Somewhere along the line my race strategy changed. I somehow thought I could run a 3:15. So, as the gun went off I was about to settle into my race pace when I looked down and saw my shoelace untied. I quickly stopped, tied it and continued on. Shortly after I overheard one runner say to his running partner something like I think this is our goal pace. Without even looking, I asked, “And what pace would that be?” because I wasn’t really sure what pace I was running. We then all looked at each other and did a double take. It was <b>phillytom</b> who was pacing <b>keriksen</b> for this half marathon! I stayed with them for a bit before feeling like I could go a bit faster. A pee break allowed them to catch me. We then ran again for a bit. phillytom pointed out the zoo, so I said to him it that it was too bad he wasn’t running the full so he could continue being my tour guide. He mentioned that he might run a bit of the second half with me. I think I pulled away from them after that but they soon passed me due to a second pee break. Drinking that 20 oz. water right before leaving the hotel wasn’t such a great idea. I needed to drink water before leaving but I never had any time to process it until after the race started. As I continued on I saw them up ahead but couldn’t catch them before the end of the half. My splits for the first half were as follows:<br><br>
Mile Split<br>
17:44<br>
27:22<br>
37:10<br>
47:22<br>
57:15<br>
67:23<br>
77:16<br>
8&9 15:13 (first pee break – I missed the 8 mile mark split)<br>
107:29<br>
117:25<br>
127:40 (second pee break)<br>
137:23<br><br>
I hit the half in exactly 1:38, but I kind of knew that any chance of a 3:15 or 3:16 was out the window, so I decided to just settle in and run at a comfortable pace. It wasn’t long before I had to pee again. I stopped and peed yet again around 14 or 15. Unbeknownst to me, I had an audience which included <b>phillytom</b>! After finishing with <b>keriksen</b> he turned around and got back on the course. I’m not sure how he saw me, but thankfully he did. After a mile or so, I asked him when he was planning on turning around and he answered casually that he was just going to do the whole thing! Now, those of you who know Tom, know that he even though he is a very fast runner capable of a lot miles, he had never run a marathon. I was sure glad to have the company. My pace had slowed by the time he had caught up me with and was beginning to slow even more due to some stomach issues. Now that I think about it, it began prior to the halfway point because I was scanning porta potties as I cruised past the halfway point near the start/finish area. I finally hit and while I was taking care of business, <b>phillytom</b> waited patiently and informed that <b>pacerchris</b> and his 3:20 pace group had just passed. So, 3:20 was now out the window, it would be highly doubtful I had enough in me to catch up. My splits up to the point were as follows:<br><br>
147:46<br>
158:17 (third pee break)<br>
167:48<br>
1710:46 (porta potty break)<br><br>
My new goal was to just finish without slowing too much and hopefully not have to stop and walk. My pace continued to slow, but we kept on moving. Before the turnaround we passed the Hashers handing out beer. Tom grabbed one and I declined. However, after the turn around I decided there was no time like the present to have my first marathon beer. Just the night before I had been talking to <b>Beaker</b>’s husband, <b>Mark</b>, that I could never have a beer while running a marathon. I was quickly proven wrong. Holy crap, it tasted incredible! After hitting the halfway mark we passed <b>CoachT</b> and <b>solarpowered</b> who looked very strong. A short time later we saw <b>nettie</b> cruise by. A lot of people don't like out and backs, but when you know people in the race it's a lot of fun seeing them and being able to urge them on. Around mile 23, I remarked to Tom that I was fine and not having any blood sugar issues. I was happy about this because this was my first marathon after being diagnosed with Type I Diabetes back on December 1st last year. How quickly that changed. As I was coming up on a water stop, I suddenly started to feel light headed. It was apparent my blood sugar was dropping. Instead of water, I grabbed a nice big cup of Gatorade and downed it. Minutes later I was fine. My pace continued to slow, but I never had to stop except for when I stopped to down the Gatorade.<br><br>
187:51<br>
198:16 (my first 8+ split not caused by a break)<br>
208:19<br>
218:00<br>
228:21<br>
238:54<br>
249:08 (probably around when my blood sugar dropped)<br><br>
I was happy with the way I finished. My blood sugar started to drop again near the finish, but I was close enough to finish somewhat strongly. Tom got me going a little bit faster right at the finish when he suggested that we wouldn’t break 3:30 unless we picked it up a bit. As we turned for the final stretch we saw all the Kicksters in the stands cheering wildly. We waved to them as we ran by. I have to admit finishing in front of all the cheering Kicksters was a big rush. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/banana.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="banana"><br><br>
258:45<br>
26.210:06<br><br>
Final chip time 3:29:13<br><br>
I wasn’t overly joyous with my time, but I had a great time running. I can’t thank Tom enough for sticking with me and keeping me going in those latter miles. My only complaint is that his one joke was terrible and he couldn’t think of any more. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/tongue3.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="tongue3"><br><br>
After the race, I grabbed some food and downed it quickly trying to figure out how many carbs I was eating so that I could take the right amount of insulin after getting my bag from baggage check. The time from the finish to the time I got to the stands is a blur. I know Tom and posed in front of the flag. I remember seeing <b>Auntie Moe</b> in the food tent and I remember freezing my butt off waiting for my bag. That’s about it.<br><br>
Stay tuned for the post race report beginning in the stands…
