2:18

The half marathon is finished. I'm so glad I did it. Some thoughts:

Before the Run
The Lake Placid marathon was very well organized. Granted, this is the first marathon/half marathon I have participated in, but I still feel sufficiently capable of judging that it was well put together. It allowed the runners the freedom to worry only about the running. Which I did. A lot. I stressed a bit about eating just the right food and about not injuring myself in a stupid manner before the race. I worried about not knowing the course and about getting lost, and I worried a lot about the weather (which went from sunny and 70s to imminent rain and high 50s to sunny and mid-60s on race morning - yay mountains!). I worried about not being able to finish the race. I was really, really nervous the morning of the race. It was hard to eat. But I managed half a bagel with peanut butter, a quarter of a banana, and a quarter of a Cliff's bar. This turned out to be, like the weather, just about perfect. I also drank some OJ and a lot of water, and 15 minutes before the race shot some infamous goo into my mouth. It was Clif Shot energy gel, 90% organic and all natural, with 50 mg of caffeine. Tim, knowing me so well, bought this for me in mocha flavor. Expecting the worst, this stuff tasted good, like thick, earthy chocolate syrup. I recommend it. Make sure to drink water after you use it (mostly to get it off of your teeth).

The Run
I must have looked at the course map one thousand times, but I could have ran the course blindfolded and fellow runners and marathon volunteers would have got me where I needed to be. The course itself was beautiful - through Olympic Village/downtown Lake Placid, around Mirror Lake, down to the ski jumps, out River Road (with farms, fields, a creek, and the Adirondacks in the background), and back. I heard more than one runner say "this is the prettiest marathon you'll ever run." I also heard, after running downhill, "We have to run back up that?" Yes, yes we did. Lake Placid is in the Adirondacks, after all, so it was a rolling course. It really wasn't that bad - honestly - I do not particularly enjoy running hills. You start on Main Street and head up the hill toward Mirror Lake. I made sure to stand toward the back of the start line to allow those faster-than-10-minute-mile runners to start ahead of me. However, I must have overcompensated because I ended up running around a bunch of people walking up the first hill. Next year I'll start closer to the middle. At mile 1 we all did a little cheer. "Yay mile 1!" Runners were snapping photos with their cell phones all around the lake. As the miles added up I was surprised at how good I was still feeling. I stopped and walked at all aid stations except the first one (it was crowded) to have water and then Gatorade. This helped mentally and physically. At mile 7 I ate some more goo. Not many spectators made it out to the River Road leg, but that's okay. Running for me is a solitary sport, on purpose. Many, many "Team in Training" runners participated (raising $890,000 for the Lukemia and Lymphona Society), so "Team in Training" coaches cycled out on the course cheering runners on. Also, since River Road was an out-and-back, runners ran on both sides of the road in both directions, cheering one another on periodically.

It wasn't until about mile 10 that I started thinking, I'm ready to be done. When running I count the miles backward, so mile 10 was really "3 miles to go." I started walking a little bit before and after the aid stations then, and then for a section of the final, steep hill. At mile 12 I said a silent good-bye to the people I had been running with as some went ahead of me and some fell behind. As you approach the end, which is the Olympic speed-skating oval, you can hear the crowds cheering and the announcers announcing. It's a perfect way to end the race. You make it up the hill and onto the track, run a loop, and cross the finish line as the announcer announces your name and where you are from. They place a medal on your neck, then you keep walking until your heart stops racing and your legs feel like they may be able to do something other than run.

After the Run
After walking a bit with Tim, I found a patch of grass in the shade from a tent and laid down. The grass was still wet from the night before. I immediately thanked God, for just about everything. After a minute, Tim helped me up and I went and signed up for my free massage. I got some free pizza, free ice cream, went to the final hill and cheered runners on, got my massage, went to the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery, and rode home. I will be running this again on June 13, 2010. If you have ever thought about running a marathon or half marathon, do it in Lake Placid. Just train some hills, and in the rain every now and then, just in case.

Next Up
I'm giving myself until Monday to decide officially, but next up is the Disney Marathon on January 10 in Orlando. This is a fun, laid-back marathon, so I hear, and since I will never be winning a marathon this suits me well. You run through every park in Disney World in Orlando, only one of which I've ever actually been to, and even through Cinderella's castle. Since it is a marathon, it is taken seriously and Disney caters to runners and runners needs over the weekend, which is also good to hear. And it's a flat course! And Mickey and co. cheer you on. Bring on the Disney Princes!

If I decide to do this, training begins September 14. The idea of running 20 miles, ultimately, for fun sounds a little nuts to me, but as it turns out I like being a little nuts. I like a little better who I am while I'm training - focused, purposed, healthy in practice and diet (for the most part), and contemplative. My feet are a little ugly, but my legs make up for it :-) As I stood in the start-line crowd Sunday and looked around, listened to conversations, I realized that these are my people. Like fellow Allegheny students, Buffalo Bills fans, United Methodists, runners are now a sect of people among whom I can say, despite and because of their assets and faults, Yup, these are my people. I will never be their leader, but I am a runner.