West Texas CrossRoads Marathon Race Report
This has been edited since I had a short, three-paragraph post from Saturday afternoon.
I've had a day to reflect on things - and to deal with a blister underneath my left foot - and am back in Spring getting ready to fly out to Jackson, Mississippi tomorrow for work.
If you caught this post originally, you'll already know that I had my first DNF in a long-distance race. It's bothering me a little bit; however, at the time, I made the right decision to stop.
The good thing out of the whole trip is that I got the chance to spend about six and a half hours with Bill and Jerri Cannon - a couple who used to be my junior high, senior high and singles Sunday School teachers at North Freeway Baptist Church and North Park Baptist Church. They've been in Midland for two years. It just doesn't seem that long. It is kind of what my heart needed. Not so much after registering a DNF, but just that they are faithful Christians and are an inspiration to me. God has truly blessed their lives.
The church that they belong to - CrossRoads Fellowship - is the organization that hosted the marathon. And they did an outstanding job!
The only negative is that some volunteers from Odessa College left their water stops at mile 17 a little early. I was prepared though as I was carrying a water bottle. But I was sharing with the race director after I DNF'd that when they grow and they have people participating that take advantage of the 7-hour limit, he'll have some people voicing some concerns (if that happens again).
The course was approximately five miles in and through a subdivision on the south side of FM 191, which runs between Odessa and Midland. (Yes, we ran to Midland and back.) And then it got out on the 191 service road heading east to Midland. At about 8.5 miles, the half marathoners turned around and headed back to the church. Marathoners pressed on.
Somewhere around mile 11 or 12, I learned from a gentleman on a motorcycle with the race that myself and another gentleman were two of the last individuals on the course. When I caught up with him, I said, "Hey, I hear that it is just you and me out here now." (Actually, we learned that there was one other person behind us a couple of miles.)
I knew that it was dry in west Texas. I also knew that it was probably going to get a little warm at the end (and I wore a hat the entire time to stave off any major sunburn.) I didn't count on the wind though.
In the first six to seven miles, it was a light, cool crosswind that made the race enjoyable.
Going in, I did not have the miles underneath my legs and I was wondering about the wisdom of running an hour on the treadmill - albeit at a slow speed - Thursday night. But I figured if I could run steady at about a 12-minute per mile pace, I could register a 5:12 marathon to get career marathon no. 20.
Here are what the splits looked like:
Mile 1 -- 10:54.49
Mile 2 -- 11:25.64 (22:20.13)
Mile 3 -- 11:41.29 (34:01.42)
Mile 4 -- 11:36.44 (45:37.86)
Mile 5 -- 11:33.62 (57:11.48)
The first five miles went through a couple of fairly upscale neighborhoods with very, very wide streets - and folks that were probably still in bed from Friday night's Permian-Odessa High game.
Mile 6 -- 11:30.45 (1:08:41.93)
Mile 7 -- 11:42.24 (1:20:24.17)
Mile 8 -- 11:48.48 (1:32:12.65)
Mile 9 -- 11:53.71 (1:44:06.36)
The half-marathoners turned around on the FM 191 service road somewhere between mile 8 and mile 9. I was still feeling pretty good at this point. I really wasn't trying to look too much at my watch, but when I did I was pleased.
Mile 10 -- 12:00.12 (1:56:06.48)
Mile 11 -- 12:05.19 (2:08:11.67)
Mile 12 -- 12:00.83 (2:20:12.50)
Mile 13 -- 12:27.95 (2:32:40.45)
Mile 14 -- 12:28.59 (2:45:09.04)
At the halfway point, I saw Andy with Run Far from Austin that was at the 5K in Aledo in April on a Saturday morning and then I saw him the next day in Dallas at the Rise and Shine 5K.
We were just about to Midland at this point. When you got to mile marker 14, you were making a right hand turn off of FM 191. I got a Gu at the aid station and took the time to get it in me and wash it down with some water.
Up to this point, things were still going pretty much to plan.
Mile 15 -- 14:08.65 (2:59:17.69)
Mile 16 -- 12:52.35 (3:12:07.04)
Mile 15 I took the time to get the Gu in and at the start of mile 16, I got a volunteer to fill my water bottle up. I went back under FM 191 and began the trek west back to Odessa.
When I started to run towards the water stop, I realized that it was going to be futile at that point to try and run against the headwind so I made a willful decision to just begin power walking it. I did the math. 3:12 plus 12 minutes per mile times 10 was 5:12, but that was going to be unrealistic. So I added 30 minutes (at 3 minutes per mile more) to get to 5:42 and I was able to live with that.
Mile 17 -- 15:00.90 (3:27:07.94)
Mile 18 -- 14:54.24 (3:42:02.18)
First two miles were going according to plan. During mile 16, I noticed a helicopter flying around. Not a military helicopter or an air ambulance, just a regular one. I knew that President Bush was going to be in the area, but I was surprised to think that *that* helicopter might have been part of the plans. I noticed this helicopter during this mile too.
Mile 19 -- 16:12.11 (3:58:14.29)
Sure enough. About half way through this mile, Air Force One crossed behind me as it went from the north to the south towards the Midland airport. Pretty cool.
Mile 20 -- 15:16.81 (4:13:31.10)
Mile 21 -- 15:43.82 (4:29:14.92)
I think it was during mile 20 that I saw the presidential motorcade, but I couldn't be sure. Remembering that President Bush was once a runner, I decided that it would be time to run a little bit again, picked up my walk to a shuffle and waved through the three black Popemobiles towards the front of the motorcade and waved.
The finish was coming into sight mentally, but the wind was really taking its toll. Weather Underground reported that the wind at that time was 19.6 mph with gusts up to 29.9 mph
I actually sat down at the aid station for 2:35.04 and got some food in me -- 4:31:49.96.
Mile 22 -- 16:06.19 (4:47:56.15)
Before I made it to this mile, a gentleman came out to meet me and brought a bottle of Gatorade. I was already past the point to where I could ingest a lot more fluid without getting severely sloshed in the stomach. We chatted. I told him that I had friends that went to CrossRoads. He asked me who, of course, and when I told him, it turned that he and his wife were in the same Sunday School class as my friends, the Cannons. It made me feel better altogether mentally, but physically I was wearing down.
Mile 23 -- 17:54.89 (5:05:51.04)
During this mile, I saw a law enforcement vehicle pull to the shoulder of the feeder road that I was moving on. I said to myself that if I made it to him before he pulled away that I was going to get him to take me to the finish.
I could feel myself start to slowly fall apart. I was getting weaker. When I was first able to see the mile 23 water stop, I could tell that it was a unmanned station at that point. Once I got there, I stopped. I thought to myself that if I would go to the next mile marker and there was nobody behind me to see me if I fell or collapsed that there would be nobody there to notice.
That is what caused me to take my bib number off and wait for somebody to come and get me.
Was it disappointing? Sure. You bet it was.
Was it worth pushing myself only to end up in the hospital? Absolutely not. I don't normally think that way; however, it was in the options on the table at that point and I needed to consider that possibility.
So there you have it, the anatomy of my first DNF!
I've had a day to reflect on things - and to deal with a blister underneath my left foot - and am back in Spring getting ready to fly out to Jackson, Mississippi tomorrow for work.
If you caught this post originally, you'll already know that I had my first DNF in a long-distance race. It's bothering me a little bit; however, at the time, I made the right decision to stop.
The good thing out of the whole trip is that I got the chance to spend about six and a half hours with Bill and Jerri Cannon - a couple who used to be my junior high, senior high and singles Sunday School teachers at North Freeway Baptist Church and North Park Baptist Church. They've been in Midland for two years. It just doesn't seem that long. It is kind of what my heart needed. Not so much after registering a DNF, but just that they are faithful Christians and are an inspiration to me. God has truly blessed their lives.
The church that they belong to - CrossRoads Fellowship - is the organization that hosted the marathon. And they did an outstanding job!
The only negative is that some volunteers from Odessa College left their water stops at mile 17 a little early. I was prepared though as I was carrying a water bottle. But I was sharing with the race director after I DNF'd that when they grow and they have people participating that take advantage of the 7-hour limit, he'll have some people voicing some concerns (if that happens again).
The course was approximately five miles in and through a subdivision on the south side of FM 191, which runs between Odessa and Midland. (Yes, we ran to Midland and back.) And then it got out on the 191 service road heading east to Midland. At about 8.5 miles, the half marathoners turned around and headed back to the church. Marathoners pressed on.
Somewhere around mile 11 or 12, I learned from a gentleman on a motorcycle with the race that myself and another gentleman were two of the last individuals on the course. When I caught up with him, I said, "Hey, I hear that it is just you and me out here now." (Actually, we learned that there was one other person behind us a couple of miles.)
I knew that it was dry in west Texas. I also knew that it was probably going to get a little warm at the end (and I wore a hat the entire time to stave off any major sunburn.) I didn't count on the wind though.
In the first six to seven miles, it was a light, cool crosswind that made the race enjoyable.
Going in, I did not have the miles underneath my legs and I was wondering about the wisdom of running an hour on the treadmill - albeit at a slow speed - Thursday night. But I figured if I could run steady at about a 12-minute per mile pace, I could register a 5:12 marathon to get career marathon no. 20.
Here are what the splits looked like:
Mile 1 -- 10:54.49
Mile 2 -- 11:25.64 (22:20.13)
Mile 3 -- 11:41.29 (34:01.42)
Mile 4 -- 11:36.44 (45:37.86)
Mile 5 -- 11:33.62 (57:11.48)
The first five miles went through a couple of fairly upscale neighborhoods with very, very wide streets - and folks that were probably still in bed from Friday night's Permian-Odessa High game.
Mile 6 -- 11:30.45 (1:08:41.93)
Mile 7 -- 11:42.24 (1:20:24.17)
Mile 8 -- 11:48.48 (1:32:12.65)
Mile 9 -- 11:53.71 (1:44:06.36)
The half-marathoners turned around on the FM 191 service road somewhere between mile 8 and mile 9. I was still feeling pretty good at this point. I really wasn't trying to look too much at my watch, but when I did I was pleased.
Mile 10 -- 12:00.12 (1:56:06.48)
Mile 11 -- 12:05.19 (2:08:11.67)
Mile 12 -- 12:00.83 (2:20:12.50)
Mile 13 -- 12:27.95 (2:32:40.45)
Mile 14 -- 12:28.59 (2:45:09.04)
At the halfway point, I saw Andy with Run Far from Austin that was at the 5K in Aledo in April on a Saturday morning and then I saw him the next day in Dallas at the Rise and Shine 5K.
We were just about to Midland at this point. When you got to mile marker 14, you were making a right hand turn off of FM 191. I got a Gu at the aid station and took the time to get it in me and wash it down with some water.
Up to this point, things were still going pretty much to plan.
Mile 15 -- 14:08.65 (2:59:17.69)
Mile 16 -- 12:52.35 (3:12:07.04)
Mile 15 I took the time to get the Gu in and at the start of mile 16, I got a volunteer to fill my water bottle up. I went back under FM 191 and began the trek west back to Odessa.
When I started to run towards the water stop, I realized that it was going to be futile at that point to try and run against the headwind so I made a willful decision to just begin power walking it. I did the math. 3:12 plus 12 minutes per mile times 10 was 5:12, but that was going to be unrealistic. So I added 30 minutes (at 3 minutes per mile more) to get to 5:42 and I was able to live with that.
Mile 17 -- 15:00.90 (3:27:07.94)
Mile 18 -- 14:54.24 (3:42:02.18)
First two miles were going according to plan. During mile 16, I noticed a helicopter flying around. Not a military helicopter or an air ambulance, just a regular one. I knew that President Bush was going to be in the area, but I was surprised to think that *that* helicopter might have been part of the plans. I noticed this helicopter during this mile too.
Mile 19 -- 16:12.11 (3:58:14.29)
Sure enough. About half way through this mile, Air Force One crossed behind me as it went from the north to the south towards the Midland airport. Pretty cool.
Mile 20 -- 15:16.81 (4:13:31.10)
Mile 21 -- 15:43.82 (4:29:14.92)
I think it was during mile 20 that I saw the presidential motorcade, but I couldn't be sure. Remembering that President Bush was once a runner, I decided that it would be time to run a little bit again, picked up my walk to a shuffle and waved through the three black Popemobiles towards the front of the motorcade and waved.
The finish was coming into sight mentally, but the wind was really taking its toll. Weather Underground reported that the wind at that time was 19.6 mph with gusts up to 29.9 mph
I actually sat down at the aid station for 2:35.04 and got some food in me -- 4:31:49.96.
Mile 22 -- 16:06.19 (4:47:56.15)
Before I made it to this mile, a gentleman came out to meet me and brought a bottle of Gatorade. I was already past the point to where I could ingest a lot more fluid without getting severely sloshed in the stomach. We chatted. I told him that I had friends that went to CrossRoads. He asked me who, of course, and when I told him, it turned that he and his wife were in the same Sunday School class as my friends, the Cannons. It made me feel better altogether mentally, but physically I was wearing down.
Mile 23 -- 17:54.89 (5:05:51.04)
During this mile, I saw a law enforcement vehicle pull to the shoulder of the feeder road that I was moving on. I said to myself that if I made it to him before he pulled away that I was going to get him to take me to the finish.
I could feel myself start to slowly fall apart. I was getting weaker. When I was first able to see the mile 23 water stop, I could tell that it was a unmanned station at that point. Once I got there, I stopped. I thought to myself that if I would go to the next mile marker and there was nobody behind me to see me if I fell or collapsed that there would be nobody there to notice.
That is what caused me to take my bib number off and wait for somebody to come and get me.
Was it disappointing? Sure. You bet it was.
Was it worth pushing myself only to end up in the hospital? Absolutely not. I don't normally think that way; however, it was in the options on the table at that point and I needed to consider that possibility.
So there you have it, the anatomy of my first DNF!
posted by WalkSports.com | 11:40 PM
6 Comments:
I hope you are ok, Jon!
Bummer. So close. I bet that was a tough decision. Hope you're doing OK.
It occured to me that I ran my first long marathon training runs along that same bleak stretch of FM 191, from Midland out to the Airport turn several times in the fall of 2003, training for my first marathon. Your picture brought it right back for me. If it makes you feel any better, I hated on it back then, its just a hard stretch to run!
Ahhh. The first DNF. I had mine last year at the MS 150-- due to a major headwind and lack of preparation. It sucks-- big time. It's been months and it still drives me crazy. I'm glad you were able to recognize when you had really had enough. It's hard, but it was the right thing to do.
Actually it seemed like there was more to look at and hear on the south side of FM 191 as we went east towards Midland. Therefore, it really didn't bother me.
The north side of 191 coming back was a bit more bleak, but the wind and the fact that I was falling apart made the situation more bleak than the scenery.
The course isn't a bad one. In fact, I like it from the fact that it is straight and flat. If you don't have the high winds, it is a PR course plain and simple.
And if you get bored with yourself easily, you better bring someone to run along with you!
Uff da. This put tears in my eyes.
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