My First Marathon Really Rocked

I ran my first marathon in San Antonio at the Rock n Roll inaugural race. It was awesome!!!!

We got to town on Saturday and it was cold and windy, which left many of us a bit concerned. But he weather forecast was for slightly warmer temp and no wind. They were right.

On Saturday afternoon, we (my wife and I) went to get our tags and goodies. She was running her first half marathon. While we were there, we happened to see "The Penguin" giving a speech. This was exciting for me for 2 reasons. 1) he was the author of "Marathoning for Mortals" the guide i used for my training. and 2) he was a great, down-to-earth speaker that had many relevant things for a first time runner.

We had a few logistic issues on Sunday morning. Because the race was starting outside of downtown, and finishing at the Alamo Dome, everyone had to get shuttled tot he starting point. The city was not expecting 25,000 people and had some challenges. The race started about 20 minutes later than scheduled. I got the my starting coral with about 90 seconds to spare, but that was all part of the excitement.

I made sure I started off slow and steady. Although my average pace during training was about 8 - 8:30 minute miles, I made sure to stay no faster than 9:30 - 10:00 minute mile pace. This was something I realized the hard way on my long runs ;-)

The road was crowded and had many interesting people. Because it was a Rock n- Roll, there were bands every mile or so, which brought out many fans. This helped all along the course for motivation and entertainment.

The runners were interesting too. I had a chance to talk with a few memorable runners. A young lady from Ohio who was there with her fiancee. An EMT from my neighboring town and many others. the funny thing, there were people of all ages, young and old, all enjoying the race and keeping their own pace. It made me think of how each of them were achieving their own personal goals along the way. Very inspiring.

The race / road was crowded for the first 10 miles or so. Then we had a split between the half marathon runners and the full marathon runners. This is were I took a big 'gulp' and realized there was no turning back. Suddenly I found myself on a much less crowded street with more of my own space to think and take it all in.

When I trained, I deliberately did not join a group. I thought that for me personally, the ultimate conviction will only come from me on race day, and only I will be able to keep myself motivated to do what it takes to finish. I was correct. I saw many people split from their support network when they ran into a few hurdles and slow times. I was glad I was able to keep myself going on my own.

The race went smoothly for about 18 miles or so of very scenic roads through historic San Antonio city streets, parks and historic settings. I really had no issues, no cramps, and little fatigue. Then after 20 miles I started to get some slight cramping. I would occasionally stop to stretch and this kept me feeling good.

One of the things "The Penguin" said the day before, was that at some point in the race, you will have a moment (of clarity) that you realize that you will in fact complete the race. I did have that moment and it is something that will remain in my mind forever. At about mile 23, I came around a turn and a young girl holding a sign caught my eye that said "YOU CAN DO IT". It was at that point that I realized I was on my 23 and was really feeling good. I knew at that moment I was going to make it. I must confess, it was an emotional moment for me and I teared up. Something I had wanted to do my entire life and trained for the previous 6 months, all cam down to that very moment. It was truly an awesome feeling.

I continued through the race and the final leg of the race brought us back into the city. I was fully hydrated and quite full from all of the gel packs, but they were the source of fuel needed. I also highly recommend taking salt pills or what I prefer, the electrolyte strips. I went through 3 packs and even handed some out to some struggling folks along he way.

I came into the city, wrapped through the blocks and could see the dome, the finish point. When I was running through, someone yelled out that there was a hill on the final stretch. I thought "oh, great". When I got to the dome, I saw a small upward sloping hill, but it did not look to hard. I pushed hard and through, GREAT I'm at the top, then down a hill and around a corner.....that is where the REAL HILL was. It was a torturous hill, short, but steep that you had to make to get to the finish line.

Just before I got to the finish line, I looked up and saw my wonderful wife. We both had a look of complete excitement and accomplishment. That was the third defining moment of the race. As I finished the race, I looked around and was amazed at my accomplishment. I set out with the initial goals as follows:
1) complete the race without injury
2) under 5 hours if possible and even better if under 4 1/2 hours.

I actually completed the race in exactly 4 hrs and 45 minutes even. I had no injuries and felt great physically at the end. It felt like I could have kept going.

I'll have to admit that the coral where all the runners finished was less exciting as I thought it was going to be. This comes back to what I mentioned earlier, running a marathon is such a personal thing and it is the personal accomplishments and personal defining moments that make it so awesome.

I spent that next few weeks with some back pain, but am ready to get back out there and trying to figure out which marathon will be next.

Good luck to anyone that thinks they can not run a marathon or 1/2 marathon, you can. As long as you are physically able to take you time and properly train; you can do it. It is as much a mental challenge as it is physical, but it is worth all of it.