realized ?Today is the day. Today is the culmination of 5 months worth of training?it?s time to see if it paid off.? Ate my usual breakfast before a long run, got changed, and went to go meet up with Jerry and Chau. The weather was set to be hot with a high of 72, and strong winds of 20-30mph, so this was not optimal race weather.
On the car ride down, every radio station was playing some kind of talk radio about depression and suicide. I guess there aren?t a lot of other topics to talk about at 6AM, but just thought it was kind of odd. Let?s keep this in mind for later.
Got down to the AAC with an hour to spare, so went inside, stretched out. Saw an old friend I hadn?t seen in a year ? he was running the half, and had lost quite a bit of weight himself. (If you don?t believe in the power of what running can do for weight loss, well, it really works wonders) Headed down to the start, or tried to anyway. With the massive number of people, we ended up waiting right next to the TV camera/announcers, and managed to make it onto TV a few times, and also right at the start.
There was an excitement in the air ? I had run 3 half marathons at this point, various other races, but nothing had this magnitude. 17,000 people ? 9,000 in the half, 8,000 in the full. (single runners or via the relay) They sang the national anthem, and then Marine fighter jets flew over. We had the countdown, the gun firing, and then confetti flying through the air as the runners took off.
- The First Few Miles
Since we couldn?t get to the back, we started off near the front with the A group. (5-9 minute miles) I decided to stick with Jerry and run with him through the first few miles. It was fun looking around and seeing how excited everyone was?too bad that wouldn?t last them the whole race. The wardrobe people wore ? sometimes you have to ask what people were thinking. One lady decided to wear white and pink undergarments through her black tights, which were clearly visible. Seriously? Others wore various costumes ? South Park, the Chick-Fil-A cow, and a few other funny ones. It?s good to have a sense of humor at a race. I hope to convince a beer company to let me borrow a beer bottle suit that I can run a ½ marathon in, but we?ll see if that happens.
The first two miles were a breeze ? ran through it without realizing it. Right after the two mile marker, I started to hear Shania Twains ?I Feel Like a Woman?. I asked myself ?What the hell? Is my iPod broken?? No one wants to hear this crap. And how did it get onto my iPod? It took me a minute to realize it was radio someone was playing on the side of the road. (I had my iPod off from the start till then) The first song I played on my iPod is one of my favorite running songs, Boston?s ?More Than a Feeling?. Great running song, especially for a race. I probably played that song over and over again multiple times during the race ? the beat to it was a good uplift at multiple points.
It?s amazing ? I?ve driven through downtown and the Uptown area countless times. Different bars and restaurants I?ve been to ? Idle Rich, the old 24 Hour Fitness I used to workout at, my friend?s old condo, etc. It?s so different passing by those same places in the morning. I used to spend a lot of time down there and haven?t been in probably years. Just nice to know I?ve put my energy and time into something more productive.
The pitter patter of feet I described in Too Hot to Handle? Was definitely evident here, all the way through mile 4. It was amazing to hear that many people running at the same time for that long and hear that sound.
- On My Own
At about mile 4.5, Jerry needed to take another walk break and motioned me on. I decided to go ahead and go on, as we run slightly different paces. (I was shooting for a 10 minute mile, Jerry a 11, but doing the half) At about this time I saw the 4:30 pace group come up and pass me. I started running with them and they slowly started outpacing me. I realized my goal of 4:30 was a good goal, but I should probably just go out and enjoy myself during my first one. (I decided to up my goal time to 4:40)
At about the 5.5 mile marker, I rounded the corner and saw my coworkers Sara Cozad and Andrea Kreiger there cheering. It was actually a big motivation boost to see them and hear someone cheer you on. Definitely nice to see them to offer a nice little lift.
Right about mile 7 or so we came upon the full/half marathon split. At that point there was no turning back?it was time to chug along and make the past 5 months count. At about this point a guy passed me wearing a homemade shirt. On the back it said ?I have to beat Oprah, she ran a 4:29.? Holy crap! Oprah ran a 4:29 marathon? Granted, she?s the richest woman in the world and can hire the best coaches in the world to help her, but that?s a little depressing that her one and only marathon at NYC set the bar for a ?respectable? marathon. If you can?t beat Oprah, well, I digress.
- At the Lake?It Starts to Hurt
So finally make it down to White Rock Lake at about mile 9. I?m excited because this is 1/3 of the marathon, and I?ve run White Rock so many times I know it inside out at this point. Hit mile 10 and start to feel the wind pickup. Run through mile 11 and 12, start feeling a little heavy. Reach the halfway point at around mile 13, and see I?m on course for a 4:40, which I?m happy with.
At about mile 14 I have to stop, and realize my feet are aching. It?s not a good sign that at this juncture of the race, my feet are hurting. Never during my training did my feet truly hurt like they did now. I stop to re-adjust my shoes, thinking they were too loose. Tightening them up did help a little bit, but still had that ?I?m almost about to bonk? feeling. (Bonk is where you?re basically done and can?t run anymore ? just run out of energy to finish) I struggle to get to mile 18, where we turn around and leave the lake and head back downtown.
- It Just Gets Worse
Ugh. That title truly describes it. I don?t think I?d ever struggled this much in my training runs. We ran for about a mile until mile 19. This was the ?fun? stop ? they had a lot of action going on around this area. (Known as the Dolly Parton Hills, due to the two big up and downs, go figure.) It was a nice break though ? there were a few live bands, the Hooters girls were handing out Gatorade and water, the Clif Shot guys were handing out gels, and they had a beer stand as well. (Probably one of the only times I had an actual smile on my face, mostly due to the beer)
The quick break aside at mile 19, every step hurt. I fueled/gelled like I normally did during my training runs. Ran to about mile 20, and was on Swiss Avenue running through some nice neighborhoods in the Lakewood area. (I believe)
It was at mile 20 that I decided I wish I had paid closer attention to that 800 number they were talking about on the depression/suicide hotline that morning. I cannot think of a more fitting way to end my misery. Every step I took my body ached ? not just my feet now ? my back, arms, neck. I was tired and hungry and grumpy at this point. The gels were starting to taste like crap. Gatorade is fine the first 5-10 miles, and just starts to taste terrible at that point. Lemon flavored Gatorade?I don?t ever want to drink that again. ?
Every mile is start, run for 5-10 minutes, then stop. I can?t get a rhythm going to save my life. I figured a nice walk would help re-energize me, but it just served to prolong the agony.
- Why Did I Put Myself Through This?
Mile 21 and 22 are somewhat of a blur. All I remember are deep thoughts of ?who in their right mind would ever want to put themselves through this?? Granted, this feeling is how I felt during my first half marathon. I don?t know if it was just being unprepared, or just having an off-day, but this was nothing similar to, nor close to the training runs I?ve had.
I expected something similar, and just my luck, had to run what was possibly the worst performance of my life on what needed to be the best. Not to compare myself to an Olympic athlete, but you watch the Olympics ? you see some of the high ranked people choke, and the look of sheer disappointment on their faces afterwards. That feeling is exactly how I felt right around here. I know I could do better, but just didn?t have it in me.
Mile 23 came around and I thought to myself?a short 5K to go! I started to get excited at this point and turned off my iPod and wrapped it up. There?s a huge anti-iPod sentiment around the hardcore running crowd. They say you don?t need music to pace you, to set the tone, to distract you. What should motivate you is the end goal, the people cheering all around you, and your other runners to get you there. I decided I would see if I could use the crowd to get me motivated and through the last leg. That and the same playlist was boring me to death. Mile 23 went by fast ? I had high hopes. My watch said 4:18 after the 23rd mile ? I really thought I would be able to make my 4:45 time.
Mile 24 ? false hope was given on mile 23. More stop and go, stop and go. Hearing people call your name (your name is on your race bib) helps a little, but at that point your body is aching and all you want is some food and sleep. I meet a fellow runner whose also dragging ? we talk a little bit, both of us agree we didn?t have it today. We decide to suck it up and try running that last bit?it?s only 1.2 miles to go.
- The Runner?s Kick. No, It?s Not Meant To Go For An Entire Mile, Idiot.
Mile 25. I am ecstatic at this point. I start running and just feel this huge surge of energy. I?m right there?others around me feel it to and start cheering and realizing the same thing. I start busting it out?run a good ¼ mile at the normal pace, then just kick it in with the ?runners kick?. For those who aren?t runners, it?s that extra/last burst of energy you save up at the end of a race to finish strong. Normally saved for the last quarter to a third of a race, I smartly decide to bust out in a 8:30ish minute mile at 25.25.
Let?s just say I get side stitch, bad. I look at my watch and see that I would have made it with time to spare. I had to stop at about 25.8. I grudgingly start walking again for a minute, then start up. Nope, I?m gassed out. That kick took it all out of me. At this time, several paraplegics pass me. I commend those guys ? paraplegics expend 60% more energy to run than a normal person does. 60%! That?s an insane amount of energy, especially for a marathon. I can?t do anything but smile and clap for them?they earned this. One look at the reaction and looks on their faces says it all.
- The End
Mile 26 marker. I finally pass it. I hear the screams, the yelling, the clapping. I start running again, and I don?t stop. I hit the 26.1 marker and turn into the home stretch, packed with people lining both sides. I look for Jerry and Chau and my sisters. I see Jerry, Sharon, and Chau on the left and give them a huge high five as I pass. I run up to the finish line and put my arms in the air. I am done. I finished my first marathon. The end of a 5 month journey. All that work and I finally did it.
I get my thermal wrap, my medal, a finishers shirt, and go get some pictures taken. I then proceed to go find Jerry, Chau, and Sharon. I collapse on the ground and am glad to be off my feet. My sisters show up and we all take a few pictures. I?ve never been more glad to finish a race as I am now.
The entire race all I wanted and thought about was one thing ? a few glasses of beer, and a chicken fried steak at Ozonas. Chicken fried steak was given up before training, and I was going to treat myself to one after I was done. I must say, beer and the steak has *never*, ever, tasted any better than it did for lunch. I saw a lot of other runners there, who all gave me and the others high fives for finishing. It was a great way to relax and unwind. It was a hell of an experience.
- What Lies Ahead
My original goal was to run 3-4 more full marathons before May, with Oklahoma City being the last one in late April. Now in retrospect, I?ll probably bump that down to two. (Cowtown in late February, OKC with my friend who I?m training in late April) I?ll run a few halves along the way too ? it?s a great distance ? just hard enough to challenge me, but short enough that you can enjoy the rest of your day and not be sore.
You might ask ? well, you just said how much it sucked multiple times. True, I did complain and it was not the best feeling in the world, I?ll go ahead and say that much. But what doesn?t kill you makes you stronger. A new pair of running shoes, a much needed break, and some cooler weather and I?ll be back on the saddle again. I know I can run a far better race than I did this time, and you know what? I will.
Running went from being something to do for cardio to being a passion. I might have sore feet, and can barely walk now, but it?ll serve as a good learning tool to help in future runs, and I still have a lot to analyze as to where I went wrong. This week I?m going to feel guilty/miss not running my usual few runs during the week, and my long run on Saturday. But recovery is an integral part of the process?I?ll plan ahead to my next marathon and train accordingly for that.
As for my result ? I finished in 4:47:14, 2:27 off of my much revised goal time. As for the bragging rights between me and Oprah ? well she has the money, fame, and power. And still the time to beat. You win this time Oprah. =)
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