Rocket City Marathon – 2007

Gayle and I drove down to Huntsville Friday afternoon, about two hours South of Nashville. The original plan was to meet up with Lana and Michele for supper. About 4:30 Michele called to say that she was not coming to Huntsville until Saturday morning because Lana’s family had decided to make the trip.

So, Gayle and I headed out to Macaroni Grill to load up on pasta.

About 8:30, Joe called and I went and met him and Darrell and Wes. It is always good to meet fellow bloggers.

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Saturday morning dawned as a gray, cloudy day. The temperature was in the upper 50s with the high to be in the upper 60s with the wind from the South at 7 mph, a lot different from last year’s 17 degrees.

Met up with Michele headed to the starting line. We ran in Joe, Darrell and Wes.

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Once the race started, we had not gone a tenth of a mile when it started to mist. I knew there was a lot of moisture in the air but it was right on the saturation point with the humidity at 95 percent.

The plan was to run a negative split, so we tried to hold back the pace. In hindsight, we should have started out slower but with the first split at 9:17, we felt ok with that.

Met up with Lana about mile 2.

The course circles back around toward the start and we saw Gayle about mile 3.

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At this point the course headed South. It continued to mist. With the South wind it felt comfortable, but was rather warm. By mile 8, Michele was concerned with her heart rate being high.

Several times we saw Lana parents and sister.

Around mile 13, Lana said she had to drop back because we wasn’t feeling well. Michele and I trudged on but she was still concerned about her high heart rate.

When we made the turn heading North about mile 14, was then I began to feel the humidity because the wind was now at our backs.

About mile 15, Michele said she needed to slow down and get her heart rate back in a reasonable range.

Around mile 19, I saw Lana’s family again and told them that she and Michele were behind me but that Lana was having a tough day.

I was beginning to slow down but still felt ok despite the beginning of a side stitch. Shortly after mile 20, I made a quick pit stop. That was the beginning of the end. I started back running but had trouble going. From that point on, I would running as long as I could and then walk a little and then run some more.

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When I got to the last mile, there wasn’t much left but I pushed it to the finish line. Chip time: 4:28:21. That is 14 minutes better that last year and a PR.

It was not as good has I had hoped for but it was as good as I could do yesterday. So now it is time to start planning for the race.

Congratulations to Darrel, Joe, Wes, Lana and Michele.

On a side note: The folks who put on the Rocket City Marathon, do a super job. It was well managed and run and is one of the best values for your marathon dollar. I think some of the bigger races should take note!

 

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9 Responses to “Rocket City Marathon – 2007”

  1. Phil Says:

    Congrats on your new PR. You just keep getting better. Nothing wrong with a little walking. I know what you mean when you said it tough to get started again after a potty break … that’s tough.

    Take a well deserved rest and plan out your next conquest.

  2. Michele Says:

    It was great running with you yesterday. Wish I could have hung on with you longer.
    Congrats on your PR. Awesome job.
    Look forward to running with you again at Tom King if not sooner.

  3. Wes Says:

    David, congrats on a great race time and a PR. You are right! It was a tough day for a lot of people. The humidity was deceptive! People such as yourself are a constant source of inspiration for me. Keep up the great work. I’ll be seeing around the south :-)

  4. Lana Says:

    Congrats on the PR, David – you did great! It was great to get to run with you yesterday. And I agree about the great job the RC folks do with the race. It was by far the best I have experienced. Just wish they could’ve gotten rid of that dang humidity!

  5. Joe Says:

    Awesome PR in the muggy weather, David! You executed the race plan well and made wise adjustments.

    it was terrific to meet you…thanks for capturing my ITB stretching!!

    Great report…so glad you worked through it!

  6. darrell Says:

    A PR! That’s great especially considering the conditions, kind of like running in a steam bath.

    I completely agree with you on the race management. The whole thing went off pretty much flawlessly. We couldn’t have gotten much closer to the start/finish without camping out in Big Spring Park.

  7. Bob Allen Says:

    Congrats on the PR. Man, I’m impressed with anyone who can simply finish a marathon and you went waaaay beyond that. I hope you recover quickly and well.

  8. lisa Says:

    Nice meeting you and great job on the PR!!! Way to go!

  9. Rae Says:

    Great job on the PR! That’s a big chunk off your previous PR! Way to go!

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