The Run - Blow by Blow

Mile 1 - I start in the back of the pack with a lot of walkers, I want to control my heart rate during the early part of the run and keep it under 150 bpm. This is extremely difficult running at even the slowest pace. I spend most of mile 1 manuevering around other walkers/runners trying to get into a good rhythm. The first glimmer of light appears. I'm listening to music on my iPhone.

Mile 2 - Things have spaced out a bit. I still am having a difficult time keeping my heart rate down. I decide to let it creep up around 152. The sun is appearing and it looks like it will be a beautiful day. I turn the music off and have short conversations with some of the people near me.

Mile 3 - I begin to regret all the water I drank pre-race. I look for port-a-johns (PAJ) but any that are there have a nice lengthy waiting line. I also see my buddy Chris alongside the road - he was near the Dunkin Donuts - I should have known.

Mile 4 - We are now on the main road running alongside the beach. The sun is still rising and peeking from behind the clouds. We're well into the race now! I still can't find an open PAJ

Mile 5 - Making some new friends, like the 50+ year old woman running her first race. She is doing the run a bit, walk a bit so we constantly go back and forth. I try walking for a couple minutes wondering if I could actually run the whole 13 miles. Actually take off my arm band so I can use my iPhone to take some pictures.

Mile 6 - Similar to mile 5 - walk for another minute or two. Don't need to, but am concerned about finishing strong.

Mile 7 - I actually find an open PAJ down toward the beach. There is a break in the cars that allow me to cross the street and hit the PAJ quickly. I quickly get back in the race and see all my friends from Mile 5 who were a little slower than me. I also spend the next couple miles trying to catch the 50 year old woman who is now in front of me.

Mile 8 - Still chasing. Decide to not worry about finishing strong and just run my race. Now letting my heart rate get into the mid 150's. Need some music towards the end and listen to the Newsboys "Go"

Mile 9 - We leave the beachfront and hit the biggest hill on the course. Fortunately, it isn't even a hill, more of a slight rise. I'm still chasing, although I am only about 40 yards away from my friend.

Mile 10 - Now on a busy road running back toward the start/finish. It's gut check time, heart rate is in the mid to high 150's. Things seem to be going well. I catch up with my friend and thank her for helping me set a pace.

Mile 11 - I decide to let my heart rate go and just keep the pace I've set. Things begin to blur, I pass my friend for the final time.

Mile 12 - Don't remember much except when I see the mile marker telling me I only have one mile left. I realize that I have more in the tank and want to finish strong. I also want to break 3 hours. To do that I'm really going to have to crank up the pace.

Mile 13 - I pick up my pace to the fastest it has been in the race. I am amazed at how I am sustaining it. My heart rate jumps from the 160's to the 180's. I don't care - I want to break 3 hours. I know it will be close, but have not seen a time marker since Mile 10. I enter the final path; Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Echoes of Eden" is playing and I am moved to tears thinking about my wonderful wife who has been so supportive. The adrenaline is really flowing - this is a feeling that is delightfully wonderful and difficult to explain. The emotion of what I am about to finish overwhelms me, I continue to run, I see the finish line and then... I'm done. I didn't break 3 hours but gave my all and finished incredibly strong. Exactly the way I wanted. Even though I didn't break 3 I am still amazed to finish as fast as I did. I would have been happy with 3:15...

Now the hard part... recovery.