I've tried my best to persuade Pam to come down to South Florida and run a marathon with me, but it just hasn't worked out yet. Her "dance card" is usually pretty filled, but we came pretty close this year. I finally decided that "If the mountain won't come to Mohammad, Mohammad must go to the mountain." Since Pam, Elaine and Jennifer all live in Ocala, they are more centrally located to do a larger variety of races than I am. When you stop and consider gas, tolls, hotel, food and entry fees (yes…you do have to pay to run in these races), it's hard to just pick up and go every weekend.
Pam ran the 26.2 Run With Donna in Jacksonville last year and could not stop talking about it. I had run the A1A Marathon that same day in Ft. Lauderdale, which was actually a "training run" for the 50K we were about to do. I registered for Donna when Pam had to cancel out on the West Palm Beach Marathon we were planning on doing, because of a prior commitment she had made.
The 26.2 Run With Donna is the National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer. 100% of the proceeds and raised funds go to breast cancer research and care. Jennifer was extremely happy that I entered the race, since she was very nervous about competing. She had only run one marathon before, and was disappointed in her finishing time. I assured her that I would stay with her to the end, which was the reason why I chose this race.
I left early Saturday morning, and after a quick shopping spree at the Under Armour Outlet Store in St. Augustine, I arrived at the home of my close friends Cyndy and Al. They offered to let me stay with them for the weekend, which made the trip that much more enjoyable. Al is a fantastic athlete, but his knee will not allow him to run. We went to the expo and met Jennifer and her friend Tracy.
I was planning on running with my cell phone for the first time, so I was in the market for some sort of case. My running belt can hold my gels and my water bottle, but not much more. Another concern was keeping the phone dry, since I sweat like a pig. I meandered over to the iFitness booth, where they were selling running belts made of neoprene. A very attractive salesperson decided to demonstrate how the phone does not move as she ran in place. REALLY??? REALLY??? Was I even looking at her belt? When she finished, I asked her to run in place for me again, only to get smacked by Jennifer. I was there for quite some time, which provided great entertainment value for all parties concerned. I finally decided on the Ultimate II Race Belt, and we continued shopping. I went back once more before we left and upgraded to the Hydration Belt, which has two little water bottles on the side. I know they all thought I was crazy, but I tried my best to explain that I needed to run with two belts no matter what. Since I already own a Spibelt, I would wear it during the marathon, along my new iFitness belt. We had dinner at Sliders that night, and I turned in early, since I had to get up at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Al was kind enough to drive me to Pam's hotel at 5 a.m. It was 41 degrees, and I was really cold. We took the shuttle to the Runners' Village, and met Jennifer and the rest of Pam's friends. We still had over an hour to kill, but there was lots of excitement in the air. There were 1,571 runners competing in the full marathon, and 3,928 taking on the half (a total of 5,499 for those of you who are mathematically challenged). Since I have absolutely no conception of crowd size, I would have guessed there were over 10,000 runners.
It took about three minutes to cross the starting line when the gun went off. We started running over a bridge, and I had to go potty after about two miles …my usual M.O. At the five mile point, we actually ran on the beach for the next two miles. The sand was hard and compact, and it was a welcomed break for our legs.
It was truly a chamber of commerce day, with the temperature now around 50 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. The crowd support for the runners was AMAZING! It seemed like the whole city embraced this race, with people thanking us for participating in such a worthy cause. Folks stood outside their homes and offered the runners orange slices, drinks, pretzels and even M & M's. Talk about southern hospitality!
Jennifer was consistently running ahead of us, and it was obvious we were holding her back. At around the 18 mile mark, we told her to just take off. It was also around this point that Pam's knee was giving her trouble and I was starting to get cramps in my left calf. The last three miles were very difficult for the both us, but we worked as a team and encouraged each other on.
With just two-tenths of a mile to go, I got a killer cramp in my calf. How could this happen now? I stopped to rub it out, and told Pam to keep going. There was no way I was going to hobble across the finish line after giving it my all for 26 miles. I worked my calf over as quickly as I could, and did my best impersonation a man running full speed ahead. Pam decided to wait for me, and we crossed the finish line together. Jennifer was there to greet us, as she finished ten minutes before we did. Not only that…she shattered her last marathon time by almost 50 minutes. I was really proud of her.
We hung out at the Runner's Village for a little while and celebrated our accomplishments. No personal best this day, but my times have become very consistent. My brother (who is also my doctor) suggested I try Creatine before my next race to help with the cramping. I'm open to any and all suggestions.
Next…on to Gainesville and a big decision to make.
KEEP TRACK OF MY RUNNING ON
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