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My Route 66 Marathon |
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The maniac picture is above, we have so many you can't make out who is who anymore. 4000 something! To the left and above I am with my maniac friend Lygea Welvaert and below with friend to all maniacs, Davi Mari! |
November 20, 2011
4:53:11
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Running two marathons in three weeks made perfect sense to ensure I was arobically ready to get a sub five hour marathon to end the year with! I cancelled Seattle because 3 in 4 weeks is looney and though I am a marathon maniac, I am not that crazy! I knew I had peaked in Portland and though I run faster in Seattle I knew I would be satisfied to end the year if I was a sub five on a hilly, under 40 degree, 20 mph windy course! I was very consistent and strong throughout and that in it's self made me very pleased. I ran a 10 minute mile 20 to 21 and averaged 11 the last five miles and did the Center of the Universe detour (26.5 miles) and was 4:55:55 with that added milage but officially 4:53:11 for 26.2.
People in Tulsa were so wonderful, even on the plane a first class seat was given up for a military service member in uniform. This event giving us a special VIP area for the marathon maniacs and a special medal was just win, win. I strongly believe their finisher medal has a chance of winning the 2011 medal competition in Marathon and Beyond. Though I write the article I do not vote as the medal panel is different every year on purpose, but I will be curious to see how they do. GREAT medals and a first class organization top to bottom.
At mile 17 I witnessed every marathon runners nightmare as a man simply went limp and passed out. I screamed for a medic instantly and from out of nowhere in literal seconds a medic on a bike was at his side treating him. I heard later that they performed CPR on him and saved his life, he went to the hosptial but he lived and that is what is most important and it drove home what I do should never be taken for granted and that life is precious.
I had a up and down year in 2011 and did not realize how very lucky I was in the 26 marathons I had run from 2007-2010. I was dizzy and dehydrated and close to heat exhaustion when I shut it down and walked in Newport. I fell in San Francisco at mile 13 and hurt my shoulder which ached for two months thereafter and had 2 stiches in my head in the ER, but finished and in Bellingham Bay I had a bad groin pull at mile 18 which had me walking six miles thereafter!
Yes, I finished every marathon I started and never went over six hours this year and I was sub five hours for half my marathons, but they came at great expense. I was fighting injury and pain and that is part of the process I was spoiled from in all of my marathons of yesteryear. I have completed 40 full marathons now and my plan for next year is to cut my marathons down to 4 from my normal 7 or 8 and to only drive to my 2012 marathons and run my first one with Elisha at RnR Seattle in June which will be his first marathon and we can train together for such. In the mean time, seven months of marathon rest is a good thing! :-)
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