Ridiculously hilly Mercedes Marathon

<span style="color:#000000;">This was my 2nd marathon and 1st KR 30s meetup. I had ran my 1st mary in Dec on a flat Rocket City Marathon course w/ a time of 4:34. I faded in the 2nd half w/ some IT band pain in my left knee. I started training for this marathon the week after on a quickie 8-week schedule. On my final LR, a 20Mer, I pulled my left hamstring. So most of my taper was resting the injury w/ 9 miles only in the week before the Sunday race. However I felt pretty good on my last 2 run and was aiming for a 4:20 finish</span><br><br><span style="color:#000000;">I drove into Birmingham on Saturday afternoon and went 1st to the Expo. The Expo had only one shoe vendor, Trak Shak, and two other sellers of running merchandise. There was also a large area of race merchandise. And lots of other race booths, and food and drink displays (Mich Ultra, Coke, Lara Bar...) I got my race packet (bib, chip, cotton T, cotton gloves, coozy, water bottle). Not a bad haul.</span><br><br><span style="color:#000000;">Next I went over to meet the visiting KR 30s, and chat for a bit then on to dinner at Petracelli’s where we met up w/ Timr and his great family. Dinner was great w/ even better company. Lots of talking and lots of laughs.</span><br><br><span style="color:#000000;">After a early turn-in at Timr's House, I obviously messed up in setting my alarm on my cell phone and awoke when Tim called downstairs @ 5:20. I got dressed, choke down some oatmeal and we were out the door to meet the others at the Hotel, then onto the start/finish area by the Boutwell Arena.</span><br><br><span style="color:#000000;">After a bathroom run and hanging out drinking my coffee, I checked my bag and went to line up between the 4:15 and 4:30 pacers. Then the start happened without fanfare (no one heard the gun) and I was on a steady 10mm pace. I was good on this pace all the way up the first major hill (~mile 6) then I started getting warm and stopped and pulled off my ss undershirt (and ditched it</span> <span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="font-family:Wingdings;">L</span></span></span> <span style="color:#000000;">). At mile 7 I had ran into the Walgreen’s to pee and the 4:30 pacers passed me. I caught them after the HM splitoff. And was able to stick with them until Mile 14. After that my left hammy was giving me minor trouble and both my knees were stiffening at the IT band.</span><br><br><span style="color:#000000;">My pace suffered, as did I, through Meadow Brook and then my IT bands really tightened up and I was reduced to 14mm for nearly 4 miles. I was passed by the 4:45 pacer as I waited at a Portolet before Mtn. Brook. I was able to muster up some energy to run up the big hill at mile 23, but after I peaked the hill, I wasn’t able to run down the other side due to my knees screaming. I just did a stiff legged Frankenstein walk.</span><br><br><span style="color:#000000;">At the Hill bottom was mile 24 and after 3 straight people inquired if I was okay, I was like “forget this” and mustered up some anger and ran 9:30 –10mm pace in. <img alt="cussing.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/cussing.gif"></span><br><br><span style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS';">10K</span><br><span style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS';">RANK TIME PACE</span><br><span style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS';">74 1:00:49 9:49</span><br><span style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS';">15k</span><br><span style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS';">RANK TIME PACE</span><br><span style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS';">83 1:36:07 10:21</span><br><span style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS';">25K</span><br><span style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS';">RANK TIME PACE</span><br><span style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS';">78 2:38:46 10:15</span><br><span style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS';">30K</span><br><span style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS';">RANK TIME PACE</span><br><span style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS';">82 3:19:18 10:43</span><br><span style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS';">FINISH</span><br><span style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS';">RANK TIME PACE</span><br><span style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS';">85 4:57:06 11:21</span><br><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">After the race the KR 30s folks came to meet me, I asked them “Did I win?” <img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif"></span>