Time now mattered

Motorola Marathon 2003

Seemed more nervous this year than last year, even though last year was my first year. This was due to bigger expectations on my part. Time now mattered. Of course the pie in the sky dream of a 3 hour marathon will always be the ultimate goal to shoot for. Today's reality was much different. So I set 3 goal paces:

• Great 3:15
• Happy: 3:18 (double 3M pace +10 minutes - how I did last year
• Better Finish By: 3:30(last year's time)

Awake very early -- get to the parking garage at Palmer at 5:30 - not too crowded -- jump on the bus and get over to the start. See some friends, talk a bit. Coach tries to talk to me about starting in slower pace group -- no no no I'm not listening. I can't speed up in the end - I'm sticking to my strategy -- right or wrong. Run as fast as I can for as long as I can. I'll eat crow when he passes me on the course but when he does that will force me to re-speed up or at least try.

Haven't taken care of business yet so I decide to go for a jog to see if it will help - know I'm not taking off my pants so turn in my drop bag and go for the jog and multiple lines of porta potties until it finally happens.

With that done, can move to start line. (6:35 a. m.) Easily find 3:15 pace group. Glad the pace group have their signs out a lot earlier than last year.

Vaguely remember taking off hat for National Anthem and a quick I love you to the sky. Now we're off.

Wow following this pace group is difficult. It was hard last year too -- they weave in and out and seem to be going fast. I know we are going faster than the pace. Oh well. That's what I like. I'll keep up as long as possible. Somewhere in the first mile or two, I see the girl in front of me in the Distance Challenge - we're going to pass her. I hope she doesn't see me (I know I'm bad -- but I think she saw me at 3M and sped up and I couldn't keep up). Go way right to help my chances. Don't really know if saw or not just worried about keeping pace group in sight.

After 2nd mile, gets less crowded, pace leaders know they are running fast -- they decide to take water at 3rd water stop but go back to quick pace. Fourth water stop they are taking a lot longer - I decide I'm not waiting -- I'll run my own race.

Don't really remember many details in race -- which is a good sign for me cause when things are going well I tend to zone out. But I do remember the wind and realizing this course isn't flat. I have no idea why I hadn't remembered all those hills in the course last year. I think Chicago is flatter.

Around mile 21.5, I started to hate the marathon. I remember why I always claim this is the last one. Hey. This is an entire mile and a one half later than the point where I hated it last year. Maybe that's how these runners do so many marathons and actually claim to like them. Maybe each year it gets easier? Maybe next year it will be even farther along.

Somewhere in mile 22 or 23 the 3:15 pace group overtook me. Tried to keep up again but couldn't. The people yelling out finishing times were still saying earlier than 3:15 so they are still going fast. I'll just make sure the 3:20 pace group doesn't pass me.

At the beginning of race, I thought if I can be at mile 24 in 3 hours (8 miles every hour = 7:30min/mile). You can just do your sprint work and finish good. HA HA HA. Of my goodness, I can't even begin to explain how painful those last 2 miles were. I was at mile 24 slightly before 3:00 hours. I did my mantra -- only 20 more minutes at most -- thinking this was being ultraconservative -- but in reality it turned out to be just around 20 minutes -I was running a 9:00 min/mile. I was lucky I wasn't walking-although in all reality it probably would take a broken leg for me to walk in a race where my time is good -- that's why I have to start out fast and use that as motivation to just keep running. I'd probably quit if my time wasn't good and I felt bad.

It was pure torture to finish. I felt like crying as I ran. And two hills on Riverside - that's just not right. I am NEVER EVER running another one of these -- now I remember why I've said that after each marathon. I see the finish-someone yells my name I don't have the strength to even look their way I'm just crossing that finish. I see 3:18 on the clock-get there before it's 3:19. Thankfully I did. (3:18:41.50 Clock - 7:34 pace)

This is the first time (Moto was my 3rd marathon) that I have been physically ill from the marathon. Sunday and Monday I was nauseous and my stomach ached. I really don't know what was wrong - I'm guessing that I just used stomach muscles to run and strained them immensely -- I was worried enough to call doc but one of the symptoms she was most worried about went away by Tues. so I didn't go see one. It took til Thursday to finally feel up to snuff and for my stomach to be unsore -while my legs were ready to run Tuesday. I'll run for the first time tomorrow(Sunday).

I really do love AustinFit's training program. It's not a ton of mileage but it works! Here's what I think helped make me run faster:

1. Hilly Long Sat. runs. Thanks Tim! (Made Distance Challenge races seem easy)
2. Doing speed work outs at gym on tread mill. (No cheating - you know exactly when you are slowing down).
3. Running the weekday minute runs at pace I wanted to run Marathon. If slower than pace, adding 5-10 minutes before.

Until Carlos N Charlie's I was saying no more marathons -train like you will do one but don't. Then Phil had to rub it in that he passed me(in those 24-26 miles) and beat me and now we have a bet for next year. I need to stay away from you crazy marathoners else I'll never get free. :)

Sharon Boatwright
(always a yellow fellow in my heart)