Impossible to Fail

I have to admit that there were times during the marathon when I faltered in my belief that it was impossible to fail.  The hills, which I did not remember being so steep in 2004, took their toll.  And the heat, especially in the last two hours of the marathon, also took their toll, climbing into the 60s.  But the weather was absolutely gorgeous and the crowds were enthusiastic.  I dug deep and discovered - especially in the last two miles - that once again it was possible to cross a distant and difficult finish line, praising God and giving thanks for my health and fitness.

Martha started the Half Marathon injured, and she decided not to push herself beyond what felt comfortable.  And as a result, she ran one of her best times ever - 2:09:15.  That tells us all something about starting too fast!  I did the same thing, starting at 9:30 miles, then 10:00 miles, but toward the end I was logging some 12- and 13-minute miles.  And, for me, the downhill finish was excruciating, shredding what was left of my quads.  My time was 4:52:59, and I was thankful that Martha faithfully waited almost three hours and found me at the finish line because I don't think I could have found her.

We look great here, don't we?  But the observant runner might note that there is only a scant sip or two of water gone from the bottle, and a single nauseating bite taken from the bagel.  It did indeed take some time to recover my appetite, as I made my way back to the hotel and staggered off the elevator, eating one or two pretzels at a time and slowly feeling my body return to normal.  Still, I could not eat anything beyond a few pretzels, when Martha had a wonderful idea!  What was my all-time favorite post-race food?  Vegetable soup, featured each year at the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville.  She went downstairs to Trevi's, the Italian restaurant in the lobby of the Omni, and brought me back a bowl of the most delicious minestrone soup I have ever had in my life:

Will this be my last marathon?  We aging marathoners cannot help asking this question in the final miles of a brutal marathon.  The old saying is that you should wait until you forget how painful the last one was before you sign up for another.  And already I am beginning to think, "Hmmm.  What if it had been just a little cooler, and I had been just a little better prepared?"

Folly.  Sheer folly!