Vince Goes For 3

I was woke at 3:00 in the morning by the sounds of what I thought was the wind, but I thought it can't be the wind. I peered out the wind to realize I was unfortunately wrong, the trees in my backyard were blowing like they do in a sever thunderstorm in spring. I made my way through the dark to the restroom and got a drink of water and went back to bed praying that the wind would settle down.

My alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. and I jumped up to look out the window. The wind was still blowing. I ran to my computer to check the forecast.....winds gusting from 15 to 20 mph out of the NW and the temperature was to supposed to rise until this afternoon. I quickly thought which part of the Marathon the wind will be at my back. Start a little up hill into the wind... right turn on Braker wind at my back... right turn on Burnet wind at my back.... then we are heading south... this sounds pretty good! Then we turn right on sixth street... heading west out to the boat docks... yikes!!! I remembered how the river acts as a funnel for wind during our training runs... but then we make that u-turn and the wind will be at our backs all the way until Longhorn Dam.... then south again and then west to the finish but this part would be easier because I will just about be home.

So I get dressed deciding to wear tights since the temperature is not supposed to rise and the wind is not supposed to slow down. I hope that the weather channel knows what they are talking about. I check all my equipment... powergel, Race chip on my shoe, Number pinned to my shirt, 4:30 pace band, hat for my head, socks to keep hands warm, handkerchief to blow nose since I am getting over a sinus infection from last weekend, chapstick, electrolyte supplements, and VO2 Max Caplets. I check everything again.....and again, one more time to be sure.

I check with my wife to see if she is ready to leave. She says that she is ready. I go to get my son, Matthew, who is not even a year old. As I go into his room to pick him up I remember last year leading up to the Marathon hoping he would wait to enter the world after the Marathon, and he did on February 20th. Reminiscing on this puts a big smile on my face as I pick him up to take him to the car.

We leave and get to the starting line and I realize it is even colder than I thought it would be. I find Austin Fit stretching with Marion leading the stretches. I visit with friends, Gabe a very good friend for the last few years who is not able to run due to an injury wishes me well and says he will see me out there on the course and predicts a 4:30 finish. I see Pat and wish him good luck and head to the starting line to search for my other friends. I kiss my wife good-bye and tell Matthew I will see him at the Finish. I have trouble finding anyone and finally come across some of runners from my running group who I led in training runs when Pat and Dinty could not be there. I think how I remember my first marathon and feeling at the beginning of the race, excitement, fear, anticipation. My smile grows even bigger. Bentley who was always at the front of the group as we trained is one of the first people I see. I tell her she will do fine and I know that she will. I ask her "where is Lindsay?... because where ever Bentley is, Lindsay usually isn't far away. She says that she is not running the Marathon due to an injury but she is over on the sidelines right there as she points her out. I see Lindsey and go over to say hi. I know how she feels because I missed my first Marathon due to an injury as well. Lindsay has tears running down her face as I give here a hug and tell her I know that she WILL do this someday!. I tell her goodbye and she says she will see me out on the course.

I continued to search for more friends with no luck. I decided to find a place in the pack between the 4:15 and the 4:30 pace group. I met Tim who was from Houston Fit and we talked about the course and I described it to him as he had never run in Austin's Marathon before. We ended up running the first half of the race together.

The race started and we said we would go slow and it seemed like we were. We finished the first mile in 8:30 and the second as well.... way too fast. We backed off shooting for close to a 10 minute mile pace and ended up hitting 9:25.... 9:10... 9:30.... I saw many people along the course. My Brother at Mile 4 said he would be my support crew all day long and would ride his bike finding me along the way. Next I saw Eric a friend who's wife was running her third Marathon as well. Next Gabe who was at about Mile 5 then Lindsay just after Mile 5 cheering everyone on. I knew my family would be at Mile 9 like they are every year giving me support. Along the way to mile 9 my Brother passed by on his bike and asked if I needed anything I waved him off as I felt great.

I came to mile 9 and sure enough my family was there waiting for me cheering me on. I continued on knowing that the Marathon was far from over. The next big milestone was half way in my mind. I wanted to reach there around 2:15 to hit my goal of a 4:30 Marathon. Along the way I saw Gabe again who asked how I was doing. I gave him a thumbs up. I made it to 13.1 at 2:10 still feeling great. Tim asked me when we would be reaching the right turn to 6th street. I told him it was coming up and to be ready for the wind. As we ran down Congress the crowd support was great. I saw the turn for Sixth street ahead... people lined the corner. We started around the corner and you could hear the runners as they made the turn in front of us expressing their astonishment at how hard the wind was blowing. I made the turn and it felt as if my pace slowed to half speed. The buildings must have been acting as a funnel for the wind because it was incredible how hard it was blowing. I continued on westward.

I knew at the corner of Sixth and Lamar I would see my family again. While heading down sixth street I felt a twinge in my calves which had been a chronic problem for me during my past two Marathons and any long runs over 15 miles. I had experimented with supplements this year and it seemed that they had worked during my training runs and made me anticipate the Marathon even more. I thought about Gabe who had given me support and was not running and about Lindsay who I knew wanted to be out there running so bad. I told myself that this was not happening to me again. But my body had other plans. My calves continued to tighten and my pace slowed.

I saw my parents at their usual location and asked if they had any Motrin... as I remembered a lady form last year who gave me some Motrin and it seemed to work. They did not have any but my Mom said she had some Advil in the car. I continued on as I my calves continued to give me problems. I headed out Lake Austin for the out and back continuing to stop to stretch every half mile or so. I thought the turn to head east would never happen. Finally I saw it ahead and told myself I would reward myself with a walk break after the turn.

Now heading east with the wind at my back I told myself this was just another training run. My calves continued to cramp and I began to think why was I here doing this again... beginning to doubt finishing. Finally I saw my Brother again and he said I have some Advil, do you want some. I gladly took them and hoped that they would help to control my cramping.

Again those runners who were not able to run entered my thoughts and made me think I was fortunate to be out there and I had run through these type of cramps two times before I could do it again! and I will do it again! I slowly started to increase my pace trying to maintain my goal of a 4:30 finish. I was still ahead of the pace Band but the margin was getting smaller.

I came to Congress and saw Gabe again. He asked how I was doing and I gave him two thumbs down! He could not believe it as he ran along side me for a short distance. He asked If I was still taking my supplements every hour and I told him yes. I continued on. Now coming up to mile 20 which I knew was when the real test began. I always told the runners in my pace group about how mile 20 was where the second half of the race began. I was just about there.

As I ran under 35 I knew I was there as now my quads started to get in on the cramping action. Still ahead of my pace bands time for a 4:30 finish, but I knew it would be difficult to maintain as it had diminished to only seconds now. I told myself I would do my best to finish as quickly as I could. My Brother kept coming into view asking how I was doing and if I needed anything. I was running as fast as I could still having to stop and try to stretch now and then.

I made the right turn and saw the dam in front of me. I remembered our training runs that ran over the dam and knew I was on my way home for the third time. I saw Yvonne & Bobby near Riverside. Bobby was trying to stretch out a cramp in his leg which they said was really bad. I started to pick up speed as I could feel the excitement of the finish line ahead. I passed over IH-35 and knew there was one more hill ahead then it was downhill from there and I was home free. Coming into the finish line for the third time felt just like the first time. The happiness and the sense of accomplishment cannot be put into words.

I saw my wife and my son at the beginning of the shoot and stopped briefly.... I saw my friends Donna & David who had already finished cheering me on and my parents and my brother as I made the last left turn. I bit my lip to hold back the emotions as I thought about my family and friends who had supported me along the way. My mind raced through so many thoughts, last year and my sons birth just days after the Marathon, how my wife supported me on the Marathon last year even though she was 9+ months pregnant. Also I thought about Gabe who could not run but was out there giving his support. (Thanks Gabe for the supplements, the advice, and the support during the race!) Also I thought about Lindsay and seeing her at the starting line with tears running down her face, knowing how bad she wanted to run but was told not too. (My heart goes out to you Lindsay. As I told you at the start "You will do this some day... I know you WILL!")

I focused on the finish line and raised my arms as I crossed the line. I had completed my third straight Austin Marathon! The clock read 4:39 as I thought last year I finished in 4:37. I was slower this year but I finished! I could not believe it was over but at the same time was glad it was over as my body could not take anymore.

Congratulations to all the runner that finished especially those in my group that I led on the trails many times talking about the Marathon. Knowing that you accomplish your goals is more rewarding to me than I can say!

P.S. (Later that evening as the results were posted on line and I realized I had beat last years time by 2 minutes and finished with a 4:35!)

See you on the Trails!

Vince, A/F Class of 2000