Sunday, November 30, 2008

2:03:55


Not quite the 2 hours flat that I was hoping for, but the half marathon went very well. I chose the my goal time based on the fact that I thought my PR was 2:03 at last years OUC half. Miesje corrected my though, and after Googling myself, I realized my previous PR was 2:07:31, so I feel much better now about the 2:03:55 than I did at first. In fact, 2:03:55 is a new PR, so yea for me!
The first half of the run was perfect. Slight tail wind, good even pace, beautiful views, I was feeling great. Miesje, one of my running partners met me at the turnaround and we headed back down. A true friend is one that will wake up before dawn to come and keep you company for a race she isn't even running. Thanks Meisje for the run, it was much more fun with company. We were hit almost immediately with a HUGE headwind which followed us almost to the finish. I could see the time slipping away, but there wasn't much I could do to make it up. I came in for a strong finish and took a short break to enjoy the post-race food and festivities before heading off on the south loop for the full marathon. Meisje and I were planning to run down to meet Tom who was gunning for a Boston qualifying time. He's much faster than us, obviously. We met up with him somewhere between mile 16 and 17 for us, which would have been about 23 for him. I kept up for as long as I could, but the miles had taken their toll at that point and Meisje was left to run him in to the finish. Unfortunately he had the same issues with slowing down at the end that have plagued him in the past, and missed his mark by just a few minutes. It was so painful to watch him work so hard and get so close while still coming up short. He started cramping up just after crossing the finish line and had to have help from the medics to try to get past it. Luckily, his vitals were good, so we avoided another trip to the ER. Meisje had heard a trick about eating mustard to get past cramps, so we got some of that on the way home. I don't know if it helped, but the cramping seemed to get better after that.
Tom's wife Sheila was there with a camera, so I'll add some pictures when she sends them them to me. Except for the part with the paramedics, it was a lovely day, good weather, 20 miles logged and the company of good friends. I don't know how anyone could need more than that.

4 comments:

Amy said...

FIRST, before I jump into the congrats, I MUST share that I think blogger in on a "food tyrant." Seriously, I just left a messages where the word verification was "cokester", and this one is "sanwiches." (Okay, so it's not completely spelled correctly, but I guarantee you are reading "sanDwiches" there :0)

Okay------now
CONGRATS CONGRATS CONGRATS! I feel so bad admitting I had forgotten about your race today until I saw your post title, but I am very happy that you ran a PR! Like you said months ago to me----A PR sure is great even if the top goal wasn't reached. And, yes, I can imagine the disappointment your friend (Tom, is it?) is feeling having missed the B-goal by a few minutes.

All the quilts (30, 31, and 32) look great. Isn't it wonderful to just "whip up a quilt" in no time using leftover orphans?

Rest up, enjoy the rest of the day, and *sigh* dread what tomorrow once again brings. Yes, we love teaching, but I enjoy vacation time too!

Happy SUnday

Amanda said...

That seems like a seriously good time, well done you. I reckon you deserve a good rest for the rest of the weekend now, but I bet your family won't agree!

Meisje said...

Hey, it WAS a good run, wasn't it? I only wish we had pictures of Tom's face while he was drinking the mustard.

Remember how my right knee was bothering me? It's fine, but I've torn up my left knee somehow. I'm going to ice it like crazy and hope the best for next weekend's race. No way am I missing that.

Sierra is lobbying for pizza, and I'm seriously tempted. Not having to cook sounds like a lovely idea.

Oh, and apparently I WAS supposed to be teaching my class this morning -- there was a text message waiting for me when you dropped me off at my car. Oh, well, I'm sure the girls survived, and the race was much more fun.

LuAnn said...

Great job on the marathon. I also like your orange crush quilt a few posts back.