KDF Mini Marathon

ORN: 13.1 miles in 2:33:17, which is a PR for me. My last half marathon time six months ago was 2:44.

Pre-race
Friday, the night before the race, we went to the race's pasta dinner. It was quite good, actually, for cafeteria-style pasta. I ate several helpings, some bread, a salad, and a piece of derby pie. Then we went to the Fest-a-Ville on the waterfront for a while. We, in this case, means Wifey, Little One, and me.

I didn't sleep well Friday night. I was, frankly, too excited. But I did the best I could and practically jumped out of bed at 5:00 when my alarm went off. I threw on a sleeveless shirt and my split shorts. Then I ate a breakfast of a cereal bar, a large glass of Gatorade, my vitamins and meds, and half a bagel. I was on the road by 5:15.


I arrived downtown by 5:30 and was queued up several minutes later for the shuttle bus. The weather was in the lower 50s and drizzly. Smarter people than I had garbage bags on or shells. As it was, I was shivering and debating when a good time would be to eat my energy beans. But the bus ride itself was great. Everybody was excited and full of energy. I listened to out-of-towners talk about the various derby events they were considering attending after the race.

I arrived in the starting area about 1.5 hours early. This was good because I peed three times. There were abundant portable toilets, but unfortunately no water. But it was no big deal. Apparently my body was more interested in dumping water than loading up on it.

Race
I placed myself between the 10 and 11 minute pace groups. There, I waited for the race to begin. I watched the running Elvis impersonators. I saw all the funny t-shirts. I listened to all the excited chatter, then, far ahead, I saw the flood of 12,000 racers take off.

The first two or three miles were very nice and quite slow. Once I started moving, the cold no longer affected me. The crowd of people was so intense that one could not go much faster than the stampede ahead of you. The spectators were encouraging. My hips, though, were starting to register their displeasure.

It's not an exaggeration to say that I was in pain nearly the whole race. My hips felt as though the tops of the femur bones were spearheads, piercing into my hip sockets with every footfall. The pain was deep inside and varied between a dull ache, a vague annoyance, and intensely sharp. For the whole race.

After three miles or so, we entered Iroquois Park, and as it was in the case of the Papa John's 10 Miler, the park was one of my favorite parts of the race. The cheering crowds were fewer, but the hills and the natural beauty carried me forward. Nothing much to say about this section of the race, except that I stuck to my 10/1 run/walk pattern and took it nice and slow. My thought was that after the park, I would start to pick up the pace a little.

However, once I exited the park, at around the 5-6 mile mark, my pains weren't going away. My hips were as bad as ever, so I just took it easy. I waved at the cheering crowds, thanked the numerous volunteers handing out water and sports drink. I especially thanked the spontaneous volunteers, the folks with orange slices who just showed up and handed them out because Louisvillians are awesome. Folks lined the roads to cheer on their friends and relations, but they did not discriminate. Every runner felt the love.

At mile 8, my favorite part of the run came into view — the run through Churchill Downs. We descended a ramp, ran through a tunnel, and emerged in the infield of the track. Around us, on the track itself, horses worked out with their jockeys and trainers. Around the infield, the tents and vendor stands were beginning to go up ahead of the Derby next Saturday. Under the twin spires, I ran awestruck. I had not been in the infield for years. I love the track.

Then, as we passed the ninth mile, we passed through another tunnel and back onto the street. Then began the boring slog through the remaining four miles. By this point, I was in trouble. My hips were aflame, and my knees were starting to protest too. Eventually, my feet started hurting too. But as I left the Downs behind, the skyscrapers of Downtown Louisville appeared.

The last miles of the race were painful but great because of the increasing crowds cheering us on. I pounded on and on, and then around the 13th mile, before the final turn, I saw my heroes! Wifey and Little One were there cheering for me at the end! Awesome. I crossed the finish line with my hands in the air and a stupid smile all over my face. Stopping running felt so freaking good.

Post race
The runners were fed through the chute into the post-race party. There, I gobbled down a bagel, a bottle of sports drink, and a beer. A band was playing, and there were engravers to etch your name and time on your medal. I'll write more on this on Monday.