Sunday, January 15, 2017

First Light Marathon and Travel


Wake up Maggie I think I’ve got something to say to you…as if on cue started playing on the sound system at the Hampton as I hit the down button the elevator to get breakfast in the lobby. There are moments when it seems like the universe is trying to tell you that things are going to turn out fine and hearing one of my favorite songs mid worry is about as clear a sign as I could get. It was just a little after 5AM on January 8th and I was within two hours of trying to run a marathon when I hadn’t been able to run at all for the last three weeks because of shin splints in my left leg. I had an insert in my shoe, a compression sleeve on my lower leg but little confidence in how this was going to turn out. Still, the race had been paid for long ago and I really didn’t want to have to reschedule Alabama for another time.

We had driven the 8 hours to Mobile on Saturday morning from Missouri City the day before and the kids weren’t really thrilled with the trip. Mainly because it was unseasonably cold and probably also because we didn’t have any kid-specific fun on the weekend itinerary. The trip on I-10 East was fairly uneventful. We stopped in Louisiana at a Popeye’s and again at the Mississippi Welcome Center to give the kids a chance to run around, but as much as they hated being in the car, they had no interest in picking up pine cones in the cold.



We got into Mobile just before 3 in the afternoon and headed straight to the Expo which was at a government building just down the street. My initial impression of the city was that it was incredibly pretty and a shame that we were here when walking around to see the sites around Mobile Bay was not going to be so fun. The Mississippi Blues Marathon which was to be held on Saturday was cancelled because of snow and ice in Jackson but where we were it was just cold and windy. We saw remnants of the winter storm all along our drive over but we were travelling just after it had passed. A lot of runners in the 50 States club run both Mississippi Blues and First Light so at least they would get one race in this weekend. I may not be the most stable person in the world but to date I haven’t been crazy enough to run two marathons in one weekend. The expo was small but nice. We were glad to be out of the wind and the kids played on a set of stairs as we unwound from the drive and waited to check into our hotel. There would be no walking around Mobile Bay and not one person suggested it.
I grabbed some food and made Beth her first coffee of the morning and headed back to the room where everyone else was asleep. The weather called for an overnight low of 23 degrees so we decided that the cheering section could sleep in, hang out at the hotel, and we would meet up at the finish line when it was warmer. We didn’t exactly know when to expect that meeting to occur since I hadn’t run in so long. It was entirely possible to get to the starting line feeling refreshed, not having any pain, and having a good run. In reality I knew that I would be lucky to finish and had made a plan to jog slowly and even insert walk breaks if need be. I had been perplexed by this particular case of shin splints as it seemed to take longer than the previous cases I have had and flair up again each time I had thought it might be under control. I had planned on doing a test run or two before the marathon but ultimately decided to just use the last few days to keep resting it.



The Hampton was only about a quarter mile from the starting line and I kissed everyone and headed out on the walk down Government Street. There was a relay and half marathon associated as well as Full marathon so there were quite a few runners shivering as I approached the Start line. I stretched out as best I could and kept reminding myself to not do anything stupid once the race started and with some luck we would be able to check Alabama off of the map today. After a rousing rendition of the National Anthem we were off. I settled in the back at a snail’s pace and the adventure began.
I felt my shin for the first time before the first half mile had passed but it was less of a pain and more of a tugging sensation. The compression sleeve surely was helping somewhat but this sensation quickly served as a warning that there would be no attempting to push the pace today unless I wanted to end up limping and not able to finish. I settled in and then began an internal debate over whether inserting walk breaks during the run would help or if they would make things worse and give my shin time to swell up- I decided against them
Splits (1-10): 10:49, 10:30, 10:26, 10:28, 10:20, 10:14, 10:11, 10:47 ,10:36, 10:30
I spent the early miles just looking around at the city and monitoring my leg. Still tugging, feeling best on flat ground, decent on ascents, and worst on descents. There were not a ton of spectators out other than the aid station volunteers but that was not surprising considering the weather, and they were all so nice. I remember a lot of nice old large houses and a couple of frozen water fountains in yards during these miles. There was a little panic near mile 8 as I knew the half and full marathon courses were supposed to split at this but we were all waived in the same direction. I was asking other runners and one advised that she had asked the officer at the intersection and apparently the split for the two races had been moved a little further along. When the two courses did split and the half marathon runners left us things did thin out somewhat but since the relay runners were doing the full course as well it didn’t get too sparse at any point.
Splits (11-20) 11:08, 12:37, 12:03, 11:45, 12:49, 12:31, 12:57, 13:03, 13:48, 13:12
As you can tell from the splits miles 11-20 were rougher. My leg hurt as we headed to mid-town although I could still keep moving. I figured if I could make it to the halfway point ok without walking then I’d figure out a way to finish- maybe not the brightest plan but that’s how it went through my mind then. We ran through two colleges- The University of Southern Alabama and another one later that slips my mind. I always love running through colleges- it reminds me of all the miles Beth and I logged in Charlottesville around UVA back in the day. I’m sure that things didn’t look real great as I kept having the guys roaming the course on bicycles come up and ask me if I was ok. At first I thought it was just Southern Friendliness but the second time it happened I realized that my stride probably looked like a mess to anyone watching. I distinctly remember running up a hill and having a lady running/power walking in front of me that I couldn’t catch.



Miles 20-26: 12:15, 12:51, 13:00, 12:42, 12:56, 12:49
I do not know what the slight speed up was a result of over the last six miles. There were more people out at the day went on and I knew that I would finish even if not in the best shape. I kept plodding, smiling at volunteers, and assuring the bicycle spotters that I would not require medical intervention no matter how bad I looked.
Finish: 5:10:14 (11:51 Pace)
I took my headphones completely out on mile 24 to appreciate the last two miles completely. As we got closer to where we had started I could see the large hotels near the Bay come into view. Mobile’s architecture is reminiscent of New Orleans in places with many balcony of ornate iron. As I passed the 26 mile mark and peered down the narrow street looking for the finish line I saw Beth and the kids cheering on the side of the road. They had gotten bored of the hotel and even though it was a little chilly still decided to come out and ended up buying some doll clothes from a local seamstress.
L’Arche Mobile supports adults with developmental disabilities. I had heard that the medals would be handmade but didn’t give much thought to the finish until I got near and saw participants of the program handing out the wooden medals, smiling proudly, and offering support and water to the runners. It was one of the neatest finish line scenes that I have encountered to date. I was irritated when glancing up at the finish clock of how slow I had run but that quickly disappeared as I finished and met up with my family.




We walked back to the hotel where I changed in a public restroom while Mitch amused himself with rocks he had collected from the landscaping. Everything seemed pretty normal. My lower leg was swollen and I left the compression sleeve on for the time being figuring it would be a little while before I knew whether I had made things any worse or not.
We got on the road back to Houston after the race driving pretty much straight through save for a McDonald’s stop and another at a Love’s to get gas, arriving back home about 10:30 at night or so. The post script to all of this was that my calf actually was no worse for wear after the marathon amazingly and actually ended up completely healed by the end of the week after the race.

I’m luckier than smart sometimes. On to the next adventure….

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