With the exception of a major logistical gaffe to start the day off, my trip to and from the Clarence Demar Marathon in Keene, New Hampshire with Mr. O'Toole was a great one.
I began the day by sleeping through my alarm clock. The plan was to wake up at 3am and then pick O'Toole up at 4am so that we could get there a comfortable 60 minutes before the last shuttle bus was scheduled to leave for the starting line in Gilsum, NH. Instead, I woke up to O'Toole's honking horn in front of the house, rolled over and saw 4:22 on the digital clock and I was immediately two feet above the bed and heading for the door. On top of that, I had neglected to fill up the car with enough gas on Saturday, so we had to make a NASCAR-like pit stop just past Springfield, MA. But when all was said and done we arrived at Keene State College only 15 minutes later than planned. Nonetheless, I think O'Toole (a former Boy Scout) was rather underwhelmed by the morning's events.
The race started right on time (love that) and I passed the one-mile mark with the leaders at 6:00 flat. I then decided to blast the next four miles and see how many of the other front runners were the real deal. I passed the five-mile mark in 29:48 (sub-6 pace) and ended up with sole possession of first place. I started wondering about my chances of winning the whole thing, but did not enjoy that feeling of being a fox with about 300 hounds chasing me somewhere back there. I also started wondering if this would be my sub-2:40 day. So I let up on the throttle a bit, but kept the pace at a still-challenging 6:15.
I managed to hold the lead until the halfway mark, at which point the eventual winner absolutely blew my doors off. Then things started unraveling once I hit the big hill at 22 miles as I was forced to walk up it. I then took a half dozen more walking breaks but managed to hold off the rest of the field and crossed the line in 2:51 taking second place overall. A big congrats to O'Toole who executed a race strategy that was the exact opposite of mine (running strong late in the race instead of breaking down) which earned him a time of 3:09, good for 12th and qualifictaion for the next two Boston's.
The race had more rolling hills than I would have wanted and it was awfully humid, but it was a pretty, scenic course. Horse farms, rivers, lakes, a nice golf course and fall foliage that was just starting to turn. I also thought it was very well organized and that the volunteers on the course were very spirited and friendly (despite the fact that I was wearing my Yankees cap!). So I have a feeling I'll be back there in the future.
All-in-all, I'm very happy with the race. That was marathon #27 for me and it tied my 2nd-fastest time. It was also my 3rd "silver medal" finish in a marathon. What's more, it was the third sub-3:00 marathon in a row (after failing to break 3 hours from April 2002 to February 2008) which gives me some confidence with my sub-2:40 effort at Disney a little over 3 months away.
Today I woke up with a very tight Achilles tendon, but it felt fine after walking around a bit. And no running today...just a relaxing, early morning walk around town while catching up on the news with the MP3. But today I'll certainly be feeling and moving in a more geriatric manner than normal. Ah...the life of a marathon runner!
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