Distance Run

Yahooooo!

Today was the third running of the Charlottesville Marathon and Half Marathon.

Coincidentally, today was my first marathon!

The race was perfect in countless ways:

• The weather was about 40 at the start, 55 at the finish.
• The sun wish shining, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
• The race was small (about 350 in the Marathon, maybe 1100 in the Half).
• And last-but-not-least the scenery was Gorgeous!

The first 3 miles were in the down-town area which itself was cute. Lots of little shops, cute houses, tons of flowers and trees blooming. The smell of spring was in the air!

The race started promptly at 7:30 and we were off! Both Marathon and Half Marathon runners started at the same time and from the same location.

Hundreds of people passed me in the first mile but I paid no worry. I was not going to make the mistake of starting too fast!

About the half mile mark we ran down a very steep hill. Runners continued to pass me, running down that hill like a pack of gazelles.

I knew my plan and I was sticking to it. 10:00 first mile, 9:00 second through five, then drop down to 8:40 if I felt good…

Well, I achieved 9:43 for the first mile, which I was happy with, and rode the 9:00 mile for a few…

After about mile 3 we left the busy area and we were literally in horse and wine country.
Rolling hills of green pastures, mountains bright green with spring, flowers! And the spring smells of fresh cut grass and blooming apple-blossom trees that were to die for!

I’ve been to 48 states and I’ll say that the Charlottesville area is arguably in the top 5 most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.

No left brain negativity for me on this run. Every turn we took, every hill we crested presented me with scenes that were right out of a book.

About mile 3.5 I joined up with a runner from Richmond. She was running the half marathon in the morning, then driving back to Richmond for her engagement party! How exciting.

We kept each other preoccupied while we descended a very slow 2.5 mile steady downgrade on Old Garth Road.

At the bottom of the descent we turned left onto Garth Road. At the intersection I spotted my girlfriend. She was searching furiously for me. I hollered out to her just as we were passing by. I think she got a picture of my back :)

Garth presented us with a fairly challenging ascent. The climb was worth the effort as the crest provided a breathtaking view of the Charlottesville countryside. Large green pastures extended off on both sides of the road. Rolling hills of fresh spring-green grass giving way to the mountains to the west.

I bid my companion goodbye shortly after the climb as the Half Marathon runners were turning around at the 6 mile mark.

I ran alone for a while. I took the time to slurp down a gel, chase it with some water from the 6 mile water stop, and reflect. I took a few minutes to appreciate the wondrous views and then took a quick inventory of myself. I evaluated how I was feeling. Was I running too fast? Was I feeling good? Were my knees hurting?

The fact of the matter was that I was feeling great. The hill technique I was using was allowing me to crest and descend the hills with very little effort. I was feeling great.

My times had settled in nicely to between 8:30 and 9:00/mile.

I caught up with a group of two runners from UVA and another runner from North Carolina. We chit-chatted and cracked jokes as we passed some beautiful horse-country.

I was happy to see the water stops very well staffed given the size of the race. Many volunteers, and the good wishes they cheered were as satisfying as the water and Gatorade. As we passed neighborhoods there were spectators out at the intersections also offering us encouraging words. I love that.

I left my 3 companions to run with a woman who was running just a little faster. I was feeling strong so I joined with her. She had run all 3 Charlottesville races and seemed to know everyone along the course.

We were only together for a mile or two until we got closer to the 10 mile mark. There was a very large climb just before the 10 mile mark and it climbed for what felt like half a mile. My companion dropped back to eat, but feeling strong, and not eager to give up my pace, I pushed ahead.

I crested the hill and by the time I caught my breath the course took a right onto beautiful Ridge Road. Hard packed gravel!

Just past the turn was the 11 mile mark. I took another inventory. I had made a few serious climbs and we weren’t yet to the halfway mark. I had to make a slow-down and conserve, or push on and gamble decision.

I looked out to the right of the road. Through a thin line of trees I could see the beautiful rolling hills. The sunlight sent shafts of light streaming down through the boughs of the trees covering the road. Down the road a little I could see a pair of gray horses standing by the road, watching the runners pass by. My feet crunched lightly on the gravel.

For some reason my mind drifted to the story of Phidippides’ run from Marathon to Athens to save the city from being burnt to the ground. Did Phidippides have the option of slowing down? What would he have done in my place?

I looked down at my legs, at my feet. They were moving effortlessly. I was light on my feet. My hill-form was working excellently. I felt like I wasn’t even running.

I began dropping my pace.

I passed 9 runners by the time Ridge Road made a sharp descent down to Free Union Street. At the bottom I cold see my girlfriend. This time with camera in hand. I was feeling strong. She got a couple of pictures and managed to hand me a water bottle as I completed the descent.

I took the right onto Free Union to pass the 14 mile marker.

Free Union began with a nice and steady half-mile climb. Many runners began walking this hill. As normal I shifted into low gear, taking tiny, quick steps. I passed at least 15 runners in that half mile.

I grabbed water at the top and celebrated my stamina as I plunged into the back half of the race.

In another 2 miles we would loop back to Garth Road, to course I’d already run. I knew what to expect.

Those two miles were flat, shaded, and provided me the opportunity to recharge with Gatorade and Power Bar. I passed a few more runners. One fellow provided a particularly good challenge. He held out almost until 17, but I finally got him :).

At just about 17 we turned back onto Garth Road. I was still feeling good. No pain, no fatigue. I felt like I was at mile 4. I began pushing a little harder.

By this point I had not been passed by a single runner since mile 10 when I first broke with my last running partner. I’d subsequently picked off at least 35 to 40 runners.

I was in the zone. Occasionally, I’d look out at the countryside to distract myself but my mind was focused on my form. My technique became important to me as I was now running faster than I’d run before, and I had 9 miles to go.

I checked my stride length. Short and sweet. I checked my hips, rolled forward as required. I checked my arms. Elbows in tight, most of my movement in the forearms. I was running in top form. Back strait and tall. I’d never felt taller. I felt I was running on a cloud.

Before I knew it I was descending the long hill we climbed before 6. I was approaching mile 20 and I knew I’d get to see my girlfriend again! Sure as could be she saw me make that long descent and passing 3 more runners before I blew her a kiss and began the slow, 2.5 mile climb back into Charlottesville.

This climb taught me many lessons. Fortunately they were affirming. Runners were lagging, loosing their stamina. My form was good and my legs were strong. I hadn’t rushed out at the starting line. I had taken my time. I hadn’t sprinted the big down hill at the start, I’d crawled it. I took the hills carefully, focusing on form and control, and I was reaping the reward now.

20 to 26 are generally tough miles for me. I generally had run out of steam and I was nervous now. I had pushed myself hard already. But I trusted my training. I trusted that Jeff Galloway hadn’t lied. I’d started slow and I was going to finish fast. I’d learned from my mistakes on those previous runs and was living the reward now.

As runners were slowing down on this ascent, my pace was continuing to drop.

As we got back into town we were redirected many times. The last 4 miles would take us a different route to the finish line than we took out. The turns and changes to the scenery brought me back to earth for a little. I had to focus on the path.

This was fortunate because I was starting to feel fatigued. I still felt strong but I knew I was running low on gas.

I took another gel shot and rocked on. I imagined the finish line, the feelings I’d have when I crossed, and seeing my girlfriend cheering me on. That provided some additional power.

More runners fell behind. We crossed a bridge over 250 and headed behind an arena that looked very Roman. Though he was Greek, I thought of Phidippedes entering the outskirts of Athens. I felt his spirit in me and I pushed harder. I was sprinting at this point. I’d been running very hard for the past 2 miles, and I had about one more to go.

Other runners were pushing hard as well. 5 runners had passed me in the past 2 miles, but I passed 3 of them again. I was having a hellish time trying to get back number 4.

A few hills had me dodging the runners who had given up.

I turned into Old Town. A market area with shops on either side. There were many spectators here. A thin path, lined with little orange cones identified my route though this throng. This little hill seemed like a mountain before me, but I was moving fast. The cheers of the spectators seemed miles away.

I made the left onto 5th Street. The wind was howling down this narrow causeway and it was a steep climb… “Torture,” I though.

Near the top of this 2 block climb was a guard pointing and hollering, “Your almost there, it’s all down-hill from here!”

I made the turn onto Jefferson and sure enough, just a few blocks away I could see the finish line!

My eyes immediately spotted my girlfriend. My stride quickened. My back straitened, hips rolled forward, arm motion fell under control.

After a few seconds was able to tear my eyes from her to the clock over the finish line. I was about half a block away: 3.47:50. I pushed harder, my eyes fixated on the clock.

I bounded across the finish line at 3:48:06. I was utterly spent, but felt better than I have ever felt in my life.

I could now consider myself an athlete. I could now call myself a runner.

I had arrived.

Today I got to run with my girlfriend for the first time! It was awesome.

She and I love doing outdoor things together (camping, hiking, etc) but running was a sport she hadn’t done in years.

She prefers aerobics, spinning classes, yoga, etc. But recently she has started running.

I’d been reluctant to run with her because I didn’t want to feel that I was putting pressure on her to do something she really didn’t want to do.

But we did it! It was one of the highlights of my running year.

Seeing her running next to me, with that cute little pony tail bobbing back and forth was too much!

It was a really great bonding experience, and I look forward to many more runs together.

And I’m sure there will be others, since she has her sights set on a triathlon!

She’s been my number one fan. Now, as she embarks on her own quest into competitive endurance sports, will be my chance to be a fan for her!

Today was my running club’s annual business meeting and get-together.

The guest speaker was Bill Rodgers.

I had the opportunity of sitting down with Bill briefly before dinner and talking about, what else, running.

First, let me tell you, Bill is exuberant about running. He is very enthusiastic about the sport and its future. He was very eager to talk with us and took a genuine interest in each person he met.

Our conversation began on the topic of how to get others involved in running.

I told him that much of my family was relatively sedentary and that I worried about their health.

I told him that my family thought I was crazy for running a marathon.

Bill offered, “My family thought the same thing, too. “There’s no money in it,” they said.

But think about it, for someone who is not physically active, a marathon is crazy.

As our sport gains in popularity, and as people are exposed to it more, they may begin to think, “I can run a 5k,” or “I can run a mile.””

Bill’s words hit home for me. I can set the example for my family, and offer my help to them if they want, but I cannot make them more active.

Perhaps I am crazy for running a marathon, but I hope that my example will help them realize that they can begin running or even walking.

“Remember,” he said (a mantra he repeated several times during the evening), “different runners have different goals. They may never run, but they may start walking. Maybe they’ll run, but perhaps only short distances… Everyone is different.”

I agree, but I still haven’t gotten over the belief that everyone can get out there and do it!

When I told Bill that I was running my first marathon in just two weeks his eyes lit up. I think he gets a kick out of seeing new runners not only entering the sport but also tackling one of its biggest hurdles.

“It’ll be hilly!” he exclaimed when I told him it was in Charlottesville, VA. “But you’ll have a good time.”

After dinner I gave him a final hand-shake and told him what an honor it was to meet him.

Bill Rodgers took my hand, looked me squarely in the eye and said, “Good luck in Charlottesville!”

In any event, I’m on cloud nine, and I’ll be thinking of our meeting as I complete my first marathon…

During our dinner, Bill took the microphone and spent about thirty minutes talking about running and answering questions.

Among the pearls of wisdom:

Do the best you can. The best you can do is all you can do. Listen to your body and don’t over train. Do what you can to avoid injury.

Rely on the strength of the club. Support each other, and help each other.

Volunteer.

Help bring attention to the sport.

Enjoy your accomplishments. “Americans,” he said, “are always trying to improve themselves; they always “could have done better.” Enjoy your successes.”