Wow to all of the responses!
I just made it home a little while ago – a little after 12 noon -- after stopping to get a bite to eat.
I made the Facebook post earlier because I’m fortunate enough to have a lot of people in my life who enjoying seeing the things that I get a chance to do or they are or have been a part of similar activities in the past.
It is an honor to have that respect from others.
I shared my experience today – not to gain sympathy (because I probably self-inflicted a little of it) – but because there might be somebody wandering through via a mutual friend and might be afraid to ask – in a similar situation – what to do or to know that it is OK to shut it down when they know that they should.
I had a chance today to continue to learn a lot more about my limits and my body.
I don’t classically train, because a specific time (i.e. BQ, break 4 hours, etc.) or distance isn’t that important to me.
Rather I just enjoy trying to be in well enough shape to jump in to something whenever I want to. (This I would say, ah, don’t do what I do! And most don’t anyways.)
Back to limits, wind chill under 40 for more than 13 miles is not a win for me.
At the Ocean Drive Marathon in New Jersey, I jumped into an ambulance at around mile 23 for six minutes just to warm-up because the conditions never improved from a 41-42 degrees race start temperature.
And in Raleigh early last month, I started walking after mile 20, but the wind picked up with temperatures in the mid-forties.
The body temperature starts to drop when you begin to slow down and by mile 25, I started to feel the onset of hypothermia. (In fact, mile 25 was like ~18 minutes because I was really feeling beleaguered.)
Therefore, I knew with four layers today soaked in perspiration - and not rain or drizzle - that it was going to be like me trying to run in a cold freezer before too long.
Some other things that didn’t help me today:
1.) I helped setup the Texas10 Conroe start and finish area Friday afternoon for about 4.5 hours. On my feet all of it.
2.) I then was on my feet for six (6) hours Saturday announcing - and working - the race.
3.) I then drove over to College Station to pick my packet up and drove home.
4.) And although I got a pretty good night’s sleep after visiting with friends earlier in the evening, I didn’t go through my normal regimen of taking extra strength Tylenol pre-race (but in the case below, it might have just delayed the onset of what I experienced to later in the race).
Otherwise, nutrition and hydration was good. I was running well.
Here were my splits:
Mile 1 – 10:20.42
Mile 2 – 10:54.35
Mile 3 – 10:19.87
Mile 4 – 10:46.54
Mile 5 – 10:16.39
Mile 6 – 11:25.27
Mile 7 – 10:17.85
Mile 8 – 11:02.55
Mile 9 – 11:16.25
Mile 10 – 10:15.06
Mile 11 – 11:16.81
Mile 12 – 11:23.34
Mile 13 – 12:50.14
And at this point, my lower back and my hip flexors were hurting, which would have forced me to walk most of the back half. Being soaked through four layers (two long-sleeved technical shirts, one short-sleeved one on top and then a windbreaker, in case it rained) would have caused me to work toward hypothermia.
I was in the medical tent last year for dehydration and, as a result, severe cramping. I didn’t want a repeat for the opposite. Even if they gave out a separate medal for it! :-)
And, finally, I've accomplished so much more than I ever set out to do in the beginning -- which was lose some weight and run one marathon.
Beyond that, everything has been gravy. And the attempt for marathon #52 will come on New Year's Eve in Allen, Texas, which will be a new Texas city of town too.
Thanks for commenting earlier and listening. I appreciate your friendship and your support.
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