Goin' to Alaska

Actually, the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon was run the day before summer, but the weather in Anchorage was unseasonably warm:

                   TEMPERATURE
            ACTUAL           NORMAL
          HI   LO  AVG     HI   LO  AVG   DEPT
6/19      74   51   63     63   48   55     +8

That's right, 74 degrees, which felt like 94 degrees when running. I guess I can't complain too much, as the Boston Marathon this year was in the 80s.

The Race

Prelude

Things went smoothly leading up to the race. I woke a 5:00am, went through my morning ritual (coffee, Clif Bar, read the newspaper), got all dressed and was out the door at 6:20. I walked by the Marriott Hotel where the rest of my Team was staying, and saw that their bus hadn't left yet, so I hopped a ride with my teammates rather than take the city bus. We arrived at the High School for the start and I followed my TNT training by immediately getting in line for the bathroom. After dropping off my long-sleeve shirt, which I wouldn't need in the warm weather, it was back in line for the bathrooms! I didn't really feel the need to go again, but it was good advice, because I didn't have to take any more bathroom breaks in the whole four hour race.

The starting area was wonderfully low key. 3-4,000 people were running, and there were a huge number of TNT people from every corner of America. It was cool to see all the different people and their personalized TNT singlets. We had a fine rendition of the Star Spangled Banner before all taking position behind the Starting Line. It was easy to position myself about 1/3 way from the start line, which I figured was about right for my plan. I had studied books and articles and decided that an 8:20 pace would be my target. Of course, my studies didn't say anything about adjusting for the weather or hills, which would have been advisable!

The Start

Right on time, the gun fired and we were off. We curled around alongside the freeway and ran East into the Sun. I soon ran up alongside my teammate Greg, who is usually one of the fastest people in Wave 6. He must have been running more conservatively, since he had never run a marathon before. Greg and I would run near each other for about 17 miles. At the beginning, we were joking around. I was making fun of one guy's shirt that said "Pain is the feeling of weakness leaving the body". I said we'd have to ask him how it felt at Mile 23. Greg prophetically said "I hope I'm feeling good enough to be a smartass at Mile 23"!

The early miles really were clicking off, especially the first six or so. Around Mile 9, we came by the first spectator viewing area. I felt fine, but I must have been zoned out, because I didn't even see or hear my family who had driven all the way out to cheer me on! I feel bad about that. Susan caught me on tape, however.

Double Digits

As we ran the "teens" miles, we were on trails in parks above the city. It was beautiful and I love trail running. We crossed several bridges and things narrowed from fire trail to single-track. It was good that the hills were in the first half of the race, so I didn't mind them much. The race photographers was at Mile 16, and I tried to have a good expression on my face instead of my usual strained one.

I don't know if it was the heat, or "hitting the wall", or just my physiology, but I started to feel tired somewhere around Mile 18. As we ran back through the city, my condition declined. I was tired, thirsty, and my feet hurt!

The Final 10K

The course goes back into a city park, which thankfully provides shade and nature. After Mile 20, I couldn't think clearly to make pace calculations. I was also trying to "trick" myself into running well the last few miles, trying to think "only X more minutes to go" or "only Y more miles", but the problem was, I couldn't motivate myself for any (X,Y) > (0,0)! I was just trying not to give up around Mile 23 when I ran across a couple of support volunteers from my team. The yelled some encouragement to me, and the next thing I know, Coach Doug was running next to me! We chatted and I answered the best I could about my pace and how it was going. He was very encouraging. He ran at a pace faster than I would have at that point, but I pushed myself to stay with him. He was my guardian angel to get me through those tough miles.

The Finish

This course actually has a few blocks of uphill running before you get to the High School that is the Finish Line. What an insult! Actually, it is called "Insult Hill". I managed to keep running though most people were walking at this point. As we ran into the High School, I was still exhausted and unable to speed up until I stepped onto the track for the last 100 yards. Finally, I was inspired to pick up the pace and pass a few more people. They called out my name, "Joe Busco, from San Jose"! Well, at least it was my Dad's name! I crossed the line in a crazed state, though I hope I had a decent expression for my picture. (Susan says I looked scary at the finish.)

By the Numbers

My time was 3:46:14, which averages out to an 8:38 pace. I finished 24th in my division, 100th among men, and 127th overall. There were 1,829 total marathon runners. This is one of my best relative finishes in a race, and was a personal record for the marathon. As a matter of fact, I improved my time by over 30 minutes, which is huge! I guess I must have been sandbagging the first time ;-) Actually, I started the season much stronger and trained harder throughout.

Casualties

Anything can happen on race day, especially when you're pushing your limits over a distance you've never gone before.

• Some poor fellow lost his lunch at Mile 10. In all the miles and races I've run, I've never felt like throwing up. Thank goodness and knock on wood!
• Around Mile 16, the young lady running next to me asked "Can eating Gu give you cramps?" That is not a question you want to be contemplating at Mile 17! Both the guy running in front of us and I suggested the same advice -- drink water to try to dilute it.
• My friends Greg and Will were both hit by knee trouble around Mile 18-20, and it was painful for them to run or walk the rest of the way.

The Cause

I promised myself not to use my secret motivation, my TNT Honoree Bracelet, until mile 20. It was good to glance down at that point and remember the people who have fought much tougher physical battles.

In Memory Of

• J.P.
• Lilly W.
• Louie
• Luke

In Honor Of

• Dorothy Busco
• Rol
• Kristi
• Mark
• Leah

Inspiration

Even more touching than my bracelet, at around Mile 25, when I was really hurting, a woman was standing by the side of the course with a sign saying "Leukemia Survivor. Thank You." What a wonderful thing for her to do, to come out and inspire the people who are working to raise money for a cure!

Acknowledgements

• All the TNT volunteers who came to Anchorage, especially Coach Doug, who ran with me from Mile 23-24, who blocked the wind for me and kept telling me how good I looked and what a great pace I had. He inspired me to keep a good pace, and I couldn't dare quit with him running right in front of me!
• My TNT coaches, captains, and mentor. My teammates who made the season fun and very memorable.
• My year-round running buddies, especially Steve, Tim, and Jamie
• My generous sponsors, who gave of their own treasure to help other people. They donated over $7,500!