Kiawah Island 2007 Marathon - Part I
I have never been in so much pain in my life.
That's the bad news. The good news--no, the great news--is that I finished, I had fun, and yes, I am going to do it again.
6 a.m., Saturday: My alarm goes off. I've been awake on and off for over an hour, but for the most part got in a good night's sleep. I hop in the shower and into my clothes laid out the night before. Stepping out onto our beach deck at 7, the air is mild. The predicted high is 78. I start the race in a sleeveless tee and am grateful I did. By 10 am, temps are in the low 70's and I'm sweating.
I told myself I'd run the first 3 miles at a 9:30 pace. My first mile was actually 10 minutes, partly due to course congestion at the beginning. My second mile was 9 minutes, and my third was dead on at 9:30. I had problems throughout the day holding a steady pace. However, I hit mile 13, the halfway point, at 1 hour 58 minutes, only 1 minute behind schedule.
Blair was on it as my pit crew. He met me at the halfway point and handed me Gu and water. Then while I applied chapstick, he opened BioFreeze and spread it on my lower back. One quick kiss and I was off. "See you in two hours!" I said.
Miles 13-15 were good, but quiet. 3100 people signed up to run the half-marathon compared to 1200 for the full. The course seemed very empty and stretched ahead of me like a racetrack unfurled. I was feeling okay. Taking the turnoff at mile 13, where all the half-marathon runners zoom on to the finish while the full marathon runners go on to lap 2, didn't bother me. I'd run much farther than 13 miles before and while I felt a bit tired due to my uneven pace, I still felt good.
Then I hit 16. 5. Or rather, mile 16.5 hit my outer, upper right thigh. It felt like a small spasm, which wasn't bad. I stopped and stretched and kept on. The spasm got an eensy bit stronger and the lower back pain chimed in. A woman who saw me stop and stretch (and pound my thigh) handed me her tube of Aspercreme. I applied it, but it didn't do anything for me. I walked a bit between miles 17 and 20 but knew I was in trouble. My thigh hurt.
"Suck it up," said my brain, but my body said, "Right. You are not in charge," and started walking. And that was my marathon. I walked the better part of the last 6 miles. Oh sure, I'd run sporadically, but the pain felt worse each time. However--and I want to be clear on this--I don't think the pain was so debilitating that I needed to walk as much as I did. I think I just didn't have the mental toughness to bear it out. There were a few times I absolutely HAD to stop, because of my leg. Plus, I was compensating for the spasm and had a very weird run going, making other parts of my body hurt. But overall, I think if this had been my third or fifth marathon, I could have gone much farther than I did.
I had started out hoping for a 4-hour marathon and when I started walking at mile 20, my time was still good enough that I thought if I ran/walked the last 6.2 I could still eke out a 4:15. But by mile 22, I was wondering if I'd be able to meet my outside goal of 4:30.
Then, a savior appeared. Jack, my running partner from home, appeared at mile 23.5. (Jack was a volunteer in the race but had run a marathon two months earlier.) I didn't even recognize him until I heard him say, "You're looking strong." (I was running at that point.)
Now people, I love my husband with every fiber of my soul. But I might be lying if I said I was ever so happy as to see another human being. Jack fell into step beside me and ran me in the final 3 miles. He talked to me, to keep my mind busy, and several times acted as impromptu masseur when the leg really cramped up b/c I was running again. I walked/ran those last miles, more walk than run, but I credit Jack with getting me in under a 4 hour and 30 minute marathon. Formal results haven't been posted yet, but according to my watch, I was right at 4 hours and 27 minutes.
Here's an interesting thing. I sprinted the final .2. That's not a long distance but it was easy and I felt no pain. That's why I say I think I could have overcome the leg trouble. I was able to ignore it when I needed to at the end, which means I could have done it before then.
TOMORROW: Seeing Blair at the finish line. After the race. Acquiring an empathy for the elderly and disabled.
Saturday, December 8, 2007 at 4:56 PM | Dena Harris | 10 Comments | Email Article | Share via Digg | Print Article | in Running
Reader Comments (10)
Dena, you don't know me but we share Melody Watson as a friend. She had emailed me to let me know to look for you -- guess she didn't realize there'd be 3000 people to look through for someone I've never met! I ran the half + 5 as my 18 - mile training run for the Disney marathon. Way to go on your marathon -- I enjoyed reading your race report.Gonna go back to "sticking" my hamstrings, if you know what I mean!
Words can't tell you how proud I am of you, Dena. Your time was fantastic even with walking some. Surprised you didn't mention the photo finish! Just to let your friends know, we did talk today and you sounded GREAT. You would never have known you were in so much pain but I think the excitement was still with you, too. Love you so much and I was touched with your last sentence....empathy, at last!
Proud of you superstar!
WOW!! I can't tell you how many times I thought of you yesterday. I am so proud of you for even attempting a marathon let alone finishing it. CONGRATULATIONS!!! What an accomplishment. God bless your good friend Jack. It sounds as though that was a great sight for you at that time of the race. What a great time especially for your first marathon! Love you,Dad
Dena, Sorry that you had some problems during your race. All us runners have had that at one time or another. But I am glad you sucked it and finished the race. Congrats! Get some rest and recover Uwharrie Race is coming.
Congratulations, my friend! I knew you were up ahead and leading the way for the rest of us. I would've called you sooner but developed the flu following my last practice run and couldn't risk infecting others.I am so immensely proud of you, Dena. After only completing half your distance, I said to my waiting saint-of-a-husband, "I don't think I'm doing this again..."But I beat my self-imposed goal by one minute and forty-three seconds and am thrilled.Loved hearing that you thought of your Mom immediately, too. I asked Gary to call mine as I struggled into the hot shower to cool off (totally dressed too warmly) and try to help my congested lungs.Darlin', I think of these accomplishments and feel silly having facilitated sessions on "Dealing with Holiday Stress" this time two years ago. We're kickin', girlfriend!I am so proud of you and hope to see you live soon!
This boggles my mind and I am in greater awe of you (and you, too, Susannah,) than ever before. Great storytelling, as always. Am about to read Part II.Meanwhile, Susannah, I knew the odds that you would run into Dena, but life's quirky. If I HADN'T told you about her, she would have somehow ended up being your running buddy for mile 9 or something... :) Good job, all 3000+ of you!
You're my hero. I could kiss you!
Congratulations. My bike trip this summer was a walk in the park compared to running a marathon. At least I got to coast down the hills and rest. You earned every mile and you deserve every accolade.
Dena:I'm really proud of your Kiawah experience. The first marathon is always a time of making sense of yourself, the distance, the pain and the gumption you can wrench from somewhere under the soul. The second one will be more cerebral and predictable, and you will probably do better. I know that you have that 4:00 marathon under the hood because you are a better runner than I, and I only finished 2 minutes behind you at Death Valley. Without cramping, and with a little luck, you'll make your goal. Remember, you always punished me on those long runs!You have accomplished something very important. Take some time to be proud and satisfied. You are a delightful, creative and courageous person. I appreciate having had a chance to share some good running times and some of your cheer and determination. Good luck on the next marathon--and in whatever you choose to do.Lewie