Results will eventually be posted at: www.tucsonmarathon.com
Probably around 30F at start, warming to high 50's or low 60's.
Short Version:
Unofficially, 3:58:11. Had a lot of equipment/weird problems.
No PR, though still a BQ, and kept my Grand Prix lead.
Long Version:
I thought I was well-prepared. I'd packed and double-checked
everything the night before. Had a big pasta dinner early, went
to bed early and slept well. Made excellent time to the parking
area, taking my "secret" back way in (and saw a huge line of
lights backed up for miles the other way, hehe!) Followed a
couple of stray vehicles to a side parking lot I didn't know
existed, completely avoiding the parking mess. What a find!
Boarded my bus, yakked with a lady from San Diego. The bus
*did not* get lost this year, first time in two years. Bus pulls
up in long line of buses, I use the porta-pot, then get back on
and stay warm. Close to start, I get off and join the throngs
walking forward to the start area. Go potty again. Take off
sweats and put on my trash bag, head rag, and sock gloves. And
discover I'd forgotten my sweat band. Darn. I always wear a terry-
cloth sweat band when I run. In winter it covers my ears to keep
them warm, in summer I pull the back end up to raise my hair up
an inch above the neckline for air. Drop bag in drop bag bus.
Anyway, I jog around about 10 mins to warm up some, so I can
stretch my quad spot a little without worrying about injuring it.
Everything feels OK. I joke with another guy wearing a "hobo
outfit" like mine. The gun goes off right on time without tons
of announcements etc delaying it. I start off slowly and easily
(can't even jog until after the chip mat anyway, then only slowly
for a bit due to the crowd). At one mile I have to pee. I find the
most convenient-looking area to do it quickly. And I'm now warm
enough to get rid of the trash bag. And then, during mile 3, I have
to pee *again*! After that I get rid of the piece of fleece rag
under my sunvisor I'd been using to keep warm. I felt I was at the
crossover time where it would be better to let the heat out than
hold it in. It's then that I discovered that the sun visor is
too big without the forgotten sweat band. With the rag gone, it
keeps slipping down over my eyes and I have to keep pushing it up.
I slow a bit and see if I can adjust. It's already at it's smallest.
I grab a hair tie and bundle up a ponytail, and it helps to have
that to hold it in place, though it still slides down now and then.
At mile four it's time to shed my turtleneck. I dug out an old
white t-neck that was stretched and stained and could use to be
retired. But it was tough, it was one of my old, comfy ones and I
hated to just dump it. Though I guess it was an honorable retirement
to go by way of marathon. And then, I had to pee AGAIN. This was
getting quite annoying. I held until about mile 6 until I just had
to find another bush. Around mile 7 the sock gloves went. And a wind
started to pick up, coming from the right rear quarter. I thought
"Oh good, a tailwind!" but the wind started causing problems. I had
my race number mounted on a number belt, and the race number's holes
didn't line up with the belt's so I'd made new holes. Well, I got the
right one too big, and the wind's whipping the number around made it
come out of the snaps. Repeatedly. Another mistake I made, I brought
the cell phone so I could call Claude afterwards to arrange lunch. I
put the phone on the number belt in the small of my back. It kept
trying to travel all around my body, making the number shift all over
too. So I'm trying to race a marathon, as I'm pushing up a sliding
sun visor, and constantly turning a number belt, and reattaching the
number. I was very annoyed at myself for all this silliness. Oh, and
at mile 9 I had to pee again. But that was the last time. And this
time I ran out through some brambles. I looked like I'd lost a war
with a cat, I'd scratched my legs up so much another runner asked I
I knew my leg was bleeding. ARgh!! Around mile 10 I was getting a
rub spot under an arm (I was wearing a sleeveless running shirt), so
I grabbed my little sample tube of Aquaphor to salve it. (I was
wearing my shorts with back pockets). In the process of getting it
out, I dropped a gel pack and knocked the phone off, into the highway
lane! Luckily no one was there and ran it over before I stopped,
turned around, and retrieved it. Also stopped and got the gel pack.
This is all not very condusive to concentrating on one's running.
My pace was all over the board, and I was thinking more about all
the stuff staying in place than about the race! I tried to snap the
paper (tyvek I think) into the belt without luck. Finally, around
maybe mile 14 I slowed way down, put a lot of muscle into it, and
snapped it through the paper. It then never came off again. One
solved. Oh, and did I mention that when I made the ponytail I missed
some strands, which then, due to the wind, kept blowing into my
mouth? Har!
For a little bit I actually though about the running again. I had
been now and then going through the relax sequence. Probably around
mile 17 my hams tightened up some, and I was then keeping some notice
of them so they wouldn't cramp like they did in the 10-mile race.
So far all the eating and drinking had gone perfectly. My stomach was
as fine as could be. Of course, my quads were getting pretty tired and
beat (it's a net downhill course), but so far much better than in the
past. One more wonderful goof, grabbing for some gels from the Clif
folks (around mile 20), I dropped them. What's with all the klutz
today?? I pick them up and go. The Clif folks also had their new
Clif Bloks out and I took two and ate them. These are GREAT- they are
electrolyte replacement in an organic gummy cube. They taste good
and my stomach liked them too. I actually felt better and more
energetic after the cubes. Anyway, for a bit I am able to pick it
up some, and actually concentrate on the race. I've realized long
ago that a PR is completely out of the picture, but I am still within
the BQ. I just have to come in under 4:00. This was actually the best
finish I've ever had in a marathon. I usually fade badly the last
miles, this time I kept about the same. I was *passing* people, which
is unusual!! And I encouraged a few that I'd talked to earlier that
were fading. I even had quite the decent sprint finish, passing
four guys in the last 0.2 miles. One even yelled out "hey, not
fair!"
So I'm calling this a real learning experience. No cell phones. Snap
the number in through the paper, forget the holes. Don't forget the
sweat band. Don't overhydrate, if possible. It wasn't my body that
was the failing this time, it was the mind. I wasn't concentrating
on the race, I was futzing with all the little annoyances. I am of
course stiff and sore today, but MUCH less than usual. One small toe
blister, one small rub spot, right hip (prob ITB) is a little sore,
scratched legs. That's it. No real injuries. I expect to be 100% really
soon. Though does make me wonder how I might have done had I been
concentrating on the race!
Splits:
9:23
9:04
9:02
9:08
8:23
9:00
8:24
8:44
9:09
8:55
9:06
9:14
9:21
9:31
9:03
9:25
8:38
8:42
8:39
9:22
9:48
8:54
9:34
9:23
9:06
avg pace ~9:05 or 6
Thanks for reading!
Teresa in AZ (W 45-49 in case you're wondering)