Michael & Liz are Bloggable

This past weekend, my friend Matt and I ran the City of Oaks Marathon in Raleigh, NC. This was my fourth marathon and Matt's first but our two main goals were to finish together and to run it in under 4 hours. We accomplished both goals and finished the race in 3:46. My previous best was 4:20 so to finish 34 minutes faster is an amazing feeling.

I can't decide what I am more proud of though, the full marathon time or the half marathon time. My personal best half marathon time is 1:47 that I set back in 2004. It has been a long time since I went out to beat that time, but about 10 miles into the race this past weekend I turned to Matt and said "Dude, if we keep this pace up, we'll beat 1:47". And as it turns out, we did. We passed the half way point at 1:44. I cannot express how thrilled I am to beat that time too. It has hung over my head for 6 years now. To be honest, I haven't made a big effort to beat it. I have concentrated so hard on marathons that I have neglected the halves. I didn't think I'd ever beat it during a marathon race, but alas, it has been broken.You can see the results here.

This race just goes to show how hard works pays off. This is the most I've ever stuck to the training plan and even ran the longer runs farther than necessary. I ran 19 miles twice and 20 miles twice during training. We got to mile 20 no problem but it was miles 22 through 26 that proved to be difficult. My muscles were starting to cramp at mile 22 and then at 24 they started giving out completely. Despite 3 stints of standing and stretching that added about 7 or 8 minutes to our time, we still finished in 3:46. I really wish we didn't have to stop like that, but you really don't have any control over it at that point. Pain is pain.

I have read that cramping like that happens because of dehydration. I really need to do more research on it to see if I can fix that problem for future races.

Running with someone is infinitely better than running alone. I realize when you run by yourself that you don't have the burden of being bound to someone else's run, but for the good miles, that person really pulls you through. We had such a good time talking and pacing each other. Matt actually said the words, "I can't believe it has been 2 hours, it doesn't feel like it at all." It's amazing what conversation will do. It makes the miles fly by.

One other thing about this race is that it's so hilly. It goes through Umstead Park which is well known around here for being hilly. You can see the course map here. Also, check out the elevation chart, it is disgusting.

Here is a recap of the race through pictures.

This picture is called the "We're really cold" picture. It was 33 degrees at the start of the race at 7AM. Luckily it wasn't too terribly windy. Once the sun came up it really improved the situation. Also Meg (Matt's wife) got us hand warmers and those were a lifesaver:



Liz said we were acting like we were way too cold, so I loosened it up a bit. The next one is called "We're not cold at all". Matt (also known on the course as the "Redskins guy") stays the same in both hot and cold weather.



Liz was only able to see us at 2 points due to how the race was configured, this was the first time at mile 1.5. We're flexing as if arm muscles mean anything in a running race.



Liz's comment to the picture below: "You need to stop talking to me as you run by, or else you get pictures like this."



The second time was at mile 5.5. Matt was acting silly, so I joined in with the ridiculous running forms:



No more messing around, serious running time, 21 miles to go:



Liz said she could see us the second we came down the hill to the finish. She's right, my blingin orange shirt is soooo bright:



It's just all pain at this point. Every step I was just hoping for no more muscle spasms. Only 30 yards until the finish line:



Fist in the air, thumbs up, we are almost done:



20 yards for glory:



After finishing, we found out Papa Johns was handing out free pizza to runners. To someone super tired and hungry, that's the most amazing thing in the world. The only thing that stinks is that you are feeling pretty nauseous because all you've eaten and drank is sugar for the last 4 hours. So after devouring one piece, the second must wait a minute. This picture sums up everything you feel at the end of the race. Hungry (pizza). Victorious (medal). Tired (sleeping):



My face might not say it, but I can barely move at that point from having run for 4 hours and then laid on the ground for 20 minutes. You stiffen up soooo quickly:


All smiles, the race is over.

So where do I go from here? I am starting to think about my next race and game plan for beating 3:46. I'm not sure what the next big time goal or race goal of mine should be. For the longest time I just said my ultimate goal is to beat 4 hours. Done and done. I'll blog later on what I come up with.

Big thank you to my amazing wife Liz for dealing with the early wake up call, the long walking to catch a glimpse of us, and taking pictures to document the event. I keep telling her, none of my goals, races, or accomplishments mean anything without her. She's amazingly supportive. Thank you :).