JimB.
02-17-2008, 06:51 PM
Wellllllll, this morning I ran my 1st full marathon - The National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer in Jax Beach, FL.
It was (in a pseudo-sadomasochistic way) fun & rewarding. But Lemme' tell you, right now I am camped in a comfy recliner & have no intention of moving anytime soon. :lmao: :lmao:
I ran with 2 other guys from work + 1 co-worker's DW.
Confessions first - 1.) I did not train enough for this & knew it going in. My longest LR was 16.8 miles about 2 weeks ago. And it did not go well, Because of this I was really anxious as to whether I would actually finish. 2.) The starting time & part of the course (IMHO) sucked. More on that later. 3.) My co-workers DW is really HOT (once again, IMHO) ;) .
Up at 5 a.m. to pick up my friend Jeff. Arrived at the bus stop about 6 a.m.. Got right on bus for 15 minute ride to start point :thumbsup2 . Left my HR Monitor chest band on bus :mad:. Ahhhh, Cest' La Vie. Whatever. That's why there is Amazon. Race start time at 8 freakin' 30. Reason? 2 1/2 miles of the course were on the beach )(ya' know, sand/water/dead fish/etc.), and the race had to be run to allow for maximum low tide. (Next year - ditch the beach & start at 7 am.). Did I mention it was really warm today yet?? The pre-start area was nice. Seems like it was kind of laid out at random, but otherwise ok. Lots of Port-a-potties. Gear check in was smooth. Moving to the starting line was ok. The race had about 5600 people total ( 1700 M, 3900 1/2), so there were a lot of people, but nothing compare d to WDW.
Anyway, prior to the start, Jeff says he wants to hang with the 4:30 pacing group as long as possible. Yea. Right. Did I mention this was my first marathon Jeff? And Yours Also??
Charlie, the 4:30 pacing guy was a distant memory about 10 minutes into the race. Nice call, Jeff.
The following are some pictures of the start and the first part of the course.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a91985775a00000026101EcuWzdyxY0
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a91e7c373800000026101EcuWzdyxY0
The fire boat from Jax FRD. Pumps about 7000 gpm.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a91e62372600000026101EcuWzdyxY0
The Beach Run. It was actually kinda' nice, but I would have rather the race started earlier.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a91e6e372a00000026101EcuWzdyxY0
Here I am at about mile 16. At this point I am still standing and all of Jim's Big Pieces are still working. Mostly. As you can see I am still faking happiness.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a948a137ce00000026101EcuWzdyxY0
This bridge was the last big "whammy" of the run. The square thing partway up on the right side is the 25 mile marker. Did I mention I think big bridges suck??
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a948aab6f500000026101EcuWzdyxY0
The finish line...........
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a9489f37f000000036101EcuWzdyxY0
Jeff & I after the finish......... None the worse (ok, ok, just a LITTLE worse) for the wear.....
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a94884b6db00000026101EcuWzdyxY0
I finished in 5:10:15. Not too bad for a first effort I think. I was secretly hoping to break 5 hours, but I realized about 4 milres from the finish that was not going to happen.
All in all, it was a (figuratively) cool race. Jeff Galloway was there & ran (I kicked his butt!!! Really!!). Jeff (my co-worker) finished in just under 6 hours. We were both standing & smiling at the finish, so ya' could not ask for much more (except maybe 20 degrees cooler).
Since I knew going in that this was a big question mark, I tried the "Galloway Plan" even though I had not used it in training. I ran 3/walked 1 minute until about mile 22. When I hit the bridges & overpasses, my legs really started to go, so I went down & down until I was doing a 1/1 period until about 1/2 from the end.
Lessons I learned:
1.) Schedule marathons in cool weather.
2.) Hydrate copiously, but don't chug/guzzle. I carried a powerade bottle with me that I was able to keep full from water stops. I sipped every time I walked.
3.) Endurolyte tablets rock!! I do not how it would have gone without them. I had a fairly hard time with calf cramps at about mile 20 on, but in the WDW 1/2, the same issues struck at mile 8!
4.) I need to put mucho miles on my legs to build up the lactic acid tolerance and quad stamina before I go Goofy next Jan.
5.) Remember to keep the head up and have fun! Otherwise I would have missed the table where some guys were giving away free beer about mile 18. No. I did not. But I WAS tempted.....................
6.) When your body is screaming for fuel, the flavor of the GU Gel really does not matter............. I would have had a hickory/asphalt flavor if it was offered.
7.) Sometimes, regardless of one's desire, you just have to take what your body can give you & live with it. Don't push or your body may push BACK.
The folks of Jacksonville Beach were GREAT!! This race pretty much closed down a great portion of side roads and neighborhoods for hours, but they were out in force, cheering, giving water, SPRAYING water & making it a good time.
ETA: One thing I did not mention was that this was, at times, a really emotional experience. To run with breast cancer survivors & with people paying respects to those that have not survived, was quite a humbling experience. If a survivor can run 26 miles, then I sure as hell can, and without complaints!
Also, when I figured out about mile 19 or so that I could crawl the rest of the way & finish, I actually choked up a couple of times. I was not sure until then, but at that point it was in the bag. As long as I was careful and didn't do anything stupid.
It was (in a pseudo-sadomasochistic way) fun & rewarding. But Lemme' tell you, right now I am camped in a comfy recliner & have no intention of moving anytime soon. :lmao: :lmao:
I ran with 2 other guys from work + 1 co-worker's DW.
Confessions first - 1.) I did not train enough for this & knew it going in. My longest LR was 16.8 miles about 2 weeks ago. And it did not go well, Because of this I was really anxious as to whether I would actually finish. 2.) The starting time & part of the course (IMHO) sucked. More on that later. 3.) My co-workers DW is really HOT (once again, IMHO) ;) .
Up at 5 a.m. to pick up my friend Jeff. Arrived at the bus stop about 6 a.m.. Got right on bus for 15 minute ride to start point :thumbsup2 . Left my HR Monitor chest band on bus :mad:. Ahhhh, Cest' La Vie. Whatever. That's why there is Amazon. Race start time at 8 freakin' 30. Reason? 2 1/2 miles of the course were on the beach )(ya' know, sand/water/dead fish/etc.), and the race had to be run to allow for maximum low tide. (Next year - ditch the beach & start at 7 am.). Did I mention it was really warm today yet?? The pre-start area was nice. Seems like it was kind of laid out at random, but otherwise ok. Lots of Port-a-potties. Gear check in was smooth. Moving to the starting line was ok. The race had about 5600 people total ( 1700 M, 3900 1/2), so there were a lot of people, but nothing compare d to WDW.
Anyway, prior to the start, Jeff says he wants to hang with the 4:30 pacing group as long as possible. Yea. Right. Did I mention this was my first marathon Jeff? And Yours Also??
Charlie, the 4:30 pacing guy was a distant memory about 10 minutes into the race. Nice call, Jeff.
The following are some pictures of the start and the first part of the course.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a91985775a00000026101EcuWzdyxY0
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a91e7c373800000026101EcuWzdyxY0
The fire boat from Jax FRD. Pumps about 7000 gpm.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a91e62372600000026101EcuWzdyxY0
The Beach Run. It was actually kinda' nice, but I would have rather the race started earlier.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a91e6e372a00000026101EcuWzdyxY0
Here I am at about mile 16. At this point I am still standing and all of Jim's Big Pieces are still working. Mostly. As you can see I am still faking happiness.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a948a137ce00000026101EcuWzdyxY0
This bridge was the last big "whammy" of the run. The square thing partway up on the right side is the 25 mile marker. Did I mention I think big bridges suck??
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a948aab6f500000026101EcuWzdyxY0
The finish line...........
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a9489f37f000000036101EcuWzdyxY0
Jeff & I after the finish......... None the worse (ok, ok, just a LITTLE worse) for the wear.....
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc36b3127cceb5a94884b6db00000026101EcuWzdyxY0
I finished in 5:10:15. Not too bad for a first effort I think. I was secretly hoping to break 5 hours, but I realized about 4 milres from the finish that was not going to happen.
All in all, it was a (figuratively) cool race. Jeff Galloway was there & ran (I kicked his butt!!! Really!!). Jeff (my co-worker) finished in just under 6 hours. We were both standing & smiling at the finish, so ya' could not ask for much more (except maybe 20 degrees cooler).
Since I knew going in that this was a big question mark, I tried the "Galloway Plan" even though I had not used it in training. I ran 3/walked 1 minute until about mile 22. When I hit the bridges & overpasses, my legs really started to go, so I went down & down until I was doing a 1/1 period until about 1/2 from the end.
Lessons I learned:
1.) Schedule marathons in cool weather.
2.) Hydrate copiously, but don't chug/guzzle. I carried a powerade bottle with me that I was able to keep full from water stops. I sipped every time I walked.
3.) Endurolyte tablets rock!! I do not how it would have gone without them. I had a fairly hard time with calf cramps at about mile 20 on, but in the WDW 1/2, the same issues struck at mile 8!
4.) I need to put mucho miles on my legs to build up the lactic acid tolerance and quad stamina before I go Goofy next Jan.
5.) Remember to keep the head up and have fun! Otherwise I would have missed the table where some guys were giving away free beer about mile 18. No. I did not. But I WAS tempted.....................
6.) When your body is screaming for fuel, the flavor of the GU Gel really does not matter............. I would have had a hickory/asphalt flavor if it was offered.
7.) Sometimes, regardless of one's desire, you just have to take what your body can give you & live with it. Don't push or your body may push BACK.
The folks of Jacksonville Beach were GREAT!! This race pretty much closed down a great portion of side roads and neighborhoods for hours, but they were out in force, cheering, giving water, SPRAYING water & making it a good time.
ETA: One thing I did not mention was that this was, at times, a really emotional experience. To run with breast cancer survivors & with people paying respects to those that have not survived, was quite a humbling experience. If a survivor can run 26 miles, then I sure as hell can, and without complaints!
Also, when I figured out about mile 19 or so that I could crawl the rest of the way & finish, I actually choked up a couple of times. I was not sure until then, but at that point it was in the bag. As long as I was careful and didn't do anything stupid.