A little back story. I've been running since 2003 and really been posting on here since about that time. I made all the new runner mistakes back then and ran my first marathon in 5:20. On that day, I would have never dreamed about having to write a race report like this.
I watched the weather on Friday night and everything was looking pretty good. Lows in the mid 40s with very little wind. Woke up at 5:00 and looked out the window. The flag was completely still. All I kept thinking was what perfect marathon weather. We got to the Fargo Dome around 6:30, still no wind. All the weeks and years of training were going to pay off with a Boston Qualifier.
I just sat in the dome and tried to relax before the race. It was nice being inside on sort of comfortable chairs. Then we decided to leave and go warm up. I should've know it was trouble when it was hard to open the door. The wind started to blow. They said it was about 25 mph constantly out of the north and gusting to around 40 mph. The course was a north to south loop, with miles 9 - 23 into the wind. Right then all my dreams of qualifying went out the window. I remembered what somebody told me last week, "Don't kill yourself if it's windy". On top of all the wind, it started to rain while waiting for the start.
Originally my plan was to go out really easy. Try to run 7:30s for the first few miles. I lined up a few people from the front. I figured they'd help to slow me down. Needless to say, it didn't work. The first mile was 6:53. I know I was in good shape, but not that good. The wind pushed me along to a 7:11 and 7:18 for the next couple miles. Finally, I was starting to feel comfortable. I was running about 10 feet behind two guys. I decided to catch them for someone to talk to. Asked them what they were going for and one answered 3:30. Oh was that guy going to pay the 2nd half.
So running with the one guy we put up some consistent, easy miles. 7.03, 7.07, 7.09, 7.08, 7.09, 7.08. Good thing they felt good, cause the wind was about to enter the race. There was no shelter at this part of the course. I ran my one of my worst miles of the race for mile 10, 7:18. The guy I was running with fell off a bit too. I was really hoping to find some help with the wind. I was caught about 20 yards or so behind a group of about six runners. The guy caught back up and goes, let's catch them. We caught up with them, but when we did, two or three of the guys dropped off. The next mile was 7:12. I wasn't ready for those type of miles yet. So I took the lead. Needless to say, I dropped everyone in the group. I caught up with the next group, then those guys dropped off too. The next couple miles were 7:07. I was feeling really good, and went through the half at 1:33:35.
I then saw my first woman of the race. I sat behind her for about a quarter of a mile, then I told her to follow me. She stuck with for a few minutes. I heard someone say, "third woman". That really surprised me. Soon she fell off too. It pretty much was the same story throughout the race. I was having a blast with the crowd. I was surprised so many spectators turned out for the race. Usually North Dakotans try to run runners off the road (that was a joke, hehe). They were really great support. The course finally went down in the valley for a mile or two, so there was some shelter from the wind. It was amazing how many people were struggling. I kept thinking to myself, all that hill work I've been doing for a flat course is paying off.
I really wasn't even tired at the 20 mile mark. My legs felt great. My feet were a little sore, many of the roads were concrete. I went over the Troll Bridge and through 20 miles at 2:23:10. I knew Boston was in my reach. The half split back off from the course to finish about mile 21 and I so wanted to go that way, but I still had a couple miles of wind left to deal with. I'm still feeling good and passing people. Each time, I offer words of encouragement. I'm sure I was really annoying, but so many runners have done that for me when I'm struggling. It was nice to try to repay the favors.
Finally, mile 25 came and we finally head south. I had seen someone about a quarter to half mile ahead of me at mile 24. I was thinking about trying to catch them, but decided to play it safe. I ran the worst mile of the day, 7:21. I got a little closer to the person and saw it was the 2nd place woman. I passed her with about .75 mile to go.
At last I turned into the parking lot for the dome and crossed the 26th mile marker (7:11). There was a couple people outside and I might have mentioned that I was going to Boston. I turned to come down the ramp into the stadium. I gave a little fist pump outside. I didn't realize I was on the big screens inside the dome. When I entered it was a wall of sound. I just let everything out, all those months and years of training through all types of weather and all hours of the day came out. I crossed in 3:07:58 (chip time).
I immediately tried to run over to my family who was all there, but the volunteers stopped me. I forgot my medal and chip. Finally got that taken care of and ran over. I don't think there was a dry eye for anyone in my family. My family is the best. Probably one of the best days of my life.
Here are my splits.
1-6.53 2-7.11 3-7.18 4-7.03 5-7.07 6-7.09 7-7.08 8-7.09 9-7.08 10-7.18 11-7.12 12-7.07 13-7.07 14-7.00 15-7.05 16-7.11 17-7.17 18-7.12 19-7.14 20-7.11 21-7.09 22-7.06 23-7.15 24-7.16 25-7.21 26-7.11 .2-1.28
I'm going to Boston!!!!
