Oh, that wall

Last Sunday I ran the Phoenix marathon. It was my second marathon, and the previous one was 6 years ago. I followed the "Less is More" training method on Runners World. My mileage was low, but I generally felt ready.

The morning of the run the temp was 27 F. The coldest morning in Phoenix in 17 years! Luckily I was prepared, and very used to running in the cold.

The race started with all the normal excitement. My running partner (Erika) and I managed to hold ourselves back. It was hard, but both of us are long time runners and know how important pacing is. At mile 8 we we run a 8:55, a bit too fast. But, almost all our splits for the first 18 miles were +/- 15 seconds. Not bad.

I kept thinking, "Wow, this could end up being a great time." We kept the pacer with the 4:15 sign in sight at all times. Sometimes ahead of them, sometimes behind.

My HR stayed in the mid-to-high 150s for well over half the race. It started creeping up around mile 15 (not a good sign). I felt ok in the low 160s, but the occassional 165 told me I was starting to get tired.

Then mile 20, and the damn 4:15 pacer went by, never to be seen again. My legs we're tight, on the verge of cramping. I was dragging, and couldn't get myself moving. I started needing to walk every 1/2 to 3/4 miles (for 30 sec or so). The end felt like it would never come. Erika was now running strong, and that helped A TON. But, I can honestly say the last 6 miles sucked. From about 22 miles on we ran just below 11 min. miles.

At one point very near the finish Erika (always peppy) was saying something like, "Just around the corner, you can do it." I snapped back "Shut Up. Just give me a shoulder!" I was just looking at her shoulder trying to cut out the misery. I knew I would finish, it was just a matter of when.

So, we finished at exactly 4:20. The wall got me, but in the end it was a great run. The time was right on our training pace (10:00). I finished without cramping, and I recovered pretty quickly.

For those of you wondering if I ate and drank enough: yes, at least I think I did. I carried my sports drink, drank a bunch of water, and choked down 4-5 gels. I might have been able to drink more sports drink...

On my first marathon I had so much left in the tank at the end I was nearly sprinting across the finish line. No wall that day...

Overall, preparing and running the Phoenix marathon was an amazing experience. I trained with my good friend Erika (also now a 2 timer). We supported each other for months. I would have never made it to Phoenix without her, and I think she would say the same.

It's funny how 4 months of training, all comes down to a few hours of running, and for me, a few long 6 miles. But, I did it, and I'm ready for the next race, wall and all.

- Herb