Running With Jack

Today is a German holiday, so yours truly decided that it would be a great day for my last long run before my 50K on Oct. 21. I had planned on running a bit longer than normal, somewhere between 4-5 hours. Of course what better way to do that than to run a marathon, right! So I showed up at the Rhine Marathon about an hour before the event, which took place about 20 minutes from my house. It was raining, as it did all night and most of yesterday. We are not talking sprinkles, we are talking a steady, relentless rain that leaves you soaked in a matter of minutes.

As I stood in line to sign up for the event I already had my doubts on whether I really wanted to run the entire marathon, especially at a slower then normal tempo. So as my turn in line arrived and they asked me whether I wanted to run the half or the full marathon I answered with “I don’t know”, which kind of surprised them I guess. I went on to say that in this weather I wasn’t sure. They said if I signed up for the marathon I could decide a 100 meters before the end of the half if I wanted to finish or do the full (the marathon was 2 loops). The price difference was only around $3.50 (4 Euro) so I signed up for the full.

So the rain continued to pour down as we lined up for the start. I wore a running shirt, jacket and shorts. My shoes were already getting soaked before we started, an indication of the amount of rain we were getting.

I set off at a comfortable pace, about 5:45/K (9:15/M), which I maintained the first 21K/13M. The course was flat, 100% hard asphalt, and angled – in other words a terror to run on!

It continued to rain and rain, then it rained some more. By kilometer 19 my legs were starting to disagree with the asphalt and sloped path. I could feel it especially in my left knee. This never happens when I run on trails! By kilometer 20 all I could think of was my 50K race in 2½ weeks and how, if I continued to run the full marathon, how messed up my legs would be by the end of the race.

So as the 21K/13M marker showed up I decided that it is more important for me to be fresh for the 50K race, so I ran over the finish line, completing the half-marathon in around 2:03:00.

After showering at the sports center, I drove home (in the rain of course) and pondered if I had made a wise decision or am just a wimp. Arriving home without an answer I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon chilling out with my wife who was surprised to see me home so soon.

At least tomorrow night I can run with my running club.

By the way, it’s still raining outside…