I flew over to Dubai last weekend to visit Holly and run a half marathon in Abu Dhabi. I wasn't really expecting great things from the race because I've been pretty lax in my training over the past few months. Still, I figured it would be a good gauge of where I am in terms of fitness and a good kick-in-the-pants to get me training harder for the Dubai full in January. I brought Ellie, our DBRC mascot, along in hopes she'd bring me luck. As you can see, she's not a good influence. She clearly does know how to make the most of the Doha airport lounge, though.
The weather for the race was quite nice for this time of year, with temps in the high 70s, no humidity, and a slight breeze some of the time. Mary wanted me to start out at an 8:40 pace and hold it as long as I could. Holly said that was fine with her but not to expect her to keep that up the whole way. I didn't think I'd maintain that pace for the entire race either, so we kind of expected one of us to fall of the rails around mile 9 or 10.
The course was a nice tour around Yas Island and all the major attractions it has to offer. We ran up to the entrances of many of the hotels, did a nice out-and-back along the marina, cruised past the F1 track and Ferrari World, and then looped around back to the start/finish at Waterworld. A much better course than the Qtel one in Doha (4 laps of the Corniche) or Dubai Creek Striders (multiple bridge climbs, running on pavement, dirt, grass, and cobblestones).
We set off from the start in the middle of a crowd, and after reaching the main road, the course opened up and we were able to settle into a nice rhythm and pace.
Mile 1 - 8:46
Mile 2 - 8:36
Mile 3 - a slight ramp up to the entrance of the Crown Plaza hotel, where the employees were kindly handing out bottles of water. 8:39
Mile 4 - nice run along the water and the marina. I was surprised not to see any timing mats in places where it would've been easy to skip portions of the course. Holly told me I'd been living in Doha too long and that they trust runners over there. 8:39
Mile 5 - 8:41
Mile 6 - not a big fan of the climb up to the marina hotel, as small as it was. I definitely need lots and lots of hill work before Comrades. 8:38
Mile 7 - this is where the pace started to get hard. I could feel my legs starting to ache and found I had to focus more on keeping the pace up and not as much on talking and looking around at the scenery. 8:39
Mile 8 - a dull stretch of road outside Ferrari World. Not much talking going on. A few minutes of a lapse in concentration led to a slow mile. 8:47
Mile 9 - this is where I thought I was going to bonk. I was starting to get hot, the water stops seemed farther apart, and I could see a big bridge up ahead that I just knew we'd have to climb to get back to where we started. 8:47
Mile 10 - this is where I knew I was going to make it. I kept telling myself there was only 3 miles and 25 minutes left to go. I felt like speeding up slightly, but I wasn't sure if Holly would be able to keep up, so I just kept steady. As it turns out, she felt she could go faster too, but wasn't sure how I was feeling. Note to self: we need to talk more during Dubai. This is also where we noticed that the course markers seemed to be a bit short of where they should be. The 16km sign came well before we had 3 miles left to go. 8:41
Mile 11 - a nice shady run along the empty lot behind Ferrari World. 8:40
Mile 12 - we could hear the finish line as we got closer to Waterworld. The 10k runners merged into the road with us at this point. Nothing like having to dodge people walking three or four abreast as you're trying to conserve what little energy you have left. 8:40
Mile 13 - not quite a mile, actually, more like 0.9. The course was definitely short. We crossed the line, picked up our medals and towels, and walked around in the shade to cool down before heading into the park for breakfast.
I ran a 1:51, which was much better than I expected given my training or lack thereof. Now it's time to drop a few pounds, make all my workouts, and get through Dubai with a sub-4 qualifying time for Comrades.
Another interesting commute to work today. Traffic has been horrible ever since all the schools started up last week. Needless to say, tempers are flaring, and I saw a great example of that this morning. The driver of the car two cars in front of me opted not to take his chances with the red light camera ($1600 fine) and stopped rather than drive through the yellow light. The guy behind him and directly in front of me started honking and flashing his brights to show his displeasure with having to brake and now wait several minutes for the light to change. The first driver got out of his car and walked back to the car behind him while shouting, yelling, and shaking his finger at the other driver. The man in the second car proceeded to roll down his window and yell back. Quite entertaining.
When we ate at Joel Robuchon in Vegas two weeks ago, in addition to offering a vegetarian 16-course dinner (which made Heather very happy), we were pleasantly surprised to learn they also offer wine pairings. Since our only other real option was a bottle of white Burgundy (it does go really well with the tasting menu but is what we had during our last two dinners there), we of course chose the pairing. Unlike the disaster of a wine pairing we had at 2941 many years ago with Katy & Scott (the sommelier who poured us an $8 bottle of Horton Norton that night was fired not too long afterwards), this one was beyond incredible. And we didn't even opt for the top-end $995 per person pairing. Yes, that's a real option, and yes, another table had it while we were there, so we lucked out and some of their wines got shared with us. We were able to request a few wines that we really wanted (I asked for a really nice Burgundy and a really nice Bordeaux since we can't get either in Doha, Heather asked for d'Yquem for the dessert wine), and the rest were chosen by Ben, the wonderful sommelier. Many of them are limited production wines or otherwise very hard to get, and he did us right. Here's the list of the deliciousness...
Champagne, Veuve Cliguot Ponsardin, Brut Rose, France NV
- a decent rose to start the meal. We ordered this when we sat down, so I think the normal pairing probably would have been a little higher end. We didn't complain, though, because we knew we were getting three amazing wines later in the evening.
Echezeaux, Domaine Jayer-Gilles, Burgundy, France 2003
- huge wine. Dark for a Burgundy, with solid tannins and a very long finish. I'd like to have another bottle of this in 2018. This was another treat we got to enjoy thanks to the pairings of the other tables in the restaurant.
Bordeaux, Château Brane-Cantenac Margaux, France 1986
- An unbelievable wine. The tannins had softened some, but the dark fruit and earthiness were still right there. Lush, elegant, and full bodied 27 years in. Wow!
Sauternes, Chateau d'Yquem, Bordeaux, France 1997
- As Heather says, this is liquid gold. I think it's more like unicorn pee. Words can't really describe how amazing this wine is, though this lady tries hard, even if she is a bit pretentious sounding.
Race day came too early, as it always does. My alarm at 4am was 30 minutes later than Disney, but that's not much of an improvement. How I'll ever get through Dopey in 2015, I have no idea. I crawled out of bed and settled into my pre-race routine: eat Clif bar slowly, sip on Powerade, and kill time until having to get dressed and out the door. The wind howling outside seemed even louder than the past few days, making it all that much more difficult to get ready. I finally stopped stalling and threw on my typical racing stuff: BodyGlide, compression shorts, KT tape, Sport Science tie-dye shirt, lucky socks, Kayanos, Qatar Airways pajamas to keep warm.
The shuttle from the hotel to the start got us there in plenty of time. Even with a few trips to the porta-potties, we still had plenty of time to sit down and relax for a little while. Before too long, though, the South African national anthem started playing and the runners in the half were sent on their way. 30 minutes later, it was our turn. I was amazed at how fast the runners are able to clear the start line. Two Oceans has a very strict 7-hour time limit from gun to gun, and I was afraid that even though I was in the third of six corrals, I'd lose precious minutes just getting across the line. I was on my way within 30-45 seconds, and Holly and Joel, three corrals behind me, only lost two minutes or so. Very efficient. Here's hoping Comrades next year is just as efficient because I think I'm going to need as much of their 12 hours as I can get.
The first few miles of the race are pretty boring. The course runs through town and doesn't look much different than any other big city marathon - shops, apartment buildings, and people from the neighborhoods out watching and cheering. The gale force wind certainly didn't help make this very enjoyable either. I did my best to hide behind larger runners or packs of runners to cut down the resistance as much as I could. The 6-hour buses, as they call their pace groups, were right around me, and I toyed with the idea of joining them and going for a sub-6 medal. Side note: the medals are different colors depending on your finishing time. I think sub-6 is bronze. Anyway, I kept them in sight, ran with them when the wind was strongest, and fell back when I thought I was going too fast.
After eight miles, the course finally became interesting. We left the suburbs and started to see some of the real beauty of the area. The Indian Ocean was to our left, a vast raging stretch of greenish-blue covered in white caps and sea spray. To our right, nothing but towering cliffs and mountains. We followed the road along the coast for five miles or so before heading inland and across to the Atlantic. As we climbed the small hill away from the water, a running centipede passed me. Five guys in the apparatus with three or four others running alongside providing water and fuel.
Side note about the water: the water and Powerade came in small sealed plastic sachets. No cups, no bottles, just little plastic bags. By the end of the race, I thought they were the greatest thing in the world, but it took me a long time to figure out how to bite into them just enough to get fluid out without it spilling all over me.
About sixteen miles in, we started the ascent of Chapman's Peak, Chappies to the locals. Having done next to no hill training in Doha leading up to the race, I knew I was never going to rocket up it, but I told myself I'd at least try to run the whole way. Thanks to my friend Peter, a running buddy in Doha from SA who has run Two Oceans many times before, I knew Chappies would be a long but manageable climb. I even remembered his warning not to get fooled by the false summit a few kilometers from the real one. I ran the whole thing, only stopping a few times to take pictures. This part of the course is where Two Oceans earns its claim as the "World's Most Beautiful Marathon."
The views were absolutely stunning - the Atlantic spreading out as far as the eye can see, the cliffs of the mountain on both sides interrupted only by the road we were running on, and the other peaks and bays of the coast off in the distance. The low fog and mist gave it an almost sinister look, as if the peak was trying to make sure we knew we had to earn that trip over the top.
As I reached the top of the pass, I felt relieved to be done with the first climb and was looking forward to gaining some strength back on the downhill section. I could not have been more wrong. Coming around the corner at the top, we ran smack into the cold gale that had been absent (behind us?) for the last hour. I have never struggled so much physically and mentally to run downhill in my life. I grew freezing cold as the wind sucked the sweat out of my shirt. Doubts and fears crept in as I seriously began to wonder if I was able to, or even wanted to, complete the last 14 miles. I had plenty of time - I'd only been running for 3.5 hours at this point - but I was struggling to fight both my brain and my growing nausea. As I told Mary in my email to her with my first thoughts after the race,
"My stomach can only handle so much gel before getting nauseous. Came close to puking more than a few times, though that might also have something to do with my mental state at the time. I was thisclose to packing it in, skipping Sugarloaf, and just calling it a year until the fall. I was really in a bad place, but managed to pull myself out and keep going. Guess that bodes well for running Comrades next year. :)"
At the bottom of Chappies is Hout Bay, a really pretty little town right on the beach with hundreds of people all along the course cheering us on. I fell in with a woman from Durban when she said hello to me going through one of the water stops. International runners have a different color bib from other entrants, and they (one on front and one on back) also have your name and number of Two Oceans races completed on them, so it wasn't hard for her to chat me up. That happened quite a lot, actually. Lots of very proud South Africans asking me all race long how I was enjoying the course, the city, and their country.
We ran and walked together until we reached the bottom of Constantia Neck, the second of the two peaks in the race. She was going to keep running and walking, and I, certainly, was not. I knew at this point that I'd be able to finish well under the time limit without running, and I also knew this was not nearly as nice a climb as Chappies. It's much shorter, steeper, and higher, all the more reason to join nearly everyone else for a power walk. As I crossed the summit, I almost let out a sigh of relief until I remembered Peter's caution about the three little switchbacks that come after the top. On the downhill sections, though, it was all about falling forward and letting gravity do the work, just like my friend David in Houston taught me.
The lack of crowds along the route back into Cape Town was a bit disappointing, but I can't fault anyone for staying home instead of going to sit by the side of the road for hours on a chilly and blustery day. I made sure to thank all the ones that were there. Not sure they heard me through the hats and scarves they all seemed to be wearing.
A few lefthand turns later, and the stadium came into view. The finish line is on the rugby pitch at the university, and last year was mostly mud due to all the rain. I started pumping my fists, high-fiving the crowd, and making the most of the last few minutes of the race.
I had set out to conquer one of the most famous and challenging ultras in the world, and I had. I felt great and drank in as much of the moment and atmosphere as I could.
After crossing the line and finding someone to take my picture, I went to find Holly and the rest of my friends who were there. International runners have a special tent for them that provides free food and beer. The burgers were cold and raw and the beer was crap, but that didn't seem to stop us from all celebrating together. I even got to see the saddest part of the race - the first people to reach the finish line after the time limit has been reached and the rope has been drawn across it. I can't imagine the heartbreak of struggling and fighting for 35 miles and seven hours only to come up 5 seconds short. The slumped, heaving shoulders and hanging heads told me enough.
Some more thoughts from my email to Mary written without much though, just gut reactions to the day's event:
Hills suck without training. Made it up the first peak ok but walked all of the second.
I need to have a plan in my head going in whether I'm going for time or fun. Kept waffling about trying to break 6 until it was too late.
I'm in much better shape than I thought I was. My default easy pace isn't 10 anymore. It's more like 930 or so. Had I realized that early on, I might've gone under 6.
Not having a running buddy with me definitely makes it harder. Having someone to talk to, keep pace with, etc. improves my racing.
KT tape works great to prevent nipple chafing but it's not sweat proof. The extra strips I packed came in very handy.
I am beyond thrilled to have done this race. It was an amazing experience.
This past weekend, we took a trip to Oman for the Wadi Bih run. Well, ok, I went for the run, and Heather came along to sit on the beach and get drinks from the pool bar. We left Doha on Wednesday afternoon for Dubai and planned on staying with Holly that night, sleeping in on Thursday, and leaving for Dibba around noon. When we arrived in Dubai, there were more people heading to passport control than either of us had ever seen during any of our previous trips. The lines at passport control were so long, they ended up sending people with American and European passports through the Fast Track lines to help clear the congestion. What could have been an hour-long wait, and probably was for everyone from Russia, southeast Asia, and other countries whose citizens need paperwork to enter the UAE, took us less than 10 minutes. After a quick stop in duty free (just as packed as the arrivals area) and a not-so-quick wait in the taxi line, we were on our way to Hotel Holly for a dinner of pizza and champagne.
Heading through to the coast
We slept in the next morning and got on the road for Dibba around noon. The directions on the hotel's web site were less than helpful ("Follow the road to Fujairah, then to Dibba. Once in Dibba, follow the road signs to the hotel.") given that there are no signs to Fujairah when leaving Dubai. Apple's Map app wasn't any real help either. It couldn't even find the hotel or the town we were going to.
Thankfully, we are loyal users of Google Maps and managed to find our way just fine. The drive was easy and uneventful, taking us across acres of desert and through small villages selling Arabian tents, carpets, and tacky souvenirs. Our only excitement came when a donkey wandering across the road to the median decided to head back to the shoulder. With some nimble steering and braking, Heather managed to
not only avoid the donkey but also keep from getting rear-ended by the local in the BMW SUV behind us traveling a bit too fast a bit too close.
There really is a nice beach on the other side of the wall
The hotel itself is really odd. It's in a beautiful location, right on the water at the foot of the mountains, but it blocks the view of the beach with a wall. The rooms are large and very nice, but there's no direct way to get to them from the lobby. The advertised free Internet is really a 5-year-old desktop in a tiny closet that requires a SIM card and adapter from the front desk to use. Oh, and the pool
bar isn't open on a regular basis, putting quite a damper on Heather's plans for Friday. In our quest to find a beer to enjoy by the pool, we get turned away from the indoor bar because they're not open until 6. The waiter at the restaurant is happy to take our order, though, and proceeds down the hall to, yes, get our beers from the closed bar. Lots of head-shaking happening all weekend long.
Can't get much closer to the start than this
The race starts on the beach next to the hotel and consists of 12 stages of varying length for 36km up to the top of a mountain and then same stages in reverse order for another 36km on the way back down. Solo runners can start any time after 430am, while the teams are allowed start between 6 and 830. Our team decided to start right at 6. We guessed it would take us 7 hours or so to finish, and we wanted
to spend as much time running before it warmed up as we could. Starting early also meant there would be fewer other teams out on the road with us and thus less congestion and dust to have to deal with along the way. Much to our surprise, when we walked up to the line, there was only one other team in line to start. We waited for all of two or three minutes and then were on our way.
Our plan going in wasn't really much of a plan at all. Angie and I were using the run as hill training for Two Oceans, Fleur had this as one of her last long runs before her upcoming marathon, and Erin was coming along for the fun. Holly was supposed to be running with us too, but since her shoulder is taking a long time to heal, she couldn't. She crossed the start line with us and did five miles out and back instead. We set off into the darkness to meet Evelyn and the car at the first checkpoint half a mile down the road. Fleur and Erin volunteered for the next leg, so Angie and I hopped in the car and went to wait for them at flag #2.
Roughly 20 minutes later, Fleur & Erin came into view, passed us the baton (yes, the official runner for each leg had to carry a baton with our number on it the whole time), and waved good-bye as we took off up the road. This leg turned out to be much hillier than we expected, with a good uphill right in the beginning offsetting a long downhill at the end. So much for the relatively flat stage we thought we signed up for. As we made our way up the hill, we got passed by a woman from one of the teams that started in front of us. About halfway down the hill, we saw her in front of us and getting closer. Without saying a word to each other, our pace quickened slightly, and any notions I had about taking it easy disappeared in the dust as we overtook her a quarter-mile before the checkpoint. It was game on for the rest of the race.
Fleur handing off to Erin
Each stage was between 1.4 and 4 kilometers, and we took turns running them. On a few, like the really steep ones near the top, two or three of us ran together for training, but usually there was just one of us on the road. If you weren't running, you were either recovering from a leg or getting ready to run a leg. With only four of us, we didn't have the extra rest that most of the other teams did. Once we settled into our groove, though, the day just flew by. We all got in some running up (slowly but running) and down (flying with a big assist from gravity) the steep sections, the flat sections, and in the dusty ones too. The dust wasn't too bad in the early going, but once we started back down and ran into all the teams and their cars still heading to the top, it got pretty thick. We all had a pretty bad cough by the end, and our hair was a lovely crusty mixture of salt, sweat, and dust.
We finished in 6:20, a whole lot faster than expected. The finish line is at the hotel about 50 feet from the pool bar, which thankfully was open. I grabbed a beer for everyone (fortunately Heather was there with cash since the bar wasn't let anyone charge to their room) and wandered down to the beach to soak my legs in the water. We spent 10 minutes drinking, soaking, and watching a young sea turtle swim around us. A great way to end a really fun race. I can't wait to do it again next year.
Sunrise on the canyon walls
Goat pens built into the cliff walls
This guy came right down to the road to check us out
One of the other teams in the race posted this video showing the highlights of what the run was like. The only real difference between us and them is that we didn't wimp out and change runners during the "and now it gets steep" stage like they did.
Unlike in previous years when we've been able to start Goofy weekend on Thursday morning and spend the rest of the day riding coasters at Universal, our short time in the US meant we had errands and medical appointments to take care of on Thursday instead. I knew this meant the expo would be much more crowded, so we tried to get as early a start on Friday as we could. First stop was IHOP for a big pancake breakfast. Just following my coach's instructions, really. She told me this was the most important meal before the races, said I had to have lots of carbs, and finished with "eat until you're full. Then have one more pancake." This is why I love Mary.
When we arrived at Disney, packet pickup was not as mobbed as I thought it would be,
though the lines upstairs in the Goofy area were fairly long. Even if you take out
the time I spent getting my corral changed to a faster one, Heather still had her
packet well before I did. Where things really got crowded was the line to get into
the expo. Rather than being 20-30 people waiting right outside the door, a line of
several hundred went down the stairs, wrapped around the entire grassy area in front
of the building, and back to the field house where the packet pickup was. Once
inside, things didn't get much better. It was easy enough to get our shirts and
goodie bags, but that was the only uncrowded area. Just like when you get off one of
their rides in the park, Disney funnels you through their official merchandise area
before letting you out into the rest of the expo, and there are always tons of
people shopping or waiting in line to buy stuff. We pushed past them and made our
way through the throngs to the only two vendors I really wanted to fight the crowds
for, Asics and CW-X. Asics didn't have any of the socks I wanted (strike one), and
CW-X only had one of the two shorts I was looking for (strike two). On the plus
side, we got out of there pretty quickly.
Next stop was our home for the weekend at Disney's Boardwalk Villas. Our friend
Holly and her family graciously let us stay in one of the rooms in their villa, so
not only did we have a great view of the water and the nightly fireworks at Epcot,
we also had fun people to hang with. Definitely a much better option than staying in
a hotel. After running some more errands Friday afternoon, we finally got to put our
feet up and rest for a few hours before dinner at Jiko at Animal Kingdom. Heather's
choice, and it was a good one. The food and service were excellent, as was the
company, friends from In Flight in Houston and from my days in business school at
Michigan. Those of us running the next morning skipped dessert and went home to bed.
The alarm went off on Friday at 330, and I started into my new pre-race routine:
Clif bar right away and sip PowerAde for the next hour. I hate eating right when I
wake up, but I can't argue with the results of doing this in my last few races.
About 415, we left the hotel for the race. Huge thanks here to Holly's father who,
despite flying in late the night before, was kind enough to drive all of us over to
the start area, saving us the hassle of waiting for and riding the bus. We met up
with our friends at bag check at 5, dropped everything off, and began the long walk
to the corrals with 27,000 of our closest friends. It was exponentially more crowded
walking over for this year's half than any of the other WDW races any of us have
done. I managed to get to my corral just as the fireworks to start corral A were
going off, giving me 7 minutes to ditch my throw-away top, tie my shoes, and suck
down a pre-start gel.
While it's not exactly the best strategy for getting through Goofy, Mary wanted me
to try for a PR in the half, so I left the phone/camera behind and just focused on
the task at hand. My plan was to go out at 8:15-8:20, hold that as best I could, and
finish somewhere between 1:45 and 1:50. As soon as the gun went off and we started
down the course, I knew those were going to be tough times to reach, and not because
of jet leg or anything. I felt great and was raring to go, but there were just way
too many people on the course to be able to maintain a smooth and steady pace. Even
in corral B, supposedly for people who plan to run sub-2, there were dozens if not
hundreds of people walking off the line or running Galloway intervals that would
clearly not get them in under 2, let alone 2:30.
Mile 1 - Ran in the grass most of the time trying to stay on pace. Tried not to let
the frustration of dodging and weaving cause me to lose focus. No characters yet, so
not much to look at but the backs of everyone in front of me. 8:28, nice and easy.
Mile 2 - More frustrating running in the grass. Thankfully I was able to get on the
inside of the ramp taking us towards Magic Kingdom. Still no characters, but there
was a very talented high school band playing "Word Up" with a kick-ass brass section
taking care of the melody. Korn's cover is better, but they did get me singing in my
head and picking up my pace. 8:24, still nice and easy.
Mile 3 - The first characters! Finally something to look at. They moved Captain Jack
and the Pirates of the Caribbean ship out of Magic Kingdom to this lonely stretch of
road. The line was at least 30 people long. Made a mental note to stop here during
the full. More dodging and weaving, and then characters again! Jack Skeleton from
Nightmare before Christmas! Told myself I'd definitely stop for this one during the
full too. 8:28 again, still feeling easy.
Mile 4 - A really boring mile for the first half of it. Nothing to see since they
took the cars that are usually here and moved them onto the track for Sunday. The
highlight was seeing Maddy and her #nocandyasses sign just before the TTC. Great
crowd support there, but also tons of people walking to say hello, blindly cutting
across the road to use one of the real bathrooms, and generally getting in the way
of everyone else. First gel 30 minutes into the race. Another 8:28 and not feeling
like I'm working hard. I think that's because I had to keep speeding up and slowing
down.
Mile 5 - I made up some really good time by using the sidewalk when running under
the Seven Seas Lagoon and back up the other side. The course was still way too
crowded when the sidewalk ended, though, and I found myself back on the grass.
Grrrr. 8:23, easy.
Mile 6 - Through Magic Kingdom. Very crowded here with everyone slowing down to take
pictures at the castle, wave for the cameras, etc. I noticed Donald off to the left
of the castle entrance with only a couple of people waiting. I really hoped he would
be there on Sunday since I never got a picture with him in my previous Disney races.
I had to slow down and watch my footing in a few places as the dew made some of the
corners and turns a bit scary. 8:28, easy.
Mile 7 - This was the most congested part of the course, even worse than the castle
since that was only 50-100 feet long. Most of mile 7 is one lane of road, making it
very difficult to get by people and keep your pace steady. This was the mentally
hardest mile because I could barely focus on running. There were way too many people
for the course when it is this narrow for this long. I did a lot of micro-sprinting
to move around people, but the overcrowding made this my slowest mile of the day.
8:30, and it sure felt much slower than that. Second gel 60 minutes in.
Mile 8 - This is one of my favorite miles during the race. The crowd support is
great, the golf course on the other side is really pretty, and you know you're
heading back to Epcot and the finish. The course widened a little at the end of this
mile, allowing me to run a little easier and get back to the pace I wanted to be at.
8:24, and feeling good.
Mile 9 - Finally another solid mile. The crowds were thinning out and I was in a
groove. It felt good to relax a bit and just run. 8:16, easy.
Mile 10 - When we turned onto World Drive again, we had the entire three lanes to
run in, so I spent much less time weaving around people. I ran through some quick
mental calculations in my head and realized that if I could drop to 8-minute miles,
I'd get damn close to breaking 1:50. That was enough of a challenge for me to pop my
last gel, bear down, and go for it. 8:14, still easy.
Mile 11 - The 270-degree turn up the ramp halfway through this mile didn't help me
very much in reaching my 8 min/mile goal. I had a nice burst of speed when I saw
Thunder Matt cheering from the top of the overpass, but it wasn't enough to offset
the climb up. Only 8:18 for this one.
Mile 12 - I knew if I didn't really kick it into a high gear that I'd never stand a
chance of hitting 1:50. By my estimation, I was looking at a 1:51 at the pace I was
currently running. I told myself that if Kevin can drop three minutes in the last
three miles of a marathon, I could surely try the same thing in a half, so against
my better judgment as to how this would affect me the next day, off I went. I hit
this one in 7:56, getting faster as I went. This is when I stopped looking at my
pace and started looking at my elapsed time.
Mile 13 - I was only checking my watch once in a while to see how close I was going
to be. I was pushing as fast as I could safely go given the number of runners on the
course and the footing in Epcot. The fountains were on and the mist was creating
some very slick places along the route, the hairpin turn where the Christmas tree
sits being the most treacherous. As I rounded the corner by the gospel choir, I
glanced at my watch and smiled. I had just about a minute to get across the line
with less than a tenth of a mile to go. I found myself a mostly-clear path along the
left-hand side of the finishing chute and dashed across the line with 30 seconds to
spare. I ran the last mile in 7:36, including having to brake hard at the line to
avoid getting cock-blocked by the woman in this video.
It was strange to be one of the few people turning it on over the last few miles.
Everyone else was running the race like I normally do - taking pictures, waving at
the crowd, and enjoying the scenery. That's why Disney is such a tough place to get
a PR, especially when combined with the overcrowding they had this year. The last
two miles were really hard work pace-wise compared with the rest, but the mental
challenge of not getting frustrated by all the people on a crowded course was
toughest for at least the first half of the race. Makes me wonder what I could do on
a decent course without having to waste time and energy zigzagging around.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from Istanbul. The ones from the Topkapi Palace will be up next.
The view towards the old city as we crossed the bridge to our hotel
The Blue Mosque
The dome of the Blue Mosque
The Blue Mosque was not as impressive as we thought it would be. Very pretty from the outside, but the hundreds of wires holding up the lights inside kind of took away from the beauty. Right down the street, however, was the Hagia Sophia, and it was absolutely stunning! I can only imagine how spectacular it was when first completed with all the golden mosaics intact. And if you ever find yourself waiting in line to get in to it, it's worth the 15 Turkish Lira to hire a guide. You get to skip all the lines and also have someone show you all the unique and unusual parts of the museum. Our guide took us around for an hour or more. Had we done it ourselves, we would've been out of there in much less time and not learned as much about the history of the building and the sights within it.
Hagia Sophia
It was built as a Christian church, so why the dolphins and trident that represent Poseidon?
Once upon a time, the ceiling and the walls were covered in gorgeous gold mosaics like these
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