I failed to finish my first marathon yesterday during the Pikes Peak Marathon as I missed the cutoff at the A-Frame checkpoint. It would be easy to blame the DNF on my strep; but honestly it just wasn’t my day and I didnt want it badly enough. My legs fatigued early and never recovered; quite honestly, they gave me an easy out. I made the Barr Camp cutoff with just a minute to spare; I’m not going to lie, it was tempting to slow down and end the day there but the Heroes’ memories kept my moving. I chugged along in hopes of making the next cutoff; however, it soon became apparent that it was not going to happen. I had ¾ of a mile to reach the A-Frame cutoff when the clock showed 1115 and my day was done. It was again tempting to turn back and head down the mountain at that point as my race was over; however, I plodded further up the mountain to A-Frame, the race officials had to make it official, it seemed better that way. I learned a LOT from the experience; as much about myself as I did the course. I’m not sure I’ll conquer the mountain in the rematch; however, I owe it to myself and the Heroes to learn from yesterday’s lessons and give it another shot. Lessons learned: 1. I dont hate hills anymore; I hate mountains, I just dislike hills. 2. Never, and I mean NEVER, accidentally register for any race; especially Pikes Peak Marathon. 3. I am stronger mentally than I thought going into PPM; it took ever ounce of it to not turn around when I missed the cutoff. 4. Respect the mountain; I thought I respected the mountain, it proved otherwise. There is no walk of shame; the only shame is not respecting your efforts (thanks Marathon Mom for putting this in perspective) 5. Wanting to run PPM isnt enough; it take a special kind of desire. 6. Training for PPM takes dedicated training; not afterthought training crammed into four months due to an accidental registration. 7. Simply making the early cutoffs doesnt ensure youll have enough time for subsequent cutoffs; earn your cushion early, youll need it later. 8. Faster flatland marathons equate to higher rate of success in the mountains; train for speed. Before the rematch, my PR has to be 4:30 or below. 9. Blessed to have the most amazing, supportive wife and friends; your encouragement and support mean the world. 10. The training mask is a great tool; however, nothing replicates elevation AND altitude like being there. Before the rematch there will be training races in the mountains of Colorado. Thanks for everyones support and encouragement, there will be other races; the mountain may have won this time, but there will be rematch down the road.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 00:51:23 +0000
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