Today begins a new category for this blog. It will be called 'First Person'. I invite members of the running community to write posts about their running adventures. Whether it's your first marathon or your fiftieth, whether you have a tale about bandaging a blistered toe with a wet leaf or stopping at a nail salon during the Chicago Marathon to get your nails done (due to unbelievably inclement weather) the rest of us really do get a kick out of hearing your story. If you've got a tale to tell, email it to me at the link to the right. And if you have a photo to accompany your story, that's even better.
Dana Felice is our first contributor. Dana was the Race Director for last summer's extremely successful inaugural First Step Summer Series, and she is Race Director for Take the First Step's upcoming MADD Dash Resolution Run on Dec. 27th. Thanks, Dana.
I’ve been training for the past six months with the primary
goal of running my first marathon in December in Jacksonville. I’ve completed a schedule of track, tempo runs, long runs and recovery
runs. Many marathon runners cap their long runs at 20 miles but my coach
believes that going over 20 builds strength and confidence.
The timing of the Alafia X-Country Marathon was perfect because it was exactly 4 weeks before Jacksonville. Also, the plan was to run at an easier long run pace versus an all out race pace. I’d already completed several 20, 22 and even a 24 mile long run so I thought it wouldn’t be too hard to add 2 more miles to complete a marathon.
Lynn peeled off as we entered the first trail. The other benefit to running Alafia is that it is entirely soft grass and trail surfaces. There are roots to navigate and some Florida hills. Many people hate hills but they make you a stronger runner.
The first eight miles went by quickly. I chatted with
several runners. There were quite a few ultrarunners, a guy training for
Disney and three ladies training for the Tecumseh Trail Run. However, I
was running too fast at sub 10 miles. My typical long run pace is 10 minutes
per mile and the plan was to run slower than that because I was on a
trail. I did walk through the water stops as planned. There were
frequent water stops and I know several of the volunteers. It was great
to see Wesley, Lee and Steve throughout the race.
The marathoners complete two loops of the course. As I
neared the finish of the first loop, Lynn checked in with me to see how I was feeling. I could tell that I was
going to pay for running too fast in the beginning. To add insult, there
was about a third of a mile of deep sand at the end of the loop. The
temperatures were rising and the sun was getting higher in the sky.
I quickly learned why Lynn says the hardest miles in the marathon are not at the end, but miles
13-17. My legs were already tired from the work of going up and down
hills and picking up my feet to avoid the roots. There were many runners
participating in the 30K (18.6 miles) and I dreamed of taking their turnoff and
finishing early. I didn’t see their turnoff sign, otherwise you’d be
reading about my 18 mile run. Since I didn’t have my iPod I started
singing songs in my head. There was a long stretch from mile 17 to mile
20 to the next water stop, but the benefit was that once I got to the next
water stop, I was in the 20’s and knew I was close to finishing.
For the last hour, I focused on running point to point to
each water stop. During the first loop I was able to greet the volunteers
but I didn’t have the energy on the second loop. I silently apologized to
them for being antisocial. The tables were well stocked with water,
Gatorade, bananas, animal crackers, pretzels and M&M’s. The wind
picked up, the sun got higher in the sky and I just put one foot in front of
the other. It was lonely because there weren’t many marathoners. The
scenery is beautiful and I tried to enjoy the views. I walked up a few
hills. My calves were starting to cramp and I was afraid of injuring
myself. There was a water stop at 25.5 and I geared up mentally to
finish. I had to go through the sand pit one more time, but the finish
was just beyond. I finished in 4:48,
which is the goal time that my coach and I set for the training run.
I always thought of myself as independent and able to take
care of myself but it was so nice to have people cheer for me at the finish,
including my parents. I usually don’t ask them to my races because
they are early in the morning and I would think boring. Also, I knew I
would be pretty wiped out at the finish and I was afraid for my mom to see
that. She’d already freaked weeks earlier when she saw my “runner’s feet”
– blistered toes and missing toenails. But they were very helpful and we
went out to lunch afterwards.
I’ve had
to restrain myself from calling everyone I know to say “I finished a
marathon”. I feel like I’ve joined a club. I learned some things
that will be helpful when I run Jacksonville for a time goal. It’s fun
to have a lot of people around, both runners and spectators. I’ve also
learned that 26.2 is a long distance and it’s tough no matter if you’re running
at a race pace or a training pace.
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