Des Moines Marathon - RunMarathon

ran with my friend doing the half before the split (about 2.5 miles), that was fun. i wore my hr watch even though i didn't pay attention to it. brought along my digital camera and just started taking pictures. the first couple miles were through some hilly ritzy neighborhoods.
about mile four i saw what i thought was the half race leaders, but they were WAY ahead as i didn't see anyone behind them. i read in the paper that they were the favored leaders for the half and took a wrong turn at the split. oops.
saw a couple other people in costume. stopped to take some pictures with people along the race, just soaking it all in and having a good time. mile 9 my knee started to feel uncomfortable, which was not a welcome sign. meh, what are you going to do about it. got a honey stinger gel pack running into the drake stadium. tried it not knowing there are solid "chunks" in them. not very delicious at all.
the middle miles flattened out a bit. saw a guy i swam with in college running his first marathon, he looked well and was about three miles a head of me (course loop).
saw a friend about mile 14 and said my knee was acting up. he said that mile 20 he'd be there to pick me up if i "knee'd it" (ha!)
dressed as superman you get a lot of comments and the same jokes. kids like to wave, i took a picture with some of them. i ran past one group when i heard, "that looked like nosbisch" i turned around to see my roommate from college who i haven't seen in four years. ran back and got a picture.
saw the wife and kiddo before mile sixteen. my daughter said, "daddy, you are superman?" i said, "yes honey, daddy is superman." wonder how long that will last.
then the miles got long and boring (and painful) trail run (although very pretty) then through water works park and around gray's lake including two big three mile loops where you can see others finishing them up. they look at you going into it and say to themselves, poor bastards.
mile 19 i was struggling. the walk breaks seem to hurt worse than the running. i was hurting. these last miles were going to be loooong...then, as if an angel had heard my pleas for help, a support rider on a bike asked someone ahead of me, "do you need some tylenol?" that's the answer, MEDICATION!!!! i yelled up to him and he gave me a dose. took about two miles for it to kick in, but it did and there was no question about finishing! with my spirits lifted, i began the slow (still painful) process of hammering out six ill advised injured miles. passed my swimmer friend, he was hurting too. too bad, he was doing great :(
mile 22 a bunch of people started saying "way to go adam, you are doing great" when i looked i had no idea who these people were. after the third one, i asked, "how do you know my name?" "justin told us" pointing down the trail. i saw my college roommate jumping around and grinning like an idiot.
there was a group of people that saw me taking pictures at the mile markers, they were jumping around the route so they started helping me. mile 25 i got a picture with all of them.
sucked it up and when into the finish. tried to get the crowd going, but they were waiting for another superman, i guess.
good things-
drinking amount, only had to stop once and that could have been skipped.
had fun, enjoyed myself
second marathon in the books
bad things-
didn't run enough, more running for next marathon
slow runners don't get water at the later aid stations, they run out of cups
avoid injury next time

good/bad
tylenol, helped get me through, but i wonder if i will pay for it later.

i don't know, on the one hand i could have done better (40 min gain from 1st marathon), but i was injured and i was just going for fun. any time a swimmer finishes a marathon is a miracle. i did have fun, mission accomplished ;)

the wife had a trying day with becca, so we hopped in the car quick and ate complete garbage at stella's blue sky diner. senseable eating tomorrow, right?


injury, less running training.


pictures of race in my album!