Rock and Roll Arizona Marathon

     Oops, I did it again.  I snuck down to Arizona and ran another marathon on Sunday.  It's the Maniac in me.  I had signed up for the marathon prior to signing up for the Ironteam.  I thought about cutting back and just running the half, but since I was going to Arizona anyways ( air ticket and hotel reservations already made), I wanted to knock off another state from my list of 50 States.  I still have a long ways to go to complete the 50 states, but I'm still relatively "young".  

This will be my last marathon until after the Ironman in August.  

Now for the race report.  It was a cool morning, perfect for running.  Over 30,000 people ( full + half).  Alot of purple shirts and "Go Team!"  I wore my Team in Training cap with my red running top.  I felt inspired by the other runners, but especially the "Team".  Many had the names of their honored teammates.  Some had pictures attached to their purple running shirts. This reminded me of my honored teammates for the Ironman.  More of this later, at the end of the race.

     I felt good and ran slightly ahead of my pace group for the first half, but then my knees started to hurt.  Soon that was followed by sore legs, especially my calves and hamstrings.  My legs felt very heavy like I had 10 lb weights attached to each of them.  My pace slowed.  I thought about stopping, but since the half and full ran different routes, I was stuck in the middle of "nowhere" ( I think I was in Scottsdale at this point.)  I even came across an elite runner that was walking.  I did not want to risk an injury that would disrupt my Ironteam training.  Yet, I have never quit a race before and did not want this to be my first DNF.  So I stopped at the medical tent, took a salt packet and had 2 Tylenols.  Then I was off again.  I was determined to finish.

     The miles rolled by and I figured I could even walk the last 6 miles if needed.  I started to feel better as I ran.  The 10 lb weights were off my legs.  I could actually maintain my "marathon" pace again.  I focused on my breathing, and recited my mantras.  I repeated the names of my family and my honored teammate.  The last mile I remembered a co-worker that died last month from cancer. I remembered what a gentleman he was.  How kind, helpful, professional, and sincere he was.  The cancer took him quite suddenly.  One day he was at work, the next at the hospital, then the ICU, then he was dead!  I realized how precious this gift called life really is, and how lucky we are to be able to run through life with joy and love,  effort and determination, a little pain and great rewards.  

     With tears welling up, I sprinted the last mile and finished the marathon on Angels' Wings. The pain I experienced earlier in the race was now replaced by serenity.  A sense of fulfillment engulfed me.  I believe this experience will help me deal with the pain and mental obstacles that I will encounter during the Ironman Triathlon.