Marathon Analysis

So as many of you know by now I successfully completed my first ever marathon. I thought I could use this post to give an analysis of the race. I hope that you've already noticed the handy-dandy map above. I thought it would be helpful when I'm talking about the various sections of the course, feel free to zoom in and out on the map and follow along.

The start of the race begins at Clinch Ave heading west, look for the green circle with the triangle in it.

Pre-Start - 10K

On race day, I woke up at 5:30am and immediately ate my bowl of Cheerio's, had a glass of water, and put on my lucky spandex. I did all the preparatory work necessary for a marathon (i.e. putting Band Aids on my nipples and applying lube where the sun don't shine). Once this was done I ate a protein bar and had another glass of water. The time now is about 6:30am. Josh and Holly picked us up at 6:45am to head down to the starting line.

Traffic was nuts and I was a little anxious that we would be late for the start (7:30am), so we got out of their truck and walked to the convention center where a mass assembly of runners awaited. Normally before races I like to make sure that I use the bathroom. Today was no exception. When I saw the line to the men's bathroom, I prepared myself for the worst. Let me just say that going to the bathroom after several hundred other runners was an experience in itself. The smell was atrocious. I don't get queasy very often but when I entered my stall, I gagged.

Once that was done, we headed towards the start. They corral you according to your anticipated time. I was in the 4 - 4:30 hour corral. The gun went off and people began moving west up Clinch Ave. It was a good 2 - 3 blocks until I was able to get into my running stride. I had passed the first mile marker in the UT campus without realizing it. Part of my strategy was to take walk breaks at each mile. A runner to my left informed me that I had missed it so I walked shortly there after. I forgot to mention that there are Pacers in the marathon. How this works is a person, the pacer, will have the time they are expected to finish in on their back. Their function is to help you accomplish your time goal (if you have one). Any ways, when I took my first walk break, the 4 hr pacer went right past me. It was all that I could do to resist chasing him. I knew I had to keep discipline with the walk breaks if I wanted to enjoy the experience. I stuck to my breaks and caught up shortly afterwords.

(at mile 11)

The next significant event took place around mile marker 6 or near the 10K point. I'm running in Sequoya Hills or Cherokee Blvd, and I notice a group of older ladies on the sidelines drinking enormous Bloody Mary's. I heard one of them saying, "We're doing this for you". They seemed like a fun group. My 10K time was around 55 minutes, which meant that I was on track to finish the marathon in just under 4hrs.

From 10K - 15miles

My legs were feeling great at the 10K mark and beyond. Noelton (mile 7ish) is the street with the dreaded hill. It's not the longest hill, but it's one of the sharpest inclines on the whole course. There were lots of spectators cheering runners on. I met a guy on this hill who is from Rodgersville, TN and we ran together from this point until about mile 11. He was really nice and this was his first race in Knoxville. He was running the half marathon and looking for somebody to keep pace with. Another person I ran with for a short while was the Mayor of Knoxville, Mr. Bill Haslam. He's also running for Governor for TN this year. I didn't make any small talk with him because I didn't know what to say; I regret that decision.

At about mile 11 or 12 there was a group of very drunk college students dressed up in all sorts of costumes. The one I most remember is the guy dressed up as a Hot Dog. I later found out that Mr. Hot Dog was taken to the hospital by ambulance because he overheated and had way too much to drink. That combination led him to pass out and hit his head on the ground. I hear that he's doing fine. I admire their dedication of cheering on runners. The magnitude of the race set in once the marathoners and half marathoners split to go their separate ways. I clocked in at just under 2 hours for my half marathon time, and I was still ahead of the 4hr pacer. However a couple of miles later the pacer past me at mile 15. I would never again be ahead of the 4hr group.

16miles - a rain storm - 25miles

In the Parkridge neighborhood (Winona St. and Caswell Park) I rejoined a runner I had met prior to the start. Mile 17 is when I met up again with a Salt Lake City native who was running his 21st marathon; by looking at him I'd say he was in his 70s. He started running when he turned 50 and runs a marathon or two each year. His goal is to run one in each of the 50 states. I wish him the best of luck. I kept pace with him for about a mile or so and then he took off like a flash when we approached a downhill. "I need to let it out on the downhills. I'm too old to do anything on the up hills. Good luck," were his last remarks to me.

My wall, or the point where I could care less if I finished, happened at about mile 20 or 21. I was on James White Parkway and I remember my legs feeling really heavy. My stride was more of a shuffle at this point. James White connects south Knoxville, and it's very exposed. I could see what the next 4 miles looked like for me and it just seemed to go on forever. I was still in between the 4hr pacer and the 4:15hr pacer. My breathing never bothered me, it was just that my legs felt so heavy.

I conquered James White and headed into Island Home (mile 22 Island Home Blvd). Halfway into the neighborhood it poured down rain. The rain felt good at first but then I became really cold. And my feet were now soaked. Prior to the rain, my face was a salt lick and my eyes burned at first when the rain came. The rain was a good motivator to pick up my pace and get this race over with. It rained on and off until I finished, but never a down pour.

I knew I was on the homestretch when I was crossing the Gay St Bridge. This was a much welcomed sign. I knew that the rest of the course would be mostly flat and there were no major hills left. At mile 25 my watch timer read: 4hrs. I had 15 minutes to run 1.2 miles to reach my goal.

The Finish - 26.2 miles

(I'm in the center)

A smile broke on my face as I saw the 25 mile marker. It's almost over. I was kind of sad at the same time. I mean, I really enjoyed myself and I met so many wonderful people. My legs were tired but I knew I had the 1.2 miles left in me. I spotted a guy wearing a yellow jersey and kept my pace with him until the finish. He really helped me pull through in the end. In fact I passed him with .2 miles left. But he ended up passing me at the finish line. I didn't care; he did his job. I finished at 4:13:50. The feeling was incredible and it can't be described only experienced. I was given my medal and fancy runner's hat and a space blanket to help me warm up.

(My bloody toe)

It was great to see Rachel in the stands cheering me on in the end. We both finished our races without any major issues. I would really like to run another marathon again but not anytime soon. I can tell that my body needs the rest and I would like to do other things besides run all the time. I'm still a little sore but not that bad. Below are a few pics from the race and I hope to find more soon. I'll recap the training experience here sometime soon. Take care.