1st Race Report

I wrote this earlier and am just getting around to posting it.

5/6/2007 Rexcorp Long Island Marathon, 1/2 Marathon and 10K

Race Report (Race Day)

This was my first 1/2 marathon and first race longer than 5K. My unofficial time was 2:23:46. I'm not sure when the chip time will be available, but I understand that photos from the race are available at www.islandphoto.com. I will check it out when I get home. (I checked and there's nothing.) I'm actually writing this up as my wife and kids are driving me home. We are on our way to an unnamed pizza on Long Island. My two cohorts, Chris Joline and Josh Goldfarb, and I ran the 1/2 marathon today. We started together and by mile 4 we were running our individual races.

At the start of the race it was windy and chilly. The chilly was ok cause the running would take care of that, but there were some strong headwinds; nothing like what was experienced in Boston a couple of weeks ago as I experienced vicariously through Steve Runner's podcast, but it was windy for us. Despite the headwind that seemed to follow me around the course, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day for running.

We started off near the back of the pack and it took a good couple of minutes before we actually started running. The horn blew at 8:00 and within a couple of minutes we had passed over the chip time mat and we were off! It is amazing the diversity of people out on the course, each running for their own reasons. There was a group that were "Friends of Karen", Team in Training, a gaggle of runners dressed in outfits that one could only imagine that the wearers thought humorous; in my mind, they just looked a bit goofy.

Chris and I ran together for about the first 4 miles and then I decided to make my move. I broke away and I was off…actually I'm about a 10:30 miler and Chris is about a 10:40 miler so it wasn't really much of a break. In fact, Chris mentioned that it was at mile 10 that he could no longer see my head (It only took me 6 miles to loose him!)

I just kept thinking the whole time that I was out there how lucky I am to be able to do this. I remember when I couldn't run a mile and then the first time I was able to run 3 and then 5 and then…The members of my running club, "The Big Boned Runners" are planning to run the Disney Marathon this upcoming January and the other thought that I had during the race was that I would be able to run the distance. All I have to do to run the distance is double today's distance. This shouldn't be a problem, it only takes time.

During the "race" I kept thinking, oh that's interesting, or look at that person or what's up with that guy. I must say, there wasn't a minute I was bored. There were so many things to see, so many tricks the mind began to play...My longest run before Sunday was 10.26 miles. The last 1 mile was soooooo long. I didn't want to walk. I ran the whole thing. I know intellectually that if there was 2 hrs and 20 minutes of running and 3 minutes of walking, who cares.

In the final stretch, where the shoot starts and the balloons guide the way, a woman and I were moving towards the finish. I opened up the jets and sprinted it out. I kicked her ass! It was quite comical and I was hoping to get it on film. Alas, the news crew there was unable to provide me with the footage, so if anyone from Long Island reads this and has access to LI Marathon Reel 3 that's the one I'm on and I'd appreciate a copy.