Rockin' & Rollin' and Runnin' in Arizona

The Race

The plan was to run with the 4:00 pace group. At the halfway point, we would see how we felt and adjust accordingly. That would also ensure that we didn’t start too fast. I’d also practiced in training GU’s at every 5 miles. Race temp at the start was 50 degrees and it was suppose to top out at 78 degrees. I wished it could have been a little cooler but you take what is given to you and deal with it. First GU 15 minutes before the race.

Miles 1-5… 8:51, 8:50, 9:03, 8:57, & 8:49. The pacer was all over the place as you can tell. Her plan was to run 9:00 splits for the first 18 miles running through the stations then walk through the rest of the station. With approximately 8,000 marathoners, the start was pretty crowded. I stayed with sight of the pace leader and caught the group around mile 2. Mile 5 was when Scott and I decided that if she was going to run like this, we could do that on our own. I also started feeling a little twinge on the inside part of my ankle on the right foot. It stayed with me the entire race. Second GU at mile 5.

Miles 6-10… 8:55, 8:57, 9:03, 8:53, & 9:02. We left the pacer and decided to run on our own at mile 6. We crossed the 10K at 55:36. This was slightly ahead of where we should have been. We both felt good but knew not to push the pace because we still had a long way to go. The view was really nice after we turned onto Missouri. Up ahead of us was Camelback Mountain. Somewhere through these miles, a bank sign read 60 degrees. I also saw my girlfriend and her Uncle at mile 9. They were a sight for sore eyes or ankles. Third GU at mile 10.

Miles 11-15… 9:05, 8:51, 8:54, 9:42, & 8:27. My stomach started acting up around mile 11 but I kept moving forward. It was either going to go away or we would need to stop. We made it through the half way point at 1:57:41 both still feeling really good… other than my stomach. My stomach didn’t subside so we made a pit stop at mile 14. I was so worried about making up the difference that I didn’t realize we cruised through mile 15. Was this going to be a huge mistake??? Fourth GU at Mile 15.

Miles 16-20… 8:51, 8:50, 8:45, 8:46, and 8:50. The only thing I thought during these miles was that the race was just getting ready to start. From what I had heard and read, mile 20 was where it would become all mental. As you will read, I definitely understand that now. Nice and steady pace for these miles. A bit fast? Probably. But they felt alright. I saw Kristi and Howard again at mile 20. She handed me a banana, gave me some encouragement, and we were on our way. With the exception of the first aid station, I took water/Cytomax at each station and poured water in my hat. Fifth and final GU at mile 20. Our 20 mile split was 2:59:08.

Miles 21-26.2… 9:05, 8:47, 9:06, 9:12, 9:02, 9:24, and the last .35 was at 8:59. Only a 10 K to go. I don’t know who ever thought that was a good thing but 6.2 miles after already running 20 SUCKS. That last 10K goes by SO slow. I knew that if I could hold a nice easy pace, 4:00 would be possible. We turned the corner at mile 20.5 and headed into a stiff breeze. This lasted for 1-1.5 miles. The breeze was actually nice because it was so warm. Mile 22 was where it started to hurt. Every joint in my legs were screaming for me to stop. I ALMOST gave in but Scott wouldn’t let me. He kept me encouraged when I was ready to give up. We encountered a slight uphill over the Rio Salado that started at mile 23. My time shows mile 26 was my toughest by mentally, I think it was 24. On a normal run, 2.2 miles doesn’t seem long but when you have already run 24 miles, 2.2 is an eternity. I dug as deep as I could for the closing miles. One foot in front of the other… the marathon shuffle as I heard it called. I finally saw the 26 mile sign and I knew I was about to finish the hardest thing that I have encountered to date. I crossed the finish line with my hands raised in the air at roughly 3:58:45. I was so ready to collapse but I received my medal, grabbed some food, picked up my bag, and headed to the family reunion area.

My official time as of today was 3:55:58. We missed an even split by :36. Scott came up with the following stats that really put the icing on the cake for me. At the halfway point, we were roughly 2,555 people back. In the second half of the race, we picked up roughly 850 spots. Of those 850 spots, we picked up roughly 390 of them in the last 6.2 miles.

With the help of Scott throughout the race, I can now and for the rest of my life officially say “I am a MARATHONER”. What a great feeling knowing that I could conquer something like that.

And if anybody is wondering if another Marathon is in my future, the answer is yes. I am already scouting a 2nd half of the year marathon… maybe Chicago, maybe Memphis.

Arizona is such a beautiful place in the winter. The scenery was spectacular, the environment was electric, and the bands were encouraging. This was a very organized race. The total participants for the Rock-n-Roll Marathon/ Half Marathon made it the largest combined event in the world. If you are looking for a great destination for a marathon, this is it.