I ran my first marathon (NYC Marathon 1992) without any real consideration of pace or finishing time, which I highly suggest as the time goal for your first marathon. Plan to make all your painful rookie pacing mistakes during your second marathon...
Looking back on my training log (and yes I have it all on record) I can see the rookie mistakes I made in training. First of all, I was still running a lot of local races. I was racing pretty hard on some Saturdays and attempting to run long runs the next day. Secondly, I ran all my long runs way too fast. I didn't get injured by doing these two things, only because I was young. Only. The last mistake I made (for me) was that I only did 3 "long" runs: 18, 20 and 21 mile runs. Today, in my 50's, my goal is to run the following long runs: 18, 20, 21, 22, and 23 miles. And at a much slower pace. Still, not knowing I had made any mistakes, I went into the marathon feeling pretty confident that I could at least break 4 hours, if not run a 3:50 marathon time.
What laid before me was a near perfect day weather wise, and the course itself was not too daunting. The 1993 course started and finished in front of the Convention Center downtown, headed to White Rock lake via Turtle Creek, then onto Mockingbird Lane. From there it ran all the way to Williamson, where the runners approached the lake at West Lawther, looped the lake (including Northwest Highway), then headed back to downtown via Lakewood and Swiss Avenue. My parents were going to be at the finish line, so I told them to look for me to arrive somewhere between 3:50 and 4 hours. If I was to show up after 4 hours I would not be happy. That's what I told them! Oh my gosh that makes me laugh now, but in all seriousness "on paper", based on my current race times for the 10K and half marathon, it was a totally realistic number. Not to mention the fact that I ran all my long runs near that pace...(Projected pace was to be 8:40 minutes per mile. Keep that in mind as you read on).
The race starts. Unlike the NYC marathon, where the masses slowly moved towards the starting line, everyone is screaming by like scalded apes and I feel like I am standing still. At the first mile marker (8:06 pace) I realize I am already blowing it, but I am having a hard time slowing down. People are continually passing me for the next few miles. I'd like to point out that the reason why this happened is because I made the rookie mistake of lining up with the faster runners, a bad habit of running shorter races! My first 5K split pace was 8:27. Uh oh. And 10K split was 8:28. UH OH. And mile 15: 8:30 pace. WHAT THE HELL?
But let me back track to my "nutrition plan". This was before there were gels, or at least before I had bothered to try them. I had gotten into the habit of eating pieces of Power Bars in training. If you aren't familiar with them--they have the consistency of putty and come in a pliable bar. I had a baggie of cut up pieces pinned to my shorts, and the plan was to eat these pieces along the way. Well it was really cold, so when I put a piece into my mouth it was as hard as a rock. As I came to a water stop and unsuccessfully tried to get it down with water I just spit the whole thing out, much to the horror of the volunteers, thinking I was throwing up. So much for that plan. The only thing I took in that day was water and Gatorade. (Today I take in 4-5 gels and/or possibly chews for nutrition).
According to my marathon log book with my splits, mile 15 was to be my last sub 9 minute mile. The damage had been done. Let the learning process begin! Maybe this is why I love the marathon distance. If you don't get it right you will pay! You've made your bed! People are waiting at the finish! Friends will want to hear how you did. You bought the damn jacket. The shame of dropping out would be too much to bear. So here I was, in a very ugly place, with 11.2 miles to go...In the distance, far far away, across the lake, I could see the buildings of downtown. Oh boy.
And so it went, some running, a little walking, a little whimpering here and there, some anger, and some camaraderie with those in the same boat, as each mile clicked away. My friends Doug Dodge and David Gay were waiting for me at mile 20 to run me in. I cried a little and told them how much I sucked. They flanked me on each side and provided a lot of humor. They would prod me into running here and there. At mile 23 or so my friend Mary Werling (Kerslake) joined us, so now it was a fun little party on the way to downtown. My spirits finally lifted as the end grew closer, and I picked it up to run it in with a finishing time of 4:03. And yes, I was very happy with that finishing time, contrary to what I told my parents, because I had survived my many mistakes and learned some very valuable lessons to carry me to the next marathon, because oh yes, there would definitely be another one. Even though it was an entirely different experience than the NYC marathon, crossing the finish line was yet again a magical moment!
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| My first official marathon finish line photo! Final rookie mistake: don't look at your stupid watch! |
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| Not a favorite, but hey, a medal |
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