Race Result

Racer:	Greg Bishop
Race:	Shamrock Marathon
Date:	Saturday, March 19, 2005
Location:	Virginia Beach, VA
Race Type:	Run - Marathon
Age Group:	Male 40 - 44
Time:	5:17:52
Overall Place:	1341 / 1494
Age Group Place:	149 / 163
Comment:	A good day for a fun marathon

Race Report:

The morning of my second marathon dawned partly cloudy and in the low 40's. Perfect race conditions.

Goals for this (and every) race:
1) Be happy.
2) Be healthy.
3) Finish with an official time (i.e. before 6:30 elapsed time)

Hopes:
1) PR (4:56)

Short version:

The race organizers put on a great race on a good course. The volunteers were wonderful, providing many interesting and energy filled water stops (for instance the last one was belly-dancers). The organizers also provided music and encouragement at exactly the right spots (half way through the first long wooded stretch and at the top of the one real hill, for instance).

The course was mostly flat (with a single, 50ft hill around mile 17). The first half of the course wound through some nicely wooded streets, a park and a military base. After leaving the military base, the course had only three turns in the last 7 miles (and one of those was only bearing left). The finish on the boardwalk was nice and being able to see the finish line about a mile out was a first for me.

I did not make my hoped for time, but I did complete the race happy and healthy.

I recommend this race. It was well run and well supported.

LONG (read rambling) version:

This was my second marathon.

I started the race with the 4:30 pace group. I felt great for the first 7 miles, but then realized that my HR was about 6 BPM higher than normal for that pace (enough to cross my threshold for LSD). By mile 9, I decided that I would not make my first two goals for this race if I tried to keep up with the 4:30 group, so I backed off a little.

I knew that I could complete the distance and the time push was gone, so I focused on just being in the race with other people. 90% of my training is alone, so races are really my major interaction with other athletes (not that I'm really an athlete, but I couldn't think of another word to go here).

Around mile 11, another competitor and I traded places a few times. The third time I was going to pass him, I noticed that he had slowed to a walk and was limping a little. I decided to join him for a chat. He was having problems with his right calf cramping. We chatted and alternated running and walking until about the half-marathon point. Just after the half-marathon mat, we saw a wheelchair marathoner in the grass surrounded by medical personnel. He got a cell call about 4 minutes later and I continued on.

Around mile 14, I met up with three racers who were doing 5 min run/1 min walk cycles. One dropped off after about a mile because he did not want to jurt his performance in another marathon on Sunday. The other two dropped me in hollow between the two halfs of the hill (at a water stop - I always walk through water stops).

Around mile 18, I came upon a fellow participant who had clearly hit the wall HARD. She had all of the signs of glycogen depletion. She was with one of her friends who was pretty fresh, as she was the 2nd half of a relay team and had been on the course for only about 5 miles. I talked with her, encouraged her, and was able to get her to accept that just finishing the marathon is an accomplishment, even if she had to walk the rest of the way.

Around mile 23, I started talking with the fifth person wearing the 2004 Baltimore half-marathon shirt I'd seen during the race. He was the second person to arrive at the accident with the wheelchair (the first was on-course medical personnel). He is a police officer and didn't hesitate to stop and help an injured competitor. After the ambulance arrived, he continued on. He was beginning to cramp up, but was persevering. We had a good conversation for a few minutes.

At the turn onto the boardwalk, I picked up the pace a little too much for him. I was doing 200 steps jogging/100 steps walking (one of the patterns I use to keep myself going when beginning to get tired - it keeps my mind focused on something other than being tired, counting).

With about 1 mile to go, I met up with one of the two people I had joined doing the 5 min run/1 min walk pattern. I slowed down for about 30 seconds to make sure he was OK. He had pushed too hard and was going to have to walk the rest, but he was in good spirits.

I hit the mats at 5:17:52. Slow, but happy, healthy and with an official time.

I quickly went to the tent to get my dry clothes on (as I become very chilled after a long race if I don't change - sometimes it takes hours for me to warm back up). I then returned to the finish to cheer others on.

I missed the finish of the run/walk partner, but was back at the finish for the person who hit the wall (though I must admit that I didn't see her, I was at the finish line at the time listed in the race results for her). I cheered on the police officer who stopped to help an injured competitor, the man with whom I talked as we crossed the half-marathon point and was amazed to cheer on the injured wheelchair competitor as she finished.

I was also at the finish for the last finisher, who finished after the mats were taken up and even though her time will not be official, a dozen race officials (including the leprechaun announcer) and her family cheered her across the finish line and gave her a finisher's medal for completing the course.

All-in-all, I had a good race.

In the words of John Bingham: "Waddle on, friends."