May 2018 Running Challenge

Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend After-Race Report

I originally left this part out of the report – mainly because the race report was already so long – but I was thinking about it this morning and feel like that is a disservice to the new runners that might be reading these posts. So here we go:

As I crossed the finish line of the race I was a mixed bag of emotions. Pain, relief, excitement, and worry. A lot of pain really, but it was the dull soreness of pushing hard in a workout, not anything that I was worried about meaning an injury. That did not make it hurt any less but meant it was not a concern. The worry had to do with my wife.

After every race, it is my tradition to walk the course backward, find my wife and finish a second time with her. It really means a lot to me to do this. She is my hero, and I wanted to be there for her. So needless to say, getting to her was the primary thought on my mind as I claimed my medal and hit the Gatorade, hard.

As I worked through the exit chute, slowly and painfully step by step I was struggling to come up with how I was going to get to her and run again. Sure she is a slower runner than I, but at the moment a three-legged turtle could have outpaced me. Each step was hard, and she was two hours behind me at last report. Two hours is a nice long run on a nice training day, but this was that kind of day.

I must have looked the part as twice I was stopped by volunteers that wanted me in the medical tent. The second time three of them surrounded me so I could not even wander off like I did the first time. I just ate another banana and escaped somehow. I can be stubborn when I need to. Or when I do not need to. Or well, any time, but especially when I have an important goal in mind.

The post-run chills hit slowly as I meandered my way out, so I decided the wise move would be to go to gear check and get the ¼ zip pullover I had checked. While in there I pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen. Please understand, these meds are not really a good idea, as they hinder recovery and healing, but I could barely walk, and I was determined to find my wife. Well, I took some and then convinced the gear check people to let me recheck my bag.

The last text alert I had was that my wife had crossed the 20-mile line, so that meant she was at least 7 miles from where I was. Nothing to do other than start walking. Ibuprofen takes a while to kick in, but I was not going to wait on that.

As I walked the course backward the chills really hit hard. I had the heat shield and my quarter zip, and I was still shivering so bad I could not work my phone. I ducked into a Burger King and stood in the corner shaking. I got some odd looks, but I ignored them. I am not exactly a stranger to being looked at like I am some kind of alien. For a while, I fought with the phone trying to bring up the app that would give me her precise position but even inside I was still shivering badly.

Eventually, I realized I needed to get warm before I tried anything, so I managed to pull up a map and locate a Starbucks. I waddled my way down to it and ordered a Venti Mocha, and then curled up I the corner nursing the drink until it was gone. Then ordered another. I was finally able to get warm enough to work the phone and find her. She was 2 miles away and still moving at a reasonable pace. I was so proud of her!

Steeling myself I slipped back outside. It was raining now, of course. I was barely warm enough and the rain was not helping. I figured once I found her I could start running and that would help with the heat problem, and at this point, the ibuprofen had damped enough of the pain so I could think and move again. Waiting would do no good, so I pushed out and headed towards her.

I did finally meet up with her about a mile from the finish and ran the last mile in with her. If you look at Strava you can see that last mile. For her, it was at her best marathon pace, but for me, thankfully, it was a slow recovery pace. I might not have pulled it off otherwise. Running again did raise my core temp and help pull back the pain long enough for me to help her through the finish and to the recovery tent.

Today, the day after, I am sore and will likely take a rest day, but I have pushed myself hard in training to be ready for this. I suspect by Wednesday I will be running again. That is a really bad plan for most people, so do not mimic me in this.

So anyways, that is the bad side of smashing your PR and crushing even your best training times. There is a cost to pay when you hammer through your limits. Be ready for it. Bring warm clothes. Always bring warm clothes!

So far in May:

May 2nd: 4k
May 5th: Hillside 2 Haiti 5k - 38:10 (7:38 pace)
May 6th: easy 5km

Total mileage so far: 14km

My seasoned runner friend ran alongside me on Saturday, which I appreciated tremendously, and we had just such a fun run. She obviously had to slow down a lot, but she said an easy 5 was in her training plan haha - what a friend! As far as the race itself, I was just hoping to finish as a newcomer to the sport. I really enjoyed meeting some of the local running community and think I might get involved with a running club soon.