Philly Marathon Report
Philly Marathon 2012
This would be the second time that I would participating in the Philly Marathon. I went last year, to rewrite my horribly painful memory of the Boston Marathon and it was a success. I managed to requalify for Boston again and did so while feeling great the whole marathon, so I was looking to do the same thing this year…..but the marathon gods had something different in store for me.
We (hubby and I) arrived in Philly Friday night on route to Cherry Hill NJ to stay with our friend Jon Lieberman. Lieberman was the one who talked me into doing the race again, and since I had such a great time last year I said “why not”.
I had 8 weeks to get ready for the race after my last multisport event ( a half iroman in Hunter Mountain NY) and I felt that was plenty of time. My training went really well, but the week before the race my legs were feeling sore. I had a massage on Monday and things felt better.
Saturday we went to the expo and met up with the delightful Nina DiPinto and the awesome Coach Patrick to pick up our kit. We walked the expo, and then parted ways. Steve and I went across to the market to have some lunch and then we walked down to the race start so he could get a pic of himself with the Rocky Statue and then we headed back home. I was experiencing some aches and pains, but again, I thought that if I got off my legs and put them up I would be fine. We were back in Jersey by 2:30pm. I did some light active stretching and then took it easy for the remainder of the night.
I did what I usually do before a marathon – ate well and regularily, slept well, hydrated well and rested up. I did mention to my husband that my legs were not feeling normal, but I chalked that up to the taper brain (looking for aches and pains). I was not worried about the race, as I knew I had the fitness in the bank to complete the distance, but the voice in the back of my mind was telling me to be prepared.
Around 7pm I got my kit ready for the day and when I went to plug in my garmin I realized that I brought everything except the plug in. Dang it. I was sure that it had enough memory to get me through the race, so I was not worried.
I was in bed by 10pm, but during the night my left leg was spasming – what is going on? I have been on some meds for two weeks to treat a bout of acute pericarditis, and had been having spasms in my eye lids, but never in my legs, so I chalked it up to the meds. I was a bit nervous, because I had not completed a long run while on the meds, and one of the side affects of the drug was diarrhea, but there was nothing I could do but be prepared.
The morning of the race we got up early. I had two slices of gluten free bread, with PB and a banana. We left the house at 5:30am so we could get a good parking spot, which we did. I managed to have to P’s and to BM’s before the race, so I felt like I was clear to go J I had originally signed up with a 4hr finish time, but my training had been going really well and I moved up to the Green corral. I thought that I had the fitness in me to finish between 3hr50 and 3h52min.
Start of race was uneventful. I kept my first mile at a 9:02 (right on mark), second 8:32, third 8:31. I forgot to put the sound on the garmin, which would of beeped at me at mile markers so I could see that I needed to slow things down as I would of because mile 2 and 3 were to fast, but it would have been mute anyway because my garmin died ( ugh), so I had to go by feel . Not the best scenario, but the one I was dealt.
This is when my left leg started to ache and cramp. Oh no, this is not good, but I told myself to settle down and do what you could. By the time I hit the 8 mile mark both leg were killing me and I was debating whether to pull off at the 13.1 mile mark. It took everything in me to keep going. I was there in memory of a friend who died at the race last year and he was a fighter, so there was no option but moving forward.
My new goal: stay in front of the 4 hour pacer.
New strategy to manage the rest of the race: Run from mile marker to mile marker at which time I could walk 30steps and take in some Gatorade (had my own on me). This was mentally the only way that I could handle things. If I continued to think about the fact that I had another half marathon to run I would have been defeated.
I knew that Lieberman’s girlfriend Dana was going to be at mile 16 so I kept trucking along. It was so great to see here there and she gave me a big hug. I decided at that point that I needed a potty break – the dreaded side affect of the meds came true.
Mile 16 to Mile 26.2 were just pain, pain and more pain. I kept to the mile marker to mile marker strategy and was able to say in front of the 4hour bunny until the 22 mile marker and then he and his gang paced me like I was standing still.
I ended up finishing in 4hr14min and change. This is my slowest marathon so far, but I feel triumphant as I was mentally strong and managed what was given me for the day. I know my friend Chis would be proud of me.
Will I do a marathon again – yup, I will but not next year. I have an Ironman to tackle.
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Comments
Cheers -
Woody
Way to hang Brendo.