Marathon
The completion of this marathon required overcoming so many obstacles. I thought I would try to get them down in a note just so I could remember them and also get an idea of my thoughts while on the marathon route.
The year of running started with trail running here at home. I signed up for the Mercedes Half Marathon in February and increased my mileage weekly. In the days and weeks leading up to the Mercedes, the weather was mild. But on the morning of the event, the temperature had taken quite a downturn. At the start, it was a frigid 19 degrees. For the first 3 miles I was so cold I couldn't feel my fingers. At each water station, the spilled poweraid and water turned the road into an ice rink. I picked out the back of a runner and increased pace till I passed them. Then picked another, and another and so on till I had finished. Running through the streets of downtown Birmingham was interesting. Up till then, I had only driven down them. I finished the event easily and turned my focus to the next run.
With my work schedule being as inflexible as it is, my choices for events was limited. The next event on my calendar would be the New River Half Marathon in Todd, NC near Boone. We took the mountain bikes up and rode the New River Trail for a couple of days before the event. I did a couple of long rides with Bev on the trail the two days before the run. Then we drove down to Boone. We had always used an inexpensive hotel while riding the New River. Upon our arrival this time, we began our settling in process only to discover bed bugs. We quickly fled the place. Our first and hopefully only experience with these things. We relocated to a better hotel over on the interstate and proceeded to closely inspect every item in the bathtub to be sure we carried none of these critters with us.
The New River Marathon and half Marathon are held in a little remote community called Todd. A portion of the road there occupies the former rail grade. Todd is a charming little town which remains pretty much as it has been since the 40's. The General Mercantile there is a virtual time machine. The run there is well attended with over a thousand participants. The route goes over some mountains there making it much more difficult than the Mercedes. But despite all the other activity and the hills, I finished within 3 minutes of my first run. Then after the run, Bev and I rented kayaks and paddled the New River.
The next event on my plan was to do a full marathon in Georgia which would be a modest event put on by the Macon, Georgia running club. One feature of training I failed to consider was the effect summer would have on my running. The heat of summer made running much more difficult. I adjusted by running very early and carrying electrolyte drinks or water in a Camelbak. As it came close to time for the run, I'd had difficulty getting in all the long training runs. Bev's grandmother's health had been in decline. I had wanted to take David on as many camping trips as I could that summer so we changed plan and took the camper to Lawrenceburg, TN to David Crocket State Park. We went in the midst of a storm system that dumped a lot of rain while we attempted to camp. During our stay we learned that Granny Johnson was fading so we packed up and returned to Alabama. Later that night I found ticks on my abdomen which much have attached while I was packing up. Despite my best search there remained one attached behind my knee that stayed in place for a second day. We returned to Cullman for Granny's funeral. That evening I began to feel achy as though I had the flu.
Despite quickly obtaining antibiotics, over the next few weeks I found my strength severely curtailed. It felt like the worst case of flu ever. I had no strength and spent much of my time either in bed or resting on the couch. I eventually found my way to an infectious disease specialist. Although my tests were inconclusive, we surmise I had a case of Lyme Disease. My doctor told me I could forget about being able to run the marathon in October. I attempted to have the plane tickets refunded but couldn't. So I decided to attempt to train and go if at all possible. So I began training although most days I felt bad and had very little energy to spare. Little by little I managed to run the training program. I had only 2 months and 2 weeks to accomplish this. So bit by bit I did it. It was only in the last couple of weeks that I really began to think I could do it. I would go and do my best, whatever that was, and be satisfied with the result.
In the week leading up to the event, the threat of the perfect storm became more and more likely. But the day of the run, we were spared the worst of it with low 50's for the high and only gusty winds. Getting to the start meant a 5:15 wake up call. This was the second day in a row to get up at 5am. The previous day I had to go on 4 hours sleep after working till midnight, then getting up to make the flight in Birmingham. It had been a week of extra work because my co-worker was out, on doctor's advice. I went in early every day that week. Once we arrived Saturday, we agreed to meet at a pasta restaurant that was only a few blocks away. I got back to the hotel early and turned in to rest as much as I could.
Despite reading every account of the event I could, I had somehow missed the part about the really long walk from the Pentagon rail station down to the race start. Joe came from his accomodation and it took a while for the two of us to link up. That mean't even more walking. After a couple of coordinating phone messages, we met at the cue for the 5:00 to 5:30 run. We visited and talked about our preparation. The national anthem was sung. Then a flyover. Then came the first cannon blast for the wheelchair competitors. Then at 7:55 came our start. It took 20 minutes before we crossed the start line. Joe started quickly, and I began slowly as is my custom to allow my body to warm. By 8 miles in, I could tell it wasn't a high energy day for me. The ligament that had given me some pain in the past few weeks began to hurt by the 10 mile mark. I pushed on and had a pretty good half marathon time going. Around the 8 mile mark I passed a Marine band playing the Marine Hymn. That was inspiring. And near the 9 mile mark I passed a bagpipe band playing Scotland the Brave. That's one of my favorites. Next came the loop along Haynes Point. It was flat, coolish, and breezy. The Marines were passing out GU samples there. I grabbed one and downed it. It turned out to be Capuccino. It was so strong I almost became sick. With my foot hurting, I put my head down and tried to run smoothly but often folks who were using a run/walk technique would pass, then suddenly form a rank forcing me to have to swing wide to pass them or slow to find my way thru. Folks were always veering or changing direction or stopping so you always were having to sidestep or slow down for them.
I really expected to enjoy running the mall but I only remember the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the Capital building. I was working on beating the bridge but I had remembered the time incorrectly so I actually had even more time left than I thought. The bridge to beat came at the 20 mile mark. Then the bridge that we crossed seemed to go on forever. I missed some mile markers along this section and didn't know how far I'd gone till I saw the 23 mile mark. My legs were getting tired and heavy. I wondered if I would be able to finish but at the same time knew that I wouldn't quit no matter what. Each mile from here on out seemed very, very long. Once I passed the 25 mile marker, there were even more people on the road sides cheering for us. At this point I was passing folks by the dozens. Some of them were in pretty bad shape, limping along. Then I could see the 26 mile mark. From here on in there were so many young Marines along the road shouting out encouragement. I had read how hard the last 0.2 mile up the hill to the finish was. I ran up that hill while most walked. The finish was filled with Marines lining both sides of the road. I shook hands or high fived every one I could reach. Then I crossed over the official finish line. I had done it. Whatever else happens I can now say I finished a marathon! Up ahead we were urged into guides where they were waiting to award our finisher's medal. The Marine at the head of the line hung the coveted medal around my neck then snapped to a sharp salute. It was awesome.
From the finish we were instructed to keep on walking. My legs seemed to have forgotten how to walk. My foot was hurting and my legs were so heavy but I continued walking toward the family meet up area. Little by little my legs loosened up and I made it over to the UPS pick up area where I picked up my belongings and then the extra few tenths of a mile to where Bev waited. Joe was there smiling and we hugged. After a few minutes of sharing our adventure, Joe told us he had to get going. With the hurricane approaching, he had to get out to the airport quickly. Bev and I started toward the Metro to head back to the hotel. The line for the Metro was several blocks long. We looked for a shuttle to ride and found the line for it was just as long. So there was no option but to make the walk back past the finish line and on the the Arlington Metro station. That added over a mile and a half to the day. From Arlington station we made it as far as Pentagon station where I suddenly felt ill and exited the train. Low blood sugar I guess. After a little rest, we made it to Crystal City station and made the quarter mile walk back to our hotel. 26.2 miles became over 30 with all the walking.
Along the way many folks had posted signs which helped take your mind off the suffering. One of my favorites was the one that said "Worst Parade Ever". Another informed us that we had run longer than Kim Kardashian had been married. Some encouraged us to beat the bridge but others said beat the hurricane. One guy held a sign which must have been meant for his significant other. It said "No Saturday Runs means Friday night is Sex night".
Some of the runners were dressed colorfully and others even wore costumes. One lady was dressed as a Storm trooper from Star Wars. We weren't the droids she was looking for. Another couple was dressed as Dunkin donut and coffee. Some soldiers ran in full gear including pack. Respect! I saw one solider running on an artificial limb who had lost an arm as well. And many, many wore cards or shirts with notes about grandfathers or dads or brothers whom they were running in remembrance of just like I ran in remembrance of my Dad.
A good friend asked me if this was worth it. All the training. The sacrifice of time to put in the training. I have to say, if it was only for myself I'd say no. But I've always meant this running to be an encouragement to my Cousin and Friend, Joe Castleberry. Seeing how it has given him a new facet to his already accomplished career has been very gratifying. For that reason, I'd say it was worth it.
The year of running started with trail running here at home. I signed up for the Mercedes Half Marathon in February and increased my mileage weekly. In the days and weeks leading up to the Mercedes, the weather was mild. But on the morning of the event, the temperature had taken quite a downturn. At the start, it was a frigid 19 degrees. For the first 3 miles I was so cold I couldn't feel my fingers. At each water station, the spilled poweraid and water turned the road into an ice rink. I picked out the back of a runner and increased pace till I passed them. Then picked another, and another and so on till I had finished. Running through the streets of downtown Birmingham was interesting. Up till then, I had only driven down them. I finished the event easily and turned my focus to the next run.
With my work schedule being as inflexible as it is, my choices for events was limited. The next event on my calendar would be the New River Half Marathon in Todd, NC near Boone. We took the mountain bikes up and rode the New River Trail for a couple of days before the event. I did a couple of long rides with Bev on the trail the two days before the run. Then we drove down to Boone. We had always used an inexpensive hotel while riding the New River. Upon our arrival this time, we began our settling in process only to discover bed bugs. We quickly fled the place. Our first and hopefully only experience with these things. We relocated to a better hotel over on the interstate and proceeded to closely inspect every item in the bathtub to be sure we carried none of these critters with us.
The New River Marathon and half Marathon are held in a little remote community called Todd. A portion of the road there occupies the former rail grade. Todd is a charming little town which remains pretty much as it has been since the 40's. The General Mercantile there is a virtual time machine. The run there is well attended with over a thousand participants. The route goes over some mountains there making it much more difficult than the Mercedes. But despite all the other activity and the hills, I finished within 3 minutes of my first run. Then after the run, Bev and I rented kayaks and paddled the New River.
The next event on my plan was to do a full marathon in Georgia which would be a modest event put on by the Macon, Georgia running club. One feature of training I failed to consider was the effect summer would have on my running. The heat of summer made running much more difficult. I adjusted by running very early and carrying electrolyte drinks or water in a Camelbak. As it came close to time for the run, I'd had difficulty getting in all the long training runs. Bev's grandmother's health had been in decline. I had wanted to take David on as many camping trips as I could that summer so we changed plan and took the camper to Lawrenceburg, TN to David Crocket State Park. We went in the midst of a storm system that dumped a lot of rain while we attempted to camp. During our stay we learned that Granny Johnson was fading so we packed up and returned to Alabama. Later that night I found ticks on my abdomen which much have attached while I was packing up. Despite my best search there remained one attached behind my knee that stayed in place for a second day. We returned to Cullman for Granny's funeral. That evening I began to feel achy as though I had the flu.
Despite quickly obtaining antibiotics, over the next few weeks I found my strength severely curtailed. It felt like the worst case of flu ever. I had no strength and spent much of my time either in bed or resting on the couch. I eventually found my way to an infectious disease specialist. Although my tests were inconclusive, we surmise I had a case of Lyme Disease. My doctor told me I could forget about being able to run the marathon in October. I attempted to have the plane tickets refunded but couldn't. So I decided to attempt to train and go if at all possible. So I began training although most days I felt bad and had very little energy to spare. Little by little I managed to run the training program. I had only 2 months and 2 weeks to accomplish this. So bit by bit I did it. It was only in the last couple of weeks that I really began to think I could do it. I would go and do my best, whatever that was, and be satisfied with the result.
In the week leading up to the event, the threat of the perfect storm became more and more likely. But the day of the run, we were spared the worst of it with low 50's for the high and only gusty winds. Getting to the start meant a 5:15 wake up call. This was the second day in a row to get up at 5am. The previous day I had to go on 4 hours sleep after working till midnight, then getting up to make the flight in Birmingham. It had been a week of extra work because my co-worker was out, on doctor's advice. I went in early every day that week. Once we arrived Saturday, we agreed to meet at a pasta restaurant that was only a few blocks away. I got back to the hotel early and turned in to rest as much as I could.
Despite reading every account of the event I could, I had somehow missed the part about the really long walk from the Pentagon rail station down to the race start. Joe came from his accomodation and it took a while for the two of us to link up. That mean't even more walking. After a couple of coordinating phone messages, we met at the cue for the 5:00 to 5:30 run. We visited and talked about our preparation. The national anthem was sung. Then a flyover. Then came the first cannon blast for the wheelchair competitors. Then at 7:55 came our start. It took 20 minutes before we crossed the start line. Joe started quickly, and I began slowly as is my custom to allow my body to warm. By 8 miles in, I could tell it wasn't a high energy day for me. The ligament that had given me some pain in the past few weeks began to hurt by the 10 mile mark. I pushed on and had a pretty good half marathon time going. Around the 8 mile mark I passed a Marine band playing the Marine Hymn. That was inspiring. And near the 9 mile mark I passed a bagpipe band playing Scotland the Brave. That's one of my favorites. Next came the loop along Haynes Point. It was flat, coolish, and breezy. The Marines were passing out GU samples there. I grabbed one and downed it. It turned out to be Capuccino. It was so strong I almost became sick. With my foot hurting, I put my head down and tried to run smoothly but often folks who were using a run/walk technique would pass, then suddenly form a rank forcing me to have to swing wide to pass them or slow to find my way thru. Folks were always veering or changing direction or stopping so you always were having to sidestep or slow down for them.
I really expected to enjoy running the mall but I only remember the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the Capital building. I was working on beating the bridge but I had remembered the time incorrectly so I actually had even more time left than I thought. The bridge to beat came at the 20 mile mark. Then the bridge that we crossed seemed to go on forever. I missed some mile markers along this section and didn't know how far I'd gone till I saw the 23 mile mark. My legs were getting tired and heavy. I wondered if I would be able to finish but at the same time knew that I wouldn't quit no matter what. Each mile from here on out seemed very, very long. Once I passed the 25 mile marker, there were even more people on the road sides cheering for us. At this point I was passing folks by the dozens. Some of them were in pretty bad shape, limping along. Then I could see the 26 mile mark. From here on in there were so many young Marines along the road shouting out encouragement. I had read how hard the last 0.2 mile up the hill to the finish was. I ran up that hill while most walked. The finish was filled with Marines lining both sides of the road. I shook hands or high fived every one I could reach. Then I crossed over the official finish line. I had done it. Whatever else happens I can now say I finished a marathon! Up ahead we were urged into guides where they were waiting to award our finisher's medal. The Marine at the head of the line hung the coveted medal around my neck then snapped to a sharp salute. It was awesome.
From the finish we were instructed to keep on walking. My legs seemed to have forgotten how to walk. My foot was hurting and my legs were so heavy but I continued walking toward the family meet up area. Little by little my legs loosened up and I made it over to the UPS pick up area where I picked up my belongings and then the extra few tenths of a mile to where Bev waited. Joe was there smiling and we hugged. After a few minutes of sharing our adventure, Joe told us he had to get going. With the hurricane approaching, he had to get out to the airport quickly. Bev and I started toward the Metro to head back to the hotel. The line for the Metro was several blocks long. We looked for a shuttle to ride and found the line for it was just as long. So there was no option but to make the walk back past the finish line and on the the Arlington Metro station. That added over a mile and a half to the day. From Arlington station we made it as far as Pentagon station where I suddenly felt ill and exited the train. Low blood sugar I guess. After a little rest, we made it to Crystal City station and made the quarter mile walk back to our hotel. 26.2 miles became over 30 with all the walking.
Along the way many folks had posted signs which helped take your mind off the suffering. One of my favorites was the one that said "Worst Parade Ever". Another informed us that we had run longer than Kim Kardashian had been married. Some encouraged us to beat the bridge but others said beat the hurricane. One guy held a sign which must have been meant for his significant other. It said "No Saturday Runs means Friday night is Sex night".
Some of the runners were dressed colorfully and others even wore costumes. One lady was dressed as a Storm trooper from Star Wars. We weren't the droids she was looking for. Another couple was dressed as Dunkin donut and coffee. Some soldiers ran in full gear including pack. Respect! I saw one solider running on an artificial limb who had lost an arm as well. And many, many wore cards or shirts with notes about grandfathers or dads or brothers whom they were running in remembrance of just like I ran in remembrance of my Dad.
A good friend asked me if this was worth it. All the training. The sacrifice of time to put in the training. I have to say, if it was only for myself I'd say no. But I've always meant this running to be an encouragement to my Cousin and Friend, Joe Castleberry. Seeing how it has given him a new facet to his already accomplished career has been very gratifying. For that reason, I'd say it was worth it.