Let me start by saying I did achieve my goal...I finished the marathon in about 5:05 and got to run with my boys for the last 1/2 mile which was awesome! Sue and I were also named the Grand Swine because we had raised the most money for the school. That has nothing to do with us...but more to do with the generosity of our friends and family...so THANK YOU! So here are some details as I can remember them:
My dad and I walked down to Paul Brown Stadium at 5:50 am in the pitch black darkness as it was pouring rain with plenty of lightning. By the time we made it down there, it was fairly chaotic with approximately 15,000 runners for the half and full trying to find a spot to line up on Mehring Way. Although the race started right on time, we barely made it to the official start line until 10 minutes later. Just an fYI...runners carry an RFID tag so that they can accurately calculate your actual run time.
So the first 5-6 miles were pretty uneventful. You do cross several bridges which is a good warmup for the real hills later in the race. Overall, we kept a decent pace...not a whole lot to see...just 68 degrees and rain. I always remember passing the Butternut distribution center...you smell bread all over the place...and me with my love for carbs. The spectators did pick up as we started back into downtown coming down 7th street. As we approached Sycamore, I could see my family hanging out waiting for us. As we approached, I could hear Sue cheering along with the boys and their cowbells. Here, I dropped my dad off, stripped off a layer of very wet clothing, sucked down another Gu packet and kept on going.
The next two miles takes you up hill into Eden Park and surround area. Once again, this was an aweful section for me. I ultimately walked a good portion of the hill which was very concerning given I was only approaching mile 8. You also get to see the leaders from the half barrelling back down the hill which makes you realize just how slow you are running. Once to the top of the sustained hill, I did get back into the swing of things and felt fairly good for the next 4 or 5 miles...much of it had a slight downhill grade which was NICE at this point.
It was a little tough at the split for the half and full. Many more people were doing the half and there was a lot of cheering at that intersection...turn the corner...and you have 75% less people and no cheering at all...you start to wonder if you made the right choice.
Somewhere in this section, I get passed by the OVV relay team. Dave was the second leg of it..as he approached...we high fived and he kept on going...it was energizing to see someone on the course you knew who was very supportive! I was curious if I would catch back up to the team later on in the course. As I approached the relay transition zone 2, there he was again...he came running out to me and high fived once again. I truly appreciated it!
The middle section was a blur...we are now running around mile marker 13-14...my split was somewhere around 2:30. I recall hearing cheers from Megan in Hyde Park area (another great staff member of OVV)...going by some really nice homes...past the Bankok Bistro where I have eaten in the past. A couple people set up beer stops for the runners which was kind of odd but fun (no - I did not partake). For the most part, I don't know this part of town at all so I am a little lost. I end up chatting with a gentleman named Leonard for the next 3-4 miles as we hit the turnaround to come home. We talked about why we were running, previous experiences, etc. Unfortunately it was not taking my mind off the run much any more. Miles were feeling longer and longer. I am walking much more frequently deciding that no matter what I would try and run downhill and walk uphill. There were a lot of little kids with their hands out to high five you. I tried my best to make it a point to do so.
Over the last 6-8 miles, my "run downhill" plan starts to falter. I hit the last relay transition zone 3, but unfortunately do not see anyone I know...and never see the relay team again. I also beleive that I have a large blister forming on my left foot which is making it difficult...it turned out that a small pebble got into my shoe and was right under the heel...forming ablood blister with every step. At this point, I am only thinking about making it to the finish line for the boys. I do recall a water stop where everyone were dressed up like they were in the 60's...great tie died shirts and rose colored glasses. Their was an elderly gentleman cheering everyone on with "Chariots of Fire" blasting from his home.
Every mile over this last section, I was surprised that my fast walking intervals...that were getting longer and longer...had kept me in range of my end goal. I thought for sure I was going to be dropping further and further back. Around mile marker 23, as I start to jog once again, my left leg starts to give out. I realized I was in trouble and backed off immediately. I had to have energy to run across the finish with the boys. Ultimately I took the last of the 5 Gu shots I carried with me and washed it down at the last water stop. I jogged a bit during the 25th mile just to make sure I could still do it since my boys will be waiting for me at Sawyer Point. As long as I kept it slow, all seemed OK.
As I come up over the last hill entering into downtown...there was my oldest son watching for me. When he saw me, he came running out to me. Then my youngest caught on and he dashed out as well. My wife and dad were under the 471 bridge ringing the bells and calling out to me as we passed by. My wife's excitement gave me an extra boost of energy and I knew I could finish this up. I had enough to jog with the boys for a bit but had to pull up once again to walk out a cramp that was starting. We made it to One Lytle Place where we could see the finish line and we picked up the pace once more to cross the finish line. This last half mile was the best part of the race...the crowd was yelling to me and the boys...cheering us on. I remember a couple of the comments...
Take him home, boys!
Great job, dad!
You can do it, Dad!
Get him to the finish line, boys!
My run/walk was not a pretty sight and yet it was an awesome event. I tried to get close to the photographers on the course so hopefully, we have some good pictures to share with everyone in the very near future!
Thanks to everyone that sponsored me in this and stay tuned for pics!
On the front, I had quite a few friends and family listed...you notice the ear buds that attach to my virtual I-Pod on my right sleeve.
On the bottom half of the front is an artist rendition of Norris Lake looking at Shanghai Landing at sunset...Rob's favorite time to be on the lake. You also see Doug listed...he is the very first person to ever introduce me to Norris back in '95 and we stayed at the condos right next to Norris as pictured here. Lastly, the spirit of Perez and Shapiro made it into the pictures...John knows why.
As you can see, I only listen to Dual Core music when I run...you should too. Int80 is the man when it comes to both Nerdcore music as well as security research.
I work with a great close knit group of guys and always appreciate their support for this type of stuff. Ben Stigar's talks pushed me to try something like this so I wanted to list him...I wish him and his family the best.
Lastly, I used the rest of the space, to send a message to those coming up on my tail.
