Week 12 Re-Cap

Okay, so up until Saturday and Sunday (see My Insane Weekend Parts I & II) Week 12 was a bit "ho-hum." That was entirely intentional, though, as I knew I would need every last ounce of energy for the XTERRA Tri and Marathon. I did some running, but kept it pretty light knowing that I needed to keep my legs loose, but I didn't want them to be worn out. I also did some Yoga on a couple of days hoping that it would stretch me out a bit and relax my muscles. Considering the fact that I finished both of my races, I'd say I was pretty effective. If you didn't count the marathon and run portion of the XTERRA, I only ran about 14 miles with 6 miles being my longest pre-race run. Including the XTERRA and marathon in my totals, it was a very good week for getting my mileage up (though both races KILLED my average pace).

My Week 12 Totals were:
Total Runs Logged: 6
Total Miles: 45.5
Total Time Spent Running: 7 hours, 18 minutes, 46 seconds
Average Pace: 9:39 (min/mile)...my XTERRA pace was 14:38 and my marathon pace was 9:35.

My New "as of" Totals are:
Total Runs Logged: 61
Total Miles: 386.6
Total Time Spent Running: 50 hours, 24 minutes, 36 seconds
Average Pace: 7:49 (min/mile)

REFLECTION TIME! When people find out I completed both the XTERRA Triathlon and Guam Marathon in the same weekend (actually within 25 hours), the response is consistently, "You're Crazy!" That's probably a fair assessment, and to be honest, I like it. Looking back, it's hard to say why I decided to do both, other than I thought it would be cool to say that I did it. Realistically without any professional training or coaching it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but I think the fact that I did it on my own is important. People love to make excuses for why they can't don something challenging whether it be lack of equipment, training, know-how, or fitness. I am far from a professional, and if I was able to do both events, ANYONE is capable of doing one or the other. All it takes is a little will power and the determination to see it through.

My Insane Weekend Part II (40th Guam Marathon)

Around 11:30AM on Saturday, 26 March I finished the XTERRA Triathlon. A mere 15 hours later I back up and getting ready for my next great challenge of the weekend...the 40th Annual Guam Marathon! Here I am somehow smiling at 3:30 in the morning even though I know what is about to happen, and how much it's going to hurt.

At 4AM 89 of us took off from the University of Guam. I'm somewhere up in the front (though I didn't stay up there for long).

Here I am around Mile 8. I was still going strong and feeling good. Actually, that's not entirely true. It was about this time that I started to feel "twitches" in my legs and I knew that cramps would be coming soon. I knew there wasn't a lot I could do but try to get as much water and Gatorade at the aide stations and take as many GU power gels as I could stomach (that number is about 7 by the way).

At Mile 19 my calves cramped up and I was done running. I tried several times to run again, but every time I would instantly cramp up. With 7 miles to go I had no choice, but to power walk my way to the finish line. Not a "glorious" way to finish, but I was determined to cross the finish line.

4 hours, 11 minutes and 2 seconds after starting the marathon, and about 25 hours after my first race had started I crossed the finish line. The cloud cover (and early start) helped to keep it relatively cool during the race. Thank goodness for that because it was brutal enough, and the heat would have made the race just about unbearable.

Eventually I was able to cool down enough and dry off so that I could change out of my sweaty clothes and sport my new medal.

As for the race, I got it all on my GPS. It was pretty cool to see that I had run from one side of the other (even though it was narrowest point). For the most part, there was very little area that was covered twice with the exception of the "out and back" in the upper left corner. The total distance there was about 5 miles.

Here's a picture of it zoomed out to show you that Guam is small island, but it's not that small. I am a little curious to see how far down the island we would have gone if we hadn't done the "out and back"

Looking back on the race, now that my legs are mostly feeling better, it's pretty crazy to think I did it. If I were to do it again (who's to say what's happening in 2012), I would definitely do some longer runs. With 17 miles being my longest run in preparation for this marathon, I know I need to get my mileage up (a couple of 20 miles runs) if I want to make it the full 26.2. I think I did all I could for hydration and rest (considering Saturday's activities), and the only thing else I could have done was train smarter. Still, my goal was accomplished...I finished. Although there were a few people who did the marathon and a leg of the XTERRA Triathlon, and some people who did the XTERRA Triathlon and a leg of the marathon relay, I am the only person who did both in their entirety. That's pretty cool.