A Reason to Run

(That's me, at the 9 mile marker in the 2010 Arizona Rock 'N Roll Marathon!)

*****

Marathon Complete! 26.2 Miles in 4 Hours and 53 minutes!

(I'll post race and post race pictures up soon)

Well, the challenge was set and we have risen, victorious, against the 26.2 mile Marathon. In looking at the event itself, part of me can't even comprehend how I accomplished the event, while parts of me are screaming, "holy cow, it's been 5 days and I'm still sore!"

So, before I forget all the crazy stuff that happened, here's my full recollection of the 2010 PF Chang's Rock n' Roll Arizona marathon.

Pre-Race

We flew out to Phoenix at an ungodly hour out of Reagan National Airport Friday (1/15/10) morning. Having to be at the terminal by 5 AM necessitates a 4 AM departure from home, which means that getting up at 3:30 AM is pretty much mandatory. Way. Too. Early. The flight out had us stopping over in Memphis, but overall , it was quite uneventful. Many of us were jittery and full of energy while trading training stories of the past season and comparing notes on our run strategies. My strategy was to not die and run the last mile with great form and a phenomenal show of strength. At least I was hoping that I would cross the finish line looking more alive than dead.

Arriving in Phoenix, we marveled at the warmth as we has just left many weeks of snow, ice and bitter cold. Dropping off our bags, we relaxed for a while before heading to the Convention center a few blocks away to check out the Fitness Expo. At the expo, we grabbed our race packets and schwag bags. The one thing I noticed was the number of race volunteers present to help hand out packets, shirts and other race material. This thought would come back several times throughout the race. At the expo, I picked up a couple of additional pod bottles to go on my Amphipod belt. The old standby of two 12 oz bottles wasn't going to cut it for 26.2 miles so another two 10 oz bottles was perfect for my needs.

Saturday morning, we went out for a light 20 minute jog around the area surrounding the hotel. I made sure to stretch well and to note the temperatures and my form. A big breakfast later and I was ready to explore Phoenix! On my agenda that day was to find a grocery store and a Target/Walmart. Because of my diet, I wasn't ready to risk a potential gastro issue by eating pasta that night, so I had to find a gluten free solution to my carb loading needs. To that end, I picked up a nice big can of Yams. mmmm... In addition, a cheap hoodie from Target would be my warmup throwaway at the start of the race.

Thankfully that night, I got a good 6 hours of sleep. I've heard of nightmare stories where people get no sleep because they're so wired about the race. Luckily my friends wore me out just a bit that day that I was happy to get some sleep.

Race Day

Since I had to be downstairs in the hotel lobby by 6 AM, I was up at 4:45 and chomping down on bananas and powerbars while I stretched and got all of my gear together:

• Powerbar brand gels
• Gatorade & Amphipod fuel belt
• Return bus bracelet
• Sunglasses
• Gloves
• Hat
• Gear bag
• Hoodie
• Race singlet with number affixed
• Vibram five fingers & Injinji socks

It's truly unreal when you have to think about all of the stuff and tech that one wears for these events! I made sure to go to the bathroom a few times as I wanted to be sure that I wouldn't have to stop during my run. This came back to haunt me mildly during the run, so more on this later.

The National Chapter TNT Marathon team got some pictures in the lobby of the hotel and soon thereafter, we were off on busses to the race start point. It was cool out, but still bearable in shorts and a hoodie. Naturally, it was dark when we arrived, but there were floodlights everywhere and music playing at both ends of the park.

Immediately upon arrival, I hit the port-o-potties and then went to check out the various tents set up. Mountains of bottled water, bananas and bagels were on hand for anyone who wanted them and towards the start of the race, a veritable fleet of UPS trucks waiting to take my gear bag so that I would have a change of clothes at the finish. The amount of organization present was staggering and at each station set up to provide help to the runners and walkers, there were people, up at that ungodly hour, manning those stations.

As a group, we stretched again and made idle chit chat about the race while we nervously looked around at all of the other racers going through their preparations. With about 40 minutes to go before the start of the race, I felt the urge to hit the port-o-potties yet again, but by then, the lines were absurdly long! I queued up with a fellow DC runner and we patiently waited a half hour to relieve ourselves and hopefully our nervousness!

By the time we got back to our starting corral, the race was about to start. I did some last minute stretching to keep my legs warm and by this time, (7:40-ish) the sky was lightening and the energy in the air was palpable! Still wearing my hoodie, we slowly inched forward as the teeming masses of people started moving closer to the start line and with that, the gun went off and the announcer declared the start of the race!

The big cheer that erupted from the crowd was deafening and I found myself shouting and laughing as much of my tension ebbed away. Even though the race had started, it took approximately 5 minutes before I crossed the starting line where we saw John McCain waving to all of the runners from a high box directly over the starting line.

I started very slowly, running about 12 minute miles, wishing to absorb all of the sights and sounds of the race start. My plan was to take the start of the race easy and not to weave in and out of the race traffic. Alot of other runners set blistering paces and I knew that I didnt want to burn myself out early in the race.

Two miles into the race, I ditched my hoodie at the side of the road, knowing that Goodwill would be sweeping through the course and picking up all of the discarded clothing.

To be honest, I don't quite recall the first 8-ish miles. I concentrated on keeping my form and not running too fast, but I distinctly remember mile 9 being somewhat of a mood changer. For the first several miles, nearby runners looked vibrant and strong. Many runners were talking, laughing, and having a good time. But around mile 9 much of that changed. Many people had started walking and breathing hard like they had encounter some exhaustion. Bodies looked a little weary, but still relatively strong.

One thing that I noticed myself thinking about were milestones and actions that I needed to take. For example, I planned on taking my gels at mile 6, 10, 14, 18, and 22. In addition, I was looking forward to seeing my coach at mile 9 and my friends at mile 13. This gave my mind something to think about as I consumed the miles as it was something to keep myself focused. This strategy worked quite well until mile 18.

Hell and Back

At mile 18, which coincidentally was the longest distance I had trained, I started noticing some tightness in my legs. It started as my right quad tightening and then my left quad began to feel the same way slowing me down. At around mile 19 or so, this tightness became unbearable pain and I started walking, trying to flush the lactic acid out of my system. Endurance atheletes will talk about 'hitting the wall', and to explain it briefly, its that point in which your body simply cannot function in any atheletic capacity whatsoever.

For those who have strugged to run a mile because they're out of shape, that is not 'hitting the wall'. That's a factor of not being fit. In such cases, the respiratory system is stressed, but the body could proceed to perform if the respiration were brought under control.

In my case, I simply could not run without both of my legs cramping up. I believe that this was a case of a deficiency in electrolytes as potassium helps muscle fibers relax after contractions. And so, I walked. With the help of some TNT coaches, I got myself some salt packets and walked until my legs felt better, than ran a little bit until the cramping came back. To top it all off, the sun had come out in full force and the temps had risen noticibly.

This hellish back and forth went on until mile 24 and through it all, I tried different mental tricks to get my mind off the pain. I tried walking for 100 steps and running for 250. I tried running to the next road sign and then walking to the sign after that. However, regardless of what i did, each time I started running, the cramping came back, threatening to lock my legs up for good.

At around mile 24, with only 2.2 miles to go, I got a rush of adrenaline and my legs felt like new. It was a beautiful feeling and with that I surged forward, intending to run the last 2.2. With about a mile to go, I grabbed some beads from someone handing them out to the finishers and kept making large strides towards the finish line. With a half mile to go, I felt the tightening sensation creeping back into my quads and slowing down just a tad I quickly massaged them and kept moving towards the finish line.

With about 100 yards to go, the crowds cheering, the announcer calling out names of runners and and the finish line in sight, a wave of emotion swept over me and I started getting choked up. I overheard someone on the marathon claim, "you run 20 miles so you have the privilege of running the last 6", but I'd like to amend that to read, "you run 26 miles for the privilege to run the last 0.2". There's nothing in the world like the elation that comes with the accomplishment of crossing the finish line of your first marathon. None of the pain and hardship suffered that day mattered any more and after I slowed to a walk, my first thought was, "Wow.. I did it".

This was quickly followed by the second thought of "where are my friends?" as I had requested a big Double Double cheeseburger from In-N-Out to be present at the finish line. Stumbling around in a exhausted daze, I had my picture taken with my finishers medal, wolfed down a banana, grabbed some water, had a heat reflective blanket draped over my shoulders. After navigating the maze that was constructed to funnel finishers into the crowd, I eventually met my promised bag of heaven, which was, quite possibly, the best burger I've ever devoured.

Post Race

I was pretty much an invalid for the remainder of the weekend, unable to bend my legs and experiencing soreness even a week and a half later, but thinking back to all of the training and the run itself, it was all worth it for the experience of a lifetime.