14October2009
My first marathon
Posted by thebine under: Uncategorized.
I tossed and turned all night not knowing what to expect. Since I didn’t know how to work the radio alarm in the hotel room, I set my phone alarm to go off at 5 AM… I might as well have not set it since I kept waking up every hour on the hour. Finally, it was 5AM. I got up and got ready, had my bagel and a banana and did one last fuel/salt inventory before I left. The only question was whether I should wear an old long-sleeve t-shirt over my clothes or my $100 jacket. My friend who was also running her first marathon made the decision for me. She gave me her long-sleeve shirt “Sorry I slept in it.” she said. “Don’t worry” I replied “It’s probably just going to get tossed on the course.” We made our way down to the lobby and stepped outside. Helloo Chicago- boy do I now know why it’s called the windy city. I think it must have been 30 degrees that day.
We decided to follow the throngs of tights/shorts-clad folks heading east toward the park- I figured with about 40,000 people running, one of these guys has got to be headed to the right place. When we got to Grant Park, we headed toward the lollipops for our pacing group- only problem is the pacing leaders weren’t there yet, so we stood where we thought they would eventually be. (Aaahhhh nothing beats the fresh smell of porta potties first thing in the morning. And did I mention a windy chilly 30 degrees)?
Somewhere on a loud speaker far away, somebody was singing the national anthem, and next thing you knew, all kinds of clothes started flying around: track pants, jackets, shirts. Finally we started walking to the starting line. As soon as we came out on Columbus Drive and went under that first overpass, I felt as though someone threw a huge block party and I was the guest of honor. People were lining every square inch of the streets and on the overpass, cheering. Inside was even more thrilling, with all the runners cheering and the echoes bouncing off the walls. Boy did we feel the energy of the city.
We were well ahead of our pacing group whom we never saw when we started. we were doing a very comfortable 10 minute-mile Decided to alternate between water and gatorade… 5K - 31:04… 10K- 1:01:47… Ate 3 clif shot bloks (Whose bright idea was it to put 2 fluid stations between miles 5 and 6, but nothing else until after mile 8)? 15K - 1:33:33… Mile12– Here is my husband and the girls jumping up and down when they saw us (or they could have been jumping just to keep warm I don’t know). I stopped and hugged them, then I continued.
Then it started. That darn hamstring injury. I really thought i had gotten over that hamstring tendonitis. I did physical therapy for 2 whole months last year. Then after my second half marathon last October, took a long 2-month hiatus from running. Then I started training again in February- even did 2 half-marathons this year. Although I should have known when I ran the Queens half last month that this was bound to happen. I figured, if I could just get through the half I could figure out a way to finish this. Thought I would eat 2 salt packets just for good measure… 20K - 2:07:16… 2 more shot bloks… Half - 2:14:33…
I needed to take a break and stretch the hamstring. Oh if only this could have been a half marathon.. I don’t know how I’m going to finish this. 25K - 2:43:50… Had a bag of sport beans… Every step was getting more and more unbearable. And at each water stop, it was getting harder and harder to get started again. At 18 miles I stopped to walk for about 2 minutes, then stretched. This felt better. Got started again. 30K - 3:24:09… more shot bloks… 35K - 4:04:17… more shot bloks. At this point it felt like I was getting stabbed in the back of my legs right above the back of my knee. I told my friend to go ahead without me since I knew she wanted so badly to get in before 5 hours.
Then I figured out my strategy. When I stopped either for water gatorade or fuel, the only thing that kept me going was knowing that my friend was at the end of the fueling station ready to get started again. Now she wasn’t there. How was I going to start back up if I stopped. The pain was worse after a stop. Each new step felt like a knife turning inside of the tendon up into the muscle? It might have been the stupidest plan I ever thought of, but it worked. I decided that for the last 3 or 4 fuel stations that I would not stop. I figured I didn’t want to take the risk of not being able to start back up again. I would grab a banana and eat it on the go, but I could not afford to stop for water or gatorade.
Finally… Michigan Avenue! A little over 2 1/2 miles left to go. Oh my God… 2 miles have never felt so long. By this point the pain had gone up from the tendons behind my knee, up the belly of the muscle all the way up to my left glutes. I felt like my entire left leg was on fire. So I did the only thing I could do. I concentrated on my breathing.. 2 short breaths in, 1 short breath out, 2 short breaths in, 1 long breath out… 2 short in, 1 short out, 2 short in, 1 long out…. 40K - 4:43:29… Only a little over a mile to go. Yay Roosevelt! but then there’s that stupid little hill. Finally that left turn onto Columbus drive! Finish line - 5:00:58…
I really wanted to do this in under 5 hours, but I think that all things considered, I am really hapy and so proud that I was able to finish. After my 20 minute ice bath, I was able to move again, and was even able to stretch that left hamstring. Thank goodness this was supposed to be a “flat, fast course” or who knows how I would have done. I only hope I can rest this leg better and that it heals so I can be ready for NYC next year.
