Sunday, March 6, 2011

Myrtle Beach Marathon 2011 Part 1


Never in my life have I experienced such a wide range of emotions in such a short period of time. From pain and emotional despair, to elation and an overwhelming sense of achievement, all within a few minutes of each other. This is how I would describe the last few miles of my very first marathon.

I set two alarm clocks for 4am, but neither were needed, as I awoke at 3:30 ready to get started. I walked out on the balcony of the hotel, to check out the weather. As expected it was perfect. Except for a little wind, that would be a huge factor during the race. I then prepared a bowl of instant oatmeal and drank a sport drink. I had everything laid out from the night before. I covered myself with bodyglide, taped my left foot and I was ready to go.

I made my way to the front of the hotel to catch the shuttle for the one mile ride to the starting line. To my amazement there were runners everywhere. I was really getting excited. The wait for the shuttle and the ride, took a lot longer than I expected. Therefore I arrived a little later than I expected. I was in line at the portajohns as the "National Anthem" was played. I then rushed to the starting line, found a starting spot around the 4:30 pace. In hindsight, I wished I had moved a little closer to the front.

I will break down the actual race into sections in post to follow.

Friday, February 18, 2011

All Packed Up

Everything is packed. ( I hope ) Just waiting for Cindy to get off. Then we head to Myrtle Beach.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Marathon Week

Bib #170. Yes, I received my bib number for the Myrtle Beach Marathon. I have completed the training, and made all the plans for my trip to Myrtle Beach. Physically I feel much better than I thought I would at this point. It seems the Furman plan was very effective in getting me to the starting line healthy. Only after this Saturday will I know how conditioned I am. I completed a 22 mile long run in 3 1/2 hours, and felt pretty good. So barring a major mishap, I feel confident about finishing the 26.2 .

I still have not completely committed to a pace, which I'm sure is not a good thing. I trained for a 4 hour marathon, and all the charts say I should be able to do this. However, I really cant imagine how I might feel running this pace, after I hit the 20+ mile area. Logic tells me to just go out, run easy and enjoy my first marathon. However, I think I may be to competitive to carry out this plan.

Anyway, its almost time. The weather looks great. My training went great. And I'm stoked. Hopefully, this time next week, I will be a marathoner.