National Outdoor Recreation Society of America: Yuengling Shamrock Marathon

Monday, April 4, 2011

Yuengling Shamrock Marathon

March 20, 2011 Virginia Beach, Virginia

Allison ran her first marathon.

And it hurt. No, actually it went really well! The wind, though, was downright brutal (which was a ghost-town as racers filled hotel lobbies looking for a break from the 35-40 mph gusts). It died down a bit yet provided a steady 10+ mph force for runners; normally nothing terrible but the “wind tunnel” along Atlantic Avenue took its toll on many-a-runner including tough-as-nails Michael Wardian who was upset with his time due to the strong winds.

Nevertheless, Allison was able to achieve her “A” goal of finishing in 3:50 (website says 3:51 but, umm, potty break, yo!) despite having been given a range of 3:55 – 4:35 (more than likely 4:15-4:20) for a finishing time by the experts (what now?!).

Miles 1-10 were a breeze, no pun intended. Allison tagged along with the 3:50 pace group and, despite a varied amount of mile splits (8:55, 8:15, 9:15, 8:37, 8:20), she was able to run under pace and still feel good about it. As described, the wind began to take its toll as Allison ran back up Atlantic Avenue (major wind gusts) and her quads began to ache around miles 15 and 16. A grab of Gu packs at mile 15 (thanks to her husband!) helped to gear her up for the lonely miles 16-23. Her pace began to dip a little bit but it didn’t pose a threat to the 3:50 goal since she “banked” 3-4 minutes with the overaggressive pacers.

The dreaded mile 20 loomed when Allison struck up a conversation with another runner who asked if she minded if he tagged along with her for the last 10K. Did she mind if a shirtless and incredibly fit naval officer ran with her? Heck no! The pain of the last 6 miles was offset by the feeling of floating on air as Allison enjoyed a 40 minute run with the handsome hunk. Reality set in, though, as she realized that she was floating a bit too much and had to haul if she wanted to finish in 3:50.

So she dropped the hunk and kicked it into gear.

What seemed like a mad sprint on shot quads wasn’t anything more than flopping around at an 8:45/m pace into the finish (and nasty headwinds). The turn onto the boardwalk was incredibly uplifting yet horribly terrifying at the same time as she could see the finish but realized that getting there would involve the longest 3/4th of a mile that she ever ran. And the wind was in full force. She gritted her teeth and used the crazy-awesome crowd (cow bells?! You shouldn’t have!!) screaming her name (note to racers: if offered, have your name printed on your race bib – it does wonders to one’s moral when strangers cheer for you by name) and helping to push her to cross the finish in 3:50:51. Not one to showboat at a finish, Allison couldn’t help to throw her fists in the air in celebration not only for having completed her first (of many!) marathon but for doing it in a time that many deemed impossible for her.

And then her quads seized up and she buckled in pain as the running gods punished her for bieng such a fruitcake upon crossing the finish.

This won’t be the last marathon for Allison and, for the time being, she will be filling her time with a handful of small road races (45k bike race, a Duathlon, the Disney half marathon (??), a 5k here and there) up and through June 27th when she begins training for the Marine Corp Marathon.