Bob, Mark and I gathered pre-dawn and walked from the City Market to the start line. We did make a detour and got warm in a hotel lobby(Thank you Westin). After a couple of pictures taken, Bob and I headed to the start area.
There weren't any signs up to say where the pace corrals were. So we took our chances and picked what we thought was the middle. Truth be told, it was probably the 10:00-11:00 min/mile pace group. No worries. If people zipped past us it didn't matter.
The race started with little fanfare(lack of good sound equipment). We were off. Bob and I had a plan, and a timer. We would run 5 minutes and walk 1 minute. As the race got into the later stages we would make some changes. Not much talking at the start of the race - we were about the business of getting it done.
The race went well in these early stages. Timer would go off, we would run. Timer would go off we would walk. We were on pace for the first 4 miles for a 3:15 finish. We were loose and running easy. The chats we had were about what other people were wearing. There were running kilts, tutus, sequined skirts, and the women wore.....just kidding. There was also some guy wearing a Notre Dame shirt. Oddly enough this guy drew quite a bit of cheers from the crowd of, "Go Irish!"
As the race went on, Bob suggested we go to a 4/1 interval. I was fine with that as I was slowing down some. Bob was ahead by a bit, but on our walk breaks I would be up with him, and we chatted about life, running, and how cold we were. Bob had cold hands, even with gloves. I was gloveless and was fine until later in the race.
The cold was affecting my feet. I was stiff early in my ankles and feet. Arthritis is a nasty thing. Add insult to injury, the later the race went, a snowy rain started. Now my feet were really hurting. It affected how I ran. I made smaller steps, as the road felt slick. One guy from the crowd yelled I might be faster if I took larger steps. Bob pointed out he could probably run if he lost 200 lbs.
Around mile 7 or 8 the decision was made to go 1/1 intervals. I was happy with that. My feet were hurting, and the walking was better for me. Meanwhile, we were enjoying the city. Bob and I talked about the cool houses we were seeing, the interesting architecture, and the people out to cheer us on. There were lots of high school kids volunteering and cheering. They did a great job, and we let them know it.
At mile 12 all I wanted was the finish line. Bob was so good to keep me going. He was nothing but encouraging. The last few miles we were running with the marathoners. So it was great to see how they were doing.
As we neared about a 1/2 mile, I turned to Bob, and asked him if he was ready to finish this. He was, and we pushed on. The crowds were larger. The cheers of "Go Irish!" were more frequent, and very encouraging. Bob and I hung with each other every step of the way. As we rounded the final corner, we could see the finish line. Before crossing it, Bob reached his hand out, and we crossed the line together hands clasped. Mark was beaming when he met up with us. All was good.Running with Bob was an absolute joy. When I needed encouragement, he was there. He didn't leave me in the dust. He said we would run together and we did. It may not have been the fastest race either of us every had, but it was a darned good time. Proud to have Bob as my friend, and I would run a race with him any time. I have been invited to Kentucky to run a race with him. I told him he would need to eliminate some hills in his area. Evidently that is not an easy thing to do.
The final time was 3:32:29. Not zippy, but with the pain I was in, I will take it. A good day in Indy!
Charlie
1 comment:
Well Done!
Nerokitty (suesan)
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