Season Finale in the OBX!

The big race of the year was finally here. I got back from Oklahoma on Wednesday night, Rose and I worked on Thursday and we got on the road at 4pm Thursday afternoon. We hoped to get as far a possible, maybe even drive through. The kids were in good moods and we were making good time considering we expected it to be a 15 hour drive. However as night fell, it became clear that there was no need to to push things too far. I mean, what was the point of getting to North Carolina at 5am we were going to have to sleep all day..... little did we know! We stopped at the Best Western at 11pm in Morgantown, WV. The next morning we woke at 6, had all the mountaineers starring at us during the lovely continental breakfast and then pushed off at 7:00... Should hit the Outer Banks by 2 or so... plenty of time to get my number and relax before we ate an early Thanksgiving day dinner, that my mom was making.

First hour of the drive was not too bad, alittle fog, but not knowing my geography or the directions the Magellan was taking us, we were in Maryland ( a coastal state, yeah!) Our elation was shortly lived as Maggie got sick for the first time! This was going to become a haul... I frankly was not sure that all family members would be accounted for by the end... and Monica, as Rose calls the GPS took us via the Washington Beltway... not the place to be on a Friday afternoon. Between sickness, sucky directions and just 4 people making each other nuts, the second leg of the trip took 10 hours. Making it 25 hours of elapsed travel time to get to NC. The one thing I kept thinking was that the ride maybe tougher than the Marathon.

We pulled into my sister's house, who was kind enough to let us use it for the weekend... (we have been lucky this year having two houses donated for marathon season) We got our bags inside, cleaned up and sat down to Thanksgiving.. Jake was very happy to finally have meat! (yet had many questions on exactly were the meat came from and what a turkey actually was).

The next morning we woke up and got ready to get Jake down for his Fun Run. Dad and I ran along with him. He was pumped to get his medal and to run on the track! He did real well to run 1.2 miles in under 15 minutes. He wisely took some walk breaks in the first half. Then ran just about the whole second half... I asked him if he wanted to take a quick walk break before the homestretch, but he said; Dad, were almost there!" He sprinted to the finish... and I am sure he took first out of four year old, however there were no official records!

Maggie was just happy to be with her pirate friends!

After the run, we headed back to the house, had leftover turkey sandwiches and watched Rutgers dismantle Syracuse. Rose had the kids at the beach, who decided to jump in... hence I headed over to drop off some new clothes and to pickup my race number. That night Mom made spaghetti and meatballs. I loaded up, got my stuff together and got to bed early for the 7:20am race start.

It was a dark morning, getting up a 5 am. I put on my pot of coffee and started to read some articles on the RU game. I had my bagel, a banana and my special sports drink mix of powerade and Red Bull.... I used to think it taste good... now after drinking it before and during long races... I think my body is starting to associate the taste with"this idiot is about to run way to far again; he's drinking this shit!" Needless to say its starting to taste bizarre and over the top sweet! Might need to think of something else.... beer perhaps... like a Stout!

I said goodbye to Rose and the kids and Dad gave me a ride down to the start. The OBX Marathon is a point to point race, meaning you start at one spot and end at another. If you have ever been to the Outer Banks, the start of the race is right after you the bridge you come in on and you run all the way down the island and hang a right to go over the sound to finish in Manteo. As we were driving up the island, in a car.... all I could think was -- this is a long way in car, its gonna be a real long as way on foot! We finally got near the start. Dad showed me this shack that he called Mom's house... literally it is like a tool shed and the woman wants $350K. Ahh to be near the ocean! Dad pulled over the car, got ready to say some words of wisdom, but stopped short and said " ahh, you done enough of these, you know what to do."

I guess so...One foot in front of the other, don't stop till you get there.... easy enough! I get to the starting area with about 10 minutes to the start of the race. Needing to use the restroom but with under 10 port-o-johns, port-o-loos, johnny on the spots, or what ever you may want to call a plastic outhouse... I decided to wait to get in the long line... wait till it thins out... kinda like playing Bathroom Chicken. I don't have to go real bad... but having to go alittle and not going can lead to big problems 3 hours later. The line thins out. I hop in and all of a sudden "Two minutes to the race start!" OK... might be close... literally 10 seconds later I hear.. "one minute to the race start... F*&^! So I hustle over to the start. the gun goes off and we get started. In retrospect, I really should have just waited.

1. Who am I kidding, its not like I'm going to win.

2. The race is "Chip Timed" so my race time will be from when I go across the start to when finish... so that could have been a 5 minute differential and the world would survive.

3. and by this being a "smaller race" getting right to the start, closer to the fast people, I probably got into a pace the first few miles, that did not need to be going as fast as I went out.

I really wanted to give this race my best effort and see what it got me. I set out on 8:24 minute mile pace, hoping to land one second under 3 hours 40 minutes... something about 39 looks better! First 3 miles...8:36, 8:25, 8:21. Right on, but all I can think about is having to use the loo and how all the people that are out "cheering" in front of their house, have the look of confederate soldiers getting ready to load a cannon. OK - that maybe unfair... there were some people cheering, it just seemed like these islanders had no idea what to make of 4,000 idiots running around, closing off their streets!

After mile 3 I saw Rose and Jake for the first time...Maggie staying at the house 19 miles away. (Good Idea) It was great to see them early on, however Jake was crying... After the debrief, he told me that he was crying because he wanted to give me a hug and kiss, but that he did not think he could enter onto the road, because it would be against the rules. (There was a Police Officer at the road block, and Jake has an ingrained fear of the 5-0) I think that's cause since he was two, if he ever got real bad, we used to threaten that the Police would come... nice parenting!

Miles were clicking off pretty easy, I started running with a couple guys from Virginia, they too where going for sub 3:40. We were pacing well as we headed by the Wright Brothers Monument, the sight of the first flight! I got pretty pumped up at the park, cause a lady spotted the "R" on my shirt and started chanting RU Rah Rah RU Rah Rah. Ever since I got that singlet, I swear it is worth 5 seconds a mile, just from the people either realizing its Rutgers, or just saying Go R... stupid, but stupid things work when you run that far!

I saw Jake and Rose at mile 8. Jake ran along with me for about 30 yards. That was a good boost, and I was feeling good for the next couple of miles, then we hit the woods! There are about 2 miles of the course that head off into a packed dirt road and then another mile of mulched trail, kinda like cross country ski paths. This is usually right up my alley... but when I am doing 12 minute mile pace... not 8:20. needless to say I was starting to get a little punchy, plus the bathroom need was starting to kick in again.... problem was... I wasn't finding any bathrooms! Eventually I got through the trail and hit an aid stop at the half way point right at about 1:50. Aid but no bathroom... at least none that I saw. Right on pace, only problem was that my mind was already telling my body that I did not have a snowball's chance of doing that again for the next 13.1 miles. So with that shot of negative energy, I was on the highway running south toward Manteo. Fun to think that this highway holds many great memories of places we've gone to on vacation, as a kid, riding my bike to the corner store to play a video game, driving with Scott Franke through a flood in a brand new Nissan, hoping it didn't stall so my ass wasn't kicked by my father... to going to Mako Mike's with Rose and Jake... his first OBX dining experience as a 6 month old. None of this fun crossed through my mind as I ran. It was sunny, which makes it feel hot, eventually the sweat stops and and the scratchiness of your salt dried on your body makes you feel like you are taking steps towards death... which you are, if you don't know when to stop!

So like I said it was getting hot, and I was losing salt and I was two hours in... good time to take one of the 4 S-Caps I was taking. Kinda like a Salt and electrolyte capsule, only problem, is I really needed to take it with water... which wasn't for another 3 miles.... I have never cursed so much in my mind as I did for that 25 minutes... to the point where I will write the Race Director to tell her they really need some F'ing water in that stretch of desert.... (it's right by these really large sand dunes, which in the wrong frame of mind makes it worse. Eventually the water stop came as did a large tree, which I lifted my leg on. Only half relief... If you know what I mean. So for the next 4 miles I was in a really pissed off dimension... and the mile splits started to show it... 9:27...9:33...9:47...Only good thing I can say about getting to mile 19 was that it was right at the golf hole that my sister's house is at. Rose Maggie and my Dad were there to greet me. Jake was over the whole race thing and was at the house with Grammy. Rose handed me my Earpod's for musical inspiration, Dad gave me my gels, and Maggie handed me that delicious combination of RedBull and Powerade. I hung out with them for a few minutes, shared how shitty the day was going. Gave them all a kiss and got going.

Maggie was a little sad to see me go, but Jake was waving from the back porch, then ran to the front to see me one more time.

Sure Shot - Beastie Boys

I really thought this song would give me more of a lift... but no... just more hot, pisst, or maybe it was the Red Bull.

Lose Yourself - Eminem

Too slow, but maybe a bit of a warm up to get me back into a rhythm. Out of the Golf Development and back to the highway.

Lets Get it Started - Black Eyed Peas

Corny, but it worked, about mile 21 started to feel a little better, and actually hit back to an 8:26 mile. In my head I knew that would hurt later, but shit I felt good, go with it.

Tubthumping - Chumbawamba

OK - this is real lame, but the "I get knocked down, but I get up again" song really felt good! I was passing people left and right.. just hopefully I wasn't singing out loud!

Sympathy for the Devil - The Rolling Stones

Maybe the best song of all time. Definitely in the top 5. The beat kicks on and I start bracing myself for the climb up the Washington Baum Bridge. 35 feet does not sound like a large incline, but when it comes in a quarter mile, its pretty goddamn steep. "Please to meet you, hope you guess my name"... I was definitely singing the "ohh whoo's" as the slope started to ascend. At the top of the hill is the 23 mile marker...10:21. Ouch, tough mile, so much for picking it up in the end!

I got over the bridge and was really thinking that it might feel good to get moving down. It did for a little while. Just as we got off the bridge and turned into the town of Manteo, I really started to feel thirsty, and they always tell you if you start to feel thirsty, its too late.

Fast Car - Wyclef Jean

It's those Jersey Boys...

There have been big head lines the last few years about Marathoners dying. I have wondered... do the people who die know they are at that point, or does it come as a shock. It was at this point in the race that I actually had the thought of "am I close to that point?" probably not, but you never know. Luckily there was a road construction crew blocking off traffic. They had a water jug in the back of the truck, and were happy to pour me a cup. I walked for about a minute just to collect myself, I was feeling pretty bad. Up ahead was the last water stop, I poured some over my head... if only I had thought of this sooner, but in November, sometimes you don't think you are going to get that hot! Within a few seconds I felt as about as refreshed as you can feel at mile 25.

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

Fitting, only a mile to go and I still have a shot at at least getting under 4 hours... thinking of how the day had gone this was about the best fall back goal I could come up with. I cocked my head and gave it what I had left.

With or With out You - U2 (Live in Milan)

I have had thoughts... and had this thought again at the end of the race... that when I die, and hopefully go to the place that's the best... The Edge will be there playing guitar! Something about how he plays.... seraphic! Anyway, I don't remember anything about the last half mile other than Bono yelling in my ear, seeing Maggie running towards me with 100 yard to go... getting across the line in 3:58 and then the stench of a flock of port-johns at the finishline... so here they are! (Fuckers) Right next to the post race food, delicious!

I met up with Rose, Dad and Maggie. As customary, Maggie got the finishers medal placed around here neck. They informed me that we had 2 miles to walk back to the car. Awesome... luckily we walked by a McDonald's so Maggs could get some chicken and fries... and a Madagascar toy. We got back to the house, I cleaned up and we went out to eat at Mama Kwan's Tiki Bar before mom and dad headed back up to NJ. The rest of us spent the next day and a half resting up, collecting shells and getting ready for the fun 15 hour ride back.

I am glad that it took me 3 weeks to finish this report... if I wrote it a week later I would have bitched even more about the heat, the lack of aid stations and bathrooms, that I was diasppointed in my time, etc. etc. But time heals all wounds and I look back on it as:

1. I had a bad stomach day ( it happens)

2. It was warm, in excess of 70. ( that happens too)

3. I did not train enough at the pace that I wanted to go.

I had plenty of miles logged, that was not the problem... on that day I could have run 50 miles, but I did not have enough time working at race pace or better to hold it for 26 miles. Lesson learned. In the end, I ran two marathons within 3 weeks in 3:53 and 3:58 repectively. Not too bad when put in perspective!

I am taking some time off, not running too much, doing a little light weights and eating what ever I feel like. In a few more weeks I will begin to train for my first 50 miler in May. I will keep you informed of any updates or fun that I may have until then.

Have a safe holiday and I will talk to you soon!

KF