April 15, 2007

The St. Louis Marathon
Temp: 35 at the start; 50 or so at the end. Mostly sunny. Just perfect.
I don't believe I am talented enough to properly describe this run. It was simply fantastic.
To sum it up quickly, I followed my strategy almost perfectly, felt fresh and strong every step of the way, and set a personal record of 4:09:54, an improvement of about 18 minutes.
There was no wall. No hydration problems. No nutrition problems.
I ran a negative split, meaning the second half of the run was faster the the first. The times were 2:06, 2:04, give or take some seconds.
To be perfectly honest, my official time might be a minute or so slower, since a few times while I was at aid stations my GPS auto-paused. By the same token, my GPS says I ran not 26.2 miles, but 26.53. But, that's splitting hairs.
My one problem was a flair-up of an ITB (Iliotibial Band) pain in my left leg. This started about a month ago, and got much worse during the race, especially when I was going uphill. The pain would ease on the level sections, and increase slightly on downhills. In a way, it was a blessing, because it forced me to more closely regulate my pace, especially on the hills, which was part of my strategy anyway.
I was not winded during the run at all, except in the final 1.2 miles, because I was sprinting at that point.
Sprinting. At the end of a marathon.
And here's the best part. For once I experienced a true runner's high.
In mile 16 I began to take a physical inventory, and I realized that I felt incredibly good. I was not tired in any way. My legs gave me no indication that they might hit a wall. I was not breathing hard, not hungry, light-head or hurting anywhere (even the ITB was at bay at this point) I was still fresh.
I was suddenly massively energized. I became euphoric. I was almost laughing. I nearly cried. My breathing got heavier and I could feel my heart rate increase. Hell, I was practically out of control.
I finally reminded myself that I still hade 10 miles to go, and they would be the hardest of the race. Anything could still happen. I needed to get my emotions back on an even keel.
I did. And when mile 18 felt as good as 16, I decided I would push the last 6 as hard as I could (See? I still waited two more miles. I still wasn't totally convinced there was no wall out there).
When I hit mile 22, I knew I was home free. Even if I hit a wall, I was going to PR.
No one passed me in the last four miles. People were walking, puking, grunting, struggling. This time, that wasn't going to happen to me.
Mile 26 was 8:43; and the distance from 26 to 26.53 was done at a 7:55 pace.
This time, I feel like I took it to the monster, instead of the other way around.