Rock n Roll Arizona 2008
Today was a fun day. I am happy to announce that I completed the Rock n Roll Phoenix Marathon in 4 hours 58 minutes and 19 seconds (click here and search for bib # 5189 in 2008). Not bad for only 3 and a half weeks of training, huh? I stopped to take various pictures throughout the race.
There’s a picture of me with the 9 mile marker,
one of the rock bands,
kids dressed like the band KISS,
a chopper style motorcycle
and even with Superman!
Now as far the race goes, here’s how it went:
I honestly don’t remember the running pattern I used at the beginning of the race. I know it was run, walk, run, walk per mile. But I don’t recall what the specifics were.
After mile 4 I settled into a 3-3-3-X pattern per mile (run 3, walk 3, run 3, walk the remainder of the mile). When I got to mile 14, I realized that if I maintained an 11 minute/mile pace for the remainder of the race I’d actually come in under 5 hours.
Well, one thing about me is that I’m nothing if not competitive. I know reason is telling me not to try for a speed that will end up hurting me. 2 weeks ago, I was fearful about running a half marathon with such short notice. 2 days ago, I’m super-happy six times over if I can just finish a full marathon and am capable of walking the next day. But now,2+ hours into the race, I want to finish it in sub 5 hours!
So guess how I did it? I stuck to the new plan. I maintained a 3-3-3-2 pattern (run-walk-run-walk) per mile. So as not to get too excited and run faster than intended, I listened to a book on tape (technically: book on ipod) to help slow me down. The title of the book I listened to is Magician: Master by Raymond Feist. It’s my all time favorite Fantasy story.
I actually ended up running with the 5 hour pace group. Runners would pass me up as I walked, but I’d catch up to them when I ran.
At mile 23 I hit my wall: “Hello, Wally”. But I didn’t hit it hard. It was more like a strong shove. The wall wasn’t telling me to stop. It just didn’t want me to run anymore. It wanted me to slow down comfortably walk the remaining miles. I could have done that. I could have comfortably finished the race walking.
But I remembered that this is where I hit the wall in the 2006 LA Marathon. Back then I didn’t just hit it, I crashed into it. Back then I HAD to walk because I was physically incapable of running. It was the most agonizing thing I can recall. My feet felt like I was walking on glass and my knees didn’t want to straighten. I wanted to stop. I wanted to weep. I wanted the pain to wash away. I even turned around walked backwards to use different muscles to propel me forward. Eventually, after 2 miles of walking, I recovered enough to finished the race in a light jog.
So when I met the wall at the 23 mile marker in Phoenix, I made a self analysis. This time I could still run. My body told me it would rather walk, but it could still run. It wouldn’t be fast and it wouldn’t be long, but I could run for 3 more minutes at a time. I was sure of it. They weren’t going to be speed miles, but they didn’t have to be.
So here was my test. Would I step up and push forward or concede and be happy with as long as I finished the race?
You don’t know what joy it brings me to be able to type that I continued running. I called out my running mantra: “Breathe, Relax, and Run Like You Trained”. I recited it out load — to myself and those around me. I reminded my fellowship of fatigued forerunners that we were having fun and that we were fairly close to finishing.
Encouraging those around me actually gave me a second wind (or third or fifth by this point in the race). And with 3 minutes of running at a time, I was able finish the Phoenix marathon in under 5 hours. >:)
If you haven’t noticed yet, the number that was given to me (see yesterday’s post) coincides with the time it took me to finish the race. 4:58:19 was my time and 5819 was my number. All of the times I stopped to take pictures and enjoy this race contributed to have me complete the race in a time that matched my bib number down to the second. This makes me believe I was meant to run it just the way I did (including my mishap with the pothole that twisted my left ankle just 0.1 miles away from the finish line).
Thank you, Phoenix, for a great experience. The course was flat and the temperature cool. So cool, in fact, that at noon, I didn’t want to run in the shade because I felt cold. I’ll definitely be back next year and try for a PR.
–Joe
and I ran 26.2 miles today
