Finished the KC Marathon today! A hilly, but lovely, course. The route winds through many of the most scenic area of town, and was quite enjoyable. The event was also very well organized, so we had a wonderful experience.
I say "finished," instead of "ran," for two reasons. The first is that not every one who ran actually finished. When we finish, we get a neat medal and a "finisher" t-shirt, so to say "I finished" is better than to say "I ran." Second, "running" is not an accurate term because very little of what I did could be characterized as "running." "I shuffle-ized" might be the best term. Anyway, my second marathon completion this year.
Before I talk about the race, I need to make an admission - the old Grandparents were right.
Many grandparents tell their sweetlings that, when they were kids, they walked 4 miles to school. In the snow. Uphill. BOTH ways. I didn't doubt the four mile thing, or the snow. Uphill? ok. BOTH WAYS? What a crock!
I was wrong. The Kansas City Marathon was very hilly, and just went up, and up, and up. Admittedly, the route did have a few minor declines, but otherwise it was uphill, sometimes steeply, the entire way!
Anyway, here's the bottom line. Started strong, and for the first 13 miles was running a sub 5 hour marathon. Somewhere between miles 9 and 10, however, my right gastroc started cramping near my achilles tendon, and within a couple of miles my left gastroc started to cramp in that same spot. I was well hydrated, properly stretched, and had a fair amount of practice running on local hills. However, several of these hills were much steeper than anything we have here in Lincoln. I stopped to stretch several times, but I could not get lasting relief. I fought through the cramping to around the 21 mile mark, when the cramps intensified to the point that I could no longer run. I was not about to quit, however, so I walked the rest of the way. The walking was a bear to start, but became even harder as my legs started to wig out. I had altered my stride to help get through the cramping in my gastrocs, but that caused my knees, arches, and right quad to ache as well. I did manage a sprint during the last .2 to cross the finish line, but that little sprint did not save me from a sucky: 6:14:26.
As I write this, I am very, very sore, but I don't feel like I have any permanent damage. Overall, I am in much better condition now that I was on the day of my other Marathon, as my upper back, shoulders, and neck are just fine. My knees, gastrocs, arches, and one toe are in pretty rough shape, and I have some chafing. I won't be running for the next few days while I recover, but I will start on the weights again this week.
I'll write a more indepth entry in a few days.
I say "finished," instead of "ran," for two reasons. The first is that not every one who ran actually finished. When we finish, we get a neat medal and a "finisher" t-shirt, so to say "I finished" is better than to say "I ran." Second, "running" is not an accurate term because very little of what I did could be characterized as "running." "I shuffle-ized" might be the best term. Anyway, my second marathon completion this year.
Before I talk about the race, I need to make an admission - the old Grandparents were right.
Many grandparents tell their sweetlings that, when they were kids, they walked 4 miles to school. In the snow. Uphill. BOTH ways. I didn't doubt the four mile thing, or the snow. Uphill? ok. BOTH WAYS? What a crock!
I was wrong. The Kansas City Marathon was very hilly, and just went up, and up, and up. Admittedly, the route did have a few minor declines, but otherwise it was uphill, sometimes steeply, the entire way!
Anyway, here's the bottom line. Started strong, and for the first 13 miles was running a sub 5 hour marathon. Somewhere between miles 9 and 10, however, my right gastroc started cramping near my achilles tendon, and within a couple of miles my left gastroc started to cramp in that same spot. I was well hydrated, properly stretched, and had a fair amount of practice running on local hills. However, several of these hills were much steeper than anything we have here in Lincoln. I stopped to stretch several times, but I could not get lasting relief. I fought through the cramping to around the 21 mile mark, when the cramps intensified to the point that I could no longer run. I was not about to quit, however, so I walked the rest of the way. The walking was a bear to start, but became even harder as my legs started to wig out. I had altered my stride to help get through the cramping in my gastrocs, but that caused my knees, arches, and right quad to ache as well. I did manage a sprint during the last .2 to cross the finish line, but that little sprint did not save me from a sucky: 6:14:26.
As I write this, I am very, very sore, but I don't feel like I have any permanent damage. Overall, I am in much better condition now that I was on the day of my other Marathon, as my upper back, shoulders, and neck are just fine. My knees, gastrocs, arches, and one toe are in pretty rough shape, and I have some chafing. I won't be running for the next few days while I recover, but I will start on the weights again this week.
I'll write a more indepth entry in a few days.
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