Justice Run 22

 

My first marathon is finally in the memory bank.

 From preparation to finish it was the toughest thing I’ve done. I’ve got a better idea now of what to do differently, and how to prepare more efficiently. In the preceding weeks, my friends and family asked me to list goals for the race. Mostly I stuck to my 4 hours and 30 minutes answer. That’s what I expected to get, running the practice pace I was used to running. It all depended on how much juice my legs had near the end of course. That’s always the x factor for marathons; how much is left in the tank after 20 miles? What about 23?

My real goal was completing the run, while actually running the entire thing. That I did manage. The 4:30 will have to wait though, the best I could swing this time was 4:50. I’m ok with that for now. I have a specific window next time to aim for.

This was a park run. Each leg was 6.55 miles. That meant for the marathon, we had to run it 4 times. The race organizers didn’t need to close roads or divert traffic. This was all done along the river parks in Fort Worth. Making it only 6.55 miles long allowed for greater control over the whole event. Each mile had a table with water, electrolytes and snacks. They staffed each one with volunteers and ran 4 wheeled carts between the tables all night to check on the runners. The best quality of running a marathon in a park is the flat surfaces. The hills were nonexistent.

My training has been in the morning for the last 2 years at least. The summer evenings make it impossible for me to get any distance in the heat, so I run early. This marathon started at 4pm, which was unusual but didn’t stop me from signing up. I knew the trickiest part would be figuring out what to eat and when. That turned out to be the biggest problem of the night. I didn’t eat enough before or during the race, my thinking being that an empty stomach is better. A full belly slows me down and makes me sluggish. That couldn’t happen. I opted to eat almost nothing. I don’t normally eat before I run in the morning, why would I change that for the afternoon?

The first half of the run felt great. I kept my pace just over 10 minutes a mile and tried to stay there. After mile 16 or so I started to feel it in the legs. I think my pace slowed down significantly after 20 miles, the last checkpoint before the turnaround. The exhaustion forced me to stop at every table on the way back just to catch my breath and fill up with water. It proved a much needed rest period before continuing to the next table. The finish was such sweet relief I almost cried. My brother and his wife and kids were there to cheer me in. We took a few pictures, and my health went downhill quick.

I threw up in a garbage can and tried to drink water and feel normal again, it didn’t work. My brother asked one of the guys at the information booth to give us a ride to the car. I was in no condition to walk. The guy at the booth was a doctor. He noticed my pale complexion and said I looked dehydrated. I allowed him to take me to the medical tent. They gave me an IV and called the ambulance. They gave me 4 bags of fluid, took vitals and sent me home. The whole affair was a little embarrassing, but I was grateful for the fluids and the care. My mom and brother met me at the hospital. It was after 2:00 a.m. when we finally left.

What did I learn? Eating during a run is a necessity. Those gels aren’t enough when you’re burning hundreds of calories every hour. No more starvation mode. This came from a habit of not eating during morning runs. Second lesson, take more electrolytes at the stops. I didn’t like the taste so I avoided them. Next time I’ll just gulp them down I guess.

There were a lot people praying for me to finish strong. I’m grateful for that. My final effort was otherworldly. I didn’t have enough in the tank, but somehow managed to come in jogging. Thank God for His strength. When I am weak, He is strong.