TIME TO TELL THE STORY....

First thing I want to say, even though he doesn't read this here blog is happy 13th Birthday to my step son Nathan. I truly cannot believe he is 13 already, I haven't had many opportunities to see him since I got back from Hawaii, which bums me out! Happy b-day dude you are a great kid!!!
Ok, now for the report. I really don't know why, but my recollection of this marathon is nothing like last year. In San Fran I remember every single detail about the day, even now I can remember the smell in the air at the start, the look of the bay as we ran along fisherman's wharf. Hawaii seems like such a blur. A couple of reasons for that may be that, one, it was dark at the start and stayed dark for about 2.5 hours. The other I think was the rain, it poured on us as we stood in line for the race to start and then again several times during.
The weather leading up to the marathon was bad, how bad you ask? The Weds. before we arrived they had 80 mph winds on the big island. Rain had fallen for 10 days straight the night we arrived. Did someone move Honolulu to Seattle?? After 14 hours of mass transit we got checked into the hotel and yes it was raining.
Fast forward to Sunday morning, 3:30am. Yes 3:30am!!! I dragged myself out of bed and put the gear on for the race. Nothing special, TNT shirt, hat, shorts, socks, and shoes. 4 packs of GU safety pinned to the shorts. Off I went to meet the team. After some chit chat we headed off toward the start. Not even 5 minutes into the walk it started pouring. Luckily we found another hotel with a large covered area to huddle under. After a few minutes the rain stopped and we finished the trek to the start. The line seem to end at the 4 - 5 hour corral so that is where we stood. After 30 minutes and another down pour the cannon sounded and the fireworks signalled the beginning of the race. We crossed the start line some 18 later and the rains came again. Soaked to the skin, water sloshing around in my shoes at miles 1.5 I had the feeling it was going to be a long, long run. This is where things get fuzzy. The only thing I recall about the first 8 miles is that my right foot was on fire. That and the fact that there were people everywhere. I was never more than 2 or 3 feet away from another runner the whole race! At mile 8 we started up diamond head and if it weren't crowded enough the road narrowed. This is because the elite runners and wheel chair athletes were making their way back. We were front to back, shoulder to shoulder the whole way up, it was crazy. The next thing I know it is mile 12 and I had my first real thoughts about not making it. By this time my other foot had joined the party so now every step was pins and needles, but I plodded on. At some point around the 15 miles mark I ran into coach Janet. Janet is one of those rare people who can cheer me up without saying a word. We ran together for a few minutes and I felt better. At some point prior to that I started to run walk every mile and I was really starting to feel the miles. After a loop around and back I hooked up once again with Janet at around mile 18 and we ran together until 20. Again I am clueless until mile 24 when it was back up Diamond head. I finally got my second wind and the way up was tolerable. Once you get to the top it was mile 25 and all down hill from the there. The next thing I remember is the finish. Marathon number two was in the books and man did my feet hurt!!!
Now under ordinary conditions the park that we finished in must be beautiful, but that day is was a muddy mess. It is hard enough to walk, but with 5 pounds of mud caked to the running shoes it was damn near impossible!
My disappointment was not in the race, but my lack of attention during. I had my down almost the whole race, which is unusual for me. Once in a while I would look up and the scenery was incredible, but then it was right back down to the pavement again. Not sure why? One of these days I'll have to back and look at what I missed!

Take care,
R.P.D.