In an effort to maintain the motivation from my marathon training, I have decided to enjoy a full Fall race schedule. While reading an email from the local running store Fleet Feet I noticed there was going be an inaugural 5K in Beaufort, SC; about 45 minutes away. I knew this would be a small race so I thought it's only $16.00 and who knows maybe I can come away with some hardware...After checking with a few runners and bloggers(CJ) I signed up.

Early to rise yesterday morning and headed to Beaufort. I got there early and my buddy from FF was setting up the timing so we chatted about our marathons, he is running NY in November. I was telling him I was hoping to drop a 26 and maybe grab a 3rd place finish. He told me in his expierence, these courses tend to be a little short and I should shoot for 24+,25...I was scanning the compition and felt good about placing, even with my slow pace....

Off we went, the race course began at the church and went through the local neighborhood. I went out fast and knew I needed to settle into a comfortably painful pace. I was a little thrown off that they did not have the miles marked so I really had no idea what pace I was running. Mentally, I was locked into this "24 min" 5K that Kevin thought I could run, so I used the time to figure out where I was on the course. The first two miles went by and I was reeling in runners who gassed the first two miles. Hell, I just ran a fricking marathon, I can burn a 5K right?

Wait!?! Why does my watch say 23:30? WTF? Where is the finish line?

Oh, there it is...okay, 25-26 is in the picture still...Maybe this course is not short but just the right distance...

What, go right? Go around the entire parking lot? But Mr. Friendly Course Aide, the finish line is over THERE! Hmmm, okay, 27 minutes...God, why are my legs so tired, this is not supposed to hurt like this...

Do what? Are you kidding? GO AROUND THE ENTIRE CHURCH? No, this has been at least 3.1 miles already! Thomas, did you sign up for a 10K?

29 minutes...okay, the finish line should be around this corner....push, don't get chicked....

30:33...Kevin was standing at the finish line and had a huge grin on his face. As he gave me my card in the chute he said, "Course was long, huh?" Course was long? How about 3.5 miles!

I can laugh now, but it was not funny during those four minutes.

As I filled out my race card I saw the 35-39 basket was empty. First place!?!? nah, can't be. Well, I did finish 21st overall so, maybe...While talking with Kevin he told me they were going to combine groups and go to 10 year catagories. That's cool, I was just glad to be here, who knows, maybe I will sneek in a third place.

As the awards were being given out I learned the overall winner was in the 40-49 cat., with a 23 and change time... yup, course was long.

"Now for Males 30-39...second place goes to Joe Schmo" Wait, I passed that guy in the last half mile? Does that mean... "First place, Thomas Armbruster. By the way folks, Thomas ran a marathon in Alaska last Saturday." Geez, thanks Kevin.

So....I got some hardware...and I drove the course after the race and it was 3.45 miles...Glaven!... I know you had something to do with this! My pace was 8:50, I'll take it.

One foot in front of the other, one step at a time.

I am a Marathoner...

I woke up 15 minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off, I was afraid I would oversleep....

Having laid out my race apparel the night before; it was just a quick shower, collect my belongings and out the door. My brother's house is only a mile from the start so the walk was perfect. I stopped for a coffee and got to the gym 45 minutes before race time. Everyone filed into the gym to listen to the race director's instructions.

This race is a runner's race. No hoopla, no fancy jet fly over. They usually use a howitzer from Ft. Wainwright to start the race but the soldiers are currently deployed in the desert so the Howitzer is otherwise being used. The race director said he would start the race at 8:00am on his watch with the firing of a starter pistol. That is exactly what happened. Before I knew it, I was running my first marathon.

They immediately run you up the "sledding hill" just to slap you in the face a little and let you know who's in charge. Crap, a minute and a half in and I am winded! After we got through the bottle neck of the sledding hill, everything opened up onto the streets of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus. Mile two took us into a set of running/hiking trails on campus with some pleasant rolling hills. I settled into a nice rythme and was clocking about a 11:30/12:00 minute pace for the first 5 miles. I was running with a group of people I figured I would spend the entire race with but ended up leaving them at mile six. I really enjoyed the first seven miles of this course. We were running through soft trails and I was really able to enjoy the leaves turning and all of the great colors.

That happy "pink cloud" feeling didn't last for too long as we approached mile 8 and the road to the Ester Dome. I knew this was coming and was prepared for the next hour and a half to be the most difficult part of the marathon; the most difficult run I had ever done. As we passed the 9 mile mark, we left Ester Dome Road and went back onto trails. Immediately greeted by steep hills, I walked up the steepest and ran when I could. I averaged 16 minute miles over the next few miles. although it was really tough, I was enjoying every minute of it. At about the 12 mile mark we came out of the woods and back onto Ester Dome Road, which now was a dirt road. Very steep hills! I was feeling very comfortable, no pain in my right knee, although there was pain in my left knee...kinda wierd.

I hit the top of the Dome and the half marathon mark at 2 hours and 52 minutes. I was happy with my time. Lol, I later found out that the winner (collecting his second victory) crossed the finish line one minute before I hit the half-mary mark! The next four miles were an out and back on top of the dome and they were the most upliftingly difficult miles. It was up and down, up and down VERY steep "chutes" as we were going out, others were coming back. Everyone was so friendly. Runners were saying, "Good Job", "Looking Good" There this sense of comraderie that I have never felt. I was running with a giant smile on my face and realized that I was living life!

Mile 17 brought about the beginning of the decent. "The Chute" was 1/3 mile drop in which we dropped about 500 feet in elevation. It was almost too steep to run, I was able to shuffle down while the others had to walk slowly. It was an intense rush. The next three miles were a more gradual decent through some really beautiful trails, I was able to shave some time hitting 10:30/11:00 minute pacing.

At about mile 20 it got really lonely.

The next closest runner was about 200 yards in front of me and 300 yards behind me. I was slowly reeling people in, only being passed by relay runners. From mile 2 to the finish line I think I was not passed by more than 10 full marathon runners. I am assuming I was holding a solid pace for the entire race. This loneliness lasted for four miles. I had too dig deep and I had interesting conversations with my HP. I also want to thank the Alaska State Patrol Officer who popped up in four different places over these four miles; he really helped me keep moving forward. The last time I saw him I told him, "If I see you when I get back to Georgia, I will be really worried." I saw him at the finish line, shook his hand and thanked him for helping me.

Last big hill at mile 25.5. Are you kidding me? That is just cruel! I crested the hill and opened it up as best I could for the remaining 3/4 mile. I had the finish line in sight and knew that I was going to become a marathoner.

After 5 hours, 40 minutes and 11 seconds, I achieved a life long goal. I ran a marathon. My brother was at the finish to greet me, and give me a card from Holly. Enlisting the help of so many (Cubbie, Holly and Timothy to name a few)I am so lucky to have been able to accomplish this goal.

One foot in front of the other, one step at a time...

Now what?

The time has come...

I sit here with less than 22 hours until the start of the Equinox and well, I am a little nervous...

The weather forecast does not seem to want to go along with "my plan" It has been clear and in teh mid 50's all week. Tomorrow? High in the low 40's and 50% chance of showers. Fu@$! Wait, only 50%? That means there is a 50% chance that it WON'T rain, right!?! I have always been a glass half full kinda guy anyways...

Training in 90 degree plus weather for the last three months means that I will absolutly LURVE running in 40 degree temps....

Quick update on my life lessons in humility....
I live in glorious Savannah, Jaw-ja...elevation 4 ft above sea level...Seriously, the nickname fo my area is "The Low Country". I went for a 7mile run Wednesday, I decided to run the miles 9-12 section of the marathon course. This is the hardest section of the course; climbing from 400ft to 2200ft in said three miles. HOLY SNIKEYS!!! It took me 51 minutes to cover those three miles. What a beast of a climb...

The good news will be that once I crest the Ester Dome, 12.4 miles into the marathon, almost all of the climbing will be over...

Stand by for further updates and a full race recap. Thank you all for the support over the last few months.

God willing, tomorrow I will be a marathoner, one foot in front of the other, one step at a time.

Hello Alaska!!!

I am sitting in the terminal in Anchorage waiting for my connecting flight to Fairbanks...Holy Crap it takes FOREVER to get to Alaska from beautiful Savannah, Jaw-juh...Seriously, I boarded a plane in Savannah at 7am, it is currently 12:00am Savannah time and I am still not in Fairbanks. I will arrive in Fairbanks at 5:30am Savannah time, traveling a total of 22 hours...

But it is so worth it!!!

The mountain's in Anchorage are awesome....the sun is setting right now and I cannot remember seeing a more beautiful site...We flew past Mount McKinley, pretty cool...Anywho, I get to meet my nephew for the first time in about five hours. I will be running my first marathon in three days....

One foot in front of the other, one step at a time.

I remember very clearly...

...where I was that morning. Holly and I had been out late the night before. We woke up around 10AM. While laying in bed, I turned on the television, like I had done countless mornings. I couldn't understand what it was that I was seeing. It didn't make sense. I woke up Holly and told her something was going on in "The City". We watched in horror as the footage was coming in...We were so far away(Savannah, GA), but it struck so close. I have family that work in NYC. I called my mother to find out if everyone was accounted. There was this terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach, I can feel it again as I type this and remember that awful morning. I hung my American Flag outside that day and went to work later in the evening. I was taken aback by how quiet Savannah was that day. I will never forget.

I ran six miles last night. I don't really want my run recap to share space with this blog today so I will keep it brief..hehe, I said brief....Six pain free miles at a 10 minute pace. It felt great, this weather is why I love living in the south. 8 days to the Equinox! I can't wait, one foot in front of the other, one step at a time.

What to do, what to do...

There has been all of this talk about knee pain in the blogosphere lately and I think i am having sympathy pains... Thanks Glaven & CJ...I have not had any major knee pain throughout my training program...last weeks 22 miler really put it on me. I ran a 5 mile tempo run on Thursday and everything seemed fine. Sunday we did 11 miles. The first 5.5 miles went effortlessly. I was setting the pace, we were cruising at about a 10:15-10:30 mile. We stopped for a quick water/bio break and headed out for teh second loop. At about 2 miles in I started getting this all to familiar pain on the outside of my right knee. I wanted to stop but continued to tell myself that it would go away. The pain never left but did dull after a while. After I got home, I iced it for a good 20-30 minutes, this helped greatly.

What I am really worried about, is the fact that I leave for Alaska in a week; I run my marathon in 11 days. I don't know if I should reduce my training runs to less than 5 miles for the next 11 days to allow my knee to rest more....I will turn this over to anyone with more experience...Any suggestions?