Race Day

The Preparation
It all started at 3:15am. I woke up and couldn't fall back to sleep. Maybe it was nerves, maybe it was excitement, but I crawled out of bed, took a shower and ate a small breakfast (toast and peanut butter). I had to pick up my Aunt (who also ran), Uncle and father in law at 5:00a so we could make the 45 minute drive to Detroit. We took the peoplemover from Greektown to the start line and were in place around 6:45a. I was surprised at the number of people that were running (16,000), as well as how compact the start line was. Things got started by hearing motivational speaches from Detroit and Windsor's Mayor and both national anthems were played.

The Start
Music was blasting (Right Now, by Van Halen) and the crowd counted down to the start. It was pretty exciting. All the training came down to this moment. Because of the amount of people, it actually took me 3 minutes just to get to the starting line. Once my chip registered on the start, the run was on.

Miles 1-3
Still pretty exciting at this point. It was tough not to get caught up with the crowd and run to quick a pace. The streets were lined with families and "Cheer Teams". We started down Michigan Avenue and ran past Tiger Stadium (1 mile mark). We then meandered through the streets and through Mexican Town. I can honestly say I have never seen this part of town. It reminded me of Playa Del Carmen, but empty because of the time. The cheering sections thinned out a bit, but there were DJ's and bands playing which helped.

Miles 4-5 (The Bridge)
The one thing I could not prepare for during my training was the constant uphill run to go over the Ambassador Bridge to Canada. It seemed like it would never end. Everybody was pretty excited to get to it, but about halfway up, it was evident that it was a challenge. It didn't help that there was a pretty strong cross-wind either. The one good thing about going up so far, is that you get to come down the other end. Although much less strain on the legs, it was important not to go too fast, or an injury could occur. Once at the bottom, a Windsor DJ was at the Customs station pumping up the runners.

Miles 6-8 (Canada)
The best part about the run was Canada. Not because of the view, the fact that it was flat terrain, or the wind was at our backs. It was the fact that it's at this point where the endorphines kicked in and running was really comfortable. The streets were lined at all points with spectators, and it seemed they had fluid stations a little closer together.

Miles 9-10 (The Tunnel)
As we entered the tunnel, it seemed as if you were being sucked down and the pace really picked up. Runners were cheering and making a lot of noise. We must have forgot the opposite effect of the bridge. What goes down, must come back up. Once I started the incline, I really had to dig deep to keep running. I think is was about .75 miles uphill and the legs were burning. It didn't help that there wasn't fresh air and was very hot.

Miles 11-12.7 (The Test)
In my training, I had never gone further than 10 miles, and certainly had never put my body through the hills. When I started Mile 11, I told myself that this is what I trained all these months for. I knew it was going to be fairly flat and all I had to do was keep moving. I was actually 3 minutes ahead of my pace goal at this point. Doing these three miles tested everything I had. I was not going to walk, but my body wanted to. I could feel myself slowing down and that was evident when I got to the 12 mile marker and I was now only 30 seconds ahead of pace. The next .7 miles were just as trying for me, but.........

Mile 12.7-13.1 (The Finish)
As I turned the final corner I saw the finish line. Only .4 miles to go and it would all be done. The crowd was thick and loud. The finish line DJ was urging people on it was exciting. It gave me a 2nd (or was it 10th) wind. I started to sprint and kept on going past the finish line. My time was 2:09:56....a full 4 seconds ahead of pace goal.

Conclusion
To look at me, this experience has not changed me. I am still the same height, still the same weight, and probably not much thinner than I was. But on the inside, this run made a big difference. I am many years removed from past sports glory. I'm not saying my finishing time was anything glorious, but for me to hear the cheering crowd and get some attention for this accomplishment meant a lot. It's not something you get from being an accountant.

Thanks for keeping up with me, and I'll try to get some pictures on later in the week.

Week 14 Update

Bet you thought I gave up, didn't you? No siree Bob! I just no longer need the motivation of documenting my run to know that I'm gonna finish. I've continued my training for the past 3 weeks and am happy to say, I am on the stretch run (pardon the pun!). No run will be longer than 4 miles, with the majority only being 2 miles.

My only concern at this point is the weather. If it is 60-70 degree, I know I can handle it. If it's 90 degrees, like this past week, I will have some problems. Conversely, if it's 30-40 degrees, I don't know how my body will react. Either way it is out of my hands!

I probably won't post anymore until after the run, but will hopefully get some pictures up of me crossing the finish line.

Thank you for your continued support!