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<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">My race can be divided into two halves, the good and the suck. Actually, now that I think about it, there are three sets of halves. I’ll explain later.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">First off, I’m okay, a bit disappointed, but I gave it my all and that’s what matters to me. Had I gone out slower, say at an 8:45 pace I probably wouldn’t have encountered problems later, but I would have been “safe” and “safe” just wasn’t for me after the work that I’d put into getting there yesterday. And I’m not going to use injury as an excuse. Really, it didn’t figure in the outcome at all.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">And I can go on analyzing the various causes ad infinitum, but essentially I cramped up. That means… electrolytes. Thought I’d hydrated and electrolyted enough, but after reviewing the contents of my stomach at the finish (sorry about being indelicate) I find that (again as with my last marathon) I hadn’t processed anything from about 16-17 miles on. Lots of liquid was just sitting there in the stomach instead of being absorbed. Gotta find another way to deal with getting the electrolytes in.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">So, on with the story.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">Overcast, light mist, a bit of a breeze from the north. They were calling for light rain, but I hoped it would hold off until afternoon. It didn’t. The temp never got above 53-54.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">The start was at BC Place stadium, basically the twin of the Metrodome in Minneapolis. I parked at the host hotel and took the shuttle to the start, checked my bag, porta-pottied and then went for a 5 minute warmup run, ending with a minute at 9:00 pace. Then stretched for 10 minutes, ran another 5 ending at MP. At the end of my first jog I saw the half marathoners head off, and by the time my second was done I just continued on to the starting line. I was relaxed and at ease. No nerves, just a real sense of gratitude that I’d made it this far.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">The course isn’t a pretty one. It makes a loop through industrial and edge-of-downtown commercial areas before heading out along the south side of False Creek and looping back to do another loop through the same industrial area, a quick tour of “no-man’s land” of the downtown East Side (hookers and cocaine – Dervin would have loved it), through downtown and then to the pretty part of the course, Stanley Park, English Beach (about 5 miles of pretty) and then back to the meh. A 100 foot climb over a bridge, out west through okay neighbourhoods (lots of crowd support) then back again, over the damn bridge and east to the stadium. Not pretty, but I wasn’t sightseeing either. It also isn’t a flat course. Most of the hills are in the second half of the course, but there are enough hills to make this a race where concentration and training are key. It is funny, but I ran into several people who were mumbling about being marketed a flat course. I wasn’t expecting one, but I was a bit dismayed by the bridge on the way back.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">I was wearing two layers of light technical shirts, both Brooks, the inner one a short sleeve. Also some “Runderwear” under Nike running shorts. Wright socks and my Addie’s. I had a Brooks cap on and Adidas running gloves that I ditched somewhere after mile 22, they were soaked and heavy. To heck with ‘em.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The first mile I thought that I’d overdressed and I rolled up my sleeves, but they came down again as I got soaked and colder.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">Here are the splits. BQ pace was 8:00.</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">1)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">8:03</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">2)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">7:57</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">3)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">8:01</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">4)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">-:--</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">5)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">15:51 (forgot to hit the lap button at 4, but they were even splits, about 7:55)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">6)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">7:51</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">7)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">8:05 (some confusion at a water table)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;"><img alt="cool.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/cool.gif"></span> <span style="font-size:medium;">7:52 (motoring up a hill that they sprang on us as we rounded a corner)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">9)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">8:11 (jostling problems)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">10)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">8:03 (hilly)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">11)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">7:49 (downtown)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">12)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">7:44 (Stanley Park)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">13)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">8:05 (hilly section in the Park)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">14)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">7:55</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">15)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">8:04 (long hill in the Park and it started to pour)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">16)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">8:06 (out of the Park finally)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">17)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">8:05 (rain easing up but the start of the hill to the bridge)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">1<img alt="cool.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/cool.gif"></span> <span style="font-size:medium;">8:26 (hip seized, at the summit of the bridge – stretched and felt okay to go)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">19)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">-:-- (calf muscles beginning to seize)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">20)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">18:20 (preoccupied, didn’t catch the 19 mile point – long hills up and down)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">21)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">10:01 (calf muscles in open revolt)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">22)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">11:09 (first stop to stretch the calf muscles)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">23)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">13:22 (I stopped when I could not run, literally stopped in my tracks because the feet would seize, and then the “Oh F*ck moment” I’ll write about later)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">24)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">13:17 (“Officer, arrest me for criminal stupidity!” “Been there sir…”)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">25)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">13:38 (The top of the bridge and then headed for home)</span></span><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">26)</span> <span style="font-size:medium;">11:40</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">I was comfortable right through until about 15, but then I knew that 15-17 would be hard, they had been on all my long runs. If I could maintain focus through them I’d be fine. The rain was an annoyance, as was a long hill through the park. Feet were getting heavy from the soaked shoes. For most of the race I felt great emotionally. I had a smile on my face and people commented on the goof who was enjoying himself. Because my name was plastered on the bib I’d get quite a few “Keep smiling, Steven!” and I did, because it was fun… mostly.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">I ran with a guy named Andy for the first 9 miles or so. He found my pace a stretch as he was shooting for a 3:45. I pushed ahead when we reached downtown, but he passed me at about mile 23. As did a heck of a lot of other people. The pace bunny for 3:30 passed me and I passed him a good half dozen times. He was gallowalking it. I mused for quite a while on how someone could do that – be able to run that fast for 9 minutes and then walk for one. Why not run the whole thing?</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:medium;">To be continued...</span></span>