Recap of Snickers

I just found out that my new PR is now 5:05:12. I was able to shave off 4 minutes off of my last time. Looking back I know that there many times I probably messed up my time. I was on pace with the 5:00 pace team up to mile 5 and then went on with 2 others, Greg a Marathon Maniac and some other women that I cant remember her name. Sorry.I was now on a pace of a 4:45 at an 11:04 pace with them. I was feeling good until around mile 18 or so. I just felt as if I could not catch my breath no matter how hard I tried.

I then slowed back to my pace and that is when it hit me. I had only taken a couple of electrolyte pills and 2 gummy gels. No regular gels. I think this might have had something to do with it along with the lack of serious training.

At this time I started hearing sirens and I was praying I would not go around a corner and see someone I knew lying on the ground. But it was worse. When I came into one of the subdivision alleys I heard someone yell out my name. When I turned back I saw my friend Tommy holding his leg. I screamed at him "What are you doing here?" I was sort of emotional at that time. He said his hamstring was cramping up. He had trained so hard and so long for this race and now it was going downhill. I told him to run with me as my pace leader went by. Gabby, our leader, was encouraging us to try and keep up. She was awesome. Very energetic and some great eye candy too.

We ran together for about a mile and then Tommy told me to go on and try to beat my PR. I told him I came to run and not leave a friend behind and I meant it. He told me to go on and tell his girls that he would be a little late. So off I went after making sure Tommy was going to be OK. It is the paramedic in me to think of someone else before thinking of myself and the main fact that is the Godly thing to do with friends.

I was struggling to try and think about the 5:00 but it was not happening. I remember seeing the 20 mile clock and it said 3:51 and I thought I have 1:08 to run a 10K right now. Well that would have been great if I was feeling fresh but it was getting HOT. I was getting very hungry and wanting a cheeseburger with fries. I kept asking everyone at the stations and bystanders if they had one. It brought back memories of the scenes from Badwater.

As I approached mile 22 I saw a racing shirt like mine and I thought Terry was running the half and came back to get me. I was surprised to see him and he told me he was doing the full and craps were slowing him down. I told him to come on a lets run together and he said he could not cause of the cramps. I started thinking man when is it going to hit me. Now I was getting scared. I started cranking up the tones in the radio with both ears pieces in now. I kept trying to pump the fist and wishing I had Amy there to push me in like at Disney.

Then there was the mile 25 sign and I had about 9 minutes to a sub 5. Well I am not a Kenyan so I knew to concentrate and go for the PR. I kept looking at the hill and saying you are not going to beat me this year. Well it hurt because it was hitting me with everything it had. My left calf started to cramp up. I turned to see the camera waiting for us at the train depot and turned it on. Well we all do when we see the cameras.

I saw Tommy's girls and told them he was running a little late and he was coming. Now we are going through the depot with the finish line in sight. LEG CRAMPS NOW HURTING!!!!!! I stopped for a minute and saw the sign at mile 26 that said finish strong so I did. I put it out there and went in saying to myself "it is now over and once again you are a marathoner".

I will try and post my split time later and figure out just exactly what I did wrong.