Official time – 2:25:23
Ranking – 1056 out of 1254
2010 official time – 2:25:06
2010 ranking – 1002 out of 1285
It seems like I get slower and slower every year. However, I do feel the endurance building within me. I don’t worry about my time going into this race because it’s not a race where you set your PR. It’s a race that challenges your body and mind. That’s why I do it every year. This year, my goal was to get through mile 9 and 10 without walking and I did it.
Mile 1 and 2 – These were ok, but I didn’t feel the excitement and adrenaline rush that everyone else felt. I got through them at and 10:52 pace and that’s where I wanted to me.
Mile 3 and 4 – I got through the first big hill. I knew it was coming. I could see people starting to walk because they couldn’t win the fight with gravity. I wasn’t going for that. I turned up the music, put on my A-game face and pushed my way to the top.
Miles 5 – 8 – There were slight bumps in the road in one major hill, but most of it was downhill. By this time, I was starting to feel the runner’s high. I could appreciate the view around me. The weather was cool, there was no sun, and there was a few raindrops here and there to keep everyone cool.
Mile 8 – This part of the course has one of the nastiest hills that a runner has to defeat. The elevation climbs up from 2100 to 2150 ft. That’s not what make the hill nasty. When you turn the corner to go up the hill, there old people standing around cheering you on or say remarks such as ‘If I can get up this hill, you can’ or ‘You can move faster than that!’. At this point I’m thinking, ‘well if you’re so fast, why don’t you get of your rocker and come run up this hill for me?!’ I decided I would be nice this year. My definition of nice was to turn up the music and run up the hill as fast as I could without even glancing at the ‘oldies’.
Mile 9-11 – This is where the course get’s challenging. Last year, I said this part of the course was like beating a dead horse. From the moment you turn the corner after passing the 9 mile marker, the elevation goes from 2000 to 2250 ft. That doesn’t see like a lot, but when you’ve been running for 9 miles 250 increase can make a BIG difference. My goal for this part of the race was to got from mile 9 to mile 11 without taking a walk break. I didn’t care how slow I was, I was going to get up that hill without getting angry or stopping. There were times when I wanted to stop, but then I thought of my friends and how that would be cheering me on. I almost cried when I say the mile 10 marker. From that point it was mostly downhill until getting into town.
Mile 12 to finish – See downtown Asheville had such a feeling of relief! But it was far from over. It was a slow, pain incline from mile 12 to finish. As usual, my calves were not used to the higher inclines and they started to tighten. There was one more big hill before turning the corner to the finish line. I didn’t let this hill stop me. I kept running. When I turned the corner and saw the finish line, I gave everything I had and picked up my pace. I dont’ know what my picture is going to look like, but there won’t be a smile anywhere near my face.
Overall, this was one of the best marathon I have run. The time doesn’t speak for itself, but my attitude does. I got up every hill without stopping. The only thing that ticked me off was one runner that finished before me. Throughout the entire race, I watched him. He would run fast downhill, but when it was time to run up a hill, he would walk. If you’re not going to try, why run? I tried not to judge. He may have a condition where he couldn’t run up hills. Who knows? But it does upset me that, he finished before me when I plowed through the race the entire time.
I plan to take a day of two to recover, but I want to get some more miles in as soon as I can. I have less than one month before the marathon is here. I’m not too worried at this point. I don’t think I will be until I’ve passed mile 13 on the course. Until then, I can only live one day at a time.
