[at-l] A 26.2 mile trip report....

[pmags at yahoo.com (Paul Magnanti)]

Well the day finally came. Did my first marathon.

A little background, I only started running this year.
Typically for me, when I find something I enjoy, I
tend go hard core. Enjoyed my first backpacking trip,
two years later hiked the AT. (And did another little
walk last year out west. ;D)  Did a "fun-run" on New
Year's Eve...decided to do a marathon. And so I did.

Wanted to see if I could indeed do this challenge I
set for myself. Never considered myself being running
material.  Turns out I enjoy it. The simplicity, the
challenge against myself, the feeling of
accomplishment at the end of a run. I'll never be a
fast runner, but have the endurance to "make the
distance" and enjoy my run.

The marathon chosen was the "Boulder Back Roads
Marathon" (www.boulderbackroads.com).  This local
marathon is low key (only 700 applicants for the full
marathon) but very well organized. Plus, when you are
viewing the foothills and Rockies during a run..well
it is a good thing!

It was an incredible experience. The day started off
with the sun rising above the Boulder Res. The morning
air was crisp, the cotton woods were golden, and not a
cloud in the sky. A perfect autumn day...and a perfect
day for my first marathon.

Lined up at the finish line to the sound of bag
pipers. (Don't ask. I have no idea myself!). And off
we went. Kept a slower pace than my normal 8:30 for
training runs. At first, I was wondering what the
#$@#% did I get myself into as people came whizzing by
me. Was I going to be in last place? :-)

But a thought occured to me. For some, this was their
first long-distance event. Though I never ran a
marathon, felt a long-disance hiking background seemed
to have given me a sense of pace. Slow and steady
works for trails...and it works for me on a marathon.

The day, as mentioned, was stunning. The foothills and
the Rockies themeselves could be seen and the route
was along dirt roads. Often, I would scan the horizon
and just think how gorgeous the day was. Really
started to feel great at about the 8 mile mark. At the
13.1 mile mark, really seemed to hit my stride.
Enjoyed the whole experience, and managed to keep a
consistent 10:30 or so pace for most of the run. Not
exactly making any land-speed records, but I enjoyed
the whole race. Not once "did I hit the wall". Again,
I think having a long distance hiking background has
geared my body up for endurance versus speed. 

The only slight snag I hit was at the 23 mile mark.
Cold feel my calve muscle cramping up. Simply yelled
out loud (I kid you not) "WE ARE ALMOST DONE. YOU
*WILL NOT* CRAMP UP NOW!!!"  :-)   Again, had some
prior experience on pushing the body through painful
and tiring situations. The cramp went away.

At mile 24, had a GREAT boost. My good friends Josh
and Marni were there. Josh and Marni are mutiple NYC
Marathoners and have been mentoring me as I progressed
in my running. (For those who check out my on-line
pictures, you have seen their faces quite a bit.)   To
see them at the course was fantastic. As a side
note..they said they spotted me from my gait. Said it
looks like I am pounding up a mountain when I run...
:D (Ya can take a thru-hiker off the mountain..and so
on..)

At mile 25, I honestly felt great. Heard one woman
from the crowd say "Look! He's still smiling." My
already big smile grew even larger. During the least 4
or 5 mile stretch, passed some people who looked just
wiped. Glad I took the advice of experiened
marathoners and paced myself !

Saw the 26 mile mark (Yay!) and one last uphill!
Cripe! But I did it and felt so much energy actually
sprinted towards the end... Again, had a big smile on
my face when people said "Strong finish!". Again saw
Josh and Marni, along with my neighbor Mike who did
the marathon today as well. This was short run for him
as he just did the Leadville 100 ultra-marathon last
month. :O I'll stick to 26.2 miles. For now. ;-)
  
In the numbers game, came in at 4h 40m. As I said, not
exactly breaking land speed records, but for my first
marathon, I ain't complaining.  There were 642
finishers over all (approx 60 DNFed -did not finish)
and I came in 351st place. I'll take the solid middle!
:D 

Was a wonderful experience. Honestly enjoyed the whole
day. I was afraid of the "wall" everyone talks about.
But did not feel it once. 

So that was my "trip" report. Overall, I am tired but
happy. And my legs are stiff and a bit sore. To be
expected... But, that is OK, I'll be in a natural hot
springs on a backpacking trip on Saturday of this
week. :-)

Many thanks to Jim (AT-L) and Larry (PCT-L) who gave
me some very welcome pre-marathon advice.

Mags



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The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched
--Thoreau