Marathon Training: Race Day…The Race of My Life!
Marathon Training: Race Day…The Race of My Life! So far.
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Wow! The day was finally here! All my training and hard work were about to be put to the test. I was feeling pretty good about the training that I had put in and felt that I could go the distance: the whole 26.2 miles in my very first marathon!
Rubbing the sleepy bugs out of my eyes, I made my way to the kitchen for my pre-race meal. I stuck with what I knew would settle well with me. So after a banana and yogurt, I got dressed.
T was ready to go with the camera and water. We made our way out to Frenchtown to the start of the race. I could tell it was going to be a warm start to the race, as it was already in the low 60’s. That concerned me a little, as I had done all my training runs in relatively cool weather, but obviously there was nothing I could do about it at this point. The night before, we had soaked the neck wraps in cold water and put them in the refrigerator. I had about four of them so I could change them out during the race.
As we got closer to the race site, we noticed several folks running about a mile from the starting line. I got a little panicked, thinking that maybe I had the start time wrong. But, no. I guess they were just warming up before the start of the race.
Then we had to find the real start area….they had just moved it that morning! But not to worry, Frenchtown is a small town, and we had no problem finding the starting line; it was just a few blocks from where they had originally planned.
After some back and forth debate with myself, I decided not to take my mp3 player, so I unpacked the extra batteries out of my clip-on running pocket. It didn’t really lighten my pocket much, but I knew as I ate my LifeSavers and power gel it would get lighter. And once I was running and in a rhythm, the pocket wouldn’t bother me too much.
Of course I needed to use the restroom before I started, so we found the porta-johns, but I was amazed at the lines! This was the first year of the marathon, and they obviously hadn’t known how many porta-potties was the right number to have at the race start, as they grossly underestimated the need.
T checked her watch, and there was no way I was going to be able to use the porta-potty. Sure enough, Anders the owner of our local running store “The Runners Edge” came down yelling “5 minutes to the start!” He said that they couldn’t delay the start, so just find a bush and go! No one cares!
I was ready to drop my shorts right then and there, but T being more modest and able to see, grabbed me and found a bush I could use for a little bit of privacy. But Anders was right, nobody cared…everyone was busy worrying about their own needs right before the cannon sounded. The question of hydration and survival of a 26 mile race in record-breaking heat was everyone’s primary concern that morning, not who was behind which bush to pee. Runners definitely get more than a little self-involved immediately before a big race like this one.
So, relieved of the bladder weight, we jogged over to the start area, and I positioned myself just behind the four hour pace runners. Looking back at it now, that was quite a lofty goal for me, and I should have been more realistic and got behind the 4 ½ hour pace runners. Even in cooler weather I hadn’t ever run a four hour pace on any of my marathon training runs, so thinking that I could do it in record high temperatures was really pie in the sky thinking on my part. But I was a newbie when it came to marathon running. Lesson learned: big time.
Before I knew it the cannon boomed, signifying the start of the race. . .
How ’bout it?
-Vision Runner
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Title: Marathon Training: Race Day…The Race of My Life!
URL: http://runnerinsight.com/2009/09/14/marathon-training-race-day-the-race-of-my-life/
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