Very few things in life can really teach you the importance of training. A marathon is definitely one of them. This past weekend (Sunday) I ran the Columbus Marathon. This racing season has been winding down, and with it the training has begun to taper off. This is in direct contradiction with marathon training. I did manage to get 2 20milers in, but really not many other long runs. I did almost no speed work (unless you count triathlons in August & September). So going in I knew I was at a bit of a disadvantage. Even still I wanted to run a good race. About mile 14 I prematurely hit the “Wall” and the pain set in. I tried to take a goo pack and my stomach protested. I then tried to choke down some gatorade (which rarely works anyway for me…i get belchy), and that didn’t really help. I decided about mile 16 that my new goal was to “run” the whole race whatever that meant. I just didn’t want to walk, so I would slow my pace down as much as possible to make sure I could achieve this goal. At mile 21 my uncle Jay hopped in and ran with me for 2-3 miles and that really helped lift my spirits and then at mile 24, tiff ran with me almost to the finish. In the end, i realized two very important things…
1. DO THE TRAINING, or else be prepared for a race like that
2. RUNNING WITH PEOPLE HELPS…A LOT
Anyway, I’m still glad I did it, and now the racing season can continue to taper off. Below is a photo from Diana Beck’s Facebook that she tagged of me at the finish line…And yes it was just a little weird having Tiff not run the marathon as she is pregnant…
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