Let me start this out by saying that I am not a runner.
A while back I started running around my neighborhood on days that I didn't go to the gym in an effort to get some sort of cardio in my life without going too far out of my way or out of my comfort zone. Honestly, just running outside where people could see me was pretty far outside of what I was willing to do for a long time. But I finally worked up the courage and started doing it. I definitely wasn't running with any sort of regularity, but I would get out and run (alternating with walking) one or two times a week for a couple miles. Then one day some friends of mine asked if I would be willing to be on a relay team for the Myrtle Beach Marathon (6 or 7 months away at the time) - I didn't know it then, but apparently my running had been the inspiration for this idea. I figured it was as good a motivator as any to continue the running, so I said I would do it.
During the next few months I went through ups and downs in training. I didn't really plan to increase the number of days that I ran per week beyond 3, but I did want to increase the distance. As a compromise I decided that I would start out by walking longer distances and work up to doing it in intervals. That worked extremely well, but since the marathon is in February, a lot of the training time was during the holidays, which really helped to derail me from getting in regular runs. After the new year, I knew I really needed to get my ass in gear and do some longer distances. The first time I did the full 6.2 mile run - the length that my section of the marathon would be - I walked the whole distance and clocked at about 1h 40m. I was very impressed with myself and that gave me more motivation to continue with the training. I gave it a couple of weeks of shorter distances before doing my next (and final) 6.2 mile run. For this run I decided that I had to push myself and at least do a 50/50 run-to-walk ratio. That run came in at 1h 20m, which I thought was a great improvement; It was also only about 2 weeks before race day!
I had been elected to be the "anchor" of the team, so I got to run the last (and longest) leg of the race. I think the only reason that I got this position was because no one else had actually been training for the thing! But whatever the reason I was excited to meet the challenge and hoped that I was ready for it. The morning of, I could have probably slept until about 9am, but I wanted to be a team player so I got up at the ass-crack of dawn (5am) so that I could be there to see my team start the race and go to each hand-off point along the way. It was definitely early (I'm not a morning person at all). It was definitely freezing (actually below when the race started). But it was definitely worth it to support the team and see them push themselves.
By the time we got to the last hand-off point and were waiting for our teammate who was currently running to get there, the sun had come up and it had warmed up a little bit, but the wind had picked up massively; If not for the wind it would've been a gorgeous day and I would have been too warm in my long-sleeved athletic shirt and shorts - while running of course. In all honesty, standing there waiting to run was the worst part. The anticipation coupled with the wind...I just wanted to start running. My goal for the race was to beat my 1h 20m practice time; Even if it was only by seconds. Finally, the baton arrived and I set off!
The first stretch of my race was easily the worst of the whole 6.2 miles. Not only was it slightly uphill with one hell of a headwind, but my body wasn't in the groove of running yet, so my legs were protesting. I forced it to stay on course and probably got a solid half mile of running in before needing to stop and walk. By this point the track had cut down a side-street and some of the wind was being blocked. During my last full-distance practice run I had done a half mile of running followed by a half mile of walking - I was determined to increase the running and decrease the walking during the actual marathon. Unfortunately, what I didn't realize at the time is that it's far easier to do that when you know the course you're running on; You can look ahead and basically know where you need to reach to get to that next goal. On the actual course the only markers are the full miles. That coupled with Runkeeper's GPS having issues from the get-go and telling me incorrect numbers meant that I would have to basically guess.
As it turned out, due to things like track grade and wind, I ended up just running until I couldn't anymore and then walking until I felt ready to run again - mind you, it wasn't slow walking. This system worked out very well for me. However, the frustrating part was that when I ended up stopping it wasn't because I was completely winded and out of breath. Most of the time, I stopped because my legs were hurting or I was getting a cramp in my side or shoulder. As I said before, I'm really not a runner, so I don't know what that really means. But, what it means to me is that I could probably do the same distance faster - or even more distance - I just need to continue working on losing weight so that less stress is being put on my body by running.
At the finish line they had barriers set up so that runners could be in their own separate "chutes" basically, so when I saw those getting close I walked for a bit to gain some stamina. Then, as I got to the chutes I started running at a good pace so that I could give a solid showing crossing the finish line. It apparently worked because my team said I looked like I wasn't even winded coming across. After completing the race I looked at my timer and realized that I had run it in 1h 14m - shaving 6 minutes off my time! That really made me happy to see. As the last runner, I got to collect the team's medals and go hand them out. After that we headed to the free beer tent, because obviously that's half the point of running! All in all it was an excellent experience and I think I would definitely do it again. I really think that if I continue to eat well and exercise with some regularity, a half marathon could be in my future.
Now time to relax a bit before heading out for Valentines Day dinner at Ruth's Chris!
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