From: Rick (carlsennospam@cox.net)
Subject: My First Marathon: Shamrock - Virginia Beach
Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 21:28:30 -0500

 I DID IT!!! My first marathon.  Man, what an adventure. It was fantastic! I
want to do it again. It was so cool, I can't even describe it. From the
moment I got to the Pavilion (where it started) it was electric. My buddy,
Gary, was right - I saw every type of person there. Big, little, skinny,
fat, old, young - everyone. The starting line was one big party. Lots of
whooping, waves, hellos, hugs, "Let's do it!", "Shoot the gun!" And then, it
happened.

It just started. Everyone began to run. At first I was caught off guard.
Where's everyone going? Why are you leaving? Don't you people know the race
is about to start? Then it dawned on me - the race HAS started. This whole
mass of humanity and running shoes began to move forward. There were runners
calling out to their families and friends. People jumping, throwing their
arms up, laughing. It was still a party. As we crossed the start line it was
so incredible. 19th Street seems to dip a bit in between the Pavilion and
the oceanfront, and so I was able to see a glorious site - the entire street
filled with runners bobbing up and down. A sea of moving colors and banners
lay right there before me. And I was part of it

I started out really strong. The first 3 miles didn't even feel like I was
running. And it was a beautiful day. Sunshine from horizon to horizon. No
wind. The temperature at start time was about 43. I was wearing my running
hat, my dry weave singlet under a cheap long-sleeve cotton tee-shirt, my
gloves, and my shorts. I kept to my plan of sticking to right around 8:00mpm
for the first 4 miles. Going out we ran the entire length of the boardwalk.
The light breeze was at our backs the whole way. The waves were up and the
surfers were out sitting on their boards. Gulls were circling and squawking.
There were a few beach combers. Picture perfect.

I threw off the cotton shirt at 6 when I gelled, but kept the hat and gloves
on because it was still a bit chilly. At mile 7 we started into the woods
around Ft. Story. It was shaded and cool, so I didn't burn off too much
sweat. Then we went into Ft. Story itself. The roads were much worse on the
fort, so I had to come off "autopilot" and pay attention to the road
surface. We ran past the dunes and the Cape Henry Lighthouse, the oldest
lighthouse in America. Then on through base housing and finally to the
turn-around point. This is where it got a bit dicey, due to the clog of
runners, but I managed to get around with little trouble. I got a big boost
here because the DJ was playing Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." Does it
get any more perfect then that? I went back up the fort's roads and then
back out to the road through the woods. All was really well, and I was flat
on pace. I was just strong and steady - almost mechanical. Then came mile
20.

I forgot to mention that I hooked up with a guy from Williamsburg, VA at
about mile 7. We had actually been running side by side since mile 6. We
chatted and I found out it was his first marathon and his goal was 8:00mpm
as well. Anyway, at the 20 mile mark I remember saying to him, "Now I'm
beginning to work." He said, "Yup, me too." But I still felt strong. I kept
a steady pace and was feeling good. I ditched my hat and gloves to a buddy
who was working at a water station at mile 21, and was feeling fairly good
for the next 2 miles. Then came mile 23.

It wasn't an audible sound, but it sure was close to one. For certain it
felt like a huge SMACK! That's right, I hit "The Wall." It was as if an army
of little men ran out into the road and stacked up a pile of bricks just for
me to run into. All the energy and will suddenly and completely left my
body. I couldn't shake it off, and I couldn't power through it. I was
dumbfounded. I had never experienced this before. I thought I had hit "The
Wall" during some of my longer training runs, but that was when I lost maybe
10 seconds of pace time. Now I know that those weren't walls at all. Those
were just little bumps. This was THE wall. This is what I had heard real
runners speak of with such dread. This was sheer, unadulterated,
kick-you-right-in-the-you-know-whats fatigue. I slowed and a little beyond
the 23 mile marker there was a water station and a port-a-potty. I stopped
and used it, then walked through the water station and hydrated. I started
out running again - slow. About 200 yards down from there the course went
back onto the boardwalk and straight into a wonderful 15 mph headwind. I
felt it in all its glory. I even felt little grains of sand stinging my
face. It was steady, staggering and brutal. I struggled on and right after
the 24 mile marker's water station I had to walk again. I was just plain
worn out. I walked for about 2 minutes and then started again. I'm not
kidding, that wind was horrible. I was exhausted - absolutely spent. Right
before the course left the boardwalk for the city's streets a lady yelled
out to me, "Hey, 279, only one more mile. Come on, come on. You CAN do this!
You can finish!" I am convinced that that lady was a gift from God Himself.
Anger/determination rose up inside me and I woke up and got really focused.
Tears came to my eyes and I said to myself, "I'm NOT going to walk anymore.
I will NOT be weak."

I started running again, but I didn't quite have my legs under me yet. I
half-ran/half-walked off the boardwalk and out of the wind onto Atlantic
Avenue. Once there I started to pick up my pace. I took the right onto 19th
Street and truly found my legs and my pace. I was running again. The pain
felt good, as weird as that sounds. I was awake - alive - again. Now there
was a ton of people on both sides of the road. It was the big party again.
There were a lot of locals, marathon relayers, the 8K runners and their
families there. They were fired up and cheering for all of us in our last
mile. They were cheering...for me!

"Go 279!"

"279, you da man!"

"Roll on, 279!"

"Lookin' strong, 279!"

"Check out 279!"

"Run Forrest, run!" I laughed out loud when I heard that. It put a big smile
on my face and I started to have fun again.

I came down the street and hooked the loop to the finish line. I was really
running strong now. Every ounce of energy I had left was being used by my
lungs and legs.

Then I saw it - the finish line.

Few things have ever looked so good. All the pain went away and there was no
more exhaustion. There was just speed. I sprinted. I sprinted hard. Arms
pumping, legs churning, I heard the announcer say, "And here comes Rick
Carlsen! What a finish!" I crossed that line, heard the chip beep, and
raised my arms and said, "Thanks."

It was over.

It felt so good to be done. In fact, it felt GREAT. I had a huge smile on my
face, but was kind of lost as to what I was supposed to do next. I stopped
dead in my tracks and was looking around. A volunteer came up, handed me a
medal, and said, "Congratulations. First one?"

"Uh-huh."

"All right! You're a marathon runner now. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Uh-huh. Where can I lay down?" I appreciated his effort at boosting my
self-esteem, but I was concentrating only on basics at that point. Laying
down and not moving was as complicated as I wanted to get.

A co-worker who came to watch the race found me and snapped a couple of
pictures. She asked me how I felt (I'll bet I was a real sight) and led me
inside the Pavilion. Once inside I inhaled two bananas, a couple of slices
of oranges and a huge bottle of water. I stretched out a little and then
went outside to relax in the grass and watch others finish. I ended up
falling asleep in the sunshine for about an hour, and it felt great. I
stretched out some more and then headed home.

My first steps on the road to Boston have been taken. I'm eager to do
another marathon. It was so invigorating. The Marine Corps Marathon on Oct
31 is next. Now I need to train more, run faster and bring down my time.
Then I'll get to Boston.

So far, so good!

Cheers,

Rick Carlsen

--------------------

Here are my splits -

Mile 1 - 8:02
Mile 2 - 7:41
Mile 3 - 7:50
Mile 4 - 7:55
Mile 5 - 7:59
Mile 6 - 7:55
Mile 7 - 8:06
Mile 8 - 7:48
Mile 9 - 7:59
Mile 10- 7:55
Mile 11- 7:51
Mile 12- 7:50
Mile 13- 7:52
Mile 14- 7:50
Mile 15- 7:50
Mile 16- 8:04
Mile 17- 8:06
Mile 18- 8:07
Mile 19- 8:02
Mile 20- 8:12
Mile 21- 8:16
Mile 22- 8:12
Mile 23- 9:38
Mile 24- 8:47
Mile 25- 11:31
Mile 26- 8:50