As many of you know, I ran the Las Vegas Marathon this past weekend.  The
race (and the weekend) was one of the best experiences of my life.  My only
goal was to have fun and complete the marathon without re-injurying my
hamstring.  First the bad news.  The first 8 miles was not comprised of
rolling hills as I had once thought.  Instead, it was a gradual uphill
climb . . . for 8-9 miles.  Once we hit the downhill, there was a nasty
headwind that really slowed you down.  Can't imagine how fast it would have
been absent the head wind.  Finally, the temperature swing was between low
40s (start) to 70s (finish).

Now that's out of the way, the people running it were AMAZING.  Everyone
was pushing the person next to him and when one person could push ahead,
everyone else cheered him/her on, particularly at the finish.  Can't tell
you how many guys told me to get moving because they knew I had more in me.
At mile 23, I was beginning to feel the effect of the heat and a more
experienced marathoner ran by me noticing that I had stopped to eat a
banana and said "GET MOVING."  I caught up to him and thanked him as I
passed.  I ran the last 3.2 miles at a 7:30 (or so) pace, largely due to
him.  I felt really strong (except for the fatigue at mile 23) and could
have run much faster.  I opted early on to stick to a conservative running
plan.  If I got a PR, great.  Most important was to finish this marathon
and to keep running without pain.  It takes less time to improve your
running (to attain that PR) than it does to come back from an injury.  And
so I have learned . . .

Sorry this is so long.  It was such a GREAT experience that I know you all
understand (as fellow athletes or as coaches) so I wanted to share.  Thanks
again for all of your advice.  I followed it to the letter (even the most
absurd).  It was much appreciated.  For those who are traveling to Austin
in two weeks, I'll see you there!

Christine






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