I decided to run this marathon and take in the experience. I had some time goals set which were based on training runs, but I knew that I wanted to complete it running across the finish line, so those were secondary goals. For the record, I didn’t achieve any of those, but I am far from disappointed, because I did finish.
A few days before I made the choice to not wear headphones, and debated on taking my phone with either the Road ID app so Julie could track me or any of my GPS apps so I could track myself. I opted to use competitor’s tracking to notify Julie of my progress and to just wear my stopwatch and rely on the D-Tag tracking for everything else. (I was lucky, because the race tracking apparently didn’t work for a friend of mine.)
Right before I entered the corral, I went to use the restroom, so I handed Julie my water bottle, which contained my electrolyte drink, 2 gels and an extra electrolyte tablet to use when I refilled the bottled halfway through. I had this all planned out. Then Joy, Julie and I headed into the corral and Julie went out the other side and took off toward the Start. Only then did I realize she still had my bottle. I could see her from the corral, so I took off toward her but lost her in the crowd. I went back to my spot, knowing I would see her around Mile 4, so I said, “Oh well” and decided to go with it. Julie ended up fighting the crowd to get back to me and so we were back on track.
Mile 1 – Started off slow, a little worried that the 4:15 pace group had gotten so far ahead once the corrals opened up across the finish line, but was pretty sure I had time to reel them in and catch up. Right before the end of the first mile, I look to my right a see a guy leaning up against a post in a Cleveland Browns jersey. I yelled “Go Browns!” as I passed and as I’ve said about the interconnectedness of things, I knew that things were going to be alright.
Miles 2 – 3 were pretty uneventful, grabbed water at the water stops, enjoyed the bands and then coming up Broadway I started looking for Julie, who was going to be around Mile 4. Saw her as I made the turn from Broadway onto 17th. What a shot of energy that is, to see a familiar face.
A couple of blocks after Mile 4, I looked up the see the huge Clarkson Street sign, and in my mind I immediately went to the waxing scene in The 40-year-old Virgin and yelled, “AHHH, KELLY CLARKSON!” (I actually had planned this mental cue for crossing Clarkson at Mile 21, but I’m glad I used it here, because I didn’t even notice that street then!)
Miles 5 – 7, through City Park were pretty good, but that is where I started losing the 4:15 pace group. After a water stop I made a pit stop and decided that I would just take in the experience and run my own race. I wanted to conserve energy and I felt that was what I needed to do, and if I caught them again, that would be cool, but not a necessity.
Somewhere between Miles 8 and 9, as I was heading east on 17th and looking at those who had made the turn and were heading back towards me, I saw Claire, and then I saw Louie and Jaymie, and gave all of them a cheer. Again, another shot of energy. I also saw my 4:15 pace group, and noted how far ahead they were, but didn’t stress about it.
Even with the energy of seeing my friends running ahead of me, in just that short time my mind had begun to think about quitting; about wishing I had just signed up for the Half. I mean, seriously, who was I kidding? I can’t run a marathon. I couldn’t run more than 14 miles until month or two ago. And that 20 miler I ran in training? That was a fluke. For sure. I couldn’t even make it past 18 ½ when I tried to repeat it. This was not going to end well. But then I saw Julie again just after Mile 10 and her smile and cheer were enough to keep me going.
Between Mile 11 and 12 was where the split was, Half Marathoners to the right, Marathoners to the left. The moment of truth. I took the left and knew there was no turning back. As I was coming up to the turnaround on East 7th parkway, the band was playing “Use Me” by Bill Withers, which is one of the songs on my normal playlist, and that made me smile, despite the steady incline of the street. I made the turn and headed back west, and though it looked downhill when I was going the opposite direction, it still felt uphill as I was running it.
I either didn’t see or didn’t notice mile markers 12, 13 or 14, but I kept plugging along. I was trying to repeat the mantra “one little mile at a time” as I ran, but my mind kept doing the math – you STILL have 14, 13, 12 miles to go. It was about Mile 14 ½, I was going downhill toward Downing Street, and not feeling particularly peppy, when I heard someone yell my name, I looked up, and there was Julie! I wasn’t expecting to see her again until the end – it was SO awesome. She yelled, “How are you feeling?” and with a huge smile I yelled back, “I’m not getting out of bed tomorrow!” and continued on, with another shot of energy, but also tears of happiness streaming down my face.
The next bit of fun was a bit up the road. As I got closer to this one house with people in the front yard, there were two little boys chasing each other yelling what I thought was “flat tire, flat tire” and it appeared one was trying to step on the back of the other one’s shoes to give him a “flat tire”. I was wrong. The adults had set up a table full of Dixie cups and were handing out shots of New Belgium’s Fat Tire Ale!! I took a shot and the Dixie cup of water that were at their next table as a chaser. Then I ate a Honey Stinger gel and some electrolyte drink, and those ingredients, my friends, do not make for a pleasant experience in the tummy.
Like I said, I hadn’t seen a mile marker in a while, and was very excited to look up and see Mile 15 already! There was also a band playing some great rock and roll, so much so, that they are they only band of the 21 or so on the course that I actually remembered their name. Vivid Fiction. Some guy running along side me yelled “Free Bird!” like a douche and they just smiled and launched into their next tune.
Miles 16-19 where approaching and in and around Washington Park (Wash Park to us locals). This is where I planned to use the mental cues I came up with when studying the map. This is where I was in Washington Park (Washington state is where I grew up) and I ran around Smith Lake (my last name is Smith). I grabbed a couple of small water bottles and refilled my bottle and added my extra electrolyte tablet. Coming up to the water stop, I again saw Louie and Jaymie, and after taking a drink I walked up and asked how they were doing. We exchange words of encouragement and were on our way!
On Franklin Street I got a few gummy bears and welcomed a little bit of sugar, but this is where I kind of started walking and running. I believe it was somewhere between 20 and 21 when a pace group came up behind me, and I looked up, saw the sign reading 4:30 and in my head I yelled, “F*CK!” because I knew that there was my chance to beat Oprah. (For those unfamiliar, Oprah ran the Marine Corps Marathon once and her time was 4:29:20 – and I had decided that IF I ever ran a marathon, I wanted to beat that time). Ultimately, I decided to let them go on and finish on my own.
On Asbury I passed a girl eating a banana, and thought, “Where the hell did she get a banana!?” We had been going back and forth since Wash Park and she said, “Ha, we’ve been playing cat and mouse for a while.” I asked where she got the banana and she said someone gave it to here and she offered me a piece. It was a welcome taste that WASN’T an energy gel. We encouraged each other for a few miles, and although I wasn’t really in the mood for conversation, the distraction helped me keep running.
As I ticked off the next couple miles, I noticed the hill coming up on Logan Street, you could see the runners going up, and it looked straight up and was kind of discouraging. It reminded me of the hill coming out of the Cleveland Flats at the finish of St. Malachi’s 5-miler. It was a time to dig deep, focus and just keep moving forward. One of the best things I saw was the Mile 26 sign. It was unbelievable and I was in shock that I made it. Only .2 miles to go, and I knew that Julie was waiting around the corner. As I headed downhill into the finish chute, it felt like there were photographers every 10 feet, so it was like I was watching a tennis match – smile for the camera to the right, look for Julie to the right! I heard my name and looked and there was a huge surprise as it was Michelle and James! I got a high five from Michelle and was still smiling when I heard my name again and there was Julie, Brett, Mona and – another surprise – my daughter Emilee had come down to the finish! I sprinted across the Finish line and started crying, as I do after every big race, because I did it.
During the race, I tried to thank every volunteer and police officer I saw. It was cold and windy, and they made the day better for thousands of runners.
I can’t tell you how amazed at myself for accomplishing this goal. This has been an incredible year for me, especially in terms of athletic accomplishments. It was made so extra special by running with friends, seeing them on the course, and being greeted by them at the finish line. My wife Julie walked and ran almost 7 miles to encourage me, cheer me on and take pictures and I couldn’t have done any of this without her.
Also, in case anyone cares, I trained with and used Honey Stinger Vanilla gels and Nuun and ZYM electrolyte tablets, and the marathon plan I used was from the July 2013 issue of Runner’s World and was developed by Amby Burfoot, 1968 Boston Marathon winner.
