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| So close and yet... |
Training for the Little Rock marathon was pretty uneventful in terms of weather. We never had to reschedule a run or run in anything other than sometimes frigid cold temperatures. For awhile it looked like we were going to escape an annual ice event this time around. And that's when Mother Nature went postal, dropping ice, sleet, and a little snow over Dallas. Thankfully we were already in taper mode by then and didn't need to run, but as the week-end drew near the idea of driving to Little Rock grew worrisome. The only smart one in the bunch would be Jean, who flew out ahead of the next storm to Phoenix, for her Saturday marathon.
Our plan to leave by 6:00 AM Saturday morning was derailed by iced over roads throughout the DFW area. In fact, the Ft. Worth Cowtown marathon (held the same week-end) was already canceling their events. We had to get to the expo by 5:00 PM and it was a 5 hour drive on a good day, so panic started settling in. That's when Toby said he'd drive us out of town, past the ice, then head back to Dallas with Tim, who'd be following us. Yet again, Toby to the rescue! I'd like to say the drive was uneventful, but a car in front of us lost control and spun out. He didn't manage to hit anything though!
We got to the expo with 2 hours to spare, but were disappointed to see they were completely out of marathon apparel. We also missed the chance to hear Bart Yasso talk, but I knew I'd get to see him at the finish line. Bart is a friend of mine, but he's also somewhat of a celebrity in the running world. If you ever have to a chance to hear him talk you will know why. He is the embodiment of what running means to a lot of us, such as, in his words, "Running is about acceptance--of yourself and others. It doesn't matter if the guy or gal next to you works at a fast food joint or is CEO of Kellogg's. It doesn't matter what color they are, or how old they are, or what religion they practice, if any at all. Running celebrates our commonality". (From his book "My Life on the Run")
That night, as we prepared for our run the next morning we couldn't help but wonder why we hadn't heard from Jean. She was going to text us when she finished, but she never did, so we pulled up the results. Something went terribly wrong. She did finish, but well off her goal pace with a long walk in. Combined with the Cowtown cancellations, Laura battling a bad cold, Ginna with her calf injury, and cold rain in our forecast, a fitful night's sleep was all I could muster.
Race day morning was somewhat exciting, in spite of the weather, because it was finally here. The weather would be tolerable, mid 30's with occasional light rain. Deciding what to wear was a bit of a challenge, as this would be one of my coldest marathons ever. We would have to bundle up to walk a few blocks to the start, then check our bags right before the race. We agreed to do this even though our hotel was 2 blocks from the finish so we could all change into dry clothes and enjoy the finish line festivities. On our walk to the start we saw the Black Girls RUN! group gathering to take a picture. They had at least 30 runners lining up, or at least trying to. They were somewhat out of control with high energy excitement. I had tears well up in my eyes. This was it, this was what it's all about.
At the starting line Jamie said she'd be out on the course to see us and take our pictures once she finished the half. Since we all started together it was a fast and furious start and we lost touch with each other right away. The first 11 miles would be the liveliest since we would be with the half marathoners up until then, as the course zig zagged throughout downtown Little Rock streets, alive with spectators all along the way. It was incredible, even with the bad weather, the local support for this race. Some of the many sights we saw on this portion of the course included the mayor's house, complete with the mayor out front, waving to us, the State Capitol building, the historic Little Rock Central high school, and several churches, some ringing their church bells, some splashing holy water on the runners, and some dancing and playing music. As fun as it was I couldn't help but notice how hilly the course had been already, which made me feel really negative about Ginna and her injured calf. Laura came along and we briefly talked about it, and said we'd hope for the best, but when we finally split away from the half marathoners and headed out of town I couldn't help but wonder if she would be heading out with us.
As is usually the case, once the half marathoners were gone there was silence. After 11 miles of noise it was welcome, however, this was where the work would begin. Miles 13-16 were the long and winding hills that we had trained for. I pulled out my headphones, but decided it was too much trouble to try to untangle them with my frozen fingers, so I tucked them away for the remainder of the race. Even though it would rain off and on I was plenty warm except for my hands. I made the (poor) decision to leave my high dollar thick gloves behind in lieu of a cheap pair of cotton gloves under a cheap pair of cotton mittens. I don't baby-sit gloves. If they come off they are gone forever, so I didn't want to risk tossing my good gloves. The price I paid was continually removing and putting back on 2 pairs of wet cotton gloves every time I had to dig out a gel or electrolyte pills. It was maddening, but they were offering enough heat to hang onto.
This stretch had a couple of extreme downhills that were so steep it was hard not to brake. I tried to keep my feet under me and save my quads, but felt like I would stumble forward at times, especially with the wet roads. I knew I'd pay for this later. Just past mile 16 we entered the out and back, which would be mercifully flat. It would turn back around mile 19.5 and end just past mile 22. I kept looking out over the field to see if I could see Laura heading back. This kept me somewhat entertained, as I thought again about digging out my headphones, but could not for the life of me muster the energy to do so. Another thing that kept me entertained were the early starters, i.e the walkers. We were coming across a lot of them at this point. Again, this warmed my heart to see. What it must take to go out and walk for 6-8 hours, amazing! Some were having a great time, but some were really challenged, really giving it their all. I caught sound bites of their conversations as the miles clicked on. And then there was Laura across the field! We yelled out to one another. We were getting it done. She was crossing mile 20 at the point I was crossing 19. When I turned around I was scared to look for Ginna. I was afraid it would be too upsetting to look for her and not see her. I kind of went into the fog a little, just focusing on the little world around me, as we all shuffled forward. Then I heard a yell across the field! It was Ginna!! She yelled out, "I think I'm going to make it!" That was the boost I needed to rally it in, knowing she didn't have to drop out and was going to finish!
The last 3 miles were incredibly hard. My quads were on fire! Not only that, but we were back to the hills. This was not a scenic stretch either, just a long stretch on 3rd street back in. Finally, on the cussing hill I had to walk a bit. I call it the cussing hill, because afterwards the three of us each said we cussed aloud when we saw it looming ahead of us. I wanted so badly not to walk any of the marathon, but alas, I took the opportunity to deal with the gloves and dig out and eat my stinger chews and put the damn gloves back on. As we neared the finish I couldn't help but wonder why I never saw Jamie. We rounded a corner at the Clinton Library and then it was a straight shot to the finish. I high-fived Bart in the chute!
I grabbed a mylar sheet and our "mock" medal (the real one, the 3 pounder, will come later in the mail, thanks to the port strike on the west coast) and wandered about the food. Nothing looked good to me at all! They handed me a cup of chicken soup, which was just a big blob of mucky rice that didn't appeal to me, so I threw it out and left the food tent. Jamie came running up to me with handfuls of clothes. As we walked over to the bag check it was becoming clear to me what she was trying to say, and that was there was a serious meltdown at the bag check. The line wound down the road as far we could see. She had ran back to get us warm clothes, knowing we wouldn't be able to stand in that line for very long. Sure enough, we found Laura in the line, shivering uncontrollably! We decided to abandon the line and get back to the room, while Jamie stayed to wait for Ginna. A little later Ginna and Jamie joined us back at the hotel and all was well! We rocked Little Rock!
I absolutely loved this marathon. I felt a lot of brotherly love on the course, I felt like the race organizers always went out of their way to solve issues as they popped up--the issues of this year WILL be resolved for next year's race! Any complaints I have would be considered petty, so they are not even worth mentioning. Jamie was a great ambassador of Little Rock, and a great source of knowledge in terms of what to expect on the marathon course. A huge THANK-YOU to Jamie for saving us at the finish line! I only wish we had more time. I did get to visit with my cousin Jennifer and her husband Brock, which was really special, but too short! I'd really like to come back one year, run the half, and spend more time in Little Rock. (So if you are reading this and want to go--road trip!!)
Training for and running a Spring marathon can be tricky in terms of weather, something to consider when choosing a marathon. Just a few days after we got home Dallas was once again blanketed in ice, followed by four feet of snow! Mother Nature was really on a tear this winter!
Race Stats: Jamie: 1:48 half. Laura: 3:55, good enough for 3rd in our age group! Me: 4:10, I should consider being a 4:10 pace bunny with my consistency. Ginna: 4:33, which is amazing, given her calf, and Jeff Junkin deserves a shout out. We saw him at the expo and before he even said hi he said, "I'm running slow, having fun, don't care about my time". A 3:29 PR. And Jean! Phoenix ended up being a steep downhill course that blew out her quads, so she walked it in! No injury and already planning the next one!
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| Just me and my mittens! |
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| Bart is on the yellow line behind me |
