Seattle Marathon

I could tell on Friday that this was going to be a challenging run for me. I had started feeling sick on Tuesday and by Friday it was clear that some little bug had caught me. I slept as much as possible on Friday and Saturday, tried to eat something in the carb loading category, but only managed a salad and a bowl of popcorn. Sunday morning I was hungry, and I ate like I should have the night before (I paid for that on the course, but it wasn't the worst of my problems). I felt otherwise decent (I packed some migraine medicine and some cold medicine just in case, next time I am adding Ib preufen to the mix as that was the only thing I wanted). Right from the start my body didn't feel good. My mother was running with me and I had to keep making myself slow my pace at the beginning, to start where I like to. By the end I think she was the only reason I was able to maintain a respectable pace.
It was a perfect day for a race, cool and gray. I have been looking forward to running the full marathon course since last year when I did the half marathon (my first half marathon!). The full marathon diverts from the half to run out across the I-90 floating bridge then returns and runs along the water out to Seward park and back. From there you join the half marathon course for the hilly part of the run. The marathon is almost entirely flat until mile 20 or so, at which point runners are treated to a sample of our hills.
I love the views in this course. On the bridge you have a great view of mercer island and all the stunning homes that fly by too fast to see when you are driving. Running to and from Seward park is nice because it is a quiet road with a line of trees separating you from the water. Running the exterior of the park offers more great views of the surrounding areas (and a nice little park). On to Leschi, a very nice neighborhood that is always filled with supporters. After that we take on the hills and work our way into the arboretum. This is easily the most beautiful part of the course. Although it is still rather hilly and the road is lumpy and uneven. Then finally, the city. Grey with grey buildings yet lovely (I am riding past it in the bus right now thinking how much prettier it is just before sunset with the mountains in full view. We have mountains in every direction, but most days it is too cloudy to tell). And the space needle standing above the colorful EMP, marks our finish line. Well, kinda, you finish near there.

I know I was in a lot of pain, and I kept thinking to myself, "you don't have to sprint in the finish chute, just try not to slow down." But when I got inside the stadium my brain shut down and my body took over and I started sprinting for all I was worth. I glanced over my shoulder at my mother who was struggling to keep up (who could have dropped me at the start and never seen me again, mind you). She had a grin on her face and I couldn't help but laugh at this situation too. This scenario has played out exactly the same since I was a wee child. Our family was fond of 5ks, well my parents were fond of them, I don't think my brother or I had any say in the issue. During these races it was common for me to drag along until the end then rush off and finish before my parents (I am confident they let me win, if they read this blog they might appreciate that rare bit of modesty). Another favored tactic of mine was to say I had a side ache and needed to walk then sprint away from them when they slowed down. Some things never change.

The biggest concern of the run. Something new and upsetting was taking place in my lower leg. I had lots of pain on the outside of my knee (not new) and pain down the side of my ankle and under my foot (new). Every one's favorite part of running is the new aches and pains you get during a competition (and the phantom pains that come the night before), you get used to feeling bad in places that haven't felt that way before. Typically they are nothing (as far as I am concerned) however, sometimes they can be persistent and damaging. I have no idea how to tell the difference, although I have read up on this a bit. They say you should be wary of pains that continue to get worse while you run. Sees clear enough, but there is very little I am willing to do about such pain it turns out (as those of you who have read my previous blogs will no doubt recall). I think we are supposed to stop running...I think few would argue that marathons aren't a sport for cautious people. A story I was told in the beginning of the run addresses this issue very well. Barefoot John told me of a time he was running with my mother and she was breathing hard and groaning. Having run with her before, he knew this was unusual behavior. He asked if everything was OK and she replied that she had cracked a rib a few days prior (she would want you all to know she was scuba diving in Fiji at the time). Perhaps it is genetic, but I suspect that few runners would stop for foot pain unless they have had an injury in the area that they are keeping an eye on.

I managed my goal of finishing under 5 hours, but as I said earlier, I wouldn't have made it if my mother wasn't running with me. I am happy to say that I enjoyed running with her for more reasons than just this.