A sleever runs a marathon! (26.2m)
by
, 05-19-2014 at 10:34 AM (2157 Views)
Sorry for my very infrequent blog posts, I've been busy as usual: new job, new digs and I have been training like crazy for my first full marathon (26.2 miles), which was this past weekend in Green Bay, WI (Lambeau Field).
I finished! I wanted to run 9:30 miles, but I ran closer to 9:50. I actually ran ~ the first 20 miles at 9:37 but then hit a wall around mile 22 through almost mile 25 which slowed my pace down a bit. I perked up then and ran the last 1.2 miles at about a 9:10 pace which was awesome to dig deep at the end and find that. I didn't walk (except the water stops) but man I was dragging for 3 miles (22-25). The "average" time for a male marathoner is 4:17 and that was exactly my time. I will take being an average marathoner 18 months removed from being 300# and pretty darn unhealthy! I finished 832 out of 1950 who ran in this event. I'm early into running (just over a year) and love that I'm doing well but still have room for improvement. I love a good challenge!
I think most marathoners will tell you that the real accomplishment is not running 26.2 miles that day, but it is going out on days when it is cold, or your muscles ache, or you are tired and still doing your training runs. It was brutally cold in Wisconsin this winter and at my lower BMI I am freezing all the time. But I got heat packs, bundled up and went out there and ran. Since March I followed the Hal Higdon plan and ran 15-22 miles (depending upon the week) on my long run day (usually Sunday) eight times. That's a lot, but I felt very prepared. On the other days I would do runs ranging from 2 to 8 miles depending upon the plan.
The run itself is crazy. You start out with the pack, nervous and just trying to settle in. For me, the first 1-2 miles are rough because it takes a while to really get warmed up. Then, from there it is pretty easy. At mile 10 a lot of people start fading but that's when I start feeling good, when my muscles are like year we are warm and ready to go. I kept that up through mile 22 before hitting "the wall" they all talk about. I managed to get through the wall and finish strong. So many crazy thoughts. I cried at mile 1 because I realized I was running a marathon. I decided to dedicate it to my grandmother at mile 12 because I miss her. To get through the wall I focused on the automated text my family and some really awesome WLS friends I have (2x4's!) would get when I finished, so I knew I had to find a way through it and finish. So much of it was a blur but the finish was strong, vivid and awesome. I will never forget it.
I have the endurance now and just want to work on getting faster and preventing that wall from happening at mile 22. What I'm saying is that I'm not one and done. There will be more marathons for me! Although for a few weeks now I'm going back to being a more recreational runner and just having fun with it.
Anyway, that is all for now. Maybe a bit of a brag blog but also, hopefully, some motivation. I didn't start out by running 26.2 miles. I started walking (huffing and puffing) after surgery and then would run a block or two of my walk before I got too winded and went back to walking. I kept at it and at about 3 months post-op I was able to run a mile. I just kept working my way up from there. Baby steps, as I love to say. I was 300#, pre-diabetic, metabolic syndrome, gout, shingles, hypertension, etc. Now I can run a marathon. I really enjoyed the journey. I hope you do too.
Not much else going on besides of course the new job and the new digs! More on that later. I need to get back to work...