Well, I finished. Finally. On paper, this may well go down as my worst race ever - I certainly hope that it does. On the other hand, I did finish, which is more than I can say for some of those people picked up in the sag wagon along the way.

My idea was to go out slowly, at around a 12:00 pace instead of my usual 10:00 long run effort (or faster), and stay slow. I was also planning on stopping and stretching my ITB at every mile marker. Remember that it had been two weeks since the last time I’d been able to run any distance at all, and that was the aborted 10 miler that gave me this lovely problem in the first place.

So, Stephanie drives me down to the school that’s serving as Race HQ. Very nice. A heated gym for stretching, and the start itself takes place halfway around the track. I’d seen Marissa and Alex before the race, but lost track of them until just before the start, where Alex and I lined up together. This wouldn’t last, of course, since he’s going out at 9:00 or so and I was planning on 12:00, but it was good to have someone to chat to before the gun. Or should I say cannon?

Anyway, we’re off. Around the track in a tight pack, and then up for the first couple of miles. I was being passed, if slowly - I guess I should have lined up further back than I did. Not used to being one of the very slow people. After the first mile I was getting a bit hot, but my legs were doing alright. Stopped at mile two to drop my jacket and do some stretching. Finding a street sign and really extending my IT band stretch seems to do well - I try to do 20 seconds a side.

The water stops along the way were great. They’re all manned by kids from the high school, and their positive energy is a big boost along the way. Its feeling a little odd to hear them trying to encourage me though - on the one hand, I’m lagging towards the back of the pack. On the other hand, my cardio level is wonderful - this is pretty easy. Its just my legs that are giving out on me.

After about four miles, I’m really beginning to feel it. I’m having to stop a bit more often than every mile to stretch now, maybe twice a mile. Whenever it twinges, I stretch. This is getting pretty frustrating. Several times other runners ask me if I’m doing alright, and seem more than willing to share their own ITB stories when I tell them what I’m doing. Its good to know that I’m not alone in having to go through this! After a couple more miles, I’m more determined than ever to finish this race. And I know that I can do it, too - its just a matter of time.

I ran into several people from AustinFIT during the race. At about mile 5, I met Kennedy who runs 10:40 (Minnie Mouse’s group) most weeks, who was taking it slowly due to a nasty bout of the flu. Slow or not, he pulled away from me as I kept stopping to stretch.

Between miles 6 and 8, things get a little better. I’m running faster, comfortably. But my knee is twinging on a more regular basis, forcing me to stop and stretch more often. Sometimes, I’ll stretch 3 or 4 times during a mile, adding that much time (a minute or so each) to my total. My calves are getting a little sore as well, especially my right one which is probably doing some compensatory work. One thing that I can reflect on though, is that whatever my time may be, I’ll have a PR as long as I can finish the race.

By mile 9, I see Alex from AustinFit running the other way. My mile 9, his mile 12.5 or so. Smiling, he looks like he’s having a much better run than I am. I hook up with Paula, an orange-group runner, and we move back and forth quite a bit as we run through the neighborhood. Turns out that she’s having some difficulty too - this is her first run at this distance since surgery, and she’s having a hotspot on her foot. It was really good having somebody to pull with through that remarkably lonely section.

Mile 14. Paula had given me a spare gu (I’d dropped mine with my jacket) so I take it with some water. From mile 12, the water stops had run out of PowerAde so I figured I could really use the extra boost. The RunTex sag wagon cruises by, and the driver asks me how I was doing. Told him that I was running injured, but was going to make it in myself. He just grinned, waved, and headed off - and his confidence in my claim was a real boost.

Mile 15. This starts about three miles of intermittent uphill. Long, slow, and laborious. We begin to powerwalk it in with brief running stints. I can still run, but its faster to walk and not stretch than it is to run and stretch so often. At one point, the red EMS pickup is trailing us. That’s an uncomfortable feeling. I know that they’re just doing their jobs, but they really come off as vultures just waiting for someone to drop.

I made it in though. 30 kilometers, 18.6 miles, and that much closer to the marathon. Got the medal, got the shirt. It only took me 4:22, or about an hour longer than my original, confident, injury free goal time. Still, that should be really easy to beat next year, right?

I’m really glad that I did it, even if I wasn’t able to do it well. Now I know deep down inside that I can do Motorola. My goal for the next 5 weeks? Getting up to spec, and injury free, so that I can do it well.

Calories burned: about 2,550.
Miles remaining: 112.7

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