marathon relay 2006

(these are adam's pictures.)

i did the marathon relay this sunday and it was a blast. three coworkers and i tackled the 26.2 mile course. i did the final 6.2 mile leg, miles 20 through to the finish line. that's from main street and green lane in manayunk to the art museum.

it was really cold but a glorious day for running. the fan support was tremendous. main street was pretty well lined with well wishers and cheerers. lots of cowbell ringing as if that would make us go faster. the final 1/2 mile to the art museum was like something out of the tour de france where you have 8 feet of "unofficial" running lane with cheering people on both sides. then you hit the fenced in part where it's wider but not by much. it was definitely an amazing experience.

i'm also really proud that our team stayed on pace the whole time. i was going for a 8min/mile pace but i lost that in the second mile where we had to climb two highway onramps. ugh. i ended up in a 9min/pace but i did finish really strong. i found a second wind with about 1/2 a mile to 3/4 mile left left where i was in a full sprint through the home stretch.

overall, i'm satisfied with my performance. i think i could've handled the second mile with onramps a lot better. i think i could've started my sprint a lot farther away than where i did. i could've dressed better too (track pants didn't work out too well). i think i had enough mushroom boosts leftover for at least one sub-8 min mile towards the end.

afterwards, i was really sore and dehydrated. my ankle held up ok and so did my toe injury from earlier in the week. i'm taking the next week or two off to let my feet and ankle heal.

next year, i may try hauling the 10 mile portion.