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by Michael Selman It has been said that runners have their best thoughts of the day while out running. Runner and writer Michael Selman shares his "Thoughts on Running" with us here at ontherunevents.com.
May 23rd, 1999-San Diego, CA-
As I got out of bed, I wondered if the race would be conducted as promised this time around. Many had been unwilling to give the race a second chance. A few hours later, we would know that the choice to return was a good one in every way. We went down to the lobby of the hotel, drank a cup or two of caffeinated rocket fuel with a banana chaser, and headed to the shuttle lot, where we were quickly whisked to the starting line. The scene was very reminiscent of last year, with the many corrals clearly marked, and the UPS trucks lined neatly in numerical order, indicating where the baggage drop-offs were. The weather was as good as could be expected, almost perfect. Cool breezes and heavy overcast found me wearing a disposable poncho for warmth. A lingering question was how long the cloud cover would hold. Last year, it dissipated before the race even got started, but hopes were higher that the race would start on time this year, and the cloud cover would stay around for a while. About 30 minutes before race time, we found “The Running Reverend,” who gathered several us together, and let us in a beautiful prayer of life, and for the day. It was very touching. Soon after, I made my way to the 4 hour pace group with the hope of staying with them for as long as I could. My training had tapered the past couple of months, due to nagging little bio-mechanical setbacks, and more important priorities, so my PR hopes stayed home in Atlanta this time. I was thinking that sub four would be excellent, but more realistically, the 4:00-4:10 range was more likely. The race started late again, but only by a few minutes, and was underway before anyone got restless. I thought about the chip I was wearing as I crossed the starting line, about two minutes in to the official time, and made sure I dragged my shoe close to the ground, just in case. I started my watch and was on my way. I stayed with the four hour pace group for about three minutes, but had to yield to nature right away. Too bad the chip timing is unable to accommodate that too. As I merged back into the mass, I was surrounded by the 4:15 pace group. My first mile split time was 10:44. That pit stop had cost me over a minute right away, but I quickly figured that, if I chipped away at about an 8:55 pace, by the halfway point, I should be right back with the four hour group. I hooked up with fellow Penguin Gary, whose last name I unfortunately didn’t get, and we ran together through the early miles. I modified my Galloway approach just a bit, so I was taking my walk breaks at the water stops, rather than at every mile marker. It worked well. The early miles, I felt pretty good. The miles with water stops in them were a little over 9 minutes, and included 45-60 second walk breaks in them. The miles with no water stops were closer to 8:35. And boy, was there water. Cold water. Beautiful, plentiful water. And bands. More than a band a mile. And they were all playing enthusiastically. This race was living up to its billing. My 10K split was 57:36. Just before the 6 mile split, I high-fived Bill Hermann, who I had just met right before race time. I felt good, and the pace was right on the money. It started to rain. Weather in San Diego can sure be fickle for a moderate climate. It felt good, as long as it didn’t turn into a downpour. Temps were staying very comfortable. The rain stopped after what amounted to a little more than a heavy drizzle. My 10 mile split was 1:31:54. The time was good, but my lack of a long run the final two months of training was already starting to make itself known. I was feeling tired, with 16.2 miles still to go. But tired is a part of the marathon game, so I stayed on pace, for now. I hit the half at a chip time if 1:59:25. It was a bull’s eye for an evenly paced four hour marathon, but I already knew by the half that four hours was not to be today. I had two choices. Stay on pace anyway, and then crash and burn by mile 20, or move it to a lower gear, and shoot for a sub 2:10. I chose the later. Through mile 20, I was still walking only at the water stops, but I was running many more miles in the 9-10 minute range than the 8-9 minute range. I was in a zone I guess I would call “respectable survival.” I still wanted more than just to finish, but I kept a sub 4:10 goal as one that I could get if I ran smart. 20 miles came in 3:03:37. I still had 10K to go, and about an hour and six minutes to do it. I felt that I still could. But the last 10K of a marathon is as unpredictable as the San Diego weather. It can be the best of times. It can be the worst of times. Between 21 and 22, I walked for the first time at a place where there was not a water stop. I was tired, which is a heck of a lot better than tired and hurting. The ghosts of the last two years...the shinsplints...the back problems....the sciatica...the knee...the recent groin discomforts...were being eradicated a little more every mile. I was going to finish this race, and I was going to do it over an hour quicker than I did last year. How sweet it is. I was still staying at about a 10 minute pace until mile 24, where I just totally ran out of gas. Now, I was walking about 1 minute for every two I was running. Mile 25 was 11 minutes on the button. Just as I passed it, a volunteer yelled out “hard candy.” Now, I am not a big fan of sweet in general, and especially hard candy. But I have to think that, in extreme circumstances, your body knows best. I grabbed a Jolly Rancher, popped it in my mouth, and, at that moment, it was the most wonderful thing I had ever tasted. I nursed it the final full mile, still walking almost as often as I was running. When I was running, it was on empty. I got a little confused with I approached the 26 mile marker, and for an instant, forgot about the two minute difference between official time and chip time. The official time was nearing 4:08, and I thought, “Oh my God, I’m not going to make it.” When I looked at my watch and saw that mile 26 was an 11:26 mile, I realized I had the almost two minute cushion, and any fatigue I had been feeling suddenly lifted at the 26 mile mark. The last 2/10ths was right at two minutes. The feeling of dragging my foot over the chip sensor one more time was an amazing rush of victory. My chip time was 4:07:49, and even the official time was a little under 4:10. Once, I finished, I quickly saw Murray at the chip removal table. He had run a 4:05. Well done Murray. Once I picked up my goodie bag, I made my way to the finish area to cheer the others in. June came by at around 4:40, a PR by over an hour. She was looking tired, but really good. She was living a dream, and the dream was about to come to fruition. Others soon followed. Patrick, “The Running Reverend” Tom Lally, John Savage, Rick Good, and other Penguins I knew by hats, if not by name, all framing either side of the five hour mark. Well done! Soon, my princess came in. She paced one of the 5 hour plus pace groups this day. She finished as a triumphant winner, as did all the pacers, all the runners, all the people who took part in this event. What a difference a year makes. So many of us have changed in so many positive ways since RnR 1. The race itself took a 180 degree turn in one short year. It’s no secret that last years race had its problems. Many of us have experienced the same about face over the last year. One year is really a very short to have accomplished so much, but many of us have. In a strange sort of way, the total improvement of the race itself mirrors many of us. Whether our success was losing weight, running our first marathon, falling in love, relocating to a better location, or one of a million other improvements, we can all probably look at ourselves after Rock and Roll II, and know that where we are today is a much better place to be than where we were a short year ago.
Thanks Michael for sharing your "Thoughts on Running" with us here at
ontherunevents.com
Subscribe here to his list or just send him some feedback...he would like to hear from you !
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4:30 AM came very early on Sunday morning. Harriet
had just gotten in from driving her daughter back to
the hotel from Mission Viejo less than 5 hours
earlier, but they say the most important night for
sleeping before a marathon is two days before. We had
that one covered, as we were snuggled in bed by 9 on
Friday evening.