My co-worker (Kevin) and I headed to the airport at around 2 pm on the Friday before the race. Our flight was leaving at 4:45 and was scheduled to land in Austin around 6:30ish. Kevin woke up that morning with the chills and feeling the affect of a head cold. I was eager to get on the road and get this race over with. I was excited about the race, but I wanted to be in Austin around all the fanfare. There were a few other people headed up there, including Fred who was responsible for the training schedule I followed, and Laura who I was planning on running the marathon with.
The flight was pretty uneventful despite the horrible weather in both New Orleans and Austin. When we arrived we jumped in a cab to the hotel and Kevin went straight to bed. I headed out to dinner with a few friends that were up there to race and be spectators. I got to bed pretty early knowing that Sunday was going to come quick and I needed my sleep.
Saturday morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and headed down to the expo to meet up with Laura, who was driving in with her parents, and Fred, who had flown in that morning. The expo was very well organized and I was able to pick up a nice AT&T long sleeve tech shirt, something for the wife and kids, and grab some free schwag. We decided to listen to the race director talk about the course, its changes, and what to expect race morning. I don't normally sit around for that, but we had a few people who were new to the marathon, and to be quite honest, I enjoyed what he had to say.
After the expo, we piled everyone in to Laura's parents SUV to find a bite to eat. We ended up at the Italian Warehouse in downtown Austin, which was just what everyone was looking for. Great food at a reasonable price!
The rest of the day was spent resting in the hotel, doing some school work, and trying to get ready for what Sunday had to offer.
Race Morning:
We all decided, because of the different hotels that everyone was staying in, that the four of us in the Hyatt would walk across the Colorado River via Congress Ave. to the Radisson to meet up with Laura and her parents. The Radisson was right in front of the race start, so that would be a great place to hang out until it started to warm up a bit. Needless to say, we were not the only ones with that idea, which wasn't a big deal considering all the excitement in the air. The race was scheduled to start at 7 am so we decided to start walking over to our corrals around 6:30. It didn't take long for that thirty or so minutes to tick away because before we knew it we were singing the national anthem and high fiving everyone around us.
There is something about that moment that culminates all the work you have put into this race and thrust you into the spotlight. You suddenly realize that you are about to do this.
The plan for the race, at least the plan Laura and I had, was to try to tackle this course in less than 4 hours. I felt pretty confident that we would be able to do this considering all the training runs were in that time frame. I was equipped with my Garmin, and Laura was wearing a 4 hour pace band to keep us honest. We also had the benefit of the 4 hour pace group starting right behind us.
The gun went off, the fireworks starting to pop, and we were on the road to tackling the 2008 Austin Marathon. I have done enough of these races to know that you should take the first few miles easy because you will pay for it later, but that is much easier to do in principle than in practice. Nonetheless, our first mile was around 9:46, way off our pace, but still with the 4 hour group. Getting out of the congestion and onto the wide open roads of Congress Ave. we were able to put together a couple of 8:30-8:40 miles to put us 2 minutes ahead of schedule at around mile 5. By this time I had already used a tree in Austin as a port-o-let and had my hat and running gloves in my hand ready to toss to Laura's parents on the course. The course had warmed up quickly and the toughest part was yet to come.
The next few miles ticked along fairly quickly, as our pace was helping up put time in the bank. We spent some time discussing the course and runners with others and the rest of the time listening to the music on the course. I was reluctant to go too fast, although my heart rate at this point was already way too high, because I knew that the upcoming miles were going to get very hilly and I was going to be punished for my early effort.
By mile 13 or so, Laura and I made a deal with each other that we wouldn't leave the other unless it was going to jeopardize our goal to finish sub 4 hours. That goal was quickly put to the test as we started to approach mile 16 and could hear the 4 hour pace group catching us from the rear. Our pace band said that we still had some time in the bank, but I didn't want to loose touch with these guys. I struggled to stay in touch with them and Laura as we turned off of Great Northern Blvd. and past the 17 mile marker. I knew that with 9 miles to go I was going to have to relinquish some time eventually and figured that if I did it now I may be able to mitigate the damage. I wished Laura well and told her to do her best to reach her goal and to not worry about me; I was a veteran at this and would make it to the finish line.
Within the next two miles I lost sight of Laura and the pace group and started to settle into a more comfortable 9:40 pace. This meant running my normal stride, but walking the aid stations and some of the hills. I knew that if I kept this up I would get in at a reasonable time. I also knew that the next pace group was the 4:15 group and I didn't want those guys to catch me.
Those last few miles were brutal, and forced me to reach deep into my reserves to push through the pain. I thought about how much my boys missed me while I was in Austin and how much I wanted to make them proud. I thought about all the sacrifices I made to get to the start line and how I wasn't going to let a tough course take a respectable finish away from me.
The course winds through University of Texas in the last two miles, which got me moving a bit quicker knowing that the finish line wasn't far away. Making that last left turn onto Congress and seeing that finish line made me realize why I put myself through this.
Finish times in these races are irrelevant; they are only personal goals that we set inside of ourselves. Do I wish I was fast, hell yeah! Do I envy those people who are, hell yeah! Am I still proud of myself for finishing the Austin Marathon despite the fact that 34% of the field finished before me, hell yeah!
Marathons require individuals to dig into their soul to find out who they really are, and if they have what it takes to put in the work and get to the finish line. Whether it takes you two and a half hours or six, you should be proud that you reached your goal.
Enough of the sappy stuff!
When I finished the race I hobbled through the corral and picked up my medal, shirt, and some food. I gingerly walked over to the Saturn tent to congratulate Laura and tell her I was sorry I couldn't hang onto her pace. We snapped a few photos and waited a few minutes for Kevin to finish. He toughed out the course despite a head cold, bum hip, and inadequate training.
Laura and her parents headed out pretty quickly because they had to drive back to Baton Rouge that night. Kevin and I waited around for around for a friend and then walked back to the hotel. I was tired, disgusting, and ready to rest. I hopped into the shower and headed down to the Jacuzzi something I will never do again (keep reading).
It wasn't long after I got back from the Jacuzzi that I started to feel like I was dying. I was getting dehydrated and I didn't have the desire to eat or drink. Within an hour or so there were three paramedics in our room take my blood pressure and putting me on the stretcher. I opted to go to the hospital because I knew that they would force me to get rehydrated. I got my first IV in the ambulance and was feeling 80% by the time I got into the emergency room. A couple of extra IV bags later, and some heavy pain medicine, and I was being forced to stay overnight to observe my enzyme levels in my blood. The doctors wanted to make sure that the increased levels were caused by muscle breakdown and not something else.
The short version goes like this:
I spent the night in South Austin Hospital where I was fed like a king, poked with needled more then a person should be allowed, and allowed to go home in enough time to shower and catch the shuttle to the airport.
Summary:
Austin, and the race organizers, did a wonderful job putting on a top level regional marathon. Their organization is similar to the New York Road Runners who put on the NY Marathon. I will do this race again, but next time I will make that my family is with me and I train in the hills.
Thanks for listening!
The flight was pretty uneventful despite the horrible weather in both New Orleans and Austin. When we arrived we jumped in a cab to the hotel and Kevin went straight to bed. I headed out to dinner with a few friends that were up there to race and be spectators. I got to bed pretty early knowing that Sunday was going to come quick and I needed my sleep.
Saturday morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and headed down to the expo to meet up with Laura, who was driving in with her parents, and Fred, who had flown in that morning. The expo was very well organized and I was able to pick up a nice AT&T long sleeve tech shirt, something for the wife and kids, and grab some free schwag. We decided to listen to the race director talk about the course, its changes, and what to expect race morning. I don't normally sit around for that, but we had a few people who were new to the marathon, and to be quite honest, I enjoyed what he had to say.After the expo, we piled everyone in to Laura's parents SUV to find a bite to eat. We ended up at the Italian Warehouse in downtown Austin, which was just what everyone was looking for. Great food at a reasonable price!
The rest of the day was spent resting in the hotel, doing some school work, and trying to get ready for what Sunday had to offer.
Race Morning:
We all decided, because of the different hotels that everyone was staying in, that the four of us in the Hyatt would walk across the Colorado River via Congress Ave. to the Radisson to meet up with Laura and her parents. The Radisson was right in front of the race start, so that would be a great place to hang out until it started to warm up a bit. Needless to say, we were not the only ones with that idea, which wasn't a big deal considering all the excitement in the air. The race was scheduled to start at 7 am so we decided to start walking over to our corrals around 6:30. It didn't take long for that thirty or so minutes to tick away because before we knew it we were singing the national anthem and high fiving everyone around us.There is something about that moment that culminates all the work you have put into this race and thrust you into the spotlight. You suddenly realize that you are about to do this.
The plan for the race, at least the plan Laura and I had, was to try to tackle this course in less than 4 hours. I felt pretty confident that we would be able to do this considering all the training runs were in that time frame. I was equipped with my Garmin, and Laura was wearing a 4 hour pace band to keep us honest. We also had the benefit of the 4 hour pace group starting right behind us.
The gun went off, the fireworks starting to pop, and we were on the road to tackling the 2008 Austin Marathon. I have done enough of these races to know that you should take the first few miles easy because you will pay for it later, but that is much easier to do in principle than in practice. Nonetheless, our first mile was around 9:46, way off our pace, but still with the 4 hour group. Getting out of the congestion and onto the wide open roads of Congress Ave. we were able to put together a couple of 8:30-8:40 miles to put us 2 minutes ahead of schedule at around mile 5. By this time I had already used a tree in Austin as a port-o-let and had my hat and running gloves in my hand ready to toss to Laura's parents on the course. The course had warmed up quickly and the toughest part was yet to come.
The next few miles ticked along fairly quickly, as our pace was helping up put time in the bank. We spent some time discussing the course and runners with others and the rest of the time listening to the music on the course. I was reluctant to go too fast, although my heart rate at this point was already way too high, because I knew that the upcoming miles were going to get very hilly and I was going to be punished for my early effort.
By mile 13 or so, Laura and I made a deal with each other that we wouldn't leave the other unless it was going to jeopardize our goal to finish sub 4 hours. That goal was quickly put to the test as we started to approach mile 16 and could hear the 4 hour pace group catching us from the rear. Our pace band said that we still had some time in the bank, but I didn't want to loose touch with these guys. I struggled to stay in touch with them and Laura as we turned off of Great Northern Blvd. and past the 17 mile marker. I knew that with 9 miles to go I was going to have to relinquish some time eventually and figured that if I did it now I may be able to mitigate the damage. I wished Laura well and told her to do her best to reach her goal and to not worry about me; I was a veteran at this and would make it to the finish line.
Within the next two miles I lost sight of Laura and the pace group and started to settle into a more comfortable 9:40 pace. This meant running my normal stride, but walking the aid stations and some of the hills. I knew that if I kept this up I would get in at a reasonable time. I also knew that the next pace group was the 4:15 group and I didn't want those guys to catch me.
Those last few miles were brutal, and forced me to reach deep into my reserves to push through the pain. I thought about how much my boys missed me while I was in Austin and how much I wanted to make them proud. I thought about all the sacrifices I made to get to the start line and how I wasn't going to let a tough course take a respectable finish away from me.
The course winds through University of Texas in the last two miles, which got me moving a bit quicker knowing that the finish line wasn't far away. Making that last left turn onto Congress and seeing that finish line made me realize why I put myself through this.
Finish times in these races are irrelevant; they are only personal goals that we set inside of ourselves. Do I wish I was fast, hell yeah! Do I envy those people who are, hell yeah! Am I still proud of myself for finishing the Austin Marathon despite the fact that 34% of the field finished before me, hell yeah!
Marathons require individuals to dig into their soul to find out who they really are, and if they have what it takes to put in the work and get to the finish line. Whether it takes you two and a half hours or six, you should be proud that you reached your goal.
Enough of the sappy stuff!
When I finished the race I hobbled through the corral and picked up my medal, shirt, and some food. I gingerly walked over to the Saturn tent to congratulate Laura and tell her I was sorry I couldn't hang onto her pace. We snapped a few photos and waited a few minutes for Kevin to finish. He toughed out the course despite a head cold, bum hip, and inadequate training.
Laura and her parents headed out pretty quickly because they had to drive back to Baton Rouge that night. Kevin and I waited around for around for a friend and then walked back to the hotel. I was tired, disgusting, and ready to rest. I hopped into the shower and headed down to the Jacuzzi something I will never do again (keep reading).It wasn't long after I got back from the Jacuzzi that I started to feel like I was dying. I was getting dehydrated and I didn't have the desire to eat or drink. Within an hour or so there were three paramedics in our room take my blood pressure and putting me on the stretcher. I opted to go to the hospital because I knew that they would force me to get rehydrated. I got my first IV in the ambulance and was feeling 80% by the time I got into the emergency room. A couple of extra IV bags later, and some heavy pain medicine, and I was being forced to stay overnight to observe my enzyme levels in my blood. The doctors wanted to make sure that the increased levels were caused by muscle breakdown and not something else.
The short version goes like this:
I spent the night in South Austin Hospital where I was fed like a king, poked with needled more then a person should be allowed, and allowed to go home in enough time to shower and catch the shuttle to the airport.
Summary:
Austin, and the race organizers, did a wonderful job putting on a top level regional marathon. Their organization is similar to the New York Road Runners who put on the NY Marathon. I will do this race again, but next time I will make that my family is with me and I train in the hills.
Thanks for listening!
2 comments:
oh my gosh! I am kinda laughing....only because you are okay! Good job on the finish and staying tough. There is always a story! I can't believe you went to the jacuzzi. ;)
i know i'm totally late with this comment...but i hadn't read your blog in a while so i was catching up. Your words made me tear up. Not that that's a hard thing to do since I'm a sap but i just wanted to tell you again that you are an amazing writer. I'm sure that comes in useful in law school but you should really think about writing a book perhaps in a blog format for other overaged law students and those that aspire to be so well rounded as you. you have oprah's book club written all over you.
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