First Post-Marathon Run
I spent quite a bit of time over the Thanksgiving holiday down in Orlando, hanging out with my brother, Amy, Erin, Jimmy, Juliana, Jake, Dad, Beth, etc.. We had a great time. On Friday night, Scott and I went for our first post-marathon run of about 3.5 miles. We both felt pretty sore on the run, but we finished hard, running the course at close to an 8 min/mile clip. I need a few more days off before I get back into any sort of training!
Friday, November 25, 2005
Monday, November 21, 2005
MARATHON FINISHED
I'm not sure how I can even begin to summarize this weekend, so I'll start in chronological order and let you all follow along.
Saturday:
Early Saturday morning Sara and I began our trek from Waltham to Manchester Airport in New Hampshire to catch our flight to Philadelphia. With the realization that I was on the doorstep of beginning an adventure that would culminate with the running of my first ever marathon, I must admit my nerves were already getting the best of me. We arrived at Manchester, got onto
our plane, and enjoyed the brief 50 minutes of flying before touching down in Philly. When we arrived Scott and Amy were there to pick us up. After exchanging greetings, we were on our way to downtown Philadelphia and the Art Museum (the site of the marathon expo and start line). The four of us snapped some funny pictures, and wandered through the expo trying the free samples. After we checked into our hotel we relaxed for a couple of hours before heading over to Maggianos to get take-out. We all hung out with Scott's buddy Kyle and his brother Brett over dinner and shared a few laughs. Finally at about 9:15 Kyle and Brett left and the four of us turned off the lights for what would be an eventful "Marathon Sunday".
Sunday Pre-Race:
I'm not sure how, but Scott awoke at 5:17 to the realization that the wake up call never came at 5:15, and the alarm clock never went off either! So much for setting up the double-alarm system. After quick showers, Scott and I mulled over our apparel decisions and began the layering process. At 6 we went down to breakfast and gobbled some food knowing that we would need every calorie we could jam down our throats. When we returned to the room Amy and Sara were rising and getting ready as well. At 7 we went down to the lobby and caught a taxi to the "Start Line". The porta-potty line was out of control. This year, the Marathon website indicated there would be approx. 100 facilities on site. Well let me tell, all 100 porta-pottys had at least 15 people in line. That was the first amusing observation. Then as we were standing
around, we saw a runner in a Spongebob costume waltz by apparently prepared to run 26 miles. Around 7:40, we walked over to the start line to find our 4Hour pace group leader by the name of "Star". As we arrived, Star was already telling some folks that this was her 10th marathon this year, and her 60th overall. Mind you, the girl could not have been much older than 30 or so. Unreal.... 
Anyways, not long after saying our goodbyes to Sara and Amy, the gun went off to begin the Race of Death.
Miles 1-10:
I would guess that the temps were in the high 40's when the race started under a bright sun at 8:05am. As the gun went off, Scott and I started our watches and began walking. We finally started running about a minute after the gun when the crowd in front of us cleared out. Literally on our 3rd or 4th step into our jog, Scott was making his final adjustments with his gloves and dropped one! "Oh $hit" he yelled as he turned around run back and grab his glove, not thinking about the fact that three thousand people behind him were about to trample him. So after a second he gave up and we started running again. Miles 1-3 took us through Philly and out to the waterfront. Scott complained of a muscle just above his achilles bothering him, but other than that we were running a good pace. We both took water at the crowded mile 2 stop without issue to report. At mile 4 though, the station had somehow run out of cups and the volunteers were pouring water frantically to the masses of runners. Around the same time, we both dipped into our shorts and went for our first gel. We settled into a comfortable pace miles 4-8 as we ran past Independence Hall and through the crowded downtown streets. At this point, everyone around us were were in a jovial mood, and Scott and I started cracking a few jokes to keep the run entertaining. At mile 7 or so, Scott spotted Amy and Sara on the sidewalk as they took this quick picture of us.
Around mile 8, we passed Drexel University and started heading up the first hill. The coeds outside the frat houses were entertaining and very supportive, which gave everyone a boost. Throughout this time, Scott and I kept constantly within 30-40 yards of our pace leader Star, who continued to talk non-stop throughout the race. Also Scott was becoming more and more concerned about finding a bathroom. After looking for a place for him to duck into the woods for about a mile, he finally pulled over around mile 9 as I jogged slowly waiting for him to catch up. Within a couple of minutes he was back with our group. I think other people may have had the same feelings as Scott because we saw quite a few runners (guys and girls alike) ducking into the woods. By the time we hit double digits at mile 10, both of us were feeling great and the temperature had risen to the mid-50s with continuous sunshine.
Miles 11 - 18:
Scott and I really hit our stride so to speak between miles 11 and 18. During this time we began concentrating more on the task at hand of withstanding 26 miles of our feet hitting the pavement. We crossed the half-way mark of mile 13 up past the Philadelphia Zoo and we were both feeling pretty good. Around this time we also spotted Amy & Sara peering down at us from
an overpass. We waved to them, though I guess they never saw me as I was about 25 yards behind Scott in conversation with a fellow runner. At mile 14 we crossed over the Schuylkill River and headed up towards a cool town called Manayunk. This stretch along the river was beautiful, but it was a bit disappointing to see the crowd support really start to thin out in this area. At about mile 18, I felt a sudden tweak in my left quadricep muscle. It was a quick spasm, but certainly cause for concern. I told Scott of the spasm and he suggested we pull over to see if stretching it would help me. I declined the offer hoping that jogging through it would keep the pain at bay. It didn't... Another half mile later I had another muscle spasm in the same quad and finally told Scott I needed to pull over.
Miles 19-23:
Scott waited as I stretched my quad out for about 15 seconds and then we were off and running again. Another quarter mile or so and bam, again the quad. He graciously stopped again for 15 seconds or so and we began jogging slowly. I don't fully remember the sequence of events, because we certainly never had a formal conversation about it, but he pushed the pace and I stayed behind trying to recover. I hoped the best for him as I jogged along slow at maybe a 10 minute/mile pace. Along this stretch, we started heading into an artsy area of Philadelphia called Manayunk. Downtown Manayunk was great and the crowd support was amazing, but none of this helped my legs. A few times I had to walk when I knew that running anymore would cause my leg muscles to seize up. By the time I hit the Manayunk turnaround at mile 20, I'm guessing that Scott was about 4-5 minutes ahead. After the turnaround, I jogged slowly through downtown until we were back along the river around mile 22. At this point, the cramps worsened and I was forced to walk more often. After a couple of severe cramps in both calves around mile 23, I was forced to stop for over a minute. The crowd lining the sidewalk was very supportive and encouraging me to rest until I was able to continue. I waited patiently as the pulsating in my calves came to an end, then continued on with a fast race-walk.
Mile 23-26:
Overcoming adversity and damage control. Being forced to a "race-walk" all I could think about was how worried Scott and the girls would become at the finish line. When Scott last left me, he
knew I was starting to cramp up, though I'm not sure he or I at that point was aware of the severity of the cramps that ensued in the coming miles. Because these miles were an "out-and-back" stopping was really never a thought that came to my mind. I knew that one way or another I needed to get back to the start line if only to see Scott, Amy, and Sara again. So I continued to race walk and re-established mini-goals of going through each mile under 20 minutes. I was able to keep miles 23, 24, 25, 26 all under 18 minutes, though I knew I was losing over 9 minutes per mile to Scott and my pace group. I never experienced "the wall" as many people talk about with Marathon running, mostly because I had to deal with my cramping and being resigned to walking probably prevented "the wall". In these miles, it took 100% concentration to put one foot in front of the other and continue on. Unfortunately not every one else had the same fortune. In fact, around mile 24, I saw a femal runner around 25 yrs old or so, collapsed and unconscious in the middle of the road being attended to. It was truly disheartening to see that happen to anyone that had come so far and given so much. I kept concentrating on 
my race walk even though occasionally I would have to slow down the walk to prevent cramping. Finally I hit mile 25. 1 more to go I thought. I continued the race walk until the crowd thickened and the cheers from the crowd became deafening. Many of the spectators lining the streets were urging me to run the last few hundred yards, thinking I was walking due to being tired, not understanding my physical injury. Finally, in the last 50 feet I picked it up to a jog and trotted across the finish line, finishing my first ever marathon in 4:41.15
Post-Race:
I stumbled across the line and over to the group of volunteers that help with the chip removal from the shoe. After somehow getting my chip dislodged, I received my marathon medal, then posed for a picture in front of the American Flag by a Photo Volunteer. I then limped my way through the race tent, passing the massage tables, food tables, and people milling around to exit the opposite side. I arrived at our pre-arranged meeting spot to find myself all alone. After staying on my feet for about 10 minutes waiting, I finally decided to lay down and lean my feet up against a tree to try and free some of the lactic acid build up. At that point, Sara arrived and everyone followed shortly. It was great to see everyone, especially Scott, who had the
determination of a madman to finish the marathon in 4:03. I am incredibly proud of how he met my challenge, got in great shape, and ran an incredible race. 4 months ago he was hurting after a 2 mile run. Yesterday, he ran his ass off for 26.2 miles showing just one of the ways he proves to be an inspiration to his family day in and day out. Congratulations Scott, I'll never forget this day for the challenges we both overcame to finish. We may be sore now, but we'll be sharing lots of laughs and fond memories in the years to come about yesterday. Also, I owe a huge thank you to Mom, Dad, Stephen, Ann, Amy, Sara, my coworkers, and my friends for being such a great support group.
I'm not sure how I can even begin to summarize this weekend, so I'll start in chronological order and let you all follow along.
Saturday:
Early Saturday morning Sara and I began our trek from Waltham to Manchester Airport in New Hampshire to catch our flight to Philadelphia. With the realization that I was on the doorstep of beginning an adventure that would culminate with the running of my first ever marathon, I must admit my nerves were already getting the best of me. We arrived at Manchester, got onto
our plane, and enjoyed the brief 50 minutes of flying before touching down in Philly. When we arrived Scott and Amy were there to pick us up. After exchanging greetings, we were on our way to downtown Philadelphia and the Art Museum (the site of the marathon expo and start line). The four of us snapped some funny pictures, and wandered through the expo trying the free samples. After we checked into our hotel we relaxed for a couple of hours before heading over to Maggianos to get take-out. We all hung out with Scott's buddy Kyle and his brother Brett over dinner and shared a few laughs. Finally at about 9:15 Kyle and Brett left and the four of us turned off the lights for what would be an eventful "Marathon Sunday".Sunday Pre-Race:
I'm not sure how, but Scott awoke at 5:17 to the realization that the wake up call never came at 5:15, and the alarm clock never went off either! So much for setting up the double-alarm system. After quick showers, Scott and I mulled over our apparel decisions and began the layering process. At 6 we went down to breakfast and gobbled some food knowing that we would need every calorie we could jam down our throats. When we returned to the room Amy and Sara were rising and getting ready as well. At 7 we went down to the lobby and caught a taxi to the "Start Line". The porta-potty line was out of control. This year, the Marathon website indicated there would be approx. 100 facilities on site. Well let me tell, all 100 porta-pottys had at least 15 people in line. That was the first amusing observation. Then as we were standing
around, we saw a runner in a Spongebob costume waltz by apparently prepared to run 26 miles. Around 7:40, we walked over to the start line to find our 4Hour pace group leader by the name of "Star". As we arrived, Star was already telling some folks that this was her 10th marathon this year, and her 60th overall. Mind you, the girl could not have been much older than 30 or so. Unreal.... 
Anyways, not long after saying our goodbyes to Sara and Amy, the gun went off to begin the Race of Death.Miles 1-10:
I would guess that the temps were in the high 40's when the race started under a bright sun at 8:05am. As the gun went off, Scott and I started our watches and began walking. We finally started running about a minute after the gun when the crowd in front of us cleared out. Literally on our 3rd or 4th step into our jog, Scott was making his final adjustments with his gloves and dropped one! "Oh $hit" he yelled as he turned around run back and grab his glove, not thinking about the fact that three thousand people behind him were about to trample him. So after a second he gave up and we started running again. Miles 1-3 took us through Philly and out to the waterfront. Scott complained of a muscle just above his achilles bothering him, but other than that we were running a good pace. We both took water at the crowded mile 2 stop without issue to report. At mile 4 though, the station had somehow run out of cups and the volunteers were pouring water frantically to the masses of runners. Around the same time, we both dipped into our shorts and went for our first gel. We settled into a comfortable pace miles 4-8 as we ran past Independence Hall and through the crowded downtown streets. At this point, everyone around us were were in a jovial mood, and Scott and I started cracking a few jokes to keep the run entertaining. At mile 7 or so, Scott spotted Amy and Sara on the sidewalk as they took this quick picture of us.
Around mile 8, we passed Drexel University and started heading up the first hill. The coeds outside the frat houses were entertaining and very supportive, which gave everyone a boost. Throughout this time, Scott and I kept constantly within 30-40 yards of our pace leader Star, who continued to talk non-stop throughout the race. Also Scott was becoming more and more concerned about finding a bathroom. After looking for a place for him to duck into the woods for about a mile, he finally pulled over around mile 9 as I jogged slowly waiting for him to catch up. Within a couple of minutes he was back with our group. I think other people may have had the same feelings as Scott because we saw quite a few runners (guys and girls alike) ducking into the woods. By the time we hit double digits at mile 10, both of us were feeling great and the temperature had risen to the mid-50s with continuous sunshine.Miles 11 - 18:
Scott and I really hit our stride so to speak between miles 11 and 18. During this time we began concentrating more on the task at hand of withstanding 26 miles of our feet hitting the pavement. We crossed the half-way mark of mile 13 up past the Philadelphia Zoo and we were both feeling pretty good. Around this time we also spotted Amy & Sara peering down at us from
an overpass. We waved to them, though I guess they never saw me as I was about 25 yards behind Scott in conversation with a fellow runner. At mile 14 we crossed over the Schuylkill River and headed up towards a cool town called Manayunk. This stretch along the river was beautiful, but it was a bit disappointing to see the crowd support really start to thin out in this area. At about mile 18, I felt a sudden tweak in my left quadricep muscle. It was a quick spasm, but certainly cause for concern. I told Scott of the spasm and he suggested we pull over to see if stretching it would help me. I declined the offer hoping that jogging through it would keep the pain at bay. It didn't... Another half mile later I had another muscle spasm in the same quad and finally told Scott I needed to pull over.Miles 19-23:
Scott waited as I stretched my quad out for about 15 seconds and then we were off and running again. Another quarter mile or so and bam, again the quad. He graciously stopped again for 15 seconds or so and we began jogging slowly. I don't fully remember the sequence of events, because we certainly never had a formal conversation about it, but he pushed the pace and I stayed behind trying to recover. I hoped the best for him as I jogged along slow at maybe a 10 minute/mile pace. Along this stretch, we started heading into an artsy area of Philadelphia called Manayunk. Downtown Manayunk was great and the crowd support was amazing, but none of this helped my legs. A few times I had to walk when I knew that running anymore would cause my leg muscles to seize up. By the time I hit the Manayunk turnaround at mile 20, I'm guessing that Scott was about 4-5 minutes ahead. After the turnaround, I jogged slowly through downtown until we were back along the river around mile 22. At this point, the cramps worsened and I was forced to walk more often. After a couple of severe cramps in both calves around mile 23, I was forced to stop for over a minute. The crowd lining the sidewalk was very supportive and encouraging me to rest until I was able to continue. I waited patiently as the pulsating in my calves came to an end, then continued on with a fast race-walk.
Mile 23-26:
Overcoming adversity and damage control. Being forced to a "race-walk" all I could think about was how worried Scott and the girls would become at the finish line. When Scott last left me, he
knew I was starting to cramp up, though I'm not sure he or I at that point was aware of the severity of the cramps that ensued in the coming miles. Because these miles were an "out-and-back" stopping was really never a thought that came to my mind. I knew that one way or another I needed to get back to the start line if only to see Scott, Amy, and Sara again. So I continued to race walk and re-established mini-goals of going through each mile under 20 minutes. I was able to keep miles 23, 24, 25, 26 all under 18 minutes, though I knew I was losing over 9 minutes per mile to Scott and my pace group. I never experienced "the wall" as many people talk about with Marathon running, mostly because I had to deal with my cramping and being resigned to walking probably prevented "the wall". In these miles, it took 100% concentration to put one foot in front of the other and continue on. Unfortunately not every one else had the same fortune. In fact, around mile 24, I saw a femal runner around 25 yrs old or so, collapsed and unconscious in the middle of the road being attended to. It was truly disheartening to see that happen to anyone that had come so far and given so much. I kept concentrating on 
my race walk even though occasionally I would have to slow down the walk to prevent cramping. Finally I hit mile 25. 1 more to go I thought. I continued the race walk until the crowd thickened and the cheers from the crowd became deafening. Many of the spectators lining the streets were urging me to run the last few hundred yards, thinking I was walking due to being tired, not understanding my physical injury. Finally, in the last 50 feet I picked it up to a jog and trotted across the finish line, finishing my first ever marathon in 4:41.15Post-Race:
I stumbled across the line and over to the group of volunteers that help with the chip removal from the shoe. After somehow getting my chip dislodged, I received my marathon medal, then posed for a picture in front of the American Flag by a Photo Volunteer. I then limped my way through the race tent, passing the massage tables, food tables, and people milling around to exit the opposite side. I arrived at our pre-arranged meeting spot to find myself all alone. After staying on my feet for about 10 minutes waiting, I finally decided to lay down and lean my feet up against a tree to try and free some of the lactic acid build up. At that point, Sara arrived and everyone followed shortly. It was great to see everyone, especially Scott, who had the
determination of a madman to finish the marathon in 4:03. I am incredibly proud of how he met my challenge, got in great shape, and ran an incredible race. 4 months ago he was hurting after a 2 mile run. Yesterday, he ran his ass off for 26.2 miles showing just one of the ways he proves to be an inspiration to his family day in and day out. Congratulations Scott, I'll never forget this day for the challenges we both overcame to finish. We may be sore now, but we'll be sharing lots of laughs and fond memories in the years to come about yesterday. Also, I owe a huge thank you to Mom, Dad, Stephen, Ann, Amy, Sara, my coworkers, and my friends for being such a great support group. Mile Splits:
1: 9:46
2: 9:17
3: 8:51
4: 8:52
5: 8:52
6: 9:13
7: 9:16
8: 9:14
9: 9:15
10: 9:50
11: 9:01
12: 8:49
13: 8:44
14: 9:00
15: 8:59
16: 9:11
17: 9:20
18: 10:00
19: 10:30
20: 12:37
21: 13:00
22: 13:11
23: 17:12
24: 15:48
25: 14:40
26: 15:54
.2: 2:50
------------> Net Time = 4:41.15
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