Suntrust National Marathon
Awake at 4:00 AM to shower and be out the door by 4:45 - not a bad way to start the day. The temps definitely dropped so much so that it 'felt' like 38 degrees according to weather.com. I did something unusual today, I ate and then showered, a reversal of my norm - I puttered too long and was very glad that I'd packed last night. I tend to move slow this early in the AM. Caren arrived and drove us up to the stadium with perfect timing. The colder than expected temps caused us to make a decision to use the 'Bag Check'. It was too cold to relinquish our warm clothes at the car. After making the usual pit stops, Caren was good enough to pin my pacer sign to my back. Her and Art walked me to my corral like it was my first day of school. We had a group hug and parted ways. I felt a bit awkward being so far back from the start; my preference for marathons is to start in the 4:00-4:15 group, not the 4:30 group. Today I didn't have a choice and the sign on my back felt like a burden I wasn't sure I wanted to bear. I was surrounded by what appeared to be first time 1/2-ers and very few runners going for the Full. Fortunately, I wasn't required to carry a sign or round people up. About the time I realized that nobody seemed to be interested in pacing off me I kicked it and ran my marathon. I completely forgot the sign pinned to my back and off we went.
Mile 1- where the hell is mile 1? There's the sign for Mile 15 for the second loop.. but excuse me, did we pass Mile 1 yet?
Mile 2 - ah- there's the Mile marker. I wish these people would thin out..geez
Mile 3 - where the hell is Mile 3? Did I miss another mile marker?
Mile 4 - Man oh man - This is going to be a mentally miserable marathon if I keep missing these mile markers.
Mile 5 - Well, I didn't see the sign but I DID see the clock and that's a sure sign of something...so beep goes my watch.. By this point I really wish that I'd checked the elevation charts, because this is one long ass hill
Mile 6 - Yahoo! There's the Mile Marker- and these hills suck - plenty of newbie runners struggling so I guess I'm doing fine if I can carry on a conversation and pass at least 50 people on the way up the hill.
Mile 7 - What the hell am I doing? I just want to be done - these hills suck and I'm really getting annoyed with the 1/2-ers.
Mile 8 - There was a group of college students out with fun music and that really lifted my spirits - and wow, that reservoir is really pretty. Where the hell are we?
Mile 9 - Aha! there's the Capital building. I think I know where we are, shouldn't Union Station be around here somewhere?
Mile 10 - 'you're going a little fast for a 4:30 aren't you?' 'thank you, ma'm.' Grumble, grumble... but this is now my marathon and all of my miles so far have been 9:05-9:30's so don't mess with me. I haven't settled in yet..but let's just knock this bitch off.
Mile 11 - met some nice ladies from McLean running their first 1/2 - interrupted their conversation indicating something to the effect that anyone can run a 1/2, it's mind over matter.. Amen to that!
Mile 12 - tummy is grumbling...food? intestines? What's going on here?
Mile 13 - 1/2-ers to the right, Full to the left.. oh geez now we're running through a wind tunnel and I so want to be done right now. There's the car...and I really have to pee - but the porta johns are disgusting. Shit, just lost 3 minutes waiting in line and walk right out they're so bad.
13.1 - the RedBull girls are out and man that stuff tastes like shit.. blah! (I almost spit it all over one) Even with losing time at the PJ's I'm still in under 2:10..oops.
Mile 14 - Somewhere between 13& 14 a 1/2-er came by and good naturedly assured us we were almost done. My response , 'I've got another 13 miles to go, i'm not almost done.' and she had the nerve..'not you, everyone else.' hello, did she not just finish? Did she run this side of the course? I don't think so!
Mile 15 - whew! The 1/2-ers are all gone so the field has thinned out and everyone looks like a serious runner now. I remember talking with a man and telling him.. my butt's sore. I just want to be done, let's knock this bitch off.
Mile 16 - Okay, I realize that I've been pretty negative all morning and by this point I really don't care. I remind myself that I'm happy, that this is a beautiful morning and I'm running along the Mall. This is about the point that I overhear one of the volunteers respond that she's not running because she's running the 10-miler next weekend. I think to myself, well, so am I and I'm out here and I seriously begin to question my sanity.
Mile 17 - I take up talking with an older man as we descend into the bowels of DC....or some tunnel going under the Mall - I forget that I was going to start taking my walk breaks at 17 - oops.
Mile 18 - My ass really hurts and have I mentioned that I want to be done yet?
Mile 19 - 7 more to go.. just about a 12k - just give me 70 more minutes body..
Mile 20 - I love Mile 20! We've just crossed the Potomac and there is only a hour left of running until I can be done. Yahoo!
Mile 21 - I've tried all morning to employ a trick I've learned of picking a point in the distance and running but have been quite unsuccessful in such a bright sunny day. This is about the most mentally troubling marathon I've run yet...none of my little tricks were of use. About this point my right knee started to ache, not the knee but the muscle that I've had problems with since my accident.. shit! must be that head-wind.
Mile 22 - we're on a loop in Anacosta park and this is about my least favorite part of the course. Nobody is sure of the mileage and the head-winds suck.
Mile 23 - I wish people would stop saying the Mile markers are just around the corner when they're at least a 1/4 mile off.. that's 2 :15 minutes of running.. just around the corner is a 100m people! seconds, not minutes!
Mile 24 - Hills.. more goddamn hills! A guy with a mohawk remarks that he hopes I'm not running a 4:30 because that's his goal and I'm not allowed to pass him. I realize that I'll be coming in around 4:27 and I assure him that if he sticks with me I'll bring him in on goal.
Mile 25 - This mile never looked so good. I don't think that I ever settled in and somehow this marathon seems to have passed me by; goodness knows how that could've happened but it sure did...despite my determination to be done, I think I checked out before I even began.
Mile 26 - Now I know that I didn't run that last mile in 6.35- Dammit! I really, really hate it when the mile markers are off. it's a mental mind fuck - about every possible curse word imaginable came out of my mouth at this point. I did the 'objects in the mirror are closer than the appear' check and the finish was more than a 1/2 mile away.
Mile 26.2- Clock time of 4:29:36 and a chip time of 4:26:04 - just about 40 seconds off from my PR set two weeks ago. Damn! I'm good! and I'm sooo ready to be done running marathons for this spring...
... in my hammock and can barely move. My neighbors seem to enjoy my vulnerability and stop to talk with me every so often. Cheers!
Mile 1- where the hell is mile 1? There's the sign for Mile 15 for the second loop.. but excuse me, did we pass Mile 1 yet?
Mile 2 - ah- there's the Mile marker. I wish these people would thin out..geez
Mile 3 - where the hell is Mile 3? Did I miss another mile marker?
Mile 4 - Man oh man - This is going to be a mentally miserable marathon if I keep missing these mile markers.
Mile 5 - Well, I didn't see the sign but I DID see the clock and that's a sure sign of something...so beep goes my watch.. By this point I really wish that I'd checked the elevation charts, because this is one long ass hill
Mile 6 - Yahoo! There's the Mile Marker- and these hills suck - plenty of newbie runners struggling so I guess I'm doing fine if I can carry on a conversation and pass at least 50 people on the way up the hill.
Mile 7 - What the hell am I doing? I just want to be done - these hills suck and I'm really getting annoyed with the 1/2-ers.
Mile 8 - There was a group of college students out with fun music and that really lifted my spirits - and wow, that reservoir is really pretty. Where the hell are we?
Mile 9 - Aha! there's the Capital building. I think I know where we are, shouldn't Union Station be around here somewhere?
Mile 10 - 'you're going a little fast for a 4:30 aren't you?' 'thank you, ma'm.' Grumble, grumble... but this is now my marathon and all of my miles so far have been 9:05-9:30's so don't mess with me. I haven't settled in yet..but let's just knock this bitch off.
Mile 11 - met some nice ladies from McLean running their first 1/2 - interrupted their conversation indicating something to the effect that anyone can run a 1/2, it's mind over matter.. Amen to that!
Mile 12 - tummy is grumbling...food? intestines? What's going on here?
Mile 13 - 1/2-ers to the right, Full to the left.. oh geez now we're running through a wind tunnel and I so want to be done right now. There's the car...and I really have to pee - but the porta johns are disgusting. Shit, just lost 3 minutes waiting in line and walk right out they're so bad.
13.1 - the RedBull girls are out and man that stuff tastes like shit.. blah! (I almost spit it all over one) Even with losing time at the PJ's I'm still in under 2:10..oops.
Mile 14 - Somewhere between 13& 14 a 1/2-er came by and good naturedly assured us we were almost done. My response , 'I've got another 13 miles to go, i'm not almost done.' and she had the nerve..'not you, everyone else.' hello, did she not just finish? Did she run this side of the course? I don't think so!
Mile 15 - whew! The 1/2-ers are all gone so the field has thinned out and everyone looks like a serious runner now. I remember talking with a man and telling him.. my butt's sore. I just want to be done, let's knock this bitch off.
Mile 16 - Okay, I realize that I've been pretty negative all morning and by this point I really don't care. I remind myself that I'm happy, that this is a beautiful morning and I'm running along the Mall. This is about the point that I overhear one of the volunteers respond that she's not running because she's running the 10-miler next weekend. I think to myself, well, so am I and I'm out here and I seriously begin to question my sanity.
Mile 17 - I take up talking with an older man as we descend into the bowels of DC....or some tunnel going under the Mall - I forget that I was going to start taking my walk breaks at 17 - oops.
Mile 18 - My ass really hurts and have I mentioned that I want to be done yet?
Mile 19 - 7 more to go.. just about a 12k - just give me 70 more minutes body..
Mile 20 - I love Mile 20! We've just crossed the Potomac and there is only a hour left of running until I can be done. Yahoo!
Mile 21 - I've tried all morning to employ a trick I've learned of picking a point in the distance and running but have been quite unsuccessful in such a bright sunny day. This is about the most mentally troubling marathon I've run yet...none of my little tricks were of use. About this point my right knee started to ache, not the knee but the muscle that I've had problems with since my accident.. shit! must be that head-wind.
Mile 22 - we're on a loop in Anacosta park and this is about my least favorite part of the course. Nobody is sure of the mileage and the head-winds suck.
Mile 23 - I wish people would stop saying the Mile markers are just around the corner when they're at least a 1/4 mile off.. that's 2 :15 minutes of running.. just around the corner is a 100m people! seconds, not minutes!
Mile 24 - Hills.. more goddamn hills! A guy with a mohawk remarks that he hopes I'm not running a 4:30 because that's his goal and I'm not allowed to pass him. I realize that I'll be coming in around 4:27 and I assure him that if he sticks with me I'll bring him in on goal.
Mile 25 - This mile never looked so good. I don't think that I ever settled in and somehow this marathon seems to have passed me by; goodness knows how that could've happened but it sure did...despite my determination to be done, I think I checked out before I even began.
Mile 26 - Now I know that I didn't run that last mile in 6.35- Dammit! I really, really hate it when the mile markers are off. it's a mental mind fuck - about every possible curse word imaginable came out of my mouth at this point. I did the 'objects in the mirror are closer than the appear' check and the finish was more than a 1/2 mile away.
Mile 26.2- Clock time of 4:29:36 and a chip time of 4:26:04 - just about 40 seconds off from my PR set two weeks ago. Damn! I'm good! and I'm sooo ready to be done running marathons for this spring...
... in my hammock and can barely move. My neighbors seem to enjoy my vulnerability and stop to talk with me every so often. Cheers!
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