Beat the Blerch: Photo Finish

I've won just about every race I've entered.  This is based on my definition of winning:

• Finish
• Do your best
• Have fun

Beat the Blerch was a race with costumes, couches at the aid stations and cake.  There was also Nutella, very happy and friendly people, the weather was perfect and it was a beautiful course.  It comes in first for "fun" events.

I can also say I did my best.  I did this crazy high mileage, high intensity training program that was HARD.  I was sore for months.  The blisters upon blisters on my poor feetsies were so terrible I bought fancy running socks, had nightly epsom salt soaks and burned through a whole lot of body glide and bandaids.  It was intense but I got fast and strong and by the end my legs looked ahhhh-mazing!  But it didn't give much (any) rest along the 18 week program and the final taper ended up not being enough.  I got to the start line still a bit sore and tired.

One of the early miles.

Despite being a bit overtrained I did really, really well for about ten miles.  I was holding back, felt really great and was averaging a pace that would bring me in ~5 minutes under my goal to beat 4 hours.  The next six miles were slightly uphill and my left quad was feeling pretty tired, but overall I was still right on track to hit my goal.  It was an out & back course and I thought that once I turned around and started going downhill I would have a slight pickup.  And I did.  For two miles.  But I was tired and the next mile was slightly slower.  But then it was followed by my fastest mile yet.  Which was followed by the slowest one yet.

There was agony (mile 24ish)

By this point it was mile 21 and my overall average (9:09 pace) was exactly on track to meet my goal.  But I was feeling tired. Really, really tired and I pretty much fell apart.  The next mile was 11 minutes and things mostly got worse from there.  As I shuffled into the aid station at mile 23 the greeter had a concerned look on his face and said slowly, "Can I get you anything? You look like you are really hurting."  And I was.  Everything hurt and I still had so many minutes of pain to get through before I would be done.  I wanted to quit.

But I'm stubborn and remembered my definition of winning.  It was still beautiful, people were still nice and so I slogged out a 13 minute mile.  The tag line of the race was "Let there by agony.  Let there be cake"  and I channeled that agony and intense need to be done into a slightly faster 11+ minute pace for mile 25.  Then there was a woman 50 yards behind me and I was not going to be passed with just one mile left and somehow I managed a 10 minute mile.  Then I saw my Christopher, heard my friends cheering and finally made it across the line.

There was cake (no more running!)

It took the better part of two hours to perk up enough to take a baby-wipe-shower, change my clothes and get in line to have my book, The Terrible & Wonderful Reasons I Run Long Distances, signed by The Oatmeal creator Matthew Innman.  He wasn't posing for photos but I had a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting and chocolate peanut butter ganache.  I gave Mr. Oatmeal the first slice and he said the "no posing for photos" rule didn't apply to me.  Highlight?  He liked my cake!

Near the very end.  I was trying to be positive but it looks like I'm surrendering.  

It was a close call for a few miles there but I think I pulled it out and managed to add another "win" in the record book.  I 100% recommend this race to anyone but am really happy that I'm not doing it again anytime soon - marathons are hard!