Hotel...Booked!
Race...Registered!
Nothing left to do but train and wait.....
I have 7 marathons and a 24 Hour Ultra scheduled for 2012. I have done this to MAKE myself continue to train...I really love racing...the anticipation...the social aspect...everything about racing is cool. I try to get out 4 times a week to run...and it is not always easy, but I do love running, plain and simple.
This trip, with the wedding and the marathon was one I was really looking forward to. We were gonna see family, eat some great food, visit a new city...and RUN! The wedding and the associated family "stuff" was great. We found ourselves with not much to do on Friday (race was on Sunday) so we drove from Columbus to Cincinnati to visit the expo....we got to Cincy early enough to walk around downtown and we stumbled on to Nicholson's Gastropub. The meal we had warrants a new paragraph...So....
DUCK FAT FRENCH FRIES! Yes, french fries fried in duck fat. If you have not experienced this, please, I implore you, go to Google and find an eatery near you that does this...GLORIOUS! But that was not the only notable discovery...Bacon and Egg Cheese Burger...BUT...their idea of bacon, by the way is a 1/2 inch SLAB of smoked pork belly....add a runny fried egg...jack cheese....and home-made pickles...OH MY DEAR LORD!
OK...Expo...this was Brandie's and my first BIG expo....and it was very cool to be at a huge expo with all the cool "stuff"....I am sure I bought several things with pigs on them that I did not really need. The Pig has a great expo and great swag...well done!
5:30 Saturday wedding in Columbus....on the road back to Cincy by 6:00....LOL...settled into the hotel by 9:00....blah blah blah....gnite....5:00am wake up for a 6:30 start!
Brandie and I both opted for "pig pen" G when we registered...so we hung out for a about 40 minutes waiting for the start....there was a local band...people dressed in a variety of costumes...it was cool to be at our first really big race together all the way up to the start....the race was so big that there was a 17 minute gap from the start until our "pig pen" was opened...it seemed the parade of runners went on forever...
Once we got underway, it was great...it was fairly cool outside...the euphoria of your first big race is like a buzz...this will EASY!...hahaha!
I very quickly saw Forrest Gump...as in "I just felt like run-ning" Forrest Gump...period-accurate right down to the early 80's Nike flats, Bubba Gump Shrimp hat, and striped knee socks...He and I stayed together, or close to it for most of the next 5+ hours.
The first 13.1 miles was a PLEASURE...I recall thinking, "this marathon thing ain't so bad"...wow...a bit premature. The route was scenic...the city rallies behind this race like no other I have seen...it is a BIG event and is one I hope to repeat....BUT.
Shortly after the first 1/2, the sun became a factor...a substantial factor...let's review a few facts...1) I did not apply any sunscreen...and removed my shirt after about 5 miles...i am not a big fan of shirts...I like to run with as little on as possible...SUPERNATURAL?....hmmm....maybe....LOL. 2) Apparently the sun is closer to Ohio than it is to North Carolina. 3) the sky that day was cloudless and CLEAR....so very soon I was crisping and, for some reason, kept smelling bacon...LOL.
Then, all of a sudden, BAM...POW...SMACK! I found "the wall"...I bonked...badly and it was a physical and emotional bonk....Mile 18 began the "heart of darkness"...LOL...and I quickly became Colonel Kurtz and the joy and light of the first half was light years away and I was not happy...hahaha....
So, I will run down a few significant vignettes of the last 6 miles...they present themselves as flashes that I will never forget...and made this race even more unforgettable....here we go!
- The river was muddy...like chocolate milk...but I bet a dollar it would feel cooler in there
- Why is the sun following ME
- EVERY mile is just not enough fluid stops...LOL
- Sunscreen would have been a really good idea....am I on fire?
- There is the Great American Center Building...is it really 4 miles away
- A DNF really wouldn't be so bad
- I guess feet CAN hurt that bad
Then i got to a small church in a really poor section of town that was giving out crushed ice...and this little 9-year old-ish street urchin handed me a cup of ice...which I poured into my hat and put back on my head....after a few seconds he said, "Holy F--- Mister...you're smoking"...and sure enough, steam us rising from my hat....Holy F---, indeed!...I limped away to the sounds of his mother swatting his for his flowery use of slang....I bet he never forgets the the steaming tattooed guy...LOL.
- Really 3 more miles....REALLY
- that damn building is moving away from me...I know it is
- Screw it I quit...not really...but, ya know......AHHH crap...just walk it in
- 2 miles....whatever...mayber everyone will stop telling me "you got this"...LOL
- 1 mile...just kinda shuffling....hot as hell...and disappointed in my time
- 1/2 mile...OK...run it in...no matter how bad it hurts....
- 1/4 mile....what was I thinking...this hurts
- Run....lots of people clapping and cheering
- Run...i see the end...
- Run...close...I got this
- Run...there's B....and Forrest...SWEET....
- Run...it hurts....just about there.....
SUCK IT FLYING PIG....I OWN YOU!...WHERE'S MY FREAKIN MEDAL....and a cookie...and a drink....and a massage...and another cookie...LOL
Post race cry....blah blah bah.....
Shower...change...DUCK FAT FRIES!....Nothing beats finishing a marathon....the actual last step before crossing the line....even with a little sun poisoning...I got a little sick that night...I was already thinking about the next one....I know...I have issues....but remember....
Chuck Norris has never run a marathon.
I remember the Pig! Love that race! Especially liked all the little communities you would run through. Way to tough it out! The EASIEST marathon is hard . . . and this one isn't easy!
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