Two years after starting this quest of running a marathon...

[DisgruntledVirus]

I did it! I felt very good for 24.5 miles, but that last 1.7 miles were rough. It took everything I had just to get through that, but I did. Started intensely painful cramping right after I crossed the finish, but that just is something to work on for the next one. Yesterday was expecting to run a 3:45 finish time since, as some of you know, I've been having issues with a few things. During training, before the issues, I was thinking I would target 3:30. Well, here are the final race results:

Finish chip time: 3:34
Was at 8:11 pace
Placed in top 20 in my age group

I'm really happy with it for my first marathon.

 

[ITXGamer]

Congrats on your finish! Well done.

 

[Bateluer]

Nice job!

 

[RagingBITCH]

3:34 for your first? Frickin incredible man...congrats!

 

[darkxshade]

So you hit the wall at 24.5m?

 

[Exodist]

Congratulations won completing the marathon. That is a huge achievement.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Thanks all! If you haven't run one before, I highly suggest you do. It is very much worth it.

So you hit the wall at 24.5m?

I actually hit it earlier than that.

I hit the wall about 20m in. One of the guys in my training group and I were keeping pretty solid pace at just over 8 min miles all the way until mile 18.5 where he started getting issues. From 16 to 18 is a hill that really challenges most people (about 200 feet uphill over 2 miles). After he dropped back to walk/stretch/etc, I was on my own. It was easy to run with a guy I've trained with for 18 weeks, and we had about the same pace. We could talk, motivate one another, etc. After he dropped back I had nothing like that.

The 3:35 pacer, who we had passed around mile 8, was now in front of me with a group. So I sped up a bit to get with that group, and joined up with them around the 19 mile mark. Pretty quickly after joining them it started to become a challenge. My stomach had been kind of upset making it difficult to take water/powerade/gels/etc. My muscles were starting to tell me, "just take a break for a minute... We promise it will help!" Knowing from training runs that stopping would effectively kill my marathon (once I stop and walk I can't run effectively again), I kept pushing. Right at the 22 mile mark is a small little hill that is nasty. It's about a 75 rise in elevation over a really short distance, and very late in the race. I pushed up it, but about 22.5 I really crashed. I told the pacing group, "guys I'm really dying over here." They motivated me and pulled me through it. Then the group began to go on their own for the last 3 miles. I started going ahead of the pacer, but then finally about 24.5 I walked for a bit. The pacer caught back up and I started running again with him but then died on the last hill which is .75 miles from the finish line. I started walking again to the top of it. I knew I was close and I would NOT allow my self to walk to the finish. So I started running again. The crowd cheered, partially from my yelling "Come on" and clapping as I was getting the the last 1/4 mile. I picked up my pace, started sprinting, but pushed too hard and slowed down about 200 yards away to more of the 8 min pace I had been keeping to finish.

I took about 5 steps past the finish mark and started the most painful cramping in my thighs I have ever felt. One of the guys from the training group was right there and said later in the day that when I stopped there I was pretty incoherent and delirious. I was told this by other friends and family later on as well. I felt like I was mentally there, but apparently I wasn't. That is something I plan to fix for my next marathon...

Which I might do in 3 weeks, because I'm crazy... It's a runner thing

 

[darkxshade]

Wow, those last half dozen miles was quite the rollercoaster and you still finished 3:34. Makes ya wonder what your time could have been at a consistent pace. I'm sure the walking took tacked on a few mins.

I was like that on my 20 mile long run last week. I pretty much train on empty stomach and towards the end, I was pretty out of it. I felt nauseous, incoherent... my body was cold probably because my immune system was weakened. Your legs are pretty much on autopilot once your out of gas and it feels worse the more you think about it. It's a mental game... the same thoughts just keep racing through my mind toward the end:

"should I stop? should I walk? ok I'll stop and walk for the next water break. NO, skip this water break and keep going, it'll add up and save time, you're not really thirsty. it's only a couple more miles, 15 mins left if you push through the pain. you've already done several hours, it'll be over, just do it. Plenty of water after the finish line... no you're too tired, take a min break, make the last stretch more relaxing for yourself, no gotta finish strong... what to do? ok, water coming up... fuck it, keep going... shit I'm fucked, should have stopped... ok maybe I should just stop and walk, too late for the water though... but what's the point, you're gonna have to finish anyway, why stop, you're only punishing yourself"

 

[brad310]

grats.

much respect...both for finishing, and for the time.

Is that medal something your folks did for u...or was that part of the race?

 

[warr666]

.....

 

[Megatomic]

Awesome! Congrats DV. Sounds like you may need to buy one of those wall mounted medal racks. Oh and there is a group called Marathon Maniacs. Check it out.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Wow, those last half dozen miles was quite the rollercoaster and you still finished 3:34. Makes ya wonder what your time could have been at a consistent pace. I'm sure the walking took tacked on a few mins.

I was like that on my 20 mile long run last week. I pretty much train on empty stomach and towards the end, I was pretty out of it. I felt nauseous, incoherent... my body was cold probably because my immune system was weakened. Your legs are pretty much on autopilot once your out of gas and it feels worse the more you think about it. It's a mental game... the same thoughts just keep racing through my mind toward the end:

"should I stop? should I walk? ok I'll stop and walk for the next water break. NO, skip this water break and keep going, it'll add up and save time, you're not really thirsty. it's only a couple more miles, 15 mins left if you push through the pain. you've already done several hours, it'll be over, just do it. Plenty of water after the finish line... no you're too tired, take a min break, make the last stretch more relaxing for yourself, no gotta finish strong... what to do? ok, water coming up... fuck it, keep going... shit I'm fucked, should have stopped... ok maybe I should just stop and walk, too late for the water though... but what's the point, you're gonna have to finish anyway, why stop, you're only punishing yourself"

At the 24 mile mark I was on time to complete it right at 3:30 or so if I had any energy remaining. I was right at 3:15 around 24 miles in, so I'm confident that I could do 3:30 without really changing too much.

grats.

much respect...both for finishing, and for the time.

Is that medal something your folks did for u...or was that part of the race?

Thank you!

The medal is part of the marathon, they give all the full marathoners the bronzeish one I posted a pic of (then half get a silver colored one and I think relay get one too, but I know that both half/relay are physically smaller medals). They had engravers on site for $5 you could get it engraved so I figured I should since it's the first one.

nice man, grats!

i might try a marathon eventually, just to see what it feels like.

i use to run quite a bit, 6-8min pace, 8-12 mile stretches.

Well that's basically where I have trained at (except for long runs of course). On the shorter stuff, 4-8 mile runs, I would usually do 715-730 average pace. If you were able to do the 8-12 mile stretch stuff then you really only are missing the longer runs and making sure to do a schedule to train for a marathon.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Awesome! Congrats DV. Sounds like you may need to buy one of those wall mounted medal racks. Oh and there is a group called Marathon Maniacs. Check it out.

Thanks man!

Yeah, perhaps I do need a rack . I will definitely check the group out!

BTW, you had a 50m this weekend right? How did that go?

 

[highland145]

Grats.

 

[Megatomic]

Thanks man!

Yeah, perhaps I do need a rack . I will definitely check the group out!

BTW, you had a 50m this weekend right? How did that go?

I bested my primary and secondary goals (I finished with a smile and was not DFL) but I didn't best my ultimate goal. But I did finish before the cutoff and I did have fun. I'll be writing a report with some details. It'll be up by later tonight I hope.

 

[Mursilis]

Congratulations, and impressive time! I'm thinking about one in next year or so, but beating the time cut will be my only specific goal!

 

[Capt Caveman]

Congrats! Great job!

 

[wheresmybacon]

Awesome work man!