MDI Marathon race report

I woke up this morning and I just didn’t have my game face on. Or race face on. Whatever. I knew before I even started that I did not have it in me today to really push myself.

It was cold. It was wet. It was very cold and wet at the same time.

But goddammit I said I was going to do this and I paid money to do this and I’ve driven a long way to do this and dragged my family along for the ride so goddammit I was going to suck it up and run this thing.

And I was not ready to find out what “DNF” felt like.

So, I didn’t. šŸ™‚

At first, I thought, “run like it’s a 20-miler training run.”

After 10 miles, like it was a 16-miler.

After 20 miles, like a 6-miler.

And so on.

This course was so hilly. It was 1,000 feet increase in elevation and a 1,000 feet decrease in elevation. So I walked up every hill. I look at my splits and I have no shame in this:

  • 1/2 ā€” 22:57 / 85
  • 3 ā€” 11:32 / 132
  • 4 ā€” 10:12 / 132
  • 5 ā€” 11:13 / 131
  • 6 ā€” 10:42 / 137
  • 7 ā€” 10:49 / 136
  • 8 ā€” 10:37 / 135
  • 9 ā€” 10:54 / 135
  • 10 ā€” 11:29 / 133
  • 11 ā€” 10:51 / 137
  • 12 ā€” 12:06 / 133
  • 13 ā€” 10:35 / 136
  • 14 ā€” 11:14 / 138
  • 15 ā€” 11:29 /141
  • 16 ā€” 11:58 / 135
  • 17 ā€” 11:38 / 137
  • 18 ā€” 12:07 / 140
  • 19 ā€” 11:45 / 142
  • 20 ā€” 12:10 / 137
  • 21 ā€” 11:42 / 140
  • 22 ā€” 11:58 / 147
  • 23 ā€” 1:42 / 142
  • 24 ā€” 14:36 / 132
  • 25 ā€” 12:09 / 136
  • 26 ā€” 10:03 / 154
  • .2 … I forgot to stop my watch … after the lessons learned from this picture šŸ™‚

I’m too tired to write an organized post. Random observations:

  • There were these boys at mile … 17-ish? Or so? Were dancing Gangam Style. In the middle of the street. It was hilarious.
  • Despite further shattering my phone’s screen Friday night, neither my phone nor my headphones quit working once in the 5 hours of torrential downpour.
  • My mother called me at the start of the race and said, “Patricia, if it’s raining, maybe you shouldn’t do this.” At which I laughed because, hey, I’ve already run two marathons in the miserable pouring rain. When I saw Tony and my sister Gweeb at mile 11, they had “Go Pattie!” signs. But when I saw them again at mile 13, Tony’s sign said, “There’s no shame in quitting!” Later, “You’ll catch a cold if you keep running in this weather!” At mile 21, “Only 10 miles to go!” At mile 24, “Only 11 miles to go!” (I love them.)
  • I was the one of the last 3 people to use the porta-pottie before the gun went off. Yeah. I’m that awesome at timing.
  • This race was more of the tourist crowd. A lot of people stopping and taking photos on the way. I would have done more of that … if it wasn’t pouring rain.
  • Did I mention it was pouring, freezing rain? I love how last year after the first marathon I bought a rain jacket in case I ever had to run in the rain like that again. I didn’t, until the last marathon and this one, where that jacket came in really, really handy.
  • I took my friend Tom’s advice and started out this race really, really conservative. By the end, it was all I could do to stay with it. But the splits show I did, for what it’s worth. All in all I am happier with this race than I was with Sugarloaf in the spring, but it was not a great race. And I do not feel great now. And I KNOW I will not feel great tomorrow.

 

Pattie Reaves

About Pattie Reaves

I'm a new mom and renegade fitness blogger at After the Couch. I live in Brewer with my husband, Tony, our daughter Felicity, and our two pugs, Georgia and Scoop.