The weather is perfect and I feel really good. The guys get up to see me off and even walk me to the start just a few blocks away. I pace myself well or so I think and run the first 11 miles only walking up the steep hills. I have my nano and adjoining chip so I can tell the distance I have traveled but have no real idea of the actual time of day, save taking twenty minutes off of every course clock as that is how long it took my corral to get going, and that is just a rough guess.
We need to pass the 18 1/2 mile mark by noon (5 hours from the 7am start, but 4:40 for me as I do not corral jump like I usually do) to be able to complete the entire marathon. Otherwise you get side sifted to mile 22 and end up running 4 fewer miles. I really think I have about 30 minutes at least to spare because I am keeping track of this goal. Well, I get to the water stop just before the cut off which at that point I do not realize is the cut off, I just know it is close. All of a sudden the water people say that we have 2 minutes to reach the white truck up the hill (about a 1/10 of a mile) because they are going to close the marathon proper. Of course we all start sprinting. It is not a steep hill but we are at mile 18+. I get within a body length of the truck with about four people in front of me and others all around me and they say sorry no more can go through! I am crushed, sure you still get your finisher goodies but who wants a 22 mile marathon on their record? Some team in training coach beside me tries to tell his gals they did their best. We are all trying to figure out a way around the gate and at the same time very reluctantly heading down the hill on the adjoining road, when up the hill comes the 6:30 pace guy with his gals. They are not stopping. The cut off folks are saying sorry to him. His gals are saying that he promised that if they stuck with him they would make the cut off. He tells the gate people that he is on pace and to take it up with management and charges through. I jump into his posse and charge through too. And I keep on running still up hill taking no chance that they will change their minds and come running with fresh legs after us.
About a quarter of a mile later I pass some girl and she is asking her partner if they were the last and I say just about because the gate is now closed. 6:30 guy and his gals are still behind me. Never have I been so glad to be able to run four more miles. Later 6:30 guy passes me but I don't care.
I do a lot of walking, some running. I am close to last but don't want to be dead last. It is hot by now. The Great Highway which runs by the beach and is our final 3 miles (and also an earlier three going the other way) is rough to run on so I do walk a lot. I finish in close to my Nashville time so I am happy. I ran a lot more early in the second half (and it is a good thing I did) and just felt really good the entire race. Guys in tuxedos do pass out your Tiffany necklace in a box with the ribbon and a leather pouch to keep it in. A few steps later a gal hands you a tiny Tiffany's shopping bag to put the box in. And we also got a nice gals' style fitted dri-fit t-shirt. We are the rag tag last as all the really slower runners that had to take the cut off have already finished, even the course walkers. Donny & Lewis have taken their time getting there but still have about an hour to wait for me. It's a pleasant day so that's good.
Then we are off to show Lewis Mavericks and HMB and also get my battery charger. We want to eat in town but everyone is on the highway either going to the beach or going pumpkin shopping at the numerous pumpkin farms, so traffic is crawling. We elect to take Lewis on the the airport so we don't get stuck in traffic and cause him to miss his plane.
Later Donny and I actually find the movie theater again and see Across the Universe which we love.
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