The weather was perfect for running on Sunday's Victoria Marathon. First place went to Hilary Cheruiyot with 2:19:26 and in second place, Steve Osaduik in 2:22:42, and in third place with 2:24:43, Lameth Mosoti.
My friend David and I got to the start in the last minute (several reasons for this), but it was all good. We started out at a relaxed pace. David pulled back at about 2km, and I continued with my plan, which was to try and run 38-39 per 10km. I passed 5km in 19:07 but I felt like it was work. I had been feeling great this last week before the marathon, but on race day, it seems the legs didn't want to work as I had hoped.
I passed 10km at 38:12 and it wasn't any easier. By 15 km (57:38), I started to try and pick up the pace a little to see how it would feel. I wasn't really going faster, due to some hills, but I was working fairly hard. Still, it seemed okay and I passed halfway at 1:21:10. This was slower than I had wanted, but I was really doing all I could at this point.
I kept up the pace for a while further, and it actually felt better now (1:43:33 for 27 km). I saw a guy in front of me, and I was slowly catching up to him, so I was certainly motivated.Then a few hills came, and my pace started slowing. By 30 km, I was hoping I could get it back on some of the downhills, but I knew it was over. My legs started giving up on me, and there was nothing I could do about it.
I was down to 4 min/km now, and I hoped I could hold this up for a good while, but nah, that wasn't going to happen either. Still, I passed others who had gone out fast and blowed up. So, I was in good company, you could say...
From 30 km to 40 km, I had the blazing split of 42:30. The last 2 km was at 5 min/km pace, and a few people passed me, notably they were mostly women! One guy came up on my side with 200 meters to go, but then my competitive mind flared up, and I put on a big kick and kept him off. I finished in 2:48:20. My previous 2 marathons this year were both faster than this, but on the other hand, before this year - this time would have been my 2nd fastest marathon ever.
I was hurting after. My legs were spaghetti, and I felt completely drained. My friend David came in some 13 minutes later, and I think he was in about the same boat as me this time. Some days, things are not going like you want them to, but you have to take it with a smile and come back stronger some other time.
I surprisingly enough placed 4th in my age category, and received a plaque for that. I have already signed up for Las Vegas marathon on December 6th, and I plan to get some good training in for that. I am going to try and run well there - I know I can do it. I also will check out some guitar stores in Vegas and have some fun! If you have any tips for things to do in Las Vegas, let me know!
My wife and daughters also ran this weekend. The wife did the whole marathon, and it was tough for her too, mostly because of lack of training. Our 16 year-old was 8th in her age category in the 8 km race, and our 6 year-old blasted through the 1.2 km race with a big smile on her face. It was a beautiful and enjoyable weekend even though the run was hard. Honestly, I am grateful to be able to run at all. There are others who can't do what I do, and I know it. I almost gave up on running after a knee injury, and I'm really just happy to be able to do what I do, regardless of speed.
By Robert Renman - www.dolphinstreet.com
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