... I ran so far away.I just ran, I ran all night and day.
I couldnt get away.
UPDATE: Photos! I'll post a couple here and link to the official marathon shots when they are posted online.
Well, sports fans, the race is over.
I'm still trying to put my impressions of the weekend in order. It was truly the experience of a lifetime. I can tell you with much pride that I did not walk (other than through the aid stations, where everyone walks) and I finished very strong, passing five or six people in the last half mile and sprinting through the finish line in 4 hours, 7 minutes and 17 seconds, a 9 minute and 29 seconds-per-mile pace. By my caculations, that means I was running about 6.36 miles per hour. Not spectacular, but definitely not a poor first showing. I am pleased. I finished 51st in my age group (24-29). You can see the complete, unofficial results of the marathon here.
But the statistics really are secondary to the fact that I finished without walking or pooping out, even though at about the 18-mile mark, I really wanted to do just that. The Kansas City Marathon course takes you on a tour of the best and worst the city has to offer:
--It begins at Crown Centre, amid the tall buildings downtown, in the pre-dawn twilight
--Takes you around the Liberty Memorial, through Westport and Country Club Plaza, all in the first seven miles
--You run through the ritzy neighborhoods south of the Plaza, on and around Ward Parkway (if you want to buy pricy real estate, K.C.'s your place... nearly every other mansion was for sale)
-- You also go through some rougher areas, around multiple parks
--The course also slingshots you around the 18th and Vine jazz district (there was an honest to god jazz group playing, though by the 24.5 mile mark I was way too tired to care)
--The course ends downtown again for a brilliant, .2-mile downhill finish. The finish line and after-party/crashfest are held at the old Union Station.
There were three major uphill portions, one at the two mile mark, just before Liberty Memorial. It was short, steep--no sweat. I like the hills more than the average runner, I suspect. My relatively short, strong legs make it easier to stay low. The second hill was between the 8- and10-mile marks, immediately after the Plaza (amid the aforementioned expensive homes). It was long, and slightly more difficult. It separated the men from the boys, as I passed a lot of people who took off too fast. The final hill was more than a mile long, pretty gradual... it would have been easier had it not been at the 20-22 mile mark. Here I actually caught my second wind, caught up to my pace group again... and was rewarded at the very top of the hill by my first glimpse of my wife since the 1-mile mark. Nichole had spent the previous three hours running around the city trying to find me, and braved one of the course's more... uh... Pitbull-filled neighborhoods to find me, just when I needed her most. My brother and sister in law, John and Courtney Schindele, surprised is by driving up to K.C. to cheer me on.
If the big hill at mile 20 was my second wind, where was my "wall" you ask? Miles 16-20. It was a long, flat, out-and-back (which means we basically ran two miles down a street, turned around and came back). No hills may sound nice, but continual, flat running can burn out a specific muscle set extremely quickly. I fell about a quarter mile behind my pace group during this stretch, there was little shade, my fingers were going numb (I was running a bit too tight in my shoulders). I slowed down and survived it and resisted the urge to walk, began kissing my dreams of breaking 4:10 good-bye, not to mention 4 hours.
The last mile, while not the hardest, definitely seemed like the longest. Our Team in Training coach, Richard Johnson (who just ran a 100-mile race last weekend and wasn't running in K.C.) jogged alongside me a bit of the way, pushing me to catch people in front of me--including my pace group--and break 4:10, which I did. No one passed me in the last two miles that I can remember.
The finish was all I hoped for. As you come to the chute (where the crowd narrows and gets crazy), there must be someone on a walkie talkie telling the announcer your number, because you can hear them calling your name over the loudspeaker. "Let's welcome Matt Lemmon home!" That was a nice feeling. Nichole, John and Courtney (plus my Team in Training cohorts) were there at the finish line. Nichole ran right over to me and kissed me--I would have bet she wouldn't have, I tend to get mouth goobers on long runs, and was nasty with sweat and salt. One of the workers tried to put a solar sheet --kind of like the reflective windshield shade-guards--around my shoulders and I reflexively threw it back at him; it was hotter than 70 degrees by this point, quite warm for a late-October marathon. Another volunteer unlaced my shoes and took the chip (which records your true starting and finishing times) off my shoe laces. Meanwhile I tried to not fall over. I filed through the queue and got my medal and a cool "Finsher" T-shirt.
And then it was over. Nichole forced me to drink Gatorade, water, and to eat a wheat roll from the recovery tent. I would have liked to have checked out the festival a bit more, but we had to get back to the Plaza to check out of our hotel and, to be honest, I wasn't feeling very good. I can live with the pain in my legs and knees, but the hell the run caused my stomach and excretory system over the next six hours was really tough. I don't know if it was the heat, dehydration or the fact that all I had in my gut was my runner's carbohydrate blocks, but I felt ill until we got home (thankfully Nichole drove). I only ate about two bites of a chicken breast at the Cheesecake Factory, where John and Courtney took us for a post-race celebration. But by the time I got home I was ready to wolf down some Arby's and have a couple of victory beers. By 9:15 I was in bed, where I slept like the dead.
Today my legs are super-stiff, but not quite as sore as they were. My only chafing injury was on my left ankle. It'll be interesting to see how my knee feels once all the swelling and lactic acid are out of it... it hurt most of the week and then for the first six miles yesterday. I suspect I'll be moving slowly around the office this week, but I doubt anyone will notice.
Too long, this post? Sorry. I told you I was still trying to put my thoughts in order. There were a lot of reasons for taking on this quest back in April: It had been a very tough year up to that point, and I wanted to do something that was just for me; I'm acutely aware of my family's health history, and I want to stay healthy; it was a chance to cross something off my life list. Now I can say "I've run a marathon," which, while hardly a rare accomoplishment--you should have seen how many people were running yesterday--it IS an accomplishment. Will I run more? I suspect so. I need to focus on my professional life and my MBA class that is starting this week, but I'm intrigued by the St. Louis race in April. I'm also considering being a mentor for a Team in Training group that's going to Anchorage, Alaska next June to run the Mayor's Midnight Marathon... it's on the summer solstice, when it's light all day. Could be quite the trip. But I'm going to delay any decision for a few weeks. I'm going to enjoy a few Saturdays of sleeping in for first time since June.
I'll sign off now. I'm waiting for Courtney to e-mail photos she took yesterday, and the marathon's official photos havent' been posted yet: I'll update when I get those. Thank you to all (both?!) of you who have kept up with this journey. A Running Commentary is not finished, far from it. I have a feeling this is only beginning.
Peace,
ML
I'm still trying to put my impressions of the weekend in order. It was truly the experience of a lifetime. I can tell you with much pride that I did not walk (other than through the aid stations, where everyone walks) and I finished very strong, passing five or six people in the last half mile and sprinting through the finish line in 4 hours, 7 minutes and 17 seconds, a 9 minute and 29 seconds-per-mile pace. By my caculations, that means I was running about 6.36 miles per hour. Not spectacular, but definitely not a poor first showing. I am pleased. I finished 51st in my age group (24-29). You can see the complete, unofficial results of the marathon here.
But the statistics really are secondary to the fact that I finished without walking or pooping out, even though at about the 18-mile mark, I really wanted to do just that. The Kansas City Marathon course takes you on a tour of the best and worst the city has to offer:--It begins at Crown Centre, amid the tall buildings downtown, in the pre-dawn twilight
--Takes you around the Liberty Memorial, through Westport and Country Club Plaza, all in the first seven miles
--You run through the ritzy neighborhoods south of the Plaza, on and around Ward Parkway (if you want to buy pricy real estate, K.C.'s your place... nearly every other mansion was for sale)
-- You also go through some rougher areas, around multiple parks
--The course also slingshots you around the 18th and Vine jazz district (there was an honest to god jazz group playing, though by the 24.5 mile mark I was way too tired to care)
--The course ends downtown again for a brilliant, .2-mile downhill finish. The finish line and after-party/crashfest are held at the old Union Station.
There were three major uphill portions, one at the two mile mark, just before Liberty Memorial. It was short, steep--no sweat. I like the hills more than the average runner, I suspect. My relatively short, strong legs make it easier to stay low. The second hill was between the 8- and10-mile marks, immediately after the Plaza (amid the aforementioned expensive homes). It was long, and slightly more difficult. It separated the men from the boys, as I passed a lot of people who took off too fast. The final hill was more than a mile long, pretty gradual... it would have been easier had it not been at the 20-22 mile mark. Here I actually caught my second wind, caught up to my pace group again... and was rewarded at the very top of the hill by my first glimpse of my wife since the 1-mile mark. Nichole had spent the previous three hours running around the city trying to find me, and braved one of the course's more... uh... Pitbull-filled neighborhoods to find me, just when I needed her most. My brother and sister in law, John and Courtney Schindele, surprised is by driving up to K.C. to cheer me on.
If the big hill at mile 20 was my second wind, where was my "wall" you ask? Miles 16-20. It was a long, flat, out-and-back (which means we basically ran two miles down a street, turned around and came back). No hills may sound nice, but continual, flat running can burn out a specific muscle set extremely quickly. I fell about a quarter mile behind my pace group during this stretch, there was little shade, my fingers were going numb (I was running a bit too tight in my shoulders). I slowed down and survived it and resisted the urge to walk, began kissing my dreams of breaking 4:10 good-bye, not to mention 4 hours.
The last mile, while not the hardest, definitely seemed like the longest. Our Team in Training coach, Richard Johnson (who just ran a 100-mile race last weekend and wasn't running in K.C.) jogged alongside me a bit of the way, pushing me to catch people in front of me--including my pace group--and break 4:10, which I did. No one passed me in the last two miles that I can remember.
The finish was all I hoped for. As you come to the chute (where the crowd narrows and gets crazy), there must be someone on a walkie talkie telling the announcer your number, because you can hear them calling your name over the loudspeaker. "Let's welcome Matt Lemmon home!" That was a nice feeling. Nichole, John and Courtney (plus my Team in Training cohorts) were there at the finish line. Nichole ran right over to me and kissed me--I would have bet she wouldn't have, I tend to get mouth goobers on long runs, and was nasty with sweat and salt. One of the workers tried to put a solar sheet --kind of like the reflective windshield shade-guards--around my shoulders and I reflexively threw it back at him; it was hotter than 70 degrees by this point, quite warm for a late-October marathon. Another volunteer unlaced my shoes and took the chip (which records your true starting and finishing times) off my shoe laces. Meanwhile I tried to not fall over. I filed through the queue and got my medal and a cool "Finsher" T-shirt.
And then it was over. Nichole forced me to drink Gatorade, water, and to eat a wheat roll from the recovery tent. I would have liked to have checked out the festival a bit more, but we had to get back to the Plaza to check out of our hotel and, to be honest, I wasn't feeling very good. I can live with the pain in my legs and knees, but the hell the run caused my stomach and excretory system over the next six hours was really tough. I don't know if it was the heat, dehydration or the fact that all I had in my gut was my runner's carbohydrate blocks, but I felt ill until we got home (thankfully Nichole drove). I only ate about two bites of a chicken breast at the Cheesecake Factory, where John and Courtney took us for a post-race celebration. But by the time I got home I was ready to wolf down some Arby's and have a couple of victory beers. By 9:15 I was in bed, where I slept like the dead.
Today my legs are super-stiff, but not quite as sore as they were. My only chafing injury was on my left ankle. It'll be interesting to see how my knee feels once all the swelling and lactic acid are out of it... it hurt most of the week and then for the first six miles yesterday. I suspect I'll be moving slowly around the office this week, but I doubt anyone will notice.
Too long, this post? Sorry. I told you I was still trying to put my thoughts in order. There were a lot of reasons for taking on this quest back in April: It had been a very tough year up to that point, and I wanted to do something that was just for me; I'm acutely aware of my family's health history, and I want to stay healthy; it was a chance to cross something off my life list. Now I can say "I've run a marathon," which, while hardly a rare accomoplishment--you should have seen how many people were running yesterday--it IS an accomplishment. Will I run more? I suspect so. I need to focus on my professional life and my MBA class that is starting this week, but I'm intrigued by the St. Louis race in April. I'm also considering being a mentor for a Team in Training group that's going to Anchorage, Alaska next June to run the Mayor's Midnight Marathon... it's on the summer solstice, when it's light all day. Could be quite the trip. But I'm going to delay any decision for a few weeks. I'm going to enjoy a few Saturdays of sleeping in for first time since June.
I'll sign off now. I'm waiting for Courtney to e-mail photos she took yesterday, and the marathon's official photos havent' been posted yet: I'll update when I get those. Thank you to all (both?!) of you who have kept up with this journey. A Running Commentary is not finished, far from it. I have a feeling this is only beginning.
Peace,
ML
Congrats for finishing strong. There's a marathon in Raleigh on Nov 4, likely the same time next year, just a thought...
ReplyDeleteHmm... sounds like it could be a dual-purpose trip.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I bet Nichole was tired!! Jim did an adventure race this summer, and I thought watching from the sidelines was exhausting...
ReplyDeletehello, I've tagged you with a meme. See my blog for details.
ReplyDelete