I mentioned this in Saturday's GMT, but I feel I really need a separate attention hoar thread with moar detail. I ran my first marathon this past Saturday.
I decided in May to run the Hartford half marathon on Oct 15, but about two months into training for that, I succumed to peer pressure and changed my registration to the full marathon (also Oct 15). So when I switched my registration, that gave me about 15 weeks to train, and train I did. I worked my ass off getting ready for the marathon. I was as ready as I could be given the relatively short training window for a first timer. I did run a half marathon along the way and I am sure you all remember that fantastic thread.
The horn sounded at 8:00, and off we went...7500 runners. About 2300 for the full, and 5200 for the half. About a half mile into the race, we passed the Hartford version of Occupy Wall Street (like four tents and nine people) and we all had a good LOL. The two routes split after a mile. I chugged away along the streets of Hartford, passing the many spectators, people with signs, cowbells, vuvuzelas and bands. I felt good the first 10 miles. I clocked in at the halfway point at 1:59...right on target for a 4:00 finish, though I knew my legs didn't have a four hour finish in them. I was already feeling pretty fatigued. Cramps and dehydration started creeping in around mile 17 or so, and my pace slowed. The cramps hurt, man...side stitches and stomach cramps (not the "I have to poop" kind, but rather sharp pain). The harder I tried to run, the more I cramped. So I kept my pace slow those last eight miles but I kept running, only walking a little at the water stations every mile or so to take in liquids. I'd drink two cups of water but still couldn't get rid of the dry mouth. Even at my slow pace though, I was passing people...slower runners, people walking, and people keeled over on the side of the road in various types of pain. But I kept running. I passed the mile 20 checkpoint at 3:09. Those last six miles went by slowly. It was a slow grind, but I found a pace that made the cramping tolerable. The last six miles took about 1:10...six miles normally takes me under 50 minutes to run.
When I saw the mile 26 marker, I got a little choked up. I was happy the run was about to end, and I was proud to have run the entire race. I clocked in at 4:16:40. Not too shabby for a first timer. Beating 4:00 would have been nice, but everything would have had to go perfectly, and it just didn't. My legs didn't have enough bounce in them, and the cramps and dehydration cost me. I'm very happy with my finish though. I gave it my full 100%. It was really a fun event. The crowds were awesome.
After crossing the finish line and collecting my medal plus a hug and kiss from the wife (who was a half marathon bike volunteer), I proceeded to sit on my ass for about a half hour. I felt like complete crap.
My final stats:
4:16:40 gun time
4:16:01 net time
9:48 pace
1216/2315 overall
874/1423 male
115/176 M35-39
Good times! When's the next one?
I decided in May to run the Hartford half marathon on Oct 15, but about two months into training for that, I succumed to peer pressure and changed my registration to the full marathon (also Oct 15). So when I switched my registration, that gave me about 15 weeks to train, and train I did. I worked my ass off getting ready for the marathon. I was as ready as I could be given the relatively short training window for a first timer. I did run a half marathon along the way and I am sure you all remember that fantastic thread.
The horn sounded at 8:00, and off we went...7500 runners. About 2300 for the full, and 5200 for the half. About a half mile into the race, we passed the Hartford version of Occupy Wall Street (like four tents and nine people) and we all had a good LOL. The two routes split after a mile. I chugged away along the streets of Hartford, passing the many spectators, people with signs, cowbells, vuvuzelas and bands. I felt good the first 10 miles. I clocked in at the halfway point at 1:59...right on target for a 4:00 finish, though I knew my legs didn't have a four hour finish in them. I was already feeling pretty fatigued. Cramps and dehydration started creeping in around mile 17 or so, and my pace slowed. The cramps hurt, man...side stitches and stomach cramps (not the "I have to poop" kind, but rather sharp pain). The harder I tried to run, the more I cramped. So I kept my pace slow those last eight miles but I kept running, only walking a little at the water stations every mile or so to take in liquids. I'd drink two cups of water but still couldn't get rid of the dry mouth. Even at my slow pace though, I was passing people...slower runners, people walking, and people keeled over on the side of the road in various types of pain. But I kept running. I passed the mile 20 checkpoint at 3:09. Those last six miles went by slowly. It was a slow grind, but I found a pace that made the cramping tolerable. The last six miles took about 1:10...six miles normally takes me under 50 minutes to run.
When I saw the mile 26 marker, I got a little choked up. I was happy the run was about to end, and I was proud to have run the entire race. I clocked in at 4:16:40. Not too shabby for a first timer. Beating 4:00 would have been nice, but everything would have had to go perfectly, and it just didn't. My legs didn't have enough bounce in them, and the cramps and dehydration cost me. I'm very happy with my finish though. I gave it my full 100%. It was really a fun event. The crowds were awesome.
After crossing the finish line and collecting my medal plus a hug and kiss from the wife (who was a half marathon bike volunteer), I proceeded to sit on my ass for about a half hour. I felt like complete crap.
My final stats:
4:16:40 gun time
4:16:01 net time
9:48 pace
1216/2315 overall
874/1423 male
115/176 M35-39
Good times! When's the next one?
