Friday
I met up with Rick at the Monumental Marathon Expo at the Indianapolis Convention Center around 2pm. He was listening to
Dane Rauschenberg when I arrived. After hearing the last of his talk really made me wish I had made it in earlier.
I then picked up my packet, which was even more disappointing that the packet we got at Disney World in January. Apparently all the freebies are gone now. Just basically getting a race shirt and your bib.
Rick and I then wandered around the sparse exhibitors at the expo... we're thinking the major exhibitors may have been tied up at some place called New York. I did not have a cap or hat that would protect my ears, so the only purchase I made was for a knit cap. The one I got was only because it said "In Training for the Zombie Apocalypse"
We decided to think about what we were going to have to eat. We both took a look at the smartphones. We finally wound up at
Noodles and Co. It was my first time at one of these and I wound up with a "small" Spaghetti and meatballs. I was amazed that what I got was "small", I cannot imagine eating the regular portion! It was good and I'd probably eat there again in the future.
After spending a couple of hours there chatting along, we finally headed to my place on the southeast side.
We spent some time getting our stuff ready for in the morning and reading about the NYC Marathon debacle.
Saturday - Race Day
We were up and getting ready around 5:30 and the weather report was looking even more disappointing that it did the night before. The rain was moving in quicker than they predicted, it looked like we may be getting wet towards the end of the race.
We were downtown in plenty of time. Rick met up with some of the Half Fanatic/Marathon Maniacs that were in for the race and I was able to meet some of them. I helped a bit with some group photos.
Then Rick and I got into line for the port-a-pottys. This was a disappointment. In my opinion, they did not have enough of them. Of course, later, we see that if we had gotten to the corral area, there were more down the street. It took us a while to get that business finished.
It was then getting very close to the start time. The announcement system was not working very well at all. There were also no signs letting people know where to walk to get into the corral. We just followed a group into the area and then tried to salmon run through the people to get back to where we were supposed to be. We then see that there were a few entrances to the corral area and we could have walked the much less crowded sidewalk to the area we were to be in.
Since the PA system wasn't working well at all, we just see the group of people surge forward a bit and then it began a steady movement forward. After experiencing a Disney race... timed wave starts are a much better approach!
We crossed the start line timing mats and we were off! I had estimated that I would be able to keep up with a 4/1 method and it held true for the most part at the beginning. One problem I encounterd very quickly was that the cold air was very irritating to me. It would be just around the 4 minute mark when I'd start coughing and loosing my breath. We were keeping a very good pace for the first several miles.
Since the longest run I had done since my break was 4 miles, after we passed the 4 mile mark I was starting to feel it. Going into the miles after that, we picked up a police cruiser behind us that was telling everyone with us that we were 2 minutes off the pace!
What!!!??? Rick and I both checked our watches and we were still in good range of the minimum pace!
We continued on, attempting to put some distance between us and the cruiser, but I was REALLY beginning to feel the miles at this point. It would also be around the 6-7 mile point that we first were pelted with our first bout of sleet. Rick then noticed the signs they had posted about the race course... they had put in a time that the roads were to be closed was from 8 till 10:30! They hadn't taken into consideration that the back of the packers wouldn't start across the start line until at least 10 minutes after the "start" and that the minimum pace requirements would put those people in that area AFTER the 10:30 time...
I was then just focused on getting to the 10 mile mark. I knew at that point, I'd not be in any risk of getting swept, as at that point is when the full marathon course joined back up with the half and our pace wouldn't matter. I knew if I got to 10, I'd at least be able to finish!
Between 8 and 10 miles Rick was offering up a lot of encouragement. My legs were fading fast and I was quickly running out of energy.
We made it to 10 miles much to my relief! It was also at this point that I hit the wall. Then the wall fell on me. We had to stop several times for me to try and stretch my calves out some, I could feel the cold seep up my legs and my calves were tightening up very badly.
Rick was laying the encouragement on constantly from that point on for me. It helped keep me going. If it hadn't been for him I'd have given up if I had been solo. The full marathoners that were passing us up were also offering up encouragement. I just knew that I just had to keep moving.
As we passed the parking garage that we parked at, I knew we were then VERY close to the finish line. There were a lot more spectators at this point and they were cheering everyone one in the dreary weather we were having at that point (it had begun to sleet on us once again). We made the final turn and Rick ran ahead so he could video me coming across the finish mats. I mustered up as much as I could to at least try and jog across the finish line. At this point, I'm not really sure that I did or not... I just know that I was ready to drop once I crossed that line.
We got our medals, a mylar and Rick got us waters. I picked up an apple and a cookie. I started in on the apple and it tasted like it was the best apple EVER!
Official time: 3:37:29. Previous Half Marathon time: 3:48:49
That's an improvement of 11 minutes, with having lost almost half of my training period to an injury!
Saturday - Post Race
Rick quickly saw that they were giving free massages and asked if I thought I'd do that. It was only a 20 minute wait and I said sure. We found a spot out of the rain/sleet and sat down to wait. I managed to get the cookie out of the wrapper and I also started in on the water. I had finished both and then made calls to Mom and then my Dad to let them know we had finished and that everything was okay. Very cold, but okay.
It was then time for me to hobble over to the massage tent. The gal asked me where it hurt and I told her my calves needed help. She knew at first touch how bad of shape I was in, because all she did was touch my left calf and I flinched. She worked for 5 minutes on each leg. I was beginning to relax. I may or may not have asked her to marry me in my delirium. Once my 10 minutes were up, she TOLD me to make sure I did calf stretches throughout the rest of the day and evening.
I exited the tent and made it over to where Rick was waiting and then the cold hit me. I was FREEZING all of the sudden. To the point that I was shivering and shaking. Rick made it back over in the rain to the mylar blanket area and picked up another one for me so we could wrap it over my lower half.
We then started thinking about going to the convention center to get warm and get some food. I was thinking it was either walk a couple blocks to the convention center or walk a couple blocks the other way back to the car.
We decided on the car and head back to my place to get some warm showers and cleaned up to go out to eat.
It ended up taking a lot longer to get back home, because I wasn't thinking very clearly and could only think that we had to cross the marathon route to get back. If I would have realize sooner that we could have gone the other way and picked up the interstate back to my place we would have been back in a very short time. Oh well. We made it back and got cleaned up. We donned our race shirts and went out to one of my Indy hometown favorites,
Scotty's Brewhouse. They've opened up a new one on the southeast side near where I live and we headed there for Lunch/Dinner... (Linner?)
My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach. I got a southwest burger, potato wedges and some mac & cheese. I finished all of the burger, but left some wedges and mac & cheese. We chatted for a bit more and then took off from there. We were very near the interstate for Rick to head back up to the Chicagoland area, so we parted there. Rick will be visiting me again in December for another race, but I'll be cheering, not a participant in that race.
I decided that I felt good enough after eating that huge meal that I'd go out and see Wreck-it Ralph. I pulled up Fandango on my phone and purchased my ticket. I LOVED the short before the movie, Paperman. The movie was pretty good too.
That pretty much wrapped up Saturday for me!
Thanks for Reading! Regards,
~Kipp
| Lighter, Stronger & Faster for 2013!
Walt Disney World 1/2 Marathon
January 7, 2012- FINISHED 3:48:49
Registered for the 2013 5K & 1/2! |
