Danielle and I were the 4:15 marathon pacers. It would be our first official pacing experience and we were both really excited. Our plan was to start with a 9:30 pace, walk a few steps through some water stops, then bank a bit of time in case there was a struggle in the second half. Danielle has a Garmin, so thankfully we wouldn't have to do much guess work. We arrived at the start, got our signs, and hit the starting corral.
The first few miles went easily. We got to know a few of our fellow 4:15ers and shared some great race stories. Some had run marathons before and some were experiencing their first. I loved sharing my own stories with them as well. We all cheered for the spectators on the street corners, we said hello and thanks to all the police officers, and we picked up other runners along the way. One of my runners told me that I deserved an award for "the most energetic pacer". I took that to heart and used it for fuel for the rest of the race.
The infamous hills along 16th avenue weren't as terrible as I had planned. The Duck Pond area was more beautiful than I remembered. The recorded announcer playing through the speakers in the stadium gave me the chills once again. The roads through campus were just as comfortably familiar as they always are.
The race got much more quiet after the halfway point. We crossed the mats at the 13.1 at exactly 2:07:25. Five seconds early. Close enough! We held onto a couple of our runners for a bit longer. The long stretch up Williston Road was a bit unfamiliar to me. It did seem to go on forever but that could have been because of the 20mph winds. So far the weather had held up. The humidity was high and the air was warm but the overcast threatening clouds had yet to open up on us. The winds were almost unbearable. There were times when I felt like my legs were moving underneath me but I wasn't moving forward. I almost lost my visor a dozen times. Somewhere around the 20 mile mark the sign blew off our pacing stick, so D dropped it on the side of the road. Hills are hills, and I can always get to the top. However, getting to the top of some of those climbs in the second half was so much harder with a headwind like that one.
Eventually we got to 34th Street, turned right and the wind was at our back. We literally had to work to slow down so that we wouldn't finish too soon. The last few miles went fairly easily and even though we didn't cross the finish line with any other runners, we accomplished our goal. We held a nice, steady pace the whole way through, told lots of good stories, gave lots of "high 5s" and felt great at the finish. For our second marathon in 7 days, I couldn't have asked for anything better. And no thunderstorms all day. So take that weather.com.
The volunteers and police force were nothing less than amazing for this race. The organization was top notch. I never had to wonder where I was going or if there was going to be an aid station soon. There was water and gatorade and every stop and Cliff Shots/Blocks at three different stations. Chip timing, tech shirts, medals for all finishers, and if its your thing - plentiful domino's pizza at the finish! Not much more you could ask for - especially for my first pacing opportunity! I would definitely do it again. Only shame is I have to wait a whole 'nother year. Well done, Five Points of Life, well done.
Until next time, run happy and high 5!
I just read this...glad you enjoyed this race and to hear it was good :)
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