Indianapolis Marathon - RunMarathon

Goals were divided up: Optimistic: sub 4:30; Realistic: 4:30-4:45; Acceptable: sub 5:00; Just shoot me now: over 5:00.

I am not down on anyone who runs over 5 hours, I had just trained too long and was expecting more. As it stood, my last few weeks of training was disrupted due to a soleus muscle pull, so I had to divide up my goals.

1st half: 2:15:00 on the nose. Everything was perfect, minus the unlanned potty break after 2 miles that cost about 3 or 4 minutes.

2nd half: 2:38:23. Wheels came off. Just past 16 miles, I got a migraine. Mine disrupt my vision for about 30 min, then the pain comes. Ran for a couple of miles without parts of my peripheral vision. Leg cramps, likely due to lack of salt, started around 17.5 miles, head pain soon after in the 18s. Leg cramps increased to a very debilitating level. Only able to run for a couple hundred yards at a time from 19 on, except for the last part in front of all the people, whincing with every step. They thought I was smiling! Whee!

At the end of the day, I cut 55 min off my first marathon, the '06 Chicago, so I was satisfied.

"Do the salt." Search RunnersWorld.com for information. Literally, empty a restaurant sized salt packet under your tongue at some point, for me a little past halfway. Fatigue while running a marathon is not preventable, cramping due to lack of salt is very preventable. Take away the cramping and I make a serious run at 4:30.

As much walking as I could tolerate while my legs were alternating between stiffening with cramps and collapsing from the fatigue of running while cramping. Being a nice guy, I bent down to pick something up for someone and nearly did not make it back up. My 7yo son saved the day on that one.

Bonus: Another migraine started soon after getting in the car. A rare, but not unheard of double feature! I do not remember the rest of the day...


The aforementioned cramps and migraine.


Very enjoyable race. I would like to do it again. With salt.