The Family

The Family

Friday, December 18, 2009

I don’t need no pace.


Most people know that I was a swimmer for most of my life. During my last two years of high school and all 4 years of college I had the problem of always taking races out way to fast. Well now that I am getting into running nothing has changed. My first race last year, the 2008 Virginia 10 Miler, my first mile split was 8:30 which when compared to my goal pace of 10:00 is way to fast. Well on Saturday November 14, 2009 Darrell Manning and my self signed up to run the Danville Half Marathon (13.1 miles). It was supposed to be on a FLAT trail next to the river (I highlight flat for a reason). Well the week of the race the left over rain from a hurricane came through the area and the river flooded. So the race director had to find another course and find one very quick. The course they choose was very hilly, which is not what I was prepared for. So when the race started, as usually I took off like a bat out of h***. Our goal pace for the FLAT course was 8:00 but with the hills we were thinking closer to 8:15 would be good. Our first three miles was at a 7:30 pace, which is not close to either of my goal paces. The biggest and longest hill was at the beginning of the course (which we had to run 3 loops of). In the following pictures you can tell that each time I was in more and more pain. By the third loop around my body was done with and I had to walk almost the entire last loop.


(1st time up the hill and still felling good)


(2nd time up the hill and starting to really fell the pain)


(4th time up the hill almost to the finish line.
I thought I was going to die at this point.
There is no picture of us going up the hill the 3rd time because I was walking)

I am grateful for my good friend Darrell who decided to stay with me the whole race even though I know he could have easily run the last loop with out stopping. The only lesson I learned from this race is “slow and steady wins the race.” Darrell and I have signed up for our first full marathon (26.2 miles) at Richmond in November 2010. Luckily the Richmond race will have pace teams which will help me make sure I start out at a good SLOW pace.



On a little side note I am grateful for our wives who have learned to put up with a training schedule for these races and also for good friends who come to support us and watch us die in pain.