Disney Marathon (Jan. 13, 2008)

Finish time 3:59:57.
temps 68 to 71, overcast., humidity 88 to 78%.

Quad Atrophy Recovery Progress
10/20 15:00 pace - San Fran 24 hr - (last 26 miles - when the quads shut down)
10/29 13:25 pace - USMC marathon
12/01 12:44 pace - OUC 1/2 marathon
12/08 12:00 pace - Tallahassee 50 miler - (1st 26 miles)
12/16 10:46 pace - Jacksonville marathon
12/30 10:32 pace - Luna Chicks 50 miler (1st 26 miles)
01/13 9:09 pace - Disney marathon

I checked my leg strength at the Y on Friday. My atrophied quads were 82% of pre-injury strength on the leg press but fully recovered on the leg extension. The nerve damage seems to take longer to recover than the muscle atrophy. My overused good leg is 45% stronger than pre-injury (leg extension), The imbalance remains; I still have to work on my running gait. I saw Doug at mile 24 -- he said he didn't notice a limp.

I had a beer and 2 shots Friday night at Ale House. Saturday I met up with Jeri and Doug, who were doing Goofy, at the Macaroni Grill. I ate chicken and shrimp scallopini and had tiramisu for dessert. There was plenty of salt and carbs in the meal. I gained 2 lbs overnight.

I got to Disney at 3:50am. Parking was chaotic. Disney could have done a better job merging the traffic. When I went to pee in the bushes, I stepped into a drainage area. My shoes got soaked and I was thinking I might get blisters. There was a PA announcement for Scott Irwin to meet Track Shack by the stage. I went there and met up for pictures. Leslie was there as Tinkerbell.

I was in the first corral. I warmed up in front of the start line for half a mile. There was just enough space to run for 10 seconds at a time before turning around. This year the corrals on the other side of the road had the slower groups. Jennifer in Corral D (5 hour pace), actually crossed the start line before I did. As a result, there was no congestion when the two groups merged.

My goal was a 4:15 marathon. I gained 15 lbs since October (2 from carbo-loading). I figure it's been a month since Jacksonville. I should be able to knock a minute a mile off. My overused left quad was tight and my lower back was tight.

I came across Vanessa, Laura, Brian and Ed early in the race. I saw Sandy, Jim and Becky spectating. Sarah worked the aid station.There was a guy in bicycle tights whose ass was foaming. We had a few laughs trying to explain it.

There were 22 aid stations - way too many. Many of the slower runners were at risk for hyponatremia, which is more common in the heat. I didn't want to waste that much time or carry extra weight so I used only 8 of the aid stations. I was already super-hydrated before the race. I skipped the first 3 aid stations and ran the last 6 miles without stopping to drink. I stopped in the bushes to pee twice. I carried Succeed capsules but didn't need them. Salt tablets make you thirsty. Since I didn't take any, I didn't feel thirsty. I lost 5 lbs - mostly from the pre-race sodium water retention and water associated with glycogen stores. I regained 2 lbs overnight.

I was running at a 4 hour pace banking the miles in case the sun came out. I got to the half early and stopped for a few seconds. My half was 2:00:00. Otherwise I couldn't do the math. The temps stayed pretty even. The humidity levels were dropping and there was a nice breeze. I was telling Doug that if the heat remained constant, you should be able to run a even pace all the way to the finish. Big Sur had a narrow temp range and I ran that very evenly. Keep in mind that full sun at high noon can add 15 degrees to the heat index.

I tried to run every mile in 9:08 or faster. It look liked I could break 4 hours. But the sun peaked through at a couple of stretches. I was looking at 4 hrs and some seconds. At mile 26, I had 1 minute 36 seconds to finish the 0.22 miles. I didn't think I had the leg strength to run a 7 minute mile to make it but I tried. I dry-heaved twice and sprinted across the finish line (3:59:57) with 2 seconds to spare. I guess I needed to dry-heave just once. I ran the last segment at a 7:10 mile pace. Last year I arrived at mile 26 early, stood around and finished with 61 seconds to spare. (My offiical time last year was 3:59:59).

The 15th anniversary medal is huge.

I am pleased because I was just hoping for a 4:15. I took 1 hour 52 minutes off my Marine Corp time in October. Overall it was a relaxing race - I high-fived the kids and finally noticed Cinderella's castle. I see my physical therapist on Thursday. I am hoping she will give me permission to start training. It's been 3 months. But I am nervous about training again; it's where my injury started - running a 6:16 mile at track.