What a way to start off my first marathon (ed. note: first race, too)! It was dark, cold and wet. There was also a 25-30 mph wind that accompanied the heavy downpour hitting us from all directions for nearly 18 miles. Bruce Deacon (the first 3-time winner in CIM history) called it “the grossest wet day I have ever run in.”
Lance Millar kept up with me for the first few miles (or was it the other way around?). I felt pretty good for the first 15 miles and was on a decent pace (about 4:25) until the Runner’s Knee set in. It slowed me down dramatically between miles 15 and 20. >[? Fortunately, the Sacramento Hash House Harriers were handing out ‘adult’ beverages to the marathoners. After that, I pretty much had to walk in the rest of the marathon. My knee could not take any more running, and so I finished my first marathon in a little over 5 hours.
It wasn’t the bad weather that bothered me as much as my knee giving out. Overall, it was a pretty good experience once I got started and into the swing of things.
A big thanks goes out to Lance’s girlfriend Nicole and stepmother Christine, who were there for us, braving the adverse weather conditions every six miles, offering support and anything else we may have needed.
I think with a little more long distance training I will be ready for another marathon next year.