The good stuff

Last night I was still so focused on the fatigue and the pain--not to mention the huge load of self-doubt I carried for 26.2 miles--I completely forgot to mention the good stuff. Oh, the good stuff.

First of all, the citizens of Green Bay totally support their marathon. People on the route had music playing, some were out distributing fruit and water and hard candy, and all the volunteers were cheerful and smiling. Even the cops were friendly, and they spent a full shift stopping traffic for marathoners like me.

A church group erected an inflatable wall just past the 20-mile mark and dozens of them were there, cheering us on and dancing and stuff. Another church group handed out towels at another mile marker (I forgot which one). People were lined up on a bridge over the Fox river, cheering us on and giving us high fives.

Just before the 25-mile mark, three or four guys who were already wearing their "Finisher" medals were walking on the sidewalk and saw me. They all started clapping, yelling for me to keep it going and the 25-mile mark was just ahead.

Then there was Lambeau Field. I ran through the same tunnel where Bart Starr, Max McGee, Don Hutson, Ray Nietzsche, Jerry Kramer, Fuzzy Thurston, Paul Hornung, Reggie White, Brett Favre, and so many other legends have run. I ran on this little walkway around the outside of the playing field, and I sized up the wall where players do the Lambeau Leap. I thought about trying it, but I knew I didn't have the gas.

And then I saw my wife Linda in the stands, her arms in the air and screaming her head off for me. That was great.

The theme of the Green Bay marathon is "Touch the Tundra," referring to the Lambeau grass which is always called The Frozen Tundra. But they had the grass roped off. So I did what I could--I stuck my foot out and actually touched the tundra. Oh yeah!

Then, once I was back in the tunnel, I had to grab a wall and stretch my calves so I could make it to the finish line. And I did make it to the finish line. With the benefit of a night's sleep and a few doses of Advil, I can say that I'm glad I ran this marathon.

What was I doing there?

So I'm kicking back in a hotel room in Green Bay, Wisconsin, nearly seven hours after I completed my first marathon. How was it?

Scary, exciting, exhilarating, and absolutely brutal.

I was so nervous when I got up this morning, it was difficult to eat breakfast. I took my instant oatmeal and peanut butter from home (because you don't do anything different on race day than you did on your long runs) down to the continental breakfast room. The place was packed with runners already dressed for racing and wolfing down bagels, cereal, fruit, and such. That's when it hit me: all those guys looked like they belong in a marathon.

What the heck was I doing there?

I ate and went back to the room to get dressed. Even as I was applying multiple layers of Body Glide and pulling on my clothes, I wondered why I thought I could do this. We got on the bus for Lambeau, I checked my gear bag, and wandered into the starting corrals.

What the heck was I doing there?

Like a fool, I went out a little faster in my first mile than I intended to, and struggled a bit into the first 9 miles. At the 9-mile mark I had to get in line for the porta potty. I've never made a potty stop during a run. Ever.

This was after I'd turned in my slowest 10k ever and before I hit my slowest half marathon ever. But what was weird was, after hitting 15 miles in 2:55, I started feeling stronger. By the time I got to 18, I was feeling really good. I got through 20 strong, even though my left Achilles tendon barked at me.

But right after 23, somebody came along and stole all my energy. My calves got tight and I could barely move. It took me over 42 minutes to get through the last 3 miles. But there was the lap around Lambeau Field--as tired as I was, I refused to stop. At least until I got back to the players' tunnel again. Once I was in the bowels of the stadium, I found a wall to lean on and stretch my calves.

Then it was on to the finish line. I heard the announcer call my name and looked at my watch as I went over the final timing mat. 5:09.

I was completely drained by that point. I truly had nothing left. I had covered 26.2 miles and was still standing. And I still didn't know what the heck I was doing there.

That may take some time to figure out.

Done

Complete the circle today with a 3-mile run on the treadmill. I started this training program in January with an 8-mile run on a treadmill.

That one was because the wind chill was way below zero and the female members of my family were concerned for my safety. Today I simply wimped out. It was a cloudy, cool day with a chance of rain and I just did not want to take a chance on catching a cold.

So onto the treadmill I went. The best I can say is, I got done.

All done.

Bring on Green Bay!

One More Day

Went for an easy 3-mile run at noon. Temperature was right on the dividing line between comfortable and warm, with a wind.

But it was nice. It was certainly better than getting my lunch out of the refrigerator and chowing down on beef and pork again with a little fresh spinach on the side. One more day and then we carbo load!

Depleting Carbs

Carb depletion time--before you carbo load, you have to deplete your carbs. Doing that prepares the body to grab the carbs later and store them away.

And why do we want the body to store away carbs? It's all an effort to avoid hitting the wall. Or, as it's spelled in many marathon training books and articles, The Wall.

I already wrote about my legs stiffening up just past the 21 mile mark on my 22-mile run. I didn't do any special nutritional preparation for that run. So just maybe, by depleting carbs and then loading up on them, I can make it easier to get from the 20-mile mark to the finish line.

And I'm continuing the taper. I woke up at 10 til 5 this morning and figured, what the heck, let's get the 3 miles in now. So I did. It was great, considering that I was just starting to feel warm and in the groove just about the time I was done. Par for the course these days.

But tapering also helps us avoid The Wall, according to Bill Rodgers. We'll see if he's right.

At this point, I really can't wait.

Final Saturday Run

The last Saturday long run for the Green Bay marathon is in the books. THAT is a great feeling.

And it was a really good run. I don't know why, but I truly felt wonderful the whole time. The plan said 8 miles, so I ran the Interurban Trail to Woodside Road. From my house to Woodside is just over four miles. So there and back is an 8 mile run.

Usually the trail knocks me out. It's flat and straight and overgrown on both sides, so to me it's a bit boring. But today it felt fun. I was looking around, there were a couple deer about a hundred yards ahead of me at one point, and I never felt bored the whole time.

It was much better than the series of loops last Saturday.

It was also another solo run, and that was great. I know all about the power of a group run--I'm evidence that the group can help you go farther and faster than you think you can. But there is also a beauty, a serenity, to running along all by yourself. It's peaceful, and very enjoyable.

A week from Sunday I'll be running with 6,000 people. That will be a completely different experience.

Taper, Taper, Taper

Thursday got here soon enough, and with it came another 3 mile run as I continue the taper phase. Like I mentioned the other day, a 3 miler these days means that, just as I'm getting warmed up and feeling good, the run is over.

That was about the size of things today.

It was a good day to run, though. Temperature in the low 50s, cloud cover, and rain had gone through the area earlier. I was perfectly dressed in shorts and long-sleeved wicking shirt.

I've been thinking about clothes a lot these days. It's time to worry about the weather conditions that we'll see on marathon day, and what clothes to wear. I'm planning on taking everything with me so I can adjust to the conditions of the day.

And, of course, I'll concentrate on starting slow. Start slow and taper off.

Speaking of tapering, that phase of the training is coming along nicely. I concentrated on going slow the entire three miles today. Almost managed it, too.