Bad Ideas

So one week removed from the biggest accomplishment of my life I feel disappointed. I realize that my original goal was under 2:20 and I understand I blew that out of the water. I can't help but feel that I missed out on doing something so much more. That I could have been under 2 hours. It is something that has consumed my thoughts since that day.

"So what?" you say.

So it means that now I am thinking that I am going to do 1 or 2 or maybe 3 more half marathons before New Years. I mean I still want to lose 30-40 more pounds before the end of the year so this might keep me moving. Keep me motivated.

I think I may have lost my mind but I think this is something I have to do. I have never felt this before. I have never felt so close to something that just slipped through my fingers. I have never worked so hard at attaining a goal.

NEVER!

NOT ONCE!

I also have never finished something and felt so convinced that I could be so much better.

So moving forward I have a couple ideas, or should I say dates to look forward to.

Early in August is the mini-triathlon that I mentioned before. That might be a good starting point.

In September Teena mentioned a possible 1/2 Marathon in PoCo so that might not be a bad idea.

Next up would either Victoria or the Okanagan 1/2 Marathons over Thanksgiving Weekend. Both have their benefits beginning with possible groups of friends attending either. I just haven't decided which would be better for me.

Finally, and I think, would be the greatest and most fun. This is the one I would like to get a group of us to go down for a half a week of fun and chaos. This is the one that would be a spectacle within itself. The Las Vegas Marathon, which includes a 1/2 Marathon, on December 2nd. The race sounds very neat as it starts in front of all of the big Casinos on the New Las Vegas Strip and then passes through the old downtown on Freemont St. and back again. My thought right now would be to go down Friday night, race Sunday and then spend part of the next week taking in Vegas in all its glory.

Tattoos!

Free Booze!

Gambling!

No Sleep!

Any takers?

Things are looking up...

The Vancouver Marathon website was listing the finishers by chip time yesterday so things look a little better for where I finished.

By chip time I finished:

2096th Overall
1202nd out of 2164 Males
164th out of 234 Males Age 25-29

I also (well Lola) bought some pictures from the Marathon Photo website last night. They look pretty good. I will definately be hanging them around the house. In case you didn't know the song "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon was written about me.

I am also having thoughts of maybe doing another half marathon this year. This is crazy, I know, but I feel like I have some unfinished business. I feel like I should have been under 2 hours. At least this would keep me motivated for the next few months.

The BIG Day!!

Hello Race Fans!!!

Well the day went fairly well. I was pretty happy about how the whole thing went and I am reasonably sore today. I figure I will give you all a step-by-step, blow-by-blow run down of how the day went.

4:45am - The alarm goes off. I hit snooze.

4:52am - The alarm goes off. I hit snooze again.

4:59am - The alarm goes off. I hit snooze. I am actually thinking I need to get up this time.

5:06am - The alarm goes off. I hit snooze. This time I actually don't go back asleep.

5:10am - I turn my alarm off and roll out of bed. I make my way to the kitchen for a bowl of pre-race cereal. Nothing prepares you for a big race like a big bowl of Mini-Wheats. I also eat a banana because I heard they are good for preventing stitches, those annoying cramps in your side you get when you run.

5:25am - Heading to the bathroom. Brush my teeth. Other things occur but I don't feel I need to go into detail.

5:30am - Start putting on my race gear. First step (other than underwear) is nipple protection. I have failed to do this a couple of times on bigger training runs and really paid the price. So band-aids work like shields of nipple protecting wonderment. Then it is black basketball shorts, long sleeve coolmax shirt, sleeveless blue nike shirt, ankle socks, and the ol' black under armour hat. Lastly is the Nike+ ipod chip on my shoes and it is time to head out the door.

6:00am - Driving somewhere in Coquitlam on the way to pick up Audrey. I am getting increasingly nervous the closer the race start time gets.

6:10am - Pick up Audrey. Nervousness still exists but Audrey helps turn that into more excitement and less worry.

6:17am - Meet Lola and Maddy at the old Admiral so they we can car pool downtown.

6:35am - Find a parking lot fairly close to BC Place. As Audrey points out it is ridiculous that 4 University grads should struggle so much with a parking payment machine. We also realize that it is trying to rain.

6:55am - Audrey and I are standing in the crowd of people at the starting line. I am not totally sure I am ready and I haven't stretched like I should have but it is too late now.

7:00am - The starting gun goes off.

7:05am - We cross the starting line. It is now off the races.

0.3 Miles - The crowd is crazy. So many people in such a confined space. In my mind I was thinking this is worse than the SunRun. It has been a slow jog to this point mixed with some walking. At this point I realized that my iPod froze so I haven't tracked the first part of the race. CRAP!!

1 Mile - Crowds are still thick. I looked at my watch a realized that the first mile was about three minutes slower than I wanted it to be due to the crowds. I also realized that I left Audrey about 5 blocks before that.

2 Miles - Crowds are starting to thin out but I realize that people run like they would drive a race car and everyone tries to go to the inside on the corners just creating traffic jams. I drive like Cole Trickle and try to stay to the outside then fake out Russ Wheeler on the straight away. Sucker!!

3 Miles - Just about the 5Km mark. I see Lola and Maddy. I wave to get their attention and hoping Lola can get an action photo of me running. Lola sees me too late and Maddy misses me altogether.

3.3 Miles - There are some very enthusiastic hobos along Cordova. One even has all the runners chanting. Very strange but it makes me smile.

4.0 Miles - I think I am running behind a woman who just fertilized her shorts. It smells worse than Chilliwack in the spring. I pick up the pace to get past her. That was not a good smell.

4.4 Miles - Fruit stand on the left. Actually it was just a few people with plates of orange slices. This would be perfect. I reach out a grab a sweet piece. It feels like half time of a Grade 6 Basketball game.

4.4 Miles and 5 metres - A small woman to me right makes a snap decision that she now would like a piece of orange and makes a sudden 90 degree turn right in front of me. I shuffle step and jump as to not completely run her over. That is just what I would have needed, a headline in the paper reading, "Giant Man Runs Over Little Woman in Search for Glory!". I couldn't imagine what she would have been thinking when she would have turned and saw a blue wall bearing down on her. I scared her at least since I heard her give a "yelp".

6.0 Miles - Starting into Stanley park. I see a big bridge and start to think, "Holy Crap, the Lions Gate Bridge is a LONG way away."

6.2 Miles - I now realize that the bridge I saw was the Second Narrows. I am filled with relief.

7.0 Miles - More than half way and time for some liquid. I figure this is a perfect time for a sports drink to replenish my electrolytes. I grab a cup on the run. I figure I have seen enough pros do this on TV that I feel confident that this will be smooth as silk. I find out that drinking with an open cup while running is harder than it seems. I essentially throw the contents of the cup all over my face. At least some makes it into my mouth. I have a couple thoughts after this; 1) The drink was red so I probably look like a goof with sports drink all over my face. 2) Sports drink in the eyes causes a burning sensation.

7.5 Miles - A stitch is starting to form in my right side. I start to think that who ever told me banana helps prevent stitches is full of crap.

8.0 Miles - Stitch is in full effect. Just is time for the big hill in Stanley Park.

8.5 Miles - The Hill of Death combined with the stitch is enough to make me start crying. I hold it together as I chug up the hill like a locomotive.

9.0 Miles - I am still going up hill at this point. I am also wondering if Emimen had lived in a trailer park at 9 Mile would his life had been any different. The lyrics for 'Lose Yourself' start to run through my head. At this point of the Eminem is correct, there is no Mheiki Phiffer.

10.0 Miles - The downhill run has been fairly nice. I also notice that I have been past by the same lady for the 3rd time. I am getting tired of her stupid purple shirt. I also pass another water station and this time I have learned my lesson and actual pause for a moment to get the water in my mouth and not also over my face. This time things go a lot better.

11.0 Miles - Just two miles left. At this point it does feel think I am just throwing one foot in front of the other and not really running. Also around this point I pass a lady cheering on the side of the road and she yells, "Go Bill!! You're doing great!". I wonder for a moment why she knows my name. I soon realize my name in on my bib.

12.0 Miles - Oh God! 1 Mile Left. I try to pick up the pace. I can see BC Place on the horizon. And there is that stupid lady in the purple shirt again. Dammit!

12.7 Miles - I hear my name again. I look and see Lola and Maddy in the crowd cheering me on. I smile as best I can and try to kick it up a gear for the final push. This is going to hurt.

Finish Line - I cross the line at 2:05: 58 on the race clock. I am not sure what my chip time is yet but I know I wasn't under two hours but I am still fairly happy about the result. I look around and see people that are laughing and hugging and cheering. I start to think that these people are absolutely crazy. I barely have the energy in me to walk the rest of the way back into BC Place and these people are chatting and laughing. Psychos!

So that was the race. It went fairly well. I looked up my official time and it looks a little something like this.

Gun Time: 2:05:58
Chip Time: 2:01:33
First Half: 1:01:25
Second Half: 1:00:09 - It is weird that the second half was faster but I blame to crowds in the first half. I think I could have finished under 2 hours had I started closer to the front and had to fight through fewer people.

My pace was a blistering 5:46/Km or 9:17/Mile

I finished 2273rd out of 5850 based on Gun Time
Also finished 1262nd out of 2166 Males and 169th out of 235 Men Aged 25-29. I am curious to see how the standings would change based on Chip Time.

All in all it was a pretty good day. I wanted to thank Lola and Maddy for being up so early to come cheer me one and anyone else you sent your support. I ache a little and I am sure that will be worse in the next few days.

If you ask me today I don't think I would do it again but ask me next week and I think I might. I heard there is a half in October somewhere.

Oh my...