Edinburgh Marathon 22 May

The big day. It was indeed the experience of a lifetime. Not knowing really what to expect, it was everything I thought it would be with some unexpected surprises thrown in, both good and bad.

Overall the weekend was fantastic. Tanya, the kids, and I flew up to Edinburgh early Friday morning. We started out very early, leaving the house at 0430 for a 0630 flight! After dropping the luggage off at the hotel and contending with a lost shoe, we had lunch at a local pub and visited the Edinburgh Castle. Afterwards we walked around town a bit looking around and taking in some local color.

Saturday was Tanya's race. She ran her very first 5K. She came in under 40 minutes at 37:38. The kids & I cheered her on as she ran to the finish line. We were very proud of her. We celebrated her achievement with lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. We went back to the hotel early so I could get ready for my big day and get a good night's rest.

I was up early to make sure I had enough time to get everything done and get to the race in plenty of time. I  didn't leave myself enough time at my last race and it was a bit stressful, something I wanted to avoid. I had a little breakfast before leaving the hotel and I arrived at the start in plenty of time. I walked around a bit and sat down for a cup of coffee. After finishing the coffee I headed back to the start and stopped at some mall type place that was open to finish getting ready. It was cool, windy, and raining so it was nice to be able to finish getting ready inside. I turned in my shortly after 0900 and got in line for the toilet. I wanted to do everything I could not to have to stop during the race! I warmed up and stretched and went to the starting pen. The start was pretty organized I thought. Runners lined up in order of predicted finish so it wasn't too bad at the start...everybody around you would be running at about the same pace (theoretically).

I was very excited, anxious, and nervous in the minutes leading up to the start. Excited and anxious because it was my first time, I had prepared and trained well, and I was ready to go! Nervous because it was my first time and I didn't know what to expect. 26 miles over more than 3 hours...impossible to predict conditions 2 1/2 hours into it at mile 18 for example!

The gun went off pretty much on schedule and off I went on my first marathon adventure. I had 4 gels with me and no water. I studied the route previously and there were plenty of water stations. I also made sure I was hydrated prior to starting. Not something I did very well while training. Based on water station locations, I planned to eat the gels at miles 5, 11, 16, and 22. Based on previous training runs, I figured that was adequate.

I was overcome by excitement at the start so I had to remind myself not to start out too fast. I ran just like always had during my training (good advice from my trainer, Paul) and stuck to my planned intensity, 75-80%...since I was so well prepared, I knew that would have me finishing right when I wanted...unforeseen circumstances notwithstanding.

The first few miles went great. I got water at almost all the water stations, actually stopping at the planned intervals to eat the gels. I hadn't practiced "eating on the run" and I didn't want to do it for the first time during the race, although by the end I wished I had.... The gels are quite thick and I didn't want to gag, choke, or trip and fall because I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I was pretty quick and although I didn't actually time the stops, I'm sure they were less than a minute each.

The weather was pretty good for running. about 10 degrees C at the start, windy (more on that later), partly cloudy with some intermittent showers and a few sunny spells. I wore my long sleeve shirt and during the course of the race I both wished I had worn my short sleeve shirt and was glad I wore long sleeves.  The course took us along the beach which was very nice. the view was fantastic. For most of the route there were cheering supporters along the way. The numbers varied from very few to hundreds along the route.

As I reached the halfway mark I was feeling great...better than I had at the same point during my long training runs. Starting at about mile 10 though I did have to pee. Not too bad, but the urge did get worse as the miles wore on. I debated whether or not to stop. I thought for a while that I could just wait until the finish. Worst case I could just "pull over" and go on the side of the road...several other runners did! When I stopped to eat at mile 16, I figured I'd better go. Unfortunately the toilets were all in use and I didn't wan to waste time waiting, so off I went. I'll stop later or just wait until the end.

At about mile 18 the course turned around to double back to the finish. Up to this point we had been running with the wind and it seemed to be getting worse as the race wore on. When we turned around, we were then going into the wind and it was pretty bad. 18-20 knots sustained, gusting higher. Ugh. Like I said though, I was feeling quite good and I had been running at about 85% for a couple miles and I figured I could sustain that level to help make up for the wind. Seemed to be a good strategy. My legs were starting to get sore, but it wasn't too bad...after all less than 8 miles to go! I did make an extra stop to use the toilet. I figured it was prudent to do so. with the wind and fatigue starting to set in, I didn't want to have to contend with having to pee.

The course took a little detour out of the wind but at about mile 20 we made another turn into the wind and were running directly into the wind the rest of the way. It was brutal. Starting to get sore and fatigued but only 6 miles to go. I'll run at 85% as long as I can. I stopped for my last get at mile 22. Fatigue and soreness was really starting to set in, but I was still in good spirits...only 4 miles to go...less than 30 minutes.

At mile 23 the unexpected happened. I got a horrible cramp in my left hamstring. It was very mild at first and I hoped it would pass...but it was not to be. It cramped up so bad I had to stop running and walk. The first thought I had was oh no, I'm not going to finish...I could hardly walk. I didn't know what to do. I was so close to the end!! Ugh! After a few seconds I had to stop walking it was so bad. I stretched it out and massaged it as best I could. That seemed to work...it stopped hurting and I was able to run again. But for how long? I hoped and prayed it would hold out for the remaining 3 miles! As I ran along I could feel little twinges of pain, but they were brief so I kept going. I wasn't sure how hard I could push it so I decided to run at 75-80% where I had trained. Better to finish with a decent time rather than have to walk the last couple miles or not finish at all because I pushed too hard. Even without the hamstring problem, my legs were pretty darn sore!

My hamstring held out and I was able to go the last 3 miles at my desired intensity. Those last three miles were really a struggle! When the finish line came into view I almost started crying! I almost couldn't believe I was going to finish! Crossing the finish line was exhilarating for sure. The sense of relief and accomplishment are almost indescribable. I have to say though...I was in alot of pain. My legs hurt so bad. It was a struggle to keep walking.

I walked through the finish area (unfortunately spectators weren't allowed at the finish area so Tanya & the kids were waiting at the reunion area) and picked up my medal, posed for a picture, picked up my goodie bag, t-shirt, water and banana, and finally my bag, which I dropped at the start. Somewhere along that line there was a girl passing out flyers for another marathon. I said no thanks.

I was overjoyed at finishing the marathon, but I was also in a lot of pain. my whole body hurt. My arms were cramping up a little but my legs hurt the worst. It certainly didn't help that I had to walk 1/4 mile or what ever it was to the reunion area. I certainly wasn't walking very fast! I made it though and I was very happy to see the kids and Tanya. I slowly made my way to the changing area. I was going to shower too but decided against it when I learned the water was cold. It was already cold enough outside with the wind and all. I had gotten a chill during the last rain shower during the race...the rain was cold and as I already mentioned, very windy. I really never warmed up again after that. After changing my clothes I had a beer and then we had to make our way back home.

Not really having a better plan we walked to find a taxi. We stopped and talked to a police officer who gave us directions. Traffic of course was terrible so we kept walking (ugh!) looking for a taxi. Not sure how far we walked, maybe a mile or so. We got lucky and found a taxi not already booked. The nice driver picked us up, took us by the hotel to pick up our luggage and then to the train station to pick up the airport bus. The rest of the journey home was pretty much uneventful except that our flight was late almost an hour because of the windy conditions (see I told you the wind was bad!). That and I was pretty  uncomfortable as my legs kept cramping up. Did I mention how sore my legs were?

It was good to get home and sleep in my own bed, but I was in bed 5 minutes and I got horrible cramps in both my thighs. I didn't think I would be able to sleep! I eventually fell asleep though.

So now for what everyone wants to know (if you haven't looked it up already)...My official time was 3:23:55. I beat my goal of 3:30! I was really hoping to run a qualifying time for Boston (3:20) but with the windy conditions and leg cramp I guess it wasn't to be. Maybe next time. I'm elated with my achievement...not bad for the first time I think.

My Garmin data is at the link below. The Garmin time is a little faster than the official because I stopped the timer 4 out the 6 times I stopped (4 gels, 1 pee, 1 cramp...left it running the last gel stop and the cramp stop). You can see the last split into the wind with the cramp I was almost a minute slower than the previous 5 miles. If I hadn't cramped up perhaps I'd be thinking of Boston! Oh well. Now I have something new to work on. In the mean time I am enjoying revelling in my first marathon success. Overall I finished 887 out of 9960 and 259 out of 1912 in my age group (over 40). Finishing in the top 10% overall isn't too shabby. I have included some photos. I'll post some more race photos when I get them.

Posing with Marshall after the race

Celebrating my new achievement

My legs are still pretty sore today (Monday) but at least I'm not experiencing anymore cramps. I'm already thinking about my next marathon....

Edinburgh Marathon