Pace: 6:33 min./per mile avg. (race), 7:35 min./per mile avg. (easy)Weather: Partly Cloudy, 53°F
Course: Rochester Marathon Leg 3: from Embankment Park to Clinton at the Erie Canal, out and back.
Pre-Race Observations: Rolling out of bed this morning at 4:50 a.m. (about ten minutes before my alarm was set to go off) with a stuffy nose, dry mouth, and slight headache, I was glad to have about an hour to pull it together. Following my pre-run rituals of a warm shower, a check of the on-line weather report, two cups o’ joe and a bowl of Irish oats, I felt as ready as I’m ever going to be to make my way into the very dark morning and meet my team for today’s Rochester Marathon Relay.
Post-Run Reflections: What a great morning! Despite my own bad health, a concern which was more than compensated for by my teammates, we ran very well combing for a time of less that three hours! When I started and finished my leg we were in second place overall and finished in (I think) third place, although I thought we were closer to fourth or fifth. As it turned out, my comrades were very well prepared for this morning’s run and though the four of us were running as an “Open Division” Team, it was a most excellent experience being part of the larger GRTC collection of teams.So, while I did PR at the odd distance of six miles flat with a time of 39:20, I also continued on to complete an additional seven miles, thereby completing the entire marathon course, in 1:32:00. There is nothing like coming down the finish of one’s hometown marathon, and despite my not having running the marathon, I still get jazzed by pushing myself to finish strong… and hearing my name called out is pretty sweet, too!
Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!
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