So the race. I met up with
Anyway, around 7:45 we headed to the start and it was no problem getting into
Immediately at the start I could start running. The start immediately began downhill as I had astutely noticed on the map the night before. I knew I had to be careful to not go crazy especially since the weather was definitely going to be a factor. Mile 1 and 2 came to 16:42. Perfect. Mile 3 had a hill or 2 and came in at 8:27 but that was OK because I knew mile 4 was where a lot of time gets made up. It is an extremely steep downhill. I knew it would be faster and the plan was it should be no faster than 7:45. I came in at 7:53. Nice. I made sure to stop at the water stops if not to just pour a cup of water on my head. I knew the water factor needed to be attended to early and often.
At the 10k mark, I chuckled to myself and said "ah, just a 20 mile run and you're done." As I passed mile 7 I knew my support crew was coming up! Sure enough, and not a moment too soon, there was Pink Monkey, Liz, and my dad cheering and screaming my name. It definitely pumped me up and got me excited to keep on the journey. I also ran into someone along the course that asked "Are you Uptown Girl?" LOL. Yep, I guess I'm a running blog celebrity of some sort;-)
The parts I remember are going through the small towns and people out on their porches cheering for us. There were people along the side handing out oranges, water, gatorade, brownies, and even beer! It definitely was a different experience from the big marathons that I had done prior: NYCM and MCM. The trail running was awesome too! I ran alongside a stream and got to see some spectacular scenery (leaves are midway to peak).
As I reached my support crew around mile 17 I started to get the feeling that it wasn't my day. I had spoken with my dad before the race about strategy. I had chosen Steamtown with the idea of not throwing everything into one race. I had a safety net if I so chose - Philly. Well, at that point I realized maintaining this pace was going to be very tough - if not impossible - for another 9 miles. Rather than totally expense myself and run a 3:42 I chose to slow it down. When I made the decision, I definitely felt disappointed. I knew it was for the best but it's still disappointing to know you did everything right but mother nature decided to do you in!
As I passed my crew around mile 21 I shouted out to them "I've got this." I wanted to make sure they knew I was strong and health was not a concern.
Mile 25.5 brought a lovely hill which was kind of the cherry on top to a tough morning. I knew I wasn't going
I called my mom (she was finishing her 60 mile walk) to tell her everything was OK and that the BQ wasn't today. The picture to the left is of me talking to my mom and my dad telling Liz and Pink Monkey it was "mom." However, I told her to make sure the support crew is ready for November 18. I'm seriously considering another go at it. If it's 75 and humid in mid-late November, then the world has bigger worries!
This was part of the email from the race director this morning:
Turns out the winner missed qualifying for the Olympic trials. Guess that makes missing a BQ time small potatoes...LOL!Heat - Sorry about the heat. Yesterday was by far the hottest Steamtown on record. To give you an idea of the impact heat can have, our median finish time yesterday was a full 10 minutes slower than the average for our first 11 years. We also treated more runners in our medical area than ever before. We hope that all of you enjoy a complete recovery. Note: be advised that we have informed our Weather Committee Chairman (we'll call him Bob) that his services are no longer required.
The damage after the marathon? A black toenail and a huge blister on the side of my big toe. Eek! Food of choice yesterday? Bison burger and fries with a coke! Yum!
Yesterday's experience did teach me a little more about the world of running. I was able to identify before the carnage to quit while ahead. While some people may say that I didn't give "everything" I didn't want to if I couldn't achieve my goal. I know Philly is 6 weeks away and I could take a 26.2 training run away from it. 2 marathons in 6 weeks? Doable. Will I do it? We'll see. I've come a long way since the beginning of the year when I couldn't run a step. There's big days ahead of me. Not this time, though. Next time...