Originally posted in January 2011 during my quest to run 7 Rock N Roll Series events in one year and earn the Rock Legend Heavy Medal.
I’ve completed the first event for the year: P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon.
I ran this event in 2009 and it was hot and the water on the course made me fill ill and, while it wasn’t as difficult as my first full, it was still a beast.
I must say that this time around, the run went MUCH better than I ever thought possible. In spite of leaving my interval watch at home and not bringing enough pods for my water belt and forgetting to wear sunscreen….
The weather was perfect. Above 40 degrees at the start and 60 when I finished. A slight cool breeze and just the right amount of clouds to keep the Arizona sun from getting to be too much. No sunscreen? So what? A slight tan line on the arms.
Our coaches were amazing. Coach Chris was at about mile 18? with a backpack full of red gatorade (just my flavor) and bottled water. No extra pods? No biggie. He refilled them.
Then there was my awesome teammate, whom I now refer to as “Stein”. She DID bring her watch and I figured, what the hey, I’ll just run with her. She trains at a slower pace than I do, but I think that was why I had such a great time of it. No interval watch? All the better!
I did hurt but from soreness, not injury. I can handle tired muscles and aching feet. Unlike my first go at this course, I was able to look around and enjoy the scenery, talk to some folks out there on the course, and finish sprinting and feeling good about it!
It seems I have a tendency of meeting marathon-crazy old men on this course. Last time it was Bert who was 74 and had ran every Phoenix Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon since it started. He blew past me at mile 22.
This time it was Charles from the 50 states marathon club. 73 years old and had completed 170 marathons! He finished a few minutes ahead of me.
This was my slowest marathon ever, but I had so much fun. And I was glad to help Stein get through her fastest marathon ever!
I can’t imagine a better way to start my 7 in ’11 rock legend challenge.
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