Tuesday June 5, 2012

Wow how time flies.. 

I will try to get caught up on my writing.

Hello Laura!!!!

Since my last blog I have run the North Olympic Discovery Marathon. 

My finishing time was 5 hours and 42 minutes.  That is 13 minutes and 3 seconds per mile. 

I was first in the 75 and up age division. In fact I was the only runner over 75. 

 It was 48 to 50 degrees when the race started. Just about the right temperature for me. 

Philip my Chief Aid Person said that later it was 70 degrees for a while. But it cooled down to the 60's by race end. But Official Aid Person Kim looked up the official temperature for Port Angeles and found out it was only 59 degrees for a high. Shirley said it was at least 68 at our home. So much for the temperature debate. 

This is the start of the race. P.C.M. is also the Official Chief Photographer.  

         The starting gun has just fired and we are off!!!!!!!

               

                  

The picture below is me at mile five. You can see the entrance of Carie Blake Park. 

The lady running in back of me is one of two more runners that I ran with until about mile 11. The female runner was 40 on Sunday and wanted to finish in Six hours. She finished in 6 hours and 6 minutes.. I am  running a 12 minute pace here.

 The race starts on Blake St. at the entrance of Carie Blake Park. The run begins with a 5 miles loop, then heads West into Sequim where at 7 miles it finally runs on the Discovery trail and then finishes in Port Angeles. I kept up the 12 minute pace until a little after 10 miles. From mile 13 to mile 15 I  averaged about a 12 minute and 30 second pace. 

I then was running a 12 minute and 42 second per mile pace at mile 20. I was getting tired at this point in the race and my pace began to show the fatigue. I finished my last 6 miles at a 14 minute per mile pace.

At mile 22 a runner can see the finish line way around a long curve of 4.2 miles. That part of the race is always difficult for me for some reason. I have ran this course 6 times for this particular marathon and it seems it is always depressing to see the finish and yet so far away.

Oh, the rest of my Official Aid Crew was Rosaura, Kim, Skylar, Ruby and Lora.

  This me, Ruby and Skylar at the railroad bridge about mile 9.4

        The aid crew leaving the railroad bridge. 

                          This Kim, Skylar, Ruby and Lora giving me aid ???????

They are walking back to the bridge and then to their car.

                           That is me leading the 'pack' down the trail. The 'pack' has been running together for about 10 miles now. It was just a little distance beyond the10 mile mark that I began to run by myself.

My aid personal failed me between mile 10 and mile 15. They had to go and eat!!!!!!!!

But they met me at mile 15 and gave me my Endurlyte capsule.

CONTINUED TOMORROW. IT BED TIME. GOOD NIGHT!!!!!