I ran a Marathon!

I started this adventure a little over a year ago (The next paragraph will get into why I started.). The first year was fraught with commitment issues, as well as a couple of ITB issues. In January of this year, I decided I was going to be more serious as well as little smarter about how I was training/running. I learned as much as I could, as well as trying to recruit MFP friends who were runners (Seasoned or newbies such as myself.). I learned a lot, and went through a lot. I ran my first 10K, Half, and now my first Marathon.... all this year.

My dad has liver and kidney failure and will most likely pass away soon if he does not receive at least a liver transplant (His liver function is down to 5%). Last year, he noticed how I had ballooned to 250 lbs and that I was heading on a path that would lead to my most likely becoming like him. While he was in the hospital, he simply said "I don't want this for you, please change.". As he went unconcious again, I promised him I would. I also made an internal promise to my wife and other loved ones, unbeknownst to them, that I would not put them through the same turmoil and burdens we have been going through with my dad. I can say seeing him at the finish line, along with the rest of my family, will now always be a high point in my life.

I found I have more drive and determination to complete and see a task through than I thought I did. The training for the full was HARD, as was running the full. There were so many times I wanted to throw in the towel because it was too hot, I was too tired, I wasn't enjoying running much anymore (Over training anyone?), and on and on. There was one run where I almost went to the hospital due to heat exhaustion after it was complete (That wasn't such a smart run.). Even when I wanted to give up, I was determined to not let myself down on a goal I wanted to achieve, as well as give up on something which I had put so much time, effort, and money into.

If I had to do it all over again. I would've probably held off on running the full this year. I think I could've benefited from having a more solid base going into full training by staying at half marathon race and training distances. I also would've sprung for the extra $50.00 for a gps running watch with a heart rate monitor.


RACE DAY:

My race was pretty small (670ish runners for the full). I chose to start with the 4:15 pace goup and planned to pick it up to around a 4:06-4:10 pace after 2 miles with the group. The first half of the course had one medium sized hill and many small rolling hills, the second half was relatively flat. I was on pace for a 4:06:xx race until mile 21 when my right calf started to hurt. I had experienced a calf strain a month ago and knew where this was heading, so I slowed the pace dramatically. From miles 21 to 23 I was run walking. Miles 23 and 24 I had to walk (It hurt even doing this). At mile 24 I gingerly ran/walked again through mile 25. Just before mile 26, another first timer was by my side and he said we needed to finnish strong, so we started a slow jog together. I told him I had plenty of energy, it just felt like I was being stabbed in my right calf. With .1 mile to go, my family shouting for me and the finish line in sight, I just said the hell with the calf and sprinted across the line. I crossed the line in 4:36:04. It's not the time I wanted, but I finished and that was my primary goal.

What went right:

The weather was awesome! I didn't go out like a jack rabbit and did stick with the plan I had in place. I trained hard, and was diligent in not missing runs. When things went south, I didn't come down hard on myself and told myself it was ok so long as I completed the race.

What went wrong:

I train with a camelbak, and I raced with it. I was undecided whether I should add a sports drink mix to it or just use plain water (I normally added the mix, but it was also normally 20-40 degrees warmer when I was training.). towards the end of the race, all I wanted was water (Thank god for awesome volunteers and water stations.), and I just felt the ~ 1 liter left in my camelbak sloshing (knowing it wasn't what was needed). I think I should've chosen a different goal time. I think with the previous calf strain, choosing 4:30:00 would've been much safer (I had the pace band for it, but let race fever get to me.). I gave up strength training towards the beginning of the training cycle due to just being tired from running. This is my uneducated opinion, but I imagine that had I selected a lower mileage training plan and continued with strength training that the calf issues may not happened.

Post Race:

I feel just fine with the exception of my right calf hurting and causing me to limp. I plane on trying to do an active recovery (walking, bike riding, etc) to help keep other issue from occurring. I also plan on seeking out a sports therapist so I can vanquish the calf issue and come back stronger and even better prepared for my next full. I don't want to do one any time soon, but a sub 4:00:00 time will be mine one day. It just may take longer to do so than I initially thought.