Marathon day
7:27 PM
A clear shot of alertness shot through my body at around 5:30 and I woke up in thinking of the worst, being late to the marathon. I calmly readjusted and had my usual breakfast consisting of oats, milk, almonds and a banana. One of the keys to preparation of a marathon is to be as consistent as possible be it your runs or your diet. The marathon is one of the only sports that rely on total consistency because one false move the night before the marathon could set you up for a 26.2 miles of hell. I'll give you an example, you eat something exotic the night before the race and have a large breakfast that you weren't use to eating. While running you might notice a noticeable decrease in energy or having stomach troubles during the race.
We got out the door and I was ready. The weather was a cloudy 50 degrees with winds comparable to Boston's. There were around 3,000 runners and we fed off of each other waiting in anticipation for the beginning of the race. I situated myself next to the 3:10 race pacer to try to achieve my ultimate goal of qualifying for the Boston marathon.
We started and the weather quickly became an after thought. We ran down the avenue next to the ocean and down a bridge by the Aquarium. It was a fast pace and I tuned my breathing to be slow and deep. I talked with one of the runners running in the pack who grew up in Boston but moved to Virginia Beach. He told me that one of the best things compared to Boston is he doesn't miss the weather. We had a nice chat but as soon as we hit the military base most people were quiet as that was expending too much energy. Also at the military base, we had soldiers yell to us and they performed push ups as we passed.
I tried to run with the Wheel chair marathoner encouraging him but he soon passed me.
We all stuck together till about mile 13 and I set a new PR of 1:33. However, I was starting to feel a little fatigued and I started to get a stomach cramp from the gatorade that we had at each water stop. I stuck through it and kept up with the group until mile 17. I even outlasted our pacer. I think he got a stomach cramp and never caught up to us.
Mile 17 I started to decide to slow down because the immanent wall was soon to come and I wanted to be prepared to take the unbearable pain. Around mile 21 I hit the wall. About this time the miles become longer and longer and you wonder when the next mile marker will show up. I knew that even though I wouldn't be able to break the 3:10 goal I was still able to beat my time from last year. During my slower pace I actively cheered people on and started to sing a little to pass the time. Mile 15-21 is quite boring because there is just woods to either side of you and more military buildings. I'm use to many buildings and things to look at in Boston.
The pain wasn't as bad as last year though. I didn't feel blisters on my feet and my legs didn't feel like burning boulders. But I kept feeling like I wanted to quite. I disregarded it and stuck through it.
I finally finished the race at 3:28, 7 minutes faster than last year. Still a good accomplishment.
We got out the door and I was ready. The weather was a cloudy 50 degrees with winds comparable to Boston's. There were around 3,000 runners and we fed off of each other waiting in anticipation for the beginning of the race. I situated myself next to the 3:10 race pacer to try to achieve my ultimate goal of qualifying for the Boston marathon.
We started and the weather quickly became an after thought. We ran down the avenue next to the ocean and down a bridge by the Aquarium. It was a fast pace and I tuned my breathing to be slow and deep. I talked with one of the runners running in the pack who grew up in Boston but moved to Virginia Beach. He told me that one of the best things compared to Boston is he doesn't miss the weather. We had a nice chat but as soon as we hit the military base most people were quiet as that was expending too much energy. Also at the military base, we had soldiers yell to us and they performed push ups as we passed.
I tried to run with the Wheel chair marathoner encouraging him but he soon passed me.
We all stuck together till about mile 13 and I set a new PR of 1:33. However, I was starting to feel a little fatigued and I started to get a stomach cramp from the gatorade that we had at each water stop. I stuck through it and kept up with the group until mile 17. I even outlasted our pacer. I think he got a stomach cramp and never caught up to us.
Mile 17 I started to decide to slow down because the immanent wall was soon to come and I wanted to be prepared to take the unbearable pain. Around mile 21 I hit the wall. About this time the miles become longer and longer and you wonder when the next mile marker will show up. I knew that even though I wouldn't be able to break the 3:10 goal I was still able to beat my time from last year. During my slower pace I actively cheered people on and started to sing a little to pass the time. Mile 15-21 is quite boring because there is just woods to either side of you and more military buildings. I'm use to many buildings and things to look at in Boston.
The pain wasn't as bad as last year though. I didn't feel blisters on my feet and my legs didn't feel like burning boulders. But I kept feeling like I wanted to quite. I disregarded it and stuck through it.
I finally finished the race at 3:28, 7 minutes faster than last year. Still a good accomplishment.
