Bill Rodgers and Alberto Salazar are on the stage with high ranking Air Force officials in front of 5,000 eager runners, all of us shuffling, bouncing, and stretching. “Is there anybody here representing the United States Army?” the call goes out. Silence. “It’s like that pretty much every year.” The crowd laughs. “Navy? US Marines? Coast Guard?” Nothing. “Is there anybody here representing the United States Air Force?” Roars. The crowd is ready to run.
Yesterday (09.16.2006), I finished the 10th Annual United States Air Force Marathon at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
I am still walking, though I’m taking stairs a little slowly.
As I predicted, I was slow.
I rounded the last turn coming into the final 400 meters or so at about 4:45. Official times haven’t been posted, and I failed to either stop my watch or look at the clock. Still, 4:47 is probably a good rough on my time.
I held to a solid 10:00/mile pace until mile 14. Over 26.2, that’d bring you in at about 4:21. This is a natural pace for me, and based on some of my other times, I know for a fact, that I’m capable of more. That’s to say, I’m capable of more if I put in the training.
At mile 14, however, my body revolted, and I was forced to ease way off.
Between miles 20 and 26, I took many walking breaks.
I knew by mile 16 my mistake was going out too fast given my lack of preparation. But it was too late to change anything by that time, in the same way I knew the last couple weeks before the race that it was too late to put in the training I didn’t do during the summer.
With regard to my performance, I am not surprisingly, very ambivalent. I know I could do, and have done, much better. On the other hand, I left it all out there on that airfield.
Yesterday, I could not have run much faster. Perhaps I could have shaved time by slowing down earlier and sticking with an even pace, but not so much that I could have called it my best.
On the bright side, this event showed me I can finish a 26.2 mile run with limited preparation. I spaced my long runs out every 3 weeks, and ran almost not at all weekdays.
Truthfully, it’s exciting just to come down the chute for the finisher’s medal and handshake.
The USAF Marathon is a good run, and I’d recommend it to other recreational runners in the region.
September turned out to be a little early for me. It puts long runs in July and August, and I found that a little tough to coordinate with summer heat and family travel. The date also risks being a little too hot, but yesterday was overcast and in the 70s. It didn’t heat up until the last few miles for me, and it wouldn’t have been a problem at all for competitive runners.
Don’t believe what anybody tells you: The course is not flat. The first 5 or 6 miles are up and down hills, including some long uphills, one a highway overpass. The last 5 or 6 miles cover the same terrain, and after 20 miles, they’re no cake walk. The middle? That is, in fact, mercifully flat.
I’d heard that spectator support wasn’t great because of limited access to the base. This turned out to be true, but there’s an aid station about every mile. That fact more than makes up for any lack of spectators on the course.
Some of the aid stations were themed. One included palm trees and salsa music that pumped me forward and kept me pushing both out and back.
There was never a shortage of water or Gatorade.
Several stations handed out cool, wet sponges. While there were some unfortunate Sponge Bob jokes, I loved the sponges. I’d grab them and squeeze all over my body, back and front. I’d take off my hat and let the water run down my face. I even ran for a bit with a wet sponge under my hat.
Many stations had bananas and oranges. I always passed, because I get sticky enough, but people like them. At least 2 or 3, maybe more, had gels. I passed on these too, since I had pockets full of Sport Beans, but I’ve never seen that many gel stops.
One of my favorite bits from the event–and it’s a small touch, but I really appreciated it–is that they print your name on your bib number. In other events, I’ve always been jealous of people who ran with their names or other identifiers on their shirts. People on the curbsides would holler out encouragement to them: “Go, Big Daddy!” “Run, Michigan Run!” Yesterday, people I didn’t know were telling me, “Lookin strong, Paul, just 6 more–less than a 10K.” It’s silly, but I will never forget that the Air Force took the time to print my name and not just my number.
My worst injury is a nasty sunburn–typical. I often forget sunscreen. I’ve perfected a pre-race anti-chafing ritual which goes something like: Nip Guards on the, um, nips; Bodyglide on the pits; Bandaids on the ankles, where I kick myself when I get tired; and liberal amounts of vaseline all over, um, down there. Laugh if you like, but this regimine serves me very well. Muscles? I’m sore, but not walking down stairs backwards sore. I even mowed the lawn tonight.
The foxy and clever Jennifer, Graham, and Evan came up to Dayton for the run with me, and they were waiting on the final stretch, jumping and screaming.
I know it’s overly sentimental, but showing my boys that it’s possible to make it to the finish line is one of the most important things I do when Fall and Spring marathon seasons come along. I want them to know that they can run their own metaphorical marathons as they grow up.
I want them to see that remaining active, playing, and having fun isn’t just possible as you get older, but that it’s as significant as laughing with your friends, hugging your family, discovering new places, or sharing conversation or a delicious dinner with interesting people.
So I sneak them bagels from the post-race hospitality tent. I hug them even though I’m sore and sweaty. I smile even though I feel like collapsing in a heap.
I want marathons to be a natural part of their lives, a seasonal ritual like camping out for Labor Day or picnicking on Memorial Day.
It means a great deal too, for this slow guy to have their support, and I can’t thank Jenn enough for sacrificing her weekend for me.
Yesterday afternoon after the race, a quick shower, and hotel checkout, we had lunch at the local Quaker Steak and Lube. I’d passed up the post-run beer, so I treated myself to a plate of wings and a pint of bock to wash them down. It’s a auto-themed wings and sports joint, and I had a fantastic burger with blue cheese. It’s not true that they cook the wings and fries in engine oil–that’s just a good story.
Later, we went to Dayton’s Boonshoft Museum of Discovery. It’s a great civic science/nature museum. It’s a bit smaller then they’re used to, but the kids loved it. Admission was free with as a reciprocal museum to our hometown Louisville Science Center. If you’re in the area with kids, definitely check it.
We stayed overnight just north of Cincy so we could do some shopping at Jungle Jim’s–which we describe in our family as Disneyland for Dad. We came away $217 poorer, but, Man, we have a lot of good food on the shelves and in the icebox. What’s more, we didn’t spend it all on beer and cheese–though I was tempted, so tempted.
Just 5 weeks till Chicago. When can I start my taper?