Confession: I was actually signed up to run this race. I know, I know. Its only three weeks after JFK. Stupid, right?
I was actually hoping to decide about signing up for this race the week of, since it is a small event and doesn't usually sell out. After the whole NYC Marathon debacle, however, runners were scrambling for races and I had to make a decision fast or risk losing a spot. So about two weeks before JFK I paid the $130 knowing that there was a good chance that I either wouldn't be ready or wouldn't feel up to running the race. After Baltimore I really had marathon fever though, and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to run 26.2 one more time in 2012.
Well, we all know what has happened since JFK. A big bunch of nothing! But while I'm cooling my heals and taking a running breather, my husband was still ready to roll with Rehoboth and had been keeping up on training pretty decently. So, at 3:30 am Saturday morning we headed out the door and made the drive down to the beach.
Even though I wouldn't be running the race, I wasn't too bummed to be missing out. Thankfully I was super sore from hot yoga on Thursday and the idea of moving my legs that much sounded terrible. Secondly, Mike has supported me on countless numbers of races, and I really owed it to him to be there and support him from the bench. I was excited to cheer him on and finally have a day that was all about him.
As I said, this race is pretty small. Only about 1800 runners split evenly between the full and half marathon. I think they ended up over selling a little bit after welcoming some of the displaced NYC runners, but it was still way smaller compared to the other two marathons I've done in Philly and Baltimore.
We arrived around 6 am, picked up our packets, and headed back to the car so Mike could change and fuel up. The weather ended up being perfect. It was fairly warm out in the low 50s, but the overcast sky and ever-so-slight mist coming down made for perfect racing conditions.
The race ended up starting about 7 minutes late, which was kind of lame. They also didn't seem to have nearly enough port potties for the field size. I don't know what the required ratio is, but I think I saw 10 or less port potties at the start for 1800 people and the lines were about 50 people long.
Finally the race got going, I waved Mike goodbye, and started walking down to meet him again at the 5 mile marker.
It wasn't long after I got there that the first half marathoner came through. He was totally alone with the next guy at least few minutes behind. I ended up seeing him finish the race. He ran a 1:12 half and the second place male was a full 5 minutes behind! Ridiculous.
Mike rolled past me at mile 5 just under 40 minutes, right on target. He ran his first marathon just two months ago in Baltimore and ran a 3:39:58. His main goal going into Rehoboth was just to set a PR and also pace himself through the first half better.
After mile 5 the runners took of north along the beach and then through a park. It sounded really pretty and serene especially with the fog and mist coming down. I didn't see Mike again until he finished. I stuck around the finish line to see the winners come in and spent some time huddled in the Starbucks across the street. I'm usually great about paying attention to race day weather, but as a spectator I totally dropped the ball and was freezing my tuckus off outside!
When the clock hit 3:20:xx I commandeered a spot right before the finish line with a great view of the runners coming in. Mike may have been skeptical about his running time, but I had a feeling he would come in sooner than expected.
Mike's final stats: 3:36:40, 8:12 pace and a 3+ minute PR!
In case anyone is curious about how he pulled off two marathons in eight weeks, he took the first week after Baltimore easy, then did five more weeks of 15-20 mile weekend long runs, and a two week taper.
He had really doubted that he would beat his Baltimore time especially after no sleep the night before. I was sad not to run, but thrilled that I got to support him and be there to watch him set a new PR. Of course, after this race his marathon PR is almost a full 10 minutes ahead of mine. The gauntlet has been thrown!
I was actually hoping to decide about signing up for this race the week of, since it is a small event and doesn't usually sell out. After the whole NYC Marathon debacle, however, runners were scrambling for races and I had to make a decision fast or risk losing a spot. So about two weeks before JFK I paid the $130 knowing that there was a good chance that I either wouldn't be ready or wouldn't feel up to running the race. After Baltimore I really had marathon fever though, and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to run 26.2 one more time in 2012.
Well, we all know what has happened since JFK. A big bunch of nothing! But while I'm cooling my heals and taking a running breather, my husband was still ready to roll with Rehoboth and had been keeping up on training pretty decently. So, at 3:30 am Saturday morning we headed out the door and made the drive down to the beach.
Even though I wouldn't be running the race, I wasn't too bummed to be missing out. Thankfully I was super sore from hot yoga on Thursday and the idea of moving my legs that much sounded terrible. Secondly, Mike has supported me on countless numbers of races, and I really owed it to him to be there and support him from the bench. I was excited to cheer him on and finally have a day that was all about him.
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| Up for 4 hours and it still dark out |
As I said, this race is pretty small. Only about 1800 runners split evenly between the full and half marathon. I think they ended up over selling a little bit after welcoming some of the displaced NYC runners, but it was still way smaller compared to the other two marathons I've done in Philly and Baltimore.
We arrived around 6 am, picked up our packets, and headed back to the car so Mike could change and fuel up. The weather ended up being perfect. It was fairly warm out in the low 50s, but the overcast sky and ever-so-slight mist coming down made for perfect racing conditions.
 |
| Super nice Brooks long sleeve tech shirts. And you bet your ass I'm wearing mine even if I didn't run. |
I have actually never spectated a race from beginning to end, so I was really excited to see the elites up front. All guys of course.
The race ended up starting about 7 minutes late, which was kind of lame. They also didn't seem to have nearly enough port potties for the field size. I don't know what the required ratio is, but I think I saw 10 or less port potties at the start for 1800 people and the lines were about 50 people long.
Finally the race got going, I waved Mike goodbye, and started walking down to meet him again at the 5 mile marker.
It wasn't long after I got there that the first half marathoner came through. He was totally alone with the next guy at least few minutes behind. I ended up seeing him finish the race. He ran a 1:12 half and the second place male was a full 5 minutes behind! Ridiculous.
 |
| Mr. So-speedy-it-makes-me-nauseous-to-think-about |
Mike rolled past me at mile 5 just under 40 minutes, right on target. He ran his first marathon just two months ago in Baltimore and ran a 3:39:58. His main goal going into Rehoboth was just to set a PR and also pace himself through the first half better.
After mile 5 the runners took of north along the beach and then through a park. It sounded really pretty and serene especially with the fog and mist coming down. I didn't see Mike again until he finished. I stuck around the finish line to see the winners come in and spent some time huddled in the Starbucks across the street. I'm usually great about paying attention to race day weather, but as a spectator I totally dropped the ball and was freezing my tuckus off outside!
When the clock hit 3:20:xx I commandeered a spot right before the finish line with a great view of the runners coming in. Mike may have been skeptical about his running time, but I had a feeling he would come in sooner than expected.
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| Rounding the corner to the finish! |
Mike's final stats: 3:36:40, 8:12 pace and a 3+ minute PR!
In case anyone is curious about how he pulled off two marathons in eight weeks, he took the first week after Baltimore easy, then did five more weeks of 15-20 mile weekend long runs, and a two week taper.
He had really doubted that he would beat his Baltimore time especially after no sleep the night before. I was sad not to run, but thrilled that I got to support him and be there to watch him set a new PR. Of course, after this race his marathon PR is almost a full 10 minutes ahead of mine. The gauntlet has been thrown!
Sounds like a good experience. Must have killed you in some level to see all those people running and you not be one of them. It also just have been nice to see it though, in another light.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! Great job Mike - truly impressive! Tell the truth - you wished you were running while spectating! In my opinion spectating is exhausting. I haven't even really moved from spot to spot either. Last time I spectated a marathon I was so hungry I ate more than that runner!
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