My first really hilly marathon and I finish actually quite pleased. Early start solo. Given that the U.S. Olympic trials marathon will follow me soon, and then the Open, I found lots of spectators in miles 6–12 and still good crowds thereafter. Excellent course support every mile, enthusiastic volunteers all the way.
The real hills began after I turned onto Park. The only wheelchair participant passed me before m6; the lead runner followed a mile or so later. Many runners encouraged me as they passed; nagging physical pain accompanied by growing doubts rendered their support bittersweet. None of several long hills felt too bad individually; the cumulative effect took the toll. Still, I could tell by m10 that my pace would suffer significantly. Discouraged by my poor splits and the unrelenting stump pain, I truly considered quitting. The brass ensemble at 11 gave a welcome boost.
I do not have these in Miami
Mid-day brought sunlight and temps into the 50's; my long sleeves gave some defense against the occasional winds. Some motorists got out of their cars and cheered us on despite the inconvenience we caused them. I began feeling more confident that I would finish. One advantage of having the Observer as key sponsor: the morning paper includes a numeric list of all participants; as the field's begun thinning out, some spectators look us up and cheer us by name. What a boost!
Despite substantial aching I actually enjoyed the final miles. Thanks for cheers in this section from Dawn, and this very enthusiastic spectator/ cheerleader (right), who showed up at least two or three times. |
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All things considered, this felt almost as difficult as NYC a couple of months ago. I stayed with it despite the pain, fatigue, and having to resort to so many head games. I'm thrilled—astonished, actually—to see a negative split for the second half, and a relatively good surge toward the end.
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