25 October
5:00am – my alarm goes off, and I have had probably the best night of sleep before a marathon, ever! I eat a bowl of corn flakes and drink some OJ with my Melaleuca vitamins. 6:05am – Martha and I have the kids packed in the car, and we head north to Washington. 7:08am – We finally manage to find a way into Ft. Meyers and a great parking spot. We load Nathan and Amy into the stoller and head down to the Iwo Jima Memorial for the start of the race. 8:28am – The race starts, and I am wearing shorts, Oakleys, and my Asics DS Trainer 96s. I have one Access Bar pinned to my shorts. The race starts with about 16,000 runners. I have no shirt on since the temperature is already about 60 degrees. Start 0:28
The race is packed, but I have strategically placed myself perfectly.Mile 1 7:53
The first mile is done, I will see how I feel before I make my decision for a goal time.Mile 2 7:23
This is feeling good, let’s see what happens. My Access bar has come off, so I hold it in my hands while I run.Mile 3 7:32
Okay, maybe a sub-3:20 is a good possibility.Mile 4 7:27
Hold steady on this pace for the next 22 miles, and I will be in great shape.Mile 5 7:08
I am now cranking, but I don’t think this is too hard. I am not breathing hard, but I am losing a little too much sweat (although I don’t realize this at the time).Mile 6 7:11
The crowd has really turned out since the weather is so nice and warm!Mile 7 7:15
This pace doesn’t feel too hard, maybe I could drop down to a 3:15 or less.Mile 8 7:25
I try to hold myself back as the crowd is huge and cheering loudly.Mile 9 7:14
This feels good, but my experience tells me that in these balmy conditions, a 3:10 isn’t possible.Mile 10 7:28
Just hold this nice pace.Mile 11 7:12
Hold back, but I feel good, although water is pouring out of my body. The temperature is close to 70.Mile 12 7:30
I need to keep this pace at least this slow. The water stops are only every two miles.Mile 13 7:29
I decide to eat my Access bar now. My mouth is so dry, it is a challenge, but I overcome.Mile 14 7:25
A good mile considering I was eating with a dry mouth while I ran.Mile 15 7:41
The heat continues to build, and I don’t know when the water loss will take its toll.Mile 16 7:50
Some uphill into the wind. The wind feels good because of the cooling effect, but it does slow me down some.Mile 17 7:35
I head into Hanes Point, a.k.a. death valley of the MCM.Mile 18 7:14
It is really hot without the wind blowing in my face, but with times like these, who cares?Mile 19 8:22
I care, as the heat is starting to take its toll.Mile 20 8:48
I see Rich Leino and then Steve Lawson going the other way, so I have a couple of miles on them.Mile 21 9:04
Okay, I am down to the survival state because of the intense conditions (temp. 75 or so). I get some water and figure that I can coast in with 9 minute miles.Mile 22 9:41
It is hot. Hopefully, there is water soon. I still think every marathon should definitely have water at every mile after 20.Mile 23 9:46
No water in sight. It has no been two miles since I had a little drink of life sustaining H20.Mile 24 13:15
At 23.5 miles, my back cramps a little around my kidneys, and I make the wise decision to walk until the next water stop, if there is one. Finally, just after the 24 mile mark, they decide to let us have some more water.Mile 25 15:55
I got some water, but my legs are done, and I have plans to run the JFK 50 in four weeks. Therefore, I walk this mile.Mile 26 10:28
Andrew Faulkner (also running the JFK 50) comes up to me and mentions trying to get under 3:45. I decide it is worth running for, so I get going. The crowd is huge, and enjoying the beautifully hot October weather, and I charge up the hill heading into the Memorial.Mile 26.2 1:59
I am running pretty well up the hill for a totally dehydrated person. I ignore my leg muscles and pass a couple of people. My energy level is good thanks to the Access bars, but my legs are shot due to lack of water. The day was definitely too hot for the Polarbear running a marathon. I finish in 3:41:38, my 7th fastest of now 10 marathons. It is now time to begin the recovery process, and I hope that the weather cools off between now and November 21.Final note: I have the JFK 50 on my schedule, and then I don’t know what I will run next. I will most likely run Pittsburgh in May, but don’t know if I will do one in January or February. Thank you for your support. Darin
