Well, I was all set on the morning of May 17th to head to Delaware to run my 3rd marathon in 3 months. It was our second week of training for the Patrick Henry Half Marathon Team, so I decided to run a couple of miles with the novice team, and then wait for team to return from their training runs before heading home to pack-up the family and head to Delaware. I figured as long as we left by noon, we would plenty of time to get to packet pick-up before it closed. Everything was going according to plans. Even the traffic on the drive up was lighter than expected. We arrived at the Frawley Stadium with a couple hours to spare. There wasn't much of a race expo, but that was fine by me because I just wanted to check in to the hotel and chill for a couple of hours before heading out to the pasta dinner.

We made the drive from the stadium following the directions I had printed out from Google maps. The only problem was there was a bike race going on that ran right in front of our hotel. After a few alternative trip around the city of Wilmington, we finally found a back way to get to the parking garage of our hotel. The hotel lobby was a busy place. Not only was there a bike race, but also the hotel was hosting a barber shop quartet contest. It was pretty amusing to see groups of 4 men all decked out in matching colorful suits. As I waited in line at the check-in, I saw an elderly gentleman wearing a Carolina Mudcats hat. We used to live not far from Four County Stadium where the Mudcats played (near Raleigh, NC). As he passed by, I said “Go Mudcats”, and that struck up a conversation about what a great stadium it was, and how few people actually attended the Mudcat's games. I got to use one of my favorite jokes about how I would call the Mudcats office and ask “what time does the games start?” and they would say “what time can you get here?”. Another couple checking in overheard our conversation and said that her parents were moving to Cary, NC that very weekend. We talked about Cary a little and I found out that her husband was running the marathon and she was doing the 10 mile race. Small world.

We got checked-in, and still had plenty of time for Jill to go for a run on the treadmill, and take the kids to the pool before the pasta dinner started. The pasta dinner was great. It was “all you can eat” which is my favorite kind. I had about two and half servings of pasta, which I thought would give me plenty of fuel for the race. I wish I had stopped there, but there was desert. They had brownies and lots of cookies. I cannot eat chocolate or I'll get a headache almost every time. I decided to eat several cookies instead, this would (I think) prove to be a mistake.

We got back to the hotel and watched “Evan Almighty”. Even though, we'd all seen it before, it was still funny and kids loved watching the animals. It didn't take long to fall asleep after that. I was feeling really good and excited about the run. All my running gear was ready. I had planned to take the shuttle from the hotel that was leaving at 5:40 in the morning. All systems go. I set the alarm for 4:30 and went to sleep.

I woke-up to the alarm at 4:30 and made my way to bathroom, closed the door, and turned on the light. Then it hit me, a throbbing pain in my head. It hurt to open my eyes. I grabbed a bottle of water and sat in the bathroom, slowly drinking the water and hoping the pain would go away. My head hurt so bad I couldn't think. What did I do wrong? Then I thought of the cookies. Sometimes, I get the same reaction from highly processed sugar as I get from chocolate. The clock was ticking, what was I going to do?? I thought about just climbing back in bed. Then I decided, well I've still got an hour and half before the race starts, maybe by then I'll feel better. I quickly got dressed and headed down to the shuttle. I was the last person on the bus. I sat in the back, everyone was talking very loudly, excited about the race. I sat with my head down. I apologized to the lady next to me, saying “sorry, I don't feel very well.”
We arrived at the stadium and I quickly tried to find a quiet place to sit down and close my eyes again. Seemed everywhere I went people were talking loudly. Runner's must have thought, “man, look at that guy, he's really meditating over this race”. I borrowed a cell phone from another runner, and called Jill and said “I'm feeling terrible, not sure I can make it”. Then, I just sat on the ground with my eyes closed until I heard the announcer “okay runners, let's head to the start line”. I stood-up but kept looking at the ground as I made my way to the starting line with the other runners. I figured if I can't do it, I'll just stop at the 3.5 mile mark when I see Jill and the kids for the first time. The cannon went off to start the race, and I started running (slowly). I kept my eyes on the ground in front of me. I plodded along the first mile, and to my surprise I was starting to feel better, not great but better. As I hit mile two, then pain in my head was letting up from the constant throbbing, to intermittent pain. By mile three, I was feeling “not too bad”, which is what I told Jill as I passed at the 3.5 mile mark.

The first part of the marathon was a 10 mile loop that would bring us back to start. I couldn't tell you what the first 7 miles looked like. I kept my head down, and ran at about 30 seconds per mile slower than I had planned. Somewhere near mile 7, I started feeling normal. I lifted my head and noticed we were coming out of a park along the river. As I passed Jill and the kids for the second time, I said “I'm doing good”.

The Delaware Marathon is perfect for spectators. The race is a 10 mile loop, followed by three 5.4 mile loops. Jill and the kids were able to see me pass 7 times, all while sitting in the Riverfront Park. There was a water stop every mile or mile and half on the 5.4 mile loops, so you never go very long without hitting a water station. The volunteers that manned the water stations and traffic control were great. I remember one gentleman, that stood on a corner near the stadium. Each time I passed I noticed he was smiling and cheering for each runner that made the turn back toward the starting/finishing line.

As I started my last loop (only 5,4 miles to go) I was feeling really strong. Probably the result of going out slow, I had maintained an even conservative pace throughout the entire race. I pushed it a little on the last lap, and actually just beat the girls back to the finish line. As I approached the finish line, I unrolled a sign Jill handed me on my way out on the last lap. I held up the sign as I crossed the finish line, “Maniac”.

The race, even with my rocky start, turned out well. I finished just under 4 hours and about 30 seconds faster than my death march in Athens. It was great to feel better at the end of the race than I did at the start. The weather had held out, and although a little warm for me, definitely not as hot as the previous one. I was now qualified as a “Marathon Maniac”. I filled out my application to the Maniacs Club when I returned home that night. I got my official acceptance a day later, I'm now Marathon Maniac #947.

I look forward to helping others reach their running goals over the several months as I coach the PH HMT. I think it is just as satisfying seeing others reach their goals as achieving your own. Running is like an addiction, and it's much more fun to have other addicts along for the trip.

See ya one the streets,
Tom