I finished.
And, that was not just trying to manage expectations. For this race some eight weekends ago, crossing the finish line was almost the sole thought in my mind from start to finish. Well, other than that nagging one from my only DNF at this race last year. Even though I've completed two other marathons since that DNF, I had to complete this one, in order to put that DNF thought completely to rest. The mental aspect of a DNF is very real, and a decision to not finish, as Brian Morrison had said, shouldn't be taken lightly, because "once you drop that first time, it gets easier and easier to throw in the towel." (See #4 in the article, "The long and short of running wisdom.")
As for the race itself, many of the details are already in my Potomac (Abebe Bikila Day International Peace) Marathon race report from last year. Here, I mention just a few more items specific to this year's race.
It began with a rainbow welcoming all the runners.
But, then the rain began. The course was 6.55M out and back along the C&O Canal Towpath, starting from Fletcher's Cove, done twice. It's a beautiful course, shown here before the start, when everything was still calm and dry.
At the end of the first out-and-back, the Towpath was already pockmarked with pools of accumulated rainwater. Initially, I went for the grassy sides of the path--which was a bad idea, as water from the saturated soil flooded my shoes. It turned out to be better, and the shoes actually remained drier, to stay on the path and just run through the pools. They were shallow enough that most of the water splashed away from the shoes. I was wearing my relatively new Merrell Bare Access (MBA) 4 trail shoes.
One very nice feature they have, which I didn't know when I bought them, is effective drainage. So, those flooded shoes soon felt "dry." Being trail shoes, their soles are relatively thick. But, despite the soles, the shoes are remarkably light. The fit is not as snug as that of the Merrell Trail Glove (still my favorite!). But, overall, I like the MBA 4.
Anyway, back to the rain. A lot of credit has to go to the race organizers and, even more, those wonderful, persevering volunteers at all the aid stations and the post-finish recovery area. The rain gradually intensified during my second out-and-back. (I was really glad I had my hat on!) But, it really began to pour not too long after I'd crossed the finish line.
I finished in 4:28. There were actually several races going on at the same time: 3 starting times, with an hour stagger in between, and runners for both the half and the full. So, at any given time, it's hard to know which group(s) the runners around me belonged to. Basically, I was running alone for the entire race. That factor, along with the rain, probably contributed to my relatively slow time. Mostly, though, it was the incomplete training cycle over the previous 16 weeks, interrupted by work-related travel and various other activities. I ran only three good long runs, out of the scheduled 9-10 runs. Plus, the long hot summer. Then, of course, there was that DNF factor. I ran very conservatively, continually reminding myself that, no matter what, I have to cross that finish line!
So, it was a soggy but satisfied drive back home, nourished, along the way, by one of my favorites: Injera!
