Humbled and a Long Way to Go

Yesterday I ran my second ever half-marathon. It was the same race I ran in 2004 when I had to drop out of the Buffalo Marathon. In 2004 I did the Rockwood Rotary half in June. They hold this event twice a year. In June, it is an evening run along the Allegheny Highlands Bike Trail. In September it is held over Labor Day weekend in the morning.

After I did it in '04 I thought it would be the first of many. When I ran it that night four years ago it was in extreme heat and humidity and after crossing the line in 1:42:47 I nearly passed out from heat exhaustion. I remember thinking that I had just done half of a marathon and if I had to do it again there was no way. It taught me just how far and how difficult a marathon could be.

Yesterday the morning was much cooler, but as I found out shortly after the start, humidity was once agian in the air. Within a mile or two my shirt was completely soaked in sweat. This would not be an easy race. At the halfway turnaround I was doing well and although I could feel fatigue setting in, my sights were set on a sub 1:35:00.

A brief but torrential rain made the second half seem even more miserable and although it has been four years, little changed for me at th end other than my finish time. The final two miles were the longest I've had since Frederick and placed doubt in my mind about whether or not I could cover the 26.2 anywhere close to qualifying again. Despite a 1:37:46 (still on a BQ pace at 7:27 miles), I was completely wiped out. My reasons: Went out too fast, umpired 18 innings the night before, didn't take any gels with me, humid conditions coupled with a rain that caused extreme chafing on areas I don't wish to talk about, and underestimating the half distance. You see, 13.1 miles is not a walk in the park. I kept looking at it as a substandard distance.

Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned with two marathons coming up in just a few short weeks is that I've still got a lot of work to do and I'm going to have to overcome my brain once again. I've got to put this one behind me and be satisfied with the time and move on. Most importantly I need to race smarter, especially at the longer distances.